Differentiated service strategies for ad-hoc wireless sensor networks in harsh communication environments

In some wireless sensor network applications, sensor nodes will be deployed in harsh communication environments. In such environments, the deployment may not be adequately controlled, and nodes may have to communicate with a single destination node. For nodes to alert the destination on critical data that has been sensed, in addition to the harsh communication environment, contention resulting from both the deployment and network density must be appropriately overcome. In this paper, we create theoretical models for the behavior of Timeout-MAC (T-MAC) protocol, and evaluate five possible solutions, each designed to be easy to implement on a device by simply tuning T-MAC parameters, so as to overcome these environment-specific issues and effectively alert the destination to critical data. Our results indicate that slight changes to the behavior of the network can improve the awareness of the destination to critical regions in the environment, and that these changes have different levels of effectiveness at different network densities.     

Differences in the Method by Which Plasma Is Separated from Whole Blood Influences Amphotericin B Plasma Recovery and Distribution Following Amphotericin B Lipid Complex Incubation Within Whole Blood

A previous investigation suggested that the use of plasma as the biological fluid for measurement of amphotericin B (AmpB) concentrations greatly underestimates the concentrations of AmpB in the total blood circulation following amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC) administration to humans. The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in the method used to obtain plasma from whole blood influences the percentage of AmpB recovered in plasma following ABLC incubation in whole blood. ABLC (5 μg AmpB/ml; peak blood concentration observed in rabbits following intravenous bolus of ABLC at a dose of 1 mg/kg) was incubated in whole blood for 5 min at 25°C. These conditions were used to mimic the sample retrieval conditions used when blood is obtained from animals and human patients. Following incubation, plasma was obtained from whole blood using five different methods: (A) Whole blood was centrifuged for 5 min at 23°C, and the plasma was separated; (B) whole blood was stored at 4°C for 18 h, and the plasma was separated by gravity; (C) whole blood was stored at 23°C for 18 h, and the plasma was separated by gravity; (D) whole blood was stored at 37°C for 18 h in a water bath, and the plasma was separated by gravity; and (E) whole blood was stored at 30°C for 18 h in a water bath, and the plasma was separated by gravity. All samples were protected from light throughout the duration of the experiment. AmpB concentration in each plasma sample was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an external calibration curve. The whole blood : plasma Amp B concentration ratio and the percentage of AmpB partitioned into plasma following incubation of ABLC in whole blood for each plasma separation procedure was as follows: (A) 6.5 : 1 blood : plasma AmpB concentration ratio, 15.4% ± 1.6% AmpB in plasma; (B) 2.98 : 1 blood : plasma AmpB concentration ratio, 33.6% ± 7.7% AmpB in plasma; (C) 1.5 : 1 blood : plasma AmpB concentration ratio, 67.6% ± 10.3% AmpB in plasma; (D) 1.5 : 1 blood : plasma concentration ratio, 68.1% ± 1.1% AmpB in plasma; and (E) 1.2 : 1 blood : plasma AmpB concentration ratio; 83.4% ± 5.5% AmpB in plasma. These findings suggest that when measurement of AmpB in plasma is required following ABLC administration, incubation of whole blood at 30°C for 18 h appears to be the most effective method.     

Survival and reproduction of lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) on flora associated with native habitats in Kansas

Capture of Rhyzopertha dominica in pheromone-baited traps located many kilometers away from grain storage suggests that this species may be exploiting non-grain food sources. To investigate the potential for survival of this species on alternative hosts in the absence of grain, we conducted no-choice feeding assays with twigs and seeds of trees, and seeds of grasses, forbs, and shrubs, commonly encountered on Kansas prairie landscapes where R. dominica has been captured. In addition, R. dominica development and progeny production were assessed on seeds that adults were able to survive on for at least two weeks. Adult survival was poor on grass and forb seeds, although 13.4% of individuals survived on Elymus canadensis, Canada wildrye, seeds after two weeks, compared with 80.3% on Triticum aestivum, wheat, and 0.0% survival in the absence of food. Beetles readily tunneled into twigs from a wide range of tree species, but survival was generally low. A few individuals survived up to four weeks on Gleditsia triacanthos, honey locust. In contrast, bioassays showed that R. dominica could survive and reproduce on damaged seeds (acorns) of six species of oak, but not on undamaged seeds. For example, survival was 95.8% on damaged Quercus muehlenbergii, chinquapin oak. A survey of acorns at the original field collection site showed that the majority of the acorns on the ground had been cracked or bored into by insects and small mammals. Furthermore, we recovered three R. dominica adults from acorns collected in the field and held in sealed containers in the laboratory. These findings suggest that R. dominica populations in Kansas can persist on wild acorns when grain is not available.     

Nonsupercritically Dried Silica–Alumina Aerogels—Effect of Gelation pH

Silica–alumina mixed oxide aerogels, with 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt% of alumina in silica, have been synthesized by a hybrid sol–gel technique followed by subcritical drying. The gelation has been carried out under pH values of 3 and 5. pH is a decisive parameter that affects the rate of hydrolysis and condensation of alkoxides. Moreover, it also influences the surface area and porosity features of the final material. The gelation time has been found to be much longer for gels that were gelled at pH 3. Nitrogen sorption studies of the aerogels calcined at 500°C indicate that the mixed oxide aerogels are mesoporous in nature and the gels prepared under a gelation pH of 3 have been found to have higher surface area than the pH 5 counterpart. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis have been performed to verify the homogeneity of the mixed oxide aerogel.     

Rheological properties of black gram (Phaseolus mungo) batter: characterisation of flour from native and modified rice and their effect on batter viscosity

Rheological properties of black gram batter as a function of soaking time, and effect of flour from native and thermally modified rice on black gram batter have been studied. Greater increase in hydration capacity of black gram dhal was observed during 5–15 min of soaking, a gradual increase up to 90 min and a marginal increase beyond this period. Apparent viscosity of batter showed 100% increase up to 90 min and less than 20% increase beyond 120 min, and shear‐thinning nature of batter indicated that they were pseudo‐plastic in nature. Yield stress and consistency index showed greater changes after 90 min, while flow behaviour index did not show significant change beyond 90 min of soaking. Compared with the addition of native rice flour, incorporation of flaked rice flour and expanded rice flour into black gram batter significantly increased the cold paste viscosity of the batter, probably because of their greater water‐holding capacity, compared with that from native rice. Differences in physicochemical characteristics and pasting behaviour of these flour slurries, as studied by Rapid Visco Analyser, corroborated these results by the typical profile of pregelatinised products for flaked rice and expanded rice in comparison to native rice.     

Component Dependency in Object-Oriented Software

Component dependency is an important software measure. It is directly related to software understandability, maintainability, and reusability. Two important parameters in describing component dependency are the type of coupling between two components and the type of the dependent component. Depending upon the different types of coupling and the type of the dependent components, there can be different effects on component maintenance and component reuse. In this paper, we divide dependent components into three types. We then classify various component dependencies and analyze their effects on maintenance and reuse. Based on the classification, we present a dependency metric and validate it on 11 open-source Java components. Our study shows that a strong correlation exists between the measurement of the dependency of the component and the effort to reuse the component. This indicates that the classification of component dependency and the suggested metric could be further used to represent other external software quality factors.     

Multiobjective Optimal Fuzzy Logic Controller Driven Active and Hybrid Control Systems for Seismically Excited Nonlinear Buildings

The third generation benchmark control problem for seismically excited nonlinear buildings is an effort to evaluate the developed control strategies in order to apply them in field applications. As the fuzzy logic control systems have been applied effectively in various fields, including vibration control of structures, a multiobjective optimal fuzzy logic control system has been proposed in this paper. Two types of control devices, namely, active and hybrid, driven by a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) have been considered in the present study. Nondimensionalized peak interstory drift ratio and peak floor acceleration have been used as the two objective functions for the multiobjective optimal design problem. A two-branch tournament genetic algorithm has been used to find a set of Pareto-optimal solutions, as the optimization problem is not necessarily continuous or convex. Performance of the FLC driven active and hybrid control systems have been evaluated for all three third generation benchmark problems for seismically excited nonlinear buildings (3-, 9- and 20-story). Acceleration and velocity information of different floors have been used as feedback to the FLC. This approach provides a set of Pareto optimal designs, from which a controller design can be selected for the required performance. The FLC driven active control system performs better than the sample controller given in the benchmark problem. Though the number of sensors and control devices are far less, the performance of the hybrid is close to the active control system.     

Nano‐zero valent iron impregnated cashew nut shell: a solution to heavy metal contaminated water/wastewater

The present research is focused on the removal of Zn(II) ions from aqueous solution using nano zero‐valent iron impregnated cashew nut shell (NZVI‐CNS). The present system was investigated in batch mode operation. NZVI‐CNS was prepared by the liquid‐phase reduction process. The results showed that the NZVI‐CNS exhibited superior adsorption capacity for the removal of Zn(II) ions. Adsorption isotherm and kinetic models were applied to explain the nature of the adsorption process. Adsorption kinetic data followed the pseudo‐first order kinetic model. Moreover, the equilibrium adsorption data were best fitted with a Freundlich model. Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity was calculated as 94.46 mg of Zn(II) ions/g of NZVI‐CNS. The thermodynamic parameters explain that the present adsorption system was measured as feasible and spontaneous. This newly prepared adsorbent can be successfully applied for the different industrial wastewater treatment. Finally, the exploration asks about contemplated that NZVI‐CNS has exhibited unrivalled adsorption limit. Additionally, NZVI‐CNS is believed to be extremely green and monetarily neighbourly help for wastewater treatment. The results indicate that the feasible approach could be applied in agricultural waste biomass materials for the productive expulsion of heavy metals from aqueous solution and reusing agricultural wastes to facilitate their disposal problem.Inspec keywords: wastewater treatment, contamination, zinc, reduction (chemical), adsorption, monolayers, renewable materialsOther keywords: nano zero‐valent iron impregnated cashew nut shell, aqueous solution, Zn(II) ion removal, NZVI‐CNS, batch mode operation, liquid‐phase reduction process, adsorption capacity, adsorption isotherm models, adsorption kinetic models, adsorption kinetic data, adsorption process, pseudo‐first order kinetic model, equilibrium adsorption data, Freundlich model, Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity, thermodynamic parameters, adsorption system, industrial wastewater treatment, agricultural waste biomass materials, productive expulsion, heavy metals, waste disposal, Zn     

FPGA implementation of current-sharing strategy for parallel-connected SEPICs

The attempt echoes to evolve an equal current-sharing algorithm over a number of single-ended primary inductance converters connected in parallel. The methodology involves the development of state-space model to predict the condition for the existence of a stable equilibrium portrait. It acquires the role of a variable structure controller to guide the trajectory, with a view to circumvent the circuit non-linearities and arrive at a stable performance through a preferred operating range. The design elicits an acceptable servo and regulatory characteristics, the desired time response and ensures regulation of the load voltage. The simulation results validated through a field programmable gate array-based prototype serves to illustrate its suitability for present-day applications.