Ubiquitous Information Services with JAIN Platform

To provide responsive information services in a ubiquitous computing environment, service software and system development are indispensable. A component-based ubiquitous information system with a JAIN (Java APIs for Integrated Networks) platform to achieve seamless transmissions and reach-everywhere communications was designed in our research. In this development, numerous ubiquitous service modules were identified: location management, roaming, mobile IP and WAP networking. These component-based network modules were constructed using a component composition language with component specification and interface definition, running on top of a distributed service architecture using a JAIN platform to distribute the ubiquitous information services to mobile users. Two applications, Wireless-Application-Protocol (WAP) Mail and Video-on-Demand (VoD) services, show that the JAIN-like platform with the developed networking components effectively fills the gap for application developers between mobile appliances and various kinds of ubiquitous information services.     

Improved method for the preparation of TiN-coated WC-Co-based samples for cross-sectional AEM investigation.

An improved method for the preparation of cross-sectional thin foils of coated WC-Co samples for studies by analytical electron microscopy is described. A braze alloy is used to join the sections of the sample together and the resulting sample is stable during subsequent grinding, dimpling, and milling operations. Cross-sectional micrographs provide examples of the efficacy of this method. No microstructural alteration associated with the brazing operation was observed.     

Influence of nitrate, ascorbic acid, and nitrate reductase microorganisms on N-nitrosamine formation during Korean-style soysauce fermentation.

Traditional Korean soysauce samples were collected from households in Chinju, Gyeongnam, Korea and analysed for volatile N-nitrosamines. Five of 24 samples contained NDMA (range = 1.6-10.4 micrograms/l) which was the only volatile N-nitroso compound found. Soysauce made from well water contained NDMA more often (4 of 6 samples) than soysauce made from tap water (1 of 18). This suggests that the water source is a determinate in the NDMA content of soysauce, probably due to a higher nitrate content of well water. The source of salt used did not clearly influence NDMA content. Soysauce was prepared in the laboratory using traditional methods but with 0 to 400 mg/l nitrate and in some cases made 6.5 to 65 mM in ascorbic acid and fermented for 120 days. The NDMA content of the samples was positively correlated with increasing nitrate concentration. Nitrate at 400 mg/l resulted in an NDMA content of 203 micrograms/l. Ascorbic acid substantially inhibited NDMA formation. All samples contained large numbers of nitrate reductase-containing organisms (greater than 1 x 10(7) CFU/ml).     

Computer modeling of the continuous annealing furnace

A computer program to calculate the strip temperature heated in the continuous annealing furnace was developed, using the zone method for radiative heat transfer analysis with the measured gas temperature in the furnace. Using theF _E Operator, the present study considered the effects of soot and transient species, in addition to the H₂O−CO₂ gas mixture on the gas radiative heat transfer. The predicted strip temperature distribution forF _E=1.05 represented well the measured data. The maximum difference in the heat flux transfered to the strip from the combustion gas forF _E=1.0 (without soot and transient species gas radiation) and 1.05 (with soot and transient species gas radiation) was about 15%. The present study also investigated the effects of line speed and thickness variations on the strip temperature, establishing the bases for the on-line computer model.     

Pseudorandomness of Basic Structures in the Block Cipher KASUMI

The notion of pseudorandomness is the theoretical foundation on which to consider the soundness of a basic structure used in some block ciphers. We examine the pseudorandomness of the block cipher KASUMI, which will be used in the next‐generation cellular phones. First, we prove that the four‐round unbalanced MISTY‐type transformation is pseudorandom in order to illustrate the pseudorandomness of the inside round function FI of KASUMI under an adaptive distinguisher model. Second, we show that the three‐round KASUMI‐like structure is not pseudorandom but the four‐round KASUMI‐like structure is pseudorandom under a non‐adaptive distinguisher model.     

Fiberoptic intrinsic fluorescence for in-situ cure monitoring of amine cured epoxy and composites

The cure reactions of epoxy-diamine and its composites are monitored in-situ using the intrinsic fluorescence of the aromatic diamine, diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS). With a fiberoptic fluorimeter, in-situ cure monitoring was performed via a single fiber, distal-end probe, in neat epoxy as well as in commercial grade prepregs containing graphite fibers and DDS curing agent. The prepregs were investigated during multiply lamination in an oven. The fluorescence excitation spectra were obtained by emitting at 420 nm with a scan range of 320 to 400 nm, and the DDS peak position was determined as a function of cure time and temperature. The DDS spectra show a progressive red shift up to 24 nm when the primary amine is reacted with epoxide to become the secondary and the tertiary amines. The spectral shift of the DDS is also correlated with the extent of epoxide reaction determined by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Both data exhibit a linear relation, consistent with the behavior of the DDS peak shift, which increases linearly with the amine reaction. The excitation spectra also show a temperature dependency such that the amount of red shift increases with the measurement temperature in a manner that can be described by an exponential function. The temperature effects also depend on the state of cure in the sample. The temperature correction can be made by the application of an empirically developed equation. Thus, a direct comparison can be made among the on-line data obtained under varying conditions of cure, by reducing the spectral data to any reference temperature. This intrinsic fluorescence technique is much simpler than the previously reported extrinsic fluorophore technique, which requires the addition of an extrinsic fluorophore and an internal dye, and can be applied to any commercial prepregs containing DDS, thus making it a very powerful and widely applicable monitoring tool for composite processing.     

New approach to enhance adhesions between carbon nanotube emitters and substrate by the combination of electrophoresis and successive electroplating

Complementary electroplating combined with electrophoresis enhanced the field emission characteristics of emitters by improving the adhesions between CNT emitters and substrate. The emitting current of the CNT emitters prepared by our combined method increased nine times higher than that of CNT emitters prepared by electrophoresis only, since electroplating improved the adhesion of CNT emitters. During the life-time measurement for 10 h, the emitting current of CNT emitters fabricated by electrophoresis only was drastically decreased to 13% of the initial current, while that prepared by the combination of electrophoresis and successive electroplating decreased to 64% of the initial current. We suggest that our method is a promising approach for the efficient fabrication of reliable CNT emitters.     

Porosity distribution in highly compressible cake: Experimental and theoretical verification of the dense skin

The rate of filtration and the water content of cake are influenced by the existence of a dense skin in a highly compressible cake. The phenomenon of the dense skin has been rarely studied, and its existence has not been verified experimentally. In this study, the porosity variation in a very compressible cake is measured by using a new experimental apparatus, and with this the existence of dense skin has been established experimentally. ‘Unified theory on solid-liquid separation’, a recently developed theory, is utilized for calculating the porosity variation in a very compressible cake.