5Ws of Green and Sustainable Software

: Green and Sustainable Software has emerged as a new and highly active area in the software community. After several years of research and work, we believe that it is now necessary to obtain a general snapshot of how the research in this area is evolving. To do so, we have applied the 5Ws (why, when, who, where, and what), a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. We have therefore carried out a study, using 542 publications related to Green and Sustainable Software research; these were recovered using SCOPUS. The results obtained allow us to conclude that it is important to identify key elements of the research to allow researchers be fully aware of the state of the research on Green and Sustainable Software (why); the study uses papers published between 2000 and the beginning of November 2018 (when); the most prolific authors are mainly from Europe, although the USA is the most active country, Green and Sustainable Software being a very interactive area with a good number of multinational publications (who); the top five keywords related to sustainable aspects are Green Software, Green IT, Software Sustainability, Energy Consumption, and Energy Efficiency (what); finally, as regards the places authors prefer to publish in, there is almost a complete balance between conferences and journals, with a trend towards an increase in the number of publications (where)

Energy efficiency in software: A case study on sustainability in personal health records

A personal health record is an eHealth technology in which users can observe their progress over time for a given condition. A research gap was identified in the literature concerning the study of the amount of energy that these systems need for their operation, and the energy efficiency that may be attained depending on their design. After the selection of five representative personal health records, a total of 20 tasks commonly done, and based on previous work, were performed with regard to two proposed scenarios, namely patient use and health personnel usage. The power consumption of the main components of a host machine was measured during the performance of the proposed duties. To that end, a hardware tool called the Energy Efficiency Tester was employed. The data collected were analyzed statistically, and significant differences were found in the respective consumption of the display (χ2 (4) = 23.782, p = 0.000), the processor (χ2 (4) = 29.018, p = 0.000) and the whole PC (χ2 (4) = 28.582, p = 0.000). For all of these components, NoMoreClipBoard was the personal health record that required the least energy (57.699 W for the display, 3.162 W for the processor and 181.113 W for the whole PC). A total of two strong correlations were found in the energy consumption between the hard disk and the graphics card (r = 0.791, p < 0.001), and the processor and the PC (r = 0.950, p < 0.001). Some features generated special amounts of power consumption, such as the news wall found on PatientsLikeMe, or the use of load icons that had an impact on most PC components. In addition, an in-depth analysis of the user interfaces was performed. A discussion was carried out on the design of the user interfaces, also taking into account recommendations drawn from the literature, checking for their implementation in the personal health records selected. With the aim of promoting sustainability among software developers, a best practice guideline on sustainable software design was proposed. Basic sustainability recommendations were collected for professionals to consider when developing a software system in general, and a personal health record in particular.Un registro de salud personal es una tecnología de salud electrónica en la que los usuarios pueden observar su progreso a lo largo del tiempo para una condición determinada. Se identificó un vacío de investigación en la literatura referente al estudio de la cantidad de energía que estos sistemas necesitan para su funcionamiento, y la eficiencia energética que se puede alcanzar dependiendo de su diseño. Después de la selección de cinco registros de salud personales representativos, se realizaron un total de 20 tareas comúnmente realizadas, y con base en trabajos previos, con respecto a dos escenarios propuestos, a saber, el uso del paciente y el uso del personal de salud. Se midió el consumo de energía de los principales componentes de una máquina host durante el desempeño de las tareas propuestas. Para ello, se empleó una herramienta de hardware denominada Energy Efficiency Tester. Los datos recopilados fueron analizados estadísticamente,2 (4) = 23.782, p = 0.000), el procesador (χ 2 (4) = 29.018, p = 0.000) y toda la PC (χ 2(4) = 28.582, p = 0.000). Para todos estos componentes, NoMoreClipBoard fue el registro de salud personal que requirió la menor cantidad de energía (57.699 W para la pantalla, 3.162 W para el procesador y 181.113 W para toda la PC). Se encontraron un total de dos fuertes correlaciones en el consumo de energía entre el disco duro y la tarjeta gráfica (r = 0.791, p < 0.001), y el procesador y la PC (r = 0.950, p < 0.001). Algunas características generaron cantidades especiales de consumo de energía, como el muro de noticias que se encuentra enpatientslikeme, o el uso de íconos de carga que tuvieron un impacto en la mayoría de los componentes de la PC. Además, se realizó un análisis en profundidad de las interfaces de usuario. Se realizó una discusión sobre el diseño de las interfaces de usuario, teniendo en cuenta también las recomendaciones extraídas de la literatura, comprobando su implantación en las historias clínicas personales seleccionadas. Con el objetivo de promover la sostenibilidad entre los desarrolladores de software, se propuso una guía de mejores prácticas sobre diseño de software sostenible. Se recopilaron recomendaciones básicas de sustentabilidad para que los profesionales las consideren al desarrollar un sistema de software en general y un registro de salud personal en particular

Wide-Geographic and Long-Term Analysis of the Role of Pathogens in the Decline of Pinna nobilis to Critically Endangered Species

A mass mortality event (MME) affecting the fan mussel Pinna nobilis was first detected in Spain in autumn 2016 and spread north- and eastward through the Mediterranean Sea. Various pathogens have been blamed for contributing to the MME, with emphasis in Haplosporidium pinnae, Mycobacterium sp. and Vibrio spp. In this study, samples from 762 fan mussels (necropsies from 263 individuals, mantle biopsies from 499) of various health conditions, with wide geographic and age range, taken before and during the MME spread from various environments along Mediterranean Sea, were used to assess the role of pathogens in the MME. The number of samples processed by both histological and molecular methods was 83. The most important factor playing a main role on the onset of the mass mortality of P. nobilis throughout the Mediterranean Sea was the infection by H. pinnae. It was the only non-detected pathogen before the MME while, during MME spreading, its prevalence was higher in sick and dead individuals than in asymptomatic ones, in MME-affected areas than in non-affected sites, and it was not associated with host size, infecting both juveniles and adults. Conversely, infection with mycobacteria was independent from the period (before or during MME), from the affection of the area by MME and from the host health condition, and it was associated with host size. Gram (-) bacteria neither appeared associated with MME.En prens

A Study on the Relationship between Usability of GUIs and Power Consumption of a PC: The Case of PHRs

Usability is key to achieve quality in software products. The client applications with a high score in usability might impact on the power consumption when they are run in a PC. For this reason, energy savings turn to be critical in green software systems. In this paper the relationship between the usability evaluations of the GUIs and the power consumption measurements of the main components of a PC were analysed. A set of 5 web-based personal health records (PHRs) were selected as a case study. The usability assessment was performed by an expert, employing the 14 principles of design by Alan Dix as heuristics. They were scored on a Likert scale after performing a collection of common tasks in the PHRs. At the same time, an equipment to measure the energy consumption of hard disk drive, graphics card, processor, monitor and power supply was used. Spearman’s index was studied for the correlations between the usability assessments and the power consumption measurements. As a results, some weak relationships were found. A total of 5 usability heuristics were observed to may influence energy consumption when they were considered in the implementation of the PHRs. These heuristics were the following ones: consistency, task migratability, observability, recoverability and responsiveness. Based on the results, the usability principles of design cannot always be related to lower energy consumption. Future research should focus on the tradeoffs between usability and power consumption of client applications when they are used in a computer

Energy Efficiency of Personal Health Records

Personal Health Records (PHR) are electronic tools managed by the patients themselves, allowing them to store and consult health data anywhere and at any time using an electronic device. Precisely because of the type of users they are aimed at, it is essential to guarantee that PHR are easy to use. However, having a PHR that is usable does not mean that it is the best in terms of energy efficiency. Taking into account the large number of users that this type of portal is aimed at, achieving savings in energy consumption when running the portal’s tasks can have a considerable impact. In this paper we present an initial approach that studies the interaction between usability and energy efficiency of PHRs, attempting to determine if a given PHR makes efficient use of the resources it needs for the execution of its tasks. To do this, we have used the EET device, which allows us to collect the consumption of different hardware components when running software (in our case the PHR), and the usability criteria defined by Dix

Automated Workflow for Usability Audits in the PHR Realm

Teleworking is an everyday reality in today&rsquo;s world. Many companies are opting for this way of working remotely, as it improves employers&rsquo; satisfaction along with the work&ndash;life balance and it does not lead to any significant reduction in performance. In general, the comfortable use of software applications is a priority, and quality aspects such as usability are of vital importance. In this paper, a novel workflow is proposed. It consists of the following components: (1) a tool to manage usability evaluations based on expert reviews, called Usevalia; (2) a set of heuristics to be considered when performing the evaluations; (3) a catalogue of usability requirements to guide the evaluations; (4) a checklist related to the heuristics to verify that the evaluations have been performed correctly by all the auditors; and (5) a set of tasks to know in advance the functionality of the applications to be audited. Personal health records (PHRs) were taken as a case study. This methodology made it possible to involve a total of 31 working groups that evaluated the usability of four PHRs. Concerning the main results, the evaluators agreed that with Usevalia the usability evaluations could go a step further because they are coordinated and can work together remotely. In addition, analyses of usability scores provided insight into current proposals for improving usability of applications

A New Therapeutic Application of Platelet-Rich Plasma to Chronic Breast Wounds: A Prospective Observational Study

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment for chronic wounds (CWs) of the breast. A prospective study was performed in 23 patients with CW of the breast who were treated with PRP. The procedure was repeated until the wound was closed completely. The study included patients with a history of breast cancer (n = 8) and patients without cancer (n = 15). The treatment with PRP was successful in all cases and observed in &le;4 weeks in 82.6% (19/23) of patients. The patients without breast cancer showed significantly less time for wound closure than the patients with a history of breast cancer. Moreover, a greater number of PRP treatments were necessary to achieve wound closure in patients undergoing conservative breast treatment. No patients had complications associated with the application of PRP. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal that PRP treatment for CWs of the breast is safe, simple, useful and well-tolerated by patients

Sustainable Accessibility: A Mobile App for Helping People with Disabilities to Search Accessible Shops

People with motor disabilities must face many barriers and obstacles in their daily lives, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks. The purpose of this work is to improve their living conditions by providing an app with accessibility information in an updated, reliable and friendly form. The development of the system integrates national and regional accessibility regulations, architectural aspects, with an extensive field work, and a sustainable software process. The levels of accessibility and the requirements of the application are defined in the first phases of the project. The field work included the evaluation of 357 commercial establishments in the city of Murcia, Spain, showing that only 25% have a good accessibility, 40% are practicable with help, and 35% are inaccessible shops. The proposed system achieves its objectives of being sustainable and helping in the accessibility. Besides, the system can be a great incentive for businesses to improve their accessibility conditions. In conclusion, new technologies must have a much more active role in the promotion of universal accessibility. These tools must also consider the necessary requirements of sustainable development

Estudio de la sostenibilidad energética en los portales de Carpeta Personal de Salud

La Carpeta Personal de Salud permite a los usuarios observar la evolución de su bienestar. Motivados por conocer la sostenibilidad energética de estas herramientas se llevó a cabo un análisis del consumo eléctrico durante la realización de tareas típicas en estas aplicaciones, como por ejemplo consultar el nivel de glucosa, añadir medicación y programar una cita médica. El consumo energético se midió con un dispositivo provisto de varias sondas conectadas a los componentes principales de un ordenador. Los datos se analizaron estadísticamente y se encontraron diferencias significativas en los consumos de la pantalla, procesador y fuente de alimentación (potencia suministrada al PC). En todos estos componentes NoMoreClipBoard fue la Carpeta Personal de Salud que menos energía consumió