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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]

The technology development, combined with chip size reductions, has significantly increased power density. Furthermore, the power limitation in portable devices has increased the importance of power consumption considerably. Approximate computing as an emerging paradigm leverages the error resiliency of applications to decrease power consumption. In this paper, we propose four approximate 4:2 compressors. We utilize the gate diffusion input to achieve significant area reduction in the proposed compressors. Afterward, we employ these compressors in the structure of Dadda multipliers. Compared to the state-of-the-art works, the proposed compressors result in, on average, 45% and 42% higher accuracy and lower area, respectively. Circuit simulations were carried out at a 32-nm carbon nanotube field-effect transistor technology node by HSPICE. The comparisons between our proposed compressors and exact compressor indicate that there has been an average improvement of 55%, 60% and 46% in the number of transistors, power consumption, and delay, respectively. In addition, the proposed multipliers were used in three image processing applications, including image multiplication, sharpening, and smoothing. The results show up to 46% and 70% improvement in the mean structure similarity index metric and peak signal-to-noise ratio compared to the state-of-the-art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, structure, chemical composition and physicochemical properties of the novel polysaccharide Amuniacum gum (AMG) were assessed. The AMG had 12.21% moisture, 3.76% ash, 0.31% protein, 73.06% carbohydrate, 1.24% fat and 10% uronic acids. The elemental analysis indicated the absence of sulfur. The HPLC demonstrated the presence of galactose and arabinose as dominant sugars. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the native gum indicated a semicrystalline structure. Furthermore, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) showed that the average molecular weight included 35 kDa. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl and methyl groups. Moreover, 1H and 13C NMR analysis demonstrated that AMG included a backbone of β-D-Galp residues and was mainly branched through 4-O-methyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl units. Results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the thermal decomposition of AMG occurred at nearly 278 °C. In conclusion, these results highlight that the novel gum can be used in food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A new adsorbent called Se-CS-PA efficiently remove PAT from juice solutions. • The R2 of the pseudo-first-order rate was greater than that of the second-order. • The R2 for the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were 0.96 and 0.99, respectively. A novel and effective adsorbent known as Seleno-chitosan-phytic acid nanocomplex (Se-CS-PA) has been developed specifically for efficiently removing patulin (PAT) from a simulated juice solution. The synthesis of Se-CS-PA nanocomplex was confirmed through Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analyses. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed using central composite design (CCD) to examine the impact of four independent variables (PA concentration, amount of nano-complex, duration of interaction between PAT and nano-complex, and initial concentration of PAT) on the removal of PAT. PA concentration of 0.1 % with 2.1 g Se-CS-PA nanocomplex according to RSM polynomial equation and apple juice with 25 μg.L-1 PAT yielded a remarkable adsorption rate of 94.23 % and 87.52 % respectively after 7 h. The process of PAT adsorption was explained using the pseudo-first-order model (R2 = 0.8858) for the kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm (R2 = 0.9988) for the isotherm model. [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]

This paper introduces a 10T single-ended SRAM cell with high stability and low static power. The read static noise margin is augmented by using a Schmitt-trigger inverter and decoupling the storage node from the read bitline by adding one transistor. Since writing "1" is difficult in single-ended SRAM cells, using proper capacitive coupling and also extra pMOS transistor as an access transistor mitigates the problem. To evaluate read, write, and hold yields, we performed 10,000 Monto Carlo simulations in the 32-nm technology, and the results show our cell has 7.5×, 1.4×, and 1.1 × more yields than that of the conventional 6T SRAM cell. The proposed cell also has the least static power consumption. This amount is 1.5× less than the conventional 6T at the supply voltage of 0.5 V. [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]

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, an accurate aging model for Read Static Noise Margin (RSNM) of conventional 6 transistors (6T) FinFET SRAM cell is presented. The model, which is developed based on accurate I - V formulation suitable for FinFET, considers soft oxide breakdown (SBD) as well as bias temperature instability (BTI) effects. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparing its results with those of HSPICE simulations for the 14 nm and 10 nm technologies. The results show the maximum errors of 0.63% and 0.54% for the 14 nm and 10 nm technologies, respectively, when averaged over a wide range of stress times and supply voltages. The model also may be used to accurately predict the cumulative distribution function of the RSNM in the presence of the process variation with a very small error compared to the one obtained from the Monte Carlo approach with a considerably short runtime. [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]

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]

In this paper, we propose a fully AlGaN high electron mobility (HEMT) in which the gate electrode, the barrier and the channel are all AlGaN. The p-type AlGaN gate facilitates the normally-off operation to be compatible with the state-of-the-art power amplifiers. In addition, the AlGaN channel increases the breakdown voltage ( V BR ) to 598 V due to the higher breakdown field of AlGaN compared to GaN. To assess the efficiency of the proposed structure, its characteristics are compared with the conventional and recently proposed structures. The two-dimensional device simulation results show that the proposed structure has the highest threshold voltage ( V th ) and the V BR with the moderately low ON-resistance ( R ON ). These features lead to the highest figure of merit (2.49 × 10 12 ) among the structures which is 83%, 59%, 47% and 49% more than those of the conventional, with a field plate, AlGaN gate and AlGaN channel structures, respectively. [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]

Aims The mechanisms responsible for renal injury in atherosclerotic renovascular disease (ARVD) are incompletely understood, and few therapeutic options are available to reverse it. We hypothesized that chronic renal damage involves mitochondrial injury, and that mitochondrial protection would reduce renal fibrosis and dysfunction in ARVD pigs. Methods and results Domestic pigs were studied after 10 weeks of ARVD or sham, treated for the last 4 weeks with daily subcutaneous injections (5 days/week) of vehicle or Bendavia (0.1 mg/kg), a tetrapeptide that preserves cardiolipin content in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Single-kidney haemodynamics and function were studied using fast-computer tomography, oxygenation using blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging, microvascular architecture, oxidative stress, and fibrosis ex vivo. Cardiolipin content was assessed using mass spectrometry and staining. Renal endothelial function was studied in vivo and ex vivo. In addition, swine renal artery endothelial cells incubated with tert-butyl hydroperoxide were also treated with Bendavia. Stenotic-kidney renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decreased in ARVD + Vehicle compared with normal (318.8 ± 61.0 vs. 553.8 ± 82.8 mL/min and 48.0 ± 4.0 vs. 84.0 ± 3.8 mL/min, respectively) associated with loss of cardiolipin, intra-renal microvascular rarefaction, and hypoxia. Bendavia restored cardiolipin content in ARVD and improved vascular density, oxygenation, RBF (535.1 ± 24.9 mL/min), and GFR (86.6 ± 11.2 mL/min). Oxidative stress and fibrosis were ameliorated, and renovascular endothelial function normalized both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion Preservation of mitochondrial cardiolipin attenuated swine stenotic-kidney microvascular loss and injury, and improved renal oxygenation, haemodynamics, and function. These observations implicate mitochondrial damage in renal deterioration in chronic experimental ARVD, and position the mitochondria as a central therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Gallic acid was effectively encapsulated within double nano-emulsions. • WPC-pectin complex could successfully protect gallic acid. • Droplet size of double emulsions was in the range of nano-emulsions (<200 nm). • Designing innovative formulation for fortification of numerous foods was feasible. • Modeling and controlled release of gallic acid during 30 days storage was possible. Phenolic compounds are well known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Furthermore, they can be extracted from natural sources. Therefore, phenolic compounds like gallic acid (GA) can be used in different food formulation to improve their healthy properties and extend their shelf life, and as a bioactive compound in the fortification of a number of food products. Double emulsions are novel carrier system which have suitable biocompatibility, complete biodegradability and versatility regarding different oils and emulsifiers in their formulation. Our aim was to encapsulate GA within double nano-emulsions stabilized by pectin-whey protein concentrate (WPC) complexes and reaching the best formulation for minimizing/controlling the release of GA during one-month storage. Other notable goal included designing innovative formulation for enrichment of numerous healthy foods. Five independent variables including Span 80 content, WPC and pectin content, ratio of inner to outer phase, and pH were considered together with size of emulsion droplets, viscosity, color and encapsulation efficiency as the dependent variables. Optimum conditions were identified as, 9.54% WPC, 2.37% pectin, 7.15% Span, 1:4 ratio of inner to outer phase and pH = 6.37. After 30 days storage, double emulsions containing GA (1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/mL) released 31.33, 32.57, 34.69 and 39.68 % of their total content. The results of GA release calculated by artificial neural network were in proportion to those achieved spectrophotometrically. To produce double emulsions with the highest load, samples with 4 (mg/mL) GA were fabricated based on the optimum conditions. The consequences indicated that, a droplet size of 171.5 nm, viscosity of 111.9 mpa. s, color of 79.678 and encapsulation efficiency of 91.45% were successfully obtained. SEM results showed particles with smooth, relatively spherical, with a size range of 100-200 nm, in agreement with the light scattering results. Precise modeling and optimization techniques can result in more accurate monitoring of the release process. Also, the findings of this study can be used in the similar products that can have significant economic and technological advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity associated with metabolic derangements (ObM) worsens the prognosis of patients with coronary artery stenosis (CAS), but the underlying cardiac pathophysiologic mechanisms remain elusive. We tested the hypothesis that ObM exacerbates cardiomyocyte loss distal to moderate CAS. Obesity-prone pigs were randomized to four groups (n = 6 each): lean-sham, ObM-sham, lean-CAS, and ObM-CAS. Lean and ObM pigs were maintained on a 12-wk standard or atherogenic diet, respectively, and left circumflex CAS was then induced by placing local-irritant coils. Cardiac structure, function, and myocardial oxygenation were assessed 4 wk later by computed-tomography and blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) MRI, the microcirculation with micro-computed-tomography, and injury mechanisms by immunoblotting and histology. ObM pigs showed obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. The degree of CAS (range, 50-70%) was similar in lean and ObM pigs, and resting myocardial perfusion and global cardiac function remained unchanged. Increased angiogenesis distal to the moderate CAS observed in lean was attenuated in ObM pigs, which also showed microvascular dysfunction and increased inflammation (M1-macrophages, TNF expression), oxidative stress (gp91), hypoxia (BOLD-MRI), and fibrosis (Sirius-red and trichrome). Furthermore, lean-CAS showed increased myocardial autophagy, which was blunted in ObM pigs (downregulated expression of unc-51-like kinase-1 and autophagy-related gene-12; P < 0.05 vs. lean CAS) and associated with marked apoptosis. The interaction diet xstenosis synergistically inhibited angiogenic, autophagic, and fibrogenic activities. ObM exacerbates structural and functional myocardial injury distal to moderate CAS with preserved myocardial perfusion, possibly due to impaired cardiomyocyte turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) raises blood pressure and can reduce kidney function. Revascularization of the stenotic renal artery alone does not restore renal medullary structure and function. This study tested the hypothesis that addition of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) can restore stenotic-kidney medullary tubular transport function and attenuate its remodeling. Twenty-seven swine were divided into three ARAS (high-cholesterol diet and renal artery stenosis) and a normal control group. Six weeks after ARAS induction, two groups were treated with PTRA alone or PTRA supplemented with adipose-tissue-derived MSC (10×106 cells intra-renal). Multi-detector computed tomography and blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) MRI studies were performed 4 weeks later to assess kidney hemodynamics and function, and tissue collected a few days later for histology and micro-CT imaging. PTRA effectively decreased blood pressure, yet medullary vascular density remained low. Addition of MSC improved medullary vascularization in ARAS+PTRA+MSC and increased angiogenic signaling, including protein expression of vascular endothelial growth-factor, its receptor (FLK-1), and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. ARAS+PTRA+MSC also showed attenuated inflammation, although oxidative-stress remained elevated. BOLD-MRI indicated that MSC normalized oxygen-dependent tubular response to furosemide (-4.3±0.9, −0.1±0.4, −1.6±0.9 and −3.6±1.0 s−1 in Normal, ARAS, ARAS+PTRA and ARAS+PTRA+MSC, respectively, p<0.05), which correlated with a decrease in medullary tubular injury score (R2 = 0.33, p = 