6,007 research outputs found
Ianus: an Adpative FPGA Computer
Dedicated machines designed for specific computational algorithms can
outperform conventional computers by several orders of magnitude. In this note
we describe {\it Ianus}, a new generation FPGA based machine and its basic
features: hardware integration and wide reprogrammability. Our goal is to build
a machine that can fully exploit the performance potential of new generation
FPGA devices. We also plan a software platform which simplifies its
programming, in order to extend its intended range of application to a wide
class of interesting and computationally demanding problems. The decision to
develop a dedicated processor is a complex one, involving careful assessment of
its performance lead, during its expected lifetime, over traditional computers,
taking into account their performance increase, as predicted by Moore's law. We
discuss this point in detail
The Spin Glass Phase in the Four-State, Three-Dimensional Potts Model
We perform numerical simulations, including parallel tempering, on the Potts
glass model with binary random quenched couplings using the JANUS
application-oriented computer. We find and characterize a glassy transition,
estimating the location of the transition and the value of the critical
exponents. We show that there is no ferromagnetic transition in a large
temperature range around the glassy critical temperature. We also compare our
results with those obtained recently on the "random permutation" Potts glass.Comment: 7 pages and 3 figures. Corrected minor typo
Diagnostic ability and capacity of optical coherence tomography-angiography to detect retinal and vascular changes in patients with fibromyalgia
Background. To evaluate the neuroretina and retinal vasculature of fibromyalgia (FM) patients and calculate a linear discriminant function (LDF) to improve retinal parametersâ contribution to FM diagnosis. Methods. Fifty FM patients and 232 healthy controls underwent retinal evaluation using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) angiography (Triton plus; Topcon) and spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) (Spectralis; Heidelberg). The macular (m) and peripapillary (p) retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) were assessed, as was the macular vascular density. A logistic regression analysis was performed, and an LDF was calculated to evaluate OCTâs contribution to FM diagnosis. Results. With Triton OCT, the patients presented pRNFL thinning in the temporal sector (). Spectralis OCT measurements showed decreased pRNFL in patients in the following sectors: superonasal, ; nasal, ; inferonasal, ; temporal, ; and inferotemporal, . No significant differences were observed in the macular vascular plexus between patients and controls. However, vascular density in the superior sector showed a strong inverse correlation with disease duration (râ=ââ0.978, ). The LDF calculated for Spectralis OCT yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.968. Conclusions. FM patients present RNFL thinning observable using SS- and SD-OCT. However, these patients show similar vascular density in the macular area to healthy controls. The LDF that combines several RNFL parameters obtained using Spectralis OCT gives this device a powerful ability to differentiate between healthy individuals and individuals with FM
Identification and validation of a QTL influencing bitter pit symptoms in apple (Malus x domestica)
Bitter pit is one of the most economically important physiological disorders affecting apple fruit production, causing soft discrete pitting of the cortical flesh of the apple fruits which renders them unmarketable. The disorder is heritable; however, the environment and cultural practices play a major role in expression of symptoms. Bitter pit has been shown to be controllable to a certain extent using calcium sprays and dips; however, their use does not entirely prevent the incidence of the disorder. Previously, bitter pit has been shown to be controlled by two dominant genes, and markers on linkage group 16 of the apple genome were identified that were significantly associated with the expression of bitter pit symptoms in a genome-wide association study. In this investigation, we identified a major QTL for bitter pit defined by two microsatellite (SSR) markers. The association of the SSRs with the bitter pit locus, and their ability to predict severe symptom expression, was confirmed through screening of individuals with stable phenotypic expression from an additional mapping progeny. The data generated in this current study suggest a two gene model could account for the control of bitter pit symptom expression; however, only one of the loci was detectable, most likely due to dominance of alleles carried by both parents of the mapping progeny used. The SSR markers identified are cost-effective, robust and multi-allelic and thus should prove useful for the identification of seedlings with resistance to bitter pit using marker-assisted selection in apple breeding programs
Using Implementation Mapping For the adoption and Implementation of Target:Bp in Community Health Centers
BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of multilevel evidence-based interventions for blood pressure management, poor hypertension control is common among community health center patient populations across the state of Texas and the United States.
METHODS: We used Implementation Mapping (IM) to identify barriers and facilitators influencing the adoption and implementation of the
RESULTS: As part of the needs and capacity assessment, we collected data through interviews with CHC staff, examining gaps in needs and services (e.g., what do clinics need to implement
DISCUSSION: This paper provides an example of using Implementation Mapping to develop strategies to increase the adoption and implementation of evidence-based cardiovascular risk reduction interventions in Community Health Centers. The use of implementation strategies can increase the use o
Global Equation of State of two-dimensional hard sphere systems
Hard sphere systems in two dimensions are examined for arbitrary density.
Simulation results are compared to the theoretical predictions for both the low
and the high density limit, where the system is either disordered or ordered,
respectively. The pressure in the system increases with the density, except for
an intermediate range of volume fractions , where a
disorder-order phase transition occurs. The proposed {\em global equation of
state} (which describes the pressure {\em for all densities}) is applied to the
situation of an extremely dense hard sphere gas in a gravitational field and
shows reasonable agreement with both experimental and numerical data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
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Genetic analysis of a major international collection of cultivated apple varieties reveals previously unknown historic heteroploid and inbred relationships
Domesticated apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is a major global crop and the genetic diversity held within the pool of cultivated varieties is important for the development of future cultivars. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity held within the domesticated form, through the analysis of a major international germplasm collection of cultivated varieties, the UK National Fruit Collection, consisting of over 2,000 selections of named cultivars and seedling varieties. We utilised Diversity Array Technology (DArT) markers to assess the genetic diversity within the collection. Clustering attempts, using the software STRUCTURE revealed that the accessions formed a complex and historically admixed group for which clear clustering was challenging. Comparison of accessions using the Jaccard similarity coefficient allowed us to identify clonal and duplicate material as well as revealing pairs and groups that appeared more closely related than a standard parent-offspring or full-sibling relations. From further investigation, we were able to propose a number of new pedigrees, which revealed that some historically important cultivars were more closely related than previously documented and that some of them were partially inbred. We were also able to elucidate a number of parent-offspring relationships that had resulted in a number of important polyploid cultivars. This included reuniting polyploid cultivars that in some cases dated as far back as the 18th century, with diploid parents that potentially date back as far as the 13th century
Nonequilibrium spin glass dynamics from picoseconds to 0.1 seconds
We study numerically the nonequilibrium dynamics of the Ising Spin Glass, for
a time that spans eleven orders of magnitude, thus approaching the
experimentally relevant scale (i.e. {\em seconds}). We introduce novel analysis
techniques that allow to compute the coherence length in a model-independent
way. Besides, we present strong evidence for a replicon correlator and for
overlap equivalence. The emerging picture is compatible with non-coarsening
behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps color figures. Version accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev. Let
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