Hexa-band MIMO CPW Bow-tie Aperture Antenna Using Particle Swarm Optimization

A MIMO hexa-band Bowtie Antenna for Wi-Fi is proposed. The MIMO antenna can operate at six frequency bands: 2.4, 4.4, 6.1, 8.5, 10.25 and 12.8 GHz. The MIMO antenna consists of four loaded bowtie hexa-band antennas having the same structure. Each single antenna element is loaded with six metallic strips as well as interconnected parasitic rectangular components. The presented HFSS simulations will show that the MIMO loaded antenna can operate at six frequency bands including 2.4 GHz by obtaining the return loss results, radiation patterns, and other antenna parameters. It will be shown also that the MIMO bowtie antenna has a very low mutual coupling at all the operating frequencies for the specific loaded metallic strips width which was obtained using Particle Swarm Optimization technique

RCS of Chiral Elliptic Cylinder Embedded in Infinite Chiral Medium

This paper presents an analytic solution to the scattering properties of chiral elliptic cylinder embedded in infinite chiral medium due to incident plane wave. The external electromagnetic fields as well as the internal electromagnetic fields are written in terms Mathieu functions and expansion coefficients. In order to obtain both the internal and external unknown field expansion coefficients, the boundary conditions are applied rigorously at the surface of different chiral/chiral material. Results are plotted graphically for the normalized scattering widths for elliptic cylinders of different sizes and chiral materials to show the effects of these parameters on scattering cross widths. It is shown numerically by adding the external chiral material to elliptic cylinder provides more parameters to control the RCS

HighLight: Towards an Ambient Robotic Table as a Social Enabler

With smartphones becoming more commonplace in our daily lives, they often take up more time and space than we would like them to. Research shows that using smartphones during social interactions does more harm than good. With this in mind, we set out to create the first prototype of an ambient robotic table that will support social interactions and discourage digital distractions. Through a rapid prototyping process, we present HighLight, a prototype of a socially enabling robotic table that has a smartphone compartment in its center and ambient features reacting in real-time to conversations taking place around the table. We report on our contributions to the research community by investigating the design of an ambient robotic table as a social enabler that encourages social interactions through ambiance, thus exploring future directions of non-disruptive technologies that support social interactions

Synergistic Effect of Azotobacter nigricans and Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Fertilizer on Agronomic and Yieldtraits of Maize (Zea mays L.)

Peer reviewe

Low-Temperature Phase Transitions in a Soluble Oligoacene and Their Effect on Device Performance and Stability

The use of organic semiconductors in high-performance organic field-effect transistors requires a thorough understanding of the effects that processing conditions, thermal, and bias-stress history have on device operation. Here, we evaluate the temperature dependence of the electrical properties of transistors fabricated with 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene, a material that has attracted much attention recently due to its exceptional electrical properties. We have discovered a phase transition at T = 205 K and discuss its implications on device performance and stability. We examined the impact of this low-temperature phase transition on the thermodynamic, electrical, and structural properties of both single crystals and thin films of this material. Our results show that while the changes to the crystal structure are reversible, the induced thermal stress yields irreversible degradation of the devices

Psychotic Experiences in the General Population: A Cross-National Analysis Based on 31,261 Respondents From 18 Countries

IMPORTANCE: Community-based surveys find that many otherwise healthy individuals report histories of hallucinations and delusions. To date, most studies have focused on the overall lifetime prevalence of any of these psychotic experiences (PEs), which might mask important features related to the types and frequencies of PEs. OBJECTIVE: To explore detailed epidemiologic information about PEs in a large multinational sample. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We obtained data from the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys, a coordinated set of community epidemiologic surveys of the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders in representative household samples from 18 countries throughout the world, from 2001 through 2009. Respondents included 31,261 adults (18 years and older) who were asked about lifetime and 12-month prevalence and frequency of 6 types of PEs (2 hallucinatory experiences and 4 delusional experiences). We analyzed the data from March 2014 through January 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Prevalence, frequency, and correlates of PEs. RESULTS: Mean lifetime prevalence (SE) of ever having a PE was 5.8% (0.2%), with hallucinatory experiences (5.2% [0.2%]) much more common than delusional experiences (1.3% [0.1%]). More than two-thirds (72.0%) of respondents with lifetime PEs reported experiencing only 1 type. Psychotic experiences were typically infrequent, with 32.2% of respondents with lifetime PEs reporting only 1 occurrence and 31.8% reporting only 2 to 5 occurrences. We found a significant relationship between having more than 1 type of PE and having more frequent PE episodes (Cochran-Armitage z = -10.0; P < .001). Lifetime prevalence estimates (SEs) were significantly higher among respondents in middle- and high-income countries than among those in low-income countries (7.2% [0.4%], 6.8% [0.3%], and 3.2% [0.3%], respectively; χ²₂ range, 7.1-58.2; P < .001 for each) and among women than among men (6.6% [0.2%] vs 5.0% [0.3%]; χ²₁ = 16.0; P < .001). We found significant associations with lifetime prevalence of PEs in the multivariate model among nonmarried compared with married respondents (χ²₂ = 23.2; P < .001) and among respondents who were not employed (χ²₄= 10.6; P < .001) and who had low family incomes (χ²₃ = 16.9; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The epidemiologic features of PEs are more nuanced than previously thought. Research is needed that focuses on similarities and differences in the predictors of the onset, course, and consequences of distinct PEs

Anti-Hu antibodies activate enteric and sensory neurons.

IgG of type 1 anti-neuronal nuclear antibody (ANNA-1, anti-Hu) specificity is a serological marker of paraneoplastic neurological autoimmunity (including enteric/autonomic) usually related to small-cell lung carcinoma. We show here that IgG isolated from such sera and also affinity-purified anti-HuD label enteric neurons and cause an immediate spike discharge in enteric and visceral sensory neurons. Both labelling and activation of enteric neurons was prevented by preincubation with the HuD antigen. Activation of enteric neurons was inhibited by the nicotinic receptor antagonists hexamethonium and dihydro-β-erythroidine and reduced by the P2X antagonist pyridoxal phosphate-6-azo (benzene-2,4-disulfonic acid (PPADS) but not by the 5-HT3 antagonist tropisetron or the N-type Ca-channel blocker ω-Conotoxin GVIA. Ca(++) imaging experiments confirmed activation of enteric neurons but not enteric glia. These findings demonstrate a direct excitatory action of ANNA-1, in particular anti-HuD, on visceral sensory and enteric neurons, which involves nicotinic and P2X receptors. The results provide evidence for a novel link between nerve activation and symptom generation in patients with antibody-mediated gut dysfunction

The bi-directional associations between psychotic experiences and DSM-IV mental disorders

OBJECTIVE: While it is now recognized that psychotic experiences are associated with an increased risk of later mental disorders, we lack a detailed understanding of the reciprocal time-lagged relationships between first onsets of psychotic experiences and mental disorders. Using data from World Health Organization World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys, the authors assessed the bidirectional temporal associations between psychotic experiences and mental disorders. METHOD: The WMH Surveys assessed lifetime prevalence and age at onset of psychotic experiences and 21 common DSM-IV mental disorders among 31,261 adult respondents from 18 countries. Discrete-time survival models were used to examine bivariate and multivariate associations between psychotic experiences and mental disorders. RESULTS: Temporally primary psychotic experiences were significantly associated with subsequent first onset of eight of the 21 mental disorders (major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, adult separation anxiety disorder, bulimia nervosa, and alcohol abuse), with odds ratios ranging from 1.3 (95% CI=1.2-1.5) for major depressive disorder to 2.0 (95% CI=1.5-2.6) for bipolar disorder. In contrast, 18 of 21 primary mental disorders were significantly associated with subsequent first onset of psychotic experiences, with odds ratios ranging from 1.5 (95% CI=1.0-2.1) for childhood separation anxiety disorder to 2.8 (95% CI=1.0-7.8) for anorexia nervosa. CONCLUSIONS: While temporally primary psychotic experiences are associated with an elevated risk of several subsequent mental disorders, these data show that most mental disorders are associated with an elevated risk of subsequent psychotic experiences. Further investigation of the underlying factors accounting for these time-order relationships may shed light on the etiology of psychotic experiences