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Four-element triple-band systems have been studied and developed for long-term evolution (LTE) and 5G mid-band (4.5–4.9 GHz) operation. The presented multi-input multioutput (MIMO) consists of four planar which are excited with inset feeding. The system is designed on substrate (FR-4) with dielectric constant (εr) of 4.4 and dielectric loss (tan δ) 00.02. The complete measurements of implemented antenna are 150 × 150 × 1.6 mm3. This article provides a triple band to operate under LTE bands, such as 02.4 GHz, 03.7 GHz, and 04.5 GHz for |S11|≤ − 10 dB. This antenna is operating for LTE band 40 (2300–2400 MHz) at 2.4 GHz with impedance bandwidth of 58.6 MHz, LTEA band 46 (3700–4000 MHz) at 3.7 GHz with operating bandwidth of 87.1 MHz and 5G mid-band range for Japan (4500–4900 MHz) at 4.5 GHz with operating bandwidth 87.1 MHz. This MIMO provides > 21 dB isolation among the 4 elements operating under the operating band. Therefore, the antenna is appropriate for LTE/5G operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) pollinosis has been increasing worldwide. This study focused on the behavior of autumn airborne pollen and the major ragweed allergen -Amb a 1 particle in urban Saitama, Japan, in 2016. Burkard sampler results showed that the airborne ragweed pollen scattering season was from September 1st to October 9th. Over 83% of sampling events had pollen counts of over 13 grains/m3, indicating the high potential health risks of ragweed pollen in the atmosphere. The results of a surface plasmon resonance immunoassay (SPR) indicated that the average Amb a 1 count was about 16.5 pg /pollen. The airborne Amb a 1 concentration was up to 4.7 ng/m3, of which about 45% was accumulated in ultrafine particles, such as particulate matter with a diameter ≤1.1 µm (PM1.1). Although ragweed pollen was hardly observed during the October 14th–17th sampling campaign, the concentration of ambient Amb a 1 particles in PM1.1 was also determined to be 4.59 ng/m3, which could be explained by the longer scattering of fine particles in the atmosphere. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis results showed that temperature (daily, r = 0.41; event, r = 0.87) could affect the behavior of the airborne pollen counts, and ambient water-soluble ions (such as Ca2+ and NO3−) could affect Amb a 1 in PM1.1. Additionally, air mass trajectories and wind rose results indicated that air masses with long-range transportation could also influence the temporary behavior of Amb a 1 and pollen counts via the wind. Mugwort and Humulus japonicus pollens were also observed to extend pollen scattering periods. Airborne pollen and allergenic particles could be considered air pollutants, as they pose health risks and are susceptible to environmental influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the use of surface plasmon resonance in a novel assay developed by researchers from Japan. Investigation on the mechanism of adhesion of lactic acid bacteria to human intestine; Efficacy of the assay in determining the binding of the Lactobacillus acidophilus group to human colonic mucin; Affinity of L. acidophilus to the A-trisaccharide PBP probe.

A new evaluation system for selecting probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with activity for specific adhesion to human colonic mucin by recognizing differences in ABO-blood type was established. Sixteen strains that showed strong adhesion to human blood type-A antigen [GalNAc-α-1-3 (Fuc-α-1-2) Gal-] of intestinal mucosa were selected from 237 probiotic strains with a biosensor BIACORE, by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Similarly, sixteen and eleven strains were selected with strong activity to human B-antigen [Gal-α-1-3 (Fuc- α-1-2) Gal-] and H-antigen [Fuc-α-1-2 Gal-], respectively. Because there is a lot of population of human blood type-A in Japan (40%), we experimented the LAB recognizing human A-antigen for further evaluation. The adherence of the SLPs (surface layer proteins) prepared from the selected strains towards human A-antigen was reevaluated by BIACORE and the L. brevis strains revealed strong adhesion to the A-antigen. The SLP from L. brevis strain OLL2772 showed a single band at ca. 48 kDa using SDS-PAGE analysis and it had a very high adherence to the human A-antigen as shown using an anti-A lectin blocking technique. A partial N-terminal sequence of the band showed high homology to a S-layer protein of L. brevis ATCC 8287T . There are few reports of LAB recognizing human blood type antigens in comparison to those showing the adhesion of LAB to the human intestine. The new assay system will be useful for the selection of probiotic candidates in future construction of functional foods including yogurt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]