Directed Placement for mVLSI Devices

Continuous-flow microfluidic devices based on integrated channel networks are becoming increasingly prevalent in research in the biological sciences. At present, these devices are physically laid out by hand by domain experts who understand both the underlying technology and the biological functions that will execute on fabricated devices. The lack of a design science that is specific to microfluidic technology creates a substantial barrier to entry. To address this concern, this article introduces Directed Placement, a physical design algorithm that leverages the natural "directedness" in most modern microfluidic designs: fluid enters at designated inputs, flows through a linear or tree-based network of channels and fluidic components, and exits the device at dedicated outputs. Directed placement creates physical layouts that share many principle similarities to those created by domain experts. Directed placement allows components to be placed closer to their neighbors compared to existing layout algorithms based on planar graph embedding or simulated annealing, leading to an average reduction in laid-out fluid channel length of 91% while improving area utilization by 8% on average. Directed placement is compatible with both passive and active microfluidic devices and is compatible with a variety of mainstream manufacturing technologies

Introduction of CAA into a mathematics course for technology students to address a change in curriculum requirements

The mathematical requirements for engineering, science and technology students has been debated for many years and concern has been expressed about the mathematical preparedness of students entering higher education. This paper considers a mathematics course that has been specifically designed to address some of these issues for technology education students. It briefly chronicles the changes that have taken place over its lifetime and evaluates the introduction of Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) into a course already being delivered using Computer Aided Learning (CAL). Benefits of CAA can be categorised into four main areas. 1. Educational – achieved by setting short, topic related, assessments, each of which has to be passed, thereby increasing curriculum coverage. 2. Students – by allowing them to complete assessments at their own pace removing the stress of the final examination. 3. Financial – increased income to the institution, by broadening access to the course. Improved retention rate due to self-paced learning. 4. Time – staff no longer required to set and mark exams. Most students preferred this method of assessment to traditional exams, because it increased confidence and reduced stress levels. Self-paced working, however, resulted in a minority of students not completing the tests by the deadline

Scheduling Of Dataflow Models Within The Reconfigurable Video Coding Framework

The upcoming Reconfigurable Video Coding (RVC) standard from MPEG (ISO/IEC SC29WG11) defines a library of coding tools to specify existing or new compressed video formats and decoders. The coding tool library has been written in a dataflow/actor-oriented language named CAL. Each coding tool can be represented with an extended finite state machine and the dependencies between the tools are described as dataflow graphs. This paper proposes an approach to derive a multiprocessor execution schedule for RVC systems that are comprised of CAL actors. In addition to proposing a scheduling approach for RVC, an extension to the well-known permutation flow shop scheduling problem that enables rapid run-time scheduling of RVC tasks is introduced

SSA-Based Register Allocation with PBQP

Abstract. Recent research shows that maintaining SSA form allows to split register allocation into separate phases: spilling, register assign-ment and copy coalescing. After spilling, register assignment can be done in polynomial time, but copy coalescing is NP-complete. In this pa-per we present an assignment approach with integrated copy coalescing, which maps the problem to the Partitioned Boolean Quadratic Problem (PBQP). Compared to the state-of-the-art recoloring approach, this re-duces the relative number of swap and copy instructions for the SPEC CINT2000 benchmark to 99.6 % and 95.2%, respectively, while taking 19 % less time for assignment and coalescing

Register Allocation Via Coloring of Chordal Graphs

Abstract. We present a simple algorithm for register allocation which is competitive with the iterated register coalescing algorithm of George and Appel. We base our algorithm on the observation that 95 % of the methods in the Java 1.5 library have chordal interference graphs when compiled with the JoeQ compiler. A greedy algorithm can optimally color a chordal graph in time linear in the number of edges, and we can eas-ily add powerful heuristics for spilling and coalescing. Our experiments show that the new algorithm produces better results than iterated regis-ter coalescing for settings with few registers and comparable results for settings with many registers.

Register Allocation After Classical SSA Elimination is NP-Complete

Abstract. Chaitin proved that register allocation is equivalent to graph coloring and hence NP-complete. Recently, Bouchez, Brisk, and Hack have proved independently that the interference graph of a program in static single assignment (SSA) form is chordal and therefore colorable in linear time. Can we use the result of Bouchez et al. to do register allocation in polynomial time by first transforming the program to SSA form, then performing register allocation, and finally doing the classical SSA elimination that replaces φ-functions with copy instructions? In this paper we show that the answer is no, unless P = NP: register allocation after classical SSA elimination is NP-complete. Chaitin’s proof technique does not work for programs after classical SSA elimination; instead we use a reduction from the graph coloring problem for circular arc graphs.

Preference-Guided Register Assignment

Abstract. This paper deals with coalescing in SSA-based register allo-cation. Current coalescing techniques all require the interference graph to be built. This is generally considered to be too compile-time intensive for just-in-time compilation. In this paper, we present a biased coloring approach that gives results similar to standalone coalescers while signif-icantly reducing compile time.

Bilingualism for the Minor or the Major? An Evaluative Analysis of Parallel Conceptions in China

This paper is an analysis of two conceptions of bilingualism that exist in parallel in China. One is traditional bilingualism referring to the use of a native minority language and standard Chinese by minority groups and the other, seen as bilingualism with modern characteristics, is a modern-day phenomenon in which the majority Han group aspire to produce bilinguals with a strong competence in mother tongue Chinese and a foreign language, primarily English, by using Chinese and the foreign language as mediums of instruction in teaching school subjects. The focus of the analysis is on the latter for the simple reason that current literature on the new phenomenon is mostly available only in Chinese. An equally important aim of this paper is to explore the impact of the new phenomenon on minority education and to examine the reason why this impact is largely ignored in bilingualism discussions, despite obvious consequences with respect to ethnic identity, personality development and academic performance of minority students. Thus, the traditional conception is briefly reviewed at the start