μRACER: A Reliable Adaptive Service-Driven Efficient Routing Protocol Suite for Sensor-Actuator Networks

We present reliable adaptive service-driven efficient routing (muRACER), a routing protocol suite based on a novel service-oriented design for sensor-actuator networks where nodes expose their capabilities to applications as a service profile. A node's service profile consists of a set of services (i.e., sensing and actuation capabilities) that it provides and the quality-of-service (QoS) parameters associated with those services (delay, accuracy, freshness, etc.). muRACER uses an efficient service-aware routing approach that aggressively reduces downstream traffic (from the sink to the network's nodes) by translating service profiles into efficient paths for queries. To support QoS, muRACER dynamically adapts each node's routing behavior and service profile according to the current context of that node, i.e., number of pending queries and number and type of messages to be routed. Finally, muRACER improves end-to-end reliability through a scalable reputation-based approach in which each node is able to locally estimate the next hop of the most reliable path to the sink. Service- and context-aware reliable routing enhances the network's efficiency and effectiveness (satisfaction of applications' QoS requirements). We implemented muRACER on top of TinyOS and conducted several experiments that confirmed muRACER's ability with regard to each of its design objectives.     

Change detection in urban areas from remote sensing data: a multidimensional classification scheme

Change detection (CD) from remote sensing data is a very challenging research problem, especially when we analyse an urban scene. Urban scenes are composed of many different types of objects, both natural and man-made. The building class is one of the important and most complex classes to analyse, important because it is useful for so many applications and complex because it exhibits many changes due to human activity and natural catastrophes. For these reasons, we focus our study on building change detection (BCD). In this paper we propose a classification scheme for BCD research according to several important dimensions including objective, input data, temporal resolution, analysis unit, target output unit, building features, processing technique, change categories, and assessment of results. This classification scheme can guide practitioners in choosing appropriate change detection methods to achieve their goals as well as informing new research efforts. Based on this multidimensional characterisation of BCD, we offer a number of suggestions for further work to be done in this field.     

Intra- and Interorganizational Knowledge Services to Promote Informed Sustainability Practices

To promote sustainable construction, the construction industry needs to intensify its efforts to move to a knowledge intensive mode. Sustainability goals can only be achieved if new resources of knowledge and expertise inform construction activities. Some of this comes in the form of good practice and standards, but much will have to come from situated and contextual appreciations of sustainability goals and local practices developed across organizational, professional, and multicultural boundaries. The paper describes a knowledge management environment based on the web-services model aimed at promoting informed sustainability practices. This validation of the knowledge environment provided the basis for formulating recommendations for promoting knowledge-based sustainable construction.     

Past, present and future of information and knowledge sharing in the construction industry: Towards semantic service-based e-construction?

The paper reviews product data technology initiatives in the construction sector and provides a synthesis of related ICT industry needs. A comparison between (a) the data centric characteristics of Product Data Technology (PDT) and (b) ontology with a focus on semantics, is given, highlighting the pros and cons of each approach. The paper advocates the migration from data-centric application integration to ontology-based business process support, and proposes inter-enterprise collaboration architectures and frameworks based on semantic services, underpinned by ontology-based knowledge structures. The paper discusses the main reasons behind the low industry take up of product data technology, and proposes a preliminary roadmap for the wide industry diffusion of the proposed approach. In this respect, the paper stresses the value of adopting alliance-based modes of operation.     

About Deterministic and non‐Deterministic Vehicular Communications over DSRC/802.11p

In this work, we introduce a priority‐aware deterministic access protocol called Vehicular Deterministic Access (VDA). VDA is based on 802.11p/DSRC and allows vehicles to access the shared medium in collision‐free periods. Particularly, VDA supports two types of safety services (emergency and routine safety messages) with different priorities and strict requirements on delay. To avoid long delays and high packet collisions, VDA allows vehicles to access the wireless medium at selected times with a lower contention than would otherwise be possible within a two‐hop neighborhood by the classical 802.11p Enhanced Distributed Channel Access or Distributed Coordination Function schemes. A non‐VDA‐enabled vehicle, that is, a vehicle not configured with the optional VDA capability over 802.11p, may start transmitting on the shared channel just before or during the VDA opportunities reserved for vehicles with VDA capabilities. To avoid the aforementioned issues and prevent interfering transmissions from VDA‐enabled vehicles and non‐VDA‐enabled vehicles, we also proposed a novel scheme called extended VDA. We analyzed the impact of several design tradeoffs between the contention free period/contention period dwell time ratios on the performance of safety applications with different priorities for VDA and extended VDA. Simulations show that the proposed schemes clearly outperform the backoff‐based schemes currently used by 802.11p in high communication density conditions while bounding the transmission delay of safety messages and increasing the packet reception rate. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Methane conversion to ethane in the presence of iron‐ and manganese‐promoted sulfated zirconia

