29,901 research outputs found
Policy-based techniques for self-managing parallel applications
This paper presents an empirical investigation of policy-based self-management techniques for parallel applications executing in loosely-coupled environments. The dynamic and heterogeneous nature of these environments is discussed and the special considerations for parallel applications are identified. An adaptive strategy for the run-time deployment of tasks of parallel applications is presented. The strategy is based on embedding numerous policies which are informed by contextual and environmental inputs. The policies govern various aspects of behaviour, enhancing flexibility so that the goals of efficiency and performance are achieved despite high levels of environmental variability. A prototype self-managing parallel application is used as a vehicle to explore the feasibility and benefits of the strategy. In particular, several aspects of stability are investigated. The implementation and behaviour of three policies are discussed and sample results examined
Chaotic exploration and learning of locomotion behaviours
We present a general and fully dynamic neural system, which exploits intrinsic chaotic dynamics, for the real-time goal-directed exploration and learning of the possible locomotion patterns of an articulated robot of an arbitrary morphology in an unknown environment. The controller is modeled as a network of neural oscillators that are initially coupled only through physical embodiment, and goal-directed exploration of coordinated motor patterns is achieved by chaotic search using adaptive bifurcation. The phase space of the indirectly coupled neural-body-environment system contains multiple transient or permanent self-organized dynamics, each of which is a candidate for a locomotion behavior. The adaptive bifurcation enables the system orbit to wander through various phase-coordinated states, using its intrinsic chaotic dynamics as a driving force, and stabilizes on to one of the states matching the given goal criteria. In order to improve the sustainability of useful transient patterns, sensory homeostasis has been introduced, which results in an increased diversity of motor outputs, thus achieving multiscale exploration. A rhythmic pattern discovered by this process is memorized and sustained by changing the wiring between initially disconnected oscillators using an adaptive synchronization method. Our results show that the novel neurorobotic system is able to create and learn multiple locomotion behaviors for a wide range of body configurations and physical environments and can readapt in realtime after sustaining damage
Lock-in & Break-out from Technological Trajectories: Modeling and policy implications
Arthur [1,2] provided a model to explain the circumstances that lead to
technological lock-in into a specific trajectory. We contribute substantially
to this area of research by investigating the circumstances under which
technological development may break-out of a trajectory. We argue that for this
to happen, a third selection mechanism--beyond those of the market and of
technology--needs to upset the lock-in. We model the interaction, or mutual
shaping among three selection mechanisms, and thus this paper also allows for a
better understanding of when a technology will lock-in into a trajectory, when
a technology may break-out of a lock-in, and when competing technologies may
co-exist in a balance. As a system is conceptualized to gain a (third) degree
of freedom, the possibility of bifurcation is introduced into the model. The
equations, in which interactions between competition and selection mechanisms
can be modeled, allow one to specify conditions for lock-in, competitive
balance, and break-out
Youth Homelessness in San Francisco: 2014 Report on Incidence and Needs
It is estimated that 353,000-503,000 youth ages 12-24 are homeless on any given day in the United States (Burt, 2007). Homeless youth are without a place to call homethey sleep at night in parks, their cars, abandoned buildings. Places most would not consider suitable for human residence. Or they find ways to get off the street temporarily, putting themselves at great risk by spending the night with strangers who offer them a place to stay, often in exchange for sex. They lack the educational attainment and employment experience that result in living wage jobs. And they are off track to reach a future that includes self-sufficiency, economic stability, and overall well-being.Larkin Street is the leading provider of housing and support services to homeless youth in San Francisco. Between July 2013 and June 2014 Larkin Street provided services to over 3,000 youth.1 Due to the number of youth who access Larkin Street programs we are able to provide a picture of youth homelessness in San Fr ancisco
A Stabilization Mechanism of Zirconia Based on Oxygen Vacancies Only
The microscopic mechanism leading to stabilization of cubic and tetragonal
forms of zirconia (ZrO) is analyzed by means of a self-consistent
tight-binding model. Using this model, energies and structures of zirconia
containing different vacancy concentrations are calculated, equivalent in
concentration to the charge compensating vacancies associated with dissolved
yttria (YO) in the tetragonal and cubic phase fields (3.2 and 14.4% mol
respectively). The model is shown to predict the large relaxations around an
oxygen vacancy, and the clustering of vacancies along the directions,
in good agreement with experiments and first principles calculations. The
vacancies alone are shown to explain the stabilization of cubic zirconia, and
the mechanism is analyzed.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures. To be published in J. Am. Ceram. So
Homochirality and the need of energy
The mechanisms for explaining how a stable asymmetric chemical system can be
formed from a symmetric chemical system, in the absence of any asymmetric
influence other than statistical fluctuations, have been developed during the
last decades, focusing on the non-linear kinetic aspects. Besides the absolute
necessity of self-amplification processes, the importance of energetic aspects
is often underestimated. Going down to the most fundamental aspects, the
distinction between a single object -- that can be intrinsically asymmetric --
and a collection of objects -- whose racemic state is the more stable one --
must be emphasized. A system of strongly interacting objects can be described
as one single object retaining its individuality and a single asymmetry; weakly
or non-interacting objects keep their own individuality, and are prone to
racemize towards the equilibrium state. In the presence of energy fluxes,
systems can be maintained in an asymmetric non-equilibrium steady-state. Such
dynamical systems can retain their asymmetry for times longer than their
racemization time.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Origins of Life and Evolution of
Biosphere
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