Design of an Embedded Computer Board for Networking Applications

Tämä diplomityö tehtiin Convergens Oy:lle. Convergens on elektroniikan suunnittelutoimisto, joka on erikoistunut sulautettuihin järjestelmiin sekä tietoliikennetekniikkaan. Diplomityön tavoitteena oli suunnitella tietokonekortti tietoliikennesovelluksia varten asiakkaalle, jolta vaatimusmäärittelyt tulivat. Työ on rajattu koskemaan laitteen prototyypin suunnittelua. Työssä suunnitellaan pääasiassa WLAN-tukiaseman tietokone. Tukiasema onasennettavissa toimistoihin, varastoihin, kauppoihin sekä myös liikkuvaan ajoneuvoon. Suunnittelussa on otettu nämä asiat huomioon, ja laitteen akun pystyy lataamaan muun muassa auton akulla. Langattomat tekniikat ovat voimakkaasti yleistymässä, ja tämän työn tukiasema tarjoaakin varteenotettavan vaihtoehdon lukuisilla ominaisuuksillaan. Mukana on mm. GPS, Bluetooth sekä Ethernet-valmius. Langattomien tekniikoiden lisäksi myös sulautetut järjestelmät ovat voimakkaasti yleistymässä, ja nykyään mikroprosessoreita löytääkin lähesmistä vain. Tässä projektissa käytetty prosessori on nopeutensa puolesta kilpailukykyinen, ja siitä löytyy useita eri rajapintoja. Jatkossa tietokonekortille on myös tulossa WiMAX-tuki, joka lisää tukiaseman tulevaisuuden arvoa asiakkaalle. Projektiin valittu Freescalen MPC8321E-prosessori on PowerPC-arkkitehtuuriin perustuva ja juuri markkinoille ilmestynyt. Tämä toi mukanaan lisähaasteen, sillä kyseisestä prosessorista ei ollut vielä kaikkea tietoa saatavilla. Mekaniikka toi omat haasteensa mukanaan, sillä se rajoitti piirilevyn koonniin, että ylimääräistä piirilevytilaa ei juurikaan jäänyt. Tämän takia esimerkiksi DDR-muistit olivat haastavia reitittää, sillä muistivetojen on oltava melko samanpituisia keskenään. Käyttöjärjestelmänä projektissa käytetään Linuxia. Suunnittelu alkoi keväällä 2007 ja toimiva prototyyppi oli valmis alkusyksystä. Prototyypin testaus osoitti, että tietokonekortti kykenee täyttämään kaikki asiakkaan vaatimukset. Prototyypin testauksessa löytyneet viat ja optimoinnit on tarkoitus korjata tuotantomalliin, joten se antaa hyvän pohjan jatkosuunnittelua varten.

Système de listes de vérification interactives du niveau de conformité des maquettes avec les recommandations des fabricants de plateformes mobiles

L'ensemble de mon travail a été réalisé grâce a l'utilisation de logiciel libre.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of an organization in the field of brand perception using a computer agent-based simulation system

Este proyecto de investigación busca usar un sistema de cómputo basado en modelación por agentes para medir la percepción de marca de una organización en una población heterogénea. Se espera proporcionar información que permita dar soluciones a una organización acerca del comportamiento de sus consumidores y la asociada percepción de marca. El propósito de este sistema es el de modelar el proceso de percepción-razonamiento-acción para simular un proceso de razonamiento como el resultado de una acumulación de percepciones que resultan en las acciones del consumidor. Este resultado definirá la aceptación de marca o el rechazo del consumidor hacia la empresa. Se realizó un proceso de recolección información acerca de una organización específica en el campo de marketing. Después de compilar y procesar la información obtenida de la empresa, el análisis de la percepción de marca es aplicado mediante procesos de simulación. Los resultados del experimento son emitidos a la organización mediante un informe basado en conclusiones y recomendaciones a nivel de marketing para mejorar la percepción de marca por parte de los consumidores.

