Novel arithmetic implementations using cellular neural network arrays.

The primary goal of this research is to explore the use of arrays of analog self-synchronized cells---the cellular neural network (CNN) paradigm---in the implementation of novel digital arithmetic architectures. In exploring this paradigm we also discover that the implementation of these CNN arrays produces very low system noise; that is, noise generated by the rapid switching of current through power supply die connections---so called di/dt noise. With the migration to sub 100 nanometer process technology, signal integrity is becoming a critical issue when integrating analog and digital components onto the same chip, and so the CNN architectural paradigm offers a potential solution to this problem. A typical example is the replacement of conventional digital circuitry adjacent to sensitive bio-sensors in a SoC Bio-Platform. The focus of this research is therefore to discover novel approaches to building low-noise digital arithmetic circuits using analog cellular neural networks, essentially implementing asynchronous digital logic but with the same circuit components as used in analog circuit design. We address our exploration by first improving upon previous research into CNN binary arithmetic arrays. The second phase of our research introduces a logical extension of the binary arithmetic method to implement binary signed-digit (BSD) arithmetic. To this end, a new class of CNNs that has three stable states is introduced, and is used to implement arithmetic circuits that use binary inputs and outputs but internally uses the BSD number representation. Finally, we develop CNN arrays for a 2-dimensional number representation (the Double-base Number System - DBNS). A novel adder architecture is described in detail, that performs the addition as well as reducing the representation for further processing; the design incorporates an innovative self-programmable array. Extensive simulations have shown that our new architectures can reduce system noise by almost 70dB and crosstalk by more than 23dB over standard digital implementations.Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2005 .I27. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-11, Section: B, page: 6159. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2005

Leadership and corruption

The world of leadership is very complicated and of enormous dimensions. Its studies contain various definitions, theories, schools of thoughts, models and different forms and styles. Furthermore, each situation requires a different type of leadership, although some styles are preferred over others by leaders and followers alike; It is hard to say which style works best. The science of leadership has to be well studied and understood in order to fight corruption. Corruption like leadership is a science by itself, it consists of different types and forms. According to studies, it is more prevalent in developing countries and some forms of corruption are already embedded to specific cultures. Corruption has left scholars wondering what causes this epidemic situation that seems to be present in every industry and country across history. There are many solutions to end corruption, however, as we intend to prove without ethics all of these solutions are worthless. Ethical Leadership and values are new concepts that scholars are still investigating. However, it is argued that it can reduce corruption immensely if implemented right. Certain guidelines have to be followed and other means of financial support have to be provided in order to make a significant and meaningful change. To end the interesting subject, practical research is conducted as followers and leaders provide their opinions on the subject of leadership, corruption, ethical leadership and ethics. The practical part consists of a survey answered by 100 participants and 5 interviews conducted with successful leaders. After extensive research, the main question is “Can the world of leadership and ethics help in the fight against corruption?”O mundo da liderança é de uma tremenda complexidade e enorme dimensão. Os estudos deste contêm diferentes definições, teorias, escolas de pensamento, modelos e diferentes formas e estilos. Cada situação requer um tipo especifico de liderança, embora alguns tipos sejam mais aceites pelos lideres e seguidores. É difícil saber que estilo resulta melhor. A ciência da liderança tem que ser bem estudado de forma a perceber e poder combater a corrupção. A corrupção, tal como a liderança, é uma ciência por sí própria, contendo diferentes tipos e formas. De acordo com diversos estudos, é mais prevalente em países em desenvolvimento e algumas formas de corrupção encontram-se inerentes a culturas especificas. A corrupção tem, ao longo dos séculos, deixados os estudiosos a interrogarem-se sobre a causa desta epidemia que parece estar presente em todas as indústrias e países do mundo ao longo da história. Existem diversas soluções para acabar com a corrupção, mas, sem o uso de Ética, nenhuma surtirá efeito. Liderança Ética e valores trata-se de um novo conceito que os estudiosos ainda se encontram a investigar. No entanto, é argumentado que poderá reduzir a corrupção, se for corretamente implementado. Certas indicações devem ser seguidas e meios financeiros devem ser dispensados para suportar uma mudança significativa Para acabar com o assunto interessante, a pesquisa prática é conduzida como seguidores e os líderes fornecem suas opiniões sobre o tema liderança, corrupção, liderança ética e ética. A parte prática consiste em uma pesquisa respondida por 100 participantes e 5 entrevistas realizadas com líderes bem-sucedidos. Após uma extensa pesquisa, a principal questão é: "O mundo da liderança e da ética pode ajudar na luta contra a corrupção?

Left ventricle myocardial performance in Down Syndrome children with clinically and anatomically normal hearts: Relationship to oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is implicated in many organs pathophysiologies in Down syndrome. Scarce data exist concerning left ventricular (LV) performance in DS children with normal hearts. Tissue Doppler derived myocardial performance index (TDI-Tei index) is a reliable method for ventricular performance evaluation. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme plays a crucial role in oxidants production and is a marker of cardiovascular risk.Aim: To evaluate LV myocardial performance in DS children with normal hearts using TDI-Tei index and correlate it with plasma MPO as a marker of oxidative stress.Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study included 120 DS children recruited from Children s Hospital, Ain Shams University. Out patients clinic and echocardiography unit (mean age, 8.35 ± 4.25 years) who were subjected to: history taking, clinical examination, laboratory investigations (Complete blood count, serum Alanine Transaminase, serum creatinine, Thyroid profile, 12 lead Electrocardiogram and conventional Doppler echocardiography). DS children with congenital or acquired heart diseases, dysrhythmias, anaemia, pulmonary hypertension, thyroid, renal disease, diabetes were excluded. The remaining 50 DS children with normal hearts (group I) were compared to 50 age. Sex matched healthy children as control (group II) Studied groups were subjected to: plasma MPO using ELISA technique and TDI LV-Tei index assessment using Vivid E9 Echocardiography machine (GE, Horton, Norway).Results: LV TDI-Tei was significantly increased in group I compared to group II (0.46 ± 0.02 vs 0.32 ± 0.08, p < 0.001). Plasma MPO was increased in group I than group II (64.4831 ± 0.6 ng/ml vs 50.4 ± 30.2 nglml, p < 0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between plasma MPO and LV TDI-Tei (r = 0.877, p = 0.001) in group I.Conclusion: Subclinical Left ventricle dysfunction evidenced by increased TDI Tei index was detected in DS children with normal hearts. This dysfunction correlated with plasma MPO level which mandates antioxidants treatment and tissue Doppler myocardial performance regular evaluation for early identification, monitoring and early intervention.Keywords: Left ventricle, Tissue doppler, Tei index, Oxidants, DS with normal heart

Unconventional TV Detection using Mobile Devices

Recent studies show that the TV viewing experience is changing giving the rise of trends like "multi-screen viewing" and "connected viewers". These trends describe TV viewers that use mobile devices (e.g. tablets and smart phones) while watching TV. In this paper, we exploit the context information available from the ubiquitous mobile devices to detect the presence of TVs and track the media being viewed. Our approach leverages the array of sensors available in modern mobile devices, e.g. cameras and microphones, to detect the location of TV sets, their state (ON or OFF), and the channels they are currently tuned to. We present the feasibility of the proposed sensing technique using our implementation on Android phones with different realistic scenarios. Our results show that in a controlled environment a detection accuracy of 0.978 F-measure could be achieved.Comment: 4 pages, 14 figure

I-Kinetic And Mechanistic Investigations Of Amino Acid Substrates Reactivities With Ferryl Species

ABSTRACT I-KINETIC AND MECHANISTIC INVESTIGATIONS OF AMINO ACID SUBSTRATES REACTIVITIES WITH FERRYL SPECIES II-SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DERIVATIVES OF THE BN-TPEN LIGAND AND THEIR METAL COMPLEXES by AHMED IBRAHIM YOUSSEF ABOUELATTA MAY 2011 Advisor: Dr. Jeremy Jacob Kodanko Major: Chemistry (Organic) Degree: Doctor of philosophy The reactivity of tryptophan, methionine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine and hydrochloride salt of lysine amino acid substrates with the N4Py ferryl species was studied by UV-vis spectroscopy and product characterization. Based on kinetic isotope effect studies and product analysis, an ET-PT mechanism was proposed for the reaction of tryptophan substrate with N4Py ferryl and an oxygen-atom transfer mechanism was proposed for the reaction of methionine substrate with N4Py ferryl species. The reactivity of the five significantly reactive amino acid substrates (Cys, Tyr, Trp, Met and Gly) amino acid substrates was investigated with Me-N4Py, Bn-TPEN and TMC ferryl species and compared to their reactivity with N4Py ferryl species. This study indicated that the Bn-TPEN ferryl species was the most reactive with these five substrates followed by N4Py and Me-N4Py which were more reactive than TMC ferryl species. The different relative rate constants obtained for the substrates with different ferryl species and the slow reactivity of methionine substrate with Me-N4Py ferryl with respect to N4Py ferryl suggested that steric factor is involved in controlling these reactions. Studies towards the modification of the structure of the Bn-TPEN ligand were achieved and three new Bn-TPEN derivatives were synthesized and characterized. In addition, the synthesis and characterization of the racemic and enantioenriched Zn(II) and Fe(II) complexes and the enantioenriched Co(III) metal complexes of the Bn-CDPy3 was performed. These metal complexes were characterized with X-ray crystallography, circular dichroism, UV-vis, IR, 1-D and 2-D NMR spectroscopy in addition to elemental analysis and mass spectrometry. Based on these experiments, the three Bn-CDPy3 metal complexes were found to favor one isomer (C) over the other four possible isomers. The reason of the stability of isomer C over isomers A, B, D and E was attributed to a combination of steric and electronic effects

Application of pharmaceutical technologies to improve the activity of cancer chemotherapeutic agents

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Chemotherapy remains a major therapeutic modality in cancer treatment. Conventional chemotherapeutic agents usually have limited efficacy. Furthermore, chemotherapeutic agent- and/or excipient-related toxicities comprise a serious problem that may, in many cases, deteriorate the patient’s quality of life. In this dissertation, different pharmaceutical technology approaches, including nanotechnology and pharmaceutical chemistry, were utilized to improve the activity of chemotherapeutic agents. Docetaxel is a second generation taxane used as a single agent in breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and other cancers. Side effects related to the drug itself and one of the excipients (i.e. Tween 80) are extensive. I designed a solid lipid nanoparticle (DCX-SLNs) formulation to improve the delivery of docetaxel into solid tumors and to avoid excipient-related side effects associated with the current Tween 80-based docetaxel formulation. The DCX-SLNs showed improved in vitro cytotoxicity in various cell lines and significantly inhibited tumor growth in an aggressive mouse model of lung cancer, while the Tween 80-based docetaxel formulation was not effective at the dose and dosing frequency tested. Higher drug accumulation in tumor tissues was achieved when the DCX-SLNs were injected intravenously, as compared to the Tween 80-based docetaxel formulation. Gemcitabine (2̕, 2̕-difluorodeoxycytidine, dFdC) is the first line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. It is also used in other cancers (e.g. ovarian and breast cancers). In this dissertation, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, was conjugated to gemcitabine in the 4(N)-amine group to synthesize a new compound (DHA-dFdC). DHA-dFdC shows potent and broad spectrum cytotoxicity against all NCI/DTP60 human cancer cell lines. DHA-dFdC is also 100000-fold more cytotoxic than gemcitabine against human and mouse pancreatic cancer cells. In addition, DHA-dFdC shows high accumulation in mouse pancreas following intravenous injection, prompting the evaluation of its antitumor activity in mouse models of pancreatic cancer. In nude mice with subcutaneous or orthotopic human Panc-1 tumors, DHA-dFdC is more effective than the molar equivalent dose of gemcitabine in inhibiting the tumor growth. In conclusion, the activity of cancer chemotherapeutic agents can be significantly improved by formulating them with innovative pharmaceutical technologies.Pharmaceutical Science

DEALING WITH RESEARCH MISCONDUCT IN EGYPTIAN PUBLIC ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS A Dynamic Performance Governance Approach to Enhance Collaboration

Scientific research improves citizens' quality of life and is increasingly seen as a major catalyst and key indicator of national growth. To maintain research integrity, studies must be conducted in a manner that inspires confidence in both the employed methods and the produced results. Research misconduct is regarded as an exceptionally challenging issue due to its extensive invasion into the research culture and its potential to undermine the trustworthiness of scientific results. Despite the increasing occurrences of unethical research in Egypt, there is a lack of stringent regulations to penalize individuals who breach established research integrity standards. Furthermore, collaborative governance is undervalued in the higher education system in Egypt. In that sense, this instrumental research study has two objectives. First, explore the numerous causes of data fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism at Egypt's public academic and research institutes. Second, to demonstrate how collaborative governance could help Egypt develop practical research fraud prevention mechanisms. To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with graduate researchers and faculty from diverse backgrounds and career stages in Egypt's public universities across various regions. Moreover, data were gathered by developing and disseminating a web-based questionnaire among a deliberate selection of Egyptian researchers from various governorates in Egypt. Subsequently, the dynamic performance governance framework was employed to evaluate how Egyptian universities and research institutes utilize shared strategic resources to reinforce research integrity. Following the depiction of the dynamic performance governance chart, causal loop diagrams were generated to visually represent the feedback system's structure. It demonstrated how these variables and contextual factors were used to construct a dynamic performance perspective of universities and research institutes in Egypt. The findings of this investigation demonstrated that Egypt's universities and research centers are currently struggling against a wicked issue known as research misconduct. The researcher noticed that research fraud is triggered by several intertwined factors that are roughly divided into five categories: individual, structural, organizational, cultural, and situational factors. Furthermore, this study showed that artificial intelligence has created new hurdles in maintaining research integrity. As a result, this research suggests that collaborative governance and dynamic performance management and governance be used together, both in theory and practice, to combat research fraud in Egypt. It also creates a platform for policymakers to establish effective strategies and long-term remedies to prevent research misconduct in Egypt