基于机载多普勒雷达数据的飓风内部三维风场反演算法

利用2002年NOAA海洋飓风实验中三维风雨微波成像仪(IWRAP,UMass Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler)数据,提出了两种自适应卡尔曼滤波算法进行飓风三维风矢量的反演。为验证不同自适应滤波算法的准确性,通过对实际风场以及相应的机载雷达观测数据进行仿真,得到一种最优自适应滤波;文中对滤波结果误差进行了初步分析,探讨了误差来源。根据仿真结果,利用最优自适应滤波对2002年10月2日飓风莉莉多普勒雷达测量数据进行处理,滤波得到的三维风场与本次实验中GPS下投式探空仪的三维风场同步测量数据,多波段微波辐射计的海面风场测量数据,以及飞机高度风场数据进行了比较。
     

Fully polarimetric bistatic radar scattering behavior of forestedhills

The bistatic radar scattering measurements of forested hills were performed at grazing incidence and at azimuth scattering angles from 28° to 66° from the forward scatter plane. Using pulse-to-pulse switching between orthogonal transmitted polarizations, the radar simultaneously measures two orthogonally polarized components of the scattered wave to obtain full polarimetric information about the scattering process. These are the first fully polarimetric terrain clutter measurements to be conducted at large bistatic angles. The complete Stokes matrix, computed by averaging successive realizations of the polarization scattering matrix, is used to examine the polarization sensitivity of the bistatic clutter. It is found that the polarization state of the EM wave scattered out of the plane of incidence strongly depends on the polarization orientation of the incident electric field. Unlike the monostatic case, these two incident wave polarization states are found to produce substantially different scattered wave behavior when trees are viewed at large bistatic angles. Scattered fields resulting from vertically oriented incident fields are found to be highly polarized and to produce bistatic clutter power levels that are strongly dependent on the polarization of the receiving antenna. In contrast, horizontally oriented incident fields are found to produce weakly polarized scattered waves with bistatic clutter power levels that are insensitive to the polarization of the receiving antenna     

Design of a composite sulfuric acid decomposition reactor,concentrator, and preheater for hydrogen generation processes

The Hybrid Sulfur Process, as well as similar sulfur cycles for the production of nuclear hydrogen, requires the decomposition of sulfuric acid into sulfur dioxide, oxygen, and water at temperatures above 800 °C and at pressures up to 9 MPa. The design of a reactor for this process presents numerous challenges in terms of maintaining small pressure differentials and utilizing currently available materials of construction. This paper focuses on design calculations for a composite reactor that preheats, concentrates, and decomposes sulfuric acid for use in the production of hydrogen. The decomposition reaction takes place within individual tubes of a multitube reactor.     

Triggering GaAs lock-on switches with laser diode arrays

Progress toward the triggering of high-power photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) with laser diode arrays, is reported. An 850-W optical pulse from a laser diode array was used to trigger a 1.5-cm-long switch that delivered 8.5 MW to a 38.3-Ω load. Using 166-W arrays, it was possible to trigger a 2.5-mm-long switch delivering 1.2 MW with 600-ps rise-times at pulse repetition frequencies of 1 kHz. These 2.5-mm-long switches survived 10⁵ pulses at 1.0 MW levels. In single-pulse operation, up to 600 A was switched with laser diode arrays. The goal is to switch up to 5 kA in a single-shot mode and up to 100 MW repetitively at up to 10 kHz. At electric fields below 3 kV/cm GaAs switches are activated by creation of one electron-hole pair per photon. This linear mode demands high laser power and, after the light pulse, the carriers recombine in nanoseconds. At higher electric fields GaAs acts as a light-activated Zener diode. The laser light generates carriers as before, but the field induces gain such that the amount of light required to trigger the switch is reduced by a factor of up to 500. The gain continues until the field across the sample drops to a material-dependent lock-on field. The gain in the switch allows for the use of laser diodes     

The response of gamma delta T cells to Plasmodium falciparum is dependent on activated CD4+ T cells and the recognition of MHC class I molecules

Peripheral blood gamma delta T cells from non-exposed individuals respond to antigens of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in vitro. This response, largely caused by T cells bearing the V gamma 9+ chain of the T-cell receptor, is stimulated by components of the parasite expressed on the schizont stage and released at schizont rupture. The response of V gamma 9+ T cells to parasite components is inhibited by antibodies to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II. However, the inhibition by anti-MHC class II antibodies can be overcome by the addition of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to the cultures, suggesting that gamma delta T cells themselves do not recognize MHC class II molecules but require an MHC class II-dependent response taking place in the culture. In contrast, the inhibition by anti-class I antibodies cannot be reversed by addition of IL-2. Since an accompanying CD4+ T-cell response occurred in peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured with P falciparum antigens, it was considered that these cells provide the cytokines necessary for the subsequent activation and expansion of V gamma 9+ T cells recognizing components of the parasite and MHC class I molecules. This was confirmed by reconstituting the response of enriched gamma delta T cells to P falciparum schizont extract by addition of purified CD4+ T cells.     

Structural effects of the binding of GTP to the wild-type and oncogenic forms of the ras-gene-encoded p21 proteins

Molecular dynamics calculations have been performed to determine the average structures of ras-gene-encoded p21 proteins bound to GTP, i.e., the normal (wild-type) protein and two oncogenic forms of this protein, the Val 12- and Leu 61-p21 proteins. We find that the average structures for all of these proteins exhibit low coordinate fluctuations (which are highest for the normal protein), indicating convergence to specific structures. From previous dynamics calculations of the average structures of these proteins bound to GDP, major regional differences were found among these proteins [Monaco et al. (1995), J. Protein Chem., in press]. We now find that the average structures of the oncogenic proteins are more similar to one another when the proteins are bound to GTP than when they are bound to GDP [Monaco et al. (1995), J. Protein Chem., in press]. However, they still differ in structure at specific amino acid residues rather than in whole regions, in contradistinction to the results found for the p21-GDP complexes. Two exceptions are the regions 25-32, in an alpha-helical region, and 97-110. The two oncogenic (Val 12- and Leu 61-) proteins have similar structures which differ significantly in the region of residues 97-110. This region has recently been identified as being critical in the interaction of p21 with kinase target proteins. The differences in structure between the oncogenic proteins suggest the existence of more than one oncogenic form of the p21 protein that can activate different signaling pathways.