An Autonomous Engine for Services Configuration and Deployment.

The runtime management of the infrastructure providing service-based systems is a complex task, up to the point where manual operation struggles to be cost effective. As the functionality is provided by a set of dynamically composed distributed services, in order to achieve a management objective multiple operations have to be applied over the distributed elements of the managed infrastructure. Moreover, the manager must cope with the highly heterogeneous characteristics and management interfaces of the runtime resources. With this in mind, this paper proposes to support the configuration and deployment of services with an automated closed control loop. The automation is enabled by the definition of a generic information model, which captures all the information relevant to the management of the services with the same abstractions, describing the runtime elements, service dependencies, and business objectives. On top of that, a technique based on satisfiability is described which automatically diagnoses the state of the managed environment and obtains the required changes for correcting it (e.g., installation, service binding, update, or configuration). The results from a set of case studies extracted from the banking domain are provided to validate the feasibility of this proposa

Identification of a biomarker panel for colorectal cancer diagnosis

Background Malignancies arising in the large bowel cause the second largest number of deaths from cancer in the Western World. Despite progresses made during the last decades, colorectal cancer remains one of the most frequent and deadly neoplasias in the western countries. Methods A genomic study of human colorectal cancer has been carried out on a total of 31 tumoral samples, corresponding to different stages of the disease, and 33 non-tumoral samples. The study was carried out by hybridisation of the tumour samples against a reference pool of non-tumoral samples using Agilent Human 1A 60-mer oligo microarrays. The results obtained were validated by qRT-PCR. In the subsequent bioinformatics analysis, gene networks by means of Bayesian classifiers, variable selection and bootstrap resampling were built. The consensus among all the induced models produced a hierarchy of dependences and, thus, of variables. Results After an exhaustive process of pre-processing to ensure data quality--lost values imputation, probes quality, data smoothing and intraclass variability filtering--the final dataset comprised a total of 8, 104 probes. Next, a supervised classification approach and data analysis was carried out to obtain the most relevant genes. Two of them are directly involved in cancer progression and in particular in colorectal cancer. Finally, a supervised classifier was induced to classify new unseen samples. Conclusions We have developed a tentative model for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer based on a biomarker panel. Our results indicate that the gene profile described herein can discriminate between non-cancerous and cancerous samples with 94.45% accuracy using different supervised classifiers (AUC values in the range of 0.997 and 0.955)

Identification of a biomarker panel for colorectal cancer diagnosis

Background:Malignancies arising in the large bowel cause the second largest number of deaths from cancer in the Western World. Despite progresses made during the last decades, colorectal cancer remains one of the most frequent and deadly neoplasias in the western countries. Methods: A genomic study of human colorectal cancer has been carried out on a total of 31 tumoral samples, corresponding to different stages of the disease, and 33 non-tumoral samples. The study was carried out by hybridisation of the tumour samples against a reference pool of non-tumoral samples using Agilent Human 1A 60-mer oligo microarrays. The results obtained were validated by qRT-PCR. In the subsequent bioinformatics analysis, gene networks by means of Bayesian classifiers, variable selection and bootstrap resampling were built. The consensus among all the induced models produced a hierarchy of dependences and, thus, of variables. Results: After an exhaustive process of pre-processing to ensure data quality--lost values imputation, probes quality, data smoothing and intraclass variability filtering--the final dataset comprised a total of 8, 104 probes. Next, a supervised classification approach and data analysis was carried out to obtain the most relevant genes. Two of them are directly involved in cancer progression and in particular in colorectal cancer. Finally, a supervised classifier was induced to classify new unseen samples. Conclusions: We have developed a tentative model for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer based on a biomarker panel. Our results indicate that the gene profile described herein can discriminate between non-cancerous and cancerous samples with 94.45% accuracy using different supervised classifiers (AUC values in the range of 0.997 and 0.955).

Hegemonía, gubernamentalidad, territorio. Apuntes metodológicos para una historia social de la planificación

La historia social de la planificación espacial es un elemento clave en el proyecto de replanteamiento crítico de las políticas urbanas y territoriales. Un urbanismo comprometido con la recuperación de lo común bajo coordenadas radicalmente democráticas requiere una lectura del pasado capaz de desvelar cómo llegaron a producirse las estructuras socioespaciales contemporáneas y el papel que la planificación jugó en dicho proceso. La historia social de la planificación permite comprender la génesis sociopolítica de los discursos, técnicas y prácticas urbanísticas que empleamos en la actualidad y cuál ha sido su efecto sobre la vida cotidiana de los planificados. Este artículo analiza varios momentos conceptuales y metodológicos de ese proyecto historiográ!co. Se exploran en primer lugar el concepto gramsciano de «hegemonía» y el foucaultiano de «gubernamentalidad » como herramientas que permiten comprender la articulación entre política y vida cotidiana en el marco de una historia social general. Esta matriz de trabajo se traslada a la dimensión espacial a través de los conceptos de «territorio» y «territorialidad». Por último se estudia el modo en que la planificación ha sido movilizada históricamente como técnica de regulación espacial de los procesos de reproducción social por determinados proyectos hegemónicos/gubernamentales en un contexto de lucha de territorialidades. ........................................... The social history of spatial planning is a key element in the critical reevaluation of urban and territorial policies. In order to engage planning in the recovery of the commons and the formation of more democratic environments we need to understand its role in the historical production of our present sociospatial structures. This historiographical approach provides an alternative account of the sociopolitical genesis of contemporary planning discourses, techniques and practices, describing their effects and impact on the everyday lives of planned populations. This article analyzes several conceptual and methodological moments of this research project. Firstly I suggest that we use Gramsci’s conceptualization of «hegemony» and Foucault’s «governmentality» in order to understand the articulation between politics and everyday life in the context of a general social history. This theoretical framework is then translated into spatial terms through the concepts of «territory» and «territoriality». Finally, I study how planning has been mobilized throughout history by particular hegemonic/governmental projects in order to spatially regulate the processes of social reproduction, in a context shaped by struggles of territoriality.

Validation of an instrument for injury data collection in strength training

Purpose: To provide for the basis for collecting strength training data using a rigorously validated injury report form. Methods: A group of specialist designed a questionnaire of 45 item grouped into 4 dimensions. Six stages were used to assess face, content, and criterion validity of the weight training injury report form. A 13 members panel assessed the form for face validity, and an expert panel assessed it for content and criterion validity. Panel members were consulted until consensus was reached. A yardstick developed by an expert panel using Intraclass correlation technique was used to assess the reability of the form. Test-retest reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).The strength training injury report form was developed, and the face, content, and criterion validity successfully assessed. A six step protocol to create a yardstick was also developed to assist in the validation process. Both inter-rater and intra rater reliability results indicated a 98% agreement. Inter-rater reliability agreement of 98% for three injuries. Results: The Cronbach?s alpha of the questionnaire was 0.944 (pmenor que0.01) and the ICC of the entire questionnaire was 0.894 (pmenor que0.01). Conclusion: The questionnaire gathers together enough psychometric properties to be considered a valid and reliable tool for register injury data in strength training, and providing researchers with a basis for future studies in this area. Key Words: data collection; validation; injury prevention; strength training