Sulfated zirconia promoted with 1.0 wt% Fe and 0.5 wt% Mn converts methane into ethane with traces of ethylene and acetylene. The initial reaction rate at 723 K and a methane partial pressure of 20 kPa was found to be about 10^-9 mol(CH ₄) (g s)^-1, and deactivation was rapid, with the reaction rate declining to half the maximum rate within an hour. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Optimization model for handoff-aware channel assignment problem for multi-radio wireless mesh networks

Optimal channel assignment (CA) in multi-radio wireless mesh networks is an NP-hard problem for which solutions usually leave several links interfering. Most of these solutions usually consider the overall throughput as the main optimization objective. However, other objectives have to be considered in order to provide better quality wireless connections to non stationary users. In this paper, we propose a multi-objective optimization model that, besides maximizing throughput, improves fairness and handoff experience of mesh clients. In this model, we use the Jain’s index to maximize users’ fairness and we allow same-channel assignments to links involved in the same high handoff traffic, thus reducing handoff-triggered re-routing characterized by its high latency. Then, we propose a centralized variable neighborhood search and a Tabu search heuristics to efficiently solve our model as an offline CA process. Moreover, in order to adapt to traffic dynamics caused especially by user handoffs, we propose an online CA scheme that carefully re-assigns channels to interfaces with the purpose of continuously minimizing the re-routing overhead/latency during user handoffs. We further improve this online scheme using load balancing. Simulation results show the good performance of our proposed approach in terms of delay, loss rate, overall throughput and fairness. Particularly, performance results of our online handoff-aware CA show the effectiveness of handoffs not involving path re-routing in decreasing the delay, especially when considering load balancing.     

Exploring the Potential of SME Alliances in the Construction Sector

The paper explores the adoption of information and communication technology-enabled alliance modes of operation by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the construction sector. It argues that SME alliance modes of operations promote business process innovation and allow SMEs to compete in new ways, get better reward for their work, and gain greater financial strength, which in turn, will give them the financial capability to move forward and develop their products and services. Findings from the multiple case study approach used to conduct the research are discussed, including: (1) the concept of an SME alliance and its key features; (2) business relationships management in an SME alliance; (3) SME alliance viability and sustainability; (4) the role of information and communication technologies in an alliance; and (5) technical innovation management in an alliance regime of peers. Recommendations for future research in the form of open questions to the research community are given.     

Listing all maximal cliques in large graphs on vertex-centric model

The Journal of Supercomputing - Maximal Clique Enumeration (MCE), which consists to enumerate all maximal complete subgraphs in a given graph, is a fundamental problem in graph theory, and it is...     

Isomérisation du n‐hexane sur des catalyseurs Ni‐WOx/Al2O3‐SiO2

Isomerization of n‐hexane into bi‐ and tri‐branched products was studied at atmospheric pressure on Ni‐WO_x/Al₂O₃‐SiO₂ catalysts. Two groups of catalysts (A and B) were prepared by using the sol‐gel method. The objective of the present study is the selection of the catalyst having the best isomer (bi‐ and tri‐branched) yield under optimum operating conditions (reaction temperature, reduction temperature, flow duration, etc.). The results show that the introduction of tungsten (group B) modifies siginificantly the catalyst activity and that the optimum nickel amount in these catalysts is 15 wt. %. When a steady flow is achieved (100 min), the catalyst containing 15 % nickel and 10 % tungsten exhibits the highest and largest selectivity at a reaction temperature of 250°C and a reduction temperature of 430°C.