Global Assignment Research Articles

Scheduling and Priority Mapping for Static Real-Time Middleware

This paper presents a middleware real-time scheduling technique for static, distributed, real-time applications. The technique uses global deadline monotonic priority assignment to clients and the Distributed Priority Ceiling protocol to provide concurrency control and priorities for server execution. The paper presents a new algorithm for mapping the potentially large number of unique global priorities required by this scheduling technique to the restricted set of priorities provided by commercial real-time operating systems. This algorithm is called Lowest Overlap First Priority Mapping; we prove that it is optimal among direct priority mapping algorithms. This paper also presents the implementation of these real-time middleware scheduling techniques in a Scheduling Service that meets the interface proposed for such a service in the Real-Time CORBA 1.0 standard. Our prototype Scheduling Service is integrated with the commercial PERTS tool that provides schedulability analysis and automated generation of global and local priorities for clients and servers.

The changing role of the corporate HR function in global organizations of the twenty-first century

The primary focus of this paper is to examine how the increased demand for global corporate strategic consistency and flexibility redefines the roles of the corporate human resource function and its venues of influence. In particular, we analyse possible causal linkages among strategic international HR management, strategic leadership of corporate top management team (i.e. TMT), and alternative global assignment options. As globalization significantly changes not only the operating boundaries but also the symbolic context of the global organization, we argue that corporate HR function can play more influential roles in global organizations than it has in the past.

The role of coherence in eliciting and handling imprecise probabilities and its application to medical diagnosis

Abstract We refer to an arbitrary family H ={H 1 ,H 2 ,…,H n } of events (hypotheses), i.e., H has neither any particular algebraic structure nor is a partition of the certain event Ω . We detect logical relations among the given events (the latter could represent some possible diseases), and some further information is carried by probability assessments, relative to an event E (e.g., a symptom) conditionally to some of the Hi's (“partial likelihood”). If we assess (prior) probabilities for the events Hi's, then the ensuing problems are: (i) is this assessment coherent? (ii) is the partial likelihood coherent “per se”? (iii) is the global assignment (the initial one together with the likelihood) coherent? If the relevant answers are all YES, then we may try to “update” (coherently) the priors P(Hi) into the posteriors P(Hi|E). This is an instance of a more general issue, the problem of coherent extensions: a very particular case is Bayes' updating for exhaustive and mutually exclusive hypotheses, in which this extension is unique. In the general case the lack of uniqueness gives rise to upper and lower updated probabilities, and we could now update again the latter, given a new event F and a corresponding (possibly partial) likelihood. In this paper, many relevant features of this problem are discussed, keeping an eye on the distinction between semantic and syntactic aspects.

An Efficient Airline Re-Fleeting Model for the Incremental Modification of Planned Fleet Assignments

Airlines typically manage their annual business cycle by subdividing the year into a sequence of scheduling periods that span about a month each. Fleet assignment represents an important step in the planning process for each new scheduling period and is usually undertaken using computer-based optimization models. Once an initial fleet assignment solution is achieved and before “freezing” the assignments, planners spend significant effort in analyzing, modifying, and committing the individual components of the solution throughout the flight network. This manual step results in local modifications to the initial solution, and is necessary to reflect business judgment calls that cannot be captured by the optimization model. In addition, planners find it imperative to modify the initial fleet assignment solution to react to inevitable changes to the planning environment related to the planned schedule, demand forecast, number of available aircraft, crew staffing levels, and a host of other scheduling constraints. The above-described process of incrementally fine-tuning and modifying the initial fleet assignment solution is referred to as re-fleeting. It is characterized by (1) the requirement of quick solution time to allow frequent re-fleeting exercises, (2) the need for multiple alternative high-quality solutions to choose from, and (3) the constraint that the new solution differs from the prior one in a controlled and limited fashion. We demonstrate in this paper that global fleet assignment model formulations can be used to address the re-fleeting problem in an effective fashion.

Mixed Global and Local Assignment Algorithms for Quasi-Dynamic Local Truckload Trucking Operations with Strict Time Windows

Examined are the trade-offs associated with local and global, but myopic, assignment heuristics for local truckload trucking operations such as those associated with drayage operations near intermodal facilities. These operations involve a combination of loads that are known at the beginning of the day and those that arrive dynamically throughout the day. Some of the dynamically arriving loads are revenue-generating moves, and others are trailer, chassis, or container repositioning moves. Because a significant fraction of the day’s loads are known a priori, dispatchers would like to be able to construct schedules for the day and then to make minor changes to these schedules as the day progresses. The efficiency of an operation in which new loads are added to or appended to schedules constructed at the start of the day versus one in which the whole system is reoptimized several times during the day is examined. The reoptimization method does not seek to preserve current schedules, but the local optimization techniques do. Solutions were examined with a geographic information system-based simulation model developed for this purpose.

BGH, Urteil vom 27. Juni 1995 - XI ZR 8/94, BGHZ 130, 115

The parties to the case decided by the German Federal Supreme Court were in dispute over the validity of a global assignment of debts owed to the party seeking credit and a charge over property in a warehouse with variable content (Sicherungsübereignung). The plaintiff granted credit to the debtor, whose liquidator became the defendant to the action. The aforementioned means of security served to secure the advance - in addition to charges over immovable property and over machinery. The standard form for global assignment of debts owed to the party seeking credit of 7 February 1992 provided, inter alia: Para 4 "In establishing the level of cover, the relevant factor is not the nominal value of the debts assigned but their security value. The security value of each cdebt is to be determined by the bank in accordance with the principles of valuation common in banking practice. The security value of the debts assigned is to amount to 120% of the claims that the bank is seeking to secure. In establishing the level of cover, other forms of security provided to the bank and the security value thereof, are to be taken into account." Para 13 "The bank is obliged to grant a release concerning the rights acquired under this contract when it has been satisfied in relation to all the claims secured thereby against the debtor. The bank must, on application by the person providing the security, grant a partial release concerning a right acquired by it under this contract if the agreed level of cover is exceeded on a more than temporary basis. The right to be released will be selected by the bank." Paragraph 2 of the standard form contract establishing a charge over property (Sicherungsübereignung), entered into on the same day stated: "In establishing the level of cover, the relevant factor is not the nominal value of the goods subject to the charge, but rather their security value … The security value of the goods subject to the charge is to amount to 120% of the claims that the bank is seeking to secure. In establishing the level of cover, other forms of security provided to the bank, and the security value thereof are to be taken into account. In the case of a claim on the part of the person providing the security for the grant of a release, reference is made to para. 12 of this contract." The release clause referred to was in the same form as para. 13 of the global assignment. In addition, both standard form contracts referred to the plaintiff's general conditions of contract. These were in conformity with the 1986 General Conditions of Banking Contracts. § 20(2) of these Conditions provided: "Notice of the fact that the security is to be realised is not required. Nor is the observance of a period within which settlement can be made, or a demand for immediate cash payment. No variation of the usual form of enforced sale may be requested. The bank will, so far as possible, communicate the form, place and time of the sale." The plaintiff brought an action for a declaration, inter alia, that the global assignment and the charge over the warehouse were valid. The Landgericht dismissed the claim, the Oberlandesgericht allowed an appeal. A further appeal to the Federal Supreme Court was unsuccessful. In the opinion of the Supreme Court, the nullity of the rules on realisation of security in § 20(2) of the 1986 General Conditions of Banking Contracts did not affect the validity of global assignments and charges over property (§ 6(1) of the Law on General Conditions of Contract (AGBG)). The invalidity of the rules on realisation of security does not unreasonably disadvantage the provider of the security - in contrast to the position where wages or salary are attached - because under § 6(2) AGBG the ordinary rules of law fill the gap left by the invalid rules on realisation. As to the question whether it is an unreasonable hardship within the meaning of s 6(3) AGBG to hold a contracting party to the terms of the contract - the relevant time

Existence of two internal energy distributions in jet-formed van der Waals heteroclusters: example of the anthracene–argonn system

In this paper we report on the structure of van der Waals anthracene–argonn (n=1–6) clusters, which were interrogated by a complete set of experimental diagnoses based upon mass-selective, fragmentation-free, two-color, resonant two-photon ionization and laser induced fluorescence as well as a theoretical modeling of the ionization energy. We were able to provide a global assignment of the spectral features which rests on several independent sources of information: the spectral shifts δν and linewidths of the S1←S0 transition, the ionization energy shifts δI.E. and threshold widths and their comparison with the theoretical simulations, the hole-burning spectra, the structure-specific predissociation dynamics. The existence of two cluster ensembles, which present qualitatively different spectral features and significant relative intensity, has been evidenced for each cluster size. The first ensemble exhibits spectral features, typical of cold, rigid-like clusters. Only one prominent stable structure is found for each cluster size of this ensemble: (1|0) for n=1, (2|0) for n=2, (2|1) for n=3, (2|2) for n=4, (3|2) for n=5, (3|3) for n=6, where the notation (n-p|p) refers to the distribution of the argon atoms between the two molecular sides. The second ensemble has been assigned to more or less `hot' clusters having probably the same (n-p|p) arrangement as the first ones, but excited in high van der Waals vibrational levels through an intracluster vibrational relaxation of anthracene molecules. Results on similar heteroclusters reported in the literature are discussed on the light of our new assignment of the spectral features of small Ant–Arn clusters to structures differing by their internal energy content and not by their configuration.

Global Block-Similarity and Pole Assignment of Class Cp

Starting from the existence of a Cp-basis for any Cp-family of subspaces having constant dimension, we construct a Brunovsky basis of class Cp for a Cp-family of pairs of matrices having constant Brunovsky type. We derive a global pole assignment theorem for such kinds of pairs. In all the cases we assume that the manifold of parameters is contractible.

Real-Time Dynamic Traffic Assignment for Route Guidance: Comparison of Global Predictive vs. Local Reactive Strategies Under Stochastic Demands

This paper describes two strategies for real-time route guidance of equipped motorists in a congested traffic network, and presents a comparative assessment of the strategies’ effectiveness and robustness under stochastic origin-destination (O-D) demands. The first approach consists of a global network-level system optimal assignment algorithm implemented in a rolling-horizon framework, with predicted O-D demands. The second consists of simpler locally-oriented rules that react to measured conditions (no prediction). Results of numerical experiments using a simulation-assignment model (DYNASMART) under different scenarios of demand variability and forecast error are presented with regard to (1) sensitivity of the RH solution to stage length, roll period and forecast errors, and (2) comparative performance and robustness of the two approaches under stochastically varying demands and imperfect forecasts.

Some suggestions on the implementation of reliable simulations

We studied Several simulation programming codes. Based on our findings, the following suggestions may be necessary in the development of reliable simulation packages: 1) avoid global storage assignment in coding; 2) construct modular programming structure in implementation; 3) employ simple schemes in computation; 4) do not introduce pseudo-physical term in modeling; 5) engage reasonable time interval in run; and 6) establish solution verification in use.

Combined techniques for channel allocation algorithms in mobile radio systems

Global assignment techniques, comprising the various forms of the dynamic channel allocation algorithms, and local assignment techniques, characterised by the algorithms taking advantage of the traffic available at the overlapping service areas, are combined into a common algorithm for mobile radio applications. The performance analysis is carried out by means of the Monte Carlo simulation having a real cellular network as the system under study. The results show a remarkable traffic performance, substantially better than that attained by the individual techniques. An increase in the complexity due to the combination is certainly expected, but, because the local techniques are reasonably simple to implement, it is believed that the overall complexity is mostly dictated by that inherent to the global technique.

Combined Channel Allocation Techniques in Mobile Radio Systems

Global assignment techniques - comprising the various forms of the dynamic channel allocation algorithms -, and local assignment techniques characterised by the algorithms taking advantage of the traffic available at the overlapping service areas -, are combined into a common algorithm for mobile radio applications. The performance analysis is carried out by means of the Monte Carlo simulation having a real cellular network as the system under study. The results show a remarkable traffic performance, substantially better than that attained by the individual techniques. An increase in the complexity due to the combination is certainly expected, but, because the local techniques are reasonably simple to implement, it is believed that the overall complexity is mostly dictated by that inherent to the global technique.

Design of decentralized control for symmetrically interconnected systems

A design procedure for decentralized controllers based on eigenspectrum assignment for a large-scale system composed of symmetrically interconnected subsystems is presented. The procedure is executed at the subsystems level. All subsystems share the global assignment process.

Intramural mechanics in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: functional mapping with strain-rate MR imaging.

To characterize systolic and diastolic intramural mechanics in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with a new metric of contractile activity. Eleven healthy subjects and eight patients with HCM underwent velocity-encoded echo-planar magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (6-8-frame gated breath-hold movies, 3 x 3-mm resolution). A scalar strain rate (SR) parameter was compared with wall thickness and symptoms. The normal pattern of SR included regional uniformity, a monotonically increasing subepicardial to subendocardial gradient, and minimum transmural shear rate. In HCM, heterogeneity of SRs increased in diastole. Regional diastolic SR correlated with regional wall thickness (r = .785, P = .0001). Interobserver global SR assignment agreed in seven of eight patients. All four patients with New York Heart Association class 1 disease had a low global SR deficit score, whereas three of four patients with class 2 or 3 disease had a high SR deficit score (Spearman r = .775, P = .187). SR characterization may provide an objective measure of disease course in HCM.

LAYER ASSIGNMENT FOR HIGH-SPEED MCM PACKAGING

In this paper, we present a layer assignment method under high-performance multi-chip module environments. In contrast with treating global routing and layer assignment separately, our method assigns nets to layers while considering preferable global routing topologies simultaneously. We take transmission line effects into account to avoid noise in high-speed electronics packages besides the conventional optimization goal such as routability or performance. The problem is formulated as a quadratic Boolean programming problem and an algorithm is presented to solve the problem after linearization. The proposed method is applied to a set of benchmark circuits to demonstrate the effectiveness.

An algorithm for optimal minimax routing in ATM networks

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) has been adopted by the CCITT as the transport mode in which Broadband ISDN will be based. In this paper, we formulate the problem of routing cells in an ATM network as an optimization problem. The objective is to minimize the largest cell loss probability among all links. The constraints correspond to a multicommodity network flow problem with gains. An algorithm to determine a global optimal flow assignment is presented. The minimax routing algorithm was implemented and tested on several sample networks. The computational experiments show that the algorithm is computationally efficient.

An operationalized procedure for the recognition of premorbid personality types in biographical case notes on psychiatric patients.

A method for the assessment of six premorbid personality types from biographical data in psychiatric case histories is described. Trained raters have to fill in a list comprising 106 items as descriptors of a patient's premorbid behavioural development. The assignment to the types in question (the "manic type" and its rare variant, the "happy-go-lucky type", the "melancholic type", the "anxious insecure type" and its rare variant, the "unrealistic dreamy type", and finally, the "nervous tense type") is computed on the basis of the item scores by forming type scores and comparing their height intraindividually. The subject under study is assigned to the type reaching the comparatively highest value. Two raters independently analyzed 261 records from which all information on mental disorders in family members and the patient himself/herself as well as all biographical data from the first manifestation of a symptom disorder onwards had been erased by technical assistants. In 106 of the records, a global assignment to the types of premorbid personality had already been performed by one of the authors of the typology. The scores for the same type assessed by the two ratings correlated highly with each other (0.77 to 0.80), the concordance of types reached a kappa-value of 0.55 (P < 0.001), and the results of the operationalized typing agreed in the same order with the result of global typing in the subsample of n = 106.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A generalized state assignment theory for transformations on signal transition graphs

In this article, we propose a global assignment theory forencoding state graph transformations. A constraint satisfaction framework is proposed that can guaranteenecessary and sufficient conditions for a state graph assignment to result in a transformed state graph that is free of critical races. Performing transformations at the state graph level has the advantage that the requirements imposed on the initial STG are very weak. Unlike previous methods, the initial STG need not be a live, safe, nor a free choice net. The only requirement is that the corresponding initial state graph is finite, connected, and has a consistent state assignment. Hence, a very broad range of signal transition graphs can be synthesized. The transformations achievable using the proposed framework correspond to very complex transformations on signal transition graphs. Even transformations that convert a free choice net into a correct non-free choice net and a 1-safe net into a correct 2-safe net are feasible. Addition of transitions that do not follow the Petri net firing rule is also possible. Even though our method can search a large solution space, we will show that it is possible to solve the problem in an exact way in acceptable CPU times in many practical cases.

Spectroscopic interrogation of heterocluster isomerization. II. Spectroscopy of (9,10 dichloroanthracene)⋅(rare gas)n heteroclusters

In this paper we report on the electronic spectroscopy of mass-resolved heteroclusters of 9,10-dichloroanthracene (DCA) with rare-gas atoms, i.e., DCA⋅Arn (n=1–54), DCA⋅Krn (n=1–20), and DCA⋅Xen (n=1–14), which were interrogated by resonant two-photon two-color ionization in conjunction with mass spectrometric detection. We measured the spectral shifts δν and the linewidths (FWHM) Δ of the S0→S1 transition, the ionization potential shifts δI from S0, and the change Δτr in the pure radiative lifetime of S1, relative to the corresponding values for the bare DCA molecule. We were able to provide a global assignment of the structure of isomers of DCA⋅An (A=Ar,Kr) heteroclusters, which rests on six independent sources of information, i.e., the application of experimental combination rules and on the comparison between the results of the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the experimental data for δν, δI, and Δτr. The size dependence and the isomer specificity of δν, δI, and Δτr are well accounted for by microscopic theories for these spectroscopic observables in conjunction with MD simulations. The size dependence of the experimental linewidths was analyzed in terms of finite temperature MD simulations, which incorporate the effects of homogeneous and inhomogeneous line broadening. Our analysis provides an adequate description of the qualitative difference between the gradual line narrowing of DCA⋅Arn (n=20–34) and the abrupt onset of line narrowing of DCA⋅Krn (n≥16) heteroclusters, which are attributed to the reduction of inhomogeneous line broadening originating from the combined effects of homogeneous line broadening and of the isomer specificity of the spectral shifts. The temperature dependence of the homogeneous linewidths provides means for internal cluster thermometry. The isomerization phenomena inferred from MD simulations of nuclear dynamics could not be identified by the cluster size dependence of δν, δI, Δτr, and Δ, in accord with the conclusions drawn from the MD simulations of these spectroscopic observables. Finally, we explored the evolution of condensed matter properties with increasing the heterocluster size, advancing cluster size equations, which quantitatively accounts for the smooth ‘‘transition’’ of the spectral shift and of the homogeneous line broadening of DCA⋅Arn heteroclusters to those of DCA in bulk solid Ar.

On decentralised eigenvalue assignment for large-scale systems with dynamic interconnections

Characterisation for the class of decentralised control that assigns a prescribed set of eigenvalues for a large-scale dynamically delayed interconnected system is given in the paper. By expanding the system state space the delay disappears and a higher dimensional state space is created. The equivalent systems controllability originates from substystems interconnections controllability. Increased dimensionality is no longer a problem, because, by partitioning the composite eigenvectors, the augmented problem is decomposed to several similar subproblems that subsystems interconnections are required to solve. Sufficient conditions for global eigenvalue assignment are established in terms of subsystems-interconnections matrices. A synthesis procedure for the characterisation is presented through exploiting the available freedom within subsystems/interconnections kernel spaces.