Bandwidth and gain enhancement of a circular microstrip antenna using a DNG split ring resonator radome

This paper present the design of a circular patch microstrip antenna with enhancement in terms of bandwidth and gain using a dielectric double negative (DNG) split ring metamaterial radome. This radome is positioned on top of the CP antenna operating from 5.2 GHz to 6.4 GHz. The metamaterial radome comprises of two alternate split rings of negative permittivity, permeability and refractive index. The circular microstrip antenna bandwidth of 430 MHz has been realized by the presence of DNG metamaterial radome compared to 220 MHz without the radome. The gain has been increased as well from 1.84 dBi to 3.87 dBi

Višestruko otporni verotoksični sojevi bakterije Escherichia coli O157:H7 u pasa s proljevom i bez proljeva u Abeokuti, Nigerija.

Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) O157:H7 is a predominant cause of haemorrhagic colitis (HC) and haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in humans. To assess the role of dogs as a possible source of transmission of VTEC O157:H7 to humans, the faeces of diarrhoeic (31) and non-diarrhoeic (63) dogs were examined for the presence of the organism. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated from 22 (23.4%) out of 94 samples examined. The organism was detected in 5 (16.1%) out of 31 diarrhoeic faeces and 17 (26.9%) out of 63 non-diarrhoeic faeces, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). All the E. coli O157:H7 isolates produced one or both of verocytotoxin 1 and 2 (VT1 and VT2). Verocytotoxin 1 (VT1) was detected in 10 (45.5%) out of 22 isolates, VT2 in 8 (36.4%), while both toxin types were detected in four (18.2%) isolates. Sixteen (72.7%) out of 22 isolates were resistant to at least three antimicrobials from different classes, while 18 distinct antimicrobial resistance patterns were observed among the isolates. The isolates showed resistance to ampicillin (86.4%), chloramphenicol (36.4%), ciprofloxacin (4.5%), gentamicin (18.2%), kanamycin (68.2%), nalidixic acid (22.7%), neomycin (40.9%), norfl oxacin (9.1%), streptomycin (63.6%), sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (63.6%) and tetracycline (77.3%). The present study showed that diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic dogs may serve as potential sources of multi-drug resistant VTEC O157:H7 transmissible to humans.Verotoksični sojevi bakterije Escherichia coli (VTEC) O157:H7 pretežito uzrokuju hemoragijski kolitis (HC) i hemolitičko-uremijski sindrom (HUS) u ljudi. Radi procjene uloge pasa kao mogućeg izvora prijenosa VTEC O157:H7 na ljude, pretraženi su uzorci njihova proljeva (31) i normalno formiranog fecesa (63) na prisutnost te bakterije. Escherichia coli O157:H7 bila je izdvojena iz 22 (23,4%) od 94 pretražena uzorka. Bila je dokazana u 5 (16,1%) od 31 uzorka proljeva i 17 (26,9%) od 63 uzorka normalno formiranog izmeta. Nije bila ustanovljena statistički značajna razlika (P>0,05). Svi izolati bakterije E. coli O157:H7 proizvodili su jedan ili oba verotoksina: 1 i 2 (VT1 i VT2). Verotoksin 1 bio je dokazan u 10 (45,5%) od 22 izolata, VT2 u osam (36,4%), dok su oba tipa toksina bila dokazana u četiri (18,2%) izolata. Šesnaest (72,7%) od 22 izolata bilo je otporno na najmanje tri antimikrobne tvari različitih skupina. Među izolatima je bilo ustanovljeno 18 različitih obrazaca otpornosti na antimikrobne tvari. Izolati su pokazivali otpornost na ampicilin (86,4%), kloramfenikol (36,4%), ciprofl oksacin (4,5%), gentamicin (18,2%), kanamicin (68,2%), nalidiksičnu kiselinu (22,7%), neomicin (40,9%), norfl oksacin (9,1%), streptomicin (63,6%), sulfametoksazol/trimetoprim (63,6%) i tetraciklin (77,3%). Istraživanje je pokazalo da psi s proljevom i bez proljeva mogu biti izvor multiplorezistentne VTEC O157:H7 za ljude

Meeting the nutritional needs of older patients in the hospital setting

Malnutrition in hospitalised older patients may present in the form of micro-nutrient deficiency such as mineral and/or vitamin deficiencies or macronutrient deficiency represented by protein-energy malnutrition. The prevalence of protein – energy malnutrition among elderly hospitalised patients may vary depending on the population, the setting and the screening tool being used. However, poor nutrition among this population in hospital setting appears to be a global problem and it is often associated with increased mortality, morbidity and longer lengths of hospital stay. In conclusion, the prevalence of malnutrition is high in hospitalised older patients and a number of factors including patient related problems and the hospital environment are responsible for this development. Therefore, strategies for meeting the nutritional needs of older people in hospital should include the use of validated nutritional screening tools to identify those at risk of malnutrition and developing management interventions including the provision of oral nutritional supplements to ameliorate the undernutrition and promote health

A triangular MIMO array antenna with a double negative metamaterial superstrate to enhance bandwidth and gain

Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) array antenna integrated with the double negative metamaterial superstrate is presented. The triangular metamaterial unit cell is designed by combining two triangular elements positioned in complementary on the same plane at different sizes. Such design with more gaps is used to excite rooms for more capacitance effects to shift the resonance frequency thus enlarging the bandwidth of the MIMO antenna. The unit cell is arranged in 7 × 7 periodic array created a superstrate metamaterial plane where the Cstray exists in parallel between the two consecutive cells. It is found that the existence of Cstray and gaps for each unit cells significantly influenced the bandwidth of the MIMO antenna. The higher value of the capacitance will lead to the negativity of permittivity. The superstrate plane is then located on top of the 4 × 2 MIMO with a gap of 5 mm. The integration resulted in improving the bandwidth to 12.45% (5.65-6.4GHz) compared to only 3.49% bandwidth (5.91-6.12GHz) of the MIMO antenna itself. Moreover, the negative permeability characteristic is created by a strong magnetic field between the complementary unit cells to have 14.05-dBi peak gain. Besides that, the proposed antenna managed to minimize the mutual coupling and improve the mean effective gain, envelope correlation coefficient, and multiplexing efficiency

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Design and finite element method based structural analysis of a pet bottles-to-plastic flakes recycling plant

Plastic waste continues to accumulate, posing a severe global environmental threat. To address this problem, recycling plastic waste into reusable forms has been identified as a viable and sustainable solution. This paper presents the conceptual design of a process plant for the recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate bottles into plastic flakes that can be used as feedstock for the production of other usable plastic products. A comprehensive analytical design of the various machine elements was presented, and a structural analysis of the critical machine components was carried out using the finite element method on Autodesk Inventor software to evaluate their structural integrity. The finite element analysis predicted a maximum stress of 1.503 MPa, 10.48 MPa, 11.82 MPa, and 17.69 MPa for the frames of the compression machine, label remover machine, shredding machine, and washing bath, respectively. Also, the maximum stress predicted for the screw and washing shaft due to turning moment is 126.9 MPa and 41.2 MPa, respectively. This result indicated that the predicted maximum stresses experienced by the machine components are significantly less than the yield strengths of the various materials selected for the design

Investigating influences on real estate agents' ethical values: The case of real estate agents in Nigeria

Utilizing data from questionnaire administration on a random sample of estate surveyors and valuers in real estate agency practice, this study examines the relationship between real estate agents' demographic characteristics and their ethical values in Nigeria. Using mean rating on a 5-point Likert scale, among other findings, the study revealed that of all the ethical values examined, real estate agents approve of self-interest but disapprove of fraud in the discharge of their duties. However, the greatest evidence of disapproval of fraudulent practices is amongst female real estate agents and agents with higher levels of academic qualification. On the other hand, the study found no statistically significant relationship between the ethical values and age, year of experience and professional qualification of the respondents. © 2012 Copyright Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) Press Technika

The ethics of real estate agents in emerging economies: A cross-sectional survey of agents and service consumers' perception in Nigeria

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate and compare both real estate agents and their service consumers' perception on ethics of real estate agents in Nigeria; an emerging economy with less organized and transparent property market. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a survey approach to research. Using Bartlett et al.'s model of determining sample size, a total of 125 firms were randomly selected from the list of registered real estate consultancy firms in Lagos metropolis. For each firm contacted (through business addresses), three service consumers were randomly selected from their archives of consumers. Questionnaires were personally administered and retrieved with useful response rates of 70 per cent and 75 per cent for real estate agents and service consumers respectively. Data emanating from the survey were analysed using frequency distribution and ANOVA analyses. Findings: Among other findings, the results indicate that both real estate agents' and consumers' ratings of ethics of real estate agents is average on a five-point Likert scale. Furthermore, real estate agents' self perception of the five year trend in their ethics was positive, albeit with a strong belief that commercial consideration should take precedence over an ethical stance in a real estate transaction. Practical implications: In spite of the uniformly high self-perception of agent ethics, most practitioners in real estate agency consultancy believe that commercial or economic considerations are more important than an ethical stance in a real estate transaction. This raises a serious fundamental issue about the essence and practical understanding of ethics by practitioners and what ethics entails in the discharge of their professional duty. Originality/value: The paper complements the existing body of literature on real estate ethics by providing an empirical assessment of real estate agents in an emerging economy. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

The Effects of Knowledge-Based HRM Practices, Knowledge Management Processes and Adhocracy Culture on Open Innovation in Manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia

The impact of globalization and a hypercompetitive market environment increases the competition in manufacturing activities and implied changes in the business environment. Therefore, the transformation from closed innovation processes into open innovation practices becomes a necessity if not crucial for all organizations particularly SMEs to innovate and compete. Open Innovation (OI) can improve firm competitiveness. However, studies have focused mainly on OI on large or high-tech companies. Existing research indicates that SMEs in Malaysia are lacking the capacity to engage in OI because of their limited tangible resources. Also, It is theorized that knowledge-based HRM practices stimulate KM processes, and the existence of an adhocracy culture further plays a role in influencing knowledge-based HRM and KM processes on OI in firms A cost-effective method for SMEs to engage in OI practices is to consider intangible resources, OI may be inspired by the knowledge-based view of organizations which posits that knowledge is the central resource in the firm. From a knowledge-based view; individual employees can leverage their knowledge and social relationships through knowledge-based HRM practices, knowledge management processes in a context of adhocracy culture that enhances OI practices in firms. Further, the dynamic capabilities approach can help managers to reach the target of competitiveness via effective implementation of knowledge-based HRM practices and knowledge management processes that enhance OI practices in the firm within a type of culture that support innovation. Purpose –The main objective of this paper is to develop a framework that connects knowledge-based HRM practices, knowledge management processes, and adhocracy culture in driving OI in Malaysian SMEs