32,999 research outputs found
Measurement of the LCG2 and glite file catalogue's performance
When the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) begins operation at CERN in 2007 it will produce data in volumes never before seen. Physicists around the world will manage, distribute and analyse petabytes of this data using the middleware provided by the LHC Computing Grid. One of the critical factors in the smooth running of this system is the performance of the file catalogues which allow users to access their files with a logical filename without knowing their physical location. This paper presents a detailed study comparing the performance and respective merits and shortcomings of two of the main catalogues: the LCG File Catalogue and the gLite FiReMan catalogue
Identifying information seeking behaviours of low and high literacy users: combined cognitive task analysis.
Motivation – According to the UK’s National Skills for Life survey carried out in 2003, 16% or equivalent to 5.2 million of the UK population presented low levels of literacy (Williams, et al. 2003). In this study we investigate the differences in information seeking behaviours between low and high literacy users of an
on-line social service system. Research approach – Ten volunteers participated in the study. Using the National Skills for Life Survey, five were classified as high literacy; five as low literacy. All participants were asked to think-aloud whilst carrying out the information search using the “Adviceguide” website. The four tasks were of varying difficulty; easy, medium and difficult. Observations, video recording, and a semi structured interview technique that uses cognitive probes were used. The qualitative data were transcribed and analysed using Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) Grounded Theory and Wong and
Blandford (2002) Emergent Themes Analysis approach. Findings/Design – We identified eight themes or
characteristics from this study; Verification, Reading, Recovery, Trajectories, Abandon, Focus, Satisfied,
and Perception. Results showed that low and high literacy users demonstrated critically different characteristics. Take away message – To better support the low and high literacy users with information seeking, we plan to look at information seeking behaviour models as theoretical lenses to analyse their behaviour from the identified characteristics (Makri, Blandford & Cox, 2008). The
behaviour models will better inform the development of interface design for low and high literacy users
Identification of MHC Class II Binders/ Non-binders using Negative Selection Algorithm
The identification of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-II restricted peptides is an important goal in human immunological research leading to peptide based vaccine design. These MHC class–II peptides are predominantly recognized by CD4+ T-helper cells, which when turned on, have profound immune regulatory effects. Thus, prediction of such MHC class-II binding peptides is very helpful towards epitope-based vaccine design. HLA-DR proteins were found to be associated with autoimmune diseases e.g. HLA-DRB1*0401 with rheumatoid arthritis. It is important for the treatment of autoimmune diseases to determine which peptides bind to MHC class II molecules. The experimental methods for identification of these peptides are both time consuming and cost intensive. Therefore, computational methods have been found helpful in classifying these peptides as binders or non-binders. We have applied negative selection algorithm, an artificial immune system approach to predict MHC class–II binders and non-binders. For the evaluation of the NSA algorithm, five fold cross validation has been used and six MHC class–II alleles have been taken. The average area under ROC curve for HLA-DRB1*0301, DRB1*0401, DRB1*0701, DRB1*1101, DRB1*1501, DRB1*1301 have been found to be 0.75, 0.77, 0.71, 0.72, and 0.69, and 0.84 respectively indicating good predictive performance for the small training set
Giant magnetothermal conductivity and magnetostriction effect in charge ordered NdNaMnO compound
We present results on resistivity (), magnetization (), thermal
conductivity (), magnetostriction () and
specific heat () of charge-orbital ordered antiferromagnetic
NdNaMnO compound. Magnetic field-induced
antiferromagnetic/charge-orbital ordered insulating to ferromagnetic metallic
transition leads to giant magnetothermal conductivity and magnetostriction
effect. The low-temperature irreversibility behavior in , ,
and due to field cycling together with striking
similarity among the field and temperature dependence of these parameters
manifest the presence of strong and complex spin-charge-lattice coupling in
this compound. The giant magnetothermal conductivity is attributed mainly to
the suppression of phonon scattering due to the destabilization of spin
fluctuations and static/dynamic Jahn-Teller distortion by the application of
magnetic field.Comment: 4 Pages, 4 Figure
Visible and near infrared spectroscopy of Hayabusa re-entry using semi-autonomous tracking
A ground-based tracking camera and co-aligned slit-less spectrograph were used to measure the spectral signature of visible radiation emitted from the Hayabusa capsule as it entered into the Earth's atmosphere in June 2010. Good quality spectra were obtained that showed the presence of radiation from the heat shield of the vehicle and the shock-heated air in front of the vehicle. An analysis of the black body nature of the radiation concluded that the peak average temperature of the surface was about (3100±100) K
M-GEAR: Gateway-Based Energy-Aware Multi-Hop Routing Protocol for WSNs
In this research work, we advise gateway based energy-efficient routing
protocol (M-GEAR) for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). We divide the sensor
nodes into four logical regions on the basis of their location in the sensing
field. We install Base Station (BS) out of the sensing area and a gateway node
at the centre of the sensing area. If the distance of a sensor node from BS or
gateway is less than predefined distance threshold, the node uses direct
communication. We divide the rest of nodes into two equal regions whose
distance is beyond the threshold distance. We select cluster heads (CHs)in each
region which are independent of the other region. These CHs are selected on the
basis of a probability. We compare performance of our protocol with LEACH (Low
Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy). Performance analysis and compared
statistic results show that our proposed protocol perform well in terms of
energy consumption and network lifetime.Comment: IEEE 8th International Conference on Broadband and Wireless
Computing, Communication and Applications (BWCCA'13), Compiegne, Franc
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Development of non-conventional instrument transformers (NCIT) using smart materials
In this paper is presented a novel approach for current measurement using smart materials, magnetic shape memory (MSM) alloys. Their shape change can be controlled by the application of magnetic field or mechanical stress. This gives the possibility to measure currents by correlating the magnetic field produced by the current, shape change in an MSM- based sensor and the voltage output of a Linear Variable Differential Transducer (LVDT) actuated by this shape change. In the first part of the paper is presented a review of existing current measurement sensors by comparing their properties and highlighting their advantages and disadvantages
Role of non-timber forest products in sustaining forest-based livelihoods and rural households' resilience capacity in and around protected area- a Bangladesh study
People in developing world derive a significant part of their livelihoods
from various forest products, particularly non-timber forest products. This
article attempts to explore the contribution of NTFPs in sustaining
forest-based rural livelihood in and around a protected area of Bangladesh, and
their potential role in enhancing households resilience capacity. Based on
empirical investigation our study revealed that, local communities gather a
substantial amount of NTFPs from national park despite the official
restrictions. 27 percent households of the area received at least some cash
benefit from the collection, processing and selling of NTFPs, and NTFPs
contribute as HHs primary, supplementary and emergency sources of income. NTFPs
also constituted an estimated 19 percent of HHs net annual income, and were the
primary occupation for about 18 percent of the HHs. HHs dependency on nearby
forests for various NTFPs varied vis-a-vis their socio-economic condition as
well as with their location from the park. Based on our case study the article
also offers some clues for improving the situation in PA.Comment: To appear in Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 201
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