Omni-directional L-band antenna for mobile communications

The principle and design of an L-band omni-directional mobile communication antenna are discussed. The antenna is a circular wave guide aperture with hybrid circuits attached to higher order mode excitation. It produces polarized and symmetric two split beams in elevation. The circular waveguide is fed by eight probes with a 90 degree phase shift between their inputs. Radiation pattern characteristics are controlled by adjusting the aperture diameter and mode excitation. This antenna satisfies gain requirements as well as withstanding the harsh environment

Modeling Stem/Progenitor Cell-Induced Neovascularization and\ud Oxygenation around Solid Implants

Tissue engineering constructs and other solid implants with biomedical applications, such as drug delivery devices or bioartificial organs, need oxygen (O2) to function properly. To understand better the vascular integration of such devices, we recently developed a novel model sensor containing O2-sensitive crystals, consisting of a polymeric capsule limited by a nano-porous filter. The sensor was implanted in mice with hydrogel alone (control) or hydrogel embedded with mouse CD117/c-kit+ bone marrow progenitor cells (BMPC) in order to stimulate peri-implant neovascularization. The sensor provided local partial O2 pressure (pO2) using non-invasive electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal measurements. A consistently higher level of per-implant oxygenation was observed in the cell-treatment case as compared to the control over a 10-week period. In order to provide a mechanistic explanation of these experimental observations, we present in this paper a mathematical model, formulated as a system of coupled partial differential equations, that simulates peri-implant vascularization. In the control case, vascularization is considered to be the result of a Foreign Body Reaction (FBR) while in the cell-treatment case, adipogenesis in response to paracrine stimuli produced by the stem cells is assumed to induce neovascularization. The model is validated by fitting numerical predictions of local pO2 to measurements from the implanted sensor. The model is then used to investigate further the potential for using stem cell treatment to enhance the vascular integration of biomedical implants. We thus demonstrate how mathematical modeling combined with experimentation can be used to infer how vasculature develops around biomedical implants in control and stem celltreated cases

Deformations and stress in PMMA during hard x-ray exposure for deep lithography.

The availability of high-energy, high-flux, collimated synchrotrons radiation has extended the application of deep X-ray lithography (DXRL) to thickness values of the PMMA resist of several millimeters. Some of the most severe limitations come from plastic deformation, stress, and cracks induced in PMMA during exposure and development. We have observed and characterized these phenomena quantitatively. Profilometry measurements revealed that the PMMA is subjected either to local shrinkage or to expansion, while compression and expansion evolve over time. Due to material loss and crosslinking, the material undergoes a shrinkage, while the radiation-induced decomposition generates gases expanding the polymer matrix. The overall dynamics of the material microrelief and stress during and after the exposure depend on the balance between compaction and outgassing. These depend in turn on the exposure conditions (spectrum; dose, dose rate, seaming, temperature), post-exposure storage conditions, PMMA material properties and thickness, and also on the size and geometry of the exposed patterns

Schistosome W-Linked genes inform temporal dynamics of sex chromosome evolution and suggest candidate for sex determination

Schistosomes, the human parasites responsible for snail fever, are female-heterogametic. Different parts of their ZW sex chromosomes have stopped recombining in distinct lineages, creating “evolutionary strata” of various ages. Although the Z-chromosome is well characterized at the genomic and molecular level, the W-chromosome has remained largely unstudied from an evolutionary perspective, as only a few W-linked genes have been detected outside of the model species Schistosoma mansoni. Here, we characterize the gene content and evolution of the W-chromosomes of S. mansoni and of the divergent species S. japonicum. We use a combined RNA/DNA k-mer based pipeline to assemble around 100 candidate W-specific transcripts in each of the species. About half of them map to known protein coding genes, the majority homologous to S. mansoni Z-linked genes. We perform an extended analysis of the evolutionary strata present in the two species (including characterizing a previously undetected young stratum in S. japonicum) to infer patterns of sequence and expression evolution of W-linked genes at different time points after recombination was lost. W-linked genes show evidence of degeneration, including high rates of protein evolution and reduced expression. Most are found in young lineage-specific strata, with only a few high expression ancestral W-genes remaining, consistent with the progressive erosion of nonrecombining regions. Among these, the splicing factor u2af2 stands out as a promising candidate for primary sex determination, opening new avenues for understanding the molecular basis of the reproductive biology of this group

Observation Of Singly Ionized Selenium Vacancies In Znse Grown By Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR) has been used to investigate singly ionized selenium vacancy V Se + centers in ZnSe epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE). The study included undoped and nitrogen-doped films. Spectra taken at 8 K and 9.45 GHz, as the magnetic field was rotated in the plane from [100] to [010], showed an isotropic signal at g =2.0027±0.0004 with a linewidth of 5.8 G. In the two samples where this signal was observed, estimates of concentration were approximately 1.1×10 17 and 6.3×10 17 cm −3 . The appearance of the EPR signal correlated with an increase in the Zn/Se beam equivalent pressure ratio (during growth) in undoped films and with an increase in the nitrogen concentration in doped films. We conclude that the singly ionized selenium vacancy may be a dominant point defect in many MBE-grown ZnSe layers and that these defects may play a role in the compensation mechanisms in heavily nitrogen-doped ZnSe thin films

Методические аспекты повышения качества услуг в сфере транспортной логистики

Розробка методичних аспектів підвищення якості обслуговування в транспортно-логістичних компаніях на основі вимог міжнародних стандартів якості ISO 9000:2008 з використанням простих інструментів контролю якості.Article on developing methodological aspects of service quality improvement in transportation and logistics companies, based on the requirements of international quality standards ISO 9000:2008, using simple tools of quality control. This paper defines the key issues to improve the quality of logistics services, approaches to the selection of methods and tools to ensure continuous improvement of transport and logistics companies. The mechanisms of implementing the requirements of the standard relating to the measurement of the quality of the provision of logistics services. The essence of the method and the role of «six sigma» in implementing the concept of «zero defects». Defines the approaches to the selection criteria and evaluation methodology for outsourcing companies, and recommendations on the use of quality control tools to improve the quality of logistics services.Разработка методических аспектов повышения качества обслуживания в транспортно-логистических компаниях на основе требований международных стандартов качества ISO 9000:2008 с использованием простых инструментов контроля качества