Extensible Software Research Articles

Caracterización y evolución del sistema playa-duna de la costa mediterránea de Andalucía (España): influencia de procesos naturales y actuaciones antrópicas

En las últimas décadas, los impactos relacionados con la erosión costera en las costas del mundo han aumentado significativamente debido al actual desarrollo costero y a la ocupación turística, así como a los eventos naturales de erosión/inundación acelerados por el cambio climático. Las costas oceánicas son entornos muy dinámicos y cambiantes, ya que muestran una gran variabilidad temporal y espacial en respuesta a la acción de diferentes y complejos procesos costeros. Esta variabilidad a escala temporal interanual está relacionada con las variaciones climáticas estacionales del oleaje, debido a distribuciones temporales y espaciales de tormentas de alta latitud y tormentas/huracanes tropicales, o son resultado de eventos con un gran período de retorno, como el impacto de tormentas y tsunamis muy energéticos, elevación del nivel del mar y variaciones en el suministro de sedimentos de los ríos. Para prevenir y reducir tales impactos, los gestores deben conocer la sensibilidad de los sectores costeros naturales, que está relacionada con la energía de las olas, las características/evolución de las playas y la tendencia del nivel del mar, así como la vulnerabilidad potencial y el valor económico de los sectores urbanizados.Este trabajo muestra la evolución costera y los impactos de las estructuras costeras y la caracterización y evolución de los sistemas dunares a lo largo de la costa mediterránea de Andalucía (España). Para ello, se definieron 47 unidades a lo largo de la costa de estudio, y se cuantificó la evolución de las tasas de evolución (erosión/acreción/estabilidad) para el período 1956-2016, mediante el uso de la extensión DSAS del software ArcGIS. Como resultado, 9 unidades registraron acreción, 19 erosión y 19 estabilidad y, en cuanto al balance de superficie de playa, 17 unidades presentaron balance positivo y 28 negativo con un balance neto de -29.738,4 m2/año. El análisis de la evolución costera evidenció el impacto de las estructuras sólidas: la acreción se observó principalmente aguas arriba de los puertos y espigones y en correspondencia con los rompeolas; la erosión se detectó aguas abajo de los puertos y espigones y en correspondencia con los malecones, revestimientos y deltas de los ríos más largos; la estabilidad se observó en las playas pequeñas y en las áreas costeras estabilizadas localmente por estructuras de protección y obras de sustento. Estos resultados se utilizaron para determinar la distribución de los sectores costeros alineados con la corriente y la deriva y la dirección principal del transporte de sedimentos.En cuanto a la caracterización y evolución de los sistemas dunares, se cartografiaron diferentes tipos de sistemas dunares, así como la posición y fragmentación de la punta de las dunas, y la ocupación y evolución humana desde 1977 hasta 2001 y desde 2001 hasta 2016. En total, se delimitaron 53 sistemas dunares. a lo largo de la costa mediterránea de Andalucía, diferenciando tres tipos: dunas embrionarias y móviles, dunas fijadas por herbáceas y dunas estabilizadas. Se observa un descenso generalizado de la superficie dunar en el periodo 1977-2001 (-7,5 x 106 m2), ligado al aumento de la ocupación antrópica (+2,3 x 106 m2), y fragmentación de las dunas, especialmente en las provincias de Málaga y Almería. Durante el período 2001-2016 se observaron cambios menores en el nivel de fragmentación y en la superficie de las dunas. Solo se observó un aumento de la superficie de dunas en playas estables o en acreción (4 de 53 sistemas de dunas), tanto en áreas naturales como antrópicas (generalmente aguas arriba de los puertos).

