Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Analysis on the Effect of Skip Connections in Fully Convolutional Networks for License Plate Localization

In this study, the effect of the skip connections, which are seen in fully convolutional networks, on object localization is analyzed. For this purpose, a local data set for plate detection is created. Experiments are carried out using this data set. Due to the small size of the image set, data augmentation method is used to overcome the danger of over-fitting. The learning rates of the first layers are frozen for analysis and finetuning is applied to only the last layer and deconvolution layers. The results obtained are compared with the results of other image sets. The results indicate the importance of the information provided by the skip connections on object localization.
Fast Integrated Charger Solution for Heavy-duty Electric Vehicles

This paper studies an onboard integrated charger for heavy-duty electric vehicles (HDEVs) using three-phase grid and dual three-phase open-end winding machine. The already available power electronic components of HDEVs are employed to develop the battery charger when the traction mode is not engaged. High charging power with unity power factor (UPF) and low total harmonic distortion (THD) of grid current is introduced in this proposed integrated charger. The possibility of vehicle to grid (V2G) mode is also analyzed. The system does not need any hardware reconfiguration between charging/V2G and traction modes. Since an electromagnetic torque is not produced in the machine during charging and V2G modes, the mechanical locking device is not required to block the rotor. The system topology and control method for charging and V2G modes are presented and simulation results are provided to verify the functionality of the proposed system.
TFET-Based Robust 7T SRAM Cell for Low Power Application

TFETs have emerged as the potential candidate for future ultralow-power applications. However, the unidirectionality and poor drive current are the biggest hurdles for their deployment in static random-access memories (SRAMs), as they critically impact the write operation. In this article, first, we propose a new device structure with dual-pocket double-gate tunnel FET (DP-DGTFET) based on the earlier p-n-i-n device (SP-DGTFET). The proposed device shows improved characteristics in terms of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}/{I}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}} $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and SS with comparable <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The SRAM cells designed using the proposed device significantly improve the write margin (WM). The DP-DGTFET-based outward access-6T (O-6T) cell enhances the WM as high as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$18\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> compared with its SP-DGTFET counterpart at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {dd}}={0.7}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> V. Subsequently, a novel 7T SRAM cell is also proposed to further enhance the circuit performance particularly in terms of write-ability. The proposed cell utilizes separate read buffer and column voltage collapse write assist to enhance the read and write stabilities. We also investigate the feasibility of these pocket devices for several other configurations of SRAM cells. The proposed 7T cell designed using new dual-pocket device offers <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$8\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> higher WM, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.3\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> smaller write delay, similar RSNM and read delay while consuming <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2.2\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> smaller write power, and similar read power compared to the existing 7T cell (at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {dd}}={0.5}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> V). The proposed cell also successfully eliminates half-selected disturb that occurs in the selected column due to voltage collapse. The proposed cell, therefore, could be a good choice for applications that demand high stability and low power requirement.
A Highly Sensitive Capacitive Pressure Sensor with Microdome Structure for Robot Tactile Detection

This work presents a polymer-based capacitive sensor array capable of measuring both normal and shear forces. The capacitive sensing element consists of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) dielectric layers and gold electrode arrays. The PDMS dielectric layers were patterned with microdome structures using a simple micromachining technique with nylon membrane filters. Further, by using membranes with different pore sizes, the pressure sensitivity of the capacitive tactile sensor can be adjusted with ease. The measured relationship of capacitance versus pressure indicates that the sensitivity of sensors with interlocked interfaces is much higher than that of the sensor with planar films.
A Generic CMOS Compatible Piezoelectric Multilayer Actuator Approach Based on Permanent Ferroelectric Polarization Inversion In Al1-X ScxN

Based on the discovery of ferroelectric polarization inversion in piezoelectric Al1.xScxN thin films, this paper presents a double layer actuator stack configuration which demonstrates that the inherent advantages of piezoelectric AlN and Al1-xScxN, like CMOS compatibility, polarization stability and linearity can be combined with the advantages of classical ferroelectric multilayer systems to achieve superior strain output for piezoelectric MEMS actuators with minimal effort compared to alternative multilayer approaches.
Distributed Multicontact RF MEMS Switch for Power Handling Capability Improvement

This paper presents an RF MEMS switch with distributed multi-contact structure for power handling capability improvement. The main advantages include: (a) the use of distributed contacts structure which can result in different resistances among different contacts to suppress the uneven current distribution caused by skin effect of the RF signal. (b) the proposed current uniformity factor (α) to illustrate the uneven distribution of the current. CoventorWare and HFSS are used to model the structure and simulate the performance. The simulated results indicate that the current uniformity factor of proposed switch is improved from 0.503 to 0.688, which results in a higher theoretical power handling capability. Measurement results show that the switch with distributed contacts can bear 2 W RF power @ 10 GHz for 2 hours under prolonged pull-down condition, which is higher than the switch with parallel contacts.
Mems Mass Flow Controller for Liquid Fuel Supply to HCCI-Driven Engine

In this paper, a second generation MEMS mass flow controller (MFC) for liquid fuel delivery to a miniaturized homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine is presented. In contrast to the first generation MFC [1], it has a highly improved on/off-characteristic and fuel delivery range. This is achieved by a complete redesign of the valve cap and package, minimizing particles in the fuel outlet and package stress. Various fuels (and water) are calibrated, for instance, ethanol and water with maximum mass flow rates of 15 g/min and 20 g/min, respectively (at 100 kPa inlet pressure). The on/off-ratio with water is nearly 3300:1 (at 100 kPa inlet pressure). The maximum power consumption during continuous operation is 50 µW.
Efficient End-to-End Security Scheme for Privacy-Preserving in IoT

Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology that enables the interconnection between everyday objects to provide a smart environment. In near future, billions of devices equipped with sensors and actuators are expected to be connected to the Internet. Data aggregation is a practical solution to reduce the massive amount of data moving within the Internet. Moreover, the data collected by sensors can be deeply sensitive. Hence, ensuring the privacy of sensed data is highly required. However, the limited resources of sensors make the design of secure IoT mechanisms a hard and complex task. In this paper, we propose an efficient cryptographic scheme to secure aggregation and transmission of sensed data in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). The proposed scheme is based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and Message Authentication Code (MAC) in order to provide end-to-end security. Security properties are evaluated through formal and informal analysis. The proposed scheme achieves better performance compared to a recent related work.
Mapping slums and model population density using earth observation data and open source solutions

This paper presents a collection of frameworks aiming at mapping land cover, land use and estimate population densities from very-high resolution images and relying on open-source software. Using height information and landscape metrics, slums location and extent can be accurately extracted from the rest of the city. Moreover, the processing chain developed can deal with large amount of data and produce useful pieces of geographical information citywide. All the results, methods and computer code are available in open-access for anyone and any purpose.
A Virtual Monochromatic Imaging Method for Spectral CT Based on Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network With a Hybrid Loss

Spectral computed tomography (CT) has become a popular clinical diagnostic technique because of its unique advantage in material distinction. Specifically, it can perform virtual monochromatic imaging to obtain accurate tissue composition with less beam hardening artifacts. It is an ill-posed problem that monochromatic images are acquired by material decomposition matrix, suffering from amplified noise due to various uncertain factors. Aiming at modeling spatial and spectral correlations, this paper proposes a Wasserstein generative adversarial network with a hybrid loss (WGAN-HL) for monochromatic imaging instead of voxel-by-voxel decomposition. A min-max concept about the optimal transport is introduced in WGAN to make a tradeoff between generated images and target images where the authenticity of data cannot be distinguished anymore by network. The hybrid loss focuses on the data distribution of the generated images and target images from voxel space together with feature space to meet clinical requirements. Thereby, the proposed network can generate robust monochromatic images with accurate decomposition at any energy, while identifying and removing noise and artifacts. The advantages of this method are demonstrated in CT value measurement, beam hardening, and metal artifacts removal. Simulations and real tests prove that the WGAN-HL method preserves the important tissue details with less noise and it can reconstruct more accurate CT value. Both qualitative and quantitative comparisons show that the network is superior to other monochromatic imaging method.
Routing over Low Power and Lossy Networks protocol: Overview and performance evaluation

The advancement of the internet of things (IoT) technologies such as wireless sensor network (WSN) have accelerated the development of routing protocols suited for low power and lossy networks (LLNs). Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) is a proactive dynamic routing protocol based on IPv6 with two known objective functions (OFs): Objective Function zero (OF0) and Minimum Rank with Hysteresis Objective Function (MRHOF). This paper provides an overview of this protocol with a performance study of the two OFs used in RPL. Several scenarios have been tested with 30, 60 and 120 nodes, and five parameters of comparisons were selected (Expected Transmission Count, number of hops, convergence time, power consumption and duty cycle), to our knowledge all the present works on the performance of this protocol never passed the wall of 100 nodes, and the data rate and latency were the main focus, we wanted to make a profound study by focusing on other important parameters with less focus.
Do we underestimate the global slum population?

According to UN-Habitat, around one billion people live in slum conditions, this number is reported for the SDG indicator 11.1. 1 (the proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing). However, this number comes with many uncertainties. For several countries, estimates are not available, while for other countries reported data might not reflect the real population living in slum conditions. In this paper, we use Dar es Salaam in Tanzania as a showcase on how a combination of data extracted from remote sensing combined with locally available sample data and non-official data (e.g., from NGOs) could allow quantifying the degree of uncertainty about city-level slum population estimates. For the city of Dar es Salaam, the estimates based on the census data indicate that around 3 million of its inhabitants are living in slum-like conditions, while using a combination of household surveys, settlement level estimates from Shack/Slum Dwellers International combined with rooftop outlines extracted from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images, the estimated slum population is around 5 million. This raises the question of how much on a global level do we underestimate the number of people living in slum conditions and shows the potential of remote sensing to shed some light on this neglected issue.
Compensation of the harmonic pollution by photovoltaic systems under variable solar radiation

The studied system allows to compensate the harmonic pollution by a photovoltaic station under variable solar radiation, it includes a photovoltaic generator (PV), a DC-DC converter that steps up the PV output to the DC link voltage level with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control and an inverter that links the system to the grid with a variety of non-linear loads. The control strategy used and the obtained results show the benefits of such optimization of the active filter compensation method, in order to improve the quality of the energy (THD ≤2.02%), while limiting the repercussions of the filter on the photovoltaic station and by automatically adapting to the variation of the solar radiation.
Virtual Network Function Placement and Routing Model for Multicast Service Chaining Based on Merging Multiple Service Paths

In this paper, we propose a virtual network function placement and routing model for multicast service chaining based on merging multiple service paths (MSC-M). The multicast service chaining (MSC) provides a multicast path, which connects a source node and multiple destination nodes, and virtual network functions (VNFs) are placed on the path so that users on the destination nodes receive their desired services. The conventional MSC model configures multicast paths for services, each of which has the same source data and the same set of VNFs in a predefined order. In the MSC-M model, if paths of different services carry the same data on the same link, these paths are allowed to be merged into one path at that link, which improves the utilization of network resources. The MSC-M model determines the placement of VNFs and the route of paths so that the total cost associated with VNF placement and link usage is minimized. The MSC-M model is formulated as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem. In the ILP problem, data flows whose source data is the same and which already passed the same subset of VNFs belong to the same group. A part of paths of different services which carry data flows belonging to the same group are allowed to be merged into one path. Numerical results show that the MSC-M model reduces the total cost by 28.7% at a maximum compared to the conventional MSC model.
A 1.3 Milliwatts Electrostatic Vibrational Energy Harvester with Minimal Reactive Power through Reduced Internal Stray Capacitances

This paper reports on a methodology to enhance the output power of vibrational MEMS energy harvesters by reducing the reactive power. An SOI wafer with a relatively thick BOX layer is used to reduce the internal stray capacitance, thereby reducing the reactive power. The active power is 2.4-fold improved by increasing the BOX layer from 1 µm to 3 µm, resulting in a power enhancement to 1.3 mW, without changing the device design or footprint.
Human settlement and infrastructure monitoring with hyperspectral imaging

This paper reviews in detail the contributions of hyperspectral imaging to the topic of urban remote sensing. Hyperspectral imaging is traditionally connected to the spectral characterization of surface materials. Moreover, urban areas are characterized by a very complex geometrical structure, which requires either very high spatial resolution or complex unmixing procedures based on linear and non-linear mixing models. Non-linear unmixing and material mapping using both spectral and spatial features are therefore two important topics when using hyperspectral imaging to monitor human settlements and infrastructures. Finally, even when no specific material and or urban element is sought, the mixture of artificial (as opposed to natural) materials in human settlements can be used to delineate their extents, with excellent results with respect to those obtained by multispectral optical sensors with the same spatial resolution.
Overloaded Wireless MIMO Switching for Secure Wireless Communication Exchanging to Untrusted Relay

