The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently developed a new robotic scanning system for performing near-field measurements at millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequencies above 100 ...GHz, the configurable robotic millimeterwave antenna (CROMMA) facility. This cost-effective system is designed for high-frequency applications, is capable of scanning in multiple configurations, and is able to track measurement geometry at every point in a scan. The CROMMA combines realtime six-degree-of-freedom optical spatial metrology and robotic motion to achieve antenna positioning to within 25 μm rms. A unified coordinated metrology approach is used to track all positional aspects of scanning. A vector network analyzer is used to capture amplitude and phase. We present spherical near-field measurements of the forward hemisphere of a 24-dBi standard gain horn at 183 GHz. Using the configurable scanning ability, two different scanning radii were used. Near-field data were taken at a 100-mm radius. Direct far-field measurements were also taken at 1000-mm radius. The E- and H-plane patterns are determined from the measurements and compared to theoretical patterns. We describe the system components of the CROMMA and the coordinated metrology approach used. An analysis of the positional repeatability and accuracy achievable is also presented.
Duvelisib, an oral dual inhibitor of PI3K-δ and PI3K-γ, is in phase III trials for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In CLL, duvelisib ...monotherapy is associated with high iwCLL (International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia) and nodal response rates, but complete remissions are rare. To characterize the molecular effect of duvelisib, we obtained samples from CLL patients on the duvelisib phase I trial. Gene expression studies (RNAseq, Nanostring, Affymetrix array and real-time RT-PCR) demonstrated increased expression of BCL2 along with several BH3-only pro-apoptotic genes. In concert with induction of transcript levels, reverse phase protein arrays and immunoblots confirmed increase at the protein level. The BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax induced greater apoptosis in ex vivo-cultured CLL cells obtained from patients on duvelisib compared with pre-treatment CLL cells from the same patients. In vitro combination of duvelisib and venetoclax resulted in enhanced apoptosis even in CLL cells cultured under conditions that simulate the tumor microenvironment. These data provide a mechanistic rationale for testing the combination of duvelisib and venetoclax in the clinic. Such combination regimen (NCT02640833) is being evaluated for patients with B-cell malignancies including CLL.
Three-dimensional (3-D) printing is finding applications across many areas and may be a useful technology for antenna fabrication for cube satellites (CubeSats). However, the quality of an antenna ...produced using 3-D printing must be considered if this technology can be relied upon. We present gain and far-field pattern results for the feed horn of the radiometer payload of the CubeSat PolarCube. The corrugated feed horn is constructed from AlSi10Mg alloy and fabricated using powder bead fusion (PBF). Measurements were performed at the atmospheric oxygen line of 118.7503 GHz with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Configurable Robotic Millimeter-Wave Antenna (CROMMA) facility in Boulder, Colorado. A comparison of these measurements to theoretical predictions provides an assessment of the performance of the feed horn.
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