Measuring the impact of adversarial errors on packet scheduling strategies

In this paper, we explore the problem of achieving efficient packet transmission over unreliable links with worst-case occurrence of errors. In such a setup, even an omniscient offline scheduling strategy cannot achieve stability of the packet queue, nor is it able to use up all the available bandwidth. Hence, an important first step is to identify an appropriate metric to measure the efficiency of scheduling strategies in such a setting. To this end, we propose an asymptotic throughput metric which corresponds to the long-term competitive ratio of the algorithm with respect to the optimal. We then explore the impact of the error detection mechanism and feedback delay on our measure. We compare instantaneous with deferred error feedback, which requires a faulty packet to be fully received in order to detect the error. We propose algorithms for worst-case adversarial and stochastic packet arrival models, and formally analyze their performance. The asymptotic throughput achieved by these algorithms is shown to be close to optimal by deriving lower bounds on the metric and almost matching upper bounds for any algorithm in the considered settings. Our collection of results demonstrate the potential of using instantaneous feedback to improve the performance of communication systems in adverse environments.     

New Bounds and Extended Relations Between Prefix Arrays,Border Arrays,Undirected Graphs,and Indeterminate Strings

Theory of Computing Systems - We extend earlier works on the relation of prefix arrays of indeterminate strings to undirected graphs and border arrays. If integer array y is the prefix array for...     

Mobile Robot Trajectory Planning Under Kinematic and Dynamic Constraints for Partial and Full Field Coverage

The constantly rising food demand of a steadily increasing world population requires improvement in efficiency, competitiveness, and productivity of current meat and dairy production systems. Thus, robotics‐based approaches have an important role to play, especially in dairy cattle farming, because the intensive grazing systems depend on numerous time‐consuming and tedious operations required to be carried out to assure an optimal cattle feeding as well as utilization of forage resources. These operations range from data acquisition considering the amount and quality of available forage within the paddocks, to carrying out maintenance operations in order to safeguard high yield with required quality and availability of the forage throughout the whole grazing season. This issue is addressed within the ICT‐AGRI project i‐LEED, in which one of the main tasks is to build accurate and feasible trajectories for a scouting and a maintenance robot to fully or partially cover the paddocks, as well as to reach only targeted spots previously located. This paper presents an original and fully operational method for trajectory planning by designing segments of clothoids while taking into account additional dynamic constraints, such as the steering rate capacity of the robot, its speed, and the maximally allowed transverse acceleration. In case of specific points to reach within a paddock, this approach is completed by morphological operations to first define regions and next rank them w.r.t. the minimal length of travel by solving the traveling salesman problem. Based on the kinematic and dynamic properties of the scouting and maintenance robots devoted to the i‐LEED project, the performances of the proposed planning approaches are presented.     

Sonication‐Assisted Synthesis of Gallium Oxide Suspensions Featuring Trap State Absorption: Test of Photochemistry

Gallium is a near room temperature liquid metal with extraordinary properties that partly originate from the self‐limiting oxide layer formed on its surface. Taking advantage of the surface gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃), this work introduces a novel technique to synthesize gallium oxide nanoflakes at high yield by harvesting the self‐limiting native surface oxide of gallium. The synthesis process follows a facile two‐step method comprising liquid gallium metal sonication in DI water and subsequent annealing. In order to explore the functionalities of the product, the obtained hexagonal α‐Ga₂O₃ nanoflakes are used as a photocatalytic material to decompose organic model dyes. Excellent photocatalytic activity is observed under solar light irradiation. To elucidate the origin of these enhanced catalytic properties, the electronic band structure of the synthesized α‐Ga₂O₃ is carefully assessed. Consequently, this excellent photocatalytic performance is associated with an energy bandgap reduction, due to the presence of trap states, which are located at ≈1.65 eV under the conduction band minimum. This work presents a novel route for synthesizing oxide nanostructures that can be extended to other low melting temperature metals and their alloys, with great prospects for scaling up and high yield synthesis.     

The Effects of Crystallinity on Charge Transport and the Structure of Sequentially Processed F4TCNQ‐Doped Conjugated Polymer Films

The properties of molecularly doped films of conjugated polymers are explored as the crystallinity of the polymer is systematically varied. Solution sequential processing (SqP) was used to introduce 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (F₄TCNQ) into poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3HT) while preserving the pristine polymer's degree of crystallinity. X‐ray data suggest that F₄TCNQ anions reside primarily in the amorphous regions of the film as well as in the P3HT lamellae between the side chains, but do not π‐stack within the polymer crystallites. Optical spectroscopy shows that the polaron absorption redshifts with increasing polymer crystallinity and increases in cross section. Theoretical modeling suggests that the polaron spectrum is inhomogeneously broadened by the presence of the anions, which reside on average 6–8 Å from the polymer backbone. Electrical measurements show that the conductivity of P3HT films doped by F₄TCNQ via SqP can be improved by increasing the polymer crystallinity. AC magnetic field Hall measurements show that the increased conductivity results from improved mobility of the carriers with increasing crystallinity, reaching over 0.1 cm² V^?1 s^?1 in the most crystalline P3HT samples. Temperature‐dependent conductivity measurements show that polaron mobility in SqP‐doped P3HT is still dominated by hopping transport, but that more crystalline samples are on the edge of a transition to diffusive transport at room temperature.     

Graphene Oxide‐Based Lamella Network for Enhanced Sound Absorption

Noise is an environmental pollutant with recognized impacts on the psychological and physiological health of humans. Many porous materials are often limited by low sound absorption over a broad frequency range, delicacy, excessive weight and thickness, poor moisture insulation, high temperature instability, and lack of readiness for high volume commercialization. Herein, an efficient and robust lamella‐structure is reported as an acoustic absorber based on self‐assembled interconnected graphene oxide (GO) sheets supported by a grill‐shaped melamine skeleton. The fabricated lamella structure exhibits ≈60.3% enhancement over a broad absorption band between 128 and 4000 Hz (≈100% at lower frequencies) compared to the melamine foam. The enhanced acoustic absorption is identified to be structure dependent regardless of the density. The sound dissipation in the open‐celled structure is due to the viscous and thermal losses, whereas it is predominantly tortuosity in wave propagation and enhanced surface area for the GO‐based lamella. In addition to the enhanced acoustic absorption and mechanical robustness, the lamella provides superior structural functionality over many conventional sound absorbers including, moisture/mist insulation and fire retardancy. The fabrication of this new sound absorber is inexpensive, scalable and can be adapted for extensive applications in commercial, residential, and industrial building structures.     

Empirical Investigation of Electricity Self-Generation in a Lubricated Sliding–Rolling Contact

The paper reports the empirical observations of voltage generation in a lubricated tribocontact with different oils altering load, sliding and temperature. The investigation is done in the context of research of the root cause of white etching cracks (WEC) failure in bearings. Tested oils of different additive packages found completely different electrical behavior. The oil, which is known to produce WECs in laboratory tests, demonstrated non-zero voltage generation.     

Ultrasound-assisted convective drying of apples at different process conditions

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article was to study the influence of drying parameters like air temperature and velocity on the effectiveness of convective (CV) and ultrasound-assisted convective drying. The apple samples were used as the testing material by drying at air temperatures of 313 and 323?K and three different air velocities: 2, 3, and 4?m/s. The drying kinetics, the quality of dried products, and the energy consumption in each drying process were analyzed. The model of drying elaborated by authors was performed to estimate numerically the effect of ultrasound enhancement of convective drying. It was found that application of ultrasound significantly accelerates the CV drying, mainly due to “vibration effect,” and the values of drying parameters like air temperature and velocity affect the drying effectiveness in a different way.     

Metabolomic effects of CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CuO metal oxide nanomaterials on HepG2 cells

Background

To better assess potential hepatotoxicity of nanomaterials, human liver HepG2 cells were exposed for 3 days to five different CeO₂ (either 30 or 100 μg/ml), 3 SiO₂ based (30 μg/ml) or 1 CuO (3 μg/ml) nanomaterials with dry primary particle sizes ranging from 15 to 213 nm. Metabolomic assessment of exposed cells was then performed using four mass spectroscopy dependent platforms (LC and GC), finding 344 biochemicals.

Results

Four CeO₂, 1 SiO₂ and 1 CuO nanomaterials increased hepatocyte concentrations of many lipids, particularly free fatty acids and monoacylglycerols but only CuO elevated lysolipids and sphingolipids. In respect to structure-activity, we now know that five out of six tested CeO₂, and both SiO₂ and CuO, but zero out of four TiO₂ nanomaterials have caused this elevated lipids effect in HepG2 cells. Observed decreases in UDP-glucuronate (by CeO₂) and S-adenosylmethionine (by CeO₂ and CuO) and increased S-adenosylhomocysteine (by CuO and some CeO₂) suggest that a nanomaterial exposure increases transmethylation reactions and depletes hepatic methylation and glucuronidation capacity. Our metabolomics data suggests increased free radical attack on nucleotides. There was a clear pattern of nanomaterial-induced decreased nucleotide concentrations coupled with increased concentrations of nucleic acid degradation products. Purine and pyrimidine alterations included concentration increases for hypoxanthine, xanthine, allantoin, urate, inosine, adenosine 3′,5′-diphosphate, cytidine and thymidine while decreases were seen for uridine 5′-diphosphate, UDP-glucuronate, uridine 5′-monophosphate, adenosine 5′-diphosphate, adenosine 5′-monophophate, cytidine 5′-monophosphate and cytidine 3′-monophosphate. Observed depletions of both 6-phosphogluconate, NADPH and NADH (all by CeO₂) suggest that the HepG2 cells may be deficient in reducing equivalents and thus in a state of oxidative stress.

Conclusions

Metal oxide nanomaterial exposure may compromise the methylation, glucuronidation and reduced glutathione conjugation systems; thus Phase II conjugational capacity of hepatocytes may be decreased. This metabolomics study of the effects of nine different nanomaterials has not only confirmed some observations of the prior 2014 study (lipid elevations caused by one CeO₂ nanomaterial) but also found some entirely new effects (both SiO₂ and CuO nanomaterials also increased the concentrations of several lipid classes, nanomaterial induced decreases in S-adenosylmethionine, UDP-glucuronate, dipeptides, 6-phosphogluconate, NADPH and NADH).

     

Ion-bombardment modification of the surface morphology of solids

One of the aspects of ion-bombardment modification of the surface morphology of solids (IBMSM) is surface roughness alteration. The influence of ion-beam sputtering on changes in the surface morphology is presented and discussed. Theoretical concepts (a simple theory), together with experimental verification including narrow- and broad-beam sputtering-induced modification of surface roughness of various materials, such as metals (aluminium, titanium), alloys (stainless steel 1H18N9T and SS316LC) and alumina ceramic (99.5% Al₂O₃), are the main area of interest here. These rather unexplored problems are very important from theoretical and practical points of view because there are many technologies and experimental techniques in which they are, or may be, used.