Observer-based wheelbase preview control of active vehicle suspensions

Optimal observer-based wheelbase preview regulator problem is investigated for active vehicle suspension systems. It is shown that the problem reduces to the classical linear quadratic Gaussian problem, whose solution is well defined, by augmenting dynamics of system and road inputs. The resulting optimal controller is in the form of augmented state feedback controller and this augmented state is estimated by Kalman-Bucy filter using dynamics of the augmented system. Numerical examples of a half car model are given to verify the performance improvement achievable with the proposed controller.     

Haemolytic activity of Aeromonas species isolated in Libya

Twenty seven Aeromonas strains (5A. hydrophila, 8A. sobria and 14A. caviae) isolated from children with diarrhoea and 34 Aeromonas strains (9A. hydrophila, 7A. sobria an 18A. caviae) isolated from children without diarrhoea were tested from haemolysin production. The results obtained showed that haemolysin production using human, horse or sheep erythrocytes was significantly associated with A.hydrophila and A sobria but not with A.caviae, regardless of whether these strains were isolated from children with or without diarrhoea. Human or horse rather than sheep erythrocytes are recommended for use in the haemolysin assay.     

A new millimeter-wave step-frequency radar sensor for distancemeasurement

A new compact millimeter-wave distance-measurement sensor prototype has been developed. The sensor is a step-frequency radar implemented using coherent heterodyne technique. It operates in Ka-band (26.5-40 GHz) and is realized using MICs and MMICs. The sensor transmits sinusoidal signals of incremental frequencies and demodulates the received signals into base-band I/Q signals for processing. Experimental results show that the sensor is capable of measuring distance with less than 0.2 inch of absolute error and a low transmitted power of only -20±3 dBm     

Stress analysis of a cantilevered fixed partial denture with normal and reduced bone support

A two-dimensional finite element model was constructed to analyze the simulated mechanical behavior of a cantilevered fixed partial denture. The variations of the models were made by altering the degree of bone support, the number of splinted abutments, and the length of the pontics. High stress concentrations were observed around the connectors of the fixed prosthesis and the tooth closest to the cantilever. Reduced bone support increased the deflection and stress concentrations. There was reduction in displacement and stress concentration when the teeth were splinted together. To improve the prognosis of the fixed partial denture cantilever, the number of abutments should be increased and the number of pontics decreased.     

Topology design and bridge-capacity assignment for interconnecting token ring LANs: A simulated annealing approach

We address the problem of determining the topology and bridge-capacity assignments for a network connecting a number of token rings via source-routing bridges. The objective is to minimize the cost of bridge installations while meeting the network users' performance requirements. The problem is modeled as a mixed 0–1 integer program. A comparison is given between two solution algorithms: a simulated annealing algorithm using the flow-deviation algorithm for each routing subproblem, and a drop algorithm using the simplex method for the same subproblems to provide benchmark solutions. In the former algorithm, the routing subproblem is formulated as a nonlinear program with penalty functions to model node and link capacity constraints, and in the latter as a multicommodity flow model with the same capacity constraints. Computational results show that the simulated-annealing/flow-deviation algorithm produced substantially better solutions than the LP-based drop algorithm.     

Reduction of loading effect by tungsten etchback in a magneticallyenhanced reactive ion etcher

The plug loading effect occurring during the etchback of tungsten was investigated in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etcher using SF ₆/Ar mixtures. It was found that while the plug loading effect is independent of varying SF₆/Ar flow rate ratio and magnetic field intensity, it is reduced under the condition of high selectivity of tungsten relative to TiN which was achieved at high chamber pressure and low RF power. It is proposed that when TiN is used as a glue layer, the W etch rate enhancement in the plug is mainly controlled by a local loading effect. Under the optimized etchback conditions the plug loss was successfully controlled without the tungsten residue left on severe topology     

Apoptosis as a cause of death in measles virus-infected cells

To determine the mechanism of measles virus-induced cell death, we studied the infection of Vero cells and monocytic cell lines with wild-type (Chicago-1) and vaccine (Edmonston) strains of measles virus. DNA fragmentation indicative of apoptosis was apparent by flow cytometry, agarose gel electrophoresis, and electron microscopy. Within syncytia, DNA strand breaks were demonstrated by end labeling with terminal transferase and then by visualization.     

Mode analysis of DFB SE lasers

This paper presents theoretical results on mode characteristics of surface-emitting (SE) lasers utilizing an active second-order grating section. Based on a coupled-mode approach, longitudinal modes and the associated space-harmonic transverse modes are calculated via a numerical technique. From these, the lasing-mode spectrum, near- and far-field patterns of the radiation mode, and the surface-emission power efficiency are obtained. Effects of the substrate reflector and the grating parameters are also investigated. Finally, comparisons are made with conventional, edge-emitting DFB lasers. The results indicate that with a suitable choice of structural parameter values, DFB SE lasers can be made to possess both the spectral discrimination of the conventional DFB lasers and the advantages of SE lasers at the same time and also that the second lowest longitudinal mode may be preferred over the fundamental longitudinal mode for many applications due to its symmetric field distribution