People,Places, Things: Web Presence for the Real World

The convergence of Web technology, wireless networks, and portable client devices provides new design opportunities for computer/communications systems. In the HP Labs' Cooltown project we have been exploring these opportunities through an infrastructure to support web presence for people, places and things. We put web servers into things like printers and put information into web servers about things like artwork; we group physically related things into places embodied in web servers. Using URLs for addressing, physical URL beaconing and sensing of URLs for discovery, and localized web servers for directories, we can create a location-aware but ubiquitous system to support nomadic users. On top of this infrastructure we can leverage Internet connectivity to support communications services. Web presence bridges the World Wide Web and the physical world we inhabit, providing a model for supporting nomadic users without a central control point.     

A feeding study to assess nutritional quality and safety of surimi wash water proteins recovered by a chitosan-alginate complex

ABSTRACT:  Soluble proteins from surimi wash water (SWW) precipitated using a chitosan-alginate (Chi-Alg) complex and recovered by centrifugation were freeze-dried. Analysis showed that SWW proteins (SWWP) had a crude protein content of 73.1% and a high concentration of essential amino acids, for example, 3% histidine, 9.4% lysine, 3.7% methionine, and 5.1% phenylalanine. In a rat-feeding trial, SWWP as a single protein source showed higher ( P < 0.05) modified protein efficiency ratio and net protein ratio than the casein control. Blood chemistry analysis revealed no deleterious effect from the full protein substitution or the chitosan in SWWP. Therefore, this preliminary study revealed that proteins recovered from SWW using the Chi-Alg complex could be used in feed formulations. They could be used for food production in countries where regulatory agencies allow the use of chitosan in the production of food ingredients.     

Fabrication of carbon fibres from wet-spun commercial polyacrylonitrile fibres

The possibility of fabricating carbon fibre from commercial PAN fibres for textile applications was demonstrated. It is necessary to make some changes in the temperature—time conditions for total completion of the thermal stabilization process. Better strength of the carbon fibres, equal to 1401 MPa, was attained in conducting thermal stabilization cycle B. __________ Translated from Khimicheskie Volokna, No. 5, pp. 31–33, September–October, 2006.     

The effect of magnesium content on in vitro bioactivity,biological behavior and antibacterial activity of sol–gel derived 58S bioactive glass

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have a great potential for bone replacement and regeneration in bone tissue engineering applications. In this research, first, sol–gel derived magnesium substituted 58?S BGs (MBGs) series composed of 60SiO₂–4P₂O₅-(36-x) CaO- xMgO, (x = 0; 1; 3; 5; 8 and 10?mol.%) were synthesized and stabilized at 700?°C to eliminate the nitrates and prevent the crystallization of MBGs. MgO was substituted for CaO in the BG formula up to 10?mol% and the effect of Mg concentration on in vitro bioactivity and cellular properties of the MBGs were investigated by immersing them in simulated body fluid (SBF) followed by structural characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The effects Mg on proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were also evaluated by 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)??2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity.Results revealed that magnesium-substituted 58?S BG with 5?mol% MgO (BG-5) had the highest formation rate of hydroxyapatite (HA) while substitution of 8?mol% and10 mol% MgO (BG-8 and BG-10) lowered the bioactivity. MTT and ALP results confirmed that the substitution of the MgO up to 5?mol% increased both proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells, while more substitution had a negative effect and resulted in a decrease of proliferation and differentiation in BG-8 and BG-10. The result of antibacterial test showed that MBGs exhibited antibacterial effect against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria. Taken together, results suggest that, among all the synthesized MBGs, sample BG-5 is a promising candidate as multifunctional biomaterial for bone tissue engineering with maximum cell proliferation and ALP activity, good bioactivity and high antibacterial efficiency against MRSA bacteria. Eventually, the BG-5 is suggested to be used in segmental defects in rat model in vivo.     

Switchable & Configurable Feed Network for Array Antenna at C-Band Application

Wireless Personal Communications - The popularity of symmetrical services like video conferencing, telemedicine etc. is in an upsurge. With the rapid increase in the number of customers for such...     

Impact of functionalized SiC nano-whisker on the flux pinning ability and superconductor features of Bi-2223 ceramics

In this study, we investigated the role of silicon carbide nano-whisker (SiC-NW) as new pinning center on the microstructure, magnetic and flux pinning properties of (BiPb)₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_10+θ (Bi-2223) superconductors prepared by the sol-gel method. The surface of the nano-whiskers was modified with Azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) to improve their dispersions. The grafting of AIBN on the surface of SiC-NW was studied with FTIR. According to the field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and magnetization measurements, we found an enhancement in the superconducting features of the specimen with the addition of SiC-NW up to 0.2 wt%. The microstructure of the samples showed randomly oriented plate-like grains. The connectivity and alignment of the grains slightly reduced with the increase in the SiC-NW concentration. Based on the magnetic measurement of the synthesized samples, an improvement of magnetization, pinning force ability and the critical current density (Jc) was observed for the 0.2 SiC-NW.     

Thermal Structural Effects in a Gas-Lubricated Foil Journal Bearing

A theoretical model for gas-lubricated foil journal bearings that incorporates thermal structural effects is presented. Bending and membrane effects in the top foil resulting from temperature are included along with thermal expansion of the journal, subfoil, and bearing housing. The model includes thermal transport through the journal, foils, and bearing housing. Pressure in the gas film is predicted using the Reynolds equation, and a thermal bulk flow model is used to predict temperature. The results demonstrate that models will overpredict film thickness along the side edge of a bearing if thermal strain in the top foil is not included. In addition, the results show the need for a three-dimensional thermal flow model at the trailing edge of a bearing when backflow occurs.     

Subfoil Stiffness Effects in Gas-Lubricated Foil Journal Bearings

A gas-lubricated foil journal bearing consists of a compliant foil structure that supports a rigid journal by means of a gas film. The foil structure consists of a top foil and a subfoil. The subfoil, which is constructed of one or more corrugated strips of sheet metal, supports the top foil and provides the primary resistance to radial deflection. As such, the radial stiffness of the subfoil has a direct influence on the gas film thickness and pressure distributions in the bearing. A finite element model incorporating the gas film and the foil structure will be used to investigate the effects of axial variations in the stiffness of the subfoil.