A Reconfigurable Vector Instruction Processor for Accelerating a Convection Parametrization Model on FPGAs

High Performance Computing (HPC) platforms allow scientists to model computationally intensive algorithms. HPC clusters increasingly use General-Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs) as accelerators; FPGAs provide an attractive alternative to GPGPUs for use as co-processors, but they are still far from being mainstream due to a number of challenges faced when using FPGA-based platforms. Our research aims to make FPGA-based high performance computing more accessible to the scientific community. In this work we present the results of investigating the acceleration of a particular atmospheric model, Flexpart, on FPGAs. We focus on accelerating the most computationally intensive kernel from this model. The key contribution of our work is the architectural exploration we undertook to arrive at a solution that best exploits the parallelism available in the legacy code, and is also convenient to program, so that eventually the compilation of high-level legacy code to our architecture can be fully automated. We present the three different types of architecture, comparing their resource utilization and performance, and propose that an architecture where there are a number of computational cores, each built along the lines of a vector instruction processor, works best in this particular scenario, and is a promising candidate for a generic FPGA-based platform for scientific computation. We also present the results of experiments done with various configuration parameters of the proposed architecture, to show its utility in adapting to a range of scientific applications.Comment: This is an extended pre-print version of work that was presented at the international symposium on Highly Efficient Accelerators and Reconfigurable Technologies (HEART2014), Sendai, Japan, June 911, 201

Psychotherapy in Family Medicine

Abstract Aim: To explore the perspectives and practice of psychotherapy of family physicians, and analyze Ontario’s mental health policy documents within the context of psychotherapy. Methods: In the first study descriptive qualitative methodology was used. Eighteen family physicians were interviewed and the results were presented thematically. In the second study, a policy analysis of Ontario’s mental health policy documents was conducted. The qualitative policy analytic methodology of Peter et al. was used. Findings: Psychotherapy is an effective treatment of mental illness and is practiced by family physicians. Lack of training and time are barriers, while patient needs and shared care are facilitators for their practice of psychotherapy. Access to insured psychotherapy in Ontario is poor. However, there is neither a discussion of psychotherapy in the mental health policy documents, nor a plan to improve it. Conclusions: More collaborative mental health care, equitable access to psychotherapy and family physician training in psychotherapy are needed

An unusual cause of gynaecomastia in a male

Summary: Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) is normally produced by syncytiotrophoblasts of the placenta during pregnancy and aids embryo implantation. However, it is also secreted in varying amounts in non-pregnant conditions commonly heralding a neoplastic process. We present a case of 50-year-old man, who presented with bilateral gynaecomastia with elevated testosterone, oestradiol, suppressed gonadotropins with progressively increasing levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Biochemical and radiological investigations including ultrasonography of testes, breast tissue, MRI pituitary and CT scan full body did not identify the source of hCG. FDG PET scan revealed a large mediastinal mass with lung metastasis. Immunostaining and histological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of primary choriocarcinoma of the mediastinum. It is highly aggressive and malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and management are essential for the best outcome. Learning Points: High βhCG in a male patient or a non-pregnant female suggests a paraneoplastic syndrome. In the case of persistently positive serum hCG, exclude immunoassay interference by doing the urine hCG as heterophilic antibodies are not present in the urine. Non-gestational choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare trophoblastic tumor and should be considered in young men presenting with gynaecomastia and high concentration of hCG with normal gonads. A high index of suspicion and extensive investigations are required to establish an early diagnosis of extra-gonadal choriocarcinoma. Early diagnosis is crucial to formulate optimal management strategy and to minimize widespread metastasis for best clinical outcome

On the troll line investigations off Cochin during five fishing seasons. Pt. 3. Investigations during 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons

During these two seasons investigations were carried out with a view to exploring the possibility of this operation on commercial basis and to study the effect of certain meteorological factors on catch

Success of Aquaculture Industry with New Insights of Using Insects as Feed: A Review

Most of world's fish and seafood are produced by aquaculture, which is one of the biggest contributors to the world's food security. The substantial increase in prices of conventional feed ingredients and the over-exploitation of natural resources are some of the biggest constraints to aquaculture production. To overcome this stress, different approaches and techniques are used, among which the use of non-conventional feed ingredients in the aquaculture sector is the most recent approach. Different non-conventional feed ingredients such as plant-based products, algae (both micro and macroalgae), single-cell protein (bacteria and yeast), and insect meal are currently used in aquaculture for sustainable food production. Amongst all these novel ingredients, insects have greater potential to replace fishmeal. The existence of about 1.3 billion tons of food and agriculture waste from the food chain supply poses a serious environmental threat. Insects are tiny creatures that can thrive on organic waste and thus can convert the waste to wealth by the bioconversion and nutritional upcycling of organic waste. Insects have the potential to recover nutrients from waste aquaculture products, and many fish species feed on insects naturally. Therefore, employing insects in the aquaculture sector to replace fishmeal is an eco-friendly approach. The present review briefly highlights emerging non-conventional feed ingredients, with special attention given to insects. The current review also focuses on the nutritional value of insects, factors affecting the nutritional value of insects, potential insects that can be employed in the aquaculture sector, the physiological response of fish when fed with insect meal, techno-functional properties of insect meal, and emerging approaches for addressing possible downsides of employing insect meal in fish diets. Finally, it suggests avenues for further research into these inventive fishmeal replacements

The diagnosis of Poncet\u27s disease

Two cases of polyarthritis in young people with extra-articular tuberculosis are described. The clinical features were consistent with the concept of Poncet\u27s disease. After synovial biopsy one patient proved to have tuberculous peripheral arthritis. This observation raised doubts about the diagnosis in the other patient. Multiple joints may be simultaneously infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Poncet\u27s disease, if it exists, should not be entertained in the absence of synovial biopsy

The Discovery of a Giant H-alpha Filament in NGC 7213

The nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 7213 has been imaged in H-alpha and HI with the CTIO 1.5 m telescope and with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), respectively. Optically NGC 7213 looks undisturbed and relatively featureless but the continuum-subtracted H-alpha image shows a 19 kpc long filament located approximately 18.6 kpc from the nucleus. The H-alpha filament could be neutral gas photo-ionized by the active nucleus, as has been suggested for the Seyfert galaxy NGC 5252, or shock-ionized by a jet interacting with the surrounding HI, as has been suggested for the radio galaxy PKS 2240-41. The HI map reveals NGC 7213 to be a highly disturbed system suggesting a past merging event.Comment: 14 pages including 4 figures and 1 table. Figures 1-4 are in jpeg format; Better quality images can be retrieved in postscript format at ftp://charon.nmsu.edu/pub/shameed/ ; Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

The variance on the shock response of a carbon fibre composite due to the orientation of the weave

Three different orientations of a tape-wrapped carbon fibre composite with phenolic resin matrix (abbreviated to TWCP) have been investigated under one-dimensional shock loading. This has been achieved via a single-stage gas gun, with manganin gauges as the diagnostic tool. The orientations of TWCP studied in this paper were 25°, 45° and 90°, with respect to the impact face. The shock response of these orientations, for this material, has been obtained (the Hugoniot equation of state). These results have been contrasted with previously reported literature data for the same material at different orientations (0° and 20°). It was found that orientation had minimal effect on the behaviour of this composite under shock. The exception to this was the 90° orientation which exhibited an elastic precursor at particle velocities of less than 0.65 mm µs−1; where the shock velocity was equivalent to the elastic sound speed of the material