Universal constructions that ensure disjoint-access parallelism and wait-freedom

A universal construction is a general mechanism for obtaining a concurrent implementation of an object from its sequential code. We show that there is no universal construction that is both disjoint-access parallel (guaranteeing the processes operating on different parts of an implemented object do not interfere with one another) and wait-free (guaranteeing progress for each nonfaulty process when accessing an object). In contrast, we present a universal construction which results in disjoint-access parallel, wait-free implementations of any object provided there is a bound on the number of data items accessed by each operation supported by the object.     

Short-pulse three-dimensional scattering from moderately rough surfaces: a comparison between narrow-waisted Gaussian beam algorithms and FDTD

In this paper, with reference to short-pulse three-dimensional scattering from moderately rough surfaces, we present a comparison between Gabor-based narrow-waisted Gaussian beam (NW-GB) and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithms. NW-GB algorithms have recently emerged as an attractive alternative to traditional (ray-optical) high-frequency/short-pulse approximate methods, whereas FDTD algorithms are well-established full-wave tools for electromagnetic wave propagation and scattering. After presentation of relevant background material, results are presented and discussed for realistic parameter configurations, involving dispersive soils and moderately rough surface profiles, of interest in pulsed ground penetrating radar applications. Results indicate a generally satisfying agreement between the two methods, which tends to improve for slightly dispersive soils. Computational aspects are also compared.     

FDTD simulation of TE and TM plane waves at nonzero incidence in arbitrary Layered media

Plane wave scattering is an important class of electromagnetic problems that is surprisingly difficult to model with the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method if the direction of propagation is not parallel to one of the grid axes. In particular, infinite plane wave interaction with dispersive half-spaces or layers must include careful modeling of the incident field. By using the plane wave solutions of Maxwell's equations to eliminate the transverse field dependence, a modified set of curl equations is derived which can model a "slice" of an oblique plane wave along grid axes. The resulting equations may be used as edge conditions on an FDTD grid. These edge conditions represent the only known way to accurately propagate plane wave pulses into a frequency dependent medium. An examination of grid dispersion between the plane wave and the modeled slice reveals good agreement. Application to arbitrary dispersive media is straightforward for the transverse magnetic (TM) case, but requires the use of an auxiliary equation for the transverse electric case, which increases complexity. In the latter case, a simplified approach, based on formulating the dual of the TM equations, is shown to be quite effective. The strength of the developed approach is illustrated with a comparison with the conventional simulation based on an analytic incident wave specification with half-space, single frequency reflection and transmission for the edges. Finally, an example of a possible biomedical application is given and the implementation of the method in the perfectly matched layer region is discussed.     

Minimum Moment Method for Resource Leveling Using Entropy Maximization

The minimum moment method for resource leveling is revisited and restated as an entropy-maximization problem. The minimum moment method assumes that the moment of the daily resource demands about the horizontal axis of a project’s resource histogram is a good measure of the resource utilization and that the optimal resource allocation exists when the total moment is at a minimum, thus when the resource histogram is of rectangular shape. The entropy-maximization method proposed in this paper makes use of the general theory of entropy and two of its principal properties (subadditivity and maximality) to revisit the minimum moment method for resource leveling. The entropy-maximization method presented allows for activity stretching and provides resource allocation solutions that show improvement over previous approaches. A case study is also presented that validates the results.     

Classroom furniture dimensions and anthropometric measures in primary school

The purpose of this study was to compare students' dimensions to the dimension of school furniture, in primary school, and determine whether this type of furniture is well-designed and promotes good sitting posture at school by taking into account the dimensions of the children. A total of 180 (90 male and 90 female) students, from three primary schools in Thessaloniki, Greece, participated in the study. Their ages ranged from 7 to 12 years. The following human body dimensions were measured: stature, elbow height, shoulder height, upper arm length, knee height, popliteal height and buttock-popliteal length. In addition, the dimensions were measured for four different types of chairs and five types of desks prevalent in classrooms. Finally, the anthropometric measures of the students and the furniture dimensions were compared in order to identify any incompatibility between them. The data indicate a mismatch between the students' bodily dimensions and the classroom furniture available to them. The chairs are too high and too deep and desks are also too high for the pupils. This situation has negative effects on the sitting posture of the children especially when reading and writing.     

A stacked memory device on logic 3D technology for ultra-high-density data storage

We have demonstrated, for the first time, a novel three-dimensional (3D) memory chip architecture of stacked-memory-devices-on-logic (SMOL) achieving up to 95% of cell-area efficiency by directly building up memory devices on top of front-end CMOS devices. In order to realize the SMOL, a unique 3D Flash memory device and vertical integration structure have been successfully developed. The SMOL architecture has great potential to achieve tera-bit level memory density by stacking memory devices vertically and maximizing cell-area efficiency. Furthermore, various emerging devices could replace the 3D memory device to develop new 3D chip architectures.     

Antibacterial Activity of Copper Nanoparticles against Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in Tomato Plants

Copper-based bactericides have appeared as a new tool in crop protection and offer an effective solution to combat bacterial resistance. In this work, two copper nanoparticle products that were previously synthesized and evaluated against major bacterial and fungal pathogens were tested on their ability to control the bacterial spot disease of tomato. Growth of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, the causal agent of the disease, was significantly suppressed by both nanoparticles, which had superior function compared to conventional commercial formulations of copper. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry measurements in tomato leaves revealed that bioavailability of copper is superior in the case of nanoparticles compared to conventional formulations and is dependent on synthesis rather than size. This is the first report correlating bioavailability of copper to nanoparticle efficacy.     

Effects of the excluded volume interactions on the conformational properties of star polymers

The effects of the excluded volume interactions on the conformational properties of star polymers have been studied. First order calculations at the critical dimensionality d = 4 yield the critical exponents of the average quantities up to first order in ε = 4-d. We thus find the partition function, the probability of the end of a branch to reach the central core and the probability of contact of the ends of two branches. The size of the macromolecule, expressed by the mean square radius of gyration 〈s²〉_star is studied in the region where the interactions between the polymeric units repel one another and in the region where the units attract one another. The results are compared with the results of previous works and with experiments.