Parallel and Distributed Optimization of Dynamic Data Structures for Multimedia Embedded Systems

Energy-efficient design of multimedia embedded systems demands optimizations in both hardware and software. Software optimization has no received much attention, although modern multimedia applications exhibit high resource utilization. In order to efficiently run this kind of applications in embedded systems, the dynamic memory subsystem needs to be optimized. A key role in this optimization is played by the Dynamic Data Types (DDTs) that reside in every reallife application. It would be desirable to organize this set of DDTs to achieve the best performance in the target embedded system. This problem is NP-complete, and cannot be fully explored. In these cases the use of parallel processing can be very useful because it allows not only to explore more solutions spending the same time, but also to implement new algorithms. In this work, we propose a method that uses parallel processing and evolutionary computation to explore DDTs in the design of embedded applications. We propose a parallel Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) which combines NSGA-II and SPEA2. We use Discrete Event Systems Specification (DEVS) to implement this parallel evolutionary algorithm over Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). Parallelism improves the solutions found by the corresponding sequential algorithms, and it allows system designers to reach better solutions than previous approximation

Corneal biomechanical parameters and central corneal thickness in glaucoma patients, glaucoma suspects, and a healthy population

Purpose: To evaluate and compare corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), and central corneal thickness (CCT), measurements were taken between a healthy population (controls), patients diagnosed with glaucoma (DG), and glaucoma suspect patients due to ocular hypertension (OHT), family history of glaucoma (FHG), or glaucoma-like optic discs (GLD). Additionally, Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg) and corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) were compared between the different groups of patients. Methods: In this prospective analytical-observational study, a total of 1065 patients (one eye of each) were recruited to undergo Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) testing, ultrasound pachymetry, and clinical examination. Corneal biomechanical parameters (CH, CRF), CCT, IOPg, and IOPcc were measured in the control group (n = 574) and the other groups: DG (n = 147), FHG (n = 78), GLD (n = 90), and OHT (n = 176). We performed a variance analysis (ANOVA) for all the dependent variables according to the different diagnostic categories with multiple comparisons to identify the differences between the diagnostic categories, deeming p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: The mean CH in the DG group (9.69 mmHg) was significantly lower compared to controls (10.75 mmHg; mean difference 1.05, p < 0.001), FHG (10.70 mmHg; mean difference 1.00, p < 0.05), GLD (10.63 mmHg; mean difference 0.93, p < 0.05) and OHT (10.54 mmHg; mean difference 0.84, p < 0.05). No glaucoma suspects (FHG, GLD, OHT groups) presented significant differences between themselves and the control group (p = 1.00). No statistically significant differences were found in the mean CRF between DG (11.18 mmHg) and the control group (10.75 mmHg; mean difference 0.42, p = 0.40). The FHG and OHT groups showed significantly higher mean CRF values (12.32 and 12.41 mmHg, respectively) than the DG group (11.18 mmHg), with mean differences of 1.13 (p < 0.05) and 1.22 (p < 0.001), respectively. No statistically significant differences were found in CCT in the analysis between DG (562 μ) and the other groups (control = 556 μ, FHG = 576 μ, GLD = 569 μ, OHT = 570 μ). The means of IOPg and IOPcc values were higher in the DG patient and suspect groups than in the control group, with statistically significant differences in all groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study presents corneal biomechanical values (CH, CRF), CCT, IOPg, and IOPcc for diagnosed glaucoma patients, three suspected glaucoma groups, and a healthy population, using the ORA. Mean CH values were markedly lower in the DG group (diagnosed with glaucoma damage) compared to the other groups. No significant difference was found in CCT between the DG and control groups. Unexpectedly, CRF showed higher values in all groups than in the control group, but the difference was only statistically significant in the suspect groups (FHG, GLD, and OHT), not in the DG group

Study of Microscopic Residual Stresses in an Extruded Aluminium Alloy Sample after Thermal Treatment

