Micro-Switch Design and Its Optimization Using Pattern Search Algorithm for Application in Reconfigurable Antenna

This chapter reports the design and optimization algorithm of metal-contact RF microswitch. Various important evolutionary optimization techniques that can be used to optimize non-linear and even non-differentiable types of radio frequency (RF) circuit’s problems are also reviewed. The transient response of the proposed switch shows displacement time (i.e., squeezed-film damping effect) of 5.0 μs and pull-in voltage varying from 9.0 to 9.25 V. Primarily, the switch exhibits insertion loss of 0.15 to 0.51 dB in on-position and isolation of 75.96 to 35.83 dB in off-position at 0.1–10 GHz. Also, the proposed RF switch equivalent circuit and layout are validated in ADS software which was earlier simulated in HFSS. A pattern search (PS) algorithm is used to optimize RF characteristics of the proposed switch after a brief review of the different optimization techniques. After optimization, the switch shows decrement in insertion loss and increment in isolation at 0.1–10 GHz. Further, two such optimized switches are introduced on the defected ground structure (DGS) antenna to make it reconfigurable in terms of frequency. Reconfigurable antenna (RA) is simulated using HFSS software and simulation results are verified by showing the mark of agreement with the fabrication results. The novelty in the proposed design is due to dual-band behavior and better resonance performance than antennas available in the literature. Attractions of proposed RA are its miniaturization and its utility in IEEE US S-(2.0–4.0 GHz) and C-(4.0–8.0 GHz) band

A Model for Contingent Manpower Planning: Insights from a High Clock Speed Industry

Intense competitive pressures have led to compressed product life cycles and frequent introduction of new products. This creates demand volatility and a consequent pressure on manufacturing to meet this variable demand. In this paper we model the manpower planning issues for a computer manufacturer during the product introduction phase when a quick ramp-up of production to meet rapidly increasing demand is a key requirement. A mix of permanent and contingent workers with different skill sets is considered. Some important issues addressed in this research are (a) how to assign workers with different skills to maximize production (b) what is the induction rate of contingent workers to achieve the desired ramp-up and (c) what are the key decision factors that impact manufacturing performance An LP model is proposed to minimize overall costs subject to complex scheduling, skills, and learning rate requirements. Our analysis indicates that cost of induction of contingent workers, overtime cost premium, and the amount of overtime have significant impact on performance. The findings of the study will be useful to managers in planning and allocation of workers of different skills to various manufacturing processes and to determine the optimal number of contingent workers to induct.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Mothers Related to their Oral Health Status of 6-12 Years Old Children in Bhilai City, Chhattisgarh, India

Aim and Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the oral health status of 6-12 year old children and their mother’s knowledge, attitude, and practices in Bhilai city. Moreover, this study was also carried out to determine whether mother’s oral health related knowledge, attitude, and practices have a significant influence on the oral health of their children. Materials and Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted among children (n=600) aged between 6-12 years, attending both government and private schools accompanied with their mothers in Bhilai city. The oral health status of the children was evaluated by using WHO Oral Health Assessment Form (2013). The parents were then asked to fill 25 item based on selfadministered questionnaire. Mother’s knowledge, attitude, and practices were assessed by direct contact with mothers using close ended questionnaire. Statistical Analysis: The data was then entered and analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Also, p value≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The result of the study showed that 90% of mothers had good knowledge, 75% mothers had average attitude, and 51% mothers had high level practices related to oral health. An inverse relationship was found between children’s oral health status and their mother’s knowledge, attitude, and practices about oral health. Thus, the findings were highly significant. Conclusion: Results showed that mother’s oral health related to knowledge, attitude, and practices had a significant impact on oral health status of their children

Study of Mitral stenosis in resting and exercised heart using ABAQUS™

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in India contributing nearly 25% to total mortality. Computational models of the heart are a new tool that can be used to conduct research on such diseases, and test the efficacy of medical devices used in their treatment. Computational models take lesser time to deliver the results, suffer lesser restrictions on the number of samples, and more importantly reduce the testing of medical devices on animals. In this study, we used Living Heart Human Model (LHHM) (v2.0 beta) developed on ABAQUS™, a computational model which consists of both electrical and mechanical models of the adult male human heart, to study the effects of mitral stenosis on heart function; mitral stenosis is a major cause of mortality in India.. We first validated the LHHM model by simulating healthy adult male human heart function. We then evaluated its efficacy for severe mitral stenosis in a randomly selected patient, and found that LHHM predictions matched clinical observations. We proceeded to obtain LHHM predictions for 8 patients with varying degrees of mitral stenosis: comparison with clinical data showed a qualitative and quantitative match for pulmonary capillary pressure but only qualitative match for pulmonary arterial pressure. Simulations were also performed for heart function in mitral stenosis during exercise, but LHHM predictions matched neither quantitatively, nor qualitatively, with data indicating further improvement of the model

Duodenal variceal bleeding with large SPSS treated with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and embolization: A case report

Background: Duodenal variceal bleeding is a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. The most common site is the duodenal bulb. It is usually detected endoscopically but it can be very challenging to diagnose if it is located distal to the second part of duodenum. The pre- transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) presence of SPSS was found to be associated with an increased risk of early morbidity and mortality after TIPS placement. Case Summary: A 43-year-old cirrhotic male presented with melena for three days. Upper endoscopy was performed and showed active blood oozing from the distal duodenum concerning for ectopic duodenal varix. A computed tomography (CT) angiogram was performed and showed an enlarged cluster of venous collaterals around the distal duodenum. He underwent TIPS placement. He had another episode of melena three days later. Push enteroscopy with injection sclerotherapy into the duodenal varices was performed with no success. A repeat CT angiogram showed occluded TIPS shunt. Therefore, a TIPS revision was performed and there was an extensive portal venous thrombosis with a large shunt between the inferior mesenteric vein and left renal vein via the left gonadal vein. Thrombectomy and TIPS shunt balloon angioplasty was performed, followed by embolization of the portosystemic. The melena was resolved, and patient was discharged with arranged hepatology follow up. Conclusion: It important to look and embolize the SPSS shunts in patients with early TIPS dysfunction and recurrent duodenal variceal bleeding

A prospective study to evaluate changes in macular thickness after uncomplicated cataract surgery using optical coherence tomography in diabetic patients

Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate the alterations in macular thickness subsequent to cataract surgery in individuals diagnosed with diabetes, utilising optical coherence tomography (OCT) as the imaging modality. Methods: In this prospective study, a cohort of 150 patients was divided into three equal groups based on their diabetic status and presence of retinopathy. Group 1 consisted of nondiabetic patients, Group 2 consisted of diabetic patients without retinopathy, and group 3 consisted of patients with diabetic retinopathy. All patients underwent cataract surgery using manual small incision cataract surgery (m-SICS) technique. A comprehensive ophthalmological assessment was conducted prior to the surgical procedure. The subjects were monitored on the first day following the surgical procedure, and at 2, 6 and 12 weeks after the operation. During each appointment, a comprehensive ophthalmic assessment and OCT of the macula were conducted. Results: There was a notable augmentation in foveal thickness at the 6-week mark among individuals diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, in contrast to those without retinopathy and the control group. In the study, it was observed that 26% of individuals diagnosed with diabetes experienced the occurrence of macular edoema, whereas only 4% of the control group exhibited the same condition. Conclusions: The postoperative alteration in macular thickness and visual outcomes is contingent upon the individual's diabetic condition, duration of diabetes, and severity of retinopathy. A positive correlation was also observed between the alteration in macular thickness and the levels of HbA1C in individuals diagnosed with diabetes

PER PREFIX FLEXIBLE METRIC FOR INTENT BASED ROUTING AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING USING EIGRP

Routing protocols are typically designed to use a single-cost formula for all of a protocol\u27s routes. In some instances, a network administrator can adjust the cost formula of the Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), but the protocol applies the formula uniformly to all prefixes, which can cause all applications to suffer from lower performance. In order to address such issues, techniques are presented herein through which a flexible metric can be applied that is isolated to prefixes. for example, the techniques presented herein provide for the reduced use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) routing & forwarding (VRF) instances on routers and ease network configuration as configurations provided in accordance with the techniques presented herein are only needed at prefix originators

LIVE MERCHANT ENVIRONMENT

The present disclosure provides a system and a method for operating a live merchant platform. The disclosure proposes using a live merchant platform, associated with a merchant and an acquirer, to test a range of payment experiences across issuers. The live merchant platform is utilized for authenticating cardholder details and authorizing payment details. The live merchant platform sends an authentication request message to an issuer via a payment network. Thereafter, the request message is forwarded to the core processing environment from a security protocol environment via a gateway environment. Further, the live merchant platform receives authenticated response from an issuer environment via the payment network

Functional diversity of Himalayan bat communities declines at high elevation without the loss of phylogenetic diversity

Species richness exhibits well-known patterns across elevational gradients in various taxa, but represents only one aspect of quantifying biodiversity patterns. Functional and phylogenetic diversity have received much less attention, particularly for vertebrate taxa. There is still a limited understanding of how functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity change in concert across large gradients of elevation. Here, we focused on the Himalaya—representing the largest elevational gradients in the world—to investigate the patterns of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in a bat assemblage. Combining field data on species occurrence, relative abundance, and functional traits with measures of phylogenetic diversity, we found that bat species richness and functional diversity declined at high elevation but phylogenetic diversity remained unchanged. At the lowest elevation, we observed low functional dispersion despite high species and functional richness, suggesting a niche packing mechanism. The decline in functional richness, dispersion, and divergence at the highest elevation is consistent with patterns observed due to environmental filtering. These patterns are driven by the absence of rhinolophid bats, four congeners with extreme trait values. Our data, some of the first on mammals from the Himalayan region, suggest that in bat assemblages with relatively high species diversity, phylogenetic diversity may not be a substitute to measure functional diversity