Variation Of Geotechnical Strength Properties With Age Of Landfills Accepting Biosolids

The solid portion of waste disposal, known as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) can be landfilled. Landfilling has proved to be a safe, sanitary and economical method of disposal. A by-product from wastewater treatment plants called biosolids is sometimes co-disposed along with MSW in landfills. Recent work at the University of Central Florida has focused on the behavior of the mixture of MSW and biosolids. As an increased amount of waste accumulates in these landfills, it creates a new problem the geotechnical stability of landfills. In current literature, classical geotechnical testing methods have been followed to find the strength properties of these landfill materials. Furthermore, geotechnical methods of slope stability analyses have been employed to determine the stability of landfill slopes. As these materials have a high organic content, their strength properties may potentially change with time because of the decay of the organic materials. In the present work, an attempt is made to monitor the change in the geotechnical strength properties of the landfill materials as a function of time. Direct shear tests used for soil testing, with some modifications, were performed on cured compost samples of MSW mixed with biosolids. Geotechnical strength properties of these cured samples were compared to those of an artificially prepared mixture of MSW and biosolids, from the published literature. In addition, direct shear tests are also performed to find the interface properties of a geonet with the cured samples to check the role of a geonet in reinforcing the landfill slopes. A slope stability analysis software SLOPE/W is used to analyze the stability of the landfills. Cohesion is observed to decrease with time while the friction angle increases with time. Stability (the factor of safety against failure) of landfill slopes increases with time due to increased effective stresses and increased friction angle, as the organic material decays. This may result in additional subsidence but an increase in the effective shear strength with time. Based on the interface test results and subsequent slope stability analyses, it is found that the inclusion of a geonet improves the slope stability of a landfill. This could be a potential benefit to the landfill as reinforcement if properly placed. Based on the slope stability analysis on landfills with different slopes, it is concluded that the slope stability of a landfill is improved by keeping the slopes less steep

Characterization of Conductive Textiles for Wearable RFID Applications

Abstract -Characterization based on wireless reflectometry of embroidered structures made of conductive threads is performed at the upper microwave ISM band (5.8 GHz). Obtained results are compared to the expected results based on DC conductivity measurements to highlight and discuss anisotropy effect

Wearable dual-band stripline-fed half-mode substrate-integrated cavity antenna

Published 19/02/2016A low-profile dual-band half-mode substrate-integrated cavity antenna with a fully shielded textile feeding mechanism is presented for wearable applications. The antenna operates at the lower and upper microwave industrial, scientific and medical bands. The cavity geometry is accurately defined with conducting thread through computerised embroidery. Design guidelines are developed for a practical realisation. Good agreement between simulated and measured results validates the proposed structure.S.P. Pinapati, T. Kaufmann, D.C. Ranasinghe, C. Fumeau

Predicting Functional and Regulatory Divergence of a Drug Resistance Transporter Gene in the Human Malaria Parasite

Background: The paradigm of resistance evolution to chemotherapeutic agents is that a key coding mutation in a specific gene drives resistance to a particular drug. In the case of resistance to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine (CQ), a specific mutation in the transporter pfcrt is associated with resistance. Here, we apply a series of analytical steps to gene expression data from our lab and leverage 3 independent datasets to identify pfcrt-interacting genes. Resulting networks provide insights into pfcrt’s biological functions and regulation, as well as the divergent phenotypic effects of its allelic variants in different genetic backgrounds. Results: To identify pfcrt-interacting genes, we analyze pfcrt co-expression networks in 2 phenotypic states - CQ-resistant (CQR) and CQ-sensitive (CQS) recombinant progeny clones - using a computational approach that prioritizes gene interactions into functional and regulatory relationships. For both phenotypic states, pfcrt co-expressed gene sets are associated with hemoglobin metabolism, consistent with CQ’s expected mode of action. To predict the drivers of co-expression divergence, we integrate topological relationships in the co-expression networks with available high confidence protein-protein interaction data. This analysis identifies 3 transcriptional regulators from the ApiAP2 family and histone acetylation as potential mediators of these divergences. We validate the predicted divergences in DNA mismatch repair and histone acetylation by measuring the effects of small molecule inhibitors in recombinant progeny clones combined with quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. Conclusions: This work demonstrates the utility of differential co-expression viewed in a network framework to uncover functional and regulatory divergence in phenotypically distinct parasites. pfcrt-associated co-expression in the CQ resistant progeny highlights CQR-specific gene relationships and possible targeted intervention strategies. The approaches outlined here can be readily generalized to other parasite populations and drug resistances

Copper promoted synthesis of tetrazoles and further conversion into diaryl tetrazoles through C-N cross-coupling approach

313-324Efficient tandem three component method has been demonstrated for the synthesis of substituted tetrazoles under mild reaction conditions using copper catalysis. Green solvent DMSO has been utilized and the reaction has been carried out at room temperature which establishes that our method is green synthetic approach. Variety of substrates readily undergo the optimized reaction conditions to provide their respective target products in good to excellent yields. In addition we have observed regioselective compounds depending on the substituents of phenyl ring. All the reactions are rapid, facile and are accomplished at room temperature. The reactions are of general application, clean and efficient. Furthermore we have confirmed that no other by-products could be identified during our experimental reaction process. In addition, C-N cross-coupling have been developed with phenyltetrazoleamines and aryl iodide under moderate reaction conditions

Antibody landscape of C57BL/6 mice cured of B78 melanoma via a combined radiation and immunocytokine immunotherapy regimen

Sera of immune mice that were previously cured of their melanoma through a combined radiation and immunocytokine immunotherapy regimen consisting of 12 Gy of external beam radiation and the intratumoral administration of an immunocytokine (anti-GD2 mAb coupled to IL-2) with long-term immunological memory showed strong antibody-binding against melanoma tumor cell lines via flow cytometric analysis. Using a high-density whole-proteome peptide array (of 6.090.593 unique peptides), we assessed potential protein-targets for antibodies found in immune sera. Sera from 6 of these cured mice were analyzed with this high-density, whole-proteome peptide array to determine specific antibody-binding sites and their linear peptide sequence. We identified thousands of peptides that were targeted by these 6 mice and exhibited strong antibody binding only by immune (after successful cure and rechallenge), not naïve (before tumor implantation) sera and developed a robust method to detect these differentially targeted peptides. Confirmatory studies were done to validate these results using 2 separate systems, a peptide ELISA and a smaller scale peptide array utilizing a slightly different technology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the full set of germline encoded linear peptide-based proteome epitopes that are recognized by immune sera from mice cured of cancer via radio-immunotherapy. We furthermore found that although the generation of B-cell repertoire in immune development is vastly variable, and numerous epitopes are identified uniquely by immune serum from each of these 6 immune mice evaluated, there are still several epitopes and proteins that are commonly recognized by at least half of the mice studied. This suggests that every mouse has a unique set of antibodies produced in response to the curative therapy, creating an individual “fingerprint.” Additionally, certain epitopes and proteins stand out as more immunogenic, as they are recognized by multiple mice in the immune group

