Interconnection Pattern Research Articles

Thermal-Aware Non-slicing VLSI Floorplanning Using a Smart Decision-Making PSO-GA Based Hybrid Algorithm

Floorplanning is an important physical design step in the ASIC design flow. It is the process of estimating the area to be occupied by various blocks in a layout together with a precise interconnection pattern. In this work, a smart decision-making hybrid particle swarm optimization-genetic algorithm that aims at reducing the area, wirelength, and hotspot by distributing the temperature evenly across the chip is presented. B*-tree is used to generate the initial floorplan and later a PSO-GA based hybrid algorithm is used to obtain an optimal placement solution. Temperature-driven floorplanning is considered at the perturbation stage to separate the hotspots, thereby reducing the average and maximum temperature. The experimental results of the proposed algorithm are compared with other stochastic algorithms using MCNC and Alpha processor floorplan benchmark circuits. The result shows that the proposed algorithm performs efficient floorplanning, with reduced average and peak temperature.

Laser-based patterning for fluidic devices in nitrocellulose.

In this report, we demonstrate a simple and low cost method that can be reproducibly used for fabrication of microfluidic devices in nitrocellulose. The fluidic patterns are created via a laser-based direct-write technique that induces polymerisation of a photo-polymer previously impregnated in the nitrocellulose. The resulting structures form hydrophobic barriers that extend through the thickness of the nitrocellulose and define an interconnected hydrophilic fluidic-flow pattern. Our experimental results show that using this method it is possible to achieve microfluidic channels with lateral dimensions of ∼100 μm using hydrophobic barriers that form the channel walls with dimensions of ∼60 μm; both of these values are considerably smaller than those that can be achieved with other current techniques used in the fabrication of nitrocellulose-based fluidic devices. A simple grid patterned nitrocellulose device was then used for the detection of C-reactive protein via a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which served as a useful proof-of-principle experiment.

Delayed mutual information infers patterns of synaptic connectivity in a proprioceptive neural network.

Understanding the patterns of interconnections between neurons in complex networks is an enormous challenge using traditional physiological approaches. Here we combine the use of an information theoretic approach with intracellular recording to establish patterns of connections between layers of interneurons in a neural network responsible for mediating reflex movements of the hind limb of an insect. By analysing delayed mutual information of the synaptic and spiking responses of sensory neurons, spiking and nonspiking interneurons in response to movement of a joint receptor that monitors the position of the tibia relative to the femur, we are able to predict the patterns of interconnections between the layers of sensory neurons and interneurons in the network, with results matching closely those known from the literature. In addition, we use cross-correlation methods to establish the sign of those interconnections and show that they also show a high degree of similarity with those established for these networks over the last 30 years. The method proposed in this paper has great potential to elucidate functional connectivity at the neuronal level in many different neuronal networks.

Nonbinary LDPC Codes on Cages: Structural Property and Code Optimization

A (v,g)-cage is a (not necessarily unique) smallest v-regular graph of girth g. On such a graph, a nonbinary (2,v)-regular low-density parity-check (LDPC) code can be defined such that the Tanner graph has girth 2g and the code length achieves the minimum possible. In this paper, we focus on two aspects of this class of codes, structural property and code optimization. We find that, in addition to those found previously, many cages can be used to construct structured LDPC codes. We show that all cages with even girth can be structured as protograph-based codes, many of which have block-circulant Tanner graphs. We also find that four cages with odd girth can be structured as protograph-based codes with block-circulant Tanner graphs. For code optimization, we develop an ontology-based approach. All possible inter-connected cycle patterns that lead to low symbol-weight codewords are identified to put together the ontology. By doing so, it becomes handleable to estimate and optimize distance spectrum of equivalent binary image codes. We further analyze some known codes from the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems recommendation and design several new codes. Numerical results show that these codes have reasonably good minimum bit distance and perform well under iterative decoding.

Baltic shells: on the mechanics of trade-based money-laundering in the former Soviet space

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a platform of interconnected international shell companies operated through Baltic banks, used for trade-based money laundering (TBML) across Russia, Ukraine and other post-Soviet states. Design/methodology/approach – This is a case study that draws extensively on the results of journalist investigations and court cases to describe one example of a money-laundering platform. Findings – Platforms of international shell companies operated through Baltic banks play a key role in TBML for the post-Soviet countries. They are created for systematic laundering of revenues from tax evasion, tax fraud, corruption and criminality across the post-Soviet space, and also globally. Research limitations/implications – This study implies that TBML for the post-Soviet space is a specialized industry, hosted by collaborating banks centered in the Baltic states, in conjunction with mass use of international shell companies. Practical implications – This study implies that analysis of suspicious transactions cannot remain on the level of single companies but has to take into account the interconnected payment patterns produced by such a platform. Originality/value – Provides the first study of a trade-based money-laundering platform operating in the post-Soviet space.

Local Subspace Identification of Distributed Homogeneous Systems With General Interconnection Patterns

This paper studies the local identification of large-scale homogeneous systems with general network topologies. The considered local system identification problem involves unmeasurable signals between neighboring subsystems. Compared with our previous work in Yu et al. (2014) which solves the local identification of 1D homogeneous systems, the main challenge of this work is how to deal with the general network topology. To overcome this problem, we first decompose the interested local system into separate subsystems using some state, input and output transform, namely the spatially lifted local system has block diagonal system matrices.We subsequently estimate the Markov parameters of the local system by solving a nuclear norm regularized optimization problem. To realize the state-space system model from the estimated Markov parameters, another nuclear norm regularized optimization problem is provided by taking into account of the inherent dependence of a redundant parameter vector. Finally, the overall identification procedure is summarized.

Demonstration of the monolithic interconnection on CIS solar cells by picosecond laser structuring on 30 by 30 cm2 modules

AbstractIn this paper, we present the selective structuring of all three patterns (P1, P2 and P3) of a monolithic interconnection of CIS (Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2) thin film solar cells by picosecond laser pulses at a wavelength of 1064 nm. We show results for single pulse ablation threshold values and line scribing of molybdenum films on glass (P1), CIS on molybdenum (P2) and zinc oxide on CIS (P3). The purposes of these processes are the p‐type isolation (P1), cell interconnect (P2) and n‐type isolation (P3), which are required for complete cell architecture. The half micron thick molybdenum back electrode can be structured with a process speed of more than 15 m/s at about 15 W average power without detectable residues and damage by direct induced laser ablation from the back side (P1). The CIS layer can be structured selectively down to the molybdenum at process speeds up to 1 m/s at about 15 W average power, due to the precision of direct laser ablation in the ultrashort pulse regime (P2). The ZnO front electrode layer is separated by clean trenches with straight side walls at process speeds of up to 15 m/s at about 10 W average power, as a result of indirect induced laser ablation (P3). A validation of functionality of all processes is demonstrated on CIS solar cell modules (30 × 30 cm2). By replacing one state‐of‐the‐art process by a picosecond laser process at a time, solar efficiencies could be increased for P1 and P2 and stayed on a similar level for P3. After an optimization of the patterning processes in the R&D pilot line of AVANCIS, we achieved a new record efficiency for an all‐laser‐patterned CIS solar module: 14.7% as best value for the aperture area efficiency of a 30 × 30 cm2 sized CIS module was reached. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Etika Jurnalistik Perspektif Al-Qur’an

