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Performance Properties (performance + property)
Selected AbstractsSpecification and detection of performance problems with ASLCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 11 2007Michael Gerndt Abstract Performance analysis is an important step in tuning performance-critical applications. It is a cyclic process of measuring and analyzing performance data, driven by the programmer's hypotheses on potential performance problems. Currently this process is controlled manually by the programmer. The goal of the work described in this article is to automate the performance analysis process based on a formal specification of performance properties. One result of the APART project is the APART Specification Language (ASL) for the formal specification of performance properties. Performance bottlenecks can then be identified based on the specification, since bottlenecks are viewed as performance properties with a large negative impact. We also present the overall design and an initial evaluation of the Periscope system which utilizes ASL specifications to automatically search for performance bottlenecks in a distributed manner. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A test suite for parallel performance analysis toolsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 11 2007Michael Gerndt Abstract Parallel performance analysis tools must be tested as to whether they perform their task correctly, which comprises at least three aspects. First, it must be ensured that the tools neither alter the semantics nor distort the run-time behavior of the application under investigation. Next, it must be verified that the tools collect the correct performance data as required by their specification. Finally, it must be checked that the tools perform their intended tasks and detect relevant performance problems. Focusing on the latter (correctness) aspect, testing can be done using synthetic test functions with controllable performance properties, possibly complemented by real-world applications with known performance behavior. A systematic test suite can be built from synthetic test functions and other components, possibly with the help of tools to assist the user in putting the pieces together into executable test programs. Clearly, such a test suite can be highly useful to builders of performance analysis tools. It is surprising that, up until now, no systematic effort has been undertaken to provide such a suite. In this paper we describe the APART Test Suite (ATS) for checking the correctness (in the above sense) of parallel performance analysis tools. In particular, we describe a collection of synthetic test functions which allows one to easily construct both simple and more complex test programs with desired performance properties. We briefly report on experience with MPI and OpenMP performance tools when applied to the test cases generated by ATS. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Synthesis and characterization of imidazolinium surfactants derived from tallow fatty acids and diethylenetriamineEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF LIPID SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2008Divya Bajpai Abstract This paper describes the synthesis of long-chain dialkylamido imidazolines based on tallow fatty acids and diethylenetriamine, followed by their quaternization. Imidazolines were obtained by non-solvent microwave synthesis using calcium oxide as support, which were then quaternized by using dimethyl sulfate as a quaternizing agent and iso -propanol as a solvent, to produce cationic imidazolinium salts. The synthesized cationic imidazoline surfactants were evaluated for yield and cationic content. The instrumental techniques, viz. FT-IR and 1H-NMR, verified the formation of imidazolines and their subsequent quaternization. The surface-active and performance properties of the cationic imidazolines in terms of critical micelle concentration, surface tension, dispersibility, emulsion stability, softening, rewettability and antistatic properties were also reported. [source] Fire performance of wood (Pinus radiata) treated with fire retardants and a wood preservativeFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 6 2008D. C. O. Marney Abstract In this work, we co-formulated an oil-borne copper naphthenate/permethrin wood preservative system with synthetic polymer-based fire-retardant additives prior to the impregnation of Pinus radiata sapwood. We evaluated what effect, if any, the preservative had upon the fire performance properties of the fire retardants and whether the fire retardants impacted on the fungicidal and termiticidal efficacy of the preservative. The fire retardants included halogenated and phosphorus-based systems. A mass loss calorimeter, in conjunction with a thermopile, was used to measure the time to ignition and the peak heat release rate (PHRR) from which the fire performance index (FPI) was determined. The preservative properties were evaluated using termite and soil-block decay bioassays. In summary, we found that the rate of fire growth was reduced when the fire retardants were used in combination with the wood preservative. We also found that the PHRR was a better determinant of fire performance than the FPI. The performance of the wood preservative was enhanced against fungal decay and termite attack when used in combination with the fire retardants. The fire retardants also demonstrated some wood preservative properties of their own. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] How about alternatives to phthalate plasticizers?JOURNAL OF VINYL & ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Leonard G. Krauskopf Phthalate plasticizers have historically served as the preferred plasticizers to impart flexibility to PVC and several other polar polymers. They provide a desirable balance of cost and performance properties. Their acceptable and safe use is unmatched in medical appliances, food processing, and packaging applications, as well as in many other end uses. Potential alternatives do not have the historical record of acceptable performance found with phthalate plasticizers. Nevertheless, the "Precautionary Principle" has caused certain segments of society to clamor for alternates to phthalate plasticizers. This paper reviews known "non-phthalate" plasticizers and provides comparisons to the traditional "General Purpose" (GP) phthalate plasticizers; "General Purpose" plasticizers are those that impart optimum overall performance properties in PVC at lowest cost. [source] Impact of polyurea structure on grease propertiesLUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 9 2010L. Liu Abstract The thickener structure of polyurea grease has a crucial effect on its properties. Therefore, it is very important to study the relationship between a thickener structure and physical and performance properties. In this study, polyurea greases were synthesised, having a different number of urea groups in per polyurea thickener molecule. Properties such as dropping point, penetration, oil separation, shear stability and four-ball wear and extreme pressure (EP) were evaluated. The result shows that properties of polyurea grease vary with the number of urea group per polyurea molecule. Based on molecular theory, the mechanisms explaining these effects are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effect of temperature on the cushioning properties of some foamed plastic materialsPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 2 2003Jorge Marcondes Abstract Foamed plastics are used to cushion products to protect them from shock and vibration. Design data is in most cases derived from laboratory tests, performed under standard conditions. However, during distribution, most shock and vibration events occur under conditions different from those under which the materials were evaluated. Two commonly used foams in packaging, expanded polyethylene and expanded polystyrene, were used to investigate how changes in temperature affect the performance properties of these materials. The materials were tested for shock and vibration under four different temperatures (,17°C, 3°C, 23°C and 43°C). The results show that the properties of expanded polystyrene were the least influenced and those of expanded polyethylene were the most influenced by changes in temperature. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comparing data mining methods on the VAERS database,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 9 2005David Banks PhD Abstract Purpose Data mining may enhance traditional surveillance of vaccine adverse events by identifying events that are reported more commonly after administering one vaccine than other vaccines. Data mining methods find signals as the proportion of times a condition or group of conditions is reported soon after the administration of a vaccine; thus it is a relative proportion compared across vaccines, and not an absolute rate for the condition. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) contains approximately 150,000 reports of adverse events that are possibly associated with vaccine administration. Methods We studied four data mining techniques: empirical Bayes geometric mean (EBGM), lower-bound of the EBGM's 90% confidence interval (EB05), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), and screened PRR (SPRR). We applied these to the VAERS database and compared the agreement among methods and other performance properties, particularly focusing on the vaccine,event combinations with the highest numerical scores in the various methods. Results The vaccine,event combinations with the highest numerical scores varied substantially among the methods. Not all combinations representing known associations appeared in the top 100 vaccine,event pairs for all methods. Conclusions The four methods differ in their ranking of vaccine,COSTART pairs. A given method may be superior in certain situations but inferior in others. This paper examines the statistical relationships among the four estimators. Determining which method is best for public health will require additional analysis that focuses on the true alarm and false alarm rates using known vaccine,event associations. Evaluating the properties of these data mining methods will help determine the value of such methods in vaccine safety surveillance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dynamic mechanical analysis of pineapple leaf/glass hybrid fiber reinforced polyester compositesPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 6 2010L. Uma Devi The dynamic mechanical properties of randomly oriented intimately mixed hybrid composites based on pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) and glass fibers (GF) in unsaturated polyester (PER) matrix were investigated. The PALFs have high-specific strength and improve the mechanical properties of the PER matrix. In this study, the volume ratio of the two fibers was varied by incorporating small amounts of GF such as PALF/GF, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 50/50, keeping the total fiber loading constant at 40 wt%. The dynamic modulus of the compositeswas found to increase on GF addition. The intimately mixed (IM) hybrid composites with PALF/GF, 80/20 (0.2 Vf GF) showed highest E, values and least