Introducing the Quantum Research Kernels: Lessons from Classical Parallel Computing

Quantum computing represents a paradigm shift for computation requiring an entirely new computer architecture. However, there is much that can be learned from traditional classical computer engineering. In this paper, we describe the Parallel Research Kernels (PRK), a tool that was very useful for designing classical parallel computing systems. The PRK are simple kernels written to expose bottlenecks that limit classical parallel computing performance. We hypothesize that an analogous tool for quantum computing, Quantum Research Kernels (QRK), may similarly aid the co-design of software and hardware for quantum computing systems, and we give a few examples of representative QRKs.Comment: 2 page

Session-Based Programming for Parallel Algorithms: Expressiveness and Performance

This paper investigates session programming and typing of benchmark examples to compare productivity, safety and performance with other communications programming languages. Parallel algorithms are used to examine the above aspects due to their extensive use of message passing for interaction, and their increasing prominence in algorithmic research with the rising availability of hardware resources such as multicore machines and clusters. We contribute new benchmark results for SJ, an extension of Java for type-safe, binary session programming, against MPJ Express, a Java messaging system based on the MPI standard. In conclusion, we observe that (1) despite rich libraries and functionality, MPI remains a low-level API, and can suffer from commonly perceived disadvantages of explicit message passing such as deadlocks and unexpected message types, and (2) the benefits of high-level session abstraction, which has significant impact on program structure to improve readability and reliability, and session type-safety can greatly facilitate the task of communications programming whilst retaining competitive performance

LAGraph: Linear algebra, network analysis libraries, and the study of graph algorithms

Graph algorithms can be expressed in terms of linear algebra. GraphBLAS is a library of low-level building blocks for such algorithms that targets algorithm developers. LAGraph builds on top of the GraphBLAS to target users of graph algorithms with high-level algorithms common in network analysis. In this paper, we describe the first release of the LAGraph library, the design decisions behind the library, and performance using the GAP benchmark suite. LAGraph, however, is much more than a library. It is also a project to document and analyze the full range of algorithms enabled by the GraphBLAS. To that end, we have developed a compact and intuitive notation for describing these algorithms. In this paper, we present that notation with examples from the GAP benchmark suite

LAGraph: Linear algebra, network analysis libraries, and the study of graph algorithms

Graph algorithms can be expressed in terms of linear algebra. GraphBLAS is a library of low-level building blocks for such algorithms that targets algorithm developers. LAGraph builds on top of the GraphBLAS to target users of graph algorithms with high-level algorithms common in network analysis. In this paper, we describe the first release of the LAGraph library, the design decisions behind the library, and performance using the GAP benchmark suite. LAGraph, however, is much more than a library. It is also a project to document and analyze the full range of algorithms enabled by the GraphBLAS. To that end, we have developed a compact and intuitive notation for describing these algorithms. In this paper, we present that notation with examples from the GAP benchmark suite

Runtime-guided management of stacked DRAM memories in task parallel programs

Stacked DRAM memories have become a reality in High-Performance Computing (HPC) architectures. These memories provide much higher bandwidth while consuming less power than traditional off-chip memories, but their limited memory capacity is insufficient for modern HPC systems. For this reason, both stacked DRAM and off-chip memories are expected to co-exist in HPC architectures, giving raise to different approaches for architecting the stacked DRAM in the system. This paper proposes a runtime approach to transparently manage stacked DRAM memories in task-based programming models. In this approach the runtime system is in charge of copying the data accessed by the tasks to the stacked DRAM, without any complex hardware support nor modifications to the application code. To mitigate the cost of copying data between the stacked DRAM and the off-chip memory, the proposal includes an optimization to parallelize the copies across idle or additional helper threads. In addition, the runtime system is aware of the reuse pattern of the data accessed by the tasks, and can exploit this information to avoid unworthy copies of data to the stacked DRAM. Results on the Intel Knights Landing processor show that the proposed techniques achieve an average speedup of 14% against the state-of-the-art library to manage the stacked DRAM and 29% against a stacked DRAM architected as a hardware cache.This work has been supported by the RoMoL ERC Advanced Grant (GA 321253), by the European HiPEAC Network of Excellence, by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (contract TIN2015-65316-P), by the Generalitat de Catalunya (contracts 2014-SGR-1051 and 2014-SGR-1272) and by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement 779877). M. Moreto has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under Ramon y Cajal fellowship number RYC-2016-21104.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Treatment with a corticotrophin releasing factor 2 receptor agonist modulates skeletal muscle mass and force production in aged and chronically ill animals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Muscle weakness is associated with a variety of chronic disorders such as emphysema (EMP) and congestive heart failure (CHF) as well as aging. Therapies to treat muscle weakness associated with chronic disease or aging are lacking. Corticotrophin releasing factor 2 receptor (CRF2R) agonists have been shown to maintain skeletal muscle mass and force production in a variety of acute conditions that lead to skeletal muscle wasting.</p> <p>Hypothesis</p> <p>We hypothesize that treating animals with a CRF2R agonist will maintain skeletal muscle mass and force production in animals with chronic disease and in aged animals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We utilized animal models of aging, CHF and EMP to evaluate the potential of CRF2R agonist treatment to maintain skeletal muscle mass and force production in aged animals and animals with CHF and EMP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In aged rats, we demonstrate that treatment with a CRF2R agonist for up to 3 months results in greater extensor digitorum longus (EDL) force production, EDL mass, soleus mass and soleus force production compared to age matched untreated animals. In the hamster EMP model, we demonstrate that treatment with a CRF2R agonist for up to 5 months results in greater EDL force production in EMP hamsters when compared to vehicle treated EMP hamsters and greater EDL mass and force in normal hamsters when compared to vehicle treated normal hamsters. In the rat CHF model, we demonstrate that treatment with a CRF2R agonist for up to 3 months results in greater EDL and soleus muscle mass and force production in CHF rats and normal rats when compared to the corresponding vehicle treated animals.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data demonstrate that the underlying physiological conditions associated with chronic diseases such as CHF and emphysema in addition to aging do not reduce the potential of CRF2R agonists to maintain skeletal muscle mass and force production.</p

Toward High Performance Computing Education

High Performance Computing (HPC) is the ability to process data and perform complex calculations at extremely high speeds. Current HPC platforms can achieve calculations on the order of quadrillions of calculations per second with quintillions on the horizon. The past three decades witnessed a vast increase in the use of HPC across different scientific, engineering and business communities, for example, sequencing the genome, predicting climate changes, designing modern aerodynamics, or establishing customer preferences. Although HPC has been well incorporated into science curricula such as bioinformatics, the same cannot be said for most computing programs. This working group will explore how HPC can make inroads into computer science education, from the undergraduate to postgraduate levels. The group will address research questions designed to investigate topics such as identifying and handling barriers that inhibit the adoption of HPC in educational environments, how to incorporate HPC into various curricula, and how HPC can be leveraged to enhance applied critical thinking and problem solving skills. Four deliverables include: (1) a catalog of core HPC educational concepts, (2) HPC curricula for contemporary computing needs, such as in artificial intelligence, cyberanalytics, data science and engineering, or internet of things, (3) possible infrastructures for implementing HPC coursework, and (4) HPC-related feedback to the CC2020 project

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació