Developing and operating time critical applications in clouds: the state of the art and the SWITCH approach

Cloud environments can provide virtualized, elastic, controllable and high quality on-demand services for supporting complex distributed applications. However, the engineering methods and software tools used for developing, deploying and executing classical time critical applications do not, as yet, account for the programmability and controllability provided by clouds, and so time critical applications cannot yet benefit from the full potential of cloud technology. This paper reviews the state of the art of technologies involved in developing time critical cloud applications, and presents the approach of a recently funded EU H2020 project: the Software Workbench for Interactive, Time Critical and Highly self-adaptive cloud applications (SWITCH). SWITCH aims to improve the existing development and execution model of time critical applications by introducing a novel conceptual model—the application-infrastructure co-programming and control model—in which application QoS and QoE, together with the programmability and controllability of cloud environments, is included in the complete application lifecycle

The effect of folic acid based homocysteine lowering on cardiovascular events in people with kidney disease: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To systematically review the effect of folic acid based homocysteine lowering on cardiovascular outcomes in people with kidney disease

Legislation and risks in plant protection machinery usage

Intenzivna poljoprivredna proizvodnja bila bi nezamisliva bez učinkovite kemijske zaštite bilja. S obzirom na moguće opasnosti kod pripreme škropiva i aplikacije pesticida, svako nepravilno rukovanje može utjecati na zdravlje rukovatelja i zaštitu prirodnog okoliša. Najviše pozornosti bi trebalo posvetiti edukaciji radnika u postupku zaštite bilja, radi velikog broja ozljeda koje nastaju uslijed nestručnog rukovanja poljoprivrednim alatima, strojevima, oruđem, stokom i opasnim tvarima koje se koriste u poljoprivredi. Broj ozljeda koje se događaju tijekom pripreme škropiva i aplikacije pesticida nije moguće precizno utvrditi jer ne postoji obveza njihovog prijavljivanja nadležnim institucijama i tijelima državne uprave. Promjene koje je donio ubrzani tehničko-tehnološki razvoj obilježene su visokim stupnjem automatizacije, a time su se promijenili sadržaj i uvjeti rada te su se stvorile nove opasnosti, rizici i oblici ugrožavanja. Da bi se zaposle- nici zaštitili trebamo primijeniti nove pristupe i mjere u sustavu osiguravanja zdravlja i zaštite istog na radu.4Intensive agricultural production would be unimaginable without the effective chemical plant protection. Given the potential dangers in the preparation of spray liquor and pesticide applications, any improper handling may affect the operator’s health and the protection of the natural environment. Most attention should be paid to the education of the workers in the plant protection, due to the large number of injuries resulting from improper handling with agricultural tools, machines, livestock and hazardous substances used in agriculture. The number of injuries occurring during the preparation of spray liquor and pesticide applications cannot be accurately determined because there is no obligation to report them to the competent institutions and state administration bodies. Changes made by the accelerated technical and technological development are characterized by a high degree of automation, and thus have changed the contents and conditions of work and have created new dangers, risks and forms of threat. In order to protect employees need to apply new approaches and measures in the system of ensuring health and safety at work the same

Equipment for irrigation for the vegetables cultivation

U intenzivnom uzgoju povrća nužno je koristiti suvremenu opremu za navodnjavanje jer se samo na taj način navodnjavanje može obaviti pravovremeno i kvalitetno. Navodnjavanje je jedna od najvažnijih agrotehničkih mjera jer ima pozitivan učinak na fizikalne, kemijske i biološke procese u tlu. Voda otapa hranjive tvari u tlu koje biljke mogu usvojiti korijenovim sustavom, sudjeluje u procesu fotosinteze prenoseći hranjive tvari iz korijena do lista, poboljšava mikroklimu i mikrofloru tla, smanjuje temperaturu biljaka čime regulira njihov toplinski režim, povećava urod i kvalitetu plodova. U radu je prikazana oprema i različiti sustavi za navodnjavanje povrća.In the intensive vegetables cultivation it is necessary to use modern equipment for irrigation because it is the only way that irrigation can be done timely and appropriate. Irrigation is one of the most important agricultural measures because it has a positive effect on the physical, chemical and biological processes in the soil. Water dissolves nutrients in the soil which plants can assimilate with root system, participates in the process of photosynthesis by transferring nutrients from the root to the leaf, improves the microclimate and soil microflora, reduces the temperature of the plants what regulate their thermal regime, increased yield and fruit quality. The paper presents the equipment and different systems for vegetables irrigation

Equipment for irrigation for the vegetables cultivation

U intenzivnom uzgoju povrća nužno je koristiti suvremenu opremu za navodnjavanje jer se samo na taj način navodnjavanje može obaviti pravovremeno i kvalitetno. Navodnjavanje je jedna od najvažnijih agrotehničkih mjera jer ima pozitivan učinak na fizikalne, kemijske i biološke procese u tlu. Voda otapa hranjive tvari u tlu koje biljke mogu usvojiti korijenovim sustavom, sudjeluje u procesu fotosinteze prenoseći hranjive tvari iz korijena do lista, poboljšava mikroklimu i mikrofloru tla, smanjuje temperaturu biljaka čime regulira njihov toplinski režim, povećava urod i kvalitetu plodova. U radu je prikazana oprema i različiti sustavi za navodnjavanje povrća.In the intensive vegetables cultivation it is necessary to use modern equipment for irrigation because it is the only way that irrigation can be done timely and appropriate. Irrigation is one of the most important agricultural measures because it has a positive effect on the physical, chemical and biological processes in the soil. Water dissolves nutrients in the soil which plants can assimilate with root system, participates in the process of photosynthesis by transferring nutrients from the root to the leaf, improves the microclimate and soil microflora, reduces the temperature of the plants what regulate their thermal regime, increased yield and fruit quality. The paper presents the equipment and different systems for vegetables irrigation

Development and Validation of a New Hierarchical Composite End Point for Clinical Trials of Kidney Disease Progression

BACKGROUND: The established composite kidney end point in clinical trials combines clinical events with sustained large changes in GFR. However, the statistical method does not weigh the relative clinical importance of the end point components. A HCE accounts for the clinical importance of the end point components and enables combining dichotomous outcomes with continuous measures. METHODS: We developed and validated a new HCE for kidney disease progression, performing post hoc analyses of seven major Phase 3 placebo-controlled trials that assessed the effects of canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, finerenone, atrasentan, losartan, irbesartan, and aliskiren in patients with CKD. We calculated the win odds (WOs) for treatment effects on a kidney HCE, defined as a hierarchical composite of all-cause mortality; kidney failure; sustained 57%, 50%, and 40% GFR declines from baseline; and GFR slope. The WO describes the odds of a more favorable outcome for receiving the active compared with the control. We compared the WO with the hazard ratio (HR) of the primary kidney outcome of the original trials. RESULTS: In all trials, treatment effects calculated with the WO reflected a similar direction and magnitude of the treatment effect compared with the HR. Clinical trials incorporating the HCE would achieve increased statistical power compared with the established composite end point at equivalent sample sizes. CONCLUSIONS: In seven major kidney clinical trials, the WO and HR provided similar direction of treatment effect estimates with smaller HRs associated with larger WOs. The prioritization of clinical outcomes and inclusion of broader composite end points makes the HCE an attractive alternative to the established kidney end point

Variability in estimated glomerular filtration rate and the risk of major clinical outcomes in diabetes:Post hoc analysis from the ADVANCE trial

There are limited data on whether estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) variability modifies the risk of future clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetes (T2D). We assessed the association between 20-month eGFR variability and the risk of major clinical outcomes in T2D among 8241 participants in the ADVANCE trial. Variability in eGFR (coefficient of variation [CVeGFR]) was calculated from three serum creatinine measurements over 20 months. Participants were classified into three groups by thirds of CVeGFR: low (6.4 to 12.1). The primary outcome was the composite of major macrovascular events, new or worsening nephropathy and all-cause mortality. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Over a median follow-up of 2.9 years following the 20-month period, 932 (11.3%) primary outcomes were recorded. Compared with low variability, greater 20-month eGFR variability was independently associated with higher risk of the primary outcome (HR for moderate and high variability: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.91-1.27 and 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03-1.45, respectively) with evidence of a positive linear trend (p = .015). These data indicate that eGFR variability predict changes in the risk of major clinical outcomes in T2D

Influence of longitudinal cold rolling on the surface topography of low carbon structural steel

U radu je prikazana metoda procjene površine ploče formirane uzdužnim hladnim valjanjem, obavljenim pomoću valjaoničkog stana 210 DUO SVa. Izvedeni su pokusi na uzorcima niskougljičnih konstrukcijskih čelika, kako bi se utvrdio utjecaj dimenzije zrna materijala s obzirom na tehnološke parametre, a posebice s obzirom na redukciju valjanja i silu valjanja. Hrapavost površine ploča mjerena je na tri mjesta optičkim profilometrom MicroProf FRT. Zbog toga su ovi rezultati međusobno uspoređeni.The paper presents a method of surface evaluation of steel strips formed by longitudinal cold rolling, carried out by a rolling mill DUO 210 SVa. The experiments were performed on samples of low carbon structural steel in order to determine the impact of grain size of material with respect to technological parameters, particularly with respect to a rolling reduction and rolling force. Surface roughness of the steel strips was measured at three locations by an optical profilometer MicroProf FRT. These results were consequently mutually compared

Benefits and harms of oral anticoagulant therapy in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Effects of oral anticoagulation in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are uncertain. Purpose: To evaluate the benefits and harms of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in adults with CKD stages 3 to 5, including those with dialysis-dependent end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Data Sources: English-language searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases (inception to February 2019); review bibliographies; and ClinicalTrials.gov (25 February 2019). Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials evaluating VKAs or NOACs for any indication in patients with CKD that reported efficacy or bleeding outcomes. Data Extraction: Two authors independently extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and rated certainty of evidence. Data Synthesis: Forty-five trials involving 34 082 participants who received anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (AF) (11 trials), venous thromboembolism (VTE) (11 trials), thromboprophylaxis (6 trials), prevention of dialysis access thrombosis (8 trials), and cardiovascular disease other than AF (9 trials) were included. All but the 8 trials involving patients with ESKD excluded participants with creatinine clearance less than 20 mL/min or estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m2. In AF, compared with VKAs, NOACs reduced risks for stroke or systemic embolism (risk ratio [RR], 0.79 [95% CI, 0.66 to 0.93]; high-certainty evidence) and hemorrhagic stroke (RR, 0.48 [CI, 0.30 to 0.76]; moderate-certainty evidence). Compared with VKAs, the effects of NOACs on recurrent VTE or VTE-related death were uncertain (RR, 0.72 [CI, 0.44 to 1.17]; low-certainty evidence). In all trials combined, NOACs seemingly reduced major bleeding risk compared with VKAs (RR, 0.75 [CI, 0.56 to 1.01]; low-certainty evidence). Limitation: Scant evidence for advanced CKD or ESKD; data mostly from subgroups of large trials. Conclusion: In early-stage CKD, NOACs had a benefit–risk profile superior to that of VKAs. For advanced CKD or ESKD, there was insufficient evidence to establish benefits or harms of VKAs or NOACs. Primary Funding Source: None. (PROSPERO: CRD42017079709