Proposed Techniques (proposed + techniques)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Engineering


Selected Abstracts


On the effectiveness of runtime techniques to reduce memory sharing overheads in distributed Java implementations

CONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 13 2008
Marcelo Lobosco
Abstract Distributed Java virtual machine (dJVM) systems enable concurrent Java applications to transparently run on clusters of commodity computers. This is achieved by supporting Java's shared-memory model over multiple JVMs distributed across the cluster's computer nodes. In this work, we describe and evaluate selective dynamic diffing and lazy home allocation, two new runtime techniques that enable dJVMs to efficiently support memory sharing across the cluster. Specifically, the two proposed techniques can contribute to reduce the overheads due to message traffic, extra memory space, and high latency of remote memory accesses that such dJVM systems require for implementing their memory-coherence protocol either in isolation or in combination. In order to evaluate the performance-related benefits of dynamic diffing and lazy home allocation, we implemented both techniques in Cooperative JVM (CoJVM), a basic dJVM system we developed in previous work. In subsequent work, we carried out performance comparisons between the basic CoJVM and modified CoJVM versions for five representative concurrent Java applications (matrix multiply, LU, Radix, fast Fourier transform, and SOR) using our proposed techniques. Our experimental results showed that dynamic diffing and lazy home allocation significantly reduced memory sharing overheads. The reduction resulted in considerable gains in CoJVM system's performance, ranging from 9% up to 20%, in four out of the five applications, with resulting speedups varying from 6.5 up to 8.1 for an 8-node cluster of computers. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Enhanced system design for download and streaming services using Raptor codes,,

EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 2 2009
Tiago Gasiba
Raptor codes have been recently standardised by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to be used in the application layer (AL) for multimedia broadcast and multicast services (MBMS) including download delivery and streaming delivery. Furthermore, digital video broadcast (DVB) has also recommended the inclusion of these Raptor codes for IP-datacast services. In this paper, enhancements on the system and receiver design using Raptor codes are studied, namely the permeable layer receiver (PLR) and the individual post-repair mechanism. With the PLR, the partial information ignored in the conventional receiver is passed from lower layer to higher layer. We show how a practical and efficient implementation of the Raptor decoder as a PLR can be done, which can not only achieve huge performance gains, but the gains can be achieved at an affordable low decoding complexity. Whereas the PLR is employed for enhancing both download and streaming services, the post-repair aims at guaranteeing reliable download delivery when a feedback channel is available. We propose here two efficient post-repair algorithms which fully exploit the properties of the Raptor codes. One allows to find a minimum set of source symbols to be requested in the post-delivery, and another allows to find a sufficient number of consecutive repair symbols. Selected simulations verify the good performance of proposed techniques. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


A mesh adaptation framework for dealing with large deforming meshes

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2010
Gaëtan Compère
Abstract In this paper, we identify and propose solutions for several issues encountered when designing a mesh adaptation package, such as mesh-to-mesh projections and mesh database design, and we describe an algorithm to integrate a mesh adaptation procedure in a physics solver. The open-source MAdLib package is presented as an example of such a mesh adaptation library. A new technique combining global node repositioning and mesh optimization in order to perform arbitrarily large deformations is also proposed. We then present several test cases to evaluate the performances of the proposed techniques and to show their applicability to fluid,structure interaction problems with arbitrarily large deformations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Voxel-based meshing and unit-cell analysis of textile composites

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2003
Hyung Joo Kim
Abstract Unit-cell homogenization techniques are frequently used together with the finite element method to compute effective mechanical properties for a wide range of different composites and heterogeneous materials systems. For systems with very complicated material arrangements, mesh generation can be a considerable obstacle to usage of these techniques. In this work, pixel-based (2D) and voxel-based (3D) meshing concepts borrowed from image processing are thus developed and employed to construct the finite element models used in computing the micro-scale stress and strain fields in the composite. The potential advantage of these techniques is that generation of unit-cell models can be automated, thus requiring far less human time than traditional finite element models. Essential ideas and algorithms for implementation of proposed techniques are presented. In addition, a new error estimator based on sensitivity of virtual strain energy to mesh refinement is presented and applied. The computational costs and rate of convergence for the proposed methods are presented for three different mesh-refinement algorithms: uniform refinement; selective refinement based on material boundary resolution; and adaptive refinement based on error estimation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Robust H, filtering for switched linear discrete-time systems with polytopic uncertainties

