Energy Efficiency of Software Transactional Memory in a Heterogeneous Architecture

Hardware vendors make an important effort creating low-power CPUs that keep battery duration and durability above acceptable levels. In order to achieve this goal and provide good performance-energy for a wide variety of applications, ARM designed the big.LITTLE architecture. This heterogeneous multi-core architecture features two different types of cores: big cores oriented to performance and little cores, slower and aimed to save energy consumption. As all the cores have access to the same memory, multi-threaded applications must resort to some mutual exclusion mechanism to coordinate the access to shared data by the concurrent threads. Transactional Memory (TM) represents an optimistic approach for shared-memory synchronization. To take full advantage of the features offered by software TM, but also benefit from the characteristics of the heterogeneous big.LITTLE architectures, our focus is to propose TM solutions that take into account the power/performance requirements of the application and what it is offered by the architecture. In order to understand the current state-of-the-art and obtain useful information for future power-aware software TM solutions, we have performed an analysis of a popular TM library running on top of an ARM big.LITTLE processor. Experiments show, in general, better scalability for the LITTLE cores for most of the applications except for one, which requires the computing performance that the big cores offer.

Direct Write Fabrication of Waveguides and Interconnects for Optical Printed Wiring Boards

Current copper based circuit technology is becoming a limiting factor in high speed data transfer applications as processors are improving at a faster rate than are developments to increase on board data transfer. One solution is to utilize optical waveguide technology to overcome these bandwidth and loss restrictions. The use of this technology virtually eliminates the heat and cross-talk loss seen in copper circuitry, while also operating at a higher bandwidth. Transitioning current fabrication techniques from small scale laboratory environments to large scale manufacturing presents significant challenges. Optical-to-electrical connections and out-of-plane coupling are significant hurdles in the advancement of optical interconnects. The main goals of this research are the development of direct write material deposition and patterning tools for the fabrication of waveguide systems on large substrates, and the development of out-of-plane coupler components compatible with standard fiber optic cabling. Combining these elements with standard printed circuit boards allows for the fabrication of fully functional optical-electrical-printed-wiring-boards (OEPWBs). A direct dispense tool was designed, assembled, and characterized for the repeatable dispensing of blanket waveguide layers over a range of thicknesses (25-225 µm), eliminating waste material and affording the ability to utilize large substrates. This tool was used to directly dispense multimode waveguide cores which required no UV definition or development. These cores had circular cross sections and were comparable in optical performance to lithographically fabricated square waveguides. Laser direct writing is a non-contact process that allows for the dynamic UV patterning of waveguide material on large substrates, eliminating the need for high resolution masks. A laser direct write tool was designed, assembled, and characterized for direct write patterning waveguides that were comparable in quality to those produced using standard lithographic practices (0.047 dB/cm loss for laser written waveguides compared to 0.043 dB/cm for lithographic waveguides). Straight waveguides, and waveguide turns were patterned at multimode and single mode sizes, and the process was characterized and documented. Support structures such as angled reflectors and vertical posts were produced, showing the versatility of the laser direct write tool. Commercially available components were implanted into the optical layer for out-of-plane routing of the optical signals. These devices featured spherical lenses on the input and output sides of a total internal reflection (TIR) mirror, as well as alignment pins compatible with standard MT design. Fully functional OEPWBs were fabricated featuring input and output out-of-plane optical signal routing with total optical losses not exceeding 10 dB. These prototypes survived thermal cycling (-40°C to 85°C) and humidity exposure (95±4% humidity), showing minimal degradation in optical performance. Operational failure occurred after environmental aging life testing at 110°C for 216 hours.

Methods for Modeling and Analyzing Concurrent Software

Concurrent software executes multiple threads or processes to achieve high performance. However, concurrency results in a huge number of different system behaviors that are difficult to test and verify. The aim of this dissertation is to develop new methods and tools for modeling and analyzing concurrent software systems at design and code levels. This dissertation consists of several related results. First, a formal model of Mondex, an electronic purse system, is built using Petri nets from user requirements, which is formally verified using model checking. Second, Petri nets models are automatically mined from the event traces generated from scientific workflows. Third, partial order models are automatically extracted from some instrumented concurrent program execution, and potential atomicity violation bugs are automatically verified based on the partial order models using model checking. Our formal specification and verification of Mondex have contributed to the world wide effort in developing a verified software repository. Our method to mine Petri net models automatically from provenance offers a new approach to build scientific workflows. Our dynamic prediction tool, named McPatom, can predict several known bugs in real world systems including one that evades several other existing tools. McPatom is efficient and scalable as it takes advantage of the nature of atomicity violations and considers only a pair of threads and accesses to a single shared variable at one time. However, predictive tools need to consider the tradeoffs between precision and coverage. Based on McPatom, this dissertation presents two methods for improving the coverage and precision of atomicity violation predictions: 1) a post-prediction analysis method to increase coverage while ensuring precision; 2) a follow-up replaying method to further increase coverage. Both methods are implemented in a completely automatic tool.

The user participation on facebook pages of the three Portuguese tv news channels – RTP3, SIC NOTÍCIAS, AND TVI24

In recent decades, the national and international media contexts, in particular television media, significantly changed. The role that social networks, in particular Facebook, have taken as a content diffusion platform is unquestionable. Nowadays, traditional media (radio, newspaper, television) use the Web’s potential to distribute news content (Canelas, 2011). Currently, all TV news channels in Portugal have a website or a page on social networks. TV stations have increased communication channels with the public on digital platforms and study strategies that promote the participation and interaction with the news content (Cazajeira, 2015). The TV / Internet convergence will not only reach the content, but also the consumer, who becomes an interactive and participative audience. This reality imposes on journalism a continuous and updated news production system, dependent on a user being permanently connected to the Internet (Cazajeira, 2015). In fact, a report launched by an autonomous institution that has the function of supervising and regulating the media Portugal (ERC, 2015), confirms the relevance that social media has assumed in the publication and consumption of news. Social networks are recognised as one of the most important means for news media consultation, right after television, and the practice of sharing news is very common among consumers of online news in Portugal. Furthermore, when compared to other countries analysed by Reuters Institute (Newman, Levy, & Nielsen, 2015), Portuguese consumers are those who make the most comments to online news, preferring social networks to news sites. Considering the importance of new online platforms for journalism, this study aims to present a quantitative analysis of user participation on the Facebook pages of the three Portuguese TV news channels, specifically RTP3, SIC Notícias and TVI24, between 8 and 14 February 2016. To track this participation, the following parameters were used: the "like" button as a way to study the demonstration of publication interest; "sharing" of a particular element, be it a photo, a video or a text, on the user Timeline, the Timeline of a friend or by private message. This monitoring is important to understand the dissemination of news content; and the comments area. The number of comments will help understand the dynamics and the discussion that the publication has on the public. The results of 1063 posts indicate that of the analysed parameters - "Like", "Comment", and "Share" – the one with the greatest power of participation among the users of the pages of the three Portuguese TV news channels is the "Like" system, followed by "Share" and then "Comment". The theme that generates the most user participation with "Likes" and “Comments” parameters are "Science and Technology", “Education” and “Humorous/Satirical/Unusual”. Finally, the publications available end of the night (10pm-1am) has better participation rates.

The presence of three Portuguese TV news channels (RTP3, SIC NOTÍCIAS, and TVI24) on facebook

The growing popularity of social networks, and their impact on the daily lives of consumers, contributed to news organizations marking their presence on different online platforms. In the case of Facebook, a social network that began as a personal space, it has gradually transformed into a content-sharing space (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2015). Nowadays, Facebook is the second most viewed website in Portugal (Alexa, 2016), and therefore, it has become crucial for Portuguese news agencies to be present on this social network. Although television continues to be the main information source in Portugal, social networks, and specifically Facebook, are increasingly important in news consumption by users (ERC, 2015). This new way of news dissemination, as well as the proliferation that these contents reach in social networks, led to news agencies exploiting these new channels, both to attract new audiences, and to redirect users to their own websites (Castillo, El-Haddad, Pfeffer, & Stempeck, 2014). Thus, it is important to understand how, and what kind of content these agencies put on their Facebook channels, as well as the strategies they use to share these same contents. This study aims to understand how the main news channels of Portuguese TV (RTP3, SIC Notícias, and TVI24) manage and use the social network Facebook to share news contents. To this end, the authors collected quantitative data of all posts placed on Facebook between February 8 and February 14 2016. Approximately 1063 posts were collected and analysed from the three Facebook pages. The results indicate that two of the three channels extensively used their Facebook pages to share and target content to their official websites. Regarding the news sources and type of media used, the three Portuguese TV news channels use similar strategies. However, in what concerns the main themes and quantity of messages per day, as well as the level of redundancy of information, the three channels manage their pages differently.

The presence of three portuguese TV news channels (RTP3, SIC Notícias, and TVI24) on Facebook

The growing popularity of social networks, and their impact on the daily lives of consumers, contributed to news organizations marking their presence on different online platforms. In the case of Facebook, a social network that began as a personal space, it has gradually transformed into a content-sharing space (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2015). Nowadays, Facebook is the second most viewed website in Portugal (Alexa, 2016), and therefore, it has become crucial for Portuguese news agencies to be present on this social network. Although television continues to be the main information source in Portugal, social networks, and specifically Facebook, are increasingly important in news consumption by users (ERC, 2015). This new way of news dissemination, as well as the proliferation that these contents reach in social networks, led to news agencies exploiting these new channels, both to attract new audiences, and to redirect users to their own websites (Castillo, El-Haddad, Pfeffer, & Stempeck, 2014). Thus, it is important to understand how, and what kind of content these agencies put on their Facebook channels, as well as the strategies they use to share these same contents. This study aims to understand how the main news channels of Portuguese TV (RTP3, SIC Notícias, and TVI24) manage and use the social network Facebook to share news contents. To this end, the authors collected quantitative data of all posts placed on Facebook between February 8 and February 14 2016. Approximately 1063 posts were collected and analysed from the three Facebook pages. The results indicate that two of the three channels extensively used their Facebook pages to share and target content to their official websites. Regarding the news sources and type of media used, the three Portuguese TV news channels use similar strategies. However, in what concerns the main thematic and quantity of messages per day, as well as the level of redundancy of information, the three channels operate their pages differently.

The presence of three Portuguese TV news channels (RTP3, SIC NOTÍCIAS, and TVI24) on facebook

In recent decades, the national and international media contexts, in particular television, media significantly changed. Although they were not created for the purpose, the role that social networks, in particular Facebook, have taken as a content diffusion platform is unquestionable. Nowadays, traditional media (radio, newspaper, television) use the Web’s potential to distribute news content (Canelas, 2011). Currently, all TV news channels in Portugal have a website or a page on social networks. TV stations have increased communication channels with the public on digital platforms and study strategies that promote the participation and interaction with the news content (Cazajeira, 2015). The TV / Internet convergence will not only reach the content, but also the consumer, who becomes an interactive and participative audience. This reality imposes on journalism a continuous and updated news production system, dependent on a user being permanently connected to the Internet (Cazajeira, 2015). In fact, an ERC report (2015) confirms the relevance that social media has assumed in the publication and consumption of news. Social networks are recognised as one of the most important means for news media consultation, right after television, and the practice of sharing news is very common among consumers of online news in Portugal. Furthermore, when compared to other countries analysed by Reuters Institute (Newman, Levy, & Nielsen, 2015), Portuguese consumers are those who make the most comments to online news, preferring social networks to news sites. Considering the importance of new online platforms for journalism, this study aims to present a quantitative analysis of user participation on the Facebook pages of the three Portuguese TV news channels, specifically RTP3, SIC Notícias and TVI24, between 8 and 14 February 2016. To track this participation, the following parameters were used: the "like" button as a way to study the demonstration of publication interest; "sharing" of a particular element, be it a photo, a video or a text, on their own Timeline, the Timeline of a friend or by private message. This monitoring is important to understand the dissemination of news content; and the comments area. The number of comments will help understand the dynamics and the discussion that the publication has on the public. The results of 1063 posts indicate that of the analysed parameters - "Like", "Comment", and "Share" – the one with the greatest power of participation among the users of the pages of the three Portuguese TV news channels is the "Like" system, followed by "Share" and then "Comment". Analysing the thematic that create the most user participation with "Likes" and “Comments” parameters are "Science and Technology". “Education” and “Humorous/Satirical/Unusual Finally, the publications available end of the night (10pm-1am) has better participation rates.

Diageo's 'Stop Out of Control Drinking' campaign in Ireland: an analysis

Background: It has been argued that the alcohol industry uses corporate social responsibility activities to influence policy and undermine public health, and that every opportunity should be taken to scrutinise such activities. This study analyses a controversial Diageo-funded ‘responsible drinking’ campaign (“Stop out of Control Drinking”, or SOOCD) in Ireland. The study aims to identify how the campaign and its advisory board members frame and define (i) alcohol-related harms, and their causes, and (ii) possible solutions. Methods: Documentary analysis of SOOCD campaign material. This includes newspaper articles (n = 9), media interviews (n = 11), Facebook posts (n = 92), and Tweets (n = 340) produced by the campaign and by board members. All material was coded inductively, and a thematic analysis undertaken, with codes aggregated into sub-themes. Results: The SOOCD campaign utilises vague or self-defined concepts of ‘out of control’ and ‘moderate’ drinking, tending to present alcohol problems as behavioural rather than health issues. These are also unquantified with respect to actual drinking levels. It emphasises alcohol-related antisocial behaviour among young people, particularly young women. In discussing solutions to alcohol-related problems, it focuses on public opinion rather than on scientific evidence, and on educational approaches and information provision, misrepresenting these as effective. “Moderate drinking” is presented as a behavioural issue (“negative drinking behaviours”), rather than as a health issue. Conclusions: The ‘Stop Out of Control Drinking’ campaign frames alcohol problems and solutions in ways unfavourable to public health, and closely reflects other Diageo Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity, as well as alcohol and tobacco industry strategies more generally. This framing, and in particular the framing of alcohol harms as a behavioural issue, with the implication that consumption should be guided only by self-defined limits, may not have been recognised by all board members. It suggests a need for awareness-raising efforts among the public, third sector and policymakers about alcohol industry strategies

Virtual knowledge brokering : describing the roles and strategies used by knowledge brokers in a pediatric physiotherapy virtual community of practice

Introduction: Knowledge transfer in pediatric rehabilitation is challenging and requires active, multifaceted strategies. The use of knowledge brokers (KBs) is one such strategy noted to promote clinician behavior change. The success of using KBs to transfer knowledge relies on their ability to adapt to ever-changing clinical contexts. In addition, with the rapid growth of online platforms as knowledge transfer forums, KBs must become effective in virtual environments. Although the role of KBs has been studied in various clinical contexts, their emerging role in specific online environments designed to support evidence-based behavior change has not yet been described. Our objective is to describe the roles of, and strategies used by, four KBs involved in a virtual community of practice to guide and inform future online KB interventions. Methods: A descriptive design guided this study and a thematic content analysis process was used to analyze online KB postings. The Promoting Action on Research in Health Sciences knowledge transfer framework and online andragogical learning theories assisted in the coding. A thematic map was created illustrating the links between KBs' strategies and emerging roles in the virtual environment. Results: We analyzed 95 posts and identified three roles: 1) context architect: promoting a respectful learning environment, 2) knowledge sharing promoter: building capacity, and 3) linkage creator: connecting research-to-practice. Strategies used by KBs reflected invitational, constructivism, and connectivism approaches, with roles and strategies changing over time. Discussion: This study increases our understanding of the actions of KBs in virtual contexts to foster uptake of research evidence in pediatric physiotherapy. Our results provide valuable information about the knowledge and skills required by individuals to fulfill this role in virtual environments.

Estado Islámico: erosión de la estatalidad en Iraq y Siria y la aparición de una estatalidad paralela desde la proclamación del Califato hasta la caída de Kobane

El interés de este estudio de caso es analizar la naturaleza del Estado Islámico y su impacto en la estatalidad y soberanía de Iraq y Siria. Se estudia y explica cómo ha sido la evolución y expansión del Estado Islámico y el impacto que este proceso ha tenido sobre Iraq y Siria generando de esta manera la aparición de una estatalidad paralela a través de la construcción de un aparato institucional por parte del Estado Islámico, lo que contribuye al desarrollo de un “para-estado”. Siguiendo la línea argumentativa, finalmente se demuestra que en la evolución del Estado Islámico se logra crear una forma primitiva de Estado, adquiriendo poco a poco niveles de estatalidad, lo que lleva a que los Estados de Iraq y Siria pierdan atributos de estatalidad y de un Estado soberano.

Emprendimiento, instituciones y construcción de paz – Análisis de Influencia de Stakeholders en los departamentos de Nariño y Cauca

Nariño y Cauca son dos de los departamentos de Colombia más afectados por la violencia. La reciente firma de un acuerdo de un cese bilateral de hostilidades con las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) y los diálogos de La Habana son apenas el comienzo de la Construcción de Paz (CP) que implica el esfuerzo continuo de diferentes actores (gubernamentales, sector privado, sociedad civil y organismos multilaterales) para lograr no solo una paz negativa sino una paz positiva. El apoyo al emprendimiento es una estrategia implementada por el Gobierno y por los stakeholders que participan en el proceso del posconflicto, que tiene como finalidad respaldar el proceso de integración económica de las víctimas y desmovilizados. El presente documento es un estudio exploratorio elaborado por medio de una investigación cualitativa en la temática de emprendimiento, instituciones y CP en los departamentos de Nariño y Cauca. Se utilizó una estrategia metodológica denominada Matrices de Stakeholders para representar gráficamente la influencia institucional sobre la toma decisiones e implementación de los stakeholders sobre las reformas o políticas de emprendimiento y CP en estos dos departamentos. En esta investigación se encontró que i) en general, las instituciones del gobierno de los de Nariño y Cauca son extractivas y limitan la participación de la sociedad; ii) los stakeholders de la sociedad civil a pesar de tener cierta organización y voz no están en capacidad de generar influencia más que a nivel local o comunitario; iii) los vacíos dejados por las instituciones extractivas del gobierno tienden a ser llenados por instituciones inclusivas de stakeholders del sector privado y de organismos multilaterales.

El fortalecimiento de organizacones terroristas en África a partir de la descentralización de Al Qaeda (2006-2013) a la luz de la teoría de guerra en red

El objetivo de esta monografía es analizar el proceso de descentralización de Al Qaeda a causa del debilitamiento de su centro en Afganistán por la intervención militar de la coalición occidental. Se estudia como Al Qaeda deja de ser una organización jerárquica, comenzando a organizarse en red. Estas trasformaciones se pueden explicar a la luz de los principales postulados de la teoría de Guerra en Red, que incluyen la falta de un liderazgo central, y la distribución en enjambre para atacar. Siguiendo la línea argumentativa, finalmente se demuestra que mediante la expansión de la red, Al Qaeda aún bajo su situación de debilidad ha mantenido vigente la yihad trasnacional a través de las organizaciones filiales en África.

Diálogos de La Habana (2012-2016) : ¿Ahora sí la paz?

Tras conocer cuatro años de debate (dentro y fuera de La Habana), los borradores de dos puntos de la agenda y presenciar el crecimiento de bandas criminales y/u organizaciones sucesoras del paramilitarismo, de la mano de la expansión de economías ilegales y una polarización creciente (y preocupante por sus características) en torno a la paz y el conflicto social/armado en el país, el presente trabajo pretende analizar a profundidad el carácter y alcance de los discursos emitidos por los negociadores en La Habana.

Abordaje psicoanalítico de la relación madre-hijo durante el embarazo y la forma en que esta afecta el desarrollo psicoafectivo del niño

Resumen Este documento hace una revisión de literatura desde un enfoque psicoanalítico sobre la relación madre – hijo durante el embarazo y la forma en que este influye en el desarrollo psíquico del bebé. Se aborda esta temática principalmente desde la visión teórica de Donald Winnicott, Wilfred Bion y Helene Deutsch para lograr un análisis más integral del vínculo madre-hijo. La elección de autores se hizo teniendo en cuenta que para cada uno de ellos este vínculo constituye una parte fundamental en el desarrollo psicoafectivo del niño, así como la importancia que le dan a la concepción y al embarazo en dicho proceso.

Humour, Hate Crimes and British Radical Right Users on Twitter: A longitudinal Post-Brexit study

This dissertation explores the link between hate crimes that occurred in the United Kingdom in June 2017, June 2018 and June 2019 through the posts of a robust sample of Conservative and radical right users on Twitter. In order to avoid the traditional challenges of this kind of research, I adopted a four staged research protocol that enabled me to merge content produced by a group of randomly selected users to observe the phenomenon from different angles. I collected tweets from thirty Conservative/right wing accounts for each month of June over the three years with the help of programming languages such as Python and CygWin tools. I then examined the language of my data focussing on humorous content in order to reveal whether, and if so how, radical users online often use humour as a tool to spread their views in conditions of heightened disgust and wide-spread political instability. A reflection on humour as a moral occurrence, expanding on the works of Christie Davies as well as applying recent findings on the behavioural immune system on online data, offers new insights on the overlooked humorous nature of radical political discourse. An unorthodox take on the moral foundations pioneered by Jonathan Haidt enriched my understanding of the analysed material through the addition of a moral-based layer of enquiry to my more traditional content-based one. This convergence of theoretical, data driven and real life events constitutes a viable “collection of strategies” for academia, data scientists; NGO’s fighting hate crimes and the wider public alike. Bringing together the ideas of Davies, Haidt and others to my data, helps us to perceive humorous online content in terms of complex radical narratives that are all too often compressed into a single tweet.