Study of Recursive Divide Architectures and Implementation for Division and Multiplication

Multipliers have been key and critical components for most application-specific and general-purpose computer architectures. However, these architectures have been transitioning towards multiple cores that can process large amounts of data through parallel approaches to computation. Unfortunately, traditional arithmetic functional units that worked well for single-core architectures have the side effect of incurring large amounts of area and power. Consequently, multi-core architecture need new ways of thinking about increased throughput to handle large amounts of data. This work discusses implementation of different divider algorithms and presents a recursive high radix divide unit that is modified to handle both multiplication and division targeted at multi-core architectures. Results are obtained with a 65nm technology and show a significant decrease in area and power while still maintaining a low total latency by utilizing high radix encoding within the functional unit.School of Electrical & Computer Engineerin

Simplified Burn-Rate Model for CMDB Propellants

A single model has been proposed to predict the burning rates of bimodal AP,RDX and aluminum containing CMDB propellants. This is done in terms of the respective physical constants on the basis of a recently developed model of combustion of CMDB propellants. The study has been carried out to examine the effects of changes in propellants composition, AP particle size and pressures on burning rate. Computer programs were developed for this purpose and the results obtained for typical sets of input data have been presented and compared with the actual results

The Porcellini test: a novel test for accurate diagnosis of posterior labral tears of the shoulder: comparative analysis with the established tests

Questions/purposes: Although the posterior labral tears of the shoulder are known for their disabling clinical course, especially in overhead athletes, no clinical test used in isolation can diagnose it accurately in the preoperative period. We wanted to: (1) introduce “Porcellini test” with its radiological verification furnishing the anatomical basis of its mechanism; (2) determine its accuracy; and (3) compare its accuracy with that of the other established tests for diagnosing posterior labral tears of the shoulder. Methods: To determine the anatomical basis, we initially performed radiological verification of our test. Then, we evaluated its accuracy in a retrospective case-controlled study on 310 consecutive patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopic procedures at our hospital between January 2013 and December 2013. All patients were examined preoperatively for Porcellini test, and the presence of posterior labral tear was confirmed on arthroscopy. Later, in a cohort study on 91 consecutive patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopic procedures, we compared its accuracy with O’Brien’s test, the Kim test, the Jerk test, and the Load and Shift test. The accuracy was interpreted in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. Results: The radiological verification conferred the anatomical basis for the mechanism of the Porcellini test. This new test showed high accuracy for posterior labral tears with sensitivity of 100 %, specificity of 99.3 %, the positive and negative predictive values of 92.6 and 100 %, respectively. Also, it had superior accuracy results than every other test. The interexaminer reliability for all test results was found to be >0.80. Conclusions: We propose “Porcellini test” as a simple, accurate, reproducible, and reliable test for the preoperative diagnosis of posterior labral tears of shoulder

Evaluation of Medical Officer Certificate Programme Course Competency Based Learning

Background: Medical Officer Certificate Programme (MOCP) is a 6 months training programme in Pediatrics/Medicine at medical colleges wherein doctors work like postgraduate students, learn various Out Patients and In Patient Department (OPD and IPD) procedures, attain hands on skills, perform day and night duties, attend postgraduate training programmes and specialty clinics. This is a course unique to Maharashtra. It has been designed to overcome shortage of Pediatricians and Physicians in the state. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of MOCP courses for medical officers by finding out if their clinical skills have improved and if they have achieved expected level of competence. Methods: Public Health Department deputed 28 medical officers of primary health centers. At the end of 6 months training course, they were evaluated during 2012-2013. Results: OPD increased by 24% and IPD by 54%. There was a decrease in the number of cases referred to tertiary centers by 24%, post-MOCP training. Infant immunization increased by 35% after training. Number of children with severe acute malnutrition/moderate acute malnutrition treated increased by 22%, treatment of neonatal emergencies, resuscitation, sepsis, jaundice increased by 36%. Number of adults with diarrhoea and snake bite treated increased by 40% and 63% respectively. Number of ECGs taken and myocardial infarctions managed also has shown rising trend. Conclusion: There was tremendous benefit to the patients after MOCP training. Skill of doctors was found to have enhanced. It is therefore recommended that such novel trainings should be imparted in other states of India too

Isolated single coronary artery (RII-B type) presenting as an inferior wall myocardial infarction: A rare clinical entity

AbstractIsolated single coronary artery without other congenital cardiac anomalies is very rare among the different variations of anomalous coronary patterns. The prognosis in patients with single coronary varies according to the anatomic distribution and associated coronary atherosclerosis. If the left main coronary artery travels between the aorta and pulmonary arteries, it may be a cause of sudden cardiac death. We present multimodality images of a single coronary artery, in which the whole coronary system originated by a single trunk from the right sinus of Valsalva with inter-arterial course of left main coronary artery. This rare type of single coronary artery was classified as RII-B type according to Lipton's scheme of classification. A significant flow-limiting lesions were found in the right coronary artery that was successfully treated with percutaneous coronary intervention

Electromyography and muscle biopsy in paediatric neuromuscular disorders – Evaluation of current practice and literature review

The conduct and interpretation of electromyography in children is considered difficult and therefore often avoided. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the paediatric electromyography protocol used in our tertiary reference centre and compared it to muscle biopsy results and clinical diagnosis. Electromyography was performed in unsedated children with suspected neuromuscular diseases between January 2010 and September 2017 and was analysed quantitatively. Muscle pathology was classified into seven groups based on existing histopathology reports. The clinical diagnosis, including myopathic, neurogenic and non-neuromuscular categories was used as the gold standard. 171 children between the age of 12 days to 17.4 years were included in the analysis. 41 children (24%) were under the age of 2 years at the time of electromyography. 98 (57%) children were diagnosed with a myopathic disorder, 18 (11%) with a neurogenic disease and 55 (32%) as not having a primary neuromuscular disorder. In detecting myopathic disease, electromyography performed as well as muscle biopsy (sensitivity 87.8% for electromyography vs. 84.5% for muscle biopsy; specificity 75.7% vs. 86.4%). This also applied to children under the age of 2 years (sensitivity 81.8% vs. 86.4%). Quantitative analysis of a limited electromyography protocol performed in unsedated children is a very valuable diagnostic tool

Muscle myeloid type I interferon gene expression may predict therapeutic responses to rituximab in myositis patients.

Objective. To identify muscle gene expression patterns that predict rituximab responses and assess the effects of rituximab on muscle gene expression in PM and DM. Methods. In an attempt to understand the molecular mechanism of response and non-response to rituximab therapy, we performed Affymetrix gene expression array analyses on muscle biopsy specimens taken before and after rituximab therapy from eight PM and two DM patients in the Rituximab in Myositis study. We also analysed selected muscle-infiltrating cell phenotypes in these biopsies by immunohistochemical staining. Partek and Ingenuity pathway analyses assessed the gene pathways and networks. Results. Myeloid type I IFN signature genes were expressed at higher levels at baseline in the skeletal muscle of rituximab responders than in non-responders, whereas classic non-myeloid IFN signature genes were expressed at higher levels in non-responders at baseline. Also, rituximab responders have a greater reduction of the myeloid and non-myeloid type I IFN signatures than non-responders. The decrease in the type I IFN signature following administration of rituximab may be associated with the decreases in muscle-infiltrating CD19 + B cells and CD68 + macrophages in responders. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that high levels of myeloid type I IFN gene expression in skeletal muscle predict responses to rituximab in PM/DM and that rituximab responders also have a greater decrease in the expression of these genes. These data add further evidence to recent studies defining the type I IFN signature as both a predictor of therapeutic responses and a biomarker of myositis disease activity

Case study in six sigma methadology : manufacturing quality improvement and guidence for managers

This article discusses the successful implementation of Six Sigma methodology in a high precision and critical process in the manufacture of automotive products. The Six Sigma define–measure–analyse–improve–control approach resulted in a reduction of tolerance-related problems and improved the first pass yield from 85% to 99.4%. Data were collected on all possible causes and regression analysis, hypothesis testing, Taguchi methods, classification and regression tree, etc. were used to analyse the data and draw conclusions. Implementation of Six Sigma methodology had a significant financial impact on the profitability of the company. An approximate saving of US$70,000 per annum was reported, which is in addition to the customer-facing benefits of improved quality on returns and sales. The project also had the benefit of allowing the company to learn useful messages that will guide future Six Sigma activities

Percutaneous tricuspid valvotomy for pacemaker lead-induced tricuspid stenosis

AbstractPermanent pacemaker lead-induced tricuspid regurgitation is extremely uncommon. We report a patient with severe tricuspid stenosis detected 10 years after permanent single chamber pacemaker implantation in surgically corrected congenital heart disease. The loop at the level of the tricuspid valve may have caused endothelial injury and eventually led to stenosis. Percutaneous balloon valvotomy for such stenosis has not been reported from India

A primary rodent triculture model to investigate the role of glia-neuron crosstalk in regulation of neuronal activity

Neuroinflammation and hyperexcitability have been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease, and new models are required to investigate the cellular crosstalk involved in these processes. We developed an approach to generate a quantitative and reproducible triculture system that is suitable for pharmacological studies. While primary rat cells were previously grown in a coculture medium formulated to support only neurons and astrocytes, we now optimised a protocol to generate tricultures containing neurons, astrocytes and microglia by culturing in a medium designed to support all three cell types and adding exogenous microglia to cocultures. Immunocytochemistry was used to confirm the intended cell types were present. The percentage of ramified microglia in the tricultures decreases as the number of microglia present increases. Multi-electrode array recordings indicate that microglia in the triculture model suppress neuronal activity in a dose-dependent manner. Neurons in both cocultures and tricultures are responsive to the potassium channel blocker 4-aminopyridine, suggesting that neurons remained viable and functional in the triculture model. Furthermore, suppressed neuronal activity in tricultures correlates with decreased densities of dendritic spines and of the postsynaptic protein Homer1 along dendrites, indicative of a direct or indirect effect of microglia on synapse function. We thus present a functional triculture model, which, due to its more complete cellular composition, is a more relevant model than standard cocultures. The model can be used to probe glia-neuron interactions and subsequently aid the development of assays for drug discovery, using neuronal excitability as a functional endpoint