Behavioral simulation and synthesis of biological neuron systems using synthesizable VHDL

Neurons are complex biological entities which form the basis of nervous systems. Insight can be gained into neuron behavior through the use of computer models and as a result many such models have been developed. However, there exists a trade-off between biological accuracy and simulation time with the most realistic results requiring extensive computation. To address this issue, a novel approach is described in this paper that allows complex models of real biological systems to be simulated at a speed greater than real time and with excellent accuracy. The approach is based on a specially developed neuron model VHDL library which allows complex neuron systems to be implemented on field programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware. The locomotion system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is used as a case study and the measured results show that the real time FPGA based implementation performs 288 times faster than traditional ModelSim simulations for the same accuracy

Yield improvement using configurable analogue transistors (CATs)

Continued process scaling has led to significant yield and reliability challenges for today’s designers. Analogue circuits are particularly susceptible to poor variation, driving the need for new yield resilient techniques in this area. This paper describes a new configurable analogue transistor structure and supporting methodology that facilitates variation compensation at the post-manufacture stage. The approach has demonstrated significant yield improvements and can be applied to any analogue circui

PARTISIPASI MASYARAKAT DALAM MUSRENBANG DI DESA MALOLA KECAMATAN KUMELEMBUAI KABUPATEN MINAHASA SELATAN

ABSTRAKPartisipasi masyarakat desa dalam penyusunan rencana pembangunan desa seyogyanya dapat menjadi salah satu tolak ukur sejauh mana desa tersebut mengembangkan nilai-nilai tata kelola pemerintahan desa yang baik dalam roda pemerintahannya. Keterlibatan masyarakat desa dalam arti luas harus didorong baik melalui regulasi maupun penciptaan iklim demokratisasi yang ideal di desa. Partisipasi dalam konteks pelaksanaan Musyawarah Perencanaan Pembangunan (Musrembang) Desa, ternyata lebih dipahami sebagai kontribusi masyarakat desa untuk meningkatkan efektivitas dan efisiensi pembangunan. Bukan secara komprehensif untuk mempromosikan demokratisasi dan pemberdayaan masyarakat desa dalam pengambilan keputusan pembiayaan pembangunan, sehingga pemerintah desa dan BPD belum bisa menjamin bahwa seluruh usul masyarakat dalam Musrenbang akan direalisasikan dalam APBDes. Musrenbang merupakan amanat UU Nomor 25 Tahun 2004 tentang sistem perencanaan pembangunan nasional. Dengan Musrenbang ini, rakyat banyak diharapkan bisa berpartisipasi dalam proses pembangunan. Pemerintah menginginkan agar proses pembangunan digagas dari bawah. Ada beberapa persoalan yang menyebabkan Musrenbang tidak efektif. Pertama, prinsip partisipasi rakyat dalam proses Musrenbang sangat minim. Kedua, prinsip responsive, Musrenbang kurang ditopang oleh pembangunan organisasi-organisasi rakyat. Demokrasi tidak mungkin berdiri tanpa adanya rakyat yang terorganisir. Ketiga, prinsip holistic, proposal Musrenbang sering disabotase oleh birokrasi korup peninggalan kolonialisme. Dalam banyak kasus, proposal Musrenbang dari desa tidak diwakili oleh delegasi yang ditunjuk rakyat. Akan tetapi, pada tingkat desa, forum Musrenbang berpotensi dimajukan oleh gerakan rakyat. Asalkan bisa membangkitkan partisipasi rakyat di dalamnya, maka forum Musrenbang di tingkat lokal bisa menjadi alat untuk memaksa pemerintahan lokal merespon kebutuhan-kebutuhan mendesak rakyat. Kata Kunci : Partisipasi Masyarakat; Musrenbang  ABSTRACTThe participation of the village community in the preparation of a village development plan should be a measure of the extent to which the village develops the values of good village governance in the wheels of government. The involvement of village communities in a broad sense must be encouraged through both regulation and the creation of an ideal climate for democratization in the village. Participation in the context of the implementation of the Village Development Planning Consultation (Musrembang) is actually more understood as the contribution of the village community to increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of development. Not comprehensively to promote democratization and empowerment of village communities in decision-making for development financing, so the village government and BPD cannot guarantee that all community proposals in the Musrenbang will be realized in the APBDes. Musrenbang is the mandate of Law Number 25 of 2004 concerning the national development planning system. With this Musrenbang, it is hoped that many people can participate in the development process. The government wants the development process to be initiated from below. There are several problems that cause the Musrenbang to be ineffective. First, the principle of people's participation in the Musrenbang process is minimal. Second, the principle of responsiveness, the Musrenbang is less supported by the development of people's organizations. Democracy is impossible without an organized people. Third, holistic principles, Musrenbang proposals are often sabotaged by the corrupt bureaucracy left over from colonialism. In many cases, Musrenbang proposals from villages were not represented by delegates appointed by the people. However, at the village level, the Musrenbang forum has the potential to be promoted by the people's movement. As long as it can generate people's participation in it, the Musrenbang forum at the local level can be a tool to force local governments to respond to the pressing needs of the people. Keywords: Community Participation; Musrenban

A Linear-Nonlinear Formulation of Einstein Equations for the Two-Body Problem in General Relativity

A formulation of Einstein equations is presented that could yield advantages in the study of collisions of binary compact objects during regimes between linear-nonlinear transitions. The key idea behind this formulation is a separation of the dynamical variables into i) a fixed conformal 3-geometry, ii) a conformal factor possessing nonlinear dynamics and iii) transverse-traceless perturbations of the conformal 3-geometry.Comment: 7 pages, no figure

Using a task-based approach in evaluating the usability of BoBIs in an e-book environment

This paper reports on a usability evaluation of BoBIs (Back-of-the-book Indexes) as searching and browsing tools in an e-book environment. This study employed a task-based approach and within-subject design. The retrieval performance of a BoBI was compared with a ToC and Full-Text Search tool in terms of their respective effectiveness and efficiency for finding information in e-books. The results demonstrated that a BoBI was significantly more efficient (faster) and useful compared to a ToC or Full-Text Search tool for finding information in an e-book environment

Coronal Fe XIV Emission During the Whole Heliosphere Interval Campaign

Solar Cycle 24 is having a historically long and weak start. Observations of the Fe XIV corona from the Sacramento Peak site of the National Solar Observatory show an abnormal pattern of emission compared to observations of Cycles 21, 22, and 23 from the same instrument. The previous three cycles have shown a strong, rapid "Rush to the Poles" (previously observed in polar crown prominences and earlier coronal observations) in the parameter N(t,l,dt) (average number of Fe XIV emission features per day over dt days at time t and latitude l). Cycle 24 displays a weak, intermittent, and slow "Rush" that is apparent only in the northern hemisphere. If the northern Rush persists at its current rate, evidence from the Rushes in previous cycles indicates that solar maximum will occur in early 2013 or late 2012, at least in the northern hemisphere. At lower latitudes, solar maximum previously occurred when the time maximum of N(t,l,365) reached approximately 20{\deg} latitude. Currently, this parameter is at or below 30{\deg}and decreasing in latitude. Unfortunately, it is difficult at this time to calculate the rate of decrease in N(t,l,365). However, the southern hemisphere could reach 20{\deg} in 2011. Nonetheless, considering the levels of activity so far, there is a possibility that the maximum could be indiscernibleComment: 8 pages, 4 figures; Solar Physics Online First, 2011 http://www.springerlink.com/content/b5kl4040k0626647

Arrangement of sympathetic fibers within the human common peroneal nerve: Implications for microneurography

Recently, interest has grown in the firing patterns of individual or multiunit action potential firing patterns in human muscle sympathetic nerve recordings using microneurography. Little is known, however, about sympathetic fiber distribution in human lower limb nerves that will affect the multiunit recordings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the sympathetic fiber distribution within the human common peroneal nerve using immunohistochemical techniques (tyrosine hydroxylase, avidin-biotin complex technique). Five-micrometer transverse and 10-μm longitudinal sections, fixed in formaldehyde, were obtained from the peroneal nerve that had been harvested from three human cadavers (83 ± 11 yr) within 24 h of death. Samples of rat adrenal gland and brain served as controls. Sympathetic fiber arrangement varied between left and right nerves of the same donor, and between donors. However, in general, sympathetic fibers were dispersed throughout ∼25-38 fascicles of the peroneal nerve. The fibers were grouped in bundles of ∼2-44 axons or expressed individually throughout the fascicles, and the distribution was skewed toward smaller bundles with median and interquartile ratio values of 5 and 1 axons/bundle, respectively. These findings confirm the bundled organization of sympathetic axons within the peroneal nerve and provide the anatomical basis for outcomes in microneurographic studies. Copyright © 2013 the American Physiological Society