Expressing advanced user preferences in component installation

State of the art component-based software collections - such as FOSS distributions - are made of up to dozens of thousands components, with complex inter-dependencies and conflicts. Given a particular installation of such a system, each request to alter the set of installed components has potentially (too) many satisfying answers. We present an architecture that allows to express advanced user preferences about package selection in FOSS distributions. The architecture is composed by a distribution-independent format for describing available and installed packages called CUDF (Common Upgradeability Description Format), and a foundational language called MooML to specify optimization criteria. We present the syntax and semantics of CUDF and MooML, and discuss the partial evaluation mechanism of MooML which allows to gain efficiency in package dependency solvers

Description of the CUDF Format

This document contains several related specifications, together they describe the document formats related to the solver competition which will be organized by Mancoosi. In particular, this document describes: - DUDF (Distribution Upgradeability Description Format), the document format to be used to submit upgrade problem instances from user machines to a (distribution-specific) database of upgrade problems; - CUDF (Common Upgradeability Description Format), the document format used to encode upgrade problems, abstracting over distribution-specific details. Solvers taking part in the competition will be fed with input in CUDF format

Solving package dependencies: from EDOS to Mancoosi

Mancoosi (Managing the Complexity of the Open Source Infrastructure) is an ongoing research project funded by the European Union for addressing some of the challenges related to the "upgrade problem" of interdependent software components of which Debian packages are prototypical examples. Mancoosi is the natural continuation of the EDOS project which has already contributed tools for distribution-wide quality assurance in Debian and other GNU/Linux distributions. The consortium behind the project consists of several European public and private research institutions as well as some commercial GNU/Linux distributions from Europe and South America. Debian is represented by a small group of Debian Developers who are working in the ranks of the involved universities to drive and integrate back achievements into Debian. This paper presents relevant results from EDOS in dependency management and gives an overview of the Mancoosi project and its objectives, with a particular focus on the prospective benefits for Debian

Deterministic Automata for Unordered Trees

Automata for unordered unranked trees are relevant for defining schemas and queries for data trees in Json or Xml format. While the existing notions are well-investigated concerning expressiveness, they all lack a proper notion of determinism, which makes it difficult to distinguish subclasses of automata for which problems such as inclusion, equivalence, and minimization can be solved efficiently. In this paper, we propose and investigate different notions of "horizontal determinism", starting from automata for unranked trees in which the horizontal evaluation is performed by finite state automata. We show that a restriction to confluent horizontal evaluation leads to polynomial-time emptiness and universality, but still suffers from coNP-completeness of the emptiness of binary intersections. Finally, efficient algorithms can be obtained by imposing an order of horizontal evaluation globally for all automata in the class. Depending on the choice of the order, we obtain different classes of automata, each of which has the same expressiveness as CMso.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2014, arXiv:1408.556

The Evolution of Antiracist Pedagogical Work: Pushing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to Undermine Oppressive Structures in our Communication Classrooms

In this paper, I explore the evolution of antiracist pedagogy. This paper helps to answer for communication educators: How did antiracist pedagogy emerge? Why did antiracist pedagogy emerge? Who does antiracist pedagogy serve? Exploring the historical context of multiculturalism, critical pedagogy, critical multiculturalism, antiracist pedagogy, and Whiteness studies provides a broad range of theoretical perspectives on multiculturalism as well as the how and why antiracist pedagogy emerged as a site for study. After reading this essay, educators should understand the need to push DEI to include antiracist work in our research, classrooms, and educational initiatives with our future educators, graduate teaching assistants

An improved technique to determine the controlling unstable equilibrium point in a power system

In the past fifteen years considerable progress has been made in first swing power system transient stability assessment using the transient energy function (TEF) method;The accuracy of stability assessment provided by the TEF method depends on the determination of the controlling unstable equilibrium point (UEP). The technique that determines the controlling UEP in the current commercial version (Version 3.0) of the TEF method program is based on the so-called \u27exit point method\u27 and has also been recently labeled the \u27BCU method.\u27;The exit point method consists of two basic steps. They are the detection of the exit point [theta][superscript]e and detection of the minimum gradient point [theta][superscript]o. The controlling UEP is solved for by using [theta][superscript]o as an initial guess;It has been observed that this method lacks robustness in the sense that the following two problems may occur. (Problem 1) There may be no detection of the point [theta][superscript]o. (Problem 2) If [theta][superscript]o is found, it may not be in the domain of convergence of [theta][superscript]u for the particular solving algorithm used. Hence, another equilibrium point, not the controlling UEP will be located;The result of this research has been the development of a new numerical technique for determining the controlling UEP. With the exit point as an initial starting point this technique efficiently produces a sequence of points. A significant part of this dissertation was the formulation of an analytical foundation which shows that under certain assumptions this sequence will converge to the controlling UEP. Hence this new technique exhibits a substantial improvement over the exit point method because of the following reasons: (1) The technique does not attempt to detect the point [theta][superscript]o. (2) The technique can produce a point that is close to [theta][superscript]u thus avoiding a domain of convergence problem;This technique was applied to two realistic, large-scale power systems. In every case an accurate stability assessment was provided

Communication in Action: Educating Graduate Teaching Assistants in At-Risk Pedagogy

I begin this paper with a glimpse into the literature concerning at-risk and antiracist theory in order to understand the connections between the two bodies of literature. Next, by combining two bodies of literature, I argue for the implementation of a pedagogy of hope, culturally relevant teaching, and empowerment for students in the classroom. Finally, I outline a course for graduate teaching assistants that explores the utility of a pedagogy of hope, culturally relevant teaching, and empowerment for students in the communication classroom

The Nurse-Family Connection: Exploring Verbal and Nonverbal Immediacy

Immediacy is the key to developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, each relationship has a unique set of rules and patterns of communication that help maintain the trust and continue the process of relational development. What is not unique about interpersonal relationships is the foundation of trust, a bond, that can be established through the use of immediacy. This study examines not only if nurses believe effective communication with family members is necessary, but how and in what ways nurses have forged a care connection with family members using verbal and nonverbal immediacy

Creating a Dialogue for Change: Educating Graduate Teaching Assistants in Whiteness Studies

Research indicates that minority students are underrepresented in our classroom curriculum (Churchill, 1995; Delpit, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1994). Our schools are often entrenched in the Eurocentric model of education from content to methodology. In this paper, I discuss antiracist pedagogy and whiteness studies, offer a justification for utilizing antiracist pedagogy with work in whiteness studies in the communication classroom, and provide one model for incorporating antiracist pedagogical practice with graduate teaching assistants. This essay is intended to help create a dialogue with GTAs, basic course directors, and communication faculty about antiracist practices in the communication classroom