Parallel path consistency

Filtering algorithms are well accepted as a means of speeding up the solution of the consistent labeling problem (CLP). Despite the fact that path consistency does a better job of filtering than arc consistency, AC is still the preferred technique because it has a much lower time complexity. We are implementing parallel path consistency algorithms on multiprocessors and comparing their performance to the best sequential and parallel arc consistency algorithms.^(1,2) (See also work by Kerethoet al. ⁽³⁾ and Kasif⁽⁴⁾) Preliminary work has shown linear performance increases for parallelized path consistency and also shown that in many cases performance is significantly better than the theoretical worst case. These two results lead us to believe that parallel path consistency may be a superior filtering technique. Finally, we have implemented path consistency as an outer product computation and have obtained good results (e.g., linear speedup on a 64K-node Connection Machine 2).     

如何加强信号路径的性能

信号路径的设计为系统设计工程师提供不少可供他们发挥的机会.以设有模拟/数字转换器的信号路径为例来说,工程师进行设计时不但要为传感器提供缓冲,而且还要解决模拟/数字转换器开关电容的输入充电问题,以及要尽量减少系统的噪音源,只要构思的设计能解决这些问题,便可大幅提升系统的性能.今期的信号路径设计专辑将会深入讨论这方面的问题.     

Effect of epitaxial realignment on the leakage behavior of arsenic-implanted,as-deposited polycrystalline Si-on-single crystal Si diodes

When dopants are indiffused from a heavily implanted polycrystalline silicon film deposited on a silicon substrate, high thermal budget annealing can cause the interfacial “native” oxide at the polycrystalline silicon-single crystal silicon interface to break up into oxide clusters, causing epitaxial realignment of the polycrystalline silicon layer with respect to the silicon substrate. Anomalous transient enhanced diffusion occurs during epitaxial realignment and this has adverse effects on the leakage characteristics of the shallow junctions formed in the silicon substrate using this technique. The degradation in the leakage current is mainly due to increased generation-recombination in the depletion region because of defect injection from the interface.     

Crystallization behaviour of Ni-Co-base metallic glasses by isochronal and isothermal annealing

The crystallization behaviour of three amorphous alloys, Co₅₀Ni₂₅Si₁₅B₁₀, Ni₅₀Co₂₅Si₁₅B₁₀ and Ni₅₀Co₂₅P₁₅B₁₀, was studied by means of differential thermal analysis in conjunction with scanning transmission electron microscopy. Isochronal annealing showed a strong dependence of crystallization on scan rate over the range of 1.99 to 20.70 K min^–1. At high Co/Ni ratios, a sequential two-stage crystallization process involving primary MS-I phase followed by MS-II phase precipitation was observed. At low Co/Ni ratios MS-I and MS-II crystallization were concurrent and inseparable. Replacement of the metalloid Si with P as the glass-former dramatically reduced the activation energy for crystallization as well as the crystallization temperature. A mechanistic understanding of these findings was pursued in light of TEM/STEM microanalysis     

Localization of allatostatin-immunoreactive material in the central nervous system, stomatogastric nervous system, and gut of the cockroach Blattella germanica

Immunoreactivity against peptides of the allatostatin family having a typical YXFGL-NH2 C-terminus has been localized in different areas of the central nervous system, stomatogastric nervous system and gut of the cockroach Blattella germanica. In the protocerebrum, the most characteristic immunoreactive perikarya are situated in the lateral and median neurosecretory cell groups. Immunoreactive median neurosecretory cells send their axons around the circumesophageal connectives to form arborizations in the anterior neuropil of the tritocerebrum. A group of cells in the lateral aspect of the tritocerebrum project to the antennal lobes in the deutocerebrum, where immunoreactive arborizations can be seen in the periphery of individual glomeruli. Nerve terminals were shown in the corpora allata. These terminals come from perikarya situated in the lateral neurosecretory cells in the pars lateralis and in the subesophageal ganglion. Immunoreactive axons from median neurosecretory cells and from cells positioned in the anteriormost part of the tritocerebrum enter together in the stomatogastric nervous system and innervate foregut and midgut, especially the crop and the valve between the crop and the midgut. The hindgut is innervated by neurons whose perikarya are located in the last abdominal ganglion. Besides immunoreactivity in neurons, allatostatin-immunoreactive material is present in endocrine cells distributed within the whole midgut epithelium. Possible functions for these peptides according to their localization are discussed.     

Energy Dissipation at the Slug Nose and the Modeling of Solids Transport in Intermittent Flow

It is shown, by means of Lagrangian momentum and power balances across the slug nose in slug flow, that the power dissipated due to sudden expansion of the fluid in the film immediately downstream of the slug nose is greater than the power lost due to viscous action at the pipe wall but that it may not be large enough to materially aid particle transport. This has the implication that sand transport in intermittent flow may be considered as transport in a hybrid flow of hydraulic conveying and stratified flow when the length of the mixing section at the slug nose is short compared to the length of the slug body.     

Survey of animal livers for vitamin A content.

Retail samples of livers from calf (23), ox (18), lamb (17), pig (15), chicken (16) and turkey (1) were analysed to determine levels of vitamin A (all trans-retinol) and to aid assessment of the effects of using vitamin supplemented compound feedingstuffs for livestock. For comparison, 22 liver samples from lambs reared on diets not containing vitamin-supplemented compound feedingstuffs and four samples of liver from ox which had received supplemented feed but not during the last four months prior to slaughter were also analysed. The chosen method of analysis utilized saponification, solvent extraction and normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. For all species analysed, the levels of vitamin A ranged from 10 to 1100 mg/kg, with all but seven at or below 400 mg/kg. For lamb and ox livers, the mean levels were 310 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg respectively for retail samples. The mean levels were 220 mg/kg (lamb) and 120 mg/kg (ox) in liver samples from animals fed controlled diets. The results are of the same order as those reported over recent years.     

差分测量的重要性

许多实际应用都要求放大强噪声环境中的徵弱信号。通常，信号传感器离放大器有一定的距离，所以经常引入大量的噪声和杂音。有效的信号恢复常常依赖于为具体的应用精心地选择最佳的放大器。有三种常见的应用系统类型：单端输入和单端输出(基于运算放大器)系统；差分输入和单端输出(基于仪表放大器)系统；以及差分输入和差分辅出(基于差分放大器)系统。有些设计工程师可能要使用单端输人、屏蔽电缆系统，类似图A所示。这里，首先在屏蔽电缆和公共端(或者“地”)之间施加输入信号，然后它通过电缆传送到运算放大器。像这样的单端系统很容易引…