OpenMP tasking model for Ada: safety and correctness

22nd International Conference on Reliable Software Technologies (Ada-Europe 2017). 12 to 16, Jun, 2017. Vienna, Austria.The safety-critical real-time embedded domain increasingly demands the use of parallel architectures to fulfill performance requirements. Such architectures require the use of parallel programming models to exploit the underlying parallelism. This paper evaluates the applicability of using OpenMP, a widespread parallel programming model, with Ada, a language widely used in the safety-critical domain. Concretely, this paper shows that applying the OpenMP tasking model to exploit fine-grained parallelism within Ada tasks does not impact on programs safeness and correctness, which is vital in the environments where Ada is mostly used. Moreover, we compare the OpenMP tasking model with the proposal of Ada extensions to define parallel blocks, parallel loops and reductions. Overall, we conclude that the OpenMP tasking model can be safely used in such environments, being a promising approach to exploit fine-grain parallelism in Ada tasks, and we identify the issues which still need to be further researched.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in patients with long QT syndrome: a multicentre study

Background: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy has been proven effective in the prevention of sudden cardiac death, but data on outcomes of ICD therapy in the young and otherwise healthy patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS) are limited. Aim: We sought to collect data on appropriate and inappropriate ICD discharges, risk factors, and ICD-related complications. Methods: All LQTS patients implanted with an ICD in 14 centres were investigated. Demographic, clinical, and ICD therapy data were collected. Results: The study included 67 patients (88% female). Median age at ICD implantation was 31 years (12–77 years). ICD indication was based on resuscitated cardiac arrest in 46 patients, syncope in 18 patients, and malignant family history in three patients. During a median follow-up of 48 months, 39 (58%) patients received one or more ICD therapies. Time to first appropriate discharge was up to 55 months. Inappropriate therapies were triggered by fast sinus rhythm, atrial fibrillation, and T-wave oversensing. No predictors of inappropriate shocks were identified. Risk factors for appropriate ICD therapy were: (1) recurrent syncope despite b-blocker treatment before ICD implantation, (2) pacemaker therapy before ICD implantation, (3) single-chamber ICD, and (4) noncompliance to b-blockers. In 38 (57%) patients, at least one complication occurred. Conclusions: ICD therapy is effective in nearly half the patient population; however, the rates of early and late complica­tions are high. Although the number of unnecessary ICD shocks and reimplantation procedures may be lowered by modern programming and increased longevity of newer ICD generators, other adverse events are less likely to be reduced

Neurogenne skostnienia heterotopowe – studium przypadku

The authors presented the case of a 30-year-old man in whom sudden cardiac arrest occurred as a result of high voltage electric shock. Starting from the 2nd week after the accident, rehabilitation was carried out in hospital conditions, designed to maintain range of motion in the joints, and from the 6th week, intensive rehabilitation was performed at the patient’s home. Despite the implemented treatment, total mobility restriction was observed in the hip joints, and based on spatial projection radiography and a CT, the patient was diagnosed with massive neurogenic heterotopic ossifi cation (NHO). Two surgeries were performed to remove the NHO: fi rst, from the left area (15th month after the accident), and then the right hip joint (18th month following the accident). After the intervention there was a signifi cant increase in mobility of both hips and a decrease in pain, which resulted in signifi cantly improved functional capabilities of the patient. In addition, prophylaxis to prevent the recurrence of NHO was implemented in order to maintain both passive and active range of motion, and the use of physical therapy treatments in the form of deep oscillation were performed. The results of the CT conducted in the 41st month following the accident revealed lesser NHO than the originally diagnosed. Rolka Ł., Browiński D., Kwiatek-Rolka K., Sielska M., Sielski G., Nyka W.M. Neurogenic heterotopic ossification – case study. Med Rehabil 2016; 20(4): 22-27. DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0009.5482Obrzęki kończyn dolnych mogą być wynikiem nieprawidłowości budowy i funkcji układu chłonnego, urazów, zapalenia, mogą się też wiązać z chorobą nowotworową lub jej leczeniem, jednak coraz częściej są jednym z podstawowych objawów towarzyszących kobietom w III trymestrze ciąży, głównie na skutek zaburzeń w układzie żylnym. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie obecnego stanu wiedzy na temat czynników ryzyka, profilaktyki i leczenia obrzęków kończyn dolnych u kobiet w ciąży. Wśród czynników ryzyka obrzęku związanego z ciążą wymienia się: wzrost objętości krwi krążącej, powiększenie macicy, wzrost masy ciała oraz zmiany w gospodarce hormonalnej. Zaburzenia żylne powstają w wyniku nadciśnienia żylnego na skutek niewydolności pompy mięśniowej oraz niewydolności zastawek żylnych. Ciąża, wykonanie cięcia cesarskiego, okres połogu sprzyjają wystąpieniu zakrzepicy żylnej. Podstawową i niekwestionowaną metodą stosowaną w profilaktyce i leczeniu zaburzeń układu żylno-limfatycznego oraz ich powikłań jest kompresjoterapia, wykorzystująca bandażowanie kompresyjne oraz stosowanie produktów uciskowych. Ucisk może być stosowany samodzielnie lub w połączeniu z innymi metodami, np. z manualnym drenażem limfatycznym, przerywaną kompresją pneumatyczną, z ćwiczeniami fizycznymi i oddechowymi. Na podstawie badań naukowych oraz w oparciu o rekomendacje ekspertów, ucisk wydaje się też skutecznym rozwiązaniem w profilaktyce i leczeniu zakrzepicy żylnej i obrzęku kończyn dolnych u kobiet w ciąży, jednak wymaga dalszych badań zgodnych z zasadami evidence based medicine

Plasma Deposition and Characterization of Copper-doped Cobalt Oxide Nanocatalysts

A series of pure and copper-doped cobalt oxide films was prepared by plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PEMOCVD). The effect of Cu-doping on the chemical structure and morphology of the deposited films was investigated. Raman and FTIR spectroscopies were used to characterize the chemical structure and morphology of the produced films. The bulk composition and homogeneity of the samples were investigated by energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to assess the surface chemical composition of pure and doped materials. The obtained results permit to affirm that the PEMOCVD technique is a simple, versatile and efficient method for providing homogeneous layers of cobalt oxides with a different content of copper. It has been found that pure cobalt oxide films mainly contain Co₃O₄ in the form of nanoclusters whereas the films doped with Cu are much more complex, and CoO_x (also Co₃O₄), mixed Co-Cu oxides and CuO_x nanoclusters are detected in them. Preliminary catalytical tests show that Cu-doped cobalt oxide films allow to initiate catalytic combustion of n-hexane at a lower temperature compared to the pure cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) films. From what has been stated above, the plasma-deposited thin films of Cu-doped cobalt oxides pave the way towards a new class of nanomaterials with interesting catalytic properties. <p>DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.19.3.2320">http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.19.3.2320</a></p

Handbuch Altablagerungen. T. 2 Orientierende Untersuchungen

Copy held by FIZ Karlsruhe; available from UB/TIB Hannover / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman