EDACs and test integration strategies for NAND flash memories

Mission-critical applications usually presents several critical issues: the required level of dependability of the whole mission always implies to address different and contrasting dimensions and to evaluate the tradeoffs among them. A mass-memory device is always needed in all mission-critical applications: NAND flash-memories could be used for this goal. Error Detection And Correction (EDAC) techniques are needed to improve dependability of flash-memory devices. However also testing strategies need to be explored in order to provide highly dependable systems. Integrating these two main aspects results in providing a fault-tolerant mass-memory device, but no systematic approach has so far been proposed to consider them as a whole. As a consequence a novel strategy integrating a particular code-based design environment with newly selected testing strategies is presented in this pape

AUTOCHTHONOUS BIOFACIES IN THE PLIOCENE LORETO BASIN, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO

The present paper examines the molluscan and/or echinoid assemblages recovered from two lithostratigraphic units (Piedras Rodadas Sandstone and Arroyo de Arce Norte Sandstone) outcropping in the Pliocene Loreto Basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Ten biofacies have been identified, i.e. Trachycardium procerum-Trachycardium senticosum Biofacies, Chione compta-Transennella modesta Biofacies, Laevicardium elenense-Chione kelletii Biofacies, Xenophora sp. 1-Strombus subgracilior Biofacies, Crassostrea californica osunai Biofacies, Myrakeena angelica Biofacies, Vermetid-Nodipecten Biofacies, Argopecten abietis abietis Biofacies, Aequipecten dallasi Biofacies and Encope Biofacies. The first four biofacies have been defined on the basis of statistical analyses (cluster analysis, MDS). The other six, which are monospecific or definitely low-diversity, were already identified during field work. The deduced paleoecological bearing of biofacies, largely relying upon the comparison to their closest modern counterparts, provides the basis for the paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The latter also considers sedimentological evidence and is framed within the tectonic and sedimentary context recently proposed by American workers. Biofacies point toward environments differing in terms of substrate texture, presence/absence of vegetal cover, energy level, variously distributed within the low tide mark-40 m bathymetric range.&nbsp

Levels of leptin and ghrelin in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) as potential markers of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in ventilated preterm newborns

La broncodisplasia (BPD) \ue8 una patologia cronica che colpisce i neonati pretermine e gi\ue0 dalla sua prima descrizione nel 1967, \ue8 stata associata ad un arresto dello sviluppo polmonare che necessita di ossigenoterapia. Il prelievo sanguigno risulta oggi giorno il metodo clinico meno invasivo per valutare il rischio di sviluppare BPD, tuttavia le metodiche di elezione prevedono il dosaggio di markers ottenuti attraverso procedure invasive quali l\u2019aspirazione endotracheale ed il lavaggio bronchiale. Negli ultimi anni \ue8 stata posta particolare attenzione su una nuova metodica non invasiva che prevede la raccolta del condensato dell\u2019aria esalata (EBC dall\u2019acronimo Exhaled Breath Condensate). In un campione di EBC \ue8 possibile rilevare numerose molecole che permettono di valutare le condizioni respiratorie del soggetto. Tra i molteplici markers respiratori presenti, la leptina \ue8 un ormone recentemente associato a patologie croniche come l\u2019asma e la BPCO, anche se tuttavia non \ue8 stata ancora indagata la possibile correlazione con la BPD. In questo studio sono stati raccolti, durante il primo giorno di vita, campioni di EBC in soggetti prematuri sottoposti a ventilazione meccanica per valutare i livelli di leptina e della sua antagonista metabolica, la grelina. Sono emerse differenze significative (p=0.002) nell\u2019et\ue0 gestazionale del gruppo di soggetti che hanno sviluppato BPD, rispetto ai soggetti controllo. Inoltre, \ue8 stato osservato come il peso corporeo alla nascita \ue8 nettamente superiore nei soggetti sani rispetto ai soggetti con BPD (p=0.005). Il dosaggio dei putativi markers nel campione di EBC non ha rivelato la presenza di leptina e di grelina, e questo esito potrebbe essere riconducibile al fatto che il campione sia stato raccolto troppo precocemente rispetto allo sviluppo della patologia. Un'altra supposizione prende in considerazione la mancanza di linee guida sulla corretta modalit\ue0 di raccolta in pazienti intubati, causa di un probabile deterioramento del campione stesso. \uc8 stato quindi creato un modello animale di BPD esponendo ratti Wistar neonati ad alte concentrazioni di ossigeno per 14 e 28 giorni (rispettivamente PN14 e PN28). Al termine dell\u2019esposizione sono stati prelevati i tessuti polmonari per una valutazione dell\u2019espressione di leptina e grelina, ma anche in questo caso non sono emerse differenze significative nel gruppo BPD rispetto agli animali cresciuti in normossia, indipendentemente dalla durata dell\u2019esposizione. Tuttavia sono state riscontrate sostanziali differenze nel peso e nello sviluppo dell\u2019architettura bronchiale, con particolare sofferenza nel gruppo con BPD comparato con gli animali controllo dove \ue8 emerso un calibro tracheale nettamente superiore come segno di danno respiratorio. Questi risultati suggeriscono come probabilmente leptina grelina non siano direttamente coinvolte nel danno polmonare presente nella broncodisplasia, e pertanto non possono essere considerati dei marcatori precoci di patologia. Tuttavia, questo studio ha gettato le basi per ulteriori approfondimenti nell\u2019ambito della standardizzazione della raccolta del campione di EBC per evidenziare i pi\uf9 idonei timepoint di campionamento, e preservare il possibile deterioramento del campione raccolto. Sar\ue0 comunque necessario approfondire il putativo ruolo di leptina e grelina, indagando anche sugli aspetti di metabolomica e proteomica, con l\u2019obiettivo di analizzare il rischio di sviluppo di una patologia cronica che tutt\u2019oggi presenta ancora un\u2019elevata incidenza.Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was first described in 1967 in a group of preterm infants as chronic inflammatory lung disease associated with arrested pulmonary development and supplemental oxygen needed. In humans is the earliest onset and probably the longest disease, and presents multifactorial origins. Nowadays, in preterm newborns the gold standard diagnostic methods for evaluating predisposition to develop BPD is airway lavage and tracheal aspirate, and less invasive for assessing immunological settings and biomarkers, is blood sample. Recently, non-invasive method based on cooling and condensing of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) containing several classes of compounds and biomarkers was proposed. Numerous researches demonstrate that in EBC high levels of leptin, a pro-inflammatory marker involved in lung injury, are associated with chronic lung disease such as asthma and COPD, but BPD was never evaluated. In the present study we assess EBC levels of leptin and its antagonist ghrelin, in preterm newborns mechanical ventilated, to identify the correlation with BPD development. Only few studies performed EBC on intubated preterm newborns to identify others markers of lung injury. EBC collection in first day of life showed no leptin and ghrelin concentration neither in BPD and nor in control group. Significant difference (p=0.002) in gestational age of controls compared to BPD was found, and significant difference (p=0.005) in the body weight of control group compared with BPD. An improved understanding of markers in BPD requires animal model, and the expression of leptin and ghrelin and their receptor were assessed in lung tissue of murine model of BPD obtained exposing newborns Wistar rats at high oxygen concentration for 14 days (PN 14), and to achieve severe BPD, prolonging the exposition for 28 days (PN28). PN14 and PN28 exposition showed a suffering look: shaggy hair, and general growth slowed if related with healthy controls. Architectural changes at PN14 confirms impaired alveolar lung development, and a reduction in the number and development of alveoli. Additionally, increased interstitial thickness, and epithelial cells with low cilia number, compared with control were found, and a continued exposure (PN28) showed an inflammatory and pulmonary edema increase. In pups statistically significant lowest values of body weight were found in BPD group at PN14 (p=0.002) and at PN28 (p=0.012) compared with controls in air room. Different dimensions of trachea were found in two groups of treatment at PN14: BPD presented high trachea caliber (p=0.008) if related to control. In lung tissue no significant changes expression of leptin and ghrelin and their receptors in control group and BPD group were observed for both exposure periods. In conclusion, it\u2019s possible that leptin and ghrelin may not be predictive markers of lung injury: probably we have collected EBC too prior with respect the possible BPD development, but is essential to standardize EBC collection, with specific attention in hardware. Another explanation is that these markers are not involved in BPD lung injury as well as chronic lung disease such as asthma and COPD. Specific role and tissue expression of leptin and ghrelin remain to be clarify, for this reason is necessary to further investigate and focus the attention on metabolic issue with other approaches like proteomic and metabolomics, to better understand and identify this disease that nowadays presents high incidence

