Audio-visual interaction in multimodal communication

Multimedia signal processing is more than simply “putting together” text, audio, images, and video. It is the integration and interaction among these different media that creates new systems and new research challenges and opportunities. In multimodal communication where speech is involved, audio-visual interaction is particularly significant     

Evaluation of capital cost data. part 7: Liquid waste disposal with emphasis on physical treatment

Capital cost correlations are given for oil-water separators, equalization basins, primary clarifiers, clarifiers and clarifier mechanisms, reverse osmosis unit, ultrafiltration units, gravity filters and miroscreens. Data are included for raw sewage, intermediate and recirculation pumping stations and for preliminary treatment (or bar screens, grit removal, overflow and bypass chamber and Parshall flume), for grit removal, comminution and gas stripping. The correlations are accurate to ± 30%, expressed in Canadian dollars and adjusted to a Marshall and Swift value of 1000. Details as to what components are included in the cost are given. Data are given for the labour and material costs to create a working process module. For inflation indices, a critique of the Engineering News Record, EPA small city, Marshall and Swift, Chemical Engineering and Southam inflation indices suggested that the Marshall and Swift index is most appropriate for the construction and process equipment studied here. Concerning the currency exchange, for the equipment and processes in this study, equipment costs the same whether expressed directly in US or Canadian dollars. To put the current data into perspective, several hundred sources of cost data were analyzed. The major correlations are compared, on a consistent basis, with current data.     

The accuracy of mothers'' reports of child vaccination: evidence from rural Egypt

Accumulating evidence suggests that angiotensin-(1-7)(Ang-(1-7)) is an important component of the renin-angiotensin system and that the actions of the peptide may either contribute to or oppose those of Ang II. Ang-(1-7) can be converted directly from Ang I bypassing prerequisite formation of Ang II. Formation of Ang-(1-7) is under the control of at least three endopeptidases depending on the tissue compartment and include neprilysin, thimet oligopeptidase and prolyl oligopeptidase. Both neprilysin and thimet oligopeptidase are also involved in the metabolism of bradykinin and the atrial natriuretic peptide. Moreover, recent studies suggest that in addition to Ang I and bradykinin, Ang-(1-7) is an endogenous substrate for angiotensin converting enzyme. These enzymatic pathways may contribute to a complex relationship between the hypertensive actions of Ang II and various vasodepressor peptides from either the renin-angiotensin system or other peptide systems. Ang-(1-7) is devoid of the vasoconstrictor, central pressor, or thirst-stimulating actions associated with Ang II. In fact, new findings reveal depressor, vasodilator, and antihypertensive actions that may be more apparent in hypertensive animals or humans. Thus, Ang-(1-7) may oppose the actions of Ang II directly or as a result of increasing prostaglandins or nitric oxide. In this review, we examine the mechanisms by which Ang-(1-7) may contribute to cardiovascular regulation.     

An unconditionally stable two-stage CMOS amplifier

This paper describes a two-stage CMOS amplifier that is stable for any capacitive load. This is achieved through the use of an optimized cascoded compensation topology. A new level shifting technique allows independent optimization of drive capability, noise and systematic offset voltage. The circuit is 0.1 mm² in a 2 μm technology and has a quiescent current consumption of 110 μA     

In-utero transplantation of parental CD34 haematopoietic progenitor cells in a patient with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCIDXI)

BACKGROUND: X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCIDXI) is an inherited immune defect which leads to death in infancy from severe infections. The defect is caused by mutations of the IL-2RG gene that encodes for the common gamma chain shared by several cytokine receptors. The disease is characterised by lack of T and NK cells with normal numbers of B cells. SCIDXI can be cured by bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or prevented by abortion after prenatal diagnosis. METHODS: A male fetus was diagnosed as having SCIDXI by molecular, immunophenotypic, and functional analyses. The fetus was injected intraperitoneally under ultrasound guidance with CD34 haematopoietic progenitor cells purified from paternal bone marrow and T-cell depleted by E rosetting. Chimerism analysis was by HLA-DQ alpha typing and gamma-chain staining on cord blood. FINDINGS: A healthy 3.6 kg boy was delivered by caesarean section at 38 weeks of gestation with no clinical or laboratory signs of graft-versus-host disease. Engraftment of donor-derived CD2 cells was found at birth. At 3.5 months of age the infant is well and his T-cell counts and function are normal. INTERPRETATION: In-utero transplantation of haematopoietic progenitor cells allowed immune reconstitution of a fetus with SCIDXI and may be an alternative to elective abortion. Our report should encourage applications of this method to other inherited disorders curable by BMT.     

Modelling diffusion-controlled kinetics in equilibrium and driven alloys

Summary We introduce a very simple model for thermally activated atomic migration on a lattice, and several techniques to handle it. For thermodynamical systems, the model can be used for simulating decomposition paths taking into account relevant metallurgical features. Close to equilibrium, the simplest mean-field approximation of the model can be linearized with respect to the departure from equilibrium; one then gets a microscopic interpretation of classical phenomenological coefficients, such as mobility, interfacial transfer coefficient, rate constants for the coupled relaxation of concentration and order fields. Further away from the equilibrium, the nonlinearities can be taken into account in a consistent way. For driven alloys, i.e. alloys submitted to external forcing, forced atomic migration is added to the model and new features emerge: the model is supported by several experimental results some of which confirmed its predictions a posteriori.     

A model for the seismic reliability assessment of electric power transmission systems

A comprehensive model to evaluate the seismic reliability of electric power transmission systems is presented. The model provides information on the probability of structural failure of critical equipment at the major substations, from which the corresponding probabilities of power disruption to a given service area are determined. With the proposed methodology earthquake ground motions are defined as stochastic processes, and seismic capacities of electrical equipment are determined on the basis of available test data and simple modeling, from which fragility functions of critical equipment and specific substations are developed. Probabilities of power disruption resulting from network disconnectivity and abnormal power flow are assessed through Monte Carlo simulation. As a case study, the proposed model is applied to the electric power network in San Francisco and vicinity under the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and the probabilities of power interruption are contrasted with the actual power failures observed during that earthquake.     

Digital implementation of bus clamped space vector modulation

Space vector modulation has recently become a popular PWM method of supplying a high performance drive. An adaptation of SVM modulation is presented here. This system is called bus clamped space vector modulation. This method has some practical advantages when compared to normal SVM. These include a reduced average switching frequency, easy digital implementation and asynchronous control and switching frequencies