Quantifying the Effect of Matrix Structure on Multithreaded Performance of the SpMV Kernel

Sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV) is the core operation in many common network and graph analytics, but poor performance of the SpMV kernel handicaps these applications. This work quantifies the effect of matrix structure on SpMV performance, using Intel's VTune tool for the Sandy Bridge architecture. Two types of sparse matrices are considered: finite difference (FD) matrices, which are structured, and R-MAT matrices, which are unstructured. Analysis of cache behavior and prefetcher activity reveals that the SpMV kernel performs far worse with R-MAT matrices than with FD matrices, due to the difference in matrix structure. To address the problems caused by unstructured matrices, novel architecture improvements are proposed.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures. IEEE HPEC 201

Telemedicine and Online Platforms as an Opportunity to Optimise Qualitative Data Collection, Explore and Understand Disease Pathways in a Novel Pandemic Like COVID-19

This article explores digital technology used in the health sector today. There are several ways digital technology is being used for quantitative study aims during the current COVID-19 Pandemic e.g. online symptom checkers. The knowledge gap in COVID-19 as in all novel conditions, consist of both quantitative and qualitative attributes. Digital tool use is prevalent during the COVID-19 Pandemic but most of the data being collected is quantitative in nature. We therefore recommend taking advantage of this telemedicine era and explore optimisation of qualitative data collection, for the purpose of gaining a better understanding of the phenomenon

Interdisciplinary three-step strategy to treat aortic stenosis and coronary artery disease in a patient with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Valvular aortic stenosis is a common disease in the elderly, often in multimorbid patients. It is often associated with coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease. In this situation, the risk of conventional open-heart surgery is too high, and other treatment strategies have to be evaluated. Case report: A 79-year-old female patient with severe aortic stenosis, coronary artery disease and end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suffering from dyspnea at rest and permanently dependent on oxygen was treated in three steps. Firstly, her pulmonary infection was treated with antibiotics for 7 days. Then, the left anterior descending artery was stented (bare-metal stent). In the same session, valvuloplasty of the aortic valve was performed. She was sent to rehabilitation to improve her pulmonary condition and took clopidogrel for 4 weeks. Finally, she underwent transapical aortic valve replacement. She was released to rehabilitation on postoperative day 12. Conclusion: A combination of modern interventional and minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat aortic stenosis and coronary heart disease can be a viable option for multimorbid patients with extremely high risk in conventional open-heart surgery

Fases pré-analítica, analítica e pós-analítica no monitoramento laboratorial da anticoagulação com antagonistas da vitamina K

A trombose é uma doença caracterizada por eventos de hipercoagulabilidade. A terapêutica anticoagulante oral com antagonistas da vitamina K (AVKs) é amplamente indicada para prevenção e/ou controle de distúrbios da coagulação. O manuseio de administração dos AVKs é difícil devido à complexidade da definição da dose. Em geral, o monitoramento de indivíduos submetidos à terapêutica com AVK é realizado pela determinação do tempo de protrombina, em que se avalia o grau de anticoagulação através do coeficiente internacional normatizado. Invariavelmente, o fluxo do processamento laboratorial, que compreende as fases pré-analítica, analítica e pós-analítica, é importante para a fidedignidade dos resultados, repercutindo na conduta médica de forma determinante. O objetivo deste estudo foi a realização de uma revisão da literatura científica descritiva utilizando bases de dados eletrônicos para busca de materiais científicos, como Google Scholar, MEDLINE, LILACS, PubMed, SciELO e Science Direct. Abordamos alguns aspectos relacionados ao fluxo analítico da monitoração laboratorial em um laboratório de análises clínicas. Em conclusão, é necessária uma apropriada condução das fases analíticas para que seja possível o sucesso terapêutico com uso dos AVKs. Palavras-chave: Tempo de protrombina; coeficiente internacional normatizado; fases analítica

Concise report : teenage sexting on the rise? Results of a cohort study using a weighted sample of adolescents

Background: The vast differences in sampling techniques, cultural contexts between international studies, the differences in age groups of the samples and various definitions used to measure sexting make it hard to compare how sexting behaviour has evolved over the past years. This exploratory study aims to address this critical gap in the research by using two datasets of a biennial study on adolescents' media use. The first aim of this study is to compare the sexting prevalence and correlates (i.e. age, gender and smartphone ownership) of youth in 2015 and 2017. The second aim is to investigate the risk mitigation behaviours of youth who engage in sexting and to assess how their behaviours differ between the two time points. Methods: The data for cohort 1 were collected in October and November 2015 and comprise of 2663 students from 11 secondary schools in the Dutch-speaking community of Belgium. For the second cohort, the data were collected in October and November 2017 and comprise of 2681 students from 10 secondary schools. A weighing factor was implemented on the dataset. Results: The results show sexting behaviour has significantly increased between cohorts, with 8.3% of the respondents having sent a sext in the first cohort, compared with 12.1% in the second cohort. The sexting prevalence rates also significantly increased between cohorts when taking into account students who owned a smartphone. Furthermore, engagement in sexting was associated with being older, and no gender differences were found. In the second cohort, 36.8% of youth who had sent a sext were identifiable in those images. There were no differences between cohorts. Conclusion: The results indicate that other factors next to smartphone ownership may be associated with an increase in sexting prevalence. The findings also highlight the need for the development of age-appropriate sexting educational materials

Clinical salmonellosis in a finishing herd, a case report

In a finishing herd of 1020 head clinical salmonellosis was a problem in market age pigs during 2002. During two years, intervention and prevention was done using organic acids through drinking water and feed. Progress of the Salmonella-status was monitored by detecting antibodies against Salmonella. From this case it can be concluded that clinical salmonellosis disappeared and dead loss decreased rapidly after application of the acids. The mean OD% dropped strongly from 40 to below 10. The herd never became entirely Salmonella-free, defined as no samples with OD%\u3e10. The sickbay was a problem location because it was not operated on an all-in/all-out basis. Infection levels differed strongly between stables and compartments. The outbreak in the third quarter of 2002 cost on average 4.60 per pig delivered to the abattoir in that period. The majority of the costs of clinical salmonellosis are due to a reduction of technical results

Evaluation et calibration d'un LIDAR DIAL Expérience avec SO2 et O3

National audienceLes appareils de mesures de la pollution atmospherique en reseau font l'objet d'une evaluation selon un mode operatoire precise dans la norme NF X20-300 en vue de determiner leurs principales caracteristiques metrologiques

Percutaneous closure of PFO in patients with reduced oxygen saturation at rest and during exercise : short- and long-term results

Background. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a rare cause of hypoxemia and clinical symptoms of dyspnea. Due to a right-to-left shunt, desaturated blood enters the systemic circulation in a subset of patients resulting in dyspnea and a subsequent reduction in quality of life (QoL). Percutaneous closure of PFO is the treatment of choice. Objectives. This retrospective multicentre study evaluates short- and long-term results of percutaneous closure of PFO in patients with dyspnea and/or reduced oxygen saturation. Methods. Patients with respiratory symptoms were selected from databases containing all patients percutaneously closed between January 2000 and September 2018. Improvement in dyspnea, oxygenation, and QoL was investigated using pre- and postprocedural lung function parameters and two postprocedural questionnaires (SF-36 and PFSDQ-M). Results. The average follow-up period was 36 [12-43] months, ranging from 0 months to 14 years. Percutaneous closure was successful in 15 of the 16 patients. All patients reported subjective improvement in dyspnea immediately after device deployment, consistent with their improvement in oxygen saturation (from 90 +/- 6% to 94 [92-97%] on room air and in upright position) (p<0.05). Both questionnaires also indicated an improvement of dyspnea and QoL after closure. The two early and two late deaths were unrelated to the procedure. Conclusion. PFO-related dyspnea and/or hypoxemia can be treated successfully with a percutaneous intervention with long-lasting benefits on oxygen saturation, dyspnea, and QoL