Low-Voltage Linearly Tunable CMOS Transconductor With Common-Mode Feedforward

This paper presents a new low-voltage pseudodifferential continuous-time CMOS transconductor for wide-band applications. The proposed cell is based on a feedforward cancellation of the input common-mode signal and keeps the input common mode voltage constant, while the transconductance is easily tunable through a continuous bias voltage. Linearity is preserved during the tuning process for a moderate range of transconductance values. Measurements results for a 0.35-m CMOS design show a 1:2 tuning range with total harmonic distortion figures at 10 MHz below 58 dB over the whole range up to a 200- differential output current. The proposed cell consumes less than 1.1 mW from a single 1.8-V supply.     

Allogeneic transplantation of selected CD34+ cells from peripheral blood: experience of 62 cases using immunoadsorption or immunomagnetic technique. Spanish Group of Allo-PBT

Disruption of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a primary stabilizer of the knee, can produce disability. The purpose of our work has been to study the normal ACL in humans, in the presence of normal muscle function and body weight, and develop clinical criteria for reconstruction, establish a basis for rehabilitation programs, and evaluate how knee braces protect this important ligament. The strain behavior of the ACL has been measured by arthroscopic implantation of the Differential Variable Reluctance Transducer while subjects are under local anesthesia. Movement of the knee from a flexed to an extended position, either passively or through contraction of the leg muscles, produces an increase in ACL strain values. Isolated contraction of the dominant quadriceps with the knee between 50 degrees and extension creates substantial increases in strain. In contrast, isolated contraction of the hamstrings at any knee position does not increase strain. With the knee un-weighted, the protective strain shielding effect of a functional knee brace decreases as the magnitude of anterior shear load applied to the tibia increases. A different behavior occurs during weight bearing, the strain shielding effect of the brace remains constant as the magnitude of anterior load increases. Our approach is novel in that it can be used to measure on important portion of the ACLs strain distribution while clinically relevant loads are applied to the knee, subjects perform rehabilitation exercises, or in the presence of different orthoses such as functional knee braces.     

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of a new series of benzimidazoles as H1-antihistaminic agents

New 2-(4-(4-azolylbutyl)piperazinyl)-, 2-(4-(4-azolylbutyl) piperazinylmethyl)-, 2-(4-(-azolylbutyl)homopiperazinyl)- and 2-(4-(4-azolylbutyl)homopiperazinylmethyl)benzimidazoles were synthesized, characterized and tested for in vitro and in vivo H1-antihistaminic activity. Structure-activity relationships implied that the best antihistaminic activity required the simultaneous presence of a homopiperazinylbenzimidazole system (or a methylene linker between the benzimidazole and the piperazine rings) and an unsubstituted pyrazole ring. 1-(2-Ethoxyethyl)-2-?4-[4-(pyrazol-1-yl)butyl] homopiperazin-1-yl?benzimidazole (17), as its dimaleate salt, has been chosen for further development.     

Tissue distribution, regulation and intracellular localization of murine CD1 molecules

CD1 molecules are MHC-unlinked class Ib molecules consisting of classical (human CD 1a-c) and non-classical subsets (human CD1d and murine CD1). The characterization of non-classical subsets of CD1 is limited due to the lack of reagents. In this study, we have generated two new anti-mouse CD1 monoclonal antibodies, 3H3 and 5C6, by immunization of hamsters with purified CD1 protein. These antibodies recognize CD1-transfected cells and have no reactivity to cells isolated from CD1-/- mice. Both antibodies precipitate the 52 kDa heavy chain and 12 kDa beta2m from thymocytes and splenocytes by radio-immunoprecipitation. Deglycosylation of CD1 reduces molecular mass of the heavy chain by 7.5 kDa, which can be detected by 3H3 but not 5C6. 3H3 and 5C6 detect surface CD1 expression on cells from the thymus, spleen, lymph node and bone marrow, but not on intestinal epithelial cells. Developmentally, CD1 is expressed on thymocytes prior to TCR rearrangement and remains constant throughout thymic development. CD1 is expressed early in the fetal liver (day 14) and remains expressed in hepatocytes postnatally. These data support evidence of a role for CD1 in the selection and/or expansion of NK1- T cells of both thymic origin and extrathymic origin. Unlike classical class I molecules, murine CD1 levels are not affected by IFN-gamma, but like human CD1b can be up-regulated by IL-4 and GM-CSF although only moderately. Similar to human CD1b, murine CD1 is found by immunofluorescence microscopy on the cell surface, and in various intracellular vesicles, including early and late endosomes. Localization in endocytic compartments indicates that murine CD1 may be capable of binding endocytosed antigens.     

Testing the bivariate distribution of daily equity returns using copulas. An application to the Spanish stock market

The problem of the identification of dependencies between time series of equity returns is analyzed. Marginal distribution functions are assumed to be known, and a bivariate chi-square test of fit is applied in a fully parametric copula approach. Several marginal models and families of copulas are fitted and compared with Spanish stock market data. The results show the difficulty in adjusting the bivariate distribution of raw returns, and highlight the effect of a GARCH filtering in the selection of the best fitting copula.     

Busulfan and melphalan as conditioning regimen for autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma

Twenty-four patients with multiple myeloma (MM), three (12.5%) in complete remission (CR) and 21 (87.5%) in partial remission (PR) were treated with high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) (busulfan 12 mg/kg+melphalan 140 mg/m2) as preparative regimen for autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation. These cells were previously collected by leukapheresis after mobilization by high-dose cyclophosphamide (HD Cy)+rhGM-CSF (18 patients) or rhG-CSF alone (six patients). Considering 23 evaluable patients following HDCT, the CR rate was 58% (14 patients) and the PR rate was 38% (nine patients). One transplant-related death occurred following this regimen (4%). With a median follow-up of 20 months (range 4-34) after transplantation, 21 patients are alive (87%). Disease progression after transplantation was observed in four patients. Overall and relapse-free actuarial survival at 24 months was 91% and 74%, respectively. 12 patients (50%) remain in CR 15 months (4-34) post transplant. The major toxicity was mucositis. Busulfan+melphalan is a safe and feasible conditioning regimen for APBSCT in MM with acceptable toxicity and a high objective response rate, which may result in prolonged survival.     

Broadband linearly tunable CMOS transconductor

A 2.2-V positive variable CMOS transconductor designed in a low-cost 0.35 μm CMOS digital process intended for wideband applications is presented. The cell achieves in worst cases 1.5 mS, 2 GHz and a total noise contribution of 1.45 μA_rms. The circuit presents high linearity, thanks to the use of the parallel connection between two NMOS transistors, one working in the saturation region and the other in the triode region. Models for different key responses are provided and compared with simulation results.     

Prioritization of rehabilitation interventions for urban water assets using multiple criteria decision-aid methods

The aim of this paper is to compare sorting and ranking methods for prioritization of rehabilitation interventions of sewers, taking into account risk, performance and cost. For that purpose multiple criteria decision-aid (MCDA) methods such as ELECTRE TRI for sorting and ELECTRE III for ranking are applied in a real case-study and the results obtained are compared. The case study is a small sanitary sewer system from a Portuguese utility located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. The problem to investigate is the prioritization of the sewer candidates for rehabilitation. The decision maker (a panel group of specialists) has chosen five assessment measures: water level and maximum flow velocity (hydraulic performance indices), sewer importance and failure repair cost (collapse-related consequences of failure) and the risk of collapse. The results show that the outcomes from ELECTRE III are easier to understand than those from ELECTRE TRI method. Two different sets of weights were used, and the sorting and ranking results from both methods were found to be sensitive to them. ELECTRE TRI method is not straightforward as it involves technical parameters that are difficult to define, such as reference profiles and cut levels.