77,144 research outputs found
A Concurrent Language with a Uniform Treatment of Regions and Locks
A challenge for programming language research is to design and implement
multi-threaded low-level languages providing static guarantees for memory
safety and freedom from data races. Towards this goal, we present a concurrent
language employing safe region-based memory management and hierarchical locking
of regions. Both regions and locks are treated uniformly, and the language
supports ownership transfer, early deallocation of regions and early release of
locks in a safe manner
The Noetic Prism
Definitions of âknowledgeâ and its relationships with âdataâ and âinformationâ are varied, inconsistent and often contradictory. In particular the traditional hierarchy of data-information-knowledge and its various revisions do not stand up to close scrutiny. We suggest that the problem lies in a flawed analysis that sees data, information and knowledge as separable concepts that are transformed into one another through processing. We propose instead that we can describe collectively all of the materials of computation as ânoeticaâ, and that the terms data, information and knowledge can be reconceptualised as late-binding, purpose-determined aspects of the same body of material. Changes in complexity of noetica occur due to value-adding through the imposition of three different principles: increase in aggregation (granularity), increase in set relatedness (shape), and increase in contextualisation through the formation of networks (scope). We present a new model in which granularity, shape and scope are seen as the three vertices of a triangular prism, and show that all value-adding through computation can be seen as movement within the prism space. We show how the conceptual framework of the noetic prism provides a new and comprehensive analysis of the foundations of computing and information systems, and how it can provide a fresh analysis of many of the common problems in the management of intellectual resources
Stafford Beer in memoriam â âan argument of changeâ three decades on.
Purpose
This paper is written in memory of the late Stafford Beer. The paper engages with only one dimension of the whole man: Stafford Beer as the diagnostician and prognostician of the social conditions that he so keenly observed.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper revisits a talk that Stafford Beer gave, over three decades ago, to administrators of the UK National Health Service (NHS). It uses the content of the talk, entitled âHealth and Quiet Breathingâ, to diagnose the problems that have been encountered in the development of NHS information management strategies. The paper concludes with some brief personal recollections of Stafford Beer as a friend and as a teacher.
Findings
The paper finds Stafford Beerâs managerial cybernetics to be a useful tool in understanding many of the problems that have beset NHS information management strategies: lack of operational research, problems in the commodification of information, financial scandal, and bureaucracy. In its examination of these issues, the paper recognises Stafford Beerâs status as a legatee of not only Norbert Wiener, but also of the great philosophers.
Value
The paper demonstrates how the problem-orientation of Stafford Beerâs managerial cybernetics continues to be fresh and relevant to todayâs society and provides a brief portrait of him both as a friend and as a teacher
Design of a 1-chip IBM-3270 protocol handler
The single-chip design of a 20MHz IBM-3270 coax protocol handler in a conventional 3 Ό CMOS process-technology is discussed. The harmonious combination of CMOS circuit tricks and high-level design disciplines allows the 50k transistor design to be compiled and optimized into a 35 mm**2 chip in 4 manweeks. The design methodology stresses the application of high-level silicon constructs and built-in testability
Making Adaptive Resilience Real
This publication focuses on developing understanding and debate about adaptive resilience, and increasing sectoral understanding of its importance through experimentation and sharing of best practice
Anatomy of a Native XML Base Management System
Several alternatives to manage large XML document collections exist, ranging from file systems over relational or other database systems to specifically tailored XML repositories. In this paper we give a tour of Natix, a database management system designed from scratch for storing and processing XML data. Contrary to the common belief that management of XML data is just another application for traditional databases like relational systems, we illustrate how almost every component in a database system is affected in terms of adequacy and performance. We show how to design and optimize areas such as storage, transaction management comprising recovery and multi-user synchronisation as well as query processing for XML
NP2020: Issues and Answers from the Next Generation
A report of a three-day conference on nonprofit leadership, held in Grand Rapids, MI in July 2007, identified that there is a leadership deficit, mentoring is needed for emerging leaders, structural challenges create barriers to nonprofit careers, and Generation X and Y believe the nonprofit sector needs more diversity. Funder support for infrastructure and operating costs, and communication to facilitate the generational leadership transition were identified as key to mitigating the leadership deficit
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