Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On-chip spectral test for high-speed ADCs by ΣΔ technique

Application of the ΣΔ modulation technique to the on-chip spectral test for high-speed A/D converters is presented. The harmonic HD2/HD3 and intermodulation IM2/IM3 test is obtained with one-bit ΣΔ sequence stored in a cyclic memory or generated on line, and applied to an ADC under test through a driving buffer and a simple reconstruction filter. To achieve a dynamic range (DR) suitable for high-performance spectral measurements a frequency plan is used taking into account the type of ΣΔ modulation (low-pass and band-pass) including the FFT processing gain. Higher order modulation schemes are avoided to manage the ΣΔ quantization noise without resorting to a more complicated filter. For spectral measurements up to the Nyquist frequency, we propose a dedicated low-pass/band-pass ΣΔ modulation scheme that limits spreading of the low-frequency quantization noise by ADC under test that tends to obstruct the test measurements at high frequencies. Correction technique for NRTZ encoding suitable for ADCs with very high clock frequencies is put in perspective. The presented technique is illustrated by simulation examples of a Nyquist-rate ADC under test.
Kilo-NOC: A heterogeneous network-on-chip architecture for scalability and service guarantees

Today's chip-level multiprocessors (CMPs) feature up to a hundred discrete cores, and with increasing levels of integration, CMPs with hundreds of cores, cache tiles, and specialized accelerators are anticipated in the near future. In this paper, we propose and evaluate technologies to enable networks-on-chip (NOCs) to support a thousand connected components (Kilo-NOC) with high area and energy efficiency, good performance, and strong quality-of-service (QOS) guarantees. Our analysis shows that QOS support burdens the network with high area and energy costs. In response, we propose a new lightweight topology-aware QOS architecture that provides service guarantees for applications such as consolidated servers on CMPs and real-time SOCs. Unlike prior NOC quality-of-service proposals which require QOS support at every network node, our scheme restricts the extent of hardware support to portions of the die, reducing router complexity in the rest of the chip. We further improve network area- and energy-efficiency through a novel flow control mechanism that enables a single-network, low-cost elastic buffer implementation. Together, these techniques yield a heterogeneous Kilo-NOC architecture that consumes 45% less area and 29% less power than a state-of-the-art QOS-enabled NOC without these features.
Purification of noisy entanglement and faithful teleportation via noisy channels.

Two separated observers, by applying local operations to a supply of not-too-impure entangled states ({\em e.g.} singlets shared through a noisy channel), can prepare a smaller number of entangled pairs of arbitrarily high purity ({\em e.g.} near-perfect singlets). These can then be used to faithfully teleport unknown quantum states from one observer to the other, thereby achieving faithful transfrom one observer to the other, thereby achieving faithful transmission of quantum information through a noisy channel. We give upper and lower bounds on the yield $D(M)$ of pure singlets ($\ket{\Psi^-}$) distillable from mixed states $M$, showing $D(M)>0$ if $\bra{\Psi^-}M\ket{\Psi^-}>\half$.
Formation of an RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex on an RNA promoter derived from the hepatitis delta virus RNA genome

Although RNA polymerases (RNAPs) are able to use RNA as template, it is unknown how they recognize RNA promoters. In this study, we used an RNA fragment derived from the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) genome as a model to investigate the recognition of RNA promoters by RNAP II. Inhibition of the transcription reaction using an antibody specific to the largest subunit of RNAP II and the direct binding of purified RNAP II to the RNA promoter confirmed the involvement of RNAP II in the reaction. RNA affinity chromatography established that an active RNAP II preinitiation complex forms on the RNA promoter and indicated that this complex contains the core RNAP II subunit and the general transcription factors TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIID, TFIIE, TFIIF, TFIIH and TFIIS. Binding assays demonstrated the direct binding of the TATA-binding protein and suggested that this protein is required to nucleate the RNAP II complex on the RNA promoter. Our findings provide a better understanding of the events leading to RNA promoter recognition by RNAP II.
High-level synthesizable dataflow MapReduce accelerator for FPGA-coupled data centers

Manipulating big-data entries of emerging server workloads requires a design paradigm shift towards more aggressive system-level architecture solutions. From software perspective, the MapReduce framework is a prominent parallel data processing tool as the volume of data to analyze grows rapidly. FPGAs can be used to accelerate the processing of data and reduce significantly the power consumption. However, FPGAs have not been deployed in data centers due to the high programming complexity of hardware. In this paper we present HLSMapReduceFlow, i.e. a novel reconfigurable MapReduce accelerator that can be scaled-up to data centers and it can speedup the processing of Map computation kernels, while promising minimum energy footprint and high programming efficiency due to the use of HLS. We propose the complete decoupling of MapReduce's tasks data-paths to distinct buses, accessed from individual processing engines. Such a dataflow approach implies a holistic C/C++ to RTL domain-level MapReduce transition. In this work, we further extent HLS tools, with systematic source-to-source code annotation of HLS optimization directives, by adding as a state-of-art system-level implementation toolflow. The proposed architecture is implemented, mapped and evaluated to a Virtex-7 FPGA and shows that the proposed scheme can achieve up to 4.3× overall throughput improvement in MapReduce applications, while offering two orders of magnitude power/energy improvements compared to a high-end multi-core processor.
Statistical Inference Based on Progressively Type II Censored Data from Weibull Model

In this article, we consider the problem of estimating the shape and scale parameters and predicting the unobserved removed data based on a progressive type II censored sample from the Weibull distribution. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches are used to estimate the scale and shape parameters. The sampling-based method is used to draw Monte Carlo (MC) samples and it has been used to estimate the model parameters and also to predict the removed units in multiple stages of the censored sample. Two real datasets are presented and analyzed for illustrative purposes and Monte carlo simulations are performed to study the behavior of the proposed methods.
FUSION BASED EDGE DETECTION AND SEGMENTATION OF COLOR SPACES

Image Fusion is a process of combining the relevant information from a set of images into a single image, where the resultant fused image will be more informative and complete than any of the input images. Also the choice of a color space is of great importance form any computer vision algorithms (e.g. edge detection and object recognition). This paper presents efficient segmentation, edge detection approach, based on a fusion procedure which aims at combining several segmentation images associated to simpler partition models in order to finally get a more reliable and accurate segmentation. Image fusion techniques can improve the quality and increase the application of these data. The objective of Image fusion is to combine the information of the number of images of the same scene from different sensors or the images with focus on different objects. In this paper an introductory approach to some of the image fusion methods has been taken. Edge detection is one of the most commonly used operations in image analysis. In this paper, we present methods for edge segmentation of natural images, we used several techniques for this category.
Explaining Islamophobia. A Test of Four Theories Based on the Case of a Swiss City

This article investigates Islamophobia drawing on data from a representative, quantitative survey in a large Swiss city. A new definition of Islamophobia is proposed, as well as practical solutions to frequent epistemological problems. Using descriptive statistical methods the importance of islamophobia is assessed, comparing it to various other out-group phobias. Furthermore, it is shown that islamophobia is very strongly correlated to general xenophobia. Theories which claim that islamophobia is explained by frustration, influence of the media or personal contact are not corroborated by the data. On the other hand, it is found that islamophobia can be accounted for by a traditionalist world-view which in turn is caused by rapid social change.
CCR2 promotes hepatic fibrosis in mice

Chemokines and chemokine receptors contribute to the migration of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and Kupffer cells, two key cell types in fibrogenesis. Here, we investigate the role of CCR2, the receptor for monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1, MCP‐2, and MCP‐3, in hepatic fibrosis. Hepatic CCR2, MCP‐1, MCP‐2, and MCP‐3 messenger RNA expression was increased after bile duct ligation (BDL). Both Kupffer cells and HSCs, but not hepatocytes, expressed CCR2. BDL‐ and CCl4‐induced fibrosis was markedly reduced in CCR2−/− mice as assessed through collagen deposition, α‐smooth muscle actin expression, and hepatic hydroxyproline content. We generated CCR2 chimeric mice by the combination of clodronate, irradiation, and bone marrow (BM) transplantation allowing full reconstitution of Kupffer cells, but not HSCs, with BM cells. Chimeric mice containing wild‐type BM displayed increased macrophage recruitment, whereas chimeric mice containing CCR2−/− BM showed less macrophage recruitment at 5 days after BDL. Although CCR2 expressed in the BM enhanced macrophage recruitment in early phases of injury, CCR2 expression on resident liver cells including HSCs, but not on the BM, was required for fibrogenic responses in chronic fibrosis models. In vitro experiments demonstrated that HSCs deficient in CCR2−/− or its downstream mediator p47phox−/− did not display extracellular signal‐regulated kinase and AKT phosphorylation, chemotaxis, or reactive oxygen species production in response to MCP‐1, MCP‐2, and MCP‐3. Conclusion: Our results indicate that CCR2 promotes HSC chemotaxis and the development of hepatic fibrosis. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)
Trust and nuanced profile similarity in online social networks

Online social networks, where users maintain lists of friends and express their preferences for items like movies, music, or books, are very popular. The Web-based nature of this information makes it ideal for use in a variety of intelligent systems that can take advantage of the users' social and personal data. For those systems to be effective, however, it is important to understand the relationship between social and personal preferences. In this work we investigate features of profile similarity and how those relate to the way users determine trust. Through a controlled study, we isolate several profile features beyond overall similarity that affect how much subjects trust hypothetical users. We then use data from FilmTrust, a real social network where users rate movies, and show that the profile features discovered in the experiment allow us to more accurately predict trust than when using only overall similarity. In this article, we present these experimental results and discuss the potential implications for using trust in user interfaces.
Convergence rates to the discrete travelling wave for relaxation schemes

This paper is concerned with the asymptotic convergence of nu- merical solutions toward discrete travelling waves for a class of relaxation nu- merical schemes, approximating the scalar conservation law. It is shown that if the initial perturbations possess some algebraic decay in space, then the nu- merical solutions converge to the discrete travelling wave at a corresponding algebraic rate in time, provided the sums of the initial perturbations for the u-component equal zero. A polynomially weighted l 2 norm on the perturba- tion of the discrete travelling wave and a technical energy method are applied to obtain the asymptotic convergence rate.
Analysis and Computation of different parameters of High Frequency Antennas

This paper concentrates in the Analysis and Computation of parameters of High Frequency Antennas e.g. Far field, Standing Wave Ratio, Reflection coefficient, Total Gain, Front to Back Ratio (FBR) etc. by using Numerical Electromagnetic Code (4NEC2) software. The Extended Version of the software i.e. 4NEC2X was used, because Real Time 3D Viewing is not enabled in 4NEC2. The radiation pattern is the graphical depletion of the relative field strength transmitted from or received by the antenna as a function of Space Coordinate. As such, antennas radiate several curve which are crucial in describing the respective antennas. Consequently, our analysis reveals that, antennas show very good characteristics at the operating frequencies compared to any other frequencies.
Postprandial glycaemic response to berry nectars containing inverted sucrose

Abstract Sucrose is commonly used for sweetening berry products. During processing and storage of berry products containing added sucrose, sucrose is inverted to glucose and fructose. We have previously shown that postprandial glycaemic response induced by intact sucrose is attenuated when sucrose is consumed with berries rich in polyphenols. It is not known how inversion of sucrose affects glycaemic response. We investigated postprandial glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) nectars and a reference drink (water) sweetened with glucose and fructose, representing completely inverted sucrose. The nectars and reference drink (300 ml) contained 17·5 g glucose and 17·5 g fructose. Polyphenol composition of the nectars was analysed. A total of eighteen healthy volunteers participated in a randomised, controlled, cross-over study. Blood samples were collected at fasting and six times postprandially during 120 min. Inverted sucrose in the reference drink induced glycaemic and insulinaemic responses similar to those previously observed for intact sucrose. In comparison with the reference, the blackcurrant nectar attenuated the early glycaemic response and improved glycaemic profile, and the lingonberry nectar reduced the insulinaemic response. The responses induced by inverted sucrose in the berry nectars are similar to those previously observed for berry nectars containing intact sucrose, suggesting that inversion has no major impact on glycaemic response to sucrose-sweetened berry products. The attenuated glycaemic response after the blackcurrant nectar may be explained by inhibition of intestinal absorption of glucose by blackcurrant anthocyanins.
Injury risks among chimpanzees in three housing conditions

Meeting the psychological needs of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) can be a challenge given their aggressiveness on the one hand and the complexity of their social lives on the other. It is unclear how to balance the need to provide opportunities for species‐appropriate behavior against potential risks of injury chimpanzees may inflict on each other. This study evaluates the suggestion that simpler social environments protect chimpanzees from wounding. Over a two‐year period all visible injuries to 46 adult males, 64 adult females, and 25 immature chimpanzees were recorded at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center. Approximately half of the subjects were mother‐reared, and the rest were nursery‐reared. Housing included compounds containing about 20 chimpanzees, interconnected indoor‐outdoor runs for groups of up to 12 individuals, and smaller indoor‐outdoor runs for pairs and trios. Annual wounding rates were calculated for serious wounds (extensive injuries and all those requiring veterinary intervention) as well as for minor wounds. Compound‐housed chimpanzees incurred the highest level of minor wounding, but serious wounding levels were not affected by housing condition. Even with a period of dominance instability and elevated levels of wounding in one compound, compound chimpanzees were not injured more than those in smaller social groups over the long term. Nursery‐reared females in moderate‐sized groups were wounded more than mother‐reared females. Also, nursery‐reared males and females were wounded less often when paired with mother‐reared companions. Overall, this study indicates that maintaining chimpanzees in pairs and trios would not be an effective means for reducing injuries. The management of wounding in chimpanzee colonies is influenced more by the sex and rearing composition of a colony. Am. J. Primatol. 51:161–175, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evolution of Integrated Causal Structures in Animats Exposed to Environments of Increasing Complexity

Natural selection favors the evolution of brains that can capture fitness-relevant features of the environment's causal structure. We investigated the evolution of small, adaptive logic-gate networks ("animats") in task environments where falling blocks of different sizes have to be caught or avoided in a 'Tetris-like' game. Solving these tasks requires the integration of sensor inputs and memory. Evolved networks were evaluated using measures of information integration, including the number of evolved concepts and the total amount of integrated conceptual information. The results show that, over the course of the animats' adaptation, i) the number of concepts grows; ii) integrated conceptual information increases; iii) this increase depends on the complexity of the environment, especially on the requirement for sequential memory. These results suggest that the need to capture the causal structure of a rich environment, given limited sensors and internal mechanisms, is an important driving force for organisms to develop highly integrated networks ("brains") with many concepts, leading to an increase in their internal complexity.
Separation and characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana proteins by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) proteins were isolated from five tissues (leaf, stem, root, seed and callus), and separated by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2‐DE). 2‐DE was carried out by immobilized pH gradient (IPG) in the first dimension, and by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) in the second dimension. With the aid of comigrated five‐marker proteins, the patterns of 2‐DE gels for each tissue were graphically combined by a computer into a single synthetic image for the integrated Arabidopsis protein spots. The protein spot images, altogether 4763, were characterized by both molecular mass and isoelectric point. Partial amino(N)‐terminal sequences of 101 protein spots were analyzed by Edman degradation. Fifty seven proteins were partially sequenced and 46 proteins appeared to have blocked N‐termini. Deblocking by hydrazine vapor was carried out on 14 proteins and two of them were found to be pyroglutamyl‐blocked N‐termini. Forty seven new proteins were found by the present investigation.
Computational modelling of the neural systems involved in schizophrenia

The aim of this thesis is to improve our understanding of the neural systems involved in schizophrenia by suggesting possible avenues for future computational modelling in an attempt to make sense of the vast number of studies relating to the symptoms and cognitive deficits relating to the disorder. This multidisciplinary research has covered three different levels of analysis: abnormalities in the microscopic brain structure, dopamine dysfunction at a neurochemical level, and interactions between cortical and subcortical brain areas, connected by cortico-basal ganglia circuit loops; and has culminated in the production of five models that provide useful clarification in this
Effects of Periodic Task-Specific Test Feedback on Physical Performance in Older Adults Undertaking Band-Based Resistance Exercise

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of periodic task-specific test feedback on performance improvement in older adults undertaking community- and home-based resistance exercises (CHBRE). Fifty-two older adults (65–83 years) were assigned to a muscular perfsormance feedback group (MPG, n = 32) or a functional mobility feedback group (FMG, n = 20). Both groups received exactly the same 9-week CHBRE program comprising one community-based and two home-based sessions per week. Muscle performance included arm curls and chair stands in 30 seconds, while functional mobility was determined by the timed up and go (TUG) test. MPG received fortnightly test feedback only on muscle performance and FMG received feedback only on the TUG. Following training, there was a significant (P < 0.05) interaction for all performance tests with MPG improving more for the arm curls (MPG 31.4%, FMG 15.9%) and chair stands (MPG 33.7%, FMG 24.9%) while FMG improved more for the TUG (MPG-3.5%, FMG-9.7%). Results from this nonrandomized study suggest that periodic test feedback during resistance training may enhance task-specific physical performance in older persons, thereby augmenting reserve capacity or potentially reducing the time required to recover functional abilities.
Unraveling the Complex Trait of Crop Yield With Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping in Brassica napus

Yield is the most important and complex trait for the genetic improvement of crops. Although much research into the genetic basis of yield and yield-associated traits has been reported, in each such experiment the genetic architecture and determinants of yield have remained ambiguous. One of the most intractable problems is the interaction between genes and the environment. We identified 85 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for seed yield along with 785 QTL for eight yield-associated traits, from 10 natural environments and two related populations of rapeseed. A trait-by-trait meta-analysis revealed 401 consensus QTL, of which 82.5% were clustered and integrated into 111 pleiotropic unique QTL by meta-analysis, 47 of which were relevant for seed yield. The complexity of the genetic architecture of yield was demonstrated, illustrating the pleiotropy, synthesis, variability, and plasticity of yield QTL. The idea of estimating indicator QTL for yield QTL and identifying potential candidate genes for yield provides an advance in methodology for complex traits.
A New Paradigm for Low-power, Variation-Tolerant Circuit Synthesis Using Critical Path Isolation

Design considerations for robustness with respect to variations and low power operations typically impose contradictory design requirements. Low power design techniques such as voltage scaling, dual-Vth etc. can have a large negative impact on parametric yield. In this paper, we propose a novel paradigm for low-power variation-tolerant circuit design, which allows aggressive voltage scaling. The principal idea is to (a) isolate and predict the set of possible paths that may become critical under process variations, (b) ensure that they are activated rarely, and (c) avoid possible delay failures in the critical paths by dynamically switching to two-cycle operation (assuming all standard operations are single cycle), when they are activated. This allows us to operate the circuit at reduced supply voltage while achieving the required yield. Simulation results on a set of benchmark circuits at 70nm process technology show average power reduction of 60% with less than 10% performance overhead and 18% overhead in die-area compared to conventional synthesis. Application of the proposed methodology to pipelined design is also investigated