A general procedure for deriving solutions of dual integral equations

Summary In this paper there is developed an operational procedure for deriving solutions of dual integral equations of a general type-equations (1.1) and (1.2) below. The method depends strongly on properties of the Mellin transform. To illustrate the application of the method solutions are derived of the elementary type of dual integral equations occurring in engineering applications. The method is then applied to the solution of dual integral equations of Titchmarsh type and to those involvingY-andK-transforms.Research supported by a National Research Council of Canada grant.     

Oxidation of Primary Amines to N‐Monoalkylhydroxylamines using Sodium Tungstate and Hydrogen Peroxide‐Urea Complex

The sodium tungstate‐catalyzed (10 mol %) oxidation of primary amines with a urea‐hydrogen peroxide complex (UHP) gives the corresponding N‐monoalkylhydroxylamines, which are important biologically active compounds, in good to excellent yields. The method is applicable for a wide range of primary amines, including chiral benzylic amines, α‐1,2‐hydroxylamine and α‐amino esters.     

Investigation of Bonding Behavior of AA1050/AA5083 Bimetallic Laminates by Roll Bonding Technique

In this study, 1-mm AA1050/AA5083 bimetallic laminates were produced using roll bonding (RB) process. The RB process was carried out with thickness reduction ratios of 25, 50 and 75%, separately. Finite element simulation was used to model the deformation of bimetallic laminates for various experimental conditions. Particular attention was focused on the bonding of the interface between AA1050 and AA5083 layers in the simulation. The optimization of thickness reduction ratios was obtained for improvement of the bond strength of bimetallic laminates during RB process. During the simulation, the mean equivalent strain at the interface zone between the layers was found to reach the maximum value with a high quality bond for the sample produced with 75% of thickness reduction. Moreover, the fracture surface of samples around the interface of laminates after the tensile test was studied to investigate the bonding quality by scanning electron microscopy.     

Analysis of Effective Environmental Flow Release Strategies for Lake Urmia Restoration

Saline lakes have diminished considerably due to large-scale irrigation projects throughout the world. Environmental flow (EF) release from upstream reservoirs could help conserve and restore these lakes. However, experiences from regions lacking environmental legislation or with insufficient water resources management show that, despite EF allocation, farmers tend to use all available water for agriculture. In this study, we employed a new method for designing environmental flow release strategies to restore desiccated terminal lakes in arid and semi-arid regions with intensive cultivation within the catchment. The novelty of the method is that it takes into account farmers’ water use behavior and the natural flow regime in upstream systems to design an optimum monthly EF release strategy for reservoirs. We applied the method to the water resource system of Lake Urmia, once the largest saline lake in the Middle East and now one of the most endangered saline lakes in the world. The analysis showed that the EF released is exploited by lowland farmers before reaching Lake Urmia and that inflow to the lake from some rivers has decreased by up to 80%. We propose a new EF release strategy that requires a considerable change in practice whereby water is released in the shortest possible time (according to reservoir outlet capacity) during the period of lowest irrigation demand in winter. Restoring the lake to minimum ecological level would require 2.4–3.4 km³ EF allocation by different methods of release based on the recent condition (2002–2011) of the lake.     

Applications of network coding to improve TCP performance over wireless mesh networks: a survey

There is growing interest in the use of wireless mesh network (WMN) as a last‐mile option for Internet access. Despite the many benefits of WMNs, the performance of Internet access may not be ideal. One of the main issues is the interaction of transmission control protocol (TCP) with the underlying network. The poor performance of TCP over multi‐hop networks is well‐documented, and extensive research exists, which addresses TCPs foible and enhance TCP performance for multi‐hop environments. This paper provides a thorough survey of TCP performance issues over WMNs and the available solutions to address these issues. Among the existing methods, we focused on network coding (NC) and the ways that TCP interacts with network coded systems. NC is a technique that encodes the received packets in each node before forwarding them towards the destination. The use of NC in the transport layer to address performance issues raised by wireless access is a recent research topic. This paper presents a detailed study of TCP interaction with NC. Some open research areas in this field are suggested. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a conductive composite based on polythiophene/Y-zeolite and its response towards sulfide ions

A new potentiometric sensor electrode for sulfide based on conducting polymer films is introduced. A composite of polythiophene (PTP) with Y-zeolite was prepared via chemical oxidative polymerization of thiophene (TP) in presence of a dispersion of Y-zeolite (powder) in CHCl3 solvent using anhydrous FeCl3 oxidant. Formation of polythiophene and its subsequent SEM and TEM analysis revealed formation of composite particles with average diameter in the range of 0.3–0.35 μm. DC conductivity value of the PTP-Y-zeolite composite was in the order of 10? 2 S/cm, which was indeed high compared to that of PTP, produced under identical conditions as above without the presence of Y-zeolite. This composite as active component with graphite powder and binding liquid was mixed and then used for preparation of solid state electrodes. The working temperature range for this electrode is between 20 and 40 °C. The linear dynamic range is 1 × 10? 7 – 1 × 10? 4 M and measures total sulfide concentration over a range of pH from 5 to 9. The composite electrode showed high selectivity for sulfide in the presence of many common interfering anions (? log KS, IO3?Pot = 6.3, ? log KS, BrO3?Pot = 5.5, ? log KS, S2O32 ?Pot = 4.8).     

Controlling Mechanical Properties of Cell‐Laden Hydrogels by Covalent Incorporation of Graphene Oxide

Graphene‐based materials are useful reinforcing agents to modify the mechanical properties of hydrogels. Here, an approach is presented to covalently incorporate graphene oxide (GO) into hydrogels via radical copolymerization to enhance the dispersion and conjugation of GO sheets within the hydrogels. GO is chemically modified to present surface‐grafted methacrylate groups (MeGO). In comparison to GO, higher concentrations of MeGO can be stably dispersed in a pre‐gel solution containing methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) without aggregation or significant increase in viscosity. In addition, the resulting MeGO‐GelMA hydrogels demonstrate a significant increase in fracture strength with increasing MeGO concentration. Interestingly, the rigidity of the hydrogels is not significantly affected by the covalently incorporated GO. Therefore, this approach can be used to enhance the structural integrity and resistance to fracture of the hydrogels without inadvertently affecting their rigidity, which is known to affect the behavior of encapsulated cells. The biocompatibility of MeGO‐GelMA hydrogels is confirmed by measuring the viability and proliferation of the encapsulated fibroblasts. Overall, this study highlights the advantage of covalently incorporating GO into a hydrogel system, and improves the quality of cell‐laden hydrogels.