Alarm pheromone system of leaf-footed bugLeptoglossus zonatus (Heteroptera: Coreidae)

The alarm pheromone system ofLeptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) adults was shown to be composed of hexyl acetate, hexanol, hexanal, and hexanoic acid. Single components tested in the field elicited dispersive behavior of over 70% of adults. 2-(E)-Hexenal, found in the secretion of nymphs, but not in the exudates of adults, was also active against adults. In addition, first-instar nymphs responded to the four components of the alarm pheromone of adults as well as to 2-(E)-hexenal, a component of their own alarm pheromone system. Adults and nymphs possess different alarm pheromone systems, which are not specific to their own life stage. That hemipteran alarm pheromone systems are not species-specific was supported by the fact that both adult and nymphL. zonatus responded to butanoic acid, an alarm pheromone of Alydidae, which was not found in this Coreidae species.     

Acclimatization model of an aerobic bioreactor for the treatment of toxic wastewater

This work proposes a mathematical model for the acclimatization process of a bioreactor treating toxic wastewater. Experimental data was used to identify the changing kinetic parameters of the model as acclimatization progresses. It was found that only one key parameter, the specific biomass growth rate function, changed during the acclimatization process. Therefore, an acclimatization model was proposed to explain the changes of this parameter.     

Adsorption behavior of Cu2+ and UO ions on crosslinked poly[2,2-bis(acrylamido)acetic acid]

The synthesis of a water-insoluble metal ion complexing resin was carried out by radical polymerization of 2,2-bis(acrylamido) acetic acid. The resin was characterized by elemental analyses, FTIR spectroscopy, and thermal analyses. The ability to bind copper(II), iron(II), iron(III), and uranium(VI) as well as the elution of the metal ions from the loaded resins were studied. For uranyl ions, pH 5 was the optimum sorption pH value. Sorption selectivity from the binary mixture Cu(II) + U(VI) was studied at pH 2. The thermal stability is increased by adsorption of UO. According to these results a coordination mechanism is suggested for sorption of copper and uranium. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Distributed Control Strategy with Smith's Predictor in a Pilot-Scale Diabatic Distillation Unit

Intrinsic characteristics of distillation such as dead time and high nonlinearities do not allow the complete elimination of transient times when any external disturbance or set-point change occurs. Thus, aiming at the use of easy-tuning systems, a distributed-action control in trays of a diabatic distillation unit with Smith's predictor was implemented in the Simulink environment to further reduce transient times and out-of-specification product. The distributed-action strategy with Smith's predictor led to a reduction of 33.3 min (33 %) in the transient time of the top temperature control loop and 66 % in out-of-specification product, when compared with the conventional strategy, and thus is shown to be an efficient approach to increasing the productivity of distillation plants.     

Exploring critical attributes during air traffic congestion with a fuzzy DEMATEL–ANP technique: a case study in Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Railway Engineering Science - The constant growth of air travel in the Philippines has brought about significant consequences to air traffic congestion. Given limited resources, major airports seek...     

Survey and comparison of message authentication solutions on wireless sensor networks

Security is an important concern in any modern network. This also applies to Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), especially those used in applications that monitor sensitive information (e.g., health care applications). However, the highly constrained nature of sensors imposes a difficult challenge: their reduced availability of memory, processing power and energy hinders the deployment of many modern cryptographic algorithms considered secure. For this reason, the choice of the most memory-, processing- and energy-efficient security solutions is of vital importance in WSNs. To date, a number of extensive analyses comparing different encryption algorithms and key management schemes have been developed, while very little attention has been given to message authentication solutions. In this paper, aiming to close this gap, we identify cipher-based Message Authentication Codes (MACs) and Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) schemes suitable for WSNs and then evaluate their features and performance on a real platform (TelosB). As a result of this analysis, we identify the recommended choices depending on the characteristics of the target network and available hardware.     

Polarization potentials causing pacemaker oversensing

This case of ectopic pancreas found in the pre-pyloric channel of a 2-day-old infant is unique. A review of the literature reveals no other cases of symptomatic ectopic pancreas in an infant of this age. In this patient, signs and symptoms were consistent with pyloric stenosis. Upper gastrointestinal study and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed the diagnosis. This case is examined and the literature is reviewed.     

Candida albicans endophthalmitis in brown heroin addicts: response to early vitrectomy preceded and followed by antifungal therapy

The management of Candida albicans endophthalmitis in intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs) has yet to be established. Early vitrectomy was previously reported as a promising treatment for C. albicans endophthalmitis. In our series, C. albicans endophthalmitis was diagnosed for 15 IVDAs. Funduscopic examinations confirmed severe vitritis in 12 patients and chorioretinitis in three. Blood and vitreal cultures were positive for C. albicans for seven and eight patients, respectively. Patients with vitritis received antifungal therapy before and after vitrectomy. Amphotericin B or fluconazole therapy was given according to the physician's preference. Vitrectomy was defined as early if it was performed within 1 week after the diagnosis of vitritis. All seven patients who underwent early vitrectomy had a favorable response without complications. Two of three patients who underwent late vitrectomy developed blindness or scotoma. Blindness was also described in two patients with vitritis who did not undergo vitrectomy. Early vitrectomy preceded and followed by antifungal therapy seems to be appropriate management of vitritis in IVDAs.