1,118 research outputs found
Monitoring Networked Applications With Incremental Quantile Estimation
Networked applications have software components that reside on different
computers. Email, for example, has database, processing, and user interface
components that can be distributed across a network and shared by users in
different locations or work groups. End-to-end performance and reliability
metrics describe the software quality experienced by these groups of users,
taking into account all the software components in the pipeline. Each user
produces only some of the data needed to understand the quality of the
application for the group, so group performance metrics are obtained by
combining summary statistics that each end computer periodically (and
automatically) sends to a central server. The group quality metrics usually
focus on medians and tail quantiles rather than on averages. Distributed
quantile estimation is challenging, though, especially when passing large
amounts of data around the network solely to compute quality metrics is
undesirable. This paper describes an Incremental Quantile (IQ) estimation
method that is designed for performance monitoring at arbitrary levels of
network aggregation and time resolution when only a limited amount of data can
be transferred. Applications to both real and simulated data are provided.Comment: This paper commented in: [arXiv:0708.0317], [arXiv:0708.0336],
[arXiv:0708.0338]. Rejoinder in [arXiv:0708.0339]. Published at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000583 in the Statistical Science
(http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
(http://www.imstat.org
Rejoinder: Monitoring Networked Applications With Incremental Quantile Estimation
Rejoinder: Monitoring Networked Applications With Incremental Quantile
Estimation [arXiv:0708.0302]Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000592 in the
Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Thinking outside the TBox multiparty service matchmaking as information retrieval
Service oriented computing is crucial to a large and growing number of computational
undertakings. Central to its approach are the open and network-accessible services
provided by many different organisations, and which in turn enable the easy creation
of composite workflows. This leads to an environment containing many thousands of
services, in which a programmer or automated composition system must discover and
select services appropriate for the task at hand. This discovery and selection process is
known as matchmaking.
Prior work in the field has conceived the problem as one of sufficiently describing
individual services using formal, symbolic knowledge representation languages. We
review the prior work, and present arguments for why it is optimistic to assume that
this approach will be adequate by itself. With these issues in mind, we examine
how, by reformulating the task and giving the matchmaker a record of prior service
performance, we can alleviate some of the problems. Using two formalisms—the
incidence calculus and the lightweight coordination calculus—along with algorithms
inspired by information retrieval techniques, we evolve a series of simple matchmaking
agents that learn from experience how to select those services which performed well in
the past, while making minimal demands on the service users. We extend this mechanism
to the overlooked case of matchmaking in workflows using multiple services, selecting
groups of services known to inter-operate well. We examine the performance of such
matchmakers in possible future services environments, and discuss issues in applying
such techniques in large-scale deployments
Discriminating fluid source regions in orogenic gold deposits using B-isotopes
The genesis of orogenic gold deposits is commonly linked to hydrothermal ore fluids derived from metamorphic devolatilization reactions. However, there is considerable debate as to the ultimate source of these fluids and the metals they transport. Tourmaline is a common gangue mineral in orogenic gold deposits. It is stable over a very wide P–T range, demonstrates limited volume diffusion of major and trace elements and is the main host of B in most rock types. We have used texturally resolved B-isotope analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to identify multiple fluid sources within a single orogenic gold ore district. The Loulo Mining District in Mali, West Africa hosts several large orogenic gold ore bodies with complex fluid chemistry, associated with widespread pre-ore Na- and multi-stage B-metasomatism. The Gara deposit, as well as several smaller satellites, formed through partial mixing between a dilute aqueous-carbonic fluid and a hypersaline brine. Hydrothermal tourmaline occurs as a pre-ore phase in the matrix of tourmalinite units, which host mineralization in several ore bodies. Clasts of these tourmalinites occur in mineralized breccias. Disseminated hydrothermal and vein hosted tourmaline occur in textural sites which suggest growth during and after ore formation. Tourmalines show a large range in δ11B values from −3.5 to 19.8‰, which record a change in fluid source between paragenetic stages of tourmaline growth. Pre-mineralization tourmaline crystals show heavy δ11B values (8–19.8‰) and high X-site occupancy (Na ± Ca; 0.69–1 apfu) suggesting a marine evaporite source for hydrothermal fluids. Syn-mineralization and replacement phases show lighter δ11B values (−3.5 to 15.1‰) and lower X-site occupancy (0.62–0.88 apfu), suggesting a subsequent influx of more dilute fluids derived from devolatilization of marine carbonates and clastic metasediments. The large, overlapping range in isotopic compositions and a skew toward the opposing population in the δ11B data for both tourmaline groups reflects continual tourmaline growth throughout mineralization, which records the process of fluid mixing. A peak in δ11B values at ∼8‰ largely controlled by tourmalines of syn- to post-ore timing represents a mixture of the two isotopically distinct fluids. This paper demonstrates that B-isotopes in tourmaline can be instrumental in interpreting complex and dynamic hydrothermal systems. The importance of B as an integral constituent of orogenic ore forming fluids and as a gangue phase in orogenic gold deposits makes B-isotope analysis a powerful tool for testing the level of source region variability in these fluids, and by extension, that of metal sources
Field and Model Study to Define Baseline Conditions of Beached Oil Tar Balls along Florida’s First Coast
Anecdotal data are currently the best data available to describe baseline conditions of beached oil tar balls on Florida’s First Coast beaches. This study combines field methods and numerical modeling to define a data-driven knowledge base of oil tar ball baseline conditions. Outcomes from the field study include an established methodology for field data collection and laboratory testing of beached oil tar balls, spatial maps of collected samples and analysis of the data as to transport/wash-up trends. Archives of the electronic data, including GPS locations and other informational tags, and collected samples are presented, as are the physical and chemical analyses of the collected samples. The thrust of the physical and chemical analyses is to differentiate the collected samples into highly suspect oil tar balls versus false/non-oil tar ball samples. The numerical modeling involves two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of astronomic tides. Results from the numerical modeling include velocity residuals that show ebb-dominated residual currents exiting the inlet via an offshore, counter-rotating dual-eddy system. The tidally derived residual currents are used as one explanation for the observed transport trends. The study concludes that the port activity in the St. Johns River is not majorly contributing to the baseline conditions of oil tar ball wash-up on Florida’s First Coast beaches
Mixing of Supersonic Streams
The Strutjet approach to Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) propulsion depends upon fuel-rich flows from the rocket nozzles and turbine exhaust products mixing with the ingested air for successful operation in the ramjet and scramjet modes. A model of the Strutjet device has been built and is undergoing test to investigate the mixing of the streams as a function of distance from the Strutjet exit plane. Initial cold flow testing of the model is underway to determine both, the behavior of the ingested air in the duct and to validate the mixing diagnostics. During the tests, each of the two rocket nozzles ejected up to two pounds mass per second into the 13.6 square inch duct. The tests showed that the mass flow of the rockets was great enough to cause the entrained air to go sonic at the strut, which is the location of the rocket nozzles. More tests are necessary to determine whether the entrained air chokes due to the reduction in the area of the duct at the strut (a physical choke), or because of the addition of mass inside the duct at the nozzle exit (a Fabri choke). The initial tests of the mixing diagnostics are showing promise
Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells. The deep convective updrafts of thunderstorms transport large amounts of water vapor, super-cooled water droplets and ice crystals into the upper troposphere, forming anvil clouds, which are then carried downstream by the prevailing winds in the anvil formation layer. Electrified anvil clouds have been observed over the space launch and landing facilities of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), emanating from thunderstorm activity more than 200 km distant. Space launch commit criteria and flight rules require launch and landing vehicles to avoid penetration of the non-transparent portion of anvil clouds. The life cycles of 167 anvil clouds over the Florida peninsula and its coastal waters were documented using GOES-8 visible imagery on 50 anvil case days during the months of May through July 2001. Anvil clouds were found to propagate at the speed and direction of upper-tropospheric winds in the layer from 300-to-l50 mb, approximately 9.4 km to 14 km, with an effective average transport lifetime of 2 hours and a standard deviation of approximately 30 minutes. The effective lifetime refers to the time required for the nontransparent leading edge of an anvil cloud to reach its maximum extent before beginning to dissipate. The propagation and lifetime information was incorporated into the design, construction and implementation of an objective short-range anvil forecast tool based on upper-air observations, for use on the Meteorological Interactive Data Display System within the Range Weather Operations facility of the 45th Weather Squadron at CCAFS and the Spaceflight Meteorology Group at Johnson Space Center
Early-type stars observed in the ESO UVES Paranal Observatory Project - V. Time-variable interstellar absorption
The structure and properties of the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) on
small scales, sub-au to 1 pc, are poorly understood. We compare interstellar
absorption-lines, observed towards a selection of O- and B-type stars at two or
more epochs, to search for variations over time caused by the transverse motion
of each star combined with changes in the structure in the foreground ISM. Two
sets of data were used: 83 VLT- UVES spectra with approximately 6 yr between
epochs and 21 McDonald observatory 2.7m telescope echelle spectra with 6 - 20
yr between epochs, over a range of scales from 0 - 360 au. The interstellar
absorption-lines observed at the two epochs were subtracted and searched for
any residuals due to changes in the foreground ISM. Of the 104 sightlines
investigated with typically five or more components in Na I D, possible
temporal variation was identified in five UVES spectra (six components), in Ca
II, Ca I and/or Na I absorption-lines. The variations detected range from 7\%
to a factor of 3.6 in column density. No variation was found in any other
interstellar species. Most sightlines show no variation, with 3{\sigma} upper
limits to changes of the order 0.1 - 0.3 dex in Ca II and Na I. These
variations observed imply that fine-scale structure is present in the ISM, but
at the resolution available in this study, is not very common at visible
wavelengths. A determination of the electron densities and lower limits to the
total number density of a sample of the sightlines implies that there is no
striking difference between these parameters in sightlines with, and sightlines
without, varying components.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
The 1995-1996 Decline of R Coronae Borealis - High Resolution Optical Spectroscopy
A set of high-resolution optical spectra of RCrB acquired before, during, and
after its 1995-1996 decline is discussed. All of the components reported from
earlier declines are seen. This novel dataset provides new information on these
components including several aspects not previously seen in declines of RCrB
and other RCBs. In the latter category is the discovery that the decline's
onset is marked by distortions of absorption lines of high-excitation lines,
and quickly followed by emission in these and in low excitation lines. This
'photospheric trigger' implies that dust causing the decline is formed close to
the star. These emission lines fade quickly. After 1995 November 2, low
excitation narrow (FWHM ~12 km s-1) emission lines remain. These appear to be a
permanent feature, slightly blue-shifted from the systemic velocity, and
unaffected by the decline except for a late and slight decrease of flux at
minimum light. The location of the warm, dense gas providing these lines is
uncertain. Absorption lines unaffected by overlying sharp emission are greatly
broadened, weakened, and red-shifted at the faintest magnitudes when scattered
light from the star is a greater contributor than direct light transmitted
through the fresh soot cloud. A few broad lines are seen at and near minimum
light with approxiamately constant flux: prominent among these are the He I
triplet series, Na I D, and [N II] lines. These lines are blue-shifted by about
30 km s(-1) relative to the systemic velocity with no change in velocity over
the several months for whicht he lines were seen. It is suggested that these
lines, especially the He I lines, arise from an accretion disk around an unseen
compact companion, which may be a low-mass white dwarf. If so, R CrB is similar
to the unusual post-AGB star 89 Her.Comment: 31 pages, 26 figure
- …