High performance software testing on SIMD machines

A method for high-performance, software testing, called mutant unification, is described. The method is designed to support program mutation on parallel machines based on the single instruction multiple data stream (SIMD) paradigm. Several parameters that affect the performance of unification have been identified and their effect on the time to completion of a mutation test cycle and speedup has been studied. Program mutation analysis provides an effective means for determining the reliability of large software systems and a systematic method for measuring the adequacy of test data. However, it is likely that testing large software systems using mutation is computation bound and prohibitive on traditional sequential machines. Current, implementations of mutation tools are unacceptably slow and are only suitable for testing relatively small programs. The proposed unification method provides a practical alternative to the current approaches. The method also opens up a new application domain for SIMD machines     

LSI channel routing algorithms

A new method is proposed and an algorithm is developed for two-wire channel routing in a two-layer board, with horizontal interconnections made in one layer and vertical interconnections in the other layer.Translated from Kibernetika, No. 3, pp. 32–35, May–June, 1991.     

A new technique for on-line and off-line high speed computation

A novel technique for both online and offline computation is presented. With this technique, a reconstruction analysis in elementary particle physics, otherwise prohibitively long, has been accomplished. It will be used online in an upcoming Fermilab experiment to reconstruct more than 100000 events per second and to trigger on the basis of that information. The technique delivers 40 gigaoperations per second, has a bandwidth on the order of gigabytes per second, and has a modest cost. An overview of the program, details of the system, and performance measurements are presented     

Augmented rectangular load flow model

This paper presents some improvements to the load flow solution in rectangular coordinates. First, in an attempt to use as linear a model as possible, both the nodal equations and the bus constraints are retained. The Newton-Raphson (NR) method is then applied to the enlarged set of equations, and written in terms of bus voltages and currents. This scheme, combined with a simple procedure to handle PV buses, leads to a computationally efficient algorithm, particularly advantageous in the presence of zero-injection buses. Experimental results are provided comparing the performance of the proposed approach with that of the conventional formulation     

Thermal degradation of cinnamoylated poly(vinyl alcohol)

Thermogravimetry and pyrolysis in combination with gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy were the experimental techniques applied to the thermal degradation of cinnamoylated poly(vinyl alcohol) samples, constituted from vinyl alcohol-vinyl cinnamate photocrosslinkable copolymers. The thermal decomposition products include gases, liquids and solids. The gases are formed from saturated and unsaturated volatile hydrocarbons C₁? C₄, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The liquid fraction includes aromatic hydrocarbons and some oxygenated organic compounds. The solid product identified in the greatest amount was cinnamic acid. The content in the thermal decomposition products varies considerably both with copolymer composition and temperature.     

Metallurgical failure analysis of cold cracking in a structural steel weldment: Revisiting a classic failure mechanism

Cold cracking of structural steel weldments is a well-characterized, well-documented, and well-understood failure mechanism. Extensive effort has been put forth to recognize the welding and materials selection parameters that are conducive to cold cracking; however, these engineering efforts have not fully eliminated the occurrence of such failures. This article describes cold cracking failure specifically related to the construction industry. This particular failure was successfully identified prior to final erection of the structural member, and the weld was successfully reworked. These actions potentially prevented a serious catastrophic event that could have occurred have occurred either later in the construction process or possibly during the use of the building. Individual welding parameters, such as electrode/wire selection, joint design, and pre/postheating, played a role in the failure, and a number of human factors relating to the actual fabrication practices also contributed to the failure process.     

Overview of LIMEX'87 ice observations

Ice observations, results, and conclusions are summarized for the March 1987 Labrador Ice Margin Experiment (LIMEX'87), an international oceanographic study conducted in the pack ice of the Grand Banks area off the coast of Newfoundland. Included are the ice extent, flow size and thickness, ice kinematics and rheology, ice microwave properties, oceanic properties under the ice, and penetration of swell into the ice     

Strengthening the Weakest Link in Digital Protection

In our one-semester course at the US Military Academy in New York, we educate roughly 800 undergraduates from nontechnical fields each year on intermediate-level IT skills. We place our students in an isolated virtual-computing environment, give them hands-on experience with a variety of attack vectors that hackers use to exploit vulnerabilities, and provide them with a multidimensional framework for understanding and mitigating risks. As a result of this educational experience, our students are better able to internalize the concepts we teach and end up with an increased realization of the actions required to protect crucial resources.