Tagging Area Research Articles

Movements of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and bream (Abramis brama) in a boreal lake, Lake Vesijärvi, Finland

AbstractMovements of common fish species in large lakes that are inadequately known is challenging for fisheries management. Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) (n = 478; mean length = 42.1 cm; SD = 7.0), bream (Abramis brama) (n = 775; mean length = 31.1 cm; SD = 5.3) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) (n = 939; mean length = 21.4 cm; SD = 2.0) were marked with individual T‐anchor tags to investigate movements in Lake Vesijärvi, a large lake situated in southern Finland consisting of several basins and managing by multiple entities. All species moved between basins, but only rarely moved outside tagging areas. The recapture rate of pikeperch was higher than roach and bream. Tagged fish consistently crossed municipality borders and water ownership units, thereby forming shared stocks, which underlined the importance of cooperation in lake restoration and a need to unite fragmented water ownership. Management of fisheries for cyprinid fishes could be more efficient if fishing targeted the most suitable areas without considering restrictions due to fragmented water ownership. Tagging data provided information on which parts of a large lake should be subjected to uniform pikeperch fisheries management. The importance of other species catch varied between different parts of the lake, thereby requiring different fishing regulations. Tagging data on common fish species provided valuable information on fish movements to support spatially explicit fisheries management.

Inshore-offshore movements of two fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) tracked by satellite off West Greenland

Two fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were tagged with satellite linked radio transmitters in a costal area near Aasiaat in West Greenland and tracked for 76 and 32 days in 2000 and 2001 respectively. In 2000, one whale was tagged on 30 September; it stayed in the tagging area until at least 13 October. On 16 and 17 October it was found further south off the coast of West Greenland. On 20 October it had moved approximately 250km southeast to another inshore area. It moved another 100km south along the coast and up to 50km off the coast until 2 November, then appeared back in the area it was located on 20 October until contact was lost on 20 December. In 2001, one whale was tagged on 24 August, it stayed in the coastal area until mid September, where it travelled south along the coast to an area approximately 100km off the coast. From here it continued south to the same inshore area occupied by the whale in 2000. It remained in this area until the last position was received on 25 September. The tracking data suggest a connection between inshore and offshore ( > 22km) fin whales and indicates the potential range of fin whales in West Greenland.

Development of a Price Tag Detection System on Mobile Devices using Deep Learning

Ensuring customer satisfaction is an important issue in the retail industry. The way to achieve this satisfaction is to provide a quality service. The data on the price tags on the product shelves are frequently updated. These data should be included on the price tags in their current form. Customers may encounter inaccurate information on price tags in shopping places, which causes negative results in terms of customer loyalty and satisfaction. The data on the price tags is mostly checked manually, which can cause human errors. In this study, a deep learning-based solution is proposed for fast and high accuracy detection of price tag area. One of the first and important stages of a deep learning-based price recognition system is the correct detection of the price tag area. The successful execution of this stage is important for the successful execution of the next processes (barcode reading, price reading). The proposed method has been tested on mobile phones. It is envisaged that the proposed method is applicable in its current form and can be a technical reference for similar problems in the retail industry.

English

Knowledge and practices in preventing malaria infection were assessed in a cross-sectional study in Morogoro Municipal. Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease transmitted caused by plasmodial species which are plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium ovale, and plasmodium malariae. With most of the cases of malaria being due to Plasmodium falciparum accounting for more than 95% of infections. A total of sixty families were randomly selected from five study areas (Chamwino, Mafiga, Kichangani, Misufini and Manzese) to participate in the study. The questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questions was administered. The results indicated that knowledge on malaria transmission and prevention was reasonable as the respondents declared to have a significant knowledge (85%) on malaria transmission and prevention, though there was a knowledge gap among respondents. Breeding sites were also assessed and the results showed that 26.7% reported dark places as breeding sites, 40% mentioned the edges of ponds and stagnant water, 26.7% tagged dirty areas as breeding sites, 1.7% mentioned cattle sheds, and 5% were not aware at all. Methods used for management of malaria in their homes indicate that most of the respondents (73.3%) agreed with indoor residual spraying (IRS) while (26.7%) did not agree with IRS. Most respondents commented on the effectiveness of Home Management of Malaria (HMM) to be somehow helpful in reducing malaria infection cases, while 31.7% strongly agreed that HMM has been effective in reducing malaria infection cases. Therefore, there is a need to improve the emphasis of HMM to ensure that the effectiveness of HMM is being achieved at a great level. Key words: Knowledge, mosquito, indoor residual spraying, home management of malaria.&nbsp

A Cascaded Model Based on EfficientDet and YOLACT++ for Instance Segmentation of Cow Collar ID Tag in an Image.

In recent years, many imaging systems have been developed to monitor the physiological and behavioral status of dairy cows. However, most of these systems do not have the ability to identify individual cows because the systems need to cooperate with radio frequency identification (RFID) to collect information about individual animals. The distance at which RFID can identify a target is limited, and matching the identified targets in a scenario of multitarget images is difficult. To solve the above problems, we constructed a cascaded method based on cascaded deep learning models, to detect and segment a cow collar ID tag in an image. First, EfficientDet-D4 was used to detect the ID tag area of the image, and then, YOLACT++ was used to segment the area of the tag to realize the accurate segmentation of the ID tag when the collar area accounts for a small proportion of the image. In total, 938 and 406 images of cows with collar ID tags, which were collected at Coldstream Research Dairy Farm, University of Kentucky, USA, in August 2016, were used to train and test the two models, respectively. The results showed that the average precision of the EfficientDet-D4 model reached 96.5% when the intersection over union (IoU) was set to 0.5, and the average precision of the YOLACT++ model reached 100% when the IoU was set to 0.75. The overall accuracy of the cascaded model was 96.5%, and the processing time of a single frame image was 1.92 s. The performance of the cascaded model proposed in this paper is better than that of the common instance segmentation models, and it is robust to changes in brightness, deformation, and interference around the tag.

Three-Dimensional Movements and Habitat Selection of Young White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) Across a Temperate Continental Shelf Ecosystem

As highly mobile predators with extensive home ranges, some shark species often utilize a continuum of habitats across the continental shelf ranging from the surf zone to the open ocean. For many species, these cross-shelf distributions can change depending on ontogeny or seasonal conditions. Recent research has confirmed a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) summer nursery off Long Island, New York; however, habitat characterization of this nursery has not yet been conducted nor has fine-scale analysis of vertical behavior. Between 2016 and 2019, 21 young-of-the-year and juvenile white sharks were fitted with satellite and acoustic tags to examine distribution and selection for a suite of oceanographic variables during their late summertime (i.e., August to October) residence in the New York Bight. Horizontal position estimates were used to extract a suite of environmental measurements via remote sensing platforms and were linked with vertical profiles to produce three-dimensional movements for a subset of individuals also fitted with pop-up satellite archival tags (n = 7). Sharks exhibited horizontal movements parallel to Long Island’s southern shoreline and coastal New Jersey, with distances from 0.1 to 131.5 km from shore. Log-likelihood chi-square analyses determined selection for waters with underlying bathymetry of 20–30 m, sea surface temperatures between 20.0 and 22.0°C, sea surface salinities between 31.0 and 32.0 ppt, and chlorophyll-a concentrations between 2.0 and 8.0 mg⋅m–3. Multiple individuals also traversed the mid- to outer shelf region after leaving the Montauk tagging area. Vertical depth profiles illustrated oscillations between the surface and 199 m of water, with an average swimming depth of 9.2 ± 8.9 m. Water column temperatures during these oscillations ranged between 7.9 and 26.2°C (mean = 19.5 ± 2.0°C) with several individuals traversing highly stratified regions presumably associated with a mid-shelf cold pool adjacent to the Hudson Shelf Valley. These results suggest young white sharks exhibit connectivity between the immediate shoreline and mid-continental shelf region, where they play important ecological roles as predators on a variety of species. Our study improves characterization of essential fish habitat for young white sharks and provides new insights into their reliance on this productive continental shelf ecosystem.

