A single-power-supply 10-b video BiCMOS sample-and-hold IC

A +5-V single-power-supply 10-b video BiCMOS sample-and-hold IC is described. Video speed, low power, and 10-b accuracy sample-and-hold operation have been achieved using a complementary connected buffer format sample switch. A high-speed p-n-p transistor used in the sample switch is formed by a combination of n-p-n and PMOS transistors. The sample-and-hold operation is accomplished by feeding back the hold capacitor voltage to the sample switch inputs, so that the inputs transfer symmetrically for the hold capacitor voltage at any input level. The sample-and-hold IC has been implemented in 1.2-μm BiCMOS technology and evaluated. The following results have been obtained: 185-MHz 3-dB bandwidth at 22-pF hold capacitor, 63-dB signal-to-noise ratio at 8-MHz full-scale input, 20-ns acquisition time at 1-V step input, 15-ns switch setting time, and 0.1% linearity error. Power dissipation is 150 mW     

Looking across communicative genres: a call for inclusive indicators of interdisciplinarity

Disciplines vary in the types of communicative genres they use to disseminate knowledge and citing patterns used within these genres. However, citation analyses have predominately relied on the references and citations of one type of communicative genre. It is argued that this is particularly problematic for studies of interdisciplinarity, where analyses bias the disciplines that communicate using the genre under investigation. This may lead to inaccurate or incomplete results in terms of fully understanding the interrelationships between disciplines. This study analyzes a set of 15,870 references from 97 LIS dissertations, in order to demonstrate the difference in discipline and author rankings, based on the genre under investigation. This work encourages future work that takes into account multiple citing and cited works, especially where indicators of interdisciplinarity are used for the allocation of resources or ranking of scholars.     

AE behaviors evaluation with bp neural network

This paper reports our experiment on training a three layer forwards neural network with backpropagation algorithm (BP) to memorise acoustic emission (AE) behaviors of magnesium alloy during fatigue test process and perform the mapping from AE behaviors to fatigue crack propagation. This study reveals the potential possibility of using artificial neural networks for automated AE testing. Simulation results are very encouraging and conclusively in favor of this attempt.     

A proteinase inhibitor from egg yolk of hen is an ovoinhibitor analog

Visual presentation of an object produces firing patterns in cell assemblies representing the features of the object. Based on theoretical considerations and animal experiments, it has been suggested that the binding of neuronal representations of the various features is achieved through synchronization of the oscillatory firing patterns. The present study demonstrates that stimulus-induced gamma-band responses can be recorded non-invasively from human subjects attending to a single moving bar. This finding indicates the synchronization of oscillatory activity in a large group of cortical neurons. Gamma-band responses were not as apparent in the presence of two independently moving stimuli, suggesting that the neuronal activity patterns of different objects are not synchronized. These results open a new paradigm for investigating the mechanisms of feature binding and association building in relation to subjective perception.     

Neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions in gastrointestinal diseases

The adherence of neutrophils to the endothelium is a crucial early event in the inflammatory and immunological reaction. Neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions are known to be mediated by adhesion molecules that are expressed on each cell. Among the adhesion molecules expressed on leukocytes, the CD11/CD18 integrin family plays a major role in the adhesion and transendothelial migration of neutrophils. The two most extensively characterized endothelial cell adhesion molecules are intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin. These adhesion molecules are involved in the pathogenesis of several digestive diseases such as Helicobacter pylori, non steroidal anti inflammatory drug- or stress-induced gastric mucosal injury, inflammatory bowel diseases.     

Evaluation of poly(vinyl alcohol)-gel spheres containing chitosan as dosage form to control gastrointestinal transit time of drugs

Two types of poly(vinyl alcohol)-gel spheres were prepared with chitosan (CS/PVA-GS) and without chitosan (PVA-GS), and comparative studies were performed using these gel spheres (GSs). No change in particle size was observed by the addition of chitosan: nearly 45% of both particles were in the 5-10 microm range. In an in vivo gastrointestinal transit test, CS/PVA-GS prolonged the small-intestinal transit time more than PVA-GS. In an in vitro intestinal perfusion study, the mean transit time of these GSs was markedly reduced by pretreatment of the intestinal surface with a mucolytic agent, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, suggesting that the mucous layer on the intestinal surface plays an important role in controlling the transit rate of these GSs. The oral administration of aminophylline (theophylline) and ampicillin as model drugs incorporated in PVA-GS and CS/PVA-GS was examined in rats. While theophylline absorption from PVA-GS was not affected by the addition of chitosan, the improvement of ampicillin absorption by PVA-GS was enhanced by the chitosan combination.     

A case of spontaneous hemopneumothorax occurred after thoracic drainage

A 21-year-old man; complaining of left chest pain and dyspnea, was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax. Though chest X-ray on admission did not show hemothorax, chest drainage revealed intrapleural bleeding. As chest X-ray on the following day showed evident fluid level, emergency operation was carried out with a diagnosis of spontaneous hemopneumothorax. Bleeding point was a ruptured vessel between parietal pleura and bulla in apex of lung. The bulla was resected following hemostasis. After improvement of complicating postoperative re-expansive pulmonary edema, the patient was discharged on the 18th postoperative day. On treatment of spontaneous hemopneumothorax, existence of such a case as ours should be taken into account.