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In this study, a metasurface-based reflectarray is designed for X-band applications. The unit cells are equipped with an H-shaped slotted patch for additional resonance and phase range. Linear phase variation by altering the length of the patch is realized with a range exceeding 480 ∘ . The reflectarray is designed and fabricated on a thin and high-quality Rogers 5880 substrate. The Finite Element Boundary Integral (FEBI) method is used to simulate a 23 × 23 element reflectarray and then fabricated to achieve the measured results using an anechoic chamber. The peak gain of the proposed reflectarray is 25.5 dBi recorded with an aperture efficiency of 63.7% at a center frequency of 10 GHz. The cross-polarization and side-lobe levels in the entire band are less than −33 dB and −21 dB, respectively. Moreover, the proposed reflectarray antenna achieves a 20% 1-dB gain bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mid-field wireless power transfer (WPT) offers a compelling solution for delivering power to miniature implantable medical devices deep within the human body. Despite its potential, the current power delivery levels remain constrained, and the design of a compact source structure to focus the transmitter field on such implants presents significant challenges. In this paper, a novel miniaturized transmitter antenna operating at 1.71 GHz is proposed. Leveraging the antenna proximity-coupled feeding technique, we achieve optimal current distribution for efficient power transfer. Additionally, a receiver integrated within the human body is proposed, comprising a slotted ground and a meandering slotted radiating element. This receiver is excited via a coaxial feedline with a truncated ground. Our findings demonstrate wireless power transfer of −23 dB (0.501%) at a distance of 30 mm between the transmitter and receiver, alongside a peak gain of −20 dB with an impedance bandwidth of 39.61%. These results highlight promising advancements in enhancing energy transfer efficiency for deep-implant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and optimization of a dual-band polarization-dependent metasurface capable of dynamically switching transmission and reflection characteristics. The metasurface is composed of three metallic patterns, with the bottom layer governing the reflection and transmission phase for both TE-polarization and TM-polarization states. The middle and top layers are strategically employed to ensure optimal transmission and reflection performance. The results confirm that the metasurface enables the transformation of the transmission band into a complete reflection band, and vice versa, through variations in the incident wave polarization. Remarkable transmission and reflection characteristics are achieved within the frequency ranges of 6.1–6.55 GHz and 8.9–9.3 GHz, respectively. The proposed metasurface offers promising applications in advanced communication systems and radar technology, enabling dynamic manipulation of electromagnetic waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A miniaturized and low-profile planar antenna is a crucial part of any wireless communication system. To cover additional narrowband services and to reduce system complexity, antennas in portable devices should offer several operating bands. In this paper, we propose a coplanar-waveguide-fed (CPW-fed), flexible, and compact slotted patch frequency reconfigurable antenna with a compact size of 20 × 24 mm 2 . The designed antenna employs a low-cost Rogers 5880 substrate with a thickness of 0.127 mm. This choice of substrate ensures cost-effectiveness while preserving the desired performance of the antenna. The antenna radiates through five distinct frequency bands, including 5.58–6.25 GHz, 6.05–8.81 GHz, 8.79–9.7 GHz, 9.7–10.22 GHz, and 10.48–15 GHz, depending on the switch on/off condition, thereby enabling the antenna to span a broader range of frequencies for WLAN, C-UWB, sub-6 GHz, and X-band communications. The designed antenna is fabricated and tested in both the on and off states. The measured results closely match the simulated outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a planar wideband microstrip feedline to a slot-line-based patch antenna for high-frequency pattern diversity applications. The antenna consists of two adjacent rectangular patches separated by the ground slots, with a directive patch slot along the edge of the substrate. A compact common feedline-to-slot configuration is used to miniaturize the antenna. The antenna is designed in stages, starting with an in-phase feedline, followed by a slot line structure, with two radiating patches on top and a director on the side. This creates radiation diversity with directive radiation patterns. The antenna was fabricated and analyzed inside a far-field anechoic chamber. The experimental results validate the return loss, gain, and radiation performance. The measured results of the antenna within a frequency range of 8.5 to 11 GHz show good agreement with the simulation. The antenna has a maximum gain of 9.2 dBi and has the potential to be beneficial for beam steering and X-band applications due to its low profile, broad bandwidth, high gain, and good directivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of optical systems in medical imaging, computer electronics, large-scale industries, and space exploration is common. The performance of these devices is closely related to the compactness and fast responses of lenses that are used in these optical systems. Typical lenses suffer from several key issues, including limited efficiency, significant size, and the presence of diffraction-induced distortions that compromise their overall performance. Herein these limitations are addressed by designing and simulating an ultra-thin compact metalens also known as a flat lens using a dielectric metasurface. A 1D array of 31 nano-cylinders is placed on a glass substrate that is utilized for focusing the incident wave both on and off center in the focal plane using simulations. The nano-cylinders are comprised of amorphous silicon hydrogenated (a-Si:H), which has a varying radius in a 1D configuration. Amorphous silicon hydrogenated (a-Si:H) nano-cylinders are utilized for the manipulation of the phase of the incident beam working at a frequency of 474 THz. Three metalenses are introduced with focal lengths of 7.46 μ m, 10 μ m, and 12.99 μ m, each having a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.7, 0.6, and 0.5, respectively. The designed single-array metalens showed a transmission efficiency of 73%. The nano-cylinders obtained a full 0–360 phase control that is beneficial in focusing the beam at the center and beyond the center. Symmetric focusing is obtained in the case of off-center focusing on both sides of the optical axis. The design and simulations of the metalens are performed using finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna for wide scanning is designed. By adding slits to the patches, each element is intended to strengthen the isolation between the radiating elements. The proposed high isolation and wide scanning antenna combine to achieve the desired phased-array antenna. The array has a main beam pointing to the desired scanning region and a minimum side lobe level (SLL) in the undesired direction. A compact and linear eight-element array with an interelement spacing of λ / 2 is designed and analyzed for beam scanning in the E-plane. Considering the worst case, the proposed array has a very low mutual coupling of (S21 = −24 dB), and it realizes a gain of 9.3 dBi and an SLL of 11 dB at a scanning angle of 70 ∘ . The antenna performance was studied in terms of the S-parameter, radiation patterns, beam-scanning performance, envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), diversity gain (DG), peak gain, and efficiency. A close agreement was observed between the simulated and measured results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a high-gain THz antenna array is presented. The array uses a polyimide substrate with a thickness of 10 μ m, a relative permittivity of 3.5, and an overall volume of 2920 μ m × 1055 μ m × 10 μ m, which can be employed for THz band space communication and other interesting applications. The dual-band single-element antenna is designed in four steps, while operating at 0.714 and 0.7412 THz with −10 dB bandwidths of 4.71 and 3.13 GHz, providing gain of 5.14 and 5 dB, respectively. In order to achieve a high gain, multiple order antenna arrays are designed such as the 2 × 1 antenna array and the 4 × 1 antenna array, named type B and C, respectively. The gain and directivity of the proposed type C THz antenna array are 12.5 and 11.23 dB, and 12.532 and 11.625 dBi at 0.714 and 0.7412 THz, with 99.76 and 96.6% radiation efficiency, respectively. For justification purposes, the simulations of the type B antenna are carried out in two simulators such as the CST microwave studio (CSTMWS) and the advance design system (ADS), and the performance of the type B antenna is compared with an equivalent circuit model on the bases of return loss, resulting in strong agreement. Furthermore, the parametric analysis for the type C antenna is done on the basis of separation among the radiating elements in the range 513 to 553 μ m. A 64 × 1 antenna array is used to achieve possible gains of 23.8 and 24.1 dB, and directivity of 24.2 and 24.5 dBi with good efficiencies of about 91.66 and 90.35% at 0.7085 and 0.75225 THz, respectively, while the 128 × 1 antenna array provides a gain of 26.8 and 27.2 dB, and directivity of 27.2 and 27.7 dBi with good efficiency of 91.66 and 90.35% at 0.7085 and 0.75225 THz, respectively. All the results achieved in this manuscript ensure the proposed design is a feasible candidate for high-speed and free space wireless communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design of three types of dual band (2.5 & 5.2 GHz) wearable microstrip patch antennas. The first one is based