Analysis of the diffractional properties of dual-period apodizing gratings: theoretical and experimental results

We present an analysis of the diffractional properties of dual-period apodizing gratings. In a previous paper we used these components to obtain single-lateral-mode and dual-longitudinal-mode emission from a broad-area diode laser. We now calculate the diffracted field for a monochromatic beam incident on the grating by using an analytical model. Predictions of the model are compared with experimental measurements made with several dual-period gratings. We also discuss the situation in which a dual-period grating is used as an external coupler of a diode laser in a two-wavelength emission regime.     

Determination of refractive indices of opaque rough surfaces

The refractive indices of optical materials are usually determined from spectrophotometric and ellipsometric measurements of specular beams. When the roughness of the interfaces increases, the energy in the specularly reflected and transmitted beams decreases and scattering becomes predominant. For strong roughness (compared to the incident wavelength) a surface does not exhibit specular reflection or transmission, making difficult the determination of the refractive index. We describe two techniques, based on scattering measurements, that one can use to determine the refractive indices of opaque inhomogeneous media.     

Varations in maize pollen emission and deposition in relation to microclimate

The coexistence of genetically modified (GM) crops with conventional crops has become a subject of debate and inquiry. Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most cultivated crop plants in the world and there is a need to assess the risks of cross-pollination. Concentration and deposition rate downwind from different-sized maize crops were measured during three flowering seasons, together with micrometeorological conditions in the surrounding environment. Pollen release started once the air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) increases above 0.2 to 0.5 kPa. Moreover, the dynamics of release was correlated with the dynamics of VPD surrounding the tassels. Horizontal deposition appeared to follow a power law over short distance downwind from the source, and the dispersal distance increased with the source canopy height and the roughness length of the downwind canopy. This work also provides a data set containing both pollen measurements and contrasting weather conditions to validate dispersal models and further investigate maize pollen dispersal processes.     

Balsam Fir Foliar Chemistry in Middle and Lower Crowns and Spruce Budworm Growth, Development, Food and Nitrogen Utilization

The impact of current-year foliage from the middle or lower crown section of balsam fir trees on larval growth, development, nitrogen, and food utilization was studied with laboratory rearing experiments, gravimetric analyses, and foliage chemical analyses. Pupal dry weight, pupal nitrogen weight, and total development times were not affected by feeding on current-year foliage from either the middle or the lower crown section. However, the nutritive and, particularly, allelochemical profiles were significantly different between crown levels and influenced spruce budworm food utilization, depending on development stage. Newly molted fifth instars feeding since post-diapause on middle crown foliage had lower dry weight and nitrogen weight than those fed lower crown foliage. This apparently resulted from the high monoterpene content in the mid-crown foliage. At the end of the fifth instar, however, insects from both crown levels had similar larval dry weights and nitrogen weights. Larvae fed middle crown foliage compensated with several mechanisms that led to increased relative nitrogen accumulation rate (RNAR) including increased efficiencies of conversion of ingested and digested nitrogen (ECIN, ECDN). Sixth-instar development time was nearly two days shorter for larvae fed middle crown foliage compared to those fed lower crown foliage. A higher relative consumption rate (RCR) due to the high content of two phagostimulatory components (soluble sugars and β-pinene) may account for reduced sixth-instar development time. Larvae from the middle crown section had higher relative growth rates (RGR) and RNAR than those from the lower crown. Pupal development time was also longer in the lower crown. The existence of spruce budworm flexibility to adapt to foliar biochemistry variations by developing compensatory mechanisms enables larvae to exploit the whole tree crown.     

DNA mismatch-specific base flipping by a bisacridine macrocycle

Most, if not all, enzymes that chemically modify nucleobases in DNA flip their target base from the inside of the double helix into an extrahelical position. This energetically unfavorable conformation is partly stabilized by specific binding of the apparent abasic site being formed. Thus, DNA base-flipping enzymes, like DNA methyltransferases and DNA glycosylases, generally bind very strongly to DNA containing abasic sites or abasic-site analogues. The macrocyclic bisacridine BisA has previously been shown to bind abasic sites. Herein we demonstrate that it is able to specifically recognize DNA base mismatches and most likely induces base flipping. Specific binding of BisA to DNA mismatches was studied by thermal denaturation experiments by using short duplex oligodeoxynucleotides containing central TT, TC, or TG mismatches or a TA match. In the presence of the macrocycle a strong increase in the melting temperature of up to 7.1 degrees C was observed for the mismatch-containing duplexes, whereas the melting temperature of the fully matched duplex was unaffected. Furthermore, BisA binding induced an enhanced reactivity of the mispaired thymine residue in the DNA toward potassium permanganate oxidation. A comparable reactivity has previously been observed for a TT target base mismatch in the presence of DNA methyltransferase M.TaqI. This similarity to a known base-flipping enzyme suggests that insertion of BisA into the DNA helix displaces the mispaired thymine residue into an extrahelical position, where it should be more prone to chemical oxidation. Thus, DNA base flipping does not appear to be limited to DNA-modifying enzymes but it is likely to also be induced by a small synthetic molecule binding to a thermodynamically weakened site in DNA.     

Expertise transfer, knowledge elicitation, and delayed recall in a design context

This paper describes a new method for knowledge elicitation that may contribute to effective expertise transfer from human experts to knowledge-based systems. The method was applied to knowledge transfer in an aerospace design context. Knowledge was transferred directly from an expert designer to both expert and novice “receivers” of information. Transfer occurred in a natural way, without intervention from a knowledge engineer. To evaluate the process, the information receivers were required to recall the transmitted knowledge after a seven week delay. Results suggest that this method can be effective for expertise transfer and can indicate desirable characteristics for knowledge-based systems which aim to be adaptable to users' differing levels of competence.     

On the calibration of the helicopter borne polarimetric radar René

The cetp and Thomson- csf have developed in 1992 a new polarimetric fm/cw X- band radar which has been designed to be easily mounted on small helicopter or aircraft. As it is devoted to research investigations on radar polarimetry applied to land and vegetation remote sensing, it needs to be calibrated in phase and amplitude with a very good accuracy. A calibration procedure using trihedral and dihedral corner reflectors is presented here and then compared to the calibration method using random distributed targets that has been developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A very good agreement between both methods enables us to apply our calibration algorithms to natural surfaces measurements at different incidence angles (20°, 40° and 50°.