Inverted-L Antenna (ILA) Design Using Fractal for WLAN USB Dongle

This work presents an Inverted-L antenna design using the fractal geometry for dual band WLAN (2.4/5.2GHz) USB dongle application. The proposed antenna has the advantages of compact size, wide operation bandwidth and easy fabrication. The experimental results show that it has a S11<-10 dB bandwidth from 2.25 to 2.60 GHz and 5.06 to 5.62 GHz. The radiation performances of the proposed antenna in free space and when connected to a laptop computer were also studied in this work. The proposed antenna was designed and optimized by using Ansoft HFSS V13

Upper Barremian−lower Aptian charophyte biostratigraphy from Arrifes section (Algarve Basin, Southern Portugal): correlation with dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy

The Arrifes section (Algarve Basin, Southern Portugal) has been studied from the viewpoint of charophyte biostratigraphy. The previous sedimentological studies in this section showed that it is built of the interbedding of continental and marine facies that contain both marine and continental palynomorphs (pollen, spores, and dinoflagellates), providing an excellent sedimentary context to perform direct correlations between marine and continental domains. In the present work, the identified charophyte biozones have been correlated with dinoflagellate biozones previously recognized in the Arrifes section, being the first time that these two biochronologies can be directly correlated. From the charophyte biostratigraphy viewpoint, two assemblages are distinguished. The older one is found between 65 and 135 m of the stratigraphic section, and it is composed of the species Echinochara lazarii, Atopochara trivolvis var. triquetra, A. trivolvis var. trivolvis, Clavator grovesii var. jiuquanensis, Clavator harrisii var. harrisii, C. harrisii var. reyi, and C. harrisii var. zavialensis. This assemblage belongs to the upper Barremian-lower Aptian Clavator grovesii var. jiuquanensis Eurasian biozone and also to the Ascidiella cruciata-Pseudoglobator paucibracteatus European biozone and it is described in beds with the dinoflagellate cyst Subtilisphaera scabrata (lower to lowermost upper Barremian) and Odontochitina operculata (from upper Barremian upwards). The younger charophyte assemblage is found between 135 and 155 m of the stratigraphic section, and it is composed of the species A. trivolvis var. trivolvis, Clavator grovesii var. corrugatus, Clavator harrisii var. harrisii, C. harrisii var. reyi, and C. harrisii var. zavialensis. This assemblage belongs to Clavator grovesii var. corrugatus biozone, previously assigned to upper Aptian (Clavator grovesii var. lusitanicus biozone). However, in the Arrifes section, this assemblage is found in beds assigned to the dinoflagellate cyst Odontochitina operculata (from upper Barremian-lower Aptian). The direct correlation of the base of the C. grovesii var. corrugatus biozone with the dinoflagellate cyst O. operculata, indicates that the base of the Clavator grovesii var. corrugatus biozone is in the upper lower Aptian, which is slightly older than was previously suggested, and it is extended until the middle Albian

EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF A HEAT PUMP ASSISTED RECUPERATIVE AIR DEHUMIDIFIER

This paper describes the experimental analysis of a heat pump assisted recuperative air dehumidifier. The system consisted of an air-to-air vapor compression heat pump, coupled to the air ducting. Dehumidification was generated by reduction of the air temperature through the evaporator below the dew point, and thus promoting the condensation of the water vapor. Moist air was then warmed up in the condenser, resulting in a lowtemperature low-humidity air stream. Low energy consumption values are achieved in such systems as the latent heat of the water vapor acts as the heat pump own heat source. Occasionally, the compressor heat is also recoverable. The innovative feature of the present analysis was the introduction of an air-to-air plate recuperator, to further promote dehumidification, yet at the expense of greater compressor energy consumption. An experimental apparatus was constructed to perform comparative tests of the dehumidifier operating with and without the recuperator. A closed air circuit was employed, with the air mass flow rate as the controlling parameter of the experiment. Tests were also carried out with an open circuit

Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol And Radiotherapy-induced Carotid Atherosclerosis In Subjects With Head And Neck Cancer

