Original Program Research Articles

Programming Numerical Methods in Turbo Basic

Numerical computing is an approach to solving complex mathematical problems, including solving complex systems of differential and simple equations, calculating complex integrals, etc., using only simple arithmetic operations. This approach involves formulating mathematical models of physical situations that can be solved using arithmetic operations. It requires the development, analysis, and use of algorithms, programmed in computer programming languages. The main task of using a numerical solution method is to find a solution with the required accuracy. Numerical methods are also used to approximate mathematical procedures because it is impossible to solve the procedure analytically, as the analytical method is unsolvable. In this article, the author presents original programs, written in Turbo Basic, which allow to numerically solve any differential equation, any system of differential equations, solve any equation and calculate complex integrals.

Syntax-preserving program slicing for C-based software product lines

Program slicing is a well-established technique for identifying a reduced subset of a program based on pre-defined criteria, leading to complexity reduction in subsequent activities. Despite extensive study over the past 40 years, slicing techniques for software product lines (SPLs) remain notably scarce. The absence of dedicated SPL slicing approaches hinders their efficient analysis and maintenance, limiting the ability to focus only on relevant parts of the SPL. One reason for this deficiency is the complex nature of a common variability implementation: the use of C preprocessor #ifdef-annotations within C code. A slicing approach for C-based SPLs must address the intricate interplay between the C code and the functionality introduced by the C preprocessor. Effectively handling these intricacies will unleash the full potential of SPL analysis. In this paper, we present a novel syntax-preserving program slicing approach for C-based SPLs. Unlike existing methods, our approach enables the computation of program slices through an integrated analysis of both C and CPP code, while preserving the original program syntax (no element of its syntax is disregarded or changed). This preservation ensures that the resulting program slices remain authentic subsets of the SPL, making them suitable inputs for variability-aware analyses. Additionally, we demonstrate the practical applicability of these slices in the context of software transplantation, showcasing their potential for facilitating functionality transfer between different program versions. In contrast to existing transplantation approaches, our solution works without test cases, removing the need for product configuration and execution. Consequently, the variability implementation (along with all other contained preprocessor code) is preserved during the transplantation. We empirically evaluate our approach on four distinct open-source SPLs, showcasing its effectiveness in generating diverse program slices tailored to different slicing criteria. We asses the accuracy of our code representation, the time required for slicing and transplantation, the size reduction achieved through the slices, and the functionality of our variability-aware transplantation approach.

Failure Mechanism and Control Technology of the Primary Support for Asymmetric Deformation Disaster of Deep Tunnel

Asymmetric large deformation disasters inevitably occur when highway tunnels cross active fault zones. Relying on the Nanlangshan No.1 Tunnel Project, the mechanism of asymmetric deformation is analyzed based on the in-situ engineering geology and tunnel monitoring data, and numerical calculations are used for verification. Based on the results of asymmetric large deformation disaster analysis, the control scheme of double-layer primary support is proposed, and the design is optimized with numerical calculation before engineering practice. The conclusions are as follows: 1. The original primary support program cannot withstand the asymmetric surrounding rock pressure, and the slip of the weak interlayer in the engineering geology is the main reason for the asymmetric deformation disaster in the tunnel. 2. According to the results of the numerical calculations, the tilted weak interlayer greatly reduces the stability of the surrounding rock, which leads to the local bending damage in the left shoulder of the tunnel, and the local shear deformation damage in the right arch girdle. 3. When using the double-layer primary support program, the appropriate delay of support timing for the second layer of primary support can effectively decrease the tunnel asymmetric deformation. However, if the second layer of primary support lag distance is too large, it will also lead to tunnel deformation convergence larger, or support failure and other issues. So, it is recommended that the second layer of primary support lags behind the first layer of primary support by 2 m to be applied.

Synchronization Optimization of Pipeline Layout and Pipe Diameter Selection in a Drip Irrigation Network System Based on the Jaya Algorithm

To address the complexity and high computational burden in the design of drip irrigation networks, the Jaya algorithm is utilized to study factors affecting project costs, including equipment and pipeline depreciation and the operation and management costs of the irrigation area. A mathematical model of synchronization optimal design of pipe layout and pipe diameter selection in a drip irrigation network system with constraints on pipe diameter, flow velocity, and pipe pressure is established. Using an irrigation district in Xinjiang, China, as an example, the Jaya algorithm optimization design program was run independently 50 times, and the relative deviation of each optimization result from the optimal solution was calculated. The results show that the annual cost per unit area o is reduced to 635.99 RMB/hm2, a 25.34% reduction compared to the original engineering program, and the investment-saving effect is obvious. The relative deviation is controlled within 3%, which shows that the algorithm has stable convergence performance and can meet the requirements of actual engineering design. The Jaya algorithm eliminates the need for parameter tuning, and it excels in cost savings, algorithm stability, and computational accuracy, making it an effective method for the single-objective optimization design of drip irrigation networks.

Control-Flow Deobfuscation using Trace-Informed Compositional Program Synthesis

Code deobfuscation, which attempts to simplify code that has been intentionally obfuscated to prevent understanding, is a critical technique for downstream security analysis tasks like malware detection. While there has been significant prior work on code deobfuscation, most techniques either do not handle control flow obfuscations that modify control flow or they target specific classes of control flow obfuscations, making them unsuitable for handling new types of obfuscations or combinations of existing ones. In this paper, we study a new deobfuscation technique that is based on program synthesis and that can handle a broad class of control flow obfuscations. Given an obfuscated program P, our approach aims to synthesize a smallest program that is a control-flow reduction of P and that is semantically equivalent. Since our method does not assume knowledge about the types of obfuscations that have been applied to the original program, the underlying synthesis problem ends up being very challenging. To address this challenge, we propose a novel trace-informed compositional synthesis algorithm that leverages hints present in dynamic traces of the obfuscated program to decompose the synthesis problem into a set of simpler subproblems. In particular, we show how dynamic traces can be useful for inferring a suitable control-flow skeleton of the deobfuscated program and performing independent synthesis of each basic block. We have implemented this approach in a tool called Chisel and evaluate it on 546 benchmarks that have been obfuscated using combinations of six different obfuscation techniques. Our evaluation shows that our approach is effective and that it produces code that is almost identical (modulo variable renaming) to the original (non-obfuscated) program in 86% of cases. Our evaluation also shows that Chisel significantly outperforms existing techniques.

FlowCert: Translation Validation for Asynchronous Dataflow via Dynamic Fractional Permissions

Coarse-grained reconfigurable arrays (CGRAs) have gained attention in recent years due to their promising power efficiency compared to traditional von Neumann architectures. To program these architectures using ordinary languages such as C, a dataflow compiler must transform the original sequential, imperative program into an equivalent dataflow graph, composed of dataflow operators running in parallel. This transformation is challenging since the asynchronous nature of dataflow graphs allows out-of-order execution of operators, leading to behaviors not present in the original imperative programs. We address this challenge by developing a translation validation technique for dataflow compilers to ensure that the dataflow program has the same behavior as the original imperative program on all possible inputs and schedules of execution. We apply this method to a state-of-the-art dataflow compiler targeting the RipTide CGRA architecture. Our tool uncovers 8 compiler bugs where the compiler outputs incorrect dataflow graphs, including a data race that is otherwise hard to discover via testing. After repairing these bugs, our tool verifies the correct compilation of all programs in the RipTide benchmark suite.

Whole Mitochondrial DNA Sequencing Using Fecal Samples from Domestic Dogs

Medical care for domestic dogs is now respected worldwide as being at a similar level to that of humans. We previously established a test method to determine whole mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) using oral mucosal DNA that may be useful for medical care and welfare. However, the sample types tested in dogs are not limited to those obtained from the oral mucosa. Therefore, in the present study, we attempted to establish a test method to determine whole mtDNA sequences using feces, which represents the least invasive specimen. Two Japanese domestic dogs were used in the present study. DNA was extracted from approximately 100 mg of fresh feces from each dog, and PCRs were performed using four primer pairs that can amplify whole mtDNA. Following PCR, amplicons were pooled to create a DNA library using an experimental robot with an original program. Data were then acquired via NGS and data analysis was performed. The results showed that the whole mtDNA sequence of the two dogs was determined with high accuracy. Our results suggest that feces can be adapted for mitochondrial disease and individual identification testing and could serve as a useful testing method for the future medical care and welfare of domestic dogs.

