Strategies to enhance the 3T1D-DRAM cell variability robustness beyond 22 nm

3T1D cell has been stated as a valid alternative to be implemented on L1 memory cache to substitute 6T, highly affected by device variability as technology dimensions are reduced. In this work, we have shown that 22 nm 3T1D memory cells present significant tolerance to high levels of device parameter fluctuation. Moreover, we have observed that when variability is considered the write access transistor becomes a significant detrimental element on the 3T1D cell performance. Furthermore, resizing and temperature control have been presented as some valid strategies in order to mitigate the 3T1D cell variability.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Modification of HF-treated silicon (100) surfaces by scanning tunneling microscopy in air under imaging conditions

The modification of HF-etched silicon (100) surface with a scanning tunneling microscope(STM) operated in air is studied for the first time in samples subjected to the standard HF etching without the follow-up rinsing in H2O. The modifications are produced in air under normal STM imaging conditions (V t =−1.4 V and I t =2 nA). The simultaneous acquisition of topographical, current image tunneling spectroscopy and local barrier-height images clearly shows that the nature of the modification is not only topographical but also chemical. The features produced with a resolution better than 25 nm are attributed to a tip-induced oxidation enhanced by the presence of fluorine on the surface

The potential use of service-oriented infrastructure framework to enable transparent vertical scalability of cloud computing infrastructure

Cloud computing technology has become familiar to most Internet users. Subsequently, there has been an increased growth in the use of cloud computing, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). To ensure that IaaS can easily meet the growing demand, IaaS providers usually increase the capacity of their facilities in a vertical IaaS increase capability and the capacity for local IaaS amenities such as increasing the number of servers, storage and network bandwidth. However, at the same time, horizontal scalability is sometimes not enough and requires additional strategies to ensure that the large number of IaaS service requests can be met. Therefore, strategies requiring horizontal scalability are more complex than the vertical scalability strategies because they involve the interaction of more than one facility at different service centers. To reduce the complexity of the implementation of the horizontal scalability of the IaaS infrastructures, the use of a technology service oriented infrastructure is recommended to ensure that the interaction between two or more different service centers can be done more simply and easily even though it is likely to involve a wide range of communication technologies and different cloud computing management. This is because the service oriented infrastructure acts as a middle man that translates and processes interactions and protocols of different cloud computing infrastructures without the modification of the complex to ensure horizontal scalability can be run easily and smoothly. This paper presents the potential of using a service-oriented infrastructure framework to enable transparent vertical scalability of cloud computing infrastructures by adapting three projects in this research: SLA@SOI consortium, Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI), and OpenStack

Thalamic innervation of the direct and indirect basal ganglia pathways in the rat: Ipsi- and contralateral projections

The present study describes the thalamic innervation coming from the rat parafascicular nucleus (PF) onto striatal and subthalamic efferent neurons projecting either to the globus pallidus (GP) or to the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) by using a protocol for multiple neuroanatomical tracing. Both striatofugal neurons targeting the ipsilateral SNr (direct pathway) as well as striatal efferent neurons projecting to the ipsilateral GP (indirect pathway) were located within the terminal fields of the thalamostriatal afferents. In the subthalamic nucleus (STN), both neurons projecting to ipsilateral GP as well as neurons projecting to ipsilateral SNr also appear to receive thalamic afferents. Although the projections linking the caudal intralaminar nuclei with the ipsilateral striatum and STN are far more prominent, we also noticed that thalamic axons could gain access to the contralateral STN. Furthermore, a small number of STN neurons were seen to project to both the contralateral GP and PF nuclei. These ipsi- and contralateral projections enable the caudal intralaminar nuclei to modulate the activity of both the direct and the indirect pathway

Validity and responsiveness of the Daily- and Clinical visit-PROactive Physical Activity in COPD (D-PPAC and C-PPAC) instruments

BACKGROUND: The Daily-PROactive and Clinical visit-PROactive Physical Activity (D-PPAC and C-PPAC) instruments in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) combines questionnaire with activity monitor data to measure patients' experience of physical activity. Their amount, difficulty and total scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) but require further psychometric evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To test reliability, validity and responsiveness, and to define minimal important difference (MID), of the D-PPAC and C-PPAC instruments, in a large population of patients with stable COPD from diverse severities, settings and countries. METHODS: We used data from seven randomised controlled trials to evaluate D-PPAC and C-PPAC internal consistency and construct validity by sex, age groups, COPD severity, country and language as well as responsiveness to interventions, ability to detect change and MID. RESULTS: We included 1324 patients (mean (SD) age 66 (8) years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s 55 (17)% predicted). Scores covered almost the full range from 0 to 100, showed strong internal consistency after stratification and correlated as a priori hypothesised with dyspnoea, health-related quality of life and exercise capacity. Difficulty scores improved after pharmacological treatment and pulmonary rehabilitation, while amount scores improved after behavioural physical activity interventions. All scores were responsive to changes in self-reported physical activity experience (both worsening and improvement) and to the occurrence of COPD exacerbations during follow-up. The MID was estimated to 6 for amount and difficulty scores and 4 for total score. CONCLUSIONS: The D-PPAC and C-PPAC instruments are reliable and valid across diverse COPD populations and responsive to pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and changes in clinically relevant variables

Physical activity is increased by a 12 week semi-automated telecoaching program in patients with COPD, a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Rationale Reduced physical activity (PA) in patients with COPD is associated with a poor prognosis. Increasing PA is a key therapeutic target, but thus far few strategies have been found effective in this patient group. Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of a 12 week semi-automated telecoaching intervention on PA in COPD patients in a multicenter European RCT. Methods 343 patients from 6 centers, encompassing a widespectrum of disease severity, were randomly allocated to either a usual care group (UCG) or a telecoaching intervention group (IG) between June and December 2014. This 12 weeks intervention included an exercise booklet and a step counter providing feedback both directly and via a dedicated smartphone application. The latter provided an individualized daily activity goal (steps) revised weekly and text messages as well as allowing occasional telephone contacts with investigators. Physical activity was measured using accelerometry during 1 week preceding randomization and during week 12. Secondary outcomes included exercise capacity and health status. Analyses were based on modified intention-to-treat. Main results Both groups were comparable at baseline in terms of factors influencing PA. At 12 weeks, the intervention yielded a between group difference of mean, 95% CI [ll-ul] +1469, 95% CI [971 – 1965] steps.day-1 and +10.4, 95% CI [6.1 - 14.7] min.day-1 moderate physical activity; favoring the IG (all p≤0.001). The change in six minute walk distance was significantly different (13.4, 95% CI [3.40 - 23.5]m, p<0.01), favoring the IG. In IG patients an improvement could be observed in the functional state domain of the CCQ (p=0.03), when compared to UCG. Other health status outcomes did not differ. Conclusions The amount and intensity of PA can be significantly increased in COPD patients using a 12 week semi-automated telecoaching intervention including a step counter and an application installed on a smartphone. Trial registration NCT02158065 (clinicaltrials.gov

Inflammatory Response of Ischemic Tolerance in Circulating Plasma : Preconditioning-Induced by Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) Phenomena in Acute Ischemia Patients (AIS)

Ischemic tolerance (IT) refers to a state where cells are resistant to the damaging effects caused by periods of ischemia. In a clinical scenario, the IT phenomenon would be activated by a recent transient ischemic attack (TIA) before an ischemic stroke (IS). The characterization of inflammatory protein expression patterns will contribute to improved understanding of IT. A total of 477 IS patients from nine hospitals, recruited between January 2011 and January 2016, were included in the current study and divided in three groups: 438 (91.9%) patients without previous TIA (group 1), 22 (4.6%) patients who suffered TIA 24 h before IS (group 2), and 17 (3.5%) patients who suffered TIA between 24 h and 7 days prior to IS (group 3). An inflammatory biomarker panel (IL-6, NT-proBNP, hsCRP, hs-Troponin, NSE, and S-100b) on plasma and a cytokine antibody array was performed to achieve the preconditioning signature potentially induced by TIA phenomena. Primary outcome was modified rankin scale (mRs) score at 90 days. Recent previous TIA was associated with better clinical outcome at 90 days (median mRS of group 1: 2.0 [1.0-4.0]; group 2: 2.0 [0.0-3.0]; group 3: 1.0 [0-2.5]; p = 0.086) and smaller brain lesion (group 1: 3.7 [0.7-18.3]; group 2: 0.8 [0.3-8.9]; group 3: 0.6 [0.1-5.5] mL; p = 0.006). All inflammation biomarkers were down regulated in the groups of recent TIA prior to IS compared to those who did not suffer a TIA events. Moreover, a cytokine antibody array revealed 30 differentially expressed proteins between the three groups. Among them, HRG1-alpha (Fold change 74.4 between group 1 and 2; 74.2 between group 1 and 3) and MAC-1 (Fold change 0.05 between group 1 and 2; 0.06 between group 1 and 3) expression levels would better stratify patients with TIA 7 days before IS. These two proteins showed an earlier inflammation profile that was not detectable by the biomarker panel. Inflammatory pathways were activated by transient ischemic attack, however the period of time between this event and a further ischemic stroke could be determined by a protein signature that would contribute to define the role of ischemic tolerance induced by TIA

High frequency chest wall oscillation for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations: a randomized sham-controlled clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>High frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) is used for airway mucus clearance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of HFCWO early in the treatment of adults hospitalized for acute asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Randomized, multi-center, double-masked phase II clinical trial of active or sham treatment initiated within 24 hours of hospital admission for acute asthma or COPD at four academic medical centers. Patients received active or sham treatment for 15 minutes three times a day for four treatments. Medical management was standardized across groups. The primary outcomes were patient adherence to therapy after four treatments (minutes used/60 minutes prescribed) and satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included change in Borg dyspnea score (≥ 1 unit indicates a clinically significant change), spontaneously expectorated sputum volume, and forced expired volume in 1 second.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-two participants were randomized to active (n = 25) or sham (n = 27) treatment. Patient adherence was similarly high in both groups (91% vs. 93%; p = 0.70). Patient satisfaction was also similarly high in both groups. After four treatments, a higher proportion of patients in the active treatment group had a clinically significant improvement in dyspnea (70.8% vs. 42.3%, p = 0.04). There were no significant differences in other secondary outcomes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HFCWO is well tolerated in adults hospitalized for acute asthma or COPD and significantly improves dyspnea. The high levels of patient satisfaction in both treatment groups justify the need for sham controls when evaluating the use of HFCWO on patient-reported outcomes. Additional studies are needed to more fully evaluate the role of HFCWO in improving in-hospital and post-discharge outcomes in this population.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00181285">NCT00181285</a></p

Physical activity is increased by a 12 week semi-automated telecoaching program in patients with COPD, a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Rationale Reduced physical activity (PA) in patients with COPD is associated with a poor prognosis. Increasing PA is a key therapeutic target, but thus far few strategies have been found effective in this patient group. Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of a 12 week semi-automated telecoaching intervention on PA in COPD patients in a multicenter European RCT. Methods 343 patients from 6 centers, including a wide disease spectrum, were randomly allocated to either a usual care group (UCG) or a telecoaching intervention group (IG) between June and December 2014. This 12 weeks intervention included an exercise booklet and a step counter providing feedback both directly and via a dedicated smartphone application. The latter provided an individualized daily activity goal (steps) revised weekly and text messages as well as allowing occasional telephone contacts with investigators. Physical activity was measured using accelerometry during 1 week preceding randomization and during week 12. Secondary outcomes included exercise capacity and health status. Analyses were based on intention-to-treat. Main results Both groups were comparable at baseline in terms of factors influencing PA. At 12 weeks, the intervention yielded a between group difference of mean, 95% [ll-ul] +1469, 95% [971 – 1965] steps.day-1 and +10.4, 95% [6.1 - 14.7] min.day-1 moderate physical activity; favoring the IG (all p≤0.001). The change in six minute walk distance was significantly different (13.4, 95% [3.40 - 23.5]m, p<0.01), favoring the IG. In IG patients an improvement could be observed in the functional state domain of the CCQ (p=0.03), when compared to UCG. Other health status outcomes did not differ. Conclusions The amount and intensity of PA can be significantly increased in COPD patients using a 12 week semi-automated telecoaching intervention including a stepcounter and an application installed on a smartphone