Advances in Grid Computing

This book approaches the grid computing with a perspective on the latest achievements in the field, providing an insight into the current research trends and advances, and presenting a large range of innovative research papers. The topics covered in this book include resource and data management, grid architectures and development, and grid-enabled applications. New ideas employing heuristic methods from swarm intelligence or genetic algorithm and quantum encryption are considered in order to explain two main aspects of grid computing: resource management and data management. The book addresses also some aspects of grid computing that regard architecture and development, and includes a diverse range of applications for grid computing, including possible human grid computing system, simulation of the fusion reaction, ubiquitous healthcare service provisioning and complex water systems

Distributed computing and farm management with application to the search for heavy gauge bosons using the ATLAS experiment at the LHC (CERN)

The Standard Model of particle physics describes the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces between the fundamental particles of ordinary matter. However, it presents several problems and some questions remain unanswered so it cannot be considered a complete theory of fundamental interactions. Many extensions have been proposed in order to address these problems. Some important recent extensions are the Extra Dimensions theories. In the context of some models with Extra Dimensions of size about $1 TeV^{-}1$, in particular in the ADD model with only fermions confined to a D-brane, heavy Kaluza-Klein excitations are expected, with the same properties as SM gauge bosons but more massive. In this work, three hadronic decay modes of some of such massive gauge bosons, Z* and W*, are investigated using the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), presently under construction at CERN. These hadronic modes are more difficult to detect than the leptonic ones, but they should allow a measurement of the couplings between heavy gauge bosons and quarks. The events were generated using the ATLAS fast simulation and reconstruction MC program Atlfast coupled to the Monte Carlo generator PYTHIA. We found that for an integrated luminosity of $3 × 10^{5} pb^{-}1$ and a heavy gauge boson mass of 2 TeV, the channels Z*->bb and Z*->tt would be difficult to detect because the signal would be very small compared with the expected backgrou nd, although the significance in the case of Z*->tt is larger. In the channel W*->tb , the decay might yield a signal separable from the background and a significance larger than 5 so we conclude that it would be possible to detect this particular mode at the LHC. The analysis was also performed for masses of 1 TeV and we conclude that the observability decreases with the mass. In particular, a significance higher than 5 may be achieved below approximately 1.4, 1.9 and 2.2 TeV for Z*->bb , Z*->tt and W*->tb respectively. The LHC will start to operate in 2008 and collect data in 2009. It will produce roughly 15 Petabytes of data per year. Access to this experimental data has to be provided for some 5,000 scientists working in 500 research institutes and universities. In addition, all data need to be available over the estimated 15-year lifetime of the LHC. The analysis of the data, including comparison with theoretical simulations, requires an enormous computing power. The computing challenges that scientists have to face are the huge amount of data, calculations to perform and collaborators. The Grid has been proposed as a solution for those challenges. The LHC Computing Grid project (LCG) is the Grid used by ATLAS and the other LHC experiments and it is analised in depth with the aim of studying the possible complementary use of it with another Grid project. That is the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network C omputing middle-ware (BOINC) developed for the SETI@home project, a Grid specialised in high CPU requirements and in using volunteer computing resources. Several important packages of physics software used by ATLAS and other LHC experiments have been successfully adapted/ported to be used with this platform with the aim of integrating them into the LHC@home project at CERN: Atlfast, PYTHIA, Geant4 and Garfield. The events used in our physics analysis with Atlfast were reproduced using BOINC obtaining exactly the same results. The LCG software, in particular SEAL, ROOT and the external software, was ported to the Solaris/sparc platform to study it's portability in general as well. A testbed was performed including a big number of heterogeneous hardware and software that involves a farm of 100 computers at CERN's computing center (lxboinc) together with 30 PCs from CIEMAT and 45 from schools from Extremadura (Spain). That required a preliminary study, development and creation of components of the Quattor software and configuration management tool to install and manage the lxboinc farm and it also involved the set up of a collaboration between the Spanish research centers and government and CERN. The testbed was successful and 26,597 Grid jobs were delivered, executed and received successfully. We conclude that BOINC and LCG are complementary and useful kinds of Grid that can be used by ATLAS and the other LHC experiments. LCG has very good data distribution, management and storage capabilities that BOINC does not have. In the other hand, BOINC does not need high bandwidth or Internet speed and it also can provide a huge and inexpensive amount of computing power coming from volunteers. In addition, it is possible to send jobs from LCG to BOINC and vice versa. So, possible complementary cases are to use volunteer BOINC nodes when the LCG nodes have too many jobs to do or to use BOINC for high CPU tasks like event generators or reconstructions while concentrating LCG for data analysis

A Nonprofit\u27s guide to internally-planned successful print communications

Nonprofit institutions, sans a large budget allocated towards design, publications production and printing, suffer from a lack of effective print communications. Even within the classification of nonprofit, a distinction can be made between successful groups and struggling ones. To further compound the matter, nonprofit groups, beyond just a deficit of funds, lack a graphic artist\u27s understanding of how to assemble, produce and intelligently purchase print communications. It is no wonder then, that the struggling nonprofit group finds itself caught in a frustrating cycle. They need, desperately, to get their word out in order to raise funds; yet they lack the resources to produce the printed vehicles for that message. A cavernous gap exists between the quality of printed matter produced by successful institutions versus struggling ones. Information, in a consolidated, easy-to-use form, can help to bridge that gap. The proposed information a guidebook, entitled, A Nonprofit\u27s Guide to Internally-Planned, Successful, Print Communications. This guidebook, based on an investigation into the print needs and communications objectives of nonprofit groups, will serve to educate and inform the layperson in the methods and techniques used in contemporary graphic arts publishing. Before actually writing the guidebook, a survey of nonprofit groups (both struggling and successful ) was executed for the following purposes: To validate the belief that nonprofits were starved for real-world, low-cost, tight-budget, print-communications assistance. To determine the baseline of understanding in graphic arts possessed by nonprofit groups whether they struggled for funds and donations or not. To assess the needs and objectives of nonprofits in the struggle to promote their mission through the medium of print. A local, struggling nonprofit sponsor was chosen to work with. The New York Branch of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were the focus of this research and the home office for the guidebook\u27s investigations. In addition, the author provided specific, technical, communications assistance to advance the NCMEC\u27s promotional endeavors through print. Beginning with an overview into the importance of effective print communication in today\u27s visually-competitive world, the guidebook stresses the benefits of implementing a well-constructed print communications program. Often taken for granted in the commercial world, print communications has an assumed, predictable role in the crucial areas of: marketing, advertising and public relations. Not so for the nonprofit. For a great many, print communications is a misunderstood, some times frightening, burden to be undertaken almost as a last resort. To organizations without the capital, resources and expertise print in communications, demands of both budget and staff can be immense. Even to those nonprofit groups with certain in-bouse communication capabilities, the effort is sometimes viewed as a necessary evil. Clearly, an understanding of print communication\u27s fundamentals is required before a struggling nonprofit could initiate an effective print communications pro gram- Subsequent chapters provide a crash-course in the areas of: typography, design, printing and reproduction, basic color, graphics, electronic publishing and paper and finishing options. Commercially, there are numerous desktop publishing books and pre-designed layout guides available. However, that\u27s simply not enough information when your responsibilities go beyond basic personal computing. Nonprofit communications officers have donors to solicit, volunteers to entice and a constituency to appease. There is a certain level of professionalism required of promotional pieces that attempt to solicit donations. The expectations of a print vehicle that asks for another\u27s time and or money is very different than what is presumed of a corporate entity\u27s office newsletter, for instance. Aside from the fact that the aforementioned commercial books generally ignore the needs and limitations of nonprofits, what good is such information if there is no foundation in the fundamentals of reproduction? A printed piece is doomed for failure if it is not assembled well. As we know type, design, and color basics (just for starters), must be under stood if a printed piece is to stand any chance of holding the attention of a modem, visually-literate audience. Pre-fabricated, do-it-yourself layouts are simply insufficient to accomplish this. Nonprofits need more information, and they need it in an accurate, affordable medium. To further compound the issue, nonprofit communications officers themselves are often responsible for the bulk of print communications duties. They do not have the luxury of sending material out-of-house to be typeset, designed and assembled. Rather, the obligation to produce print communications often falls entirely on their shoulders. In the typical nonprofit organization, there is no advertising, marketing or creative services departments to turn to for assistance. Within A Nonprofit\u27s Guide to Internally-Planned, Successful Print Communications, through step-by-step instructions and a real-world perspective, the secrets of successful print communications are revealed. However, this research does not claim to be a panacea, limitations and realities shall be addressed up front. Many are the obstacles and challenges a typical nonprofit agency faces in the attempt to promote its mission. This guidebook honestly acknowledges those limitations and seeks solutions, alternatives and work-arounds unlike any commercial offering. The heart of the guidebook is a step-by-step instructional how-to guide for the nonprofit to pro duce the specific printed vehicles intended to deliver their message. Examples and illustrations on the professional preparation of such materials as: newsletters, fundraising brochures, print advertisements, etc., guide the reader into the previously uncharted wilds of the production of print communications. Concluding the guidebook is a section on the business of nonprofits. Tough times lie ahead for the nation\u27s nonprofit groups. Thoughts, concerns and advice on the nonprofit struggle are offered, as well as advice on how to fight back against cutbacks, trickling philanthropy and rising competition. Next, an open forum of comments from real nonprofit professionals is offered. As a marshalling of common concerns, the Q and A dialogue attempts to provide a sense of solidarity for the nonprofit. The we\u27re all in this together message offers a positive beacon in an otherwise murky, uncertain atmosphere. It serves to underscore the struggle and challenge one faces in promoting uphill, formidable missions or causes. The unmistakable determination echoing in the voices from this forum also serves to provide a source of inspiration. Finally, alternative methods of general financing (co-sponsoring, donations) are offered to instruct the nonprofit on how to fund the graphic reproduction of their newly-planned communications material. (A proliferation of other, specific moneysaving ideas and tips are to be found embedded throughout the text.) To validate the fact that the guidebook will actually help nonprofits to reach better print communications, several sources were called upon to gauge the guide book\u27s effectiveness and discuss its usefulness and potential. Finally, through both traditional, grass roots channels and modern reproduction, the guidebook is being made available to interested nonprofit groups so that they may access the information and put it to use in their advertising, promotions, and print communications campaigns

Creating effective learning environments in print: A guide for lecturers and designers of independent study materials

This book is about providing the assistance that you need to create effective printed learning materials. It focuses on the needs of the writer of a distance unit, but the principles apply equally to any self-directed study materials. The book has been developed to assist you with the preparation of your study materials, and to describe some of the many support services available to you. It also provides guidelines on non-discriminatory writing and a useful editorial style, sometimes described as a \u27house style\u27. Above all, Creating Effective Learning Environments in Print will help to ensure that documents you produce are of the highest quality

Researchers in the Digital Age

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/168157/1/2001-Researchers_in_the_Digital_Age.pd

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Development and management of collective network and cloud computing infrastructures

Pla de Doctorat industrial de la Generalitat de CatalunyaIn the search and development of more participatory models for infrastructure development and management, in this dissertation, we investigate models for the financing, deployment, and operation of network and cloud computing infrastructures. Our main concern is to overcome the inherent exclusion in participation in the processes of development and management and in the right of use in the current dominant models. Our work starts by studying in detail the model of Guifi.net, a successful bottom-up initiative for building network infrastructure, generally referred to as a community networks. We pay special attention to its governance system and economic organisation because we argue that these are the key components of the success of this initiative. Then, we generalise our findings for any community network, aiming at becoming sustainable and scalable, and we explore the suitability of the Guifi.net model to the cloud computing infrastructure. As a result of both, we coin the attribute extensible to refer to infrastructure that is relatively easy to expand and maintain in contrast to those naturally limited or hard to expand, such as natural resources or highly complex or advanced artificial systems. We conclude proposing a generic model which, in our opinion, is suitable, at least, for managing extensible infrastructure. The Guifi.net model is deeply rooted in the commons; thus, the research in this field, in general, and Elinor Ostrom’s work, in particular, have left a profound imprint in our work. Our results show that the \guifinet model meets almost entirely the principles of long-enduring commons identified by E. Ostrom. This work has been developed as an industrial doctorate. As such, it combines academic research with elements of practice and pursues an effective knowledge transfer between academia and the private sector. Given that the private sector’s partner is a not-for-profit organisation, the effort to create social value has prevailed over the ambition to advance the development of a specific industrial product or particular technology.En la recerca i desenvolupament de models més participatius per al desenvolupament i gestió d'infraestructura, en aquesta tesi investiguem sobre models per al finançament, desplegament i operació d'infraestructures de xarxa i de computació al núvol. La nostra preocupació principal és fer front a l’exclusió inherent dels models dominants actualment pel que fa a la participació en els processos de desenvolupament i gestió i, també, als drets d’us. El nostre treball comença amb un estudi detallat del model de Guifi.net, un cas d'èxit d'iniciativa ciutadana en la construcció d'infraestructura de xarxa, iniciatives que es coneixen com a xarxes comunitàries. En fer-ho, parem una atenció especial al sistema de governança i a l’organització econòmica perquè pensem que són els dos elements claus de l'èxit d'aquesta iniciativa. Tot seguit passem a analitzar d'altres xarxes comunitàries per abundar en la comprensió dels factors determinants per a la seva sostenibilitat i escalabilitat. Després ampliem el nostre estudi analitzant la capacitat i el comportament del model de Guifi.net en el camp de les infraestructures de computació al núvol. A resultes d'aquests estudis, proposem l'atribut extensible per a descriure aquelles infraestructures que són relativament fàcil d'ampliar i gestionar, en contraposició a les que o bé estan limitades de forma natural o be són difícils d'ampliar, com ara els recursos naturals o els sistemes artificials avançats o complexos. Finalitzem aquest treball fent una proposta de model genèric que pensem que és d'aplicabilitat, com a mínim, a tot tipus d'infraestructura extensible. El model de Guifi.net està fortament vinculat als bens comuns. És per això que la recerca en aquest àmbit, en general, i els treballs de Elinor Ostrom en particular, han deixat una forta empremta en el nostre treball. Els resultats que hem obtingut mostren que el model Guifi.net s'ajusta molt bé als principis que segons Ostrom han de complir els béns comuns per ser sostenibles. Aquest treball s'ha desenvolupat com a doctorat industrial. Com a tal, combina la investigació acadèmica amb elements de practica i persegueix una transferència efectiva de coneixement entre l'àmbit acadèmic i el sector privat. Ates que el soci del sector privat és una organització sense ànim de lucre, l’esforç per crear valor social ha prevalgut en l’ambició d’avançar en el desenvolupament d'un producte industrial específic o d'una tecnologia particularPostprint (published version