damping. Interestingly, the impact strength of the composites was minimum at this volume ratio. The composites with 0.46 Vf GF or PALF/GF (50/50) showed maximum damping behavior and highest impact strength. The results were compared with hybrid composites of different layering patterns such as GPG (GF skin and PALF core) and PGP (PALF skin and GF core). IM and GPG hybrid composites are found more effective than PGP. The activation energy values for the relaxation processes in different composites were calculated. The overall results showed that hybridization with GF enhanced the performance properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Metallocene based polyolefin: a potential candidate for the replacement of flexible poly (vinyl chloride) in the medical fieldPOLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 9 2010M. C. Sunny Abstract A comparative assessment of the performance properties of metallocene polyolefin (m-PO) with those of plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) (pPVC) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer having 18% vinyl acetate content (EVA-18), the two common polymers used for flexible medical products, is carried out. The preliminary evaluation of the processability, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the new material, m-PO is described. The processability parameters like mixing torque and melt viscosity of m-PO are found to be comparable with those of pPVC and EVA-18. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, and tear strength (TS) of m-PO are much higher than that of pPVC and EVA-18. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicates that the thermal degradation of m-PO takes place only at temperatures above 340°C and can be processed at 170°C without much damage. Oxygen and carbon dioxide permeabilities of m-PO at three different temperatures (10, 25, and 40°C) are evaluated and compared with those of pPVC and EVA-18. It could be seen that the permeabilities of both the gases for m-PO at three temperatures were lower than those of pPVC and EVA. Biological evaluation of m-PO is carried out by assessing its cytotoxicity, hemolytic property, and blood clotting initiation. The cytotoxicity studies indicate that m-PO is non-toxic to the monolayer of L929 mammalian fibroblast cell lines on direct contact or the exposure of its extract. Non-hemolytic property of m-PO by direct contact as well as test on extract is revealed both in static and in dynamic conditions. Blood clotting time experiments indicate that the initiation of blood clotting due to m-PO is faster than that of pPVC and EVA-18. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Biocomposites based on plasticized starchBIOFUELS, BIOPRODUCTS AND BIOREFINING, Issue 3 2009Luc Avérous Abstract The potential of biodegradable polymers, and more particularly that of polymers obtained from agro resources, such as polysaccharides like starch, has long been recognized. This paper examines the effects of sustainable materials based on starch on the macro or nanostructure and subsequent processing, thermomechanical properties and performance properties of plasticized starch polymers. This examination includes a detailed review of the complexity of starch polymers, recent advances in novel starch modifications and compounds, and a detailed examination of the effects of plasticized starch macro-biocomposites and nano-biocomposites. Specific structures and subsequent properties are controlled by many specific factors, such as filler shape, size and surface chemistry, processing conditions and environmental aging. In the case of nano-biocomposites, it is evident that nanomaterials polymer matrix interfacial interactions are extremely important to the final nanostructures and performance of these materials. © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source] A comparative study of multimodal vs. bimodal polyethylene pipe resins for PE-100 applications,POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 9 2005Paul J. DesLauriers In this paper several high density polyethylene pipe resins are compared to polyethylene resins made in the Phillips Loop-Slurry Process (single-reactor), using a catalyst of chromium on modified aluminophosphate (Cr/AlPO4). A brief description of the Cr/AlPO4 system is presented along with polymer chain architecture (i.e., topology) and other structural aspects of polymers made from these catalysts. The physical properties of these resins and their fabricated pipe processing/performance properties were compared to both PE80 and conventional bimodal type PE-100 resins. Results from this study show that high-density polyethylene resins made from Cr/AlPO4 catalysts possess primary structural attributes that are truly unique for chromium-catalyzed resins. These multimodal resins have very high molecular weights (MW; Mw > 400 kg/mol) and exceptionally broad MW distributions (MWD; Mw/Mn > 50). Topologically, these resins were found to have uniform short chain branching distributions across the MWD; as in polymers made from single site metallocene catalysts) and significantly reduced levels (10 times less) of long chain branching when compared to resins made using chromium catalysts on conventional supports. Furthermore, results from rheological, fabricated pipe processing, and performance studies suggest that these resins should be especially well suited for high performance pipe applications. Pipe samples made from these resins were found to meet PE-100 requirements including low temperature impact properties. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1203,1213, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] | |||||||||||||