Logic Interconnect Research Articles

Sustaining IT outsourcing performance during a systemic crisis: A configurational approach

The COVID-19 pandemic set off a systemic crisis that spread rapidly across the globe in early 2020, significantly affecting the outsourcing industry. Information Technology (IT) vendors as well as client firms found it challenging to maintain their performance levels. The Information Systems (IS) outsourcing literature, notably, had little insight to offer to client firms about effective IT outsourcing strategies for a systemic crisis. However, the literature did discuss two distinct yet interconnected logics for understanding IT outsourcing performance in non-crisis contexts. Whereas one logic revolves around the possession of strong internal capabilities, the other centers on the externalization of services. Building on this work, we develop a conceptual model to guide a configurational analysis centering on the sustenance of IT outsourcing performance during a systemic crisis. Based on the findings emerging from a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of 200 companies across 13 countries, we theorize six organizational logics that client firms can consider to sustain IT outsourcing performance. These logics entail different combinations or configurations of client-firms’ IT outsourcing characteristics and the characteristics of the crisis faced. As systemic crises can engender more or less intense uncertainty, thus affecting the strategic options available to decisions makers, we also use our findings to theorize organizational logics that can enable performance sustenance during low, medium, and high severity crises. We discuss our research’s contributions to the IS outsourcing literature as well as its practical implications.

Aggregating credences into beliefs: agenda conditions for impossibility results

AbstractHybrid belief aggregation addresses aggregation of individual probabilistic beliefs into collective binary beliefs. In line with the development of judgment aggregation theory, our research delves into the identification of precise agenda conditions associated with some key impossibility theorems in the context of hybrid belief aggregation. We determine the necessary and sufficient level of logical interconnection between the propositions in an agenda for some key impossibilities to arise. Specifically, we prove three characterization theorems about hybrid belief aggregation: (i) Precisely the path-connected and pair-negatable agendas lead to the ‘oligarchy result’—only oligarchic rules satisfy universal domain, proposition-wise independence, respect for unanimity, and deductive closure of collective beliefs. (ii) Precisely the negation-connected agendas lead to the ‘triviality result’—only unanimity rules satisfy those conditions as well as anonymity. (iii) Precisely the blocked agendas lead to the ‘non-existence result’—no rules satisfy those conditions as well as completeness and consistency of collective beliefs. Furthermore, we compare these novel findings with existing agenda-theoretic characterization theorems in the domains of judgment aggregation and belief binarization.

The Grammar of the Disabled-Able Agency Construing ‘Hindu Studies’: Perusing the Ashtavakra Gita

The Ashtavakra Gita is a metaphysical treatise by Rishiraj Janaka and the able-disable Sage Ashtavakra in Indian mythology. It spans 20 chapters and 285 shlokas, focusing on the post-human and the disabled-able agency. The text is influenced by Hindu Studies and Indian knowledge systems, and its interconnection of ideas, cohesion, consistency, and logic are key research questions. The study explores themes such as the impact of Hindu Studies on Western literature, tangible and intangible identities, and the concept of province and region. The text also explores themes of femininity, iconography, nationalism, time, and regional poetics. The study also explores cultural paraphernalia, mythology, knowledge, detachment, liberation, and the Adwaita philosophy. The paper will examine how the text constructs and conveys concepts of ability and disability through its narrative and philosophical discourse. Additionally, the paper will analyze the linguistic and grammatical frameworks employed to understand the interactions between disabled and able-bodied characters in the context of Hindu religious and philosophical traditions.

StructMesh: A storage framework for serverless computing continuum

Computing continuum is becoming a solution for organizations to process and analyze data for supporting decision-making processes. In this context, serverless paradigm is arising as a solution to manage continuum computing. However, the management of data storage still represents an obstacle for integrating continuum computing and serverless paradigms into a single solution, as this has to be performed transparently to users through multiple infrastructures. This paper presents StructMesh, a storage framework for serverless continuum systems. This framework is based on a processing plane where functions are managed as patterns, and a data plane based on storage meshes that represent maps of storage resources available in a given infrastructure. The logical interconnection of storage meshes enables organizations to integrate storage resources into a single unified storage service, which creates data exchange channels for continuum processing throughout multiple infrastructures. These meshes include load-balancing and data allocation/location algorithms for transparently and automatically managing the inputs/outputs of functions throughout these channels, as well as non-functional requirement schemes for organizations to manage sensitive data. We developed a framework prototype that harmonizes processing serverless functions with storage functions for building serverless pipeline services. A case study was conducted by using these services for processing meteorological and earth observation data throughout multiple infrastructures. The evaluation revealed the efficiency of StructMesh when managing data through fog and cloud infrastructures. It also showed the feasibility of StructMesh to create and enable continuum data exchange channels for serverless pipelines.

An Insight on the Geometry of the Golden Ratio

Mathematics has a strong logical interconnection with structural design and architecture. Ratios are good examples of their interconnectivity. Nature is attractive due to the proper ratios of various components in them and between others. In nature, trees, forests, leaves, flowers, fruits, Himalayas, hills, valleys, springs, rivers, lakes, etc. show a rhythmic balance and seem harmonic and aesthetically pleasing. The golden ratio is considered the most pleasing to human visual sensation not limited only to aesthetic beauty but also found prominently in the natural world and is a fascinating topic. It can be constructed in different ways depending on the geometrical structures preferred. In this paper, our focus is on the geometry of the golden ratio.

Sea Anemone-like Nanomachine Based on DNA Strand Displacement Composed of Three Boolean Logic Gates: Diversified Input for Intracellular Multitarget Detection.

Efficient and accurate acquisition of cellular biomolecular information is crucial for exploring cell fate, achieving early diagnosis, and the effective treatment of various diseases. However, current DNA biosensors are mostly limited to single-target detection, with few complex logic circuits for comprehensive analysis of three or more targets. Herein, we designed a sea anemone-like DNA nanomachine based on DNA strand displacement composed of three logic gates (YES-AND-YES) and delivered into the cells using gold nano bipyramid carriers. The AND gate activation depends on the trigger chain released by upstream DNA strand displacement reactions, while the output signal relies on the downstream DNAzyme structure. Under the influence of diverse inputs (including enzymes, miRNA, and metal ions), the interconnected logic gates simultaneously perform logical analysis on multiple targets, generating a unique output signal in the YES/NO format. This sensor can successfully distinguish healthy cells from tumor cells and can be further used for the diagnosis of different tumor cells, providing a promising platform for accurate cell-type identification.

Research on the Analysis of Influencing Factors of Energy Consumption and Energy Saving Countermeasures of Green Buildings Based on DEMATEL-ISM

Abstract In the quest for sustainability, managing and optimizing energy consumption within green buildings has emerged as a critical area of focus. The complexity of factors affecting energy use demands more sophisticated analysis than what traditional methods offer. This study leverages the DEMATEL method to isolate crucial influencing factors. It employs the ISM method to map their logical interconnections, forming a comprehensive model of energy consumption determinants in green buildings. We identify building design, energy efficiency, and green technology as critical elements, with building design exerting the most influence (weight: 0.35). Through an in-depth fuzzy DEMATEL-ISM analysis, we develop specific energy-saving measures—such as design improvement and technology enhancement—that promise up to a 20% reduction in energy consumption. Our research introduces a groundbreaking green building energy management tool and provides a solid foundation for policy development and practical applications.

An Insight in the Beauty of the Fibonacci

Mathematics and architecture have strong logical interconnections. Ratios are good examples of their interconnectivity. Without mathematics, it is hard to believe the existence of science and arts. It is not an exaggeration to say that mathematics is everywhere. Nature is beautiful due to the proper ratios of various components in them and in relation to others. The Fibonacci sequence is one of nature’s numbering systems. It is abundant in nature. It has a close relationship with the golden ratio. Golden ratios and such Fibonacci numbers are found to be used in designing logos, magazine covers, plastic surgery, to name a few. These two are two fascinating topics for mathematicians, artists, natural scientists, and philosophers. This work presents a panoramic view of the Fibonacci numbers, and the Fibonacci sequences; their mathematical presentations, patterns, properties, and beauty.

RISK ANALYSIS OF FALLING FROM HEIGHTS IN THE GROWING CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Based on the data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of injuries and fatalities caused by falls from height (FFH) accidents at construction sites is one of the highest making the construction industry relatively unsafe compared to other industries. This study has been made to find out the causes, consequences, and probabilities of construction fall incidents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The Bowtie (BT) diagram will be used to illustrate various accident situations in order to evaluate the risk of FFH in NSW, as it has not been used in previous studies. The BT diagram, which is made up of a fault tree (FT) and an event tree, represents the logical interconnections between the causes and consequences of the accidents (ET). FTs are used to calculate the odds of different accident situations. The ET analysis is then used to assess the various outcomes of these accidents, as well as their probabilities. Following that, the schematic modeling will be entered into GeNIe software for results validation, and sensitivity analysis will be used to find the main contributor of FFH incidents. The outcome will aid in the prevention of particular incidents and increase the overall level of safety on construction sites. Based on the data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of injuries and fatalities caused by falls from height (FFH) accidents at construction sites is one of the highest, making the construction industry relatively unsafe compared to other industries. This study has been made to find out the most common causes, probabilities, and appropriate mitigation measures in construction fall incidents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The findings obtained from NSW Construction Blitz in 2019 was used to analyze the probability of the common potential causes of falling from ladders, voids and edges, scaffolds, formworks and, mobile scaffolds and fall restraints. Five fault tree (FT) diagrams were used to illustrate various accident causes in order to determine the probability of risk of FFH in NSW. Following that, a schematic modeling was entered into Genie software for results validation and to determine the main contributor of FFH incidents. From this study, falling from voids and edges has the highest likelihood of falls in NSW with a probability of 27.15%. This is followed by falling from mobile scaffolds and fall restraints with 7.92%, which is closely followed by falling from scaffolds with 7.68%. While falling from ladders and falling from formworks were not too far behind, with 2.17% and 1.05% respectively. Preventative measures were then discussed for FFH accident scenarios. These findings will aid in the prevention of particular incidents and increase the overall level of safety on construction sites in NSW.

RISK ANALYSIS OF FALLING FROM HEIGHTS IN THE GROWING CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Based on the data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of injuries and fatalities caused by falls from height (FFH) accidents at construction sites is one of the highest making the construction industry relatively unsafe compared to other industries. This study has been made to find out the causes, consequences, and probabilities of construction fall incidents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The Bowtie (BT) diagram will be used to illustrate various accident situations in order to evaluate the risk of FFH in NSW, as it has not been used in previous studies. The BT diagram, which is made up of a fault tree (FT) and an event tree, represents the logical interconnections between the causes and consequences of the accidents (ET). FTs are used to calculate the odds of different accident situations. The ET analysis is then used to assess the various outcomes of these accidents, as well as their probabilities. Following that, the schematic modeling will be entered into GeNIe software for results validation, and sensitivity analysis will be used to find the main contributor of FFH incidents. The outcome will aid in the prevention of particular incidents and increase the overall level of safety on construction sites. Based on the data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of injuries and fatalities caused by falls from height (FFH) accidents at construction sites is one of the highest, making the construction industry relatively unsafe compared to other industries. This study has been made to find out the most common causes, probabilities, and appropriate mitigation measures in construction fall incidents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The findings obtained from NSW Construction Blitz in 2019 was used to analyze the probability of the common potential causes of falling from ladders, voids and edges, scaffolds, formworks and, mobile scaffolds and fall restraints. Five fault tree (FT) diagrams were used to illustrate various accident causes in order to determine the probability of risk of FFH in NSW. Following that, a schematic modeling was entered into Genie software for results validation and to determine the main contributor of FFH incidents. From this study, falling from voids and edges has the highest likelihood of falls in NSW with a probability of 27.15%. This is followed by falling from mobile scaffolds and fall restraints with 7.92%, which is closely followed by falling from scaffolds with 7.68%. While falling from ladders and falling from formworks were not too far behind, with 2.17% and 1.05% respectively. Preventative measures were then discussed for FFH accident scenarios. These findings will aid in the prevention of particular incidents and increase the overall level of safety on construction sites in NSW.

Techniques for SAT-Based Boolean Reasoning on Multiple Faults Affecting Logic Cells and Interconnects in Digital ICs

We propose a new method for SAT-based Boolean reasoning on multiple defects in digital ICs. Although it does not explicitly consider a specific fault model such as model-based techniques, it allows us to consider more realistic cases than model-free approaches. In particular, it can be used to account for (a) faults resulting in monotonic errors at the output of a cell and (b) faults, such as breaks or bridgings, that may corrupt the propagation of a signal from its fan-out branches. The model can be used for either standard gates or more complex combinational modules. Examples are shown for applications requiring the consideration of multiple defects such as fault diagnosis and reliability analysis. The feasibility of the proposed approach is assessed by results on a set of combinational benchmarks.

