Tools for monitoring and controlling distributed applications

The Meta system is a UNIX-based toolkit that assists in the construction of reliable reactive systems, such as distributed monitoring and debugging systems, tool integration systems and reliable distributed applications. Meta provides mechanisms for instrumenting a distributed application and the environment in which it executes, and Meta supplies a service that can be used to monitor and control such an instrumented application. The Meta toolkit is built on top of the ISIS toolkit; they can be used together in order to build fault-tolerant and adaptive, distributed applications

World-wide aeronautical satellite communications

INMARSAT decided to expand the spectrum covered by its new generation of satellites, INMARSAT-2, to include 1 MHz (subsequently increased to 3 MHz) of the spectrum designed for aeronautical use. It began a design study that led to the specifications for the system that is now being implemented. Subsequently, INMARSAT awarded contracts for the design of avionics and high gain antennas to a number of manufactures, while several of the signatories that provide ground equipment for communicating with the INMARSAT satellites are modifying their earth stations to work with the avionic equipment. As a resullt of these activities, a world-wide aeronautical satellite system supporting both voice and data will become operational in 1989

Bayesian Inference in Estimation of Distribution Algorithms

Metaheuristics such as Estimation of Distribution Algorithms and the Cross-Entropy method use probabilistic modelling and inference to generate candidate solutions in optimization problems. The model fitting task in this class of algorithms has largely been carried out to date based on maximum likelihood. An alternative approach that is prevalent in statistics and machine learning is to use Bayesian inference. In this paper, we provide a framework for the application of Bayesian inference techniques in probabilistic model-based optimization. Based on this framework, a simple continuous Bayesian Estimation of Distribution Algorithm is described. We evaluate and compare this algorithm experimentally with its maximum likelihood equivalent, UMDAG c

Tools for distributed application management

Distributed application management consists of monitoring and controlling an application as it executes in a distributed environment. It encompasses such activities as configuration, initialization, performance monitoring, resource scheduling, and failure response. The Meta system (a collection of tools for constructing distributed application management software) is described. Meta provides the mechanism, while the programmer specifies the policy for application management. The policy is manifested as a control program which is a soft real-time reactive program. The underlying application is instrumented with a variety of built-in and user-defined sensors and actuators. These define the interface between the control program and the application. The control program also has access to a database describing the structure of the application and the characteristics of its environment. Some of the more difficult problems for application management occur when preexisting, nondistributed programs are integrated into a distributed application for which they may not have been intended. Meta allows management functions to be retrofitted to such programs with a minimum of effort

Differences in health symptoms among residents living near illegal dump sites in Los Laureles Canyon, Tijuana, Mexico: a cross sectional survey.

Living near landfills is a known health hazard prompting recognition of environmental injustice. The study aim was to compare self-reported symptoms of ill health among residents of four neighborhoods, living in haphazardly constructed settlements surrounded by illegal dumpsites in Tijuana, Mexico. One adult from each of 388 households located in Los Laureles Canyon were interviewed about demographics, health status, and symptoms. Distance from each residence to both the nearest dumpsite and the canyon bottom was assessed. The neighborhoods were selected from locations within the canyon, and varied with respect to proximity to dump sites. Residents of San Bernardo reported significantly higher frequencies of ill-health symptoms than the other neighborhoods, including extreme fatigue (OR 3.01 (95% CI 1.6-5.5)), skin problems/irritations (OR 2.73 (95% CI 1.3-5.9)), stomach discomfort (OR 2.47 (1.3-4.8)), eye irritation/tears (OR 2.02 (1.2-3.6)), and confusion/difficulty concentrating (OR 2.39 (1.2-4.8)). Proximity to dumpsites did not explain these results, that varied only slightly when adjusted for distance to nearest dumpsite or distance to the canyon bottom. Because San Bernardo has no paved roads, we hypothesize that dust and the toxicants it carries is a possible explanation for this difference. Studies are needed to further document this association and sources of toxicants

RECREATIONAL MUSIC-MAKING IN MUSIC PEDAGOGY: A MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE

The arts are an essential part of any student’s well rounded education. The future of music in education will depend on its ability to deliver relevant, effective, and measurable outcomes. However, the expectations and performance nature of traditional curricula often foster a sense of musical elitism and ostracizes students that are solely interested in music as a recreational outlet. Incorporating recreational music-making into education can provide opportunities for students to experience self-expression, creativity, social connection, and enjoyment. These values will not only enhance their education, but also lead to acquired skills for use in all areas of their lives. Activities such as drum circles, for example, break down the musical elitism that has been reenforced through barriers of economy (purchasing instruments), technique (learning a required skill set), and language (learning to read music). This document will establish a case for recreational music-making in education through examination of the role of music education, the concept of recreational musicmaking, and the numerous health and wellness benefits associated with recreational music-making. Included will be a discussion of elementary, secondary, and higher education music curricula. Additionally, the importance of using percussion instruments will be established along with explanations of basic techniques. Finally, a discourse about the language barrier in music is included. The intended results of this document include creating an educated audience for music professionals, a larger presence of music-making in society, music advocacy and support, improved creativity and self-expression for professional and amateur musicians, strengthened community connections, and an overall improvement in health and well-being for music participants

Larry Finch\u27s Memphis: Race, Basketball and the City, 1967-1997

At the center of the 1973 Memphis State Tigers run to the national championship game lies Larry Finch, whose basketball career spanned a period of profound change in the city of Memphis. This study seeks to examine how the community, both black and white, used basketball to construct an identity for Memphis. By examining Memphis basketball at the high school, collegiate, and professional level in the 1970s and 1980s, a more nuanced understanding of race relations in the city can be achieved. This study also examines how basketball forged black pride, black manhood, and black community during these years in the city. Finch was proclaimed as a symbol of the racial healing power of basketball for Memphis, but basketball also provides a vehicle to examine the racial inequalities and issues that pervaded the city in these same years. Basketball, as a social function, allowed black identity to be recast in a positive light following the turbulent times that preceded this era. Basketball also served as a forum for symbolic political assertion and an arena for real political struggle for blacks in Memphis. Political battles in Memphis involving school busing, public housing, crime, and white flight tell a story that runs counter to the myth of racial unity surrounding the 1973 Tiger team and the city. Finchs role varies in each of these basketball stories, but it is his image as a vehicle of racial healing in the city through basketball that drives this inquiry

The Monetary Approach to the Balance of Payments: Stock-Flow Dynamics, Sticky Wages and Speculative Attacks

The essence of the monetary approach to the balance of payments is identified with the stock-flow dynamics that arise from phases of private sector stock adjustment towards a desired long run relationship between assets and expenditures. This stock adjustment behaviour provides the link between monetary and expenditure based analyses of the open economy and demonstrates the consistency of the monetary approach with a model built around a Keynsian (aggregate demand-aggregate supply) structure. The model's dynamics follow from a wealth effect on expenditure and sticky wages, and drive the economy towards an equilibrium with a permanent balance of payments deficit following certain structural changes. A flexible wage version of the model is used to provide an analysis of balance of payments crises within a monetary approach framework. The ongoing reserve loss inevitably collapses the fixed rate regime, precipitated by a speculative attack on reserves. The attack must link the stock-flow dynamics of the fixed regime with the current account-portfolio balance dynamics of the post-collapse regime at a given level of wealth. These dynamics prohibit an analytical solution for the level of wealth that satisfies this condition, and therefore for the time at which the collapse occurs. Simulating both flexible and sticky wage versions of the model provides a solution for the critical level of wealth that links the regimes, and thus for the collapse time