Agent-based management systems for many-core platforms : rigorous design and efficient implementation

Due to various advantages such as flexibility, scalability and updatability, software intensive systems are increasingly embedded in everyday life. The constantly growing number of functions executed by these systems requires a high level of performance from the underlying platform. The main approach to incrementing performance has been the increase of operating frequency of a chip. However, this has led to the problem of power dissipation, which has shifted the focus of research to parallel and distributed computing. Parallel many-core platforms can provide the required level of computational power along with low power consumption. On the one hand, this enables parallel execution of highly intensive applications. With their computational power, these platforms are likely to be used in various application domains: from home use electronics (e.g., video processing) to complex critical control systems. On the other hand, the utilization of the resources has to be efficient in terms of performance and power consumption. However, the high level of on-chip integration results in the increase of the probability of various faults and creation of hotspots leading to thermal problems. Additionally, radiation, which is frequent in space but becomes an issue also at the ground level, can cause transient faults. This can eventually induce a faulty execution of applications. Therefore, it is crucial to develop methods that enable efficient as well as resilient execution of applications. The main objective of the thesis is to propose an approach to design agentbased systems for many-core platforms in a rigorous manner. When designing such a system, we explore and integrate various dynamic reconfiguration mechanisms into agents functionality. The use of these mechanisms enhances resilience of the underlying platform whilst maintaining performance at an acceptable level. The design of the system proceeds according to a formal refinement approach which allows us to ensure correct behaviour of the system with respect to postulated properties. To enable analysis of the proposed system in terms of area overhead as well as performance, we explore an approach, where the developed rigorous models are transformed into a high-level implementation language. Specifically, we investigate methods for deriving fault-free implementations from these models into, e.g., a hardware description language, namely VHDL.

Information integration and its impacts on logistics performance - Using information technology and systems to facilitate information integration

Fast changing environment sets pressure on firms to share large amount of information with their customers and suppliers. The terms information integration and information sharing are essential for facilitating a smooth flow of information throughout the supply chain, and the terms are used interchangeably in research literature. By integrating and sharing information, firms want to improve their logistics performance. Firms share information with their suppliers and customers by using traditional communication methods (telephone, fax, Email, written and face-to-face contacts) and by using advanced or modern communication methods such as electronic data interchange (EDI), enterprise resource planning (ERP), web-based procurement systems, electronic trading systems and web portals. Adopting new ways of using IT is one important resource for staying competitive on the rapidly changing market (Saeed et al. 2005, 387), and an information system that provides people the information they need for performing their work, will support company performance (Boddy et al. 2005, 26). The purpose of this research has been to test and understand the relationship between information integration with key suppliers and/or customers and a firm’s logistics performance, especially when information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) are used for integrating information. Quantitative and qualitative research methods have been used to perform the research. Special attention has been paid to the scope, level and direction of information integration (Van Donk & van der Vaart 2005a). In addition, the four elements of integration (Jahre & Fabbe-Costes 2008) are closely tied to the frame of reference. The elements are integration of flows, integration of processes and activities, integration of information technologies and systems and integration of actors. The study found that information integration has a low positive relationship to operational performance and a medium positive relationship to strategic performance. The potential performance improvements found in this study vary from efficiency, delivery and quality improvements (operational) to profit, profitability or customer satisfaction improvements (strategic). The results indicate that although information integration has an impact on a firm’s logistics performance, all performance improvements have not been achieved. This study also found that the use of IT and IS have a mediocre positive relationship to information integration. Almost all case companies agreed on that the use of IT and IS could facilitate information integration and improve their logistics performance. The case companies felt that an implementation of a web portal or a data bank would benefit them - enhance their performance and increase information integration.

Exploration and Design of Power-Efficient Networked Many-Core Systems

Multiprocessing is a promising solution to meet the requirements of near future applications. To get full benefit from parallel processing, a manycore system needs efficient, on-chip communication architecture. Networkon- Chip (NoC) is a general purpose communication concept that offers highthroughput, reduced power consumption, and keeps complexity in check by a regular composition of basic building blocks. This thesis presents power efficient communication approaches for networked many-core systems. We address a range of issues being important for designing power-efficient manycore systems at two different levels: the network-level and the router-level. From the network-level point of view, exploiting state-of-the-art concepts such as Globally Asynchronous Locally Synchronous (GALS), Voltage/ Frequency Island (VFI), and 3D Networks-on-Chip approaches may be a solution to the excessive power consumption demanded by today’s and future many-core systems. To this end, a low-cost 3D NoC architecture, based on high-speed GALS-based vertical channels, is proposed to mitigate high peak temperatures, power densities, and area footprints of vertical interconnects in 3D ICs. To further exploit the beneficial feature of a negligible inter-layer distance of 3D ICs, we propose a novel hybridization scheme for inter-layer communication. In addition, an efficient adaptive routing algorithm is presented which enables congestion-aware and reliable communication for the hybridized NoC architecture. An integrated monitoring and management platform on top of this architecture is also developed in order to implement more scalable power optimization techniques. From the router-level perspective, four design styles for implementing power-efficient reconfigurable interfaces in VFI-based NoC systems are proposed. To enhance the utilization of virtual channel buffers and to manage their power consumption, a partial virtual channel sharing method for NoC routers is devised and implemented. Extensive experiments with synthetic and real benchmarks show significant power savings and mitigated hotspots with similar performance compared to latest NoC architectures. The thesis concludes that careful codesigned elements from different network levels enable considerable power savings for many-core systems.

A Model-Based Development and Verification Framework for Distributed System-on-Chip Architecture

The capabilities and thus, design complexity of VLSI-based embedded systems have increased tremendously in recent years, riding the wave of Moore’s law. The time-to-market requirements are also shrinking, imposing challenges to the designers, which in turn, seek to adopt new design methods to increase their productivity. As an answer to these new pressures, modern day systems have moved towards on-chip multiprocessing technologies. New architectures have emerged in on-chip multiprocessing in order to utilize the tremendous advances of fabrication technology. Platform-based design is a possible solution in addressing these challenges. The principle behind the approach is to separate the functionality of an application from the organization and communication architecture of hardware platform at several levels of abstraction. The existing design methodologies pertaining to platform-based design approach don’t provide full automation at every level of the design processes, and sometimes, the co-design of platform-based systems lead to sub-optimal systems. In addition, the design productivity gap in multiprocessor systems remain a key challenge due to existing design methodologies. This thesis addresses the aforementioned challenges and discusses the creation of a development framework for a platform-based system design, in the context of the SegBus platform - a distributed communication architecture. This research aims to provide automated procedures for platform design and application mapping. Structural verification support is also featured thus ensuring correct-by-design platforms. The solution is based on a model-based process. Both the platform and the application are modeled using the Unified Modeling Language. This thesis develops a Domain Specific Language to support platform modeling based on a corresponding UML profile. Object Constraint Language constraints are used to support structurally correct platform construction. An emulator is thus introduced to allow as much as possible accurate performance estimation of the solution, at high abstraction levels. VHDL code is automatically generated, in the form of “snippets” to be employed in the arbiter modules of the platform, as required by the application. The resulting framework is applied in building an actual design solution for an MP3 stereo audio decoder application.

Cell Model Systems in Characterizing Alpha2-Adrenoceptors as Drug Targets.

The three alpha2-adrenoceptor (alpha2-AR) subtypes belong to the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily and represent potential drug targets. These receptors have many vital physiological functions, but their actions are complex and often oppose each other. Current research is therefore driven towards discovering drugs that selectively interact with a specific subtype. Cell model systems can be used to evaluate a chemical compound's activity in complex biological systems. The aim of this thesis was to optimize and validate cell-based model systems and assays to investigate alpha2-ARs as drug targets. The use of immortalized cell lines as model systems is firmly established but poses several problems, since the protein of interest is expressed in a foreign environment, and thus essential components of receptor regulation or signaling cascades might be missing. Careful cell model validation is thus required; this was exemplified by three different approaches. In cells heterologously expressing alpha2A-ARs, it was noted that the transfection technique affected the test outcome; false negative adenylyl cyclase test results were produced unless a cell population expressing receptors in a homogenous fashion was used. Recombinant alpha2C-ARs in non-neuronal cells were retained inside the cells, and not expressed in the cell membrane, complicating investigation of this receptor subtype. Receptor expression enhancing proteins (REEPs) were found to be neuronalspecific adapter proteins that regulate the processing of the alpha2C-AR, resulting in an increased level of total receptor expression. Current trends call for the use of primary cells endogenously expressing the receptor of interest; therefore, primary human vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) expressing alpha2-ARs were tested in a functional assay monitoring contractility with a myosin light chain phosphorylation assay. However, these cells were not compatible with this assay due to the loss of differentiation. A rat aortic SMC cell line transfected to express the human alpha2B-AR was adapted for the assay, and it was found that the alpha2-AR agonist, dexmedetomidine, evoked myosin light chain phosphorylation in this model.

Nurses’ Acceptance of an Internet-Based Support System in The Care of Adolescents with Depression

The overall goal of the study was to describe nurses’ acceptance of an Internet-based support system in the care of adolescents with depression. The data were collected in four phases during the period 2006 – 2010 from nurses working in adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinics and from professionals working with adolescents in basic public services. In the first phase, the nurses’ anticipated perceptions of the usefulness of the Internet-based support system before its implementation was explored. In the second phase, the nurses’ perceived ease of computer and Internet use and attitudes toward it were explored. In the third phase, the features of the support system and its implementation process were described. In the fourth phase, the nurses’ experiences of behavioural intention and actual system use of the Internet-based support were described in psychiatric out-patient care after one year use. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to structure the various research phases. Several benefits were identified from the nurses’ perspective in using the Internet-based support system in the care of adolescents with depression. The nurses’ technology skills were good and their attitudes towards computer use were positive. The support system was developed in various phases to meet the adolescents’ needs. Before the implementation of the information technology (IT)-based support system, it is important to pay attention to the nurses’ IT-training, technology support, resources, and safety as well as ethical issues related to the support system. After one year of using the system, the nurses perceived the Internet-based support system to be useful in the care of adolescents with depression. The adolescents’ independent work with the support system at home and the program’s systematic character were experienced as conducive from the point of view of the treatment. However, the Internet-based support system was integrated only partly into the nurseadolescent interaction even though the nurses’ perceptions of it were positive. The use of the IT-based system as part of the adolescents’ depression care was seen positively and its benefits were recognized. This serves as a good basis for future IT-based techniques. Successful implementations of IT-based support systems need a systematic implementation plan and commitment from the part of the organization and its managers. Supporting and evaluating the implementation of an IT-based system should pay attention to changing the nurses’ work styles. Health care organizations should be offered more flexible opportunities to utilize IT-based systems in direct patient care in the future.

Paperiteollisuuden tehdasjärjestelmien uusimisen vaatimukset usean tehtaan ympäristössä

Tässä diplomityössä tutkitaan tehdasjärjestelmien uusintaan vaikuttavia tekijöitä, kun tarkoituksena on siirtyä yhtenäisiin tuotepohjaisiin järjestelmäratkaisuihin usean paperitehtaan ympäristössä. Paperitehtaan tehdasjärjestelmän avulla hallitaan tehtaan toimintaa alkaen tilauksen saapumisesta tehtaalle aina valmiin tuotteen varastointiin sekä asiakkaalle toimitukseen saakka. Työn pääasiallinen tarkoitus on tutkia erilaisten teknisten arkkitehtuurien, kuten keskitetyn tai hajautetun palvelinympäristön vaikutusta järjestelmän käyttövarmuuteen, käytettävyyteen sekä järjestelmän elinkaaren aikaisiin kustannuksiin. Tietojärjestelmien keskittämiseen ja konsolidointiin liittyen tutkitaan mm. vaikutuksia liityntöjen ja raportoinnin hallintaan sekä tietoverkoille asetettavia vaatimuksia. Työssä tutkitaan myös tuotepohjaisten järjestelmien räätälöintitarpeita ja siihen liittyvää vaatimusmäärittelyä. Työssä esitettyjä näkemyksiä voidaan käyttää päätösten tukena, kun pohditaan toteutettavan tietojärjestelmän teknisen infrastruktuurin optimaalisinta rakennetta.

Assessing e-procurement System for Improving the Purchasing Operations

Diplomityön tavoitteena oli luoda suunnitelma elektronisen hankintatoimen aloittamiseksi, analysoimalla nykyisiä ostoprosesseja ja konsernin laajuista elektronista hankintajärjestelmää. Työ pohjautuu yritysten väliseen elektroniseen kauppaan, elektroniseen hankintatoimeen ja systeemisuunnitteluun liittyvään kirjallisuuteen. Työssä tehdyn suunnitelman tarkoituksena on auttaa Siemens Oy:tä siirtymään uuteen elektroniseen ostotoimintaan. Elektroniselle ostotoiminnalle suunniteltiin tavoitteet ja näitä vastaavat vaatimukset. Elektronisen hankintajärjestelmän analysointi perustuu kirjallisuudessa esitettyihin järjestelmän elinkaari-mallin vaiheisiin. Analysoinnin tarkoituksena oli saada selville järjestelmän soveltuvuus Siemens Oy: n liiketoimintaympäristöön, prosesseihin ja vaatimuksiin. Elektronisen hankintatoiminnan etuja ovat liiketoiminta prosessien johtamisen parantuminen, kustannusten väheneminen sekä taloudellisen suorituskyvyn lisääntyminen. Elektronisen hankintatoiminnan aloittaminen vaatii kuitenkin huolellista suunnittelua. Työssä tehdyt suunnitelmat ja analysoinnit auttavat arvioidessa järjestelmän sopivuutta Siemens Oy: n vaatimuksiin. Oikean ja toimivan järjestelmän valinta ei kuitenkaan takaa elektronisesta hankintatoiminnasta hyötymistä. Tärkeimpiä jatkotoimenpiteitä onkin suorittaa kustannus/hyöty analyysi ja arvioida toimittajien halukkuutta ja kykyjä osallistua markkinapaikkaan.

Toimintamalli asuinkiinteistö öljyvahingon hoitamiseksi

Pienkiinteistöjen öljyvahingot ovat viime vuosina lisääntyneet. Tämän työn tarkoituksena on luoda öljyvahingon torjuntaan ja jälkihoitoon osallistuvalle urakoitsijalle toimintamalli asuinkiinteistön öljyvahingon hoitamiseksi. Mallin halutaan erityisesti kuvaavan öljyvahingon hoitoon osallistuvien viranomaisten ja muiden tahojen vastuita ja velvollisuuksia. Työn tavoitteena on myös tunnistaa pienkiinteistöissä tapahtuvat öljyvahinkotyypit sekä niille altistavat riskitekijät. Öljyn päästäminen ympäristöön sekä öljyn käsittely ja varastointi niin, että siitä aiheutuu öljyvahingon vaara, kielletään laissa. Vahinkojen torjumiseksi on annettu määräyksiä muun muassa öljylämmityslaitteistojen turvallisuutta koskien. Asuinkiinteistöjen öljyvahingot liittyvät yleensä öljysäiliön täyttötilanteisiin. Vahinkojen syynä on usein säiliön ja sen varusteiden puutteellisuus tai huono kunto. Asuinrakennusten lämmitykseen käytetään kevyttä polttoöljyä. Maahan joutuessaan polttoöljy imeytyy sora- ja hiekkamaahan nopeasti, jolloin vaarana on öljyn kulkeutuminen pohjaveteen ja vesistöihin. Asuinkiinteistön öljyvahingossa öljyä joutuu usein myös rakenteisiin. Öljyvahingosta tulee ilmoittaa aina hätäkeskukseen. Vastuu öljyvahinkojen torjunnasta kuuluu alueelliselle pelastustoimelle. Torjuntatoimiin osallistuu usein myös urakoitsija. Jos vahinkokohdetta ei torjuntatoimin saada kunnostettua, alueellinen ympäristökeskus voi määrätä puhdistamisesta vastuussa olevan selvittämään pilaantuneen alueen laajuuden ja puhdistamistarpeen sekä toteuttamaan mahdollisen kunnostuksen. Pilaantuneen maaperän kunnostus voidaan toteuttaa massan vaihtona tai paikan päällä maata kaivamatta. Likaantuneiden rakenteiden saneerausta tarvitaan sisäilman hajuhaittojen poistamiseksi. Öljyvahingon kustannukset voivat nousta hyvinkin suuriksi. Ensisijainen vastuu niistä kuuluu vahingonaiheuttajalle.

