A New Risk Assessment Approach for Cloud Consumer

The cloud computing introduces several changes in technology that have resulted a new ways for cloud providers to deliver their services to cloud consumers mainly in term of security risk assessment, thus, adapting a current risk assessment tools to cloud computing is a very difficult task due to its several characteristics that challenge the effectiveness of risk assessment approaches. Consequently, there is a need of risk assessment approach adapted to cloud computing. With such an approach, the cloud consumers can be guaranteed the effectiveness of data security and the cloud providers can win the trust of their cloud consumers. This paper requires the formalization of risk assessment method for conventional system as fundamental steps towards the development of flexible risk assessment approach regarding cloud consumers.     

Electron Charge Density Distribution from X-ray Diffraction Study of the M-Nitrophenol Compound in the Monoclinic Form

At room temperature, the m-Nitrophenol (m-NPH) appears in two polymorphic structures: orthorhombic and monoclinic forms. In the present work, we shall focus on the monoclinic form of this compound which has a centrosymmetric structure with the space group P2₁/n. The molecular dipole moment has been estimated experimentally. High resolution single crystal diffraction experiment was performed at low temperature with MoKα radiation. The crystal structure was refined using the multipolar model of Hansen and Coppens (1978). The molecular electron charge density distribution is described accurately. The study reveals the nature of inter-molecular interactions including charge transfer and hydrogen bonds. In this crystal, hydrogen bonds of moderate strength occur between the hydroxyl group and the O atom in the nitro one.     

Thermal behavior and energy saving analysis of a flat with different energy efficiency measures in six climates

This article aims at studying the impact of many construction parameters of a flat on its energy performance and thermal comfort. The studied parameters are: the envelope thermal insulation, the orientation, the floor level, the ground coupling, the roof and the external walls absorption coefficient and the controlled mechanical ventilation. The TRNSYS based numerical study is performed in six different climates ranging from cold to desert one. The numerical model has been validated against experimental results obtained from summer and winter long term monitoring campaigns of the flat located in the Marrakech city, Morocco. The apartment’s heating and cooling loads as well as thermal discomfort indexes are calculated for the possible eleven configurations combining the studied parameters. The results show that high thermal insulation of the walls leads to an apparent summer overheating with an increase in the flat’s total thermal load by up to 18% in all the considered climates, except for the cold one. It was found that the walls’ light thermal insulation resulting from the cavity wall technique is sufficient to reach an acceptable level of thermal comfort thus preventing summer overheating. Similarly, thermal insulation of the slab-on-grade floor was found to perform an increase in thermal load for hot and moderate climates by at least 67%. The best combination of all the studied energy efficiency measures for each climate conditions was evaluated via comparison to a reference case that represents the actual apartment.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Dimethylzinc to Acyl‐N‐methylimidazole Michael Acceptors: Scope,Limitations and Iterative Reactions

An efficient copper‐catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of dimethylzinc to unsaturated 2‐acyl‐N‐methylimidazoles has been achieved using a chiral bidentate hydroxyalkyl‐NHC ligand. The reactions proceed with excellent regioselectivity (1,4 vs. 1,6 and 1,8) in extended conjugated systems to afford the 1,4‐adducts in high enantioselectivities. This regioselectivity could be ascertained by DFT studies highlighting the crucial role of the imidazole ring. Thanks to the development of efficient protocols to regenerate the unsaturated 2‐acyl‐N‐methylimidazole moiety, an iterative process has been developed ultimately leading to 3,5,7 all‐syn or anti‐anti polydeoxypropionate stereodiads.

     

Human xeroderma pigmentosum group A protein interacts with human replication protein A and inhibits DNA replication

Human replication protein A (RPA; also known as human single-stranded DNA binding protein, or HSSB) is a multisubunit complex involved in both DNA replication and repair. While the role of RPA in replication has been well studied, its function in repair is less clear, although it is known to be involved in the early stages of the repair process. We found that RPA interacts with xeroderma pigmentosum group A complementing protein (XPAC), a protein that specifically recognizes UV-damaged DNA. We examined the effect of this XPAC-RPA interaction on in vitro simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication catalyzed by the monopolymerase system. XPAC inhibited SV40 DNA replication in vitro, and this inhibition was reversed by the addition of RPA but not by the addition of DNA polymerase alpha-primase complex, SV40 large tumor antigen, or topoisomerase I. This inhibition did not result from an interaction between XPAC and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), or from competition between RPA and XPAC for DNA binding, because XPAC does not show any ssDNA binding activity and, in fact, stimulates RPA's ssDNA binding activity. Furthermore, XPAC inhibited DNA polymerase alpha activity in the presence of RPA but not in RPA's absence. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of XPAC on DNA replication probably occurs through its interaction with RPA.     

