686 research outputs found
An Evidence-based Roadmap for IoT Software Systems Engineering
Context: The Internet of Things (IoT) has brought expectations for software
inclusion in everyday objects. However, it has challenges and requires
multidisciplinary technical knowledge involving different areas that should be
combined to enable IoT software systems engineering. Goal: To present an
evidence-based roadmap for IoT development to support developers in specifying,
designing, and implementing IoT systems. Method: An iterative approach based on
experimental studies to acquire evidence to define the IoT Roadmap. Next, the
Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge life cycle was used to organize the
roadmap and set temporal dimensions for IoT software systems engineering.
Results: The studies revealed seven IoT Facets influencing IoT development. The
IoT Roadmap comprises 117 items organized into 29 categories representing
different concerns for each Facet. In addition, an experimental study was
conducted observing a real case of a healthcare IoT project, indicating the
roadmap applicability. Conclusions: The IoT Roadmap can be a feasible
instrument to assist IoT software systems engineering because it can (a)
support researchers and practitioners in understanding and characterizing the
IoT and (b) provide a checklist to identify the applicable recommendations for
engineering IoT software systems
Enhancing Cyber-Resiliency of DER-based SmartGrid: A Survey
The rapid development of information and communications technology has
enabled the use of digital-controlled and software-driven distributed energy
resources (DERs) to improve the flexibility and efficiency of power supply, and
support grid operations. However, this evolution also exposes
geographically-dispersed DERs to cyber threats, including hardware and software
vulnerabilities, communication issues, and personnel errors, etc. Therefore,
enhancing the cyber-resiliency of DER-based smart grid - the ability to survive
successful cyber intrusions - is becoming increasingly vital and has garnered
significant attention from both industry and academia. In this survey, we aim
to provide a systematical and comprehensive review regarding the
cyber-resiliency enhancement (CRE) of DER-based smart grid. Firstly, an
integrated threat modeling method is tailored for the hierarchical DER-based
smart grid with special emphasis on vulnerability identification and impact
analysis. Then, the defense-in-depth strategies encompassing prevention,
detection, mitigation, and recovery are comprehensively surveyed,
systematically classified, and rigorously compared. A CRE framework is
subsequently proposed to incorporate the five key resiliency enablers. Finally,
challenges and future directions are discussed in details. The overall aim of
this survey is to demonstrate the development trend of CRE methods and motivate
further efforts to improve the cyber-resiliency of DER-based smart grid.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid for Publication
Consideratio
Mutual Impact between Clock Gating and High Level Synthesis in Reconfigurable Hardware Accelerators
With the diffusion of cyber-physical systems and internet of things, adaptivity and low power consumption became of primary importance in digital systems design. Reconfigurable heterogeneous platforms seem to be one of the most suitable choices to cope with such challenging context. However, their development and power optimization are not trivial, especially considering hardware acceleration components. On the one hand high level synthesis could simplify the design of such kind of systems, but on the other hand it can limit the positive effects of the adopted power saving techniques. In this work, the mutual impact of different high level synthesis tools and the application of the well known clock gating strategy in the development of reconfigurable accelerators is studied. The aim is to optimize a clock gating application according to the chosen high level synthesis engine and target technology (Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)). Different levels of application of clock gating are evaluated, including a novel multi level solution. Besides assessing the benefits and drawbacks of the clock gating application at different levels, hints for future design automation of low power reconfigurable accelerators through high level synthesis are also derived
Control resilience in a F2C scenario
This project proposes a novel architecture and a proof-of-concept implementation to provide resilience of F2C structures, and the set of rules applied to them. The provided solution, called Control Resilience Management can be deployed as a standalone component or integrated into any F2C applicatio
Revisiting Actor Programming in C++
The actor model of computation has gained significant popularity over the
last decade. Its high level of abstraction makes it appealing for concurrent
applications in parallel and distributed systems. However, designing a
real-world actor framework that subsumes full scalability, strong reliability,
and high resource efficiency requires many conceptual and algorithmic additives
to the original model.
In this paper, we report on designing and building CAF, the "C++ Actor
Framework". CAF targets at providing a concurrent and distributed native
environment for scaling up to very large, high-performance applications, and
equally well down to small constrained systems. We present the key
specifications and design concepts---in particular a message-transparent
architecture, type-safe message interfaces, and pattern matching
facilities---that make native actors a viable approach for many robust,
elastic, and highly distributed developments. We demonstrate the feasibility of
CAF in three scenarios: first for elastic, upscaling environments, second for
including heterogeneous hardware like GPGPUs, and third for distributed runtime
systems. Extensive performance evaluations indicate ideal runtime behaviour for
up to 64 cores at very low memory footprint, or in the presence of GPUs. In
these tests, CAF continuously outperforms the competing actor environments
Erlang, Charm++, SalsaLite, Scala, ActorFoundry, and even the OpenMPI.Comment: 33 page
Innovation in Energy Systems
It has been a little over a century since the inception of interconnected networks and little has changed in the way that they are operated. Demand-supply balance methods, protection schemes, business models for electric power companies, and future development considerations have remained the same until very recently. Distributed generators, storage devices, and electric vehicles have become widespread and disrupted century-old bulk generation - bulk transmission operation. Distribution networks are no longer passive networks and now contribute to power generation. Old billing and energy trading schemes cannot accommodate this change and need revision. Furthermore, bidirectional power flow is an unprecedented phenomenon in distribution networks and traditional protection schemes require a thorough fix for proper operation. This book aims to cover new technologies, methods, and approaches developed to meet the needs of this changing field
Surface engineering by titanium particulate injection mounding
In a recent study a structural hold down component was designed and produced using the particulate injection moulding (PIM) process. The material of choice was titanium due not only to the material properties but also due to the desire to create custom made components for a state-of-the-art marine vessel. On removal from the mould the green parts were seen to have an irregular surface on the top face. The irregular surface presented no through part defects and although the surface irregularities were caused by separation of the two-phases the effect was restricted to the outer surface of the parts. In a more historic study by the author the surface properties of titanium dental implants were modified by the use of adaptive mould inserts during the moulding phase of PIM. These two contrasting studies are considered and have become the basis of a current investigation looking to engineer surface irregularities in an ordered fashion.
The application of meso-machining, and additive manufacture are considered and the functionality which may arise are presented
Development of innovative cross-disciplinary engineering showcase
The development of engineering education relies substantially on interactive showcases and practical knowledge. The cross-disciplinary engineering showcase is designed to be fully interactive by having user input, producing a tangible output, and to understand distinct
elements from each of the engineering disciplines such as, civil, mechanical and electrical (CME). The showcase operates from the input of mechanical rotational energy by the user pedalling the exercycle. Mechanical energy is then transferred to the pump via a gear train, which converts the user input of 30 rpm to the optimal pump operating speed of 2900 rpm.
Further, it is used to pump water from the lower eservoir to the upper reservoir via one of the three flow paths, which the user can select by opening or closing flow valves. Once the water reaches a given height, it then flows back to the lower reservoir via a micro-hydro generator. As a result, it generates electrical energy stored in a power bank that can be used by the user to
charge a digital device. Also, the showcase has a QR code to digital media, which will provide an additional explanation/exposition of the presented engineering principles to the user/students.
The aim of this project is to develop a cross- disciplinary engineering showcase to enhance student learnings by interpreting the CME engineering principles in schools, institutes, and universities
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