基于神威众核处理器的排列熵算法并行加速方法

随着嵌入维数的增大,排列熵（permutation entropy,PE）算法的运算规模将会成倍增加,对计算的时效性提出了更高的要求。针对国际上首台计算性能超过100P的神威·太湖之光异构众核超级计算机,提出一种针对排列熵算法移植和并行化方法,核组之间基于MPI对相空间矩阵进行数据划分,核组内部基于OpenACC实现划分区域内部并行;然后针对SW26010众核处理器结构特征,调整减少主从核通信次数和消除原子操作,将排列熵算法成功移植并加速;最后通过大坝震荡数据进行测试。测试结果表明,该方法能够很好地发挥SW26010众核处理器加速优势,单核组性能较主核版本最高可获得7.18倍加速,同时在神威·太湖之光大规模集群上进行强可扩展性分析,128核组时最高实现了85.6倍的性能提升。     

Silicon-Crystal应用在SW26010处理器上的移植与优化

Silicon-Crystal应用运用分子动力学方法对晶体热传导性进行模拟,采用Tersoff势模拟硅晶体的运动轨迹.本文利用神威Athread在神威太湖之光上成功移植了Silicon-Crystal应用,针对SW26010异构众核处理器带来的内存受限问题,提出5种主要优化方式:1)将计算所需参数预取到LDM(Loca...     

LQCD Dslash在神威·太湖之光上的研究分析与MPI实现

"神威·太湖之光"是我国全自主研发的千万核超级计算机,目前已有很多大型应用程序在此先进架构上进行了移植优化。然而,高能物理领域的格点量子色动力学(LQCD)数值模拟软件在神威平台上尚未进行过移植优化,这引起了科学工作者们的关注。针对LQCD在神威平台上的移植优化问题展开研究。首先,论述了国内外对LQCD在不同硬件架构上进行并行优化的发展历程。其次,通过对其热点模块Dslash的重构,实现了在神威平台上的成功移植。再次,针对申威26010芯片异构众核的架构和并行模式,实现了从核阵列异构并行、从核本地设备存储器(LDM)与主存之间的直接存储访问(DMA)通讯、主核之间的消息传递接口(MPI)通讯及全局归约等操作。最后,经过实验测试,单核组优化程序与16核组优化程序相比单主核程序分别获得了165倍和25倍的加速比,并发现了一些重要的性能瓶颈问题,为进一步优化提升整体效率奠定重要基础。同时,对国产超算平台的推广使用具有积极意义。     

基于神威·太湖之光的非结构网格众核优化技术

为解决高性能计算中的非结构网格离散访存问题,以神威·太湖之光国产超级计算机为平台,根据异构众核处理器SW26010的体系结构特点,提出一种基于排序思想的通用众核优化算法,以减少非结构网格计算中的随机访存。基于网格划分原理,在O(n)时间内对生成的稀疏矩阵非零元素进行并行重排序。采用一种内部映射方式对计算向量实现扩展或变换,将细粒度访存转化为无写冲突的粗粒度访存。对多个实际应用算例的通量计算进行众核优化,结果表明,相比主核上的串行算法,该算法能够获得平均10倍以上的加速效果。     

swLLVM: 面向神威新一代超级计算机的优化编译器

异构众核架构具有超高的能效比, 已成为超级计算机体系结构的重要发展方向. 然而, 异构系统的复杂性给应用开发和优化提出了更高要求, 其在发展过程中面临好用性和可编程性等众多技术挑战. 我国自主研制的神威新一代超级计算机采用了国产申威异构众核处理器SW26010Pro. 为了发挥新一代众核处理器的性能优势, 支撑新兴科学计算应用的开发和优化, 设计并实现面向SW26010Pro平台的优化编译器swLLVM. 该编译器支持Athread和SDAA双模态异构编程模型, 提供多级存储层次描述及向量操作扩展, 并且针对SW26010Pro架构特点实现控制流向量化、基于代价的节点合并以及针对多级存储层次的编译优化. 测试结果表明, 所设计并实现的编译优化效果显著, 其中, 控制流向量化和节点合并优化的平均加速比分别为1.23和1.11, 而访存相关优化最高可获得2.49倍的性能提升. 最后, 使用SPEC CPU2006标准测试集从多个维度对swLLVM进行了综合评估, 相较于SWGCC的相同优化级别, swLLVM整型课题性能平均下降0.12%, 浮点型课题性能平均提升9.04%, 整体性能平均提升5.25%, 编译速度平均提升79.1%, 代码尺寸平均减少1.15%.     

