Two-level pipelined systolic array graphics engine

The authors report a VLSI design of an advanced systolic array graphics (SAG) engine built from pipelined functional units which can generate realistic images interactively for high-resolution displays. They introduce a structured frame store system as an environment for the advanced SAG engine and present the principles and architecture of the advanced SAG engine. They introduce pipelined functional units into this SAG engine to meet the performance requirements. This is done by a formal approach where the original systolic array is represented at bit level by a finite, vertex-weighted, edge-weighted, directed graph. Two architectures built from pipelined functional units are described. A prototype containing nine processing elements was fabricated in a 1.6-¿m CMOS technolog

An Array Processor Design Methodology for Real-Time Systems

An array processor design methodology suitable for hard real-time systems is presented. Scheduling and projection of the dependence graph (DG) are solved using integer programming. By exploring the regularity of the DG it is possible to solve the necessary IP problems in an efficient manner. This methodology provides a unified approach for linear and nonlinear projection of regular and partially regular DG

A dynamic interactive social chart in dementia care: attuning demand and supply in the care for persons with dementia and their carers

We-centric services may play an important role in the field of care and support for elderly persons with dementia and their carers. They may solve problems, such as fragmentation of care, gaps in the continuum of care and welfare services, and inefficient and uncustomized service delivery to patients and carers. In the FRUX Health Care pilot opportunities for we-centric, context-sensitive service bundles in the field of dementia care will be explored. The service on which we focus in this paper is a dynamic interactive social chart for dementia care (DEM-DISC). The feasibility of DEM-DISC will be investigated from a domain specific content perspective (needs, offerings, information and advice), an ICT perspective (ontology and application), a user perspective (persons with dementia, their carers and professionals/ organizations), and an organisational perspective (necessary collaboration, governance and control, business modelling). A first demonstrator (validator) of the DEM-DISC will be designed, built and evaluated. Future possibilities to connect DEM-DISC to actual service delivery will be explored. In this paper we discuss the most important research questions from the different perspectives and the methods used to answer them

Review of ICT-based services for identified unmet needs in people with dementia

Some of the needs that people with dementia and their informal carers currently perceive as insufficiently met by regular care and support services might be alleviated, or even be met, using modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The study described in this paper was designed to provide an insight into the state of the art in ICT solutions that could contribute to meet the most frequently mentioned unmet needs by people with dementia and their informal carers. These needs can be summarized as (1) the need for general and personalized information; (2) the need for support with regard to symptoms of dementia; (3) the need for social contact and company; and (4) the need for health monitoring and perceived safety. Databases that were searched include: PubMed, Cinahl, Psychinfo, Google (Scholar), INSPEC and IEEE. In total 22 websites and 46 publications were included that satisfied the following criteria: the article reports on people with dementia and/or their informal carers and discusses an ICT-device that has been tested within the target group and has proven to be helpful. Within the first need area 18 relevant websites and three studies were included; within the second need area 4 websites and 20 publications were included. Within the third and fourth need area 11 and 12 publications were included respectively. Most articles reported on uncontrolled studies. It is concluded that the informational websites offer helpful information for carers but seem less attuned to the person with dementia and do not offer personalized information. ICT solutions aimed at compensating for disabilities, such as memory problems and daily activities demonstrate that people with mild to moderate dementia are capable of handling simple electronic equipment and can benefit from it in terms of more confidence and enhanced positive effect. Instrumental ICT-support for coping with behavioral and psychological changes in dementia is relatively disregarded as yet, while support for social contact can be effectively realized through, for example, simplified (mobile) phones or videophones or (entertainment) robots. GPS technology and monitoring systems are proven to result in enhanced feelings of safety and less fear and anxiety. Though these results are promising, more controlled studies in which the developed ICT solutions are tested in real life situations are needed before implementing them in the care for people with dementia. It is recommended that future studies also focus on the integration of the current techniques and solutions