cISP: A Speed-of-Light Internet Service Provider

Low latency is a requirement for a variety of interactive network applications. The Internet, however, is not optimized for latency. We thus explore the design of cost-effective wide-area networks that move data over paths very close to great-circle paths, at speeds very close to the speed of light in vacuum. Our cISP design augments the Internet's fiber with free-space wireless connectivity. cISP addresses the fundamental challenge of simultaneously providing low latency and scalable bandwidth, while accounting for numerous practical factors ranging from transmission tower availability to packet queuing. We show that instantiations of cISP across the contiguous United States and Europe would achieve mean latencies within 5% of that achievable using great-circle paths at the speed of light, over medium and long distances. Further, we estimate that the economic value from such networks would substantially exceed their expense

Southern right whale vocalisations, and the “spot” call in Australian waters: characteristics; spatial and temporal patterns; and a potential source - the southern right whale

Passive acoustic recordings collected in Australian temperate waters were used to provide the first summary of southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) vocalisations in Australia, and to document the characteristics, and temporal and spatial patterns of an as yet unattributed whale sound, referred to as the “spot” call, which is suggested to be produced by the southern right whale

PTPmesh: Data Center Network Latency Measurements Using PTP

Many data center applications are latency-sensitive. Monitoring continuously the network latency and reacting to congestion on a network path is important to ensure that the applications performance does not suffer penalties. We show how to use the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) to infer network latency and packet loss in data centers, and we conduct network latency and packet loss measurements in data centers from different cloud providers, using PTPd, an open-source software implementation of PTP

Enabling Technology in Optical Fiber Communications: From Device, System to Networking

This book explores the enabling technology in optical fiber communications. It focuses on the state-of-the-art advances from fundamental theories, devices, and subsystems to networking applications as well as future perspectives of optical fiber communications. The topics cover include integrated photonics, fiber optics, fiber and free-space optical communications, and optical networking

Gugu Badhun sovereignty, self-determination, and nationhood

Janine Gertz investigated the Gugu-Badhun Aboriginal Nation's situation post-colonisation and the strategies required to reconfigure Gugu-Badhun's political relationship with the Australian-state. By developing a socio-legal framework describing Gugu-Badhun Sovereignty, Self-Determination, Nationhood and Government, Janine has furthered approaches to treaties and other constructive arrangements between Indigenous Nations and the Australian-state

Developing and testing a framework for using Social Enterprise, Digital Health, and Citizen Engagement to deliver Integrated People-Centered Health Services

To achieve Universal Health Coverage and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals’ by 2030, the World Health Organisation recommended the use of social enterprise, digital technology, and citizen engagement in the delivery of Integrated People-Centered Health Services (IPCHS). We aimed to develop and test a framework for using social enterprise, digital health, and citizen engagement to deliver IPCHS and achieve the WHO strategic vision for 21st-century primary care. We conducted a hermeneutic review of frameworks, models, and theories on social enterprise, digital health, citizen engagement, and IPCHS. This involved multiple iterative cycles of (i) searching and acquisition, followed by (ii) critical analysis and interpretation of literature to assemble arguments and evidence for conceptual relationships. This process identified a set of constructs that we synthesized into a conceptual framework to provide theoretical grounding for an empirical inquiry into how social enterprises use digital technology to engage citizens in co-creating IPCHS. We tested this preliminary framework with two community health alliances (CHAs) in South Western Sydney (SWS), namely the Wollondilly Health Alliance and the Fairfield City Health Alliance (FCHA). Each CHA comprised the local council of the local government area (LGA), the SWS Local Health District, and the SWS Primary Health Network who collaborated to address the health challenges faced by local communities. We developed comparative case studies using a combination of documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from both CHAs. The reassignment of CHA staff to address the COVID-19 pandemic limited CHA operations and prevented many CHA stakeholders from participating in the case study, possibly introducing selection bias. Nonetheless, findings from the case studies yielded evidence for several of the conceptual relationships between social enterprise, digital health citizen engagement, and IPCHS identified in our initial framework; but also suggested that greater organizational maturity was required for the CHAs to operate as social enterprises. Considering these findings, we revised our initial framework, and then used it to develop a maturity model to suggest how health organizations like CHAs can achieve greater organizational maturity to operate as social enterprises that use digital technology to engage citizens in co-creating IPCHS

Latency-driven performance in data centres

Data centre based cloud computing has revolutionised the way businesses use computing infrastructure. Instead of building their own data centres, companies rent computing resources and deploy their applications on cloud hardware. Providing customers with well-defined application performance guarantees is of paramount importance to ensure transparency and to build a lasting collaboration between users and cloud operators. A user’s application performance is subject to the constraints of the resources it has been allocated and to the impact of the network conditions in the data centre. In this dissertation, I argue that application performance in data centres can be improved through cluster scheduling of applications informed by predictions of application performance for given network latency, and measurements of current network latency in data centres between hosts. Firstly, I show how to use the Precision Time Protocol (PTP), through an open-source software implementation PTPd, to measure network latency and packet loss in data centres. I propose PTPmesh, which uses PTPd, as a cloud network monitoring tool for tenants. Furthermore, I conduct a measurement study using PTPmesh in different cloud providers, finding that network latency variability in data centres is still common. Normal latency values in data centres are in the order of tens or hundreds of microseconds, while unexpected events, such as network congestion or packet loss, can lead to latency spikes in the order of milliseconds. Secondly, I show that network latency matters for certain distributed applications even in small amounts of tens or hundreds of microseconds, significantly reducing their performance. I propose a methodology to determine the impact of network latency on distributed applications performance by injecting artificial delay into the network of an experimental setup. Based on the experimental results, I build functions that predict the performance of an application for a given network latency. Given the network latency variability observed in data centers, applications’ performance is determined by their placement within the data centre. Thirdly, I propose latency-driven, application performance-aware, cluster scheduling as a way to provide performance guarantees to applications. I introduce NoMora, a cluster scheduling architecture that leverages the predictions of application performance dependent upon network latency combined with dynamic network latency measurements taken between pairs of hosts in data centres to place applications. Moreover, I show that NoMora improves application performance by choosing better placements than other scheduling policies.MEASUREMENT FOR EUROPE: TRAINING AND RESEARCH FOR INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS SCIENCE, European Commission FP7 Marie Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN) ENDEAVOUR, European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Industrial Leadership (IL

Genocide Perspectives V

Despite the catch-cry bandied about after the Holocaust, "Never Again", genocides continue to destroy cultures and communities around the globe. In this collection of essays, Australian scholars discuss the crime of genocide, examining regimes and episodes that stretch across time and geography. Included are discussions on Australia’s own history of genocide against its Indigenous peoples, mass killing and human rights abuses in Indonesia and North Korea, and new insights into some of the core twentieth century genocides, such as the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. Scholars grapple with ongoing questions of memory and justice, governmental responsibility, the role of the medical professions, gendered experiences, artistic representation, and best practice in genocide education. Importantly, genocide prevention and the role of the global community is also explored within this collection. This volume of Genocide Perspectives is dedicated to Professor Colin Tatz AO, an inspirational figure in the field of human rights, and one of the forefathers of genocide studies in Australia. Kirril Shields is a member of the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. He teaches at The University of Queensland and The University of Southern Queensland. Kirril is an Auschwitz Jewish Center Fellow, and a Fellow of the Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilisation, Royal Holloway. Nikki Marczak is a member of the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute’s 2016 Lemkin Scholar. Her research focuses on Armenian women’s experiences and the current Yazidi Genocide by ISIS