A multi-criteria analysis for an internet of things application recommendation system

Various internet of things applications are available that cover every aspect of daily life and users can subscribe to numerous IoT applications. Selecting the most suitable IoT applications for individual users is a critical challenge. This study aims to solve this challenge by proposing recommendation system using a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach based on the analytical hierarchy process and simple additive weight methods. Based on the opinions and preferences of experts, the model and the hierarchy were designed to assess and compare three crucial criteria, namely smart objects, applications, and providers. The results show that applications criterion is more important for users than the other two criteria. In specific, privacy, reliability, and availability are crucial criteria for IoT applications.     

Early identification of technological advances on the basis of patent data

The publication of patent applications by the patent offices is the first information available about new technologies. But patent statistics are often distorted due to the exceedingly great number of domestic applications field in Japan and the delayed publication of patent applications filed in the USA. These distortions can be eliminated to a great extent if only those patent applications are considered for which external applications are also included. Patent indicators allow for a differentiated observation of technological advances before the actual emergence of an innovation. Recent developments in superconductivity provide an example.     

Characterization of genetic engineering inventions in patent claims

When genetic engineering patent applications from the period before 1982 are compared to applications filed from 1982 to 1985, some development and trends can be observed. Besides the rapid increase in the number of applications, some charges are obvious as to the frequency with which various objects occur in the applications. Microorganisms per se have become more attractive for patent applications, as have the methods to produce various substances (hormones, virus antigens etc.) The most significant decrease concerns methods to produce recombinant DNA and methods to produce ‘man-made’ microorganisms. This may be due to the fact that the methods of genetic engineering no longer provide particular opportunities for inventiveness. On the other hand attention has been drawn to the possibility of giving more weight to (social) usefulness in comparison to inventiveness in consideration of genetic engineering patent applications. It can also be concluded that the terminology used in the applications has developed towards more distinctness, and that the claimed coverage of protection has narrowed.     

Moderne Massenspektrometer in Vakuum‐Applikationen

Modern mass spectrometers in vacuum applications The article describes the functionality of quadrupole mass spectrometers and their usage in different applications. Several examples illustrate the importance of careful interpretation of the respective spectra. Some applications allow the direct installation into a vacuum chamber while other applications require an external pump system which is only weakly connected to the vacuum chamber.     

Applications of bio-inspired special wettable surfaces

In this review we focus on recent developments in applications of bio-inspired special wettable surfaces. We highlight surface materials that in recent years have shown to be the most promising in their respective fields for use in future applications. The selected topics are divided into three groups, applications of superhydrophobic surfaces, surfaces of patterned wettability and integrated multifunctional surfaces and devices. We will present how the bio-inspired wettability has been integrated into traditional materials or devices to improve their performances and to extend their practical applications by developing new functionalities.     

Some Applications of Functional Networks in Statistics and Engineering

Functional networks are a general framework useful for solving a wide range of problems in probability, statistics, and engineering applications. In this article, we demonstrate that functional networks can be used for many general purposes including (a) solving nonlinear regression problems without the rather strong assumption of a known functional form, (b) modeling chaotic time series data, (c) finding conjugate families of distribution functions needed for the applications of Bayesian statistical techniques, (d) analyzing the problem of stability with respect to maxima operations, which are useful in the theory and applications of extreme values, and (e) modeling the reproductivity and associativity laws that have many applications in applied probability. We also give two specific engineering applications—analyzing the Ikeda map with parameters leading to chaotic behavior and modeling beam stress subject to a given load. The main purpose of this article is to introduce functional networks and to show their power and usefulness in engineering and statistical applications. We describe the steps involved in working with functional networks including structural learning (specification and simplification of the initial topology), parametric learning, and model-selection procedures. The concepts and methodologies are illustrated using several examples of applications.     

Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles: From Sensors to Theranostics

Copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention from biomedical researchers across the globe, because of their intriguing properties which have been mainly explored for energy‐ and catalysis‐related applications to date. This focused review article aims to summarize the recent progress made in the synthesis and biomedical applications of various CuS nanoparticles. After a brief introduction to CuS nanoparticles in the first section, we will provide a concise outline of the various synthetic routes to obtain different morphologies of CuS nanoparticles, which can influence their properties and potential applications. CuS nanoparticles have found broad applications in vitro, especially in the detection of biomolecules, chemicals, and pathogens which will be illustrated in detail. The in vivo uses of CuS nanoparticles have also been investigated in preclinical studies, including molecular imaging with various techniques, cancer therapy based on the photothermal properties of CuS, as well as drug delivery and theranostic applications. Research on CuS nanoparticles will continue to thrive over the next decade, and tremendous opportunities lie ahead for potential biomedical/clinical applications of CuS nanoparticles.     

Controllable synthesis and biomedical applications of silver nanomaterials

Silver nanomaterials have lots of peculiar and exciting physical and chemical properties that are different from massive silver, so the synthesis and applications of silver nanomaterials have attracted a great deal of attention in the last decade. Currently, all kinds of silver nanomaterials having different shapes and sizes have been synthesized by many ingenious methods, and silver nanomaterials have exhibited extensive application prospects in many fields especially in biomedical aspect. In this article, the controllable synthesis of silver nanomaterials including nanorods, nanowires, nanotubes, nanoprisms, nanoplates, nanodisks, nanospheres, and nanopolyhedrons, etc. are reviewed. Silver nanomaterials are most utilized in the form of nanoparticles, so the main biomedical applications of silver nanoparticles, such as antibacterial and antiviral applications, antitumor applications, biosensors and biological labels, optical imaging and imaging intensifier, are discussed. Although antibacterial applications are still the most important aspects of silver nanomaterials at present, antitumor, optical sensors and imaging applications of silver nanomaterials have also shown good potential perspectives. More biomedical applications of silver nanomaterials still need to be exploited for the future, and the biological safety of silver nanomaterials also should be paid enough attention before their practical applications.     

Pulsatile Flow in Microfluidic Systems

This review describes the current knowledge and applications of pulsatile flow in microfluidic systems. Elements of fluid dynamics at low Reynolds number are first described in the context of pulsatile flow. Then the practical applications in microfluidic processes are presented: the methods to generate a pulsatile flow, the generation of emulsion droplets through harmonic flow rate perturbation, the applications in mixing and particle separation, and the benefits of pulsatile flow for clog mitigation. The second part of the review is devoted to pulsatile flow in biological applications. Pulsatile flows can be used for mimicking physiological systems, to alter or enhance cell cultures, and for bioassay automation. Pulsatile flows offer unique advantages over a steady flow, especially in microfluidic systems, but also require some new physical insights and more rigorous investigation to fully benefit future applications.     

An amorphous oxide semiconductor thin-film transistor route to oxide electronics

Amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) thin-film transistors (TFTs) invented only one decade ago are now being commercialized for active-matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) backplane applications. They also appear to be well positioned for other flat-panel display applications such as active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) applications, electrophoretic displays, and transparent displays. The objectives of this contribution are to overview AOS materials design; assess indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) TFTs for AMLCD and AMOLED applications; identify several technical topics meriting future scrutiny before they can be confidently relied upon as providing a solid scientific foundation for underpinning AOS TFT technology; and briefly speculate on the future of AOS TFTs for display and non-display applications.     

A review of advanced high performance, insensitive and thermally stable energetic materials emerging for military and space applications

Energetic materials used extensively both for civil and military applications. There are continuous research programmes worldwide to develop new materials with higher performance and enhanced insensitivity to thermal or shock insults than the existing ones in order to meet the requirements of future military and space applications. This review concentrates on recent advances in syntheses, potential formulations and space applications of potential compounds with respect to safety, performance and stability.     

Study of crystal defects using ion channelling and channelling radiation

The channelling technique to study crystal defects is described and its applications to various kind of defects to study their atomistic nature have been reviewed. Special emphasis has been placed on the applications to extended defects like dislocations. Finally a related new technique being developed for the last few years, namely the channelling radiation technique has been discussed along with its applications to study the dislocations.     

Patent analyses in the changed legal regime of the US Patent Law since 2001

In 2001, a new ruling for the publication of patent applications at the United States Patent and Trademark Office came into effect. Since then, all applications which are also filed with foreign offices have to be published 18 months after the application date, in analogy to the ruling in Europe and Japan. This new regime replaces the former system where only granted patents were published. With about 70% of all applications the share of pre-grant publications of applications of US origin is quite high, allowing new types of statistical analysis. In particular, the investigations of time series based on priority years instead of grant years can thus be performed much more topically. On the one hand, a larger dataset for applications of US origin is available; on the other hand, the sample of applications from Asian countries is generally much larger at the US Patent Office than at the European Patent Office. Despite these new opportunities, searches at low levels of aggregation by codes of the International Patent Classification still have to be handled with care.     

Cast magnesium alloys for elevated temperature applications

The alloy development, microstructure, properties and uses of cast magnesium alloys for elevated temperature applications are reviewed. The alloying principles and strengthening mechanisms of magnesium are discussed to identify the potential alloy systems for elevated temperature applications in automotive and aerospace industries. It is concluded that the Mg-Zr family of sand cast alloys exhibit adequate mechanical properties at both ambient and elevated temperatures for aerospace applications, and Ca-modified sand cast AS41 alloy might provide a cost-effective alternative for the Zr-containing alloys. For diecasting applications, no current alloy systems meets the requirements of good high temperature properties, acceptable castability and low cost for critical automotive components, future development is especially needed in this area. Development of dispersion strengthened magnesium alloys and improvement of current Mg-Al-RE and Mg-Al-Si systems are the potential routes to expand diecast magnesium alloys to elevated temperature applications.     

Compressor technologies for low temperature applications of R-22

Substitutes for the commonly used refrigerants CFC-12 and CFC-502 are not commercially available. HCFC-22 is not suitable for low temperature applications because of the high discharge temperature caused by high compression ratios. Staged compression and liquid injection are two approaches to prevent compressor overheating in HCFC-22 low temperature applications. This paper describes the above approaches and their efficiency as compared to conventional applications.     

