NEXUS — Resilient Intelligent Middleware

Service-oriented computing is the latest software paradigm brought about by the computing revolution. The different viewpoint and granularity of software components used in technologies based on the service-oriented architecture paradigm, compared to traditional object-oriented methodologies makes them better suited to many of the efforts that are being made in the pervasive and ubiquitous computing world. In the NEXUS project we are seeking ways of fusing the SOA and pervasive computing paradigms in order to build intelligent, robust and resilient networks connecting dynamic islands of service resources.     

Eigensolution of specially structured matrices with hyper‐symmetry

Recently, four canonical forms have been developed and applied to the dynamics and stability analysis of symmetric frames. In this paper, hyper‐symmetric matrices and specially structured matrices are defined and efficient methods are proposed for the eigensolution of such matrices. Applications are extended to hyper‐graphs and specially structured graphs. Simple methods are developed for calculating the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrices of such graphs. The developments presented in this paper can also be considered as generalization of Form II and Form III symmetry, previously defined by the authors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A combinatorial study of the rigidity of planar structures

Summary A combinatorial method is presented for examining the rigidity of planar structures. In this approach, an expansion process is used for the formation of a statically determinate substructure, known as a -tree of a structure. The algorithm of Lováz and Yemini, and the method of Sugihara are employed for the recognition of the elementary subgraphs, during this process.With 4 Figures     

A comparative study of two approaches for supporting optimal network location queries

Given a set S of sites and a set O of weighted objects, an optimal location query finds the location(s) where introducing a new site maximizes the total weight of the objects that are closer to the new site than to any other site. With such a query, for instance, a franchise corporation (e.g., McDonald’s) can find a location to open a new store such that the number of potential store customers (i.e., people living close to the store) is maximized. Optimal location queries are computationally complex to compute and require efficient solutions that scale with large datasets. Previously, two specific approaches have been proposed for efficient computation of optimal location queries. However, they both assume p-norm distance (namely, L₁ and L₂/Euclidean); hence, they are not applicable where sites and objects are located on spatial networks. In this article, we focus on optimal network location (ONL) queries, i.e., optimal location queries in which objects and sites reside on a spatial network. We introduce two complementary approaches, namely EONL (short for Expansion-based ONL) and BONL (short for Bound-based ONL), which enable efficient computation of ONL queries with datasets of uniform and skewed distributions, respectively. Moreover, with an extensive experimental study we verify and compare the efficiency of our proposed approaches with real world datasets, and we demonstrate the importance of considering network distance (rather than p-norm distance) with ONL queries.     

Freestanding hierarchical porous carbon film derived from hybrid nanocellulose for high-power supercapacitors

Nanocellulose is a sustainable and eco-friendly nanomaterial derived from renewable biomass.In this study,we utilized the structural advantages of two types of nanocellulose and fabricated freestanding carbonized hybrid nanocellulose films as electrode materials for supercapacitors.The long cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) formed a macroporous framework,and the short cellulose nanocrystals were assembled around the CNF framework and generated micro/mesopores.This two-level hierarchical porous structure was successfully preserved during carbonization because of a thin atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 conformal coating,which effectively prevented the aggregation of nanocellulose.These carbonized,partially graphitized nanocellulose fibers were interconnected,forming an integrated and highly conductive network with a large specific surface area of 1,244 m2·g-1.The two-level hierarchical porous structure facilitated fast ion transport in the film.When tested as an electrode material with a high mass loading of 4 mg·cm-2 for supercapacitors,the hierarchical porous carbon film derived from hybrid nanocellulose exhibited a specific capacitance of 170 F.g-1and extraordinary performance at high current densities.Even at a very high current of 50 A·g-1,it retained 65％ of its original specific capacitance,which makes it a promising electrode material for high-power applications.     

Geometry and topology optimization of geodesic domes using charged system search

Dome structures provide cost-effective solutions for covering large areas without intermediate supports. In this article, simple procedures are developed to reach the configuration of the geodesic domes. A new definition of dome optimization problems is given which consists of finding optimal sections for elements (size optimization), optimal height for the crown (geometry optimization) and the optimum number of elements (topology optimization) under determined loading conditions. In order to find the optimum design, the recently developed meta-heuristic algorithm, known as the Charged System Search (CSS), is applied to the optimum design of geodesic domes. The CSS takes into account the nonlinear response of the domes. Using CSS, the optimum design of the geodesic domes is efficiently performed.     

Margin-setting with hyperellipsoidal surfaces

In a number of prior papers we described and explored a new pattern recognition method called Margin-Setting that accomplishes excellent generalization using very few training samples. The result was a multi-round classifier with each round consisting of a set of hyperspheres such that if a datum fell within a certain hypersphere, it was labeled with one particular class. Margin-Setting achieves concurrent low Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) dimension and high accuracy which is a consequence of partitioning the training set into smaller sets that make this possible. This paper extends Margin-Setting from hyperspheres to hyperellipsoids resulting in improved performance.     

On the performance of distributed space-time coding systems with one and two non-regenerative relays

Spatial diversity can be induced by using wireless relay stations, which cooperate by amplifying and retransmitting the information received from a source to a destination station. In this context we propose a distributed space-time coding (DSTC) system based on the Alamouti codes. We characterize the symbol error rate of systems with one and two non-regenerative relays using bounds and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) approximations. The asymptotic (high SNR) symbol error probability formulas are used to optimize the power allocation in the DSTC system. Furthermore, using the asymptotic symbol error probability formulas we argue that the DSTC system has at least 1.5 times the diversity achieved by point-to-point transmissions with the same bandwidth. Simulations show not only that the DSTC outperforms the amplify-and-forward cooperative system with orthogonal transmissions, but also convolutional encoded one-hop transmissions with the same information rate as the DSTC system. Assuming full channel knowledge at the source and the relays, we find an optimum cooperative system by minimizing the bit error rate of the DSTC system with one and two non-regenerative relays subject to fixed transmit energy constraints at each radio. Numerical results show that the DSTC system with two relays performs very close to the optimum cooperative system.     

An efficient analysis of repetitive structures generated by graph products

In this paper, an efficient method is developed for the analysis of regular structures. A structure is called regular if its model can be formed by a graph product. Here, instead of direct solution of the equations corresponding to a regular structure or finding the inverse of the stiffness matrix directly, modal analysis is used, and eigenvectors are employed for calculating the displacements and then internal forces of the structures. For this purpose, first an efficient method is developed for calculating the eigenvectors of the product graphs, and then a method is presented for using these eigenvectors for evaluating the displacements of a structure. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.