Making Data Storage Efficient in the Era of Cloud Computing

We enter the era of cloud computing in the last decade, as many paradigm shifts are happening on how people write and deploy applications. Despite the advancement of cloud computing, data storage abstractions have not evolved much, causing inefficiencies in performance, cost, and security. This dissertation proposes a novel approach to make data storage efficient in the era of cloud computing by building new storage abstractions and systems that bridge the gap between cloud computing and data storage and simplify development. We build four systems to address four data inefficiencies in cloud computing. The first system, Grandet, solves the data storage inefficiency caused by the paradigm shift from upfront provisioning to a variety of pay-as-you-go cloud services. Grandet is an extensible storage system that significantly reduces storage costs for web applications deployed in the cloud. Under the hood, it supports multiple heterogeneous stores and unifies them by placing each data object at the store deemed most economical. Our results show that Grandet reduces their costs by an average of 42.4%, and it is fast, scalable, and easy to use. The second system, Unic, solves the data inefficiency caused by the paradigm shift from single-tenancy to multi-tenancy. Unic securely deduplicates general computations. It exports a cache service that allows cloud applications running on behalf of mutually distrusting users to memoize and reuse computation results, thereby improving performance. Unic achieves both integrity and secrecy through a novel use of code attestation, and it provides a simple yet expressive API that enables applications to deduplicate their own rich computations. Our results show that Unic is easy to use, speeds up applications by an average of 7.58x, and with little storage overhead. The third system, Lambdata, solves the data inefficiency caused by the paradigm shift to serverless computing, where developers only write core business logic, and cloud service providers maintain all the infrastructure. Lambdata is a novel serverless computing system that enables developers to declare a cloud function's data intents, including both data read and data written. Once data intents are made explicit, Lambdata performs a variety of optimizations to improve speed, including caching data locally and scheduling functions based on code and data locality. Our results show that Lambdata achieves an average speedup of 1.51x on the turnaround time of practical workloads and reduces monetary cost by 16.5%. The fourth system, CleanOS, solves the data inefficiency caused by the paradigm shift from desktop computers to smartphones always connected to the cloud. CleanOS is a new Android-based operating system that manages sensitive data rigorously and maintains a clean environment at all times. It identifies and tracks sensitive data, encrypts it with a key, and evicts that key to the cloud when the data is not in active use on the device. Our results show that CleanOS limits sensitive-data exposure drastically while incurring acceptable overheads on mobile networks

Blockchain in Education

This report introduces the fundamental principles of the Blockchain focusing on its potential for the education sector. It explains how this technology may both disrupt institutional norms and empower learners. It proposes eight scenarios for the application of the Blockchain in an education context, based on the current state of technology development and deployment.JRC.B.4-Human Capital and Employmen

Knowledge management in higher education: a case study using a stakeholder approach

Provided that valuable knowledge is: collected from all existing sources including people, systems, databases, file cabinets, etc.; it is stored, categorized and organized; and it is disseminated to those people and systems that need it; “The right knowledge would reach the right person or system at the right time” (Seiner, 2000) and businesses would be transformed into knowledge organizations and economies into knowledge economies. This is in fact the global business phenomenon of our modern world economy (Malhotra, 2003); or at least we aspire that it will be. The wealth of today’s businesses and modern nations lies on their competences and capabilities as knowledge-based economies (Boisot, 1998). Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are increasingly exposed to marketplace pressures, in a similar way to other businesses, and the environment in which they are operating today has also changed drastically (Kara & DeShields, 2004), (Cranfield & Taylor, 2008); they experience intense pressure and are required to respond to the global integration (Blose, et al., 2005). The strategic management of knowledge of a university may provide the competitive advantage that universities need and has potentially several benefits to offer to higher education in general. Knowledge Management (KM) which includes management strategies, and methods, as well as the necessary information and communication technologies may potentially leverage intellectual capital and know-how in order that businesses can benefit from gains in human performance and competitiveness. Examples and best practices are available in the literature but very few of them are specific to higher education and involve the use of KM by HEIs. Amongst those who believe that KM has a lot more to offer to Higher Education (HE) is Rowley (Rowley, 2000) who said that “we are a long way from a scenario in which each member of the university community has access to the combined knowledge and wisdom of others in the organization, and has access to that knowledge in a form that suits their particular needs”. This study was initiated to study KM practices in a HEI and create a case study of a KM implementation specific to a HEI following a stakeholder approach. The HEI under study is the largest (over 5,000 students) private HE institution in Cyprus. While involving all areas required for the successful introduction of KM in a HEI, the study delivers a KM solution to satisfy the need of internal stakeholders, being the administration, faculty and staff members and the students. All aspects of KM are examined in the study which being exploratory in nature carries out an organization-wide survey to explore the HEI’s stakeholders’ perceptions of the “knowledge organization”, their current practices including strategy, leadership style, and culture and their needs and expectations relating to KM. Research objectives are satisfied with the utilization of focus groups and surveys conducted via questionnaires and personal interviews for the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. As data are analyzed the results and recommended actions lead to a case study which describes the implementation of a kick-off KM project in the HEI. The case study has an explanatory nature and takes the reader through all of the steps, from the initiation to the completion, of the KM project. It may be replicated, customized, and re-used as necessary for other KM implementations in the HEI under study, other HEIs, or other organizations with similar needs

Reconstructing copyright exhaustion in the online world

According to the principle of copyright exhaustion, once a copy of a work is placed on the market, the right holder’s control over further distribution of that copy is exhausted. Unlike the distribution of hard copies of copyright works, however, the electronic dissemination of content is not subject to the exhaustion principle. This means that second-hand markets of digital goods cannot exist. Traditionally, exhaustion is premised on four assumptions that cannot be safely assumed in the online context: it applies to tangible copies only; it covers goods and not services; the goods should be sold but not licensed; and the property entitlement should be alienated upon transfer. After long jurisprudential silence, courts at worldwide level have revisited these normative impediments to affirm that exhaustion can apply online in specific instances. The article discusses the doctrinal norms that underpin exhaustion and determines the conditions under which online copyright exhaustion can apply

Comparative immunocompetence and interspecies transmission of avian orthoavulavirus-1 in feral birds originating from rural and urban settings

Feral birds residing close to urban settings exhibit higher immunocompetence against environmental pathogens than their counterparts in rural areas. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the immunocompetence of five specific feral bird species and investigated the potential for interspecies transmission and pathogenicity of Avian orthoavulavirus-1 (AOAV-1) originating from the Anseriformes order. The immunocompetence assessment involved administering the phytohemagglutinin (PHA) test to individual groups of birds from rural and urban settings, measuring patagium thickness at specific time intervals (12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 h) following the administration of 0.1 mL (1 mg/mL) of PHA. Urban birds displayed significantly enhanced mean swelling responses, particularly urban pigeons, which exhibited a significant difference in patagium thickness at all-time intervals except for 24 h (p = 0.000, p = 0.12). Similarly, rural and urban quails and crows showed substantial differences in patagium thickness at all-time intervals except for 12 h (p = 0.542, p = 0.29). For the assessment of interspecies transmission potential and pathogenicity, each feral bird group was separately housed with naive broiler birds (n = 10 each) and challenged with a velogenic strain of AOAV-1 isolate (Mallard-II/UVAS/Pak/2016) at a dose of 1 mL (10 EID /mL). Urban birds demonstrated higher resistance to the virus compared to their rural counterparts. These findings highlight the specific immunocompetence of feral bird species and their potential contributions to AOAV-1 transmission and pathogenicity. Continuous monitoring, surveillance, and strict implementation of biosafety and biosecurity measures are crucial for effectively controlling AOAV-1 spillover to the environment and wild bird populations in resource-limited settings, particularly Pakistan

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR NEXT-GENERATION FILM DISTRIBUTION

Digital distribution led to the rise of next-generation filmmakers, whose content (both short and feature length) was created for and distributed to online audiences (Ryan & Hearn, 2010). Independent companies and large studios (Netflix, Amazon Studios, Hulu) producing next-genera- tion film do not rely on theatrical success, since they work on micropayment, subscription or advertising-driven business models. This paper includes a literary review that maps the digital marketing strategies over the purchase journey, and define key performance indicators for each digital marketing strategy. To explore how next-generation film distributors are currently employing digital marketing strategies, a survey and a multiple case study methodology was designed and then implemented. The findings of the literary review, the survey, and case study are used to point out the limitations, industry challenges and research opportunities in the field of next-generation cinema.Digital distribution led to the rise of next-generation filmmakers, whose content (both short and feature length) was created for and distributed to online audiences (Ryan & Hearn, 2010). Independent companies and large studios (Netflix, Amazon Studios, Hulu) producing next-genera- tion film do not rely on theatrical success, since they work on micropayment, subscription or advertising-driven business models. This paper includes a literary review that maps the digital marketing strategies over the purchase journey, and define key performance indicators for each digital marketing strategy. To explore how next-generation film distributors are currently employing digital marketing strategies, a survey and a multiple case study methodology was designed and then implemented. The findings of the literary review, the survey, and case study are used to point out the limitations, industry challenges and research opportunities in the field of next-generation cinema

Proteome analysis reveals extensive light stress-response reprogramming in the seagrass Zostera muelleri (alismatales, zosteraceae) metabolism

© 2017, Kumar, Padula, Davey, Pernice, Jiang, Sablok, Contreras-Porcia and Ralph. Seagrasses are marine ecosystem engineers that are currently declining in abundance at an alarming rate due to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances in ecological niches. Despite reports on the morphological and physiological adaptations of seagrasses to extreme environments, little is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying photo-acclimation, and/or tolerance in these marine plants. This study applies the two-dimensional isoelectric focusing (2D-IEF) proteomics approach to identify photo-acclimation/tolerance proteins in the marine seagrass Zostera muelleri. For this, Z. muelleri was exposed for 10 days in laboratory mesocosms to saturating (control, 200 µmol photons m−2 s−1), super-saturating (SSL, 600 µmol photons m−2 s−1), and limited light (LL, 20 µmol photons m−2 s−1) irradiance conditions. Using LC-MS/MS analysis, 93 and 40 protein spots were differentially regulated under SSL and LL conditions, respectively, when compared to the control. In contrast to the LL condition, Z. muelleri robustly tolerated super-saturation light than control conditions, evidenced by their higher relative maximum electron transport rate and minimum saturating irradiance values. Proteomic analyses revealed up-regulation and/or appearances of proteins belonging to the Calvin-Benson and Krebs cycle, glycolysis, the glycine cleavage system of photorespiration, and the antioxidant system. These proteins, together with those from the inter-connected glutamate-proline-GABA pathway, shaped Z. muelleri photosynthesis andgrowth under SSL conditions. In contrast, the LL condition negatively impacted the metabolic activities of Z. muelleri by down-regulating key metabolic enzymes for photosynthesis and the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids, which is consistent with the observation with lower photosynthetic performance under LL condition. This study provides novel insights into the underlying molecular photo-acclimation mechanisms in Z. muelleri, in addition to identifying protein-based biomarkers that could be used as early indicators to detect acute/chronic light stress in seagrasses to monitor seagrass health

Trade unions and employment relationship in privatised state enterprises : a case-study of the finance and petroleum industries in Nigeria

Privatisation (defined as change of ownership and control of State-owned enterprises- SOEs) is a controversial economic and political policy that elicits diverse opinions and academic conclusions on its impact. With regard to its impact on industrial relations, the privatisation literature concludes that in most privatised SOEs, problems anise between unions and management over some important dimensions of the employment relationship. This Author's search of the privatisation literature led to the emergence of two hypotheses, as follows: I. The employment relationship changes in its expression and management in privatised enterprises as a consequence of the change in ownership and control, structure and product market competition arising from privatisation; and, 2. The employment relationship in privatised enterprises changes, not necessarily as a consequence of privatisation, but as a consequence of changes in managerial/corporate strategies, national and firm-level industrial relations policies and other environmental factors not related to privatisation. Data was collected from two privatised finance SOEs and one privatised petroleum SOE in Nigeria to test these hypotheses. Some key findings emerged which differ slightly from the conclusions of the privatisation literature, as represented by these two hypotheses. First, the study concludes that contrary to the conclusion of the privatisation literature, the observed changes in the employment relationship of privatised SOEs are mediated by the different effects of environmental and sectoral factors, economic centrality, the nature of the unions involved in bargaining and the balance of bargaining power between unions and management, as determined by the development context of the country concerned. Secondly, the study concludes that contrary to the conclusions of the privatisation literature, the employment relationship in privatised enterprises changes as a consequence of changes in managerial/corporate strategies and fin-n-level industrial relations strategies directly related to privatisation. These conclusions suggest the need to slightly modify the conclusions of the privatisation literature and theory to take account of the economic, institutional and political differences between developing and developed economies, rather than seek to apply similar theories and conclusions to both development contexts like is currently the case