A Load Balancing Tool for Distributed Parallel Loops

Large scale applications typically contain parallel loops with many iterates. The iterates of a parallel loop may have variable execution times which translate into performance degradation of an application due to load imbalance. This paper describes a tool for load balancing parallel loops on distributed-memory systems. The tool assumes that the data for a parallel loop to be executed is already partitioned among the participating processors. The tool utilizes the MPI library for interprocessor coordination, and determines processor workloads by loop scheduling techniques. The tool was designed independent of any application; hence, it must be supplied with a routine that encapsulates the computations for a chunk of loop iterates, as well as the routines to transfer data and results between processors. Performance evaluation on a Linux cluster indicates that the tool reduces the cost of executing a simulated irregular loop without load balancing by up to 81%. The tool is useful for parallelizing sequential applications with parallel loops, or as an alternate load balancing routine for existing parallel applications.     

Performance Evaluation of the Deadline Credit Scheduling Algorithm for Soft-Real-Time Applications in Distributed Video-on-Demand Systems

Video-on-Demand (VoD) systems are expected to support a variety of multimedia services to the users, such as tele-education, teleconference, remote working, videotelephony, high-definition TV, etc. These applications necessitate abundant bandwidth and buffer space as well as appropriate software and hardware for the efficient manipulation of the networks resources. In this work we investigate a promising scheduling algorithm referred to as the Deadline Credit (DC) algorithm, which exploits the available bandwidth and buffer space to serve a diverse class of prerecorded video applications. We provide simulation results when the DC algorithm is applied to a hierarchical architecture distributed VoD network, which fits the existing tree topology used in todays cable TV systems. The issues investigated via the simulations are: the system utilization, the influence of the buffer space on the delivered Quality of Service, and the fairness of the scheduling mechanism. We examine cases with homogenous as well as diverse video streams, and extend our system to support interactive VCR-like functions. We also contribute a modification to the DC algorithm so that in cases when the video applications have different displaying periods, the video streams obtain a fair share of the networks resources. Finally, we validate our results by simulating actual videos encoded in MPEG-4 and H.263 formats.     

A Dynamic Workflow Approach for the Integration of Bioinformatics Services

Modern biological and chemical studies rely on life science databases as well as sophisticated software tools (e.g., homology search tools, modeling and visualization tools). These tools often have to be combined and integrated in order to support a given study. SIBIOS (System for the Integration of Bioinformatics Services) serves this purpose. The services are both life science database search services and software tools. The task engine is the core component of SIBIOS. It supports the execution of dynamic workflows that incorporate multiple bioinformatics services. The architecture of SIBIOS, the approaches to addressing the heterogeneity as well as interoperability of bioinformatics services, including data integration are presented in this paper.     

On the Identifiability of Transmission Dynamic Models for Infectious Diseases

Understanding the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases is important for both biological research and public health applications. It has been widely demonstrated that statistical modeling provides a firm basis for inferring relevant epidemiological quantities from incidence and molecular data. However, the complexity of transmission dynamic models presents two challenges: (1) the likelihood function of the models is generally not computable, and computationally intensive simulation-based inference methods need to be employed, and (2) the model may not be fully identifiable from the available data. While the first difficulty can be tackled by computational and algorithmic advances, the second obstacle is more fundamental. Identifiability issues may lead to inferences that are driven more by prior assumptions than by the data themselves. We consider a popular and relatively simple yet analytically intractable model for the spread of tuberculosis based on classical IS6110 fingerprinting data. We report on the identifiability of the model, also presenting some methodological advances regarding the inference. Using likelihood approximations, we show that the reproductive value cannot be identified from the data available and that the posterior distributions obtained in previous work have likely been substantially dominated by the assumed prior distribution. Further, we show that the inferences are influenced by the assumed infectious population size, which generally has been kept fixed in previous work. We demonstrate that the infectious population size can be inferred if the remaining epidemiological parameters are already known with sufficient precision.     

红火蚁入侵草坪过程中蚂蚁类群变动趋势

观察研究了红火蚁入侵草坪之后蚂蚁群落结构的变动趋势。对各处理区在不同时期的蚂蚁优势种进行了分析,结果表明,与对照区相比红火蚁入侵后各处理区的蚂蚁优势种发生了明显改变,红火蚁替代了原来的优势蚂蚁种类,并在数量上占主导地位,而且各处理区的蚂蚁类群多样性、均匀度降低,优势度明显增大。通过分析红火蚁入侵过程中各处理区的蚂蚁类群相似性,表明轻度发生区与对照区的蚂蚁类群相似性系数q一直处在0.25-0.50之间,为中等不相似;中度发生区与对照区的蚂蚁类群相似性系数q一直处在0.075-0.444之间,为中等不相似或极不相似;重度发生区与对照区的蚂蚁类群相似性系数q一直处在0.0-0.222之间,为极不相似,这也说明了不同的红火蚁危害程度对本地蚂蚁类群结构的影响是不同的,红火蚁种群数量越大,对本地蚂蚁类群的影响也越大,排挤或取代它们所需要的时间也越短。     

On the use of cellular telephony for audio interaction with animals

Playback is an important method of surveying animals, assessing habitats and studying animal communication. However, conventional playback methods require on-site observers and therefore become labour-intensive when covering large areas. Such limitations could be circumvented by the use of cellular telephony, a ubiquitous technology with increasing biological applications. In addressing concerns about the low audio quality of cellular telephones, this paper presents experimental data to show that owls of two species (Strix varia and Megascops asio) respond similarly to calls played through cellular telephones as to calls played through conventional playback technology. In addition, the telephone audio recordings are of sufficient quality to detect most of the two owl species' responses. These findings are a first important step towards large-scale applications where networks of cellular phones conduct real-time monitoring tasks.     

