Compact Polarization Diversity Antenna for 28/38 GHz Bands

In this paper, design and analysis of a millimeter wave dual- and dual-polarized antenna for 5G millimeter communications system is presented. The proposed design has a compact structure with size of 5 × 5 mm 2 . It consists of a rectangular patch with a crossed-slot etched off in the patch to reduce the interference between the two targeted 5G bands of 28 and 38 GHz. To achieve dual polarization performance, the radiating patch is fed by two different 50-Ω microstrip transmission lines. The antenna has -10dB impedance bandwidths of 2.6GHz (26.8-29.4 GHz) and 2.5GHz (37.7-40.2GHz) to cover 28/38 GHz mobile communication bands respectively. The antenna has the merits of miniaturized dimensions, stable broadside radiation patterns with high gains and low cross polarization in both bands of operation

Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Epoxy-Composites: Electrical And Mechanical Characterization

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) got great attention because of their interesting physical and mechanical properties. Due to these interesting properties observed at the nanoscale have motivated scientific community to utilize CNTs as reinforcement in composite materials. In the present study, different CNTs and epoxy nano-composites with different wt% (1, 2, 3, and 4%) of f-MWCNTs were prepared and their surface morphology and orientation has been investigated in detail. Further, the surface investigation, electrical and mechanical tests were carried out on CNTs-filled and unfilled epoxy at maximum sonication time 30 minute to identify the loading effect on the properties of the materials. Experimental results depicts well dispersion of f-MWCNTs, significant improvement that the resistivity of pure epoxy decreased from 108 .m to average value 103 .m with 1, 2, 3, and 4wt% f-MWCNTs. The 4.5wt% CNTs/epoxy was attributed to poor dispersion of f-MWCNTs in the nanocomposte. The hardness of nanocomposite loading 1, 2, 3, 4wt% of CNTs, increased 20.7%, 23.02%, 25.62%, 29.09% respectively as compared to pure epoxy. We believe that our strategy for obtaining CNT–reinforced epoxy nanocomposites is a very promising technology and will open a new doors in fields of aviation, aerospace, marine and sporting goods

Response Surface Methodology for the production of endopolygalacturonase by a novel Bacillus licheniformis

Background: Polygalacturonase is one of the most important commercial pectinase. The production cost and the mesophilic nature of the present polygalacturonase is a big problem in its application in the juice industry. A lot of work is going on for the isolation of thermophilic bacterial strains which can utilize pectin as the only carbon source.Methods: Bacterial strains were isolated from rotten fruits and vegetables and cultured at 50 – 70oC. The strains were than screened for endopolygalacturonase activity and identified on the basis of 16S rRNA sequence. Different growth parameters for the production of endopolygalacturonase by Bacillus licheniformis IEB-8 were optimized using Response Surface Methodology under Center Composite Design using JMP-12 software. Endopolygalacturonase was purified in two steps; ammonium sulfate precipitation and then by size exclusion column chromatography.Results: Only four strains, IEB-8, IEB-11, IEB-12 and IEB-13 showed growth above 60oC. Among these four, only IEB-8 was found to be endopolygalacturonase positive, which was identified as Bacillus licheniformis by 16S rRNA gene sequence. Purification fold of 2.57 and 7.48 in the specific activity were achieved using ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel filtration chromatography respectively. Molecular weight of the purified endopolygalacturonase was found to be 42 kDa. The purified endopolygalacturonase showed an optimum pH of 7 and optimum temperature of 55oC.Conclusion: Bacillus licheniformis IEB-8 is a novel bacteria which can efficiently be utilized in the industry for the production of endopolygalacturonase very cheaply. Furthermore, the high optimum working temperature of endopolygalacturonase, increases its significance for its industrial applications.Keywords: Endopolygalacturonase; Bacillus licheniformis; Thermophilic; Response Surface Methodology; Ammonium sulfate precipitatio

Next-generation IoT: harnessing AI for enhanced localization and energy harvesting in backscatter communications

Ongoing backscatter communications and localisation research have been able to obtain incredibly accurate results in controlled environments. The main issue with these systems is faced in complex RF environments. This paper investigates concurrent localization and ambient radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting using backscatter communication systems for Internet of Things networks. Dynamic real-world environments introduce complexity from multipath reflection and shadowing, as well as interference from movements. A machine learning framework leveraging K-Nearest Neighbors and Random Forest classifiers creates robustness against such variability. Historically, received signal measurements construct a location fingerprint database resilient to perturbations. The Random Forest model demonstrates precise localization across customized benches with programmable shuffling of chairs outfitted with RF identification tags. Average precision accuracy exceeds 99% despite deliberate placement modifications, inducing signal fluctuations emulating mobility and clutter. Significantly, directional antennas can harvest over −3 dBm, while even omnidirectional antennas provide −10 dBm—both suitable for perpetually replenishing low-energy electronics. Consequently, the intelligent backscatter platform localizes unmodified objects to customizable precision while promoting self-sustainability

Disparities in cardiovascular research output and disease outcomes among high-, middle- and low-income countries - An analysis of global cardiovascular publications over the last decade (2008-2017)

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Health research is crucial to managing disease burden. Previous work has highlighted marked discrepancies in research output and disease burden between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and lower-middle-income countries (LI-LMICs) and there is little data to understand whether this gap has bridged in recent years. We conducted a global, country level bibliometric analysis of CVD publications with respect to trends in disease burden and county development indicators.Methods: A search filter with a precision and recall of 0.92 and 0.91 respectively was developed to extract cardiovascular publications from the Web of Science (WOS) for the years 2008-2017. Data for disease burden and country development indicators were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease and the World Bank database respectively.Results: Our search revealed 847,708 CVD publications for the period 2008-17, with a 43.4% increase over the decade. HICs contributed 81.1% of the global CVD research output and accounted for 8.1% and 8.5% of global CVD DALY losses deaths respectively. LI-LMICs contributed 2.8% of the total output and accounted for 59.5% and 57.1% global CVD DALY losses and death rates.Conclusions: A glaring disparity in research output and disease burden persists. While LI-LMICs contribute to the majority of DALYs and mortality from CVD globally, their contribution to research output remains the lowest. These data call on national health budgets and international funding support to allocate funds to strengthen research capacity and translational research to impact CVD burden in LI-LMICs

Dynamic Clustering and Data Aggregation for the Internet-of-Underwater-Things Networks

Advances in semiconductor technology have made it possible to have high processing powers in cheap microcontrollers, which is spawning off a revolution in the range of applications of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and its underwater counterpart, the Internet-of-Underwater-Things (IoUT). As a result, it has now become possible and cost effective to implement powerful data processing algorithms on very cheap microcontrollers and achieve network intelligence on edge devices. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of implementing an unsupervised machine learning technique based on the k-means algorithm, as well as data aggregation, on the performance of a wireless underwater sensor network. A clustering algorithm based on the k-means algorithm is used to divide the network into clusters and to select cluster heads based on network topology and residual energy. Each cluster head collects and aggregates data from nodes within its cluster's coverage and forwards the data to the sink. The network is deployed in a shallow seabed, and it is assumed that the nodes can reach the sink using their full transmission powers. Hence, the performance evaluation compares the sum-throughput, energy efficiency and coverage probability for direct transmissions to the sink against transmissions using the cluster heads. We also propose a special consideration for disaster early warning data, which packets are assigned priority delivery and handled with minimum delay. The evaluation is performed through computer simulations and the results show over a 100% improvement in throughput for clusterbased transmissions compared to direct transmissions

Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of Ipomoea nil (Linn.) Roth significantly alleviates cigarette smoke (CS)-induced acute lung injury via possibly inhibiting the NF-KB pathway

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a serious manifestation of acute lung injury (ALI), is a debilitating inflammatory lung disease that is caused by multiple risk factors. One of the primary causes that can lead to ALI/ ARDS is cigarette smoke (CS) and its primary mode of action is via oxidative stress. Despite extensive research, no appropriate therapy is currently available to treat ALI/ARDS, which means there is a dire need for new potential approaches. In our study we explored the protective effects of 70 % methanolic-aqueous extract of Ipomoea nil (Linn.) Roth, named as In.Mcx against CS-induced ALI mice models and RAW 264.7 macrophages because Ipomoea nil has traditionally been used to treat breathing irregularities. Male Swiss albino mice (20-25 +/- 2 g) were subjected to CS for 10 uninterrupted days in order to establish CS-induced ALI murine models. Dexamethasone (1 mg/kg), In.Mcx (100 200, and 300 mg/kg) and normal saline (10 mL/kg) were given to respective animal groups, 1 h before CS-exposure. 24 h after the last CS exposure, the lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of all euthanized mice were harvested. Altered alveolar integrity and elevated lung weightcoefficient, total inflammatory cells, oxidative stress, expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-6) and chemokines (KC) were significantly decreased by In.Mcx in CS-exposed mice. In.Mcx also revealed significant lowering IL-10, IL-6 and KC expression in CSE (4 %)-activated RAW 264.7 macrophage. Additionally, In.Mcx showed marked enzyme inhibition activity against Acetylcholinesterase, Butyrylcholinesterase and Lipoxygenase. Importantly, In.Mcx dose-dependently and remarkably suppressed the CS-induced oxidative stress via not only reducing the MPO, TOS and MDA content but also improving TAC production in the lungs. Accordingly, HPLC analysis revealed the presence of many important antioxidant components. Finally, In.Mcx showed a marked decrease in the NF-KB expression both in in vivo and in vitro models. Our findings suggest that In.Mcx has positive therapeutic effects against CS-induced ALI via suppressing uncontrolled inflammatory response, oxidative stress, lipoxygenase and NF-KB p65 pathway

Fertility Levels, Trends and Differentials in Pakistan: Evidence from the Population, Labour Force and Migration Survey 1979-80

The objectives of the present report are two fold: (1) to analyse in some detail the fertility data collected in "Population, Labour Force and Migration" (PLM) Survey of 1979; and (2) to compare its findings, wherever necessary, with those of PFS (particularly for current fertility) and other surveys. The report is organized into eight sections, Section 2 is a brief review of earlier fertility levels and trends. Discussion of the PLM Survey and its methodology finds its place in section 3. In Section 4, we have discussed the current parity (children ever born to women at the time of the survey ) by age, marriage duration and age at marriage, as well as differentials in current parity. Early, marital fertility is discussed in section 5. The next two sections provide brief accounts of current fertility. In order to structure our analysis we have identified the women either through their birth cohorts ( current age ) or their marriage cohorts ( years since first marriage ). Realizing that the two fundamental aspects of a woman's chlld bearing life - the number of children she has had and the tempo of her having had them - cannot be fully separated as the results based on one type of measure do not always correspond to those obtained through another. We have, therefore, presented a brief synthesis of various findings in the concluding section

Fertility Levels, Trends and Differentials in Pakistan: Evidence from the Population, Labour Force and Migration Survey 1979-80

The objectives of the present report are two fold: (1) to analyse in some detail the fertility data collected in "Population, Labour Force and Migration" (PLM) Survey of 1979; and (2) to compare its findings, wherever necessary, with those of PFS (particularly for current fertility) and other surveys. The report is organized into eight sections, Section 2 is a brief review of earlier fertility levels and trends. Discussion of the PLM Survey and its methodology finds its place in section 3. In Section 4, we have discussed the current parity (children ever born to women at the time of the survey ) by age, marriage duration and age at marriage, as well as differentials in current parity. Early, marital fertility is discussed in section 5. The next two sections provide brief accounts of current fertility. In order to structure our analysis we have identified the women either through their birth cohorts ( current age ) or their marriage cohorts ( years since first marriage ). Realizing that the two fundamental aspects of a woman's chlld bearing life - the number of children she has had and the tempo of her having had them - cannot be fully separated as the results based on one type of measure do not always correspond to those obtained through another. We have, therefore, presented a brief synthesis of various findings in the concluding section

The Crux of the Medicine Prices' Controversy in Pakistan

no abstract available