This paper investigates the electromagnetic radiation characteristics of a plasmonic gap coplanar isolator structure, revealing its potential to operate as an antenna with a reconfigurable radiation pattern. A coplanar waveguide (CPW)-ferrite configuration is proposed, which not only fulfills the function of a plasmonic gap coplanar isolator but can also be excited to radiate a reconfigurable pattern, as demonstrated through simulations performed with HFSS. Key antenna parameters-including radiation pattern, gain, and polarization-are analyzed to assess the suitability of the component for antenna applications. Simulation results exhibit directional radiation patterns in the azimuthal planes corresponding to phi = 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The gain varies between 7.8 and 8.2 dB at 20 GHz as a function of the applied static magnetic bias field H0, which is successively set to $\mathbf{1 6 0 ~ k A} / \mathbf{m}, \mathbf{1 8 0}$ kA/m, 200 kA/m, and 240 kA/m. At the operating frequency of 10 GHz, each configuration achieves a maximum gain with a half-power beamwidth of approximately 30°, and these main beams are rotated by 90° relative to one another. The proposed structure thereby enables pattern diversity while maintaining very good gain levels, reaching up to 20 dB at the origin of the reference plane. This functional duality-operating as both an isolator and an antenna-opens promising perspectives for the development of compact, multifunctional telecommunications systems.
A survey study was conducted and weight-gain monitoring was carried out every 10 days for 4 months, from March 1 to June 30, 2015, in 50 households, covering 1,436 animals of the Kababish and Arabian breeds. The data collected concerned household characteristics, breeding and production performance, as well as culling criteria and age of the two sheep breeds, Kababish and Arabian. The results show that sheep are raised in the study area largely by married men aged between 41 and 50. The animals are raised for self-consumption and sale, and more than half of those surveyed are involved in sheep farming and trading. The study revealed that the average weight of adult male Kababish sheep is around 60.15±5.46 kg, while that of Arabian rams is 53.95±5.91 kg. In terms of reproductive parameters, Kababish ewes start breeding at 10.27±1.08 months, whereas Arabian ewes start breeding at a higher age, 11.85±1.16 months. Lactation lasts an average of 6±0.47 months in Arab sheep and 5.79±0.68 months in Kababish sheep. Concerning the reasons for culling animals in the study area, disease was reported as the cause of culling. In conclusion, the results showed that Kababish sheep have better zootechnical performance than Arab sheep, and a good predisposition for meat production that can be better valorized for sheep fattening in the study area. A more in-depth study of Kababish sheep should be carried out to improve our knowledge of their zootechnical and reproductive performance in the Ouaddaï region, in order to better identify their genetic potential.
Materialized views are essential for optimizing the performance of traditional databases and data warehouses by accelerating query responses. However, their substantial storage requirements and the impracticality of materializing all possible views raise the problem of selecting which views to persist, a fundamental physical design challenge. This article presents a rigorous formalization of this problem within the context of semantic databases. The methodology employed includes a comprehensive literature review aimed at identifying the variety of se-mantic database representations. This analysis revealed a significant diversity in data models and query languages used. Based on this analysis, a generic formalization framework is pro-posed. This framework enables the expression of various resolution approaches to the materialized view selection problem, taking into account the specificities of semantic databases. It offers broad applicability to any database management system, providing a common language to describe and compare view selection methods.
Cashew nut is a globally popular nut not only for its delicious and crunchy flavor but also for bioactive compounds, which present positive benefits to human health. Different parts of cashew have characteristic compounds. The kernel of cashew nut is rich in fatty acids, the testa is rich in polyphenols, cashew apple is rich in polyphenols and carotenoids, and phenols with aliphatic long chain are present in the cashew nutshell liquid. Therefore, the edible part of cashew possesses a wide range of bioactive compounds, with reported biological properties, including anti-tumor, brain health, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection, anti-diabetic, gastroprotection, pathophysiological disorders protection, and antioxidant. On the other hand, the inedible part of cashew, the cashew nutshell liquid, could play an important role in the industry as surface coatings, insulating formulations and so on. Hence, there are considerable demands to increase the added value of cashew, thereby exploring greater economic value. Thus, this review summarizes nutrients, bioactive compounds, biological functions, and applications of Anacardium occidentale to provide a theoretical basis and inspiration for further in-depth studies and utilization.
The current study assessed the anticoccidial efficacy of chitosan nanoencapsulated bromelain (CNB) against coccidiosis in goats. Bromelain was extracted from the pineapple peels using standard methods while oral solution of CNB was prepared using standard manufacturing methods. The in vivo study was done on fifteen healthy male goats naturally infected with coccidia. The goats were divided into three groups consisting of three treatment groups (90 and 270 mg/Kg CNB, Diclazuril, 5 mg/Kg). The drugs were administered orally for 3 days. Fecal Oocyst Counts (FOC) determined using the modified McMaster technique. The goats were observed for clinical signs on daily basis while body weight was recorded weekly. The level of packed cell volume (PCV), aspartate aminotransferases (AST), alanine aminotransferases (ALT), urea, and creatinine were assessed weekly. At the end of the study, goats were euthanized and gross pathology and histopathology conducted. The results showed that at day 28 post-treatment there was a significantly reduction of FOC of 98.42 and 82.30% for Diclazuril and 270 mg/Kg treatment groups, respectively. The reduction of FOC percentage was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01) in Diclazuril group than that in 270 mg/Kg. During the monitoring period, there was no mortality or clinical signs observed in the goats. The PCV, AST, ALT, creatinine and urea were in normal ranges for goats. There were no pathological lesions on the goat organs. In conclusion, CNB had high anticoccidial efficacy and was safe for use in goats. Strategies to improve the efficacy of this potential drug should be further investigated.
