Virtualizing the Stampede2 Supercomputer with Applications to HPC in the Cloud

Methods developed at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) are described and demonstrated for automating the construction of an elastic, virtual cluster emulating the Stampede2 high performance computing (HPC) system. The cluster can be built and/or scaled in a matter of minutes on the Jetstream self-service cloud system and shares many properties of the original Stampede2, including: i) common identity management, ii) access to the same file systems, iii) equivalent software application stack and module system, iv) similar job scheduling interface via Slurm. We measure time-to-solution for a number of common scientific applications on our virtual cluster against equivalent runs on Stampede2 and develop an application profile where performance is similar or otherwise acceptable. For such applications, the virtual cluster provides an effective form of "cloud bursting" with the potential to significantly improve overall turnaround time, particularly when Stampede2 is experiencing long queue wait times. In addition, the virtual cluster can be used for test and debug without directly impacting Stampede2. We conclude with a discussion of how science gateways can leverage the TACC Jobs API web service to incorporate this cloud bursting technique transparently to the end user.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figures, PEARC '18: Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing, July 22--26, 2018, Pittsburgh, PA, US

The Effect of Interactivity with a Music Video Game on Second Language Vocabulary Recall

Video games are potential sources of second language input; however, the medium’s fundamental characteristic, interactivity, has not been thoroughly examined in terms of its effect on learning outcomes. This experimental study investigated to what degree, if at all, video game interactivity would help or hinder the noticing and recall of second language vocabulary. Eighty randomly-selected Japanese university undergraduates were paired based on similar English language and game proficiencies. One subject played an English-language music video game for 20 minutes while the paired subject watched the game simultaneously on another monitor. Following gameplay, a vocabulary recall test, a cognitive load measure, an experience questionnaire, and a two-week delayed vocabulary recall test were administered. Results were analyzed using paired samples t-tests and various analyses of variance. Both the players and the watchers of the video game recalled vocabulary from the game, but the players recalled significantly less vocabulary than the watchers. This seems to be a result of the extraneous cognitive load induced by the interactivity of the game; the players perceived the game and its language to be significantly more difficult than the watchers did. Players also reported difficulty simultaneously attending to gameplay and vocabulary. Both players and watchers forgot significant amounts of vocabulary over the course of the study. We relate these findings to theories and studies of vocabulary acquisition and video game-based language learning, and then suggest implications for language teaching and learning with interactive multimedia

Perennials as Future Grain Crops: Opportunities and Challenges

Perennial grain crops could make a valuable addition to sustainable agriculture, potentially even as an alternative to their annual counterparts. The ability of perennials to grow year after year significantly reduces the number of agricultural inputs required, in terms of both planting and weed control, while reduced tillage improves soil health and on-farm biodiversity. Presently, perennial grain crops are not grown at large scale, mainly due to their early stages of domestication and current low yields. Narrowing the yield gap between perennial and annual grain crops will depend on characterizing differences in their life cycles, resource allocation, and reproductive strategies and understanding the trade-offs between annualism, perennialism, and yield. The genetic and biochemical pathways controlling plant growth, physiology, and senescence should be analyzed in perennial crop plants. This information could then be used to facilitate tailored genetic improvement of selected perennial grain crops to improve agronomic traits and enhance yield, while maintaining the benefits associated with perennialism

A Pipeline Strategy for Grain Crop Domestication

In the interest of diversifying the global food system, improving human nutrition, and making agriculture more sustainable, there have been many proposals to domesticate wild plants or complete the domestication of semidomesticated orphan crops. However, very few new crops have recently been fully domesticated. Many wild plants have traits limiting their production or consumption that could be costly and slow to change. Others may have fortuitous preadaptations that make them easier to develop or feasible as high-value, albeit low-yielding, crops. To increase success in contemporary domestication of new crops, we propose a pipeline approach, with attrition expected as species advance through the pipeline. We list criteria for ranking domestication candidates to help enrich the starting pool with more preadapted, promising species. We also discuss strategies for prioritizing initial research efforts once the candidates have been selected: developing higher value products and services from the crop, increasing yield potential, and focusing on overcoming undesirable traits. Finally, we present new-crop case studies that demonstrate that wild species’ limitations and potential (in agronomic culture, shattering, seed size, harvest, cleaning, hybridization, etc.) are often only revealed during the early phases of domestication. When nearly insurmountable barriers were reached in some species, they have been (at least temporarily) eliminated from the pipeline. Conversely, a few species have moved quickly through the pipeline as hurdles, such as low seed weight or low seed number per head, were rapidly overcome, leading to increased confidence, farmer collaboration, and program expansion.Fil: DeHaan, Lee R.. The Land Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Van Tassel, David L.. The Land Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Anderson, James A.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Asselin, Sean R.. University of Manitoba; CanadáFil: Barnes, Richard. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Baute, Gregory J.. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Cattani, Douglas J.. University of Manitoba; CanadáFil: Culman, Steve W.. Ohio State University; Estados UnidosFil: Dorn, Kevin M.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Hulke, Brent S.. United States Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Research Service; Estados UnidosFil: Kantar, Michael. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Larson, Steve. Forage and Range Research Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: David Marks, M.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Miller, Allison J.. Saint Louis University; Estados UnidosFil: Poland, Jesse. Kansas State University; Estados UnidosFil: Ravetta, Damián Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio; ArgentinaFil: Rude, Emily. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Ryan, Matthew R.. Cornell University; Estados UnidosFil: Wyse, Don. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Xiaofei. University of Minnesota; Estados Unido

The bacterial community composition of the surface microlayer in a high mountain lake

The existence of bacterioneuston in aquatic ecosystems is well established, but little is known about its composition and dynamics, particularly in lakes. The bacterioneuston underlies extreme conditions at the air–water boundary, which may influence its dynamics in a different way compared with the bacterioplankton. In this study, we assessed quantitative changes in major bacterial groups of the surface microlayer (SML) (upper 900 μm) and the underlying water (ULW) (0.2–0.5 m depth) of an alpine lake during two consecutive ice-free seasons. Analysis of the bacterial community composition was done using catalyzed reporter deposition FISH with oligonucleotide probes. In addition, several physicochemical parameters were measured to characterize these two water layers. Dissolved organic carbon was consistently enriched in the SML and the dissolved organic matter pool presented clear signals of photodegradation and photobleaching. The water temperature was generally colder in the SML than in the subsurface. The bacterial community of the SML and the ULW was dominated by Betaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria. The bacterial community composition was associated with different combinations of physicochemical factors in these two layers, but temporal changes showed similar trends in both layers over the two seasons. Our results identify the SML of alpine lakes as a microhabitat where specific bacterial members such as of Betaproteobacteria seem to be efficient colonizers

Learner-Centered Inquiry in Undergraduate Biology: Positive Relationships with Long-Term Student Achievement

We determined short- and long-term correlates of a revised introductory biology curriculum on understanding of biology as a process of inquiry and learning of content. In the original curriculum students completed two traditional lecture-based introductory courses. In the revised curriculum students completed two new learner-centered, inquiry-based courses. The new courses differed significantly from those of the original curriculum through emphases on critical thinking, collaborative work, and/or inquiry-based activities. Assessments were administered to compare student understanding of the process of biological science and content knowledge in the two curricula. More seniors who completed the revised curriculum had high-level profiles on the Views About Science Survey for Biology compared with seniors who completed the original curriculum. Also as seniors, students who completed the revised curriculum scored higher on the standardized Biology Field Test. Our results showed that an intense inquiry-based learner-centered learning experience early in the biology curriculum was associated with long-term improvements in learning. We propose that students learned to learn science in the new courses which, in turn, influenced their learning in subsequent courses. Studies that determine causal effects of learner-centered inquiry-based approaches, rather than correlative relationships, are needed to test our proposed explanation

HOW IS GAMIFICATION LIKE BEING TRAPPED IN THE MATRIX? AND WHAT IS THE ‘REAL-WORLD’ OF GAME-BASED LEARNING?

As the title suggests, this paper compares the underlying assumptions, theory, and practice of gamification and game-based learning through the lens of pop-cultural references, specifically: the Matrix movie series. Thus, and in keeping with the theme of the movies, we hope to “redpill” readers into thinking more deliberately about their pedagogical approaches. We start by defining terms: the Matrix, the real-world, gamification and game-based learning. The paper then explores the various layers of power and control that both students and teachers find themselves operating within, referring to the Matrix movies where appropriate. We argue that gamification is an unnecessary layer of control that should be abolished in favor of more humanistic, transformative, and critical pedagogical practices, of which game-based learning may be one way of instantiating such change. However, we also argue that awareness of various pedagogical theories, as well as their potential benefits and harms is not enough to bring about meaningful change. Much like the Matrix movies, it is up to the reader to enact change through their actions. The paper ends with an invitation to consider how pedagogy, educational institutions, and capitalist society act as a matryoshka model of control or “simulation” which, through play, we may break free from. In sum: don’t trick. Be ludic

Nussbaum's capabilities and self-determination theory's basic psychological needs: Relating some fundamentals of human wellness

Research and theory concerning the nature and sources of well-being has been undertaken through varied approaches. Two such approaches are the capability approach and self-determination theory (SDT), both of which have postulated specific factors deemed necessary for human well-being and flourishing. In two studies we examine the relations between capabilities and well-being indicators, as well as the mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction in these relations. Results indicate that both capabilities and SDT’s basic psychological needs are substantially associated with well-being, and that SDT’s basic needs partially mediate the relation between capabilities and indicators of wellness