Timing Margin Research Articles

Reduced-port laparoscopic right colonic resection with D3 lymph node dissection and transvaginal specimen extraction (NOSES VIIIa) for right colon cancer: clinical features.

Reduced-port laparoscopic surgery (RPLS) uses the minimum possible number of ports or small-sized ports in laparoscopic surgery. The combination of RPLS and natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) minimizes the procedural damage. A total of 17 patients diagnosed with right colon cancer were included: 5 patients in the RPLS + NOSE group and 12 patients in the conventional laparoscopic surgery (CL) + mini-laparotomy (ML) group. We highlight the key steps of the RPLS + NOSE procedure and compare the clinicopathological characteristics and short-term postoperative outcomes of the two groups. Compared to CL + ML, RPLS + NOSE was associated with short hospitalization (8.80 ± 1.30 vs 13.75 ± 2.63, p = 0.001), faster first flatus (1.80 ± 0.45 vs 3.4 ± 0.90, p = 0.020) and less postoperative pain on the first day (2.40 ± 0.55 vs 4.25 ± 1.60, p = 0.025). Regarding operation time, intraoperative bleeding, tumor size, proximal and distal margin, number of lymph nodes harvested, number of positive lymph nodes, R0 resection, bowel movements, postoperative complications, Clavien-Dindo classification, Benz's classification and postoperative pain on day 1, day 3 and day 5, no significant difference was observed. In selected patients, RPLS with D3 lymph node dissection and transvaginal specimen extraction results in fast recovery and is indicated for colon cancer patients.

A study on quantification for the impact of stress and time margin on human error probability assessment in Nuclear Power plant using fuzzy inference

A study on quantification for the impact of stress and time margin on human error probability assessment in Nuclear Power plant using fuzzy inference

A Self-adaptive two stage iterative greedy algorithm based job scales for energy-efficient distributed permutation flowshop scheduling problem

The production form of distributed manufacturing combined with energy-efficient scheduling has attracted great attention. In this paper, the energy-efficient distributed permutation flowshop scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times (EEDPFSP/SDST) is studied with the criterion of minimizing the total flowtime (TF) and total energy consumption (TEC). Firstly, by changing the initial ordering rule according to the total flowtime, an improved multi-objective NEH heuristic is presented to generate better initial individuals. Secondly, by analyzing the feature of EEDPFSP/SDST, a self-adaptive two stage iterative greedy algorithm based on the job scales (SAIGbjs) is proposed, which includes a self-adaptive local search according to the job scale, and the energy-saving strategy with the sequence-dependent setup times characteristics based on the time margin between adjacent operations on the same job. Finally, the extensive experiments are adopted to test the performance of the proposed algorithm, and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed SAIGbjs algorithm is superior to the other five well-known algorithms.

Learning curve of multiple surgeons for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy using the cumulative sum method: a retrospective single-institution study.

Prostate cancer (PC) is common among men and has become a significant societal issue. Localized PC has a good prognosis with appropriate treatment. Prostatectomy, particularly robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), has become a common treatment since the da Vinci prostatectomy was approved by the FDA in 2001. The current study aimed to assess the learning curve for RARP, focusing on anastomosis time, using the cumulative sum (CUSUM) method. Data were collected from Nagoya City University Hospital between May 2011 and December 2018 and included 469 surgeries performed by experienced surgeons. Our findings indicated that, on average, 11 patients were required to complete the initial phase and 24 patients were required to complete the consolidation phase of anastomosis. Additionally, for complete resection of pT2c cases, 16 cases were required for the initial phase and 27 cases were required for the consolidation phase. The CUSUM method proved useful for visualizing trends in surgical proficiency, although the study noted potential confounding biases and limitations in evaluating surgical proficiency based solely on surgical time or positive surgical margins.

Machine learning for reducing noise in RF control signals at industrial accelerators

Industrial particle accelerators typically operate in dirtier environments than research accelerators, leading to increased noise in RF and electronic systems. Furthermore, given that industrial accelerators are mass produced, less attention is given to optimizing the performance of individual systems. As a result, industrial accelerators tend to underperform their own hardware capabilities. Improving signal processing for these machines will improve cost and time margins for deployment, helping to meet the growing demand for accelerators for medical sterilization, food irradiation, cancer treatment, and imaging. Our work focuses on using machine learning techniques to reduce noise in RF signals used for pulse-to-pulse feedback in industrial accelerators. Here we review our algorithms and observed results for simulated RF systems, and discuss next steps with the ultimate goal of deployment on industrial systems.

Multi-View Graph Learning for Path-Level Aging-Aware Timing Prediction

As CMOS technology continues to scale down, the aging effect—known as negative bias temperature instability (NBTI)—has become increasingly prominent, gradually emerging as a key factor affecting device reliability. Accurate aging-aware static timing analysis (STA) at the early design phase is critical for establishing appropriate timing margins to ensure circuit reliability throughout the chip lifecycle. However, traditional aging-aware timing analysis methods, typically based on Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis (SPICE) simulations or aging-aware timing libraries, struggle to balance prediction accuracy with computational cost. In this paper, we propose a multi-view graph learning framework for path-level aging-aware timing prediction, which combines the strengths of the spatial–temporal Transformer network (STTN) and graph attention network (GAT) models to extract the aging timing features of paths from both timing-sensitive and workload-sensitive perspectives. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed framework achieves an average MAPE score of 3.96% and reduces the average MAPE by 5.8 times compared to FFNN and 2.2 times compared to PNA, while maintaining acceptable increases in processing time.

Extraperitoneal single-port robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: Short-term outcomes and technique description.

We evaluated the feasibility, safety, and learning curve of extraperitoneal single-port robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (SP-RARP) and introduced innovative surgical techniques to maintain the instrument positions during the procedures. A cohort of 100 patients underwent extraperitoneal SP-RARP at our institution from December 2021 to April 2023. The procedures were performed by an experienced urology surgeon utilizing two surgical techniques for dissecting the posterior aspect of the prostate-"changing instrument roles" and "using camera inversion"-to prevent positional shifts between the camera and instruments. The mean operation time for SP-RARP was 93.58 minutes, and the mean console time was 65.16 minutes. The mean estimated blood loss during the procedures was 109.30 mL. No cases necessitated conversion to multi-port robot, laparoscopy, or open surgery, and there were no major complications during the hospital stay or in the short-term follow-up. Early outcomes of post-radical prostatectomy indicated a biochemical recurrence rate of 4.0% over a mean follow-up duration of 6.40 months, with continence and potency recovery rates of 92.3% and 55.8%, respectively. Analysis of the learning curve showed no significant differences in operation time, console time, and positive surgical margin rates between the initial and latter 50 cases. Extraperitoneal SP-RARP is a feasible and safe option for the treatment of localized prostate cancer in skilled hands. Continued accrual of cases is essential for future comparisons of SP-RARP with multiport approaches.

Efficacy of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy compared to conventional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for completely endophytic renal tumor: a multicenter, prospective study

BackgroundThis study aimed to compare the efficacy of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for completely endophytic renal tumors with the reported outcomes of conventional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and investigate the transition of renal function after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.MethodsWe conducted a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, open-label trial across 17 academic centers in Japan. Patients with endophytic renal tumors classified as cT1, cN0, cM0 were included and underwent robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. We defined two primary outcomes to assess functional and oncological aspects of the procedure, which were represented by the warm ischemic time and positive surgical margin, respectively. Comparisons were made using control values previously reported in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy studies. In the historical control group, the warm ischemia time was 25.2, and the positive surgical margin was 13%.ResultsOur per-protocol analysis included 98 participants. The mean warm ischemic time was 20.3 min (99% confidence interval 18.3–22.3; p < 0.0001 vs. 25.2). None of the 98 participants had a positive surgical margin (99% confidence interval 0–5.3%; p < 0.0001 vs. 13.0%). The renal function ratio of eGFR before and after protocol treatment multiplied by splits was 0.70 (95% confidence interval: 0.66–0.75). Factors such as preoperative eGFR, resected weight, and warm ischemic time influenced the functional loss of the partially nephrectomized kidney after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.ConclusionsRobot-assisted partial nephrectomy for completely endophytic renal tumors offers a shorter warm ischemia time and comparable positive surgical margin rate compared with conventional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

Modeling evolutionary power spectral density functions of strong earthquakes via copulas

This paper proposes a new approach for analyzing seismic accelerograms using the evolutionary Power Spectral Density function (EPSD). The accelerogram of an earthquake can be accurately modeled and simulated from its spectrogram, based on the oscillatory stochastic processes theory. To adequately characterize a spectrogram that is consistent with the response spectra, a parametric model with 16 parameters is proposed. This model describes the square of the amplitude spectrum, an envelope of the square of the accelerogram, and a copula that constructs a time–frequency model from the time and frequency marginals. The use of copulas to model a bivariate probability distribution is a common practice in statistics, particularly when the marginal distributions are known. The periodogram can be viewed as an unnormalized probability density function, where the total energy serves as the normalization constant, since the total energy of a seismic motion is always finite. Additionally, a reduced model consisting of only 10 parameters is presented, which may be especially valuable when only shear wave effects are relevant.

Low-error, high-speed, and large-scale hardware implementation of retinal photoreceptor cells: Cone and rod cells

In recent times, there has been a significant focus on creating prosthetics and medical interventions to aid in the treatment of diseases, recovery, and the improvement of biological functions. Researchers have particularly directed their attention toward developing hardware models for delicate biological parts such as the brain, heart, nervous system, and. One area of particular interest is the retina, which is the thinnest and innermost layer of the eye. This research paper focuses on the development of a high-speed and low-error hardware implementation for retinal cone and rod cells. Current mathematical models often use multiple nonlinear functions to describe the behavior of these cells. However, these nonlinear functions can sometimes be limiting in terms of speed. In this study, we explore the use of trigonometric functions to approximate the non-linear properties of retinal cone and rod cells, allowing for improved performance. The results of the simulation show that the suggested model is in line with the functioning of primary cone and rod cells, particularly in relation to time characteristics, dynamic response, and margin of error. By implementing the proposed model in Large-Scale (300 cell) on a Virtex-5 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board, notable benefits were observed. One of these advantages includes increasing the synthesis frequency of the proposed model by 3.35 and 3.44 times faster than the original model for the cone cell and rod cell, respectively. Another advantage is the ability to implement 300 cells of the proposed models on the FPGA, compared to the implementation of a single cell of the original models, with only a two-fold increase in the amount of hardware resources used. The proposed framework is legitimate and features a compact hardware size and suitable network frequency, as demonstrated by the outcomes from implementing the hardware on the Virtex-5 reconfigurable board (FPGA).

Initiation and evolution of an epicontinental shelf‐slope margin in an actively contracting deep‐water basin: The Eocene Aínsa Basin, southern Pyrenees (Spain)

AbstractThe shelf‐slope margin is a geomorphic zone with a change in gradient between subaqueous shelves and slopes, which extends towards the submarine basin‐floor. It is important because it partitions distinct sedimentary and biogenic processes between the shallow and deep‐water realms. The initiation of a shelf‐slope profile from pre‐existing conditions, and the evolution of shelf margins in space and time has been the focus of numerous studies, particularly from seismic data sets on passive margins, although markedly less‐so from active tectonic settings. This study documents the initiation and evolution of a shelf‐slope margin in the well‐studied Eocene Aínsa Basin (Spanish Pyrenees) through the segmentation of a mixed carbonate‐siliciclastic ramp via contractional tectonics and differential subsidence. The basinward propagation of a series of thrusts through the ramp allowed the maintenance of shallow‐water, predominantly carbonate sedimentation on their uplifted hanging wall anticlines. Conversely, the deepened foot wall synclines became muddy slope environments, and their axes became the main loci of siliciclastic turbidity current bypass and deposition. The deflection of turbidity currents around uplifted areas towards the synclinal lows allowed for the continuation of carbonate production at the bathymetric highs, which kept pace with subsidence. The interface between shallow‐ and deep‐water sedimentation (i.e. the shelf‐slope margin) was an erosional and composite submarine scarp surface generated by several phases of large‐scale mass wasting of the aggrading shelf carbonates, and healing by onlap of slope turbidites against the scarp. Continued thrust propagation and basin deepening led to the progressive headward degradation of the surfaces, resulting in an apparent retrogradation of the shelf‐slope margin and onlapping slope deposits. This model for the tectonically controlled conversion of a submarine ramp into a shelf‐slope profile contrasts with conventional models that consider shelf‐slope margins to be inherently progradational after initiation. This study also challenges the notion that large‐scale degradational surfaces and thick successions of submarine landslides are inherently diagnostic of canyons and their fill.

Autonomous construction of lunar infrastructure with in-situ boulders

Significant infrastructure is required to establish a long-term presence of humans on the lunar surface. In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is a fundamental approach to ensure the viability of such construction. Here, we investigate the feasibility of constructing blast shields as one example of lunar infrastructure using unprocessed lunar boulders and an autonomous robotic excavator. First, we estimate the volume of unprocessed material required for the construction of blast shield segments. Secondly, we quantify the amount of available boulders in two exploration zones (located at the Shackleton-Henson Connecting Ridge and the Aristarchus Plateau pyroclastic deposit) using LRO NAC images and boulder size-frequency distribution laws. In addition, we showcase an alternative approach that relies on Diviner rock abundance data. Thirdly, we use a path planning algorithm to derive the distance, energy, and time required to collect local material and construct blast shield elements. Our results show that our construction method requires two orders of magnitudes less energy than alternative ISRU construction methods, while maintaining realistic mission time and payload capacity margins.

Robotic versus laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver malignancies (ROC'N'ROLL): a single-centre, randomised, controlled, single-blinded clinical trial

Robotic hepatectomy (RH) has been increasingly adopted for the treatment of liver malignancies despite lacking evidence from randomised trials. We aimed to determine the effect of RH compared to laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) on quality of life in patients undergoing minimally invasive hepatectomy for liver malignancies. This single-blinded, randomised trial was conducted at a tertiary care academic centre (DRKS00027531). Patients with resectable liver malignancies were assessed for eligibility and randomly assigned to either RH or LH with stratification by type of malignancy and difficulty of resection. Patients were blinded to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was the mean quality of life within 90 days after surgery, measured with the role functioning scale of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included operating time, morbidity, blood loss, conversion rate, postoperative recovery, and resection margin status. Between February 21, 2022, and Sep 18, 2023, 80 patients (RH: n=41, LH: n=39) were included and analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. Role functioning scores did not differ between RH and LH (mean [SD], 74.3 [23.3] versus 79.6 [22.3]; mean difference-5.3, 95% CI-15.6 to 5.1, p=0.547). The comprehensive complication index was not significantly different between the study groups (8.9 [23.1] versus 15.5 [23.9], p=0.137). There were no differences in other perioperative outcomes. RH yielded similar outcomes in quality of life and can be considered a safe alternative to LH. None.

Numerical Study on Valve Closing Criteria during Pump-turbine Start-up on Pump Mode

Abstract Vibrations of exhaust pipes have been observed in some hydropower stations during the exhaust process of pump-turbine start-up on pump mode due to water ingress into the pipes. It may have a safety risk for the pump-turbine start-up process when exhaust pipes are operating under the compressed air-water two phase flow. Since the numerical simulation researches about pump start-up process have been rarely reported and the development of flow field in exhaust pipe is lack of quantitative cognition, it calls for an urgent need to supplement related works. In this paper, the transient full-channel two-phase numerical simulation research on the pump mode return water exhaust process of a pumped power station is carried out by Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes approach. This work put emphasis on the characteristics of cone water level, runner torque and air speed in exhaust pipes after the compressed air released from the runner chamber. Then development laws and relationship with the exhaust valve closing timing are analysed and concluded. Results show that the cone water level, runner torque and air speed pulsation signal of exhaust pipes can be used as exhaust valve closing criteria, and the third criterion has the largest time margin.

Investigation of timing margin in single-flux-quantum 4 bit adders for increasing clock frequency of gate-level-pipelined circuits

This study investigates the timing margin required to handle fluctuations and variations in superconductor single-flux-quantum gate-level-pipelined adders; a smaller timing margin would improve the clock frequencies of gate-level-pipelined circuits. To evaluate timing margins, we demonstrated three 4 bit adders with 50-, 75-, and 100 GHz target clock frequencies using a 1.0 μm process. We estimated that the required timing margin of the adders was 2.1 ps. This indicates that previously reported gate-level-pipelined circuits operating at 30–60 GHz could operate at higher clock frequencies by reducing the timing margins.

SPIS: Signal Processing for Integrated Sensing Technologies Using 6G Networks with Machine Learning Algorithms

The proliferation of integrated sensing techniques in Sixth Generation (6G) networks is an increasingly significant aspect in facilitating efficient end-to-end communication for all users. The suggested methodology employs a digital signal processed with terahertz bandwidth to assess the impact of 6G networks. The primary focus lies in the design of 6G networks, emphasizing key parameters such interference, loss, signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, and dual band channels. The aforementioned factors are combined with two machine learning algorithms in order to determine the extent of spectrum sharing among all available resources. Thus suggested approach for detecting signals in the terahertz communication spectrum is evaluated using 10 devices across four situations, which involve interference, signal loss, strength, and time margins for integrated sensing. Also the assumptions are based on signal processing devices operating within millimeter waves ranging from 5 to 10 terahertz. Interference and losses in the specified spectrum are seen to be less than 1%, but the time margin for integrated sensing with 99% maximized signal intensity remains at 85%.

Loss of function of the meibomian glands among HIV and AIDS individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy

Background: Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the most encountered diseases in the clinical practice but appears to be underappreciated as it does not cause blindness. Meibomian gland dysfunction is a multifactorial and complex disorder of the ocular surface.Aim: This study aims to evaluate the characteristics of the meibomian glands in individuals living with HIV and AIDS undergoing antiretroviral therapy.Setting: The study was conducted at the antiretroviral (ARV) clinic, Mankweng Hospital.Methods: This was a prospective study conducted with 37 HIV and AIDS participants and 20 healthy controls. All participants were assessed using the Ocular Surface Diseases Index (OSDI) score and, tear break-up time and lid margin regularity (using the slit-lamp biomicroscopy). The loss of the meibomian glands was evaluated using the Marx’s line. For this study, this line represented a clinical parameter of meibomian function.Results: The OSDI score was significantly higher in the HIV and AIDS group than that of the control participants (39.95 ± 18.65 and 13.00 ± 9.09, respectively, P 0.05). The tear breakup time (TBUT) for the HIV and AIDS study group was lower than that of the control group (7.95 ± 3.54 and 9.90 ± 3.70, respectively, P 0.05). The HIV and AIDS participants showed greater meibomian gland loss relative to the healthy controls (9.30 ± 4.97 and 5.70 ± 2.1, P 0.05).Conclusion: The loss of eyelid meibomian glands is common in people living with HIV and AIDS in comparison with healthy controls.Contribution: Although there is a decrease in sight-threatening complications in the era of ARVs, ocular surface disorders (OSD) are still commonly found, which may reduce the quality of life of HIV and AIDS individuals.

Programmable delay line with inherent duty cycle correction

In the recent HBM2E IO design, clock is transmitted differentially to the external DRAM and duty cycle distortion (DCD) could add to the differential clock due to traversing multiple stages in DRAM. At higher data rates, the DCD from the differential clock imposes restrictions on the timing margins. In the current work, Tx clock path is added with DCC feature to compensate for any DCD errors introduced by the clock network in the external DRAM. Linearity of the DCC is critical metric when the clock is differential and running at high speed. A new programmable delay line with inherent DCC design with good linearity is presented in this paper.

Improved post-radiation behavior of FinFET based CMOS with workfunction modulated gate

The total ionizing dose (TID) effect of modulated gate workfunction (MGW) FinFET based CMOS inverter is designed and analyzed. The post radiation analysis of the voltage transfer characteristics, noise margin and propagation delay are demonstrated. The incorporation workfunction modulation engineering enhances the OFF-state performance, and maintains positive threshold voltage for both the pre and post radiation condition. 2-decade improvement is noticed for the both n-FinFET and p-FinFET. In addition, the proposed technique offers minimum propagation delay time and acceptable noise margin range even after 2000 krad of radiation dose. The analysis and comparison of the results is done by the 3-D TCAD simulator.

Treatment of excessive gingival display using conventional esthetic crown lengthening versus computer guided esthetic crown lengthening: (a randomized clinical trial)

BackgroundSurgical guides have been proposed in an attempt to reach more predictable outcomes for esthetic crown lengthening. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of esthetic crown lengthening using 3D-printed surgical guides in the management of excessive gingival display due to altered passive eruption type 1B.Materials and methodsSixteen patients diagnosed with altered passive eruption type 1B, were divided into two groups. In the control group, the procedure was carried out conventionally, and in the study group, a dual surgical guide was used. The parameters of wound healing (swelling, color, probing depth, bleeding index, and plaque index), pain scores, gingival margin stability, and operating time were assessed at 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively.ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in terms of wound healing, pain scores, and gingival margin stability between both groups at different time intervals (P = 1), however, there was a statistical difference between both groups in terms of operating time with the study group being significantly lower (P < 0.001).ConclusionDigitally assisted esthetic crown lengthening helps shorten the operating time and reduces the possibility of human errors during the measurements. This will be useful in helping practitioners achieve better results.Practical implicationsThe conventional method remains to be the gold standard. However, shorter operating time and lower margins for errors will help reduce costs as the chair side time is reduced as well as the possibility for a second surgery is lower. This will improve patient satisfaction as well.