Nature-Inspired Meta-Heuristics on Modern GPUs: State of the Art and Brief Survey of Selected Algorithms

Graphic processing units (GPUs) emerged recently as an exciting new hardware environment for a truly parallel implementation and execution of Nature and Bio-inspired Algorithms with excellent price-to-power ratio. In contrast to common multicore CPUs that contain up to tens of independent cores, the GPUs represent a massively parallel single-instruction multiple-data devices that can nowadays reach peak performance of hundreds and thousands of giga floating-point operations per second. Nature and Bio-inspired Algorithms implement parallel optimization strategies in which a single candidate solution, a group of candidate solutions (population), or multiple populations seek for optimal solution or set of solutions of given problem. Genetic algorithms (GA) constitute a family of traditional and very well-known nature-inspired populational meta-heuristic algorithms that have proved its usefulness on a plethora of tasks through the years. Differential evolution (DE) is another efficient populational meta-heuristic algorithm for real-parameter optimization. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) can be seen as nature-inspired multiagent method in which the interaction of simple independent agents yields intelligent collective behavior. Simulated annealing (SA) is global optimization algorithm which combines statistical mechanics and combinatorial optimization with inspiration in metallurgy. This survey provides a brief overview of the latest state-of-the-art research on the design, implementation, and applications of parallel GA, DE, PSO, and SA-based methods on the GPUs.     

Development of high‐definition aqueous polyvinylpyrrolidone photoresists for cathode ray tubes

Aqueous photoresists that are capable of higher resolutions than are currently employed by the cathode ray tube (CRT) industry were developed by combining photoactivators, which activate at shorter UV wavelengths with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Two photoactivators were synthesized: 4,4′‐diazido‐2,2′‐biphenyl disodium disulfonate (DABP), which has a maximum absorbance at 264 nm, and 4,4′‐diazido‐2,2′‐biphenylethane disodium disulfonate (DABPE), which has a maximum absorbance at 258 nm. The PVP/DABP and PVP/DABPE photoresists successfully imaged a pattern with resolution as small as 4.4 μm with photoactivator concentrations greater than 20% of the PVP concentration. Addition of silane and emulgen greatly improved the performance of the photoresists with more uniform coatings of thicknesses of up to 1.4 μm. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 1637–1644, 2006     

Dynamic mechanical behavior of chlorosubstituted derivatives of poly(ethyl methacrylate) and poly(ethyl acrylate)

A freely oscillating torsional pendulum was used in the investigation of the influence of trichloroethyl, tetrachloroethyl, trichloromethoxyethyl, and trichloroethoxyethyl side groups on the molecular mobility in the glassy state and on the glass transition temperature of poly(meth)acrylates. All the polymers under study, which may be used as fire retardants, exhibit a simple relaxation behavior. While the parameters of the low-temperature and secondary relaxation process in the glassy state are not noticeably affected by the substituents used, the glass transition temperature T_g, increases with rising polarity and volume of side chains. The increase is larger in the series of polyacrylates, so that differences in the softening temperatures of polymethacrylates and polyacrylates having the same side chains decrease considerably with growing substitution.     

Experiments on the suspension of spheres in inclined tubes—II. Suspension by air

Data are presented on the suspension of single spheres by air, in inclined tubes ranging in diameter from 0·97 to 5·13 cm. The angle of inclination of the tubes to the horizontal axis varied from 0 to 90°. The data, which relate the pressure drop and suspending velocity to the geometric and physical parameters of the system, are compared with data generated previously using water as the suspending fluid. Dimensionless expressions are presented which correlate both sets of data for pressure drop and suspending velocity in terms of sphere/tube diameter ratio, tube diameter, density of solid and fluid and angle of inclination of the tube.     

Impacts of new technologies on media usage and social behaviour in domestic environments

Technological infrastructure at home is changing continuously and is becoming increasingly interconnected. Media devices, including the TV set, provide access to the Internet and offer manifold opportunities to consume media on demand. Additionally, personal devices, such as smartphones, also enable flexible consumption and sharing of media. Questions about how these technologies change the user's media usage and how these changes affect the social structure of a household, however, remain largely unanswered. In order to gain insight into the adoption of new technologies into daily routines, we explored these changes in respect of people's media usage in a qualitative long-term Living Lab study. We will present findings regarding personal routines, flexible integration of new devices into existing practices, influences on households as social systems and related issues in device access and collective use. We will highlight potentials and conflicts regarding device shifts and roles; restrictions in device access; social influences in the living room; and individual changes in media consumption.     

Stretching and deformation vibrations of CH2, C(CH3) and O(CH3) groups of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Infrared and Raman spectra of atactic PMMA and infrared spectra of stereoregular PMMA and of its four deuterated derivatives

, were measured. They were used to assign the bands of stretching and deformation vibrations of CH₂, CCH₃ and OCH₃ groups in the infrared and Raman spectra and to discuss the effect of stereoregularity on these bands in the infrared spectra.     

Self-organized porous TiO2 and ZrO2 produced by anodization

The present work investigates the electrochemical formation of self-organized high aspect ratio TiO₂ and ZrO₂ nanotube layers. The formation and growth of a self-organized porous layer can be achieved directly by anodization without any templates in fluoride containing electrolytes. The morphology of the porous layers is affected by the electrochemical conditions such as the electrolyte composition, the pH and the exact polarization treatment (such as the potential sweep rate from the open-circuit potential to the anodizing potential). For Ti, nanotube layers are formed with diameters varying from approx. 20 nm to 100 nm and lengths from approx. 0.25 μm to 2.5 μm depending on the electrolytes and pH. On the other hand, for Zr, tubes of 50 nm in diameter and up to approx. 17 μm in length can be grown—a key parameter in this case is the potential sweep rate. The large difference between Ti and Zr in the achievable thickness of nanotube layers indicates a difference in the growth mechanism which may be based on the different chemical dissolution rates of electrochemically formed oxides.     

DuD Recht

DuD Recht

DuD Recht     

APROMORE: An advanced process model repository

Business process models are becoming available in large numbers due to their widespread use in many industrial applications such as enterprise and quality engineering projects. On the one hand, this raises a challenge as to their proper management: how can it be ensured that the proper process model is always available to the interested stakeholder? On the other hand, the richness of a large set of process models also offers opportunities, for example with respect to the re-use of existing model parts for new models. This paper describes the functionality and architecture of an advanced process model repository, named APROMORE. This tool brings together a rich set of features for the analysis, management and usage of large sets of process models, drawing from state-of-the art research in the field of process modeling. A prototype of the platform is presented in this paper, demonstrating its feasibility, as well as an outlook on the further development of APROMORE.