Design of Photonic Crystal Klystrons

2D Pho­ton­ic crys­tals (PC) with de­fects can act as stand­ing-wave res­onators, which offer ben­e­fit of high mode se­lec­tiv­i­ty for build­ing novel RF sources. We in­tro­duce our work on de­sign­ing two-cav­i­ty sin­gle-beam and mul­ti-beam klystrons using tri­an­gu­lar lat­tice metal­lic PCs. We pre­sent the cold test re­sults of the stub-cou­pled sin­gle-beam struc­ture, which show that at res­o­nance a very low re­flec­tion can be ob­tained, and the waves are well con­fined. We also pre­sent bead-pull mea­sure­ment re­sults of field strengths in the de­fect, using mod­i­fied per­tur­ba­tion equa­tion for small unit di­elec­tric cylin­der, which are in very good agree­ment to nu­mer­i­cal re­sults. A 6-beam klystron cav­i­ty is de­signed as a 6-cou­pled-de­fect struc­ture with a cen­tral stub, which only cou­ples to the in-phase mode at the low­est fre­quen­cy. Fi­nal­ly, we pre­sent a fea­si­bil­i­ty dis­cus­sion of using this mul­ti-de­fect PC struc­ture to con­struct an in­te­grat­ed klystron-ac­cel­er­a­tor cav­i­ty, along with nu­mer­i­cal re­sults show­ing a peak ac­cel­er­a­tion field of 22MV/m can be achieved

K-Pop’s Secret Weapon: South Korea’s Criminal Defamation Laws

South Korea’s criminal defamation laws have long been considered an intrusion on the free speech rights of citizens, especially in regard to the usage by politicians against their opponents and journalists to suppress criticisms. This Comment considers the history and effects of these controversial defamation laws through the lens of recent scandals within the Korean entertainment industry, where regular citizens accusing Korean celebrities of past school violence are confronted with threats of defamation charges. To highlight the controversial nature of such laws, comparisons will be drawn between South Korea and other countries to highlight the restrictive nature of Korea’s laws

Bcl2:Beclin 1 complex: multiple mechanisms regulating autophagy/apoptosis toggle switch

This is the published version, also available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304572/.Cancer cells have developed novel mechanisms for evading chemotherapy-induced apoptosis and autophagy-associated cell death pathways. Upon the discovery that chemotherapeutics could target these cell death pathways in a manner that was not mutually exclusive, new discoveries about the interrelationship between these two pathways are emerging. Key proteins originally thought to be “autophagy-related proteins” are now found to be involved in either inducing or inhibiting apoptosis. Similarly, apoptosis inhibiting proteins can also block autophagy-associated cell death. One example is the complex formed by the autophagy protein, Beclin 1, and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, which leads to inhibition of autophagy-associated cell death. Researchers have been investigating additional mechanisms that form/disrupt this complex in order to better design chemotherapeutics. This review will highlight the role Bcl-2 and Beclin 1 play in cancer development and drug resistance, as well as the role the Bcl-2:Beclin 1 complex in the switch between autophagy and apoptosis

Simulating quantum transport via collisional models on a digital quantum computer

Digital quantum computers have the potential to study the dynamics of complex quantum systems. Nonequilibrium open quantum systems are, however, less straightforward to be implemented. Here we consider a collisional model representation of the nonequilibrium open dynamics for a boundary-driven XXZ spin chain, with a particular focus on its steady states. More specifically, we study the interplay between the accuracy of the result versus the depth of the circuit by comparing the results generated by the corresponding master equations. We study the simulation of a boundary-driven spin chain in regimes of weak and strong interactions, which would lead in large systems to diffusive and ballistic dynamics, considering also possible errors in the implementation of the protocol. Last, we analyze the effectiveness of digital simulation via the collisional model of current rectification when the XXZ spin chains are subject to non-uniform magnetic fields

RESPONSE OF SOYBEAN YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS TO PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZATION IN SOUTH DAKOTA

Increased demand for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] production for industrial, human, and animal consumption has provided many incentives for farmers and producers to increase their production. In many soils used for soybean production, phosphorus (P) becomes a major limiting factor to soybean growth and grain production. A field experiment was conducted in five locations across Eastern South Dakota in 2013 to study the response of soybean yield and yield components to phosphorus fertilizer applications. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block (RCB) design with four replications. The treatments consisted of five P levels 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80lb/ac of triple superphosphate. Data for yield and yield components were collect and analyzed with several statistical methods including linear mixed model approaches and Additive Model and Multiplicative Interaction effect (AMMI) methods. There was no evidence showing that P had significant impacts on grain yield and yield components. P by environment (PE) interactions were not significant for all traits except whole pod weight. Large variation in yield and yield components were attributed to environmental conditions. Plant height, 100-pod weight, and seed weight of 100- pod had positive and significant correlations with yield in three locations; Geddes, Mitchell, and Bancroft

Fractionation of the rice bran layer and quantification of vitamin E, oryzanol, protein, and rice bran saccharide

Value-added processing with respect to rice milling has traditionally treated the rice bran layer as a homogenous material that contains significant concentrations of high-value components of interest for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Investigators have shown that high-value components in the rice bran layer vary from differences in kernel-thickness, bran fraction, rice variety, and environmental conditions during the growing season. The objectives of this study were to quantify the amount of rice bran removed at pre-selected milling times and to correlate the amount of rice bran removed at each milling time with the concentration of vitamin E, gamma-oryzanol, rice bran saccharide, and protein obtained. The ultimate goal of this research is to show that rice bran fractionation is a useful method to obtain targeted, nutrient-rich bran samples for value-added processing. Two long grain rice cultivars, Cheniere and Cypress, were milled at discrete times between 3 and 40 seconds using a McGill mill to obtain bran samples for analysis. Results showed that the highest oryzanol and protein concentrations were found in the outer portion of the rice bran layer, while the highest rice bran saccharide concentration was found in the inner portion of the bran layer. Vitamin E concentration showed no significant difference across the bran layer within a variety, though the highest magnitude of concentration occurs within the first 10 seconds of milling for both varieties. To extract the higher concentration of oryzanol and protein only the outer portion of the bran layer requires processing, while to extract the higher concentration of rice bran saccharide, only the inner portion of the bran layer requires processing. Rice bran fractionation allows for the selective use of portions of the bran layer and is advantageous for two reasons: (1) bran fractions contain higher concentrations of components of interest with respect to the overall bran layer average, and (2) less bran needs to be processed to obtain components of interest

Drug Resistance and Molecular Cancer Therapy: Apoptosis Versus Autophagy

This is the published version, also available electronically from http://www.intechopen.com/books/apoptosis/drug-resistance-and-molecular-cancer-therapy-apoptosis-versus-autophag