Migrating medical communications software to a multi-tenant cloud environment

The rise of cloud computing has paved the way for many new applications. Many of these new cloud applications are also multi-tenant, ensuring multiple end users can make use of the same application instance. While these technologies make it possible to create many new applications, many legacy applications can also benefit from the added flexibility and cost-savings of cloud computing and multi-tenancy. In this paper, we describe the steps required to migrate a. NET-based medical communications application to the Windows Azure public cloud environment, and the steps required to add multi-tenancy to the application. We then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of our migration approach. We found that the migration to the cloud itself requires only a limited amount of changes to the application, but that this also limited the benefits, as individual instances would only be partially used. Adding multi-tenancy requires more changes, but when this is done, it has the potential to greatly reduce the cost of running the application

Characteristics of survivors: growth and nutritional condition of early stages of the hake species <i>Merluccius paradoxus</i> and <i>M. capensis</i> in the southern Benguela ecosystem

Larval mortality in marine fish is strongly linked to characteristic traits such as growth and condition, but the variability in these traits is poorly understood. We tried to identify the variability in growth in relation to conditions leading to greater survival chances for early stages of Cape hake, Merluccius paradoxus and M. capensis, in the Benguela upwelling ecosystem. During two cruises in 2007 and one cruise in 2008, hake larvae and juveniles were caught. Otolith microstructures revealed a larval age ranging from 2 to 29 days post-hatching (dph), whereas juvenile age was 67–152 dph. RNA:DNA ratios, used to evaluate nutritional condition, were above the relevant threshold level for growth. No strong coupling between growth and condition was detected, indicating a complex relationship between these factors in the southern Benguela ecosystem. Merluccius paradoxus juveniles caught in 2007 (the surviving larvae of 2006) had significantly higher larval growth rates than larvae hatched in 2007 and 2008, possibly indicating selection for fast growth in 2006. High selection pressure on growth could be linked to predation avoidance, including cannibalism

Identifying global synchronies in marine zooplankton populations: issues and opportunities

Analyses of the influences of climate variability on local zooplankton populations and those within ocean basins are relatively recent (past 5–10 years). What is lacking are comparisons of zooplankton population variability among the world's oceans, in contrast to such global comparisons of fish populations. This article examines the key questions, capabilities, and impediments for global comparisons of zooplankton populations using long-term (&gt;10 year) data sets. The key question is whether global synchronies in zooplankton populations exist. If yes, then (i) to what extent are they driven by “bottom-up” (productivity) or “top-down” (predation) forcing; (ii) are they initiated by persistent forcing or by episodic events whose effects propagate through the system with different time-lags; and (iii) what proportion of the biological variance is caused directly by physical forcing and what proportion might be caused by non-linear instabilities in the biological dynamics (e.g. through trophodynamic links)? The capabilities are improving quickly that will enable global comparisons of zooplankton populations. Several long-term sampling programmes and data sets exist in many ocean basins, and the data are becoming more available. In addition, there has been a major philosophical change recently that now recognizes the value of continuing long-term zooplankton observation programmes. Understanding of life-history characteristics and the ecosystem roles of zooplankton are also improving. A first and critical step in exploring possible synchrony among zooplankton from geographically diverse regions is to recognize the limitations of the various data sets. There exist several impediments that must be surmounted before global comparisons of zooplankton populations can be realized. Methodological issues concerned with the diverse spatial and temporal scales of “monitored” planktonic populations are one example. Other problems include data access issues, structural constraints regarding funding of international comparisons, and lack of understanding by decision-makers of the value of zooplankton as indicators of ecosystem change. We provide recommendations for alleviating some of these impediments, and suggest a need for an easily understood example of global synchrony in zooplankton populations and the relation of those signals to large-scale climate drivers

Characteristics of survivors: growth and nutritional condition of early stages of the hake species Merluccius paradoxus and M. capensis in the southern Benguela ecosystem

Larval mortality in marine fish is strongly linked to characteristic traits such as growth and condition, but the variability in these traits is poorly understood. We tried to identify the variability in growth in relation to conditions leading to greater survival chances for early stages of Cape hake, Merluccius paradoxus and M. capensis, in the Benguela upwelling ecosystem. During two cruises in 2007 and one cruise in 2008, hake larvae and juveniles were caught. Otolith microstructures revealed a larval age ranging from 2 to 29 days post-hatching (dph), whereas juvenile age was 67–152 dph. RNA:DNA ratios, used to evaluate nutritional condition, were above the relevant threshold level for growth. No strong coupling between growth and condition was detected, indicating a complex relationship between these factors in the southern Benguela ecosystem. Merluccius paradoxus juveniles caught in 2007 (the surviving larvae of 2006) had significantly higher larval growth rates than larvae hatched in 2007 and 2008, possibly indicating selection for fast growth in 2006. High selection pressure on growth could be linked to predation avoidance, including cannibalism

AfrOBIS: a marine biogeographic information system for sub-Saharan Africa

AfrOBIS is one of 11 global nodes of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), a freely accessible network of databases collating marine data in support of the Census of Marine Life. Versatile graphic products, provided by OBIS, can be used to display the data. To date, AfrOBIS has loaded about3.2 million records of more than 23 000 species located mainly in the seas around southern Africa. This forms part of the 13.2 million records of more than 80 000 species currently stored in OBIS. Scouting for South African data has been successful, whereas locating records in other African countries has been much less so

AfrOBIS: a marine biogeographic information system for sub-Saharan Africa

AfrOBIS is one of 11 global nodes of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), a freely accessible network of databases collating marine data in support of the Census of Marine Life. Versatile graphic products, provided by OBIS, can be used to display the data. To date, AfrOBIS has loaded about 3.2 million records of more than 23 000 species located mainly in the seas around southern Africa. This forms part of the 13.2 million records of more than 80 000 species currently stored in OBIS. Scouting for South African data has been successful, whereas locating records in other African countries has been much less so

Addressing quality and usability of surface water bodies in semi-arid regions with mining influences

Water resources management has considerable importance, specifically in the context of climate change. This subject has introduced new challenges in semi-arid regions with water quality problems, such as the Iberian Pyrite Belt, which is one of the largest metallogenetic provinces in the world and one of the driest regions in Europe. Positioned in the Mediterranean context, the region has a high density of polymetallic sulphide mines that promote the degradation of water systems. The present study aims to assess the water quality in the Pyrite Belt, considering a total of 34 surface water bodies, including constructed reservoirs, permanent and ephemeral streams, and mining facilities with accumulated water (e.g., pit lakes and mining dams). The water samples were analysed for physico-chemical properties, including field parameters (pH, electrical conductivity), alkalinity/acidity, hardness, anions, and potential toxic elements. The results were used for hydrochemical classifications and the assessment of suitability for public uses. Statistical methods, such as hierarchical cluster analysis and nearest centroid classifier, were used for grouping and evaluating the similarity between water bodies. Two groups were generated from the analysis: i) constructed lakes with alkaline and sodium signatures; and ii) waters suffering from the influence of mining wastes, e.g., showing high acidity, sulphate and metal contents. Therefore, the loss of water quality in the vicinity of mines reflects the impact of acid mine drainage. The methodological approach used may be applied to the integrated management of water resources in regions with mining influences and where it is necessary to combat drought and water scarcity scenarios.Patricia Gomes acknowledge FCT (Science and Technology Foundation, Portugal) by the research fellowship under the POCH (Programa Operacional Capital Humano) supported by the European Social Fund and National Funds of MCTES (Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) with reference SFRH/BD/108887/2015. This work was co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, based on COMPETE 2020 (Programa Operacional da Competitividade e Internacionalizacao) - project ICT (UID/GEO/04683/2013) with reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007690 and project Nano-MINENV number 029259

Self-maintaining or continuously refreshed? The genetic structure of Euphausia lucens populations in the Benguela upwelling ecosystem

Populations of Euphausia lucens over the shelf of the southern Benguela upwelling region could be self-maintaining. Alternatively, they could be continually refreshed by expatriates from the SW Atlantic that enter the system via South Atlantic Central Water in the south, before developing and then being lost through advection off Namibia. These two hypotheses are investigated here by examining geographic heterogeneity and molecular variation (cox1 and ND1) of the species across its distributional range in the Southern Hemisphere. Comparisons are made with E. vallentini, which is assumed to show panmixia associated with its circumglobal distribution between 50 and 60°S. Phylogenetic analysis with mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome oxidase 1 (cox1) confirmed that E. lucens and E. vallentinirepresent sister taxa. Strong geographic structuring of cox1 and ND1 mtDNA genetic variation by ocean basin was recorded in E. lucens, indicating that neritic populations off South Africa are likely self-maintaining. This contrasts with the results for E. vallentini, which appears to occur as a single panmictic population across its distributional range. These differences are likely related to the habitats (neritic, E. lucens; oceanic, E. vallentini) occupied by each species. The results of the neutrality tests are consistent with demographic processes and suggest growth in E. lucens and equilibrium or shrinkage in E. vallentini. Although purifying selection cannot be ruled out in the former, the very few haplotypes recovered from E. vallentini could indicate that any population expansion following a crash is not yet reflected in the relatively slowly evolving mtDNA markers used here. Further work using other methods is recommended.Web of Scienc

Carotid Artery Stenting Using a Novel Self-Expanding Braided Nickel–Titanium Stent: Feasibility and Safety Porcine Trial

We studied the deliverability and safety of a braided, self-expanding, closed-cell nickel–titanium (NiTi) stent (E-volution, Jotec GmbH, Hechingen, Germany) especially designed for the endovascular treatment of carotid artery bifurcation stenosis with special regard to in-stent stenosis and thrombosis compared with a laser-cut reference nitinol stent in a porcine model of percutaneous vascular interventions. We aimed to assess histopathologic response in minipig carotid and subclavian arteries. Eight minipigs received a total of 42 stents: 14 reference stents and 28 E-volution stents. Eleven of the E-volution stents were additionally coated with heparin. Control angiography was obtained immediately before and after vascular intervention as well as 4 weeks after the procedure. Primary endpoints were 28 days of angiographic analyses as well as histomorphometric analysis, including injury score, inflammation score, luminal diameter, vessel diameter, maximal neointimal thickness, and area of in-stent stenosis. Secondary end points were procedural success, 28-day mortality, and stent thrombosis. All stents could be delivered successfully without procedural complications, morbidity, or mortality during our observation time. As confirmed by histology, no in-stent thrombosis was observed. Compared with common carotid arteries, subclavian arteries are significantly more vulnerable to developing in-stent stenosis caused by neointima proliferation (p < 0.05). Compared with the use of 1 single stent/artery, serial application of two stents leads to a more excessive but not significantly different neointimal proliferation (p > 0.05). The E-volution stent, especially when heparin coated, is in line with the comparison to the laser-cut reference stent displaying similar results of angiographic, histologic, and histomorphometric analyses (p > 0.05). Compared with the reference laser-cut stent, the self-expanding nitinol stent (E-volution) with its advanced braiding technology is feasible and safe. In our opinion, the high radial resistive force and the advanced braided design with tight stent-strut interstices may be beneficial in terms of plaque stabilization. Further studies are necessary and warranted