Massively Parallel Ray Tracing Algorithm Using GPU

Ray tracing is a technique for generating an image by tracing the path of light through pixels in an image plane and simulating the effects of high-quality global illumination at a heavy computational cost. Because of the high computation complexity, it can't reach the requirement of real-time rendering. The emergence of many-core architectures, makes it possible to reduce significantly the running time of ray tracing algorithm by employing the powerful ability of floating point computation. In this paper, a new GPU implementation and optimization of the ray tracing to accelerate the rendering process is presented

Functional characterization of D9, a novel deazaneplanocin a (DZNep) analog, in targeting acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

10.1371/journal.pone.0122983PLoS ONE104e012298

ASLAN003, a potent dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor for differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia

Differentiation therapies achieve remarkable success in acute promyelocytic leukemia, a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia. However, excluding acute promyelocytic leukemia, clinical benefits of differentiation therapies are negligible in acute myeloid leukemia except for mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase catalyses the fourth step of the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway. ASLAN003 is a highly potent dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor that induces differentiation, as well as reduces cell proliferation and viability, of acute myeloid leukemia cell lines and primary acute myeloid leukemia blasts including in chemo-resistant cells. Apoptotic pathways are triggered by ASLAN003, and it also significantly inhibits protein synthesis and activates AP-1 transcription, contributing to its differentiation promoting capacity. Finally, ASLAN003 substantially reduces leukemic burden and prolongs survival in acute myeloid leukemia xenograft mice and acute myeloid leukemia patient-derived xenograft models. Notably, the drug has no evident effect on normal hematopoietic cells and exhibits excellent safety profiles in mice, even after a prolonged period of administration. Our results, therefore, suggest that ASLAN003 is an agent targeting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase with potential in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. ASLAN003 is currently being evaluated in phase 2a clinical trial in acute myeloid leukemia patients

A High Accuracy & Ultra-Low Power ECG-Derived Respiration Estimation Processor for Wearable Respiration Monitoring Sensor

The respiratory rate is widely used for evaluating a person’s health condition. Compared to other invasive and expensive methods, the ECG-derived respiration estimation is a more comfortable and affordable method to obtain the respiration rate. However, the existing ECG-derived respiration estimation methods suffer from low accuracy or high computational complexity. In this work, a high accuracy and ultra-low power ECG-derived respiration estimation processor has been proposed. Several techniques have been proposed to improve the accuracy and reduce the computational complexity (and thus power consumption), including QRS detection using refractory period refreshing and adaptive threshold EDR estimation. Implemented and fabricated using a 55 nm processing technology, the proposed processor achieves a low EDR estimation error of 0.73 on CEBS database and 1.2 on MIT-BIH Polysomnographic Database while demonstrating a record-low power consumption (354 nW) for the respiration monitoring, outperforming the existing designs. The proposed processor can be integrated in a wearable sensor for ultra-low power and high accuracy respiration monitoring

In Situ Synthesis of WSe₂/CMK‑5 Nanocomposite for Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries with a Long-Term Cycling Stability

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have received intensive interests in lithium-ion batteries owing to their unique lithium-ion storage ability when evaluated as anode materials. In the present work, a nanocomposite of WSe₂/CMK-5 was successfully fabricated via a nanocasting route, introducing the unique structure of mesoporous carbon (CMK-5) as a nanorecator. Benefiting from a synergetic effect of WSe₂ nanosheets and mesoporous carbon, the WSe₂/CMK-5 hybrid electrode exhibited large reversible capacity, high rate performance, and excellent long-term cycling stability. For instance, a specific capacity of 490 mA h g^–1 can remain even after 600 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g^–1