Compact Polarization Diversity Antenna for 28/38 GHz Bands

In this paper, design and analysis of a millimeter wave dual- and dual-polarized antenna for 5G millimeter communications system is presented. The proposed design has a compact structure with size of 5 × 5 mm 2 . It consists of a rectangular patch with a crossed-slot etched off in the patch to reduce the interference between the two targeted 5G bands of 28 and 38 GHz. To achieve dual polarization performance, the radiating patch is fed by two different 50-Ω microstrip transmission lines. The antenna has -10dB impedance bandwidths of 2.6GHz (26.8-29.4 GHz) and 2.5GHz (37.7-40.2GHz) to cover 28/38 GHz mobile communication bands respectively. The antenna has the merits of miniaturized dimensions, stable broadside radiation patterns with high gains and low cross polarization in both bands of operation

Improved salinity tolerance in early growth stage of maize through salicylic acid foliar application

Soil salinity threatens agricultural production worldwide by constraining plant growth and final crop yield. The early stages are most sensitive to salinity, in response to which salicylic acid (SA) has demonstrated beneficial effects in various plant species. Based on this, a maize (Zea mays L.) pot experiment was set up combining three levels of soil salinity (0, 6 and 12 dS m–1), obtained through NaCl addition, with three levels of SA (0, 300 and 600 mM), applied by leaf spraying 20 days after seedling emergence. Fifteen days later, the following traits were assessed: morphology (plant height, leaf number), growth (root and shoot dry weight), leaf water status [relative water content (RWC), elec-trolyte leakage (EL)], pigments (chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, anthocyanin), antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, ascor-bate peroxidase, vitamin C), oxidative stress markers (H2O2, mal-ondialdehyde), osmo-regulating compounds (free amino acids, soluble proteins and sugars, proline), hormones [indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellic acid (GA), abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene], ele-ment (Na, K, Ca, Mg and Cl) concentration and content in roots, stem and leaves. Salinity severely affected maize growth (–26% total dry weight), impaired leaf water status (–31% RWC), reduced photosynthetic pigments, enhanced all antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress markers, two osmo-regulating compounds (soluble sugars and proline) out of four, and all hormones except GA. SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects, while supporting plant defences by upgrading anti-oxidant activities (reduced oxidative stress markers), increasing cell membrane stability (–24% EL) and leaf water status (+20% RWC), and reducing plant stress signalling (–10% ABA and –20% ethylene). Above all, SA contrasted the massive entry of noxious ions (Na+ and Cl–), in favour of K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ accumulation. Lastly, salicylic acid was shown beneficial for maize growth and physiology also under non-saline condition, suggesting a potential use in normal field conditions

Low-cost printed flexible antenna by using an office printer for conformal applications

A low-cost inkjet printing method for antenna fabrication on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate is presented in this paper. An office inkjet printer is used to have desired patterns of silver nanoparticle ink on the PET substrate without any postprocessing. Silver nanoparticle ink cures instantly as soon as it is ejected from the printer on a chemically treated PET substrate. The thickness of the silver nanoparticle layer was measured to be 300nm with a sheet resistance of as low as 0.3Ω/sq and a conductivity around 1.11 × 107 S/m with single layer deposition. A coplanar waveguide- (CPW-) fed Z-shape planar antenna on the PET substrate achieved the measured radiation efficiency of 62% and the IEEE gain of 1.44 dBi at 2.45 GHz. The printed antenna is also tested in bending conditions to ascertain its performance for the Internet of things (IoT) conformal applications for the future 5G network

Foliar applied proline and acetic acid improves growth and yield of wheat under salinity stress by improving photosynthetic pigments, physiological traits, antioxidant activities and nutrient uptake

Salinity stress (SS) is serious abiotic stress and a major limiting factor for crop productivity and global food security. In this context, the application of osmolytes is considered as an environmental friend approach to improve plant growth under SS. Thus, the present study was conducted to determine the impact of foliar applied proline (Pro) and acetic acid (AA) on growth, yield, physiological traits, photosynthetic pigments, ionic homeostasis and antioxidant activities of wheat under SS. The study contained SS levels 0, 6 and 12 dS m-1 and foliar spray of Pro and AA; water spray, Pro (75 mM), AA (15 mM) and AA (30 mM). The study was conducted in a completely randomized design with the factorial arrangement. Salinity stress significantly reduced wheat growth and yield, by decreasing relative water contents (-49.07%), photosynthetic pigments, free amino acids (FAA: -44.79%), total soluble proteins (TSP: -15.94%) and increasing the electrolyte leakage (EL: +27.28%), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2: +51.86%), and malondialdehyde (MDA: +36.91%) accumulation. The foliar spray of Pro and AA markedly improved the wheat growth and productivity through enhanced photosynthetic pigments, RWC, FAA, TSP, antioxidant activities (catalase: CAT, ascorbate peroxide: APX: peroxidase: POD), K+ and Ca2+ uptake and decreasing EL, MDA and H2O2 accumulation and restricted entry of toxic ions (Na+ and Cl-1).  Therefore, foliar application of AA and Pro effectively improves the growth and yield of wheat under SS by strengthening the antioxidant defense system, and maintaining ionic homeostasis and physiological performance

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress

BACKGROUND: Most research on the impact of mind-body training does not ask about participants\u27 baseline experience, expectations, or preferences for training. To better plan participant-centered mind-body intervention trials for nurses to reduce occupational stress, such descriptive information would be valuable. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous email survey between April and June, 2010 of North American nurses interested in mind-body training to reduce stress. The e-survey included: demographic characteristics, health conditions and stress levels; experiences with mind-body practices; expected health benefits; training preferences; and willingness to participate in future randomized controlled trials. RESULTS: Of the 342 respondents, 96% were women and 92% were Caucasian. Most (73%) reported one or more health conditions, notably anxiety (49%); back pain (41%); GI problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (34%); or depression (33%). Their median occupational stress level was 4 (0 = none; 5 = extreme stress). Nearly all (99%) reported already using one or more mind-body practices to reduce stress: intercessory prayer (86%), breath-focused meditation (49%), healing or therapeutic touch (39%), yoga/tai chi/qi gong (34%), or mindfulness-based meditation (18%). The greatest expected benefits were for greater spiritual well-being (56%); serenity, calm, or inner peace (54%); better mood (51%); more compassion (50%); or better sleep (42%). Most (65%) wanted additional training; convenience (74% essential or very important), was more important than the program\u27s reputation (49%) or scientific evidence about effectiveness (32%) in program selection. Most (65%) were willing to participate in a randomized trial of mind-body training; among these, most were willing to collect salivary cortisol (60%), or serum biomarkers (53%) to assess the impact of training. CONCLUSIONS: Most nurses interested in mind-body training already engage in such practices. They have greater expectations about spiritual and emotional than physical benefits, but are willing to participate in studies and to collect biomarker data. Recruitment may depend more on convenience than a program\u27s scientific basis or reputation. Knowledge of participants\u27 baseline experiences, expectations, and preferences helps inform future training and research on mind-body approaches to reduce stress

The AgMIP Coordinated Climate-Crop Modeling Project (C3MP): Methods and Protocols

Climate change is expected to alter a multitude of factors important to agricultural systems, including pests, diseases, weeds, extreme climate events, water resources, soil degradation, and socio-economic pressures. Changes to carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]), temperature, andwater (CTW) will be the primary drivers of change in crop growth and agricultural systems. Therefore, establishing the CTW-change sensitivity of crop yields is an urgent research need and warrants diverse methods of investigation. Crop models provide a biophysical, process-based tool to investigate crop responses across varying environmental conditions and farm management techniques, and have been applied in climate impact assessment by using a variety of methods (White et al., 2011, and references therein). However, there is a significant amount of divergence between various crop models’ responses to CTW changes (R¨otter et al., 2011). While the application of a site-based crop model is relatively simple, the coordination of such agricultural impact assessments on larger scales requires consistent and timely contributions from a large number of crop modelers, each time a new global climate model (GCM) scenario or downscaling technique is created. A coordinated, global effort to rapidly examine CTW sensitivity across multiple crops, crop models, and sites is needed to aid model development and enhance the assessment of climate impacts (Deser et al., 2012)..

Evaluation of the efficacy of a commercial inactivated genogroup 2b based porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) vaccine and experimental live genogroup 1b exposure against 2b challenge

Abstract Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus strains from the G1b cluster are considered less pathogenic compared to the G2b cluster. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of G1b-based live virus exposure against use of a commercial G2b–based inactivated vaccine to protect growing pigs against G2b challenge. Thirty-nine PEDV naïve pigs were randomly divided into five groups: EXP-IM-1b (intramuscular G1b exposure; G2b challenge), EXP-ORAL-1b (oral G1b exposure; G2b challenge), VAC-IM-2b (intramuscular commercial inactivated G2b vaccination; G2b challenge), POS-CONTROL (sham-vaccination; G2b challenge) and NEG-CONTROL (sham-vaccination; sham-challenge). Pigs were vaccinated/exposed at 3 weeks of age (day post-vaccination 0, dpv 0), VAC-IM-2b pigs were revaccinated at dpv 14, and the pigs were challenged at dpv 28. Among all groups, VAC-IM-2b pigs had significantly higher anti-PEDV IgG levels on dpv 21 and 28 while EXP-ORAL-1b pigs had significantly higher anti-PEDV IgA levels on dpv 14, 21, 28 and 35. EXP-ORAL-1b also had detectable IgA in feces. Intramuscular PEDV exposure did not result in a detectable antibody response in EXP-IM-1b pigs. The fecal PEDV RNA levels in VAC-IM-2b pigs were significantly lower 5–7 days after challenge compared to the POS-CONTROL group. Under the study conditions a commercial inactivated G2b-based vaccine protected pigs against G2b challenge, as evidenced by reduction of PEDV RNA in feces for 3–4 logs during peak shedding and a shorter viral shedding duration. The oral, but not the intramuscular, experimental G1b-based live virus exposure induced a high anti-PEDV IgA response prior to challenge, which apparently did not impact PEDV shedding compared to POS-CONTROL pigs

Effects of fluoxetine on functional outcomes after acute stroke (FOCUS): a pragmatic, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial

Background Results of small trials indicate that fluoxetine might improve functional outcomes after stroke. The FOCUS trial aimed to provide a precise estimate of these effects. Methods FOCUS was a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial done at 103 hospitals in the UK. Patients were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, had a clinical stroke diagnosis, were enrolled and randomly assigned between 2 days and 15 days after onset, and had focal neurological deficits. Patients were randomly allocated fluoxetine 20 mg or matching placebo orally once daily for 6 months via a web-based system by use of a minimisation algorithm. The primary outcome was functional status, measured with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), at 6 months. Patients, carers, health-care staff, and the trial team were masked to treatment allocation. Functional status was assessed at 6 months and 12 months after randomisation. Patients were analysed according to their treatment allocation. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN83290762. Findings Between Sept 10, 2012, and March 31, 2017, 3127 patients were recruited. 1564 patients were allocated fluoxetine and 1563 allocated placebo. mRS data at 6 months were available for 1553 (99·3%) patients in each treatment group. The distribution across mRS categories at 6 months was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (common odds ratio adjusted for minimisation variables 0·951 [95% CI 0·839–1·079]; p=0·439). Patients allocated fluoxetine were less likely than those allocated placebo to develop new depression by 6 months (210 [13·43%] patients vs 269 [17·21%]; difference 3·78% [95% CI 1·26–6·30]; p=0·0033), but they had more bone fractures (45 [2·88%] vs 23 [1·47%]; difference 1·41% [95% CI 0·38–2·43]; p=0·0070). There were no significant differences in any other event at 6 or 12 months. Interpretation Fluoxetine 20 mg given daily for 6 months after acute stroke does not seem to improve functional outcomes. Although the treatment reduced the occurrence of depression, it increased the frequency of bone fractures. These results do not support the routine use of fluoxetine either for the prevention of post-stroke depression or to promote recovery of function. Funding UK Stroke Association and NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme