Performance analysis of heterogeneous multi-cluster systems

When building a cost-effective high-performance parallel processing system, a performance model is a useful tool for exploring the design space and examining various parameters. However, performance analysis in such systems has proven to be a challenging task that requires the innovative performance analysis tools and methods to keep up with the rapid evolution and ever increasing complexity of such systems. To this end, we propose an analytical model for heterogeneous multi-cluster systems. The model takes into account stochastic quantities as well as network heterogeneity in bandwidth and latency in each cluster. Also, blocking and non-blocking network architecture model is proposed and are used in performance analysis of the system. The message latency is used as the primary performance metric. The model is validated by constructing a set of simulators to simulate different types of clusters, and by comparing the modeled results with the simulated ones.

Emission-based condition monitoring technique for ZnO surge arrester

In this paper, electromagnetic emission at the frequency range of 30MHz to 300MHz is used to detect physical defects on the 22kV outdoor zinc-oxide (ZnO) surge arresters. Different weather conditions combining with artificially created pollution were produced in a laboratory environment and measurements were recorded over a fixed period of time. Pollution due to fine dust particles has been created according to IEC standard under both wet and dry conditions. The aim is to detect the defects (bushing damage) when the surge arrester is subjected to various weather and surface condition. The collected electromagnetic signals were sampled and analyzed using analysis tools such as the autocorrelation coefficient and Wigner-Ville distribution. The results from the present paper indicate that electromagnetic radiation from the defects on surge arrester combining with the adequate analysis tools can be used as a valuable diagnostic tool for power system operator.

Instructional strategies integrating cognitive style construct : a meta-knowledge processing model

The overarching goal of this dissertation was to evaluate the contextual components of instructional strategies for the acquisition of complex programming concepts. A meta-knowledge processing model is proposed, on the basis of the research findings, thereby facilitating the selection of media treatment for electronic courseware. When implemented, this model extends the work of Smith (1998), as a front-end methodology, for his glass-box interpreter called Bradman, for teaching novice programmers. Technology now provides the means to produce individualized instructional packages with relative ease. Multimedia and Web courseware development accentuate a highly graphical (or visual) approach to instructional formats. Typically, little consideration is given to the effectiveness of screen-based visual stimuli, and curiously, students are expected to be visually literate, despite the complexity of human-computer interaction. Visual literacy is much harder for some people to acquire than for others! (see Chapter Four: Conditions-of-the-Learner) An innovative research programme was devised to investigate the interactive effect of instructional strategies, enhanced with text-plus-textual metaphors or text-plus-graphical metaphors, and cognitive style, on the acquisition of a special category of abstract (process) programming concept. This type of concept was chosen to focus on the role of analogic knowledge involved in computer programming. The results are discussed within the context of the internal/external exchange process, drawing on Ritchey's (1980) concepts of within-item and between-item encoding elaborations. The methodology developed for the doctoral project integrates earlier research knowledge in a novel, interdisciplinary, conceptual framework, including: from instructional science in the USA, for the concept learning models; British cognitive psychology and human memory research, for defining the cognitive style construct; and Australian educational research, to provide the measurement tools for instructional outcomes. The experimental design consisted of a screening test to determine cognitive style, a pretest to determine prior domain knowledge in abstract programming knowledge elements, the instruction period, and a post-test to measure improved performance. This research design provides a three-level discovery process to articulate: 1) the fusion of strategic knowledge required by the novice learner for dealing with contexts within instructional strategies 2) acquisition of knowledge using measurable instructional outcome and learner characteristics 3) knowledge of the innate environmental factors which influence the instructional outcomes This research has successfully identified the interactive effect of instructional strategy, within an individual's cognitive style construct, in their acquisition of complex programming concepts. However, the significance of the three-level discovery process lies in the scope of the methodology to inform the design of a meta-knowledge processing model for instructional science. Firstly, the British cognitive style testing procedure, is a low cost, user friendly, computer application that effectively measures an individual's position on the two cognitive style continua (Riding & Cheema,1991). Secondly, the QUEST Interactive Test Analysis System (Izard,1995), allows for a probabilistic determination of an individual's knowledge level, relative to other participants, and relative to test-item difficulties. Test-items can be related to skill levels, and consequently, can be used by instructional scientists to measure knowledge acquisition. Finally, an Effect Size Analysis (Cohen,1977) allows for a direct comparison between treatment groups, giving a statistical measurement of how large an effect the independent variables have on the dependent outcomes. Combined with QUEST's hierarchical positioning of participants, this tool can assist in identifying preferred learning conditions for the evaluation of treatment groups. By combining these three assessment analysis tools into instructional research, a computerized learning shell, customised for individuals' cognitive constructs can be created (McKay & Garner,1999). While this approach has widespread application, individual researchers/trainers would nonetheless, need to validate with an extensive pilot study programme (McKay,1999a; McKay,1999b), the interactive effects within their specific learning domain. Furthermore, the instructional material does not need to be limited to a textual/graphical comparison, but could be applied to any two or more instructional treatments of any kind. For instance: a structured versus exploratory strategy. The possibilities and combinations are believed to be endless, provided the focus is maintained on linking of the front-end identification of cognitive style with an improved performance outcome. My in-depth analysis provides a better understanding of the interactive effects of the cognitive style construct and instructional format on the acquisition of abstract concepts, involving spatial relations and logical reasoning. In providing the basis for a meta-knowledge processing model, this research is expected to be of interest to educators, cognitive psychologists, communications engineers and computer scientists specialising in computer-human interactions.

Virtual world security inspection : a software inspection process carried out on popular virtual world environments

 Virtual property theft is a serious problem that exists in virtual worlds. Legitimate users of these worlds invest considerable amounts of time, effort and real-world money into obtaining virtual property, but unfortunately, are becoming victims of theft in high numbers. It is reported that there are over 1 billion registered users of virtual worlds containing virtual property items worth an estimated US$50 billion dollars. The problem of virtual property theft is complex, involving many legal, social and technological issues. The software used to access virtual worlds is of great importance as they form the primary interface to these worlds and as such the primary interface to conduct virtual property theft. The security vulnerabilities of virtual world applications have not, to date, been examined. This study aims to use the process of software inspection to discover security vulnerabilities that may exist within virtual world software – vulnerabilities that enable virtual property theft to occur. Analyzing three well know virtual world applications World of Warcraft, Guild Wars and Entropia Universe, this research utilized security analysis tools and scenario testing with focus on authentication, trading, intruder detection and virtual property recovery. It was discovered that all three examples were susceptible to keylogging, mail and direct trade methods were the most likely method for transferring stolen items, intrusion detection is of critical concern to all VWEs tested, stolen items were unable to be recovered in all cases and lastly occurrences of theft were undetectable in all cases. The results gained in this study present the key problem areas which need to be addressed to improve security and reduce the occurrence of virtual property theft.

Virtual world security inspection

Virtual property theft is a serious problem that exists in virtual worlds. Legitimate users of these worlds invest considerable amounts of time, effort and real-world money into obtaining virtual property, but unfortunately, are becoming victims of theft in high numbers. It is reported that there are over 1 billion registered users of virtual worlds containing virtual property items worth an estimated US$50 billion dollars. The problem of virtual property theft is complex, involving many legal, social and technological issues. The software used to access virtual worlds is of great importance as they form the primary interface to these worlds and as such the primary interface to conduct virtual property theft. The security vulnerabilities of virtual world applications have not, to date, been examined. This study aims to use the process of software inspection to discover security vulnerabilities that may exist within virtual world software – vulnerabilities that enable virtual property theft to occur. Analyzing three well know virtual world applications World of Warcraft, Guild Wars and Entropia Universe, this research utilized security analysis tools and scenario testing with focus on authentication, trading, intruder detection and virtual property recovery. It was discovered that all three examples were susceptible to keylogging, mail and direct trade methods were the most likely method for transferring stolen items, intrusion detection is of critical concern to all VWEs tested, stolen items were unable to be recovered in all cases and lastly occurrences of theft were undetectable in all cases. The results gained in this study present the key problem areas which need to be addressed to improve security and reduce the occurrence of virtual property theft.

Using causal mapping to find new avenue for organizational fit research

Although organizational fit is strongly linked to important psychological outcomes such as motivation, satisfaction, turnover and performance, there is still a lot of confusion about definitions and conceptualizations of the construct. One reason for this is that fit researchers have almost exclusively conducted theory-driven nomothetic studies that have utilized varying approaches to the term. In this paper, we call for exploratory research that listens to how workers construct their own sense of fit and suggest that researchers should adopt idiographic data gathering techniques, coupled with nomothetic analysis tools, to do so. To enable this, we explain how fit researchers might use causal maps and thereby develop a stronger understanding of organizational fit that is grounded in how people conceive it.

Subjective risk assessment for planning conservation projects

Conservation projects occur under many types of uncertainty. Where this uncertainty can affect achievement of a project's objectives, there is risk. Understanding risks to project success should influence a range of strategic and tactical decisions in conservation, and yet, formal risk assessment rarely features in the guidance or practice of conservation planning. We describe how subjective risk analysis tools can be framed to facilitate the rapid identification and assessment of risks to conservation projects, and how this information should influence conservation planning. Our approach is illustrated with an assessment of risks to conservation success as part of a conservation plan for the work of The Nature Conservancy in northern Australia. Risks can be both internal and external to a project, and occur across environmental, social, economic and political systems. Based on the relative importance of a risk and the level of certainty in its assessment we propose a series of appropriate, project level responses including research, monitoring, and active amelioration. Explicit identification, prioritization, and where possible, management of risks are important elements of using conservation resources in an informed and accountable manner

Discovering semantics from multiple correlated time series stream

In this paper, we study a challenging problem of mining data generating rules and state transforming rules (i.e., semantics) underneath multiple correlated time series streams. A novel Correlation field-based Semantics Learning Framework (CfSLF) is proposed to learn the semantic. In the framework, we use Hidden Markov Random Field (HMRF) method to model relationship between latent states and observations in multiple correlated time series to learn data generating rules. The transforming rules are learned from corresponding latent state sequence of multiple time series based on Markov chain character. The reusable semantics learned by CfSLF can be fed into various analysis tools, such as prediction or anomaly detection. Moreover, we present two algorithms based on the semantics, which can later be applied to next-n step prediction and anomaly detection. Experiments on real world data sets demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method. © Springer-Verlag 2013.

Stress analysis of compression of aluminium with rotating tools

Compression tests carried out on aluminium specimens showed that when the die was rotated the compression load dropped. A slab method is employed to examine this process. The load reduction is explained by the deviation of friction vector due to the relative circumferential movement between the die and the material. This mechanism is incorporated into a theoretical model and an expression is derived for compression pressure. Analytical solutions established compare favourably with experimental results. It is also shown that there is a limitation to the load reduction: the compressive load can never be lower than 70 percent of the yield limit.

Manual on application of molecular tools in aquaculture and inland fisheries management. Part I : laboratory protocols, data management and analysis

The aim of this manual is to provide a comprehensive practical tool for the generation and analysis of genetic data for subsequent application in aquatic resources management in relation to genetic stock identification in inland fisheries and aquaculture. The material only covers general background on genetics in relation to aquaculture and fisheries resource management, the techniques and relevant methods of data analysis that are commonly used to address questions relating to genetic resource characterisation and population genetic analyses. No attempt is made to include applications of genetic improvement techniques e.g. selective breeding or producing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The manual includes two ‘stand-alone’ parts, of which this is the second volume: Part 1 – Conceptual basis of population genetic approaches: will provide a basic foundation on genetics in general, and concepts of population genetics. Issues on the choices of molecular markers and project design are also discussed. Part 2 – Laboratory protocols, data management and analysis: will provide step-by-step protocols of the most commonly used molecular genetic techniques utilised in population genetics and systematic studies. In addition, a brief discussion and explanation of how these data are managed and analysed is also included. This manual is expected to enable NACA member country personnel to be trained to undertake molecular genetic studies in their own institutions, and as such is aimed at middle and higher level technical grades. The manual can also provide useful teaching material for specialised advanced level university courses in the region and postgraduate students. The manual has gone through two development/improvement stages. The initial material was tested at a regional workshop and at the second stage feedback from participants was used to improve the contents.

Are ICT/Web 2.0 tools influencing civic engagement in modern democracies? An exploratory analysis from India

Web 2.0 tools, while mobilising citizens to make informed choices, may also manipulated public opinion. This hypothesis forms the central theme of this research investigation through the historiography lens. Based on concurrent research from decade, the authors take a closer look at citizen-to-citizen engagement, so as to trace the role of web 2.0 tools, in perhaps manipulating public opinion or enabling democratic governance through reversal of some existing defects in the Indian context. Specifically, they raise these questions: Has ICT enabled civic engagement manipulated public opinion in this developing democracy? Has it succeeded in reversing apparent defects in the electoral system, which is regarded pivotal in democracies? Focusing on the elections, the authors present a synopsis of the use of web 2.0 tools which were seemingly efficiently and prolifically used during the elections albeit to reach out to the large population base in this country.

Emerging wireless personal area networks(WPANs) : - An analysis of techniques, tools and threats

Wireless Personal Area Networks provide a pivotal role in local area network technology complementing traditional Wireless Local Area Network technologies. Bluetooth, ZigBee and NFC (Near Field Communications) have emerged as key WPAN technologies with UWB (Ultra Wide Band) standards currently evolving. They are however subject to the usual range of security vulnerabilities found in wireless LANs such as spoofing, snooping, man-in-the-middle, denial of service and other attacks. However security in WPANs is not as mature as it is in Wireless LANs and further work is needed in order to provide comparable protection. This paper examines a range of WPAN technologies and security issues and proposes protection mechanisms that can mitigate risk in each case. © 2012 IEEE.

Are ICT/web 2.0 tools influencing civic engagement in modern democracies? An exploratory analysis from India

Web 2.0 tools, while mobilising citizens to make informed choices, may also manipulated public opinion. This hypothesis forms the central theme of this research investigation through the historiography lens. Based on concurrent research from decade, the authors take a closer look at citizen-to-citizen engagement, so as to trace the role of web 2.0 tools, in perhaps manipulating public opinion or enabling democratic governance through reversal of some existing defects in the Indian context. Specifically, they raise these questions: Has ICT enabled civic engagement manipulated public opinion in this developing democracy? Has it succeeded in reversing apparent defects in the electoral system, which is regarded pivotal in democracies? Focusing on the elections, the authors present a synopsis of the use of web 2.0 tools which were seemingly efficiently and prolifically used during the elections albeit to reach out to the large population base in this country.

Automotive can network response time analysis with variable jitter

Many methods to calculate message latencies for Controller Area Network (CAN) have previously been presented based upon the static worst-case behaviour of the system. With the use of modern simulation tools however, the behaviour of CAN networks can be simulated dynamically in order to find the likely worst-case response times for CAN messages. This paper shows the development of an automotive body control network model to be used as the basis for further simulations. A method to simulate the Worst-Case Response Time of this model is then presented, taking into account random queuing jitter.

An analysis of computer-mediated marketing education : the relationship between access to WEBCT, tutorial attendance and student grades

One of the problems faced by Australian academics in the 21 st century is to facilitate learning with a changing profile of students, in bigger and bigger classes. As educators at tertiary institutions, our environment is undergoing major changes as increasingly marketing programs are offering courses either partially (Web enabled) or totally (Web exclusive) online. This study has developed a significant model allowing the prediction of students' overall results and indicates that a student's final grade is dependant, in part, on accessing the study materials and study tools available to them via WebCT and attending face-to-face tutorials.