The Data Vortex, an All Optical Path Multicomputer Interconnection Network

All optical path interconnection networks employing dense wavelength division multiplexing can provide vast improvements in supercomputer performance. However, the lack of efficient optical buffering requires investigation of new topologies and routing techniques. This paper introduces and evaluates the data vortex optical switching architecture which uses cylindrical routing paths as a packet buffering alternative. In addition, the impact of the number of angles on the overall network performance is studied through simulation. Using optimal topology configurations, the data vortex is compared to two existing switching architectures-butterfly and omega networks. The three networks are compared in terms of throughput, accepted traffic ratio, and average packet latency. The data vortex is shown to exhibit comparable latency and a higher acceptance rate (2times at 50 percent load) than the butterfly and omega topologies     

MINMOD: a computer program to calculate insulin sensitivity and pancreatic responsivity from the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test

Insulin sensitivity and pancreatic responsivity are the two main factors controlling glucose tolerance. We have proposed a method for measuring these two factors, using computer analysis of a frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT). This 'minimal modelling approach' fits two mathematical models with FSIGT glucose and insulin data: one of glucose disappearance and one of insulin kinetics. MINMOD is the computer program which identifies the model parameters for each individual. A nonlinear least squares estimation technique is used, employing a gradient-type of estimation algorithm, and the first derivatives (not known analytically) are computed according to the 'sensitivity approach'. The program yields the parameter estimates and the precision of their estimation. From the model parameters, it is possible to extract four indices: SG, the ability of glucose per se to enhance its own disappearance at basal insulin, SI, the tissue insulin sensitivity index, phi 1, first phase pancreatic responsivity, and phi 2, second phase pancreatic responsivity. These four characteristic parameters have been shown to represent an integrated metabolic portrait of a single individual.     

Head-and-face shape variations of U.S. civilian workers

The objective of this study was to quantify head-and-face shape variations of U.S. civilian workers using modern methods of shape analysis. The purpose of this study was based on previously highlighted changes in U.S. civilian worker head-and-face shape over the last few decades – touting the need for new and better fitting respirators – as well as the study's usefulness in designing more effective personal protective equipment (PPE) – specifically in the field of respirator design. The raw scan three-dimensional (3D) data for 1169 subjects were parameterized using geometry processing techniques. This process allowed the individual scans to be put in correspondence with each other in such a way that statistical shape analysis could be performed on a dense set of 3D points. This process also cleaned up the original scan data such that the noise was reduced and holes were filled in. The next step, statistical analysis of the variability of the head-and-face shape in the 3D database, was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) techniques. Through these analyses, it was shown that the space of the head-and-face shape was spanned by a small number of basis vectors. Less than 50 components explained more than 90% of the variability. Furthermore, the main mode of variations could be visualized through animating the shape changes along the PCA axes with computer software in executable form for Windows XP. The results from this study in turn could feed back into respirator design to achieve safer, more efficient product style and sizing. Future study is needed to determine the overall utility of the point cloud-based approach for the quantification of facial morphology variation and its relationship to respirator performance.     

In vitro activity of 9 antibiotics and 3 beta-lactamase inhibitors against 107 clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumanii

Twenty eight of 227 patients undergoing restorative proctocolectomy for inflammatory bowel disease, familial adenomatous polyposis or functional disease were over the age of 50 years: ages 50 to 60 (n = 13), 60 to 70 (n = 10), and over 70 (n = 5). Major complications occurred in 5 patients over the age of 50 (18%) compared with 43 patients under the age of 50 (23%). Three patients above the age of 50 had their pouch excised (11%) compared with 23 under the age of 50 (12%). Functional outcome was assessed with a 12 point symptom score. This was similar in all age bands: under 50 years (mean = 2.2; sd +/- 2.2; n = 109), 50 to 60 years (mean = 2.5; sd +/- 2.5; n = 12), 60 to 70 years (mean = 2.8; sd +/- 2.3; n = 7) and over 70 years (mean = 4.0; sd +/- 3.7; n = 5): P > 0.05). When analysed for ulcerative colitis alone, no significant differences were seen between the two age groups. Restorative proctocolectomy in the elderly gives results which are comparable to the younger population.     

Real time discrete shading

A shading technique for voxel-based images, termedcongradient shading, is presented. As the surface information is not available in voxel representation, the surface normal must be recovered from the 3D discrete voxel map itself. The technique defines the normal as one of a finite set of neighborhood-estimated gradients and can thus employ precalculated look-up tables. Furthermore, a table-driven mechanism permits changing the light source parameters by merely redefining the look-up table. The technique uses only simple arithmetic operations and is thus suitable for hardware implementation. Since it has been implemented not as a post-processor, but as part of the projection pipeline of the cube architecture, congradient shading can be executed in real time. Two versions of the technique in real time. Two versions of the technique have been conceived and implemented:unidirectional shading, in which the gradient is estimated only from neighborhoods along the scan-lines;bidirectional shading, in which both horizontal and vertical components of the gradient are considered. In spite of the simplicity of the technique, the results are practically indistinguishable from images generated by conventional techniques.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants DCR 8603603, CCR 8743478, CCR 8717016, and MIP 8805130     

Examining the environmental impact of lead-free solderingalternatives

In 1999, the Surface Mount Council identified the issue of lead-free electronics as an emerging area for concern and evaluation. This was triggered by the initial European Union's (EU) proposal for a Directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and by the Japanese focus on environmental marketing and on recycling, which has resulted in timetables for lead elimination. The present EU directive on the elimination of lead from electronics by 2008 has added further urgency to this issue. From an industrial ecology perspective, it is essential to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed alternatives and to compare this with that of the present Sn/Pb solder. Industrial ecology is the multidisciplinary study of industrial systems and economic activities, and their links to fundamental natural systems. Based on this definition, it is important to study the environmental impact of lead-free electronics through their entire life cycle. Factors such as alloy availability, processing considerations, energy use and potential ground water contamination must be considered. Based on these criteria, lead-free products are not more environmentally friendly than the present electronics soldered with Sn/Pb. Thus, the focus of future regulation should be on recovery and recycling of the metals at end-of-life as required in the WEEE rather than the elimination of lead-based solder