Sophisticated numerical simulations of DNA folding have enabled a European research team to gain a better understanding of how genomes work. The GENetic NETworks Emergence and Complexity (GENNETEC) team was able to prove that the regular spacing of the same transcription factor along a chromosome helps determine the structure of the folded or condensed strand of DNA. Moreover, the researchers learned that the final shape is important for gene expression. The GENNETEC team used the new positional predictor with the standard sequence predictor, and was able to find new gene-regulator relationships more efficiently. GENNETEC project coordinator Francois Kepes says consortium partner NorayBio is developing commercial software that employs this approach for deciphering genetic networks, and the consortium plans to make a less sophisticated version available for free. GENNETEC’s research could be used in different fields for designing software and engineering systems, says Kepes.
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Cooperation between researchers, chipmakers, and tool suppliers working on the EUREKA MEDEA+ microelectronics Cluster ROBIN project has led to improved design methods for silicon chips. The researchers say the project has created a process that solves problems far earlier in the design phase, enhancing integrated circuit design techniques. Project partners formalized the problems; specified software tools, models, and design flows with strong interoperability; and proposed test cases. The project focused on optimizing the design method for both existing 130 nm and 90 nm and future 65 nm and 45 nm technologies by defining the most efficient trade-offs between circuit robustness, in regards to yield and reliability, and the efficient use of technology affecting performance, specifically density and power consumption. For example, on inter-block couplings, the project enabled a decrease of simulation time by a factor of four in critical radio-frequency circuits. The researchers say the benefits of the project have been demonstrated in automotive, telecommunications, and multimedia applications.

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University of Southampton (ECS) researchers recently won the inaugural Lemonade Game Tournament by defeating research teams from Princeton University, Brown University, Rutgers University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Michigan. The teams had to create an agent that recognizes a collaborator in a repeated three-player zero-sum game. The agent must cooperate with the collaborator in order to defeat the third player. However, the agents are not able to communicate directly with one another, so they must indicate their willingness to collaborate by signaling. The ECS team designed an agent that classified the style of behavior that other agents in the game are playing, and used this information to rank their potential as collaborators. The researchers are working on improving the agent for the next tournament.

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