Mining SoC Message Flows with Attention Model

High-quality system-level message flow specifications are necessary for comprehensive validation of system-on-chip (SoC) designs. However, manual development and maintenance of such specifications are daunting tasks. We propose a disruptive method that utilizes deep sequence modeling with the attention mechanism to infer accurate flow specifications from SoC communication traces. The proposed method can overcome the inherent complexity of SoC traces induced by the concurrent executions of SoC designs that existing mining tools often find extremely challenging. We conduct experiments on five highly concurrent traces and find that the proposed approach outperforms several existing state-of-the-art trace mining tools.Comment: 7 page

Effect of disc brake squeal with respect to thickness variation: Experimental Modal Analysis

Disc brake or rotor squeal is an ongoing problem that occurs in the automotive industry. An undesirable disc brake noise problem can arise after a period of time of usage. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the structural dynamic behaviour of disc brakes with different wear thickness by using Experimental Modal Analysis. The wear thickness of disc brake rotors are 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm from the original thickness of 15.8 mm and 3.2234 kg weight. The modal parameters such as natural frequency, damping ratio, and mode shape are obtained in a free-free condition by using an impact hammer test. For original thickness of disc brake rotor, the first eight natural frequencies are 1256.4 Hz, 2486.9 Hz, 2654.9 Hz, 3092.1 Hz, 3348.7 Hz, 3407.0 Hz, 4130.0 Hz, and 5709.6 Hz. The results show that the natural frequency decreases when the thickness reduction increased at the same mode. It can be concluded that the wear effect of the disc brake rotor is one of the factors which may lead to the brake squeal problem due to the reduction of the natural frequency of the disc brake rotor

The mosaic of AII amacrine cell bodies in rat retina is indistinguishable from a random distribution

The vertebrate retina contains a large number of different types of neurons that can be distinguished by their morphological properties. Assuming that no location should be without a contribution from the circuitry and function linked to a specific type of neuron, it is expected that the dendritic trees of neurons belonging to a type will cover the retina in a regular manner. Thus, for most types of neurons, the contribution to visual processing is thought to be independent of the exact location of individual neurons across the retina. Here, we have investigated the distribution of AII amacrine cells in rat retina. The AII is a multifunctional amacrine cell found in mammals and involved in synaptic microcircuits that contribute to visual processing under both scotopic and photopic conditions. Previous investigations have suggested that AIIs are regularly distributed, with a nearest-neighbor distance regularity index of ~4. It has been argued, however, that this presumed regularity results from treating somas as points, without taking into account their actual spatial extent which constrains the location of other cells of the same type. When we simulated random distributions of cell bodies with size and density similar to real AIIs, we confirmed that the simulated distributions could not be distinguished from the distributions observed experimentally for AIIs in different regions and eccentricities of the retina. The developmental mechanisms that generate the observed distributions of AIIs remain to be investigated.publishedVersio

Particleboard manufactured from rubberwood RRIM 2002 clone planted with different fertilizer treatment

This work focus on the effects of SRF (Slow Release Fertilizer) + NPK fertilizer rates on the properties of rubberwood particleboards produced. The particleboards were fabricated using rubber tree trial clone RRIM 2002. RRIM 2002 clone still in trial plot with age of 4-year old and classified as Latex Timber Clone which estimated to produce large wood volume and also better latex yield. The properties of particleboard were categorized and evaluated based on fertilizer treatment applied on RRIM 2002 clone tree: T1 (SRF + NPK at normal rate), T2 (SRF + 1.5 x NPK at normal rate), T3 (SRF + 2.0 x NPK at normal rate) and T4 (SRF + 2.5 x NPK at normal rate, control (NPK at normal rate). The resin used for particleboard fabrication was urea formaldehyde (UF) (63.9% solid) type E1. The resin content is 10%. The thickness of board is 10 mm with density 700 kgm-3. The particleboards were fabricated and assessed in accordance to Japanese Industrial Standard for Particleboard (JIS A 5908-2003). The properties that been assessed were on modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bonding (IB), thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA). From this study, it is found that fertilizer treatment influences the particle recovery and performance of particleboard especially on dimensional stability and internal bonding properties which significantly affected. The MOR and MOE of particleboard made from rubber trees that treated with SRF-NPK fertilizer showed better performance compared to that of with NPK fertilizer alone (control), however, the differences were not significant. In term of IB, no specific trend was observed. Lastly, for dimensional stability (TS and WA), particleboard produced from SRF-NPK fertilizer reduced the board stability when subjected to cold water soak

Molecular ecological basis of grasshopper (Oedaleus asiaticus) phenotypic plasticity under environmental selection

This research was supported by the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201003079), China, the earmarked fund for the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-35-07 and CARS-34-7B), the Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, National Nature Science Foundation of China (31672485), and the CSC Scholarship from the China Scholarship Council. The transcriptome data of O. asiaticus females was submitted to SRA database in NCBI and have been released (ID: SRP059063).While ecological adaptation in insects can be reflected by plasticity of phenotype, determining the causes and molecular mechanisms for phenotypic plasticity (PP) remains a crucial and still difficult question in ecology, especially where control of insect pests is involved. Oedaleus asiaticus is one of the most dominant pests in the Inner Mongolia steppe and represents an excellent system to study phenotypic plasticity. To better understand ecological factors affecting grasshopper phenotypic plasticity and its molecular control, we conducted a full transcriptional screening of O. asiaticus grasshoppers reared in four different grassland patches in Inner Mongolia. Grasshoppers showed different degrees of PP associated with unique gene expressions and different habitat plant community compositions. Grasshopper performance variables were susceptible to habitat environment conditions and closely associated with plant architectures. Intriguingly, eco-transcriptome analysis revealed five potential candidate genes playing important roles in grasshopper performance, with gene expression closely relating to PP and plant community factors. By linking the grasshopper performances to gene profiles and ecological factors using canonical regression, we first demonstrated the eco-transcriptomic architecture of grasshopper phenotypic traits. Regression biplot revealed plant food type, plant density, coverage, and height were the main ecological factors influencing PP, while insect cuticle protein (ICP), negative elongation factor A (NELFA), and lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LCT) were the key genes associated with PP. Our study gives a clear picture of gene-environment interaction in the formation and maintenance of PP and enriches our understanding of the transcriptional events underlying molecular control of rapid phenotypic plasticity associated with environmental variability. The findings of this study may also provide new targets for pest control and highlight the significance of ecological management practice on grassland conservation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe