MLaaS: Machine Learning as a Service

The demand for knowledge extraction has been increasing. With the growing amount of data being generated by global data sources (e.g., social media and mobile apps) and the popularization of context-specific data (e.g., the Internet of Things), companies and researchers need to connect all these data and extract valuable information. Machine learning has been gaining much attention in data mining, leveraging the birth of new solutions. This paper proposes an architecture to create a flexible and scalable machine learning as a service. An open source solution was implemented and presented. As a case study, a forecast of electricity demand was generated using real-world sensor and weather data by running different algorithms at the same time

State of the art of evapotranspiration models for plant cultivation in open fields, greenhouse systems and plant factories

The scarcity of water, the need to reduce of pesticides, the demand for on-site production of vegetables are moving the interest from greenhouse cultivation to indoor farming. Compared to greenhouses, indoor farms allow to reduce considerably the water consumption, requiring more energy, which could be provided by renewable sources. In order to assess the convenience of such a system, accurate preliminary calculations are needed for productivity, energy requirements and costs as a function of the type of cultivation and the operating conditions. While some knowledge (e.g. production rate or cooling system performance) are available from open literature, some specific predictive methods are required. Based on the few works available in literature about indoor farming, evapotranspiration rate resulted as a critical term. An assessment of different methods based on literature data with a critical analysis of their effectiveness based on several aspects (level of fidelity of the model, complexity in the calibration and use, potential strengths and weaknesses) is proposed in this work

Heart transplantation without informed consent: discussion of a case

OBJECTIVE: To discuss informed consent to heart transplantation in the case of an intensive care unit (ICU) patient: relatives' informed consent was refused by the patient himself whose cognitive ability appeared to be reasonable for the purpose. SETTING: ICU of a university teaching hospital. PATIENT: A 62-year-old man who underwent myocardial revascularization had in the immediate post-operative hemodynamic instability, continuous serious arrhythmias, ventilatory support, fentanyl infusion. Heart transplantation could be the only chance for his survival. INVENTION: Heart transplantation. RESULTS: Despite patient's refusal, we decided to hold the relative's consent as valid, and transplantation was accordingly performed, to the subsequent satisfaction of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Our decision was based on two beliefs: (1) the severity of the patient's clinical condition may have impaired his cognitive abilities; (2) the very same conditions may mask impairment and certainly make reliable assessment of cognition and judgment impossible. This being so, the preservation of life assumes priority

L'architettura dei cinematografi in Sicilia

Nei sette decenni che dal 1900, anno della realizzazione a Catania dello Stabilimento Sangiorgi, costituiscono l'arco temporale durante il quale si consuma ua peculiare esperienza architettura siciliana dei cinematografi, si impegnano in questo settore alcuni fra i migliori progettisti attivi nell'isola. con loro collabora un'articolata compagine di scultori, pittori, stuccatori, maestri vetrai e artigiani di vari settori. Dalla pura evasione alla condivisione intellettuale, i cinematografi si sono assicurati un ruolo di irresistibile richiamo per un'utenza straordinariamente diversificata. Essi sono stati anche lungamente luoghi delle passioni o dell'esaltazione anonimamente condotta nella collettività

Dietary Intake as a Link between Obesity, Systemic Inflammation, and the Assumption of Multiple Cardiovascular and Antidiabetic Drugs in Renal Transplant Recipients.

Abstract We evaluated dietary intake and nutritional-inflammation status in ninety-six renal transplant recipients, 7.2±5.0 years after transplantation. Patients were classified as normoweight (NW), overweight (OW), and obese (OB), if their body mass index was between 18.5 and 24.9, 25.0 and 29.9, and ≥30 kg/m2, respectively. Food composition tables were used to estimate nutrient intakes. The values obtained were compared with those recommended in current nutritional guidelines. 52% of the patients were NW, 29% were OW, and 19% were OB. Total energy, fat, and dietary n-6 PUFAs intake was higher in OB than in NW. IL-6 and hs-CRP were higher in OB than in NW. The prevalence of multidrug regimen was higher in OB. In all patients, total energy, protein, saturated fatty acids, and sodium intake were higher than guideline recommendations. On the contrary, the intake of unsaturated and n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and fiber was lower than recommended. In conclusion, the prevalence of obesity was high in our patients, and it was associated with inflammation and the assumption of multiple cardiovascular and antidiabetic drugs. Dietary intake did not meet nutritional recommendations in all patients, especially in obese ones, highlighting the need of a long-term nutritional support in renal transplant recipients

Lactate Regulates Metabolic and Proinflammatory Circuits in Control of T Cell Migration and Effector Functions

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