A novel non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme is proposed to improve the throughput and the outage probability of the cognitive radio (CR) inspired system which has been implemented to adapt multiple services in the nextgeneration network (5G). In the proposed scheme, the primary source (PS) had sent a superposition code symbol with a predefined power allocation to relays, it decoded and forwarded (DF) a new superposition coded symbol to the destination with the other power allocation. By using a dual antenna at relays, it will be improved the bandwidth efficiency in such CR NOMA scheme. The performance of the system is evaluated based on the outage probability and the throughput with the assumption of the Rayleigh fading channels. According to the results obtained, it is shown that the outage probability and throughput of the proposed full-duplex (FD) in CR-NOMA with reasonable parameters can be able deploy in practical design as illustration in numerical results section.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate developmental changes of the thymus and intra- thymic IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α expression in weaned Sprague-Dawley rats induced by lipopolysac- charide.

Methods: Forty healthy weaned rats aged 26 days and weighing 83±4 g were randomly and equally divided into two groups. The lipopolysaccharide group was treated daily with a single injection of lipopolysaccharide for 10 consecutive days, and the saline group was treated with an equal volume of sterilized saline. On the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th day, histological changes and distribu- tion of IL-1β-, IL-6- and TNF-α-positive cells were detected in the thymus by hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemistry staining, respectively. Subsequently, the expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were evaluated in the thymus by the ELISA method.

Results: Thymus weight and index were significantly smaller in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats than in saline-treated rats (p<0.05), but no substantial changes were found in the thymus microstructure after lipopolysaccharide induction. Moreover, a large number of IL-1β-, IL-6- and TNF-α-positive cells were observed with brownish-yellow color and mainly distributed in the thy- mus parenchyma, both integrated optical density and average optical density increased signifi- cantly in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats than those in saline-treated rats. Compared with the saline group, most of the thymic homogenates had higher levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the lipopolysaccharide group on different days.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that the thymus atrophied after lipopolysaccharide induction in weaned Sprague-Dawley rats, and excessive production of intrathymic IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α was probably involved in the atrophic process.

System identification is an approach for parameter detection and mathematical model determination using response signals of a dynamic system. Two degrees of freedom (2DOF) pendulum controlled by a QUBE-servo motor is a great experiment device to work with; though it is not easy to control this system due to its complex structure and multi-dimensional outputs. Hence, system identification is required for this system to analyze and evaluate its dynamic behaviors. This paper presents a methodology for identifying a 2DOF pendulum and its dynamic behaviors including noise from an encoder cable. Firstly, all parameters from both mechanical and electrical sides of the QUBE-servo motor are analyzed. Secondly, a mathematical model and identified parameters for the 2DOF pendulum are illustrated. Finally, disturbances from encoder cable of the QUBE-servo motor which introduce an unwanted oscillation or self-vibration in this system are introduced. The effect of itself on output response signals of the 2DOF QUBE-pendulum is also discussed. All identified parameters are checked and verified by a comparison between a theoretical simulation and experimental results. It is found that the disturbance from encoder cable of the 2DOF QUBE-pendulum is not negligible and should be carefully considered as a certain factor affecting response of system.

Liquid metal extraction (LME) process results in 100% neodymium (Nd) extraction but the highest extraction efficiency reported for Dysprosium (Dy) so far is 74%. Oxidation of Dy is the major limiting factor for incomplete Dy extraction. In order to enhance the extraction efficiency and to further investigate the limiting factors for incomplete extraction, experiments were carried out on six different particle sizes of under 200 µm, 200-300 µm, 300-700 µm, 700-1000 µm, 1000-2000 µm and over 2000 µm at 900℃ with magnesium-to-magnet scrap ratio of 15:1 for 6, 24 and 48 hours, respectively. This research identified Dy2Fe17 in addition to Dy2O3 phase to be responsible for incomplete extraction. The relationship between Dy2Fe17 and Dy2O3 phase was investigated, and the overall extraction efficiency of Dy was enhanced to 97%.

Recently, since the demand of rare earth permanent magnet for high temperature applications such as an electric motor has increased, dysprosium (Dy), a heavy rare earth element, is becoming important due to severe bias in its production. To fulfill the increasing need of Dy, recycling offers as a promising alternative. In recycling of rare earths, Hydro-metallurgical extraction method is mainly used however it has adverse environmental effects. Liquid metal extraction on the other hand, is an eco-friendly and simple method as far as the reduction of rare earth metal oxide is concerned. Therefore, liquid metal extraction was studied in this research as an alternative to the hydro-metallurgical recycling method. Magnesium (Mg) is selected as solvent metal because it doesn’t form intermetallic compounds with Fe, B and has a low melting and low boiling point. Extraction behavior of Dy in (Nd,Dy)-Fe-B magnet is observed and effect of Mg ratio on extraction of Dy is confirmed.

NdFeB anisotropic sintered permanent magnets are typically fabricated by strip casting or melt spinning. In this study, the plastic deformability of an NdFeB alloy was investigated to study the possibility of fabricating anisotropic sintered magnets using gas atomized powders. The results show that the stoichiometric composition Nd12Fe82B6 softens at high temperatures. The aspect ratio and orientation factor of Nd12Fe82B6 billets after plastic deformation were found to increase with increasing plastic deformation temperature, particularly above 800℃. This confirms that softening at high temperatures can lead to plastic deformation of Nd2Fe14B hard magnetic phases.

A superior SiC based thermal protection coating process for carbon composite, which can be especially effective in a hot oxidizing atmosphere, was established in this study. A multi-coating process based on a combination of Chemical Vapor Reaction (CVR) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) was developed. Various protective coating layers on carbon composite were tested in hot oxidizing surroundings and the test results verified that the thermal ablation rate could be dramatically reduced down to 3.8% when the protective multi-coating was applied. The thermal protection mechanism of the coating layers was also investigated.

This paper aims to investigate the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of hot-deformed AlMg4 alloys with Mn, Fe, and Si as the main impurities. For this purpose, solidification behavior and microstructural evolution during hot-rolling and heat-treatment processes are investigated by using theoretical calculations and experimental characterization. The crystallization and morphological transformation of intermetallic Al3Fe, Al6Mn, and Mg2Si phases are revealed and discussed in terms of the variation in chemical composition. Following a homogenization heat-treatment, the effect of heat treatment on the intermetallic compounds is also investigated after hot-rolling. It was revealed that the Mg2Si phase can be broken into small particles and spherodized more easily than the Al3Fe intermetallic phase during the hot-rolling process. For the Mn containing alloys, both yield and ultimate tensile strength of the hot-rolled alloys increased from 270 to 296 MPa while elongation decreased from 17 to 13%, which can be attributed to Mn-containing intermetallic as well as dispersoid.