Enabling autoscaling for in-memory storage in cluster computing framework

2019 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.IoT enabled devices and observational instruments continuously generate voluminous data. A large portion of these datasets are delivered with the associated geospatial locations. The increased volumes of geospatial data, alongside the emerging geospatial services, pose computational challenges for large-scale geospatial analytics. We have designed and implemented STRETCH , an in-memory distributed geospatial storage that preserves spatial proximity and enables proactive autoscaling for frequently accessed data. STRETCH stores data with a delayed data dispersion scheme that incrementally adds data nodes to the storage system. We have devised an autoscaling feature that proactively repartitions data to alleviate computational hotspots before they occur. We compared the performance of S TRETCH with Apache Ignite and the results show that STRETCH provides up to 3 times the throughput when the system encounters hotspots. STRETCH is built on Apache Spark and Ignite and interacts with them at runtime

Cardio-respiratory Fitness in Medical Students by Queen’s College Step Test: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Cardio-respiratory fitness indicates the ability of circulatory system to supply oxygen toworking muscles during continuous physical activity. Maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) is a single bestmeasure of cardio-respiratory fitness and is considered gold standard to quantify aerobic capacity. Methods:Eighty students of age group 18-25 years were taken by simple random sampling. VO2max was estimatedindirectly by following the protocol of Queen’s College Step Test (QCST) method. Results: Mean value ofVO2max for male (51.61±6.26 ml/Kg/min) and female (36.02±3.71 ml/Kg/min) was compared, which wasfound significantly higher in males than in females (p<0.001). There was negative correlation of gender(r = -0.838), body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.339), obesity category (r = -0.275), obese vs non-obese (r =-0.264) and basal pulse rate (r = -0.456) with VO2max and positive correlation of height (r = 0.592) and hoursof study(r = 0.309) with VO2max. Conclusion: This study showed that increased BMI is associated withdecreased level of VO2max in young adults. One can improve VO2max by maintaining BMI within normallimits

Hemispheric Brain Preference and Academic Parameters in Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Hemispheric brain preference means using one side of the brain over the other to learn. Hemispheric brain preference may influence one’s learning style. This study aimed to investigate hemispheric brain preference and its relation with academic parameters in medical students. Methods: Four hundred participants were included in the study by cluster random sampling. Using self-administered questionnaires, data on personal profile (name, age, sex, handedness, academic score, study method, study hours per day and study pattern) and hemispheric brain dominance was collected. Open Hemispheric Brain Dominance Scale 1.0 (2015) was used to determine the hemispheric brain dominance. Result: Participants having no clear hemispheric brain preference (46.75%) were in majority followed by those with left hemispheric brain preference (29.25%) and then those with right hemispheric brain preference (24%). There was a statistically significant difference in academic score of students with different hemispheric brain preference (p=0.021). Students with left brain preference had the highest academic score (63.85±11.78) and those with no clear preference had the lowest (59.96±11.64). Also, students with left hemispheric brain preference would study more regularly and would spend more time in study per day. Conclusion: In our sample, participants with left hemispheric brain preference were found to have the highest mean academic score but they also spent more time in study and also studied regularly throughout the semester. As this study shows diversity in brain preference among medical students, we recommend a good mix of various teaching learning methods for better learning of the entire class

Prevalence of Functional Limitation in COVID-19 Recovered Patients Using the Post COVID-19 Functional Status Scale

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 is an emerging global health pandemic causing tremendous morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chronic symptoms progressing to poor functional status have been reported in a substantial proportion of COVID-19 patients worldwide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of functional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients using the post-COVID-19 functional status scale. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. COVID-19 recovered patients with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction negative status were included and assessed using the post-COVID-19 functional status scale. Data entry and analysis was done in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients were included for the final analysis. More than half of the patients (56.6%) reported having no functional limitation (grade 0), while the prevalence of some degree of functional limitation was observed in 46 (43.4%) patients (grade 1 to 4). CONCLUSIONS: Some form of functional limitation should be anticipated after COVID-19 infection. Post-COVID-19 functional status scale can be a valuable tool in determining the prevalence of functional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients in acute health care settings. It can potentially guide in planning rehabilitative measures in post-acute care management of COVID-19 survivors

A Study of Prospective Barriers, Benefits and Measures for Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption in Nepalese AEC Industry

The construction industry needs modern construction methodology and technology to improve sustainability and production performance. Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology supports improving the quality of products by reducing design and construction defects, risks to the health and safety of workers, and reduce overall project cost and delivery time. The BIM has capabilities, but it is still undiscovered and unable to exploit the full scale of its benefits in the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. There is a trend to adopt the BIM level 1, which is limited to 2D and only in a few cases 3D models uses in the design and construction of residential and commercial buildings, particularly in Nepal. Hence, this paper focuses on providing insight into the BIM benefits and identifies the potential barriers while adopting BIM Level 3 in Nepal. This was accomplished by developing a 4DBIM model of a multi-story residential building in Nepal and conducting the industry survey via focus group with the AEC professionals based on the developed 4DBIM model. A comprehensive literature review was conducted and presented the findings of the BIM benefits and barriers while adopting BIM. The study found that commercial and governmental projects can immediately be adopted BIM technology. It is concluded that the unavailability of skilled BIM users and the lack of proper policies for BIM adoption are key barriers in Nepal. Hence, the new policy is required to achieve and exploit the full scale of the BIM benefits and improve the project delivery in terms of quality, cost and time including the health and safety of workers and the sustainability of the AEC industry

Impacts of COVID-19 on conservation programs and research activities in Nepal

The COVID-19 pandemic has had diverse impacts on global poverty, food security, and biodiversity conservation. While reports have highlighted both positive and negative effects of COVID-19 on biodiversity worldwide, the negative impacts have, in general, outweighed the positive ones. Despite initial reports and anecdotal evidence, there is a notable absence of country-specific empirical research assessing the COVID-19 impacts on biodiversity conservation. We documented the COVID-19 impacts on Nepal’s conservation sector by analyzing the trends of tourist visitation and revenues in Nepal’s protected areas, examining the progress on conservation programs at national and individual protected area levels, evaluating research and conservation activities, and recording the experiences of conservation practitioners. Our results, based on two online surveys and reviews of the government documents showed that the pandemic has had adverse effects on nature-based tourism, particularly leading to a significant reduction in visitation numbers to the protected areas. Furthermore, the progress of conservation programs and actions, and research activities in Nepal also suffered. Nevertheless, government agencies have maintained impressive progress in the planned activities. Protected area authorities continued to carry out critical conservation activities even during lockdowns, and most of the affected activities were resumed once the lockdowns were lifted. The study’s result is critical in mitigating the impacts of global crises such as COVID-19 on protected areas and in enhancing their resilience for the future