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Chupin, Guerric (2022) Efficient implementations of expressive modelling languages. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

This thesis is concerned with modelling languages aimed at assisting with modelling and simulation of systems described in terms of differential equations. These languages can be split into two classes: causal languages, where models are expressed using directed equations; and non-causal languages, where models are expressed using undirected equations.

This thesis focuses on two related paradigms: FRP and FHM. FRP is an approach to programming causal time-aware applications that has successfully been used in causal modelling applications; while FHM is an approach to programming non-causal modelling applications. However, both are built on similar principles, namely, the treatment of models as first-class entities, allowing for models to be parametrised by other models or computed at runtime; and support for structurally dynamic models, whose behaviour can change during the simulation. This makes FRP and FHM particularly flexible and expressive approaches to modelling, especially compared to other mainstream languages. Because of their highly expressive and flexible nature, providing efficient implementations of these languages is a challenge. This thesis explores novel implementation techniques aimed at improving the performance of existing implementations of FRP and FHM, and other expressive modelling languages built on similar ideas.

In the setting of FRP, this thesis proposes a novel embedded FRP library that uses the implementation approach of synchronous dataflow languages. This allows for significant performance improvement by better handling of the reactive network's topology, which represents a large portion of the runtime in current implementations, especially for applications that make heavy use of continuously varying values, such as modelling applications.

In the setting of FHM, this thesis presents the modular compilation of a language based on FHM. Due to inherent difficulties with the simulation of systems of undirected equations, previous implementations of FHM and similarly expressive languages were either interpreted or generated code on the fly using just-in-time compilation, two techniques which have runtime overhead over ahead-of-time compilation. This thesis presents a new method for generating code for equation systems which allows for the separate compilation of FHM models.

Compared with current approaches to FRP and FHM implementation, there is greater commonality between the implementation approaches described here, suggesting a possible way forward towards a future non-causal modelling language supporting FRP-like features, resulting in an even more expressive modelling language.

Item Type:	Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (PhD)
Supervisors:	Nilsson, Henrik Hutton, Graham
Keywords:	Modelling languages, Modular compilation, Automatic differentiation, Functional reactive programming,
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA 75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Faculties/Schools:	UK Campuses > Faculty of Science > School of Computer Science
Item ID:	68980
Depositing User:	Chupin, Guerric
Date Deposited:	02 Aug 2022 04:40
Last Modified:	02 Aug 2022 04:40
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/68980

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