Hardware Barrier Synchronization: Static Barrier MIMD (SBM)

In this paper, we give the design, and performance analysis, of a new, highly efficient, synchronization mechanism called “Static Barrier MIMD” or “SBM.” Unlike traditional barrier synchronization, the proposed barriers are designed to facilitate the use of static (compile-time) code scheduling for eliminating some synchronizations. For this reason, our barrier hardware is more general than most hardware barrier mechanisms, allowing any subset of the processors to participate in each barrier. Since code scheduling typically operates on fine-grain parallelism, it is also vital that barriers be able to execute in a small number of clock ticks. The SBM is actually only one of two new classes of barrier machines proposed to facilitate static code scheduling; the other architecture is the “Dynamic Barrier MIMD,” or “DBM,” which is described in a companion paper1. The DBM differs from the SBM in that the DBM employs more complex hardware to make the system less dependent on the precision of the static analysis and code scheduling; for example, an SBM cannot efficiently manage simultaneous execution of independent parallel programs, whereas a DBM can

Loop Coalescing and Scheduling for Barrier MIMD Architectures

Barrier MIMDs are asynchronous Multiple Instruction stream Multiple Data stream architectures capable of parallel execution of variable execution time instructions and arbitrary control flow (e.g., while loops and calls); however, they differ from conventional MlMDs in that the need for run-time synchronization is significantly reduced. This work considers the problem of scheduling nested loop structures on a barrier MIMD. The basic approach employs loop coalescing, a technique for transforming a multiply-nested loop into a single loop. Loop coalescing is extended to nested triangular loops, in which inner loop bounds are functions of outer loop indices. Also, a more efficient scheme to generate the original loop indices from the coalesced index is proposed for the case of constant loop bounds. These results are general, and can be applied to extend previous work using loop coalescing techniques. We concentrate on using loop coalescing for scheduling barrier MIMDs, and show how previous work in loop transformations [Wol89], [Pol88] and linear scheduling theory [ShF88], rShO901 cart be applied to this problem

Static Scheduling for Barrier MIMD Architectures

Barrier MIMDs are asynchronous Multiple Instruction stream Multiple Data stream architectures capable of parallel execution of variable-execution-time instructions and arbitrary control flow (e.g., w h ile loops and calls); however, they differ from conventional MIMDs in that the need for run-time synchronization is significantly reduced. Whenever a group of processors within a barrier MIMD encounters a synchronization point (barrier), static timing constraints become precise, hence, conceptual synchronizations between the processors often can be statically resolved with zero cost — as in a SIMD or VLIW and using similar compiler technology. Unlike these machines, however, as execution continues past the synchronization point the accuracy within which the compiler can track the relative timing between processors is reduced. Where this imprecision becomes too large, the compiler simply inserts a synchronization barrier to insure that timing imprecision at that point is zero, and again employs static, implicit synchronization. This paper describes new scheduling and barrier placement algorithms for barrier MIMDs that are based loosely on the list scheduling approach employed for VLIWs [Elli85]. In addition, the experimental results from scheduling more than 3500 synthetic benchmark programs for a parameterized barrier MIMD machine are presented

HRM inside UK e-commerce firms : innovations in the ‘new’ economy and continuities with the ‘old’

The e-commerce approach to people management (i.e. HRM) is popularly believed to be radically new and an innovative rewriting of the ‘old’ rules of employment. Yet little is known about which HR practices are used by such companies, and what might explain these companies’ policy selections in the realm of HR. Exploratory survey data based on a sample of 30 small-medium UK e-commerce firms reports use of employee involvement in decision-making, internal communication, financial participation and reward schemes, performance evaluation, training and provision for employment security. Insights from interviews with five senior managers from the sample augment the survey data with qualitative evidence on e-commerce firms’ approach to HR. The findings suggest that this approach falls somewhere between radical ‘new’ innovations and enduring continuities with ‘old’ people management techniques, and that this has parallels with the experience of small-medium enterprises generally

Iowan Drift Problem, Northeastern Iowa

https://ir.uiowa.edu/igs_ri/1006/thumbnail.jp

In search of virus carriers of the 1988 and 2002 phocine distemper virus outbreaks in European harbour seals

European harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) populations decreased substantially during the phocine distemper virus (PDV) outbreaks of 1988 and 2002. Different hypotheses have stated that various seals and terrestrial carnivore species might be the source of infection. To further analyse these hypotheses, grey (Halichoerus grypus) and ringed (Phoca hispida) seals, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and minks (Mustela lutreola) were sampled from the North Sea and East Greenland coasts between 1988 and 2004 and investigated by RT-PCR using a panmorbillivirus primer pair. However, all samples were negative for morbillivirus nucleic acid

Rabi Oscillations at Exceptional Points in Microwave Billiards

We experimentally investigated the decay behavior with time t of resonances near and at exceptional points, where two complex eigenvalues and also the associated eigenfunctions coalesce. The measurements were performed with a dissipative microwave billiard, whose shape depends on two parameters. The t^2-dependence predicted at the exceptional point on the basis of a two-state matrix model could be verified. Outside the exceptional point the predicted Rabi oscillations, also called quantum echoes in this context, were detected. To our knowledge this is the first time that quantum echoes related to exceptional points were observed experimentally.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

The PARSE Programming Paradigm. Part I: Software Development Methodology. Part II: Software Development Support Tools

The programming methodology of PARSE (parallel software environment), a software environment being developed for reconfigurable non-shared memory parallel computers, is described. This environment will consist of an integrated collection of language interfaces, automatic and semi-automatic debugging and analysis tools, and operating system —all of which are made more flexible by the use of a knowledge-based implementation for the tools that make up PARSE. The programming paradigm supports the user freely choosing among three basic approaches /abstractions for programming a parallel machine: logic-based descriptive, sequential-control procedural, and parallel-control procedural programming. All of these result in efficient parallel execution. The current work discusses the methodology underlying PARSE, whereas the companion paper, “The PARSE Programming Paradigm — II: Software Development Support Tools,” details each of the component tools

First experimental evidence for quantum echoes in scattering systems

A self-pulsing effect termed quantum echoes has been observed in experiments with an open superconducting and a normal conducting microwave billiard whose geometry provides soft chaos, i.e. a mixed phase space portrait with a large stable island. For such systems a periodic response to an incoming pulse has been predicted. Its period has been associated to the degree of development of a horseshoe describing the topology of the classical dynamics. The experiments confirm this picture and reveal the topological information.Comment: RevTex 4.0, 5 eps-figure