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

Application of a thermolysis capacity test for dry and lactating cows

The heat stress has negative effects on animal comfort and productivity. Genetic progress in milk production is related closely to an increase in metabolic heat increment, which makes cows more affected by heat stress. Individual thermotolerance can be an important tool in genetic selection. The study aimed to validate a new proposal for assessing the ability of heat loss after sun exposure in cows and its application in dry and lactating cows kept or not on thermal comfort condition. The test consists in three days of sun exposure for one hour followed by one hour rest in the shade to determine the individual thermolysis capacity (TC) by the variables rectal temperature, body surface temperature, internal tail base temperature, respiratory rate, plasma cortisol and IGF-I. In the new proposal these physiological variables were measured before sun exposure, after 50 min in the sun and after one hour in the shade (T0, T1 and T2 consecutively). The test in which this new test was adapted lacked T1.The three day test was applied with similar meteorological variables as black globe temperature of 48.1°C (1.32), air temperature of 31.7°C (0.92) and relative humidity of 39.5% (3.38). The differences between dry and lactating cows were measured in 28 animals divided into two experimental groups housed in free-stall with and without evaporative cooling system (mist and fans). The animals remained at the facility for seven months (from spring to summer) then after they were subjected to heat stress and the TC (10-[(T1-T0)-(T2-T1)]) was determined. There was no difference between the TC of dry and lactating cows (P>0.05), but respiratory rate and IGF-I were greater and body surface was lower in dry cows during sun exposure (P0.05). The thermolysis capacity test was validated and can be used for either dry or lactating cows. Milk production did not influence the thermoregulatory responses of Holstein cows, but when lactating and kept in cooling system they showed better thermolysis capacity index

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

Evaluating The Effects Of Different Vegetation Types On Necrophagous Fly Communities (diptera: Calliphoridae; Sarcophagidae): Implications For Conservation

The present study was conducted in five different phytogeographic zones of the Brazilian state of Maranhão, three of which (the Amazon Forest, Cerrado, and Palm Groves) are more heterogeneous, whereas the other two (Marshlands and Mangroves) are more homogeneous. In each zone, nine sites were visited for the collection of necrophagous flies using bait traps in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The calliphorid and sarcophagid communities observed at each site were compared in terms of species richness, composition, and abundance. The more heterogeneous zones had higher species richness, except in the case of the sarcophagids in the forest habitats. The calliphorids Chloroprocta idioidea (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830), Mesembrinella bicolor (Fabricius, 1805), Hemilucilia semi-diaphana (Rondani, 1850) and Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819) were more closely associated with the Cerrado, Palm Grove and Amazon Forest zones, and Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 194) with the Mangrove. In the sarcophagids, Peckia (Euboettcheria) subducta (Lopes, 1935) and P. (Pattonella) palidipilosa (Curran & Walley, 1934) were associated with the Amazon Forest, and P. (Sarcodexia) lambens (Wiede-mann, 1830) and Tricharaea (Sarcophagula) occidua (Fabricius, 1794) with the Palm Grove and Cerrado zones. In the calliphorids, the greatest dissimilarity was recorded between the Amazon Forest and the Mangrove and Lowland grassland zones. In the sar-cophagids, by contrast, the greatest dissimilarities were recorded between the Amazon Forest and all the other four zones. In general, then, the phytogeographic zones with the highest environmental heterogeneity were characterized by the greatest species richness and abundance of necrophagous flies. © 2016 Pereira de Sousa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.111

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

Polyamines, Gelling Agents in Tissue Culture, Micropropagation of Medicinal Plants and Bioreactors

Currently, tissue cultures of species of agricultural importance have wide applicability in industrial production processes. Tissue culture is a name given to a set of techniques that allow the regeneration of cells, tissues and organs of plants, from segments of plant organs or tissues, using nutrient solutions in aseptic and controlled environment. This regeneration is based on the totipotency of plant cells. Totipotency is a capability indicating that plant cells, in different times, may express the potential to form a new multicellular individual. Tissue culture appears to be a good alternative to conventional propagation, requiring less physical space, with high multiplication rate, without incidence of pests and diseases during cultivation, and enabling higher control of the variables involved. Thus, in the in vitro environment, with the required stimuli and appropriate conditions, different cell types express different behaviors, possibly leading to cell multiplication and differentiation into a specific tissue, characterized by a form and a function, which may lead to the regeneration of a new individual