A Low Loss X-Band Quasi-Elliptic Ferroelectric Tunable Filter

A compact high quality factor four-pole X-band tunable quasi-elliptic bandpass filter is presented in this letter. The filter is enabled by high-Q ferroelectric barium strontium titanate capacitors and open-loop resonators. The central frequency of 8.35 GHz and the frequency tuning range of 500 MHz (6%) are achieved with a dc bias voltage of 30 V. The selective filter has a fractional 1 dB bandwidth ranging from 5.5% up to 7.3%. The measured insertion loss and return loss are 5.7-3.5 dB and 10.2-7.9 dB, respectively, with a dc bias range of 0 to 30 V. To the best of our knowledge, this is the best analog tunable performance and selectivity in X-band.     

Tuning of Superconducting Filters With Laser Ablation Technique

Superconducting planar microwave filters manufactured without tuning functionality often do not rigorously agree with their specifications. This paper suggests a method for adjusting the center frequencies of microstrip superconducting filters without using tuning screws in the device packages. Trimming with laser ablation is judiciously used to change the resonant frequencies of cross open-loop resonators and thus adjust the center frequencies of filters. A technique for adjusting the interresonator coupling is also proposed.     

Radio interference challenges in a multiprotocol compact RF hardware platform for home and building automation applications

In the field of smart home and smart building, there is a wide range of products using various proprietary and open standards for their interconnection. However, the coexistence of those standards imposes serious constraints because of the inherent nature of the radio frequency propagation. A way to investigate this issue is to study the interferences in a compact hardware platform/box in which several radio transceivers work side by side, potentially causing interference and radio link degradation due to antennas coupling. To achieve this analysis and predict the radio issues, a simulation tool was developed, and several experimental tests were conducted indoors and outdoors to validate the simulation model. The compact platform investigated consists of multiprofile KNX‐RF modules for home automation and smart grid control, and a radio alarm module for security needs. Simulations were conducted using MATLAB/Simulink, which are based on a calculation of bit error rate according to the signal to noise ratio in order to deduce the radio coverage range in different interference scenarios. The simulation tool developed was optimized to match the behavior of a specific transceiver commonly used for KNX‐RF devices. Yet the tool can be adapted to simulate other kinds of transceivers. Furthermore, the methodology applied to evaluate the cross‐technology interference can be extended to other technologies like Wi‐Fi, ZigBee, and EnOcean.     

The TERESA project: from space research to ground tele-echography

Ultrasound examinations represent one of the major diagnostic modalities of future healthcare. They are currently used to support medical space research but require a high skilled operator for both probe positioning on the patient's skin and image interpretation. TERESA is a tele-echography project that proposes a solution to bring astronauts and remotely located patients on ground quality ultrasound examinations despite the lack of a specialist at the location of the wanted medical act.     

Mechanical and electrical properties of a polyester resin reinforced with clay-based fillers

In this study, composite polymer-based materials were fabricated, in which a significant proportion of polyester resin was substituted by low-cost and environmentally-friendly clay-based raw materials. The main objective is to improve mechanical properties while maintaining a reasonable electrical insulating behavior. A homogenized distribution of fillers within the matrix compatible with the processing parameters was obtained up to a maximum added fraction of 20 vol%. Mechanical characterization using uniaxial traction tests and Charpy impact pendulum machine showed that stress-to-rupture can be enhanced of approximately 25 %. In addition, fracture energy was doubled for the best formulation. Dielectric constant was decreased and loss factor was slightly increased when electrical resistivity remained almost constant. In general, the composite materials with metakaolin fillers exhibited higher mechanical properties and greater electrical insulating behavior. Microstructural observation showed the presence of decohesive agglomerates of particles at the interface with the matrix. The mechanical properties were found to be more sensitive than electrical properties to the homogeneity of filler dispersion in the matrix.     

Antley-Bixler syndrome: case report and review of the literature

Five patients requiring dialysis for acute pulmonary edema and uremia from severe renal artery occlusive disease underwent surgical revascularization. Three patients with oliguria had excellent outcomes and remain dialysis-independent as long as twenty-four months following operation (mean serum creatinine 2.0 mg/dl). The two patients who were anuric both had technically successful operations but remained dialysis-dependent. Diagnostic evaluation of the azotemic patient suspected to have renal arterial occlusive disease should include a history and physical examination, urinalysis, renal ultrasound, and duplex scan of the renal arteries. In appropriate patients, arteriography should then be considered if other diagnoses appear unlikely. This algorithm may help identify those patients who might benefit from renal revascularization. It appears that oliguria rather than anuria and the angiographic demonstration of a patent distal vessel and nephrogram suggest a better functional outcome after revascularization. Unfortunately, the response to surgery cannot be reliably predicted and patient selection remains a challenge, but retrieval of renal function can be achieved in some cases even if patients are already being hemodialyzed.     

Reduced-size multilayer X-band filters with stacked resonators on a flexible organic substrate

This work presents the design of two four-pole, quasi-elliptic microwave bandpass filters with stacked open-loop resonators on an emerging low-loss organic dielectric material. Both filters are based on a multilayer microstrip structure that uses low-cost and flexible liquid crystal polymer substrates to produce a compact size. The first filter, which has a bandwidth of 17% at 9.3 GHz, was designed to control the high coupling strength between overlapped resonators without sacrificing its compact size. It has a measured 1.7 dB of insertion loss. The second filter uses the same topology, but its measured parameters include a bandwidth of 9% at 10.5 GHz and an insertion loss of 4.5 dB. To achieve the 9% bandwidth, two metallic patches were added between layers to limit the higher coupling between the overlapped resonators. Both bandpass filters have a footprint area reduction of at least 25% when compared to an equivalent single-layer, open-loop resonator filter.