With the proliferation of smart grid research, the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) has become the first ubiquitous and fixed computing platform. However, due to the unique characteristics of AMI, such as complex network structure, resource-constrained smart meter, and privacy-sensitive data, it is an especially challenging issue to make AMI secure. Energy theft is one of the most important concerns related to the smart grid implementation. It is estimated that utility companies lose mo...

The technology of Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) transmission requires higher dependability for electric power grid. Power Grid Communication Networking (PGCN), the fundamental information infrastructure, severs data transmission including control signal, protection signal, and common data services. Dependability is the necessary requirement to ensure services timely and accurately. Dependability analysis aims to predicate operation status and provide suitable strategies getting rid of the potentia...

The concept of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), which combine computation, networking, and physical processes, is considered to be beneficial to smart grid applications. This study presents an integrated simulation environment to provide a unified platform for the investigation of smart grid applications involving power grid monitoring, communication, and control. In contrast to the existing approaches, this environment allows the network simulator to operate independently, importing its result...

In this study, TiN films were deposited on SiO₂ substrates by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) using TiCl₄ and NH₃ as precursors. Properties and morphology of the TiN films were characterized by different methods. Using Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD), TiN films demonstrated polycrystalline structure with (111) preferred orientation. Film thickness was measured by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) and a stable growth rate of 0.0178 nm/cycle was reached ...

The barrier/seed layer is a key issue in Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology for 3-D integration. Sputtering is an important deposition method for via metallization in semiconductor process. However, due to the limitation of sputtering and a “scallop” profile inside vias, poor step coverage of the barrier/seed layer always occurs in the via metallization process. In this paper, the effects of several sputter parameters (DC power, Ar pressure, deposition time, and substrate te...

This study presents a tiny pressure sensor which is used to measure the Intracranial Pressure (ICP). The sensor is based on the piezoresistive effect. The piezoresistive pressure sensor is simulated and designed by using nonlinear programming optimizing and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools. Two kinds of sensor sizes are designed in the case of childhood and adult. The sensors are fabricated by Microelectro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) process. The test results yield sensitivities of 1.033�...

With the rapid development in spaceflights and aeroplanes, the demand for low-power and miniaturization techniques has become insistent in modern radar systems. A new framework for low-power modern radar System on a Chip (SoC) based on ASIX core is presented. Pivotal modules and low-power design flows are described in detail. The dynamic clock-distribution mechanism of the power management module and the influence of the chip power are both stressed. This design adopts the SMIC 0.18-μ...

E-commerce has grown extraordinarily since the emergence of the internet, and many types of services are employed to accelerate this process. Service quality and productivity are two critical indicators to evaluate the competitiveness of e-commerce companies. Deciding which provision mode of e-commerce services (buy, sell, or self-provide) to adopt is a key operational strategy issue. This paper investigates the conditions and limitations of e-commerce services’ optimal supply modes, ...

Dual Energy CT (DECT) has recently gained significant research interest owing to its ability to discriminate materials, and hence is widely applied in the field of nuclear safety and security inspection. With the current technological developments, DECT can be typically realized by using two sets of detectors, one for detecting lower energy X-rays and another for detecting higher energy X-rays. This makes the imaging system expensive, limiting its practical implementation. In 2009, our group ...

The Gaussian Copula Probability Density Function (PDF) plays an important role in the fields of finance, hydrological modeling, biomedical study, and texture retrieval. However, the existing schemes for evaluating the Gaussian Copula PDF are all computationally-demanding and generally the most time-consuming part in the corresponding applications. In this paper, we propose an FPGA-based design to accelerate the computation of the Gaussian Copula PDF. Specifically, the evaluation of the Gaussi...

In this study, a class of Generalized Low-Density Parity-Check (GLDPC) codes is designed for data transmission over a Partial-Band Jamming (PBJ) environment. The GLDPC codes are constructed by replacing parity-check code constraints with those of nonsystematic Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH), referred to as Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC)-BCH codes. The rate of an LDPC-BCH code is adjusted by selecting the transmission length of the nonsystematic BCH code, and a low-complexity decoding algor...

To verify the safety of nonlinear dynamical systems based on inductive invariants, key issues include defining the most complete inductive condition and discovering an inductive invariant that satisfies the specified inductive condition. In this paper, to lay a solid foundation for future research into the safety verification of semi-algebraic dynamical systems, we first establish a formal framework for evaluating the quality of continuous inductive conditions. In addition, we propose a new c...