Realization of Low-Voltage Modified CBTA and Design of Cascadable Current-Mode All-Pass Filter

In this paper, a low voltage modified current backward transconductance amplifier (MCBTA) and a novel first-order current-mode (CM) all-pass filter are presented. The MCBTA can operate with ±0.9 V supply voltage and the total power consumption of MCBTA is 1.27 mW. The presented all-pass filter employs single MCBTA, a grounded resistor and a grounded capacitor. The circuit possesses low input and high output impedances which make it ideal for current-mode systems. The presented all-pass filter circuit can be made electronically tunable due to the bias current of the MCBTA. Non-ideal study along with simulation results are given for validation purpose. Further, an nth-order cascadable all-pass filter is also presented. It uses n MCBTAs, n grounded resistors and n grounded capacitors. The performance of the proposed circuits is demonstrated by using PSPICE simulations based on the 0.18 µm TSMC level-7 CMOS technology parameters

Current and Voltage Mode Multiphase Sinusoidal Oscillators Using CBTAs

Current-mode (CM) and voltage-mode (VM) multiphase sinusoidal oscillator (MSO) structures using current backward transconductance amplifier (CBTA) are proposed. The proposed oscillators can generate n current or voltage signals (n being even or odd) equally spaced in phase. n+1 CBTAs, n grounded capacitors and a grounded resistor are used for nth-state oscillator. The oscillation frequency can be independently controlled through transconductance (gm) of the CBTAs which are adjustable via their bias currents. The effects caused by the non-ideality of the CBTA on the oscillation frequency and condition have been analyzed. The performance of the proposed circuits is demonstrated on third-stage and fifth-stage MSOs by using PSPICE simulations based on the 0.25 µm TSMC level-7 CMOS technology parameters

Talent and student private rented sector bottlenecks: a preliminary UK investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to sketch the UK housing backdrop, review the student private rented sector (PRS) and assess the experience of post-graduate university student tenants in the PRS. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review puts the issues of student-PRS responsiveness into context and helps to untangle some UK housing issues. The private sector’s size, growth and performance is assessed by reviewing secondary data. In-depth interviews were then conducted at a regional university campus. Findings – The study confirms accumulating evidence of an unbalanced UK housing market. The study identified four main PRS issues: first, rapid university expansion without accompanying residential construction has sparked rampant PRS growth with, second, quality issues, third, in tight letting market conditions, rented agent service levels fell and fourth, part of the problem is complex PRS management procedures. Research limitations/implications – The research has three noteworthy limitations. First, the macroeconomic analysis integrated secondary research without independent modelling. Second, the views of letting agents, university property managers, planning officers or landlords were not canvassed. Finally, the pilot interviews were geographically restricted. Practical implications – When they expand, universities, local authorities and industry players need to give due consideration to plan for, design and develop quality student accommodation. Over-reliance on the PRS without informed oversight and coordination could undermine student experience and erode long-term UK competitiveness. Social implications – The lack of quality student rented accommodation mirrors a general housing malaise around affordability, polarisation and sustainable “dwelling”. Standards and professionalism in the rented sector is part of the overall quality mix to attract global talent. Originality/value – The preliminary investigation uses mixed-methods to investigate PRS service delivery. It illustrates the interplay between professional property management and wider issues of metropolitan productivity, sustainability and resilience

Comparison of mathematical models and artificial neural networks for prediction of drying kinetics of mushroom in microwave vacuum dryer

Drying characteristics of button mushroom slices were determined using microwave vacuum drier at various powers (130, 260, 380, 450 W) and absolute pressures (200, 400, 600, 800 mbar). To select a suitable mathematical model, 6 thin-layer drying models were fitted to the experimental data. The fitting rates of models were assessed based on three parameters; highest R2, lowest chi square () and root mean square error (RMSE). In addition, using the experimental data, an ANN trained by standard back-propagation algorithm, was developed in order to predict moisture ratio (MR) and drying rate (DR) values based on the three input variables (drying time, absolute pressure, microwave power). Different activation functions and several rules were used to assess percentage error between the desired and the predicted values. According to our findings, Midilli et al. model showed a reasonable fitting with experimental data. While, the ANN model showed its high capability to predict the MR and DR quite well with determination coefficients (R2) of 0.9991, 0.9995 and 0.9996 for training, validation and testing, respectively. Furthermore, their predictions Mean Square Error were 0.00086, 0.00042 and 0.00052, respectively

A model-based comparison of three theories of audiovisual temporal recalibration

Observers change their audio-visual timing judgements after exposure to asynchronous audiovisual signals. The mechanism underlying this temporal recalibration is currently debated. Three broad explanations have been suggested. According to the first, the time it takes for sensory signals to propagate through the brain has changed. The second explanation suggests that decisional criteria used to interpret signal timing have changed, but not time perception itself. A final possibility is that a population of neurones collectively encode relative times, and that exposure to a repeated timing relationship alters the balance of responses in this population. Here, we simplified each of these explanations to its core features in order to produce three corresponding six-parameter models, which generate contrasting patterns of predictions about how simultaneity judgements should vary across four adaptation conditions: No adaptation, synchronous adaptation, and auditory leading/lagging adaptation. We tested model predictions by fitting data from all four conditions simultaneously, in order to assess which model/explanation best described the complete pattern of results. The latency-shift and criterion-change models were better able to explain results for our sample as a whole. The population-code model did, however, account for improved performance following adaptation to a synchronous adapter, and best described the results of a subset of observers who reported least instances of synchrony

In vivo evaluation of the combination effect of near-infrared laser and 5-fluorouracil-loaded PLGA-coated magnetite nanographene oxide

Magnetite nanographene oxide has exhibited great potential in drug delivery and photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer treatment. Here we developed 5-fluorouracil-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)-coated magnetite nanographene oxide (NGO-SPION-PLGA-5-Fu) to simplify combined PTT and chemotherapy in one complex. The nanocarrier was synthesized using a modified O1/W1/O2/W2 multiple emulsion solvent evaporation method and was characterized for size, zeta potential, drug loading, in vitro and in vivo release. In this paper, in vivo suppression effect of PTT and chemotherapy using this synthesized magnetite nanographene oxide was studied. The in vitro release of 5-Fu from nanoparticles showed that 41.36 of the drug was released within 24�h. In vivo release showed that 5-Fu has a sustained release profile and prolonged lifetime in the rabbit plasma. Remarkably, a single injection of NGO-SPION-PLGA-5-Fu and 808�nm near-infrared laser (NIR) irradiation for 3�min effectively suppressed the growth of tumours compared with 5-Fu alone (p�<�.01). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed that the magnetic nanographene oxide was effectively targeted to the tumour site. Therefore, NGO-SPION-PLGA-5-Fu showed excellent PTT efficacy, magnetic targeting property, and MRI ability, indicating that there is a great potential of NGO-SPION-PLGA-5-Fu for cancer theranostic applications. © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Grou

The first report of the genus and species of Florithrips traegardhi (Thysa.: Thripidae) from Iran

A faunistic study of the order Thysanoptera was conducted in cereal crop fields of the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan during 2007-2009. The species Florithrips traegardhi (Trybom) was collected from various grasses including corn, rice and wheat and later found its genus and species are new records for Iran

Two Decades of Global Progress in Authorized Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products: An Emerging Revolution in Therapeutic Strategies

The introduction of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to the global pharma market has been revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry and has opened new routes for treating various types of cancers and incurable diseases. In the past two decades, a noticeable part of clinical practices has been devoting progressively to these products. The first step to develop such an ATMP product is to be familiar with other approved products to obtain a general view about this industry trend. The present paper depicts an overall perspective of approved ATMPs in different countries, while reflecting the degree of their success in a clinical point of view and highlighting their main safety issues and also related market size as a whole. In this regard, published articles regarding safety, efficacy, and market size of approved ATMPs were reviewed using the search engines PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. For some products which the related papers were not available, data on the relevant company website were referenced. In this descriptive study, we have introduced and classified approved cell, gene, and tissue engineering-based products by different regulatory agencies, along with their characteristics, manufacturer, indication, approval date, related regulatory agency, dosage, product description, price and published data about their safety and efficacy. In addition, to gain insights about the commercial situation of each product, we have gathered accessible sale reports and market size information that pertain to some of these products