Evaluating Rapid Application Development with Python for Heterogeneous Processor-based FPGAs

As modern FPGAs evolve to include more het- erogeneous processing elements, such as ARM cores, it makes sense to consider these devices as processors first and FPGA accelerators second. As such, the conventional FPGA develop- ment environment must also adapt to support more software- like programming functionality. While high-level synthesis tools can help reduce FPGA development time, there still remains a large expertise gap in order to realize highly performing implementations. At a system-level the skill set necessary to integrate multiple custom IP hardware cores, interconnects, memory interfaces, and now heterogeneous processing elements is complex. Rather than drive FPGA development from the hardware up, we consider the impact of leveraging Python to ac- celerate application development. Python offers highly optimized libraries from an incredibly large developer community, yet is limited to the performance of the hardware system. In this work we evaluate the impact of using PYNQ, a Python development environment for application development on the Xilinx Zynq devices, the performance implications, and bottlenecks associated with it. We compare our results against existing C-based and hand-coded implementations to better understand if Python can be the glue that binds together software and hardware developers.Comment: To appear in 2017 IEEE 25th Annual International Symposium on Field-Programmable Custom Computing Machines (FCCM'17

Controlling evaporation loss from water storages

[Executive Summary]: Evaporation losses from on-farm storage can potentially be large, particularly in irrigation areas in northern New South Wales and Queensland where up to 40% of storage volume can be lost each year to evaporation. Reducing evaporation from a water storage would allow additional crop production, water trading or water for the environment. While theoretical research into evaporation from storages has previously been undertaken there has been little evaluation of current evaporation mitigation technologies (EMTs) on commercial sized water storages. This project was initiated by the Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources and Mines (NRM) with the express aim of addressing this gap in our knowledge. The report addressed i) assessment of the effectiveness of different EMT’s in reducing evaporation from commercial storages across a range of climate regions, ii) assessment of the practical and technical limitations of different evaporation control products, and iii) comparison of the economics of different EMT’s on water storages used for irrigation

Determination of absorption length of CO2 and high power diode laser radiation for ordinary Portland cement and its influence on the depth of melting

The laser beam absorption lengths of CO2 and a high power diode laser (HPDL) radiation for concrete have been determined. By employing Beer-Lambert’s law the absorption lengths for concrete of CO2 and a HPDL radiation were 47022 m and 17715 m respectively. Indeed, this was borne out somewhat from a cross-sectional analysis of the melt region produced by both lasers which showed melting occurred to a greater depth when the CO2 laser was used

Validation of Measures by the Lifecorder EX Activity Monitor

The purpose of this study is to determine the validity of the Lifecorder EX activity monitor in calculating resting metabolic rate, counting steps taken at a variety of speeds, reporting energy expenditure across a range of intensities, and categorizing exercise intensity in descriptive units as light (1-3), moderate (4-6), and vigorous (7-9). Ten male (24.6 ± 5.3 years) and ten female (26.6 ± 5.1 years) recreationally active adults participated in this study. Height, weight, resting metabolic rate, and body composition were measured prior to performing treadmill exercise at 9 speeds (54, 67, 80, 94, 107, 121, 134, 147, 161 m•min-1), while wearing a Lifecorder EX activity monitor on both the right and left hips. Walking stages were performed for four minutes and running stages were performed for six minutes. Each stage was followed by a two-minute rest period. Energy expenditure was determined by indirect calorimetry and steps were tallied using a hand counter. In a separate trial subjects wore the activity monitor for 24-hours and met the investigator for a 30-minute exercise session on a 400-meter rubberized track. Subjects were randomized into one of three groups: a 30-minute run, 30-minute walk, or three 10-minute walks. The device significantly undercounted steps at the two slowest speeds (92.0% of actual at 54 m•min-1 and 98.9% of actual at 67 m•min-1), but accurately reported steps at speeds ≥ 80 m•min-1. Both gross and net caloric expenditure were overestimated at all tested speeds except walking at 134 m•min-1. On average, the device underestimated resting metabolic rate by 11.4%. The relationship between accelerometer reported intensity units and measured MET requirement was also determined. The Lifecorder EX has step counting accuracy comparable to other activity monitors studied in the recent past. Although the device overestimated both gross and net caloric expenditure the intensity units offered can be beneficial for helping describe an individual\u27s physical activity pattern. The underestimation of resting metabolic rate is comparable to the error seen in many resting metabolic rate equations

Brake tests to evaluate the human behaviour at different brake pedal characteristics

-Brake-by-wire represents the replacement of traditional brake components such as pumps, hoses, fluids, brake boosters, and tandem master cylinders by electronic sensors and actuators. The different design of these brake concepts poses new challenges for the automotive industry with regard to availability and fallback levels in comparison to standard conventional brake systems. In order to evaluate this, the was investigated during a static vehicle braking simulator test. Participants modes: normal brake function, booster breakdown and brake circuit failure. The interpretation of these results and designed driver warning approach fed into a coordinated driver warning and information concept adapted to the brake failure is helpful safe stop

Portable, Powerless Automation of Valve Actuation for Microfluidic Large Scale Integration Technology

Microfluidic large-scale integration (mLSI) is an emerging field that has the potential to fully automate the biological experimentation and technology development. mLSI offers high-throughput, while maintaining reduced costs and sample size in biochemical tests and experiments. The pneumatic control systems, and the use of solenoid valves that are needed for mLSI make this technology bulky and limits its use to specialized labs. Moreover, since the field is relatively new, few scientists are trained in microfluidic chip design and microfabrication. Eliminating the peripheral equipment from standard testing protocol will allow mLSI to be used in point-of-care settings and more widespread usage of this powerful technology. Our device is a portable, powerless alternative that operates without the use of costly solenoid valves and microcontrollers. In this report, we present a proof of concept demonstrating our device has potential in scalability, high throughout experimentation, and ease of use