Modeling and Analysis of UAV-Assisted Mobile Network with Imperfect Beam Alignment

With the rapid development of emerging 5G and beyond (B5G), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly important to improve the performance of dense cellular networks. As a conventional metric, coverage probability has been widely studied in communication systems due to the increasing density of users and complexity of the heterogeneous environment. In recent years, stochastic geometry has attracted more attention as a mathematical tool for modeling mobile network systems. In this paper, an analytical approach to the coverage probability analysis of UAV-assisted cellular networks with imperfect beam alignment has been proposed. An assumption was considered that all users are distributed according to Poisson Cluster Process (PCP) around base stations, in particular, Thomas Cluster Process (TCP). Using this model, the impact of beam alignment errors on the coverage probability was investigated. Initially, the Probability Density Function (PDF) of directional antenna gain between the user and its serving base station was obtained. Then, association probability with each tier was achieved. A tractable expression was derived for coverage probability in both Line-of-Sight (LoS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) condition links. Numerical results demonstrated that at low UAVs altitude, beam alignment errors significantly degrade coverage performance. Moreover, for a small cluster size, alignment errors do not necessarily affect the coverage performance.     

Sense and sidedness in the graphics pipeline via a passage through a separable space

Computer graphics is ostensibly based on projective geometry. The graphics pipeline—the sequence of functions applied to 3D geometric primitives to determine a 2D image—is described in the graphics literature as taking the primitives from Euclidean to projective space, and then back to Euclidean space. This is a weak foundation for computer graphics. An instructor is at a loss: one day entering the classroom and invoking the established and venerable theory of projective geometry while asserting that projective spaces are not separable, and then entering the classroom the following week to tell the students that the standard graphics pipeline performs clipping not in Euclidean, but in projective space—precisely the operation (deciding sidedness, which depends on separability) that was deemed nonsensical. But there is no need to present Blinn and Newell’s algorithm (Comput. Graph. 12, 245–251, 1978; Commun. ACM 17, 32–42, 1974)—the crucial clipping step in the graphics pipeline and, perhaps, the most original knowledge a student learns in a fourth-year computer graphics class—as a clever trick that just works. Jorge Stolfi described in 1991 oriented projective geometry. By declaring the two vectors and distinct, Blinn and Newell were already unknowingly working in oriented projective space. This paper presents the graphics pipeline on this stronger foundation.

Hop chains: Secure routing and the establishment of distinct identities

We present a secure routing protocol that is immune to Sybil attacks and that can tolerate collusion of Byzantine routers. It can tolerate either initial collusion of Byzantine routers or runtime collusion of non-adjacent Byzantine routers, both in the absence of runtime collusion between adjacent routers. For these settings, the calculated distance from a destination to a node is not smaller than the actual shortest distance from the destination to the node. The protocol can also simultaneously tolerate initial collusion of Byzantine routers and runtime collusion of adjacent Byzantine routers but in the absence of runtime collusion between non-adjacent routers. For this setting, it guarantees a bound on the difference between the calculated distance and the actual shortest distance. The bound depends on the number of Byzantine routers on a path. The protocol makes very weak timing assumptions and requires synchronization only between neighbors or second neighbors. We propose to use this protocol for secure localization of routers using hop-count distances, which can be then used as a proof of identity of nodes.     

Optical coherence tomography used for security and fingerprint-sensing applications

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging technology for high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of three-dimensional structures. In the past, OCT systems have been used mainly for medical applications, especially ophthalmological diagnostics. As the OCT system is capable of exploring the internal features of an object, the authors apply OCT technology to document security and fingerprint-based biometrics by directly retrieving the two-dimensional information form of a multiple-layer information carrier and internal human body objects. Since a typical depth-resolution of an OCT system is of micrometre scale, an information carrier having a volume of 20 mm times 20 mm times 2 mm could contain 200 mega-pixel images. On other hand, the technologies used in conventional biometrics can be easily fooled and tampered with by using artificial dummies, because these ID features are extracted only from the surface of the skin. Hence the use of OCT to explore the internal biometrics becomes increasingly important.     

