An analytical performance model for the Spidergon NoC

Networks on chip (NoC) emerged as a promising alternative to bus-based interconnect networks to handle the increasing communication requirements of the large systems on chip. Employing an appropriate topology for a NoC is of high importance mainly because it typically trade-offs between cross-cutting concerns such as performance and cost. The spidergon topology is a novel architecture which is proposed recently for NoC domain. The objective of the spidergon NoC has been addressing the need for a fixed and optimized topology to realize cost effective multi-processor SoC (MPSoC) development [7]. In this paper we analyze the traffic behavior in the spidergon scheme and present an analytical evaluation of the average message latency in the architecture. We prove the validity of the analysis by comparing the model against the results produced by a discreteevent simulator

Association of antihypertensive monotherapy with serum sodium and potassium levels in Chinese patients

<b>Background</b> International guidelines on management of hypertension recommend any major classes of antihypertensive drugs. However, the low prescribing rate of thiazides has been attributed to concerns about electrolyte disturbances and studies between antihypertensive drug classes and hyponatremia/hypokalemia among Chinese patients were scarce. <p></p> <b>Methods</b> From clinical databases we included 2,759 patients who received their first-ever antihypertensive monotherapy from January 2004 to June 2007 in a large territory of Hong Kong. We studied the plasma sodium and potassium levels 8 weeks after prescriptions and factors associated with hyponatremia and hypokalemia by multivariable regression analyses. <p></p> <b>Results</b> Among major antihypertensive drug classes, thiazide users had the lowest sodium level (139.6 mEq/l, 95% confidence interval (CI) 139.3, 140.0, P < 0.001) and patients-prescribed calcium channel blockers (CCBs; 3.92 mEq/l, 95% CI 3.89, 3.95) or thiazide diuretics (3.99 mEq/l, 95% CI 3.93, 4.04) had the lowest potassium levels (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis reported that advanced age (>/=70 years, odds ratio (OR) 7.49, 95% CI 2.84, 19.8, P < 0.001), male gender (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.45, 3.91, P < 0.001), and thiazide users (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.29, 4.56, P = 0.006) were significantly associated with hyponatremia, while renin-angiotensin system (RAS) (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.13, 0.73, P = 0.008) and beta-blockers (BBs) (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.23, 0.54, P < 0.001) users were less likely to present with hypokalemia. However, the proportions having normonatremic (95.1%) and normokalemic (89.4%) levels were high. <p></p> <b>Conclusions</b> In view of the low prevalence of hyponatremia and hypokalemia associated with thiazides, physicians should not be deterred from prescribing thiazide diuretics as first-line antihypertensive agents as recommended by most international guidelines

Investigating the influence of a powder compact's geometry on its pore structure and optical properties using terahertz spectroscopy

In this study, terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is used to analyze how the geometry of a compact affects its pore structure (pore shape and orientation). By using flat-faced and biconvex compacts, it was evident from our analysis that pores tend to assume specific shapes and orientations based on the compact's geometry and this was found to significantly affect the extracted optical properties of samples prepared by mixing a material with polyethylene (PE) as diluent and subsequent compaction. However, such sensitivity to the pore properties opens a number of industrial applications such as for quality testing of pharmaceutical tablets. A comparison made between the PE based compacts and a set of pharmaceutical tablets prepared from the same formulation has revealed that flatfaced and biconvex compacts possess different pore geometries and hence different optical properties

