A lightweight supercomputing web portal for inferring phylogenetic trees

In this paper we describe a lightweight Web portal developed for running computational jobs on a IBM JS21 Bladecenter cluster, ThamesBlue, for inferring and analyzing evolutionary histories. We first discuss the need for leveraging HPC as a enabler for molecular phylogenetics research. We go on to describe how the portal is designed to interface with existing open-source software that is typical of a HPC resource configuration, and how by design this portal is generic enough to be portable to other similarly configured compute clusters, and for other applications.

The collaborative P-GRADE grid portal

Grid portals are increasingly used to provide uniform access to the grid infrastructure. This paper describes how the P-GRADE Grid Portal could be used in a collaborative manner to facilitate group work and support the notion of Virtual Organisations. We describe the development issues involved in the construction of a collaborative portal, including ensuring a consistent view between participants of a collaborative workflow and management of proxy credentials to allow separate nodes of the workflow to be submitted to different grids.

An ECOOP web portal for visualising and comparing distributed coastal oceanography model and in situ data

As part of a large European coastal operational oceanography project (ECOOP), we have developed a web portal for the display and comparison of model and in situ marine data. The distributed model and in situ datasets are accessed via an Open Geospatial Consortium Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS) respectively. These services were developed independently and readily integrated for the purposes of the ECOOP project, illustrating the ease of interoperability resulting from adherence to international standards. The key feature of the portal is the ability to display co-plotted timeseries of the in situ and model data and the quantification of misfits between the two. By using standards-based web technology we allow the user to quickly and easily explore over twenty model data feeds and compare these with dozens of in situ data feeds without being concerned with the low level details of differing file formats or the physical location of the data. Scientific and operational benefits to this work include model validation, quality control of observations, data assimilation and decision support in near real time. In these areas it is essential to be able to bring different data streams together from often disparate locations.

Ablation of primary afferent neurons by neonatal capsaicin treatment reduces the susceptibility of the portal hypertensive gastric mucosa to ethanol-induced injury in cirrhotic rats

Primary sensory afferent neurons modulate the hyperdynamic circulation in Cirrhotic rats with portal hypertension.The stomach of cirrhotic rats is prone to damage induced by ethanol, a phenomenon associated with reduced gastric hyperemic response to acid-back diffusion. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of ablation of capsaicin-sensitive neurons and the tachykinin NK(1) receptor antagonist A5330 on the susceptibility of the portal hypertensive gastric mucosa, to ethanol-induced injury and its effects on gastric cyclooxygenase (COX) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) mRNA expression. Capsaicin was administered to neonatal, male, Wistar rats and the animals were allowed to grow. Cirrhosis was then induced by bile duct ligation in adult rats while controls had sham operation. Ethanol-induced gastric damage was assessed using ex vivo gastric chamber experiments. Gastric blood flow was measured as well as COX/NOS mRNA expression. Topical application of ethanol produced significant gastric damage in cirrhotic rats compared to controls, which was reversed in capsaicin- and A5330-treated animals. Mean arterial and portal pressure was normalized in capsaicin-treated cirrhotic rats. Capsaicin and A5330 administration restored gastric blood flow responses to topical application of ethanol followed by acid in cirrhotic rats. Differential COX and NOS mRNA expression was noted in bile duct ligated rats relative to controls. Capsaicin treatment significantly modified gastric eNOS/iNOS/COX-2 mRNA expression in cirrhotic rats. Capsaicin-sensitive neurons modulate the susceptibility of the portal hypertensive gastric mucosa to injury induced by ethanol via tachykinin NK(1) receptors and signalling of prostaglandin and NO production/release. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GIS-portal - Utredning och design av GIS-portal ochingående tjänst åt Vägverket

Denna rapport presenterar ett examensarbete på D-nivå där uppdragsgivaren har varit WM-data Consulting och kunden Vägverket Produktion.Vägverket har ett antal olika applikationer för geografisk information som ligger utspridda på företagets hemsida . För att samla alla applikationer på ett och samma ställe fick vi i uppdrag att göra en grundläggande utredning av en GIS-portal. Denna portal ska fungera som en enhetlig ingång där kartdata samkörs och visualiseras. Ytterligare en del i uppdraget var att utreda vad som borde förändras och förbättras i den redan existerande tjänsten Beläggning på vägarna. Denna tjänst kommer att fungera som en testapplikation för GIS-portalen.Målen med examensarbetet var att utreda vilka krav som finns på en GIS-portal och applikationen Beläggning på vägarna samt att beskriva de önskemål som finns på dessa. Ett designförslag och en funktionsbeskrivning arbetades fram för både tjänsten Beläggning på vägarna och för GIS-portalen. Utredningen kommer att ligga till grund för utveckling av en GIS-portal samt fortsatt utveckling och förbättringar av tjänsten Beläggning på vägarna.För att komma fram till ett resultat har vi använt oss av ett antal teorier om IT-tjänster, systemarkitektur och användbarhet. Förutom dessa teorier har även de intervjuer som utförts spelat en stor roll för vårt arbete. Vi har lagt en bra grund för Vägverket att fortsätta arbetet med utveckling av en GIS-portal och tjänsten Beläggning på vägarna.

Atributos favoráveis à motivação para visitação de um site : estudo de um portal educacional

Esta pesquisa tem como foco principal os atributos favoráveis à motivação de uso de um site, especificamente um portal educacional. Concentra-se no levantamento de atributos usuais para a construção de sites na Internet, sendo primeiramente levantados em bibliografias e, paralelamente, junto a profissionais responsáveis pela construção de um portal educacional para o mercado brasileiro. Com a definição dos atributos mais importantes, buscou-se a constatação de seu uso em três portais educacionais, dois deles concorrentes ao portal estudado, por meio do uso da ferramenta de benchmarking. Com os dados sobre os atributos, partiu-se para a fase de avaliação de tais atributos com usuários finais de um portal educacional, para a verificação se tais atributos eram relevantes na busca e uso de tal site. A pesquisa concentrou-se em um grupo fechado de respondentes, por serem efetivos usuários do portal educacional e poderem, com suas respostas, colaborar de forma significativa para o avanço da pesquisa. Os resultados obtidos revelam importantes considerações sobre a construção de sites – especificamente portais educacionais – mas por serem atributos gerais podem formar uma base para analise de outros sites em construção.

Portal semântico do CPDOC

EMAp - Escola de Matemática Aplicada

Informação fluida e conhecimento no ciberespaço : uma análise do Portal Infonet-SE

The internet is a transbordering and potentializing environment for the information, since it makes possible the sheering, distribution and interaction of the contents available in it. However, this information system may generate an opposing move when it produces an avalanche of superficial information which difficult the absorption criticism by the user. This modern-liquid society, which is characterized by short living fashionisms, creates a fluid subject on which its habits do not become concrete, since they are so temporary that they don t shape up. The information also reproduces the same scenario, since the user is inserted into a logic based on supplying information and so it is conditioned to consume, not absorb or transform them into knowledge, since the flow of content production does not allow it. It is in his context that the publishing of cultural expressions come to be questioned, since they follow a liquid society trend. This discussion will take on topics that approach diverse cultural expressions in Sergipe, such as cinema, theater, craftsmanship, events, memory spaces(museums, art galleries, memorials, files, libraries, history institutes, science academies), amongst others and will analyze the content production of the Infonet Portal, from the reports published during April, May and June of 2008, period considered to be of cultural turbulence in the state, due to the June Festivals (Saint john, Saint Joseph and Saint Peter). To do so, Zigmunt Bauman s, Pierre Levy s, Edgar Morin s and Dominique Wolton s ideas were discussed. Besides, were analyzed the characteristics of the internet and its applicability within the portal hereby discussed in order to perceive the way the information is produced in the cyber culture, a movement that allows memorization, potentialization, interaction , besides other criteria inherent to the cyberspace