From Big Data to Big Displays: High-Performance Visualization at Blue Brain

Blue Brain has pushed high-performance visualization (HPV) to complement its HPC strategy since its inception in 2007. In 2011, this strategy has been accelerated to develop innovative visualization solutions through increased funding and strategic partnerships with other research institutions. We present the key elements of this HPV ecosystem, which integrates C++ visualization applications with novel collaborative display systems. We motivate how our strategy of transforming visualization engines into services enables a variety of use cases, not only for the integration with high-fidelity displays, but also to build service oriented architectures, to link into web applications and to provide remote services to Python applications.Comment: ISC 2017 Visualization at Scale worksho

Reliability of Threshold and Suprathreshold Methods for Taste Phenotyping: Characterization with PROP and Sodium Chloride

The present study aimed to compare the accuracy and reliability of four standard methods used for classification of people as taster or non-tasters based on their sensitivity to PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil). A panel consisting of 21 subjects was tested for threshold and suprathreshold sensitivity of sodium chloride, PROP, and genotyped for TAS2R38. Two threshold methods, staircase and modified Harris–Kalmus, were used to obtain detection and recognition thresholds and compared for accuracy and repeatability. Similarly, two suprathreshold techniques, the just noticeable differences (JND) and the general labeled magnitude scale (gLMS), were used to determine Weber fractions and individual psychophysical functions and compared for accuracy and repeatability. Results show both threshold methods have been able to correctly separate people into two groups of tasters and non-tasters, with the staircase method having a lower variability among subjects. On the suprathreshold front, we found differences in sensitivity between tasters and non-tasters when comparing Weber fractions and psychophysical functions; however, our data suggest that clustering people without previous knowledge of their taster status is less accurate when using Weber fractions. Intensity ratings are more reliable to classify people into tasters and non-tasters. Results show that the staircase for threshold measurement and the gLMS methods are more reliable methods than Harris–Kalmus and JND for phenotyping people and can be used in large-scale studies in the quest to discover new genotype–phenotype associations

Reconstruction and simulation of neocortical microcircuitry

We present a first-draft digital reconstruction of the microcircuitry of somatosensory cortex of juvenile rat. The reconstruction uses cellular and synaptic organizing principles to algorithmically reconstruct detailed anatomy and physiology from sparse experimental data. An objective anatomical method defines a neocortical volume of 0.29 ± 0.01 mm3 containing ∼31,000 neurons, and patch-clamp studies identify 55 layer-specific morphological and 207 morpho-electrical neuron subtypes. When digitally reconstructed neurons are positioned in the volume and synapse formation is restricted to biological bouton densities and numbers of synapses per connection, their overlapping arbors form ∼8 million connections with ∼37 million synapses. Simulations reproduce an array of in vitro and in vivo experiments without parameter tuning. Additionally, we find a spectrum of network states with a sharp transition from synchronous to asynchronous activity, modulated by physiological mechanisms. The spectrum of network states, dynamically reconfigured around this transition, supports diverse information processing strategies

Le modèle d'exploitation Vissoie/Saint-Luc. Cas particulier ou concept d'avenir pour l'exploitation agricole de montagne en Suisse ?

Zusammenfassung. - Bei den Untersuchungen in den vier schweizerischen MAB-Regionen konnten fünf Typen von Berglandwirt- sc haf tsbe trie ben systematisiert werden. Den lokalen Besonderheiten ent- sprechend entwickelten sich seit Beginn der Siebzigerjahre in den sudlichen Seitentälern des Wallis zwei weitere Nutzungsarten in From von Pensionsjungviehweiden (modell St.Luc) und Gemeindestàllen (modell Vissoie). Acht von elf Gemeinden im Val d'Anniviers und Val d'Hérens weisen heute eine flàchendeckende Bewirtschaftung des of- fenen Landes durche eine Kombination dieser beiden Nutzungsformen auf. Am Beispiel von St. Luc wird gezeigt, dass dièse - vorlàufig noch einen Sonderfall darstellende — Bewirtschaftungs-kombination neben einer ökonomischen und einer landschaftsplegerischen auch eine soziokulturelle Funktion hat. Sie öffnet zwar nur wenige Arbeitsplàtze in der Gemeinde, bindet aber gegen zwanzig Familien des Dorfes an eine idealistisch gepragte Form der traditionellen Urproduktion. Fur das Eintreten land-wirtschaftlicher Strukturkrisen oder einen ganzen oder teilweisen Wegfall des Subventions instrumentariums fur die Berggebiete kônnte die kombinierte Nutzungs-form modell Vis- soie/St.Luc eine erwàgenswerte Alternative zum heute angestrebten «modernen Individualbetrieb» bilden.RÉSUMÉ : Les recherches effectuées dans quatre régions-MAB de Suisse ont permis de classer les exploitations agricoles de montagne en cinq types. A cause des spécificités locales, deux formes d'exploitations supplémentaires se développèrent dans les vallées latérales du sud du Valais central, prenant les formes du pacage de jeune bétail en pension (modèle St-Luc) et ď étables communautaires {modèle Vissoie). Huit des onze communes des Val d'Anniviers et d'Hérens présentent une exploitation de leurs terres libres sous une forme combinée de ces deux modèles ď exploitation. L'exemple de St-Luc souligne que cette exploitation combinée - à considérer pour le moment encore comme cas particulier - montre en plus des fonctions ď économies et de protection du site un aspect socio-culturel. S'il n'offre que peu de postes de travail dans la commune, il lie cependant une vingtaine de familles du village à une forme marquante idéalisée de production originelle. Les formes combinées d'exploitation du genre modèle VissoielSt-Luc peuvent présenter une alternative réfléchie à l'idée en vogue actuellement «d'exploitations individuelles modernes» en cas d'apparition de crise structurelle dans V agriculture ou lors d'une suppression totale ou partielle de l'appareil de subventions de V agriculture de montagne.Bugmann Eric, Antille Nicolas. Le modèle d'exploitation Vissoie/Saint-Luc. Cas particulier ou concept d'avenir pour l'exploitation agricole de montagne en Suisse ?. In: Revue de géographie alpine, tome 77, n°4, 1989. pp. 383-394

Négocier le plaisir dans la consommation alimentaire : une étude sur trois groupes de migrants de l'aire métropolitaine de Los Angeles

National audienceCette étude combine une démarche expérimentale avec des techniques de terrain relevant de l'enquête qualitative afin d'analyser le choix alimentaire de familles de mangeurs issus de cultures (brésilienne, chinoise et russe) différentes. Ceci permet d'appréhender les problématiques soulevées par l'arbitrage entre santé et plaisir en contexte de globalisation alimentaire

Exploring the potentials of automatically collected GPS data for travel behaviour analysis - A Swedish data source

Understanding the regularity and the variability of individual travel behaviour over time has been one of the key issues in travel behaviour research for three decades. A deeper insight into the long-term mobility patterns of persons and households has been so far restricted by the limited availability of longitudinal data, though

Europe 1992 and Beyond: Towards a Quantitative General Equilibrium Assessment for Switzerland

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Comparison of nosespace, headspace, and sensory intensity ratings for the evaluation of flavor absorption by fat

The goal of this study was to better understand the correspondence between sensory perception and in-nose compound concentration. Five aroma compounds at three different concentrations increasing by factors of 4 were added to four matrixes (water, skim milk, 2.7% fat milk, and 3.8% fat milk). These were evaluated by nosespace analysis with detection by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), using five panellists. These same panellists evaluated the perceived intensity of each compound in the matrixes at the three concentrations. PTR-MS quantification found that the percent released from an aqueous solution swallowed immediately was between 0.1 and 0.6%, depending on the compound. The nosespace and sensory results showed the expected effect of fat on release, where lipophilic compounds showed reductions in release as fat content increases. The effect is less than that observed in headspace studies. A general correlation between nosespace concentration and sensory intensity ratings was found. However, examples of perceptual masking were found where higher fat milks showed reductions in aroma compound intensity ratings, even if the nosespace concentrations were the same