Enhanced fair earliest due date first scheduling strategy for multimedia applications in LTE downlink framework

Guaranteeing a certain delay threshold for delay‐sensitive applications in long term evolution (LTE) cellular communication system is a very challenging mission. By implementing an optimal scheduling strategy, this mission will be achieved. In this article, a novel scheduler is introduced in order to meet a predefined level of service quality by guaranteeing a specific delay threshold for delay‐sensitive applications in LTE cellular systems. The proposed scheduler assigns the available resource blocks (RBs) to active user equipments (UEs) tacking into consideration several attributes. The expiration date of each packet, the channel quality, the average data rate previously achieved by each UE, and the number of dropped packets for each UE compared with the average number of packets totally dropped are all considered in the proposed scheduler working mechanism. Consequently, the proposed scheduling strategy reduces the number of packets dropped for multimedia applications, and at the same time maximizes the overall throughput of the network. Simulation results are provided to study and evaluate the performance of the proposed scheduling strategy. A comparative study is presented between the proposed strategy and the most recent scheduling techniques. The obtained results prove that the proposed scheduling strategy has considerably acceptable and appreciated results compared with the results of the state‐of‐the‐art scheduling techniques.     

Apodized chirped fiber Bragg grating for postdispersion compensation in wavelength division multiplexing optical networks

In this paper, a postdispersion compensation unit is proposed leading to a better performance for the optical communication systems. This unit utilizes a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG). For enhanced performance of the CFBG, a proper apodization function is chosen to improve the quality factor (Q‐factor) and the bit error rate (BER) of the system. A 110‐km wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical link is investigated. The system performance is evaluated through its Q‐factor, eye diagram, and BER showing best performance when using the Hamming apodization function.     

Computational intelligence techniques for human brain MRI classification

This study proposes an image classification methodology that automatically classifies human brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. The proposed methods contain four main stages: Data acquisition, preprocessing, feature extraction, feature reduction and classification, followed by evaluation. First stage starts by collecting MRI images from Harvard and our constructed Egyptian database. Second stage starts with noise reduction in MR images. Third stage obtains the features related to MRI images, using stationary wavelet transformation. In the fourth stage, the features of MR images have been reduced using principles of component analysis and kernel linear discriminator analysis (KLDA) to the more essential features. In last stage, the classification stage, two classifiers have been developed to classify subjects as normal or abnormal MRI human images. The first classifier is based on K‐Nearest Neighbor (KNN) on Euclidean distance. The second classifier is based on Levenberg‐Marquardt (LM‐ANN). Classification accuracy of 100% for KNN and LM‐ANN classifiers has been obtained. The result shows that the proposed methodologies are robust and effective compared with other recent works.     

Influence of preparation procedure and ferric oxide nanoparticles addition on transport properties of homogeneous cation-exchange SPPO/SPVC membrane

Homogeneous cation-exchange membranes were prepared through evaporation and phase inversion methods using sulfonated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (SPPO) and sulfonated polyvinylchloride as binders. The effect of polymers blend’s ratio and preparation method on structure and electrochemical properties of the prepared membranes were evaluated. The microstructures of the membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the sulfonation of polyvinylchloride was confirmed by elemental analyses. Moreover, the membranes performance was evaluated by ion-exchange capacity (IEC), fixed ion concentration, membrane potential, transport number, permselectivity, areal resistance, ionic permeability, flux of ions, current efficiency, membrane oxidative stability, mechanical properties and water content tests. The results indicated that IEC and water content were affected by the SPPO content and microstructures of the membranes. The results showed increased efficiency and suitable electrochemical properties for membranes prepared by the evaporation method in comparison with others. Also, \(\hbox {Fe}_{2}\hbox {O}_{3}\) nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature by a simple sonochemical reaction between ferric chloride and NaOH. The results revealed that the addition of different amounts of \(\hbox {Fe}_{2}\hbox {O}_{3}\) nanoparticles to the polymeric matrix could affect the hydrophilicity and transport properties of ion-exchange membranes.     

Determination of antioxidant activity of surface‐treated PET films coated with rosemary and clove extracts

Commercial PET films were surface treated and subsequently coated with either rosemary (RME) or clove (CE) extracts. Surface treatments involved (1) corona treatment, (2) chemical modification, and (3) plasma treatment. Radical scavenging activity (RSA) of both pure plant extracts and coated film extracts were determined using the 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. RME‐coated films showed a % RSA of 25.6%, 22.4%, and 24.1% for plasma, chemical modification, and corona treatment, respectively, at an extract concentration of 1402 ppm, respectively, while pure RME showed a %RSA of 16.0%. Respective %RSA values for CE were 25.0% for plasma, 25.2% for chemically modified, and 25.2% for corona‐treated films at 1402 ppm, while pure CE showed a %RSA of 47.6%. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test, performed on ground fish muscle wrapped in all types of employed films, showed a remarkable decrease in the degree of fish oxidation ranging between 50.0 and 80.0% after 6 days of storage. Contact angle measurements confirmed that surface chemically modified films had the highest adhesion strength followed by corona and plasma‐treated films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data also supported contact angle measurements. Finally, the oxygen permeability of surface‐treated films did not differ from untreated films indicating that surface treatment did not affect film barrier properties.     

Geophysical Investigations at Cairo’s Oldest,the Church of Abu Serga (St. Sergius), Cairo,Egypt

The results of an integrated geophysical survey at the archaeological site of Abu Serga church, Cairo, Egypt are presented and discussed. The aim was to investigate the ground conditions of the Church of Abu Serga (St. Sergius), the Cairo’s oldest, dated from 4th Century church, which is located at Qasr el-Shama in old Cairo in Egypt. In particular the objective is to study the subsurface geological structures at the location of the church, and to detect and possibly map any ancient remains concealed under the monument. The survey was conducted using two geophysical methods: the ground penetrating radar (GPR), which is a fully non-destructive method, and the electrical resistivity tomographies (ERTs). The usefulness of combining conventional geophysical mapping techniques and high resolution imaging methods in delineating shallow targets of archaeological interest at such complex archaeological sites, is studied. Ground penetrating radar time slices and 3D electrical tomography depth slices were used for the verification of specific anthropogenic anomalies, which were detected on the geophysical maps Processing of geophysical maps included filtering with the gradient and first derivative operators in the space domain and the upward continuation and Butterworth filters in the wave number domain. The integration of the geophysical measurements revealed that the present Crypt is not the original holy Crypt. The anomalous reflector is detected at depth of about 5 m below the sanctuary floor, in the form of buried ceiling of the original Crypt. The present Crypt is just a small low subterranean church belong to the 2nd century. High resistivity anomalies and distinct GPR signals were also observed deeper in the inner parts of the church. They are attributed to possible remains of ancient walls and surrounding tunnels, or other man-made structures concealed under the floor of the monument. The geophysical survey at Abu Serga church also demonstrates that the general features of the foundation soil are heterogeneous with abundance of fractures; the water table is very high at 1.8m below the sanctuary floors. The benefits of combined geophysical surveys in case of archaeological investigations at complex sites are highlighted.     

Statistical Analysis with Dingo Optimizer Enabled Routing for Wireless Sensor Networks

Security is a vital parameter to conserve energy in wireless sensor networks (WSN). Trust management in the WSN is a crucial process as trust is utilized when collaboration is important for accomplishing trustworthy data transmission. But the available routing techniques do not involve security in the design of routing techniques. This study develops a novel statistical analysis with dingo optimizer enabled reliable routing scheme (SADO-RRS) for WSN. The proposed SADO-RRS technique aims to detect the existence of attacks and optimal routes in WSN. In addition, the presented SADO-RRS technique derives a new statistics based linear discriminant analysis (LDA) for attack detection, Moreover, a trust based dingo optimizer (TBDO) algorithm is applied for optimal route selection in the WSN and accomplishes secure data transmission in WSN. Besides, the TBDO algorithm involves the derivation of the fitness function involving different input variables of WSN. For demonstrating the enhanced outcomes of the SADO-RRS technique, a wide range of simulations was carried out and the outcomes demonstrated the enhanced outcomes of the SADO-RRS technique.     

