Modeling Strategies to Improve the Dependability of Cloud Infrastructures

Cloud computing presents some challenges that need to be overcome, such as planning infrastructures that maintain availability when failure events and repair activities occur. Cloud infrastructure planning that addresses the dependability aspects is an essential activity because it ensures business continuity and client satisfaction. Redundancy mechanisms cold standby, warm standby and hot standby can be allocated to components of the cloud infrastructure to maintain the availability levels agreed in service level agreement (SLAs). Mathematical formalisms based on state space such as stochastic Petri nets and based on combinatorial as reliability block diagrams can be adopted to evaluate the dependability of cloud infrastructures considering the allocation of different redundancy mechanisms to its components. This chapter shows the adoption of the mathematical formalisms stochastic Petri nets and reliability block diagrams to dependability evaluation of cloud infrastructures with different redundancy mechanisms

Physicochemical characteristics of sheep and goat pâtés. differences between fat sources and proportions

The physicochemical composition of sheep and goat pâtés with different sources and percentage of fat (10% and 30%; pork belly or olive oil) were evaluated. A low-fat content (9.7-18.2%) was observed in the pâtés comparing with similar meat products. Cholesterol was lower in pâtés with olive oil than with pork fat. The source of fat (pork belly or olive oil) and the proportion of fat influenced significantly the fatty acid profile. Pâtés with olive oil have lower saturated fat content and highest monounsaturated fat while and goat meat pâtés have higher polyunsaturated fat content The polyunsaturated versus saturated fatty acids ratio varying from 0.21 to 0.39 and the total unsaturated fatty acids showed that sheep and goat pâtés are balanced products and could be an interesting way to the added value of animals with low commercial and consumer acceptability.Work included in the Portuguese PRODER research Project number 020260013013 “New goat and sheep processed meat products” BISOVICAP – Processing meat from pigs, sheep and goats, to produce new products. Ham and pâté, Project PROTEC, SI I&DT - Projects in Co- Promotion, nº 21511. The authors are grateful to Laboratory of Carcass and Meat Quality of Agriculture School of Polytechnic Institute of Bragança ‘Cantinho do Alfredo’. The authors are members of the MARCARNE network, funded by CYTED (ref. 116RT0503).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tratamento do cisto colóide do terceiro ventrículo por neuroendoscopia estereotática com laser Nd: YAG

OBJECTIVE: Colloid cysts (IIIVT CC) are benign neuroepithelial cysts located in the anterior third ventricle. The authors propose the use of Nd:YAG laser stereotactic neuroendoscopic for guided resection of the third ventricle colloid cysts. METHOD: Eleven patients presented third ventricle colloid cysts and were treated by Nd:YAG laser guided with stereotactic endoscopy (n=7) , stereotactic endoscopy (n=3) or stereotactly guided puncture (n=1). The patients were followed prospectively (average 33 months, range 19-64 months). The clinical data, neuroimaging findings, hospitalization stay, outcomes and complications of the method were evaluated. RESULTS: All patients presented headache; six had papilledema, one had gait disturbance and one had third-nerve palsy. Neuroimaging showed hydrocephalus and a IIIVT CC with 14.4-mm mean diameter. After surgery all patients presented clinical and image improvement. Only two patients presented transient morbidities that were easily treated: One had diabetes insipidus that lasted for two days and was treated with a single dose of DDAVP, and another had chemical aseptic meningitis, probably due to the contact of the cyst content with the CSF. This patient was treated with antibiotics and corticosteroids with complete resolution of the problem without sequels. The other patients were discharged from the hospital 48 h after surgery. CONCLUSION: The stereotactic neuroendoscopy-guided procedure with Nd:YAG laser allowed the complete removal of the third ventricle colloid cysts, without definitive morbidities, sequels or recurrence of the lesion.OBJETIVO: Os cistos colóides (CC IIIVT) são lesões neuroepiteliais benignas localizadas anteriormente no terceiro ventrículo. Nós propomos a ressecção neuroendoscópica com o uso do Nd:YAG laser guiada por estereotaxia. MÉTODO: Onze pacientes portadores de cisto colóide do terceiro ventrículo foram tratados por neuroendoscopia estereotática com laser Nd:YAG (n=7), neuroendoscopia estereotática (n=3) ou punção estereotática (n=1) e foram seguidos prospectivamente (média 33 meses, variação 19-64 meses). Os dados clínicos, achados de neuroimagem, tempo de hospitalização, evolução e complicações referentes à técnica foram avaliadas. RESULTADOS: Todos pacientes apresentaram cefaléia; seis tiveram papiledema, um apresentou distúrbio de marcha e um apresentou paresia do terceiro nervo. Os exames de neuroimagem evidenciaram hidrocefalia e CC IIIVT com diâmetro médio de 14,4 mm. Depois da cirurgia todos os pacientes apresentaram melhora clínica e de imagem. Apenas dois pacientes apresentaram morbidades transitórias que foram facilmente tratadas: um apresentou diabetes insipidus que durou dois dias e foi tratada com uma única dose de DDAVP, o outro apresentou meningite química asséptica, provavelmente pelo contato do conteúdo do cisto com o líquor. Este paciente recebeu antibióticos e corticóide com resolução completa do problema. Os outros pacientes receberam alta hospitalar após 48 h. CONCLUSÃO: A ressecção neuroendoscópica com o uso do Nd:YAG laser guiada por estereotaxia possibilitou a remoção completa do cisto colóide sem morbidades definitivas, seqüelas ou recorrência da lesão

