Timeout Period Analysis to Detect Black Hole Attack in Multihop Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

A novel approach is proposed to estimate the timeout period used in wireless ad hoc networks in order to detect misbehaving nodes that make black hole attacks. Timeout period is an acceptable time frame for a node to forward a packet and is used to judge if the node is behaving properly. To avoid misjudgment and false alarms, the accuracy of the estimate of the timeout period is very important. Our method is based on the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol and Dynamic Source Routing protocol. The main contribution of this paper is proposing a queuing analysis to calculate the mean and maximum delay per hop implementing the 95-percentile of medium access waiting time. In addition, a new technique is introduced that can be applied to determine the mean number of hops in flooding-based ad hoc networks, taking into account edge effects. For each proposed model, analytical results are compared with results obtained from simulations and the validity of the models is confirmed by observing the close relationship between the results.     

Application of shifted Jacobi pseudospectral method for solving (in)finite-horizon min–max optimal control problems with uncertainty

The difficulty of solving the min–max optimal control problems (M-MOCPs) with uncertainty using generalised Euler–Lagrange equations is caused by the combination of split boundary conditions, nonlinear differential equations and the manner in which the final time is treated. In this investigation, the shifted Jacobi pseudospectral method (SJPM) as a numerical technique for solving two-point boundary value problems (TPBVPs) in M-MOCPs for several boundary states is proposed. At first, a novel framework of approximate solutions which satisfied the split boundary conditions automatically for various boundary states is presented. Then, by applying the generalised Euler–Lagrange equations and expanding the required approximate solutions as elements of shifted Jacobi polynomials, finding a solution of TPBVPs in nonlinear M-MOCPs with uncertainty is reduced to the solution of a system of algebraic equations. Moreover, the Jacobi polynomials are particularly useful for boundary value problems in unbounded domain, which allow us to solve infinite- as well as finite and free final time problems by domain truncation method. Some numerical examples are given to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. A comparative study between the proposed method and other existing methods shows that the SJPM is simple and accurate.     

Effect of lateral diffusion on the percutaneous absorption of micro-particles

The rate of percutaneous absorption of micro-particles is very important due to its effects on human health. In this study, a new approach is proposed to investigate both the lateral and the longitudinal diffusions during the absorption of a micro-particle. The results of the current 2D model are compared with the results of a previous 1D model. According to the results, the influence of lateral diffusion on the rate of percutaneous absorption is important, especially for the lipohilic materials. On the other words, the difference between the results of the two models is more significant, at lower values of the ratio of viable-epidermis-diffusivity to the stratum-corneum-diffusivity (D_VE/D_SC), or at lower values of the viable epidermis to the stratum corneum partition-coefficient (k_VE/k_SC). For instance, when D_VE/D_SC equals to 1 and k_VE/k_SC is 0.33, for a particle with a radius of 10?µm, the steady-state-molar-flux estimated by the 2D model is 2.37 times greater than that estimated by the 1D model. Hence, the lateral diffusion should be taken into account in the percutaneous absorption of micro-particles.     

Nanoethosomal formulation of gammaoryzanol for skin-aging protection and wrinkle improvement: a histopathological study

Background: Free radical scavengers and antioxidants, with the main focus on enhanced targeting to the skin layers, can provide protection against skin ageing.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to prepare nanoethosomal formulation of gammaoryzanol (GO), a water insoluble antioxidant, for its dermal delivery to prevent skin aging.

Methods: Nanoethosomal formulation was prepared by a modified ethanol injection method and characterized by using laser light scattering, scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The effects of formulation parameters on nanoparticle size, encapsulation efficiency percent (EE%) and loading capacity percent (LC%) were investigated. Antioxidant activity of GO-loaded formulation was investigated in vitro using normal African green monkey kidney fibroblast cells (Vero). The effect of control and GO-loaded nanoethosomal formulation on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content of rat skin was also probed. Furthermore, the effect of GO-loaded nanoethosomes on skin wrinkle improvement was studied by dermoscopic and histological examination on healthy humans and UV-irradiated rats, respectively.

Results: The optimized nanoethosomal formulation showed promising characteristics including narrow size distribution 0.17?±?0.02, mean diameter of 98.9?±?0.05?nm, EE% of 97.12?±?3.62%, LC% of 13.87?±?1.36% and zeta potential value of –15.1?±?0.9?mV. The XRD results confirmed uniform drug dispersion in the nanoethosomes structure. In vitro and in vivo antioxidant studies confirmed the superior antioxidant effect of GO-loaded nanoethosomal formulation compared with control groups (blank nanoethosomes and GO suspension).

Conclusions: Nanoethosomes was a promising carrier for dermal delivery of GO and consequently had superior anti-aging effect.     

Presenting a hybrid model in social networks recommendation system architecture development

There are many studies conducted on recommendation systems, most of which are focused on recommending items to users and vice versa. Nowadays, social networks are complicated due to carrying vast arrays of data about individuals and organizations. In today’s competitive environment, companies face two significant problems: supplying resources and attracting new customers. Even the concept of supply-chain management in a virtual environment is changed. In this article, we propose a new and innovative combination approach to recommend organizational people in social networks based on organizational communication and SCM. The proposed approach uses a hybrid strategy that combines basic collaborative filtering and demographic recommendation systems, using data mining, artificial neural networks, and fuzzy techniques. The results of experiments and evaluations based on a real dataset collected from the LinkedIn social network showed that the hybrid recommendation system has higher accuracy and speed than other essential methods, even substantially has eliminated the fundamental problems with such systems, such as cold start, scalability, diversity, and serendipity.

