Pinned OS/Services: A Case Study of XML Parsing on Intel SCC

Nowadays,we are heading towards integrating hundreds to thousands of cores on a single chip.However,traditional system software and middleware are not well suited to manage and provide services at such large scale.To improve the scalability and adaptability of operating system and middleware services on future many-core platform,we propose the pinned OS/services.By porting each OS and runtime system(middleware) service to a separate core(special hardware acceleration),we expect to achieve maximal performance gain and energy efficiency in many-core environments.As a case study,we target on XML(Extensible Markup Language),the commonly used data transfer/store standard in the world.We have successfully implemented and evaluated the design of porting XML parsing service onto Intel 48-core Single-Chip Cloud Computer(SCC) platform.The results show that it can provide considerable energy saving.However,we also identified heavy performance penalties introduced from memory side,making the parsing service bloated.Hence,as a further step,we propose the memory-side hardware accelerator for XML parsing.With specified hardware design,we can further enhance the performance gain and energy efficiency,where the performance can be improved by 20% with 12.27% energy reduction.     

Psychological services designed for men: A psychoeducational approach.

Examines the male sex role and (1) its effects on men's physical and mental health and (2) the associated obstacles for men in seeking and using psychological services. A psychoeducational structured-group program for men illustrates how psychological services might be designed to make them more accessible and useful to men. R. F. Levant and G. F. Doyle's (see record 1983-28490-001) empirical evaluation of the group (The Fatherhood Course) is briefly discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modelling and Characterizing a Screen-Printed Metallic Electrothermal Microactuator

A metallic electrothermal microactuator has been fabricated with screen-printing technology based on a sacrificial layer process. The actuator, printed on a standard 96% alumina, consists of two linked copper beams of different widths partially suspended above the substrate to which they are anchored. Energy-dispersive X-rays analyses demonstrate the harmlessness of the process with regard to the metallic layer. While increasing DC voltage between both anchors of the electrothermal microactuator, the deflection is optically measured using a calibrated CCD camera. The temperature distribution measured with an infrared camera in the actuator compares well with that calculated with finite element simulations.     

Microtribology,squeeze, and friction of the colloidal layer

Lubricant films containing colloidal overbased calcium salts have particular effects on detergency and on the wear process. The mechanical properties of such boundary films are very dependent on the process conditions, and are essentially a result of physico-chemical transformations of the colloid. Three types of films were compared: a film obtained by the drying of the base solvent, a film due to the compaction of the colloid between two steel surfaces, and a friction film obtained with this type of lubricant. Adsorption, compaction, and shear transformations induce a solid film. The pressure effect on the frictional behaviour of these colloidal films has been investigated using a surface force apparatus for low contact pressure (10⁴ to 10⁶ Pa), and using tribometers supporting heavy loads for the analysis of the high pressure domain. Above a critical pressure, evaluated at 10⁶ Pa, the colloidal film does not flow, but forms a compacted mattress sliding on the surface plane and squeezing a molecular layer of lubricant.     

Determination of glycated and acetylated hemoglobins in cord blood by time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The characterization of cord blood hemoglobin at the molecular level is a daunting challenge because hemoglobin F (HbF) and hemoglobin A (HbA) coexist in neonatal blood. We developed and validated a method using electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ES-TOF-MS) that measures, in a single analysis, relative levels of glycated and acetylated hemoglobin and allows the calculation of relative proportions of HbA, HbF(0), and HbF(1) in cord blood. Specific sections of acquired spectra were deconvoluted using a maximum entropy-based approach to true mass scale spectra. Mass precisions were less than 3 ppm with similar accuracies. Intra-interday precisions for α- and γ-chain glycation levels were 2.10%/3.72% and 2.75%/6.79%, respectively. The linearity of the α-chain glycation response was excellent (r(2) = 0.9990). We performed sample analysis on 39 cord blood specimens and found that the glycated α- and γ-chain levels were 2.27 ± 0.21% and 2.38 ± 0.29%, respectively, while the acetylated (G)γ and (A)γ-chain levels were 8.48 ± 0.53% and 7.14 ± 0.74%, respectively. We observed three types of HbF distinguishable by the intensities of γ-chain variants. Two-thirds of cord blood specimens were classified as HbF(I) with an intensity ratio (G)γ/(A)γ of 1.90 ± 0.12. For HbF(II) type (10/39 neonates), the intensity ratio of (G)γ/(A)γ was 3.71 ± 0.28. For three neonates with HbF(III), no (A)γ-chain was detected.     

In Vitro Rescue of the Bile Acid Transport Function of ABCB11 Variants by CFTR Potentiators

ABCB11 is responsible for biliary bile acid secretion at the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes. Variations in the ABCB11 gene cause a spectrum of rare liver diseases. The most severe form is progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2 (PFIC2). Current medical treatments have limited efficacy. Here, we report the in vitro study of Abcb11 missense variants identified in PFIC2 patients and their functional rescue using cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator potentiators. Three ABCB11 disease-causing variations identified in PFIC2 patients (i.e., A257V, T463I and G562D) were reproduced in a plasmid encoding an Abcb11-green fluorescent protein. After transfection, the expression and localization of the variants were studied in HepG2 cells. Taurocholate transport activity and the effect of potentiators were studied in Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) clones coexpressing Abcb11 and the sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (Ntcp/Slc10A1). As predicted using three-dimensional structure analysis, the three variants were expressed at the canalicular membrane but showed a defective function. Ivacaftor, GLP1837, SBC040 and SBC219 potentiators increased the bile acid transport of A257V and T463I and to a lesser extent, of G562D Abcb11 missense variants. In addition, a synergic effect was observed when ivacaftor was combined with SBC040 or SBC219. Such potentiators could represent new pharmacological approaches for improving the condition of patients with ABCB11 deficiency due to missense variations affecting the function of the transporter.     

River, reservoir and lake sediment contamination by heavy metals downstream from urban areas of Switzerland

This paper quantifies sediment contamination by heavy metals in four reservoirs and one lake located downstream from major urban areas in Switzerland. The waterbodies include the Wettingen Reservoir (located on the Limmat River downstream from Zürich), the Klingnau Reservoir (on the lower Aare River), the Wohlen Reservoir (downstream from Berne), the Verbois Reservoir (downstream from Geneva) and Vidy Bay (Lake Geneva, city of Lausanne). For all sediment cores and contaminants, a trend is observed from high contaminant values in the lower part of the cores, decreasing to lower concentrations in the upper part of the cores. However, for each site and each element, specific features are recognized. Applying the criteria of the Swiss ordinance on soil protection, all sediment cores must be classified as contaminated by one or more contaminants and at variable levels. From these data, it is concluded that: reservoirs and lakes located downstream from major urban centres in Switzerland have accumulated significant volumes of contaminated sediments in the past, representing the largest, but not the most intensely, contaminated sites on a national scale; the main environmental risk is remobilization of the contaminants and their return to the food chain, particularly by infiltration into the groundwater; and although the processes of remobilization are identified, the conditions of occurrence and the amplitude of the processes are still poorly known. Different options of reservoir and lake sediment management also are discussed and further research topics defined.     

Transformations de Fourier discrètes: algorithmes rapides

This paper reviews some discret Fourier transform algorithms: the algorithms with prime recursive radix, 2^k radix, non regular division, short algorithms, prime factor and Winograd ones are considered. For each of them, the technique to built the algorithm is resumed and algebraic properties on basic ideas used are pointed out. The most important properties of the algorithms are shown underlying the links between criteria choice and implementation of algorithms. In particular, the computational load of the algorithms is analysed.