Thin-Film Solar Energy Absorber Structure for Window Coatings for Self-Sufficient Futuristic Buildings.

Energy-efficient buildings are a new demand in the current era. In this paper, we present a novel metamaterial design aimed at achieving efficient solar energy absorption through a periodic MMA structure composed of a W-GaAs-W. The proposed structure can be implemented as the window coating and in turn it can absorb the incident solar energy and, then, this energy can be used to fulfill the energy demand of the building. Our results reveal significant improvements, achieving an average absorptance of 96.94% in the spectral range. Furthermore, we explore the influence of the angle of incidence on the absorber's response, demonstrating its angle-insensitive behavior with high absorption levels (above 90%) for incidence angles up to 60° for TE polarization and 40° for TM polarization. The proposed structure presents a significant advancement in metamaterial-based solar energy absorption. By exploring the effects of structural parameters and incident angles, we have demonstrated the optimized version of our proposed absorber. The potential applications of this metamaterial absorber in self-sufficient futuristic building technologies and self-sustaining systems offer new opportunities for harnessing solar energy and are a valuable contribution to future developments in the fields of metamaterials and renewable energy.

Broadband near unity absorption meta-structure for solar thermophotovoltaic systems and optical window applications.

Developing a meta-structure with near-unity absorbance in the visible and infrared spectra for solar energy harvesting, photodetection, thermal imaging, photo-trapping, and optical communications is a long-term research challenge. This research presents a four-layered (insulator-metal-insulator-metal) meta-structure unit cell that showed a peak absorbance of 99.99% at 288-300 nm and the average absorbance of 99.18% over the 250-2000 nm wavelength range in TE and TM modes, respectively. The symmetric pattern of the resonator layer shows polarization insensitivity with an average absorption of 99.18% in both TE and TM modes. Furthermore, the proposed design shows a wide incident angle stability up to ≤60 degrees in both TE and TM modes. The proposed structure also exhibits negative index properties at 288-300 nm and 1000-2000 nm, respectively. The negative index properties of the proposed design generate an anti-parallel surface current flow in the ground and resonator layers, which induces magnetic and electric field resonance and increases absorption. The performance of the proposed design is further validated by the interference theory model and a zero value for the polarization conversion ratio (PCR). The electric field E, magnetic field H, and current distribution are analyzed to explain the absorption mechanism of the proposed meta-structure unit cell. It also exhibits the highest photo-thermal conversion efficiency of 99.11%, demonstrating the viability of the proposed design as a solar absorber. The proposed design promises potentially valuable applications such as solar energy harvesting, photodetection, thermal imaging, photo-trapping, and optical communications because of its decent performance.

Healthcare professionals' perception and practice of complementary and alternative medicine in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Over the last few decades, use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown in popularity, changing health professionals' knowledge and attitude toward CAM, and the treatment recommended by them. The aim of the study was to evaluate the perception and practice of CAM among healthcare professionals. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare providers selected by multistage random sampling technique in two governmental hospitals and ten primary healthcare centers in two governorates in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. A web-based, self-administered questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms. RESULTS: A total of 350 physicians responded to the survey. Good basic knowledge about CAM was reported by 48.6% of the respondents; a positive attitude was adopted by 53%; and CAM was actively practiced by 9.7%. Being a physician > 40 years and consultant affiliation were significantly associated with higher knowledge level about CAM (p = 0.006 and 0.03, respectively), as well as having a proactive practice (p = 0.007 and 0.04, respectively). Practicing CAM was prevalent among non-Saudi and married physicians (p = 0.02 for both). Knowledge about CAM and its practice were strongly correlated (p = 0.007). The most frequent constraints facing CAM practice were lack of knowledge and training on CAM (81.4%) and lack of studies supporting CAM (74.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The practices of health professionals in Qassim region need to be improved despite their expertise and favourable perception of CAM. Educational interventions could play greater roles in providing evidence-based CAM knowledge and enhancing training for physicians.

Patterns of Skin Diseases in Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia.

Objective Dermatological complaints are one of the most common reasons to see a physician. Identifying the incidence and prevalence of different skin conditions is essential to improve health outcomes. Only a few studies regarding the pattern of skin diseases have been conducted in Saudi Arabia, especially in the Qassim region. This study aims to identify, evaluate, and compare the pattern of skin conditions in the Qassim region regarding age and sex, and to compare the results with previous studies. Methods A retrospective record-based study included all Saudi patients who attended the dermatology clinics at Qassim University Medical City, for 12 months, from 2021/08/26 to 2022/07/1. Data were collected from the electronic medical records. Results The study included 2775 Saudi patients comprising 1654 (59.6%) females and 1121 (40.4%%) males, with a male-to-female ratio of 1: 1.475. Around 75% of patients were between 15 and 34 years of age. The top most common diagnoses were pilosebaceous disorders (49.2%), with acne vulgaris being the predominant condition, followed by hair disorders (15.6%), dermatitis (9.2%), pigmentary disorders (7.2%), infections (3.9%), and papulosquamous disorders (3%). The prevalence of dermatological conditions was significantly higher in females than males for pilosebaceous disorders (P=.01) and hair disorders (P=.02). Conclusion There is a changing trend in the prevalence of skin disorders in the Qassim province of Saudi Arabia. Pilosebaceous disorders are being diagnosed more frequently compared to previous years and females visit dermatology clinics more than males. Due to its hospital-based setting, this study only gives a rough estimate of the pattern of skin diseases, and extensive epidemiological studies are needed to estimate the prevalence accurately.

Design and Parametric Analysis of a Wide-Angle and Polarization Insensitive Ultra-Broadband Metamaterial Absorber for Visible Optical Wavelength Applications.

Researchers are trying to work out how to make a broadband response metamaterial absorber (MMA). Electromagnetic (EM) waves that can pass through the atmosphere and reach the ground are most commonly used in the visible frequency range. In addition, they are used to detect faults, inspect tapped live-powered components, electrical failures, and thermal leaking hot spots. This research provides a numerical analysis of a compact split ring resonator (SRR) and circular ring resonator (CRR) based metamaterial absorber (MMA) using a three-layer substrate material configuration for wideband visible optical wavelength applications. The proposed metamaterial absorber has an overall unit cell size of 800 nm × 800 nm × 175 nm in both TE and TM mode simulations and it achieved above 80% absorbance in the visible spectrums from 450 nm to 650 nm wavelength. The proposed MA performed a maximum absorptivity of 99.99% at 557 nm. In addition, the steady absorption property has a broad range of oblique incidence angle stability. The polarization conversion ratio (PCR) is evaluated to ensure that the MMA is perfect. Both TM and TE modes can observe polarization insensitivity and wide-angle incidence angle stability with 18° bending effects. Moreover, a structural study using electric and magnetic fields was carried out to better understand the MMA's absorption properties. The observable novelty of the proposed metamaterial is compact in size compared with reference paper, and it achieves an average absorbance of 91.82% for visible optical wavelength. The proposed MMA also has bendable properties. The proposed MMA validation has been done by two numerical simulation software. The MMA has diverse applications, such as color image, wide-angle stability, substantial absorption, absolute invisible layers, thermal imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications.

Massive metamaterial system-loaded MIMO antenna array for 5G base stations.

An integrated massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) antenna system loaded with metamaterial (MTM) is proposed in this article for fifth-generation (5G) applications. Besides, achievement of duple negative (DNG) characteristics using a proposed compact complementary split-ring resonator (SRR), a broad epsilon negative metamaterial (ENG) with more than 1 GHz bandwidth (BW), and near-zero refractive index (NZRI) features are presented. The proposed mMIMO antenna consists of eight subarrays with three layers that operate in the 5G mind band at 3.5 GHz (3.40-3.65 GHz) with high port isolation between adjacent antenna elements compared to an antenna that does not use MTM. Each subarray has two patches on the top layer, while the middle and bottom layers have two categories of full and partial ground plans, respectively. Simulated, produced, and tested are 32 elements with a total volume of 184 × 340 × 1.575 mm3. The measured findings reveal that the sub-6 antenna has a better than 10 dB reflection coefficient (S11), a lower than 35 dB isolation, and a peak gain of 10.6 dBi for each subarray. Furthermore, the recommended antenna loaded with MTM has demonstrated good MIMO performance with an ECC of less than 0.0001, total efficiencies of more than 90%, more than 300 MHz bandwidth, and an overall gain of 19.5 dBi.

Gap coupled symmetric split ring resonator based near zero index ENG metamaterial for gain improvement of monopole antenna.

In this article, a symmetric split ring resonator (SRR) based metamaterial (MTM) is presented that exhibits three resonances of transmission coefficient (S21) covering S, C, and X-bands with epsilon negative (ENG) and near zero index properties. The proposed MTM is designed on an FR4 substrate with the copper resonator at one side formed with two square rings and one circular split ring. The two square rings are coupled together around the split gap of the outer ring, whereas two split semicircles are also coupled together near the split gaps. Thus, gap coupled symmetric SRR is formed, which helps to obtain resonances at 2.78 GHz, 7.7 GHz and 10.16 GHz with desired properties of the MTM unit cell. The MTM unit cell's symmetric nature helps reduce the mutual coupling effect among the array elements. Thus, different array of unit cells provides a similar response to the unit cell compared with numerical simulation performed in CST microwave studio and validated by measurement. The equivalent circuit is modelled for the proposed MTM unit cell in Advanced Design System (ADS) software, and circuit validation is accomplished by comparing S21 obtained in ADS with the same of CST. The effective medium ratio (EMR) of 10.7 indicates the compactness of the proposed MTM. A test antenna is designed to observe the effect of the MTM over it. Numerical analysis shows that the proposed MTM have an impact on the antenna when it is used as the superstrate and helps to increase the gain of the antenna by 95% with increased directivity. Thus, compact size, high EMR, negative permittivity, near zero permeability and refractive index makes this MTM suitable for S, C and X band applications, especially for antenna gain with directivity enhancement.

Polarization insensitive dual band metamaterial with absorptance for 5G sub-6 GHz applications.

A couple ring enclosed circular geometric resonator (CRECGR) based dual-band polarization insensitive metamaterial (MM) with high effective medium ratio (EMR), and excellent absorptance is proposed in this study, which can be utilized as a sensor and absorber in the 5G sub-6 GHz frequency range. A circular geometry-based unique patch has been introduced in the proposed unit cell to achieve high polarization insensitive properties with excellent absorption for the 5G sub-6 GHz spectrum. The distinctive feature of this proposed CRECGR unit cell is its simple and unique structure with a high EMR of 11.13, polarization insensitive up to 180°, and epsilon negative (ENG) properties, including a negative refractive index and near-zero permeability for 5G sub-6 GHz applications. Furthermore, this designed unit cell yields excellent absorption properties with high quality factor. The designed MM unit cell is fabricated on low loss Rogers RT5880 printed media with an electrical dimension of 0.089λ × 0.089λ × 0.017λ. The performance of the designed CRECGR metamaterial is determined using Computer Simulation Technology (CST), Advanced Design Software (ADS), and measurements. The CRECGR unit cell offers dual resonances at 3.37 GHz and 5.8 GHz, covering the 5G sub-6 GHz band with ENG, near-zero permeability and negative index. The polarization insensitive properties of the unit cell were also investigated for maximum angle of incidence, which confirmed the identical response. The simulated outcome is verified by experiment with excellent accordance. Moreover, the unit cell performance with a complete backplane is explored, noting a maximum absorption of 99.9% for all normal and oblique incidence waves, suitable for sensing and antenna systems. In addition, the suggested unit cell sensing performance is evaluated using the permittivity-based sensing model. The proposed MM outperforms recent related studies in terms of polarization insensitivity up to 180°, high insensitive absorptivity, high EMR, and sensing applications. These features prove that the proposed CRECGR metamaterial is perfect for 5G Applications.

Metamaterial sensor based on rectangular enclosed adjacent triple circle split ring resonator with good quality factor for microwave sensing application.

In this article, a novel shaped metamaterial sensor is presented for the recognition of various oils, fluids, and chemicals using microwave frequency. The performance of the designed sensor structure has been studied both theoretically and experimentally, and it works well. A new sample holder for convenient operation is created and located just behind the designed structure. The results of this study performed better than those of prior liquids sensing studies. Various designs were explored using the Genetic Algorithm (GA), and it is embedded in the Computer Simulation Technology (CST) microwave studio, to optimize the optimal dimensions of the resonator. The suggested metamaterial sensor has a good-quality factor and sensitivity in both frequency shifting and amplitude changing. The resonance frequency shifted to 100 MHz between olive and corn oils, 70 MHz between sunflower and palm oils, 80 MHz between clean and waste brake fluids, and 90 MHz between benzene and carbon-tetrachloride chemicals. The quality factor of the sensor is 135, sensitivity is 0.56, and the figure of merit is 76 which expresses its efficient performance. Furthermore, the proposed sensor can sensitively distinguish different liquids by using the frequency shifting property. The study was carried out in three stages: dielectric constant (DK) measurement with the N1500A dielectric measurement kit, simulation of the structure, and experimental test study with the vector network analyzer. Since the recommended sensor has high sensitivity, good quality factor, and excellent performance, hence it can be used in chemical, oil, and microfluidic industries for detecting various liquid samples.

Wide-Oblique-Incident-Angle Stable Polarization-Insensitive Ultra-Wideband Metamaterial Perfect Absorber for Visible Optical Wavelength Applications.

Metamaterial absorbers are very attractive due to their significant absorption behavior at optical wavelengths, which can be implemented for energy harvesting, plasmonic sensors, imaging, optical modulators, photovoltaic detectors, etc. This paper presents a numerical study of an ultra-wide-band double square ring (DSR) metamaterial absorber (MMA) for the complete visible optical wavelength region, which is designed with a three-layer (tungsten-silicon dioxide-tungsten) substrate material. Due to the symmetricity, a polarization-insensitive absorption is obtained for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes by simulation. An absorption above 92.2% and an average absorption of 97% are achieved in the visible optical wavelength region. A peak absorption of 99.99% is achieved at 521.83 nm. A wide range of oblique incident angle stabilities is found for stable absorption properties. A similar absorption is found for different banding angles, which may occur due to external forces during the installation of the absorber. The absorption is calculated by the interference theory (IT) model, and the polarization conversion ratio (PCR) is also validated to verify the perfect MMA. The electric field and magnetic field of the structure analysis are performed to understand the absorption property of the MMA. The presented MMA may be used in various applications such as solar cells, light detection, the biomedical field, sensors, and imaging.