Design of Multi-Antenna System for UMTS Clamshell Mobile Phones with Ground Plane Effects Considerations

In this paper, the influence of the ground plane dimensions on the port-to-port isolation of two closely-spaced Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Planar Inverted-F Antennas (PIFAs) with and without neutralization line is first presented. Parametric studies show the existence of an optimal size of the ground plane allowing optimizing the isolation and the efficiency of the considered antenna-system. The results obtained with this study are used in the second part to develop an efficient neutralized multi-antenna system for clamshell-type mobile phones. The obtained results, in terms of isolation, matching and diversity for the two possible configurations of the clamshell system in use namely the open and the closed states, show that good performance are obtained in the open state and preserved in the closed state. Prototypes of these two configurations are realized and measurement results are in good agreement with the simulations

Guide d'introduction à l'évaluation d'impact sur la santé en Suisse

Ce guide traite de l’Evaluation d’Impact sur la Santé (EIS) et des étapes du processus EIS. L’EIS est un outil novateur d’aide à la décision qui vise à évaluer les effets potentiels, positifs et négatifs sur la santé des politiques publiques, au travers de recommandations pour en maximiser les impacts positifs et atténuer les impacts négatifs. C’est le premier document qui décrit en détail le processus EIS en Suisse. Il se différencie des autres guides EIS existants dans la littérature internationale en ce sens qu’il découle directement des expériences réalisées par les Cantons (Genève, Jura et Tessin), cantons pionniers dans le domaine de l’EIS en Suisse

Association between Socio economic Factors and Contraceptive Use among Married Women in Guinea and Mali: An Examination of the Demographic and Health Survey Data 2018

Introduction: Unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions can seriously affect any sexually active women and have negative impacts on their personal and conjugal life, their families, and societies. unsafe abortions cause the death of thousands of women every year and lead millions more to suffer long-term reproductive problems, including infertility. Rarely any study has explored and compared the prevalence and associated factors of contraceptive use among married women in these two countries. AIM: Therefore, this study seeks to determine the association between socio economic factors and contraceptive use in two sub-Saharan African countries: Guinea and Mali. METHODS: Relevant data on contraceptive use among married women was extracted from the Guinean and Malian 2018 Demographic and Health Survey. Quantitative data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS STATISTICS version 28.0.1.1 RESULTS:89% of our respondents from Guinea and 85% of those from Mali were using no contraceptives. 35% of Malians had the intention to use it later against only 21% from Guinea and difference was statistically significant(p contraceptives (OR=1.37; 95% CI 1.26-1.49) as compared to Mali and the difference was statistically significant at p \u3c 0.001. This is a critical finding compared to the univariate analysis. The poorest are more likely to use contraceptives than other classes; followed by the poorer and the difference was statistically significant. DISCUSSION: In Guinea and Mali, wealth and education have been consistently found to be positively associated with contraceptive use. These findings are constant with previous studies indicating that wealth and education have been reliably found to be completely correlated contraceptive use [Budu et al., 2022]. This may be due to the fact that rich people have more access to health facilities and health education. These results strongly advocate that educational programs should target the poor and those with low educational attainment to encourage family planning

Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer Dose and Application Timing on Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Irrigated Hybrid Rice under Semi-Arid Conditions

Nitrogen fertilizer is the major input in rice production and the optimum rate and application timing management assure profitability and sustainability of the production system. This study aims to investigate hybrid rice response to different nitrogen fertilizer levels and the timing of application and quantify hybrid rice nitrogen use efficiency. Field experiments were conducted during the dry and the wet seasons 2016 at the research station of Africa Rice at Ndiaye in Senegal. Six nitrogen rates (0, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 kg N/ha) and three hybrid rice varieties (AR031H, AR032H, AR033H) and one inbred variety (Sahel108) and two nitrogen fertilizer application timings (three split and four split) were combined within a split-split plot design. The results showed significant effect of nitrogen rate and timing on rice grain yield that varied from 4.10 to 11.58 tons/ha and most the yield components. Rice grain yield exhibited curvilinear relationship with the applied nitrogen rates during the dry season under both nitrogen application timings and a linear relationship during the wet season under three splits. Nitrogen rate of 150 kg/ha was revealed optimum with best performance achieved by the Hybrid rice AR033H. Hybrid rice genotypes achieved greater nitrogen use efficiency compared to the inbred rice Sahel108. Hence, hybrid rice genotypes, and nitrogen rate of 150 kg/ha applied in four splits could be recommended to improve rice production and food security for achieving self-sufficiency in rice as targeted by Senegal and the neighboring countries

Upscaling cassava processing machines and products in Liberia

Open Access JournalCassava is produced by more than 80% of farming households and is an important contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) in Liberia. It is therefore important to assess the status of cassava processing into food and other products. A total of one hundred and sixty (160) well-structured questionnaires were used for the collection of information from eight counties, with twenty respondents from each county. It was found out that all the counties lack adequate modern cassava processing machines, with almost all cassava processing operations being done with rudimentary equipment. Gari and wet fufu are common products in Liberian markets, with no high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) or derivatives. Consequently, user and gender friendly processing machines were installed in six established modern cassava processing centres, and new cassava products, such as fufu powder, tapioca, and HQCF with its value-added products (10% bread and pastries), were introduced. This upscaling will enhance the cassava value chain in Liberia with improvement in livelihoods, especially for vulnerable women and unemployed youth