Smart home security: challenges,issues and solutions at different IoT layers

The Journal of Supercomputing - The Internet of Things is a rapidly evolving technology in which interconnected computing devices and sensors share data over the network to decipher different...     

Schistosome behavior in vitro

Schistosome adults attract each other in vitro and the attraction is chemically mediated. InSchistosoma mansoni adults, excretory-secretory (ES) products of worms of one sex attract worms of the opposite sex, and at least the lipophilic fraction is attractive. Intra- and interspecific attraction occurs inSchistosoma mansoni, S. japonicum, andS. haematobium adults. Current knowledge of schistosome behavior in vitro is reviewed.     

Wear failure of a leaded bronze bearing: Correlation between plant experience and laboratory wear test data

This paper describes an investigation on the failure of a large leaded bronze bearing that supports a nine-ton roller of a plastic calendering machine. At the end of the normal service life of a good bearing, which lasted for seven years, a new bearing was installed. However the new one failed catastrophically within a few days, generating a huge amount of metallic wear debris and causing pitting on the surface of the cast iron roller. Following the failure, samples were collected from both good and failed bearings. The samples were analyzed chemically and their microstructures examined. Both samples were subjected to accelerated wear tests in a laboratory type pin-on-disk apparatus. During the tests, the bearing materials acted as pins, which were pressed against a rotating cast iron disk. The wear behaviors of both bearing materials were studied using weight loss measurement. The worn surfaces of samples and the wear debris were examined by light optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and energy-dispersive x-ray microanalyzer. It was found that the laboratory pin-on-disk wear data correlated well with the plant experience. It is suggested that the higher lead content (∼18%) of the good bearing compared with 7% lead of the failed bearing helped to establish a protective transfer layer on the worn surface. This transfer layer reduced metal-to-metal contact between the bearing and the roller and resulted in a lower wear rate. The lower lead content of the failed bearing does not allow the establishment of a well-protected transfer layer and leads to rapid wear.     

Failure analysis of superheater tube supports of the primary reformer in a fertilizer factory

A failure analysis of superheater tube supports of the primary reformer in a local fertilizer factory is presented. A number of tube supports failed at approximately half of their designed service life. Following the failure, the factory was visited, and relevant information and samples were collected. The samples were investigated in the laboratory by chemical analysis, macro- and microhardness measurements, macro-and micrometallographic examinations, and X-ray diffractometry. The analysis showed the supports were fabricated from HH-type heat-resisting alloy and that the failure mode was high-temperature creep. The microstructure of the alloy showed the presence of massive intergranular as well as intragranular σ-phase and intragranular needle-shaped M₂₃C₆ carbides. It was also concluded from the formation of massive σ-phase in the tube that the failure was hastened because the supports were operating at approximately 800 °C. The alloy composition led to the formation of σ-phase under the operating conditions of the reformer, and the use of an alloy with a higher concentration of austenite-stabilizing element(s) could have avoided the failure.     

Die attach properties of Zn–Al–Mg–Ga based high-temperature lead-free solder on Cu lead-frame

Several candidate alloys have been suggested as high-temperature lead-free solder for Si die attachment by different researchers. Among them, Zn–Al based alloys have proper melting range and excellent thermal/electrical properties. In this study, Zn–Al–Mg–Ga solder wire was used to attach Ti/Ni/Ag metallized Si die on Cu lead-frame in an automatic die attach machine. Die attachment was performed in a forming gas environment at temperature ranging from 370 to 400 °C. At the interface with Cu lead-frame, CuZn₄, Cu₅Zn₈ and CuZn intermetallic compound (IMC) layers were formed. At the interface with Si, Al₃Ni₂ IMC formed when 200 nm Ag layer was used at the die back and AgZn and AgZn₃ IMC layers when the Ag layer was 2,000 nm thick. Microstructure of the bulk solder consists of mainly two phases: one with a brighter contrast (about 80.9 wt% Zn) and the other one is a mixture of light (about 73.7 wt% Zn) and dark phases (about 45 wt% Al). Zn–Al–Mg–Ga solder wetted well on Cu lead-frame, covered entire die area and flowed in all directions under the Si die. Less than 10% voids were found in the die attach samples at die attach temperatures of 380 and 390 °C. Die shear strength was found within the acceptable limit (21.8–29.4 MPa) for all the die attach temperatures. Die shear strength of standard Pb–Sn solder was also measured for comparison and was found to be 29.3 MPa. In electrical test, maximum deviation of output voltage after 1,000 thermal cycles was found 12.1%.     

A Note on Moments of Gamma Order Statistics

Previously quadrature approximations were developed to determine the moments of a distribution of the response of a multivariable function when each of the variables is a random variable from a normal distribution. The error was shown to be of the order of the sixth power of the standard deviations of the random variables, but a more useful bound is desired in applied work. Only limited success has been achieved in this direction. It is shown that the best approximating distribution is a Beta distribution of the first kind with β₂ equal to 3 and mean, variance, and β₁ obtained by quadrature, where β₁ and β₂ are standard measures of skewness and kurtosis, respectively. A parametric study of the function X = C_o (a _o, ± y ₁ ± y ₂ ± … ±y_n ) ^m + b _o where the y_i all have the same standard deviation, σ, is conducted both analytically and by quadrature. The mean and variance obtained by quadrature are essentially exact in the range of interest. It is shown that for a large range of σ the above distribution is both a good approximation and a much better approximation than either a normal approximation with the same mean and variance or a linear approximation. The example also shows that the β₂ obtained by quadrature is a poor indicator of the precision of the quadrature approximation.     

How do biologists respond to low-intensity armed conflicts? The case of Bangladesh (1961–2011)

Armed conflict affects the biological diversity and biological research regime of a country. This paper takes a low-intensity armed conflict in the biologically and ethnically diverse Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, as an example, and assesses the response of biologists to this conflict. The study spans the last 50 years dividing it into three periods: pre-conflict (1961?1974), conflict (1975–1997) and post-conflict (1998–2011). Interactions with selected researchers and a literature survey showed that sporadic, intermittent biological research was conducted in this region even during the conflict. The number of research initiatives substantially increased and became more diverse over the last decade. Research opportunity has increased mainly because of improved security and accessibility. Nevertheless, despite the research capacity and a positive attitude among the researchers, some fundamental issues still limit long-term research in this area. The continuing volatile situation due to slow implementation of the 1997 Peace Accord and the tension between rebel factions and indigenous and settler communities in some areas continue to be serious concerns for studying and conserving the biodiversity of this region. Innovative research approaches and the full implementation of the peace agreement are vital to improving the situation for biological research in the CHT. The paper underlines the importance of a biologist’s self-motivation to respond to low-intensity armed conflicts.