Noise performance of the Klapper-Kratt low delay FM detector

In this dissertation the dual differentiator version of the Klapper-Kratt FM detector family is investigated with additive Gaussian noise. Prior analysis of this new detector family has been limited to the noiseless case. The investigation was conducted both analytically and experimentally. First, the dual differentiator version of the Klapper-Kratt detector was mathematically analyzed, assuming an unmodulated carrier plus additive Gaussian noise. This analysis was verified by assembling the detector and measuring its performance in the laboratory. It was discovered that the Klapper-Kratt detector without limiter performs identically to the conventional limiter discriminator in the linear improvement region. When compared to the limiter discriminator, threshold occurs at a higher CNR in the new detector (without limiter). When a limiter is added to the Klapper-Kratt detector, the new detector exhibits the same threshold as that of the limiter discriminator. The detector was found to have extremely low delay and wide bandwidth. The analytical and experimental results were nearly identical

Chapter 2 New Insights into the Roles of Dendritic Cells in Intestinal Immunity and Tolerance

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical key role in the initiation of immune responses to pathogens. Paradoxically, they also prevent potentially damaging immune responses being directed against the multitude of harmless antigens, to which the body is exposed daily. These roles are particularly important in the intestine, where only a single layer of epithelial cells provides a barrier against billions of commensal microorganisms, pathogens, and food antigens, over a huge surface area. In the intestine, therefore, DCs are required to perform their dual roles very efficiently to protect the body from the dual threats of invading pathogens and unwanted inflammatory reactions. In this review, we first describe the biology of DCs and their interactions with other cells types, paying particular attention to intestinal DCs. We, then, examine the ways in which this biology may become misdirected, resulting in inflammatory bowel disease. Finally, we discuss how DCs potentiate immune responses against viral, bacterial, parasitic infections, and their importance in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. We, therefore, provide an overview of the complex cellular interactions that affect intestinal DCs and control the balance between immunity and tolerance