Migrating the CERN PS control system to IBM workstations

The workstations used within the control system of the CERN PS accelerator complex are not produced any more. We had therefore to review the software primary used as user interface and we achieved a port to IBM workstations. We are also preparing the maintenance of this code for the next ten years with minimal staff. This implies a clear separation between general computing facilities, control system developments, and operation. In order to share our experience, we will try to summarize various aspects of this migration: - system installation principles used to speed-up error recovery time and long-term maintenance costs, - problems correlated with the coexistence of two different platforms during migration, - software problems due to the platform and operating system changes, - hidden dependencies from a specific manufacturer

An importance–competence analysis of the roles and competencies of e-tutors at an open distance learning institution.

This study investigates the role of the e-tutor within an open distance learning (ODL) higher education institution in terms of perceptions of the work roles and assessment of the competencies of the e-tutor. As part of the universities’ strategic plan the importance of providing excellent service to learners is strongly emphasised. E-tutors are the learner’s first and foremost contact with the university; they invariably become the face of the ODL university for the geographically distant learner. E-tutors are therefore strategically important for the perceived quality and attractiveness of the university, however, they can also be a vulnerable link in the university’s educational chain. The process of online tutoring therefore becomes a critical success factor in learners’ acceptance of e-learning. The first phase of this research focuses on the e-tutor’s perspective, investigating the competencies required by e-tutors to function effectively in an online environment, as well as their perceived role. A survey was administered to e-tutors in the College of Economic and Management Sciences of the university to assess their perceived roles and competencies. Understanding the importance of these roles and identifying necessary tutoring skills is paramount for the success of e-learning solutions.Human Resource Managemen

CCS from industrial sources

The literature concerning the application of CCS to industry is reviewed. Costs are presented for different sectors including ``high purity'' (processes which inherently produce a high concentration of CO2), cement, iron and steel, refinery and biomass. The application of CCS to industry is a field which has had much less attention than its application to the electricity production sector. Costs range from less than $2011 10/tCO 2 up to above$ 2011 100/tCO 2 . In the words of a synthesis report from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) ``This area has so far not been the focus of discussions and therefore much attention needs to be paid to the application of CCS to industrial sources if the full potential of CCS is to be unlocked''

A different model to explain delayed germination

Goal: To provide an alternative to the usual bet-hedging explanation for delayed germination, one that takes account of known facts about germination in stable, fine-grained environments. Context: Small patches with local environmental conditions (microhabitats) such that seedlings can establish themselves are customarily called safe sites. Key Assumptions: We focus on a single species. Its safe sites become available randomly. Seeds that germinate outside safe sites all die as seedlings. All seeds are equal, i.e. their probability of dying over the year and probabilities to germinate when the right season is there do not depend on their age or any other aspect of their individual history. Moreover, we make the standard assumption of ESS theory that the population is genetically homogeneous but for the occasional mutant 'testing the ESS'. There is a trade-off between the germination probability in safe sites and the probability not to germinate outside safe sites. For germination strategies close to the ESS, the environment does not fluctuate. Procedure: Start with a simple population model, in which the yearly seed survival and the fraction of the area covered by safe sites are fixed quantities. For this model, derive an optimization principle that finds the Evolutionarily Steady Strategy vector consisting of the probabilities to germinate in safe sites and elsewhere. Using this optimization principle, analyse the effect of various trade-offs using Levins' fitness set technique. Analyse how the results extend to ESSs for general life histories and community dynamics subject only to the key assumptions. Conclusion: Seeds in safe sites should not all germinate on the first opportunity if the relationship between the probability to germinate in safe sites and the probability to germinate elsewhere is accelerating and has a sufficiently steep slope at the highest germination probabilities

Sex and Size in Cosexual Plants

There are conceptual and practical difficulties in measuring the exact shape of fitness-gain curves and sex allocation, and these hamper empirical testing of some of the predictions of sex allocation theory for plants. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the process that shape fitness-gain curves allows us to formulate hypotheses to test predictions of sex allocation theory. One such hypothesis is that plants adjust their gender according to size. The connection between plant size and gender was thought to be generally weak. Recent data, however, suggest that size-dependent sex allocation (SDS) is a common phenomenon in hermaphrodites and other cosexual plants