Low Power SoC Design

The design of Low Power Systems-on-Chips (SoC) in very deep submicron technologies becomes a very complex task that has to bridge very high level system description with low-level considerations due to technology defaults and variations and increasing system and circuit complexity. This paper describes the major low-level issues, such as dynamic and static power consumption, temperature, technology variations, interconnect, DFM, reliability and yield, and their impact on high-level design, such as the design of multi-Vdd, fault-tolerant, redundant or adaptive chip architectures. Some very low power System-on-Chip (SoC) will be presented in three domains: wireless sensor networks, vision sensors and mobile TV

Towards A Software Failure Cost Impact Model for the Customer An Analysis of an Open Source Product

ABSTRACT While the financial consequences of software errors on the developer's side have been explored extensively, the costs arising for the end user have been largely neglected. One reason is the difficulty of linking errors in the code with emerging failure behavior of the software. The problem becomes even more difficult when trying to predict failure probabilities based on models or code metrics. In this paper we take a first step towards a cost prediction model by exploring the possibilities of modeling the financial consequences of already identified software failures. Firefox, a well-known open source software, is used as a test subject. Historically identified failures are modeled using fault trees. To identify costs, usage profiles are employed to depict the interaction with the system. The presented approach demonstrates the possibility to model failure cost for an organization using a specific software by establishing a relationship between user behavior, software failures, and costs. As future work, an extension with software error prediction techniques as well as an empirical validation of the model is aspired

Investigation of seismicity and related effects at NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Computer Center, Edwards, California

This report discusses a geological and seismological investigation of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility site at Edwards, California. Results are presented as seismic design criteria, with design values of the pertinent ground motion parameters, probability of recurrence, and recommended analogous time-history accelerograms with their corresponding spectra. The recommendations apply specifically to the Dryden site and should not be extrapolated to other sites with varying foundation and geologic conditions or different seismic environments

Geology of the Breitenbush Hot Springs area, Cascade Range, Oregon

The Breitenbush Hot Springs area lies on the boundary of folded middle to late Tertiary Western Cascade rocks and younger High Cascade rocks. Within the mapped area the Western Cascade rocks are represented by four formations. The Detroit Beds, a sequence of interstratified tuffaceous sandstone, mudflow breccia, and tuff, is overlain unconformably by the Breitenbush Tuff. The Breitenbush Tuff consists of three units of welded pumice-rich crystal-vitric ash-flow tuffs interbedded with tuffaceous sedimentary rocks. The Outerson Formation unconformably overlies the Breitenbush Tuff and consists primarily of basaltic lava and breccia. The Outerson Formation includes three localized members: a basal, glassy, aphanitic basalt, the Lake Leone Sediments, and the Outerson Tuff. The Outerson Formation is cut by a number of feeder dikes and plugs and is unconformably overlain by the Cheat Creek Sediments, composed of volcanic sedimentary rocks and a distinctive basaltic tuff. The Western Cascade formations total more than 1660 m {5500 ft) of strata and range from Oligocene to Pliocene in age. The High Cascade rocks are represented by two formations: the Triangulation Peak Volcanics of basalt and andesite lava and breccia, lying unconformably atop the Cheat Creek Sediments; and unconformably beneath the Collowash Volcanics, a series of thin basaltic lava flows and breccias. The Western and High Cascade rocks are covered extensively by surficial deposits, primarily glacial drift. The High Cascade formations are at least 840 m (2800 ft) thick, ranging in age from Pliocene to Pliestocene. The Western Cascade rocks have been folded and faulted in the Breitenbush Hot Springs area, and form the eastern limb of the north-trending Breitenbush Anticline. The folded rocks and the erosional unconformities between the rock units probably represent two local episodes of orogeny: one in early to middle Miocene and another in late Pliocene to Pleistocene time. The Outerson Formation represents a depositional sequence between the periods of uplift and deformation. Faulting accompanied the orogenic sequences. The primary volcanic landforms in the area have been destroyed by erosion but skeletal remains of High Cascade volcanoes are recognized. Stream erosion and glaciation are responsible for the present landforms. Breitenbush Hot Springs occurs, in part, along basaltic dikes which channel the water through impermeable Breitenbush Tuff. The dikes are believed to be associated with the Outerson basalts. The Hot Springs discharge upwards at 3400 l/min. (900 gpm) of water at temperatures up to 92°C (198°F)

