Evaluation of an Accelerator Architecture for Speckle Reducing Anisotropic Diffusion

ABSTRACT Increasing chip power density has brought application specific accelerator architectures to the forefront as an energy and area efficient solution. While GPGPU systems take advantage of specialized hardware to perform computationally intensive tasks faster than chip multiprocessor (CMP) systems, accelerators are hardware units that are designed to execute a specific application efficiently. Real-time ultrasound imaging applications require the removal of multiplicative noise while maintaining a steady frame-rate, and are good candidates to explore accelerator-based systems. In this paper, we propose and evaluate the architecture of an accelerator designed to improve performance of SRAD image enhancing algorithm. We compare the projected performance of the SRAD accelerator to software implementations on a multi-core CPU and a CPU+GPU system. The proposed architecture achieves higher throughput by eliminating redundant fetches from memory and by storing intermediate data locally. The speedup of the GPU is found to be 3.2x over the CPU, while the accelerator achieved a speedup of 24x. The area efficiency of the GPU and accelerator is up to 1.6x and 370x better than the CPU, respectively. In comparison with the CPU, we find that the energy consumed for operation on a single frame is found to be 1.5x lesser on the GPU and up to 580x lesser on the accelerator

Sarcoidosis manifesting as massive splenomegaly: a rare occurrence.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown origin occurring worldwide and affecting people of all races and ages. This disease manifests most frequently with bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy, pulmonary infiltrates, and skin and ocular lesions. Granulomatous inflammation of the spleen is common in patients with sarcoidosis, but splenic enlargement is unusual and massive splenomegaly quite rare. Splenomegaly is usually homogeneous, but multiple low-attenuating nodular lesions are occasionally seen and easily mistaken for lymphoma, metastases, or infections such as tuberculosis. We describe an unusual case of sarcoidosis in a woman who presented with massive splenomegaly with extensive nodularity that cleared completely with corticosteroid therapy

A virtual coach for question asking and enabling learning by reflection in startup engineering

The Socratic method of teaching engages learners in extended conversations and encourages learning through answering questions, making arguments, and reflecting on the evolving conversation. This method can be a powerful instrument of learning by reflection, especially in domains in which the right answers to open questions are not known in advance such as entrepreneurship. In this paper, we describe an initial experiment in developing AI technology for simulating the Socratic method of teaching in learning about entrepreneurship. When a would-be entrepreneurs creates a business model on the Business Model Canvas (BMC), the AI agent named Errol uses semantic and lexical analysis of the entries on the BMC to ask questions of the students. By attempting to categorize and correct the errors that novices typically make, Errol seeks to accelerate the process by which a novice can start creating more expert-like business model

The Framework of Security-Enhancing Friction: How UX Can Help Users Behave More Securely

A growing body of research in the usable privacy and security community addresses the question of how to best influence user behavior to reduce risk-taking.We propose to address this challenge by integrating the concept of user experience (UX) into empirical usable privacy and security studies that attempt to change risktaking behavior. UX enables us to study the complex interplay between user-related, system-related and contextual factors and provides insights into the experiential aspects underlying behavior change, including negative experiences. We first compare and contrast existing security-enhancing interventions (e.g., nudges, warnings, fear appeals) through the lens of friction. We then build on these insights to argue that it can be desirable to design for moments of negative UX in security-critical situations. For this purpose, we introduce the novel concept of security-enhancing friction, friction that effectively reduces the occurrence of risk-taking behavior and ensures that the overall UX (after use) is not compromised. We illustrate how security-enhancing friction provides an actionable way to systematically integrate the concept of UX into empirical usable privacy and security studies for meeting both the objectives of secure behavior and of overall acceptable experience

Evaluation of the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of a new live-attenuated lumpy skin disease vaccine in India

