Developing A New Storage Format And A Warp-Based Spmv Kernel For Configuration Interaction Sparse Matrices On The Gpu

Configuration interaction (CI) is a post Hartree–Fock method that is commonly used for solving the nonrelativistic Schrödinger equation for quantum many-electron systems of molecular scale. CI includes instantaneous electron correlation and it can deal with the ground state as well as multiple excited states. The CI matrix is a sparse matrix, and the bigger the CI matrix, the more electron correlation can be captured. However, due to the large size of the CI sparse matrix that is involved in CI computations, a good amount of the time spent on the eigenvalue computations is associated with the multiplication of the CI sparse matrix by numerous dense vectors, which is basically known as Sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV). Sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV) can be used to solve diverse-scaled linear systems and eigenvalue problems that exist in numerous and varying scientific applications. One of the scientific applications that SpMV is involved in is Configuration Interaction (CI). In this work, we have developed a new hybrid approach to deal with CI sparse matrices. The proposed model includes a newly-developed hybrid format for storing CI sparse matrices on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). In addition to the new developed format, the proposed model includes the SpMV kernel for multiplying the CI matrix (proposed format) by a vector using the C language and the CUDA platform. The proposed SpMV kernel is a vector kernel that uses the warp approach. We have gauged the newly developed model in terms of two primary factors, memory usage and performance. Our proposed kernel was compared to the cuSPARSE library and the CSR5 (Compressed Sparse Row 5) format and already outperformed both. Our proposed kernel outperformed the CSR5 format by 250.7% and the cuSPARSE library by 395.1% Keywords— CI, SpMV, Linear System, GPU, Kernel, CUDA

Evaluating the usefulness of soil moisture (forecasts) in streamflow prediction for central Texas

The past decade has brought significant advancements in seasonal climate forecasting. However, water resources decision support and management continues to be based almost entirely on historical observations and does not take advantage of climate forecasts. This study builds on previous work that conditioned streamflow ensemble forecasts on observable climate indicators, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) for use in a decision support model for the Highland Lakes multi-reservoir system in central Texas operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). In the current study, seasonal soil moisture is explored as a climate indicator and predictor of annual streamflow for the LCRA region. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation of fractional soil moisture with streamflow using the 1950-2000 Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) Retrospective Land Surface Data Set over the LCRA region. Correlations were determined by examining different annual and seasonal combinations of VIC modeled fractional soil moisture and observed streamflow. The applicability of the VIC Retrospective Land Surface Data Set as a data source for this study is tested along with establishing and analyzing patterns of climatology for the watershed study area using the selected data source (VIC model) and historical data. Correlation results showed potential for the use of soil moisture as a predictor of streamflow over the LCRA region. This was evident by the good correlations found between seasonal soil moisture and seasonal streamflow during coincident seasons as well as between seasonal and annual soil moisture with annual streamflow during coincident years. With the findings of good correlation between seasonal soil moisture from the VIC Retrospective Land Surface Data Set with observed annual streamflow presented in this study, future research would evaluate the application of NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) forecasts of soil moisture in predicting annual streamflow for use in the decision support model for the LCRA

The Use of Prepositions by Arab Efl Learners: Looking on the Bright Side

Throughout the history of teaching and learning EFL, prepositions earned a reputation of being difficult for a number of reasons such as the large number of prepositions in English, the complexity of the preposition system, the mismatch between the first language and EFL, and the lack of rules of usage in most cases. Prepositions are believed to be problematic even for university students. Impetus to this study was given by the fact that claims about the difficulty of learning prepositions in EFL run counter to my observation that university students use most of the English prepositions correctly. Having analyzed 50 compositions written by Arabic-speaking EFL university students, we found that more than 80% of the prepositions were correct. Accordingly, claims about the difficulty of the prepositions cannot be made without conducting a holistic performance analysis including both the correctly used prepositions as well as the incorrectly used ones. The pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed in light of some frequently suggested teaching techniques

Enrich the Physics Curriculum Scheduled for Students of Intermediate School E-Learning and Its Effectiveness in Scientific Thinking and Their Attitude Towards the Development of Physics

The current research aims know the Effectiveness of enriching the physics curriculum for students in middle school electronic learning in the development of their thinking and scientific their direction towards physics, sample formed from second grade students in Sinae intermediate school (64 students). (32)  student as experimental group & (32) student as control group. to achieve the goal of research that requires preparation tools, first test of scientific thinking which consisted of (7) skills which are: (a sense of the problem, identify the problem, the imposition of hypotheses, selecting hypotheses, the conclusion, application, and holds tremendous) that distributed to (3) positions The first (the job) and the second (static objects) and third (reflectance total) Each position on the (7) questions and four alternatives, second tool was a measure of the trend towards physics, which consisted of (22) paragraph and followed by (5) alternatives by Likert scale, with  a degree (very large, large, medium, and few, very few). the researchers used statistical analysis t- test for two independent samples &t-test for interrelated samples also Pearson correlation coefficient with (spss) statistical program . the equation of alpha - Cronbach (α-cronbach) also used, the researchers found: 1. No statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the two tests dimensional search for members of the two groups (experimental and control) the experimental group better than control one, which was enriched with e-learning teaching method. 2. No statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the trend dimensional scale for members of the two groups of research (experimental and control) the experimental group better than control one, which was enriched with e-learning teaching method. The researchers applied conclusions & number of recommendations including: Work on the provision of computers and the device (data show) in the classroom. so as to allow sufficient time to use for teachers and students. As well as the proposal of some proposals, including: Enrich the physics curriculum for intermediate school with computer and its effectiveness in the development of deductive thinking and orientation towards physics. Keywords: Enrichment, physics, e-learning, scientific thinkin

Short story The Root of All Evil Грэма Грина: жанр и поэтика

The article considers the problem of genre attribution of the short story The Root of All Evil by Graham Greene, which is defined as novella by the French criticism and as a story by the Russian criticism, and correlation of its poetics with the genre model. The importance and topicality of solving this problem lies in the fact that this is the first study of the genre specificity and poetics of one of Greene’s short stories written in the comic mode, which opens the prospect of a comprehensive study of the whole body of his short prose (not studied yet).The research is based on the theory of the genre (M. Bakhtin, N. Leiderman, R. Welleck and O. Warren, etc.), according to which the genre is a form of artistic cognition of the world, has genre memory (the semantic core of the genre) and sets the parameters of the artistic world-modeling and reading of the text, and also uses the genological, textual, structural-analytical and narratological principles of analysis, which allowed to make the following conclusions. First, the presence in the work of such characteristic features of the novel genre as an unusual case or incident underlying the plot; one dominant storyline and the dynamism of  unfolding of events with their accumulation; an unexpected turn of the plot (novelistic pointe) and a comic beginning inherent in a significant number of short stories. Secondly, the semantic content of the work corresponds to the artistic model of the novelistic genre, which is characterized by a mockery of the undue, defective, false (in this case religious dogmatism) and the assertion of a healthy and full-fledged element of being.The method used in the work and the results obtained are promising both for further study of Graham Greene’s small prose and for similar fields of research. Статья рассматривает проблему жанровой атрибуции short story The Root of All Evil Грэма Грина, которую именуют то новеллой (французская критика), то рассказом (русскоязычная критика), и взаимосвязь ее поэтики с жанровой моделью. Важность и актуальность решения поставленной задачи заключается в том, что это первое исследование жанровой специфики и поэтики одной из гриновских short stories, написанных в комическом модусе, которое открывает перспективу комплексного изучения всего корпуса его малой прозы (до сих пор не изученной).Исследование опирается на теорию жанра (М. Бахтин, Н. Лейдерман, Р. Уэллек и О. Уоррен и др.), согласно которой жанр является формой художественного познания мира, обладает жанровой памятью (семантическим ядром жанра) и задает параметры художественного миромоделирования и прочтения текста, а также использует генологические, текстологические, структурно-аналитические и нарратологические принципы анализа, что позволило сделать следующие выводы. Во-первых, наличие в произведении таких характерных для жанра новеллы признаков, как необычное происшествие или «казус», лежащие в основе сюжета; одна доминирующая сюжетная линия и динамизм развертывания событий с их аккумуляцией; неожиданный сюжетный поворот (новеллистический пуант) и комическое начало, присущее значительному количеству новелл. Во-вторых, смысловое содержание произведения отвечает художественной модели именно новеллистического жанра, для которой характерно осмеяние недолжного, ущербного, ложного (в данном случае религиозного догматизма) и утверждение здоровой и полноценной стихии бытия.Использованная в работе методика и полученные результаты представляются перспективными как для дальнейшего изучения малой прозы Грэма Грина, так и для аналогичных сфер исследования

Gene expression of multidrug-resistant ATP-binding cassette transporter (MDR1/ABCB1) in bovine mastitis

Purpose: To investigate the expression of multidrug-resistant ATP binding cassette transporter Pglycoprotein (MDR1/ABCB1/P-gp) in mastitis and its correlation with the expression of apoptosis regulation.Methods: Mastitic and normal mammary gland samples were collected after clinical examination and confirmed using field California mastitis test. Total RNA was extracted followed by cDNA synthesis and real-time PCR to detect the expression pattern of P-gp. Tissue sections were examined for pathological changes and immune reactivity to the apoptotic regulator, Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX).Results: Stained sections from mastitic samples showed congestion, infiltration of inflammatory cells and hemorrhage. Using immunohistochemistry, it was shown that mastitis is associated with overexpression of the apoptosis regulator, Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX). There was increased expression of the pro-apoptotic factor, Bax, in mastitic alveolar lining and lactic tubules compared with normal mammary gland tissues. Using real-time PCR, the expression level of MDR1/ABCB1 was determined to be 2.6-fold higher in mastitic tissues than in normal mammary tissues.Conclusion: Higher MDR1/P-gp level can modulate drug interventions by preventing intracellular accumulation of chemotherapeutics or anti-inflammatories via continuous efflux or export to extracellular fluids.Keywords: ABC transporter, P-glycoprotein, Drug exporters, Mastitis, Mammary glan