GPU driven finite difference WENO scheme for real time solution of the shallow water equations

The shallow water equations are applicable to many common engineering problems involving modelling of waves dominated by motions in the horizontal directions (e.g. tsunami propagation, dam breaks). As such events pose substantial economic costs, as well as potential loss of life, accurate real-time simulation and visualization methods are of great importance. For this purpose, we propose a new finite difference scheme for the 2D shallow water equations that is specifically formulated to take advantage of modern GPUs. The new scheme is based on the so-called Picard integral formulation of conservation laws combined with Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory reconstruction. The emphasis of the work is on third order in space and second order in time solutions (in both single and double precision). Further, the scheme is well-balanced for bathymetry functions that are not surface piercing and can handle wetting and drying in a GPU-friendly manner without resorting to long and specific case-by-case procedures. We also present a fast single kernel GPU implementation with a novel boundary condition application technique that allows for simultaneous real-time visualization and single precision simulations even on large ( > 2000 × 2000) grids on consumer-level hardware - the full kernel source codes are also provided online at https://github.com/pparna/swe_pifweno3

Deformation Projected RMF Calculation for Cr and Fe nuclei in Hybrid Derivative Coupling Model

The ground state properties of even mass Cr and Fe isotopes are studied using the generalized hybrid derivative coupling model. The energy surface of each isotope is plotted as a function of the mass quadrupole moment. The neutron numbers N=20 and N=40 are seen to remain magic numbers but N= 28 and 50 are predicted to be non-magic. The neutron number N=70 turns out to be a magic number according to the present calculation. In all the isotopes studied the calculated binding energy values are less than those obtained from experiment while the deformation is in better agreement.Comment: To appear in Int. Jour. Mod. Phys.

When does poor subjective financial position hurt the elderly? Testing the interaction with educational attainment using a national representative longitudinal survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies have demonstrated that perceived financial status has a significant impact on health status among the elderly. However, little is known about whether such a subjective perception interacts with objective socioeconomic status (SES) measures such as education that affect the individual's health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This research used data from the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Middle Age and Elderly in Taiwan (SHLS) conducted by the Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health in Taiwan. Waves 1996, 1999 and 2003 were used. The sample consisted of 2,387 elderly persons. The interactive effects of self-rated satisfaction with financial position and educational attainment were estimated. Self-rated health (SRH), depressive symptom (measured by CES-D) and mortality were used to measure health outcomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant interaction effect was found for depressive symptoms. Among those who were dissatisfied with their financial position, those who were illiterate had an odds ratio (OR) of 8.3 (95% CI 4.9 to 14.0) for having depressive symptoms compared with those who were very satisfied with their financial position. The corresponding OR for those with college or above was only 2.7 (95% CI 1.0 to 7.3). No significant interaction effect was found for SRH and mortality.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although poor financial satisfaction was found to be related to poorer health, the strongest association for this effect was observed among those with low educational attainment, and this is especially true for depressive symptoms. Subjective financial status among the elderly should be explored in conjunction with traditional measures of SES.</p

The prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking among the general and specific populations: a systematic review

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to systematically review the medical literature for the prevalence of waterpipe tobacco use among the general and specific populations. Methods We electronically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the ISI the Web of Science. We selected studies using a two-stage duplicate and independent screening process. We included cohort studies and cross sectional studies assessing the prevalence of use of waterpipe in either the general population or a specific population of interest. Two reviewers used a standardized and pilot tested form to collect data from each eligible study using a duplicate and independent screening process. We stratified the data analysis by country and by age group. The study was not restricted to a specific context. Results Of a total of 38 studies, only 4 were national surveys; the rest assessed specific populations. The highest prevalence of current waterpipe smoking was among school students across countries: the United States, especially among Arab Americans (12%-15%) the Arabic Gulf region (9%-16%), Estonia (21%), and Lebanon (25%). Similarly, the prevalence of current waterpipe smoking among university students was high in the Arabic Gulf region (6%), the United Kingdom (8%), the United States (10%), Syria (15%), Lebanon (28%), and Pakistan (33%). The prevalence of current waterpipe smoking among adults was the following: Pakistan (6%), Arabic Gulf region (4%-12%), Australia (11% in Arab speaking adults), Syria (9%-12%), and Lebanon (15%). Group waterpipe smoking was high in Lebanon (5%), and Egypt (11%-15%). In Lebanon, 5%-6% pregnant women reported smoking waterpipe during pregnancy. The studies were all cross-sectional and varied by how they reported waterpipe smoking. Conclusion While very few national surveys have been conducted, the prevalence of waterpipe smoking appears to be alarmingly high among school students and university students in Middle Eastern countries and among groups of Middle Eastern descent in Western countries

A saturated map of common genetic variants associated with human height

Common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are predicted to collectively explain 40-50% of phenotypic variation in human height, but identifying the specific variants and associated regions requires huge sample sizes(1). Here, using data from a genome-wide association study of 5.4 million individuals of diverse ancestries, we show that 12,111 independent SNPs that are significantly associated with height account for nearly all of the common SNP-based heritability. These SNPs are clustered within 7,209 non-overlapping genomic segments with a mean size of around 90 kb, covering about 21% of the genome. The density of independent associations varies across the genome and the regions of increased density are enriched for biologically relevant genes. In out-of-sample estimation and prediction, the 12,111 SNPs (or all SNPs in the HapMap 3 panel(2)) account for 40% (45%) of phenotypic variance in populations of European ancestry but only around 10-20% (14-24%) in populations of other ancestries. Effect sizes, associated regions and gene prioritization are similar across ancestries, indicating that reduced prediction accuracy is likely to be explained by linkage disequilibrium and differences in allele frequency within associated regions. Finally, we show that the relevant biological pathways are detectable with smaller sample sizes than are needed to implicate causal genes and variants. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive map of specific genomic regions that contain the vast majority of common height-associated variants. Although this map is saturated for populations of European ancestry, further research is needed to achieve equivalent saturation in other ancestries.A large genome-wide association study of more than 5 million individuals reveals that 12,111 single-nucleotide polymorphisms account for nearly all the heritability of height attributable to common genetic variants

School Climate and Academic Achievement of Higher Secondary Students

School Climate refers to the quality and characteristics of a School life. For the best positive outcome, school is to be organised in a systematic way. Positive School Climate greatly influences the Academic Achievement of the students. The objectives of study are- to study the school climate of Higher Secondary schools, to find out the difference in School Climate with regard to urban and rural area, to study the academic achievement of Higher Secondary Students, to find out the difference in academic achievement with regard to urban and rural area, to find out the relationship between school climate and academic achievement of Higher Secondary students. Descriptive Survey Method has been used in the present study. Investigator has selected 200 higher secondary students from the eight provincialized schools of Kamrup (Metro and Rural) district of Assam which has been selected through the simple stratified random sampling technique. The investigator has found that in both Kamrup Urban and Rural, it has moderate school climate. The study revealed that the co-relation between School Climate and Academic Achievement of the Higher Secondary students found to be positive and statistically significant