Computer Architecture

Dragonfly: An Ecological Approach to Digital Architectural Design

by Michael J. Braund

Published in ACADIA 2011: Integration Through Computation, ed. by J.M. Taron, V. Parlac, B. Kolarevic and J.S. Johnson, pp.178-186. Stroughton, WI: The Printing House, 2011.

(Co-authored with Daniel Hambleton)

In his keynote address delivered to The American Society for Esthetics in 1976, James J. Gibson wrote, “Architecture... more In his keynote address delivered to The American Society for Esthetics in 1976, James J. Gibson wrote, “Architecture and design do not have a satisfactory theoretical basis.” He then asked, “Can an ecological approach to the psychology of perception and behavior provide it?” (1976, p. 413) We believe that it can, at least in part. In this paper, we expand upon Gibson’s insights into the nature of perceptual experience by applying the concept of “affordances” to the design of architectural objects in general, and to the domain of digital architectural design in particular. On our account, the affordance-concept supplies a useful theoretical basis for conceptualizing the relationship between environments and occupants with respect to the form and behavioral meaning of geometrically constructed layouts.

Donald Norman (1988) first introduced affordances to interaction design theorists, as a conceptual tool for predicting how agents will interact with a given product. The extensive body of literature that has since emerged, from human-computer-interaction studies (Ackerman, 1996; Conn, 1995; Moran, 1997; Norman, 1999) to architectural theory and practice (Koutamanis, 2006; Maier and Fadel, 2009), has followed Norman’s lead in defining affordances, somewhat amorphously, as whichever action-related properties of objects are sufficient to elicit the intended forms of behavioral interaction between the agent and object. However, while this is correct, it is only half the story. It leaves unexplained how human perceivers detect and “pair down” on the potentially vast range of possible affordances (at a given time), to select the ones that will be relevant to the coordination and guidance of the targeted actions. Call this the “selectivity problem,” a proper treatment of which is missing from the literature. This is no small matter. If the theory of affordances is to be useful to architects and designers, if it is to have explanatory and predictive power over how perceivers will interact with their surroundings, then some account of the cognitive procedure by which affordances are selected for the deployment of specific behaviors is necessary. Otherwise, it is unclear what the theory hopes to predict or explain.

To this end, we maintain that the couching of affordances in a framework of human intentionality is not only consistent with Gibson’s theoretical views (i.e., the action-oriented definition of the concept of affordances not only suggests an intentional perspective), indeed, such a perspective is necessary if we are to succeed in implementing the affordance-concept into an architectural design context in a way that addresses the selectivity problem. This is one of the goals of “Dragonfly,” a first attempt at implementing the affordance-based control of perceptually guided-action into a digital design simulation. Dragonfly enables human interaction with geometry by encoding the basic principles of ecological psychology (including a rudimentary form of intentionality) into an interactive CAD environment. New vistas for future research and interdisciplinary approaches to design are then discussed, with a special emphasis on their applicability to architecture.

Using CIM Extensions to model Managed Entities in Heterogeneous Networks

by Vitor Roque

proc. of the IEEE International Workshop on Management Issues and Challenges in Mobile Computing - MICMC 2005, Nice, France, 15 May 2005.

This paper is devoted to the definition of management information which models specific functionality of the entities... more This paper is devoted to the definition of management information which models specific functionality of the entities that build Daidalos European Project. This management information will be used in policy–based management system (PBNMS) to manage QoS aspects of the network functionality.

Utilização de Políticas em Gestão de Redes e Sistemas de Informação

by Vitor Roque

actas da V Conferência da APSI – CAPSI2004, Lisboa, Portugal, 3-5 Novembro de 2004

A gestão das redes tornou-se, nos últimos anos, um tema de máxima importância para as empresas dado que a sua... more A gestão das redes tornou-se, nos últimos anos, um tema de máxima importância para as empresas dado que a sua organização, os fluxos de informação e métodos de trabalho, quer interna quer externamente, estão cada vez mais dependente do bom funcionamento de redes de comunicação. Esta dependência faz com que a disponibilidade e desempenho destas infra-estruturas e serviços sejam actualmente factores determinantes para o seu sucesso.
Tem-se assistido também a um aumento quer a nível de tamanho, quer a nível de complexidade das redes, o que implica o desenvolvimento rápido de mecanismos de configuração normalizados para que a sua gestão seja feita de uma forma eficaz e rápida.
O conceito de gestão por políticas surgiu nos últimos anos como o paradigma “ideal” para tratar este tipo de necessidades.
Tendo em consideração que a maioria dos actuais sistemas de informação tem uma interdependência quase total com a rede de comunicação que lhe dá suporte, é importante que esta mesma rede esteja a funcionar correctamente, isto é exiba os comportamentos adequados, pois uma sua eventual falha pode levar, em casos extremos, à inoperabilidade total ou parcial do próprio sistema de informação.
A Gestão Baseada em Políticas (PBM – Policy Based Management) apresenta-se como um paradigma adequado quer para gerir estas novas redes de comunicação quer para garantir segurança e, genericamente, definir as politicas de utilização dos sistemas e infra-estrutura de comunicações de uma organização. Este artigo visa expor esta metodologia, o estado de normas e de desenvolvimentos, e discutir a sua utilização nos sistemas de informação actuais de forma a garantir uma administração coordenada e consistente.

Towards Transactional Integrity Issues in Policy Based Network Management Systems

by Vitor Roque

actas da 7ª Conferência de Redes de Computadores – CRC2004, Leiria, Portugal, 7-8 Outubro de 2004

As networks increase in size, heterogeneity, complexity and pervasiveness, effective management of such networks... more As networks increase in size, heterogeneity, complexity and pervasiveness, effective management of such networks becomes more important and increasingly difficult. In this context, PBNM (Policy-Based Network Management) has been gaining popularity in the recent years. New demands on internetworking, services specification, QoS and generically on network management functionality have been driving users to consider this paradigm in their own networks.
As people start exploiting PBNM, another aspect comes to attention: transactional integrity. Transactional control envisages achieving consistent state changes along the network. In other words, state transition in network devices is only authorized if all the related operations are successfully taken.
In this paper we propose a transactional control mechanism for PBNM systems, namely its assurance across different systems and different network domains.

A handy systematic method for data hazards detection in an instruction set of a pipelined microprocessor

by Ahmed Mahran

It is intended in this document to introduce a handy systematic method for enumerating all possible data dependency... more It is intended in this document to introduce a handy systematic method for enumerating all possible data dependency cases that could occur between any two instructions that might happen to be processed at the same time at different stages of the pipeline. Given instructions of the instruction set, specific information about operands of each instruction and when an instruction reads or writes data, the method could be used to enumerate all possible data hazard cases and to determine whether forwarding or stalling is suitable for resolving each case.

Enabling Multithreading on CGRAs

by Reiley Jeyapaul

ICPP 2011

Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Arrays or CGRAs are programmable fabrics that promise both high performance and high... more Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Arrays or CGRAs are programmable fabrics that promise both high performance and high power efficiency. Traditionally, CGRAs were used to accelerate extremely-embedded systems, and were typically manually programmed. However, as CGRAs are conceived to be used as more general-purpose accelerators, there is a need to develop software tools and capabilities. Much work has been done on developing compiler techniques for CGRAs, making programming them easier, however, there is no support for multithreading. As an accelerator to a multithreaded processor, CGRAs now are restricted to accelerating only one kernel of one thread running on the processor at any point in time. Supporting multithreading is difficult, since the start times and end times of threads are dynamic in nature, while CGRAs are statically scheduled. In this paper, we propose a strategy to do multithreading on a CGRA. The chief capability that we develop is a scheme to quickly transform an existing application mapping using the entire CGRA to one using only a fraction of it. Our experimental results on kernels from multimedia applications demonstrate that multithreading support can improve the total throughput of a CGRA by over 30%, 75%, and 150% on 4×4, 6×6, and 8×8 CGRAs, respectively, compared to single-threaded methods.

"Emptiness is an Essential Building Element": A Dialogue with Dominique Perrault (in Russian and English)

by Denis Bocquet

Published in Speech, 2012-8, p.236-255

A dialogue with architect Dominique Perrault (DPA Architecture) on the theme of details in architecture for a special... more A dialogue with architect Dominique Perrault (DPA Architecture) on the theme of details in architecture for a special issue of SPEECH on this subject.

Key Words: Details in Architecture, Bibliothèque nationale de France, BNF, François Mitterrand, ESIEE, Ewha University, Grand Paris, Venice Biennal, Albi, Berlin, Madrid, Rouen, Nantes

Path Network / Mreža poti

by Benjamin Stular

Fully bilingual English / Slovenian article

The article is a chapter from a book dealing with a Late Antique site Tonovcov grad (Slovenia). This article analyses... more The article is a chapter from a book dealing with a Late Antique site Tonovcov grad (Slovenia). This article analyses lidar-derived DEM, historical maps and other data in order to obtain the optimal path network.

Piperench: A Reconfigurable Architecture and Compiler

by Mohamed IBrahim

J. Suárez Otero (2010), Digging in a Medieval Cathedral: History of the Archaeological Research in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

by José Suárez Otero

Lecture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, november 14, 2010)

Updated english version of: SUÁREZ OTERO, J. (1999), La Tumba de Santiago, entre la Fe y la Arqueología, in VV.AA., Compostela na Historia. Redescubrimento- rexurdimento (Santiago), 15- 22.

Máquinas de cálculo y proceso mecánico mediante MEMS

by Pablo Cayuela

Resumen — Charles Babbage planteó el diseño [1] de sus máquinas diferencial [2] y analítica [3], las que no pudo... more Resumen — Charles Babbage planteó el diseño [1] de sus máquinas diferencial [2] y analítica [3], las que no pudo llevar a cabo completamente por diversas razones. La arquitectura de esta última máquina, analizada a la luz del desarrollo de las computadoras modernas del siglo XX, es similar a los modelos de Von Neumann.
Entre las ventajas de las máquinas mecánicas de cálculo,
podemos contar: inmunidad al pulso electromagnético, consumo de energía nulo durante el reposo, tolerancia al aumento de temperatura, entre otras; características que siguen siendo deseables para todo tipo de técnica física de solución de problemas.
Mediante las técnicas de construcción de MEMS, MOEMS y NEMS, es posible plantear el desarrollo de máquinas análogas al diseño de Babbage. A las ventajas dichas, podemos sumar las propias de la miniaturización mediante MEMS, MOEMS o NEMS.
Sin limitarnos a tan solo las máquinas de cálculo, pueden
construirse en esa misma tecnología, máquinas análogas a las soluciones mecánicas de muchos otros procesos, en los cuales tanto por tradición, como por costo o simplicidad se construyeron mediante técnicas mecánicas.
Sin embargo, también el uso de estas tecnologías viene
acompañado de una serie de restricciones relacionadas con problemas de escala y geometría, que deben ser contemplados a priori. Por otro lado, es poco probable que la velocidad de trabajo o ejecución de tareas, esté por encima o a la altura de los modernos sistemas electrónicos de procesamiento de datos.
Las aplicaciones posibles serían muy diversas, aprovechando sus ventajas, allí donde no sean necesarias las correspondientes de las versiones electrónicas: sistemas de control de vuelo y navegación inmunes al ruido eléctrico, al pulso electromagnético, de bajo consumo energético o autopropulsados; plantas de procesamiento químico en miniatura para la fabricación bajo demanda de
drogas farmacéuticas; control y procesamiento numérico en
instalaciones industriales.
Por esto, un cuidadoso estudio de sus posibilidades constructivas
y de aplicación, sería la clave para disponer de esta tecnología y
sus ventajas.

Computer architecture

by Allan Dziwornu

Allan Dziwornu,John Molo and Alexey Blabov

MIPS is becoming a widely used system in computer architecture.This articles gives an illustration on how it is done MIPS is becoming a widely used system in computer architecture.This articles gives an illustration on how it is done

Daniel Libeskind for Dresden: A Non-Militarist Military Museum? (in Italian)

by Denis Bocquet

Published in Il Giornale dell'Architettura, 2011, n.99, p.8

About the inauguration of the new Military Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden (Germany).
Architect: Daniel... more About the inauguration of the new Military Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden (Germany).
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Theme of the paper: The pedagogy of deconstructivism and the architectural treatment of traumatic memories

Key Words: Dresda, Dresde, Dresden, Historisches Museum, Bundeswehr, musée militaire, museo militare, déconstructivisme, decostruttivismo

Intel Architecture and Processor Identification With CPUID Model and Family Numbers

by Hussam Mousa

Summary of recent Intel processor's cpuid values, model and family numbers linked to the architecture codename and... more Summary of recent Intel processor's cpuid values, model and family numbers linked to the architecture codename and processor codename as well as their brand names and model. Summary covers mainline IA x86 and x64 90nm, 65nm, 45nm, and 32nm processors.

An adaptive bloom filter cache partitioning scheme for multicore architectures

by Kostis Nikas

A comparison of S/370 and AS/400 architecture.

by JTE Elms (Teresa)

1990. Co-authored with Paul Conte. In Teresa Elms (ed.), The AS/400 Alternative: A System/370 to AS/400 Migration Sourcebook. Cheshire, CT: ADM Inc.

Dual Instruction Pipeline to Mitigate Failures due to Soft Errors

by Reiley Jeyapaul

Computer Architecture - Course Project ( Dec 2006 )

Reliability is a crucial factor in today’s fast paced processors that perform numerous tasks on smaller die areas. The... more Reliability is a crucial factor in today’s fast paced processors that perform numerous tasks on smaller die areas. The increase in circuit complexity per reduced area of die gives way to transient errors in the circuit which pose a major threat to the reliability of the system as a whole. These small and high speed transistors are prone to alpha and gamma particles present in the atmosphere. Our main concern for the instruction pipeline is because of the criticality involved in application errors occurring in space explorations and other energy intense environments. It is at these environments that the effect of radiation induced soft errors are prominent in the processor. Critical applications when run on such processors, at these intense environments, have to be reliable. The time that data is static in the pipeline registers of the instruction pipeline, it is vulnerable to soft errors. A soft error that occurs in pipeline block has a high probability of being latched in the pipeline registers. In this paper we propose to increase the reliability of processors, using a novel dual instruction pipeline technique in which the pipeline registers are removed and an instruction issue logic is framed to retain the performance of the system.

"Ars brevis, vita longa: On Preservation of Synagogue Art," Studia Hebraica 9-10 (2009-10), 91-111.

by Ilia Rodov

SPKM : A Novel Graph Drawing based Algorithm for Application Mapping onto Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Architectures

by Reiley Jeyapaul

ASPDAC 2008

Recently coarse-grained reconfigurable architectures (CGRAs) have drawn increasing attention due to their efficiency... more Recently coarse-grained reconfigurable architectures (CGRAs) have drawn increasing attention due to their efficiency and flexibility. While many CGRAs have demonstrated impressive performance improvements, the effectiveness of CGRA platforms ultimately hinges on the compiler. Existing CGRA compilers do not model the details of the CGRA architecture, due to which they are, i) unable to map applications, even though a mapping exists, and ii) use too many PEs to map an application. In this paper, we model several CGRA details in our compiler and develop a graph mapping based approach (SPKM) for mapping applications onto CGRAs. On randomly generated graphs our technique can map on average 4.5times more applications than the previous approaches, while using fewer CGRA rows 62% times, without any penalty in mapping time. We observe similar results on a suite of benchmarks collected from Livermore Loops, Multimedia and DSPStone benchmarks.

Exploring Correlation for Indirect Branch Prediction

by Chintan Panirwala