Elevating commodity storage with the SALSA host translation layer

To satisfy increasing storage demands in both capacity and performance, industry has turned to multiple storage technologies, including Flash SSDs and SMR disks. These devices employ a translation layer that conceals the idiosyncrasies of their mediums and enables random access. Device translation layers are, however, inherently constrained: resources on the drive are scarce, they cannot be adapted to application requirements, and lack visibility across multiple devices. As a result, performance and durability of many storage devices is severely degraded. In this paper, we present SALSA: a translation layer that executes on the host and allows unmodified applications to better utilize commodity storage. SALSA supports a wide range of single- and multi-device optimizations and, because is implemented in software, can adapt to specific workloads. We describe SALSA's design, and demonstrate its significant benefits using microbenchmarks and case studies based on three applications: MySQL, the Swift object store, and a video server.Comment: Presented at 2018 IEEE 26th International Symposium on Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems (MASCOTS

Vulnerable and voiceless on the move. Unaccompanied child migrants in the EU

A significant part of child migration is “often invisible in data and policy”, but available data shows that at least 5.3% of the over one million migrants who have lodged first time asylum application in the EU in 2016 were unaccompanied children in need of international protection and that the numbers are constantly rising. In spite of this alarming trend, unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) still suffer in Europe particularly in Greece and Italy seriously inadequate protection, inappropriate services to meet their needs and interests, as well as slow and poor procedures to process their files and ensure them asylum status, family reunification, or relocation, according to their needs. Such dysfunctionalities often encourage young migrants to escape the system and continue their journey relying on smugglers, with the additional risk of becoming victims of abuse and exploitation. The European Union should overcome the Member States’ increasing lack of solidarity and expand the EU regular migration package, starting from the family reunification procedures

Brexit and the provision of financial services into the EU and into the UK

Brexit is likely to lead to the relocation of UK financial services firms to the EU in order to be able to access EU markets, mainly through the EU passport. The same applies to the EU firms intending to be active on the UK markets. The access conditions to the EU markets are numerous and complex, laid down in EU and national legislation and regulation, and applied by the national supervisory authorities. The European Supervisory Authorities or "ESAs" have published elaborate statements, called Opinions, on the detailed access conditions and the way they intend to apply these. The two main objectives are the full application of EU law, and the avoidance of authorizing EU firms that would be "empty boxes" for activity that would in fact be exercised in the UK, and this mainly by delegating activities to another firm. Underlying is a policy of competition between national economies for relocations of EU firms, or of business activities to be developed on the UK financial markets

An examination of business occupier relocation decision making : distinguishing small and large firm behaviour

This paper explores how business occupiers decide whether and where to relocate. It captures the experience and behaviour of a range of sizes and types of business occupier and subjects their decision-making processes to detailed scrutiny. A linear three-stage decision model is used to sequence and structure interviews with individuals who have intimate involvement with the relocation of 28 firms and organizations in Tyne and Wear, in the north-east of England. The 'constant comparative' method is used to analyse the interview data, from which emerges 18 key concepts, comprising 51 characteristic components. Using an axial approach, these are organized into 10 cross-cutting themes that represent the main areas of consideration or influence on the thinking of the people involved in determining whether a firm or organization should relocate and, if so, where to. The resulting analysis finds that organizations adopt varying degrees of sophistication when making relocation decisions; small firms are more inclined to make decisions based on constrained information; larger organizations adopt a more complex approach. Regardless of firm size, key individuals exert considerable influence over the decision-making process and its outcome

Business Relocation and Homegrown Jobs, 1992-2006

Based on updated data, confirms findings from a 2007 study that the relocation of businesses into and out of California accounts for a very small share of the state's job gains and losses. Includes comparisons with other states and with in-state moves