GPUs Neutron Sensitivity Dependence on Data Type

Graphics Processing Units are very prone to be corrupted by neutrons. Experimental results obtained irradiating the GPU with high energy neutrons show that the input data type has a strong influence on the neutron-induced error-rate of the executed algorithms. Moreover, when operations are performed using floating-point data, the probabilities to be corrupted are very different for the mantissa, the exponent or the sign. We investigate the occurrences of errors in the different positions, evaluating the related effects on the result precision. The reported results and the architecture analysis demonstrate that under radiation, whenever possible, one should favor floating-point arithmetic, which is both more reliable and potentially easier to protect than the integer one.     

Cognitive processing and trait anxiety in typically developing children: Evidence for an interpretation bias.

In this study the authors examined whether increases in children's levels of self-reported trait anxiety would be related to their interpretation of ambiguous stimuli. By using the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (C. R. Reynolds & B. O. Richmond, 1985), the authors obtained measurements of anxiety for 40 children ages 7 and 9 years. Interpretation of ambiguous stimuli was measured by using a pictorial homophone task, where homophones could be interpreted as either threatening or neutral. Results showed that children's interpretations of homophones was significantly predicted by level of anxiety. Increases in levels of trait anxiety were positively associated with threatening interpretations of homophones. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of glucose deprivation of GLUT 1 expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Elevated glucose transport rates during glucose deprivation are phenomena that have been observed in several different types of cells in culture. We show here that glucose transport rates in 3T3-L1 adipocytes increased by 10-fold within 18 h in response to glucose deprivation, confirming earlier work by Van Putten and Krans (Van Putten, J. P. M., and Krans, H. M. J. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7996-8001). Mannose and 3-O-methylglucose (a nonmetabolizable glucose analog), but not fructose or galactose, blocked the increase in transport activity. Although the increase in transport was dependent on new protein synthesis, only a small and transient increase in GLUT 1 mRNA (less than 2-fold) was observed. In addition, the level of the normal isoform of GLUT 1 (46 kDa) did not increase. A lower molecular mass isoform (37 kDa) was observed but not until 15 h after glucose removal, the appearance of which was clearly not correlated with the increase in activity. Further, the extracellular glucose concentration required to elicit accumulation of this form (p37) was 2 orders of magnitude less than that required for transport stimulation (5 microM versus 500 microM glucose; p37 accumulation and transport activation, respectively). Interestingly, p37 was seen in the presence of galactose, but not fructose, despite elevated transport activity with either sugar. The p37 isoform was slightly larger than N-glycosidase F-treated GLUT 1 (36 kDa), implying that this form is still glycosylated, albeit incompletely. It is not known if p37 is functional, but the time- and sugar-dependent appearance of the lower isoform suggests that p37 is not responsible for starvation-induced transport but potentially represents an underglycosylated precursor of the normal, 46-kDa isoform of GLUT 1.     

Survivable millimeter-wave mesh networks

Millimeter-wave mesh networks have the potential to provide cost-effective high-bandwidth solutions to many current bandwidth-constrained networks including cellular backhaul. However, the availability of such networks is severely limited due to their susceptibility to weather, such as precipitation and humidity. In this paper, we present a rigorous approach to survivable millimeter-wave mesh networks based on experimentation, modeling, and simulation. Individual link performance is characterised using frame error-rate measurements from millimeter-wave transmissions on test links over a period of one year. A geometric model based on radar-reflectivity data is used to characterise rain storms and determine their impact on spatially correlated links of a mesh network. To mitigate the impact of link impairments on network services, we present two cross-layered routing protocols to route around the failures: P-WARP (predictive weather-assisted routing protocol) and XL-OSPF (cross-layered open shortest-path first). We conduct a performance analysis of the proposed mesh network under the presence of actual weather events as recorded by the US National Weather Service. Results show that the proposed approach yields the highest dependability when compared against existing routing methods.     

A model for radar images and its application to adaptive digital filtering of multiplicative noise

Standard image processing techniques which are used to enhance noncoherent optically produced images are not applicable to radar images due to the coherent nature of the radar imaging process. A model for the radar imaging process is derived in this paper and a method for smoothing noisy radar images is also presented. The imaging model shows that the radar image is corrupted by multiplicative noise. The model leads to the functional form of an optimum (minimum MSE) filter for smoothing radar images. By using locally estimated parameter values the filter is made adaptive so that it provides minimum MSE estimates inside homogeneous areas of an image while preserving the edge structure. It is shown that the filter can be easily implemented in the spatial domain and is computationally efficient. The performance of the adaptive filter is compared (qualitatively and quantitatively) with several standard filters using real and simulated radar images.     

Characterisation of the adsorption sites of hydrogen on Pt/C fuel cell catalysts

A key component of a hydrogen fuel cell is a catalyst to dissociate dihydrogen to hydrogen atoms. In the present study, the adsorption of hydrogen on Pt/C fuel cell catalysts has been investigated by inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy.

