Optimization of multi-gigabit transceivers for high speed data communication links in HEP Experiments

The scheme of the data acquisition (DAQ) architecture in High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments consist of data transport from the front-end electronics (FEE) of the online detectors to the readout units (RU), which perform online processing of the data, and then to the data storage for offline analysis. With major upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN, the data transmission rates in the DAQ systems are expected to reach a few TB/sec within the next few years. These high rates are normally associated with the increase in the high-frequency losses, which lead to distortion in the detected signal and degradation of signal integrity. To address this, we have developed an optimization technique of the multi-gigabit transceiver (MGT) and implemented it on the state-of-the-art 20nm Arria-10 FPGA manufactured by Intel Inc. The setup has been validated for three available high-speed data transmission protocols, namely, GBT, TTC-PON and 10 Gbps Ethernet. The improvement in the signal integrity is gauged by two metrics, the Bit Error Rate (BER) and the Eye Diagram. It is observed that the technique improves the signal integrity and reduces BER. The test results and the improvements in the metrics of signal integrity for different link speeds are presented and discussed

Study of heterogeneity of sino-nasal lesions in urban population of north Kolkata and its fringes- a 5-year retrospective analysis: experience of a tertiary care centre

Background: Lesions of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses form a single functional unit as both of these are affected by common pathological processes. Accurate diagnosis and early treatment can significantly reduce the morbidities associated with these lesions. This study aims at portraying the morphological diversions of sinonasal lesions that is commonly encountered in populations of north Kolkata and its fringes. The multitude of histopathological variations of the sinonasal masses intrigues us histopathologists not only from academic point of view but also guides clinicians regarding treatment and prognosis.Methods: A retrospective study conducted in the Department of Pathology from May 2012 to April 2017.Results: Total 429 cases were assessed during this period out of which maximum cases were found in the age group of 31- 40years. Most cases were diagnosed with nasal polyps. The rare histopathological types were ameloblastoma, paraganglioma, Schwanoma, neurofibroma, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, sinonasal hemangiopericytoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, low grade mucoepidermoid tumor, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor.Conclusions: Both neoplastic and non-neoplastic sino nasal lesions may present with indistinguishable features, leading to a delay in proper diagnosis and treatment. So, any tissue after surgical removal should be send for histopathological diagnosis without unnecessary delay to prevent further complications

Common Signaling Pathways Involved in Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Stroke: Two Faces of the Same Coin

Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) and stroke are two interrelated neurodegenerative disorders which are the leading cause of death and affect the neurons in the brain and central nervous system. Although amyloid-β aggregation, tau hyperphosphorylation, and inflammation are the hallmarks of AD, the exact cause and origin of AD are still undefined. Recent enormous fundamental discoveries suggest that the amyloid hypothesis of AD has not been proven and anti-amyloid therapies that remove amyloid deposition have not yet slowed cognitive decline. However, stroke, mainly ischemic stroke (IS), is caused by an interruption in the cerebral blood flow. Significant features of both disorders are the disruption of neuronal circuitry at different levels of cellular signaling, leading to the death of neurons and glial cells in the brain. Therefore, it is necessary to find out the common molecular mechanisms of these two diseases to understand their etiological connections. Here, we summarized the most common signaling cascades including autotoxicity, ApoE4, insulin signaling, inflammation, mTOR-autophagy, notch signaling, and microbiota-gut-brain axis, present in both AD and IS. These targeted signaling pathways reveal a better understanding of AD and IS and could provide a distinguished platform to develop improved therapeutics for these diseases

Food Security and Nutritional Status among Rural Poor: Evaluating the Impact of Rural Livelihood Mission in Odisha, India

This paper empirically examines the effect of participation in National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) on the food security of rural poor. In parallel, it also introspects the nutritional profiles of the respondents. Data were collected from 220 respondents (including both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries) through a structured questionnaire from Sonepur district of Odisha (India). For assessing the nutritional profile, the study uses 24 hour recall and food frequency questionnaire methods to collect the information on food consumption. Then food items were converted into their equivalent calories. A food security index (FSI) was constructed to capture the food security taking the average calories of food consumed by the respondents. The study finds a better food consumption pattern among beneficiaries than the non-beneficiaries. Further, the impact of NRLM is examined using randomised control trial method and finds a positive impact of the programme on the food security. That means, participation in the programme helps the beneficiaries to attain food security. Therefore, participation should be encouraged to mitigate the food insecurity problem

Effect of maternal body mass index on pregnancy outcome: a retrospective observational study at a secondary level care hospital in India

Background: Maternal BMI outside the range of 18.5 to 24.9 is associated with adverse maternal and/or foetal outcome. In India, due to extreme socioeconomic distribution, double burden of malnourishment & obesity is being observed, though it varies from state to state. Many studies are conducted showing association of obesity with pregnancy outcome, while importance of underweight is not studied frequently in our geographical area, hence this study was planned to be conducted. Methods: Our aim was to evaluate the maternal and perinatal outcomes in patients belonging to different BMI categories. We performed retrospective observational study at department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Suri Sadar Hospital, a secondary level care hospital at Birbhum, West Bengal, India between July 2021 to May 2022. Sample size taken was 170. Detailed data were collected from the MCP card (maternal child protection card) of the mothers, antenatal follow up sheets of these women and hospital medical records. The study participants were then divided into 5 groups according to their first trimester BMIs. Statistical analysis was carried out with the help of Micro soft Excel and Epiinfo 7.1 software, p<0.05 were considered significant. Results: Average mean weight gain in our study was 9.1118 kg and we found significant association between weight gain during pregnancy & BMI status (p<0.001). We also observed significant association of gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, caesarean section, pre-term labour, post-partum haemorrhage, post-partum wound infection with obese & overweight mother. FGR and MAS were also found to be significantly associated with maternal BMI. Complex maternal metabolic environment on developing foetus in obese mother alone or complicated by PIH or GDM may be the cause. In underweight mother, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency may lead to development of FGR. Conclusions: Pre conceptional normal BMI is essential for every woman willing to conceive. Nutrition-sensitive programs like food security, poverty alleviation, women education, women empowerment, dietary consultation for all newly married couples is required for developing countries to prevent altered pre pregnancy BMI

Optimization of multi-gigabit transceivers for high speed data communication links in HEP Experiments

The scheme of the data acquisition (DAQ) architecture in High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments consist of data transport from the front-end electronics (FEE) of the online detectors to the readout units (RU), which perform online processing of the data, and then to the data storage for offline analysis. With major upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN, the data transmission rates in the DAQ systems are expected to reach a few TB/sec within the next few years. These high rates are normally associated with the increase in the high-frequency losses, which lead to distortion in the detected signal and degradation of signal integrity. To address this, we have developed an optimization technique of the multi-gigabit transceiver (MGT) and implemented it on the state-of-the-art 20nm Arria-10 FPGA manufactured by Intel Inc. The setup has been validated for three available high-speed data transmission protocols, namely, GBT, TTC-PON and 10 Gbps Ethernet. The improvement in the signal integrity is gauged by two metrics, the Bit Error Rate (BER) and the Eye Diagram. It is observed that the technique improves the signal integrity and reduces BER. The test results and the improvements in the metrics of signal integrity for different link speeds are presented and discussed

Survey of factors contributing to the happiness of older persons: A cross-sectional study of associated worries, anxiety, and depression

© 2023 Odisha Journal of Psychiatry. Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://journals.lww.com/odjp/fulltext/2023/01000/survey_of_factors_contributing_to_the_happiness_of.4.aspxBACKGROUND: Old age is associated with a greater prevalence of worry, anxiety, and depression when compared to the younger age groups. Age-specific stressors and comorbidities accumulate and negatively impact the well-being of older adults. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: In this context, we intended to study the factors influencing the happiness of older adults. METHODS: It was a survey through a questionnaire of older adults attending a public health conference on old age-related issues. We inquired about what makes them happy, their worries, and physical and mental health issues. We also assessed their depression through the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), anxiety through the General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scale, and quality of life (QoL) using a scale of 0 being worst to 10 being best. RESULTS: Factors that brought happiness to older adults were family and friends (25.7%), social activities (28.6%), traveling and sightseeing (11.4%), reading and writing (11.4%), meeting people (8.6%), and having time for self (8.6%). Besides these, 22.9% reported they enjoy working. A clinical level of anxiety (GAD-7 score of 10 or more) was present in 17.2% and depression (PHQ-9 score of 10 or more) in 28.6% of older adults. The anxiety and depression scores were positively correlated (P < 0.001) in the sample studied. There were no differences between genders related to concerns, health, finance, relationships, memory, needs for help, QoL, and severity of anxiety or depression. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults could identify various factors linked to their happiness, despite various concerns and mental health issues. The information might help family, informal, and professional caregivers to support activities that contribute to the well-being and happiness of older adults

A numerical study of a binary Yukawa model in regimes characteristic of globular proteins in solutions

The main goal of this paper is to assess the limits of validity, in the regime of low concentration and strong Coulomb coupling (high molecular charges), for a simple perturbative approximation to the radial distribution functions (RDF), based upon a low-density expansion of the potential of mean force and proposed to describe protein-protein interactions in a recent Small-Angle-Scattering (SAS) experimental study. A highly simplified Yukawa (screened Coulomb) model of monomers and dimers of a charged globular protein ($\beta$-lactoglobulin) in solution is considered. We test the accuracy of the RDF approximation, as a necessary complementary part of the previous experimental investigation, by comparison with the fluid structure predicted by approximate integral equations and exact Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. In the MC calculations, an Ewald construction for Yukawa potentials has been used to take into account the long-range part of the interactions in the weakly screened cases. Our results confirm that the perturbative first-order approximation is valid for this system even at strong Coulomb coupling, provided that the screening is not too weak (i.e., for Debye length smaller than monomer radius). A comparison of the MC results with integral equation calculations shows that both the hypernetted-chain (HNC) and the Percus-Yevick (PY) closures have a satisfactory behavior under these regimes, with the HNC being superior throughout. The relevance of our findings for interpreting SAS results is also discussed.Comment: Physical Review E, in press (2005