If you are interested in taking any proficiency exams before classes start, please see the information below on how to register for the available exams. These are all optional exams. They recommend discussing the implications for your spring schedule with your four-year advisor.

• Friday, Jan. 12
  • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ENGR 131 Computer Science Proficiency Exam 
    • If you are interested in taking the proficiency exam for the ENGR 131 course (MATLAB), plan to attend this exam session. If you have questions, please email Matthew Williams at matthew.williams@case.edu.
  • 1 to 4 p.m. Math Proficiency Exam 
• Saturday, Jan. 13
  • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Physics Proficiency Exam
  • 2 to 4 p.m. Chemistry Proficiency Exam
    • If you are interested in taking the Chemistry Proficiency Exam, plan to attend this exam session. If you have questions, please email Drew Meyer at dam135@case.edu.
• Sunday, Jan. 14
  • 1 to 4 p.m. CSDS 132 Computer Science Proficiency Exam 
    • If you are interested in taking the proficiency exam for the CSDS 132 course (Java), plan to attend this exam session. If you have questions, please email Harold Connamacher at hsc21@case.edu.
       

Big data platform vendor Hortonworks launched a new release of its DataFlow software this week that the company said extends its analytics capabilities for Internet of Things and other streaming data applications.

Hortonworks, at this week's DataWorks Summit in San Jose, also struck a deal with IBM under which the companies will integrate the Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) with IBM's Data Science Experience and Big SQL software to create big data management and analysis solutions.

IBM is adopting HDP as its distribution of Hadoop and will integrate it with the IBM Data Science Experience and IBM Machine Learning platforms. The company will also migrate users of the Hadoop-based IBM Big Insights product to HDP.

[Related: 2017 Big Data 100: 15 Coolest Big Data Platform Vendors]

Hortonworks, which already had a long-established alliance with IBM, will resell the IBM Data Science Experience with its Hadoop-based HDP system and adopt the IBM software as its strategic data science platform.

The two companies also will develop new system bundles that integrate HDP with IBM Big SQL, IBM's SQL engine for Hadoop.

"The combination of IBM's data science and Hortonworks' open and connected data platforms will benefit not only their respective clients, but also the Apache open source community because of their combined investment and collaboration," said Rob Bearden, Hortonworks CEO, in a statement.

IBM and Hortonworks are also founding members of the Open Data Platform Initiative, a consortium of companies that is working to define and promote open-source technologies to Boost compatibility among big data platforms.

The new Hortonworks DataFlow (HDF) 3.0 provides new capabilities designed to make it easier for partners, ISVs and customers to develop streaming analytical applications – an increasingly important requirement for real-time analysis and Internet of Things applications.

"With HDF 3.0, they are improving their customers' experience by simplifying how they create and deploy streaming analytics applications to deliver real-time analytics," said Hortonworks CTO Scott Gnau in an interview with CRN.

Building streaming analytical applications is generally a complex and time-consuming task. New in HDF 3.0 is Streaming Analytics Manager, a toolset that allows application developers, business analysts and administrators to design, build, test and deploy streaming applications on HDF without coding.

The 3.0 edition, which was generally available starting this week, also includes a new repository of shared schemas that interact with data streaming engines including Apache Kafka, Apache Storm and Apache NiFi, providing improved data governance and operational efficiencies.

Hortonworks also announced a new support subscription service, Hortonworks Flex Support, which covers HDP deployments that are on-premise and/or in the cloud. Hortonworks is currently not selling the Flex Support through the channel, however.

Hortonworks unveiled a technology preview of the Hortonworks Data Platform Tuesday in an effort to recruit systems integrators, ISVs and OEMs to adopt the software. The company expects to release a broader public technology preview of the platform in the first quarter of 2012 followed by its general availability.

"The goal is to build a huge ecosystem around Hadoop," said Hortonworks CEO Eric Baldeschwieler in an interview. While the company will be making the Hortonworks Data Platform available directly, the CEO said Hortonworks' more immediate focus is making the technology available through the channel.

The company also debuted the Hortonworks Technology Partner Program, through which it will offer technical support and training for ISVs and solution providers, and the Hortonworks System Integrator Program to provide support, training and certification for systems integrators.

Hortonworks was established in July by Yahoo and Benchmark Capital to promote the development and adoption of Hadoop, an open-source framework for developing distributed, compute-intensive applications that analyze huge volumes of data. The software was originally developed by Doug Cutting, a then-Yahoo employee who is now the Apache Software Foundation's chairman.

Baldeschwieler said Apache Hadoop will be processing as much as 50 percent of the world's data within five years.

Hortonworks is following Red Hat's Linux business model, offering the Hortonworks Data Platform as a free product and selling contracts for support, training and other services. The company also develops technology that extends Apache Hadoop, including a set of application programming interfaces for ISVs for integrating it with third-party tools.

The Hortonworks Hadoop distribution includes the Hadoop Distributed File System, HCatalog metadata management service, Ambari installation and management system, HBase distributed database, and the Pig development platform, among other technologies.

Hadoop has traditionally run more effectively on Linux. Last month Hortonworks announced a strategic relationship with Microsoft under which the two companies are working to Boost distributions of Hadoop for Windows Server and Windows Azure and to integrate Hadoop with Microsoft's SQL Server database.

Hortonworks will be competing with Cloudera and other companies that offer Hadoop-based software and services.

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At a campaign event, former President Donald Trump said he "aced" his accurate cognitive exam. (The Hill)

The cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to high lead levels in dozens of U.S. kids may have been intentionally contaminated, a top FDA official suggested. (Politico)

The CDC issued an "urgent" alert about the low vaccination rates for flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and called on healthcare providers to administer shots now to protect patients.

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Healthcare companies are signing on to the U.S. plan to ensure the safe development of artificial intelligence in healthcare. (Reuters)

Hundreds of women have been denied emergency abortions in Texas since the state's near-total ban, a STAT analysis revealed.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says he'll propose a plan to cut prescription drug costs by 50%. (Endpoints News)

A well-known fertility doctor and former Harvard Medical School professor used his own sperm to inseminate a patient in 1980, a new lawsuit alleges. (Washington Post)

Disgraced "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli asked an appeals court to overturn the ban from him working in the pharmaceutical industry. (Bloomberg)

The FDA warned multiple companies for selling unapproved antimicrobials for animals, saying that many of the treatments are used in humans and could contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

The World Health Organization is urging governments to ban all flavors of e-cigarettes. (Reuters)

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In order to succeed, HIV vaccine candidates may need to induce strong immune responses from CD8+ T cells, researchers reported in Science.

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CNN interviewed victims of the war in Gaza at a field hospital in Rafah.

The Smithsonian collected dozens of human brains from vulnerable individuals, many without consent, a Washington Post report revealed.

North Carolina is suing HCA Healthcare, alleging that it breached terms of the takeover agreement with Mission Health and has "degraded" care at the former nonprofit. (STAT)

A Texas man pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a Boston doctor who specializes in treating transgender youth. (NBC News)

Emergency contraception use among American women more than doubled since the morning-after pill was approved to be sold without a prescription (from 10.8% in 2006-2010 to 26.6% in 2015-2019), according to CDC data.

A Maine nurse was arrested for her alleged role in the January 6 Capitol riot, the FBI said. (WMTW)

Heart failure patients in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods were more likely to be non-adherent to guideline-recommended medication. (JAMA Network Open)

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Singer Patti Smith was discharged from a hospitalization in Italy following a "sudden illness." (People)