PROPOSED MIDDLEWARE SOLUTION FOR RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED DISTRIBUTED EMBEDDED NETWORKS

The explosion in processing power of embedded systems has enabled distributed embedded networks to perform more complicated tasks. Middleware are sets of encapsulations of common and network/operating system-specific functionality into generic, reusable frameworks to manage such distributed networks. This thesis will survey and categorize popular middleware implementations into three adapted layers: host-infrastructure, distribution, and common services. This thesis will then apply a quantitative approach to grading and proposing a single middleware solution from all layers for two target platforms: CubeSats and autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). CubeSats are 10x10x10cm nanosatellites that are popular university-level space missions, and impose power and volume constraints. Autonomous UAVs are similarly-popular hobbyist-level vehicles that exhibit similar power and volume constraints. The MAVLink middleware from the host-infrastructure layer is proposed as the middleware to manage the distributed embedded networks powering these platforms in future projects. Finally, this thesis presents a performance analysis on MAVLink managing the ARM Cortex-M 32-bit processors that power the target platforms

Evolution of Ionizing Radiation Research

The industrial and medical applications of radiation have been augmented and scientific insight into mechanisms for radiation action notably progressed. In addition, the public concern about radiation risk has also grown extensively. Today the importance of risk communication among stakeholders involved in radiation-related issues is emphasized much more than any time in the past. Thus, the circumstances of radiation research have drastically changed, and the demand for a novel approach to radiation-related issues is increasing. It is thought that the publication of the book Evolution of Ionizing Radiation Research at this time would have enormous impacts on the society. The editor believes that technical experts would find a variety of new ideas and hints in this book that would be helpful to them to tackle ionizing radiation

Stepwise Design of Tolerances in Barrier Computations

We design in a stepwise manner a multitolerant computation for synchronizing the phases of concurrent processes. The tolerances of the computation enable processes to (i) compute all phases correctly in the presence of faults that corrupt process state in a detectable manner, and (ii) compute only a minimum possible number of phases incorrectly before resuming correct computation in the presence of faults that corrupt process state in an undetectable manner. Keywords: fault-tolerance, detectable and undetectable faults, stepwise design, concurrency. 1 The Problem Given is an undirected, connected network of processes. Each process consists of a cyclic sequence of n+1 terminating phases, [phase:0 ; phase:1 ; : : : ; phase:n], and is initially ready to execute phase:0. A computation of the network of processes is correct iff each phase:i, 0 i n, is executed correctly with respect to the following barrier synchronization specification: ffl Safety: No process executes phase:i unti..