Denotational Fixed-Point Semantics for Constructive Scheduling of Synchronous Concurrency

The synchronous model of concurrent computation (SMoCC) is well established for programming languages in the domain of safety-critical reactive and embedded systems. Translated into mainstream C/Java programming, the SMoCC corresponds to a cyclic execution model in which concurrent threads are synchronised on a logical clock that cuts system computation into a sequence of macro-steps. A causality analysis verifies the existence of a schedule on memory accesses to ensure each macro-step is deadlock-free and determinate. We introduce an abstract semantic domain I(D, P) and an associated denotational fixed point semantics for reasoning about concurrent and sequential variable accesses within a synchronous cycle-based model of computation. We use this domain for a new and extended behavioural definition of Berry’s causality analysis in terms of approximation intervals. The domain I(D, P) extends the domain I(D) from our previous work and fixes a mistake in the treatment of initialisations. Based on this fixed point semantics the notion of Input Berry-constructiveness (IBC) for synchronous programs is proposed. This new IBC class lies properly between strong (SBC) and normal Berry-constructiveness (BC) defined in previous work. SBC and BC are two ways to interpret the standard constructive semantics of synchronous programming, as exemplified by imperative SMoCC languages such as Esterel or Quartz. SBC is often too restrictive as it requires all variables to be initialised by the program. BC can be too permissive because it initialises all variables to a fixed value, by default. Where the initialisation happens through the memory, e.g., when carrying values from one synchronous tick to the next, then IBC is more appropriate. IBC links two levels of execution, the macro-step level and the micro-step level. We prove that the denotational fixed point analysis for IBC, and hence Berry’s causality analysis, is sound with respect to operational micro-level scheduling. The denotational model can thus be viewed as a compositional presentation of a synchronous scheduling strategy that ensures reactiveness and determinacy for imperative concurrent programming

An in-depth look at media susidies in Spain's Autonomous Communities in 2019

This article focuses on public subsidies for the communication media in Spain for the year 2019, presenting an in-depth analysis of the situation. State subsidies for media is a phenomenon that became widespread in Europe during the 1960s and 1970s. In Spain, they were regulated in the 1980s, but shortly thereafter the state almost completely halted its support, and it was Spain's autonomous regions who then promoted the subsidies. In the midst of the professional debate about whether it is possible to reinstate this support from the Spanish government because of the coronavirus crisis, we identify nine autonomous regions which promote these types of subsidies. Through a study that is both prospective and propositional, our analysis will thoroughly examine the institutions granting subsidies, the sectors benefiting from them, their aim and justification, and the margin of discretionary compliance with which they are granted

Estudio y análisis de la representación de la línea límite de término municipal según diversas cartografías en la albufera de Valencia

Resumen La línea límite de un término municipal permite definir la zona bajo la cual la administración local aplica su jurisdicción; una mala delimitación de este territorio lleva a graves problemas con los términos colindantes. Por ello, es muy importante que la representación de esta línea sea única en cualquier cartografía que se utilice. Como caso concreto se estudia y analiza esta línea límite de término municipal en la zona de la albufera, paraje natural del término municipal de Valencia (España), a través de su representación en diversas cartografías de diferentes organismos a lo largo de su historia. En donde se pueden comprobar y analizar la existencia de discrepancias. Palabras clave Delimitación, cartografía, territorio, deslindes, municipio A study and analysis of ways of representing the boundary between adjacent municipal areas as used in different types of maps in Valencia wetland Abstract The areas in which local administrations impose their jurisdiction are defined by the lines that divide them from adjacent municipal districts. This implies that if the lines are not clearly drawn it could give rise to conflicts between local councils. It is therefore important that the dividing line be uniformly represented whatever mapping system is used. The existence of discrepancies is detected and analysed in a case study of the municipal boundary line in the wetlands zone of the municipal district of Valencia (Spain), as represented in various maps produced by different organizations during different historical periods. Key Words Demarcation, cartography, territory, boundary, municipal area.Femenia Ribera, C.; Mora Navarro, JG.; Benítez Aguado, E.; Garrido-Villén, N. (2013). Estudio y análisis de la representación de la línea límite de término municipal según diversas cartografías en la albufera de Valencia. Scripta Nova. XXVII(448):1-30. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/38769S130XXVII44

Staphylococcus aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis: Description of two distinct acquisition pathways with different potential preventive approaches

ObjectiveDetermining the acquisition routes of infection is crucial to designing specific preventive approaches against Staphylococcus aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis.MethodsFrom 2002 to 2004, a nasal sample was obtained from patients before cardiac surgery. We collected clinical and microbiologic data of all episodes of S aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis. A case–control study (3:1) was performed to confirm the role of previous preoperative nasal colonization by S aureus as a risk factor for S aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis molecular analysis of nasal and surgical site S aureus isolates was performed to analyze their relatedness in each patient with poststernotomy mediastinitis and with other patients of the study cohort.ResultsS aureus nasal cultures were positive in 228 (15.9%) of 1432 patients: methicillin-susceptible S aureus in 222 (15.5%) and meticillin-resistant S aureus in 6 (0.4%). S aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis was diagnosed in 17 (1.2%) of 1432 patients: 9 (3.95%) of 228 in colonized patients versus 8 (0.66%) of 1204 in noncolonized patients (P < .0001). Seven of 9 patients (1.2%) with methicillin-susceptible S aureus had an identical isolate by pulsed field gel electrophoresis in preoperative nasal and surgical-site cultures, but no clonal relatedness was shown among the isolates from these 9 patients. None of the 8 patients with methicillin-resistant S aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis had an identical isolate by pulsed field gel electrophoresis in preoperative nasal and surgical-site cultures, and the same clone of methicillin-resistant S aureus was responsible for all these cases.ConclusionsNasal colonization often precedes methicillin-resistant S aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis, which suggests that decontamination is adequate for preventing methicillin-resistant S aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis, whereas hospital infection control measures seem to be the major factor for preventing methicillin-resistant S aureus poststernotomy mediastinitis

Epigenetics override pro-inflammatory PTGS transcriptomic signature towards selective hyperactivation of PGE2 in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Misregulation of the PTGS (prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase, also known as cyclooxygenase or COX) pathway may lead to the accumulation of pro-inflammatory signals, which constitutes a hallmark of cancer. To get insight into the role of this signaling pathway in colorectal cancer (CRC), we have characterized the transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes of the PTGS pathway genes in normal and cancer cells. RESULTS: Data from four independent series of CRC patients (502 tumors including adenomas and carcinomas and 222 adjacent normal tissues) and two series of colon mucosae from 69 healthy donors have been included in the study. Gene expression was analyzed by real-time PCR and Affymetrix U219 arrays. DNA methylation was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing, dissociation curves, and HumanMethylation450K arrays. Most CRC patients show selective transcriptional deregulation of the enzymes involved in the synthesis of prostanoids and their receptors in both tumor and its adjacent mucosa. DNA methylation alterations exclusively affect the tumor tissue (both adenomas and carcinomas), redirecting the transcriptional deregulation to activation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) function and blockade of other biologically active prostaglandins. In particular, PTGIS, PTGER3, PTGFR, and AKR1B1 were hypermethylated in more than 40 % of all analyzed tumors. CONCLUSIONS: The transcriptional and epigenetic profiling of the PTGS pathway provides important clues on the biology of the tumor and its microenvironment. This analysis renders candidate markers with potential clinical applicability in risk assessment and early diagnosis and for the design of new therapeutic strategies

Compétence en Technologie de l’Information Géographique (TIG) dans les études universitaires: réflexions et propositions participative

El objetivo de este trabajo es ofrecer una reflexión que conduzca a una asignación coherente de competencias en la enseñanza sobre Tecnologías de la Información Geográfica (Cartografía, Sistemas de Información Geográfica y Teledetección) que se imparte en la universidad. Tras analizar diversas propuestas al respecto, en España y a nivel internacional, y a través de una serie de talleres participativos, un grupo de académicos de la Universidad de Alcalá ha generado su propia propuesta sobre las competencias más importantes y necesarias a conseguir en cada nivel de la educación superior (grado, master y doctorado). La propuesta ha sido contrastada con los resultados de una encuesta realizada entre un conjunto de académicos universitarios españoles.The aim of this paper is to offer an insight on competences leading to their consistent allocation in the different courses on Geographic Information Technologies (Cartography, Geographic Information Systems - GIS and Remote Sensing) taught in universities. To do this, after analyzing the various proposals on the subject, both in Spain and internationally, and after conducting a series of participatory workshops, a group of academics from the University of Alcalá has generated its own proposal on the most important and necessary competences to acquire at each level of higher education (bachelor, master and doctorate). Furthermore, the proposal has been contrasted with the results of a survey conducted by a wide range of Spanish university academics.Le but de cet article est de proposer une réflexion conduisant à une allocation cohérente des compétences dans les différents cours sur les technologies d’information géographique (Cartographie, Système d’Information Géographique- SIG et télédétection) enseignées dans les universités. Pour ce faire, après avoir analysé les différentes propositions sur le sujet, à la fois en Espagne et à l’étranger, et après la réalisation d’une série d’ateliers participatifs, un groupe de l’Université de Alcalá a généré sa propre proposition sur les compétences les plus importants et nécessaires pour obtenir à chaque niveau de l’enseignement supérieur (licence, master et doctorat). En outre, la proposition a été contrastée avec les résultats d’une enquête menée par un large éventail d’universitaires espagnols

A short-term study of the safety pharmacokinetics and efficacy of ritonavir, an inhibitor of HIV-1 protease

Background: Reverse-transcriptase inhibitors have only moderate clinical efficacy against the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Ritonavir is an inhibitor of HIV-1 protease with potent in vitro anti-HIV properties and good oral bioavailability. Methods: We evaluated the antiviral activity and safety of ritonavir in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 1 and 2 study of 84 HIV-positive patients with 50 or more CD4+ lymphocytes per cubic millimeter. The patients were randomly assigned to one of four regimens of ritonavir therapy, or to placebo for four weeks and then (by random assignment) to one of the ritonavir regimens. Results: During the first 4 weeks, increases in CD4+ lymphocyte counts and reductions in the log number of copies of HIV-1 RNA per milliliter of plasma were similar among the four dosage groups, but in the three lower-dosage groups there was a return to base-line levels by 16 weeks. After 32 weeks, in the seven patients in the highest-dosage group (600 mg of ritonavir every 12 hours), the median increase from base line in the CD4+ lymphocyte count was 230 cells per cubic millimeter, and the mean decrease in the plasma concentration of HIV-1 RNA (as measured by a branched-chain DNA assay) was 0.81 log (95 percent confidence interval, 0.40 to 1.22). In a subgroup of 17 patients in the two higher-dosage groups, RNA was also measured with an assay based on the polymerase chain reaction, and after eight weeks of treatment there was a mean maximal decrease in viral RNA of 1.94 log (95 percent confidence interval, 1.37 to 2.51). Adverse events included nausea, circumoral paresthesia, elevated hepatic aminotransferase levels, and elevated triglyceride levels. Ten withdrawals from the study were judged to be related to ritonavir treatment. Conclusions: In this short-term study, ritonavir was well tolerated and had potent activity against HIV-1, but its clinical benefits remain to be established

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries