Parallel Discrete Event Simulation with Erlang

Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a widely used technique in which the state of the simulator is updated by events happening at discrete points in time (hence the name). DES is used to model and analyze many kinds of systems, including computer architectures, communication networks, street traffic, and others. Parallel and Distributed Simulation (PADS) aims at improving the efficiency of DES by partitioning the simulation model across multiple processing elements, in order to enabling larger and/or more detailed studies to be carried out. The interest on PADS is increasing since the widespread availability of multicore processors and affordable high performance computing clusters. However, designing parallel simulation models requires considerable expertise, the result being that PADS techniques are not as widespread as they could be. In this paper we describe ErlangTW, a parallel simulation middleware based on the Time Warp synchronization protocol. ErlangTW is entirely written in Erlang, a concurrent, functional programming language specifically targeted at building distributed systems. We argue that writing parallel simulation models in Erlang is considerably easier than using conventional programming languages. Moreover, ErlangTW allows simulation models to be executed either on single-core, multicore and distributed computing architectures. We describe the design and prototype implementation of ErlangTW, and report some preliminary performance results on multicore and distributed architectures using the well known PHOLD benchmark.Comment: Proceedings of ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on Functional High-Performance Computing (FHPC 2012) in conjunction with ICFP 2012. ISBN: 978-1-4503-1577-

Greening Organizations: The Relationship between Employee Environmental Concern, Perception of Advantages of Eco-Innovations, and Support for Innovation

Environmental sustainability is a relevant challenge for companies, and employees’ per- ceptions of the advantages of ecological innovation, or eco-innovation, introduced by the company represent an important driver of organizational change adoption. This study examines if employees’ environmental concerns, considered as a general attitude and a value orientation, are related to the perception of the advantages of eco-innovation. Building on climate literature, it also investigates if the climate of support for innovation moderates that relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 130 Italian workers. A confirmatory factor analysis and a moderation model were tested. Results show a significant positive relationship between employees’ environmental concern and perceived benefits of eco-innovation. Intriguingly, the climate of support for innovation nega- tively, instead of positively, moderated this relationship. Results suggest that in order to increase the perception of the benefits of the introduced eco-innovations, organizations should consider the whole set of innovations undertaken and address, especially to very concerned and value oriented employees, the unique environmental benefits of those innovations

Characterisation of photomultiplier tubes for the PLUME detector of the LHCb experiment

The Probe for LUminosity MEasurement detector is a luminometer capable of measuring the luminosity and beam conditions of the Large Hadron Collider, at the interaction point of the LHCb. The core of the luminometer is a hodoscope composed of 48 HAMAMATSU R760 photomultiplier tubes. In the first part of this document, the characterization of 29 PMTs of the PLUME detector is presented. It was performed together with the LHCb group of the INFN section of Bologna. For each PMT the gain, the transit time drift, the linearity and the dark current are measured and studied. All the PMTs didn’t report any issue. The mean of the gain values at 1250 V is measured to be (1.493 ± 0.003) × 107. The variation of the transit time depending on the supply voltage is quantified by looking at the transit time drift, which does not exceed the 6 ns between 650 V and 1250 V, the maximum possible voltage range. The PMTs show a non-linearity behaviour of about 30 − 40% in the working regime of 1.5 × 105 gain. The dark current is lower than 10 nA at the maximum allowed voltage value (1250 V). Thanks to this information, the monitoring system of PLUME will be able to correct variations in PMTs performances, during the data taking. The second part of the work was done at the ”Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Ir`ene Joliot-Curie” (IJCLab) of Orsay. The PLUME modules were tested in a dark box of the laboratory with and without the passage of the light through the optic fiber of the monitoring system, and in the PLUME structure, after the installation

Unveiling the Relationship between Flextime and Job Performance: The Role of Family–Work Conflict and the Ability to Cope in a Moderated Mediation Model

Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study explored the contribution of flexible work arrangements within the increasing digitalization of workplaces. In particular, with a specific focus on what happened when employees teleworked, it examined whether flextime perceptions, accounting for employees’ perception of control over their working hours, were related to job performance and if family–work conflict mediated this relationship. Additionally, the study investigated if the ability to cope with work tasks moderated the relationships between flextime and both family–work conflict and job performance. The study was conducted in an Italian research institute involving 598 respondents engaged in hybrid work with over two years of remote working experience. The SPSS Process macro was used, and findings showed a positive direct association between flextime and job performance. Intriguingly, no indirect effect of flextime on job performance through family–work conflict was observed. However, the introduction of the ability to cope in the model generated a significant mediation at specific levels of the moderator. The study highlighted the moderating role of the ability to cope in the relationships between flextime and family–work conflict on one side and job performance on the other. This research provides insights into the complexities of hybrid work and discusses the advantages of flextime and the intricate interplay it has with family–work conflict and job performance. The study concludes with theoretical and practical implications, offering guidance for both researchers and practitioners navigating the multifaceted realm of flexible work arrangements

Reworsening of Recurrent Guillain-Barré Syndrome Triggered by COVID-19 Infection

Introduction: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an acute, immune-mediated, generalized polyradiculoneuropathy often triggered by a bacterial or viral infection, vaccination, or surgery. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, some patients were reported with GBS associated COVID-19 infection. Case Presentation: We report, herein, a patient who had a recurrent GBS after forty years. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) induced improvement, but her condition worsened suddenly after twenty days, coinciding with a COVID-19 infection. A second IVIg cycle was administered, and she improved again. Conclusion: The take-home message is that in the current pandemic, any re-worsening or lack of improvement after appropriate treatment of GBS or possibly other autoimmune neurological diseases must be checked to determine if it is related to COVID-19 infection

Anaerobic Digestion of Olive Mill Wastewater in the Presence of Biochar

Biological treatments focused on stabilizing and detoxifying olive mill wastewater facilitate agronomic reuse for irrigation and fertilization. Anaerobic digestion is particularly attractive in view of energy recovery, but is severely hampered by the microbial toxicity of olive mill wastewater. In this work, the addition of biochar to the digestion mixture was studied to improve the stability and efficiency of the anaerobic process. Kinetics and yields of biogas production were evaluated in batch digestion tests with biochar concentrations ranging from 0 to 45 g L−1. The addition of biochar reduced sensibly the lag phase for methanogenesis and increased the maximum rate of biogas generation. Final yields of hydrogen and methane were not affected. Upon addition of biochar, soluble COD removal increased from 66% up to 84%, and phenolics removal increased from 50% up to 95%. Digestate phytotoxicity, as measured by seed germination tests, was reduced compared to raw wastewater. Addition of biochar further reduced phytotoxicity and, furthermore, a stimulatory effect was observed for a twenty-fold dilution. In conclusion, biochar addition enhances the anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewaters by effectively reducing methanogenesis inhibition and digestate phytotoxicity, thus improving energy and biomass recovery

The Birth of Endowiki, An Italian Online Platform For Continuous Medical Education in Endocrinology

Background Conventional tools for medical education are burdened by many drawbacks. Textbooks become rapidly outdated, meeting attendance is expensive, and results reported in journals are not easily suitable for clinical practice. Uptodate and Endotext are excellent online tools, but they have been developed for a clinical context far different from that of our country. Methodology Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AME) charged a task force aiming to develop an educational tool specifically tailored for Italian clinical endocrinologists. Required characteristics were clinical approach, modularity, continuous updating, full online availability (even by mobile devices), open sections and sections for registered members only, opportunity for individualization, indexing and search engine to facilitate browsing. Starting from an open-source platform, Joomla, several changes were implemented. Results Three editors, 2 central editorial secretaries, 30 section coordinators and over 350 authors have been involved in the writing of 21 different sections covering all fields of endocrine and metabolic diseases. The access to Endowiki is free for AME members and is fully open in sections for patients. All readers are requested to serve as referee, pointing to mistakes and need for revision. The system is attended daily by a mean of 250 individuals. Conclusions Endowiki stands alone as an opportunity for medical education in Italy. The big challenges will be the continuous updating and the link to the national certified system for CME

