Multiyear Trans-Horizon Radio Propagation Measurements at 3.5 GHz

The design, realization and measurement results of a high accuracy multiyear 3.5 GHz trans-horizon radio propagation measurement system are discussed, with both emphasis on the results and implemented technical measures to enhance the accuracy and overall reliability of the measurements. The propagation measurements have been performed on two different paths of 253 and 234 km length, using two transmitters and one receiver in the period September 2013 till November 2016. One of the paths travels over wetland, the other path can be considered as a land path. On each path an additional transmitter is placed at 107 km (in the 253 km path) and 84 km (in the 234 km path) from the receiver. With this arrangement, the correlation between two non-aligned paths of comparable length, and two aligned paths of dissimilar length, were studied. The measurements show that for the land path, the predicted ITU-R P.452-16 CDF (Cumulative Distribution Function) typically shows 5 dB higher path loss than the actual measured CDF for the region of interest; anomalous propagation. This means that the measured signal is on average weaker than predicted (a higher path loss). For the wetland path the actual CDF is very close to the predicted CDF. Also, the measurements reveal that typically 30% of the anomalous propagation occurrences are correlated with other paths

Angiostatin generating capacity and anti-tumour effects of D-penicillamine and plasminogen activators

BACKGROUND: Upregulation of endogenous angiostatin levels may constitute a novel anti-angiogenic, and therefore anti-tumor therapy. In vitro, angiostatin generation is a two-step process, starting with the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin by plasminogen activators (PAs). Next, plasmin excises angiostatin from other plasmin molecules, a process requiring a donor of a free sulfhydryl group. In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that administration of PA in combination with the free sulfhydryl donor (FSD) agents captopril or N-acetyl cysteine, resulted in angiostatin generation, and anti-angiogenic and anti-tumour activity in murine models. METHODS: In this study we have investigated the angiostatin generating capacities of several FSDs. D-penicillamine proved to be most efficient in supporting the conversion of plasminogen to angiostatin in vitro. Next, from the optimal concentrations of tPA and D-penicillamine in vitro, equivalent dosages were administered to healthy Balb/c mice to explore upregulation of circulating angiostatin levels. Finally, anti-tumor effects of treatment with tPA and D-penicillamine were determined in a human melanoma xenograft model. RESULTS: Surprisingly, we found that despite the superior angiostatin generating capacity of D-penicillamine in vitro, both in vivo angiostatin generation and anti-tumour effects of tPA/D-penicillamine treatment were impaired compared to our previous studies with tPA and captopril. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that selecting the most appropriate free sulfhydryl donor for anti-angiogenic therapy in a (pre)clinical setting should be performed by in vivo rather than by in vitro studies. We conclude that D-penicillamine is not suitable for this type of therapy

The Biology and Economics of Coral Growth

To protect natural coral reefs, it is of utmost importance to understand how the growth of the main reef-building organisms—the zooxanthellate scleractinian corals—is controlled. Understanding coral growth is also relevant for coral aquaculture, which is a rapidly developing business. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of factors that can influence the growth of zooxanthellate scleractinian corals, with particular emphasis on interactions between these factors. Furthermore, the kinetic principles underlying coral growth are discussed. The reviewed information is put into an economic perspective by making an estimation of the costs of coral aquaculture

Effect of Composition on the Compressibility and Shear Strength of Dredged Cohesive Sediment

Progressively, more dredged sediments are being reused for engineering projects. For example, the Marker Wadden is a new wetland constructed in lake Markermeer, the Netherlands, with dredged cohesive sediments originating from the bed of the lake. Such dredged sediments are often dominated by cohesive sediment particles with varying amounts of sand and organic matter. In addition, during and after the construction process, the material consolidates and is often compressed from a very loose state into a significantly denser condition. To assess the mechanical behavior of this material, the compressibility of the Markermeer dredged sediment samples with various sand and organic matter contents was analyzed with incremental loading oedometer tests, whereas the undrained shear strength was studied using the fall cone test. The behavior was theoretically analyzed assuming a fractal structure of the sediment and applying power law constitutive equations for effective stress, hydraulic conductivity, and undrained shear strength. These constitutive equations, usually used at low initial sediment densities, worked well at the relatively high initial densities studied and proved to be a useful tool to identify the transition fines content TFC. The constitutive equations were put in context with indicators traditionally used in soil mechanics. Samples, each with an identical composition of the fines fraction (particles< 63 μm), but with a sand content varying from 9 to 40%, showed the same compressibility and undrained shear strength behavior when considering the sand a filler material. For a natural sand content of 70%, the behavior was dominated by sand. The organic matter oxidation was observed to drastically decrease the compressibility and the shear strength, and even to decrease the amount of sand needed to exhibit sand-dominated behavior, showing the importance of the reactivity or state of organic matter on the TFC

Effect of Composition on the Compressibility and Shear Strength of Dredged Cohesive Sediment

Progressively, more dredged sediments are being reused for engineering projects. For example, the Marker Wadden is a new wetland constructed in lake Markermeer, the Netherlands, with dredged cohesive sediments originating from the bed of the lake. Such dredged sediments are often dominated by cohesive sediment particles with varying amounts of sand and organic matter. In addition, during and after the construction process, the material consolidates and is often compressed from a very loose state into a significantly denser condition. To assess the mechanical behavior of this material, the compressibility of the Markermeer dredged sediment samples with various sand and organic matter contents was analyzed with incremental loading oedometer tests, whereas the undrained shear strength was studied using the fall cone test. The behavior was theoretically analyzed assuming a fractal structure of the sediment and applying power law constitutive equations for effective stress, hydraulic conductivity, and undrained shear strength. These constitutive equations, usually used at low initial sediment densities, worked well at the relatively high initial densities studied and proved to be a useful tool to identify the transition fines content TFC. The constitutive equations were put in context with indicators traditionally used in soil mechanics. Samples, each with an identical composition of the fines fraction (particles< 63 μm), but with a sand content varying from 9 to 40%, showed the same compressibility and undrained shear strength behavior when considering the sand a filler material. For a natural sand content of 70%, the behavior was dominated by sand. The organic matter oxidation was observed to drastically decrease the compressibility and the shear strength, and even to decrease the amount of sand needed to exhibit sand-dominated behavior, showing the importance of the reactivity or state of organic matter on the TFC

The effect of solid-phase composition on the drying behavior of Markermeer sediment

We studied the drying behavior of slurries of Markermeer sediments in the Netherlands having different solid compositions. Natural processes such as sand?mud segregation and oxidation of organic matter were mimicked to analyze the effect of changes in sediment composition. Evaporation experiments were performed with soft slurry samples using the Hyprop setup. Soil water retention curves (SWRCs) and hydraulic conductivity curves (HCCs) were determined as a function of the water ratio (WR, defined as volume of water/volume of solids). The sediment remained close to saturation until the end of the experiments. The Atterberg limits reduced significantly after sediment treatment involving drying at 50 °C, rewetting, and chemical oxidation. Furthermore, the oxidized sediment lost capacity to retain water. The SWRCs of sandy and oxidized clays were steeper, and fine-textured sediments showed large water ratios. At low matric suctions, the water retention capacity of the upper sediment samples containing more labile organic matter was larger than that of the sediment underneath. Clear correlations were found between van Genuchten parameters and the degree of degradation of the organic matter. The hydraulic conductivity of fine-textured samples with less labile organics was larger. The results give insight into the drying behavior of Markermeer sediment, currently used to build wetlands

Verification of an Audio Protocol with Bus Collision Using UPPAAL

In this paper we apply the tool Uppaal to an automatic analysis of a version of the Philips Audio Control Protocol with two senders and bus collision handling. This case study is significantly larger than the real-time/hybrid systems previously analysed by automatic tools. During the case study the tool Uppaal was extended with a new feature, committed locations, allowing efficient modelling of broadcast communication