Formal verification of distributed deadlock detection algorithms

The problem of distributed deadlock detection has undergone extensive study. Formal verification of deadlock detection algorithms in distributed systems is an area of research that has largely been ignored. Instead, most proposed distributed deadlock detection algorithms have used informal or intuitive arguments, simulation or just neglect the entire aspect of verification of correctness; As a consequence, many of these algorithms have been shown incorrect. This research will abstract the notion of deadlock in terms of a temporal logic of actions and discuss the invariant and eventuality properties. The contributions of this research are the development of a distributed deadlock detection algorithm and the formal verification of this algorithm

Gathering the Voices: disseminating the message of the Holocaust for the digital generation by applying an interdisciplinary approach

The aim of the Gathering the Voices project is to gather testimonies from Holocaust survivors who have made their home in Scotland and to make these testimonies available on the World Wide Web. The project commenced in 2012, and a key outcome of the project is to educate current and future generations about the resilience of these survivors. Volunteers from the Jewish community are collaborating with staff and undergraduate students in Glasgow Caledonian University in developing innovative approaches to engage with school children. These multimedia approaches are essential, as future generations will be unable to interact in person with Holocaust survivors. By students being active participants in the project, they will learn more about the Holocaust and recognize the relevance of these testimonies in today’s society. Although some of the survivors have been interviewed about their journeys in fleeing from the Nazi atrocities, for all of the interviewees, this is the first time that they have been asked about their lives once they arrived in the United Kingdom. The interviews have also focused on citizenship and integration into society. The project is not yet completed, and an evaluation will be taking place to measure the effectiveness of the project in communicating its message to the public

Electrochemical silver sensors for photographic processes

A range of novel silver ionophores was synthesised based on the l,3-dithiole-2- thione-4,5-dithiolate (DMIT) building block. These were incorporated in ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) and applied to the determination of silver ion in photographic process solutions of interest to Kodak. Two classes of compounds were synthesised incorporating acyclic silver binding sites. The first class of compounds were 1,3 dithiole-2-ones functionalised with (i) a silver binding chain, and (ii) an alkyl chain, the latter allowing a range of compounds to be synthesised of varying lipophilicity. These compounds were applied as silver ionophores in plasticised PVC membranes and incorporated in ion-selective electrodes. The newly synthesised ionophores were compared to silver ionophores in the literature and to those previously used by Kodak. The membrane composition was optimised for silver ion selectivity over a range of metal cations of relevance to photographic process solutions. Samples of photographic emulsions were supplied by Kodak and subsequent analysis demonstrated successful detection of silver ion to micromolar levels with the ISE incorporating the newly synthesised ionophores. The second class of compounds was based on the tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) building block. A TTF derivative was synthesised incorporating two acyclic silver binding chains and a hydrophobic domain. The reversible redox properties of this compound enabled it to be applied as a transducer suitable for voltammetric analysis of silver ion. Titration of a solution of the new TTF compound with silver ion revealed that it was very sensitive; an equimolar quantity of silver ion resulting in a marked change in voltammetric behaviour. A silver ion binding constant was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry

Serotonin-Expressing Cells in the Corpus of the Stomach Originate from Bone Marrow: A Master’s Thesis

Neurogenin 3 and its downstream target NeuroD are basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors which promote endocrine differentiation in the gastrointestinal tract. However, mice lacking Ngn3 still produce several hormones in the stomach. Lineage tracing mouse models demonstrated that a majority of hormone cells in the corpus region of the stomach did not express Ngn3 or NeuroD during differentiation. Serotonin and histamine cells were entirely NeuroD-independently derived, and serotonin cells were additionally entirely Ngn3-independently derived. In this study, we isolated serotonin and histamine cells from the gastric corpus of transgenic mice expressing the fluorescent marker CFP. Serotonin cells expressed multiple mast cell markers by RT-PCR, and were found to be nearly absent in a mast cell-deficient mouse model. Labeled bone marrow transplant mice showed all serotonin cells derived from bone marrow. Histamine-expressing ECL cells, while lacking NeuroD, did not appear to express granulocyte or mast cell markers by analytical flow cytometry and RT-PCR, and resemble other enteroendocrine cell populations. Mouse gastric corpus serotonin cells, but not antral serotonin cells, are bone marrow-derived mast cells

Testing the Limits: Alcohol & Drug Testing For Offshore Employees

The legal limits of drug and alcohol testing by employers in the Atlantic Canada offshore are not yet entirely clear. To shed light on where these limits may lie, the authors examine the relevant law in the United Kingdom and the United States, together with the law on testing in Canada generally and the applicable provisions of the Accord Acts

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Effects of acute ethyl alcohol consumption on a psychophysical measure of lateral inhibition in human vision.

Acute consumption of ethyl alcohol affects a variety of visual functions. However, there have been few systematic attempts to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying these effects. Here, we employed the Westheimer paradigm to investigate the hypothesis that alcohol reduces lateral inhibition within human perceptive fields , the psychophysical analogue of physiological receptive fields. Westheimer functions obtained under alcohol and no-alcohol conditions at photopic, mesopic, and scotopic levels of adaptation showed changes consistent with an alcohol-induced decrease in lateral inhibition. We conclude that this decrease in lateral inhibition may be responsible for some of the changes in visual perception that result from alcohol consumption

A Capability Maturity Model to assess Government ICT4D Policy

The efforts of a Government to provide ICTs in a developing country are mostly well intended but not always successful. To establish why this happens can be a complex process. Influencing government initiatives are a variety of inhibitors, enablers and influences ranging from the diversity of stakeholders and their cultures and history, to skill levels, existing infrastructure, economic conditions, access, prejudice and politics, and language. All these factors need to be understood and managed before current or future initiatives can hope to be successful. To this end, the purpose of this paper was to develop a Capability Maturity Model for use as a conceptual framework to advance the understanding of researchers and practitioners of Governmental ICT4D policy, and the implementation of that policy. This paper sets up a theoretical model with four levels of maturity, each level consisting of five dimensions. Each of the five dimensions are then discussed and, finally, the use and contribution of the model is outlined

Determining the Feasibility, Content Validity, and Internal Consistency of a Newly Developed Care Coordination Scale for People with Brain Injury

Background: With the increasing complexity of care, people with disabilities and supportive significant others (SSO) must often coordinate key aspects of their own care, but no validated scale currently exists to comprehensively characterize the activities done to manage and coordinate their care. Method: This study aimed to improve the feasibility, acceptability, and content validity of the Care and Service Coordination and Management (CASCAM) scale and to test its internal consistency. Questionnaire items were administered to 23 individuals with acquired brain injury and 17 SSO. Results: Respondents confirmed content validity and that the instrument addresses important care coordination and management issues. The internal consistency of care coordination domains for medical/rehabilitative and independent living needs for people with brain injury and their SSO ranged from α = .774 to .945. Conclusion: Care coordination activities by persons with disabilities, including brain injury, and their SSO are multifaceted but feasibly measurable and should be assessed to improve care