Parallel dynamic load-balancing for adaptive unstructured meshes

This chapter describes a parallel optimization technique that incorporates a distributed load-balancing algorithm and provides an extremely fast solution to the problem of load-balancing adaptive unstructured meshes. Moreover, a parallel graph contraction technique can be employed to enhance the partition quality and the resulting strategy outperforms or matches results from existing state-of-the-art static mesh partitioning algorithms. The strategy can also be applied to static partitioning problems. Dynamic procedures have been found to be much faster than static techniques, to provide partitions of similar or higher quality and, in comparison, involve the migration of a fraction of the data. The method employs a new iterative optimization technique that balances the workload and attempts to minimize the interprocessor communications overhead. Experiments on a series of adaptively refined meshes indicate that the algorithm provides partitions of an equivalent or higher quality to static partitioners (which do not reuse the existing partition) and much more quickly. The dynamic evolution of load has three major influences on possible partitioning techniques; cost, reuse, and parallelism. The unstructured mesh may be modified every few time-steps and so the load-balancing must have a low cost relative to that of the solution algorithm in between remeshing.

Dynamic self-regulating prosthesis in inguinal hernia repair

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common surgical procedure performed in Western countries and it consumes a lot of healthcare resources. Several types of different mesh are now disposable and tension-free techniques represent the “golden standard”. In our study, fifty male patients were operated on for inguinal hernia and a PAD (i.e., dynamic self-regulating prosthesis) used for the repair of the inguinal defect: this technique demonstrated to be safe, effective and easy to perform.

Dynamic load balancing of distributed memory parallel computational mechanics using unstructured meshes for multi-physical modelling

As the complexity of parallel applications increase, the performance limitations resulting from computational load imbalance become dominant. Mapping the problem space to the processors in a parallel machine in a manner that balances the workload of each processors will typically reduce the run-time. In many cases the computation time required for a given calculation cannot be predetermined even at run-time and so static partition of the problem returns poor performance. For problems in which the computational load across the discretisation is dynamic and inhomogeneous, for example multi-physics problems involving fluid and solid mechanics with phase changes, the workload for a static subdomain will change over the course of a computation and cannot be estimated beforehand. For such applications the mapping of loads to process is required to change dynamically, at run-time in order to maintain reasonable efficiency. The issue of dynamic load balancing are examined in the context of PHYSICA, a three dimensional unstructured mesh multi-physics continuum mechanics computational modelling code.

Mesh partitioning and load balancing for distributed memory parallel systems

A method is outlined for optimising graph partitions which arise in mapping unstructured mesh calculations to parallel computers. The method employs a relative gain iterative technique to both evenly balance the workload and minimise the number and volume of interprocessor communications. A parallel graph reduction technique is also briefly described and can be used to give a global perspective to the optimisation. The algorithms work efficiently in parallel as well as sequentially and when combined with a fast direct partitioning technique (such as the Greedy algorithm) to give an initial partition, the resulting two-stage process proves itself to be both a powerful and flexible solution to the static graph-partitioning problem. Experiments indicate that the resulting parallel code can provide high quality partitions, independent of the initial partition, within a few seconds. The algorithms can also be used for dynamic load-balancing, reusing existing partitions and in this case the procedures are much faster than static techniques, provide partitions of similar or higher quality and, in comparison, involve the migration of a fraction of the data.

Automatic implementation of dynamic load balancing strategies for structured computational mechanics codes

This paper presents a new dynamic load balancing technique for structured mesh computational mechanics codes in which the processor partition range limits of just one of the partitioned dimensions uses non-coincidental limits, as opposed to using coincidental limits in all of the partitioned dimensions. The partition range limits are 'staggered', allowing greater flexibility in obtaining a balanced load distribution in comparison to when the limits are changed 'globally'. as the load increase/decrease on one processor no longer restricts the load decrease/increase on a neighbouring processor. The automatic implementation of this 'staggered' load balancing strategy within an existing parallel code is presented in this paper, along with some preliminary results.

Dynamic multi-partitioning for parallel finite element applications

The central product of the DRAMA (Dynamic Re-Allocation of Meshes for parallel Finite Element Applications) project is a library comprising a variety of tools for dynamic re-partitioning of unstructured Finite Element (FE) applications. The input to the DRAMA library is the computational mesh, and corresponding costs, partitioned into sub-domains. The core library functions then perform a parallel computation of a mesh re-allocation that will re-balance the costs based on the DRAMA cost model. We discuss the basic features of this cost model, which allows a general approach to load identification, modelling and imbalance minimisation. Results from crash simulations are presented which show the necessity for multi-phase/multi-constraint partitioning components.

GIS-based dynamic modelling and analysis of flash floods considering land-use planning

Flood inundation is a common natural disaster and a growing development challenge for many cities and thousands of small towns around the world. Soil features have frequently altered with the rapid development of urbanised regions, which has led to more frequent and longer duration of flooding in urban flood-prone regions. Thus, this paper presents a geographic information system (GIS)-based methodology for measuring and visualising the effects on urban flash floods generated by land-use changes over time. The measurement is formulated with a time series in order to perform a dynamic analysis. A catchment mesh is introduced into a hydrological model for reflecting the spatial layouts of infrastructure and structures over different construction periods. The Geelong Waurn Ponds campus of Deakin University is then selected as a case study. Based on GIS simulation and mapping technologies, this research illustrates the evolutionary process of flash floods. The paper then describes flood inundation for different built environments and presents a comparison by quantifying the flooding extents for infrastructure and structures. The results reveal that the GIS-based estimation model can examine urban flash floods in different development phases and identify the change of flooding extents in terms of land-use planning. This study will bring benefits to urban planners in raising awareness of flood impact and the approach proposed here could be used for flood mitigation through future urban planning.