An optimal checkpointing-strategy for real-time control systemsunder transient faults

Real-time computer systems are often used in harsh environments, such as aerospace, and in industry. Such systems are subject to many transient faults while in operation. Checkpointing enables a reduction in the recovery time from a transient fault by saving intermediate states of a task in a reliable storage facility, and then, on detection of a fault, restoring from a previously stored state. The interval between checkpoints affects the execution time of the task. Whereas inserting more checkpoints and reducing the interval between them reduces the reprocessing time after faults, checkpoints have associated execution costs, and inserting extra checkpoints increases the overall task execution time. Thus, a trade-off between the reprocessing time and the checkpointing overhead leads to an optimal checkpoint placement strategy that optimizes certain performance measures. Real-time control systems are characterized by a timely, and correct, execution of iterative tasks within deadlines. The reliability is the probability that a system functions according to its specification over a period of time. This paper reports on the reliability of a checkpointed real-time control system, where any errors are detected at the checkpointing time. The reliability is used as a performance measure to find the optimal checkpointing strategy. For a single-task control system, the reliability equation over a mission time is derived using the Markov model. Detecting errors at the checkpointing time makes reliability jitter with the number of checkpoints. This forces the need to apply other search algorithms to find the optimal number of checkpoints. By considering the properties of the reliability jittering, a simple algorithm is provided to find the optimal checkpoints effectively. Finally, the reliability model is extended to include multiple tasks by a task allocation algorithm     

Disclosing the Role of Defect-Engineered Metal–Organic Frameworks in Mixed Matrix Membranes for Efficient CO2 Separation: A Joint Experimental-Computational Exploration

Incorporation of defects in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) offers new opportunities for manipulating their microporosity and functionalities. The so-called “defect engineering” has great potential to tailor the mass transport properties in MOF/polymer mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for challenging separation applications, for example, CO₂ capture. This study first investigates the impact of MOF defects on the membrane properties of the resultant MOF/polymer MMMs for CO₂ separation. Highly porous defect-engineered UiO-66 nanoparticles are successfully synthesized and incorporated into a CO₂-philic crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) matrix. A thorough joint experimental/simulation characterization reveals that defect-engineered UiO-66/PEGDA MMMs exhibit nearly identical filler–matrix interfacial properties regardless of the defect concentrations of their parental UiO-66 filler. In addition, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations in tandem with gas transport studies disclose that the defects in MOFs provide the MMMs with ultrafast transport pathways mainly governed by diffusivity selectivity. Ultimately, MMMs containing the most defective UiO-66 show the most enhanced CO₂/N₂ separation performance—CO₂ permeability = 470 Barrer (four times higher than pure PEGDA) and maintains CO₂/N₂ selectivity = 41—which overcomes the trade-off limitation in pure polymers. The results emphasize that defect engineering in MOFs would mark a new milestone for the future development of optimized MMMs.     

On Multiple Access Using H-ARQ with SIC Techniques for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we consider non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) for wireless ad hoc networks over block fading channels where the performance is limited by interference and fading. In order to provide a reasonable performance, we can use re-transmission and interference cancellation techniques. Re-transmission techniques can provide a diversity gain over fading channels, while the successive interference cancellation (SIC) can improve the signal to interference ratio (SIR). Using the information outage probability, we show that the NOMA approach with re-transmissions can perform better than the orthogonal multiple access (OMA) approach with re-transmissions when the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is low. It is also shown that the outage probability of the NOMA with SIC is lower than that of OMA when the rate is sufficiently low where SIC can be facilitated.     

Strain‐Visualization with Ultrasensitive Nanoscale Crack‐Based Sensor Assembled with Hierarchical Thermochromic Membrane

As eidetic signal recognition has become important, displaying mechanical signals visually has imposed huge demands for simple readability and without complex signal processing. Such visualization of mechanical signals is used in delicate urgent medical or safety‐related industries. Accordingly, chromic materials are considered to facilitate visualization with multiple colors and simple process. However, the response and recovery time is very long, such that rapid regular signals are unable to be detected, i.e., physiological signals, such as respiration. Here, the simple visualization of low strain ≈2%, with ultrasensitive crack‐based strain sensors with a hierarchical thermochromic layer is suggested. The sensor shows a gradient color change from red to white color in each strain, which is attributed to the hierarchical property, and the thermal response (recovery) time is dramatically minimized within 0.6 s from 45 to 37 °C, as the hierarchical membrane is inspired by termite mounds for efficient thermal management. The fast recovery property can be taken advantage of in medical fields, such as monitoring regular respiration, and the color changes can be delicately monitored with high accuracy by software on a mobile phone.     

Reversible Conversion Reactions and Small First Cycle Irreversible Capacity Loss in Metal Sulfide‐Based Electrodes Enabled by Solid Electrolytes

Solid‐state batteries can potentially enable new classes of electrode materials which are unstable against liquid electrolytes. Here, SnS nanocrystals, synthesized by a wet chemical method, are used to fabricate a Li‐ion electrode, and the electrochemical properties of this electrode are examined in both solid and liquid electrolyte designs. The SnS‐based solid‐state cell delivers a capacity of 629 mAh g^?1 after 100 cycles and exhibits an unprecedentedly small irreversible capacity in the first cycle (8.2%), while the SnS‐based liquid cell shows a rapid capacity decay and large first cycle irreversible capacity (44.6%). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments show significant solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation in the liquid cell during the first discharge while SEI formation by electrolyte reduction in the solid‐state cell appears negligible. Along with CV, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy are used to investigate the differences between the solid‐state and liquid cells. The reaction chemistry of SnS in solid‐state cells is also studied in detail by ex situ X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. The overarching findings are that use of a solid electrolyte suppresses materials degradation and electrolyte reduction which leads to a small first cycle irreversible capacity and stable cycling.     

Thermo-Adaptive Block Copolymer Structural Color Electronics

Flexible electronics that enable the visualization of thermal energy have significant potential for various applications, such as thermal diagnosis, sensing and imaging, and displays. Thermo-adaptive flexible electronic devices based on thin 1D block copolymer (BCP) photonic crystal (PC) films with self-assembled periodic nanostructures are presented. By employing a thermo-responsive polymer/non-volatile hygroscopic ionic liquid (IL) blend on a BCP film, full visible structural colors (SCs) are developed because of the temperature-dependent expansion and contraction of one BCP domain via IL injection and release, respectively, as a function of temperature. Reversible SC control of the bi-layered BCP/IL polymer blend film from room temperature to 80 °C facilitates the development of various thermo-adaptive SC flexible electronic devices including pixel arrays of reflective-mode displays and capacitive sensing display. A flexible diagnostic thermal patch is demonstrated with the bi-layered BCP/IL polymer blend enabling the visualization of local heat sources from the human body to microelectronic circuits.     

Designing a Stable Cathode with Multiple Layers to Improve the Operational Lifetime of Polymer Light‐Emitting Diodes

The short device lifetime of blue polymer light‐emitting diodes (PLEDs) is still a bottleneck for commercialization of self‐emissive full‐color displays. Since the cathode in the device has a dominant influence on the device lifetime, a systematic design of the cathode structure is necessary. The operational lifetime of blue PLEDs can be greatly improved by introducing a three‐layer (BaF₂/Ca/Al) cathode compared with conventional two‐layer cathodes (BaF₂/Al and Ba/Al). Therefore, the roles of the BaF₂ and Ca layers in terms of electron injection, luminous efficiency, and device lifetime are here investigated. For efficient electron injection, the BaF₂ layer should be deposited to the thickness of at least one monolayer (～3 nm). However, it is found that the device lifetime does not show a strong relation with the electron injection or luminous efficiency. In order to prolong the device lifetime, sufficient reaction between BaF₂ and the overlying Ca layer should take place during the deposition where the thickness of each layer is around that of a monolayer.     

采用反射式液晶显示器和有机电致发光器件前后双置组合而成的高环境对比度显示器

一种高环境对比度(A-CR)和大开口率的显示器已经从理论上证明,并通过把一个正常显黑反射型显示器(NB-RLCD)和一个有机电致发光器件(OLED)堆垛的实验加以证明。这种前后双置(以下称为tandem型)的器件组合可以分别在明亮或昏暗的环境下切换NB-RLCD模式或OLED模式。RLCD的正常显黑特性也可以提升OLED模式工作时的A-CR性能。为了在RLCD模式下获得更好的图像品质,一个复杂并且具有传输功能的结构被用于消除镜面反射和提高可视角至CR﹥2:1超过55°的锥面可视角度。另外,这样的结构也可以提高OLED49.4%的表面量子效率。在我们的实验里,忽略环境亮度因素并使A-CR保持在100:1以上。     

变周期结构光子晶体的带隙研究

研究了变周期结构的光子晶体,即两种介质的厚度随单元数增加而变化,并对其光子能带特性进行了分析.研究发现,相对于周期性光子晶体,相同单元数的变周期结构的光子晶体具有更宽的光子能带带隙,且周期非线性变化比线性变化结构有更宽的光子带隙,这样对于同样宽的带隙的光子晶体,可采用较少单元数的变周期结构光子晶体,这一结果有助于光子晶体的广泛应用.     

Dependence of electrical properties on the crystallographic orientation of CBr4-doped GaAs epilayers grown on GaAs substrates by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Carbon incorporation into GaAs epilayers has been performed by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using CBr4. The electrical properties of CBr₄-doped GaAs epilayers grown on the GaAs substrates with various surface crystallographic orientations between (100) and (111)A were investigated. The electrical properties of the epilayers showed a strong crystallographic orientation dependence. On increasing the surface offset angle, the hole concentration of CBr4-doped GaAs epilayers rapidly decreased with a hump at (311)A. The lower hole concentration at the high offset angle can be explained by its higher desorption rate than that of the (100) surface. This hole concentration dependence on the offset angle was not changed in spite of the growth temperature and the V/III ratio variation given in this work. The above behaviors indicate that the surface kinetics plays an important role in the C incorporation into the non-planar GaAs epilayers.