Bit-Error and Soft-Error Resilient 7T/14T SRAM with 150-nm FD-SOI Process

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of stress 99m technetium tetrofosmin myocardial perfusion imaging for the diagnosis of in stent stenosis (ISS). Methods: We studied 72 patients who underwent exercise or dobutamine stress 99m technetium tetrofosmin imaging, 0.9-0.5 years after percutaneous coronary interventions in which stents were deployed. Coronary angiography was performed within 3 months of the stress test. ISS was defined as ≥50% stenosis in a coronary segment with previous stenting. Significant coronary artery disease (CAD) was defined as ≥50% stenosis within or outside the stented coronary segment. Results: The stent was deployed in 1 coronary artery in 52 patients, and in 2 coronary arteries in 20 patients (a total of 92 detected in 42 (58%) patients (51 stents). Reversible perfusion abnormalities were present in 34 of patients

実時間高精細動画像処理プロセッサLSIの研究

金沢大学理工研究域第3世代移動体通信サービスが開始され、携帯電話で動画像通信が可能になった。携帯電話での動画像符号化では、バッテリの制約から低消費電力化が必須技術であるが、今後もっとも注目すべき技術は、低電圧技術を用いた低消費電力かつ高性能なCPUや汎用DSPの上で動画符号化ソフトウエアを構築することである。CPUやDSP上で動画符号化が実現可能になれば、動画符号化の拡張性や将来的なIPとしての再利用性が高まる。一方で、消費電力の観点からは、H/Wベース、専用DSPベースのコーデックに比較して、CPU上でのS/Wベースコーデックの消費電力は増大の傾向にある。したがって、その低消費電力化技術は今後の瞬時処理システム構築における重要な基礎技術であるといえる。本研究の目的は、知的電子携帯システム実現に向けてのキーファンクションともいうべき低消費電力型動画像実時間ソフトウエア処理の開発とそれを実行するための低消費電力VLSIアーキテクチャを提案することである。14年度は、知的電子携帯システム応用に最適な、フォワードアナリシスを用いた動的電源電圧制御型MPEG4アルゴリズムをひきつづき検討し、その詳細化を実施した。また、そのアルゴリズムの画質評価を定量的に実施した。その後、市販のRISC評価ボードを用いたソフトウエア開発を実施するとともに、VDECを活用して動的電源電圧制御型動画像処理プロセッサLSIを設計、試作した。また、評価ボード上で画質を評価するとともに、消費電力低減効果の見積もりを実施し、画像シーケンスに依存して、従来技術より30%-70%の電力低減の見通しを得た。本成果を、CoolChipsVIシンポジウム(平成15年4月)にて発表する。研究課題/領域番号:13023203, 研究期間(年度):2001-2002出典：「実時間高精細動画像処理プロセッサLSIの研究」研究成果報告書　課題番号13023203（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所））（https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-13023203/)を加工して作

An Efficiency Degradation Model of Power Amplifier and the Impact against Transmission Power Control for Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract—To extend an available period of wireless sensor networks, transmission power control is regarded as one of the promising schemes. In most of the previous studies on the transmission power control, it is assumed that a transmitter has power consumption of O(dn), where d and n denote a maximum communication distance and a pass loss factor. This assumption would substantially hold under the condition that the transmission efficiency is always constant at any transmission power (efficiency-fixed model). In practice, however, the trans-mission efficiency degrades as the transmission power is reduced. We analytically verify that an actual power amplifier with the efficiency degradation has a power consumption of O(dr), where n/2.8 ≤ r ≤ n/2 (efficiency-degradation model). The efficiency-degradation model gives the negative impact against the transmission power control. Index Terms—Wireless sensor network, transmission power control, transmission efficiency, pass loss factor. I

An image sensor with fast extraction of objects\u27 positions - Rough vision processor

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科情報システム金沢大学工学部An integration of the signal processing circuits with the image acquiring device, which is called the vision chip and can process information in parallel, is proposed for fast image processing. In applications for robot vision, not only the detailed information, such as shape or texture, but also the rough information, such as \u27something is around here\u27, are important and useful. We consider the detecting of centroids of objects in the focal plain as the rough vision processing, which is useful in practical application, and describe its implementation using two components; the centroid detector and the coordinate generator. First, we describe the fast flag generation algorithm indicating the centroid of objects, and its implementation using an analog parallel signal processing architecture. Next, we describe a novel encoding algorithm for flag positions indicating the centroids in order to obtain their coordinates

The AMPK/mTOR pathway is involved in D-dopachrome tautomerase gene transcription in adipocytes differentiated from SGBS cells, a human preadipocyte cell line

In adipose tissue, D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT), a cytokine with structural similarity to macrophage migration inhibitory factor, is mainly expressed in adipocytes rather than preadipocytes and acts as an anti-obesity adipokine in an autocrine manner. However, its transcriptional regulation is largely unknown. In order to explore molecules affecting DDT transcription, a chemical library screening using HEK293 cells stably expressing a DDT promoter-reporter construct was performed. Several derivatives of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR), an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator, were identified as transcriptional activators of the DDT gene. Furthermore, DDT mRNA levels were reduced in SGBS adipocytes treated with compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, suggesting involvement of AMPK in DDT transcription. Overexpression of the FOXO1 constitutive active form reduced transcriptional activity of the DDT gene in SGBS cells, but increased it in HEK293 cells. Cell-type specific effects were also observed in the DDT gene expression of cells treated with AS1842856, a FOXO1 inhibitor. Finally, involvement of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in DDT transcription in SGBS adipocytes was investigated. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR, increased DDT mRNA levels and attenuated the inhibitory effects of compound C on DDT mRNA levels in SGBS adipocytes. In conclusion, DDT transcription may be regulated in a cell-dependent manner, and were enhanced by AMPK activation in SGBS adipocytes through inhibiting the mTOR signaling

A 0.3-V operating, Vth-variation-tolerant SRAM under DVS environment for memory-rich SoC in 90-nm technology era and beyond

元・大学院自然科学研究科　　現・神戸大学大学院自然科学研究科We propose a voltage control scheme for 6T SRAM cells that makes a minimum operation voltage down to 0.3 V under DVS environment. A supply voltage to the memory cells and wordline drivers, bitline voltage, and body bias voltage of load pMOSFETs are controlled according to read and write operations, which secures operation margins even at a low operation voltage. A self-aligned timing control with a dummy wordline and its feedback is also introduced to guarantee stable operation in a wide range of the supply voltage. A measurement result of a 64-kb SRAM in a 90-nm process technology shows that a power reduction of 30 can be achieved at 100 MHz. In a 65-nm 64-Mb SRAM, a 74 power saving is expected at 1/6 of the maximum operating frequency. The performance penalty by the proposed scheme is less than 1, and area overhead is 5.6. Copyright © 2006 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers

Phosphodiesterase-III Inhibitor Prevents Hemorrhagic Transformation Induced by Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mice Treated with tPA

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor and antiplatelet drug, would prevent tPA-associated hemorrhagic transformation. Mice subjected to 6-h middle cerebral artery occlusion were treated with delayed tPA alone at 6 h, with combined tPA plus cilostazol at 6 h, or with vehicle at 6 h. We used multiple imaging (electron microscopy, spectroscopy), histological and neurobehavioral measures to assess the effects of the treatment at 18 h and 7 days after the reperfusion. To further investigate the mechanism of cilostazol to beneficial effect, we also performed an in vitro study with tPA and a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor in human brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes. Combination therapy with tPA plus cilostazol prevented development of hemorrhagic transformation, reduced brain edema, prevented endothelial injury via reduction MMP-9 activity, and prevented the blood-brain barrier opening by inhibiting decreased claudin-5 expression. These changes significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality at 18 h and 7 days after the reperfusion. Also, the administration of both drugs prevented injury to brain human endothelial cells and human brain pericytes. The present study indicates that a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor prevents the hemorrhagic transformation induced by focal cerebral ischemia in mice treated with tPA