on a conventional ground plane, whereas the other two antennas are based on two different types of two-dimensional electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structures. The design of these two different dual-band EBG structures using wearable substrates incorporates several factors in order to improve the performance of the proposed conventional ground plane (dual band) wearable antenna. The second EBG with plus-shaped slots is about 22.7% more compact in size relative to the designed mushroom-like EBG. Subsequently, we have demonstrated that the mushroom-like EBG and the EBG with plus-shaped slots improve the bandwidth by 5.2 MHz and 7.9 MHz at lower resonance frequencies and by 33.6 MHz and 16.7 MHz at higher resonance frequencies, respectively. Furthermore, improvements in gain of 4.33% and 16.5% at a frequency of 2.5 GHz and improvements in gain of 30.43% and 4.57% at 5.2 GHz have been achieved by using the mushroom-like EBG and EBG with plus-shaped slots, respectively. The operation of the conventional ground plane antenna is investigated under different bending conditions, such as wrapped around different rounded body parts. The proposed conventional ground plane antenna is placed over a three-layered (flat body phantom (chest)) and four-layered (rounded body parts) tissue models, and a thorough SAR analysis has been performed. It is concluded that the proposed antenna reduces SAR effects (<2 W/kg) on the human body, thereby making it useful for numerous critical wearable applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency is considered a viable radio wave band for fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks, owing to its ability to access a vast spectrum of resources. However, mmWave suffers from undesirable characteristics such as increased attenuation during transmission. Therefore, a well-fitted path loss model to a specific environment can help manage optimal power delivery in the receiver and optimal transmitter power in the transmitter in the mmWave band. This study investigates large-scale path loss models in a university hall environment with a real-measured path loss dataset using directional horn antennas in co-polarization (H–H) and tracking antenna systems (TAS) in line-of-sight (LOS) circumstances between the transmitter and receptor at mmWave and centimeter-level bands. Although the centimeter-level band is used in certain industrialized nations, path loss characteristics in a university hall environment have not been well-examined. Consequently, this study aims to bridge this research gap. The results of this study indicate that, in general, the large-scale floating-intercept (FI) model gives a satisfactory performance in fitting the path loss both in the center and wall side links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the performance comparison of a dual-band conventional antenna with a split-ring resonator (SRR)- and electromagnetic bandgap (EBG)-based dual-band design operating at 2.4 GHz and 5.4 GHz. The compactness and dual-frequency operation in the legacy Wi-Fi range of this design make it highly favorable for wearable sensor network-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Considering the current need for wearable antennas, wash cotton (with a relative permittivity of 1.51) is used as a substrate material for both conventional and metamaterial-based antennas. The radiation characteristics of the conventional antenna are compared with the EBG and SRR ground planes-based antennas in terms of return loss, gain, and efficiency. It is found that the SRR-based antenna is more efficient in terms of gain and surface wave suppression as well as more compact in comparison with its two counterparts. The compared results are found to be based on two distinct frequency ranges, namely, 2.4 GHz and 5.4 GHz. The suggested SRR-based antenna exhibits improved performance at 5.4 GHz, with gains of 7.39 dbi, bandwidths of 374 MHz, total efficiencies of 64.7%, and HPBWs of 43.2 degrees. The measurements made in bent condition are 6.22 db, 313 MHz, 52.45%, and 22.3 degrees, respectively. The three considered antennas (conventional, EBG-based, and SRR-based) are designed with a compact size to be well-suited for biomedical sensors, and specific absorption rate (SAR) analysis is performed to ensure user safety. In addition, the performance of the proposed antenna under bending conditions is also considered to present a realistic approach for a practical antenna design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the examination of the fundamental characteristics of structures, structural health monitoring (SHM) has received increased attention in recent years. Studies have shown that the SHM method using entropy analysis can precisely identify the damaged location of the structure, which is very helpful for the daily inspection or maintenance of civil structures. Although entropy analysis has shown excellent accuracy, it still consumes too much time and too many resources in