Today, journalistic world increasingly finds its freedom. effects can no longer be taken lightly. Therefore, there should be some rules to control and to command the journalists, not to restrict it. Related to this issue, the normative sources of Islam, the Qur'a, such as found in (QS. al-Ahzab [33]: 70), encourage people to speak the truth honestly. In another verse, Allah also ordered to stay away from the prejudice that would bring doubt and untruth (QS. al-Hujurat [49]: 12), nor slander broadcast news in various forms (QS. al-Nur [24]: 19). In addition, the reader should check the truth first before receive it (QS. al-Hujurat [49]: 6). Some of these verses are references to the news makers or journalists in their works, as well as for the consumers when they receive the news. In this paper, the dialogue between the Qur'an and the phenomenon of journalism displayed using the comparative nature of the interconnection pattern (in this case the journalistic ethics of the Press Council and the decision of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission and journalistic ethics in the Qur'an). Concerning the exegesis of the Qur'an, the method is used is ijmali and it did not interpret all of the content of verses, only part of it related to the news.[Hari ini, dunia jurnalistik semakin menemukan kebebasan. Dampaknya tidak bisa lagi dianggap enteng. Oleh karena itu, harus ada aturan untuk mengendalikan dan mengatur jurnalistik, walaupun hal itu tidak dimaksudkan untuk membatasi. Terkait dengan masalah ini, sumber-sumber normatif Islam, al-Qur'an, seperti yang ditemukan dalam (QS. al-Ahzab [33]: 70), mendorong orang untuk berbicara kebenaran jujur. Dalam ayat lain, Allah juga memerintahkan untuk menjauh dari prasangka yang akan membawa keraguan dan ketidakbenaran (al-Hujurat [49] QS. 12). Atau fitnah siaran berita dalam berbagai bentuk (QS al-Nur [24]: 19). Selain itu, pembaca harus memeriksa kebenaran terlebih dahulu sebelum menerimanya (QS al-Hujurat [49]: 6). Beberapa ayat-ayat ini adalah referensi kepada para pembuat berita atau wartawan dalam karya-karya mereka, serta bagi konsumen ketika mereka menerima berita. Dalam tulisan ini, dialog antara Al-Qur'an dan fenomena jurnalisme ditampilkan menggunakan sifat komparatif pola interkoneksi (dalam hal ini etika jurnalistik Dewan Pers dan keputusan Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia dan etika jurnalistik dalam Qur'an). Mengenai tafsir Al-Qur'an, metode yang digunakan adalah ijmali dan tidak menafsirkan semua isi ayat, hanya bagian dari itu berkaitan dengan berita.]

Row-based configuration mechanism for a 2-D processing element array in coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture

Using the coarser operand grain and simplified interconnection patterns, CGRA (coarse grained reconfigurable architectures) has been proven to be energy efficient in several specific domains. As we know, the speed at which the contexts are applied to a PEA (processing element array) directly determines the performance of CGRA. In this paper, the design space in CGRA is further developed from the configuration granularity perspective by one middle-grained configuration granularity—the row-based configuration mechanism (RCM). The most prominent feature of the RCM is that a large DFG (data flow graph) can be mapped onto a small array in once reconfiguration, which is carried out on a row-by-row basis. Compared with an ordinary DFG-partitioning solution, the reconfiguration time and the data transfer time are well reduced. Furthermore, the proposed RCM offers much more efficient storage for the contexts. Compared with the DFG partitioning solution, the performance is boosted from 2.6% to 57.8%, while the area penalty is only 4.79% and the power penalty is only 7.22%. The RCM has been used in one reconfigurable processor called REMUS HPA (reconfigurable multi-media system, high performance version advanced). REMUS HPA has been implemented on a 50.5 mm2 silicon with TSMC 65 nm technology. Simulation shows that 1920×1088@37 fps can be achieved for H.264 high-profile decoding when exploiting a 200 MHz working frequency. Compared with the high performance version of XPP (one commercial reconfigurable processor), the performance is 247% boosted.

Alzheimer's Disease: From Genes to Nutrition

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is widely identified as the most common cause of sporadic dementia. Its aetiology is still debated, as despite several hypotheses, different factors seem to play a role in its establishment and development. Recent studies have proposed a possible preventing role of nutrition. The weight loss typical of earlier phase of disease and the finding of malnutrition as a common trait between patients leads to hypothesize that a supplementation of specific nutrients seems to be useful and effective in terms of improvement of cognitive functions. Malnourished patients show also altered parameters when investigating inflammation markers: for example, hyperhomocysteinemia is a typical finding in elderly affected by dementia, and it can be prevented and corrected by using a proper nutrients supplementation. Pro-inflammatory state can be reduced with supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins of the group B and phosphatidylserine, that can act reducing IL-1β (pro-inflammatory cytokine) and improving IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokine) synthesis. While investigating the role of nutrition, it seems to be deeply linked with genetic; a genetic onset AD-related could be latent and can be influenced by nutritional attitude. AD can be considered a sort of latent clinical condition that would disclose or not, depending also on micro-environment and nutritional parameters. The genetic expression can be influenced by assumptions or not of specific nutrients, with the promotion of different pro- or anti-inflammatory settings. The specific role of each micronutrient (in particular vitamins) and trace elements still needs to be punctuated, as they are involved in a pool of different reactions. Also genes acts not independently but in an interconnected pattern, in which the role of a single gene needs to be cleared, depending on others. This complex system of predisposing conditions and a possible role of nutrition as modulator of the inflammatory state is the object of this review.

It's all relative: Spatial positioning of parties and ideological shifts

AbstractThe usefulness of the general class of spatial econometric models, which relaxes the assumption that the observations are independent, has only recently been realised. One particularly fruitful application includes models of parties' ideological change as well as the electoral consequences of party competition. In these studies, scholars can explicitly model the spatial interconnectedness of political parties in theoretically pleasing ways, producing inferences that are consistent with formal models of party competition, but are beyond the grasp of traditional ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. To illustrate these benefits, this article replicates Adams and Somer‐Topcu's 2009 study of parties' responses to ideological shifts by rival parties to show that appropriately modeling patterns of interconnectivity between parties via weights matrices provides more realistic inferences that are more consistent with formal models of party competition.

A pattern language for the evolution of component-based software architectures

Architecture-centric software evolution enables change in a system’s structure and behaviour while maintaining a global view of the software to address evolution-centric trade-offs. The existing solutions for architectural maintenance and evolution fall short of exploiting generic and reusable expertise to address recurring evolution problems. We present a pattern language as a collection of interconnected change patterns that enable reuse-driven and consistent evolution of component-based software architectures. Pattern interconnections represent possible relationships among patterns (such as variants or related patterns) in the language. In general, we introduce architecture change mining (pattern language development) as a complementary and integrated phase to facilitate reuse-driven architecture change execution (pattern language application). We evaluate the language applicability to support pattern-driven reuse in architecture evolution of a payment system case study. We also analyse the precision and recall factor as a measure of selecting the most appropriate pattern(s) from the language collection. The pattern language itself continuously evolves with an incremental discovery of new patterns from change logs over time

Childhood Anxiety and Psychophysiological Reactivity: Hypnosis to Build Discrimination and Self-Regulation Skills

Clinically anxious, worried, and fearful children and teens need clinicians’ assistance in reducing their exaggerated psychophysiological stress reactivity. Affective neuroscience finds that chronic activation of the body’s emergency response system inhibits neurogenesis, disrupts neuronal plasticity, and is detrimental to physical and mental health. Patterns of faulty discrimination skills, for example, over-estimation of threat and danger and under-estimation of their coping capacity, fuel this over-arousal. Similarly, contributory patterns of reduced self-regulation skills are shown by “stuck” attention to and poor control of their exaggerated psychophysiological reactivity and somatization. This article considers the literature and focuses on cognitive hypnotherapy to enhance these under-developed capacities. A case illustration highlights various hypnotic phenomena and techniques, psychoeducation, and relaxation training that address the goals of interrupting these unproductive, interconnected patterns and fostering new patterns of more realistic and accurate discrimination capacities and sturdier psychophysiological self-regulation skills.

Developing a framework to improve virtual shopping in digital malls with intelligent self-service systems

Growing movements to urban places, increasing unemployment, decreasing buying power, rising real estate cost and demanding consumers for convenience and price are creating challenges for retailers. This paper reviews a sample list of retail channels, and proposes a systematic framework for conceptualizing the data-driven, and mobile- and cloud-enabled intelligent self-service systems to improve virtual shopping. With adoption of intelligent self-service systems, – more service oriented, more instrumented (from sensors to smart phones for monitoring consumers׳ behaviors), interconnected (patterns of interactions), and intelligent (algorithms help recognize patterns) – retail organizations can provide more cost effective quality retail service experiences to consumers.

Defining Magdalenian cultural groups in Franco-Cantabria by the formal analysis of portable artworks

The motifs, techniques and stylistic features of Upper Palaeolithic art offer enormous potential for the investigation of social and cultural interactions in south-western France and northern Spain during the later stages of the last ice age. The key regions of Aquitaine, Cantabria and the Pyrenees clearly share an overall family resemblance, but detailed analysis of horse heads on portable objects of bone, antler and stone from Magdalenian contexts reveal that particular features can be attributed to different regions at different periods. Furthermore, the patterns of interconnection are structured very differently in the Upper Magdalenian than in the Middle Magdalenian, perhaps as rising temperatures in the latter period led to territorial expansion and social realignment.

Crossing the Bay of Bengal: the furies of nature and the fortunes of migrants

Book synopsis: The Indian Ocean was global long before the Atlantic, and today the countries bordering the Bay of Bengal—India, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia—are home to one in four people on Earth. Crossing the Bay of Bengal places this region at the heart of world history for the first time. Integrating human and environmental history, and mining a wealth of sources, Sunil Amrith gives a revelatory and stirring new account of the Bay and those who have inhabited it. For centuries the Bay of Bengal served as a maritime highway between India and China, and then as a battleground for European empires, all while being shaped by the monsoons and by human migration. Imperial powers in the nineteenth century, abetted by the force of capital and the power of steam, reconfigured the Bay in their quest for coffee, rice, and rubber. Millions of Indian migrants crossed the sea, bound by debt or spurred by drought, and filled with ambition. Booming port cities like Singapore and Penang became the most culturally diverse societies of their time. By the 1930s, however, economic, political, and environmental pressures began to erode the Bay’s centuries-old patterns of interconnection. Today, rising waters leave the Bay of Bengal’s shores especially vulnerable to climate change, at the same time that its location makes it central to struggles over Asia’s future. Amrith’s evocative and compelling narrative of the region’s pasts offers insights critical to understanding and confronting the many challenges facing Asia in the decades ahead.

Corporate governance and brand performance

Purpose– This investigation into listed companies at the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE) in Vietnam aims to discern whether such constructs as trust and ethics act as precursors for brand performance with the mediating role of corporate governance.Design/methodology/approach– Three hundred and twelve responses returned from self-administered structured questionnaires relayed to 1,163 middle-level managers were dissected via ANOVAs and structural equation modelling.Findings– From the findings emerged the interconnections between ethics of justice and calculation-based trust. Ethics of care, on the other hand, tends to cultivate knowledge-based trust and identification-based trust, which in turn positively impact corporate governance. The findings also paved the path from strong corporate governance to high brand performance.Originality/value– From the findings of the study, the insight into the interconnection pattern of brand performance and its antecedents highlights the magnitude of ethics training program as well as the construction of knowledge-based trust, identification-based trust as well as strong corporate governance in optimizing brand performance in listed companies in Vietnam market.

Political Television Hosts on Twitter: Examining Patterns of Interconnectivity and Self-Exposure in Twitter Political Talk Networks

This study takes a social networks approach to studying the Twitter talk evoked by politically oriented cable television hosts. Two aspects of user interactions are examined: the interconnectedness of users as an indication for users' networks of exchange of opinions and information, and exposure to a political diversity of information sources. Findings suggest that users prefer exposing themselves to politically like-minded information sources. Furthermore, television hosts failed to evoke an exchange of opinions and ideas among their followers. In contrast, other information sources that reported about these hosts evoked denser interaction among their followers.

Radix-R WHT-FFT with Identical Stage-to-Stage Interconnection Pattern

Radix-R WHT-FFT with Identical Stage-to-Stage Interconnection Pattern

Selective Growth of Neural Networks on Micro-Patterned Graphene

Single crystal graphene is the ideal candidate for next generation of electronic devices and of biosensors. Interfacing graphene with neural cells could be highly advantageous in exploring their electrical behaviour and promising for several biomedical applications, including neural regeneration and artificial retina. Here, we present a straightforward fabrication technique based on laser ablation to obtain patterned substrates promoting ordered neuron growth. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) single layer graphene (SLG) was machined by means of single pulse UV laser ablation technique at the lowest effective laser fluence in order to minimize laser damage effects (1). The obtained patterned substrates, with alternating micro-sized stripes of ablated and not-ablated SLG, were uniformly coated with poly-D-lysine; primary embryonic hippocampal neurons were cultured on the functionalized substrates. As monitored by time-lapse imaging, neurons adhered on both regions of the pattern, but they spontaneously migrate to the SLG areas and eventually form an ordered interconnected neuron pattern perfectly superimposed to the pattern design. Surface functionalization was then more effective on the SLG, and resulted in notably aligned neural network. The described technique could be considered a valuable candidate to realize a new generation of highly specialized biosensors. To gain further insight into the preferential positioning of neurons onto SLG, the distribution of focal adhesion proteins on the patterned SLG was investigated; Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM) was employed in order to localize the cellular components for focal adhesion. Super resolution imaging qualitatively confirms that the distribution of vinculin molecules tagged with Alexa 647 has more affinity towards the SLG regions compared to the ablated ones.1 Lorenzoni et al, Scientific Reports 3:1954, DOI:10.1038/srep01954.