Delay driven multi-way circuit partitioning.

Wong Sze Hon.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-91).Abstracts in English and Chinese.Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- Preliminaries --- p.1Chapter 1.2 --- Motivations --- p.1Chapter 1.3 --- Contributions --- p.3Chapter 1.4 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.4Chapter 2 --- VLSI Physical Design Automation --- p.5Chapter 2.1 --- Preliminaries --- p.5Chapter 2.2 --- VLSI Design Cycle [1] --- p.6Chapter 2.2.1 --- System Specification --- p.6Chapter 2.2.2 --- Architectural Design --- p.6Chapter 2.2.3 --- Functional Design --- p.6Chapter 2.2.4 --- Logic Design --- p.8Chapter 2.2.5 --- Circuit Design --- p.8Chapter 2.2.6 --- Physical Design --- p.8Chapter 2.2.7 --- Fabrication --- p.8Chapter 2.2.8 --- Packaging and Testing --- p.9Chapter 2.3 --- Physical Design Cycle [1] --- p.9Chapter 2.3.1 --- Partitioning --- p.9Chapter 2.3.2 --- Floorplanning and Placement --- p.11Chapter 2.3.3 --- Routing --- p.11Chapter 2.3.4 --- Compaction --- p.12Chapter 2.3.5 --- Extraction and Verification --- p.12Chapter 2.4 --- Chapter Summary --- p.12Chapter 3 --- Recent Approaches on Circuit Partitioning --- p.14Chapter 3.1 --- Preliminaries --- p.14Chapter 3.2 --- Circuit Representation --- p.15Chapter 3.3 --- Delay Modelling --- p.16Chapter 3.4 --- Partitioning Objectives --- p.19Chapter 3.4.1 --- Interconnections between Partitions --- p.19Chapter 3.4.2 --- Delay Minimization --- p.19Chapter 3.4.3 --- Area and Number of Partitions --- p.20Chapter 3.5 --- Partitioning Algorithms --- p.20Chapter 3.5.1 --- Cut-size Driven Partitioning Algorithm --- p.21Chapter 3.5.2 --- Delay Driven Partitioning Algorithm --- p.32Chapter 3.5.3 --- Acyclic Circuit Partitioning Algorithm --- p.33Chapter 4 --- Clustering Based Acyclic Multi-way Partitioning --- p.38Chapter 4.1 --- Preliminaries --- p.38Chapter 4.2 --- Previous Works on Clustering Based Partitioning --- p.39Chapter 4.2.1 --- Multilevel Circuit Partitioning [2] --- p.40Chapter 4.2.2 --- Cluster-Oriented Iterative-Improvement Partitioner [3] --- p.42Chapter 4.2.3 --- Section Summary --- p.44Chapter 4.3 --- Problem Formulation --- p.45Chapter 4.4 --- Clustering Based Acyclic Multi-Way Partitioning --- p.46Chapter 4.5 --- Modified Fan-out Free Cone Decomposition --- p.47Chapter 4.6 --- Clustering Phase --- p.48Chapter 4.7 --- Partitioning Phase --- p.51Chapter 4.8 --- The Acyclic Constraint --- p.52Chapter 4.9 --- Experimental Results --- p.57Chapter 4.10 --- Chapter Summary --- p.58Chapter 5 --- Network Flow Based Multi-way Partitioning --- p.61Chapter 5.1 --- Preliminaries --- p.61Chapter 5.2 --- Notations and Definitions --- p.62Chapter 5.3 --- Net Modelling --- p.63Chapter 5.4 --- Previous Works on Network Flow Based Partitioning --- p.64Chapter 5.4.1 --- Network Flow Based Min-Cut Balanced Partitioning [4] --- p.65Chapter 5.4.2 --- Network Flow Based Circuit Partitioning for Time-multiplexed FPGAs [5] --- p.66Chapter 5.5 --- Proposed Net Modelling --- p.70Chapter 5.6 --- Partitioning Properties Based on the Proposed Net Modelling --- p.73Chapter 5.7 --- Partitioning Step --- p.75Chapter 5.8 --- Constrained FM Post Processing Step --- p.79Chapter 5.9 --- Experiment Results --- p.81Chapter 6 --- Conclusion --- p.86Bibliography --- p.8

Framework for managing risk in privately financed market projects in Nigeria

Shortage of funds and the need to improve the living standards of the people are among the reasons advanced for the recent embrace of Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements in developing markets in Nigeria. Construction work generally, and especially projects procured using PPP arrangement are more risk prone than those procured using other forms. This is mainly due to the lengthy concession period and the multi-parties involved in the arrangement. It is therefore, an imperative to properly manage the multi-faceted risks associated with PPP market projects (MPs) in a developing economy like Nigeria. Review of the extant literature show that little has been done on risk management in PPP projects in Nigeria with no known effort on PPP MPs. This is due largely to the novelty of the PPP scheme in Nigeria. The main contribution of this research therefore, is better understanding of the risk management process in privately financed (PF) MPs in Nigeria. A holistic risk management framework is developed that identifies best practices in the risk management process with special emphasis on market projects. The structure specifies what should be done, who should do it and when it should be done throughout the whole life cycle of any PPP market project. Risks in (PF) MPs and their impacts were identified and assessed; allocation preferences of practitioners and mitigation measures to the risks were also assessed within the south-western part of the country Data for the study was collected through a mixed methods approach viz: quantitative and qualitative approaches. Questionnaires were administered to practitioners in the industry within the south-western zone of the country to gain general idea on risks that are likely to occur and affect PF MPs within the region. In-depth interviews were also conducted with stakeholders on three PF MPs in the region. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyse data for the study. The research identified inadequate knowledge of risk management concept in the Nigerian construction industry; especially in PPP projects, as being responsible for the poor performance of PPP projects using the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) - i.e. people, profit, and planet - as yardstick. It is believed that the framework will serve as a useful tool for rapidly learning about the risks involved in PPP market projects and for understanding viable options for their effective management

Convex optimization methods for model reduction

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-161).Model reduction and convex optimization are prevalent in science and engineering applications. In this thesis, convex optimization solution techniques to three different model reduction problems are studied.Parameterized reduced order modeling is important for rapid design and optimization of systems containing parameter dependent reducible sub-circuits such as interconnects and RF inductors. The first part of the thesis presents a quasi-convex optimization approach to solve the parameterized model order reduction problem for linear time-invariant systems. Formulation of the model reduction problem as a quasi-convex program allows the flexibility to enforce constraints such as stability and passivity in both non-parameterized and parameterized cases. Numerical results including the parameterized reduced modeling of a large RF inductor are given to demonstrate the practical value of the proposed algorithm.A majority of nonlinear model reduction techniques can be regarded as a two step procedure as follows. First the state dimension is reduced through a projection, and then the vector field of the reduced state is approximated for improved computation efficiency. Neither of the above steps has been thoroughly studied. The second part of this thesis presents a solution to a particular problem in the second step above, namely, finding an upper bound of the system input/output error due to nonlinear vector field approximation. The system error upper bounding problem is formulated as an L2 gain upper bounding problem of some feedback interconnection, to which the small gain theorem can be applied. A numerical procedure based on integral quadratic constraint analysis and a theoretical statement based on L2 gain analysis are given to provide the solution to the error bounding problem. The numerical procedure is applied to analyze the vector field approximation quality of a transmission line with diodes.(Cont) The application of Volterra series to the reduced modeling of nonlinear systems is hampered by the rapidly increasing computation cost with respect to the degrees of the polynomials used. On the other hand, while it is less general than the Volterra series model, the Wiener-Hammerstein model has been shown to be useful for accurate and compact modeling of certain nonlinear sub-circuits such as power amplifiers. The third part of the thesis presents a convex optimization solution technique to the reduction/identification of the Wiener-Hammerstein system. The identification problem is formulated as a non-convex quadratic program, which is solved by a semidefinite programming relaxation technique. It is demonstrated in the thesis that the formulation is robust with respect to noisy measurement, and the relaxation technique is oftentimes sufficient to provide good solutions. Simple examples are provided to demonstrate the use of the proposed identification algorithm.by Kin Cheong Sou.Ph.D

The Usefulness of Funds Flow Statements: An Empirical Study of Hong Kong Banks' Loan Officers' Use of Published Company Accounts

Funds flow statements were part of the published accounts of most companies in most jurisdictions in the last two decades. In the USA and a few other countries, they have been replaced by cash flow statements. Before other countries, including the UK, follow the US lead, it is important to gather and assess evidence on the usefulness of the funds statement to see if the arguments for its replacement by the cash flow statement are well founded. In essence, the usefulness of the funds flow statement is a matter of its ability to enable its readers to make better, or possibly faster, judgments about a firm's changes in financial position than they would make in the absence of that statement. The research reported in this thesis addresses the usefulness of the funds statement to a group of users especially concerned with changes in the financial position of companies with whom members of the group do business. Banks employ loan officers and credit analysts to vet applications for new loans, and this group of people is therefore likely to appreciate information useful to them in assessing the ability of applicants to meet their actual and prospective financial obligations. Such a group based in Hong Kong would be exposed to accounts prepared under all kinds of different national formats and should not be unduly fixated on the format of any one nation. Such assumptions were the basis of the research. A factorial ANOVA research design was used with 116 Hong Kong bank loan officers in 15 sets to see if the provision of funds flow statements and cash flow statements in a variety of formats improved their speed or accuracy in answering simple calculation-based or judgment-based questions concerning the accounts. Order effects were controlled by shuffling question order. Accounts difficulty effects were controlled by providing the accounts in two matched sets of equivalent processing difficulty. Subject selection effects were controlled through random assignments of subjects to accounts sets. It was found that funds statements marginally improved accuracy but greatly increased processing time. Cash flow statements performed no better than funds flow statements in either respect. An information load explanation is discussed for these results

The relationship between knowledge sharing socialisation mechanisms structural capital and organisational performance

Globalisation, increasing competition, turbulent economic environments, and technological changes have shifted the significance of traditional assets as primary resources in sustaining competitive advantage for organisations. Whilst traditional assets remain valuable, knowledge sharing has become increasingly recognised as another critically important factor. Arguably, the use of knowledge sharing mechanisms (personal socialisation and electronic socialisation) and structural capital dimensions such as network ties, network configuration, network stability, and centrality will impact organisational performance. Thus hypothetically, knowledge sharing mechanisms are likely to affect organisational performance through the mediating role of structural capital dimensions. However, the existing literature has largely overlooked the association between knowledge sharing mechanisms, structural capital and organisational performance. Subsequently, the holistic integration of the above constructs remains under-explored. As a result, this study examines the direct and indirect effects between knowledge sharing mechanisms and structural capital on organisational performance. In addition, it validates a conceptual framework and tests a range of research hypotheses. Using a hypothetic-deductive approach, a research instrument was developed based on the existing literature. The piloted research instrument was administered to a census of the UK Top 500 companies listed in the FAME database. A useable response from 167 chief executives, chief operating officers and top managers surveyed resulted in a 33.4% response rate. Multivariate analysis results indicate the internal reliability (total Cronbach Alpha values) of retained factors ranging from .72 to .90. Structural equation modelling (SEM) show adequate goodness of fit indices: CMIN/DF=1.11, NFI=.97, GFI=.91, CFI=.98, TLI=.99, and RMSEA=.03. Results demonstrate that structural capital mediates the relationship between knowledge sharing mechanisms and organisational performance: the hypotheses were confirmed. Moreover, electronic socialisation was shown to have a positive significant effect on operations performance. This study successfully validated the conceptual framework derived from a range of relevant theories. The study provides unique insights into how knowledge sharing mechanisms interacted with structural capital which leads to organisational performance: In integrating the aforementioned research constructs this study fills theoretical gaps by broadening the conceptualisation of the structural capital dimensionality and organisational performance facets. As a result, this study advances our understanding of organisational performance determinants. Accordingly, it provides managerial implications based on the results obtained. Limitations of the methodological approach and avenues for further studies are discussed

Distributed empirical modelling and its application to software system development

Empirical Modelling (EM) is a new appro~h for software system development (SSO) that is particularly suitable for ill-defined, open systems. By regarding a software system as a computer model, EM aims to acquire and construct the knowledge associated with the intended system by situated modelling in which the modeller interacts with the computer model through continuous observations and experiments in an open-ended manner. In this way, a software system can be constructed that takes account of its context and is adaptable to the rapidly changing environment in which the system is developed and used. This thesis develops principles and tools for distributed Empirical Modelling (OEM). It proposes a framework for OEM by drawing on two crucial theories in social science: distributed cognition and ethnomethodology. This framework integrates cognitive and social processes, allowing multiple modellers to work collaboratively to explore, expand, experience and communicate their knowledge through interaction with their networked computer models. The concept of pretend play is proposed, whereby modellers as internal observers can interact with each other by acting in the role of agents within the intended system in order to shape the agency of such agents. The author has developed a tool called dtkeden to support the proposed OEM framework. Technical issues arising from the implementation dtkeden and case-studies in its use are discussed. The popular star-type logical configuration network and the client/server· communication technique are exploited to construct the network environment of this tool. A protocol has been devised and embedded into their communication mechanism to achieve synchronisation of computer models. Four interaction modes have been implemented into dtkeden to provide modellers with different forms of interpersonal interaction. In addition, using a virtual agent concept that was initially devised to allow definitions of different contexts to co-exist in a computer model, a definitive script can be interpreted as a generic observable that can serve as a reusable definitive pattern. Like experience in everyday life, this definitive pattern can be reused by particularising and adapting it to a specific context. A comparison between generic observables and abstract data types for reuse is given. The application of the framework for OEM to requirements engineering is proposed. The requirements engineering process (REP) - currently poorly understood - is reviewed. To integrate requirements engineering with SSD, this thesis suggests reengineering the REP by taking the context into account. On the basis of OEM, a framework (called SPORE) for the REP is established to guide the process of cultivating requirements in a situated manner. Examples of the use of this framework are presented, and comparisons with other approaches to RE are made

Cellular Automata

Modelling and simulation are disciplines of major importance for science and engineering. There is no science without models, and simulation has nowadays become a very useful tool, sometimes unavoidable, for development of both science and engineering. The main attractive feature of cellular automata is that, in spite of their conceptual simplicity which allows an easiness of implementation for computer simulation, as a detailed and complete mathematical analysis in principle, they are able to exhibit a wide variety of amazingly complex behaviour. This feature of cellular automata has attracted the researchers' attention from a wide variety of divergent fields of the exact disciplines of science and engineering, but also of the social sciences, and sometimes beyond. The collective complex behaviour of numerous systems, which emerge from the interaction of a multitude of simple individuals, is being conveniently modelled and simulated with cellular automata for very different purposes. In this book, a number of innovative applications of cellular automata models in the fields of Quantum Computing, Materials Science, Cryptography and Coding, and Robotics and Image Processing are presented

The legal regime for anti-cyberlaundering

Doctor Legum - LLDAlong with its inumerable wonders, the advent of the internet has brought with it very bad vices. The notion of convenience, which comes with the use of the internet, can be attributed to criminals who wish to disguise the proceeds of their ill-derived funds, or what is better known as cyberlaundering. Cyberlaundering is a phenomenon that seems negligible on face value, but, to the contrary, has very dire effects, especially on national economies, which are in no way trifling.This study describes the problem of cyberlaundering, pointing out the various legal issues pertaining to it. Given that cyberlaundering is a comparatively new crime, which is not yet conceptualized legally, criminal justice authorities find it hard to detect, investigate and prosecute cyberlaundering. An adequate legal regime against cyberlaundering is currently non-existent, as there is presently no concise international or national legal framework in place to contain the problem. Whilst the chief focus of the thesis is to devise a legal framework to combat cyberlaundering, considerable attention is also devoted to the tension that arises between public and private interests, amongst several other legal issues that come to play along the way. This is a debate that necessarily arises when legislatures resort to more radical anti-cyberlaundering laws. The study advocates a middle ground, which leads to the desired end of curbing the exponential growth of cyberlaundering, at the very least

Molecular phylogeny of horseshoe crab using mitochondrial Cox1 gene as a benchmark sequence

An effort to assess the utility of 650 bp Cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (DNA barcode) gene in delineating the members horseshoe crabs (Family: xiphosura) with closely related sister taxa was made. A total of 33 sequences were extracted from National Center for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) which include horseshoe crabs, beetles, common crabs and scorpion sequences. Constructed phylogram showed beetles are closely related with horseshoe crabs than common crabs. Scorpion spp were distantly related to xiphosurans. Phylogram and observed genetic distance (GD) date were also revealed that Limulus polyphemus was closely related with Tachypleus tridentatus than with T.gigas. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda was distantly related with L.polyphemus. The observed mean Genetic Distance (GD) value was higher in 3rd codon position in all the selected group of organisms. Among the horseshoe crabs high GC content was observed in L.polyphemus (38.32%) and lowest was observed in T.tridentatus (32.35%). We conclude that COI sequencing (barcoding) could be used in identifying and delineating evolutionary relatedness with closely related specie