A low complexity SI sequence estimator for pilot-aided SLM–OFDM systems

Selected mapping (SLM) is a well-known method for reducing peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. However, as a consequence of implementing SLM, OFDM receivers often require estimation of some side information (SI) in order to achieve successful data recovery. Existing SI estimation schemes have very high computational complexities that put additional constraints on limited resources and increase system complexity. To address this problem, an alternative SLM approach that facilitates estimation of SI in the form of phase detection is presented. Simulations show that this modified SLM approach produces similar PAPR reduction performance when compared to conventional SLM. With no amplifier distortion and in the presence of non-linear power amplifier distortion, the proposed SI estimation approach achieves similar data recovery performance as both standard SLM–OFDM (with perfect SI estimation) and also when SI estimation is implemented through the use of an existing frequency-domain correlation (FDC) decision metric. In addition, the proposed method significantly reduces computational complexity compared with the FDC scheme and an ML estimation scheme

Extension of a Penalty Method for Numerically Solving Constrained Multibody Dynamic Problems

Numerical analysis of constrained static and multibody dynamic systems has become an integral part of engineering analysis with the continued improvements in technology and software availability. Many methods currently exist for numerically solving constrained static and dynamic systems. The applicability of a penalty method for constrained static solutions is observed in many academic texts and papers. The appeal for using a penalty method in statics pertains to its ease of implementation, computational suitability, and accuracy. This thesis extends a static penalty method for use with constrained multibody dynamics to observe if the penalty method’s benefits are similar for a dynamics solution. This thesis discusses formulations that are used in extending the static penalty method for use with constrained multibody dynamics. Example problems are then solved using the static penalty method and compared with a projection method. Example problems are selected to provide a solid foundation for implementing the static penalty method with many other constrained multibody systems. Constraints are purely holonomic for simplification of problem statements. The goal of this thesis was met, in that the static penalty method is successfully applied to constrained multibody systems with favorable results. In comparing the penalty method with a projection method for each example, computational time and accuracy are comparable. Coding of the penalty method is found to be no more difficult than that of the projection method. The static penalty method is shown to be useful in solving constrained multibody dynamics. Application of the penalty method was not tested with non-holonomic constraints. Future work is necessary to assess the penalty method’s applicability with non-holonomic constraints, as well as increasingly complex multibody dynamic systems

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Distributed Real-Time Kernel for Distributed Robotics (Dissertation Proposal)

Modern robotics applications are becoming more complex due to greater numbers of sensors and actuators. The control of such systems may require multiple processors to meet the computational demands and to support the physical topology of the sensors and actuators. A distributed real-time system is needed to perform the required communication and processing while meeting application-specified timing constraints. We are designing and implementing a real-time kernel for distributed robotics applications. The kernel\u27s salient features are consistent, user-definable scheduling, explicit dynamic timing constraints, and a two-tiered interrupt approach. The kernel wi1l be evaluated by implementing a two-arm robot control example. Its goal is to locate and manipulate cylindrical objects with spillable contents. Using the application and the kernel, we will investigate the effects of time granularity, network type and protocol, and the handling of external events using interrupts versus polling. Our research will enhance understanding of real-time kernels for distributed robotics control

Computation in Physical Systems: A Normative Mapping Account

The relationship between abstract formal procedures and the activities of actual physical systems has proved to be surprisingly subtle and controversial, and there are a number of competing accounts of when a physical system can be properly said to implement a mathematical formalism and hence perform a computation. I defend an account wherein computational descriptions of physical systems are high-level normative interpretations motivated by our pragmatic concerns. Furthermore, the criteria of utility and success vary according to our diverse purposes and pragmatic goals. Hence there is no independent or uniform fact to the matter, and I advance the ‘anti-realist’ conclusion that computational descriptions of physical systems are not founded upon deep ontological distinctions, but rather upon interest-relative human conventions. Hence physical computation is a ‘conventional’ rather than a ‘natural’ kind

The Mechanics of Embodiment: A Dialogue on Embodiment and Computational Modeling

Embodied theories are increasingly challenging traditional views of cognition by arguing that conceptual representations that constitute our knowledge are grounded in sensory and motor experiences, and processed at this sensorimotor level, rather than being represented and processed abstractly in an amodal conceptual system. Given the established empirical foundation, and the relatively underspecified theories to date, many researchers are extremely interested in embodied cognition but are clamouring for more mechanistic implementations. What is needed at this stage is a push toward explicit computational models that implement sensory-motor grounding as intrinsic to cognitive processes. In this article, six authors from varying backgrounds and approaches address issues concerning the construction of embodied computational models, and illustrate what they view as the critical current and next steps toward mechanistic theories of embodiment. The first part has the form of a dialogue between two fictional characters: Ernest, the �experimenter�, and Mary, the �computational modeller�. The dialogue consists of an interactive sequence of questions, requests for clarification, challenges, and (tentative) answers, and touches the most important aspects of grounded theories that should inform computational modeling and, conversely, the impact that computational modeling could have on embodied theories. The second part of the article discusses the most important open challenges for embodied computational modelling

Modularizing and Specifying Protocols among Threads

We identify three problems with current techniques for implementing protocols among threads, which complicate and impair the scalability of multicore software development: implementing synchronization, implementing coordination, and modularizing protocols. To mend these deficiencies, we argue for the use of domain-specific languages (DSL) based on existing models of concurrency. To demonstrate the feasibility of this proposal, we explain how to use the model of concurrency Reo as a high-level protocol DSL, which offers appropriate abstractions and a natural separation of protocols and computations. We describe a Reo-to-Java compiler and illustrate its use through examples.Comment: In Proceedings PLACES 2012, arXiv:1302.579