Managing Population and Workload Imbalance in Structured Overlays

Every day the number of data produced by networked devices increases. The current paradigm is to offload the data produced to data centers to be processed. However as more and more devices are offloading their data do cloud centers, accessing data becomes increasingly more challenging. To combat this problem, systems are bringing data closer to the consumer and distributing network responsibilities among the end devices. We are witnessing a change in networking paradigm, where data storage and computation that was once only handled in the cloud, is being processed by Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile devices, thanks to the ever increasing technological capabilities of these devices. One approach, leverages devices into a structured overlay network. Structured Overlays are a common approach to address the organization and distri- bution of data in peer-to-peer distributed systems. Due to their nature, indexing and searching for elements of the system becomes trivial, thus structured overlays become ideal building blocks of resource location based applications. Such overlays assume that the data is distributed evenly over the peers, and that the popularity of those data items is also evenly balanced. However in many systems, due to many factors outside of the system domain, popularity may behave rather randomly, al- lowing for some nodes to spare more resources looking for the popular items than others. In this work we intend to exploit the properties of cluster-based structured overlays propose to address this problem by improving a structure overlay with the mechanisms to manage the population and workload imbalance and achieve more uniform use of resources. Our approach focus on implementing a Group-Based Distributed Hash Table (DHT) capable of dynamically changing its groups to accommodate the changes in churn in the network. With the conclusion of our work we believe that we have indeed created a network capable of withstanding high levels of churn, while ensuring fairness to all members of the network.Todos os dias aumenta o número de dados produzidos por dispositivos em rede. O pa- radigma atual é descarregar os dados produzidos para centros de dados para serem pro- cessados. No entanto com o aumento do número de dispositivos a descarregar dados para estes centros, o acesso aos dados torna-se cada vez mais desafiante. Para combater este problema, os sistemas estão a aproximar os dados dos consumidores e a distribuir responsabilidades de rede entre os dispositivos. Estamos a assistir a uma mudança no paradigma de redes, onde o armazenamento de dados e a computação que antes eram da responsabilidade dos centros de dados, está a ser processado por dispositivos móveis IoT, graças às crescentes capacidades tecnológicas destes dispositivos. Uma abordagem, junta os dispositivos em redes estruturadas. As redes estruturadas são o meio mais comum de organizar e distribuir dados em redes peer-to-peer. Gradas às suas propriedades, indexar e procurar por elementos torna- se trivial, assim, as redes estruturadas tornam-se o bloco de construção ideal para sistemas de procura de ficheiros. Estas redes assumem que os dados estão distribuídos equitativamente por todos os participantes e que todos esses dados são igualmente procurados. no entanto em muitos sistemas, por factores externos a popularidade tem um comportamento volátil e imprevi- sível sobrecarregando os participantes que guardam os dados mais populares. Este trabalho tenta explorar as propriedades das redes estruturadas em grupo para confrontar o problema, vamos equipar uma destas redes com os mecanismos necessários para coordenar os participantes e a sua carga. A nossa abordagem focasse na implementação de uma DHT baseado em grupos capaz de alterar dinamicamente os grupos para acomodar as mudanças de membros da rede. Com a conclusão de nosso trabalho, acreditamos que criamos uma rede capaz de suportar altos níveis de instabilidade, enquanto garante justiça a todos os membros da rede

Genotype variation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) tolerance to Fe toxicity might be linked to root cell wall lignification

Iron (Fe) is an essential element to plants, but can be harmful if accumulated to toxic concentrations. Fe toxicity can be a major nutritional disorder in rice (Oryza sativa) when cultivated under waterlogged conditions, as a result of excessive Fe solubilization of in the soil. However, little is known about the basis of Fe toxicity and tolerance at both physiological and molecular level. To identify mechanisms and potential candidate genes for Fe tolerance in rice, we comparatively analyzed the effects of excess Fe on two cultivars with distinct tolerance to Fe toxicity, EPAGRI 108 (tolerant) and BR-IRGA 409 (susceptible). After excess Fe treatment, BR-IRGA 409 plants showed reduced biomass and photosynthetic parameters, compared to EPAGRI 108. EPAGRI 108 plants accumulated lower amounts of Fe in both shoots and roots compared to BR-IRGA 409. We conducted transcriptomic analyses of roots from susceptible and tolerant plants under control and excess Fe conditions. We found 423 up-regulated and 92 down-regulated genes in the susceptible cultivar, and 42 up-regulated and 305 down-regulated genes in the tolerant one. We observed striking differences in root gene expression profiles following exposure to excess Fe: the two cultivars showed no genes regulated in the same way (up or down in both), and 264 genes were oppositely regulated in both cultivars. Plants from the susceptible cultivar showed down-regulation of known Fe uptake-related genes, indicating that plants are actively decreasing Fe acquisition. On the other hand, plants from the tolerant cultivar showed up-regulation of genes involved in root cell wall biosynthesis and lignification. We confirmed that the tolerant cultivar has increased lignification in the outer layers of the cortex and in the vascular bundle compared to the susceptible cultivar, suggesting that the capacity to avoid excessive Fe uptake could rely in root cell wall remodeling. Moreover, we showed that increased lignin concentrations in roots might be linked to Fe tolerance in other rice cultivars, suggesting that a similar mechanism might operate in multiple genotypes. Our results indicate that changes in root cell wall and Fe permeability might be related to Fe toxicity tolerance in rice natural variation

Síndrome do Quebra-Nozes (“nutcracker”): abordagem multiprofissional / Nutscracker Syndrome (“nutcracker”): multidisciplinary approach

A síndrome de quebra-nozes também conhecida como nutcracker, é uma variação anatômica caracterizada pela compressão da veia renal esquerda, entre a aorta abdominal e a artéria mesentérica superior, resultando no refluxo dessa veia e das veias gonadais esquerda VGE. Objetivou-se, apresentar abordagem multiprofissional aplicada a uma paciente diagnósticada com síndrome do quebra-nozes Trata-se de relato de caso, de uma paciante diagnosticada com síndrome de quebra-nozes  residente na capital do estado do Ceará. A paciente buscou assistência médica relatando dor suprapúbica e em flanco esquerdo associado a hematúria e infecção do trato urinário. Foi submetida aos exames de imagem, onde necessitou de avaliação médica especializada, sendo diagnosticada com síndrome de quebra-nozes. O quadro de dor persistente se resolveu mediante a nefrectomia esquerda. Portanto, percebeu-se que a síndrome de quebra-nozes impactou negativamente na qualidade de vida da paciente em estudo, fazendo necessário de uma assistência multiprofissional imediata, resolutiva e sobretudo, de qualidade

Arquivo de Memória Oral das Profissões da Comunicação (AMOPC)

O AMOPC designa um repositório de memórias orais dos profissionais das várias áreas da comunicação. O objetivo é a criação de um arquivo audiovisual em formato eletrónico, para recolha, recuperação, catalogação, preservação, disponibilização e aproveitamento de registos de memória histórica sobre as profissões da comunicação, aberto à sociedade civil e à comunidade académica mais alargada. O AMOPC poderá ser acedido e pesquisável através da internet, permitindo a rentabilização de materiais que se constituirão como fonte permanente de informação pedagógica e científica. Os media constituem um dos elementos mais determinantes das sociedades contemporâneas. À medida que à escala mundial se vai constituindo um híper sector, assistindo-se a fenómenos de convergência e de homogeneização cultural, os estudos na área da comunicação assumem um papel relevante para a compreensão das reconfigurações da esfera pública. Face à mudança nas atividades profissionais da área da comunicação, em termos tecnológicos, organizacionais e laborais, consideramos como prioridade o resgatar de memórias e vestígios plurais que tendem a ser ignorados e esquecidos, nas fontes oficiais e nos registos institucionais sobre a área da comunicação social. Optámos aqui por tomar a atividade da comunicação social como um todo, rejeitando a perspectiva de uma análise parcelar, por sector ou por suporte tecnológico, colocando as várias áreas ligadas aos media como um conjunto ocupacional (onde muitas trajetórias de vida cruzam diferentes áreas). Procuraremos diversificar as “ vozes” que “contam”, a nossa preocupação recairá na inclusão dos diversos grupos de profissionais, do diretor de informação de um canal de televisão, ao tipógrafo, ao gestor de comunicação, ao jornalista, ao account em comunicação, ao diretor do serviço ao cliente, ao revisor, ao assessor de imprensa, ao operador de imagem, ao copyright, ao fotógrafo, ao regente de estúdios, ao sonoplasta, etc. O caracter interdisciplinar é assegurado por uma equipa que 21 investigadores, de várias instituições do ensino superior, de Portugal e do Brasil. O nosso objectivo é alargar o projeto a outras instituições académicas e associações profissionais da área da comunicação. O projeto está numa fase de arranque, para a qual obteve financiamento em Dezembro de 2017, no Concurso Anual para Projectos de Investigação, Desenvolvimento, Inovação e Criação Artística do IPL-2016.Este trabalho insere-se no projeto de Investigação, Desenvolvimento, Inovação e Criação Artística do Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (IDI&CA do IPL – 2016) com a referência IPL/2016/AMOPC_ESCS.N/

Portuguese Football Federation consensus statement 2020: nutrition and performance in football

Nutrition is an undeniable part of promoting health and performance among football (soccer) players. Nevertheless, nutritional strategies adopted in elite football can vary significantly depending on culture, habit and practical constraints and might not always be supported by scientific evidence. Therefore, a group of 28 Portuguese experts on sports nutrition, sports science and sports medicine sought to discuss current practices in the elite football landscape and review the existing evidence on nutritional strategies to be applied when supporting football players. Starting from understanding football's physical and physiological demands, five different moments were identified: preparing to play, match-day, recovery after matches, between matches and during injury or rehabilitation periods. When applicable, specificities of nutritional support to young athletes and female players were also addressed. The result is a set of practical recommendations that gathered consensus among involved experts, highlighting carbohydrates periodisation, hydration and conscious use of dietary supplements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A comprehensive assessment of the transcriptome of cork oak (Quercus suber) through EST sequencing

Background: Cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the rare trees with the ability to produce cork, a material widely used to make wine bottle stoppers, flooring and insulation materials, among many other uses. The molecular mechanisms of cork formation are still poorly understood, in great part due to the difficulty in studying a species with a long life-cycle and for which there is scarce molecular/genomic information. Cork oak forests are of great ecological importance and represent a major economic and social resource in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. However, global warming is threatening the cork oak forests by imposing thermal, hydric and many types of novel biotic stresses. Despite the economic and social value of the Q. suber species, few genomic resources have been developed, useful for biotechnological applications and improved forest management. Results: We generated in excess of 7 million sequence reads, by pyrosequencing 21 normalized cDNA libraries derived from multiple Q. suber tissues and organs, developmental stages and physiological conditions. We deployed a stringent sequence processing and assembly pipeline that resulted in the identification of ~159,000 unigenes. These were annotated according to their similarity to known plant genes, to known Interpro domains, GO classes and E.C. numbers. The phylogenetic extent of this ESTs set was investigated, and we found that cork oak revealed a significant new gene space that is not covered by other model species or EST sequencing projects. The raw data, as well as the full annotated assembly, are now available to the community in a dedicated web portal at http://www.corkoakdb.org. Conclusions: This genomic resource represents the first trancriptome study in a cork producing species. It can be explored to develop new tools and approaches to understand stress responses and developmental processes in forest trees, as well as the molecular cascades underlying cork differentiation and disease response.Peer Reviewe

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications