An optimizing C front-end for hardware synthesis

Modern embedded systems must execute a variety of high performance real-time tasks, such as audio and image compression and decompression, channel coding and encoding, etc. High hardware design and mask production costs dictate the need to re-use an architectural platform for as many applications as possible. Reconfigurable platforms can be very effective in these cases, because they allow one to re-use the architecture across a variety of applications. The efficient use of a reconfigurable platform requires a methodology and tools supporting it in order to extensively explore the hardware/software design space, without requiring developers to have a deep knowledge of the underlying architecture, since they often have a software background and only limited hardware design skills. This paper describes a tool that fits into a complete design flow for a reconfigurable processor and that allows one to efficiently transform a high level specification into a lower level one, more suitable for synthesis on the reconfigurable array. The effectiveness of the methodology is proved by a complete implementation of a turbo-decoder

Waterfowl endozoochory: an overlooked long-distance dispersal mode for Cuscuta (dodder, Convolvulaceae)

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Dispersal of parasitic Cuscuta species (dodders) worldwide has been assumed to be largely anthropomorphic because their seeds do not match any previously known dispersal syndrome and no natural dispersal vectors have been reliably documented. However, the genus has a subcosmopolitan distribution and recent phylogeographic results have indicated that at least18 historical cases of long-distance dispersal (LDD) have occurred during its evolution. The objective of this study is to report the first LDD biological vector for Cuscuta seeds. METHODS: Twelve northern pintails (Anas acuta) were collected from Suisun Marsh, California and the contents of their lowest part of the large intestine (rectum) were extracted and analyzed. Seed identification was done both morphologically and using a molecular approach. Extracted seeds were tested for germination and compared to seeds not subjected to gut passage to determine the extent of structural changes caused to the seed coat by passing through the digestive tract. KEY RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty dodder seeds were found in the rectum of four northern pintails. From these, 411 seeds were identified as Cuscuta campestris and nine as most likely C. pacifica. The germination rate of C. campestris seeds after gut passage was 55%. Structural changes caused by the gut passage in both species were similar to those caused by an acid scarification. CONCLUSIONS: Endozoochory by waterbirds may explain the historical LDD cases in the evolution of Cuscuta. This also suggests that current border quarantine measures may be insufficient to stopping spreading of dodder pests along migratory flywaysPeer reviewe

AL 'AWATHIF AL ADABIYAH FI QISHAH IMROAH 'INDA NUQTHAH AL SHIFR LI NAWAL AL SA'ADAWI DIRASAH SIKULUJIYAH AL ADABIYAH

Novel “Imro’ah Inda Nuqthoh Al-Shifr” adalah salah satu karya Nawal El-Sa’adawi. Dalam novel Nawal El-Sa’adawi menceritakan kehidupan seorang perempuan yang bernama Firdaus. Firdaus digambarkan sebagai perempuan yang kuat dalam menjalani kehidupannya. Namun, dibalik kekuatannya tersebut Firdaus harus tunduk pada tradisi yang berlaku dimana setiap perempuan harus patuh terhadap laki-laki, dan pada akhirnya mengharuskan dia sebagai pelacur. Lambat laun dia sadar dan tak mau harga dirinya diinjak-injak oleh kaum pria. Sebagai senjata dalam mempertahankan dirinya, akhirnya Firdaus membunuh seorang laki-laki yang menyebabkan dia masuk penjara dan mendapat hukuman gantung. Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti mengangkat 2 rumusan masalah. Pertama, Emosi Syakhsiyah/Halatu Ijabiyah (Emosi yang berdampak Positif) yaitu perasaan pribadi yang dirasakan tokoh-tokoh dalam cerita. Meliputi bahagia, pujian, berusaha, membela, kenikmatan, dan cinta. Kedua, Emosi Alimah/Halatu Salbiyah (Emosi yang berdampak Negatif) perasaan yang menimbulkan kesedihan yang ada dalam tokoh-tokoh cerita ini. Meliputi sedih, takut, marah, kecewa, benci, khawatir, bingung. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif yang bersifat deskriptif. Adapun pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan Psikologi Sastra, yang difokuskan pada teori Emosi Sastra milik Ahmad al-Syayib dalam Kritik Sastra. Data yang dihasilakn yaitu, Emosi Syakhsiyah memiliki 6 emosi, antara lain: Bahagia, pujian, berusaha, membela, kenikmatan, dan cinta. Sedangkan Emosi Alimah memiliki 8 emosi, antara lain: sedih, takut, marah, benci, kecewa, khawatir, bingung dan masing-masing emosi memiliki pengaruh terhadap kejiwaan, perilaku, dan perubahan fisik

Implementation of Band-to-Band Tunneling Phenomena in a Multisubband Ensemble Monte Carlo Simulator: Application to Silicon TFETs

TFETs are in the way to become an alternative to conventional MOSFETs due to the possibility of achieving low subthreshold swing (SS) combined with small OFF current levels which allows operation at low VDD. In this work, a non-local band–to–band tunneling (BTBT) model has been successfully implemented into a Multi-Subband Ensemble Monte Carlo (MSEMC) simulator and applied to ultra-scaled silicon-based n-type TFETs. We have considered two different criteria for the choice of the tunneling path followed by the carriers when crossing the potential barrier, which leads to different distributions of the generated electron-hole pairs. Subband discretization due to field–induced quantum confinement has been taken into account. TCAD simulations accounting for quantization effects are considered for comparison purposes providing very accurate agreement with MS-EMC results

Machine Learning Model for Predicting Number of COVID-19 Cases in Countries with Low Number of Tests

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a series of new challenges to governments and healthcare systems. Testing is one important method for monitoring and controlling the spread of COVID-19. Yet with a serious discrepancy in the resources available between rich and poor countries, not every country is able to employ widespread testing. Methods and Objective: Here, we have developed machine learning models for predicting the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in a country based on multilinear regression and neural network models. The models are trained on data from US states and tested against the reported infections in European countries. The model is based on four features: Number of tests, Population Percentage, Urban Population, and Gini index. Results: The population and the number of tests have the strongest correlation with the number of infections. The model was then tested on data from European countries for which the correlation coefficient between the actual and predicted cases R2 was found to be 0.88 in the multi-linear regression and 0.91 for the neural network model Conclusion: The model predicts that the actual prevalence of COVID-19 infection in countries where the number of tests is less than 10% of their populations is at least 26 times greater than the reported numbers

On the Deformation of a Hyperelastic Tube Due to Steady Viscous Flow Within

In this chapter, we analyze the steady-state microscale fluid--structure interaction (FSI) between a generalized Newtonian fluid and a hyperelastic tube. Physiological flows, especially in hemodynamics, serve as primary examples of such FSI phenomena. The small scale of the physical system renders the flow field, under the power-law rheological model, amenable to a closed-form solution using the lubrication approximation. On the other hand, negligible shear stresses on the walls of a long vessel allow the structure to be treated as a pressure vessel. The constitutive equation for the microtube is prescribed via the strain energy functional for an incompressible, isotropic Mooney--Rivlin material. We employ both the thin- and thick-walled formulations of the pressure vessel theory, and derive the static relation between the pressure load and the deformation of the structure. We harness the latter to determine the flow rate--pressure drop relationship for non-Newtonian flow in thin- and thick-walled soft hyperelastic microtubes. Through illustrative examples, we discuss how a hyperelastic tube supports the same pressure load as a linearly elastic tube with smaller deformation, thus requiring a higher pressure drop across itself to maintain a fixed flow rate.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, Springer book class; v2: minor revisions, final form of invited contribution to the Springer volume entitled "Dynamical Processes in Generalized Continua and Structures" (in honour of Academician D.I. Indeitsev), eds. H. Altenbach, A. Belyaev, V. A. Eremeyev, A. Krivtsov and A. V. Porubo

The Loss of Functional Caspase-12 in Europe Is a Pre-Neolithic Event

Contains fulltext : 109878.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Caspase-12 (CASP12) modulates the susceptibility to sepsis. In humans, the "C" allele at CASP12 rs497116 has been associated with an increased risk of sepsis. Instead, the derived "T" allele encodes for an inactive caspase-12. Interestingly, Eurasians are practically fixed for the inactive variant, whereas in Sub-Saharan Africa the active variant is still common (~24%). This marked structure has been explained as a function of the selective advantage that the inactive caspase-12 confers by increasing resistance to infection. As regards to both when positive selection started acting and as to the speed with which fixation was achieved in Eurasia, estimates depend on the method and assumptions used, and can vary substantially. Using experimental evidence, we propose that, least in Eurasia, the increase in the frequency of the T allele might be related to the selective pressure exerted by the increase in zoonotic diseases transmission caused by the interplay between increased human population densities and a closer contact with animals during the Neolithic. METHODOLOG/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We genotyped CASP12 rs497116 in prehistoric individuals from 6 archaeological sites from the North of the Iberian Peninsula that date from Late Upper Paleolithic to Late Neolithic. DNA extraction was done from teeth lacking cavities or breakages using standard anti-contamination procedures, including processing of the samples in a positive pressure, ancient DNA-only chamber, quantitation of DNAs by qPCR, duplication, replication, genotyping of associated animals, or cloning of PCR products. Out of 50, 24 prehistoric individuals could finally be genotyped for rs497116. Only the inactive form of CASP12 was found. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate that the loss of caspase-12 in Europe predates animal domestication and that consequently CASP12 loss is unlikely to be related to the impact of zoonotic infections transmitted by livestock

Impact of Asymmetric Configurations on the Heterogate Germanium Electron-Hole Bilayer Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor Including Quantum Confinement

We investigate the effect of asymmetric configurations on the heterogate germanium electron-hole bilayer tunnel field-effect transistor (HG-EHBTFET) and assess the improvement that they provide in terms of boosting the typically very low ON current levels of TFET devices in the presence of field-induced quantum confinement. We show that when very strong inversion for holes is induced at the bottom of the channel, the formation of the inversion layer for electrons is shifted to higher gate voltages, which in turn enhances the electrostatic control of the band bending at the top of the channel. As a result, the pinning of the quantized energy subbands is prevented for a wider range of gate voltages and this allows vertical band-to-band tunneling distances to be further reduced compared to conventional symmetric electron-hole bilayer configurations