bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social inclusion, exclusion, and well‐being in Australia: meaning and measurement
Authors: Saunders Peter
Published: December 2016

This paper begins by examining the social inclusion agenda that formed the centrepiece of the social policy agenda of the Australian Government between 2007 and 2013. It discusses several features of the agenda, including its objectives (as articulated by the government) and some of the administrative and bureaucratic mechanisms that were put in place to assist with its development and implementation. Although no formal assessment of the impact of the agenda is attempted, some of the ways in which such an agenda could make a difference are identified. The paper then summarises the social inclusion indicator framework developed by the Australian Social Inclusion Unit with assistance and advice from the Australian Social Inclusion Board, and compares its structure and content with the frameworks developed by two of Australia's leading social research institutes. Finally, data from two national surveys of poverty and social exclusion are used to examine recent changes in social exclusion and the association between the severity of exclusion and levels of subjective well‐being. These latter results show clearly that subjective well‐being is consistently lower among those who experience the greatest degree of social exclusion, suggesting that exclusion as identified and measured reflects external constraints rather than internal preferences.
Disability policy in Australia: a triumph of thescriptio inferioron impotence and neediness?
Authors: Hallahan Lorna
Published: December 2016

From the time that development of a National Disability Insurance Scheme arrived on the agenda of the Australian Labor Government's 2008 Ideas Summit, the lives of disabled Australian citizens have been widely discussed, consulted on, planned for and acted on. This discourse analysis (Fairclough 2003; 2010) critiques the ways in which disabled lives have been framed in these high profile policy debates, with detailed focus on two key policy documents.The Shut Out Report: the Experiences of People with Disabilities in Australia(2009) (2009) andDisability Care and Support(Productivity Commission 2011) are both grounded in extensive national consultations and provide significant evidence about the ways that disabled Australians talk about the problems they face and the solutions they advocate. The paper employs the well‐known recognition‐redistribution debate of Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth (2003) to interpret the findings that narratives of suffering, burden and marginalisation predominate in current policy conversations. This tends to push out discussions concerning the non‐redistributive aspects of disability reform, potentially contributing to non‐integrationist discourse entrenched over 150 years of policies of segregation. Minority voices advocating social integration are present but muted. At this stage, their influence is undetermined.
Apprenticeships in homelessness: a quantitative study
Authors: Cebulla Andreas , Goodwin‐Smith Ian
Published: December 2016

Training and education are acknowledged routes into employment, but they also entail risks of contemporaneous financial loss, and economic and social insecurity. This paper explores the specific risk of homelessness among apprentices and trainees, drawing on a survey conducted in South Australia in 2013. Housing has been largely overlooked by studies of the wellbeing of apprentices and trainees, and by explorations of the drivers of attrition rates that continue to plague Australia's training schemes. The data examined here reveal the high proportion of income that trainees spent on their housing; home moves motivated by the desire to reduce rental or mortgage payments; and a small proportion of learners who experienced periods of homelessness. Closer statistical analysis reveals that apprentices and trainees with past experiences of homelessness were disproportionately likely to be pursuing courses in retail and personal services, or in transport. They were also likely to be receiving Youth Allowance or AUSTUDY payments. We recommend better recording of apprentices' and trainees' housing situations and greater use of administrative data to improve our understanding and reduce the incidence of homelessness among this population.
Problematising aspects of evidence‐based policy: an analysis illustrated by an Australian homelessness policy 1985–2008
Authors: Fopp Rodney
Published: December 2016

Although recently criticised in the academic literature, the past few decades have seen international demand for policies to be based on evidence. In this article three aspects of the process of evidence‐based policy (EBP) are briefly examined. They include: (1) how evidence becomes socially worthy of the title; (2) the problems which arise for EBP when there is conflicting or rival evidence; and (3) facets of the transition from evidence to policy – the evidence–policy nexus. After problematising evidence‐based research in this limited way, the issues are clarified and illustrated by reference to the history of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP: 1985–2008), renown at the time as the major Australian program for people who were homeless. SAAP involved an agreement enshrined in legislation between the Commonwealth and all states and territories of the Federation. The argument is based on evidence from the four official national reports of the policy which, over the period of the program, evaluated SAAP and were commissioned and accepted as authoritative by federal, state and territory governments. In a nutshell, the argument is that, at each iteration of SAAP, subsequent policy discounted one of the sets of evidence in the official National Evaluations. This concerned the clear evidence of a lack of external, affordable accommodation options which, in turn, undermined the objectives of the program. The issue remains topical as more recent evidence substantiates the imperative for increased accommodation options for clients ready to exit agencies.
Will‐making prevalence and patterns in Australia: keeping it in the family
Authors: Tilse Cheryl , Wilson Jill , White Ben , Rosenman Linda , Feeney Rachel
Published: December 2016

This article provides evidence of the prevalence of wills and the principles underpinning the intended distribution of estates in Australia. Intentions around wealth transfers and the social norms that underpin them occur in the context of predicted extensive intergenerational transfers from the ageing baby boomer generation, policies of self provision and user pays for care in old age, broader views on what constitutes ‘family’, the increased importance of the not‐for‐profit sector in the delivery of services, and the related need for philanthropy. A national telephone survey conducted in 2012 with 2,405 respondents aged 18 and over shows that wills are predominantly used to distribute assets to partners and/or equally to immediate descendants. There is little evidence that will makers are recognising a wider group of relationships, obligations and entitlements outside the traditional nuclear family, or that wills are being replaced by other mechanisms of wealth transfer. Only a minority consider bequests to charities as important. These findings reflect current social norms about entitlements to ‘family’ money, a narrow view of what and who constitutes ‘family‘, limited obligation for testators to recompense individuals or organisations for care and support provided, and limited commitment to charitable organisations and civil society.
Addressing older women's homelessness: service and housing models
Authors: Petersen Maree
Published: December 2016

There is limited understanding of the nature and extent of older women's homelessness in Australia and how it can be alleviated. The aim of this project is to ascertain the combination of program and housing models that is likely to be most effective in addressing older women's homelessness. The data comprise interviews and correspondence with 14 Australian and international stakeholders. The findings draw on insight from housing, gerontology and gender studies, and highlight the need to match welfare and housing programs with the diverse life experiences and current needs of older women. Alongside flagship models of practice in housing provision are assumptions within housing and homelessness sectors of what older women need. There is a lack of understanding that most older women in housing crisis have limited knowledge of the welfare sector, and with provision of mainstream housing (and community aged care if needed) will live independently. Traditional homelessness programs and specialised supportive housing, associated with both seniors and homelessness sectors, are appropriate for women who have lived with ongoing disruption and substantive health concerns. Addressing older women's homelessness in Australia requires a range of services and housing responses, with increased attention given to a discourse of housing – affordable, secure housing – rather than continued discourse of homelessness.
Estimating the fiscal costs of long‐term jobless families in Australia
Authors: Mohanty Itismita , Tanton Robert , Vidyattama Yogi , Thurecht Linc
Published: December 2016

Despite substantial costs to society associated with the adverse consequences of joblessness, studies estimating actual costs are rare. This paper identifies the main costs to the Government of long‐term jobless families in Australia. The costs were split into three groups: immediate support costs, immediate opportunity costs, and indirect/intergenerational costs. Using a microsimulation model, the paper estimates the fiscal costs, which include immediate support costs such as the welfare system, and the immediate opportunity costs such as potential revenue from the tax system. We estimate that welfare payments and lost taxation revenue from long‐term joblessness cost the Government AU$5.55 billion per year.
Successful yet insufficient: German policies for higher employment rates among older age groups
Authors: Bauknecht Jürgen , Naegele Gerhard
Published: December 2016

In recent years among the OECD countries, Germany has witnessed the largest increase in the employment rates of older people. This increase, and general German employment rates, are associated with both supply side measures in the fields of pensions and unemployment policies and employment promotion policies. Yet, supply side measures and Germany's shift from conservative towards liberal policy goals and policies in the case of older workers have resulted in economic inequality. These policies could be complemented by pro‐employability measures in order to become fully effective. This article describes recent policy reforms in the main policy fields of retirement, unemployment, and employment promotion, considers their effects on employment and inequality, and offers reform suggestions to raise further older worker employment rates without increasing inequality.
The experience of sole mothers balancing paid work with care for a child with a disability
Authors: Cole Lindsay , Crettenden Angela , Roberts Rachel , Wright Annemarie
Published: December 2016

There are increasing numbers of families in Australia headed by sole parents, but little is known about the experiences of those who also care for a child with a disability. Additional caring responsibilities have previously been shown to impact on the work participation of parents. This study involved qualitative analyses of interview data conducted with sole mothers with school‐aged children with disability (N= 11). Thematic analysis revealed four themes that enabled and supported participation in the workforce: social support; managing appointments; characteristics of the workplace; and the role of the school. Results suggest the importance of practical help from family and friends in facilitating participation in paid employment. Additionally, the importance of flexible appointment scheduling on the part of service providers was highlighted, as well as the importance of workplace flexibility and supportive workplace cultures. Such factors were important in supporting sole mothers to balance work with care, with important implications for personal and family wellbeing.
A land of the ‘fair go’? Intergenerational earnings elasticity in Australia
Authors: Huang Yangtao , Perales Francisco , Western Mark
Published: December 2016

