Power link budget for propagating Bessel beams

International audienceThe power link budget for a system that transmits and receives propagating Bessel beams is studied. The transmitter and receiver are separated by a distance D and consist of leaky radial waveguides. Full-wave simulations are used to compute the admittance-matrix representation of the system. The resonances of the coupled transmitter and receiver are then derived using classical network theory. For comparison purposes, a second configuration with its transmitter and receiver connected by a circular waveguide is considered. In contrast to the open system, such a configuration is closed and does not radiate. It is found that within the non-diffractive range of the Bessel beam, both closed and open systems exhibit the same resonances within an error of 0.6%. Calculations show that the power efficiency of the open system can exceed 85% within the non-diffractive range. The proposed system may find application in areas such as wireless power transfer, near-field communication and non-destructive evaluation

Generation of non-diffractive Bessel beams by inward cylindrical traveling wave aperture distributions

International audienceThe focusing capabilities of an inward cylindrical traveling wave aperture distribution and the non-diffractive behaviour of its radiated field are analyzed. The wave dynamics of the infinite aperture radiated field is clearly unveiled by means of closed form expressions, based on incomplete Hankel functions, and their ray interpretation. The non-diffractive behaviour is also confirmed for finite apertures up to a defined limited range. A radial waveguide made by metallic gratings over a ground plane and fed by a coaxial feed is used to validate numerically the analytical results. The proposed system and accurate analysis of non-diffractive Bessel beams launched by inward waves opens new opportunities for planar, low profile beam generators at microwaves, Terahertz and optics

Optimized analysis of slotted substrate integrated waveguides by a method-of-moments mode -matching hybrid approach

International audienceA full-wave hybrid formulation is proposed for the efficient and accurate modeling of substrate integrated waveguides by rigorously accounting for all possible interactions among elements such as vertical metallic or dielectric posts and coupling or radiating slots. The method is specifically accelerated in order to maximize the efficiency of the analysis of common structures. Its flexibility allows for the study of a large class of devices, possibly in stacked-waveguide configurations, and for the characterization of radiated fields and input port parameters

A millimeter-wave Bessel beam launcher through the excitation of higher-order leaky modes

International audienceWe present a Bessel beam launcher based on a radial leaky-wave antenna operating at millimeter waves. With respect to a design method proposed by one of the Authors in a lower frequency range, a new approach is chosen here, as an alternative to a simple scaling of all the geometrical parameters. In order to avoid inacceptable levels of losses and possible fabrication issues due to an extremely thin substrate, our design is based on the suitable excitation of a higher-order leaky mode. Closed-form equations are derived in order to simplify the design, providing reliable values for the physical parameters once the near-field characteristics are assigned. Simulated results are shown to validate the proposed procedure

Optimization Procedure for Planar Leaky-Wave Antennas With Flat-Topped Radiation Patterns

International audienceWe describe here an optimization procedure to shape the radiation pattern of planar two-dimensional (2-D) leaky-wave antennas. The structures under investigation are superstrate configurations made by partially reflecting screens (impedances sheets) over a ground plane and excited by open-ended waveguides. The antenna configuration providing the required radiation pattern is obtained by resorting to an ad hoc optimization procedure that minimizes the mean squared error between the target pattern and the actual radiated far field. The radiated field is analytically evaluated using a Green's function spectral approach to speed up the optimization process. Several kinds of radiation patterns can be obtained using the proposed algorithm. In this work, we focus our attention on flat-topped radiation patterns, suitable as element pattern for phased array antennas covering a limited angular field of view such as those considered for space applications. The proposed procedure is validated by full-wave results and measurements

On the Near-Field Shaping and Focusing Capability of a Radial Line Slot Array

International audienceWe describe the design of a radial line slot array antenna with a shaped and focused near field. The antenna is designed in such a way to control the side lobe level and beamwidth of the normal component of the electric field with respect to the radiating aperture. The design procedure consists of two steps. In the first step, the requirements on the near-field pattern are provided over a focusing plane at a given distance from the radiating aperture. A set theoretic approach is then used to derive the aperture field distribution fitting the requirements over the near field. In the second step, the aperture field distribution is synthesized by accurately placing and sizing the slots of the antenna. The spillover efficiency is maximized during the design process. The antenna is centrally fed by a simple coaxial probe. The antenna design is validated by a prototype and measurements at 12.5 GHz

New frontiers of cognitive rehabilitation in geriatric age: the Mozart effect (ME)

The ME was described for the first time in 1993. Subsequently other studies with similar designs were performed. The present study, therefore, proposes: (i) to verify the existence of the benefits of exposure to music in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), (ii) to explore whether it is possible to find any lasting improvement after training, conducted for a long period of time, with such musical pieces, in the measurable cognitive performances. The study we conducted showed that the ME is present in geriatric patients with MCI; the influence on spatial–temporal abilities remains constant in time if the stimulation is maintained. The continuation of our study will consist of increasing the number of individuals examined and in having them listen to music during the study of ECG rhythms and during the acquisition of cerebral functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and, at the same time, testing them by neuropsychometric methods

Analysis of limited-diffractive and limited-dispersive X-waves generated by finite radial waveguides

International audienceIn this work, we analyze the spatial and temporal features of electromagnetic X-waves propagating in free space and generated by planar radiating apertures. The performance of ideal X-waves is discussed and compared to practical cases where the important effects related to the finiteness of the radiating aperture and the wavenumber dispersion are taken into account. In particular, a practical device consisting of a radial waveguide loaded with radiating slots aligned along a spiral path is considered for the practical case in the millimeter-wave range. A common mathematical framework is defined for a precise comparison of the spatiotemporal properties and focusing capabilities of the generated X-wave. It is clearly shown that the fractional bandwidth of the radiating aperture has a key role in the longitudinal confinement of an X-wave in both ideal and practical cases. In addition, the finiteness of the radiating aperture as well as the wavenumber dispersion clearly affect both the transverse and the longitudinal profiles of the generated radiation as it travels beyond the depth-of-field of the generated X-wave. Nevertheless, the spatiotemporal properties of the X-wave are preserved even in this "dispersive-finite" case within a defined region and duration related to the nondiffractive range and fractional bandwidth of the spectral components of the generated X-wave. The proposed analysis may open new perspectives for the efficient generation of X-waves over finite radiating apertures at millimeter waves where the dispersive behavior of realistic devices is no longer negligible. Published by AIP Publishing

"Delirium Day": A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 \ub1 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys