Log File Analysis in Cloud with Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark

Proceedings of: Second International Workshop on Sustainable Ultrascale Computing Systems (NESUS 2015). Krakow (Poland), September 10-11, 2015.Log files are a very important set of data that can lead to useful information through proper analysis. Due to the high production rate and the number of devices and software that generate logs, the use of cloud services for log analysis is almost necessary. This paper reviews the cloud computational framework ApacheTM Hadoop R, highlights the differences and similarities between Hadoop MapReduce and Apache SparkTM and evaluates the performance of them. Log file analysis applications were developed in both frameworks and performed SQL-type queries in real Apache Web Server log files. Various measurements were taken for each application and query with different parameters in order to extract safe conclusions about the performance of the two frameworks.The authors would like to thank Okeanos the GRNET’s cloud service for the valuable resources

Distributed Processing in Cloud Computing

Proceedings of the First PhD Symposium on Sustainable Ultrascale Computing Systems (NESUS PhD 2016) Timisoara, Romania. February 8-11, 2016.Cloud computing offers a wide range of resources and services through the Internet that can been used for various purposes. The rapid growth of cloud computing has exempted many companies and institutions from the burden of maintaining expensive hardware and software infrastructure. With characteristics like high scalability, availability and fault tolerance, cloud computing meet the new era needs for massive data processing at an affordable cost. In our doctoral research we intend to study, analyze, evaluate and make proposals in order to further improve the performance of cloud computing.European Cooperation in Science and Technology. COS

Knowledge and attitudes of medical students about clinical aspects of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in newborns: A nationwide cross-sectional study in Greece

IntroductionCytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital infection worldwide causing severe morbidity in newborns, infants, and children. Despite the clinical importance of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection, studies conducted so far indicate that there is limited awareness in the medical community in the field. The aim of this study was to assess Greek medical students’ knowledge on cCMV infection.MethodsWe performed a questionnaire-based nationwide cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of medical students from seven medical schools was enrolled.ResultsOf the 562 respondents, 54,8% considered themselves undereducated on cCMV infection. However, almost half of the participants could correctly recognize some basic principles of cCMV infection including ways of transmission, diagnosis and treatment, while there were aspects of cCMV infection with knowledge deficit. The year of study had a positive impact on the level of knowledge with students of higher years of study being of more sufficient education on the specific topic.ConclusionOverall, our study indicates a discrepancy between self-reported awareness and the level of knowledge among medical students in Greece. Further educational opportunities about cCMV should be offered, particularly in areas of the curriculum involving the care of women and children. Establishing medical students’ solid background on the disease burden and educating them about preventative strategies for at-risk populations, should be the main pillars of such efforts in order to promote confidence in managing these cases in their future professional careers

Versican but not decorin accumulation is related to malignancy in mammographically detected high density and malignant-appearing microcalcifications in non-palpable breast carcinomas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mammographic density (MD) and malignant-appearing microcalcifications (MAMCs) represent the earliest mammographic findings of non-palpable breast carcinomas. Matrix proteoglycans versican and decorin are frequently over-expressed in various malignancies and are differently involved in the progression of cancer. In the present study, we have evaluated the expression of versican and decorin in non-palpable breast carcinomas and their association with high risk mammographic findings and tumor characteristics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three hundred and ten patients with non-palpable suspicious breast lesions, detected during screening mammography, were studied. Histological examination was carried out and the expression of decorin, versican, estrogen receptor α (ERα), progesterone receptor (PR) and c-erbB2 (HER-2/neu) was assessed by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Histological examination showed 83 out of 310 (26.8%) carcinomas of various subtypes. Immunohistochemistry was carried out in 62/83 carcinomas. Decorin was accumulated in breast tissues with MD and MAMCs independently of the presence of malignancy. In contrast, versican was significantly increased only in carcinomas with MAMCs (median ± SE: 42.0 ± 9.1) and MD (22.5 ± 10.1) as compared to normal breast tissue with MAMCs (14.0 ± 5.8), MD (11.0 ± 4.4) and normal breast tissue without mammographic findings (10.0 ± 2.0). Elevated levels of versican were correlated with higher tumor grade and invasiveness in carcinomas with MD and MAMCs, whereas increased amounts of decorin were associated with <it>in situ </it>carcinomas in MAMCs. Stromal deposition of both proteoglycans was related to higher expression of ERα and PR in tumor cells only in MAMCs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The specific accumulation of versican in breast tissue with high MD and MAMCs only in the presence of malignant transformation and its association with the aggressiveness of the tumor suggests its possible use as molecular marker in non-palpable breast carcinomas.</p

«Αξιοποίηση οπτικοακουστικού υλικού του Ελληνικού Οργανισμού Τουρισμού ως εκπαιδευτικό εργαλείο στο μάθημα της Ιστορίας : Μια μελέτη περίπτωσης σε μαθητές της Δ΄ Δημοτικού»

Η είσοδος της τεχνολογίας στην καθημερινή ζωή του σύγχρονου ανθρώπου αποτελεί ένα αδιαμφισβήτητο γεγονός. Η εργασία, η υγεία, η οικονομία και η εκπαίδευση είναι κάποιοι από τους τομείς που έχουν υποστεί σημαντικές αλλαγές λόγω αυτής της εισόδου. Ορισμένα από τα τεχνολογικά προϊόντα με το οποία ο σύγχρονος άνθρωπος έρχεται σε επαφή είναι τα έξυπνα κινητά, τα τάμπλετ, η τηλεόραση, το διαδίκτυο κ.ά.. Δε θα μπορούσε να μην αναφερθεί πως η εικόνα και ο ήχος αποτελούν από τα πιο σημαντικά στοιχεία που καθιστούν τα προϊόντα αυτά ελκυστικά στους χρήστες. Στην παρούσα εργασία μελετάται η χρήση του οπτικοκουστικού υλικού στην εκπαίδευση. Ειδικότερα, ερευνάται αν το οπτικοακουστικό υλικό που παρέχει ο Ελληνικός Οργανισμός Τουρισμού (ΕΟΤ) σχετικό με την αρχαία Αθήνα και τον πολιτισμό της μπορεί να ενταχθεί στη διδασκαλία της Ιστορίας της Δ’ Δημοτικού ως διδακτικό υλικό για την ενότητα «Ο χρυσός αιώνας». Στο θεωρητικό μέρος της εργασίας γίνεται λόγος για τη χρήση των Τεχνολογιών της Πληροφορίας και της Επικοινωνίας (ΤΠΕ) στην εκπαίδευση και ειδικότερα στο μάθημα της Ιστορίας. Επίσης, μελετώνται έννοιες όπως ο οπτικοακουστικός γραμματισμός, ο οπτικός γραμματισμός καθώς και το υλικό που προσφέρει ο ΕΟΤ στην ιστοσελίδα του και συνδέεται με την ιστoρία της αρχαίας Αθήνας. Στο εμπειρικό μέρος της έρευνας περιγράφεται η εκπαιδευτική παρέμβαση που διενεργήθηκε σε μαθητές της Δ΄ Δημοτικού ενός δημοσίου σχολείου της Αττικής καθώς και τα αποτελέσματά της. Για την πραγματοποίηση της έρευνας οι μαθητές χωρίζονται σε δύο ομάδες, όπου στην πρώτη ομάδα γίνεται διαφοροποιημένη διδασκαλία με την αξιοποίηση του υλικού του ΕΟΤ, ενώ η δεύτερη ομάδα παρακολουθεί τη διδακτική της ενότητας με την παραδοσιακή διδασκαλία. Τα αποτελέσματα δείχνουν ότι το υλικό του ΕΟΤ μπορεί να αξιοποιηθεί στη διδασκαλία της Ιστορίας, αφού οι επιδόσεις των μαθητών βελτιώνονται και οι μαθητές φαίνεται να προτιμούν τη διδασκαλία με τη χρήση οπτικοακουστικού υλικού από την παραδοσιακή διδασκαλία. Η εργασία κλείνει με τα συμπεράσματα της έρευνας και κάποιες σκέψεις για τη συνολική διαδικασία.The introduction of technology into the everyday life of modern humans is an indisputable fact. Work, health, economy and education are some of the areas that have undergone significant changes due to this entry. Some of the technological products that modern humans come in contact with are smartphones, tablets, television, Internet, etc. It must be said that image and sound are the most important elements that make these products attractive to users. The present study examines the use of audiovisual media in education. In particular, it is investigated whether the audiovisual media provided by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) related to ancient Athens and its culture can be incorporated into the teaching of the 4th grade History Lesson as a teaching tool for the chapter &quot;The Golden Age&quot;. The theoretical part of the study discusses the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education and in particular in the History lesson. Also, concepts such as audiovisual literacy, visual literacy, as well as the material offered by GNTO on its website and linked to the history of ancient Athens are studied. The empirical part of the research describes the educational intervention carried out on 4th grade students of a public elementary school of Attica and research results. For the purposes of research, the students are divided into two groups, where the first group follows differentiated teaching by the use of GNTO material, while the second group monitors the teaching of module by traditional teaching. The results show that the audiovisual media of GNTO, can be used in the teaching of history, as the performance of students is improved and they seem to prefer teaching utilizing audiovisual media to traditional teaching. The paper closes with the conclusions of the research and some thoughts on the overall process

Κλινική φαρμακομετρία: μαθηματική μοντελοποίηση και προσομοιώσεις in vivo και in vitro δεδομένων

Nowadays, mathematical modeling has been proved to be an essential element of clinical pharmacology. In the present dissertation population and regression modeling, simulations and machine techniques were employed in order to provide guidance for dose optimization, investigate the impact of gastric emptying and other factors on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of specific model drugs, explore the sources of variability on drug dissolution and identify possible relations among apparently uncorrelated variables. In fact, simulations proved to be essential for designing optimized dose regimens of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment, based on patients’ characteristics. In this vein, population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling and simulations, helped to identify the factors affecting the clinical outcome in refractory patients with epilepsy under levetiracetam therapy, allowing for treatment individualization. Subsequently, through application of the population approach the usefulness of delay differential equations for the description of pharmacokinetic profiles with multiple peaks arising from gastric emptying and other phenomena preceding absorption was shown. A significant impact of the time delay between administration and absorption was proved on bioequivalence metrics but not on pharmacodynamics. Nonlinear mixed effects modeling was also applied to dissolution curves, aiding to quantify the impact of differences in the formulation and in the pH of the medium on their variability. Finally, machine learning and regression modeling were applied to unveil and quantify the significant correlations among variables relating to chemerin, length of gestation, physical development, obesity and metabolic syndrome in pre-adolescents. The present work highlights the value of pharmacometrics and machine learning in drug development and primarily in therapeutics.Στις μέρες μας, η μαθηματική μοντελοποίηση έχει αποδειχθεί ότι αποτελεί ένα πολύ σημαντικό στοιχείο της κλινικής φαρμακευτικής. Στην παρούσα διατριβή, τεχνικές πληθυσμιακής μοντελοποίησης, παλινδρόμησης, προσομοίωσης και μηχανικής μάθησης εφαρμόστηκαν για την βελτιστοποίηση δoσολογικών σχημάτων, για να διερευνηθεί η επίδραση της γαστρικής κένωσης και άλλων παραγόντων στην φαρμακοκινητική και στην φαρμακοδυναμική συγκεκριμένων φαρμάκων, για να διαλευκανθούν και να ποσοτικοποιηθούν κάποιες πηγές μεταβλητότητας της διάλυσης φαρμάκων και για να εντοπιστούν συσχετίσεις μεταξύ μεταβλητών σε περιπτώσεις που φαινομενικά δεν υπήρχε συσχετισμός. Πράγματι, οι προσομοιώσεις αποδείχθηκαν απαραίτητες για τον σχεδιασμό βελτιστοποιημένων δασολογικών σχημάτων hydroxychloroquine για την θεραπεία του COVID-19, με βάση τα χαρακτηριστικά ασθενών. Με την ίδια λογική, η χρήση πληθυσμιακής φαρμακοκινητικής και φαρμακοδυναμικής μοντελοποίησης και προσομοιώσεων, βοήθησε στον εντοπισμό των παραγόντων που επηρεάζουν το κλινικό αποτέλεσμα σε ασθενείς που δεν ανταποκρίνονταν στην αντιεπιληπτική θεραπεία με levetiracetam, επιτρέποντας έτσι να γίνει εξατομίκευση της θεραπείας. Στην συνέχεια, μέσω της προσέγγισης της πληθυσμιακής μοντελοποίησης αναδείχθηκε η χρησιμότητα των διαφορικών εξισώσεων με χρονοκαθυστέρηση για την περιγραφή της φαρμακοκινητικής φαρμάκων που παρουσιάζουν πολλαπλές κορυφές στο διάγραμμα συγκέντρωσης-χρόνου, η οποίες εμφανίζονται εξ αιτίας της γαστρικής κένωσης ή άλλων φαινομένων που προηγούνται της απορρόφησης. Η χρονοκαθυστέρηση μεταξύ χορήγησης και απορρόφησης φάνηκε να επηρεάζει σημαντικά της μεταβλητές που χρησιμοποιούνται για την εκτίμηση της βιοϊσοδυναμίας, ενώ δεν φάνηκε να έχει κάποια επίδραση στην φαρμακοδυναμική. Η μη γραμμική ανάλυση παλινδρόμησης χρησιμοποιήθηκε ακόμη για την ποσοτικοποίηση της επίδρασης στην μεταβλητότητα των καμπυλών διάλυσης, διαφορών στην συνταγή (formulation) και στο pH του μέσου διάλυσης. Τέλος, τεχνικές μηχανικής μάθησης και στατιστικής μοντελοποίησης οδήγησαν στην εύρεση και την ποσοτικοποίηση σημαντικών συσχετίσεων μεταξύ μεταβλητών που αφορούσαν στα επίπεδα chemerin, στην διάρκεια κύησης, στην σωματική ανάπτυξη, στην παχυσαρκία και το μεταβολικό σύνδρομο σε παιδία κατά την προ-εφηβεία.Η παρούσα εργασία αναδεικνύει το ρόλο της φαρμακομετρίας και της μηχανικής μάθησης στην ανάπτυξη φαρμάκων και κυρίως στην θεραπευτική

Super-paramagnetic nanoparticles: Manufacturing, structure, properties, simulation, applications

In this paper, after illustrating the current state of the art, we present our own technology in manufacturing super-paramagnetic nanoparticles (SPAN). The method is based on chemical coprecipitation by using single ion precursors, like chloride or/and nitrate salts. Apart from synthetic route description,a demonstration ofthe methods used for structural analysis and electric-magnetic properties determination is done followed by the comments and remarks on the recorded results. Finally, the role of doping in magnetic and optical properties of the prepared nanomagnetic materials is illustrated and the potential utilization of these materials in varioustechnological applications is presented

Attitudes of school teachers toward influenza and COVID-19 vaccine in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic

Our study aims to assess the attitudes, knowledge, and influenza vaccine uptake of school teachers, the intention to uptake influenza vaccine as well as the COVID-19 vaccine and to identify factors associated with vaccine acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among elementary and kindergarten school teachers in the area of Western Greece from June 2020 to August 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed via an internet-based link along with an invitation e-mail. Responses from 399 participants were retrieved. 139 (34.8%) had received the annual influenza vaccine in the season 2019–2020, whereas 215 (53.9%) stated that they would get it in the forthcoming season 2020–2021 (p < .001). 152 (38.1%) intent to get the COVID-19 vaccine when available. For COVID-19 vaccine factors that were independently associated with the intention to uptake included more than 15 years at work (p = .001), prior influenza vaccine uptake (p = .003), believing that COVID-19 vaccine should be mandatory (p = .04) and that school teachers are a high-risk group for COVID-19 (p = .001). In conclusion, COVID-19 pandemic appeared to have an impact on the intention of school teachers to get vaccinated for influenza. The low level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance intention among the teachers in our cohort warrants further attention. Public health interventions should aim to increase knowledge on both influenza and COVID-19 and prevention of them via immunization in this particular at-risk population

Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printing: Quantification of Exposure to Airborne Particles

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) has been established as a widely practiced Additive Manufacturing technique, using various thermoplastic filaments. Carbon fibre (CF) additives enhance mechanical properties of the materials. The main operational hazard of the FFF technique explored in the literature is the emission of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds. Exposure data regarding novel materials and larger scale operations is, however, still lacking. In this work, a thorough exposure assessment measurement campaign is presented for a workplace applying FFF 3D printing in various setups (four different commercial devices, including a modified commercial printer) and applying various materials (polylactic acid, thermoplastic polyurethane, copolyamide, polyethylene terephthalate glycol) and CF-reinforced thermoplastics (thermoplastic polyurethane, polylactic acid, polyamide). Portable exposure assessment instruments are employed, based on an established methodology, to study the airborne particle exposure potential of each process setup. The results revealed a distinct exposure profile for each process, necessitating a different safety approach per setup. Crucially, high potential for exposure is detected in processes with two printers working simultaneously. An updated engineering control scheme is applied to control exposures for the modified commercial printer. The establishment of a flexible safety system is vital for workplaces that apply FFF 3D printing