ALADIN: a multilevel testability analyzer for VLSI system design

In order to cope with tomorrow's challenges in the microelectronic market, the reliability of the first phases of the design process must be improved. The possibility of applying techniques for testability analysis at these abstract design levels can considerably help in achieving this goal, reducing at the same time system design costs. In this paper we introduce a novel approach for the application of functional testability at system design level and demonstrate the possibility of its application in an industrial environment. Testability conditions referring to both regular and irregular topologies have been defined, formalized and inserted into the knowledge base of the expert system, ALADIN. This tool operates as a testability analyzer able to identify critical areas for testability in designs whose functional modules and local interconnections are known and described in standard VHDL. The architecture of the tool has been defined in order to satisfy the users' requirements including the integrability into a standard CAD design flow through standard I/O interfaces. Then its application to both a regular and an irregular topology are presented in order to show on real examples which testability conditions apply, and how the tool operates in order to reach the testability assessment. From these industrial case studies, figures of merit are derived from which it is possible to evaluate the importance of the application of such a methodology to system level design     

A case study in design space exploration: the Tosca environmentapplied to a telecommunication link controller

The concept of system design, or codesign, includes a variety of possible definitions according to the considered relevant aspects, the application field, and the system granularity of the analysis. The novelty of codesign with respect to the design of pure hardware and software, which are well-known subjects, arises from the tight integration between the two types of design and from the global scope of the design constraints. Since such applications strive for high volumes, there is a payoff for size, power, and speed optimization techniques. This article presents a system-level design methodology to specify, analyze, and explore different hardware/software solutions, whose benefits have been tested by redesigning a commercial device     

AIDS and strongyloidiasis

We studied Stem cell factor (SCF) levels in 15 mother-newborn pairs, 15 healthy adult controls, and 16 newborn with bacterial sepsis. SCF levels were also determined in six newborns with sepsis before and after completion of treatment. SCF levels (pg/mL) were found to be 2141 +/- 529 in cord blood, 1385 +/- 314 in mothers, 1546 +/- 443 in healthy adult controls, and 1742 +/- 655 in septic newborns. Cord blood SCF levels were significantly higher than their mothers' and healthy controls (p < 0.05). There were no differences in SCF levels between mothers and healthy adult controls. No correlation was found between the SCF levels and absolute neutrophil counts. There were no differences in SCF levels between the before and after treatment levels in six newborn with sepsis. In conclusion, our study suggests that SCF levels were increased in cord blood, and this increase is not a reflection of mothers' levels. SCF levels do not show significant changes during sepsis in newborns.     

Application of a Synthetic Ferredoxin-Inspired [4Fe4S]-Peptide Maquette as the Redox Partner for an [FeFe]-Hydrogenase

‘Bacterial-type’ ferredoxins host a cubane [4Fe4S]^2+/+ cluster that enables these proteins to mediate electron transfer and facilitate a broad range of biological processes. Peptide maquettes based on the conserved cluster-forming motif have previously been reported and used to model the ferredoxins. Herein we explore the integration of a [4Fe4S]-peptide maquette into a H₂-powered electron transport chain. While routinely formed under anaerobic conditions, we illustrate by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis that these maquettes can be reconstituted under aerobic conditions by using photoactivated NADH to reduce the cluster at 240 K. Attempts to tune the redox properties of the iron-sulfur cluster by introducing an Fe-coordinating selenocysteine residue were also explored. To demonstrate the integration of these artificial metalloproteins into a semi-synthetic electron transport chain, we utilize a ferredoxin-inspired [4Fe4S]-peptide maquette as the redox partner in the hydrogenase-mediated oxidation of H₂.