Memory hierarchy and data communication in heterogeneous reconfigurable SoCs

The miniaturization race in the hardware industry aiming at continuous increasing of transistor density on a die does not bring respective application performance improvements any more. One of the most promising alternatives is to exploit a heterogeneous nature of common applications in hardware. Supported by reconfigurable computation, which has already proved its efficiency in accelerating data intensive applications, this concept promises a breakthrough in contemporary technology development. Memory organization in such heterogeneous reconfigurable architectures becomes very critical. Two primary aspects introduce a sophisticated trade-off. On the one hand, a memory subsystem should provide well organized distributed data structure and guarantee the required data bandwidth. On the other hand, it should hide the heterogeneous hardware structure from the end-user, in order to support feasible high-level programmability of the system. This thesis work explores the heterogeneous reconfigurable hardware architectures and presents possible solutions to cope the problem of memory organization and data structure. By the example of the MORPHEUS heterogeneous platform, the discussion follows the complete design cycle, starting from decision making and justification, until hardware realization. Particular emphasis is made on the methods to support high system performance, meet application requirements, and provide a user-friendly programmer interface. As a result, the research introduces a complete heterogeneous platform enhanced with a hierarchical memory organization, which copes with its task by means of separating computation from communication, providing reconfigurable engines with computation and configuration data, and unification of heterogeneous computational devices using local storage buffers. It is distinguished from the related solutions by distributed data-flow organization, specifically engineered mechanisms to operate with data on local domains, particular communication infrastructure based on Network-on-Chip, and thorough methods to prevent computation and communication stalls. In addition, a novel advanced technique to accelerate memory access was developed and implemented.

Procedures of quality control and data analysis of multi-site ground-based observations for the absolute flux calibration of Gaia

The Gaia space mission is a major project for the European astronomical community. As challenging as it is, the processing and analysis of the huge data-flow incoming from Gaia is the subject of thorough study and preparatory work by the DPAC (Data Processing and Analysis Consortium), in charge of all aspects of the Gaia data reduction. This PhD Thesis was carried out in the framework of the DPAC, within the team based in Bologna. The task of the Bologna team is to define the calibration model and to build a grid of spectro-photometric standard stars (SPSS) suitable for the absolute flux calibration of the Gaia G-band photometry and the BP/RP spectrophotometry. Such a flux calibration can be performed by repeatedly observing each SPSS during the life-time of the Gaia mission and by comparing the observed Gaia spectra to the spectra obtained by our ground-based observations. Due to both the different observing sites involved and the huge amount of frames expected (���100000), it is essential to maintain the maximum homogeneity in data quality, acquisition and treatment, and a particular care has to be used to test the capabilities of each telescope/instrument combination (through the ���instrument familiarization plan���), to devise methods to keep under control, and eventually to correct for, the typical instrumental effects that can affect the high precision required for the Gaia SPSS grid (a few % with respect to Vega). I contributed to the ground-based survey of Gaia SPSS in many respects: with the observations, the instrument familiarization plan, the data reduction and analysis activities (both photometry and spectroscopy), and to the maintenance of the data archives. However, the field I was personally responsible for was photometry and in particular relative photometry for the production of short-term light curves. In this context I defined and tested a semi-automated pipeline which allows for the pre-reduction of imaging SPSS data and the production of aperture photometry catalogues ready to be used for further analysis. A series of semi-automated quality control criteria are included in the pipeline at various levels, from pre-reduction, to aperture photometry, to light curves production and analysis.