Development and management of collective network and cloud computing infrastructures

In the search and development of more participatory models for infrastructure development and management, in this dissertation, we investigate models for the financing, deployment, and operation of network and cloud computing infrastructures. Our main concern is to overcome the inherent exclusion in participation in the processes of development and management and in the right of use in the current dominant models. Our work starts by studying in detail the model of Guifi.net, a successful bottom-up initiative for building network infrastructure, generally referred to as a community networks. We pay special attention to its governance system and economic organisation because we argue that these are the key components of the success of this initiative. Then, we generalise our findings for any community network, aiming at becoming sustainable and scalable, and we explore the suitability of the Guifi.net model to the cloud computing infrastructure. As a result of both, we coin the attribute extensible to refer to infrastructure that is relatively easy to expand and maintain in contrast to those naturally limited or hard to expand, such as natural resources or highly complex or advanced artificial systems. We conclude proposing a generic model which, in our opinion, is suitable, at least, for managing extensible infrastructure. The Guifi.net model is deeply rooted in the commons; thus, the research in this field, in general, and Elinor Ostrom’s work, in particular, have left a profound imprint in our work. Our results show that the \guifinet model meets almost entirely the principles of long-enduring commons identified by E. Ostrom. This work has been developed as an industrial doctorate. As such, it combines academic research with elements of practice and pursues an effective knowledge transfer between academia and the private sector. Given that the private sector’s partner is a not-for-profit organisation, the effort to create social value has prevailed over the ambition to advance the development of a specific industrial product or particular technology.En la recerca i desenvolupament de models més participatius per al desenvolupament i gestió d'infraestructura, en aquesta tesi investiguem sobre models per al finançament, desplegament i operació d'infraestructures de xarxa i de computació al núvol. La nostra preocupació principal és fer front a l’exclusió inherent dels models dominants actualment pel que fa a la participació en els processos de desenvolupament i gestió i, també, als drets d’us. El nostre treball comença amb un estudi detallat del model de Guifi.net, un cas d'èxit d'iniciativa ciutadana en la construcció d'infraestructura de xarxa, iniciatives que es coneixen com a xarxes comunitàries. En fer-ho, parem una atenció especial al sistema de governança i a l’organització econòmica perquè pensem que són els dos elements claus de l'èxit d'aquesta iniciativa. Tot seguit passem a analitzar d'altres xarxes comunitàries per abundar en la comprensió dels factors determinants per a la seva sostenibilitat i escalabilitat. Després ampliem el nostre estudi analitzant la capacitat i el comportament del model de Guifi.net en el camp de les infraestructures de computació al núvol. A resultes d'aquests estudis, proposem l'atribut extensible per a descriure aquelles infraestructures que són relativament fàcil d'ampliar i gestionar, en contraposició a les que o bé estan limitades de forma natural o be són difícils d'ampliar, com ara els recursos naturals o els sistemes artificials avançats o complexos. Finalitzem aquest treball fent una proposta de model genèric que pensem que és d'aplicabilitat, com a mínim, a tot tipus d'infraestructura extensible. El model de Guifi.net està fortament vinculat als bens comuns. És per això que la recerca en aquest àmbit, en general, i els treballs de Elinor Ostrom en particular, han deixat una forta empremta en el nostre treball. Els resultats que hem obtingut mostren que el model Guifi.net s'ajusta molt bé als principis que segons Ostrom han de complir els béns comuns per ser sostenibles. Aquest treball s'ha desenvolupat com a doctorat industrial. Com a tal, combina la investigació acadèmica amb elements de practica i persegueix una transferència efectiva de coneixement entre l'àmbit acadèmic i el sector privat. Ates que el soci del sector privat és una organització sense ànim de lucre, l’esforç per crear valor social ha prevalgut en l’ambició d’avançar en el desenvolupament d'un producte industrial específic o d'una tecnologia particula