AutoAccel: Automated Accelerator Generation and Optimization with Composable, Parallel and Pipeline Architecture

CPU-FPGA heterogeneous architectures are attracting ever-increasing attention in an attempt to advance computational capabilities and energy efficiency in today's datacenters. These architectures provide programmers with the ability to reprogram the FPGAs for flexible acceleration of many workloads. Nonetheless, this advantage is often overshadowed by the poor programmability of FPGAs whose programming is conventionally a RTL design practice. Although recent advances in high-level synthesis (HLS) significantly improve the FPGA programmability, it still leaves programmers facing the challenge of identifying the optimal design configuration in a tremendous design space. This paper aims to address this challenge and pave the path from software programs towards high-quality FPGA accelerators. Specifically, we first propose the composable, parallel and pipeline (CPP) microarchitecture as a template of accelerator designs. Such a well-defined template is able to support efficient accelerator designs for a broad class of computation kernels, and more importantly, drastically reduce the design space. Also, we introduce an analytical model to capture the performance and resource trade-offs among different design configurations of the CPP microarchitecture, which lays the foundation for fast design space exploration. On top of the CPP microarchitecture and its analytical model, we develop the AutoAccel framework to make the entire accelerator generation automated. AutoAccel accepts a software program as an input and performs a series of code transformations based on the result of the analytical-model-based design space exploration to construct the desired CPP microarchitecture. Our experiments show that the AutoAccel-generated accelerators outperform their corresponding software implementations by an average of 72x for a broad class of computation kernels

Forecasting Inflation in Developing Nations: The Case of Pakistan

This study attempts to outline the practical steps which need to be undertaken to use autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) time series models for forecasting Pakistan’s inflation. A framework for ARIMA forecasting is drawn up. On the basis of insample and out-of-sample forecast it can be concluded that the model has sufficient predictive powers and the findings are well in line with those of other studies. Further, in this study, the main focus is to forecast the monthly inflation on short-term basis, for this purpose, different ARIMA models are used and the candid model is proposed. On the basis of various diagnostic and selection & evaluation criteria the best and accurate model is selected for the short term forecasting of inflation.Forecasting inflation; ARIMA

A practical multirobot localization system

We present a fast and precise vision-based software intended for multiple robot localization. The core component of the software is a novel and efficient algorithm for black and white pattern detection. The method is robust to variable lighting conditions, achieves sub-pixel precision and its computational complexity is independent of the processed image size. With off-the-shelf computational equipment and low-cost cameras, the core algorithm is able to process hundreds of images per second while tracking hundreds of objects with a millimeter precision. In addition, we present the method's mathematical model, which allows to estimate the expected localization precision, area of coverage, and processing speed from the camera's intrinsic parameters and hardware's processing capacity. The correctness of the presented model and performance of the algorithm in real-world conditions is verified in several experiments. Apart from the method description, we also make its source code public at \emph{http://purl.org/robotics/whycon}; so, it can be used as an enabling technology for various mobile robotic problems

Hearing the clusters in a graph: A distributed algorithm

We propose a novel distributed algorithm to cluster graphs. The algorithm recovers the solution obtained from spectral clustering without the need for expensive eigenvalue/vector computations. We prove that, by propagating waves through the graph, a local fast Fourier transform yields the local component of every eigenvector of the Laplacian matrix, thus providing clustering information. For large graphs, the proposed algorithm is orders of magnitude faster than random walk based approaches. We prove the equivalence of the proposed algorithm to spectral clustering and derive convergence rates. We demonstrate the benefit of using this decentralized clustering algorithm for community detection in social graphs, accelerating distributed estimation in sensor networks and efficient computation of distributed multi-agent search strategies

