A New mmWave Antenna Array with Wideband Characteristics for Next Generation Communication Systems

This paper presents a planar multi-circular loop antenna with wide impedance bandwidth for next generation mm-wave systems. The proposed antenna comprises three circular rings with a partial ground plane having a square slot. The resonating structure is designed on a 0.254 mm thin RO5880 substrate with a relative permittivity of 2.3. The single element of the proposed de-sign showed resonance response from 26.5 to 41 GHz with peak gain of 4 dBi and radiation efficiency of 96%. The proposed multicircular ring antenna element is transformed into a four element array system. The array size is kept at 18.25 × 12.5 × 0.254 mm3 with a peak gain of 11 dBi. The antenna array is fabricated and measured using the inhouse facility. The simulated and measured results are well agreed upon and are found suitable for mmwave communication systems

Nanotechnology: Sketching the next big thing in Malaysian context

Realizing the limitless prospects of nanotechnology, many countries in the world, irrespective of size and economy, have been investing and allocating considerable amount of funding. Innovative initiatives are also taken at both public and private sphere. Over the years, Malaysia has successfully established its competence in electrical and electronic, and chemical sectors, where nanotechnology is very prospective. The government of Malaysia has realized the importance of the nanoscale technology immediately when other countries initiated their respective moves to exploit it. Already hundreds of products containing the word "nano" in the product name are available in Malaysia market, and many companies have been commercializing nano-enhanced products in Malaysian markets. This article attempts to portray the different initiatives taken by the Malaysian policymakers in relation to nanotechnology research and development. Even though the policymakers have taken a good number of initiatives, there are many scopes to take more steps as some of Malaysia's neighbors have taken some serious and pragmatic initiatives to take lead

Structural and Evolutionary Insights Into the Binding of Host Receptors by the Rabies Virus Glycoprotein

Rabies represents a typical model for spillover of zoonotic viral diseases among multiple hosts. Understanding the success of rabies virus (RV) in switching hosts requires the analysis of viral evolution and host interactions. In this study, we have investigated the structural and sequence analysis of host receptors among different RV susceptible host species. Our extensive bioinformatic analysis revealed the absence of the integrin plexin domain in the integrin β1 (ITGB1) receptor of the black fruit bats in the current annotation of the genome. Interestingly, the nicotinic acetyl choline receptor (nAChR) interaction site with the glycoprotein (G) of RV was conserved among different species. To study the interaction dynamics between RV-G protein and the RV receptors, we constructed and analyzed structures of RV receptors and G proteins using homology modeling. The molecular docking of protein-protein interaction between RV-G protein and different host receptors highlighted the variability of interacting residues between RV receptors of different species. These in silico structural analysis and interaction mapping of viral protein and host receptors establish the foundation to understand complex entry mechanisms of RV entry, which may facilitate the understanding of receptor mediated spillover events in RV infections and guide the development of novel vaccines to contain the infection

Impact of water scarcity in Australia on global food security in an era of climate change

Australia is a major food exporting country. Recent droughts reduced dryland farming production and the volume of water allocated to irrigated agriculture, with a resulting decline in aggregate agricultural production and exports. This paper analyses the possible impact of increased water scarcity on Australian agricultural production and the magnitude of subsequent impacts on global food security. Using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data on land and water use coupled with a hydro-economic stochastic modelling approach, the impacts of reduced agricultural production in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, and more generally for Australia, are analysed. Changes in agricultural activity, reduction in agricultural exports and altered composition of products exported attributed to the severe 2000-2009 drought are also analysed to highlight the implications for global food security. The impact of climate change on food production is examined. The analysis shows that climate change, when modelled as the extreme case, along with other factors such as land use, will impact Australian food exports. Despite its relatively small contribution to total global food supply, Australia's contribution to international trade in wheat, meat and dairy products is substantial and could affect global food prices. Furthermore, Australia's agricultural exports are of disproportionate importance within the South- and South-East Asian and Oceania region, both in terms of volume and for strategic reasons. Adaptation along with investment in agriculture production is needed to maintain Australian agricultural production and enhance global food security