Coplanar interconnection module

Module for interconnecting a semiconductor array to external leads or components incorporates a metal external heat sink for cooling the array. Heat sink, extending down from the molded block that supports the array, is immersed in a liquid nitrogen bath which is designed to maintain the desired array temperature

Classification of Broadleaf and Grass Weeds Using Gabor Wavelets and an Artificial Neural Network

A texture–based weed classification method was developed. The method consisted of a low–level Gabor wavelets–based feature extraction algorithm and a high–level neural network–based pattern recognition algorithm. This classification method was specifically developed to explore the feasibility of classifying weed images into broadleaf and grass categories for spatially selective weed control. In this research, three species of broadleaf weeds (common cocklebur, velvetleaf, and ivyleaf morning glory) and two grasses (giant foxtail and crabgrass) that are common in Illinois were studied. After processing 40 sample images with 20 samples from each class, the results showed that the method was capable of classifying all the samples correctly with high computational efficiency, demonstrating its potential for practical implementation under real–time constraints

Sekolah Luar Biasa Bagian B Di Manado ”Arsitektur Bagi Penyandang Cacat Tunarungu, Mata Yang Mendengar”

Karakteristik yang dimiliki oleh seorang penyandang cacat tunarungu berbeda dengan orang normal. Kekurangan mereka dalam indera pendengaran menyebabkan mereka kesulitan dalam bersekolah dan kesulitan dalam mencari pekerjaan. Di Kota Manado, para penyandang cacat tunarungu hanya bersekolah dengan menumpang di sekolah-sekolah luar biasa yang lain. Hal ini dapat menyebabkan kurang efektifnya sistem pembelajaran bagi anak-anak penyandang cacat tunarungu. Untuk itulah sangat dibutuhkan sarana dan prasarana yang memadai guna untuk mencerdaskan anak-anak penyandang cacat tunarungu. Perancangan Sekolah Luar Biasa bagian B di Manado sangat dibutuhkan oleh anak-anak tunarungu dengan memakai tema ”arsitektur bagi penyandang cacat tunarungu, mata yang mendengar” bertujuan untuk merancang Sekolah Luar Biasa bagian B yang didalamnya mereka tidak saja menuntut ilmu, tapi juga dapat melatih diri mereka sendiri agar ketika berada di dunia luar, mereka tidak dianggap rendah oleh orang-orang normal

Growth and development of the banana plant3. A. The origin of the inflorescence and the development of the flowers: B. The structure and development of the fruit

In this paper, which is presented in two parts, the growth and development of the banana plant have been examined from the standpoint of the origin of the inflorescence and the development of the flowers (Part A) and the structure and development of the fruit (Part B). First the main centres of growth in these structures are located and the manner of their development is presented. Thereafter, attention is focused upon the salient events which determine the alternative courses of development with a view to designating the chemical and physiological stimuli that may be required

PinR mediates the generation of reversible population diversity in Streptococcus zooepidemicus

Opportunistic pathogens must adapt to and survive in a wide range of complex ecosystems. Streptococcus zooepidemicus is an opportunistic pathogen of horses and many other animals, including humans. The assembly of different surface architecture phenotypes from one genotype is likely to be crucial to the successful exploitation of such an opportunistic lifestyle. Construction of a series of mutants revealed that a serine recombinase, PinR, inverts 114 bp of the promoter of SZO_08560, which is bordered by GTAGACTTTA and TAAAGTCTAC inverted repeats. Inversion acts as a switch, controlling the transcription of this sortase-processed protein, which may enhance the attachment of S. zooepidemicus to equine trachea. The genome of a recently sequenced strain of S. zooepidemicus, 2329 (Sz2329), was found to contain a disruptive internal inversion of 7 kb of the FimIV pilus locus, which is bordered by TAGAAA and TTTCTA inverted repeats. This strain lacks pinR and this inversion may have become irreversible following the loss of this recombinase. Active inversion of FimIV was detected in three strains of S. zooepidemicus, 1770 (Sz1770), B260863 (SzB260863) and H050840501 (SzH050840501), all of which encoded pinR. A deletion mutant of Sz1770 that lacked pinR was no longer capable of inverting its internal region of FimIV. The data highlight redundancy in the PinR sequence recognition motif around a short TAGA consensus and suggest that PinR can reversibly influence the wider surface architecture of S. zooepidemicus, providing this organism with a bet-hedging solution to survival in fluctuating environments

Refining real-time predictions of Vibrio vulnificus concentrations in a tropical urban estuary by incorporating dissolved organic matter dynamics

The south shore of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi is one of the most visited coastal tourism areas in the United States with some of the highest instances of recreational waterborne disease. A population of the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio vulnificus lives in the estuarine Ala Wai Canal in Honolulu which surrounds the heavily populated tourism center of Waikīkī. We developed a statistical model to predict V. vulnificus dynamics in this system using environmental measurements from moored oceanographic and atmospheric sensors in real time. During a year-long investigation, we analyzed water from 9 sampling events at 3 depths and 8 sites along the canal (n = 213) for 36 biogeochemical variables and V. vulnificus concentration using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of the hemolysin A gene (vvhA). The best multiple linear regression model of V. vulnificus concentration, explaining 80% of variation, included only six predictors: 5-day average rainfall preceding water sampling, daily maximum air temperature, water temperature, nitrate plus nitrite, and two metrics of humic dissolved organic matter (DOM). We show how real-time predictions of V. vulnificus concentration can be made using these models applied to the time series of water quality measurements from the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) as well as the PacIOOS plume model based on the Waikīkī Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) products. These applications highlight the importance of including DOM variables in predictive modeling of V. vulnificus and the influence of rain events in elevating nearshore concentrations of V. vulnificus. Long-term climate model projections of locally downscaled monthly rainfall and air temperature were used to predict an overall increase in V. vulnificus concentration of approximately 2- to 3-fold by 2100. Improving these predictive models of microbial populations is critical for management of waterborne pathogen risk exposure, particularly in the wake of a changing global climate

Calling For Diversity In Health Care Executive Suites And Evaluation Of Effects On Efficiency Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Adequate diversity in the leadership of health care organizations is a problem that potentially affects overall performance.  In this paper, we propose the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and strategic human information systems to determine how diversity affects the efficiency, stability, and long-term viability of health care organizations at the organization level.  Data envelopment analysis could also be applied within a given health care organization to examine how the organization’s diversity make-up in its various departments affects relative efficiencies across the departments.  After presenting a brief introduction of DEA, we provide examples of inputs and outputs used in a proposed DEA analysis. We also propose the use of strategic information systems in health care organizations in developing countries at both organization and departmental levels.  We suggest that both developed and developing countries would benefit from using these tools as they seek to control costs and improve health care systems