Experimental Comparison of Synthesis Tools Altera Quartus II and Synthagate

The paper presents comparison between efficiency of an industrial FPGA design software tool Altera Quartus II and similar design software tool Synthagate by Syntezza company of an academic origin. The experiments were performed using a series of examples describing the Mealy finite state machines; one hot state encoding was used in all cases. Area (number of used logical blocks) was the main parameter used for the comparison. Influence of the way of FSM description (in VHDL language) on the quality of synthesis was studied. The obtained results show that Synthagate in almost all cases performs synthesis more efficiently and essentially quicker than Altera Quartus. Section I presents motivation of the research. Section II reminds the notion of FSM. Section III describes problems which had to be solved to provide correctness of experimental comparison. Section IV presents some details about state encoding way used in the experiments. In Section V, the experimental results are presented. Section VI describes the problems related to the comparison which still have to be solved. Section VII presents the conclusions from the experiments. Section VIII suggests possible reasons of the detected situation

A lack of Wolbachia-specific DNA in samples from apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo, Lepidoptera : papilionidae) individuals with deformed or reduced wings

Various insects contain maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria which can cause reproductive alterations, modulation of some physiological responses (like immunity, heat shock response, and oxidative stress response), and resistance to viral infections. In butterflies, Wolbachia sp. is the most frequent endosymbiont from this group, occurring in about 30 % of species tested to date. In this report, the presence of Wolbachia-specific DNA has been detected in apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo). In the isolated population of this insect occurring in Pieniny National Park (Poland), malformed individuals with deformed or reduced wings appear with an exceptionally high frequency. Interestingly, while total DNA isolated from most (about 85 %) normal insects contained Wolbachia-specific sequences detected by PCR, such sequences were absent in a large fraction (70 %) of individuals with deformed wings and in all tested individuals with reduced wings. These results indicate for the first time the correlation between malformation of wings and the absence of Wolbachia sp. in insects. Although the lack of the endosymbiotic bacteria cannot be considered as the sole cause of the deformation or reduction of wings, one might suggest that Wolbachia sp. could play a protective role in the ontogenetic development of apollo butterfly

Detection of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in Apollo Butterfly (Parnassius apollo, Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) Individuals from a Small, Isolated, Mountain Population

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a bacterium pathogenic to humans and other mammals; however, its insecticidal activity has also been documented in laboratory studies. A small population of Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo), reconstituted from less than 30 individuals in 1990s, occurs in Pieniny National Park (Poland). In this report, we demonstrate that a DNA fragment specific to Y. pseudotuberculosis could be detected in 40% of biological samples isolated from insects belonging to the Apollo butterfly population. Although Y. pseudotuberculosis DNA occurred in both normal and malformed insects, the difference between the fractions of infected individuals was statistically significant (p = 0.044 in the Fisher\u27s exact test). No such DNA could be detected in analogous samples from other butterflies (Pieris napi, Pieris rapae, and Zerynthia polyxena) occurring in separate habitats (either a meadow near the city of Cracow, Poland, or in a mountain region of Greece). It is suggested that infection with Y. pseudotuberculosis might weaken the general condition of the P. apollo population from Pieniny and contribute to the appearance of developmental abnormalities of the butterflies. Thus, it appears that Y. pseudotuberculosis infections of insects may be of biological significance in natural environment

Selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) of ammonia to nitrogen over hydrotalcite originated Mg-Cu-Fe mixed metal oxides

Mg-Cu-Fe oxide systems, obtained from hydrotalcite-like precursors, were tested as catalysts for the selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) of ammonia. Copper containing catalysts were active in low-temperature SCO processes; however, their selectivity to nitrogen significantly decreased at higher temperatures. The optimum composition of the catalyst to guarantee high activity and selectivity to N2 was proposed. Temperature-programmed experiments, SCO catalytic tests performed with various contact times and additional tests on the samples in the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia showed that the SCO process over the studied calcined hydrotalcites proceeds according to the internal SCR mechanism and oxidation of ammonia to NO is a rate-determining step in the low-temperature range

Adsorbents for iron removal obtained from vermiculite

In presented work, raw, expanded and acid treated vermiculites were used as low-cost and active adsorbents for reducing o f environmental pollution with heavy metals. Acid treatment was performed at elevated temperature (95°C) for 2 and 24 h in solution of HNO 3 . Adsorption capacity towards Fe 3+ was studied in column, semi- b atch and batch mode. It was shown that all samples are effective in removal of heavy metals; however adsorption mechanism is based not only on ion exchange o f interlayer cations but also precipitation/ deposition processes. Starting material a nd modified samples as well as spent adsorbents were characterized with respect to the vermic ulite structure using X-ray diffraction metho

Vermiculite-based catalysts for oxidation of organic pollutants in water and wastewater

In presented work natural expanded vermiculite was used as a starting material for synthesis of Fe-doped cataly sts. Material was modified with increasing amount of Fe by ion-exchange and precipitation of iron oxide. Composite materials were characterized with respect to their stru cture (X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectra using Diffuse Reflectance), agglomeratio n state of Fe (Ultraviolet-Visible spectra using Diffuse Reflectance) and chemical composition. Activity in H 2 O 2 decomposition as well as in phenol oxidation was studied in liquid phase at atmosphe ric pressure and temperature up to 70 °C. It was shown that doping with Fe increases ca talytic activity. However, excess of iron result ed in formation of undesired side-products

Hydrotalcite derived (Cu, Mn)-Mg-Al metal oxide systems doped with palladium as catalysts for low-temperature methanol incineration

Hydrotalcite derived (Cu, Mn)–Mg–Al mixed metal oxides, synthesized by coprecipitation method, were found to be effective catalysts for methanol incineration. Copper and/or manganese oxides deposited on commercial γ-Al2O3 and MgO were used as the reference catalysts. Cu–Mg–Al–O mixed oxide system was found to be the most active catalysts in a series of the hydrotalcite originated metal oxides and supported samples. On the other hand, copper deposited on Al2O3 and MgO supports were significantly less active than the hydrotalcite derived catalysts. Activity of the catalysts was improved by deposition of small amount of palladium (0.5 wt.%). Temperature-programmed surface reaction method (CH3OH-TPSR) and in situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were employed to study the species formed on the catalyst surface during the process of methanol oxidation

World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) Guidelines update - IV - A quality appraisal with the AGREE II instrument

Since the publication of The World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) Guidelines in 2010, a number of other guidelines, expert opinions, and position papers relating to the management of cow's milk allergy (CMA) have been published. We aimed to systematically review the quality of the guidelines on CMA diagnosis and management in children and/or adults published between 2010 and 2020

Screening for trisomy 21 based on maternal age, nuchal translucency measurement, first trimester biochemistry and quantitative and qualitative assessment of the flow in the DV — the assessment of efficacy

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare effects of addition of two methods of ductus venosus (DV) flow assessment: qualitative — the assessment of shape of the A-wave (positive or negative), and quantitative — based on the pulsatility index for veins (DVPI) to the basic screening for trisomy 21 at 11 to 13 + 6 weeks of pregnancy. Material and methods: The ultrasound examination was performed in 8230 fetuses in singleton pregnancies at 11– –13 + 6 wks, as a part of a routine screening for chromosomal defects. In DV A-wave was assessed and DVPI was calculated. After the scan blood sample was taken for first trimester biochemistry (BC). Risk for chromosomal defects was calculated and high-risk patients were offered an invasive test for karyotyping. Results: Basic screening with following combination of markers: MA, NT and BC provided lowest detection rate (DR) 87.50% for FPR = 6.94%. After adding qualitative DV A-wave assessment DR increased to 88.75% for FPR = 5.65%. The best DR = 93.75% for FPR = 5.55% was achieved when quantitative DVPI was added. The application of the Receiver Operating Curves curve confirmed validity of the addition of DV flow assessment to the screening model. The highest diagnostic power of the test was achieved when DVPI was added, with the ROC AUC of 0.974. Conclusions: The assessment of DV flow performed at 11–13 + 6 weeks increases DR for trisomy 21 and reduces FPR. The screening model based on the quantitative DV flow analysis (DVPI) gives better results compared to the qualitative flow assessment

Polish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics statement on safety measures and performance of ultrasound examinations in obstetrics and gynecology during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

We present recommendations on performance and safety measures of ultrasound examinations in obstetrics and gynecologyduring the SARS COV-2 pandemic. The statement was prepared based on the current knowledge on the coronavirusby the Ultrasound Section of the Polish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It has to be noted that the presented guidanceis based on limited evidence and is primarily based on experiences published by authors from areas most affected bythe virus thus far, such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Italy. We realize that the pandemic situation is very dynamic.New data is published every day. Despite the imposed limitations related to the necessity of social distancing, it is crucialto remember that providing optimal care in safe conditions should remain the primary goal of healthcare providers. Weplan to update the current guidelines as the situation develops