Design and Verification of a Dual Port RAM Using UVM Methodology

Data-intensive applications such as Deep Learning, Big Data, and Computer Vision have resulted in more demand for on-chip memory storage. Hence, state of the art Systems on Chips (SOCs) have a memory that occupies somewhere between 50% to 90 % of the die space. Extensive Research is being done in the field of memory technology to improve the efficiency of memory packaging. This effort has not always been successful because densely packed memory structures can experience defects during the fabrication process. Thus, it is critical to test the embedded memory modules once they are taped out. Along with testing, functional verification of a module makes sure that the design works the way it has been intended to perform. This paper proposes a built-in self-test (BIST) to validate a Dual Port Static RAM module and a complete layered test bench to verify the module’s operation functionally. The BIST has been designed using a finite state machine and has been targeted against most of the general SRAM faults in a given linear time constraint of O(23n). The layered test bench has been designed using Universal Verification Methodology (UVM), a standardized class library which has increased the re-usability and automation to the existing design verification language, SystemVerilog

Global Digital Cultures: Perspectives from South Asia

Digital media histories are part of a global network, and South Asia is a key nexus in shaping the trajectory of digital media in the twenty-first century. Digital platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and others are deeply embedded in the daily lives of millions of people around the world, shaping how people engage with others as kin, as citizens, and as consumers. Moving away from Anglo-American and strictly national frameworks, the essays in this book explore the intersections of local, national, regional, and global forces that shape contemporary digital culture(s) in regions like South Asia: the rise of digital and mobile media technologies, the ongoing transformation of established media industries, and emergent forms of digital media practice and use that are reconfiguring sociocultural, political, and economic terrains across the Indian subcontinent. From massive state-driven digital identity projects and YouTube censorship to Tinder and dating culture, from Twitter and primetime television to Facebook and political rumors, Global Digital Cultures focuses on enduring concerns of representation, identity, and power while grappling with algorithmic curation and data-driven processes of production, circulation, and consumption

Surveillance data on micro-organisms in respiratory tract infections at a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India

Background: Respiratory tract infections are the leading cause of infections and associated hospitalizations in India. Generally, there is little control on the use of antibiotics. Community awareness of the issues involved in antibiotic therapy is poor and this is compounded by over-the-counter availability. The main aim was to compare the resistance developed by respiratory microbes.Methods: A retrospective and prospective study was designed and conducted to compare the pattern of resistance developed by microorganisms affecting the respiratory tract.Results: The sensitivity of K. pneumoniae to cefepime/tazobactum has decreased from 91.9% to 47.6% and S. aureus to Linezolid has decreased from 93.4% to 80% and S. pyogenes to azithromycin from 51.4% to 24.8%. Whereas sensitivity pattern of S. pneumoniae to amoxicillin/clavulanate is increased from 65.6% to 82.3%. The prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae was increased 19% to 25.2% whereas the prevalence of S. pneumoniae was decreased from 66.8% to 65.2%. Our study suggests that all microorganisms isolated are susceptible to carbapenems and cefepime/tazobactum in the cephalosporin class.Conclusions: There is major shift in the sensitivity pattern of microorganisms towards antibiotics. Therefore, these results must be kept in mind by the practitioners in the study site, prior to making decisions over a medication regimen empirically for patients and also to maximize the output of medications by rational prescribing and dosing.

Effectiveness of cattle and buffalo expert system in knowledge management among the farmers

Present investigation was conducted to assess the effectiveness of cattle and buffalo expert system which was developed under the network project on ‘Development of Expert System for Crop and Animal Enterprises’ with Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (CIWA) as the lead centre. The primary aim of the project was to develop an expert system on cattle and buffalo. The study was carried out to test the effectiveness of developed expert system in terms of knowledge gain and skill acquisition among the 140 farmers who were selected from two villages each from Panamarathupatti and Vazhapadi blocks of Salem district. The snow ball sampling method was used to identify four groups of farmers consisting of marginal and small size dairy farmers, medium size dairy farmers, big dairy farmers and women dairy farmers. The test verified pre and post exposure modules were developed for assessing the respondent’s knowledge gain and skill acquisition behaviour due to cattle and buffalo expert system in cattle. The study showed that medium and large size farmers gained relatively higher knowledge and skill due to their inclination towards undertaking dairy farming on commercial lines as compared to marginal farmers who took up the same at subsistence level in addition to other socio-economic characteristics. The study also brought out constraints and suggestions in improving the usage of expert system among all categories of farmers

Antistaphylococcal activity of bacteriophage derived chimeric protein P128

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bacterial drug resistance is one of the most significant challenges to human health today. In particular, effective antibacterial agents against methicillin-resistant <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>(MRSA) are urgently needed. A causal relationship between nasal commensal <it>S. aureus </it>and infection has been reported. Accordingly, elimination of nasal <it>S. aureus </it>reduces the risk of infection. Enzymes that degrade bacterial cell walls show promise as antibacterial agents. Bacteriophage-encoded bacterial cell wall-degrading enzymes exhibit intrinsic bactericidal activity. P128 is a chimeric protein that combines the lethal activity of the phage tail-associated muralytic enzyme of Phage K and the staphylococcal cell wall targeting-domain (SH3b) of lysostaphin.</p> <p>Here we report results of in vitro studies evaluating the susceptibility of staphylococcal strains to this novel protein.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using the broth microdilution method adapted for lysostaphin, we found that P128 is effective against <it>S. aureus </it>clinical strains including MRSA, methicillin-sensitive <it>S. aureus </it>(MSSA), and a mupirocin-resistant <it>S. aureus</it>. Minimum bactericidal concentrations and minimum inhibitory concentrations of P128 (1-64 μg/mL) were similar across the 32 <it>S. aureus </it>strains tested, demonstrating its bactericidal nature.</p> <p>In time-kill assays, P128 reduced colony-forming units by 99.99% within 1 h and inhibited growth up to 24 h.</p> <p>In an assay simulating topical application of P128 to skin or other biological surfaces, P128 hydrogel was efficacious when layered on cells seeded on solid media. P128 hydrogel was lethal to Staphylococci recovered from nares of healthy people and treated without any processing or culturing steps, indicating its in situ efficacy. This methodology used for in vitro assessment of P128 as an agent for eradicating nasal carriage is unique.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The novel chimeric protein P128 is a staphylococcal cell wall-degrading enzyme under development for clearance of <it>S. aureus </it>nasal colonization and MRSA infection. The protein is active against globally prevalent antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates and other clinically significant staphylococcal species including <it>S. epidermidis</it>. The P128 hydrogel formulation was bactericidal against Staphylococci including <it>S. aureus </it>recovered from the nares of 31 healthy people, demonstrating its in situ efficacy.</p

In-orbit Performance of UVIT on ASTROSAT

We present the in-orbit performance and the first results from the ultra-violet Imaging telescope (UVIT) on ASTROSAT. UVIT consists of two identical 38cm coaligned telescopes, one for the FUV channel (130-180nm) and the other for the NUV (200-300nm) and VIS (320-550nm) channels, with a field of view of 28 $arcmin$. The FUV and the NUV detectors are operated in the high gain photon counting mode whereas the VIS detector is operated in the low gain integration mode. The FUV and NUV channels have filters and gratings, whereas the VIS channel has filters. The ASTROSAT was launched on 28th September 2015. The performance verification of UVIT was carried out after the opening of the UVIT doors on 30th November 2015, till the end of March 2016 within the allotted time of 50 days for calibration. All the on-board systems were found to be working satisfactorily. During the PV phase, the UVIT observed several calibration sources to characterise the instrument and a few objects to demonstrate the capability of the UVIT. The resolution of the UVIT was found to be about 1.4 - 1.7 $arcsec$ in the FUV and NUV. The sensitivity in various filters were calibrated using standard stars (white dwarfs), to estimate the zero-point magnitudes as well as the flux conversion factor. The gratings were also calibrated to estimate their resolution as well as effective area. The sensitivity of the filters were found to be reduced up to 15\% with respect to the ground calibrations. The sensitivity variation is monitored on a monthly basis. UVIT is all set to roll out science results with its imaging capability with good resolution and large field of view, capability to sample the UV spectral region using different filters and capability to perform variability studies in the UV.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in SPIE conference proceedings, SPIE conference paper, 201