On the benefits of location-based relay selection in mobile wireless networks

We consider infrastructure-based mobile networks that are assisted by a single relay transmission where both the downstream destination and relay nodes are mobile. Selecting the optimal transmission path for a destination node requires up-to-date link quality estimates of all relevant links. If the relay selection is based on link quality measurements, the number of links to update grows quadratically with the number of nodes, and measurements need to be updated frequently when nodes are mobile. In this paper, we consider a location-based relay selection scheme where link qualities are estimated from node positions; in the scenario of a node-based location system such as GPS, the location-based approach reduces signaling overhead, which in this case only grows linearly with the number of nodes. This paper studies these two relay selection approaches and investigates how they are affected with varying information update interval, node mobility, location inaccuracy, and inaccurate propagation model parameters. Our results show that location-based relay selection performs better than SNR-based relay selection at typical levels of location error when medium-scale fading can be neglected or accurately predicted.     

Development of a handheld near-infrared imager for dynamic characterization of in vivo biological tissue systems

A handheld near-infrared imager was developed for real-time monitoring of tissue physiologic changes in response to dynamic compression stimuli. Both 2D and 3D imaging schemas were developed for reconstruction of tissue heterogeneities based on optical measurements. The handheld imager and the dynamic imaging schema were validated on both benchtop phantoms and in vivo human tissues. The benchtop tests demonstrated that the imager was able to reconstruct absorption properties of the embedded heterogeneity with accuracy and repeatability. The tests on in vivo human tissues demonstrated that the imager was able to generate various dynamic loading profiles with reproducibility and to detect tissue optical, mechanical, and physiologic changes under the dynamic loading condition.     

Wiring efficiency of a metallizable DNA linker for site-addressable nanobioelectronic assembly

We report the first demonstration of DNA oligonucleotide tags used to address the site-specific assembly of multiple redox enzymes onto spatially distinct regions of a nanoelectronic platform, establishing a direct electrical contact. The resulting system constitutes a multiplexed carbon nanotube-redox protein biosensor capable of detecting varying concentrations of several different substances in real time. The efficiency and robustness of the enzyme linking scheme is explored in detail, showing a high degree of preservation of enzymatic activity and an efficient electrical contact at the enzyme-nanoelectrode interface. While five proteins have been used as a demonstration in this study, there is virtually no limit to the number of enzymes that could be bound in parallel using this linking strategy, which is universally applicable to all proteins due to the simple conjugation chemistry involved. We further demonstrate metallization of the linker in the presence of a divalent metal cation, inducing elevated electron transfer efficiency relative to the native DNA link.     

Fatigue Performance of Concrete Beams Strengthened with CFRP Plates

Recent increases in bridge design loading requirements have highlighted the need for fast, efficient, and durable strengthening methods. External steel plate bonding provides a satisfactory solution, but carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) offers the added advantages of resistance to corrosion, low weight, and high mechanical strength. This paper examines the fatigue performance of CFRP-strengthened concrete beams as part of a project investigating the use of CFRP as an alternative to steel. Five reinforced concrete beams were tested in fatigue; two control beams and three strengthened with externally bonded CFRP plates. Three loading options were used: (1) apply the same loads to both plated and unplated beams, (2) apply loads to give the same stress range in the rebar in both beams, and (3) apply the same percentage of the ultimate load capacity to each beam. Fatigue fracture of the internal reinforcement steel would appear to be the dominant factor governing failure, and it would appear reasonable to expect the same fatigue life for plated and unplated beams with comparable values of stress range in the steel bar.     

Dilute solution properties of randomly branched poly(methyl methacrylate)

Randomly branched poly(methyl methacrylate) samples were prepared by copolymerization with different amounts of ethylene dimethacrylate. The molecular weight distributions, radius of gyration distributions, and intrinsic viscosity distributions were measured by size exclusion chromatography with refractive index, multiangle light-scattering, and viscosity detectors. The effect of branching on the radius of gyration was compared with the effect on the intrinsic viscosity. It was found that the intrinsic viscosity contraction factor gⁱ scales with the radius of gyration contraction factor g, with the exponent, ϵ, having a value in the range 0.8–1.0. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Distribution of chiral PCBs in selected tissues in the laboratory rat