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 6 2006
Lixian Zhang
Abstract In this paper, the problem of robust H, filtering for switched linear discrete-time systems with polytopic uncertainties is investigated. Based on the mode-switching idea and parameter-dependent stability result, a robust switched linear filter is designed such that the corresponding filtering error system achieves robust asymptotic stability and guarantees a prescribed H, performance index for all admissible uncertainties. The existence condition of such filter is derived and formulated in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) by the introduction of slack variables to eliminate the cross coupling of system matrices and Lyapunov matrices among different subsystems. The desired filter can be constructed by solving the corresponding convex optimization problem, which also provides an optimal H, noise-attenuation level bound for the resultant filtering error system. A numerical example is given to show the effectiveness and the potential of the proposed techniques. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Priority-based adaptive routing in NGEO satellite networks

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 3 2007
Ömer Korçak
Abstract In a non-geostationary satellite constellation with inter satellite links (ISLs), there could be many shortest paths between two satellites in terms of hop count. An efficient routing algorithm should effectively use these paths in order to distribute traffic to ISLs in a balanced way and to improve the performance of the system. This paper presents and evaluates a novel priority-based adaptive shortest path routing (PAR) scheme in order to achieve this goal. PAR sets the path towards the destination in a distributed manner, using a priority mechanism depending on the past utilization and buffering information of the ISLs. Moreover, to avoid unnecessary splitting of a flow and to achieve better utilization of ISLs, enhanced PAR (ePAR) scheme is proposed. This paper evaluates performance of the proposed techniques by employing an extensive set of simulations. Furthermore, since there are a number of ePAR parameters that should be adjusted depending on the network and traffic characteristics, a detailed analysis of ePAR scheme is provided to form a framework for setting the parameters. This paper also includes a method for adaptation of the proposed algorithms to minimum-delay path routing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Prolonging microbial shelf life of foods through the use of natural compounds and non-thermal approaches , a review

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Maria Rosaria Corbo
Summary This paper proposes a review of some alternative approaches for food stabilisation and shelf life prolonging (based on the use of natural compounds and/or non-thermal techniques). After a brief description of food structure implication on the way of using the alternative approaches, two paragraphs summarise the topics of natural molecules (essential oils, lysozyme, lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase system, fatty acids, chitosan) and non-thermal approaches (high hydrostatic and homogenisation pressures, pulsed electric fields, high power ultrasound and irradiation). Finally, the last sections deal with the use of combined hurdles (along with the proposal of three possible modes of action of a multi-target preservation), the mathematical approaches for shelf life evaluating and some critical issues to be addressed in the future for a real scaling up of the proposed techniques. [source]


Robust delay-dependent sliding mode control for uncertain time-delay systems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 11 2008
Yuanqing Xia
Abstract In this paper, the problem of robust sliding mode control for a class of linear continuous time-delay systems is studied. The parametric uncertainty considered is a modelling error type of mismatch appearing in the state. A delay-dependent sufficient condition for the existence of linear sliding surfaces is developed in terms of linear matrix inequality, based on which the corresponding reaching motion controller is designed. A numerical example is given to show the potential of the proposed techniques. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Efficient optimization strategies with constraint programming,

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010
Prakash R. Kotecha
Abstract In this article, we propose novel strategies for the efficient determination of multiple solutions for a single objective, as well as globally optimal pareto fronts for multiobjective, optimization problems using Constraint Programming (CP). In particular, we propose strategies to determine, (i) all the multiple (globally) optimal solutions of a single objective optimization problem, (ii) K -best feasible solutions of a single objective optimization problem, and (iii) globally optimal pareto fronts (including nonconvex pareto fronts) along with their multiple realizations for multiobjective optimization problems. It is shown here that the proposed strategy for determining K -best feasible solutions can be tuned as per the requirement of the user to determine either K -best distinct or nondistinct solutions. Similarly, the strategy for determining globally optimal pareto fronts can also be modified as per the requirement of the user to determine either only the distinct set of pareto points or determine the pareto points along with all their multiple realizations. All the proposed techniques involve appropriately modifying the search techniques and are shown to be computationally efficient in terms of not requiring successive re-solving of the problem to obtain the required solutions. This work therefore convincingly addresses the issue of efficiently determining globally optimal pareto fronts; in addition, it also guarantees the determination of all the possible realizations associated with each pareto point. The uncovering of such solutions can greatly aid the designer in making informed decisions. The proposed approaches are demonstrated via two case studies, which are nonlinear, combinatorial optimization problems, taken from the area of sensor network design. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source]


An application of robust control technique to manufacturing systems with uncertain processing time

OPTIMAL CONTROL APPLICATIONS AND METHODS, Issue 6 2000
E. K. Boukas
Abstract This paper studies the inventory control problem for a production system with uncertain processing time and delay in control. First, the stabilization of the delayed system is analysed. Then, a controller is designed such that a disturbance attenuation of the system is achieved. The problem of robust control of the system with parametric uncertainty is also investigated. Linear matrix inequality approach is employed to solve the above problems. A numerical example is given to show the potential of the proposed techniques. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Semiparametric estimation of Value at Risk

THE ECONOMETRICS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2003
Jianqing Fan
Value at Risk (VaR) is a fundamental tool for managing market risks. It measures the worst loss to be expected of a portfolio over a given time horizon under normal market conditions at a given confidence level. Calculation of VaR frequently involves estimating the volatility of return processes and quantiles of standardized returns. In this paper, several semiparametric techniques are introduced to estimate the volatilities of the market prices of a portfolio. In addition, both parametric and nonparametric techniques are proposed to estimate the quantiles of standardized return processes. The newly proposed techniques also have the flexibility to adapt automatically to the changes in the dynamics of market prices over time. Their statistical efficiencies are studied both theoretically and empirically. The combination of newly proposed techniques for estimating volatility and standardized quantiles yields several new techniques for forecasting multiple period VaR. The performance of the newly proposed VaR estimators is evaluated and compared with some of existing methods. Our simulation results and empirical studies endorse the newly proposed time-dependent semiparametric approach for estimating VaR. [source]


Joint Analysis of Time-to-Event and Multiple Binary Indicators of Latent Classes

BIOMETRICS, Issue 1 2004
Klaus Larsen
Summary. Multiple categorical variables are commonly used in medical and epidemiological research to measure specific aspects of human health and functioning. To analyze such data, models have been developed considering these categorical variables as imperfect indicators of an individual's "true" status of health or functioning. In this article, the latent class regression model is used to model the relationship between covariates, a latent class variable (the unobserved status of health or functioning), and the observed indicators (e.g., variables from a questionnaire). The Cox model is extended to encompass a latent class variable as predictor of time-to-event, while using information about latent class membership available from multiple categorical indicators. The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is employed to obtain maximum likelihood estimates, and standard errors are calculated based on the profile likelihood, treating the nonparametric baseline hazard as a nuisance parameter. A sampling-based method for model checking is proposed. It allows for graphical investigation of the assumption of proportional hazards across latent classes. It may also be used for checking other model assumptions, such as no additional effect of the observed indicators given latent class. The usefulness of the model framework and the proposed techniques are illustrated in an analysis of data from the Women's Health and Aging Study concerning the effect of severe mobility disability on time-to-death for elderly women. [source]