Abstract: A method is proposed to calculate the microscopic residual stresses in extruded cylindrical samples of non-ageing aluminium alloy 5083 (Al–Mg), arising from quenching in fresh water from 530°C. We start from the premise that the alloy is single-phase and non-isotropic on a microscopic scale; it consists of many grains that exhibit different mechanical response depending on their crystallographic orientation and neighboring grains. Microscopic residual stresses depend on the applied heat treatment, microstructure and mechanical strength of the individual grains. The stresses were calculated from neutron diffraction data. Genetic programming algorithms were used to calculate microscopic residual stresses, considering that each diffraction peak describes the stress distribution of a group of grains having a certain orientation, size and environment. The algorithm assigns a stress value to each grain according to the distribution of the diffraction peaks and the microstructural parameters of these grains.This work was supported by the Madrid Regional Government-FEDER grant Y2018/NMT-4668 (Micro-Stress-MAP-CM) and the project MAT2017-83825-C4-1-R. We would also like to express our gratitude to FLNR-JINP for the beam time allocated on the FSD instrument, and to the HeuristicLab Software developers

An Update on Corneal Biomechanics and Architecture in Diabetes

In the last decade, we have witnessed substantial progress in our understanding of corneal biomechanics and architecture. It is well known that diabetes is a systemic metabolic disease that causes chronic progressive damage in the main organs of the human body, including the eyeball. Although the main and most widely recognized ocular effect of diabetes is on the retina, the structure of the cornea (the outermost and transparent tissue of the eye) can also be affected by the poor glycemic control characterizing diabetes. e different corneal structures (epithelium, stroma, and endothelium) are affected by specific complications of diabetes. e development of new noninvasive diagnostic technologies has provided a better understanding of corneal tissue modifications. e objective of this review is to describe the advances in the knowledge of the corneal alterations that diabetes can induc

The impact of neos and their fragments recorded from the ground : ongoing research lines of the spanish fireball network

A continuous monitoring of the night sky all over Spain will be completed in 2009. This involves the recording over a very large surface area of 500,000 km2, but new CCD and video cameras operated by the Spanish Meteor and Fireball Network (SPMN) allows this target to be achieved. Through the use of these new techniques the SPMN can obtain new information regarding the dynamical processes that deliver meteorites to the Earth. It transpires that the main asteroid belt is not the only source of these fireballs, Near Earth Objects (NEOs) and Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) may also play a role. To obtain more information in this regard, new efforts are needed to compare the orbits of large meteoroids reaching the Earth with those of the members of NEO and JFC populations. By numerically integrating their orbits back in time it may be possible to identify meteoroids delivered by other mechanisms like such as catastrophic disruptions or collisions

Computational simulation of scleral buckling surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: on the effect of the band size on the myopization

A finite element model (FE) of the eye including cornea, sclera, crystalline lens, and ciliary body was created to analyze the influence of the silicone encircling bandwidth and the tightness degree on the myopia induced by scleral buckling (SB) procedure for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was applied to the reference geometry of the FE model and then SB surgery was simulated with encircling bandwidths of 1, 2, and 2.5 mm. Different levels of tightening and three values of IOP were applied.The anterior segment resulted as unaffected by the surgery. The highest value of Cauchy stress appeared in the surroundings of the implant, whereas no increment of stress was observed either in anterior segment or in the optic nerve head. The initial IOP did not appear to play any role in the induced myopia.The wider the band, the greater the induced myopia: 0.44, 0.88, and 1.07 diopters (D) for the 1, 2, and 2.5mm bandwidth, respectively.Therefore, patients become more myopic with a wider encircling element. The proposed simulations allow determining the effect of the bandwidth or the tightness degree on the axial lengthening, thus predicting the myopic increment caused by the encircling surgery.The authors wish to acknowledge the research support by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science Research Project DPI2014-54981R, the CIBER initiative, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) Platformfor Biological Tissue Characterization of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBERBBN), and the Department of Industry and Innovation (Government of Aragón) through the research group Grant T88 (Fondo Social Europeo)

Historia de la RAMSA. 50º aniversario (1971-2021)

Libro conmemorativo de los 50 años de existencia de la Real Academia de Medicina de Salamanca, donde se recogen todas las actividades llevadas a cabo durante ese tiempo, los premios concedidos, los miembros elegidos, etc., así como se gestó su nacimiento en el contexto de la existencia de otras academias médicas.Universidad de Salamanc