A compact microstrip six-port reflectometer (SPR) with extended bandwidth is proposed in this paper. The design is based on using 16-dB multi-section coupled line directional couplers and a multi-section 3-dB Wilkinson power divider operating from 1 to 6 GHz. The proposed SPR employs only two calibration standards: a matched load and an open load. As compared to other dielectric substrates, fabricating the proposed SPR involves using a low-cost (FR4) substrate. A novel algorithm is also proposed to estimate the complex reflection coefficient over the frequency ranges at which the standard performance of the circuit components is not fully satisfied. The new algorithm is based on the circles’ intersection points, which have been derived from basic SPR equations, to estimate the complex reflection coefficient. To validate the SPR performance, a multiband microstrip patch antenna has been measured and the resulted reflection coefficient is compared with those obtained using a vector network analyzer (VNA). Results show that the proposed SPR provides a good estimation of the complex reflection coefficient within the frequency range of 1 GHz to 8 GHz. Owing to its compact size and ease of fabrication, the proposed reflectometer is suitable for various microwave broadband applications.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women over the world. To reducing reoccurrence and mortality rates, adjuvant hormonal therapy (AHT) is used for a long period. The major barrier to the effectiveness of the treatment is adherence. Adherence to medicines among patients is challenging. Patient beliefs in medications can be positively or negatively correlated to adherence. Objectives: To investigate the extent of adherence and factors affecting adherence, as well as to investigate the association between beliefs and adherence in women with breast cancer taking AHT. Method: A cross-sectional study included 124 Iraqi women with breast cancer recruited from Middle Euphrates
... Show MoreExogenous levothyroxine dose modulation and euthyroidism achievement is a persistent challenge in clinical settings. This study strives to assess the adequacy of treatment and identify the patients’ factors that can be used to estimate the euthyroid levothyroxine dose. A secondary objective was to assess vitamin D supplementation impact on thyroid status.
A review of a prospectively collected information from 142 female patients from Baghdad Center of Nuclear Medicine from June 2019 until March 2020 who were receiving levothyroxine for different causes was done. After a follow-up period, the patients’ thyroid tests were assessed and the euthyroid doses for each cause category were statistically analyzed. Thyroid function was
... Show MoreIn this study, novel Schiff base complexes with Zn(II) and Co(II) ions were successfully synthesized. The malonic acid dihydrazide was converted into the Schiff base ligand by combining it with 1-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde, and the last step required reacting it with the appropriate metal(II) chloride to produce pure target complexes. The generated complexes were thoroughly characterized using FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, GC-mass, and UV-Vis spectroscopies. In order to photo-stabilize polystyrene (PS) and reduce the photodegradation of its polymeric chains, these chemicals have been used in this work. The efficiency of the generated complexes as photo-stabilizers was evaluated using a variety of techniques, including FTIR, weight loss, visc
... Show MoreThe Growth Differentiation Factor -15 (GDF-15) is a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily. İt represents an example of the stress response cytokines. It's mostly found in cardiac myocytes, adipocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells, and vascular endothelial cells, whether they're generated normally or not. GDF-15 levels have increased and are associated with cardiovascular risk. Aim of the study: To investigate the correlation between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) with the level of plasma GDF-15 in a group of hypertensive patients. Materials and methods: A case-control study involved 90 individuals, 60 hypertensive patients (36 on ACE inhibitors and 24 on ARBs)
... Show MoreBackground: The skin functions as a barrier to the external environment, damage to this barrier following a burn disrupts the innate immune system and increases susceptibility to bacterial infection. Objective: This study was carried out to determine the bacterial isolates and study their antimicrobial susceptibility in burned wound infections at one burn's hospital in Baghdad.Type of study:Cross-sectional study.Methods: The bacteria were identified at species level by using Analytic Profile Index (API) system and The antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed according to Kirby-Bauer (disk diffusion) technique.Results: Over a period of one year (from October 2014 to October 2015). Out of 848 patients with different degrees of burns
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The research aims to examine the relationship between psychological flow, psychological well-being, and self-management among a sample of fine artists in the Makkah region and its governorates. The research also aims to examine the mean group differences in psychological flow, psychological well-being, and self-management due to demographic variables (sex and years of practicing arts). The sample consists of (110) male and female fine artists. The descriptive correlational approach was performed to collect the data by using the psychological flow scale developed by Payne et al (2011), which was translated by the researcher, the Oxford happiness questionnaire developed by Hills and Argyle (2002), it has t
... Show MoreThe avoidance strategy of prey to predation and the predation strategy for predators are important topics in evolutionary biology. Both prey and predators adjust their behaviors in order to obtain the maximal benefits and to raise their biomass for each. Therefore, this paper is aimed at studying the impact of prey’s fear and group defense against predation on the dynamics of the food-web model. Consequently, in this paper, a mathematical model that describes a tritrophic Leslie-Gower food-web system is formulated. Sokol-Howell type of function response is adapted to describe the predation process due to the prey’s group defensive capability. The effects of fear due to the predation process are considered in the first two levels
... Show MoreAbstract Exotoxin A is the most lethal virulence factor produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It inhibits elongation factor-2 by ADP-ribosylation of EF2. This causes stop of the elongation of polypeptides. In recent study, the effect of low concentration of exotoxin A on some important internal organs of mice was studied. Four groups white mice were injected intraperitonialy with pure exotoxin A in the following manner 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 ng\ animals. One mouse receives normal saline inrtaperitonialy as a control. After 72 hours the mice were killed and four organs were taken, liver, spleen, lung and heart from each killed mice. Histological sections were made from each organ and stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain then examined under mic
... Show MoreThe study conducted to investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and eye diseases (Glaucoma, Cataract, CSR and Uveitis). One hundred and four patients with multiple eye disorders (10-80) years were observed from 10/9/2020 to 18/11/2020 and compared to thirty-one healthy people (19 female and 12 male). Each participant was tested for H. pylori CagAAbs and TNF-α using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results have shown that there was a non-significant difference (p≥0.05) in the concentration of CagAantibodies in sera of patients with eye diseases except in the case of CSR (central serous chorioretinopathy), which was a significant difference (P≤0.05) compared to the control group. Also, the result
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