Abstract: In a multi-threading microprocessor, a queue for a scarce resource such as a multiplier alternates on a fine-grained basis between instructions in various threads. When a long-latency instruction is discovered in a thread, the instructions in that thread that depend on the latency are flushed out of the thread until the latency is resolved, with the instructions in other threads filling empty slots from the thread waiting for the long-latency instruction and continuing to execute without being delayed by having to wait for the long-latency instruction.

Abstract: An ethanol-producing plant and a method is provided for producing ethanol from sugars, starches, or cellulose. Some ethanol-producing plants consume more thermal energy than they produce. The present invention solves the efficiency problem by utilizing an internal combustion engine with high-efficiency mechanical drives for providing the mechanical power requirements of the ethanol-producing plant and by utilizing the thermal energy of engine coolant and exhaust to provide some, or all, of the thermal energy requirements of the ethanol-producing plant. The method includes electrically loading the internal combustion engine to increase the thermal losses of the engine to equal the thermal energy requirements of the steps of the ethanol-producing process.