ND++ – an extended IPv6 Neighbor Discovery protocol for enhanced stateless address autoconfiguration in MANETs

Recent trends in information and communications technologies are oriented toward the design of the Future Internet and the Internet of Things. While IPv6‐based mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are emerging as an important building block of these new technologies, it is necessary to come up with adequate self‐configuration capabilities allowing for seamless and automated configuration of addresses in mobile environment. The mechanisms of stateless address autoconfiguration proposed for IPv6 networks are supposed to automate some configuration steps; however, they would need to be aligned with the requirements imposed by MANET networks. Therefore, in this article, we present Neighbor Discovery ++ – an extended IPv6 Neighbor Discovery protocol for enhanced duplicate address detection in MANETs, which provides increased coverage of network nodes, while minimizing protocol overhead. It exploits efficient flooding mechanism on the basis of the multipoint relay concept, which makes it an interesting approach also for large‐scale networks. Trials performed on the designated real‐world testbed platform indicate that ND++ is a promising solution to support efficient address autoconfiguration in MANETs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental wooden frame house for the validation of whole building heat and moisture transfer numerical models

An experimental investigation has begun concerning the hygrothermal behaviour of wooden frame houses. The experimental set-up, consisting in a full-scale wooden frame house exposed to natural exterior climate is presented in the paper. It is located in Grenoble (South-East of France), and is equipped with over 150 sensors in order to collect a large amount of data (temperatures, relative humidity). The experimental data presented in the paper enable to get better understanding of coupled hygrothermal phenomena, and can be used to allow the validation of numerical models for heat, air and moisture transfers in wooden frame buildings. The analysed results demonstrate the importance of temperature-driven moisture diffusion from hygroscopic panelling.     

Identification of glucosinolate congeners able to form DNA adducts and to induce mutations upon activation by myrosinase

Scope: Juices from Brassicales are mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium and characteristic adducts are formed with the endogenous DNA in Brassicales homogenates. These effects require myrosinase activity, suggesting an involvement of breakdown products of glucosinolates (GLs). We aimed to identify GLs congeners producing these effects. Methods and results: We investigated twelve individual GLs for mutagenicity in S. typhimurium TA104 and TA100 and for adduct formation with herring sperm DNA using the 32P‐postlabelling/thin‐layer chromatography method. All bacteriotoxic and mutagenic effects observed required the presence of myrosinase. Neoglucobrassicin, 4‐methoxyglucobrassicin and sinalbin showed mutagenicity over wide concentration ranges, with neoglucobrassicin being the most potent congener. Six other GLs led to modest increases in the number of revertants in a small concentration range, before toxicity overshadowed this effect. The remaining three GLs showed some toxicity, but no mutagenicity. However, all twelve GLs formed DNA adducts. Clearly the highest adduct levels were detected with the indole GLs tested. They matched the major adduct spots formed in Brassicales homogenates. Conclusion: The observation that GLs are genotoxic demands follow‐up studies on possible genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of these common food compounds in animal models and humans. Our study may be used to prioritize the congeners in further studies.     

Heterologous expression of surface-active proteins from barley and filamentous fungi in Pichia pastoris and characterization of their contribution to beer gushing

The spontaneous over-foaming of beer upon opening, i.e. beer gushing, is an unwanted phenomenon for the brewing industry. Currently, surface-active proteins from filamentous fungi and non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTP1) from barley are discussed as gushing inducers. In our study the class I hydrophobin FcHyd3p from Fusarium culmorum, the class II hydrophobin Hfb2 from Trichoderma reesei, the alkaline foam protein A (AfpA) from F. graminearum and nsLTP1 from Hordeum vulgare cv. Marnie (barley) were heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris and used in gushing tests. The class I hydrophobin FcHyd3p was unable to induce gushing in beer. The class II hydrophobin Hfb2 was able to induce gushing in beer, but proved to be inhibited by heat treatment as well as by the presence of enriched hop compounds. Both resulted in a reduced gushing potential. AfpA and nsLTP1 exhibited no gushing-inducing potential at the amounts added to beer. Addition of these proteins to beer or carbonated water previously treated with class II hydrophobins revealed a gushing reducing character.     

Definition of roughness structures for superhydrophobic and hydrophilic optical coatings on glass

With specific modeling, measurement, and analysis procedures, it is possible to predict, define, and control roughness structures for tailored wetting properties of optical coatings. Examples are given for superhydrophobic and hydrophilic sol-gel layers on glass substrate.     

Comparison of methods and achievable uncertainties for the relative and absolute measurement of photoluminescence quantum yields

The photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ(f)) that presents a direct measure for the efficiency of the conversion of absorbed photons into emitted photons is one of the spectroscopic key parameters of functional fluorophores. It determines the suitability of such materials for applications in, for example, (bio)analysis, biosensing, and fluorescence imaging as well as as active components in optical devices. The reborn interest in accurate Φ(f) measurements in conjunction with the controversial reliability of reported Φ(f) values of many common organic dyes encouraged us to compare two relative and one absolute fluorometric method for the determination of the fluorescence quantum yields of quinine sulfate dihydrate, coumarin 153, fluorescein, rhodamine 6G, and rhodamine 101. The relative methods include the use of a chain of Φ(f) transfer standards consisting of several "standard dye" versus "reference dye" pairs linked to a golden Φ(f) standard that covers the ultraviolet and visible spectral region, and the use of different excitation wavelengths for standard and sample, respectively. Based upon these measurements and the calibration of the instruments employed, complete uncertainty budgets for the resulting Φ(f) values are derived for each method, thereby providing evaluated standard operation procedures for Φ(f) measurements and, simultaneously, a set of assessed Φ(f) standards.     

Transverse heat transfer coefficient in the dual channel ITER TF CICCs: Part I: Analysis of steady state temperature profiles resulting from annular heating

Two ITER TF dual channel Cable-in-Conduit Conductors (CICCs) have been tested in the SULTAN test facility. The samples were heated either by foil heaters mounted on the outside of the conductor jacket or by induced AC losses. The steady-state temperature response of several thermometers installed on the jacket surface as well as inside the cable were analyzed using the two-channel analytical model proposed by Renard et al. to obtain the equivalent transverse heat transfer coefficient between the bundle and central channel as a function of the mass flow rate. In addition, on the basis of the measured pressure drop and helium flow velocities, the friction factors for helium flow in the bundle and in the central channel were determined. The obtained results may serve as a reference for these cables.     

Dairy cow cleanliness and milk quality on organic and conventional farms in the UK

A subjective cow cleanliness scoring system was validated and used to assess the cleanliness score of dairy cows at different times in the year. A longitudinal study followed a number of farms from summer to winter, and a larger, cross-sectional study assessed a greater number of farms during the housed winter period. The scoring system was demonstrated to be both a repeatable and practical technique to use on-farm and showed that cows become dirtier in the transition from summer grazing to winter housing. Although farming system (organic or conventional) had no effect on cow cleanliness when cows were at grass, when housed in the winter, organic cows were significantly more likely to be cleaner. There was a link between cow cleanliness scores and milk quality, with herds having lower bulk tank somatic cell counts (BTSCC) tending to have a lower (cleaner) median cow cleanliness score; with this relationship strongest for the organic herds. There was no significant link between cleanliness score and Bactoscan (BS) count or clinical mastitis incidence. No major mastitis pathogens were cultured from bulk tank milk samples from the quartile of herds with the cleanest cows in contrast to the quartile of herds with the dirtiest cows, where significant mastitis pathogens were cultured. Based on this study, all farms, especially organic systems, should attempt to keep cows clean as part of subclinical mastitis control.