Mode of zero wear in mechanical systems with dry contact

A theoretical and experimental analysis of a mechanical system with dry contact and subject to harmonic excitation is made. The adopted model is a two-degree-of-freedom system representing two sub-structures in dry contacts from their flat ground surfaces. It is theoretically shown that the two sub-structures move in phase with equal amplitudes at a particular frequency of oscillation. This particular frequency is called the frequency of virtual sticking and depends upon the physical properties of the two contacting sub-structures as well as the ratio between the amplitudes of external forces applied on these two structures in the direction of their friction sliding. Zero wear of contact surfaces can thus be established since relative velocity between encountered asperities of sub-structure surfaces becomes zero. It is shown, theoretically and experimentally, that when one of the applied harmonic forces is zero, the frequency of virtual sticking is equal to the natural frequency of the unforced sub-structure. The displacement ratio of the two contacting structures under the effect of harmonic excitation in their sliding direction is investigated within a frequency range up to 400 Hz. The tangential contact stiffness and the dynamic contact rigidity are theoretically determined and experimentally predicted from the measured forced displacement ratio.     

Selective Recovery of Cadmium,Cobalt, and Nickel from Spent Ni–Cd Batteries Using Adogen® 464 and Mesoporous Silica Derivatives

Spent Ni–Cd batteries are now considered an important source for many valuable metals. The recovery of cadmium, cobalt, and nickel from spent Ni–Cd Batteries has been performed in this study. The optimum leaching process was achieved using 20% H₂SO₄, solid/liquid (S/L) 1/5 at 80 °C for 6 h. The leaching efficiency of Fe, Cd, and Co was nearly 100%, whereas the leaching efficiency of Ni was 95%. The recovery of the concerned elements was attained using successive different separation techniques. Cd(II) ions were extracted by a solvent, namely, Adogen^® 464, and precipitated as CdS with 0.5% Na₂S solution at pH of 1.25 and room temperature. The extraction process corresponded to pseudo-2nd-order. The prepared PTU-MS silica was applied for adsorption of Co(II) ions from aqueous solution, while the desorption process was performed using 0.3 M H₂SO₄. Cobalt was precipitated at pH 9.0 as Co(OH)₂ using NH₄OH. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were also investigated. Nickel was directly precipitated at pH 8.25 using a 10% NaOH solution at ambient temperature. FTIR, SEM, and EDX confirm the structure of the products.     

Corrosion inhibition of reinforcing steel by using hydrazine hydrate

The effectiveness of hydrazine hydrate as a corrosion inhibitor for reinforcing steel in alkaline media (lime water) has been investigated. It has been found that the critical concentration for inhibition increases with the increase of the aggressive ion concentration. The mechanism of the corrosion inhibition was discussed in terms of competitive adsorption between the aggressive ion and hydrazine at relatively low concentrations of hydrazine. Higher concentrations of hydrazine caused instantaneous passivation of the steel even more readily than that obtained in pure lime water.     

Corrosion inhibition of steel by sodium sulphite

The corrosion inhibition of steel in a closed system containing sodium sulphite at room temperature has been established. Steady-state potential as well as weight loss measurements indicated that sodium sulphite did not only remove O₂ from the solution but also brought complete cathodic protection. It was found also that sodium sulphite could tolerate the presence of Cl^?, SO₄^2? and S^2?. In case of sulphite—sulphate or sulphite—chloride mixtures a concentration of 5 × 10^?3M Na₂SO₃ was required to tolerate a wide range of concentration of these aggressive ions. A linear relationship was found between log sulphite concentration and log maximum tolerated concentration of sulphide.     

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane – Treated waste milled light bulbs composites

In this study, polyurethane (PU)-milled light bulbs glass composites were synthesized and characterized. The main interest in this study that the polyurethane derived from renewable resources and waste glass are used to form the composite constituents as an attempt towards environmental preservation. Castor oil and polymeric diphenyl methane di-isocyanates (PMDI) were used in NCO/OH ratio = 2 for polyurethane synthesis. Milled glass with average particles size less than 300 μm were prepared based on waste light bulbs. Silane A1100 (as a compatibilizer) was used in order to improve the value of recycled milled glass beads. The adhesion force between polyurethane matrix and milled glass beads was evaluated using mechanical and physical tests. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate dispersion and fracture surfaces of the composites. Infrared spectrum (IR), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) behavior, and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), were employed to characterize the developed composite materials in details. Chemical resistance (weight change, thickness swelling) was measured in oil, water and dilute acetic acid media. Furthermore, tensile strength and hardness were investigated using universal materials testing machines. A slight increase in the hardness values was reported along with the increasing in particulate fillers loading up to 10% as a considerable improvement has been detected when milled glass reached 20%. The DSC analysis showed the presence of treated milled glass beads influences the thermal behavior of pure PU and composites. This can be attributed to enhancing the physical bonding between PU and silica group. Waste milled glass showed a significant effect on the thermal degradation of the composites in the presence of coupling agent. Further analysis on the tensile strength of the composites indicated that such improved mechanical properties may be attributed to the presence of coupling agent.