Scalability resilience framework using application-level fault injection for cloud-based software services

This paper presents an investigation into the effect of faults on the scalability resilience of cloud-based software services. The study introduces an experimental framework using the Application-Level Fault Injection (ALFI) to investigate how the faults at the application level affect the scalability resilience and behaviour of cloud-based software services. Previous studies on scalability analysis of cloud-based software services provide a baseline of the scalability behaviour of such services, allowing to conduct in-depth scalability investigation of these services. Experimental analysis on the EC2 cloud using a real-world cloud-based software service is used to demonstrate the framework, considering delay latency of software faults with two varied settings and two demand scenarios. The experimental approach is explained in detail. Here we simulate delay latency injection with two different times, 800 and 1600 ms, and compare the results with the baseline data. The results show that the proposed approach allows a fair assessment of the fault scenario’s impact on the cloud software service’s scalability resilience. We explain the use of the methodology to determine the impact of injected faults on the scalability behaviour and resilience of cloud-based software services.

Building Climate Resilience in Rainfed Landscapes Needs More Than Good Will

Rainfed smallholder farming is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which can greatly exacerbate existing poverty and livelihood challenges. Understanding the complexity of the systems that connect the environment, society and people can help us to reduce this vulnerability and increase the resilience of communities and households to climate perturbations. In recent years, resilience theory has proven a useful approach for exploring the complexity of development challenges. As a result, there has been an increase in the development of tools and frameworks for assessing resilience. Despite this increased focus, there is no consistent use of the resilience concept in development practice and little evidence as to the benefits of using the tools. This paper aims to bridge theory and practice by coupling research on resilience with its application in the international development field. The specific hypothesis we explore is if and how rural livelihoods build resilience toward increased climatic variability in already degraded agro-ecological landscapes? We present a resilience framework with indicators to assess the extent of community resilience to climate change through improved local agricultural production and natural resources management. Primary and secondary landscape and community data, together with development of participatory watershed action plans were used to populate 16 indicators in a resilience framework baseline for the two rainfed dominated watersheds in Ethiopia and Ghana respectively. Given community awareness of the challenges related to the watershed natural resources, local agriculture and extreme weather, the communities were very willing to develop action plans to improve their management of natural resources and build climate resilience. Nevertheless, our analysis of the watershed action plans revealed that strengthening resilience through local action alone, would likely not be sufficient to meet all climate -livelihood challenges identified. To address severity and recurrence of climate change related disturbances, such as droughts, floods and disease in poverty-affected rural communities, the capacity to improve resilience will depend on external factors, in addition to inherent action. New knowledge, infrastructure and social security mechanisms, including insurance and emergency assistance need to added to build resilience for poverty-affected communities in degraded watersheds. We conclude there are also challenges in the use of resilience framework for development and climate-action related to rural poverty affected and degraded livelihood systems. Populating complex social–environmental systems will also need further development, to understand progress in resilience building under changing climate. Special attention to systemic indicators that describe the coupling and interdependencies of social-ecosystem factors will be critical to take action.

Spiritual Support Among African American and Caucasian ADRD Caregivers: A Risk and Resilience Study

Research shows African Americans at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) compared to Caucasians, suggesting African American ADRD caregivers are rising in numbers at a greater rate than Caucasian counterparts. A recent study indicated spiritual wellbeing differences among these caregiver groups. Using a quasi-follow-up of members of a larger caregiver sample, the purpose of this study was to test spiritual support as a moderator via a risk-and-resilience framework. Secondary data analysis from a sample of 691 ADRD caregivers examined data on demographics and standardized measures of spiritual support, caregiver burden, and psychological resilience. One-third of the sample reported as African American. Resilience negatively regressed, though not significantly, on caregiving burden among both groups. Spiritual support positively, significantly impacted resilience among both groups, slightly stronger among African Americans. Spiritual support did not significantly moderate risk with either group. Implications for professional healthcare practice are discussed.

Pivoting Services: Resilience in the Face of Disruptions in Nonprofit Organizations Caused by COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global event that has sent shockwaves through every aspect of the economy. The nonprofit sector has been dealt a double hit—relying on donations in a time of economic hardship while being on the frontlines of the response to increased need. Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 has impacted nonprofits in numerous ways; however, the majority of studies have focused on the financial impact. Using a resilience framework, this study adds to the literature by analyzing how nonprofits have dealt with the loss of services, what it has looked like to pivot and adapt to this new environment, and what impact the loss of volunteers has had on organizations. In this qualitative study of 12 nonprofits in the Southeast United States, we find that while the organizations do talk about financial strain, equally as stressful has been the loss of face-to-face services. Nonprofits are used to being on the frontlines of most emergencies, and in this pandemic, many have struggled to keep their workers safe by following health guidelines while also serving their clients. The inability to meet with clients and the stress of pivoting to an online environment is as great or greater of a burden as the financial impact.

Resilience and Change in Opera Theatres: Travelling the Edge of Tradition and Contemporaneity

ABSTRACTOver the last century, the opera has changed dramatically and on several levels. This chapter maps out the major changes of the opera since its origin in its country of birth, Italy, discussing whether this evolution displays a form of transformative resilience. As a theoretical contribution, this case allows to challenge the resilience framework presented in Chapter 1, by raising several prominent questions for the conceptual advancement and empirical grounding of resilience. We ask: To what extent can an entity change in order to be considered a persisting entity and not a different entity? Or in other words: How much continuity is necessary to recognize resilience in the same entity? We add: How are different levels of resilience (institutional, organizational and individual) nested one into another, and therefore, how is the ‘agency of resilience’ played out? As an empirical contribution, this chapter sketches an empirical reconstruction of the history of the opera in a holistic longitudinal perspective.