bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cold Plasma Reticulation of Shape Memory Embolic Tissue Scaffolds
Authors: Nash Landon D. , Docherty Nicole C. , Monroe Mary Beth B. , Ezell Kendal P. , Carrow James K. , Hasan Sayyeda M. , Gaharwar Akhilesh K. , Maitland Duncan J.
Published: August 2016

Polyurethane shape memory polymer (SMP) foams are proposed for use as thrombogenic scaffolds to improve the treatment of vascular defects, such as cerebral aneurysms. However, gas blown SMP foams inherently have membranes between pores, which can limit their performance as embolic tissue scaffolds. Reticulation, or the removal of membranes between adjacent foam pores, is advantageous for improving device performance by increasing blood permeability and cellular infiltration. This work characterizes the effects of cold gas plasma reticulation processes on bulk polyurethane SMP films and foams. Plasma‐induced changes on material properties are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, uniaxial tensile testing, goniometry, and free strain recovery experiments. Device specific performance is characterized in terms of permeability, platelet attachment, and cell–material interactions. Overall, plasma reticulated SMP scaffolds show promise as embolic tissue scaffolds due to increased bulk permeability, retained thrombogenicity, and favorable cell–material interactions.

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The Influenza Virus Polymerase Complex: An Update on Its Structure, Functions, and Significance for Antiviral Drug Design
Authors: Stevaert Annelies , Naesens Lieve
Published: August 2016

Influenza viruses cause seasonal epidemics and pandemic outbreaks associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and a huge cost. Since resistance to the existing anti‐influenza drugs is rising, innovative inhibitors with a different mode of action are urgently needed. The influenza polymerase complex is widely recognized as a key drug target, given its critical role in virus replication and high degree of conservation among influenza A (of human or zoonotic origin) and B viruses. We here review the major progress that has been made in recent years in unravelling the structure and functions of this protein complex, enabling structure‐aided drug design toward the core regions of the PA endonuclease, PB1 polymerase, or cap‐binding PB2 subunit. Alternatively, inhibitors may target a protein–protein interaction site, a cellular factor involved in viral RNA synthesis, the viral RNA itself, or the nucleoprotein component of the viral ribonucleoprotein. The latest advances made for these diverse pharmacological targets have yielded agents in advanced (i.e., favipiravir and VX‐787) or early clinical testing, besides several experimental inhibitors in various stages of development, which are all covered here.
Plasma trimethylamine‐N‐oxide following supplementation with vitamin D or D plus B vitamins
Authors: Obeid Rima , Awwad Hussain M. , Kirsch Susanne H. , Waldura Christiane , Herrmann Wolfgang , Graeber Stefan , Geisel Juergen
Published: August 2016

Scope

We compared the effect of supplementation with vitamin D + B or vitamin D on plasma trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) and choline metabolites.

Methods and results

This is a randomized single‐blinded nonplacebo‐controlled study. Twenty‐seven participants received 1200 IU vitamin D3 and 800 mg calcium, and 25 participants received additionally 0.5 mg folic acid, 50 mg B6, and 0.5 mg B12 for 1 year. Plasma homocysteine (Hcy), TMAO, and choline metabolites were measured at baseline and 12 months later. TMAO declined in the vitamin D arm by 0.5 versus 2.8 μmol/L in the D + B arm (p = 0.005). Hcy decreased and betaine increased in the D + B compared to the D arm. Within‐subject levels of plasma choline and dimethylglycine and urine betaine increased in both arms and changes did not differ between the arms. TMAO reduction was predicted by higher baseline TMAO and lowering Hcy in stepwise regression analysis. The test–retest variations of TMAO were greater in the D + B arm compared to vitamin D arm.

Conclusion

B vitamins plus vitamin D lowered plasma fasting TMAO compared to vitamin D. Vitamin D caused alterations in choline metabolism, which may reflect the metabolic flexibility of C1‐metabolism. The molecular mechanisms and health implications of these changes are currently unknown.
Frequency tracking optical beamforming system using uncooled Fabry‐Perot lasers
Authors: Ren Jianqiao , Pulikkaseril Cibby , Yi Xiaoke
Published: August 2016

We present a novel optical beamforming network that is able to use an uncooled Fabry‐Perot (FP) laser as the optical source. This is achieved by tracking the frequency and power drift of an FP laser and compensating these changes with programmable amplitude and phase in a liquid crystal‐on‐silicon Fourier domain optical processor. The system realizes six microwave phase shifters that operate simultaneously over 12–39.5 GHz with amplitude and phase response variation of 6.1 dB and 14.8°, respectively, under the conditions of changing laser current. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2537–2540, 2016
New compact planar wideband antenna with flat gain and good pattern stability
Authors: Noraei Yeganeh Ali , Hesamoddin Najmolhoda Sayed , Hassan Sedighy Seyed , Mohammad‐Ali‐Nezhad Sajad
Published: August 2016

A new planar compact wideband dipole antenna with new feed structure is presented. The wideband operation of the proposed antenna is interpreted and a closed form formula for its design process is extracted. Then, three cases of the proposed antenna is designed and simulated to verify the extracted formula. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2548–2554, 2016
New shield structure for retrodirective and invisible applications
Authors: Caravantes Jorge , Mediavilla Paula , Tazón Antonio , Fernández Tomás , Vassal'lo Juan
Published: August 2016

Retrodirectivity and invisibility are two opposite concepts in the radar context. The former looks for an evident identification, while the latter aims to remain unnoticed. Here, we present a new structure based on inverted conical surfaces to provide both effects depending on the conical aperture value: 90° for retrodirective applications and 120° for invisible and Wi‐Fi/Li‐Fi applications.

Results of the study carried out to confirm the behavior of the two structures are also presented, including measurements to compare performance with commercial prototypes in the case of retrodirectivity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2570–2577, 2016
Large‐scale transient electrical‐thermal co‐simulation of interconnects under electromagnetic pulses
Authors: Lu Tianjian , Jin Jian‐Ming
Published: August 2016

The electrical‐thermal co‐simulation is employed to analyze the transient electrical and thermal behaviors of large‐scale on‐chip and 3‐D interconnects. The analyses are performed when the interconnects are exposed to electromagnetic pulses in order to simulate both self‐heating effects under normal working conditions and thermal breakdowns under electrostatic discharge stresses. The impact of power maps on the transient thermal responses under the electrostatic discharge stress is also studied. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2559–2563, 2016
Experimental realization of micromachined terahertz corrugated conical horn antenna
Authors: Zhao Pengfei , Lv Xin , Lu Hongda , Liu Yong
Published: August 2016

A terahertz (THz) corrugated conical horn antenna with ring‐loaded slots based on silicon micromachining technology is proposed. The radiation patterns are designed to be asymmetrical in both the E‐ and H‐plane with sidelobe below −30 dB in the E‐plane at 500 GHz. Good agreements between the simulated and measured results are observed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2563–2566, 2016
A novel compact dual‐band dual‐polarized microstrip patch antenna for GSM/DCS applications
Authors: Vedaee Ali , Hassani Hamid R.
Published: August 2016

In this paper, a novel compact dual‐band dual‐polarized microstrip stacked patch antenna suitable for base stations is presented. The first and second frequency bands cover the GSM and DCS bands respectively. The antenna layout consists of a single circular patch with four symmetrical slots along its periphery mainly responsible for the upper frequency band and one cross‐shaped slot at the center, mainly responsible for the lower one. The stacked configuration is considered for bandwidth enhancement. The antenna utilizes a simple orthogonal feed network for the two polarizations, which feeds the patch through a relatively wide cross‐shaped slot at the antenna's ground plane, placed centrally with respect to the patch. The antenna bandwidth completely covers the two desired bands with relatively good return loss and also exhibits polarization isolation of greater than 33 dB and 40 dB in the lower and upper frequency bands respectively. In addition, the antenna has good radiation characteristics in terms of cross‐polarization in both bands of interest. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2557–2559, 2016
An l‐shaped 4‐element monopole MIMO antenna system with enhanced isolation for mobile applications
Authors: Ikram M. , Hussain R. , Hammi O. , Sharawi M. S.
Published: August 2016

In this work, a 4‐element wideband printed modified monopole based multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) antenna system is presented. The proposed design is compact, low profile, and suitable to be used for wireless handheld devices in 3G and 4G LTE bands. The covered measured frequencies lie between 2017 and 2265 MHz. The proposed design is evaluated for MIMO performance metrics. A defected ground structure that is based on a combination of an array of vertical slots and one circular slot is used to enhance the isolation. The envelope correlation coefficient was <0.1889. The MIMO antenna system is built on a double layer FR‐4 substrate with height of 0.8mm and dielectric constant of 4.4. The total size of the design is 100 × 60 × 0.8 mm3. Good agreement between simulated and measured results is obtained. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2587–2591, 2016
A comparative study of different gain cells based microwave CMOS distributed oscillators
Authors: Bhattacharyya Kalyan , Sharma D. K.
Published: August 2016

Different gain cells used for Distributed oscillators (DOs) have been studied through extensive simulations. Measured results for a cascode DO are also reported, with oscillation frequency of around 10.1 GHz with 4.63 dBm output power at 1.8 V and phase noise of −114 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from the carrier. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2581–2587, 2016
Fiber extended ultra‐wideband radar for breath tracking through 10 cm concrete
Authors: Frejstrup L. , Monroy I. Tafur , Olmos J. J. Vegas
Published: August 2016

This article presents an Ultra‐Wideband (UWB) radar with a 20 km NZ‐DSF extension on the transmitter side. The radar is based on telecom class signal generation, antennas, and a recording module operating at 20 Gsa/s. The radar is transmitting a pulse covering the frequencies from 3.4 to 9.9 GHz. The radar system was able to track the breathing of a human through a 10 cm concrete obstacle. The frequency output was verified through the use of a metal pendulum with a fixed oscillation period. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2612–2614, 2016
Multi‐probe remote differential optical low‐coherence reflectometer
Authors: Ferreira da Silva Thiago
Published: August 2016

I propose and evaluate a multi‐probe optical low‐coherence reflectometer that simultaneously measures, with sub‐micron resolution, relative axial distances sampled on a reflexive surface. The technique is assessed as suitable for in‐field high‐resolution remote contactless evaluation of surfaces by simultaneously measuring four points in a target 22‐km apart from the reflectometer. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2606–2609, 2016
Design of a dual‐band patch antenna with circular parasitic elements for adaptive polarization adjustment
Authors: Yoo S. J. , Choo H. , Byun G.
Published: August 2016

This letter proposes the design of microstrip patch antennas for independent polarization adjustments in two frequency bands. The proposed antenna consists of two radiating patches for dual‐band operation, and each patch is composed of a circular resonator and surrounding parasitic elements. The antenna polarization is adaptively adjusted by rotating these parasitic elements for each patch without changing other design parameters. As an evaluation, two sample antennas with linear and circular polarizations are fabricated to measure their radiation characteristics. The results prove that the proposed structure is capable of independent polarization adjustments for dual‐band operations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2643–2649, 2016
Base‐band training of carrier leakage canceller in 5.8‐GHz full‐duplex transceivers
Authors: Maddio Stefano , Cidronali Alessandro , Collodi Giovanni
Published: August 2016

This article introduces a training technique suitable for an active analog carrier leakage canceller, based on base‐band signal processing. The proposed training approach leads to the optimum canceller parameters by observing at base‐band the magnitude of a pilot signal amplitude‐modulating the carrier, which is generated by the base‐band processor in the transmitter and received due the leakage through the receiver chain.

An experimental characterization applied to a road‐side unit operating in full‐duplex mode for an electronic toll collection system, under regulation ETSI ES200674, demonstrates that the leakage mitigation reaches up to 35 dB with the leakage between transmitter and receiver maintained below −60 dB, and resulting in a signal‐noise ratio enhancement of 30 dB © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2649–2653, 2016
Investigation on compact modified wideband interdigital bandpass filter with wide stopband using spurlines and defected ground structures
Authors: Sahu Bhagirath , Tripathi Pankaj , Singh Soni , Kumar Meshram Manoj , Singh S. P.
Published: August 2016

In this paper, a compact modified microstrip interdigital bandpass filter (IBPF) having two pairs of spurlines and a pair of defected ground structures (DGS) containing stepped impedance resonators (SIRs) is described for L–Band receiver applications. A combination of spurlines and SIR‐shaped DGS is used to obtain the proposed compact IBPF with wide stop‐ and pass‐bands. The reduction in size and wide stopband characteristic of the filter result from band notched characteristic of spurline, and harmonic suppression along with miniaturization characteristic of DGS. The equivalent circuit parameters of the spurlines and DGS are also extracted and their values are computed. The proposed compact filter is of size 0.24λg × 0.34λg (0.107λ0 × 0.075λ0), where
, λ0 is the free space wavelength at the centre frequency (f0) of 1.47 GHz and
(=10.2) is the dielectric constant of the substrate. The simulated and measured 3‐dB fractional bandwidths of the proposed filter are 80% (over the frequency range 0.89 −2.05 GHz) and 79% (over the frequency range 0.87–2.01 GHz) respectively. The proposed BPF has stopband attenuation better than 17 dB upto a frequency of approximately six times the centre frequency of the desired passband. For the validation of the simulated results, the prototype of the proposed filter was fabricated and its parameters like S–parameters, group delay and phase responses were measured. The experimental results for the proposed BPF are nearly in agreement with the respective simulation results. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2634–2639, 2016
Dual‐band in‐/anti‐phase filtering power dividers
Authors: Qin W. , Chen J.‐X. , Zhou L.‐H. , Bao Z.‐H. , Xue Q.
Published: August 2016

This article presents a novel dual‐band in‐/anti‐phase filtering power divider. The signals of the two output ports are symmetrically extracted from the resonator. Naturally, they are in‐phase for even‐mode passband but anti‐phase for the odd‐mode passband. The intrinsic reason is that a negative group delay (NGD) frequency band is presented between the two passbands, which opens a window for the change of the 180º phase differences. For demonstration, a dual‐band filtering power divider is designed and measured based on the stub‐loaded resonators (SLRs). Good agreements are observed between the measured and simulated results, showcasing small magnitude and phase differences in both passbands. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2626–2629, 2016
Quad‐element multi‐band antenna array in the smart mobile phone for LTE MIMO operations
Authors: Li Ke , Shi Yan , Liang Chang‐Hong
Published: August 2016

In this paper, a quad‐element MIMO antenna array in the smart phone has been developed for multi‐wideband operations covering 750–960 MHz and 1700–3600 MHz. The proposed antenna element consists of two parts: one is a dielectric resonator that operates in a TE11δ mode and generates the antenna's upper band, and the other is a radiating patch with a meander line connected to the ground plane, which achieves composite right‐ and left‐handed (CRLH) metamaterial transmission lines structure and contributes the antenna's lower band. Each of four antenna elements fitting in a small region of 25 × 16 × 4 mm3 are located on a circuit board of 125 × 75 × 0.8 mm3. The slots are etched on the metallic ground plane to guarantee good isolation between four antenna elements. The MIMO antenna array is fabricated, and the simulated and measured results show good performance in terms of S parameters, radiation pattern, total efficiency, and envelope correlation coefficient (ECC). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2619–2626, 2016
A remotely interrogated near‐field sensor for sub‐λ microwave imaging
Authors: Mostafavi Mahkamehossadat , Horvath Niccolo , Flores Matthew , Mistry Neel , Stephanie Smekal Michelle , Enrique Diaz Rodolfo
Published: August 2016

A wideband surface‐scanning near‐field sensor in the form of a slot antenna, remotely interrogated by a wireless signal is reported. Perturbation of the antenna near‐field by subwavelength objects (λ/10) on the surface is detected in the far‐field as a change in the antenna signature, yielding image of the surface structure. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2677–2682, 2016
Miniaturized rat‐race coupler with tunable power dividing ratio based on open‐ and short‐circuited transdirectional coupled lines
Authors: Wang Zhongbao , Cao Yuan , Fang Shaojun , Liu Yuanan
Published: August 2016

A miniaturized rat‐race coupler with a tunable power dividing ratio is proposed by using the open‐ and short‐circuited transdirectional coupled lines, design equations of which are derived to obtain perfect matching and isolation regardless of the coupling power. Based on the design equations, a microstrip rat‐race coupler with circuit size of λg/4 × λg/31 is implemented. Simulated and measured results are given to verify the proposed method. Compared with the existing tunable rat‐race coupler, the proposed coupler has 40–71% reduction of circuit size and a wide adjustable range of power‐dividing ratios (−10–13 dB) with a control voltage ranging from 3 to 12 V. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2683–2689, 2016
A novel three dimensional vector finite element method for periodic photonic devices
Authors: Gonçalves Marcos S. , Isayama Yuri H. , Hernández‐Figueroa Hugo E.
Published: August 2016

This article presents a novel Three‐Dimensional (3D) Vector Finite Element Method to solve eigenvalue problems for periodic structures. With the formulation, numerical investigations of photonic crystals and subwavelength grating waveguide in a silicon‐on‐insulator platform have been performed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2665–2668, 2016
Research on target tracking capture rate calculation and target optical characteristic in target optical imaging tracking system
Authors: Lu Liping , Wang Jinfang
Published: August 2016

Based on the instability problem of target tracking performance in the optical tracking imaging system of field operations, this article researches the target tracking capture rate. The target tracking platform is established with target imaging radiation characteristics and target movement features and target optical properties are researched with photometry knowledge. According to target detection range, target size, environmental illumination and area array CCD imaging characteristics, the calculation model of target tracking capture rate is deduced and the factors that affecting the target capture rate are analyzed. By calculation and experimental analysis, the target capture rate decreases when the detection range increases and the target capture rate increases when the target size is larger. The target gray value is relatively stable when the weather is sunny and target images captured by CCD are given when the target size is
. The optical imaging system can work day and night and the target capture rate can get 95% with the laser strobe auxiliary illumination technology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2672–2677, 2016
Dual polarized dual‐band MIMO antenna
Authors: Sharma Rekha , Kiran Kommuri Usha
Published: August 2016

For multiple‐input‐multiple‐output (MIMO) system a dual‐band dual‐polarized antenna is presented. The antenna which is presented in this thesis produces a linearly polarized and circularly polarized radiation fields. The measured return losses of −18.89 and −21.86 dB are achieved at 2.43 GHz and 3.22 GHz, respectively. In this the proposed antenna is designed and simulated using Ansoft HFSS Software. The result shows that the gain of the antenna has increased by 1.4dB and 1.2dB at 2.43 and 3.22 GHz, respectively by using the FSS. A compact dual‐band dual‐polarized antenna is achieved. The proposed antenna is fabricated and validated experimentally using VNA. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2699–2703, 2016
Cylindrical near‐field antenna measurement using a polarization reconfiurable probe
Authors: Row Jeen‐Sheen , Tsai Jia‐Fu
Published: August 2016

A cylindrical near‐field antenna measurement using a probe with switchable polarization is described. The probe is a dual‐feed crossed‐dipole antenna with wideband operation, and its polarization can be switched between dual orthogonal linear polarizations by selecting one feed as the signal input port. The system layout for the proposed near‐field antenna measurement is shown. Two S‐band antennas, including a standard gain horn and a 1 × 8 planar array, are respectively selected as the antenna under test, and the radiation patterns obtained from the constructed near‐field measurement system have good agreements with the simulated results. In addition, the use of the polarization reconfigurable probe can eliminate the need of rotating the probe by 90°, and consequently the test time is obviously reduced. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2707–2711, 2016
Reducing mutual coupling in chipless rfid tags composed of U‐folded dipole scatterers
Authors: Machac Jan , Polivka Milan , Svanda Milan , Havlicek Jaroslav
Published: August 2016

We propose a novel chipless RFID tag composed of topologically modified uniplanar U‐folded dipoles with inclined arms. This topology reduces the interelement mutual coupling and provides a significantly better amplitude uniformity and frequency stability of tag RCS response when logical “0” is coded by removing particular scatterers from the array. Simultaneously, it provides a higher encoding capacity in unit frequency range than the arrays composed of original U‐folded dipoles with parallel arms, yet at the expense of small RCS magnitude reduction.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2723–2725, 2016
Reactive impedance surface based multisystem satellite navigation antenna
Authors: Li Xue‐Shi , Xu Kai‐Da , Xu Yuan‐Mei
Published: August 2016

A reactive impedance surface (RIS) based novel antenna that covers operating bands of multiple global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) is presented. By using the metamaterial covering layer, that is, the RIS, the antenna achieves wideband performance in terms of both reflection coefficient and axial ratio (AR). For reflection coefficient lower than −10 dB, the operating band is 1.26–1.73 GHz. The AR bandwidth of the antenna that is lower than 3 dB is 1.33 GHz–1.71 GHz, enabling it compatible with several GNSSs including GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and Galileo. In addition, the antenna radiates an axial beam with a peak gain of 6.0 dBic in the form of the right‐handed circular polarization. The antenna has a favorable peak radiation efficiency of 93.3% in the operating band while keeping a compact size of 0.38 λ0 × 0.38 λ0 × 0.097 λ0 at 1.33 GHz.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2764–2769, 2016
Miniaturized band‐notched ultra‐wideband antenna
Authors: Ding Wen , Wang Gaofeng
Published: August 2016

A miniaturized band‐notched ultra‐wideband antenna with a bandwidth from 2.7 to 13.1 GHz (i.e., bandwidth ratio 4.9:1) for VSWR ≤ 2 and a stop band from 5 to 6 GHz is designed and optimized. The overall area is reduced by 30% and a radiation rejection band is engineered by inserting a 1/2 wavelength thin strip dipole to serve as an anti‐resonator in the undesired band where the radiated field from the radiator is phase‐reversed with respect to that from the inserted anti‐resonator, consequently the total radiation is cancelled out, and the stop band can be easily tuned by adjusting the dipole length and width. It is shown that this antenna is robust in rejecting environmental interferences. A prototype of this antenna is fabricated and measured. The measurements agree well with the simulation results.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2780–2786, 2016
A novel dual wideband circular quasi‐yagi MIMO antenna system with loop excitation
Authors: Jehangir Syed S. , Sharawi Mohammad S.
Published: August 2016

A 4‐element circular quasi‐Yagi based multiple‐input‐multiple‐output (MIMO) antenna system with loop excitation is presented. This wide dual‐band antenna system covers 1.45–2.55 GHz and 3.707− 4.71 GHz bands covering GPS, GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, Bluetooth, Wi‐Fi and WiMAX bands. This antenna has an end‐fire directional radiation pattern with front‐to‐back ratio (FBR) of 13.8 dB, minimum measured gain of 5.8 dBi and directivity of 7 dB at 2 GHz using one director element. The minimum measured efficiency across the two bands was 65%. The proposed antenna ensured good MIMO performance in terms of isolation and correlation. It has a minimum measured isolation of 18 dB across both bands. Due to its geometry configuration, pattern orthogonality is obtained which gives very low envelope correlation coefficient values not exceeding 0.1589 in both bands. The size of the MIMO antenna system is 263 × 263 mm2 thus making it suitable for wireless access points and on vehicle applications.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2769–2774, 2016
Photonic frequency up‐conversion of baseband pulses for IR‐UWB using optical beating and balanced coherent detection
Authors: Joel Santos‐Aguilar , Arturo Arvizu‐Mondragón , Celso Gutiérrez‐Martínez
Published: August 2016

This article describes a photonic scheme that performs frequency up‐conversion of baseband pulses for potential applications on Impulse Radio‐Ultra Wideband systems. Mixing a laser modulated by a pulse with a wavelength‐tunable laser (local oscillator) and a coherent photodetection scheme we obtain high order pulses comparable with nth derivatives of a Gaussian pulse. With our approach is possible to perform the frequency translation of the baseband pulses so that UWB pulses within standardized UWB mask are obtained. Baseband components produced in the optical mixing are removed by using a balanced photodetection stage. Our scheme exploits two different microwave photonics technics (microwave generation and coherent detection) for accomplish a simple generator of high order pulses avoiding the use of complex schemes. Additionally, the scheme can be implemented with commercially available components and it is reconfigurable in a very simple way. The performance of the proposed scheme is analyzed and evaluated in this work.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2749–2755, 2016
A decagon shaped universal compact broadband printed monopole antenna
Authors: Ahirwar Divya , Shrivastava Apoorva , Baudha Sudeep
Published: August 2016

In this article, a decagon shaped universal compact broadband printed monopole antenna has been described which consists of a decagon shaped patch and a valley shaped notch in the partial ground plane for multiple applications, operating at frequency ranges from 3.5 GHz to greater than 100 GHz. The overall dimension of the proposed antenna is 15*20*1.5 cubic millimeter and is fabricated on commercially available low cost FR4 substrate having electrical permittivity (εr) of 4.3 and loss tangent of 0.025. The proposed antenna has some of the range for ultra‐wide band applications, Wi‐Fi, 3.5/5.5GHz WiMAX band, 5.2/5.8GHz WLAN band, 60/90 GHz E‐band military applications, 8/12 GHz X‐band, 12/18 GHz Ku ‐band, 26.5/40 GHz Ka‐band, 40/60 GHz U‐band, 50/75 GHz V‐band, 75/110 GHz W‐band,space and satellite communications etc. The impedance bandwidth (S‐parameter < 10 dB) is more than 188%, radiation efficiency is 78% and the peak gain is 7.6 dB. The simulated return losses, impedance curves, radiation efficiency, gain, surface current and radiation patterns of the proposed antenna are elaborated in this paper.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2760–2764, 2016
Compact beamforming antenna with multiple radiation pattern reconfigurations
Authors: Ji Jeong Keun
Published: August 2016

