Lightweight Multilingual Software Analysis

Developer preferences, language capabilities and the persistence of older languages contribute to the trend that large software codebases are often multilingual, that is, written in more than one computer language. While developers can leverage monolingual software development tools to build software components, companies are faced with the problem of managing the resultant large, multilingual codebases to address issues with security, efficiency, and quality metrics. The key challenge is to address the opaque nature of the language interoperability interface: one language calling procedures in a second (which may call a third, or even back to the first), resulting in a potentially tangled, inefficient and insecure codebase. An architecture is proposed for lightweight static analysis of large multilingual codebases: the MLSA architecture. Its modular and table-oriented structure addresses the open-ended nature of multiple languages and language interoperability APIs. We focus here as an application on the construction of call-graphs that capture both inter-language and intra-language calls. The algorithms for extracting multilingual call-graphs from codebases are presented, and several examples of multilingual software engineering analysis are discussed. The state of the implementation and testing of MLSA is presented, and the implications for future work are discussed.Comment: 15 page

Lightweight Call-Graph Construction for Multilingual Software Analysis

Analysis of multilingual codebases is a topic of increasing importance. In prior work, we have proposed the MLSA (MultiLingual Software Analysis) architecture, an approach to the lightweight analysis of multilingual codebases, and have shown how it can be used to address the challenge of constructing a single call graph from multilingual software with mutual calls. This paper addresses the challenge of constructing monolingual call graphs in a lightweight manner (consistent with the objective of MLSA) which nonetheless yields sufficient information for resolving language interoperability calls. A novel approach is proposed which leverages information from a compiler-generated AST to provide the quality of call graph necessary, while the program itself is written using an Island Grammar that parses the AST providing the lightweight aspect necessary. Performance results are presented for a C/C++ implementation of the approach, PAIGE (Parsing AST using Island Grammar Call Graph Emitter) showing that despite its lightweight nature, it outperforms Doxgen, is robust to changes in the (Clang) AST, and is not restricted to C/C++.Comment: 10 page

Pharmaceuticals Delivery in Ireland. Getting a Bigger Bang for the Buck

Ireland

Improving e-therapy for mood disorders among lesbians and gay men

Introduction This toolkit provides the first comprehensive set of guidelines for tailoring mood-disorder e-therapies to the needs of same-sex attracted people. It gives developers of e-therapies a set of practical recommendations for adjusting e-therapies to more effectively accommodate lesbians and gay men. These recommendations are supported by in-depth research that was designed specifically to inform this toolkit. Summaries of this research are provided in the toolkit and detailed findings are available in published research articles. This toolkit also provides information on the mental health-related challenges that are often faced by same-sex attracted people and links readers to key resources and organisations for further information. Checklists and other tools are included as aids for developers to assess the inclusiveness and relevance of e-therapies to lesbians and gay men. In short, this toolkit contains an extensive set of tools and explains why and how they could be implemented

Genetic susceptibility to feline infectious peritonitis in Birman cats.

Genetic factors are presumed to influence the incidence of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), especially among pedigreed cats. However, proof for the existence of such factors has been limited and mainly anecdotal. Therefore, we sought evidence for genetic susceptibility to FIP using feline high density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays in a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Birman cats were chosen for GWAS because they are highly inbred and suffer a high incidence of FIP. DNA from 38 Birman cats that died of FIP and 161 healthy cats from breeders in Denmark and USA were selected for genotyping using 63K SNPs distributed across the feline genome. Danish and American Birman cats were closely related and the populations were therefore combined and analyzed in two manners: (1) all cases (FIP) vs. all controls (healthy) regardless of age, and (2) cases 1½ years of age and younger (most susceptible) vs. controls 2 years of age and older (most resistant). GWAS of the second cohort was most productive in identifying significant genome-wide associations between case and control cats. Four peaks of association with FIP susceptibility were identified, with two being identified on both analyses. Five candidate genes ELMO1, RRAGA, TNFSF10, ERAP1 and ERAP2, all relevant to what is known about FIP virus pathogenesis, were identified but no single association was fully concordant with the disease phenotype. Difficulties in doing GWAS in cats and interrogating complex genetic traits were discussed

High radon areas and lung cancer prevalence in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin, 2018/01

Exposure to radon gas is thought to be the second most important cause of lung cancer worldwide after smoking. This naturally-occurring radioactive gas can seep into houses from beneath the ground or from particular building materials. Ireland has relatively high indoor radon concentrations, estimated to be the eighth highest level among OECD countries. This research examines data on a large sample of people aged 50+ in Ireland to see whether living in areas with greater risk of radon exposure is associated with higher odds of a lung cancer diagnosis. It takes into account other risk factors such as smoking and age in order to isolate the possible effect of radon

The effect of accessibility to GP services on healthcare utilisation among older people. ESRI Research Bulletin 2018/12

We investigated the impact of accessibility to General Practitioner (GP) services on the use of GP services among older people in Ireland. Older people use healthcare services more frequently and intensively than the population as a whole. However, having limited personal mobility or poorer access to transport may present significant obstacles for an older person trying to avail of healthcare services. Internationally, the World Health Organization raises awareness of the need for healthcare to be within physical reach of vulnerable or marginalised groups, with older people and residents of rural areas identified as ‘at risk’ populations

Urban Green Space and Obesity in Older Adults. ESRI Research Bulletin, 2018/04

Nearly four out of five Irish adults over the age of 50 are classified as overweight or obese, according to their body mass index (BMI) measurements. The problem is significant for other age groups as well. Obesity confers higher risks of health problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and some cancers. One contributor to this problem in recent decades is thought to be the shift of population into urban areas, which is often accompanied by less physically active lifestyles. Some international research suggests that green spaces such as parks in urban areas can encourage physical activity and help to reduce obesity in the urban population. However, this relationship is difficult to isolate because obesity rates can be influenced by many socio-economic characteristics and behaviours. In this study we link data on body mass index (BMI) for a large representative sample of over-50s living in urban areas of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford to digital maps showing how much green space is near their homes. We then use statistical tools to see whether those living in areas with more or less green space are at an increased risk of obesity after taking into account many other socio-economic characteristics of these individuals

Estimating the Impact of Time-of-Use Pricing on Irish Electricity Demand. ESRI Research Bulletin 2014/02/02

Electricity demand traditionally exhibits a substantial peak during a small number of hours each day. Policymakers are aware of the potential benefits that may be generated from a shift in energy consumption away from peak times. Smart meters, in conjunction with time-of-use (TOU) pricing, can facilitate an improvement in energy efficiency by providing consumers with enhanced information about electricity consumption and costs, and thereby encourage a shift away from consumption during peak hours