Non-rigid 3D object retrieval using directional graph representation of wave kernel signature

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Extensive use of three dimensional models in various areas indicates the importance of 3D data retrieval accuracy. In this paper, a directional graph, is...     

Inverse emulsion polymerization of triple monomers of acrylamide,maleic anhydride,and styrene to achieve highly hydrophilic–hydrophobic modified polyacrylamide

The purpose of this study was the production of copolymers and terpolymers with highly hydrophilic–hydrophobic properties, using inexpensive and available monomers as potential enhancing oil recovery (EOR) and water production control agents for high-temperature and high-salinity (HTHS) oil reservoirs. For this purpose, several copolymers and terpolymers with different molar percentage of acrylamide/styrene, acrylamide/maleic anhydride, and acrylamide/styrene/maleic anhydride were synthesized by the inverse emulsion polymerization technique. The presence of hydrophobic styrene and hydrophilic maleic anhydride monomers in the copolymer and terpolymer structure, provided some unique properties compared to polyacrylamide, was confirmed by several analyses including HNMR, elemental analysis, FTIR, SEM, TGA, and DSC. Simulating HTHS oil reservoir condition under high salinity, temperature, and shear rate, the rheological studies suggested unlike traditional EOR agents such as polyacrylamide, the viscosity of the copolymer, and terpolymer aqueous solutions showed a considerable increase after a critical polymer concentration and less reduction with the salt increment at both ambient and elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the swelling ratio of the insoluble terpolymers measured versus the time and temperature in salt water increased with the maleic anhydride mole fraction, decreased with the salt concentration, and showed a maximum value at around 57 °C. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47753.     

An investigation on the dose-dependent effect of iron shaving on bio-hydrogen production from food waste

Bio-hydrogen production is of significant interest as it is capable of consuming waste material and synthesizing hydrogen which is a green gas. In this study, we examined the dose-dependent effect of iron shaving on bio-hydrogen production from an integrated dark and photo fermentation system from an artificial food waste. Overall, introduction of iron shaving enhanced the bio-gas production. Statistical analysis was performed on the extracted parameters obtained from fitting the experimental data to Gompertz function, revealing that the bio-gas production can be significantly enhanced by addition of iron shaving at concentrations up to 500 mg/L, with a maximum enhancement at 200 mg/mL. GC analysis showed that introduction of iron shaving at 200 mg/L also maximized the hydrogen percentage in the produced bio-gas. Based on the HPLC results, it was postulated that the dark-fermentation step was probably the step that was more affected by the introduction of iron shaving. Investigation of the pH showed that the acidification of the solution approximately coincided with the termination of the process. Our finding suggests that a more efficient buffer-assisted setup can significantly enhance the bio-hydrogen efficiency.     

Polyacrylamide hydrogel application in sand control with compressive strength testing

Sand production is one of the major problems in sandstone reservoirs. Different mechanical and chemical methods have been proposed to control sand production. In this paper, we propose a chemical method based on using polyacrylamide/chromium triacetate hydrogel to investigate sand production in a synthetic sandpack system. To this end, a series of bulk experiments including the bottle test and rheological analysis along with compression tests were conducted. Experimental results indicated that the compressive strength of the sandpack was increased as much as 30 times by injecting 0.5 pore volume of hydrogel. Also, it was found that the increases in cross-linker and polymer concentrations exhibited a positive impact on the compressive strength of the sandpack, mostly by cross-linker concentration(48 psi). Hydrogel with a higher value of cross-linker could retain its viscoelastic properties against the strain which was a maximum of 122% for 0.5 weight ratio of cross-linker/polymer. The presence of salts, in particular divalent cations, has a detrimental effect on the hydrogel stability. The maximum strain value applied on hydrogel in the presence of CaCl_2 was only about 201% as compared to 1010% in the presence of distilled water. Finally, thermogravimetric analysis and its derivative showed that the hydrogel could retain its structure up to 300 °C. The results of this study revealed the potential application of the hydrogel to control sand production.     

RAPID: a knowledge-based assistant for designing web APIs

Requirements Engineering - With the rise in initiatives such as software ecosystems and Internet of Things (IoT), developing web Application Programming Interfaces (web APIs) has become an...     

A self‐learning stream classifier for flow‐based botnet detection

Botnets have been recently recognized as one of the most formidable threats on the Internet. Different approaches have been designed to detect these types of attacks. However, as botnets evolve their behavior to mislead the signature‐based detection systems, learning‐based methods may be deployed to provide a generalization capacity in identifying unknown botnets. Developing an adaptable botnet detection system, which incrementally evolves with the incoming flow stream, remains as a challenge. In this paper, a self‐learning botnet detection system is proposed, which uses an adaptable classification model. The system uses an ensemble classifier and, in order to enhance its generalization capacity, updates its model continuously on receiving new unlabeled traffic flows. The system is evaluated with a comprehensive data set, which contains a wide variety of botnets. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed system can successfully adapt in a dynamic environment where new botnet types are observed during the system operation. We also compare the system performance with other methods.     

Community Structure and Information Cascade in Signed Networks

In this paper, we study information cascade in networks with positive and negative edges. The cascade depth is correlated with community structure of signed networks where communities are defined such that positive inter-community and negative intra-community links are minimized. The cascade is initialized from a number of nodes that are selected randomly. Finally, the number of nodes that have participated in the cascade is interpreted as cascade depth; the more the number of such nodes, the more the depth of the cascade. We investigate influence of community structure (i.e., percentage of inter-community positive and intra-community negative links) on the cascade depth. We find significant influence of community structure on cascade depth in both model and real networks. Our results show that the more the intra-community negative links (i.e., the worse the community structure), the more the cascade depth.     

Local Insulin-Derived Amyloidosis Model Confronted with Silymarin: Histological Insights and Gene Expression of MMP,TNF-α, and IL-6

Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous group of protein deposition diseases associated with the presence of amyloid fibrils in tissues. Analogs of insulin that are used for treating diabetic patients (including regular insulin) can form amyloid fibrils, both in vitro and in vivo as reported in patients. The main purpose of this study was the induction of localized insulin-generated amyloidosis and the observation of silymarin effects on this process. In order to obtain amyloid structures, regular insulin was incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. Congo red absorbance and transmission electron microscopy images validated the formation of amyloid fibrils. Those fibrils were then injected subcutaneously into rats once per day for 6, 12 or 18 consecutive days in the presence or absence of silymarin, and caused development of firm waxy masses. These masses were excised and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Congo red and Thioflavin S. Histological examination showed adipose cells and connective tissue in which amyloid deposition was visible. Amyloids decreased in the presence of silymarin, and the same effect was observed when silymarin was added to normal insulin and injected subsequently. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of MMP2, TNF-α, and IL-6 inflammatory factors were measured, and their gene expression was locally assessed in the masses by immunohistochemistry. All three factors increased in the amyloidosis state, while silymarin had an attenuating effect on their plasma levels and gene expression. In conclusion, we believe that silymarin could be effective in counteracting insulin-generated local amyloidosis.     

First-principles study of hydrogen storage on Si atoms decorated C60

Hydrogen storage capacity of Si_nC₆₀ is studied via first-principles theory based on DFT and Canonical Monte Carlo Simulation (CMCS). It is shown that Si atoms strongly prefer D-site rather than other sites and in these structures maximum number of hydrogen molecule onto any Si atom is one. Each Si atom adsorbs one hydrogen molecule in molecular form and with proper binding energies when Si atom is placed in any D-site of C₆₀. Si atoms enhance remarkably hydrogen storage capability in fullerene.