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A differentially fed dual-polarization slotted antenna with an ultra-wide bandwidth and low cross polarization is presented in this paper. The antenna is composed of a radiation patch and a ground plane, both of which are printed on the top of the dielectric substrate. The ground is extended toward the radiation patch to form a slotted coplanar structure. In order to expand the bandwidth, a cross-shape symmetrical slotted structure is loaded into the radiation patch. Differential feed is adopted to realize 0°C/90°C linear polarizations and suppress the cross polarization. Simulation and measurement results show that the proposed antenna with dimensions of 0.53λC0 × 0.53λ0 × 0.0135λ0 (λ0 is the wavelength at 4 GHz) has a differential mode impedance bandwidth of 82.25% (2.27-5.56 GHz), a differential feed port isolation of higher than 28 dB, and a cross polarization level of less than -30 dB, which achieves the characteristics of ultra-wideband, high isolation, and low cross polarization level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact wideband coplanar waveguide (CPW) excited slot antenna with dual-circular polarization (DCP) is presented and fabricated in this paper. Two inverted-L-shaped patches are implanted in a square slot to achieve wideband DCP characteristic. The feed line is terminated on an inverted-L-shaped patch. Moreover, two rectangular slots are added on the corners of the antenna to improve the bandwidth of axial ratio (AR) and the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR). The simulated results show that the designed antenna can generate a good impedance bandwidth of 70.4% and a 3-dB AR bandwidth of 48.6%, respectively. This antenna possesses the qualities of small size, simple structure, and good dual-circular polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin is a well-known phenolic substance and has many pharmacological effects associated with metabolism. However, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying this process have yet to be determined. The Notch pathway is a signal transduction pathway involved in energy metabolism. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin administration on glucose-lipid metabolism in rats subjected to a high fat diet, and investigate changes in Notch-1 signaling. Sprague-Dawley rats (n=40) were randomly divided into four groups (10 rats/group): Control diet group, high fat diet group, high fat diet plus curcumin low dose group and high fat diet plus curcumin high dose group. Following 8 weeks of treatment with curcumin (100 mg/kg in the low dose group and 200 mg/kg in the high dose group), serum metabolic markers and hepatic gene expression patterns were investigated. No differences in body weight following 8 weeks of curcumin administration (P>0.05) were observed; however, curcumin treatment did reduce visceral fat levels (peri-epididymal and peri-renal), and decreased cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein levels in serum compared with the high fat diet rats that did not receive curcumin (P<0.05, P<0.01). An oral glucose tolerance test and an intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test revealed that insulin resistance was reduced (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and tissue section analysis revealed that hepatosteatosis was attenuated following treatment with curcumin. Furthermore, the protein expression of Notch-1 and its downstream target Hes-1 were suppressed. These effects were also in parallel with an upregulation of fatty acid oxidation-associated gene expression, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-a, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 and PPAR-γ (P<0.05). In addition, curcumin administration led to a downregulation in the expression of lipogenic genes, including sterol regulatory element-binding protein, fatty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (P<0.05). The expression of inflammation-associated genes, including nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor-a and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 were also suppressed. The results of the present study suggest that the hepatic Notch-1 pathway can be suppressed via curcumin treatment, which may ameliorate fatty liver and insulin resistance in rats subjected to a high fat diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: To evaluate the quality of reports published in recent 10 years in China about quantitative analysis of syndrome differentiation for diabetes mellitus (DM) in order to explore the methodological problems in these reports and find possible solutions., Methods: The main medical literature databases in China were searched. Thirty-one articles were included and evaluated by the principles of clinical epidemiology., Results: There were many mistakes and deficiencies in these articles, such as clinical trial designs, diagnosis criteria for DM, standards of syndrome differentiation of DM, case inclusive and exclusive criteria, sample size and estimation, data comparability and statistical methods., Conclusion: It is necessary and important to improve the quality of reports concerning quantitative analysis of syndrome differentiation of DM in light of the principles of clinical epidemiology.