Dual frequency miniature microstrip antenna

A single-feed dual frequency compact microstrip antenna with a shorting pin is described. This new antenna configuration gives a large variation in frequency ratio of the two operating frequencies, without increasing the overall size of the antenna     

Preparation and characterization of polyelectrolyte complex of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-trimethyl chitosan/gellan gum: evaluation for controlled release of ketoprofen

N,N,N-Trimethyl chitosan, a highly water soluble derivative of chitosan, has been made by reductive methylation of chitosan by a three-step process reported in literature. A novel polyelectrolyte complex of this derivative with gellan gum has been made by mixing the aqueous solutions of the two polymers. The complex was characterized by FTIR, TGA, DSC and SEM techniques. Maximum yield of the complex was obtained at pH 2.0 with a gellan gum:trimethylchitosan ratio of 3:1. The swelling study indicated pH responsiveness of the polyelectrolyte complex sample, with higher swelling under neutral or slightly basic conditions. In vitro studies on the release of the drug ketoprofen from the polyelectrolyte complex matrix were conducted in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. The results indicated release of 85–90 % of the entrapped drug in the media of pH 6.8 and 7.4 and less than 7 % release in the medium of pH 1.2. The kinetic analysis indicated the drug release to be a first-order process. The mechanism of water transport and drug diffusion is shown to be of Fickian type. The results prove the suitability of the polyelectrolyte complex as a matrix material for delivery of drugs with short half life such as ketoprofen in the slow release mode.     

The Effect of Addition of High-Melting Monoacylglycerol and Candelilla Wax on Pea and Faba Bean Protein Foam-Templated Oleogelation

Use of oleogels prepared from hydrocolloids has recently gained considerable attention as an alternative for trans and saturated fats. Lately, pulse proteins such as faba bean protein and pea protein have been successfully used to prepare oleogels using a foam-templated approach. Although the pulse proteins are healthy oleogelators, high oil loss and low quality of cake baked using pulse protein-stabilized oleogels due to its poor rheological properties challenged its use. The present study explored whether the addition of small amount of high-melting monoglyceride (MAG) or candelilla wax (CW) can be used to improve the oil binding capacity, rheological properties, and baking qualities of pulse protein-stabilized oleogels composed of 5% faba bean or pea protein concentrate with 0.25% xanthan gum foams. Different concentrations (0.5–3%) of MAG or CW were dissolved in canola oil at 80 °C, followed by addition into the freeze-dried protein-polysaccharide foams (pH 7) and quickly transferred to a refrigerator to facilitate the formation of oleogels. The crystallized additives were found to be reinforcing the protein foam network in the oleogels. With increase in concentration of CW and MAG, the oil binding capacity, firmness, cohesiveness, and storage moduli of the oleogels were increased. Oleogels with and without MAG or CW were then characterized and tested for their performance as a shortening replacer in model baked cakes. Findings showed improved textural properties of cake upon addition of MAG in the foam-templated oleogels, however, compared to the shortening, negative effect on cake hardness and chewiness was still observed with the oleogels.     

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and thermal studies of some lanthanide(Ⅲ) nitrate complexes with a hydrazo derivative of 4-aminoantipyrine

A heterocyclic ligand synthesized by the coupling of diazotized 4-aminoantipyrine with acetylacetone reacted with lanthanide(III) nitrate to form complexes of the type [Ln(HAAP)₂(NO₃)₃] where, Ln=La(III), Ce(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III), or Gd(III) and HAAP= 3-{[2-(N-1-phenyl-2,3-dimethylpyrazol-3-in-5-on-4-yl)]hydrazone}pent-2,3,4-trione. The ligand and metal complexes were characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements, UV-Visible, infrared, far infrared and proton NMR spectral data. The spectral data revealed that the ligand existed in the hydrazo form and coordinated to the metal ion without deprotonation in a neutral tridentate manner, through carbonyl oxygen of pyrazolone ring, hydrazo nitrogen and carbonyl oxygen of the acetylacetone moiety. The molar conductance values adequately supported their non-electrolytic nature. The ligand and the praseodymium(III) complex were subjected to X-ray diffraction studies. Thermal decomposition behavior of the lanthanum(III) complex was also examined.     

Microwave assisted synthesis,spectroscopic, thermal,and antifungal studies of some lanthanide（Ⅲ） complexes with a heterocyclic bishydrazone

A bishydrazone formed by the condensation of isatinmonohydrazone and salicylaldehyde reacted with lanthanide（Ⅲ） chloride to form complexes of the type [Ln（HISA）2Cl3], where, Ln=La（Ⅲ）, Ce（Ⅲ）, Pr（Ⅲ）, Nd（Ⅲ）, Sm（Ⅲ）, Eu（Ⅲ）, or Gd（Ⅲ） and HISA= [（2-hydroxybenzaldehyde）-3-isatin]bishydrazone. Both reactions were carried out under microwave conditions. The ligand and the metal complexes were characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements, UV visible, infrared, far infrared, and proton NMR spectral data. The ligand acted as neutral tridentate, coordinating through the carbonyl oxygen, azomethine nitrogen, and phenolic oxygen without deprotonation. The ligand and lanthanum（Ⅲ） complex were subjected to X-ray diffraction studies. The X-ray diffraction pattern of ligand exhibited its crystalline nature and that of the lanthanum（Ⅲ） complex indicated its amorphous character. The thermal decomposition behaviour of the complex, [La（HISA）2Cl3], was examined in the temperature range of 40-800 ℃ using TG, DTG, and DTA. The ligand and the metal complexes were screened for their antifungal activities.     

A New Compact Microstrip-Fed Dual-Band Coplanar Antenna for WLAN Applications

A novel compact microstrip fed dual-band coplanar antenna for wireless local area network is presented. The antenna comprises of a rectangular center strip and two lateral strips printed on a dielectric substrate and excited using a 50 Omega microstrip transmission line. The antenna generates two separate resonant modes to cover 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN bands. Lower resonant mode of the antenna has an impedance bandwidth (2:1 VSWR) of 330 MHz (2190-2520 MHz), which easily covers the required bandwidth of the 2.4 GHz WLAN, and the upper resonant mode has a bandwidth of 1.23 GHz (4849-6070 MHz), covering 5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN bands. The proposed antenna occupy an area of 217 mm² when printed on FR4 substrate (epsiv_r=4.7). A rigorous experimental study has been conducted to confirm the characteristics of the antenna. Design equations for the proposed antenna are also developed     

Broadband cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna excited by modified microstrip line

The impedance bandwidth of a high permittivity cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna excited by a microstrip line was significantly improved by modifying the feed geometry. The 10 dB return loss bandwidth is enhanced from 12 to 26% without much affecting the gain and other radiation properties of the antenna. Good agreement has been observed between the predicted and measured results.     

Structural and Spectroscopic Studies of Sm3+/CdS Nanocrystallites in Sol–Gel TiO2-ZrO2 Matrix

A sol–gel method was used to prepare titania-zirconia matrices doped with Sm³⁺/CdS nanocrystallites. The structural properties of the matrices were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy studies. The thermal stability of the material was determined by TGA/DTA analysis. The absorption spectrum shows the characteristic peaks of the Sm³⁺ ions and the absorption peak corresponding to the CdS nanocrystallites. The optical bandgap and size of the CdS nanoparticles were calculated from the absorption spectrum. From TEM, the interplanar distance (d) was estimated to be 3.533 Å, which matches with the (1 0 0) plane of bulk CdS. The measurements yield a nanocrystallite size of around 7.8 nm. The optical absorption and emission spectra confirmed the formation of CdS nanoparticles along with samarium ions in the titania-zirconia matrices. The fluorescence intensity of the samarium ions was found to be greatly enhanced by codoping with CdS nanocrystallites.     

Synthesis of pure anatase TiO2 nanocrystals in SiO2 host and the determination of crystal planes by ImageJ

Anatase TiO₂ nanocrystals in the TiO₂- SiO₂ matrix were prepared by the ultra hydroylsis sol-gel route. The samples were heat treated at 350 °C and 500 °C. The structural analyses of the samples were carried out using X-ray diffraction technique, Raman spectroscopy and Transmission electron microscopy. The size of the nanocrystals from the XRD spectra (8.3 nm) and TEM (5-8 nm) is well in agreement. The spacing for the crystal planes was also determined using the ImageJ program. The Raman peaks further confirmed the formation of only the anatase phase within the matrix.     

Frequency tunable metallo-dielectric structure for backscattering reduction

Electromagnetic scattering behaviour of a superstrate loaded metallo-dielectric structure based on Sierpinski carpet fractal geometry is reported. The results indicate that the frequency at which backscattering is minimum can be tuned by varying the thickness of the superstrate. A reduction in backscattered power of /spl sim/44 dB is obtained simultaneously for both TE and TM polarisations of the incident field.