Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe

The Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE) has been researching promising petascaling techniques, as well as related work on optimization techniques and the study of software libraries and programming models suitable for petascale computing. The combined work has laid the foundation for the efficient exploitation of the upcoming Tier-0 systems. The applications studied cover a variety of scientific areas and represent European high-performance computing use, with most of them originating from the European scientific community. The applications were ported, evaluated, and scaled on the PRACE supercomputer prototypes. Each application was ported to an average of three prototype systems. Porting to cluster-based systems encountered the fewest problems, while programs that were ported to Cell-based prototypes required a major time investment. PRACE researchers say it was essential to tune the options and parameters used when compiling and running a program, such as the choice of numerical libraries and compiler options. The project developed a tool for studying optimal compiler options and platform-specific recommendations. PRACE researchers also explored the programming models and software libraries required by petascale applications, and completed a survey and analysis of the new upcoming programming models and languages suitable for such programs.

From "PRACE Is Ready for Implementation: Applications Ported"
Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (11/16/09)
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Nanyang Technological University

Tai Xue-Cheng, a specialist in numerical analysis and computational mathematics at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), has been named the winner of the 8th Feng Kang Prize in Scientific Computing. Tai, a professor in NTU's School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, has developed mathematical models for restoring images that have been degraded due to wear and tear to their original look. His models have been used for magnetic resonance imaging medical-image processing and other medical and industrial applications as well. "It is a surprise and also an honor for me to receive this prestigious award for computational mathematics," Tai says. "This encourages me to continue to strive for excellence in my research and to seek solutions for challenging scientific problems." The award is dedicated to the memory of Feng Kang, a Chinese pioneer in computational mathematics. The award seeks to bring attention to Chinese mathematicians who have made significant contributions in numerical linear algebra, computer-aided geometric design, and numerical partial differential equations and scientific computing.

From "Assoc Prof Tai Xue-Cheng Wins 8th Feng Kang Prize in Scientific Computing in China"
Nanyang Technological University (11/19/09) Lu, Sunanthar
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EurekAlert

Researchers at Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) say that radio tags, combined with mobile communication devices, could provide seamless smart home multimedia services. The researchers, led by NCKU's Yueh-Min Huang, have proposed an intelligent home network system that integrates radio frequency identification (RFID) technology into the Open Service Gateway Initiative (OSGi) to enable people to access a video monitoring and media system throughout their household, or possibly remotely. The system could enable users to remote check the home's security system or turn off lights. When someone is home, the technology could control entertainment systems as a person moves about the house, allowing a song to follow them from room to room. The researchers note that more than 70 manufacturers have joined OSGi, which means the standard could see widespread adoption. "The open architecture system in this paper can provide rapid, automatic, and convenient services, thereby substantially improving the quality of life for users," the researchers say.

From "Building the Smart Home Wirelessly"
EurekAlert (11/19/09)
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Technology Review

Researchers at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center and IBM Research-Zurich have developed a cloud computing security system that makes elements of the cloud act as a kind of virtual bouncer. The new system is based on the theory that as long as the cloud can see a customer's data and leased computational devices, it should check those elements for malicious code. The system enables the cloud to search virtual machines to see what operating systems they are using, whether they are running correctly, and whether they contain malicious code. The IBM research was one of several papers presented at the recent ACM Cloud Computing Security Workshop, the first event to focus on cloud computing security. "In clouds, the barrier to entry is lower, and the thing customers are most concerned about is their information," says IBM's J.R. Rao. "We want to make sure their information is handled in a manner consistent with their expectation of security and privacy." Cloud computing could become particularly dangerous if hackers learn how to place malicious virtual machines on the same physical servers as legitimate users. Hackers could theoretically steal data from cache memory on multicore systems within the server. Microsoft has proposed a system that would assign hierarchies within cache memory, which would serve as a partition to protect against this kind of attack.

From "Self-Policing Cloud Computing"
Technology Review (11/20/09) Talbot, David
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University of Southampton (ECS)

The University of Southampton's new supercomputer was ranked 74th on the Top500 supercomputer list and is the fastest university-owned supercomputer in England. It also is the fastest Microsoft Windows-powered computer in Europe. "We are interested in making this advanced capability available to every researcher from their desktop, without the need for specialist IT skills," says professor Simon Cox, the director of the Microsoft Institute for High Performance Computing at Southampton. "Using the familiar Windows desktop environment, they are able to carry out extremely large calculations that were previously inaccessible, due to the complexity of more traditional [high-performance computing (HPC)] systems." Southampton's Oz Parchment says the objective of using Windows as the operating system is to make supercomputing available to everyone on campus, which requires making it easier to use. "We look forward to bringing even more new research domains into the world of HPC to solve problems that they have previously been unable to tackle," Parchment says. "The system is helping existing users focus more on their research, without having to worry about the underlying IT."

From "Southampton's World-Class Supercomputer Opens Windows"
University of Southampton (ECS) (11/18/09)
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and other research partners are building DataONE, a new network that will be able to store massive amounts of information. DataONE, backed by $20 million in funding from the National Science Foundation's DataNet program, is uniting universities and government agencies in an effort to meet the growing demand for organizing and providing large amounts of highly diverse and interrelated but often incompatible scientific data, says ORNL's Robert Cook. "The network will drive advanced research and data acquisition, storage, mining, integration, and visualization for citizen scientists, researchers, and decision makers," Cook says. DataONE is led by the University of New Mexico, and includes partners from across the United States, Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Cook says DataONE will give scientists from numerous disciplines a way to collaborate on extremely important environmental scientific challenges. "Scientists have collected an enormous amount of environmental data useful in climate change research--rainfall, temperature, forest and agricultural properties, bird species and their migration patterns," he says. "The challenge is to discover those data sets, understand how they were collected, and use them to address the important climate change questions for science and society."

From "ORNL, Partners Helping Scientists Deal With Data Deluge"
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (11/18/09) Walli, Ron
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ICT Results

European Sensors Anywhere (SANY) project researchers have developed a system for accessing and reusing environmental data from a variety of sources. The system enables the free exchange and use of environmental monitoring data regardless of its source. Numerous sensors around the world, and even in space, observe and report the condition of land, atmosphere, and oceans for a variety of purposes. The researchers say the creation of a single system to provide access to this data could assist in important decisions, such as how to adapt better to climate change. SANY uses a service-oriented architecture that enables applications to be built from modular components accessed over the Internet. For example, one service may obtain data while another plots a map, and another could process the data in a specific way. "The SANY Sensor Service Architecture allows everybody who makes environmental observations to advertise them over standardized service interfaces," says SANY coordinator Denis Havik. "Anybody who needs environmental data can go and search for it--or look in a catalog--and retrieve it using standardized methods." The SANY system converts all data, regardless of its source or format, into a standard format established by the Open Geospatial Consortium, and can work with both raw and processed sensor data. The researchers have been running pilot programs to demonstrate the potential of the SANY approach, including an air quality program to demonstrate the feasibility of seamless presentation of data from independent monitoring networks.

From "Open Shop for Environmental Data "
ICT Results (11/16/09)
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University of Auckland (NZ)

Professor Peter Hunter, director of the University of Auckland's Bioengineering Institute, has been awarded the Rutherford Medal, New Zealand's highest science honor. Hunter was chosen due to his leading role in the Physiome Project, a major international effort to build sophisticated computer models of all human organs. Hunter started working on the Physiome Project in 1996, following many years of work in developing the world's first anatomically based computer model of the human heart, which included developing new ways of modeling the structure and function of heart tissue. "The Physiome Project started off by looking at the heart, but it soon spread to the lungs, then the musculoskeletal system, and now all 12 organs in the human body," Hunter says. "The idea is to create mathematical models that link gene, protein, cell, tissue, organ and the whole body into one cohesive framework that will eventually become a Web resource for diagnosing and treating patients, surgical planning, education, and the design of medical devices." Hunter says the Physiome Project is still in the early stages, but there have already been some exciting applications created by the project, such as heart models used to diagnose cardiac disease. The United States has invested about $100 million in the Physiome Project so far, and the European Commission has invested about $400 million.

From "Distinguished Professor Peter Hunter Wins the Rutherford Medal"
University of Auckland (NZ) (11/19/09)
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Network World

Countries that want to disrupt other nations' government, banking, and media resources can simply hire cybercriminals to launch botnet attacks, according to new report by McAfee that interviews 20 cybersecurity experts. McAfee's Dmitri Alperovitch says botnet attacks are hard to trace because of the anonymous nature of how they are requested and paid for. William Crowell, former deputy director of the U.S. National Security Agency, says that "anyone can go to a criminal group and rent a botnet. We've reached a point where you only need money to cause disruption, not know-how, and this is something that needs to be addressed." The July 4th, 2009, cyberattacks launched against South Korea and the United States prompted Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) to urge the United States to "conduct 'a show of force or strength' against North Korea for its alleged role in the attacks," the report says. Alperovitch says there is no concrete evidence that North Korea was behind the cyberattacks, but points out that it was unusual that the botnet was concentrated entirely in South Korea. Alperovitch also notes that North Korea gets its Internet link from China because North Korea never took ownership of the top-level domains it was assigned by ICANN. Countries that are known to be expanding their cyberwarfare capabilities include the United States, France, Israel, Russia, and China, according to the report. Major cyberconflicts have the potential to hurt businesses and individuals, indicating a need for greater public discussion about such issues.

From "Are Nations Paying Criminals for Botnet Attacks?"
Network World (11/17/09) Messmer, Ellen
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Agence France Presse

Delegates at the recent Internet Governance Forum have raised concerns that ICANN is still primarily under U.S. control. The new agreement between ICANN and the U.S. Commerce Department was intended to assuage these concerns by creating global panels to review ICANN's work in key areas. However, some delegates still called for the body to be replaced by an international one. "The U.S. still has a key to the back door" when it comes to Internet administration, said Keisuke Kamimura, a researcher at the Center for Global Communication at the International University of Japan. "Regarding accountability and transparency, they have identified it as an issue to be reviewed, but more needs to be done." Chencqing Huang, head of the Internet Society of China, said ICANN should be replaced. "We want to have an international organization under the framework of the United Nations to replace ICANN," Huang said. Others at the forum said the developing world still lacks adequate representation in ICANN. "We, the people of the developing world, are there," said Fuad Bajwa, a member of the United Nations IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group and an ICANN member. "From my experience in ICANN, I saw less staff members from my part of the world." Despite these objections, ICANN said that it is a multi-stakeholder body and noted that no country has ever been refused domain registration.

From "Internet Still Under U.S. Grip: Forum Delegates"
Agence France Presse (11/18/09) Zayan, Jailan
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ScienceDaily

Researchers at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a new visualization tool that will enable users to see what a cloaked object looks like in real life. Designed to handle complex media, such as metamaterial optical cloaks, the software is able to show the visual effects of a cloaking mechanism and its imperfections. The latest issue of the Optical Society's Optics Express features full-color images in which a virtual museum nave is rendered with three walls, a ceiling, and a floor. A large bump appears in the reflecting floor covered by an invisibility device. The carpet cloak in the middle of the room hides the effect of the bump and any object hidden underneath it, as the observers see a flat reflecting floor. However, the observers still see the invisibility cloak due to surface reflections and imperfections. "It's important to visualize how an optical device works," notes the software's developer Jad C. Halimeh.

From "Invisibility Visualized: New Software for Rendering Cloaked Objects"
ScienceDaily (11/13/09)
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New Scientist

Daniel White has created an image, the Mandelbulb, that he says is the most accurate three-dimensional (3D) representation to date of the Mandelbrot set, a fractal equation named after Yale University mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot, who coined the term "fractal." Previous attempts at a 3D Mandelbrot image do not display real fractal behavior, White says. "I was trying to see how the original [two-dimensional] Mandelbrot worked and translate that to the third dimension," he says. "You can use complex maths but you can also look at things geometrically." White's approach works due to the properties of the "complex plane," a mathematical landscape in which ordinary numbers run from east to west while imaginary numbers run from south to north. Multiplying numbers on the complex plane is the same as rotating it, while addition is like shifting the plane in a particular direction. Creating the Mandelbrot set requires repeating these geometrical actions for every point in the plane. In 2007, White published a formula for a shape that was close to a 3D Mandelbrot, but still lacked true fractal detail. White then began a collaboration with Paul Nylander, who realized that raising White's formula to a higher power would create the desired effect. White acknowledges that the Mandelbulb is still not quite a "real" 3D Mandelbrot, as there are still areas without enough detail. "If the real thing does exist--and I'm not saying 100 percent that it does--one would expect even more variety than we are currently seeing," he says.

From "The Mandelbulb: First 'True' 3D Image of Famous Fractal "
New Scientist (11/18/09) Aron, Jacob
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National Institute of Standards and Technology

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physicists have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor capable of running any program allowed by quantum mechanics that uses two quantum bits (qubits) of information. The processor could be used in a future quantum computer and represents the first time any research group has advanced beyond demonstrating individual tasks on a quantum processor. The NIST researchers analyzed the quantum processor using methods common in traditional computer science by creating a diagram of the processing circuit and mathematically determining the 15 different starting values and sequences of processing operations required to run a given program. "This is the first time anyone has demonstrated a programmable quantum processor for more than one qubit," says NIST postdoctoral researcher David Hanneke. "It's a step toward the big goal of doing calculations with lots and lots of qubits." NIST researchers performed 160 different processing routines on two qubits, which Hanneke says is a large and diverse enough sample to fairly represent two-qubit programs.

From "NIST Demonstrates ‘Universal’ Programmable Quantum Processor for Quantum Computers"
National Institute of Standards and Technology (11/16/09) Ost, Laura
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ICT Results

The European Union-funded GRid enabled access to rich mEDIA (GREDIA) content project has developed a platform that makes the grid's resources available to business users. "Many business applications need to work fast and need to work with huge amounts of data," says GREDIA coordinator Nikos Sarris. "The grid is ideal for that, but software developers don't use it because they don't know how." Sarris says the GREDIA platform will help business application developers exploit the grid without requiring them to become grid technology experts. He says the system is reliable because it is distributed across numerous machines, and it optimizes business transactions using algorithms that make the most of the grid's distributed resources. The project developed and demonstrated two business services: one allows any number of sources using almost any kind of device to be used as a news-gathering team; a second is designed for the banking industry. The banking applications enable lenders to use their home computers or handheld devices to securely provide information. The program authenticates information, combines it into a profile, and calculates credit rankings using a protocol specified by the lender.

From "There's No Business Like Grid Business"
ICT Results (11/16/09)
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University of Southampton (ECS)

A social networking tool called Healthii has improved personal and group well-being and interactions, according to researchers at the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science. A study of 10 Healthii users over five weeks reveals that half felt they were more reflective, eight said they were more aware of other group members, and half said they would really miss this level of communication when the trial ended. Healthii was designed to help users of social networking sites and microblogs understand how they and their peers are doing, and to help them enhance their quality of life at work. The application uses graphical avatars to show the level of busy-ness, enjoyment, stress, and health of users, and adding a numeric code would allow a person to quickly communicate that he or she is feeling very busy, enjoying the task, averagely stressed, but feeling a bit under the weather, for example. The field of Human-Computer Interaction tends to focus on designing to support efficiency or productivity in tasks, says dr schraefel. "That's important, but we're now beginning to consider how to design systems to support well-being while engaged in everyday tasks to enhance quality of life," says schraefel. "Eventually, we hope to inspire designers and researchers not only to explore these attributes in social networking applications, but also to consider the potential for well-being measures across Human-Computer Interaction the same way we consider efficiency today," says Ph.D. student Paul Andre.

From "New Social Networking Tool to Improve Well-Being Awareness"
University of Southampton (ECS) (11/18/09)
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Wall Street Journal

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is debating whether it should force Internet service providers (ISPs) to share their networks with rivals and increase the fees charged to consumers' phone bills to pay for broader Internet access. The proposals, which are heavily opposed by telecommunications and cable companies, are a reversal from the Bush administration, when regulators reduced government control of Internet and phone service. The new Democrat-controlled commission is considering if more government oversight is necessary to ensure competition and more affordable Internet service. The FCC will examine possible solutions in December and make a formal recommendation in February when it is scheduled to release its National Broadband Plan for improving broadband speed and access. FCC officials estimate that the plan could cost $20 billion to $350 billion, depending on the speed offered, to connect all U.S. households to high-speed Internet service. One potential solution would revive open access rules, which would require ISPs to lease their networks to rivals at government-regulated rates. Open access rules are in place in Europe and some Asian countries, and consumer advocates argue that open access is a major reason why Internet service is cheaper and faster in those countries. Cable and phone companies argue that they will have little reason to invest in networks if they are required to offer below-rate access to competitors.

From "Feds Mull Rules, Fees to Spur Net Access "
Wall Street Journal (11/18/09) P. A1; Schatz, Amy
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New Scientist

The European Union requires member states to create noise maps of their urban areas once every five years. Instead of deploying sensors all over a city, the maps are usually created using computer models to predict how various sources of noise affect the surrounding areas. However, those maps are not an accurate reflection of residents' exposure to noise, says Sony Computer Science Laboratory researcher Nicolas Maisonneuve, who has developed NoiseTube, a downloadable software app that uses smartphones to monitor noise pollution. NoiseTube records any sound picked up by the phone's microphone and marks the location using the device's global positioning system capabilities. Users also can label the data with additional information, such as the source of the noise. The recording is converted into a format that can be mapped using Google Earth. The software checks against weather information to reject data that may have been distorted by high winds, for example. Locations with sustained levels of noise are labeled as dangerous. The software currently must be calibrated to work with the microphone used in each individual smartphone, but the researchers are working on a method of automatically calibrating microphones.

From "Cellphone App to Make Maps of Noise Pollution "
New Scientist (11/18/09) Ananthaswamy, Anil
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ACM

CSAB, Inc.--the lead society within ABET, Inc. for the accreditation of programs in computer science, information systems, IT, and software engineering--is seeking evaluators for degree programs in computing. The role of a CSAB evaluator includes visiting college campuses to review facilities, curriculum, faculty qualifications, student achievement, and other key program areas. Program evaluators are expected to serve for at least one three-year term and to be available to make a minimum of one school visit each year. Candidates with an industrial background must have at least five years of experience as a working practitioner in a computing-related field, hold an advanced degree, and have a minimum of one degree in a computing-related field. Recent contact with computing graduates and experience in evaluating them (for example, recruiting, hiring, interviewing, or working with graduates) is also required. Desired qualifications include one or more years of management experience in a computing-related discipline, experience evaluating computing degree programs (such as industrial advisory committees, curriculum committees, and undergraduate teaching experience), and experience in evaluating the criteria for success in a computing career (for example, career monitoring, academic advisory activities, making hiring and promotion decisions). Interested candidates should apply directly at www.abet.org/volunteer.shtml/. Applications are due by Dec. 31.

From "Evaluators Sought for Degree Programs in Computing"
ACM (11/18/09)
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Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)

Dutch researchers Remco de Boer and Rik Farenhorst, working on the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research's Joint Academic and Commercial Quality Research & Development program, investigated how software architectural knowledge can be better disseminated and retrieved. Designing and building large software systems requires a great deal of creativity and knowledge, but architects without access to the right knowledge often end up unnecessarily reinventing the wheel. Farenhorst explored how software architects can share knowledge more easily and discovered that many architects simply do not talk with each other enough, often because they want to receive knowledge but are less willing to pass on their own knowledge. Farenhorst recommends using fixed templates to record architectural knowledge in combination with open communication facilitated by forums that allow architects to find each other. Remco de Boer studied the role of auditors who assess the quality of software systems, which often requires searching through piles of paperwork for specific information, such as the decisions an architect made during the design process. De Boer developed a method for guiding auditors through the information in a more efficient manner. Both researchers conducted their efforts through the GRIFFIN project, which aims to describe how and why software engineers make their decisions about software architecture.

From "Software Knowledge Unnecessarily Lost"
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (11/18/09)
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San Jose Mercury News (CA)

Researchers from IBM's Almaden Research Center and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have performed a computer simulation that matches the scale and complexity of a cat's brain, while researchers from IBM and Stanford University say they have developed an algorithm for mapping the human brain in unprecedented detail. The researchers say these efforts could help build a computer that replicates the complexity of the human brain. In the first project, an IBM supercomputer at the Lawrence Livermore Lab was used to model the movement of data through a structure with 1 billion neurons and 10 trillion synapses, enabling researchers to observe how information "percolates" through a system similar to a feline cerebral cortex. The research is part of IBM project manager Dharmendra Modha's efforts to design a new computer by first better understanding how the brain works. "The brain has awe-inspiring capabilities," Modha says. "It can react or interact with complex, real-world environments, in a context-dependent way. And yet it consumes less power than a light bulb and it occupies less space than a two-liter bottle of soda." Modha says a major difference between the brain and traditional computers is that current computer are designed on a model that differentiates between processing and storing data, which can lead to a lag in updating information. However, the brain can integrate and react to a constant stream of sights, sounds, and sensory information. Modha imagines a cognitive computer capable of analyzing a constant stream of information from global trading floors, banking institutions, and real estate markets to identify key trends and their consequences; or a computer capable of evaluating pollution using real-time sensors from around the world.

From "IBM Announces Advances Toward a Computer that Works Like a Human Brain"
San Jose Mercury News (CA) (11/18/09) Bailey, Brandon
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