Bio-inspired call-stack reconstruction for performance analysis

The correlation of performance bottlenecks and their associated source code has become a cornerstone of performance analysis. It allows understanding why the efficiency of an application falls behind the computer's peak performance and enabling optimizations on the code ultimately. To this end, performance analysis tools collect the processor call-stack and then combine this information with measurements to allow the analyst comprehend the application behavior. Some tools modify the call-stack during run-time to diminish the collection expense but at the cost of resulting in non-portable solutions. In this paper, we present a novel portable approach to associate performance issues with their source code counterpart. To address it, we capture a reduced segment of the call-stack (up to three levels) and then process the segments using an algorithm inspired by multi-sequence alignment techniques. The results of our approach are easily mapped to detailed performance views, enabling the analyst to unveil the application behavior and its corresponding region of code. To demonstrate the usefulness of our approach, we have applied the algorithm to several first-time seen in-production applications to describe them finely, and optimize them by using tiny modifications based on the analyses.We thankfully acknowledge Mathis Bode for giving us access to the Arts CF binaries, and Miguel Castrillo and Kim Serradell for their valuable insight regarding Nemo. We would like to thank Forschungszentrum Jülich for the computation time on their Blue Gene/Q system. This research has been partially funded by the CICYT under contracts No. TIN2012-34557 and TIN2015-65316-P.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Codificació de models moleculars amb SMILES^TM i visualització tridimensional amb Jmol: un exemple de pràctica reflexiva

Ja fa temps que les noves tecnologies (TIC) són presents a l'aula, però sovint simplement es tracta de substituir el format paper per un format digital, sense cap valor afegit. Nosaltres pensem que cal anar més enllà i cercar aplicacions d'aquestes noves tecnologies que realment impliquin un canvi metodològic en el professorat i una millora en la comprensió de conceptes complexos per part de l'alumnat. En aquest article, volem compartir una experiència d'aula basada en la pràctica docent reflexiva i consistent en l'ús de programari gratuït que permet la generació de models moleculars de compostos orgànics, la seva representació tridimensional i la seva manipulació.ICT has been a common element in the classroom for quite a long time now. Sometimes acting as a mere digital replacement for traditional paper documents with no added value. We strongly believe that a further push is required in order to find novel applications for such technologies involving a methodological shift for the teachers and a better understanding of complex concepts for the students. In this paper we wish to share a classroom experience based on reflective teaching practice. The experience depicts the use of free software for the generation, tridimensional representation and manipulation of molecular models for organic compounds

Methodology to predict scalability of parallel applications

In the road to exascale computing, the inference of expected performance of parallel applications results in a complex task. Performance analysts need to identify the behavior of the applications and to extrapolate it to nonexistent machines. In this work, we present a methodology based on collecting the essential knowledge about fundamental factors of parallel codes, and to analyze in detail the behavior of the application at low core counts on current platforms. The result is a guide to generate the model that best predicts performance at very large scale. Obtained results from executions at low core counts showed expected parallel eficiències with a low relative error

Scalability prediction for fundamental performance factors

Inferring the expected performance for parallel applications is getting harder than ever; applications need to be modeled for restricted or nonexistent systems and performance analysts are required to identify and extrapolate their behavior using only the available resources. Prediction models can be based on detailed knowledge of the application algorithms or on blindly trying to extrapolate measurements from existing architectures and codes. This paper describes the work done to define an intermediate methodology where the combination of (a) the essential knowledge about fundamental factors in parallel codes, and (b) detailed analysis of the application behavior at low core counts on current platforms, guides the modeling efforts to estimate behavior at very large core counts. Our methodology integrates the use of several components like instrumentation package, visualization tools, simulators, analytical models and very high level information from the application running on systems in production to build a performance model.This work has been partially supported by the Intel-BSC Exascale Lab and the DEEP Project.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Teratoma ovárico en una perra : caso clínico

