FullSWOF_Paral: Comparison of two parallelization strategies (MPI and SKELGIS) on a software designed for hydrology applications

In this paper, we perform a comparison of two approaches for the parallelization of an existing, free software, FullSWOF 2D (http://www. univ-orleans.fr/mapmo/soft/FullSWOF/ that solves shallow water equations for applications in hydrology) based on a domain decomposition strategy. The first approach is based on the classical MPI library while the second approach uses Parallel Algorithmic Skeletons and more precisely a library named SkelGIS (Skeletons for Geographical Information Systems). The first results presented in this article show that the two approaches are similar in terms of performance and scalability. The two implementation strategies are however very different and we discuss the advantages of each one.Comment: 27 page

Environmental Impact and Biosecurity of Composting for Emergency Disposal of Livestock Mortalities

A two-year project was begun in Iowa in 2002 to test the decay performance, air and water environmental impacts, and bio-security of using composting for emergency disposal of cattle carcasses in the event of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Of the three emergency cover materials tested to date, silage produced the highest and most sustained internal heat, the most rapid and thorough carcass decomposition, and the most rapid destruction of avian vaccine viruses introduced into the piles for bio-security testing. Although internal temperatures within ground cornstalk cover material were much lower than in the silage, carcass decomposition appeared to occur almost as rapidly as in the silage. The cornstalk material produced more collectable leachate with higher pollutant concentrations than the silage. Downwind odor from test units constructed with ground cornstalk, which has a much higher air permeability coefficient than silage, appeared to be strongest and more frequent during the initial 2–3 weeks following construction of the piles

Genes Contributing to Staphylococcus aureus Fitness in Abscess- and Infection-Related Ecologies

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of both community- and hospital-acquired infections that are increasingly antibiotic resistant. The emergence of S. aureus resistance to even last-line antibiotics heightens the need for the development of new drugs with novel targets. We generated a highly saturated transposon insertion mutant library in the genome of S. aureus and used Tn-seq analysis to probe the entire genome, with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity, for genes of importance in infection. We further identified genes contributing to fitness in various infected compartments (blood and ocular fluids) and compared them to genes required for growth in rich medium. This resulted in the identification of 426 genes that were important for S. aureus fitness during growth in infection models, including 71 genes that could be considered essential for survival specifically during infection. These findings highlight novel as well as previously known genes encoding virulence traits and metabolic pathways important for S. aureus proliferation at sites of infection, which may represent new therapeutic targets

Into the Intracellular Logistics of Cross-Presentation

The induction of cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses requires the presentation of antigenic peptides by MHC class I molecules (MHC I). MHC I usually present peptides derived from endogenous proteins. However, some subtypes of dendritic cells have developed the ability to efficiently present peptides derived from exogenous antigens on MHC I via a process called cross-presentation. Cross-presentation is intimately linked to the induction of anti-viral, -bacterial, and -tumor cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses, as well as a wide variety of CTL-mediated diseases and transplant rejections. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cross-presentation have been studied intensively since its original description, yet understanding of this process is incomplete and on the forefront of immunological research. Numerous pathways and models, some of them conflicting, have been described so far. Here, we review the various pathways reported as involved in cross-presentation, highlighting the complexity of this process. We also discuss in detail the different intracellular steps required, from antigen capture and routing, to processing, and finally peptide loading, emphasizing the need for a better understanding of the cell biology of this phenomenon

Evaluating the effectiveness of the development of interprofessional education activities

The learner should be able to list 2 interprofessional activities to use in nursing education. The learner should be able to state at least one way of measuring IPE activities to use in nursing education