An autonomic framework for enhancing the quality of data grid services

Data grid services have been used to deal with the increasing needs of applications in terms of data volume and throughput. The large scale, heterogeneity and dynamism of grid environments often make management and tuning of these data services very complex. Furthermore, current high-performance I/O approaches are characterized by their high complexity and specific features that usually require specialized administrator skills. Autonomic computing can help manage this complexity. The present paper describes an autonomic subsystem intended to provide self-management features aimed at efficiently reducing the I/O problem in a grid environment, thereby enhancing the quality of service (QoS) of data access and storage services in the grid. Our proposal takes into account that data produced in an I/O system is not usually immediately required. Therefore, performance improvements are related not only to current but also to any future I/O access, as the actual data access usually occurs later on. Nevertheless, the exact time of the next I/O operations is unknown. Thus, our approach proposes a long-term prediction designed to forecast the future workload of grid components. This enables the autonomic subsystem to determine the optimal data placement to improve both current and future I/O operations

Expression of B-type natriuretic peptide forms in ischemic human hearts

Background: This study sought to determine pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP), BNP, N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) and GATA-4 in the same cardiac tissue, the correlation among them, and the influence of ischemic etiology on their levels. Methods: Protein levels were analyzed by Western blot techniques and mRNA expression was quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a total of 33 human samples from ischemic (ICM), and control hearts. Results: Tissue protein level of proBNP is 1.5- and 12-fold higher than BNP or NT-proBNP respectively (p < 0.0001), and BNP protein level was 8-fold higher than that of NT-proBNP (p < 0.0001) in ICM hearts. Furthermore, proBNP mRNA expression was also increased in ICM (4-fold) compared to control hearts (p < 0.05), but there was not a significant increase in GATA-4 mRNA. Then, tissue NP forms showed a high correlation among them (proBNP vs. BNP r = 0.74, p < 0.0001; proBNP vs. NT-proBNP r = 0.43, p = 0.03; and BNP vs. NT-proBNP r = 0.61, p = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, GATA-4 with proBNP (r = 0.536, p = 0.007) and BNP (r = 0.610, p = 0.001) in ischemic samples. Finally, we found that proBNP, BNP, NT-proBNP and GATA-4 were increased in our ICM hearts (by 14%, p = 0.004; 46%, p = 0.024, 33%, p = 0.002, and 49%, p = 0.026, respectively) compared with controls. Conclusions: This study shows higher protein level of proBNP in human hearts than of BNP and NT-proBNP, increased proBNP mRNA expression in ICM samples, and a good correlation among tissue natriuretic peptide and GATA-4. Finally, ICM shows a high tissue protein level of proBNP, BNP, NT-proBNP and GATA-4. © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.The work was supported by the National Institute of Health Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias del Instituto de Salud Carlos III, [REDIN-SCOR 06/0003/1001, Project PI07/0462]; and Escuela Valenciana de Estudios para la Salud, [EVES AP039/2007], Spain.Cortes, R.; Rosello-Lleti, E.; Rivera, M.; Martinez-Dolz, L.; Salvador, A.; Sirera Pérez, R.; Portoles, M. (2012). Expression of B-type natriuretic peptide forms in ischemic human hearts. International Journal of Cardiology. 158(2):199-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.01.014S199204158