Performance Analysis and Improvement Content Discovery Protocols Over Vehicular Networks

Recently P2P networks and theirs applications have become increasingly popular. On the other hand, considering ever increasing industrial and scholarly popularity of Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs), implementation P2P network over VANET has attracted attentions recently. One of the most important applications in P2P networks is content discovery. This paper presents an evaluation framework which evaluates challenges in VANET and their impact on performance of content discovery protocols including structured or unstructured ones. This evaluation is based on simulation and mathematical modeling. For mathematical modeling, Generalized Random Graph has been used. Results of evaluation clarified a higher performance on unstructured protocol and also impact of movement pattern and environmental characteristic of VANET on performance on content discovery protocols. Furthermore, based on evaluation results, some modifications in the manner of comprising overlay network were presented. This modification emphasizes matching of overlay networks and underlay networks and also using traffic flow of vehicles in comprising overlay links. Positive impact of this modification has been shown by simulation and mathematical modeling.     

On the use of effective limit strains to evaluate the forming severity of sheet metal parts after nonlinear loading

The conventional forming limit curve (FLC) is significantly strain path-dependent and therefore is not valid for formability evaluation of sheet metal parts that undergo nonlinear loading paths during the forming process. The stress-based forming limit curve (SFLC) is path-independent for all but very large prestrains and is a promising tool for formability evaluation. The SFLC is an ideal failure criterion for virtual forming simulations but it cannot be easily used on the shop floor as there is no straightforward experimental method to measure stresses in stamped parts. This paper presents a theoretical basis for predicting the effective limit strain curve (ELSC) using the Marciniak and Kuczynski (MK) analysis (Int J Mech Sci 9:609–620, 1967, Int J Mech Sci 15:789–805, 1973). Since the in-plane strain components are sufficient to calculate the effective strain, the ELSC can easily be determined from strains measured in the stamping plant, and therefore it is a better alternative to the SFLC for formability evaluation. This model was validated using experimental data for AISI-1012 steel (Molaei 1999) and AA-2008-T4 aluminum alloys Graf and Hosford (Metall Trans 24A:2503–2512, 1993). Predicted results showed that, similar to SFLC, the ELSC remains practically unchanged for a significant range of prestrain values under various bilinear loading paths, but some strain-path dependence can be observed for significant magnitudes of the effective prestrain (ε _e ?≥?0.37 for AISI-1012 steel and ε _e ?≥?0.25 for AA-2008-T4 aluminum).     

Design and optimization of alginate−chitosan−pluronic nanoparticles as a novel meloxicam drug delivery system

The inflammation and pain associated with osteoarthritis are treated with nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This treatment is accompanied by several side effects; therefore local intra articular (IA) NSAID injection can be more efficient and safe than systemic administration or topical use. In this study, alginate?chitosan?pluronic nanoparticles were considered as a new vehicle for IA meloxicam delivery. These novel nanoparticles were prepared using an ionotropic gelation method and were optimized for variables such as alginate to chitosan mass ratio, pluronic concentration, and meloxicam concentration using a 3‐factor in 3‐level Box‐Behnken design. To optimize the formulation, the dependent variables considered were particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and mean dissolution time (MDT). The nanoparticles morphology was characterized by FESEM and AFM. The potential interactions of the drug‐polymers were investigated by ATR‐FTIR and DSC, and the delivery profile of meloxicam from the nanoparticles was obtained. The average particle size of the optimized nanoparticles was 283 nm, the zeta potential was ?16.9 mV, the meloxicam entrapment efficiency was 55%, and the MDT was 8.9 hours. The cumulative released meloxicam amount from the composite nanoparticles was 85% at pH 7.4 within 96 h. The release profile showed an initial burst release followed by a sustained release phase. The release mechanism was non‐Fickian diffusion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42241.     

