Direct NN-body code on low-power embedded ARM GPUs

This work arises on the environment of the ExaNeSt project aiming at design and development of an exascale ready supercomputer with low energy consumption profile but able to support the most demanding scientific and technical applications. The ExaNeSt compute unit consists of densely-packed low-power 64-bit ARM processors, embedded within Xilinx FPGA SoCs. SoC boards are heterogeneous architecture where computing power is supplied both by CPUs and GPUs, and are emerging as a possible low-power and low-cost alternative to clusters based on traditional CPUs. A state-of-the-art direct $N$-body code suitable for astrophysical simulations has been re-engineered in order to exploit SoC heterogeneous platforms based on ARM CPUs and embedded GPUs. Performance tests show that embedded GPUs can be effectively used to accelerate real-life scientific calculations, and that are promising also because of their energy efficiency, which is a crucial design in future exascale platforms.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in the Computing Conference 2019 proceeding

Alteration of the in vivo nicotinic receptor density in ADNFLE patients: a PET study

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are involved in a familial form of frontal lobe epilepsy, autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE). In several ADNFLE families, mutations were identified in the nAChR α4 or β2 subunit, which together compose the main cerebral nAChR. Electrophysiological assessment using in vitro expression systems indicated a gain of function of the mutant receptors. However the precise mechanisms by which they contribute to the pathogenesis of a focal epilepsy remain obscure, especially since α4β2 nAChRs are known to be widely distributed within the entire brain. PET study using [18F]-F-A-85380, a high affinity agonist at the α4β2 nAChRs, allows the determination of the regional distribution and density of the nAChRs in healthy volunteers and in ADNFLE patients, thus offering a unique opportunity to investigate some in vivo consequences of the molecular defect. We have assessed nAChR distribution in eight non-smoking ADNFLE patients (from five families) bearing an identified mutation in nAChRs and in seven age-matched non-smoking healthy volunteers using PET and [18F]-F-A-85380. Parametric images of volume of distribution (Vd) were generated as the ratio of tissue to plasma radioactivities. The images showed a clear difference in the pattern of the nAChR density in the brains of the patients compared to the healthy volunteers. Vd values revealed a significant increase (between 12 and 21%, P < 0.05) in the ADNFLE patients in the mesencephalon, the pons and the cerebellum when compared to control subjects. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was then used to better analyse subtle regional differences. This analysis confirmed clear regional differences between patients and controls: patients had increased nAChR density in the epithalamus, ventral mesencephalon and cerebellum, but decreased nAChR density in the right dorsolateral prefrontal region. In five patients who underwent an additional [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET experiment, hypometabolism was observed in the neighbouring area of the right orbitofrontal cortex. The demonstration of a regional nAChR density decrease in the prefrontal cortex, despite the known distribution of these receptors throughout the cerebral cortex, is consistent with a focal epilepsy involving the frontal lobe. We also propose that the nAChR density increase in mesencephalon is involved in the pathophysiology of ADNFLE through the role of brainstem ascending cholinergic systems in arousa

International travelling knowledge in social work:an analytical framework

Social work has a shared international identity, but is also diverse and context-specific. There is increasing interest in the international movement of knowledge into national and local contexts but at present there is little analysis of how and why this happens. Instead of seeing knowledge as ‘transferred’ in a straightforward export-import relationship, attention needs to be paid to how knowledge is assembled, mobilised, circulated, reformulated and reassembled as it travels from one country to another. Drawing on neo-institutionalism, a comprehensive framework is proposed that may serve as a heuristic for researching and analysing international travelling knowledge in social work. It includes nine elements: narratives, routes, barriers, boundaries, filters, providers, shape, roots, issues and topics

Safety of Levetiracetam in paediatrics: a systematic review

Objective To identify adverse events (AEs) associated with Levetiracetam (LEV) in children. Methods Databases EMBASE (1974-February 2015) and Medline (1946-February 2015) were searched for articles in which paediatric patients (≤18 years) received LEV treatment for epilepsy. All studies with reports on safety were included. Studies involving adults, mixed age population (i.e. children and adults) in which the paediatric subpopulation was not sufficiently described, were excluded. A meta-analysis of the RCTs was carried out and association between the commonly reported AEs or treatment discontinuation and the type of regimen (polytherapy or monotherapy) was determined using Chi2 analysis. Results Sixty seven articles involving 3,174 paediatric patients were identified. A total of 1,913 AEs were reported across studies. The most common AEs were behavioural problems and somnolence, which accounted for 10.9% and 8.4% of all AEs in prospective studies. 21 prospective studies involving 1120 children stated the number of children experiencing AEs. 47% of these children experienced AEs. Significantly more children experienced AEs with polytherapy (64%) than monotherapy (22%) (p<0.001). Levetiracetam was discontinued in 4.5% of all children on polytherapy and 0.9% on monotherapy (p<0.001), the majority were due to behavioural problems. Conclusion Behavioural problems and somnolence were the most prevalent adverse events to LEV and the most common causes of treatment discontinuation. Children on polytherapy have a greater risk of adverse events than those receiving monotherapy

Yacimientos de wolframio asociados a metavolcanitas y metasedimentitas, San Luis

En las dos áreas de bajo metamorfismo correspondientes a la Formación San Luis se hallan numerosos yacimientos wolframíferos. En el triángulo dique La Florida, Paso del Rey, Santo Domingo se conocen depósitos de wolframio relacionados a metavolcanitas, turmalinitas, esquistos cuarzo-spessartíticos, esquistos biotíticos y cuarcitas. En la zona del valle de Pancanta, los depósitos aún poco estudiados, se localizan en vetas de cuarzo de diferentes presentaciones. Los yacimientos se subdividen aquí por zonas geográficas o litológicas en los distritos: Santo Domingo, El Araucano- La Higuera, La Teodolina, La Florida, Los Cocos, Pampa del Tamboreo y Valle de Pancanta. La génesis de los primeros cinco distritos será descripta después del quinto por considerarse un mismo evento evolutivo.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoComisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aire

Yacimientos de wolframio asociados a metavolcanitas y metasedimentitas, San Luis

En las dos áreas de bajo metamorfismo correspondientes a la Formación San Luis se hallan numerosos yacimientos wolframíferos. En el triángulo dique La Florida, Paso del Rey, Santo Domingo se conocen depósitos de wolframio relacionados a metavolcanitas, turmalinitas, esquistos cuarzo-spessartíticos, esquistos biotíticos y cuarcitas. En la zona del valle de Pancanta, los depósitos aún poco estudiados, se localizan en vetas de cuarzo de diferentes presentaciones. Los yacimientos se subdividen aquí por zonas geográficas o litológicas en los distritos: Santo Domingo, El Araucano- La Higuera, La Teodolina, La Florida, Los Cocos, Pampa del Tamboreo y Valle de Pancanta. La génesis de los primeros cinco distritos será descripta después del quinto por considerarse un mismo evento evolutivo.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoComisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aire

Mental health and health related quality of life in mitochondrial POLG disease

We aimed to assess the impact of POLG disease on mental health and quality of life in 15 patients using the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R)and Short-Form 36 HealthSurvey (RAND-36). Wefound increased scores in all nine subscales of SCL-90-R, particularly phobic anxiety, depression and somatization. Further, patients reported considerably lower scores in all RAND-36 domains. This study revealed a global decline in mental health and poor quality of life in patients with POLG disease and highlights the need for increased awareness andsystematic assessment in order to improve their quality of life and mental health

Simplifying the clinical classification of polymerase gamma (POLG) disease based on age of onset; studies using a cohort of 155 cases

Background: Variants in POLG are one of the most common causes of inherited mitochondrial disease. Phenotypic classification of POLG disease has evolved haphazardly making it complicated and difficult to implement in everyday clinical practise. The aim of our study was to simplify the classification and facilitate better clinical recognition. / Methods: A multinational, retrospective study using data from 155 patients with POLG variants recruited from seven European countries. / Results: We describe the spectrum of clinical features associated with POLG variants in the largest known cohort of patients. While clinical features clearly form a continuum, stratifying patients simply according to age of onset—onset prior to age 12 years; onset between 12 and 40 years and onset after the age of 40 years, permitted us to identify clear phenotypic and prognostic differences. Prior to 12 years of age, liver involvement (87%), seizures (84%), and feeding difficulties (84%) were the major features. For those with onset between 12 and 40 years, ataxia (90%), peripheral neuropathy (84%), and seizures (71%) predominated, while for those with onset over 40 years, ptosis (95%), progressive external ophthalmoplegia (89%), and ataxia (58%) were the major clinical features. The earlier the onset the worse the prognosis. Patients with epilepsy and those with compound heterozygous variants carried significantly worse prognosis. / Conclusion: Based on our data, we propose a simplified POLG disease classification, which can be used to guide diagnostic investigations and predict disease course

The impact of gender, puberty, and pregnancy in patients with POLG disease

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of gender, puberty, and pregnancy on the expression of POLG disease, one of the most common mitochondrial diseases known. METHODS: Clinical, laboratory, and genetic data were collected retrospectively from 155 patients with genetically confirmed POLG disease recruited from seven European countries. We used the available data to study the impact of gender, puberty, and pregnancy on disease onset and deterioration. RESULTS: We found that disease onset early in life was common in both sexes but there was also a second peak in females around the time of puberty. Further, pregnancy had a negative impact with 10 of 14 women (71%) experiencing disease onset or deterioration during pregnancy. INTERPRETATION: Gender clearly influences the expression of POLG disease. While onset very early in life was common in both males and females, puberty in females appeared associated both with disease onset and increased disease activity. Further, both disease onset and deterioration, including seizure aggravation and status epilepticus, appeared to be associated with pregnancy. Thus, whereas disease activity appears maximal early in life with no subsequent peaks in males, both menarche and pregnancy appear associated with disease onset or worsening in females. This suggests that hormonal changes may be a modulating factor

Geochemistry and petrology of the Cambrian metavolcanic rocks of the Sierra de San Luis

En la presente investigación se estudiaron las metavolcanitas ácidas del Cámbrico, localizadas en dos fajas de bajo metamorfismo de la sierra de San Luis. Se describe la petrografía, se presentan análisis químicos y se establece su posición geotectónica. Se trata de depósitos de flujos piroclásticos (y lavas?) sinsedimentarios, metamorfizados en grado esquistos verdes-anfibolita durante el ciclo famatiniano. Presentan mineralización scheelítica (Au, Sb, Bi) y en sus alrededores se han encontrado turmalinitas y cuarcitas spessartínicas. En forma global se trata de un sistema volcanogénico - hidrotermal con expresiones exhalativas.Acid metavolcanic rocks of Cambrian age are studied in two low-grade metamorphic belts. Petrografic and chemical analyses and their geotectonic possition are analyzed. There are synsedimentary pyroclastic flows (and lavas?) and sedimentary deposits, metamorfosed to greenschist and amfibolite facies during the Famatinian cycle. The occurrence of scheelitic (Au, Sb, Bi) mineralizations associated nearby with exhalites such as turmalinites and coticule, are described and linked to a volcanogenic - hydrothermal event with exhalative expressions.Instituto de Recursos Minerale