Evaluating the performance of flood-d: a tool for efficientlyreplicating Internet information services

Internet information services replicate their servers to improve availability, response time, and fault tolerance. Traditional replication algorithms do not address the scale and administrative decentralization of today's internetworks. We have proposed and implemented a scalable and efficient tool to replicate wide-area, autonomously managed services. We target replication degrees of thousands of weakly consistent replicas. The main goal of our replication tool is to make traditional replication services scale in today's exponentially growing, autonomously managed internetworks. Our tool, which we call flood-d, allows servers to be organized in multiple replication groups. For each replication group, flood-d builds a logical update topology that is resilient to server failure, and tries to minimize the communication cost and propagation time needed to transmit updates. Flood-d's logical topologies are computed based on communication latency and available network bandwidth. This paper describes flood-d, and presents simulation results obtained when using flood-d to extend existing replication algorithms. Our results show the gains of organizing service replicas into multiple, smaller replication groups, and using network-cognizant logical topologies to propagate updates. We argue that existing as well as emerging Internet information services can benefit from flood-d's services     

Thermodynamic assessment of the Hg–Tl system

The phase diagram and thermodynamic properties of the Hg–Tl binary system were modeled by means of the CALPHAD method, using experimental information as reported in the literature. A good agreement was observed between our calculated data and the existing experimental data. Also, an interesting result was established about the dependence of entropy and enthalpy of mixing functions on temperature, and at the same time, on practically ideal activity vs. concentration. The Gamma phase was described for the first time using the substitional RKMP model.     

The Silicon Graphics 4D/240GTX superworkstation

A class of machines known both as superworkstations and graphics supercomputers has become available. These workstations provide computing performance previously available only on supercomputers and graphics performance at levels never before available. The author presents a model that differentiates graphics architectures on the basis of graphics computation partitioning and places superworkstation architectures within the framework. He then presents the reasoning that resulted in the architecture of the Silicon Graphics 4D/240GTX superworkstation. The architecture and performance of the 4D/240GTX are discussed     

Cognitive categorization and quality of performance ratings.

The effects of cognitive categorization of raters on accuracy, leniency, and halo of performance evaluations were investigated in a field setting. One hundered seventy-four subordinates evaluated the performance of their managers on three performance dimensions. Managers were categorized as congruent or incongruent based on subordinates' perceptions of the extent to which the manager's behavior met the subordinates' expectations. The results indicated that the quality of ratings assigned by subordinates was related to the cognitive categories used. As hypothesized, ratings of managers who were categorized as congruent were found to be more accurate and also to contain more leniency and halo tendency than the ratings of managers who were categorized as incongruent. Implications of these findings for performance-appraisal research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improved strained HEMT characteristics using double-heterojunctionIn0.65Ga0.35As/In0.52Al0.48As design

The DC and microwave properties of strained In_0.65Ga _0.35As/In₀₅₂Al_0.48As HEMTs (high electron-mobility transistors) with double-heterojunction design are presented. The high sheet carrier density and good carrier confinement give rise to excellent device performance with very low output conductance. For 1×150-μm² long-gate HEMTs, the measured cutoff frequency f_T and maximum frequency of oscillation f_max are as high as 37 and 66 GHz, respectively     

Strain aging of tube steels during operation of overland oil pipelines

We applied the methods of fatigue failure in pure bending and of impact toughness to investigate the tube steels 17GS, 19G, 14GN, 14KhGS, 10G2S, and Kh52 (Czechoslovakia) of oil pipelines after different service times, and we also determined the stress intensity factors and strain aging co-effecients. The article shows that with loinger service time the tube steels become embrittled: the number of load cycles to failure decreases, impact toughness drops abruptly, and the strain-aging coefficient increases. In embrittled steels fatigue cracks become more ramified than in nonaged steels. It was established that in proportion to the length of operation of oil pipelines the residual life of the tube steels decreases in consequence of the embrittlement of structurally inhomogeneous regions of the metal. It is shown that specimens with welding seams fail 2–2.5 times more rapidly; this testifies to the intense aging in structurally inhomogeneous regions.All-Union Research Institute for the Construction and Planning of Oil Pipelines (VNIISPTnefti), Ufa. Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 11, pp. 125–128, November, 1989.     

Refurbishment and safety upgradation of research reactor Cirus

Cirus, a 40 MW t, vertical tank type research reactor, having wide range of research facilities, was commissioned in the year 1960. This research reactor, situated at Mumbai, India has been operated and utilized extensively for isotope production, material testing and neutron beam research for nearly four decades. With a view to assess the residual life of the reactor, detailed ageing studies were carried out during the early 1990s. Based on these studies, refurbishment of Cirus for its life extension was taken up. During refurbishment, additional safety features were incorporated in various systems to qualify them for the current safety standards. This paper gives the details of the operating experiences, utilization of the reactor along with methodologies followed for carrying out detailed ageing studies, refurbishment and safety upgradation for its life extension.     

Performance of GMSK frequency detection with soft decision decoding of block codes using Chase's second algorithm in mobile radio channel

Investigates bit error rate (BER) performance of a GMSK frequency detection system. The channel measurement information (CMI) for a bit in the received block is calculated from samples of the received signal envelope (R/sub s/) and the demodulator output (eye level). The CMIs of eye level*R/sub s/ and of R/sub s//sup 2/ are investigated, and the decoding performances for the CMIs are compared using the Hamming (7, 4) code in nonfading (static) and fading channels in laboratory experiments.<>     

Runoff and infiltration characteristics of pavement structures--review of an extensive monitoring program.

The stormwater runoff and infiltration performance of permeable pavements has been systematically evaluated within an intensive monitoring program. The primary objective of the investigation was to generate a broad database, which enables the development of an advanced simulation module for urban drainage modelling. Over 160 field and lab scale experiments have been completed and analyzed for surface runoff and infiltration characteristics. The test series include several pavement types under various boundary conditions such as diverse precipitation impacts, varying surface slope and layer construction as well as different stages of surface clogging and several base and subgrade layer characteristics. The results represent a reliable and comprehensive database that allows profound conclusions and substantial recommendations.