Early Performance Prediction Research Articles

Early Performance Prediction of Co-Operative Multi-Agent Systems

Performance is a persistent quality of any software systems. Software performance engineering (SPE) encompasses efforts to describe and improve performance of systems at the early stages of development of the system. Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) are composed of autonomous entities called agents which cooperates together to solve complex distributed problems. Whatever complex the system, the quality of the system is an important parameter to be addressed. We propose a methodology to predict the performance of agents in MAS by considering the importance of cooperative behavior of the agents. Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams and mathematical formulas are used to quantify the cooperation at early stages of MAS. Our methodology is illustrated with the help of a case study. The performance metrics are obtained by simulating the cooperative behavior of MAS using the tool Simulation of Multi-tier Queuing Applications (SMTQA).

Early performance prediction of web services

Web Service is an interface which implements business logic. Performance is an important quality aspect of Web services because of their distributed nature. Predicting the performance of web services during early stages of software development is significant. In this paper we model web service using Unified Modeling Language, Use Case Diagram, Sequence Diagram, Deployment Diagram. We obtain the Performance metrics by simulating the web services model using a simulation tool Simulation of Multi-Tier Queuing Architecture. We have identified the bottle neck resources.

A novel method for in vivo knee prosthesis wear measurement

Wear remains an important cause of failure in knee replacement. Of the current methods of early performance assessment or prediction, simulators have been un-physiological, single X-ray film analyses remain limited by accuracy and retrieval and survival methods have a prohibitive time scale. An accurate method is needed to allow a timely assessment of polyethylene component wear in vivo, when a new design is introduced, in order to predict likely outcome. We present a new method for measuring wear in vivo that we believe will allow this prediction of long-term wear. X-ray film pairs were taken of implanted prosthetic metal components. When the X-ray system was calibrated, projections of the appropriate Computer Aided Design (CAD) model could be matched to the shapes on the scanned X-ray films to find component positions. Interpenetration of the metal femoral component into the polyethylene component could then be established and represents our estimate of “wear”. This method was used to measure in vivo prosthesis wear to an accuracy of 0.11 mm.

Meeting the challenge of radical change

The coating industry has only occasionally been presented with the challenges and opportunities which either bring about, or proceed from, radical change—the advent of latex house paints, powder coatings and electrodeposition have been among the very few. Today, however, the coatings R&D community is blessed/cursed with a large variety of potential technology approaches, any of which—solid paint, solventless liquids, energy-curing systems, the use of nanotechnology or combinatorial chemistry, et al.—might lead to paradigm-shifting products and processes. It is easy to envision a future in which painted metal might replace asphalt shingles, claytiles, and other common roofing materials widely used on residential roofing, and the automotive industry is clearly willing to explore coil-applied alternatives to its current painting practices. Taking advantage of the opportunities implicit in these new technologies, processes, and markets which are on the horizon will, however, require both new approaches to early performance prediction and also a renewed commitment to—and funding of—R&D within the global coatings community.

Early prediction of MPP performance: The SP2, T3D, and Paragon experiences

The performance of Massively Parallel Processors (MPPs) is attributed to a large number of machine and program factors. Software development for MPP applications is often very costly. The high cost is partially caused by a lack of early prediction of MPP performance. The program development cycle may iterate many times before achieving the desired performance level. In this paper, we present an early prediction scheme we have developed at the University of Southern California for reducing the cost of application software development. Using workload analysis and overhead estimation, our scheme optimizes the design of parallel algorithm before entering the tedious coding, debugging, and testing cycle of the applications. The scheme is generally applied at user/programmer level, not tied to any particular machine platform or any specific software environment. We have tested the effectiveness of this early performance prediction scheme by running the MIT/STAP benchmark programs on a 400-node IBM SP2 system at the Maui High-Performance Computing Center (MHPCC), on a 400-node Intel Paragon system at the San Diego Supercomputing Center (SDSC), and on a 128-node Cray T3D at the Cray Research Eagan Center in Wisconsin. Our prediction shows to be rather accurate compared with the actual performance measured on these machines. We use the SP2 data to illustrate the early prediction scheme. The main contribution of this work lies in providing a systematic procedure to estimate the computational work-load, to determine the application attributes, and to reveal the communication overhead in using these MPPs. These results can be applied to develop any MPP applications other than the STAP benchmarks by which this prediction scheme was developed.

Aerodynamic anomalies - Can CFD prevent or correct them?

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become a standard design tool for modern sophisticated aircraft. This paper reviews design methods that were used for some existing jet transport aircraft at a time when theoretical tools had very limited capability. Early designers combined available theory and empirical data with sufficient skill to develop highly successful aircraft. They also overcome serious problems that sometimes arose only after first flight, problems due to aerodynamic phenomena that were not predicted. Some of these problems are discussed in detail in this paper. The questions of whether modern CFD would have warned of these problems and provided necessary solutions is addressed. It is concluded that, in many cases, the answer is negative. Comparisons between two-dimensional CFD airfoil compressibility drag rise, converted to finite wing drag rise using simple sweep theory, and flight test results show good agreement. A rapid method of compressibili ty drag rise prediction based On two-dimensional CFD results is suggested. The method will define the drag that can be expected if wing designers do a proper job, thereby allowing early performance prediction. Actual wing design is a task for three-dimensional wing and body CFD code including viscous and shock wave effects.

Early prediction of performance in broilers: relationship between length of tarsometatarsus and weight gain.

Two groups, each of 25 Hubbard broiler chicks, were individually raised in cages for 49 d. The tarsometatarsus length at 1-d old and finishing point, food utilisation and finishing body weight were recorded and statistically analysed. Birds with long tarsometatarsi at 1-d old were found to have significantly (P less than 0.001) greater finishing body weights than those with short tarsometatarsi at 1-d old. A strong correlation (r = 0.80) was found between length of tarsometatarsus at 1-d old and body weight at 49 d. Length of tarsometatarsus at 1-d old is thus a possible basis for predicting body weight gain.

Early Prediction of Plantation Performance for Red Pine

An indication in year 1 or 2 of the relative performance at five years of 3 + 0 red pine plantations can be obtained by supplementing height and survival measurements with a quality assessment based on needle length and growth characteristics of the terminal shoot in the first years after outplanting. Key Words: Red pine, plantation assessment pradiction, needle length height, survival, quality classes.

Stability or Change in Reading Achievement over Times Developmental and Educational Implications

Just as IQ is thought to be a relatively stable attribute, skill acquisition is considered an orderly, continuous growth process. Teachers must set goals based on such an assumption. Researchers often define their LD samples assuming that a reading achievement score reflects the skill growth rate. Federal LD standards have formalized both assumptions by defining LD as the difference between these two indices. Belmont and Belmont's findings may not measurably help teachers set reading goals for their pupils but do confirm suspicions regarding the predictability of a specific child's short-range accomplishments. Group statistics are found not to represent individual growth patterns in reading which suggests the need for a more detailed understanding of the reading skill acquisition process and for a more sensitive measurement technology. — G.M.S. Previous work has led to conflicting conclusions regarding the long-term stability or variability of individual reading performance. This paper attempts to resolve the contradictory findings through a preliminary study of the course of individual performance and explores the results in terms of implications for normal growth and development and for the early prediction of later reading performance.