Rafhyc: an Architecture for Constructing Resilient Services on Federated Hybrid Clouds

Federated hybrid clouds is a model of service access and delivery to community cloud infrastructures. This model opens an opportunity window to allow the integration of the enhanced science (eScience) with the Cloud paradigm. The eScience is computationally intensive science that is carried out in highly distributed computing infrastructures. Nowadays, the eScience big issue on Cloud Computing is how to leverage on-demand computing in scientific research. This requires innovation at multiple levels, from architectural design to software platforms. This paper characterizes the requirements of a federated hybrid cloud model of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to provide eScience. Additionally, an architecture is defined for constructing Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) in a resilient manner over federated resources. This architecture is named Rafhyc (for Resilient Architecture of Federated HYbrid Clouds). This paper also describes a prototype implementation of the Rafhyc architecture, which integrates an interoperable community middleware, named DIRAC, with federated hybrid clouds. In this way DIRAC is providing SaaS for scientific computing purposes, demonstrating that Rafhyc architecture can bring together eScience and federated hybrid clouds.     

Consumption frequency and degree of abstraction: A study using the laddering technique on beef consumers

Consumer behaviour is being marked by changes in consumption trends. Hence, a knowledge and understanding of how consumers reflect key aspects of their personality in the products they purchase and consume is of vital importance to producers wishing to enhance their strategic position in the marketplace. The aim of this study is to investigate the consumption decision structure of beef, to assess the variation in complexity as a function of consumption levels. In order to meet these objectives, we designed a survey based on the means-end chain theory, using the laddering interview technique. The result shows that as consumers’ consumption levels increase, their decision-making processes become more complex, and therefore the reach higher levels of abstraction in the means-end chain. This reveals the incorporation of a greater number of abstract attributes (mainly credence attributes), psychological consequences and terminal values by consumers with higher consumption levels, who incorporate more personality traits into their decisions. Cultural identification and high self-esteem are the main components in the final choice of high-frequency beef consumers. The importance of price issues is apparent among occasional consumers. These findings can be used by firms within the beef sector in order to adapt marketing strategies to different consumption frequency segments.     

Sublethal zinc exposure has a detrimental effect on reproductive performance but not on the cyst hatching success of Artemia parthenogenetica

The sublethal zinc toxicity to Artemia parthenogenetica as regards the possibility of colonization of zinc polluted salterns by means of cysts has been assessed by a cyst hatching assay and a life table approach. Emergence and hatching at different times as well as the whole hatching profile were taken as end-points for evaluating success of development. Demographic and reproductive parameters calculated according to the Lotka equation were used as an indicator of the chronic toxicity of the population. No adverse effects of waterborne zinc were found on hatching and emergence of cysts of A. parthenogenetica at any of the concentrations tested (0.01 mg/l, 0.1 mg/l, 0.5 mg/l, 1 mg/l, 5 mg/l). Chronic zinc exposure at 0.08 mg/l had detrimental effects on A. parthenogenetica fecundity, as detected by a decrease in the percentage of fertile females, which in turn produces a decrease in r. Chronic toxicity of zinc may be a limiting step for A. parthenogenetica colonization and the establishing of permanent populations in zinc-polluted brine ponds.     

Stability of a phenol‐enriched olive oil during storage

The use of an emulsifier to stabilize the phenolic compounds added in the preparation of an enriched olive oil was evaluated. Two emulsifiers, lecithin and monoglyceride, were studied. The results showed lecithin to be the most convenient, due to the increase in the value of the oxidative stability of the phenol‐enriched oils in relation to the enrichments prepared with monoglycerides. After that, the shelf life of the prepared oils was evaluated during a period of 256 days of storage at 25°C in the dark. Oil quality parameters, total phenolic content, bitterness index and oxidative stability were studied during the storage period. Additionally, the phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity (by using the ORAC assay) were evaluated at the end of the storage. The phenolic enrichment of the oils allowed the shelf life of the oils to be extended compared with the control (virgin olive oil without phenol addition), delaying the appearance of peroxides and improving their oxidative stability. In addition, the higher content of phenolic compounds in the oils at all stages of storage is desirable in order to increase the intake of these beneficial compounds. Practical applications : The preparation of phenol‐enriched olive oils with a higher phenolic content than the commercial virgin olive oils is of special interest to increase the ingestion of these healthy compounds the daily intake of which is limited due to the high caloric value of olive oil. There are two key points in the development of this product: (i) the dispersion and stabilization of the phenol extract in the oil matrix and (ii) the stability of the phenols in the prepared oils to guarantee the phenol concentration during their shelf life. It is important to study the use of emulsifiers to determine if they allow an improvement in the dispersion of the phenolic extract, and their stabilization in the final product. In addition, the emulsifiers could mask the bitter taste of the enriched oils, which is desirable to increase consumer acceptance of the enriched oil.     

Effect of crop season on the composition of virgin olive oil with protected designation of origin “Les garrigues”

In recent years a growing demand for agricultural produce with an identifiable geographical origin has developed. The aim of this work was to study differences in quality and composition of virgin olive oils produced over four consecutive crop seasons in the region of the protected designation of origin “Les Garrigues” (Catalonia, Spain), taking the harvesting period and the climatic conditions of the year into consideration. The results obtained in this study indicate that virgin olive oil composition is greatly influenced by climatic conditions, mainly the cumulative rainfall in the case of FA composition and phenolic compounds, and the minimum temperatures during harvest period in the case of chlorophyll, carotenoid pigments, and α-tocopherol content. The harvest period influenced most of the parameters analyzed, apart from the PV and FFA content. Prediction models for carotenoid pigment content, oxidative stability, and bitter index were found.     

Neophobia,personal consumer values and novel food acceptance

For some years now, the food sector has been faced with an increasingly competitive and globalised market and much more stringent demand from consumers. This situation has forced food producers and processors, among other things, to innovate and develop new products in order to improve their position in the competition. However, innovations in the food industry suffer a high market failure rate, partly due to a phenomenon known as neophobia, which is the rejection some people express towards new or unfamiliar foods.This paper aims to analyze whether variation in the complexity and the associated benefits and values in the choice structure relating to novel food products can be linked to the consumer’s degree of phobia towards novel foods. These objectives are pursued through a study based on the “means-end chain” theory. The results show that consumption decisions regarding novel food products have an important emotional component that is more pronounced in neophobic subjects, suggesting that the greater the reluctance to consume the product, the more complex the underlying choice process.     

GRAIN AND MALT MILLING ENERGIES RELATIVE TO MALTING QUALITY PARAMETERS IN A MUTANT OF cv. TROUBADOUR

The mutant barley genotype TR49 and its parental cultivar Troubadour were grown at 5 sites throughout Spain in 1990. Large differences between sites were observed for a range of grain and malt quality characters. TR49 had very slightly higher milling energy in the grain than Troubadour, but, during the early stages of malting, showed a more rapid loss in milling energy. From the relationship between milling energy and other quality parameters, this was deduced to result from a more efficient and extensive modification of the endosperm cell walls in the mutant genotype.     

Classes of substance abuse relapse situations: A comparison of adolescents and adults.

Research in the process of relapse has uncovered important developmental differences in the situations that make adolescents and adults most vulnerable to relapse after substance abuse treatment. This study takes a developmental, person-centered approach to relapse by examining the latent class structure of relapse precursors in adolescents and adults. Adults (N = 160) and adolescents (N = 188) in substance abuse and psychiatric treatment were followed up to 18 months after discharge to gather detailed information about their first relapse after treatment. Both adolescents and adults exhibited a 2-class structure of relapse precursors. Adult classes were labeled social and urges situations (primary precursors: social pressure and urges; 67%) and negative and urges situations (primary precursors: negative affect and urges; 33%), while teen classes were labeled social and positive situations (primary precursors: enhancing a positive emotional state and social pressure; 69%) and complex situations (primary precursors: negative affect, negative interpersonal situations, social pressure, and urges; 31%). Findings are discussed in relation to developmental and clinical considerations in treating clients with substance use disorders and comorbid psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)