terms of data processing. To improve the dilemma, in this study, modified multi-scale symbolic dynamic entropy (MMSDE) is adopted to identify the damaged location of the civil structure. A damage index (DI) based on the entropy diagram is also proposed to clearly indicate the damage location. A seven-story numerical model was created to verify the efficiency of the proposed SHM system. The results of the analysis of each case of damage show that the MMSDE curve for the damaged floor is lower than that for the healthy floor, and the structural damage can be correctly diagnosed by the damage index. Subsequently, a scaled-down steel benchmark experiment, including 15 damage cases, was conducted to verify the practical performance of the SHM system. The confusion matrix was used to further evaluate the SHM system. The results demonstrated that the MMSD-based system can quickly diagnose structural safety with reliability and accuracy. It can be used in the field of long-term structural health monitoring in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simply supported bridges comprise the majority of bridge systems in coastal communities and are susceptible to severe damage from extreme waves induced by storms or tsunamis. However, the effects of oblique wave impacts have been less investigated due to the lack of appropriate numerical models. To address this issue, this study investigates the effects of wave incident angles on coastal bridge superstructures by developing an advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Different wave scenarios, including wave height, relative clearance, incident angle, and wavelength are tested. It is found that the maximum wave forces in the horizontal and longitudinal directions could reach 1901 and 862 kN under extreme conditions, respectively, destroying bearing connections. Three surrogate models, i.e., the Gaussian Kriging surrogate model, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and the Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE), are established by correlating the wave parameters with the maximum wave forces. Through comparisons among the three surrogate models, it is found that the 3-order PCE model has better performance in predicting loads in vertical and horizontal directions, while the ANN model is more suitable for results in the longitudinal direction. This study contributes to the optimized design of coastal bridges and also offers an opportunity for future studies to investigate hazard damage-mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scaling of rain attenuation methods is promising to quickly estimate power degradation in radio links due to rain with known findings from previous measurements. Although the frequency scaling of rain attenuation technique was introduced ages ago, it has not been addressed adequately. Furthermore, some emerging scaling techniques have recently been proposed in the literature through polarization, elevation angle, and pathlength parameters. A survey paper might play a vital role in order to comprehend all these study areas systematically. However, a survey paper on this research field is currently unavailable in the literature. This review categorizes all the research works using the inherent properties of scaling techniques. Furthermore, this study presents a comparative investigation of parameter-based scaling techniques by considering their working procedure, applicable frequency ranges, and innovative ideas incorporated with all of these models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rain attenuation becomes significant to degrade the earth-space or terrestrial radio link's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). So, to maintain the desired SNR level, with the help of fade mitigation techniques (FMTs), it needs to control transmitted signals power considering the expected rainfall. However, since the rain event is a random phenomenon, the rain attenuation that may be experienced by a specific link is difficult to estimate. Many empirical, physical, and compound nature-based models exist in the literature to predict the expected rain attenuation. Furthermore, many optimizations and decision-making functions have become simpler since the development of the learning-assisted (LA) technique. In this work, the LA rain attenuation (LARA) model was classified based on input parameters. Besides, for comparative analysis, each of the supported frequency components of LARA models were tabulated, and an accurate contribution of each model was identified. In contrast to all the currently available LARA models, the accuracy and correlation of input-output parameters are presented. Additionally, it summarizes and discusses open research issues and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to assess the performance of a community under probable hazard scenarios and to provide possible performance enhancements. This requires establishing performance indicators, an assessment method, and an optimization technique