A novel global postural alteration? Qualitative assessment of hallux valgus and swallowing disorder in human posture: A preliminary investigation on the incidence during age span for promoting psycho-physical and postural well-being

Hallux Valgus (HV) and Swallowing Disorder (SD) are two multifactorial postural and biomechanical alterations. It is very important to look for the incidence of these two conditions in order to promote psycho-physical and postural well-being. Our study aimed to clinically assess the presence of HV and SD in a large group with different ages spans. Fours skilled professionals performed the assessment following clinical criteria. A total of 61 volunteers subjects (163.5 ± 14.1 cm; 59.7 ± 15.7 kg; 22.9 ± 13.2 yrs.) were selected for the study. The 51% of the sample showed the HV alteration, 30% and 73% respectively for male and female. Regarding ages cluster, the HV was present in 44% under 20 yrs., in 53% between 21 and 40 yrs., in 75% over 40 yrs. The 46% of the sample showed a SD condition, 50% and 42% respectively for male and female. As for ages cluster, the incidence of SD was in 50% of subjects under 20 yrs., in 41% between 21 and 40 yrs., in 50% over 40 yrs. The 39% of subjects with HV showed a SD condition. On the other hand, the 43% of subjects with SD showed the HV deformity. HV and SD are postural disorders and most often occur together. In this framework, HV and SD should be interpreted as sign of global postural alteration and for this reason it is fundamental to assess them. Further research is needed on these two parameters in order to find out the optimal relationship between HV and SD

Can tongue position and cervical ROM affect postural oscillations? A pilot and preliminary study

The tongue is considered an important part of the postural system, so it is fundamental to understand how it can interfere with the humans’ postural oscillations. The aim of this preliminary investigation is to understand the effects of different tongue position and cervical ROM on postural oscillations measured in a stabilometric test. Thirteen voluntary subjects were recruited (30.8 ± 9.7 yrs.; 173.6 ± 14.9 cm; 72.6 ± 15.6 kg) and tested in three different random tongue conditions: comfortable tongue position (CT), palatal spot position (ST) and low tongue position (LT). All tests were performed with open eyes. Stabilometric test were performed with a pressure platform. In addition, the cervical ROM was assessed in the CT condition to create a baseline measurement and to find out baseline relationship with cervical ROM and postural oscillations. Data analysis indicates no significant difference in CoP sway path length for CT / ST / LT (260.7 ± 106.5 mm / 236.9 ± 79.3 mm / 272.9 ± 89.3 mm, respectively). A moderate but significant correlation is present between postural oscillations and cervical rotation ROM (R = -0.59; p = .03), indicating that good postural oscillations are connected with a free ROM of the highest part of the body. The results of this preliminary investigation do not support the use of different tongue position during postural assessment to discriminate some postural interferences of the tongue. At the same time the results suggest the relationship between cervical ROM and stability. These results suggest the necessity to study more in deep this phenomenon with other specific class of subjects

Very early onset of ATTRE89Q amyloidosis in a homozygous patient

Case Presentarion: Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is a progressive, fatal disease that generally involves the peripheral nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, and the heart. It is autosomal dominant with different penetrance depending on the mutation and the genetic background. Many other missense mutations of the TTR gene may cause the disease. Being an overall rare disease is very rare to observe the condition of homozygosity. In particular, cases of homozygosity have been described in patients with ATTRV30M and ATTRV122I amyloidosis. In the former, the phenotype does not seem to be aggravated, having an age of onset and disease course that does not appear to differ from those of heterozygotes, while in the latter, the onset appears to be earlier. Conclusion: We report the first case of ATTRE89Q amyloidosis in a patient that was homozygous for the E89Q mutation in the TTR gene. The clinical phenotype resulted in the earlier disease onset reported in this form of amyloidosis, suggesting that the homozygous condition may be prognostically negative