Measurement and analysis of soft error vulnerability of low-voltage logic and memory circuits

Scaling the supply voltage into the sub/near-threshold domain is one of the most effective methods for improving the energy efficiency of next-generation electronic microsystems. Unfortunately, the relationship between low-voltage operation and radiation-induced soft error rate is not widely known, as little research has been previously performed and reported for soft-error susceptibility of on-chip memory and logic at very low supply voltages. This information is critical for low-voltage circuit designers, as many applications that would benefit from the energy effi­ciency of sub/near-threshold also require high reliability. This work first details the design and implementation of a portable soft error reference platform, specif­ically targeting very low-voltage operation. The circuit-level details of a TSMC 65nm test-chip design are given, along with an analysis of data from experiments performed at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) and the OSU Radi­ation Center. Once this soft-error rate is known, error resiliency techniques must be utilized for increased processor reliability. The design and implementation of an error-resilient, near-threshold SIMD processor in an IBM 45nm SOI process will also be covered. This prototype demonstrates both increased reliability and improved throughput over a conventional SIMD pipeline while operating in near-threshold

Pulsatile Left Ventricular Assistance in High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Interventions:Short-Term Outcomes

Objectives: To document the real-world experience with the use of pneumatic pulsatile mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with the PulseCath iVAC2L during high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions (HR-PCIs). Background: The use of MCS in HR-PCIs may reduce the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) at 90 days. The PulseCath iVAC2L is a short-term pulsatile transaortic left ventricular (LV) assist device that has been in use since 2014. The iVAC2L Registry tracks its safety and efficacy in a variety of hospitals worldwide. Methods: The iVAC2L Registry is a multicenter, observational registry that aggregates clinical data from patients treated with the iVAC2L worldwide. A total of 293 consecutive cases were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Estimated rates of in-hospital clinical endpoints were described. All-cause mortality was used as the primary endpoint and other outcomes of interest were used as secondary endpoints. The rates obtained were reported and contextualized. Results: The in-hospital rate of all-cause mortality was 1.0%, MACE was 3.1%. Severe hypotension occurred in 8.9% of patients. Major bleeding and major vascular complications occurred in 1.0% and 2.1%, respectively. Acute myocardial infarction occurred in 0.7% of patients. Cerebrovascular events occurred in 1.4% of patients. Cardiac arrest occurred in 1.7% of patients. A statistically significant improvement in blood pressure was observed with iVAC2L activation. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that the iVAC2L is capable of improving hemodynamics with a low rate of adverse events. However, confirmatory studies are needed to validate these findings.</p

Local Delivery Versus Intracoronary Infusion of Abciximab in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes

ObjectivesWe investigated whether local abciximab delivery to the site of intracoronary thrombus is more effective than intracoronary bolus infusion in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and downstream clopidogrel administration.BackgroundThe intracoronary route of administration does not allow an optimal contact between the plaque components and abciximab, which is rapidly washed out by the coronary flow.MethodsA total of 50 patients with ACS and a significant lesion in the culprit artery indicative of local thrombosis were randomly assigned to receive local intracoronary delivery of abciximab through a dedicated perfusion catheter or intracoronary infusion through the guiding catheter. The primary end point was the change in thrombus score after angioplasty by optical coherence tomography.ResultsAfter the intervention, the mean percentage change of the thrombus score was significantly higher among patients of the local delivery group compared with those of the intracoronary infusion group (33.8% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.002). Post-procedural corrected Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction frame count was shorter in the local delivery group compared with the intracoronary infusion group (15.3 ± 10.2 vs. 21.1 ± 9.9, p = 0.049). Procedure-related myocardial infarction was observed in 10% and 43% of patients in the local delivery and intracoronary infusion groups, respectively (p = 0.018). At 1 year, MACE were observed in 5.9% and 27.2% of patients in the local delivery and intracoronary infusion groups, respectively (p = 0.046).ConclusionsLocal intracoronary delivery of abciximab by means of a dedicated perfusion catheter reduces thrombus burden with the potential to improve coronary microcirculation

Defining métier for the Celtic Sea mixed fisheries: A multiannual international study of typology

There is growing international focus on ecosystem based fisheries management. Within the EU this has manifested in the provision of mixed fisheries advice, using the FCube model. The operational implementation and accuracy of this model relies on accurate identification of the technical interactions between fleets, gears and the resulting composition of species in the retained catch. These interactions are defined using units of fishing activity based on gear type and target species assemblage, but with no consideration for spatiotemporal heterogeneity. We assess the relevance of the fishing units used in relation to the spatial and temporal trends in retained catch within the Celtic Sea. To achieve this multivariate analysis (principal component and hierarchical clustering) were conducted to identify homogenous groupings of fishing activity using 5 years of international Celtic Sea retained catch data. The groupings identified demonstrate that a fairly simplistic structure of fishing activity units (country of provenance, fishing location, gear and target species) can effectively describe the complex mixed fisheries scenarios being executed within the Celtic Sea consistently across multiple years. This international and multiannual analysis improves our understanding of the mixed fisheries scenarios within the Celtic Sea and reveals a multifaceted spatial structure in the species assemblages landed, indicating the presence of several distinct mixed fisheries within the region appropriate for mixed fisheries analyses

Fußballspielende humanoide Roboter

Das Ziel der Projektgruppe ist die (semi-)automatisierte Lösung von mindestens zwei Problemstellungen sowie deren Optimierung. Für diese Aufgabe kommen Black-Box-Verfahren in Frage, wie etwa evo- lutionäre Algorithmen. Die zu optimierenden Problemstellungen sind aus dem Bereich der Wahrnehmung und der Bewegungsplanung zu wählen. Neben den vorgeschlagenen Zielen ist es des Weiteren auch möglich, weitere Aufgaben mit den Betreuern abzusprechen. Im Bereich der Wahrnehmung dient die automatische Kalibrierung der Kamera dazu, eventuelle Fehlstellungen und Fehljustierungen, die über die Zeit entstehen, zu beheben. Dies hat zum Ziel, die Loka- lisierung, welche zu einem großen Teil auf der Bildanalyse beruht, zu verbessern. Zudem ist die Optimierung der Farbräume für die zur Bilderken- nung genutzte Farbtafel zu automatisieren, um die an unterschied- lichen Orten vorhandenen Farbschwankungen und Lichtverhältnisse zeitnah zu kompensieren. Im Bereich der Bewegung erlaubt es die automatische Gelenkwin- kelkalibrierung die Gelenkwinkel zu justieren, was in besonderem Maße die Korrektheit der auf den Winkeln beruhenden Berechnun- gen des Laufs verbessern kann. Darüber hinaus wurden weitere Auf- gaben und Interessengebiete bearbeitet

Modified glucose as a sensor to track the metabolism of individual living endothelial cells - observation of the 1602 cm−1 band called "Raman spectroscopic signature of life"

A relatively new approach to subcellular research is Raman microscopy with the application of sensors called Raman probes. This paper describes the use of the sensitive and specific Raman probe, 3-O-propargyl-d-glucose (3-OPG), to track metabolic changes in endothelial cells (ECs). ECs play a significant role in a healthy and dysfunctional state, the latter is correlated with a range of lifestyle diseases, particularly with cardiovascular disorders. The metabolism and glucose uptake may reflect the physiopathological conditions and cell activity correlated with energy utilization. To study metabolic changes at the subcellular level the glucose analogue, 3-OPG was used, which shows a characteristic and intense Raman band at 2124 cm−1.3-OPG was applied as a sensor to track both, its accumulation in live and fixed ECs and then metabolism in normal and inflamed ECs, by employing two spectroscopic techniques, i.e. spontaneous and stimulated Raman scattering microscopies. The results indicate that 3-OPG is a sensitive sensor to follow glucose metabolism, manifested by the Raman band of 1602 cm−1. The 1602 cm−1 band has been called the “Raman spectroscopic signature of life” in the cell literature, and here we demonstrate that it is attributed to glucose metabolites. Additionally, we have shown that glucose metabolism and its uptake are slowed down in the cellular inflammation. We showed that Raman spectroscopy can be classified as metabolomics, and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it allows the analysis of the processes of a single living cell. Gaining further knowledge on metabolic changes in the endothelium, especially in pathological conditions, may help in identifying markers of cellular dysfunction, and more broadly in cell phenotyping, better understanding of the mechanism of disease development and searching for new treatments

The unexpected resurgence of Weyl geometry in late 20-th century physics

Weyl's original scale geometry of 1918 ("purely infinitesimal geometry") was withdrawn by its author from physical theorizing in the early 1920s. It had a comeback in the last third of the 20th century in different contexts: scalar tensor theories of gravity, foundations of gravity, foundations of quantum mechanics, elementary particle physics, and cosmology. It seems that Weyl geometry continues to offer an open research potential for the foundations of physics even after the turn to the new millennium.Comment: Completely rewritten conference paper 'Beyond Einstein', Mainz Sep 2008. Preprint ELHC (Epistemology of the LHC) 2017-02, 92 pages, 1 figur