The next-generation ARC middleware

The Advanced Resource Connector (ARC) is a light-weight, non-intrusive, simple yet powerful Grid middleware capable of connecting highly heterogeneous computing and storage resources. ARC aims at providing general purpose, flexible, collaborative computing environments suitable for a range of uses, both in science and business. The server side offers the fundamental job execution management, information and data capabilities required for a Grid. Users are provided with an easy to install and use client which provides a basic toolbox for job- and data management. The KnowARC project developed the next-generation ARC middleware, implemented as Web Services with the aim of standard-compliant interoperability.     

SKWN: Smart and dynamic key management scheme for wireless sensor networks

In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), we are witnessing to an unprecedented data production because of the massive deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Typically, a network of several hundred sensors is created to ensure the interactions between the cyber world and the physical world. Unfortunately, the intensive use of this kind of networks has raised several security issues. Indeed, many WSN‐based applications require secure communication in order to protect collected data. This security is generally ensured by encryption of communication between sensors, which requires the establishment of many cryptographic keys. Managing these keys, within a protocol, is an important task that guarantees the effectiveness of the security mechanism. The protocol should be intelligently adaptable not only to intrusion events but also to the security level needed by some applications. An efficient protocol optimizes also sensors energy and consequently increases the network life cycle. In this paper, we propose, a smart and dynamic key management scheme for hierarchical wireless sensor networks (SKWN). Our protocol offers three subschemes to deal with key establishment, key renewal, and new node integration. Regarding existing schemes, SKWN does not only provide reliable security mechanisms, but it also optimizes energy consumption and overheads related to the communication and memory usage. Furthermore, our approach relies on a machine learning approach to monitor the state of the network and decide the appropriate security level. We provide a formal approach and its implementation, together with simulations allowing to compare resources usage with respect to existing approaches.     

Structural, electronic, optical and thermodynamic properties of SrxCa1−xO, BaxSr1−xO and BaxCa1−xO alloys

The structural, electronic, optical and thermodynamic properties of Sr_xCa_1−xO, Ba_xSr_1−xO and Ba_xCa_1−xO ternary alloys in NaCl phase were studied using pseudo-potential plane-wave method within the density functional theory. We modeled the alloys at some selected compositions with ordered structures described in terms of periodically repeated supercells. The dependence of the lattice parameters, band gaps, dielectric constants, refractive indices, Debye temperatures, mixing entropies and heat capacities on the composition x were analyzed for x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1. The lattice constant for Sr_xCa_1−xO and Ba_xSr_1−xO exhibits a marginal deviation from the Vegard's law, while the Ba_xCa_1−xO lattice constant exhibits an appreciable upward bowing. A strong deviation of the bulk modulus from linear concentration dependence was observed for the three alloys. The microscopic origins of the gap bowing were detailed and explained. The composition dependence of the dielectric constant and refractive index was studied using different models. The thermodynamic stability of these alloys was investigated by calculating the phase diagram. The thermal effect on some macroscopic properties was investigated using the quasi-harmonic Debye model. There is a good agreement between our results and the available experimental data for the binary compounds which may be a support for the results of the ternary alloys reported here for the first time.     

Exploring the performance of TCP vegas in mobile ad hoc networks

Recent research efforts in mobile ad hoc networks have concentrated on examining the behaviour of TCP Reno over various ad hoc routing protocols and have suggested a number of extensions to improve its performance. TCP Vegas, which takes a proactive approach to congestion avoidance, has not so far been examined as a viable alternative to TCP Reno in wireless environments and no effort has been made to analyse its performance over routing protocols for MANETs. This paper evaluates using extensive simulation experiments the performance behaviour of TCP Vegas over a proactive (destination sequenced distance vector) and two reactive (dynamic source routing and ad hoc on demand distance vector) routing protocols and compares it against that of TCP Reno. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of hydrodynamic behaviour and mass transfer efficiency of reduced pressure distillation

A random packing hydrodynamic simulator is designed specially to carry out experiments under reduced pressures with a counter-current flow air/water system. The simulator results (air/water system) compared to those obtained in a real packed distillation column (benzylchloride/ ethylbenzene system) show a good agreement between hydrodynamic parameters like pressure drop, flooding flow rate, and total liquid hold-up. Empirical relationships derived from the simulator experimental results are proposed allowing the calculation of the pressure drop in a packed distillation column, operating in the pressure range between 10 kPa and atmospheric pressure. The influence of reduced pressure on the HETP in the distillation column and interfacial area in the simulator was also investigated.     

Non‐constraining Online Signature Reconstruction System for Persons with Handwriting Problems

This paper presents a new non‐constraining online optical handwritten signature reconstruction system that, in the main, makes use of a transparent glass pad placed in front of a color camera. The reconstruction approach allows efficient exploitation of hand activity during a signing process; thus, the system as a whole can be seen as a viable alternative to other similar acquisition tools. This proposed system allows people with physical or emotional problems to carry out their own signatures without having to use a pen or sophisticated acquisition system. Moreover, the developed reconstruction signature algorithms have low computational complexity and are therefore well suited for a hardware implementation on a dedicated smart system.     

Electronic and Electrical Conductivity of AB and AA-Stacked Bilayer Graphene with Tunable Layer Separation

This humble work attempts to study the electronic and electrical conductivity characteristics of AB and AAstacked bilayer graphene (BLG) sheet, by using ab initio calculation. The electronic transport coefficient was calculated by using Boltzmann transport equations implanted in Boltztrap package at various temperatures from 80 to 380 K. First, this study will begin to experiment an interlayer spacing from 3.55 and 3.35 Å respectively for AA and AB-BLG. If the distance between the layers is more than 5.00 Å, the increase or decrease of energy does depend on the interlayer spacing so band gap is equal to zero. The electrical conductivity of AA and AB-BLG is compared to the experimental electrical conductivity of graphene monolayer under increasing spacing between layers to 4.00 Å. Band gap decreases with the increasing space while conductivity increases with increasing space. AA-BLG electrical conductivity shows a value near to the experimental electrical conductivity of graphene ribbon for 4.00 Å at 380 K. Nevertheless, the distance variation does not much affect the electronic and electrical characteristics of AB-BLG. In addition, the increase between the interlayer distances does not influence so much the electrical conductivity. Therefore, increasing the distance between interlayers decreases the electrical conductivity due to the increasing of band gap.     

Synthesis of isosorbide based polyurethanes: An isocyanate free method

The synthesis of isocyanate free polyurethanes is a major concern. This paper first reports the synthesis of new biobased isosorbide dicyclocarbonates from isosorbide. Then polyhydroxyurethanes (PHUs) were synthesized by a cyclocarbonate–amine step growth polyaddition with four commercial diamines (e.g. jeffamine D-400, 1,10 diaminodecane, diethylenetriamine and isophoronediamine). These unprecedented products, obtained with high yield, were characterized by ¹H NMR, FTIR, DSC, SEC and TGA analyses. PHUs exhibited glass transition temperatures from ?8 °C to 59 °C, and degradation temperatures (Td 5%) between 234 °C and 255 °C. Last but not least, the compounds produced during the degradation of these PHUs were analyzed by ATG-IR technique and showed that carbon dioxide and secondary amines are released.