Nadzorowany kredyt, strategie rządowe i zielony rozwój: przykład Chin

This study examines the relationship between supervised credit (SC), government strategies, and green development (GD) utilizing the instrumental variable two-stage least squares (IV-2SLS) and spatial econometric model and panel data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2006 to 2020. The study reached the following main results. First, untrustworthy punishment and trustworthy incentives promote the environmental protection through optimal allocation of supervised resources, which can be positively regulated by the government transformation. Second, beggar-thy-neighbor and free rider can be found in government environmental SC. Strengthening punishment in neighboring regions will have a negative effect on the local GD, whereas increasing incentives will have the opposite effect. Third, strategic interactions among various governmental sections have varying effects on GD. The eastern regions implement difference-based promotion for trustworthy incentives and ineffective imitation for untrustworthy punishment. The central and western regions, on the other hand, use ineffective imitation for trustworthy incentives and inhibiting imitation for untrustworthy punishment, the eastern regions implement ineffective imitation and the central and western regions execute inhibiting imitation. Finally, when R&D investment exceeds a certain threshold, but the industrial structure is lower, the untrustworthy punishment can play its promoting role; otherwise, the trustworthy incentives will turn over. The study findings reveal the unique mechanism of SC and provides new impetus regional policymakers to promote sustainable GD.Niniejsze badanie analizuje związek między nadzorowanym kredytem (SC), strategiami rządowymi i zielonym rozwojem (GD) z wykorzystaniem zmiennej instrumentalnej dwustopniowej metody najmniejszych kwadratów (IV-2SLS) oraz przestrzennego modelu ekonometrycznego i danych panelowych z 30 prowincji i miast w Chinach od 2006 do 2020. W badaniu osiągnięto następujące główne wyniki. Po pierwsze, niegodne zaufania kary i wiarygodne zachęty sprzyjają ochronie środowiska poprzez optymalną alokację nadzorowanych środków, co może być pozytywnie uregulowane przez transformację rządową. Po drugie, żebraka-sąsiada i swobodnego jeźdźca można znaleźć w rządowym środowisku SC. Wzmocnienie kary w sąsiednich regionach będzie miało negatywny wpływ na lokalną GD, podczas gdy zwiększenie zachęt będzie miało odwrotny skutek. Po trzecie, strategiczne interakcje między różnymi sekcjami rządowymi mają różny wpływ na GD. Regiony wschodnie stosują promocję opartą na różnicach w przypadku godnych zaufania zachęt i nieskuteczną imitację w przypadku niegodnych zaufania kar. Z drugiej strony regiony centralne i zachodnie stosują nieskuteczne naśladownictwo w przypadku godnych zaufania zachęt i wstrzymywanie naśladowania w przypadku niegodnych zaufania kar, regiony wschodnie wdrażają nieskuteczne naśladownictwo, a regiony centralne i zachodnie wstrzymywanie naśladowania. Wreszcie, gdy inwestycje w badania i rozwój przekraczają określony próg, ale struktura przemysłowa jest niższa, niegodna zaufania kara może odgrywać rolę promocyjną; w przeciwnym razie godne zaufania zachęty się odwrócą. Wyniki badań ujawniają unikalny mechanizm SC i dostarczają nowego impulsu regionalnym decydentom do promowania zrównoważonego GD

A Survey of Symbolic Execution Techniques

Many security and software testing applications require checking whether certain properties of a program hold for any possible usage scenario. For instance, a tool for identifying software vulnerabilities may need to rule out the existence of any backdoor to bypass a program's authentication. One approach would be to test the program using different, possibly random inputs. As the backdoor may only be hit for very specific program workloads, automated exploration of the space of possible inputs is of the essence. Symbolic execution provides an elegant solution to the problem, by systematically exploring many possible execution paths at the same time without necessarily requiring concrete inputs. Rather than taking on fully specified input values, the technique abstractly represents them as symbols, resorting to constraint solvers to construct actual instances that would cause property violations. Symbolic execution has been incubated in dozens of tools developed over the last four decades, leading to major practical breakthroughs in a number of prominent software reliability applications. The goal of this survey is to provide an overview of the main ideas, challenges, and solutions developed in the area, distilling them for a broad audience. The present survey has been accepted for publication at ACM Computing Surveys. If you are considering citing this survey, we would appreciate if you could use the following BibTeX entry: http://goo.gl/Hf5FvcComment: This is the authors pre-print copy. If you are considering citing this survey, we would appreciate if you could use the following BibTeX entry: http://goo.gl/Hf5Fv

CAPITAL SERVICES IN ARGENTINA. METHODOLOGY OF ESTIMATION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH DURING THE 1990?s. A hedonic valuation approach

This paper proposes to analyze the methodology of estimation of capital services in Argentina and its impact in the performance of the productivity growth during the 1990's. The capital stock is estimated according to the recommendations of the recent economic literature, mainly the OECD Capital Stock Manual; regarding how to use the hedonic valuation method (HV) to test the empirical depreciation of capital goods using a high desegregate data instead of the most known Perpetual Inventory Method (PIM) without empirical support. It is also presented a theoretical analysis about the methodological problems of both methods pointed out by the economic literature: the several assumptions in the PIM and the information problems regarding the use of traded used market prices in the HV case. The level of capital stock estimation is founded macroeconomic consistent with the principal national accounts aggregates. Taking into account the main recommendations of the OECD Productivity Manual and the OECD Capital Stock Manual, the paper reviews the proposals of estimation of capital services: efficiency-age profiles, level of aggregation, index number problem and the user cost approach in the context of their application of empirical estimation in Argentina. Given the relevance and dynamism of capital stock services for growth processes, an accurate measurement of this variable is critical. Thus, heterogeneity acquires more relevance, as well as the type of weights and the index numbers used to estimate its contribution to output. According to these results, evidences may indicate that during the nineties there was no productivity gain in the sense of Solow in Argentina. In any case, it may be inferred that the profile of economic growth was of the extensive type based on the accumulation of capital rather than disembodied technological progress or non-pecuniary spillovers. Este trabajo tiene por objeto presentar la metodología y principales resultados de una estimaciónexhaustiva de los servicios y valor del stock de capital de Argentina que el autor está llevando a cabo enla Dirección Nacional de Cuentas Nacionales de este país así como también se presenta el impacto deestas estimaciones en el análisis del crecimiento de la productividad de la economía argentina durante ladécada de 1990. El stock de capital es estimado de acuerdo a las recomendaciones de la literaturaeconómica reciente, principalmente el reciente Manual de Stock de Capital de la OECD, en el sentido deutilizar el Método de Valuación Hedónica (HV), en lugar de los supuestos que implica el conocidoMétodo de Inventario Permanente (PIM), con el objeto de testear empíricamente la depreciación y la vidaútil media de los activos producidos tomando en cuenta información detallada y exhaustiva de más decien tipologías de bienes de capital. Se analizan los problemas metodológicos de ambos métodosseñalados por la teoría económica: los supuestos en el PIM y los problemas de información que surgen enel HV cuando se utilizan precios de transacción del mercado de bienes durables usados. El nivel del stockde capital estimado para Argentina resulta consistente con los principales agregados macroeconómicos.Con el objeto de estimar la productividad, este paper revisa los principales problemas metodológicos delproceso de estimación de los servicios de capital en el contexto del caso argentino, tomando en cuenta lasprincipales recomendaciones del reciente Manual de Productividad de la OECD en cuanto a: perfilesetarios de eficiencia, nivel de agregación, números índices y costo de uso. Dada la relevancia ydinamismo de los servicios de capital en el contexto de la contabilidad del crecimiento de la economíaargentina, la medición precisa de esta variable constituye un punto crucial. La evidencia empíricaindicaría que para la economía argentina, las ganancias de productividad en el sentido de Solow fueronnulas durante la década de los noventa. Se podría inferir que el crecimiento de la economía argentina fuedel tipo extensivo basado en la acumulación de capital más que en el progreso técnico desincorporado,rendimientos crecientes o externalidades no pecuniarias.stock de capital, precios hedónicos, servicios de capital, productividad capital stock, hedonic prices, capital services, productivity