GPU LSM: A Dynamic Dictionary Data Structure for the GPU

We develop a dynamic dictionary data structure for the GPU, supporting fast insertions and deletions, based on the Log Structured Merge tree (LSM). Our implementation on an NVIDIA K40c GPU has an average update (insertion or deletion) rate of 225 M elements/s, 13.5x faster than merging items into a sorted array. The GPU LSM supports the retrieval operations of lookup, count, and range query operations with an average rate of 75 M, 32 M and 23 M queries/s respectively. The trade-off for the dynamic updates is that the sorted array is almost twice as fast on retrievals. We believe that our GPU LSM is the first dynamic general-purpose dictionary data structure for the GPU.Comment: 11 pages, accepted to appear on the Proceedings of IEEE International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium (IPDPS'18

Leptin and melatonin’s effects on OVX rodents’ bone metabolism

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of leptin and melatonin intervention on bone metabolism in ovariectomize (OVX) rodents, as well as their potential mechanisms of action.MethodsPrepare an OVX model of osteoporosis in rodents and validate the model by collecting bilateral tibia samples for Micro-CT scanning and histological analysis. A control group of normal size, the OVX group, the OVX+Sema4D (Semaphorin 4D) group, the OVX+Sema4D+Leptin group, the OVX+Sema4D+ Melatonin(MT) group and the OVX+Sema4D+Leptin+ MT group were the experimental groups. Adenovirus vector construction and tibial medullary injection validation were conducted in accordance with the aforementioned experimental groups. Four groups of rats were injected with the Sema4D overexpression adenovirus vector into the tibial medullary cavity, and two groups were injected with the Leptin overexpression adenovirus vector. The repair of osteoporosis was observed using micro-CT and histological analysis. Immunohistochemical detection of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expression in bone tissue was employed to ascertain the amount of osteoclasts in the upper tibial metaphysis, utilizing TRAP(tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) staining.ResultsIncreased levels of BV/TV, Tb.N, BMD, and BMC were seen in the OVX+ Sema4D+Leptin, OVX+ Sema4D+MT, and OVX+ Sema4D+Leptin+ MT groups compared to the OVX group, whereas Tb. Sp levels were lowered. When compared to the Sema4D overexpression group, the trabecular bone structure of the OVX + Sema4D + Leptin, OVX + Sema4D + MT, and OVX + Sema4D + Leptin + MT groups is largely intact, tends to be closer, and the amount of trabecular bone increases. The OVX + Sema4D + Leptin + MT group in particular.The expression of BMP-2 was dramatically upregulated (p<0.05), the number of TRAP-stained osteoclasts was significantly reduced (p<0.05), and BALP(bone-derived alkaline phosphatase) and TRAP-5b(tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b) activities were significantly downregulated (p<0.05).ConclusionIn rats with osteoporosis, leptin and melatonin can be seen to augment the trabecular microstructure of the bone, augment bone growth, diminish trabecular harm, and mend the bone. The combined effect is more powerful

Observed Ocean Surface Winds and Mixed Layer Currents under Tropical Cyclones: Asymmetric Characteristics

Tropical cyclones (TC) transfer kinetic energy to the upper ocean and thus accelerate the ocean mixed layer (OML) currents. However, the quantitative link between near-surface currents and high wind speeds, under extreme weather conditions, remains poorly understood. In this study, we use multi-mission satellites and drifting-buoy observations to investigate the connections between TC surface winds and currents, including their spatial distribution characteristics. Observed ageostrophic current speeds in the OML increase linearly with wind speeds (for the range 20–50 m/s). The ratios of the ageostrophic current speeds to the wind speeds are found to vary with TC quadrants. In particular, the mean ratio is around 2% in the left-front and left-rear quadrants with relatively small variability, compared to between 2% and 4% in the right-front and right-rear quadrants, with much higher variations. Surface winds and currents both exhibit strong asymmetric features, with the largest wind speeds and currents on the TC right side. In the eyewall region of Hurricane Igor, high winds (e.g. about 47 m/s) induce strong currents (about 2 m/s). The directional rotations of surface winds and currents are resonant and dependent on the location within the storm. Wind directions are approximately aligned with current directions in the right-front quadrant; a difference of about 90o occurs in the left-front and left-rear quadrants. The directional discrepancy between winds and currents in the right-rear quadrant is smaller. Reliable observations of the wind-current relation, including asymmetric features, support published theories developed in idealized numerical experiments to explain the upper ocean response to TCs. Plain Language Summary Observations of surface winds and currents under extreme weather conditions are essential to characterize upper ocean responses to tropical cyclones. To better understand air-sea coupled processes, it is necessary to quantify the connections between surface winds and upper ocean mixed layer currents, and their spatial distribution characteristics. Using an analysis of satellite-derived winds and drifter-observed currents, we find that in severe storm conditions, the near-surface current speeds increase linearly with wind speeds. Moreover, the ratios of ageostrophic current speeds to wind speeds are found to be significantly different on the two different sides of a tropical cyclone track, indicating that the surface winds and currents have strong asymmetry. High-resolution wind fields from spaceborne synthetic aperture radar and currents from collocated drifters further demonstrate the asymmetric features. Stronger winds and currents occur on the right side. Additionally, rotations of surface winds and currents are resonant in the right-front quadrant

Impact of leptin or melatonin on Sema4D overexpression-related bone metabolism

Abstract Purpose The current study aims to investigate the regulatory impact of leptin or melatonin on bone metabolism as well as the underlying mechanism in conjunction with Sema4D (monoclonal antibody to semaphorin 4D). Methods Rats were used to create the osteoporosis model utilizing the OVX (OVariectomize) technique. Rat tibial specimens from each side were collected for three-dimensional reconstruction and Micro-CT scanning examination. The Hematoxylin-osinstaining (HE) staining technique was used to determine the pathological condition of bone tissues. The ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) assay was used to measure the amount of estradiol present in the serum. In the current study, there were six groups: control, OVX, OVX + NL (no load group), OVX + Sema4D, OVX + Sema4D + leptin, and OVX + Sema4D + MT (melatonin). Rats were given injections of the Sema4D or leptin overexpressing vectors via the tail vein in accordance with the aforementioned classification. By using a high-resolution micro-CT technology, 3D bone structure was discovered. The activity of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRAP-5b) and bone-derived alkaline phosphatase (BALP) in serum was assessed using an ELISA. The number of osteoclasts in the metaphysis of the upper tibia was determined using TRAP (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to find leptin and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expressions in bone tissue. Results The BV/TV (Bone volume/Tissue volume), Tb.N (Trabecular number), BMD (Bone Mineral Density), and BMC (Bone Mineral Content) levels were significantly higher in the OVX + Sema4D + leptin and OVX + Sema4D + MT groups compared to OVX + NL, while Tb.Sp (Trabecular separation) levels were significantly lower. In contrast to the OVX group, the bone trabeculae in the OVX + Sema4D + leptin and OVX + Sema4D + MT groups had a relatively complete structure and tended to be organized closely. The amount of bone trabeculae grew drastically, whereas the proportion of TRAP-positive osteoclasts declined dramatically. BMP-2 and leptin were also elevated, while BALP and TRAP-5b activity was reduced. Conclusion Leptin or melatonin improved Sema4d's role in trabecular bone microstructure, bone production, and repairment of trabecular bone loss in osteoporosis rats

kANN on the GPU with Shifted Sorting

We describe the implementation of a simple method for finding k approximate nearest neighbors (ANNs) on the GPU. While the performance of most ANN algorithms depends heavily on the distributions of the data and query points, our approach has a very regular data access pattern. It performs as well as state of the art methods on easy distributions with small values of k, and much more quickly on more difficult problem instances. Irrespective of the distribution and also roughly of the size of the set of input data points, we can find 50 ANNs for 1M queries at a rate of about 1200 queries/ms