This thesis evolves perception as a hypothesis to reframe architectural praxis negotiated through agent-situation interaction. The research questions the geometric principles of architectural ordination to originate the ‘felt_space infrastructure’, a relational system of measurement concerned with the role of perception in mediating sensory space and the cognised environment. The methodological model for this research fuses perception and environmental stimuli, into a consistent generative process that penetrates the inner essence of space, to reveal the visceral parameter. These concepts are applied to develop a ‘coefficient of affordance’ typology, ‘hypervigilant’ tool set, and ‘cognitive_tope’ design methodology. Thus, by extending the architectural platform to consider perception as a design parameter, the thesis interprets the ‘inference schema’ as an instructional model to coordinate the acquisition of spatial reality through tensional and counter-tensional feedback dynamics. Three site-responsive case studies are used to advance the thesis. The first case study is descriptive and develops a typology of situated cognition to extend the ‘granularity’ of perceptual sensitisation (i.e. a fine-grained means of perceiving space). The second project is relational and questions how mapping can coordinate perceptual, cognitive and associative attention, as a ‘multi-webbed vector field’ comprised of attractors and deformations within a viewer-centred gravitational space. The third case study is causal, and demonstrates how a transactional-biased schema can generate, amplify and attenuate perceptual misalignment, thus triggering a visceral niche. The significance of the research is that it progresses generative perception as an additional variable for spatial practice, and promotes transactional methodologies to gain enhanced modes of spatial acuity to extend the repertoire of architectural practice.

No description available.

Le travail présenté dans cette thèse s’inscrit dans le champ de la géographie culturelle et veut participer à prouver qu’il existe un tournant spatial tel qu’il a été défini par Edward Soja en 1996, qui permet de porter un regard autre sur les sociétés en les analysant à partir des objets culturels qu’elles produisent. Les albums pour enfants, ces livres conçus pour le jeune public qui combinent images, supports et très souvent textes dans un rapport d’interdépendance, constituent les objets de ce travail de recherches. Envisagés comme des produits culturels géographiques, ils interrogent, disent, représentent et mettent en scène espaces et spatialités. S’intéressant à un corpus d’albums iconotextuels narratifs édités en France entre 1919 et 2012, ce travail s’emploie à démontrer qu’il existe une interdépendance entre trois instances narratives (textuelle, iconique et plastique) et que cette interdépendance génère et imagine non seulement de l’espace pour le lecteur mais également une intentionnalité spatiale, une transmission d’un habiter tel qu’il est pensé par l’auteur-illustrateur. La dernière partie de ce travail, plus exploratoire, propose de voir dans l’album pour enfants un lieu de communication dans lequel l’intentionnalité spatiale aiderait le lecteur-enfant à agir sur de l’espace. La réception, l’expérience esthétique, la lecture performative de l’album permettraient à l’enfant de se construire un capital culturel spatial dans lequel il pourrait puiser pour « faire avec » l’espace qu’il habite ou qu’il aura à habiter. / The work presented in this dissertation fits in the field of cultural geography and hopes to prove that there exists a spatial turning point as defined by Edward Soja in 1996, which will allow a further look into societies, analyzing them by means of the cultural objects that they produce.Children’s picture books, these books conceived for the young public which combine images, props, and very often text in a relationship of interdependence, constitute the objects of this research work. Considered as geographic cultural products, they question, state, represent, and stage spaces and spatialities.Drawing from a body of narrative, iconotextual picture books published in France between 1919 and 2012, this work intends to demonstrate that there exists an interdependence among three narrative instances (textual, iconic, and plastic) and that this interdependence generates and imagines not only space for the reader but also a spatial intentionality, a transmission of living such as envisioned by the author-illustrator.The last part of this work, more exploratory, proposes seeing in children’s books a place of communication in which the spatial intentionality would help the child-reader to act on the space. The reception, the esthetic experience, the performative reading of the picture book would allow the child to construct for himself a spatial cultural capital in which he could delve to “play with” the space in which he lives or that he will have to live.

Depuis l'émergence de la pandémie de SARS-CoV-2 en décembre 2019, plus de 675 millions de cas confirmés ont été signalés dans le monde, dont 4,6 millions de cas au Canada uniquement. Bien que la plupart des individus récupèrent sans séquelles, 10 à 20 % des survivants signalent des symptômes persistants au-delà de quatre semaines après une infection par le SARS-CoV-2, tels que la fatigue, les altérations cognitives, la toux, l'anxiété, la dépression, la douleur thoracique et autres, connus sous le nom de COVID longue ou de condition post-SARS-CoV-2 (PCC). Par conséquent, la physiopathologie, le diagnostic et la prise en charge de la PCC sont devenus un axe de recherche majeur. Pour contribuer à la compréhension de la PCC, nous avons mené le projet IPCO (Institut de Recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) Post-COVID-19 Research Clinic), en posant comme hypothèses 1 que les personnes infectés par le SARS-CoV-2 au Québec présenteraient des signes et symptômes fréquents et variés post-phase aiguë, affectant différents systèmes d'organes, et 2 Les niveaux élevés de D-dimères dans PCC ne sont pas pertinents pour les événements thromboemboliques 3 que Chez les individus atteints de la PCC, la vaccination contre la COVID-19 réduirait les symptômes de la PCC en diminuant l'inflammation. Pour évaluer ces hypothèses, nous avons recruté des participants âgés de plus de 18 ans, un à 18 mois après l'infection aiguë, présentant au moins un symptôme persistant, et programmé des visites de base et de suivi à 3-6 mois, 1 an et 2 ans post-infection aiguë. Chaque visite comprenait des évaluations cliniques, des prélèvements, des évaluations en laboratoire, des questionnaires sur l'alimentation et le bien-être, ainsi que des évaluations de la physiologie pulmonaire et cardiaque. Sur la base d'une étude allemande qui a catégorisé les symptômes du PCC et les individuals en trois groupes de sévérité, nous avons classé nos participants en trois niveaux de sévérité : non/légère (score du PCC <10,75), modérée (10,75 < score du PCC < 26,25) et sévère (score du PCC > 26,25). Cette thèse présente les résultats de trois sous-études IPCO. Dans l'étude descriptive, nous avons observé que la fatigue, les problèmes de mémoire et les maux de tête étaient les symptômes de PCC les plus courants, la majorité de nos participants étant des femmes et ayant été traités en ambulatoire pendant la phase aiguë. Dans l'étude transversale, nous avons constaté des différences significatives dans les mesures de santé et de bien-être à tous les moments, mais aucune différence significative dans les résultats des tests physiologiques entre les groupes PCC non/léger, modéré et sévère. Dans l'étude longitudinale, les marqueurs de l'inflammation se sont améliorés au fil du temps, mais le taux métabolique basal et la masse grasse ont augmenté. Dans la deuxième étude, nous avons observé une forte prévalence de participants ayant des niveaux de D-dimères, qui n'étaient pas associés à des événements thromboemboliques, et aucune corrélation entre le niveau de D-dimères et les niveaux de cytokines et de chimiokines. Dans la troisième étude, nous avons observé que les participants vaccinés présentaient significativement moins de symptômes de PCC. Notre étude fournit une meilleure compréhension de la physiopathologie du PCC et de l'effet de la vaccination sur le profil clinique et inflammatoire du PCC, ce qui pourrait aider à la conception d'outils de gestion clinique et de recherche futurs. / Since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in December 2019, over 675 million confirmed cases have been reported globally, with 4.6 million cases in Canada alone. Although most individuals recover without residual disease, 10-20% of survivors report symptoms persisting beyond four weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as fatigue, cognitive impairments, cough, anxiety, depression, chest pain, and others known as long-COVID or post SARS-CoV-2 condition (PCC). Consequently, the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of PCC have become a significant focus of research. To contribute to the understanding of PCC, we conducted the IPCO (Institut de Recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) Post-COVID-19 Research Clinic) project, hypothesizing that 1 SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals in Quebec would present frequent and varied signs and symptoms post-acute phase, affecting different organ systems, and that 2 high D-dimer level in PCC is irrelevant to thromboembolic events , and 3 in individuals with PCC, COVID-19 vaccination would decrease PCC symptoms by reducing inflammation. To evaluate these hypotheses, we enrolled participants aged >18 years, one to 18 months post-acute infection, with at least one persistent symptom, and scheduled baseline and follow-up visits at 3-6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-acute infection. Each visit involved clinical evaluations, sampling, laboratory evaluations, diet and well-being questionnaires, and pulmonary and cardiac physiology evaluations. Based on a German study that categorized PCC symptoms and individuals into three severity groups, we classified our participants into three severity levels: non/mild (PCC score < 10.75), moderate (10.75 < PCC score < 26.25), and severe (PCC score > 26.25). This thesis reports the results of three IPCO studies. In the descriptive study, we observed that fatigue, memory problems, and headaches were the most common PCC symptoms, with the majority of our participants being female and managed as outpatients during the acute phase. In the cross-sectional study, we noted significant differences in health and well-being measurements at all time points, but no significant difference in physiological tests' results between different severity groups. In the longitudinal study, markers of inflammation improved over time, but the basal metabolic rate and body fat increased. In the second study, we observed a high prevalence of participants having D-dimer levels in blood, which were not associated with thromboembolic events, and no correlation between D-dimer levels and blood cytokine/ chemokine levels. In the third study, we observed that vaccinated participants had significantly fewer PCC symptoms, fewer organ systems affected, higher well-being scores, and lower blood cytokine/chemokine levels than the non-vaccinated group. We also observed correlations between certain cytokines/chemokines, as well as between clinical parameters and certain cytokines/chemokines. Our study provides a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PCC and effect of vaccination on the clinical and inflammatory profile of PCC, which could assist future research and clinical management tool design.

I dagens informationssamhälle pågår en växande trend av molnbaserade tjänster. Vid implementering av molnbaserade tjänster används metoden Virtualisering. Denna metod minskar behovet av antal fysiska datorsystem i ett datacenter. Vilket har en positiv miljöpåverkan eftersom energikonsumtionen minskar när hårdvaruresurser kan utnyttjas till sin fulla kapacitet. Molnbaserade tjänster skapar samhällsnytta då nya aktörer utan teknisk bakgrundskunskap snabbt kan komma igång med verksamhetsberoende tjänster. För tillämpning av Virtualisering används en så kallad Hypervisor vars uppgift är att distribuera molnbaserade tjänster. Efter utvärdering av vetenskapliga studier har vi funnit att det finns skillnader i prestanda och funktionalitet mellan olika Hypervisors. Därför väljer vi att göra en prestanda- samt funktionsanalys av Hypervisors som kommer från de största aktörerna på marknaden. Dessa är Microsoft Hyper-V Core Server 2012, Vmware ESXi 5.1.0 och Citrix XenServer 6.1.0 Free edition. Vår uppdragsgivare är försvarsmakten som bekräftade en stor efterfrågan av vår undersökning. Rapporten innefattar en teoretisk grund som beskriver tekniker bakom virtualisering och applicerbara användningsområden. Genomförandet består av två huvudsakliga metoder, en kvalitativ- respektive kvantitativ del. Grunden till den kvantitativa delen utgörs av ett standardsystem som fastställdes utifrån varje Hypervisors begränsningar. På detta standardsystem utfördes prestandatester i form av dataöverföringar med en serie automatiserade testverktyg. Syftet med testverktygen var att simulera datalaster som avsiktligt påverkade CPU och I/O för att avgöra vilka prestandaskillnader som förekommer mellan Hypervisors. Den kvalitativa undersökningen omfattade en utredning av funktionaliteter och begränsningar som varje Hypervisor tillämpar. Med tillämpning av empirisk analys av de kvantitativa mätresultaten kunde vi fastställa orsaken bakom varje Hypervisors prestanda. Resultaten visade att det fanns en korrelation mellan hur väl en Hypervisor presterat och vilken typ av dataöverföring som den utsätts för. Den Hypervisor som uppvisade goda prestandaresultat i samtliga dataöverföringar är ESXi. Resultaten av den kvalitativa undersökningen visade att den Hypervisor som offererade mest funktionalitet och minst begränsningar är Hyper-V. Slutsatsen blev att ett mindre datacenter som inte planerar en expansion bör lämpligtvis välja ESXi. Ett större datacenter som både har behov av funktioner som gynnar molnbaserade tjänster och mer hårdvaruresurser bör välja Hyper-V vid implementation av molntjänster. / A growing trend of cloud-based services can be witnessed in todays information society. To implement cloud-based services a method called virtualization is used. This method reduces the need of physical computer systems in a datacenter and facilitates a sustainable environmental and economical development. Cloud-based services create societal benefits by allowing new operators to quickly launch business-dependent services. Virtualization is applied by a so-called Hypervisor whose task is to distribute cloud-based services. After evaluation of existing scientific studies, we have found that there exists a discernible difference in performance and functionality between different varieties of Hypervisors. We have chosen to perform a functional and performance analysis of Hypervisors from the manufacturers with the largest market share. These are Microsoft Hyper-V Core Server 2012, Vmware ESXi 5.1.0 and Citrix XenServer 6.1.0 Free edition. Our client, the Swedish armed forces, have expressed a great need of the research which we have conducted. The thesis consists of a theoretical base which describes techniques behind virtualization and its applicable fields. Implementation comprises of two main methods, a qualitative and a quantitative research. The basis of the quantitative investigation consists of a standard test system which has been defined by the limitations of each Hypervisor. The system was used for a series of performance tests, where data transfers were initiated and sampled by automated testing tools. The purpose of the testing tools was to simulate workloads which deliberately affected CPU and I/O to determine the performance differences between Hypervisors. The qualitative method comprised of an assessment of functionalities and limitations for each Hypervisor. By using empirical analysis of the quantitative measurements we were able to determine the cause of each Hypervisors performance. The results revealed that there was a correlation between Hypervisor performance and the specific data transfer it was exposed to. The Hypervisor which exhibited good performance results in all data transfers was ESXi. The findings in the qualitative research revealed that the Hypervisor which offered the most functionality and least amount of constraints was Hyper-V. The conclusion of the overall results uncovered that ESXi is most suitable for smaller datacenters which do not intend to expand their operations. However a larger datacenter which is in need of cloud service oriented functionalities and requires greater hardware resources should choose Hyper-V at implementation of cloud-based services.

At low doses, relevant to nuclear incidents and accidental releases of radioactivity, the detriment of radiation extends beyond direct effects. This thesis investigates genomic instability, a subclass of non-targeted effects where damage and lethality is transmitted vertically and expressed in the progeny of cells many generations after initial radiation exposure. Through a series of experiments using clonogenic assay of human and fish cell culture, studies described in this thesis describe lethal mutations, hyper radiosensitivity and increased radioresistance – processes involving repair mechanisms that dictate survival in cells exposed to low doses. Further study investigates the difference in the relative biological effect of alpha particle radiation compared to what is expected at high doses. Results demonstrate increased radioresistance in a human cell line while also revealing increased lethality in a fish cell line confirming the need for consideration of dose-dependence as well as variance in behaviors of different cell lines and species. It is hoped the conclusions of this thesis will inspire the creation of protocols with greater attention to the indirect consequences of exposure to radiation at doses relevant to nuclear incidents and accidents. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The field of crisis management and humanitarian assistance has been one of the major fields of development for governmental and common best European practices in the last decades. The European Union as a major humanitarian stakeholder has taken great effort to strengthen the response in case of humanitarian disasters. This work addresses the feasibility and possible benefits of using machine learning in the prediction of the impact severity of a disaster as a model-driven data analysis in comparison to data-driven reference models for early response coordination and preparedness. In comparison to classical data analysis systems the feasibility of earthquake impact prediction based on machine learning models is evaluated and further debated.

[ES] Una de las principales preocupaciones de los centros de datos actuales es maximizar la utilización de los servidores. En cada servidor se ejecutan simultáneamente varias aplicaciones para aumentar la eficiencia de los recursos. Sin embargo, las prestaciones dependen en gran medida de la proporción de recursos que recibe cada aplicación. El mayor número de núcleos (y de aplicaciones ejecutándose) con cada nueva generación de procesadores hace que crezca la preocupación por la interferencia en los recursos compartidos. Esta tesis se centra en mitigar la interferencia cuando diferentes aplicaciones se consolidan en un mismo procesador desde dos perspectivas: computación de alto rendimiento (HPC) y computación en la nube. En el contexto de HPC, esta tesis propone políticas de gestión para dos de los recursos más críticos: la caché de último nivel (LLC) y los núcleos del procesador. La LLC desempeña un papel clave en las prestaciones de los procesadores actuales al reducir considerablemente el número de accesos de alta latencia a memoria principal. Se proponen estrategias de particionado de la LLC tanto para cachés inclusivas como no inclusivas, ambos diseños presentes en los procesadores para servidores actuales. Para los esquemas, se detectan nuevos comportamientos problemáticos y se asigna un mayor espacio de caché a las aplicaciones que hacen mejor uso de este. En cuanto a los núcleos del procesador, muchas aplicaciones paralelas (como aplicaciones de grafos) no escalan bien con un mayor número de núcleos. Además, el planificador de Linux aplica una estrategia de tiempo compartido que no ofrece buenas prestaciones cuando se ejecutan aplicaciones de grafo. Para maximizar la utilización del sistema, esta tesis propone ejecutar múltiples aplicaciones de grafo en el mismo procesador, asignando a cada una el número óptimo de núcleos (y adaptando el número de hilos creados) dinámicamente. En cuanto a la computación en la nube, esta tesis aborda tres grandes retos: la compleja infraestructura de estos sistemas, las características de sus aplicaciones y el impacto de la interferencia entre máquinas virtuales (MV). Primero, esta tesis presenta la plataforma experimental desarrollada con los principales componentes de un sistema en la nube. Luego, se presenta un amplio estudio de caracterización sobre un conjunto de aplicaciones de latencia crítica representativas con el fin de identificar los puntos que los proveedores de servicios en la nube deben tener en cuenta para mejorar el rendimiento y la utilización de los recursos. Por último, se realiza una propuesta que permite detectar y estimar dinámicamente la interferencia entre MV. El enfoque usa métricas que pueden monitorizarse fácilmente en la nube pública, ya que las MV deben tratarse como "cajas negras". Toda la investigación descrita se lleva a cabo respetando las restricciones y cumpliendo los requisitos para ser aplicable en entornos de producción de nube pública. En resumen, esta tesis aborda la contención en los principales recursos compartidos del sistema en el contexto de la consolidación de servidores. Los resultados experimentales muestran importantes ganancias sobre Linux. En los procesadores con LLC inclusiva, el tiempo de ejecución (TT) se reduce en más de un 40%, mientras que se mejora el IPC más de un 3%. Con una LLC no inclusiva, la equidad y el TT mejoran en un 44% y un 24%, respectivamente, al mismo tiempo que se mejora el rendimiento hasta un 3,5%. Al distribuir los núcleos del procesador de forma eficiente, se alcanza una equidad casi perfecta (94%), y el TT se reduce hasta un 80%. En entornos de computación en la nube, la degradación del rendimiento puede estimarse con un error de un 5% en la predicción global. Todas las propuestas presentadas han sido diseñadas para ser aplicadas en procesadores comerciales sin requerir ninguna información previa, tomando las decisiones dinámicamente con datos recogidos de los contadores de prestaciones. / [CAT] Una de les principals preocupacions dels centres de dades actuals és maximitzar la utilització dels servidors. A cada servidor s'executen simultàniament diverses aplicacions per augmentar l'eficiència dels recursos. Tot i això, el rendiment depèn en gran mesura de la proporció de recursos que rep cada aplicació. El nombre creixent de nuclis (i aplicacions executant-se) amb cada nova generació de processadors fa que creixca la preocupació per l'efecte causat per les interferències en els recursos compartits. Aquesta tesi se centra a mitigar la interferència en els recursos compartits quan diferents aplicacions es consoliden en un mateix processador des de dues perspectives: computació d'alt rendiment (HPC) i computació al núvol. En el context d'HPC, aquesta tesi proposa polítiques de gestió per a dos dels recursos més crítics: la memòria cau d'últim nivell (LLC) i els nuclis del processador. La LLC exerceix un paper clau a les prestacions del sistema en els processadors actuals reduint considerablement el nombre d'accessos d'alta latència a la memòria principal. Es proposen estratègies de particionament de la LLC tant per a caus inclusives com no inclusives, ambdós dissenys presents en els processadors actuals. Per als dos esquemes, se detecten nous comportaments problemàtics i s'assigna un major espai de memòria cau a les aplicacions que en fan un millor ús. Pel que fa als nuclis del processador, moltes aplicacions paral·leles (com les aplicacions de graf) no escalen bé a mesura que s'incrementa el nombre de nuclis. A més, el planificador de Linux aplica una estratègia de temps compartit que no ofereix bones prestacions quan s'executen aplicacions de graf. Per maximitzar la utilització del sistema, aquesta tesi proposa executar múltiples aplicacions de grafs al mateix processador, assignant a cadascuna el nombre òptim de nuclis (i adaptant el nombre de fils creats) dinàmicament. Pel que fa a la computació al núvol, aquesta tesi aborda tres grans reptes: la complexa infraestructura d'aquests sistemes, les característiques de les seues aplicacions i l'impacte de la interferència entre màquines virtuals (MV). En primer lloc, aquesta tesi presenta la plataforma experimental desenvolupada amb els principals components d'un sistema al núvol. Després, es presenta un ampli estudi de caracterització sobre un conjunt d'aplicacions de latència crítica representatives per identificar els punts que els proveïdors de serveis al núvol han de tenir en compte per millorar el rendiment i la utilització dels recursos. Finalment, es fa una proposta que de manera dinàmica permet detectar i estimar la interferència entre MV. L'enfocament es basa en mètriques que es poden monitoritzar fàcilment al núvol públic, ja que les MV han de tractar-se com a "caixes negres". Tota la investigació descrita es duu a terme respectant les restriccions i complint els requisits per ser aplicable en entorns de producció al núvol públic. En resum, aquesta tesi aborda la contenció en els principals recursos compartits del sistema en el context de la consolidació de servidors. Els resultats experimentals mostren que s'obtenen importants guanys sobre Linux. En els processadors amb una LLC inclusiva, el temps d'execució (TT) es redueix en més d'un 40%, mentres que es millora l'IPC en més d'un 3%. En una LLC no inclusiva, l'equitat i el TT es milloren en un 44% i un 24%, respectivament, al mateix temps que s'obté una millora del rendiment de fins a un 3,5%. Distribuint els nuclis del processador de manera eficient es pot obtindre una equitat quasi perfecta (94%), i el TT pot reduir-se fins a un 80%. En entorns de computació al núvol, la degradació del rendiment pot estimar-se amb un error de predicció global d'un 5%. Totes les propostes presentades en aquesta tesi han sigut dissenyades per a ser aplicades en processadors de servidors comercials sense requerir cap informació prèvia, prenent decisions dinàmicament amb dades recollides dels comptadors de prestacions. / [EN] One of the main concerns of today's data centers is to maximize server utilization. In each server processor, multiple applications are executed concurrently, increasing resource efficiency. However, performance and fairness highly depend on the share of resources that each application receives, leading to performance unpredictability. The rising number of cores (and running applications) with every new generation of processors is leading to a growing concern for interference at the shared resources. This thesis focuses on addressing resource interference when different applications are consolidated on the same server processor from two main perspectives: high-performance computing (HPC) and cloud computing. In the context of HPC, resource management approaches are proposed to reduce inter-application interference at two major critical resources: the last level cache (LLC) and the processor cores. The LLC plays a key role in the system performance of current multi-cores by reducing the number of long-latency main memory accesses. LLC partitioning approaches are proposed for both inclusive and non-inclusive LLCs, as both designs are present in current server processors. In both cases, newly problematic LLC behaviors are identified and efficiently detected, granting a larger cache share to those applications that use best the LLC space. As for processor cores, many parallel applications, like graph applications, do not scale well with an increasing number of cores. Moreover, the default Linux time-sharing scheduler performs poorly when running graph applications, which process vast amounts of data. To maximize system utilization, this thesis proposes to co-locate multiple graph applications on the same server processor by assigning the optimal number of cores to each one, dynamically adapting the number of threads spawned by the running applications. When studying the impact of system-shared resources on cloud computing, this thesis addresses three major challenges: the complex infrastructure of cloud systems, the nature of cloud applications, and the impact of inter-VM interference. Firstly, this thesis presents the experimental platform developed to perform representative cloud studies with the main cloud system components (hardware and software). Secondly, an extensive characterization study is presented on a set of representative latency-critical workloads which must meet strict quality of service (QoS) requirements. The aim of the studies is to outline issues cloud providers should consider to improve performance and resource utilization. Finally, we propose an online approach that detects and accurately estimates inter-VM interference when co-locating multiple latency-critical VMs. The approach relies on metrics that can be easily monitored in the public cloud as VMs are handled as ``black boxes''. The research described above is carried out following the restrictions and requirements to be applicable to public cloud production systems. In summary, this thesis addresses contention in the main system shared