Delay test for diagnosis of power switches

Power switches are used as part of power-gating technique to reduce leakage power of a design. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in open-literature to show a systematic diagnosis method for accurately diagnosingpower switches. The proposed diagnosis method utilizes recently proposed DFT solution for efficient testing of power switches in the presence of PVT variation. It divides power switches into segments such that any faulty power switch is detectable thereby achieving high diagnosis accuracy. The proposed diagnosis method has been validated through SPICE simulation using a number of ISCAS benchmarks synthesized with a 90-nm gate library. Simulation results show that when considering the influence of process variation, the worst case loss of accuracy is less than 4.5%; and the worst case loss of accuracy is less than 12% when considering VT (Voltage and Temperature) variations

The Effect of Pain and Swelling Related to Third Molars on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

Objective: To evaluate the effect of pain and swelling related to third molars on patients' quality of life prior to third molar surgery. Material and Methods: The effects on quality of life with reference to oral health of 246 healthy patients seeking treatment of third molars were analyzed using the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) questionnaire before surgery. The patients' sociodemographic characteristics, medical and dental history, reasons for third molar removal were recorded. Adverse effects of pain and swelling on oral health-related quality of life were recorded. Results: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 23.15 years, with maximum male patients and the mean OHIP-14 score of 8.01 ± 7.51. About 36.97% of patients reported that their chief complaint was pain/swelling due to third molar infection, and 27.9% of subjects reported one or more of the 14 OHIP items. The odds of reporting for age with ≥25 years was approximately 2 times greater than age with ≤25 years (OR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.01-2.57) and tooth loss due to traumatic history (OR=3.14, 95% CI: 2.12-6.54). Conclusion: Adverse influences on quality of life were seen in a significant number of patients seeking third molar removal. The probabilities increased by 3-fold for patients who had experienced pain or swelling than asymptomatic individuals

Combined effects of dexmedetomidine and vatinoxan infusions on minimum alveolar concentration and cardiopulmonary function in sevoflurane-anesthetized dogs

Objective To evaluate the effects of combined infusions of vatinoxan and dexmedetomidine on inhalant anesthetic requirement and cardiopulmonary function in dogs. Study design Prospective experimental study. Methods A total of six Beagle dogs were anesthetized to determine sevoflurane minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) prior to and after an intravenous (IV) dose (loading, then continuous infusion) of dexmedetomidine (4.5 mu g kg(-1) hour(-1)) and after two IV doses of vatinoxan in sequence (90 and 180 mu g kg(-1) hour(-1)). Blood was collected for plasma dexmedetomidine and vatinoxan concentrations. During a separate anesthesia, cardiac output (CO) was measured under equivalent MAC conditions of sevoflurane and dexmedetomidine, and then with each added dose of vatinoxan. For each treatment, cardiovascular variables were measured with spontaneous and controlled ventilation. Repeated measures analyses were performed for each response variable; for all analyses, p 180 mu g kg(-1) hour(-1) might improve cardiovascular function further in combination with this dose of dexmedetomidine, but beneficial effects on anesthesia plane and recovery quality may be lost.Peer reviewe

The Effect of Pain and Swelling Related to Third Molars on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

Objective: To evaluate the effect of pain and swelling related to third molars on patients' quality of life prior to third molar surgery. Material and Methods: The effects on quality of life with reference to oral health of 246 healthy patients seeking treatment of third molars were analyzed using the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) questionnaire before surgery. The patients' sociodemographic characteristics, medical and dental history, reasons for third molar removal were recorded. Adverse effects of pain and swelling on oral health-related quality of life were recorded. Results: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 23.15 years, with maximum male patients and the mean OHIP-14 score of 8.01 ± 7.51. About 36.97% of patients reported that their chief complaint was pain/swelling due to third molar infection, and 27.9% of subjects reported one or more of the 14 OHIP items. The odds of reporting for age with ≥25 years was approximately 2 times greater than age with ≤25 years (OR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.01-2.57) and tooth loss due to traumatic history (OR=3.14, 95% CI: 2.12-6.54). Conclusion: Adverse influences on quality of life were seen in a significant number of patients seeking third molar removal. The probabilities increased by 3-fold for patients who had experienced pain or swelling than asymptomatic individuals

Clinical Consequences of Untreated Dental Caries among Primary School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To evaluate the dental caries experience and clinical consequences of untreated dental caries (UDC) among primary school children of Al Jouf region, Saudi Arabia and to determine the correlation between dental caries experience and clinical consequences of UDC. Material and Methods: A 250 primary school children 6-7 years were recruited using systematic random sampling. The prevalence of dental caries in deciduous dentition was assessed by following WHO criteria using the dmft index and the clinical consequence of UDC was assessed with the pufa index. The pufa score was calculated cumulatively following the pufa diagnostic criteria. The Student’s t-test was used to equate the mean  dmft and  pufa scores between boys and girls. The correlation between the dmft and the pufa scores was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r), and the p-value was set at 0.05 for statistical significance. Results: Out of which 154 (61.60%) boys and 94 (37.60%) were girls. The mean (SD) values of dmft for boys reported to be 5.37 (± 3.31) and for girls 6.35 (± 3.27), which was statistically significant with gender (p<0.001). Statistically, significant mean values of pufa were 1.20 (± 1.37) in boys and 1.71 (± 1.58) in  girls, respectively was observed (p<0.001). The Pearson correlation between dmft and pufa values showed  a highly significant positive correlation among dmft and pufa values (r= 0.635, p<0.001). Conclusion: The present study revealed that high caries prevalence and experience of the clinical consequences of UDC in the primary dentition, and there was a strong positive correlation between dmft and pufa score values

Assessment of Caries Spectrum of First Permanent Molars in 7- to 8-Year-Old School Children in Northern Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To estimate caries spectrum in first permanent molars (FPMs) of 7- to 8-year-old children in Saudi Arabia using Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment (CAST) index, and examine the correlation between distributions of CAST codes among contralateral and opposite arches. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 7- to 8-year-old Saudi school children in Sakaka, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia. A total of 385 children were examined. CAST codes were determined for FPMs, and their distribution was analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Statistical significance was set as p<0.05. Intra-examiner reliability was determined using the unweighted kappa coefficient. Results: The results indicated most of the FPMs were scored as code 3 (enamel lesions) such as upper contralateral FPM 44.40% for right, 53.50% for left, respectively, and lower contralateral molars were 61.30% for right and 64.90% for left, respectively. It was also observed that upper FPMs had scored code 0 (sound teeth) more than that of lower FPMs. Serious morbidity (codes 6 and 7) and mortality (code 8) showed a low prevalence in FPMs. Strong correlations were observed between upper contralateral FPMs (r=0.586) and lower contralateral FPMs (r=0.567, p<0.001). Conclusion: A high prevalence of enamel caries lesions (code 3) was observed in FPMs; in addition, a strong correlation was present between upper contralateral FPMs and between lower contralateral FPMs

Tooth Coronal Index: A Novel Tool For Age Estimation on Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Objective: To evaluate dental age assessment reliability through Tooth Coronal Index (TCI) method. Material and Methods: The cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of 160 individuals aged between 20-70 years were analyzed in the present study. The height of the crown, i.e., coronal height, and the height of the coronal pulp cavity, i.e., coronal pulp cavity height, of mandibular second premolars and first molars were calculated and then TCI was measured. The actual age of a subject was compared with TCI of tooth and the acquired data were subjected to Pearson’s correlation and unpaired t-tests. Results: Negative correlation was observed between the real age and TCI of mandibular first molar (r = -0.094, p=0.382) and second premolar (r = -0.176, p=0.0961. Statistically significant difference was observed between actual age and TCI for mandibular second premolar and first molar (p<0.001). Conclusion: Tooth coronal index has the potential to estimate age of an individual on CBCT scans. It is simple, cost-effective than histological methods and can be applied to both living and unknown dead

Mesophilic Digestion Kinetics of Manure Slurry

Anaerobic Digestion Kinetics Study of Cow Manure Was Performed at 35°C in Bench-Scale Gas-Lift Digesters (3.78 L Working Volume) at Eight Different Volatile Solids (VS) Loading Rates in the Range of 1.11-5.87 G L-1 Day-1. the Digesters Produced Methane at the Rates of 0.44-1.18 L L-1 Day-1, and the Methane Content of the Biogas Was Found to Increase with Longer Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT). based on the Experimental Observations, the Ultimate Methane Yield and the Specific Methane Productivity Were Estimated to Be 0.42 L CH4 (G vs. Loaded)-1 and 0.45 L CH4 (G vs. Consumed)-1, Respectively. Total and Dissolved Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Consumptions Were Calculated to Be 59-17% and 78-43% at 24.4-4.6 Days HRTs, respectively. Maximum Concentration of Volatile Fatty Acids in the Effluent Was Observed as 0.7 G L-1 at 4.6 Days HRT, While It Was Below Detection Limit at HRTs Longer Than 11 Days. the Observed Methane Production Rate Did Not Compare Well with the Predictions of Chen and Hashimoto\u27s [1] and Hill\u27s [2] Models using their Recommended Kinetic Parameters. However, under the Studied Experimental Conditions, the Predictions of Chen and Hashimoto\u27s [1] Model Compared Better to the Observed Data Than that of Hill\u27s [2] Model. the Nonlinear Regression Analysis of the Experimental Data Was Performed using a Derived Methane Production Rate Model, for a Completely Mixed Anaerobic Digester, Involving Contois Kinetics [3] with Endogenous Decay. the Best Fit Values for the Maximum Specific Growth Rate (Μm) and Dimensionless Kinetic Parameter (K) Were Estimated as 0.43 Day-1 and 0.89, Respectively. the Experimental Data Were Found to Be within 95% Confidence Interval of the Prediction of the Derived Methane Production Rate Model with the Sum of Residual Squared Error as 0.02. © Humana Press Inc. 2007