Integrating Scale Out and Fault Tolerance in Stream Processing using Operator State Management

As users of big data applications expect fresh results, we witness a new breed of stream processing systems (SPS) that are designed to scale to large numbers of cloud-hosted machines. Such systems face new challenges: (i) to benefit from the pay-as-you-go model of cloud computing, they must scale out on demand, acquiring additional virtual machines (VMs) and parallelising operators when the workload increases; (ii) failures are common with deployments on hundreds of VMs - systems must be fault-tolerant with fast recovery times, yet low per-machine overheads. An open question is how to achieve these two goals when stream queries include stateful operators, which must be scaled out and recovered without affecting query results. Our key idea is to expose internal operator state explicitly to the SPS through a set of state management primitives. Based on them, we describe an integrated approach for dynamic scale out and recovery of stateful operators. Externalised operator state is checkpointed periodically by the SPS and backed up to upstream VMs. The SPS identifies individual operator bottlenecks and automatically scales them out by allocating new VMs and partitioning the check-pointed state. At any point, failed operators are recovered by restoring checkpointed state on a new VM and replaying unprocessed tuples. We evaluate this approach with the Linear Road Benchmark on the Amazon EC2 cloud platform and show that it can scale automatically to a load factor of L=350 with 50 VMs, while recovering quickly from failures. Copyright © 2013 ACM

Paesaggi pastorali nella montagna veneta: archeologia ed etnoarcheologia

The Italian Prealps are a natural passage between the alpine world and the Po plain. The highlands have always been easily reached from the Po plain, especially in the east, thanks to the gentle mountain ridges and the deep north-south valleys. The eastern Italian Prealps have therefore been exploited from historical times to the present day for many purposes that are typical of a mountain zone: in the area between lake Garda and Brenta river, which is the focus of this paper, charcoal was made from wood, which was also used as building material; a poor agriculture was developed; mining activities were performed; stone quarry workers and stone dressers left remains of open quarries; during 18th and 19th centuries, the production of ice became important. The most important activity in the uplands was stock-raising from the 10th century shepherds have been using the high pastures, crossing the almost impassable woodland belt; during the 18th and 19th centuries, cattle husbandry prevailed over sheep rearing. Ethnoarchaeological and archaeological projects have been carried out in the study area in order to detect and document the traces of human activities, especially shepherds and sheep farming. To date, it has been possible to locate hundreds of sheep folds, shepherds’ shelters and breeders’ houses in the uplands; to interview the last shepherds in the lowlands, which turn out to be complementary to the use of uplands for animal breeding; to discover that the most ancient traces of organized human exploitation in the uplands go back to the Bronze Age, while during the Iron Age a change in upland economy is evident, possibly connected with the organization of larger territorial communities and their boundaries; in Roman times the exploitation of uplands seem to be connected with a network of sanctuaries, inherited from the Iron age

MULTIVARIATE REGRESSION APPLIED TO THE PERFORMANCE OTIMIZATION OF A COUNTERCURRENT ULTRACENTRIFUGE - A PRELIMINARY STUDY

In this work, the least-squares methodology with covariance matrix is applied to determine a data curve fitting in order to obtain a performance function for the separative power U of an ultracentrifuge as a function of variables that are experimentally controlled. The experimental data refer to 173 experiments on the ultracentrifugation process for uranium isotope separation. The experimental uncertainties related to the independent variables measurements are considered in the calculation of the experimental separative power values, determining an experimental data input covariance matrix. The process control variables, which significantly influence the U values, are chosen in order to give information on the ultracentrifuge behaviour when submitted to several levels of feed flow F and cut . After the model goodness-of-fit validation, a residual analysis is carried out to verify the assumed basis concerning its randomness and independence and mainly the existence of residual heteroscedasticity with any regression model variable. The response curves are made relating the separative power with the control variables F and , to compare the fitted model with the experimental data and finally to calculate their optimized values

is modeling stents still an important issue

Abstract Numerical models of cardiovascular devices have always appeared in literature studies few years after their use in clinical practice. As example, FDA approval of Palmaz-Schatz stent was in 1994, while the first numerical studies on a similar stent model appeared after 1999. The same temporal delay can be observed for degradable stents, transcatheter valves or more recently for devices like the stent retrievers. This observation does not necessarily mean that numerical modeling had not been used in the design of the stents or cardiovascular devices. Companies might have used numerical tools but not published the results. Was the publication activity committed mainly to the academic world? Or was the numerical modeling an exclusive academic activity until a few years ago? Modeling has intrinsic errors, while prototyping looks immune, as it is the natural design process for a company. The real world has always attracted more attention than the virtual world. Models are useful and the gap between the industrial production and numerical tools in the designing of devices is being reduced recently. Nowadays advances in medical images and augmentation of computer power allow to think of building real-time simulations as well as patient-specific models to be used to predict the device behavior; this is a plus that numerical modeling has over the traditional design process of cardiovascular devices. Furthermore, as in the past, the identification of new unknown problems/failures will always make the usage of numerical modeling a useful tool to explain the reasons of failure. The future in modeling stents is envisioned in their use for in silico trials and in the link between biology, engineering, and science

