384 research outputs found
Minimizing Test Power in SRAM through Reduction of Pre-charge Activity
No full textIn this paper we analyze the test power of SRAM memories and demonstrate that the full functional pre-charge activity is not necessary during test mode because of the predictable addressing sequence. We exploit this observation in order to minimize power dissipation during test by eliminating the unnecessary power consumption associated with the pre-charge activity. This is achieved through a modified pre-charge control circuitry, exploiting the first degree of freedom of March tests, which allows choosing a specific addressing sequence. The efficiency of the proposed solution is validated through extensive Spice simulations
March CRF: an Efficient Test for Complex Read Faults in SRAM Memories
No full textIn this paper we study Complex Read Faults in SRAMs, a combination of various malfunctions that affect the read operation in nanoscale memories. All the memory elements involved in the read operation are studied, underlining the causes of the realistic faults concerning this operation. The requirements to cover these fault models are given. We show that the different causes of read failure are independent and may coexist in nanoscale SRAMs, summing their effects and provoking Complex Read Faults, CRFs. We show that the test methodology to cover this new read faults consists in test patterns that match the requirements to cover all the different simple read fault models. We propose a low complexity (?2N) test, March CRF, that covers effectively all the realistic Complex Read Fault
Paroxetine and neonatal withdrawal syndrome
No full textWe report a case of neonatal withdrawal syndrome after in utero exposure to paroxetine 20 mg/day. The infant’s symptoms, such as poor neonatal adaptation, respiratory distress, decerebrate posturing, irritability and tremors, commenced soon after birth and persisted for 5 days. All neonates exposed to antidepressants, particularly serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), during the last trimester should be followed-up closely for adverse symptoms
Enabling MSI-Guided Laser Capture Microdissection
No full textIntroduction/Rationale: Coupling MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) with Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) allows for precise dissection of tissue regions based on molecular features [1]. Automated methods for alignment of the coordinate systems of the MSI and LCM platforms reduces errors associated with manual definition of ROI’s and increases throughput (a major bottleneck for LCM). Here we present the development of a method to transfer regions of interest from MALDI MSI images to an LCM platform, using consecutive tissue sections mounted on ITO conductive slides for MALDI MSI and on PEN-coated slides for LCM.
Methods: The test system consists of a gelatin-embedded mouse liver. 12 μm slices were cut using a cryostat and two consecutive slices were mounted on ITO and PEN slides. The ITO slide was spray-coated with DHB (30mg/mL, MeOH 70%, water 30%, 0.2% TFA) and a MALDI image was acquired with an EP-MALDI source coupled to a Q-Exactive mass spectrometer. The MSI data was imported into MATLAB. The tissue mounted on the PEN slide was stained with hematoxylin and a high resolution optical image acquired using an Aperio Scanscope. The LCM instrument used was an Apotome 2 Axio Observer Z1 microscope equipped with a Palm Robomover LCM system (both Zeiss).
Results: An image of an ion with a regular distribution on the tissue is used to align the MS image to the optical image of the hematoxylin-stained tissue section mounted on the PEN slide. The optical image of the PEN slide tissue section is imported in MATLAB and cropped to match the size of the MALDI image. An intensity-based co-registration algorithm is then used to align the MS image to the cropped optical image. The MS image is then rescaled to match to the original optical image. To obtain regions-of-interest to transfer to the LCM platform, the MSI data was TIC normalized and a k-means cluster analysis performed. The image of the cluster of interest was aligned to the PEN slide using the same transformations used for the whole MSI data, binarized and segmented to obtain the coordinates of the vertices of the cluster region. Vertex coordinates were expressed after setting the axes origin to a user-defined reference point on the slide. The coordinates of the origin in the Aperio reference system were then matched to the coordinates of the reference point in the Zeiss coordinate system and the same transformation applied. Coordinates were then formatted as an Element file readable by the LCM and exported as text files. Border coordinates were imported in the Zeiss PALMRobo software and regions of interest automatically dissected.
Conclusions/Novelty: The presented method enables rapid transfer of coordinates from a MALDI image to an LCM instrument, increasing throughput and reducing errors due to freehand cutting. The method is applicable to consecutive tissue sections, and ROI’s can be defined either by MSI or via histopathological specification
Delayed response of IBD- associated autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis to standard immunosuppressive treatment in an 8-year old child
No full textAutoimmune sclerosing cholangitis (ASC) is associated with inflammatory bowel disease in 45% of cases. Treatment consists of prednisolone 2 mg/kg/day tapered over 4-8 weeks to a maintenance dose of 2.5-5 mg/day, azathioprine (AZA) at 2.0-2.5 mg/kg/day is added in 85% of cases, and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) at 15-20 mg/kg/day. In most patients an 80% reduction of transaminases occurs within the first two months of treatment. We present a case of an 8-year-old boy with pancolic ulcerative colitis and ASMA positive- ASC who presented a late response to immunosuppressive treatment. At presentation the patient’s blood tests showed: VES 120 mm/h, AST 360 U/L, ALT 329 U/L, FA 1314 U/L, FA/AST 3.65, ƳGT 499 U/L, total bilirubin 1.10 mg/dl, PT-INR 1.2, PTT ratio 1.62, albumin 3.3 g/dl, IgG 3582 mg/dl. After confirmation of ASC on cholangiogram and histology, prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day) was started and tapered over 8 weeks to a maintenance dose of 5 mg/day, with no modification of liver function tests (LFTs) except for normalization of PT and PTT. UDCA at 20 mg/kg/day was started since the beginning, AZA (2 mg/kg/day) was added at week 8 of steroid treatment prior to thiopurine methyltransferase genotype testing (no polymorphisms were identified). No reduction of transaminases and ƳGT was observed until month 6 of combined steroid and AZA treatment, complete normalization was observed at month 10. Currently the child is in remission with normal LFTs. The present describes the case of an ASMA positive –ASC with a late response to standard immunosuppressive treatment
Cardiovascular involvement in children with inflammatory bowel disease: the experience of an Italian tertiary centre
No full textINTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular involvement in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) is rarely described; aetiology is either driven by medications or IBD itself. We report a case-series of PIBD patients with cardiovascular involvement in an Italian tertiary centre.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 221 PIBD patients followed-up in our centre (01/2021 - 01/2024). We identified 3/221 (1.4%) patients with history of cardiovascular involvement for whom we collected demographic, clinical and treatment data.
Results: Overall, 2/3 patients with Crohn’s disease (Paris classification A1aL3L4aB1G1 and A1aL3L4aB1pG1) were diagnosed with pericarditis, 1/3 with ulcerative colitis (Paris classification E1S0) developed myopericarditis. All patients were male; median age at
carditis onset was 12.5 years (range 9-15) with a median time between IBD onset and carditis of 26 months (range 1-72). All patients presented with chest pain worsened by clinostatism, only one had concomitant fever. Concerning pericarditis patients, at
carditis onset one had mildly active disease while on oral mesalazine and the second was on no medical treatment after having received ileocolic resection 2 months earlier. The myopericarditis patient was in remission on rectal mesalazine, having received COVID-19 mRNA vaccine 3 days earlier. Pericarditis were treated with non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs while myopericarditis with oral corticosteroids. All patients recovered fully without apparent sequelae.
Conclusion: Cardiovascular involvement in PIBD is infrequent but remains a potential complication that warrants attention. In our experience, pericarditis appeared to be related to IBD itself, whereas myopericarditis remained of uncertain aetiology. Clinicians should
maintain a low threshold for diagnosis in case of suggestive symptomatology to allow a prompt management
Reducing Power Dissipation in SRAM during Test
No full textIn this paper we analyze the power consumption of SRAM memories and demonstrate that the full functional pre-charge activity is not necessary during test because of the predictable addressing sequence. We exploit this observation in order to minimize power dissipation during test by eliminating the unnecessary power consumption associated with the pre-charge activity. This is achieved through a modified pre-charge control circuitry, exploiting the first degree of freedom of March tests, which permits to choose a specific addressing sequence. Further, the modified pre-charge logic allows also the switching between the normal functional mode and the low power test mode. We demonstrate that the modified pre-charge control circuitry has little or no effect on the memory performance. We analyze the sources of power consumption in functional and low power test mode, and we show how the power dissipation is computed for bit and word-oriented SRAMs. The efficiency of the proposed solution is validated through extensive Spice simulations for both bit-oriented and word-oriented SRAM
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