Optimized video streaming over 802.11 by cross-layer signaling

Seamless video streaming over wireless links imposes strong demands on video codecs and the underlying network. It is not sufficient that only the video codec or only the radio adapts to changes in the wireless link quality; efforts should be applied in both layers, and - if possible - synchronized. Also, the disturbing effect of possible background traffic over the same shared medium has to be taken into account. In this article we present a communication architecture for video streaming over 802.11 that is capable of adapting to changes in the link quality and sharing of the wireless channel in various use scenarios. Experimental results show that substantial improvements in the quality of the video can be obtained by applying link adaptation and cross-layer signaling techniques.     

Simulation of the slug flow of a gas-liquid system in capillaries

A mathematical model for the gas-liquid slug flow in a capillary is developed. The velocity profiles in the bubble, film, and interbubble liquid are calculated. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data of other researchers. The experimentally found bifurcational behavior of the slip velocity of bubbles relative to the two-phase mixture reported in the literature is described and supported by the theory. The reasons for which the bubble can stop in a small-diameter dead-end capillary are discussed.     

Use of zeolite-rich rocks and waste materials for the production of structural lightweight concretes

This paper aims at testing the use of mixtures constituted by natural zeolitized products and SiC-bearing industrial wastes (sludge deriving from polishing of porcelain stoneware tiles, hereafter DPM) for the production of lightweight expanded aggregates as constituents of structural and/or thermo-insulating lightweight concretes. Two commercial products have been used as zeolite natural source: Cab70 (Yellow facies of Campanian Ignimbrite) and IZclino (Turkish clinoptilolite-rich epiclastite). Different amounts of a calcareous material (Pozzano limestones — hereafter CP) from the Sorrento peninsula (Naples — Italy) were also added to a Cab70–DPM mixture. All raw materials were characterized by means of mineralogical (XRPD) and chemical (XRF) analyses. All the products and mixtures were tested from a technological point of view by means of fusibility and firing tests in order to evaluate the expanding properties. It was evidenced that the expansion of the mixture was deeply depending on the occurrence of SiC in the industrial waste. The addition of CP (10 wt.%) to the mixtures accounts for an even increased expansion, though this is accompanied by a worsening of the mechanical features of the material.These results along with literature data allowed to select 3 mixtures (70% Cab70–30% DPM, 70% IZclino–30% DPM, 60% Cab70–30% DPM–10% CP) and each of them was used for the preparation of 5 l of lightweight aggregates afterward employed for the manufacture of lightweight concretes. It was remarked that natural zeolitized materials mixed with DPM (30 wt.%) can provide lightweight aggregates with densities ranging between 0.8 and 1.0 g/cm³ suitable for the preparation of structural lightweight concretes. The addition to the mixture of CP (10 wt.%) produces less dense aggregates (0.6–0.7 g/cm³) potentially useful for the manufacture of thermo insulating lightweight concretes.     

Oil yield and compressibility modeling during microscale expression: Criteria for linseed breeding

Seven linseed varieties were harvested at seven times before complete maturity. Microscale oilseed expressions were subsequently carried out on it. A pressure of 10 MPa was applied for 1 h under uniaxial stress. The results were characterized in terms of oil, water and mucilage content, harvest date and oil yield. The piston displacement versus time (creep curves) was described by a four‐Kelvin‐Voigt elements viscoelastic model. Parameters were derived from the model, such as the mechanical properties of seeds (compressibility moduli), showing that the viscoelastic model fits well the experimental data (R² ≈ 0.999). The modeling parameters were combined with some biochemical data in order to predict the kinetics of oil extraction.     

Diesel fuel oxidation in storage

Diesel fuel should satisfy the European standards of quality even after long-term storage. The oxidation of diesel fuel, factors affecting this process, and their interaction mechanisms were studied in this work. Based on the results, conditions for the long-term storage of diesel fuel, including the type of storage tanks, can be determined.     

Modeling the effect of pigment morphology on the dynamic compression of coating layers using DEM

In the present paper, discrete element method (DEM) was employed to investigate the effect of pigment morphology on packing dynamics and compressive behavior of paper coating layers in calendering process. Spherical, platy, and needle-like particles, representing GCC, delaminated clay, and aragonite PCC pigments, were considered in this study. For each particle shape, the compression of coating structures formed by mono-sized and poly-dispersed pigments were modeled. Stress–strain behavior of the coating layers and in-plane and out-of-plane movements of the pigment particles during the compression were computed under the same maximum compressive stress. Simulation results revealed that the in-plane movements of the pigment particles during compression in the calender nip were small in magnitude (<0.35 μm). These findings help to better understand the smoothening phenomena of coating structures during the calendering process.     

Spectral color reproduction minimizing spectral and perceptual color differences

In this article, we are combining minimization criteria in the colorant separation process for spectral color reproduction. The colorant separation is performed by inverting a spectral printer model: the spectral Yule‐Nielsen modified Neugebauer model. The inversion of the spectral printer model is an optimization operation in which a criterion is minimized at each iteration. The approach we proposed minimizes a criterion defined by the weighted sum of a spectral difference and a perceptual color difference. The weights can be tuned with a parameter α ∞ [0, 1]. Our goal is to decrease the spectral difference between the original data and its reproduction and also to consider perceptual color difference under different illuminant conditions. In order to find the best α value, we initially compare a pure colorimetric criterion and a pure spectral criterion for the reproduction, then we combine them. We perform four colorant separations: the first separation will minimize the 1976 CIELAB color difference where four illuminants are tested, the second separation will minimize an equally weighted summation of 1976 CIELAB color difference with the four illuminants tested independently, the third colorant separation will minimize a spectral difference, and the fourth colorant separation will combine a weighted sum of a spectral difference and one of the two first colorimetric differences previously introduced. This last colorant separation can be tuned with a parameter in order to emphasize on spectral or colorimetric difference. We use a six colorants printer with artificial inks for our experiments. The prints are simulated by the spectral Yule‐Nielsen modified Neugebauer model. Two groups of data are used for our experiments. The first group describes the data printed by our printing system, which is represented by a regular grid in colorant space of the printer and the second group describes the data which is not originally produced by our printing system but mapped to the spectral printer gamut. The Esser test chart and the Macbeth Color Checker test chart have been selected for the second group. Spectral gamut mapping of this data is carried out before performing colorant separation. Our results show improvement for the colorant separations combining a sum of 1976 CIELAB color difference for a set of illuminants and for the colorant separation combining a sum of 1976 CIELAB color difference and spectral difference, especially in the case of spectral data originally produced by the printer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 33, 494–504, 2008