Hemodynamics of Stent Implantation Procedures in Coronary Bifurcations: an in vitro study

Stent implantation in coronary bifurcations presents unique challenges and currently there is no universally accepted stent deployment approach. Despite clinical and computational studies, to date, the effect of each stent implantation method on the coronary artery hemodynamics is not well understood. In this study the hemodynamics of stented coronary bifurcations under pulsatile flow conditions were investigated experimentally. Three implantation methods, provisional side branch (PSB), culotte (CUL), and crush (CRU), were investigated using time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) to measure the velocity fields. Subsequently, hemodynamic parameters including wall shear stress (WSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI), and relative residence time (RRT) were calculated and the pressure field through the vessel was non-invasively quantified. The effects of each stented case were evaluated and compared against an un-stented case. CRU provided the lowest compliance mismatch, but demonstrated detrimental stent interactions. PSB, the clinically preferred method, and CUL maintained many normal flow conditions. However, PSB provided about a 300% increase in both OSI and RRT. CUL yielded a 10% and 85% increase in OSI and RRT, respectively. The results of this study support the concept that different bifurcation stenting techniques result in hemodynamic environments that deviate from that of un-stented bifurcations, to varying degrees.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, 3 table

MYTH AND SYMBOLS IN WOLE SOYINKA'S IDANRE

Poetry and mythology are narrowly associated. In the various civilizations poetry originates in oral form from mythology, acquiring its first written realization in the narrative or epic poem. Although it has distanced itself from its narrative origins, many writers in the Twentieth Century have reaffirmed myth and narrative in poetry. Among them, the Nigerian poet and playwright Wole Soyinka stands out, whose works both in drama and poetry are largely inspired by Yoruba mythology. An example of this is the narrative poem Idanre, which provides an account of the creation myth of Ogun, Yoruba god of iron, culture and creativity, set in modern times. This study is an investigation and discussion of the presence of myth and symbols associated to it in the poem and their specific realization in Yoruba mythology

MORALITY IN POETRY THE NEW CRITICAL APPROACH

O problema da moralidade na poesia permanece um problema controverso. Geralmente considerado um gênero literário tendente ao subjetivo e abstrato, é muitas vezes difícil determinar se o teor moral da poesia se encontra em seu conteúdo, sua forma, nas emoções veiculadas ou na conjunção desses fatores. Aqui este problema é examinado da forma como aparece no pensamento de críticos ligados à escola de crítica literária chamada originalmente de New Criticism. Influente na metade do século XX, o New Criticism ficou conhecido como uma corrente que enfatizava o estudo das propriedades internas e formais do texto literário. No entanto, os autores ligados a ela tinham ideias bastante elaboradas com relação á moralidade da poesia. Aqui algumas dessas ideias são articuladas

Associação do consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados com alterações cardiometabólicas em adolescentes brasileiros

Introdução: A mudança do estilo de vida dos brasileiros nas últimas décadas está associada ao aumento da prevalência das doenças cardiometabólicas (DCM), principalmente pela mudança no padrão alimentar. Objetivo: Avaliar a associação do consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados (AUP) com marcadores de risco cardiometabólico em adolescentes brasileiros. Métodos: A amostra foi composta por adolescentes de 12 a 17 estudantes de escolas públicas e privadas de todo o Brasil, participantes do Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes (ERICA) entre 2013 e 2014. O consumo alimentar foi avaliado por meio de um recordatório alimentar de 24 horas e a classificação NOVA foi utilizada para avaliar o grau de processamento dos alimentos. A avaliação antropométrica, assim como da alimentação, foi realizada por pesquisadores treinados. Apenas alunos do turno da manhã, devido à necessidade de jejum, realizaram a coleta de sangue para avaliação dos parâmetros bioquímicos. Modelos de regressão de Poisson foram utilizados para avaliar a associação de AUP com fatores de risco cardiometabólicos. Resultados: No total, 36.952 adolescentes participaram do estudo. O consumo calórico médio proveniente de AUP foi de 30,7% ao dia. Maior consumo de AUP foi observado entre adolescentes do sexo feminino e com idade entre 15 e 17 anos. Os adolescentes que mais consumiam AUP apresentaram maior risco de ter LDL-c alterado (RP = 1,012; IC95% 1,005 – 1,029), apesar de apresentarem uma relação inversa com o HDL-c baixo (RP = 0,972; IC95% 0,952 – 0,993). Não foram observadas associações com os demais fatores de risco cardiometabólicos investigados. Conclusão: O consumo elevado de AUP parece impactar o perfil lipídico de adolescentes, especialmente as frações LDL-c e HDL-c.Introduction: The changes in the life-style of population in Brazil during the last decades were associated with increases in the cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), mostly by changes in diet pattern. Diet is an important modificable risk factor to reduce CMD prevalence, specially between young people. Objective: To evaluate the association between consumption of ultraprocessed food (UPF) and cardiometabolic markers in Brazilian adolescents. Methods: The data was composed by adolescents with 12-17 years old, students from public and private schools in Brazil, enrolled in the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA) in 2013-2014. Information about food consumption was collected using 24-hour dietary record and UPF were categorized by NOVA classification. Anthropometric measures and food consumption were collected by trained researchers. Fasting blood samples was needed, thus just morning shift students were included in the analysis. Poisson regression models were used to assess the association of UPF with cardiometabolic risk factors. Results: Overall, 36.952 adolescents were included. The average of energy intake from UPF was 30.7% per day. The Higher intake of UPF was observed in girls and those with 15-17 years old. Adolescents with higher consumption of UPF showed an increased prevalence ratios (PR) for high LDL-c (PR = 1.012; 95%IC 1.005 – 1.029), even though showing an inverse relationship with low HDL-c (PR = 0.972; 95%IC 0.952 – 0.993). No associations were observed with others cardiometabolic risk factors. Conclusion: The high consumption of UPF was associated with lipid profile among adolescents, especially the LDL-c and HDL-c fractions

Struttura sociale e diseguaglianze interne

Questo introduce alcuni elementi di descrizione sociale dell’Alto milanese, con particolare attenzione alla città di Legnano. Al fine di iniziare ad illustrare alcuni dei tratti di questa “piccola città”, se ne discute inizialmente la dinamica demografica. Si vede, così, la forza del processo di urbanizzazione anche negli anni più recenti, e la capacità di attrarre nuova popolazione non solo immigrata, ma anche dai Comuni limitrofi. Il processo di urbanizzazione viene in seguito messo in connessione con la dinamica di de-industrializzazione, ristrutturazione e conversione industriale. Vengono, poi, illustrati i principali caratteri della stratificazione sociale, le categorie socio-professionali, i titoli di godimento delle abitazioni e la loro ripartizione nelle diverse “contrade” della città, con il fine di capire se vi siano diseguaglianze strutturate fra i diversi quartieri. Infine, per completare la conoscenza sociale della città, si discutono alcuni dati di base sulla articolazione della società civile locale, nonché i suoi principali tratti di cultura civica

Financial and Economic Health in European Member States: A Rational Management Theory

The last decades of the European Union have been sprinkled of several instability problems, fluctuating between the growth of some State and crises of some other, without reaching an economic stability unity. Even in the presence of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) agreement, most of the States failed to monitor their health and gradually achieve positive results in term of Sovereign Debt exposure, economic growth and population\u2019s happiness and satisfaction. According to the Rational Management Theory, any organization (both private or public, whatever the dimension) can be managed through three specific \u201crational\u201d macro-phases. A first phase is called \u201cPlanning\u201d. In this phase, all the initiatives and actions are forecasted, planned and defined coherently with the vision, the mission, the target and the budget of the organization. In the second phase, named \u201cExecution\u201d, those actions are implemented and performed. In the third phase, titled \u201cControlling\u201d, is conducted a gap analysis between the deliverable and the achieved performance, therefore corrective actions can be proposed and implemented. The three phases are cyclic and backed by several documents, in particular budgeting statements and reports, accountancy and final balance statement. In this framework, the European Union members can find a map to a better managerial system, even taking into account all the complexity that characterizes a State. To evaluate the financial and economic health gauge of European Union Member States, we propose to verify if some of the most acknowledged managerial tools of financial statement interpretation can provide some gauges for economic and financial health and even predict or enhance the Deficit/GDP Ratio and the other structural ratios of the SGP. The sample is extracted from the European Central Bank Statistical Warehouse, analyzing some of the most critical accounts for the General Governments and comparing them with the most famous structural financial stability measures. The comparison will be conducted on the panel of most of the EU Member States financial and economic data for the last two decades. This contribution intends to foster the improvement and development of a set of supplementary instruments for a better management based on accounting data and strengthened by the European System of Accounts (2010 version)