Buffer Placement and Sizing for High-Performance Dataflow Circuits

Commercial high-level synthesis tools typically produce statically scheduled circuits. Yet, effective C-to-circuit conversion of arbitrary software applications calls for dataflow circuits, as they can handle efficiently variable latencies (e.g., caches), unpredictable memory dependencies, and irregular control flow. Dataflow circuits exhibit an unconventional property: registers (usually referred to as “buffers”) can be placed anywhere in the circuit without changing its semantics, in strong contrast to what happens in traditional datapaths. Yet, although functionally irrelevant, this placement has a significant impact on the circuit’s timing and throughput. In this work, we show how to strategically place buffers into a dataflow circuit to optimize its performance. Our approach extracts a set of choice-free critical loops from arbitrary dataflow circuits and relies on the theory of marked graphs to optimize the buffer placement and sizing. Our performance optimization model supports important high-level synthesis features such as pipelined computational units, units with variable latency and throughput, and if-conversion. We demonstrate the performance benefits of our approach on a set of dataflow circuits obtained from imperative code.

Characterization of Internal Fatigue Cracks in Aluminum Alloys by Simulation of Phase Contrast Tomography

Synchrotron Radiation Computed Tomography (SRCT) allows a better detection of fatigue cracks in metals than laboratory CT due to the existence of phase contrast. However the presence in reconstructed images of fringes at the edges of objects generated by Fresnel diffraction makes it difficult to identify and analyze the cracks quantitatively. Simulations of phase contrast synchrotron tomography images containing cracks with different sizes and shapes are obtained by using GATE software. Analyzing the simulation results, firstly, we confirmed that the bright parts with strong contrast in SRCT image are streak artifacts; secondly, we found that the gray scale values within the cracks in SRCT images are related to the crack size; these simulation results are used to analyse SRCT images of internal fatigue cracks in a cast Al alloy, providing a clearer visualisation of damage.

An analysis of axisymmetric Sezawa waves in elastic solids

The wave propagation in elastic solids covered by a thin layer has received significant attention due to the existence of Sezawa waves in many applications such as medical imaging. With a Helmholtz decomposition in cylindrical coordinates and subsequent solutions with Bessel functions, it is found that the velocity of such Sezawa waves is the same as the one in Cartesian coordinates, but the displacement will be decaying along the radius with eventual conversion to plane waves. The decaying with radius exhibits a strong contrast to the uniform displacement in the Cartesian formulation, and the asymptotic approximation is accurate in the range about one wavelength away from the origin. The displacement components in the vicinity of origin are naturally given in Bessel functions which can be singular, making it more suitable to analyze waves excited by a point source with solutions from cylindrical coordinates. This is particularly important in extracting vital wave properties and reconstructing the waveform in the vicinity of source of excitation with measurement data from the outer region.

The High Middle Ages, 1100–1350

This chapter deals with the richly documented high medieval period, in which we can trace the landscape and economy of the hundred in very considerable detail. The nature of settlements and agriculture is set out, including the strong contrast between vale and Chiltern communities. The chapter includes a map of the hundred’s landscape in 1300, as well as the first of a series of maps of parish fields and field names. The chapter argues that this period saw an increasing divergence between the vale and the Chiltern parts of the hundred in terms of population, settlement patterns, and everyday life. The implications for perceptions are explored through an analysis of open and closed space in different settlements, and the period’s many and rich field names and peasant bynames.

How Mercedes-Benz addresses digital transformation using Holacracy

PurposeFirms are challenged by digital transformation, as their organizational design is not up to par. Mercedes-Benz.io, a 100% subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG Daimler group, employs Holacracy, a self-management framework that abolishes traditional hierarchies in order to be more responsive to changes. This paper aims to explore how Mercedes-Benz.io utilizes Holacracy in order to address the challenges posed by digital transformation.Design/methodology/approachUsing qualitative expert interviews, the authors show that organizational life becomes more meaningful but also more engaging and demanding. The authors highlight that agile principles can be embedded in the organizational structure, a strong contrast to conventional management design. Decision-making authority and accountability is decentralized toward employees who face operational realities. This fosters commitment but might prolong the decision process. Leadership seems to be fairly contextual, and career paths are fundamentally different; development avenues are rather functional.FindingsThe authors conclude that Holacracy seems suitable for industries where the need for adaptability outweighs the need for reliability. It leads to increased transparency and accountability but is not a ready-made solution and requires ample resources.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first that qualitatively assess the changes, implications and outcomes of organizations that employ Holacracy.

Contrasting Warlpiri and English Language Features

If you were to think that the English language and the Australian Aboriginal Warlpiri language are poles apart in character and nature, you could be correct, at least in principle. There are differences, of course, but the intriguing question must be whether those language differences are sufficient enough to form a strong contrast between the languages. This paper proposes the thesis that a demonstration of just a small number of differences, each of which is critical in nature, would ensure that Warlpiri will be seen, not just as apart from English, but as worlds apart from English; that is, the Warlpiri language has cleaved loyally to its heritage of complexity, while English has cleaved far away from its now distant origins and could be described as simplistic when viewed against the complex richness of Warlpiri. The methodology used in this essay is to provide Warlpiri language exemplars across a small number of the diverse differences which make Warlpiri unique in its own ways, while listing a small number of differences that make English unique. This discussion should make understandable Warlpiri youth’s recent drive to creating a parallel and successful version of their language.

Arrival in Paris

This chapter describes the city of Paris encountered by Adrien-Joseph Colson when he first arrived there in the middle of the eighteenth century, underlining the great size of the city and the extraordinary diversity in wealth and living conditions among the various elements of the population that he encountered. It also describes his family background and education before his arrival in Paris to take up a career as lawyer and accountant to a noble family. It takes note of the strong contrast between his relatively humble background in an artisan family and his relatively prestigious career as a Parisian lawyer.

Saudi-Emirati economic competition will mount further

Significance This comes amid a growing divergence between the two countries on oil policy, economic diversification and the conduct of regional affairs, including in Yemen. It forms a strong contrast to the close bilateral coordination seen in 2015-18. Impacts Rising competition will be primarily economic rather than (geo)political, unlike the rift with Qatar in 2017. Discrepancies between the timing of the two crown princes’ accessions in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi may affect ties. Internal UAE tensions could increase if Dubai feels Abu Dhabi is not doing enough to protect its commercial interests. Political leaders in Abu Dhabi may seek benefits through public distancing from reputation-hit Riyadh in Washington’s eyes.

Milgram revisited: The role of belief in science

Belief in science is a term applied to assess the degree to which individuals see science as a positive and moral force. This allegiance to science as a guide for societal progress changes on a cultural level over time, with there being a particularly strong contrast between the widespread distrust of science in modern times and the ‘Golden Age of Futurism’ that contextualized Milgram’s infamous obedience experiments. Milgram’s experiments have been critically analyzed for their methods and conclusions, and although many factors have been proposed as possible contributors, society’s relationship with science during that era is largely overlooked. This presentation applies belief in science as a likely contributing factor in Milgram’s experiments through two primary routes: 1) the experiments took place during a timeframe characterized by a rich embracing of science through major innovations, portrayals in popular media, and celebrity scientists, and 2) the use of belief in science as a prime in a multitude of ways, including legitimizing the experiment with a scientific textbook and by advertising Yale University as the location of the experiments. Belief in science should be considered among contributing factors in discussing Milgram’s outcome, as it could contribute to obedience through an appeal to scientific progress, calling further into question Milgram’s wartime atrocity applications, and offers an additional reason as to why the obedience experiments would inevitably differ in a modern context.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings of endosalpingiosis: a case report

Endosalpingiosis is characterized by the presence of glands lined by benign tubal-type epithelium outside the fallopian tube. It is usually an incidental finding and rarely occurs as a tumor-like mass lesion. Here, we describe the magnetic resonance imaging findings of endosalpingiosis that presented as a paraovarian multicystic lesion. It exhibited iso to low intensity on T1-weighted images and inhomogeneous high intensity on T2-weighted images. The septa presented relatively iso to slight high intensity on T2-weighted images and strong contrast enhancement on dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. Endosalpingiosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of paraovarian multicystic lesions along the uterine serosa.