Design of an Interdigital Structure Planar Bandpass Filter for UWB Frequency

A new topology of miniaturized interdigital structuremicrostrip planar bandpass filter for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) frequency has been discussed in this paper. The proposed design and its simulation have been carried out by using an electromagnetic simulation software named CST microwave studio. The Taconic TLX-8 microwave substrate has been used in this research. The experimental result and analysis have been performed by using the microwave vector network analyzer. The experimental result showed that the -10dB bandwidth of the filter is 7.5GHz. The lower and upper corner frequencies of the filter have been achieved at 3.1GHz and 10.6GHz respectively. At the center frequency of 6.85GHz, the -1dB insertion loss and the -7dB return losshave been observed. The simulated and experimental results are well agreed with a compact size filter of 19×21×0.5mm3

Prospects for the sustainability of delivering the basic package of Health Services in Afghanistan: a stakeholder analysis

This study explored the readiness of stakeholders in Afghanistan for sustaining delivery of the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) without external technical and financial assistance. A stakeholder analysis was applied using qualitative methods. Fifteen stakeholders were purposively drawn from the Afghanistan ministries of public health and finance, political representatives, development partners, nonprofit organizations and public health experts. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the stakeholders and desk review of pertinent documents. We found that sustainability of the BPHS in Afghanistan is questionable as stakeholders are sub optimally organized to come up with effective alternatives. Uneven ownership and divisive positioning are bottlenecks to the evolution of a realistic continuation plan. Those with the most significant influence are lukewarm, while those who are most supportive have the least influence. Sustainability needs to be tackled at the start in designing the BPHS rather than in the wake of eventual donor withdrawal

Anti-quorum sensing activity of some medicinal plants

Background: Quorum sensing is the key regulator of virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa such as biofilm formation, motility, productions of proteases, hemolysin, pyocyanin, and toxins. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of the extracts from some medicinal plants on quorum sensing and related virulence factors of P. aeruginosa.Material and Methods: Quorum sensing inhibitory (OSI) effect of the alcohol extracts of 20 medicinal plants was evaluated by Chromobacterium violaceum reporter using agar cup diffusion method. The efficient QSI extracts were tested for their activity against biofilm synthesis, motility, and synthesis of pyocyanin from P. aeruginosa PA14Results: The extracts of Citrus sinensis, Laurus nobilis, Elettaria cardamomum, Allium cepa, and Coriandrum sativum exhibited potent quorum quenching effect. On the other hand, Psidium guajava and Mentha longifolia extracts showed lower QSI activity. These extracts exhibited significant elimination of pyocyanin formation and biofilm development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14. In addition, they significantly inhibited twitching and swimming motilities of P. aeruginosa PA14.Conclusion: This study illustrated, for the first time, the importance of C. sinensis, L. nobilis, E. cardamomum, A. cepa, and C. sativum as quorum sensing inhibitors and virulence suppressors of P. aeruginosa. Thus, these plants could provide a natural source for the elimination of Pseudomonas pathogenesis.Keywords: Quorum sensing inhibitory activity, P. aeruginosa, Chromobacterium violaceum, virulence factor

Effects of Road Traffic Congestion on Economic Activities of Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania

The general objective of this study was to examine the effects of road traffic congestion on economic activities of Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania. The findings show that congestion is caused by narrow roads, bad road conditions, rainfall, non-operating traffic lights, double parking, inadequate feeder-roads, road accidents, road work, many pedestrians crossing the road and many bumps in the roads. Also, congestion on average increases costs of fuel by Tsh. 32,167.00 paid from bus drivers’ pocket and reduces productive time of workers by 2.5 hours. Similarly, employees with formal employment got up between 3:00am and 4:00am early in the morning to avoid road congestion but due to unreliable transport services employee with income of Tsh. 90,000.00 spend 39% of the income as fare because they pay twice in a single journey. However, during their return home they are easily caught in congestion as they get home late at 22:00pm. Therefore, congestion affects the economy by reducing the turnover, profit margin and sales of individuals and in aggregates the economic activities of Dar es Salaam region. This study recommends that, roads be enlarged and pedestrian bridges, feeder-roads and bumps be constructed in a way that reduces congestion. Keywords: Road Traffic Congestion and Economic Activities DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-6-05 Publication date:March 31st 202

Spectrophotometric Determination of Sulfanilamide in Pure and in Synthetic Sample based on Condensation Reaction Method

A new, Simple, sensitive and accurate spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the determination of sulfanilamide (SNA) drug in pure and in synthetic sample. This method based on the reaction of sulfanilamide (SNA) with 1,2-napthoquinone-4-sulphonic acid (NQS) to form N-alkylamono naphthoquinone by replacement of the sulphonate  group of the naphthoquinone sulphonic acid by an amino group. The colored chromogen shows absorption maximum at 455 nm. The optimum conditions of condensation reaction forms were investigated by: (1) univariable method, by optimizing the effect of experimental variables; (different bases, reagent concentration, borax concentration and reaction time),     (2) central  composite design (CCD) including the effect of three experimental factors (reagent concentration, borax concentration, and reaction time). The linearity ranges of sulfanilamide are (5-30 µg.mL-1) at 455 nm with molar absorptivity (6.9568×104 - 7.0774×104 L.mol-1.cm-1), Sandell's sensitivity index (2.4753 - 2.4330 μg.cm-2) and detection limit of (0.546 – 0.536 µg.mL-1) for each procedure respectively. The results showed there are no interferences of excipients on the determination of the drug. The proposed method has been successfully applied for the determination of sulfanilamide in pure and in synthetic sample. Keywords: Spectrophotometric determination, Sulfanilamide, Central  composite design, 1, 2-napthoquinone-4-sulphonic acid (NQS)

Application of Artificial Neural Networks in Dairy Products and Biosensors in Drying Products

Undoubtedly, one of the perishable groups in food science classification is dairy products. Dairy group foods provide nutrients that are vital for the health and maintenance of the body. Moreover, agriculture products with the lowest waste are strategist products for all the countries. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used in almost all industries such as science, technology, medicine and engineering due to their optimal efficiency. They have been used in analysis as well as the possibility of predicting shelf life in food industries. This article ana-lyzes the available information and articles related to the use of ANNs in predicting the shelf life of dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter, and cheese, which can be useful from the point of view of consumers, regulatory organizations, re-searchers, and academics be very productive. The objective of this review was to highlight the application of ANNs in food science technology on deliberated for usual dairy products in food market. The collected results in this research indicat-ed that this computing system followed mathematical models and these methods are always used in food science technologies as input and output in algorithms. © 2023 Hosseinvand et al

The Role of Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy in Patients with Fracture-Related Infection:A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal

INTRODUCTION: Fracture-related infection (FRI) is a severe musculoskeletal complication in orthopedic trauma surgery, causing challenges in bony and soft tissue management. Currently, negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is often used as temporary coverage for traumatic and surgical wounds, also in cases of FRI. However, controversy exists about the impact of NPWT on the outcome in FRI, specifically on infection recurrence. Therefore, this systematic review qualitatively assesses the literature on the role of NPWT in the management of FRI. METHODS: A literature search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science database was performed. Studies that reported on infection recurrence related to FRI management combined with NPWT were eligible for inclusion. Quality assessment was done using the PRISMA statement and the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. RESULTS: After screening and quality assessment of 775 unique identified records, eight articles could be included for qualitative synthesis. All eight studies reported on infection recurrence, which ranged from 2.8% to 34.9%. Six studies described wound healing time, varying from two to seven weeks. Four studies took repeated microbial swabs during subsequent vacuum dressing changes. One study reported newly detected pathogens in 23% of the included patients, and three studies did not find new pathogens. CONCLUSION: This review provides an assessment of current literature on the role of NPWT in the management of soft tissue defects in patients with FRI. Due to the lack of uniformity in included studies, conclusions should be drawn with caution. Currently, there is no clear scientific evidence to support the use of NPWT as definitive treatment in FRI. At this stage, we can only recommend early soft tissue coverage (within days) with a local or free flap. NPWT may be safe for a few days as temporarily soft tissue coverage until definitive soft tissue management could be performed. However, comparative studies between NPWT and early wound closure in FRI patients are needed

Geospatial Planning and the Resulting Economic Impact of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Introduction in Mozambique

Research has shown that the distance to the nearest immunization location can ultimately prevent someone from getting immunized. With the introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine throughout the world, a major question is whether the target populations can readily access immunization

the CUTHIVAC-001 randomized trial

Targeting of different tissues via transcutaneous (TC), intradermal (ID) and intramuscular (IM) injection has the potential to tailor the immune response to DNA vaccination. In this Phase I randomised controlled clinical trial in HIV-1 negative volunteers we investigate whether the site and mode of DNA vaccination influences the quality of the cellular immune responses. We adopted a strategy of concurrent immunization combining IM injection with either ID or TC administration. As a third arm we assessed the response to IM injection administered with electroporation (EP). The DNA plasmid encoded a MultiHIV B clade fusion protein designed to induce cellular immunity. The vaccine and regimens were well tolerated. We observed differential shaping of vaccine induced virus-specific CD4 + and CD8 + cell-mediated immune responses. DNA given by IM + EP promoted strong IFN-γ responses and potent viral inhibition. ID + IM without EP resulted in a similar pattern of response but of lower magnitude. By contrast TC + IM (without EP) shifted responses towards a more Th-17 dominated phenotype, associated with mucosal and epidermal protection. Whilst preliminary, these results offer new perspectives for differential shaping of desired cellular immunity required to fight the wide range of complex and diverse infectious diseases and cancers

Development of a Compact Phase Shifter for the Decimeter Wavelength Range

Поступила: 12.08.2023. Принята в печать: 10.10.2023.Received: 12.08.2023. Accepted: 10.10.2023.В статье представлены результаты исследования, направленного на миниатюризацию микрополоскового фазовращателя с переключаемыми линиями передачи. Было получено два компактных фазовращателя — один, в котором классический отрезок линии передачи был заменен фильтром нижних частот, и второй, в котором фильтры по питанию были выполнены на SMD-элементах. При сравнении теоретических и экспериментальных характеристик фазовращателей между ними было обнаружено расхождение, которое связано с различием значений диэлектрической проницаемости подложек в модели и прототипе, а также из-за различий в номиналах сосредоточенных элементов и допусках при изготовлении макетов.This paper presents the results of a study aimed at miniaturizing a microstrip phase shifter with switched transmission lines. Two compact phase shifters have been obtained — one in which the classic section of the transmission line is replaced by a low-pass filter, and the second in which the power supply filters are made on SMD elements. When comparing the theoretical and experimental characteristics of phase shifters, a discrepancy has been discovered between them, which is associated with the difference in the dielectric constant of the substrates in the model and the prototype, as well as due to differences in the values of lumped elements and tolerances in the manufacture of prototypes