STMBench7: A Benchmark for Software Transactional Memory

Software transactional memory (STM) is a promising technique for controlling concurrency in modern multi-processor architectures. STM aims to be more scalable than coarse-grained locking and easier to use than fine-grained locks. However, STM implementations have yet to demonstrate that their runtime overheads are acceptable. To date, empiric evaluations of these implementations have suffered from the lack of realistic benchmarks. Measuring performance of an STM in an overly simplified setting can be at best uninformative and at worst misleading as it may steer researchers to try to optimize irrelevant aspects of their implementations. This paper presents STMBench7: a benchmark for evaluating STM implementations. The underlying data structure consists of a set of graphs and indexes intended to be suggestive of many complex applications, e.g., CAD/CAM. A collection of operations is supported to model a wide range of workloads and concurrency patterns. Companion locking strategies serve as a baseline for STM performance comparisons. STMBench7 strives for simplicity. Users may choose a workload, number of threads, benchmark length, as well as the possibility of structure modification and the nature of traversals of shared data structures. We illustrate the use of STMBench7 with an evaluation of a well-known software transactional memory implementation

Implementation of ultrasonic sensing for high resolution measurement of binary gas mixture fractions

We describe an ultrasonic instrument for continuous real-time analysis of the fractional mixture of a binary gas system. The instrument is particularly well suited to measurement of leaks of a high molecular weight gas into a system that is nominally composed of a single gas. Sensitivity < 5 × 10−5 is demonstrated to leaks of octaflouropropane (C3F8) coolant into nitrogen during a long duration (18 month) continuous study. The sensitivity of the described measurement system is shown to depend on the difference in molecular masses of the two gases in the mixture. The impact of temperature and pressure variances on the accuracy of the measurement is analysed. Practical considerations for the implementation and deployment of long term, in situ ultrasonic leak detection systems are also described. Although development of the described systems was motivated by the requirements of an evaporative fluorocarbon cooling system, the instrument is applicable to the detection of leaks of many other gases and to processes requiring continuous knowledge of particular binary gas mixture fractions

Grimdark - a study of appearance and application of a new subgenre in modern fiction

The theme of the thesis will be grimdark, grasped as a new subgenre of fiction, mainly associated with the Warhammer 40 000 universe. The thesis will focus primarily on analyzing the question of the possibilities of meaningfully defining this subgenre, tracing the ways in which these definitions are applied towards the Warhammer 40 000 universe, and the development of features that contribute to the definition of the subgenre in the timelines of fictional worlds. With a reflection on the media in which they are presented. This issue of sub-genre definition will be set within the framework of standard aesthetic categories and narratology. Furthermore, the thesis will address the occurrence of the given subgenre features in other selected universes. Both in literary, audio, film or videogame format, with an attempt to differentiate the subgenre delineation of grimdark from other subgenres and to analyze the possibility of adding fictions not yet labeled with this term under the wing of grimdark

The Impact and Ways of Using of Lovecraft´s Horror Patterns in Contemporary Cultural Products

Topic of this bachelor thesis stands on cosmic horror, fantasy sub-genre created by Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The thesis starts with introduction with author, said horror, iconic characters, people and mediums. Most of the thesis analyzes various examples of modern production, wich are either adapting Lovecraft´s original works, are inspired by them, or are refering to them in a selected hints. Thus the reader will meet with a wide range of adaptations that are nowdays a key parts of interner, horror and fictional popculture, whereby he will be introduced to the impact and ways of using patterns of Lovecraft´s horror in contemporary cultural products

Reconstruction of coherence matrix in x-representation using nonclassical Hartmann sensor

We show the coherence properties of a signal can be measured by a Hartmann wavefront sensor in a nonclassical regime. Recasting the detection theory of the classical Hartmann sensor in the sense of quantum tomography enables to measure the coherence function, which is an analogy to the density matrix of mixed quantum states. Two methods were tested for the reconstruction of the coherence matrix from the intensity scan in the nonclassical mode of the Hartmann sensor. The reconstruction was performed in a classic way using the POVM matrix and using data pattern tomography

Efficacy and safety of ursodeoxycholic acid in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Background and aims. Patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) benefit from ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment. Since there is still certain reluctance to use UDCA in pregnant women, mainly due to warnings in the official SPC information in respective drug leaflets, our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of UDCA during pregnancy.Material and methods. Our retrospective multicentric study was performed on 191 consecutive pregnant women with ICP treated with UDCA. Any maternal and/or fetal complications of the UDCA treatment were searched for; healthy pregnant women (n = 256) served as controls.Results. The UDCA treatment improved liver disease status in the majority of the affected women (86.1%). This treatment was well tolerated, with only negligible skin reactions (0.5%) and mild diarrhea (4.7%). No complications attributable to UDCA treatment were detected during the fetal life, delivery, or the early neonatal period.Conclusion. We confirmed the good efficacy and safety of UDCA treatment in pregnancy for both mothers and fetuses/neonates

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation with a multiple independent constant current-controlled device in Parkinson\u27s disease (INTREPID): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus is an established therapeutic option for managing motor symptoms of Parkinson\u27s disease. We conducted a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomised controlled trial to assess subthalamic nucleus DBS, with a novel multiple independent contact current-controlled (MICC) device, in patients with Parkinson\u27s disease. METHODS: This trial took place at 23 implanting centres in the USA. Key inclusion criteria were age between 22 and 75 years, a diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson\u27s disease with over 5 years of motor symptoms, and stable use of anti-parkinsonian medications for 28 days before consent. Patients who passed screening criteria were implanted with the DBS device bilaterally in the subthalamic nucleus. Patients were randomly assigned in a 3:1 ratio to receive either active therapeutic stimulation settings (active group) or subtherapeutic stimulation settings (control group) for the 3-month blinded period. Randomisation took place with a computer-generated data capture system using a pre-generated randomisation table, stratified by site with random permuted blocks. During the 3-month blinded period, both patients and the assessors were masked to the treatment group while the unmasked programmer was responsible for programming and optimisation of device settings. The primary outcome was the difference in mean change from baseline visit to 3 months post-randomisation between the active and control groups in the mean number of waking hours per day with good symptom control and no troublesome dyskinesias, with no increase in anti-parkinsonian medications. Upon completion of the blinded phase, all patients received active treatment in the open-label period for up to 5 years. Primary and secondary outcomes were analysed by intention to treat. All patients who provided informed consent were included in the safety analysis. The open-label phase is ongoing with no new enrolment, and current findings are based on the prespecified interim analysis of the first 160 randomly assigned patients. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01839396. FINDINGS: Between May 17, 2013, and Nov 30, 2017, 313 patients were enrolled across 23 sites. Of these 313 patients, 196 (63%) received the DBS implant and 191 (61%) were randomly assigned. Of the 160 patients included in the interim analysis, 121 (76%) were randomly assigned to the active group and 39 (24%) to the control group. The difference in mean change from the baseline visit (post-implant) to 3 months post-randomisation in increased ON time without troublesome dyskinesias between the active and control groups was 3·03 h (SD 4·52, 95% CI 1·3-4·7; p INTERPRETATION: This double-blind, sham-controlled, randomised controlled trial provides class I evidence of the safety and clinical efficacy of subthalamic nucleus DBS with a novel MICC device for the treatment of motor symptoms of Parkinson\u27s disease. Future trials are needed to investigate potential benefits of producing a more defined current field using MICC technology, and its effect on clinical outcomes. FUNDING: Boston Scientific