resources in the context of server consolidation, both in HPC and cloud computing. Experimental results show that important gains are obtained over the Linux OS scheduler by reducing interference. In inclusive LLCs, turnaround time (TT) is reduced by over 40% while improving IPC by more than 3%. In non-inclusive LLCs, fairness and TT are improved by 44% and 24%, respectively, while improving performance by up to 3.5%. By distributing core resources efficiently, almost perfect fairness can be obtained (94%), and TT can be reduced by up to 80%. In cloud computing, performance degradation due to resource contention can be estimated with an overall prediction error of 5%. All the approaches proposed in this thesis have been designed to be applied in commercial server processors without requiring any prior information, making decisions dynamically with data collected from hardware performance counters. / Pons Escat, L. (2023). Interference Analysis and Resource Management in Server Processors: from HPC to Cloud Computing [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/195840

Background Iron deficiency (ID) is the world‟s most prevalent micronutrient deficiency and predominantly affects developing countries, also South Africa. In areas with low fish consumption and high n-6 PUFA vegetable oil intake, there is a risk for having inadequate n-3 PUFA status. Both iron and n-3 PUFA play important roles in the immune response, and supplementation is a strategy to alleviate deficiencies. However, little is known about potential interactive effects between concurrent iron and n-3 PUFA supplementation on the immune system. This is also important in the context that iron supplementation may be unsafe and may increase morbidity and mortality. Aim The overall aim of this thesis was to assess the effects of iron and docosahexaenoic (DHA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) supplementation, alone and in combination, on the immune system of ID children. More specifically, these effects were investigated on the occurrence and duration of illness and school-absenteeism due to illness, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), red blood cell (RBC) and plasma total phospholipid fatty acid composition, iron status, fatty acid-derived immune modulators and targeted PBMC gene expression. Furthermore, association of PBMC, RBC and plasma total phospholipid fatty acid composition with allergic disease, were also examined. Design In a 2-by-2 factorial, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, South African children (n = 321, aged 6–11 y) were randomly assigned to receive oral supplements of either 1) iron (50 mg as ferrous sulphate) plus placebo; 2) DHA/EPA (420/80 mg) plus placebo; 3) iron plus DHA/EPA (420/80 mg); or 4) placebo plus placebo for 8.5 mo, four times per week. Absenteeism and illness symptoms were recorded and biochemical parameters for compliance as well as parameters fundamental to immune function were assessed at baseline and endpoint. Furthermore, in a cross-sectional design, associations of allergic disease with baseline fatty acid composition of PBMC, RBC and plasma were examined. Results The combination of iron and DHA/EPA significantly attenuated respiratory illness caused by iron supplementation. DHA/EPA supplementation alone improved respiratory symptoms at school, but increased headache-related absenteeism. DHA/EPA and iron supplementation individually tended to increase and decrease anti-inflammatory DHA and EPA-derived mediators, respectively. Furthermore the anti-inflammatory DHA-derived immune mediator, 17HDHA was higher in the DHA/EPA plus placebo and iron plus DHA/EPA groups than in the iron plus placebo group. Also, the pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid (AA)-derived modulators (5- and 15-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid) were significantly lower in the iron plus DHA/EPA group compared to the placebo plus placebo groups. In the study population, 27.2% of the children had allergic disease and AA in PBMC phospholipids was significantly lower in the allergic children than in the non-allergic children. In RBC phospholipids dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) and the ratio of DGLA: linoleic acid (LA) correlated negatively and the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio positively with total immunoglobulin E (tIgE). Furthermore, trans-C18:1n-9, tended to be higher in the allergic group. Conclusion DHA/EPA prevented respiratory illness caused by iron supplementation and although DHA/EPA on its own reduced respiratory morbidity when the children were present at school, surprisingly it increased the likelihood of being absent with headache and fever. The biochemical findings compliment the clinical results and support previous observations about DHA/EPA supplementation to reduce inflammation, but add to the current knowledge base that a relatively high oral dose of non-haem iron modulates circulating lipid-derived immune modulators and related gene expression. Furthermore, when supplementing with iron and DHA/EPA combined, in this ID population with low fish intake, the anti-inflammatory effect of DHA/EPA is maintained concurrently with attenuation of respiratory morbidity. This finding support the notion that excess iron (probably as non-transferrin bound iron) becomes available for pathogens and is probably why we found that iron increased respiratory infectious morbidity. The improved clinical outcome with combined supplementation seems to be related to increased lipid-mediator synthesis gene expression and the availability of DHA/EPA, leading to a more pro-resolving profile and enhanced immune competence. Overall these results give better insight into immune function and infectious morbidity in relation to n-3 PUFA and iron status and treatment, as well as the possible association of fatty acid status with allergic disease in young South-African school children. / PhD (Nutrition), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Background Iron deficiency (ID) is the world‟s most prevalent micronutrient deficiency and predominantly affects developing countries, also South Africa. In areas with low fish consumption and high n-6 PUFA vegetable oil intake, there is a risk for having inadequate n-3 PUFA status. Both iron and n-3 PUFA play important roles in the immune response, and supplementation is a strategy to alleviate deficiencies. However, little is known about potential interactive effects between concurrent iron and n-3 PUFA supplementation on the immune system. This is also important in the context that iron supplementation may be unsafe and may increase morbidity and mortality. Aim The overall aim of this thesis was to assess the effects of iron and docosahexaenoic (DHA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) supplementation, alone and in combination, on the immune system of ID children. More specifically, these effects were investigated on the occurrence and duration of illness and school-absenteeism due to illness, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), red blood cell (RBC) and plasma total phospholipid fatty acid composition, iron status, fatty acid-derived immune modulators and targeted PBMC gene expression. Furthermore, association of PBMC, RBC and plasma total phospholipid fatty acid composition with allergic disease, were also examined. Design In a 2-by-2 factorial, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, South African children (n = 321, aged 6–11 y) were randomly assigned to receive oral supplements of either 1) iron (50 mg as ferrous sulphate) plus placebo; 2) DHA/EPA (420/80 mg) plus placebo; 3) iron plus DHA/EPA (420/80 mg); or 4) placebo plus placebo for 8.5 mo, four times per week. Absenteeism and illness symptoms were recorded and biochemical parameters for compliance as well as parameters fundamental to immune function were assessed at baseline and endpoint. Furthermore, in a cross-sectional design, associations of allergic disease with baseline fatty acid composition of PBMC, RBC and plasma were examined. Results The combination of iron and DHA/EPA significantly attenuated respiratory illness caused by iron supplementation. DHA/EPA supplementation alone improved respiratory symptoms at school, but increased headache-related absenteeism. DHA/EPA and iron supplementation individually tended to increase and decrease anti-inflammatory DHA and EPA-derived mediators, respectively. Furthermore the anti-inflammatory DHA-derived immune mediator, 17HDHA was higher in the DHA/EPA plus placebo and iron plus DHA/EPA groups than in the iron plus placebo group. Also, the pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid (AA)-derived modulators (5- and 15-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid) were significantly lower in the iron plus DHA/EPA group compared to the placebo plus placebo groups. In the study population, 27.2% of the children had allergic disease and AA in PBMC phospholipids was significantly lower in the allergic children than in the non-allergic children. In RBC phospholipids dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) and the ratio of DGLA: linoleic acid (LA) correlated negatively and the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio positively with total immunoglobulin E (tIgE). Furthermore, trans-C18:1n-9, tended to be higher in the allergic group. Conclusion DHA/EPA prevented respiratory illness caused by iron supplementation and although DHA/EPA on its own reduced respiratory morbidity when the children were present at school, surprisingly it increased the likelihood of being absent with headache and fever. The biochemical findings compliment the clinical results and support previous observations about DHA/EPA supplementation to reduce inflammation, but add to the current knowledge base that a relatively high oral dose of non-haem iron modulates circulating lipid-derived immune modulators and related gene expression. Furthermore, when supplementing with iron and DHA/EPA combined, in this ID population with low fish intake, the anti-inflammatory effect of DHA/EPA is maintained concurrently with attenuation of respiratory morbidity. This finding support the notion that excess iron (probably as non-transferrin bound iron) becomes available for pathogens and is probably why we found that iron increased respiratory infectious morbidity. The improved clinical outcome with combined supplementation seems to be related to increased lipid-mediator synthesis gene expression and the availability of DHA/EPA, leading to a more pro-resolving profile and enhanced immune competence. Overall these results give better insight into immune function and infectious morbidity in relation to n-3 PUFA and iron status and treatment, as well as the possible association of fatty acid status with allergic disease in young South-African school children. / PhD (Nutrition), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015