bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using information extraction to dynamically create multimedia tutorials
Authors: Dandashi Amal , Aljaam Jihad Mohamad , Mwinyi Massoud , Elzeiny Sami , Jaoua Ali M.
Published: October 2012

Background and Objectives:
Multimedia tutorials are often useful for children with disabilities as they are better able to understand new concepts with the use of lessons that engage their senses. These tutorials should include images, sounds and videos. We propose a system to dynamically generate multimedia tutorials that can easily be customized by the instructor, with the use of domain specific information extraction.

Methods:
Text processing is performed with a stemming algorithm, after which formal concepts analysis is used to extract pre-specified keywords. A formal concept is represented as a hierarchical lattice structure and in this study is applied to the animal kingdom domain. Ontology-based information extraction is then performed, where multimedia elements are extracted online and mapped, by querying the Google image database.

Results:
The proposed system allows for automated, speedy and efficient dynamic generation of multimedia customized tutorials.

Conclusions:
This system automates the tutorial generation process and gives disabled children the opportunity to learn with tutorials designed to suit their intellectual needs.
Interference-aware random beam selection schemes for spectrum sharing systems
Authors: Abdallah Mohamed , Qaraqe Khalid , Alouini Mohamed-Slim
Published: October 2012

Spectrum sharing systems have been recently introduced to alleviate the problem of spectrum scarcity by allowing secondary unlicensed networks to share the spectrum with primary licensed networks under acceptable interference levels to the primary users. In this work, we develop interference-aware random beam selection schemes that provide enhanced performance for the secondary network under the condition that the interference observed by the receivers of the primary network is below a predetermined/acceptable value. We consider a secondary link composed of a transmitter equipped with multiple antennas and a single-antenna receiver sharing the same spectrum with a primary link composed of a single-antenna transmitter and a single-antenna receiver. The proposed schemes select a beam, among a set of power-optimized random beams, that maximizes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the secondary link while satisfying the primary interference constraint for different levels of feedback information describing the interference level at the primary receiver. For the proposed schemes, we develop a statistical analysis for the SINR statistics as well as the capacity and bit error rate (BER) of the secondary link.
Implementation and evaluation of binary interval consensus on the TinyOS and TOSSIM simulator
Authors: Abdaoui Abderrazak , El-Fouly Tarek mohamed , Draief Moez
Published: October 2012

This work considers the deployment of the binary consensus algorithm in wireless sensor networks (WSN). This algorithm is applied for the evaluation of the average measurement with the presence of a faulty/attacked node. As this algorithm has been tested theoretically, we deploy it in real life, including its distributed and routing features.
In this paper, we propose the development, under simulation environment, of a distributed binary consensus algorithm. We formulate the algorithm into nesC derived from C language and running over the tiny operating system (TinyOS). The implementation was tested on sensor nodes using the TinyOSSimulator (Tossim) for a large number of nodes N and a testbed with a limited number of nodes. In performance evaluation, we considered the analysis of the average convergence time for node states to a consensus value. As in analytical results, in the simulations we applied the distributed algorithm for fully connected, paths, cycles Erdos Reny random, and starr-shaped graph topologies. Our achieved results of simulation and hardware implementations are consistent with theory.
Multi-modal biometric authentication system using face and online signature fusion
Authors: Elmir Youssef , Al-Maadeed Somaya , Amira Abbes , Hassaine Abdelaali
Published: October 2012

Background and Objectives:
There is high requirement of face and signature based multimodal biometric systems in various areas, such as banking, biometric systems and secured mobile phone operating systems. Few studies have been carried out in this area to enhance the performance of identification and authentication based on the fusion of those modalities. In multimodal biometric systems, the most common fusion approach is integration at the matching score level, but it is necessary to compare this strategy of fusion to the other strategies, like fusion at feature level. Our system combines these two biometric traits and provides better recognition performance compared with single biometric systems.

Multimodal Authentication Systems:
The first monomodal verification system is based on face verification using Gabor filters for feature extraction. The second system is based on online signature verification using Nalwa's method. The classification is released using the Cosine Mahalano-bis distance. Due to its efficiency, we used max-of-scores strategy to fuse face and online signature scores. The second proposed system is based on fusion at the feature level.

Results and Conclusions:
The performance of feature-level fusion and max-of-scores fusion techniques using face and online signature modalities were evaluated on ORL face database and the QU signature database. The lowest equal error rate is obtained by using a fusion strategy based on max-of-monomodal systems scores. Additionally, feature-level fusion based methods demonstrate a low equal error rate compared with the monomodal systems and have not been affected by the increase in the features vector dimension in term of time of verification; on the contrary, the fusion at the score level is clearly affected and it takes more in-time verification because it's necessary to get scores from each biometric trait before the fusion step.
Modeling datalog fact assertion and retraction in linear logic
Authors: Lam Edmund , Cervesato Iliano
Published: October 2012

Practical algorithms have been proposed to efficiently recompute the logical consequences of a Datalog program after a new fact has been asserted or retracted. This is essential in a dynamic setting where facts are frequently added and removed. Yet while assertion is logically well understood as incremental inference, the monotonic nature of traditional first-order logic is ill-suited to model retraction. As such, the traditional logical interpretation of Datalog offers at most an abstract specification of Datalog systems, but has tenuous relations to the algorithms that perform efficient assertions and retractions in practical implementations. This work proposes a logical interpretation of Datalog based on linear logic. It not only captures the meaning of Datalog updates, but also provides an operational model that underlies the dynamic changes of the set of inferable facts, all within the confines of logic. We do this specifically by explicitly representing the removal of facts and enriching our linear logic interpretation of Datalog inference rules with embedded retraction rules. These retraction rules are essentially linear implications designed to exercise the retraction of consequences when base facts are targeted for retraction. As such, we can map Datalog assertion and retraction onto the forward-chaining fragment of linear logic proof search. We formally prove the correctness of this interpretation with respect to its traditional counterpart. In the future, we intend to exploit our work here to develop a rich logic programming language that integrates Datalog style assertion and retraction with higher-order multiset rewritings.
An efficient, scalable and high performance cloud monitoring framework
Authors: Rehman Suhail , Sakr Majd
Published: October 2012

Cloud computing has become a very popular platform to deploy data-intensive scientific applications, but this process faces its own set of challenges. Given the complexity of the application execution environment, routine tasks on the cloud such as monitoring, performance analysis, and debugging of applications become tedious and complex. These routine tasks often require close interaction and inspection of multiple layers in the cloud, which traditional performance monitoring tools fail to account for. In addition, many of these tools are designed for real-time analysis and only provide summaries of historical data. This makes it difficult for a user to trace the runtime performance of an application in the past.
We present a new monitoring framework called All-Monitor Daemon (Almond). Almond keeps close tabs on cloud inventory by communicating with a cloud resource manager (such as VMware vCenter for a VMware private cloud). Almond then connects to each individual physical host in the inventory and retrieves performance metrics through the hypervisor. Examples of metrics include CPU, memory, disk and network usage. Almond is also designed to collect performance information from the Guest OS, allowing the retrieval of metrics from the application platform as well.
Almond was designed from the ground up for enhanced scalability and performance. The framework uses a Time Series Database (TSD), and a decentralized monitoring architecture allows for fast performance queries while minimizing overhead on the infrastructure. Almond collects performance data from all the layers of the software stack, and collected data remains persistent for future analysis. As a result of our performance enhancements, our preliminary results indicate a 70% improvement in hypervisor query response time through these enhancements as compared to our previous monitoring solution, VOTUS.
Almond is a work in progress, and will feature an intuitive web-based interface that allows system administrators and cloud users to view and analyze resources on the cloud. Once completed, Almond promises to be a highly scalable, fast performing and dynamic cloud resource monitor.
Enhanced formulations for the arrival-departure aircraft scheduling problem
Authors: Al-Haidous Sara Yousef , Al-Salem Ameer , Kharbeche Mohamed , Al-Ansari Fajr
Published: October 2012

Background and Objectives:
The target of this work is to construct a mathematical model to help resolve aircraft scheduling over multiple runways. This problem is considered a hard topic in transportation research due to the constantly increasing aviation traffic volume around the world. Surprisingly, although there exists an impressive amount of literature for the landing and arrival cases, there is no proposed exact solution to solve this problem. Therefore, the main contribution of this work is to present exact methods involving exact procedures specifically related to this complex arrival-departure variant. This method will solve the problem optimally based on mixed-integer linear formulation with the constraints of limited time windows and separation constraints.

