Artificial intelligence and automatic programming in CAI

This paper discusses generative computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and its relationship to Artificial Intelligence Research. Systems which have a limited capability for natural language communication are described. In addition, potential areas in which Artificial Intelligence could be applied are outlined. These include individualization of instruction, determining the degree of accuracy of a student response, and problem-solving.A CAI system which is capable of writing computer programs is described in detail. Techniques are given for generating meaningful programming problems. These problems are represented as a sequence of primitive tasks each of which can be coded in several ways. The manner in which the system designs its own solution program and monitors the student solution is also described.     

Make computer assisted instruction smarter

It is argued in this paper that the quality of computer assisted instruction can only increase if more research is directed towards the development of generative intelligent CAI systems. Characteristics of these systems are described and the state-of-the-art is assessed. Finally the design of one such future system is presented.     

超文本智能计算机辅助教学综合研究

文中回顾了计算机辅助教学(CAI)的发展历程,认为超文本智能计算机辅助教学(HICAI)是目前CAI的最高形式,当前正处于形成和发展期,实时总结是必要的。该文在研究和实践的基础上,对HICAI进行了全面和系统的总结,主要阐述了HICAI的概念和定义,系统体系结构,教师和学生模型,人机界面设计以及系统实现的有关问题。     

Gaelic logic simulator: an interactive CAD tool

The use of digital logic simulation in the design of integrated circuits has long been established. In this role, however, simulation in general has remained a non-interactive CAD tool. In an attempt to alter this situation a simulator has been developed which will permit the designer to interact with the circuit, thus making simulation an even more effective design tool particularly in its use for debugging incorrect designs.     

基于微小型弹体的舵机控制电路的设计

提出了一种基于FPGA的舵机控制电路在微小型弹体中的应用方法,对基于FPGA的舵机控制硬件电路及逻辑设计进行了详细阐述,并说明了该控制电路的具体应用实现;该设计采用FPGA作为核心控制元件、舵机作为基本的执行机构搭建了具体的硬件电路;设计了舵机控制逻辑且根据此逻辑编写了对应的程序;对硬件电路进行了调试;经过大量的试验,结果表明该电路可以实现舵机(尾翼)0°～180°范围内任意角度的平滑偏转,进而控制微小型弹体姿态的偏转,长期稳定的工作,且已成功应用到了某项目的姿态控制试验中.     

Scaling up genetic circuit design for cellular computing: advances and prospects

Synthetic biology aims to engineer and redesign biological systems for useful real-world applications in biomanufacturing, biosensing and biotherapy following a typical design-build-test cycle. Inspired from computer science and electronics, synthetic gene circuits have been designed to exhibit control over the flow of information in biological systems. Two types are Boolean logic inspired TRUE or FALSE digital logic and graded analog computation. Key principles for gene circuit engineering include modularity, orthogonality, predictability and reliability. Initial circuits in the field were small and hampered by a lack of modular and orthogonal components, however in recent years the library of available parts has increased vastly. New tools for high throughput DNA assembly and characterization have been developed enabling rapid prototyping, systematic in situ characterization, as well as automated design and assembly of circuits. Recently implemented computing paradigms in circuit memory and distributed computing using cell consortia will also be discussed. Finally, we will examine existing challenges in building predictable large-scale circuits including modularity, context dependency and metabolic burden as well as tools and methods used to resolve them. These new trends and techniques have the potential to accelerate design of larger gene circuits and result in an increase in our basic understanding of circuit and host behaviour.     

单片机与接口技术项目化教学改革的实践与探索

As a comprehensive electrical and electronic course, Single Chip Microcomputer and Interface Technology is usually com- bined with automation technology, applied electronic technology, communication technology, etc., so that students can master the professional theory and application practice of single chip microcomputer. In the course teaching, teachers mainly focus on the knowledge points of single chip microcomputer system design, application programming, installation and debugging, select suitable interface circuit, application program, and organize and design the integrated circuit system and logic function of single chip micro- computer, so as to help students complete the resource allocation and function realization of different single chip microcomputer project design.     

Generalized disjunction decomposition for evolvable hardware.

Evolvable hardware (EHW) refers to self-reconfiguration hardware design, where the configuration is under the control of an evolutionary algorithm (EA). One of the main difficulties in using EHW to solve real-world problems is scalability, which limits the size of the circuit that may be evolved. This paper outlines a new type of decomposition strategy for EHW, the "generalized disjunction decomposition" (GDD), which allows the evolution of large circuits. The proposed method has been extensively tested, not only with multipliers and parity bit problems traditionally used in the EHW community, but also with logic circuits taken from the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC) benchmark library and randomly generated circuits. In order to achieve statistically relevant results, each analyzed logic circuit has been evolved 100 times, and the average of these results is presented and compared with other EHW techniques. This approach is necessary because of the probabilistic nature of EA; the same logic circuit may not be solved in the same way if tested several times. The proposed method has been examined in an extrinsic EHW system using the (1 + lambda) evolution strategy. The results obtained demonstrate that GDD significantly improves the evolution of logic circuits in terms of the number of generations, reduces computational time as it is able to reduce the required time for a single iteration of the EA, and enables the evolution of larger circuits never before evolved. In addition to the proposed method, a short overview of EHW systems together with the most recent applications in electrical circuit design is provided.     

The Redesign System: A Knowledge-Based Approach to VLSI CAD

Artificial intelligence techniques offer one possible avenue toward new CAD tools to handle the complexities of VLSI. Redesign is a Prototype knowledge-based system that uses Al techniques to interactively aid in the functional redesign of digital circuits. Given a desired change in the function of a circuit, Redesign combines rule-based knowledge of design tactics with its ability to analyse signal propagation through circuits, in order to help the user focus on an appropriate portion of the circuit to redesign, suggest local redesign alternatives, and determine side effects of possible redesigns. Using lessons learned from work on Redesign, we are working on systems to aid in designing and debugging VLSI.     

Learning Java: a programmed instruction approach using Applets

A programmed instruction approach to knowledge acquisition is operationalized by student–teacher interactions that involve monitoring and managing the moment-by-moment progress of a learner throughout the process of achieving a criterion of mastery in a knowledge domain. The teacher is generic and may include another person, a structured text, or a computer. When the steps and increments leading to a task's completion and mastery can be enumerated, the process of interaction-based learning lends itself to implementation with computer-based tutoring systems. The present paper describes a computer-based programmed instruction tutoring system that teaches a learner how to write a simple Java™ computer program. The system is based on a series of Java Applets, which are computer programs that are downloaded from a network server and executed by a client browser such as Netscape®. The use of Java Applets makes the tutoring system available to learners over the World Wide Web. Performance acquisition data are presented to show an individual learner's progression to task completion and mastery using the tutoring system. Survey data are presented to show the subjective responses of a class of students to the use of the tutoring system. The adoption of this computer-based tutoring system is justified as one component within a personalized system of instruction that also includes lectures and collaborative learning experiences.     

一种新型车载控制及诊断系统部件设计

新型车载控制及诊断系统部件是高速磁浮窄车体车载控制及诊断系统中的重要单元设备，其功能是将来自车载安全计算机的与安全相关的控制指令发送给车辆子系统，并将子系统发送的状态监视信号反馈给车载安全计算机。为保障控制及诊断系统的安全可靠运行，新型车载控制及诊断系统部件采用冗余架构及模块化设计，形成双重冗余的架构，使设备达到了高度稳定，并且简化了电路设计，还可通过编程及诊断软件进行逻辑功能调试和故障诊断。     

基于CAD技术的数字逻辑系统

数字逻辑系统的设计离不开计算机辅助设计CAD工具的帮助，尤其是VHDL硬件描述语言。该语言采用模块化的设计方法，自顶向下完成全部设计和综合过程，最终生成印刷电路板或专用集成电路，论述了高级语言VHDL的行为模块描述和结构模式描述，介绍了数字逻辑系统的设计方法和步骤，继而通过一个简单设计实例讨论了VHDL语言模块化的综合描述过程。     

Applying Genetic Parallel Programming to Synthesize Combinational Logic Circuits

Experimental results show that parallel programs can be evolved more easily than sequential programs in genetic parallel programming (GPP). GPP is a novel genetic programming paradigm which evolves parallel program solutions. With the rapid development of lookup-table-based (LUT-based) field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), traditional circuit design and optimization techniques cannot fully exploit the LUTs in LUT-based FPGAs. Based on the GPP paradigm, we have developed a combinational logic circuit learning system, called GPP logic circuit synthesizer (GPPLCS), in which a multilogic-unit processor is used to evaluate LUT circuits. To show the effectiveness of the GPPLCS, we have performed a series of experiments to evolve combinational logic circuits with two- and four-input LUTs. In this paper, we present eleven multi-output Boolean problems and their evolved circuits. The results show that the GPPLCS can evolve more compact four-input LUT circuits than the well-known LUT-based FPGA synthesis algorithms.     

Test and Diagnosis Procedure for Digital Networks

Fundamental to the usefulness of any device, instrument or system are the initial verification of its correct functioning and the maintenance of its performance during ing operation. The following discussion is concerned with such problems of initial verification and maintenance for digital systems. Systems can fail to function properly either because of incorrect specification, design, or implementation; or else because of physical deterioration or damage. Problems caused by incorrect specification are extremely difficult to deal with formally. Many cases of faulty design or implementation can be detected either by formal analysis techniques (e.g., logic circuit analysis) or by simulation methods. Of course, actual physical implentations such as integrated circuits must be subjected to measurement before final acceptance. This process of measuring the output response with specified signals applied to the inputs is called testing and is useful both for initial acceptance and also for verification of continued validity during use.     

LORES-2: A Logic Reorganization System

LORES-2 is a logic reorganization system which greatly contributes to the effective automation of logic design. LORES-2 uses a macro-expansion technique to help designers transform printed-circuit assembly logic composed of SSI and MSI circuits into master-slice LSI logic circuits. The number of gates of the most reorganized LSI circuit falls within ± 20 percent of the number of gates of the original circuit. When ROMS and/or PLAs are not-allowed on the target LSI circuit, those elements are converted into optimized, multilevel random logic using logic minimization, factoring and macro-expansion techniques.     

"TALK WITH THE EXPERTS": LEARNING MANAGEMENT DECISION-MAKING USING CAI

This paper describes the development and use of "Talk With the Experts," a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) tool for assisting learning management decision-making. Utilizing expert knowledge-based systems (EKBS), a user consults with computerized "experts" by answering a series of questions asked by the EKBS about his her specific situation (for example, judging the appropriateness of a franchise offering for the user). The system, using decision rules and computer logic, not only makes recommendations about a user's management decision problem situation, but also explains the reasoning processes leading to those recommendations. "Talk With the Experts" extends prior research in the CAI field in small but significant ways: it has incorporated advanced computer technologies into CAI tools and has developed applications to management decision-making learning.     

Advanced AI Search Techniques in Modern Digital Circuit Synthesis

Progress in microelectronic technology is extremely fast and it is outstripping the designers' abilities to make use of the created opportunities. Development and application of new more suitable design methods and tools is therefore very important for the modern system industry. This paper shows the importance of the AI search techniques for the circuits and systems design space exploration, explains what sorts of search techniques are useful for this aim, and discusses the place, role and way of use of these techniques in circuit and system design. In particular, the paper explains the importance and usage of the heuristic search techniques for the automatic construction and selection of the most promising solutions to the circuit synthesis problems. The discussion and conclusions of the paper are illustrated with examples of three effective and efficient search algorithms, and experimental results from their application to two important circuit synthesis problems. The knowledge presented in the paper combines numerous valuable concepts of modern system engineering and artificial intelligence, and forms a base for further research and application of the AI search techniques to design of complex circuits and systems.     

Personality,religiosity and computer oriented attitudes among trainee teachers in Israel

This study examined the relationship between the Eysenckian dimensions of personality, religiosity, and attitudes towards computer assisted instruction (CAI) among a sample of 190 trainee teachers in Israel who had experienced a professionally structured induction programme in computer teaching skills. These data confirm the power of both personality and religiosity in predicting positive student attitudes towards CAI.     

基于CPLD的计算机组成原理实验板

针对传统的计算机组成原理实验仪只能进行功能实现和验证,无法满足在校学生自主设计和创新问题,提出了一种改进计算机组成原理实验板的方法.该方法采用复杂可编程逻辑器件(CPLD)芯片替代传统分立小规模集成IC芯片作为载体,使用电子设计自动化(EDA)开发工具,以硬件描述语言(VHDL)来实现各种硬件逻辑,再与硬件的输入输出接口线路相连,最终组成一台可用于实验教学的完整计算机系统.实验表明,新设计的实验板能够实现原实验仪的实验要求,增强实验系统的功能,提高系统的灵活性,降低实验成本.     

可编程可逆计数器电路的逻辑设计与功能验证

计数器电路在集成电路领域有着很广泛的应用,常作为集成电路的基本器件使用。计数器电路可以输出多种可控的信号,配合其它电路一起使用。以一种八位可编程可逆计数器为例,阐述了这类计数器电路具体的电路逻辑设计,及形成电路逻辑后的功能验证。