Optimizing an array of antennas for cellular coverage from a high altitude platform

In a wireless communications network served by a high altitude platform (HAP) the cochannel interference is a function of the antenna beamwidth, angular separation and. sidelobe level. At the millimeter wave frequencies proposed for HAPs, an array of aperture type antennas on the platform is a practicable solution for serving the cells. We present a method for predicting cochannel interference based on curve-fit approximations for radiation patterns of elliptic beams which illuminate cell edges with optimum power, and a means of estimating optimum beamwidths for each cell of a regular hexagonal layout. The method is then applied to a 121 cell architecture. Where sidelobes are modeled As a flat floor at 40-dB below peak directivity, a cell cluster size of four yields carrier-to-interference ratios (CIRs), which vary from 15 dB at cell edges to 27 dB at cell centers. On adopting a cluster size of seven, these figures increase, respectively, to 19 and 30 dB. On reducing the sidelobe level, the. improvement in CIR can be quantified. The method also readily allows for regions of overlapping channel coverage to be shown

A switch element in the autophagy E2 Atg3 mediates allosteric regulation across the lipidation cascade

Autophagy depends on the E2 enzyme, Atg3, functioning in a conserved E1-E2-E3 trienzyme cascade that catalyzes lipidation of Atg8-family ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs). Molecular mechanisms underlying Atg8 lipidation remain poorly understood despite association of Atg3, the E1 Atg7, and the composite E3 Atg12-Atg5-Atg16 with pathologies including cancers, infections and neurodegeneration. Here, studying yeast enzymes, we report that an Atg3 element we term E123IR (E1, E2, and E3-interacting region) is an allosteric switch. NMR, biochemical, crystallographic and genetic data collectively indicate that in the absence of the enzymatic cascade, the Atg3(E123IR) makes intramolecular interactions restraining Atg3's catalytic loop, while E1 and E3 enzymes directly remove this brace to conformationally activate Atg3 and elicit Atg8 lipidation in vitro and in vivo. We propose that Atg3's E123IR protects the E2 similar to UBL thioester bond from wayward reactivity toward errant nucleophiles, while Atg8 lipidation cascade enzymes induce E2 active site remodeling through an unprecedented mechanism to drive autophagy

Signatures of selection in loci governing major colour patterns in Heliconius butterflies and related species.

BACKGROUND: Protein-coding change is one possible genetic mechanism underlying the evolution of adaptive wing colour pattern variation in Heliconius butterflies. Here we determine whether 38 putative genes within two major Heliconius patterning loci, HmYb and HmB, show evidence of positive selection. Ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous nucleotide changes (ω) were used to test for selection, as a means of identifying candidate genes within each locus that control wing pattern. RESULTS: Preliminary analyses using 454 transcriptome and Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) sequences from three Heliconius species highlighted a cluster of genes within each region showing relatively higher rates of sequence evolution. Other genes within the region appear to be highly constrained, and no ω estimates exceeded one. Three genes from each locus with the highest average pairwise ω values were amplified from additional Heliconius species and races. Two selected genes, fizzy-like (HmYb) and DALR (HmB), were too divergent for amplification across species and were excluded from further analysis. Amongst the remaining genes, HM00021 and Kinesin possessed the highest background ω values within the HmYb and HmB loci, respectively. After accounting for recombination, these two genes both showed evidence of having codons with a signature of selection, although statistical support for this signal was not strong in any case. CONCLUSIONS: Tests of selection reveal a cluster of candidate genes in each locus, suggesting that weak directional selection may be occurring within a small region of each locus, but coding changes alone are unlikely to explain the full range of wing pattern diversity. These analyses pinpoint many of the same genes believed to be involved in the control of colour patterning in Heliconius that have been identified through other studies implementing different research methods.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

P02-07. High Concentrations of Interleukin-15 and Low Concentrations of CCL5 in Breast Milk are Associated with Protection against Postnatal HIV Transmission

Background: Natural variations in IL-15 concentration have not been investigated for an association with an immune-protection against HIV. Given IL-15's central role in anti-HIV immunity, we hypothesized that higher concentrations of IL-15 in breast milk may protect against postnatal mother-to-child HIV transmission. Methods: In a case-control study nested within a clinical trial in Zambia, we compared IL-15 concentrations in breast milk of 22 HIV-infected women who transmitted HIV to their infants through breastfeeding with those of 72 who did not, as well as 18 HIV-uninfected women. Breast milk HIV RNA quantity, sodium, CXCL12, CCL5, and IL-8 concentrations were measured as well as maternal plasma HIV RNA concentrations and CD4 cell count. We used logistic regression modeling to adjust for potential confounders. Results: Higher concentrations of IL-15 in breast milk (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.01 per log10 pg/ml increase, 95% confidence interval [CI]: <0.001 to 0.3) were associated with protection against postnatal HIV transmission in univariate analysis and after adjusting for maternal CD4 cell counts, breast milk HIV RNA, CCL5, CXCL12, and IL-8 concentrations. Breast milk IL-15 concentration correlated with breast milk sodium, the other cytokines and HIV RNA concentration. It was inversely correlated with infant birth weight and tended to be higher in 1 week than in 1 month post-partum samples. Breast milk CCL5 concentrations were associated with increased risk of HIV transmission (AOR: 12.7 95% CI: 1.6 to 102.0) in adjusted analysis. Breast milk CXCL12 and IL-8 concentrations were not independently associated with transmission. Conclusion: High concentration of IL-15 were associated with a protection against breastfeeding HIV transmission after adjusting for other pro-inflammatory cytokines, HIV RNA in breast milk, and maternal CD4 cell count. These results corroborate a protective role of IL-15-mediated cellular immunity against HIV transmission during breastfeeding. They are informative for vaccination studies using IL-15 as an adjuvant

ANALISIS KINERJA BIDAN DALAM PELAYANAN ANTENATAL PADA PUSKESMAS DI KABUPATEN MINAHASA UTARA

Pelayanan antenatal adalah pelayanan kesehatan oleh tenaga kesehatan untuk ibu selama masa kehamilannya, dilaksanakan sesuai dengan standar pelayanan antenatal yang ditetapkan dalam Standar Pelayanan Kebidanan (SPK). Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kinerja bidan dalam melakukan pelayanan antenatal di Puskesmas Kabupaten Minahasa Utara. Penelitian ini dilakukan secara deskriptif kualitatif di tiga Puskesmas pada bulan Mei sampai dengan bulan Juni tahun 2016. Pengumpulan data melalui wawancara mendalam pada 11 orang informan dan observasi kegiatan pelayanan antenatal pada 6 orang bidan Puskesmas. Selanjutnya data dianalisis melalui teknik analisis isi (content analysis). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan berdasarkan ketersediaan sumber daya dan organisasi cukup baik dalam menunjang pelayanan antenatal yang dilakukan oleh bidan. Berdasarkan proses pelayanan diantaranya pelaksanaan standar pelayanan bidan telah patuh dalam melakukan pelayanan antenatal. Berdasarkan berdasarkan cakupan indikator kinerja Cakupan K1 dan K4 mendapatkan hasil yang baik secara keseluruhan. Jadi dapat disimpulkan bahwa kinerja bidan dalam melaksanakan Pelayanan Antenatal di Puskesmas Kabupaten Minahasa Utara baik. Kata kunci: Kinerja, Bidan, Pelayanan Antenatal ABSTRACTAntenatal care is a health service by a health worker for the mother during her pregnancy, carried out in accordance with antenatal care standards specified in the Standard of Midwifery Service (SPK). The purpose of this research is to know the performance of midwife in doing antenatal service at Puskesmas Kabupaten Minahasa Utara. This research was conducted descriptively qualitative in three Puskesmas from May to June of 2016. Data was collected through in-depth interviews on 11 informants and observation of antenatal care activities at 6 midwives of Puskesmas. Further data is analyzed by content analysis technique. The results showed that based on the availability of resources and organization is good enough to support antenatal services performed by the midwife. Based on the service process such as the implementation of midwife service standard has been obedient in performing antenatal services. Based on coverage of performance indicators K1 and K4 coverage get good overall results. So it can be concluded that the performance of midwives in implementing Antenatal Services in Puskesmas Kabupaten Minahasa North good. Keywords: Performance, Midwife, Antenatal Service

HUBUNGAN MEROKOK DAN PENDIDIKAN DENGAN KUALITAS HIDUP PADA LAKI-LAKI DEWASA DI DESA TATELU KECAMATAN DIMEMBE KABUPATEN MINAHASA UTARA

Kualitas hidup adalah suatu hasil pengukuran yang diharapkan kesejahteraan umum pasien atau orang yang berfokus pada perasaan dan persepsi individu dalam keadaan hidup. Salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi kualitas hidup baik atau kurang baik adalah gaya hidup seseorang seperti merokok. Merokok merupakan salah satu kekhawatiran terbesar yang dihadapi dunia kesehatan. Dampak merokok dapat mengakibatkan menurunnya status kesehatan seseorang dan menyebabkan seseorang mengalami penyakit seperti kanker mulut, esophagus, faring, laring, paru, pankreas, kandung kemih dan penyakit paru obstruktif kronis. Prevalensi perokok dan rerata jumlah batang rokok yang dihisap oleh penduduk umur ≥10 tahun di Kota Manado untuk perokok saat ini 29,5% dengan rerata jumlah batang rokok yang dihisap sebanyak 10,7%. Prevalensi perokok dan rerata jumlah batang rokok yang dihisap oleh penduduk umur ≥10 tahun menurut karakteristik responden tertinggi pada umur 45-54 tahun dengan persentase 39,8%. Tujuan penelitian ini yaitu untuk mengetahui apakah ada hubungan kualitas hidup laki-laki perokok dan laki-laki non perokok dan untuk mengetahui apakah ada hubungan kualitas hidup dengan pendidikan di Desa Tatelu Kecamatan Dimembe Kabupaten Minahasa Utara.Jenis penelitian ini yaitu penelitian observasional analitik dengan menggunakan teknik potong lintang (Cross Sectional Study). Jumlah responden dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 111 responden dengan menggunakan teknik simple random sampling dan instrumen yang dipakai yaitu kuesioner frekuensi merokok dan SF-36v2. Analisis bivariat menggunakan uji Chi Square dengan α = 0,05. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada hubungan antara kualitas hidup dengan merokok yaitu nilai p = 0,944, namun terdapat hubungan antara kualitas hidup dengan pendidikan yaitu nilai p = 0,030Kata Kunci : Kualitas Hidup, Merokok, PendidikanABSTRACTQuality of life is a result expected as the general well-being of the patient or a person who focuses on one's feelings and perceptions in a living state. One of the factors which affect the good and the bad of the quality of life is the lifestyle of an individual, such as smoking. Smoking is one of the greatest concerns faced by the world of health. The effects of smoking may result in a decrease in a person's health status and cause a person to experience diseases such as oral cancer, esophageal, pharyngeal, laryngeal, pulmonary, pancreatic, bladder and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The prevalence of smokers and the average number of cigarettes smoked by the ≥ 10 years old population in Manado for current smokers was 29.5% with the average number of cigarettes smoked by 10.7%. The prevalence of smokers and the average number of cigarettes smoked by the population aged ≥ 10 years old according to the highest characteristics of respondents aged 45-54 years old with the percentage of 39.8%. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between the quality of life of male smokers and non-smokers, and to determine the relationship between the quality of life towards education in Tatelu village, Dimembe Sub-District, Minahasa Utara District. The type of research was analytic observational research with the use of cross-sectional study design. The number of respondents in this research was 111 respondents, chosen by using simple random sampling technique and the instrument used was smoking frequency questionnaire and SF-36v2. Bivariate analysis was used by using Chi Square test with α = 0,05. The result of analysis indicated that there was no relationship between quality of life towards smoking with the p value = 0,944, but there was a relationship between quality of life towards education with the p value = 0,030.Keywords: Quality of Life, Smoking, Educatio

Fidelity of optimally controlled quantum gates with randomly coupled multiparticle environments

This work studies the feasibility of optimal control of high-fidelity quantum gates in a model of interacting two-level particles. One particle (the qubit) serves as the quantum information processor, whose evolution is controlled by a time-dependent external field. The other particles are not directly controlled and serve as an effective environment, coupling to which is the source of decoherence. The control objective is to generate target one-qubit gates in the presence of strong environmentally-induced decoherence and under physically motivated restrictions on the control field. It is found that interactions among the environmental particles have a negligible effect on the gate fidelity and require no additional adjustment of the control field. Another interesting result is that optimally controlled quantum gates are remarkably robust to random variations in qubit-environment and inter-environment coupling strengths. These findings demonstrate the utility of optimal control for management of quantum-information systems in a very precise and specific manner, especially when the dynamics complexity is exacerbated by inherently uncertain environmental coupling.Comment: tMOP LaTeX, 9 pages, 3 figures; Special issue of the Journal of Modern Optics: 37th Winter Colloquium on the Physics of Quantum Electronics, 2-6 January 200