Transform method for calculating low-frequency shieldingeffectiveness of planar linear multilayered shields

A two-dimensional analytical solution for quasistatic magnetic field shielding with planar infinite multilayered shields is presented. The magnetic field source is a system of long straight wires parallel to the shield, carrying sinusoidal currents. The analysis assumes that material media can be considered linear under the applied source fields. The spatial Fourier cosine and sine transforms are applied to the analytical expressions of the magnetic field intensity and flux density is obtained by solving the diffusion equation in each layer. Using transfer relations for every layer in terms of transformed variables allows one to obtain the shielded field, and thus the shielding effectiveness, with no need to determine the integration functions explicitly. The results obtained with both this approach and a finite-element computer code are in good agreement. The method seems to be also suited for the analysis of problems with more complex geometries and source distributions     

Self-capacitance of inductors

A new method for predicting the stray capacitance of inductors is presented. The method is based on an analytical approach and the physical structure of inductors. The inductor winding is partitioned into basic cells-many of which are identical. An expression for the equivalent capacitance of the basic cell is derived. Using this expression, the stray capacitance is found for both single- and multiple-layer coils, including the presence of the core. The method was tested with experimental measurements. The accuracy of the results is good. The derived expressions are useful for designing inductors and can be used for simulation purposes     

Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Affects Gut Microbiota Composition in Obesity: Results of Randomized Clinical Trial

Growing evidence highlights the crucial role of gut microbiota in affecting different aspects of obesity. Considering the ability of deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) to modulate the cortical excitability, the reward system, and, indirectly, the autonomic nervous system (ANS), we hypothesized a potential role of dTMS in affecting the brain-gut communication pathways, and the gut microbiota composition in obesity. In a hospital setting, 22 subjects with obesity (5 M, 17 F; 44.9 ± 2.2 years; BMI 37.5 ± 1.0 kg/m²) were randomized into three groups receiving 15 sessions (3 per week for 5 weeks) of high frequency (HF), low frequency (LF) dTMS, or sham stimulation. Fecal samples were collected at baseline and after 5 weeks of treatment. Total bacterial DNA was extracted from fecal samples using the QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit (Qiagen, Italy) and analyzed by a metagenomics approach (Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine). After 5 weeks, a significant weight loss was found in HF (HF: −4.1 ± 0.8%, LF: −1.9 ± 0.8%, sham: −1.3 ± 0.6%, p = 0.042) compared to LF and sham groups, associated with a decrease in norepinephrine compared to baseline (HF: −61.5 ± 15.2%, p < 0.01; LF: −31.8 ± 17.1%, p < 0.05; sham: −35.8 ± 21.0%, p > 0.05). Furthermore, an increase in Faecalibacterium (+154.3% vs. baseline, p < 0.05) and Alistipes (+153.4% vs. baseline, p < 0.05) genera, and a significant decrease in Lactobacillus (−77.1% vs. baseline, p < 0.05) were found in HF. Faecalibacterium variations were not significant compared to baseline in the other two groups (LF: +106.6%, sham: +27.6%; p > 0.05) as well as Alistipes (LF: −54.9%, sham: −15.1%; p > 0.05) and Lactobacillus (LF: −26.0%, sham: +228.3%; p > 0.05) variations. Norepinephrine change significantly correlated with Bacteroides (r² = 0.734; p < 0.05), Eubacterium (r² = 0.734; p < 0.05), and Parasutterella (r² = 0.618; p < 0.05) abundance variations in HF. In conclusion, HF dTMS treatment revealed to be effective in modulating gut microbiota composition in subjects with obesity, reversing obesity-associated microbiota variations, and promoting bacterial species representative of healthy subjects with anti-inflammatory properties.     

Stray capacitances of single-layer solenoid air-core inductors

This paper presents a method for predicting parasitic capacitances of solenoid HF inductors made of one layer of turns with circular cross sections, uniformly wound around a cylindrical nonconductive core. The method is based on an analytical approach to obtain the turn-to-turn and turn-to-shield capacitances of coils. The influence of the wire insulation is taken into account. An equivalent lumped parallel capacitance is derived. The method was tested by experimental measurements. The calculated and measured values were in good agreement in the considered cases. The derived expressions are useful for designing HF inductors and can also be adopted for modeling and simulation purposes