Verilog Modeling of Transmission Line for USB 2.0 High-Speed PHY Interface

A Verilog model is proposed for transmission lines to perform the all-Verilog simulation of high-speed chip-to-chip interface system, which reduces the simulation time by around 770 times compared to the mixed-mode simulation. The single-pulse response of transmission line in SPICE model is converted into that in Verilog model by converting the full-scale analog signal into an 11-bit digital code after uniform time sampling. The receiver waveform of transmission line is calculated by adding or subtracting the single-pulse response in Verilog model depending on the transmitting digital code values with appropriate time delay. The application of this work to a USB 2.0 high-speed PHY interface reduces the simulation time to less than three minutes with error less than 5% while the mixed-mode simulation takes more than two days for the same circuit.X1133Ysciescopu

An efficient downlink beamforming scheme for FDD/SDMA systems

Without channel information of the downlink, the base station can generate downlink beam pattern using the weight vector used for the uplink. In the frequency division duplex system, however, it may result in significant performance degradation due to the carrier frequency offset between the uplink and downlink. To resolve this problem, we propose an efficient downlink beamforming algorithm based on a least square method with constraints. We also consider the control of null depth to obtain a desired signal to interference power ratio. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can sufficiently reduce the interference from other users, improving the BER performance in the downlink

Toxic effects of ammonia exposure on growth performance, hematological parameters, and plasma components in rockfish, Sebastes schlegelii, during thermal stress

Abstract Rockfish, Sebastes schlegelii (mean length 14.53 ± 1.14 cm and mean weight 38.36 ± 3.45 g), were exposed for 4 weeks with the different levels of ammonia in the concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L at 19 and 24 °C. The indicators of growth performance such as daily length gain, daily weight gain, condition factor, and hematosomatic index were significantly reduced by the ammonia exposure and high temperature. The ammonia exposure induced a significant decrease in hematological parameters, such as red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (Ht), whose trend was more remarkable at 24 °C. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were also notably decreased by the ammonia exposure. Blood ammonia concentration was considerably increased by the ammonia concentration exposure. In the serum components, the glucose, glutamic oxalate transaminase (GOT), and glutamic pyruvate transaminase (GPT) were substantially increased by the ammonia exposure, whereas total protein was significantly decreased. But, the calcium and magnesium were not considerably changed

Effects of pair freeze-out on photon distributions in BBN epoch

We investigate the evolution of non-extensivity in the photon distribution during the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) epoch using Tsallis statistics. Assuming a minimal deviation from the Planck distribution, we construct the perturbed Boltzmann equation for photons, including the collision terms for pair creation and annihilation processes. We analyze the possibility that these collisions could cause a slight increase in the number of high-frequency photons within the BBN era, and consequently, the primordial plasma might be temporarily placed in a state of chemical non-equilibrium. We also discuss the restoration of the photon distribution to an equilibrium state as the Universe enters the matter-dominated era. These findings, which suggest possible changes in the photon distribution during the epoch between the BBN and the recombination, offer insights that support the previously proposed ansatz solution to the primordial lithium problem in arXiv:1812.09472.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Quality of Life in Patients with Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures

Study DesignA case-control study.PurposeTo examine several dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in postmenopausal women with osteoporotic vertebral fractures, compared with a control group.Overview of LiteratureOsteoporotic vertebral fractures are a major cause of morbidity among postmenopausal women. There have been many reports of a decrease in the quality of life in patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures. However,few reports have analyzed which dimensions contribute to the decline in quality of life.MethodsOne thousand five hundred forty-five postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older from 17 study sites in nationwide hospitals were in enrolled in the study (between April 2008 and January 2009). HRQL was measured using the European Quality of Life 5 Domains (EQ-5D), and visual analogue scale (VAS).ResultsThe average VAS of the case group was 57.80, and that of the control group was 64.10 (p=0.001). All domains of the EQ-5D score were significantly worse in the case group (p=0.001). Among the case group, the average VAS of the 559 patients (45%) who were operated on was 56.8, and that of the remaining 680 patients (55%) who were treated conservatively was 58.6 (p=0.135). Among the case group, the averages of each EQ-5D domain of the 559 patients (45%) who were operated on were: 1.87 in mobility, 1.81 in self-care, 1.99 in usual activities, 2.11 in pain, and 1.62 in anxiety or depression. Those of the 680 patients (55%) who were treated conservatively were: 1.72 in mobility, 1.60 in self-care, 1.76 in usual activities, 1.98 in pain, and 1.57 in anxiety or depression. Except for the domain of anxiety or depression, scores for the other domains were all significantly worse in the patients who were operated on (p=0.001).ConclusionsHealth related quality of life in the patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures was significantly worse in both the EQ-5D domains and VAS. Among the osteoporotic vertebral fracture patients, the patients who were operated on had a worse quality of life in EQ-5D

Clinical Impact of Tumor Regression Grade after Preoperative Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Subset Analyses in Lymph Node Negative Patients

BACKGROUND: We investigated the prognostic significance of tumor regression grade (TRG) after preoperative chemoradiation therapy (preop-CRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer especially in the patients without lymph node metastasis. METHODS: One-hundred seventy-eight patients who had cT3/4 tumors were given 5,040 cGy preoperative radiation with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin chemotherapy. A total mesorectal excision was performed 4-6 weeks after preop-CRT. TRG was defined as follows: grade 1 as no cancer cells remaining; grade 2 as cancer cells outgrown by fibrosis; grade 3 as a minimal presence or absence of regression. The prognostic significance of TRG in comparison with histopathologic staging was analyzed. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (9.6%) showed TRG1. TRG was found to be significantly associated with cancer-specific survival (CSS; P = 0.001) and local recurrence (P = 0.039) in the univariate study, but not in the multivariate analysis. The ypN stage was the strongest prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. Subgroup analysis revealed TRG to be an independent prognostic factor for the CSS of ypN0 patients (P = 0.031). TRG had a stronger impact on the CSS of ypN (-) patients (P = 0.002) than on that of ypN (+) patients (P = 0.521). In ypT2N0 and ypT3N0, CSS was better for TRG2 than for TRG3 (P = 0.041, P = 0.048), and in ypN (-) and TRG2 tumors, CSS was better for ypT1-2 than for ypT3-4 (P = 0.034). CONCLUSION: TRG was found to be the strongest prognostic factor in patients without lymph node metastasis (ypN0), and different survival was observed according to TRG among patients with a specific histopathologic stage. Thus, TRG may provide an accurate prediction of prognosis and may be used for f tailoring treatment for patients without lymph node metastasis.ope

Serial Measurement of WT1 Expression and Decrement Ratio Until Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation as a Marker of Residual Disease in Patients with Cytogenetically Normal Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

AbstractUsing real-time quantitative PCR, we monitored Wilms tumor gene 1 (WT1) expression from diagnosis to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in adult patients with cytogenetically normal acute myelogenous leukemia (CN-AML) and FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations. The values at diagnosis were evaluated in 104 patients. Data collected after induction chemotherapy were available for all patients, but only 68 patients were treated with HSCT. Significant WT1 expression cut-offs were determined by receiver operation characteristic curve analysis, and rates of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were estimated. WT1 decrement ratios (DR) at postinduction chemotherapy and at pre- and post-HSCT compared with the diagnostic level were calculated. Higher WT1 expression at diagnosis, postinduction chemotherapy, and pre-HSCT showed inferior OS (P = .015, <.001, and .002) and DFS (P = .006, <.001, and .003). The cut-offs were determined at the median for diagnostic WT1 expression and at the 25% level from the top for other time points excluding post-HSCT. The WT1 DR ≥ 1-log after induction chemotherapy showed superior OS and DFS (P = .009 and .002) and WT1 DR ≥ 1-log preceding HSCT also showed superior OS and DFS (P = .009 and .003). Results of WT1 DR were consistently applicable in each subgroup with higher (≥1.0) and lower (<1.0) WT1 expression at diagnosis and also in NPM1-wild-type/FLT3-ITD–negative CN-AML. The WT1 DR therefore predicted survival outcomes after HSCT more accurately than did the diagnostic WT1 expression. WT1 expression may serve as a reliable marker for residual disease and WT1 DR as a prognostic indicator, particularly in NPM1-wild-type/FLT3-ITD–negative CN-AML. These measures may be applied throughout the course of treatment and even after HSCT

Splenic Abscess Associated with Endocarditis in a Patient on Hemodialysis: A Case Report

Splenic abscess is an unusual condition usually seen in immunocompromised patients or associated with intravenous drug abuses. Several conditions including trauma, immunodeficiency, corticosteroid and/or immunosuppressive therapy and diabetes mellitus have been listed under the predisposing factors for a splenic abscess. Splenic abscess in a patient on hemodialysis is a rare but life-threatening condition if not corrected. We describe a case of splenic abscess with bacterial endocarditis on maintenance hemodialysis. He had staphylococcal septicemia secondary to bacterial endocarditis at the mitral valve from the dialysis accesssite infection. Although hematologic seeding from endocarditis has been the predisposing factor for splenic abscess, we postulate that access-site infections may predispose hemodialysis patients to splenic abscess. Splenic abscess may be considered as one of the causes when patients on hemodialysis develop unexplained fever