Parallel processing for scientific computations

The main contribution of the effort in the last two years is the introduction of the MOPPS system. After doing extensive literature search, we introduced the system which is described next. MOPPS employs a new solution to the problem of managing programs which solve scientific and engineering applications on a distributed processing environment. Autonomous computers cooperate efficiently in solving large scientific problems with this solution. MOPPS has the advantage of not assuming the presence of any particular network topology or configuration, computer architecture, or operating system. It imposes little overhead on network and processor resources while efficiently managing programs concurrently. The core of MOPPS is an intelligent program manager that builds a knowledge base of the execution performance of the parallel programs it is managing under various conditions. The manager applies this knowledge to improve the performance of future runs. The program manager learns from experience

The Evolution and Diffusion of the Standard Business Reporting (SBR) Initiatives: Evidence from UK Small Businesses

Few studies have comprehensively described Standard Business Reporting (SBR) as a policy-driven initiative based on inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language (iXBRL) aimed at reducing the administrative burden of statutory business reporting. The SBR term is still difficult to understand even by the countries where it has been implemented. The objective of this study is twofold. First, it describes in detail the evolution of the SBR initiatives in the UK. Second, it investigates the drivers and inhibitors of the take-up of the SBR initiative by small businesses based on the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework. It draws on contextual data and 23 interviews with participants involved in the development of these initiatives. The findings show that the following are perceived as drivers of the take-up of the SBR initiatives by small private companies: the relative advantages of using WebFiling, commercial filing software, and the digital services, the organizational accountant's readiness, and the influence of commercial filing software. However, we find no evidence that the relative advantage of using the joint-filing facility via iXBRL was perceived as a driver of the take-up of this innovation. The findings indicate that the absence of critical mass among government agencies inhibits its diffusion. This study provides specific implications to small businesses, the accountants working in small businesses and practice, government agencies in the UK, and other jurisdictions embarking on the SBR initiatives for further developments to reduce the reporting burden on smaller entitie

The TurboLAN project. Phase 1: Protocol choices for high speed local area networks. Phase 2: TurboLAN Intelligent Network Adapter Card, (TINAC) architecture

The hardware and the software architecture of the TurboLAN Intelligent Network Adapter Card (TINAC) are described. A high level as well as detailed treatment of the workings of various components of the TINAC are presented. The TINAC is divided into the following four major functional units: (1) the network access unit (NAU); (2) the buffer management unit; (3) the host interface unit; and (4) the node processor unit

Parallel processing for scientific computations

The scope of this project dealt with the investigation of the requirements to support distributed computing of scientific computations over a cluster of cooperative workstations. Various experiments on computations for the solution of simultaneous linear equations were performed in the early phase of the project to gain experience in the general nature and requirements of scientific applications. A specification of a distributed integrated computing environment, DICE, based on a distributed shared memory communication paradigm has been developed and evaluated. The distributed shared memory model facilitates porting existing parallel algorithms that have been designed for shared memory multiprocessor systems to the new environment. The potential of this new environment is to provide supercomputing capability through the utilization of the aggregate power of workstations cooperating in a cluster interconnected via a local area network. Workstations, generally, do not have the computing power to tackle complex scientific applications, making them primarily useful for visualization, data reduction, and filtering as far as complex scientific applications are concerned. There is a tremendous amount of computing power that is left unused in a network of workstations. Very often a workstation is simply sitting idle on a desk. A set of tools can be developed to take advantage of this potential computing power to create a platform suitable for large scientific computations. The integration of several workstations into a logical cluster of distributed, cooperative, computing stations presents an alternative to shared memory multiprocessor systems. In this project we designed and evaluated such a system

Transaction Management in Distributed Database Systems: The Case of Oracle’s Two-Phase Commit

Distributed database systems (DDBS) pose different problems when accessing distributed and replicated databases. Particularly, access control and transaction management in DDBS require different mechanism to monitor data retrieval and update to databases. Current trends in multi-tier client/server networks make DDBS an appropriated solution to provide access to and control over localized databases. Oracle, as a leading Database Management System (DBMS) vendor employs the two-phase commit technique to maintain consistent state for the database. The objective of this paper is to explain transaction management in DDBS and how Oracle implements this technique. An example is given to demonstrate the step involved in executing the two-phase commit. By using this feature of Oracle, organizations will benefit from the use of DDBS to successfully manage the enterprise data resource

Antitumor activity of doxorubicine-loaded nanoemulsion against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice

Purpose: To evaluate the antitumor activity of doxorubicine (DOX) loaded nanoemulsion (NE) on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC)-bearing Swiss albino mice.Methods: The mice were divided into five groups (n = 20) according to the administered drug. Groups I - V were labeled as negative control (normal), positive control of the untreated EAC bearing mice (EAC control), blank nanoemulsion (BI-NE), DOX-loaded-NE (DOX/LNE) and free DOX (DOX-Sol), respectively. Cardiotoxicity was assessed by measuring changes in body and organ weight, analyzing serum enzymes and lipids, and examining histological changes in heart tissues by light microscopy. In addition, mean survival time (MST), increase in life span (ILS) and survival (S) of the mice were determined.Results: DOX/LNE group reduced levels of serum enzymes and lowered damage to heart tissues relative to DOX-Sol group. The MST of the DOX/LNE group (80 ± 0.0 days) was significantly greater than that for DOX-Sol group (34.6 ± 8.9 days), while ILS of DOX/LNE (265.30 days) was higher than that of DOX-Sol (57.99 days) by 4.6-fold.Conclusion: Administration of DOX/LNE to EAC-bearing mice improves the efficacy of DOX and reduce its side effects on the heart.Keywords: Doxorubicine, Anti-tumor activity, Mean survival time, Heart histology, Nanoemulsion, Lipid profil

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBESITY AND DIETARY INTAKE OF OBESE AND PRE-OBESE FEMALE STUDENTS – AJA CAMPUS HAIL UNIVERSITY

Globally obesity has reached to epidemic proportions, and the people of the Gulf countries have also affected, especially high income, oilproducing countries. Recent data clearly indicate a high prevalence of adult obesity particularly in women in the Kingdom. This paper aims to identify the relationship between obesity and dietary intake of obese and pre-obese female students in Hail University–KSA. Descriptive analytical approach was used in this paper. BMI was calculated and related to dietary intake using food frequency questionnaire. Results shows prevalence of obesity grades was n(%); 43(43%) obesity grade I, 17(17%) obesity grade II, and 8(8%) were grade III obesity. Thirty one subjects were pre-obese and only one subject was overweight. Basic food groups consumption as stated in frequency per week revealed that: female students consumed more servings (>6 times/ week ) of fruits; vegetables; and dairy products, alternatives, sweets and candies, eggs, legumes, rice macaroni and other starch foods, non-alcoholic beverages. Whereas they consumed less servings (≤Once/ week) of breads, fruit juices, carbonated drinks and potato. The majority of the subjects 65% ate chicken with rice (Kabsa) as staple food, whereas 4% ate other starchy food. High consumption of energy dense foods might be responsible for increased deposition of calories in the form adipose tissue. Conclusion: It is crucial to enumerate awareness programs to modify dietary behavior and eating habits of female students and Hail community with respect to food intake. This will be effective in the treatment of obesity, especially in Saudi Arabia

The Prognostic Significance of the Depth of Cervical Stromal Invasion in Women with FIGO Stage II Uterine Endometrioid Carcinoma

Purpose/Objective(s): To explore the prognostic significance of the depth of cervical stromal invasion (CSI) on survival endpoints in women with FIGO stage II uterine endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Materials/Methods: A total of 117 patients were included in this retrospective review. Between 1990 and 2021, all patients with FIGO stage II endometrial cancer (EC) underwent hysterectomy and oophorectomy at our institution, with or without lymph node dissection. Patients with synchronous ovarian or breast cancer, as well as those who had undergone adjuvant systemic chemotherapy for EC, were excluded from the study. Pathologic slides were retrieved for these patients and were reviewed by a gynecologic pathologist to determine stromal thickness and the depth of CSI. The depth of CSI was then measured as a percentage of invasion (% CSI) and used in the analysis as a continuous or dichotomous variable (\u3c 50% vs \u3e = 50%). Patients\u27 demographics, pathologic, and treatment characteristics were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis to calculate recurrence-free (RFS) and disease-specific (DSS) rates. Results: The median age for the study cohort was 65 years (range, 34–96), and the median follow-up was 131 months (range, 9–334). A total of 90 patients (77%) had lymph node dissection, with a median of 8 examined lymph nodes (range 0-18). Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) with pelvic or vaginal cuff HDR brachytherapy, or a combination of the two, was completed in 92 patients (79 percent). The median % CSI was 27% (range, 1-100) with 68% of patients having ≥ 50% CSI. While there was a trend for a worse 5-year RFS and DSS for women with ≥ 50% CSI (69% vs. 83%, p = 0.093) and (78% vs. 91%, p = 0.034), respectively, the depth of CSI was not statistically significant as an independent predictor of 5-year RFS, DSS, or OS. The depth of CSI was not associated with a difference in the recurrence pattern (vaginal cuff, pelvic, paraaortic, or distant). In multivariate analysis, FIGO grade was the only predictor of 5-year OS. FIGO grade and the presence of lympho-vascular space invasion (LVSI) were independent predictors of 5-year RFS and DSS. Conclusion: Deep cervical stromal invasion does not appear to be an independent predictive factor for survival endpoints in women with stage II uterine endometroid cancer, according to our findings. The presence of LVSI and tumor grade were both independent predictors of recurrence-free and disease-specific survival. Pooled data analysis may be needed to validate our study findings