Enhancing the performance of Decoupled Software Pipeline through Backward Slicing

The rapidly increasing number of cores available in multicore processors does not necessarily lead directly to a commensurate increase in performance: programs written in conventional languages, such as C, need careful restructuring, preferably automatically, before the benefits can be observed in improved run-times. Even then, much depends upon the intrinsic capacity of the original program for concurrent execution. The subject of this paper is the performance gains from the combined effect of the complementary techniques of the Decoupled Software Pipeline (DSWP) and (backward) slicing. DSWP extracts threadlevel parallelism from the body of a loop by breaking it into stages which are then executed pipeline style: in effect cutting across the control chain. Slicing, on the other hand, cuts the program along the control chain, teasing out finer threads that depend on different variables (or locations). parts that depend on different variables. The main contribution of this paper is to demonstrate that the application of DSWP, followed by slicing offers notable improvements over DSWP alone, especially when there is a loop-carried dependence that prevents the application of the simpler DOALL optimization. Experimental results show an improvement of a factor of ?1.6 for DSWP + slicing over DSWP alone and a factor of ?2.4 for DSWP + slicing over the original sequential code

Archetypes on Screen: Odysseus, St. Paul, Christ and the American Cinematic Hero and Anti-Hero

Within the national cinematic gestalt, we are continually offered portrayals of the individual redemptive journey. Filmmakers repeatedly give us versions of the hero and anti-hero. These figures have their roots in age-old mythological and religious characters, and are easily identifiable in the traditional Western and more recent Road Movie. This paper compares the mythic Odysseus and the Christian gospel\u27s St. Paul, with a look also at the Christ-figure, in an examination of the cinematic use of the hero and anti-hero archetypes and their meanings

THE CINEMATIC COLLEGE PROFESSOR: CONCEPTIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS

Depictions of college professors in American films are common, and while a number of studies have investigated various aspects of college life in motion pictures, few have focused exclusively on the cinematic professoriate. In addition to being an indelible part of history, cinematic depictions of college professors are part of the national discourse on the role and function of the faculty and university. An investigation of how college professors have been represented in American films, and how these representations are read and created by real-life college professors and filmmakers may provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between popular culture images and academia. This project consists of three sections. The first focuses on the trajectories of negative representations of college professors in popular American films from 1970-2016. The second examines interview responses of film professors to on-screen depictions of college faculty. The third presents a case study of professorial depictions by a group of filmmakers who created a feature length film about a college professor. As various public stakeholders are increasingly questioning the role of the college professor and the institution of higher education, this project seeks to examine the influence of popular professor images and cultural influences on the conceptions of two interpretive communities – one that embodies the professoriate and one that creates images surrounding it. Moreover, this project considers these depictions within film marketplace and popular culture contexts

New Fluorinated Polymers

This report summarizes progress during 1996 in our research effort along with a description of additional results associated with a TAG supplement to this grant (items 2 and 5 below). Progress is reported in five areas: 1) Polyamides Derived from [(p-HOOCC6H4)](sub 2)C(CF3)X (X= -CF3, OCH3, Cl); 2) Phosphorus-containing '12F-PEK' - Effect of Systematic Replacement of [(p-FC6H4COC6H4)](sub 2)C[(CF3)](sub 2) Monomer by [(p-FC6H4)](sub 2)(C6H5)PO; 3) Poly(ether ketone)s Derived from [(p-FC6H4COC6H4)](sub 2)(C6H5)PO; 4) New CF3-containing Organosilane Monomers and; 5) New Monomers for 12F-PEK Analogues with Improved Processability and Solubility

Catherine Fitch, soprano; Maureen Volk, piano; Clark Ross, guitar

Catherine Fitch, soprano; Maureen Volk, piano; Clark Ross, guita

Optimizing Collection of Trace Biological Samples from Vehicle Headrests

Tape-lifting and swabbing are two methods commonly used for collecting biological samples in the United Kingdom and United States to investigate vehicle crimes. Determining the optimal collection method may lead to an increase in generating DNA profiles and crime-solving. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of adhesive tape and the double-swab collection methods for investigating vehicle crimes with possible touch DNA samples. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of tape-lifts and swabs on spiked common vehicle fabric materials. The efficiency of recovery between the two collection methods was performed using qPCR. The results from the collection of fabric materials indicated tape-lifts outperformed swabbing on cloth and vinyl substrates, while swabbing resulted in comparable recovery on leather substrates. By optimizing sample collection techniques, we aim to aid not only investigations involving vehicles but also other crimes with touch DNA evidence present

Population studies, local growth rates and reproduction of the pismo clam (Tivela stultorum)

Large samples collected, measured, and returned to the beach at monthly intervals at La Jolla, California, for five successive years showed an average initial set of 3 young clams per sq m in an area of 2000 sq m. The annual mortality has been from 67 to 75% for each year-class. Of an annual set of 6000, only 2000, 700, 170 and 50, respectively, have remained at the end of the first to fourth years. The length increases about 21 mm per year for the first two years of life and somewhat less thereafter. Less than one per cent survived long enough to reach the legal length of 127 mm...

Thermal decomposition of vinyl- and allylsilane platinum(II) complexes and platinum(II)catalysed synthesis of (E),(E)-1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene

Thermal stabilities of Pt(II) complexes: K[PtCl3(CH2=CHSiMe3)], K[PtCl3(CH2=CHCH2SiMe3)], K[(acac)PtCl(CH2=CHSiMe3)] and [PtCl(CH2=CHCH2SiMe3)]2, were examined. All complexes were found to be stable at room temperature but they decomposed without melting above about 90 oC. The allylsilane complex decomposed above about 125 oC. All complexes liberated chlorotrimethylsilane on decomposition, showing the facile cleavage of the C-Si bond by nucleophilic attack on the silicon by the chloride ion. (E),(E)-1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene was stereoselectively synthesised in good yield from (E)-β-styrylsilane in the presence of Zeise’s salt. KEY WORDS: Thermal analysis, Vinyl- and allylsilane platinum(II) π-complexes, Platinum(II) catalysed synthesis, (E),(E)-1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene  Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2008, 22(3), 445-448

Techniques for Checking As-Worn Alignment of Eyewear with Display Optics or Progressive Prescription Lenses

Fitting eyewear with display optics to a user’s head can be problematic because lenses of the eyewear are typically not on hand during product development. This can cause problems with alignment of eyeboxes of the lenses when the user wears the eyewear with finished display optics. Generally, the eyebox of a lens or display optic is a volume within the lens such that parameters of image quality criteria is met. For example, if the eyeboxes of the lenses do not align correctly with the user’s eyes, then the eyewear does not fit or align with the user’s head. Incorrect alignment can cause degraded image quality, dimming, and/or clipping of corners of a displayed image of the eyewear, and may cause an unsatisfactory and unpleasant experience for the user. This problem of alignment may also occur with respect to progressive prescription lenses. Accordingly, techniques to build an eyebox simulator and check as-worn alignment of eyewear with display optics or prescription lenses (e.g., progressive lenses) are provided