Mapping rule-based systems onto multicomputers using simulated annealing

In this paper, we present a static load balancing method for mapping production rules in an expert system onto processors of a message-passing multicomputer. The method uses simulated annealing to achieve a nearly optimal allocation of production rules onto processor nodes. The approach balances the initial rule distribution to avoid higher communication demand among processor nodes at run time. A formal mapping model is developed and a new cost function is defined for the annealing process. New heuristic swap functions and cooling policies are provided to ensure the quality of the annealing process. A software load balancing package, SIMAL, was implemented on a SUN workstation to carry out the benchmark experiments. The overhead associated with this mapping method is O(m In m), where m is the number of rules in the production system. Two benchmark production systems, Toru-waltz and Tourney, are mapped onto a hypercube computer with 32 nodes. Experimental benchmark results verify the effectiveness of the rule mapping method. The method can be applied for distributed artificial intelligence processing or for the parallel execution of cooperating expert systems on a message-passing multicomputer.     

映射半解析边界元法解瞬态弹性动力问题的有关问题

提出了映射半解析边界元法解百轴对称瞬态弹性动力问题时存在解析方向不能正确反映波的传播现象的问题，产生该问题的原因和如何解决该问题的建议。     

弹性杆与水下壳体接触冲击的冲击力计算研究

对弹性杆与水下壳体接触冲击问题进行了研究，用有限元法模拟壳体，边界无法模拟无限域流体，通过温面上的耦合条件进行联立求解，文中给出了典型算例，并进行了有关讨论。     

A generalized suboptimum unequally spaced channel allocationtechnique. I. In IM/DD WDM systems

Four-wave mixing (FWM) is the most serious fiber nonlinearity associated with low-input optical power levels in long-haul multichannel optical systems employing dispersion-shifted fiber. To reduce the crosstalk due to FWM, a generalized suboptimum unequally spaced channel allocation (S-USCA) technique is proposed and investigated. Even though the developed technique is useful in combating FWM crosstalk in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) lightwave systems with up to 12 channels, its main virtue is in designing multichannel WDM lightwave systems with more than 12 channels. Comparisons of power penalty due to FWM between equal channel spacing (ECS) systems and the S-USCA systems are presented. It is shown that for an intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) transmission system operating in an optical bandwidth of 16 nm with 0 dBm (1 mW) peak optical input power per channel, while a conventional ECS WDM system with 0.84-nm channel spacing cannot even achieve a bit-error rate (BER)=10^-9, the suboptimum technique developed in this paper, for the same minimum channel spacing, can achieve a BER=10^-9 with an FWM crosstalk power of less than 1 dB at the worst channel in a 20-channel WDM system     

Stabilisation of protein and oil in fish silage for use as a ruminant feed supplement

Fish silage was prepared from 96.5% offal obtained from Atlantic cod fillet processing and 3.5% (by wt) formic acid. The fish silage became an homogeneous liquid of low viscosity in 36–58 h at 20°C; however, the oil and protein components continued to be hydrolysed for several months. Addition of formaldehyde to fish silage (0.25 or 0.39% by wt) after liquefaction was complete, served to prevent continued protein hydrolysis and oxidative rancidity of the oil. It also decreased the development of ‘off-odours’, and the formation of total volatile bases. Fish silage was readily absorbed by hay at a ratio of 1.5 parts silage to 1.0 parts hay by weight; the product is referred to as ‘haylage’. Voluntary intake by wethers of ‘haylage’ prepared from de-oiled, formaldehyde-treated fish silage was better than for ‘haylage’ prepared from untreated fish silage. The crude protein content of ‘haylage’ rations was more than satisfactory for fattening lambs, although the energy content of ‘haylage’ rations may be a limiting factor. Retention of fish oil in the silage to increase the energy content of rations was unsuccessful because voluntary feed intake was depressed. The addition of formaldehyde to fish silage is advantageous when the product is to be fed to ruminant livestock since protein and lipid degradation in the feed, and also possibly in the rumen, are minimised and voluntary intake of ‘haylage’ by sheep is increased.     

Planar-shape prototype generation using a tree-based random greedy algorithm.

A prototype is representative of a set of similar objects. This paper proposes an approach that formulates the problem of prototype generation as finding the mean from a given set of objects, where the prototype solution must satisfy certain constraints. These constraints describe the important perceptual features of the sample shapes that the proposed prototype must retain. The contour prototype generated from a set of planar objects was used as an example of the approach, and the corners were used as the perceptual features to be preserved in the proposed prototype shape. However, finding a prototype solution for more than two contours is computationally intractable. A tree-based approach is therefore proposed in which an efficient greedy random algorithm is used to obtain a good approximation of the proposed prototype and analyze the expected complexity of the algorithm. The proposed prototype-generation process for hand-drawn patterns is described and discussed in this paper.     

Study of warpage due to P-V-T-C relation of EMC in IC packaging

There were many studies about the prediction of warpage due to thermal mismatch , . However, cure induced warpage is usually ignored and the results can be inaccurate. To minimize this problem, a thorough understanding of epoxy molding compound (EMC) with pressure-volume-temperature-cure (P-V-T-C) relation is necessary. This paper used the P-V-T-C relation of an encapsulation material to formulate the stress-strain relationship. With the help of finite element method (FEM) and mold flow analysis, warpage predictions combined with P-V-T-C relation were performed and the results show that this approach is practical. For a given P-V-T-C relation, the shrinkage direction is pointing toward the gate and maximum warpage usually occurs at the boundary of an integrated circuit (IC) package. Variation of specific volume difference along the flow direction is larger than that perpendicular to the flow direction. When temperature difference is small in thickness direction, specific volume difference in thickness direction varies only slightly.     

Plastic deformation in a multifunctional Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr-O alloy

Mechanisms for plastic deformation in the newly developed Ti-24 at. pct (Ta + Nb + V)-(Zr,Hf)-O alloys (Gum Metal) were investigated in relation to their unique properties. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the microstructure after deformation was characterized by highly distorted crystal images, which are accompanied by numerous “giant faults.” Such plastic behavior implies that a large amount of elastic stain energy was stored discretely and hierarchically during cold working. Calculated elastic constants of the Ti-X (Nb,Ta,Mo,V) binary systems predicted that Young’s modulus in 〈001〉 and shear moduli along some directions including slip systems in a bcc crystal were extraordinary small. The low modulus not only well explains the highly distorted microstructure observed in the cold-worked specimens, but also signifies that ideal shear strength of the developed alloys is a very small value, which is close to the practical strength required for plastic deformation in the alloy. This implies that the giant faults observed in the deformed specimen were formed without the aid of dislocation glide.