Cloud Computing Strategies for Enhancing Smart Grid Performance in Developing Countries

In developing countries, the awareness and development of Smart Grids are in the introductory stage and the full realisation needs more time and effort. Besides, the partially introduced Smart Grids are inefficient, unreliable, and environmentally unfriendly. As the global economy crucially depends on energy sustainability, there is a requirement to revamp the existing energy systems. Hence, this research work aims at cost-effective optimisation and communication strategies for enhancing Smart Grid performance on Cloud platforms

Air Indexing for On-Demand XML Data Broadcast

XML data broadcast is an efficient way to disseminate semistructured information in wireless mobile environments. In this paper, we propose a novel two-tier index structure to facilitate the access of XML document in an on-demand broadcast system. It provides the clients with an overall image of all the XML documents available at the server side and hence enables the clients to locate complete result sets accordingly. A pruning strategy is developed to cut down the index size and a two-tier structure is proposed to further remove any redundant information. In addition, two index distribution strategies, namely naive distribution and partial distribution, have been designed to interleave the index information with the XML documents in the wireless channels. Theoretical analysis and simulation experiments are also put forward to show the benefits of our indexing methods

TopX : efficient and versatile top-k query processing for text, structured, and semistructured data

TopX is a top-k retrieval engine for text and XML data. Unlike Boolean engines, it stops query processing as soon as it can safely determine the k top-ranked result objects according to a monotonous score aggregation function with respect to a multidimensional query. The main contributions of the thesis unfold into four main points, confirmed by previous publications at international conferences or workshops: • Top-k query processing with probabilistic guarantees. • Index-access optimized top-k query processing. • Dynamic and self-tuning, incremental query expansion for top-k query processing. • Efficient support for ranked XML retrieval and full-text search. Our experiments demonstrate the viability and improved efficiency of our approach compared to existing related work for a broad variety of retrieval scenarios.TopX ist eine Top-k Suchmaschine für Text und XML Daten. Im Gegensatz zu Boole\u27; schen Suchmaschinen terminiert TopX die Anfragebearbeitung, sobald die k besten Ergebnisobjekte im Hinblick auf eine mehrdimensionale Anfrage gefunden wurden. Die Hauptbeiträge dieser Arbeit teilen sich in vier Schwerpunkte basierend auf vorherigen Veröffentlichungen bei internationalen Konferenzen oder Workshops: • Top-k Anfragebearbeitung mit probabilistischen Garantien. • Zugriffsoptimierte Top-k Anfragebearbeitung. • Dynamische und selbstoptimierende, inkrementelle Anfrageexpansion für Top-k Anfragebearbeitung. • Effiziente Unterstützung für XML-Anfragen und Volltextsuche. Unsere Experimente bestätigen die Vielseitigkeit und gesteigerte Effizienz unserer Verfahren gegenüber existierenden, führenden Ansätzen für eine weite Bandbreite von Anwendungen in der Informationssuche

Data replication and update propagation in XML P2P data management systems

XML P2P data management systems are P2P systems that use XML as the underlying data format shared between peers in the network. These systems aim to bring the benefits of XML and P2P systems to the distributed data management field. However, P2P systems are known for their lack of central control and high degree of autonomy. Peers may leave the network at any time at will, increasing the risk of data loss. Despite this, most research in XML P2P systems focus on novel and efficient XML indexing and retrieval techniques. Mechanisms for ensuring data availability in XML P2P systems has received comparatively little attention. This project attempts to address this issue. We design an XML P2P data management framework to improve data availability. This framework includes mechanisms for wide-spread data replication, replica location and update propagation. It allows XML documents to be broken down into fragments. By doing so, we aim to reduce the cost of replicating data by distributing smaller XML fragments throughout the network rather than entire documents. To tackle the data replication problem, we propose a suite of selection and placement algorithms that may be interchanged to form a particular replication strategy. To support the placement of replicas anywhere in the network, we use a Fragment Location Catalogue, a global index that maintains the locations of replicas. We also propose a lazy update propagation algorithm to propagate updates to replicas. Experiments show that the data replication algorithms improve data availability in our experimental network environment. We also find that breaking XML documents into smaller pieces and replicating those instead of whole XML documents considerably reduces the replication cost, but at the price of some loss in data availability. For the update propagation tests, we find that the probability that queries return up-to-date results increases, but improvements to the algorithm are necessary to handle environments with high update rates

Simple identification tools in FishBase

Simple identification tools for fish species were included in the FishBase information system from its inception. Early tools made use of the relational model and characters like fin ray meristics. Soon pictures and drawings were added as a further help, similar to a field guide. Later came the computerization of existing dichotomous keys, again in combination with pictures and other information, and the ability to restrict possible species by country, area, or taxonomic group. Today, www.FishBase.org offers four different ways to identify species. This paper describes these tools with their advantages and disadvantages, and suggests various options for further development. It explores the possibility of a holistic and integrated computeraided strategy

Tools for identifying biodiversity: progress and problems

The correct identification of organisms is fundamental not only for the assessment and the conservation of biodiversity, but also in agriculture, forestry, the food and pharmaceutical industries, forensic biology, and in the broad field of formal and informal education at all levels. In this book, the reader will find short presentations of current and upcoming projects (EDIT, KeyToNature, STERNA, Species 2000, Fishbase, BHL, ViBRANT, etc.), plus a large panel of short articles on software, taxonomic applications, use of e-keys in the educational field, and practical applications. Single-access keys are now available on most recent electronic devices; the collaborative and semantic web opens new ways to develop and to share applications; the automatic processing of molecular data and images is now based on validated systems; identification tools appear as an efficient support for environmental education and training; the monitoring of invasive and protected species and the study of climate change require intensive identifications of specimens, which opens new markets for identification research

Calibración de un algoritmo de detección de anomalías marítimas basado en la fusión de datos satelitales

La fusión de diferentes fuentes de datos aporta una ayuda significativa en el proceso de toma de decisiones. El presente artículo describe el desarrollo de una plataforma que permite detectar anomalías marítimas por medio de la fusión de datos del Sistema de Información Automática (AIS) para seguimiento de buques y de imágenes satelitales de Radares de Apertura Sintética (SAR). Estas anomalías son presentadas al operador como un conjunto de detecciones que requieren ser monitoreadas para descubrir su naturaleza. El proceso de detección se lleva adelante primero identificando objetos dentro de las imágenes SAR a través de la aplicación de algoritmos CFAR, y luego correlacionando los objetos detectados con los datos reportados mediante el sistema AIS. En este trabajo reportamos las pruebas realizadas con diferentes configuraciones de los parámetros para los algoritmos de detección y asociación, analizamos la respuesta de la plataforma y reportamos la combinación de parámetros que reporta mejores resultados para las imágenes utilizadas. Este es un primer paso en nuestro objetivo futuro de desarrollar un sistema que ajuste los parámetros en forma dinámica dependiendo de las imágenes disponibles.XVI Workshop Computación Gráfica, Imágenes y Visualización (WCGIV)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

The poetry of N.H. Brettell : a critical edition

This thesis presents for the first time a critical reading edition of all known poems by N. H. Brettell. It makes no claim to being definitive, nor does it attempt to establish a final text. It represents merely the best thinking of the editor. Brettell printed and circulated his poetry primarily in hand-made illustrated volumes in a process reminiscent of the scribal publication of the seventeenth century. Only 137 of his 206 extant poems were commercially published during his lifetime. In this study all known printed versions of Brettell's poetry whether in privately printed or commercially published form were examined. All variant readings were recorded and are shown. Wherever possible the relationships between texts are also noted. The poems in this edition are ordered in each case according to the version in the latest datable privately produced collection. The commentary and critical introduction were compiled with the general reader in mind. No previous familiarity with southern African fauna and flora is assumed: animals, birds and insects are described and their scientific names supplied. Expressions current in ordinary British or South African English and present in non-specialist dictionaries are not glossed, but archaic and dialectal forms felt to require explication are briefly explained. So too are less familiar South African dialectal expressions which have been assimilated into the South African English lexicon. Intertextual, Christian and mythological references, both African and Western, are annotated in an attempt to make such references accessible to readers who may not share Brettell's cultural background. The intention is to close the changing distance between the text and the audience. An essay discussing the merits, potential and limitations of electronic scholarly editing is included as part of the textual introduction. A CD-Rom containing Brettell's watercolour illustrations in his privately produced collections and audio-clips of him reading his poetry accompanies this thesis