17,956 research outputs found
Recent Results From the EU POF-PLUS Project: Multi-Gigabit Transmission Over 1 mm Core Diameter Plastic Optical Fibers
No full textRecent activity to achieve multi-gigabit transmission over 1 mm core diameter graded-index and step-index plastic optical fibers for distances up to 50 meters is reported in this paper. By employing a simple intensity-modulated direct-detection system with pulse amplitude or digital multi-tone modulation techniques, low-cost transceivers and easy to install large-core POFs, it is demonstrated that multi-gigabit transmission up to 10 Gbit/s over 1-mm core diameter POF infrastructure is feasible. The results presented in this paper were obtained in the EU FP7 POF-PLUS project, which focused on applications in different scenarios, such as in next-generation in-building residential networks and in datacom applications
Dismantling Parkinson’s disease with herbs: MAOB inhibitory activity and quantification of chemical constituents using HPLC-MS/MS of Egyptian local market plants
No full textWithania somnifera, Angelica sinensis, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and Simmondsia chinensis were acquired from the Egyptian market,profiled for their chemical constituents, screened for the in-vitro MAO-B inhibitory activity and evaluated for the total phenolic content. Thirty compounds were characterized in the selected herbs using HPLC-MS/MS. In-vitro MAO-B inhibitory activity and total phenolic content of the acquired herbs were compared with those of a prepared herbal formula consisting of a mixture of equal amounts of the four mentioned herbs. The most potent MAO-B inhibitory activity was exerted by the methanol extract of the prepared formula (IC50 of 712.19 ± 13.90 ng/mL) compared to selegiline (IC50 of 581.69 ± 11.35 ng/mL). The highest value of the total phenolic content was shown by Angelica sinensis methanolic extract (76.15 ± 0.1mg/g) followed by Glycyrrhiza glabra methanolic extract (65.74 ± 0.1mg/g), then the mixture’s methanolic extract of the four herbs (37.04 ± 0.1mg/g)
Laser thermal therapy: utility of interstitial fluence monitoring for locating optical sensors
No full textMultipoint optical fluence measurements can potentially be used to detect coagulation-induced changes in optical propagation during interstitial laser thermal therapy. Estimating the dimensions of coagulation using on-line optical monitoring, which is applicable to treatments where the tip of the source fibre is not precharred, may be limited by the accuracy of the placement of optical sensors with respect to source fibres. A strategy has been developed to determine accurately the position of a four-sensor linear array, prior to treatment, using optical fluence data obtained from the sensors for low-power (less than or equal to0.5 W) irradiation. A minimum of four sensors in an array was required in order to develop a mathematical formulation for position determination that did not require tissue optical properties or laser power as input. Optical propagation was based on diffusion theory for homogeneous tissues in spherical geometry. Low input laser power is needed to ensure that there are no thermally induced changes in tissue optical properties not accounted for in the mathematical description. Experimental evaluation was performed in a tissue-equivalent liquid phantom using 0.5 W of 805 nm optical energy and a translatable isotropic optical sensor. For sensor locations with 2 mm spacing, placement accuracy of 0.67 mm was achieved. The accuracy improved to 0.13 mm as the sensor spacing increased to 5 mm.PT: J; NR: 12; TC: 9; J9: PHYS MED BIOL; PG: 6; GA: 424AVSource type: Electronic(1
Molecular ecology of Frankia and other soil bacteria under natural and chlorobenzoate-stressed conditions
No full textMicrobial Ecology studies aim to describe and assess the behavior and activity of microorganisms in their natural environments (Brock 1966). Nowadays it is clear that the large number of existing microorganisms has surpassed our capabilities to rapidly characterise them by traditional culturing methods. This has resulted in a poor understanding of the structure and composition of microbial communities. As an alternative, microbial communities can be described on the basis of 16S rRNA sequence diversity, without the bias-introducing step of cultivation.In the present thesis a molecular analysis is given of two ecosystems that harbour several uncultured bacteria. The first part of the thesis is focused on the detection and characterisation of Frankia in actinorhizal nodules and soil. Elucidation of the actual diversity within the family Frankiaceae was hampered by the inability to obtain isolates from all known actinorhizal plants. So far, the Nod <sup>+</SUP>/Fix <sup>+</SUP>Frankia symbionts in root nodules of plants from the families Coriariaceae, Datiscaceae, Rosaceae and Rhamnaceae (with exceptions reported by Carú 1993, Carú et al . 1990, and Carrasco et al . 1995) have resisted isolation. Best opportunities to characterise those uncultured endophytes require molecular methods that relay heavily on an easy and efficient technique to extract DNA from the respective actinorhizal nodules. Chapter 2 describes the techniques to isolate DNA from root nodules of different actinorhizal plants such as Casuarina sp, Alnus sp and Ceanothus sp. The procedure has also been successfully applied by Wolters et al . (1997b) in the minuscule ineffective nodules on Alnus glutinosa .Several attempts to characterise the uncultured endophytes from Coriaria sp. and Datisca sp. plants pointed on the one hand, to the presence in those actinorhizae of Frankia -related actinomycetes. This assumption was based mainly on the repeated isolation from those nodules of Nod <sup>-</SUP>/Fix <sup>-</SUP>Frankia -like strains (Hafeez 1983, Mirza et. al . 1994b, c). On the other hand, the effective (Fix <sup>+</SUP>), non-isolated symbionts showed to be phylogenetically closely related (Mirza et al. 1994a), forming a separate lineage within the genus, in spite of the distant geographical distribution of the plants (Nick et al. 1992).The work described in Chapter 3 is focussed on the localisation and phylogenetic position of the nitrogen-fixing Frankia and Nod <sup>-</SUP>/Fix <sup>-</SUP>actinomycetes, both present in root nodules of the Mexican actinorhizal plant Ceanothus caeruleus . Application of the TGGE technique allowed localising the Nod <sup>-</SUP>/Fix <sup>-</SUP>actinomycete in the outer layers of the C. caeruleus nodules. Similar bacteria were also detected in Hippophaë rhamnoides nodules induced with soil inoculum that was collected in the vicinity of the former plant. The fact that a second nodule inhabitant was commonly present in these nodules containing recalcitrant endophytes may allow some speculations about their possible role in the symbiosis. However, it seems worthwhile to apply the same TGGE methodology to other actinorhizal nodules, even to those containing Frankia strains that are easy-to-isolate (i.e. Elaeagnus,Casuarina, Alnus spp.), since the detection of Frankia -related actinomycetes, in addition to the Fix <sup>+</SUP>endophyte, would provide further evidence about the need for their presence. Coincidentally, the Nod <sup>-</SUP>/Fix <sup>-</SUP>isolates from Coriaria, Datisca and Ceanothus are phylogenetically related, pointing again to a certain specificity for their presence in the nodules. This relatedness has also been supported by analysis of low molecular weight RNA (i.e. 5S rRNA and tRNA's) using staircase electrophoresis (Velázquez et al. 1998).The 16S rDNA sequence from the non-isolated Fix <sup>+</SUP>endophyte in C. caeruleus root nodules (Chapter 3), was the first full sequence obtained from a field-collected Ceanothus symbiont. Parsimony and phylogenetic distance analyses grouped it within the Dryas cluster that originally contained only the uncultured endophytes from Dryas , Coriaria and Datisca as proposed by Normand et al. (1996). Benson et al . (1996) redefined this cluster by adding other uncultured endophytes present in Ceanothus griseus (Rhamnaceae), Purshia tridentata and Dryas drummondii (Rosaceae) root nodules. Since the determined partial 16S rDNA sequences were almost identical, they suggested that the Frankia diversity from these actinorhizal plant families might be low. However, Clawson et al. (1998) demonstrated that Frankia isolates obtained from several genera within the Rhamnaceae (i.e. Talguenea , Colletia , Discaria, Retanilla and Trevoa ) were phylogenetically different than those in Ceanothus, grouping in the Elaeagnus cluster. These findings were consistent with morphological differences of the endophytes in planta , since the vesicles found in the Ceanothus symbionts resemble more to those in the Rosaceae, while all the latter host plants in the Rhamnaceae family have endophytes like those in Elaeagnus .The results reported in the first part of the thesis have demonstrated that TGGE and sequence analysis of 16S rDNA provide an accurate picture for the identification of recalcitrant endophytes in root nodules of actinorhizal plants. It has also been demonstrated that besides the N <sub>2</sub> -fixing endophyte, root nodules of C. caeruleus also harbour Frankia -related actinomycetes. Since these have also been observed in other actinorhizae, a further study is needed to understand the possible function of these co-symbionts.The work described in the second part of the thesis was addressing the changes occurring under chlorobenzoate stress in the soil bacterial community and other selected groups of bacteria present in peat soil collected from a natural Alnus glutinosa stand. A combination of culturing and non-culture based approaches was used for the assessment. Among the latter approaches, the possibilities offered by TGGE were exploited in several ways. Profiling of complex communities and subsequent analysis of specific bacterial groups has been one of the major applications of TGGE (Felske et al . 1996). With this approach, major population shifts induced by either 3CBA or 2,5DCB were detected in the uncultured bacterial community (Chapter 4). Although only the former compound was readily metabolised in soil, both xenobiotics promoted similar changes. Several bacterial populations were reduced or suppressed, while few others were enriched in time, as assessed by shifts in the TGGE banding patterns of the total bacterial community.To characterise the soil-enriched bacterial populations, 3CBA-degrading enrichment cultures were obtained and their composition was addressed by TGGE. Further isolation attempts were directed by this means to prove that the isolated strains were indeed the same enriched organisms as detected in soil. One of the enrichment cultures contained two of the soil-enriched bacteria as predominant components. Although isolation was not achieved, both bacteria were identified as belonging to the genus Burkholderia . The bacterial group detected as predominantly enriched in both spiked soils was not present in any of the enrichment cultures, suggesting that the microorganisms belonging to this groups are either unable to degrade 3CBA or not growing under the used culturing conditions. In any case their fitness to the soil conditions imposed by the addition of chlorobenzoates was high, but the mechanisms involved were not elucidated. These bacteria were also identified as Burkholderia by partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis (Chapter 4).The diversity (H) and the equitability (J) indices are important parameters used by ecologists to assess the species richness and the species evenness, respectively, within a community. As the estimation of such indices relies heavily on species definition and individuals enumeration, their application in microbial ecology studies is seldomly possible. Furthermore, assessment of H and J in uncultured bacterial communities must rely on the interpretation of community fingerprints, which should provide means to distinguish between species or operational taxonomic units (OTU), and to estimate their abundance. TGGE community profiling offers both possibilities, and the community changes occurring in the model soil system were evaluated with this original approach (Chapter 5).In addition, H and J indices were also estimated for the fluorescent pseudomonads group, a selected culturable fraction of the bacterial community. OTU recognition was addressed by using TGGE as a ribotype-fingerprinting technique for the isolated fluorescent pseudomonads. Estimation of H and J at the community level without culturing by TGGE profiling, and at the group level by a combination of culturing and TGGE ribotyping should allow to address and compare the population changes occurring, since the target molecule used in both TGGE was the same. Such comparison was only partially possible since most of the bands corresponding to the fluorescent pseudomonads could not be assessed in the community profiles. However, estimation of H and J indices indicated a clear reduction of species richness and individuals abundance in the uncultured community, which was related to the presence of chlorobenzoates in soil. Evaluation of population shifts by indexed values as H and J proved to be a useful means for analysing the community structure in time, and may be used to assess short and long-term responses of a bacterial community to environmental perturbations.Chapter 6 describes the changes in the total frankiae in soil and in the fraction of the population that is able to produce root nodules in Alnus glutinosa seedlings . Culture-independent approaches based on the most probable number concept were used, one in combination with a Frankia -specific PCR detection and another in combination with a plant-nodulation bioassay. After 15 days of incubation in the presence of chlorobenzoates both fractions of the soil Frankia populations were reduced in more than one order of magnitude, while the populations in the unspiked control soil were not affected. The results indicated that 3CBA and 2,5DCB both had a negative effect on the size of the native Frankia population from the used peat forest soil. This negative effect was also evident during in vitro experiments using Frankia strains isolated from Alnus sp. The presence of 1 mM 3CBA in the culture medium, in addition to the normal carbon source, resulted in reduction or suppression of biomass yield.The influence of Alnus glutinosa on the dechlorination of 3CBA by Pseudomonas sp. strain B13 was assessed in hydroponic cultures. It was expected that root exudates could enhance the dechlorination activity of Pseudomonas B13. When the bacteria were incubated in the presence of an alder plant, only a slight increase in the dechlorination rate of 3CBA was registered in comparison to the control without plant. The main observed effect in the alder plants appears to be a protection against 3CBA toxicity, as the alders inoculated with Pseudomonas B13 showed a better survival rate and grew more vigorously than the non-inoculated plants.The toolbox for microbial ecology studies is increasing constantly by means of developing new techniques or by adapting foreign tools into the field, such as indices to evaluate species diversity and eveness. Although the information provided by these community parameters facilitates comparisons and assessment of changes, their suitability to evaluate bacterial communities is still uncomplete. Estimation of diversity indices requires the recognition of bacterial species as discrete units, and this condition is far from real in natural environments. Species-independent approaches to evaluate diversity must be developed, that consider the bacterial diversity as a continuous range of phylogenetically related taxonomic units.In conclusion, the work described in the first part of the thesis strengthen the current phylogenetic division of the Frankiaceae, by adding new evidence supporting two of the already described clusters ( Dryas cluster, Nod <sup>-</SUP>/Fix <sup>-</SUP>cluster). Although the current taxonomic status of the latter cluster must be better evaluated in order to assess its pertinence to the genus Frankia . In addition, the common occurrence of Nod <sup>-</SUP>/Fix <sup>-</SUP>Frankia -like actinomycetes in nodules containing recalcitrant endophytes, mainly from the Dryas cluster, was also demonstrated for Ceanothus actinorhiza. In the second part, the suitability and versatility of molecular tools such as TGGE were demonstrated by their application in community profiling and estimation of bacterial diversity. Community changes occurring in stressed and unstressed soil systems were easily detected and assessed by this means.In addition, specific populations such as the Burkholderia -like bacteria that strongly reacted to the addition of chlorobenzoates to soil were further characterised. Moreover, TGGE was shown to be a fast ribotyping technique that may enable its use in combination with the community profiles to address shifts of specific groups within bacterial communities. It is tempting to suggest that this general approach will be of importance to direct the isolation of hitherto uncultured bacteria from soil
Employing M1 direct calibration/de-embedding approaches for large signal model validation at mm-wave frequencies
No full textIn this contribution, we employ direct calibration/de-embedding approaches to validate the large signal device model of state-of-the-art HBTs and CMOS technologies operating in the mm-wave frequency band WR6. The capability of placing the first tier calibration reference plane in close proximity to the DUT allows the large signal metric to be directly compared with foundry models.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Electronic
The armouring of alluvial channel beds and the evaluation of the hydraulic characteristics of the armour coat
No full textThis thesis is divided into two parts, the first part deals with the phenomena of the natural armouring of the alluvial sediment beds and the second part explains the changes in the hydraulic characteristics of a sediment bed after it has been armoured. In the first part the phenomenon of the natural armouring of channel beds has been investigated experimentally as follows: (a) the development of the bed armouring and the prediction of the grain size distribution curves of the armour coat and eroded material with respect to the flow and initial bed conditions, (b) under these flow conditions the extent to which the sediment bed becomes stable by armouring. Six different types of grading of sediment having a log-normal distribution with geometric mean diameters and standard deviations, namely 1.94 mm, 1.51; 1.96 mm; 2.91; 4.01 mm, 3.03; 4.0 mm, 2.0; 1.8 mm, 3.31 and 1.0 mm, 1.85, respectively, were used in the armouring experiments. These six sand-gravel mixtures were each placed in a flume bed and exposed to different shear stresses exerted by the flow discharges. The flow parameters-depth, discharge, slope and temperature - were kept constant throughout the duration of the experiment. The armour coat was then developed gradually by degrading finer particles and accumulating the coarser ones on the bed surface. The experiment was brought to an end when there was no further degradation observed and the movement of eroded particles had or had nearly ceased. The eroded material collected in a stilling basin placed at the downstream flume end was removed, dried, weighed and sieved to determine its grain size distribution curve; also a sample from the armour coat was removed for the same purpose. Empirical equations based on the observed measurements were developed to predict the grading distribution curves for both armour coat and eroded material and to answer the question whether, for a given logarithmic normal sediment distribution and hydraulic flow properties, the sediment bed would armour. In the second part, three types of bed material, namely uniform, non-uniform and armour material were used to determine the differences in the hydraulic properties of each type of bed material and to describe the effects of the armouring on the hydraulic performance of the sediment bed. In general the bed roughness, as a result of armouring, was found to become greater with increasing bed shear stress. Empirical equations were developed to determine for each bed material type the hydraulic characteristics, which include equivalent and roughness height, Manning's roughness coefficient, Chezy's coefficient and Darcy-Weisbach friction factor. The effect of the geometric standard deviation of a sediment mixture on its hydraulic properties was found vital. Shear velocity was obtained from the direct measurements and deduced from the velocity profiles; a comparison between the measured and deduced values disclosed a good agreement in spite of the presence of some minor differences. (D71905/87)</p
Dynamic Estimation of Vital Signs with mm-wave FMCW Radar
No full textIn this paper, we propose a method for continuous monitoring of vital signs-in particular, respiration frequency-with a commercial mm-wave radar. The nearly constant frequency (NCF) model is adopted to represent chest displacement due to respiration and simulate radar response. Based on this model, an extended Kalman filter (EKF) based estimator is developed to track the breathing frequency of a person. The impact of dynamic model parameters is investigated in numerical simulation. The possibility to track breathing frequency with the proposed method is demonstrated by experimental data processing. Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Microwave Sensing, Signals & System
A 23-to-29GHz Receiver with mm-Wave N-Input-N-Output Spatial Notch Filtering and Autonomous Notch-Steering Achieving 20-to-40dB mm-Wave Spatial Rejection and -14dBm In-Notch IP1 dB
No full textDigital beamforming receivers (RXs) support MIMO operation and offer great flexibility and accuracy in multi-beam formation and calibration. However, compared with analog phased-array and hybrid systems, due to the absence of any rejection for spatial in-band blockers, the RX/ADC dynamic range and linearity should be high enough to prevent array saturation. Therefore, the use of self-steering spatial notch filters (SNFs) is necessary to aid the digital beamformers and reduce RX/ADC power consumption while strong blockers exist. To address that, the sub-6GHz RXs in [1], [2] synthesize a baseband spatial notch impedance and translate it to RF by passive mixers. However, this technique cannot be directly applied at mm-wave frequencies as the impedance translational performance of the passive mixers degrades significantly. Hence, the mm-wave beamformer in [3] realizes a cascadable SNF at an intermediate frequency (IF). However, the front-end mm-wave components like mixers and phase shifters have to tolerate strong blockers, thus degrading RX linearity. Besides, it uses multiple IF buffers and VGAs for signal scaling and combining, which could be power-hungry if a similar method is adopted to realize a mm-wave SNF. To improve on those limitations, we propose a scalable SNF structure, which (1) suppresses the strongest in-band blocker at mm-wave frequencies, (2) supports N-input-N-output MIMOs, and (3) requires no active blocks except the phase shifters. A two-step autonomous notch-steering technique is also developed to adjust the SNF notch direction power-efficiently and accurately.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Electronic
