An ultra-wideband compact design for hyperthermia: Open ridged-waveguide antenna

Antennas are the building block of radiative hyperthermia (HT) applicators. This study proposes a compact UWB antenna specifically tailored to meet the requirements for deep HT array applicators. The proposed Open Ridged-Waveguide (ORWG) antenna, which is an adaptation of a double-ridged horn antenna, operates over the frequency band of 400-800 MHz. It was experimentally assessed as a single element. The quality metrics considered were reflection coefficient, penetration depth, effective field size (EFS), and mutual coupling. The design shows a 75.5% fractional bandwidth with a reflection coefficient measured to be below -10 dB from 367 up to 820 MHz. The EFS is greater than the physical dimensions of the 3-by-4 cm aperture. The mutual coupling between two adjacent elements in the array, measured in a flat phantom arrangement, is lower than -30 dB throughout the entire band. The antenna\u27s performance was further tested in two deep HT scenarios in order to assess the mutual coupling and focussing abilities while in the array configuration. To this end, phased array applicators consisting of 10 and 16 ORWG antennas were simulated in CST, and the results are presented for a homogeneous cylindrical muscle phantom and a realistic patient model, respectively. The good agreement between the simulated and measured results suggests that the antenna can be successfully used for HT

A phased array applicator based on open ridged-waveguide antenna for microwave hyperthermia

Radiative hyperthermia is a clinically applied cancer treatment modality where antenna design is crucial to achieving therapeutic goals. Serving as the building block of a phased-array configuration, antennas are typically arranged in a cylindrical or elliptical array called applicator. This short communication proposes an elliptical phased array applicator based on a compact, UWB design from the category of double-ridged horn antennas customized for hyperthermia systems. The performance of the antenna, named open ridged-waveguide, has been experimentally assessed based on the quality metrics of the hyperthermic community. The proposed design achieves an ultra-wideband range of operation from 400 to 800 MHz with an aperture size of 3 by 4 cm. Moreover, thanks to the shielding provided by the metallic housing, the design proves good isolation better than -30 dB throughout the band. The power deposition capability of the proposed applicator followed by the thermal analysis is also investigated for a realistic headand neck patient model. The results indicate very good quality metrics achieved in the treatment planning of the patient

Horizontal collaboration in logistics: A feasible task for group purchasing

Current attention to the argument of collaborative procurement has been investigated by both academia and industry practitioners as the concept of group purchasing. This paper first reviews the literature on horizontal collaboration in purchasing task and recognises the interface between purchasing progress and the logistical point of view of supply as the accomplishing task of the procurement cycle. Secondly, it examines the effects of a successful horizontal collaboration in logistics activities among a group of small and medium sized food enterprises (SMEs) which have participated in a purchasing consortium. ‘Homo-regional firms’ are introduced as a logistics concept illustrating the potentiality in establishing horizontal collaboration in logistics activities in order to gain a competitive advantage. Methodology consists of data collection through quantitative questionnaires in direct contact with the firms. The results show a reduction of 10% to 30% in outbound logistics cost in comparison to the time period in which the firms were undergoing procurement by themselves

Kinetics study of hydrochlorothiazide lactose liquid state interaction using conventional isothermal arrhenius method under basic and neutral conditions

The Maillard reaction of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and lactose has been previously demonstrated in pharmaceutical formulations. In this study, the activation energy of - hydrohlorothiazide and lactose interaction in the liquid state was ascertained under basic and neutral conditions. Conventional isothermal High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique was employed to ascertain the kinetic parameters using Arrhenius method. Results: The activation energy obtained was 82.43 and 100.28 kJ/mol under basic and neutral conditions, respectively. Consequently, it can be inferred that Maillard reaction is significantly affected by pH, which can be used as a control factor whenever the reaction potentially occurs

Punctuality Improvement in Australian Rail Freight Network by Transit Time Management

Abstract: With rapid development in product globalization and just-in-time production over the last two decades, area-specific reliable, responsive and customer-oriented rail freight services are in demand and are of increasing interest. Having a proper understanding of underlying factors in the evaluation of the quality of rail freight services is a key challenge in the short-term and long-term regional and metropolitan freight mobility planning, particularly within the context of a competitive rail freight market as in Australia. Among the fundamental attributes of rail freight services, transit time and reliability/punctuality are of utmost importance, which also tend to be inevitably correlated. This paper discusses the potential opportunities for service improvement in the Australian non-bulk interstate network through managing the underlying factors. The paper also addresses the conditions under which these factors can be combined to enhance the utilisation and efficiency of rail freight services in the national rail infrastructure. Citation: Ghaderi, H. & Namazi-Rad, M-R. (2014). Punctuality Improvement in Australian Rail Freight Network by Transit Time Management. In: Campbell P. and Perez P. (Eds), Proceedings of the International Symposium of Next Generation Infrastructure, 1-4 October 2013, SMART Infrastructure Facility, University of Wollongong, Australia

Pengujian Efisiensi Bentuk Setengah Kuat di Indonesia

Efficient market is the market in which when there is an announcement the market get a reac- tion quickly from the investors. This finally influences the price movement of securities to- ward the new equilibrium price. Some of action dealing with announcement and that it is be- lieved to have trustable information, this information can be considered feasible to get re- sponse technically so as to influence the transaction in the capital market outside. Further- more, a market can be efficient also when it is a strong form and the security prices fully ex- presses all information widespread. This study attempts to find out to what extend the effi- ciency for capital market information in Indonesia by testing some actions done by the com- panies announced on the stock split, reverse split, profit announcement, and dividend shar- ing. The sample was taken by means of purposive sampling. Each consists of 26 samples of events for stock split and 19 sample of event for stock reverse. For announcement of the profit consists of 28 companies with 45 events and dividend announcement 26 companies for 52 events. The Expected is calculated using 3 models (Market Model, Mean Adjusted Model, and Market Adjusted Model). Using estimation period of 100 with five day observation pe- riod after event analysis, it shows that Indonesia capital markets has different reactions to- ward each event. In general, the results show that only profit announcement is responded by the capital market

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Global variations in diabetes mellitus based on fasting glucose and haemogloblin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but may identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening had elevated FPG, HbA1c, or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardised proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed, and detected in survey screening, ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the agestandardised proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global gap in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.peer-reviewe

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Disorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021. Methods We estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined. Findings Globally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer. Interpretation As the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation