Comment on the paper by Y.Komura and Y.Okabe [arXiv:1011.3321]

We point out that the claim of strong universality in the paper J.Phys. A 44, 015002, arXiv:1011.3321 is incorrect, as it contradicts known rigorous results.Comment: submitted to J.Phys.

A Power-Efficient Methodology for Mapping Applications on Multi-Processor System-on-Chip Architectures

This work introduces an application mapping methodology and case study for multi-processor on-chip architectures. Starting from the description of an application in standard sequential code (e.g. in C), first the application is profiled, parallelized when possible, then its components are moved to hardware implementation when necessary to satisfy performance and power constraints. After mapping, with the use of hardware objects to handle concurrency, the application power consumption can be further optimized by a task-based scheduler for the remaining software part, without the need for operating system support. The key contributions of this work are: a methodology for high-level hardware/software partitioning that allows the designer to use the same code for both hardware and software models for simulation, providing nevertheless preliminary estimations for timing and power consumption; and a task-based scheduling algorithm that does not require operating system support. The methodology has been applied to the co-exploration of an industrial case study: an MPEG4 VGA real-time encoder

Progettazione digitale

Richiedendo prerequisiti minimi sotto l’aspetto informatico, tecnologico e matematico, il testo si propone di presentare principi e metodologie fondamentali per il progetto di sistemi digitali e guida lo studente mediante problemi via via più avanzati attraverso le problematiche tipiche del progetto digitale. Poiché attualmente gran parte del progetto digitale viene realizzato servendosi di strumenti di progettazione automatica (i vari tool CAD), il testo tratta costantemente la teoria facendo anche riferimento alla possibilità di sperimentazione pratica basata su strumenti automatici di progettazione. Questo approccio risulta sicuramente innovativo e stimolante e costituisce uno dei contributi principali del libro alla didattica sulla progettazione digitale

Frame Combination Techniques for Ultra High-Contrast Imaging

We summarize here an experimental frame combination pipeline we developed for ultra high-contrast imaging with systems like the upcoming VLT SPHERE instrument. The pipeline combines strategies from the Drizzle technique, the Spitzer IRACproc package, and homegrown codes, to combine image sets that may include a rotating field of view and arbitrary shifts between frames. The pipeline is meant to be robust at dealing with data that may contain non-ideal effects like sub-pixel pointing errors, missing data points, non-symmetrical noise sources, arbitrary geometric distortions, and rapidly changing point spread functions. We summarize in this document individual steps and strategies, as well as results from preliminary tests and simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, SPIE conference pape

Ultra-light disposable radio probes for atmospheric monitoring

Representation of clouds remains a latent ambiguity for weather forecasting and climate models since their characteristics depends on multidisciplinary processes in a wide range of natural scales, from the collision of micron-sized droplets and particles to the thousand-of-meters scale of airflow dynamics. Within the Horizon 2020 Innovative Training Network Cloud-MicroPhysics-Turbulence-Telemetry (ITN-COMPLETE), the development of ultra-small light disposable radio probes for fluctuation-inside-cloudsmonitoring is promoted and financed. Being light-weighted (less than 20 grams), the probes will have a fluid-dynamic behavior to allow them to “float” inside warm clouds after been released by an aircraft or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Each disposable probe is equipped with compact size microprocessors (presently the first prototype uses Arduino© Nano), controllers and a set of sensors for the measurement of atmospheric parameters such as velocity, acceleration, pressure, temperature and humidity variations. All probes are part of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) world. In fact, while floating, they collect, store and then send the coded information to a base station located at the ground through a dedicated radio transmission link. It is to be noted that long-range communication link (10 km) should be assured with low power consumption technology: a network based on the Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN© protocol) to connect and exchange data within the end-modules and the base station is the potential adopted solution. As far as possible biocompatible elements within the mini ultra-light radio probes will be used to avoid any environmental pollution

Architecture of Computing Systems - ARCS 2011

Architecture of Computing Systems - ARCS 2011, 24th International Conference, Como, Italy, February 24-25, 2011. Proceeding

Toward a First High-quality Genome Draft for Marker-assisted Breeding in Leaf Chicory, Radicchio (Cichorium intybus L.)

Radicchio (Cichorium intybus subsp. intybus var. foliosum L.) is one of the most important leaf chicories, used mainly as a component for fresh salads. Recently, we sequenced and annotated the first draft of the leaf chicory genome, as we believe it will have an extraordinary impact from both scientific and economic points of view. Indeed, the availability of the first genome sequence for this plant species will provide a powerful tool to be exploited in the identification of markers associated with or genes responsible for relevant agronomic traits, influencing crop productivity and product quality. The plant material used for the sequencing of the leaf chicory genome belongs to the Radicchio of the Chioggia type. Genomic DNA was used for library preparation with the TruSeq DNA Sample Preparation chemistry (Illumina). Sequencing reactions were performed with the Illumina platforms HiSeq and MySeq, and sequence reads were then assembled and annotated. We are confident that our efforts will extend the current knowledge of the genome organization and gene composition of leaf chicory, which is crucial for developing new tools and diagnostic markers useful for our breeding strategies in Radicchio