Pentium Computer Research Articles

Team Robot Motion Planning in Dynamics Environments Using a New Hybrid Algorithm (Honey Bee Mating Optimization-Tabu List)

This paper describes a new hybrid algorithm extracted from honey bee mating optimization (HBMO) algorithm (for robot travelling distance minimization) and tabu list technique (for obstacle avoidance) for team robot system. This algorithm was implemented in a C++ programming language on a Pentium computer and simulated on simple cylindrical robots in a simulation software. The environment in this simulation was dynamic with moving obstacles and goals. The results of simulation have shown validity and reliability of new algorithm. The outcomes of simulation have shown better performance than ACO and PSO algorithm (society, nature algorithms) with respect to two well-known metrics included, ATPD (average total path deviation) and AUTD (average uncovered target distance).

Automatic segmentation of intra‐abdominal and subcutaneous adipose tissue in 3D whole mouse MRI

To fully automate intra-abdominal (IAT) and total adipose tissue (TAT) segmentation in mice to replace tedious and subjective manual segmentation. A novel transform codes each voxel with the radius of the narrowest passage on the widest possible three-dimensional (3D) path to any voxel in the target object to select appropriate IAT seed points. Then competitive region growing is performed on a distance transform of the fat mask such that competing classes meet at narrow passages effectively segmenting the IAT and subcutaneous adipose compartments. Fully automatic segmentations were conducted on 32 3D mouse images independent to those used for algorithm development. Automatic processing worked on all 32 images and took 28 s on a 3.6 GHz Pentium computer with 2.0 GB RAM. Manual segmentation by an experienced operator typically took 1 h per 3D image. The correlation coefficients between manual and automated segmentation of TAT and IAT were 0.97 and 0.94, respectively. The fully automatic method correlates well with manual segmentation and dramatically speeds up segmentation allowing MRI to be used in the anti-obesity drug discovery pipeline.

Three‐dimensional reconstruction and visualization of the median nerve from serial tissue sections

The purpose of this study was to definitively implement the three-dimensional visualization of sensory and motor fascicles in the human median nerve by means of acetylcholinesterase (AChe) histochemical staining and under the assistance of the computer technology. One fresh human median nerve was harvested from a male adult cadaver. The median nerve was fixed at a special holder. Then, the whole holder was embedded and rapidly frozen in the liquid nitrogen. The processed median nerve was then cut coronally every 100 microm at a 20 microm thickness along its long axis in a sliding freezing microtome. The total number of sections was 4,650 slices. All sections were stained with the AChe histochemical method. The stained sections were scanned and saved as Joint Photographic Experts Group files. These images with positively and negatively stained sections were acquired to an Intel dual Pentium computer. The Adobe Photoshop CS2 software was used to compare the reference points of images before and after staining. The two-dimensional intraneural microstructure database of median nerve was then acquired. A software of 3D nerve visualization system was developed. With the 3D nerve visualization system, the 3D visualization result of intraneural microstructure of median nerve was created. The findings may provide more accurate and detailed anatomic information for nerve repairs, specifically for the fascicular nerve repairs. The 3D nerve visualization technique may have potential for future studies of topography of peripheral nerve. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2009.

Efficient implementation of detailed surface chemistry into reactor models using mapped rate data

It is shown that a mapping of precomputed rate data can be used to implement efficiently detailed surface mechanisms into reactor simulations. The procedure is demonstrated using a surface mechanism for CH 4 oxidation on platinum (11 surface species, 19 reactions). It is found that a spline representation based on 7000 data points reproduces the effective CH 4 conversion rates with an error of less than 0.5%. To demonstrate the potential of the approach a 3D model of a monolith channel including the irregularly shaped washcoat is implemented in a commercial CFD program. A steady state solution of this model takes 20 s on a 1.5 GHz Pentium computer. This corresponds to a speed up of three orders of magnitude compared to the solution of the same model coupled to a full numerical solution of the surface chemistry.

Calculation of effective conductivity of 2D and 3D composite materials with anisotropic constituents and different inclusion shapes in Mathematica

The study of the effective properties of composite materials with anisotropic constituents and different inclusion shapes has motivated the development of the Mathematica 6.0 package “CompositeMaterials”. This package can be used to calculate the effective anisotropic conductivity tensor of two-phase composites. Any fiber cross section, even percolating ones, can be studied in the 2D composites. “Rectangular Prism” and “Ellipsoidal” inclusion shapes with arbitrary orientations can be investigated in the 3D composites. This package combines the Asymptotic Homogenization Method and the Finite Element Method in order to obtain the effective conductivity tensor. The commands and options of the package are illustrated with two sample applications for two- and three-dimensional composites. Program summary Program title:CompositeMaterials Catalogue identifier:AEAU_v1_0 Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEAU_v1_0.html Program obtainable from:CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions:Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.:132 183 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.:1 334 908 Distribution format:tar.gz Programming language:Mathematica 6.0 Computer:Any that can run Mathematica 6.0 and where the open-source free C-programs Triangle ( http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~quake/triangle.html) and TetGen ( http://tetgen.berlios.de/) can be compiled and executed. Tested in Intel Pentium computers. Operating system:Any that can run Mathematica 6.0 and where the open-source free C-programs Triangle ( http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~quake/triangle.html) and TetGen ( http://tetgen.berlios.de/) can be compiled and executed. Tested in Windows XP. RAM:Small two-dimensional calculations require less than 100 MB. Large three-dimensional calculations require 500 MB or more. Classification:7.9 External routines:One Mathematica Add-on and two external programs: The free Mathematica Add-On IMS ( http://www.imtek.uni-freiburg.de/simulation/Mathematica/IMSweb/), The open-source free C-program Triangle ( http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~quake/triangle.html). The open-source free C-program TetGen ( http://tetgen.berlios.de/). The distribution file contains Windows executables for Triangle and TetGen. Nature of problem:The calculation of effective thermal conductivity tensor for two-dimensional and three-dimensional composite materials with anisotropic constituents and different inclusion shapes. Solution method:Asymptotic Homogenization Method, with the Cell Problems solved with Finite Element Method. Unusual features:Different inclusion shapes can be easily created. The constituents can be anisotropic. The intermediate stages and the final results can be graphed and analyzed with all the power of Mathematica 6.0. The use of the external meshing programs Triangle and TetGen is totally transparent for the end user. A typical calculation requires the use of only four special commands that follow standard Mathematica syntax. Additional comments:The executable binary files for Triangle and TetGen must be accessible from the directory specified by Mathematica's variable $HomeDirectory. The IMS add-on and the CompositeMaterials package, which is the package presented in this work, must be installed in the directory specified by Mathematica's variable $BaseDirectory or in the variable $UserBaseDirectory. The 2D calculations of Composite Materials will run successfully in Mathematica 5.2 and 6.0 but for the 3D calculations it is necessary to use Mathematica 6.0 or higher. Running time:Simple two-dimensional calculations can be done in less than a minute. Complex three-dimensional calculations can take an hour or more.

Yet Even Faster (YEF) real-time object detection

We present an improvement to the object detection scheme of Viola and Jones (2004), using the example of face detection. We present a new kind of visual features that is based on sampling individual pixels within the examined sub-window, instead of comparing the sums of pixel values in rectangular regions. Our features are faster and do not demand the preparation of an integral image, nor variance-normalisation of each sub-window. The result is an improved system that detects faces in quarter-PAL images in only 9 milliseconds per image on a 2.4-GHz pentium computer.

The Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Receptor Specificity of the α-Conotoxin Vc1.1

The alpha-conotoxin Vc1.1 is a small disulfide-bonded peptide currently in development as a treatment for neuropathic pain. This study describes the synthesis, determination of the disulfide connectivity, and the determination of the three-dimensional structure of Vc1.1 using NMR spectroscopy. Vc1.1 was shown to inhibit nicotine-evoked membrane currents in isolated bovine chromaffin cells in a concentration-dependent manner and preferentially targets peripheral nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes over central subtypes. Specifically, Vc1.1 is selective for alpha3-containing nAChR subtypes. The three-dimensional structure of Vc1.1 comprises a small alpha-helix spanning residues Pro6 to Asp11 and is braced by the I-III, II-IV disulfide connectivity seen in other alpha-conotoxins. A comparison of the structure of Vc1.1 with other alpha-conotoxins, taken together with nAChR selectivity data, suggests that the conserved proline at position 6 is important for binding, whereas a number of residues in the C-terminal portion of the peptide contribute toward the selectivity. The structure reported here should open new opportunities for further development of Vc1.1 or analogues as analgesic agents.

Entry order and pricing over the product cycle: The transition from the 486 to the Pentium processor

Using a high frequency data set of advertized prices of personal computers we find that prices of Pentium computers of late entrants into this market segment are higher than the contemporaneous prices of their competitors. This is true even among firms which have the same price premium for their 486 computers, but is more pronounced for high quality firms. Over time, the difference in the Pentium computer prices between the early and late entrants declines to the level of the price gap for their 486 computers. In contrast, the entry prices of the late entrants are lower than the entry prices of the early entrants. These results suggest that entry prices of firms are set to extract short run rents from consumers who have a higher willingness to pay for their brand. They also suggest a rapidly declining price premium for quality over the product cycle. We develop a stylized two-period durable goods duopoly model that formalizes this intuition and which produces results consistent with these empirical regularities. In light of these findings, brand coefficients in hedonic regressions using high frequency data should not be interpreted as capturing unobserved quality only.

Autonomous Behavior of a Wetland Soil TechnoEcosystem

Novel systems that are combinations of ecosystems and machines (technoecosystems) are the product of a new form of design called ecological engineering. One class of these ecotechnologies has as a goal some form of autonomous behavior independent of direct human control. This research presents the design and operational dynamics of a technoecosystem that consists of a wetland soil microcosm in which redox potential is the feedback control variable. This feedback loop allows novel system behavior in that it affords the ecosystem control over its own energy sources. The feedback control system was constructed using a standard Pentium computer running Labview. Redox potential in the sealed wetland soil microcosms was monitored over time by the computer using platinum-tipped electrodes. A redox value higher than a userdefined upper threshold triggered addition of a carbon solution, whereas a redox value lower than a lower threshold triggered addition of a nitrate solution. Experimental trials exhibited an oscillatory trend in redox potential over time, compared to steady decline in redox potential in the control trials. The feedback transformed the soil-based ecosystem from a reduced state into an alternative state of oxidation. The difference in behaviors between the control and experimental microcosms can be seen as the result of the artificial feedback in the technological interface. Practical applications for the automatic optimization of the denitrification rate in wastewater treatment wetlands can be envisioned. Also, a taxonomy for the emerging variety of possible technoecosystems, based upon the types of interactions between living and nonliving system components, is proposed.

인쇄회로기판 자동배치/배선 시스템 개발에 관한 연구

자동배치/배선 시스템의 배선영역 모델링 방법은 그리드와 논 그리드 방식을 사용하고 있다. 그리드 방식은 PCB상에 전기적, 물리적 요소들이 적다할지라도 보드와 그리드의 크기에 제약을 받기 때문에 메모리가 많아지게 되어 자동배치/배선 속도를 감소시키는 단점을 가지고 있다. 논 그리드 방식인 형상기반 방식은 영역처리 방식을 사용하므로 형상들을 메모리에 각각의 객체로서 존재시키며, 이들 객체는 고유의 데이터 크기를 갖기 때문에 메모리가 상당히 적게 소요된다. 그러므로 본 논문에서는 단일 원점에서 여러 목적지에 가장 빠르게 도달 할 수 있는 최단 경로 문제를 해결하는 경매 알고리즘을 적용하여 형상기반 방식에 의하여 메모리 낭비 없이 빠른 속도로 자동배치/배선할 수 있는 PCB 자동배치/배선 시스템을 개발하였다. 또한 본 시스템은 이와 같은 방식을 이용하여 PC에서 사용할 수 있도록 IBM Pentium 컴퓨터의 Windows 환경에서 Visual C++언어로 개발하였다. The modeling methods of routing region used in the automatic placement/routing system are a grid and non-grid. Because the gird method is curbed by its size and a board if the electrical and physical elements on PCB are of small quantity, it has many memories. Therefore, it has demerit which decreases the speed of automatic placement/routing. The Shape-based type, non-grid method, makes the shapes exist as an in dividual element in a memory by using a region-processing method. Each individual element needs very small memory since it has its unique data size. Therefore, this paper aimed to develope the automatic placement/routing system which can automatically place and route the PCB without dissipation of memory at a high speed. To this aim, the auction algorithm method was applied which can make the memories be most rapidly reached from the original point to various destinations. Also, this system was developed by the Visual C++ in the Widows environment of IBM Pentium computer in order to use it in an individual PC system.

Fluorescence-based array biosensors for detection of biohazards.

Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) is a process whereby fluorophores that are either attached to or are in close proximity with the surface of a waveguide are selectively excited via an evanescent wave. Planar waveguides provide the possibility of immobilizing multiple capture biomolecules onto a single surface and therefore, offer the exciting prospect of multi-analyte detection. The production of arrays and the results of various groups which use TIRF to interrogate such surfaces is reviewed, along with a look at how far the field has advanced toward the production of an automated, portable, multi-analyte array biosensor for real-time biohazard detection. In particular, a miniaturized, fully automated, stand-alone array biosensor developed at the Naval Research Laboratory is reported that monitors interactions between binding partners either as the final image or in real-time. A variety of analytes including toxins, bacteria and viruses have been detected both in buffer and complex matrices, such as blood and soil suspensions, with comparable detection limits. A number of developments have led to a TIRF array biosensor weighing only 5.5 kg which is automated for environmental, clinical and food monitoring or for detection of bioterrorist agents.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARALLEL IMPLEMENTATION FOR A CFD BASED FIRE MODEL UTILISING CONVENTIONAL OFFICE BASED PCs

Parallel processing techniques have been used in the past to provide high performance computing resources for activities such as fire-field modelling. This has traditionally been achieved using specialized hardware and software, the expense of which would be difficult to justify for many fire engineering practices. In this article we demonstrate how typical office-based PCs attached to a Local Area Network has the potential to offer the benefits of parallel processing with minimal costs associated with the purchase of additional hardware or software. It was found that good speedups could be achieved on homogeneous networks of PCs, for example a problem composed of ~100,000 cells would run 9.3 times faster on a network of 12 800MHz PCs than on a single 800MHz PC. It was also found that a network of eight 3.2GHz Pentium 4 PCs would run 7.04 times faster than a single 3.2GHz Pentium computer. A dynamic load balancing scheme was also devised to allow the effective use of the software on heterogeneous PC networks. This scheme also ensured that the impact between the parallel processing task and other computer users on the network was minimized.

Computations of secondary potential for 3D DC resistivity modelling using an incomplete Choleski conjugate‐gradient method

ABSTRACTAn accurate and efficient 3D finite‐difference (FD) forward algorithm for DC resistivity modelling is developed. In general, the most time‐consuming part of FD calculation is to solve large sets of linear equations: Ax=b, where A is a large sparse band symmetric matrix. The direct method using complete Choleski decomposition is quite slow and requires much more computer storage. We have introduced a row‐indexed sparse storage mode to store the coefficient matrix A and an incomplete Choleski conjugate‐gradient (ICCG) method to solve the large linear systems. By taking advantage of the matrix symmetry and sparsity, the ICCG method converges much more quickly and requires much less computer storage. It takes approximately 15 s on a 533 MHz Pentium computer for a grid with 46 020 nodes, which is approximately 700 times faster than the direct method and 2.5 times faster than the symmetric successive over‐relaxation (SSOR) conjugate‐gradient method. Compared with 3D finite‐element resistivity modelling with the improved ICCG solver, our algorithm is more efficient in terms of number of iterations and computer time. In addition, we solve for the secondary potential in 3D DC resistivity modelling by a simple manipulation of the FD equations. Two numerical examples of a two‐layered model and a vertical contact show that the method can achieve much higher accuracy than solving for the total potential directly with the same grid nodes. In addition, a 3D cubic body is simulated, for which the dipole–dipole apparent resistivities agree well with the results obtained with the finite‐element and integral‐equation methods. In conclusion, the combination of several techniques provides a rapid and accurate 3D FD forward modelling method which is fundamental to 3D resistivity inversion.

Video-investigation of reverse hydride transformations in the Pd–H system

In the present work, peculiarities of β→ α hydride transformation in subsurface layers of a β-hydride of palladium in the temperature range 270–100°C were studied. The transformation processes were fixed with video camera in real time and then video movies were analyzed with a Pentium computer. It is shown that a decrease in internal hydrogen phase stresses and hydrogen concentrational ones with increase in temperature strongly influences both morphological peculiarities and the rate of transformation. So, at temperatures of 100–190°C the generation and growth of nuclei can be seen clearly. The features of transformation change with decrease in temperature: at 150°C, nuclei appear one another, the incubation period in subsurface layers consists of 8 s . At 190–170°C, nuclei appear simultaneously without any incubation period. At temperatures of 230–270°C, the transformation proceeds without any relief on the sample surface. The transformation in subsurface layers of a β-PdH x accelerates with temperature increasing from 100°C up to 150°C more than 700 times.

Asserting in Personam Jurisdiction over Foreign Cybersquatters

Imagine Mr. Blofeld, a foreign entrepreneur, who discovered the perfect way to make a fast buck.' He registered the Internet domain name pentium3.com with Verisign, a domain registry based in Virginia, and then set up a pornographic website at that address. Around the world, Internet users seeking information on Intel, the manufacturer of the Pentium computer processor, were diverted to Blofeld's site. Blofeld could either continue to profit from the Internet traffic intended for the Intel website or offer to sell advertising space on his webpage to Intel's competitors. Even though these activities confused consumers and tarnished the value of Intel's protected mark, Intel could do little to stop him. Blofeld had not directly attempted to extort money from Intel. Since Blofeld's only contact in the United States was the registration of the domain name with the Virginia registry, he seems beyond the jurisdictional reach of United States courts. This hypothetical case of cyberpiracy is typical of a problem known as cybersquatting. Cybersquatting consists of registering, trafficking in, or using Internet addresses that are identical or confusingly similar to protected trademarks. Cybersqatters often register these famous marks as domain names in order to profit from the mark's goodwill or for the purpose of disparaging the mark.3 They pi-

Inhibition of protein-tyrosine phosphatase stimulates the dynamin-dependent endocytosis of ROMK1.

We have previously shown that inhibiting protein-tyrosine kinase increased whereas inhibiting protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) decreased renal outer medullary potassium channel 1 (ROMK1) channel activity (1). We have now used confocal microscopy, the patch clamp technique, and biotin labeling to further examine the role of tyrosine phosphorylation in regulating ROMK1 trafficking. Human embryonic kidney 293 cells were cotransfected with c-Src and green fluorescent protein-ROMK1, which has the same biophysical properties as those of ROMK1. Patch clamp studies have shown that phenylarsine oxide (PAO), an inhibitor of PTP, decreased the activity of ROMK1. Moreover, addition of PAO reduced the cell surface localization of green fluorescent protein-ROMK1 detected by confocal microscopy and diminished the surface ROMK1 density by 65% measured by biotin labeling. Also, PAO treatment significantly increased the phosphorylation of ROMK1. The notion that the effect of PAO is mediated by stimulating tyrosine phosphorylation-induced endocytosis of ROMK1 has also been supported by findings that mutating the tyrosine residue 337 of ROMK1 to alanine abolished the effect of PAO. Finally, the inhibitory effect of PAO on ROMK1 was completely blocked in the cells co-transfected with dominant negative dynamin (dynaminK44A). This indicates that the tyrosine phosphorylation-induced endocytosis of ROMK1 is dynamin-dependent. We conclude that inhibiting PTP increases ROMK1 phosphorylation and results in a dynamin-dependent internalization of the channel.

A new methodology for the measurement of the Wiberg angle in infants under 3 months.

This article describes the measurement of the Wiberg center edge angle in infants under 3 months using sonographic images of their hips. In the literature review, there was no reference of the application of this angle in this particular age group. Thus, a methodology has been developed based upon the fact that, at this age, the acetabular roof constitutes a large portion of hyaline cartilage. In this way, it was concluded that it was not possible to apply the original Wiberg method since the center of the femoral head can be only estimated and not accurately determined in plain radiography. For this present study, 400 hips of 200 infants were analyzed. All these hips were classified as type 1a or 1b, according to Graf. The sonographic images were transferred to a Pentium computer through a video Spigot interface. The images were analyzed by software specially developed for this purpose. Since ultrasonography allows the exact recognition of the anatomical elements of the hip joint in young children, software provided the acetabular cartilaginous roof angle that corresponds to the center edge angle in adults. The authors believe that this method will be helpful in the early detection of morphological alterations in the hip joint.

The impact of geodesy and GPS on GIS data management in international oil field operations

Over the last 20 years, the process of measuring and recording a place or position on the surface of the earth has gone through a revolutionary change. There has been a switch from alidades to GPS, from slide rules to pentium computers, from manual to automatic recording and processing of spatial data. The changes include introduction and implementation of two satellite surveying systems (Transit and GPS), transfer of computations to high-speed computers, and processing and graphic presentation of spatial data in real time. Within the GPS domain, techniques have been developed to overcome degradation of the data by the government and to permit positioning to an accuracy of 2–3 mm in some cases.

Trp1, a Candidate Protein for the Store-operated Ca2+Influx Mechanism in Salivary Gland Cells

The trp gene family has been proposed to encode the store-operated Ca(2+) influx (SOC) channel(s). This study examines the role of Trp1 in the SOC mechanism of salivary gland cells. htrp1, htrp3, and Trp1 were detected in the human submandibular gland cell line (HSG). HSG cells stably transfected with htrp1alpha cDNA displayed (i) a higher level of Trp1, (ii) a 3-5-fold increase in SOC (thapsigargin-stimulated Ca(2+) influx), determined by [Ca(2+)](i) and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel current measurements, and (iii) similar basal Ca(2+) permeability, and inhibition of SOC by Gd(3+) but not by Zn(2+), as compared with control cells. Importantly, (i) transfection of HSG cells with antisense trp1alpha cDNA decreased endogenous Trp1 level and significantly attenuated SOC, and (ii) transfection of HSG cells with htrp3 cDNA did not increase SOC. These data demonstrate an association between Trp1 and SOC and strongly suggest that Trp1 is involved in this mechanism in HSG cells. Consistent with this suggestion, Trp1 was detected in the plasma membrane region, the proposed site of SOC, of acinar and ductal cells in intact rat submandibular glands. Based on these aggregate data, we propose Trp1 as a candidate protein for the SOC mechanism in salivary gland cells.

An efficient parallel implementation of the Monte Carlo particle simulation algorithm on a network of personal computers

MC-PVM, an efficient parallel implementation of the Monte Carlo device simulation on a network of personal computers, is presented. A more efficient leap-frog derivative of the MC-PVM algorithm is also discussed. The network of personal computers has been employed into a parallel virtual machine (PVM). To demonstrate the viability of employing a network of personal computers for the parallel implementation of the MC simulation, 60 MHz Pentium computers were utilized. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed parallel algorithms have been investigated by applying it to a simulation of a millimeter-wave Gunn-effect relaxation oscillator. Finally, a few conclusions will be drawn about the work presented here. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.