Using high-performance computing artifacts as a learning intervention : a systematic literature review

High-Performance Computing (HPC) artifacts provide opportunities for students to improve their understanding of parallel computing, which is important for students who study computer science. In line with that, many computing departments are integrating HPC systems into their curricula. However, there is a need to investigate HPC artifacts that have been used as learning interventions. This study has employed a systematic literature review to investigate published papers on HPC education from 1988 to 2018. The findings of our investigation of a stratified sample of 211 papers reveal the state of the practice of application of HPC artifacts in computing education in terms of the contexts, themes, nature and topics of the publications. The study revealed that a majority of publications reported the usage of Beowulf and other clusters as the pedagogical tools. Furthermore, the study discovered gaps in research on the application of HPC artifacts in ability and aptitude, teaching and learning, teaching and learning techniques, curriculum, parallel programming, and parallel processing. This study contributes to our understanding of what HPC artifacts are used in computer science education

Toward a Sustainable Future: An Environmental Agenda for the Second Term of the Obama Administration

Much was at stake in the Presidential election of 2012, which was marked by heated debate over the trajectory of the economy, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, and the fat of the President\u27s health care plan. The candidates disagreed about nearly every issue from foreign policy and the war on terror to a woman\u27s right to choose and same-sex marriage. Lost amid the din and never mentioned in the Presidential debates or most of the campaign speeches was another divisive topic: how our environmental laws and policies should address global climate change and chart a sustainable future for the United States and the world. Yet the environment was on the ballot during the 2012 election, despite its absence from the national debate. The President\u27s efforts to address climate change, promote renewable energy, and provide stronger environmental protection would have been reversed or curtailed if he had lost the election. The environment also arguably influenced the outcome of the 2012 election when Hurricane Sandy struck and gave the President the opportunity to show bi-partisan leadership. It has become almost a cliché to say that no one storm can be attributed to climate change, but Hurricane Sandy underscored both our collective yearning to move beyond partisanship and the moral imperative of decisive steps to address climate change

Prospective feasibility and safety assessment of surgical biopsy for patients with newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Background:Diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) has relied on imaging studies, since the appearance is pathognomonic, and surgical risk was felt to be high and unlikely to affect therapy. The DIPG Biology and Treatment Study (DIPG-BATS) reported here incorporated a surgical biopsy at presentation and stratified subjects to receive FDA-approved agents chosen on the basis of specific biologic targets. Methods:Subjects were eligible for the trial if the clinical features and imaging appearance of a newly diagnosed tumor were consistent with a DIPG. Surgical biopsies were performed after enrollment and prior to definitive treatment. All subjects were treated with conventional external beam radiotherapy with bevacizumab, and then stratified to receive bevacizumab with erlotinib or temozolomide, both agents, or neither agent, based on O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase status and epidermal growth factor receptor expression. Whole-genome sequencing and RNA sequencing were performed but not used for treatment assignment. Results:Fifty-three patients were enrolled at 23 institutions, and 50 underwent biopsy. The median age was 6.4 years, with 24 male and 29 female subjects. Surgical biopsies were performed with a specified technique and no deaths were attributed to the procedure. Two subjects experienced grade 3 toxicities during the procedure (apnea, n = 1; hypertension, n = 1). One subject experienced a neurologic deficit (left hemiparesis) that did not fully recover. Of the 50 tumors biopsied, 46 provided sufficient tissue to perform the study assays (92%, two-stage exact binomial 90% CI: 83%-97%). Conclusions:Surgical biopsy of DIPGs is technically feasible, associated with acceptable risks, and can provide biologic data that can inform treatment decisions

Prospective feasibility and safety assessment of surgical biopsy for patients with newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Background:Diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) has relied on imaging studies, since the appearance is pathognomonic, and surgical risk was felt to be high and unlikely to affect therapy. The DIPG Biology and Treatment Study (DIPG-BATS) reported here incorporated a surgical biopsy at presentation and stratified subjects to receive FDA-approved agents chosen on the basis of specific biologic targets. Methods:Subjects were eligible for the trial if the clinical features and imaging appearance of a newly diagnosed tumor were consistent with a DIPG. Surgical biopsies were performed after enrollment and prior to definitive treatment. All subjects were treated with conventional external beam radiotherapy with bevacizumab, and then stratified to receive bevacizumab with erlotinib or temozolomide, both agents, or neither agent, based on O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase status and epidermal growth factor receptor expression. Whole-genome sequencing and RNA sequencing were performed but not used for treatment assignment. Results:Fifty-three patients were enrolled at 23 institutions, and 50 underwent biopsy. The median age was 6.4 years, with 24 male and 29 female subjects. Surgical biopsies were performed with a specified technique and no deaths were attributed to the procedure. Two subjects experienced grade 3 toxicities during the procedure (apnea, n = 1; hypertension, n = 1). One subject experienced a neurologic deficit (left hemiparesis) that did not fully recover. Of the 50 tumors biopsied, 46 provided sufficient tissue to perform the study assays (92%, two-stage exact binomial 90% CI: 83%-97%). Conclusions:Surgical biopsy of DIPGs is technically feasible, associated with acceptable risks, and can provide biologic data that can inform treatment decisions