Running in Circles

Hippodrome: Running Circles Around Storage Administration

Enterprise-scale computer storage systems are extremely difficult to manage due to their size and complexity. It is difficult to generate a good storage system design for a given workload and to correctly implement the selected design. Traditionally, initial system configuration is performed by administrators who are guided by rules of thumb. Unfortunately, this process involves trial and error...

Running in Circles: Packet Routing on Ring Networks

I analyze packet routing on unidirectional ring networks, with an eye towards establishing bounds on the expected length of the queues. Suppose we route packets by a greedy “hot potato” protocol. If packets are inserted by a Bernoulli process and have uniform destinations around the ring, and if the nominal load is kept fixed, then I can construct an upper bound on the expected queue length per...

Constitutive trafficking--more than just running in circles?

The CB1 cannabinoid receptors are among the most highly expressed G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the brain. Their activation has been associated with a wide range of behaviors, including cognition, pain perception, drug addiction, and memory consolidation, and they have been pharmaceutically targeted for pain therapies, smoking cessation, and appetite control. The CB1 receptor has been ...

Response strategies in the radial arm maze: Running around in circles

Plant Cytokinesis: Circles within Circles

The current model of the plant cytokinetic apparatus, describing it as being composed of treadmilling microtubules, is challenged by a new study showing that these microtubules display dynamic instability.