On a variant of Monotone NAE-3SAT and the Triangle-Free Cut problem

In this paper we define a restricted version of Monotone NAE-3SAT and show that it remains NP-Complete even under that restriction. We expect this result would be useful in proving NP-Completeness results for problems on $k$-colourable graphs ($k \ge 5$). We also prove the NP-Completeness of the Triangle-Free Cut problem

Multi-objective scheduling of Scientific Workflows in multisite clouds

Clouds appear as appropriate infrastructures for executing Scientific Workflows (SWfs). A cloud is typically made of several sites (or data centers), each with its own resources and data. Thus, it becomes important to be able to execute some SWfs at more than one cloud site because of the geographical distribution of data or available resources among different cloud sites. Therefore, a major problem is how to execute a SWf in a multisite cloud, while reducing execution time and monetary costs. In this paper, we propose a general solution based on multi-objective scheduling in order to execute SWfs in a multisite cloud. The solution consists of a multi-objective cost model including execution time and monetary costs, a Single Site Virtual Machine (VM) Provisioning approach (SSVP) and ActGreedy, a multisite scheduling approach. We present an experimental evaluation, based on the execution of the SciEvol SWf in Microsoft Azure cloud. The results reveal that our scheduling approach significantly outperforms two adapted baseline algorithms (which we propose by adapting two existing algorithms) and the scheduling time is reasonable compared with genetic and brute-force algorithms. The results also show that our cost model is accurate and that SSVP can generate better VM provisioning plans compared with an existing approach.Work partially funded by EU H2020 Programme and MCTI/RNP-Brazil (HPC4E grant agreement number 689772), CNPq, FAPERJ, and INRIA (MUSIC project), Microsoft (ZcloudFlow project) and performed in the context of the Computational Biology Institute (www.ibc-montpellier.fr). We would like to thank Kary Ocaña for her help in modeling and executing the SciEvol SWf.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The Impact of Large Language Models on Scientific Discovery: a Preliminary Study using GPT-4

In recent years, groundbreaking advancements in natural language processing have culminated in the emergence of powerful large language models (LLMs), which have showcased remarkable capabilities across a vast array of domains, including the understanding, generation, and translation of natural language, and even tasks that extend beyond language processing. In this report, we delve into the performance of LLMs within the context of scientific discovery, focusing on GPT-4, the state-of-the-art language model. Our investigation spans a diverse range of scientific areas encompassing drug discovery, biology, computational chemistry (density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD)), materials design, and partial differential equations (PDE). Evaluating GPT-4 on scientific tasks is crucial for uncovering its potential across various research domains, validating its domain-specific expertise, accelerating scientific progress, optimizing resource allocation, guiding future model development, and fostering interdisciplinary research. Our exploration methodology primarily consists of expert-driven case assessments, which offer qualitative insights into the model's comprehension of intricate scientific concepts and relationships, and occasionally benchmark testing, which quantitatively evaluates the model's capacity to solve well-defined domain-specific problems. Our preliminary exploration indicates that GPT-4 exhibits promising potential for a variety of scientific applications, demonstrating its aptitude for handling complex problem-solving and knowledge integration tasks. Broadly speaking, we evaluate GPT-4's knowledge base, scientific understanding, scientific numerical calculation abilities, and various scientific prediction capabilities.Comment: 230 pages report; 181 pages for main content

Hide It or Unbundle It: A Comparison of the Antitrust Investigations Against Microsoft in the U.S. and the E.U.

[Excerpt] Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest software company, has been facing antitrust scrutiny globally. In the U.S., after what’s been called the antitrust trial of the century, a consent decree was reached between Microsoft, the United States government, and several states, that closely resembled the litigated remedy that the remaining states received. Only Massachusetts appealed the litigated remedy, which was approved by the appeals court on June 30, 2004. In the United States, Microsoft was required to hide, but not remove, the Internet Explorer browser on the Windows Operating System. While antitrust litigation was ongoing in the United States against Microsoft, the European Union (“E.U.”) was also investigating Microsoft under E.U. antitrust law. In March, 2004, after a five year investigation, the European Union Commission fined Microsoft 497 million euros, required Microsoft to offer the Windows operating system without Windows Media Player, and required Microsoft to disclose interfaces to competitors. On December 22, 2004, the E.U.’s Court of First Instance denied Microsoft’s request for a stay of this order, and ordered Microsoft to comply; the full appeal is pending at the time of this publication. This article will examine, compare, and contrast the protracted antitrust litigation that Microsoft has faced in the U.S. and the E.U. This article will then examine what further antitrust problems Microsoft may be facing

University Finds Windows HPC Server Matches Linux in Validated SPEC Benchmarks

Case study: Indiana University (IU) ran the first published, validated high-performance computing (HPC) benchmarks on Windows HPC Server and Linux, and found the two perform about the same across applications and cluster sizes. But Windows HPC Server opens new possibilities when it comes to market options and use beyond the traditional science uses of HPC. IU is planning to implement Windows HPC Server in its overall HPC strategy

The role of social networks in students’ learning experiences

The aim of this research is to investigate the role of social networks in computer science education. The Internet shows great potential for enhancing collaboration between people and the role of social software has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This research focuses on analyzing the role that social networks play in students’ learning experiences. The construction of students’ social networks, the evolution of these networks, and their effects on the students’ learning experience in a university environment are examined

Geoscience after IT: Part L. Adjusting the emerging information system to new technology

Coherent development depends on following widely used standards that respect our vast legacy of existing entries in the geoscience record. Middleware ensures that we see a coherent view from our desktops of diverse sources of information. Developments specific to managing the written word, map content, and structured data come together in shared metadata linking topics and information types

Peningkatan Pengetahuan Siswa Menggunakan Peralatan Pengukur Presisipada Mata Pelajaran Pengukuran dengan Media Microsoft Office PowerPoint di SMK Pangudi Luhur Muntilan Tahun Ajaran 2010/ 2011

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk: (1) Mengetahui pengetahuan siswa sebelum diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint, (2) Mengetahui pengetahuan siswa setelah diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint, (3) Mengetahui peningkatan pengetahuan siswa setelah diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint, (4) Mengetahui perbedaan pengetahuan siswa yang diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint dengan siswa yang tidak diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint. Penelitian ini termasuk penelitian eksperimen semu (quasi eksperiment) yang dilaksanakan di SMK Pangudi Luhur Muntilan Tahun Ajaran 2010/ 2011 pada semester satu. Desain penelitian berupa pretest-posttest control group design. Subyek penelitian/ responden terdiri dari 31 siswa kelompok kontrol dan 32 siswa kelompok eksperimen. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah tes untuk mengetahui hasil belajar Pengukuran. Peningkatan pengetahuan siswa diuji dengan uji-t sampel berkorelasi dan perbedaan pengetahuan siswa dihitung dengan rumus (O2 - O1) – (O4 - O3). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Pengetahuan siswa sebelum diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint dapat mencapai nilai total: 1.433 dengan nilai rata-rata: 45,28; (2) Pengetahuan siswa setelah diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint dapat mencapai nilai total: 2.370 dengan nilai rata-rata: 74,66; (3) Dari hasil uji-t yang dilakukan ternyata harga thitung lebih besar dari harga ttabel (22,09 > 2,000) dengan demikian Ha diterima dan Ho ditolak, maka terdapat peningkatan pengetahuan siswa setelah diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint dengan kriteria dari nilai total: 1.433 menjadi 2.370 dan dari nilai rata-rata: 45,28 menjadi 74,66; (4) Perbedaan pengetahuan siswa yang diberi perlakuan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Microsoft Office PowerPoint dengan siswa yang tidak diberi perlakuan adalah (2.370 – 1.433) – (1.833 – 1.383) = 937 – 450 = 487. Jadi perbedaan pengetahuannya yaitu 487

A Critical Appraisal of Remedies in the EU Microsoft Cases

We discuss and compare the remedies in the two cases antitrust cases of the European Union (EU) against Microsoft. The first EU case alleged (i) that Microsoft illegally bundled the Windows Media Player (WMP) with Windows; and (ii) that Microsoft did not provide adequate documentation that would allow full interoperability between Windows servers and non-Microsoft servers as well as between Windows clients and non-Microsoft servers. After finding Microsoft liable and imposing a large fine, the EU imposed as remedies the requirements on Microsoft (i) to sell a version of Windows without WMP (Windows-N); and (ii) to publish and license interoperability information. Windows-N was a commercial failure, and there has been only limited cross-platform server entry. In its second investigation of Microsoft, the EU alleged illegal tying of Internet Explorer (IE) with Windows. The EU settled with Microsoft with Microsoft undertaking the obligation to ask (through compulsory Windows updates) consumers whose computers have Internet Explorer pre-installed to choose a browser from a menu of competing browsers. Thus, the EU imposed quite different remedies in the two cases: an unbundling remedy for the WMP but a close to a must-carry requirement for IE. We analyze and compare the different approaches.antitrust, remedies, Microsoft, complementarity, innovation, efficiency, monopoly, oligopoly, media player, interoperability, Internet browser