Parallel Implementations of Cellular Automata for Traffic Models

The Biham-Middleton-Levine (BML) traffic model is a simple two-dimensional, discrete Cellular Automaton (CA) that has been used to study self-organization and phase transitions arising in traffic flows. From the computational point of view, the BML model exhibits the usual features of discrete CA, where the state of the automaton are updated according to simple rules that depend on the state of each cell and its neighbors. In this paper we study the impact of various optimizations for speeding up CA computations by using the BML model as a case study. In particular, we describe and analyze the impact of several parallel implementations that rely on CPU features, such as multiple cores or SIMD instructions, and on GPUs. Experimental evaluation provides quantitative measures of the payoff of each technique in terms of speedup with respect to a plain serial implementation. Our findings show that the performance gap between CPU and GPU implementations of the BML traffic model can be reduced by clever exploitation of all CPU features

3-Ethyl-6-(4-fluoro­phen­yl)-7H-1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thia­diazine

In the title compound, C12H11FN4S, the thia­diazine ring adopts a twist-boat conformation. The dihedral angle between the triazolothia­diazine system and the benzene ring is 10.54 (9)°. The crystal structure is characterized by C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. The crystal packing also exhibits π–π inter­actions, with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.6348 (15) Å

Product interval automata

We identify a subclass of timed automata called product interval automata and develop its theory. These automata consist of a network of timed agents with the key restriction being that there is just one clock for each agent and the way the clocks are read and reset is determined by the distribution of shared actions across the agents. We show that the resulting automata admit a clean theory in both logical and language theoretic terms. We also show that product interval automata are expressive enough to model the timed behaviour of asynchronous digital circuits

Environmental and genetic influences on neurocognitive development: the importance of multiple methodologies and time-dependent intervention

Genetic mutations and environmental factors dynamically influence gene expression and developmental trajectories at the neural, cognitive, and behavioral levels. The examples in this article cover different periods of neurocognitive development—early childhood, adolescence, and adulthood—and focus on studies in which researchers have used a variety of methodologies to illustrate the early effects of socioeconomic status and stress on brain function, as well as how allelic differences explain why some individuals respond to intervention and others do not. These studies highlight how similar behaviors can be driven by different underlying neural processes and show how a neurocomputational model of early development can account for neurodevelopmental syndromes, such as autism spectrum disorders, with novel implications for intervention. Finally, these studies illustrate the importance of the timing of environmental and genetic factors on development, consistent with our view that phenotypes are emergent, not predetermined

Carer Supports in Reading-Writing for Children with Learning Difficulties: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Pilot Survey

When carers are involved in the reading-writing activities of their children at home, their academic performance shows improvement. In this study, a descriptive exploratory survey research design is used to evaluate the nature, type, length, quality, quantity, extensity, and intensity of such carer supports. Following a six-step tool development process, including a review of the relevant tools, and expert validation, an investigator-designed 10-item unstructured questionnaire was administered through open-ended interviews with a random sample of 143 carers of 120 students (comprised of 60 boys and 60 girls in the age group of 6-15 years) suspected of academic difficulties. The derived data in the form of yes/no responses and descriptive narrations by carers was recorded, content-analyzed, coded, scored, and collaboratively evaluated as frequency counts, percentages, and inferential non-parametric statistics. The results were analysed for key parameters like (i) place of study; (ii) time of study; (iii) study materials; (iv) initiation to study; (v) availability of support; (vi) timetable or curriculum; (vii) supervision; (viii) extracurricular activities; (ix) gadget use; and, (x) future goals. The findings are profiled, discussed, and highlighted along with recommended remedies in light of their implications or utility for reading-writing in such affected children. Keywords: Parents, home settings, study habits, gadget use DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-24-05 Publication date:August 31st 202

Self-Care Behaviours and Glycemic Control among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Aim: To explore self-care behaviours and glycemic control among adults with type 2 diabetes. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for the study. Methods: The revised summary of diabetes mellitus questionnaire was used to collect data and glycated haemaglobin. A random sample comprising of 350 Omani adults with type 2 diabetes were selected between January-June 2010. Structural equation modelling and ANOVA were used for analysis. Results/Findings: One-third of the adults with type 2 diabetes followed diet, foot care and medications (on an average of 3 days/7 days) compared to half percentage of them adhering to foot care. 27% of the total variance in self-car activities was accounted by diet, 32% by exercise and 17% by medications. Blood glucose monitoring, foot care, and smoking and HbA1c accounted for 60%, 78%, and 51% variances. The standardized path coefficients of diet, exercise, smoking, foot care, blood sugar monitoring and medications had a significantly positive influence on self-care behaviours. Conclusion: There were inadequate self-care behaviours among the majority of adults with type 2 diabetes with poor glycaemic control. Nurses should use the self-care management model when designing tailored educational interventions to enhance glycemic control

Cordierite honeycomb supported Mo(VI)/ZrO2 for microwave assisted Pinacol-Pinacolone rearrangement

181-188ZrO2, Mo(VI)/ZrO2, SO42-/ZrO2 and Pt-SO42-/ZrO2 supported on honeycomb monoliths have been prepared and characterized for their physico-chemical properties such as surface acidity, crystalinity, functionality and morphology. These materials have been used as solid acid catalysts in the pinacol rearrangement of benzopinacol under microwave irradiation. A few diols have also been subjected to pinacol rearrangement to obtain a good conversion of rearrangement products with high selectivity. Optimization of reaction conditions has also studied to determine the most suitable reaction conditions for the effective synthesis of pinacolone derivatives. Up to 98% conversion of benzopinacol is observed under a set of optimized reaction conditions. A reactivation and reusability study of zirconia based solid acid catalysts has also performed