Compiler and Runtime Optimization Techniques for Implementation Scalable Parallel Applications

The compiler is able to detect the data dependencies in an application and is able to analyze the specific sections of code for parallelization potential. However, all of these techniques provided by a compiler are usually applied at compile time, so they rely on static analysis, which is insufficient for achieving maximum parallelism and desired application scalability. These compiler techniques should consider both the static information gathered at compile time and dynamic analysis captured at runtime about the system to generate a safe parallel application. On the other hand, runtime information is often speculative. Solely relying on it doesn\u27t guarantee maximal parallel performance. So collecting information at compile time could significantly improve the runtime techniques performance. The goal is achieved in this research by introducing new techniques proposed for both compiler and runtime system that enable them to contribute with each other and utilize both static and dynamic analysis information to maximize application parallel performance. In the proposed framework, a compiler can implement dynamic runtime methods in its parallelization optimizations and a runtime system can apply static information in its parallelization methods implementation. The proposed techniques are able to use high-level programming abstractions and machine learning to relieve the programmer of difficult and tedious decisions that can significantly affect program behavior and performance

Redesigning OP2 Compiler to Use HPX Runtime Asynchronous Techniques

Maximizing parallelism level in applications can be achieved by minimizing overheads due to load imbalances and waiting time due to memory latencies. Compiler optimization is one of the most effective solutions to tackle this problem. The compiler is able to detect the data dependencies in an application and is able to analyze the specific sections of code for parallelization potential. However, all of these techniques provided with a compiler are usually applied at compile time, so they rely on static analysis, which is insufficient for achieving maximum parallelism and producing desired application scalability. One solution to address this challenge is the use of runtime methods. This strategy can be implemented by delaying certain amount of code analysis to be done at runtime. In this research, we improve the parallel application performance generated by the OP2 compiler by leveraging HPX, a C++ runtime system, to provide runtime optimizations. These optimizations include asynchronous tasking, loop interleaving, dynamic chunk sizing, and data prefetching. The results of the research were evaluated using an Airfoil application which showed a 40-50% improvement in parallel performance.Comment: 18th IEEE International Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Scientific and Engineering Computing (PDSEC 2017

Health complaints in individual visiting primary health care: population-based national electronic health records of Iran.

BACKGROUND The mission of medical schools is a sustainable commitment to orient education, research, and services based on the priorities and expectations of society. The most common complaints of patients from comprehensive health service centers (CHSCs) based on the data from electronic health records were assessed in order to determine primary health care (PHC) priorities for the educational planning of medical students in Iran. METHODS A population-based national study was designed to assess clinical complaints of patients in all age groups who were referred to CHSCs at least once to be visited by physicians. All the data in the census were extracted from electronic health records in PHC system during 2015-2020, classified by the International Classification of Primary Care 2nd edition (ICPC-2e-English), and statistically analyzed. The total number of complaints that were recorded in the system was 17,430,139. RESULTS 59% of the referring patients were women. The highest number of referrals was related to the age group of 18-59 years (56.9%), while the lowest belonged to the elderly people (13.3%). In all age and sex groups, the first ten complaints of patients with three top priorities in each category included process (follow-up, consultation, and results exam), digestive (toothache and gum complaint, abdominal pain, and diarrhea), respiratory (cough, sore throat, and runny nose), general (fever, pain, and weakness and fatigue), musculoskeletal (back pain, leg complaint, and knee injuries), endocrine and nutritional (weight gain, Feeding problem, and weight loss), cardiovascular (hypertension, palpitations, and Postural hypotension), neurological (headache, dizziness, and paralysis), sexual dysfunction (vaginal complaint, discharge, and irregular menstruation), and dermatological (pruritus, rash, and inflammation) problems. CONCLUSION High priorities in referring to PHC had a key role in assessing the country's health needs. Since this study was in line with the national pattern of complaints and patients' profile, the present findings can be helpful to amend policy-making, educational planning and curricula development in medical schools

Actual Preoperative Fasting Time; A Report From Guilan Academic Hospitals: A Cross-sectional Study

Objectives: Traditional guidelines for preoperative fasting (POF) time lead to several complications in surgery patients. However, not enough attention has been paid to the issue. This aimed of this study was to investigate the management of fasting times in Guilan academic hospitals. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, individuals from five academic referral centers enrolled the survey and questionnaires including demographic characteristics, fasting hours for liquids and solids, POF recommenders, and patient’s knowledge regarding the definition of clear liquids were completed. Results: A total of 390 individuals candidate for elective surgeries enrolled in the study, the mean age of our cases were 46.61 years. The average POF time for solids and liquids was 11.43 and 9.70 hours, respectively. 95.38% of the participants did not know a correct definition of clear liquids, which was not related to their level of education (P=0.314). A positive association was observed between age and POF times for liquids and American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification for both solids (P=0.010) and liquids (P=0.0001). Conclusions: It was found that the real POF time in our hospitals was significantly longer than the modern guidelines, and needs to be corrected

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective

This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through on-line media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focussed on process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come

Does eGFR improve the diagnostic capability of S-Creatinine concentration results? A retrospective population based study

The use of MDRD-eGFR to diagnose Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is based on the assumption that the algorithm will minimize the influence of age, gender and ethnicity that is observed in S-Creatinine concentration and thus allow a single cut-off at which further diagnostic and therapeutic actions should be considered. This hypothesis is tested in a retrospective analysis of outpatients (N=93,404) and hospitalised (N=35,572) patients in UK and Sweden, respectively. An algorithm based on the same model as the MDRD-eGFR algorithm was derived from simultaneously measured S-Creatinine concentrations and Iohexol GFR in a subset of 565 patients. The combined uncertainty of using this algorithm was estimated to about 15 % which is about three times that of the S-Creatinine concentration results. The diagnostic performance of S-Creatinine concentration was evaluated using the Iohexol clearance as the reference procedure. It was shown that the diagnostic capacity of MDRD-eGFR, as it stands, has no added value compared to S-Creatinine. The gender and age differences of the S-Creatinine concentrations in the dataset persist after applying the MDRD-eGFR algorithm. Thus, a general use of the MDRD-eGFR does not seem justified. Furthermore the claim that the eGFR is adjusted for body area is misleading; the algorithm does not include any body size marker. It is thus a dangerous marker for guiding drug administration.</p

A novel assessment and treatment approach to patients with Hashimoto’s encephalopathy

Hashimoto’s encephalopathy (HE) is rarely reported with only a few hundred cases published. Diagnosis is made in patients with an appropriate clinical picture and high antithyroperoxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies after infectious, toxic and metabolic causes of encephalopathy have been excluded. There is little objective data on the neurocognitive impairment in patients with HE and their improvement with treatment. We present the case of a 28-year-old woman with HE. Approach to management was novel as objective neuropsychological assessment was used to assess her clinical condition and response to treatment. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) as the first-line treatment instead of steroids. She responded well. The case illustrates that a different approach is required for the diagnosis and treatment of HE. A new diagnostic criteria is proposed that includes neurocognitive assessment, serum and CSF antibodies, an abnormal EEG and exclusion of other causes of encephalopathy. Furthermore, treatment should be tailored to the patient

Relationship between serum parathyroid hormone levels and lipid profile in non-diabetic hemodialysis patients

Elevated levels of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the dyslipidemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients, but the underlying mechanisms are not clearly defined. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the effects of iPTH on dyslipidemia among HD patients by analyzing the data of 51 patients (18 males and 33 females) with combined mean age 51.7 ± 18.3 years (range 22-85 years) who were on HD between April 2009 and April 2010, in the dialysis center of Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in Iran. On enrollment, we measured lipid profile, apoprotein (apo) A, apo B, alkaline phosphatase, calcium and phosphorus and also recorded the duration that they were on HD, and evaluated the correlation of these with iPTH level using Spearman′s rank analysis. The mean duration on HD was 7.07 ± 6.53 years. Except for high-density lipoprotein, there were no changes in the lipid parameters in our HD patients. We also compared lipid profile among subjects, classifying them according to their iPTH levels. There was no correlation between serum lipids and iPTH levels in these groups. A significant positive correlation was found between iPTH and alkaline phosphatase( ALP) (r = 0.333, P = 0.017) between iPTH and HD duration (r = 0.408, P = 0.003), whereas there was a significant negative correlation between iPTH and Ca (r = -0.294, P = 0.037) between iPTH and apo B (r = -0.431, P = 0.002) and between iPTH and Body Mass Index (r = -0.362, P = 0.009). In conclusion, no significant relationship between iPTH and lipids was found in the studied HD patients. These findings suggest that iPTH most probably does not play a significant role in the dyslipidemia of renal failure