Prioritization of responsive maintenance tasks via machine learning-based inference

Maintenance task prioritization is essential for allocating resources. It is estimated that almost 1/3 of the maintenance cost is wasted to unnecessary activities. Task prioritization is based on risk assessment that takes into account the probability of failure and the criticality of an asset. The criticality analysis is defined by the asset owner based on several parameters, among them safety, downtime cost, productivity, whilst the probability of failure is determined based on deterioration models, regular manual inspections, or installed sensors. Currently, the latter is an extremely complicated and labour intensive procedure, when multiple and different types of assets need to be managed. This paper proposes an innovative method that exploits the advances in mobile communications, social networking, Internet of Things and machine learning to address this shortcoming. This approach brings building elements and assets online using asset tags with an online ‘asset profile’ linked to it. Users of assets are able to scan these tags using a mobile phone app to not only see the information about those assets, but also enter ‘comments’ describing issues and problems on the profiles. These comments are processed through machine learning-based inference methods to estimate the probability that a failure has occurred. This paper validates the proposed method using historical data collected from the Estate Management, of the University of CambridgeInnovate U

Magnetic Characterisation of Rocks Underlying FUTA Campus, South-Western Nigeria

The Federal University of Technology, Akure Campus is predominantly underlain by the Migmatite-gneiss-quartzite complex of the West African Basement Rocks, which forms part of the Pan-African mobile belt. Geo-magnetic characterisation of the underlying rocks was conducted in order to determine the rock boundaries and geologic features within the near surface and subsurface areas of the Campus. Both qualitative and quantitative interpretations of total magnetic intensity data obtained in the area yielded results in terms of different rock units, linear magnetic fabrics, subsurface features and depth to basement of the rocks. On the basis of magnetic response, four rocks units including Granite, Migmatite gneiss, Charnokite and Quartzite were delineated, with varying degree of fabrics’ alterations. Depth-to-bedrock in the Campus varies from 0 to 98.5 m, while depth to fracture/fault in the area falls between 0.1 m and 149.6 m. Keywords: Geo-magnetic characterisation, depth-to-bedrock,   rock fabric, total magnetic intensity, magnetic response

We Are Not Content: Enviornmental Exploitation against Taiwan's Minority Populations

The following research paper highlights the projects, policies, and initiatives that negatively impacted Taiwan's indigenous and Hakka populations from early Dutch Colonization and Japanese Occupation to topical conflicts such as ecotourism and sweeping excavation projects. A brief introduction details Taiwanese historiography, its shortcomings, and alternative attempts by scholars to craft a "new" historical narrative that encompasses minority populations beyond established "colonizer vs. colonized" mentalities. Despite an extensive history of environmental exploitation at the hands of various imperialist forces and the emergence of pollutant-heavy industries, indigenous environmental rights are gradually improving. This paper concludes with a contemporary analysis of succesful environmental rights movements at the dawn of President Tsai Ing-wen's formal apology to indigenous groups in 2016. &nbsp

Revision of the Phyllophaga of Hispaniola (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) — PART 2

