Transmission line analysis of nonlinear slot coupled microstrip antenna

The transmission line method is used for the analysis of microstrip antennas fed by several nonlinear slots with 'H' shapes or new geometries. This analysis allows the input impedance of nonlinear slot coupled microstrip antennas to be calculated for the four different structures.<>     

Isolation of single yeast cells by optical trapping

Individual yeast cells can be successfully isolated and recultured on plates with a new isolation method making use of optical trapping with infrared laser light. The cells can be selected on morphological criteria by high resolution microscopy. The isolation device is constructed from two coverslips separated by spacers, in which selected cells are transferred to a plastic capillary, using the optical trap. To test the procedure, selection experiments were done with a mixture of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, distinguishable both in fluorescence microscopy and on agar plates. These experiments showed that only selected cells were isolated, and close to 100% of the isolated stationary-phase cells formed colonies on agar plates, indicating a high recovery. A lower recovery was obtained with exponential-phase cells, possibly because of a higher sensitivity to laser irradiation. Applications for this method may include the isolation of mutants with altered morphology and the isolation of subpopulations of yeast cultures, for their separate investigation or for the initiation of pure cultures.     

Adaptive covariate acquisition for minimizing total cost of classification

Machine Learning - In some applications, acquiring covariates comes at a cost which is not negligible. For example in the medical domain, in order to classify whether a patient has diabetes or not,...     

Interaction Between a Linearly Polarized Electromagnetic Plane and a Double Spherical Shell

An exact solution inside, outside, and within two arbitrary concentric spherical shells is presented for an impinging monochromatic linearly polarized electromagnetic wave. Specifically, the solution was found for a double-shell spherical acrylic plastic enclosure irradiated with 2450-MHz microwaves. The enclosure is used as an environmentally controlled exposure chamber for experimental animals during microwave irradiation. The analysis shows that an air foamed material, such as styrofoam, would be a better material than either Plexiglas or Teflon, provided it is sufficiently durable.     

ON THE DYNAMICS OF THE COMBUSTION OF SINGLE CHAR PARTICLES

Diffusion and reaction models of varying complexity are used to study the stability of the combustion of single char particles. In contrast to past studies which have considered only the reaction of carbon with oxygen, both the heterogeneous reactions of carbon with oxygen and carbon dioxide and the homogeneous oxidation of carbon monoxide are taken into account in the formulation of the mathematical models. Emphasis is placed on the investigation of the feasibility of occurrence of oscillatory combustion. Our results show that high rates of the C-O₂ reaction and high concentration of O₂ in the ambient favor the occurrence of multiple steady states and oscillatory solutions, but the appearance of oscillatory instability is suppressed by the homogeneous reaction in the gas phase and the presence of CO and CO₂ in the ambient. The parametric investigation of the problem reveals, in agreement with the results of past studies, that the heat capacity of the porous solid, the Lewis number, and the thickness of the stagnant film are three key parameters for the occurrence of the oscillatory response of the system. Reasonably large values of solid heat capacity practically eliminate the possibility of oscillatory combustion, but an appropriate combination of large values of stagnant film thickness and small Lewis numbers may offset the effect of solid heat capacity     

NMR chemical shift reagents in structural determination of lipid derivatives: IV. Methylcis- andtrans-9,10-epoxystearate and methylerythro- andthreo-9,10-dihydroxystearate

Chemical shift reagents were used to expand the amount of structural information obtainable from NMR studies of derivatives of methyl oleate and elaidate:methylcis-9,10-epoxystearate, methyltrans-9,10-epoxystearate, methyl erythro-9,10-dihydroxystearate, and methyl threo-9,10-dihydroxystearate. Chemical shift reagent studies of methyltrans-9,10-epoxystearate and methyl threo-9,10-dihydroxystearate afforded the most information. Chemical shift reagent studies of methylcis-9,10-epoxystearate and methyl erythro-9,10-dihydroxystearate were decidedly inferior. The series of complementary interpretive techniques previously developed during chemical shift reagent studies of monofunctional fatty esters and model polyfunctional fatty esters were found to be applicable in the current study. However, to avoid ambiguity in several proton assignments, supplementary spin decoupling experiments were necessary.     

Esters of hydroxystearic acids as primary low-temperature plasticizers for a vinyl chloride—Vinyl acetate copolymer

Summary Thirty-one acyloxy or aryloxy esters prepared from hydroxystearic acids have been evaluated as plasticizers for a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer (95∶5). Many of them were found to be primary plasticizers, having outstanding low-temperature performance when employed at the 35% level. Formulations with these compounds compared quite favorably in tensile properties with those containing the di-2-ethylhexyl esters of phthalic, sebacic, azelaic, and adipic acids. Volatility losses were similar to those of the four di-2-ethylhexyl esters. The loss of plasticizer through migration was equal to or less than that from compositions containing the esters of sebacic, azelaic, and adipic acids but was greater than that of the phthalate ester. A mechanistic scheme of plasticizer-polymer interaction has been presented, proposing that the rate of diffusion of plasticizer through the polymer mass is a controlling factor in both good low-temperature performance and the resulting high migration losses. Methyl esters, some aromatic esters, and esters containing three or more polar centers have improved permanence but show a more rapid change in torsional modulus as the temperature is lowered during the determination of the Clash-Berg stiffening temperature. Eastern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.     

A Complete and Highly Effective Mothproofing Agent Comprising a Pyrethroid and a Hexahydropyrimidine

Pyrethroids, considered as a general class of compounds, have been shown to provide effective protection from the larvae of the keratin-digesting insects Tineola bisselliella H., Tinea pellionella Linn., Hofmannophila pseudo-spretella Station and Attagenus piceus Oliv. The position regarding the susceptibility of the furniture carpet beetle to pyrethroids is less clear, however. It has been reported that both deltamethrin and permethrin are effective against Anthrenus flavipes Le Conte, whilst permethrin is also reported elsewhere to be effective against the same species. Results obtained in our laboratory, however, have indicated that pyrethroids may offer inadequate protection against Anthrenus vorax Waterh. [1, 2]. This latter species is identical to Anthrenus flavipes var. seminiveus Casey, a colour variety of Anthrenus flavipes Le Conte. The 1,3-disubstituted5-phenylcarbamoyl-2,4,6-trioxo- and 4,6-dioxo-2-thione-hexahydropyrimidine derivatives described in this paper exhibit a surprisingly high and selective toxicity to the Anthrenus species. Thus, a combination of an appropriate hexahydropyrimidine with a suitable pyrethroid, e.g. permethrin, provides complete control of a wide range of commonly encountered textile insect pests. The influence of substituents on the mothproofing activity is discussed.     

SIMULATION OF COUNTER-DIFFUSIONAL MASS TRANSFER

The mathematical formulation of mass transfer in food processes is often based on the diffusion equation with the diffusion coeffcients considered as effective parameters. In some cases, more than one specie can be simultaneously diffusing in opposite directions. Therefore, the movement of one component could affect the movement of the remaining components. The aim of this work is to describe a mathematical procedure to obtain the diffusion coeffcients of different species that simultaneously diffuse in such a situation that each mass flux is affected by the existence of the others. The correspondent microscopic mass balances combined with Fick's law were simultaneously solved using a numerical finite difference method.     

Mullite for Structural, Electronic, and Optical Applications

Mullite (3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂) is becoming increasingly important in electronic, optical, and high-temperature structural applications. This paper reviews the current state of mullite-related research at a fundamental level, within the framework of phase equilibria, crystal structure, synthesis, processing, and properties. Phase equilibria are discussed in terms of the problems associated with the nucleation kinetics of mullite and the large variations observed in the solid-solution range. The incongruent melting behavior of mullite is now widely accepted. Large variations in the solid solubility from 58 to 76 mol% alumina are related to the ordering/disordering of oxygen vacancies and are strongly coupled with the method of synthesis used to form mullite. Similarly, reaction sequences which lead to the formation of mullite upon heating depend on the spatial scale at which the components are mixed. Mixing at the atomic level is useful for low-temperature (<1000°C) synthesis of mullite but not for low-temperature sintering. In contrast, precursors that are segregated are better suited for low-temperature (1250° to 1500°C) densification through viscous deformation. Flexural strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures are significantly affected by the presence of glassy boundary inclusions; in the absence of glassy inclusions, polycrystalline mullite retains >90% of its room-temperature strength to 1500°C and displays very high creep resistance. Because of its low dielectric constant, mullite has now emerged as a substrate material in high-performance packaging applications. Interest in optical applications mainly centers on its applicability as a window material within the mid-infrared range.