The challenge of hybridization

Hybridization of pixel detector systems has to satisfy tight requirements: high yield, long term reliability, mechanical stability, thermal compliance and robustness have to go together with low passive mass added to the system, radiation hardness, flexibility in the technology end eventually low cost. The current technologies for the interconnection of the front-end chips and the sensor are reviewed and compared, together with the solutions for the interface to the far-end electronics.Comment: 7 pages, no figure, presented at PIXEL2000, International Workshop on semiconductor pixel detectors for particles and X rays, 5-8 June 2000, Genova, Italy. Proceedings to be published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Researc

Performance analysis of the doubly-linked list protocol family for distributed shared memory systems

The 2nd International Conference on Algorithms and Architectures for Parallel Processing, Singapore, 11-13 June 1996The doubly-linked list (DLL) protocol provides a memory efficient, scalable, high-performance and yet easy to implement method to maintain memory coherence in distributed shared memory (DSM) systems. In this paper, the performance analysis of the DLL family of protocols is presented. Theoretically, the DLL protocol with stable owners has the shortest remote memory access latency among the DLL protocol family. According to the simulated performance evaluation, the DLL-S protocol is 65.7% faster than the DDM algorithm for the linear equation solver; and is 16.5% faster for the matrix multiplier. From the trend of the performance figures, it is predicted that the improvement in performance due to the DLL-S protocol will be considerably greater when a larger number of processors are used, indicating that the DLL-S protocol is also the most scalable of the protocols tested.published_or_final_versio

A combinatorial optimization technique using genetic algorithm :a case study in machine layout problem

Solving Combinatorial Optimization Problem is significant a s it abounds in our daily lives. However, it is impractical to solve combinatorial optimization problems by exploring all the possible solutions due to combinatorial explosion. Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are a powerful stochastic search in solving optimization problems. However, conventional GAs with binary representation approach cannot be used in solving these kinds of problems. In this study, different crossover and mutation techniques a re adapted in GAs so that it suits to combinatorial optimization. In empirical tests, the combinatorial optimization techniques using GAs are able to approximating optimization, which had been justified theoretically in a simple Machine Layout Problem (MLP). Several complex cases of MLP also had been demonstrated and the results of different input parameters are compared

Working memory impairment and its associated sleep-related respiratory parameters in children with obstructive sleep apnea

Study Objective: Working memory deficits in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been reported in previous studies, but the results were inconclusive. This study tried to address this issue by delineating working memory functions into executive processes and storage/maintenance components based on Baddeley’s working memory model. Methods: Working memory and basic attention tasks were administered on 23 OSA children aged 8–12 years and 22 age-, education-, and general cognitive functioning-matched controls. Data on overnight polysomnographic sleep study and working memory functions were compared between the two groups. Associations between respiratory-related parameters and cognitive performance were explored in the OSA group. Results: Compared with controls, children with OSA had poorer performance on both tasks of basic storage and central executive components in the verbal domain of working memory, above and beyond basic attention and processing speed impairments; such differences were not significant in the visuo-spatial domain. Moreover, correlational analyses and hierarchical regression analyses further suggested that obstructive apnea–hypopnea index (OAHI) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) nadir were associated with verbal working memory performance, highlighting the potential pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA induced cognitive deficits. Conclusions: Verbal working memory impairments associated with OSA may compromise children’s learning potentials and neurocognitive development. Early identification of OSA and assessment of the associated neurocognitive deficits are of paramount importance. Reversibility of cognitive deficits after treatment would be a critical outcome indicatorpostprin

A randomised controlled study on the rehabilitation of rheumatoid arthrits patients with the use of psychological and occupational therapy

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Proceedings on Certificate Course in Coronary Artery Disease and Cardiac Rehabilitation 96

Includes bibliographical references.On cover: Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, 3-7 February 1996.Passed to HKC for analytical entry. 11/11/96.published_or_final_versio