N-acetylcysteine and vancomycin alone and in combination against staphylococci biofilm

Introduction: The ability of staphylococci to produce biofilm is an important virulence mechanism that allows bacteria both to adhere and to live on artificial surfaces and to resist to the host immune factors and antibiotics. Staphylococcal infections have become increasingly difficult to treat due their antibiotic resistance. Therefore, there is a continuous need for new and effective treatment alternatives against staphylococcal infections. The main goal of this study was to test N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and vancomycin alone and in combination against S. epidermidis and S. aureus biofilms. Methods: Biofilms were treated with NAC at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and 10 × MIC concentrations and vancomycin at MIC and peak serum concentrations. Results: The use of NAC 10 × MIC alone showed a significant antibactericidal effect, promoting a 4-5 log10 CFU/ mL reduction in biofilm cells. The combination of NAC 10 × MIC with vancomycin (independently of the concentration used) reduced significantly the number of biofilm cells for all strains evaluated (5-6 log10). Conclusion: N-acetylcysteine associated to vancomycin can be a potential therapeutic strategy in the treatment of infections associated to biofilms of S. epidermidis or S. aureus.(undefined

SWIMMING VELOCITY COMPARISSON BETWEEN ELITE SWIMMING AND TRIATHLON BRAZILIAN ATHLETES

The purpose of this study was to identify the pattern of elite athletes in velocity modalities swimming and triathlon through Velacqua equipment comparing the kinematic variables that affect the performance of these two modalities in swimming. Participated at this study eight swimmers and eight triathletes, who performed a 25m swimming at maximal speed. The results showed higher VS to swimmers than the triathletes, indicating a higher performance of this group. It is also observed greater values of Vmin, lower CV values and greater LS values indicating that the swimmers are able to maintain more constant velocity, and they do not let the velocity decreases too much during the competition

A Strategy for Performance Evaluation and Modeling of Cloud Computing Services

On-demand services and reduced costs made cloud computing a popular mechanism to provide scalable resources according to the user’s expectations. This paradigm is an important role in business and academic organizations, supporting applications and services deployed based on virtual machines and containers, two different technologies for virtualization. Cloud environments can support workloads generated by several numbers of users, that request the cloud environment to execute transactions and its performance should be evaluated and estimated in order to achieve clients satisfactions when cloud services are offered. This work proposes a performance evaluation strategy composed of a performance model and a methodology for evaluating the performance of services configured in virtual machines and containers in cloud infrastructures. The performance model for the evaluation of virtual machines and containers in cloud infrastructures is based on stochastic Petri nets. A case study in a real public cloud is presented to illustrate the feasibility of the performance evaluation strategy. The case study experiments were performed with virtual machines and containers supporting workloads related to social networks transactions

Entropia da informação e ranking das empresas do IBOVESPA: a relevância da inovação ambiental

This study analyzes the weights of multidimensional performance indicators to determine the ranking of the companies listed in  Bovespa index. This is a quantitative research using the multicriteria data entropy method, in which the indicators of the environmental, social, governance, economic-financial and market dimensions were obtained through the Refinitiv Eikon database. Thus, it was possible to establish the indicators weights for each year in order to determine  the rankings of the companies at sector and general level. The environmental innovation variable was responsible for the greater information relevance, while the indicators such as return on net worth and financial leverage obtained the lowest weights. As for the ranking, Renner occupied the first place, which makes it possible to infer that this company has been standing out in the indicators portrayed with higher weight. In addition, the communication and public utility sectors presented the highest mean scores, while the health and energy segments had the lowest mean performances. These results indicate the relevance of providing corporate information to reach investors, increasingly concerned with good management practices and socio-environmental indicators. Moreover, the findings suggest that innovating on environmental issues does not consist of a priority for the companies in the sample, raising the question whether these organizations visualize the legitimacy or returns of successful innovations as rewards of the investments made. Research contributes by pointing out that companies with best environmental practices can obtain more benefits, as well as the society, before the quality of life and environmental preservation.Este estudo analisa os pesos de indicadores multidimensionais de desempenho para determinar o ranking das empresas listadas no índice Bovespa. Trata-se de uma pesquisa quantitativa por meio do método multicritério entropia da informação, em que os indicadores das dimensões ambiental, social, de governança, econômico-financeira e de mercado foram obtidos pela base de dados Refinitiv Eikon. Assim, foi possível estabelecer os pesos dos indicadores para cada ano com a finalidade de determinar os rankings das empresas em nível setorial e geral. A variável inovação ambiental foi responsável pela maior relevância informacional, enquanto os indicadores como retorno sobre patrimônio líquido e alavancagem financeira obtiveram os menores pesos. Quanto ao ranking, a Renner ocupou a primeira colocação, o que torna possível inferir que essa companhia vem se destacando nos indicadores retratados com maior peso. Além disso, os setores de comunicação e utilidade pública apresentaram as maiores pontuações médias, ao passo que os segmentos de saúde e energia tiveram os menores desempenhos em média. Esses resultados indicam a relevância da prestação de informações corporativas para alcançar os investidores, cada vez mais preocupados com boas práticas de gestão e com indicadores socioambientais. Ademais, os achados sugerem que inovar em questões ambientais não consiste em uma prioridade para as empresas da amostra, suscitando o questionamento se essas organizações visualizam a legitimidade ou retornos de inovações bem-sucedidas como recompensas dos investimentos realizados. A pesquisa contribui ao apontar que empresas com melhores práticas ambientais poderão obter mais benefícios, assim como a sociedade, diante da qualidade de vida e da preservação ambiental

Unsaturated response of clayey soils stabilised with alkaline cements

The influence of suction on the mechanical behaviour of unsaturated chemically stabilised soils is still mostly unknown and unquantified. This is also motivated by the difficulties associated with the experimental procedure required to fully characterise the unsaturated response of the soil, including its direct influence on traditional strength tests. The present paper presents the soil water retention curves obtained for a Portuguese soil before and after being stabilised with Portland cement (OPC) and an alkali-activated cement (AAC). Saturated undrained triaxial tests were also performed for the same curing conditions (0, 28, and 90 days). Previous attempts to characterise the retention curve of soils stabilised with AAC are unknown, and the results showed that the pore volume structure is already formed after 28 days, prior to the full development of the gel matrix responsible for the strength increase between 28 and 90 days. The curve changed after stabilisation, and with each binder, as the OPC presented a higher air-entry value and a narrower suction range compared to the AAC solution. The significant differences between the curves obtained from each binder suggest the future development of a methodology to assess the quality of the AAC stabilisation.ERDF -European Regional Development Fund(undefined

In vitro evaluation of five antimicrobial peptides against the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora

Fire blight is a major pome fruit trees disease that is caused by the quarantine phytopathogenic Erwinia amylovora, leading to major losses, namely, in pear and apple productions. Nevertheless, no effective sustainable control treatments and measures have yet been disclosed. In that regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed as an alternative biomolecule against pathogens but some of those AMPs have yet to be tested against E. amylovora. In this study, the potential of five AMPs (RW-BP100, CA-M, 3.1, D4E1, and Dhvar-5) together with BP100, were assessed to control E. amylovora. Antibiograms, minimal inhibitory, and bactericidal concentrations (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), growth and IC50 were determined and membrane permeabilization capacity was evaluated by flow cytometry analysis and colony-forming units (CFUs) plate counting. For the tested AMPs, the higher inhibitory and bactericidal capacity was observed for RW-BP100 and CA-M (5 and 5–8 M, respectively for both MIC and MBC), whilst for IC50 RW-BP100 presented higher efficiency (2.8 to 3.5 M). Growth curves for the first concentrations bellow MIC showed that these AMPs delayed E. amylovora growth. Flow cytometry disclosed faster membrane permeabilization for CA-M. These results highlight the potential of RW-BP100 and CA-M AMPs as sustainable control measures against E. amylovora.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio