1,354,265 research outputs found
Wait-Free Concurrent Graph Objects with Dynamic Traversals
No full textGraphs are versatile data structures that allow the implementation of a variety of applications, such as computer-aided design and manufacturing, video gaming, or scientific simulations. However, although data structures such as queues, stacks, and trees have been widely studied and implemented in the concurrent context, multi-process applications that rely on graphs still largely use a sequential implementation where accesses are synchronized through the use of global locks or partitioning, thus imposing serious performance bottlenecks. In this paper we introduce an innovative concurrent graph model that provides addition and removal of any edge of the graph, as well as atomic traversals of a part (or the entirety) of the graph. We further present Dense, a concurrent graph implementation that aims at mitigating the two aforementioned implementation drawbacks. Dense achieves wait-freedom by relying on helping and provides the inbuilt capability of performing a partial snapshot on a dynamically determined subset of the graph
How does plant species composition change from year to year? A case study from the herbaceous layer of a submediterranean oak woodland
No full textOver millions of years there is a long-term increase in species richness, accompanied by substantial turnover in species composition. However, little is known about species temporal turnover over shorter, ecologically relevant time periods, such as years. In the present study, we examine the inter-annual temporal turnover in species composition in 100 m(2) plots of the herbaceous layer in a submediterranean oak woodland over six years. We found that approximately half of the accumulated number of species over the six years is accommodated as temporal turnover. We also found that species temporal turnover in undisturbed control plots was not significantly different from that in plots where vegetation was recovering naturally without assistance, i.e., plots undergoing ecological succession. Only in the most disturbed (continuously overgrazed) plots temporal turnover was low to non-existent. We therefore suggest that diversity estimates based on a single year of observations may seriously underestimate species richness or the detrimental effects of disturbance, at least at the 100 m(2) scale. Furthermore, we found that, with the exception of the heavily grazed plots, short-lived species (annuals and biennials) did not display significantly greater temporal turnover than long-lived (perennial) species. Our analysis also supports that the space for time substitution applies in the patterns of species turnover. Spatial species turnover was comparable to temporal turnover. Species that are observed in many plots are also present in many years, and vice versa. Also, the similarity in species composition decreased as the time period between observations increased, as is the case with distance decay. Overall we conclude that the patterns of species turnover in time resemble those in space, and thus temporal turnover makes an important contribution to total biodiversity that should not be ignored
Lock Oscillation: Boosting the Performance of Concurrent Data Structures
No full textIn combining-based synchronization, two main parameters that affect performance are the com- bining degree of the synchronization algorithm, i.e. the average number of requests that each com- biner serves, and the number of expensive synchronization primitives (like CAS, Swap, etc.) that it performs. The value of the first parameter must be high, whereas the second must be kept low.
In this paper, we present Osci, a new combining technique that shows remarkable perform- ance when paired with cheap context switching. We experimentally show that Osci significantly outperforms all previous combining algorithms. Specifically, the throughput of Osci is higher than that of previously presented combining techniques by more than an order of magnitude. Notably, Osci’s throughput is much closer to the ideal than all previous algorithms, while keep- ing the average latency in serving each request low. We evaluated the performance of Osci in two different multiprocessor architectures, namely AMD and Intel.
Based on Osci, we implement and experimentally evaluate implementations of concurrent queues and stacks. These implementations outperform by far all current state-of-the-art concur- rent queue and stack implementations. Although the current version of Osci has been evaluated in an environment supporting user-level threads, it would run correctly on any threading library, preemptive or not (including kernel threads)
Functional diversity changes over 100 yr of primary succession on a volcanic island: insights into assembly processes
No full textChanges in species diversity following volcanic eruptions have been studied extensively, but our knowledge on functional diversity and community assembly under such conditions is very limited. Here, we study the processes following the destruction of vegetation after a volcanic eruption. Specifically, we investigate (1) the temporal patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity over time since a previous eruption (alpha diversity) and beta diversity, (2) the temporal patterns of 26 individual traits (vegetative characteristics, plant taxa ecological preferences, and regenerative characteristics) providing more detailed information on species strategies at the initial and later stages of succession, and (3) the processes driving species assembly and whether they changed over time since the eruption an eruption. We analyzed data recorded during five floristic censuses that took place between 1911 and 2011, calculated alpha and beta facets of taxonomic and functional diversity and examined how community structure changed over time, using 26 functional characteristics, based on their ability to discern primary from later colonists, including longevity, growth form, Ellenberg’s indicator values, seed production and weight, flower size and sex, pollination type, and dispersal mode. Null model analysis was used to test whether the observed functional diversity deviates from random expectations. Alpha diversity, both taxonomic and functional, increased over time after an eruption, while beta diversity did not display a clear trend. This finding indicates that mainly abiotic processes determine species assembly over time after an eruption (at least for the time span studied here), contrary to theoretical expectations. It is most interesting that, simultaneously, some aspects of diversity indicated the effect of biotic interactions (facilitation and competition) on the assembly of species a few years after an eruption. This finding implies a legacy effect, since a high percentage of perennial species was noticed in the assemblage right after the eruption, as well as the effect of the harsh environmental conditions on the assembly of the plant communities. In conclusion, our results indicate the role of legacy effects in succession (most probably through the survival of underground plant parts) and underline the importance of disturbance history in providing the context needed for understanding effects of past events on succession
Selected bio-indicators. BIO SOS Biodiversity Multisource Monitoring System: from Space TO Species (BIO SOS) Deliverable D6.6, pp32 http://www.biosos.wur.nl/UK/Deliverables/ D6.6_Abstract
No full textTo identify appropriate bio-indicators species for BIO_SOS we
have used existing datasets (as indicated in D4.1) and we have
checked a recent scientific literature in order to provide a
scientific consistent selection of bio-indicator species. Our
choice is based on (i) the possibility to compare niche models
with and without GHCs; (ii) the usefulness for stakeholders; (iii)
the possibility to carry out comparison among different sites; and
(iv) the actual availability of the distributional data
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
An Efficient Universal Construction for Large Objects
No full textThis paper presents L-UC, a universal construction that efficiently implements dynamic objects of large state in a wait-free manner. The step complexity of L-UC is O(n+kw), where n is the number of processes, k is the interval contention (i.e., the maximum number of active processes during the execution interval of an operation), and w is the worst-case time complexity to perform an operation on the sequential implementation of the simulated object. L-UC efficiently implements objects whose size can change dynamically. It improves upon previous universal constructions either by efficiently handling objects whose state is large and can change dynamically, or by achieving better step complexity
TCEC-FCM: Efficient Algorithm for Total Causal Effect Calculation in Fuzzy Cognitive Maps
No full text<p>This repository contains the source code developed and used in the paper: <em>"Advancing Explainable AI with Causal Analysis in Large-Scale Fuzzy Cognitive Maps",</em> written by <strong>Marios Tyrovolas</strong>, <strong>Nikolaos D. Kallimanis</strong>, and <strong>Chrysostomos Stylios</strong>.</p>
<p>While this paper is under review, please cite this work as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Tyrovolas, M., Kallimanis, N. D., & Stylios, C. (2024). Advancing Explainable AI with Causal Analysis in Large-Scale Fuzzy Cognitive Maps.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Acknowledgements</h3>
<p>This research has been financed by the European Union: Next Generation EU through the Program Greece 2.0 - National Recovery and Resilience Plan, under the call "Flagship actions in interdisciplinary scientific fields with a special focus on the productive fabric”, project name "Greece4.0 - Network of Excellence for developing, disseminating and implementing digital transformation technologies in Greek Industry" (project code: TAEDR-0535864).</p>
<h3>Contact</h3>
<p>For any question, please raise an issue or contact</p>
<div>
<pre><code>Marios Tyrovolas: [email protected]</code></pre>
</div>
Examining the relationship between total species richness and single island palaeo- and neo-endemics
No full textRecently, Emerson and Kolm (2005) hypothesized that diversity begets speciation (DBS hypothesis). The relationship between total species richness and single island endemic diversity (as a proportion of the total species richness of the island) has been used as evidence for the DBS hypothesis. This relationship has been documented in oceanic archipelagos, but many criticisms have been raised on whether this relationship truly supports the DBS hypothesis. In this study we tested if this hypothesis holds in the Aegean archipelago (a continental archipelago with continuous human presence over millennia). Endemism in the Aegean includes mainly neo-endemic species but also relictual populations of formerly more widespread species (i.e. palaeo-endemics). Contrary to the DBS hypothesis, we found that total species richness was not significantly correlated to single island endemics (neither neo-endemics nor palaeo-endemics) as a proportion of the island flora. Furthermore, we found that neo-endemic diversity (either as species richness or as a proportion of the islands flora) is mainly correlated to island maximum elevation, while area and isolation were less important. So if this ratio is indeed an index of speciation, then an alternative explanation might be that elevation (interpreted as a proxy for habitat heterogeneity) is the driver of speciation in our case. Palaeo-endemics, on the other hand, were present in only six of the largest islands in the Aegean and their diversity was strongly correlated only with island area, perhaps implying that larger islands support larger population sizes that buffer stochastic extinctions risks. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved
Variations on the Author
No full text“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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