SENFIS: a Sensor Node File System for increasing the scalability and reliability of Wireless Sensor Networks applications

In the last years the Wireless Sensor Networks’ (WSN) technology has been increasingly employed in various application domains. The extensive use of WSN posed new challenges in terms of both scalability and reliability. This paper proposes Sensor Node File System (SENFIS), a novel file system for sensor nodes, which addresses both scalability and reliability concerns. SENFIS can be mainly used in two broad scenarios. First, it can transparently be employed as a permanent storage for distributed TinyDB queries, in order to increase the reliability and scalability. Second, it can be directly used by a WSN application for permanent storage of data on the WSN nodes. The experimental section shows that SENFIS implementation makes an efficient use of resources in terms of energy consumption, memory footprint, flash wear levelling, while achieving execution times similarly with existing WSN file systems.     

Sensitivity of SAR data to post-fire forest regrowth in Mediterranean and boreal forests

Disturbed forests may need decades to reach a mature stage and optically-based vegetation indices are usually poorly suited for monitoring purposes due to the rapid saturation of the signal with increasing canopy cover. Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data provide an alternate monitoring approach since the backscattered microwave energy is sensitive to the vegetation structure. Images from two regions in Spain and Alaska were used to analyze SAR metrics (cross-polarized backscatter and co-polarized interferometric coherence) from regrowing forests previously affected by fire. TerraSAR-X X-band backscatter showed the lowest sensitivity to forest regrowth, with the average backscatter increasing by 1-2 dB between the most recent fire scar and the unburned forest. Increased sensitivity (around 3-4 dB) was observed for C-band Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture (ASAR) backscatter. The Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array-type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) L-band backscatter presented the highest dynamic range from unburned to recently burned forests (approximately 8 dB). The interferometric coherence showed low sensitivity to forest regrowth at all SAR frequencies. For Mediterranean forests, five phases of forest regrowth were discerned whereas for boreal forest, up to four different regrowth phases could be discerned with L-band SAR data. In comparison, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) provided reliable differentiation only for the most recent development stages. The results obtained were consistent in both environments.     

Analysis of Nodular Cast Iron Microstructures for Micromechanical Model Development

Abstract:  One of the main factors in determining the different grades of ductile iron is the matrix structure. In the as-cast condition, the matrix will consist of varying proportions of pearlite and ferrite, and as the amount of pearlite increases, the strength and hardness of the iron also increase. Three different nodular cast irons are here considered and their microstructure characterised in detail using metallographic methods. Then micromechanics models based on the unit cell approach and the finite element method are introduced to describe the actual constitutive response of the materials and the predicted behaviours are compared with experiments.     

From toys to brain: Virtual reality applications in neuroscience

While many virtual reality (VR) applications have emerged in the areas of entertainment, education, military training, physical rehabilitation, and medicine, only recently have some research projects begun to test the possibility of using virtual environments (VEs) for research in neuroscience, neurosurgery and for the study and rehabilitation of human cognitive and functional activities. Virtual reality technology could have a strong impact on neuroscience. The key characteristic of VEs is the high level of control of the interaction with the tool without the constraints usually found in computer systems. VEs are highly flexible and programmable. They enable the therapist to present a wide variety of controlled stimuli and to measure and monitor a wide variety of responses made by the user. However, at this stage, a number of obstacles exist which have impeded the development of active research. These obstacles include problems with acquiring funding for an almost untested new treatment modality, the lack of reference standards, the non-interoperability of the VR systems and, last but not least, the relative lack of familiarity with the technology on the part of researchers in these fields.     

Photophysics of polyaniline: Sequence-length distribution dependence of photoluminescence quenching as studied by fluorescence measurements and Monte Carlo simulations

The dependence of the fluorescence quenching of electropolymerized poly(aniline-co-m-chloroaniline) with polymer composition has been investigated. Fluorescence emission in polyaniline is quenched when the polymer is oxidized (brought to emeraldine state); the copolymers exhibit decreasing quenching as chloroaniline contents increases. Quenching shows a strong decrease in the presence of 0.1% m-chloroaniline monomers in the feed. The presence of dichloroaniline units in the copolymer was confirmed by XPS measurements and a terpolymerization reaction scheme was developed, obtaining the kinetic parameters. By Monte Carlo simulation the sequence length distributions for different compositions were obtained and compared; it was found that quenching, for low aniline contents, requires aniline sequences of at least three units. The strong decrease in quenching at low m-chloroaniline contents is attributed to a double effect: breaking of conjugation in the emeraldine form by the presence of the chlorinated unit, and a disruption of the close chain packing in the crystalline domains, preventing state delocalization and thus efficient quenching.     

Assessment of the bioavailability of toxic and non-toxic arsenic species in seafood samples

Bioavailability of total arsenic, toxic (arsenite, As(III); and arsenate, As(V)), and non-toxic (monomethylarsonic acid, MA; dimethylarsonic acid, DMA; arsenobetaine, AB; and arsenocholine, AC) arsenic species has been assessed in different raw seafood samples (white fish, cold water fish and molluscs) by using an in vitro model that combines simulated gastric and intestinal digestion/dialysis methods. Correlations between arsenic species bioavailability and seafood nutrient contents (fat and protein) have also been established. Total arsenic content in seafood samples, and dialyzable and non-dialyzable fractions, were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) after a microwave-assisted acid digestion treatment. The determination of the different arsenic species concentrations in the samples (after an optimised matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) approach) and in the dialyzable fraction was done by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to ICP-MS as a selective detector. Accuracy of the procedure (total arsenic determination) was assessed by analyzing DORM-2 and BCR-627 certified reference materials. The accuracy of the in vitro procedure was established through a mass-balance study. After statistical evaluation (95% confidence interval), good accuracy of the whole in vitro process, for total arsenic and for arsenic speciation, was observed. High dialyzability percentages for total arsenic and for arsenic species were found (i.e. from 84.6 ± 1.7% to 106 ± 2.6%). Bioavailability of arsenic exhibits a negative correlation with the fat content of the seafood. However, no correlation was observed between the bioavailable fraction of total arsenic and arsenic species and the protein content of the seafood studied.     

Remote sensing of wetlands in South America: status and challenges

South America has a large proportion of wetlands compared with other continents. While most of these wetlands were conserved in a relatively good condition until a few decades ago, pressures brought about by land use and climate change have threaten their integrity in recent years. The aim of this article is to provide a bibliometric analysis of the available scientific literature relating to the remote sensing of wetlands in South America. From 1960 to 2015, 153 articles were published in 63 different journals, with the number of articles published per year increasing progressively since 1990. This rise is also paralleled by an increase in the contribution of local authors. The most intensively studied regions are the wetland macrosystems of South American mega-rivers: the Amazon and Paraná Rivers, along with the Pantanal at the headwaters of Paraguay River. Few studies spanned more than two countries. The most frequent objectives were mapping, covering all types of wetlands with optical data, and hydrology, focusing on floodplain wetlands with microwave data as the preferred data source. The last decade substantial growth reflects an increase in technological and scientific capacities. Nevertheless, the state of the art regarding the remote sensing of wetlands in South America remains enigmatic. Fundamental questions and guidelines which may contribute to the understanding of the functioning of these ecosystems are yet to be fully defined and there is considerable dispersion in the use of data and remote-sensing approaches.