Examination of Existent Propagation Models Over Large Inhomogeneous Terrain Profiles Using Fast Integral Equation Solution

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The accuracyof most widelyused empirical models are investigated using the spectrallyaccelerated forward-backward (FBSA) method as a benchmark solution. First, FBSA results are obtained for propagation over large scale terrain profiles and compared with measurements to assess the accuracyof FBSA. Then, accuracyof some International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) propagation models are investigated. It has been observed that, for rural areas, the prediction of the most recent ITU recommended propagation model (Rec. 1546) deviates much more than older models do

Characteristic Basis Function Method for Solving Electromagnetic Scattering Problems over Rough Terrain Profiles

Cataloged from PDF version of article.A computationally efficient algorithm, which combines the characteristic basis function method (CBFM), the physical optics (PO) approach (when applicable) with the forward backward method (FBM), is applied for the investigation of electromagnetic scattering from—and propagation over—large-scale rough terrain problems. The algorithm utilizes high-level basis functions defined on macro-domains (blocks), called the characteristic basis functions (CBFs) that are constructed by aggregating low-level basis functions (i.e., conventional sub-domain basis functions). The FBM as well as the PO approach (when applicable) are used to construct the aforementioned CBFs. The conventional CBFM is slightly modified to handle large-terrain problems, and is further embellished by accelerating it, as well as reducing its storage requirements, via the use of an extrapolation procedure. Numerical results for the total fields, as well as for the path loss are presented and compared with either measured or previously published reference solutions to assess the efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm

Modelling and simulation of controlled depth abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) for roughing passes of free-form surfaces

Controlled depth abrasive waterjet machining (AWJM) is an unconventional and promising process for materials introducing challenges in conventional machining for high value manufacturing (HVM) industries such as aerospace and automotive. In such applications, waterjet acts as a flexible cutting tool compared to conventional milling. The kerf profile, i.e. the removed material volume, nonlinearly depends on the process parameters such as water pressure, jet traverse speed, abrasive rate, and stand-off-distance unlike the deterministic case in mechanical milling. Thus, prediction of kerf profile, i.e. width, depth, and shape, is of great importance for accurate and efficient process development and tool path generation in AWJM. In this paper, a novel analytical model is proposed for prediction of kerf profile, relying on conservation of energy and momentum, where the material removal is related to the machinability number of the workpiece material, so that the requirement of calibration tests is eliminated. Then, the proposed AWJM process model is used in a framework to predict 3D in-process workpiece (IPW) geometry, which is represented using signed distance field (SDF) approach. The process model is verified by experimental results with an average error of 15%, where the machine profiles are measured by confocal optical microscopy. The IPW simulation model is verified by variable jet traverse speed AWJM experiments, considering the significant effect of jet traverse speed on the kerf depth. The machined specimens are sectioned along the jet traverse direction and the cross section of the test pieces is visually compared with the simulations. The machined profiles introduced some amount of undulated profile, which may be attributed to the non-consistent abrasive supply in the system. It is shown that the proposed IPW simulation approach demonstrates a reasonable accuracy to plan controlled depth AWJM processes

Composite Films of Arabinoxylan and Fibrous Sepiolite: Morphological, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties

Hemicelluloses represent a largely unutilized resource for future bioderived films in packaging and other applications. However, improvement of film properties is needed in order to transfer this potential into reality. In this context, sepiolite, a fibrous clay, was investigated as an additive to enhance the properties of rye flour arabinoxylan. Composite films cast from arabinoxylan solutions and sepiolite suspensions in water were transparent or semitransparent at additive loadings in the 2.5-10 wt % range. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the sepiolite was well dispersed in the arabinoxylan films and sepiolite fiber aggregation was not found. FT-IR spectroscopy provided some evidence for hydrogen bonding between sepiolite and arabinoxylan. Consistent with these findings, mechanical testing showed increases in film stiffness and strength with sepiolite addition and the effect of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG) plasticizer addition. Incorporation of sepiolite did not significantly influence the thermal degradation or the gas barrier properties of arabinoxylan films, which is likely a consequence of sepiolite fiber morphology. In summary, sepiolite was shown to have potential as an additive to obtain stronger hemicellulose films although other approaches, possibly in combination with the use of sepiolite, would be needed if enhanced film barrier properties are required for specific applications.</p

Polypeptide-grafted macroporous polyHIPE by surface-initiated N-Carboxyanhydride (NCA) polymerization as a platform for bioconjugation

A new class of functional macroporous monoliths from polymerized high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) with tunable surface functional groups was developed by direct polypeptide surface grafting. In the first step, amino-functional polyHIPEs were obtained by the addition of 4-vinylbenzyl or 4-vinylbenzylphthalimide to the styrenic emulsion and thermal radical polymerization. The obtained monoliths present the expected open-cell morphology and a high surface area. The incorporated amino group was successfully utilized to initiate the ring-opening polymer- ization of benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG NCA) and benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine (Lys(Z)) NCA, which resulted in a dense homogeneous coating of polypeptides throughout the internal polyHIPE surfaces as confirmed by SEM and FTIR analysis. The amount of polypeptide grafted to the polyHIPE surfaces could be modulated by varying the initial ratio of amino acid NCA to amino-functional polyHIPE. Subsequent removal of the polypeptide protecting groups yielded highly functional polyHIPE-g-poly(glutamic acid) and polyHIPE-g- poly(lysine). Both types of polypeptide-grafted monoliths responded to pH by changes in their hydrohilicity. The possibility to use the high density of function (−COOH or −NH2) for secondary reaction was demonstrated by the successful bioconjugation of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and fluorescein isocyanate (FITC) on the polymer 3D-scaffold surface. The amount of eGFP and FITC conjugated to the polypeptide-grafted polyHIPE was significantly higher than to the amino- functional polyHIPE, signifying the advantage of polypeptide grafting to achieve highly functional polyHIPEs

A Different Impression Technique for a Single Tooth Crown Over the ITI Implant

The single tooth implant has common use in the field of implant dentistry and many studies report high success rates. Improvements in implant design, range of prosthetic components and restorative materials have made it possible to achieve optimal cosmetic results, although tissue contouring problems may sometimes limit optimum aesthetics, especially in the anterior maxilla. This case report describes a different impression technique, by using zinc-oxide eugenol impression paste, to take a precise impression of the periimplant tissues around the subgingival part of the ITI implant, to achieve an optimal cosmetic effect

Fast integral equation techniques for propagation problems

In this paper, the Method of Moments (MoM) solution is achieved for scattering problems by using the stationary Spectrally Accelerated Forward-Backward method (FBSA) and the non-stationary Spectrally Accelerated BiConjugate Gradient Stabilized (SA-BiCGSTAB) method, with a storage requirement and a computational cost of O(N) per iteration where N is the number of surface unknowns in the discretized integral equation. The SA-BiCGSTAB method is applied over rough terrain profiles as well as re-entrant surfaces which can not be handled by any conventional stationary iterative technique