3D Bioelectronic Model of the Human Intestine

Organ on chip (OoC) technologies have the potential to improve the translation of promising therapies currently failing in clinical trials at great expense and time due to dissimilarities between animal and human biology. Successful OoC models integrate human cells within 3D tissues with surrounding biomolecular components, and have benefited from the use of inert 3D gels and scaffolds used as templates, prompting tissue formation. However, monitoring technologies used to assess tissue integrity and drug effects are ill adapted to 3D biology. Here, a tubular electroactive scaffold serves as a template for a 3D human intestine, and enables dynamic electrical monitoring of tissue formation over 1 month. Cell- and extracellular matrix component-invoked changes in the properties of the scaffold alleviate the need for posthoc placement of invasive metallic electrodes or downstream analyses. Formation of in vivo-like stratified and polarized intestinal tissue compete with lumen contrasts with other quasi3D models of the intestine using rigid porous membrane to separate cell types. These results provide unprecedented real-time information on tissue formation with highly sensitive multimodal operation, thanks to dual electrode and transistor operation. This device and the methodology for tissue growth within it represents a paradigm shift for disease modeling and drug discover

SCWR ROD BUNDLE THERMAL ANALYSIS BY A CFD CODE

ABSTRACT The present paper describes the results of the application of the FLUENT code in the analysis of rod bundle configurations proposed for high pressure supercritical water reactors. The model considers a 1/8 slice of a rod bundle. The details from CFD calculations offer predictions of the circumferential clad surface temperature and of the effect of axial power distribution on the mass exchange between subchannels and on the maximum surface rod temperature. Geometry and boundary conditions are adopted from a previous work that made use of subchannel programs, allowing for a direct comparison between the two techniques. Both the standard k-ε model and the Reynolds stress transport model are used. Conclusions are drawn about the present capabilities in predicting heat transfer behavior in fuel rod bundles proposed for supercritical water reactors

Syngeneic animal models of tobacco-associated oral cancer reveal the activity of in situ anti-CTLA-4.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Tobacco use is the main risk factor for HNSCC, and tobacco-associated HNSCCs have poor prognosis and response to available treatments. Recently approved anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors showed limited activity (≤20%) in HNSCC, highlighting the need to identify new therapeutic options. For this, mouse models that accurately mimic the complexity of the HNSCC mutational landscape and tumor immune environment are urgently needed. Here, we report a mouse HNSCC model system that recapitulates the human tobacco-related HNSCC mutanome, in which tumors grow when implanted in the tongue of immunocompetent mice. These HNSCC lesions have similar immune infiltration and response rates to anti-PD-1 (≤20%) immunotherapy as human HNSCCs. Remarkably, we find that >70% of HNSCC lesions respond to intratumoral anti-CTLA-4. This syngeneic HNSCC mouse model provides a platform to accelerate the development of immunotherapeutic options for HNSCC

Predicting the risk to develop preeclampsia in the first trimester combining promoter variant -98A/C of LGALS13 (placental protein 13), Black ethnicity, previous preeclampsia, obesity, and maternal age

BACKGROUND: We studied LGALS13 [Placental Protein 13 (PP13)] promoter DNA polymorphisms in preeclampsia (PE) prediction, given PP13’s effects on hypotension, angiogenesis and immunotolerance. METHODS: We retrieved 67 PE (49 term, 18 preterm) cases and 196 matched controls from first trimester plasma samples prospectively collected at King's College Hospital, London. Cell-free DNA was extracted and the four LGALS13 exons were sequenced after PCR amplification. Expression of LGALS13 promoter reporter constructs were determined in BeWo trophoblast-like cells with luciferase assays. RESULTS: A/C genotype in –98 position was the lowest in term PE compared to controls (p<0.032), similar to a South African cohort. Control but not all PE allele frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p=0.036). The Odds ratio for term PE calculated from prior risk, the A/A genotype and black ethnicity was 14 (p<0.001). In luciferase assays, the LGALS13 promoter “-98A" variant had 13% (p=0.04) and 26% (p<0.001) lower expression than the "-98C" variant in non-differentiated and differentiated BeWo cells, respectively. After 48-hour differentiation, there was 4.55- fold increase in expression of "-98C" variant versus 3.85-fold of "-98A" variant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Lower LGALS13 (PP13) expression by the "-98A/A" genotype appears to impose higher risk to develop PE and could aid in PE prediction