Cross-sectional Improvement Research Articles

Application of the extended bias factor method for highly reliable benchmark suite

It was tried to get useful information feedback on cross section and covariance by application of extended bias factor method with experimental benchmarks’ C/E, sensitivity coefficient and covariance data. As a result, it was succeeded to distinguish “the case unrecommended by specialists” as outlier case. And it was succeeded to get the hints that there is room for improvement in cross section or covariance of some nuclides by investigating outlier cases judged as recommended case by specialists.

Reverse Cardiac Remodeling Following Initiation of Sacubitril/Valsartan in Patients With Heart Failure With and Without Diabetes

ObjectiveThis study sought to determine whether patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have similar reverse cardiac remodeling with sacubitril/valsartan as patients without T2DM. BackgroundSacubitril/valsartan promotes reverse cardiac remodeling and improves outcomes in patients with HFrEF. Patients with HFrEF with T2DM have worse prognosis than those without T2DM. MethodsIn this post hoc analysis of PROVE-HF (Prospective Study of Biomarkers, Symptom Improvement, and Ventricular Remodeling During Sacubitril/Valsartan Therapy for Heart Failure), we examined changes in N-terminal pro–b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), measures of cardiac remodeling, and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Overall Summary (KCCQ-OS) scores from baseline to 12 months following initiation of sacubitril/valsartan between patients with HFrEF with and without T2DM. Using latent growth curve modeling, we evaluated the longitudinal association between changes in NT-proBNP, left ventricular ejection fraction, and KCCQ-OS. ResultsAmong 794 patients enrolled, 361 (45.5%) had T2DM. NT-proBNP concentrations were modestly higher at baseline among patients with T2DM but were reduced after initiation of sacubitril/valsartan. Cross-sectional improvement was observed in left ventricular ejection fraction (T2DM: 28.3% at baseline and 37% at 12 months vs. non-T2DM: 28.1% at baseline and 38.3% at 12 months) and KCCQ-OS (T2DM: 71 at baseline and 83 at 12 months vs. non-T2DM: 76 at baseline and 88 at 12 months). Similar changes were also observed for other echocardiographic measures. In longitudinal analyses, the average NT-proBNP change was similar in patients with T2DM (–5.6% vs. –7.1% per 90-day interval; p = 0.64), whereas improvements in KCCQ-OS scores were slightly smaller (2.1 vs. 3.46 per 90-day interval; p = 0.07). ConclusionsSacubitril/valsartan favorably affects natriuretic peptide levels, reverse cardiac remodeling, and health status in patients with HFrEF with and without T2DM. (Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan Therapy on Biomarkers, Myocardial Remodeling and Outcomes [PROVE-HF]; NCT02887183)

A Hysteresis-Based D-Flip-Flop Design in 28 nm CMOS for Improved SER Hardness at Low Performance Overhead

A novel D-Flip-Flop design using hysteresis to improve single-event hardness with low performance overhead is presented. Layout-aware sensitive area simulations were used to estimate the improvement in cross-section for the proposed hysteresis DFF (HDFF) vs. a standard DFF. A test chip with the standard DFF, HDFF, and the DICE FF was designed in a 28 nm CMOS process and exposed to alpha, neutron, and heavy-ion beams. The HDFF design shows 14× and 3× improvements in the alpha and neutron SER, respectively, compared with a standard DFF.

Comparison of cervical spinal canal diameter between younger and elder generations of Japanese

BackgroundCervical myelopathy is more common among Japanese than Westerners. The shorter anteroposterior diameter of the cervical spinal canals (AP diameter) is its probable cause. In recent years, builds of younger Japanese have become larger and been approaching those of Westerners. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the cervical spinal canal had enlarged in the younger Japanese as well as any cross-sectional improvement in their builds. MethodsThe subjects included 300 men and 300 women who were healthy and without symptoms related to the cervical spine. They were divided into six age groups at 10-year intervals from the twenties to the seventies. Height, body weight, and arm span were measured as physical factors. Using lateral dynamic radiographs of the cervical spine, the AP diameter from C3 to C6 in the neutral position and Penning’s jaw diameter in extension (jaw diameter) from C2/3 to C5/6 were measured. The number of trapezoid-shaped vertebral bodies with a thickened posterior margin were also counted as such thickening might be one of the causes of spinal canal narrowing. Statistical analysis was performed for the following associations in both sexes: (1) age and physical factors; (2) age and the AP diameter; (3) age and jaw diameter; and (4) the difference of the AP diameter of the canal within and outside the trapezoid-shaped deformity of the vertebral body. ResultsIn both men and women, the younger generations statistically had a larger height, arm span, and AP diameter. Older generations showed a significantly narrower jaw diameter at all measured spinal levels in both sexes. Trapezoidshaped vertebral bodies were found in 3.5% of the men and in 1.3% of the women in their fifties, sixties, and seventies, which statistically had no effect on the AP diameter being wider in the younger generations. ConclusionsYounger generations had larger builds and a wider canal of the cervical spine. A narrow spinal canal is a fundamental risk factor for cervical myelopathy. Therefore, cervical myelopathy might be expected to decrease in Japan in the near future when the present younger generations have aged.