PMU-based distribution system state estimation with adaptive accuracy exploiting local decision metrics and IoT paradigm

A novel adaptive distribution system state estimation (DSSE) solution is presented and discussed, which relies on distributed decision points and exploits the Cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. Up to now, DSSE procedures have been using fixed settings regardless of the actual values of measurement accuracy, which is instead affected by the actual operating conditions of the network. The proposed DSSE is innovative with respect to previous literature, because it is adaptive in the use of updated accuracies for the measurement devices. The information used in the estimation process along with the rate of the execution are updated, depending on the indications of appropriate local metrics aimed at detecting possible variations in the operating conditions of the distribution network. Specifically, the variations and the trend of variation of the rms voltage values obtained by phasor measurement units (PMUs) are used to trigger changes in the DSSE. In case dynamics are detected, the measurement data are sent to the DSSE at higher rates and the estimation process runs consequently, updating the accuracy values to be considered in the estimation. The proposed system relies on a Cloud-based IoT platform, which has been designed to incorporate heterogeneous measurement devices, such as PMUs and smart meters. The results obtained on a 13-bus system demonstrate the validity of the proposed methodology that is efficient both in the estimation process and in the use of the communication resources

Towards self-adaptive KPN applications on NoC-based MPSoCs

Self-adaptivity is the ability of a system to adapt itself dynamically to internal and external changes. Such a capability helps systems to meet the performance and quality goals, while judiciously using available resources. In this paper, we propose a framework to implement application level self-adaptation capabilities in KPN applications running on NoC-based MPSoCs. The monitor-controller-adapter mechanism is used at the application level. The monitor measures various parameters to check whether the system meets the assigned goals. The controller takes decisions to steer the system towards the goal, which are applied by the adapters. The proposed framework requires minimal modifications to the application code and offers ease of integration. It incorporates a generic adaptation controller based on fuzzy logic. We present the MJPEG encoder as a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. Our results show that even if the parameters of the fuzzy controller are not tuned optimally, the adaptation convergence is achieved within reasonable time and error limits. Moreover, the incurred steady-state overhead due to the framework is 4% for average frame-rate, 3.5% for average bit-rate, and 0.5% for additional control data introduced in the network

ALOHA: A Unified Platform-Aware Evaluation Method for CNNs Execution on Heterogeneous Systems at the Edge

CNN design and deployment on embedded edge-processing systems is an error-prone and effort-hungry process, that poses the need for accurate and effective automated assisting tools. In such tools, pre-evaluating the platform-aware CNN metrics such as latency, energy cost, and throughput is a key requirement for successfully reaching the implementation goals imposed by use-case constraints. Especially when more complex parallel and heterogeneous computing platforms are considered, currently utilized estimation methods are inaccurate or require a lot of characterization experiments and efforts. In this paper, we propose an alternative method, designed to be flexible, easy to use, and accurate at the same time. Considering a modular platform and execution model that adequately describes the details of the platform and the scheduling of different CNN operators on different platform processing elements, our method captures precisely operations and data transfers and their deployment on computing and communication resources, significantly improving the evaluation accuracy. We have tested our method on more than 2000 CNN layers, targeting an FPGA-based accelerator and a GPU platform as reference example architectures. Results have shown that our evaluation method increases the estimation precision by up to 5× for execution time, and by 2\times for energy, compared to other widely used analytical methods. Moreover, we assessed the impact of the improved platform-awareness on a set of neural architecture search experiments, targeting both hardware platforms, and enforcing 2 sets of latency constraints, performing 5 trials on each search space, for a total number of 20 experiments. The predictability is improved by 4\times , reaching, with respect to alternatives, selection results clearly more similar to those obtained with on-hardware measurements

Modelling and Automated Implementation of Optimal Power Saving Strategies in Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Architectures

This paper focuses on how to efficiently reduce power consumption in coarse-grained reconfigurable designs, to allow their effective adoption in heterogeneous architectures supporting and accelerating complex and highly variable multifunctional applications. We propose a design flow for this kind of architectures that, besides their automatic customization, is also capable of determining their optimal power management support. Power and clock gating implementation costs are estimated in advance, before their physical implementation, on the basis of the functional, technological, and architectural parameters of the baseline design. Experimental results, on 90 and 45 nm CMOS technologies, demonstrate that the proposed approach guides the designer towards optimal implementation

Palatovaginal (pharyngeal) artery: clinical implication and surgical experience

The palatovaginal or pharyngeal artery is a small branch of the internal maxillary artery supplying the nasopharynx. Bleeding from this artery is exceptional and only one case of traumatic epistaxis from this artery has been reported previously. We report a case of a 66-year-old male presenting with right recurrent posterior epistaxis. Endoscopic dissection of the pterygopalatine fossa and direct visualization of the palatosphenoidal canal permitted to identify the origin of bleeding, and coagulation of the pharyngeal artery solved the epistaxis. Although rare, intractable posterior epistaxis may arise from the pharyngeal artery. The anatomical knowledge of this artery and of the palatosphenoidal canal is of outmost importance in endoscopic transpterygoid and nasopharyngeal procedures, to identify the vidian canal, evaluate nasopharyngeal cancer spread in the pterygopalatine fossa, reduce bleeding during surgery of the nasopharynx, and harvest adequately the pedicle of the nasoseptal flap

Is contrast-enhanced US alternative to spiral CT in the assessment of treatment outcome of radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma?

Purpose: The present study was conducted to assess the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound with low mechanical index in evaluating the response of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by comparing it with 4-row spiral computed tomography. Materials and Methods: 100 consecutive patients (65 men and 35 women; age range: 62 – 76 years) with solitary hepatocellular carcinomas (mean lesion diameter: 3.7cm± 1.1cm SD) underwent internally cooled radiofrequency ablation. Therapeutic response was evaluated at one month after the treatment with triple-phasic contrast-enhanced spiral CT and low-mechanical index contrast-enhanced ultrasound following bolus injection of 2.4 ml of Sonovue (Bracco, Milan). 60 out of 100 patients were followed up for another 3 months. Contrast-enhanced sonographic studies were reviewed by two blinded radiologists in consensus. Sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV of contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination were determined. Results: After treatment, contrast-enhanced ultrasound identified persistent signal enhancement in 24 patients (24%), whereas no intratumoral enhancement was detected in the remaining 76 patients (76%). Using CT imaging as gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV of contrast enhanced ultrasound were 92.3% (95% CI = 75.9 – 97.9%), 100% (95% CI = 95.2 – 100%), 97.4% (95% CI = 91.1 – 99.3%), and 100% (95% CI = 86.2 – 100%). Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound with low mechanical index using Sonovue is a feasible tool in evaluating the response of hepatocellular carcinoma to radiofrequency ablation. Accuracy is comparable to 4-row spiral CT

Detection and genotyping of human Papillomavirus in urine samples from unvaccinated male and female adolescents in Italy

The introduction of vaccination against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in adolescent girls in 2006 has focused virological surveillance on this age group. As few studies have evaluated HPV infections in young populations, further data are needed in order to improve and extend prophylactic policy and to monitor epidemiological changes. The present study aimed at evaluating overall and type-specific HPV prevalence in both female and male adolescents in Italy. HPV DNA detection and genotyping was performed on urine samples collected from 870 unvaccinated adolescents (369 females, 501 males, 11-18 years of age) in five cities in Italy. Following DNA extraction by means of a commercial kit (NucliSENS®-miniMAG®, bioMérieux), the L1 gene fragment was PCR amplified and genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. HPV DNA was detected in 1.5% of all samples, and in 3% and 0.4% of samples from females and males, respectively. In approximately 70% of HPV DNA positive adolescents, the infection was due to a single genotype, with 88.9% of genotypes belonging to the HR-clade. The only two HPV-positive boys (14 and 18 years old) had HPV-70 genotype. Only one of the 11 HPV-infected girls was in the 11-14 age-group. HPV prevalence was 4.2% in girls aged 15-18 years and 60% of infections were due to vaccine types HPV-16 or HPV-6/-11. This is one of the few studies, the first conducted in Italy, on HPV infection in adolescents. Urine testing is the easier way of detecting HPV infection in younger populations. Our data revealed a very low HPV prevalence, and no infections were observed in the 12-year-old vaccine target population. The majority of infections were seen in females aged 15-18 years. Overall, more than 50% and 30% of the potentially persistent HPV infections detected in this group could have been prevented by the quadrivalent and the bivalent vaccines, respectively

All-Optical Flip-Flops Based on Semiconductor Technologies

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