Towards Autopoietic Computing

A key challenge in modern computing is to develop systems that address complex, dynamic problems in a scalable and efficient way, because the increasing complexity of software makes designing and maintaining efficient and flexible systems increasingly difficult. Biological systems are thought to possess robust, scalable processing paradigms that can automatically manage complex, dynamic problem spaces, possessing several properties that may be useful in computer systems. The biological properties of self-organisation, self-replication, self-management, and scalability are addressed in an interesting way by autopoiesis, a descriptive theory of the cell founded on the concept of a system's circular organisation to define its boundary with its environment. In this paper, therefore, we review the main concepts of autopoiesis and then discuss how they could be related to fundamental concepts and theories of computation. The paper is conceptual in nature and the emphasis is on the review of other people's work in this area as part of a longer-term strategy to develop a formal theory of autopoietic computing.Comment: 10 Pages, 3 figure

A POEtic Architecture for Bio-Inspired Hardware

The implementation of bio-inspired systems in hardware has traditionally been more a matter of artistry than of method. The reasons are multiple, but one of the main problems has always been the lack of a universal platform, of a standardized architecture, and of a proper methodology for the implementation of such systems. The ideas presented in this article are the first results of a new research project, "Reconfigurable POEtic Tissue". The goal of the project is the development of a hardware platform capable of implementing systems inspired by all the three major axes (phylogenesis, ontogenesis, and epigenesis) of bio-inspiration in digital hardware. A novel cellular architecture, capable of exploiting the main features of the future POEtic tissue and compatible with a relatively automatic design methodology, is then presented

Rocket Testing and Integrated System Health Management

Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) describes a set of system capabilities that in aggregate perform: determination of condition for each system element, detection of anomalies, diagnosis of causes for anomalies, and prognostics for future anomalies and system behavior. The ISHM should also provide operators with situational awareness of the system by integrating contextual and timely data, information, and knowledge (DIaK) as needed. ISHM capabilities can be implemented using a variety of technologies and tools. This chapter provides an overview of ISHM contributing technologies and describes in further detail a novel implementation architecture along with associated taxonomy, ontology, and standards. The operational ISHM testbed is based on a subsystem of a rocket engine test stand. Such test stands contain many elements that are common to manufacturing systems, and thereby serve to illustrate the potential benefits and methodologies of the ISHM approach for intelligent manufacturing

A NOVEL SIMPLE AND HIGHLY SECURE METHOD FOR DATA ENCRYPTION-DECRYPTION

In the course of the past 30 years, data has become pivotal to all aspects of human life. Data generated, captured, and replicated are increasing in size and expanding applications. The proliferation of fast wireless networks has encouraged data storage within the cloud. So, protecting data from attackers has become urgent to maintain its security and confidentiality, need for security and privacy technologies, systems, and processes to address it. This research paper proposes a simple and highly secure encryption decryption (SHSED) algorithm that can be used for cloud computing-based applications. It achieves the Shannon’s concept of diffusion and confusion by the involvement of logical operations, such as XORing, addition, and subtraction in addition to byte shifting. It is also characterized by the flexibility in the secret key length and the number of rounds. Experimental results have demonstrated powerful security level and a clear improvement in the encryption execution time measurements and security strength as compared with cryptosystems widely used in cloud computing

The Global Curriculum: Rethinking School from the Perspective of Education

This paper brings together educational proposals based on a framework derived from the perspectives of historic-cultural and genetic-cultural theory. This framework enables us to specify the goals, realities and alternatives for renewal in the educational task, and to highlight a series of recommended reorientations for tackling education in a changing world. These reorientations imply a switching of attention: from the current emphasis on knowledge as an end in itself, towards a greater attention to the tools and operators of knowledge; from an emphasis on individual tasks to a greater concern with shared activities as the origin of mental operations; and from an emphasis on meaning and knowledge as ends to an emphasis on meaning and knowing as means. In general the need to adopt a more evolutionary, dynamic and integral vision of the educational process is highlighted here, one in which the development of the person and the functional personality takes priority over the accumulation of repertories of different forms of knowledge. In the same spirit, we advocate the adoption of a vision of the whole developmental process in culture as a global curriculum, in which school should take the role of articulating structuration and meaning

POEtic Tissue: An Integrated Architecture for Bio-inspired Hardware

It is clear to all, after a moments thought, that nature has much wemight be inspired by when designing our systems, for example: robustness, adaptability and complexity, to name a few. The implementation of bio-inspired systems in hardware has however been limited, and more often than not been more a matter of artistry than engineering. The reasons for this are many, but one of the main problems has always been the lack of a universal platform, and of a proper methodology for the implementation of such systems. The ideas presented in this paper are early results of a new research project, "Reconfigurable POEtic Tissue". The goal of the project is the development of a hardware platform capable of implementing systems inspired by all three major axes (phylogenesis, ontogenesis, and epigenesis) of bio-inspiration, in digital hardware

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