nanoHUB.org: A Gateway to Undergraduate Simulation-Based Research in Materials Science and Related Fields

Our future engineers and scientists will likely be required to use advanced simulations to solve many of tomorrow\u27s challenges in nanotechnology. To prepare students to meet this need, the Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) provides simulation-focused research experiences for undergraduates at an early point in their educational path, to increase the likelihood that they will ultimately complete a doctoral program. The NCN summer research program currently serves over 20 undergraduate students per year who are recruited nationwide, and selected by NCN and the faculty for aptitude in their chosen field within STEM, as well as complementary skills such as coding and written communication. Under the guidance of graduate student and faculty mentors, undergraduates modify or build nanoHUB simulation tools for exploring interdisciplinary problems in materials science and engineering, and related fields. While the summer projects exist within an overarching research context, the specific tasks that NCN undergraduate students engage in range from modifying existing tools to building new tools for nanoHUB and using them to conduct original research. Simulation tool development takes place within nanoHUB, using nanoHUB’s workspace, computational clusters, and additional training and educational resources. One objective of the program is for the students to publish their simulation tools on nanoHUB. These tools can be accessed and executed freely from around the world using a standard web-browser, and students can remain engaged with their work beyond the summer and into their careers. In this work, we will describe the NCN model for undergraduate summer research. We believe that our model is one that can be adopted by other universities, and will discuss the potential for others to engage undergraduate students in simulation-based research using free nanoHUB resources

Open Science via HUBzero: Exploring Five Science Gateways Supporting and Growing their Open Science Communities

The research landscape applying computational methods has become increasingly interdisciplinary and complex regarding the research computing ecosystem with novel hardware, software, data, and lab instruments. Reproducibility of research results, the usability of tools, and sharing of methods are all crucial for timely collaboration for research and teaching. HUBzero is a widely used science gateway framework designed to support online communities with efficient sharing and publication processes. The paper discusses the growth of communities for the five science gateways nanoHUB, MyGeoHub, QUBEShub & SCORE, CUE4CHNG, and HubICL using the HUBzero Platform to foster open science and tackling education with a diverse set of approaches and target communities. The presented methods and magnitude of the communities elucidate successful means for science gateways for fostering open science and open education

Post-Operative Functional Outcomes in Early Age Onset Rectal Cancer

Background: Impairment of bowel, urogenital and fertility-related function in patients treated for rectal cancer is common. While the rate of rectal cancer in the young (<50 years) is rising, there is little data on functional outcomes in this group. Methods: The REACCT international collaborative database was reviewed and data on eligible patients analysed. Inclusion criteria comprised patients with a histologically confirmed rectal cancer, <50 years of age at time of diagnosis and with documented follow-up including functional outcomes. Results: A total of 1428 (n=1428) patients met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis. Metastatic disease was present at diagnosis in 13%. Of these, 40% received neoadjuvant therapy and 50% adjuvant chemotherapy. The incidence of post-operative major morbidity was 10%. A defunctioning stoma was placed for 621 patients (43%); 534 of these proceeded to elective restoration of bowel continuity. The median follow-up time was 42 months. Of this cohort, a total of 415 (29%) reported persistent impairment of functional outcomes, the most frequent of which was bowel dysfunction (16%), followed by bladder dysfunction (7%), sexual dysfunction (4.5%) and infertility (1%). Conclusion: A substantial proportion of patients with early-onset rectal cancer who undergo surgery report persistent impairment of functional status. Patients should be involved in the discussion regarding their treatment options and potential impact on quality of life. Functional outcomes should be routinely recorded as part of follow up alongside oncological parameters

Algunas cuestiones macroeconómicas del federalismo fiscal en la Argentina

En este trabajo se analizan algunas cuestiones macroeconómicas relacionadas con la existencia de varios niveles de gobierno. La elección de temas se hace sesgadamente en el sentido de que la atención se concentrará sobre aquellas dimensiones del problema que surgen como resultado del arreglo institucional imperante en la Argentina. (Párrafo extraído del texto a modo de resumen)Instituto de Investigaciones Económica