Augmenting network lifetime for heterogenous WSN assisted IoT using mobile agent

Wireless Networks - Wireless sensor networks are network of the large number of sensors having lesser batteries. Such networks and clustering of the nodes for energy efficiency go hand in hand....     

Synthesis of cyclic carbonate from vinyl cyclohexene oxide and CO2 using ionic liquids as catalysts

Synthesis of cyclic carbonate from 4-vinyl-1-cyclohexene-1,2-epoxide (VCHO) and carbon dioxide was investigated without using any solvent in the presence of ionic liquid as a catalyst. Ionic liquids based on 1-alkylmethylimidazolium salts of different alkyl groups (ethyl, butyl, hexyl, octyl) and different anions (Cl⁻, BF₄⁻, PF₆⁻) were used as catalysts. The conversion of VCHO was affected by the structure of the imidazolium salt ionic liquids; the ones with the cations of bulkier alkyl chain length and with more nucleophilic anion showed better reactivity. Reaction temperature, carbon dioxide pressure, and zinc halide cocatalyst enhanced the addition of CO₂ to VCHO. Semi-batch operation with continuous supply of carbon dioxide showed higher VCHO conversion than batch operation did.     

Synthesis and characterisation of functional manganese doped ZnS quantum dots for bio-imaging application

Fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) are potential candidates for bio-imaging but major problems in using them for bio-imaging applications are either bandgap lying in UV region or the cytotoxicity of the visible light-excited cadmium-based QDs. Keeping these things in mind, glutathione (GLT) functionalised Mn-doped ZnS QDs has been studied to make a desired fluorescent system for bioimaging application. XRD measurements show that grain size decreases at higher concentration of GLT capping on Mn-doped quantum dots. UV–visible studies show that the band gap shows a blue shift at higher GLT concentration. FTIR studies confirm GLT functionalisation on the surface of ZnS QDs. Both UV excited and IR excited photoluminescence spectrum of samples exhibited a tunable orange emission intensity with increase in GLT concentration however multiphoton infrared excited spectra was used to show the feasibility of GLT functionalised ZnS:Mn quantum dots for a real application in a biological window of 650–950?nm.     

Applications of quantum inspired computational intelligence: a survey

This paper makes an exhaustive survey of various applications of Quantum inspired computational intelligence (QCI) techniques proposed till date. Definition, categorization and motivation for QCI techniques are stated clearly. Major Drawbacks and challenges are discussed. The significance of this work is that it presents an overview on applications of QCI in solving various problems in engineering, which will be very much useful for researchers on Quantum computing in exploring this upcoming and young discipline.     

On exact computational analysis of distributions of numbers in systems for M/G/1/N + 1 and GI/M/1/N + 1 queues using roots

In this paper, we obtain the distribution of number in system and other measures of efficiency for the M/G/1/N + 1 queuing system in terms of the roots of the associated characteristic equation (CE). Results for the GI/M/1/N + 1 queuing system have also been obtained from those of M/G/1/N + 1. Numerical results in the form of tables and graphs have been presented for a variety of service-(interarrival-) time distributions, e.g. Erlang (E_k), generalized Erlang (GE_k) and hyperexponential (HE_k).     

Design of frequency response masking FIR filter in the Canonic Signed Digit space using modified Artificial Bee Colony algorithm

Frequency response masking (FRM) technique along with the Canonic Signed Digit (CSD) representation is a good alternative for the design of a computationally efficient, sharp transition width, high speed finite impulse response (FIR) filter. This paper proposes two novel approaches for the joint optimization of an FRM FIR digital filter in the CSD space. The first approach uses the recently emerged Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm and the second approach uses the Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm. In this paper, both the algorithms are modified in such a way that, they are suitable for the solution of the optimization problem posed, in which the search space consists of integers and the objective function is nonlinear. The optimization variables are encoded such that they permit the reduction in computational cost. The salient feature of the above approaches is the reduced computational complexity while obtaining good performance. Simulation results show that the ABC based design technique performs better than that using DE, which in turn outperforms the one using integer coded genetic algorithm (GA). The proposed optimization approaches can be extended to the solution of integer programming problems in other engineering disciplines also.     

Development and in vitro evaluation of alginate gel-encapsulated, chitosan-coated ceramic nanocores for oral delivery of enzyme

The successful administration of protein and peptide drugs by oral route maintaining their active conformation remains a key challenge in the field of pharmaceutical technology. In the present study, we propose the use of a nanosize ceramic core-based system for effective oral delivery of acid-labile model enzyme, serratiopeptidase (STP). Ceramic core was prepared by colloidal precipitation and sonication of disodium hydrogen phosphate solution and calcium chloride solution at room temperature. The core was coated with chitosan under constant stirring and Fourier-Transform Infra Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed phosphoric groups of calcium phosphate linked with ammonium groups of chitosan in the nanoparticles; then the enzyme was adsorbed over the preformed nanocore. Protein-loaded nanocore was further encapsulated into alginate gel for enzyme protection. Prepared system was characterized for size, shape, loading efficiency, and in vitro release profile (pH 1.2 and pH 7.4). The effect of processing variables on the size of the core was evaluated to form small, uniform, and discrete nanocores. Stability and integrity of enzyme during processing steps was assessed by in vitro proteolytic activity. The prepared system was examined to be spherical in shape with diameter 925 ± 6.81 nm using TEM. The in vitro release data followed the Higuchi model, showing a low amount (26% ± 2.4%) of diffusion-controlled drug release (R² = 0.9429) in acidic buffer up to a period of 2 to 6 hours, signifying the integrity of alginate gel in acid. In the alkaline medium sustained and nearly complete first order release of protein was observed up to a 6 hours. It is inferred that the protein-loaded ceramic core acts as a reservoir of the adsorbed enzyme and alginate gel provides protection to STP for controlled release in intestinal pH when compared to the enzyme solution.     

Co3O4–CeO2 mixed oxide-based catalytic materials for diesel soot oxidation

Co₃O₄–CeO₂ type mixed oxide catalyst compositions have been prepared by using co-precipitation method and, their catalytic activity towards diesel particulate matter (PM)/carbon oxidation has been evaluated under both loose and tight contact conditions. These catalysts show excellent catalytic activity for PM/carbon oxidation, despite their low surface area. The activation energy observed for non-catalyzed and catalyzed reactions are 163 kJ/mol and 140 kJ/mol, respectively, which also confirm the catalytic activity of catalyst for carbon/soot oxidation. The promotional effects of an optimum amount of cobalt oxide incorporation in ceria and presence of a small amount of potassium appears to be responsible for the excellent soot oxidation activity of this mixed oxide type material. The catalytic materials show good thermal stability, while their low cost will also add to their potential for practical applications.     

Vital Sign Monitoring System for Healthcare Through IoT Based Personal Service Application

The most burning issues worldwide at present are the availability, accessibility, and affordability of the equitable healthcare services for all. It is getting more severe for developing countries due to increasing population and chronic diseases. The emerging technological interventions in the field of Internet of Things (IoT)-based healthcare systems are a promising solution to meet the general public's healthcare needs. Therefore, an IoT-enabled vital sign monitoring system has been presented in this paper. The presented system can monitor various vital signs in real-time and store the recorded trends locally. The system can also send the data into cloud for further analysis. Abnormality detection with alert notification and automatic calculation of early warning score has been implemented. An Android application is developed to store the vital signs records on a personal server to avoid the burden and maintenance cost of the central medical server. The presented system is straightforward, compact, portable and easy to operate through personal service application. Also, the presented system is compared with the most recent work available in the field.

     

A Meta-Heuristic Based Approach with Modified Mutation Operation For Heterogeneous Networks

Wireless Personal Communications - The peculiar factor of coverage called target coverage in an energy-constrained wireless sensor network is a fierce challenge nowadays. Genetic algorithm-based...