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The rapid growth in computing and data transmission has significant energy and environmental implications. While there is considerable interest in waste heat emission and reuse in commercial data centers, opportunities in academic data centers remain largely unexplored. In this study, real-time onsite waste heat data were collected from a typical academic data center and an analysis framework was developed to determine the quality and quantity of waste heat that can be contained for reuse. In the absence of a comprehensive computer room monitoring system, real-time thermal data were collected from the data center using two arrays of thermometers and thermo-anemometers in the server room. Additionally, a computational fluid dynamics model was used to simulate temperature distribution and identify "hot spots" in the server room. By simulating modification of the server room with a hot air containment system, the return air temperature increased from 23 to 46 °C and the annual waste heat energy increased from 377 to 2004 MWh. Our study emphasizes the importance of containing waste heat so that it can be available for reuse, and also, that reusing the waste heat has value in not releasing it to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an 8T single-ended SRAM cell to improve stability and decrease energy consumption. It cuts the pull-down path to the storage node written '1', enhancing the write ability. It uses an isolated read path to enhance the read stability with low power and energy consumption. At a supply voltage of 0.5 V, the read static noise margin, write margin, read energy, and write energy of the proposed cell are superior by 320%, 233%, 12%, and 26%, respectively, compared to the conventional 6T. We performed 5,000 Monte Carlo simulations in the 32 nm technology to evaluate read yields. The results show that our cell has 6.9x more yields than the conventional 6T SRAM cell. Therefore, the proposed cell can be a good option for high stability and low power/energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The current study aimed to evaluate the viability of microencapsulated Lactobacillus casei to simulated gastrointestinal digestion and storage after optimisation of the psyllium (PG) and gelatin (GE) gum mixtures (2:1, 1:2, 1:1, 0:1 and 1:0) enriched with selenium (Se). Our results exhibited that the size of spherical particles ranged from 643.9 ± 1.77 to 1151.5 ± 3.38 μm. The ratio of 2PG:1GE showed the highest encapsulation efficiency (89.8% ± 0.77) and selenium entrapment (6.92 ± 0.16 ppm). Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data exposed new spectra in the 2PG:1GE samples. Microencapsulated L. casei with 2PG:1GE were resistant to simulated gastric conditions (pH 1.8, 1 h) and bile solution (pH 7.4, 120 min), and during the storage period at room temperature, leading to significant (p < 0.05) higher survival in comparison with free cells. In short, this study optimised the concentrations of PG and GE to entrap Se and carry L. casei efficiently, providing significant protection during exposure to various aggressive conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional static random‐access memory (SRAM) suffers from high leakage power in advanced complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor nodes. Meanwhile, gain‐cell embedded dynamic random‐access memory (GC‐eDRAM) is an area‐efficient alternative to SRAM, although it requires periodic refresh cycles. In this regard, this study proposes a fin field‐effect transistor (FinFET)‐based 5T GC‐eDRAM bitcell that addresses the leakage power issue of SRAM while avoiding the bandwidth‐consuming refreshes of GC‐eDRAM. Furthermore, for the feasibility of scaling down transistors, the gain‐cell design is based on the FinFET, which overcomes short‐channel problems. The proposed 5T bitcell provides additional internal feedback relative to the 4T all‐nMOS fully depleted‐silicon on insulator (FD‐SOI) gain cell to ensure the static retention of both "1" and "0" data. The 2‐kB array was simulated by employing a 7‐nm FinFET predictive technology model (PTM) using HSPICE. The simulation results show that the proposed 5T bitcell (at 0.7 V) enables over 13× smaller data retention power and 10× area reduction compared to the 4T all‐nMOS GC‐eDRAM cell in a 28‐nm FD‐SOI technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a high-precision memristive neural network with neurons implemented by complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverters. Regarding the process variations in the memristors and the sensitivity of the memristive crossbar structure to these fluctuations, the read operation with repetitive pulses and feedback-based write in the memristors are used to implement the neural networks trained by the ex-situ method. Moreover, accurate modeling of the neuron circuit (CMOS inverter) and decreasing the mismatch between trained weights and the limited memristances fill the gap between simulation and implementation. To employ physical constraints based on the memristor framework during the training phase, a linear function is utilized to map the trained weights to the acceptable range of memristances after the training phase. To solve the vanishing gradient problem due to the use of the tanh function as an activation function and for better learning of the network, some measures are taken. Moreover, fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) technology is used to prevent the reduction of the accuracy of the inverter-based memristive neural networks due to the process variations. Overall, our implementation improves the speed, area, power-delay product (PDP), and mean square error (MSE) of the training stage by 91.43%, 95.06%, 48.29% and 81.64%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the emulsifying and foaming properties of a novel exudate gum from Dorema ammoniacum (AMG) were assessed in comparison with the well‐known gum Arabic from Acacia tree (GAC). The sunflower oil‐based emulsion (10% v/v) containing various concentrations (5%–15% w/v) of AMG and GAC was prepared. At all concentrations, AMG showed higher surface and interface activity than GAC. Increasing in AMG and GAC concentrations caused to increase and decrease in Z average, respectively. Overall, the GAC‐stabilized emulsion showed lower Z average and PDI value than the AMG‐stabilized emulsion during storage time. The sample containing AMG showed higher emulsion capacity and lower emulsion stability in comparison with the one containing GAC at all concentrations. The storage stability decreased and increased with increasing in AMG and GAC concentrations, respectively. After two‐week storage, the emulsions containing 10 and 15% AMG showed higher phase separation than those containing GAC; however, this was opposite about sample containing 5% AMG. At thermal, centrifuge, and freezing conditions, the emulsion containing 5% AMG indicated significantly higher stability than GAC samples; however, at higher concentration, opposite effect could be observed. The foaming capacity of the samples containing AMG increased from 81% to 93% by increasing gum concentration from 5% to 15%. The solutions containing AMG showed higher foam capacity than control samples (without gum) and those containing GAC at all concentrations. Increasing in AMG and GAC concentrations slightly improved foam stability, and the highest value (92%) belonged to 15% AMG solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a new energy‐efficient design for static random access memory (SRAM) using a low‐power input data encoding and output data decoding stages. A data bit reordering algorithm is applied to the input data to increase the number of 0s that are going to be written into the SRAM array. Using SRAM cells which are more energy‐efficient in writing a '0' than a '1' benefits from this, resulting in a reduction in the total power and energy consumptions of the whole memory. The input data encoding is performed using a simple circuit, which is built of multiplexers and inverters. After the read operation, data will be returned back to its initial form using a low‐power data decoding circuit. Simulation results in an industrial and a predictive CMOS technology show that the proposed design for SRAM reduces the energy consumption of read and write operations considerably for some standard test images as input data to the memory. For instance, in writing pixels of Lenna test image into this SRAM and reading them back, 15 and 20% savings are observed for the energy consumption of write and read operations, respectively, compared with the normal write and read operations in standard SRAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Emotional eating is one of the important factors in etiology of obesity and eating disorders. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare gender differences in response to emotional eating and to identify the anthropometric indices and dietary intake factors correlation with emotional eating. METHODS: A sample of 247 subjects from three schools in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran was participated in the study. Each participant filled out a general ten-item and an emotional eating fourteen-item questionnaire. Statistical analyses of the study were conducted by an independent t-test, a chi-square, Pearson correlations and logistic regression using the SPSS version 19. RESULTS: The findings of this investigation indicated that body mass index (BMI) (r = – 0.759, p < 0.0001 and r = – 0.818, p < 0.0001), waist circumference (WC) (r = – 0.217, p = 0.014 and r = – 0.182, p = 0.048) and dietary energy intake (r = – 0.221, p = 0.012 and r = – 0.186, p = 0.024) correlated significantly with emotional eating in female and male groups, respectively. The female had higher emotional eating score versus the male (6.56±1.56 and 6.47±1.21, respectively). Marital status, smoking, recent weight loss, and weight gain, were the strong predictors of the emotional eating. CONCLUSIONS: Knowing predicting factors of emotional eating and understanding the fact that gender differences could affect chances of being emotional eater can help us provide appropriate nutritional and psychological educational programs in the community. This can in turn control the emotional eating status and consequently lead to beneficial outcomes on the level of individuals' health in the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The collateral circulation is important in maintenance of blood supply to the ischemic kidney distal to renal artery stenosis (RAS). Obesity metabolic syndrome (MetS) preserves renal blood flow (RBF) in the stenotic kidney, but whether this is related to an increase of collateral vessel growth is unknown. We hypothesized that MetS increased collateral circulation around the renal artery. METHODS Twenty-one domestic pigs were randomly divided into unilateral RAS fed an atherogenic (high-fat/high-fructose, MetS-RAS) or standard diet, or controls (n = 7 each). RBF, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and the peristenotic collateral circulation were assessed after 10 weeks using multidetector computed tomography (CT) and the intrarenal microcirculation by micro-CT. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was studied in the renal artery wall, kidney, and perirenal fat. Renal fibrosis and stiffness were examined by trichrome and magnetic resonance elastography. RESULTS Compared with controls, RBF and GFR were decreased in RAS, but not in MetS-RAS. MetS-RAS formed peristenotic collaterals to the same extent as RAS pigs but induced greater intrarenal microvascular loss, fibrosis, stiffness, and inflammation. MetS-RAS also attenuated VEGF expression in the renal tissue compared with RAS, despite increased expression in the perirenal fat. CONCLUSIONS MetS does not interfere with collateral vessel formation in the stenotic kidney, possibly because decreased renal arterial VEGF expression offsets its upregulation in perirenal fat, arguing against a major contribution of the collateral circulation to preserve renal function in MetS-RAS. Furthermore, preserved renal function does not protect the poststenotic kidney from parenchymal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and sleep disturbance, caused by drug treatment is a common problem in breast cancer survivors. Considering the limitations of hormone therapy in such patients, several studies have been conducted to find alternative methods. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of stellate ganglion block (SGB) with that of paroxetine, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medicine for the treatment of hot flashes and ensuing sleep disturbance. Patients and methods: A total of 40 patients survived from breast cancer and complaining of these symptoms were equally assigned to two groups of 20 each. In the study group, SGB was performed successfully under sonography guidance using 10 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine, and in the control group (paroxetine), the daily administration of 7.5 mg of paroxetine was conducted for 6 weeks. The frequency and severity of hot flash attacks and sleep quality of patients were evaluated prior to the intervention and after 2, 4 and 6 weeks. The incidence of adverse events during treatment or follow-up was recorded. Results: A significant decrease in hot flash score and sleep disturbance index (SDI) was observed in both groups. Comparison of the results showed no noticeable difference between the two groups. Two participants in the control group had discontinued medication due to gastrointestinal symptoms, and only one case of mild headache was reported in the study group. Conclusion: SGB is as much effective as paroxetine in controlling hot flashes and sleep disturbances in breast cancer survivors and is associated with few complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, survival of four probiotic strains ( Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium bifidum ) immobilized in edible films based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and physicochemical properties of films were investigated during 42 days of storage at 4 and 25 °C. Results showed a significant decrease in viability of bacterial cells during 42 days of storage at 25 °C. However, viability of L. acidophilus and L. rhamnosus were in the range of recommended levels during the storage at 4 °C (10 7 CFU/g). Probiotic films caused more water vapor permeability (WVP)and opacity, and less tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EB) compared to the control film. However, no significant physicochemical changes were observed among probiotic films containing different strains. Therefore, incorporation of some probiotic strains in edible coats and films could be their suitable carrier at refrigerated temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a SRAM cell structure which uses pMOS access transistors and predischarged bitlines is presented. By using the strained pMOS transistor technology, the degradation of the read static noise margin (SNM) at high supply voltages due to the aging, especially in the presence of symmetric stress, is suppressed. In contrast to conventional cell, the write margin of the proposed cell does not degrade considerably at low supply voltages. To assess the efficacy, the proposed cell is compared with conventional cell for two cases of unstrained and strained pMOS. A comparative study is performed using mixed mode device/circuit simulations for a gate length of 22 nm. The results show that the read SNM degradation due to the symmetric aging at the supply voltage of 1V is about 6% after three years for the proposed strained structure, while degradations are 14%, 12%, and 11% for the unstrained proposed structure, unstrained, and strained conventional structures, respectively. In addition, the proposed cell has both read and write cell sigma yields higher than six for supply voltages ranging from 1V down to 0.5V while the other structures have read or write yields less than six at the minimum supply voltage. Through some work function tuning, the cell sigma yields of the other structures reach above six for both read and write while being still lower than those of the proposed structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity and hypertension are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, and their growing coexistence accounts for an increase in adverse cardiac events, but the mechanisms are yet to be determined. We hypothesized that obesity exacerbates mitochondrial dysregulation imposed by hypertension and augments left ventricular dysfunction. Obesity-prone Ossabaw pigs were randomized to lean (standard diet) and obese (high-fat diet), without (Lean-sham and Obese-sham) or with renovascular hypertension (Lean-hypertension and Obese-hypertension), induced after 12 weeks of diet (n=7 each). Cardiac function, myocardial perfusion and oxygenation, and microvascular remodeling were assessed 4 weeks later. Mitochondrial biogenesis signals and structural proteins, respiratory chain complex activities, and mitochondrial self-degradation were examined, as was fibrosis. Obesity alone exerted no apparent effect on mitochondrial dynamics, but aggravated in hypertensive hearts the reduction of mitochondrial proteins, deoxyribonucleic acid content, and respiratory chain complex IV subunits activity, and amplified mitochondrial self-degradation. Synergistic interaction of obesity with hypertension also exacerbated myocardial fibrosis and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Mitochondrial content, respiratory chain complex IV subunits activity, and mitophagy were correlated with myocardial fibrosis. These findings suggest that obesity aggravates in renovascular hypertension cardiac mitochondrial aberrations. Mitochondrial function may regulate the progression of cardiac injury and functional deterioration in hypertension concomitant with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a robust SRAM design which is based on FinFETs. The design is performed by dynamically adjusting the back-gate voltages of pull-up transistors. For the write operation, we use an extra write driver which sets the desired back-gate voltages during this operation. This approach considerably increases the write margin. During the hold state, the back-gates are precharged to the supply voltage using an extra precharge circuit. This decreases the static power. Finally, we use nMOS switches to provide the optimum back-gate voltages during the read state. To minimize the area and power overheads, an instance of the circuitry is used for each column. The performance of the proposed technique is assessed using mixed mode device/circuit simulations for a physical gate length of 22 nm. The results show that the minimum operating voltage for six-sigma read and write yield is about 0.15 V lower than that of the recently proposed structures. In addition, the suggested SRAM shows significantly higher write margin and lower static power compared to the recently proposed structures. The minimum operating voltage of our proposed structure can be lowered down to 0.5 V through some work function tuning to balance the read and write stability. This minimum voltage is 0.1 V lower than the minimum operating voltage of the other structures with similar work function tunings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]