Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Register allocation for high-level synthesis of hardware accelerators targeting FPGAs

This work evaluates the benefits of several register allocation strategies as part of a design flow for automatic generation of application-specific hardware accelerators targeting FPGAs. As usage of vendor-specific design tools is mandatory for system designs targeting FPGAs, high-level synthesis has to account for the optimization capabilities already implemented in these design tools. In addition, FPGA-specific hardware characteristics have to be considered as well. Therefore, several register allocation strategies are evaluated in the context of a GCC based C to HDL design flow for application-specific hardware accelerators. Evaluation was done by means of several example designs from typical application domains for embedded systems. These designs were synthesized using the ISE design suite with either area or speed as an optimization criteria. Synthesis results for Spartan 6 and Artix 7 FPGAs show that with regards to clock frequency and area requirements, register allocation strategy should be kept simple when generating HDL code as an input for FPGA vendor-specific design tools.
Recursive Receivers for Space-Time Trellis Coded OFDM Systems over Time-Varying Block Fading Channels

Space-time trellis coding systems employing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technique over frequency-selective channels is considered, where the fading gains could vary within a frame interval encompassing a number of OFDM symbol times. The frequency-domain channel time evolution of sub-carriers associated with OFDM symbol is first approximated by a state space model. The per-survivor processing (PSP) incorporated into Kalman filtering (KF) thus enables a recursive receiver for channel tracking along with data decoding. In view of the computational complexity of this PSP-Kalman growing exponentially with the number of sub-carriers, a reduced-complexity alternative by capitalizing on channel cross-correlation on the basis of per- group of neighboring sub-carriers in a sequential order within an OFDM symbol is proposed. Computer simulations are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the addressed approaches in terms of root mean squared error (RMSE) and frame error rate (FER) in certain different scenarios.
Sub-synchronous resonance analysis in DFIG-based wind farms: Definitions and problem identification — Part I

This paper is part I of a two-paper series (Two-P-S) to review, analyze, and mitigate sub-synchronous resonance (SSR) in series compensated doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind farms. The IEEE first benchmark model modified to include a 100 MW DFIG-based wind farm is employed as a case study. In this work, MATLAB/SIMULINK is used for eigenvalue analysis and PSCAD/EMTDC for time-domain simulations, respectively. Part I of the Two-P-S focuses mainly on the identification and definition of the main types of the SSR that occur in DFIG wind farms, namely: (1) induction generator effect (SSIGE), (2) torsional interactions (SSTI), and (3) control interactions (SSCI). Regarding the SSIGE, first a simple definition of the SSIGE is given; then, using eigenvalue analysis and time-domain simulations, it is shown that the DFIG wind farm can be highly unstable due to the SSIGE; finally, the impact of wind speed and compensation level variations on the SSIGE is explained. Regarding the SSTI, first a descriptive definition is given; then, the real world possibility of the SSTI in DFIG wind farm is studied; finally, the impact of the stiffness coefficient and compensation level variations on this type of SSR is investigated. Regarding the SSCI, since it may be confused with the SSIGE, a simple definition of the SSCI and its mechanism in DFIG wind farm are presented. In part II of the Two-P-S, three methods to mitigate the SSR in DFIG wind farms will be presented.
Does enterprise software matter for service innovation? Standardization versus customization

This paper analyzes the relationship between service innovation and different types of enterprise software systems, i.e. standardized enterprise software designed to fit one certain business sector and enterprise software specifically customized for a single firm. Using recent firm-level data of a survey among information and communication technology service providers as well as knowledge-intensive service providers in Germany, this is the first paper which empirically analyzes whether the use of sector specific or customized enterprise software triggers innovation. The results based on a knowledge production function suggest that customized enterprise software is related to the occurrence of service innovation. However, there is no relationship between sector specific enterprise software and innovation activity. The results stay robust to several different specifications and suggest that the causality runs from customized software usage to service innovation.
Credit Market Imperfection and Sectoral Asymmetry of Chinese Business Cycle

This paper analyzes the role of credit market imperfection and sectoral asymmetry as a means through which shocks to the real economy are propagated and amplified. Drawing on firm-level data to calibrate the model, our simulations capture two key stylized facts of the Chinese economy: that credit constraints are more binding in nontradable sectors than in tradable industries and that output volatility is much greater in China than in industrial economies. We find that the driving force behind our simulation results is strongly related to the non-uniform nature of credit market imperfections in China and their implications for resource allocation and the way in which the economy reacts to shocks. Correctly capturing these macro-financial interactions are essential to understand the dynamic behavior of the Chinese economy.
Structure of a TrmA–RNA complex: A consensus RNA fold contributes to substrate selectivity and catalysis in m5U methyltransferases

TrmA catalyzes S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-dependent methylation of U54 in most tRNAs. We solved the structure of the Escherichia coli 5-methyluridine (m5U) 54 tRNA methyltransferase (MTase) TrmA in a covalent complex with a 19-nt T arm analog to 2.4-Å resolution. Mutation of the TrmA catalytic base Glu-358 to Gln arrested catalysis and allowed isolation of the covalent TrmA–RNA complex for crystallization. The protein–RNA interface includes 6 nt of the T loop and two proximal base pairs of the stem. U54 is flipped out of the loop into the active site. A58 occupies the space of the everted U54 and is part of a collinear base stack G53–A58–G57–C56–U55. The RNA fold is different from T loop conformations in unbound tRNA or T arm analogs, but nearly identical to the fold of the RNA loop bound at the active site of the m5U MTase RumA. In both enzymes, this consensus fold presents the target U and the following two bases to a conserved binding groove on the protein. Outside of this fold, the RumA and TrmA substrates have completely different structures and protein interfaces. Loop residues other than the target U54 make more than half of their hydrogen bonds to the protein via sugar-phosphate moieties, accounting, in part, for the broad consensus sequence for TrmA substrates.
Association between sleep and breast cancer incidence among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine whether the duration of sleep, sleep quality, insomnia, or sleep disturbance was associated with incident breast cancer in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Women enrolled in one of the Clinical Trial (CT) arms or the Observational Study (OS) from the WHI conducted in the United States. PARTICIPANTS This study included 110,011 women age 50 to 79 years with no history of cancer. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Typical sleep duration, sleep quality, and other self-reported sleep measures over the past 4 weeks were assessed during the screening visits for both the CT and OS participants. The presence of insomnia and level of sleep disturbance was calculated from an index of the WHI Insomnia Rating Scale. The outcome for this study was primary, invasive breast cancer. A total of 5,149 incident cases of breast cancer were identified in this study. No statistically significant associations were found between sleep duration, sleep quality, insomnia, or level of sleep disturbance with the risk of breast cancer after multivariable adjustment. A positive trend was observed for increasing sleeping duration with the risk of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, but the association estimates for each sleep duration category were weak and nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS This study does not provide strong support for an association between self-reported sleep duration, sleep quality, insomnia, or sleep disturbance with the risk of breast cancer.
East Asian preferential trade agreements in services: liberalization content and WTO rules

The past seven years have seen a rapid proliferation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the East Asian region. Many of the recently concluded PTAs are comprehensive in their coverage, seeking not only the dismantling of barriers to trade in goods but also the liberalization of trade in services. This paper offers an assessment of this recent wave of services agreements in East Asia, focusing on their liberalization content and their compliance with WTO rules on regional integration. It draws on a database in which the authors recorded the value added of PTA liberalization undertakings relative to pre-existing multilateral services commitments. Among other things, this database is used to empirically assess the effect of the scheduling approach on the depth and breadth of liberalization undertakings.
Hearing Aid Users Benefit from Induction Loop When Using Digital Cellular Phones

Objective Hearing aid users have recently been reported to experience problems with electromagnetic interference when using digital cellular phones. This study was undertaken to investigate the possible benefit of an induction loop system developed for use with some cellular phone models, and also to compare the possible benefit in two languages (Finnish and American English) as well as the benefit with two hearing aid technologies (analog versus digital). Design The study was performed in controlled laboratory conditions at two tertiary care hearing health care centers, one in Oulu, Finland and the other in Dallas, in the United States. The subjects were experienced users of behind-the-ear hearing aids and served as their own controls in three different listening conditions. Thirty-two eligible subjects (20 in Oulu and 12 in Dallas) participated in three test conditions: 1. call with a landline phone, 2. call with a digital cellular phone alone and 3. call with a digital cellular phone coupled to an induction loop. Results Sentence recognition scores and subjective judgments using a visual analog scale revealed the poorest results with the digital cellular phone alone. When the induction loop was used with the digital cellular phones, sentence recognition scores and the visual analog scale scores were comparable to the scores obtained with a landline phone. The mean sentence recognition score for analog hearing aids was 62.4% (95% confidence interval 50.2 to 74.6) with the landline phone, 12.6% (−1.6 to 26.9) with the digital cellular phone alone, and 63.3% (44.2 to 82.3) when using the digital cellular phone with the induction loop. For digital hearing aids, the sentence recognition scores were 62.4% (51.9 to 72.9), 37.4% (18.0 to 56.8) and 57.6% (39.0 to 76.2), respectively. There was no significant difference in performance between the two centers. However, when using the digital cellular phone alone, there was no drop in the sentence recognition scores with the few (N = 5) digital hearing aids in Dallas. The subjects ranked the digital cellular phone alone as the poorest test condition and the digital cellular phone with an induction loop as the best. Conclusions Induction loops appear to offer one possible solution for the incompatibility problem between hearing aids and digital cellular phones. However, the generalizability of the results must be viewed cautiously, because testing included only one induction loop and two digital cellular phone models.
Spatial Modulation for High-Rate Transmission Systems

This paper proposes a high rate spatial modulation transmission scheme based on the concept of Spatial Constellation (SC) and SC codewords introduced in [1]. In the proposed scheme, transmitted signal vectors are generated by multiplying spatial SC codewords with constellation symbols drawn from a conventional QAM or PSK constellation. The entries of SC codewords will determine how the constellation symbols are weighted and which transmit antennas among a total of nT transmit antennas are activated to transmit the signals. Different SC codewords allow us to have different ways to transmit the constellation symbols. Thus, information bits are born not only by constellation symbols but also by SC codewords. The additional spectral efficiency offered by SC codewords is proportional to the number of SC codewords which can be designed for each antenna configuration. A new low-complexity maximum-likelihood (ML) decoder is also devised for signal recovery. In addition, a theoretical union bound on the bit error probability is derived. Simulation results, supported by the theoretical upper bound, are given to compare bit error rate (BER) performance of the proposed scheme with those of existing MIMO transmission counterparts in the literature for various antenna configurations.
The determinants of leverage; differences between quoted and non quoted firms

The design of capital structure in quoted companies has received much attention in the academic literature. Using panel data from quoted as well as non quoted Belgian companies, this paper investigates not only the determinants of capital structure, but also the influence of a stock listing on the relationship between these determinants and leverage. Overall our empirical results are in line with previous studies and support mainly the Pecking Order theory. Also in line with the predictions of the Pecking Order theory, quoted companies are less levered, even when controlling for other determinants of capital structure. Furthermore we find that the determinants of capital structure differ to some extend between quoted and non quoted companies.
Seasonal changes in the lower jaw skeleton in male Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.): remodelling and regression of the kype after spawning

The return of Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar) to their home river for spawning coincides with drastic skeletal alterations in both sexes. Most prominent is the development of a kype (hook) at the tip of the lower jaw in males. Salmon that survive spawning have to cope with the kype throughout their life, unless it disappears after spawning, as was suggested in the early literature. To understand the fate of the kype skeleton, we compared morphological and histological features of kypes from pre‐spawned mature anadromous males (grilse) with post‐spawned males (kelts). The kype of male grilse is supported by fast‐growing skeletal needles that differ from regular dentary bone. In kelts, growth of the kype skeleton has stopped and skeletal needles are resorbed apically by osteoclasts. Simultaneously, and despite the critical physiological condition of the animals, proximal parts of the kype skeleton are remodelled and converted into regular dentary bone. Apical resorption of the skeleton explains reports of a decrease of the kype in kelts. The conversion of basal kype skeleton into regular dentary bone contributes to the elongation of the dentary and probably also to the development of a larger kype in repetitive spawning males.
Robust Optimal Policy in a Forward-Looking Model with Parameter and Shock Uncertainty

This paper characterizes a robust optimal policy rule in a simple forward-looking model, when the policymaker faces uncertainty about model parameters and shock processes. We show that the robust optimal policy rule is likely to involve a stronger response of the interest rate to fluctuations in inflation and the output gap than is the case in the absence of uncertainty. Thus parameter uncertainty alone does not necessarily justify a small response of monetary policy to perturbations. However uncertainty may amplify the degree of "super-inertia" required by optimal monetary policy. We finally discuss the sensitivity of the results to alternative assumptions.
Identification by Flagellum Display of an Epithelial Cell- and Fibronectin-Binding Function in the SlpA Surface Protein of Lactobacillus brevis

ABSTRACT Depletion of the SlpA protein from the bacterial surface greatly reduced the adhesion of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 to the human intestinal cell lines Caco-2 and Intestine 407, the endothelial cell line EA-hy926, and the urinary bladder cell line T24, as well as immobilized fibronectin. For functional analysis of the SlpA surface protein, different regions of the slpA gene were expressed as internal in-frame fusions in the variable region of the fliCH7 gene of Escherichia coli. The resulting chimeric flagella carried inserts up to 275 amino acids long from the mature S-layer protein, which is 435 amino acids in size. The expression of the SlpA fragments on the chimeric flagella was assessed by immunoelectron microscopy and Western blotting using anti-SlpA antibodies, and their binding to human cells was assessed by indirect immunofluorescence. Chimeric flagella harboring inserts that represented the N-terminal part of the S-layer protein bound to the epithelial cell lines, whereas the C-terminal part of the S-layer protein did not confer binding on the flagella. The shortest S-layer peptide capable of detectable binding was 81 amino acid residues in size and represented residues 96 through 176 in the unprocessed S-layer protein. The bacteria and the chimeric flagella did not show detectable binding to erythrocytes, whereas the SlpA-expressing ATCC 8287 cells as well as the chimeric SlpA 96-245/FliC flagella bound to immobilized fibronectin. The N-terminal SlpA peptide 96-176 or 96-200 fused to FliC was not recognized in Western blotting or immunoelectron microscopy by a polyclonal serum raised against the S-layer protein; the antiserum, however, reacted in immunofluorescence with the ATCC 8287 cells. In contrast, an antiserum raised against the His-tagged peptide 96-245 of SlpA bound to the hybrid flagella with the N-terminal SlpA inserts but did not react with ATCC 8287 cells. The results identify the S-layer of L. brevis ATCC 8287 as an adhesin with affinity for human epithelial cells and fibronectin and locate the receptor-binding region within a fragment of 81 amino acids in the N-terminal part of the molecule, which in native S-layer seems inaccessible to antibodies.
Holistic Risk Index: A Case Study of Cattle Producers in the Protected Area of Farrapos Estuaries—Uruguay

Agricultural intensification promotes floods and threatens family livestock production in the protected area of Farrapos Estuaries, Uruguay. Using the Holistic Risk Index (Barrera, J. F., Herrera, J., and J. Gómez. Riesgo-vulnerabilidad hacia la broca del café bajo un enfoque de manejo holístico. La Broca del Café en América Tropical: Hallazgos y Enfoques. ECOSUR-SME 2007), this study analyzes the interrelationships among threat, vulnerability and responsiveness. Four livestock producers were shown to have low risk due to their high responsiveness; eighteen producers were shown to have medium risk and were divided into high vulnerability, low vulnerability and increased responsiveness groups; and three producers were shown to have high risk due to high threat and vulnerability and a lower responsiveness. Responsiveness is related to the use of agroecological principles and the agroecological criteria that guide strategies among producers and within the protected area.
Age, Race, Self-Interest, and Financing Public Schools through Referenda

Using a sample of 628 white, black, and Hispanic voters in a large urban school district, we test a series of hypotheses about voting in a school bond election. We find that there is a core of similar results across racial/ethnic groups. All three groups show strong, directly measured, self-interest effects. We also find some distinct group differences. Symbolic values played a limited role for white voters, but a stronger role for minorities. In addition, for white voters we find a substantial drop in support for the bond across age cohorts, but no such drop among black and Hispanic voters.
Lipin-1 Phosphatidic Phosphatase Activity Modulates Phosphatidate Levels to Promote Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ (PPARγ) Gene Expression during Adipogenesis*

Background: Lipin-1-deficient cells cannot differentiate into mature adipocytes. Results: Lipin-1 phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity, but not its coactivator activity, is required for induction of the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Conclusion: Lipin-1 modulation of phosphatidic acid levels is required for early steps in adipogenesis. Significance: The levels of signaling lipids are important in adipogenesis prior to fat storage. Adipose tissue plays a key role in metabolic homeostasis. Disruption of the Lpin1 gene encoding lipin-1 causes impaired adipose tissue development and function in rodents. Lipin-1 functions as a phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP) enzyme in the glycerol 3-phosphate pathway for triglyceride storage and as a transcriptional coactivator/corepressor for metabolic nuclear receptors. Previous studies established that lipin-1 is required at an early step in adipocyte differentiation for induction of the adipogenic gene transcription program, including the key regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Here, we investigate the requirement of lipin-1 PAP versus coactivator function in the establishment of Pparg expression during adipocyte differentiation. We demonstrate that PAP activity supplied by lipin-1, lipin-2, or lipin-3, but not lipin-1 coactivator activity, can rescue Pparg gene expression and lipogenesis during adipogenesis in lipin-1-deficient preadipocytes. In adipose tissue from lipin-1-deficient mice, there is an accumulation of phosphatidate species containing a range of medium chain fatty acids and an activation of the MAPK/extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. Phosphatidate inhibits differentiation of cultured adipocytes, and this can be rescued by the expression of lipin-1 PAP activity or by inhibition of ERK signaling. These results emphasize the importance of lipid intermediates as choreographers of gene regulation during adipogenesis, and the results highlight a specific role for lipins as determinants of levels of a phosphatidic acid pool that influences Pparg expression.
Nonstationarity and Level Shifts With an Application to Purchasing Power Parity

This study considers testing for a unit root in a time series characterized by a structural change in its mean. The analysis is in the spirit of Perron (1990a), who showed that the existence of such a shift in a stationary time series biases the usual tests for a unit root toward nonrejection. The approach is, however, different given that we suppose the date of the change to be unknown. The statistic of interest is then the minimal t statistic over all possible breakpoints in regressions similar to those proposed by Perron (1990a). Other related statistics are also discussed. We derive and tabulate the asymptotic distributions of interest. Most of the emphasis, however, is given to the tabulation of finite-sample critical values using simulation experiments. Particular attention is given to the effect, on the finite-sample critical values, of various procedures to select the appropriate order of the estimated autoregressions. We apply the tests to analyze the issue of purchasing power parity between the .