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Circuit designers perform optimization procedures targeting speed and power during the design of a circuit. Gate sizing can be applied to optimize for speed, while Dual-VT and Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) can be applied to optimize for leakage and dynamic power, respectively. Both gate sizing and Dual-VT are design-time techniques, which are applied to the circuit at a fixed voltage. On the other hand, DVS is a run-time technique and implies that the circuit will be operating at a different voltage than that used during the optimization phase at design-time. After some analysis, the risk of non-critical paths becoming critical paths at run-time is detected under these circumstances. The following questions arise: 1) should we take DVS into account during the optimization phase? 2) Does DVS impose any restrictions while performing design-time circuit optimizations?. This thesis is a case study of applying DVS to a circuit that has been optimized for speed and power, and aims at answering the previous two questions. We used a 45-nm CMOS design kit and flow. Synthesis, placement and routing, and timing analysis were applied to the benchmark circuit ISCAS?85 c432. Logical Effort and Dual-VT algorithms were implemented and applied to the circuit to optimize for speed and leakage power, respectively. Optimizations were run for the circuit operating at different voltages. Finally, the impact of DVS on circuit optimization was studied based on HSPICE simulations sweeping the supply voltage for each optimization. The results showed that DVS had no impact on gate sizing optimizations, but it did on Dual-VT optimizations. It is shown that we should not optimize at an arbitrary voltage. Moreover, simulations showed that Dual-VT optimizations should be performed at the lowest voltage that DVS is intended to operate, otherwise non-critical paths will become critical paths at run-time.

Logical Volume Management, auf kommerziellen UNIX-System (z.B. AIX, HP-UX) schon seit Jahren im Einsatz, ist mittlerweile auch fuer Linux verfuegbar. Der Vortrag bietet eine Einfuehrung in LVM unter Linux, einen Ueberblick ueber die aktuelle LVM-Technologie auf Linux sowie deren Einsatz.

Flexible Verwaltung von Plattenkapazität, Umbauten an Volumes zur Laufzeit, konsistente Backups aus dem laufenden Betrieb - LVM.

Column Reduction Multiplier techniques provide the fastest multiplier designs and involve three steps. First, a partial product array of terms is formed by logically ANDing each bit of the multiplier with each bit of the multiplicand. Second, adders or counters are used to reduce the number of terms in each bit column to a final two. This activity is commonly described as column reduction and occurs in multiple stages. Finally, some form of carry propagate adder (CPA) is applied to the final two terms in order to sum them to produce the final product of the multiplication. Since forming the partial products, in the first step, is simply forming an array of the logical AND's of two bits, there is little opportunity for delay improvement for the first step. There has been much work done in optimizing the reduction stages for column multipliers in the second reduction step. All of the reduction approaches of the second step result in non-uniform arrival times to the input of the final carry propagate adder in the final step. The designs for carry propagate adders have been done assuming that the input bits all have the same arrival time. It is not evident that the non-uniform arrival times from the columns impacts the performance of the multiplier. A thorough analysis of the several column reduction methods and the impact of carry propagate adder designs, along with the column reduction design step, to provide the fastest possible final results, for an array of multiplier widths has not been undertaken. This dissertation investigates the design impact of three carry propagate adders, with different performance attributes, on the final delay results for four column reduction multipliers and suggests general ways to optimize the total delay for the multipliers. / text

Although Wilfrid Sellars's work holds a prominent place in recent analytic philosophy, little work has been done to situate his early approaches to normativity and the philosophy of language in their proper context. What little work has been done tends to emphasize Sellars's connection to a then dominant logical empiricism at the expense of marginalizing other American philosophical schools. On top of this historical issue, most scholars attempting to explain Sellars's systematic philosophy tend to ignore a developmental picture of Sellars's positions and focus on explicating the systematic character of his thought. My dissertation attempts to correct both of these tendencies by offering a historically situated account of Sellars's early papers that presents his views in relation to logical empiricism, the "Iowa School" of philosophy as embodied in Gustav Bergmann's and Everett Hall's writings, and some aspects of traditional American philosophy. By fleshing out the context of Sellars's early papers, it becomes clear that the "strong" normativist project present in his later essays developed out of his shift from his attempt to fit "traditional" philosophical problems into a formalist approach to language. My thesis acts as a "correction" to the previous interpretive points by presenting a more complex characterization of the contextual influences on Sellars's early papers and creating a foundation for a developmental account of Sellars's later views. I do this by examining evidence from Sellars's unpublished correspondence and works from a myriad of archival sources in conjunction with an analysis of his early publications.

A1302 Introduction: Peru is a country that is undergoing a process of democratic transformation. Local and international development agencies are established in Peru in order to support this process. In the last decade, there has been an encouragement for these agencies to use strategic management in their project work. The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is an objective-oriented approach that has become widely employed for the planning, implementation and evaluation of development projects. The so called “vertical logic” of the LFA, rests on the assumption that project stakeholders can predetermine and agree on how certain activities will lead to the accomplishment of a hierarchy of formally stated goals. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the applicability of the vertical logic of LFA on development projects in Peru. Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework of this paper is based on theories and arguments raised for and against Management By Objectives (MBO) from which the LFA originates. In addition, the special features of the development sector are discussed in regard to this rational goal approach. Method: This paper has been carried out as a Minor Field Study (MFS) in Peru where representatives of local as well as international development agencies have been interviewed. Empirical findings and Analysis: This paper highlights the special characteristics of development work in Peru. Projects are typically large with abstract, complex goals and multiple stakeholders. In addition, they are carried out in an environment typified by significant instability and change. These characteristics potentially make some of the features inherent in the vertical logic of LFA, such as strict planning and goal congruency, unrealistic. This potentially limits its usefulness as a strategic management tool.

The topic of the present dissertation is teachers’ everyday dilemmas and the use of language to deal with these dilemmas. The concept of dilemma is compared to the concept of risk and the concept of paradox. The theoretical background consists of sociological systems theory and linguistic pragmatic theory. The empirical data consist of observations of teachers in everyday situations. The theoretical and empirical approaches are used to illuminate each other. Teachers’ ways of dealing with dilemmas are described as use of linguistic resources. Results show that dilemmas are complex social phenomenon that include global system media, trust and language use. Teachers face dilemmas as unpredicted clashes of conflicting expectations. The conflicting expectations come into view as global system media and local trust. The resources required in the constructing of trust and rationality shows how teachers are dealing with dilemmas. Teachers’ ways of dealing with dilemmas come into view as use of linguistic resources for logic and modality.

Deciphering the functioning of biological networks is one of the central tasks in systems biology. In particular, signal transduction networks are crucial for the understanding of the cellular response to external and internal perturbations. Importantly, in order to cope with the complexity of these networks, mathematical and computational modeling is required. We propose a computational modeling framework in order to achieve more robust discoveries in the context of logical signaling networks. More precisely, we focus on modeling the response of logical signaling networks by means of automated reasoning using Answer Set Programming (ASP). ASP provides a declarative language for modeling various knowledge representation and reasoning problems. Moreover, available ASP solvers provide several reasoning modes for assessing the multitude of answer sets. Therefore, leveraging its rich modeling language and its highly efficient solving capacities, we use ASP to address three challenging problems in the context of logical signaling networks: learning of (Boolean) logical networks, experimental design, and identification of intervention strategies. Overall, the contribution of this thesis is three-fold. Firstly, we introduce a mathematical framework for characterizing and reasoning on the response of logical signaling networks. Secondly, we contribute to a growing list of successful applications of ASP in systems biology. Thirdly, we present a software providing a complete pipeline for automated reasoning on the response of logical signaling networks. / Deciphering the functioning of biological networks is one of the central tasks in systems biology. In particular, signal transduction networks are crucial for the understanding of the cellular response to external and internal perturbations. Importantly, in order to cope with the complexity of these networks, mathematical and computational modeling is required. We propose a computational modeling framework in order to achieve more robust discoveries in the context of logical signaling networks. More precisely, we focus on modeling the response of logical signaling networks by means of automated reasoning using Answer Set Programming (ASP). ASP provides a declarative language for modeling various knowledge representation and reasoning problems. Moreover, available ASP solvers provide several reasoning modes for assessing the multitude of answer sets. Therefore, leveraging its rich modeling language and its highly efficient solving capacities, we use ASP to address three challenging problems in the context of logical signaling networks: learning of (Boolean) logical networks, experimental design, and identification of intervention strategies. Overall, the contribution of this thesis is three-fold. Firstly, we introduce a mathematical framework for characterizing and reasoning on the response of logical signaling networks. Secondly, we contribute to a growing list of successful applications of ASP in systems biology. Thirdly, we present a software providing a complete pipeline for automated reasoning on the response of logical signaling networks.

Buckman Laboratories (Pty) Ltd. (hereafter referred to as Buckman Laboratories) is an international, privately owned, specialty chemical manufacturer. The company's marketing strategy is based on customer intimacy and knowledge sharing and currently segments its markets (pulp and paper, water, leather and mining) by means of customer categorization based on industry potential sales. The Buckman brand is synonymous with the heavy industries (Sasol, ArcelorMittal, Mondi, Sappi, Eskom). For the company to grow and increase its profitability, Buckman Laboratories has to identify and select innovative brand drivers to stay competitive in the heavy industry market segment as well as identify other market segments to compete profitably in. In this study the Logical brand management model was specifically applied in terms of the customer perspective. Brand and cost drivers were identified from the company's and customers' perspective to identify opportunities in the current market segments (pulp and paper, water and leather). Metrics utilized were traditional gap analysis as well as the Opportunity Algorithm from Ulwick. Of importance was the consistent alignment of the model with Buckman Laboratories' strategy. The model includes continuous improvement, on-time delivery, product innovation, knowledge sharing, and providing a holistic product/service offering as brand drivers that will ensure innovative growth of the Buckman Laboratories brand. The conclusion is that the Logical brand management model as developed by Marc Logman may be successfully utilized to identify brand drivers to grow the Buckman Laboratories brand innovatively in future. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.