RWRoute: An Open-source Timing-driven Router for Commercial FPGAs

One of the key obstacles to pervasive deployment of FPGA accelerators in data centers is their cumbersome programming model. Open source tooling is suggested as a way to develop alternative EDA tools to remedy this issue. Open source FPGA CAD tools have traditionally targeted academic hypothetical architectures, making them impractical for commercial devices. Recently, there have been efforts to develop open source back-end tools targeting commercial devices. These tools claim to follow an alternate data-driven approach that allows them to be more adaptable to the domain requirements such as faster compile time. In this paper, we present RWRoute, the first open source timing-driven router for UltraScale+ devices. RWRoute is built on the RapidWright framework and includes the essential and pragmatic features found in commercial FPGA routers that are often missing from open source tools. Another valuable contribution of this work is an open-source lightweight timing model with high fidelity timing approximations. By leveraging a combination of architectural knowledge, repeating patterns, and extensive analysis of Vivado timing reports, we obtain a slightly pessimistic, lumped delay model within 2% average accuracy of Vivado for UltraScale+ devices. Compared to Vivado, RWRoute results in a 4.9× compile time improvement at the expense of 10% Quality of Results (QoR) loss for 665 synthetic and six real designs. A main benefit of our router is enabling fast partial routing at the back-end of a domain-specific flow. Our initial results indicate that more than 9× compile time improvement is achievable for partial routing. The results of this paper show how such a router can be beneficial for a low touch flow to reduce dependency on commercial tools.

Rear-End Crash Risk Analysis considering Drivers’ Visual Perception and Traffic Flow Uncertainty: A Hierarchical Hybrid Bayesian Network Approach

Rear-end crashes or crash risk is widely recognized as safety-critical state of vehicles under comprehensive conditions. This study investigated the association between traffic flow uncertainty, drivers’ visual perception, car-following behavior, roadway and vehicular characteristics, and rear-end crash risk variation and compared the crash risk variation prediction with and without specific flow-level data. Two datasets comprising 5055 individual vehicles in car-following state were collected through on-road experiments on two freeways in China. A hierarchical hybrid BN model approach was proposed to capture the association between drivers’ visual perception, traffic flow uncertainty, and rear-end crash risk variation. Results show that (1) the BN model with flow-level data outperformed the BN model without flow-level data and could predict 85.3% of the cases of crash risk decrease, with a false alarm rate of 21.4%; (2) the hierarchical hybrid BN models showed plausible spatial transferability in predicting crash risk variation; and (3) the incorporation of specific flow-level variables and data greatly benefited the successful identification of rear-end crash risk variations. The findings of this study suggest that rear-end crash risk is inherently associated with both individual driving behaviors and traffic flow uncertainty, and appropriate visual perceptual information could compensate for crash risk and improve safety.

The definition of low wall shear stress and its effect on plaque progression estimation in human coronary arteries

Wall shear stress (WSS), the frictional force of the blood on the vessel wall, plays a crucial role in atherosclerotic plaque development. Low WSS has been associated with plaque growth, however previous research used different approaches to define low WSS to investigate its effect on plaque progression. In this study, we used four methodologies to allocate low, mid and high WSS in one dataset of human coronary arteries and investigated the predictive power of low WSS for plaque progression. Coronary reconstructions were based on multimodality imaging, using intravascular ultrasound and CT-imaging. Vessel-specific flow was measured using Doppler wire and computational fluid dynamics was performed to calculate WSS. The absolute WSS range varied greatly between the coronary arteries. On the population level, the established pattern of most plaque progression at low WSS was apparent in all methodologies defining the WSS categories. However, for the individual patient, when using measured flow to determine WSS, the absolute WSS values range so widely, that the use of absolute thresholds to determine low WSS was not appropriate to identify regions at high risk for plaque progression.

Comparison of fluid dynamics changes due to physical activity in 3D printed patient specific coronary phantoms with the Windkessel equivalent model of coronary flow

