A double data rate (DDR) architecture for OFDM based wireless consumer devices

The creation of OFDM based Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) has allowed high bit-rate wireless communication devices suitable for streaming High Definition video between consumer products as demonstrated in Wireless- USB. However, these devices need high clock rates, particularly for the OFDM sections resulting in high silicon cost and high electrical power. Acknowledging that electrical power in wireless consumer devices is more critical than the number of implemented logic gates, this paper presents a Double Data Rate (DDR) architecture to reduce the OFDM input and output clock rate by a factor of 2. The architecture has been implemented and tested for Wireless-USB (ECMA-368) resulting in a maximum clock of 264MHz instead of 528MHz existing anywhere on the die.

DDR: an index method for large time-series datasets

The tree index structure is a traditional method for searching similar data in large datasets. It is based on the presupposition that most sub-trees are pruned in the searching process. As a result, the number of page accesses is reduced. However, time-series datasets generally have a very high dimensionality. Because of the so-called dimensionality curse, the pruning effectiveness is reduced in high dimensionality. Consequently, the tree index structure is not a suitable method for time-series datasets. In this paper, we propose a two-phase (filtering and refinement) method for searching time-series datasets. In the filtering step, a quantizing time-series is used to construct a compact file which is scanned for filtering out irrelevant. A small set of candidates is translated to the second step for refinement. In this step, we introduce an effective index compression method named grid-based datawise dimensionality reduction (DRR) which attempts to preserve the characteristics of the time-series. An experimental comparison with existing techniques demonstrates the utility of our approach.

SET overexpression decreases cell detoxification efficiency: ALDH2 and GSTP1 are downregulated, DDR is impaired and DNA damage accumulates

Alcohol and tobacco consumption are risk factors for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and glutathione Stransferase pi 1 (GSTP1) are important enzymes for cellular detoxification and low efficiencies are implicated in cancer. We assessed the potential role of SET protein overexpression, a histone acetylation modulator accumulated in HNSCC, in gene regulation and protein activity of ALDH2 and GSTP1. SET was knocked down in HN13, HN12 and Cal27, and overexpressed in HEK293 cells; ethanol and cisplatin were the chemical agents. Cells with SET overexpression (HEK293/SET, HN13 and HN12) showed lower ALDH2 and GSTP1 mRNA levels and trichostatin A increased them (real-time PCR). Ethanol upregulated GSTP1 and ALDH2 mRNAs, whereas cisplatin upregulated GSTP1 in HEK293 cells. SET-chromatin binding revealed SET interaction with ALDH2 and GSTP1 promoters, specifically via SET NAP domain; ethanol and cisplatin abolished SET binding. ALDH2 and GSTP1 efficiency was assessed by enzymatic and comet assay. A lower ALDH2 activity was associated with greater DNA damage (tail intensity) in HEK293/SET compared with HEK293 cells, whereas HN13/siSET showed ALDH2 activity higher than HN13 cells. HN13/siSET cells showed increased tail intensity. Cisplatin-induced DNA damage response showed negative relationship between SET overexpression and BRCA2 recruitment. SET downregulated repair genes ATM, BRCA1 and CHEK2 and upregulated TP53. Cisplatin-induced cell-cycle arrest occurred in G0/G1 and S in HEK293 cells, whereas HEK293/SET showed G2/M stalling. Overall, cisplatin was more cytotoxic for HN13 than HN13/siSET cells. Our data suggest a role for SET in cellular detoxification, DNA damage response and genome integrity.

L'ultima propaganda. Proposta di sottotitolaggio del notiziario "1. Mai 1989" e del documentario "Berlin - Hauptstadt der DDR"

Dal 1949 al 1989 la Germania dovette fare i conti con le conseguenze della 2^ guerra mondiale e della guerra fredda, che portarono alla spaccatura ideologica e geografica del paese. La Repubblica Democratica Tedesca, costruita su modello del socialismo dell’Urss, era guidata dal partito della SED, che esercitò il proprio predominio sociale, politico ed economico sulla popolazione e sull’opinione pubblica, servendosi di mezzi sottili di influenza e di controllo e, non da ultimo, del linguaggio. Il progetto di questa tesi si basa sull’analisi e il sottotitolaggio di un notiziario del telegiornale della Germania Est, Aktuelle Kamera, e di un documentario prodotto dalla DEFA, l’impresa tedesco-orientale addetta alla produzione di film, con l’obiettivo di approfondire lo studio della propaganda degli ultimi anni di vita della RDT, che, grazie al controllo di tutti i mezzi di comunicazione, indottrinava i cittadini a una visione socialista del mondo e giustificava le scelte del governo. Attraverso il filtro cinematografico si possono delineare le caratteristiche della società tedesca orientale, che, pur sotto l’influenza sovietica, presentava una propria identità e cultura. Nel primo capitolo di questo elaborato verrà presentato il quadro storico di riferimento, ripercorrendo le tappe salienti che portarono alla formazione delle due Germanie e l’evoluzione sociale e politica della RDT; nel secondo capitolo ci si concentrerà sul sistema della propaganda creato dal regime con particolare attenzione al ruolo delle istituzioni, dei media e degli intellettuali. Inoltre si farà accenno all’opera di censura, al delicato mondo del consenso/dissenso e al Ministero della Sicurezza di Stato. Infine, nel terzo e ultimo capitolo verranno presentati i due documenti sottotitolati (il notiziario “1. Mai 1989” e il documentario “Berlin – die Hauptstadt der DDR”) e, basandosi su esempi concreti, verranno analizzate le strategie traduttive messe in atto durante la fase di traduzione.

Wirkmechanismen sozial-interpersoneller Faktoren in einer Stichprobe ehemals politisch Inhaftierter der DDR

Social/interpersonal factors play a central role in PTSD. Previous studies have indicated the specific pathways along which these factors take effect. The study reported here investigates these pathways with reference to a sample of former political prisoners jailed in the GDR. It examines dysfunctional disclosure of traumatic experiences, social acknowledgement, general social support and forgiveness tendencies. For the study N = 86 non-treatment-seeking former political prisoners were recruited (average age 64 years). The instruments employed were the Disclosure of Trauma questionnaire, the Social Acknowledgement questionnaire, the Social Support questionnaire, the Tendency to Forgive scale and the Impact of Event scale (revised). Dysfunctional disclosure was proximally, social acknowledgement distally and general social support and forgiveness indirectly associated with PTSD symptomatologies. The study casts light on potential pathways to posttraumatic adjustment, with special reference to social/interpersonal factors.

Gacaca and DDR : the disputable record of state-building in Rwanda

State-building is currently considered to be an indispensable process in overcoming state fragility: a condition characterized by frequent armed conflicts as well as chronic poverty. In this process, both the capacity and the legitimacy of the state are supposed to be enhanced; such balanced development of capacity and legitimacy has also been demanded in security sector reform (SSR), which is regarded as being a crucial part of post-conflict state-building. To enhance legitimacy, the importance of democratic governance is stressed in both state-building and SSR in post-conflict countries. In reality, however, the balanced enhancement of capacity and legitimacy has rarely been realized. In particular, legitimacy enhancement tends to stagnate in countries in which one of multiple warring parties takes a strong grip on state power. This paper tries to understand why such unbalanced development of state-building and SSR has been observed in post-conflict countries, through a case study of Rwanda. Analyses of two policy initiatives in the security sector - Gacaca transitional justice and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) - indicate that although these programs achieved goals set by the government, their contribution to the normative objectives promoted by the international community was quite debatable. It can be understood that this is because the country has subordinated SSR to its state-building process. After the military victory of the former rebels, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the ruling elite prioritized the establishment of political stability over the introduction of international norms such as democratic governance and the rule of law. SSR was implemented only to the extent that it contributed to, and did not threaten, Rwanda's RPF-led state-building.

Die Banane in der DDR : DEFA-Filme zwischen Ideologie und Wirklichkeit

[s.c.]

Zeitschrift für Urologie und Nephrologie : organ der Gesellschaft für Urologie der DDR und der Gesellschaft für Nephrologie der DDR.

Title from cover.

Alternative Emanzipationsvorstellungen in der DDR unter Honecker (1971-1990):ein Diskussionsbeitrag zur Rollen der Frau

Over the last twenty years the situation of women in the German Democratic Republic has been the subject of a considerable number of studies. The approach has generally been of a sociological or socio-political nature. In this thesis I propose to go one step further by examining the information that may be gained from literary sources. In a state where the media are subject to censorship, and thus controlled, one can refer to literature as an acknowledged source of inside information. Literary works often provide a forum for the formulation and discussion of ideas, which could not be aired elsewhere. Chapter 1 shows why literature, which had always been allocated a special role by the GDR's leading party, the SED, may be regarded as a reliable indicator of everyday life in that country. In this thesis I compare the findings of an analysis of women's literature with sociological data on the one hand and the portrayal of the "ideal" women in GDR media and official writings on the other. The thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach and draws on sources in political, legal, sociological, and cultural fields alike. This constellation of sources allows me to show that the views that female writers expressed in their works frequently coincide with sociological findings. Both of these sources were frequently found to be at odds with statements made in official writings and the media. Such insights could not have been provided by a study conducted from within one discipline.