快速多极子方法在申威众核处理器上的实现和优化

快速多极子方法(FMM)是一种求解N体问题的快速高效数值算法,在宇宙学和分子动力学等模拟中具有广泛的应用。申威SW26010是一款国产众核异构处理器,含260核心(4核组)。基于申威SW26010的众核架构设计和实现了快速多极子方法,并对核心函数(尤其是最耗时的粒子对相互作用)系统地进行了性能优化,包括异步DMA、SIMD向量化、循环展开、内联汇编指令调整等。以粒子对相互作用为例,优化后代码的计算速度约为主核上运行的原始代码的400倍,每个核组上的浮点性能达到250 GFLOPS,即理论峰值性能的32.5%。     

太湖之光上利用OpenACC移植和优化GTC-P

神威“太湖之光”是最新一期Top500榜单上排名第一的超级计算机,实测峰值性能约93PFLOPS.该系统提供了基于指导语句的并行编程工具OpenACC,兼容OpenACC 2.0编程标准,并添加了部分定制化功能.GTC-P是一个具有重要物理意义的科学应用,算法基于高性能计算领域中被广泛使用的PIC(particle-in-cell)方法.利用神威OpenACC并行编程模型在“太湖之光”上成功移植了GTC-P应用.在移植过程中,鉴于OpenACC编译器尚无法解决的性能瓶颈,提出了3种基于中间代码二次开发的优化方法：1)消除原子操作;2)避免低效的全局访存操作;3)手动添加SIMD intrinsics指令.实验结果表明,在64个从核上相比1个主核,优化后的函数charge和push分别实现了1.6倍和86倍的加速比,同时GTC-P代码整体取得了2.5倍的加速比.优化结果证明了基于中间代码的手动优化对利用神威OpenACC移植的PIC算法在“太湖之光”上的性能提升非常重要.     

PME算法在神威太湖之光上的移植和优化

分子动力学模拟(MD)是一套通过计算机模拟生物体系内分子、原子运动的多体模拟方法.GROMACS是著名的MD应用,能够快速模拟生物及非生物体系运动过程,广泛应用于各高性能平台.作为世界排名第3的超级计算机,神威太湖之光拥有40960块SW26010异构众核处理器,峰值性能达到125.4PFlops.目前太湖之光上已有对GROM ACS短程力优化的相关研究,但对于PM E(Particle Mesh Ewald)算法未有探索性工作.本文基于申威平台对PME算法展开研究,针对随机访存模式、网格点写写冲突等挑战,提出了基于局部网格序的分块策略、数据重组策略、非线性函数近似等方法进行优化.最终优化后的结果相较于初始版本性能提升了8.85倍,相较于Intel CPU版本提升了1.2倍.本文采用的优化技术也可以为神威太湖之光上其他分子动力学模拟软件和涉及散乱数据插值程序的优化提供借鉴.     

基于神威太湖之光的NAMD软件的移植与优化

纳米级粒度分子动力学NAMD是基于Charm++并行编程模型的开源免费分子动力学模拟软件,能够在大规模并行计算机上快速模拟百万原子级别的大分子体系。太湖之光是中国自主研发的超级计算机,峰值性能为125.4Pflop/s,共有1 000多万个核心,整机Linpack效率不低于70%。NAMD在空间上对原子进行划分,在计算上对力进行划分,充分曝露出单步模拟的并行度,并通过CHARM++对负载平衡进行调控。针对NAMD进行模拟计算时的特点,移植并优化了NAMD的核心计算代码,让其能够更好地运行在超级计算机神威太湖之光上,优化后性能提高了近20倍,单个核组的性能较Intel XeonE5-2650v2提高3倍。扩展性方面目前至多可达到325万核的并行度,突破百万核大关。     

面向众核结构的并行Comba乘法研究

为发挥众核处理器性能优势及求解更大规模问题,针对大整数乘法在众核处理器上的并行化进行研究。在对笔算乘法和Comba乘法并行性进行分析的基础上,针对Comba乘法并行化时面临的负载均衡问题提出了多种解决方法;然后针对SW26010的结构特征,选择借鉴笔算乘法改进的Comba乘法,并且实现过程使用了向量化、寄存器通信等优化方法。测试结果说明改进后的并行Comba算法具有较好的并行性,能够很好地利用SW26010众核处理器的性能优势。     

Only connect: teaching, technology and telesis

Abstract This paper describes an approach to the design of interactive multimedia materials being developed in a European Community project. The developmental process is seen as a dialogue between technologists and teachers. This dialogue is often problematic because of the differences in training, experience and culture between them. Conditions needed for fruitful dialogue are described and the generic model for learning design used in the project is explained.     

European Community policy and the market

Abstract This paper starts with some reflections on the policy considerations and priorities which are shaping European Commission (EC) research programmes. Then it attempts to position the current projects which seek to capitalise on information and communications technologies for learning in relation to these priorities and the apparent realities of the marketplace. It concludes that while there are grounds to be optimistic about the contribution EC programmes can make to the efficiency and standard of education and training, they are still too technology driven.     

