Evaluation of the Optical and Structural Properties of Constructed Bis-indole Derivatives Using (Sm2O3/SiO2) Catalyst

Silicon - (SiO2/Sm2O3) was successfully synthesized and examined using scanning electron microscopy; X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Obtained data shows the formation...     

Congestion control as a stochastic control problem with action delays

We consider the design of explicit rate-based congestion control for high-speed communication networks and show that this can be formulated as a stochastic control problem where the controls of different users enter the system dynamics with different delays. We discuss the existence, derivation and the structure of the optimal controller, as well as of suboptimal controllers of the certainty-equivalent type — a terminology that is precisely defined in the paper for the specific context of the congestion control problem considered. We consider, in particular, two certainty-equivalent controllers which are easy to implement, and show that they are stabilizing, i.e., they lead to bounded infinite-horizon average cost, and stable queue dynamics. Further, these controllers perform well in simulations.     

Segmentation of ultrasound images by using a hybrid neural network

A hybrid neural network is presented for the segmentation of ultrasound images.

Feature vectors are formed by the discrete cosine transform of pixel intensities in region of interest (ROI). The elements and the dimension of the feature vectors are determined by considering only two parameters: The amount of ignored coefficients, and the dimension of the ROI.

First-layer-nodes of the proposed hybrid network represent hyperspheres (HSs) in the feature space. Feature space is partitioned by intersecting these HSs to represent the distribution of classes. The locations and radii of the HSs are found by the genetic algorithms.

Restricted Coulomb energy (RCE) network, modified RCE network, multi-layer perceptron and the proposed hybrid neural network are examined comparatively for the segmentation of ultrasound images.     

Computational Markets to Regulate Mobile-Agent Systems

Mobile-agent systems allow applications to distribute their resource consumption across the network. By prioritizing applications and publishing the cost of actions, it is possible for applications to achieve faster performance than in an environment where resources are evenly shared. We enforce the costs of actions through markets, where user applications bid for computation from host machines.We represent applications as collections of mobile agents and introduce a distributed mechanism for allocating general computational priority to mobile agents. We derive a bidding strategy for an agent that plans expenditures given a budget, and a series of tasks to complete. We also show that a unique Nash equilibrium exists between the agents under our allocation policy. We present simulation results to show that the use of our resource-allocation mechanism and expenditure-planning algorithm results in shorter mean job completion times compared to traditional mobile-agent resource allocation. We also observe that our resource-allocation policy adapts favorably to allocate overloaded resources to higher priority agents, and that agents are able to effectively plan expenditures, even when faced with network delay and job-size estimation error.     

Improved Adomian decomposition method

In this paper a new treatment for the Adomian decomposition method (ADM) is introduced. The new treatment is called the improved Adomian decomposition method (IADM) which improves the results obtained from the known Adomian decomposition method. The improved Adomian decomposition method is applied for the analytic treatment of nonlinear initial value problems. The improved method accelerates the convergence of the series solution, and provides the exact power series solution. It solves the drawbacks in the standard Adomian decomposition method.     

Oxidative desulfurization using graphene and its composites for fuel containing thiophene and its derivatives: An update review

Oxidative desulfurization, in which the aromatic sulfur containing compounds are oxidized to their analogical sulfones and subsequently extracted, has assured to be one of the exceedingly effective desulfurization processes for resulting ultra-low sulfur import fuels. The oxidative desulfurization process using graphene oxide has attracted significant interest for sulfur removal from fuels. In this survey, we discussed systematically the techniques of desulfurizations in catalytic oxidation, including the role of graphene as a supported catalyst, the research results of oxidative desulfurization using graphene oxide and provided the factors affecting the desulfurization process. We also debate the challenges counterattack the use of graphene oxide in this view, including their preparation methods and their efficiency and stability as a supported catalyst. Also, there are some of the desulfurization processes currently under investigation such as oxidation, biodesulfurization, and adsorption was outlined in brief. The combustion of fossil fuels containing sulfur compounds emits some of the sulfur oxides which considered a harmful influence on human health and the surrounding environment as well as the economy. It can be concluded that GO remains a kind of ideal supported catalysts to recognize a pure fuel in the near futurity due to their eligible physicochemical characteristics.     

Dynamic Knowledge-Based Process Integration Portal for Collaborative Construction

There is a need to support collaborative coordinated construction through the integration of work processes across various stakeholders, disciplines, and projects. Due to the fast-growing complexities of domain-wide coordination and collaboration, coupled with the emerging opportunities of knowledge sharing, a knowledge-based approach is believed to be the way to go. Knowledge-based process integration takes into account explicit and formal semantics (meaning) of processes. It aims at supporting seamless integration of knowledge-carrying processes. This paper presents a prototype collaborative portal for domain-wide process integration. The portal is ontology-based: semantic process representation is enabled through ontologies, and knowledge-based process integration is facilitated through an ontology merger. The portal aims at offering an efficient value-adding collaboration platform through multidimensional process integration for producing a common workflow that goes beyond listing of processes to a knowledge-enabled view. The prototype was evaluated through a focus group.     

All-optical digital 4 × 2 encoder based on 2D photonic crystal ring resonators

The photonic crystals draw significant attention to build all-optical logic devices and are considered one of the solutions for the opto-electronic bottleneck via speed and size. The paper presents a novel optical 4 × 2 encoder based on 2D square lattice photonic crystals of silicon rods. The main realization of optical encoder is based on the photonic crystal ring resonator NOR gates. The proposed structure has four logic input ports, two output ports, and two bias input port. The photonic crystal structure has a square lattice of silicon rods with a refractive index of 3.39 in air. The structure has lattice constant ‘a’ equal to 630 nm and bandgap range from 0.32 to 044. The total size of the proposed 4 × 2 encoder is equal to 35 μm × 35 μm. The simulation results using the dimensional finite difference time domain and Plane Wave Expansion methods confirm the operation and the feasibility of the proposed optical encoder for ultrafast optical digital circuits.     

A phenomenological constitutive model for the nonlinear viscoelastic responses of biodegradable polymers

We formulate a constitutive framework for biodegradable polymers that accounts for nonlinear viscous behavior under regimes with large deformation. The generalized Maxwell model is used to represent the degraded viscoelastic response of a polymer. The large-deformation, time-dependent behavior of viscoelastic solids is described using an Ogden-type hyperviscoelastic model. A deformation-induced degradation mechanism is assumed in which a scalar field depicts the local state of the degradation, which is responsible for the changes in the material’s properties. The degradation process introduces another timescale (the intrinsic material clock) and an entropy production mechanism. Examples of the degradation of a polymer under various loading conditions, including creep, relaxation and cyclic loading, are presented. Results from parametric studies to determine the effects of various parameters on the process of degradation are reported. Finally, degradation of an annular cylinder subjected to pressure is also presented to mimic the effects of viscoelastic arterial walls (the outer cylinder) on the degradation response of a biodegradable stent (the inner cylinder). A general contact analysis is performed. As the stiffness of the biodegradable stent decreases, stress reduction in the stented viscoelastic arterial wall is observed. The integration of the proposed constitutive model with finite element software could help a designer to predict the time-dependent response of a biodegradable stent exhibiting finite deformation and under complex mechanical loading conditions.     

A variational constitutive framework for the nonlinear viscoelastic response of a dielectric elastomer

We formulate a variational constitutive framework that accounts for nonlinear viscous behavior of electrically sensitive polymers, specifically Dielectric Elastomers (DEs), under large deformation. DEs are highly viscoelastic and their actuation response is greatly affected in dynamic applications. We used the generalized Maxwell model to represent the viscoelastic response of DE allowing the material to relax with multiple mechanisms. The constitutive updates at each load increment are obtained by minimizing an objective function formulated using the free energy and electrostatic energy of the elastomer, in addition to the viscous dissipation potential of the dashpots in each Maxwell branch. The model is then used to predict the electromechanical instability (EMI) of DE. The electro-elastic response of the DE is verified with available analytical solutions in the literature and then the material parameters are calibrated using experimental data. The model is integrated with finite element software to perform a variety of simulations on different types of electrically driven actuators under various electromechanical loadings. The electromechanical response of the DE and the critical conditions at which EMI occurs were found to be greatly affected by the viscoelasticity. Our model predicts that under a dead load EMI can be avoided if the DE operates at a high voltage rate. Subjected to constant, ramp and cyclic voltage, our model qualitatively predicts responses similar to the ones obtained from the analytical solutions and experimental data available in the literature.