Formalising the Fisherman's Folly puzzle

This paper investigates the challenging problem of encoding the common sense knowledge involved in the manipulation of spatial objects from a reasoning about actions and change perspective. In particular, we propose a formal solution to a puzzle composed of non-trivial objects (such as holes and strings) assuming a version of the Situation Calculus written over first-order Equilibrium Logic, whose models generalise the stable model semantics.     

Transmission Fiber Chromatic Dispersion Dependence on Temperature: Implications on 40 Gb/s Performance

In this letter, we will evaluate the performance degradation of a 40 km high‐speed (40 Gb/s) optical system, induced by optical fiber variations of the chromatic dispersion induced by temperature changes. The chromatic dispersion temperature sensitivity will be estimated based on the signal quality parameters.     

Intrusion Detection System for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Danger Theory Immune-Inspired Techniques

An IDS framework inspired in the Human Immune System to be applied in the wireless sensor network context is proposed. It uses an improved decentralized and customized version of the Dendritic Cell Algorithm, which allows nodes to monitor their neighborhood and collaborate to identify an intruder. The work was implemented and tested both in simulation and in real sensor platform scenarios, comparing them to each other and was also compared to a Negative Selection Theory implementation in order to demonstrate its efficiency in detecting a denial-of-sleep attack and in energy consumption. Results demonstrated the success of the proposal.     

A Low-Cost and Low-Power Messaging System Based on the LoRa Wireless Technology

Mobile Networks and Applications - In this paper we describe a low-cost and low-power consumption messaging system based on LoRa technology. More that one billion people worldwide cannot access...     

A thermal-fully hydrodynamic model for semiconductor devices andapplications to III-V HBT simulation

Because of the interaction between self-heating and hot carriers effects, neither isothermal nor conventional macrothermal models are adequate for the simulation of state-of-the-art power devices; instead, a detailed electro-thermal model accounting for nonstationary transport, such as the Thermal-Fully Hydrodynamic (T-FH) model, is required. We apply a one-dimensional (1-D) implementation of such a model to the simulation of AlGaAs/GaAs and InP/InGaAs Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBTs), comparing the results with those provided by simplified models, and highlighting how deeply both nonlocal transport and self-heating affect the predicted device performance. The importance of the convective terms is assessed, and a new nonthermal mechanism for the output Negative Differential Resistance (NDR) is proposed     

Verification of electron distributions in silicon by means of hotcarrier luminescence measurements

This paper investigates the use of hot carrier luminescence (HCL) measurements as a mean for the verification of carrier energy distribution functions in submicron silicon devices subject to high electric fields. To this purpose, physically-based two-dimensional (2-D) simulations of the spectral distribution of HCL are compared with extensive experimental data on special purpose n⁺/n/n⁺ test structures that demonstrate lateral field profiles similar to real MOSFETs without the obscuring effects of a gate electrode. Good agreement between measured and simulated data is observed over wide channel length, bias, and temperature ranges, thus providing for the first time a direct verification of simulated electron energy distributions in a MOSFET-like environment     

LaNiO3 and Cu3Ge contacts to YBa2Cu3O7-x films

Metallization of high-T_c superconductors using low resistivity metal oxides and Cu-Ge alloys has been investigated on high quality pulsed laser deposited epitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x (YBCO) films. Epitaxial LaNiO₃ (LNO) thin films have been grown on YBCO films at 700°C using pulsed laser deposition. The specific resistivity of LNO was measured to be 50 μΩ-cm at 300K which decreases to 19 μΩ-cm at 100K indicating good metallicity of the LNO films. The contact resistance of LNO-YBCO thin film interface was found to be reasonably low (of the order of 10^-4Ω-cm² at 77K) which suggests that the interface formed between the two films is quite clean and LNO can emerge as a promising metal electrode-material to YBCO films. A preliminary investigation related to the compatibility of Cu₃Ge alloy as a contact metallization material to YBCO films is discussed. The usage of other oxide based low resistivity materials such as SrRuO₃ (SRO) and SrVO₃ (SVO) for metallization of high-T_c YBCO superconductor films is also discussed.