Computer Graphical Representation of Complex Mathematical Functions in Turbo Basic

Computer graphic representation of complex mathematical functions plays an important role in the spatial perception of these functions by students. On the other hand, the diversity of spatial forms of complex functions and their beauty allows their use in the design of various architectural and advertising projects. In this article, the author presents an original program written in Turbo Basic, which allows building a spatial image of any given complex mathematical function on the computer screen.

Coordinated active-reactive power optimization considering photovoltaic abandon based on second order cone programming in active distribution networks

On the basis of predecessors’ coordination optimization of active and reactive power in distribution network, For the necessity of the optimal operation in the distribution network, part of power generated from photovoltaic (PV) cannot be sold to users, and cannot enjoy subsidies. Similarly, the network loss in the power transmission will also bring a certain economic loss. This paper comprehensively considers the economic loss caused by the network loss and PV abandon of the distribution system, and establishes a model to minimize the economic loss. To solve this problem efficiently, the method of DistFlow equation and mixed integer second order cone programming (MISOCP) is used to solve the problem, in this method, the original mixed integer nonlinear programming non-convex problem is transformed into a convex problem, which makes the optimization problem easy to solve. The modified IEEE 33 and IEEE 69 distribution networks are tested by the above method. The optimized results are able to meet the target and have very small relaxation gaps, and the voltage level is also optimized. This coordinated optimization approach helps to optimize the economic operation for active distribution networks with PVs.

International Initiatives of the American Heart Association: Original Concepts, Present Programs, and Future Focus: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association.

The American Heart Association (AHA), founded in 1924, is anchored in the core belief that scientific research can lead the way to better prevention, treatment, recovery, and ultimately a cure for cardiovascular disease. Historically, the association's involvement in international efforts centered on scientific cooperation. Activities mostly involved AHA leadership presenting at international scientific meetings and leaders from other countries sharing scientific and medical information at AHA meetings. Although the AHA's and American Stroke Association's international efforts have expanded substantially since those early days, global knowledge exchange remains the bedrock of its international endeavors. As the AHA turns 100, we reflect on the successful global efforts in prevention, resuscitation, global advocacy, quality improvement, and health equity that have guided the organization to a place of readiness for "advancing health and hope, for everyone, everywhere." Motivated by the enormous potential for population health gains in an aging world, the AHA is entering its second century with redoubled commitment to improving global cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health for all.

The Couples Coping Enhancement Training – Sexual Minority Stress (CCET-SMS) Relationship Education Program: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Evidence of Effectiveness

Individuals with diverse and traditionally underrepresented sexual orientations – those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) – experience compounded stress due to their marginalized identity in a heteronormative society. Such stressors, which include but are not limited to discrimination and internalized heterosexism, increase risks for various affective disorders and negatively impact relationship functioning. Empirically supported relationship education programs, including the Couples Coping Enhancement Training (CCET), have been found efficacious in increasing psychological and relationship well-being; however, the original CCET and related education programs do not specifically target how couples can identify, communicate, and cope with sexual minority stressors. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evidence of effectiveness of the Couples Coping Enhancement Training – Sexual Minority Stress (CCET-SMS) relationship education program. Results from nine couples showed trends in decreased reports of sexual minority stress and general distress, and significant increases in reports of positive dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. Additional results based on the program feasibility and acceptability along with limitations and suggestions for future directions are presented.

Massively Parallel Computational Chemistry with the Super Instruction Architecture and ACES4.

The task of developing high-performing parallel software must be made easier and more cost-effective in order to fully exploit existing and emerging large-scale computer systems for the advancement of science. The Super Instruction Architecture (SIA) is a parallel programming platform geared toward applications that need to manage large amounts of data stored in potentially sparse multidimensional arrays during calculations. The SIA platform was originally designed for the quantum chemistry software package ACESIII. More recently, the SIA was reimplemented to overcome the limitations in the original ACESIII program. It has now been successfully employed in the new ACES4 quantum chemistry software package. This paper describes the SIA and ACES4 and illustrates their capabilities with some difficult quantum chemistry open-shell coupled-cluster benchmark calculations.

An exploration of the concept of constrained improvement in data envelopment analysis

Constrained improvement refers to regulating rivalry between companies in a particular industry by defining a framework or an evaluation mechanism. Such a mechanism results in a more equitable and healthy competitive environment. The primary motivation is that the best-performing players in a particular industry improve their performance such that the rest of the contenders remain competitive. This study investigates the concept of constrained improvement from a frontier analysis perspective, develops a systematic implementation framework, and explores a novel application of sensitivity analysis in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Original programming approaches are developed to discover the stability region considering a variable returns to scale. The objective is to determine the extent to which the input and output of a decision-making unit (DMU) can be improved or worsened before the configuration of the efficient frontier changes. Furthermore, the permissible change radius for the decision-making unit is identified, considering all possible change directions. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated using numerical examples.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the universal Welch Emotional Connection Screen using primary and bilingual Spanish-speaking coders of videotaped mother-child interactions.

Using clear explicit translatable language, we translated the Welch Emotional Connection Screen into a new universal language instrument, the English uWECS. In this study, we had two aims: Aim 1 was to establish concurrent validity of the uWECS by comparing scores coded by primary Spanish-speaking coders using the Spanish translation of the uWECS to scores coded by bilingual, secondary Spanish-speaking coders using the oWECS. Aim 2 was to establish the criterion-related validity in terms of oWECS and uWECS performance in tracking change in autonomic emotional connection (AEC) during the course of an intervention among preschool aged children. We created a library of 52 five-minute Spanish-speaking mother-child videos that were collected during a randomized controlled trial of Mother-Child Emotional Preparation intervention (MCEP). The videos were collected at two time points, at enrollment and at a 6-month follow-up. The subsample of Primary Spanish-Speaking dyads from the MCEP study were coded by two independent teams of coders. We trained primary English-speaking (bilingual Spanish) coders on the oWECS, using the original training program. A different team of primary Spanish-speaking coders coded the same cases using the novel uWECS guide and trained briefly for reliability with the Spanish uWECS translation materials. We found that the Spanish oWECS and Spanish uWECS ratings from the baseline and 6-month follow-up observations were robustly correlated, with intraclass correlations ranging from .81 to .84 and all p-values<.001, thus demonstrating sound concurrent validity for the uWECS. The oWECS and uWECS scores also achieved parallel results when evaluating the efficacy of the MCEP for primary Spanish-speaking dyads. Both the AEC scores of the oWECS [F(1, 27) = 4.31, p < .05] and the scores of the uWECS [F(1,27) = 4.06, p < .05] similarly demonstrated significant change post intervention, thus demonstrating sound criterion-related validity of the uWECS. These findings demonstrate that the uWECS can be used to measure parent/child AEC in linguistically diverse populations and cultures.

Real-world implementation of the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise: what do football teams modify and why?

ObjectivesTo evaluate the use and modification of the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise in football (soccer) teams, including the reasons for modification and alternate injury-prevention strategies.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, staff members from...

An automated OpenMP mutation testing framework for performance optimization

Performance optimization continues to be a challenge in modern HPC software. Existing performance optimization techniques, including profiling-based and auto-tuning techniques, fail to indicate program modifications at the source level thus preventing their portability across compilers. This paper describes Muppet, a new approach that identifies program modifications called mutations aimed at improving program performance. Muppet’s mutations help developers reason about performance defects and missed opportunities to improve performance at the source code level. In contrast to compiler techniques that optimize code at intermediate representations (IR), Muppet uses the idea of source-level mutation testing to relax correctness constraints and automatically discover optimization opportunities that otherwise are not feasible using the IR. We demonstrate the Muppet’s concept in the OpenMP programming model. Muppet generates a list of OpenMP mutations that alter the program parallelism in various ways, and is capable of running a variety of optimization algorithms such as delta debugging, Bayesian Optimization and decision tree optimization to find a subset of mutations which, when applied to the original program, cause the most speedup while maintaining program correctness. When Muppet is evaluated against a diverse set of benchmark programs and proxy applications, it is capable of finding sets of mutations that induce speedup in 75.9% of the evaluated programs.

Customised bus service design considering flexible vehicle size and transfer incentivization

In this study, the flexible vehicle size and transfer incentivization strategies are incorporated to increase the potential of the customised bus system. In detail, the modular vehicle system is adopted for flexible vehicle size design since it can be connected as the assembled bus in response to demand variation. Also, the transfer among buses is considered to group passengers with the same destinations to increase bus utilisation. However, the passengers will not actively transfer as it is viewed as a disutility. Thus, the incentivization is provided and the transfer demand is elastic under incentivization. We jointly optimise passenger-route assignment, vehicle size, and incentivization scheme by transforming the original nonlinear programming model into a mixed integer linear programming model. Then, to solve the larger case study, the modified ant colony system algorithm is also proposed. The experiments validate the superiority of customised bus service considering flexible vehicle size and transfer incentivization.

Compiler-Driven FPGA Virtualization with SYNERGY

FPGAs are increasingly common in modern applications, and cloud providers now support on-demand FPGA acceleration in datacenters. Applications in datacenters run on virtual infrastructure, where consolidation, multi-tenancy, and workload migration enable economies of scale that are fundamental to the provider's business. However, a general strategy for virtualizing FPGAs has yet to emerge. While manufacturers struggle with hardware-based approaches, we propose a compiler/runtime-based solution called Synergy. We show a compiler transformation for Verilog programs that produces code able to yield control to software atsub-clock-tickgranularity according to the semantics of the original program. Synergy uses this property to efficiently support core virtualization primitives: suspend and resume, program migration, and spatial/temporal multiplexing, on hardware which is availabletoday.We use Synergy to virtualize FPGA workloads across a cluster of Intel SoCs and Xilinx FPGAs on Amazon F1. The workloads require no modification, run within 3--4x of unvirtualized performance, and incur a modest increase in FPGA fabric usage.

Integrated operating room planning and scheduling: an ILP-Based off-line approach for emergency responsiveness at a local hospital in Naples

This paper addresses a real-world Integrated Operating Room Planning and Scheduling (IORPS) problem encountered by a local hospital in Naples, characterized by stringent emergency management constraints, requiring treatment initiation within a 20-minute time-window. We tackle this problem by an original Integer Linear Programming formulation, capable of dealing with different operating room management strategies (open, block and block-modified). Our work differs from conventional cost-focused models by adopting a patient-oriented objective function, aligning with public hospitals obligations. The proposed method has been validated using real-world data provided by the hospital. The performed experimentation demonstrates the efficiency of the approach, capable of determining the optimal solution within an acceptable computation time that aligns with hospital requirements. Moreover, it also highlights the relevance of using our optimization approach to reduce delays in emergency responsiveness. This confirms its practical usage as a substitute for the current manual procedure.

&lt;그것이 알고 싶다&gt;의 제목 특성 연구

This study aims to analyze the characteristics of the titles of the TV program &lt;The unanswered questions&gt;. Titles not only guide the content but also play a crucial role in engaging with viewers. On YouTube, thumbnail images and informative titles attract viewers' attention and encourage them to watch. Titles significantly influence viewers' decisions and have a major impact on content selection. Depending on the title, viewers' perspectives can change, affecting their reactions. This paper focuses on analyzing the titles of each episode of &lt;The unanswered questions&gt; uploaded to YouTube, comparing them with the titles of the TV program to examine their types and characteristics. The study also compares the thumbnail captions and titles of the condensed “Short the unanswered questions” episodes with the original TV program titles to analyze their features. Titles significantly influence users' content selection and attract viewers. First, an analysis of the thumbnail captions revealed that they are short, highly readable, and encapsulate the video's content. In contrast, the YouTube video titles are longer and more detailed, aiming to pique viewers' interest and curiosity. Titles serve to convey information, attract attention, provoke questions, and facilitate interaction. The most frequently used word in the titles is “truth,” reflecting the identity of &lt;The unanswered questions&gt;. Through the analysis of &lt;The unanswered questions&gt; titles, it was found that titles play a crucial role not only in summarizing content but also in providing additional information not included in the thumbnails, thereby enabling interaction with users.