Pay One, Get Hundreds for Free: Reducing Cloud Costs through Shared Query Execution

Cloud-based data analysis is nowadays common practice because of the lower system management overhead as well as the pay-as-you-go pricing model. The pricing model, however, is not always suitable for query processing as heavy use results in high costs. For example, in query-as-a-service systems, where users are charged per processed byte, collections of queries accessing the same data frequently can become expensive. The problem is compounded by the limited options for the user to optimize query execution when using declarative interfaces such as SQL. In this paper, we show how, without modifying existing systems and without the involvement of the cloud provider, it is possible to significantly reduce the overhead, and hence the cost, of query-as-a-service systems. Our approach is based on query rewriting so that multiple concurrent queries are combined into a single query. Our experiments show the aggregated amount of work done by the shared execution is smaller than in a query-at-a-time approach. Since queries are charged per byte processed, the cost of executing a group of queries is often the same as executing a single one of them. As an example, we demonstrate how the shared execution of the TPC-H benchmark is up to 100x and 16x cheaper in Amazon Athena and Google BigQuery than using a query-at-a-time approach while achieving a higher throughput

Recent advances in the biology and treatment of brain metastases of non-small cell lung cancer: summary of a multidisciplinary roundtable discussion

This article is the result of a round table discussion held at the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) in Geneva in May 2017. Its purpose is to explore and discuss the advances in the knowledge about the biology and treatment of brain metastases originating from non-small cell lung cancer. The authors propose a series of recommendations for research and treatment within the discussed context

Замена электродвигателя ПЭН турбоприводом на Кемеровской ТЭЦ

В данной работе рассматривается возможность замены электродвигателя ПЭН турбоприводом на Кемеровской ТЭЦ, с установкой турбопривода на существующий фундамент. Целью работы является оценка возможности увеличения отпуска электроэнергии от станции в результате уменьшения затрат на собственные нужды и повышение маневренности ТЭЦ.In this paper we consider the possibility of replacing the turbine drive motor PEN to Kemerovo CHP , with the installation of turbine drive on the existing foundation. The aim is to assess the possibility of increasing the supply of electric power from the plant by reducing the costs of their own needs and improving maneuverability CHP

A multicenter randomized phase IIb efficacy study of Vx-001, a peptide-based cancer vaccine as maintenance treatment in advanced non-smallcell lung cancer: treatment rationale and protocol dynamics. Clin Lung Cancer 2013

Abstract We present the treatment rationale and study design of a multicenter, open-label, randomized, 2-arm, phase IIb study. Patients with stage IV or recurrent stage I to III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease does not progress after 4 cycles of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to 1 of 2 study arms. Patients will receive the cancer vaccine Vx-001 ϩ Montanide ISA51 VG (Seppic, Paris, France) adjuvant subcutaneously, at a dose of 2 mg, or placebo ϩ Montanide ISA51 VG adjuvant subcutaneously. The vaccination protocol comprises 2 injections with the TYR-Vx001 or placebo (1 at day 0 and another at week 3) and 4 injections with the ARG-Vx001 or placebo, at weeks 6, 9, 12, and 15. After the treatment assessment at week 18, patients will receive the ARG-Vx001 or placebo every 12 weeks starting from week 27 until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal of informed consent, or death. The primary end point of this study is the survival rate at 12 months. Secondary end points include time-to-event comparison of overall survival and comparison of time to treatment failure. Exploratory objectives include comparison of disease control rate after the end of subsequent second-line treatments, comparisons of vaccine immune responses, comparison of survival rate at 12 months in patients with vaccine-induced immune response detected after the second and sixth injections, identification of biomarkers on lymphocytes and on tumors, and comparison of safety and tolerability

Immunotherapy: is a minor god yet in the pantheon of treatments for lung cancer?

Immunotherapy has been studied for many years in lung cancer without significant results, making the majority of oncologists quite skeptical about its possible application for non-small cell lung cancer treatment. However, the recent knowledge about immune escape and subsequent 'cancer immunoediting' has yielded the development of new strategies of cancer immunotherapy, heralding a new era of lung cancer treatment. Cancer vaccines, including both whole-cell and peptide vaccines have been tested both in early and advanced stages of non-small cell lung cancer. New immunomodulatory agents, including anti-CTLA4, anti-PD1/PDL1 monoclonal antibodies, have been investigated as monotherapy in metastatic lung cancer. To date, these treatments have shown impressive results of efficacy and tolerability in early clinical trials, leading to testing in several large, randomized Phase III trials. As these results will be confirmed, these drugs will be available in the near future, offering new exciting therapeutic options for lung cancer treatment

Phase II study of two dose schedules of C.E.R.A. (Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator) in anemic patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: C.E.R.A. (Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator) is an innovative agent with unique erythropoietin receptor activity and prolonged half-life. This study evaluated C.E.R.A. once weekly (QW) or once every 3 weeks (Q3W) in patients with anemia and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: In this Phase II, randomized, open-label, multicenter, dose-finding study, patients (n = 218) with Stage IIIB or IV NSCLC and hemoglobin (Hb) ≤ 11 g/dL were randomized to one of six treatment groups of C.E.R.A. administered subcutaneously for 12 weeks: 0.7, 1.4, or 2.1 μg/kg QW or 2.1, 4.2, or 6.3 μg/kg Q3W. Primary endpoint was average Hb level between baseline and end of initial treatment (defined as last Hb measurement before dose reduction or transfusion, or the value at week 13). Hematopoietic response (Hb increase ≥ 2 g/dL or achievement of Hb ≥ 12 g/dL with no blood transfusion in the previous 28 days determined in two consecutive measurements within a 10-day interval) was also measured. RESULTS: Dose-dependent Hb increases were observed, although the magnitude of increase was moderate. Hematopoietic response rate was also dose dependent, achieved by 51% and 62% of patients in the 4.2 and 6.3 μg/kg Q3W groups, and 63% of the 2.1 μg/kg QW group. In the Q3W group, the proportion of early responders (defined as ≥ 1 g/dL increase in Hb from baseline during the first 22 days) increased with increasing C.E.R.A. dose, reaching 41% with the highest dose. In the 6.3 μg/kg Q3W group, 15% of patients received blood transfusion. There was an inclination for higher mean Hb increases and lower transfusion use in the Q3W groups than in the QW groups. C.E.R.A. was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSION: C.E.R.A. administered QW or Q3W showed clinical activity and safety in patients with NSCLC. There were dose-dependent increases in Hb responses. C.E.R.A. appeared to be more effective when the same dose over time was given Q3W than QW, with a suggestion that C.E.R.A. 6.3 μg/kg Q3W provided best efficacy in this study. However, further dose-finding studies using higher doses are required to determine the optimal C.E.R.A. dose regimen in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy

Novel active agents in patients with advanced NSCLC without driver mutations who have progressed after first-line chemotherapy

Despite the efficacy of a number of first-line treatments, most patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experience disease progression that warrants further treatment. In this review, we examine the role of novel active agents for patients who progress after first-line therapy and who are not candidates for targeted therapies. More therapeutic options are needed for the management of patients with NSCLC after failure of first-line chemotherapy. A PubMed search was performed for articles from January 2012 to May 2015 using the keywords NSCLC, antiangiogenic, immunotherapy, second-line, novel therapies and English language articles only. Relevant papers were reviewed; papers outside that period were considered on a case-by-case basis. A search of oncology congresses was performed to identify relevant abstracts over this period. In recent years, antiangiogenic agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been added to our armamentarium to treat patients with advanced NSCLC who have progressed on first-line chemotherapy. These include nintedanib, a triple angiokinase inhibitor; ramucirumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 antibody; and nivolumab, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab, just three of a growing list of antibodies targeting the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)/PD ligand-1 pathway. Predictive and prognostic factors in NSCLC treatment will help to optimise treatment with these novel agents. The approval of new treatments for patients with NSCLC after the failure of first-line chemotherapy has increased options after a decade of few advances, and holds promise for future evolution of the management of NSCLC

Standard versus Dose-Intensified Chemotherapy with Sequential Reinfusion of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells in Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Favorable Prognosis

Purpose:The combination of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) is highly effective in treating small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Myelosuppression resulting in leukopenia and thrombocytopenia is the dose-limiting toxicity.Patients and Methods:This phase 3 study assessed 2-year survival improvement with dose intensification of ICE chemotherapy (ICT) in patients with good-prognosis SCLC. Patients received up to six cycles of ICT with filgrastim-supported sequential reinfusion of peripheral blood progenitor cells every 14 days, or standard ICE (SCT) every 28 days.Results:Eighty-three patients were randomized to ICT (n = 42) or SCT (n = 41). Median survival was significantly improved with ICT (30.3 mo) versus SCT (18.5 mo; p = 0.001); 2-year survival was 55% for ICT and 39% for SCT (p = 0.151). Time to progression (TTP) was significantly improved, with 15 months for ICT versus 11.1 months for SCT (p = 0.0001). Overall response rates were 100 and 88% for ICT and SCT, respectively (p = 0.0258). SCT was associated with significantly less grade 3 and 4 leukopenia at day 8 (p < 0.0001), less thrombocytopenia at day 14 (p < 0.0001), and more favorable platelet nadir (p < 0.0001). The need for platelet and red blood cell transfusions significantly increased in the ICT group (p < 0.0001). Nonhematologic adverse events in both groups were comparable and mostly grade 1 or 2.Conclusion:Patients receiving ICT with filgrastim achieved significant increases in median survival and TTP despite an increased need for transfusions