EU-funded researchers gain insights into genetics of lung functioning

A large-scale study has identified five new genetic loci (points on the genome) associated with the health of the human lung and pulmonary function. Publishing in the latest edition of the journal Nature Genetics, the partly EU-funded researchers explain that their findings shed new light on the molecular basis of lung disease and might lead to better treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and similar conditions. The researchers studied samples from more than 20,000 people, mapping specific loci linked to two clinically relevant measures of lung function. Those measures are forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), which represents the amount of air that can be exhaled in the first second, and the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC). FVC stands for the amount of air that can be exhaled after full inspiration. From a clinical point of view, both measures are important indicators of population morbidity and mortality and form the diagnostic basis for COPD. It is also a well-known fact that pulmonary function is in part determined by genetic factors. The research, conducted by 96 scientists in Europe and Australia and led by Dr Martin Tobin of the University of Leicester, UK, and the University of Nottingham's Professor Ian Hall, pinpointed five genetic loci that play a role in the functioning of the lungs. These loci were observed in the whole population and were not specific to smokers, for instance. In addition, three of the loci were also identified in a second study, published in the same edition of Nature Genetics. The work of the CHARGE ('Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology') consortium is based on a different, but equally large set of samples and thus corroborates some of the findings of Dr Tobin and his colleagues. 'This work is important because until now we have known very little about the genetic factors that determine an individual's lung function,' the researchers say. 'By identifying the genes important in determining lung function, we can start to unravel the underlying mechanisms which control both lung development and lung damage. This will lead to a better understanding of diseases such as ... COPD and asthma. Crucially, it could open up new opportunities to manage and treat patients with lung conditions.' The scientists add: 'A large reduction in lung function occurs in ... COPD, which affects around 1 in 10 adults above the age of 40 and is thought to be the 4th most common cause of death worldwide. Smoking is the major risk factor for development of COPD. Lung function and COPD cluster within families, indicating that variations in genes also predispose individuals to reduced lung function.' Both studies were partly funded by the EU through the following projects: EURO BLCS ('Biological, clinical and genetic markers of future risk of cardiovascular disease') and GENOMEUTWIN ('Genome-wide analyses of European twin and population cohorts to identify genes in common diseases'), both funded under the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5); GABRIEL ('A multidisciplinary study to identify the genetic and environmental causes of asthma in the European Community') and EUROSPAN ('European special populations research network: quantifying and harnessing genetic variation for gene discovery'), both supported through the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6); and GEFOS ('Genetic factors for osteoporosis'), a project that is part of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
Quality validation date: 2009-12-14

Scientists shed light on mystery behind myelin membrane synthesis

A set of protein processes needed in the early-stage conversion of glucose into fatty acids plays a central role in the proper formation and layering of myelin membrane, new research shows. The findings are part of the EU-funded AXON SUPPORT and NEUROMICS projects, which received EUR 1.3 million and EUR 1 million in support, respectively. The results, presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), show how the use of X-rays uncovered how mutations affect the structure of myelin, an area of research crucial for neurological disorders. The researchers from Boston College in the US collaborated with colleagues in Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and Switzerland to evaluate how the composition of myelin lipids impacts the myelin structure and stability. The proper functioning of the body's nervous system relies on the myelin sheaths that surround the neurons' axons. 'Myelination requires a massive increase in glial cell membrane synthesis. Here, we demonstrate that the acute phase of myelin lipid synthesis is regulated by sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) cleavage activation protein (SCAP), an activator of SREBPs,' the authors of the study write. Boston College's Professor Daniel Kirschner said: 'Myelin is a stack of membranes providing insulation to the axon, and with that insulation comes rapid nerve conduction. If myelin becomes defective, the membranous insulator becomes leaky and the nerve doesn't conduct as well. If myelin is totally missing along part of an axon, the nerve conduction is blocked.' The team used X-ray diffraction to get a look at the dynamic membrane assembly in complete nerve samples obtained from mice engineered to mimic myelinic diseases. According to Professor Kirschner, when comparing X-ray diffraction with other microscopy techniques, the team found that the former provides fast, clean and clear results on the intermodal myelin's structural integrity. 'We were able to tell that the packing of the membranes was abnormal, which could affect the electrophysical properties of myelin,' the Boston College biologist said. 'We also saw that the packing of the lipids in the myelin lipid bilayers was more disordered in samples from the transgenic mice used here.' The researcher went on to say that other types of microscopy introduce chemical modifications to the tissue being evaluated. The molecular structure can be altered by these agents and by the time used to prepare and analyse the samples, which can also mask the dynamic interactions of myelin. 'X-ray diffraction requires no chemical treatments and can be completed in about an hour,' he said. 'The advantages of X-ray diffraction are that we can examine and analyse whole pieces of tissue and give information about the effect of the mutation on the native structure of the myelin as well as on its stability.' The research team has been using genetically altered mice for around four years as part of research into the role of myelin degeneration in various diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems. AXON SUPPORT ('Axonuclear communication in health and disease') was funded under the 'New and emerging science and technology' (NEST) Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). NEUROMICS ('Functional genomics of the brain') was supported by the FP6's Marie Curie Actions - Early Stage Training.
Quality validation date: 2009-12-14

Scientists unravel riddle of Saturn’s yin-yang moon

Scientists in Germany and the US have solved the 300-year-old mystery of how Saturn's moon Iapetus came by its bizarre, asymmetrical appearance - the moon is black on one side and white on the other. In two papers in the journal Science, the researchers explain how dusty debris from other Saturnian moons builds up on one side of the moon; this in turn alters the temperature of the moon and drives the migration of water ice to the other side of the moon. Iapetus was discovered in 1671 by the French-Italian astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini. He quickly noticed that the moon had an unusual appearance, being much darker on its leading side (that faces the direction of orbit) than on the trailing side. In fact, the trailing side is some 10 times brighter than the leading side. 'This is not the most fundamental problem in the world, but it's an enigma that has been puzzling astronomers for centuries,' commented Joseph Burns of Cornell University in the US. Over the years, a number of theories have been put forward to explain Iapetus' appearance. One theory suggests that the dust on Iapetus comes from a debris cloud from a meteor impact within the Saturn system. Some have suggested that interplanetary dust could have gradually accumulated on one side of the moon, while others believed that geological processes inside Iapetus could be releasing dark materials onto the surface. A fourth theory, which combines the deposition of dust from external sources with thermal processes on the lunar surface, was proposed in 1974. However, this theory has been largely overlooked in the intervening years, even though its predictions of how the moon's appearance would change over time have proven correct. In this study, researchers on both sides of the Atlantic studied images taken by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft since 2004, with a particular focus on pictures taken during a close flyby on 10 September 2007. Using the data, the team was able to model what was happening on Iapetus. Their research reveals that dark dust breaks away from Saturn's other moons, especially Phoebe, and falls on Iapetus' leading hemisphere. Studies of craters on Iapetus suggest that the layer of dust is metres deep. However, the story doesn't end there. 'It is impossible that the very complicated and sharp boundary between the dark and the bright regions is formed by simple infall of material,' explained Tilmann Denk of the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany. 'Thus, we had to find another mechanism.' The dark surface absorbs large amounts of heat from the sun, and because Iapetus rotates so slowly (once every 79 days), the dark surface is exposed to the sun for a long time. Temperatures at the equator become high enough to trigger the evaporation of the ice under the dust. The evaporating ice recondenses at the moon's poles and on the trailing side, giving it its distinctive bright white appearance that contrasts so sharply with the dark, dusty leading side. According to the researchers, Iapetus' small size (it is just 1,500 km across) and low gravity mean that it is relatively easy for ice to move from one side of the moon to the other in this way. John Spencer of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, US, concluded: 'Iapetus is the victim of a runaway feedback loop, operating on a global scale.'
Quality validation date: 2009-12-14

EU findings open door to better drugs for fight against heart attacks and strokes

Researchers partially funded by the EU have made discoveries that could open the door to the development of new and better-targeted drugs for patients at risk of strokes or heart attacks. Writing this week in the journal Cell, the results are the first to show the reduction of levels of a specific blood clotting agent involved in the formation of harmful clots within blood vessels without a corresponding increase in the risk of excessive bleeding from surface wounds. The E-RARE ('ERA-Net for research programmes on rare diseases') project contributed to the findings. E-RARE is funded under the 'Coordination of research activities' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) to the tune of EUR 2.18 million. The project's main aim is to coordinate existing programmes on rare disease research and to prepare joint and strategic activities linking scattered funding and fragmentation between national research programmes. E-RARE has nine partners from six EU Members States plus Israel and Turkey. The researchers discovered that the molecule polyphosphate can activate a blood clotting agent called 'factor XII' which is involved in the formation of harmful clots within blood vessels. However, factor XII is not involved in surface wound healing. In fact, a lack of the agent is not associated with any hemorrhagic disorder in humans or mice. It is also considered to be redundant for the normal stoppage of bleeding or haemorrhaging. Drugs which reduce the risk of dangerous blood clot formation within blood vessels (thrombosis) lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes. Thrombosis may occur in the venous or arterial circulation causing a heart attack or stroke - the most common causes of death in the developed world. Medication designed to combat thrombosis is called anticoagulant, and have side effects. In mammals, blood clotting involves both cellular and protein components, provided by platelets and coagulation factors. This leaves those taking anticoagulants at risk of severe, or even lethal, bleeding if they injure themselves in any way. 'The challenge in designing treatments to reduce thrombosis is getting the balance right. We need to find an appropriate drug level or target which causes enough anticoagulation to prevent risk of heart attack or stroke but with minimal bleeding side effects,' explained Nicola Mutch from the University of Leeds in the UK. 'Our work suggests polyphosphate or factor XII could be potential new targets,' continued Dr Mutch, 'as neither seems to affect our ability to heal naturally, so drugs based on these molecules could offer a major improvement on existing treatments.'
Quality validation date: 2009-12-11

Researchers develop mammalian cell cycle model

The cell division process plays an important role for single-cell and multi-cell organisms, especially for transforming fertilised eggs into mature organisms. Failure to control the cell cycle can result in tumour proliferation and cancer development. Researchers from Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium have developed a detailed dynamics model of the mammalian cell cycle. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal, will help raise awareness of the cell cycle's role in the pathology and normal functioning of living organisms. The research is part of the EU-funded BIOSIM ('Biosimulation - a new tool in drug development') project, which received almost EUR 11 million under the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). BIOSIM is coordinated by the Technical University of Denmark, and includes partners from Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden and the UK. According to the researchers, data obtained over the last 20 years have indicated that the cell cycle is controlled by a cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) protein network. 'Progression in the cell cycle is controlled by the sequential, transient activation of a family of Cdks, which allow an ordered succession of the cell cycle phases, even though there appears to be a certain overlapping of the different cyclins and Cdks,' the authors of the study wrote. 'The Cdk proteins are active only when forming a complex with their corresponding cyclin.' The ULB researchers, however, determined that because of the complexity of the regulation process of the Cdk network and the difficulty in predicting its evolution, computer simulations of ideal behaviour models would provide the answers scientists have been looking for. ULB PhD student Claude Gérard developed the very detailed model signifying the dynamics of the mammalian cell cycle. 'The model contains four Cdk modules regulated by reversible phosphorylation, Cdk inhibitors, and protein synthesis or degradation,' the research showed. 'Growth factors (GFs) trigger the transition from a quiescent, stable steady state to self-sustained oscillations in the Cdk network. These oscillations correspond to the repetitive, transient activation of cyclin D/Cdk4-6 in G1, cyclin E/Cdk2 at the G1/S transition, cyclin A/Cdk2 in S and at the S/G2 transition, and cyclin B/Cdk1 at the G2/M transition.' The team highlighted how the model predicts that in the presence of suprathreshold amounts of growth factor the regulatory interactions within the Cdk network can suddenly generate sustained oscillations that correspond to the controlled and repetitive activation of the different cyclin/Cdk complexes along the cell cycle process. 'The present results suggest that the sequential activation of the Cdk modules in the Cdk network is brought about by temporal self-organisation corresponding to the global, periodic operation of the mammalian cell cycle,' the authors noted.
Quality validation date: 2009-12-11

