Querying Large Physics Data Sets Over an Information Grid

Optimising use of the Web (WWW) for LHC data analysis is a complex problem and illustrates the challenges arising from the integration of and computation across massive amounts of information distributed worldwide. Finding the right piece of information can, at times, be extremely time-consuming, if not impossible. So-called Grids have been proposed to facilitate LHC computing and many groups have embarked on studies of data replication, data migration and networking philosophies. Other aspects such as the role of 'middleware' for Grids are emerging as requiring research. This paper positions the need for appropriate middleware that enables users to resolve physics queries across massive data sets. It identifies the role of meta-data for query resolution and the importance of Information Grids for high-energy physics analysis rather than just Computational or Data Grids. This paper identifies software that is being implemented at CERN to enable the querying of very large collaborating HEP data-sets, initially being employed for the construction of CMS detectors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Bone and Joint Diseases: Prevention and Control

Arthritis is Australia's major cause of disability and chronic pain. In Australian women, osteoarthritis is the third leading cause of years lost due to disability. Osteoporosis affects nearly two million Australians. The Federal government acknowledged the importance of musculoskeletal diseases by designating arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases as the seventh National Health Priority. This decade has been designated by the United Nations and the World Health Organization as the Decade of Bone and Joint Disease. To try to raise awareness, the National Action Network (the committee charged with organising activities in Australia) arranged a summit in 2002 to focus on preventive issues for osteoporosis and arthritis, and the benefits of surgical approaches

A Component Based Approach to Scientific Workflow Management

CRISTAL is a distributed scientific workflow system used in the manufacturing and production phases of HEP experiment construction at CERN. The CRISTAL project has studied the use of a description driven approach, using meta- modelling techniques, to manage the evolving needs of a large physics community. Interest from such diverse communities as bio-informatics and manufacturing has motivated the CRISTAL team to re-engineer the system to customize functionality according to end user requirements but maximize software reuse in the process. The next generation CRISTAL vision is to build a generic component architecture from which a complete software product line can be generated according to the particular needs of the target enterprise. This paper discusses the issues of adopting a component product line based approach and our experiences of software reuse

Streptophage-mediated control of off-flavour taint producing streptomycetes isolated from barramundi ponds

Off-flavour taint of aquaculture products is a global issue reducing consumer confidence in the farmed produce as they are taken up via the gills of fish, and deposited in the lipids of the animal. If the fish are not purged, resulting undesirable muddy earthy flavour taint can be tasted by consumers. These undesirable flavour and odour is caused by the terpenoid compounds namely geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, produced as secondary metabolites by certain bacteria including the cyanobacteria and actinomycetes. Current strategies to remediate the problem rely on treating the symptoms not the cause and involve the use of time consuming purging methods and costly chemicals. Biological control using bacteriophages, specific to the problem causing bacteria, offers a natural alternative to chemical control, which might reduce further complications of copper based algaecides and its subsequent implications on water quality. In an adaptation of such biological control approach streptomycetes isolated from barramundi ponds were tested for their susceptibility to streptophages to understand whether host destruction via phage lysis would subsequently eliminate off-flavour taint productions by these isolates. Following the determination of the streptophage susceptibility of the isolates one of the most odourous streptomycete species (USC-14510) was selected to be tested further using different pond simulations resembling real-life applications. Geosmin was tested as the indicator of off-flavour taint production and as it has been previously reported that the cyanobacteria-actinomycete interactions occurring in ponds result in even greater levels of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, the geosmin levels for the isolate in the presence of cyanobacteria and streptophages were also tested. Findings indicated that the highly odourous Streptomyces species (USC-14510) once infected with streptophages, can lose its capacity to produce off-flavour taints. Pond simulation studies also revealed geosmin production was significantly reduced when streptophages were introduced into the pond water where streptomycete species were grown. The bacteriophage control method developed in the presented study might again confirm significant potential for the bacteriophage-mediated remediation strategy to be adapted by the aquaculture industry

Sensory and motor electrophysiological mapping of the cerebellum in humans

Cerebellar damage during posterior fossa surgery in children can lead to ataxia and risk of cerebellar mutism syndrome. Compartmentalisation of sensorimotor and cognitive functions within the cerebellum have been demonstrated in animal electrophysiology and human imaging studies. Electrophysiological monitoring was carried out under general anaesthesia to assess the limb sensorimotor representation within the human cerebellum for assessment of neurophysiological integrity to reduce the incidence of surgical morbidities. Thirteen adult and paediatric patients undergoing posterior fossa surgery were recruited. Sensory evoked field potentials were recorded in response to mapping (n = 8) to electrical stimulation of limb nerves or muscles. For motor mapping (n = 5), electrical stimulation was applied to the surface of the cerebellum and evoked EMG responses were sought in facial and limb muscles. Sensory evoked potentials were found in two patients (25%). Responses were located on the surface of the right inferior posterior cerebellum to stimulation of the right leg in one patient, and on the left inferior posterior lobe in another patient to stimulation of left forearm. No evoked EMG responses were found for the motor mapping. The present study identifies challenges with using neurophysiological methods to map functional organization within the human cerebellum and considers ways to improve success

The effect of thermal post-processing treatment on laser powder bed fusion processed NiMnSn-based alloy for magnetic refrigeration

This study investigates the effects of heat treatment (HT) time (one, two, and three weeks) on the microstructure and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) NiMnSn alloys. Increasing the HT time improves chemical homogeneity, and decreases the local misorientation imparted by the LPBF process. This is also associated with an enhancement in the maximum magnetic entropy change (ΔSm) values around the martensitic transformation temperature (TM), which increases from 0.2 J kg−1K−1 to 0.45 J kg−1K−1 under 1 T applied magnetic field. However, the ΔSm of the one-week HTed sample around the curie temperature (Tc) (0.90 J kg−1K−1 at 315 K) is slightly lower than the two weeks and three weeks HTed samples (0.99 J kg−1K−1 at 320 K, 0.94 J kg−1K−1 at 320 K), respectively

Outlook and appraisal [March 1989]

The Scottish economy is standing up surprisingly well to last year's interest rate rises. Retailing and wholesaling are showing signs of reduced optimism but sales remain strong if below expectations. Manufacturing and Construction remain buoyant. Investment is particularly strong. However, with demand in both the World and British economies falling during 1989, Scotland should be similarly affected. But there are indications that Scottish economic performance might hold up better to such a downturn than on previous occasions. Nevertheless, the outlook does very much depend on whether the current inflationary pressure in Britain can be reduced without the economy being tipped into recession. The probability of a stagflationary outcome appears somewhat greater than when we last reported

The British economy [March 1989]

Evidence is mixed on whether growth in the economy is beginning to turn down. Nevertheless, the growth of GDP is forecast to fall from last year's high of 4.5% to 2.5% this year. Inflationary expectations are the most immediate cause for concern. But following the Budget there is concern that a relatively restrictive fiscal stance may bear down too heavily on output and employment during the next year

The world economy [March 1989]

Growth in the world economy remained strong at the end of last year producing an outturn of around 4% for 1988 as a whole. By the turn of the year there were indications that the down-turn expected in 1989 was already starting to occur in some countries. Yet indications that growth in the world economy may be turning down have not been sufficient to dampen inflationary pressure, nor expectations of a deterioration in inflation rates during 1989. Monetary and fiscal policy have been tightened in several key countries in response to inflationary expectations. This general tightening of policy is expected to contribute to a lowering of world economic growth during 1989 to around 3% and to a moderation of inflation in 1990, but will do little to accelerate the removal of the world's financial imbalances

The Scottish economy [March 1989]

This edition of the Commentary contains the first set of figures derived from the rebased index of production and construction. These are based on 1985 = 100 rather than 1980 = 100. However, the rebasing involves much more than simply setting 1985 as the base year, and the purpose of this note is to highlight some of the issues raised by the rebasing. A forthcoming Industry Department for Scotland statistical bulletin will explain the changes in full detail