Terabit optical local area networks for multiprocessing systems

The design of a scalable optical local area network formultiprocessing systems is described. Each workstation has aparallel-fiber-ribbon optical link to a centralized complementarymetal-oxide silicon (CMOS) switch core, implemented on a singlecompact printed circuit board (PCB). When the Motorola Optobusfiber technology is used, each workstation has a data bandwidth of 6.4Gbits/s to the core. A centralized switch core interconnecting 32workstations supports a 204-Gbit/s aggregate data bandwidth. Theswitch core is based on a conventional broadcast-and-selectarchitecture, implemented with parallel CMOS integrated circuits(IC's). The switch core scales well; by incorporation of theCMOS optoelectronic IC's with optical input-output, the electricalcore can be reduced to a single-chip optoelectronic IC with terabitcapacities. A prototype of an optoelectronic switch core has been fabricated and is described. The appeal of the architectureincludes its reliance on commercially available parallel-fibertechnology, its reliance on the well-developed markets of local areanetworks and networks of workstations, and its smooth scalability from the electrical to optical domains as technology matures.     

Coherence-multiplexed acousto-optic correlator for signal processing: theory and applications

A method of multichannel processing to compute correlation products simultaneously is introduced. The signals that process are encoded on a single light beam through the use of an electro-optic modulators that induce optical delays greater than the coherence length of light. The coherence-modulated light beam thus obtained is then spatially and temporally modulated through an acousto-optic Bragg cell. The potential number of channels is estimated to be approximately 5-10. The method can be combined with other existing systems, such as time-, space-, or frequency-multiplexed correlators, to increase the channel number. The method also applies to high-resolution spectral analysis.     

Clinical determination of tissue optical properties by endoscopic spatially resolved reflectometry

A noninvasive method to measure the optical properties of a diffusing and absorbing medium is described. Based on the spatially resolved measurement of diffuse reflectance at the sample surface, this method is particularly suitable for investigating the in vivo optical properties of biological tissues endoscopically in a clinical context. The sensitivity of the measurement is discussed, and two optical probes for two different clinical applications are presented. Preliminary measurements are performed on a nonbiological medium, which illustrate the possibilities of the proposed method. Finally, we report on in vivo measurements of the optical properties of the human esophageal wall at 630 nm.     

Liquidus temperatures for primary crystallization of cryolite in molten salt systems of interest for aluminum electrolysis

Temperatures for primary crystallization of Na₃AlF₆ in multicomponent electrolyte systems of interest for the aluminum electrolysis process were determined by thermal analysis. The results are presented as binary and quasibinary diagrams and discussed in view of the literature data. An empirical equation describing liquidus temperatures for primary crystallization of Na₃AlF₆ was derived: $$\begin{gathered} t/(^\circ C) = 1011 + 0.50[AlF_3 ] - 0.13[AIF_3 ] - \frac{{3.45[CaF_2 ]}}{{1 + 0.0173[CaF_2 ]}} \hfill \\ + 0.124[CaF_2 ] \cdot [AlF_3 ] - 0.00542([CaF_2 ] \cdot [AlF_3 ])^{1.5} \hfill \\ - \frac{{7.93[Al_2 O_3 ]}}{{1 + 0.0936[Al_2 O_3 ] - 0.0017[Al_2 O_3 ]^2 - 0.0023[AlF_3 ] \cdot [Al_2 O_3 ]}} \hfill \\ - \frac{{8.90[LiF]}}{{1 + 0.0047[LiF] + 0.0010[AlF3]^2 }} - 3.95[MgF_2 ] - 3.95 \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ wheret is the temperature in degree Celsius and the square brackets denote the weight percent of components in the system Na₃AlF₆-AlF₃-CaF₂-Al₂O₃-LiF-MgF₂-KF. The composition limitations are [AlF₃] ≈ [CaF₂] ≈ [LiF] < 20 wt pct, [MgF₂] ≈ [KF] < 5 wt pct, and [A1₂O₃] up to saturation.     

Molecular genetics of rust resistance in poplars (Melampsora larici-populina Kleb/Populus sp.) by bulked segregant analysis in a 2 x 2 factorial mating design

With random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, we have tagged a genomic region in Populus sp. involved in qualitative resistance to Melampsora larici-populina. Our approach was based on three steps: use of RAPD markers that can be quickly and efficiently researched: application of "bulked segregant analysis" technique on individuals of one interspecific family P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides to search for RAPD markers linked to resistance; and validation of these markers in two other families linked with the first one in a 2 x 2 factorial mating design. Of five detected markers, only one marker M03/04_480 was polymorphic in the three segregating families, involving 89 individuals and four different parents. We have estimated the recombination value of 1 cM with 1 cM sampling error.     

Matching and alpha-equivalence check for nominal terms

Nominal terms generalise first-order terms by including abstraction and name swapping constructs. α-equivalence can be easily axiomatised using name swappings and a freshness relation, which makes the nominal approach well adapted to the specification of systems that involve binders. Nominal matching is matching modulo α-equivalence and has applications in programming languages, rewriting, and theorem proving. In this paper, we describe efficient algorithms to check the validity of equations involving binders and to solve matching problems modulo α-equivalence, using the nominal approach.     

Visual‐quality estimation using objective metrics

Abstract— In the past few years, a big effort in the scientific community has been devoted to the development of better image‐ and video‐quality metrics that correlate well with the human perception of quality. In this paper, an overview of the main ideas used in the design of objective quality metrics is given. More specifically, we briefly describe the different types of objective metrics and present a representative set of the different approaches taken by these algorithms. Finally, the challenges and recent developments in the area of image and video quality are discussed.     

A survey of problems,solution techniques,and future challenges in scheduling semiconductor manufacturing operations

In this paper, we discuss scheduling problems in semiconductor manufacturing. Starting from describing the manufacturing process, we identify typical scheduling problems found in semiconductor manufacturing systems. We describe batch scheduling problems, parallel machine scheduling problems, job shop scheduling problems, scheduling problems with auxiliary resources, multiple orders per job scheduling problems, and scheduling problems related to cluster tools. We also present important solution techniques that are used to solve these scheduling problems by means of specific examples, and report on known implementations. Finally, we summarize some of the challenges in scheduling semiconductor manufacturing operations.     

Indexing and querying segmented web pages: the BlockWeb Model

We present in this paper a model for indexing and querying web pages, based on the hierarchical decomposition of pages into blocks. Splitting up a page into blocks has several advantages in terms of page design, indexing and querying such as (i) blocks of a page most similar to a query may be returned instead of the page as a whole (ii) the importance of a block can be taken into account, as well as (iii) the permeability of the blocks to neighbor blocks: a block b is said to be permeable to a block b?? in the same page if b?? content (text, image, etc.) can be (partially) inherited by b upon indexing. An engine implementing this model is described including: the transformation of web pages into blocks hierarchies, the definition of a dedicated language to express indexing rules and the storage of indexed blocks into an XML repository. The model is assessed on a dataset of electronic news, and a dataset drawn from web pages of the ImagEval campaign where it improves by 16% the mean average precision of the baseline.