This paper contributes to the existing literature on income mobility by developing and applying a two‐stage panel regression model and assessing the effects of using different levels of occupational (dis)aggregation and different earnings measures on the magnitude of father–son earnings elasticities in Australia. We find that the overall intergenerational earnings elasticity in Australia between 2001 and 2013 ranges from 0.11 to 0.30. Our preferred estimates lie between 0.24 and 0.28. Elasticity estimates vary depending on the level of occupational (dis)aggregation and earnings measure used: they are highest when two‐digit level occupations and hourly earnings are used, and lowest when four‐digit level occupations and annual earnings are used. We read these findings as indicating that elasticity estimates are sensitive to the use of different data and methods, and researchers should be careful when undertaking cross‐study, cross‐temporal or cross‐national comparisons.
Neoliberal subjectivities and the behavioural focus on income management
Authors: Klein Elise
Published: December 2016

This paper specifically addresses the behavioural focus of the income management regime, arguing that through its use of market logic and the reduction of social and political complexity, the regime is a technology of neoliberal governmentality. This paper finds that income management, whether compulsory or voluntary, blanket or Community based, regards the individual as the site of dysfunction, depoliticising and dehumanising broader socio economic historical factors in the process. Further, the focus on behavioural change creates the illusion that the market logic of income management will produce responsible citizens, which in turn obscures the possibility of redressing poverty and inequality.
Computing conformational free energy differences in explicit solvent: An efficient thermodynamic cycle using an auxiliary potential and a free energy functional constructed from the end points
Authors: Harris Robert C. , Deng Nanjie , Levy Ronald M. , Ishizuka Ryosuke , Matubayasi Nobuyuki
Published: December 2016

Many biomolecules undergo conformational changes associated with allostery or ligand binding. Observing these changes in computer simulations is difficult if their timescales are long. These calculations can be accelerated by observing the transition on an auxiliary free energy surface with a simpler Hamiltonian and connecting this free energy surface to the target free energy surface with free energy calculations. Here, we show that the free energy legs of the cycle can be replaced with energy representation (ER) density functional approximations. We compute: (1) The conformational free energy changes for alanine dipeptide transitioning from the right‐handed free energy basin to the left‐handed basin and (2) the free energy difference between the open and closed conformations of β‐cyclodextrin, a “host” molecule that serves as a model for molecular recognition in host‐guest binding. β‐cyclodextrin contains 147 atoms compared to 22 atoms for alanine dipeptide, making β‐cyclodextrin a large molecule for which to compute solvation free energies by free energy perturbation or integration methods and the largest system for which the ER method has been compared to exact free energy methods. The ER method replaced the 28 simulations to compute each coupling free energy with two endpoint simulations, reducing the computational time for the alanine dipeptide calculation by about 70% and for the β‐cyclodextrin by > 95%. The method works even when the distribution of conformations on the auxiliary free energy surface differs substantially from that on the target free energy surface, although some degree of overlap between the two surfaces is required. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Therapeutic priorities for solitary large hepatocellular carcinoma in a hepatitis B virus endemic area; an analysis of a nationwide cancer registry database
Authors: Jin Young‐Joo , Lee Jin‐Woo
Published: December 2016

BACKGROUND/AIMS

We compared overall survival (OS) of patients with a solitary large (>5 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated surgically or by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

METHODS

The archived records of HCC patients registered at the Korean Central Cancer Registry from 2003 through 2005 (registry A, n = 4 520) or from 2008 through 2010 (registry B, n = 4 596) were retrospectively analyzed. In these registries, 578 and 315 patients had a single large HCC, respectively. In registry A, 442 (cohort A) underwent surgery (n = 96) or TACE (n = 346). In registry B, 253 (cohort B) underwent surgery (n = 110) or TACE (n = 143). Cohort C (n = 695) was constructed by combining cohorts A and B, and thus, 206 and 489 patients received surgery and TACE, respectively.

RESULTS

In cohort C, cumulative OS rates at 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐years were significantly higher for surgery than TACE (89.3%, 67.4%, and 58.0% vs 67.7%, 38.2%, and 27.2%, respectively, P < 0.001). Similar results were obtained for cohorts A and B, even after propensity‐score matching in three cohorts (P values for all <0.05). TACE (HR 2.18, P < 0.001), serum albumin (HR 0.77, P = 0.015), and tumor size (HR 1.06, P < 0.001) were predictors of post‐treatment mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgery is associated with improved OS for a solitary large HCC of BCLC stage A.
Binary–solvent–based ionic–liquid–assisted surfactant‐enhanced emulsification microextraction for the determination of four fungicides in apple juice and apple vinegar
Authors: Chen Xiaochu , Zhang Xu , Liu Fengmao , Hou Fan
Published: December 2016

