Unit-cell design for antenna arrays efficiently matched to uni-travelling-carrier photodiodes

International audienceWe present an antenna array with a backing reflector that allows one to obtain efficient matching to integrated sources or loads with low input resistance. In the infinite array limit, it is possible to describe the proposed unit-cell as an equivalent network with closed-form expressions for its different constituents. This analytic approach enables the preliminary design of arrays with improved matching efficiency for optimum power transmission/reception. The proposed solution has enabled an improved matching to a uni-travelling-carrier photodiode with a maximum improvement of 3 dB in the radiated power with respect to a 72-Ω antenna, and featuring a 50% bandwidth

Adsorption of representative pharmaceutical compounds from hospital wastewater by carbon materials

Pharmaceuticals are a class of emerging environmental contaminants that are extensively and increasingly being used in human and veterinary medicine. The worldwide consumption of these substances has increased in both hospitals and households, which represents a major concern in terms of their potential harmful effects on the environment and human health [1]. Thus, fluoroquinolone antibiotics are widely used in human medicine and animal breeding for preventing and curing diseases. Ciprofloxacin is a wide-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic extensively used in the world, which can generate high contributions to public sewers. Meanwhile, carbamazepine, one of the most widely prescribed psychoactive drugs, shows important endocrine disrupting effects and it is frequently detected in high concentrations in both WWTPs effluents and river water. Because of the removal efficiency of these compounds in the conventional wastewater treatment plants is not complete (ranging from 7-8% for carbamazepine), it is necessary the implementation of tertiary technologies in order to achieve WWTPs effluents with a better quality. Adsorption onto carbon materials has proven as an efficient treatment in the removal of a broad spectrum of micro-pollutants. This work has been focused on the study of equilibrium adsorption of carbamazepine (CBZ) and ciprofloxacin (CPX) from ultrapure water at 30 ºC using carbonaceous materials. Commercial carbon materials (AC-F400 activated carbon, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, MWNT, and carbon nanofibers, CNF) and lab-synthesized activated carbons from peach stones (AC-PS) and rice husk (AC-RH) as precursors have been used. Moreover, carbon adsorbents have been used to treat a real hospital wastewater containing 55 different pharmaceutical compounds. Among them, both CBZ and CPX were found at concentrations of 162.55 and \u3e 40 ng.L-1, respectively. The removal efficiency of quality macroscopic parameters (Total Organic Carbon concentration, TOC, Total Nitrogen concentration, TN, carbonates, CO32-, and aromaticity) and each of the pharmaceuticals contained in the wastewater was evaluated. Large adsorption capacities of CBZ and CPX (around 240 and 200 mg.g-1) were found in 4 hours, using adsorbent doses ranging from 2-3 g.L-1, natural pH, temperature of 30 ºC and stirring rate of 250 rpm. In addition, competitive adsorption experiments using both pollutants in ultrapure water have been performed. The bi-component adsorption systems were reasonably well-fitted by the extended Freundlich model equation. In the treatment of the hospital wastewater, a maximum TOC reduction of 96.5% ([TOC]0 = 110 mg L-1) was achieved by adsorption onto AC-RH activated carbon, since all the studied macroscopic parameters were too efficiently removed. Moreover, by the adsorption treatment, the complete disappearance of all the pharmaceutical compounds (except two of them) was observed. References [1] S. Ortiz de García, G. Pinto Pinto, P. García Encina, R. Irusta Mata, Consumption and occurrence of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the aquatic environment in Spain, Sci. Total Environ. 444 (2013) 451–465

Androgen receptor immunoreactivity in forebrain axons and dendrites in the rat

As members of the steroid receptor superfamily, androgen receptors (ARs) have been traditionally identified as transcription factors. In the presence of ligand, ARs reside in the nucleus, where, upon ligand binding, the receptors dimerize and bind to specific response elements in the promoter region of hormone-responsive genes. However, in this report, we describe the discovery that ARs are also present in axons and dendrites within the mammalian central nervous system. AR expression in axons was identified in the rat brain at the light microscopic level using two different antibodies directed against the N terminus of the AR protein and nickel intensified 3′-3′-diaminobenzidine, and also using fluorescence methods and confocal microscopy. This distribution was confirmed at the ultrastructural level. In addition, AR immunoreactivity was identified in small dendrites at the ultrastructural level. AR-immunoreactive axons were observed primarily in the cerebral cortex and were rare in regions where nuclear AR expression is abundant. The observation that ARs are present in axons and dendrites highlights the possibility that androgens play an important and novel extranuclear role in neuronal function.Peer Reviewe

Metasurface Antennas: New Models, Applications and Realizations

This paper presents new designs, implementation and experiments of metasurface (MTS) antennas constituted by subwavelength elements printed on a grounded dielectric slab. These antennas exploit the interaction between a cylindrical surface wave (SW) wavefront and an anisotropic impedance boundary condition (BC) to produce an almost arbitrary aperture field. They are extremely thin and excited by a simple in-plane monopole. By tailoring the BC through the shaping of the printed elements, these antennas can be largely customized in terms of beam shape, bandwidth and polarization. In this paper, we describe new designs and their implementation and measurements. It is experimentally shown for the first time that these antennas can have aperture efficiency up to 70%, a bandwidth up to 30%, they can produce two different direction beams of high-gain and similar beams at two different frequencies, showing performances never reached before