血浆内皮素配合描记动态脑电图在儿童晕厥诊断中应用的临床意义

摘要 目的：探究血浆内皮素配合描记动态脑电图在儿童晕厥诊断中的应用意义。方法：选择2017年1月至2020年1月于我院接受治疗的83例存在晕厥风险儿童,采集其静脉血样进行血浆内皮素水平测定,并实施动态脑电图检测,而后以倾斜试验结果为金标准,分别分析单纯血浆内皮素、单纯动态脑电图以及血浆内皮素+动态脑电图对晕厥的诊断应用意义。结果：（1）83例入组儿童中阳性为68例,阴性为15例,血浆内皮素检测阳性51例,阴性32例,一致性为77.11 %,灵敏度为73.53 %,特异度为93.33 %,阳性预测值为98.04 %, 阴性预测值为43.75 %;（2）动态脑电图诊断一致性为78.31 %,灵敏度为80.88 %,特异度为66.67 %,阳性预测值为91.67 %,阴性预测值为43.48 %;（3）联合检测诊断一致性为93.98 %,灵敏度为94.12 %,特异度为93.33 %,阳性预测值为98.46 %,阴性预测值为77.78 %;（4）检测方式差异性比较发现,联合检测在一致性、灵敏度、阴性预测值方面明显优于血浆内皮素和动态脑电图检测,在特异度方面优于动态脑电图检测（P<0.05）。结论：血浆内皮素联合描记动态脑电图对儿童晕厥具有较好的诊断辅助价值,能够显著提高诊断的一致性、灵敏度和特异度。     

Molecular Modeling Study of the PtCl2 Complexes of Unsaturated S2On+1-Coronands: Dynamic Simulations and Investigation of the Ring Interconversion

Maleonitrile-dithiacrown ethers mn-12S₂O₂ - mn-21S₂O₅ (mn = maleonitrile) are preorganized S₂O_n+1-coronands (n = 1–4) which force B, AB and A class metal ions into mixed S/O coordination spheres. Moreover, they form chelate complexes with MX₂ salts (M = Pd, Pt; X = Cl, Br), which were studied in this paper. The structures of mn-S₂O_n+1 and [PtCl₂(mn-S₂O_n+1)] (n = 2, 3) were investigated theoretically by empirical and semiempirical methods using SYBYL (TRIPOS force field) and MSI/DISCOVER97 (ESFF force field). mn-12S₂O₂ was investigated experimentally by X-ray analysis and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy in solution and the complex formation was studied by ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR titration experiments, respectively. S-inversion was also investigated in order to determine the ring corresponding interconversional barriers. Different orientations of the macrocyclic ring system mn-18S₂O₄ and of its transition states are shown.Electronic Supplementary Material available.     

不同遮荫强度下南方红豆杉枝叶紫杉醇产量的季节变化

研究了在一个生长季节内遮荫网不同遮荫强度下对人工种植的南方红豆杉(Taxus chinensis var. mairei)枝叶生物量、紫杉醇含量和产量季节变化。结果表明,在遮荫网89％和46.4％遮光条件下,南方红豆杉枝叶生物量、紫杉醇含量及其产量随发育节律呈现明显的规律性季节变化。在遮荫网89％和46.4％遮光条件下,89％遮荫条件下南方红豆杉枝叶生物量在整个生长季节内都明显高于46.4％遮荫条件下南方红豆杉枝叶生物量;在遮荫网89％和46.4％遮光条件下南方红豆杉枝叶中紫杉醇含量在5月中旬、7月末和11月末都出现较高峰值,后者紫杉醇含量峰值都明显比前者紫杉醇的含量高;89％和46.4％遮荫网遮光条件下南方红豆杉枝叶中紫杉醇的产量都在11月末期时达到最高,后者明显高于前者。因此,生产实践中可采用46.4％遮荫网遮光,采收的最佳季节为11月末期。     

On the reproductive value and the spectrum of a population projection matrix with implications for dynamic population models

The eigenvalues of a population projection matrix-except for the Lotka coefficient-are uniquely determined by the reproductive values and the survival. This relation (proposed earlier, but not really well known in western literature) follows from another useful relation between fertility, reproductive values, survival, and Lotka’s coefficient. These results are applied to provide demographic interpretations to the intrinsically dynamic and metastable population models by Schoen and co-workers.