Application of object-orientation to HDL-based designs

The increase in the scale of VLSI circuits over the last two decades has been of great importance to the development process. To cope with this ever­growing design complexity. new development techniques and methodologies have been researched and applied. The early 90's have witnessed the uptake of a new kind of design methodology based on Hardware Description Languages (HDL). This methodology has helped to master the possibilities inherent in our ability to manufacture ever-larger designs. However. while HDL based design methodology is sufficient to address today's standard ASIC sizes, it reaches its limits when considering tomorrow's design scales. Already. RISC processor chip descriptions can contain tens of thousands of HDLlines. Object-Oriented design methodology has recently had a considerable Impact in the software design community as it is tightly coupled with the handling of complex systems. Object-Orientation concentrates on data rather than functions since. throughout the design process. data are more stable than functions. Methodologies for both hardware and software have been introduced through the application of HDLs to hardware design. Common design constructs and principles that have proved successful in software language development should therefore be considered in order to assess their suitability for HDLs based designs. A new methodology was created to emphasise on encapsulation. abstraction and classification of designs. using standard VHDL constructs. This achieves higher levels of modelling along with an Improved reusability through design inheritance. The development of extended semantics for integrating Object-Orientation in the VHDL language is described. Comparisons are made between the modelling abilities of the proposed extension and other competing proposals. A UNIX based Object-Oriented to standard VHDL pre-processor is described along with translation techniques and their issues related to synthesis and simulation. This tool permitted validation of the new design methodology by application to existing design problems

The age, origin and emplacement of the Tsiknias Ophiolite, Tinos, Greece

The Tsiknias Ophiolite, exposed at the highest structural levels of Tinos, Greece, represents a thrust sheet of Tethyan oceanic crust and upper mantle emplaced onto the Attic‐Cycladic Massif. We present new field observations and a new geological map of Tinos, integrated with petrology, THERMOCALC phase diagram modelling, U–Pb geochronology and whole rock geochemistry, resulting in a tectono‐thermal model that describes the formation and emplacement of the Tsiknias Ophiolite and newly identified underlying metamorphic sole. The ophiolite comprises a succession of partially dismembered and structurally repeated ultramafic and gabbroic rocks that represent the Moho Transition Zone. A plagiogranite dated by U‐Pb zircon at 161.9 ± 2.8 Ma, reveals that the Tsiknias Ophiolite formed in a supra‐subduction zone setting, comparable to the “East‐Vardar Ophiolites”, and was intruded by gabbros at 144.4 ± 5.6 Ma. Strongly sheared metamorphic sole rocks show a condensed and inverted metamorphic gradient, from partially anatectic amphibolites at P–T conditions of ca. 8.5 kbar 850‐600 °C, down‐structural section to greenschist‐facies oceanic metasediments over ~250 m. Leucosomes generated by partial melting of the uppermost sole amphibolite, yielded a U–Pb zircon protolith age of ca. 190 Ma and a high‐grade metamorphic‐anatectic age of 74.0 ± 3.5 Ma associated with ophiolite emplacement. The Tsiknias Ophiolite was therefore obducted ~90 Myrs after it formed during initiation of a NE‐dipping intra‐oceanic subduction zone to the northeast of the Cyclades that coincides with Africa's plate motion changing from transcurrent to convergent. Continued subduction resulted in high‐pressure metamorphism of the Cycladic continental margin ~25 Myrs later

Brain activity underlying negative self- and other-perception in adolescents: The role of attachment-derived self-representations

One of teenagers' key developmental tasks is to engage in new and meaningful relationships with peers and adults outside the family context. Attachment-derived expectations about the self and others in terms of internal attachment working models have the potential to shape such social reorientation processes critically and thereby influence adolescents' social-emotional development and social integration. Because the neural underpinnings of this developmental task remain largely unknown, we sought to investigate them by functional magnetic resonance imaging. We asked n = 44 adolescents (ages 12.01-18.84 years) to evaluate positive and negative adjectives regarding either themselves or a close other during an adapted version of the well-established self-other trait-evaluation task. As measures of attachment, we obtained scores reflecting participants' positive versus negative attachment-derived self- and other-models by means of the Relationship Questionnaire. We controlled for possible confounding factors by also obtaining scores reflecting internalizing/externalizing problems, schizotypy, and borderline symptomatology. Our results revealed that participants with a more negative attachment-derived self-model showed increased brain activity during positive and negative adjective evaluation regarding the self, but decreased brain activity during negative adjective evaluation regarding a close other, in bilateral amygdala/parahippocampus, bilateral anterior temporal pole/anterior superior temporal gyrus, and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that a low positivity of the self-concept characteristic for the attachment anxiety dimension may influence neural information processing, but in opposite directions when it comes to self- versus (close) other-representations. We discuss our results in the framework of attachment theory and regarding their implications especially for adolescent social-emotional development and social integration

The antimalarial MMV688533 provides potential for single-dose cures with a high barrier to

The emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to first-line antimalarials creates an imperative to identify and develop potent preclinical candidates with distinct modes of action. Here, we report the identification of MMV688533, an acylguanidine that was developed following a whole-cell screen with compounds known to hit high-value targets in human cells. MMV688533 displays fast parasite clearance in vitro and is not cross-resistant with known antimalarials. In a P. falciparum NSG mouse model, MMV688533 displays a long-lasting pharmacokinetic profile and excellent safety. Selection studies reveal a low propensity for resistance, with modest loss of potency mediated by point mutations in PfACG1 and PfEHD. These proteins are implicated in intracellular trafficking, lipid utilization, and endocytosis, suggesting interference with these pathways as a potential mode of action. This preclinical candidate may offer the potential for a single low-dose cure for malaria

The antimalarial MMV688533 provides potential for single-dose cures with a high barrier to

The emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to first-line antimalarials creates an imperative to identify and develop potent preclinical candidates with distinct modes of action. Here, we report the identification of MMV688533, an acylguanidine that was developed following a whole-cell screen with compounds known to hit high-value targets in human cells. MMV688533 displays fast parasite clearance in vitro and is not cross-resistant with known antimalarials. In a P. falciparum NSG mouse model, MMV688533 displays a long-lasting pharmacokinetic profile and excellent safety. Selection studies reveal a low propensity for resistance, with modest loss of potency mediated by point mutations in PfACG1 and PfEHD. These proteins are implicated in intracellular trafficking, lipid utilization, and endocytosis, suggesting interference with these pathways as a potential mode of action. This preclinical candidate may offer the potential for a single low-dose cure for malaria

L'occupation du Néolithique moyen II de Champ Lamet 3 à Pont-du-Château (Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne)

National audienc

Symmetric Multimodal Mapping of Ex Vivo Cardiac Microstructure of Large Mammalian Whole Hearts for Volumetric Comparison of Myofiber Orientation Estimated from Diffusion MRI and MicroCT

Description of the cardiac myofiber architecture in pathological or even physiological conditions is essential for image-based modeling in electrophysiology or mechanical studies. While diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is one of the best modalities to capture myofiber orientation of large mammalian hearts, validations of putative myofiber’s main orientation from DTI in whole hearts of large mammals is limited. First we design an experimental protocol for sheep (N = 1) and human (N = 1) whole hearts that combine a standardized sample preparation with high-resolution diffusion MRI at 600 µm3 using low angular resolution (6 directions) followed by a tissue air-drying approach coupled with X-ray imaging at 42 µm3. Secondly, we propose a standardized post-processing pipeline for symmetric multimodal mapping allowing the comparison of myofiber orientation computed from DTI and structure tensor imaging (STI), respectively. We then identified region-of-interest (ROI) exhibiting small or sharp spatial variations in myofiber orientation and compared the putative myofiber orientation for both methods. In conclusion, we show a good correspondence of structural features between the two imaging modalities and identify new unexpected and complex cardiomyocytes organization such as oscillating patterns or clear separation of opposing fiber-bundles

La nécropole Bronze ancien de Gerzat, Chantemerle (Puy-de-Dôme)

Au lieu-dit « Chantemerle », sur la commune de Gerzat (Puy-de-Dôme), un ensemble funéraire composé de six enclos circulaires, d'un enclos ovale et de 72 tombes contenant les restes de 83 individus a été fouillé préventivement durant le printemps et l'été 2001. Il couvre une surface d'environ 6 000 m2. Les perspectives d'étude sont très favorables dans la mesure où l'on peut estimer que la fouille a touché la majeure partie de la nécropole au vu de la densité et de la répartition des tombes. L’aménagement des 72 tombes varie du simple contenant à parois rigides (coffres) à des constructions complexes comportant à la fois un dallage aménagé sur le fond de la fosse, un contenant à parois rigides (coffre), un blocage massif (calage du coffre) et un système de signalisation de surface composé d'un ou plusieurs blocs de basalte. L'élément structurant de cet ensemble semble résider dans la position et l'orientation des individus inhumés qui reposent, le plus souvent, la tête tournée vers le sud. Au-delà de ce constat, le choix du mode d'inhumation (fosse aménagée, contenant rigide ou souple, pleine terre, association de mobilier) ne laisse rien au hasard. La combinaison des différents critères descriptifs (anthropologiques, architecturaux, dépôts mobiles) a montré des cas récurrents d'associations. Il a été possible de dégager des axes et des groupes structurants au plan spatial qui ont pu être confrontés aux données de la chronométrie fournies par les radiodatations et l'étude du mobilier céramique et métallique essentiellement. Ainsi, au terme d'une publication minutieuse des constats et arguments, c'est l'histoire globale de cette nécropole, avec ses modalités de recrutement et le statut des individus, qui est mise en évidence. Cet ensemble sépulcral revêt un caractère exceptionnel par des contours connus, une trame d'organisation spatiale, une longue durée d'utilisation, le nombre et la nature variée des sépultures, une bonne conservation globale des restes osseux, un mobilier particulier. Son étude ouvre de nouvelles perspectives dans l'approche des pratiques funéraires et dans la perception de l'organisation sociale et des courants culturels qui ont marqué cette communauté du centre de la France. Son intérêt dépasse les frontières nationales et place la nécropole de Gerzat Chantemerle parmi les sites de référence européens du Bronze ancien