Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 317-333).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 317-333).

Alors que les mémoires non-volatiles conventionnelles, telles que les mémoires flash à grille flottante, deviennent de plus en plus complexes à intégrer et souffrent de performances et d’une fiabilité de plus en plus réduite, les mémoires à variation de résistance (RRAM) telles que les OxRAM, CBRAM, MRAM ou PCM sont vues dans la communauté scientifique comme une alternative crédible. Cependant, les architectures de RRAM standard (telles que la 1Transistor-1RRAM) ne sont pas compétitives avec les mémoires flash sur le terrain de la densité. Ainsi, cette thèse se propose d’explorer le potentiel des architectures RRAM sans transistor que sont l’architecture Crosspoint et l’architecture VRRAM.Dans un premier temps, le positionnement des architectures Crosspoint et VRRAM dans la hiérarchie mémoire est étudié. De nouvelles problématiques, telles que les courant de sneakpath, la chute de tension dans les métaux ou la surface des circuits périphériques sont identifiées et modélisées. Dans un second temps, des solutions circuit répondant aux problématiques évoquées précédemment sont proposées. Finalement, cette thèse se propose d’explorer les opportunités ouvertes par l’utilisation de transistors innovants pour améliorer la densité ou les performances des architectures mémoires utilisant des RRAM. / While conventional non-volatiles memories, such as floating gate Flash memories, are becoming more and more difficult and costly to integrate and suffer of reduced performances and reliability, emerging resistive switching memories (RRAM), such as OxRAM, CBRAM, MRAM or PCM, are seen in the scientific community as a good way for tomorrow’s high-density memories. However, standard RRAM architectures (such as 1 Transistor-1 RRAM) are not competitive with flash technology in terms of density. Thereby, this thesis proposes to explore the opportunities opened by transistor-less RRAM architectures: Crosspoint and Vertical RRAM (VRRAM) architectures.First, the positioning of Crosspoint and VRRAM architectures in the memory hierarchy is studied. New constraints such as the sneakpath currents, the voltage drop through the metal lines or the periphery area overhead are identified and modeled. In a second time, circuit solutions answering to previously mentioned effects are proposed. Finally, this thesis proposes to explore new opportunities opened by the use of innovative transistors to improve the density or the performances of RRAM-based memory architectures.

Reversible logic computing is a rapidly developing research area. Both reversible logic synthesis and testing reversible logic circuits are very important issues in this area. In this thesis, we present our work in these two aspects. We consider a new fault model, namely the crosspoint fault, for reversible circuits. The effects of this kind of fault on the behaviour of the circuits are studied. A randomized test pattern generation algorithm targeting this kind of fault is introduced and analyzed. The relationship between the crosspoint faults and stuck-at faults is also investigated. The crosspoint fault model is then studied for possible applications in reversible logic synthesis. One type of redundancy exists in Toffoli networks in the form of undetectable multiple crosspoint faults. So redundant circuits can be simplified by deleting those undetectable faults. The testability of multiple crosspoint faults is analyzed in detail. Several important properties are proved and integrated into the simplifying algorithm so as to speed up the process. We also provide an optimized implementation of a Reed-Muller spectra based reversible logic synthesis algorithm. This new implementation uses a compact form of the Reed-Muller spectra table of the specified reversible function to save memory during execution. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the significant improvement of this new implementation.

This work deals with the creation of electronically controlled audio system for the language classroom. Possible solutions compares analog and digital form. Furthermore, describes the final system that was designed. The resulting system is implemented by analog amplifiers and analog crosspoint matrix. Hardware control is realized by microcontroller and that is controlled from the computer.

Moore's Law has helped Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) scale continuously in speed, capacity and energy efficiency, allowing the integration of ever-larger systems into a single FPGA chip. This brings challenges to the productivity of developers in leveraging the sea of FPGA resources. Higher level of design abstractions and programming models are needed to improve the design productivity, which in turn require memory architectural supports on FPGAs. While previous efforts focus on computation-centric applications, we take a bandwidth-centric approach in designing memory systems. In particular, we investigate the scheduling, buffered switching and searching problems, which are common to a wide range of FPGA applications. Despite that the bandwidth problem has been extensively studied for general-purpose computing and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs, the proposed techniques are often not applicable to FPGAs. In order to achieve optimized design implementations, designers need to take into consideration both the underlying FPGA physical characteristics as well as the requirements from applications. We therefore extract design requirements from four driving applications for the selected problems, and address them by exploiting the physical architectures and available resources of FPGAs. Towards solving the selected problems, we manage to advance state-of-the-art with a scheduling algorithm, a switch organization and a cache analytical model. These lead to performance improvements, resource savings and feasibilities of new approaches for well-known problems.

Moore's Law has helped Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) scale continuously in speed, capacity and energy efficiency, allowing the integration of ever-larger systems into a single FPGA chip. This brings challenges to the productivity of developers in leveraging the sea of FPGA resources. Higher level of design abstractions and programming models are needed to improve the design productivity, which in turn require memory architectural supports on FPGAs. While previous efforts focus on computation-centric applications, we take a bandwidth-centric approach in designing memory systems. In particular, we investigate the scheduling, buffered switching and searching problems, which are common to a wide range of FPGA applications. Despite that the bandwidth problem has been extensively studied for general-purpose computing and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs, the proposed techniques are often not applicable to FPGAs. In order to achieve optimized design implementations, designers need to take into consideration both the underlying FPGA physical characteristics as well as the requirements from applications. We therefore extract design requirements from four driving applications for the selected problems, and address them by exploiting the physical architectures and available resources of FPGAs. Towards solving the selected problems, we manage to advance state-of-the-art with a scheduling algorithm, a switch organization and a cache analytical model. These lead to performance improvements, resource savings and feasibilities of new approaches for well-known problems.

Según Dilthey, el análisis formalista llevado adelante por la gnoseología de Kant no logra comprender el mundo humano, por su parte, Hegel si aborda al hombre histórico, pero subsume su mundo al despliegue de la razón o el saber absoluto. El proyecto de una fundamentación de las ciencias del espíritu llevado adelante por Dilthey busca adentrarse en el mundo humano concibiéndolo como el conjunto de manifestaciones objetivadas de la vida. Kant y Hegel se convierten en sus interlocutores, pero también Comte con quien se enfrenta en pos de fundamentar la autonomía metodológica de las ciencias del espíritu. Sostengo que la noción tardía de «espíritu objetivo», que Dilthey toma de Hegel, pero que la concibe como el devenir de la vida política y cultural, permite releer toda la filosofía de Dilthey con otra perspectiva. El presente estudio no busca realizar un análisis comparativo entre Dilthey y Hegel, sino partir de la recepción que el primero hace del segundo a los efectos de comprender su filosofía. En este sentido, para Dilthey el «espíritu objetivo» está constituido por el conjunto de las organizaciones exteriores de la sociedad –la estructura político-jurídica de la sociedad- y por las formas culturales como arte, religión y filosofía. El hombre es quien, según Dilthey, produce estas instituciones las cuales a su vez le anteceden y le sucederán en su existencia. En este sentido Dilthey concibe al hombre como un ser histórico y un «punto de cruce» de las distintas objetivaciones históricas. Este mundo compartido es el mundo histórico –expresado a través de las nociones como Gemeinsamkeit, objektive Geist, verwebt y kreuzungspunkt-, aquel que contiene el conjunto de experiencia de vidas acumuladas y las expectativas de futuro. En síntesis, se sostiene que para Dilthey el mundo es manifestación objetiva de la vida –fenomenología del espíritu-, siendo el espíritu objetivo o la vida objetivada, un producto del devenir de la vida humana. Es decir, en el mundo histórico actúan individuos -dotados de voluntad- en una conexión estructural con su entorno, como «puntos de cruce» de las distintas objetivaciones. Es decir, la preocupación histórico-sistemática diltheyana gira en torno al tema del hombre –sujeto individual, «punto de cruce»- y lo socio-histórico –mundo intersubjetivo y espíritu objetivo, manifestación objetivada de la vida-. Así, el hombre juega, para Dilthey, un papel central en la historia y en el despliegue de la vida. Todos los estudios gnoseológicos, epistemológicos, históricos y toda fundamentación sistemática es producto de las conexiones de vida. La importancia de los individuos, sus propias manifestaciones de vida y el «espíritu objetivo» -centros de análisis de las ciencias del espíritu-, permite comprender a la filosofía diltheyana como una filosofía de la intersubjetividad, en oposición a las interpretaciones clásicas que hacían que ella cayera en un psicologismo-empático. Asimismo, el plano de la exteriorización de las acciones individuales y sociales le permite a Dilthey encontrar un saber objetivo para las ciencias del espíritu. / Dilthey points out that while the formalist analysis carried out by Kant's gnoseology fails to understand the human world, Hegel does speak about the historical man, but subsumes his world to the manifestation of reason or absolute knowledge. The project of a foundation of the Geisteswissenschaften carried out by Dilthey seeks to penetrate the human world conceiving it as a set of objectified manifestations of life. Kant and Hegel become their interlocutors, but also Comte with whom Dilthey face in order to sustain the methodical autonomy foundation of the Geisteswissenschaften. I assume that the late notion of "objektive Geist", which Dilthey takes from Hegel, but which he sees as the process/activity of the political and cultural life, allows for a rereading of the whole philosophy of Dilthey in a new perspective. This study does not seek to make a comparative analysis between Dilthey and Hegel, but to set a starting point from/of go along the im put that the first author makes over the latter so as to understand his philosophy. In this regard, for Dilthey, the "objektive Geist" is constituted by the external organizations of society (political-legal structure of society) and the cultural forms as art, religion and philosophy. It is man who, according to Dilthey, produces these institutions, which precede and will surpass the existence of the individual man. Dilthey conceives man as a historical being and as a "crossing point" of the various historical objectifications. This shared world is the historical-world (expressed through the notions of Gemeinsamkeit, objektive Geist, verwebt and kreuzungspunkt), that which contains all the accumulated life experience and future expectations. In short, it is argued that for Dilthey the world is objective manifestation of life (phenomenology of Geist) being objektive Geist or objectified life a product of the manifestation of human life. I.e, in the historical world individuals act -gifted with will- in a structural connection with their environment, as "crossing points" of different objectifications. That is, the historical and systematic Diltheyan concern revolves around the theme of man (individual subject, «crossing point») and the socio-historical world (intersubjective world, objektive Geist, objectified manifestation of life). So, the man plays, for Dilthey, a central role in the history and in the manifestation of life. All gnoseological, epistemological, historical studies and any systematic foundation is a product of life connections. The importance of individuals, their own expressions of life and the «objektive Geist» (the centre of analysis of de Geisteswissenschaften), enable a better understanding of Dilthey's philosophy as a philosophy of intersubjectivity, as opposed to classical interpretations that made its fell into a psychologism-empathetic study. Furthermore, the level of externalization of individual and social actions allows Dilthey to find objective knowledge for the Geisteswissenschaften.