Multi-year movements of adult and subadult bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas): philopatry, connectivity, and environmental influences

Understanding the movement ecology of marine species is important for conservation management and monitoring their responses to environmental change. In this study, adult and subadult bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas; n = 16) were acoustically tagged in Biscayne Bay, Florida (USA), where they were tracked locally via an array of 40 passive acoustic receivers, as well as regionally via cooperative acoustic telemetry networks, with individuals tracked up to 4.5 years. Detection data were used to assess philopatry, regional connectivity, and environmental correlates of shark habitat use. Spatial range varied per individual; however, most individuals displayed high residency to Biscayne Bay, exhibiting strong philopatric behavior to the tagging area. A generalized linear mixed model revealed a seasonal pattern in habitat use, with mature females displaying high residency in Biscayne Bay during the colder dry season (November to February) and lower residencies during the warmer wet season (June to October). These seasonal patterns were supported by catch data from long-term fishery-independent shark surveys in the study area. During summer months when residencies of C. leucas declined in Biscayne Bay, their residencies increased in other regions (e.g., Florida Gulf Coast), demonstrative of seasonal migrations. Connectivity between areas of high use (Biscayne Bay and Florida Gulf Coast) was demonstrated by some individuals traveling between these areas. Results from generalized additive mixed models suggest that these movement patterns could be partially driven by seasonal changes in environmental variables as well as an individual’s life stage, including reproductive status.

Autumn movements of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from Svalbard, Norway, revealed by satellite tracking

Insight into animal movements is essential for understanding habitat use by individuals as well as population processes and species life-history strategies. In this study, we instrumented 25 fin whales with ARGOS satellite-transmitters in Svalbard, Norway, to study their movement patterns and behaviour (Area Restricted Search (ARS), transiting or unknown) during boreal autumn/early winter. Ten of the whales stayed in the tagging area (most northerly location: 81.68°N) for their entire tracking periods (max 45 days). The other 15 whales moved in a south-westerly direction; the longest track ended off the coast of northern Africa (> 5000 km from the tagging location) after 96 days. The whales engaged in ARS behaviour intermittently throughout their southward migrations. During transit phases the whales moved quickly; one individual maintained an average horizontal speed of 9.3 km/h (travelling 223 km per day) for a period of a week. This study documents that: (1) some fin whales might remain at high latitudes during winter; (2) the whales that do migrate probably feed along the way; (3) they can maintain high transiting speed for long periods and; (4) one breeding area for this species is likely located in deep, warm water some 100 km west of Morocco.

Effective Ablation Settings That Predict Chronic Scar After Left Atrial Ablation.

The goal of this study was to find effective parameters that can be used in real-time that result in chronic scar verified by left atrial (LA) late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR). Automated annotation can be a useful tool while ablating in tagging areas that will result in scar, but the effective settings that best predict chronic scar are still unknown. Patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation using a CARTO3 mapping system with a VISITAG Module and 3-month post-ablation LGE-CMR. The electroanatomical map (EAM) was used to retrospectively tag ablated areas with 5different parameters: catheter stability; stability duration; force over time; minimum contact force; and impedance drop. The ablation tags in EAM were projected to the 3-month post-ablation LGE-CMR. Tags were divided into 2 groups depending on if they correlated with CMR-based scar tags (STAGs) or nonscar tags (NTAGs); the effective parameters were estimated for the 2 groups at different power levels. This study assessed 70 consecutive patients and 28,939 ablation tags. Ablation time and force time integral (FTI) were significantly larger in the STAG group. Mean contact force, change of catheter tip temperature, and impedance were not significantly different between STAGs and NTAGs. The minimum ablation time and FTI to make durable scar lesions were 17.6, 13.6, and 11.0s and 226.1, 187.4, and 161.4g at 25, 35, and 50 W, respectively. Minimum ablation time and FTI values are critical parameters that determine durable atrial scar creation and their minimum values vary with the ablation power setting.

Microwave performance of flexo-printed chipless RFID tags

The chipless RFID tag is considered as a potential candidate to replace the expensive chip-based tags due to the possibility of high volume tag production by low-cost printing processes. In this paper, we report on the microwave performance of chipless tags printed by a benchtop flexographic printer using low-cost water-based silver ink obtained from NovaCentrix. The designed chipless RFID tags were based on the frequency-domain ‘Data Encoding’ due to its merit to encode a higher number of data bits compared to other domains of data encoding. The printed silver ink tracks were optimized for best printer settings in terms of the adjustments of the gap between the rollers, print speed and ink volume. The dependence of the RCS response on the actual tag area to be covered in metal ink, relative to the designed tag area, was investigated and a way to obtain an increased RCS response was studied. It was found that printing at least two copies of resonators can enhance the detected RCS response for any specific tag configuration. Tags printed on Mylar PET film gave the best RCS performance compared to tags printed on thermal paper and PVC film.

UCR

Chipless Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that do not include an integrated circuit (IC) in the transponder are more appropriate for supply-chain management of low-cost commodities and have been gaining extensive attention due to their relatively lower price. However, existing chipless RFID tags consume considerable tag area and manufacturing time/cost because of complex fabrication process (e.g., requiring removing or shorting some resonators on the tag substrate to encode data). Worse still, their identifiers (IDs) are deterministic, clonable, and small in terms of bitwidth. To address these shortcomings and help preserve the cold chain for commodities (e.g., vaccines, pharmaceuticals, etc.) sensitive to temperature, we develop a novel unclonable environmentally sensitive chipless RFID (UCR) tag that intrinsically generates a unique ID from both manufacturing variations and ambient temperature variation. A UCR tag consists of two parts: (i) a certain number of concentric ring slot resonators integrated on a certain laminate (e.g., TACONIC TLX-0), whose resonance frequencies rely on geometric parameters of slot resonators and dielectric constant of substrate material that are sensitive to manufacturing variations, and (ii) a stand-alone circular ring slot resonator integrated on a particular substrate (e.g., grease) that will be melted at a high temperature, whose resonance frequency relies on geometric parameters of slot resonator, dielectric constant of substrate material, and ambient temperature. UCR tags have the capability to track commodities and their temperatures in the supply chain. The area of UCR tag is comparable to regular quick response (QR) code. Experimental results based on UCR tag prototypes have verified their uniqueness and reliability.

The Effects of Acute Interval Exercise and Strawberry Intake on Postprandial Lipemia.

Raised postprandial triglycerides (TAG) and related oxidative stresses are strongly associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Acute exercise and strawberry ingestion independently ameliorate postprandial lipid excursions and oxidative stress. However, the combined effects of these lifestyle interventions are unknown. We investigated whether acute exercise and strawberry consumption improved postprandial responses to an oral fat tolerance test (OFTT) in overweight/obese males. Overweight/obese adult males underwent four separate OFTT (73 g fat, 33 g carbohydrate) with blood sampled at baseline and hourly for 4 h after OFTT. Two OFTT contained 25 g freeze-dried strawberries and two contained strawberry flavoring (placebo). Participants performed 40 min of submaximal high-intensity interval cycling exercise 16 h before one strawberry and one placebo OFTT and rested before the remaining two OFTT. Serum TAG was analyzed, and TAG area under the curve (AUC) and incremental AUC (iAUC) were calculated. Oxidative stress markers were measured at baseline and 4 h. Differences between conditions (strawberry/placebo and exercise/rest) were assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Ten males (age = 31.5, interquartile range = 17.8 yr, body mass index = 29.9 ± 1.8 kg·m) completed the study. TAG AUC was 1.5 mmol per 4 h·L lower for the exercise conditions compared with the rest conditions (95% confidence interval [CI] = -2.3 to -0.8 mmol per 4 h·L, P = 0.001). TAG AUC was not different between strawberry and placebo conditions (95% CI = -1.3 to 0.6 mmol per 4 h·L, P = 0.475). TAG iAUC was 0.5 mmol per 4 h·L greater for the strawberry compared with the placebo conditions (95% CI = 0.1 to 1.0 mmol per 4 h·L, P = 0.021). There were no changes in markers of lipid related oxidative stress (P > 0.05). Acute submaximal high-intensity interval cycling exercise appears effective in reducing postprandial lipemia in overweight/obese adult males. However, strawberry ingestion did not improve postprandial TAG.

Sperm whale dive behavior characteristics derived from intermediate-duration archival tag data.