En este artículo se describe el caso clínico de una perra de tres años en la que se halló de manera casual un quiste dermoide ovárico, tipo especial y poco habitual de los teratomas ováricos. El animal acudió a la consulta por un cuadro de apatía y desinterés por los cachorros una semana después del parto, observándose a la exploración hipertermia, secreción mamaria anormal y descarga vulvar purulenta. El estudio citológico, analítico, radiológico y ecográfico abdominal diagnosticaron una mamitis-metritis post parto. Sin embargo, al realizar la radiografía abdominal, se evidenció una masa de densidad tejido blando situada caudalmente al riñón derecho que ecográficamente se observó como una gran estructura quística. El diagnóstico histopatológico definitivo de un quiste dermoide ovárico se obtuvo tras la realización de la ovariohisterectomía, que en este caso fue curativa ante la ausencia de malignidad. Los tumores ováricos de las células germinales son muy poco frecuentes en la perra por lo que el objetivo del presente artículo no sólo es la descripción de un quiste dermoide sino también la revisión de la escasa bibliografía existente acerca de los tipos, incidencia, síntomas, patogenia, diagnóstico, pronóstico y tratamiento de los tumores ováricos en la especie canina

Short research report : the role of language in the relationship between emotion comprehension and theory of mind in preschool children

For several decades, there has been an interest in understanding how Emotion Comprehension (EC) and Theory of Mind (ToM) are related during the preschool years. In addition, the links between language and ToM (Astington & Baird, 2005; Schick, de Villiers, de Villiers, & Hoffmeister, 2007) and language and EC (Cutting & Dunn, 1999; Hughes, White, & Ensor, 2014; Pons, Lawson, Harris, & de Rosnay, 2003) have been studied. Numerous studies have highlighted the important role played of language in ToM (Astington & Jenkins, 1999). For some authors, the specific properties of language are necessary for the development of ToM, and not only those related to age and neurological maturity (de Villiers & Pyers, 2002; Jackson, 2001; Remmel, Bettger, & Weinberg et al., 2001; Schick et al., 2007). Moreover, in recent years, evidence has been obtained about the relation between language and EC. Children with high scores in linguistic abilities show better EC (Cutting & Dunn, 1999; Pons et al., 2003; Ruffman, Slade, Rowlandson, Rumsey, & Garnham, 2003). Various studies show an important relation between EC and early conversations between adults and children. Thus, the frequency, style, and content of the discourse between parents and children, including emotional references and explanations, are positively related to EC in children (Beck, Kumschick, Eid, & Klann-Delius, 2012).peer-reviewe

Spanish validation of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) in preschool and elementary children: Relationship with emotion knowledge

Emotion Regulation is one of the most widely studied variables in child development. However, it is a complex construct, and there are few validated instruments to evaluate children. The main goal of this study was to test the factorial structure of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) in two samples of Spanish children, one with 284 preschool children (48.3% girls; M = 4.38) and the other with 323 elementary school children (49.2% girls; M = 8.82). The ERC was completed by the children's teachers. Although this instrument has been validated in different cultural contexts, no studies have analyzed its psychometric properties in Spanish samples. An examination of the internal structure, using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM), revealed that the original two-factor model (Emotion Regulation and Lability/Negativity) fitted the elementary school children's data well; however, in the sample of preschool children, the factorial model showed poor goodness-of-fit indices. The reliability of the ERC subscales was .77 for ER and .88 for L/N in the preschool-aged sample, and .80 for ER and .77 for L/N in the sample of elementary school children. In addition, the relationship between the ERC and the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) was explored. L/N correlated negatively and significantly with TEC in the sample of elementary school children. These findings provide some support for the use of the Spanish teachers’ version of the ERC with elementary school children

Estudio necrópsico de la muerte súbita cardíaca de origen isquémico, en un cuerpo en avanzado estado de descomposición