Investigating optical,electrical, and mechanical traits of thiourea admixtured KDP single crystals to explore NLO device applications

The 0.5 and 1 mol% thiourea “mixed” potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals have been developed by conventional slow solution evaporation method. The crystallographic parameters of grown crystals have been determined by employing single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The functional groups of grown crystals were successfully identified by means of FTIR spectral analysis. The optical transmittance is 79%, 84%, and 89% for KDP, 0.5 mol thiourea mixed KDP, and 1 mol thiourea mixed KDP crystal. The energy band gap (E_g) of KDP, 0.5 mol thiourea mixed KDP, and 1 mol thiourea mixed KDP crystal is 3.71 eV, 3.61 eV, and 3.75 eV, respectively. The Kurtz–Perry test has been employed to determine the SHG efficiency and SHG efficiency of 0.5 and 1 mol thiourea mixed KDP crystal is 2.09 and 2.22 times superior to KDP crystal. Effect of thiourea mixing on hardness properties of KDP crystal have been scrutinized using the Vickers microhardness studies. The frequency dependent dielectric behavior of grown crystals has been analyzed at room temperature.

     

Ultra-High bit rate all-optical AND/OR logic gates based on photonic crystal with multi-wavelength simultaneous operation

In this paper, a novel two-dimensional photonic crystal based all-optical AND/OR logic gates are designed, simulated and optimized. The structure is built on a linear square lattice photonic crystal platform. A multi-wavelength operation, together with a simultaneous operation, is achieved at ultra-high bit rates. The concurrent operation is attained without altering the proposed design continuously, as stated in the literature. It provides simplicity because there is no auxiliary input required along with the absence of externally attached phase shift units. The enhancement process has been done to the rod radius. A magnificent representation tool is developed. The benefit of the mentioned tool lies in the data combination of different operating wavelengths, contrast ratio, and bit rate; which will establish an efficient optimization process. Each gate is enhanced independently, then an overall improvement has been done. As a result, the operation at 1.52?µm will provide a successful multi logic gate operation with ultra-high bit rates of 6.76 and 4.74 Tbit/s for AND and OR logic gates, respectively. The design has an acceptable size of (19.8?×?12.6 µm) and a contrast ratio of 9.74?dB and 17.95?dB for the designed AND and OR gate, respectively. The design is highly sensitive to the waveguide length to verify the gates on demand.     

Optimized SVD-based robust watermarking in the fractional Fourier domain

Digital watermarking is one of the most effective methods for protecting multimedia from different kind of threats. It has been used for many purposes, like copyright protection, ownership identification, tamper detection, etc. Many watermarking applications require embedding techniques that provide robustness against common watermarking attacks, like compression, noise, filtering, etc. In this paper, an optimized robust watermarking method is proposed using Fractional Fourier Transform and Singular Value Decomposition. The approach provides a secure way for watermarking through the embedding parameters that are required for the watermark extraction. It is a block-based method, where each watermark bit is embedded in its corresponding image block. First, the transform is applied to each block, and then the singular values are evaluated through which the embedding modification is performed. The optimum fractional powers, of the transform, and the embedding strength factor are evaluated through a Meta-heuristic optimization to optimize the watermark imperceptibility and robustness. The Artificial Bee Colony is used as the Meta-heuristic optimization method. A fitness function is employed, at the optimization process, through which the maximum achievable robustness can be provided without degrading the watermarking quality below a predetermined quality threshold Qth. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through a comparison with recent watermarking techniques in terms of the watermarking performance. The watermarking quality and robustness are evaluated for different quality threshold values. Experimental results show that the proposed approach achieves a better quality compared to that of other existing watermarking methods. On the other hand, the robustness is examined against the most common applied attacks. It is noticed that the proposed method can achieve a higher robustness degree when decreasing the quality threshold value.