Here, we describe the diving behavior of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) using the Advanced Dive Behavior (ADB) tag, which records depth data at 1‐Hz resolution and GPS‐quality locations for over 1 month, before releasing from the whale for recovery. A total of 27 ADB tags were deployed on sperm whales in the central Gulf of California, Mexico, during spring 2007 and 2008, of which 10 were recovered for data download. Tracking durations of all tags ranged from 0 to 34.5 days (median = 2.3 days), and 0.6 to 26.6 days (median = 5.0 days) for recovered tags. Recovered tags recorded a median of 50.8 GPS‐quality locations and 42.6 dives per day. Dive summary metrics were generated for archived dives and were subsequently classified into six categories using hierarchical cluster analysis. A mean of 77% of archived dives per individual were one of four dive categories with median Maximum Dive Depth >290 m (V‐shaped, Mid‐water, Benthic, or Variable), likely associated with foraging. Median Maximum Dive Depth was <30 m for the other two categories (Short‐ and Long‐duration shallow dives), likely representing socializing or resting behavior. Most tagged whales remained near the tagging area during the tracking period, but one moved north of Isla Tiburón, where it appeared to regularly dive to, and travel along the seafloor. Three whales were tagged on the same day in 2007 and subsequently traveled in close proximity (<1 km) for 2 days. During this period, the depth and timing of their dives were not coordinated, suggesting they were foraging on a vertically heterogeneous prey field. The multiweek dive records produced by ADB tags enabled us to generate a robust characterization of the diving behavior, activity budget, and individual variation for an important predator of the mesopelagos over temporal and spatial scales not previously possible.

Oceanic adults, coastal juveniles: tracking the habitat use of whale sharks off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Eight whale sharks tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags off the Gulf of California, Mexico, were tracked for periods of 14–134 days. Five of these sharks were adults, with four females visually assessed to be pregnant. At least for the periods they were tracked, juveniles remained in the Gulf of California while adults moved offshore into the eastern Pacific Ocean. We propose that parturition occurs in these offshore waters. Excluding two juveniles that remained in the shallow tagging area for the duration of tracking, all sharks spent 65 ± 20.7% (SD) of their time near the surface, even over deep water, often in association with frontal zones characterized by cool-water upwelling. While these six sharks all made dives into the meso- or bathypelagic zones, with two sharks reaching the maximum depth recordable by the tags (1285.8 m), time spent at these depths represented a small proportion of the overall tracks. Most deep dives (72.7%) took place during the day, particularly during the early morning and late afternoon. Pronounced habitat differences by ontogenetic stage suggest that adult whale sharks are less likely to frequent coastal waters after the onset of maturity.

Migration and diving behavior of Centrophorus squamosus in the NE Atlantic. Combining electronic tagging and Argo hydrography to infer deep ocean trajectories

A total of nine leafscale gulper sharks Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788), were tagged with pop-up, satellite, archival, transmitting tags (PSAT) in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of El Cachucho (Le Danois Bank) located in waters to the north of Spain, (NE Atlantic). Tags provided data on time, pressure and temperature that were used to examine movement patterns and diving behavior. Data collected from Argo floats in the study area have been used to devise a simple geolocation algorithm to infer the probable routes followed by this species. Tag release points revealed that C. squamosus moved both to the west (Galician waters) and to the north (Porcupine Bank) from the tagging area, suggesting well defined preferred pathways. The inferred trajectories indicated that sharks alternate periods constrained to specific geographical regions with quick and prompt movements covering large distances. Two sharks made conspicuous diurnal vertical migrations being at shallower depths around midnight and at maximum depths at midday, while other sharks did not make vertical migrations. Vertical movements were done smoothly and independently of the fish swimming long-distances or resting in the area. Overall results confirm that this species is highly migratory, supporting speeds of 20 nautical miles.day−1 and well capable to swim and make vertical migrations well above the abyssal plain.

Nanorod Aspect Ratios Determined by the Nano‐Impact Technique

AbstractThe in situ electrochemical sizing of individual gold nanorods is reported. Through the combination of electrochemical dissolution and the use of a surface‐bound redox tag, the volume and surface area of the nanorods are measured, and provide the aspect ratio and the size of the nanorods. Excellent independent agreement is found with electron microscopy analysis of the nanorods, establishing the application of nano‐impact experiments for the sizing of anisotropic nanomaterials.

Nanorod Aspect Ratios Determined by the Nano-Impact Technique.

The in situ electrochemical sizing of individual gold nanorods is reported. Through the combination of electrochemical dissolution and the use of a surface-bound redox tag, the volume and surface area of the nanorods are measured, and provide the aspect ratio and the size of the nanorods. Excellent independent agreement is found with electron microscopy analysis of the nanorods, establishing the application of nano-impact experiments for the sizing of anisotropic nanomaterials.

Movements of the reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) in the Red Sea using satellite and acoustic telemetry

Populations of mobulid rays are declining globally through a combination of directed fisheries and indirect anthropogenic threats. Understanding the movement ecology of these rays remains an important priority for devising appropriate conservation measures throughout the world’s oceans. We sought to determine manta movements across several temporal and spatial scales with a focus on quantifying site fidelity and seasonality in the northern Farasan Banks, Red Sea. We fitted manta rays with acoustic transmitters (n = 9) and pop-up satellite archival transmitting (PSAT) tags (n = 9), including four with GPS capability (Fastloc), during spring 2011 and 2012. We deployed an extensive array of acoustic receivers (n = 67) to record movements of tagged mantas in the study area. All acoustically tagged individuals traveled frequently among high-use receiver locations and reefs and demonstrated fidelity to specific sites within the array. Estimated and realized satellite tag data indicated regional movements <200 km from the tagging location, largely coastal residency, and high surface occupation. GPS-tagged individuals regularly moved within the coastal reef matrix up to ~70 km to the south but continued to return to the tagging area near the high-occupancy sites identified in the acoustic array. We also tested the accuracy of several geolocation models to determine the best approach to analyze our light-based satellite tag data. We documented significant errors in light-based movement estimates that should be considered when interpreting tracks derived from light-level geolocation, especially for animals with restricted movements through a homogenous temperature field. Despite some error in satellite tag positions, combining results from PSAT and acoustic tags in this study yielded a comprehensive representation of manta spatial ecology across several scales, and such approaches will, in the future, inform the design of appropriate management strategies for manta rays in the Red Sea and tropical regions worldwide.

Vulnerability of the Oceanic Whitetip Shark to Pelagic Longline Fisheries.

A combination of fisheries dependent and independent data was used to assess the vulnerability of the oceanic whitetip shark to pelagic longline fisheries. The Brazilian tuna longline fleet, operating in the equatorial and southwestern Atlantic, is used as a case study. Fisheries dependent data include information from logbooks (from 1999 to 2011) and on-board observers (2004 to 2010), totaling 65,277 pelagic longline sets. Fisheries independent data were obtained from 8 oceanic whitetip sharks tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags in the area where longline fleet operated. Deployment periods varied from 60 to 178 days between 2010 and 2012. Tagging and pop-up sites were relatively close to each other, although individuals tended to travel long distances before returning to the tagging area. Some degree of site fidelity was observed. High utilization hotspots of tagged sharks fell inside the area under strongest fishing pressure. Despite the small sample size, a positive correlation between tag recorded information and catch data was detected. All sharks exhibited a strong preference for the warm and shallow waters of the mixed layer, spending on average more than 70% of the time above the thermocline and 95% above 120 m. Results indicate that the removal of shallow hooks on longline gear might be an efficient mitigation measure to reduce the bycatch of this pelagic shark species. The work also highlights the potential of tagging experiments to provide essential information for the development of spatio-temporal management measures.

Improving Performance in Sub-Block Caches with Optimized Replacement Policies

Recent advances in computer processor design have led to the introduction of sub-blocking to cache architectures. Sub-block caches reduce the tag area and power overhead in caches without reducing the effective cache size by using fewer tags to index the full data RAM array. In spite of achieving reduced area and power overhead, sub-block caches suffer performance degradation due to cache trashing. This occurs when a wider cache line (super-block), made up of multiple valid cache lines (sub-blocks), is replaced or evicted when only a sub-block is to be allocated into the wider super-block. To address this problem, we propose cache replacement policies as they relate specifically to sub-block caches. We propose new replacement policies that are tuned for sub-block caches by adding more intelligence based on the valid state of individual sub-blocks of a super-block. We also investigate the effect of using a few level-0 registers to bypass a few level-1 cache pipe stages on sub-block cache performance. To evaluate the performance improvement offered by our proposed replacement policies and the use of level-0 registers, we developed a sub-block cache simulator based on the Simplescalar toolset for single-core evaluations and the Sniper Simulator for multicore evaluations. We show that, with minimal architectural updates to existing conventional cache replacement policies, we are able to improve level-1 cache hit rates by up to 4.17% using our proposed policies alone on SPEC2006 benchmarks and up to 14% in shared level-2 caches using multicore benchmark suites: PARSEC and SPLASH2.