A Single-Chip 53 GHz Radiometer Front-End MMIC for Geostationary Atmospheric Measurements

A multi-functional single-chip 53 GHz radiometer front-end MMIC has been designed in a commercial GaAs mHEMT technology and evaluated by probed measurements. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first multi-functional MMIC ever presented intended for a radiometer application. Thus, the presented MMIC represents the future in radiometer front-end design, enabling a new generation of radiometers with lower cost, weight and DC power consumption. The MMIC is intended to be used in a demonstrator for a future geostationary synthetic thinned aperture radiometer for satellite-based environmental studies of the earth. Measured results for conversion gain, RF and IF bandwidths, image rejection ratio, 1-dB compression point, input referred third order intercept point (IIP3), LO saturation, and noise figure are presented and discussed. A study of the influence of benzocyclobutene (BCB) as a dielectric coating used for surface passivation on the measured RF performance is also performed. Furthermore, the very important issue of phase stability versus temperature and time was also investigated

Intra-articular hyaluronan injections in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled multicentre trial. Hyaluronan Multicentre Trial Group.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of intra-articular injections of hyaluronan on symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Two hundred and forty patients with symptomatic, radiological knee OA were randomly assigned to treatment with weekly injections for five weeks with either 25 mg of high molecular weight hyaluronan or vehicle. Results were evaluated at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, and 20 by visual analogue scales (pain, function, motion, activity), algofunctional index, and global evaluation by patient and investigator. Analysis was by "intention to treat', "per protocol', and area under the curve principles on unstratified patient groups and for patients stratified into four groups of equal size by age and baseline algofunctional index. RESULTS: No serious side effects were reported. At 20 weeks both treatment groups were improved compared with baseline, with no difference between unstratified groups treated with placebo or hyaluronan. Comparison of treatment groups stratified by age and baseline algofunctional index revealed a significant difference in favour of hyaluronan over placebo (pain, activity, algofunctional index, global evaluations by patient and investigator) for patients older than 60 years and with a baseline algofunctional index greater than 10. There was no clinically relevant difference between the two treatments for the other three stratified subgroups of younger age or fewer symptoms. Similar results were obtained by area under the curve, intention to treat, and per protocol analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Patients older than 60 years with knee osteoarthritis and with significant symptoms corresponding to an index of severity of knee disease of 10 or more, comprise the group most likely to benefit from treatment with intra-articular hyaluronan injections

Relationship Satisfaction Among Mothers of Children with Congenital Heart Defects: A Prospective Case-Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of partner relationship satisfaction among mothers of children with different severity of congenital heart defects (CHD) compared with mothers in the cohort. METHODS: Mothers of children with mild, moderate, or severe CHD (n = 182) and a cohort of mothers of children without CHD (n = 46,782) from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study were assessed at 5 time points from pregnancy to 36 months postpartum. A 5-item version of the Relationship Satisfaction scale was used, and relevant covariates were explored. RESULTS: The trajectories of relationship satisfaction among mothers of children with varying CHD severity did not differ from the trajectories in the cohort. All women in the cohort experienced decreasing relationship satisfaction from 18 months after delivery up to 36 months after delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Having a child with CHD, regardless of severity, does not appear to exacerbate the decline in relationship satisfaction