ABSTRACTLumpy skin disease (LSD) was reported for the first time in India in 2019 and since then, it has become endemic. Since a homologous (LSD-virus based) vaccine was not available in the country, goatpox virus (GPV)-based heterologous vaccine was authorized for mass immunization to induce protection against LSD in cattle. This study describes the evaluation of safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of a new live-attenuated LSD vaccine developed by using an Indian field strain, isolated in 2019 from cattle. The virus was attenuated by continuous passage (P = 50) in Vero cells. The vaccine (50th LSDV passage in Vero cells, named as Lumpi-ProVacInd) did not induce any local or systemic reaction upon its experimental inoculation in calves (n = 10). At day 30 post-vaccination (pv), the vaccinated animals were shown to develop antibody- and cell-mediated immune responses and exhibited complete protection upon virulent LSDV challenge. A minimum Neethling response (0.018% animals; 5 out of 26,940 animals) of the vaccine was observed in the field trials conducted in 26,940 animals. There was no significant reduction in the milk yield in lactating animals (n = 10108), besides there was no abortion or any other reproductive disorder in the pregnant animals (n = 2889). Sero-conversion was observed in 85.18% animals in the field by day 30 pv

Health status after invasive or conservative care in coronary and advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND In the ISCHEMIA-CKD trial, the primary analysis showed no significant difference in the risk of death or myocardial infarction with initial angiography and revascularization plus guideline-based medical therapy (invasive strategy) as compared with guideline-based medical therapy alone (conservative strategy) in participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease (an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <30 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 or receipt of dialysis). A secondary objective of the trial was to assess angina-related health status. METHODS We assessed health status with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) before randomization and at 1.5, 3, and 6 months and every 6 months thereafter. The primary outcome of this analysis was the SAQ Summary score (ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating less frequent angina and better function and quality of life). Mixed-effects cumulative probability models within a Bayesian framework were used to estimate the treatment effect with the invasive strategy. RESULTS Health status was assessed in 705 of 777 participants. Nearly half the participants (49%) had had no angina during the month before randomization. At 3 months, the estimated mean difference between the invasive-strategy group and the conservative-strategy group in the SAQ Summary score was 2.1 points (95% credible interval, 120.4 to 4.6), a result that favored the invasive strategy. The mean difference in score at 3 months was largest among participants with daily or weekly angina at baseline (10.1 points; 95% credible interval, 0.0 to 19.9), smaller among those with monthly angina at baseline (2.2 points; 95% credible interval, 122.0 to 6.2), and nearly absent among those without angina at baseline (0.6 points; 95% credible interval, 121.9 to 3.3). By 6 months, the between-group difference in the overall trial population was attenuated (0.5 points; 95% credible interval, 122.2 to 3.4). CONCLUSIONS Participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease did not have substantial or sustained benefits with regard to angina-related health status with an initially invasive strategy as compared with a conservative strategy

Management of coronary disease in patients with advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND Clinical trials that have assessed the effect of revascularization in patients with stable coronary disease have routinely excluded those with advanced chronic kidney disease. METHODS We randomly assigned 777 patients with advanced kidney disease and moderate or severe ischemia on stress testing to be treated with an initial invasive strategy consisting of coronary angiography and revascularization (if appropriate) added to medical therapy or an initial conservative strategy consisting of medical therapy alone and angiography reserved for those in whom medical therapy had failed. The primary outcome was a composite of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction. A key secondary outcome was a composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. RESULTS At a median follow-up of 2.2 years, a primary outcome event had occurred in 123 patients in the invasive-strategy group and in 129 patients in the conservative-strategy group (estimated 3-year event rate, 36.4% vs. 36.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 1.29; P=0.95). Results for the key secondary outcome were similar (38.5% vs. 39.7%; hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.29). The invasive strategy was associated with a higher incidence of stroke than the conservative strategy (hazard ratio, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.52 to 9.32; P=0.004) and with a higher incidence of death or initiation of dialysis (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.11; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with stable coronary disease, advanced chronic kidney disease, and moderate or severe ischemia, we did not find evidence that an initial invasive strategy, as compared with an initial conservative strategy, reduced the risk of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction