The architecture of tomorrow's massively parallel computer

Goodyear Aerospace delivered the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) to NASA/Goddard in May 1983, over three years ago. Ever since then, Goodyear has tried to look in a forward direction. There is always some debate as to which way is forward when it comes to supercomputer architecture. Improvements to the MPP's massively parallel architecture are discussed in the areas of data I/O, memory capacity, connectivity, and indirect (or local) addressing. In I/O, transfer rates up to 640 megabytes per second can be achieved. There are devices that can supply the data and accept it at this rate. The memory capacity can be increased up to 128 megabytes in the ARU and over a gigabyte in the staging memory. For connectivity, there are several different kinds of multistage networks that should be considered

The Challenge of Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT): A Case Study in Music Education Pedagogy

It is nine o’clock in the morning in my “Intro to Music Education” classroom. The students enter the class room and begin to almost immediately begin debating important current trends in music education. Topics range from making sure music classrooms utilize a diverse range of repertoire (music) and literature; to LGBTQ+ students in the classroom; to teaching music to students with special needs; to the efficient use of technology in the music classroom. This is not your typical “sage from the stage” lecture. These students are actively participating and engaged from the moment class begins, and as the class continues, are engaged in the topics to be discussed at hand. In this case study, I show how a student centered web-based learning theory known as “Just-In-Time Teaching” (JiTT) can help increase student engagement, preparation, and facilitate student learning with active classroom discussions and feedback from the teacher

THE RELATIONSHIP OF SPAN OF CONTROL TO NURSE MANAGER SATISFACTION

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between span of control (SOC) and nurse manager job satisfaction for nurse managers working in a hospital system. The study may help administrators identify how wide and narrow SOC correlates to the overall job satisfaction of nurse managers. Design: A non-experimental descriptive correlational study design was used. Methods: Data were collected from a convenience sample of nurse managers working within an eleven-hospital healthcare system. Survey Monkey was used for data collection and included a demographic questionnaire, The Ottawa Hospital Model of Nursing Clinical Practice (TOH MoNCP) Clinical Management Span of Control Decision-Making Tool, and a Job Satisfaction Tool. Final sample was 76 participants. Results: Pearson correlation coefficients revealed a weak significant negative correlation between SOC and nurse manager satisfaction, r(75) = -.263, p = .022. A weak significant correlation was also found between the number of years in nursing and nurse manager satisfaction, r(75) = .294, p = .01, and between SOC and the time a nurse manager was in their current position, r(75) = -.237, p = .04. Conclusion: Results of this study adds to the literature by describing how SOC relates to nurse manager satisfaction. As nurse manager SOC increases, nurse manager satisfaction decreases. Increased turnover, vacancy rates and negative patient care outcomes may result from an increased SOC and decreased manager satisfaction level. Health care administrators can use the data to better understand how SOC relates to nurse manager satisfaction and can implement strategies to help maintain manageable levels of SOC and preserve nurse manager satisfaction. Key Words: Nurse manager, span of control, job satisfaction, healthy work environment, nurse leadership, nurse manager burnout, retentio

Nicholas Bratcher TSSA Fall 17

Enhances faculty\u27s teaching by attending a conference devoted to university teaching, a high-impact practice, evidence-based practice or a newly developing teaching practice

Chance and Choice: Self Creation in the Social Lives of Adolescent Girls

The adolescent social hierarchy, a parallel universe, is created, confirmed and advanced within a very few years. Chance, in the form of appearance and speed of maturation, is important here, but personal construction of reality—choice—can also be powerful. The paper looks at the dilemmas facing adolescent girls as they confront the disparate requirements of social popularity and individual achievement, with a view to understanding creation of self as model, process and attempt at conflict resolution. A simple schema for the conceptualization of self creation is proposed

Staging memory for massively parallel processor

The invention herein relates to a computer organization capable of rapidly processing extremely large volumes of data. A staging memory is provided having a main stager portion consisting of a large number of memory banks which are accessed in parallel to receive, store, and transfer data words simultaneous with each other. Substager portions interconnect with the main stager portion to match input and output data formats with the data format of the main stager portion. An address generator is coded for accessing the data banks for receiving or transferring the appropriate words. Input and output permutation networks arrange the lineal order of data into and out of the memory banks

Addressing the Learning Needs at Occupy DC

The purpose of this paper is to examine how learning can help the Occupy movement in Washington DC. It explores three questions. What are the learning needs of the movement? What educational content can help meet those needs? And how can education be practiced in a way that most effectively addresses the learning needs within the real world circumstances of the movement? Research methods include participant observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups, literature review, and primary document review. Data was coded into 11 outcome oriented learning needs and 3 educational orientations which are geared towards meeting those needs. This paper is organized by first looking at the background of the US Occupy movement; then describing research methods, my own involvement in the educational history of Occupy DC, findings in terms of learning needs and available educational content, and finally proposing processes for meeting learning needs. This paper concludes that an internal/community building approach, with a particular focus on healing and dialogue, was what could have been most helpful for advancing overall learning needs within Occupy DC, and outlines a proposal for developing a community support system, dialogue groups, as well as specific workshops related to healing and group dynamics and campaign strategy. This paper aims to also provide useful insight for the overall work of movement building, community organizing, social justice education, and social change theory

Reports of injury risks and reasons for choice of sleep environments for infants and toddlers

OBJECTIVE: Compare mothers\u27 reports of injuries for infants and toddlers sleeping with crib-bumpers/mesh-liners/no-barriers and reasons for these sleep environment choices. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of mothers subscribing to a parenting magazine and using crib bumpers (n = 224), mesh liners (n = 262), and no barriers (n = 842). Analyses of four possible injuries (face-covered, climb-out/fall, slat-entrapment, hit-head) including multivariate logistic regression adjusted for missing data/demographics and Chi squared analyses of reasons for mothers\u27 choices. RESULTS: Maternal reports of finding infants/toddlers with face covered had 3.5 times higher adjusted odds (aOR) for crib bumper versus mesh liner use. Breathing difficulties and wedgings were reported for infants/toddlers using crib bumpers but not mesh liners. Climb-outs/falls showed no significant difference in aORs for crib bumpers versus no-barriers and mesh liners versus no barriers. Reports of slat-entrapment were less likely for mothers using crib bumpers and mesh liners than using no barrier (aOR = .28 and .32). Reports of hit-heads were less likely for crib bumpers vs no barrier (aOR = .38) with no significant difference between mesh liners versus no barrier use. Mothers using crib bumpers and mesh liners felt their choice prevented slat-entrapment (89%, 91%); 93.5% of crib bumper users felt their choice prevented hit-heads. Significantly more mesh liner than crib bumper users chose them because There is no suffocation risk (64.1% vs. 40.6%), while 83.6% of no-barrier users chose them because I was concerned about suffocation risk. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Mothers appeared to be more concerned about preventing minor risks than suffocation. Understanding reasons for mothers\u27 use of barriers/no-barriers is important in tailoring counseling for mothers with infants/toddlers

SAR processing on the MPP

The processing of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signals using the massively parallel processor (MPP) is discussed. The fast Fourier transform convolution procedures employed in the algorithms are described. The MPP architecture comprises an array unit (ARU) which processes arrays of data; an array control unit which controls the operation of the ARU and performs scalar arithmetic; a program and data management unit which controls the flow of data; and a unique staging memory (SM) which buffers and permutes data. The ARU contains a 128 by 128 array of bit-serial processing elements (PE). Two-by-four surarrays of PE's are packaged in a custom VLSI HCMOS chip. The staging memory is a large multidimensional-access memory which buffers and permutes data flowing with the system. Efficient SAR processing is achieved via ARU communication paths and SM data manipulation. Real time processing capability can be realized via a multiple ARU, multiple SM configuration

Pathologic Features of the Intervertebral Disc in Young Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers Confirms Chondrodystrophy Degenerative Phenotype Associated With Genotype.

Chondrodystrophy results in predictable and progressive biochemical and structural changes to the intervertebral disc, resulting in early onset degeneration and dystrophic mineralization of the disc. Accelerated degeneration and mineralization of the intervertebral disc are common in multiple dog breeds and can result in compromised function, herniation, pain, and a variety of neurological sequelae. A mutation responsible for chondrodystrophy in dogs has been identified as an aberrant fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) retrogene insertion on chromosome 12 (CFA12) and is associated with short stature of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Segregation of the CFA12 FGF4 retrogene in this dog breed provides an opportunity to examine the effect of retrogene presence on radiographic and histologic appearance of chondrodystrophic disc degeneration within a single breed. Here we found that in the intervertebral discs isolated from 2 dogs with the CFA12 FGF4 genotype, the nucleus pulposus was largely replaced by cartilaginous tissue, and physaliferous notochordal cells were rarely if ever identified. These findings are in contrast to the normal histologic findings in 2 breed-matched dogs lacking the mutation. The findings are consistent with premature chondroid degeneration of the intervertebral disc and suggest that the presence of the CFA12 FGF4 retrogene is sufficient to cause the chondrodystrophic phenotype