Exploring Adaptive Implementation of On-Chip Networks

As technology geometries have shrunk to the deep submicron regime, the communication delay and power consumption of global interconnections in high performance Multi- Processor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoCs) are becoming a major bottleneck. The Network-on- Chip (NoC) architecture paradigm, based on a modular packet-switched mechanism, can address many of the on-chip communication issues such as performance limitations of long interconnects and integration of large number of Processing Elements (PEs) on a chip. The choice of routing protocol and NoC structure can have a significant impact on performance and power consumption in on-chip networks. In addition, building a high performance, area and energy efficient on-chip network for multicore architectures requires a novel on-chip router allowing a larger network to be integrated on a single die with reduced power consumption. On top of that, network interfaces are employed to decouple computation resources from communication resources, to provide the synchronization between them, and to achieve backward compatibility with existing IP cores. Three adaptive routing algorithms are presented as a part of this thesis. The first presented routing protocol is a congestion-aware adaptive routing algorithm for 2D mesh NoCs which does not support multicast (one-to-many) traffic while the other two protocols are adaptive routing models supporting both unicast (one-to-one) and multicast traffic. A streamlined on-chip router architecture is also presented for avoiding congested areas in 2D mesh NoCs via employing efficient input and output selection. The output selection utilizes an adaptive routing algorithm based on the congestion condition of neighboring routers while the input selection allows packets to be serviced from each input port according to its congestion level. Moreover, in order to increase memory parallelism and bring compatibility with existing IP cores in network-based multiprocessor architectures, adaptive network interface architectures are presented to use multiple SDRAMs which can be accessed simultaneously. In addition, a smart memory controller is integrated in the adaptive network interface to improve the memory utilization and reduce both memory and network latencies. Three Dimensional Integrated Circuits (3D ICs) have been emerging as a viable candidate to achieve better performance and package density as compared to traditional 2D ICs. In addition, combining the benefits of 3D IC and NoC schemes provides a significant performance gain for 3D architectures. In recent years, inter-layer communication across multiple stacked layers (vertical channel) has attracted a lot of interest. In this thesis, a novel adaptive pipeline bus structure is proposed for inter-layer communication to improve the performance by reducing the delay and complexity of traditional bus arbitration. In addition, two mesh-based topologies for 3D architectures are also introduced to mitigate the inter-layer footprint and power dissipation on each layer with a small performance penalty.

Desenvolvimento e testes de uma semeadora-adubadora modular para pequenas propriedades rurais

O trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento e testes de campo de equipamento agrícola modular. Para o desenvolvimento do equipamento, foi utilizada metodologia de projeto para sistemas modulares. O objetivo principal foi desenvolver um sistema modular que contribuísse para melhorar o atual quadro de mecanização agrícola da pequena propriedade rural, enfocando alguns dos equipamentos destinados às atividades conservacionistas de cultivo. Por ser modular, o equipamento atende às funções de semear-adubar, escarificar e sulcar o solo. Para a função semear-adubar, podem ser usados cinzéis e disco duplo para a semeadura; já para as funções de escarificação e sulcagem, podem ser usadas ferramentas específicas, facilmente intercambiadas em um chassi tubular principal. Os resultados para solo argiloso (Typic Oxisols), com umidade em torno de 20,5% e massa seca de 11,5 t ha-1 para a variante semeadora-adubadora com duplo cinzel, foram satisfatórios com relação aos parâmetros de patinagem das rodas motoras, regularidade de distribuição em profundidade, cobertura das sementes, distribuição longitudinal das sementes e emergência de plantas.