to provide mitigation alternatives. In this paper, multiple performance indicators are utilized to assess the performance of a community building portfolio including loss, downtime, and environmental impact (e.g., CO2 emissions). The performance of a community is assessed by utilizing a performance-based assessment methodology. Then, the performance indicators are utilized as performance objectives to be optimized considering non-dominated sorting and crowding distance evolutionary optimization techniques. The framework utilizes retrofit alternatives for each building in a community and provides Pareto-optimal solutions for considered performance objectives given retrofit cost. This process of performance assessment and optimization is repeated by utilizing the Monte Carlo approach to consider uncertainties. Finally, the Pareto-optimal solutions are utilized to evaluate the retrofit programs for community building portfolios in terms of considered performance indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indoor application of wave propagation in the 5G network is essential to fulfill the increasing demands of network access in an indoor environment. This study investigated the wave propagation properties of line-of-sight (LOS) links at two long corridors of Chosun University (CU). We chose wave propagation measurements at 3.7 and 28 GHz, since 3.7 GHz is the closest to the roll-out frequency band of 3.5 GHz in South Korea and 28 GHz is next allocated frequency band for Korean telcos. In addition, 28 GHz is the promising millimeter band adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the 5G network. Thus, the 5G network can use 3.7 and 28 GHz frequencies to achieve the spectrum required for its roll-out frequency band. The results observed were applied to simulate the path loss of the LOS links at extended indoor corridor environments. The minimum mean square error (MMSE) approach was used to evaluate the distance and frequency-dependent optimized coefficients of the close-in (CI) model with a frequency-weighted path loss exponent (CIF), floating-intercept (FI), and alpha–beta–gamma (ABG) models. The outcome shows that the large-scale FI and CI models fitted the measured results at 3.7 and 28 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaling rain attenuation parameters will significantly benefit the quick monitoring of rain attenuation in a particular channel with previously known results or in situ setup attenuation measurements. Most of the rain attenuation scaling techniques have been derived for slant links. In this study, we also applied frequency and polarization scaling techniques for terrestrial link applications. We collected real measured datasets from research paper publications and examined those datasets using International Telecommunication Union-Radiocommunication sector (ITU-R) models (P.530-17, P.618-13). Our analyzed results show that existing long-term frequency and polarization scaling rain attenuation models (ITU-R P.618-13 for slant links and ITU-R P.530-17 for terrestrial links) show reduced performance for frequency and polarization scaling measured locations in South Korea. Hence, we proposed a new scaling technique using artificial neural networks from the measured rain attenuation data of slant and terrestrial links in South Korea. The experimental results confirm that the proposed Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based scaling model shows satisfactory performance to predict attenuation for frequency and vertical polarization scaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel broadband octagonal patch antenna with parasitic patches. The proposed patch antenna is constructed with four parasitic patches around a central radiating octagonal element. It is illustrated that this arrangement can be used to improve the antenna bandwidth and gain when compared with that of conventional antennas. The proposed patch antenna is very simple, low-profile, and economical. The typical analysis of the proposed antenna is analyzed by the S11(S-parameter), the radiation pattern, and the realized gain. It can achieve an impedance bandwidth of 1.44 GHz and a high gain of 8.56 dBi in the 8.5 GHz band. Furthermore, the proposed antenna shows that the directional pattern and HPBW measurement results of E and H-plane were 70° and 74° at 8.5 GHz, and 74° and 83° at 9 GHz, and 47° and 42° at 9.5 GHz, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite communication is a promising transmission technique to implement 5G and beyond networks. Attenuation due to rain begins at a frequency of 10 GHz in temperate regions. However, some research indicates that such attenuation effects start from 5–7 GHz, especially in tropical regions. Therefore, modeling rain attenuation is significant for propagating electromagnetic waves to achieve the required quality of service. In this survey, different slant link rain attenuation prediction models have been examined, classified, and analyzed, and various features like