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In this work, we use a high-level design methodology for the rapid hardware synthesis of a complex smart sensor network (SSN) system. The GRAFCET is then used to model the individual functional modules and the hierarchical behavior of the system. The behavior of each module is represented as a sequential–concurrent hybrid discrete event system. We apply high-level synthesis rules to generate a VHSIC hardware description language (VHDL)-target efficient hardware for a smart sensor controller and smart gateway controller. Finally, these embedded hardware controllers are generated automatically to integrate all intelligent functional modules into a complex embedded system, and a hardware circuit is then synthesized. The experimental results show that the hardware circuit can meet the definition of an SSN system for Industrial Internet of Things applications. Moreover, this methodology enables a coherent design quality, short design period, low development cost, and short time-to-market for complex industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have used sol–gel derived copper oxide (CuO x ) thin film as an interlayer at the organic/metal interface to improve the performance of the inverted P3HT:PC61BM solar cells. The resulting interlayer can form an ohmic contact between the P3HT:PC61BM and electrode. Due to the formation of the ohmic contact, the series resistance of device has been decreased from 2.77 to 1.29 (Ω/cm2). Simultaneously, the CuO x interlayer can redistribute the light intensity to enhance light absorption and thereby increases the current density form 11.0 to 11.9 (mA/cm2). Thus, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is improved from 3.11% to 4.02%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of mild oxygen plasma etching on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT): [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend film was investigated to improve the efficiency of inverted polymer solar cells. Our study shows that the polymer surface adjacent to the anode was modified into a more hydrophobic P3HT-rich surface, which leads to better interface contact, fine electrode selectivity, and lower series resistance in the device. Although PCBM still aggregates on the top surface, it can be removed with mild oxygen plasma etching. As a result, the power conversion efficiency increased significantly from 3.4% to 4.3% with an enhanced fill factor of 64%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigate the speed and performance of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) classification from full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) images based on the convolutional neural network (CNN). Due to the unique characteristics of SCC features, the high variety of CNN, and the high volume of our 3D FF-OCT dataset, progressive model construction is a time-consuming process. To address the issue, we develop a training strategy for data selection that makes model training 16 times faster by exploiting the dependency between images and the knowledge of SCC feature distribution. The speedup makes progressive model construction computationally feasible. Our approach further refines the regularization, channel attention, and optimization mechanism of SCC classifier and improves the accuracy of SCC classification to 87.12% at the image level and 90.10% at the tomogram level. The results are obtained by testing the proposed approach on an FF-OCT dataset with over one million mouse skin images. [Display omitted] • Exploit the knowledge of FF-OCT images and squamous cell carcinoma to enhance the efficiency of model training. • Propose an effective training strategy that speeds up progressive model construction by a factor of 16. • Incorporate channel attention and soft-labeling into a CNN-based classifier for SCC of mouse skin. • Integrated with an FF-OCT device, the classifier yields 90.10% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effect of replacement rate of RCA on the calcium leaching of concrete was studied. Effect of initial stress damage on calcium leaching of recycled concrete was studied. Model for compressive strength of recycled concrete after calcium leaching is built. The accelerated calcium dissolution tests of concrete with different replacement rates of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and different initial damage degrees D 0 were carried out by using ammonium chloride solution. The results show that the dissolution resistance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is negatively correlated with the replacement rate of RCA and the D 0. The mass loss, dissolution depth, the attenuation of ultrasonic wave velocity, and the degradation of mechanical properties (compressive strength and splitting tensile strength) of RAC after calcium dissolution increase with the increasing replacement rate of RCA. When the D 0 is less than 0.2, the dissolution resistance of RAC is not obviously affected by the initial stress damage; however, when the D 0 is greater than 0.2, the mass loss, dissolution depth, the attenuation of ultrasonic wave velocity, and the deterioration of mechanical properties of RAC increase linearly with the increasing of D 0. Compared with the compressive strength, the splitting tensile strength is more sensitive to the calcium dissolution and the initial stress damage of concrete. An obvious pH gradient is formed in the concrete after dissolution, and the pH value in a certain depth of the concrete decreases with the increasing of the replacement rate of RCA and the D 0. Finally, the prediction model for compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of RAC after calcium dissolution is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The selection of carrier transporting layer in polymer solar cells is an important issue because the nature and direction of carrier transport can be manipulated by inserting different functional layers in the device structure. In this work, we report a very efficient inverted polymer solar cell (PSC) system based on regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) and a n-type acceptor, bis-indene[C60]. With a pair of metal oxides and the insertion of TiO2 nanorods electron collecting layer between the ZnO thin film and the active layer, the device efficiency can be greatly improved. The contact area between the active layer and the electron collecting layer, as well as the thickness of active layer, can be increased with the incorporation of TiO2 nanorods. As a result, photocurrent can be enhanced due to more absorption of light and more charge separation interface. In addition, the larger contact area and the crystalline TiO2 nanorods provide a more efficient transporting route for the carriers to the cathode. The most efficient device demonstrated shows a high power conversion efficiency of 5.6% with the inverted structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• RUL prediction using domain-generalization-adversarial long short-term memory. • Two-stage health assessment of PCA-SPE and p -chart to reduce outliers. • A workflow of fault prognosis to reduce complex variations. Industrial robots are widely used in modern factories. Robot faults lead to the inevitable suspension of production lines. The prediction of robot failure can improve production capacity. However, it is challenging due to the variations of robots in dynamic working regimes. This paper presents a methodology of fault prognosis of industrial robots, including (1) a modeling approach of remaining useful life prediction using domain-generalization-adversarial long short-term memory to reduce the robot-to-robot variations, (2) an approach of two-stage health assessment based on principal component analysis-squared prediction error and p -chart that can reduce the disturbance of outliers in normal operations, and (3) a workflow containing feature extraction using wavelet packet decomposition, feature smoothing using exponential smoothing, feature normalization using z-score and feature selection using Pearson correlation coefficient. The case study of liquid crystal display transfer robots shows the methodology can effectively reduce the variations and improve the prediction of RUL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]