@staticmethod
def _is_msb_zero(v, bits):
    """
        Checks if the most significant bit is zero (i.e. is the integer positive under signed arithmetic).

        :param v: The integer to check with
        :param bits: Bits of the integer
        :return: True or False
        """
    return v & 2 ** bits - 1 & 2 ** (bits - 1) == 0
