Probabilistic Analysis of Multistage Interconnection Network Performance

We present methods of calculating the value of two performance parameters for multipath, multistage interconnection networks: the normalized throughput and the probability of successful message transmission. We develop a set of exact equations for the loading probability mass functions of network channels and a program for solving them exactly. We also develop a Monte Carlo method for approxmiate solution of the equations, and show that the resulting approximation method will always calculate the values of the performance parameters more quickly than direct simulation.

Imaging of three-dimensional objects in emission electron microscopy

Under investigation by emission electron microscopy, the shape and size of three-dimensional objects are distorted because of the appearance of a characteristic potential relief and a possible contact potential difference between the particles and the substrate. An estimation of these effects for spherical particles is made. It is shown that the apparent size of particles observed in an emission electron microscope (EEM) could be increased as well as decreased depending on the relation between the work functions of the particle and the substrate. The corresponding formulae are given and several possibilities are shown which permit us to determine from the EEM image the real size of particles and their work function relative to the substrate.

Representing Knowledge of Large-Scale Space

This dissertation presents a model of the knowledge a person has about the spatial structure of a large-scale environment: the "cognitive map". The functions of the cognitive map are to assimilate new information about the environment, to represent the current position, and to answer route-finding and relative-position problems. This model (called the TOUR model) analyzes the cognitive map in terms of symbolic descriptions of the environment and operations on those descriptions. Knowledge about a particular environment is represented in terms of route descriptions, a topological network of paths and places, multiple frames of reference for relative positions, dividing boundaries, and a structure of containing regions. The current position is described by the "You Are Here" pointer, which acts as a working memory and a focus of attention. Operations on the cognitive map are performed by inference rules which act to transfer information among different descriptions and the "You Are Here" pointer. The TOUR model shows how the particular descriptions chosen to represent spatial knowledge support assimilation of new information from local observations into the cognitive map, and how the cognitive map solves route-finding and relative-position problems. A central theme of this research is that the states of partial knowledge supported by a representation are responsible for its ability to function with limited information of computational resources. The representations in the TOUR model provide a rich collection of states of partial knowledge, and therefore exhibit flexible, "common-sense" behavior.

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

"The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" is the entry-level subject in Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is required of all students at MIT who major in Electrical Engineering or in Computer Science, as one fourth of the "common core curriculum," which also includes two subjects on circuits and linear systems and a subject on the design of digital systems. We have been involved in the development of this subject since 1978, and we have taught this material in its present form since the fall of 1980 to approximately 600 students each year. Most of these students have had little or no prior formal training in computation, although most have played with computers a bit and a few have had extensive programming or hardware design experience. Our design of this introductory Computer Science subject reflects two major concerns. First we want to establish the idea that a computer language is not just a way of getting a computer to perform operations, but rather that it is a novel formal medium for expressing ideas about methodology. Thus, programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute. Secondly, we believe that the essential material to be addressed by a subject at this level, is not the syntax of particular programming language constructs, nor clever algorithms for computing particular functions of efficiently, not even the mathematical analysis of algorithms and the foundations of computing, but rather the techniques used to control the intellectual complexity of large software systems.

Heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of N-(2-cyanoethyl) aniline (C9H10N2)

The low temperature heat capacities of N-(2-cyanoethyl)aniline were measured with an automated adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 83 to 353 K. The temperature corresponding to the maximum value of the apparent heat capacity in the fusion interval, molar enthalpy and entropy of fusion of this compound were determined to be 323.33 +/- 0.13 K, 19.4 +/- 0.1 kJ mol(-1) and 60.1 +/- 0.1 J K-1 mol(-1), respectively. Using the fractional melting technique, the purity of the sample was determined to be 99.0 mol% and the melting temperature for the tested sample and the absolutely pure compound were determined to be 323.50 and 323.99 K, respectively. A solid-to-solid phase transition occurred at 310.63 +/- 0.15 K. The molar enthalpy and molar entropy of the transition were determined to be 980 +/- 5 J mol(-1) and 3.16 +/- 0.02 J K-1 mol(-1), respectively. The thermodynamic functions of the compound [H-T - H-298.15] and [S-T - S-298.(15)] were calculated based on the heat capacity measurements in the temperature range of 83-353 K with an interval of 5 K. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurements of the heat capacity of an azeotropic mixture of water and n-butanol from 78 to 320 K

Molar heat capacities of n-butanol and the azeotropic mixture in the binary system [water (x=0.716) plus n-butanol (x=0.284)] were measured with an adiabatic calorimeter in a temperature range from 78 to 320 K. The functions of the heat capacity with respect to thermodynamic temperature were established for the azeotropic mixture. A glass transition was observed at (111.9 +/- 1.1) K. The phase transitions took place at (179.26 +/- 0.77) and (269.69 +/- 0.14) K corresponding to the solid-liquid phase transitions of. n-butanol and water, respectively. The phase-transition enthalpy and entropy of water were calculated. A thermodynamic function of excess molar heat capacity with respect to temperature was established, which took account of physical mixing, destructions of self-association and cross-association for n-butanol and water, respectively. The thermodynamic functions and the excess thermodynamic ones of the binary systems relative to 298.15 K were derived based on the relationships of the thermodynamic functions and the function of the measured heat capacity and the calculated excess heat capacity with respect to temperature.

Thermodynamic properties of ethanol and gasoline blended fuel

The heat capacities (C-p) of five types of gasohol (50 wt % ethanol and 50 wt % unleaded gasoline 93(#) (E50), 60 wt % ethanol and 40 wt % unleaded gasoline 93(#) (E60), 70 wt % ethanol and 30 wt % unleaded gasoline 93(#) (E70), 80 wt % ethanol and 20 wt % unleaded gasoline 93(#) (E80), and 90 wt % ethanol and 10 wt % unleaded gasoline 93(#) (E90), where the "93" denotes the octane number) were measured by adiabatic calorimetry in the temperature range of 78-320 K. A glass transition was observed at 95.61, 96.14, 96.56, 96.84, and 97.08 K for samples from the E50, E60, E70, E80, and E90 systems, respectively. A liquid-solid phase transition and a solid-liquid phase transition were observed in the respective temperature ranges of 118-153 and 155-163 K for E50, 117-150 and 151-164 K for E60, 115-154 and 154-166 K for E70, 113-152 and 152-167 K for E80, and 112-151 and 1581-167 K for E90. The polynomial equations of Cp and the excess heat capacities (C-p(E)), with respect to the thermodynamic temperature, were established through least-squares fitting. Based on the thermodynamic relationship and the equations obtained, the thermodynamic functions and the excess thermodynamic functions of the five gasohol samples were derived.

Combining Functional and Structural Reasoning for Safety Analysis of Electrical Designs

C.J.Price, D.R.Pugh, N.A.Snooke, J.E.Hunt, M.S.Wilson, Combining Functional and Structural Reasoning for Safety Analysis of Electrical Designs, Knowledge Engineering Review, vol 12:3, pp.271-287, 1997.

Impact of Islamic values on HRM practices: an empirical study of Jordanian universities

Purpose This study aims to present an in-depth theoretical and practical analysis of HRM practice in the light of Islamic values and principles. It looks at the four main HRM functions of recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, and rewards, from the Islamic perspective. Besides establishing a theoretical base for the influence of Islam on HRM, it analyses the key characteristics of HRM practice as applied in Jordanian universities and analyses the extent to which Islamic values are embedded in that practice. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on a structured questionnaire distributed to 500 respondents working in four Jordanian universities which sought to elicit the respondents views on the influence of Islamic values within specific HR functions. Findings The findings indicate that there is a diffusion of Islamic values into HRM practice in the participating organisations. The extent of the diffusion varies between the organisations; there is a clear indication that explicitly Islamic values are being practiced, albeit to a limited extent. Originality/value The role of spirituality and/or religion in shaping the working of contemporary organisations is not sufficiently recognised in the literature. This paper is a response to the limited number of research studies assessing the extent of the absorption of religious values into the management of human resources. The study undertaken examines the current status of HRM practice in Jordanian universities and contributes to deepening the contemporary understanding of interactions between Islamic values and the core HR functions.

An experimental study of the peeling of dough from solid surfaces

Binding, David; Couch, M.A., (2003) 'An experimental study of the peeling of dough from solid surfaces', Journal of Food Engineering 58(2) pp.299-309 RAE2008

Pleasure and instruction in the Prologue of Longus’ “Daphnis and Chloe”

The present study attempts to demonstrate that the ancient Greek novel Daphnis and Chloe systematically explores the problem expressed by Horace in the phrase docere et delectare, and that this purpose is announced in the Prologue. The functions of prologues as such are briefly reviewed. After a consideration of the prologues of the remaining ancient Greek novels, the Prologue of Longus’s Daphnis and Chloe is analyzed line by line. Longus uses the Prologue, then, to establish a series of dialectical tensions that operate throughout the novel, allowing it to delight and instruct at the same time.

Laminar Cortical Dynamics of 3D Surface Perception: Stratification, transparency, and Neon Color Spreading

How does the laminar organization of cortical circuitry in areas VI and V2 give rise to 3D percepts of stratification, transparency, and neon color spreading in response to 2D pictures and 3D scenes? Psychophysical experiments have shown that such 3D percepts are sensitive to whether contiguous image regions have the same relative contrast polarity (dark-light or lightdark), yet long-range perceptual grouping is known to pool over opposite contrast polarities. The ocularity of contiguous regions is also critical for neon color spreading: Having different ocularity despite the contrast relationship that favors neon spreading blocks the spread. In addition, half visible points in a stereogram can induce near-depth transparency if the contrast relationship favors transparency in the half visible areas. It thus seems critical to have the whole contrast relationship in a monocular configuration, since splitting it between two stereogram images cancels the effect. What adaptive functions of perceptual grouping enable it to both preserve sensitivity to monocular contrast and also to pool over opposite contrasts? Aspects of cortical development, grouping, attention, perceptual learning, stereopsis and 3D planar surface perception have previously been analyzed using a 3D LAMINART model of cortical areas VI, V2, and V4. The present work consistently extends this model to show how like-polarity competition between VI simple cells in layer 4 may be combined with other LAMINART grouping mechanisms, such as cooperative pooling of opposite polarities at layer 2/3 complex cells. The model also explains how the Metelli Rules can lead to transparent percepts, how bistable transparency percepts can arise in which either surface can be perceived as transparent, and how such a transparency reversal can be facilitated by an attention shift. The like-polarity inhibition prediction is consistent with lateral masking experiments in which two f1anking Gabor patches with the same contrast polarity as the target increase the target detection threshold when they approach the target. It is also consistent with LAMINART simulations of cortical development. Other model explanations and testable predictions will also be presented.

A Local Circuit Model of Learned Straitial and Dopamine Cell Responses under Probabilistic Schedules of Reward

Before choosing, it helps to know both the expected value signaled by a predictive cue and the associated uncertainty that the reward will be forthcoming. Recently, Fiorillo et al. (2003) found the dopamine (DA) neurons of the SNc exhibit sustained responses related to the uncertainty that a cure will be followed by reward, in addition to phasic responses related to reward prediction errors (RPEs). This suggests that cue-dependent anticipations of the timing, magnitude, and uncertainty of rewards are learned and reflected in components of the DA signals broadcast by SNc neurons. What is the minimal local circuit model that can explain such multifaceted reward-related learning? A new computational model shows how learned uncertainty responses emerge robustly on single trial along with phasic RPE responses, such that both types of DA responses exhibit the empirically observed dependence on conditional probability, expected value of reward, and time since onset of the reward-predicting cue. The model includes three major pathways for computing: immediate expected values of cures, timed predictions of reward magnitudes (and RPEs), and the uncertainty associated with these predictions. The first two model pathways refine those previously modeled by Brown et al. (1999). A third, newly modeled, pathway is formed by medium spiny projection neurons (MSPNs) of the matrix compartment of the striatum, whose axons co-release GABA and a neuropeptide, substance P, both at synapses with GABAergic neurons in the SNr and with the dendrites (in SNr) of DA neurons whose somas are in ventral SNc. Co-release enables efficient computation of sustained DA uncertainty responses that are a non-monotonic function of the conditonal probability that a reward will follow the cue. The new model's incorporation of a striatal microcircuit allowed it to reveals that variability in striatal cholinergic transmission can explain observed difference, between monkeys, in the amplitutude of the non-monotonic uncertainty function. Involvement of matriceal MSPNs and striatal cholinergic transmission implpies a relation between uncertainty in the cue-reward contigency and action-selection functions of the basal ganglia. The model synthesizes anatomical, electrophysiological and behavioral data regarding the midbrain DA system in a novel way, by relating the ability to compute uncertainty, in parallel with other aspects of reward contingencies, to the unique distribution of SP inputs in ventral SN.

The Role of Edges and Line-Ends in Illusory Contour Formation

Illusory contours can be induced along directions approximately collinear to edges or approximately perpendicular to the ends of lines. Using a rating scale procedure we explored the relation between the two types of inducers by systematically varying the thickness of inducing elements to result; in varying amounts of "edge-like" or "line-like" induction. Inducers for om illusory figures consisted of concentric rings with arcs missing. Observers judged the clarity and brightness of illusory figures as the number of arcs, their thicknesses, and spacings were parametrically varied. Degree of clarity and amount of induced brightness were both found to be inverted-U functions of the number of arcs. These results mandate that any valid model of illusory contour formation must account for interference effects between parallel lines or between those neural units responsible for completion of boundary signals in directions perpendicular to the ends of thin lines. Line width was found to have an effect on both clarity and brightness, a finding inconsistent with those models which employ only completion perpendicular to inducer orientation.

The Role of Edges and Line-Ends in Illusory Contour Formation

Illusory contours can be induced along direction approximately collinear to edges or approximately perpendicular to the ends of lines. Using a rating scale procedure we explored the relation between the two types of inducers by systematically varying the thickness of inducing elements to result in varying amounts of "edge-like" or "line-like" induction. Inducers for our illusory figures consisted of concentric rings with arcs missing. Observers judged the clarity and brightness of illusory figures as the number of arcs, their thicknesses, and spacings were parametrically varied. Degree of clarity and amount of induced brightness were both found to be inverted-U functions of the number of arcs. These results mandate that any valid model of illusory contour formation must account for interference effects between parallel lines or between those neural units responsible for completion of boundary signals in directions perpendicular to the ends of thin lines. Line width was found to have an efFect on both clarity and brightness, a finding inconsistent with those models which employ only completion perpendicular to inducer orientation.