A study on hydogeomorphological status of kadalundi river basin in kerala using geospatial technology

Detailed hydro geomorphologic study has been carried out for Kadalundi River Basin in Kerala to understand the drainage pattern, spatial and temporal water availability using secondary data collected from different Departments. Geomorphological parameters have been estimated as a part of this study and it is found that Kadalundi river basin is a sixth order stream. The drainage pattern is complex with considerable variation in spatial arrangements, which are controlled by topography, slope, rock type and structural deformations. The basin is characterized by dendritic type of drainage pattern with variable density. The densest dendritic pattern is developed on the hard Charnockite and Gneissic rocks. In some areas, the drainage pattern is sub dendritic reflecting structural control. The existing land use pattern is derived from Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS – LISS II1, P6) using ERDAS software. Using hydrological toolset of Spatial Analyst, an extension of ArcGIS software, slope map, aspect map and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) have been derived. In addition, the basic thematic map on geology and soil also been derived.. For annual period, the rainfall varies from 1800- 4100 mm, 1400- 2600 mm for South –West monsoon period and 600-1100 mm for the North-East monsoon period.

Towards automatic finite-element methods for geodynamics via Firedrake

Abstract. Firedrake is an automated system for solving partial differential equations using the finite-element method. By applying sophisticated performance optimisations through automatic code-generation techniques, it provides a means of creating accurate, efficient, flexible, easily extensible, scalable, transparent and reproducible research software that is ideally suited to simulating a wide range of problems in geophysical fluid dynamics. Here, we demonstrate the applicability of Firedrake for geodynamical simulation, with a focus on mantle dynamics. The accuracy and efficiency of the approach are confirmed via comparisons against a suite of analytical and benchmark cases of systematically increasing complexity, whilst parallel scalability is demonstrated up to 12 288 compute cores, where the problem size and the number of processing cores are simultaneously increased. In addition, Firedrake's flexibility is highlighted via straightforward application to different physical (e.g. complex non-linear rheologies, compressibility) and geometrical (2-D and 3-D Cartesian and spherical domains) scenarios. Finally, a representative simulation of global mantle convection is examined, which incorporates 230 Myr of plate motion history as a kinematic surface boundary condition, confirming Firedrake's suitability for addressing research problems at the frontiers of global mantle dynamics research.

AnatomySketch: An Extensible Open-Source Software Platform for Medical Image Analysis Algorithm Development

The development of medical image analysis algorithm is a complex process including the multiple sub-steps of model training, data visualization, human–computer interaction and graphical user interface (GUI) construction. To accelerate the development process, algorithm developers need a software tool to assist with all the sub-steps so that they can focus on the core function implementation. Especially, for the development of deep learning (DL) algorithms, a software tool supporting training data annotation and GUI construction is highly desired. In this work, we constructed AnatomySketch, an extensible open-source software platform with a friendly GUI and a flexible plugin interface for integrating user-developed algorithm modules. Through the plugin interface, algorithm developers can quickly create a GUI-based software prototype for clinical validation. AnatomySketch supports image annotation using the stylus and multi-touch screen. It also provides efficient tools to facilitate the collaboration between human experts and artificial intelligent (AI) algorithms. We demonstrate four exemplar applications including customized MRI image diagnosis, interactive lung lobe segmentation, human-AI collaborated spine disc segmentation and Annotation-by-iterative-Deep-Learning (AID) for DL model training. Using AnatomySketch, the gap between laboratory prototyping and clinical testing is bridged and the development of MIA algorithms is accelerated. The software is opened at https://github.com/DlutMedimgGroup/AnatomySketch-Software.

A new active learning approach for adsorbate-substrate structural elucidation in silico.

Adsorbate interactions with substrates (e.g. surfaces and nanoparticles) are fundamental for several technologies, such as functional materials, supramolecular chemistry, and solvent interactions. However, modeling these kinds of systems in silico, such as finding the optimum adsorption geometry and energy, is challenging, due to the huge number of possibilities of assembling the adsorbate on the surface. In the current work, we have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) approach based on an active learning (AL) method for adsorption optimization on the surface of materials. AL uses machine learning (ML) regression algorithms and their uncertainties to make a decision (based on a policy) for the next unexplored structures to be computed, increasing, though, the probability of finding the global minimum with a small number of calculations. The methodology allows an accurate and automated structural elucidation of the adsorbate on the surface, based on the minimization of the total electronic energy. The new AL method for adsorption optimization was developed and implemented in the quantum machine learning software/agent for material design and discovery (QMLMaterial) program and was applied for C60@TiO2 anatase (101). It marks another software extension with a new feature in addition to the automatic structural elucidation of defects in materials and of nanoparticles as well. SCC-DFTB calculations were used to build the complex search surfaces with a reasonably low computational cost. An artificial neural network (NN) was employed in the AL framework evaluated together with two uncertainty quantification methods: K-fold cross-validation and non-parametric bootstrap (BS) resampling. Also, two different acquisition functions for decision-making were used: expected improvement (EI) and the lower confidence bound (LCB).

Optimized implementation for calculation and fast-update of Pfaffians installed to the open-source fermionic variational solver mVMC

In this article, we present a high performance, portable and well templated implementation for computing and fast-updating Pfaffian and inverse of an even-ranked skew-symmetric (antisymmetric) matrix. It is achieved with a skew-symmetric, blocked variant of the Parlett-Reid algorithm and a blocked update scheme based on the Woodbury matrix identity. Installation of this framework into the geminal-wavefunction-based many-variable Variational Monte Carlo (mVMC) code boosts sampling performance to up to more than 6 times without changing Markov chain's behavior. The implementation is based on an extension of the BLAS-like instantiation software (BLIS) framework which has optimized kernel for many state-of-the-art processors including Intel Skylake-X, AMD EPYC Rome and Fujitsu A64FX. Program summaryProgram title: Pfaffine and PfUpdates library for mVMC [1]CPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/rz9rs8cpws.1Developer's repository link:https://github.com/issp-center-dev/mVMC/tree/master/src/pfupdates, https://github.com/xrq-phys/PfaffineLicensing provisions: MPL-2.0 (for new Library part)Programming language: C++14 (for new Library part)Nature of problem: Finding a method for computing and updating Pfaffian and inverse of a skew-symmetric matrix that yields a high performance on modern processor architectures.Solution method: Deploying a blocked version of the Parlett-Reid algorithm with BLIS serving as assembly-level backend. Updating is approached using a modified Woodbury matrix identity.

Flukebook: an open-source AI platform for cetacean photo identification

Determining which species are at greatest risk, where they are most vulnerable, and what are the trajectories of their communities and populations is critical for conservation and management. Globally distributed, wide-ranging whales and dolphins present a particular challenge in data collection because no single research team can record data over biologically meaningful areas. Flukebook.org is an open-source web platform that addresses these gaps by providing researchers with the latest computational tools. It integrates photo-identification algorithms with data management, sharing, and privacy infrastructure for whale and dolphin research, enabling the global collaborative study of these global species. With seven automatic identification algorithms trained for 15 different species, resulting in 37 species-specific identification pipelines, Flukebook is an extensible foundation that continually incorporates emerging AI techniques and applies them to cetacean photo identification through continued collaboration between computer vision researchers, software engineers, and biologists. With over 2.0 million photos of over 52,000 identified individual animals submitted by over 250 researchers, the platform enables a comprehensive understanding of cetacean populations, fostering international and cross-institutional collaboration while respecting data ownership and privacy. We outline the technology stack and architecture of Flukebook, its performance on real-world cetacean imagery, and its development as an example of scalable, extensible, and reusable open-source conservation software. Flukebook is a step change in our ability to conduct large-scale research on cetaceans across biologically meaningful geographic ranges, to rapidly iterate population assessments and abundance trajectories, and engage the public in actions to protect them.

Developing Privacy Extensions: Is it Advocacy through the Web Browser?

In 2015, Edward Snowden recommended that ordinary citizens use adblocking software and an encryption-oriented privacy extension for their web browser to protect against surveillance. This paper critically explores how the development of privacy extension software for web browsers can be situated in relation to privacy advocacy. Privacy advocates are individuals who act on behalf of the citizenry to speak to governments and corporations about how our data are collected and processed. While the Snowden revelations began in 2013 and the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in 2018, privacy extensions remain underexplored in the literature on privacy advocacy. This paper shares findings from ethnographically informed interviews conducted with thirty developers and other knowledgeable experts who created twenty-six named privacy extensions. The privacy extensions explored included anti-tracking, hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), and privacy policy and password-related functionalities. Although privacy extensions are an imperfect set of tools to protect privacy, we argue that production of this software demonstrates an array of privacy advocacy strategies. Privacy extensions can be scaffolded upon previous resistance moves to surveillance by individuals, while also sometimes intersecting with traditional and expanded notions of collective action in the digital age.

