Adjusting process count on demand for petascale global optimization⋆

There are many challenges that need to be met before efficient and reliable computation at the petascale is possible. Many scientific and engineering codes running at the petascale are likely to be memory intensive, which makes thrashing a serious problem for many petascale applications. One way to overcome this challenge is to use a dynamic number of processes, so that the total amount of memory available for the computation can be increased on demand. This paper describes modifications made to the massively parallel global optimization code pVTdirect in order to allow for a dynamic number of processes. In particular, the modified version of the code monitors memory use and spawns new processes if the amount of available memory is determined to be insufficient. The primary design challenges are discussed, and performance results are presented and analyzed

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN STATIC FOOT POSTURE AND PEAK PATELLAR TENDON FORCE DURING SINGLE-LEG LANDINGS: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Patellar tendinopathy is particularly prevalent in jumping-sport athletes and develops due to chronic overloading without appropriate load modification. Pronated and supinated foot postures have been suggested to be associated with the development of the injury. This study aimed to investigate the association between static foot posture, measured using the Foot Posture Index (FPI), and peak patellar tendon force during single-leg drop landings. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected during a single-leg landing task and used to estimate peak patellar tendon force. There was no statistically significant association between FPI and peak patellar tendon force during landing (p = 0.910). Further research investigating how foot posture may affect lower limb loading during landing is required to inform pre-screening and rehabilitation protocols for jumping sport athletes

Immunomodulatory effects of fucoidan in recreationally active adult males undertaking 3-weeks of intensified training

The aim of the current study was to determine whether daily fucoidan supplementation ( Undaria pinnatifida extract containing &gt;85% fucoidan, 1 g/day) for three-weeks in a double blind-placebo controlled cross-over trial (ACTRN12621000872831) could modulate alterations in faecal (calprotectin, lysozyme and IgA) and salivary (lactoferrin, lysozyme and IgA) markers of mucosal immune competence typically observed in response to both acute physical activity, and a period of intensified exercise training, in healthy recreationally active men ( n  = 12). Participants responded positively to the intensified training with 16-19% improvement in mean power that was not different between supplement groups. Faecal biomarkers and concentrations of lactoferrin, lysozyme and IgA from resting saliva samples were largely stable over the supplementation period. Concentrations of salivary biomarkers varied significantly over time in response to acute exercise, however differences between supplementation groups were modest. For salivary lysozyme, there was a trend for a lower magnitude of increase post-exercise ( p  = 0.08) and limited return towards pre-exercise in response to fucoidan. For salivary IgA, a greater acute exercise response was noted for IgA in response to fucoidan (~2.7-fold higher; p  = 0.02). Different dosage and supplementation protocols and inclusion of additional immune markers should be considered in subsequent assessments of any potential benefits of fucoidan supplementation in healthy active adults. </p