Quantitative estimation of sucrose esters of plamitic acid

Thin layer chromatography was adapted for direct quantitative estimation of sucrose esters of palmitic acid. Urea-phosphoric acid spray was used to detect the sucrose moiety of the various esters. The photometrically metermined density density of each spot on the thin layer plate was found to be proportional to its sucrose content. Ester content was then obtained by multiplying sucrose found by the factor, mol. wt. ester/mol. wt. sucrose. Ester mixtures were prepared by interesterifying sucrose with various proportions of methyl palmitate in dimethylformamide solution. Positional isomers were observed at each level of substitution but could not be adequately separated from each other for quantitative evaluation. Presented at the AOCS Meeting, Minneapolis, October 1969. So. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Modification of sandy soil using water‐borne polymer

A new polymeric system has been applied for structural modification of (noncompactable) sandy soils. The system is based on a water‐borne styrene acrylic polymeric formulation (emulsion) containing varying amounts of solid polymer. The present work deals with system optimization and measurements designed to examine the effects of polymer content on hydraulic conductivity and compressive strength. Samples were prepared from prescribed amounts of polymer, water, and sand by using two different preparations methods (mixing and spraying). Measurements of hydraulic conductivity for both sets of samples were conducted in a flexible membrane test apparatus. For the first set of samples, the permeability coefficient of the sand was noted to be reduced 10‐fold (from 10^?5 to 10^?6 m s^?1) upon the incorporation of about 2% polymer. In the second set (samples prepared with the spraying method), the hydraulic conductivity was further reduced to 7.2 × 10^?7 at a polymer concentration of about 2%. Stress–strain measurements made on dry cylindrical specimens disclosed remarkable enhancement in the mechanical behavior of the system. For both types of preparation methods, the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity increased linearly with the polymer concentration in the sample. Scanning electron microscopic examination revealed that the dramatic reduction in the permeability and the improved mechanical properties are attributed to the polymer coverage of the sand particles and the development of interconnecting ties between them. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2484–2491, 2003     

An efficient IoT based smart farming system using machine learning algorithms

Multimedia Tools and Applications - This paper suggests an IoT based smart farming system along with an efficient prediction method called WPART based on machine learning techniques to predict crop...     

Impact of graphene oxide nanoparticles and carbon black on the gamma radiation sensitization of acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber seal materials

Seals prepared from acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR) are primarily used in nuclear services. Nevertheless, at relatively high ionizing radiation doses, NBR seal materials may undergo radiation-induced degradation processes, leading to adverse effects on the sealing ability life. Herein, to strengthen the functional characteristics of NBR seals against radiation, graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopies. Various NBR/GO composites fabricated with different ratios of GO nanoparticles and in the presence or absence of carbon black (CB) were investigated via cross-linking density, scanning electron microscopy, XRD, FTIR, and mechanical and thermal stability analyses. The synergistic effect of the simultaneous presence of GO and CB on the NBR seal sensitization to gamma radiation up to a dose of 1 MGy was studied. The physicomechanical properties were enhanced by adding GO nanosheets up to 3 phr and by incorporating 35 phr of a CB with GO until 5 phr. Further, the application of γ-irradiation resulted in an overall enhancement in the mechanical, physical, and thermal stability of the prepared composites up to 0.5 and 1 MGy with GO nanosheets in the absence or presence of CB particles, respectively. The mechanical measurements indicated significant increments by loading with GO nanosheets in the absence and presence of CB as well as by irradiation. The tensile strength elevated up to about 121%, 336%, and 366% by adding 3 phr GO, 3 GO:35 CB phr, and 5 GO:35 CB phr, respectively.     

Image Super Resolution and Enhancement Using E-spline

E-splines （Exponential spline） polynomials represent the best smooth transition between continuous and discrete domains. As they are constructed from convolution of exponential segments, there are many degrees of freedom to optimally choose the most convenient E-spline, suitable for a specific application. In this paper, the parameters of these E-splines were optimally chosen, to enhance the performance of image zooming and interpolation schemes. The proposed technique is based on minimizing the total variation function of the detail coefficients of the E-spline based wavelet decomposition. In zooming applications, the quality of interpolated images are further improved and sharpened by applying ICA technique to them, in order to remove any dependency. Illustrative examples are given to verify image enhancement of the proposed E-spline scheme, when compared with the existing approaches.     

Edge Computing Platform with Efficient Migration Scheme for 5G/6G Networks

Next-generation cellular networks are expected to provide users with innovative gigabits and terabits per second speeds and achieve ultra-high reliability, availability, and ultra-low latency. The requirements of such networks are the main challenges that can be handled using a range of recent technologies, including multi-access edge computing (MEC), artificial intelligence (AI), millimeter-wave communications (mmWave), and software-defined networking. Many aspects and design challenges associated with the MEC-based 5G/6G networks should be solved to ensure the required quality of service (QoS). This article considers developing a complex MEC structure for fifth and sixth-generation (5G/6G) cellular networks. Furthermore, we propose a seamless migration technique for complex edge computing structures. The developed migration scheme enables services to adapt to the required load on the radio channels. The proposed algorithm is analyzed for various use cases, and a test bench has been developed to emulate the operator’s infrastructure. The obtained results are introduced and discussed.     

Mathematical Analysis and Performance Evaluation of the Cell-Free mMIMO Networks Based on Cognitive Relays

Wireless Personal Communications - The cell-Free massive multiple input multiple output “mMIMO” networks can provide a satisfied performance for the fifth generation “5G”...     

Change Point Estimation in the Mean of Multivariate Linear Profiles with No Change Type Assumption via Dynamic Linear Model

Change point estimation is a useful concept that helps quality engineers to effectively search for assignable causes and improve quality of the process or product. In this paper, the maximum likelihood approach is developed to estimate change point in the mean of multivariate linear profiles in Phase II. After the change point, parameters are estimated through filtering and smoothing approaches in dynamic linear model. The proposed change point estimator can be applied without any prior knowledge about the change type against existing estimators which assume change type is known in advance. Besides, sporadic change point can be identified as well. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed estimators to estimate step, drift and monotonic, as well as sporadic changes in small to large shifts. In addition, effect of different values of the Multivariate Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (MEWMA) control chart smoothing coefficient on the performance of the proposed estimator is investigated presenting that the smoothing estimator has more uniform performance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing information quality of e-learning systems: a web mining approach

E-learning systems provide a promising solution as an information exchanging channel. Improved technologies could mean faster and easier access to information but do not necessarily ensure the quality of this information; for this reason it is essential to develop valid and reliable methods of quality measurement and carry out careful information quality evaluations. This paper proposes an assessment model for information quality in e-learning systems based on the quality framework we proposed previously: the proposed framework consists of 14 quality dimensions grouped in three quality factors: intrinsic, contextual representation and accessibility. We use the relative importance as a parameter in a linear equation for the measurement scheme. Formerly, we implemented a goal-question-metrics approach to develop a set of quality metrics for the identified quality attributes within the proposed framework. In this paper, the proposed metrics were computed to produce a numerical rating indicating the overall information quality published in a particular e-learning system. The data collection and evaluation processes were automated using a web data extraction technique and results on a case study are discussed. This assessment model could be useful to e-learning systems designers, providers and users as it provides a comprehensive indication of the quality of information in such systems.     

Filling of very deep, wide trenches by BenzoCycloButene polymer

A process for deep trench filling by BenzoCycloButene (BCB) polymer is explored. Deep trenches with 100-μm depth and different aspect ratios from 1.4 to 20 have been successfully filled by BCB. Besides, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of BCB is studied with the main goals of smoothing surface topography of substrate after BCB filling and removing excess BCB coating which may be necessary in some applications. Removal rate for BCB, V _RR, of about 0.24 μm/min has been achieved for hard cured BCB films using acid slurry. After CMP, the BCB layer showed a roughness of about 1.36 nm (Rq, measured by atomic force microscopy, AFM).