Real-Time Scheduling for GPUs with Applications in Advanced Automotive Systems

Self-driving cars, once constrained to closed test tracks, are beginning to drive alongside human drivers on public roads. Loss of life or property may result if the computing systems of automated vehicles fail to respond to events at the right moment. We call such systems that must satisfy precise timing constraints “real-time systems.” Since the 1960s, researchers have developed algorithms and analytical techniques used in the development of real-time systems; however, this body of knowledge primarily applies to traditional CPU-based platforms. Unfortunately, traditional platforms cannot meet the computational requirements of self-driving cars without exceeding the power and cost constraints of commercially viable vehicles. We argue that modern graphics processing units, or GPUs, represent a feasible alternative, but new algorithms and analytical techniques must be developed in order to integrate these uniquely constrained processors into a real-time system. The goal of the research presented in this dissertation is to discover and remedy the issues that prevent the use of GPUs in real-time systems. To overcome these issues, we design and implement a real-time multi-GPU scheduler, called GPUSync. GPUSync tightly controls access to a GPU’s computational and DMA processors, enabling simultaneous use despite potential limitations in GPU hardware. GPUSync enables tasks to migrate among GPUs, allowing new classes of real-time multi-GPU computing platforms. GPUSync employs heuristics to guide scheduling decisions to improve system efficiency without risking violations in real-time constraints. GPUSync may be paired with a wide variety of common real-time CPU schedulers. GPUSync supports closed-source GPU runtimes and drivers without loss in functionality. We evaluate GPUSync with both analytical and runtime experiments. In our analytical experiments, we model and evaluate over fifty configurations of GPUSync. We determine which configurations support the greatest computational capacity while maintaining real-time constraints. In our runtime experiments, we execute computer vision programs similar to those found in automated vehicles, with and without GPUSync. Our results demonstrate that GPUSync greatly reduces jitter in video processing. Research into real-time systems with GPUs is a new area of study. Although there is prior work on such systems, no other GPU scheduling framework is as comprehensive and flexible as GPUSync.Doctor of Philosoph

Encapsulated nutritional and pharmaceutical compositions

Provided herein are encapsulated compositions comprising one or more long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) and at least one hydrocolloid, wherein the composition has a surface free fat content of less than about 5%. Also provided are methods for stabilising emulsions comprising one or more LCPUFAs and for increasing the efficiency of encapsulation of compositions comprising one or more LCPUFAs, the methods comprising incorporating at least one hydrocolloid into the emulsions or compositions

An optimal k-exclusion real-time locking protocol motivated by multi-GPU systems

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are becoming increasingly important in today's platforms as their growing generality allows for them to be used as powerful co-processors. In previous work, the authors showed that GPUs may be integrated into real-time systems by treating GPUs as shared resources, allocated to real-time tasks through mutual exclusion locking protocols. In this paper, an asymptotically optimal k-exclusion locking protocol is presented for globally-scheduled job-level static-priority (JLSP) systems. This protocol may be used to manage a pool of resources, such as GPUs, in such systems

Calibration of Planting and Fertilizing Equipment in Cotton Production.

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COORDINATION AND VARIABILITY IN AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL KICKING: IMPLICATIONS FOR PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study was to quantify coordination and coordination variability (CV) of drop-punt kicking in professional Australian Football players and investigate the association between CV and in-game kicking performance and professional playing experience. Intra-limb couplings described to be associated with kicking accuracy were investigated during 30m successful drop-punt kicking efforts in 14 players. Coordination and CV were quantified using a modified vector coding technique. Higher CV of frontal plane trunk/pelvis, frontal and transverse plane thigh/leg and frontal plane leg/foot coupled motion were associated with higher in-game kicking performance. In-game kicking performance and CV did not change following two years of professional experience. These results highlight the significance of junior level skill development and kicking performance in talent identification

Scheduled Daily Mating Induces Circadian Anticipatory Activity Rhythms in the Male Rat

Daily schedules of limited access to food, palatable high calorie snacks, water and salt can induce circadian rhythms of anticipatory locomotor activity in rats and mice. All of these stimuli are rewarding, but whether anticipation can be induced by neural correlates of reward independent of metabolic perturbations associated with manipulations of food and hydration is unclear. Three experiments were conducted to determine whether mating, a non-ingestive behavior that is potently rewarding, can induce circadian anticipatory activity rhythms in male rats provided scheduled daily access to steroid-primed estrous female rats. In Experiment 1, rats anticipated access to estrous females in the mid-light period, but also exhibited post-coital eating and running. In Experiment 2, post-coital eating and running were prevented and only a minority of rats exhibited anticipation. Rats allowed to see and smell estrous females showed no anticipation. In both experiments, all rats exhibited sustained behavioral arousal and multiple mounts and intromissions during every session, but ejaculated only every 2–3 days. In Experiment 3, the rats were given more time with individual females, late at night for 28 days, and then in the midday for 28 days. Ejaculation rates increased and anticipation was robust to night sessions and significant although weaker to day sessions. The anticipation rhythm persisted during 3 days of constant dark without mating. During anticipation of nocturnal mating, the rats exhibited a significant preference for a tube to the mating cage over a tube to a locked cage with mating cage litter. This apparent place preference was absent during anticipation of midday mating, which may reflect a daily rhythm of sexual reward. The results establish mating as a reward stimulus capable of inducing circadian rhythms of anticipatory behavior in the male rat, and reveal a critical role for ejaculation, a modulatory role for time of day, and a potential confound role for uncontrolled food intake

Muscular Strength and Body Composition Comparison Between the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire and Police Departments

Firefighters and police have different physical job requirements and selection processes. Firefighters have on-duty exercise time and police do not. This could affect body composition and strength. The purpose of this investigation was to compare body composition and bench press strength between firefighters and police officers in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg departments. Current 2006 fitness records were analyzed to compare firefighters and police (N = 2330). Variables included: gender, age, body mass, percent body-fat, fat mass, lean mass, bench press strength, bench press/lean mass, bench press/body mass, and percent that were obese. Significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences were found between male firefighters and police in age (37.7 vs. 36.9 yrs), body mass (91.5 vs. 93.2 kg), percent body-fat (17.8% vs.18.5%), fat mass (16.9 vs. 18.0 kg), bench press strength (93.4 vs. 96.3 kg), bench press/body mass (1.03 vs.1.05) and percent that were obese (10% vs.17%), respectively. Significant differences between female firefighters and police were found in age (42.4 vs. 37.4 yrs), body mass (77.5 vs. 71.8 kg), lean mass (54.4 vs. 51.2 kg), bench press strength (52.3 vs. 43.9 kg), bench press/lean mass (0.99 vs. 0.86) and bench press/body mass (0.69 vs. 0.62), respectively. Male police were younger, weighed more, had higher percent body fat, higher percent of obesity, and had greater upper body strength than firefighters. Female police were younger, weighed less, had less lean mass and less upper body strength than their firefighter counterparts. Contributing factors might include pre-employment selection, recruit training, in-service physical fitness testing, and counseling provided by departments

Migrants’ Belongings: preliminary considerations of Greek and Italian migrants’ travel trunks in the post-Second World War period of settlement to South Australia

The Migrants’ Belongings project, while considering both the scholarly work of the past and more contemporary trends, aims to take migration studies one step further by investigating the significance of belongings brought in the travel trunks of Greek and Italian migrants when they settled in Australia after the Second World War. The project seeks to understand, in the context of displacement, movement and loss, what objects were of particular relevance in reshaping the lives and the identities of these migrants, with particular reference to those objects carried by trunk, rather than by suitcase. This article, the first in a series relating to the Migrants’ Belongings project, aims to situate the project within the wider literature of post-Second World War Italian and Greek migration to Australia. It will consider the use and representation of migrants’ belongings, drawing on methodologies and findings from museology, material culture and identity studies. The project will reflect on the reasons why the “objects of migration”, and more specifically the contents of “migrant trunks”, have so far been largely neglected by scholars of history and migration studies. Finally, this article will highlight the project’s proposed methodology

Developing and Evaluating Effective Bushfire Communication Pathways, Procedures, and Products Briefing Report Seven – Scenario Methods

Executive Summary - The Effective Communication Pathways project aims to identify effective strategies for raising awareness of the Victorian Bushfire Information Line (VBIL) or similar service. During phase two of this research a series of focus groups wa s conducted with residents as end - users in five localities. Scenario - based methods were one of the methodolog ical approaches emp loyed in this phase of research. - This briefing note outlines the rationale behind scenario methodology , its aims and outcomes, and how these techniques were used in this project. - Three types of scenario methods are identified that have potential as powerful knowledge - elicitation tools for emergency services agencies . These are : a) extreme scenarios , b) pre-mortems , and c) event - driven end - user scenarios. - The methods and advantages for each technique are discussed. - Different scenario techniques are appropriate for different research questions. Further, these scenario methods are not mutually exclusive and discrete. Rather, the three types of scenarios identified have overlapping approaches and relationships. They provide a selection from which t he most appropriate method can be blended to suit both the research aims and the time and resources available . We provide a brief description of how e ach of the approaches considered in this report might be best applied

An examination of writing pauses in the handwriting of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Difficulties with handwriting are reported as one of the main reasons for the referral of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) to healthcare professionals. In a recent study we found that children with DCD produced less text than their typically developing (TD) peers and paused for 60% of a free-writing task. However, little is known about the nature of the pausing; whether they are long pauses possibly due to higher level processes of text generation or fatigue, or shorter pauses related to the movements between letters. This gap in the knowledge-base creates barriers to understanding the handwriting difficulties in children with DCD. The aim of this study was to characterise the pauses observed in the handwriting of English children with and without DCD. Twenty-eight 8-14 year-old children with a diagnosis of DCD participated in the study, with 28 TD age and gender matched controls. Participants completed the 10 min free-writing task from the Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) on a digitising writing tablet. The total overall percentage of pausing during the task was categorised into four pause time-frames, each derived from the literature on writing (250 ms to 2 s; 2-4 s; 4-10 s and >10 s). In addition, the location of the pauses was coded (within word/between word) to examine where the breakdown in the writing process occurred. The results indicated that the main group difference was driven by more pauses above 10 s in the DCD group. In addition, the DCD group paused more within words compared to TD peers, indicating a lack of automaticity in their handwriting. These findings may support the provision of additional time for children with DCD in written examinations. More importantly, they emphasise the need for intervention in children with DCD to promote the acquisition of efficient handwriting skill