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Throughout the history of software development, advances have been made that improve the ability of developers to create systems by enabling them to work closer to their application domain. These advances have given programmers higher level abstractions with which to reason about problems. A separation of concerns between logic and implementation allows for reuse of components, portability between implementation platforms, and higher productivity. Parallels can be drawn between the challenges that the field of reconfigurable computing (RC) is facing today and what the field of software engineering has gone through in the past. Most RC work is done in low level hardware description languages (HDLs) at the circuit level. A large productivity gap exists between the ability of RC developers and the potential of the technology. The small number of RC experts is not enough to meet the demands for RC applications. Model-based engineering principles provide a way to reason about RC devices at a higher level, allowing for greater productivity, reuse, and portability. Higher level abstractions allow developers to deal with larger and more complex systems. A modeling environment has been developed to aid users in creating models, storing, reusing and generating hardware implementation code for their system. This environment serves as a starting point to apply model-based techniques to the field of RC to tighten the productivity gap. Future work can build on this model-based framework to take advantage of the unique features of reconfigurable devices, optimize their performance, and further open the field to a wider audience. / Master of Science

This thesis integrates biologically-inspired mechanisms into machine learning to develop novel tuning algorithms, gradient abstractions for depth-wise parallelism, and an original bias neuron design. We introduce neuromodulatory tuning, which uses neurotransmitter-inspired bias adjustments to enhance transfer learning in spiking and non-spiking neural networks, significantly reducing parameter usage while maintaining performance. Additionally, we propose a novel approach that decouples the backward pass of backpropagation using layer abstractions, inspired by feedback loops in biological systems, enabling depth-wise training parallelization. We further extend neuromodulatory tuning by designing spiking bias neurons that mimic dopamine neuron mechanisms, leading to the development of volumetric tuning. This method enhances the fine-tuning of a small spiking neural network for EEG emotion classification, outperforming previous bias tuning methods. Overall, this thesis demonstrates the potential of leveraging neuroscience discoveries to improve machine learning.

While the pastoral environment that surrounds my studio is inspirational in itself, my treescapes and organic abstractions are reflections of referential places experienced along my life's path. Considering the constant onslaught of information in our increasingly rushed society, I hope my work, influenced by the natural world, may allow the viewer to slow down briefly and live in the moment.

[pt] Novos contextos da computação distribuída reforçam a necessidade de abstra ções de programação que favoreçam a comunicação assíncrona e o tratamento de tarefas concorrentes. Modelos de programação dirigido a eventos ou baseado em threads incorporam decisões sobre como tratar essas questões, em cada caso apresentando vantagens e desvantagens. Normalmente, a opção pelo modelo mais adequado para um determinado contexto ou problema exige que o programador lide diretamente com as desvantagens inerentes a esse modelo, tornando a tarefa de desenvolvimento de aplicações mais complexa. Nesse trabalho aprofundamos a discussão sobre como combinar as vantagens dos modelos tradicionais de programação para oferecer uma interface de programação mais simples para o programador. Exploramos o uso de operações de comunicação não- bloqueante e de um mecanismo básico de gerência cooperativa de tarefas baseado na construção de co-rotinas. Usando esses conceitos implementamos: (1) um conjunto de operações que facilitam o desenvolvimento de aplicações com a estrutura cliente/servidor sobre uma base de comunicação assíncrona; e (2) uma interface de programação mais apropriada para o TinyOS, o estado da arte em sistema operacional para redes de sensores. / [en] New contexts of distributed computing emphasize the need of programming abstractions able to deal with asynchronous communication and concurrent tasks. Event-driven or threaded programming models are able to deal with these issues, but each model presents particular advantages and problems. Normally, when choosing the model more appropriate for a context or problem, the programmer must deal directly with the difficulties related to this model, making the development task more complex. In this work we discuss a way to combine the advantages of the traditional programming models in order to support a programming interface more suitable for the programmer.We explore asynchronous communication and cooperative task management based on the co-routine construction. By using these concepts, we implement: (1) a set of operations for building client/server applications upon an asynchronous communication basis; and (2) a more appropriate programming interface for TinyOS, the state of the art of operating system for sensor networks.

Text in English / Accompanied DVD with printed record / In this dissertation, I explore music styles from Tshianzwane village in HaMakuya, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, particularly malende, tshigombela, and children‘s songs. I consider the music styles as embedded in their extra-musical physical structure and abstractions; social rituals; frame of reference; forms of habitus; social order; cultural capital; social meanings, behaviour, power hierarchy, status, space, agency, institutions; formal-informal education and means; symbols; musical instruments; dance; religion; ancestor worship; traditional health practice; norms and values; mentorship and rites of passage. I further explore how and why music performers and other cultural patterns at Tshianzwane interpenetrate with each other and their living space through social roles; demonstration-imitation learning method; enculturation; dialectics of normative-interpretive, embodiment-hexis or cues, internalizationexternalization, surface-deep structure, conscious-unconscious level, qualitativequantitative understanding of music styles and genres and local-foreign context; means of communication; reinterpretation and redefinition of concepts. In conclusion, I consider how people and cultural patterns at Tshianzwane, through interpenetration, form progressing and changing social web; social connections; attachments; trance; state of flux in cultural patterns; synthesis of cultural patterns; embedded contexts; shared culture and resultant cultural patterns. Since cultural patterns, as a result of interpenetration, reflect each other, I point out the challenges in socio-spatial mapping of forms of habitus and cultural patterns. In my dissertation, I use John Blacking‘s work as my primary theoretical framework. Furthermore, I use Pierre Bourdieu‘s theoretical framework, and Hugh Tracey‘s and David Dargie‘s audio CDs on African tribal music to enrich my theoretical ground. I collected my field data at Tshianzwane in collaboration with Joseph Morake and Ignatia Madalane (students), Dr Susan Harrop-Allin (supervisor), Samson Netshifhefhe, Obert Ramashia, Paul Munyai and Musiwalo (informants). / M. Mus. / Art History, Visual Arts & Musicology

Este trabalho apresenta um meta-modelo conceitual de dados para ser usado como ferramenta concetual para a construção de modelos de dados, obedecendo a determinados padrões. Ele é baseado em um metamodelo que permite a instanciação de modelos de dados. Para isso, identificaram-se as abstrações de dados fundamentais utilizadas em modelos de dados em geral: as abstrações de classificação, de associação e de generalização, e a partir delas foi construído um metamodelo que permite a representação de outros modelos de dados. O metamodelo modela os construtores semânticos de um determinado modelo de dados definindo diversas parametrizações das abstrações utilizadas nesse modelo, possivelmente em múltiplas ocorrêncas da mesma abstração num mesmo modelo. Considera-se uma ocorrência de parametrização como a identificação das restrições que envolvem uma abstração e a atribuição de valores a essas restrições, delimitando as possibilidades de cada restrição. Com esse conceito foi estabelecido um arcabouço conceitual que define uma estrutura precisa para cada construtor do metamodelo. A parametrização foi exemplificada pela aplicação ao Modelo Entidade-Relacionamento original, e na construção de um modelo orientado a objetos concebido para atender a necessidades bem especificadas, definidas a priori (atender às necessidades de aplicações de projeto e engenharia e aplicações científicas) que é denominado Modelo SIRIUS. / A set of conceptual constructions was developed to be used as a \"conceptual tool\" aiming the representation or construction of other data models. The result is a Data Meta-Model, which can be used as a reference standard for the construction of other data models. The Meta-model is based on the identification of the fundamental data abstractions used in the existing data models. It is shown that the fundamental abstractions are the classification, the association and the generalization ones. The Meta-model permits the definition of the semantic constructors of each data model the parameterization of the fundamental abstractions used in each constructor of the model. An abstraction is parameterized by collecting its set of restrictions and by setting each restriction with a particular value. Therefore, the same abstraction can generate several distinct abstraction instances. In the same way, several abstraction instances of distinct fundamental abstractions can be associated to build each each semantic constructor of the target data model. This process is exemplified using two case studies. First, it is used to represent the Entity-Relationship Model. Thereafter, it is used to construct a new data model, aiming at supporting the requirements of computer-aided engineering design and of scientific applications. The new data model is named SIRIUS, and incorporates the fundamental abstractions instantiated into semantic constructors tailored to the needs of those domains.

