Characteristic function for quasielliptic filters

The characteristic function of a new class of sharp-cutoff filters is derived in closed form. The magnitude response of these filters has the same transition bandwidth as the elliptic filters, and its attenuation poles can easily be adjusted to produce either equal-ripple or general stopband attenuation.     

Ozone Inactivation Kinetics of CRYPTOSPORIDIUM in Phosphate Buffer

The rate of inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts by ozone in 0.05 M phosphate buffer at pH 6, 7, and 8 was studied at 22 ± 1°C in batch reactors. Infectivity in neonatal CD-1 mice was used as the criterion for oocyst viability. Ozone inactivation data were fitted to the Incomplete gamma Hom (I.g.H.) and Chick-Watson (n = 1) model, both of which incorporate a first-order rate constant for the disappearance of aqueous ozone during the contact time. For a 0.05 M phosphate buffer ranging in pH from 6 to 8, a single I.g.H. model was found to adequately describe the kinetics of Cryptosporidium inactivation by ozone at 22°C. The I.g.H. model for pH 6–8 was found to provide a significantly better fit to the ozone inactivation data when compared with the Chick-Watson model. The effect of pH on ozone inactivation kinetics was associated with ozone residual stability over the pH range of 6–8. The sensitivity of Cryptosporidium to ozone at 22°C was therefore not statistically different at pH 6 when compared with pH 8. The inactivation behavior of Cryptosporidium by ozone was characterized by a tailing-off effect, with approximately equal importance of ozone concentration and contact time. The I.g.H. model for pH 6–8 can be used as an aid in the design of ozone disinfection systems, and this robust fitted model was used to formulate ozone design criteria—the initial oxone residual required for a given contact time for 1, 2, and 3 log units inactivation of Cryptosporidium at 22°C. Uncertainty associated with the ozone design criteria for 2 log units inactivation was quantified using inverse prediction intervals. An ozone design criterion was established that gives a 95% probability of achieving 2 log units inactivation of Cryptosporidium at 22°C, corresponding to an approximate safety factor of 0.7 log units.     

Efficient Block Scheduling to Minimize Context Switching Time for Programmable Embedded Processors

Scheduling is one of the most often addressed optimization problems in DSP compilation, behavioral synthesis, and system-level synthesis research. With the rapid pace of changes in modern DSP applications requirements and implementation technologies, however, new types of scheduling challenges arise. This paper is concerned with the problem of scheduling blocks of computations in order to optimize the efficiency of their execution on programmable embedded systems under a realistic timing model of their processors. We describe an effective scheme for scheduling the blocks of any computation on a given system architecture and with a specified algorithm implementing each block. We also present algorithmic techniques for performing optimal block scheduling simultaneously with optimal architecture and algorithm selection. Our techniques address the block scheduling problem for both single- and multiple-processor system platforms and for a variety of optimization objectives including throughput, cost, and power dissipation. We demonstrate the practical effectiveness of our techniques on numerous designs and synthetic examples.     

Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Potential Therapies Targeting Psoriasis and Atherosclerosis at the Same Time

Psoriasis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Due to systemic inflammation, it is associated with many comorbidities. Among them, cardiovascular diseases represent the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in this population. Therefore, physicians treating patients with psoriasis should keep in mind that, as important as the treatment of psoriasis, awareness of cardiovascular risk deserves additional attention. Thus, in parallel with psoriasis treatment, a cardiovascular risk assessment must also be performed and addressed accordingly. In addition to encouraging non-pharmacologic strategies for a healthy lifestyle, physicians should be familiar with different pharmacologic options that can target psoriasis and reduce cardiovascular risk. In the present article, we present the pathophysiological mechanisms of the psoriasis and cardiometabolic interplay, our view on the interaction of psoriasis and cardiovascular disease, review the atherosclerotic effect of therapeutic options used in psoriasis, and vice versa, i.e., what the effect of medications used in the prevention of atherosclerosis could be on psoriasis.     