Monitoring a clean Pt(50%)/C catalyst with low energy neutron spectroscopy, after exposure to dihydrogen at 20 K, as it was heated to room temperature, showed three distinct temperature regimes: (i) a decrease in intensity from 10 to 60 K, (ii) a rise to a maximum between 60 and 120 K and then (iii) a slow fall-off towards room temperature. We assign the three regions as: (i) desorption of physisorbed dihydrogen, (ii) dissociation of dihydrogen to give an adsorbed layer and (iii) damping of the response by an increasing Debye–Waller factor.

The vibrational INS spectra of a series of Pt/C catalysts prepared under varying conditions were similar indicating that the same types of site are common to all the catalysts, although the relative proportions of each site are sample dependent. Features at 520, 950 and part of the intensity at 1300 cm⁻¹ are assigned to hydrogen on (1 1 1) faces, in good agreement with single crystal data. The mode at 640 cm⁻¹ is assigned as the doubly degenerate asymmetric stretch of Pt(1 0 0) faces with the symmetric stretch near 550 cm⁻¹.

We assign the bending mode of the on-top site to the feature at 470 cm⁻¹. The Pt–H stretch mode was observed at 2079 cm⁻¹. This is a significant result: this is the first time that hydrogen on the on-top sites has been observed on nanosized platinum particles supported on high surface area carbon black. The width of the INS peak is surprisingly large and may give additional information on the type and relative proportions of the crystallographic faces present on the catalyst particles.     

氧化硅有序介孔材料MCM-41的微波水热合成及用于组装ZnO纳米粒子

与传统水热合成工艺相比,采用微波水热合成新工艺可以快速合成比表面积大、孔体积和孔径大、孔径分布范围更窄、孔洞呈六方排布的有序介孔材料MCM-41.微波水热合成工艺合成的MCM-41具有合成效率高、成功率高等特点,为此类介孔材料商业化提供了高效的技术手段.采用传统水热工艺合成MCM-41通常需要48～72 h,而采用微波水热合成技术仅需要30 min.采用X射线粉晶衍射(XRD),氮气吸附等技术手段对合成MCM-41材料的物相、比表面积、孔体积、孔径等进行了表征.采用微波水热合成MCM-41的工艺参数为:微波处理的温度120 ℃,时间30 min,微波辐射功率500 W,经过滤、洗涤、干燥、焙烧等处理后,得到的MCM-41具有六方排布的孔系,晶格常数a0=4.4nm,比表面积可达1113 m2/g,平均孔径为2.7 nm,与选用同样配方采用传统水热合成工艺合成的MCM-41的性能相当,却极大提高了合成效率.采用微波水热合成工艺,同样可以合成立方晶系的MCM-48和六方晶系的SBA-15等介孔氧化硅分子筛材料.此外,在微波合成的MCM-41中采用液相工艺成功组装了ZnO纳米粒子,并对组装在MCM-41中的纳米ZnO粒子进行了光催化降解苯酚的实验研究.     

What we know about offenders who drive under the influence: analysis of court case file reviews

This paper presents findings from a quantitative study about alcohol-impaired drivers in Utah. The University of Utah's Social Research Institute conducted a retrospective case file evaluation about the adjudication and sanctioning phases associated with driving under the influence (DUI) to determine Utah's response to DUI crime from arrest forward. Although Utah driver's license and court systems are on the cutting edge of dealing with DUI offenders, we found a variety of limitations for analysis due to data collection and entry. Therefore, it is difficult to develop a thorough understanding about the process of dealing with DUI offenders and the effectiveness of court actions and treatments. The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations about how to ensure more accurate data collection about impaired drivers.     

On the Relationship between Shock and Thermal Initiating Conditions for Various Reactive Powder Mixtures

The critical conditions for initiation of reaction by shock loading in various compositions that produce little or no gas upon reaction were investigated. Shock recovery experiments using Mn+S were first carried out in two different apparatus geometries and for two different initial sample densities. In one geometry, the sample was subjected to a planar shock followed by interactions with the confining walls. In the other geometry, a curved shock free of wall interactions was delivered to the sample. The low‐density (55 % TMD) Mn+S was found to be significantly more sensitive to the curved shock than to the planar shock with wall interactions. For high‐density (90 % TMD) Mn+S samples however, shock sensitivity was the same in both apparatuses. Next, the reaction onset temperature and the critical initiating shock pressure were determined for a number of powder mixtures using DTA and shock recovery (in the geometry producing planar shocks with interactions with the confinement walls), respectively. For the majority of the mixtures tested, the minimum shock energy required to cause the entire sample mixture to react was found to be much less than the enthalpy of the sample at its reaction onset temperature, with no significant correlation between these two parameters. The process of arrested ball‐milling, which results in a reduction of the reaction onset temperature of a mixture, may lead to an increase in shock sensitivity. Additionally, thermal sensitivity in the particular mixtures considered was not increased when they were first shock‐compacted by sub‐critical shocks.