Performance evaluation of the SX‐6 vector architecture for scientific computations

The growing gap between sustained and peak performance for scientific applications is a well‐known problem in high‐performance computing. The recent development of parallel vector systems offers the potential to reduce this gap for many computational science codes and deliver a substantial increase in computing capabilities. This paper examines the intranode performance of the NEC SX‐6 vector processor, and compares it against the cache‐based IBM Power3 and Power4 superscalar architectures, across a number of key scientific computing areas. First, we present the performance of a microbenchmark suite that examines many low‐level machine characteristics. Next, we study the behavior of the NAS Parallel Benchmarks. Finally, we evaluate the performance of several scientific computing codes. Overall results demonstrate that the SX‐6 achieves high performance on a large fraction of our application suite and often significantly outperforms the cache‐based architectures. However, certain classes of applications are not easily amenable to vectorization and would require extensive algorithm and implementation reengineering to utilize the SX‐6 effectively. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Residual service life test for a machine with friction

A test and heat friction based method for evaluation of the technical condition and residual service life of machinery is presented. It is applicable for mechanisms in which friction of the moving parts leads to wear and to increased heat release. The diagnostic parameter adopted is the peak point of the temperature change rate, observed on the machine casing during the starting stage. The method was tested on the SAWA power reduction gears of KOCKS heavy portal transtainer cranes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hypothese von Coulomb und mehrachsige Betonfestigkeit

Coulomb‐hypothesis and multiaxial concrete strength. The article deals with the well‐known Coulomb‐hypothesis, applied to the multiaxial stress‐stage. The friction‐coefficient is defined as a shearing coefficient in main pressure direction and as an inner reciprocal value of the rigidity decrease in transverse direction to the pressure line. The cohesion of concrete texture, firstly assumed isotropic, is described as an inner prestressing compression force. In most cases the multiaxial calculation is experimentally proved. Although the comparison is acceptable, further experiments may be necessary.     

Pseudoelasticity of Metal Nanoparticles Is Caused by Their Ultrahigh Strength

An assembly of hemispherical Ag nanoparticles is prepared by solid‐state dewetting of thin Ag film deposited on the sapphire substrate. The in situ nanomechanical compression testing of the particles with a flat diamond punch inside the scanning electron microscope demonstrates the deformation behavior typical for the nucleation‐controlled plasticity: high elastic deformation followed by an abrupt particles collapse. The latter is associated with the dislocations nucleation in otherwise pristine particle. The average contact pressure in the contact zone at the onset of dislocation‐controlled plasticity is about 8 GPa, and does not depend on particle size. This observation supports the hypothesis that the pseudoelasticity of much smaller Ag nanoparticles is intrinsically related to their ultrahigh strength. A stress‐induced diffusion along the particle–substrate and particle–punch interfaces is identified as a factor controlling the pseudoelastic deformation. The corresponding diffusion model allows estimating the room‐temperature self‐diffusion coefficient of Ag along the Ag–W and Ag–zirconia interfaces, which is quite close to the estimated value of the grain boundary self‐diffusion coefficient in Ag. Based on this finding, the map of pseudoelastic deformation of crystalline materials is proposed.     

Early Postoperative Immunothrombosis of Bioprosthetic Mitral Valve and Left Atrium: A Case Report

A 72-year-old female patient with mixed rheumatic mitral valve disease and persistent atrial fibrillation underwent mitral valve replacement and suffered from a combined thrombosis of the bioprosthetic valve and the left atrium as soon as 2 days post operation. The patient immediately underwent repeated valve replacement and left atrial thrombectomy. Yet, four days later the patient died due to the recurrent prosthetic valve and left atrial thrombosis which both resulted in an extremely low cardiac output. In this patient’s case, the thrombosis was notable for the resistance to anticoagulant therapy as well as for aggressive neutrophil infiltration and release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) within the clot, as demonstrated by immunostaining. The reasons behind these phenomena remained unclear, as no signs of sepsis or contamination of the BHV were documented, although the patient was diagnosed with inherited thrombophilia that could impede the fibrinolysis. The described case highlights the hazard of immunothrombosis upon valve replacement and elucidates its mechanisms in this surgical setting.     

Neutrophils Mediate Pulmonary Artery Thrombosis In Situ

Pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition, which can result in respiratory insufficiency and death. Blood clots occluding branches of the pulmonary artery (PA) are traditionally considered to originate from thrombi in deep veins (usually in legs). However, growing evidence suggests that occlusion of the vessels in the lungs can develop without preceding deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In this work, we used an inferior vena cava (IVC) complete ligation model of DVT in Wistar rats to explore the possibility and mechanisms of PA thrombosis under the conditions where all routes of thrombotic mass migration from peripheral veins are blocked. We demonstrate that rats both with normal and reduced neutrophil counts developed thrombi in the IVC, although, neutropenia caused a substantial decrease in thrombus size and a shift from fresh fibrin toward mature fibrin and connective tissue inside the thrombus. Massive fibrin deposition was found in the PA branches in the majority of DVT rats with normal neutrophil counts, but in none of the neutropenic animals. Neutrophil ablation also abolished macroscopic signs of lung damage. Altogether, the results demonstrate that thrombi in the lung vasculature can form in situ by mechanisms that require local neutrophil recruitment taking place in the DVT setting.     

Industrial application integration using the unification approach to agent-enabled semantic SOA

Within the enterprise, information infrastructure as the mean to bring together different software applications is the key component to enable cooperation and information and knowledge exchange in an open-distributed environment. The paper addresses the issues of industrial application integration in business processes using agent-enabled service-oriented architectures (SOA). In this paper, we show that agent-enabled SOA can play an important role for service integration. Our framework combines Web services (WS) and intelligent agent technologies orchestrated by a business process management system. This framework looks for unification of agent and WS service models, is grounded in a semantic SOA of an agent platform and is supported by the Component Agent Platform Over .NET Framework agent platform tools. We describe the architecture and illustrate the approach by an industrial application scenario from petroleum wells’ drilling.     

Photoprocesses in Derivatives of 1,4- and 1,3-Diazadistyryldibenzenes

Photoprocesses in 1,4-diazadistyrylbenzene (1) and 1,3-diazadistyrylbenzene derivative (2) diperchlorates in MeCN were studied by absorption, luminescence, and kinetic laser spectroscopies. For compound 1, trans-cis-photoisomerization and intersystem crossing to a triplet state are observed. For compound 2, photoelectrocyclization is suggested. Quantum chemical calculations of diazadistyrylbenzene structures in the ground and excited states were carried out. The schemes for photoreactions were proposed.     

含有固化生物活性物质的高分子纤维及膜材料

通过调节高分子体系的结构,可以有目的性地设计含有固化药物成分（如生物酶和／或抗菌剂）的高分子基体结构,生物活性的高低主要由固化的药物成分决定。     

A new approach to radioactive waste self-burial using high penetrating radiation

The method of self-burial of radioactive waste in geological formations using direct heating of rocks by radiation is proposed in this paper. In the currently known studies, thermal conductivity is considered as a main heat transfer mechanism. Application of high penetrating gamma radiation for direct melting of surrounding rocks will reduce the energy absorption inside the sinking device and will lower maximum temperature and temperature gradients in the elements of the device. In this paper, conditions of realization of the direct heating by radiation mechanism are presented and requirements to heat-generating radionuclides have been derived. Assessments of the spatial distribution of energy release in the surrounding rocks for the point and plane sources with the radionuclide ⁶⁰Co have been performed. Based on these data, the temperature distributions in the surrounding rocks and the expression for determining the descent velocity as a function of ⁶⁰Co surface activity in the sinking device have been obtained. Estimations of energy absorption fraction inside the spherical heat-generating elements filled with ⁶⁰Co and surface activity of ⁶⁰Co, necessary to achieve velocity of about 1 km per year, have been made. The results are given for granite and salt rocks.