The thermal ignition of lignocellulosics in infinite slab and cubic geometries

Wood shaving samples were heated in both cubic baskets and in a previously described system realising the conditions of the ‘infinite slab’ in thermal ignition. Results from the two sets of experiment were found to be totally consistent with each other.     

Parametric Wavelength Conversion From Conventional Near-Infrared to Visible Band

The feasibility of distant wavelength conversion in photonic crystal fiber was explored. The one-pump parametric architecture was used to demonstrate translation from the conventional (1550 nm) to visible (500 nm) band. Experimental results are reported, which demonstrate the conventional-to-visible conversion of single- and multiple-channel signals encoded in the nonreturn-to-zero format     

Bile acid metabolism in mammals: VI. Effect of ethionine upon bile acids of rat bile

Sex differences in the effect of ethionine upon rat liver metabolism prompted our investigation into possible sex differences in the effect of ethionine upon bile acid metabolism. The bile ducts of 24 rats, 12 male and 12 female, were cannulated. After 1 hr of bile collection, 6 rats of each sex were given ethionine, 1 mg/g body wt, by feeding tube. The bile acid composition of the bile collected during the subsequent 4 hr was analyzed by combined thin layer and gas chromatography. Ethionine induced a reduction in bile flow (3rd and 4th hr) and in bile acid concentration (4th hr) in female rats. The amino acid had no effect upon bile flow but did increase biliary secretion of bile acids (1st and 2nd hr) in male rats. Cholic acid accounted for the bulk of the reduction in total bile acid secretion in the female studies. The increase in total bile acid secretion in the male studies involved all bile acids. The effects of ethionine upon bile acid secretion were delayed in the female studies, immediate in the male. The changes in bile acid secretion involved only the taurine conjugates in the female studies, both taurine and glycine conjugates in the male. There are substantial sex differences in the effect of ethionine upon bile acid metabolism in the rat.     

A 60‐GHz on‐chip slot‐array antenna in integrated‐passive‐device technology for antenna‐in‐package applications

A new millimeter‐wave antenna structure on a low‐cost, production platform integrated passive device technology is presented. The antenna consists of a 2‐by‐1 array of slot antennas at 60 GHz. An in‐house developed on‐chip antenna measurement setup was used to characterize the fabricated antenna. The measurement results show an antenna gain of more than 5 dBi with a return loss of 18 dB at 60 GHz. The better‐than‐10‐dB impedance bandwidth of the antenna covers the 60‐GHz unlicensed band from 57 to 64 GHz. The 3‐dB beamwidths of the antenna are 105° and 76° at E‐plane and H‐plane at 60 GHz, respectively. The size of the die of the antenna is 2 mm × 4.5 mm. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 24:155–160, 2014.     

The effect of epoxy‐polyester hybrid resin on mechanical properties,rheological behavior,and water absorption of polypropylene wood flour composites

The effect of epoxy resin on mechanical and Rheological properties, and moisture absorption of wood flour polypropylene composites (WPCs) were investigated. The reactive mixing of epoxy resin with 30, and 40 wt% wood flour and polypropylene (PP) was carried out in twin screw extruder with a special screw elements arrangement. PP grafted maleic anhydrides (MPP) were used as coupling agent to improve the interfacial interactions of wood flour, epoxy resin, and PP. The tensile strength of composites decreased, and elastic modulus and moisture absorption increased with increasing epoxy resin content. The complex viscosity η* increased with increasing epoxy resin content of composites, and a synergistic effect in increasing the η* was observed at 3 wt% resin. The epoxy resin modified wood‐PP composites that chemically coupled by MPP showed minimum water absorption with highest elastic modulus. The experimental oscillation rheologyical data were used to drive a model to predict the flow behavior of WPCs, in a wide range of frequencies. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:2041–2048, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Heavy-fuel flame radiation in gas turbine combustors—exploratory results

With lower costs and greater availability, heavy fuel oil appears as an attractive alternative to the conventional gas oil used in industrial gas turbines. However, higher levels of radiation and smoke are expected, and this note reports on some preliminary tests made with a combustion chamber burning fuels of different carbon content, ranging from kerosine to a 25% blend of residual fuel oil in gas oil, at a chamber pressure of 10 atm^*. The combustion rig was equipped with a total-radiation pyrometer and black-body furnace capable of measurement at different axial stations along the spray-stabilized flame. The presence of the residual fuel oil in the gas oil was found to promote significant increases in the mean levels of radiation, emissivity and smoke density, with a modest increase in liner temperature.     

Applying gravitational search algorithm in the QoS-based Web service selection problem

With the growing use of service-oriented architecture for designing next generation software systems,the service composition problem and its execution complexity have become even more important in resp...     

Observer-based adaptive fuzzy control for a class of nonlinear time-delay systems

An observer-based adaptive fuzzy control is presented for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown time delays. The state observer is first designed, and then the controller is designed via the adaptive fuzzy control method based on the observed states. Both the designed observer and controller are independent of time delays. Using an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, the uncertainty of the unknown time delay is compensated, and then the fuzzy logic system in Mamdani type is utilized to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, the constructed observer-based controller and the closed-loop system are proved to be asymptotically stable. The designed control law is independent of the time delays and has a simple form with only one adaptive parameter vector, which is to be updated on-line. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Intrusion Detection Systems Using Blockchain Technology: A Review,Issues and Challenges

Intrusion detection systems that have emerged in recent decades can identify a variety of malicious attacks that target networks by employing several detection approaches. However, the current approaches have challenges in detecting intrusions, which may affect the performance of the overall detection system as well as network performance. For the time being, one of the most important creative technological advancements that plays a significant role in the professional world today is blockchain technology. Blockchain technology moves in the direction of persistent revolution and change. It is a chain of blocks that covers information and maintains trust between individuals no matter how far apart they are. Recently, blockchain was integrated into intrusion detection systems to enhance their overall performance. Blockchain has also been adopted in healthcare, supply chain management, and the Internet of Things. Blockchain uses robust cryptography with private and public keys, and it has numerous properties that have leveraged security’s performance over peer-to-peer networks without the need for a third party. To explore and highlight the importance of integrating blockchain with intrusion detection systems, this paper provides a comprehensive background of intrusion detection systems and blockchain technology. Furthermore, a comprehensive review of emerging intrusion detection systems based on blockchain technology is presented. Finally, this paper suggests important future research directions and trending topics in intrusion detection systems based on blockchain technology.     

Liquid–liquid equilibria of aqueous two-phase systems composed of TritonX-100 and sodium citrate or magnesium sulfate salts

Liquid–liquid phase diagrams of surfactant-based aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) composed of TritonX-100, as a non-ionic surfactant, and two different salts have been studied at 298.15 K. The salts used were an inorganic salt, magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄), and an organic salt, sodium citrate (Na₃C₆H₅O₇). The results show that the salt MgSO₄ is more capable of inducing ATPS formation than the salt Na₃C₆H₅O₇. The experimental liquid–liquid equilibrium data were correlated using a modified virial model. Good agreement was obtained with the experimental data.