Electrochemical and structural study on cycling performance of γ-LiV2O5 cathode

Electrochemical and structural properties of LiV₂O₅ cathode were investigated. Obtained by solid state reaction at high temperature the material crystallized as gamma polymorph phase, γ-LiV₂O₅. The gamma structure provides two crystallographic sites to accommodate lithium ions, Li1 and Li2 position. Lithium insertion at these two sites occurs at two respective voltages versus lithium metal: ~3.6 V (Li1) and ~2.4 V (Li2). Intercalation at Li1 position is reversible in both organic and aqueous electrolyte and provides stable cycling performance at the high voltage. On the contrary, sluggish insertion/removal of Li⁺ at Li2 sites causes unstable performance and significant storage capacity fade at lower voltages. Lithium diffusion 3d landscape was determined by bond valence calculations applied on the γ-LiV₂O₅ phase, as well as on the metastable phases of γ′-V₂O₅ and ζ-Li₂V₂O₅ that exist at high and low voltages respectively. The model was proposed based on inactivity of Li2 position of the metastable ζ-Li₂V₂O₅ phase which provides explanation for the observed storage capacity loss at low voltages.     

The improved photovoltaic response of commercial monocrystalline Si solar cell under natural and artificial light by using water flow lens (WFL) system

The performances of a photovoltaic system based on high‐efficiency commercial monocrystalline Si solar cell associated with the water flow lens (WFL) system are investigated. This system enables the cooling of the surface of the cell, indirectly cooling the surrounding, and, on the other hand, it allows us to investigate, depending on the position of the cell and the WFL system, the influence of larger and smaller intensities of the light with the inevitable change in the spectrum. All of these effects are very important and can greatly contribute to the better photovoltaic performance of the used cells. Indoor characterization at higher and lower light intensities is performed using both different spectra and intensity of the light. The obtained results show that at low/lower light intensity, spectra are more dominant than the intensity of light itself and that the used WFL system always improves the photovoltaic response leading to a higher efficiency of the tested solar cell. It was found that the ratios of the short circuit current (I_sc) and the input light energy (P_input) are 4.42 and 8.96 without and with the use of the WFL system in the measurements, respectively. The same Si solar cell is also tested in outdoor condition, but this time using the WFL system to concentrate sunlight to produce a larger amount of power and water flow for cooling the surface of the solar cell. Again, a higher efficiency (an increase from 25.7% to 33.5%) by using the WFL system was obtained.     

Taxonomy and Challenges of the Integration of RFID and Wireless Sensor Networks

Radio frequency identification and wireless sensor networks are two important wireless technologies that have a wide variety of applications in current and future systems. RFID facilitates detection and identification of objects that are not easily detectable or distinguishable by using conventional sensor technologies. However, it does not provide information about the condition of the objects it detects. WSN, on the other hand, not only provides information about the condition of the objects and environment but also enables multihop wireless communications. Hence, the integration of these technologies expands their overall functionality and capacity. This article investigates recent research work and applications that integrate RFID with sensor networks. Four classes of integration are discussed: integrating tags with sensors, integrating tags with WSN nodes and wireless devices, integrating readers with WSN nodes and wireless devices, and a mix of RFID and WSNs. Finally, a discussion of new challenges and future work is presented.     

Preparation of TiO2/carbon nanotubes photocatalysts: The influence of the method of oxidation of the carbon nanotubes on the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites

A method for the preparation of efficient TiO₂/multi-wall carbon nanotubes nanocomposite photocatalysts by precipitation of anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles onto differently oxidized carbon nanotubes is presented. The precursor compound titanium(IV) bromide was hydrolyzed producing pure anatase phase TiO₂ nanoparticles decorated on the surface of the oxidized carbon nanotubes. The oxidative treatment of the carbon nanotubes influenced the type, quantity and distribution of oxygen-containing functional groups, which had a significant influence on the electron transfer properties, i.e., the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanocomposites. The results of C.I. Reactive Orange 16 photodegradation in the presence of all the synthesized nanocomposites showed their better photocatalytic activity in comparison to the commercial photocatalyst Degussa P-25.