A Simulation Study of Decoupled Vector Architectures

Decoupling techniques can be applied to a vector processor, resulting in a large increase in performance of vectorizable programs. We simulate a selection of the Perfect Club and Specfp92 benchmark suites and compare their execution time on a conventional single port vector architecture with that of a decoupled vector architecture. Decoupling increases the performance by a factor greater than 1.4 for realistic memory latencies, and for an ideal memory system with zero latency, there is still a speedup of as much as 1.3. A significant portion of this paper is devoted to studying the tradeoffs involved in choosing a suitable size for the queues of the decoupled architecture. The hardware cost of the queues need not be large to achieve most of the performance advantages of decoupling.     

MULTILAYER ADSORPTION ON FRACTAL SURFACES: EFFECT OF THE ADSORBATE-ADSORBATE INTERACTIONS ON THE SORPTIONAL EQUILIBRIUM

An analytical isotherm equation that can be applied to water vapor-biopolymer systems, was developed. The model describes the multilayer adsorption on fractal surfaces with energetic interactions adsorbate-adsorbate (measure in terms of free energy) different from that of bulk water. Assuming explicit mathematical functionalities for the variation of the free energy with the number of adsorbed layers, it is possible to evaluate the effect of the adsorbate-adsorbate interactions on the adsorption capacity of solids of high degree of surface irregularity. For those surfaces with relatively low degree of irregularity (D values slightly larger than 2) it results that the free energy variation with the layer number in the multilayer region affects considerably the sorption capacity of the adsorbent, even for water activities lower than those corresponding to the monolayer moisture content. This effect becomes less marked as the fractal dimension increases (D approaching to 3), being relevant for water activities much larger than those corresponding to the monolayer value, only. The isotherm was tested, using published experimental equilibrium data of various biopolymers.     

Study of the adsorption process of bovine serum albumin on passivated surfaces of CoCrMo biomedical alloy

Adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on CoCrMo surface was studied by electrochemical techniques in order to determine the mechanism of protein adsorption at different surface conditions (which are reached by considering different passivation times) in phosphate buffered solution (PBS). At open circuit potential (OCP), adsorption kinetic was influenced by surface passivation when passivation time was lower than 1 h, whereas, at higher passivation times, no apparent modification in the kinetic mechanisms of adsorption was observed. On the other hand, at a passive applied potential, the BSA addition decreased the passivation kinetics of the process at all the passivation times.     

Inactivation of Enterococcus sp. by Conventional and Advanced Oxidation Processes in Synthetic Treated Urban Wastewater

The aim of this research work was to evaluate the disinfection efficiency of several techniques on the inactivation of the bacteria Enterococcus sp. inoculated in synthetic treated urban wastewater. Different types and doses of reagents and times of exposure were studied. The compared treatments include chlorination, ozone-based treatments in the absence and presence of H₂O₂ and UVA-visible irradiation-based processes with TiO₂ and H₂O₂. Different combinations of chlorine doses and times of contact inactivated all the bacteria (-7.5 log units). Ozone and O₃/H₂O₂ also achieved high disinfection levels (-6 log units), showing similar inactivation curves. However, the studied phototreatments were less efficient.     

Influence of aeration and agitation modes on solid‐state fermentation of apple pomace waste by Phanerochaete chrysosporium to produce ligninolytic enzymes and co‐extract polyphenols

The effect of different types of agitation (i) continuous agitation (C); (ii) continuous, discontinuous, continuous agitation (C/D/C); (iii) discontinuous, continuous, discontinuous agitation (D/C/D) and aeration (0.87, 1.25, 1.66 vvm) on ligninolytic enzyme production and polyphenolic compounds extraction by solid‐state cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM‐F‐1767 was investigated. Higher production of manganese peroxidase (MnP) (1690.3 ± 87.6), lignin peroxidase (LiP) (387.9 ± 14.3) and laccase (898.9 ± 53.3 U gds^?1) and liberation of total polyphenolics (ranging from 12.22 ± 1.1 to 30.12 ± 0.88 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram DW) was obtained after 195, 147, 219 and 204 h of fermentation, respectively, using 1.66 vvm as airflow and (C/D/C) agitation mode. Maximal enzyme production and total polyphenolic content were influenced by aeration, and higher values were obtained using 1.66 vvm as airflow rate, followed by 1.25 and 0.83 vvm, respectively. They were also influenced by agitation, and maximal values were obtained using C/D/C, followed by D/C/D and continuous agitation, respectively. The agitation modes influenced the production of ligninolytic enzymes and simultaneous extraction of polyphenols.     

Training implications of harmful effects of psychological treatments.

The goal of this article is to delineate training implications regarding harmful effects associated with psychotherapy. The authors strongly recommend that trainees be made aware of (and encouraged to examine carefully) the potentially harmful treatments that have been recently identified (Lilienfeld, 2007). Consistent with a broad perspective on evidence-based practice, it is also argued that additional guidelines for the prevention and repair of harmful impacts can be derived from psychotherapy research on process (technique and relationship) and participant (client and therapist) variables. For example, rigid adherence to the application of psychotherapy techniques can be a potentially harmful therapist behavior that necessitates careful training on the nature and flexible use of interventions. Furthermore, the authors suggest that trainers and supervisors tentatively consider training implications linked to clinical observations and theoretical assertions, such as the premature use of clinical interpretations, with the assumption that more confidence in such therapeutic guidelines can be gained when they are supported by multiple knowledge sources (empirical, clinical, conceptual). Finally, training implications related to the monitoring of harmful effects in terms of treatment outcome and process are demarcated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermal inkjet printing of polyaniline on paper

The development of organic devices requires the fabrication of thin films, and inkjet printing has been shown to be a suitable method to reach this goal. This work describes the printing process and characterisation of polyaniline (PANI) printed on bond and photographic papers using a desktop inkjet thermal printer. To enable printing, a solution composed by PANI, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, ethylene glycol, alcohol and water must be prepared. PANI is printed on bond and photographic paper and then doping of PANI is performed by hydrochloric acid vapour exposure. Micro-Raman spectroscopy showed that PANI printed on paper keeps its basic characteristics. The results from electrical measurements showed that the surface resistivity of the printed PANI samples decreases by increasing the printing number, i.e. the number of layers that were deposited, and depends slightly on the paper type. A stretched semicircle followed by a linear upward tail, attributed to Warburg impedance combined with other intrinsic mechanisms of PANI on porous media, are always present on the Cole-Cole plots obtained for doped-PANI on bond paper. It was shown that these parameters significantly change with the relative humidity, opening the possibility to apply PANI/paper-based devices as humidity sensors.     

Modeling the influence of electron beam irradiation on the heat resistance of Bacillus cereus spores

The effect of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on Bacillus cereus spore heat resistance was investigated. Irradiation with accelerated electrons had an important heat-sensitizing effect on distilled-water spore suspensions. After irradiation doses of 1.3, 3.1, or 5.7 kGy followed by heating at 90 degrees C, calculated D(90)-values for strains Escuela Politécnica Superior de Orihuela (EPSO)-41WR and EPSO-50UR were reduced more than 1.3, 2.4, and 4.6 times, respectively. Plots of calculated log D(T)-values versus irradiation doses (1.3, 3.1, and 5.7 kGy) yielded straight parallel lines for the 85-100 degrees C heating temperature range, which made it possible to develop an equation to predict the changes in heat sensitivity of B. cereus spores that occurred with changing irradiation dose. Radiation-induced heat-sensitivity was characterized by a z(EBI)-value which was determined as the irradiation dose that should be required to reduce the decimal reduction time (D(T)) by one log(10) cycle when log(10)D(T) was plotted against irradiation treatment. A model is proposed to describe the influence of a pre-irradiation treatment with electron beams followed by heating on the heat resistance of B. cereus spores. This study also suggests the potential use of EBI followed by heating for food preservation.     

Influence of enrofloxacin administration on the proteolytic and antioxidant enzyme activities of raw and cooked turkey products

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of enrofloxacin administration with and without withdrawal period on the quality of fresh meat and cooked products from turkey breasts. Cathepsin B and L activities were inactivated by the thermal process but were not affected by the presence of enrofloxacin. The level of enrofloxacin in samples without withdrawal time was higher than the regulatory maximum residue limit (MRL). The antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and catalase (CAT) were affected by both the thermal process and the antibiotic residues in cooked meat. In no cases were differences found in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, supporting the theory that this enzyme could play a major role in preventing lipid oxidation of cooked meat. Enrofloxacin residues could contribute to an increase in the oxidative stress produced by thermal processing, as can be deduced by the reduction in GSHPx and CAT activities. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry