Design and Analysis of Optical Interconnection Networks for Parallel Computation.

In this doctoral research, we propose several novel protocols and topologies for the interconnection of massively parallel processors. These new technologies achieve considerable improvements in system performance and structure simplicity. Currently, synchronous protocols are used in optical TDM buses. The major disadvantage of a synchronous protocol is the waste of packet slots. To offset this inherent drawback of synchronous TDM, a pipelined asynchronous TDM optical bus is proposed. The simulation results show that the performance of the proposed bus is significantly better than that of known pipelined synchronous TDM optical buses. Practically, the computation power of the plain TDM protocol is limited. Various extensions must be added to the system. In this research, a new pipelined optical TDM bus for implementing a linear array parallel computer architecture is proposed. The switches on the receiving segment of the bus can be dynamically controlled, which make the system highly reconfigurable. To build large and scalable systems, we need new network architectures that are suitable for optical interconnections. A new kind of reconfigurable bus called segmented bus is introduced to achieve reduced structure simplicity and increased concurrency. We show that parallel architectures based on segmented buses are versatile by showing that it can simulate parallel communication patterns supported by a wide variety of networks with small slowdown factors. New kinds of interconnection networks, the hypernetworks, have been proposed recently. Compared with point-to-point networks, they allow for increased resource-sharing and communication bandwidth utilization, and they are especially suitable for optical interconnects. One way to derive a hypernetwork is by finding the dual of a point-to-point network. Hypercube Q\sb{n}, where n is the dimension, is a very popular point-to-point network. It is interesting to construct hypernetworks from the dual Q\sbsp{n}{*} of hypercube of Q\sb{n}. In this research, the properties of Q\sbsp{n}{*} are investigated and a set of fundamental data communication algorithms for Q\sbsp{n}{*} are presented. The results indicate that the Q\sbsp{n}{*} hypernetwork is a useful and promising interconnection structure for high-performance parallel and distributed computing systems

Corpus-Based Study of Amplifiers in Academic Writing of Chinese EFL Learners

This research aims to analyse the use of amplifiers in academic writing of Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners with a comparison to that of native speakers. By analysing the frequency and features of amplifiers in Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays and Ten-thousand English Compositions of Chinese Learners, it is noticeable that Chinese EFL learners’ limited variety of vocabulary might lead to the high frequency of certain amplifiers. Pedagogically, raising learners’ awareness on the inappropriate use of amplifiers in academic writing is a necessity. The instruction on using intensifying adverbs authentically should be emphasized in Chinese EFL classes

Does CEO duality worsen or fosters audit quality: evidence from Chinese firms?

The objective of this study is to examine the role of CEO duality in audit quality of Chinese firms. To address the effect of CEO duality, this study considered four characteristics of CEO duality; corporate audit culture, audit committee independence, decision making through enormous power and single leadership. The indirect effect of audit committee decision is considered between CEO duality and audit quality. A questionnaire survey is carried out to collect primary data. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from Chinese firms. Respondents of the study were the CEO’s and directors of Chinese firms; therefore, questionnaires were distributed among them by using online survey. 135 valid questionnaires were used in data analyses which is carried out by using Partial Least Square (PLS)-Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results of the study highlighted that; CEO duality has both positive and negative effect on audit quality. Due to the single leadership style and supportive corporate audit culture, the audit quality may be improved. However, CEO duality influences negatively on audit committee independence which has negative effect on audit committee decisions. Similarly, CEO duality allows to enjoy enormous power which may affect negatively on the decision making. Thus, decision-making through enormous power has negative effect on audit committee decisions. Finally, while making the strategies to enhance audit quality, the practitioners can consider the important points highlighted by the current study to promote audit quality

Mapping the Empirical Evidence of the GDPR (In-)Effectiveness: A Systematic Review

In the realm of data protection, a striking disconnect prevails between traditional domains of doctrinal, legal, theoretical, and policy-based inquiries and a burgeoning body of empirical evidence. Much of the scholarly and regulatory discourse remains entrenched in abstract legal principles or normative frameworks, leaving the empirical landscape uncharted or minimally engaged. Since the birth of EU data protection law, a modest body of empirical evidence has been generated but remains widely scattered and unexamined. Such evidence offers vital insights into the perception, impact, clarity, and effects of data protection measures but languishes on the periphery, inadequately integrated into the broader conversation. To make a meaningful connection, we conduct a comprehensive review and synthesis of empirical research spanning nearly three decades (1995- March 2022), advocating for a more robust integration of empirical evidence into the evaluation and review of the GDPR, while laying a methodological foundation for future empirical research

Control of flash gas bypass mac system with emphasis on start-ups and transients

Flash Gas Bypass (FGB) approach has the benefits of eliminating refrigerant maldistribution and reducing refrigerant pressure drop across the evaporator. Most of the previous research on flash gas bypass focused on performance improvement in steady state and demonstrated that compared to direct expansion mode (DX), FGB mode have better performance. However, the control strategy of FGB system and dynamic behavior during start-ups and transients were not yet clearly defined and investigated. In this paper, a novel control strategy has been proposed for an automobile air conditioning system operating in flash gas bypass mode with R134a as the refrigerant. This research aims at understanding FGB system performance in dynamic and transient load conditions using Sporlan electronic flow controls. This research identified three important issues for FGB system start-up process: size of bypass valve, size of FGB tank and control strategy for system operation. Although the exact sizing of both valve and FGB tank would be different from system to system, this study gave a basic guideline and a practical example of choosing corresponding components. More importantly, an innovative control strategy was implemented to make sure FGB system could be well-functioned under different working conditions in both start-up and transient scenarios automatically. The proposed control strategy utilized an electronic expansion valve (EV) for the control of subcooling from condenser outlet and a bypass valve(BV) for superheat from compressor inlet. Both start-up and transient system behaviors were studied. Transients include changes in air mass flow rate on evaporator side, face velocity on condenser side and compressor speed. The experimental results showed that the proposed cycle control strategy was found to be able to provide reliable control to the system