Pientalon energiatehokkuuden vaatimusten kiristymisen vaikutus lämmitysratkaisujen hiilidioksidipäästöihin

Tässä työssä tarkastellaan pientalojen kiristyvien energiatehokkuusvaatimusten vaikutusta lämmitysratkaisuista aiheutuviin hiilidioksipäästöihin. Kiristyvät vaatimukset tähtäävät tarvittavan lämmitysenergian ja hiilidioksidipäästöjen pienenemiseen mutta ne vaikuttavat myös lämmitystapojen keskinäiseen kilpailukykyyn. Koska hiilidioksidipäästöt lämmitystapojen kesken ovat erilaisia, ei päästöt pienene samassa suhteessa lämmitysenergian pienentymisen kanssa mikäli järjestelmä vaihdetaan suurempipäästöiseen lämmitystapaan. Kannattavuuden perusteella arvioidaan mitkä lämmitystavat yleistyvät tulevaisuudessa ja kuinka muutos vaikuttaa hiilidioksipäästöihin. Tarkasteltavina lämmitysmuotoina on maalämpöpumppulämmitys, öljylämmitys ja kaukolämpölämmitys. Tarkasteltavia lämmitysmuotoja verrataan investointikustannuksiltaan edullisimpiin sähkölämmitysmuotoihin. Työssä todettiin energiatehokkuuden vaatimusten kiristämisen kasvattavan sähkölämmitystapojen osuutta. Koska lämmityssähkön hiilidioksidipäästöt ovat korkeat, joissain tapauksissa hiilidioksipäästöt jopa kasvavat energiatehokkuuden parantuessa.

IFRS 2 Osakeperusteiset maksut – ylimmän johdon osakeperusteisten palkitsemisjärjestelmien kirjaaminen sekä vaikutus tilinpäätökseen

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on pyrkiä selvittämään kansainvälisen tilipäätösstandardin, IFRS 2 Osakeperusteiset maksut, vaikutusta yritysten palkitsemisjärjestelmäkäytäntöihin standardin voimaanastumisesta aina nykyhetkeen saakka. Tarkastelun ensisijaisena pyrkimyksenä on selvittää, miten osakeperusteiset palkitsemisjärjestelmät, kirjataan yritysten tilinpäätöksiin. Tutkimuksessa on myös tarkoitus yritysten tilinpäätösinformaatioiden kautta pyrkiä tuomaan esille osakeperusteisten maksujen tilinpäätöksellinen vaikutus, eli selvittää, millaisia vaikutuksia osakeperusteisten maksujen kirjaamisella on yritysten tunnusluvuille.

Fraud detection in the banking sector : a multi-agent approach

Fraud is an increasing phenomenon as shown in many surveys carried out by leading international consulting companies in the last years. Despite the evolution of electronic payments and hacking techniques there is still a strong human component in fraud schemes. Conflict of interest in particular is the main contributing factor to the success of internal fraud. In such cases anomaly detection tools are not always the best instruments, since the fraud schemes are based on faking documents in a context dominated by lack of controls, and the perpetrators are those ones who should control possible irregularities. In the banking sector audit team experts can count only on their experience, whistle blowing and the reports sent by their inspectors. The Fraud Interactive Decision Expert System (FIDES), which is the core of this research, is a multi-agent system built to support auditors in evaluating suspicious behaviours and to speed up the evaluation process in order to detect or prevent fraud schemes. The system combines Think-map, Delphi method and Attack trees and it has been built around audit team experts and their needs. The output of FIDES is an attack tree, a tree-based diagram to ”systematically categorize the different ways in which a system can be attacked”. Once the attack tree is built, auditors can choose the path they perceive as more suitable and decide whether or not to start the investigation. The system is meant for use in the future to retrieve old cases in order to match them with new ones and find similarities. The retrieving features of the system will be useful to simplify the risk management phase, since similar countermeasures adopted for past cases might be useful for present ones. Even though FIDES has been built with the banking sector in mind, it can be applied in all those organisations, like insurance companies or public organizations, where anti-fraud activity is based on a central anti-fraud unit and a reporting system.

On Dynamic Monitoring Methods for Networks-on-Chip

Rapid ongoing evolution of multiprocessors will lead to systems with hundreds of processing cores integrated in a single chip. An emerging challenge is the implementation of reliable and efficient interconnection between these cores as well as other components in the systems. Network-on-Chip is an interconnection approach which is intended to solve the performance bottleneck caused by traditional, poorly scalable communication structures such as buses. However, a large on-chip network involves issues related to congestion problems and system control, for instance. Additionally, faults can cause problems in multiprocessor systems. These faults can be transient faults, permanent manufacturing faults, or they can appear due to aging. To solve the emerging traffic management, controllability issues and to maintain system operation regardless of faults a monitoring system is needed. The monitoring system should be dynamically applicable to various purposes and it should fully cover the system under observation. In a large multiprocessor the distances between components can be relatively long. Therefore, the system should be designed so that the amount of energy-inefficient long-distance communication is minimized. This thesis presents a dynamically clustered distributed monitoring structure. The monitoring is distributed so that no centralized control is required for basic tasks such as traffic management and task mapping. To enable extensive analysis of different Network-on-Chip architectures, an in-house SystemC based simulation environment was implemented. It allows transaction level analysis without time consuming circuit level implementations during early design phases of novel architectures and features. The presented analysis shows that the dynamically clustered monitoring structure can be efficiently utilized for traffic management in faulty and congested Network-on-Chip-based multiprocessor systems. The monitoring structure can be also successfully applied for task mapping purposes. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the presented in-house simulation environment is flexible and practical tool for extensive Network-on-Chip architecture analysis.

Islandora Sync: Enabling Administrators and Developers

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Asuinkerrostalon lämmöntuottojärjestelmän optimointi elinkaarikustannusten perusteella hyödynnettäessä lämpöpumpulla useita lämmönlähteitä

The basis of this thesis was to optimize heat pump that uses multiple heat sources to get competitive heating system for residential building when life cycle costs are considered. The objectives were to compile necessary information to calculate life cycle costs for heating system of residential building and start to compose of designing program for heat pump based heating systems. Examinations were made for the purchase energy need of residential building. Features of heat pump, considered refrigerant and potential heat sources were examined to find out heat production potential of heat pumps. Necessary information for life cycle cost calculation was also examined. Collected data was used in two case analyses to design selected heat production systems and calculate their life cycle costs. On the basis of case analyses heat pump based hybrid heat production systems are very competitive on life cycle cost comparison against district heating when residential building uses a lot of energy. New buildings use considerably less energy and achieved energy cost savings with heat pump systems may not be enough to cover the relatively high investment cost in reasonable time period compared to district heating system. The calculation method was found to require further development to at least include the cooling energy need of the building. Cooling demand will continue to grow in the future, which improves the heat pump based heat production systems competitiveness compared to other systems.