Myrinet: a gigabit-per-second local area network

The Myrinet local area network employs the same technology used for packet communication and switching within massively parallel processors. In realizing this distributed MPP network, we developed specialized communication channels, cut-through switches, host interfaces, and software. To our knowledge, Myrinet demonstrates the highest performance per unit cost of any current LAN     

The psychopathology of suicidal tendencies

Suicidality should not, in consideration of the present studies and the experience gained by the author, be considered a disease 'sui generis', but rather a symptom only. The etiopathogenesis of "nonpsychotic" suicidality is discussed with particular reference to the psychopathology thereof. Acts of suicide are most often part of "lasting affective reactions". In a certain number of cases suicidality is the symptom of an emotional disturbance or functional nervous disease resulting from psychic maldevelopment, which is usually characterized by a relatively small number of general symptoms and where conscious acts are impaired by unconscious conflicts.     

Calculation of altitude-dependent tikhonov constraints for TES nadir retrievals

A key component in the regularization of vertical atmospheric trace gas retrievals is the construction of constraint matrices. We introduce a novel method for developing a constraint matrix based on altitude-varying combinations of zeroth-, first-, and second-order derivatives of the trace gas profile. This constraint matrix can be optimized to minimize the diagonal a posteriori error covariance and can also consider other factors such as degrees of freedom. This approach is applied to the calculation of constraint matrices for Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer nadir retrievals of atmospheric temperature, H/sub 2/O, O/sub 3/, CO, and CH/sub 4/. The retrieval error achieved with these constraints is comparable to the error achieved with the classical Bayesian constraint. Furthermore, these constraints are shown to be robust under uncertainty in the climatological conditions.     

Tropospheric emission spectrometer: retrieval method and error analysis

We describe the approach for the estimation of the atmospheric state, e.g., temperature, water, ozone, from calibrated, spectral radiances measured from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) onboard the Aura spacecraft. The methodology is based on the maximum a posteriori estimate, which mathematically requires the minimization of the difference between observed spectral radiances and a nonlinear model of radiative transfer of the atmospheric state subject to the constraint that the estimated state must be consistent with an a priori probability distribution for that state. The minimization techniques employed here are based on the trust-region Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. An analysis of the errors for this estimate include smoothing, random, spectroscopic, "cross-state", representation, and systematic errors. In addition, several metrics and diagnostics are introduced that assess the resolution, quality, and statistical significance of the retrievals. We illustrate this methodology for the retrieval of atmospheric and surface temperature, water vapor, and ozone over the Gulf of Mexico on November 3, 2004.     

Assessment of Color and Sensory Evaluation of Frozen Fillets from Pangasius Catfish and Nile Tilapia Imported to European Countries

The current study was designed to assess the color and sensory evaluation of frozen fillets of Pangasius catfish and Nile tilapia imported to Poland, Germany, and Ukraine in order to evaluate the possible impact of negative media image of these fish fillets on the sensory expectations of the consumers. The study used two trials of sensory evaluation: Blind and informed, on a group of untrained respondents and additional color analysis using the Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage (CIE) L*a*b* scale. The lowest grades during sensory evaluation in all measured parameters were given to Pangasius imported to Ukraine and Poland. The grades of Pangasius and tilapia imported to Germany were similar and significantly higher than of other Pangasius groups. Generally tilapia fillets were marked as better than Pangasius fillets. Moreover the present study found that there was considerable percentage of customers which are susceptible to various commercial frauds since they marked Pangasius higher when they thought they are consuming turbot. This study also showed that the negative image of Pangasius presented through various mass-media might have a negative impact on consumer’s perspective of Pangasius consumption.     

Recent advancements in the application of non-thermal plasma technology for the seafood industry

Abstract

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is one of the most promising minimal processing methods for the food industry. However up until recently there are limited studies which would report the application and effect of NTP on processed seafood. The objective of this review is to highlight the recent findings and advancements in the application of NTP within the fish and other seafood industry, including direct application of fresh and dried fish and seafood with as well as indirect application of plasma activated water and seafood industry wastewater purification. The article also summarizes the effect of plasma treatment on microbiological quality, physicochemical and sensory properties and oxidation rate of treated fish and seafood. NTP has high potential to be used within various fields of seafood industry. It is especially effective in treatment of dried seafood products, but the use of plasma activated water during various processing steps such as seafood washing could be also beneficial. Moreover NTP could also be used as a cost effective and environmentally friendly method for seafood wastewater purification.