Parallel Iterative Methods

In this paper we discuss the implementation of the ITPACK library [Kine 82] in the parallel (//)ELL-PACK environment [Holls 92] and report on its performance on the nCUBE II parallel machine. In this study we are concerned with the numerical solution of second order elliptic partial diITerential equations (PDEs) on rectangular regions with mixed boundary conditions using finite difference approximations. The parallelization methodology applied is based on the domain decomposition of discrete geometric data structures (grids) associated with the numerical solution of the PDE problem[Chri 91]. The implementa-tion of I jITPACK for boundary value problems defined on general 2·0 and 3-D domains for both finite element and difference methods is reported in [Kim 93]. The performance results obtained so far indicate almost optimal computational and space efficiency of the / /ITPACK modules

On diagonally structured matrix computation

In this thesis, we have proposed efficient implementations of linear algebra kernels such as matrix-vector and matrix-matrix multiplications by formulating arithmetic calculations in terms of diagonals and thereby giving an orientation-neutral (column-/row-major layout) computational scheme. Matrix elements are accessed with stride-1 and no indirect referencing is involved. Access to the transposed matrix requires no additional effort. The proposed storage scheme handles dense matrices and matrices with special structures such as banded, symmetric in a uniform manner. Test results from numerical experiments with OpenMP implementation are promising. We also show that, using our diagonal framework, Java native arrays can yield superior computational performance. We present two alternative implementations for matrix-matrix multiplication operation in Java. The results from numerical testing demonstrate the advantage of our proposed methods

Exploring the Multifaceted Roles of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) - New Advances and Further Challenges

Glycosaminoglycans are linear, anionic polysaccharides (GAGs) consisting of repeating disaccharides. GAGs are ubiquitously localized throughout the extracellular matrix (ECM) and to the cell membranes of cells in all tissues. They are either conjugated to protein cores in the form of proteoglycans, e.g., chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS), heparin/heparan sulfate (Hep/HS) and keratan sulfate (KS), as well as non-sulfated hyaluronan (HA). By modulating biological signaling GAGs participate in the regulation of homeostasis and also participate in disease progression. The book, entitled “Exploring the multifaceted roles of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)—new advances and further challenges”, features original research and review articles. These articles cover several GAG-related timely topics in structural biology and imaging; morphogenesis, cancer, and other disease therapy and drug developments; tissue engineering; and metabolic engineering. This book also includes an article illustrating how metabolic engineering can be used to create the novel chondroitin-like polysaccharide.A prerequisite for communicating in any discipline and across disciplines is familiarity with the appropriate terminology. Several nomenclature rules exist in the field of biochemistry. The historical description of GAGs follows IUPAC and IUB nomenclature. New structural depictions such as the structural nomenclature for glycan and their translation into machine-readable formats have opened the route for cross-references with popular bioinformatics resources and further connections with other exciting “omics” fields

Enhancing curriculum design and delivery with OER

This paper reports on the key findings from the EVOL-OER project which aims to develop a deeper understanding of the reuse of open educational resources (OERs) by academics in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This paper builds on the JISC OER Impact study by exploring and expanding on the Ratified quadrant of the study’s landscape of reuse framework (White & Manton, 2011). This paper puts forward a different four-quadrant diagram called ‘OER-enhanced curriculum’ to illustrate different approaches adopted by academics to embedding OER into curriculum design and delivery. Key issues in relation to motivation and challenges in reusing OER are discussed