Hesitant Fuzzy-Sets Based Decision-Making Model for Security Risk Assessment

Security is an important component in the process of developing healthcare web applications. We need to ensure security maintenance; therefore the analysis of healthcare web application's security risk is of utmost importance. Properties must be considered to minimise the security risk. Additionally, security risk management activities are revised, prepared, implemented, tracked, and regularly set up efficiently to design the security of healthcare web applications. Managing the security risk of a healthcare web application must be considered as the key component. Security is, in specific, seen as an add-on during the development process of healthcare web applications, but not as the key problem. Researchers must ensure that security is taken into account right from the earlier developmental stages of the healthcare web application. In this row, the authors of this study have used the hesitant fuzzy-based AHP-TOPSIS technique to estimate the risks of various healthcare web applications for improving security-durability. This approach would help to design and incorporate security features in healthcare web applications that would be able to battle threats on their own, and not depend solely on the external security of healthcare web applications. Furthermore, in terms of healthcare web application's security-durability, the security risk variable is measured, and vice versa. Hence, the findings of our study will also be useful in improving the durability of several web applications in healthcare.     

蒸发式冷凝器发展和应用

本文介绍了冷凝器型式特点及应用现状，比较了不同型式的冷凝器，着重阐述了蒸发式冷凝器的结构、原理及其优点，分析了蒸发式冷凝器的发展及应用现状，总结了蒸发式冷凝器使用中存在的问题并提出了解决问题的方法，展望了蒸发式冷凝器的发展方向和应用前景。     

The patent activities of Korea and Taiwan: a comparative case study of patent statistics

This paper examines the patent grant rate of Korea and Taiwan by using the country-level patent statistics of Korea, Taiwan and USA during the period of 1988–1998. The patent grant rate means the rate of US patent grants to the applications filed in USA during the investigated years. To measure the grant rate, a model was developed for the methodological procedure. In the framework of the model, the process of patent dynamics in these countries shows different patterns. The financial crisis of Korea in 1998–1999 influenced the number of domestic patent applications by Koreans, resulting in the rapid decrease. The US patent application rate by Koreans, however, was not affected, keeping the average rate of applications at 7.5% of the Korean applications during the investigated period. The rate of US patent grants by Koreans in the early 1990s dropped, which can be explained by the change of patent strategy of Samsung Elec. Co. Ltd.Taiwan, on the other hand, had filed 160% more US patent applications than its own domestic applications. The authors suggest that this is attributable to some US patent applications corresponding to Taiwanese domestic applications for utility models, and that this may be a factor in the lower rate of Taiwanese US patent grants (average 53.4%) than that of Koreans (average 66.3%). The rate of US patent grants by Taiwanese has constantly increased, while that for Koreans has fluctuated; the authors conjecture that this implies that Taiwanese patent management for the US patents has improved.     

Progress in 3D Printing of Carbon Materials for Energy‐Related Applications

The additive‐manufacturing (AM) technique, known as three‐dimensional (3D) printing, has attracted much attention in industry and academia in recent years. 3D printing has been developed for a variety of applications. Printable inks are the most important component for 3D printing, and are related to the materials, the printing method, and the structures of the final 3D‐printed products. Carbon materials, due to their good chemical stability and versatile nanostructure, have been widely used in 3D printing for different applications. Good inks are mainly based on volatile solutions having carbon materials as fillers such as graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotubes (CNT), carbon blacks, and solvent, as well as polymers and other additives. Studies of carbon materials in 3D printing, especially GO‐based materials, have been extensively reported for energy‐related applications. In these circumstances, understanding the very recent developments of 3D‐printed carbon materials and their extended applications to address energy‐related challenges and bring new concepts for material designs are becoming urgent and important. Here, recent developments in 3D printing of emerging devices for energy‐related applications are reviewed, including energy‐storage applications, electronic circuits, and thermal‐energy applications at high temperature. To close, a conclusion and outlook are provided, pointing out future designs and developments of 3D‐printing technology based on carbon materials for energy‐related applications and beyond.     

Personal dose monitoring in hospitals: global assessment, critical applications and future needs

It is known that medical applications using ionising radiation are wide spread and still increasing. Physicians, technicians, nurses and others constitute the largest group of workers occupationally exposed to man-made sources of radiation. Many hospital workers are consequently subjected to routine monitoring of professional radiation exposures. in the university hospital, UZ Brussel, 600 out of 4000 staff members are daily monitored for external radiation exposures. The most obvious applications of ionising radiation are diagnostic radiology, diagnostic or therapeutic use of radionuclides in nuclear medicine and external radiation therapy or brachytherapy in radiotherapy departments. Other important applications also include various procedures in interventional radiology (IR), in vitro biomedical research and radiopharmaceutical production around cyclotrons. Besides the fact that many of the staff members, involved in these applications, are not measurably exposed, detailed studies were carried out at workplaces where routine dose monitoring encounters difficulties and for some applications where relatively high occupational exposures can be found. most of the studies are concentrated around nuclear medicine applications and IR. They contain assessments of both effective dose and doses at different parts of the body. The results contribute to better characterisation of the different workplaces in a way that critical applications can be identified. Moreover, conclusions point out future needs for practical routine dose monitoring and optimisation of radiation protection.