Intellectual Property Management in a Small Company

Opinnäytetyö keskittyi kriittisiin tapahtumiin, joita on tullut yhtiön tai sen edeltävän yhtiön, joka oli Mobile Screen TV – 4 ALL, tekemien aikaisempien patenttihakemusten yhteydessä . Tutkimus vertasi ja evaluoi yhtiön aikaisemmin tekemien keksintöjen suojausta. Toisaalta opinnäytetyön päämäärä oli tutkia ja selvittää monitapaus-menetelmällä yhtiön aikaisempia keksintöjä ja miten aineettoman oikeuden suojaus toteutui prosessien eri vaiheissa. Tämä päättötyötutkielma vei loppuun asti erittäin suuren patenttien ja hyödyllisyysmallien hakemusten tutkimuksen. LH Communications Oy on tehnyt monia niistä, mutta tutkimus sisälsi myös joitakin kilpailijoiden hakemuksia. Tässä tutkimuksessa oli kaksi pääkysymystä. Miten pieni yhtiö voisi suojella heidän uusia ideoitaan ja keksintöjään ja myös samalla pitää yhtiön talouden hyvällä tasolla. Tämä tutkimus käytti The Critical Incidents Technique (CIT), joka keskittyy kriittisiin tapahtumiin, selvittääkseen sopivia menetelmiä pienelle yhtiölle siitä, miten suojella uusia ajatuksia, ideoita ja keksintöjä ja samanaikaisesti olla tuottava niiden kanssa. Tutkimuksemme käsitteli kaikenlaisia tarvittavia käytäntöjä pienessä yhtiössä ja päähuomio pienessä yhtiössä tulee olla omien keksintöjen suojaamisessa. Paras suojaus on tehdä patentteja, mutta se tulee maksamaan hyvin paljon koko tapahtumasarjan aikana.

Influência do tempo de uso sobre as características hidráulicas do microaspersor do grupo modular

O desenvolvimento de novos equipamentos de irrigação e o aprimoramento dos já existentes, como dos microaspersores, devem considerar a avaliação das características hidráulicas, disposição adequada dos mesmos em condições de campo e interferência devido ao tempo de uso, garantindo índices de desempenho satisfatório. Nesse contexto, este trabalho teve o objetivo de determinar a equação vazão x pressão, o coeficiente de variação de fabricação - CVf e de vazão - CVq, a uniformidade de distribuição de água para diferentes graus de sobreposição do microaspersor do grupo modular de bocal laranja, novo e usado, sob funcionamento na posição invertida. O aumento do espaçamento entre microaspersores e entre laterais reduziu os índices de uniformidade em todas as pressões estudadas, tanto do microaspersor novo como do usado. A maior precipitação do jato de água ocorreu na distância de 0,0 a 1,0 m da haste de sustentação dos microaspersores novo e usado. O alcance do jato de água do microaspersor usado foi menor em relação ao bocal novo.

Start-up of horizontal anaerobic reactors with sludge blanket and fixed bed for wastewater treatment from coffee processing by wet method

In this study it was evaluated the start-up procedures of anaerobic treatment system with three horizontal anaerobic reactors (R1, R2 and R3), installed in series, with volume of 1.2 L each. R1 had sludge blanket, and R2 and R3 had half supporter of bamboo and coconut fiber, respectively. As an affluent, it was synthesized wastewater from mechanical pulping of the coffee fruit by wet method, with a mean value of total chemical oxygen demand (CODtotal) of 16,003 mg L-1. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) in each reactor was 30 h. The volumetric organic loading (VOL) applied in R1 varied from 8.9 to 25.0 g of CODtotal (L d)-1. The mean removal efficiencies of CODtotal varied from 43 to 97% in the treatment system (R1+R2+R3), stabilizing above 80% after 30 days of operation. The mean content of methane in the biogas were of 70 to 76%, the mean volumetric production was 1.7 L CH4 (L reactor d)-1 in the system, and the higher conversions were around at 0.20 L CH4 (g CODremoved)-1 in R1 and R2. The mean values of pH in the effluents ranged from 6.8 to 8.3 and the mean values of total volatile acids remained below 200 mg L-1 in the effluent of R3. The concentrations of total phenols of the affluent ranged from 45 to 278 mg L-1, and the mean removal efficiency was of 52%. The start-up of the anaerobic treatment system occurred after 30 days of operation as a result of inoculation with anaerobic sludge with active microbiota.

Performance of UASB reactors in two stages under different HRT and OLR treating residual waters of swine farming

In this study it was evaluated the effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and Organic Loading Rate (OLR) on the performance of UASB (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket) reactors in two stages treating residual waters of swine farming. The system consisted of two UASB reactors in pilot scale, installed in series, with volumes of 908 and 188 L, for the first and second stages (R1 and R2), respectively. The HRT applied in the system of anaerobic treatment in two stages (R1 + R2) was of 19.3, 29.0 and 57.9 h. The OLR applied in the R1 ranged from 5.5 to 40.1 kg CODtotal (m³ d)-1. The average removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) ranged, respectively, from 66.3 to 88.2% and 62.5 to 89.3% in the R1, and from 85.5 to 95.5% and 76.4 to 96.1% in the system (R1 + R2). The volumetric production of methane in the system (R1 + R2) ranged from 0.295 to 0.721 m³CH4 (m³ reactor d)-1. It was found that the OLR applied were not limiting to obtain high efficiencies of CODtotal and TSS removal and methane production. The inclusion of the UASB reactor in the second stage contributed to increase the efficiencies of CODtotal and TSS removal, especially, when the treatment system was submitted to the lowest HRT and the highest OLR.

Anaerobic reactors with biofilter and different diameter-length ratios in cassava starch industry wastewater treatment

The use of anaerobic reactors with media support in the treatment of wastewater from the cassava starch industry has emerged as a viable option because it allows the application of high organic loads and a significant reduction of the HDT needed for the treatment. This research aimed at studying the process of biodigestion in two anaerobic reactors with bamboo support, in the treatment of effluent of cassava starch, by evaluating their performance. The two reactors used present the following diameter: length ratio, 1:6 and 1:3. The organic loads applied to the systems were 0.519, 1.156, 1.471, 3.049, 4.347, 4.708 and 5.601g.L-1.d-1. Regarding the efficiency of removal of COD, TS and TVS, no statistically significant differences were obtained between the reactors. The two systems evaluated showed a stable behavior with respect to the VA/TA (volatile acidity/total alkalinity) for all submitted loads. The reactors tended to the maintenance of biogas production as a function of consumed COD for the last three organic loads applied, indicating an ability to withstand higher organic loads.

Performance of UASB reactors in two stages followed by post-treatment with activated sludge in wastewater batch of wet-processed coffee

In this study it was evaluated the efficiency of the treatment of wet-processed coffee wastewater in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors in two stages, in bench scale, followed by post-treatment with activated sludge in batch. The first UASB reactor was submitted to an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6.2 d and organic loading rates (OLR) of 2.3 and 4.5g CODtotal (L d)-1, and the second UASB reactor to HRT of 3.1 d with OLR of 0.4 and 1.4g CODtotal (L d)-1. The average values of the affluent CODtotal increased from 13,891 to 27,926mg L-1 and the average efficiencies of removal of the CODtotal decreased from 95 to 91%, respectively, in the UASB reactors in two stages. The volumetric methane production increased from 0.274 to 0.323L CH4 (L reactor d)-1 with increment in the OLR. The average concentrations of total phenols in the affluent were of 48 and 163mg L-1, and the removal efficiencies in the UASB reactors in two stages of 92 and 90%, respectively, and increased to 97% with post-treatment. The average values of the removal efficiencies of total nitrogen and phosphorus were of 57 to 80% and 44 to 60%, respectively, in the UASB reactors in two stages and increased to 91 and 84% with the post-treatment.

Anaerobic-aerobic treatment of swine wastewater in uasb and batch reactors in series

In this work it was evaluated the performance of two systems of swine wastewater treatment consisting of two-stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors, with and without post-treatment in sequencing batch reactor (SBR), fed continuously, with aerobic phase. The UASB reactors in the first stage had 908 L in the sets I and II, and in the second stage 350 and 188 L, respectively. In the set II the post-treatment was performed in a SBR of 3,000 L. The hydraulic detention times in the anaerobic treatment systems were 100, 75 and 58 h in the set I; 87, 65 and 51 h in the set II; and 240 and 180 h in the SBR. The volumetric organic load applied in the first stage UASB reactors ranged from 6.9 to 12.6 g total COD (L d)-1 in the set I and 7.5 to 9.8 g total COD (L d)-1 in the set II. The average removal efficiencies of total COD, total phosphorus (Ptotal), and Kjeldahl and organic nitrogen (KN and Norg) in the anaerobic treatment systems were similar and reached maximum values of 97%, 64%, 68%, and 98%. In the SBR, the removal efficiencies of total COD and thermotolerant coliforms were up to 62 and 92% resulting, respectively, in effluent concentrations of 135 mg L-1 and 2x10(4)MPN (100 mL)-1. For Ptotal, total nitrogen (TN) and Norg, the average removal efficiencies in the SBR were up to 58, 25 and 73%, respectively.