0.02). Therefore, adjunctive MSC delivery in addition to PTRA reduces inflammation, fibrogenesis and vascular remodeling, and restores oxygen-dependent tubular function in the stenotic-kidney medulla, although additional interventions might be required to reduce oxidative-stress. This study supports development of cell-based strategies for renal protection in ARAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we propose an accurate model for the read static noise margin (SNM). The model includes the effects of soft oxide breakdown (SBD), negative and positive bias temperature instabilities (NBTI and PBTI, respectively). To assess the accuracy of the proposed model, its predictions are compared with those of HSPICE simulations for 32, and 22nm technologies. The comparison verifies the high accuracy of the model. The results show a maximum error of 4.5% for a wide range of supply voltages. Using this model, the effect of bias temperature instabilities on the aggravation of the read SNM by SBD is also studied. The study shows that both NBTI and PBTI phenomena worsen the effect of SBD on the read SNM by 34%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Renal artery stenosis (RAS) promotes hypertension and cardiac dysfunction. The 2-kidney, 1-clip mouse model in many ways resembles RAS in humans and is amenable for genetic manipulation, but difficult to evaluate noninvasively. We hypothesized that cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is capable of detecting progressive cardiac and renal dysfunction in mice with RAS and monitoring the progression of the disease longitudinally. Methods: RAS was induced at baseline in eighteen mice by constricting the renal artery. Nine additional animals served as normal controls. CMR scans (16.4 T) were performed in all mice one week before and 2 and 4 weeks after baseline. Renal volumes and hemodynamics were assessed using 3D fast imaging with steady-state precession and arterial spin labelling, and cardiac function using CMR cine. Renal hypoxia was investigated using blood oxygenlevel dependent (BOLD) MR. Results: Two weeks after surgery, mean arterial pressure was elevated in RAS mice. The stenotic kidney (STK) showed atrophy, while the contra-lateral kidney (CLK) showed hypertrophy. Renal blood flow (RBF) and cortical oxygenation level declined in the STK but remained unchanged in CLK. Moreover, cardiac end-diastolic and stroke volumes decreased and myocardial mass increased. At 4 weeks, STK RBF remained declined and the STK cortex and medulla showed development of hypoxia. Additionally, BOLD detected a mild hypoxia in CLK cortex. Cardiac enddiastolic and stroke volumes remained reduced and left ventricular hypertrophy worsened. Left ventricular filling velocities (E/A) indicated progression of cardiac dysfunction towards restrictive filling. Conclusions: CMR detected longitudinal progression of cardiac and renal dysfunction in 2K, 1C mice. These observations support the use of high-field CMR to obtain useful information regarding chronic cardiac and renal dysfunction in small animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a read SNM model which considers soft oxide breakdown (SBD). It makes use of a resistance for modeling the soft oxide breakdown which adds two terms to the original model expression for the read SNM. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparing its predictions with those of HSPICE simulations for 45, 32, and 22nm technologies. The comparison reveals a very good accuracy for the model. The results also show that NBTI aggravates the effect of SBD on the read SNM. This suggests that the effect of NBTI and SBD should be studied concurrently as has been performed in our model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we present an accurate method for predicting the read failure probability of SRAM cells. First, using a simple I–V model for transistors, analytical expressions for the V read and V trip of SRAM cells are obtained. These expressions are subsequently used to derive a fairly accurate model for the read margin of SRAM cells. Then, using Jacobian determinant, the joint probability density function for the V read and V trip is calculated without assuming any specific distribution function for its probability. The accuracy of the approach is studied by comparing its results with those of previous techniques and standard Monte Carlo simulations for 32 and 45nm CMOS technologies. Compared to these techniques, our approach has a considerably lower error at the price of slightly increasing the computation time or is much faster at the cost of marginally decreasing the accuracy. In addition, the method has the advantage of not being restricted to a specific probability distribution form. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we present an I–V model for LDMOSFETs. It is based on modeling the Lightly-Doped Drain (LDD) region of the device as voltage-controlled resistors where velocity saturation effect is also taken into account. Using the LDD region model along with a model for the channel region of the device, the on-state I–V characteristic of the transistor is accurately calculated. The models for the LDD region resistors can be incorporated into a circuit simulator such as HSPICE which has an accurate model for the channel region of the transistor. The accuracy of the models is verified by comparing its results with those of a device simulator. The results show a maximum error of 1% for a wide range of voltages and overlapped LDD region lengths. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper proposes a configurable reduced worst-case error approximate adder, named BEAD (B ounded E rror A pproximate A d der). The proposed adder is based on segmentation and carry speculation methods to cut long critical paths. Furthermore, a high accuracy speculation method is proposed to calculate the sum bits. However, the data of real-world applications is often not uniformly distributed, which leads to taking values that result in a worst-case error of the approximate adder quite frequently; therefore, considerable distortion occurs at the output. To overcome this, the carry prorogation scheme of the BEAD is such that the error distance is bounded to a given value, which makes it more accurate rather than prior works. Specifically, the BEAD offers a smaller worst-case error in addition to improved mean relative error distance. The results show between 50% and 80% smaller maximum error compared to the related works. Also, by synthesizing the different adders using a 15-nm FinFET technology, the results demonstrate that the BEAD has at least 30% area saving compared to the exact adder in the various studied configurations. The proposed adder achieves the almost lowest figure of cost (FoC) compared to state-of-the-art approximate adders. Moreover, BEAD's evaluation in image processing and DCT applications shows its great superiority over recently proposed structures. • Porposing an approximate adder based on segmentation and carry speculation methods. • Proposing a high precision speculation method to calculate the sum bits. • Bounding the error distance achieving in a smaller worst-case error. • Achieving the lowest figure of cost compared with prior approximate adders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) promotes microvascular rarefaction and fibrogenesis, which may eventuate in irreversible kidney injury. We have shown that percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) or endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) improve renal cortical hemodynamics and function in the poststenotic kidney. The renal medulla is particularly sensitive to hypoxia, yet little is known about reversibility of medullary injury on restoration of renal blood flow. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that PTRA, with or without adjunct EPC delivery to the stenotic kidney, may improve medullary remodeling and tubular function. RAS was induced in 21 pigs using implantation of irritant coils, while another group served as normal controls (n = 7 each). Two RAS groups were then treated 6 wk later with PTRA or both PTRA and EPC. Four weeks later, medullary hemodynamics, microvascular architecture, and oxygen-dependent tubular function of the stenotic kidneys were examined using multidetector computed tomography, microcomputed tomography, and blood oxygenation level-dependent MRI, respectively. Medullary protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, and NAD(P)H oxidase p47 were determined. All RAS groups showed decreased medullary vascular density and blood flow. However, in RAS+PTRA+ EPC animals, EPC were engrafted in tubular structures, oxygendependent tubular function was normalized, and fibrosis attenuated, despite elevated expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and sustained downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor. In conclusion, EPC delivery, in addition to PTRA, restores medullary oxygen-dependent tubular function, despite impaired medullary blood and oxygen supply. These results support further development of cell-based therapy as an adjunct to revascularization of RAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, a near-triangular buried-oxide partial silicon-on-insulator (TB-PSOI) lateral double-diffused MOS field-effect transistor is proposed. The electric field and electrostatic potential in this structure are modified by the gradual buried-oxide thickness increase. The modification includes the addition of a new peak in the electric field in comparison to that of the conventional PSOI. To assess the efficiency of the proposed structure, its breakdown voltage is compared with that of conventional PSOI using two-dimensional simulations. A comparative study is performed in terms of silicon-film and buried-oxide layer thicknesses, drift region and buried-oxide layer lengths, and drift region doping concentrations. The study shows that under the same drain current, the breakdown voltage of TB-PSOI is nearly two times higher than its PSOI counterpart (108% improvement). Simulation results show that the three-stepped oxide layer closely follows the TB-PSOI structure with a breakdown voltage improvement of 96% compared to that of the PSOI structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A perfusion phantom with unique features and a wide variety of applications in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other imaging modalities is presented. Using microfabrication technique, a network of microchannels, in the scale of actual microvasculature, was created. The geometry of the network was determined based on Murray's “minimum work” law to simulate the hemodynamic in actual capillary networks. The perfusion-related parameters, such as flow, volume ratio, and the transit time, were precisely calculated using a finite-element method based program. These parameters were also estimated through the deconvolution of the residue function from the tissue concentration–time curve in the perfusion model. The widely accepted singular value decomposition (SVD) method in standard sSVD and reformulated rSVD forms were used for the purpose of the deconvolution and regularization. The accuracy of these methods in the presence of delay and dispersion was investigated. Comparing the estimated values to the true values, the contribution of each of these sources of error to the total error in the estimated perfusion parameters was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Approximate computing is one of the promising techniques in error-resilient applications to overcome high-density integration challenges, such as energy consumption and performance. Multipliers constitute a significant portion of computer arithmetic units, leading to considerable energy and time consumption. In this paper, we propose low-power and compact approximate compressors for composing approximate Dadda multiplier structures, including compressors, half adders, and full adders, which utilize three-phase partial product compression: truncated, approximation, and exact columns. In approximate columns, we consider approximate compressors derived from the truth table of the exact 4:2 compressor and simplified K-map entries based on the probability of each combination of inputs. An error-correcting module (ECM) is designed to distinguish specific cases and reduce the error metrics. All circuits were simulated using ModelSim and then synthesized using Design Compiler with the 15 nm FinFET technology. When compared to state-of-the-art works, our multipliers exhibit approximately 30%, 43%, and 10% reductions in power, area, and delay, respectively. To evaluate their functionality, we conducted image multiplication and implemented a simple multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network using the modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) dataset in MATLAB with 0.998 mean structural similarity index metric (MSSIM), 51 dB peak-signal noise ratio (PSNR), and 95% classification accuracy. • Introducing novel ultra-compact approximate compressor structures to reduce design metrics. • Proposing an error-correcting module (ECM) for compensating errors of approximation. • Proposing truncated 8 × 8 Dadda multipliers using the proposed approximate compressors and ECM. • Evaluating the accuracy of approximate multipliers in error-tolerant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Preeclampsia is one of the complications of pregnancy period that threatens the life of both mother and fetus. Various studies have shown that platelets play a major role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. The aim of this study is to compare platelet indices in preeclamptic and normal pregnant women and to evaluate whether these parameters have a predictive significance in determining the severity of preeclampsia or not. Methods: This case-control study was held on pregnant women who referred to Imam Reza Hospital of Kermanshah city for delivery from 2008 to 2010. Participants were classified into three groups of mild preeclamptic (57 person), severe preeclamptic (50 persons), and normal pregnant women (102). Under standard conditions, 5 ml of individual's venous blood of each group was taken prenatally. Automated blood cell counter XT-1800 was used to measure platelet indices that include platelet number, mean platelet volume (MPV), Platelet distribution width (PDW), and Platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR). Data analysis was performed by using ANOVA, SPSS statistical software version 16. Tukey test was used to assess differences between groups. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in platelet number and indices between preeclampsia and healthy pregnant women. As a result, no significant difference of platelet number and indices was observed in patients with preeclampsia. Conclusion: The results showed that platelet indices were not affected by preeclampsia during pregnancy. Also, no difference was observed in the term of platelet number and indices in mild and severe preeclamptic cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a 7T SRAM cell with differential write and single ended read operations working in the near-threshold region is proposed. The structure is based on modifying a recently proposed 5T cell which uses high and low V TH transistors to improve the read and write stability. To enhance the read static noise margin (RSNM) while keeping the high write margin and low write time, an extra access transistor is used and the threshold voltages of the SRAM transistors are appropriately set. In addition, to maintain the low leakage power of the cell and increase the I on / I off ratio of its access transistors, a high V TH transistor is used in the pull down path of the cell. To assess the efficacy of the proposed cell, its characteristics are compared with those of 5T, 6T, 8T, and 9T SRAM cells. The characteristics are obtained from HSPICE simulations using 20 nm, 16 nm, 14 nm, 10 nm, and 7 nm FinFET technologies assuming a supply voltage of 500 mV. The results reveal high write and read margins, the highest I on / I off ratio, a fast write, and ultra-low leakage power in the hold “0” state for the cell. Therefore, the suggested 7T cell may be considered as one of the better design choices for both high performance and low power applications. Also, the changes of cell parameters when the temperature rises from −40 °C to 100 °C are investigated. Finally, the write margin as well as the read and hold SNMs of the cell in the presence of the process variations are studied at two supply voltages of 400 mV and 500 mV. The study shows that the proposed cell meets the required cell sigma value (6 σ ) under all conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Post operation pain management is an important concept in care which leads to earlier mobilization. Various analgesic drugs have been evaluated in different studies. This study was performed to compare the effects of indomethacin and indomethacin-acetaminophen suppository on the amount of pain after cesarean section. Material and methods: In this clinical trial, 75 patients were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A received a 50 mg rectal suppository indomethacin and a rectal suppository placebo immediately after the end of the cesarean section, then every 6 hours for 24 hours. Group B was given 50 mg indomethacin rectal suppository and 325 mg rectal suppository acetaminophen immediately after cesarean operation, then every 6 hours for 24 hours. In the event that a patient complained of pain, 25 mg pethidine intramuscular was administered. Pain intensity was measured according to Visual analog scale (VAS) and the need for an analgesic was also recorded. Data was analyzed using ANOVA, χ² and t-test. Results: Pain scores were significantly lower in group B. Also, analgesic was less required in that group. Conclusion: Combined use of indomethacin suppository and acetaminophen suppository, significantly decreased pain scores after cesarean section compared with indomethacin suppository alone. Moreover, it led to less narcotic drug use among the studied subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new polysaccharide was isolated from Ocimum album L. seed (OA), and its physicochemical and rheological properties were investigated. Ocimum album polysaccharide (OAP) was an acidic heteropolysaccharide with a molecular weight of 1935 kDa, and it was composed of five types of sugars: mannose (32.95 %), glucose (27.57 %), galactose (19.29 %), rhamnose, (15.96 %) and galacturonic acid (4.23 %). According to the results obtained from Huggins and Kraemer equations, the intrinsic viscosity was 6.9 dL/g in distilled water. The OAP solutions at a concentration between 0.1 and 1.5 %, showed shear-thinning behavior, and the Herschel–Bulkley and Cross models exhibited a high ability to describe the flow behavior of OAP solutions. The apparent viscosity of 1 % OAP solution was decreased in the presence of different concentrations of NaCl (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 M), at different pHs (3−11), and in temperatures between 5 and 100 °C. Also, the pseudoplastic behavior was observed in all samples. In OAP solutions (0.1–1.5 %), the up and down curves in the shear stress-shear rate diagram did not coincide, which indicated time-dependent (thixotropic) behavior. Although, the thixotropic properties of 1 % OAP solution were weakened with adding NaCl (0.1–0.5 M) and at different pH (3–11). The results obtained from the dynamic oscillatory test showed that the OAP solutions at concentrations higher than 0.1 % had a gel-like behavior, and the viscoelastic moduli (G′ and G″) were weakened in the presence of salt and with a change in pH. Also, in the temperature sweep test, the 1 % solution showed the behavior of thermally irreversible gels. [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]

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) may induce an acute decrease of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the stenotic kidney in renal artery stenosis, but most patients tolerate these drugs well. We hypothesized that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/ARBs stabilize stenotic kidney function during prolonged treatment by conferring protective effects. We tested this in control domestic pigs and pigs with renal artery stenosis untreated or treated with Valsartan, or triple therapy (seven pigs in each group) for 4 weeks starting 6 weeks after stenosis induction. Renal function, oxygenation, tubular function, and microcirculation were assessed by multi-detector computed tomography (CT), blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic-resonance imaging, and micro-CT. Valsartan and triple therapy decreased blood pressure similarly; however, Valsartan did not change the GFR of the stenotic kidney compared with renal artery stenosis and was similar to triple therapy. Both Valsartan and triple therapy stimulated microvascular density and improved tubular function. Valsartan also caused a greater increase of angiogenic factors and a decrease in oxidative stress, which were related to higher cortical perfusion and tubular response than triple therapy. Thus, Valsartan did not decrease stenotic kidney GFR, but improved cortical perfusion and microcirculation. These beneficial effects may partly offset the hemodynamic GFR reduction in renal artery stenosis and preserve kidney function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity-metabolic disorders (ObM) often accompany renal artery stenosis (RAS). We hypothesized that the coexistence of ObM and RAS magnifies inflammation and microvascular remodeling in the stenotic kidney (STK) and aggravates renal scarring. Twenty-eight obesity-prone Ossabaw pigs were studied after 16 wk of a high-fat/high-fructose diet or standard chow including ObM-sham, ObM-RAS, Lean-RAS, or Leansham (normal control) groups. Single-kidney renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were assessed by multidetector computed tomography (CT), renal oxygenation and tubular transport capability by blood-oxygen-level-dependent MRI, and microcirculation by micro-CT for vessel density, and Western blotting for protein expressions of angiogenic factors (VEGF/FLK-1). Renal vein and inferior vena cava levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured to evaluate systemic and kidney inflammation. Macrophage (MØ) infiltration and subpopulations, fat deposition in the kidney, and inflammation in perirenal and abdominal fat were also examined. GFR and RBF were decreased in Lean-STK but relatively preserved in ObMSTK. However, ObM-STK showed impaired tubular transport function, suppressed microcirculation, and stimulated glomerulosclerosis. ObM diet interacted with RAS to blunt angiogenesis in the STK, facilitated the release of inflammatory cytokines, and led to greater oxidative stress than Lean-STK. The ObM diet also induced fat deposition in the kidney and infiltration of proinflammatory M1-MØ, as also in perirenal and abdominal fat. Coexistence of ObM and RAS amplifies renal inflammation, aggravates microvascular remodeling, and accelerates glomerulosclerosis. Increased adiposity and MØ-accentuated inflammation induced by an ObM diet may contribute to structural injury in the post-STK kidney. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with glomerular hyperfiltration and is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly defined. This study tested the hypothesis that increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in early MetS is associated with renal adiposity and microvascular proliferation. Twelve MetS-prone Ossabaw pigs were randomized to 10 wk of a standard (lean, n = 6) or atherogenic (MetS, n = 6) diet. Kidney hemodynamics and function, perirenal fat volume, and tubular dynamics were assessed in vivo by multidetector computed tomography (CT) and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD)-MRI. Microvascular architecture was assessed ex vivo with micro-CT. Candidate injury mechanisms were evaluated in kidney tissue by Western blotting and histology. Basal GFR, renal blood flow, and renal cortical perfusion and volume were elevated in the MetS group. Perirenal and kidney tissue fat, proximal-nephron intratubular fluid concentration, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression were increased in MetS. GFR levels correlated with tissue triglyceride levels. Elevated spatial density of 20- to 40-μm cortical microvessels was accompanied by mild oxidative stress, inflammation, and with proximal tubular vacuolization. Medullary size and perfusion were relatively preserved, and BOLD-MRI showed intact medullary tubular response to furosemide. Increased GFR in early MetS is associated with renal adiposity and microvascular proliferation, which involve mainly the renal cortex and precede significant activation of oxidative stress and inflammation. Renal adiposity and proliferative microvessels may represent novel therapeutic targets for preserving renal function in early MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]