A Hybrid Microwave-Optical Applicator for Local Muscle Warming and Monitoring

Local warming of human tissue causes vasodilation and therefore blood volume to increase. Such thermal blood volume response allows the assessment of microcirculation in tissue, providing clinically important information. The deep warming is provided by a novel microwave applicator, which has a annular-ring microstrip patch operating at 2450 MHz with a superstrate interface layer to improve the coupling of electromagnetic (EM) waves into the skin. The design is based on computer simulations of specific absorption rate (SAR) and thermal distribution of the EM waves in a biological medium. The simulation results show that the applicator can elevate the muscle temperature by 3 to 4^{\circ}\mathrm{C}. The thermal response is measured by an integrated optical probe which measures tissue oxygenation changes in deep tissue using the near infrared spectroscopy technique

A feasibility study of elastography based confocal microwave imaging technique for breast cancer detection

Breast cancer is a common cancer type in women and its death rate is second highest among different kind of cancers. Early detection is an efficient way for curing and recovery. Confocal microwave imaging (CMI) using electromagnetic method for detection of breast cancer can avoid ionization caused by mammography. CMI uses the contrast of electrical properties between tumor and normal breast tissue to identify the existence and location of the tumor. However, new research result shows that gland and tumor have similar dielectric constant and electrical conductivity, so it is hard to distinguish gland and tumor. This paper proposes a new method based on elastography for the tumor identification. The high Young's modulus contrast of the two tissues resulting in different level of deformation by compression will provide sufficient features to discriminate whether the reflected signal is belonged to gland or tumor. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method was used in simulation. Some examples were presented to validate the identification

A dual band dual polarization slot patch antenna

A dual band and dual polarization slot patch antenna for Global Positioning System (GPS) and wireless LAN network with the corresponding polarizations is proposed. An L-shaped slot and a small stub are utilized to excite the desirable right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) for GPS. Meanwhile the linearly polarized electromagnetic wave for Wi-Fi communications at 2.4 GHz is contributed by an arc-shaped slot embedded circular patch. The multi-layered geometry and the capacitive feeding disk placed between the substrate layers enhance the operating bandwidths of the antenna. The achievable percentage bandwidths at the low and high bands are 6.4% and 7% respectively. The measured 3dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is 34 MHz, which covers the GPS L1 band

A Dual-Band Dual-Polarization Slot Patch Antenna for GPS and Wi-Fi Applications

In this letter, a dual-band and dual-polarization capacitive-fed slot patch antenna is investigated. The proposed antenna can operate at 1.575 GHz for Global Positioning System and 2.4 GHz for Wi-Fi system with the corresponding polarizations. A 90 ° hybrid coupler chip was used to excite the right-hand circular polarization required for optimum GPS performance. For the high frequency band, a pair of linearly polarized arc-shaped slots radiating at 2.4 GHz are embedded in the circular patch. The operating bandwidths of the antenna are enhanced by the multilayered geometry, and the capacitive disks feedpoints placed between the substrate layers. The measured impedance bandwidths at the lower and high bands are 320 and 230 MHz, respectively. The measured 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth is 120 MHz

The radar signature of the Wind Lens: a less disruptive wind turbine?

We study the radar signature of a new type of wind turbine, named the Wind Lens. This design includes a flanged shroud around the turbine which concentrates the wind flow past the turbine blades and hence improves the efficiency. The design also offers improved safety, and reduces acoustic noise. Furthermore, it may offer a significantly lower radar signature, which may make the design much more attractive for use in situations where conventional wind turbine designs may disturb the operation of radars. We present the results of an experimental trial, carried out in the UK, to measure the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of a 5 kW Wind Lens turbine prototype and we provide a reference database that can be used for comparing the Wind Lens RCS with that of conventional turbines. We investigate methods to further reduce the Wind Lens RCS and present the results of a time-varying Doppler analysis. Results show that the addition of a metallic mesh around the shroud obscures the rotating blades, and hence mitigates the RCS by 15 dBm2, at angles where the radar interference is highest

How does genome sequencing impact surgery?

Surgical oncolog