Embedded electronic systems driven by run-time reconfigurable hardware

Abstract This doctoral thesis addresses the design of embedded electronic systems based on run-time reconfigurable hardware technology –available through SRAM-based FPGA/SoC devices– aimed at contributing to enhance the life quality of the human beings. This work does research on the conception of the system architecture and the reconfiguration engine that provides to the FPGA the capability of dynamic partial reconfiguration in order to synthesize, by means of hardware/software co-design, a given application partitioned in processing tasks which are multiplexed in time and space, optimizing thus its physical implementation –silicon area, processing time, complexity, flexibility, functional density, cost and power consumption– in comparison with other alternatives based on static hardware (MCU, DSP, GPU, ASSP, ASIC, etc.). The design flow of such technology is evaluated through the prototyping of several engineering applications (control systems, mathematical coprocessors, complex image processors, etc.), showing a high enough level of maturity for its exploitation in the industry.Resumen Esta tesis doctoral abarca el diseño de sistemas electrónicos embebidos basados en tecnología hardware dinámicamente reconfigurable –disponible a través de dispositivos lógicos programables SRAM FPGA/SoC– que contribuyan a la mejora de la calidad de vida de la sociedad. Se investiga la arquitectura del sistema y del motor de reconfiguración que proporcione a la FPGA la capacidad de reconfiguración dinámica parcial de sus recursos programables, con objeto de sintetizar, mediante codiseño hardware/software, una determinada aplicación particionada en tareas multiplexadas en tiempo y en espacio, optimizando así su implementación física –área de silicio, tiempo de procesado, complejidad, flexibilidad, densidad funcional, coste y potencia disipada– comparada con otras alternativas basadas en hardware estático (MCU, DSP, GPU, ASSP, ASIC, etc.). Se evalúa el flujo de diseño de dicha tecnología a través del prototipado de varias aplicaciones de ingeniería (sistemas de control, coprocesadores aritméticos, procesadores de imagen, etc.), evidenciando un nivel de madurez viable ya para su explotación en la industria.Resum Aquesta tesi doctoral està orientada al disseny de sistemes electrònics empotrats basats en tecnologia hardware dinàmicament reconfigurable –disponible mitjançant dispositius lògics programables SRAM FPGA/SoC– que contribueixin a la millora de la qualitat de vida de la societat. S’investiga l’arquitectura del sistema i del motor de reconfiguració que proporcioni a la FPGA la capacitat de reconfiguració dinàmica parcial dels seus recursos programables, amb l’objectiu de sintetitzar, mitjançant codisseny hardware/software, una determinada aplicació particionada en tasques multiplexades en temps i en espai, optimizant així la seva implementació física –àrea de silici, temps de processat, complexitat, flexibilitat, densitat funcional, cost i potència dissipada– comparada amb altres alternatives basades en hardware estàtic (MCU, DSP, GPU, ASSP, ASIC, etc.). S’evalúa el fluxe de disseny d’aquesta tecnologia a través del prototipat de varies aplicacions d’enginyeria (sistemes de control, coprocessadors aritmètics, processadors d’imatge, etc.), demostrant un nivell de maduresa viable ja per a la seva explotació a la indústria