With this study, the fauna of Hispaniolan Phyllophaga is now composed of 48 species, all of which are endemic (precinctive), including 22 new species described herein (4 attributed to Woodruff and Sanderson: approxima, bonfils, jimenezi, rex; 18 to Woodruff: aceitillar, alcoa, androw, baoruco, carnegie, davidsoni, eladio, haitiensis, jaragua, larimar, marcano, nunezi, ortizi, pedernales, rawlinsi, rustica, santachloe, toni). Additionally, allotypes are described for 7 species with previously unknown males (aliada, canoa) or females (esquinada, fossoria, imprima, kenscoffi, panicula), and 6 new country records (Dominican Republic) are provided (aliada, leptospica, minutissima, panicula, permagna, recorta). Of the 48, only 1 male remains unknown (barrosa), and 9 females are missing (aceitillar, carnegie, costura, davidsoni, espina, garrota, probaporra, rustica, toni); 32 are recorded only from the Dominican Republic, and 5 are known only from Haiti. The 727 Figures include 50 habitus illustrations for all species, as well as SEM photos of male and female genitalia, and other salient morphological characters. The discovery of “sister species,” on opposite sides of the Enriquillo basin, provides significant data to support the 2 island concept; 15 species are known only from the paleo “south island,” and 23 are restricted to the “north island”. RESUMEN: De acuerdo con este estudio, la fauna de Phyllophaga en la isla Española, en el mar Caribe, está compuesta por 48 especies, todas endémicas (precinctivas), incluyendo a 22 nuevas especies aquí descritas (4 atribuídas a Woodruff y Sanderson: approxima, bonfils, jimenezi, rex; 18 a Woodruff: aceitillar, alcoa, androw, baoruco, carnegie, davidsoni, eladio, haitiensis, jaragua, larimar, marcano, nunezi, ortizi, pedernales, rawlinsi, rustica, santachloe, toni). Adicionalmente, se describen los alotipos de 7 especies, de las cuales no se conocían los machos (aliada, canoa) o las hembras (esquinada, fossoria, imprima, kenscoffi, panicula), y se reportan por primera vez a 6 especies para la República Dominicana (aliada, leptospica, minutissima, panicula, permagna, recorta). De las 48 especies, solo un macho no se conoce (barrosa) y 9 hembras aún no se describen (aceitillar, carnegie, costura, davidsoni, espina, garrota, probaporra, rustica, toni); 32 de estas especies se conocen solo de la República Dominicana y solo se conocen 5 de Haití. Las 727 ilustraciones incluyen a 50 figuras completas de todas las especies, al igual que microfotografías electrónicas (SEM) de las genitalias de machos y hembras. El hallazgo de “especies hermanas” en lados opuestos la cuenca Enriquillo es un indicador significativo que apoya al concepto de dos islas; 15 especies se conocen solo en la “isla sur,” y 23 estan restringidas a la “isla norte.” Because of its large size, this work is broken into 5 parts, with PDF files archived separately as follows: Part .... Pages ........ Figures ...... filesize 1 ........ 1–22 ............ 1–109 ...... 22 Mb 2 ...... 23–47 ........ 110–190 ........ 8 Mb 3 ...... 48–76 ........ 191–332 ...... 14 Mb 4 ...... 77–91 ........ 333–413 ........ 7 Mb 5 ...... 92–112 ...... 414–537 ...... 11 Mb For the convenience of users with very fast connections or sufficient patience, the entire work is archived as an attachment to Part 1 as a supplemental file (60 megabytes)

A Survey on Measuring and Mitigating Reasoning Shortcuts in Machine Reading Comprehension

The issue of shortcut learning is widely known in NLP and has been an important research focus in recent years. Unintended correlations in the data enable models to easily solve tasks that were meant to exhibit advanced language understanding and reasoning capabilities. In this survey paper, we focus on the field of machine reading comprehension (MRC), an important task for showcasing high-level language understanding that also suffers from a range of shortcuts. We summarize the available techniques for measuring and mitigating shortcuts and conclude with suggestions for further progress in shortcut research. Importantly, we highlight two concerns for shortcut mitigation in MRC: (1) the lack of public challenge sets, a necessary component for effective and reusable evaluation, and (2) the lack of certain mitigation techniques that are prominent in other areas.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, 4 table