Cloud Computing and Open Source Software: Issues and Developments

Cloud computing is a global paradigm that is offering useful services in virtually all spheres of human endeavor based on infrastructure made available to users on demand. The cloud provides on demand, elastic and scalable resources to meet the needs of users. The cloud has application deployed by cloud service providers that can be accessed by several users at the same time. Cloud computing also offers a programming environment that allows users deploy and run their own in-house applications. Massive storage and computing resources are also available on the cloud. There are currently open source applications that can be used to implement cloud applications. The source code which can be improved on and adapted for use is available to the user online. Such open source software tools allow the deployment of cloud for any type of domain. The study was executed by means of review of some literature available on cloud computing and open source software. This paper examines present trends in cloud computing and open source software and provides a guide for future research. In the present work, the objective is to answer the following question: what is the current trend and development in cloud computing and open source software? The review’s finding is that OpenStack provides the most comprehensive infrastructure in cloud computing and open source software

Enhanced surface interaction of water confined in hierarchical porous polymers induced by hydrogen bonding

Hierarchical porous polymer systems are increasingly applied to catalysis, bioengineering, or separation technology because of the versatility provided by the connection of mesopores with percolating macroporous structures. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a suitable technique for the study of such systems as it can detect signals stemming from the confined liquid and translate this information into pore size, molecular mobility, and liquid−surface interactions. We focus on the properties of water confined in macroporous polymers of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate [poly- (EGDMA-co-HEMA)] with different amounts of cross-linkers, in which a substantial variation of hydroxyl groups is achieved. As soft polymer scaffolds may swell upon saturation with determined liquids, the use of NMR is particularly important as it measures the system in its operational state. This study combines different NMR techniques to obtain information on surface interactions of water with hydrophilic polymer chains. A transition from a surface-induced relaxation in which relaxivity depends on the pore size to a regime where the organic pore surface strongly restricts water diffusion is observed. Surface affinities are defined through the molecular residence times near the network surface.Fil: Silletta, Emilia Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Velasco, Manuel Isaac. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Stapf, Siegfried. Technische Universität Ilmenau; AlemaniaFil: Mattea, Carlos. Technische Universität Ilmenau; AlemaniaFil: Monti, Gustavo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Rodolfo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentin

Spatially Resolved Monitoring of Drying of Hierarchical Porous Organic Networks

Evaporation kinetics of water confined in hierarchal polymeric porous media is studied by low field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Systems synthesized with various degrees of cross-linker density render networks with similar pore sizes but different response when soaked with water. Polymeric networks with low percentage of cross-linker can undergo swelling, which affects the porosity as well as the drying kinetics. The drying process is monitored macroscopically by single-sided NMR, with spatial resolution of 100 μm, while microscopic information is obtained by measurements of spin?spin relaxation times (T2). Transition from a funicular to a pendular regime, where hydraulic connectivity is lost and the capillary flow cannot compensate for the surface evaporation, can be observed from inspection of the water content in different sample layers. Relaxation measurements indicate that even when the larger pore structures are depleted of water, capillary flow occurs through smaller voids.Fil: Velasco, Manuel Isaac. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Silletta, Emilia Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo En Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo En Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada.; ArgentinaFil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Stapf, Siegfried. Ilmenau University of Technology; AlemaniaFil: Monti, Gustavo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Mattea, Carlos. Ilmenau University of Technology; AlemaniaFil: Acosta, Rodolfo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentin

Impedance Adaptive Controller for a Prototype of a Whiplash Syndrome Rehabilitation Device

The objective of this study was to design of an output based impedance adaptive controller for a special class of cervical orthoses, a class of biomedical devices for the rehabilitation of neck illnesses. The controller used the adaptive sliding mode theory to enforce the tracking of the reference trajectory if the patient was not resistant to the therapy. If the patient rejects the orthosis activity, a second impedance-based controller governs the orthosis movement allowing the patient to take the leading role in the orthosis sequence of movements. The proposed controller considers a weighted controller combining the tracking and the impedance controls in a single structure. The monitoring of the external force was evaluated on a novel weighting function defining on-line the role of each controller. The proposed orthosis was motivated by the prevalence of whiplash, which is a syndrome that is produced by forced hyperextension and hyperflexion of the neck. This study included the development of a technological prototype of the orthotic type to support the recovery of patients diagnosed with whiplash. The sections that make up the orthotic device are two independent systems that move the patient’s head in the sagittal and frontal planes. For this purpose, the mechanical structure of the cervical orthosis was made up of 7 pieces printed in 3D with polylactic acid (PLA). The operation of the cervical orthosis was evaluated in two sections: (a) using a simulation system, which consists of a spring with an artificial head and the development of a graphic interface in Matlab, and (b) evaluating the controller on the proposed orthosis. With these elements, the follow-up of the trajectory proposed by the actuators was evaluated, as well as its performance in the face of the opposition that a patient generates. The superiority of the proposed controller was confirmed by comparing the tracking efficiency with proportional-integral-derivative and first-order sliding variants

Cell viability assay in corneal endothelium

Resumen del póster publicado en el II Annual Meeting CINBIO abstracts book [Internet], p. 65[Abstract] Introduction: Endothelium is the inner layer of the cornea, which must be viable for transplanting. The limited availability of corneas makes necessary the developing of preservation techniques that allow a long storage without losing endothelial viability.Objectives: Optimization of a cell viability assay in preserved corneas.Methods: One half of an endothelium from a cornea that was storage in hypothermic conditions and an endothelium of a cryopreserved cornea were stained with LIVE/DEAD imaging kit and Hoechst. The other half of endothelium was the negative control. Corneal endothelia were imaged using a fluorescence microscope.Results: Four sort of cells were visualized on both endothelia: viable cells with high esterase activity, intermediate cells with low esterase activity, non-viable cells without esterase activity, and cells only stained by Hoechst. Conclusions: Triple stain is effectiveto detect different sort of cells in endothelium of preserved corneas, included viable cells, depending on their esterase enzymatic activity and on cell and nuclear membrane damage

WORKPLACE STRESS AND PERCEIVED STRATEGIES THAT SCHOOL PRINCIPALS USE IN HANDLING TEACHERS' WORK-RELATED STRESSORS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

School teachers can experience stress at work and outside of work for a variety of reasons. This study investigated workplace stress and perceived strategies that school leaders use in handling work-related stressors in secondary schools in Anambra state. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. A total of 1,180 teachers were chosen from a population of 6,887 secondary school teachers. The data collection instrument is a questionnaire separated into three sub-sections: A, B, and C. The data was gathered by delivering the test instruments directly to the respondents, and the data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Means and standard deviations were used to answer research questions 1 and 2, while percentages were used to answer research question 3. The results indicated among others, that majority of study respondents choose “improved career development” as their top perceived approach that school principals use in handling teachers' work-related stressors. Based on the study, the researcher suggests that school principals strive to incorporate long-term preventive stress control strategies that improve teachers' mental wellness and well-being, such as exploring professional and family support and counselling. JEL: J24; I20; I25 Article visualizations

ESTIMATES OF ANNUAL FOOD CONSUMPTION/BIOMASS RATIO (Q/B) FROM THE FISH FAUNA OF A MANGROVE ESTUARY IN NORTH BRAZIL

Para contribuir para a construção de um modelo de balanço trófico, as estimativas das relações de consumo de alimentos por unidade de biomassa (Q/B) foram compiladas para 37 espécies de peixes do estuário do Curuçá selecionados no Norte do Brasil usando um modelo empírico. As amostras foram coletadas bimestralmente entre Julho de 2003 e Julho de 2004 no canal principal e áreas intertidais usando uma rede de arrasto modelo “otter trawl” e uma rede “fyke”, respectivamente. O aspect ratio da nadadeira caudal variou entre 0,8 para Poecilia vivipara e 4,6 para Sciades herzbergii e o Q/B variou de 2,3 para Epinephelus itajara para 67,3 para Cetengraulis edentulus. Este estudo representa a primeira referência disponível dos valores de Q/B para 29 espécies de peixes. Esta compilação de Q/B deveria ser utilizada para a construção de modelos de Ecopath específicos para condições tropicais.Palavras-chaves: consumo/biomassa; aspect ratio; modelo trófico; ictiofauna; Ecopath.To contribute to mass balanced trophic model parametrization, estimates of annual food consumption/biomass ratio (Q/B) were compiled for 37 selected fish species of the Curuçá Estuary in Northern Brazil using an empirical model. Samples were taken bimonthly between July 2003 and July 2004 in the main channel and intertidal creeks using an otter trawl and a fyke net, respectively. The aspect ratio of the caudal fin varied between 0.8 for Poecilia vivipara and 4.6 for Sciades herzbergii and the Q/B ranged from 2.3 for Epinephelus itajara to 67.3 for Cetengraulis edentulus. This study represents the first reference available on Q/B values of 29 fish species. This compilation of Q/B ratio presented here should be useful for construction of Ecopath models particularly in tropical conditions.Keywords: consumption/biomass; aspect ratio; trophic models; Ecopath

Evaluation of Internal Audit Operations and the Efficiency of Educational Performance in Nigerian Universities (A Case Study of Ekiti State University, Nigeria)

This project was designed to investigate the relevance of internal audit operations in Nigerian universities to find out the extent to which an effective internal audit role has benefited the performance of the university system and how it could be used as an instrument to improve the management of the university. This was generated off by an unprecedented line up of corporate failures in the university system and how internal auditors have been belittled in the time of policy formulation and project implementation. The research employed survey research design by which data were generated through an administered questionnaire on the staff of the Internal Audit department as well as the review of available documents and records of the Ekiti State University. The data analysis used descriptive statistics and percentage analysis, and the hypotheses were tested using the t-test statistic. The research employed statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software version 17.0 in the analysis of data and test of hypotheses which showed that internal audit operation has a relationship with the performance of the university system (t-cal = 17.306 > t-crit = 2.353 at 5% level of significance). The research is to contribute to new knowledge by describing the internal audit profile of the Nigerian Universities to assist the university management in policy formulation and execution of projects that will lead to a better chance to maintain world-class educational societies. The research conclusion was based on the findings that there is a significant relationship between the internal audit operations and the performance of the university system, and that the management must always seek the opinion and indulgence of the internal audit department before they engage in the formulation and implementation of any policy and execution of any project

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission and ultrasound-defined active synovitis exhibit higher disease activity and increased serum levels of angiogenic biomarkers.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to identify and characterize subclinical synovitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission using power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) and serum levels of biomarkers of inflammation and/or angiogenesis. METHODS: We selected patients with RA in clinical remission defined as a Disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) <2.6 for more than six months tested by two independent rheumatologists. Clinical, epidemiological, demographic and serological data were analyzed. PDUS of knees and hands was performed by a sonographer. Synovial hypertrophy (SH) and PDUS signal were scored (grades 0 to 3). SH ≥2 and a PDUS signal was classified as active synovitis. Serum levels of biomarkers of inflammation/angiogenesis were determined by Quantibody Human Array. RESULTS: This study included 55 patients, of whom 25 (45.4%) met criteria for ultrasound-defined active synovitis. Patients with active synovitis had higher DAS28-C reactive protein (P = 0.023), DAS28-ESR (P = 0.06), simplified disease activity score, SDAI (P = 0.064), and only 12% were taking oral glucocorticoids (≤5 mg/day) compared with 40% of patients without active synovitis (P = 0.044). Patients with synovitis also had significantly higher serum levels of the angiogenic biomarkers angiopoietin-2 (P = 0.038), vascular endothelial growth factor-D (P = 0.018), placental growth factor (P = 0.043), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (P = 0.035), matrix metallopeptidase-2 (P = 0.027) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) (P = 0.007), but not of pro-inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of the patients with RA in clinical remission had ultrasound-defined active synovitis, higher disease activity and less frequent oral glucocorticoid consumption than patients without active synovitis. This clinical situation was associated with a specific biological profile characterized by an excess of angiogenic mediators rather than persistent proinflammatory cytokine responses