This article presents a novel design of portable planar microwave sensor for fast, accurate, and non-invasive monitoring of the blood glucose level as an effective technique for diabetes control and prevention. The proposed sensor design incorporates four cells of hexagonal-shaped complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs), arranged in a honey-cell configuration, and fabricated on a thin sheet of an FR4 dielectric substrate.The CSRR sensing elements are coupled via a planar microstrip-line to a radar board operating in the ISM band 2.4–2.5 GHz. The integrated sensor shows an impressive detection capability and a remarkable sensitivity of blood glucose levels (BGLs). The superior detection capability is attributed to the enhanced design of the CSRR sensing elements that expose the glucose samples to an intense interaction with the electromagnetic fields highly concentrated around the sensing region at the induced resonances. This feature enables the developed sensor to detect extremely delicate variations in the electromagnetic properties that characterize the varying-level glucose samples. The desired performance of the fabricated sensor is practically validated through in-vitro measurements using a convenient setup of Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) that records notable traces of frequency-shift responses when the sensor is loaded with samples of 70–120 mg/dL glucose concentrations. This is also demonstrated in the radar-driven prototype where the raw data collected at the radar receiving channel shows obvious patterns that reflect glucose-level variations. Furthermore, the differences in the sensor responses for tested glucose samples are quantified by applying the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) machine learning algorithm. The proposed sensor, beside its impressive detection capability of the diabetes-spectrum glucose levels, has several other favorable attributes including compact size, simple fabrication, affordable cost, non-ionizing nature, and minimum health risk or impact. Such attractive features promote the proposed sensor as a possible candidate for non-invasive glucose levels monitoring for diabetes as evidenced by the preliminary results from a proof-of-concept in-vivo experiment of tracking an individual’s BGL by placing his fingertip onto the sensor. The presented system is a developmental platform towards radar-driven wearable continuous BGL monitors.

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We studied the preference judgment of pictorial images by image experts and naive observers. We first asked image experts to improve pictorial images the way they preferred. Then, we showed the different versions of each image to naive observers and asked them which version they preferred. To enhance an image, an expert divides it into large areas of interest, which mainly correspond to natural colors. To assess their preference judgments, naive observers principally focus on natural colors like sky, skin, or grass when present. A closer analysis of the digital image files showed that the segmentation process used by the experts allows to apply different corrections on the different objects. We used the previous work on memory colors by Yendrikhovskij and we showed that, to enhance an image, an expert moves the color space coordinates of identified zones towards those of memory colors corresponding to the objects being represented. The expert also follows some rules: the corrections must be plausible inside each segment and for the whole image, in relation with the illuminant of the scene. The images are accepted by observers in relation with the presence of memory colors and when the treatment of the whole image seems coherent.

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Abstract-In this paper, modeling and experimentation of a Rectangular Patch Resonator (RPR) covered with a dielectric superstrate are investigated.The RPR criteria are established theoretically and experimentally, to be used in future prospects as an electromagnetic (EM) sensor for the characterization of superstrates. The theoretical model is based on the moment method (MoM) via Galerkin's approach, in which three types of basis and testing functions are used. These functions as well as the spectral dyadic Green function are efficiently implanted with compact structured Fortran 90 codes. The EM commercial HFSS and CST Microwave Studio softwares are used to simulate the proposed RPR prototypes. The accuracy of the obtained results is assessed using four prototypes of RPRs operating around 6 GHz, taking into account only the resonant frequency of the fundamental dominant mode. The theoretical model is compared to simulation and measurement results, and very good agreements are observed.