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) is a risk factor for accelerated carotid artery atherosclerotic disease in subjects with head and neck cancer. However, the risk factors of RT-induced carotid artery remodeling are not established. This study aimed to investigate the effects of RT on carotid and popliteal arteries in subjects with head and neck cancer and to evaluate the relationship between baseline clinical and laboratory features and the progression of RT-induced atherosclerosis.Findings: Eleven men (age = 57.9 ± 6.2years) with head and neck cancer who underwent cervical bilateral irradiation were prospectively examined by clinical and laboratory analysis and by carotid and popliteal ultrasound before and after treatment (mean interval between the end of RT and the post-RT assessment = 181 ± 47 days). No studied subject used hypocholesterolemic medications. Significant increases in carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) (0.95 ± 0.08 vs. 0.87 ± 0.05 mm; p 3.0.CO;2-X, 626923Pereira Lima, M.N., Biolo, A., Foppa, M., da Rosa, P.R., Rohde, L.E., Clausell, N., A prospective, comparative study on the early effects of local and remote radiation therapy on carotid intima-media thickness and vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 in patients with head and neck and prostate tumors (2011) Radiother Oncol, 101, pp. 449-453. , 10.1016/j.radonc.2010.03.026, 20435360Kalábová, H., Melichar, B., Ungermann, L., Doležal, J., Krčmová, L., Kašparová, M., Plíšek, J., Solichová, D., Intima-media thickness, myocardial perfusion and laboratory risk factors of atherosclerosis in patients with breast cancer treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy (2011) Med Oncol, 28, pp. 1281-1287. , 10.1007/s12032-010-9593-1, 20567943Muzaffar, K., Collins, S.L., Labropoulos, N., Baker, W.H., A prospective study of the effects of irradiation on the carotid artery (2000) Laryngoscope, 110, pp. 1811-1814. , 10.1097/00005537-200011000-00007, 11081590Faruolo, M., Fiorentino, A., Gallucci, G., Lapadula, L., Fusco, V., Intimal-medial thickness and carotid arteries lumen in irradiated patients for head and neck cancer: preliminary data of an observational study (2013) Clin Transl Oncol, 15, pp. 861-864. , 10.1007/s12094-013-1023-3, 23463595Ferreira-Sae, M.C., Cipolli, J.A., Cornélio, M.E., Matos-Souza, J.R., Fernandes, M.N., Schreiber, R., Costa, F.O., Nadruz, W., Sodium intake is associated with carotid artery structure alterations and plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 upregulation in hypertensive adults (2011) J Nutr, 141, pp. 877-882. , 10.3945/jn.110.135921, 21430243Gemignani, T., Azevedo, R.C., Higa, C.M., Coelho, O.R., Matos-Souza, J.R., Nadruz, W., Increased popliteal circumferential wall tension induced by orthostatic body posture is associated with local atherosclerotic plaques (2012) Atherosclerosis, 224, pp. 118-122. , 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2012.06.069, 2281862

Inverted-L Antenna (ILA) Design Using Fractal for WLAN USB Dongle

This work presents an Inverted-L antenna design using the fractal geometry for dual band WLAN (2.4/5.2GHz) USB dongle application. The proposed antenna has the advantages of compact size, wide operation bandwidth and easy fabrication. The experimental results show that it has a S11<-10 dB bandwidth from 2.25 to 2.60 GHz and 5.06 to 5.62 GHz. The radiation performances of the proposed antenna in free space and when connected to a laptop computer were also studied in this work. The proposed antenna was designed and optimized by using Ansoft HFSS V13

Gravitational Collapse: Expanding and Collapsing Regions

We investigate the expanding and collapsing regions by taking two well-known spherically symmetric spacetimes. For this purpose, the general formalism is developed by using Israel junction conditions for arbitrary spacetimes. This has been used to obtain the surface energy density and the tangential pressure. The minimal pressure provides the gateway to explore the expanding and collapsing regions. We take Minkowski and Kantowski-Sachs spacetimes and use the general formulation to investigate the expanding and collapsing regions of the shell.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Gen. Relativ. Gra

The usefulness of serum adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA2) activity in adults for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis

AbstractRapid diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains an obstacle for therapy of tuberculosis (TB). Adenosine deaminase isoform 2 (ADA2) is produced by activated macrophages and has been used for diagnosis of TB from extra-pulmonary sites. However, few studies adequately address whether serum ADA2 activity is useful for diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). We prospectively measured serum ADA2 activity in 110 patients with pulmonary disease (65 cases with active PTB and 45 cases with other respiratory diseases) and 78 healthy volunteers (eight with tuberculin skin test positive). The serum ADA2 for the diagnosis of PTB had the sensitivity of 36·9%, the specificity of 84·5%, the positive predictive value of 10·9% and the negative predictive value of 96·2%. We concluded that serum ADA2 activity is neither useful to diagnosis of active PTB nor to differentiate from other respiratory diseases

Hypothalamic Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Of Overtrained Mice After Recovery

knowing the relationship between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammation and based on the fact that downhill running-based overtraining (OT) model increases hypothalamus levels of some pro-inflammatory cytokines, we verified the effects of three OT protocols on the levels of BiP, pIRE-1 (Ser734), pPERK (Thr981), pelF2alpha (Ser52), ATF-6 and GRP-94 proteins in the mouse hypothalamus after two weeks of recovery. Methods: the mice were randomized into control (CT), overtrained by downhill running (OTR/down), overtrained by uphill running (OTR/up) and overtrained by running without inclination (OTR) groups. After 2-week total recovery period (i.e., week 10), hypothalamus was removed and used for immunoblotting. Results: The OTR/down group exhibited high levels of BiP and ATF6. The other OT protocols showed higher levels of pPERK (Th981) and pelf-2alpha (Ser52) when compared with the CT group. Conclusion: The current results suggest that after a 2-week total recovery period, the overtrained groups increased partially their ER stress protein levels, but without hypothalamic inflammation, which characterizes a physiological condition related to an adaptation mechanism.2

Matrix theory of gravitation

A new classical theory of gravitation within the framework of general relativity is presented. It is based on a matrix formulation of four-dimensional Riemann-spaces and uses no artificial fields or adjustable parameters. The geometrical stress-energy tensor is derived from a matrix-trace Lagrangian, which is not equivalent to the curvature scalar R. To enable a direct comparison with the Einstein-theory a tetrad formalism is utilized, which shows similarities to teleparallel gravitation theories, but uses complex tetrads. Matrix theory might solve a 27-year-old, fundamental problem of those theories (sec. 4.1). For the standard test cases (PPN scheme, Schwarzschild-solution) no differences to the Einstein-theory are found. However, the matrix theory exhibits novel, interesting vacuum solutions.Comment: 24 page