Background3D printing (3DP) used to replicate the geometry of normal and abnormal vascular pathologies has been demonstrated in many publications; however, reproduction of hemodynamic changes due to physical activities, such as rest versus moderate exercise, need to be investigated. We developed a new design for patient specific coronary phantoms, which allow adjustable physiological variables such as coronary distal resistance and coronary compliance in patients with coronary artery disease. The new design was tested in precise benchtop experiments and compared with a theoretical Windkessel electrical circuit equivalent, that models coronary flow and pressure using arterial resistance and compliance. MethodsFive phantoms from patients who underwent clinically indicated elective invasive coronary angiography were built from CCTA scans using multi-material 3D printing. Each phantom was used in a controlled flow system where patient specific flow conditions were simulated by a programmable cardiac pump. To simulate the arteriole and capillary beds flow resistance and the compliance for various physical activities, we designed a three-chamber outlet system which controls the outflow dynamics of each coronary tree. Benchtop pressure measurements were recorded using sensors embedded in each of the main coronary arteries. Using the Windkessel model, patient specific flow equivalent electrical circuit models were designed for each coronary tree branch, and flow in each artery was determined for known inflow conditions. Local flow resistances were calculated through Poiseuille’s Law derived from the radii and lengths of the coronary arteries using CT angiography based multi-planar reconstructions. The coronary stenosis flow rates from the benchtop and the electrical models were compared to the localized flow rates calculated from invasive pressure measurements recorded in the angio-suites. ResultsThe average Pearson correlations of the localized flow rates at the location of the stenosis between each of the models (Benchtop/Electrical, Benchtop/Angio, Electrical/Angio) are 0.970, 0.981, and 0.958 respectively. Conclusions3D printed coronary phantoms can be used to replicate the human arterial anatomy as well as blood flow conditions. It displays high levels of correlation when compared to hemodynamics calculated in electrically-equivalent coronary Windkessel models as well as invasive angio-suite pressure measurements.

GROUNDWATER RUNOFF IN THE PIVDENNYI BUH RIVER BASIN IN CONDITIONS OF GLOBAL WARMING

This paper analyses changes in the calculated values of the specific runoff of unconfined and confined groundwaters to the rivers Pivdennyi Buh (Khmilnyk town) and Zhar (a tributary of the Pivdennyi Buh; Vinnytsia and Khmelnytsky regions) by seasons and long-term stages, for a total of 38 years (1980-2017). Regularities of seasonal changes in groundwater runoff in areas with different relief and average long-term groundwater levels (0.5-1.5; 0.8-2.5 and 2.7-4.5 m) are revealed. These changes have been shown to be closely related to abnormal air temperature fluctuations. There are four stages of successive changes in the regime of groundwater and in the volume of their runoff to rivers: I. 1980-1989 (1990) — traditionally minimal winter and autumn underground runoff, moderate summer and predominant spring runoff, dominance of runoff from the area with high GWT; ІІ. 1990-1998 — growth and advantages of groundwater runoff from the area with low GWT, reduction to the long-term minimum of groundwater runoff in the area with high GWT (0.8-2.5 m); III. From 1999 to 2014 — the predominant dominance of winter runoff over spring, slow growth of groundwater runoff in a limited area of the catchment with levels of 0.8-2.5 m; high-amplitude fluctuations of runoff and GWT with the achievement of long-term maximums in the area with GWT = 2.5-4.0 m; IV. 2015-2019 — the most intense reduction of GWT, and in the upper reaches of small rivers — of underground runoff to rivers.There is a progressive decrease in the specific flow of groundwater to rivers, and consequently of their resources — primarily for the aquifers in the upper reaches of rivers with GWT 0.5-1.5 m with no pressure recharge. Aquifers of ground water fed by confined aquifers (mainly within floodplains and the first low terraces of rivers) in the studied area of the Ukrainian massif of fracture waters have greater stability of the level regime on the background of rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation (recorded by 2020) than shallow water (0.5-2.0 m) without signs of such recharge.

Basics of Calculation and Design of Two-Column Two-Filter Water Intake Wells

The paper provides an overview of the known designs of water wells. A new design of a two-column two-filter water intake well has been also proposed, in which the filters are arranged in two tiers. This will lead to an increase in water intake capacity and will reduce the filtration rate on the approach to the filters. This, in turn, will create conditions for reducing head losses and will make it possible to reduce drawdowns in the well, ensuring a reduction in the cost of produced water. This design combines both working and reserve wells located in one borehole, which increases its reliability, durability and uninterrupted water supply to the consumer. A method for calculating the hydraulic parameters of a two-column two-filter water intake well is presented in the paper. It is based on dependencies for calculating the main geometric dimensions for a given design flow rate and hydrogeological characteristics of an aquifer, as well as formulas for determining a decrease in a well for a given period of operation when one and two pumps operate simultaneously. The basics of designing a well of the proposed design are outlined in the paper. The paper considers an example of calculation for a new well design instead of an existing typical well that has reduced its specific flow rate.

Numerical and Experimental Research on Single-Valve and Multi-Valve Resonant Systems

Multiple valves in the pipeline system belong to obvious periodic structure distribution types. When a high-speed airstream flows through the pipeline valve, it produces obvious aero-acoustic and acoustic resonance. Acoustic resonant systems with single and six-pipe valves were investigated to understand the flow and acoustic characteristics using a numerical simulation method and testing method. The strongest acoustic resonance occurred at a specific flow velocity with a corresponding Strouhal number of 0.47 corresponding to the geometric parameters in the paper. Moreover, acoustic resonance occurred in a certain velocity range, rather than increasing with the increase of the velocity of the pipeline. This regular increase provided an important theoretical basis for the prediction of the acoustic resonant and ultimate acoustic load of a single-valve system. When the pipeline was attached with multiple valves and the physical dimension was large, the conventional aero-acoustics calculation results were seriously attenuated at high frequency; the calculation method involving a cut-off frequency in this paper was presented and could be used to explain the excellent agreement of the sound pressure level (SPL) below the cut-off frequency and the poor agreement above the cut-off frequency. A new method involving steady flow and stochastic noise generation and radiation (SNGR) was proposed to obtain better results for the SPL at the middle and high frequencies. The comparison results indicated that the traditional method of Lighthill analogy and unsteady flow could accurately acquire aerodynamic noise below the cut-off frequency, while the new method involving steady flow and SNGR could quickly acquire aerodynamic noise above the cut-off frequency.

Impact of the wind field at the complex terrain site Perdigão on the surface pressure fluctuations of a wind turbine

The influence of turbulent inflow, as it occurs in complex terrain, on the unsteady surface pressure distributions on a wind turbine is investigated numerically. A method is presented that enables an accurate reproduction of the inflow to the turbine in the complex terrain in Perdigao, Portugal. For this purpose, a precursor simulation with the steady-state atmospheric computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code E-Wind and a high-resolution Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) with FLOWer is performed. The conservation of the flow field is validated by a comparison with measurements from the 2017 field campaign in Perdigao. Then, the resolved fluid-structure coupled generic wind turbine I82 is included in the FLOWer simulation to investigate the impact of the complex terrain inflow on the surface pressure fluctuations on tower and blades. A comparison with simulations of the same turbine in flat terrain with simpler inflows shows that the turbine in complex terrain has a significantly different vortex shedding at the tower, which dominates the periodic pressure fluctuations at the tower sides and back. However, the dominant source of periodic pressure fluctuations on the upper part of the tower, the blade-tower interaction, is hardly altered by the terrain flow. The pressure fluctuations on the blade have a rather broadband characteristic, caused by the interaction of the leading edge with the inflow turbulence. In general, it is shown that a sophisticated DDES of the complex terrain plays a decisive role in the unsteady aerodynamics of the turbine, due to its specific flow characteristic.

AlN Production in Co-Flow Filtration Mode at Low Pressures

In this work, the process for obtaining aluminum nitride in the combustion mode of co-flow filtration of a nitrogen–argon mixture was investigated. The combustion of granules consisting of aluminum and aluminum nitride as an inert diluent was studied under conditions of co-current filtration in a flow of nitrogen and a nitrogen–argon mixture in the range of a specific flow rate of 1.5–5.0 cm3/(s∙cm2). It was found that the specific flow rate of the gas mixture and the amount of argon in the nitrogen–argon mixture had a significant effect on the rate and the temperature of combustion. The structure and phase composition of the synthesis products were studied. The maximum achieved yield of the AlN phase was 95 wt.%. Moreover, this method is energy efficient and allows the production of metal nitrides without the use of high-pressure reactors.

An Iterative Approach towards Single stage Axial Fan Design using Off Design Prediction

A single-stage axial fan having a pressure ratio of 1.01 is designed in the current study. The design pressure ratio is chosen based on the power available from the existing motor (2.2 kW). The design space for the axial flow fan was generated by varying specific flow and geometrical parameters in suitable steps, using a program written in MATLAB. The varied flow parameters are mass flow rate, inlet Mach number, inlet flow angle, and rotor speed. The geometrical parameters that were varied are hub to tip ratio, aspect ratio, and blade solidity. Using these as the input variables and applying free vortex theory for 3-dimensional blade design, the aerodynamic design of the axial flow fan was carried out. Performance parameters like flow coefficient, stage loading coefficient, degree of reaction, diffusion factor, De Haller’s number, and blade angles were calculated at the blade’s hub, mean, and tip. Total design space of 92160 data points was obtained from the combination of input parameters. Several constraints were applied to optimise the design space based on the available power from the existing motor and in-house manufacturing limitations. The initial design space was reduced to 82 data points using these constraints. To further reduce the number of points in the design space, off-design performance was evaluated for each of these data points. Following this, one design point was selected based on the optimum performance range in off-design operation, while considering manufacturing limitations. Using Mellor charts, a suitable blade profile was chosen based on the inlet and exit blade angles. NACA 65-410 airfoil was selected with a stagger of 55 degrees and an incidence of 6 degrees for optimum performance.