Preparation and characterization of doubly substituted microwave absorbing material by sol-gel technique for super high frequency applications

Rare earth Dy~(3+)and divalent Mn~(2+)elements substituting W-type hexagonal ferrites Ba_(1-x)Dy_xZn_2Fe_(16-y)Mn_yO_(27)(x=0,0.02,0.06,0.1 and y=0,0.1,0.3,0.5)were prepared by sol-gel method.The thermo-gravimetric analysis(TGA)and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)was carried out to find the temperature at which single phase can be obtained.XRD patterns indicate the presence of the single phase for all the synthesized samples with the absence of any extra peak due to unreacted material and secondary phases.The occurrence of absorption bands at low wave numbers(563 and 446 cm~(-1)),can be assigned to the stretching vibration of metal and oxygen ions in FTIR spectra,which also confirms the single hexagonal phase for prepared material.The grains are of platelet like structure,which enhances the microwave absorption properties of hexagonal ferrites.The synthesized material exhibits the minimum reflection loss of-20.9 dB at 11.8 GHz frequency,which reflects the applications of this material in super high frequency devices.The microwave conductivity of the material increases with frequency.     

Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Image Classification by a Hybrid Method

Different methods proposed so far for accurate classification of land cover types in polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image are data specific and no general method is available. A novel hybrid framework for this classification was developed in this work. A set of effective features derived from the coherence matrix of polarimetric SAR data was proposed. Constituents of the feature set are wavelet, texture, and nonlinear features. The proposed feature set has a strong discrimination power. A neural network was used as the classification engine in a unique way. By exploiting the speed of the conjugate gradient method and the convergence rate of the Levenberg-Marquardt method (near the optimal point), an overall speed up of the classification procedure was achieved. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to shrink the dimension of the feature vector without sacrificing much of the classification accuracy. The proposed approach is compared with the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) based on the complex Wishart distribution and the results show the superiority of the proposed method, with the average classification accuracy by the proposed method (95.4%) higher than that of the MLE (93.77%). Use of PCA to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector helps reduce the memory requirements and computational cost, thereby enhancing the speed of the process.     

Template/surfactant free and UV light irradiation assisted fabrication of Mn-Co oxides composite nanorings: Structure and synthesis mechanism

A facile, green, cost effective, and template or surfactant free strategy via a two-step route i.e. UV irradiation followed by dissolution-growth for the controlled synthesis of Mn-Co composite nanorings at room temperature was proposed. The nanorings structures and the process were systematically studied via TEM, HRTEM, EDX and XRD. Bir-MnO_2 nanosheets first formed through the direct photolysis of KMnO_4 under UV light irradiation. This was followed by a dissolution-growth process via the dissolution of Bir-MnO_2 nanosheets by the generated H~+ from the redox reaction between the added Co(NO_3)_2 and residual KMnO_4, as well as the accompanied formation of CoOOH, and Mn-Co composite nanorings. It was found that a balance between the dissolution and growth rate was needed. Suitable pH, KMnO_4 presence and the starting nanosheets like Bir-MnO_2 were the key factors for the formation of nanorings. The obtained Mn-Co nanorings/TiO_2 showed enhanced efficiency for the catalytic oxidation of HCHO. Based on the above understandings, it is believed that the developed dissolution-growth method can be adopted for the designing and preparation of other Mn-Co composite nanostructures which can be further applied for environmental pollution remediation.     

Robust Adaptive Multi-Switching Synchronization of Multiple Different Orders Unknown Chaotic Systems

Multi-switching synchronization(MSS) of multiple different orders unknown chaotic(UC)systems confines hacking in the digital transmission process. Similarly, the suppression of undesirable chattering increases synchronization performance. This paper proposes a new robust synchronization control(RASC) technique and discusses the MSS of multiple different orders UC systems. This controller accomplishes(i) quick convergence,(ii) reduces the transient oscillations, and(iii) the rate of convergence decreases in the vicinity of the origin that causes the suppression of chattering. Analysis based on the Lyapunov direct method assures this convergence behavior with any positive values of the feedback gains. This work also provides parameters updated law that estimates the true values of unknown parameters. Numerical examples of five UC systems different orders are simulated. The computer based graphical results validate the efficiency and performance of the proposed RASC technique and the synchronization strategy when compare to peer works. In the simulation, the proposed synchronization strategy successfully recovers an encrypted received image on a communication channel.The article suggests some future research problems to extend the use of the proposed work.     

Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelets addition on mechanical properties of pure aluminum using a semi-powder method

In recent years, graphene has attracted considerable research interest in all fields of science due to its unique properties. Its excellent mechanical properties lead it to be used in nano-composites for strength enhancement. This paper reports an Aluminum–Graphene Nanoplatelets(Al/GNPs)composite using a semi-powder method followed by hot extrusion. The effect of GNP nano-particle integration on tensile, compressive and hardness response of Al is investigated in this paper. It is demonstrated that 0.3 wt% Graphene Nanoplatelets distributed homogeneously in the matrix aluminum act as an effective reinforcing filler to prevent deformation. Compared to monolithic aluminum(in tension), Al–0.3 wt% GNPs composite exhibited higher 0.2% yield strength(+14.7%), ultimate tensile strength(+11.1%) and lower failure strain( -40.6%). Surprisingly, compared to monolithic Al(in compression), Al–0.3 wt% GNPs composite exhibited same 0.2% compressive yield strength and lower ultimate compression strength(- 7.8%),and lower failure strain(- 20.2%). The Al–0.3 wt% GNPs composite exhibited higher Vickers hardness compared to monolithic aluminum(+11.8%).Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) were used to investigate the surface morphology, elemental percentage composition, and phase analysis, respectively.     

PTC124 targets genetic disorders caused by nonsense mutations

Nonsense mutations promote premature translational termination and cause anywhere from 5-70% of the individual cases of most inherited diseases. Studies on nonsense-mediated cystic fibrosis have indicated that boosting specific protein synthesis from <1% to as little as 5% of normal levels may greatly reduce the severity or eliminate the principal manifestations of disease. To address the need for a drug capable of suppressing premature termination, we identified PTC124-a new chemical entity that selectively induces ribosomal readthrough of premature but not normal termination codons. PTC124 activity, optimized using nonsense-containing reporters, promoted dystrophin production in primary muscle cells from humans and mdx mice expressing dystrophin nonsense alleles, and rescued striated muscle function in mdx mice within 2-8 weeks of drug exposure. PTC124 was well tolerated in animals at plasma exposures substantially in excess of those required for nonsense suppression. The selectivity of PTC124 for premature termination codons, its well characterized activity profile, oral bioavailability and pharmacological properties indicate that this drug may have broad clinical potential for the treatment of a large group of genetic disorders with limited or no therapeutic options.     

Senescence surveillance of pre-malignant hepatocytes limits liver cancer development

Upon the aberrant activation of oncogenes, normal cells can enter the cellular senescence program, a state of stable cell-cycle arrest, which represents an important barrier against tumour development in vivo. Senescent cells communicate with their environment by secreting various cytokines and growth factors, and it was reported that this 'secretory phenotype' can have pro- as well as anti-tumorigenic effects. Here we show that oncogene-induced senescence occurs in otherwise normal murine hepatocytes in vivo. Pre-malignant senescent hepatocytes secrete chemo- and cytokines and are subject to immune-mediated clearance (designated as 'senescence surveillance'), which depends on an intact CD4(+) T-cell-mediated adaptive immune response. Impaired immune surveillance of pre-malignant senescent hepatocytes results in the development of murine hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), thus showing that senescence surveillance is important for tumour suppression in vivo. In accordance with these observations, ras-specific Th1 lymphocytes could be detected in mice, in which oncogene-induced senescence had been triggered by hepatic expression of Nras(G12V). We also found that CD4(+) T cells require monocytes/macrophages to execute the clearance of senescent hepatocytes. Our study indicates that senescence surveillance represents an important extrinsic component of the senescence anti-tumour barrier, and illustrates how the cellular senescence program is involved in tumour immune surveillance by mounting specific immune responses against antigens expressed in pre-malignant senescent cells.     

Advances in Electrospun Nanofiber Yarns

In order to increase the application area of nanofibers, electrospun nanofiber yarns have drawn attention of many researchers around the globe. Once the production method of nanofiber yarn is mature enough to be universally accepted, many new gates of applications will open to the world. In this review, different electrospinning techniques of electrospun nanofiber yarns are divided into needle electrospinning and needleless electrospinning. Considering yarn twist as an important mechanism, needle electrospinning technique is further categorized into mechanical, electrical and field flow twisting methods. Moreover, parameters influencing the mechanical properties of electrospun nanofiber yarns are investigated. Methods of improving mechanical properties of nanofiber yarns are addressed, including hot-water-bath treatment, addition of carbon nanotubes(CNTs) and introducing regulators. Finally, applications of electrospun nanofiber yarns in different fields of smart textile and bioengineering are summed-up. In summary, challenges encountered in the industrialization of nanofiber yarns and future prospects are anticipated.     

Spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) of Saudi Arabia: two new species,new records and a key to all known species

A total of 18 spider mite species belonging to 10 genera of the family Tetranychidae (Acari: Prostigmata) are reported from different provinces of Saudi Arabia (SA). Among these, two new species, Sonotetranychus madinahensis sp. nov. and Tetranychus salicornicus sp. nov., belonging to the subfamily Tetranychinae are described and illustrated. Also, five genera and 11 species are new to the mite fauna of SA. The distribution and host data of all recorded species in the current study are provided. A key to all spider mite species of SA is provided as well as a key to the species of the armenychus species group of the genus Tetranychus Dufour, based on males.

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