Power supply noise coupling in a standard voltage reference circuit

Power supply noise coupling represents a challenge in the design of current and future analog and mixed-signal circuits and systems. In this thesis, power supply noise coupling is analyzed at the circuit level. As a representative study, power supply noise coupling in a voltage reference is studied. The precision of a voltage reference circuit is critical to the performance of other analog and RF circuits. Therefore, there is much value in developing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which power supply noise coupling occurs in this fundamental analog and RF system building block. A model representing the amount of noise coupling in the frequency domain is developed and verified through circuit simulations. A practical design solution for increasing high frequency power supply noise rejection is identified and evaluated. Finally, the effect of technology scaling on power supply noise is studied in two successive CMOS processes

High-Gain Transimpedance Amplifier With DC Photodiode Current Rejection

This master\u27s thesis deals with the design of a differential high-gain transimpedance amplifier in TSMC\u27s 0.18 um mixed signal process that utilizes a DC photodiode current cancellation loop and a switching automatic gain control (AGC) with a bilinear gain curve. The amplifier is designed to satisfy the demands of Optical Coherence Tomography applications where the receiver is expected to measure the envelope power of an amplitude modulated sinusoidal optical signal that incorporates a large DC component. Methods of increasing dynamic range and gain linearity through the use of DC photodiode current cancellation and bilinear gain are explored. Effects of changing DC photodiode current on the overall system response is also demonstrated

Club Deals in Leveraged Buyouts

We analyze the pricing and characteristics of club deal leveraged buyouts (LBOs)—those in which two or more private equity partnerships jointly conduct an LBO. Using a comprehensive sample of completed LBOs of U.S. publicly traded targets conducted by prominent private equity firms, we find that target shareholders receive approximately 10% less of pre-bid firm equity value, or roughly 40% lower premiums, in club deals compared to sole-sponsored LBOs. This result is concentrated before 2006 and in target firms with low institutional ownership. These results are robust to controls for target and deal characteristics, including size, Q, measures of risk, and time and industry fixed effects. We find little support for benign motivations for club deals based on capital constraints, diversification motives, or the ability of clubs to obtain favorable debt amounts or prices, but it is possible that the lower pricing of club deals is an inadvertent byproduct of an unobserved benign motivation for club formation

Can hematologic parameters be an indicator of metabolic disorders accompanying rosacea?

Recently, diverse hematologic parameters have been used as an indicator of the presence or severity of inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases. Our aim was to investigate the ratios of neutrophils to lymphocytes (NL), monocytes to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (MHC), and platelets to lymphocytes (PL) in patients with rosacea in comparison with the control group and determine whether there was a correlation between these ratios and metabolic disorders in patients with rosacea. We conducted a case-control study on 61 patients with rosacea and 60 healthy controls between January 2015 and January 2016 at the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic, Mugla, Turkey. Demographic data, biochemical parameters, hematologic parameters and ratios, the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS), and the presence of insulin resistance (IR) in the participants were recorded. Sixty one patients with rosacea (16 men, 45 women) and 60 controls (13 men, 47 women) were included in the study. The NL ratio, mean levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol, triglyceride, C-reactive protein (CRP), systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and the presence of IR were significantly higher in patients with rosacea than in controls. In the rosacea group, the MHC ratio was significantly higher in patients with rosacea with IR and MS. Moreover, only the MHC ratio was an independent predictor of MS according to univariate logistic regression analysis. The cutoff value of MHC on admission for predicting MS in patients with rosacea was 0.013.The higher levels of NL ratio and IR in the rosacea group corroborate the previous studies demonstrating a high level of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with rosacea. The MHC ratio may be used as a simple and inexpensive method to predict metabolic disorders in patients with rosacea.      </p

Religious Worship in Patients with Abdominal Stoma: Praying and Fasting during Ramadan

Background: Religion, which occupies an important place in culture, has an effect on not only the patient’s acceptance of the treatment but also his or her post-treatment life style.Aim: The purpose of this paper was to determine the performance of religious rituals in abdominal stoma patients and their views on the effects of stoma on religious worship.Methodology: A descriptive and cross sectional design was used in this study. The sample consisted of 66 patients. The researchers developed a set of questions regarding the individual's background and characteristics of stoma and prayer rituals and fasting during Ramadan. Frequency, percentages, mean, range and chi-square test was used to analyze. Results: It was found that 87.9% of the patients (n=58) fasted regularly before stoma-creation, which decreased to 43.9% (n=29) after stoma creation; 74.2% of the patients (n=49) prayed regularly before stoma creation, which decreased to 53% (n=35) after stoma-creation. The comparison of practices of fasting (χ2: 7.13; p<0.01) and praying (χ2: 25.85; p<0.001) before and after stoma surgery revealed a statistically significant difference. 69.0% of the participants, who were unable to fast after stoma creation, were afraid of causing damage to the stoma whereas 71.4% of the participants who were unable to pray reported not having performed their prayers due to feeling unclean. 27.6% of the participants who fasted after stoma creation reported having felt discomfort.Conclusions: In this study, we found that the performance of fasting and praying decreased in patients after stoma surgery. This finding indicates that stoma significantly affects fasting and praying in patients and that patients are unable to perform these religious duties or experience some difficulties in performing their religious worship

Dynamic project selection

We study a normative model of an internal capital market that a company uses to choose between its two divisions’ projects. Each project’s value is initially unknown to all, but can be dynamically learned by the corresponding division. Learning can be suspended or resumed at any time and is costly. We characterize an internal capital market that maximizes the company’s expected cash flow

Pilot scheme assessment: Health development program for students at dormitories

Aim:&nbsp;This study, conducted in Turkey, aims to increase the practicability of health counselling and protective services offered to young people in the long term. In the short term, it is aimed to determine health counselling needs of students at dormitories and it might enlighten researchers working in this field. Methods:&nbsp;A pilot questionnaire, developed in order to determine health needs of students staying at dormitories, was conducted in two dormitories in Ankara. Focus group interviews were done, also. After that, in nine dormitories from nine provinces from all over the Turkey, questionnaire and health screening tests were applied to 5,852 volunteers. Results:&nbsp;The common topics for both sexes which students would like to receive counselling are nutrition and anxiety about exams. Conclusion:&nbsp;As a result of the study, service has been planned for the identified needs of the students. &nbsp; &nbsp

Effects of Adding MSW Compost, Lime and Commercial Soil Improvers on Soil Heavy Metal Concentrations

1056-1065In this study, it was aimed to improve the soil with low pH and high amount of heavy metals by using municipal solid waste compost, lime and commercial soil improvers (Terra B and Viro Bind). In this study, the forms of the metals in the soil were determined by using sequential extraction method. It was investigated how soil improvers added to soil change the forms of metals. It was also investigated how the addition of soil improvers (compost, lime and commercial soil improvers) to the soil affects the amount of metal deposited on the roots and stems of the plants (Zea mays). It has been observed that the improvers added to the soil increase the pH value of the soil as T50 > Compost > Lime > A2. The sequential extraction results revealed that exchangeable forms of the studied heavy metals were transformed into the organically bound form. When compared with the control, high concentrations of the metals (except Ni) were found in the Organic Matter (OM) bound and residual forms following the addition of commercial soil conditioners such as A2 and T50, respectively. For the metals measured in the study, with the addition of A2, 96% of Pb, 99% of Cu and Cd, 86% of Ni and 97% of Zn are transformed into OM bound and residual forms, and with the addition of T50, 80% of Pb, 99% of Cu, Cd and ZN, and 78% of Ni were converted to OM bound and residual forms. These results indicated that the application of 1.5% lime combined with 10% compost substantially enhanced plant growth in the contaminated soils

Exploiting the CH-π interactions in supramolecular hydrogels of aromatic carbohydrate amphiphiles

A novel class of supramolecular hydrogels derived from amino sugars is reported, where the self-assembly of aromatic carbohydrate amphiphiles is driven by CH-π interactions, rather than π–π stacking and H-bonding associated with gelators based on aromatic peptide amphiphiles. Spectroscopic data is provided as evidence for this mode of self-assembly and in silico studies revealed that a combination of CH-π and T-stacking of the fluorenyl groups contribute to the formation of the aggregated structures