The project was funded by Qatar Foundation. Our objective for the investigation stems from its practical relevance to airports where good scheduling increases the airport capacity, maintains a good level of safety and reduces the controller's workload.

Methods:
We formulated a basic aircraft sequencing model using a mixed-integer linear formulation. Then, we proposed another model by adding valid inequalities, combining constraints and removing some variables. All these mathematical models are based on linear ordering feature. These models were solved using the mathematical programming language AMPL. Then, we solved them using a professional solver CPLEX.

Results:
We investigated the efficacy of reformulation arrival-departure scheduling problem over multiple runways. The results show that the solver is very effective in obtaining optimal solutions. In fact, the experimental tests reveal that most of instances are solved to optimality within a short time. In addition, we realized that adding the valid inequality constraint among the model yields less CPU ( Central Processing Unit) time and less number of nods.

Conclusion:
We proposed linear ordering formulations for the problem of minimizing total weighted tardiness to sequence arrival-departure aircraft over multiple runways. We presented the results of computational study that were carried out on a large variety of random instances and that shows the importance of reformulating the same problem. Interestingly, we observed that the proposed models enable us to optimally solve problems with up 15 aircraft and four runways.
Discontinuous-control volume discrete fractures in finite element simulation
Authors: Abushaikha Ahmad , Blunt Martin , Gosselin Olivier
Published: October 2012

We implement a novel and accurate discrete fracture (DF) method to simulate fracture-matrix flow in geologically representative networks. The aim of the work is to study the interplay of viscous, capillarity and buoyancy-controlled displacement. We eliminate the smearing effect created by combining fracture and matrix control volumes in current finite element approaches that average fluid properties (saturation, density, etc) between the two media and have unrealistic control volumes around DFs. As a result, a very fine mesh is necessary to represent the system accurately, drastically increasing the number of nodes.
Applications:
This work is applicable to modeling and simulating fluid flow in heavily fractured reservoirs with complex geometry.

Discussion and Results:
In this paper, we give DFs a separate 1D or 2D control volume, depending on element, distinct from the matrix control volume. Both communicate through a Darcy law equation that depends on fracture aperture and matrix-fracture transmissibility, while maintaining the same inter-phase pressure between the two media. This approach facilitates the extensive use of DFs, thus allowing a new type of dual porosity, dual permeability mesh where the 2D triangular elements (DF) surround matrix blocks (made out of four tetrahedrons) instead of using the overlapped idea of matrix and fractures made out of the same element type, while having fewer nodes. Fracture-matrix displacement, using fracture networks based on outcrops, is studied to show the advantages of the new approach compared to the conventional method. This allows us to study displacement processes during water flooding in mixed-wet fractured reservoirs.
Significance:
Develop a new type of dual porosity dual permeability mesh with the geometrical advantage of finite elements.
A comparison of the redox properties of Co3O4, Co3O4/Al2O3 and Co3O4/Re/Al2O3 catalysts
Authors: Ali Mohamed , Mohamoud M. Kahder Mohamoud M. , Elbordini Sara Khalid , Mushtaha Mona A.
Published: October 2012

Background:
Cobalt catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is a process for converting natural gas to liquid fuels. Supported cobalt catalysts are common for F-T reactions because of their high activity and selectivity for forming linear hydrocarbons. Oxide supporters affect the catalytic properties of cobalt significantly. Co and oxide support interact and lead to irreversible deactivation of the catalyst. Promoters, e.g., Pd, Ru and Pt are added to the cobalt oxide supported catalysts for various reasons, such as to increase the reducibility of Co and to act as a source for hydrogen spillover.

Objectives:
To investigate the oxidation isotherms of cobalt and cobalt supported oxide catalysts using coulometric titration (CT) and to examine the effect of the rhenium (Re) promoter on the reducibility of cobalt on an alumina catalyst.

