Variable packet size buffered crossbar (CICQ) switches

Abstract — One of the most widely used architectures for packet switches is the crossbar. A special version of a it is the buffered crossbar, where small buffers are associated with the crosspoints. The advantages of this organization, when compared to the unbuffered architecture, is that it needs much simpler and slower scheduling circuits, while it can shape the switched traffic according to a given set of Quality of Service (QoS) criteria in a more efficient way. Furthermore, by supporting variable length packets throughout a buffered crossbar: a) there is no need for segmentation and reassembly circuits, b) no internal speedup is necessary, and c) synchronization between the input and output clock domains is simplified. In this paper we present an architecture, a hardware implementation analysis, and a performance evaluation of such a buffered crossbar. The proposed organization is simple, yet powerful and can be easily implemented using today’s technologies. Our evaluation shows that it outperforms most of the existing packet switch architectures, while its hardware cost is kept to a minimum. 1

Cardiovascular risk factors in HIV infected individuals: Comparison with general adult control population in Greece

Background Although combined antiretroviral therapy has substantially improved the prognosis of people living with HIV (PLHIV), mortality remains higher compared to the general population, mainly due to higher prevalence of non-HIV-related comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We assessed the prevalence of CVD risk and its contributing factors in adult PLHIV versus general population controls in Greece. Settings Cross-sectional comparison of PLHIV (Athens-Multicenter-AIDS-Cohort-Study; AMACS) versus general population controls (National health examination survey; EMENO). Methods All HIV-infected adults with ≥1 measurement of interest (blood pressure, lipids, glucose, weight, height) between 2012-2014 and all EMENO participants (2014-2016) were included. Ten-year total CVD risk was estimated using the Framingham (FRS) or the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) equations. Results 5839 PLHIV (median age:41.6 years, 85.4% males) and 4820 controls (median age:48 years, 48.4% males) were included. Adjusting for age, sex and origin, PLHIV were more likely to be current smokers (adjusted OR:1.53 [95% CI:1.35-1.74]) and dyslipidemic (aOR:1.18; [1.04-1.34]), less likely to be obese (aOR:0.44 [0.38-0.52], with no differences in hypertension, diabetes or high (≥20%) FRS but with greater odds of high (≥5%) SCORE (aOR:1.55 [1.05-2.30]). Further adjustment for educational level, anti-HCV positivity and BMI showed higher prevalence of hypertension in PLHIV. Conclusions Despite the relative absence of obesity, PLHIV have higher prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors and higher risk of fatal CVD compared to general population. Regular screening and early management of CVD risk factors in PLHIV should be of high priority for CVD prevention. Copyright: © 2020 Touloumi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Cardiovascular risk factors in HIV infected individuals: Comparison with general adult control population in Greece

Background Although combined antiretroviral therapy has substantially improved the prognosis of people living with HIV (PLHIV), mortality remains higher compared to the general population, mainly due to higher prevalence of non-HIV-related comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We assessed the prevalence of CVD risk and its contributing factors in adult PLHIV versus general population controls in Greece. Settings Cross-sectional comparison of PLHIV (Athens-Multicenter-AIDS-Cohort-Study; AMACS) versus general population controls (National health examination survey; EMENO). Methods All HIV-infected adults with ≥1 measurement of interest (blood pressure, lipids, glucose, weight, height) between 2012-2014 and all EMENO participants (2014-2016) were included. Ten-year total CVD risk was estimated using the Framingham (FRS) or the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) equations. Results 5839 PLHIV (median age:41.6 years, 85.4% males) and 4820 controls (median age:48 years, 48.4% males) were included. Adjusting for age, sex and origin, PLHIV were more likely to be current smokers (adjusted OR:1.53 [95% CI:1.35-1.74]) and dyslipidemic (aOR:1.18; [1.04-1.34]), less likely to be obese (aOR:0.44 [0.38-0.52], with no differences in hypertension, diabetes or high (≥20%) FRS but with greater odds of high (≥5%) SCORE (aOR:1.55 [1.05-2.30]). Further adjustment for educational level, anti-HCV positivity and BMI showed higher prevalence of hypertension in PLHIV. Conclusions Despite the relative absence of obesity, PLHIV have higher prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors and higher risk of fatal CVD compared to general population. Regular screening and early management of CVD risk factors in PLHIV should be of high priority for CVD prevention. Copyright: © 2020 Touloumi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited