FireNN: Neural Networks Reliability Evaluation on Hybrid Platforms

The growth of neural networks complexity has led to adopt of hardware-accelerators to cope with the computational power required by the new architectures. The possibility to adapt the network for different platforms enhanced the interests of safety-critical applications. The reliability evaluation of neural networks are still premature and requires platforms to measure the safety standards required by mission-critical applications. For this reason, the interest in studying the reliability of neural networks is growing. We propose a new approach for evaluating the resiliency of neural networks by using hybrid platforms. The approach relies on the reconfigurable hardware for emulating the target hardware platform and performing the fault injection process. The main advantage of the proposed approach is to involve the on-hardware execution of the neural network in the reliability analysis without any intrusiveness into the network algorithm and addressing specific fault models. The implementation of FireNN, the platform based on the proposed approach, is described in the paper. Experimental analyses are performed using fault injection on AlexNet. The analyses are carried out using the FireNN platform and the results are compared with the outcome of traditional software-level evaluations. Results are discussed considering the insight into the hardware level achieved using FireNN

On the Analysis of Radiation-induced Failures in the AXI Interconnect Module

Due to the increasing demand for high performance in embedded systems, devices such as SRAM-based programmable devices are becoming an appealing solution to reach high performance with limited costs. However, SRAM-based programmable devices are subjected to various sources of radiation-induced faults that affect their reliability, such as ionizing radiation and particles, even at sea-level. In this paper, we evaluate the reliability of the interconnection module, implemented on the programmable hardware, against radiation-induced faults in the configuration layer. To do so, we performed a fault injection campaign in order to emulate the radiation-induced effects impacting the configuration memory of AP-SoC Zynq 7000, specifically targeting the configuration memory section programming the interconnection module implemented on the programmable logic. This interconnection module is a crucial element for a wide range of applications and mitigation techniques such as hardware-accelerated designs, Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration, or Triple Modular Redundancy; especially if they are adopted to achieve high performance, high bandwidth and high reliability. The fault injection results have been analyzed and classified accordingly with the effect observed on the processor-system side in terms of availability and fault model affecting data computed by cores implemented on the programmable logic side

On the evaluation of SEU effects on AXI interconnect within AP-SoCs

G-Programmable System-on-Chips offering the union of a processor system with a programmable hardware gave rise to applications that choose hardware acceleration to offload and parallelize computationally demanding tasks. Due to flexibility and performance they provide at low cost, these devices are also appealing for several applications in avionics, aerospace and automotive sectors, where reliability is the main concern. In particular, the interconnection architecture, and especially the AXI Interconnection for FPGA-accelerated applications, plays a critical role in these systems. This paper presents a reliability analysis of the AXI Interconnect IP Core implemented on Zynq-7000 AP-SoC against SEUs in the configuration memory of the programmable logic. The analysis has been conducted performing a fault injection campaign on the specific section of the configuration memory implementing the IP Core under test, which has been implemented within a benchmark design. The results are analyzed and classified, highlighting the criticality of the AXI Interconnect IP Core as a point of failure, especially for SEU-hardened hardware accelerator relying on mitigation techniques based on fine-grained and coarse-grained replication

Analysis and Mitigation of Soft-Errors on High Performance Embedded GPUs

Multiprocessor system-on-chip such as embedded GPUs are becoming very popular in safety-critical applications, such as autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. However, these devices can suffer from the effects of soft-errors, such as those produced by radiation effects. These effects are able to generate unpredictable misbehaviors. Fault tolerance oriented to multi-threaded software introduces severe performance degradations due to the redundancy, voting and correction threads operations. In this paper, we propose a new fault injection environment for NVIDIA GPGPU devices and a fault tolerance approach based on error detection and correction threads executed during data transfer operations on embedded GPUs. The fault injection environment is capable of automatically injecting faults into the instructions at SASS level by instrumenting the CUDA binary executable file. The mitigation approach is based on concurrent error detection threads running simultaneously with the memory stream device to host data transfer operations. With several benchmark applications, we evaluate the impact of softerrors classifying Silent Data Corruption, Detection, Unrecoverable Error and Hang. Finally, the proposed mitigation approach has been validated by soft-error fault injection campaigns on an NVIDIA Pascal Architecture GPU controlled by Quad-Core A57 ARM processor (JETSON TX2) demonstrating an advantage of more than 37% with respect to state of the art solution

Le Elezioni Politiche 2013

Le elezioni politiche del 24 e 25 febbraio 2013 hanno sancito un forte cambiamento della struttura del sistema partitico italiano. In un contesto di altissima volatilità elettorale e di accelerato declino della partecipazione al voto, il sistema è divenuto sostanzialmente tripolare, dopo vent’anni di strutturazione e tenuta del bipolarismo. A questo esito hanno concorso da un lato l’erosione dei principali schieramenti politici che a partire dal novembre 2011 avevano sostenuto l’esperienza del governo Monti (nonché la deludente prova elettorale dello stesso Presidente del Consiglio uscente), e dall’altro lo straordinario successo del Movimento 5 stelle. Quest’ultimo, al primo test elettorale di livello nazionale, ha raccolto un risultato sorprendente, giungendo ad oltre un quarto dei voti validi. Siamo di fronte ad una parentesi momentanea dovuta all’effetto combinato di crisi economica e crisi politica, oppure le contraddizioni interne alla Seconda Repubblica l’hanno condotta effettivamente al suo crepuscolo? Come uscirà il sistema partitico italiano da questa nuova fase di destabilizzazione? Questo quarto Dossier CISE, che raccoglie contributi apparsi sul sito web del Cise prima e dopo le elezioni, fornisce una prima analisi del voto, presentando elaborazioni su dati aggregati, stime dei flussi elettorali, alcune prime analisi su dati di sondaggio, nonché una panoramica dei nuovi eletti e un’appendice ricca di tabelle e mappe riassuntive del risultato elettorale. Come i precedenti Dossier, si tratta di uno strumento prodotto rapidamente all’indomani del voto, con l’intento di suggerire primi spunti di interpretazione da approfondire in seguito, cercando di contribuire alla lettura di un risultato elettorale cruciale, in una delicata fase di cambiamento del sistema partitico italiano

Role of PET gamma detection in radioguided surgery: a systematic review

Purpose This systematic review aimed to collect published studies concerning intraoperative gamma detection of positronemitting tracers for radioguided surgery (RGS) applications. Methods A systematic literature search of studies published until October 2022 was performed in Pubmed, Web Of Science, Central (Cochrane Library) and Scopus databases, including the following keywords: “Positron Emission Tomography” OR “PET” AND “Gamma” OR “γ” AND “Probe” AND “Radioguided Surgery” OR “RGS”. The included studies had to concern RGS procedures performed in at least 3 patients, regardless of the administered radiopharmaceutical and the field of application. Results Among to the 17 selected studies, all published between 2000 and 2022, only 2 investigations were conducted with gallium-68 (68Ga)-labeled somatostatin analogues, with fluorine-18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ([ 18F]FDG) being the most commonly used agent for RGS applications. Almost all studies were performed in oncologic patients, with only one paper also including inflammatory and infectious findings. The analysis showed that the largest part of procedures was performed through the intraoperative use of conventional gamma probes, not specifically designed for the detection of annihilation photons (n = 9), followed by PET gamma probes (n = 5) and with only three studies involving electronic collimation. Conclusions Regardless of the intraoperative devices, RGS with positron emitters seems to lead to significant improvements in surgeons’ ability to obtain a complete resection of tumors, even if the nature of photons resulting from positron–electron collision still remains extremely challenging and requires further technical advances

Antimicrobial effects of chemically functionalized and/or photo-heated nanoparticles

Antibiotic resistance refers to when microorganisms survive and grow in the presence of specific antibiotics, a phenomenon mainly related to the indiscriminate widespread use and abuse of antibiotics. In this framework, thanks to the design and fabrication of original functional nanomaterials, nanotechnology offers a powerful weapon against several diseases such as cancer and pathogenic illness. Smart nanomaterials, such as metallic nanoparticles and semiconductor nanocrystals, enable the realization of novel drug-free medical therapies for fighting against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the light of the latest developments, we highlight the outstanding capabilities of several nanotechnology-inspired approaches to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Chemically functionalized silver and titanium dioxide nanoparticles have been employed for their intrinsic toxicity, which enables them to exhibit an antimicrobial activity while, in a different approach, photo-thermal properties of metallic nanoparticles have been theoretically studied and experimentally tested against several temperature sensitive (mesophilic) bacteria. We also show that it is possible to combine a highly localized targeting with a plasmonic-based heating therapy by properly functionalizing nanoparticle surfaces with covalently linked antibodies. As a perspective, the utilization of properly engineered and chemically functionalized nanomaterials opens a new roads for realizing antibiotic free treatments against pathogens and related diseases

Association between work related stress and health related quality of life: the impact of socio-demographic variables. A cross sectional study in a region of central Italy

The aim of this work is investigate relationship between health-related quality of life and work-related stress and the impact of gender, education level, and age on this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted among workers of various setting in Rome and Frosinone. Work-related stress was measured with a demand-control questionnaire and health-related functioning by SF (short form)-12 health survey. There were 611 participants. Men reported high mental composite summary (MCS) and physical composite summary (PCS). In multivariate analysis age, gender (p < 0.001) and job demand (0.045) predicted low PCS. Low MCS predicted poor PCS. Job demand and educational level resulted negatively associated with MCS. In an analysis stratified for age, gender, and educational level, gender and age resulted effect modifier for MCS, gender and education level for PCS. In women increase of decision latitude predict (p = 0.001) an increase in MCS; a low job demand predict high MCS in male (p ≤ 0.001). In younger workers, a lower level of job demand predicted high MCS (<0.001). For PCS, gender and education level resulted effect modifier. In women, high decision latitude predicted higher PCS (p = 0.001) and lower level of job demand results in higher PCS (p ≤ 0.001). Higher educational level resulted predictor of low PCS. Management of risk about work-related stress should consider socio-demographic factors