Evaluation of sediment production and siltation in a small earth dam in Fernandópolis, SP

The siltation is a natural process, but can be accelerated by human actions and results in major problems for the reservoirs, reducing its useful volume for irrigation. An example of this problem was the reduction of the area of mirror water of Fernandópolis municipal dam in 48.3% during 20 years. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the production of sediments and siltation of Fernandópolis municipal dam from a methodology that can be applied to small earth dams for agricultural purposes. For this, it was monitored, monthly throughout the year, the volume of sediment deposited in the reservoir. The percentage of retention sediment in Fernandópolis municipal dam ranged from 53.9 to 94.5%, that associated with a high specific sediment yield, will cause its full silting in at most 57 years. It is recommended to minimize this process the restoration of permanent preservation areas and the removal of 17,500 m³ of sediment from the riverbed of the dam.

COD, TSS, nutrients and coliforms removals in UASB reactors in two stages treating swine wastewater

The performance of two upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors was evaluated in pilot scale (908 and 188 L), installed in series (R1 and R2), fed with swine wastewater with TSS around 5 and 13 g L-1. The UASB reactors were submitted to HDT of 36 and 18 h with VOL of 5.5 to 34.4 g COD (L d)-1 in the R1 and HDT of 7.5 e 3.7 h with VOL from 5.1 to 45.2 g COD (L d)-1 in the R2. The average removal efficiencies of COD ranged from 55 to 85% in the R1 and from 43 to 57% in the R2, resulting in values from 82 to 93% in the UASB reactors in two stage. Methane concentrations in the biogas were 69 to 74% with specific production from 0.05 to 0.27 L CH4 (g removedCOD)-1 in the R1 and of 0.10 to 0.12 L CH4 (g removedCOD)-1 in the R2. The average removal efficiencies were 61 to 75% for totalP, 39 to 69% for KN, 82 to 93% for orgN and 20 to 94% for Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn. The amN concentration were not reduced indicating the need to post-treatment for effluent disposal into water bodies. There were reductions of total coliforms from 99.8123 to 99.9989% and of thermotolerant coliforms from 99.9725 to 99.9999%. The conditions imposed to the UASB reactors in two stage provided high conversions of removedCOD into methane (up to 77%) and reductions of organic an inorganic pollution loads from swine wastewater.

Start-up of anaerobic reactors for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment

This study aimed to evaluate the start-up of a horizontal anaerobic fixed bed reactor (HAFBR) followed by an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) for the slaughterhouse wastewater treatment. HAFBR was filled with bamboo rings and had 1.2 m in length, 0.10 m in diameter and volume of 7.5 L. The UASB had the volume of 15 L. The HAFBR and UASB operated at organic loading rate and hydraulic retention time average of 8.46 and 3.77 kg m-3 d-1 of COD and 0.53 and 0.98 days, respectively. During 150 days of monitoring system it was found pH 6.8, relatively high values of bicarbonate alkalinity (> 1000 mg L-1) and reduced values of volatile acids (70 to 150 mg L-1), which afforded average removal efficiencies of COD total and total suspended solids of the order of 31 and 23% in HAFBR and 79% and 63% in UASB. It can be concluded that the generation and consumption of bicarbonate alkalinity and total volatile acids, thereby maintaining the pH during the study indicated stable operation of the reactors. The COD removal in the reactors was satisfactory especially when it considers that the assessment was conducted in a period of adaptation of organisms to the effluent and also the high organic load applied during this period.