improvements, drawbacks, and particular aspects of these models have been tabulated. This survey provides various techniques for obtaining input data sets, including rain height, efficient trajectory length measurement techniques, and rainfall rate conversion procedures. No survey of the Earth–space link models for rain attenuation is available to the best of our knowledge. In this study, 23 rain attenuation models have been investigated. For easy readability and conciseness, the details of each model have not been included. The comparative analysis will assist in propagation modeling and planning the link budget of slant links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, antipodal Vivaldi antenna is designed for 5th generation (5G) mobile communication and Ku-band applications. The proposed designed has three layers. The upper layer consists of eight-element array of split-shaped leaf structures, which is fed by a 1-to-8 power divider network. Middle layer is a substrate made of Rogers 5880. The bottom layer consists of truncated ground and shorter mirror-image split leaf structures. The overall size of the designed antenna is confined significantly to 33.31 × 54.96 × 0.787 (volume in mm 3 ), which is equivalent to 2 λ o × 3.3 λ o × 0.05 λ o (λ o is free-space wavelength at 18 GHz). Proposed eight elements antenna is multi-band in nature covering Ku-bands (14.44–20.98 GHz), two millimeter wave (mmW) bands i.e., 24.34–29 GHz and 33–40 GHz, which are candidate frequency bands for 5G communications. The Ku-Band is suitable for radar applications. Proposed eight elements antenna is very efficient and has stable gain for 5G mobile communication and Ku-band applications. The simulation results are experimentally validated by testing the fabricated prototypes of the proposed design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millimeter-wave (30–300 GHz) frequency is a promising candidate for 5G and beyond wireless networks, but atmospheric elements limit radio links at this frequency band. Rainfall is the significant atmospheric element that causes attenuation in the propagated wave, which needs to estimate for the proper operation of fade mitigation technique (FMT). Many models have been proposed in the literature to estimate rain attenuation. Various models have a distinct set of input parameters along with separate estimation mechanisms. This survey has garnered multiple techniques that can generate input dataset for the rain attenuation models. This study extensively investigates the existing terrestrial rain attenuation models. There is no survey of terrestrial rain mitigation models to the best of our knowledge. In this article, the requirements of this survey are first discussed, with various dataset developing techniques. The terrestrial links models are classified, and subsequently, qualitative and quantitative analyses among these terrestrial rain attenuation models are tabulated. Also, a set of error performance evaluation techniques is introduced. Moreover, there is a discussion of open research problems and challenges, especially the exigency for developing a rain attenuation model for the short-ranged link in the E-band for 5G and beyond networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposesd a novel, entropy-based structural health monitoring (SHM) system for measuring microvibration signals generated by actual buildings. A structural health diagnosis interface was established for demonstration purposes. To enhance the reliability and accuracy of entropy evaluation at various scales, composite multiscale cross-sample entropy (CMSCE) was adopted to increase the number of coarse-grained time series. The degree of similarity and asynchrony between ambient vibration signals measured on adjacent floors was used as an in-dicator for structural health assessment. A residential building that has been monitored since 1994 was selected for long-term monitoring. The accumulated database, including both the earthquake and ambient vibrations in each seismic event, provided the possibility to evaluate the practicability of the CMSCE-based method. Entropy curves obtained for each of the years, as well as the stable trend of the corresponding damage index (DI) graphs, demonstrated the relia-bility of the proposed SHM system. Moreover, two large earthquake events that occurred near the monitoring site were analyzed. The results revealed that the entropy values may have been slightly increased after the earthquakes. Positive DI values were obtained for higher floors, which could provide an early warning of structural instability. The proposed SHM system is highly stable and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote sustainable development of civil infrastructures, minimizing environmental impact and mobility disruptions have been elevated to a higher priority during decision-making for bridge construction scheme. This study presents a novel temporary pylon-anchor (TPA) technology for construction of self-anchored suspension