Hydrogenation of CO on supported Rh catalysts

In contrast to classical Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), partial and run-time reconfigurable (RTR) FPGAs can selectively reconfigure partitions of its hardware almost immediately while it is still powered and operative. In this way, RTR FPGAs combine the flexibility of software with the high efficiency of hardware. However, their potential cannot be fully exploited due to the increased complexity of the design process, and the intricacy to generate partial reconfigurations. FPGAs are often seen as a single auxiliary area to accelerate algorithms for specific problems. However, when several RTR partitions are implemented and combined with a processor system, new opportunities and challenges appear due to the creation of a heterogeneous RTR embedded system-on-chip (SoC). The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the flexibility, reusability, and productivity in the design process of partial and RTR embedded SoCs can be improved to enable research and development of novel applications in areas such as hardware acceleration, dynamic fault-tolerance, self-healing, self-awareness, and self-adaptation. To address this question, this thesis proposes a solution based on modular reconfigurable IP-cores and design-and-reuse principles to reduce the design complexity and maximize the productivity of such FPGA-based SoCs. The research presented in this thesis found inspiration in several related topics and sciences such as reconfigurable computing, dependability and fault-tolerance, complex adaptive systems, bio-inspired hardware, organic and autonomic computing, psychology, and machine learning. The outcome of this thesis demonstrates that the proposed solution addressed the research question and enabled investigation in initially unexpected fields. The particular contributions of this thesis are: (1) the RecoBlock SoC concept and platform with its flexible and reusable array of RTR IP-cores, (2) a simplified method to transform complex algorithms modeled in Matlab into relocatable partial reconfigurations adapted to an improved RecoBlock IP-core architecture, (3) the self-healing RTR fault-tolerant (FT) schemes, especially the Upset-Fault-Observer (UFO) that reuse available RTR IP-cores to self-assemble hardware redundancy during runtime, (4) the concept of Cognitive Reconfigurable Hardware (CRH) that defines a development path to achieve self-adaptation and cognitive development, (5) an adaptive self-aware and fault-tolerant RTR SoC that learns to adapt the RTR FT schemes to performance goals under uncertainty using rule-based decision making, (6) a method based on online and model-free reinforcement learning that uses a Q-algorithm to self-optimize the activation of dynamic FT schemes in performance-aware RecoBlock SoCs. The vision of this thesis proposes a new class of self-adaptive and cognitive hardware systems consisting of arrays of modular RTR IP-cores. Such a system becomes self-aware of its internal performance and learns to self-optimize the decisions that trigger the adequate self-organization of these RTR cores, i.e., to create dynamic hardware redundancy and self-healing, particularly while working in uncertain environments.Partiell och run-time rekonfigurering (RTR) betyder att en del av en integrerad krets kan konfigureras om, medan den resterande delens operation kan fortlöpa. Moderna Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) kretsar är ofta partiell och run-time rekonfigurerbara och kombinerar därmed mjukvarans flexibilitet med hårdvarans effektivitet. Tyvärr hindrar dock den ökade designkomplexiteten att utnyttja dess fulla potential. Idag ses FPGAer mest som hårdvaruacceleratorer, men helt nya möjligheter uppstår genom att kombinera ett multiprocessorsystem med flera rekonfigurerbara partitioner som oberoende av varandra kan omkonfigureras under systemoperation. Målet med avhandlingen är att undersöka hur utvecklingsprocessen för partiella och run-time rekonfigurerbara FPGAer kan förbättras för att möjliggöra forskning och utveckling av nya tillämpningar i områden som hårdvaruacceleration, själv-läkande och själv-adaptiva system. I avhandlingen föreslås att en lösning baserad på modulära rekonfigurerbara hårdvarukärnor kombinerad med principer för återanvändbarhet kan förenkla komplexiteten av utvecklingsprocessen och leda till en högre produktivitet vid utvecklingen av inbyggda run-time rekonfigurerbara system. Forskningen i avhandlingen inspirerades av flera relaterade områden, så som rekonfigurerbarhet, tillförlitlighet och feltolerans, komplexa adaptiva system, bio-inspirerad hårdvara, organiska och autonoma system, psykologi och maskininlärning. Avhandlingens resultat visar att den föreslagna lösningen har potential inom olika tillämpningsområden. Avhandlingen har följande bidrag: (1) RecoBlock system-på-kisel plattformen bestående av flera rekonfigurerbara hårdvarukärnor, (2) en förenklad metod för att implementera Matlab modeller i rekonfigurerbara partitioner, (3) metoder för själv-läkande RTR feltoleranta system, t. ex. Upset-Fault-Observer, som själv-skapar hårdvaruredundans under operation, (4) utvecklandet av konceptet för kognitiv rekonfigurerbar hårdvara, (5) användningen av konceptet och plattformen för att implementera kretsar som kan användas i en okänd omgivning på grund av förmågan att fatta regel-baserade beslut, och (6) en förstärkande inlärnings-metod som använder en Q-algoritm för dynamisk feltolerans i prestanda-medvetna RecoBlock SoCs. Avhandlingens vision är en ny klass av själv-adaptiva och kognitiva hårdvarusystem bestående av modulära run-time rekonfigurerbara hårdvarukärnor. Dessa system blir själv-medvetna om sin interna prestanda och kan genom inlärning optimera sina beslut för själv-organisation av de rekonfigurerbara kärnorna. Därmed skapas dynamisk hårdvaruredundans och självläkande system som har bättre förutsättningar att kunna operera i en okänd omgivning.QC 20151201</p

Gravitational Waves and Intermediate-mass Black Hole Retention in Globular Clusters

The recent discovery of gravitational waves (GWs) has opened new horizons for physics. Current and upcoming missions, such as LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, and LISA, promise to shed light on black holes of every size from stellar mass (SBH) sizes up to supermassive black holes. The intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) family has not been detected beyond any reasonable doubt. Recent analyses suggest observational evidence for the presence of IMBHs in the centers of two Galactic globular clusters (GCs). In this paper, we investigate the possibility that GCs were born with a central IMBH, which undergoes repeated merger events with SBHs in the cluster core. By means of a semi-analytical method, we follow the evolution of the primordial cluster population in the galactic potential and the mergers of the binary IMBH-SBH systems. Our models predict approximate to 1000 IMBHs within 1 kpc from the galactic center and show that the IMBH-SBH merger rate density changes from R approximate to 1000 Gpc(-3) yr(-1) beyond z approximate to 2 to R approximate to 1-10 Gpc(-3) yr(-1) at z approximate to 0. The rates at low redshifts may be significantly higher if young massive star clusters host IMBHs. The merger rates are dominated by IMBHs with masses between 10(3) and 10(4) M-circle dot. Currently, there are no LIGO/VIRGO upper limits for GW sources in this mass range, but our results show that at design sensitivity, these instruments will detect IMBH-SBH mergers in the coming years. LISA and the Einstein Telescope will be best suited to detect these events. The inspirals of IMBH-SBH systems may also generate an unresolved GW background

White dwarfs stripped by massive black holes: sources of coincident gravitational and electromagnetic radiation

White dwarfs inspiraling into black holes of mass \MBH\simgt 10^5M_\odot are detectable sources of gravitational waves in the LISA band. In many of these events, the white dwarf begins to lose mass during the main observational phase of the inspiral. The mass loss starts gently and can last for thousands of orbits. The white dwarf matter overflows the Roche lobe through the $L_1$ point at each pericenter passage and the mass loss repeats periodically. The process occurs very close to the black hole and the released gas can accrete, creating a bright source of radiation with luminosity close to the Eddington limit, $L\sim 10^{43}$~erg~s$^{-1}$. This class of inspirals offers a promising scenario for dual detections of gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Minor changes. Accepted in MNRAS Letters on August 6 201

Cosmic Evolution of Stellar-mass Black Hole Merger Rate in Active Galactic Nuclei

Binary black hole mergers encode information about their environment and the astrophysical processes that led to their formation. Measuring the redshift dependence of their merger rate will help probe the formation and evolution of galaxies and the evolution of the star formation rate. Here we compute the cosmic evolution of the merger rate for stellar-mass binaries in the disks of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). We focus on recent evolution out to redshift $z=2$, covering the accessible range of current Earth-based gravitational-wave observatories. On this scale, the AGN population density is the main contributor to redshift-dependence. We find that the AGN-assisted merger rate does not meaningfully evolve with redshift, differentiating this channel from field binaries and some other dynamical formation scenarios.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Geochemical investigation of the mixed Máriahalom vertebrate fauna at the Paleogene–Neogene boundary in the Central Paratethys: environmental conditions and age constrain

The fossil vertebrate fauna of Máriahalom contains remains from a wide range of ecologies including terrestrial and aquatic mammals, crocodiles, sharks, and rays among others. All these were found mixed in mollusc-rich, shallow water, coastal deposits. The aim of the study is to trace the origin of the fossils using their rare earth element (REE) content and their respective ecology with stable oxygen isotopic compositions. In addition, marine vertebrates and calcareous marine fossils were analysed for their Sr isotope composition to provide a new age estimate for the locality. The REE content and their distribution in the fossils indicate similar early diagenetic environments and possible contemporaneous fossilization for the entire vertebrate assemblage. Reworked fossils of significantly different age can be excluded. The enamel/enameloid-derived phosphate oxygen isotope composition of selected fossil taxa fit well with previously inferred habitats that include marine, brackish, and terrestrial environments. Notably, the stem-pinniped Potamotherium valletoni is best interpreted as freshwater dweller instead of marine, consistent with the sedimentology of other occurrences. Our novel 87Sr/86Sr data suggest an Aquitanian age (21.4 ± 0.5&nbsp;Ma) for the Máriahalom site that is younger than the previously proposed Late Oligocene age based on biostratigraphy (MP28–30 European Mammal Paleogene Reference Levels). An Aquitanian age raises the possibility that the index fossil taxon, the anthracothere mammal Microbunodon minimum, may have vanished earlier in Western Europe than in the Central Paratethys region