Electronically Controllable Phase Shifter with Progressive Impedance Transformation at K Band

This communication presents the design of a two-port electronically tunable phase shifter at K band. The phase shifter consists of a 3 dB hybrid coupler loaded with reflective phase-controllable circuits. The reflective circuits are formed by varactors and non-sequential impedance transformers which increase the operational bandwidth and the provided phase shift. The final phase shifter design is formed by two loaded-coupler stages of phase shifting to guarantee a complete phase turn. An 18 GHz phase shifter design with dynamic range of 600 degrees of phase shift is depicted in this document. The prototype is manufactured and validated through measurements showing good agreement with the simulation results.This work has been partially supported by the TIN2016-75097-P, RTI2018-102002-A-I00, and EQC2018- 004988-P projects of the Spanish National Program of Research, Development, and Innovation and project B-TIC-402-UGR18 of Junta de Andalucí

Mutations in the Neuronal Vesicular SNARE VAMP2 Affect Synaptic Membrane Fusion and Impair Human Neurodevelopment

VAMP2 encodes the vesicular SNARE protein VAMP2 (also called synaptobrevin-2). Together with its partners syntaxin-1A and synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP25), VAMP2 mediates fusion of synaptic vesicles to release neurotransmitters. VAMP2 is essential for vesicular exocytosis and activity-dependent neurotransmitter release. Here, we report five heterozygous de novo mutations in VAMP2 in unrelated individuals presenting with a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by axial hypotonia (which had been present since birth), intellectual disability, and autistic features. In total, we identified two single-amino-acid deletions and three non-synonymous variants affecting conserved residues within the C terminus of the VAMP2 SNARE motif. Affected individuals carrying de novo non-synonymous variants involving the C-terminal region presented a more severe phenotype with additional neurological features, including central visual impairment, hyperkinetic movement disorder, and epilepsy or electroencephalography abnormalities. Reconstituted fusion involving a lipid-mixing assay indicated impairment in vesicle fusion as one of the possible associated disease mechanisms. The genetic synaptopathy caused by VAMP2 de novo mutations highlights the key roles of this gene in human brain development and function

Contribution to the design of filtering and multiplexing RF devices and structures for wireless and satellite communication applications

En la actualidad se está llevando a cabo gran cantidad de investigación sobre el diseño de dispositivos electrónicos como filtros, desplazadores de fase y circuladores para sistemas de telecomunicaciones debido a su inevitable papel entre el transmisor y el receptor en la toda la cadena de un sistema de telecomunicaciones. Por lo tanto, los estudios que investigan la optimización del diseño de esos elementos electrónicos son de gran importancia. Este trabajo de tesis está dedicado al diseño de dispositivos y estructuras de radiofrecuencia (RF) de filtrado y multiplexación para aplicaciones de comunicaciones inalámbricas y satelitales. En este trabajo se ha realizado un profundo estado del arte en las tecnologías de filtrado, multiplexación y guiado (capítulo 2). Se exponen los antecedentes de los filtros, desfasadores y circuladores con la introducción de las tecnologías de los circuitos, su síntesis y las técnicas de diseño, introduciendo también procedimientos de optimización, como la optimización basada en gradientes y la optimización de algoritmos genéticos, que reducen el coste y el tiempo del proceso de diseño. El trabajo principal de esta tesis se centra en los filtros de RF (capítulo 3), los desfasadores de RF (capítulo 4) y los circuladores de RF (capítulo 5). El diseño de los filtros de RF (capítulo 3) se centra principalmente en el filtro paso-banda de guía de onda sintonizable utilizando pines rectangulares cubiertos por material de grafeno, permitiendo la sintonización de la frecuencia central e incluso el ancho de banda del filtro. El diseño de defasadores (capítulo 4) propone una técnica novedosa para estos dispositivos con corrección de fase con sus técnicas de síntesis y diseño basadas en el circuito reflectante controlable electrónicamente, optimizado para frecuencias de hasta 18 GHz. El proceso de diseño va acompañado de un nuevo método de optimización basado en algoritmos genéticos para hacer coincidir los caracteres de entrada necesarios. El último dispositivo en estudio es el circulador de microstrip (capítulo 5). Su diseño se basa en la topología de línea stripline/microtrip y se proponen algunas técnicas de diseño de circuladores. También se proponen técnicas de optimización para proporcionar diferentes diseños de circuladores que cumplan con los requisitos exigentes en su rendimiento. Este documento detalla el trabajo de la Tesis, identificando los límites preliminares de todos aquellos diseños de dispositivos, cumpliendo con los objetivos de la Tesis.Many investigations on designing electronic devices such as filters, phase shifters and circulators for telecommunication systems are ongoing due to their inevitable role between the transmitter and the receiver in the telecommunication chain. Therefore, studies that investigate the optimization of design of those electronic elements are of great importance. This Thesis work is devoted to the design of filtering and multiplexing radiofrequency (RF) devices and structures for wireless and satellite communication applications. In this work, a deep state of the art on the filtering and multiplexing technologies has been carried out (chapter 2). It states the background of filters, phase shifters and circulators with the introduction of the technologies of the circuits, their synthesis and design techniques, also introducing optimization procedures, such as the gradient based optimization and the genetic algorithm optimization, that reduce the cost and the time of the design process. The main work of this Thesis is focused on RF filters (chapter 3), RF phase shifters (chapter 4) and circulators (chapter 5). The design of RF filters (chapter 3) is mainly focused on tunable waveguide band pass filter using rectangular pins covered by graphene material, allowing the tuning of the center frequency and even the bandwidth of the filter. The design of phase shifter (chapter 4) proposes a novel technique for phase shifters with their synthesis and design techniques based on reflective radio frequency circuit, optimized for frequencies up to 18 GHz. The design process is accompanied by a new optimization method based on genetic algorithms to match any input characters needed. The last device under study is the microstrip circulator (chapter 5). Its design is based on stripline/microstrip topology and some circulator design techniques are proposed. Optimization techniques are also proposed to provide different circulator designs that fulfil demanding requirements in their performance. This document details the Thesis work, identifying preliminary limits on all those device designs, fulfilling the objectives of the Thesis.Tesis Univ. Granada

Un cas marocain d’érythrophagocytose blastique et LAL T de novo sans anomalie cytogénétique

L´érythrophagocytose blastique correspond à une hyperactivation des blastes. L´érythrophagocytose est retrouvée dans les hémopathies myéloïdes surtout avec la t (8;16). Dans ce travail nous présentons un cas exceptionnel d´érythrophagocytose blastique au cours d´une leucémie aigue lymphoblastique T sans anomalies cytogénétiques. A.Z âgée de 19 ans, l´examen à l´admission a trouvé un syndrome fébrile avec des vertiges et phosphènes, un syndrome tumoral avec une hypertrophie amygdalienne et gingivale. L´hémogramme a objectivé une hyperleucocytose (399,5 G/L), avec une anémie arégénérative (Hb: 9,3 g/dl) et thrombopénie (plaquettes: 40 G/L). Le myélogramme a montré 90% des blastes (MPO négative) avec des images d´érythrophagocytose blastique. L´immunophénotypage a confirmé une LAL T. L´analyse cytogénétique était normale. L´érythrophagocytose blastique dans une LAL T semblerait être une entité distincte nécessitant la précision de l´impact de ces images sur le diagnostic, le pronostic voir même le traitement des LAL T

A homozygous MED11 C-terminal variant causes a lethal neurodegenerative disease

The mediator (MED) multisubunit-complex modulates the activity of the transcriptional machinery, and genetic defects in different MED subunits (17, 20, 27) have been implicated in neurologic diseases. In this study, we identified a recurrent homozygous variant in MED11 (c.325C>T; p.Arg109Ter) in 7 affected individuals from 5 unrelated families

Supercritical fluid extraction of vegetable matrices: Applications, trends and future perspectives of a convincing green technology

Along more than a decade, R\&D on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of vegetable matrices has been increasingly reported in the literature. Aiming at portraying the current state of this field and its evolution in terms of raw materials, products, modes of operation, optimization, modeling techniques, and closeness to industrial application, a large compilation of almost 600 essays from 2000 to 2013 has been deeply analyzed in order to unveil those indicators and their trends. Furthermore, strengths and weaknesses are identified, and some remarks that may drive upcoming research are provided. Globally, more than 300 species are reported in the literature, with prevalence of the extraction of seeds (28% of works) and leaves (17%). The main families of extracted compounds, cosolvents and operating conditions adopted are critically examined, being possible to conclude that researchers investigate many times working regions far from the optimum due to practical limitations or absence of experimental optimization. Current phenomenological, statistical and semi-empirical approaches are reviewed, along with scale-up studies, and economic analysis. In the whole, the most comprehensive picture over SFE of vegetable matrices is provided in this review, highlighting pertinent aspects and opportunities that may further consolidate the convincing route of this technology for the next years. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved