Voltage tunable current MODE KHN filter based on current differencing transconductance amplifier (CDTA)

The era of SoC design has great dependency on CMOS circuits owing to its low power and high reliability which could contribute in the effective circuit designing. Here, a unique approach for the designing of voltage tunable current differencing transconductance amplifier (CDTA) is reported for the realization of Kerwin–Huelsman–Newcomb (KHN) filter. The proposed design has been simulated by using Cadence Virtuoso simulation tool with 0.18 [Formula: see text]m technology parameters. This design is based on input voltage-based gain and frequency of operation tuning approach. In this reported design of filter, cutoff frequency can be tailored by input voltage instead of input current. This relaxes the need for the iterative circuit modifications to work in a particular frequency range. Thus, the reported CDTA design is expected to be robust and offers higher design flexibility as there is now no need of iterative designing and calibration in this approach. This also exhibits retained area requirement as per the current state of the art for the KHN filters. Further, the performance of designed CDTA-based KHN filter has also been verified with the existing KHN filters.

T Cell Defects and Immunotherapy in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

In the past few years, independent studies have highlighted the relevance of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in cancer, revealing a great variety of TME-related predictive markers, as well as identifying novel therapeutic targets in the TME. Cancer immunotherapy targets different components of the immune system and the TME at large in order to reinforce effector mechanisms or relieve inhibitory and suppressive signaling. Currently, it constitutes a clinically validated treatment for many cancers, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), an incurable malignancy of mature B lymphocytes with great dependency on microenvironmental signals. Although immunotherapy represents a promising therapeutic option with encouraging results in CLL, the dysfunctional T cell compartment remains a major obstacle in such approaches. In the scope of this review, we outline the current immunotherapeutic treatment options in CLL in the light of recent immunogenetic and functional evidence of T cell impairment. We also highlight possible approaches for overcoming T cell defects and invigorating potent anti-tumor immune responses that would enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Microzoning Tsunami Hazard by Combining Flow Depths and Arrival Times

Tsunami hazard is typically assessed from inundation flow depths estimated from one or many earthquake scenarios. However, information about the exact time when such inundation occurs is seldom considered, yet it is crucial for pedestrian evacuation planning. Here, we propose an approach to estimating tsunami hazard by combining tsunami flow depths and arrival times to produce a nine-level, qualitative hazard scale that is translated into a simple tsunami hazard map. To do this, one of the most populated regions of the coast of Chile is considered as the sample site, using a large set of 2,800 tsunamigenic sources from earthquakes with magnitudes in the range Mw8.6−9.2, modeled from generation to inundation at high resolution. Main outcomes show great dependency of the hazard categorization on the tsunami time arrival, and less to the flow depths. Also, these results demonstrate that incorporating different sources of variability such as different earthquake magnitudes and locations as well as stochastic slip distributions is essential. Moreover, this proof-of-concept exercise clearly shows that the qualitative hybrid categorization of the tsunami hazard allows for its more effective understanding, which can be beneficial for designing mitigation strategies such as evacuation planning, and its management.

Model of Aeration Tank for Activated Sludge Process

Background and Objective: A model for the activated sludge aeration reactor is developed to study the effect of operating conditions on biodegradable organic pollutants treatment. Methods: The model was developed and fitted using an experimental study conducted for wastewater collected from meat processing industrial units in Egypt. Inlet biomass and substrate concentrations are the operating parameters considered in our study. Results: After treatment; biomass outlet concentration was reduced substantially. After reaching steady-state operation, outlet biomass concentration was not affected by the inlet biomass concentration, while outlet substrate concentration showed great dependency on the inlet substrate concentration. The model agrees well with the experimental data collected from an industrial activated sludge treatment unit. Conclusion: By varying process parameters, the model can be used effectively to predict and optimize the system behavior under different operating conditions. Varying the substrate concentration may lead to optimizing the process conditions for the system under study.

Glycerol gelatin for 3D-printing of implants using a paste extrusion technique

Fused deposition modeling as an additive manufacturing technique has gained great popularity for the fabrication of medical devices as well as pharmaceutical dosage forms over the last years. Particularly the variety of geometries that can be printed determines the attractiveness of this technique enabling a shape adaption of e.g. implants. In the presented work the soft hydrogel material glycerol gelatin was investigated towards its applicability in 3D-printing as an alternative to the commonly applied and mostly rigid polyesters. Model implants loaded with the model drug quinine and with the shape of a hollow cylinder were printed via an extrusion based technique utilizing the piston feed in a hydrogel filled heatable syringe. Glycerol gelatin hydrogels need to be crosslinked to avoid gel-sol-transition at body temperature. For this purpose three different crosslinking methods (insertion, dipping, spraying) with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) were evaluated regarding their crosslinking efficiency and drug losses during the crosslinking process. Dipping of the implant into an aqueous solution with at least 50 mM EDC and 10 mM NHS was found to be the most efficient crosslinking technique in conjunction with a smaller drug loss during processing compared to inserting. However, the use of hydrogels also causes problems as an intense and highly variable swelling of the printed structures during crosslinking (120.7 % ± 11.9 % for 10 times dipping in 50mM EDC/10 mM NHS) and a great dependency of the volume on storage conditions complicate the preparation of tailor-made implants. The release of the model drug quinine from printed and crosslinked implants was fast and nearly completed within 6 hours.

Measurement on Strain Rate Sensitivity Properties of Rice Husk (Rh)/Linear Low Density Polyethylene (Lldpe) Composites under Various Loading Rates

In this study, LLDPE/RH composites were tested under various strain rate loadings (0.001/s, 0.01/s and 0.1/s) using the universal testing machine. Static compression properties of LLDPE/RH composites with different filler contents of 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%,20 wt% and, 30 wt% RH were investigated. Results show that the yield stress, ultimate compressive strength and the rigidity properties of LLDPE/RH composites were strongly affected by both filler contents and strain rate loadings. Apart from that, the rate of sensitivity of LLDPE/RH show great dependency towards applied strain rate, where it was increased with increasing strain rates. Unfortunately, the thermal activation values show contrary trend. Visually, from the post damage analysis, the results show that applied strain rates affected the deformation behavior of tested LLDPE/RH composites.

Wet flue gas desulfurization using alkaline agents

The continued great dependency on fossil fuels entails increasing SO

DIFERENCIAS POR GÉNERO EN EL EMPRENDIMIENTO EMPRESARIAL COSTARRICENSE. (Gender differences in the costa rican entrepreneurial environment)

<p>El Observatorio de Mipymes realizó el Segundo estudio nacional de micros, pequeñas y medianas empresas (mipymes) costarricenses durante el 2011, por medio de una encuesta aplicada a 1167 mipymes. En este trabajo se obtienen resultados desglosados por género para algunas variables principales indagadas en dicho estudio, las cuales permiten identificar características de las personas propietarias de estas empresas y las condiciones en que emprendieron sus negocios. Con el propósito de comprobar si las diferencias observadas son significativas, se aplicaron las pruebas correspondientes. Los resultados muestran que la participación femenina en el parque empresarial mipymes costarricense es muy baja y está limitada principalmente a las microempresas. Además, se verifican diferencias por género estadísticamente significativas que develan mayores dificultades para las mujeres en aspectos tales como: falta de experiencia en el sector empresarial, menor conocimiento del negocio, falta de recursos para emprender en forma individual y mayor dependencia respecto a los ingresos de la empresa.</p><p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p>The SME Observatory developed the Second National Survey of micro, small and medium sized Costa Rican companies (SMEs) during 2011 using survey answers from 1167 SMEs. This work generated gender classified data for a few of the variables examined that led to the identification of characteristics for female business owners, and the limitations in which they developed their businesses. Tests for the validation of significant differences observed were applied. Results show that female participation in the Costa Rican SME population is very low and limited to micro enterprises only. Besides, statistically different gender differences revealed greater difficulties for women in areas like the lack of entrepreneurial experience, lesser knowledge of the business, lack of resources for individual entrepreneurship and a great dependency from the company’s revenue.</p>

A Specialized Medical Center for the Treatment of Drug Abuse and Alcoholism

The tragic Lebanese war created among the population a great dependency on drugs, alcohol and tranquilizers. In an increasingly violent environment, personality disorders, varied types of depression, anguish, fatigue and insomnia led to an abusive and pathological automedication.