Heuristics for memory access optimization in embedded processors

Digital signal processors (DSPs) such as the Motorola 56k are equipped with two memory banks that are accessible in parallel in order to offer high memory bandwidth, which is required for high-performance applications. In order to make efficient use of the memory bandwidth offered by two or more memory banks, compilers for such DSPs should be capable of appropriately partitioning the program variables between the two memory banks and scheduling accesses. If two variables can be accessed simultaneously, then it is essential to have these two variables assigned to two different memory banks. Also if these two variables are in different banks, then instead of using two separate instructions for accessing the variables, both the accesses can be encoded into a single instruction, thereby reducing the code size as well. An efficient heuristic for maximizing the parallel accesses in DSPs with dual memory banks is proposed and evaluated. The heuristic is shown to be very effective on several examples. Architectures like the M3 DSP have a group memory for the single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) architecture, for which addressing an element of the group means to access all the elements of that group in parallel, so there is no need for separately addressing each element of the group. Given a variable access sequence for a particular code, instead of separately accessing each one of the variables, if the variables are grouped then the number of memory accesses can be reduced as per SIMD paradigm. An efficient way of forming groups can significantly reduce the memory accesses. Two solutions for this problem are presented in this thesis. First, a novel integer linear programming formulation for forming the groups, thereby reducing the number of memory accesses in DSPs with SIMD architecture is presented. Second, a heuristic based on the solution for optimizing multiple memory bank accesses is presented and evaluated for this problem. Results on several graphs show the effectiveness of the heuristic

A Study on Mush-room growth of Two-year Management Programme and its Impact on Quality of Management Education in Tamil Nadu

This paper addresses the quantum jump in the number of two-year management programmes in India. It examines the quality adherence by taking institutions approved and affiliated by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), University Grants Commision (UGC), Central Government Autonomus Institue (NIT,Trichy) and Deemed universities, which offers two-year management programmes over the past fifteen years from Tamilnadu as a sample unit. The objective is to identify the key reasons for increase in numbers and initiative in quality implementations process. It enables us to understand the qualitative terms of inorganic growth and its impact on quality of management education. It provides experiential understanding of quality implementation process and suggestions to increase its effectiveness.

Prevalence of Clostridium perfringens in the Chicken Meat Rendered at Retail Outlets of Namakkal, Tamilnadu

An investigation was conducted at retail chicken outlets to identify the meat contamination by Clostridium perfringens, which might result in food intoxication in humans. Out of 210 meat samples collected, 3.81% were positive by culture with a colonial count of 0.96 ± 0.38 log10 cfu/g. All cultures of positives were confirmed by biochemical and motility tests

ANNTAX - an artificial intelligence based decision support system

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Spatial Distribution and Trends of Waterborne Diseases in Tashkent Province

Introduction: The cumulative effect of limited investment in public water systems, inadequate public health infrastructure, and gaps in infectious disease prevention increased the incidence of waterborne diseases in Uzbekistan. The objectives of this study were: (1) to spatially analyze the distribution of the diseases in Tashkent Province, (2) to identify the intensity of spatial trends in the province, (3) to identify urban-rural characteristics of the disease distribution, and (4) to identify the differences in disease incidence between pediatric and adult populations of the province.Methods: Data on four major waterborne diseases and socio-demographics factors were collected in Tashkent Province from 2011 to 2014. Descriptive epidemiological methods and spatial-temporal methods were used to investigate the distribution and trends, and to identify waterborne diseases hotspots and vulnerable population groups in the province.Results: Hepatitis A and enterobiasis had a high incidence in most of Tashkent Province, with higher incidences in the eastern and western districts. Residents of rural areas, including children, were found to be more vulnerable to the waterborne diseases compared to other populations living in the province.Conclusions: This pilot study calls for more scientific investigations of waterborne diseases and their effect on public health in the region, which could facilitate targeted public health interventions in vulnerable regions of Uzbekistan. 

Identification of microRNAs from Atlantic salmon macrophages upon Aeromonas salmonicida infection

Computational approach was used in to identify potent macrophage specific miRNAs involved in basic biological process of Salmo salar. Analysis of 1119 ESTs from macrophages of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) infected with Aeromonas salmonicida revealed expression of 3 miRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis of both the pre-miRNA sequence revealed its evolutionarily conserved nature among various species. Identified targets of the predicted miRNAs revealed the role of miRNA in pathogenesis, stress response and allosteric exchange of histones. Further detailed studies of these miRNAs will help in revealing its function in different biological process necessary for the action of macrophages upon pathogen infection

Gestational dyslipidaemia and adverse birthweight outcomes : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Low and high birthweight is known to increase the risk of acute and longer‐term adverse outcomes, such as stillbirth, infant mortality, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Gestational dyslipidaemia is associated with a numbers of adverse birth outcomes, but evidence regarding birthweight is still inconsistent to reliably inform clinical practice and treatment recommendations. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between maternal gestational dyslipidaemia and neonatal health outcomes, namely, birthweight, metabolic factors and inflammatory parameters. Methods We searched systematically Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL Plus and Cochrane Library up to 1 August 2016 (with an updated search in MEDLINE at the end of July 2017) for longitudinal studies that assessed the association of maternal lipid levels during pregnancy with neonatal birthweight, or metabolic and inflammatory parameters up to 3 years old. Results Data from 46 publications including 31,402 pregnancies suggest that maternal high triglycerides and low high‐density‐lipoprotein cholesterol levels throughout pregnancy are associated with increased birthweight, higher risk of large for gestational age and macrosomia and lower risk of small‐for‐gestational age. The findings were consistent across the studied populations, but stronger associations were observed in women who were overweight or obese prior to pregnancy. Conclusions This meta‐analysis suggested that the potential under‐recognized adverse effects of intrauterine exposure to maternal dyslipidaemia may warrant further investigation into the relationship between maternal dyslipidaemia and birthweight in large prospective cohorts or in randomized trials

Formal verification of the W3C Web Authentication Protocol

International audienceThe science of security can be set on rm foundations via the formal verication of protocols. New protocols can have their design validated in a mechanized manner for security aws, allowing protocol designs to be scientically compared in a neutral manner. Given that these techniques have discovered critical aws in protocols such as TLS 1.2 and are now being used to redesign protocols such as TLS 1.3, we demonstrate how formal verication can be used to analyze new protocols such as the W3C Web Authen-tication API. We model W3C Web Authentication with the formal verication language ProVerif, showing that the protocol itself is secure. However, we also stretch the boundaries of formal verica-tion by trying to verify the privacy properties of W3C Web Authen-tication given in terms of the same origin policy. We use ProVerif to show that without further mandatory requirements in the speci-cation, the claimed privacy properties do not hold. Next steps on how formal verication can be further integrated into standards and the further development of the privacy properties of W3C Web Authentication is outlined

Dietary electrolyte balance of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) freshwater feeds: Impact on osmoregulation, mineral metabolism and performance in seawater

Dietary electrolyte balance is the equilibrium of monovalent cations and anions that influence the acid-base balance of the feed (dEB = Na + K − Cl, mEq kg−1). Dietary electrolytes/minerals can influence the physiological changes during smoltification in Atlantic salmon. In this context, we aimed to study if the dEB of the freshwater feeds can be used to pre-adapt the hypoosmotic functionality and the associated effects on mineral metabolism. The dEB of commercial freshwater Atlantic salmon feeds in Norway varied from −9 to 400 mEq kg−1 feed. Three experimental feeds were formulated to study incremental levels of dEB reflecting the low (L-dEB, −50 to 0), median (M-dEB, 200–250) and high (H-dEB, 350–400). Triplicate groups of Atlantic salmon parr (36 g) were fed one of the three feeds for 8 weeks in freshwater at 12 °C. The fish were transferred to full strength seawater in indoor tanks and fed a commercial diet for 6 weeks. Growth was not differentially affected by dEB levels, neither in the freshwater phase nor in the seawater. Plasma electrolytes (Na+ and Cl−) and gill mRNA expression of sodium potassium ATPase (NKA a1b, seawater isoform) were significantly lower in L-dEB fed fish. In the intestine, carbonate precipitates 24 h after seawater transfer was higher in fish fed both L-dEB and H-dEB feeds compared to the M-dEB fed fish. Whole body and plasma mineral levels were significantly affected by dEB levels in freshwater feeds. Interestingly, the carryover effect of dEB in freshwater feeds was significant after 6 weeks in seawater for plasma and whole-body Zn status, with the H-dEB fed fish showing significantly increased body Zn status compared to L-dEB and M-dEB fed fish. The study revealed that mineral metabolism and intestinal response to seawater transfer can be pre-adapted by modulating the electrolyte and/or mineral balance in freshwater feeds in Atlantic salmon. Further, dEB did not affect long term development of cataract or vertebral deformities.publishedVersio

Maximizing biogas production from leftover injera: influence of yeast addition to anaerobic digestion system

Injera is a staple food in Ethiopian dine. This study aimed to investigate on leftover injera (LI) for producing biogas via anaerobic digestion (AD), while leftover injera is full of easily biodegradable components. Aiming to examine the impact of yeast addition on biogas production efficiency, it was found that the addition of 2 % volatile solids (VS) of stimulated yeast, daily biogas output increased by 520 and 550 ml after 12 and 37 days of anaerobic digestion, respectively, with rather steady biogas production. The rate at which gas production increased was drastically cut in half when yeast was left out of the control group. Biogas production increased by only 60 ml despite the addition of two portions of substrate and yeast. Biogas output in the yeast group after fermentation was also up 33.2 % compared to the control group. The yeast group’s anaerobic digesting system was more stable, as determined by the study of markers including volatile organic acids, alkalinity, and propionic acid. The findings can be used as a benchmark for future trials aiming to industrialise continuous anaerobic digestion, allowing for more flexible response to feed as waste LI as organic load