     

Coupled Quantity-Quality Simulation-Optimization Model for Conjunctive Surface-Groundwater Use

Many water resources optimization problems involve conflicting objectives which the main goal is to find a set of optimal solutions on, or near to, Pareto front. In this study a multi-objective water allocation model was developed for optimization of conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources to achieve sustainable supply of agricultural water. Here, the water resource allocation model is based on simulation-optimization (SO) modeling approach. Two surrogate models, namely an Artificial Neural Network model for groundwater level simulation and a Genetic Programming model for TDS concentration prediction were coupled with NSGA-II. The objective functions involved: 1) minimizing water shortage relative to the water demand, 2) minimizing the drawdown of groundwater level, and 3) minimizing the groundwater quality changes. According to the MSE and R² criteria, the results showed that the surrogate models for prediction of groundwater level and TDS concentration performed favorably in comparison to the measured values at the number of observation wells. In Najaf Abad plain case study, the average drawdown was limited to 0.18 m and the average TDS concentration also decreased from 1257 mg/lit to 1229 mg/lit under optimal conditions.     

The cyclization index and toughness of gel spun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) proportionality with its heat of stabilization

The spun tapes of synthesized PAN, its copolymer with 1 wt% itaconic acid, and doped version with 1 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) all showed stripy, even, and compact cross-sections as the hallmark of gel forming products. PAN doping with SDS and acrylonitrile copolymerization with itaconic acid reduced its dimethylformamide (DMF) solution structural viscosity index (Δη) by 50% and 30%, respectively, at 675 s^??1. In addition, the modification of synthesized PAN through doping and acrylonitrile copolymerization with itaconic acid led to severe and mild gelation temperature decrease, respectively. The stabilization peak of the synthesized PAN tape was enhanced as much as 25 °C by 900% hot drawing, decreased by about 10 °C through copolymerization, while experienced small temperature changes through doping. The second derivative of Fourier transform infrared and Gaussian fitting was used to analyze the tapes cyclization due to stabilization treatment through introducing I_sd index. 10 min I_sd index was raised as much as 430% and 800% in comparison with the synthesized PAN through its doping or acrylonitrile copolymerization with itaconic acid, respectively. Further 180 min of I_sd index, however, showed the same proportional increase as toughness of the drawn tapes versus their heat of stabilization through their physical and chemical modifications.     

The rheological,mechanical and templating effects of graphene oxide nanosheets in filled gel spun polyacrylonitrile

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in dimethylformamide solution containing 0.25 or 1 wt% graphene oxide (GO) was gel spun to tapes. Scanning electron microscopy of tapes showed compact staircase cross-sections hallmarking the gel spun products. Low shear rate rheometry of the tape precursors revealed a viscosity increase, while the structural viscosity indexes of dispersions dropped to 40 and 70% at high shear rates by 0.25 and 1 wt% GO inclusion, respectively. Furthermore, the sol–gel transition temperature of PAN solution was enhanced by about 2.5 and 10 °C with 0.25 and 1 wt% GO inclusion, respectively. Strain sweep test implied a gel-to-sol transition from 9 to 28% by 1 wt% GO inclusion. The experimental reinforcement coefficient corresponded the aligned Halpin–Tsai model confirming the suitable dispersion preparation route namely master batch dilution implementing strong interphase formation among the PAN chains and GO platelets. Molecular evolution analysis during air stabilization through a combined second derivative of FTIR spectra, Gaussian peak fitting represented by I_sd index, indicated the initial cyclization at 290 °C followed by its enhanced rate. Final I_sd was noticed to be 48% higher for the tapes containing GO nanosheets. GO inclusion not only enhanced the tape heat of stabilizations but also differentiated its proportional I_sd and toughness dependency based on the heat of stabilization.     

SDN-based wireless user management system

The degradation of end-to-end quality of service (QoS) on mobile users is becoming a common issue for IEEE 802.11 infrastructure-based networks in crowded areas. This research tackles the issue by employing an SDN framework on an integrated wireless/wired environment. Thereby, we present the development and implementation of a system that performs user management by analyzing the network load from the OpenFlow statistics, as well as the wireless information collected from the associated users. In order to analyse the behaviour of the proposed user migration algorithm, we evaluate the system under scenarios with different traffic load and user session duration. From the experiments, we observed that in several cases wireless users get a considerable QoS improvement at the application layer (up to 30% improvement in throughput and up to 20% in delay in our simulations) once the system is activated. Based on the results, we present an analysis on how and when user migration in multi-access point IEEE 802.11 networks can be most effective.     

Modeling Effects of Mass Transfer Rate and Catalyst Concentration on Biodiesel Production in Batch Reactors

This article presents a new approach to investigate the kinetics of sunflower and rapeseed oils methanolysis. Due to its heterogeneous nature, the methanolysis reaction is affected by different physical properties such as mass transfer coefficients and specific surface area of the dispersed phase. Considering these parameters, a model was developed, and was evaluated by comparing the results of the model with the experimental data found in the literature. The mean absolute deviation obtained for sunflower and rapeseed oils is 0.039 mol L^?1, which demonstrates the accuracy of the model. The results show that the mixing speed is more effective in the first few minutes of the process. Furthermore, at mixing speed above 700 rpm, the process is controlled only by the reactions. The rate of biodiesel production increases with increasing catalyst concentration; however, catalyst concentration above 1.5 wt% has little or no significant effect on the rate of biodiesel production. In addition, because of its higher activation energy the rapeseed oil transesterification is more temperature dependent than the sunflower transesterification.