Statistical analysis of the power sum of multiple correlatedlog-normal components

A statistical method is presented for the analysis of the power sum of multiple correlated log-normal random components. The results are compared with those of S.C. Schwartz and Y.S. Yeh (1982) and the Monte Carlo simulation. The effect of correlation on the mean and the variance of the combined multiple correlated log-normal components is also investigated. The presented method allows quick and accurate calculations for various system performance parameters of radio networks for high-capacity cellular telephony, two-way paging, packet radio, mobile data networks, and radar detection systems     

Cellular Biocatalysts Using Synthetic Genetic Circuits for Prolonged and Durable Enzymatic Activity

Cellular biocatalysts hold great promise for the synthesis of difficult to achieve compounds, such as complex active molecules. Whole-cell biocatalysts can be programmed through genetic circuits to be more efficient, but they suffer from low stability. The catalytic activity of whole cells decays under stressful conditions, such as prolonged incubation times or high temperatures. In nature, microbial communities cope with these conditions by forming biofilm structures. In this study, it is shown that the use of biofilm structures can enhance the stability of whole-cell biocatalysts. We employed two different strategies to increase the stability of whole-cell catalysts and decrease their susceptibility to high temperature. In the first approach, the formation of a biofilm structure is induced by controlling the expression of one of the curli component, CsgA. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme was used to monitor the catalytic activity of cells in the biofilm structure. In the second approach, the ALP enzyme was fused to the CsgA curli fiber subunit to utilize the protective properties of the biofilm on enzyme biofilms. Furthermore, an AND logic gate is introduced between the expression of CsgA and ALP by toehold RNA switches and recombinases to enable logical programming of the whole-cell catalyst for biofilm formation and catalytic action with different tools. The study presents viable approaches to engineer a platform for biocatalysis processes.     

Forward radiation from axially symmetric reflector antennas

The fields radiated from focus-fed symmetric reflector antennas in the vicinity of forward axial direction are determined by a series representation of the physical optics integral. The considered feeds have cosine-tapered patterns with different tapers inE- andH-planes. The influence of feed pattern asymmetry, subreflector blockage, feed taper, focal distance to diameter (f/D) ratio and the reflector size on the performance parameters of paraboloidal, Cassegrain, near-field Cassegrain, and corresponding Gregorian antennas is investigated. Design curves are presented to predict the performance parameters of the considered antennas.     

Radiation pattern of an offset hyperbolic reflector

The radiation pattern of a focus-fed offset hyperbolic reflector is determined by using the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) and the uniform asymptotic theory of diffraction (UAT). The patterns predicted by these two theories are observed to differ considerably around incident and reflection boundaries. The effects of the slope diffraction as well as those of additional terms in the improved UTD solution are ignored     

Porous Silicon： Volume-Specific Surface Area Determination from AFM Measurement Data

Porous silicon layers manufactured by using （100）, 1-5 ohm-cm p-type （boron doped） wafer by electrochemical etching in HF etanol solution. Photoluminescence （PL） spectra of anodically etched silicon obtained for different conditions studied and surface characteristics are investigated by AFM. This study gives a simple way to determine specific surface are of porous silicon which plays a major role with porosity for explaining the blue shift in photoluminescence peak. Properties such as specific surface area, pore size, and pore size distribution, the main surface properties of layer are investigated from AFM data which are important material characteristics in many processing applications. The ＂specific surface area＂ （Sspecific） generally defined as the area of solid surface per unit mass of material, solid volume or cross section area. From 3-D reconstructions of AFM data, the surface area and the volume of the porous layer can be estimated directly and volume-surface specific area is calculated. For porous silicon this feature can be defined as the total surface area per volume and given by the unit m2/cm3. The method is simple not need to construct a special set up for measurement and non destructive.     

3-Acetyl-4-aryl-5-oxo-2,7,7-trimethyl-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-quinoline derivatives and their calcium antagonistic activities

Thirteen 3-acetyl-4-aryl-5-oxo-2,7,7-trimethyl-1,4,5,6,7,8- hexahydroquinoline derivatives (5a-m), one of which was synthesized before, have been prepared. The structures of the products 5b-m were characterized by IR,1H-NMR and elemental analysis. The calcium antagonistic activity of these compounds was studied in rabbit taenia coli precontracted with 1 mmol/l Ca+2.     

Growth and characterisation of electrodeposited Co/Cu superlattices

Ferromagnetic/non-ferromagnetic Co/Cu superlattices were grown on polycrystalline Titanium (Ti) from a single electrolyte by electrodeposition. Microstructure and magnetoresistance (MR) of the superlattices were investigated as a function of the electrolyte pH as well as the layer thicknesses. Structural characterisation by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the superlattices have face-centred cubic (fcc) structure with a strong (111) texture at the studied pH levels, but the texture degree is affected by the electrolyte pH. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies revealed that the superlattices grown at low pH (2.0) have smoother surfaces compared to those grown at high pH (3.0). The superlattices exhibited either anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) or giant magnetoresistance (GMR) depending on the Cu layer thickness. The shape of MR curves changes depending on the combination of Co and Cu layer thicknesses. The superlattices with Co layers less than 3 nm and Cu layers less than 2 nm have broad and non-saturating curves, indicating the predominance of a superparamagnetic contribution, possibly due to the discontinuous nature of the ferromagnetic (Co) layer. For superlattices with the same bilayer and total thicknesses, the GMR magnitude decreased as the electrolyte pH increased. Besides possible structural differences such as the texture degree and the surface roughness, this may arises from the variation in the Cu content of the ferromagnetic layers caused by the electrolyte pH.     

Peptide-mediated constructs of quantum dot nanocomposites for enzymatic control of nonradiative energy transfer

A bottom-up approach for constructing colloidal semiconductor quantum dot (QDot) nanocomposites that facilitate nonradiative Fo?rster-type resonance energy transfer (FRET) using polyelectrolyte peptides was proposed and realized. The electrostatic interaction of these polypeptides with altering chain lengths was probed for thermodynamic, structural, and morphological aspects. The resulting nanocomposite film was successfully cut with the protease by digesting the biomimetic peptide layer upon which the QDot assembly was constructed. The ability to control photoluminescence decay lifetime was demonstrated by proteolytic enzyme activity, opening up new possibilities for biosensor applications.     

A new design of the iliac crest microsurgical free flap without including the "obligatory" muscle cuff

The iliac crest free flap has undergone a gradual evolution to provide more functional and cosmetic oromandibular reconstructions. The soft-tissue cutaneous component has largely resisted refinement and currently constitutes the flap's principal drawback. Conventionally, the cutaneous vessel's soft-tissue encasement and a protective cuff of abdominal muscle are harvested to ensure skin perfusion. These protective measures, however, produce a bulky flap that is tethered to the bone and difficult to inset into complex three-dimensional defects. A series of anatomic and clinical investigations has confirmed that in 30 percent of individuals, the skin island can be elevated on a dominant cutaneous branch from the deep circumflex iliac artery. Harvesting the skin as an axial pattern flap greatly increases its independence from the bone, improving maneuverability. A small collar of abdominal muscle is incised around the pedicle, obviating the need for the customary 2.5-cm protective muscle cuff. Exclusion of the abdominal muscular component reduces the flap's volume, decreases the need for secondary debulking, and reduces the donor site morbidity.