C-HEAP: A Heterogeneous Multi-Processor Architecture Template and Scalable and Flexible Protocol for the Design of Embedded Signal Processing Systems

The key issue in the design of Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC) is to trade-off efficiency against flexibility, and time to market versus cost. Current deep submicron processing technologiesenable integration of multiple software programmable processors (e.g., CPUs,DSPs) and dedicated hardware components into a single cost-efficient IC. Ourtop-down design methodology with various abstraction levels helps designingthese ICs in a reasonable amount of time. This methodology starts with a high-levelexecutable specification, and converges towards a silicon implementation.A major task in the design process is to ensure that all components (hardwareand software) communicate with each other correctly. In this article, we tacklethis problem in the context of the signal processing domain in two ways: wepropose a modular, flexible, and scalable heterogeneous multi-processor architecturetemplate based on distributed shared memory, and we present an efficient andtransparent protocol for communication and (re)configuration. The protocolimplementations have been incorporated in libraries, which allows quick traversalof the various abstraction levels, so enabling incremental design. The designdecisions to be taken at each abstraction level are evaluated by means of(co-)simulation. Prototyping is used too, to verify the system's functionalcorrectness. The effectiveness of our approach is illustrated by a designcase of a multi-standard video and image codec.He currently works with Magma Design Automation. E-mail:     

Accumulation of phospholipids and glycolipids in seed kernels of different sunflower mutants (Helianthus annuus)

Phospholipids are essential components of the oil bodies present in seeds, and they are also the main components of the commercial seed lecithins used in many food formulas. In the present study, we analyzed the characteristics of the polar lipid fraction of seeds from different sunflower FA mutants. In sunflower seeds the accumulation of polar lipids reaches a maximum 25 d after anthesis before diminishing during the final stages of maturation and desiccation. We have developed an HPLC method, using ELSD, that produces optimal separation of all polar seed lipids. This method improves the results that could be obtained with previous HPLC methods and hence, we have used it to analyze the polar lipid fraction of sunflower seeds. We show that this fraction comprises phospholipids and glycolipids, of which PC is the most abundant species. Moreover, we found that the relative polar lipid content in control and mutant seeds is similar, suggesting that the mutant traits do not affect polar lipid synthesis. The degradation of polar lipids in isolated seeds was also examined and we found that the PC and PE present in developing sunflower seed kernels were rapidly degraded owing to the activity of D-type phospholipases.     

Method Used to Measure the Thermal Diffusivity of Ceramic Materials

A method used to determine the thermal diffusivity of ceramic materials is discussed. This technique uses the readings from at least three equally spaced thermocouples inserted in either powdered or bulk samples of the ceramic material. The method requires that a transient, one-dimensional heat flow, either by heating or cooling, is established in the sample. The values of thermal diffusivity obtained by the present method yield reasonable results in bulk samples of insulating silica blankets and in samples of powdered magnesia.     

Effects of work overload and burnout on cholesterol and triglycerides levels: The moderating efffects of emotional reactivity among male and female employees.

The effects of objective and subjective overload, and of physical and emotional burnout, on cholesterol and triglycerides levels were studied in a quasiprospective design. The possible moderating effects of emotional reactivity on these relationships were also investigated. The study's hypotheses were tested separately for male and female employees. Time I (T1) data were collected from 665 healthy employees (30% women) while they were undergoing periodic health examinations in a health-screening center Time 2 (T2) measures of cholesterol and triglycerides were collected 2 to 3 years after T1. The hypotheses were tested by regressing each T2 criterion on its T1 level; the control variables of age, obesity, diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking; and the other predictors. For female employees, the T2-T1 changes in the serum lipids were positively predicted by emotional burnout, as expected, but negatively predicted by physical fatigue. For male employees, both types of T1 burnout were positive predictors of the T2-T1 change in total cholesterol. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermal hystersis and quadrupole interactions in ferroelectric transitions.

It is shown that a selfconsistent calculation of the maximum amount of thermal hystersis accompanying discountinous ferroelectric transtion can be made if one takes into account the quadrupolar contribution to the effective ferroelectric field. Comparison of calculated and observed thermal hystersis in sereral ferroelectrics belonging to different families shows fair agreement.     

Mechanical properties of white and green asparagus: changes related to modifications of cell wall components

The changes of texture that take place in white and green asparagus during storage and cooking are, in large part, determined by the composition and structure of the cell walls. Several instrumental methods have been applied to three sections of the spears to investigate the physico‐chemical properties that contribute to the values of texture. Cutting the spears with a razor blade is the most appropriate method for quantifying and comparing the texture of white and green asparagus and, among the different parameters that can be calculated from the curves registered during asparagus cutting, strength and toughness have been used for determining changes of texture. Post‐harvest storage caused an increase of texture mainly located in the lower portions of the white spears. The process of toughening also affected the lower section of the green spears, but to a lesser extent. Cooking resulted in a softening, mostly in the apical section of the stem. Additional information about the physico‐chemical properties of different plant tissues has been obtained by applying a tensile test to the internal and external tissues separated from asparagus sections. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Simulation of water allocation and salt movement in the root zone

This paper is concerned with the simulation of the water allocation and salt movement in the root zone of a particular crop. A mathematical model of four ordinary differential equations is developed. The model performs water balance and salt balance in unsaturated and saturated regions of the root zone. It is a lumped input and lumped parameter conceptual model, which considers the average soil moisture and salt concentration in the root zone. The equations are solved numerically over the time period of the growing season. Precipitation and irrigation water are treated as inputs.The analyzed results indicate that, for the shallow water table case, the water table elevation has an important effect on the soil moisture depletion dynamics of the unsaturated zone. An appreciable amount of water from the saturated zone is transferred through capillary rise to the unsaturated zone particularly in the case of sandy loam soils. It was found that the water table elevation varies significantly during the growing season.The salt movement simulation indicates a salt concentration build up in the unsaturated zone during the growing season. Contours of equal crop yield reduction as a function of the unsaturated zone initial salt concentration and the irrigation water salt concentration are obtained.The model was tested with data from the Mashtul Pilot Area in Egypt and its performance was satisfactory.     

Psychoanalysis and the disenfranchised: Countertransference issues.

This article examines basic psychoanalytic principles and their applications to the understanding and treatment of individuals not historically included in psychoanalytic formulations. It looks at the impact of culture, ethnicity, and class, but particularly poverty. The hope is to develop successful application of psychoanalytic theory and technique to the psychological problems of people living in poverty. Careful examination of their psychological reality may offer a unique opportunity to broaden vision of assessment to what constitutes dysfunctional condition, the concept of adaptation, the development of the working alliance, the nature of resistance and transference reactions, and the like. The analyst's personal discomfort, motivations, and stubborn adherence to specific theoretical and technical stances are considered the most damaging obstacles in this endeavor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theoretical analysis of some spectral multigrid methods

We develop a theoretical analysis of a multigrid algorithm applied to spectral element discretization of linear elliptic problems. For a 1-D problem with non-constant coefficients we prove essentially the independence of the two-level convergence factor with respect to both the degree of the polynomial approximation and the number of spectral elements. We also sketch some ideas for the analysis of the 2-D case when only one spectral element is involved.     

Functional Disambiguation Based on Syntactic Structures

This article presents a disambiguation method which diminishesthe functional combinations of the words of a sentence takinginto account the context in which they appear. This processis built in two phases: the first phase is based on the localsyntactic structures of the Spanish language and reaches anaverage yield of 87%. The second one is supported by syntactictree representation and pushes the results up to an approximatehigh end of 96%. This process constitutes the starting pointtowards an automated syntactic analysis.