GCN-based reinforcement learning approach for scheduling DAG applications

Applications in various fields such as embedded systems or High-Performance-Computing are often represented as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG), also known as taskgraphs. DAGs represent the data flow between tasks in an application and can be used for scheduling. When scheduling taskgraphs, a scheduler needs to decide when and on which core each task is executed, while minimising the runtime of the schedule.This paper explores offline scheduling of dependent tasks using a Reinforcement Learning (RL) approach. We propose two RL schedulers, one using a Fully Connected Network (FCN) and another one using a Graph Convolutional Network (GCN). First, we detail the different components of our two RL schedulers and illustrate how they schedule a task. Then, we compare our RL schedulers to a Forward List Scheduling (FLS) approach based on two different datasets. We demonstrate that our GCN-based scheduler produces schedules that are as good or better than the schedules produced by the FLS approach in over 85% of the cases for a dataset with small taskgraphs. The same scheduler performs very similar to the FLS scheduler (at most 5% degradation) in almost 76% of the cases for a more challenging dataset

Identification of common genetic risk variants for autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable and heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental phenotypes diagnosed in more than 1% of children. Common genetic variants contribute substantially to ASD susceptibility, but to date no individual variants have been robustly associated with ASD. With a marked sample-size increase from a unique Danish population resource, we report a genome-wide association meta-analysis of 18,381 individuals with ASD and 27,969 controls that identified five genome-wide-significant loci. Leveraging GWAS results from three phenotypes with significantly overlapping genetic architectures (schizophrenia, major depression, and educational attainment), we identified seven additional loci shared with other traits at equally strict significance levels. Dissecting the polygenic architecture, we found both quantitative and qualitative polygenic heterogeneity across ASD subtypes. These results highlight biological insights, particularly relating to neuronal function and corticogenesis, and establish that GWAS performed at scale will be much more productive in the near term in ASD.Peer reviewe

Reference gene study for forensic body fluid identification

Reference genes are used in forensic body fluid identification studies to normalise data generated during gene expression experiments. The use of reference genes improves the reliability of qRT-PCR. In this study, 10 most common reference genes UCE, TEF, GAPDH, 18S rRNA, ACTB, B2M, B-Actin, OAZ1, RPS 29 and S15 widely used in forensic body fluid identification studies were selected from relevant literature and qPCR efficiency and sensitivity of all the reference genes was tested using SYBR Green detection. Stability was also assayed using samples stored at room temperature for 6 months using Taqman assay probes. All the markers except TEF displayed high sensitivity and were detected down to 25 pg of RNA input. Stability study demonstrates that B2M, ACTB, RPS29, and UCE are ideal markers for normalization in forensic body fluid identification studies. The study confirms that reference genes should be selected only upon adequate validation of their suitabilit

Male dominance rank, mating and reproductive success in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus)

n the recent past, application of DNA genotyping techniques has enabled researchers to more accurately test relationships between dominance rank (DR), mating success (MS) and reproductive success (RS). Paternity studies often reveal that reproductive outcome does not always correlate with male DR and/or MS and thus open room for discussion and interpretation of alternative reproductive tactics of both sexes. In this study, we analysed male DR, MS and RS in a group of bonobos at Twycross Zoo (UK). Genetic relationships were determined using 8 tetrameric microsatellite loci. Despite clear and asymmetric dominance relationships, analysed using normalised David's scores based on a dyadic index of dominance among the group's 3 mature males, we found that the most dominant male did not sire the most offspring. In fact, both infants conceived during the observation period were found to be sired by the lower-ranking males. Although the alpha male had almost exclusive mating access to one of the females during the time she was showing a maximal anogenital swelling, her infant was sired by the lowest-ranking male who mostly mated with her when outside the maximal swelling period. This result suggests that either sperm competition operates and/or ovulation is decoupled from the phase of maximal anogenital swelling which could allow greater female choice

Subsolidus phase equilibria of Fe-Ni-X-O (X = Mg, Al) systems in air

The phase equilibria of Fe-Ni-X-O (X = Mg, Al) systems, including their lower-order systems, at temperatures between 1200 C and 1600 C in air in the subsolidus region, have been experimentally studied. In the present study, the ‘Fe2O3’-MgO, ‘Fe2O3’-Al2O3, and NiO-Al2O3 binary phase diagrams, as well as the ternary phase diagrams in the Fe-Ni-Mg-O and Fe-Ni-Al-O systems projected onto the Fe-Mg-Ni and Fe-Al-Ni planes, have been constructed. Differences have been found between the present measurements, the previously published data, and the FactSage predictions, especially in the lower-order systems. It is suggested that the improved experimental techniques used in the present study, which involve carefully planned equilibration procedures followed by electron probe X-ray microanalyses (EPMA), provide more accurate and precise measurements of the phase boundaries and phase compositions