Upgrading a TCABR data analysis and acquisition system for remote participation using Java, XML, RCP and modern client/server communication/authentication

The TCABR data analysis and acquisition system has been upgraded to support a joint research programme using remote participation technologies. The architecture of the new system uses Java language as programming environment. Since application parameters and hardware in a joint experiment are complex with a large variability of components, requirements and specification solutions need to be flexible and modular, independent from operating system and computer architecture. To describe and organize the information on all the components and the connections among them, systems are developed using the extensible Markup Language (XML) technology. The communication between clients and servers uses remote procedure call (RPC) based on the XML (RPC-XML technology). The integration among Java language, XML and RPC-XML technologies allows to develop easily a standard data and communication access layer between users and laboratories using common software libraries and Web application. The libraries allow data retrieval using the same methods for all user laboratories in the joint collaboration, and the Web application allows a simple graphical user interface (GUI) access. The TCABR tokamak team in collaboration with the IPFN (Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa) is implementing this remote participation technologies. The first version was tested at the Joint Experiment on TCABR (TCABRJE), a Host Laboratory Experiment, organized in cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in the framework of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on ""Joint Research Using Small Tokamaks"". (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Management Tool for the Replication of Operating Systems in Wireless Communication Networks

To simplify computer management, various administration systems based on wired connections adopt advanced techniques to manage software configuration. Nevertheless, the strong relation between hardware and software makes for an individualism of that management, besides penalizing computational mobility and ubiquity. All these issues lead to degradation of scalability, flexibility and the facility to install and maintain distributed applications. This article presents an environment for centralized wireless communication network management, named WSE-OS (Wireless Sharing Environment - Operating Systems): a model based on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) which associates virtualization techniques and safe remote access systems to create a distributed architecture as a base for a managing system. WSE-OS is capable of accomplishing the replication of operating system images using wireless communication network, besides offering abstraction of hardware to its clients, making the management more flexible and independent of wired connections. Results obtained from this work indicate that WSE-OS allows disseminating, through a single software configuration, the execution of data related to operating system images in client computers. WSE-OS can also be used as a management tool for operating systems in a wireless network.

A malware detection system inspired on the human immune system

Malicious programs (malware) can cause severe damage on computer systems and data. The mechanism that the human immune system uses to detect and protect from organisms that threaten the human body is efficient and can be adapted to detect malware attacks. In this paper we propose a system to perform malware distributed collection, analysis and detection, this last inspired by the human immune system. After collecting malware samples from Internet, they are dynamically analyzed so as to provide execution traces at the operating system level and network flows that are used to create a behavioral model and to generate a detection signature. Those signatures serve as input to a malware detector, acting as the antibodies in the antigen detection process. This allows us to understand the malware attack and aids in the infection removal procedures. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

A new microcontrolled structural health monitoring system based on the electromechanical impedance principle

This article presents a new method to detect damage in structures based on the electromechanical impedance principle. The system follows the variations in the output voltage of piezoelectric transducers and does not compute the impedance itself. The proposed system is portable, autonomous, versatile, and could efficiently replace commercial instruments in different structural health monitoring applications. The identification of damage is performed by simply comparing the variations of root mean square voltage from response signals of piezoelectric transducers, such as lead zirconate titanate patches bonded to the structure, obtained for different frequencies of the excitation signal. The proposed system is not limited by the sampling rate of analog-to-digital converters, dispenses Fourier transform algorithms, and does not require a computer for processing, operating autonomously. A low-cost prototype based on microcontroller and digital synthesizer was built, and experiments were carried out on an aluminum structure and excellent results have been obtained. © The Author(s) 2012.

Design and implementation of a 3D computer game controller using inertial MEMS sensors

Though 3D computer graphics has seen tremendous advancement in the past two decades, most available mechanisms for computer interaction in 3D are high cost and targeted for industry and virtual reality applications. Recent advances in Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) devices have brought forth a variety of new low-cost, low-power, miniature sensors with high accuracy, which are well suited for hand-held devices. In this work a novel design for a 3D computer game controller using inertial sensors is proposed, and a prototype device based on this design is implemented. The design incorporates MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes from Analog Devices to measure the three components of the acceleration and angular velocity. From these sensor readings, the position and orientation of the hand-held compartment can be calculated using numerical methods. The implemented prototype is utilizes a USB 2.0 compliant interface for power and communication with the host system. A Microchip dsPIC microcontroller is used in the design. This microcontroller integrates the analog to digital converters, the program memory flash, as well as the core processor, on a single integrated circuit. A PC running Microsoft Windows operating system is used as the host machine. Prototype firmware for the microcontroller is developed and tested to establish the communication between the design and the host, and perform the data acquisition and initial filtering of the sensor data. A PC front-end application with a graphical interface is developed to communicate with the device, and allow real-time visualization of the acquired data.

Aplicación móvil iOS de información a estudiantes universitarios

Reconociendo que podía ser útil para los alumnos una aplicación móvil para que pudieran acceder a información relacionada con sus estudios de forma rápida y sobre la marcha, se decide realizar una prueba de concepto cuyo resultado satisfactorio conduce a dar el siguiente paso en el desarrollo de la aplicación móvil. En este contexto es donde se enmarca el proyecto “Desarrollo de una aplicación móvil iOS de información a estudiantes universitarios” que tiene como finalidad aprovechar las ventajas que nos brindan las nuevas tecnologías. En el prototipo de aplicación móvil fueron encontrados problemas de mantenibilidad y la versión del sistema operativo había quedado obsoleta. Por lo tanto el primer paso fue refactorizar todos los paquetes del proyecto, después de esto fue necesario crear un estándar de codificación y una documentación del proyecto. El segundo paso fue adaptar el proyecto a la última versión del sistema operativo, iOS 7, siguiendo la guía de transición de la interfaz de usuario de Apple. Además de todo esto, había nuevas funcionalidades que incluir al prototipo, estas nuevas funcionalidades han sido probadas en una evaluación con usuarios para obtener comentarios y sugerencias de los alumnos universitarios para mejorar la aplicación en la medida de lo posible. ----ABSTRACT----Recognizing that could be useful a mobile app for students to enable them to access information related to their studies quickly and on the go, it was decided to perform a proof of concept whose satisfactory results leads to take the next step in the development of the mobile app. In this context is where the project “Desarrollo de una aplicación móvil iOS de información a estudiantes universitarios” takes part whose aim is to exploit the advantages offered by the new technologies. Maintenance problems were found in the mobile app prototype and the operating system version was outdated. So the first step was to refactor all the Project packages, after that it was necessary to create a coding standard and a Project documentation. The second step was to adapt the project to the latest versión of the operating system, iOS7, following the Apple UI transition guide. In addition to all of this, there were new features to include to the prototype, these new features have been tested in an user evaluation to obtain feedback and suggestions from college students to improve the app as far as possible.

Data partitioning and replication management in distributed geographic information system (GIS) database

This research presents several components encompassing the scope of the objective of Data Partitioning and Replication Management in Distributed GIS Database. Modern Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases are often large and complicated. Therefore data partitioning and replication management problems need to be addresses in development of an efficient and scalable solution. ^ Part of the research is to study the patterns of geographical raster data processing and to propose the algorithms to improve availability of such data. These algorithms and approaches are targeting granularity of geographic data objects as well as data partitioning in geographic databases to achieve high data availability and Quality of Service(QoS) considering distributed data delivery and processing. To achieve this goal a dynamic, real-time approach for mosaicking digital images of different temporal and spatial characteristics into tiles is proposed. This dynamic approach reuses digital images upon demand and generates mosaicked tiles only for the required region according to user's requirements such as resolution, temporal range, and target bands to reduce redundancy in storage and to utilize available computing and storage resources more efficiently. ^ Another part of the research pursued methods for efficient acquiring of GIS data from external heterogeneous databases and Web services as well as end-user GIS data delivery enhancements, automation and 3D virtual reality presentation. ^ There are vast numbers of computing, network, and storage resources idling or not fully utilized available on the Internet. Proposed "Crawling Distributed Operating System "(CDOS) approach employs such resources and creates benefits for the hosts that lend their CPU, network, and storage resources to be used in GIS database context. ^ The results of this dissertation demonstrate effective ways to develop a highly scalable GIS database. The approach developed in this dissertation has resulted in creation of TerraFly GIS database that is used by US government, researchers, and general public to facilitate Web access to remotely-sensed imagery and GIS vector information. ^

Signal processing and information fusing algorithms for the synthesis of an alternative electromyogram/eye gaze tracking computer cursor control system

This research pursued the conceptualization and real-time verification of a system that allows a computer user to control the cursor of a computer interface without using his/her hands. The target user groups for this system are individuals who are unable to use their hands due to spinal dysfunction or other afflictions, and individuals who must use their hands for higher priority tasks while still requiring interaction with a computer. ^ The system receives two forms of input from the user: Electromyogram (EMG) signals from muscles in the face and point-of-gaze coordinates produced by an Eye Gaze Tracking (EGT) system. In order to produce reliable cursor control from the two forms of user input, the development of this EMG/EGT system addressed three key requirements: an algorithm was created to accurately translate EMG signals due to facial movements into cursor actions, a separate algorithm was created that recognized an eye gaze fixation and provided an estimate of the associated eye gaze position, and an information fusion protocol was devised to efficiently integrate the outputs of these algorithms. ^ Experiments were conducted to compare the performance of EMG/EGT cursor control to EGT-only control and mouse control. These experiments took the form of two different types of point-and-click trials. The data produced by these experiments were evaluated using statistical analysis, Fitts' Law analysis and target re-entry (TRE) analysis. ^ The experimental results revealed that though EMG/EGT control was slower than EGT-only and mouse control, it provided effective hands-free control of the cursor without a spatial accuracy limitation, and it also facilitated a reliable click operation. This combination of qualities is not possessed by either EGT-only or mouse control, making EMG/EGT cursor control a unique and practical alternative for a user's cursor control needs. ^

Communication System : Employing the IBM 370 Computer System, 1974

The Communication System was developed for the Iowa State Highway Commission Materials Department to unitize the computer terminal system to speed up transmission of the various material test reports that flow between the central office and the six district offices. Letters may be sent from one corner of the state to the other and received in seconds instead of days going by mail.

Studies of Protein-Protein and Protein-Water Interactions by Small Angle X-Ray Scattering, Terahertz Spectroscopy, ASMOS, And Computer Simulation

The protein folding problem has been one of the most challenging subjects in biological physics due to its complexity. Energy landscape theory based on statistical mechanics provides a thermodynamic interpretation of the protein folding process. We have been working to answer fundamental questions about protein-protein and protein-water interactions, which are very important for describing the energy landscape surface of proteins correctly. At first, we present a new method for computing protein-protein interaction potentials of solvated proteins directly from SAXS data. An ensemble of proteins was modeled by Metropolis Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics simulations, and the global X-ray scattering of the whole model ensemble was computed at each snapshot of the simulation. The interaction potential model was optimized and iterated by a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Secondly, we report that terahertz spectroscopy directly probes hydration dynamics around proteins and determines the size of the dynamical hydration shell. We also present the sequence and pH-dependence of the hydration shell and the effect of the hydrophobicity. On the other hand, kinetic terahertz absorption (KITA) spectroscopy is introduced to study the refolding kinetics of ubiquitin and its mutants. KITA results are compared to small angle X-ray scattering, tryptophan fluorescence, and circular dichroism results. We propose that KITA monitors the rearrangement of hydrogen bonding during secondary structure formation. Finally, we present development of the automated single molecule operating system (ASMOS) for a high throughput single molecule detector, which levitates a single protein molecule in a 10 µm diameter droplet by the laser guidance. I also have performed supporting calculations and simulations with my own program codes.

The OPIT system part I.

The OPIT program is briefly described. OPIT is a basis-set-optimising, self-consistent field, molecular orbital program for calculating properties of closed-shell ground states of atoms and molecules. A file handling technique is then put forward which enables core storage to be used efficiently in large FORTRAN scientific applications programs. Hashing and list processing techniques, of the type frequently used in writing system software and computer operating systems, are here applied to the creation of data files (integral label and value lists etc.). Files consist of a chained series of blocks which may exist in core or on backing store or both. Efficient use of core store is achieved and the processes of file deletion, file re-writing and garbage collection of unused blocks can be easily arranged. The scheme is exemplified with reference to the OPIT program. A subsequent paper will describe a job scheduling scheme for large programs of this sort.