Customized kernel execution on reconfigurable hardware for embedded applications

To conserve space and power as well as to harness high performance in embedded systems, high utilization of the hardware is required. This can be facilitated through dynamic adaptation of the silicon resources in reconfigurable systems in order to realize various customized kernels as execution proceeds. Fortunately, the encountered reconfiguration overheads can be estimated. Therefore, if the scheduling of time-consuming kernels considers also the reconfiguration overheads, an overall performance gain can be obtained. We present our policy, experiments, and performance results of customizing and reconfiguring Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for embedded kernels. Experiments involving EEMBC (EDN Embedded Microprocessor Benchmarking Consortium) and MiBench embedded benchmark kernels show high performance using our main policy, when considering reconfiguration overheads. Our policy reduces the required reconfigurations by more than 50% as compared to brute-force solutions, and performs within 25% of the ideal execution time while conserving 60% of the FPGA resources. Alternative strategies to reduce the reconfiguration overhead are also presented and evaluated.     

Decentralised controller design based on structured singular values

In this study, structured singular values are used in a different way from those commonly used in the robust control literature. It is shown that subject to conditions based on structured singular values, each local area controller can be designed independently. A MATLAB? program is developed to plot inverse structured singular values of multi input multi output (MIMO) system relative error matrix. This plot can be used to predict the stability of the global system with decentralised controller. Therefore decentralised controller design problem can be translated into an equivalent problem of decentralized controller design for a MIMO control system.     

Interactive multilevel focus+context visualization framework

In this article, we present the construction of an interactive multilevel focus+context visualization framework for the navigation and exploration of large-scale 2D and 3D images. The presented framework utilizes a balanced multiresolution technique supported by a balanced wavelet transform (BWT). It extends the mode of focus+context visualization, where spatially separate magnification of regions of interest (ROIs) is performed, as opposed to in-place magnification. Each resulting visualization scenario resembles a tree structure, where the root constitutes the main context, each non-root internal node plays the dual roles of both focus and context, and each leaf solely represents a focus. Our developed prototype supports interactive manipulation of the visualization hierarchy, such as addition and deletion of ROIs and desired changes in their resolutions at any level of the hierarchy on the fly. We describe the underlying data structure efficiently support such operations. Changes in the spatial locations of query windows defining the ROIs trigger on-demand reconstruction queries. We explain in detail how to efficiently process such reconstruction queries within the hierarchy of details (wavelet coefficients) contained in the BWT in order to ensure real-time feedback. As the BWT need only be constructed once in a preprocessing phase on the server-side and robust on-demand reconstruction queries require minimal data communication overhead, our presented framework is a suitable candidate for efficient web-based visualization of complex large-scale imagery. We also discuss the performance characteristics of our proposed framework from various aspects, such as time and space complexities and achieved frame rates.     

A fuzzy long-term investment planning model for a GenCo in a hybrid electricity market considering climate change impacts

We study the long-term generation capacity investment problem of an independent power generation company (GenCo) that functions in an environment where GenCos perform business with both bilateral contracts (BC) and transactions in the day-ahead market (DAM). A fuzzy mixed integer linear programming model with a fuzzy objective and fuzzy constraints is developed to incorporate the impacts of imprecision/uncertainty in the economic environment on the calculation of the optimal value of the GenCo’s objective function. In formulating the fuzzy objective function we also include the potential impacts of climate change on the energy output of hydroelectric power plants. In addition to formulating and solving the capacity planning/investment problem, we also performed scenario-based (sensitivity) analysis to explore how investment decisions of the GenCos change when fuzziness (tolerance) in the maximum energy output of hydroelectric units and/or drought expectation increases. The proposed model is novel and investigates the effects of factors like drought expectations of climate changes, hydroelectric power plant investments, and other power generation technology investment options.     

Decentralized fault tolerant control of a class of nonlinear interconnected systems

In this paper, a novel decentralized fault tolerant controller (DFTC) is proposed for interconnected nonlinear continuous-time systems by using local subsystem state vector alone in contrast with traditional distributed fault tolerant controllers or fault accommodation schemes where the measured or the estimated state vector of the overall system is needed. The proposed decentralized controller uses local state and input vectors and minimizes the fault effects on all the subsystems. The DFTC in each subsystem includes a traditional controller term and a neural network based online approximator term which is used to deal with the unknown parts of the system dynamics, such as fault and interconnection terms. The stability of the overall system with the proposed DFTC is investigated by using Lyapunov approach and the boundedness of all signals is guaranteed in the presence of a fault. Therefore, the proposed controller enables the system to continue its normal operation after the occurrence of a fault, as long as it does not cause failure or break down of a component. Although the decentralized fault tolerant controller is designed mainly for large-scale systems where continuous transmissions between subsystems is not possible, it can also be applied to small-scale systems where sensor measurements are available for use in all subsystems. Finally the proposed methods are verified and compared in simulation environment.     

An adaptive least squares channel estimation based on conjugate gradient approach for multipath fading CDMA systems

Multiple access interference (MAI) is the main factor affecting the performance of channel estimation techniques for code division multiple access (CDMA) systems. Although, several multi-user channel estimation algorithms have been proposed to mitigate MAI, these algorithms require high computational complexities. In this paper, we address the problem of iterative least squares (LS) mobile channel estimation at high channel efficiency that requires a short training sequence along with the spreading sequences. We employ an efficient iterative method based on conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm to reduce the computational complexity of the estimation method. Computer simulations illustrate that the proposed method performs almost identical to the exact LS estimate for reasonable training lengths.     

SimClus: an effective algorithm for clustering with a lower bound on similarity

Clustering algorithms generally accept a parameter k from the user, which determines the number of clusters sought. However, in many application domains, like document categorization, social network clustering, and frequent pattern summarization, the proper value of k is difficult to guess. An alternative clustering formulation that does not require k is to impose a lower bound on the similarity between an object and its corresponding cluster representative. Such a formulation chooses exactly one representative for every cluster and minimizes the representative count. It has many additional benefits. For instance, it supports overlapping clusters in a natural way. Moreover, for every cluster, it selects a representative object, which can be effectively used in summarization or semi-supervised classification task. In this work, we propose an algorithm, SimClus, for clustering with lower bound on similarity. It achieves a O(log n) approximation bound on the number of clusters, whereas for the best previous algorithm the bound can be as poor as O(n). Experiments on real and synthetic data sets show that our algorithm produces more than 40% fewer representative objects, yet offers the same or better clustering quality. We also propose a dynamic variant of the algorithm, which can be effectively used in an on-line setting.     

Using OLAP and multidimensional data for decision making

Managers see information as a critical resource and require systems that let them exploit it for competitive advantage. One way to better use organizational information is via online analytical processing and multidimensional databases (MDDBs). OLAP and MDDBs present summarized information from company databases. They use multidimensional structures that let managers slice and dice views of company performance data and drill down into trouble spots. For over a decade, proponents have touted these tools as the ultimate executive information system, but most of the hype comes from product vendors themselves. Based on our experience with several OLAP tools, we have developed a more pragmatic approach to the design of multidimensional information systems that lets managers make the most of their companies' information assets     

Computer program for automated sleep depth estimation

In this article, we present a new implementation of an amplitude-independent method for continuous-scale sleep depth estimation. Having been implemented as an add-on analysis module under commercially available biosignal recording and analysis software, it can be easily applied in clinical routine. The software gives the user full freedom to change all the analysis parameters inside theoretical limits. Computational sleep depth profiles produced by the presented software compare favourably with visual classifications. Future work will concentrate on systematic optimization of analysis parameters, further evaluation of the method with disturbed sleep and application of the method for automated adaptive sleep analysis.     

Agility and production flow layouts: An analytical decision analysis

The term ‘agile manufacturing’ has referred to operational aspects of a manufacturing company concerning their ability to produce customized products at mass production prices and with short lead times. A core issue faced within agile manufacturing is the need for appropriate and supporting production and operations systems. Many design dimensions of agility and agile manufacturing exist. To help attain this goal for integrating the many design dimensions, operations infrastructure and capacity must be carefully planned to manage production flow, and thus production layout planning takes on an increasingly important role. Given the importance of these dimensions in response to agility, this paper seeks to make a contribution by providing insights into a decision aid for evaluating production flow layouts that support and enhance the agile manufacture of products. Layout design has a significant impact on the performance of a manufacturing or service industry system and has been an active research area for many decades. Strategic evaluation of production layouts requires consideration of both qualitative and quantitative factors (managerial, organizational, and technical). This paper makes use of the Analytical Network Process (ANP) which captures interdependencies among different criteria, sub-criteria and dimensions, an evident characteristic of production flow layouts in complex agile manufacturing environments. An application case study exemplifying the practical usefulness of this type of model describes how management, after implementation of the model, made a mid-course correction related to the production layout initially selected.