Design to reliability shielded vertical interconnection applied to microwave Chip Scale Packaging

This paper presents the electrical design, measurement and reliability ests of a shielded vertical interconnection dedicated to microwave solder-mount packages. Electromagnetic simulations show very good results up to 20 GHz. Test samples have been designed and manufactured. Electrical results are in accordance with the simulations with insertion loss lower than 0.1 dB up to 20 GHz for the proposed interconnection. Reliability tests of present no degradation of the after 500 thermal cycles in the [-55°C, +125°C] temperature range

Effect of phosphorus limiting on phytase activity, proton efflux and oxygen consumption by nodulatedroots of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

This work intended to measure the nodulated-roots oxygen consumption, proton efflux and phytase activity in 2 lines of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) (115, 147) at 2 levels of P supply. Rooted seedlings were inoculated with Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 in hydroaeroponic cultivation under glasshouse. Phosphorus was supplied as KH2PO4 at 15 and 250 ìmol pl-1 week-1 (15P and 250P, respectively). Our results showed that plant growth nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation were significantly affected by P limiting (15P) for the both lines, but this adverse effect was more pronounced in 147 than in 115. For the both lines, the phytase activity, higher in roots than in nodules, was significantly increased by P limiting, but 115 maintained higher values as compared to 147 line. Incotyledons, the phytase activity was higher in 115 than in 147. Phosphorus shortage increased the cumulated proton release only in 115, whereas it was lowered for 147. In this line, the proton release was linked to symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Under 15P, the proton efflux per unit of nodulated-root biomass was 25% greater for 115 than 147, suggesting that under P limitation, proton efflux may constitute an efficient way to increase P uptake in the tolerant line (115). 15P increased significantlynodulated-root O2 consumption per g nodule DW and nodule conductance, but to a higher extent in 147. As a whole, bean plants at P-deficient conditions increased the activity of phytases and proton efflux, thus maintaining the oxygen diffusion in nodules. This may represent an adaptive mechanism for N2- fixing legumes to respond to P deficiency, by increasing the utilisation and the uptake of phosphorus for symbiotic nitrogen fixation

Capturing health and eating status through a nutritional perception screening questionnaire (NPSQ9) in a randomised internet-based personalised nutrition intervention : the Food4Me study

BACKGROUND: National guidelines emphasize healthy eating to promote wellbeing and prevention of non-communicable diseases. The perceived healthiness of food is determined by many factors affecting food intake. A positive perception of healthy eating has been shown to be associated with greater diet quality. Internet-based methodologies allow contact with large populations. Our present study aims to design and evaluate a short nutritional perception questionnaire, to be used as a screening tool for assessing nutritional status, and to predict an optimal level of personalisation in nutritional advice delivered via the Internet. METHODS: Data from all participants who were screened and then enrolled into the Food4Me proof-of-principle study (n = 2369) were used to determine the optimal items for inclusion in a novel screening tool, the Nutritional Perception Screening Questionnaire-9 (NPSQ9). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on anthropometric and biochemical data and on dietary indices acquired from participants who had completed the Food4Me dietary intervention (n = 1153). Baseline and intervention data were analysed using linear regression and linear mixed regression, respectively. RESULTS: A final model with 9 NPSQ items was validated against the dietary intervention data. NPSQ9 scores were inversely associated with BMI (β = -0.181, p < 0.001) and waist circumference (Β = -0.155, p < 0.001), and positively associated with total carotenoids (β = 0.198, p < 0.001), omega-3 fatty acid index (β = 0.155, p < 0.001), Healthy Eating Index (HEI) (β = 0.299, p < 0.001) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) (β = 0. 279, p < 0.001). Findings from the longitudinal intervention study showed a greater reduction in BMI and improved dietary indices among participants with lower NPSQ9 scores. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy eating perceptions and dietary habits captured by the NPSQ9 score, based on nine questionnaire items, were associated with reduced body weight and improved diet quality. Likewise, participants with a lower score achieved greater health improvements than those with higher scores, in response to personalised advice, suggesting that NPSQ9 may be used for early evaluation of nutritional status and to tailor nutritional advice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01530139 .Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Locating dust and molecules in the inner circumstellar environment of R Sculptoris with MATISSE

Context. Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are one of the main sources of dust production in the Galaxy. However, it is not yet clear what this process looks like and where the dust happens to be condensing in the circumstellar environment. Aims: By characterizing the location of the dust and the molecules in the close environment of an AGB star, we aim to achieve a better understanding the history of the dust formation process. Methods: We observed the carbon star R Scl with the thermal-infrared VLTI/MATISSE instrument in L- and N-bands. The high angular resolution of the VLTI observations (as small as 4.4 mas in the L-band and 15 mas in the N-band with ATs), combined with a large uv-plane coverage allowed us to use image reconstruction methods. To constrain the dust and molecules' location, we used two different methods: one using MIRA image reconstruction algorithm and the second using the 1D code RHAPSODY. Results: We found evidence of C2H2 and HCN molecules between 1 and 3.4 R* which is much closer to the star than the location of the dust (between 3.8 and 17.0 R*). We also estimated a mass-loss rate of 1.2 ± 0.4 × 10−6 M⊙ yr−1. In the meantime, we confirmed the previously published characteristics of a thin dust shell, composed of amorphous carbon (amC) and silicon carbide (SiC). However, no clear SiC feature has been detected in the MATISSE visibilities. This might be caused by molecular absorption that can affect the shape of the SiC band at 11.3 µm. Conclusions: The appearance of the molecular shells is in good agreement with predictions from dynamical atmosphere models. For the first time, we co-located dust and molecules in the environment of an AGB star. We confirm that the molecules are located closer to the star than the dust. The MIRA images unveil the presence of a clumpy environment in the fuzzy emission region beyond 4.0 R*. Furthermore, with the available dynamic range and angular resolution, we did not detect the presence of a binary companion. To solve this problem, additional observations combining MATISSE and SAM-VISIR instrument should enable this detection in future studies