bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Death Rescued Him from Pain – a Report of Complex Therapy of an ISAF Polish Soldier with an Extreme Multi-Organ Injury
Authors: Tworus Radosław  , Ilnicki Stanisław  , Szymańska Sylwia  , Daciuk Joanna  , Rączkowska Anna  , Janczewska Katarzyna  , Wachowiec Anna  , Barański Mariusz
Published: February 2025

This is a case report of a wounded soldier who suffered a multiple organ injury as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion under his armored personnel carrier. His injuries were extreme. The soldier suffered an amputation of his right lower limb with enucleaction in the hip joint, amputation of his left lower limb in the middle of the thigh, a multi-level backbone injury with spinal cord damage resulting in the dysfunction of sphincters, disorders of peristalsis and a partial limitation of breathing activity, chest injuries resulting in a complete amputation of the left lung and a lower part of the right lung as well as distress to the middle part of the lung, an abdominal injury with damage to the fascia and muscles requiring a titanium wire mesh implant across the whole abdomen area, and an injury of the left elbow joint resulting in faulty functioning of this joint.
Chronic Low Back Pain in Chronic Combat-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Bras Marijana  , Djordjevic Veljko  , Brajkovic Lovorka  , Milunovic Vibor
Published: February 2025

Recent research suggests that chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and chronic low back pain (LBP) frequently co-occur and that similar mechanisms may exist for maintaining both conditions. On the basis of medical records, interviews and different self-reported questionnaires we analyzed the relationship between chronic LBP, chronic PTSD and quality of life in 406 Croatian war veterans. Our results have shown that chronic PTSD may be associated with greater pain perception in war veterans. There is a need for a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of patients with chronic PTSD and comorbid chronic LBP in order to optimize treatment that would result in more cost-effective care. Today, in the treatment of chronic pain and chronic PTSD the focus is on so-called “rational polypharmacy.” The authors would like to present their clinical experience in the treatment of patients with chronic LBP and chronic PTSD.
Pain Management by Multimodal Cognitive Regulation
Authors: Ćosić Krešimir  , Popović Siniša
Published: February 2025

Pain is among the most common medical complaints, and is associated with impaired quality of life of affected individuals and consequent large societal costs. Taking into account the multidimensional nature of pain, this paper describes the concept of the pain mental state vector, which integrates affective, cognitive, physiological, and motor representations. Bottom-up pain pathways and descending pain modulatory pathways are briefly reviewed, before discussing top-down multimodal cognitive regulation of pain. Due to empirical success of pain management that relies on attentional distraction facilitated by Virtual Reality (VR), as well as prior literature on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, the paper also discusses some aspects of the neurobiology of multimodal cognitive regulation of pain.
Misuse of Prescription Pain Medications in U.S. Active Duty Service Members
Authors: Bray Robert M.  , Rae Olmsted Kristine  , Williams Jason
Published: February 2025

This paper examines drug use trends and patterns among U.S. military personnel with an emphasis on prescription drug misuse (i.e., nonmedical use) and prescription pain medication misuse. Data were drawn from the large-scale population-based U.S. Department of Defense Surveys of Health Related Behaviors among Active Duty Military Personnel. Assessment of trends showed large reductions in illicit drug use (including prescription drug misuse) from 1980 to 2002. From 2002 to 2008, prescription drug misuse increased. The key driver of the high rates of past-month prescription drug misuse in 2008 (11%) was past-month misuse of pain medications (10%). The strongest predictor of prescription pain medication misuse was having a prescription for pain medication. Holders of prescriptions for pain medications were nearly three times more likely to misuse prescription pain relievers than those who did not have a prescription. Being in the Army, meeting criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and engaging in heavy alcohol use were also strong predictors of pain medication misuse. Findings suggest that easy access to pain medications is a key factor in misuse and that better education about the dangers of misusing prescription pain relievers and closer monitoring of prescription drugs may be needed to decrease misuse. Further studies are needed to determine the nature and extent of pain medication misuse, the characteristics of misusers, and their motivations for misuse. Additional research is also needed to develop and implement targeted interventions that reduce misuse of pain medications.
The Physical Health of Combat-Exposed Women: Findings from a Nationally Representative Civilian Sample
Authors: Mota Natalie  , Medved Maria  , Wang JianLi  , Asmundson Gordon J.G.  , Whitney Debbie  , Sareen Jitender
Published: February 2025

