SIW-based interdigital bandpass filter with harmonic suppression

A novel configuration of interdigital bandpass filter based on the substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology is proposed. In addition to the interdigital resonators in SIW that determine the main response/characteristics of the filter, narrowing the width of the SIW at the center of the filter and additional vias at its input and output parts act as two additional control mechanisms to achieve the desired filter response. Moreover, dumbbells are etched to the ground side of the microstrip feeding sections at both ends of the filter to improve its harmonic suppression. A prototype filter is designed and fabricated for verification. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulations, and the filter exhibits very good harmonic suppression. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Closed-form Green's function representations in cylindrically stratified media for method of moments applications

Closed-form Green's function (CFGF) representations for cylindrically stratified media, which can be used as the kernel of an electric field integral equation, are developed. The developed CFGF representations can safely be used in a method of moments solution procedure, as they are valid for almost all possible source and field points that lie on the same radial distance from the axis of the cylinder (such as the air-dielectric and dielectric-dielectric interfaces) including the axial line (ρ = ρ′ and φ = φ′), which has not been available before. In the course of obtaining these expressions, the conventional spectral domain Green's function representations are rewritten in a different form so that i) we can attack the axial line problem and ii) the method can handle electrically large cylinders. Available acceleration techniques that exist in the literature are implemented to perform the summation over the cylindrical eigenmodes efficiently. Lastly, the resulting expressions are transformed to the spatial domain using the discrete complex image method with the help of the generalized pencil of function method, where a modified two-level approach is used. Numerical results are presented in the form of mutual coupling between two current modes to assess the accuracy of the final spatial domain CFGF representations. © 2009 IEEE

Financial citizenship and nation-building in Malaysia: elites' and citizens' perspectives

This article presents a postcolonial analysis of financial citizenship (FC) programmes in Malaysia. Drawing on secondary data and on interviews with elites and citizen investors, the paper explores the spatial and historically specific nature of financialisation in a postcolonial context. Specifically, the paper draws out the significance of FC as part of broader nation building objectives in Malaysia from an elite perspective, while also observing the reluctance of citizen investors who are engaging with the equity market to support the formal objectives of the policy. In doing so, it provides an example of the financialisation of everyday life in a distinctive and complex emerging economy context. Moreover, the paper explores these processes from both elite and citizen perspectives, allowing these layered relations within FC to be analysed. The article, therefore, contributes to the financialisation literature by bringing new understandings of elite–citizen relations in postcolonial nation-building strategies

Concordance of LDL-C Estimating Equations with Direct Enzymatic Measurement in Diabetic and Prediabetic Subjects

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a well-established biomarker in the management of dyslipidemia. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the concordance of LDL-C-estimating equations with direct enzymatic measurement in diabetic and prediabetic populations. The data of 31,031 subjects included in the study were divided into prediabetic, diabetic, and control groups according to HbA1c values. LDL-C was measured by direct homogenous enzymatic assay and calculated by Martin-Hopkins, Martin-Hopkins extended, Friedewald, and Sampson equations. The concordance statistics between the direct measurements and estimations obtained by the equations were evaluated. All equations evaluated in the study had lower concordance with direct enzymatic measurement in diabetic and prediabetic groups compared to the non-diabetic group. Even so, the Martin-Hopkins extended approach demonstrated the highest concordance statistic in diabetic and prediabetic patients. Further, Martin-Hopkins extended was found to have the highest correlation with direct measurement compared with other equations. Over the 190 mg/dL LDL-C concentrations, the equation with the highest concordance was again Martin-Hopkins extended. In most scenarios, the Martin-Hopkins extended performed best in prediabetic and diabetic groups. Additionally, direct assay methods can be used at low values of the non-HDL-C/TG ratio (<2.4), as the performance of the equations in LDL-C estimation decreases as non-HDL-C/TG decreases

Kawasaki disease: report of two cases

Kawasaki hastalıgı sistemik bir vaskülittir. En çok orta boy arterleri tutar. Gelismis ülkelerde çocuklarda edinsel kalp hastalıklarının en sık nedenidir. Halen etiolojisi ve patogenezi tam aydınlatılmamıstır. Koroner arter etkilenmesine baglı ani ölüm ve kronik hastalık riski intravenöz immünglobulin tedavisi sonrası belirgin azalmaktadır. Bu nedenle erken ve dogru tanı prognoz açısından çok önemlidir. Kawasaki hastalıgı tanısı konan iki olgumuzun birinde ekokardiyogramda sol ana koroner arterde dilatasyon saptandı. Diger olguda kardiyak lezyon yoktu. Koroner arter ektazisi izlemde geriledi. Bu makalede, iki olgu nedeniyle Kawasaki hastalıgı'nın tanısı, tedavi ve izlem ilkeleri tartısılmıstır.Kawasaki disease is a systemic vasculitis. It affects medium-sized arteries most commonly. In developed countries, it is the most common reason for acquired cardiac diseases in children. Etiology and pathogenesis of the disease have not yet been completely clarified. Risk of sudden death or chronic cardiac disease due to coronary artery lesions are highly decreased after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Thus, early and correct diagnosis is of utmost importance for favorable outcome. In one of the two cases with Kawasaki disease, left main coronary artery was dilated on the echocardiogram. The other patient had no cardiac lesion. Coronary artery ectasia was observed to be regressed. In this paper, due to the two cases, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up principles of Kawasaki disease were discussed

The effect of linear guide representation for topology optimization of a five-axis milling machine

Topology optimization is a countermeasure to obtain lightweight and stiff structures for machine tools. Topology optimizations are applied at component level due to computational limitations, therefore linear guides’ rolling elements are underestimated in most of the cases. Stiffness of the entire assembly depends on the least stiff components which are identified as linear guides in the current literature. In this study, effects of linear guide’s representation in virtual environment are investigated at assembly level by focusing on topology optimization. Two different contact models are employed for rolling elements in the linear guides. Reliability of the contact models are verified with experiments. After the verification, heavy duty cutting conditions are considered for the system and topology optimization is performed for two different contact models to reduce the mass of the structure. The difference caused by the representation of rolling elements is demonstrated for the same topology algorithm and the optimization results are compared for the models. Lastly, the effect of using more stiff linear guides in the five-axis milling machine is investigated by increasing the stiffness of the contact elements

A Novel Approach for the Efficient Computation of 1-D and 2-D Summations

A novel computational method is proposed to evaluate 1-D and 2-D summations and integrals which are relatively difficult to compute numerically. The method is based on applying a subspace algorithm to the samples of partial sums and approximating them in terms of complex exponentials. For a convergent summation, the residue of the exponential term with zero complex pole of this approximation corresponds to the result of the summation. Since the procedure requires the evaluation of relatively small number of terms, the computation time for the evaluation of the summation is reduced significantly. In addition, by using the proposed method, very accurate and convergent results are obtained for the summations which are not even absolutely convergent. The efficiency and accuracy of the method are verified by evaluating some challenging 1-D and 2-D summations and integrals. © 2016 IEEE

Deconstructing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender victim of sex trafficking: Harm, exceptionality and religion–sexuality tensions

Contrary to widespread belief, sex trafficking also targets lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) communities. Contemporary social and political constructions of victimhood lie at the heart of regulatory policies on sex trafficking. Led by the US Department of State, knowledge about LGBT victims of trafficking constitutes the newest frontier in the expansion of criminalization measures. These measures represent a crucial shift. From a burgeoning range of preemptive measures enacted to protect an amorphous class of ‘all potential victims’, now policies are heavily premised on the risk posed by traffickers to ‘victims of special interest’. These constructed identities, however, are at odds with established structures. Drawing on a range of literatures, the core task of this article is to confront some of the complexities and tensions surrounding constructions of LGBT trafficking victims. Specifically, the article argues that discourses of ‘exceptional vulnerability’ and the polarized notions of ‘innocence’ and ‘guilt’ inform hierarchies of victimhood. Based on these insights, the article argues for the need to move beyond monolithic understandings of victims, by reframing the politics of harm accordingly

The role of the family in attributing meaning to living with HIV and its stigma in Turkey

Stigma attached to HIV/AIDS remains a global problem, with severe negative consequences for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Family support is fundamental for PLHIV’s psychological and physical well-being. HIV-related stigma is high in Turkey, where HIV/AIDS prevalence is low and the epidemic is not considered a priority. Based on qualitative data generated with HIV-positive women and men, this article explores the process of stigmatization, as experienced and perceived by PLHIV in Turkey, focusing on the institution of the family. Results indicated that enacted stigma from family members is lower than anticipated. While most participants’ narratives showed patterns of support rather than rejection from families, the strong expectations around the cultural value attributed to “the family” are found to be the main facilitators of internalized stigma. The article critically discusses the meaning and implications of family support, addressing the role of patriarchal values attributed to womanhood, manhood, and sexuality in Turkey