Energy Optimization in Commercial FPGAs with Voltage, Frequency and Logic Scaling

This paper investigates the energy reductions possible in commercially available FPGAs configured to support voltage, frequency and logic scalability combined with power gating. Voltage and frequency scaling is based on in-situ detectors that allow the device to detect valid working voltage and frequency pairs at run-time while logic scalability is achieved with partial dynamic reconfiguration. The considered devices are FPGA-processor hybrids with independent power domains fabricated in 28 nm process nodes. The test case is based on a number of operational scenarios in which the FPGA side is loaded with a motion estimation core that can be configured with a variable number of execution units. The results demonstrate that voltage scalability reduces power by up to 60 percent compared with nominal voltage operation at the same frequency. The energy analysis show that the most energy efficiency core configuration depends on the performance requirements. A low performance scenario shows that serial computation is more energy efficient than the parallel configuration while the opposite is true when the performance requirements increase. An algorithm is proposed to combine effectively adaptive voltage/logic scaling and power gating in the proposed system and application

Percepcion de FITAL en la Region del Maule.

235 p.El presente estudio que Ileva por nombre "Percepción de FITAL en la Region del Maule", tiene coma finalidad identificar que variables están influyendo en los visitantes de esta feria que los impulsan a concurrir a FITAL, todo esto con el fin de determinar cual es la iniciativa que la dirección de Fundación FIMAULE, debe tomar a objeto de establecer si lo que esta entregando es realmente o que el cliente busca y percibe al visitar la feria. Teóricamente, nuestro estudio se basa en un modelo extraído de la literatura existente, mas específicamente del libro "Comportamiento del Consumidor" de los autores Loudon y Della Bitta, donde se ha conjugado con los modelos que más se adecuan a nuestra investigación. Para la obtención de los datos se construyo un instrumento de medición, aplicado a los visitantes de la feria realizada el presente año, dichos datos fueron analizados a traves de tres niveles de análisis, estos fueron el Univariado, que consistió en la utilización de estadísticos de tendencia central y de dispersión. El segundo tipo de análisis fue a nivel Bivariado, el cual se realizó principalmente por medio de las pruebas Ji-Cuadrado y el análisis de tablas cruzadas. Por ultimo se realizó un análisis de tipo multivariado realizado mediante el uso de conglomerados y análisis factorial. Finalmente, esta investigación muestra la proyección que debiera tener la feria y que alternativas se presentan para Fundación FIMAULE en el futuro, que maximizan el nivel de satisfacción del cliente que visita la feria

Do pesticide and pathogen interactions drive wild bee declines?

There is clear evidence for wild insect declines globally. Habitat loss, climate change, pests, pathogens and environmental pollution have all been shown to cause detrimental effects on insects. However, interactive effects between these stressors may be the key to understanding reported declines. Here, we review the literature on pesticide and pathogen interactions for wild bees, identify knowledge gaps, and suggest avenues for future research fostering mitigation of the observed declines. The limited studies available suggest that effects of pesticides most likely override effects of pathogens. Bees feeding on flowers and building sheltered nests, are likely less adapted to toxins compared to other insects, which potential susceptibility is enhanced by the reduced number of genes encoding detoxifying enzymes compared with other insect species. However, to date all 10 studies using a fully-crossed design have been conducted in the laboratory on social bees using Crithidia spp. or Nosema spp., identifying an urgent need to test solitary bees and other pathogens. Similarly, since laboratory studies do not necessarily reflect field conditions, semi-field and field studies are essential if we are to understand these interactions and their potential effects in the real-world. In conclusion, there is a clear need for empirical (semi-)field studies on a range of pesticides, pathogens, and insect species to better understand the pathways and mechanisms underlying their potential interactions, in particular their relevance for insect fitness and population dynamics. Such data are indispensable to drive forward robust modelling of interactive effects in different environmental settings and foster predictive science. This will enable pesticide and pathogen interactions to be put into the context of other stressors more broadly, evaluating their relative importance in driving the observed declines of wild bees and other insects. Ultimately, this will enable the development of more effective mitigation measures to protect bees and the ecosystem services they supply

The effect of interpolation methods in temperature and salinity trends in the Western Mediterranean

Temperature and salinity data in the historical record are scarce and unevenly distributed in space and time and the estimation of linear trends is sensitive to different factors. In the case of the Western Mediterranean, previous works have studied the sensitivity of these trends to the use of bathythermograph data, the averaging methods or the way in which gaps in time series are dealt with. In this work, a new factor is analysed: the effect of data interpolation. Temperature and salinity time series are generated averaging existing data over certain geographical areas and also by means of interpolation. Linear trends from both types of time series are compared. There are some differences between both estimations for some layers and geographical areas, while in other cases the results are consistent. Those results which do not depend on the use of interpolated or non-interpolated data, neither are influenced by data analysis methods can be considered as robust ones. Those results influenced by the interpolation process or the factors analysed in previous sensitivity tests are not considered as robust results

Detection of selection signatures in farmed coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) using dense genome-wide information

Animal domestication and artificial selection give rise to gradual changes at the genomic level in populations. Subsequent footprints of selection, known as selection signatures or selective sweeps, have been traced in the genomes of many animal livestock species by exploiting variation in linkage disequilibrium patterns and/or reduction of genetic diversity. Domestication of most aquatic species is recent in comparison with land animals, and salmonids are one of the most important fish species in aquaculture. Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), cultivated primarily in Chile, has been subjected to breeding programs to improve growth, disease resistance traits, and flesh color. This study aimed to identify selection signatures that may be involved in adaptation to culture conditions and traits of productive interest. To do so, individuals of two domestic populations cultured in Chile were genotyped with 200 thousand SNPs, and analyses were conducted using iHS, XP-EHH and CLR. Several signatures of selection on different chromosomal regions were detected across both populations. Some of the identified regions under selection contained genes such anapc2, alad, chp2 and myn, which have been previously associated with body weight in Atlantic salmon, or sec24d and robo1, which have been associated with resistance to Piscirickettsia salmonis in coho salmon. Findings in our study can contribute to an integrated genome-wide map of selection signatures, to help identify the genetic mechanisms of phenotypic diversity in coho salmon

Genome-wide association and genomic selection in aquaculture

Recent advancements in genomic technologies have led to the discovery and application of DNA-markers [e.g. single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] for the genetic improvement of several aquaculture species. The identification of specific genomic regions associated with economically important traits, using, for example, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), has allowed the discovery and incorporation of markers linked to quantitative trait loci (QTL) into aquaculture breeding programs through marker-assisted selection (MAS). However, most of the traits of economic relevance are expected to be controlled by many QTLs, each one explaining only a small proportion of the genetic variation. For traits under polygenic control, prediction of the genetic merit of animals based on the sum of effects at positions across the entire genome (i.e. genomic estimated breeding values, GEBV, which are used for what has become known as genomic selection), has been demonstrated to speed the rate of genetic gain for several traits in aquaculture breeding. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the development and application of genomic technologies in uncovering the genetic basis of complex traits and accelerating the genetic progress in aquaculture species, as well as providing future perspectives about the deployment of novel molecular technologies for selective breeding in coming years

Climate change could increase the geographic extent of Hendra virus spillover risk

Disease risk mapping is important for predicting and mitigating impacts of bat-borne viruses, including Hendra virus (Paramyxoviridae:Henipavirus), that can spillover to domestic animals and thence to humans. We produced two models to estimate areas at potential risk of HeV spillover explained by the climatic suitability for its flying fox reservoir hosts, Pteropus alecto and P. conspicillatus. We included additional climatic variables that might affect spillover risk through other biological processes (such as bat or horse behaviour, plant phenology and bat foraging habitat). Models were fit with a Poisson point process model and a log-Gaussian Cox process. In response to climate change, risk expanded southwards due to an expansion of P. alecto suitable habitat, which increased the number of horses at risk by 175–260% (110,000–165,000). In the northern limits of the current distribution, spillover risk was highly uncertain because of model extrapolation to novel climatic conditions. The extent of areas at risk of spillover from P. conspicillatus was predicted shrink. Due to a likely expansion of P. alecto into these areas, it could replace P. conspicillatus as the main HeV reservoir. We recommend: (1) HeV monitoring in bats, (2) enhancing HeV prevention in horses in areas predicted to be at risk, (3) investigate and develop mitigation strategies for areas that could experience reservoir host replacements