Performance Evaluation of CORBA Concurrency Control Service Using Stochastic Petri Nets

The interest in performance evaluation of middleware systems is increasing. Measurement techniques are still predominant among those used to carry out performance evaluation. However, performance models are currently being defined due to their flexibility, precision and facilities to carry out capacity planning activities. This paper presents stochastic Petri net models for performance evaluation of the CORBA Concurrency Control Service (CCS), which mediates concurrent access to objects. In order to validate the proposed models, CCS performance results obtained using those models are then compared against ones obtained through actual measurements.The interest in performance evaluation of middleware systems is increasing. Measurement techniques are still predominant among those used to carry out performance evaluation. However, performance models are currently being defined due to their flexibility, precision and facilities to carry out capacity planning activities. This paper presents stochastic Petri net models for performance evaluation of the CORBA Concurrency Control Service (CCS), which mediates concurrent access to objects. In order to validate the proposed models, CCS performance results obtained using those models are then compared against ones obtained through actual measurements

Pesquisa de agentes entomopatogénicos na Ilha Terceira (Açores).

IX Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Terceira 1994.Durante a "Expedição Científica Terceira 1994" fez-se a recolha de amostras de solo para pesquisa de nemátodos e fungos entomopatogénicos no âmbito do projecto de colecção e caracterização da variabilidade genética de agentes entomopatogénicos nos Açores. Com o designado "Galleria trap method" isolaram-se 4 nemátodos do género Heterorhabditis, todos morfologicamente próximos de Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, e 1 fungo, identificado como Beauveria bassiana

Dark Proteome Database: Studies on Disorder

There is a misconception that intrinsic disorder in proteins is equivalent to darkness. The present study aims to establish, in the scope of the Swiss-Prot and Dark Proteome databases, the relationship between disorder and darkness. Three distinct predictors were used to calculate the disorder of Swiss-Prot proteins. The analysis of the results obtained with the used predictors and visualization paradigms resulted in the same conclusion that was reached before: disorder is mostly unrelated to darkness. (c) 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Detection of a Corrugated Velocity Pattern in the Spiral Galaxy NGC 5427

Here we report the detection, in Halpha emission, of a radial corrugation in the velocity field of the spiral galaxy NGC 5427. The central velocity of the Halpha line displays coherent, wavy-like variations in the vicinity of the spiral arms. The spectra along three different arm segments show that the maximum amplitude of the sinusoidal line variations are displaced some 500 pc from the central part of the spiral arms. The peak blueshifted velocities appear some 500 pc upstream the arm, whereas the peak redshifted velocities are located some 500 pc downstream the arm. This kinematical behavior is similar to the one expected in a galactic bore generated by the interaction of a spiral density wave with a thick gaseous disk, as recently modeled by Martos & Cox (1998).Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Volcanic facies architecture, hydrothermal alteration and subsea-floor replacement at the Neves Corvo deposit, Iberian Pyrite Belt

Contribution to research project ARCHYMEDESII-POCTI/CTA/45873/2002.Three felsic volcanic sequences constitute the host succession to the Neves Corvo VHMS deposit. The lower volcanic sequence (late Famennian) consists of a rhyolitic fiamme-rich facies association that comprises polymictic and overall graded quartzphyric fiamme breccia units (up to 60 m thick). These units have pyroclastic origin and constitute the substrate to the rhyolite facies association (intermediate volcanic sequence). The rhyolite facies association (late Strunian) comprises intervals of coherent quartz-feldspar-phyric rhyolite (up to 10 m thick) that are enclosed by much thicker intervals (up to 250 m) of jigsaw-fit and clast-rotated monomictic rhyolite breccia. Laterally these breccias grade to beds of monomictic rhyolite breccia that alternate with crystal-rich sandstone. The units defined by the rhyolite facies association are rhyolitic lavas. The massive sulfide orebodies (late Strunian) directly overly the lavas or are interleaved with relatively thin (up to 50 m) intervals of mudstone. The upper volcanic sequence (early Visean) consists of a thin interval of monomictic dacite breccia. The host succession to the Neves Corvo orebodies thus comprises proximal to source vent deposits from submarine explosive and effusive eruptions. However, the ore-forming process relates both in time and space with the rhyolitic lavas, which are coeval with the mineralization. Neves Corvo is well known for its high-grade Cu ores and unique cassiterite mineralization. Ore-related hydrothermal activity overprints an early metasomatic stage and relates with a multi-sourced hydrothermal system, responsible for early stringer and massive cassiterite deposition and subsequent massive sulfide oregeneration. In the Corvo orebody, the early deposition of massive cassiterite ores was fed by an independent stockwork in a tectonically-bounded alignment. Textural and petrographic analyses, geochemistry and oxygen-isotope data indicate brusque flushing of the tin-bearing fluid into seawater after minimal fluid-rock interaction during up flow. Massive sulfide-related hydrothermal alteration is essentially stratabound and controlled by permeability contrasts. Alteration zonation is classical, consisting of an inner chlorite/donbassite-quartz-sulfides-(sericite) core that grades into sericitequartz- sulfides-(chlorite) and paragonite-quartz-sulfides-(chlorite) peripheral envelopes. The aluminous hydrothermal alteration mineralogy coupled with elemental and stable isotope geochemistry indicates very low pH, unusually high maximum interaction temperature and predominant low-sulfidation alteration/mineralization conditions. Textural and mass-balance analyses show extensive silicate-sulfide replacement in the coherent volcanic rocks of the footwall sequence, and disseminated replacement mineralization in the volcaniclatic/sedimentary units

Susceptibilidade de diferentes estados larvares de Mythimna unipuncta (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) a Nemátodos entomopatogénicos isolados nos Açores (Nematoda: Steinernematidae e Heterorhabditidae)

Comunicação apresentada no 8º Congresso Ibérico de Entomologia, Évora, 7 a 11 de Setembro de 1998.A lagarta das pastagens, Mythimna unipuncta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), é uma importante praga nos Açores contra a qual se tem ensaiado vários inimigos naturais. Neste trabalho estuda-se a mortalidade causada por 5 nemátodes isolados nos Açores, três de Steinernema sp. (Az20, Az150 e A48), um de S. glaseri (Az26) e outro de Heterorhabditis sp. (Az33), contra o sexto estado larvar do insecto. Avalia-se também a susceptibilidade do quarto, quinto e sexto estados da praga ao isolado A48, o nemátode que causou maior mortalidade. A susceptibilidade do 6° estado larvar é mais elevada aos isolados Az48, Az20 e Az150 de Steinernema sp. decresce no isolado Az33 de Heterorhabditis sp. e é a menor em Az26 de S. glaseri com, respectivamente, um parasitismo de 90%, 80%, 53%, 73% e 33%..

Patterned Irradiation of YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-x) Thin Films

We present a new experiment on YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-x} (YBCO) thin films using spatially resolved heavy ion irradiation. Structures consisting of a periodic array of strong and weak pinning channels were created with the help of metal masks. The channels formed an angle of +/-45 Deg with respect to the symmetry axis of the photolithographically patterned structures. Investigations of the anisotropic transport properties of these structures were performed. We found striking resemblance to guided vortex motion as it was observed in YBCO single crystals containing an array of unidirected twin boundaries. The use of two additional test bridges allowed to determine in parallel the resistivities of the irradiated and unirradiated parts as well as the respective current-voltage characteristics. These measurements provided the input parameters for a numerical simulation of the potential distribution of the Hall patterning. In contrast to the unidirected twin boundaries in our experiment both strong and weak pinning regions are spatially extended. The interfaces between unirradiated and irradiated regions therefore form a Bose-glass contact. The experimentally observed magnetic field dependence of the transverse voltage vanishes faster than expected from the numerical simulation and we interpret this as a hydrodynamical interaction between a Bose-glass phase and a vortex liquid.Comment: 7 pages, 8 Eps figures included. Submitted to PR

Solar Images Processing in Parallel Environment

This paper presents the PVA-BDA project (Processing, Visualization and Analysis in ParallelEnvironment of the BDA Data) that has been developed for processing of solar images that will be captured bythe BDA (Brazilian Decimetric Array), a radio telescope under development at the National Institute for SpaceResearch (INPE). In a joint effort between the Department of Computer Science at Federal University of SãoCarlos (DC/UFSCar), the Astrophysics Division (DAS) and Associated Laboratory for Computing and AppliedMathematics (LAC) at INPE, a high performance parallel system is being developed with capacity to supportrealistic applications, involving a reasonable amount of parallel processing, in order to carry out the processing,visualization and analysis of solar images captured by BDA, in real time. The aim is to create the conditions forstarting a study of the solar weather forecast. The forecast of solar explosions are important as they may causeserious perturbations in terrestrial communication systems. An application for 3D reconstruction of X-raytomographic images of the solar atmosphere was developed at DC/UFSCar. Due to the need for the 3Dreconstruction of solar magnetic structures, in real-time, this application was implemented to execute in a parallelmachine using DSPs

BRAF Rearrangements and BRAF V600E Mutations Are Seen in a Subset of Pancreatic Carcinomas With Acinar Differentiation.

Comprehensive genomic profiling has demonstrated that approximately 20% of pancreatic carcinomas with acinar differentiation harbor potentially targetable BRAF fusions that activate the MAPK pathway. To validate the above finding by BRAF break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in a large series of pure acinar cell carcinomas (ACCs), evaluate tumors for the presence of BRAF V600E mutations, and compare clinicopathologic features of tumors with BRAF rearrangements with those without. Thirty cases of pure ACC and 6 cases of mixed acinar-neuroendocrine carcinoma (ACC-NEC) were retrieved. A break-apart FISH probe was used to detect BRAF rearrangements. Immunohistochemistry for BRAF V600E was performed. BRAF rearrangements by FISH were found in 6 of 36 cases (17%), 5 of which were pure ACC and 1 was a mixed ACC-NEC. Follow-up was available in 29 of 36 (81%). The median survival was 22 months for BRAF-rearranged cases and 16 months for BRAF-intact cases; the 2-year overall survival was 50% for BRAF-rearranged cases and 35% for BRAF-intact cases. No significant clinicopathologic differences were identified in cases with BRAF rearrangement compared with those without BRAF rearrangement. BRAF V600E mutation was identified in 2 of 34 cases (6%), both of which were pure ACC and were BRAF-intact by FISH. This study supports the finding that BRAF rearrangements are present in approximately 20% of cases and identified BRAF V600E mutations in approximately 5% of cases. These cases may benefit from targeted therapy

State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid-19

This report documents the impact of one year of Covid-19 in India, on jobs, incomes, inequality, and poverty. It also examines the effectiveness of policy measures that have thus far been undertaken to offer relief and support. Finally, it offers some policy suggestions for the near and medium-term future.When the pandemic hit, the Indian economy was already in the most prolonged slowdown in recent decades. On top of this, there were legacy problems such as a slow rate of job creation and lack of political commitment to improving working conditions which trapped a large section of the workforce without access to any employment security or social protection.Our analysis shows that the pandemic has further increased informality and led to a severe decline in earnings for the majority of workers resulting in a sudden increase in poverty. Women and younger workers have been disproportionately affected. Households have coped by reducing food intake, borrowing, and selling assets. Government relief has helped avoid the most severe forms of distress, but the reach of support measures is incomplete, leaving out some of the most vulnerable workers and households. We find that additional government support is urgently needed now for two reasons - compensating for the losses sustained during the first year and anticipating the impact of the second wave