Decentralised computer systems

The architecture of the Web was designed to enable decentralised exchange of information. Early architects envisioned an egalitarian yet organic society thriving in cyberspace. The reality of the Web today, unfortunately, does not bear out these visions: information networks have repeatedly shown a tendency towards consolidation and centralisation with the current Web split between a handful of large corporations. The advent of Bitcoin and successor blockchain networks re-ignited interest in developing alternatives to the centralised Web and paving a way back to the earlier architectural visions for the Web. This has led to immense hype around these technologies with the cryptocurrency market valued at several hundred billions of dollars at the time of writing. With great hype, apparently, come great scams. I start off by analysing the use of Bitcoin as an enabler for crime and then present both technical solutions as well as policy recommendations to mitigate the harm these crimes cause. These policy recommendations then lead us on to look more closely at cryptocurrency's tamer cousin: permissioned blockchains. These systems, while less revolutionary in their premise, nevertheless aim to provide sweeping improvements in the efficiency and transparency of existing enterprise systems. To see whether they work in practice, I present the results of my work in delivering a production permissioned blockchain system to real users. This involves comparing several permissioned blockchain systems, exploring their deficiencies and developing solutions for the most egregious of those. Lastly, I do a deep dive into one of the most persistent technical issues with permissioned blockchains, and decentralised networks in general: the lack of scalability in their consensus mechanisms. I present two novel consensus algorithms that aim to improve upon the state of the art in several ways. The first is designed to enable existing permissioned blockchain networks to scale to thousands of nodes. The second presents an entirely new way of building decentralised consensus systems utilising a trie-based data structure at its core as opposed to the usual linear ledgers used in current systems

Cyber-Human Systems, Space Technologies, and Threats

CYBER-HUMAN SYSTEMS, SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, AND THREATS is our eighth textbook in a series covering the world of UASs / CUAS/ UUVs / SPACE. Other textbooks in our series are Space Systems Emerging Technologies and Operations; Drone Delivery of CBNRECy – DEW Weapons: Emerging Threats of Mini-Weapons of Mass Destruction and Disruption (WMDD); Disruptive Technologies with applications in Airline, Marine, Defense Industries; Unmanned Vehicle Systems & Operations On Air, Sea, Land; Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technologies and Operations; Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Cyber Domain: Protecting USA’s Advanced Air Assets, 2nd edition; and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the Cyber Domain Protecting USA’s Advanced Air Assets, 1st edition. Our previous seven titles have received considerable global recognition in the field. (Nichols & Carter, 2022) (Nichols, et al., 2021) (Nichols R. K., et al., 2020) (Nichols R. , et al., 2020) (Nichols R. , et al., 2019) (Nichols R. K., 2018) (Nichols R. K., et al., 2022)https://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/1052/thumbnail.jp

2022 Roadmap on integrated quantum photonics

AbstractIntegrated photonics will play a key role in quantum systems as they grow from few-qubit prototypes to tens of thousands of qubits. The underlying optical quantum technologies can only be realized through the integration of these components onto quantum photonic integrated circuits (QPICs) with accompanying electronics. In the last decade, remarkable advances in quantum photonic integration have enabled table-top experiments to be scaled down to prototype chips with improvements in efficiency, robustness, and key performance metrics. These advances have enabled integrated quantum photonic technologies combining up to 650 optical and electrical components onto a single chip that are capable of programmable quantum information processing, chip-to-chip networking, hybrid quantum system integration, and high-speed communications. In this roadmap article, we highlight the status, current and future challenges, and emerging technologies in several key research areas in integrated quantum photonics, including photonic platforms, quantum and classical light sources, quantum frequency conversion, integrated detectors, and applications in computing, communications, and sensing. With advances in materials, photonic design architectures, fabrication and integration processes, packaging, and testing and benchmarking, in the next decade we can expect a transition from single- and few-function prototypes to large-scale integration of multi-functional and reconfigurable devices that will have a transformative impact on quantum information science and engineering

3D terrain generation using neural networks

With the increase in computation power, coupled with the advancements in the field in the form of GANs and cGANs, Neural Networks have become an attractive proposition for content generation. This opened opportunities for Procedural Content Generation algorithms (PCG) to tap Neural Networks generative power to create tools that allow developers to remove part of creative and developmental burden imposed throughout the gaming industry, be it from investors looking for a return on their investment and from consumers that want more and better content, fast. This dissertation sets out to develop a PCG mixed-initiative tool, leveraging cGANs, to create authored 3D terrains, allowing users to directly influence the resulting generated content without the need for formal training on terrain generation or complex interactions with the tool to influence the generative output, as opposed to state of the art generative algorithms that only allow for random content generation or are needlessly complex. Testing done to 113 people online, as well as in-person testing done to 30 people, revealed that it is indeed possible to develop a tool that allows users from any level of terrain creation knowledge, and minimal tool training, to easily create a 3D terrain that is more realistic looking than those generated by state-of-the-art solutions such as Perlin Noise.Com o aumento do poder de computação, juntamente com os avanços neste campo na forma de GANs e cGANs, as Redes Neurais tornaram-se numa proposta atrativa para a geração de conteúdos. Graças a estes avanços, abriram-se oportunidades para os algoritmos de Geração de Conteúdos Procedimentais(PCG) explorarem o poder generativo das Redes Neurais para a criação de ferramentas que permitam aos programadores remover parte da carga criativa e de desenvolvimento imposta em toda a indústria dos jogos, seja por parte dos investidores que procuram um retorno do seu investimento ou por parte dos consumidores que querem mais e melhor conteúdo, o mais rápido possível. Esta dissertação pretende desenvolver uma ferramenta de iniciativa mista PCG, alavancando cGANs, para criar terrenos 3D cocriados, permitindo aos utilizadores influenciarem diretamente o conteúdo gerado sem necessidade de terem formação formal sobre a criação de terrenos 3D ou interações complexas com a ferramenta para influenciar a produção generativa, opondo-se assim a algoritmos generativos comummente utilizados, que apenas permitem a geração de conteúdo aleatório ou que são desnecessariamente complexos. Um conjunto de testes feitos a 113 pessoas online e a 30 pessoas presencialmente, revelaram que é de facto possível desenvolver uma ferramenta que permita aos utilizadores, de qualquer nível de conhecimento sobre criação de terrenos, e com uma formação mínima na ferramenta, criar um terreno 3D mais realista do que os terrenos gerados a partir da solução de estado da arte, como o Perlin Noise, e de uma forma fácil

Efficient analysis and storage of large-scale genomic data

The impending advent of population-scaled sequencing cohorts involving tens of millions of individuals with matched phenotypic measurements will produce unprecedented volumes of genetic data. Storing and analysing such gargantuan datasets places computational performance at a pivotal position in medical genomics. In this thesis, I explore the potential for accelerating and parallelizing standard genetics workflows, file formats, and algorithms using both hardware-accelerated vectorization, parallel and distributed algorithms, and heterogeneous computing. First, I describe a novel bit-counting operation termed the positional population-count, which can be used together with succinct representations and standard efficient operations to accelerate many genetic calculations. In order to enable the use of this new operator and the canonical population count on any target machine I developed a unified low-level library using CPU dispatching to select the optimal method contingent on the available instruction set architecture and the given input size at run-time. As a proof-of-principle application, I apply the positional population-count operator to computing quality control-related summary statistics for terabyte-scaled sequencing readsets with >3,800-fold speed improvements. As another application, I describe a framework for efficiently computing the cardinality of set intersection using these operators and applied this framework to efficiently compute genome-wide linkage-disequilibrium in datasets with up to 67 million samples resulting in up to >60-fold improvements in speed for dense genotypic vectors and up to >250,000-fold savings in memory and >100,000-fold improvement in speed for sparse genotypic vectors. I next describe a framework for handling the terabytes of compressed output data and describe graphical routines for visualizing long-range linkage-disequilibrium blocks as seen over many human centromeres. Finally, I describe efficient algorithms for storing and querying very large genetic datasets and specialized algorithms for the genotype component of such datasets with >10,000-fold savings in memory compared to the current interchange format.Wellcome Trus

Future of the Internet--and how to stop it

vi, 342 p. : ill. ; 25 cmLibro ElectrónicoOn January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to an eager audience crammed into San Francisco’s Moscone Center.1 A beautiful and brilliantly engineered device, the iPhone blended three products into one: an iPod, with the highest-quality screen Apple had ever produced; a phone, with cleverly integrated functionality, such as voicemail that came wrapped as separately accessible messages; and a device to access the Internet, with a smart and elegant browser, and with built-in map, weather, stock, and e-mail capabilities. It was a technical and design triumph for Jobs, bringing the company into a market with an extraordinary potential for growth, and pushing the industry to a new level of competition in ways to connect us to each other and to the Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-328) and index Acceso restringido a miembros del Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Andalucía Electronic reproduction. Palo Alto, Calif. : ebrary, 2009 Modo de acceso : World Wide Webpt. 1. The rise and stall of the generative Net -- Battle of the boxes -- Battle of the networks -- Cybersecurity and the generative dilemma -- pt. 2. After the stall -- The generative pattern -- Tethered appliances, software as service, and perfect enforcement -- The lessons of Wikipedia -- pt. 3. Solutions -- Stopping the future of the Internet : stability on a generative Net -- Strategies for a generative future -- Meeting the risks of generativity : Privacy 2.0. Index32

Perspectives on distributed computing : thirty people, four user types, and the distributed computing user experience.

This report summarizes the methodology and results of a user perspectives study conducted by the Community Driven Improvement of Globus Software (CDIGS) project. The purpose of the study was to document the work-related goals and challenges facing today's scientific technology users, to record their perspectives on Globus software and the distributed-computing ecosystem, and to provide recommendations to the Globus community based on the observations. Globus is a set of open source software components intended to provide a framework for collaborative computational science activities. Rather than attempting to characterize all users or potential users of Globus software, our strategy has been to speak in detail with a small group of individuals in the scientific community whose work appears to be the kind that could benefit from Globus software, learn as much as possible about their work goals and the challenges they face, and describe what we found. The result is a set of statements about specific individuals experiences. We do not claim that these are representative of a potential user community, but we do claim to have found commonalities and differences among the interviewees that may be reflected in the user community as a whole. We present these as a series of hypotheses that can be tested by subsequent studies, and we offer recommendations to Globus developers based on the assumption that these hypotheses are representative. Specifically, we conducted interviews with thirty technology users in the scientific community. We included both people who have used Globus software and those who have not. We made a point of including individuals who represent a variety of roles in scientific projects, for example, scientists, software developers, engineers, and infrastructure providers. The following material is included in this report: (1) A summary of the reported work-related goals, significant issues, and points of satisfaction with the use of Globus software; (2) A method for characterizing users according to their technology interactions, and identification of four user types among the interviewees using the method; (3) Four profiles that highlight points of commonality and diversity in each user type; (4) Recommendations for technology developers and future studies; (5) A description of the interview protocol and overall study methodology; (6) An anonymized list of the interviewees; and (7) Interview writeups and summary data. The interview summaries in Section 3 and transcripts in Appendix D illustrate the value of distributed computing software--and Globus in particular--to scientific enterprises. They also document opportunities to make these tools still more useful both to current users and to new communities. We aim our recommendations at developers who intend their software to be used and reused in many applications. (This kind of software is often referred to as 'middleware.') Our two core recommendations are as follows. First, it is essential for middleware developers to understand and explicitly manage the multiple user products in which their software components are used. We must avoid making assumptions about the commonality of these products and, instead, study and account for their diversity. Second, middleware developers should engage in different ways with different kinds of users. Having identified four general user types in Section 4, we provide specific ideas for how to engage them in Section 5

Strategic Latency Unleashed: The Role of Technology in a Revisionist Global Order and the Implications for Special Operations Forces

The article of record may be found at https://cgsr.llnl.govThis work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in part under Contract W-7405-Eng-48 and in part under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. The views and opinions of the author expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC. ISBN-978-1-952565-07-6 LCCN-2021901137 LLNL-BOOK-818513 TID-59693This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in part under Contract W-7405-Eng-48 and in part under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. The views and opinions of the author expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC. ISBN-978-1-952565-07-6 LCCN-2021901137 LLNL-BOOK-818513 TID-5969