Real-time and Recursive Estimators for Functional MRI Quality Assessment.

Real-time quality assessment (rtQA) of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based on blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes is critical for neuroimaging research and clinical applications. The losses of BOLD sensitivity because of different types of technical and physiological noise remain major sources of fMRI artifacts. Due to difficulty of subjective visual perception of image distortions during data acquisitions, a comprehensive automatic rtQA is needed. To facilitate rapid rtQA of fMRI data, we applied real-time and recursive quality assessment methods to whole-brain fMRI volumes, as well as time-series of target brain areas and resting-state networks. We estimated recursive temporal signal-to-noise ratio (rtSNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (rtCNR), and real-time head motion parameters by a framewise rigid-body transformation (translations and rotations) using the conventional current to template volume registration. In addition, we derived real-time framewise (FD) and micro (MD) displacements based on head motion parameters and evaluated the temporal derivative of root mean squared variance over voxels (DVARS). For monitoring time-series of target regions and networks, we estimated the number of spikes and amount of filtered noise by means of a modified Kalman filter. Finally, we applied the incremental general linear modeling (GLM) to evaluate real-time contributions of nuisance regressors (linear trend and head motion). Proposed rtQA was demonstrated in real-time fMRI neurofeedback runs without and with excessive head motion and real-time simulations of neurofeedback and resting-state fMRI data. The rtQA was implemented as an extension of the open-source OpenNFT software written in Python, MATLAB and C++ for neurofeedback, task-based, and resting-state paradigms. We also developed a general Python library to unify real-time fMRI data processing and neurofeedback applications. Flexible estimation and visualization of rtQA facilitates efficient rtQA of fMRI data and helps the robustness of fMRI acquisitions by means of substantiating decisions about the necessity of the interruption and re-start of the experiment and increasing the confidence in neural estimates.

Embedded Microprocessor Extension Design and Optimization for Real-Time Edge Computing

With the development of 5G communication technology, more and more applications could be integrated into one system. Edge computing system and mixed-criticality system may integrate tasks of different criticality levels, which brings better balance in isolation and performance. Such advantages make it gradually become a research hotspot in edge computing and real-time systems with 5G. The important content of designing a mixed-criticality system is how to reduce interference between tasks and how to schedule tasks efficiently to ensure that tasks of different criticality levels can meet time constraints. Instruction extension and hardware software cooperative support may be an effective solution. Based on a fine-grained multithreaded RISC-V processor, this article gives some extensions for real-time operations and proposes a hardware software cooperative real-time scheduling mechanism. Experimental results show that, compared with FlexPRET hardware, the performance of thread scheduling is improved by 22.94% on average. Compared with software scheduling, the performance of scheduling same programs and multiple programs are improved by 15.46% and 26.00%, respectively.

ACEstat: A DIY Guide to Unlocking the Potential of Integrated Circuit Potentiostats for Open-Source Electrochemical Analysis.

Miniaturization of analytical instrumentation is paramount to enabling convenient in-field sensing. The recent thrust in potentiostat miniaturization for electrochemical sensing and general use has led to the development of commercial application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that pack all the power of a benchtop instrument into one 5 mm × 5 mm chip. While the capabilities of these integrated circuits far exceed those of open-source potentiostats in the literature, the activation barrier for their implementation requires extensive electrical and software engineering expertise to overcome. In order to more rapidly bring the utility of ASIC potentiostats to researchers, we present a low size, weight, power, and cost (Low SWaP-C) Army Corps of Engineers potentiostat (ACEstat) based on the widely available ADuCM355 offered by Analog Devices. This potentiostat is a streamlined and fully programmable device that leverages industry-leading integrated hardware to perform electrochemical measurements such as cyclic voltammetry, pulse voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ACEstat enables control over a wide range of test parameters and displays results through an intuitive, open-source graphical user interface available on mobile devices and computers. In this report, we present an approachable, do-it-yourself guide to unlocking the capabilities of this integrated circuit potentiostat by outlining the fabrication and programming details necessary to facilitate electroanalysis. Furthermore, we demonstrate the practicality of this device by detecting 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in water at sub-mg/L detection limits, highlighting its potential for in-field use.

Two-loop prediction of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon in the Two-Higgs Doublet Model with GM2Calc 2

We present an extension of the GM2Calc software to calculate the muon anomalous magnetic moment ({a_mu ^{{text {BSM}}}}) in the Two-Higgs Doublet Model. The Two-Higgs Doublet Model is one of the simplest and most popular extensions of the Standard Model. It is one of the few single field extensions that can give large contributions to {a_mu ^{{text {BSM}}}}. It is essential to include two-loop corrections to explain the long standing discrepancy between the Standard Model prediction and the experimental measurement in the Two-Higgs Doublet Model. The new version GM2Calc 2 implements the state of the art two-loop calculation for the general, flavour violating Two-Higgs Doublet Model as well as for the flavour aligned Two-Higgs Doublet Model and the type I, II, X and Y flavour conserving variants. Input parameters can be provided in either the gauge basis or the mass basis, and we provide an easy to use SLHA-like command-line interface to specify these. Using this interface users may also select between Two-Higgs Doublet Model types and choose which contributions to apply. In addition, GM2Calc 2 also provides interfaces in C++, C, Python and Mathematica, to make it easy to interface with other codes.

Towards a Software Tool Supporting Decisions in Planning Heap Revitalization Processes

This paper presents an advanced risk management methodology which supports the planning of the revitalization process of post-mining heaps. More specifically, it supports decision-makers in the selection of the most advantageous revitalization actions with respect to the defined criteria embracing risk and cost–benefit parameters as well as different qualitative factors. This methodology was elaborated with a view to software implementation and is a good example of ICT adoption in emerging domains of application. The question is how to organize the revitalization decision process and support it with a software tool. The methodology and tool are based on three pillars: risk, cost–benefit, and qualitative criteria assessments of the considered revitalization actions in order to select the target for the implementation of the given heap. This paper presents the methodology implemented in the software as well as its validation on an extensive example. The steps described in the example allow the decision-maker to identify a target revitalization alternative. The conclusions focus on the solution’s feasibility and the software implementation and extensions.

Comparison of thermal performance of steel moment and eccentrically braced frames

Eccentrically braced frames (EBFs) are typically employed in seismic design because they integrate the benefits of concentrically braced frames and moment-resisting frames, providing both high elastic stiffness and high ductility. However, the effect of fire on the structural stability of EBFs has not been well documented. Object-oriented techniques used in software program development have become popular in recent years, primarily because of their ability in addressing various complexity issues. Software developed based on an object-oriented approach is more robust than conventional software. Using the abovementioned approach, additional codes can be incorporated, thereby simplifying testing, refining, maintenance, and software extension. Furthermore, the object-oriented approach can be used for finite element analysis. This paper presents the further development of OpenSees software with the inclusion of other parameters: thermal parallel material, thermal spring element, thermal spring section, as well as beam with hinges and thermal elements subjected to fire loading. In contrast to the routine creation of fire-specific applications, these modifications improve the existing finite-element codes, thereby facilitating multi-hazard analysis (e.g., post-earthquake fire). OpenSees is considered in this study as it is an open-source application and suitable for object-oriented design. The abovementioned elements, particularly spring elements, are used extensively in structural simulations (e.g., the modeling of a link beam in an EBF); however, owing to the lack of thermal functions for these elements in OpenSees, the thermal performance of structures that involve these elements cannot be evaluated. Herein, the aforementioned new elements are introduced for the first time; furthermore, the behavior of an EBF system is investigated under thermal loads using open-source software. The thermal performance of EBFs subjected to realistic fire is evaluated in this study based on an analytical modeling of a three-story building. Finally, several compartment fire scenarios are simulated for both EBFs and gravity framing bays. Results show that the EBFs improve the fire performance of the system by extending the time to collapse.

