Novel CCII-based Field Programmable Analog Array and its Application to a Sixth-Order Butterworth LPF

In this paper, a field programmable analog array (FPAA) is proposed. The proposed FPAA consists of seven configurable analog blocks (CABs) arranged in a hexagonal lattice such that the CABs are directly connected to each other. This structure improves the overall frequency response of the chip by decreasing the parasitic capacitances in the signal path. The CABS of the FPAA is based on a novel fully differential digitally programmable current conveyor (DPCCII). The programmability of the DPCCII is achieved using digitally controlled three-bit MOS ladder current division network. No extra biasing circuit is required to generate specific analog control voltage signals. The DPCCII has constant standby power consumption, offset voltage, bandwidth and harmonic distortions over all its programming range. A sixth-order Butterworth tunable LPF suitable for WLAN/WiMAX receivers is realized on the proposed FPAA. The filter power consumption is 5.4mW from 1V supply; it’s cutoff frequency is tuned from 5.2 MHz to 16.9 MHz. All the circuits are realized using 90nm CMOS technology from TSMC. All simulations are carried out using Cadence

Regulation of the Adrenal Cortex Function During Stress

A proposal to study the function of the adrenal gland in the rat during stress is presented. In the proposed project, three different phases of experimentation will be undertaken. The first phase includes establishment of the circadian rhythm of both brain amines and glucocoticoids, under normal conditions and under chronic and acute stressful conditions. The second phase includes the study of the pharmacokinetics of glucocorticoid binding under normal and stress conditions. The third phase includes brain uptake and binding under different experimental conditions. In the outlined experiments brain biogenic amines will be evaluated, adrenal functions will be measured and stress effect on those parameters will be studied. It is hoped that this investigation can explain some of the complex relationships between the brain neurotransmitter and adrenal function

Capacity Utilization and Unemployment in Selected West African Countries

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the proposition that capacity utilisation is an important factor in the determination of unemployment and wages. Underlying this proposition is the notion that capacity utilisation helps to determine the future path of the economy and is a significant factor in the response of the economy to different supply and demand shocks. We derived capacity utilisation and unemployment relationships, which were estimated and tested using data covering from 1997 to 2016 for three West Africa countries. The results suggest that long-term unemployment and capacity utilisation have a significant impact on unemployment. The policy implications of our findings are that in view of the strong effect of capacity utilisation on unemployment, programmes that enhance efficiency in production and investment enhancing policies may allow unemployed to regain access to the labour market

Enterprise Risk Management and Firm Performance: An Integrated Model for the Banking Sector

This study investigates how the implementation of Enterprise Risk Management program affects the performance of firms using an Enterprise Risk Management model for the banking sector and an integrated model for measuring Enterprise Risk Management index used in the study by Mukhtar and Soliman (2016). Ten listed commercial banks were selected with the Enterprise Risk Management index as the main independent variable, with Return on Average Equity (ROAE), Share Price Return (SPR) and Firm Value (FV) used as three separate dependent variables. The study provides strong evidence of a positive relationship between Enterprise Risk Management implementation and performance in the Nigerian banking sector. The findings and conclusions of this study are consistent with those of other studies that used data from different industries, providing a basis from which to generalize the findings from this study to firms in other industries

Hyperspectral-Augmented Target Tracking

With the global war on terrorism, the nature of military warfare has changed significantly. The United States Air Force is at the forefront of research and development in the field of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance that provides American forces on the ground and in the air with the capability to seek, monitor, and destroy mobile terrorist targets in hostile territory. One such capability recognizes and persistently tracks multiple moving vehicles in complex, highly ambiguous urban environments. The thesis investigates the feasibility of augmenting a multiple-target tracking system with hyperspectral imagery. The research effort evaluates hyperspectral data classification using fuzzy c-means and the self-organizing map clustering algorithms for remote identification of moving vehicles. Results demonstrate a resounding 29.33% gain in performance from the baseline kinematic-only tracking to the hyperspectral-augmented tracking. Through a novel methodology, the hyperspectral observations are integrated in the MTT paradigm. Furthermore, several novel ideas are developed and implemented—spectral gating of hyperspectral observations, a cost function for hyperspectral observation-to-track association, and a self-organizing map filtering method. It appears that relatively little work in the target tracking and hyperspectral image classification literature exists that addresses these areas. Finally, two hyperspectral sensor modes are evaluated—Pushbroom and Region-of-Interest. Both modes are based on realistic technologies, and investigating their performance is the goal of performance-driven sensing. Performance comparison of the two modes can drive future design of hyperspectral sensors

Down Regulation Patterns of the Mutated RET Receptor Tyrosine Kinase

REarranged during Transfection (RET) is a mammalian tyrosine kinase receptor involved in the signal transduction pathways during early embryonic kidney and enteric nervous system development. Activation of RET is mediated by one of the membrane associated co-receptors GFRal-4 and one of the four GFL family ligands. Following ligand binding, RET undergoes autophosphorylation followed by downstream activation of additional cell signaling proteins. However, less is understood about the down- regulation patterns of RET and of naturally occurring RET mutants and laboratory modified forms of RET. In this study, the role of the cytoplasmic domain in receptor processing and protein degradation was analyzed. In addition, protein stability rates of tyrosine autophosphorylation mutants and kinase inactive RET mutants were analyzed and compared to wild-type RET. Protein stability was assessed from 0-16 hr. The wild- type RET receptor displayed an overall decrease in the concentration of the glycosylated form, suggesting internalization of the receptor. Decrease in the membrane receptor is not observed in either the autophosphorylation mutant or the kinase inactive RET mutant. Results suggest that mutations associated with ihe intracellular domain of the receptor impede its protein modification and signaling to the membrane and further delays internalization and down-regulation

SACRED SOCIAL SPACES: FINDING COMMUNITY AND NEGOTIATING IDENTITY FOR AMERICAN-BORN CONVERTS TO ISLAM

This thesis examines the religious experiences of American-born converts to Islam. The social nature of religion has been long ignored in research on the lives of religious people. A review of research on Muslim identities reveals an emphasis on immigrants, women, and youth in the British context. However, there is little to no research on the unique constituency of converts to Islam and the importance of social aspects of faith for establishing a sustainable and transformative practice of Islam. This research closes this gap through a case study of the religious experiences of American-born converts to Islam. Through in-depth interviews with converts and community leaders, and sustained engagement with the Cincinnati Muslim community, I examine the extent to which social interaction (understood as both site and process) shapes convert identities and their understanding of religious belief and practice. My research suggests that religion not only occupies a variety of everyday lived spaces for converts, but that Islam can be understood as a way of being in the world. Since understanding of religious belief and practice is multifaceted and diverse, I explore the influence of social interaction and community on converts’ spiritual modalities. I argue that spaces not deemed officially sacred (e.g. places of worship or pilgrimage sites) are just as influential in shaping the religious identities of converts, and help converts develop a religious way of being that is self-transformative and sustainable in the American context

Microstructural control and properties optimization of microalloyed pipeline steel

A series of physical simulations, with parameters resembling those of industrial rolling, were applied using a thermo-mechanical simulator on microalloyed bainitic pipeline steel to study the influence of varying the processing parameters on its microstructure evolution and mechanical properties. In this study, the austenitization temperature and roughing parameters were kept unchanged, whereas the parameters of the finishing stage were varied. The developed microstructures were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is illustrated that selecting the appropriate cooling strategy (without altering the deformation schedule) can produce an optimized microstructure that breaks through the strength–ductility trade-off. Increasing the cooling rate after the finishing stage from 10 K·s−1 to 20 K·s−1 activated the microstructure refinement by effective nucleation of acicular ferrite and formation of finer and more dispersed martensite/austenite phase. This resulted in a remarkable enhancement in the ductility without compensating the strength. Furthermore, a pronounced strength increase with a slight ductility decrease was observed when selecting the appropriate coiling temperature, which is attributed to the copious precipitation associated with locating the coiling temperature near the peak temperature of precipitation. On the other hand, it was observed that the coiling temperature is the predominant parameter affecting the strain aging potential of the studied steel. Higher strain aging potentials were perceived in the samples with lower yield strength and vice versa, so that the differences in yield strength after thermo-mechanical treatments evened out after strain aging