With the increasing number of female military personnel and veterans, it is pivotal that appropriate resources are in place for their health needs. The National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of the civilian U.S. population (n=34,653, ages 20 years and older), was used to investigate whether women who reported combat exposure differed 1) from combat-exposed men and 2) from non-combat exposed civilian women in the prevalence of physical conditions and reported interference due to bodily pain. Respondents were asked whether they had been diagnosed with one or more of a number of past-year physical conditions by a physician or other mental health professional. Obesity (body mass index > 30) was also assessed through self-reported height and weight, while a subscale from the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-12) assessed past-month bodily pain. Logistic regression models adjusted for age and household income were used to understand differences between combat-exposed women and both control groups. Combat women were found to be approximately twice as likely as men who endorsed combat to report having any physical condition (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.02, 95% confidence interval 1.04-3.94). Combat women were more likely than general population women to report arteriosclerosis/hypertension, obesity, and any physical condition (AOR range 2.27-2.72). No differences between combat women and either control group were noted for interference due to bodily pain. These findings are noteworthy for health professionals involved in the treatment of military women and for investigators of military women's health.
Psychological Pain and Suicidal Behavior
Authors: Pregelj Peter  , Kozak Vida Ana  , Tomori Martina  , Novak Sarotar Brigita
Published: February 2025

Severe psychological or mental pain, on one hand, is defined as an experience of unbearable torment which can be associated with a psychiatric illness (e.g., Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) or a tragic loss such as the death of an important person. On the other hand, the dominant model in physical pain perception describes a “neuromatrix” which is activated in response to painful stimuli and is also regulated by psychological factors. It was reported that emotions interact with the somato-sensory-discriminant system and that this interaction can produce a sensitization or desensitization to painful stimuli. Further, hypnotically suggested pain seems to produce a pattern of brain region activation similar to that associated with an actual painful stimulus, indicating that mechanisms in the central nervous system may be sufficient to produce the experience of pain even in the absence of external stimulation of the peripheral nerves. It was also proposed by the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide that exposure to painful and provocative experiences such as combat contribute to fearlessness concerning death and increased physical pain tolerance, which serve to enhance the individual's capability to adopt suicidal behavior. It was further reported that psychological pain is a useful and unique construct in patients with major depressive episodes that can be reliably assessed and may aid in the evaluation of suicidal risk. However, not only environmental factors but also genetic predisposition seem to play an important role in the pathogenesis of suicidal behavior. The interplay between genes and environmental factors involved in suicidal behavior will be discussed.
Implementing Telehomecare at a Diversified Home Health Provider: The Experience of KeystoneCare
Authors: Inderwies Gail
Published: February 2025

This chapter discusses the testing and implementation of Telehomecare technologies by KeystoneCare, a diversified home health care provider in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania USA. Special attention is paid to the use of appropriate Telehomecare technologies in serving the poorest, sickest, most costly clients to improve their health behaviors and reduce repeated hospitalizations. Challenges with technology, patients, staff, and financing are discussed in terms of solutions and potential barriers to incorporating Telehomecare into the care delivery model.
Overview of the Legal Basis: Security- and Terrorism-Focused, and Generic Instruments
Authors: Stoiber Carlton
Published: February 2025

As Carlton Stoiber remarks, “There is no single primary instrument that establishes the basic legal regime for addressing nuclear security or terrorism.” As such, numerous regimes cover various aspects of the encompassing nuclear security regime. Stoiber notes that this name may in fact be misleading, citing the difference between nuclear and radiological terrorism. Regardless of the name though, nuclear security is not alone in the fight against terrorism; there are many synergies between safety and security, thus legal instruments developed for safety can apply to security. Some key nuclear security regimes, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, the International Convention for the Suppression of Actions of Nuclear Terrorism, and the IAEA Code of Conduct, are discussed in detail to emphasize the crowd of complex regimes and the challenge they pose to states implementing national legislation.
Challenges and Opportunities for Enhancing the Legal Framework for Nuclear Security
Authors: Gehr Walter  , Khripunov Igor
Published: February 2025

Despite the creation of new legal instruments to combat nuclear terrorism, there is a growing division between binding and non-binding international legal basis. Igor Khripunov defines hard and soft law to enumerate the actual distinctions between the two. This duality can be utilized to assist states in the implementation process, but it also poses challenges. Specific steps, outlined by Khripunov, must be taken in order to identify synergies and cull overlaps. Walter Gehr offers a legal perspective, addressing counterterrorism through the means of criminal law. He outlines the counter terrorism regimes that formed in the wake of 9/11, and notes that the counterterrorism conventions are not for diplomatic ends, but the law enforcement officials within states. Domestic legislation is then essential for states' compliance with these international conventions, and steps must be taken to facilitate the passing of this legislation. Gehr presents solutions: awareness raising, training criminal justice officials, and promoting a legislative database.
New Focus Areas
Authors: Squassoni Sharon  , Oelrich Ivan  , Beridze Irakli  , Rockwood Laura
Published: February 2025

The last decade has seen increasingly more interest in nuclear energy. Yet this nuclear renaissance poses many challenges. Power plants are long-term investments, which require significant infrastructure. The cost of reactors is unknowable. The forecast of nuclear power calls for substantial enhancements, but legal, financial, and regulatory frameworks must also be expanded. Sharon Squassoni contends that all options should be explored, and that nuclear energy may not be for every state. Today, the overwhelming majority of nuclear power production and the fuel cycle occur in the P-5 states, along with Japan and the Republic of Korea. However, a shift is occurring where nations outside this group are seeking nuclear energy. These states do not have nuclear security experience. Ivan Oelrich argues that the implications of widely proliferated national enrichment are dire; internationalization of enrichment is necessary to prevent such a scenario. This plan would be difficult to implement legally, but Oelrich drafts possible means of implementation. Safety, security and safeguards hold distinct definitions, but there are synergies between them. These synergies are the basis for a solid framework of security. Actual implementation of all three is still difficult though, and Laura Rookwood posits that an inter-disciplinary approach could work if those implementing it understand the synergies. Irakli Beridze asserts that the OPCW is in fact aware of these synergies, and is developing a security program that covers all of the pillars of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The OPCW wants to develop a permanent feedback mechanism between the OPCW and stakeholders by developing and implementing joint initiatives to support comprehensive national implementation of the convention and fostering of international cooperation.
The International Activities Related to Nuclear Security
Authors: Moore George  , Gregoric Miroslav  , Puig Diva  , Andemicael Berhanykun  , Duares Pascal  , Stern Warren  , Tarvainen Matti
Published: February 2025

The IAEA realizes the necessary elements of a structurally sound binding legal regime, and has prepared a “fundamental document” that details the objectives and legalities of an encompassing nuclear security regime. George Moore and Miroslav Gregoric highlight the work the IAEA is doing to assist states with complying with their international obligations. At an application level, the IAEA has developed a Nuclear Security Series: a set of guides designed for use within the industry. To complement the guides, the IAEA conducts advisory missions with respect to accounting and control of nuclear material, as well as human resource development. The endeavors are further assisted by the International Nuclear Security Advisory Service (INSServ), which serves as an instrument to help states review the general status of measures to protect against terrorism. Diva Puig observes that the recommendations made by INSServ provide a platform for the foundation of a state's future implementation process. Berhanykun Andemicael highlights the need for a dialogue between the IAEA and other organizations to detect and trim overlap between the provisions and requirements of the NPT and UNSCR 1540. Pascal Daures overviews the response to nuclear security violations and the gaps the EC Joint Research Center has uncovered in the current framework for responding to nuclear trafficking cases. Matti Tarvainen notes that the safeguards obligations under INFCIRC/153 are antiquated and are thus not sufficient to deal with the undeclared and transnational nature of modern day materials trafficking. Information sharing is then essential to address these modern challenges. The IAEA has begun an outreach program to gather information, but as Tarvianen asserts, targeting intermediate traders and non-state actors requires voluntary cooperation of all states.
Raman spectroscopy of single cells for biomedical applications
Authors: Ramser Kerstin
Published: February 2025

Single cell studies for biomedical applications gain increased importance. Raman spectroscopy, especially when combined with optical tweezers, has proven to be a valuable tool for cancer cell screening, malaria detection, stem cell research as well as bacterial identification only to name a few applications. Here, basic principles behind methods, experimental design and parameters as well as expected results will be discussed. The goal is to give insight into experimental possibilities but also shortcomings that have to be dealt with regarding single cell Raman spectroscopy.
Hyperspectral Raman Microscopy of the living cell
Authors: Otto Cees  , Pully Vishnu Vardhan
Published: February 2025

An overview will be presented of the development and application of Raman microspectroscopy to the study of living cells. A brief history of key events will be succeeded by a description of state-of-the-art instrumentation. An example of a protocol for the conversion of measured data to real data will be discussed. Data-analysis techniques, which are of profound importance to analyse large hyperspectral datasets, will be presented and compared. Data-analysis approaches highlight the potential for data-mining in hyperspectral Raman microscopy and spectral imaging in general. The development of micro-bioreactors, which are efficiently coupled to Raman microspectrometers enable monitoring of the cell- and tissue development under close to in vivo conditions.
Applications of SERS Spectroscopy for Blood Analysis
Authors: Chen Rong  , Lin Juqiang  , Feng Shangyuan  , Huang Zufang  , Chen Guannan  , Wang Jing  , Li Yongzeng  , Zeng Haishan
Published: February 2025

Over the last decade, there is a surge on researchers utilizing Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectroscopy for blood analysis for various biomedical applications. This chapter starts with a brief review of SERS substrates and Raman instrumentation for SERS detection. Then four types of SERS based blood analysis methodologies are discussed with application examples including (1) label-free SERS methods for detection of intrinsic ingredients and exogenous substances in blood, sera, and plasma; (2) detection of circulating tumor cells in blood by SERS tags for cancer diagnosis; (3) labeling-free SERS analyses of human serum and plasma for disease diagnoses; and (4) combining membrane electrophoresis for serum protein separation with SERS analysis for cancer detection. At the end, we present a new technology based on electroporation for nanoparticle delivery into blood cells for intracellular SERS analysis.
Synergy of Literature and Thought on Nature, Sustainability, and Security
Authors: Michailidis Susie
Published: February 2025

Culture and nature, literature and landscape, sustainability and thought have merged together over many centuries. We read ancient authors and we hear how they spoke of their love and joy of their countryside. But why should the woks of the ancients and medieval, so far as it is related to nature be of interest and stimulation to our contemporaries? Music, literature and the visual arts are some of the central models of contemporary ecological thinking and are ideal ways of realising aims of liberal arts. That literature and art can express anxiety over the natural world or reflect environmental attitudes is nothing new. Literature and art actively intervene in helping to confront persuasive issues and to define the boundaries of what constitutes the environment, literally the nature itself, The history of the nature protection movement and the wider study of the relations between humanity and nature should be of interest to all who attempts to find a solution to the problems of pollution and environmental degradation. The historical past indicates useful parallels with the environmental present.
Some Aspects of Sinergism of Health Informatics and Biomedical Ontologies
Authors: Gotsiridze Irina
Published: February 2025

Educational programs in the area biomedical informatics are covering topics from the field of medical informatics, health informatics and bioinformatics. The conceptual roots of such programs lead back more than thirty years and the programs are well established in many countries. The leading role in promoting activities concerning education in biomedical informatics has been given by the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) at MEDINFO congresses, special topics conferences and activities of the IMIA working group on Health and Medical Informatics Education. In Georgia under this program preparation of young experts is spent last two years. We study all experience of preparation on this discipline of various European universities and the program for computing training and testing systems (TTS) is developed for this field. We present TTS and other interactive tools for evaluation of a targeted knowledge have been developed. The idea of the system is based on generalized multiple-choice questions, with no prior restrictions on the number of given answers. The only restriction is that at least one answer is correct and at least one wrong. This new idea has led to new concepts of standardization of test results and also to new research problems in statistics. Evaluation by the TTS is performed using fixed or automated test. A fixed test is appropriate for evaluation of the group of students in computer classroom connected to Internet. Students can pass evaluations by automated tests by themselves and the final results of the tests are displayed immediately. The displayed results also give explanation to students why some answers were not correct. Using this matrix and initial data, obtained by the recognized international organizations we have developed the mathematical model that gives the opportunity to calculate the components of human life quality and safety as the components of sustainable development index and harmonization level of this development for every country. The system of indexes and indicators has been developed and gauging matrix for sustainable development processes (SDGM) in 3 dimensions: economic, ecological and socio-institutional has been offered. The global modeling of sustainable development processes for the large group of the countries in terms of human life quality and safety has been performed. The results of modeling have been explained in details by every dimension of the sustainable development.
Sustainable Electronics. Mineral Resources Depletion
Authors: Safarov V.I.  , Minashvili T.A.  , Iluridze G.N.
Published: February 2025

Modern electronics uses about 60% of all the elements of Mendeleev's table. Many of them are quite rare and even very rare. The depletion of the existing resources could become a real threat in the very near future. We cannot completely eliminate the threat of resources depletion. We can only remove it by recycling, substituting rare metals, and by increasing the life-time of products …  It requires a new way of thinking and a new way of product designing.
Global Modeling of Sustainability and Security of Human Life
Authors: Zgurovsky Michael
Published: February 2025

Using this matrix and initial data, obtained by the recognized international organizations we have developed the mathematical model that gives the opportunity to calculate the components of human life quality and safety as the components of sustainable development index and harmonization level of this development for every country. The system of indexes and indicators has been developed and gauging matrix for sustainable development processes (SDGM) in 3 dimensions: economic, ecological and socio-institutional has been offered. The global modeling of sustainable development processes for the large group of the countries in terms of human life quality and safety has been performed. The results of modeling have been explained in details by every dimension of the sustainable development.
Getting Started with Dafny: A Guide
Authors: Koenig Jason  , Rustan K.  , Leino M.
Published: February 2025

Common program specification and verification build on concepts like method pre- and postconditions and loop invariants. These lectures notes teach those concepts in the context of the language and verifier Dafny.
A Primer on Separation Logic (and Automatic Program Verification and Analysis)
Authors: O'Hearn Peter W.
Published: February 2025

These are the notes to accompany a course at the Marktoberdorf PhD summer school in 2011. The course consists of an introduction to separation logic, with a slant towards its use in automatic program verification and analysis.
Interactive Proof: Applications to Semantics
Authors: Klein Gerwin
Published: February 2025

Building on a previous lecture in the summer school, the introduction to interactive proof, this lecture demonstrates a specific application of interactive proof assistants: the semantics of programming languages. In particular, I show how to formalise a small imperative programming language in the theorem prover Isabelle/HOL, how to define its semantics in different variations, and how to prove properties about the language in the theorem prover.
Critical Issues in Homeland Security
Authors: Ward Richard H.
Published: February 2025

Homeland security depends on a number of basic foundations, including public awareness, political support, effective intelligence, an effective legal system, and well trained and equipped personnel who serve on the front lines defense. Homeland security will depend largely upon a willingness to work more closely with other countries in areas of mutual concern. At the heart of security is an informed public, a willingness to adjust to adjust to change, and a strategy that emphasizes an understanding of other cultures, languages, religions, and political and legal philosophies. In a digital age reliance on technology must be accompanied by an adherence to the principles of a religious and democratic model that is based on the rule of law.
The Role of Intelligence in Countering Terrorism
Authors: Kulpcu Oğuz
Published: February 2025

Intelligence is vital for warfare. The change from an emphasis on fighting the Cold War to counterterrorism has not diminished the role of intelligence but requires a change in approach. One important aspect of this change in approach is the acceptance that no one agency can have all the information needed so cooperation in intelligence will become more vital.
Ecological Risks of Radioactive Pollution in Central Ukraine
Authors: Zaychenko Elena Yu.  , Severinovskaya Elena V.  , Dvoretskiy Anatoliy I.  , Marenkov Oleg N.  , Belokon Anna S.  , Ananieva Tamila V.
Published: February 2025

The Prydnieprovskiy region (Central Ukraine) is distinguished by the combination of increased natural radiation background levels, the technogenic pollution by enterprises of the primary nuclear cycle, as well as the “Chernobyl trace” at the expense of137Cs and90Sr. In 1986-90 there was a many-times excess of the pre-disaster levels for water and fish environments. Now there is a considerable accumulation of these radionuclides in silts, i.e. the proper risk of secondary contamination of the ecosystem. Radiation, together with agro-industrial chemical pollution, creates a significant radiation-chemical load on living organisms through both the water and food chains (especially through fish). It is found that heavy metals have a powerful modulating influence on the effects of radiation. In these conditions serious disturbances of a number of physiological and biochemical parameters are observed. A high adaptive effectiveness has been shown by humates. Further efforts are needed to reduce the population health risks from radiation-chemical pollution.
The Role of Diplomacy through Science, Technology and Innovation in Preventing Natural Disasters
Authors: Slobodeniuc Ghenadie
Published: February 2025

This article analyses the role of diplomacy through science, technology and innovation (S&T&I) in preventing natural disasters as a global challenge for the 21stCentury. It examines the synergy of two global platforms promoted by developed countries and their initiatives for preventing natural disasters. The presented material concerns the contribution of academics and diplomats in a large and dynamic world of nature.
Ukraine's Integration into European Security Research Programmes: Key to a More Secure Europe
Authors: Oliynyk Oleh M.
Published: February 2025

In today's global society, the European Union faces new opportunities as well as new dangers. Political, social and technological developments have created a fluid security environment where risks and vulnerabilities are more diverse and less visible. Ukraine, as a European country, plays a critical role in European security while not being the member of EU; the EU and Ukraine need each other principally in the security sector. A better understanding of security systems and approaches in EU, and also in Ukraine, will serve to produce a more reliable security system. The EU is making firm steps to bring Ukraine closer to EU, and the establishment of a European Security Research Programme (ESRP), from 2007 onwards, is a major contribution towards the achievement of this objective. Ukraine's integration into European security research programmes will stimulate the development of new approaches and technologies in the security sector, which will ultimately provide a more secure environment in the whole of Europe, including Ukraine.
Irradiation Doses at Nuclear Power Plants in Normal and Emergency Situations
Authors: Valyaev A.N.  , Krylov A.L.  , Semenov V.N.  , Aleksanyan G.M.  , Valyaev A.A.
Published: February 2025

The constant and intense growth in electric energy production at nuclear power plants (NPP) results in new additional great problems, one of which is the increased generation of radionuclide gas-aerosol discharges (RGAD) to the atmosphere and in liquid radioactive discharges (LRD) into different water features. According to the Russian Program on Intense Development of Atomic Energy, 17 new nuclear reactors will be put into service by 2020 at the 7 currently operated NPPs. It is necessary to provide exclusive safety measures, particularly to provide limited levels of irradiation human doses (IHD). These IHD must not exceed the 10 Micro Sievert level on every factor of response that are defined in the special sanitary rules, instructions and laws. We have collected and analysed data on RGAD and LRD values for all 10 Russian NPPs during the past 13 years of their operation. The observed stable annual decreasing tendency of these values has created a well-grounded scientific base for predicting the levels for each NPP in the future period of the above-mentioned Programme's implementation according to our developed methodology. The predicted RGAD and LRD levels have been used for IHD calculations in the special certified model information-simulation systems (developed at our Institute) through all possible ways and routes of radionuclide penetration into human organisms. For the most critical population group, namely fishermen, we have made conservative (maximum) IHD assessments. The obtained IHD values show a permitted risk level of less than 10−6per year (i.e. one death for one million irradiated people). The radiation that will be created by every NPP under its future exploitation will be less by 2-3 orders than the local natural radioactive background near NPP locations. Our consideration has a universal character and may be used for decision-making on some thematic problems of atomic energy. In addition, some aspects of the application of our investigations have been presented for the great disaster at the Fukushima NPP by taking into account of its unique features. Some problems connected with the future development of atomic energy production in the world, and its risks, are also discussed. Possible nuclear terrorist attacks, and the counter measures using high technologies in the struggle with these great threats, are also under consideration.
Risk Reduction System in the Republic of Armenia
Authors: Avagyan Arman A.  , Avagyan Anna A.
Published: February 2025

An assessment of the natural and man-made disasters that have occurred in the Republic of Armenia is presented. The legal basis for regulating emergency management is provided. Improvement of the geo-information system, and the compilation of digital maps, is considered.
A System for Forecasting and Preventing Emergency Situations on Landslide Sites
Authors: Sadovenko Ivan O.  , Eidelstein Leonid Ya.  , Rudakov Dmytro V.
Published: February 2025

Landslide slope movements have led to many emergency situations in Ukrainian cities over the last several decades, like the case in Dnipropetrovsk in June 1997. To prevent such situations a forecasting system of two functionally coupled modules has been developed that includes 1) software-based analytical estimations of slope stability, and 2) the automated monitoring and informing complex “OZONE GEO”. Slope stability is assessed using the numerical models of soil mechanics that allow contouring crucial zones for landslide risk to be covered by the observation points of the “OZONE GEO” complex. Geometrical, geomechanical, and hydrogeological parameters are measured automatically using the remote control units. The data are transferred in real time and then processed for estimating the slope stability; if necessary, the system is supplied with rapid warning and decision-making units. The different variants of this system were installed for geotechnical monitoring on many sites in Ukraine during 2006-2011.
An Autonomic Management System for Choreography-based Workflows on Grids and Clouds
Authors: Papuzzo Giuseppe  , Spezzano Giandomenico
Published: February 2025

Future computing environments will integrate cloud platforms with existing computational infrastructures providing frameworks to combine traditional Grid services with on-demand Cloud services, so that additional resources can be requested during peak loads and released after that. Nowadays, workflows are the preferred means for the composition of services into added value service chains representing functional business processes or complex scientific experiments. This paper describes Sunflower an innovative P2P agent-based framework for configuring, enacting, managing and adapting workflows on hybrid computing infrastructures. To orchestrate Grid and Cloud services, Sunflower uses a bio-inspired autonomic choreography model and integrates the scheduling algorithm with a provisioning component that can dynamically launch virtual machines in a Cloud infrastructure to provide on-demand services in peak-load situations.
Flexible Runtime Support for Efficient Skeleton Programming on Heterogeneous GPU-based Systems
Authors: Dastgeer Usman  , Kessler Christoph  , Thibault Samuel
Published: February 2025

SkePU is a skeleton programming framework for multicore CPU and multi-GPU systems. StarPU is a runtime system that provides dynamic scheduling and memory management support for heterogeneous, accelerator-based systems.
Lattice Boltzmann for Large-Scale GPU Systems
Authors: Gray Alan  , Hart Alistair  , Richardson Alan  , Stratford Kevin
Published: February 2025

We describe the enablement of the Ludwig lattice Boltzmann parallel fluid dynamics application, designed specifically for complex problems, for massively parallel GPU-accelerated architectures. NVIDIA CUDA is introduced into the existing C/MPI framework, and we have given careful consideration to maintainability in addition to performance. Significant performance gains are realised on each GPU through restructuring of the data layout to allow memory coalescing and the adaptation of key loops to reduce off-chip memory accesses. The halo-swap communication phase has been designed to efficiently utilise many GPUs in parallel: included is the overlapping of several stages using CUDA stream functionality. The new GPU adaptation is seen to retain the good scaling behaviour of the original CPU code, and scales well up to 256 NVIDIA Fermi GPUs (the largest resource tested). The performance on the NVIDIA Fermi GPU is observed to be up to a factor of 4 greater than the (12-core) AMD Magny-Cours CPU (with all cores utilised) for a binary fluid benchmark.
High-fidelity Real-time Antiship Cruise Missile Modeling on the GPU
Authors: Scannell Christopher  , Decker Jonathan  , Collins Joseph  , Smith William
Published: February 2025

The United States Navy is actively researching techniques for creating high-fidelity, real-time simulations of antiship cruise missiles (ASCM) in order to develop improved defensive countermeasures for Navy ships. One active area of investigation is the combined use of OpenMP and MPI to reach real-time constraints on stand-alone cluster computers with high-speed interconnect fabrics. The separate nodes of this high performance computing (HPC) platform calculate the successive responses of a single cruise missile to successive reflections of the RF transmitter radar returns from the target ship in a pipeline fashion using MPI. Numerically intensive portions of the calculation of the missile-ship system behavior for an individual RF pulse can be calculated in parallel on the individual nodes of the HPC platform using OpenMP. The speed at which these portions can be calculated determines the length of the pipeline and thus the total number of computing nodes required. This approach incurs some approximations into the simulation that are proportional to the length of the pipeline because there is a feedback from the ship-radar response back to the missile guidance. While this use of OpenMP has proven effective, it is limited by the number of cores available at each node. This code, however, presents opportunities for parallelism well beyond the available computational resources at each node. Additionally, the ratio of computation to data transfer for this portion of the simulation is very high. These two factors have led us to investigate executing the most compute-intensive portion, the calculation of the RF responses of the individual ship scatterers, on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).
Comparison of Admission Control Policies for Service Provision in public Clouds
Authors: Vázquez Poletti J.L.  , Moreno-Vozmediano R.  , Llorente I.M.
Published: February 2025

Public cloud infrastructures have experimented a great increase in their demand nowadays. For this reason, cloud service providers need to choose wisely which services they should accept for provisioning via Admission Control mechanisms. The impact from faults due to unprovisioned resources has to be minimized and the net income of provisioning has to be maximized at the same time. We propose a service model which allows to define easily SLAs. Additionally, a double set of Admission Control policies is described and compared.
A Software Concept for Cache-Efficient Simulation on Dynamically Adaptive Structured Triangular Grids
Authors: Meister Oliver  , Rahnema Kaveh  , Bader Michael
Published: February 2025

We present a software concept for element-oriented numerical solvers for PDEs on dynamically adaptive grids. The respective layer concept provides volume kernels to implement layer operators, which work on a traversal layer that implements cache-efficient traversals on structured adaptive triangular grids (provided by a grid layer underneath). We present a simple heat propagation problem and a coupled solver for flows in porous media as examples, and study the achieved single-core and memory performance. First results are also given for current work on parallelization of the approach.
Performance Analysis of an Ultrasound Reconstruction Algorithm for Non Destructive Testing
Authors: Pedron Antoine  , Lacassagne Lionel  , Barbillon Victor  , Bimbard Franck  , Rougeron Gilles  , Le Berre Stéphane
Published: February 2025

The CIVA software platform developed by CEA-LIST offers various simulation and data processing modules dedicated to non-destructive testing (NDT). In particular, ultrasonic imaging and reconstruction tools are proposed in the purpose of localizing echoes and identifying and sizing the detected defects. Because of the complexity of data processed, computation time is now a limitation for the optimal use of available information. In this article, we present performance results on parallelization of one computationally heavy algorithm on general purpose processors (GPP) and graphic processing units (GPU). Although GPU implementation makes an intensive use of atomic intrinsics, it gave the highest performances. Only a dual 6-core GPP catches up its performances. Both architectures have been evaluated with different APIs: OpenMP, CUDA and OpenCL.
Corento – SIMD Parallelism from Portable High-Level Code
Authors: Helovuo Juhana  , Niittylahti Jarkko  , Berg Heikki
Published: February 2025

This article introduces the Corento programming language, which is an implementation tool for signal processing kernels on parallel processors. First, we discuss the current industry practice of programming such processors using the C language, and find that the situation is unsatisfactory from both technical and business viewpoints. Corento is an alternative tool to improve the situation. It improves the performance and portability of signal processing kernels, while keeping the programming task reasonably simple. As an example, we show how Corento can be used to implement the Fast Fourier Transform, and give an overview of the Corento compilation process. Finally, we show experimental performance results of our Corento implementation on multiple SIMD parallel processors from single source code.
Reactive Rebalancing for Scientific Simulations running on ExaScale High Performance Computers
Authors: Wuyts Roel  , Meerbergen Karl  , Costanza Pascal
Published: February 2025

Exascale computers, the next generation of high performance computers, are expected to process 1 exaflops around 2018. However the processor cores used in these systems are very likely to suffer from unpredictable high variability in performance. We built a prototype general-purpose reactive work rebalancer that handles such performance variability with low overhead. We did an experimental validation by developing a reactive rebalancer library in UPC, and using it in a 5-point stencil (heat) simulation. The experiments show that our approach has very limited overhead that compensates for runtime processor speed variations, with or without simulated processor slowdowns.
Solving the Generalized Symmetric Eigenvalue Problem using Tile Algorithms on Multicore Architectures
Authors: Ltaief Hatem  , Luszczek Piotr  , Haidar Azzam  , Dongarra Jack
Published: February 2025

