Freshwater fauna are particularly sensitive to environmental change and disturbance. Management agencies frequently use fish and amphibian biodiversity as indicators of ecosystem health and a way to prioritize and assess management strategies. Traditional aquatic bioassessment that relies on capture of organisms via nets, traps and electrofishing gear typically has low detection probabilitie…
Abstract—Genetic recombination is an essential event during the process of meiosis resulting in an exchange of segments between paired chromosomes. Estimating recombination rate is crucial for understanding the process of recombination. Experimental methods are normally difficult and limited to small scale estimations. Thus statistical methods using population genetics data are important for …
Proline cis-trans isomerization (CTI) plays a key role in the rate-determining steps of protein folding. Accurate prediction of proline CTI is of great importance for the understanding of protein folding, splicing, cell signaling, and transmembrane active transport in both the human body and animals. Our goal is to develop a state-of-the-art proline CTI predictor based on a biophysically motiva…
Accurate identification of cis-regulatory elements and their correlated modules is essential for analysis of transcriptional regulation, which is a challenging problem in computational biology. Unsupervised learning has the advantage of compensating for missing annotated data, and is thus promising to be effective to identify cis-regulatory elements and modules. We introduced a Conditional Rand…
The use of the human pulse signal for medical diagnosis is a mainstay in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Computer processing of this signal may be used to automate diagnostic procedures and to reveal sources of information in the waveform that have been used by both eastern and western physicians for more than two millennia. A new method for preprocessing of the human pulse signa…
Cancer forms a robust system capable of maintaining stable functioning (cell sustenance and proliferation) despite perturbations. Cancer progresses as stages over time typically with increasing aggressiveness and worsening prognosis. Characterizing these stages and identifying the genes driving transitions between them is critical to understand cancer progression and to develop effective anti-…
In this paper, we symbolically represent timed discrete-event systems (TDES), which can be used to efficiently compute the supervisor in the supervisory control theory context. We model a TDES based on timed extended finite automata (TEFAs): an augmentation of extended finite automata (EFAs) by incorporating discrete time into the model. EFAs are ordinary automata extended with discrete variabl…
In this paper, a pulse circuit was designed to simulate the source of an electrostatic discharge (ESD). This high-voltage source was successfully used in ESD tests to precisely control the voltage exerted on the liquid crystal (LC) cells. In addition, the characteristics of the samples under ESD were measured by a more precise pulse source. According to the measurement of the relaxation of the …
Novice learners are typically unfamiliar with abstract engineering symbols. They are also often unaccustomed to instructional materials consisting of a combination of text, diagrams, and equations. This raises the question of whether instruction on elementary electrical circuit analysis for novice learners should employ contextualized representations of the circuits with familiar components, su…
In this paper we present GAMYGDALA, an emotional appraisal engine that enables game developers to easily add emotions to their Non-Player Characters (NPC). Our approach proposes a solution that is positioned between event coding of affect,where individual events have predetermined annotated emotional consequences for NPCs, and a full blown cognitive appraisal model. Instead, for an NPC that nee…
In this paper, the problems of state estimation are investigated for switched linear systems with average dwell time (ADT) switching in both continuous-time and discrete-time contexts. First, a set of mode-dependent Luenberger-type observers is designed subject to the ADT switching that is synchronous with the switching of the estimated systems. Then, a more practical case of the delayed observ…
Hands-on experiments are essential for computer network security education. Existing laboratory solutions usually require significant effort to build, configure, and maintain and often do not support reconfigurability, flexibility, and scalability. This paper presents a cloud-based virtual laboratory education platform called V-Lab that provides a contained experimental environment for hands-on…
This paper deals with the reliability of a 1.0-μm CMOS-silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process, which is intended for use at 250 ◦C. The goal is to give an overview of the most important reliability aspects that concern devices and circuits at temperatures of 250 ◦C and above. The investigated reliability aspects are the gate oxide integrity in terms of time-dependent dielectric breakdown meas…
Channel hot-carrier (CHC) reliability in p-FinFET devices is studied related to the postdeposition anneal (PDA) process. Clearly reduced CHC degradation is observed with N2-PDA at the VG = VD stress condition. The interface defect density degradation calculated from the subthreshold slope is similar in the reference and PDA devices. However, the pre-existing high-k bulk defect is lower in the P…
A process for the design and manufacture of 3D tactile textures with predefined affective properties was developed. Twenty four tactile textures were manufactured. Texture measures from the domain of machine vision were used to characterize the digital representations of the tactile textures. To obtain affective ratings, the textures were touched, unseen, by 107 participants who scored them aga…
The enormity of the breadth and depth of specimens held within the world’s biological collections offers unparalleled opportunities to capture genomic data from across the entire range of known biological diversity. Such a task would take many lifetimes to complete if we could rely only on fresh samples. High-throughput sequencing provides a technical solution to the long-term problems of …
The erratic bits (EB) phenomenon in nonvolatile memory devices (NVMs) has been evidenced in several technologies as a main reliability detractor. Usually, this issue is handled by repair strategies, which spans from static redundancy to dynamic correction codes. This evidences a tradeoff in a reliability/ performance domain that is due to the limitation in the repair resources amount and corre…
Cloud computing enables resource-constrained clients to economically outsource their huge computation workloads to a cloud server with massive computational power. This promising computing paradigm inevitably brings in new security concerns and challenges, such as input/output privacy and result verifiability. Since matrix inversion computation (MIC) is a quite common scientific and engineering…
We present cloud capacity manager (CCM)—a prototype system, and its methods for dynamically multiplexing the compute capacity of virtualized data centers at scales of thousands of machines, for diverse workloads with variable demands. Extending prior studies primarily concerned with accurate capacity allocation and ensuring acceptable application performance, CCM also sheds light on the trade…
Despite the increasing importance of robotics, there is a significant challenge involved in teaching this to undergraduate students in biomedical engineering (BME) and other related disciplines in which robotics techniques could be readily applied. This paper addresses this challenge through the development and pilot testing of a bio-microrobotics case study that can be integrated into curricu…
As semiconductor manufacturing reaching nanotechnology, to obtain high resolution and alignment accuracy via minimizing overlay errors within the tolerance is crucial. To address the needs of changing production and process conditions, this study aims to propose a novel dynamically adjusted proportional- integral (DAPI) run-to-run (R2R) controller to adapt equipment parameters to enhance the …
Phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pc-white LEDs) utilize a blue LED chip converted by the phosphor to obtain white light emission. Pc-white LEDs have become one of the most popular white LEDs. The reliability concerns of pc-white LEDs involve both lumen maintenance and chromaticity state. However, previous research on the health of LEDs has not taken chromaticity state shift into…
A fully reconfigurable biopotential sensing amplifier utilizing floating-gate transistors is presented in this paper. By using the complementary differential pairs along with the current reuse technique, the theoretical limit for the noise efficiency factor of the proposed amplifier is below 1.5. Without consuming any extra power, floating-gate transistors are employed to program the low-freque…
The microelectronic packaging field is moving into the third dimension for miniaturization, low power consumption, and better performance. In this paper, we present a double-sided flip-chip (FC) organic substrate with a memory controller on one side of the package and 3-D stacked disaggregated memory chips on the other side of the package. This design allows the controller to interface with th…
This paper describes an improved system for obtaining velocity spectral information from electroneurogram recordings using multi-electrode cuffs (MECs). The starting point for this study is some recently published work that considers the limitations of conventional linear signal processing methods (‘delay-and-add’) with and without additive noise. By contrast to earlier linear methods, th…
Abstract—This paper presents an infinite impulse response (IIR)temporal filtering technique for real-time stimulus artifact rejection (SAR) based on template subtraction. A system architecture for the IIR SAR algorithm is developed, and the operation of the algorithm with fixed-point computation is analyzed to obtain the number of bits for the internal nodes of the system, considering dynamic…
Data centers being an architectural and functional block of cloud computing are integral to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Cloud computing is rigorously utilized by various domains, such as agriculture, nuclear science, smart grids, healthcare, and search engines for research, data storage, and analysis. A Data Center Network (DCN) constitutes the communicational bac…
In this paper, we present a case-study on application of Ramadge-Wonham supervisory control theory (abbreviated by SCT in the sequel) to a patient support system of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. We discuss the whole developmental cycle, starting from the mathematical models of the uncontrolled system and of the control requirements, and ending with the implementation of the obtai…
Abstract—This paper shows the potentialities of two characterization procedures on the electrical and mechanical characterizations of ohmic RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches. The first is a “fast electrical” procedure that uses an electrical stimulus and monitors the RF signals at the input and output ports of the switch; the second is a “fast hybrid” procedure, i.e.,…
We describe a high-density storage system for physical goods in which identical conveyor modules can be plugged together to store and retrieve unit-loads or small containers. Material movement conforms to the “puzzle architecture” found in popular board games such as the 15-puzzle and Rush Hour. Control of the system is decentralized, meaning that each module contains identical operating l…
Smart power technologies are required to withstand high-electrostatic-discharge (ESD) robustness under both powered and unpowered conditions, particularly for automotive and aeronautic applications among many others. They are concurrently confronted to the challenges of high-temperature operation in order to reduce heat-sink-related costs. In this context, very compact high-robustness ESD prote…
1. Advancing the field of ecology relies on understanding generalities and developing theories based on empirical and functional relationships that integrate across organismal to global spatial scales and span temporal scales. Significant advances in predicting responses of ecological communities to globally extensive anthropogenic perturbations,for example, require understanding the role of …
Abstract—Low-temperature joining of semiconductor chips by sintering of silver paste is emerging as an alternative lead-free solution for die-attaching power electronic device, particularly for igh-temperature applications. However, migration of sintered nanosilver should be fully understood for reliability evaluation. In this paper, we reported our findings and possible mechanism on high-te…
Portable devices have been introduced to provide companion diagnostics in many applications such as personalized healthcare monitoring since several decades ago. Recently the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic chip enables a cost effective platform for point of care diagnostics. In this paper, we present a systematic theoretical and experimental study of a novel fluidic circuit-base…
Cloud computing promises to provide on-demand computing, storage, and networking resources. However, most cloud providers simply offer virtual machines (VMs) without bandwidth and delay guarantees, which may hurt the performance of the deployed services. Recently, some proposals suggested remediating such limitation by offering virtual data centers (VDCs) instead of VMs only. However, they have…
Cloud computing is a recently developed new technology for complex systems with massive service sharing, which is different from the resource sharing of the grid computing systems. In a cloud environment, service requests from users go through numerous provider-specific steps from the instant it is submitted to when the requested service is fully delivered. Quality modeling and analysis of clou…
A novel linear phase programmable delay is being proposed and implemented in a 0.35 CMOS process. The delay line consists of cascaded cells, each of which delays the input signal by , where is the total line delay. The delay generated by each cell is programmable by changing a clock frequency and is also fully independent of the frequency of the input signal. The total delay hence depends only…
Double-sided insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) assemblies bonded by sintered nanosilver are fabricated in this paper. Die-shear tests reveal that the lowest bonding strength between the chip and the substrate of the assemblies is about 20 MPa. Furthermore, temperature cycling tests (−40 ◦C to 150 ◦C) indicate that the shear strength declines as the number of cycles increases. In a…
Human welder’s experiences and skills are critical for producing quality welds in manual gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. In this paper, a neuro-fuzzy-based human intelligence model is constructed and implemented as an intelligent controller in automated GTAW process to maintain a consistent desired full penetration. An innovative vision system is utilized to real-time measure the sp…
It is very crucial for the byproduct gas system in steel industry to perform an accurate and timely scheduling, which enables to reasonably utilize the energy resources and effectively reduce the production cost of enterprises. In this study, a novel datadriven-based dynamic scheduling thought is proposed for the realtime gas scheduling, in which a probability relationship described by a Bayesi…
The increasing pressure to meet demand are forcing semiconductor manufacturers to seek efficient scheduling methods. Lithography, with a limited number of expensive resources and the reentrant nature of the fabrication processes, is a major bottleneck. This paper presents a litho machine scheduling formulation for high-volume and low-variety manufacturing over a day, with novel modeling of res…
Based on test results and a procedure that can isolate threshold voltage degradation and mobility degradation from drain current degradation, we found that the log–log curves of mobility degradation show saturation with a change of slope from about 0.4 to smaller values at room temperature. Although both the mobility and threshold voltage degradations are more severe at 77 K than at 300 K fo…
The design of correctly implemented controls inmaterial handling systems (MHS) is time consuming and cumbersome. The developer has to deal with an ever increasing complexity and heterogeneity of MHS on the one hand, but also with short development cycles and high demands to MHS on the other hand. For baggage handling systems (BHS) at airports, the error-free implementation of routing strategie…
This paper presents a tool, LABEL, oriented to the teaching of parallel robotics. The application, organized as a set of tools developed using Easy Java Simulations, enables the study of the kinematics of parallel robotics. A set of classical parallel structures was implemented such that LABEL can solve the inverse and direct kinematic problem of 5R, 3RRR, and Delta robots. An intuitive graphic…
An interesting approach is proposed for investigating the thermal stress of AlGaAs/GaAs laser diode bars using infrared thermography.We obtained horizontal and perpendicular profiles of the working thermal stress through the active region in one emitter (emitter 5) at operating currents 0.5 and 1.0 A. The thermal stress at the center of emitter 5 is found to quickly rise to values 2.1 and 3.4 …
In human and robot collaborative hybrid assembly cell as we proposed, it is important to develop automatic subtask allocation strategy for human and robot in usage of their advantages. We introduce a folk-joint task model that describes the sequential and parallel features and logic restriction of human and robot collaboration appropriately. To preserve a cost-effectiveness level of task allo…
1. Managers in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) are using reductions in the River’s water levels during summer to mimic historical water regimes and rehabilitate habitats for vegetation and other species. Concerns for the unintended effects of these actions on mussel populations threatened to halt these projects. 2. Our objective was to characterise the survival and movement of two mussel s…
1. In order to evaluate if marine protected areas (MPAs) can be expected to confer conservation benefits to large, mobile marine species it is important to assess their site fidelity and habitat ranging patterns. The flapper skate (Dipterus cf. intermedia) is a large, threatened elasmobranch for which MPAs are being considered on the west coast of Scotland. To inform MPA establishment, a multia…
A total of 255 longnosed skate Dipturus oxyrinchus caught in Sardinian waters (central-western Mediterranean Sea), was analysed with respect to fish total length (LT), season and depth, in order to provide information on diet and feeding behaviour. Specimens ranging from 93 to 1153mm LT, were collected at depths between 121 and 671 m, during experimental trawl surveys carried out from 2005 to 2…
This study examined the effects of organic enrichment on water column, sediments and macrofauna caused by a fish farm in the Mediterranean Sea. Samples were collected on four sampling campaigns over a one-year cycle. Significant differences were found in the water column in dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate and total phosphorus concentrations between the fish farm and …