Contour integration and principles of perceptual grouping

Ziel der Arbeit ist die Analyse von Prinzipien der Konturintegration im menschlichen visuellen System. Die perzeptuelle Verbindung benachbarter Teile in einer visuellen Szene zu einem Ganzen wird durch zwei gestalttheoretisch begr��ndete Propositionen gekennzeichnet, die komplement��re lokale Mechanismen der Konturintegration beschreiben. Das erste Prinzip der Konturintegration fordert, dass lokale ��hnlichkeit von Elementen in einem anderen Merkmal als Orientierung nicht hinreicht f��r die Entdeckung von Konturen, sondern ein zus��tzlicher statistischer Merkmalsunterschied von Konturelementen und Umgebung vorliegen muss, um Konturentdeckung zu erm��glichen. Das zweite Prinzip der Konturintegration behauptet, dass eine kollineare Ausrichtung von Konturelementen f��r Konturintegration hinreicht, und es bei deren Vorliegen zu robuster Konturintegrationsleistung kommt, auch wenn die lokalen merkmalstragenden Elemente in anderen Merkmalen in hohem Ma��e zuf��llig variieren und damit keine nachbarschaftliche ��hnlichkeitsbeziehung entlang der Kontur aufweisen. Als empirische Grundlage f��r die beiden vorgeschlagenen Prinzipien der Konturintegration werden drei Experimente berichtet, die zun��chst die untergeordnete Rolle globaler Konturmerkmale wie Geschlossenheit bei der Konturentdeckung aufweisen und daraufhin die Bedeutung lokaler Mechanismen f��r die Konturintegration anhand der Merkmale Kollinearit��t, Ortsfrequenz sowie der spezifischen Art der Interaktion zwischen beiden Merkmalen beleuchten. Im ersten Experiment wird das globale Merkmal der Geschlossenheit untersucht und gezeigt, dass geschlossene Konturen nicht effektiver entdeckt werden als offene Konturen. Das zweite Experiment zeigt die Robustheit von ��ber Kollinearit��t definierten Konturen ��ber die zuf��llige Variation im Merkmal Ortsfrequenz entlang der Kontur und im Hintergrund, sowie die Unm��glichkeit der Konturintegration bei nachbarschaftlicher ��hnlichkeit der Konturelemente, wenn ��hnlichkeit statt ��ber kollineare Orientierung ��ber gleiche Ortsfrequenzen realisiert ist. Im dritten Experiment wird gezeigt, dass eine redundante Kombination von kollinearer Orientierung mit einem statistischen Unterschied im Merkmal Ortsfrequenz zu erheblichen Sichtbarkeitsgewinnen bei der Konturentdeckung f��hrt. Aufgrund der St��rke der Summationswirkung wird vorgeschlagen, dass durch die Kombination mehrerer Hinweisreize neue kortikale Mechanismen angesprochen werden, die die Konturentdeckung unterst��tzen. Die Resultate der drei Experimente werden in den Kontext aktueller Forschung zur Objektwahrnehmung gestellt und ihre Bedeutung f��r die postulierten allgemeinen Prinzipien visueller Gruppierung in der Konturintegration diskutiert. Anhand ph��nomenologischer Beispiele mit anderen Merkmalen als Orientierung und Ortsfrequenz wird gezeigt, dass die gefundenen Prinzipien Generalisierbarkeit f��r die Verarbeitung von Konturen im visuellen System beanspruchen k��nnen.

Supernova neutrinos in AMANDA and IceCube - Monte Carlo development and data analysis

Supernovae are among the most energetic events occurring in the universe and are so far the only verified extrasolar source of neutrinos. As the explosion mechanism is still not well understood, recording a burst of neutrinos from such a stellar explosion would be an important benchmark for particle physics as well as for the core collapse models. The neutrino telescope IceCube is located at the Geographic South Pole and monitors the antarctic glacier for Cherenkov photons. Even though it was conceived for the detection of high energy neutrinos, it is capable of identifying a burst of low energy neutrinos ejected from a supernova in the Milky Way by exploiting the low photomultiplier noise in the antarctic ice and extracting a collective rate increase. A signal Monte Carlo specifically developed for water Cherenkov telescopes is presented. With its help, we will investigate how well IceCube can distinguish between core collapse models and oscillation scenarios. In the second part, nine years of data taken with the IceCube precursor AMANDA will be analyzed. Intensive data cleaning methods will be presented along with a background simulation. From the result, an upper limit on the expected occurrence of supernovae within the Milky Way will be determined.

Code synchronization and interference management techniques for satellite navigation and communications

This thesis collects the outcomes of a Ph.D. course in Telecommunications engineering and it is focused on enabling techniques for Spread Spectrum (SS) navigation and communication satellite systems. It provides innovations for both interference management and code synchronization techniques. These two aspects are critical for modern navigation and communication systems and constitute the common denominator of the work. The thesis is organized in two parts: the former deals with interference management. We have proposed a novel technique for the enhancement of the sensitivity level of an advanced interference detection and localization system operating in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) bands, which allows the identification of interfering signals received with power even lower than the GNSS signals. Moreover, we have introduced an effective cancellation technique for signals transmitted by jammers, exploiting their repetitive characteristics, which strongly reduces the interference level at the receiver. The second part, deals with code synchronization. More in detail, we have designed the code synchronization circuit for a Telemetry, Tracking and Control system operating during the Launch and Early Orbit Phase; the proposed solution allows to cope with the very large frequency uncertainty and dynamics characterizing this scenario, and performs the estimation of the code epoch, of the carrier frequency and of the carrier frequency variation rate. Furthermore, considering a generic pair of circuits performing code acquisition, we have proposed a comprehensive framework for the design and the analysis of the optimal cooperation procedure, which minimizes the time required to accomplish synchronization. The study results particularly interesting since it enables the reduction of the code acquisition time without increasing the computational complexity. Finally, considering a network of collaborating navigation receivers, we have proposed an innovative cooperative code acquisition scheme, which allows exploit the shared code epoch information between neighbor nodes, according to the Peer-to-Peer paradigm.

Phenothiazine based polymers for energy and data storage application

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Synthese und Charakterisierung von Polymeren mit redox-funktionalen Phenothiazin-Seitenketten. Phenothiazin und seine Derivate sind kleine Redoxeinheiten, deren reversibles Redoxverhalten mit electrochromen Eigenschaften verbunden ist. Das besondere an Phenothiazine ist die Bildung von stabilen Radikalkationen im oxidierten Zustand. Daher k��nnen Phenothiazine als bistabile Molek��le agieren und zwischen zwei stabilen Redoxzust��nden wechseln. Dieser Schaltprozess geht gleichzeitig mit einer Farbver��nderung an her.rnrnIm Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird die Synthese neuartiger Phenothiazin-Polymere mittels radikalischer Polymerisation beschrieben. Phenothiazin-Derivate wurden kovalent an aliphatischen und aromatischen Polymerketten gebunden. Dies erfolgte ��ber zwei unterschiedlichen synthetischen Routen. Die erste Route beinhaltet den Einsatz von Vinyl-Monomeren mit Phenothiazin Funktionalit��t zur direkten Polymerisation. Die zweite Route verwendet Amin modifizierte Phenothiazin-Derivate zur Funktionalisierung von Polymeren mit Aktivester-Seitenketten in einer polymeranalogen Reaktion. rnrnPolymere mit redox-funktionalen Phenothiazin-Seitenketten sind aufgrund ihrer Elektron-Donor-Eigenschaften geeignete Kandidaten f��r die Verwendung als Kathodenmaterialien. Zur ��berpr��fung ihrer Eignung wurden Phenothiazin-Polymere als Elektrodenmaterialien in Lithium-Batteriezellen eingesetzt. Die verwendeten Polymere wiesen gute Kapazit��tswerte von circa 50-90 Ah/kg sowie schnelle Aufladezeiten in der Batteriezelle auf. Besonders die Aufladezeiten sind 5-10 mal h��her als konventionelle Lithium-Batterien. Im Hinblick auf Anzahl der Lade- und Entladezyklen, erzielten die Polymere gute Werte in den Langzeit-Stabilit��tstests. Insgesamt ��berstehen die Polymere 500 Ladezyklen mit geringen Ver��nderungen der Anfangswerte bez��glich Ladezeiten und -kapazit��ten. Die Langzeit-Stabilit��t h��ngt unmittelbar mit der Radikalstabilit��t zusammen. Eine Stabilisierung der Radikalkationen gelang durch die Verl��ngerung der Seitenkette am Stickstoffatom des Phenothiazins und der Polymerhauptkette. Eine derartige Alkyl-Substitution erh��ht die Radikalstabilit��t durch verst��rkte Wechselwirkung mit dem aromatischen Ring und verbessert somit die Batterieleistung hinsichtlich der Stabilit��t gegen��ber Lade- und Entladezyklen. rnrnDes Weiteren wurde die praktische Anwendung von bistabilen Phenothiazin-Polymeren als Speichermedium f��r hohe Datendichten untersucht. Dazu wurden d��nne Filme des Polymers auf leitf��higen Substraten elektrochemisch oxidiert. Die elektrochemische Oxidation erfolgte mittels Rasterkraftmikroskopie in Kombination mit leitf��higen Mikroskopspitzen. Mittels dieser Technik gelang es, die Oberfl��che des Polymers im nanoskaligen Bereich zu oxidieren und somit die lokale Leitf��higkeit zu ver��ndern. Damit konnten unterschiedlich gro��e Muster lithographisch beschrieben und aufgrund der Ver��nderung ihrer Leitf��higkeit detektiert werden. Der Schreibprozess f��hrte nur zu einer Ver��nderung der lokalen Leitf��higkeit ohne die topographische Beschaffenheit des Polymerfilms zu beeinflussen. Au��erdem erwiesen sich die Muster als besonders stabil sowohl mechanisch als auch ��ber die Zeit.rnrnZum Schluss wurden neue Synthesestrategien entwickelt um mechanisch stabile als auch redox-funktionale Oberfl��chen zu produzieren. Mit Hilfe der oberfl��chen-initiierten Atomtransfer-Radikalpolymerisation wurden gepfropfte Polymerb��rsten mit redox-funktionalen Phenothiazin-Seitenketten hergestellt und mittels R��ntgenmethoden und Rasterkraftmikroskopie analysiert. Eine der Synthesestrategien geht von gepfropften Aktivesterb��rsten aus, die anschlie��end in einem nachfolgenden Schritt mit redox-funktionalen Gruppen modifiziert werden k��nnen. Diese Vorgehensweise ist besonders vielversprechend und erlaubt es unterschiedliche funktionelle Gruppen an den Aktivesterb��rsten zu verankern. Damit k��nnen durch Verwendung von vernetzenden Gruppen neben den Redoxeigenschaften, die mechanische Stabilit��t solcher Polymerfilme optimiert werden. rn rn

Apple latent infection caused by Neofabraea alba: host-pathogen interaction and disease management

Apple latent infection caused by Neofabraea alba: host-pathogen interaction and disease management Bull���s eye rot (BER) caused by Neofabraea alba is one of the most frequent and damaging latent infection occurring in stored pome fruits worldwide. Fruit infection occurs in the orchard, but disease symptoms appear only 3 months after harvest, during refrigerated storage. In Italy BER is particularly serious for late harvest apple cultivar as ���Pink Lady������. The purposes of this thesis were: i) Evaluate the influence of ���Pink Lady������ apple primary metabolites in N. alba quiescence ii) Evaluate the influence of pH in five different apple cultivars on BER susceptibility iii) To find out not chemical method to control N. alba infection iv) Identify some fungal volatile compounds in order to use them as N. alba infections markers. Results regarding the role of primary metabolites showed that chlorogenic, quinic and malic acid inhibit N. alba development. The study based on the evaluation of cultivar susceptibility, showed that Granny Smith was the most resistant apple cultivar among the varieties analyzed. Moreover, Granny Smith showed the lowest pH value from harvest until the end of storage, supporting the thesis that ambient pH could be involved in the interaction between N. alba and apple. In order to find out new technologies able to improve lenticel rot management, the application of a non-destructive device for the determination of chlorophyll content was applied. Results showed that fruit with higher chlorophyll content are less susceptible to BER, and molecular analyses comforted this result. Fruits with higher chlorophyll content showed up-regulation of PGIP and HCT, genes involved in plant defence. Through the application of PTR-MS and SPME GC-MS, 25 volatile organic compounds emitted by N. alba were identified. Among them, 16 molecules were identified as potential biomarkers.

Renovascular hypertension: screening and modern management

The diagnosis and management of patients with renovascular disease and hypertension continue to elude healthcare providers. The advent of novel imaging and interventional techniques, and increased understanding of the pathways leading to irreversible renal injury and renovascular hypertension, have ushered in commendable attempts to optimize and finetune strategies to preserve or restore renal function and control blood pressure. Large randomized clinical trials that compare different forms of therapy, and smaller trials that test novel experimental treatments, will hopefully help formulate innovative concepts and tools to manage the patient population with atherosclerotic renovascular disease.

Biologicals and fetal cell therapy for wound and scar management

Few biopharmaceutical preparations developed from biologicals are available for tissue regeneration and scar management. When developing biological treatments with cellular therapy, selection of cell types and establishment of consistent cell banks are crucial steps in whole-cell bioprocessing. Various cell types have been used in treatment of wounds to reduce scar to date including autolog and allogenic skin cells, platelets, placenta, and amniotic extracts. Experience with fetal cells show that they may provide an interesting cell choice due to facility of outscaling and known properties for wound healing without scar. Differential gene profiling has helped to point to potential indicators of repair which include cell adhesion, extracellular matrix, cytokines, growth factors, and development. Safety has been evidenced in Phase I and II clinical fetal cell use for burn and wound treatments with different cell delivery systems. We present herein that fetal cells present technical and therapeutic advantages compared to other cell types for effective cell-based therapy for wound and scar management.

The Turkish Drawbridge: European Integration and the Cultural Economics of National Planning

This article examines the relations between the Turkish State Planning Organisation (SPO) and the Western economic system during the first two decades of national planning in Turkey (1960���1980). It traces how the SPO, established with the guidance and full endorsement of international economic institutions came to vehemently oppose Turkish participation in one of their pillars: the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the European Union. It argues that the shift in the SPO's world-view was founded upon two distinct understandings of the Turkish nation and its development, situates these understandings within the intellectual history of Turkey's past ambivalence towards the West, and, in doing so, provides a historical case-study of the ideological clash between modernisation and dependency theories of development.

The Turkish Drawbridge: European Integration and the Cultural Economics of National Planning

This article examines the relations between the Turkish State Planning Organisation (SPO) and the Western economic system during the first two decades of national planning in Turkey (1960-1980). It traces how the SPO, established with the guidance and full endorsement of international economic institutions came to vehemently oppose Turkish participation in one of their pillars: the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the European Union. It argues that the shift in the SPO's world-view was founded upon two distinct understandings of the Turkish nation and its development, situates these understandings within the intellectual history of Turkey's past ambivalence towards the West, and, in doing so, provides a historical case-study of the ideological clash between modernisation and dependency theories of development.