TaDA Live: Compositional Reasoning for Termination of Fine-grained Concurrent Programs

We present TaDA Live, a concurrent separation logic for reasoning compositionally about the termination of blocking fine-grained concurrent programs. The crucial challenge is how to deal with abstract atomic blocking : that is, abstract atomic operations that have blocking behaviour arising from busy-waiting patterns as found in, for example, fine-grained spin locks. Our fundamental innovation is with the design of abstract specifications that capture this blocking behaviour as liveness assumptions on the environment. We design a logic that can reason about the termination of clients that use such operations without breaking their abstraction boundaries, and the correctness of the implementations of the operations with respect to their abstract specifications. We introduce a novel semantic model using layered subjective obligations to express liveness invariants and a proof system that is sound with respect to the model. The subtlety of our specifications and reasoning is illustrated using several case studies.

Mathematics for Future Computing and Communications

For 80 years, mathematics has driven fundamental innovation in computing and communications. This timely book provides a panorama of some recent ideas in mathematics and how they will drive continued innovation in computing, communications and AI in the coming years. It provides a unique insight into how the new techniques that are being developed can be used to provide theoretical foundations for technological progress, just as mathematics was used in earlier times by Turing, von Neumann, Shannon and others. Edited by leading researchers in the field, chapters cover the application of new mathematics in computer architecture, software verification, quantum computing, compressed sensing, networking, Bayesian inference, machine learning, reinforcement learning and many other areas.

Transcendence as Reflexive Sacredness

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the debate on the so-called Axial Age. It presents the major contributors from Karl Jaspers on, but also the predecessors in the 18th and 19th centuries. , It explores concepts such as the age of transcendence that have been used to characterize the fundamental innovation of that age. It particularly emphasizes the emergence of moral universalism in that period. The chapter also attempts to bring the different perspectives together by interpreting a reflexive view of the sources of sacredness as a major turning point in the global history of religion.

Restoration and re-creation in the Eastern Han

We look first at the situation in the early years of the restored Han dynasty. Liu Xin’s system continued in use for more than half a century. Then, in 85 CE, Liu Xin’s system was replaced. We have records of the practical and theoretical grounds on which the old system was rejected, and of the creation and implementation of a new system. Next we follow the story of how c. 92 CE Jia Kui advocated a fundamental innovation in both theory and practice: he insisted on the ecliptic as being central to astronomical observation and calculation. The richness of records from this period makes it easy to tell a detailed story of technical innovation in its fullest context, leading up to the work of Zhang Heng (78–139 CE), for whom astronomical calculation was just one of several fields in which he gained a reputation for exceptional originality.

Analysis of Factors Affecting Technological Innovativeness in Engineering Enterprises in Tanzania

This paper discusses the technological innovativeness in engineering enterprises in Tanzania and analyses the factors affecting the innovativeness. It starts by analyzing various concepts regarding innovation, then analyzed from documentary review factors affecting innovativeness and then analyzed the innovativeness in Tanzanian enterprises.From the documentary review it was learnt that the following key factors influence technological innovativeness: Existence of innovation management; Existence of market to absorb the products of innovation; Existence of partnership between the universities and the firms; Existence of positive culture and politics towards innovation; The governmentplaying its role to influence innovation; Existence of the right knowledge; and Ability of the enterprises to access to financing institutions that support innovation.The research shows that there is hardly any fundamental innovation in Tanzania, what is presented as innovation is the copying of technologies and manufacture them using local material. Theresearcher established the following factors affecting the innovativeness of engineering enterprises in Tanzania: Level of education among the entrepreneurs in engineering enterprises; financing for the enterprises in Tanzania; partnership with R&D institutions; innovativeness culture; and market for Tanzanian products.