Structured Light Plethysmography (SLP): Management and follow up of a paediatric patient with pneumonia

Structured Light Plethysmography (SLP) is a non-invasive method to study chest and abdominal movement during breathing and can identify abnormal contributions of the different regions of the chest. M.D hospitalized for pneumonia, underwent SLP and spirometry at admission (T0), after 48 hours (T1), and after one month (T2). SLP parameters showed expiratory flow limitation, information consistent with the spirometric parameters collected, and reduced motion in the area effected by pneumonia, with improvement and normalization at T1 and T2. This method gave useful information about the contribution to the respiratory movement of the lung area affected by pneumonia so we can speculate a possible use in the follow-up of children affected by pneumonia or other respiratory diseases, and who are not able to perform a spirometric test

Steady, periodic, quasi-periodic and chaotic flow regimes in toroidal pipes

Incompressible flow in a toroidal pipe was investigated by direct numerical simulation. The curvature a/c (radius of the cross section / radius of the torus) was 0.3 or 0.1 and the bulk Reynolds number ranged between 3500 and 14 700. The study revealed a rich scenario of transition to turbulence. For the higher curvature a/c = 0.3, a supercritical transition from stationary to periodic flow (Hopf bifurcation) was observed at Re=4600. The periodic flow was characterized by a travelling wave which, in the whole periodic Re range, took the form of a varicose modulation of the twin Dean vortex rings, included 8 wavelengths along the axis of the torus, and exhibited instantaneous anti-symmetry about the equatorial midplane. A further transition to quasi-periodic flow, characterized by two independent fundamental frequencies and their first few harmonics, occurred at Re=5200. The two frequencies were associated with two travelling wave systems, the first consisting of a varicose modulation of the Dean vortex rings, the second of an array of oblique near-wall vortices produced at the edge of the Dean cells, co-rotating with these latter and travelling from the inner towards the outer side, against the secondary circulation. For the lower curvature a/c=0.1, the results suggested the existence of a subcritical Hopf bifurcation at Re=5200 and of a secondary Hopf bifurcation to quasi-periodic flow at a lower Reynolds number of ~4900. Starting from zero-velocity initial conditions, the steady-state flow remained stable up to a Reynolds number of 5139, while a further increase in Re to 5208 yielded an abrupt transition to quasi-periodic flow which remained stable up to Re=6280 or larger. When a quasi-periodic solution (e.g., that obtained for Re=5658) was used as the initial condition and Re was made to decrease, the quasi-periodic regime remained stable down to values of Re well below the subcritical Hopf bifurcation at ~5200. Only a further, substantial decrease of Re to ~4108 led to the smooth disappearance of mode II and to a stable periodic solution. An abrupt transition to stationary flow was obtained when the Reynolds number decreased well below 4000 (e.g., a test case was computed for Re =3490). All periodic and quasi-periodic solutions for a/c=0.1 exhibited instantaneous symmetry about the equatorial midplane. Also the further transition from quasi-periodic to chaotic flow occurred with different mechanisms for the two curvatures. For a/c=0.3, quasi-periodic flow was obtained in the whole Reynolds number range 5270-7850. As Re increased slightly beyond this value (Re=8160), strong fluctuations, associated with random streamwise vortices, arose in the outer region. The ensuing chaotic flow regime was characterized by a broadband, almost continuous, frequency spectrum. A further increase of Re to 13180 did not modify to any appreciable extent the flow regime and the distribution of the velocity fluctuation intensity. For a/c=0.1, the convergence of the results to quasi-periodic flow became impossible to achieve as Re increased beyond ~6280, and was replaced by long and erratic transients. For Re=8160, the solution, albeit stationary in a statistical sense, was chaotic and exhibited a large number of frequencies, but the outer region remained basically stationary. Only when Re increased further, the outer region became unsteady and was characterized by the production of streamwise vortices which were then transported by the secondary flow destroying all remains of regular oscillations

REVISION AND RE-DOCUMENTATION OF M. AIROLDI’S SPECIES OF MESOPHYLLUM FROM THE TERTIARY PIEDMONT BASIN (NW ITALY)

Airoldi (1930, 1932) described twenty-three fossil Corallinales (Rhodophyta) from the Oligocene of the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (NW Italy), including thirteen new species. In this paper Mesophyllum fructiferum Airoldi 1932 and Mesophyllum obsitum Airoldi 1932 are re-documented and re-described. The presence of cell fusions, multiporate conceptacles and a ventral core of cell filaments passing from coaxial to non-coaxial confirm that both species belong to the genus Mesophyllum.   SHORT NOTES &nbsp

REVISION AND RE-DOCUMENTATION OF M. AIROLDI'S SPECIES OF ARCHAEOLITHOTHAMNIUM FROM THE TERTIARY PIEDMONT BASIN (NW ITALY)

Airoldi (1930, 1932) described twenty-three fossil Corallinales (Rhodophyta) from the Oligocene of the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (NW Italy), containing thirteen new species. In this paper Archaeolithothamnium praeerithraeum Airoldi 1932 and Archaeolithothamnium statiellense Airoldi 1932 are re-documented and re-described. The features observable in the sporangial compartments allowed to attribute both species to the genus Sporolithon.&nbsp

Long COVID-19 in Children: From the Pathogenesis to the Biologically Plausible Roots of the Syndrome

Long Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) refers to the persistence of symptoms related to the infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This condition is described as persistent and can manifest in various combinations of signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, headache, dyspnea, depression, cognitive impairment, and altered perception of smells and tastes. Long COVID-19 may be due to long-term damage to different organs-such as lung, brain, kidney, and heart-caused by persisting viral-induced inflammation, immune dysregulation, autoimmunity, diffuse endothelial damage, and micro thrombosis. In this review, we discuss the potential and biologically plausible role of some vitamins, essential elements, and functional foods based on the hypothesis that an individual's dietary status may play an important adjunctive role in protective immunity against COVID-19 and possibly against its long-term consequences

PECTINIDS AND OYSTERS FROM THE PLIOCENE LORETO BASIN (BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO)

Fourteen pectinid and oyster species from the Pliocene Loreto Basin (Baja California Sur, Mexico) are recorded and discussed with regard to their relationships with closely related taxa. The whole assemblage points toward a Pliocene age. Aequipecten dallasi and Argopecten abietis abietis resulted to be the most useful biostratigraphic taxa, being restricted to Pliocene. The bulk of the considered species were confined within southern regions during the Pliocene. Crassostrea californica osunai is likely to have been endemic of Baja California Sur. Pectinids and oysters appear to have inhabited fine to coarse shallow infralittoral bottoms wave- or current-nfluenced. The environmental energy was the main factor controlling presence/absence of species. Finally, a unusual vermetid-Nodipecten association is described and interpreted in terms of paleoenvironmental meaning