bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Perils of Defective Documentation
Authors: SMITH HOWARD T. , SHIRK HENRIETTA NICKELS
Published: March 2007

Because of our increasingly litigious workplace, it is theoretically, educationally, and pragmatically imperative that business and technical communicators become familiar with and informed about the legal issues surrounding products liability. This article explains the products liability theories of negligence, breach of warranty, and strict liability in relation to the publication of defective product information. It also examines the legal implications of printed media and written communications (such as safety, instructional, and promotional information) as integral parts of marketed products. Finally, it cautions all professional communicators concerning their personal legal responsibility for the accuracy and effectiveness of product documentation from the perspective of the ordinary, uninformed consumer, and it offers several guidelines for writing and organizing to avoid products liability lawsuits.
Narrative and Research in Professional Communication
Authors: BLYLER NANCY ROUNDY
Published: March 2007

This article explores narrative theory and research in fields closely allied with professional communication to clarify the value of narrative to our discipline. It addresses the move in many fields to reconceptualize research as narrative. Placing narrative within a postmodernist frame, it examines the centrality of ethnography within a postmodernist view. The importance of ethnography in research is related to two key narrative questions that ethnographic theorists in other disciplines are addressing: Who is telling the ethnographic story? For what purposes is the story told? This article supports the importance of taking a critical stance toward these questions and discusses the implications of postmodernist ethnographic theory for research in professional communication.
Patterns in Transition
Authors: LARSON MARION HOGAN
Published: March 2007

Research in organizational socialization outlines a common process of transition making. Newcomers first anticipate what the workplace and their involvement there will be like and then adjust these expectations upon encounter with organizational reality. Encounter often brings some disappointment, so struggles with motivation must be resolved before the initiates are ready to settle in and become contributing members. A survey of this research, illustrated with case study excerpts from undergraduate student interns, suggests that classes intended to prepare students for workplace communication can do so more effectively if they make students aware of this adjustment process and if they help students explore the possible writing implications of such nonwriting issues.
Multimedia and Hypermedia CBI
Authors: ROSS SUSAN MALLON , MOELLER ELIZABETH WEISE
Published: March 2007

Computer-based instruction (CBI) using multimedia and hypermedia is a new approach to teaching that is becoming increasingly popular in academic and nonacademic settings. Because the technical communication profession has developed a disciplinary culture uniquely suited to evolve along with communication technology, technical communicators experienced in creating instructional materials for technical products are well-positioned to become effective designers of this innovative form of instruction. However, as designers, they must become proficient in the early design stages of audience analysis, goals analysis, and control analysis to master multimedia and hypermedia CBI. In this article, the authors review findings from several fields to help technical communication teachers and practitioners (a) explain the value of audience analysis, goals analysis, and control analysis; (b) accomplish those analyses effectively; (c) use the results of their analyses to create effective multimedia or hypermedia CBI; and (d) set priorities for further related research.
Writing Globally
Authors: MAYLATH BRUCE
Published: March 2007

The global marketplace and the Information Age have combined to extend documentation across national borders. To date, however, few programs in scientific and technical communication have taken steps to accustom their students to the translation procedures they must undertake and the mind-set they must adopt to ready documents for translation. This article argues that technical communication courses, particularly introductory courses in technical writing, must include a translation component if they are to prepare students for the kind of work they are now likely to encounter as technical communicators.
Pretesting Web Sites
Authors: SIENOT MATTHIJS
Published: March 2007

This study compares two methods of pretesting—the plus-minus method and the think-aloud method—with respect to their suitability for evaluating sites on the World Wide Web. These methods are often used for pretesting printed texts, but how appropriate are they for evaluating Web sites? The study compares the two methods with respect to the number of problems they detected, the nature of these problems, and the amount of feedback they yielded for revision. Participants using the plus-minus method detected a greater number of different types of problems than those using the think-aloud method, primarily because participants using the plus-minus method were more inclined to detect appreciation problems. Also, participants using the plus-minus method offered more suggestions about how to resolve the problems they had detected than those participants using the think-aloud method.
Revision of Public Information Brochures on the Basis of Reader Feedback
Authors: SCHELLENS PETER JAN , DEJONG MENNO
Published: March 2007

The literature on formative text evaluation pays scant attention to the revision phase following data collection. This article describes a small-scale experiment in which five professional writers were asked to revise brochure fragments on the basis of feedback from readers. The feedback consisted of readers' comments, selected from the results of a pretest of the brochures, regarding their acceptance of the information and their appreciation of text elements. Despite the wide variety of solutions that resulted, some interesting tendencies were found: In response to problems with factual acceptance, writers often decided to add information; in response to problems with normative acceptance, they often chose to substitute material; and in response to appreciation problems, they either deleted the problematic passage or substituted a different phrase.
Learning from History
Authors: MILLER CAROLYN R.
Published: March 2007

Rhetorical study of technology will benefit from a broad view of technology that considers it as a cultural phenomenon, including epistemic, artifactual, technical, economic, aesthetic, and political aspects. To understand twentieth-century American technology this way, it is useful to gain some historical perspective on its development, particularly in the past 50 years. Many accounts mark World War II as a turning point in the role of technology in our culture and in the relations of technology with government, science, and industry. This article synthesizes some of these accounts and concludes with four ways that technology should prove to be rhetorically distinct from science.
Concurrent Engineering within British Industry
Authors: Ainscough Matthew , Yazdani Baback
Published: March 2007

Many companies, in British industry, are now familiar with the concept and the term Concurrent Engineering (CE), and many claim to practice it. However, the extent to which CE is applied in UK industry is not apparent. This paper presents the results of a CE sur vey addressed to 1400 UK engineering companies, from key industrial sectors, which are engaged in the development of new products. A postal questionnaire was sent, asking questions on facets such as teamwork, tools and techniques, and organisational issues, etc., in order to establish the product development practices conducted within these companies. The survey revealed that the spread of CE is non-uniform between sectors of industry. However, organisations that claim to be concurrent were practicing multifunctional teams, for mal processes, tools and techniques, and project management methodologies. Nevertheless, some small organisations claim to practice CE, without utilising some of the acclaimed methodologies.
Extended Enterprise Engineering—A Model-Based Framework
Authors: Szegheo Orsolya , Petersen Sobah Abbas
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the ideas behind an enterprise model-based framework for extended enterprise engineering. The frame work includes an extended enterprise engineering methodology, a reference model and a supporting environment for extended enter prise engineering. It covers the complete lifecycle of the extended enterprise. The approach is based on Active Knowledge Modeling and utilizes the experience of other enterprise modeling and enterprise engineering initiatives, such as GERAM.

The uniqueness of the framework is achieved through the graphical representation and the user interface. It is modeled in an environ ment called METIS, which is a software product dedicated for enterprise modeling. The paper presents the objective of the framework and describes the main skeleton of the extended enterprise engineering framework.

The ideas described in this paper came out of the enterprise modeling work done in the Globeman21 project.
Integrated Engineering Environments for Large Complex Products
Authors: Coates G. , Ritchey I. , Duffy A.H.B. , Hills W. , Whitfield R.I.
Published: March 2007

An introduction is given to the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, along with a brief explana tion of the main focus towards large made-to-order products. Three key areas of research at the Centre, which have evolved as a result of collaboration with industrial partners from various sectors of industry, are identified as (1) decision support and optimisation, (2) de sign for lifecycle, and (3) design integration and co-ordination. A summary of the unique features of large made-to-order products is then presented, which includes the need for integration and co-ordination technologies. Thus, an overview of the existing integration and co ordination technologies is presented followed by a brief explanation of research in these areas at the Engineering Design Centre.

A more detailed description is then presented regarding the co-ordination aspect of research being conducted at the Engineering De sign Centre, in collaboration with the CAD Centre at the University of Strathelyde. Concurrent Engineering is acknowledged as a strategy for improving the design process, however design co-ordination is viewed as a principal requirement for its successful implementation. That is, design co-ordination is proposed as being the key to a mechanism that is able to maximise and realise any potential opportunity of concurrency. Thus, an agent-oriented approach to co-ordination is presented, which incorporates various types of agents responsible for managing their respective activities. The co-ordinated approach, which is implemented within the Design Co-ordination System, in cludes features such as resource management and monitoring, dynamic scheduling, activity direction, task enactment, and information management. An application of the Design Co-ordination System, in conjunction with a robust concept exploration tool, shows that the computational design analysis involved in evaluating many design concepts can be performed more efficiently through a co-ordinated approach.
Integrating Concurrent Engineering Concepts in a Steelwork Construction Project
Authors: Anumba C.J. , Baldwin A.N. , Bouchlaghem D. , Prasad B. , Cutting-Decelle A.F. , Dufau J. , Mommessin M.
Published: March 2007

The aim of this paper is to present a methodology for integrating Concurrent Engineering (CE) concepts in a steelwork con struction project. Differences between construction sector and manufacturing sector are first reviewed through the description of the specificities of the construction sector in terms of organisations and main features projects.

The second part presents an integrated product and process model currently developed by the authors (ProMICE project). CE con cepts are introduced according to a two axes methodology, a first axis describing the "working method" and a second providing a way of representing "CE knowledge" through the description of CE specificity. This axis also defines a way of "translating" those concepts into the generic representation of the model.

One objective of the ProMICE project is to identify changes needed by this transition from the traditional approach towards CE ap proach, then to represent them, in the domain of steelwork construction.
CoDE: A Cooperative Design Environment— A New Generation of CAD Systems
Authors: Roucoules Lionel , Tichkiewitch Serge
Published: March 2007

According to conceptual changes on design methodology, this paper presents some research results on a new generation of CAD systems. This new software has not been used to achieve automatic design tasks. On the contrary, it has to make part of an inte grated design environment.

A cooperative design modeler is then presented as a support for cooperative and integrated design methodology in this design envi ronment. It mainly allows every design actor to share a unique database owing to a formal exchange network. The modeler provides a graphic interface to add, edit, or modify data. Moreover, the modeler manages the shared database in order to realize heavy design tasks as data propagation or data coherence management.

The presented modeler takes place in the global design environment connected to specific applications based on specific design tasks (process planning, structure analysis). An informal communication network worthwhile in any design group including human actors also assists the cooperative design modeler.
Concurrent Engineering Projects Supported by the European Commission's ESPRIT Programme and Future Trends
Authors: Fan Ip-Shing , Filos Erastos
Published: March 2007

The European Commission ESPRIT (European Strategic Programme for Research in Information Technology) Programme has been supporting Concurrent Engineering (CE) related projects since the 1980s. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the substantial research done within this programme and provide pointers for the international CE community to access the research projects.

This paper presents the views of a European expert group on the changes in industrial and research context in the CE area and high light current challenges. A tabulation of ESPRIT R&D projects in CE to January 1999 is presented to provide a quick index of research projects. The projects are analysed with reference to industrial sectors and project foci. The paper finishes with a brief comparison of the relevant activities at the wider international research and industrial application context.

3CORDIS: Community Research and Development Information Service, http:// www.corids.lu/home.html.
Micro Geometry Flaws in the Exchange of Design Data Using STEP
Authors: Sangole Archana , Knopf George K. , Mak Helium
Published: March 2007

A fundamental issue in concurrent engineering is sharing data among a vanety of commercially available computer-aided de sign, analysis, and manufacturing software tools. Geometry flaws often occur in the exchange of design data between dissimilar CAD systems and have multiplied with the ever-increasing complexity of product geometry. in recent years the international standard ISO 10303, STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data), has achieved a success rate of 95-98% in the exchange of design data. This paper demonstrates that a significant portion of these errors are the result of the different degrees of precision used by com mercial CAD systems and are often apparent as minute gaps ranging from 0.00001-0.1 mm. The consequences are micro geometry gaps that are not visible to the designer but influence the creation of the final geometry at the receiver's end. Research has found that these gaps can be directly linked to the incompatibility in the degrees of precision used by individual CAD systems to associate vertices and curves with related faces.
The Career Decision Scale and Neuroticism
Authors: Meyer Bruce W. , Winer Jane L.
Published: March 2007

Chronically career-indecisive undergraduates have been described in the literature in terms that characterize high scorers on the Neuroticism scale of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Three measures derived from the Career Decision Scale (CDS) (i.e., Indecision scale scores, Factor 1 scores, and Indecision and Certainty scale score percentiles) were investigated for their usefulness in identifying such students. Of the three CDS measures, the Indecision scale was found to be most strongly related to neuroticism. Exploratory analysis of the relationships between indecision and scores on the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire indicated that differences in indecision were associated with anxiety.
Testing a Level Versus an Interactional View of Career Indecision
Authors: Chartrand Judy M. , Martin Wayne F. , Robbins Steven B. , McAuliffe Garrett J. , Pickering James W. , Calliotte James A.
Published: March 2007

A cluster analysis procedure was used to test a continuum versus an interactional view of career indecision. It was hypothesized that cluster groups would differ across cognitive and affective dimensions of career indecision. Clients experiencing career decisional problems were identified using a sample of college students from career planning courses ( N = 325). Responses to the Career Factors Inventory (CFI; Chartrand, Robbins, Morrill, & Boggs, 1990), which measures both cognitive and affective dimensions of career indecision, were cluster analyzed using a disjoint nonhierarchical procedure. A four-cluster configuration, which revealed interactions between cognitive and affective dimensions of career indecision, was identified as the optimal cluster solution. This cluster solution was validated and results were discussed in terms of integrating career decisional typologies into a theoretical framework.
The Supervisor as Teacher, Model, and Mentor for Careers and Psychotherapy
Authors: Holloway Elizabeth L. , Aposhyan Howard M.
Published: March 2007

In the last decade counseling psychologists have made great strides in becoming full partners in the provision of mental health services, unfortunately, in the rush to become accepted as mental health providers the specialized knowledge of career counseling has not been emphasized. Two areas of professional training that can make a contribution to the integration of career and vocational information into psychotherapy are discussed. First, the counseling psychology curriculum and practice sites, and second, the role of supervisor. The supervisor, as teacher, model and mentor can help students to recognize the importance of career decision-making and work activities in their own lives and the lives of their clients.
Further Validation of the Commitment to Career Choices Scale: Extensions to a High-School Sample
Authors: Lopez Frederick G.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined the reliability and validity of the Commitment to Career Choices Scale (CCCS; Blustein, Ellis, & Devenis, 1989) within a large sample of high-school students (N = 481). Data were concurrently gathered on students' college- versus work-bound orientations, cumulative GPAs, and their parents' educational levels; in addition, students indicated whether or not they presently had a definite career goal. Results demonstrated that the CCCS subscales possessed adequate reliability and were significantly related in expected directions with students' career decision status (i.e., decided/undecided). Tendency to foreclose (TTF), but not Vocational exploration and commitment (VEC), scores were negatively related to cumulative GPAs. Regression analysis of student GPAs demonstrated that VEC scores and their interaction with TTF scores significantly predicted students' academic grades beyond that explained by their parents' educational levels and the students' own decision status and college- versus work-bound orientations. Implications of these findings for using the CCCS within high-school samples are considered.
Comparing the Effectiveness of Two Self-Administered Career Exploration Systems
Authors: Luzzo Darrell Anthony , Taylor Mary
Published: March 2007

This study compared the effects of the Self-Directed Search (SDS; Holland, 1985b) and the Career Decision-Making System—Revised (CDM-R; Harrington & O'Shea, 1992) on the career maturity of first-year college students. Participants (N = 84) completed measures of career decision-making attitudes (Crites, 1978b) and knowledge of career decision-making principles (Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Jordaan, & Myers, 1981) before and after participation in a career exploration treatment. Results revealed a significant effect of the CDM-R upon participants' knowledge of career decision-making principles. No other changes in career maturity, however, were revealed. Implications for career counselors and career development researchers are discussed.
Career Assessment and the Comrey Personality Scales
Authors: Comrey Andrew L.
Published: March 2007

The Comrey Personality Scales (CPS; Comrey, 1970a, 1970b, 1980, 1994) represent a personality inventory developed by factor analytic methods. The personality taxonomy upon which the CPS is based was constructed using a unique set of procedures designed to yield broad factors at an intermediate level in the hierarchy of factors. These procedures involve factor analyzing a collection of mutually distinct Factored Homogeneous Item Dimension (FHID) scores instead of individual items to locate the main personality factors. A FHID score is a total score over four homogeneous seven- choice items, two positively stated and two negatively stated to control for response sets. The eight CPS factors identified in this way are named: Trust versus Defensiveness (T), Orderliness versus Lack of Compulsion (O), Social Conformity versus Rebelliousness (C), Activity versus Lack of Energy (A), Emotional Stability versus Neuroticism (S), Extraversion versus Introversion (E), Mental Toughness versus Sensitivity (M), and Empathy versus Egocentrism (P). The CPS also has a Response Bias (R) scale to detect social desirability responding and a Validity (V) scale to detect invalid records. Many empirical studies are referred to that provide evidence for the factorial, construct, and empirical validity of the CPS scales measuring these factors. Brief summaries are offered for the interpretation of high and low CPS scores for use in career counseling.
Career Assessment and The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire
Authors: Schuerger J.M.
Published: March 2007

A client taking a personality questionnaire responds to a series of self-descriptive questions. Someone has described the process as "a self-administered interview." Interpretation of the scores is based on comparison of the individual's responses with those of some general population. As I see it, using a personality questionnaire for occupational assessment is similar to the basic interpretation described above, except that the individual is being compared to one or more occupational groups in addition to the general population. The client has answered a series of questions about self in some particular circumstance: prejob, career advisement, midlife change, early retirement, college-major choice, and so forth. The counselor compares the client's scores to known occupational group profiles, sometimes with known job relatedness in mind.

This article was written with such occupational interpretation in mind. The first five sections are (a) the instrument, (b) psychometrics, (c) test-taking attitude, (d) cross-cultural and gender-related findings, and (e) research base. These are followed by the meat of my presentation, sections on Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF; Cattell, Eber, & Tatsuoka, 1970) 16PF occupational profiles, relationship of 16PF factors with Holland variables, typical criterion relationships, general interpretive suggestions, and suggestions for interpreting high and low 16PF scores. I also present a brief description of relevant computer interpretations of the 16PF.

Long-time users of the 16PF are accustomed to the varying terms for the 16 factors and the 5 global factors on this instrument. The names have changed from time to time. I have tried to keep my use of terminology consistent with that of the most recent version, the Fifth Edition.
The Self-Directed Search: A Family of Self-Guided Career Interventions
Authors: Spokane Arnold R. , Holland John L.
Published: March 2007

The Self-Directed Search (SDS; Holland, 1994) is a pair of booklets that simulate career counseling, accompanied by a set of derivative tools for use with the SDS. It is theoretically based, can be self- administered, self-scored, and self-interpreted and has a substantial base of studies examining its "functional utility" or therapeutic effects. The SDS has been revised three times since its development in 1970, resulting in the latest revision or Form R (1994). Form R (1994) was created in two steps. An experimental version of the Assessment Booklet was compiled with 70 new items and administered to 701 individuals. These data were then used to identify good and bad items. In a second step, 2,600 students and adults from 25 states completed the final Form R. Internal consistencies for the revised summary scales range from .90 to .94. Test-retest reliability range from .76 to .89 over a period of 4 to 12 weeks. The Occupations Finder (Holland, 1994) was revised and two manuals created: one a technical manual and one a professional user's guide. As in other revisions of the SDS, the goal was to make the experience more useful to clients and to counselors.
Evaluation of a Short Form of the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale
Authors: Betz Nancy E. , Klein Karla L. , Taylor Karen M.
Published: March 2007

This study describes the development and evaluation of a short form of the widely used Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale (CDMSE; Taylor & Betz, 1983). The psychometric characteristics and relationship to the Career Decision Scale (CDS; Osipow, 1987) and the Vocational Identity Scale (Holland, Johnston, & Asama, 1993) were examined in a sample of 180 college students. The potential utility of a more efficient short form of the scale for use in career counseling interventions will be discussed.
The Utility of the Research Self-Efficacy Scale
Authors: Bieschke Kathleen J. , Bishop Rosean M. , Garcia Victoria L.
Published: March 2007

The Research Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES; Greeley, et al., 1989) was completed by 177 doctoral students from a wide variety of disciplines. Factor analysis of the RSES indicated four primary factors: Conceptualization, Early Tasks, Presenting the Results, and Implementation. Hierarchical regression analyses focused on 136 subjects from the original sample and indicated that three subscales of the RSES (Early Tasks, Conceptualization, and Implementation) accounted for unique variance in the prediction of interest in research involvement. The number of years in graduate school and involvement in research activities contributed significantly to the prediction of research self-efficacy.
Effects of Joint Interpretation of the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in Career Choice
Authors: Katz Louise , Joyner John W. , Seaman Nancy
Published: March 2007

Classes of community college students completed the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), both instruments, or neither instrument. Contrary to previous findings that different vocational treatments produce similar effects, 12 weeks after test interpretation participants who had completed both instruments showed a pattern of more change in career goal, specificity of career goal, or level of certainty with reference to career goal in analyses of (a) the total sample (N = 427), (b) males only (n = 120), (c) females only (n = 307), (d) traditional age students only (n = 337), and (e) reentry students only (n = 90). The MBTI was rated to be as helpful as the SII in career decision making. Significant gender and age effects were found. Results support theoretical models relating understanding of one's personality with effective career development, and the joint use of the SII and MBTI in vocational counseling.
Loss of Pleasure of Life: Conceptual, Vocational, and Forensic Perspectives
Authors: Berlá Edward P. , Andrews Paul , Berlá Kathryn A.
Published: March 2007

The concept of the lost pleasure of life is explored from both psychological and forensic perspectives. An instrument (Lost Pleasure of Life Scale) useful for assessing such loss in individual cases involving physical injury is discussed. The use of Havighurst's developmental model is suggested as a way to conceptualize the future impact of disabilities, and particular attention is given to the expected sequelae of sustained unemployment. Vocational rehabilitation is important not only from an economic point of view but also as a way to reverse some of the loss of pleasure of life. Finally, a history of the development and current status of the concept is presented along with discussion of the merits of expert psychological testimony in cases claiming hedonic loss.
An educational program for home care to increase awareness of the needs of the aging client
Authors: Chops Toni
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this article is to describe a home health care educational program that is designed to increase awareness of the needs of the aging client. A summary of goals and program content is provided. Experiential tasks are identified as well as the staff response to the participative learning experience. Key words: educational program, home care, aging, needs awareness
The role of the clinical nurse specialist in home health care
Authors: Miller Sharon E.
Published: March 2007

Recent changes in the health care delivery system have resulted in a shift of patients needing increasingly acute care to the home health care setting. As a result, home health care agencies are searching for ways to expand staff competencies and demonstrate patient outcomes. The clinical nurse specialist is educationally and philosophically prepared to meet the challenges confronting home health care today. This article reviews the traditional role components of the clinical nurse specialist and identifies creative ways in which the role can be successful in the home health care setting. Strategies for adapting to changing health care trends and promoting cost effectiveness are presented. Key words: home health care, clinical nurse specialist role
Critical measures of success: A tool for organizational effectiveness, communication, and continuous improvement in home health care
Authors: Tweed Stephen C. , Weber Alfred J.
Published: March 2007

Being measured makes people very uncomfortable. It creates a high degree of anxiety, fear, and apprehension. On the other hand, people almost always improve their performance in areas where they are specifically and regularly measured. This article describes how home health care agencies can use critical measures of success, key quantitative indicators of the perform ance of the organization, to increase organizational effectiveness, ease communication, and im prove quality. The article describes two points of focus for a home health care agency, five areas of measurement, and six strategies for success. The authors, two of America's leading home health care strategists, provide insights into how to make measurement an effective tool in the long-term survival and success of your home health agency. Key words: continuous quality improvement, home health care, measurement, organizational effectiveness, performance, to tal quality
Protein Sequence and Structure Comparison On Massively Parallel Computers
Authors: Jones Robert
Published: March 2007

Sequence comparison has become a standard tool in the analysis of newly determined protein sequences. As the database of known sequence grows not only does the cost of database searching increase but so too does the demand for that service. These factors conflict directly with the desire to use the most sensi tive methods available. The use of massively parallel computers for database searching provides a solution to this problem and is helping in the development of new methods for both sequence and structure com parison.
Parallel Computation for Medicine and Biology: Applications of Linda At Yale University
Authors: Sittig Dean F. , Shifman Mark A. , Nadkarni Prakash , Miller Perry L.
Published: March 2007

This article describes research in progress at the Yale University School of Medicine on the use of parallel computation in medicine and biology. We have experi mented with the parallelization of programs from sev eral different biomedical fields, using the machine-in dependent parallel programming language Linda. This research has helped us identify several general prob lem areas in which parallel computation can play a major role: namely, real-time computation, database searching, and computationally intensive algorithms. Methods for designing, debugging, and evaluating programs from each of these three problem areas are discussed. Results and evaluations of example pro grams implemented in each of these areas are pre sented. Finally, certain lessons learned are discussed.
Computational Methods for Bone Mechanics Studies
Authors: Hart Richard T. , Oden Z. Maria , Parrish Susannah W. , Burr David B.
Published: March 2007

The use of computational methods in the study of bone mechanics is described, with emphasis on the finite element method. In addition to the use of stan dard finite element methods for calcuiation of the dis placement, stress-and-strain environment in refined models of bone, the use of a "remodeling finite ele ment" is described to simulate the time course of changes in bone architecture that are induced by me chanical loading. The algorithm, which involves re peated finite element analyses over time, is shown to be feasible for use on supercomputing platforms.
All-To-All Broadcast and Applications On the Connection Machine
Authors: Brunet Jean-Philippe , Lennart Johnsson S.
Published: March 2007

An all-to-all broadcast algorithm that exploits concur rent communication on all channels of the Connection Machine system CM-200 binary cube network is de scribed. Issues in integrating a physical all-to-all broad cast between processing nodes into a language envi ronment using a global address space are discussed. Timings for the physical broadcast between nodes and for the virtual broadcast are given. The peak data transfer rate for the physical broadcast on a CM-200 is 5.9 gigabytes/sec, and the peak rate for the virtual broadcast is 31 gigabytes/sec. Array reshaping is an effective performance optimization technique. An ex ample is given where reshaping improved perfor mance by a factor of 7 by reducing the amount of local data motion. We also show how to exploit symmetry for computation of an interaction matrix using the all- to-all broadcast function. Further optimizations are suggested for N-body-type calculations. Using the all- to-all broadcast function, a peak rate of 9.3 GFLOPS/ sec has been achieved for the N-body computations in 32-bit precision on a 2,048 node Connection Machine system CM-200.
Efficient Parallel Implementation of a Full Configuration Interaction Algorithm for Circular Polyenes On a Cray Y-Mp
Authors: Ansaloni Roberto , Evangelisti Stefano , Paruolo Giuseppe , Rossi Elda
Published: March 2007

An efficient implementation on the CRAY Y-MP of a new full configuration interaction algorithm is illus trated on a model problem. This shows how a careful optimization can lead to huge speedups in CPU times and interesting speedups in the overall elapsed times. The implementation takes full advantage of the algo rithm's characteristics, with a full vectorization of the heaviest innermost loops and parallelization of the im mediately outer loops.
Parallel Processing and the Sustained Production Performance of the Cray Y-Mp: Benchmarks Using Optimized Microtasked Lattice Su(3) Code
Authors: Moriarty K.J.M. , Sanielevici S. , Kuba D.W.
Published: March 2007

