Call admission control with opportunistic scheduling scheme

In this paper, a rate‐based admission control scheme for a single shared wireless base station with opportunistic scheduling and adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) is proposed. The proposed admission scheme maintains minimum average rates of the admitted users, i.e., new users will be admitted if the base station has enough resources to support the required minimum average transmission rates of all users. The proposed scheme relies on an analytical model for the average per‐user rates of an opportunistic scheduling in an unsaturated scenario, where some queues may be empty for certain periods of time. We provide extensive simulation results to demonstrate the accuracy of the base analytical model on which our admission scheme relies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Laboratory large-scale pullout investigation of a new reinforcement of composite geosynthetic strip

In this paper, more than 70 large-scale pullout tests were performed to evaluate the performance of an innovative composite geosynthetic strip(CGS) reinforcement in sandy backfill. The CGS reinforcement is composed of a geosynthetic strip(GS) and parts of a scrap truck tire as transverse members. The experimental pullout results for the CGS reinforcement were compared with the suggested theoretical equations and ordinary reinforcements, including the GS, the steel strip(SS), and the steel strip with rib(SSR). The pullout test results show that adding three transverse members to the GS reinforcement(CGS_3) with S/H=6.6(where S and H are the space and height of the transverse members, respectively)increases pullout resistance by more than 120%, 170%, and 50% compared to the GS, the SS, and the SSR,respectively. This result shows that the CGS_3(CGS with three transverse members) reinforcement needs at least 55.5%, 63%, and 33.3% smaller length compared to the GS, the SS, and the SSR, respectively. In general, implementation of mechanically stabilized earth wall(MSEW) with the proposed strip may help geotechnical engineers prevent costly designs and solve the problem of MSEW implementation in cases where there are limitations of space.     

Teaching the User By Learning From the User:Personalizing Movement Control in Physical Human-robot Interaction

This paper proposes a novel approach for physical human-robot interactions (pHRI), where a robot provides guidance forces to a user based on the user performance. This framework tunes the forces in regards to behavior of each user in coping with different tasks, where lower performance results in higher intervention from the robot. This personalized physical human-robot interaction (p2HRI) method incorporates adaptive modeling of the interaction between the human and the robot as well as learning from demonstration (LfD) techniques to adapt to the users' performance. This approach is based on model predictive control where the system optimizes the rendered forces by predicting the performance of the user. Moreover, continuous learning of the user behavior is added so that the models and personalized considerations are updated based on the change of user performance over time. Applying this framework to a field such as haptic guidance for skill improvement, allows a more personalized learning experience where the interaction between the robot as the intelligent tutor and the student as the user, is better adjusted based on the skill level of the individual and their gradual improvement. The results suggest that the precision of the model of the interaction is improved using this proposed method, and the addition of the considered personalized factors to a more adaptive strategy for rendering of guidance forces.      

Silicon Nanowires Driving Miniaturization of Microelectromechanical Systems Physical Sensors: A Review

The miniaturization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) physical sensors is driven by global connectivity needs and is closely linked to emerging digital technologies and the Internet of Things. Strong technical advantages of miniaturization such as improved sensitivity, functionality, and power consumption are accompanied by significant economic benefits due to semiconductor manufacturing. Hence, the trend to produce smaller sensors and their driving force resemble very much those of the miniaturization of integrated circuits (ICs) as described by Moore's law. In this respect, with its IC-, and MEMS-compatibility, and scalability, the silicon nanowire is frequently employed in frontier research as the sensor building block replacing conventional sensors. The integration of the silicon nanowire with MEMS has thus generated a multiscale hybrid architecture, where the silicon nanowire serves as the piezoresistive transducer and MEMS provide an interface with external forces, such as inertial or magnetic. This approach has been reported for almost all physical sensor types over the last decade. These sensors are reviewed here with detailed classification. In each case, associated technological challenges and comparisons with conventional counterparts are provided. Future directions and opportunities are highlighted.     

Keramische Membranen für die effiziente Abtrennung von organischen Mikroschadstoffen aus wässrigen Lösungen am Beispiel pharmazeutischer Wirkstoffe

An indispensable part of modern medicine is the use of active pharmaceutical ingredients. However, a significant part of pharmaceuticals ends up in municipal wastewater treatment plants after administration through excreta. There, they cannot be comprehensively eliminated due to their poor biodegradability and enter the groundwater via the flowing waters. In this study, the use of ceramic membranes for the removal of various active substances, e.g., ibuprofen and diclofenac, from aqueous solutions is investigated and results on the removal efficiency of the membranes investigated are presented.     

Titanium-Based Nanoarchitectures for Sonodynamic Therapy-Involved Multimodal Treatments

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has considerably revolutionized the healthcare sector as a viable noninvasive therapeutic procedure. It employs a combination of low-intensity ultrasound and chemical entities, known as a sonosensitizer, to produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) for cancer and antimicrobial therapies. With nanotechnology, several unique nanoplatforms are introduced as a sonosensitizers, including, titanium-based nanomaterials, thanks to their high biocompatibility, catalytic efficiency, and customizable physicochemical features. Additionally, developing titanium-based sonosensitizers facilitates the integration of SDT with other treatment modalities (for example, chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, and immunotherapy), hence increasing overall therapeutic results. This review summarizes the most recent developments in cancer therapy and tissue engineering using titanium nanoplatforms mediated SDT. The synthesis strategies and biosafety aspects of Titanium-based nanoplatforms for SDT are also discussed. Finally, various challenges and prospects for its further development and potential clinical translation are highlighted.     

Feasibility Study of Tuning the Threshold Voltage of Nanoscale Fin-shaped Field Effect Transistor (FinFET) via Metal Gate Workfunction Engineering

Silicon - In this paper, we comprehensively assess the unique features, feasibility and limitations of dual material gate fin field effect transistor for tuning the threshold voltage in nanoscale...