Ultra-wideband phased array radar for short-range imaging applications

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-108).Ultra-wide band (UWB) technology, as defined by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) on February 2002, refers to signals or systems that have bandwidth ≥500 MHz or instantaneous fractional bandwidth ≥0.20 [2]. Compared to the conventional narrowband radar that operates with the same centre frequency, UWB radar offers many advantages, including high spatial resolution, for detecting closely-spaced target; and lower probability of interception, for stealth-like military application. There are many types of UWB waveform. The most obvious and simplest-to-generate UWB waveform is the impulse or short pulse. The pulse width of these impulses is usually sub-nanosecond, which enable a range resolution of 15 cm or less, when it is being transmitted in free space

An Investigation on The Broadband Customers\u27 Satisfaction in Hsinchu Area

With the rapid growth of internet there are about fifty thousands of users get access to the internet in Taiwan area. Given the consensus of internet service providers (ISP’s) that soon will reach seventy-five thousands within two years. This would imply that the users of traditional dial up modems will be facing serious insufficient bandwidth problems. To make the problem worse, the internet applications are moving toward multimedia which always eats up bandwidth faster than expected. Moreover, to join WTO forces Taiwan to relin quish its telecom market to international players. These new players sure will jump into the broadband market. This research is to investigate the household consumers’ satisfaction in Hsinchu area on the broadband networking. The findings pointed out that important demographic variables affecting satisfaction are gender, age, education, and vocation. Additionally, dimensions of customers’ satisfaction do have a negative correlation with customers’ satisfaction. This is to say that when the higher the degree of a concern the lower the customer satisfaction. In general, expected service levels are always higher than that really experienced

Women and Matrimony: A Study of Mona Lisa Smile

This study intended to use the film Mona Lisa Smile (1993) as an example to examine how women in the traditional generation of 1950 were gender stereotyped and used to trade themselves off through marriage in consideration of a cost-and-benefit analysis. However, as the change of women’s gender consciousness from the conservative to the feminist in the USA of 1950, women began to realize their potential and subjectivity, hence questing for liberal spirit and autonomy to choose their career and husbands based on love. The researchers used the qualitative method, with both the primary and secondary data, to facilitate a latent-content analysis. After conducting a content analysis of the film and the script of Mona Lisa Smile, the researchers took notes regarding gender stereotyping and conventional gender norms in social interactions and conducted a literature review of Becker’s side bet theory and Homan’s social exchange theory to investigate how women in America in the 1950s were disciplined to meet the expectation of social norms to fit the notion of conventional matrimony, and how people, both men and women, while choosing their mates, seek the maximum interest and minimum cost. The film Mona Lisa Smile lets readers have a chance to see the transformation of a marital relationship from the old days to modern ones. With raised gender consciousness, women may now subject their choices to their own will and, hence, apply a different definition to the word “marriage.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE TRANSFER OF INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS TO CHINA: A CASE STUDY OF HIGH-TECH ENTERPRISES

Due to the huge market potentiality, profuse production resource such as workforce and land, and low production costs in China, many international high-tech enterprises are moving their production line to China. Accompanying production offshoring is the transfer of Information Technology (IT) to ensure that the production processes remain efficient and effective at home and abroad. Many enterprises however encounter problems in transferring their IT to China, especially when the IT is an inter-organizational system (IOS), which is across organizational boundaries and involves the management of relationships among participants. In order to understand how to successfully transfer IOS to China, we aim to find out key relational factors of IOS performance in China through an observation of a binary relationship built upon an e-procurement system between a Taiwanese PC ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) and its Chinese suppliers. Based on the relational view of the firm, four relational factors are proposed and examined. The results show that IOS specific investments and effective IOS governance most strongly affects the result of IOS transfer to China, whereas complementary resource endowment has least influence

Green tea inhibited the elimination of nephro-cardiovascular toxins and deteriorated the renal function in rats with renal failure

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health problem worldwide. Indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) are highly protein-bound nephro-cardiovascular toxins, which are not efficiently removed through hemodialysis. The renal excretions of IS and PCS were mediated by organic anion transporters (OATs) such as OAT1 and OAT3. Green tea (GT) is a popular beverage containing plenty of catechins. Previous pharmacokinetic studies of teas have shown that the major molecules present in the bloodstream are the glucuronides/sulfates of tea catechins, which are putative substrates of OATs. Here we demonstrated that GT ingestion significantly elevated the systemic exposures of endogenous IS and PCS in rats with chronic renal failure (CRF). More importantly, GT also significantly increased the levels of serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in CRF rats. Mechanism studies indicated that the serum metabolites of GT (GTM) inhibited the uptake transporting functions of OAT1 and OAT3. In conclusion, GT inhibited the elimination of nephro-cardiovascular toxins such as IS and PCS, and deteriorated the renal function in CRF rats

Managing health risks of perfluoroalkyl acids in aquatic food from a river-estuary-sea environment affected by fluorochemical industry

Substantial perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) production still occurs in China, and the consumption of aquatic products is a critical exposure pathway of PFAAs in humans. In this study, specimens of 16 freshwater and 40 marine species were collected in the river-estuary-sea environment affected by a mega fluorochemical industry park in China in 2015, and the edible tissues of these organisms were analyzed for PFAA levels. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the dominating contaminant with an overall contribution of more than 90%, and concentrations as high as 2161 ng/g wet weight (measured in the freshwater winkle). All species with the greatest PFOA levels were benthic. The trophic magnification factor (TMF) of PFOA was 1.10 for freshwater species and 1.28 for marine species, indicating that PFOA was slightly magnifying. Analysis of carbon source indicated that freshwater species were more benthic feeding, while marine species were more pelagic feeding. Aquatic food consumption screening values of PFOA were modified according to estimated daily intake (EDI) values, which generated recommendations for limited meal categories and the do-not-eat category. Thus, this study provides recommendations for mitigating the health risks of PFAA-contaminated aquatic food, ranging from food selection to consumption frequency and proper food processing

Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics of San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang, a Polyphenol-Rich Chinese Medicine Formula, in Rats and Ex-Vivo Antioxidant Activity

San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang (SHXXT), a widely used Chinese herbal formula, consists of rhizomes of Rheum officinale, roots of Scutellaria baicalensis and rhizomes of Coptis chinesis. This study investigated the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of polyphenols in SHXXT, including baicalin, baicalein, wogonin, emodin, aloe-emodin, rhein and chrysophanol. The quantitation methods of SHXXT decoction and rat serum using high performance liquid chromatography were developed and validated in this study. After oral administration of SHXXT decoction to rats, the parent forms of various constituents and their conjugated metabolites in serum were determined before and after hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase and sulfatase. The results showed that only free form of rhein can be quantitated, whereas the parent forms of coptisine, palmatine, berberine, baicalein, wogonin, emodin, aloe-emodin and chrysophanol were not detected in serum. The glucuronides of baicalein, wogonin, emodin, aloe-emodin, rhein and chrysophanol were the predominant forms in bloodstream. In order to evaluate the in vivo antioxidant activity of SHXXT, the serum metabolite of SHXXT was prepared, characterized and followed by evaluation of the effect on AAPH-induced hemolysis. The results indicated that metabolites of SHXXT exhibited significant free radical scavenging activity. We suggest that biologists redirect their focus to the bioactivity of the conjugated metabolites of these polyphenols