Wideband microstrip array antenna with sidelobe cancellationchannels

An antenna array for wideband operation (up to 70%) is presented. The structure has low windloading area and consists of parallel printed circuit boards (PCB) with microstrip dipoles, feed network and metal fences placed between the PCBs. The low profile, low weight antenna array forms the main beam and three difference patterns for sidelobe cancellation. Experimental results are compared with calculations for both microstrip dipole and array     

Structure-permeation relations of met-enkephalin peptide analogues on absorption and secretion mechanisms in Caco-2 monolayers

Due to the low effective permeabilities of peptides at many absorption sites, their structure-permeation relations are of high interest. In this work structure-permeation relations of Met-enkephalin analogues are presented using confluent Caco-2 cells as an in vitro permeation model. Four model peptides (Met-enkephalin, [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalin, [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalinamide, and metkephamid) were tested in terms of permeability, lipophilicity, charge, and molecular size. Permeability coefficients (P(eff)) across Caco-2 cells were low, 3.3 x 10(-8) to 9.5 x 10(-8) cm s-1, and were similar to typical paracellular markers. No correlation of permeability and the log(apparent octanol/buffer partition coefficient) was observed. A 40-fold increase of the permeability of metkephamid in the presence of 10 mM EDTA suggested a significant contribution of paracellular transport. Independent support for this conclusion was obtained by visualizing the pathway of the fluorescein isocyanate isomer I 1-metkephamid by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The fluorophore-labeled peptide was observed in the intercallular space only. Metkephamid permeabilities were found to be direction-specific. Permeabilities from basolateral to apical (b-to-a) were significantly higher (ca. 4-fold) than in the opposite (a-to-b) direction. The addition of verapamil equalized the permeabilities in the a-to-b and b-to-a directions, suggesting the involvement of a P-glycoprotein-mediated secretion mechanism. Similar observations were obtained with [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalinamide, but not with Met-enkephalin and [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalin. In contrast to the other analogues, metkephamid and [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalinamide are positively charged at neutral pH, as demonstrated by their isoelectric points (pl = 8.6 for [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalinamide and metkephamid and 5.3 for [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalin and Met-enkephalin). The data is in agreement with the literature showing that most compounds secreted by the P-glycoprotein transporter carry a positive charge.     

Stochastic mixture of absolute and relative priorities in GI|HM2|1 queue

The generating function of the number of customers in a GI|HM₂|1 queue is derived for a service discipline which is a stochastic mixture of absolute and relative priorities.Translated from Kibernetika i Sistemnyi Analiz, No. 4, pp. 75–84, July–August, 1991.     

Analysis of the possibility of implementing the principle of redistribution of concentration fields for reactive distillation processes

The evolution of the phase portrait for the dynamic system of open evaporation combined with a chemical reaction for a fixed liquid amount was studied as dependent on the rate constants of the reaction. A three-component azeotropic mixture whose vapor-liquid equilibrium diagram is characterized by two distillation regions was considered. The possibility of the open evaporation trajectory to transfer through the separatrix between the distillation regions was shown, as well as the possibility of implementing the principle of redistribution of the concentration fields due to chemical reactions occurring in reactive distillation columns.Translated from Teoreticheskie Osnovy Khimicheskoi Tekhnologii, Vol. 39, No. 2, 2005, pp. 115–119.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Solokhin, Nazanskii, Timofeev.     

Etching behavior of CVD zinc selenide in inorganic acid solutions

Chemical interaction between polished surfaces of polycrystalline zinc selenide and inorganic acid solutions of various concentrations has been studied.     

An artificial intelligent diagnostic system on differential recognition of hematopoietic cells from microscopic images

The endothelium participates actively in homeostatic mechanisms such as the regulation of vascular tone and maintenance of a nonthrombotic environment, as well as directing biological responses such as leukocyte trafficking to inflammatory sites. Disruption of these processes leads to disease. In the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome autoantibodies provoke the endothelium to develop a prothrombotic surface. In systemic vasculitides associated with presence of antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies, it is likely that the autoantibodies incite premature neutrophil activation, disrupted neutrophil-endothelium interactions and endothelial damage. This review considers how normal endothelial functions may be subverted in disease and how active endothelial responses may contribute to disease.     

Thermally-induced changes in the metabolism of the eye of the crayfish Paranephrops planifrons: respiration and substrate utilization at three distinct temperatures

Gleason's score (GS) has been reported to be the most valuable prognostic factor in cases of prostate cancer. GS is solely dependent on the histological architecture of the prostate cancer, but, it seems doubtful that histological patterns are sufficient for evaluating the degree of malignancy of prostate cancer. We previously reported that the estimation of volume-weighted mean nuclear volume (MNV) might be a more useful prognosticator for prostate cancer than subjective histological grading. However, the previous study was conducted on patients treated in a single hospital, and the number of subjects was too small to draw a definitive conclusion. In this study, we analyzed a larger number of subjects at another institution using a blinded study design. A retrospective prognostic study of 195 patients with prostate cancer diagnosed between January 1966 and December 1988 at Kyoto University Hospital, and treated by conservative therapy, was conducted. Unbiased estimates of MNV were compared with the clinical stage and histological grading according to GS with regard to the prognostic value. Univariate analysis revealed that estimates of MNV, clinical stage, and GS all correlated significantly with disease-specific survival in cases of prostate cancer. Multivariate analysis of all cases also revealed that all of these factors were significant independent prognosticators of disease-specific survival. However, focusing on clinically localized cases (stages A, B, and C), multivariate analysis revealed that the estimation of MNV was the only powerful prognosticator of prostate cancer. This study indicates that the estimation of MNV is prognostically equal or superior to GS in cases of prostate cancer. We emphasized that the estimates of MNV is a more objective method for histological grading to predict the malignant potential of prostate cancer.