About the correlation between logical identified faulty gates and their layout characteristics

Electronics play a significant role in modern society in various areas of our daily lives. Companies producing embedded nano-electronic systems have responded to the ever-increasing demand for high-performance chips with the development and production of structurally complex design, both in terms of the number of gates they are composed of and how they are arranged on the silicon surface. Especially devices intended for safety-critical fields, such as the Automotive field, require a thorough and precise testing process before they are fielded. This paper proposes a correlation analysis between candidate faulty logical gates as possible sources of a given failure identified during the Manufacturing Test Flow and their layout characteristics on the silicon. It is meaningful feedback for manufacturers about the quality of their applied tests. The experimental results are reported for data regarding a production lot of an Automotive System-on-Chip belonging to the SPC58 family produced by STMicroelectronics

First report of Stephanostomum cesticillus (Molin, 1858) Looss, 1899 in Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Southern Italy)

The genus Stephanostomum consists of digenean trematodes found in many marine teleosts. In this study, Stephanostomum cesticillus (Molin, 1858) Looss, 1899 metacercariae were identified in European hake (Merluccius merluccius, Linnaeus, 1758) caught in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The metacercariae were found encapsulated in the muscle, close to the spine and gills. Out of 131 specimens, 111 (P = 84.7%, mI = 25.1 mA = 21.3) were infected by digenean trematode metacercariae. Morphological and histological evaluations were carried out. The members of this genus are characterised by a double crown of spines close to the oral sucker. For identification of the parasite, molecular analysis was performed via 28S and 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes. Partial rDNA sequences of Stephanostomum highly matched to S. cesticillus for the percentage of similar identity from the nucleotide database of BLAST. The present survey reports the presence of S. cesticillus metacercariae in M. merluccius for the first time. Our results improve current knowledge on hake parasites to better understand the distribution of S. cesticillus in M. merluccius caught in the Mediterranean Sea and shed light on the life cycle of the parasite adding other possible hosts

Therapeutic Hyper-CL soft contact lens in Sjögren's syndrome

Purpose: To report increased corneal bioavailability of allogenic serum when used in combinations with Therapeutic Hyper-CL™ soft contact lens in a patient with severe Sjögren's syndrome-associated dry eye. Observations: A 57-year-old woman with a medical history of bilateral severe Sjögren's syndrome-associated dry eye and previous amniotic membrane patch for autoimmune corneal perforation in her left eye was referred for left eye recurrence of progressive melting and pending perforation. After manual corneal trephination, full thickness transplant and sutured amniotic membrane patch, a Therapeutic Hyper-CL™ soft contact lens (EyeYon Medical, Ness Tziona, Israel) was fit. The patient was commenced in the left eye with topical corticosteroid, antibiotic, and allogenic serum eye drops. In the right eye the patient had silicone hydrogel bandage contact lens and was under same treatment of the left eye for previous endothelial keratoplasty. In order to evaluate the efficacy and increased corneal availability of drugs provided by Therapeutic Hyper-CL™ compared with silicone hydrogel soft contact lens, anterior segment OCT was performed. Conclusions and importance: The anterior segment OCT showed a thicker meniscus of fluid and possibly subsequent increase of trophic factors bioavailability in left eye compared with right eye. Therefore, in case of severe and refractory dry-eye disease the combination of Therapeutic Hyper-CL™ and serum eye drops may be representing a valid therapeutic approach

Environmental Co-Exposure to Potassium Perchlorate and Cd Caused Toxicity and Thyroid Endocrine Disruption in Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae (<i>Danio rerio</i>)

The increasing pollution of aquatic habitats with anthropogenic compounds has led to various test strategies to detect hazardous chemicals. However, information on the effects of pollutants on the thyroid system in fish, which is essential for growth, development, and parts of reproduction, is still scarce. Modified early life-stage tests were carried out with zebrafish exposed to the known thyroid inhibitor potassium perchlorate (0.1, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 5 mM) to identify adverse effects on embryo development. The endogenous antioxidant defense mechanism is one of the key functions of the thyroid gland; in this regard, we examined the co-exposure to potassium perchlorate (KClO4), which could disrupt thyroid function, with cadmium (Cd), a known pro-oxidant compound. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to control KClO4 1 mM and Cd 0.5 μM for 96 h after fertilization (hpf) individually and in combination. The morphological alteration, body length, and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression related to thyroid function and oxidative stress, thyroid hormone levels, and malondialdehyde were measured. Significant down-regulation of mRNAs related to thyroid function (thyroid hormone receptor-alpha (THRα), thyroid hormone receptor-beta (THRβ), haematopoietically expressed homeobox (hhex)) and decreased thyroxin (T4) levels were observed after co-exposure to KClO4 and Cd, but this was not observed in the individually treated groups. These results suggest that co-exposure to KClO4 and Cd could affect antioxidant defense mechanisms and potentially normally increase Cd toxicity on mRNA expression, altering the thyroid functions important in zebrafish embryonic developmental stages

Impact of Mycotoxin Contaminations on Aquatic Organisms: Toxic Effect of Aflatoxin B1 and Fumonisin B1 Mixture

(1) Background: Multiple contaminations of several mycotoxins have been detected in human and veterinary food and feed worldwide. To date, a number of studies on the combined effects of mycotoxins have been conducted on cell and animal models, but very limited studies have been done on aquatic organisms. (2) The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the combined toxic effects of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Fumonisin B1 (FB1) on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. (3) Results: Our results showed that the combination of AFB1 and FB1 at nontoxic concentrations exerted a negative effect on the lethal endpoints analyzed, such as survival, hatching, and heart rate. In addition, the mixture of mycotoxins caused an increase in the levels of enzymes and proteins involved in the antioxidant process, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), both in terms of protein levels and gene expression, as well as an increase in the levels of the detoxification enzymes glutathione s-transferases (GST) and cytochromes P450 (CYP450). Furthermore, we showed that the mycotoxin mixture induced an increase in pro-apoptotic proteins such as bax and caspase 3, and at the same time reduced the gene expression of the anti-apoptotic bcl-2 protein. Finally, a significant decrease in thyroid function was observed in terms of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and vitellogenin (VTG) levels. (4) Conclusion: We can say that the mixture of mycotoxins carries a greater risk factor than individual presences. There is a greater need for effective detoxification methods to control and reduce the toxicity of multiple mycotoxins and reduce the toxicity of multiple mycotoxins in feed and throughout the food chain

Environmental Impact of Pharmaceutical Pollutants: Synergistic Toxicity of Ivermectin and Cypermethrin

Veterinary antiparasitic pharmaceuticals as well as pesticides have been detected in surface waters, and they may cause several toxic effects in this environmental compartment. In the present study, we evaluated the toxicity after exposure of different concentration of ivermectin (IVM; 50, 100, and 200 μg L−1) and cypermethrin (CYP; 5, 10, and 25 μg L−1) and the combination of these two compounds at non-toxic concentration (IVM 100 + CYP 5 μg L−1) in zebrafish embryos. Combination of IVM at 100 μg L−1 with CYP at 5 μg L−1 exposure induced hatching delay and malformations at 96 hpf in zebrafish larvae as well as significant induction of cell death in zebrafish larvae. At the same time, the two single concentrations of IVM and CYP did not show a toxic effect on zebrafish development. In conclusion, our study suggests that IVM and CYP show a synergistic effect at common, ineffective concentrations, promoting malformation and cell death in fish development