Analysing the Obstacles in Agile Software Development Approach: A Review

The development of reusable and extensible software for business purposes has been the hallmark of the day. More developers are taking advantage of numerous approaches towards reaching their goals. One such approach is the agile approach in the development of extensible applications which has become so popular since its introduction over a decade ago. Using an agile approach that has a defined value in developing applications portray numerous benefits which have been identified by various scholars pointing out their outcomes as motivating factors of its adoption. With all such outline benefits, there exist some potential obstacles to agile developmental approach which has not been fully addressed. Hence, this article is aimed at analysing the obstacles which software developers face during agile development through a database search and also to guide them on ways to overcome such obstacles.

IDACstar2.0: A MCNP application to perform realistic dose estimations from internal or external contamination with radiopharmaceuticals

The IDACstar (Internal Dose Assessment by Computer) software is a Monte Carlo based standalone MCNP input generator software developed to perform complex radiation dose calculations using both the paediatric and adult ICRP reference phantoms. An extension of the IDACstar software was applied to two different exposure scenarios. One of the scenarios was a hypothetical case of a contaminated diaper from urine of a 1-year old patient undergoing a diagnostic kidney examination with 99mTc-labelled mercaptoacetyl triglycerine (MAG3), which resulted in an effective dose estimate of 0.088 mSv to the child. The second case was a clinical case of 18F-FDG extravasation in an adult patient and applied to all 10 age-specific phantoms with weight-modified administrations of the radiopharmaceutical. The effective dose was estimated for the 15-, 10-, 5- and 1- year old as 5.1 mSv, 4.9 mSv, 4.7 mSv, and 4.7 mSv, respectively. The updated version of the IDACstar software provides the possibility of performing realistic dose estimations to paediatric patients from internal or external contamination with radiopharmaceuticals.

ГЕОІНФОРМАЦІЙНА ПІДСИСТЕМИ АСУ ЗБРОЙНИХ СИЛ УКРАЇНИ ЯК ІНСТРУМЕНТ ІНТЕРОПЕРАБЕЛЬНОСТІ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-АНАЛІТИЧНИХ СИСТЕМ ВІЙСЬКОВОГО ПРИЗНАЧЕННЯ

To solve the multi-vector tasks of military management it is necessary to use technologies that effectively combine space and time with significant accompanying data in the form of attributive information about operational facilities, background information about the theater (area) of hostilities, climatic conditions, intelligence and etc. It is for this purpose that the armies of many countries around the world use geographic information technology. To date, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have implemented a number of information and analytical systems that solve the problems of automation of mobilization deployment, defense planning, logistics, personnel, financial support, and all of them should be integrated into the Unified Automated Command and Control System (UACCS). Information in such information-analytical systems is processed at all levels of management according to the rules and algorithms developed in these systems. In the process of planning the use of troops (forces) involved a number of people responsible for certain areas of support. It is clear that the requirements for the submission of information to perform the tasks of a particular activity are different. In this situation, geographic information support is required to be able to create the necessary information environment for each individual official, without losing the properties of the management system for consistency and synchronization of all its elements. The implementation of this requirement is achieved by using a single core of geographic information software, which provides software developers and users with basic geographic information services and tools for their joint use in performing specialized tasks. In this case, the specified core should operate in a spatially distributed environment, be protected from external interference and be as accessible as possible to internal users in accordance with the established distribution of powers. The article considers the geo-information subsystem of the UACCS of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a tool to ensure interoperability with existing information and analytical systems in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and new ones planned for deployment, using other hardware and software. The service-oriented architecture of the geoinformation support subsystem of the military management system, which should consist of separate subject-oriented modules within the general system, uses functional components that are built into an open, extensible software and hardware platform to achieve interoperability using spatially distributed information. rules within the framework of basic services that support the exchange of messages, conversion of data for further dissemination (distribution) by publishing and subscribing to standard and specially designed design templates.

Fourier-domain dedispersion

We present and implement the concept of the Fourier-domain dedispersion (FDD) algorithm, a brute-force incoherent dedispersion algorithm. This algorithm corrects the frequency-dependent dispersion delays in the arrival time of radio emission from sources such as radio pulsars and fast radio bursts. Where traditional time-domain dedispersion algorithms correct time delays using time shifts, the FDD algorithm performs these shifts by applying phase rotations to the Fourier-transformed time-series data. Incoherent dedispersion to many trial dispersion measures (DMs) is compute-, memory-bandwidth-, and input-output-intensive, and dedispersion algorithms have been implemented on graphics processing units (GPUs) to achieve high computational performance. However, time-domain dedispersion algorithms have low arithmetic intensity and are therefore often memory-bandwidth-limited. The FDD algorithm avoids this limitation and is compute-limited, providing a path to exploit the potential of current and upcoming generations of GPUs. We implement the FDD algorithm as an extension of the DEDISP time-domain dedispersion software. We compare the performance and energy-to-completion of the FDD implementation using an NVIDIA Titan RTX GPU against both the standard version and an optimized version of DEDISP. The optimized implementation already provides a factor of 1.5 to 2 speedup at only 66% of the energy utilization compared to the original algorithm. We find that the FDD algorithm outperforms the optimized time-domain dedispersion algorithm by another 20% in performance and 5% in energy-to-completion when a large number of DMs (≳512) are required. The FDD algorithm provides additional performance improvements for fast-Fourier-transform-based periodicity surveys of radio pulsars, as the Fourier transform back to the time domain can be omitted. We expect that this computational performance gain will further improve in the future since the Fourier-domain dedispersion algorithm better matches the trends in technological advancements of GPU development.

Q<sup>2</sup>Chemistry: A quantum computation platform for quantum chemistry

Quantum computers provide new opportunities for quantum chemistry. In this article,we present a versatile, extensible, and efficient software package, named Q<sup>2</sup>Chemistry, for developing quantum algorithms and quantum inspired classical algorithms in the field of quantum chemistry. In Q<sup>2</sup>Chemistry, the wave function and Hamiltonian can be conveniently mapped into the qubit space, then quantum circuits can be generated corresponding to a specific quantum algorithm already implemented in the package or newly developed by the users. The generated circuits can be dispatched to either a physical quantum computer, if available, or to the internal virtual quantum computer realized by simulating quantum circuits on classical computers. As demonstrated by our benchmark simulations, Q<sup>2</sup>Chemistry achieves excellent performance in simulating medium scale quantum circuits using the matrix product state algorithm. Applications of Q<sup>2</sup>Chemistry to simulate molecules and periodic systems are given with performance analysis.

Analyzing physicians ratings and reviews landscape of a developing country (Pakistan)

Studies on online reviews and ratings of physicians by patients have so far been conducted only in the context of developed countries. Therefore, this study aims to identify popular Physicians Rating Websites (PRWs), study their characteristics and report prevalence, nature and distribution of online ratings and reviews in the context of a developing country (Pakistan). Most popular PRWs were identified and ratings and reviews were scraped using Link Klipper extension and Octoparse software. Scrapped data were then analyzed. Websites and their apps were explored and also a psychologist having profiles, ratings and reviews on chosen websites was also interviewed. Two PRWs (marham.pk and oladoc.com) are popular in Pakistan with an Alexa rank of less than 1000 in Pakistan at the time of the study, indicating high popularity. Oladoc has more profiles (15,069) as compared to Marham. However, it has less number of profiles with quantitative and narrative reviews, 23% and 11% as compared to 45% and 30.6% of Marham. Average ratings per rated doctor and average number of reviews per doctor are also greater on oladoc as compared to marham (66.32 and 22.93 as compared to 31.72 and 15.77), respectively. By removing profiles rated on both sites, there are 6,446 unique profiles on both sites which have received at least one rating which has been estimated to be about 3% of the doctors serving the country. It is concluded that online reviews and ratings of physicians is a new but increasing phenomenon. Many of the trends are issues in online ratings and reviews are same as those in the developed countries. As online reviews and ratings increase, the need to ensure objectivity and accuracy as well as user education will also increase, for which government bodies, professional associations of doctors and owners of PRWs will need to collaborate.