Process control and risky decision-making: moderation by general mental ability and need for cognition

Human factors and ergonomics research could benefit from focusing more strongly on individual differences – especially trait variables. The present study suggests the analysis of moderator effects as a promising way to enhance understanding of trait variables and process control performance. Process control performance was studied by analysing moderator effects of general mental ability (GMA) and need for cognition (NC) on risky decision-making (RDM) and performance. Fifty engineering students were trained on a process control task using a computer-based simulation for three hours and tested twice thereafter. Risky decision-making was measured using a computerised gambling task while GMA and NC were assessed with questionnaires. Risky decision-making in interaction with each GMA and NC explained variance in performance over and above variance explained by the single effects. In conclusion, the analysis of moderator effects between individual difference variables and process control performance seems promising.

Practitioner Summary: Individual difference variables affect learning and performance, but have often not been studied to any great extent in human factors research. This article suggests a promising approach to studying individual differences – moderator analyses – and illustrates how such differences can lead to a better understanding of what determines process control performance.     

Research on the recognition algorithm of Turbo codes on trellis termination

For the blind recognition of Turbo codes in information interception, the recognition algorithm of turbo codes on trellis termination fall into following two parts. In coding structure recognition, turbo codes on trellis termination is defined as linear block codes, so the blind recognition of code length and start is achieved by analyzing the rank of codes matrix with a different number of columns and a different start; In encoder parameter recognition, by comparing the sequence matrix's column vector before and after interleaving and determining the decision threshold, the influence of error codes whose number is lower than the decision threshold is removed, and consequently, the problem of poor fault-tolerant performance in the traditional interleaving mode recognition method is solved. Simulation shows that the correct percentage of recognition is higher than 80％ at 10^-3 BER, and confirms the validity and reliability of the algorithm.     

The "hidden observer" phenomenon in hypnosis: Some additional findings.

23 highly hypnotizable undergraduates (Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility) underwent 2 specially constructed 7-item hypnotic inductions. Over the 14 items, the main finding was of a relationship between E. R. Hilgard's (1973, 1977, 1979) "hidden observer" effect and 2 aspects of hypnotic age regression. Ss reporting a hidden observer experienced duality during regression to age 5, in which they were aware of being both adult and child. When asked to write a complex sentence, most did so, usually without spelling errors. The Ss not reporting this effect experienced quasi-lateral age regression in which they had the exclusive feeling of being 5 yrs old, with no sense of an adult identity. Most of these Ss were unable to write the same complex sentence when requested to during age regression. The study replicated Hilgard's finding of the hidden observer phenomenon in terms of its incidence and obtained similar verbal reports from Ss experiencing it. At the same time, the results suggest that a neodissociation account of hypnosis may need some modifications to accommodate these additional findings. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

可转债融资与公司股价长期表现实证研究

实证检验了我国上市公司可转债融资后的股价长期表现,结果发现,可转债融资后的公司股价并未如配股和增发再融资后的长期表现欠佳,而是有一定的优越表现.以EBIT与Size/BM可比公司进行调整后,一年期的累积超过收益分别为13.52%和17.13%,而以大盘指数调整后的一年期累积超额收益仅为0.41%.对以Size/BM可比公司调整后的累积超额收益给予的多元回归分析发现,可转债发行后的一年期股价市场表现与初始转换概率正相关,与股权稀释因子负相关,而在统计意义上不显著,但制造业公司在可转债发行后股价的一年期市场表现优于非制造业的公司,且在10%的水平下显著.     

Auditory-visual cross-modal perception of communicative stimuli in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella).

Research on cross-modal performance in nonhuman primates is limited to a small number of sensory modalities and testing methods. To broaden the scope of this research, the authors tested capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) for a seldom-studied cross-modal capacity in nonhuman primates, auditory-visual recognition. Monkeys were simultaneously played 2 video recordings of a face producing different vocalizations and a sound recording of 1 of the vocalizations. Stimulus sets varied from naturally occurring conspecific vocalizations to experimentally controlled human speech stimuli. The authors found that monkeys preferred to view face recordings that matched presented vocal stimuli. Their preference did not differ significantly across stimulus species or other stimulus features. However, the reliability of the latter set of results may have been limited by sample size. From these results, the authors concluded that capuchin monkeys exhibit auditory-visual cross-modal perception of conspecific vocalizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

SABUL: A Transport Protocol for Grid Computing

This paper describes SABUL, an application-level data transfer protocol for data-intensive applications over high bandwidth-delay product networks. SABUL is designed for reliability, high performance, fairness and stability. It uses UDP to transfer data and TCP to return control messages. A rate-based congestion control that tunes the inter-packet transmission time helps achieve both efficiency and fairness. In order to remove the fairness bias between flows with different network delays, SABUL adjusts its sending rate at uniform intervals, instead of at intervals determined by round trip time. This protocol has demonstrated its efficiency and fairness in both experimental and practical applications. SABUL has been implemented as an open source C++ library, which has been successfully used in several Grid computing applications.     

铅基板栅合金综合性能探析

在Pb-Ca-Sn-Al合金的基础上尝试添加第五种合金元素，测试其电化学性能，并在理论上讨论了其性能提高的原因。     

一种异构网络环境中的性能管理策略

文中针对一种特殊环境下的异构网络,研究其环境下的通信过程中所呈现的传输特征。利用在网络监测过程中得到性能参数的统计信息对网络传输性能进行分析,并对网络性能管理中性能参数的变化规律进行讨论,论述了统计分析基本原理在性能评估中的应用。提出了在测量和分析过程中需要考虑的因素以及进行分析的方法,为管理人员直观了解网络运行状况提供了依据。     

Memory Management for Real-Time Java: An Efficient Solution using Hardware Support*

This paper addresses the issue of improving the performance of memory management for real-time Java applications, building upon the real-time specification for Java (RTSJ) from the Real-Time Java Expert Group. In a first step, a collecting dynamic memory solution including both a real-time garbage collector and region-based memory management, is proposed. A thorough analysis of the parameters influencing the performance of write barriers in memory management, together with ways of improvement are then presented. Finally, the implementation of a memory management solution compliant with the RTSJ and integrating the proposed improvements is sketched.     

A Scalable Interconnection Network Architecture for Petaflops Computing

Extrapolating technology advances in the near future, a computer architecture capable of petaflops performance will likely be based on a collection of processing nodes interconnected by a high-performance network. One possible organization would consist of thousands of inexpensive, low-power symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) nodes. Each node will inject data into the interconnection network at a very large rate and consequently, the interconnect scheme is one of the most crucial design issues affecting system performance. This paper describes the 2D simultaneous optical multiprocessor exchange bus (2D SOME-Bus) which has the potential to become the basis of a high-end computer architecture capable of petaflops performance. It consists of N horizontal, N vertical 1D SOME-Bus networks, and N ² nodes. Each node is connected to one horizontal and one vertical 1D SOME-Bus. Each of N nodes connected to one 1D SOME-Bus has a dedicated broadcast channel and an input channel interface based on an array of N receivers monitoring all N channels and allowing multiple simultaneous broadcasts. In the 2D SOME-Bus, messages being broadcast on one Bus can be broadcast in a cut-through manner on one or more Buses in the other dimension. This paper describes the optoelectronic devices and technology which make the 2D SOME-Bus possible, and the network interface organization. It also presents simulation results which compare the performance of the 2D SOME-Bus, the 1D SOME-Bus, the crossbar and the torus under the message-passing paradigm.