Indexing microwave switch Patent

Microwave waveguide switch with rotor position contro

Phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes (PEA)-15 : A potential therapeutic target in multiple disease states

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Architectural implications for context adaptive smart spaces

Buildings and spaces are complex entities containing complex social structures and interactions. A smart space is a composite of the users that inhabit it, the IT infrastructure that supports it, and the sensors and appliances that service it. Rather than separating the IT from the buildings and from the appliances that inhabit them and treating them as separate systems, pervasive computing combines them and allows them to interact. We outline a reactive context architecture that supports this vision of integrated smart spaces and explore some implications for building large-scale pervasive systems

Intracellular Signalling in Experimental Hypertension

1. The effects of noradrenaline and endothelin-1 on the phosphatidylinositol cycle were investigated in 2 models of experimental hypertension, the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and the perinephritis hypertensive rabbit, at various stages during the development of hypertension. In both models freshly isolated aorta and cultured aortic smooth muscle cells were examined to ascertain the suitability of cultured aortic smooth muscle cells in this aspect of hypertension research. The coupling of endothelin-1 and noradrenaline to inositol phosphate formation via GTP-binding proteins was also investigated in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from SHR. 2. In aortic rings from 6, 14, and 40 weeks old SHR basal inositol phosphate formation was unchanged compared to Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. Both noradrenaline and endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate formation was unchanged in aortic rings from 6 week SHR. However at 14 and 40 weeks noradrenaline and endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate formation was decreased in aortic rings from SHR compared to WKY. 3. Basal inositol phosphate formation was increased in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from 6 and 14 week SHR compared to cells from WKY. Both noradrenaline and endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate formation was unchanged in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from 6 week SHR. In cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from 14 week SHR noradrenaline stimulated inositol phosphate formation was increased while endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate was decreased. 4. In aortic rings from perinephritis hypertensive rabbits 1, 2 and 6 weeks after surgery basal inositol phosphate formation was unchanged compared to uninephrectomized control rabbits. At 1 week after surgery noradrenaline stimulated inositol phosphate formation was unchanged in aortic rings from perinephritis hypertensive rabbits. However, in aortic rings from 2 week perinephritis hypertensive rabbits noradrenaline stimulated inositol phosphate formation was increased but endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate formation was similar to controls. Noradrenaline stimulated inositol phosphate formation was unchanged in aortic rings from 6 week perinephritis hypertensive rabbits. Cultured aortic smooth muscle cells were prepared from the aorta of perinephritis hypertensive rabbits 2 weeks after surgery. Both noradrenaline and endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate formation was unchanged in these cells compared to smooth muscle cells from control rabbits. 5. The effects of pertussis toxin on noradrenaline and endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate formation in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from 14 week SHR and WKY rats was investigated. Noradrenaline stimulated inositol phosphate formation was unaffected by pertussis toxin preincubation. However, endothelin-1 stimulated inositol phosphate formation was decreased by 50% in both SHR and WKY cells after preincubation with pertussis toxin. Therefore noradrenaline and endothelin-1 appear to be regulated independently at the level of the GTP-binding protein. Confirmation of endothelin-1's ability to activate a pertussis toxin sensitive GTP-binding protein was obtained by measuring endothelin-1's interaction with pertussis toxin dependent ADP-ribosylation in membranes prepared from cultured aortic smooth muscle cells. In the presence of endothelin-1 the pertussis toxin dependent ADP-ribosylation was decreased in both SHR and WKY membranes. 6. The free intracellular calcium concentration in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from 14 week SHR grown on coverslips was unchanged compared to WKY cells as measured using fura 2.7. Alterations in inositol phosphate formation occur in these 2 models of hypertension. The changes are agonist specific possibly due to independent regulation by GTP-binding proteins and are likely to depend on the system (i. e. fresh tissue or cultured cells), the model and the species studied

Unsteady transonic small disturbance theory with strong shock waves

A theory to correct the transonic small disturbance (TSD) equation to treat strong shock waves in unsteady flow is developed. The technique involves the addition of higher order terms, which are formally of negligible magnitude, to the low frequency TSD equation. These terms are then chosen such that any shock waves in the flow have strengths approximately equal to the appropriate Rankine-Hugoniot shock strength. Two correcting approaches are investigated. The first is to derive a correction for the mean steady flow and then simply use this corrected form for oscillatory flows. The second is to derive a correction for both steady and oscillatory parts of the flow. This second development is the most satisfactory and comparisons of the present results with Euler equation results are generally favorable, particularly regarding shock location, although there are some discrepancies in the pressure distribution in the leading edge region

Design of a reusable kinetic energy absorber for an astronaut safety tether to be used during extravehicular activities on the Space Station

The goal of this project is to design a reusable safety device for a waist tether which will absorb the kinetic energy of an astronaut drifting away from the Space Station. The safety device must limit the tension of the tether line in order to prevent damage to the astronaut's space suit or to the structure of the spacecraft. The tether currently used on shuttle missions must be replaced after the safety feature has been developed. A reusable tether for the Space Station would eliminate the need for replacement tethers, conserving space and mass. This report presents background information, scope and limitations, methods of research and development, alternative designs, a final design solution and its evaluation, and recommendations for further work

A Survey on Ear Biometrics

Recognizing people by their ear has recently received significant attention in the literature. Several reasons account for this trend: first, ear recognition does not suffer from some problems associated with other non contact biometrics, such as face recognition; second, it is the most promising candidate for combination with the face in the context of multi-pose face recognition; and third, the ear can be used for human recognition in surveillance videos where the face may be occluded completely or in part. Further, the ear appears to degrade little with age. Even though, current ear detection and recognition systems have reached a certain level of maturity, their success is limited to controlled indoor conditions. In addition to variation in illumination, other open research problems include hair occlusion; earprint forensics; ear symmetry; ear classification; and ear individuality. This paper provides a detailed survey of research conducted in ear detection and recognition. It provides an up-to-date review of the existing literature revealing the current state-of-art for not only those who are working in this area but also for those who might exploit this new approach. Furthermore, it offers insights into some unsolved ear recognition problems as well as ear databases available for researchers

PEA‐15 (Phosphoprotein Enriched in Astrocytes 15) Is a Protective Mediator in the Vasculature and Is Regulated During Neointimal Hyperplasia

This work was supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council, UK (MR/K012789/1). Additional information can be downloaded from the publisher's websitePeer reviewedPublisher PD