Poland moves forward with electric cars

A German-Polish partnership has got the first charging point for electric vehicles in Poland up and running. This EU-funded research project between the German integrated energy company RWE, the Polish group Green Stream Polska and the City of Warsaw targets the launching of 130 charging points by June 2010. The project partners also seek to develop a functional and user-friendly system that would effectively fuel electric mobility in the Polish capital of Warsaw. Under the pilot programme, which is based on the international experience of the partners in this area, the City Hall of Warsaw will receive five electric cars. The work involved in this research will also be used to expand the network in the future. 'We are very glad to be able to use our experience gathered so far in our collaboration for the first such project in Poland. RWE is committed to the development of sustainable technologies and renewable energy,' said RWE Polska chief executive Filip Thon. 'Therefore, electric cars charged with renewable energy (wind power, photovoltaic) sources are part of our vision of the future,' he added. 'This project is also a showcase of collaboration between the private sector, local authorities and the European Union. This is an invaluable experience and a great pleasure for us.' For her part, Warsaw Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz said: 'We are aware that transportation is one of the primary sources of threats to the climate. Therefore we do not hesitate to invest in replacement of the rolling stock with a greener one. We also gladly join initiatives promoting environment-friendly means of transport. 'I am glad that Warsaw is the first city in Poland to join the European leaders, Paris, London or Berlin, where similar charging points are available to their residents.' Meanwhile, in cooperation with the German carmaker Daimler and the German government, RWE initiated the 'e-mobility Berlin' electric vehicle operation plan in 2008. RWE is installing 500 charging points for electric vehicles in Berlin. Performance of existing electric vehicles is strong when compared to the performance of conventional vehicles. Notwithstanding this, they are friendlier to the environment. Noise pollution is nearly non-existent and they do not wreak havoc on the atmosphere. Experts also note how electric cars are less expensive to run than combustion-powered vehicles. In Poland, it costs around PLN 3 (EUR 0.73) to drive an electric vehicle for 100 kilometres, while the cost jumps up to PLN 40 (EUR 9.70) for a conventional car.
Quality validation date: 2009-12-11

Experts urge research into mental health impacts of climate change

Climate change is likely to have major mental health impacts worldwide, yet there is currently a dearth of research in this important area, write Lisa Page and Louise Howard of the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London, UK. In an editorial in the journal Psychological Medicine, they argue that this situation needs to be urgently addressed 'so that mental health policymakers can plan for the impact of climate change on mental health'. There is a growing body of research into the health impacts of climate change, with some estimating that it is already causing over 150,000 deaths a year - a figure that is likely to rise over the coming decades. However, although there is now some recognition that climate change will affect mental health, the authors note that 'such effects are mostly discussed in vague terms and rarely by those actively involved in mental health research or policy. Mental health is unlikely to feature on the Copenhagen agenda'. According to Drs Page and Howard, the effects of climate change 'will be felt most by those with pre-existing serious mental illness, but there is also likely to be an increase in the overall burden of mental disorder worldwide'. For example, natural disasters are predicted to increase as a result of climate change. Mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and other disorders are common in the aftermath of disasters, natural or otherwise. Furthermore, as the case of Hurricane Katrina in the US demonstrated, 'medical and psychiatric care can dramatically diminish for those with pre-existing mental illness in the period following a disaster, at a time when it is needed most,' the researchers point out. Heat waves are also expected to take a greater toll on the mentally ill, as psychotropic medicines and substance misuse are both risk factors for heat-related death. 'In addition, maladaptive coping mechanisms and poor-quality housing are likely to confer further vulnerability on people with mental health problems,' the authors note. Finally, there is 'preliminary evidence' that suicide levels may increase once a certain temperature threshold is crossed. Many infectious diseases are expected to become more common as the climate warms, and this is also likely to affect mental health, the researchers warn. Cases of psychological distress, anxiety and traumatic stress have all been documented in both infected patients and the wider public during disease outbreaks. Rising sea levels will force millions of people living in coastal areas to move. Mass exoduses are also likely in areas stricken by floods or droughts or other extreme conditions. 'Mass migration will undoubtedly lead to an increased burden of mental illness in affected populations,' the researchers caution, pointing out that conflicts are another possible driver of migration. Another problem is that mental health services in many low- and middle-income countries are already woefully inadequate. Drs Page and Howard fear that these services are 'unlikely to be prioritised should further economic collapse occur secondary to climate change'. The researchers conclude that mental health professionals urgently need to engage in research on this subject. 'Collaboration with other disciplines will be crucial,' the authors write. 'We may need to work with climatologists, geographers, environmental epidemiologists, urban planners, economists, modellers and development specialists to plan and execute meaningful research on these topics.' Says Dr Page: 'Climate change is assuming centre stage with the [...] UN conference in Copenhagen. While delegates will discuss the effects of climate change and possible responses by the international governments, we fear that the effects of climate change on mental health will be largely ignored, posing a tremendous risk to the mental health of millions of people in the not-too-distant future.'
Quality validation date: 2009-12-10

SANY technology offers easy access to environmental data

Researchers in Europe have worked out a new method to access and reuse environmental data from various sources. The SANY ('Sensors Anywhere') project, which received EUR 7 million under the 'Information society technologies' (IST) Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), targeted better interoperability of in situ sensors and sensor networks, and faster and cost-efficient reuse of data and services from currently incompatible sources. Easy access and use of environmental data (e.g. on the atmosphere, oceans and land) from sensors found on Earth and in outer space are not readily available. Adding to this challenge is that policy is made from scientific information obtained from these observations. Enter the SANY project that developed the technical means to get this information, easily and freely. 'We are investing lots of resources to make measurements for a particular reason, but the information obtained may never be used again,' explained SANY's coordinator Dr Denis Havlik of the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT). 'Perhaps people don't know that certain information exists or they cannot access it; sometimes they can access it but they don't know how to use it, or it is too complicated to get in touch with the data owner.' Thanks to the use of a 'service-oriented' architecture, SANY can build applications out of modular services retrieved over the Internet. For example, one service could collect data, while another service could process data. 'The SANY Sensor Service Architecture (SensoSA) allows everybody who makes environmental observations to advertise them over a standardised service interface,' Dr Havlik said. 'Anybody who needs environmental data can go and search for it - or look in a catalogue - and retrieve it using standardised methods.' Regardless of the source of data, its form or how it was retrieved, the SANY system can transform all data to a standard established by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Ltd, a SANY partner from the UK. Sensor data, whether raw or processed, can be handled by the SANY system, the researchers said. From a market perspective, the SANY proposal can prove lucrative. 'If you are a small company and you believe, for example, that you can predict episodes of air pollution much better than anybody else, then it's easy for you to put your service on the market,' Dr Havlik explained. 'Today, many companies still try to do everything on their own. The new market paradigm envisaged by SANY will allow all involved parties to concentrate on their own strengths, and purchase the missing data and services on an open marketplace.' The results obtained in SANY are significant for two extensive international initiatives: GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and INSPIRE. A collaboration between the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA), GMES targets long-term interoperability, availability and reliability of earth observation data. INSIPIRE seeks establishment of a 'spatial information infrastructure in Europe'. The SANY partners are from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.
Quality validation date: 2009-12-10

Move over St Bernard … there’s a new rescuer in town!

Anyone who's brave enough to ski down an 80-degree vertical drop of pristine, virgin snow will tell you their greatest fear is being caught in an avalanche. Thanks to a team of researchers at the Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (Fraunhofer IML), they can rest assured that even if they do get buried in snow, they will be found. A new geolocation system makes use of signals from Galileo - the satellite navigation system being developed by the EU and the European Space Agency (ESA). The risk of being caught in an avalanche intensifies in areas that are off the beaten track. Avalanches are triggered by an external stress on the snow pack. Skiers, snowmobile drivers and even explosive work can kick-start an avalanche with devastating results. This novel system will enable rescuers to locate avalanche victims carrying an avalanche transceiver or a mobile phone. Its beauty lies in the fact that it can locate a buried victim with precision - to within just a few centimetres of their location. People stuck underneath the white stuff will survive only if they are found quickly and precisely. Experts say the maximum survival time is 30 minutes, so time is of the essence. Avalanche victims are most likely to survive if uninjured group members launch an immediate search, but the victim must be wearing an avalanche beacon for optimal results. 'In the experience of rescue teams, not everyone actually carries beacons,' explained Professor Wolfgang Inninger of Fraunhofer IML. 'However, nearly everyone has a cell phone. This is why we decided to enhance our automatic geolocation system that works with Galileo, the future European satellite navigation system.' The system's enhancement was made possible by adding two new components to the 'avalanche navigation system' (ARN), a mobile phone location function and software capable of determining the position of the buried victim on the basis of local measurements. According to the Fraunhofer team, the rescuers measure the field strength of the signal transmitted by the mobile phone or beacon at three to five reference points starting from the approximate location of the buried victim. The ARN then uses a very accurate calculation algorithm to locate the source of the signal, and in turn the location of the victim. The researchers point out that what is central in such a situation is the position relative to the rescue team's starting point rather than the absolute position relative to global coordinates, because there may be measurement errors. Rescuers obtain information on the direction and distance between their location and that of the victim without delay. The researchers are using the GATE Galileo test and development environment in Berchtesgaden in the German Bavarian Alps, where transmitter antennas installed on six mountain peaks simulate the Galileo signals in order to develop their system. The team said they will combine these signals (and real ones) after 2012 with signals from existing satellite navigation systems including the Russian GLONASS (global orbiting navigation satellite system) and the US-based GPS (global positioning system). Signals will also be added for error estimation and correction, they said. Research institutes, universities and regional enterprises are working together with the Berchtesgaden mountain rescue service and the police to get this project off the ground.
Quality validation date: 2009-12-10

XTREEMOS project launches new grid operating system

The use of computational grids, also known as 'grid computing', facilitates people's lives by combining computer resources from various domains for a common task. An EU-funded team of researchers has developed and launched its second Linux-based grid operating system. Under the motto 'Making Grid Computing Easier', the XTREEMOS project has released the second version of its Linux-based Grid operating system. XTREEMOS, which is scheduled to end in May 2010, has received over EUR 14 million in financial support. Funded under the 'Information society technologies' (IST) of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), the XTREEMOS ('Building and promoting a Linux-based operating system to support virtual organisation for next generation grids') project has designed and integrated a platform of open source technologies to facilitate usage, management, scalability and programming. Due to end in May 2010 and coordinated by the France-based group Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation (CDC), XTREEMOS successfully provides new grid capabilities including simpler monitoring and job submission. It also offers virtual organisation management and a comprehensive security implementation. According to the partners, XTREEMOS is available in three 'flavours': PC, XTREEMOS cluster, and XTREEMOS Mobile. The PC flavour allows for aggregating standalone PCs (personal computers) as computation resources into XTREEMOS grids. The XTREEMOS cluster is based on Kerrighed's Linux SSI (single-system image) technology, which is a Linux cluster that enables users to obtain an image of a single large system. XTREEMOS Mobile enables XtreemOS services to be run on mobile devices including Nokia Internet Tablets. The latest 2.0 release version includes several functionalities: (1) creation and management of dynamic virtual organisations, (2) application execution management, (3) XtreemFS, (4) XOSAGA programming interface, and (5) Xosautoconfig. The first one focuses on security infrastructure ensuring the secure operation of the system, while the second allows searches for available nodes that meet the application needs of candidates, and then executes the application on the selected nodes. XtreemFS enables installation scalability by adding machines with free storage resources, XOSAGA programming interface provides access to XTREEMOS resources and services, and Xosautoconfig supports grid administrators and other users in their efforts to deploy XTREEMOS nodes on virtual machines, grids and test beds quickly. Interested users can download the second public version on XTREEMOS' website. The source code, sample applications and demos are also available online. The XtreemOS partners are from China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and the UK.
Quality validation date: 2009-12-09

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