Quasi-passive optical infrastructure for future 5G wireless networks: pros and cons

In this paper, we study the applicability of the quasi-passive reconfigurable (QPAR) device, a special type of quasi-passive wavelength-selective switch with flexible power allocation properties and no power consumption in the steady state, to implement the concept of reconfigurable backhaul for 5G wireless networks. We first discuss the functionality of the QPAR node and its discrete component implementation, scalability, and performance. We present a novel multi-input QPAR structure and the pseudo-passive reconfigurable (PPAR) node, a device with the functionality of QPAR but that is pseudo-passive during steady-state operations. We then propose mesh and hierarchical back-haul network architectures for 5G based on the QPAR and PPAR nodes and discuss potential use cases. We compare the performance of a QPAR-based single-node architecture with state-of-the-art devices. We find that a QPAR node in a hierarchical network can reduce the average latency while extending the reach and quality of service of the network. However, due to the high insertion losses of the current QPAR design, some of these benefits are lost in practice. On the other hand, the PPAR node can realize the benefits practically and is the more energy-efficient solution for high reconfiguration frequencies, but the remote optical node will no longer be passive. In this paper, we discuss the potential benefits and issues with utilizing a QPAR in the optical infrastructure for 5G networks.This work has been funded by the Spanish project TIGRE5 CM (grant number S2013/ICE 2919), the EU H2020 5G Crosshaul project (grant number 671598), and the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) funding scheme (project number DE150100924). The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of the Center for Integrated Systems, Stanford University, and Corning Incorporated. for the development of this work

The Synodal Church: The Significance of Pope Francis’s Ecclesiology for the Indian Church

Today, the Indian church is situated within an increasingly complex socioeconomic and religio-cultural reality. On the one hand, India’s cherished values of democracy, secularism, and religious diversity are being threatened by the forces of radical Hindu fundamentalism. On the other hand, the Indian church itself is divided by ethnic, linguistic, caste, gender, and ritual boundaries. These concerns call for rigorous theological discourse that advances an adequate self-understanding of the church in India. We can envision a communion of local churches, one which welcomes and affirms the distinct identity of each language group, ethnicity, caste, culture, and rite; encourages solidarity and mutual support; and strengthens a coordinated commitment to the church’s prophetic presence in a pluralistic India. This dissertation argues that the synodal ecclesiology of Pope Francis, which is marked by decentralization, participation, subsidiarity, and encounter, can provide an underlying vision for a new way of being church in India today, one which fosters unity and reconciliation within the church itself, and becomes a force for Sarvodaya (the welfare of all) in Indian society. The central claim of this study is that in order to be an agent of Sarvodaya, the church must first be healed and unified within. Given the complexities of the Indian ecclesial and social reality, my study is necessarily interdisciplinary in nature. It employs socio-economic, political, religious, historical, and cultural analyses to investigate the multidimensional reality of India. It also draws on scriptural/exegetical analysis to examine the biblical roots of the pope’s x vision of synodality, notably a Pauline Body of Christ theology. Furthermore, the study employs the discipline of organizational theory as a lens through which to evaluate the pope’s call for the decentralization of power and authority within church structures and the participation of the whole people of God within all levels of church life and mission. The first Jesuit and Latin American pope is striving to renew the structures, mission, and self-understanding of the church. His vision is both radically new and rooted soundly in the Second Vatican Council. His pastoral acuity with regard to the signs of the times, his call to go forth to the peripheries, his transformative leadership style, his denunciation of the economic structures that rob the poor of life and plunder the earth, and his call for a church of dialogue and encounter are among the qualities which hold particular relevance for the church in India today. Pope Francis’s emphasis on a culture of encounter underscores the significance of his vision for the present moment in India. The Indian church, fostering a genuine encounter among the various rites, cultures, language groups, and ethnicities, will transform itself into an inclusive community and bear witness to one Body of Christ, unified in its splendid diversity. Through his theology of encounter, his call to move to the peripheries to empower the alienated and excluded, his fierce critique of unfettered capitalism, and his call for synodal structures to be mirrored in civil society, Pope Francis effectively announces an ethics of sarvodaya which coincides with his vision of the Kingdom of God, whose realization is the very basis of evangelization

System Level Modeling and Simulation of a Hybrid Vehicle

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2015Develop and validate a system level power loss model of different Hybrid Vehicle architecture for performance and energy consumption comparisons. This will include understating the primary losses involved in propulsion of a vehicle, modeling components, and post processing of the gathered results

Serodiagnosis of pearl millet resistance to downy mildew by quantitating cell wall P/HRGP using polyclonal antiserum Pab-P/HRGP

Proline/hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (P/HRGP) level in pearl millet genotypes resistant to downy mildew increase after inoculation with the oomycete pathogen Sclerospora graminicola. Using purified P/HRGPs from pearl millet cell walls, polyclonal antibodies (Pab-P/HRGP) were raised in rabbit. Based on this antiserum, an enzyme immunoassay was developed that displays a linearity detection range from 0.01 to 10 μg P/HRGP. Western blot analysis, confirming the induction of three marker P/HRGPs in the infected resistant genotype, and immunocytochemical studies on P/HRGP localization either in epidermal peelings or in suspension-cultured cells demonstrated the specificity of the antiserum. Besides its characterization, Pab-P/HRGP was employed to screen various genotypes of pearl millet for fast, sensitive and specific detection of induced P/HRGPs upon infections. The results presented are discussed with presumed importance to downy mildew disease and the use of this new antiserum in pearl millet screening for disease resistance

Hydroxyproline-rich Glycoproteins and Plant Defence

Abstract The distinguished plant cell wall component referred to as hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) exists in two forms: soluble in the symplast and insoluble in the apoplast. Insolubilization of HRGPs in cell walls through oxidative cross-linking which is elicited by stress represents a characteristic feature exhibited by two classes of HRGPs, namely, extensins and proline/HRGPs. Cross-linking of these HRGPs is an important process to strengthen the cell walls that contributes to plant defence reactions. In this review, the available information on these proteins is analysed with respect to their roles in host-pathosystems and the various techniques applied for their characterization. Future prospects on strengthening of cell walls through gene regulation and transgenic approaches are also addressed

Hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins accumulate in pearl millet after seed treatment with elicitors of defense responses against Sclerospora graminicola

The accumulation of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) was investigated after induction of resistance in pearl millet against downy mildew caused by Sclerospora graminicola. Treatment of susceptible pearl millet seeds with various biotic and abiotic elicitors resulted in increased HRGP content in the cell walls of coleoptiles at 9 h after inoculation. Similar results with increased accumulation at 4–6 h after inoculation were obtained in suspension cells of pearl millet. Maximum HRGP accumulation was observed in seedlings raised from susceptible seeds treated with chitosan and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Western blot analysis with MAC 265 (a rat monoclonal antibody raised against pea HRGP) identified three proteins of 27, 17 and 14 kDa in resistant cultivars. The absence of the 14 kDa HRGP was observed in susceptible cultivars as reported earlier. The induced accumulation of the 14 kDa HRGP upon elicitor treatments was observed in the present study. Peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide, essential components for HRGP cross-linking, were also increased in samples treated with these elicitors. A tissue specific increase in HRGP at the regions around vascular bundles was observed upon chitosan treatment. The results presented will have a presumed importance in identifying the susceptible pearl millet varieties and improving those using elicitors of defense for field applications.

Biodegradable materials and metallic implants - a review

Recent progress made in biomaterials and their clinical applications is well known. In the last five decades, great advances have been made in the field of biomaterials, including ceramics, glasses, polymers, composites, glass-ceramics and metal alloys. A variety of bioimplants are currently used in either one of the aforesaid forms. Some of these materials are designed to degrade or to be resorbed inside the body rather than removing the implant after its function is served. Many properties such as mechanical properties, non-toxicity, surface modification, degradation rate, biocompatibility, and corrosion rate and scaffold design are taken into consideration. The current review focuses on state-of-the-art biodegradable bioceramics, polymers, metal alloys and a few implants that employ bioresorbable/biodegradable materials. The essential functions, properties and their critical factors are discussed in detail, in addition to their challenges to be overcome

Pectin-Rich Amendment Enhances Soybean Growth Promotion and Nodulation Mediated by <i>Bacillus Velezensis</i> Strains

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are increasingly used in crops worldwide. While selected PGPR strains can reproducibly promote plant growth under controlled greenhouse conditions, their efficacy in the field is often more variable. Our overall aim was to determine if pectin or orange peel (OP) amendments to Bacillus velezensis (Bv) PGPR strains could increase soybean growth and nodulation by Bradyrhizobium japonicum in greenhouse and field experiments to reduce variability. The treatments included untreated soybean seeds planted in field soil that contained Bv PGPR strains and non-inoculated controls with and without 0.1% (w/v) pectin or (1 or 10 mg/200 &#956;L) orange peel (OP) amendment. In greenhouse and field tests, 35 and 55 days after planting (DAP), the plants were removed from pots, washed, and analyzed for treatment effects. In greenhouse trials, the rhizobial inoculant was not added with Bv strains and pectin or OP amendment, but in the field trial, a commercial B. japonicum inoculant was used with Bv strains and pectin amendment. In the greenhouse tests, soybean seeds inoculated with Bv AP193 and pectin had significantly increased soybean shoot length, dry weight, and nodulation by indigenous Bradyrhizobium compared to AP193 without pectin. In the field trial, pectin with Bv AP193 significantly increased the shoot length, dry weight, and nodulation of a commercial Bradyrhizobium japonicum compared to Bv AP193 without pectin. In greenhouse tests, OP amendment with AP193 at 10 mg significantly increased the dry weight of shoots and roots compared to AP193 without OP amendment. The results demonstrate that pectin-rich amendments can enhance Bv-mediated soybean growth promotion and nodulation by indigenous and inoculated B. japonicum