Experiencing the armed struggle : the Soweto generation and after
No full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 354-369).This study explores the experiences of the rank-and-file soldiers of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Anny. Extensive interviews by the author and other researchers reveal the voices of the soldiers themselves. The African National Congress and Pan African Congress archives at the University of the Western Cape and the University of Fort Hare supplement and verify these oral testimonies, as do some published sources. Most previously published materials about the armed struggle against apartheid have already focused on diplomacy, strategy and tactics, operations, leadership, and human rights abuses to the neglect of the soldiers' actual experiences. This study complements these with significant new oral history materials from the Soweto generation of soldiers and their successors. When dealing with MK, many authors have documented issues of the camp structure in Angola, and operations inside South Africa, so much of this detail is only addressed briefly, leaving space to explore the soldiers' experiences. In the case of APLA, very little has been written on its history, and more detail is provided on these subjects. This study therefore deals with the soldiers' politicisation and motivation for joining the armed struggle, their experiences in leaving South Africa and training in exile, the crises in exile which limited their effectiveness for a time, their return to fight in South Africa, and their difficulties in the "new" South Africa. These materials reveal that vast problems remain facing these veterans of the struggle against apartheid, and that they have the potential, if properly supported and employed, to contribute substantially to the development of present day South Africa. Conversely, if their neglect continues, they also have the potential to bring vast harm to the country. Further use of the investigative tools of oral history, especially if extended to the former soldiers' vernacular languages, is necessary to augment the history of South Africa, and these soldiers' contributions
Role of calcium in arachidonic acid-induced contractions of guinea pig airways
No full textWe have previously shown that arachidonic acid (AA)-induced contractions of indomethacin-pretreated guinea pig trachea and parenchyma are due to the synthesis of leukotrienes C4 and D4. The present experiments were designed to investigate the role of calcium (Ca2+) in the above. AA (66 microM)-induced contractions of trachea, but not parenchyma, were reduced in Ca2+-free Krebs-Henseleit solution ( KHS ). However the contractions of both trachea and parenchyma were abolished in Ca2+-free KHS with either lanthanum chloride (1 mM) or EDTA (300 microM). The Ca2+ antagonists, verapamil (100 microM), nitrendipine (100 microM), and TMB-8 (100 microM), reduced AA-induced contractions of both trachea and parenchyma. Re-addition of Ca2+ (2.2 mM) to trachea and parenchyma in Ca2+-free KHS in the presence of lanthanum restored the AA-induced contractions. This effect of Ca2+ was reduced by verapamil (100 microM) or nitrendipine (100 microM). LTC4-induced contractions of trachea and parenchyma were unaffected by nitrendipine (100 microM), whereas tracheal contractions were reduced in Ca2+-free KHS . Both tracheal and parenchymal contractions to LTC4 were reduced in Ca2+-free KHS in the presence of lanthanum chloride (1 mM). We conclude that superficially bound pools of Ca2+ are important in AA-induced contractions of the airways. Furthermore, nitrendipine reduces AA-induced contractions by inhibiting AA metabolism and not by inhibiting airway smooth muscle contraction induced by released leukotrienes.LR: 20061115; PUBM: Print; JID: 1254354; 0 (Arachidonic Acids); 0 (Calcium Channel Blockers); 0 (SRS-A); 149-91-7 (Gallic Acid); 21829-25-4 (Nifedipine); 39562-70-4 (Nitrendipine); 506-32-1 (Arachidonic Acid); 52-53-9 (Verapamil); 53-86-1 (Indomethacin); 57818-92-5 (TMB 8); 60-00-4 (Edetic Acid); 7439-91-0 (Lanthanum); 7440-70-2 (Calcium); ppublishSource type: Electronic(1
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