A Framework for Developing Real-Time OLAP algorithm using Multi-core processing and GPU: Heterogeneous Computing

The overwhelmingly increasing amount of stored data has spurred researchers seeking different methods in order to optimally take advantage of it which mostly have faced a response time problem as a result of this enormous size of data. Most of solutions have suggested materialization as a favourite solution. However, such a solution cannot attain Real- Time answers anyhow. In this paper we propose a framework illustrating the barriers and suggested solutions in the way of achieving Real-Time OLAP answers that are significantly used in decision support systems and data warehouses

Path Planning and Control of UAV using Machine Learning and Deep Reinforcement Learning Techniques

Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are playing an increasingly signifcant role in modern life. In the past decades, lots of commercial and scientifc communities all over the world have been developing autonomous techniques of UAV for a broad range of applications, such as forest fre monitoring, parcel delivery, disaster rescue, natural resource exploration, and surveillance. This brings a large number of opportunities and challenges for UAVs to improve their abilities in path planning, motion control and fault-tolerant control (FTC) directions. Meanwhile, due to the powerful decisionmaking, adaptive learning and pattern recognition capabilities of machine learning (ML) and deep reinforcement learning (DRL), the use of ML and DRL have been developing rapidly and obtain major achievement in a variety of applications. However, there is not many researches on the ML and DRl in the feld of motion control and real-time path planning of UAVs. This thesis focuses on the development of ML and DRL in the path planning, motion control and FTC of UAVs. A number of ontributions pertaining to the state space defnition, reward function design and training method improvement have been made in this thesis, which improve the effectiveness and efciency of applying DRL in UAV motion control problems. In addition to the control problems, this thesis also presents real-time path planning contributions, including relative state space defnition and human pedestrian inspired reward function, which provide a reliable and effective solution of the real-time path planning in a complex environment

Simulation of three-dimensional nanoscale light interaction with spatially dispersive metals using a high order curvilinear DGTD method

In this work, we present and study a flexible and accurate numerical solver in the context of three-dimensional computational nanophotonics. More precisely, we focus on the propagation of electromagnetic waves through metallic media described by a non-local dispersive model. For this model, we propose a discretization based on a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin time-domain method, along with a low-storage Runge-Kutta time scheme of order four. The semi-discrete stability of the scheme is analyzed for classical numerical fluxes, i.e. centered and upwind.Furthermore, the numerical treatment is enriched with an enhanced approximation of the geometry based on isoparametric curvilinear meshes. We finally assess our approach on several test cases, from academic to more physical ones

Computational methods and software systems for dynamics and control of large space structures

Two key areas of crucial importance to the computer-based simulation of large space structures are discussed. The first area involves multibody dynamics (MBD) of flexible space structures, with applications directed to deployment, construction, and maneuvering. The second area deals with advanced software systems, with emphasis on parallel processing. The latest research thrust in the second area involves massively parallel computers

Adaptive torque-feedback based engine control

The aim of this study was to develop a self-tuning or adaptive SI engine controller using torque feedback as the main control variable, based on direct/indirect measurement and estimation techniques. The indirect methods include in-cylinder pressure measurement, ion current measurement, and crankshaft rotational frequency variation. It is proposed that torque feedback would not only allow the operating set-points to be monitored and achieved under wider conditions (including the extremes of humidity and throttle transients), but to actively select and optimise the set-points on the basis of both performance and fuel economy. A further application could allow the use of multiple fuel types and/or combustion enhancing methods to best effect. An existing experimental facility which comprised a Jaguar AJ-V8 SI engine coupled to a Heenan-Froude Dynamatic GVAL (Mk 1) dynamometer was adopted for this work, in order to provide a flexible distributed engine test system comprising a combined user interface and cylinder pressure monitoring system, a functional dynamometer controller, and a modular engine controller which is close coupled to an embedded PC has been created. The considerable challenges involved in creating this system have meant that the core research objectives of this project have not been met. Nevertheless, an open-architecture software and hardware engine controller and independent throttle controller have been developed, to the point of testing. For the purposes of optimum ignition timing validation and combustion knock detection, an optical cylinder pressure measurement system with crank angle synchronous sampling has been developed. The departure from the project’s initial aims have also highlighted several important aspects of eddy-current dynamometer control, whose closed-loop behaviour was modelled in Simulink to study its control and dynamic response. The design of the dynamometer real-time controller was successfully implemented and evaluated in a more contemporary context using an embedded digital controller.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceSchool of Mechanical & Systems EngineeringNewcastle UniversityGBUnited Kingdo

The Design of a Novel Tip Enhanced Near-field Scanning Probe Microscope for Ultra-High Resolution Optical Imaging

Traditional light microscopy suffers from the diffraction limit, which limits the spatial resolution to λ/2. The current trend in optical microscopy is the development of techniques to bypass the diffraction limit. Resolutions below 40 nm will make it possible to probe biological systems by imaging the interactions between single molecules and cell membranes. These resolutions will allow for the development of improved drug delivery mechanisms by increasing our understanding of how chemical communication within a cell occurs. The materials sciences would also benefit from these high resolutions. Nanomaterials can be analyzed with Raman spectroscopy for molecular and atomic bond information, or with fluorescence response to determine bulk optical properties with tens of nanometer resolution. Near-field optical microscopy is one of the current techniques, which allows for imaging at resolutions beyond the diffraction limit. Using a combination of a shear force microscope (SFM) and an inverted optical microscope, spectroscopic resolutions below 20 nm have been demonstrated. One technique, in particular, has been named tip enhanced near-field optical microscopy (TENOM). The key to this technique is the use of solid metal probes, which are illuminated in the far field by the excitation wavelength of interest. These probes are custom-designed using finite difference time domain (FDTD) modeling techniques, then fabricated with the use of a focused ion beam (FIB) microscope. The measure of the quality of probe design is based directly on the field enhancement obtainable. The greater the field enhancement of the probe, the more the ratio of near-field to far-field background contribution will increase. The elimination of the far-field signal by a decrease of illumination power will provide the best signal-to-noise ratio in the near-field images. Furthermore, a design that facilitates the delocalization of the near-field imaging from the far-field will be beneficial. Developed is a novel microscope design that employs two-photon non-linear excitation to allow the imaging of the fluorescence from almost any visible fluorophore at resolutions below 30 nm without changing filters or excitation wavelength. The ability of the microscope to image samples at atmospheric pressure, room temperature, and in solution makes it a very promising tool for the biological and materials science communities. The microscope demonstrates the ability to image topographical, optical, and electronic state information for single-molecule identification. A single computer, simple custom control circuits, field programmable gate array (FPGA) data acquisition, and a simplified custom optical system controls the microscope are thoroughly outlined and documented. This versatility enables the end user to custom-design experiments from confocal far-field single molecule imaging to high resolution scanning probe microscopy imaging. Presented are the current capabilities of the microscope, most importantly, high-resolution near-field images of J-aggregates with PIC dye. Single molecules of Rhodamine 6G dye and quantum dots imaged in the far-field are presented to demonstrate the sensitivity of the microscope. A comparison is made with the use of a mode-locked 50 fs pulsed laser source verses a continuous wave laser source on single molecules and J-aggregates in the near-field and far-field. Integration of an intensified CCD camera with a high-resolution monochromator allows for spectral information about the sample. The system will be disseminated as an open system design