A full-wave analysis of interconnection planar lines applications to structures with finite ground plane

The high integration level associated to the increase of the operating frequency of microelectronic integrated circuits create complex electromagnetic coupling in the interconnection lines which lead to mismatch and frequency dispersion. In the present paper, we propose a full-wave analysis to characterise the electromagnetic behaviour of interconnection planar lines using mixed-potential integral equations technique. The theoretical and numerical treatments of Green’s functions for the specific structures are firstly presented. The calculated results for parallel and coplanar strips are compared to the published ones. The effect of the finite ground plane on the propagation constant and the characteristic impedance is then analysed for different permittivities. The obtained theoretical and experimental results for the reflection coefficient of straight resonators confirm finally the observed effect of the finite ground plane on the frequency dispersion and the scattering characteristics.     

Fast efficient method for analysis of insulated wire antennas above ground

With an images model for lossy ground and an equivalent polarisation charges model for insulation, a fast efficient method is proposed to solve the problem of insulated wires above ground. The results obtained exhibit excellent agreement with those from rigorous methods of experiment.     

The preparation and thermodynamic properties of Fe(II)---Fe(III) hydroxide-carbonate (green rust 1); Pourbaix diagram of iron in carbonate-containing aqueous media

Carbonate-containing green rust 1, GR1(CO₃²⁻), is prepared by oxidation of Fe(OH)₂ in aqueous solution. Ferrous hydroxide is precipitated from NaOH and FeSO₄·7H₂O solutions and carbonate ions are added as a Na₂CO₃ solution. For sufficiently large concentrations of sodium carbonate, SO₄²⁻ ions do not play any role during the oxidation process and, at the end of the first stage of reaction, Fe(OH)₂ oxidizes into GR1(CO₃²⁻). In the second stage of reaction, GR1(CO₃²⁻) oxidizes into α-FeOOH goethite except when the transformation of ferrous hydroxide is partial, which leads to the formation of magnetite. From the X-ray diffraction analysis of GR1(CO₃²⁻), lattice parameters of its hexagonal cell are found to be a = 3.160 ± 0.005 Å and C = 22.45 ± 0.05 Å. From the Mössbauer analysis of the stoichiometric GR1(CO₃²⁻), which leads to a Fe²⁺:Fe³⁺ ratio of 2:1, the chemical formula is established to be: [Fe₄^(II)Fe₂^(III)(OH)₁₂][CO₃·2H₂O]. The 78 K Mössbauer spectrum of the compound can be fitted with three quadrupole doublets, two Fe²⁺ doublets d₁ and D₂ corresponding to isomer shifts (IS) of 1.27 and 1.28 mm s⁻¹ and quadrupole splittings (QS) of 2.93 and 2.67 mm s⁻¹, respectively, and one Fe³⁺ doublet D₃ with an IS of 0.47 mm s⁻¹ and QS of 0.43 mm s⁻¹. These three doublets were already used to fit the Mössbauer spectrum of chloride-containing GR1(Cl⁻) [see J.M.R. Génin et al., Mat. Sci. Forum8, 477 (1986) and J.M.R. Génin et al., Hyp. Int. 29, 1355 (1986)]and therefore are characteristic of GR1 compounds. From the recording of electrode potential E and the pH of the suspension versus time during the oxidation, the standard free enthalpy of formation of stoichiometric GR1(CO₃²⁻) is estimated to be ΔG °_f = − 966.250 cal mol⁻¹. Knowing the chemical formula and ΔG °_f of GR1(CO₃²⁻) the Pourbaix diagram of iron in carbonate-containing aqueous solutions is drawn.     

A sliding mode control and artificial neural network based MPPT for a direct grid‐connected photovoltaic source

A robust sliding mode controller for a grid‐connected photovoltaic source is proposed in this paper. The objective of the presented control scheme is to force both the output voltage of the photovoltaic PV source and the power factor at the inverter output to follow a certain trajectory reference. The main idea is to apply the robust sliding mode controller directly to the nonlinear state model of the system composed of the PV source and the inverter with its input and output filters. In order to operate the PV system at the maximum power point and to satisfy the environmental factors, such as solar irradiance and temperature, we included a rigorous maximum power point tracker based on an artificial neural network. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed control scheme. In addition, we show that the grid current satisfies the harmonic limits of the IEEE standard for interconnecting distributed energy sources with electric power systems.