On the Hardness of the Strongly Dependent Decision Problem

We present necessary and sufficient conditions for solving the strongly dependent decision (SDD) problem in various distributed systems. Our main contribution is a novel characterization of the SDD problem based on point-set topology. For partially synchronous systems, we show that any algorithm that solves the SDD problem induces a set of executions that is closed with respect to the point-set topology. We also show that the SDD problem is not solvable in the asynchronous system augmented with any arbitrarily strong failure detectors.Comment: Appeared in ICDCN 201

Solving k-Set Agreement with Stable Skeleton Graphs

In this paper we consider the k-set agreement problem in distributed message-passing systems using a round-based approach: Both synchrony of communication and failures are captured just by means of the messages that arrive within a round, resulting in round-by-round communication graphs that can be characterized by simple communication predicates. We introduce the weak communication predicate PSources(k) and show that it is tight for k-set agreement, in the following sense: We (i) prove that there is no algorithm for solving (k-1)-set agreement in systems characterized by PSources(k), and (ii) present a novel distributed algorithm that achieves k-set agreement in runs where PSources(k) holds. Our algorithm uses local approximations of the stable skeleton graph, which reflects the underlying perpetual synchrony of a run. We prove that this approximation is correct in all runs, regardless of the communication predicate, and show that graph-theoretic properties of the stable skeleton graph can be used to solve k-set agreement if PSources(k) holds.Comment: to appear in 16th IEEE Workshop on Dependable Parallel, Distributed and Network-Centric System

Eo-Alpine metamorphism and the ‘mid-Miocene thermal event’ in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia): New evidence from multiple thermochronology

A combination of zircon (U–Th)/He (ZHe), apatite fission track (AFT) and apatite (U–Th)/He (AHe) dating methods is applied to constrain the metamorphic and exhumation history of the Tatric part of the Branisko Mountains in the Western Carpathians. ZHe ages from the basement samples prove the basement experienced a very low-grade to low-grade Eo-Alpine metamorphic overprint in mid-Cretaceous times. Miocene AFT and AHe ages found in the basement and in the Palaeogene sediments conclusively demonstrate that the Branisko Mts experienced a ‘mid-Miocene thermal event’. This thermal event had a regional character and was related to magmatic and/or burial heating that exposed the sediment and basement samples to ~ 120–130°C and ~ 100–190°C, respectively

Identification of nuclear genes affecting 2-Deoxyglucose resistance inSchizosaccharomyces pombe

2-Deoxyglucose (2-DG) is a toxic glucose analog. To identify genes involved in 2-DG toxicity in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we screened a wild-type overexpression library for genes which render cells 2-DG resistant. A gene we termed odr1, encoding an uncharacterized hydrolase, led to strong resistance and altered invertase expression when overexpressed. We speculate that Odr1 neutralizes the toxic form of 2-DG, similar to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dog1 and Dog2 phosphatases which dephosphorylate 2-DG-6-phosphate synthesized by hexokinase. In a complementary approach, we screened a haploid deletion library to identify 2-DG-resistant mutants. This screen identified the genes snf5, ypa1, pas1 and pho7. In liquid medium, deletions of these genes conferred 2-DG resistance preferentially under glucose-repressed conditions. The deletion mutants expressed invertase activity more constitutively than the control strain, indicating defects in the control of glucose repression. No S. cerevisiae orthologs of the pho7 gene is known, and no 2-DG resistance has been reported for any of the deletion mutants of the other genes identified here. Moreover, 2-DG leads to derepressed invertase activity in S. pombe, while in S. cerevisiae it becomes repressed. Taken together, these findings suggest that mechanisms involved in 2-DG resistance differ between budding and fission yeasts

Multiple low-temperature thermochronology constraints on exhumation of the Tatra Mountains: New implication for the complex evolution of the Western Carpathians in the Cenozoic

The tectonothermal evolution of the highest mountain range in the Carpathian arc—the Tatra Mountains— is investigated by zircon and apatite fission track and zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) dating methods in order to unravel the disputed exhumation and geodynamic processes in the Western Carpathians. Our data in combination with geological evidences reveal a complex Cenozoic history, with four major tectonothermal events: (i) a very low grade metamorphism of the crystalline basement at temperatures >240°C due to tectonic burial during the Eo-Alpine collision in the Late Cretaceous (~80 Ma); (ii) exhumation and cooling of the basement to temperatures 150°C after burial to 5–9 km depths by the Paleogene fore-arc basin; (iv) final exhumation of the segmented basement blocks during Oligocene-Miocene (32–11 Ma) owing to lateral extrusion of the North Pannonian plate and its collision with the European foreland. The spatial pattern of thermochronological data suggests asymmetric exhumation of the Tatra Mountains, beginning in the northwest at ~30–20 Ma with low cooling rates (~1–5°C/Ma) and propagating toward the major fault bounding the range in the south, where the youngest cooling ages (16–9 Ma) and fastest cooling rates (~10–20°C/Ma) are found. Our data prove that the Tatra Mountains shared Cenozoic evolution of other crystalline core mountains in the Western Carpathians. However, the Miocene ZHe ages suggest that the Tatra Mountains were buried to the greatest depths in the Paleogene-Early Miocene and experienced the greatest amount of Miocene exhumation

Byzantine agreement under the perception-based fault model

Zsfassung in dt. Sprache5

On the impact of link faults on Byzantine agreement

Agreement problems and their solutions are essential to fault-tolerant distributed computing. Over the years, different assumptions on failures have been considered, but most of these assumptions were focusing on either processes or links. In contrast, we examine a model where both links and processes can fail. In this model we devise a unified lower bound for resilience to both classes of faults. We show that the bound is tight by devising a simple retransmission scheme that allows optimally resilient algorithms to be constructed from well known algorithms by transparently adding link-fault tolerance. Our results show that when considering multiple independent failure modes, resilience bounds are not necessarily additive. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved