Secure Multi-copy Routing in Compromised Delay Tolerant Networks

Routing in delay tolerant networks (DTNs) is challenging due to their unique characteristics of intermittent node connectivity. Different protocols (single-, multi-copy, erasure-coding-based etc.) utilizing store-carry-and-forward paradigm have been proposed to achieve routing of messages in such environments by opportunistic message exchanges between nodes that are in the communication range of each other. The sparsity and distributed nature of these networks together with the lack of stable connectivity between source destination pairs make these networks vulnerable to malicious nodes which might attempt to learn the content of the messages being routed between the nodes. In this paper, we study DTNs in which malicious nodes are present, to which we refer to as compromised DTNs. We discuss and analyze the effects of presence of malicious nodes on routing of messages in compromised DTNs. We propose a two period routing approach which aims at achieving the desired delivery ratio by a given delivery deadline in presence of malicious nodes. Our simulation results with both random networks and real DTN traces show that, with proper parameter setting, the proposed method can achieve delivery ratios which surpass those reached by other algorithms by a given delivery deadline.     

The impact of fullerenol nanoparticles on the growth of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxins production in vitro and in corn flour

Antifungal and antimycotoxigenic activity of fullerenol nanoparticles (FNPs) were investigated on Aspergillus flavus growth isolated from a real food sample and aflatoxins (AFs) (AFB₁ and AFB₂) production. The final FNPs concentrations in in vitro and in commercial corn flour after the stationary incubation period of 7 and 14 days were in the range 0.16–80 µg/mL and 0.16–80 µg/g, respectively. Nanocharacterization of FNPs revealed an average size of 5–20 nm and a zeta potential of −35 mV. The highest degree of A. flavus mycelium growth inhibition (28%) after 7 days was observed for applied FNP concentration of 8.0 µg/mL, while after 14 days FNP concentration of 0.32 µg/mL led to the maximal inhibition of A. flavus mycelium growth (36%). Spearman's correlations analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between AFB₁ and AFB₂ concentrations in YES broth after 7 (R = 0.994, p < 0.05) and 14 days (R = 0.976), as well as between AFs concentrations and A. flavus mycelium mass after 7 (R = 0.786 for AFB₁ and R = 0.766 for AFB₂) and 14 days (R = 0.810 for AFB₁ and R = 0.833 for AFB₂). Paired samples t-test showed the existence of a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the produced AFs concentrations after the incubation of 7 and 14 days. Regarding the artificially inoculated corn flour the lower applied FNP concentrations (0.16–0.8 µg/g) achieved a reduction of AFB₁ up to 42% and 60% after 7 and 14 days, respectively.     

Physico-thermal and mechanical properties of Sanliurfa limestone,Turkey

Sanliurfa limestone is becoming increasingly popular for both interior and exterior building applications in the local area in south east Turkey, being easy to cut and shape and suitable for many purposes. Although these limestones are low cost construction materials, they are not widely used elsewhere due to the lack of data regarding their chemical, physico-thermal and mechanical properties and the requirement for highly skilled labour. A total of 264 samples of Sanliurfa limestone from four quarries were tested to determine their physico-thermal and mechanical properties. The data obtained confirmed they satisfy the main international standards for the use of limestone in the construction industry.     

Municipal solid waste management and practices in coastal cities of the Eastern Black Sea: a case study of Trabzon City, NE Turkey

Each day some 400–450 ton solid waste is dumped on land and in the sea and rivers in the coastal cities of the eastern Black Sea, creating serious environmental problems. The paper reports the engineering geological studies of a proposed landfill site for Trabzon, a major city in the region. Fieldwork included scan-line and seismic surveys as well as boreholes and in-situ testing. Water absorption tests indicated permeabilities in the order of 10⁻⁸ m/s.      

Electrocatalytic Performances of Carbon Supported Metallophthalocyanine and Pt/Metallophthalocyanine Catalysts Towards Dioxygen Reduction in Acidic Medium

Electrocatalytic performances of phthalocyanines (Pcs) involving N-benzyl-4-phenyloxyacetamide moieties, dispersed on a high-surface area carbon substrate, Vulcan XC-72 (VC) and Nafion (Nf), towards oxygen reduction in acidic medium were determined and compared. The VC/Nf/CoPc(5) catalyst showed much higher catalytic activity than those of the other Pc(1–4)-based catalysts (H₂Pc 1, ZnPc 2, NiPc 3 and CuPc 4) and that of unsubstituted CoPc-based one. The comparison of the performance of VC/Nf/Pt-5 dual catalyst with that of VC/Nf/Pt one indicated that the former can be a good alternative to the latter as a cathode catalyst both in direct methanol and H₂/O₂ fuel cell applications.     

Adsorption of malachite green onto bentonite: Equilibrium and kinetic studies and process design

The adsorption of malachite green onto bentonite in a batch adsorber has been studied. The effects of contact time, initial pH and initial dye concentration on the malachite green adsorption by the bentonite have been studied. Malachite green removal was seen to increase with increasing contact time until equilibrium and initial dye concentration, and the adsorption capacity of bentonite was independent of initial pH in the range 3–11. Four kinetic models, the pseudo first- and second-order equations, the Elovich equation and the intraparticle diffusion equation, were selected to follow the adsorption process. Kinetic parameters; rate constants, equilibrium adsorption capacities and correlation coefficients, for each kinetic equation were calculated and discussed. It was shown that the adsorption of malachite green onto bentonite could be described by the pseudo second-order equation. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich equations. Adsorption of malachite green onto bentonite followed the Langmuir isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔH, ΔS and ΔG, were also determined and evaluated. A single stage batch adsorber was designed for different adsorbent mass/treated effluent volume ratios using the Langmuir isotherm.