Reliability of low-level operating-system (OS) code is an indispensable requirement. This includes functional properties from the safety-liveness spectrum, but also quantitative properties stating, e.g., that the average waiting time on locks is sufficiently small or that the energy requirement of a certain system call is below a given threshold with a high probability. This paper reports on our experiences made in a running project where the goal is to apply probabilistic model checking techniques and to align the results of the model checker with measurements to predict quantitative properties of low-level OS code.

Reliability in terms of functional properties from the safety-liveness spectrum is an indispensable requirement of low-level operating-system (OS) code. However, with evermore complex and thus less predictable hardware, quantitative and probabilistic guarantees become more and more important. Probabilistic model checking is one technique to automatically obtain these guarantees. First experiences with the automated quantitative analysis of low-level operating-system code confirm the expectation that the naive probabilistic model checking approach rapidly reaches its limits when increasing the numbers of processes. This paper reports on our work-in-progress to tackle the state explosion problem for low-level OS-code caused by the exponential blow-up of the model size when the number of processes grows. We studied the symmetry reduction approach and carried out our experiments with a simple test-and-test-and-set lock case study as a representative example for a wide range of protocols with natural inter-process dependencies and long-run properties. We quickly see a state-space explosion for scenarios where inter-process dependencies are insignificant. However, once inter-process dependencies dominate the picture models with hundred and more processes can be constructed and analysed.

Newsletter des Sonderforschungsbereichs 912 "Highly Adaptive Energy-Efficient Computing" (HAEC)

Drahtlose Sensornetze können Zustände physikalischer Größen messen und an eine Basisstation (Datensenke) melden. Durch die geographische Verteilung der Sensorknoten und die Bedingungen bei der Mehrwegeausbreitung kann die Situation auftreten, dass nicht alle Sensorknoten direkten Kontakt zur Basisstation aufbauen können. Sie müssen andere Sensorknoten als Vermittlungsstation in Anspruch nehmen, um die Nachrichten an die Basisstation zu befördern. Um den Energieverbrauch zu verringern, werden Nachrichten zum einen ereignisbasiert generiert und zum anderen zeitbasiert vermittelt. Dabei beschreibt der Arbeitszyklus den Anteil der Vermittlungsaktivität am Gesamtzyklus. Derzeit verfügbare Methoden berücksichtigen allerdings nicht die Verknüpfung zwischen dem von der Anwendung generierten Verkehr und der Vermittlungshäufigkeit. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein Verfahren vorgeschlagen, mit dem der Arbeitszyklus zur Laufzeit automatisch eingestellt werden kann. Dafür wird in der Vermittlungsstation die Verkehrscharakteristik gemessen und für die Einstellung des Arbeitszyklus benutzt. Die Leistungsfähigkeit der Anpassung des Arbeitszyklus wird mit Simulationen untersucht. Sie zeigen, wie sich der Ansatz bei verschiedener Parametrierung in statischen und dynamischen Szenarien verhält. Um dem späteren Anwender der Anpassung eine Abschätzung des Verhaltens zu ermöglichen, werden zusätzlich analytische Modelle für die Analyse des statischen und dynamischen Verhaltens entwickelt. Ferner wird gezeigt, dass der entwickelte Ansatz für etablierte Standardtechniken (z. B. IEEE 802.15.4) eingesetzt werden kann. / Wireless Sensor Networks support flexible measuring of physical values. Due to the geographical distribution and multipath scattering the base station in such a network might not be reached by all sensors. Hence, other sensor nodes have to work as relay stations. At the same time, each sensor node is forced to consume as low energy as possible. In order to save energy the messages are generated event based in each sensor node and forwarded with a time triggered approach. Thereby, the duty cycle describes the portion of the relay activities in relation to the overall cycle. Currently available approaches do not properly adapt these two paradigms, event and time triggered, to each other. In this work a method to adapt the duty cycle according to the traffic is proposed. Therefore, the traffic is monitored and evaluated for traffic adaptation. Furthermore, the performance of the duty cycle adaptation is assessed using simulations. They show the behavior of the adaptation algorithm in static and dynamic scenarios with different parametrizations. The supplemental analytical models enable to easily estimate the behavior of the adaptation, in static as well as in dynamic scenarios. Also, it is shown how the duty cycle adaptation can be deployed for standard technologies like IEEE 802.15.4.

The number of secure data streams a relay-assisted interference channel can support has been an intriguing problem. The problem is not solved even for a fundamental scenario with a single antenna at each transmitter, receiver and relay. In this paper, we study the achievable secure degrees of freedom of instantaneous relay-assisted interference channels with real and complex coefficients. The study of secure degrees of freedom with complex coefficients is not a trivial multiuser extension of the scenarios with real channel coefficients as in the case for the degrees of freedom, due to secrecy constraints. We tackle this challenge by jointly designing the improper transmit signals and widely-linear relay processing strategies.

In this paper, we analyze the four-node relay wiretap channel, where the relay performs amplify-and-forward. There is no direct link between transmitter and receiver available. The transmitter has multiple antennas, which assist in securing the transmission over both phases. In case of full channel state information (CSI), the transmitter can apply information leakage neutralization in order to prevent the eavesdropper from obtaining any information about the signal sent. This gets more challenging, if the transmitter has only an outdated estimate of the channel from the relay to the eavesdropper. For this case, we optimize the worst case secrecy rate by choosing intelligently the beamforming vectors and the power allocation at the transmitter and the relay.

Reliable and energy-efficient delivery of multimedia to mobile terminals in dynamic networks is a very challenging problem. In this thesis, we focus on a cooperative extension to the Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld (DVB-H) standard, forming a cooperative broadcast network whereby terminal-to-terminal cooperation creates a distributed form of multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) that supplements existing fixed network infrastructure. First, we develop a novel and computationally-efficient hierarchical Markov model that is able to accurately perform a cross-layer packet error mapping between the physical and transport layers of the DVB-H/IPDC (IP DataCast) protocol stack. We then construct a discrete-event simulator in MATLAB® that incorporates all of the necessary modules to conduct dynamic multiterminal network simulations. Next, the convergence of cooperative wireless communication, Raptor application layer forward error correction (AL-FEC) and Network Coding (NC) is examined. Originally proposed for broadcasting over the Internet, the application of Raptor codes to wireless cooperative communications networks has been limited to date, but they have been mandated for use in DVB-H. Network coding is used to reduce energy consumption by opportunistically recombining and rebroadcasting required combinations of packets. Two novel coding-enabled cooperative relaying protocols are developed for multicast and multiple unicast file distribution scenarios that are transparent, fully distributed, and backwards compatible with today's systems. Our protocols are able to exploit several different forms of diversity inherent to modern wireless networks, including spatial diversity, radio interface diversity, and symbol diversity. Extensive simulations show that our protocols simultaneously achieve breakthroughs in network energy efficiency and reliability for different terminal classes and densities, allowing greatly improved user experiences. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-08-03 19:45:54.943

No description available.

Secret key generation from reciprocal multi-antenna channels is an interesting alternative to cryptographic key management in wireless systems without infrastructure access. In this work, we study the secret key rate for the basic source model with a MIMO channel. First, we derive an expression for the secret key rate under spatial correlation modelled by the Kronecker model and with spatial precoding at both communication nodes. Next, we analyze the result for uncorrelated antennas to understand the optimal precoding for this special case, which is equal power allocation. Then, the impact of correlation is characterized using Majorization theory. Surprisingly for small SNR, spatial correlation increases the secret key rate. For high SNR, the maximum secret key rate is achieved for uncorrelated antennas. The results indicate that a solid system design for reciprocal MIMO key generation is required to establish the secret key rate gains.

This work describes three alternative processes for producing microfibrillated cellulose (MFC; also referred to as cellulose nanofibrils, CNF) in which bleached pulp fibres are first pretreated and then homogenized using a high-pressure homogenizer. In one process, fibre cell wall delamination was facilitated by a combined enzymatic and mechanical pretreatment. In the two other processes, cell wall delamination was facilitated by pretreatments that introduced anionically charged groups into the fibre wall, by means of either a carboxymethylation reaction or irreversibly attaching carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) to the fibres. All three processes are industrially feasible and enable energy-efficient production of MFC. Using these processes, MFC can be produced with an energy consumption of 500–2300 kWh/tonne. These materials have been characterized in various ways and it has been demonstrated that the produced MFCs are approximately 5–30 nm wide and up to several microns long. The MFCs were also evaluated in a number of applications in paper. The carboxymethylated MFC was used to prepare strong free-standing barrier films and to coat wood-containing papers to improve the surface strength and reduce the linting propensity of the papers. MFC, produced with an enzymatic pretreatment, was also produced at pilot scale and was studied in a pilot-scale paper making trial as a strength agent added at the wet-end for highly filled papers. / <p>QC 20150126</p>