1,016 research outputs found
Scalability approaches for causal multicast: a survey
The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00607-015-0479-0Many distributed services need to be scalable: internet search,
electronic commerce, e-government... In order to
achieve scalability, high availability and fault tolerance, such
applications rely on replicated components. Because of the dynamics
of growth and volatility of customer markets, applications need to be
hosted by adaptive, highly scalable systems. In particular, the
scalability of the reliable multicast mechanisms used for supporting
the consistency of replicas is of crucial importance. Reliable
multicast might propagate updates in a pre-determined order (e.g.,
FIFO, total or causal). Since total order needs more communication
rounds than causal order, the latter appears to be the preferable
candidate for achieving multicast scalability, although the
consistency guarantees based on causal order are weaker than those of
total order. This paper provides a historical survey of different
scalability approaches for reliable causal multicast protocols.This work was supported by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) under research Grant TIN2012-37719-C03-01.Juan MarĂn, RD.; Decker, H.; ArmendĂĄriz Ăñigo, JE.; Bernabeu AubĂĄn, JM.; Muñoz EscoĂ, FD. (2016). Scalability approaches for causal multicast: a survey. Computing. 98(9):923-947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00607-015-0479-0S923947989Adly N, Nagi M (1995) Maintaining causal order in large scale distributed systems using a logical hierarchy. In: IASTED Intnl Conf on Appl Inform, pp 214â219Aguilera MK, Chen W, Toueg S (1997) Heartbeat: a timeout-free failure detector for quiescent reliable communication. In: 11th Intnl Wshop on Distrib Alg (WDAG), SaarbrĂŒcken, pp 126â140Almeida JB, Almeida PS, Baquero C (2004) Bounded version vectors. In: 18th Intnl Conf Distrib Comput (DISC), Amsterdam, pp 102â116Almeida PS, Baquero C, Fonte V (2008) Interval tree clocks. 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How leisure activities affect health: a narrative review and multi-level theoretical framework of mechanisms of action
There is a large and growing body of evidence on the health benefits of engagement in leisure activities (voluntary, enjoyable non-work activities, such as hobbies, arts, volunteering, community group membership, sports, and socialising). However, there is no unifying framework explaining how leisure activities affect health: what the mechanisms of action are by which engagement with leisure activities leads to the prevention, management, or treatment of mental and physical illness. In this Review, we identify and map over 600 mechanisms of action. These mechanisms can be categorised as psychological, biological, social, and behavioural processes that operate at individual (micro), group (meso), and societal (macro) levels, and are synthesised into a new theoretical framework: the Multi-level Leisure Mechanisms Framework. This framework situates understanding of leisure activities within the theoretical lens of complex adaptive systems and aims to support the design of more theory-driven, cross-disciplinary studies
Shape Representations Using Nested Descriptors
The problem of shape representation is a core problem in computer vision. It can be argued that shape representation is the most central representational problem for computer vision, since unlike texture or color, shape alone can be used for perceptual tasks such as image matching, object detection and object categorization.
This dissertation introduces a new shape representation called the nested descriptor. A nested descriptor represents shape both globally and locally by pooling salient scaled and oriented complex gradients in a large nested support set. We show that this nesting property introduces a nested correlation structure that enables a new local distance function called the nesting distance, which provides a provably robust similarity function for image matching. Furthermore, the nesting property suggests an elegant flower like normalization strategy called a log-spiral difference. We show that this normalization enables a compact binary representation and is equivalent to a form a bottom up saliency. This suggests that the nested descriptor representational power is due to representing salient edges, which makes a fundamental connection between the saliency and local feature descriptor literature. In this dissertation, we introduce three examples of shape representation using nested descriptors: nested shape descriptors for imagery, nested motion descriptors for video and nested pooling for activities. We show evaluation results for these representations that demonstrate state-of-the-art performance for image matching, wide baseline stereo and activity recognition tasks
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AXEL: A framework to deal with ambiguity in three-noun compounds
This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 6/12/2010.Cognitive Linguistics has been widely used to deal with the ambiguity generated by words in combination. Although this domain offers many solutions to address this challenge, not all of them can be implemented in a computational environment. The Dynamic Construal of Meaning framework is argued to have this ability because it describes an intrinsic degree of association of meanings, which in turn, can be translated into computational programs. A limitation towards a computational approach, however, has been the lack of syntactic parameters. This research argues that this limitation could be overcome with the aid of the Generative Lexicon Theory (GLT). Specifically, this dissertation formulated possible means to marry the GLT and Cognitive Linguistics in a novel rapprochement between the two.
This bond between opposing theories provided the means to design a computational template (the AXEL System) by realising syntax and semantics at software levels. An instance of the AXEL system was created using a Design Research approach. Planned iterations were involved in the development to improve artefact performance. Such iterations boosted performance-improving, which accounted for the degree of association of meanings in three-noun compounds.
This dissertation delivered three major contributions on the brink of a so-called turning point in Computational Linguistics (CL). First, the AXEL system was used to disclose hidden lexical patterns on ambiguity. These patterns are difficult, if not impossible, to be identified without automatic techniques. This research claimed that these patterns can assist audiences of linguists to review lexical knowledge on a software-based viewpoint.
Following linguistic awareness, the second result advocated for the adoption of improved resources by decreasing electronic space of Sense Enumerative Lexicons (SELs). The AXEL system deployed the generation of âat the moment of useâ interpretations, optimising the way the space is needed for lexical storage.
Finally, this research introduced a subsystem of metrics to characterise an ambiguous degree of association of three-noun compounds enabling ranking methods. Weighing methods delivered mechanisms of classification of meanings towards Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD). Overall these results attempted to tackle difficulties in understanding studies of Lexical Semantics via software tools
The contribution of industry 4.0 technologies to increase internal and external operational flexibility of production systems
Manufacturing flexibility is recognized as an essential competitive factor in the company's operational strategy as a response to market uncertainties and turbulence. Industry 4.0 emerges as a new industrial paradigm that allows meeting these types of needs of manufacturing companies, focusing on the creation of an intelligent system along the entire value chain that allows the achievement of flexible and adaptive processes. However, the academic literature has not yet presented empirical evidence on how each specific Industry 4.0 technology can contribute to operational flexibility requirements. Although Industry 4.0 is treated as a solution to this need, it is known that there are different types of implementations of Industry 4.0 depending on the operational objectives pursued and the characteristics of the companies. Therefore, the technological sets of Industry 4.0 can have different forms of contribution to achieve greater flexibility in production processes. The aim of this thesis is to create a framework to help companies implement flexible operations in the context of Industry 4.0. The study followed a mixed approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. In quantitative terms, the thesis presents two survey research. The first was conducted with 94 companies in the machinery and equipment sector, through which the effect that different operational objectives â including flexibility â have on the definition of technological arrangements in Industry 4.0, is analyzed. The second was conducted with 379 companies, with the objective of analyzing how the smart supply chain concept contributes to the flexibility of the supply chain, especially in the context of uncertainties.. On the other hand, in qualitative terms, the thesis presents a multi-case study in 11 leading manufacturing companies in the implementation of 4.0 technologies, aiming to understand how these technologies are implemented to achieve different operational flexibility requirements. The present thesis demonstrates that, in fact, 4.0 technologies contribute to operational flexibility, but also explores the limitations and nuances of these contributions in different situations. The main contribution of this study is to provide empirical evidence of the effectiveness of different technologies used in a combined way to increase operational flexibility at its different levels.A flexibilidade da manufatura Ă© reconhecida como um fator competitivo essencial na estratĂ©gia operacional das empresas, como resposta a necessidades do mercado, especialmente diante de incertezas e turbulĂȘncias. A Industria 4.0 surge como um novo paradigma industrial que permite atender esse tipo de necessidades das empresas manufatureiras, sendo seu foco a criação de um sistema inteligente ao longo de toda a cadeia de valor que possibilita a obtenção de processos flexĂveis e adaptativos. Contudo, a literatura acadĂȘmica ainda nĂŁo tem apresentado evidĂȘncias empĂricas sobre a forma como cada tecnologia especĂfica da IndĂșstria 4.0 pode contribuir para os requisitos de flexibilidade operacional. Embora Industria 4.0 seja apresentada como uma solução para essa necessidade, Ă© sabido que existem diferentes tipos de implementação da IndĂșstria 4.0 que dependem dos objetivos operacionais almejados e das caracterĂsticas das empresas. Portanto, os conjuntos tecnolĂłgicos da IndĂșstria 4.0 podem ter diferentes formas de contribuição para alcançar uma maior flexibilidade dos processos de produção. O objetivo desta tese Ă© criar um framework para auxiliar as empresas na implementação de operaçÔes flexĂveis no contexto da IndĂșstria 4.0. O estudo seguiu uma abordagem mista, combinando mĂ©todos qualitativos e quantitativo. Em termos quantitativos, a tese apresenta duas pesquisas survey. A primeira foi conduzida com 94 empresas do setor de mĂĄquinas e equipamentos, atravĂ©s da qual se analisa o efeito que diferentes objetivos operacionais dentre eles a flexibilidade possuem sobre a definição de arranjos tecnolĂłgicos da IndĂșstria 4.0. A segunda foi conduzida com 379 empresas, com objetivo de analisar como o conceito de smart supply chain contribui para a flexibilidade da cadeia de suprimento, principalmente no contexto de incertezas. Por outro lado, em termos qualitativos, a tese apresenta um estudo multicasos em 11 empresas de manufatura lĂderes na implantação de tecnologias 4.0, visando entender a forma como essas tecnologias sĂŁo implementadas para alcançar diferentes requisitos de flexibilidade operacional. A presente tese demonstra que, de fato, as tecnologias 4.0 contribuem para a flexibilidade operacional, mas tambĂ©m explora as limitaçÔes e nuances dessas contribuiçÔes em diferentes situaçÔes. A principal contribuição deste estudo Ă© fornecer evidĂȘncias empĂricas da efetividade de diferentes tecnologias utilizadas de forma combinada para incrementar a flexibilidade operacional nos seus diferentes nĂveis
Cdc42-Dependent Transfer of mir301 from Breast Cancer-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Regulates the Matrix Modulating Ability of Astrocytes at the BloodâBrain Barrier
Breast cancer brain metastasis is a major clinical challenge and is associated with a dismal prognosis. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the early stages of brain metastasis can provide opportunities to develop efficient diagnostics and therapeutics for this significant clinical challenge. We have previously reported that breast cancer-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) breach the bloodâbrain barrier (BBB) via transcytosis and can promote brain metastasis. Here, we elucidate the functional consequences of EV transport across the BBB. We demonstrate that brain metastasis-promoting EVs can be internalized by astrocytes and modulate the behavior of these cells to promote extracellular matrix remodeling in vivo. We have identified protein and miRNA signatures in these EVs that can lead to the interaction of EVs with astrocytes and, as such, have the potential to serve as targets for development of diagnostics and therapeutics for early detection and therapeutic intervention in breast cancer brain metastasis
Cdc42-Dependent Transfer of mir301 from Breast Cancer-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Regulates the Matrix Modulating Ability of Astrocytes at the BloodâBrain Barrier
Breast cancer brain metastasis is a major clinical challenge and is associated with a dismal prognosis. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the early stages of brain metastasis can provide opportunities to develop efficient diagnostics and therapeutics for this significant clinical challenge. We have previously reported that breast cancer-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) breach the bloodâbrain barrier (BBB) via transcytosis and can promote brain metastasis. Here, we elucidate the functional consequences of EV transport across the BBB. We demonstrate that brain metastasis-promoting EVs can be internalized by astrocytes and modulate the behavior of these cells to promote extracellular matrix remodeling in vivo. We have identified protein and miRNA signatures in these EVs that can lead to the interaction of EVs with astrocytes and, as such, have the potential to serve as targets for development of diagnostics and therapeutics for early detection and therapeutic intervention in breast cancer brain metastasis
Going synthetic: how scientists and engineers imagine and build a new biology
Synthetic biology practitioners look through an engineer's lens at the incredibly
complex, sensitive and seemingly endless resource of living reproductive material
and contemplate turning biology into a substrate â composed of modular, wellcharacterised parts â that can be used to design and build new functional devices
and systems. It is often explained that this vision for engineering biology may
deliver future forms of efficient drug production, renewable sources of biofuel,
methods to sense and remediate toxins and numerous other applications. Yet,
synthetic biology remains a field in its infancy, facing a barrage of interconnected
challenges across technical, social, ethical, legal and political realms. This
multifaceted dynamic makes it a timely and important locus for sociophilosophical investigation.
This thesis provides a highly empirical ethnographic account of two research
groups as they were challenged to design and build a microbiological machine for
the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) in 2009.
The work examines forms of knowledge and material production in synthetic
biology and, in focusing on iGEM, argues that this field is not only a feat of
technical engineering, but also one of social engineering as it educates and
indoctrinates a next generation of researchers through this unique contest. In this
narrative, one discovers a microsocial sphere in which new ideas and biological
entities at the intersection of natural and synthetic kingdoms of life are being
constructed. Forms of teaching, tools, practices and processes that make
imagining, designing and building new living systems possible are illustrated. The
reader is also introduced to some international stakeholders and dynamics at play.
With gathering media interest, attention from art and design perspectives, as well
as publications across social, philosophical, political and legal studies of this
ânewâ biotechnology, there is a great need for the kind of detailed, insider view
that this thesis provides â it contributes to an informed space through which
constructive questions may be asked as the debate around engineering synthetic
life continues to unfold. As such, this work helps to enable a reflection on the
kinds of intervention possible in the process of dreaming up ideas of potential
future living machines. Involved collaborators, as well as the resistance of life
itself, will ultimately govern the limits of synthetic biology
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