Paralization and check pointing of GPU applications through program transformation

GPUs have emerged as a powerful tool for accelerating general-purpose applications. The availability of programming languages that makes writing general-purpose applications for running on GPUs tractable have consolidated GPUs as an alternative for accelerating generalpurpose applications. Among the areas that have bene#12;ted from GPU acceleration are: signal and image processing, computational uid dynamics, quantum chemistry, and, in general, the High Performance Computing (HPC) Industry. In order to continue to exploit higher levels of parallelism with GPUs, multi-GPU systems are gaining popularity. In this context, single-GPU applications are parallelized for running in multi-GPU systems. Furthermore, multi-GPU systems help to solve the GPU memory limitation for applications with large application memory footprint. Parallelizing single-GPU applications has been approached by libraries that distribute the workload at runtime, however, they impose execution overhead and are not portable. On the other hand, on traditional CPU systems, parallelization has been approached through application transformation at pre-compile time, which enhances the application to distribute the workload at application level and does not have the issues of library-based approaches. Hence, a parallelization scheme for GPU systems based on application transformation is needed. Like any computing engine of today, reliability is also a concern in GPUs. GPUs are vulnerable to transient and permanent failures. Current checkpoint/restart techniques are not suitable for systems with GPUs. Checkpointing for GPU systems present new and interesting challenges, primarily due to the natural di#11;erences imposed by the hardware design, the memory subsystem architecture, the massive number of threads, and the limited amount of synchronization among threads. Therefore, a checkpoint/restart technique suitable for GPU systems is needed. The goal of this work is to exploit higher levels of parallelism and to develop support for application-level fault tolerance in applications using multiple GPUs. Our techniques reduce the burden of enhancing single-GPU applications to support these features. To achieve our goal, this work designs and implements a framework for enhancing a single-GPU OpenCL application through application transformation

USO Y ABUSO DE PSICOESTIMULANTES EN MEDICINA

Psychostimulants are drugs that can be used to improve cognitive performance by students and health care professionals. This trend might establish a public health issue. The purpose of this study is to describe the prevalence of psychostimulant use in medical students and resident doctors, and to identify consumption related risk factors. The study was conducted through a self-administered, anonymous online survey. 355 respondents were included, 27% (n = 96) were resident doctors, 70.4% (n = 250) students and 2.5% (n = 9) specialists. 17.4% (n = 62) opted for psychostimulant drugs of which modafinil was the most chosen. The most desired effect was to improve wakefulness 83.6% (n = 51). The average age for consumers was 27.31±3.08 (p = 0.033). The multivariate analysis revealed that the predictive variables with highest risk of consumption were: having read the package insert (OR = 5.2; p = 0.0001), previous use of benzodiazepines (OR = 3.75; p = 0.045) and having considered ethical its use (OR=1.03; p = 0.0001). According to literature, the prevalent use of psychostimulants by doctors under training in our population might be higher than other countries. This study is an important source of information for health authorities as it highlights unrestricted access and inappropriate use of psychostimulantsIntroducción: Los psicoestimulantes son fármacos que pueden ser utilizados para mejorar el rendimiento cognitivo por los médicos en formación. Esta tendencia representaría un problema de salud pública del cual existe escasa información disponible. Objetivos: Describir la prevalencia del uso de psicoestimulantes en alumnos de medicina y médicos residentes e identificar factores de riesgo asociados al consumo. Métodos: Encuesta online anónima y autoadministrada. Resultados: Se analizaron 355 encuestas, 27% (n=96) fueron médicos residentes, 70.4% (n=250) estudiantes y 2.5% (n=9) médicos especialistas. El 17.2% (n=62) recurrió a drogas psicoestimulantes, de las cuales la más elegida fue el modafinilo (n=39). El objetivo más buscado fue mejorar la vigilia 83.6% (n=51). La edad media para los consumidores fue 27.31± 3.08 (p=0.033). En el análisis multivariado se observó que las variables predictoras de mayor riesgo de consumo fueron: haber leído el prospecto (OR=5.2; p=0,0001), haber consumido benzodiacepinas previamente (OR=3.75; p=0.045) y haber considerado ético su uso (OR=1.03; p=0.0001). Conclusión: La prevalencia de uso de psicoestimulantes por médicos en formación en nuestra población podría ser mayor a la de otros países. El presente trabajo representa una importante fuente de información para las autoridades sanitarias dado que destaca el libre acceso y el uso inapropiado de psicoestimulantes

USO Y ABUSO DE PSICOESTIMULANTES EN MEDICINA

  Introduction: Psychostimulants are drugs that can be used to improve cognitive performance by students and health care professionals. This trend might establish a public health issue. Objetives: The purpose of this study is to describe the prevalence of psychostimulant use in medical students and resident doctors, and to identify consumption related risk factors. Method: The study was conducted through a self-administered, anonymous online survey. Results: 355 respondents were included, 27% (n=96) were resident doctors, 70.4% (n=250) students and 2.5% (n=9) specialists. 17.4% (n=62) opted for psychostimulant drugs of which modafinil was the most chosen. The most desired effect was to improve wakefulness 83.6% (n=51). The average age for consumers was 27.31±3.08 (p=0.033). The multivariate analysis revealed that the predictive variables with highest risk of consumption were: having read the package insert (OR=5.2; p=0.0001), previous use of benzodiazepines (OR=3.75; p=0.045) and having considered ethical its use (OR=1.03; p=0.0001). Conclusion: According to literature, the prevalent use of psychostimulants by doctors under training in our population might be higher than other countries. This study is an important source of information for health authorities as it highlights unrestricted access and inappropriate use of psychostimulants.Introducción: Los psicoestimulantes son fármacos que pueden ser utilizados para mejorar el rendimiento cognitivo por los médicos en formación. Esta tendencia representaría un problema de salud pública del cual existe escasa información disponible. Objetivos: Describir la prevalencia del uso de psicoestimulantes en alumnos de medicina y médicos residentes e identificar factores de riesgo asociados al consumo. Métodos: Encuesta online anónima y autoadministrada. Resultados: Se analizaron 355 encuestas, 27% (n=96) fueron médicos residentes, 70.4% (n=250) estudiantes y 2.5% (n=9) médicos especialistas. El 17.2% (n=62) recurrió a drogas psicoestimulantes, de las cuales la más elegida fue el modafinilo (n=39). El objetivo más buscado fue mejorar la vigilia 83.6% (n=51). La edad media para los consumidores fue 27.31± 3.08 (p=0.033). En el análisis multivariado se observó que las variables predictoras de mayor riesgo de consumo fueron: haber leído el prospecto (OR=5.2; p=0,0001), haber consumido benzodiacepinas previamente (OR=3.75; p=0.045) y haber considerado ético su uso (OR=1.03; p=0.0001). Conclusión: La prevalencia de uso de psicoestimulantes por médicos en formación en nuestra población podría ser mayor a la de otros países. El presente trabajo representa una importante fuente de información para las autoridades sanitarias dado que destaca el libre acceso y el uso inapropiado de psicoestimulantes