This paper presents a diplexer operating at 3.8 GHz and 4.5 GHz with fractional bandwidths of 5.27% and 2.2%, respectively. The proposed diplexer is designed by proposing a new symmetric microstrip structure. Here, unlike many previous works, we do not optimize the previously proposed structures. Instead, we propose a new basic structure. It is made of only complex-coupled lines without any stubs. It exhibits high selectivity, low insertion losses (0.35 dB and 0.57 dB), and good return losses (43 dB and 44 dB), making it efficient for simultaneous signal routing and energy harvesting. The design features satisfactory group delays within the channels. Meanwhile, it suppresses the harmonics, where the maximum frequency of the suppressed harmonics reaches 9 GHz. A comparative analysis of the even/odd modes is performed to understand the resonator behavior and facilitate the optimization. Finally, the proposed diplexer is fabricated and measured to verify the design method.

Background:Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of myeloid cells that play a prominent role in maintaining immune tolerance. Despite considerable advances in reproductive immunology, current therapeutic regimens have failed provide a definitive solution for affected women, underscoring the imperative for continued investigation into the underlying mechanisms and novel intervention strategies. Objective:To evaluate the effects of low-dose prednisolone therapy and lymphocyte immunotherapy (LIT) on MDSC subsets in women with recurrent miscarriage (RM) before pregnancy. Methods:100 women with RM were divided into two groups: a short-term low-dose prednisolone therapy group (n=50), and an LIT group (n=50). Blood samples were taken before and after the interventions and analyzed using flow cytometry. Specifically, we identified three MDSC subsets based on their surface markers: CD33+CD66+, CD15+CD66+, and CD14+CD66+ cells. Results:LIT treatment significantly reduced CD33+CD66+ MDSCs (P=0.036). There were no significant differences in MDSC subsets before intervention, while prednisolone therapy increased granulocytic MDSCs (GR-MDSCs) compared to monocytic MDSCs (MO-MDSCs) in women with RM (P=0.046). In the LIT group, the decrease in the percentage of GR-MDSCs following treatment resulted in a significantly lower percentage of these cells compared to MO-MDSCs (P=0.0002). Conclusion:Prednisolone increases the GR-MDSC to MO-MDSC ratio, while LIT decreases GR-MDSCs, shifting the balance toward MO-MDSCs. Both approaches have immunomodulatory effects in the pre-conception period, and they affect MDSCs as well as other immune cells that may be important for improving implantation success in women with RM.

Sulfur mustard (SM), functioning as an alkylating agent, plays a significant role in developing respiratory system pathologies. This study aimed to evaluate serum concentrations of chemokines and soluble adhesion molecules in serious mustard lung (ML) patients 25-30 years after exposure to SM, exploring their roles in ML pathogenesis and disease severity. The study included 275 individuals exposed to SM and 64 unexposed individuals as controls. Serum samples were collected and clinical evaluations categorized disease severity and pulmonary pathogenesis. Serum levels of MCP-1/CCL2, RANTES/CCL5, CX3CL1, CXCL12s, P-selectin, sL-selectin, sE-selectin, sICAM-1 levels were measured using ELISA kits, and mRNA expression of CXCR4 in whole blood was determined via real-time PCR. Data analysis included comparisons between groups. SM-exposed individuals exhibited significantly higher MCP-1/CCL2 and RANTES/CCL5 levels, with decreased CX3CL1 levels compared to controls. CXCL12, selectins, sICAM-1 levels, and the expression level of CXCR4 showed no significant differences. Changes in some of the mentioned factors were observed, along with changes in the severity of the disease, suggesting potential roles in ML progression. The findings suggest a complex interplay of immune responses in ML pathogenesis, with elevated MCP-1/CCL2 and RANTES/CCL5 potentially contributing to inflammation, while decreased CX3CL1 levels and unchanged CXCL12 and CXCR4 may impair immune responses and tissue repair mechanisms. The unique chemokine and adhesion molecule profile observed in SM-exposed subgroups suggests ML as a differentiated pulmonary disease requiring further investigation into its pathogenesis and relationship with inflammatory disorders.

Maternal immunotolerance during pregnancy is heavily dependent on the critical properties of human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs). Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is one of the most common diseases in women and is caused by feto-maternal immunotolerance disruption. The objective of this study is to investigate how hAEECs affect pNK cells isolated from RSA and healthy women in terms of immunomodulation. Peripheral blood NK cells were isolated from 20 women with RSA and 20 healthy women. Purified NK cells were co-cultured with hAECs, obtained from full-term healthy pregnant women at different cellular ratios. After 24 and 72 h of incubation, the expression of immunomodulatory genes in hAECs, immunophenotype, and cytotoxicity of NK cells, and cytokine production were investigated using real-time PCR, flow cytometry, and ELISA techniques, respectively. We observed a significant increase in TGF-β and IL-10 production, and CD56bright CD16+ subpopulation in pNK cells, a significant decrease in IFN-γ production and CD107a and FasL expression on NK cells. Also, NK cells' cytotoxicity against K562 cells was diminished after co-culture with hAECs. The expression of TGF-β and HLA-G genes by hAECs was diminished after co-culture with NK cells isolated from women with RSA. Our research indicates that the interaction between NK cells and hAECs influences the phenotype and function of both cells. Also, NK cells belonging to women with RSA and healthy women exhibit different behavior during treatment with hAECs, possibly due to NK cell dysfunction. However, extensive research is required to assess NK cell defects and their mutual interaction with hAECs.

This paper presents the design and experimental results of a microstrip diplexer with a high performance for 5G applications. The introduced diplexer has compact size, novel structure, low losses, and wide fractional bandwidth. Notably, it exhibits a novel microstrip layout with a very compact size of 0.004 λg2. The resonance frequencies are tuned at 1.1 GHz and 3.2 GHz for mid-band 5G applications. The presented structure has the fractional bandwidths (57.3%, 44.6%) and insertion losses (0.07 dB, 0.04 dB). Additionally, it features two flat channels with two low maximum group delays of 0.86 ns, 0.4 ns in the 1st and 2nd passbands, respectively. A perfect mathematical design method is applied to find the behavior of the introduced resonator, as well as the most effective physical dimensions. For improving the performance and miniaturization, an optimization method is used. To validate the design approach, the proposed diplexer is fabricated and then measured, demonstrating a close agreement between the simulation and measurement results. This highlights the effectiveness of our design approach and underscores the potential of the proposed diplexer for enabling efficient and reliable communication in the rapidly evolving field of telecommunications.

The outcome of the immune response depends on the content and magnitude of inflammatory mediators, the right time to start, and the duration of inflammatory responses. Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represent diverse disease severity. Understanding differences in immune responses in individuals with different disease severity levels can help elucidate disease mechanisms. Here, we serially analyzed the cytokine profiles of 809 patients with mild to critical COVID-19. The cytokine profile revealed an overall increase in IL-1β, IL-1Ra, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-2, IL-8, and IL-18 and impaired production of IFN-α and -β. Only an early rise in IL-1Ra, IL-6, and IL-2 levels was linked to worse disease outcomes. On the other hand, long-term rises in IL-1β, IL-1Ra, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-2, IL-8, and IL-18 levels were linked to worse disease outcomes. Principal component analysis identified a component, including IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-α, and IL-12, that was associated with disease severity. Spearman analysis revealed that the correlation of IL-1β and IFN-α was entirely different between mild and critical patients. Therefore, the ratio of IL-1β to IFN-α seemed to be a suitable criterion for distinguishing critical patients from mild ones. The higher levels of the IL-1β to IFN-α ratio correlated with improved outcomes. These data point to an imbalance of IL-1β/IFNα, contributing to hyperinflammation in COVID-19.

In this paper, a new microstrip triplexer is designed to work at 2.5 GHz, 4.4 GHz and 6 GHz for mid-band 5G applications. All channels are flat with three low group delays (GDs) of 0.84 ns, 0.75 ns and 0.49 ns, respectively. Compared to the previously reported works, the proposed triplexer has the minimum group delay. The designed triplexer has 18.2%, 13.7%, 23.6% fractional bandwidths (FBW%) at 2.5 GHz, 4.4 GHz and 6 GHz, respectively. The obtained insertion losses (ILs) are low at all channels. These features are obtained without a noticeable increase in the overall size. A novel and simple resonator is used to design the proposed triplexer, which includes two pairs of coupled lines combined with a shunt stub. A perfect mathematical analysis is performed to find the resonator behavior and the layout optimization. The type of shunt stub is determined mathematically. Also, the smallness or largeness of some important physical dimensions is determined using the proposed mathematical analysis. Finally, the designed triplexer is fabricated and measured, where the measurement results verify the simulations.

This work presents a very compact microstrip lowpass-bandpass (LP-BP) triplexer, which is designed and analyzed based on a novel structure. Due to its complex design process, this type of triplexer is rarely designed. Compared to the previous LP-BP triplexers it has the most compact size of $0.006~\lambda _{\mathrm {g}}^{2}$ , whereas an LP-BP triplexer with dimensions smaller than $0.01~\lambda _{\mathrm {g}}^{2}$ has not been designed yet. This triplexer is designed based on a perfect mathematical method and optimization simultaneously. Its lowpass band has a cut-off frequency of 0.67 GHz, suitable for low-band 5G applications. The resonance frequencies of its bandpass channels are located at 2.15 GHz and 3.19 GHz. These bandpass channels make the proposed triplexer appropriate for 5G mid-band applications. This triplexer can suppress the harmonics from the first up to 8th harmonic. The bandpass channels are flat and wide with two fractional bandwidths (FBW) of 15% and 11.97%. To prove the designing process and its simulation results, the presented novel LP-BP triplexer is fabricated and experimentally measured. The comparison results show that the experimental measurement confirms the simulation results. The close alignment between the measurements and simulation results demonstrates a high level of accuracy of our designing method.

In this paper, two new silicon on insulator metal-semiconductor field effect transistor (SOI-MESFET) structures are presented. Two parallel layers of oxide and aluminium are added at the gate edge of these structures. Also, in the buried oxide part of the Aluminium Edge and Silicon-Well MESFET (AESW-MESFET) structure, a silicon well and two aluminium layers are added. Moreover, and to improve the DC and RF characteristics, as compared to the Conventional MESFET (C-MESFET) structure, a silicon well and a silicon layer are added in the box oxide section in the Silicon Edge and Silicon-Well MESFET (SESW-MESFET) structure. By these changes, the value of the breakdown voltage in the normal structure has increased from 15.8 V to 33.1 V and 30.9 V in the proposed AESW-MESFET and SESW-MESFET structures, respectively. In addition, the maximum output power has been associated with a significant increase of 4.44 and 5.24 times, respectively. Compared to the C-MESFET, the proposed structures reduce gate-source and gate-drain capacitors and significantly increases conductivity. The cut-off frequency values are increased from 19.3 GHz (the normal structure) to 37.3 GHz and 35 GHz (the proposed structures), and the maximum oscillation frequencies are increased from 80 GHz to 154 GHz and 102.3 GHz. Therefore, the results show that the proposed structures have good performance and the ability to work at high power and high frequency.

The current research is conducted with the aim of investigating a multi-generation energy system (MGS) for electricity, hydrogen, heating, cooling and hot water production using SRC, Kalina cycle and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis as the main subsystems. The thermodynamic analysis namely energy, exergy, and exergo-economic examination carried out. Analysis for each component is done after thermodynamic modeling. The exergy investi-gation showed that regenerator 2, vapor generator and condenser had the highest exergy destruction rate, respectively. A comparison was made between the current work and the basic system, and according to the results obtained, the system's ability to produce electricity, cooling, heating and hydrogen are calculated as 782 kW, 173.2 kW, 2265 kW and 0.01613 mol/day, respectively. Also, the energy and exergy efficiency of the proposed system increased by 3.13% and 5.37%, respectively. The optimization based on PSO method was carried out. The results of PSO optimization represented that in the case exergy destruction and exergy efficiency will be the optimization target these two outputs can reach the value of 2208 kW and 9.84%, while optimization based on exergy efficiency and production cost rate will lead to 9.86% and 166.6 $/h.(c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This research introduces a new designing process and analysis of an innovative Silicon-on-Insulator Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect (SOI MESFET) structure that demonstrates improved DC and RF characteristics. The design incorporates several modifications to control and reduce the electric field concentration within the channel. These modifications include relocating the transistor channel to sub-regions near the source and drain, adjusting the position of the gate electrode closer to the source, introducing an aluminum layer beneath the channel, and integrating an oxide layer adjacent to the gate. The results show that the AlOx-MESFET configuration exhibits a remarkable increase of 128% in breakdown voltage and 156% in peak power. Furthermore, due to enhanced conductivity and a significant reduction in gate-drain capacitance, there is a notable improvement of 53% in the cut-off frequency and a 28% increase in the maximum oscillation frequency. Additionally, the current gain experiences a boost of 15%. The improved breakdown voltage and peak power make it suitable for applications requiring robust performance under high voltage and power conditions. The increased maximum oscillation frequency and cut-off frequency make it ideal for high-frequency applications where fast signal processing is crucial. Moreover, the enhanced current gain ensures efficient amplification of signals. The introduced SOI MESFET structure with its modifications offers significant improvements in various performance metrics. It provides high oscillation frequency, better breakdown voltage and good cut-off frequency, and current gain compared to the traditional designs. These enhancements make it a highly desirable choice for applications that demand high-frequency and high-power capabilities.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is considered the most symptomatic type of inborn errors of immunity in humans. Along with infectious complications, which have numerous consequences, non-infectious complications are also a major challenge among CVID patients. METHODS:All registered CVID patients in the national database were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of B-cell lymphopenia. Demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, non-infectious organ involvements, autoimmunity, and lymphoproliferative diseases were evaluated. RESULTS:Among 387 enrolled patients, 66.4% were diagnosed with non-infectious complications; however, 33.6% had only infectious presentations. Enteropathy, autoimmunity, and lymphoproliferative disorders were reported in 35.1%, 24.3%, and 21.4% of patients, respectively. Some complications, including autoimmunity and hepatosplenomegaly, were reported to be significantly higher among patients with B-cell lymphopenia. Among organ involvement, dermatologic, endocrine and musculoskeletal systems were predominantly affected in CVID patients with B-cell lymphopenia. Among autoimmune manifestations, the frequency of rheumatologic, hematologic, and gastrointestinal autoimmunity was reported to be higher compared to other types of autoimmunity independent from the B cell-lymphopenia. Furthermore, hematological cancers, particularly lymphoma, were slightly introduced as the most common type of malignancy. Meanwhile, the mortality rate was 24.5%, and respiratory failure and malignancies were reported as the most common cause of death in our patients without significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION:Considering that some of the non-infectious complications might be associated with B-cell lymphopenia, therefore, regular patient monitoring and follow-up along with proper medications (besides immunoglobulins replacement therapy) are highly recommended to prevent further sequels and increase the patients' quality of life.

Based on stub loaded meandrous coupled lines, a novel microstrip coupler is designed, fabricated and measured for wireless applications. It is very compact with high performance. The size of this coupler is only 0.0028 lambda g(2), where it operates at 875 MHz. The values of S-11, S-21, S(31 )at the operating frequency are -24.97 dB,-3.058 dB and -3.033 dB respectively. Therefore, the insertion losses are very low and the magnitudes of S(21)and S(31 )are well balanced. The phase imbalance at the operating frequency is 0.5 degrees. From 790 MHz up to 1.18 GHz, S11is better than -10 dB, the maximum phase imbalance is lower than 4.5 degrees and the maximum magnitude imbalance is lower that +/- 0.5 dB. Therefore, it has 40% fractional band width (FBW) that covers 0.79 GHz to 1.18 GHz. Its in-band isolation factor is better than-25 dB. The important advantages of this coupler compared to most of the previous designs is having a filtering frequency response and having flat passbands with a maximum group delay of 1 ns.

The study, simulation, and implementation of neural behavior in the human brain are central goals of neuromorphic engineering. By integrating various scientific fields, we present a hardware solution based on neuronal cell mechanisms that can emulate such a nature-inspired system. This article presents a Fitz-Hugh Nagumo (FHN) neuron implemented using COordinate Rotation DIgital Computer (CORDIC), which accurately reproduces various patterns of the original FHN neuron model. We propose a modification to the original nonlinear term using a CORDIC IP-Core, resulting in high matching accuracy and low computational error. The proposed model is validated through time domain and dynamic analysis, which demonstrates its high accuracy and low error in reproducing all features of the FHN model. For large scale neuron implementations, we present an efficient digital hardware solution based on the resource sharing techniques. The hardware is implemented on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) using Hardware Description Language (HDL), as a proof of concept. The results from the hardware implementation show that the proposed model uses only 1% of the resources available on a Virtex 4 FPGA board. Additionally, the static timing analysis shows that the circuit can operate at a maximum frequency of 320 MHz.

This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of microstrip passive components for energy harvesting and 5G applications. The paper covers the structure, fabrication and performance of various microstrip passive components such as filters, couplers, diplexers and triplexers. The size and performance of several 5G and energy harvester microstrip passive devices are compared and discussed. The review highlights the importance of these components in enabling efficient energy harvesting and high-speed communication in 5G networks. Additionally, the paper discusses the latest advancements in microstrip technology and identifies key research challenges and future directions in this field. Overall, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and engineers working on microstrip passive components for energy harvesting and 5G applications.

Sulfur mustard (SM) induced pulmonary disorder is a heterogeneous disease characterized by uncontrolled inflammatory immune responses. In this cross-sectional study carried out in Isfahan-Iran, our objective was to thoroughly evaluate the clinical health and peripheral blood leukocyte profiles of adult veterans exposed to SM 25-30 years. In total, 361 people were studied in two groups, 287 chemical veterans with pulmonary complications and 64 healthy individuals as a control group. The participants underwent a comprehensive lung evaluation, including physical examination, Pulmonary Assessment, and Spirometry Assessment. Blood samples were collected in EDTA-treated tubes and flow cytometry analysis was employed to study different population of leukocytes including lymphocytes, monocytes, and natural killer cells. In our results, SM-exposed patients showed a significant increase in mean WBC and lymphocyte absolute count. However, the frequency of CD14+ monocytes and CD3+ CD4+ CD25+Hi as regulatory T cell subsets significantly decreased in SM-exposed patients. In addition, there was a negative correlation between CD45+ CD14+ cells and residual volume (RV). The population of NK cells showed a negative correlation with forced expiratory volume in the first one second to the forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC). On the other hand, the percentage of CD19+ B cells positively correlated with Mid-maximum expiratory flow (MMEF) rate, ppm Reading, Carboxyhemoglobin (CoHb), and FEV1, and it was negatively correlated with airway resistance (RAW). Evaluation of CD3+ CD8+ cytotoxic T cells frequency negatively correlated with CoHb, ppm Reading, total lung capacity (TLC), and RV. Furthermore, the count of CD3+ CD4+ T cells demonstrated a negative correlation with TLC. The percentage of CD3+ CD4+ CD25+ cells was positively correlated with ppm reading and CoHb. Overall, our findings revealed modifications in total lymphocyte dynamics and a decrease in the percentage and absolute number of regulatory T cells, compromising the regulatory arm of the immune system to modulate SM-induced inflammatory damages.

Symmetry in designing a microstrip coupler is crucial because it ensures balanced power division and minimizes unwanted coupling between the coupled lines. In this paper, a filtering branch-line coupler (BLC) with a simple symmetrical microstrip structure was designed, analyzed and fabricated. Based on a mathematical design procedure, the operating frequency was set at 5.2 GHz for WLAN and 5G applications. Moreover, an optimization method was used to improve the performance of the proposed design. It occupied an area of 83.2 mm2. Its harmonics were suppressed up to 15.5 GHz with a maximum level of −15 dB. Meanwhile, the isolation was better than −28 dB. Another advantage of this design was its high phase balance, where the phase difference between its output ports was 270° ± 0.1°. To verify the design method and simulation results, the proposed coupler was fabricated and measured. The results show that all the simulation, design methods, and experimental results are in good agreement. Therefore, the proposed design can be easily used in designing high-performance microstrip-based communication systems.

A novel microstrip quadrature hybrid coupler is mathematically designed, optimized and fabricated in this work. The physical structure of the proposed coupler is new and it occupies a very small area of 0.01 lambda g2. The novel stubs embedded inside the conventional rectangle are connected parallel lines. The ends of these stubs are connected to a solid rectangle, which make the overall structure different from the previous works. Our branch-line coupler is designed to work at 1.8 GHz for GSM applications. The phase imbalance between S21 and S31 is only 0.01 degrees, which is very small compared to the previous works. Another advantage of the presented coupler is its high isolation, which is about 40 dB. Meanwhile, other parameters such as common port return loss and coupling factors are desired. To design this coupler, two low-loss lowpass filters (LPFs) are designed and embedded in the main structure. A mathematical design method is presented to decrease the losses, where a 0.002 dB insertion loss for the LPF is achieved. We measured the presented structure. The measurement results verifies the simulations with high accuracy. Therefore, due to having a novel structure, very small size, the lowest phase shift, good isolation and good return loss the proposed coupler can be easily used in RF communication systems.

Microstrip Diplexers play an important role in modern wireless communication systems. In this paper, a novel compact microstrip diplexer based on spiral cells is presented. The proposed resonator primarily consists of two spiral thin lines connected to a pair of coupled lines. This novel resonator is analyzed mathematically to find its behavior and tune the dimensions of the final layout easily. Using the analyzed resonator, two bandpass filters (BPFs) are designed. Then, a novel high-performance microstrip diplexer is obtained by designing and integrating these two BPFs. The center frequencies of the first and second channels of the proposed diplexer are 1.86 GHz and 4.62 GHz, respectively. The proposed diplexer boasts a remarkably small size of 0.004 λg2 and features flat channels with low insertion losses of only 0.048 dB and 0.065 dB for the first and second channels, respectively. The maximum group delays of S21 and S31 are 0.31 ns, 0.86 ns, respectively, which are good values for a modern communication system. Meanwhile, inside its passbands for some frequency ranges, its group delays are negative. Thus, using this diplexer can decrease the signal dispersion. The 1st and 2nd passbands are wide with 47.3% and 47.1% fractional bandwidths (FBW), respectively. Therefore, this diplexer can be easily and successfully used in designing high-performance RF communication systems.

Symmetry is essential in the design of complex systems like the Metaverse Transportation Sys-tem (MTS) and helps ensure that all components work together effectively. In the development of a microstrip diplexer for 5G-enabled IoT and MTS, maintaining symmetry is crucial to achieving flat responses with low group delays. By integrating transportation technology and the Metaverse, the Metaverse Transportation System (MTS) can greatly improve the effectiveness and intellect of transportation systems in reality. To establish a dependable network, it is essential to include 5G-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) and sensor networks with a sustainable design that focuses on efficiency and energy conservation. A three-channel microstrip lowpass-bandpass diplexer has been developed for 5G-enabled IoT and MTS implementation. Multi-channel designs are rare due to the complex design process, but this diplexer is very compact at only 0.004 λg2. All channels have flat responses with group delays of 0.34 ns, 1.7 ns, and 0.34 ns at the lower, middle, and upper passbands, respectively. The lowpass channel has a cut-off frequency of 1.22 GHz, suitable for mid-band 5G applications. Compared to previous work, this diplexer achieves the smallest size, lowest group delay, and insertion and return losses at the lower channel. It consists of a lowpass-bandpass section connected to a band-pass filter analyzed mathematically, and its performance has been verified through simulation and measurement with good accuracy.