This paper proposes an efficient implementation of the generalized symmetric eigenvalue problem on multicore architecture. Based on a four-stage approach and tile algorithms, the original problem is first transformed into a standard symmetric eigenvalue problem by computing the Cholesky factorization of the right hand side symmetric definite positive matrix (first stage), and applying the inverse of the freshly computed triangular Cholesky factors to the original dense symmetric matrix of the problem (second stage). Calculating the eigenpairs of the resulting problem is then equivalent to the eigenpairs of the original problem. The computation proceeds by reducing the updated dense symmetric matrix to symmetric band form (third stage). The band structure is further reduced by applying a bulge chasing procedure, which annihilates the extra off-diagonal entries using orthogonal transformations (fourth stage). More details on the third and fourth stage can be found in Haidar et al. [Accepted at SC'11, November 2011]. The eigenvalues are then calculated from the tridiagonal form using the standard LAPACK QR algorithm (i.e., DTSEQR routine), while the complex and challenging eigenvector computations will be addressed in a companion paper. The tasks from the various stages can concurrently run in an out-of-order fashion. The data dependencies are cautiously tracked by the dynamic runtime system environment QUARK, which ensures the dependencies are not violated for numerical correctness purposes. The obtained tile four-stage generalized symmetric eigenvalue solver significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art numerical libraries (up to 21-fold speed up against multithreaded LAPACK with optimized multithreaded MKL BLAS and up to 4-fold speed up against the corresponding routine from the commercial numerical software Intel MKL) on four sockets twelve cores AMD system with a 24000×24000 matrix size.
Improving Performance of Triangular Matrix-Vector BLAS Routines on GPUs
Authors: Karwacki Marek  , Stpiczyński Przemysław
Published: February 2025

CUBLAS is a widely used implementation of BLAS (Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms) for NVIDIA CUDA Graphical Processing Units (GPUs). The aim of this paper is to show that the performance of the selected Level 2 BLAS routines for working with triangular matrices can be improved using some optimization techniques suitable for GPUs like using shared memory and coalesced memory access. We present new implementations of the routines xTRMV and xTRSV. The results of experiments carried out on two GPU architectures: Tesla M2050 and GeForce GTX 260 show that these new implementations are up to 500% faster than corresponding routines from CUBLAS Library.
Exploiting Fine-Grain Parallelism in Recursive LU Factorization
Authors: Dongarra Jack  , Faverge Mathieu  , Ltaief Hatem  , Luszczek Piotr
Published: February 2025

The LU factorization is an important numerical algorithm for solving system of linear equations. This paper proposes a novel approach for computing the LU factorization in parallel on multicore architectures. It improves the overall performance and also achieves the numerical quality of the standard LU factorization with partial pivoting. While the update of the trailing submatrix is computationally intensive and highly parallel, the inherently problematic portion of the LU factorization is the panel factorization due to its memory-bound characteristic and the atomicity of selecting the appropriate pivots. We remedy this in our new approach to LU factorization of (narrow and tall) panel submatrices. We use a parallel fine-grained recursive formulation of the factorization. It is based on conflict-free partitioning of the data and lock-less synchronization mechanisms. Our implementation lets the overall computation naturally flow with limited contention. Our recursive panel factorization provides the necessary performance increase for the inherently problematic portion of the LU factorization of square matrices. A large panel width results in larger Amdahl's fraction as our experiments have revealed which is consistent with related efforts. The performance results of our implementation reveal superlinear speedup and far exceed what can be achieved with equivalent MKL and/or LAPACK routines.
Optimizations for Two-Phase Collective I/O
Authors: Kuhn Michael  , Kunkel Julian  , Tsujita Yuichi  , Muguruma Hidetaka  , Ludwig Thomas
Published: February 2025

The performance of parallel distributed file systems suffers from many clients executing a large number of operations in parallel, because the I/O subsystem can be easily overwhelmed by the sheer amount of incoming I/O operations. This, in turn, can slow down the whole distributed system.
Network Monitoring on Multicores with Algorithmic Skeletons
Authors: Danelutto M.  , Deri L.  , De Sensi D.
Published: February 2025

Monitoring network traffic on 10 Gbit networks requires very efficient tools capable of exploiting modern multicore computing architectures. Specialized network cards can accelerate packet capture and thus reduce the processing overhead, but they can not achieve adequate packet analysis performance. For this reason most monitoring tools cannot cope with high network speeds.
Folding applications into high dimensional torus networks
Authors: Arnold Lukas
Published: February 2025

Scientific HPC applications with next neighbour communication pattern can only benefit from torus networks, if the MPI ranks are properly arranged. Otherwise communication time penalties have to be taken into account, as the messaging distance lowers the network's performance. The impact of an individual mapping is shown in synthetic and application benchmarks, for the plasma physical codes PEPC, PSC, and RACOON. A general approach to rank mapping on high dimensional torus network is provided. This approach is based on the combination of spare network dimensions via space filling curves.