Design and implementation of efficient QCA full-adders using fault-tolerant majority gates

The Journal of Supercomputing - CMOS technology is facing physical limitations in scaling the manufacturing process. Therefore, to deepen the development of better designs in a smaller area, it is...     

What is "special" about face perception?

There is growing evidence that face recognition is "special" but less certainty concerning the way in which it is special. The authors review and compare previous proposals and their own more recent hypothesis, that faces are recognized "holistically" (i.e., using relatively less part decomposition than other types of objects). This hypothesis, which can account for a variety of data from experiments on face memory, was tested with 4 new experiments on face perception. A selective attention paradigm and a masking paradigm were used to compare the perception of faces with the perception of inverted faces, words, and houses. Evidence was found of relatively less part-based shape representation for faces. The literatures on machine vision and single unit recording in monkey temporal cortex are also reviewed for converging evidence on face representation. The neuropsychological literature is reviewed for-evidence on the question of whether face representation differs in degree or kind from the representation of other types of objects.     

Fractional-Fourier-transform calculation through the fast-Fourier-transform algorithm

A method for the calculation of the fractional Fourier transform (FRT) by means of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is presented. The process involves mainly two FFT's in cascade; thus the process has the same complexity as this algorithm. The method is valid for fractional orders varying from -1 to 1. Scaling factors for the FRT and Fresnel diffraction when calculated through the FFT are discussed.     

Excess volumes and excess viscosities of binary mixtures of some cyclic ethers + bromocyclohexane at 298.15 and 313.15 K

Excess Volumes,V ^E, and excess viscosities, ^E, at 293.15 and 313.15 K are reported for binary mixtures of some cyclic ethers (tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran and 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran) + bromocyclohexane. These properties were obtained from density and viscosity measurements. ^E and ^E show negatives values for all the mixtures.     

Endoscopic sclerotherapy is useful in Dieulafoy''s disease

1.5% Capsaicin (Cap) or Vehicle was respectively used to treat the right or left sciatic nerve in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats. On the seventh day, the 20 rats were at random divided into electroacupuncture (EA) group and non-EA group, the spinal cord corresponding to the afferent segments of sciatic nerve was taken out for observing the changes of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and [3H]-quinuelidinylbenzylate (QNB) binding sites in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH). The results were as follows: (1) EA "Huantiao" could enhance AChE activity in the SDH and decrease [3H]-QNB binding sites; (2) Cap treating sciatice nerve could weaken AChE activity in the SDH and merease [3H]-QNB binding sites; (3) Cap treatment could inhibit or partially inhibit the actions of EA as above. The results indicated that ACh participated in the primary afferent of acupuncture information and might exist in Cap-sensitive neurons.     

Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy

BACKGROUND: Clinical manifestations and course of sickle-cell anemia are variable. Knowledge about the factors, possibly geographic, that influence prognosis are still scanty. POPULATION AND METHODS: Data of hospitalization and management of children with sickle-cell disease were studied during two years (1992-1993) in the Pediatric Unit of Libreville Hospital. They concerned 205 admissions of 171 children and 131 outpatients. RESULTS: The main causes of hospitalization were: acute anemia (36 cases before the age of 5 years); painful crisis whose frequency increased with age (23% before 5 years, 35% between 5 and 10, 42% after 10 years); infections, essentially pulmonary occurring early, and bone infections at any age. Eight children died (because a complication of their disease). Among the 131 outpatients, half were detected because pyrexia, anemia and/or more often "hand-foot syndrome". More than 60% had hepatomegaly, one third still had splenomegaly after five years of age and more than one third was icteric. More than half children older than ten years had growth disorders. Mean hemoglobin level was 7 g/dL. 21 of the 83 tested children for HBsAg were positive and only one out of 79 was positive for HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical manifestations and course of sickle-cell anemia in our patients are similar to those reported in Congolese children. Genetic and environmental factors may be responsible for differences with children from other, in particular French, cohorts.     

Diseases of the digestive system and a system for patient classification: diagnostic-related groups (DRG)

In the last years different classification systems for hospitalized patients have been developed in the United States, that allow to evaluate different aspects of any Hospital: The quality, the efficacy and the efficiency. The classification of "The Diagnosis Related Groups" (DRG) relates the hospitalized patients with the expenses that they generate, and it is the most used in Europe. In the version DRG-All Patient, all the diagnoses and procedures of the hospitalized patients, using the International Classification of Diseases, are divided in to 25 Major Diagnostic Categories (MDC) where each one excludes all the others. We describe the behavior with respect to the age, sex and stay of all the GDR integrated in the CDM 6 and 7: diseases and disorders of the digestive tract, and diseases and disorders of the hepatobiliary system and the pancreas. The study has been carried out with a national data base of two millions of cases seen from 214 acute-care Hospitals. The MDC number 6 is the most frequent, with an important number of patients in the pediatric age; it is more frequent in males; the average stay is 8.59 days and 19 GDR (36.5%) have a variation coefficient greater than one. The other MDC, number 7 is less frequent, the majority of the patients are between 60-80 years of age, the average stay is 12.2 days with a coefficient of variation greater than one in 4 GDR (17.4%). Clinical Services should know the characteristics and behavior of their patients, as well as the comparison with the national data bases. This may allow a control of the quality and the costs by using a common "language" with the managers.