Scalability study of the ad hoc on‐demand distance vector routing protocol

As mobile networking continues to experience increasing popularity, the need to connect large numbers of wireless devices will become more prevalent. Many recent proposals for ad hoc routing have certain characteristics that may limit their scalability to large networks. This paper examines five different combinations of modifications that may be incorporated into virtually any on‐demand protocol in order to improve its scalability. The scalability of current on‐demand routing protocols is evaluated through the selection of a representative from this class of protocols. The performance of the un‐modified on‐demand protocol is compared against that of it combined with each of the scalability modifications. Each scheme's behavior is analyzed in networks as large as 10,000 nodes through detailed simulation. Based on the observations, conclusions are drawn as to the expected scalability improvement that can be achieved by each modification. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable isotope characterization of olive oils: II-deuterium distribution in fatty acids studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR)

Site-specific isotope fractionation of hydrogen was investigated, at natural abundance, by deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) on nearly two hundred olive oil samples. Owing to the complexity of the ²H-NMR spectra of the mixtures of fatty acids obtained after hydrolysis of the oils, the different signals were gathered into six clusters. Knowing the contribution to the clusters of each of the four fatty acids considered (C_16:0, C_18:0, C_18:1, and C_18:2) and the composition of the fatty acids in the mixture, it is possible to compute the site-specific isotope ratios of the clusters from the molar fractions obtained from the ²H-NMR-spectra and from the total isotope ratio of the mixture, determined by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The results are discussed in terms of geographical (country, region and elevation) and temporal (year) parameters and they are tentatively explained on a climatic basis.     

Degradation of C.I. Acid Orange 7 by heterogeneous Fenton oxidation in combination with ultrasonic irradiation

BACKGROUND: A mesoporous alumina supported nanosized Fe₂O₃ was prepared through an original synthesis procedure and used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the Fenton process degradation of the model azo dye C.I. Acid Orange 7 enhanced by ultrasound irradiation (US/Fe₂O₃‐Al₂O₃‐meso/H₂O₂ system). The effect of various operating conditions was investigated, namely hydrogen peroxide concentration, initial pH, ultrasonic power and catalyst loading. RESULTS: The results indicated that the degradation of C.I. Acid Orange 7 followed a pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model. There exists an optimal hydrogen peroxide concentration, initial pH, ultrasonic power and catalyst loading for decolorization. The aggregate size of the spent catalyst was reduced after dispersion in water by ultrasonic irradiation. A very low level of iron leaching was observed ranging from < 0.1 to 0.23 mg L^?1. The intermediate products of C.I. Acid Orange 7 degradation were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). CONCLUSION: The optimal conditions for efficient C.I. Acid Orange 7 degradation were pH close to 3, hydrogen peroxide concentration 4 mmol L^?1, catalyst loading 0.3 g L^?1, and ultrasonic power 80 W. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

How the risk of failure in lifetime of tempered glass depends on the size of NiS inclusions and heat soak test duration

The probability of breakage in service lifetime of heat-tempered glass panes contaminated by nickel sulfide inclusions is estimated with a multiscale micromechanically motivated statistical theory, which considers the effects of the heat soak test (HST). Short and long HSTs differently affect the phase transformation of NiS of diverse chemical composition, whose increase in volume can break the glass. The main hypothesis, corroborated by experiments, is that there is a lower limit for the size of NiS stones below which no crack can be initiated from the volumetric expansion. The catastrophic propagation of nucleated fractures in the long term is modeled through a rescaled critical stress intensity factor, which accounts for the subcritical crack propagation and the slow phase transformation of NiS. A parametric analysis evidences how the failure probability is strongly affected by these parameters, depending on the holding time in the HST. Tailored experimental activity is suggested for the proper calibration of the model.     

évaluation de la fiabilité d'un dispositif d'évaluation des habiletés sociales chez des adolescents ayant des troubles du comportement.

Behaviour difficulties (BD) in school-age children and adolescent constitute an increasingly important concern for all participants in the Quebec and foreign education systems. The risk factors that can contribute to the development of BD are numerous (Kauffman, 2005). Amongst these appears a whole set of skills related to social competence (Bowen, Desbiens, Martin, & Hamel, 2001). The present study aims to test, by means of Generalisability theory, the reliability of the evaluation process developed to measure the level of teenage social skills according to various indicators (cooperation, self-control, assertion), various sources of information (adolescent, parent, and teacher), and various times (pretest, posttest 1, posttest 2). The coefficient of relative generalisability was found to be higher than the limit considered satisfactory, indicating that the evaluation process is reliable enough to allow differentiation of social skills for adolescent with BD. To develop intervention guidelines for BD students, a review of the sources of variation that may influence the accuracy of the measurement provided by the evaluation process is conducted through an analysis of facets (Bertrand & Blais, 2004) and a study of the most important variances components (Bain & Pini, 1996). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A liquid level sensor using the absorption of guided acoustic waves

This liquid level sensor consists of a vertically movable 10-cm-long hollow cylinder with an impedance matching conic section suspended at one end of a few-meters-long magnetorestrictive wire. The wire is automatically wound up or unwound such that the cylindrical sensor element at the bottom of the wire is immersed by just a small and measurable distance into the liquid whose level is sought. Acoustic waves are launched in the wire by a pulse of current in a coil and are transmitted to the hollow cylinder through the cylindrical horn. The carrier frequency of the wave trains and the thickness of the tube are chosen so that the elastic waves strongly leak into the liquid when the hollow cylinder is immersed. The level is then determined by measuring the time-of-flight of the echo reflected at the junction between the wire and the horn, followed by taking into account a small correction term computed from the attenuation of the end echo.     

Lamb wave graphic tablet

A graphic sensor based on the measurement of the propagation time of an acoustic wave train is described. Lamb waves are launched in a plate of ordinary glass by piezoelectric bars bonded to the edges of the plate. They are detected at their arrival under the tip of the drawing pencil by a small piezoelectric disc placed in the pencil body. The useful area of the tablet is 19×27 cm2; the resolution is about 0.2 mm.     

Stimulus variables in the block design task: A commentary on Schorr, Bower, and Kiernan.

Contends that the block design task by D. Schorr et al (see record 1982-27118-001) replicates the earlier findings of the author and his colleague K. Weitzel (see PA, Vols 58:2589; 61:10327; and 61:12312). In addition, Schorr et al introduce a new paradigm to continue isolating information-processing components of the task. The present author takes issue with their finding regarding synthetic and analytic strategies because these terms are too global to advance knowledge of cognitive processes. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Near-field optical patterning and structuring based on local-field enhancement at the extremity of a metal tip

We present a particular approach and the associated results allowing the nanostructuration of a thin photosensitive polymer film. This approach based on a scanning near-field optical microscopy configuration uses the field-enhancement (FE) effect, a so-called lightning-rod effect appearing at the extremity of a metallic tip when illuminated with an incident light polarized along the tip axis. The local enhancement of the electromagnetic field straight below the tip's apex is observed directly through a photoisomerization reaction, inducing the growth of a topographical nanodot characterized in situ by atomic-force microscopy using the same probe. From a survey of the literature, we first review the different experimental approaches offered to nanostructure materials by near-field optical techniques. We describe more particularly the FE effect approach. An overview of the theoretical approach of this effect is then given before presenting some experimental results so as theoretical results using the finite-element method. These results show the influence on the nanostructuration of the polymer of a few experimental parameters such as the polarization state, the illumination mode and the tip's geometry. Finally, the potentiality of this technique for some applications in the field of lithography and high-density data storage is shown via the fabrication of nano-patterns.