Computer ‘interrupts’ are signals received by a processor that cause it to switch from a present task or thread to a different one. Interrupts can be generated by hardware or software, or even exe...
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Achieving energy efficiency is important in mobile computing devices like smartphones and tablets because they rely on battery power but are constrained by size and weight. Moreover, these devices inc...
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With conventional image reconstruction, a single image is produced from a corresponding set of data. For example, an image can be reconstructed from a single CT sonogram or one MRI data set. Such dire...
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A database system combines hardware and software to manage and selectively access the large amounts of data it holds. Such a structure may hold data elements organized in logical rows and columns (for...
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With public cloud computing, customers pay a flat hourly rate for a bundle of virtualized resources called ‘instances’ from a service provider. Providers may sell a variety of instance types that...
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High dynamic range (HDR) video delivers imagery in a wide range of light intensities, from sunlight to dark shadows. This provides a truer brightness that can significantly enhance viewers’ experien...
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Tracking emissions, sensing earthquakes and monitoring patient brain waves are just a few of the applications that rely on changing, real-world information. In typical systems, sensors pass on raw dat...
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Many data-intensive networked systems rely on high-performance indexes that link pairs of ‘keys’ with storage addresses. These indexes help locate and process large volumes (i.e., terabytes) of da...
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To execute a computer program, a processor can access memory to read or write data. The accessed data may be identified by a unique physical address. Modern systems are able to hide the physical addre...
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To reliably transmit and store data, error detection/correction techniques are employed to guard against data corruption. Generally, such protection can be achieved by inserting redundant bits in the ...
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Computer processors have cache memories that reduce delays spent waiting for data from the main memory. Data expected to be used by the processor in executing a program are loaded into these caches.Ca...
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Cache memories play a critical role in reducing a computer system’s energy. Generally, they are fast access memories that store data reflecting locations in a corresponding main memory. Typically, t...
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In chemical manufacturing, a production system may receive and process raw materials in multiple steps, with each step or task associated with a certain procedure or tool. Ideally, each step is schedu...
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Graphic processing units (GPUs) are specialized for graphics but also work with conventional computer processing units (CPUs) to accelerate different applications. In normal operation, the CPU loads d...
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Touch screen systems have many advantages, including simplification of the user's task and elimination of a separate keyboard. However, touch screen systems present an insurmountable barrier to ma...
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Networks allow data exchange between linked computers. Data messages are divided into packets, which are able to navigate complex and changing networks. A router, or switch, reads packet addresses and...
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Wireless sensing technology provides an unprecedented ability to monitor the physical environment by using a network of cheap sensor nodes. Current approaches to extracting information from a wireless...
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In wireless telecommunications, signals are transmitted and received over transmission channels within a limited range of frequencies, typically between 0.7 GHz to 6 GHz for domestic applications. Due...
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‘Exceptions’ are occurrences during the execution of a computer program that interrupt the normal program flow dictated by the instructions themselves. These include non-valid instructions, like d...
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Ultrawideband technologies, including certain wireless communication and radar operations, receive and transmit information across a broad swath of radio frequencies by radiating narrow pulses of info...
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Microtubes are minute structures of layered metal that have shown wide promise in many fields. Beyond wireless sensing and drug delivery, they are poised to improve optical technologies. Fiber optic ...
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External beam radiation therapy degrades the rapidly dividing cells of a tumor by directing high-energy radiation into the target of interest to eradicate it. The efficacy of the treatment is strongly...
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Elucidating the workings and development of the brain remains a fertile topic of investigation and one reliant on non-invasive visualization technology like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As appl...
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Despite the growth of educational software designed to lead students through material, robotic and virtual instruction have failed to simulate the perceptive, responsive tactics of successful human te...
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Rapid development of superconducting quantum electronics has motivated a search for quantum-limited amplifiers for the low-noise readout of qubits and linear cavity resonators. Conventional approaches...
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