Mathematical modeling of polyethylene terephthalate pyrolysis in a spouted bed

A model has been developed for pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in a spouted bed reactor based on the conservation equations for heat, mass, and momentum transports. A spouted bed has been constructed and the kinetic parameters have been obtained within the temperature range of 723–833 K, using two particle size ranges, (0.1–1.0) × 10^?3 and (1.0–3.0) × 10^?3 m. The model' predictions for the radial distributions of temperature and concentration confirm the excellent mixing of particles. Thus, spouted beds are appropriate equipments for performing kinetic studies of PET pyrolysis. The inlet gas temperature and the mass of PET highly affect PET conversion. The amount of inert particles has a negligible effect on the conversion and it can be reduced as far as a stable spouting is preserved. The gas flow suffices to eliminate the external heat and mass‐transfer limitations. It can be reduced to the minimum value to decrease the energy consumption. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1900–1911, 2015     

Oxidation Properties of a Beta-Stabilized TiAl Alloy Modified by Rare Earth Elements

This paper explores the effects of adding rare earth elements (lanthanum or erbium) on the oxidation properties of Ti–43.5Al–4Nb–1Mo–0.1B (TNM) alloy. Isothermal oxidation tests were performed under air atmosphere at 900 and 1000 °C. Mass gain was measured in several steps during the oxidation test, and the oxidized specimens were characterized by XRD and FE-SEM. The results showed that while adding 0.1 at.% rare earth elements (REEs) reduced oxidation rate of the TNM alloy, 0.2 at.% REEs addition increased the mass gain of the alloys. The oxidation curves were fitted by a power-law equation; the results showed that the oxidation kinetic curves of all alloys obeyed parabolic growth kinetics (n = 2). Meanwhile, the activation energy of oxidation was in the range of 40–50 kCal/mol, thereby suggesting that the scale growth was controlled by mass transport in the TiO₂ layer. Also, the results of the scale characterization showed that addition of REEs at low level (e.g., 0.1 at.%) could reduce diffusion rate in the scale. However, addition of the higher amounts of La or Er (e.g., 0.2 at.%) due to the lower valency (+ 3) of these elements, as compared with Ti (+ 4), could lead to the increased anion diffusion, the formation of hillocks in the scale and a rise of the oxidation rate.     

Weathering performance of thermally modified wood coated with polyacrylate containing olive leaf extract as a bio-based additive

European Journal of Wood and Wood Products - Heat-treated (HT) wood is now a popular building material, which has been welcome by consumers due to its dark brown color, dimensional stability and...     

Postharvest Heat Treatment for Mitigation of Chilling Injury in Fruits and Vegetables

Low-temperature storage is widely used as a postharvest treatment applied for delaying senescence in vegetables and ornamentals and ripening in fruits, upholding their postharvest quality. But the refrigerated storage of tropical and subtropical crop plant species provokes a set of physiological alterations known as chilling injury (CI) that negatively affect their quality and frequently renders the product not saleable. The increasing demand for consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with restriction on the use of synthetic chemicals to reduce CI, has encouraged scientific research on the use of heat treatments as an environment-friendly technology for CI mitigation. Membrane damage and reactive oxygen species production are multifarious adverse effects of chilling as oxidative stress in sensitive fruits and vegetables. Chilling mitigation in heat-treated fruits and vegetables could be attributed to (1) enhancement of membrane integrity by the increase of unsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (unSFA/SFA) ratio; (2) enhancement of heat shock protein gene expression and accumulation; (3) enhancement of the antioxidant system activity; (4) enhancement of the arginine pathways which lead to the accumulation of signaling molecules with pivotal roles in improving chilling tolerance such as polyamines, nitric oxide, and proline; (5) alteration in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenol oxidase enzyme activities; and (6) enhancement of sugar metabolism. In the present review, we have focused on the impacts of heat treatments on postharvest chilling tolerance and the mechanisms activated by this environment-friendly technology in fruits and vegetables.     

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in deep thermal waters from the south meager creek geothermal area, british columbia, canada

Deuterium and oxygen-18 (¹⁸O) have been measured in deep thermal, shallow thermal and non-thermal water samples collected at various times between 1982 and 1989 from the Meager Creek area, with the aim of assessing the origin of the thermal waters. The isotopic composition of the reservoir waters (δ¹⁸O = −13‰ and δD = −114.8‰) was calculated from data on post-flash deep thermal waters, using a two-stage steam loss model. The reservoir composition shows an oxygen shift of 2.4‰ relative to the local meteoric water line. The composition of the recharge, obtained by removing the oxygen shift, is isotopically heavier than the average local meteoric waters, suggesting that the recharge may be from an area to the west of Mt Meager where isotopically heavier ground-waters are likely to be found. The small δ¹⁸O shift of the deep high-temperature waters is indicative of dominance of fracture-related permeability in the reservoir. Analysis of the chemistry and the temperature of the waters from hot springs and shallow thermal wells suggests that these waters have evolved from the deep geothermal waters through dilution by meteoric waters and about 40°C adiabatic cooling (steam loss).