Integration of Social, Cultural, and Biomedical Strategies into an Existing Couple-Based Behavioral HIV/STI Prevention Intervention: Voices of Latino Male Couples

Introduction Successful HIV prevention and treatment requires evidence-based approaches that combine biomedical strategies with behavioral interventions that are socially and culturally appropriate for the population or community being prioritized. Although there has been a push for a combination approach, how best to integrate different strategies into existing behavioral HIV prevention interventions remains unclear. The need to develop effective combination approaches is of particular importance for men who have sex with men (MSM), who face a disproportionately high risk of HIV acquisition. Materials and Methods We collaborated with Latino male couples and providers to adapt Connect ‘n Unite, an evidence-based intervention for Black male couples, for Latino male couples. We conducted a series of three focus groups, each with two cohorts of couples, and one focus group with providers. A purposive stratified sample of 20 couples (N = 40, divided into two cohorts) and 10 providers provided insights into how to adapt and integrate social, cultural, and biomedical approaches in a couples-based HIV/AIDS behavioral intervention. Results The majority (N = 37) of the couple participants had no prior knowledge of the following new biomedical strategies: non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP); pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); and HIV self-testing kits. After they were introduced to these biomedical interventions, all participants expressed a need for information and empowerment through knowledge and awareness of these interventions. In particular, participants suggested that we provide PrEP and HIV self-testing kits by the middle or end of the intervention. Providers suggested a need to address behavioral, social and structural issues, such as language barriers; and the promotion of client-centered approaches to increase access to, adaptation of, and adherence to biomedical strategies. Corroborating what couple participants suggested, providers agreed that biomedical strategies should be offered after providing information about these tools. Regarding culturally sensitive and responsive approaches, participants identified stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and sexual identity as barriers to care, language barriers and documentation status as further barriers to care, the couple-based approach as ideal to health promotion, and the need to include family topics in the intervention. Discussion We successfully adapted an evidence-based behavioral HIV prevention intervention for Latino male couples. The adapted intervention, called Conectando Latinos en Pareja, integrates social, cultural, behavioral and biomedical strategies to address the HIV epidemic among Latino MSM. The study highlights the promise regarding the feasibility of implementing a combination approach to HIV prevention in this populatio

Control of Italian ryegrass and Alexandergrass in corn using different corn sowing date, pre- and post-emergent herbicides.

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) Italian ryegrass (LOLMU) and Alexandergrass (URPLA) are troublesome weeds in corn cropping systems in Southern Brazil. The emergence pattern of those weeds is not uniform and may change according to the season?s environmental characteristics. Also, herbicide resistance has been diminishing the success of the weed control programs. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of corn-sowing date on LOLMU and URPLA densities and their control provided by pre- and post-emergent herbicides. Field trials were conducted in two crop seasons in Southern Brazil consisting of three corn sowing date (August, September, and October) and the application of atrazine + S-metolachlor (residual) in corn pre-emergence in different post-emergence weed control programs with glyphosate, ammonium-glufosinate, nicosulfuron, and atrazine. The results indicated that the sowing date had a significant influence on LOLMU and URPLA densities. Corn sown in the earliest period was exposed to a higher LOLMU density, whereas corn sown in the latest period had a higher density of URPLA. Also, the application of residual herbicide at corn pre-emergence reduced both weed species densities and decreased the pressure for the control of glyphosate-resistant LOLMU for the post-emergence herbicides. The use of residual herbicides in corn pre-emergence is an efficient strategy to be considered in the LOLMU and URPLA control programs, followed by post-emergence application of glyphosate, ammonium-glufosinate, atrazine, and nicosulfuron

A New Hierarchy of Research Evidence for Tumor Pathology: A Delphi Study to Define Levels of Evidence in Tumor Pathology

Copyright \ua9 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The hierarchy of evidence is a fundamental concept in evidence-based medicine, but existing models can be challenging to apply in laboratory-based health care disciplines, such as pathology, where the types of evidence and contexts are significantly different from interventional medicine. This project aimed to define a comprehensive and complementary framework of new levels of evidence for evaluating research in tumor pathology-introducing a novel Hierarchy of Research Evidence for Tumor Pathology collaboratively designed by pathologists with help from epidemiologists, public health professionals, oncologists, and scientists, specifically tailored for use by pathologists-and to aid in the production of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors (WCT) evidence gap maps. To achieve this, we adopted a modified Delphi approach, encompassing iterative online surveys, expert oversight, and external peer review, to establish the criteria for evidence in tumor pathology, determine the optimal structure for the new hierarchy, and ascertain the levels of confidence for each type of evidence. Over a span of 4 months and 3 survey rounds, we collected 1104 survey responses, culminating in a 3-day hybrid meeting in 2023, where a new hierarchy was unanimously agreed upon. The hierarchy is organized into 5 research theme groupings closely aligned with the subheadings of the WCT, and it consists of 5 levels of evidence-level P1 representing evidence types that merit the greatest level of confidence and level P5 reflecting the greatest risk of bias. For the first time, an international collaboration of pathology experts, supported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has successfully united to establish a standardized approach for evaluating evidence in tumor pathology. We intend to implement this novel Hierarchy of Research Evidence for Tumor Pathology to map the available evidence, thereby enriching and informing the WCT effectively