Improving Measurement-Based Timing Analysis through Randomisation and Probabilistic Analysis

The use of increasingly complex hardware and software platforms in response to the ever rising performance demands of modern real-time systems complicates the verification and validation of their timing behaviour, which form a time-and-effort-intensive step of system qualification or certification. In this paper we relate the current state of practice in measurement-based timing analysis, the predominant choice for industrial developers, to the proceedings of the PROXIMA project in that very field. We recall the difficulties that the shift towards more complex computing platforms causes in that regard. Then we discuss the probabilistic approach proposed by PROXIMA to overcome some of those limitations. We present the main principles behind the PROXIMA approach as well as the changes it requires at hardware or software level underneath the application. We also present the current status of the project against its overall goals, and highlight some of the principal confidence-building results achieved so far

A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL

Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Centrality evolution of the charged-particle pseudorapidity density over a broad pseudorapidity range in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76TeV

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Demanda energética e mobilização do solo com o uso de escarificadores em sistemas de semeadura direta

A redução das janelas de semeadura e a intensificação da produção no sistema de semeadura direta impulsionaram o aumento na frequência de utilização de máquinas, provocando compactação pelo tráfego. A compactação, além de prejudicar o desenvolvimento das raízes das plantas, aumenta a demanda de potência dos implementos justificando a utilização de escarificadores para a descompactação do solo. Avaliou-se o desempenho de dois escarificadores (Haste + ponteira), sendo um comercial e um experimental, com vistas a entender a operação de escarificação quando adaptada ao sistema de semeadura direta, utilizando como parâmetros variáveis energéticas e de solo. O elemento descompactador experimental teve um desempenho superior ao comercial nas principais variáveis estudadas, tais como consumo de combustível, potência e força de tração. Quando à frente dos elementos descompactadores o disco de corte não alterou a força de tração mas reduziu o consumo de combustível e a potência. O aumento da velocidade proporcionou incremento da força de tração, potência e consumo de combustível

Modelos estatísticos para seleção de dosadores helicoidais com diferentes dispositivos de descarga de fertilizante

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo desenvolver uma ferramenta capaz de expressar matematicamente a taxa de aplicação de fertilizante em função do tipo de dosador, inclinação longitudinal, inclinação transversal e velocidade de acionamento do dosador. Foram utilizados três dosadores helicoidais com dispositivos de descarga por gravidade, transbordo transversal e transbordo lateral e adotado o delineamento composto central rotacional, com três variáveis independentes. A partir dos modelos ajustados constatou-se que os dispositivos de descarga apresentam diferentes implicações em relação aos efeitos de inclinações longitudinais e transversais de operação. O dosador com descarga por gravidade demonstrou maior sensibilidade quanto aos efeitos das inclinações de operação e o dosador com descarga por transbordo lateral demonstrou menor sensibilidade. A análise de regressão demonstrou que todos os modelos foram significativos, sendo encontrados baixos erros relativos e absolutos dos dados previstos pelos modelos

PROXIMA: Improving Measurement-Based Timing Analysis through Randomisation and Probabilistic Analysis

The use of increasingly complex hardware and software platforms in response to the ever rising performance demands of modern real-time systems complicates the verification and validation of their timing behaviour, which form a time-and-effort-intensive step of system qualification or certification. In this paper we relate the current state of practice in measurement-based timing analysis, the predominant choice for industrial developers, to the proceedings of the PROXIMA (Probabilistic real-time control of mixed-criticality multicore systems) project in that very field. We recall the difficulties that the shift towards more complex computing platforms causes in that regard. Then we discuss the probabilistic approach proposed by PROXIMA to overcome some of those limitations. We present the main principles behind the PROXIMA approach as well as the changes it requires at hardware or software level underneath the application. We also present the current status of the project against its overall goals, and highlight some of the principal confidence-building results achieved so far.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007-2013] under the PROXIMA Project (grant agreement 611085). Carles Hern´andez is jointly funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and FEDER funds through grant TIN2014-60404-JIN. Jaume Abella has been partially supported by the MINECO under Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral fellowship number RYC-2013-14717.Peer Reviewe