Container-based Continuous Delivery for Clusters

The focus of this master’s thesis was aimed at E.ON’s electricity saving project, 100koll, in collaboration with IT-consulting firm Data Ductus.The 100koll users demand high availability, which creates a complex underlaying system-infrastructure. The processes of deploying and preparing new releases to the system is presently done manually. Data Ductus is requesting an investigation on whether or not containers can facilitate the preparation processes to a point where delivery is done continuously. The solution which was introduced follows five steps of implementation which involves a programmable infrastructure, deployment strategies and a deployment pipeline with a feedback system. What the solution shows us is that containers were able to facilitate certain parts of the implementation process that previously prevented Data Ductus from achieving continuous delivery. However, the conducted research also proves with the help of the implementation processes that achieving continuous delivery is not all to do with having access to the correct tools; it also has to do with the mindset of the people involved

Colored Speech: Cross Burnings, Epistemics, and the Triumph of the Crits?

This Essay examines the Court\u27s recent decision in Virginia v. Black. It argues that Black signifies a different approach to the constitutionality of statutes regulating cross burnings. It shows how the Court\u27s conservatives have essentially accepted the intellectual framework and the mode of analysis suggested previously by the critical race theorists. In particular, this Essay explores the role that Justice Thomas plays in the case. The Essay explains Justice Thomas\u27s active participation as a matter of epistemic authority and epistemic deference

Sequence signature analysis of chromosome identity in three Drosophila species

BACKGROUND: All eukaryotic organisms need to distinguish each of their chromosomes. A few protein complexes have been described that recognise entire, specific chromosomes, for instance dosage compensation complexes and the recently discovered autosome-specific Painting of Fourth (POF) protein in Drosophila. However, no sequences have been found that are chromosome-specific and distributed over the entire length of the respective chromosome. Here, we present a new, unbiased, exhaustive computational method that was used to probe three Drosophila genomes for chromosome-specific sequences. RESULTS: By combining genome annotations and cytological data with multivariate statistics related to three Drosophila genomes we found sequence signatures that distinguish Muller's F-elements (chromosome 4 in D. melanogaster) from all other chromosomes in Drosophila that are not attributable to differences in nucleotide composition, simple sequence repeats or repeated elements. Based on these signatures we identified complex motifs that are strongly overrepresented in the F-elements and found indications that the D. melanogaster motif may be involved in POF-binding to the F-element. In addition, the X-chromosomes of D. melanogaster and D. yakuba can be distinguished from the other chromosomes, albeit to a lesser extent. Surprisingly, the conservation of the F-element sequence signatures extends not only between species separated by approximately 55 Myr, but also linearly along the sequenced part of the F-elements. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that chromosome-distinguishing features are not exclusive to the sex chromosomes, but are also present on at least one autosome (the F-element) in Drosophila

Are pinholes the cause of excess current in superconducting tunnel junctions? A study of Andreev current in highly resistive junctions

In highly resistive superconducting tunnel junctions, excess subgap current is usually observed and is often attributed to microscopic "pinholes" in the tunnel barrier. We have studied the subgap current in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) and superconductor-insulator-normal-metal (SIN) junctions. In Al/AlOx/Al junctions, we observed a decrease of 2 orders of magnitude in the current upon the transition from the SIS to the SIN regime, where it then matched theory. In Al/AlOx/Cu junctions, we also observed generic features of coherent diffusive Andreev transport in a junction with a homogenous barrier. We use the quasiclassical Keldysh-Green function theory to quantify single- and two-particle tunneling and find good agreement over 2 orders of magnitude in transparency. We argue that our observations rule out pinholes as the origin of the excess current.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Survey of Design Methods and Material Characteristics in Rubber Engineering

The unique properties of elastomeric materials are taken advantage of in many engineering applications. Elastomeric units are used as couplings or mountings between stiff structures. Examples of these are shock absorbers, vibration insulators, flexible joints, seals and suspensions.The development of computers and of analysis programs in this area has given engineers a new tool for the design of elastomeric components. Computer simulation by finite element analysis has become increasingly important, allowing the mechanical behavior of products with for complex geometries, as well as loading cases of different kinds to be evaluated. Computer simulations enable both static and dynamic aspects to be analyzed. These matters have been recognized by the manufacturers of rubber products and by their customers. The benefits are shorter time for product development and also quality improvements.However, the possibilities available for finding less complicated technical solutions at lower cost with the use of elastomers, has not been fully utilized. Rubber components could be employed more frequently in design if engineers were more familiar with materials of this sort.Part of the problem lies in education and in the dissemination of information. Engineers working in the design area tend to not be very familiar with elastomeric materials and their properties. The offerings of courses on the mechanics of polymers at schools and universities are very limited. Skillful engineers in this field have usually acquired their knowledge through many years of experience and not formal education.Moreover, the complicated nature of the material behavior involved makes it difficult to devise general design rules and design tools. Only recently have computers and analysis programs become powerful enough for the analysis of nonlinear elastic problems involving large strains.It is essential, if one is to become competitive in high-tech applications, to possess a thorough knowledge of computer methods, material models and test methods available.There has likewise been a lack of relevant data for the computer analysis of elastomeric materials. The design tools employed rely on the material models available and on the test data required for the calibration of these models. In many cases, the only information available for analysis is a value for the hardness of the rubber in question. The wide variety of rubber compounds is also a problem. The characterization of different materials is costly and time-consuming. There is thus a need for simple and reliable methods to characterize the different vulcanizates

Flodkräfta och flodkräftodling i Sverige : en handbok baserad på erfarenheter

En levande landsbygd kräver verksamheter som kompletterar lantbruket. Odling av flodkräfta i dammar skulle kunna vara en mycket större verksamhet än vad som nu är fallet. Om det dessutom utvecklas en odlingsmetodik i växthusmiljöer skulle flodkräfta kunna odlas i betydligt större omfattning, inte minst för att ta fram livskraftiga yngel för utplantering. En sådan verksamhet skulle då kunna bedrivas även i de kallare delarna av landet, vilket inte är möjligt idag eftersom flodkräftans naturliga reproduktion begränsas av de kalla somrarna. Vår stora konsumtion av kräftor gör att importbehovet är omfattande. Vi importerar varje år frysta och kokta kräftor till Sverige till ett värde av närmare 450 Mkr. Den årliga konsumtionen av kräftor i landet uppgår till ungefär ½ kg per person och år, vilket motsvarar 5 000 ton. Det säljs kräftor som är fångade i Sverige (huvudsakligen signalkräfta) för ca 300 Mkr per år. Yrkesfisket på signalkräfta i de stora sjöarna omsätter ca 25 Mkr per år. Sammantaget importeras drygt hälften av de kräftor vi äter i Sverige. Eftersom det är förbjudet enligt svensk lag att importera levande kräftor, även för att hålla i akvarier, är odling och leverans av färska flodkräftor inom landet en framtidsverksamhet. Det som saknats tidigare är framförallt en saklig och heltäckande handledning hur en flodkräftodling kan etableras och hur bästa resultat fås ur odlingsverksamheten. Ett EU-beslut som gäller signalkräfta stärker dessutom våra ambitioner att slå vakt om flodkräftan. Beslutet innebär att signalkräftan finns på EU:s svarta lista över invasiva arter och signalkräfta får därmed inte spridas. EU:s förordning om invasiva främmande arter gäller från 1 januari 2016. Därmed finns det ytterligare anledning att gynna odling av flodkräfta i Sverige framöver. Våra ambitioner att bevara och utveckla förekomsten av denna rödlistade art, som flodkräfta utgör, kräver att odling i småvatten utökas. I det nationella åtgärdsprogrammet som syftar till att bevara flodkräfta lyfts odling av flodkräfta i dammar fram som en viktig åtgärd för artens bevarande. Detta faktum delas också med våra grannländer Finland, Danmark och Norge, där flodkräfta, precis som i Sverige är hotad av kräftpest, som främst sprids av signalkräftor. Denna handledning kan användas för att närmare undersöka möjligheterna att etablera en kräftodling och innehåller ett antal steg som leder fram till hur odlingen kan utformas. Den ger även information och stöd för de som kommit igång med flodkräftodling i dammar men som vill utveckla verksamheten eller använda den som ”felsökningsmanual” i fall något inte fungerar. Denna handledning bör därför även vara av intresse för etablerade odlare av flodkräfta med kommersiell verksamhet. Handledningen är rikligt illustrerad med foton och diagram. Det finns även annan ny information att tillgå i form av ett utbildningspaket som är relevant: ”Kräftodlingens ABC – kunskapsunderlag för flodkräftodling i dammar”. Denna handledning är en vidareutveckling av Kräftodlingens ABC och omfattar även inomhusodling och växthusodling av flodkräfta samt kopplingar till flera undersökningar som gjorts inom projektet. Allt i syfte att få fram så mycket referensmaterial som möjligt som kan användas som stöd vid andra odlingar. Här finns också mer ingående information om hur fångster utvärderas för att bedriva ett hållbart fiske på kräftor. Här finns också information om produktion och förväntningar i olika typer av odlingar som kan utgöra underlag för investeringsbeslut. Projekten har därför samverkat till stor del när båda dessa nya underlag tagits fram

Bacterial composition in Swedish raw drinking water reveals three major interacting ubiquitous metacommunities

Background Surface raw water used as a source for drinking water production is a critical resource, sensitive to contamination. We conducted a study on Swedish raw water sources, aiming to identify mutually co-occurring metacommunities of bacteria, and environmental factors driving such patterns. Methods The water sources were different regarding nutrient composition, water quality, and climate characteristics, and displayed various degrees of anthropogenic impact. Water inlet samples were collected at six drinking water treatment plants over 3 years, totaling 230 samples. The bacterial communities of DNA sequenced samples (n = 175), obtained by 16S metabarcoding, were analyzed using a joint model for taxa abundance. Results Two major groups of well-defined metacommunities of microorganisms were identified, in addition to a third, less distinct, and taxonomically more diverse group. These three metacommunities showed various associations to the measured environmental data. Predictions for the well-defined metacommunities revealed differing sets of favored metabolic pathways and life strategies. In one community, taxa with methanogenic metabolism were common, while a second community was dominated by taxa with carbohydrate and lipid-focused metabolism. Conclusion The identification of ubiquitous persistent co-occurring bacterial metacommunities in freshwater habitats could potentially facilitate microbial source tracking analysis of contamination issues in freshwater sources

Accounting for Bacterial Overlap Between Raw Water Communities and Contaminating Sources Improves the Accuracy of Signature-Based Microbial Source Tracking

Microbial source tracking (MST) analysis is essential to identifying and mitigating the fecal pollution of water resources. The signature-based MST method uses a library of sequences to identify contaminants based on operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that are unique to a certain source. However, no clear guidelines for how to incorporate OTU overlap or natural variation in the raw water bacterial community into MST analyses exist. We investigated how the inclusion of bacterial overlap between sources in the library affects source prediction accuracy. To achieve this, large-scale sampling – including feces from seven species, raw sewage, and raw water samples from water treatment plants – was followed by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The MST library was defined using three settings: (i) no raw water communities represented; (ii) raw water communities selected through clustering analysis; and (iii) local water communities collected across consecutive years. The results suggest that incorporating either the local background or representative bacterial composition improves MST analyses, as the results were positively correlated to measured levels of fecal indicator bacteria and the accuracy at which OTUs were assigned to the correct contamination source increased fourfold. Using the proportion of OTUs with high source origin probability, underpinning a contaminating signal, is a solid foundation in a framework for further deciphering and comparing contaminating signals derived in signature-based MST approaches. In conclusion, incorporating background bacterial composition of water in MST can improve mitigation efforts for minimizing the spread of pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria into essential freshwater resources