No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Abstract-To reduce the size and improve the performance, a 4th-order miniaturized dual-mode microstrip bandpass filter (BPF) is developed. A meander shorted stub loaded resonator is used, and much compact size is obtained. Theoretical model is set up, and the odd and even modes of the BPF are analyzed based on a symmetrical structure. Full wave simulation validates the design method. To verify the design, a fabricated BPF sample has been tested. Experiment result demonstrates that the designed BPF has wider stopband and better selectivity. Its fractional bandwidth and a center frequency are available.

A wideband filter with a notched band is presented. The proposed filter is formed by cascading three coupling units, and each coupling unit is composed of two curved T-shaped microstrip patches at the top and bottom layers and a circular coupling slot at the mid layer. Overlapping three coupling units could result in a wideband filter with a tunable notched band. To analyse the resonance characteristics, the equivalent circuit model is presented. The notched frequency is 5.8 GHz, and within the passband, the insertion and return losses are better than −2 dB and −15 dB, respectively. The group delays are 0.08 ns and 0.12 ns correspondingly, and the upper stopband reaches 15 GHz. The multi-layer structure leads to a compact size and tight coupling characteristics, and the feasibility and excellent performance of the design is verified.

No abstract

BACKGROUND: Coarse food grains are rich in dietary fiber and contain a wide range of nutrients with potential health benefits, such as blood pressure control.Coarse food grains are very popular in China, where hypertension is a major challenge. We evaluated the associations between coarse food grain consumption and blood pressure among young Chinese adults. METHODS:A total of 104 men and women aged 18 to 35 years, who participated in a pilot study of the Carbohydrate Alternatives and Metabolic Phenotypes study, were included in the present analysis. Food frequency questionnaires were used to collect dietary intake data. Blood pressure was measured using a digital monitor. A multivariate general linear model was used to evaluate the putative associations. RESULTS: Overall, 12.5 % of our participants have regular habits of coarse food grain intake (at least 4 days/Wk). Age was positively associated with both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (all P for trend < 0.05).With multivariable adjustment, including for body mass index and physical activity

Development of early (I-III) and late (III-V) brainstem conduction time (BCT) in the brainstem auditory evoked responses was examined and compared in 178 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) and 24 small-for-gestational-age (SGA) children from birth to 6 years of age. In AGA children, the III-V/I-III interval ratio increased with age from birth to 2 years and remained relatively steady. This indicates that the development of the early and late BCT, or probably the lower and upper brainstem is not synchronous during early childhood, with a slightly faster development of the early BCT relative to the late BCT. In SGA children, the I-V, I-III and III-V intervals showed similar developmental trends to those in AGA children. However, the III-V/I-III ratio followed a developmental course which differed remarkably from that in AGA children. The ratio decreased slightly with age up to 2 years and was consistently smaller than in normal children after 1 year, indicating that the relative development of early and late BCT deviates from normal. This finding suggests that prenatal factors responsible for intrauterine growth retardation could alter the late or long-term development of the nervous system, resulting in sub-optimal outcome.