Magnetic current inspired antennas for wearable applications

Since the year 2000 there has been a growing interest in an area known as body-worn communications for diverse applications ranging from healthcare to security. An integral component of body-worn devices are antennas which facilitate transmission of pertinent information about the user such as location. The focus of this thesis is on the antennas, which in the context of body-centric communications are also known as body-worn or wearable antennas. Prior to designing body-worn antennas there are some subsidiary issues that must be addressed. One of these subsidiary issues is realizing a robust and reliable connection between rigid and flexible devices. This issue must be addressed as textile antennas will be interfaced with rigid electronic devices when viewed from a holistic system perspective. Consequently, this thesis investigates connection strategies and proposes implementations realized solely from textile materials that can connect rigid and flexible devices. The second subsidiary issue is related to antenna ground planes. Ground planes for wearable antennas are likely to be bent, given the inherent curvature of the human body. In this regard it is important to appreciate the effects of conformal ground planes on the performance of body-worn antennas, which is an issue that is addressed in this thesis. The final pragmatic issue that must be addressed for wearable antennas is user comfort. The issue of user comfort can best be understood by considering the extent of the ground plane. Generally, to isolate the antenna from the deleterious effect of the human body, a ground plane is used. The most common method of realizing ground planes for body-worn antennas is to use metalized fabrics, which are available with high conductivity. However, conductive fabric ground planes can be uncomfortable, especially if extended ground planes are used to enhance the isolation between the antenna and the human body. Combining conductive fabrics and conductive embroidered structures which are realized through conductive yarns is an attractive option to enhance the wearability of extended ground planes. This hybrid approach is attractive as conductive yarns tend to be less intrusive than conductive fabrics. A challenge in using computerized embroidery however is the accurate characterization and modeling of conductive embroidered structures. The two aforementioned issues are addressed in this thesis through the use of scattering experiments and introduction of an effective modeling parameter. Focusing now on the antennas themselves, it is generally accepted that the design of body-worn antennas is a challenging task. Primarily, the design of body-worn antennas is quite demanding as the antenna performance must be insensitive to the effect of the human body, which is a very lossy and complicated propagation medium. An additional consideration is the potential deformation of the antenna geometry which will depend on where the antenna is placed on the human body. To ensure robust performance, the aforementioned factors must be accounted for in the design phase of the antenna. Consequently, it is vital to select appropriate antenna topologies for body-worn applications. Radiating cavities, or more specifically closed and semi-closed cavity antennas are attractive for wearable applications as they are robust to environmental effects and exhibit high performance with a simple fabrication process. However, closed and semi-closed cavity antennas can be rather large, which can inhibit their deployment for body-worn scenarios. Additionally, realizing dual-band or multi-band closed and semi-closed cavity antennas is challenging as the operating frequency is determined by fixed ratios. In regards to the these challenges, this thesis proposes and validates the following solutions: 1. A new miniaturized low-profile semi-closed UHF cavity antenna is proposed and experimentally validated. This new topology is shown to be robust to the effects of the human body and mechanical deformations. A salient feature of this antenna is the exploitation of computerized embroidery to realize the cavity walls. 2. A new dual-band cavity antenna is realized by the integration of two similar radiating elements operating as equivalent magnetic currents into a single cavity. The antenna is targeted to cover the lower and upper microwave ISM bands. The incorporation of a planar feeding element and a largely independent control of both the lower and upper microwave ISM bands is an attractive feature of this design. As previously mentioned, obtaining steady performance for body-worn antennas under adverse environmental conditions is a challenging task. One method to deal with this issue is to utilize frequency reconfigurable antennas. In this context this thesis presents a new proof-of-concept frequency reconfigurable cavity-backed slot antenna. An attractive feature of this antenna is that the reconfiguration elements, i.e varactors, are embedded inside the cavity structure which helps to insulate them from adverse external forces. Additionally, the proposed antenna can be impedance matched through a planar feeding mechanism over a large fractional tuning range of 20% without requiring lumped matching elements. Overall, this thesis holistically investigates a range of issues related to the realization and utilization of wearable antennas for body-worn applications. Thus the contributions of this thesis lay a strong foundation for future wearable antenna deployment.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 201

UOCS XIV: Study of the Open Cluster NGC 2627 Using UVIT/AstroSat

We study the intermediate-age open cluster NGC 2627, located at a distance of ∼2 kpc, using UVIT/AstroSat and other archival data. Using a machine learning-based algorithm, ML-MOC, on the Gaia DR3 data, we identify 422 cluster members, including four blue straggler stars (BSSs), one yellow straggler star (YSS), one blue lurker (BL), one red clump (RC) star, and two binary candidates with detection in both UVIT/F148W and UVIT/F169M filters. We characterise them using multiwavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Out of the above nine sources, one BSS, the BL, and one binary candidate have a source nearby; hence, we did not fit their SEDs. Of the remaining six sources, we successfully fit two with single-component SEDs and four with binary-component SEDs. The binary-component SED-based parameters indicate that the hot companions of BSSs, the YSS, the RC star, and the binary candidate are extremely low-mass white dwarfs, confirming that at least four out of nine stars (44%) are formed via the mass transfer channel. We fit King’s profile function to the high-probability ( p > 0.8) cluster members and estimate the cluster core radius ( r _C ) to be 3.84′ and the tidal radius ( r _t ) to be 36.85′. We find that the equal-mass binaries are most concentrated towards the cluster center, followed by the single massive stars, and single low-mass stars. The BSS population of the cluster is also found to be located within a radius r ∼ 10 × r _C from the cluster center, suggesting the dynamical evolution of the cluster

Textile multilayer cavity slot monopole for UHF applications

A low-profile multilayer textile antenna inspired by a folded cavity with a broad slot monopole is presented for wearable applications in the UHF band. The proposed geometry has total dimensions of 0.34λ 0 × 0.22λ 0 × 0.0149λ 0 at a targeted resonance frequency of 923 MHz and achieves a fractional bandwidth of 3.0% on-body. The antenna is fed by a flexible shielded stripline to enhance wearability, and a substantial overall size reduction is achieved through a combination of miniaturization techniques amenable for textile implementation. A systematic design procedure along with a simple fabrication process including the use of computerized embroidery is a salient feature of the proposed geometry. Good agreement between simulation and measurement results in various conditions validates the proposed structure.Sree Pramod Pinapati, Damith Chinthana Ranasinghe, Christophe Fumeau