Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Floating point unit core for Signal Processing applications

Traditional computers data processing is limited by computer data input, output, storage, display. Further computing needs repeated binary-decimal conversions. With the expansion of data intensive computing needs of distributed computing, decimal computing of mass data is widely applied in banking, financial, signal processing, bio-medical, astronomy, geography, data acquisition and image compression and other fields. Independent decimal floating point unit is becoming important in these areas. A floating point unit is a part of a computer system specially designed to carry out operations on floating point numbers. Floating point unit have been implemented as a coprocessor rather than as an integrated unit in various systems. Today's floating point arithmetic operations are very important in the design of Digital Signal Processing and application-specific systems. As Fixed-Point arithmetic logics are faster and more area efficient, but sometimes it is desirable to implement calculation using Floating-Point numbers. In most of the digital signal processing applications addition and multiplication is done frequently. This paper presents a review of the Floating Point unit for a signal processing applications, which has faster rate of operations.
Value creation in dynamic customer- centric networks

Information technology increased the opportunities of business firms to create value. The complexity, the fragmented nature and the disorder of electronic markets, in concert with the need of customers to use compound products and services in order to achieve their expected outcomes, require the development of an effective integrating mechanism. This article presents the 'value integration model' as a mechanism for the configuration of compound offerings, the integration of disparate value chains and the coordination of business activities in electronic markets. The value integration model allows customers to configure networks of suppliers, intermediaries and other organizations, including public service agencies that dynamically collaborate to produce offerings that bring significant outcomes to customers. The article presents technological aspects of the model and evaluates the potential of Web services technologies to provide the technological infrastructure. The use of the model in the tourism sector is exhibited and discussed
Neighborhood conflicts in urban China: from consciousness of property rights to contentious actions

Although urban neighborhood conflicts have drawn widespread attention, their possible link with neighborhood perception has not been quantified in the existing literature. Based on a recent neighborhood-based survey of urban residents in Guangzhou, China, this study investigates the structure, determinants, and consequences of neighborhood conflicts. In particular, it finds that there is inherently a subjective dimension embedded in neighborhood conflicts such that these conflicts should be conceptualized and measured as an individual-level perception of neighborhoods. Evidence from both empirical analyses and field research revealed that consciousness of property rights had significant effects on perceived neighborhood conflicts, while both consciousness of property rights and perceived neighborhood conflicts, especially those with local and grass-roots government agencies, further contribute to the occurrence of residents’ contentious actions. By situating neighborhood conflicts in the context of rules consciousness, this study brings attention to neighborhood perception shaping contentious politics in China’s urban transformation.
Confidently Estimating the Number of DNA Replication Origins

We present a method for estimating and providing a confidence interval for the number of DNA replication origins in the genome of the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. The method requires an initial set of verified sites from which a position specific frequency matrix (PSFM) can be constructed. We further assume that we have access to a sparingly used experimental procedure which can verify the functionality of a few, but not all, computationally predicted sites. While our motivation comes from estimating the number of autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs), our method can also be applied to estimating the genome-wide number of functional transcription factor binding sites, where functionality is determined by experimental verification of the transcription factor binding event using, for example, ChIP data. The reliability of our method is demonstrated by correctly predicting the known number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ARSs as well as the number of S. cerevisiae probes that bind to the transcription factor ABF1.
Delta-echo-Sierra-India-golf-November: Negotiating design responses in humanitarian crises

Both empathy and design are crucial for the development humanitarian responses to crises. This paper explores the current potential of design to respond to crisis situations to draw the agency of design in humanitarian responses into the academic arena for their presence and collaborative potential to be scrutinized and furthered. Despite the absence of focused design practices and studies in the humanitarian industry, there have been a number of design actors drawn into the moral imperative of the now highly visible humanitarian responses. With the exploration of these designers a humanitarian-oriented design ethic is emerging: despite not receiving much considered development by the wider design industry. The basis of a ‘humanitarian design’ ethic has started to slowly materialize over the last couple of decades through the practices of a handful of design-focused Not-For-Profit Non-Governmental Organizations. These few established humanitarian design avant-garde have already demonstrated that there is much potential for design work in areas outside of comfortable developed world marketplaces, but how to get there still remains a challenge for many interested parties. In the majority of crisis situations the most pressing questions revolve around locations and their accessibility (physically and virtually), and the accountability of visiting actors to these locations of humanitarian responses. Exploring the question of where design is aiding humanitarian response to crises, the content of this paper has been drawn from research being undertaken for a doctoral research project on the role of design in humanitarian responses, at the University of Technology, Sydney’s School of Design.
The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) - Pharmaceuticals Transitional Period: Can it Help Build Capacity in African Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?

