Reducing Average and Peak Test Power Through Scan Chain Modification

Parallel test application helps reduce the otherwise considerable test times in SOCs; yet its applicability is limited by average and peak power considerations. The typical test vector loading techniques result in frequent transitions in the scan chain, which in turn reflect into significant levels of circuit switching unnecessarily. Judicious utilization of logic in the scan chain can help reduce transitions while loading the test vector needed. The transitions embedded in both test stimuli and the responses are handled through scan chain modifications consisting of logic gate insertion between scan cells as well as inversion of capture paths. No performance degradation ensues as these modifications have no impact on functional execution. To reduce average and peak power, we herein propose computationally efficient schemes that identify the location and the type of logic to be inserted. The experimental results confirm the significant reductions in test power possible under the proposed scheme.     

Scaling Laws for One- and Two-Dimensional Random Wireless Networks in the Low-Attenuation Regime

The capacity scaling of extended two-dimensional wireless networks is known in the high-attenuation regime, i.e., when the power path loss exponent alpha is greater than 4. This has been accomplished by deriving information-theoretic upper bounds for this regime that match the corresponding lower bounds. On the contrary, not much is known in the so-called low-attenuation regime when 2lesalphales4. (For one-dimensional networks, the uncharacterized regime is 1lesalphales2.5.) The dichotomy is due to the fact that while communication is highly power-limited in the first case and power-based arguments suffice to get tight upper bounds, the study of the low-attenuation regime requires a more precise analysis of the degrees of freedom involved. In this paper, we study the capacity scaling of extended wireless networks with an emphasis on the low-attenuation regime and show that in the absence of small scale fading, the low attenuation regime does not behave significantly different from the high attenuation regime.     

Classification of brain hemorrhage computed tomography images using OzNet hybrid algorithm

Classification of brain hemorrhage computed tomography (CT) images provides a better diagnostic implementation for emergency patients. Attentively, each brain CT image must be examined by doctors. This situation is time-consuming, exhausting, and sometimes leads to making errors. Hence, we aim to find the best algorithm owing to a requirement for automatic classification of CT images to detect brain hemorrhage. In this study, we developed OzNet hybrid algorithm, which is a novel convolution neural networks (CNN) algorithm. Although OzNet achieves high classification performance, we combine it with Neighborhood Component Analysis (NCA) and many classifiers: Artificial neural networks (ANN), Adaboost, Bagging, Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Naïve Bayes and Support Vector Machines (SVM). In addition, Oznet is utilized for feature extraction, where 4096 features are extracted from the fully connected layer. These features are reduced to have significant and informative features with minimum loss by NCA. Eventually, we use these classifiers to classify these significant features. Finally, experimental results display that OzNet-NCA-ANN excellent classifier model and achieves 100% accuracy with created Dataset 2 from Brain Hemorrhage CT images.     

Enhancing encoding capacity of combinational test stimulus decompressors

While scan-based compression is widely utilized in order to alleviate the test time and data volume problems,the overall compression level is dictated not only by the chain to channel ratio but also the ratio of encodable patterns.Aggressively increasing the number of scan chains in an effort to raise the compression levels may reduce the ratio of encodable patterns,degrading the overall compression level.In this paper,we present various methods to improve the ratio of encodable patterns.These methods are b...     

Pan Evaporation Modeling Using Neural Computing Approach for Different Climatic Zones

The purpose of this study was to develop and apply the neural networks models to estimate daily pan evaporation (PE) for different climatic zones such as temperate and arid climatic zones, Republic of Korea and Iran. Three kinds of the neural networks models, namely multilayer perceptron-neural networks model (MLP-NNM), generalized regression neural networks model (GRNNM), and support vector machine-neural networks model (SVM-NNM), were used to estimate daily PE. The available climatic variables, consisted of mean air temperature (T_mean), mean wind speed (U_mean), sunshine duration (SD), mean relative humidity (RH_mean), and extraterrestrial radiation (R_a) were used to estimate daily PE using the various input combinations of climate variables. The measurements for the period of January 1985?CDecember 1990 (Republic of Korea) and January 2002?CDecember 2008 (Iran) were used for training and testing the employed neural networks models. The results obtained by SVM-NNM indicated that it performs better than MLP-NNM and GRNNM for estimating daily PE. A comparison was also made among the employed models, which demonstrated the superiority of MLP-NNM, GRNNM, and SVM-NNM over Linacre model and multiple linear regression model (MLRM).     

On Security and Reliability Using Cooperative Transmissions in Sensor Networks

Cooperative transmissions have received recent attention and research papers have demonstrated their benefits for wireless networks. Such benefits include improving the reliability of links through diversity and/or increasing the reach of a link compared to a single transmitter transmitting to a single receiver (single-input single-output or SISO). In one form of cooperative transmissions, multiple nodes can act as virtual antenna elements and provide diversity gain or range improvement using space-time coding. In a multi-hop ad hoc or sensor network, a source node can make use of its neighbors as relays with itself to reach an intermediate node with greater reliability or at a larger distance than otherwise possible. The intermediate node will use its neighbors in a similar manner and this process continues till the destination is reached. Thus, for the same reliability of a link as SISO, the number of hops between a source and destination may be reduced using cooperative transmissions as each hop spans a larger distance. However, the presence of malicious or compromised nodes in the network impacts the benefits obtained with cooperative transmissions. Using more relays can increase the reach of a link, but if one or more relays are malicious, the transmission may fail. However, the relationships between the number of relays, the number of hops, and success probabilities are not trivial to determine. In this paper, we analyze this problem to understand the conditions under which cooperative transmissions fare better or worse than SISO transmissions. We take into consideration additional parameters such as the path-loss exponent and provide a framework that allows us to evaluate the conditions when cooperative transmissions are better than SISO transmissions. This analysis provides insights that can be employed before resorting to simulations or experimentation.     

Optimal throughput performance in full-duplex relay assisted cognitive networks

Wireless Networks - In this paper, we study a full-duplex cooperative cognitive radio network with multiple full-duplex secondary users acting as potential relays for transmitting the packets of a...     

An efficient online mapping tool for finding the shortest feasible path for alternative-fuel vehicles

Infrastructure for fuel-cell and other alternative-fuel vehicles is lacking not only in the paucity of fuel stations, but also in inadequate web-based support to help drivers complete their trips via the few stations that do exist. In this paper, we present an online mapping tool for finding the shortest feasible path in a road network given the vehicle's driving range and station locations. Users input their origin, destination, type of fuel, and driving range, and the algorithm generates a new reduced feasible network in which the vertices are the origin and destination nodes and reachable fuel stations and the edges represent feasible paths between them. Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm is applied to this reduced network to find the shortest feasible path. Efficiency is substantially improved by preprocessing and storing the shortest-path distances between stations. We present a web-mapping prototype (www.afvrouting.com) for hydrogen and compressed natural gas stations in the United States. Sample results illustrate the need for this kind of globally optimal solution method by showing that the optimal feasible path and refueling stops can vary tremendously as a result of user inputs for driving range, initial tank level, and one-way or round-trip.     

Effects of mixing techniques and dentin moisture conditions on push-out bond strength of ProRoot MTA and Biodentine

Objective: To evaluate the influence of manual and mechanical mixing techniques as well as the effects of moisture on the push-out bond strength of ProRoot MTA (Dentsply Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK, USA) and Biodentine (Septodont, Saint Maur des Fosses, France) to radicular dentin.

Material and methods: Two hundred and forty dentin discs were assigned into three groups with respect to the moisture condition tested: (1) dry, (2) paper points, (3) wet. The discs were further divided into four subgroups according to the calcium silicate cements (CSCs) and mixing techniques used: (1) ProRoot MTA mixed manually, (2) ProRoot MTA mixed mechanically, (3) Biodentine mixed manually, and (4) Biodentine mixed mechanically. Bond strengths of the cements to root canal dentin were measured using a push-out test setup. The data were statistically analyzed using three-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test p = 0.05.

Results: The data indicated that the push-out bond strength values were significantly affected by CSCs, mixing techniques, and moisture conditions (p < 0.001). Dry conditions caused a significant decrease in bond strength values for both CSCs (p < 0.001). The mean bond strength of Biodentine was significantly higher than that of ProRoot MTA, regardless of the mixing techniques and moisture conditions (p < 0.001). Mechanical mixing favored bond strength values statistically compared to manual mixing (p < .001).

Conclusion: The mixing techniques and moisture conditions have an effect on the push-out bond strengths of ProRoot MTA and Biodentine. Dry samples and manual mixing of cements deteriorate the push-out bond strengths values.