一种自适应子融合集成多分类器方法

融合集成方法已经广泛应用在模式识别领域,然而一些基分类器实时性能稳定性较差,导致多分类器融合性能差,针对上述问题本文提出了一种新的基于多分类器的子融合集成分类器系统。该方法考虑在度量层融合层次之上通过对各类基多分类器进行动态选择,票数最多的类别作为融合系统中对特征向量识别的类别,构成一种新的自适应子融合集成分类器方法。实验表明,该方法比传统的分类器以及分类融合方法识别准确率明显更高,具有更好的鲁棒性。     

Avoiding semantic and temporal gaps in developing software intensive systems

Development of software intensive systems (systems) in practice involves a series of self-contained phases for the lifecycle of a system. Semantic and temporal gaps, which occur among phases and among developer disciplines within and across phases, hinder the ongoing development of a system because of the interdependencies among phases and among disciplines. Such gaps are magnified among systems that are developed at different times by different development teams, which may limit reuse of artifacts of systems development and interoperability among the systems. This article discusses such gaps and a systems development process for avoiding them.     

Designing economic np control charts: A programmed simulation approach

This paper presents control charts models and the necessary simulation software for the location of economic values of the control parameters. The simulation program is written in FORTRAN, requires only 10K of main storage, and can run on most mini and micro computers. Two models are presented - one describes the process when it is operating at full capacity and the other when the process is operating under capacity. The models allow the product quality to deteriorate to a further level before an existing out-of-control state is detected, and they can also be used in situations where no prior knowledge exists of the out-of-control causes and the resulting proportion defectives.     

The development of robot art

Going through a few examples of robot artists who are recognized worldwide, we try to analyze the deepest meaning of what is called “robot art” and the related art field definition. We also try to highlight its well-marked borders, such as kinetic sculptures, kinetic art, cyber art, and cyberpunk. A brief excursion into the importance of the context, the message, and its semiotics is also provided, case by case, together with a few hints on the history of this discipline in the light of an artistic perspective. Therefore, the aim of this article is to try to summarize the main characteristics that might classify robot art as a unique and innovative discipline, and to track down some of the principles by which a robotic artifact can or cannot be considered an art piece in terms of social, cultural, and strictly artistic interest. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Explanation and prediction: an architecture for default and abductive reasoning

Although there are many arguments that logic is an appropriate tool for artificial intelligence, there has been a perceived problem with the monotonicity of classical logic. This paper elaborates on the idea that reasoning should be viewed as theory formation where logic tells us the consequences of our assumptions. The two activities of predicting what is expected to be true and explaining observations are considered in a simple theory formation framework. Properties of each activity are discussed, along with a number of proposals as to what should be predicted or accepted as reasonable explanations. An architecture is proposed to combine explanation and prediction into one coherent framework. Algorithms used to implement the system as well as examples from a running implementation are given.     

Three Process Perspectives: Organizations, Teams, and People

This paper provides the author's personal views and perspectives on software process improvement. Starting with his first work on technology assessment in IBM over 20 years ago, Watts Humphrey describes the process improvement work he has been directly involved in. This includes the development of the early process assessment methods, the original design of the CMM, and the introduction of the Personal Software Process (PSP)^SM and Team Software Process (TSP){^SM}. In addition to describing the original motivation for this work, the author also reviews many of the problems he and his associates encountered and why they solved them the way they did. He also comments on the outstanding issues and likely directions for future work. Finally, this work has built on the experiences and contributions of many people. Mr. Humphrey only describes work that he was personally involved in and he names many of the key contributors. However, so many people have been involved in this work that a full list of the important participants would be impractical.     

基于复小波噪声方差显著修正的SAR图像去噪

提出了一种基于复小波域统计建模与噪声方差估计显著性修正相结合的合成孔径雷达(Synthetic Aperture Radar,SAR)图像斑点噪声滤波方法。该方法首先通过对数变换将乘性噪声模型转化为加性噪声模型,然后对变换后的图像进行双树复小波变换(Dualtree Complex Wavelet Transform,DCWT),并对复数小波系数的统计分布进行建模。在此先验分布的基础上,通过运用贝叶斯估计方法从含噪系数中恢复原始系数,达到滤除噪声的目的。实验结果表明该方法在去除噪声的同时保留了图像的细节信息,取得了很好的降噪效果。     

How do children do mathematics with LOGO?

Abstract  This paper considers some results of a study designed to investigate the kinds of mathematical activity undertaken by children (aged between 8 and 11) as they learned to program in LOGO. A model of learning modes is proposed, which attempts to describe the ways in which children used and acquired understanding of the programming/mathematical concepts involved. The remainder of the paper is concerned with discussing the validity and limitations of the model, and its implications for further research and curriculum development.