The impact of intersatellite communication links on LEOS performance

LEOS communication systems are rapidly moving from dream to reality. When operational, the LEOS systems can offer mobile and fixed‐site communications between any two points on the globe. Yet, many LEOS system design issues remain unresolved. Some of the planned systems, such as Iridium and Teledesic, rely on intersatellite communication to provide space based routing from origin to destination while others, like Globalstar, use ground based routing. This paper investigates the effect of satellite crosslink design on user‐to‐user delay and satellite power consumption. Delay is an important measure of quality of service and may have a significant impact on system revenues. The results indicate that the choice of crosslink architecture has a large effect on user‐to‐user delay. In a polar orbit LEOS system, there will be two seams from pole to pole 180° apart, where satellites in orbits on opposing sides of the seam move in opposite directions. It is demonstrated that the ability to maintain communication links across the seams is of relatively minor importance for user‐to‐user delay. Finally, the choice of crosslink pattern and crosslink antenna technology is shown to have no significant impact on satellite power consumption or on LEOS system capacity. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Inter-observer variation in masked and unmasked images for quality evaluation of clinical radiographs

PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of masking on the inter-observer variation in image quality evaluation of clinical radiographs of chest and lumbar spine. BACKGROUND: Inter-observer variation is a big problem in image quality evaluation since this variation is often much bigger than the variation in image quality between, for example, two radiographic systems. In this study, we have evaluated the effect of masking on the inter-observer variation. The idea of the masking was to force every observer to view exactly the same part of the image and to avoid the effect of the overall 'first impression' of the image. A discussion with a group of European expert radiologists before the study indicated that masking might be a good way to reduce the inter-observer variation. METHODS: Five chest and five lumbar spine radiographs were collected together with detailed information regarding exposure conditions. The radiographs were digitised with a high-performance scanner and five different manipulations were performed, simulating five different exposure conditions. The contrast, noise and spatial resolution were manipulated by this method. The images were printed onto the film and the individual masks were produced for each film, showing only the parts of the images that were necessary for the image quality evaluation. The quality of the images was evaluated on ordinary viewing boxes by a large group of experienced radiologists. The images were examined with and without the masks with a set of image criteria (if fulfilled, 1 point; and not fulfilled, 0 point), and the mean score was calculated for each simulated exposure condition. RESULTS: The results of this study indicate that-contrary to what was supposed-the inter-observer variation increased when the images were masked. In some cases, especially for chest, this increase was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, image masking in studies of fulfilment of image criteria cannot be recommended.     

Influence of market orientation on performance: the moderating roles of customer participation breadth and depth in new product development

ABSTRACT

With a greater number of B2B firms integrating customers into the new product development (NPD) process, how to utilize customer involvement in NPD is an important decision because it may be a double-edged sword carrying both bright and dark sides. Utilizing a sample of 193 B2B firms across various industries, we validate previous research that suggests market orientation positively influences NPD performance and subsequently examine how this relationship may either be enhanced or diminished contingent upon how customers are utilized in the NPD process. The results show that the market orientation–NPD performance relationship is enhanced by having customers participate in a greater number of activities throughout NPD (customer participation breadth) and diminished when customers are involved at deeper levels (customer participation depth). This research suggests that the exact involvement of customers is a critical decision and has clear implications for the dialogues about customer involvement and management of customer relationships.     

On Surface Losses in Direct Metal Laser Sintering Printed Millimeter and Submillimeter Waveguides

Different lengths of WR3 (220–330 GHz) and WR10 (75–110 GHz) waveguides are fabricated through direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). The losses in these waveguides are measured and modelled using the Huray surface roughness model. The losses in WR3 are around 0.3 dB/mm and in WR10 0.05 dB/mm. The Huray equation model is accounting relatively good for the attenuation in the WR10 waveguide but deviates more in the WR3 waveguide. The model is compared to finite element simulations of the losses assuming an approximate surface structure similar to the resulting one from the DMLS process.     

Core–Shell Nanoparticle Interface and Wetting Properties

Latex colloids are among the most promising materials for broad thin film applications due to their facile surface functionalization. Yet, the effect of these colloids on chemical film and wetting properties cannot be easily evaluated. At the nanoscale, core–shell particles can deform and coalesce during thermal annealing, yielding fine‐tuned physical properties. Two different core–shell systems (soft and rigid) with identical shells but with chemically different core polymers and core sizes are investigated. The core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) are probed during thermal annealing in order to investigate their behavior as a function of nanostructure size and rigidity. X‐ray scattering allows to follow the re‐arrangement of the NPs and the structural evolution in situ during annealing. Evaluation by real‐space imaging techniques reveals a disappearance of the structural integrity and a loss of NP boundaries. The possibility to fine‐tune the wettability by tuning the core–shell NPs morphology in thin films provides a facile template methodology for repellent surfaces.     

Central venous oxygen saturation and thoracic admittance during dialysis: new approaches to hemodynamic monitoring

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is one of the most important short-term complications to hemodialysis (HD). Inadequate cardiac filling due to a reduction in the central blood volume is believed to be a major etiological factor. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether these pathophysiologic events are reflected in the central venous oxygen saturation (ScO(2)) and thoracic admittance (TA) during dialysis. Twenty ambulatory HD patients, 11 hypotension prone (HP) and 9 hypotension resistant, with central vascular access, were monitored during 3 HD sessions each. ScO(2), TA, finger blood pressure (BP), and relative change in blood volume (DeltaBV) were measured and sampled continuously. The relative TA decrease and DeltaBV were both largest in the HP group (p<0.05 for both), whereas ScO(2) decreased only in HP patients (p<0.001). Baseline TA was lower in the HP group (p<0.01). Changes in ScO(2) and TA correlated much closer than did changes in ScO(2) and DeltaBV (r=0.43 and 0.18, respectively). Our results suggest that an intradialytic decrease in cardiac output, as reflected by a fall in ScO(2), is a common feature to HD patients prone to IDH. In patients using a central vascular access, ScO(2) and TA measurements may be more specific to the pathophysiologic events preceding IDH than DeltaBV-the current standard monitoring method.     

Activated paper surfaces for the rapid hybridization of DNA through capillary transport

The development of low-cost, accurate, and equipment-free diagnostic tests is crucial to many clinical, laboratory, and field applications, including forensics and medical diagnostics. Cellulose fiber-based paper is an inexpensive, biodegradable, and renewable resource, the use of which as a biomolecule detection matrix and support confers several advantages compared to traditional materials such as glass. In this context, a new, facile method for the preparation of surface functionalized papers bearing single-stranded probe DNA (ssDNA) for rapid target hybridization via capillary transport is presented. Optimized reaction conditions were developed that allowed the direct, one-step activation of standard laboratory filters by the inexpensive and readily available bifunctional linking reagent, 1,4-phenylenediisothiocyanate. Such papers were thus amenable to subsequent coupling of amine-labeled ssDNA under standard conditions widely used for glass-based supports. The intrinsic wicking ability of the paper matrix facilitated rapid sample elution through arrays of probe DNA, leading to significant, detectable hybridization in the time required for the sample liquid to transit the vertical length of the strip (less than 2 min). The broad applicability of these paper test strips as rapid and specific diagnostics in "real-life" situations was exemplified by the discrimination of amplicons generated from canine and human mitochondrial and genomic DNA in mock forensic samples.     

On the three-dimensional structure of WC grains in cemented carbides

In the present work, the size distribution and shape of WC grains in cemented carbides (WC–Co), with different Co contents, have been investigated in three dimensions. Direct three-dimensional (3-D) measurements, using focused ion beam serial sectioning and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), were performed and a 3-D microstructure was reconstructed. These measurements were supplemented by two-dimensional (2-D) EBSD and scanning electron microscopy on extracted WC grains. The data from 2-D EBSD collected on planar sections were transformed to three dimensions using a recently developed statistical method based on an iterative inverse Saltykov procedure. This stereological analysis revealed that the assumed spherical shape of WC grains during the Saltykov method is reasonable and the estimated 3-D size distribution is qualitatively in good agreement with the actual distribution measured from 3-D EBSD. Although the spherical assumption is generally fair, the WC grains have both faceted and rounded surfaces. This is a consequence of the relatively low amount of liquid phase during sintering, which makes impingements significant. Furthermore, the observed terraced surface structure of some WC grains suggests that 2-D nucleation is the chief coarsening mechanism to consider.     

Deactivation of V2O5-WO3-TiO2 SCR catalyst at biomass fired power plants: Elucidation of mechanisms by lab- and pilot-scale experiments

In this work, deactivation of a commercial type V₂O₅-WO₃-TiO₂ catalyst by aerosols of potassium compounds was investigated in two ways: (1) by exposing the catalyst in a lab-scale reactor to a layer of KCl particles or fly ash from biomass combustion; (2) by exposing full-length monolith catalysts to pure KCl or K₂SO₄ aerosols in a bench-scale reactor. Exposed samples were characterized by activity measurements, SEM-EDX, BET/Hg-porosimetry, and NH₃ chemisorption. The work was carried out to support the interpretation of observations of a previous study in which catalysts were exposed on a full-scale biomass fired power plant and to reveal the mechanisms of catalyst deactivation.Slight deactivation (about 10%) was observed for catalyst plates exposed to a layer of KCl particles at 350 °C for 2397 h. No deactivation was found for catalyst plates exposed for 2970 h to fly ash (consisting mainly of KCl and K₂SO₄) collected from an SCR pilot plant installed on a straw-fired power plant. A fast deactivation was observed for catalysts exposed to pure KCl or K₂SO₄ aerosols at 350 °C in the bench-scale reactor. The deactivation rates for KCl aerosol and K₂SO₄ aerosol exposed catalysts were about 1% per day and 0.4% per day, respectively.SEM analysis of potassium-containing aerosol exposed catalysts revealed that the potassium salt partly deposited on the catalyst outer wall which may decrease the diffusion rate of NO and NH₃ into the catalyst. However, potassium also penetrated into the catalyst wall and the average K/V ratios (0.5–0.75) in the catalyst structure are high enough to explain the level of deactivation observed. The catalyst capacity for NH₃ chemisorption decreased as a function of exposure time, which reveals that Brønsted acid sites had reacted with potassium compounds and thereby rendered inactive in the catalytic cycle. The conclusion is that chemical poisoning of active sites is the dominating deactivation mechanism, but physical blocking of the surface area may also contribute to the loss of activity in a practical application. The results support the observation and mechanisms of deactivation of SCR catalysts in biomass fired systems proposed in a previous study [Y. Zheng, A.D. Jensen, J.E. Johnsson, Appl. Catal. B 60 (2005) 253].