The standardized-maximalist approach to supercom puter benchmarking consists in optimizing a standard production code on the supercomputer, then measur ing a wall-clock-based figure-of-merit that is relevant to users of the code in question. Since 1982, one highly efficient algorithm for simulating SU(3) lattice gauge theory has been used in such benchmarks, tracing the progress of supercomputers from the CDC 7600 to the CRAY X-MP and the NEC SX-2. Here we report on the performance of the CRAY Y-MP/8128 at the Cray Re search Corporate Computing Center under this bench marking procedure. The code was optimized and mi crotasked, taking advantage of the hardware and soft ware features of the Y-MP. The link-update time was measured with the code running on 1, 2, 4, and 8 CPUs. With 8 CPUs, it was 3.1 μsec. This corresponds to a sustained performance of 1.349 GFLOPS com puted on the basis of theoretical operation counts. (Hardware performance monitoring yields an estimate of 1.54 GFLOPS.) It represents an improvement of a factor 3.55 over a maximal CRAY X-MP configuration (four X-MP processors).
Simulation of the Deployment Process of Multiunit Deployable Structures On a Cray-2
Authors: Gantes Charis , Connor Jerome J. , Logcher Robert D.
Published: March 2007

Deployable structures are prefabricated space frames consisting of straight members that can be stored in a compact, folded configuration and can be easily de ployed into a large-volume, load-bearing configuration. A new type of deployable structure offers the further advantage of being stable and stress-free in both of these two limiting configurations. During the deploy ment process, however, geometric incompatibilities cause a nonlinear response and a snap-through type of behavior. Numerical simulation of this phase is a crucial part of designing such structures. This article illustrates how the finite element program ADINA and the supercomputing capabilities of the CRAY-2 were used to simulate the deployment process. This exam ple is used to highlight the impact of continuously de veloping software and hardware technology on engi neering design.
Integrated Support for Task and Data Parallelism
Authors: Chandy Mani , Foster lan , Kennedy Ken , Koelbel Charles , Tseng Chau-Wen
Published: March 2007

We present an overview of research at the Center for Research on Parallel Computation designed to provide an efficient, portable programming model for scientific applications possessing both task and data parallelism. Fortran M programs exploit task parallelism by provid ing language extensions for user-defined process man agement and typed communication channels. A com bination of compiler and run-time system support en sures modularity, safety, portability, and efficiency. Fortran D and High Performance Fortran programs ex ploit data parallelism by providing language exten sions for user-defined data decomposition specifica tions, parallel loops, and parallel-array operations.
Evaluating Array Expressions On Massively Parallel Machines With Communication/ Computation Overlap
Authors: Bouchitté Vincent , Boulet Pierre , Darte Alain , Robert Yves
Published: March 2007

This paper deals with the problem of evaluating High Performance Fortran (HPF) style array expressions on massively parallel distributed-memory computers (DMPCs). This problem has been addressed by Chat terjee et al., 1992, 1993 under the strict hypothesis that computations and communications cannot overlap. As such a model appears to be unnecessarily restrictive for modeling state-of-the-art DMPCs, we relax the re striction and allow for simultaneous computations and communications. This simple modification has a tre mendous effect on the complexity of the optimal eval uation of array expressions. We first show that even a simple version of the problem is NP-complete. Then, we present some heuristics that we can guarantee in some important cases in practice, namely, for coarse- grain or fine-grain computations.
Parallel Implementation of Linear Quadtree Codes Using the nCube 2 Supercomputer System
Authors: Chang Henry Ker-Chang , Liou Chung-Yu
Published: March 2007

A new parallel algorithm for the linear quadtree coding scheme, named Two-Dimensional Template-based En coding (2DTE), is designed in this study. The proposed parallel algorithm is implemented on a 32-node nCUBE 2 supercomputer system. There are three pro cessing stages in the proposed parallel algorithm, in cluding data allocation, 2DTE coding scheme, and data merging. The proposed parallel algorithm is expected to render a speedup effect that is approximately pro portional to the number of processors, as compared with the result derived by a single-processor system.
Interactive Scientific Exploration of Gyrofluid Tokamak Turbulence
Authors: Kerbel Gary D. , Pierce Tim , Milovich J.L. , Shumaker Dan E. , Verlo Alan , Waltz Ronald E. , Hammett Gregory W. , Beer Mike A. , Dorland Bill
Published: March 2007

This research is a part of the Numerical Tokamak Project, a national consortium of efforts to create predictive nu merical simulations of fluid plasma turbulence in tokamak fusion experiments using the most powerful supercomput ers in the world. Major progress has been made in fusion research, as demonstrated by the recent production of 10 megawatts of fusion power in the Princeton Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). However, much research is still needed before fusion can be a commercially success ful electricity source. High-performance computing will play a profoundly important role in designing these ma chines. Realistic simulations are an important component of this research. The mission of this work is to use mas sively parallel computers to simulate the behavior of tokamak plasma and represent the results of the simula tion for scientific visualization and diagnosis. These simu lations have begun to produce results that are encourag ingly close to present experiments. As this trend continues and as current models evolve, the simulations will provide an increasingly valuable tool for optimizing the design of future tokamaks, potentially reducing their cost and in creasing the certainty of meeting their objectives.
Collaborative Virtual Environments Used in the Design of Pollution Control Systems
Authors: Diachin Darin , Freitag Lori , Heath Daniel , Herzog Jim , Michels William , Plassmann Paul
Published: March 2007

In this paper the authors describe the development of an interactive simulation and analysis tool for injective pollu tion control systems for commercial boilers and incinera tors. This tool uses three-dimensional, immersive visuali zation techniques in the CAVE, which allows several sci entists to collaborate to quickly and effectively place mul tiple injectors and evaluate the resulting spray coverage. The required particle dynamics calculations and several techniques for the interactive visualization of computa tional fluid dynamics data and spray simulation are dis cussed. For optimizing system performance, the particle dynamics calculations are separate from the visualization process, and data are transferred to one or more CAVEs by using the CAVEcomm message-passing library. The authors discuss the demonstration of this tool as part of the I-WAY GII testbed and present performance results for different architectures and network configurations using both ethernet and ATM connectivity. The experiments show that ethernet bandwidth is insufficient for remote, interactive collaboration.
A Coarse-Grained Parallel Variable-Complexity Multidisciplinary Optimization Paradigm
Authors: Burgee Susan , Giunta Anthony A. , Balabanov Vladimir , Grossman Bernard , Mason William H. , Narducci Robert , Haftka Raphael T. , Watson Layne T.
Published: March 2007

Modem aerospace vehicle design requires the interac tion of multiple disciplines, traditionally processed in a sequential order. Multidisciplinary optimization (MDO), a formal methodology for the integration of these disci plines, is evolving toward methods capable of replacing the traditional sequential methodology of aerospace vehi cle design by concurrent algorithms, with both an overall gain in product performance and a decrease in design time. A parallel MDO paradigm using variable-complexity modeling and multipoint response surface approxima tions is presented here for the particular instance of the design of a high-speed civil transport (HSCT). This para digm interleaves the disciplines at one level of complexity and processes them hierarchically at another level of complexity, achieving parallelism within disciplines rather than across disciplines. A master-slave paradigm manages a coarse-grained parallelism of the analysis and optimization codes required by the disciplines showing reasonable speedups and efficiencies on an Intel Paragon.
Performance Issues of the Parallel Pam-Crash Code
Authors: Clinckemaillie Jan , Elsner Birgit , Lonsdale Guy , Meliciani Serge , Vlachoutsis Stefanos , de Bruyne Frank , Holzner Michael
Published: March 2007

The successful completion of the ESPRIT project CAMAS (EP 6756) and its extension to provide a link to the EURO PORT-1 action (EP 8421) (Mierendorff et al., 1995), together with further internal developments, has resulted in the availability of a portable message-passing version of the industrial crashworthiness program PAM-CRASH. This provides code users with an increased range of employment possibilities: effective use of resources through workstation networks, distributed-memory ma chines on which message passing is a necessity, and improved throughput on shared-memory or hybrid sys tems. With crash and safety analysis well established in the automotive design process, the availability of parallel application software enables the take-up of HPC technol ogy to the benefit of industrial design. In this paper, we illustrate the degree of scalability obtained for typical in dustrial applications and the challenges encountered on today's parallel machines.
Toward Efficient Unstructured Multigrid Preprocessing
Authors: Dorward Susan E. , Matheson Lesley R. , Tarjan Robert E.
Published: March 2007

The multigrid method is a general and powerful means of accelerating the convergence of discrete iterative methods for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) and similar problems. The adaptation of the multigrid method to un structured meshes is important in solving problems with complex geometries. Such problems lie on the forefront of many scientific and engineering fields. Unfortunately, multi grid schemes on unstructured meshes require signifi cantly more preprocessing than on structured meshes. In fact, preprocessing can be a major part of the solution task and, for many applications, must be executed repeatedly. In addition, the large computational requirements of real istic PDEs, accurately discretized on unstructured meshes, make such computations candidates for parallel or distributed processing. This adds problem partitioning as a preprocessing task. We propose and examine experi mentally an automatic and unified strategy to perform several unstructured multigrid preprocessing tasks. Our strategy is based on dominating sets in the unstructured meshes. We also suggest several alternative related strategies. Our experiments evaluate the performance of two preprocessing tasks: coarse-mesh generation and domain partitioning. The experiments suggest that our preprocessing strategy produces high-quality meshes that give good multigrid performance. Our strategy also pro duces domain partitions that are reasonably load bal anced with relatively small edge cuts. Overall, we conclude that simple, integrated algorithmic strategies and data structures can make tedious preprocessing tasks more efficient and more automated—a necessary step toward the practical application of unstructured multigrid methods.