A binary–solvent–based ionic–liquid–assisted surfactant‐enhanced emulsification microextraction method was developed for the separation/preconcentration and determination of four fungicides (pyrimethanil, fludioxonil, cyprodynil, pyraclostrobin) in apple juice and apple vinegar. A nonchlorinated solvent amyl acetate, which has a lower density than water, was used as the extraction solvent, and an ionic liquid 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, which has a high density and low toxicity, was used as a secondary solvent mixed with the extraction solvent. After centrifugation, the binary solvent drop with a relatively high density was deposited on the bottom of the tube. Some parameters influencing the extraction efficiency of analytes such as type of extraction solvent, ratio of ionic liquid, volume of mixed solvent, type and concentration of surfactant, sample pH, NaCl concentration, and vortex time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method provided a good linearity in the range of 5–200 μg/L. The limits of quantification of the method were in the range of 2–5 μg/L. The relative standard deviations for interday assays were 1.7–11.9%. The method was applied to the determination of pyrimethanil, fludioxonil, cyprodynil, and pyraclostrobin in apple juice and apple vinegar samples, and the accuracy was evaluated through recovery experiments.
Transplant‐related survival benefit should influence prioritization for liver transplantation especially in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Ioannou George N.
Published: December 2016

Transplant‐related survival benefit is calculated as the difference between life expectancy with transplantation and life expectancy without transplantation. Determining eligibility and prioritization for liver transplantation based on the highest survival benefit is a superior strategy to prioritization based on the highest urgency (ie, the highest wait‐list mortality) or the highest utility (ie, the highest posttransplant survival) because prioritization based on the highest survival benefit maximizes the overall life expectancy of all patients in need of liver transplantation. Although the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD)–based prioritization system was designed as an urgency‐based system, in practice it functions to a large extent as a survival benefit–based system, when the natural MELD score is used without exceptions. Survival benefit considerations should be used to determine the consequences of deviating from prioritization based on the natural MELD score, such as when exception points are awarded to patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that are independent of MELD score or tumor burden, or the appropriateness of expanding eligibility for transplantation. The most promising application of survival benefit–based prioritization would be to replace the current system of prioritization of patients with HCC by one that uses their natural MELD score and tumor characteristics such as HCC tumor burden, serum alpha fetoprotein level, and response to locoregional therapies to predict the impact on survival benefit caused by the presence of HCC and adjust the natural MELD score for prioritization accordingly. Liver Transplantation 23 652–662, 2017 AASLD.
Sensor Array for Volatile Organic Compounds Based on Doped Poly (2,5‐dimethyl aniline)
Authors: Stewart Katherine M. E. , Penlidis Alexander
Published: December 2016

A sensor array containing five different sensing materials has been created that is able to distinguish between six different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at an analyte concentration of 5 ppm. While none of the sensing materials, poly (2,5‐dimethyl aniline) (P25DMA) and P25DMA doped with four different metal oxide nanoparticles (Al­2O3, NiO, TiO2, and ZnO), were selective towards any single analyte on their own, through the use of a filtering algorithm, this partial selectivity was exploited. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used as that a filtering algorithm, which was able to separate the responses from the sensing materials and identify six different gas analytes (acetaldehyde, acetone, benzene, ethanol, formaldehyde, and methanol). Both unknown gas analytes and a gas mixture were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of this sensor array.
A Comparison of the Influence of Temperature During Slurry and Gas Phase Propylene Polymerization on Ziegler‐Natta Catalyst
Authors: Cancelas Aarón J. , Hongmanee Goond , Andrade Fabiana N. , Terano Minoru , Taniike Toshiaki , McKenna Timothy F.L.
Published: December 2016

Semi‐batch propylene polymerizations were performed in slurry and gas phase using a supported Ziegler‐Natta catalyst. The obtained instantaneous reaction rates were fitted with a kinetic model, and the influence of bulk temperature and reaction phase on kinetic parameters was studied. The estimated propagation constant increased with increasing reaction temperature up to 90 °C in slurry phase polymerizations, but reached a maximum at 60 °C when propylene was polymerized in the gas phase. Gas phase stopped flow reactions were done at 60 and 70 °C to investigate the strong influence of temperature during the initial instants of reaction and to evidence thermal degradation at particle level. These results and those from autoclave reactor were well consistent and could explain the effects of temperature.
Carbon Dioxide Switchable Polymers and Processes in Polymer Reaction Engineering
Authors: Cunningham Michael F. , Jessop Philip G. , Darabi Ali , Su Xin
Published: December 2016

We have prepared a variety of polymer nanoparticles with surface properties that can be switched from charged to uncharged using only carbon dioxide and air as triggers. Our initial approach to designing these materials relied on using pre‐made “switchable surfactants” via emulsion polymerization. This approach is similar to that employed to make the majority of polymer latexes used in commercial applications. We then refined the process further to address a shortcoming of many emulsion polymers, that of surfactant migration due to the stabilizing species not being covalently bound, by developing variants of surfactant free processes for making carbon dioxide switchable polymer colloids: (1) using only a carbon dioxide switchable initiator; (2) using a carbon dioxide switchable comonomer which is copolymerized in situ to generate the stabilizing species; and (3) using living radical polymerization to prepare nanoparticles via a Polymerization Induced Self Assembly (PISA) process. In all of these cases, the stabilizing moieties are covalently bound to the particle surface.
Thermal Study of Gels Obtained From Resol Type Phenolic Resins Modified With Lignin
Authors: Martínez A. J. Juan D. , Úsuga Luisa Fernanda , Gil Carolina , Castro Chris D. , Quintana Germán C.
Published: December 2016

Gels were obtained from resol type phenolic resins, with resorcinol, formaldehyde and lignin as precursors. Thermal response was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and curing kinetics were determined from the SDTA curves using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and Friedman iso‐conversional models. Additionally, it was used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to evaluate the progress of the curing reaction. These analyzes were performed for two gels, one of them prepared with lignin (lignin resin), and a reference (resorcinol resin). Lignin resins tend to be more thermally stable than resorcinol resins. Average values found for activation energy of the curing processes are 55.07 kJ mol−1 and 60.60 kJ mol−1 for resorcinol resin and lignin resins respectively using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method; values of 51.94 kJ mol−1 and 53.14 kJ mol−1 were obtained using Friedman method. It was possible to conclude that the lignin affects positively the thermal stability of the resin; the curing reaction takes place in the first six hours and the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa model fits better.
Advanced Kinetic Parameter Fit Applied to Radical Copolymerizations
Authors: Hosemann Benjamin , Drache Marco , Beuermann Sabine
Published: December 2016

The approach used for fitting kinetic coefficients to experimental polymerization data is of minor importance as long as the simulation of the quantities to be compared is sufficiently fast. Whenever the simulation is slowed down, for example due to transfer to polymer reactions involved, the fit has to be performed using as few iteration steps as possible. In this work, the simulation aims for the relation between branching and radius of gyration, therefore the kinetic simulation is coupled with a random walk approach, enlarging the computational demands further. A Markov Chain fit is used, enabling an optimal usage of the resources.
Design of Particle Morphology for Redox‐Initiated Spray Polymerization of Acrylic Acid and Sodium Acrylate by Investigating Levitated Single Droplet
Authors: Wong Doris , Hellwig Thomas , Halfar Annelie H. , Moritz Hans‐Ulrich , Pauer Werner
Published: December 2016

In order to optimize the spray polymerization of acrylic acid and sodium acrylate, an acoustic levitator was efficiently utilized to model the system. The acoustic levitator simulates the fall of a droplet in a spray tower. A particle morphology map of SEM images was designed to reproduce certain particle surfaces by varying the drying conditions and the initiator system, which were adjusted for a polymerization. Thus, a droplet of an aqueous monomer mixture of acrylic acid and sodium acrylate was positioned in an acoustic levitator and the polymerizations were initiated with two redox systems, one with ammonium peroxodisulfate and the other one with potassium peroxodisulfate, and were compared to each other. The redox system can beneficially initiate the polymerization at low temperature (>40 °C). By means of a camera and a light source, shadowgraphy was used to analyze the droplet drying kinetics.
ABCG2/BCRP: Specific and Nonspecific Modulators
Authors: Peña‐Solórzano Diana , Stark Simone Alexandra , König Burkhard , Sierra Cesar Augusto , Ochoa‐Puentes Cristian
Published: December 2016

Multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells is the development of resistance to a variety of structurally and functionally nonrelated anticancer drugs. This phenomenon has become a major obstacle to cancer chemotherapy seriously affecting the clinical outcome. MDR is associated with increased drug efflux from cells mediated by an energy‐dependent mechanism involving the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters, mainly P‐glycoprotein (ABCB1), the MDR‐associated protein‐1 (ABCC1), and the breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2). The first two transporters have been widely studied already and reviews summarized the results. The ABCG2 protein has been a subject of intense study since its discovery as its overexpression has been detected in resistant cell lines in numerous types of human cancers. To date, a long list of modulators of ABCG2 exists and continues to increase. However, little is known about the clinical consequences of ABCG2 modulation. This makes the design of novel, potent, and nontoxic inhibitors of this efflux protein a major challenge to reverse MDR and thereby increase the success of chemotherapy. The aim of the present review is to describe and highlight specific and nonspecific modulators of ABCG2 reported to date based on the selectivity of the compounds, as many of them are effective against one or more ABC transport proteins.
Compact circularly polarized conical‐beam antenna based on the reactive impedance substrate
Authors: Zhang Huan , Jiao Yong‐Chang , Zhao Gang , Wang Rui‐Qi
Published: December 2016

A compact circularly polarized (CP) conical‐beam antenna based on the reactive impedance substrate (RIS) is proposed in this work. This single‐fed antenna utilizes a small circular patch and six curved branches as primary radiators. For the miniaturization purpose, the RIS structure is used, and an overall volume of only 0.66λ × 0.66λ × 0.066λ with respect to 5 GHz is achieved. For experimental demonstration, the proposed antenna is fabricated and tested. Acceptable agreements are obtained between the measured and simulated results. The antenna peak gain at the center frequency is 3.3 dBic and occurs at θ = 48°. Moreover, good omnidirectional CP feature is obtained. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:240–243, 2017
Broadband double‐dipole microstrip antenna with symmetrical corner‐fed and planar antenna array on its basis
Authors: Makarov E.S. , Fedorov S.M.
Published: December 2016

The new interpretation of E‐shaped microstrip patch antenna is presented. E‐shaped antenna can be treated as a pair of symmetrically fed broadband diploes folded into compact structure with frequency band up to 25%. Proposed antenna was used as element to build pair of antenna arrays for 1.92–2.17 GHz and 1.5–1.75 GHz frequency bands. The electric size of proposed antenna arrays is about 1.3×1.3 wavelengths which is hardly reachable for air substrate single‐layer microstrip antennas operating in 15% bandwidth. The results of theoretical and experimental investigations of matching and gain properties of proposed antennas are presented. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:229–232, 2017
Design of switchable microstrip low pass‐band stop‐band pass filter
Authors: Singh Prashant Kumar , Tiwary Anjini Kumar
Published: December 2016

A novel, compact planar switchable filter having good in‐band and wide out‐of‐band characteristic with three switching modes [low‐pass filter (LPF), band‐stop filter (BSF) and band‐pass filter (BPF)] is presented. Reconfigurability in this aspect is never reported in literature. The reconfigurability is achieved by using a minimum of five switches. A very good agreement is shown between the simulated and measured results. The overall circuit size of the proposed switchable filter is only 14 mm × 16.72 mm. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:257–260, 2017
Design and implementation of an X‐band low‐power and high‐isolation CMOS active circulator
Authors: Huang Jui‐Chi , Wang Sen
Published: December 2016

In this paper, a 3‐port active circulator using three quasi‐circulators (QCs) is designed and fabricated by a standard 0.18‐μm CMOS technology. The QC provides a signal‐cancellation mechanism, and therefore, the circulator is practical by connecting the three QCs in a ring‐type configuration. With power consumption of 16 mW, the QC‐based circulator reveals 6.1∼7.5‐dB insertion loss, better than 25‐dB isolation and 17.5‐dB transmission ratio from 8.8 to 9.9 GHz. The design features excellent performances in low power, high isolation, and high transmission ratio compared to other CMOS active circulators or QCs. Moreover, the design concept is also applicable to an n‐port circulator design. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:248–251, 2017
An all‐digital phase‐locked‐loop with a robustness enhanced dual‐mode DCO
Authors: Cui Keji , Wang Lebo , Mao Jia , Qin Yajie , Zou Zhuo , Zheng Lirong
Published: December 2016

An all‐digital‐phase‐locked‐loop (ADPLL) with a dual‐mode Class‐A/Class‐C Digital‐controlled‐oscillator (DCO) is presented in this letter. During the start‐up phase, the DCO operates in the Class‐A mode with increasing tail current. A low‐power amplitude‐to‐pulse‐converter (APC) is proposed to detect the oscillating amplitude of the DCO. After the start‐up, the DCO switches to the Class‐C mode with reduced tail current, resulting in better phase noise and lower power consumption. The ADPLL with the proposed DCO is implemented in a 65‐nm CMOS technology. The Class‐C mode DCO exhibits a phase noise of −123.3 dBc/Hz at 1‐MHz offset with a 2.7‐GHz carrier frequency. Measured results show about a 2.9‐dB phase noise improvement at 1‐MHz offset among the tuning range of 2.5–2.9 GHz, compared to the Class‐A DCO under the same power consumption. The figure‐of‐merit (FOM) and FOM including the tuning range (FOMT) of the DCO is 188.7 and 192.1, respectively. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:312–315, 2017
A compact triple band‐notched UWB printed antenna with multistep patches integrated by multitype slots
Authors: Tang Zhi‐jun , Zhan Jie , Xi Zai‐Fang , Wu Shi‐Gang , Li Mu
Published: December 2016

A novel compact low‐profile printed antenna is designed and analyzed for wireless communication applications. The proposed antenna is composed of a four‐steps patch and a three‐steps segmental ground plane with two small rectangular slits. To enhance the antenna bandwidth and generate multiple notches, a circular split‐ring slot integrated with double strip slots is introduced in the multistep radiating patch, and a inverted‐L shaped slot is embedded onto the defected ground plane. The simulated and measured results show that the antenna achieves a wider bandwidth ranging from 3.0 to 16.5 GHz (the return loss <–10 dB) with triple notches of 3.3–3.8 GHz (WiMAX band), 5.1–5.8 GHz (WLAN band), and 7.2–7.8 GHz (X‐band). Furthermore, the proposed antenna obtains relative high gain (>4.0 dBi), lower group delay (<2.5 ns) and stable radiation patterns. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:270–275, 2017
Tunable dual‐mode dual‐band filter with constant bandwidth and high selectivity
Authors: Wu Bian , Xu Yang , Xia Lei
Published: December 2016

A tunable dual‐mode dual‐band filter composed of varactor‐loaded folded square loop resonator is presented. A pair of the resonators is mirror coupled to form the higher band, while two varactors with the same bias are symmetrically loaded at the corner of each loop, splitting dual modes and form the tunable lower band. As the bias voltage increases, the lower band frequency increases from 1.1 GHz to 1.5 GHz with a constant bandwidth, while the higher band one remains at 2.1 GHz. The dual‐mode effect and source‐load coupling introduce multiple transmission zeros that effectively improves the out‐of‐band selectivity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:283–285, 2017
Ultra‐thin dual‐band polarization‐insensitive conformal metamaterial absorber
Authors: Sharma Sameer Kumar , Ghosh Saptarshi , Srivastava Kumar Vaibhav , Shukla Anuj
Published: December 2016

In this paper, an ultra‐thin dual‐band conformal metamaterial absorber has been presented for X and Ku‐band applications. The proposed metamaterial unit cell consists of cross‐spanner like structure in center with square patch at corners on the top of a metal‐backed substrate. The proposed absorber offers low profile with a thickness of λo/126 and λo/80 where λo is free space wavelength at 9.5 GHz and 15 GHz respectively. The designed structure has a four‐fold symmetry which inherently makes it insensitive to polarization angle variations. It also offers wide angular stability with reflection coefficient better than −10 dB under oblique incidence for TE and TM polarized waves up to 60°. The proposed structure has been fabricated and tested to validate the simulation results. Prototype absorber has also been tested for curved surfaces and simulated results are in good correlation with measured results obtained from unstrained absorber surface. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:348–353, 2017
Theoretical investigation on the input impedance of a CPW fed strip monopole antenna
Authors: Banerjee Amartya , Bandyopadhyay Anup Kumar
Published: December 2016

Theoretical analysis for the input impedance of a CPW fed strip monopole antenna is made. Induced emf method is used for the purpose. The analysis is compared with the simulation results. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:346–348, 2017
Design of secure UHF RFID tag by binding object dielectric permittivity
Authors: Yang Chenwei , Wang Gang , Song Xiaotian , Sidén Johan
Published: December 2016

Antennas can always be affected by the attached materials. Such a property is here integrated with RFID technology of designing a passive RFID tag which is sensitive to a chosen object material. A good sensing ability will help the tag bonding up with the chosen material, which will benefit material security a lot. To achieve a high tag‐object bonding sensitivity, a fragmented‐type tag is introduced here. When permittivity of attached object material changes a little bit, readability of the tag will degrade rapidly. The sensitive properties are investigated by simulated and articulated experimentations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:318–323, 2017
Micropropulsion generation model and simulation by WGM acceleration within a Panda ring resonator system
Authors: Siriroj R. , Techidheera W. , Phatharacom P. , Chiangga S. , Yupapin P.
Published: December 2016

A microbeam accelerator is modeled and simulated using the analogy of whispering gallery mode (WGM) generated by light within a nonlinear microring resonator system, which is called a Panda ring structure and made by an InGaAsP/InP material. The WGM mode is generated after the suitable ring parameters and optical input introducing into the system, especially, the suitable two nonlinear side ring radii are employed. From which, the required multiple propulsion (acceleration) of WGM beams is achieved using the multiple vertical Panda ring layout (several layers). The accelerated WGM beams of the multiple ring circuits can be obtained by the coincident of the multiple Panda rings. The simulation result shows that the proposed ring resonator system can be potentially fabricated within the microscale range and used for a microthruster, in which the required driven force can be used to drive the spacecraft or satellite to the target destination, which is known as a thrust propellant. For example, the result of the propulsion of 2.619–66.81 μN can be obtained by a single device system, which means that the larger volume or area can be used to produce more propulsion output. For further application, the suitable input source such as the infrared light source can also be used to for the micro‐heat source, in which the large area of the device array may be useful for large area micro‐heat source usage. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:377–380, 2017
A coupled‐fed loop antenna for metal‐rimmed mobile phone applications
Authors: Liu Guifeng , Liu Ying , Gong Shuxi
Published: December 2016

This letter presents a very simple coupled‐fed loop antenna for metal‐framed mobile phones, which is capable of providing hepta‐band WWAN/LTE operation. By utilizing the metal rim as a part of antenna, the proposed antenna only occupies a 14.5 × 8 mm2 area of the no‐ground portion. The proposed antenna consists of two coupled‐fed loops mainly composed of parts of the metal rim with two slits, a high‐pass matching circuit, and a distributed inductor. The lower band is initially provided by the quarter‐wavelength resonant mode of the longer coupled‐fed loop and further widen by a high‐pass matching circuit. The upper band is attained by the higher‐order mode of the longer coupled‐fed loop along with the quarter‐wavelength mode of the shorter coupled‐fed loop. Consequently, the generated two wide bands can cover the 824–960 and 1710–2690 MHz simultaneously. Besides, an antenna prototype is manufactured as well as tested, and the good measured antenna performances including reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, antenna gain and efficiency indicate that the proposed antenna is suitable for the metal‐frame mobile phone applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:371–377, 2017
Dual‐band circularly polarized microstrip antenna
Authors: Yang Jhe‐Sheng , Row Jeen‐Sheen
Published: December 2016

A design for dual‐band circularly polarized microstrip antennas with different radiation patterns is described. The design is based on a stacked patch antenna composed of an upper circular patch and a lower ring patch. For the higher operation band, the two patches are simultaneously resonant at the TM21 mode and the stacked patch antenna can produce a conical radiation pattern. As for the lower operation band, only the upper patch is resonant at its fundamental mode and a broadside radiation pattern is obtained. To allow the two radiation patterns to be with circular polarization, 90° hybrid couplers are used to excite the patch antennas at the two operation bands. A prototype designed at the GPS and WLAN bands is constructed. The experimental results demonstrate that the prototype operated at each frequency band has a 3dB‐axial‐ratio bandwidth of more than 15%. Simulation performed with HFSS also validates the measured results. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:404–408, 2017
Performance restoration of dielectric embedded antennas using omega like complementary split ring resonators
Authors: Asad M. Javid , Shafique M. Farhan , Khan Shahid A.
Published: December 2016

This research work addresses the performance deterioration challenges of dielectric embedded patch antenna. Antennas installed on the surface of high speed aerial vehicles are usually surrounded by dielectric coating to cater for the environmental effects like friction and humidity, the presence of dielectric in the surrounding encourages the propagation of strong surface waves causing the pattern deterioration and increase in return loss. The surface waves are suppressed in two stages first with the help of substrate integrated waveguide cavity created on the back of patch antenna to reduce the leakage currents. Secondly the remaining surface waves which propagate in the dielectric are suppressed by simply placing an array of modified complementary split ring resonator (CSRR) on the surface of surrounding dielectric. CSRR is known to offer band‐gap characteristics thus it ensures complete blockage of the fundamental mode of surface waves without any additional fabrication complexity. The radiation pattern is restored and the return loss is reduced using the proposed techniques. The measured results from the fabricated prototype authenticate the proposed concept. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:357–362, 2017
A novel performance diversity modified elliptical patch antenna for C‐band applications
Authors: Rajagopal Chithradevi , Balakrishnapillai Suseela Sreeja , Noorullakhan Nafiza , Sankararajan Radha
Published: December 2016

A novel modified elliptical patch antenna is designed to provide performance diversity for c‐band wireless applications. Initially antenna A and antenna B are designed to enhance the radiation efficiency and bandwidth, respectively. With the similar patch and substrate size of both antennas by controlling the length of the slots and width of the feed antenna C is designed to yield unique performance in a single element. Antenna C achieves the performance of enhanced radiation efficiency and bandwidth with the reconfigurable mechanism. When antenna C switch to antenna A configuration, it resonates in the frequencies of 3.7, 5.1, and 6.35 GHz have the radiation efficiency of 82.55, 83.3, and 87.09%, respectively and whenever it turns to antenna B configuration it resonates at the bands of 4, 4.8, and, 6.7 GHz have the bandwidth of 260, 300, and 240 MHz, respectively. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:408–415, 2017
Enhancement technique for loop type ground radiation antenna using ground mode tuning structure
Authors: Zahid Zeeshan , Kim Hyeongdong
Published: December 2016

In this paper, an efficiency enhancement technique is proposed for a loop type ground radiation antenna on a small sized ground plane whose resonance frequency of the fundamental ground mode is significantly higher than the operating frequency. The efficiency is enhanced by matching the resonance frequency of the ground mode with the operating frequency. This was accomplished with a structure consisting of a loop of wire and inductors installed at both edges of the rectangular ground plane. The total length of each fabricated wire is 80 mm, which can be easily accommodated in the rim of a mobile device. The technique also increased the operating bandwidth. The measured efficiency of the antenna using the proposed technique is 47.44% and the bandwidth is 74 MHz at the Z‐wave band. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:476–478, 2017
Compact ultrawideband patch antenna based on multiple‐mode resonance and surface plasmon wave
Authors: Yuan Bo , Dai Yuanlong , Hong Zhang Xiao , Qing Luo Guo
Published: December 2016

A novel compact ultrawideband (UWB) pattern‐etched microstrip patch antenna is proposed. The microstrip antenna has two layers consists of a meshed top patch and a patterned bottom ground plane generating multiple‐mode resonance and surface plasmon wave. The proposed antenna is designed on the cheap FR4 substrate with compact size of 28 × 32 × 0.794 mm3. The simulated impedance bandwidth covers from 3.3 to 12 GHz for S‐parameter of less than −10 dB level. The measured return loss falls from 3.75 to 6.15 GHz and from 7.2 to 10.6 GHz. The antenna gain is generally higher than 1.7 dBi with the peak gain of 5.8 dBi. From the simulation and measurement results, it is observed that the proposed antenna has good radiation characteristics and ultrabandwidth for potential UWB applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:456–459, 2017