Improving PAPR performance of filtered OFDM for 5G communications using PTS

The filtered orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (F-OFDM) system has been recommended as a waveform candidate for fifth-generation (5G) communications. The suppression of out-of-band emission (OOBE) and asynchronous transmission are the distinctive features of the filtering-based waveform frameworks. Meanwhile, the high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) is still a challenge for the new waveform candidates. Partial transmit sequence (PTS) is an effective technique for mitigating the trend of high PAPR in multicarrier systems. In this study, the PTS technique is employed to reduce the high PAPR value of an F-OFDM system. Then, this system is compared with the OFDM system. In addition, the other related parameters such as frequency localization, bit error rate (BER), and computational complexity are evaluated and analyzed for both systems with and without PTS. The simulation results indicate that the F-OFDM based on PTS achieves higher levels of PAPR, BER, and OOBE performances compared with OFDM. Moreover, the BER performance of F-OFDM is uninfluenced by the use of the PTS technique.     

Effect of structural changes of silica filler on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of underfill encapsulant

This study investigates the effect of degree of crystallinity (DC) of silica on the CTE value of epoxy filled silica composite. Various DC of silica was produced through high intensity grinding process in a jet mill by varying the grinding pressure. The ground silica with the DC ranging from 76% to 100% was filled at 45% volume and the CTE values were measured. The obtained results showed that CTE of composite was reduced as the filler's degree of crystallinity decreased.     

High gain CPW‐fed UWB planar monopole antenna‐based compact uniplanar frequency selective surface for microwave imaging

In this article, a novel uniplanar ultra‐wideband (UWB) stop frequency selective surface (FSS) was miniaturized to maximize the gain of a compact UWB monopole antenna for microwave imaging applications. The single‐plane FSS unit cell size was only 0.095λ × 0.095λ for a lower‐operating frequency had been introduced, which was miniaturized by combining a square‐loop with a cross‐dipole on FR4 substrate. The proposed hexagonal antenna was printed on FR4 substrate with coplanar waveguide feed, which was further backed at 21.6 mm by 3 × 3 FSS array. The unit cell was modeled with an equivalent circuit, while the measured characteristics of fabricated FSS array and the antenna prototypes were validated with the simulation outcomes. The FSS displayed transmission magnitude below ?10 dB and linear reflection phase over the bandwidth of 2.6 to 11.1 GHz. The proposed antenna prototype achieved excellent gain improvement about 3.5 dBi, unidirectional radiation, and bandwidth of 3.8 to 10.6 GHz. Exceptional agreements were observed between the simulation and the measured outcomes. Hence, a new UWB baggage scanner system was developed to assess the short distance imaging of simulated small metallic objects in handbag model. The system based on the proposed antenna displayed a higher resolution image than the antenna without FSS.     

Modified Recursive Least Squares algorithm to train the Hybrid Multilayered Perceptron (HMLP) network

In this paper, a new learning algorithm, called the Modified Recursive Least Square (MRLS), is introduced for the Hybrid Multilayered Perceptron (HMLP) network. Adopting the Recursive Least Square (RLS) algorithm as its basis, the MRLS algorithm differs from RLS in the way that the weight of the linear connections for the HMLP network is estimated. The convergence rate of the MRLS algorithm is further improved by varying the forgetting factor, optimizing the way the momentum and learning rate are assigned. To investigate its applicability, the MRLS algorithm is demonstrated on the HMLP network using six benchmark data sets obtained from the UCI repository. The classification performance of the HMLP network trained with the MRLS algorithm is compared with those of the HMLP network trained with the Modified Recursive Prediction Error (MRPE) algorithm and the MLP trained with the standard RLS algorithm as well as with other commonly adopted machine learning classifiers. The comparison results indicated that the proposed MRLS trained HMLP network provides significant improvement over RLS trained MLP network, MRPE trained HMLP network, and other machine learning classifiers in terms of accuracy, convergence rate and mean square error (MSE).     

Endocrine modulating chemicals in food packaging: A review of phthalates and bisphenols

Phthalates and bisphenol chemicals have been widely used globally in packaging materials and consumer products for several decades. These highly functional chemicals have become a concern due to their toxicity (i.e., endocrine/hormone modulators) and ability to migrate from food contact materials (FCMs) into food matrices and the environment resulting in human and environmental health risks. FCMs, composed of postconsumer materials, are particularly high risk for containing these compounds. The evaluation of postconsumer recycled feedstocks in FCMs is compulsory and selection of an appropriate detection method to comply with applicable regulations is necessary to evaluate human and environmental safety. Numerous regulations have been proposed and passed globally for both compound classes that are recognized as priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union. Several brand owners and retailers have also released their own “restricted substance lists” due to the mounting consumer and regulatory concerns. This review article has two goals: (1) discuss the utilization, toxicology, human exposure routes, and occurrence levels of phthalates and bisphenols in FCMs and associated legislation in various countries and (2) discuss critical understanding and updates for detection/quantification techniques. Current techniques discussed include extraction and sample preparation methods (solid-phase microextraction [SPME], headspace SPME, Soxhlet procedure, ultrasound-assisted extraction), chromatographic techniques (gas, liquid, detectors), and environmental/blank considerations for quantification. This review complements a previous review of phthalates in foods from 2009 by discussing phthalate and bisphenol characteristics, analytical methods of determining concentrations in packaging materials, and their influence on the migration potential into food.