A compact beamforming antenna with multiple radiation pattern reconfigurations is presented for 2.4 GHz wireless MIMO applications. The proposed antenna comprises four pairs of active elements and parasitic elements loaded PIN diodes. The size of the antenna is 0.144λ0 × 0.144λ0 × 0.8λ0, indicating a very compact design. By switching PIN diodes, the parasitic element performs as a director or a reflector, and the impedance matching and the radiation patterns of the antenna are optimized. The performance of the antenna is verified by experimental data obtained from fabrication and measurement. The antenna offers three modes with nine radiation beam patterns at the frequencies of 2.4 GHz band. The measured peak gain of all beam patterns ranges from 4.1 to 6.9 dBi.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2755–2760, 2016
Cavity ring‐down technique for remote sensing
Authors: Silva S. , Marques M.B. , Frazão O.
Published: August 2016

This work demonstrates the viability of using a cavity ring‐down (CRD) technique for remote sensing. A conventional CRD configuration is used where an optical circulator is added inside the fiber loop to couple 19 km of optical fiber with a gold mirror at its end with the purpose of remote sensing. As a proof‐of‐concept, an intensity sensor based on an eight‐figure configuration is used at the end of the 19 km of fiber for displacement sensing. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2711–2713, 2016
Fibrosis, low vascularity, and fewer slow fibers after rotator‐cuff injury
Authors: Gigliotti Deanna , Xu Mark C. , Davidson Michael J. , Macdonald Peter B. , Leiter Jeff R.S. , Anderson Judy E.
Published: August 2016

Introduction

Rotator‐cuff injury (RCI) represents 50% of shoulder injuries, and prevalence increases with age. Even with successful tendon repair, muscle and joint function may not return.

Methods

To explore the dysfunction, supraspinatus and ipsilateral deltoid (control) muscles were biopsied during arthroscopic RCI repair for pair‐wise histological and protein‐expression studies.

Results

Supraspinatus showed fiber atrophy (P <  0.0001), fibrosis (by Sirius Red, P = 0.05), reduced vascular density (P <  0.001), and a lower proportion of slow fibers (P <  0.0001) compared with the ipsilateral control muscle. There were also higher levels of atrogin‐1 (P = 0.05), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, P <  0.01), and dystrophin (P <  0.008, relative to fiber diameter) versus control.

Conclusions

Adaptive changes in vascular endothelial growth factor and dystrophin were likely associated with reduced vascular supply, fatigue resistance, and fibrosis, accompanied by disuse atrophy from mechanical unloading of supraspinatus after tendon tear. Treatment to promote growth and vascularity in atrophic supraspinatus muscle may help improve functional outcome after surgical repair. Muscle Nerve 55: 715–726, 2017
Inter‐rater reliability determination for two tests of ulnar nerve conduction across the elbow
Authors: Carroll Craig G. , Landau Mark E. , Rouhanian Minoo , Campbell William W.
Published: August 2016

Introduction

The inter‐rater variability in determination of ulnar nerve conduction across the elbow compromises test accuracy. The extent of this variability is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine and compare inter‐rater reliability of variables derived from 2 different ulnar nerve conduction studies (NCSs) across the elbow.

Methods

Two investigators performed a standard ulnar NCS and a 6‐cm conduction time (Six‐Centimeter Conduction Time test, SCCT) on 60 extremities of asymptomatic subjects. In the standard test, below‐elbow (BE) and above‐elbow (AE) stimulation points were ≥ 10 cm apart, measured along a curved path, to calculate across‐elbow NCV. In SCCT, BE and AE were precisely 6 cm apart measured linearly to calculate CTE (conduction time elbow). Inter‐rater reliability was assessed by means of intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).

Results

ICC for across‐elbow NCV and CTE were 0.726 and 0.801, respectively.

Conclusions

Reliability of CTE and across‐elbow NCV are similar. Shorter distances, if measured linearly, can be used to determine across‐elbow ulnar nerve conduction. Muscle Nerve 55: 664–668, 2017
Low adoption of weight loss medications: A comparison of prescribing patterns of antiobesity pharmacotherapies and SGLT2s
Authors: Thomas Catherine E. , Mauer Elizabeth A. , Shukla Alpana P. , Rathi Samrat , Aronne Louis J.
Published: August 2016

Objective

To characterize the adoption of antiobesity pharmacotherapies, as compared with that of the newest antidiabetes pharmacotherapy, subtype 2 sodium‐glucose transport protein inhibitors (SGLT2s), among prescribers in the United States.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 2012 to 2015 data extracted from the IMS Health National Prescription Audit™ and Xponent™ assessed adoption rates of antiobesity pharmacotherapies and SGLT2s.

Results

The number of dispensed antidiabetes prescriptions was 15 times the number of dispensed antiobesity prescriptions. The antiobesity market share was: 74.0% phentermine, 18.6% new antiobesity pharmacotherapies. The mean increase in prescriptions/month were: 25,259 for SGLT2s, 5,154 for new antiobesity pharmacotherapies, and 2,718 for phentermine. Medical specialties prescribing the majority of the analysis medications were Family Medicine/General Practice and Internal Medicine. Endocrinology had the highest prevalence of prescribers of any subspecialty.

Conclusions

The adoption rate of SGLT2s was nearly exponential, while the adoption rate of new antiobesity pharmacotherapies was linear. Considering the relative prevalence of obesity to diabetes and that obesity is a major cause of diabetes, these results are paradoxical and suggest systematic barriers against the prescribing of antiobesity pharmacotherapies. The under‐prescribing of antiobesity pharmacotherapies is widely acknowledged, but this is the first prescription data of these new medications to demonstrate its extent in the United States.
Insulin access to skeletal muscle is impaired during the early stages of diet‐induced obesity
Authors: Broussard Josiane L. , Castro Ana V.B. , Iyer Malini , Paszkiewicz Rebecca L. , Bediako Isaac Asare , Szczepaniak Lidia S. , Szczepaniak Edward W. , Bergman Richard N. , Kolka Cathryn M.
Published: August 2016

Objective

Insulin must move from the blood to the interstitium to initiate signaling, yet access to the interstitium may be impaired in cases of insulin resistance, such as obesity. This study investigated whether consuming a short‐ and long‐term high‐fat diet (HFD) impairs insulin access to skeletal muscle, the major site of insulin‐mediated glucose uptake.

Methods

Male mongrel dogs were divided into three groups consisting of control diet (n = 16), short‐term (n = 8), and long‐term HFD (n = 8). Insulin sensitivity was measured with intravenous glucose tolerance tests. A hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp was performed in each animal at the conclusion of the study. During the clamp, lymph fluid was measured as a representation of the interstitial space to assess insulin access to muscle.

Results

Short‐ and long‐term HFD induced obesity and reduced insulin sensitivity. Lymph insulin concentrations were approximately 50% of plasma insulin concentrations under control conditions. Long‐term HFD caused fasting plasma hyperinsulinemia; however, interstitial insulin concentrations were not increased, suggesting impaired insulin access to muscle.

Conclusions

A HFD rapidly induces insulin resistance at the muscle and impairs insulin access under basal insulin concentrations. Hyperinsulinemia induced by a long‐term HFD may be a compensatory mechanism necessary to maintain healthy insulin levels in muscle interstitium.
Decreased melanocortin‐4 receptor function conferred by an infrequent variant at the human melanocortin receptor accessory protein 2 gene
Authors: Schonnop Laura , Kleinau Gunnar , Herrfurth Nikolas , Volckmar Anna‐Lena , Cetindag Cigdem , Müller Anne , Peters Triinu , Herpertz Stephan , Antel Jochen , Hebebrand Johannes , Biebermann Heike , Hinney Anke
Published: August 2016

Objective

The melanocortin receptor accessory protein 2 (MRAP2) is relevant for weight regulation in mice and humans. This function is likely mediated by regulation of the melanocortin‐4 receptor (MC4R). Functional implications of human MRAP2 mutations have not been described yet.

Methods

A mutation screen was conducted in MRAP2 in 184 children and adolescents with (extreme) obesity and in 184 lean controls. Detected nonsynonymous variants were genotyped in larger independent study groups (300 people with obesity and 436 individuals with normal weight). The influence of mutant MRAP2 on MC4R signaling was analyzed in vitro.

Results

(1) Three (two novel) nonsynonymous MRAP2 variants were detected: p.Ala137Thr, p.Gln174Arg, p.Arg125His (rs115655382), two synonymous variants, and three intronic variants. (2) The impact of MRAP2 on MC4R function was dependent on the ratio between the two co‐expressed proteins. Increased MC4R signaling was detected at MRAP2/MC4R ratios of 2 + 1 and above. (3) The function of MC4R was reduced with the infrequent allele at the MRAP2 p.Gln174Arg variant. (4) The three nonsynonymous mutations were each only detected once among the 484 people with obesity and not among 620 individuals with normal weight.

Conclusions

This was the first study describing an effect of a MRAP2 mutation on MC4R function.
A randomized pilot study comparing zero‐calorie alternate‐day fasting to daily caloric restriction in adults with obesity
Authors: Catenacci Victoria A. , Pan Zhaoxing , Ostendorf Danielle , Brannon Sarah , Gozansky Wendolyn S. , Mattson Mark P. , Martin Bronwen , MacLean Paul S. , Melanson Edward L. , Troy Donahoo William
Published: August 2016

Objective

To evaluate the safety and tolerability of alternate‐day fasting (ADF) and to compare changes in weight, body composition, lipids, and insulin sensitivity index (Si) with those produced by a standard weight loss diet, moderate daily caloric restriction (CR).

Methods

Adults with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2, age 18‐55) were randomized to either zero‐calorie ADF (n = 14) or CR (−400 kcal/day, n = 12) for 8 weeks. Outcomes were measured at the end of the 8‐week intervention and after 24 weeks of unsupervised follow‐up.

Results

No adverse effects were attributed to ADF, and 93% completed the 8‐week ADF protocol. At 8 weeks, ADF achieved a 376 kcal/day greater energy deficit; however, there were no significant between‐group differences in change in weight (mean ± SE; ADF −8.2 ± 0.9 kg, CR −7.1 ± 1.0 kg), body composition, lipids, or Si. After 24 weeks of unsupervised follow‐up, there were no significant differences in weight regain; however, changes from baseline in % fat mass and lean mass were more favorable in ADF.

Conclusions

ADF is a safe and tolerable approach to weight loss. ADF produced similar changes in weight, body composition, lipids, and Si at 8 weeks and did not appear to increase risk for weight regain 24 weeks after completing the intervention.
Combined effect of education and reproductive history on weight trajectories of young Australian women: A longitudinal study
Authors: Holowko Natalie , Jones Mark , Koupil Ilona , Tooth Leigh , Mishra Gita
Published: August 2016

Objective

To investigate the combined effect of education and reproductive history on weight trajectory.

