Building Reservoir Computing Hardware Using Low Energy-Barrier Magnetics

Biologically inspired recurrent neural networks, such as reservoir computers are of interest in designing spatio-temporal data processors from a hardware point of view due to the simple learning scheme and deep connections to Kalman filters. In this work we discuss using in-depth simulation studies a way to construct hardware reservoir computers using an analog stochastic neuron cell built from a low energy-barrier magnet based magnetic tunnel junction and a few transistors. This allows us to implement a physical embodiment of the mathematical model of reservoir computers. Compact implementation of reservoir computers using such devices may enable building compact, energy-efficient signal processors for standalone or in-situ machine cognition in edge devices.Comment: To be presented at International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems 202

Thin ply carbon/glass hybrid laminates to activate new damage mechanisms under indentation

Low velocity impacts on composite laminates can cause a significant amount of delamination that is often referred to as barely visible impact damage (BVID). This damage can cause significant degradation of structural properties, especially the compressive strength after impact. The aim of this work was to utilise thin ply carbon/glass hybrid laminates to activate new types of damage mechanisms under indentation (quasi-static impact) that are more gradual and easier to detect. Therefore, 3 different types of hybrid composite plates fabricated from novel hybrid architectures of thin ply high modulus carbon (HS40) and standard thickness S-glass laminates were investigated. For comparison, a laminate containing only S-glass plies was investigated as well. The investigated specimens were interrupted at different load-levels and a detailed assessment of the damage evolution was carried out using X-ray Computed Tomography (CT). For all the hybrid configurations, a larger damage area was observed mostly under the indenter and the delaminations were smaller in the middle plies compared to the upper plies. In contrast, for the Glass laminates the delaminations were larger in the middle plies compared to the upper plies. For the hybrid laminates, the percentage of the first load drop in the global load-displacement curves was lower whereas the percentage of the stiffness reduction after the first load drop was higher, compared to the Glass laminate. Overall the hybrid results showed some different damage mechanisms, i.e. carbon ply fibre fracture and delamination under the indenter, with a gradual failure behaviour and less damage to the inner layers. The degradation mechanisms were visually detectable from the indented face from the early stage of the loading for some of the hybrid configurations, which can act as impact damage indicator

FBK’s Neural Machine Translation Systems for IWSLT 2016

In this paper, we describe FBK’s neural machine translation (NMT) systems submitted at the International Workshop on Spoken Language Translation (IWSLT) 2016. The systems are based on the state-of-the-art NMT architecture that is equipped with a bi-directional encoder and an attention mechanism in the decoder. They leverage linguistic information such as lemmas and part-of-speech tags of the source words in the form of additional factors along with the words. We compare performances of word and subword NMT systems along with different optimizers. Further, we explore different ensemble techniques to leverage multiple models within the same and across different networks. Several reranking methods are also explored. Our submissions cover all directions of the MSLT task, as well as en-{de, fr} and {de, fr}-en directions of TED. Compared to previously published best results on the TED 2014 test set, our models achieve comparable results on en-de and surpass them on en-fr (+2 BLEU) and fr-en (+7.7 BLEU) language pairs

Iranome: A catalogue of genomic variations in the Iranian population

Considering the application of human genome variation databases in precision medicine, population-specific genome projects are continuously being developed. However, the Middle Eastern population is underrepresented in current databases. Accordingly, we established Iranome database (www.iranome.com) by performing whole exome sequencing on 800 individuals from eight major Iranian ethnic groups representing the second largest population of Middle East. We identified 1,575,702 variants of which 308,311 were novel (19.6%). Also, by presenting higher frequency for 37,384 novel or known rare variants, Iranome database can improve the power of molecular diagnosis. Moreover, attainable clinical information makes this database a good resource for classifying pathogenicity of rare variants. Principal components analysis indicated that, apart from Iranian-Baluchs, Iranian-Turkmen, and Iranian-Persian Gulf Islanders, who form their own clusters, rest of the population were genetically linked, forming a super-population. Furthermore, only 0.6% of novel variants showed counterparts in "Greater Middle East Variome Project", emphasizing the value of Iranome at national level by releasing a comprehensive catalog of Iranian genomic variations and also filling another gap in the catalog of human genome variations at international level. We introduce Iranome as a resource which may also be applicable in other countries located in neighboring regions historically called Greater Iran (Persia)

Limbic system associated membrane protein mutation in an iranian family diagnosed with ménière's disease

Background: Ménière's disease (MD) is a common inner ear disorder which is characterized by recurrent attacks of vertigo, fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), tinnitus, and a sense of fullness in the affected ear. MD is a complex disorder; although six genes have been linked to familial autosomal dominant form of the disease, in many cases, the exact genetic etiology remains elusive. Methods: To elucidate the genetic causes of MD in an Iranian family, we performed exome sequencing on all members of the family: consanguineous parents and four children (two affected and two unaffected). Variant filtering was completed using a customized workflow keeping variants based on segregation with MD in autosomal recessive (AR) inheritance pattern, minor allele frequency (MAF), and in-silico prediction of pathogenicity. Results: Analysis revealed that in this family, 970 variants co-segregated with MD in AR pattern, out of which eight variants (one intergenic, four intronic, and three exonic) were extremely rare. The exonic variants included a synonymous substitution in USP3 gene, an in-frame deletion in ZBED2 gene, and a rare, highly conserved deleterious missense alteration in LSAMP gene. Conclusion: The phenotype observed in the proband described here, i.e. vertigo, poor sense of smell, tinnitus, and borderline hearing ability, may originate from aberrant changes in the cerebellum and limbic system due to a deleterious mutation in the LSAMP gene; hence, LSAMP mutation is a possible candidate for the etiology of MD in this family. © 2020 The authors and IJLTER.ORG. All rights reserved

Panel 6 : Vaccines

Objective. To review the literature on progress regarding (1) effectiveness of vaccines for prevention of otitis media (OM) and (2) development of vaccine antigens for OM bacterial and viral pathogens. Data Sources. PubMed database of the National Library of Science. Review Methods. We performed literature searches in PubMed for OM pathogens and candidate vaccine antigens, and we restricted the searches to articles in English that were published between July 2011 and June 2015. Panel members reviewed literature in their area of expertise. Conclusions. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are somewhat effective for the prevention of pneumococcal OM, recurrent OM, OM visits, and tympanostomy tube insertions. Widespread use of PCVs has been associated with shifts in pneumococcal serotypes and bacterial pathogens associated with OM, diminishing PCV effectiveness against AOM. The 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine containing Haemophilus influenzae protein D (PHiD-CV) is effective for pneumococcal OM, but results from studies describing the potential impact on OM due to H influenzae have been inconsistent. Progress in vaccine development for H influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and OM-associated respiratory viruses has been limited. Additional research is needed to extend vaccine protection to additional pneumococcal serotypes and other otopathogens. There are likely to be licensure challenges for protein-based vaccines, and data on correlates of protection for OM vaccine antigens are urgently needed. Implications for Practice. OM continues to be a significant health care burden globally. Prevention is preferable to treatment, and vaccine development remains an important goal. As a polymicrobial disease, OM poses significant but not insurmountable challenges for vaccine development.Peer reviewe

Exome sequencing utility in defining the genetic landscape of hearing loss and novel-gene discovery in Iran

Hearing loss (HL) is one of the most common sensory defects affecting more than 466 million individuals worldwide. It is clinically and genetically heterogeneous with over 120 genes causing non-syndromic HL identified to date. Here, we performed exome sequencing (ES) on a cohort of Iranian families with no disease-causing variants in known deafness-associated genes after screening with a targeted gene panel. We identified likely causal variants in 20 out of 71 families screened. Fifteen families segregated variants in known deafness-associated genes. Eight families segregated variants in novel candidate genes for HL: DBH, TOP3A, COX18, USP31, TCF19, SCP2, TENM1, and CARMIL1. In the three of these families, intrafamilial locus heterogeneity was observed with variants in both known and novel candidate genes. In aggregate, we were able to identify the underlying genetic cause of HL in nearly 30 of our study cohort using ES. This study corroborates the observation that high-throughput DNA sequencing in populations with high rates of consanguineous marriages represents a more appropriate strategy to elucidate the genetic etiology of heterogeneous conditions such as HL. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Lt