Inventer des circuits de l'électronique de puissance est une activité intellectuelle qui met en jeu de nombreuses connaissances, requiert du savoir-faire et de la créativité. L'objectif de cette thèse est de concevoir un système informatique simulant cette activité. A cet effet, un système constitué de deux modules a été implanté. Le premier propose les circuits qui ne présentent pas de grossier défaut de conception, au terme d'une recherche heuristique dans un espace organisé en hiérarchie d'abstractions. Cette organisation particulière des connaissances permet de focaliser, aussi tôt que possible, la recherche sur les circuits potentiellement intéressants. Pour éviter que ce module engendre des doublons, la représentation par graphes de liens a été utilisée. Cette mise en (\oe)uvre a donné lieu à un algorithme qui, contrairement à ceux qui ont été décrits dans la littérature, transforme un circuit en un graphe de liens parfaitement adapté au formalisme. Le second module analyse qualitativement le fonctionnement des circuits ainsi engendrés. Il décrit notamment leur fonctionnement dans des termes identiques à ceux employés par les ingénieurs. Il permet ainsi d'exprimer intuitivement les critères imposés par un cahier des charges et de sélectionner les circuits qui le vérifient. L'approche proposée est viable car le système a redécouvert les principaux représentants de classes importantes de circuits. Il a également proposé de circuits nouveaux aux performances a priori comparables à celles des circuits connus. Le système présenté dans cette thèse permet ainsi d'envisager une étude rationnelle des dispositifs de l'électronique de puissance. Plus généralement, il prouve l'efficacité des techniques d'intelligence artificielle sur un domaine concret et met en évidence l'intérêt de l'utilisation des abstractions pour la résolution de problème.

Cette dissertation montre que des applications embarquées complexes peuvent tirer partie efficacement de plateformes MP-SoC hétérogènes tout en respectant les critères de flexibilité, mise à l'échelle, portabilité et time-to-market. Elle fait la description d'un flot de conception de logiciel embarqué amélioré combinant un générateur de code, GECKO, et un environnement logiciel innovant, APES, afin d'obtenir un haut niveau d'efficacité. La contribution ainsi présentée est double : 1) un flot de conception de logiciel embarqué amélioré avec un ensemble d'outils permettant la construction automatique d'objets binaires minimaux pour une application donnée ciblant une plateforme MP-SoC donnée, et 2) un ensemble de composants logiciels modulaire et portable incluant des mécanismes de systèmes d'exploitations traditionnels ainsi que le support de multiples processeurs.

In the vision of Ambient Intelligence, people are assisted in their everyday activities through the proactive, opportunistic support of non-intrusive computing devices offering intuitive interaction modalities. The usefulness and quality of delivered services can be improved considerably if the devices are able to adapt their behaviour according to sensed changes in their surrounding environment, both at the physical and logical levels. This interplay between context-awareness and dynamic software adaptability is key to the construction of applications that are smart with respect to user needs. Unfortunately, most current applications do not reach this level of adaptability, due to a lack of appropriate programming technology. Most applications exhibit fixed functionality and seldom do they sense their environment and adapt their services in a context-aware fashion. Many chances of delivering improved services to users and network peers are thus missed. This dissertation presents a programming model to ease the construction of applications that can react to changes in their execution context by adapting their behaviour dynamically. The starting point of our research is the development of novel language abstractions and the adaptation of existing abstractions to render context-aware, self-adaptable applications easier to develop. We demonstrate that a simple yet powerful computation model readily provides the needed support, leading to straightforward application code that is not concerned with context adaptation, behaviour that can be adapted dynamically to different contexts in a non-intrusive fashion, and context-aware applications with software architectures that are not biased towards context adaptation ---rather, they can be designed freely according to their domain. The proposed computation model is realised through the Ambience programming language, and its underlying open implementation, the Ambient Object System. A small-step operational semantics describes it formally. Much in the vein of prototype-based programming, the model has been designed with simplicity and concreteness in mind. It is highly dynamic, featuring dynamic (multiple) dispatch, dynamic inheritance, dynamic typing, and dynamic method scoping. Application logic adaptation is enabled by means of an intuitive, first-class reification of context that is straightforwardly connected to dynamic behaviour selection. We describe needed management techniques for such context, and a few programming guidelines on how to develop context-aware applications using our approach. The approach is validated by showing its application in a number of scenarios inspired on Ambient Intelligence.