Wireless MIMO Switch makes the information exchange among terminals by two time steps. As a result, the highly efficiency of information exchanging is achieved. If the relay is impersonated by eavesdropper, it can exploit the information during the relay process, where the relay exploiting the information is the untrusted relay. In the proposed wireless MIMO switch, the stations whose number is the number of antennas plus one access the relay. As a result, the relay station hardly decodes each information owing to the overloaded access. In each station, firstly, one information signal is decoded by the interference cancellation of its own signal and the zero forcing of relay filter. Since one information signal is shared to all the stations, each station can demodulate the information because the overloaded condition is mitigated by the shared information signal. We confirm the effect of proposed scheme by computer simulation.
A Novel MPPT Strategy Based on Decentralized Control in subDPP Systems

This paper presents a simple decentralized control technique based on relative gain array with an outside-in maximum power point tracking strategy (MPPT) for submodule differential power processing systems. The proposed strategy can achieve at least twice the convergence rate as the traditional one-way MPPT strategy. Furthermore, the proposed control technique has better utilization of control inputs and scales well in a long photovoltaic string. Moreover, the resultant symmetrical transfer functions enable easy controller tuning in a long string. The effectiveness of the strategy is validated by PLECS simulation.
A Review of the Seven Modelling Approaches for Digital Ecosystem Architecture

A dynamic digital ecosystem is an interrelated network of organisations, people and/or entities that interact and collaborate for value co-creation. The challenge is how to effectively model the digital ecosystems operating in a highly complex and dynamic environment. There are several modelling approaches to choose from. There is a need to evaluate the existing modelling approaches to support the modelling of digital ecosystems. This paper evaluates the scope and coverage of the selected seven modelling approaches (Adaptive Enterprise Architecture, ArchiMate, TOGAF, FAML, ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, SABSA, and ITIL) for modelling the digital ecosystems. Adaptive enterprise architecture is taken as a reference architecture for this review due to its higher relevance to digital ecosystem layers. The results of this review indicate that every modelling methodology is different in scope and coverage and demands the integration and tailoring of a context specific modelling approaches to provide the type of support needed for digital ecosystems.
Sustainable Smart World

The smart world is an era in which things (e.g., cars, buses, computers, and mobile phones) can serve people in an effective and collaborative manner. Internet of Things (IoT) connects many devices with each other. IoT devises sense, gather, process, and transmit information from their surroundings. This transmission and exchange of a large amount of data between billions of devices cause massive consumption of energy. The central aim of Green IoT is reducing power consumption of IoT devices to create a safe and sustainable environment for IoT. In this paper, we presented an overview about IoT and the Green IoT, then classified the techniques of the Green IoT into three taxonomies that are Software Based Green IoT techniques, Hardware-Based Green IoT techniques and Policy Based Green IoT techniques. Finally, we compared many Green models, systems, and algorithms to improve and reduce the energy consumption of IoT devices.
Reconstruction of Noise-Containing Acoustic Emission Signals in Tensile of HRB400 Welded Specimens

Acoustic emission(AE) dynamic monitoring of HRB400 welding specimens during tension process will collect a large number of mixed noise data, increasing the storage space and transmission time of data. And the sparsity of the signal changes with the change of ambient noise, which affects the reconstruction performance of the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm under fixed sparse degree. An adaptive threshold piecewise weak orthogonal matching pursuit (SWOMP) algorithm is proposed to reconstruct the signal, which is solved the problem of data quantity and guarantees the quality of real-time monitoring and reconstruction. The simulation results show that the reconstruction error of SWOMP and OMP algorithm decreases with the increase of measurement value, and the reconstruction performance of SWOMP algorithm is obviously better than that of OMP algorithm. The reconstructed quality of OMP algorithm fluctuates greatly when reconstructing multi-segment signals, while the reconstructed error of SWOMP algorithm is stable at about 0.05, which can reconstruct signals effectively and has high adaptability.
Micrometer-Sized Suction Cup Array with Strong Adhesion to Wet Surface

This paper presents a flexible adhesive pad which is covered with a dense array of micro suction cup array whose base diameter and height are 100 μm and ~30 μm, respectively. We show that the adhesion of the fabricated micro suction cup array dramatically increases when the surface is wet. The maximum adhesion force per unit area of the proposed suction cup array to a wet smooth surface is approximately 0.37 MPa, which is more than 3 times higher than the theoretical limit of a passive suction cup. Moreover, the adhesion strength is independent of the surface wettability of the substrate and surface tension of the lubricated liquid. Finally, we show that the micro suction cup array can also adhere to curve surfaces with radius curvature as small as 10 mm, with an adhesion strength of approximately 0.12 MPa in wet condition.