BorderSense: Border patrol through advanced wireless sensor networks

The conventional border patrol systems suffer from intensive human involvement. Recently, unmanned border patrol systems employ high-tech devices, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, unattended ground sensors, and surveillance towers equipped with camera sensors. However, any single technique encounters inextricable problems, such as high false alarm rate and line-of-sight-constraints. There lacks a coherent system that coordinates various technologies to improve the system accuracy. In this paper, the concept of BorderSense, a hybrid wireless sensor network architecture for border patrol systems, is introduced. BorderSense utilizes the most advanced sensor network technologies, including the wireless multimedia sensor networks and the wireless underground sensor networks. The framework to deploy and operate BorderSense is developed. Based on the framework, research challenges and open research issues are discussed.     

Video mediated social interaction between groups: System requirements and technology challenges

This paper discusses results from research related to the use of television as a device that supports social interaction between close-knit groups in settings that include more than two locations, each location being potentially equipped with more than one camera. The paper introduces the notion of a framing experience, as a specific scenario or situation within which social communication takes place. It reports on the evaluation of some of the key attributes of social communication through semi-structured interviews, with 16 families across four European countries. The inferences drawn from this study are reduced to four system capabilities including the ability to support: excitement, engagement and entertainment; high quality, reliable audiovisual communications; flexibility and adaptability sufficient to support the unpredictable and reactive nature of human interaction and discourse. These system requirements are, in turn, reduced to a number of technology challenges which if solved will help enable effective social communications between groups, mediated by the television. These technology challenges include: high quality reliable audio visual communication; interaction orchestration, multimedia interpretation and multimedia composition. Finally the paper reflects on the impact the use of framing experiences, such as those described here, could have on strategy and policy for service providers and regulators.     

Investigating Morphology and Stability of Fac‐tris (2‐phenylpyridyl)iridium(III) Films for OLEDs

Stable film morphology is critical for long‐term high performance organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). Neutron reflectometry (NR) is used to study the out‐of‐plane structure of blended thin films and multilayer structures comprising evaporated small molecules. It is found that as‐prepared blended films of fac‐tris(2‐phenylpyridyl)iridium(III) [Ir(ppy)₃] in 4,4′‐bis(N‐carbazolyl)biphenyl (CBP) are uniformly mixed, but the occurrence of phase separation upon thermal annealing is dependent on the blend ratio. Films comprised of the ratio of 6 wt% of Ir(ppy)₃ in CBP typically used in OLEDs are found to phase separate with moderate heating while a higher weight percent mixture (12 wt%) is found to be stable. Furthermore, it is found that thermal annealing of a multilayer film comprised of typical layers found in efficient devices ([tris(4‐carbazoyl‐9‐ylphenyl)amine (TCTA)/Ir(ppy)₃:CBP/bathocuproine (BCP)]) causes the BCP layer to become mixed with the emissive blend layer, whereas the TCTA interface remains unchanged. This significant structural change causes no appreciable difference in the photo­luminescence of the stack although such a change would have a dramatic effect on the charge transport through the device, leading to changes in performance. These results demonstrate the effect of thermal stress on the delicate interplay between the chemical composition and morphology of OLED films.     

Proposal for a novel and simple WDM NRZ-DPSK system

A novel and simple non-return-to-zero differential phase shift keying (NRZ-DPSK) wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system, which can simultaneously demultiplex and demodulate multiple wavelengths, is proposed and investigated in this paper.The phase-to-intensity demodulation principle is based on detuned filtering, which is achieved by using a single commercial array waveguide grating (AWG) in our scheme.By properly choosing appropriate AWG channels at the transmitter, the AWG at the receiver can act as both the demultiplexer and the demodulator of the DPSK signals.Simulations at 10, 20, and 40 Gbit/s show good flexibility and performance for the proposed system.     

The Effect of Nanotube Content and Orientation on the Mechanical Properties of Polymer–Nanotube Composite Fibers: Separating Intrinsic Reinforcement from Orientational Effects

We have measured the mechanical properties of coagulation‐spun polymer–nanotube composite fibers. Both the fiber modulus, Y, and strength, σ_B, scale linearly with volume fraction, V_f, up to V_f ～10%, after which these properties remain constant. We measured dY/dV_f = 254 GPa and dσ_B/dV_f = 2.8 GPa in the linear region. By drawing fibers with V_f < 10% to a draw ratio of ～60%, we can increase these values to dY/dV_f = 600 GPa and dσ_B/dV_f = 7 GPa. Raman measurements show the Herman's orientation parameter, S, to increase with drawing, indicating that significant nanotube alignment occurs. Raman spectroscopy also shows that the nanotube effective modulus, Y_Eff, also increases with drawing. We have calculated an empirical relationship between the nanotube orientation efficiency factor, η_o, and S. This allows us to fit the data for Y_Eff versus η_o, showing that the fiber modulus scales linearly with η_o, as predicted theoretically by Krenchel. From the fit, we estimate the nanotube modulus to be; Y_NT = 480 GPa. Finally, we show that the fiber strength also scales linearly with η_o, giving an effective interfacial stress transfer of τ = 40 MPa and a nanotube critical length of l_c=1250 nm. This work demonstrates the validity of the Cox‐Krenchel rule of mixtures and shows that continuum theory still applies at the near‐molecular level.     

A Distributed Multicast Routing Scheme for Multi-Layered Satellite IP Networks

In this paper, a distributed multicast routing scheme is introduced for multi-layered satellite IP networks, which include GEO, MEO, and LEO layers. This scheme aims to minimize the total cost of multicast trees in the satellite network. Multicast trees are constructed and maintained in the dynamic satellite network topology in a distributed manner. Simulation results are provided to evaluate the performance of the new scheme in terms of end-to-end delay and multicast tree cost.     

An FIB-SEM slice-and-view study of three-dimensional beta phase distribution in Ti-6Al-4V

In the scanning electron microscope, weak secondary electron contrast between the alpha and beta phases of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy can be improved via imaging conditions such as beam voltage and current. Dual beam focussed ion beam-scanning electron microscopes are thereby suited for characterising micron and sub-micron microstructural features of Ti-6Al-4V in three dimensions via serial-sectioning procedures.     

Tailoring the Molecular Properties with Isomerism Effect of AIEgens

It is challenging to achieve precise control on the properties of organic π‐functional materials to widen their practical applications. On the other hand, the study of aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) helps achieve such goals because of inherent relationships between their luminescence behaviors and conformational variations that allow for the visual monitoring of the changes in the material properties. Inspired by this, in this work, three AIE isomers are fabricated in structures consisting of tetraphenylpyrazine and triphenylethene units with para‐, meta‐, and ortho‐position linkages, respectively. The isomerism effect brings about significantly decreased luminescence efficiency, subtly blueshifted emission, basically reduced AIE effect but boosted porosity in the aggregate state as the conformation of AIEgens evolves from an extended to a folded one. Based on the distinct properties, their respective use in blue organic light‐emitting diodes, nanofluorescent probes, and molecule‐capturing porous crystals are investigated. This work not only achieves precise property control by using the isomerism effect of AIEgens but also provides useful information on the future design of π‐conjugated materials with advanced functionalities.     

Characterization and exploitation of heterogeneous OFDM primary users in cognitive radio networks

The fundamental features of cognitive radio (CR) systems are their ability to adapt to the wireless environment where they operate and their opportunistic occupation of the licensed spectrum bands assigned to the primary network. CR users in CR systems should not cause any interference to primary users (PUs) of the primary network. For this purpose, CR users need to accurately estimate the features and activities of the primary users. In this paper, a novel characterization of heterogeneous PUs and a novel reconfigurability solution in CR networks are introduced. The characterization of PUs consists of a detector and classifier that distinguishes between heterogenous PUs. The PU characteristics stored in radio environmental maps are utilized by an interference/throughput adapter for the optimization of CR parameters. The performance of the proposed solutions is evaluated by showing false alarm and missed detection probabilities of the detector/classifier in a multipath fading channel with additive white Gaussian noise. Moreover, the impact of the PU characteristics on the CR throughput is analyzed.     

Morphological Stabilization by Supramolecular Perfluorophenyl‐C60 Interactions Leading to Efficient and Thermally Stable Organic Photovoltaics

A new PC₆₁BM‐based fullerene, [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁ butyric acid pentafluorophenyl ester (PC₆₁BP^F) is designed and synthesized. This new n‐type material can replace PC₆₁BM to form a P3HT:PC₆₁BP^F binary blend or serve as an additive to form a P3HT:PC₆₁BM:PC₆₁BP^F ternary blend. Supramolecular attraction between the pentafluorophenyl group of PC₆₁BP^F and the C₆₀ cores of PC₆₁BP^F/PC₆₁BM can effectively suppress the PC₆₁BP^F/PC₆₁BM materials from severe aggregation. By doping only 8.3 wt% PC₆₁BP^F, device PC₆₁BP^F651 exhibits a PCE of 3.88% and decreases slightly to 3.68% after heating for 25 h, preserving 95% of its original value. When PC₆₁BP with non‐fluorinated phenyl group is used to substitute PC₆₁BP^F, the stabilizing ability disappears completely. The efficiencies of PC₆₁BP651 and PC₆₁BP321 devices significantly decay to 0.44% and 0.11%, respectively, after 25 h isothermal heating. Most significantly, this strategy is demonstrated to be effective for a blend system incorporating a low band‐gap polymer. By adding only 10 wt% PC₆₁BP^F, the PDTBCDTB: PC₇₁BM‐based device exhibits thermally stable morphology and device characteristics. These findings demonstrate that smart utilization of supramolecular interactions is an effective and practical strategy to control morphological evolution.