ABSTRACT African least developed countries LDCs face unique challenges in the implementation of minimum standards for the protection of IPRs, most poignantly illustrated in the field of pharmaceuticals. This was to an extent recognised by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in providing a transitional period during which LDCs are not obliged to implement the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement in order to afford them an opportunity to develop a viable technological base in the pharmaceutical sector before being required to provide patent protection for pharmaceuticals. This article explores some options available to African least developed countries LDCs to use the transitional period in a manner that could help develop their pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. Rwanda has already shown itself to be a pioneer in the use of policy flexibility available in the TRIPS Agreement and related instruments to fulfil the country's demand for essential pharmaceutical products. Therefore, much of the analysis draws on Rwanda for illustrative purposes.
Use of Isoniazid Preventive Therapy for Tuberculosis Prophylaxis Among People Living With HIV/AIDS: A Review of the Literature

Background:Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading preventable cause of death in persons living with HIV (PLHIV), accounting for over a quarter of all HIV-associated deaths in 2012. Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) has the potential to decrease TB-related cases and deaths in PLHIV; however, implementation of this has been slow in many high HIV- and TB-burden settings. Methodology:We performed an assessment of the evidence for the use of IPT in adults living with HIV based on a review of the literature published from 1995 to 2013. Eligible articles included data on mortality, morbidity, or retention in care related to the provision of IPT to adults with HIV in low- or middle-income countries. Cost-effectiveness information was also abstracted. Results:We identified 41 articles involving over 45,000 PLHIV. While there was little evidence to demonstrate that IPT reduced mortality in PLHIV, there was substantial evidence that IPT reduced TB incidence. While these findings were consistent irrespective of CD4 or antiretroviral therapy status, studies frequently demonstrated a greater benefit among patients with a positive TB skin test (TST). Duration of effectiveness and benefits of prolonged therapy varied across settings. Conclusions:This analysis supports World Health Organization recommendations for the provision of IPT to PLHIV to reduce TB-associated morbidity and serves to highlight the need to strengthen IPT implementation. While there appears to be a greater benefit of IPT among PLHIV who are TST positive, IPT should be provided to all PLHIV without presumptive TB when TST is not available.
A novel 10 ps resolution TDC architecture implemented in a 130nm process FPGA

This paper presents a novel high-resolution, high-precision time-to-digital converter (TDC) architecture targeting an FPGA implementation. The proposed architecture relies on multiple parallel tapped-delay lines, taking advantage of the fast dedicated carry-chains available within modern FPGAs. Moreover, the architecture presented in this work enables to overcome resolution limitation imposed by minimal delays, providing significant resolution enchancement over the widespread single tapped-delay line architecture. A TDC with 10 ps resolution and 24 ps precision has been implemented on a 130 nm fabrication process Virtex-II Pro FPGA. The results obtained using 10 parallel tapped-delay lines, each featuring ∼27 ps resolutions, show that over 5× resolution enchancement factors can be obtained over a single tapped delay line architecture.
The impact of susceptibility loci for coronary artery disease on other vascular domains and recurrence risk.

AIMS Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many genetic loci related to coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI). However, the extent to which these loci are related to other vascular diseases is not clear. The aim of this study is to investigate the cumulative effects of risk alleles associated with CAD/MI on ischaemic stroke (IS), abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS AND RESULTS We calculated a multi-locus genetic risk score (GRS) in 8446 participants of the SMART (Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease) study based on the lead single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 30 CAD/MI loci, and tested this GRS for cross-sectional association with CAD/MI, IS, AAA and PAD, adjusting for age and sex. We also investigated whether this GRS was associated with recurrent vascular events using Cox regression, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, type 2 diabetes, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, smoking, and hypertension. We found that the GRS was significantly associated with CAD (P = 1.31 × 10(-9)), IS (P = 0.030), and PAD (P = 6.93 × 10(-04)), but not with AAA (P = 0.057). The lead SNP at the 9p21 locus (rs4977574) was associated with all four vascular diseases (P < 4 × 10(-3)), illustrating the functional pleiotropy of this locus. The GRS was associated with recurrent risk of MI (P = 0.026), with a hazard ratio of 1.13 (95% CI 1.00-1.28) for individuals in the top quartile of the GRS distribution (n = 30 recurrent events) compared with those in the bottom quartile (n = 8 recurrent events). Finally, we found a significant positive relationship between the GRS and the number of vascular events (P = 3.26 × 10(-05)). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that CAD/MI-associated risk alleles play an aetiological role in different types of atherosclerotic disease.
Serum Profiling of Rat Dermal Exposure to JP-8 Fuel Reveals an Acute-Phase Response

ABSTRACT Dermal exposure to JP-8 petroleum jet fuel leads to toxicological responses in humans and rodents. Serum profiling is a molecular analysis of changes in the levels of serum proteins and other molecules in response to changes in physiology. This present study utilizes serum profiling approaches to examine biomolecular changes in the sera of rats exposed to dermal applications of JP-8 (jet propulsion fuel-8). Using gel electrophoresis and electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS), levels of serum proteins as well as low-mass constituents were found to change after dermal exposures to JP-8. The serum protein levels altered included the acute-phase response proteins haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, α1-inhibitor III, and apolipoprotein A-IV. Haptoglobin levels increased after a 1-day JP-8 dermal exposure and continued to increase through 7 days of exposure. Ceruloplasmin levels increased after 5 days of exposure. Serum α1-inhibitor III was reduced after a 1-day exposure and the depletion continued after 7 days of exposure. Apolipoprotein A-IV increased after a 1-day exposure and then returned to basal levels after 3- and 5-day exposures of JP-8. Levels of the acute-phase protein α2-macroglobulin were found to not vary over these time course studies. Using ESI-MS analysis directly on the sera from rats exposed to dermal JP-8, low-mass sera constituents were found to correlate with control (acetone) or JP-8 exposure.
A New Finite Series Representation for Continuous Phase Modulation

The Laurent decomposition expresses any binary single-h continuous phase modulated signal as the finite summation of pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) waveforms, and the resulting signal space is so constructed that the CPM signal can usually be synthesized with a reasonable degree of accuracy by using only the "main" PAM component pulse. This derivation has been very useful for reduced complexity demodulation of binary CPM signals. Subsequent to Laurent's work, it was shown that commensurate expressions could be obtained for multilevel and multi-h CPM, but with an exponential increase in the total number of PAM component pulses in the signal representation. In this paper, we derive a generalization of Laurent's result which can be universally applied to all variants of CPM which use a non-integer modulation index. Most notably, the component pulses are naturally ranked in order of decreasing signal energy, so that over each symbol interval there is a single "main pulse" that can be used in a good first-order finite series approximation of the CPM signal
Support for a Bimodal Role for Type II Adrenal Steroid Receptors in Spatial Memory

We investigated the effects of acute adrenal steroid treatment on spatial memory using the Y-maze and employing adrenal steroid receptor antagonists and agonists. For receptor activation, adrenalectomized rats were injected 2 h prior to their first Y-maze trial with sesame oil (adrenalectomy or SHAM), stress levels of corticosterone, a Type I receptor agonist (aldosterone), or a Type II receptor agonist (RU362). For receptor inactivation, unoperated rats were injected with a Type I receptor antagonist (RU318), a Type II receptor antagonist (RU555), sesame oil, or not injected at all. The findings indicated that spatial memory was impaired when the Type II receptors were blocked (RU555) or highly occupied (corticosterone or RU362) and normal for the other treatment conditions. These data suggest that the Type II receptors may be responsible for the inverted U-shaped relationship between spatial memory and corticosterone levels reported by others.
Accumulation of Maillard Reaction Products in Skin Collagen in Diabetes and Aging a

To investigate the contribution of glycation and oxidation reactions to the modification of insoluble collagen in aging and diabetes, Maillard reaction products were measured in skin collagen from 39 type 1 diabetic patients and 52 nondiabetic control subjects. Compounds studied included fructoselysine (FL), the initial glycation product, and the glycoxidation products, N'-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and pentosidine, formed during later Maillard reactions. Collagen-linked fluorescence was also studied. In nondiabetic subjects, glycation of collagen (FL content) increased only 33% between 20 and 85 yr of age. In contrast, CML, pentosidine and fluorescence increased fivefold, correlating strongly with age. In diabetic patients, collagen FL was increased threefold compared with nondiabetic subjects, correlating strongly with glycated hemoglobin but not with age. Collagen CML, pentosidine and fluorescence were increased up to twofold in diabetic compared with control patients: this could be explained by the increase in glycation alone, without invoking increased oxidative stress. There were strong correlations among CML, pentosidine and fluorescence in both groups, providing evidence for age-dependent chemical modification ofcollagen via the Maillard reaction, and acceleration of this process in diabetes. These results support the description of diabetes as a disease characterized by accelerated chemical aging of long-lived tissue proteins. (J. Clin. Invest. 1993. 91:2463-2469.)
An iterative method for pricing the American put options with dividends

In this thesis we present a fixed-front approach for pricing the American Put Options with dividends, combined with an iterative method. This approach transforms the free boundary problem into a nonlinear parabolic differential equation defined on a fixed spatial domain. The resulting equation has been solved using an implicit numerical scheme. The method can be easily applied to Barrier Options with dividends and numerical results were shown to compare well with the optimal exercise boundary for different dividend yields and different values of the barrier. A l l the programming work has been done in M A T L A B and sample of codes can be found in Appendix B .
Dialogue on adult attachment: Diversity and integration

We are extremely grateful to the distinguished attachment researchers who read our article and commented insightfully on it, and to Chris Fraley, Howard Steele, and Jude Cassidy for making this special issue possible. The wide range of suggestions, criticisms, and new findings provided by the commentators has made replying to their essays both stimulating and challenging. In our limited number of pages we will attempt to address some of the common themes raised in the commentaries. We will do this in three major sections: basic theoretical issues, comments on our model of attachment dynamics, and measurement issues.
Quality of life and participation

Quality of life (QoL) and well-being can be described in broad, multidimensional ways that incorporate objective and subjective accounts of personal feelings, social relationships, local environment, societal values, political institutions, economic conditions, and international relations. A Nordic group has recommended the classification in Table I to describe the QoL of an individual; Table II shows indicators of child well-being reported at a national level. In practice, such approaches are too wide-ranging for meaningful quantitative analysis. Recent years have seen the development of ideas about QoL which concern an individual’s personal perception of their place in the world and society. It is a person’s selfreported view and therefore subjective. This modern meaning of QoL may be confused with other outcomes which could be equally important but different. This paper tries to identify and unravel these varied elements. It is also important to appreciate that various definitions are used to reflect the different stages in the evolution of the concepts and that these operational definitions are likely to change in future. Two important and relatively recent developments in the social sciences are the social model of disability and a new approach to the sociology of childhood. Their implications emphasize the relevance of the environment to participation and the importance of QoL respectively. The ‘social model of disability’ regards disability as resulting from the interaction between individuals and their respective environments, rather than as something within the individual. This model was developed in the United Kingdom and has been central in the development of disability studies. Originally, the social model took an uncompromising position that all disability is caused by societal and structural barriers – whether they be environmental such as inaccessible buildings, institutional such as segregated schooling, or attitudinal; any failure of society to ensure sufficient environmental adjustment represented discrimination against a minority group and a denial of their human rights. Since then, the model has been modified to indicate that much but not all disability is attributable to the environment. There are two reasons for this. First, physically disabled people themselves say their impairments are relevant to their lives and to their interaction with their environment; second, there are some aspects of participation which a person with severe intellectual impairment could never
Ultrahigh-density storage media prepared by artificially assisted self-assembling methods.

Two types of recording media possessing nanodot structures were investigated. The media were prepared by an artificially assisted self-assembling (AASA) method, which includes simple nanopatterning using a nanoimprint and fine nanopatterning using self-assembling organic molecules. One type of recording media is circumferential magnetic patterned media prepared on a 2.5-in. -diam glass plate. A Ni master disk possessing spiral patterns with 60-250 nm width lands and a 400 nm width groove was pressed to a resist film on a CoCrPt film to transfer the spiral patterns. A diblock copolymer solution was cast into the obtained grooves, and then annealed to prepare self-assembling dot structures aligned along the grooves. According to the dot patterns, the lower magnetic films were patterned by ion milling to yield patterned media with 40 nm diameter. We have also prepared FePt dot media with high magnetic anisotropy for near-field and magnetic-field hybrid recording aiming at more than 1 Tbin.2 density. A Ni stamp disk with aligned dot structures was also prepared by the AASA method to produce patterned media at the lowest cost. The other type of media was organic patterned media for X-Y type near-field optical storage. Bulky dye molecules were evaporated in vacuum to produce self-assembling amorphous nanodots. The dots were arranged by the AASA method, i.e., according to the polymethylmethacrylate film hole arrays or chemically patterned surface.