Longitudinal distribution of the field intensity of a circular focused aperture

Microwave and millimeter-wave antennas focused in their Fresnel zone, which are usually named as near-field focused (NFF) antennas, are becoming increasingly popular. Indeed, when compared to conventional far-field focused antennas, they can guarantee performance improvement at a relatively limited implementation cost, in short-range communication systems, wireless power transfer arrangements, remote nondestructive sensing setups, and radiofrequency identification apparatus, among many others. In this paper, analytical expressions are obtained for calculating the main parameters characterizing the longitudinal distribution of the circular focused aperture field intensity with a relatively large diameter (2R/λ≥10) : the displacement of the intensity maximum relative to the focal point, focusing gain and depth of focus. Cases of uniform and decreasing amplitude distributions of the excitation field are considered. The found approximate relations make it possible to determine the values of the above parameters for any values of the longitudinal coordinate of the focal point, lying both in the Fresnel zone and in the far zone. Comparison with numerical calculations showed that the error in the obtained parameter values does not exceed 5%. The results of this paper will be useful when calculating the field of antennas in the form of a circular focused aperture, as well as focused antenna arrays operating in the Fresnel zone.

Technical Advances in Segmentectomy for Lung Cancer: A Minimally Invasive Strategy for Deep, Small, and Impalpable Tumors

With the increased detection of early-stage lung cancer and the technical advancement of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in the field of thoracic surgery, lung segmentectomy using MIS, including video- and robot-assisted thoracic surgery, has been widely adopted. However, lung segmentectomy can be technically challenging for thoracic surgeons due to (1) complex segmental and subsegmental anatomy with frequent anomalies, and (2) difficulty in localizing deep, small, and impalpable tumors, leading to difficulty in obtaining adequate margins. In this review, we summarize the published evidence and discuss key issues related to MIS segmentectomy, focusing on preoperative planning/simulation and intraoperative tumor localization. We also demonstrate two of our techniques: (1) three-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT)-based resection planning using a novel 3DCT processing software, and (2) tumor localization using a novel radiofrequency identification technology.

An Efficient Q -Algorithm for RFID Tag Anticollision

In large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) applications, tags are attached to items, and users use a radiofrequency identification (RFID) reader to quickly identify tags and obtain the corresponding item information. Since multiple tags share the same channel to communicate with the reader, when they respond simultaneously, tag collision will occur, and the reader cannot successfully obtain the information from the tag. To cope with the tag collision problem, ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID standard EPC G1 Gen2 specifies an anticollision protocol to identify a large number of RFID tags in an efficient way. The Q -algorithm has attracted much more attention as the efficiency of an EPC C1 Gen2-based RFID system can be significantly improved by only a slight adjustment to the algorithm. In this paper, we propose a novel Q -algorithm for RFID tag identification, namely, HTEQ, which optimizes the time efficiency of an EPC C1 Gen2-based RFID system to the utmost limit. Extensive simulations verify that our proposed HTEQ is exceptionally expeditious compared to other algorithms, which promises it to be competitive in large-scale IoT environments.

Technology adoption in the apparel industry: insight from literature review and research directions

Purpose This paper aims to identify key theoretical cornerstones and research trends in the apparel industry. It also compares theoretical bases with those of the general research domain in technology adoption literature and, thus, provides future policy guidelines for practitioners and research gaps for further studies. Design/methodology/approach Documents were collected from the Web of Science (core collection) database using systematic methods. The bibliometric coupling and co-citation analyses were conducted using VOSviewer software to construct theoretical cornerstones and research trends in the apparel industry. Findings Literature in the apparel industry focuses mainly on the diffusion of innovation and the theory of reasoned action. Hence, the literature lacks investigations of technology–organization–environment and institutional theories for technology adoption in the apparel industry. This study also traces six clusters of prevalent research trends: radiofrequency identification, virtual-try on technology for e-commerce, computer-aided design, Industry 4.0 technologies, virtual-try on technology in design and information technology. Originality/value Little research is done on theoretical cornerstones on technology adoption in the apparel industry. This study looks into the theoretical bases for technology adoption, research trends in the apparel supply chain and calls for future research necessities.

Progresses in Food Packaging, Food Quality, and Safety—Controlled-Release Antioxidant and/or Antimicrobial Packaging

Food packaging is designed to protect foods, to provide required information about the food, and to make food handling convenient for distribution to consumers. Packaging has a crucial role in the process of food quality, safety, and shelf-life extension. Possible interactions between food and packaging are important in what is concerning food quality and safety. This review tries to offer a picture of the most important types of active packaging emphasizing the controlled/target release antimicrobial and/or antioxidant packaging including system design, different methods of polymer matrix modification, and processing. The testing methods for the appreciation of the performance of active food packaging, as well as mechanisms and kinetics implied in active compounds release, are summarized. During the last years, many fast advancements in packaging technology appeared, including intelligent or smart packaging (IOSP), (i.e., time–temperature indicators (TTIs), gas indicators, radiofrequency identification (RFID), and others). Legislation is also discussed.