Compact Wideband Double-Slot Microstrip Feed Engraved TEM Horn Strip Antennas on a Multilayer Substrate Board for in Bed Resting Body Positions Determination Based on Artificial Intelligence.

In this paper, a horn-shaped strip antenna exponentially tapered carved on a multilayer dielectric substrate for an indoor body position tracking system is proposed. The performance of the proposed antenna was verified by testing it as a tracking state of an indoor resting body position. Among different feeding techniques, the uniplanar T-junction power divider approach is used. The performance verification of the proposed antenna is explained through its compact size and 3D shape, along with a performance comparison of the return loss radiation pattern and the realized gain. The suggested antenna has an 88.88% fractional bandwidth and a return loss between 6 and 15.6 GHz, with a maximum gain of 9.46 dBi in the 9.5 GHz region. Within the intended band, the radiation pattern had an excellent directivity characteristics. The proposed antenna was connected to an NVA-R661 module of Xethru Inc. for sleeping body position tracking. The performance of the antenna is measured through microwave imagining of the state of the resting body in various sleeping positions on the bed using a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). The predicted outcomes clearly define the antenna's performance and could be used for sensing and prediction purposes.

Ultra-Wide Band Double-Slot Podal and Antipodal Vivaldi Antennas Feed by Compact Out-Of-Phase Power Divider Slot for Fluid Properties Determination.

In this paper, double slot podal and antipodal ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip antennas for a fluid property measurement system are proposed. Among different feeding techniques, out of phase uni-planner power divider approach is used. The performance verification of the proposed antenna is explained, along with a performance comparison of the antenna bandwidth, feeding, and the realized gain. The suggested podal antenna has an impedance bandwidth from 2.4 to 15.4 GHz, with a maximum gain of 11.3 dBi in the 12 GHz region while the antipodal antenna has a 2.8 GHz to 16 GHz impedance bandwidth, with a maximum gain of 10.4 dBi in the 10 GHz region. Within the intended band, the radiation pattern had an excellent directivity characteristic. The implementation of the proposed antenna is calibrated by measuring the propagated signals response via various liquid specimens using UWB radar, which might be applied for fluid sensing and prediction purposes. The proposed antenna was connected to an NVA-R661 module of Xethru Inc. for measuring the sample delay and peak-to-peak amplitude of the received signals passing through specimens. The measured parameters at a different radar frequency range of transmission are applied by drawing the fluid viscous analogy based on Poiseuille's law hypothesis, showing clear differentiation between the test specimens.

Vivaldi Antenna Arrays Feed by Frequency-Independent Phase Shifter for High Directivity and Gain Used in Microwave Sensing and Communication Applications.

This paper describes a novel feed system for compact, wideband, high gain six-slot Vivaldi antenna arrays on a single substrate layer using a unique combination of power splitters based on binary T-junction power splitter topology, frequency-independent phase shifter, and a T-branch. The proposed antenna system consists of six Vivaldi antennas, three on the left, and three on the right arm. Each arm connects with T-junction power divider splitter topology, given that the right arm is linked through a frequency-independent phase shifter. Phase shifters ensure that the beam is symmetrical without splitting in a radiating plane so that highly directive radiation patterns occur. The optimal return losses (S-parameters) are well enriched by reforming Vivaldi's feeding arms and optimizing Vivaldi slots and feeds. A novel feature of our design is that the antenna exhibits the arrangements of a T-junction power splitter with an out-of-phase feeding mechanism in one of the arms, followed by a T-branching feeding to even arrays of proper Vivaldi antenna arrangement contributing high realized gain and front-to-back ratio up to 14.12 dBi and 23.23 dB respectively applicable for not only ultra-wideband (UWB) application, also for sensing and position detecting. The high directivity over the entire UWB frequency band in both higher and lower frequency ranges ensures that the antenna can be used in microwave through-wall imaging along with resolution imaging for ground penetration radar (GPR) applications. The fabricated antenna parameters are in close agreement with the simulated and measured results and are deployed for the detection of targets inside the voids of the concrete brick.

Long-term treatment with valganciclovir improves lentiviral suicide gene therapy of glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Suicide gene therapy for malignant gliomas has shown encouraging results in the latest clinical trials. However, prodrug application was most often restricted to short-term treatment (14 days), especially when replication-defective vectors were used. We previously showed that a substantial fraction of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) transduced tumor cells survive ganciclovir (GCV) treatment in an orthotopic glioblastoma (GBM) xenograft model. Here we analyzed whether these TK+ tumor cells are still sensitive to prodrug treatment and whether prolonged prodrug treatment can enhance treatment efficacy. METHODS: Glioma cells positive for TK and green fluorescent protein (GFP) were sorted from xenograft tumors recurring after suicide gene therapy, and their sensitivity to GCV was tested in vitro. GBM xenografts were treated with HSV-TK/GCV, HSV-TK/valganciclovir (valGCV), or HSV-TK/valGCV + erlotinib. Tumor growth was analyzed by MRI, and survival as well as morphological and molecular changes were assessed. RESULTS: TK-GFP+ tumor cells from recurrent xenograft tumors retained sensitivity to GCV in vitro. Importantly, a prolonged period (3 mo) of prodrug administration with valganciclovir (valGCV) resulted in a significant survival advantage compared with short-term (3 wk) application of GCV. Recurrent tumors from the treatment groups were more invasive and less angiogenic compared with primary tumors and showed significant upregulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression. However, double treatment with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib did not increase therapeutic efficacy. CONCLUSION: Long-term treatment with valGCV should be considered as a replacement for short-term treatment with GCV in clinical trials of HSV-TK mediated suicide gene therapy.