Renal resistive index measurements by ultrasound in patients with liver cirrhosis:Magnitude and associations with renal dysfunction

BACKGROUND The hemodynamic alterations seen in liver cirrhosis lead to renal vasoconstriction,ultimately causing acute kidney injury(AKI).The renal resistive index(RRI)is the most common Doppler ultrasound variable for measuring intrarenal vascular resistance.AIM To evaluate the association of the RRI with AKI in patients with liver cirrhosis and to identify risk factors for high RRI.METHODS This was a prospective observational study,where RRI was measured using Doppler ultrasound in 200 consecutive hospitalized patients with cirrhosis.The association of RRI with AKI was studied.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was utilized to determine discriminatory cut-offs of RRI for various AKI phenotypes.Multivariate analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of high RRI.RESULTS The mean patient age was 49.08±11.68 years,with the majority(79.5%)being male;the predominant etiology of cirrhosis was alcohol(39%).The mean RRI for the study cohort was 0.68±0.09,showing a progressive increase with higher Child-Pugh class of cirrhosis.Overall,AKI was present in 129(64.5%)patients.The mean RRI was significantly higher in patients with AKI compared to those without it(0.72±0.06 vs 0.60±0.08;P<0.001).A total of 82 patients(41%)had hepatorenal syndrome(HRS)-AKI,29(22.4%)had prerenal AKI(PRA),and 18(13.9%)had acute tubular necrosis(ATN)-AKI.The mean RRI was significantly higher in the ATN-AKI(0.80±0.02)and HRS-AKI(0.73±0.03)groups than in the PRA(0.63±0.07)and non-AKI(0.60±0.07)groups.RRI demonstrated excellent discriminatory ability in distinguishing ATN-AKI from non-ATN-AKI(area under ROC curve:93.9%).AKI emerged as an independent predictor of high RRI(adjusted odds ratio[OR]:11.52),and high RRI independently predicted mortality among AKI patients(adjusted OR:3.18).CONCLUSION In cirrhosis patients,RRI exhibited a significant association with AKI,effectively differentiated between AKI phenotypes,and predicted AKI mortality.

The study of lithographic variation in resistive random access memory

Reducing the process variation is a significant concern for resistive random access memory(RRAM).Due to its ultrahigh integration density,RRAM arrays are prone to lithographic variation during the lithography process,introducing electrical variation among different RRAM devices.In this work,an optical physical verification methodology for the RRAM array is developed,and the effects of different layout parameters on important electrical characteristics are systematically investigated.The results indicate that the RRAM devices can be categorized into three clusters according to their locations and lithography environments.The read resistance is more sensitive to the locations in the array(~30%)than SET/RESET voltage(<10%).The increase in the RRAM device length and the application of the optical proximity correction technique can help to reduce the variation to less than 10%,whereas it reduces RRAM read resistance by 4×,resulting in a higher power and area consumption.As such,we provide design guidelines to minimize the electrical variation of RRAM arrays due to the lithography process.

Resistive switching behavior and mechanism of HfO_(x) films with large on/off ratio by structure design

Different bilayer structures of HfO_(x)/Ti(TiO_(x)) are designed for hafnium-based memory to investigate the switching characteristics. The chemical states in the films and near the interface are characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and the oxygen vacancies are analyzed. Highly improved on/off ratio(~104) and much uniform switching parameters are observed for bilayer structures compared to single layer HfO_(x) sample, which can be attributed to the modulation of oxygen vacancies at the interface and better control of the growth of filaments. Furthermore, the reliability of the prepared samples is investigated. The carrier conduction behaviors of HfO_(x)-based samples can be attributed to the trapping and de-trapping process of oxygen vacancies and a filamentary model is proposed. In addition, the rupture of filaments during the reset process for the bilayer structures occur at the weak points near the interface by the recovery of oxygen vacancies accompanied by the variation of barrier height. The re-formation of fixed filaments due to the residual filaments as lightning rods results in the better switching performance of the bilayer structure.

Advances of embedded resistive random access memory in industrial manufacturing and its potential applications

Embedded memory,which heavily relies on the manufacturing process,has been widely adopted in various industrial applications.As the field of embedded memory continues to evolve,innovative strategies are emerging to enhance performance.Among them,resistive random access memory(RRAM)has gained significant attention due to its numerousadvantages over traditional memory devices,including high speed(<1 ns),high density(4 F^(2)·n^(-1)),high scalability(~nm),and low power consumption(~pJ).This review focuses on the recent progress of embedded RRAM in industrial manufacturing and its potentialapplications.It provides a brief introduction to the concepts and advantages of RRAM,discusses the key factors that impact its industrial manufacturing,and presents the commercial progress driven by cutting-edge nanotechnology,which has been pursued by manysemiconductor giants.Additionally,it highlights the adoption of embedded RRAM in emerging applications within the realm of the Internet of Things and future intelligent computing,with a particular emphasis on its role in neuromorphic computing.Finally,the review discusses thecurrent challenges and provides insights into the prospects of embedded RRAM in the era of big data and artificial intelligence.

A Provable Positivity-Preserving Local Discontinuous Galerkin Method for the Viscous and Resistive MHD Equations

In this paper,we construct a high-order discontinuous Galerkin(DG)method which can preserve the positivity of the density and the pressure for the viscous and resistive magnetohydrodynamics(VRMHD).To control the divergence error in the magnetic field,both the local divergence-free basis and the Godunov source term would be employed for the multi-dimensional VRMHD.Rigorous theoretical analyses are presented for one-dimensional and multi-dimensional DG schemes,respectively,showing that the scheme can maintain the positivity-preserving(PP)property under some CFL conditions when combined with the strong-stability-preserving time discretization.Then,general frameworks are established to construct the PP limiter for arbitrary order of accuracy DG schemes.Numerical tests demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.

Comparison of resistive index and shear-wave elastography in the evaluation of chronic kidney allograft dysfunction

BACKGROUND Detection of early chronic changes in the kidney allograft is important for timely intervention and long-term survival.Conventional and novel ultrasound-based investigations are being increasingly used for this purpose with variable results.AIM To compare the diagnostic performance of resistive index(RI)and shear wave elastography(SWE)in the diagnosis of chronic fibrosing changes of kidney allograft with histopathological results.METHODS This is a cross-sectional and comparative study.A total of 154 kidney transplant recipients were included in this study,which was conducted at the Departments of Transplantation and Radiology,Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation,Karachi,Pakistan,from August 2022 to February 2023.All consecutive patients with increased serum creatinine levels and reduced glomerular filtration rate(GFR)after three months of transplantation were enrolled in this study.SWE and RI were performed and the findings of these were evaluated against the kidney allograft biopsy results to determine their diagnostic utility.RESULTS The mean age of all patients was 35.32±11.08 years.Among these,126(81.8%)were males and 28(18.2%)were females.The mean serum creatinine in all patients was 2.86±1.68 mg/dL and the mean estimated GFR was 35.38±17.27 mL/min/1.73 m2.Kidney allograft biopsy results showed chronic changes in 55(37.66%)biopsies.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),and negative predictive value(NPV)of SWE for the detection of chronic allograft damage were 93.10%,96.87%%,94.73%,and 95.87%,respectively,and the diagnostic accuracy was 95.45%.For RI,the sensitivity,specificity,PPV,and NPV were 76.92%,83.33%,70.17%,and 87.62%,respectively,and the diagnostic accuracy was 81.16%.CONCLUSION The results from this study show that SWE is more sensitive and specific as compared to RI in the evaluation of chronic allograft damage.It can be of great help during the routine follow-up of kidney transplant recipients for screening and early detection of chronic changes and selecting patients for allograft biopsy.

Resistive switching properties of SnO_(2)nanowires fabricated by chemical vapor deposition

Resistive switching(RS)devices have great application prospects in the emerging memory field and neuromorphic field,but their stability and unclear RS mechanism limit their relevant applications.In this work,we construct a hydrogenated Au/SnO_(2)nanowire(NW)/Au device with two back-to-back Schottky diodes and investigate the RS characteristics in air and vacuum.We find that the Ion/Io ff ratio increases from 20 to 10^(4)when the read voltage decreases from 3.1 V to^(-1)V under the condition of electric field.Moreover,the rectification ratio can reach as high as 10^4owing to oxygen ion migration modulated by the electric field.The nanodevice also shows non-volatile resistive memory characteristic.The RS mechanism is clarified based on the changes of the Schottky barrier width and height at the interface of Au/SnO_(2)NW/Au device.Our results provide a strategy for designing high-performance memristive devices based on SnO_(2)NWs.

Electric-field control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy by resistive switching via electrochemical metallization

Electric-field control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA) is a feasible way to manipulate perpendicular magnetization,which is of great importance for realizing energy-efficient spintronics.Here,we propose a novel approach to accomplish this task at room temperature by resistive switching(RS) via electrochemical metallization(ECM) in a device with the stack of Si/SiO_(2)/Ta/Pt/Ag/Mn-doped ZnO(MZO)/Pt/Co/Pt/ITO.By applying certain voltages,the device could be set at high-resistance-state(HRS) and low-resistance-state(LRS),accompanied with a larger and a smaller coercivity(H_(C)),respectively,which demonstrates a nonvolatile E-field control of PMA.Based on our previous studies and the present control experiments,the electric modulation of PMA can be briefly explained as follows.At LRS,the Ag conductive filaments form and pass through the entire MZO layer and finally reach the Pt/Co/Pt sandwich,leading to weakening of PMA and reduction of H_(C).In contrast,at HRS,most of the Ag filaments dissolve and leave away from the Pt/Co/Pt sandwich,causing partial recovery of PMA and an increase of H_(C).This work provides a new clue to designing low-power spintronic devices based on PMA films.

Study on the formation of arc plasma on the resistive wall liquid metal current limiter

Due to its significant attributes,the liquid metal current limiter(LMCL)is considered a new strategy for limiting short-circuit current in the power grid.A resistive wall liquid metal current limiter(RWLMCL)is designed to advance the starting current-limiting time.Experiments are performed to investigate the dynamic behaviors of liquid metal,and the influence of different currents on the liquid metal self-shrinkage effect is compared and analyzed.Furthermore,the liquid metal self-shrinkage effect is mathematically modeled,and the reason for the formation of arc plasma is obtained by simulation.The laws of arc plasma formation and the current transfer in the cavity are revealed,and the motion mechanisms are explained by physical principles.The simulations are in accordance with the test data.It is demonstrated that the sudden change of the current density at both ends of the wall causes the liquid metal to shrink and depress under the electromagnetic force,and the current starts to transfer from the liquid metal path to the wall resistance path.The RWLMCL can effectively advance the starting current-limiting time.

The resistive range of motion exercise training in Duchenne muscular dystrophy:a case study

Background:To determine the effectiveness of resistive range of motion exercises in improving muscle strength and functional abilities in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.The study was also aimed to determine if resistive range of motion exercises can slow down the progression of the disease.Methods:A seven-year-old male child was diagnosed with Duchenne muscle dystrophy presented to outpatient physiotherapy clinic.The patient was presented with difficulty in stair climbing,sitting up from the floor,fatigue,and muscle weakness specifically weakness in the proximal limb muscles.The progressive resistive range of motion training was implemented for four years to improve muscle strength and functional abilities.The medical research council grading scale,north ambulatory assessment scale,and creatine kinase were used to evaluate muscle strength,functional abilities,and creatine kinase levels.Results:The muscular strength and functional abilities did not improve after four years of exercise training.The creatine kinase levels were decreased over the period of four years.Conclusion:Resistive range of motion exercises are helpful in maintaining the muscular strength and functional abilities in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Helically symmetric equilibria for some ideal and resistive MHD plasmas with incompressible flows

In this paper, the problem of finding exact solutions to the magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) equations in the presence of incompressible mass flows with helical symmetry is considered. For ideal flows, a similarity reduction method is used to obtain exact solutions for several MHD flows with nonlinear variable Mach number. For resistive flows parallel to a magnetic field, the governing equilibrium equation is derived. The MHD equilibrium state of a helically symmetric incompressible flow is governed by a second-order elliptic partial differential equation(PDE) for the helical magnetic flux function. Exact solutions for the latter equation are obtained. Also, the equilibrium equations of a gravitating plasma with incompressible flow are derived.

Resistive switching characteristics of Ti/ZrO_2/Pt RRAM device

In this paper, the bipolar resistive switching characteristic is reported in Ti/ZrO2/Pt resistive switching memory de- vices. The dominant mechanism of resistive switching is the formation and rupture of the conductive filament composed of oxygen vacancies. The conduction mechanisms for low and high resistance states are dominated by the ohmic conduc- tion and the trap-controlled space charge limited current （SCLC） mechanism, respectively. The effect of a set compliance current on the switching parameters is also studied： the low resistance and reset current are linearly dependent on the set compliance current in the log-log scale coordinate; and the set and reset voltage increase slightly with the increase of the set compliance current. A series circuit model is proposed to explain the effect of the set compliance current on the resistive switching behaviors.

Investigation of resistive switching behaviours in WO_3-based RRAM devices

In this paper, a WO3-based resistive random access memory device composed of a thin film of WO3 sandwiched between a copper top and a platinum bottom electrodes is fabricated by electron beam evaporation at room temperature. The reproducible resistive switching, low power consumption, multilevel storage possibility, and good data retention characteristics demonstrate that the Cu/WO3/Pt memory device is very promising for future nonvolatile memory applications. The formation and rupture of localised conductive filaments is suggested to be responsible for the observed resistive switching behaviours.

Analysis of the resistive switching behaviors of vanadium oxide thin film

We demonstrate the polarization of resistive switching for a Cu/VOx/Cu memory cell.The switching behaviors of Cu/VOx/Cu cell are tested by using a semiconductor device analyzer（Agilent B1500A）,and the relative micro-analysis of I-V characteristics of VOx/Cu is characterized by using a conductive atomic force microscope（CAFM）.The I-V test results indicate that both the forming and the reversible resistive switching between low resistance state（LRS） and high resistance state（HRS） can be observed under either positive or negative sweep.The CAFM images for LRS and HRS directly exhibit evidence for the formation and rupture of filaments based on positive or negative voltage.The Cu/VOx/Cu sandwiched structure exhibits reversible resistive switching behavior and shows potential applications in the next generation of nonvolatile memory.

Improving Detectability of Resistive Shorts in FPGA Interconnects

The behavior of resistive short defects in FPGA interconnects is investigated through simulation and theoretical analysis.The results show that these defects result in timing failures and even Boolean faults for small defect resistance values.The best detection situations for large resistance defect happen when the path under test makes a v-to-v′ transition and another path causing short faults remains at value v.Small defects can be detected easily through static analysis.Under the best test situations,the effects of supply voltage and temperature on test results are evaluated.The results verify that lower voltage helps to improve detectability.If short material has positive temperature coefficient,low temperature is better;otherwise,high temperature is better.

Improvement of Electrical Performance of SOI-LIGBT by Resistive Field Plate

The electrical performance including breakdown voltage and turn-off speed of SOI-LIGBT is improved by incorporating a resistive field plate (RFP) and a p-MOSFET.The p-MOSFET is controlled by a signal detected from a point of the RFP.During the turning-off of the IGBT,the p-MOSFET is turned on,which provides a channel for the excessive carriers to flow out of the drift region and prevents the carriers from being injected into the drift region.At the same time,the electric field affected by the RFP makes the excessive carriers flow through a wider region,which almost eliminates the second phase of the turning-off of the SOI-LIGBT caused by the substrate bias.Faster turn-off speed is achieved by above two factors.During the on state of the IGBT,the p-MOSFET is off,which leads to an on-state performance like normal one.At least,the increase of the breakdown voltage for 25% and the decrease of the turn-off time for 65% can be achieved by this structure as can be verified by the numerical simulation results.

Bipolar resistive switching in Cr-doped TiO_x thin films

The electric-pulse-induced resistive switching effect is studied for Tio.s5Cro.15Ox （TCO） films grown on Ir-Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Such a TCO device exhibits bipolar switching behaviour with an electric-pulse- induced resistance ratio as large as about 1000% and threshold voltages smaller than 2 V. The resistive switching characteristics may be understood by resistance changes of a Schottky junction composed of a metal and an n-type semiconductor, and its nonvolatility is attributed to the movement of oxygen vacancies near the interface.

Analysis and modeling of resistive switching mechanism oriented to fault tolerance of resistive memory based on memristor

With the progress of the semiconductor industry, resistive memories, especially the memristor, have drawn increasing attention. The resistive memory based on memrsitor has not been commercialized mainly because of data error. Currently, there are more studies focused on fault tolerance of resistive memory. This paper studies the resistive switching mechanism which may have time-varying characteristics. Resistive switching mechanism is analyzed and its respective circuit model is established based on the memristor Spice model.

Flexible and degradable resistive switching memory fabricated with sodium alginate

Transient electronics has attracted interest as an emerging technology to solve electronic-waste problem,due to its physically vanishing ability in solution.Here in this work,we demonstrate a flexible and degradable transient resistive switching(RS) memory device with simple structure of Cu/sodium alginate(SA)/ITO.The device presents excellent RS characteristics as well as high flexibility,including low operating voltage(<1.5 V) and multilevel RS behavior.No performance degradation occurs after bending the device 50 times.Moreover,our device can be absolutely dissolved in deionized water.The proposed SA-based transient memory device has great potential for the development of green and security memory devices.

Graphene resistive random memory - the promising memory device in next generation

Graphene-based resistive random access memory （GRRAM） has grasped researchers＇ attention due to its merits com- pared with ordinary RRAM. In this paper, we briefly review different types of GRRAMs. These GRRAMs can be divided into two categories： graphene RRAM and graphene oxide （GO）/reduced graphene oxide （rGO） RRAM. Using graphene as the electrode, GRRAM can own many good characteristics, such as low power consumption, higher density, transparency, SET voltage modulation, high uniformity, and so on. Graphene flakes sandwiched between two dielectric layers can lower the SET voltage and achieve multilevel switching. Moreover, the GRRAM with rGO and GO as the dielectric or electrode can be simply fabricated. Flexible and high performance RRAM and GO film can be modified by adding other materials layer or making a composite with polymer, nanoparticle, and 2D materials to further improve the performance. Above all, GRRAM shows huge potential to become the next generation memory.