Coz: Finding Code that Counts with Causal Profiling

Improving performance is a central concern for software developers. To locate optimization opportunities, developers rely on software profilers. However, these profilers only report where programs spent their time: optimizing that code may have no impact on performance. Past profilers thus both waste developer time and make it difficult for them to uncover significant optimization opportunities. This paper introduces causal profiling. Unlike past profiling approaches, causal profiling indicates exactly where programmers should focus their optimization efforts, and quantifies their potential impact. Causal profiling works by running performance experiments during program execution. Each experiment calculates the impact of any potential optimization by virtually speeding up code: inserting pauses that slow down all other code running concurrently. The key insight is that this slowdown has the same relative effect as running that line faster, thus "virtually" speeding it up. We present Coz, a causal profiler, which we evaluate on a range of highly-tuned applications: Memcached, SQLite, and the PARSEC benchmark suite. Coz identifies previously unknown optimization opportunities that are both significant and targeted. Guided by Coz, we improve the performance of Memcached by 9%, SQLite by 25%, and accelerate six PARSEC applications by as much as 68%; in most cases, these optimizations involve modifying under 10 lines of code.Comment: Published at SOSP 2015 (Best Paper Award

Synthesis of ternary sulfide nanomaterials using dithiocarbamate complexes as single source precursors

We report the use of cheap, readily accessible and easy to handle di-isobutyl-dithiocarbamate complexes, [M(S2CNi Bu2)n], as single source precursors (SSPs) to ternary sulfides of iron–nickel, iron–copper and nickel–cobalt. Varying decomposition temperature and precursor concentrations has a significant effect on both the phase and size of the nanomaterials, and in some instances meta-stable phases are accessible. Decomposition of [Fe(S2CNi Bu2)3]/[Ni(S2CNi Bu2)2] at ca. 210–230 �C affords metastable FeNi2S4 (violarite) nanoparticles, while at higher temperatures the thermodynamic product (Fe,Ni)9S8 (pentlandite) results. Addition of tetra-isobutyl-thiuram disulfide to the decomposition mixture can significantly affect the nature of the product at any particular temperature-concentration, being attributed to suppression of the intramolecular Fe(III) to Fe(II) reduction. Attempts to replicate this simple approach to ternary metal sulfides of iron–indium and iron–zinc were unsuccessful, mixtures of binary metal sulfides resulting. Oleylamine is non-innocent in these transformations, and we propose that SSP decomposition occurs via primary–secondary backbone amide-exchange with primary dithiocarbamate complexes, [M(S2CNHoleyl)n], being the active decomposition precursors

Scouting for Thrips in Orchid Flowers

Three monitoring methods are direct observation, flower shake, and the Berlese funnel, the latter being most accurate; instructions for constructing the funnel are given

Introduction to the special issue: challenges and opportunities in the fight against neglected tropical diseases: a decade from the London Declaration on NTDs

Twenty neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are currently prioritised by the World Health Organization for eradication, elimination as a public health problem, elimination of transmission or control by 2030. This issue celebrates progress made since the 2012 London Declaration on NTDs and discusses challenges currently faced to achieve these goals. It comprises 14 contributions spanning NTDs tackled by intensified disease management to those addressed by preventive chemotherapy. Although COVID-19 negatively affected NTD programmes, it also served to spur new multisectoral approaches to strengthen school-based health systems. The issue highlights the needs to improve impact survey design, evaluate new diagnostics, understand the consequences of heterogeneous prevalence and human movement, the potential impact of alternative treatment strategies and the importance of zoonotic transmission. This article is part of the theme issue 'Challenges and opportunities in the fight against neglected tropical diseases: a decade from the London Declaration on NTDs'

Anomalous tumbling of colloidal ellipsoids in Poiseuille flows

Shear flows cause aspherical colloidal particles to tumble so that their orientations trace out complex trajectories known as Jeffery orbits. The Jeffery orbit of a prolate ellipsoid is predicted to align the particle's principal axis preferentially in the plane transverse to the axis of shear. Holographic microscopy measurements reveal instead that colloidal ellipsoids' trajectories in Poiseuille flows strongly favor an orientation inclined by roughly $\pi/8$ relative to this plane. This anomalous observation is consistent with at least two previous reports of colloidal rods and dimers of colloidal spheres in Poiseuille flow and therefore appears to be a generic, yet unexplained feature of colloidal transport at low Reynolds numbers.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

The Utilization of Healthcare Chaplains by Genetic Counselors

Healthcare chaplains prioritize the spiritual and religious care a patient and their family may need during their healthcare experience. This study investigated the current utilization of healthcare chaplains by genetic counselors, as well as the ability, in time and skill, of the healthcare chaplains to see genetic counseling patients. Lastly, the study investigated if genetic counseling patients would accept a referral to meet with a healthcare chaplain. We hypothesized that genetic counselors are not utilizing healthcare chaplains, healthcare chaplains have the ability to see genetic counseling patients, and genetic counseling patients would consider meeting with a healthcare chaplain. This study distributed an original electronic questionnaire to healthcare chaplains. An ancillary, original, electronic and paper/printed questionnaire was distributed to prenatal, pediatric, and cancer genetic counseling patients at Prisma Health – Midlands and The Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood campus. A mixture of percentages and frequencies were calculated as well as themes through a content analysis approach. Data was collected from 253 healthcare chaplains (57.1% female; 41.6% male) and 110 genetic counseling patients (37.3% cancer; 9.1% general; 12.7% pediatric; 40.9% prenatal). Only 15.45% of healthcare chaplains claimed that a genetic counselor had referred a patient to them. More than 60% of healthcare chaplains felt comfortable, very comfortable, or extremely comfortable while discussing genetic syndromes or cancer susceptibility genes with patients and over 70% felt comfortable, very comfortable, or extremely comfortable with basic genetic concepts and medical terminology. Lastly, around 45% of genetic counseling patients stated they would consider meeting with a healthcare chaplain. Healthcare chaplains feel comfortable in their knowledge and skill to meet with genetic counseling patients but are not currently being widely used by genetic counselors as a referral. Genetic counselors should consider referring select patients who may be experiencing spiritual distress to healthcare chaplains