On Implementing Autonomic Systems with a Serverless Computing Approach: The Case of Self-Partitioning Cloud Caches

The research community has made significant advances towards realizing self-tuning cloud caches; notwithstanding, existing products still require manual expert tuning to maximize performance. Cloud (software) caches are built to swiftly serve requests; thus, avoiding costly functionality additions not directly related to the request-serving control path is critical. We show that serverless computing cloud services can be leveraged to solve the complex optimization problems that arise during self-tuning loops and can be used to optimize cloud caches for free. To illustrate that our approach is feasible and useful, we implement SPREDS (Self-Partitioning REDiS), a modified version of Redis that optimizes memory management in the multi-instance Redis scenario. A cost analysis shows that the serverless computing approach can lead to significant cost savings: The cost of running the controller as a serverless microservice is 0.85% of the cost of the always-on alternative. Through this case study, we make a strong case for implementing the controller of autonomic systems using a serverless computing approach

Reflections on biosafety: do we really know what biosafety, biocontainment, and biosecurity mean?

Els temes de bioseguretat, biocontenció i bioprotecció no són sempre completament entesos per molts científics i comparteixen, pel públic en general, alguns significats ominosos. El sentit últim de les paraules prèviament esmentades —però també el disseny, la construcció i el funcionament d'aquests tipus de instal·lacions— seran discutides tenint en compte els significats complementaris. El disseny, la construcció i la posada en marxa d'una unitat de biocontenció, requereixen d'equips complementaris (i de vegades oposats) de persones que juguen els papers d'arquitectes, enginyers, científics però també de funcionaris.Biosafety, biocontainment, and biosecurity issues are not always fully understood by members of the scientific community and, as for the general public, have in some cases acquired ominous connotations. This review seeks to better define these terms, in addition to discussing the design, construction, and operation of safe and secure biocontainment facilites. These latter tasks require teams made up of architects, engineers, scientists, and public officials with complementary, but sometimes also conflicting interests

Alimentarnos o desalimentarnos”: representaciones sociales sobre toxicidad y nuevas tecnologías alimentarias

Actualmente, las nuevas tecnologías aplicadas en la alimentación abarcan un número muy amplio de innovaciones, como los alimentos modificados genéticamente, las nuevas tecnologías de conservación (por irradiación, por altas presiones, o por campo eléctrico pulsado), los “alimentos funcionales” (productos alimentarios elaborados para cumplir una función específica, como mejorar la salud o reducir el riesgo de contraer enfermedades) o incluso las aplicaciones tecnológicas de la nanotecnología y la clonación. Se trata de aplicaciones respecto a las cuales una gran parte de los consumidores, aunque no dispongan más que de una vaga idea de sus características, pueden posicionarse adoptando conductas de rechazo. En este trabajo vamos a revisar en qué medida la formación de representaciones respecto a la utilización de las tecnologías alimentarias se relaciona con representaciones sobre toxicidad alimentaria y sobre riesgo alimentario, en el contexto de la producción alimentaria actual. Palabras clave: cultura, salud, comportamientos alimentarios, tecnología Abstract At present the use of new technologies in the food industry encompasses a wide range of innovations that include genetically modified foods, new techniques of food preservation (irradiation, high pressure, and pulsed electric field sterilization), “functional foods” (food products with enriched or modified nutritional content to enhance health or reduce health risks), and nanotechnology and cloning. Although most consumers have only a vague idea of what is involved in these new technologies, they may take a negative view of them and even reject them. In this paper we explore to what extent the formation of social representations concerning new food technologies is related to perceptions of food toxicity and health risks in food production. Key words: culture, health, eating behavior, tecnolog

Advancing vector biology research: a community survey for future directions, research applications and infrastructure requirements

Vector-borne pathogens impact public health, animal production, and animal welfare. Research on arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, sandflies, and midges which transmit pathogens to humans and economically important animals is crucial for development of new control measures that target transmission by the vector. While insecticides are an important part of this arsenal, appearance of resistance mechanisms is increasingly common. Novel tools for genetic manipulation of vectors, use of Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria, and other biological control mechanisms to prevent pathogen transmission have led to promising new intervention strategies, adding to strong interest in vector biology and genetics as well as vector-pathogen interactions. Vector research is therefore at a crucial juncture, and strategic decisions on future research directions and research infrastructure investment should be informed by the research community. A survey initiated by the European Horizon 2020 INFRAVEC-2 consortium set out to canvass priorities in the vector biology research community and to determine key activities that are needed for researchers to efficiently study vectors, vector-pathogen interactions, as well as access the structures and services that allow such activities to be carried out. We summarize the most important findings of the survey which in particular reflect the priorities of researchers in European countries, and which will be of use to stakeholders that include researchers, government, and research organizations

2 nd Brazilian Consensus on Chagas Disease, 2015

Abstract Chagas disease is a neglected chronic condition with a high burden of morbidity and mortality. It has considerable psychological, social, and economic impacts. The disease represents a significant public health issue in Brazil, with different regional patterns. This document presents the evidence that resulted in the Brazilian Consensus on Chagas Disease. The objective was to review and standardize strategies for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of Chagas disease in the country, based on the available scientific evidence. The consensus is based on the articulation and strategic contribution of renowned Brazilian experts with knowledge and experience on various aspects of the disease. It is the result of a close collaboration between the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine and the Ministry of Health. It is hoped that this document will strengthen the development of integrated actions against Chagas disease in the country, focusing on epidemiology, management, comprehensive care (including families and communities), communication, information, education, and research

The instrument suite of the European Spallation Source

An overview is provided of the 15 neutron beam instruments making up the initial instrument suite of the European Spallation Source (ESS), and being made available to the neutron user community. The ESS neutron source consists of a high-power accelerator and target station, providing a unique long-pulse time structure of slow neutrons. The design considerations behind the time structure, moderator geometry and instrument layout are presented. The 15-instrument suite consists of two small-angle instruments, two reflectometers, an imaging beamline, two single-crystal diffractometers; one for macromolecular crystallography and one for magnetism, two powder diffractometers, and an engineering diffractometer, as well as an array of five inelastic instruments comprising two chopper spectrometers, an inverse-geometry single-crystal excitations spectrometer, an instrument for vibrational spectroscopy and a high-resolution backscattering spectrometer. The conceptual design, performance and scientific drivers of each of these instruments are described. All of the instruments are designed to provide breakthrough new scientific capability, not currently available at existing facilities, building on the inherent strengths of the ESS long-pulse neutron source of high flux, flexible resolution and large bandwidth. Each of them is predicted to provide world-leading performance at an accelerator power of 2 MW. This technical capability translates into a very broad range of scientific capabilities. The composition of the instrument suite has been chosen to maximise the breadth and depth of the scientific impact o

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Measurement of differential cross sections for top quark pair production using the lepton plus jets final state in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV

National Science Foundation (U.S.