Runtime sparse matrix format selection

There exist many storage formats for the in-memory representation of sparse matrices. Choosing the format that yields the quickest processing of any given sparse matrix requires considering the exact non-zero structure of the matrix, as well as the current execution environment. Each of these factors can change at runtime. The matrix structure can vary as computation progresses, while the environment can change due to varying system load, the live migration of jobs across a heterogeneous cluster, etc. This paper describes an algorithm that learns at runtime how to map sparse matrices onto the format which provides the quickest sparse matrix-vector product calculation, and which can adapt to the hardware platform changing underfoot. We show multiplication times reduced by over 10% compared with the best non-adaptive format selection

Gametocyte carriage in Plasmodium falciparum-infected travellers.

BACKGROUND: Gametocytes are the sexual stage of Plasmodium parasites. The determinants of gametocyte carriage have been studied extensively in endemic areas, but have rarely been explored in travellers with malaria. The incidence of gametocytaemia, and factors associated with gametocyte emergence in adult travellers with Plasmodium falciparum malaria was investigated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. METHODS: Clinical, parasitological and demographic data for all patients presenting with P. falciparum malaria between January 2001 and December 2011 were extracted from a prospective database. These data were supplemented by manual searches of laboratory records and patient case notes. RESULTS: Seven hundred and seventy three adult patients with laboratory-confirmed P. falciparum malaria were identified. Four hundred and sixty five (60%) were born in a country where malaria is endemic. Patients presented to hospital a median of four days into their illness. The median maximum parasite count was 0.4%. One hundred and ninety six patients (25%) had gametocytes; 94 (12%) on admission, and 102 (13%) developing during treatment. Gametocytaemia on admission was associated with anaemia and a lower maximum parasitaemia. Patients with gametocytes at presentation were less likely to have thrombocytopenia or severe malaria. Patients who developed gametocytes during treatment were more likely to have had parasitaemia of long duration, a high maximum parasitaemia and to have had severe malaria. There was no apparent association between the appearance of gametocytes and treatment regimen. CONCLUSIONS: The development of gametocytaemia in travellers with P. falciparum is associated with factors similar to those reported among populations in endemic areas. These data suggest that acquired immunity to malaria is not the only determinant of patterns of gametocyte carriage among patients with the disease

Catalyst comprising Ir or Ir and Ru for hydrazine decomposition

A catalyst for hydrazine decomposition consisting essentially of a carrier having a pore volume of at least 0.1 cubic centimeters per gram and a specific surface area, measured in square meters per gram, equal to 195 (C.sub.p + 0.013 + 0.736 V.sub.p) where C.sub.p is the specific heat capacity of the carrier at about 25.degree. C in calories per gram per degree and V.sub.p is the pore volume of the carrier in cubic centimeters per gram and metal of the group consisting of iridium, and mixtures consisting of iridium and ruthenium deposited on said carrier in an amount between 20% and about 40% by weight of the catalyst and distributed through the pores thereof in discrete particles sufficiently separated from each other so that they do not sinter or fuse together when the catalyst is at hydrazine decomposition temperature

Hydrazine decomposition and other reactions

This invention relates to the catalytic decomposition of hydrazine, catalysts useful for this decomposition and other reactions, and to reactions in hydrogen atmospheres generally using carbon-containing catalysts

The Diabetic Rapid Response Acute Foot Team: 7 Essential Skills for Targeted Limb Salvage

Objective: People with diabetes are prone to develop lower-extremity ulcerations and infections, both of which serve as major risk factors for limb amputation. The development of lower-extremity complications of diabetes is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the development of interdisciplinary teams to manage the myriad factors that complicate the treatment of high-risk patients, particularly in the perihospitalization period. Methods: This article presents 7 essential skills that necessarily allow the limb salvage team to appropriately manage the most common presenting comorbidities in patients with diabetes, including vasculopathy, infection, and deformity. Results: Seven essentials skills have been demonstrated to promote the greatest salvage outcomes, and these are the ability to (1) perform hemodynamic and anatomic vascular assessment with revascularization, as necessary; (2) perform neurologic workup; (3) perform site-appropriate culture technique; (4) perform wound assessment and staging/grading of infection and ischemia; (5) perform site-specific bedside and intraoperative incision and debridement; (6) initiate and modify culture-specific and patient-appropriate antibiotic therapy; and (7) perform appropriate postoperative monitoring to reduce risk of reulceration and infection. Conclusions: Utilization of these 7 essential skills as the core basis for interdisciplinary limb salvage team models will provide clinicians guidance when establishing such teams. Interdisciplinary teams have been demonstrated to improve quality and efficiency of patient care, thus improving overall outcomes and reducing amputation rates

Status of the N* Program at Jefferson Lab

Recent results from JLab on the electromagnetic excitation of nucleon resonances are presented, and confronted with theoretical predictions. Preliminary data in the search for undiscovered states are discussed as well.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figures, talk presented at Electron-Nucleus Scattering VII, Elba, June 24-28,2002, added reference in section 2 and section 4.1, corrected misleading typographical error in section 4.

Sponge-Like Behaviour in Isoreticular Cu(Gly-His-X) Peptide-Based Porous Materials

We report two isoreticular 3D peptide-based porous frameworks formed by coordination of the tripeptides Gly-l-His-Gly and Gly-l-His-l-Lys to Cu(II) which display sponge-like behaviour. These porous materials undergo structural collapse upon evacuation that can be reversed by exposure to water vapour, which permits recovery of the original open channel structure. This is further confirmed by sorption studies that reveal that both solids exhibit selective sorption of H(2)O while CO(2) adsorption does not result in recovery of the original structures. We also show how the pendant aliphatic amine chains, present in the framework from the introduction of the lysine amino acid in the peptidic backbone, can be post-synthetically modified to produce urea-functionalised networks by following methodologies typically used for metal–organic frameworks built from more rigid “classical” linkers

Migrating to Post-Quantum Cryptography: a Framework Using Security Dependency Analysis

Quantum computing is emerging as an unprecedented threat to the current state of widely used cryptographic systems. Cryptographic methods that have been considered secure for decades will likely be broken, with enormous impact on the security of sensitive data and communications in enterprises worldwide. A plan to migrate to quantum-resistant cryptographic systems is required. However, migrating an enterprise system to ensure a quantum-safe state is a complex process. Enterprises will require systematic guidance to perform this migration to remain resilient in a post-quantum era, as many organisations do not have staff with the expertise to manage this process unaided. This paper presents a comprehensive framework designed to aid enterprises in their migration. The framework articulates key steps and technical considerations in the cryptographic migration process. It makes use of existing organisational inventories and provides a roadmap for prioritising the replacement of cryptosystems in a post-quantum context. The framework enables the efficient identification of cryptographic objects, and can be integrated with other frameworks in enterprise settings to minimise operational disruption during migration. Practical case studies are included to demonstrate the utility and efficacy of the proposed framework using graph theoretic techniques to determine and evaluate cryptographic dependencies.Comment: 21 Page

Defining Security Requirements with the Common Criteria: Applications, Adoptions, and Challenges

Advances of emerging Information and Communications Technology (ICT) technologies push the boundaries of what is possible and open up new markets for innovative ICT products and services. The adoption of ICT products and systems with security properties depends on consumers' confidence and markets' trust in the security functionalities and whether the assurance measures applied to these products meet the inherent security requirements. Such confidence and trust are primarily gained through the rigorous development of security requirements, validation criteria, evaluation, and certification. Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation (often referred to as Common Criteria or CC) is an international standard (ISO/IEC 15408) for cyber security certification. In this paper, we conduct a systematic review of the CC standards and its adoptions. Adoption barriers of the CC are also investigated based on the analysis of current trends in security evaluation. Specifically, we share the experiences and lessons gained through the recent Development of Australian Cyber Criteria Assessment (DACCA) project that promotes the CC among stakeholders in ICT security products related to specification, development, evaluation, certification and approval, procurement, and deployment. Best practices on developing Protection Profiles, recommendations, and future directions for trusted cybersecurity advancement are presented