2,990 research outputs found
MORA: an Energy-Aware Slack Reclamation Scheme for Scheduling Sporadic Real-Time Tasks upon Multiprocessor Platforms
In this paper, we address the global and preemptive energy-aware scheduling
problem of sporadic constrained-deadline tasks on DVFS-identical multiprocessor
platforms. We propose an online slack reclamation scheme which profits from the
discrepancy between the worst- and actual-case execution time of the tasks by
slowing down the speed of the processors in order to save energy. Our algorithm
called MORA takes into account the application-specific consumption profile of
the tasks. We demonstrate that MORA does not jeopardize the system
schedulability and we show by performing simulations that it can save up to 32%
of energy (in average) compared to execution without using any energy-aware
algorithm.Comment: 11 page
Detection and quantification of viable airborne bacteria and fungi using solid-phase cytometry
This protocol describes the use of solid-phase cytometry for the enumeration of airborne bacteria and fungi. In contrast with conventional methods, accurate results can be obtained in real time, especially for air samples with low numbers of microorganisms. Air samples are collected by impaction on a water-soluble polymer that is subsequently dissolved. Part of the sample can be filtered over two membrane filters with different pore sizes. One filter is used to obtain a total count of all viable microorganisms, and a second filter is used to determine the number of airborne fungi. Microorganisms present on the filter are labeled with a viability substrate and subsequently detected and quantified using a solid-phase cytometer. The detected spots are microscopically validated using an epifluorescence microscope to discriminate between bacteria, fungi and fluorescent particles. The whole procedure takes 5 h to complete and results in the accurate quantification of airborne bacteria and fungi for samples with a low or high microbial load
Intelligent distributed multimedia collection: content aggregation and integration
People's multimedia content is spread around their home network and content services on the Internet, such as YouTube, Flickr, Facebook. In this paper we present a system that aggregates all the multimedia content of the end user and integrates it into a unified collection for the user's convenience. The system provides location transparency of multimedia content, content filtering on player compatibility and metadata completion to aid in improved usability. This effectively enables the user to rediscover his multimedia collection without any technical knowledge. A proof-of-concept implementation known as Intelligent Distributed Multimedia Collection (IDMC) has been made that is able to detect and browse UPnP MediaServer devices as well as collect information from YouTube. This implementation also contains a media player and is able to control UPnP MediaRenderer devices remotely. Furthermore, performance has been measured to assess different ways of iterating through a multimedia collection
In vitro activity of ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, meropenem, minocycline, tobramycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole against planktonic and sessile Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria
Objectives: The goal of the present study was to obtain a comprehensive overview of the bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects of six commonly used antibiotics on planktonic as well as on sessile Burkholderia cepacia complex cells.
Methods: The bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities of ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, meropenem, minocycline, tobramycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were determined against 38 B. cepacia complex strains. MICs and minimal biofilm inhibitory concentrations (MBICs) were determined using a traditional broth microdilution method and a novel resazurin-based viability staining, respectively. The bactericidal effects of the investigated antibiotics (using antibiotic concentrations corresponding to 10 x MIC; except for tobramycin, for which a final concentration of 4 x MIC was tested) on stationary phase planktonic cultures and on 24-h-old biofilms were evaluated using conventional plate count methods.
Results: Our results confirm the innate resistance of B. cepacia complex organisms to six first-line antibiotics used to treat infected cystic fibrosis patients. All antibiotics showed similar bacteriostatic activities against exponentially growing B. cepacia complex planktonic cells and freshly adhered sessile cells (4 h). In addition, most of the antibiotics showed similar bactericidal effects on stationary phase planktonic cultures and on young and older biofilms.
Conclusions: Despite the general assumption that sessile cells show a decreased susceptibility to antibiotics, our data indicate similar bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity of six selected antibiotics against planktonic and sessile B. cepacia complex bacteria
DYAMAND: dynamic, adaptive management of networks and devices
Consumer devices increasingly are "smart" and hence offer services that can interwork with and/or be controlled by others. However, the full exploitation of the inherent opportunities this offers, is hurdled by a number of potential limitations. First of all, the interface towards the device might be vendor and even device specific, implying that extra effort is needed to support a specific device. Standardization efforts try to avoid this problem, but within a certain standard ecosystem the level of interoperability can vary (i.e. devices carrying the same standard logo are not necessarily interoperable). Secondly, different application domains (e.g. multimedia vs. energy management) today have their own standards, thus limiting trans-sector innovation because of the additional effort required to integrate devices from traditionally different domains into novel applications. In this paper, we discuss the basic components of current so-called service discovery protocols (SDPs) and present our DYAMAND (DYnamic, Adaptive MAnagement of Networks and Devices) framework. We position this framework as a middleware layer between applications and discoverable/controllable devices, and hence aim to provide the necessary tool to overcome the (intra- and inter-domain) interoperability gaps previously sketched. Thus, we believe it can act as a catalyst enabling trans-sector innovation
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