Efficient Parallel Video Encoding on Heterogeneous Systems

Proceedings of: First International Workshop on Sustainable Ultrascale Computing Systems (NESUS 2014). Porto (Portugal), August 27-28, 2014.In this study we propose an efficient method for collaborative H.264/AVC inter-loop encoding in heterogeneous CPU+GPU systems. This method relies on specifically developed extensive library of highly optimized parallel algorithms for both CPU and GPU architectures, and all inter-loop modules. In order to minimize the overall encoding time, this method integrates adaptive load balancing for the most computationally intensive, inter-prediction modules, which is based on dynamically built functional performance models of heterogenous devices and inter-loop modules. The proposed method also introduces efficient communication-aware techniques, which maximize data reusing, and decrease the overhead of expensive data transfers in collaborative video encoding. The experimental results show that the proposed method is able of achieving real-time video encoding for very demanding video coding parameters, i.e., full HD video format, 64×64 pixels search area and the exhaustive motion estimation.This work was supported by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under projects PEst-OE/EEI/LA0021/2013, PTDC/EEI-ELC/3152/2012 and PTDC/EEA-ELC/117329/2010

Eros, Agape and Ethnos: Proposal for a Critical Analysis of the Public Discourse on Religion, Homosexuality and Nationalism in the Context of the Western Balkans

U ovom radu ce se istraživati da li se i kako dihotomija izmedu religije i (homo)seksualnosti odnosi na religijsko-politicke konfiguracije i grupisanja u razlicitim nacionalnim kontekstima Zapadnog Balkana. Analiza odnosa izmedu etnonacionalizma, religije i (posebno) homoseksualnosti u postkonfliktnim društvima objašnjava kako funkcioniše religijski nacionalizam, privilegujuci heteronormativnost, provocirajuci i podržavajuci homofobnu kulturu. U radu autori predlažu okvir za analizu javnog diskursa koji ce doprineti savremenoj naucnoj debate o strategijama i ideološkim pretpostavkama, interesima i posledicama trenutne konstrukcije (homo)seksualnosti i religije u javnom diskursu. Ovo komparativno istraživanje fokusira se na tri razlicita medijska i religijskokulturološka konteksta: Srbiju, Bosnu i Hercegovinu i Hrvatsku

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-β acts upstream of AMP-activated protein kinase in mammalian cells

SummaryAMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the downstream component of a kinase cascade that plays a pivotal role in energy homeostasis. Activation of AMPK requires phosphorylation of threonine 172 (T172) within the T loop region of the catalytic α subunit. Recently, LKB1 was shown to activate AMPK. Here we show that AMPK is also activated by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase (CaMKK). Overexpression of CaMKKβ in mammalian cells increases AMPK activity, whereas pharmacological inhibition of CaMKK, or downregulation of CaMKKβ using RNA interference, almost completely abolishes AMPK activation. CaMKKβ isolated from rat brain or expressed in E. coli phosphorylates and activates AMPK in vitro. In yeast, CaMKKβ expression rescues a mutant strain lacking the three kinases upstream of Snf1, the yeast homolog of AMPK. These results demonstrate that AMPK is regulated by at least two upstream kinases and suggest that AMPK may play a role in Ca2+-mediated signal transduction pathways

Derivation, Characterization, and Neural Differentiation of Integration-Free Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines from Parkinson's Disease Patients Carrying SNCA, LRRK2, PARK2, and GBA Mutations

We report generation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from ten Parkinson's disease (PD) patients carrying SNCA, PARK2, LRRK2, and GBA mutations, and one age-matched control. After validation of pluripotency, long-term genome stability, and integration-free reprogramming, eight of these lines (one of each SNCA, LRRK2 and GBA, four PARK2 lines, and the control) were differentiated into neural stem cells (NSC) and subsequently to dopaminergic cultures. We did not observe significant differences in the timeline of neural induction and NSC derivation between the patient and control line, nor amongst the patient lines, although we report considerable variability in the efficiency of dopaminergic differentiation among patient lines. We performed whole genome expression analyses of the lines at each stage of differentiation (fibroblast, iPSC, NSC, and dopaminergic culture) in an attempt to identify alterations by large-scale evaluation. While gene expression profiling clearly distinguished cells at different stages of differentiation, no mutation-specific clustering or difference was observed, though consistent changes in patient lines were detected in genes associated mitochondrial biology. We further examined gene expression in a stress model (MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal death) using two clones from the SNCA triplication line, and detected changes in genes associated with mitophagy. Our data suggested that even a well-characterized line of a monogenic disease may not be sufficient to determine the cause or mechanism of the disease, and highlights the need to use more focused strategies for large-scale data analysis

Joint Moments and Powers in Healthy Young Adults During Stair Negotiation

The primary objective of this study was to determine lower limb joint moments and powers of stair negotiation in healthy young individuals. These results will provide baseline information for future studies with elderly and clinical populations designed to prevent falls that occur during stair negotiation. In previous stair negotiation studies, researchers investigated joint moments and powers initiating stair ascent in front of the stairway. Starting farther away from the stairway allows individuals to stabilize gait velocity and thus, exclude the influence of velocity on joint moments and powers generated during stair ascent. Ten young, healthy individuals underwent gait analysis during stair negotiation. Two way repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine the differences between two different conditions, starting farther away from the stairway (C1) and starting in front of the stairway (C2), for two consecutive steps (s1 and s2) on the stairway performed by the same leg. A motion analysis system was used to collect the three-dimensional spatial trajectories of the markers (joint angle data). Ground reaction forces were collected using two AMTI force platforms embedded in the first and the third stair treads. Our results demonstrated that ankle power absorption (PA1) was significantly higher during the s1 and s2 in C1 than during the s1 in C2. PA1 was significantly greater during s2 than during s1 in condition 2. Ankle power generation (PA2) was significantly higher during s2 than s1 in C1. The hip power absorption (PH2) was significantly higher during s1 in C1 than during s2 in C1, and s1 and s2 in C2. PH2 was significantly higher during s1 in C2 than s2 in both C1 and C2. These findings iv showed that the way individuals approach stairs will have a different affect on the ankle and the hip joints which has to be considered in future studies in stair negotiation