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

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

Noncovalent Complexation of Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes With Biopolymers: Dispersion, Purification, And Protein Interactions

This thesis is a comprehensive study on the noncovalent complexation of singlewall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using biopolymers, including single-stranded DNA and synthetic glycopolymers to explore their potential applications as optical sensors. SWCNTs are cylindrical structures of carbon lattice with diameters of~ 1 nanometer. They have unique electronic, chemical, and optical properties, which make them ideal candidates for bioimaging, biosensing, and drug delivery applications. The resulting biopolymerSWCNT complexes maintain the intrinsic properties of nanotubes and possess specific biological functionalities as well. Here, we have extensively studied the structure-property relationship oftwo types of biopolymer-complexed SWCNT systems, namely DNA- and glycopolymer-wrapped SWCNTs (i.e., DNA-SWCNTs and Glyco-SWCNTs). First, we investigated the optical properties of DNA-SWCNTs utilizing (GT)n sequences, where n = 6, 10, 15, 20, at controlled pH to examine the effect ofDNA nucleobase deprotonation on the near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence of SWCNTs and the subsequent SWCNT separation. When increasing the pH of aqueous dispersions ofDNA-SWCNTs to a basic region (i.e., pH ~ 12) the NIR emission intensity of nanotubes increased indicating the conformational change of DNA on the surface of nanotubes. The resulting DNA-SWCNT complexes distributed unevenly in a polymer aqueous two-phase system, allowing SWCNT separation at controlled pH. iv Next, we studied Glyco-SWCNT complexes and their ability to interact with carbohydrate-binding proteins (i.e., lectins). We utilized a disaccharide lactose-containing homopolymer with a polymer chain length of n = 400 (i.e., Lact-AM 400) to investigate the dispersion quality and carbohydrate-protein binding interactions of Glyco-SWCNTs. Various lectins were utilized including glucose and mannose-binding Concanavalin A (ConA) and galactose-binding Arachis hypogaea (PNA) to determine carbohydrate-protein interactions which were compared to mannose-binding Galanthus nivalis (GNA) and Bovine serum albumin (BSA) that does not bind specifically to carbohydrates. ConA showed a greater ability to cause the cross linking and aggregations of Glyco-SWCNTs while PNA reacted faster with Glyco-SWCNTs based on the kinetics of protein interactions. Taken together, our findings provide insights for creating biopolymer-SWCNT complexes with controlled optical properties and biological functionalities. This opens new possibilities for designing novel nanosystems for many applications, from nanotube purification to biological sensing and imaging to nanomedicine

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

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

Ovulation, In Vivo Emotion Regulation Problems, and Sexual Risk Recognition Deficits

Objective: To examine associations between menstrual cycle phase, negative mood, sexual risk recog-nition deficits (assessed via an analogue risk vignette), and in vivo emotion dysregulation. Partici-pants: Participants were 714 college women recruited between February 2007 and December 2009. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to a negative or neutral mood induction and in-structed to identify sexual risk during an audiotaped sexual coercion vignette. Participants reported menstrual cycle information, in vivo emotional nonacceptance, and attention during the vignette. Results: In the negative mood condition, ovulation was associated with longer risk recognition laten-cies relative to the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. Increased in vivo emotional nonacceptance and decreased attention to the vignette mediated associations between ovulation and risk recognition deficits in the negative mood condition. Conclusions: Sexual assault risk reduction programs could provide psychoeducation regarding negative mood during ovulation and empha-size emotional acceptance and attention to external stimuli when distressed

Perceptions of Couple Functioning Among Female Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

A sample of 51 college women retrospectively reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse and 91 women failing to report such a history was examined in order to investigate the relationship between victimization history and survivors\u27 self-reports of functioning in adult intimate relationships. Specifically, relationship satisfaction, communication, and trust were examined in heterosexual relationships of at least six months\u27 duration. As hypothesized, even when demographic differences between groups were controlled, survivors reported significantly less relationship satisfaction, poorer communication, and lower levels of trust in their partners than did women with no history of sexual abuse. The implications of these results are discussed with regard to clinical applications and future research

Perceptions of Couple Functioning Among Female Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

A sample of 51 college women retrospectively reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse and 91 women failing to report such a history was examined in order to investigate the relationship between victimization history and survivors\u27 self-reports of functioning in adult intimate relationships. Specifically, relationship satisfaction, communication, and trust were examined in heterosexual relationships of at least six months\u27 duration. As hypothesized, even when demographic differences between groups were controlled, survivors reported significantly less relationship satisfaction, poorer communication, and lower levels of trust in their partners than did women with no history of sexual abuse. The implications of these results are discussed with regard to clinical applications and future research