Optimisation of delay and risetime in iterative multistage wideband amplifier circuits

Criteria are derived for minimising the overall delay and risetime of the step-function response in iterative multistage wideband amplifier circuits. The treatment takes into account collector?base capacitances, and it provides explicit results suitable for use in circuit design.     

Conforming finite elements based on complete polynomials

The conditions for achieving progressive improvement of finite element approximations with respect to increasing orders of (complete) polynomial approximating functions are examined. It is concluded that in certain important cases nodal variables cannot be employed in conjunction with this process. An alternative formulation of the finite element problem is discussed. In this formulation all matrices necessary for defining the numerical problem can be generated automatically; it is not necessary to refine the finite element when greater accuracy is sought, and continuity of all derivatives, including those not explicitly stated in formulating the problem, can be realized to an arbitrary degree of precision.     

Electrons in Magnetic Structures with Domain Walls: Accumulation of Spin, Charge, and Transport Properties

We present the results of our theoretical analysis of magnetic, electric, and transport properties of domain walls in ferromagnets. The results were obtained within the semiclassical approximation and are valid for smooth domain walls. Taking into account Coulomb interaction between electrons, we calculated spin and charge accumulation at the wall. Local conductivity due to scattering from impurities located in the region of the domain wall was also calculated.     

Quantitative Analysis of Mutant Subclones in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Comparison of Different Methodological Approaches

Identification and quantitative monitoring of mutant BCR-ABL1 subclones displaying resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have become important tasks in patients with Ph-positive leukemias. Different technologies have been established for patient screening. Various next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms facilitating sensitive detection and quantitative monitoring of mutations in the ABL1-kinase domain (KD) have been introduced recently, and are expected to become the preferred technology in the future. However, broad clinical implementation of NGS methods has been hampered by the limited accessibility at different centers and the current costs of analysis which may not be regarded as readily affordable for routine diagnostic monitoring. It is therefore of interest to determine whether NGS platforms can be adequately substituted by other methodological approaches. We have tested three different techniques including pyrosequencing, LD (ligation-dependent)-PCR and NGS in a series of peripheral blood specimens from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients carrying single or multiple mutations in the BCR-ABL1 KD. The proliferation kinetics of mutant subclones in serial specimens obtained during the course of TKI-treatment revealed similar profiles via all technical approaches, but individual specimens showed statistically significant differences between NGS and the other methods tested. The observations indicate that different approaches to detection and quantification of mutant subclones may be applicable for the monitoring of clonal kinetics, but careful calibration of each method is required for accurate size assessment of mutant subclones at individual time points.     

2-Acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucono-1,5-lactone Sulfonylhydrazones: Synthesis and Evaluation as Inhibitors of Human OGA and HexB Enzymes

Inhibition of the human O-linked β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (hOGA, GH84) enzyme is pharmacologically relevant in several diseases such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Human lysosomal hexosaminidases (hHexA and hHexB, GH20) are mechanistically related enzymes; therefore, selective inhibition of these enzymes is crucial in terms of potential applications. In order to extend the structure–activity relationships of OGA inhibitors, a series of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucono-1,5-lactone sulfonylhydrazones was prepared from d-glucosamine. The synthetic sequence involved condensation of N-acetyl-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-d-glucosamine with arenesulfonylhydrazines, followed by MnO₂ oxidation to the corresponding glucono-1,5-lactone sulfonylhydrazones. Removal of the O-acetyl protecting groups by NH₃/MeOH furnished the test compounds. Evaluation of these compounds by enzyme kinetic methods against hOGA and hHexB revealed potent nanomolar competitive inhibition of both enzymes, with no significant selectivity towards either. The most efficient inhibitor of hOGA was 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucono-1,5-lactone 1-naphthalenesulfonylhydrazone (5f, K_i = 27 nM). This compound had a K_i of 6.8 nM towards hHexB. To assess the binding mode of these inhibitors to hOGA, computational studies (Prime protein–ligand refinement and QM/MM optimizations) were performed, which suggested the binding preference of the glucono-1,5-lactone sulfonylhydrazones in an s-cis conformation for all test compounds.     

带结晶器电磁搅拌的大圆坯连铸的数值模拟

在圆坯连铸中,结晶器电磁搅拌器(M-EMS)是常见的改善钢流内流场的手段。众所周知,液芯的流动对最终产品的质量有着重要影响,用M-EMS能优化凝固前沿的流速,进一步促进柱状晶向等轴晶的转变,进而改善铸坯的表面和皮下缺陷。在奥钢联多纳维茨钢厂,绝大多数产品的生产都应用了M-EMS。由于在奥钢联多纳维茨钢厂的恶劣环境下难于进行测量,因此研究采用数值模拟的方法。连铸过程1:1比例的物理模拟也很难实现,因为水的传导率太低,且液态金属不透明或金属处理难,因此数值模拟就成为获得整个过程较好的重要手段。数值模型考虑了流场和电磁场的完全耦合,许多物理问题都用最优参数进行模拟,流场用商业有限元CFD编码软件FLUENT进行计算,电磁场用商业有限元求解器ANSYSEMAG计算。采用这种方法可以研究各种参数对流场和凝固组织的影响,也能揭示搅拌频率和搅拌强度的变化对液芯内部流场的影响。应用数值模拟能够加深对电磁场下连铸过程的认识,也能够找到优化的参数。     

Dynamic modeling of biodegradation and volatilization of hazardous aromatic substances in aerobic bioreactor

The aerobic biological process is one of the best technologies available for removing hazardous organic substances from industrial wastewaters. But in the case of volatile organic compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, naphthalene), volatilization can contribute significantly to their removal from the liquid phase. One major issue is to predict the competition between volatilization and biodegradation in biological process depending on the target molecule. The aim of this study was to develop an integrated dynamic model to evaluate the influence of operating conditions, kinetic parameters and physical properties of the molecule on the main pathways (biodegradation and volatilization) for the removal of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). After a comparison with experimental data, sensitivity studies were carried out in order to optimize the aerated biological process. Acclimatized biomass growth is limited by volatilization, which reduces the bioavailability of the substrate. Moreover, the amount of biodegraded substrate is directly proportional to the amount of active biomass stabilized in the process. Model outputs predict that biodegradation is enhanced at high SRT for molecules with low H and with a high growth rate population. Air flow rate should be optimized to meet the oxygen demand and to minimize VOC stripping. Finally, the feeding strategy was found to be the most influential operating parameter that should be adjusted in order to enhance VOC biodegradation and to limit their volatilization in sequencing batch reactors (SBR).     

Substructure in the columnar crystals of the Ti0.45O0.20N0.35 oxynitride thin film

In situ oxygen doping modifies both the morphology and texture of the TiN films. It has been found that beyond 15 at% oxygen doping the columnar morphology is preserved however the <111> texture is changed to the <002>. The detailed structure analysis of the Ti_0.45O_0.20N_0.35 oxynitride films prepared by reactive unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBMS) in an argon/nitrogen/oxygen mixture atmosphere discovered a substructure in the bulk of the TiN(O) single crystal columns. In the cross sectional transmission electron microscopy (X-TEM) images the substructure is showing up in form of fibre-like morphology parallel to the axis of the columnar crystals and in a honeycomb-like supernetwork in the cross section of the single crystal columns in the plane view TEM specimens. The fibre-like substructure proceeds to the film surface and manifests itself in the morphology of the dome-shaped surface areas of the single crystal columns as revealed by atomic force microscopy analysis.