Microstrip Array with PBG Substrate

The phased array formed by microstrip antennas is analyzed using the full wave Transverse Transmission Line (TTL) method. For the microstrip patch resonator a set of equations that represents the electromagnetic fields in the x and z directions as function of the fields in the y direction are obtained applying the TTL method. The structure PBG (Photonic Band Gap) is analyzed using the homogenization theory, the objective is obtain the equivalent permittivity of structure. Numerical results of the radiation pattern for some phase excitation in a phased array are shown.     

Schedulability analysis of real-time traffic in WorldFIP networks: an integrated approach

The WorldFIP protocol is one of the profiles that constitute the European fieldbus standard EN-50170. It is particularly well suited to be used in distributed computer-controlled systems where a set of process variables must be shared among network devices. To cope with the real-time requirements of such systems, the protocol provides communication services based on the exchange of periodic and aperiodic identified variables. The periodic exchanges have the highest priority and are executed at run time according to a cyclic schedule. Therefore, the respective schedulability can be determined at pre-run-time when building the schedule table. Concerning the aperiodic exchanges, the situation is different since their priority is lower and they are bandied according to a first-come-first-served policy. In this paper, a response-time-based schedulability analysis for the real-time traffic is presented. Such analysis considers both types of traffic in an integrated way, according to their priorities. Furthermore, a fixed-priorities-based policy is also used to schedule the periodic traffic. The proposed analysis represents an improvement relative to previous work and it can be evaluated online as part of a traffic online admission control. This feature is of particular importance when a planning scheduler is used, instead of the typical offline static scheduler, to allow online changes to the set of periodic process variables.     

CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist-induced opiate withdrawal in morphine-dependent rats

Recent reports have provided evidence of a link between the endogenous brain cannabinoid system and the endogenous central opioid systems. Here we report that the selective CB1 receptor antagonist SR 141716A induced behavioral and endocrine alterations associated with opiate withdrawal in morphine-dependent animals in a dose-dependent manner and that naloxone induced an opiate withdrawal syndrome in animals made cannabinoid-dependent by repeated administration of the potent cannabinoid agonist HU-210. Additionally CB1 and mu-opioid receptor mRNAs were co-localized in brain areas relevant for opiate withdrawal such as the nucleus accumbens, septum, dorsal striatum, the central amygdaloid nucleus and the habenular complex. These results suggest that CB1 cannabinoid receptors may play a role in the neuroadaptive processes associated with opiate dependence, and they lend further support for the hypothesis of a potential role of cannabinoid receptors in the neurobiological changes that culminate in drug addiction.     

Analysis of microstrip antennas on circular-cylindrical substrateswith a dielectric overlay

The use of dyadic Green's functions and the moment method is explored for the solution of microstrip antenna problems on circular cylindrical substrates. The dyadic Green's functions of the electric type are obtained for a medium consisting of three cylindrical dielectric layers concentric with a perfectly conducting cylinder, and integral equations are developed for the evaluation of the electromagnetic fields. The effect of a dielectric overlay on the resonant frequency of a cylindrical-rectangular microstrip antenna is analyzed. The patch is directly fed by means of a microstripline printed along the cylinder axial direction. The results show that the effect of the dielectric overlay is substantial when its relative permittivity and thickness are increased, such that this effect has to be very carefully considered in the design of microstrip antennas     

Coprecipitation and Processing of Mullite Precursor Phases

Ultrafine powders of aluminum-rich mullite precursor phases were prepared by spraying mixed acid solutions of silicic acid and aluminum chloride into ammonium hydroxide at different pH values. The aluminum-rich composition was chosen to avoid abnormal grain growth of the mullite grains caused by silica-rich liquid phases. The influence of coprecipitation pH on particle size, zeta potential, and the mixing degree of aluminum and silicon in the precipitated powders and on the sintered microstructures have been described. In the basic pH region, the degree of mixing of both components increased as the pH of coprecipitation decreased. Under these conditions, direct slip casting of the coprecipitated slurries was possible, and fine and equiaxed microstructures could be obtained in the sintered bodies.     

Suspected extragonadal germ-cell cancer syndrome presenting with an orbital mass and elevation of serum CEA, CA 19-9 and CA50 levels

Patients with extragonadal germ-cell cancer syndrome (EGCCS) represent a subgroup of patients with poorly differentiated carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of an unknown primary site for whom potentially curative therapy is available. We report the case of a young man presenting an orbital tumor and high serum levels of CEA, CA 19-9 and CA50 for whom an initial diagnosis of metastatic poorly differentiated carcinoma was made. Suspecting EGCCS, he was treated as for a germ-cell tumor. While in treatment, he underwent residual orbital mass resection, and the histologic diagnosis was embryonal carcinoma based on alpha-fetoprotein immunoperoxidase staining. We discuss the rare location at diagnosis, the impressive increase in the commonly considered gastrointestinal markers that he showed, and the potential utility of these markers for such patients.     

Hydroxyurea affects cell morphology, cation transport, and red blood cell adhesion in cultured vascular endothelial cells

Hydroxyurea (HU) significantly increases fetal hemoglobin (Hb) production and concomitantly affects passive erythrocyte K transport and cell volume in patients homozygous for Hb S, thus decreasing disease severity. Red blood cells (RBCs) with Hb S display a greater adherence to vascular endothelial cells (VECs) than do Hb A cells, thus increasing the probability of vaso-occlusive crisis. The effect of HU on the structure and function of VECs is still unknown. In the present study, HU significantly changed, in a dose-dependent manner, the morphology and monovalent cation composition of cultured VECs after incubation in normal culture medium for up to 10 days in the absence and presence of 0.3 (therapeutic dose) and 3.0 (toxic dose) mmol/L HU. Treated cells showed significant morphologic changes such as an increase in apparent cell size and the formation of multinucleated giant cells. The protein content per dish decreased by 50% and 80% at 0.3 and 3.0 mmol/L HU, respectively, accompanied by an increase in cell Na (maximum, approximately 200%) and cell K (maximum, approximately 50%) contents at about days 4 to 6 and 8 to 10, respectively. In addition, HU decreased RBC adherence to VECs in experiments with 51Cr-loaded Hb A or Hb S RBCs. The HU-induced changes in VEC morphology, cation composition, and RBC adherence may be caused or accompanied by alterations in cell membrane permeability, transformation of endothelial cells, or decreased number/density of VEC adhesion molecules. Precise mechanisms of the HU effects warrant further investigation in light of the reported beneficial effects of HU in the treatment of sickle cell anemia.     

Analysis of microstrip wraparound antennas using dyadic Green's functions

The radiation pattern of microstrip wraparound antennas was obtained here using a theory based on dyadic Green's functions for concentric-cylindrical layered media. The dielectric layer that is usually neglected as a first-order approximation was considered here. An asymptotic expression for the dyadic Green's function that takes into account only the space wave is first obtained. Radiation patterns for various radii, permittivities, and thicknesses of the dielectric layer of a microstrip wraparound antenna were obtained using as a source a uniform annular magnetic current obtained by means of a cavity model with conducting magnetic walls. The calculated values of the percent pattern coverage decreases as the thickness and the permittivity of the dielectric layer increase. The influence of the dielectric layer is more pronounced for radiation direction near that of the axis of the cylindrical surface. It is also shown that the radiation patterns at a frequency of 2.0 GHz are not much dependent on the diameter of the antenna for values from 3 to 120 in.