Optimizing construction of scheduled data flow graph for on-line testability

The objective of this work is to develop a new methodology for behavioural synthesis using a flow of synthesis, better suited to the scheduling of independent calculations and non-concurrent online testing. The traditional behavioural synthesis process can be defined as the compilation of an algorithmic specification into an architecture composed of a data path and a controller. This stream of synthesis generally involves scheduling, resource allocation, generation of the data path and controller synthesis. Experiments showed that optimization started at the high level synthesis improves the performance of the result, yet the current tools do not offer synthesis optimizations that from the RTL level. This justifies the development of an optimization methodology which takes effect from the behavioural specification and accompanying the synthesis process in its various stages. In this paper we propose the use of algebraic properties (commutativity, associativity and distributivity) to transform readable mathematical formulas of algorithmic specifications into mathematical formulas evaluated efficiently. This will effectively reduce the execution time of scheduling calculations and increase the possibilities of testability

A Graph-Partition-Based Scheduling Policy for Heterogeneous Architectures

In order to improve system performance efficiently, a number of systems choose to equip multi-core and many-core processors (such as GPUs). Due to their discrete memory these heterogeneous architectures comprise a distributed system within a computer. A data-flow programming model is attractive in this setting for its ease of expressing concurrency. Programmers only need to define task dependencies without considering how to schedule them on the hardware. However, mapping the resulting task graph onto hardware efficiently remains a challenge. In this paper, we propose a graph-partition scheduling policy for mapping data-flow workloads to heterogeneous hardware. According to our experiments, our graph-partition-based scheduling achieves comparable performance to conventional queue-base approaches.Comment: Presented at DATE Friday Workshop on Heterogeneous Architectures and Design Methods for Embedded Image Systems (HIS 2015) (arXiv:1502.07241

Self-Evaluation Applied Mathematics 2003-2008 University of Twente

This report contains the self-study for the research assessment of the Department of Applied Mathematics (AM) of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) at the University of Twente (UT). The report provides the information for the Research Assessment Committee for Applied Mathematics, dealing with mathematical sciences at the three universities of technology in the Netherlands. It describes the state of affairs pertaining to the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2008

Multi crteria decision making and its applications : a literature review

This paper presents current techniques used in Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and their applications. Two basic approaches for MCDM, namely Artificial Intelligence MCDM (AIMCDM) and Classical MCDM (CMCDM) are discussed and investigated. Recent articles from international journals related to MCDM are collected and analyzed to find which approach is more common than the other in MCDM. Also, which area these techniques are applied to. Those articles are appearing in journals for the year 2008 only. This paper provides evidence that currently, both AIMCDM and CMCDM are equally common in MCDM

Aggregation of Hospital Business Processes

There are estimates that up to 30% of hospital costs are due to inefficiently coordinated hospital processes. As a result many hospitals have tried to model and to reengineer their business processes. These efforts have very often been abandoned, because the normally constructed total models of hospital processes could hardly cope with the rapid technological and medical progress as well as with changing staff. We discuss approaches for a qualitative and quantitative process modularization which improve the understanding of processes and enables better planned simulations. Various methods are discussed which allow a qualitative modularization on the basis of a disaggregated process graph. To cope with this modularization numerically simple semi-stochastic formulas are developed for the calculation of expected values and variances of cycle times and costs from micro-data up to the modular level. Thus a qualitative as well as quantitative discussion of hospital business processes on the modular level become possible.OR in health care service, graph theory, business process reengineering, stochastic processes, simulation

Histopathology laboratory operations analysis and improvement

Histopathology laboratories aim to deliver high quality diagnoses based on patient tissue samples. Indicators for quality are the accuracy of the diagnoses and the diagnostic turnaround times. However, challenges exist regarding employee workload and turnaround times in the histopathology laboratory. This paper proposes a decomposed planning and scheduling method for the histopathology laboratory using (mixed) integer linear programming ((M)ILP) to improve the spread of workload and reduce the diagnostic turnaround times. First, the batching problem is considered, in which batch completion times are equally divided over the day to spread the workload. This reduces the peaks of physical work available in the laboratory. Thereafter, the remaining processes are scheduled to minimize the tardiness of orders. Preliminary results show that using this decomposition method, the peaks in histopathology workload in UMC Utrecht, a large university medical center in the Netherlands, are potentially reduced with up to 50% by better spreading the workload over the day. Furthermore, turnaround times are potentially reduced with up to 20% compared to current practices

Scheduling Elective Surgeries in Operation Room with Optimization of Post-Surgery Recovery Unit Capacity

Scheduling of surgeries in the Operation rooms with limited available resources is a very complex process. Patients of different specialties are operated by surgery teams in operation rooms and sent to recovery units. In this thesis, we develop a model to help Operation room scheduling management to schedule elective patients based on the availability of surgeons and operation rooms with three phase hierarchical approach of scheduling. A linear integer goal programming method is used to solve problem. The model tries to minimize number of patients waiting for service, underutilization of operating room hours and maximum number of patients in the recovery units. Windsor Regional Hospital help is taken to understand the surgery booking procedure. Lexicographic goal programming method and weighted goal programming is employed and various combinations of priorities are solved to schedule Operating rooms. The focus of the study is to develop mathematical model for scheduling

Consensus definitions of 14 severe acute toxic effects for childhood lymphoblastic leukaemia treatment: a Delphi consensus

Although there are high survival rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, their outcome is often counterbalanced by the burden of toxic effects. This is because reported frequencies vary widely across studies, partly because of diverse definitions of toxic effects. Using the Delphi method, 15 international childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia study groups assessed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia protocols to address toxic effects that were to be considered by the Ponte di Legno working group. 14 acute toxic effects (hypersensitivity to asparaginase, hyperlipidaemia, osteonecrosis, asparaginase-associated pancreatitis, arterial hypertension, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, seizures, depressed level of consciousness, methotrexate-related stroke-like syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, high-dose methotrexate-related nephrotoxicity, sinusoidal obstructive syndrome, thromboembolism, and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia) that are serious but too rare to be addressed comprehensively within any single group, or are deemed to need consensus definitions for reliable incidence comparisons, were selected for assessment. Our results showed that none of the protocols addressed all 14 toxic effects, that no two protocols shared identical definitions of all toxic effects, and that no toxic effect definition was shared by all protocols. Using the Delphi method over three face-to-face plenary meetings, consensus definitions were obtained for all 14 toxic effects. In the overall assessment of outcome of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treatment, these expert opinion-based definitions will allow reliable comparisons of frequencies and severities of acute toxic effects across treatment protocols, and facilitate international research on cause, guidelines for treatment adaptation, preventive strategies, and development of consensus algorithms for reporting on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treatment

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 359)

This bibliography lists 164 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during Jan. 1992. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and physiology, life support systems and man/system technology, protective clothing, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, planetary biology, and flight crew behavior and performance