March CRF: an Efficient Test for Complex Read Faults in SRAM Memories

In this paper we study Complex Read Faults in SRAMs, a combination of various malfunctions that affect the read operation in nanoscale memories. All the memory elements involved in the read operation are studied, underlining the causes of the realistic faults concerning this operation. The requirements to cover these fault models are given. We show that the different causes of read failure are independent and may coexist in nanoscale SRAMs, summing their effects and provoking Complex Read Faults, CRFs. We show that the test methodology to cover this new read faults consists in test patterns that match the requirements to cover all the different simple read fault models. We propose a low complexity (?2N) test, March CRF, that covers effectively all the realistic Complex Read Fault

Posttraumatic Stress and Parenting Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation

Maternal trauma has been linked with problematic parenting, including both harsh and permissive behaviors. However, little is known about mechanisms accounting for this association. The current study examined the potential impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotion regulation on dysfunctional parenting behaviors in a sample of community mothers. We hypothesized a mediation model wherein PTSD would be associated with dysfunctional parenting (i.e., lax and overreactive behaviors) indirectly through deficits in maternal emotion regulation. Seventy-eight community mothers of 18- to 36-month-old children were administered the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) and 19 mothers met criteria for PTSD. Mothers also completed self-report measures of difficulties with emotion regulation and maternal laxness and overreactivity in parenting. Results revealed that emotion dysregulation fully mediated relations between PTSD status and lax (but not overreactive) parenting behaviors. Compared to mothers without PTSD, those with PTSD reported greater lax parenting behaviors indirectly through greater emotion dysregulation. Mothers with PTSD may struggle to parent assertively when trauma symptoms interfere with emotion regulation abilities. The current study highlights the need to design interventions focused on helping trauma-exposed mothers manage distress, ultimately aiming to enhance parenting effectiveness and improve child outcomes

Semantic Perceptual Image Compression using Deep Convolution Networks

It has long been considered a significant problem to improve the visual quality of lossy image and video compression. Recent advances in computing power together with the availability of large training data sets has increased interest in the application of deep learning cnns to address image recognition and image processing tasks. Here, we present a powerful cnn tailored to the specific task of semantic image understanding to achieve higher visual quality in lossy compression. A modest increase in complexity is incorporated to the encoder which allows a standard, off-the-shelf jpeg decoder to be used. While jpeg encoding may be optimized for generic images, the process is ultimately unaware of the specific content of the image to be compressed. Our technique makes jpeg content-aware by designing and training a model to identify multiple semantic regions in a given image. Unlike object detection techniques, our model does not require labeling of object positions and is able to identify objects in a single pass. We present a new cnn architecture directed specifically to image compression, which generates a map that highlights semantically-salient regions so that they can be encoded at higher quality as compared to background regions. By adding a complete set of features for every class, and then taking a threshold over the sum of all feature activations, we generate a map that highlights semantically-salient regions so that they can be encoded at a better quality compared to background regions. Experiments are presented on the Kodak PhotoCD dataset and the MIT Saliency Benchmark dataset, in which our algorithm achieves higher visual quality for the same compressed size.Comment: Accepted to Data Compression Conference, 11 pages, 5 figure

Short and long term results of the laparoscopic Heller–Dor myotomy. The influence of age and previous conservative therapies

Analisi dei risultati della terapia chirurgica dell'acalasia esofagea con tecnica di Heller-Dor laparoscopica in pazienti anziani con e senza dilatazione pneumatica pregress

Minimizing Test Power in SRAM through Reduction of Pre-charge Activity

In this paper we analyze the test power of SRAM memories and demonstrate that the full functional pre-charge activity is not necessary during test mode because of the predictable addressing sequence. We exploit this observation in order to minimize power dissipation during test by eliminating the unnecessary power consumption associated with the pre-charge activity. This is achieved through a modified pre-charge control circuitry, exploiting the first degree of freedom of March tests, which allows choosing a specific addressing sequence. The efficiency of the proposed solution is validated through extensive Spice simulations

Suicide in pediatrics: epidemiology, risk factors, warning signs and the role of the pediatrician in detecting them

Epidemiological data suggests suicide is uncommon in childhood but becomes an extremely serious issue among adolescents.Several risk factors have been identified and include the presence of psychiatric illness, a previous suicide attempt, family factors, substance abuse, sexual and physical abuse, disorders in gender identity or bullying. Pediatricians have a primary role in searching for these risk factors, recognizing them and acting synergistically with other specialists to prevent and treat suicidal behavior.Pediatricians should also be able to identify the "warning signs" for suicide since their presence implies a need for immediate action, as attempted suicide may occur in a few hours or days.The use of antidepressant drugs and its association with suicidal risk in pediatric age is another topic of ongoing debate. Food and Drug Administration has recently introduced the so-called "black box" on antidepressants' packages with the aim of gaining attention to the possible risk of suicide among adolescents who are treated with antidepressants, with a warning that the risk of suicide is higher when starting a therapy or while adjusting its dosage

Effective Launch-to-Capture Power Reduction for LOS Scheme with Adjacent-Probability-Based X-Filling

It has become necessary to reduce power during LSI testing. Particularly, during at-speed testing, excessive power consumed during the Launch-To-Capture (LTC) cycle causes serious issues that may lead to the overkill of defect-free logic ICs. Many successful test generation approaches to reduce IR-drop and/or power supply noise during LTC for the launch-off capture (LOC) scheme have previously been proposed, and several of X-filling techniques have proven especially effective. With X-filling in the launch-off shift (LOS) scheme, however, adjacent-fill (which was originally proposed for shift-in power reduction) is used frequently. In this work, we propose a novel X-filling technique for the LOS scheme, called Adjacent-Probability-based X-Filling (AP-fill), which can reduce more LTC power than adjacent-fill. We incorporate AP-fill into a post-ATPG test modification flow consisting of test relaxation and X-filling in order to avoid the fault coverage loss and the test vector count inflation. Experimental results for larger ITC\u2799 circuits show that the proposed AP-fill technique can achieve a higher power reduction ratio than 0-fill, 1-fill, and adjacent-fill.2011 Asian Test Symposium, 20-23 November 2011, New Delhi, Indi

Peak Power Estimation: A Case Study on CPU Cores

International audienceHigh peak power consumption during test may lead to yield loss. On the other hand, reducing too much test power may lead to test escape. In order to overcome this problem, test power has to mimic the power consumed during functional mode, being as high as possible but not crossing the frontier of over-consumption. Measuring power consumption is a very time consuming activity, therefore many works in the literature focused on the indirect ways to provide power consumption estimation in a fast manner. In this paper we concentrate on a similar issue, concentrating our effort on devising a fast method for the identification and estimation of the peak power produced by test patterns. In particular we provide a detailed discussion on case studies related to peak power estimation of CPU cores when executing functional patterns, the proposed method uses the gate-level description of the CPU to identify a subset of time points over the entire test pattern that are showing the most significant peak power values. The proposed methodology has been validated on two case studies synthesized in a 65nm industrial technology

Design and optimization of acoustic liners with complex cavities for improved broadband noise absorption

LAUREA MAGISTRALEI recenti sviluppi dei sistemi propulsivi aeronautici e delle tecnologie per l’assorbimento del rumore hanno modificato il caratteristico spettro di frequenza del rumore generato dal motore turbofan. La componente in banda larga del rumore del fan ha acquisito un ruolo predominante e lo spettro del rumore del motore turbofan ha assunto frequenze caratteristiche sempre più basse. I trattamenti acustici tradizionalmente usati nelle gondole motore non sono adatti ad attenuare questo tipo di rumore, poiché assorbono efficacemente il rumore solamente in banda stretta. Inoltre, il limitato spazio disponibile e le restrizioni sulla massa dei trattamenti acustici impediscono un assorbimento efficiente del rumore a basse frequenze. La seguente tesi di laurea propone una configurazione innovativa di pannello fonoassorbente che promette una significativa riduzione del rumore ad ampio spettro e a basse frequenze. La configurazione è facilmente adattabile a qualsiasi volume riservato nelle gondole motore ai pannelli e la geometria proposta prevede una attenuazione del rumore a basse frequenze, anche in trattamenti dallo spessore complessivo limitato. Nell’elaborato, questa configurazione è ottimizzata per due spessori prestabiliti, al fine di massimizzare l’assorbimento sonoro tra 500 Hz e 4000 Hz, nell’ipotesi di onda sonora normale al pannello e in assenza di flusso medio. Due versioni ridotte di questi pannelli sono realizzate mediante stereolitografia e l’impedenza acustica misurata conferma la fono-assorbenza attesa nell’intervallo di frequenze considerato. La tesi dimostra l’efficacia di COMSOL nella modellazione dell’impedenza acustica effettiva, sia nel caso di pannelli fonoassorbenti tradizionali, sia nel caso di pannelli dalla configurazione complessa. Lo studio propone considerazioni rilevanti per la modellazione numerica dei pannelli fonoassorbenti, convenzionali e non, e presenta le principali caratteristiche acustiche della configurazione presentata. Dimostra, inoltre, la validità di una formulazione analitica per una progettazione preliminare di pannelli dalla configurazione complessa.The recent advances in aircraft propulsion systems and in sound-absorbing technologies has caused broadband fan noise to become more prominent and the engine noise spectrum to shift towards lower frequencies. However, this evolving noise source cannot be attenuated adequately by the conventional acoustic treatments installed in aircraft nacelles. While traditional designs are indeed effective at reducing narrowband noise sources, the sound absorption at low frequencies is limited due to space and weight restrictions. This thesis proposes an innovative configuration of acoustic liner that provides enhanced absorption of broadband sound sources, while also permitting the attenuation of the low-frequency noise. The configuration can be easily adjusted to any space reserved for acoustic liners in aircraft nacelles, so that the gain in acoustic performance can be obtained within an acceptable overall thickness. The concept may also be tuned to target an individual noise spectrum. In the thesis, a liner design with complex cavities is optimised for two fixed overall depths, in order to maximise noise reduction between 500 Hz and 4000 Hz, in the absence of mean flow, and for a normally incident sound wave. Two scaled samples of these optimal liners were manufactured using stereolithography. Their measured acoustic impedances confirm the expected broadband sound absorption. The thesis validates the use of COMSOL to predict the measured impedance of both conventional and innovative liners with complex configurations. Moreover, some relevant considerations are outlined which must be accounted for in the simulation of the acoustic treatment. The principal acoustic features of the proposed liner concept are investigated in detail and an analytical routine is validated for preliminary design