Es evidente que los cambios que se inician en un cadáver como consecuencia de la putrefacción suponen importantes trabas para la determinación de la causa de la muerte. Aunque un cadáver se encuentre en avanzado estado de descomposición, la realización de una autopsia detallada puede aportar una gran y rica información acerca de la etiología de la muerte y sobre el intervalo postmortem (IPM). En el caso que analizamos, a pesar de tener un cuerpo en fase colicuativa, podemos establecer que con bastante probabilidad el individuo estudiado falleció por una muerte súbita cardiaca (MSC) de origen isquémico. A esta conclusión se llega a través del análisis conjunto de los hallazgos en el cadáver durante la autopsia, la fisiopatología de la MSC de origen isquémico y los elementos fundamentales que caracterizan a este tipo de muerte. Se pudo establecer, además, un IPM de unas dos semanas.It´s evident that the changes that begin in the corpse as a consequence of putrefaction are important obstacles to determine the cause of death. Even in a body in an advanced stage of decomposition, a detailed autopsy can provide great information about the ethiology of death and postmortem interval (PMI). In the case under study, despite having a body in colliquative stage, we can establish that the cause of death was, with a high level of certainty, a sudden cardiac death (SCD) of ischemic origin. This conclusion was reached through analysis of the findings in the body during the autopsy, along with the pathophysiology of ischemic SCD and the key elements that characterize this type of death. Also it was determined a PMI of two weeks approximately

The Role of Language in the Relationship between Emotion Comprehension and Theory of Mind in Preschool Children.

For several decades, there has been an interest in understanding how Emotion Comprehension (EC) and Theory of Mind (ToM) are related during the preschool years. In addition, the links between language and ToM (Astington & Baird, 2005; Schick, de Villiers, de Villiers, & Hoffmeister, 2007) and language and EC (Cutting & Dunn, 1999; Hughes, White, & Ensor, 2014; Pons, Lawson, Harris, & de Rosnay, 2003) have been studied. Numerous studies have highlighted the important role played of language in ToM (Astington & Jenkins, 1999). For some authors, the specific properties of language are necessary for the development of ToM, and not only those related to age and neurological maturity (de Villiers & Pyers, 2002; Jackson, 2001; Remmel, Bettger, & Weinberg et al., 2001; Schick et al., 2007). Moreover, in recent years, evidence has been obtained about the relation between language and EC. Children with high scores in linguistic abilities show better EC (Cutting & Dunn, 1999; Pons et al., 2003; Ruffman, Slade, Rowlandson, Rumsey, & Garnham, 2003). Various studies show an important relation between EC and early conversations between adults and children. Thus, the frequency, style, and content of the discourse between parents and children, including emotional references and explanations, are positively related to EC in children (Beck, Kumschick, Eid, & Klann-Delius, 2012).post-print542 K

Feature space curvature map: A method to homogenize cluster densities

The majority of density-based clustering algorithms can not perform properly when data expose very different density through the feature space. These algorithms implicitly presume that all clusters almost have the same density, therefore, they normally use global parameters. Consequently, they are often biased towards finding dense clusters in front of sparse ones. In this paper, we propose a parametric multilinear transformation method to homogenize cluster densities while preserving the topological structure of the dataset. The transformed clusters have approximately the same density while all inter-cluster regions become globally low-density. In our method, the feature space is locally bent by dense data point concentrations the same way as stars bend the space-time dimensions in Theory of Relativity. We present a new Gravitational Self-organization Map to model the feature space curvature by plugging the concepts of gravity and fabric of space into the Self-organization Map algorithm to mathematically describe the density structure of the data. To homogenize the cluster density, we introduce a novel mapping mechanism to project the data from a non-Euclidean curved space to a new Euclidean flat space. Specifically, this mechanism transfers the basis vectors instead of the feature vectors to guarantee the continuity of the mapping function and optimize the computation cost of the algorithm. As a result, our method can efficiently and explicitly homogenize the density of any dataset globally to then apply existing clustering algorithms without modification. Our experimental results over both real-world and synthetic datasets show that our approach outperforms the current statistical-based methods.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft