Bulk Scheduling with the DIANA Scheduler

Results from the research and development of a Data Intensive and Network Aware (DIANA) scheduling engine, to be used primarily for data intensive sciences such as physics analysis, are described. In Grid analyses, tasks can involve thousands of computing, data handling, and network resources. The central problem in the scheduling of these resources is the coordinated management of computation and data at multiple locations and not just data replication or movement. However, this can prove to be a rather costly operation and efficient sing can be a challenge if compute and data resources are mapped without considering network costs. We have implemented an adaptive algorithm within the so-called DIANA Scheduler which takes into account data location and size, network performance and computation capability in order to enable efficient global scheduling. DIANA is a performance-aware and economy-guided Meta Scheduler. It iteratively allocates each job to the site that is most likely to produce the best performance as well as optimizing the global queue for any remaining jobs. Therefore it is equally suitable whether a single job is being submitted or bulk scheduling is being performed. Results indicate that considerable performance improvements can be gained by adopting the DIANA scheduling approach.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures. To be published in the IEEE Transactions in Nuclear Science, IEEE Press. 200

Concept of health-related quality of life among people with heart failure in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, are a leading cause of global mortality. The mortality rate for cardiovascular diseases is on the rise, with 80 % to 86 % of fatalities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, including Pakistan. Among NCDs, heart failure (HF) is a condition for which there is no cure, and patients rely on supportive treatments to maintain their quality of life. HF not only affects physical well-being but also has far-reaching consequences on the emotional, social, and cognitive aspects of life. In the context of Pakistan, where unique healthcare, sociocultural, and economic factors prevail, the assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is crucial for HF patients. This understanding is especially significant in Pakistan so that the relevant interventions can be tailored to address these specific aspects of HRQoL for HF patients in the country.Purpose: This study aimed to explore and understand the in-depth meaning of HRQoL among HF patients in a tertiary care hospital, at AKUH, Karachi, Pakistan. By conducting in-depth interviews and engaging with the patients, this research aimed to uncover the shades of their daily struggles, aspirations, and adaptations.Method: A qualitative interpretive design was used to study heart failure patients’ perceptions of their HRQoL. Through the Purposive sampling technique, 14 Heart Failure patients were selected from the outpatient department of AKUH. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted until meaningful information was achieved. A manual content analysis technique was followed to analyze the data.Finding(s): The study\u27s findings revealed two major themes. Theme one, Heart Failure Patients\u27 Perception about Health, highlighted participants valuing good health, the role of good health for maintenance, and the prioritization of well-being. Participants underscored the significance of health as a precious asset, emphasizing how HF had transformed their perception of good health and motivated them to take active measures to maintain it. The second theme revealed, Attributes of HRQoL in Heart Failure, participants detailed how HF had reshaped their roles, necessitated dietary adaptation, influenced their social and family relationships, and led them on a journey of acceptance. This theme highlighted the diverse impact of HF, from reshaping daily responsibilities to adjusting to dietary restrictions and managing changes in social and family relationships.Conclusion: This study provides insights into how HF patients in Karachi perceive and experience HRQoL. The findings emphasize the multifaceted nature of HRQoL, highlighting the importance of addressing physical, emotional, social, and cognitive aspects to improve the well-being of HF patients in Pakistan. This study contributed to a better understanding of the cultural context and individual perspectives on HRQoL, which can inform patient-centered care and interventions to enhance the quality of life for HF patients in Pakistan

Towards In-Transit Analytics for Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0, or Digital Manufacturing, is a vision of inter-connected services to facilitate innovation in the manufacturing sector. A fundamental requirement of innovation is the ability to be able to visualise manufacturing data, in order to discover new insight for increased competitive advantage. This article describes the enabling technologies that facilitate In-Transit Analytics, which is a necessary precursor for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) visualisation.Comment: 8 pages, 10th IEEE International Conference on Internet of Things (iThings-2017), Exeter, UK, 201

SMART ENERGY SAVING CLASSROOM AND MONITORING SYSTEM USING PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER

The rise in energy costs urged the need in minimizing the energy consumption. As significant amount of energy is used for illuminating in educational buildings such as lecture halls and lecture rooms, improvements is needed to avoid energy waste for unoccupied and daylight hour. The lighting will be controlled based on demand to save the energy costs. The project is to design a smart energy saving classroom system using programmable logic controller (PLC). It integrates the lighting and air conditioner control system. Software for this project includes Simatic Manager, Wincc Flexible and Microsoft Visio 2010.The hardware includes Siemens S300 series PLC, Siemens 10 inch touch screen, network cable and MPI cable. The inputs are sensor at the door and sensors at each of the student seat while the outputs are the projector dc motor, lights, air-conditioner and touch screen. The proposed system offers a costs-saving solution with low maintenance and gives great performance results

Corporate disclosures by family firms.

We gratefully acknowledge the support from Standards and Poor's in providing the Transparency and Disclosure (T&D) dataset. We would also like to thank Ian Byrne and Bruce Hamann in S&P for assistance with the T&D survey. ABSTRACT Compared to non-family firms, family firms face less severe agency problems due to the separation of ownership and management, but more severe agency problems that arise between controlling and non-controlling shareholders. These characteristics of family firms affect their corporate disclosure practices. We show that for U.S. family firms and non-family firms in the S&P 500, reported earnings of family firms are of better quality. Also, the likelihood of family firms issuing management earnings forecasts increases more rapidly with the magnitude of bad news. However, family firms make less voluntary disclosures about their corporate governance practices. Consistent with family firms making better financial disclosure, we find that family firms have larger analyst following, lower dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts, smaller forecast errors, less volatile forecast revisions, and smaller bid-ask spreads

Cross-Cultural Variations in Identifying Embedded Figures : Comparisons from the United States, Germany, Russia, and Malaysia

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.Previous studies have found cross-cultural variation in field dependence. In this study, cross-cultural differences were expected depending on the degree of individualism or collectivism of the respective cultures. Samples were taken from two prototypically individualist cultures, the United States and Germany, and two collectivist cultures, Russia and Malaysia. As predicted, field dependence did not differ between those samples that represented the same type of culture, either collectivist or individualist. However, a clear difference could be found between the two types of cultures; that is, U.S. and German participants were more field independent than were Russian and Malaysian participants

The Impact of Cognitive Biases on The Investment Decision of Individual Investors: The Role of Risk Propensity

This study investigates the impact of cognitive biases on individual investors' investment decisions using the mediation role of risk propensity. Data was collected from 320 investors with a minimum of one year of experience and over a 90-day time frame. A self-administered questionnaire was used, and statistical analysis was performed using smart PLS and SPSS. The results showed that cognitive biases have a positive impact on individual investment decisions, with an indirect effect supporting the meditation model between cognitive biases and investment decisions. The indirect effect of risk propensity also positively influences cognitive biases and investment decisions. This study contributes to the mediating role of risk propensity and validates it from an individual perspective, allowing for better understanding of the relationship between cognitive biases and investment decisions. The outcomes and implications of this research are relevant for behavioral finance-related research and can help individual investors, financial institutions, and governments better understand the role of investors' behavior in the stock market