bridges by considering not only safety performance, but also environmental impacts. A practical assessment method and index of sustainability associated with bridge construction technology are established to facilitate the selection of construction schemes. The sustainability index takes the environmental impact, traffic disruption, onsite construction materials and equipment, onsite construction cost, and onsite construction risk into consideration. The sustainability index associated with both conventional and novel construction methods is assessed and compared in this paper. Specifically, a novel girder-pylon antithrust system (GPAS) is proposed, which is the crucial component of the TPA technology in engineering application. In addition, an analytical approach is developed, considering both global load-carrying capacity and local stress distribution within the design and construction of the GPAS. The applicability and rationality of the proposed construction technology are illustrated by the successful application in real-world engineering. The field tests and sustainability assessment during the construction stage reveal that the proposed sustainability assessment method and analytical approach can facilitate the implementation of sustainable construction for self-anchored suspension bridges by considering both construction safety and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single antenna used in conventional ultra-wideband radar has difficulty tracking targets over a wide range because of a relatively narrow beamwidth. Herein, we propose a beamforming antenna that can track targets over a wide range by electronically controlling the main beam of the antenna. The proposed beamforming antenna was fabricated by connecting a 1 × 4 linear array antenna and a 4 × 4 Butler matrix. The Butler matrix was fabricated in a laminated substrate using two TRF-45 substrates. Furthermore, the input Ports 1–4 generate a phase difference at regular intervals in each output port, and the output phase is fed to the array antenna. The proposed tapered-slot antenna was fabricated on a Taconic TLY substrate, and the impedance bandwidth of the antenna was achieved within a wide bandwidth of 4.32 GHz by satisfying a VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) ≤2 within the 1.45–5.78 GHz band. Furthermore, the fabricated antenna has directional radiation patterns, which was found to be a suitable characsteristic for location tracking in a certain direction. Finally, the beamforming antenna has four beamforming angles, and to verify the performance for an indoor location tracking application of impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar, it was connected to an NVA-R661 module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a quasi-Yagi antenna for an indoor location tracking system is proposed. The performance of the proposed antenna was verified by testing it using an indoor location tracking system. To improve the bandwidth and gain, two parasitic directors were added near the dipole. The performance verification of the proposed antenna is explained, along with a performance comparison of the VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio) radiation pattern and the realized gain. The proposed antenna was connected to an NVA-R661 module of Xethru Inc. for indoor location tracking. The proposed antenna exhibited a wide bandwidth of 4.36 GHz by satisfying a VSWR ≤ 2 from 5.03 to 9.39 GHz, the maximum gain was 6.46 dBi in the 8 GHz band. The radiation pattern exhibited a good directivity characteristic within the proposed band. The location tracking result of a moving target clearly describes the route of the target along a moving line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lightweight composite bridge deck system composed of steel orthotropic deck stiffened with thin Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) layer has been proposed to eliminate fatigue cracks in orthotropic steel decks. The debonding between steel deck and UHPC layer may be introduced during construction and operation phases, which could cause adverse consequences, such as crack-induced water invasion and distinct reduction of the shear resistance. The piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-based technologies are used to detect interfacial debonding defects between the steel deck and the UHPC layer. Both impedance analysis and wave propagation method are employed to extract debonding features of the steel-UHPC composite slab with debonding defect in different sizes and thicknesses. Experimental tests are performed on two steel-UHPC composite slabs and a conventional steel-concrete composite deck. Additionally, an improved Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-k-means clustering algorithm is adopted to obtain debonding patterns based on the feature data set. The laboratory tests demonstrate that the proposed approach provides an effective way to detect interfacial debonding of steel-UHPC composite deck.