Upnp-Based Discovery And Management Of Hypervisors And Virtual Machines

The paper introduces a Universal Plug and Play based discovery and management toolkitthat facilitates collaboration between cloud infrastructure providers and users. The presentedtools construct a unified hierarchy of devices and their management-related services, thatrepresents the current deployment of users’ (virtual) infrastructures in the provider’s (physical)infrastructure as well as the management interfaces of respective devices. The hierarchycan be used to enhance the capabilities of the provider’s infrastructure management system.To maintain user independence, the set of management operations exposed by a particulardevice is always defined by the device owner (either the provider or user)

Higgs domain walls in the thermal background

Most cosmological models predict that the universe was hot and dense at the early stages of it's evolution. In this paper we analyse the influence of the thermal bath of Standard Model particles on the dynamics of cosmological Higgs domain walls. This manuscript poses an~extension of our earlier work in which we investigated the evolution of networks of Higgs domain walls neglecting the impact of temperature variation. Using the thermally corrected effective potential of Standard Model we have found that both the position of the local maximum $h_{max}$ separating minima and the width of domain walls strongly depend on temperature $T$. For temperatures higher than $10^{10}\; \textrm{GeV}$ they respectively increase proportionally and decrease inverse proportionally to the increasing temperature. Thus, the energy scale of the problem follows the value of temperature. Our numerical lattice simulations based on the PRS algorithm reveal that Higgs domain walls in the presence of the background thermal bath are highly unstable and decay shortly after formation. Moreover we have found that the fraction of horizons produced by inflation in which Higgs field expectation value is higher then $h_{max}$ needs to be very low in order for the evolution of the~network of the domain walls to end in the electroweak vacuum. This means that Higgs domain walls necessarily were very rare objects and their average energy density was very small. As a result, the domain walls can not significantly effect cosmological observables

On the dimension of the set of minimal projections

Let $X$ be a finite-dimensional normed space and let $Y \subseteq X$ be its proper linear subspace. The set of all minimal projections from $X$ to $Y$ is a convex subset of the space all linear operators from $X$ to $X$ and we can consider its affine dimension. We establish several results on the possible values of this dimension. We prove optimal upper bounds in terms of the dimensions of $X$ and $Y$. Moreover, we improve these estimates in the polyhedral normed spaces for an open and dense subset of subspaces of the given dimension. As a consequence, in the polyhedral normed spaces a minimal projection is unique for an open and dense subset of hyperplanes. To prove this, we establish certain new properties of the Chalmers-Metcalf operator. Another consequence is the fact, that for every subspace of a polyhedral normed space, there exists a minimal projection with many norming pairs. Finally, we provide some more refined results in the hyperplane case.Comment: 31 page

Hydrodynamical constraints on bubble wall velocity

Terminal velocity reached by bubble walls in first order phase transitions is an important parameter determining both primordial gravitational-wave spectrum and production of baryon asymmetry in models of electroweak baryogenesis. We developed a numerical code to study the real-time evolution of expanding bubbles and investigate how their walls reach stationary states. Our results agree with profiles obtained within the so-called bag model with very good accuracy, however, not all such solutions are stable and realised in dynamical systems. Depending on the exact shape of the potential there is always a range of wall velocities where no steady state solutions exist. This behaviour in deflagrations was explained by hydrodynamical obstruction where solutions that would heat the plasma outside the wall above the critical temperature and cause local symmetry restoration are forbidden. For even more affected hybrid solutions causes are less straight forward, however, we provide a simple numerical fit allowing one to verify if a solution with a given velocity is allowed simply by computing the ratio of the nucleation temperature to the critical one for the potential in question

Sources of financing small and medium-sized enterprises : case studies in Poland

Purpose: The article presents selected research results concerning the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland. The research subject was to gain extensive knowledge of selected sources of financing for SMEs operating in Poland. By learning about the methods of using the funds obtained, as well as identifying the most important features that guide the entrepreneur when choosing the financing sources available on the market. Approach / Methodology / Design: The study used PAPI and CAWI techniques. The survey was conducted at the turn of 2018 and 2019. The research sample included 510 entities. Findings: Entrepreneurs from the SME sector in Poland do not fully use the potential of available financing sources. The authors argue that this state of affairs may be affected by insufficient knowledge about available funding sources. Practical implications: The study showed a need to raise awareness among entrepreneurs about the available financing sources by indicating the role that government institutions should play in this process. Originality/Value: Research attempts to fill a gap in the literature on the subject. These studies can help understand the motives behind selecting specific sources of financing by SMEs operating in Central Europe.peer-reviewe

Stability of domain walls in models with asymmetric potentials

We study the evolution of cosmological domain walls in models with asymmetric potentials. Our research goes beyond the standard case of spontaneous breaking of an approximate symmetry. When the symmetry is explicitly broken the potential exhibits nearly degenerate minima which can lead to creation of a metastable network of domain walls. The time after which the network will decay depends on the difference of values of the potential in minima, its asymmetry around the maximum separating minima and the bias of the initial distribution of the field. Effect of asymmetry around the maximum separating minima is novel one that we study with a new type of potential. Using numerical lattice simulations we determine relative importance of these factors on decay time of networks for generic potentials. We find that even very small departures from the symmetric initial distribution case lead to rapid decay of the domain wall network. As a result creation of a long lasting network capable of producing observable gravitational wave signals is much more difficult than previously thought. On the other hand details of the shape of the potential turn out to be much less important than was expected and the evolution of network from symmetric distribution is controlled by the difference of values of the potential in the minima

Perception of food quality labels : an empirical analysis among traditional food producers in Poland

PURPOSE: This paper examines traditional food producers' perceptions of food quality labels, indicating the incentives and challenges that food producers may face implementing such schemes. The aim is to identify the main factors affecting traditional food producers' adoption of food quality labels.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The sample was composed of 101 traditional food producers in Poland that had completed the quality certification process. The survey was based on computer-assisted telephone interviews with closed questions (5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1-totally disagree to 5-totally agree). The interviewees were asked to express a judgment by declaring their level of agreement with the 19 statements. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used for data analysis.FINDINGS: Results show that enterprises adopt quality signs to improve product image, reputation, and consumer confidence. The protection granted to food labels by the law may also exert effects on firms' profitability. Producers take advantage of food quality labels in different ways, according to their size and own business strategies. However, the emphasis often put on the positive effects of the food quality labels is far from its potentiality in many cases.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study results will be beneficial to both food producers and public authorities seeking to encourage the application of quality labels in the traditional food sector. The identified benefits and barriers will help producers to adopt successful business models. The public authorities should make the certification process more effective and transparent, and promotion should explain to consumers what the food label guarantees.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper proposes several managerial and policy implications related to improving the business environment for the adoption of food quality schemes in the traditional food sector.This research article was supported by the Scientific Research Project Fund of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.peer-reviewe

The importance of selected cell adhesion molecules in thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is the most common malignant tumour of the endocrine system. It accounts for ca. 2% of all malignant tumours in the world, ranking it 16th in the overall classification. Its most common histology type is the papillary carcinoma originating from the epithelial tissue, which embraces approx. 50-80% of all cases. The epithelial tissue cells in normal conditions are closely interconnected by means of intercellular interactions. The adhesion process is regulated by a series of molecules, called cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). The main representatives of this group, which are increasingly better known and characterised, include the following: E-cadherin, β-catenin, CD44 and CD31 glycoproteins. CAMs regulate the course of many processes, such as differentiation, migration and growth of cells, but they also participate in the transmission of signals to the inside of the cell. Changes in the expression of cell adhesion molecules affect the disruption of the adhesion process. The recent years have seen many scientific reports on the importance of CAMs in the course of neoplastic transformation. It has been proved that abnormalities of CAM expression in many malignant tumours, including the thyroid cancer, are closely related to the increased primary invasion, distant metastasis and worse prognosis. These observations suggest that individual cell adhesion molecules may be used in the future as markers in the diagnostic process of thyroid cancers