Methods

The association of education with weight trajectory (1996–2012) in relation to reproductive history was analyzed among 9,336 women (born 1973–1978) from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health using random effects models.

Results

Compared with women with a university degree/higher, lower‐educated women were 2 kg heavier at baseline and gained an additional 0.24 kg/year. Giving birth was associated with an increase in weight which was more pronounced among women having their first birth <26 years of age (2.1 kg, 95% CI: 1.5–2.7), compared with 26 to 32 years or >32 years. While younger first‐time mothers had a steeper weight trajectory (∼+0.16 kg/year, 95% CI: 0.1–0.3), this was less steep among lower‐educated women. High‐educated women with a second birth between 26 and 32 years had 0.9 kg decreased weight after this birth, while low‐educated women gained 0.9 kg.

Conclusions

While the effect of having children on weight in young adulthood was minimal, women having their first birth <26 years of age had increased risk of weight gain, particularly primiparous women. Educational differences in weight persisted after accounting for reproductive history, suggesting a need to explore alternative mechanisms through which social differences in weight are generated.
Seven‐day cumulative effects of air pollutants increase respiratory ER visits up to threefold
Authors: Schvartsman Cláudio , Pereira Luiz Alberto Amador , Braga Alfésio Luiz Ferreira , Farhat Sylvia Costa Lima
Published: August 2016

Objective: Children are especially vulnerable to respiratory injury induced by exposure to air pollutants. In the present study, we investigate periods of up to 7 days, and evaluate the lagged effects of exposure to air pollutants on the daily number of children and adolescents visiting the emergency room (ER) for the treatment of lower respiratory obstructive diseases (LROD), in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Daily records of LROD‐related ER visits by children and adolescents under the age of 19, from January 2000 to December 2007 (2,922 days) were included in the study. Time‐series regression models (generalized linear Poisson) were used to control for short‐ and long‐term trends, as well as for temperature and relative humidity. Third‐degree polynomial lag models were used to estimate both lag structures and the cumulative effects of air pollutants. Effects of air pollutants were expressed as the percentage increase in LROD‐related ER visits. Results: We observed an acute effect at the same day of exposure to air pollutants; however, the cumulative effects of air pollutants on the number of LROD‐related ER visits was almost threefold greater than the one observed at the same day of exposure to PM10, SO2, and NO2 mainly in children aged 5 years and under. The 7‐day cumulative effect of SO2 reached 11.0% (95% CI: 5.0–16.7) increase in visits. Conclusion and Relevance: This study highlights the effects of intermediate‐term exposure to air pollutants on LROD in children. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:205–212. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Loss of Pink1 modulates synaptic mitochondrial bioenergetics in the rat striatum prior to motor symptoms: concomitant complex I respiratory defects and increased complex II‐mediated respiration
Authors: Stauch Kelly L. , Villeneuve Lance M. , Purnell Phillip R. , Ottemann Brendan M. , Emanuel Katy , Fox Howard S.
Published: August 2016

Purpose

Mutations in PTEN‐induced putative kinase 1 (Pink1), a mitochondrial serine/threonine kinase, cause a recessive inherited form of Parkinson's disease (PD). Pink1 deletion in rats results in a progressive PD‐like phenotype, characterized by significant motor deficits starting at 4 months of age. Despite the evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction, the pathogenic mechanism underlying disease due to Pink1‐deficiency remains obscure.

Experimental design

Striatal synaptic mitochondria from 3‐month‐old Pink1‐deficient rats were characterized using bioenergetic and mass spectroscopy (MS)‐based proteomic analyses.

Results

Striatal synaptic mitochondria from Pink1‐deficient rats exhibit decreased complex I‐driven respiration and increased complex II‐mediated respiration compared with wild‐type rats. MS‐based proteomics revealed 69 of the 811 quantified mitochondrial proteins were differentially expressed between Pink1‐deficient rats and controls. Down‐regulation of several electron carrier proteins, which shuttle electrons to reduce ubiquinone at complex III, in the Pink1‐knockouts suggests disruption of the linkage between fatty acid, amino acid, and choline metabolism and the mitochondrial respiratory system.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

These results suggest that complex II activity is increased to compensate for loss of electron transfer mechanisms due to reduced complex I activity and loss of electron carriers within striatal nerve terminals early during disease progression. This may contribute to the pathogenesis of PD.
A network of allosterically coupled residues in the bacteriophage T4 Mre11–Rad50 complex
Authors: Gao Yang , Meyer Jennifer R. , Nelson Scott W.
Published: August 2016

The Mre11–Rad50 (MR) protein complex, made up of a nuclease and ATPase, respectively, is involved in the processing of double‐strand breaks as part of an intricate mechanism for their repair. Although it is clear that the MR complex is subject to allosteric regulation and that there is communication between the nuclease and ATPase active sites, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We performed statistical coupling analysis on Mre11 and Rad50 to predict linked residues based on their evolutionary correlation. This analysis predicted a coevolving sector of six residues that may be allosterically coupled. The prediction was tested using double‐mutant cycle analysis of nuclease and ATPase activity. The results indicate that a tyrosine residue located near the active site of Mre11 is allosterically coupled to several Rad50 residues located over 40 Å away. This allosteric coupling may be the basis for the reciprocal regulation of the ATPase and nuclease activities of the complex.