From the Bourgeoisie to the Life of an Artist: Crises of Succession and Anticipatory Socialization

How should we understand certain individuals’ orientation toward the unsettled, uncertain (although relatively prestigious) life of an artist? This article is based on biographical analyses of the life trajectories of actors and actresses from the economic fractions of the upper classes, and focuses in particular on family inheritance. The attraction to the artistic field makes sense in connection with artists’ rejection of a family inheritance perceived to be bourgeois or petty bourgeois, embodied in the ambitions or expectations of their parents. This rejection stems from two interconnected logics: on the one hand, a desire not to reproduce the social domination and male domination experienced within an artist’s family and place of origin; and on the other, an adherence to the life of an artist and its structuring beliefs (vocation, individuality, economic disinterest). Ultimately, the life trajectories of these artists show how social relations (here, primarily relations of class and sex) can intertwine to shape an aspiring artist’s hopes, even before they have formulated career plan or engaged in any artistic training—thus demonstrating a particular type of anticipatory socialization.

A Colonial Celebrity in the New Attention Economy: Cecil Rhodes’s Cape-to-Cairo Telegraph and Railway Negotiations in 1899

Abstract In 1899, the British colonialist Cecil Rhodes went to Berlin to negotiate about his fantastical ‘Cape-to-Cairo’ telegraph and railway scheme with his former nemesis, the German emperor Wilhelm II. Why did this initiative of Rhodes, who was held responsible for the disastrous Jameson Raid and no longer occupied any official position, receive so much coverage and legitimacy in the international press? Despite the vast scholarship on Rhodes, there is strikingly little analysis of these negotiations, considering that they were hailed as marking the rehabilitation of Rhodes and the troubled Anglo-German relationship, signalled that Germany would not support the Boers in their conflict with Britain, and led to Germany’s inclusion in the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships scheme. This article analyses the reporting of the negotiations and shows that Rhodes overshadowed other political figures in the competitive ‘attention economy’ of the emerging mass press. Building on the notion of ‘celebrity politics’, it argues that the press attention for him resulted from three interconnected logics: a political logic of agenda-setting and ideological loyalties, a journalistic logic in which scarce access to Rhodes fostered his mythologising, and a mass media logic that increasingly superseded ideological divides. This mass media logic dictated a focus on Rhodes’s personal narrative (infused with literary and colonial themes), personifying politics, and performing these politics in a novel business-like style. This press attention gained Rhodes informal power and shows how, by the end of the nineteenth century, successful politics required the new ability of political figures to attract and leverage media attention. Moreover, it constituted the precondition for the growing cult of Rhodes in the twentieth century, and the subsequent criticism of this cult and its representation of racism in recent times.

Unification of the common methods for solving the first-order linear ordinary differential equations

<p style="text-indent:20px;">A good understanding of the mathematical processes of solving the first-order linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is the foundation for undergraduate students in science and engineering programs to progress smoothly to advanced ODEs and/or partial differential equations (PDEs) later. However, different methods for solving the first-order linear ODEs are presented in various textbooks and resources, which often confuses students in their choice of the method for solving the ODEs. This special tutorial note presents the practices the author used to address such confusions in solving the first-order linear ODEs for students engaged in the bachelorette engineering studies at a regional university in Australia in recent years. The derivation processes of the four commonly adopted methods for solving the first-order linear ODEs, including three explicit methods and one implicit method presented in many textbooks, are presented first, followed by the logical interconnections that unify these four methods to clarify student's confusions on different presentations of the procedures and the solutions in different sources. Comparisons among these methods are also made.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПРОФИЛЬНОГО ОБУЧЕНИЯ СОВРЕМЕННОГО СПЕЦИАЛИСТА

The article is devoted to the study and substantiation of theoretical and methodological provisions related to the formation, development and management of knowledge in modern conditions. Modern educational learning models should be aimed at further education, including through the formation and integration of competencies, ensuring logical interconnection and continuity at each stage of the educational system; at the same time, the models themselves should be formed by compiling and analyzing the requirements of not only the state, but also the labor market and society as a whole, taking into account not only highly specialized, but also personal, multidisciplinary and generalized competencies

Rationale for choosing the model and tool for developing an e-learning course

The emergence and discussion of the reasonable choice of methodological bases for the creation and subsequent application of electronic training courses within the framework of a separate study is not accidental. Analysis of the theory and practice of the use of information technologies in education showed that, along with the discussion of informatization of education, including adult education (androgogy), the use of computer-based training programs to improve the quality of teaching in various disciplines, studies of pedagogical capabilities of electronic training courses, principles of development and technology for creating electronic educational materials remain insufficiently studied. Properly grounded methodological and technological components of the process of creating such resources will ensure high quality of the final product, as well as reduction of time and financial costs. The article presents a generalized description of the basic models and methodologies for the development of electronic educational materials, namely: ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation); SAM (Successive Approximation Model); SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound); ALD (Agile Learning Design). The authors pay special attention to the ALD (Agile Learning Design) model, describing its basic principles. The structural analysis of ALD with the help of the IDEF0 functional model allowed showing the logical interconnection of all the stages of creating an e-learning course, to demonstrate its iterative nature. The study also addresses the issue of the reasonable choice of tools for developing e-learning courses. The choice was made on the basis of T. Saati’s method of analyzing hierarchies. The selected alternatives were Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline and iSpringSuite as software solutions used for the professional development of e-learning materials. The choice was made on the basis of such criteria as maintenance, implementation, functionality, price, experience of usage. As a result of the testing with the MPRIORITY decision-making system, the Articulate Storyline software platform was selected as the tool for the implementation of the subsequent e-learning course project. This software product has significant functionality if compared to the other alternatives: low cost and availability of development. Further work on the creation of an e-course is sure to be carried out with its use.

Design of Digital Interaction for Complex Museum Collections

Interactive multimedia applications in museums generally aim at integrating into the exhibition complementary information delivered through engaging narratives. This article discusses a possible approach for effectively designing an interactive app for museum collections whose physical pieces are mutually related by multiple and articulated logical interconnections referring to elements of immaterial cultural heritage that would not be easy to bring to the public with traditional means. As proof of this concept, a specific case related to ancient Egyptian civilization has been developed. A collection of Egyptian artifacts such as mummies, coffins, and amulets, associated with symbols, divinities, and magic spells through the structured funerary ritual typical of that civilization, has been explained through a virtual application based on the concepts discussed in the methodological section.

A new behavior-assisted semantic recognition method for smart home

In the recent Smart Home (SH) research work, intelligent service recommendation technique based on behavior recognition, it has been extensively preferred by researchers. However, most current research uses the Semantic recognition to construct the user's basic behavior model. This method is usually restricted by environmental factors, the way these models are built makes it impossible for them to dynamically match the services that might be provided in the user environment. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a Semantic behavior assistance (Semantic behavior assistance, SBA). By joining the semantic model on the intelligent gateway, building an SA model, in this way, a logical Internet networks for smart home is established. At the same time, a behavior assistant method based on SBA model is proposed, among them, the user environment-related entities, sensors, devices, and user-related knowledge models exist in the logical interconnection network of the SH system through the semantic model. In this paper, the data simulation experiment is carried out on the method. The experimental results show that the SBA model is better than the knowledge-based pre-defined model.

Mixed Encoding of Collections of Microoperations for a Microprogram Finite-State Machine

A method is proposed for reducing the number of LUTs in the circuit of a microprogrammed Mealy FSM implemented in a basis of FPGA. The method is based on elimination of some elements from the sets of microoperations for their implementation by EMB. This approach reduces logic levels and interconnections for a circuit implemented with LUTs. An algorithm is proposed for searching for a partition of the set of microoperations. An example of synthesis is given as well as results of the investigations.

Encoding of Terms in EMB-Based Mealy FSMs

A method is proposed targeting implementation of FPGA-based Mealy finite state machines. The main goal of the method is a reduction for the number of look-up table (LUT) elements and their levels in FSM logic circuits. To do it, it is necessary to eliminate the direct dependence of input memory functions and FSM output functions on FSM inputs and state variables. The method is based on encoding of the terms corresponding to rows of direct structure tables. In such an approach, only terms depend on FSM inputs and state variables. Other functions depend on variables representing terms. The method belongs to the group of the methods of structural decomposition. The set of terms is divided by classes such that each class corresponds to a single-level LUT-based circuit. An embedded memory block (EMB) generates codes of both classes and terms as elements of these classes. The mutual using LUTs and EMB allows diminishing chip area occupied by FSM circuit (as compared to its LUT-based counterpart). The simple sequential algorithm is proposed for finding the partition of the set of terms by a determined number of classes. The method is based on representation of an FSM by a state transition table. However, it can be used for any known form of FSM specification. The example of synthesis is shown. The efficiency of the proposed method was investigated using a library of standard benchmarks. We compared the proposed with some other known design methods. The investigations show that the proposed method gives better results than other discussed methods. It allows the obtaining of FSM circuits with three levels of logic and regular interconnections.