The enantiomeric enrichment of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) atropisomers has been reported in both wildlife and in humans. The biological processes causing this enrichment are only poorly investigated, a fact that limits the use of enantiomeric fractions (EFs) as a tool to study various processes of environmental relevance. To further understand these enantioselective processes, this study investigates the tissue distribution and EFs of some PCB atropisomers after administration of PCB mixtures to immature male Sprague-Dawley rats. The mixtures selected for this study, Aroclor 1254 and an environmental mixture extracted from Chlorofen-contaminated soil, are qualitatively different and are known to induce different groups of hepatic enzymes. Animals were sacrificed 6 days after dosing, PCBs were extracted, and, whenever possible, the EFs of PCBs 84, 91, 95, 149, 174, and 176 were determined by chiral gas chromatography. The EFs of PCB 95 (adipose tissue, liver, and skin) and PCB 149 (adipose tissue, liver, skin, and blood) in tissues from Aroclor 1254-treated animals differed significantly from EFs in the Aroclor standard, while only EFs of PCB 95 (blood) and PCB 174 (adipose tissue) in tissues from soil-extract-treated animals were different from those of the Chlorofen soil extract. PCB 149 in tissues from soil-extract-treated animals underwent no statistically significant enantiomeric enrichment. These differences in the EFs clearly suggest that the enantioselective enrichment of PCB atropisomers may correlate with exposure history, and with the induction of hepatic enzymes, and that EFs may be useful chemical markers of physiologic and biochemical changes following exposure to PCBs.     

On the sequence of bond formation in loline alkaloid biosynthesis

Loline alkaloids are saturated pyrrolizidines with an oxygen bridge between carbon atoms C‐2 and C‐7 and an amino group on C‐1. They are bioprotective alkaloids produced by Epichloë and Neotyphodium species, mutualistic fungal endophytes that are symbiotic with cool‐season grasses. The sequence of bond formation in loline alkaloid biosynthesis was determined by synthesizing deuterated forms of potential intermediates and feeding them to cultures of the endophyte Neotyphodium uncinatum. These cultures incorporated deuterium from labeled N‐(3‐amino‐3‐carboxypropyl)proline and exo‐1‐aminopyrrolizidine into N‐formylloline. The first result suggests that N‐(3‐amino‐3‐carboxypropyl)proline is the first committed intermediate in loline biosynthesis, and the second result demonstrates that the pyrrolizidine rings form before the ether bridge. The incorporation of these two compounds into lolines and the lack of incorporation of several related compounds clarify the order of bond formation in loline alkaloid biosynthesis.     

Renewable ocean energy in the Western Indian Ocean

Several African countries in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) endure insufficiencies in the power sector, including both generation and distribution. One important step towards increasing energy security and availability is to intensify the use of renewable energy sources. The access to cost-efficient hydropower is low in coastal and island regions and combinations of different renewable energy sources will play an increasingly important role. In this study the physical preconditions for renewable ocean energy are investigated, considering the specific context of the WIO countries. Global-level resource assessments and oceanographic literature and data have been compiled in an analysis of the match between technology-specific requirements for ocean energy technologies (wave power, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), tidal barrages, tidal current turbines, and ocean current power) and the physical resources in 13 WIO regions Kenya, Seychelles, Northern Tanzania and Zanzibar, Southern Tanzania, Comoros and Mayotte, Northern-, Central-, and Southern Mozambique, Western-, Eastern-, and Southern Madagascar, Réunion, and Mauritius. The results show high potential for wave power over vast coastal stretches in southern parts of the WIO and high potential for OTEC at specific locations in Mozambique, Comoros, Réunion, and Mauritius. The potential for tidal power and ocean current power is more restricted but may be of interest at some locations. The findings are discussed in relation to currently used electricity sources and the potential for solar photovoltaic and wind power. Temporal variations in resource intensity as well as the differences between small-scale and large-scale applications are considered.     

Enhanced thermoelectric power in nanopatterned carbon nanotube film

Despite the small or near-zero Seebeck coefficient of metallic nanotubes, a nanotube film can be readily scaled up in length. Thus so can its thermoelectric power. In this work, we inserted a nanomesh pattern into a carbon nanotube film by using an anodized aluminum oxide membrane as an etching mask. We found that by patterning densely packed nanoscale holes into the nanotube film, its total thermoelectric power can be further increased, by as much as 30% (from 29 to 39 μV K(-1)). We present this finding, attributed to electron localization due to nanopatterning, as indicative of the potential of a new degree of freedom.