Methods:
The sample was exposed to a gas mixture containing 10% H2, 3% H2O and 87% N2 for full reduction. The P(O2) was then established by equilibrium between H2 and H2O:

P(O2)½ =K-1 * P(H2O)/P(H2)

Oxygen was then pumped into the cell electrochemically by passing a current through the Pt electrodes (Fig. 1). The open-circuit potential across the electrodes (V) was measured in order to calculate P(O2) from the Nernst equation:

V= RT/4F Ln PO2/0.21

Results:
The oxidation isotherms obtained from the CT for reduced bulk cobalt oxide (Co3O4) (Fig. 2) and promoted catalyst (Fig. 3) exhibit two well-defined transitions. The first transition is corresponding to the oxidation of Co to CoO and the second oxidation is corresponding to CoO to Co3O4. On the other hand, the oxidation isotherms of reduced 15 wt% Co3O4/Al2O3 exhibit one transition, which is corresponding to CoO to Co3O4 (Fig. 4). It is clear that the Co/alumina compound has a limited degree of reduction, which may be due to the strong interaction between Co and alumina resulting in a non-reducible form of a Co-alumina compound (Figs. 5-7). This explains that rhenium enhanced the reduction of the cobalt/alumina catalyst to a metallic cobalt but it did not have an effect on the extent of reduction of the cobalt oxide Co3O4 to CoO.

Conclusions:
Coulometric titration and thermal gravimetric analysis results show that a rhenium promoter has facilitated the reduction of Co3O4 to Co (Fig. 8).
Pore water gradients below microbial mat surface of Umm Alhool sabkha in Qatar
Authors: Al-Raei Abdul Munem , Al-Najjar Mohammad , Al-Thani Roda
Published: October 2012

The mineralization of organic matter in marine sediments by microbial activity was studied in Umm Alhool sabkha. In intertidal surface sediments, the development of steep compositional and physico-chemical gradients was a common phenomenon. Rapidly, oxygen is consumed within the upper few mm of marine mats and sediments. In permeable sediments, however, oxygenated bottom waters may have flew through the upper part of the surface sediments leading to enhanced participation of oxygen in element cycling. Whereas in microbial mats, the surface sediments are locally formed, indicating a disturbance in the balance of the biogeochemical processes.
Umm Alhool sabkha, situated between Umm Sa'id (Mesaieed) and Al Wakrah, drew our attention to study the biogeochemical cycling because both microbial mats and mangroves ecosystems affect its biogeochemistry.

In the present study, the chemistry of pore water below mats surfaces of intertidal sandy sediments was investigated in winter 2011 using a number of different techniques. Pore water was sampled down to 20 cm below surface using pore water lances, diffusion samplers, and centrifugation of sediment core sections. Microsensor measurements of sulfide and pH were also performed on the upper 2 cm. Specifically, we measured salinity, dissolved O2, pH, SO4²¯, H2S, Cl¯, TN, TOC, PO4³¯, NO3¯, NH4+, H4SiO4, and microbial sulfate reduction rates have been analyzed using intact sediment cores.

Sulfidic sediments were characterized by high sulfate reduction rates exhibiting maxima between about 5-15 cm, associated with decreased oxygen penetration depths, and proton activities. Anaerobic metabolic activity in pore waters below mat surface lead to significantly enhanced concentrations of sulfide, ammonium, dissolved inorganic carbon, phosphate, silica (steep gradients), and a net consumption of sulfate. They acted as windows for the liberation of reduced substances into the bottom water or the atmosphere. This study represents the first comprehensive investigation of the chemical composition and sulfate reduction rates in Umm Alhool microbial mat ecosystem. It shows how dynamic and self-fueling the system is.
New environmentally friendly polypropylene hybrid composites
Authors: AlMaadeed Mariam , Madi Nabil , Khanam P. Noorunnisa , Kahraman Ramazan
Published: October 2012

Recycled polypropylene (RPP) based hybrid composites of date palm wood flour/glass fibre were prepared by different weight ratios of the two reinforcements. The mixing process was carried out in an extruder and samples were prepared by an injection molding machine. RPP properties were improved by reinforcing it by wood flour. Morphological studies indicated that glass fiber has good adhesion with RPP supporting the improvement of the mechanical properties of hybrid composites with glass fiber addition. An increase in wood particle content in the polypropylene resulted in a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of the polymer. The tensile strength of the composites increased with an increase in the percentage of crystallinity when adding the glass fibre. The improvement in the mechanical properties with the increase in crystallinity percentage (and with the decrease of the lamellar thicknesses) can be attributed to the constrained region between the lamellae because the agglomeration is absent in this case.
Hydrocarbon fuel-based hybrid fusion-fission nuclear reactor
Authors: Jahanur Rahman Abul hasanat Muhammad
Published: October 2012

Natural resources such as oil and gas can be used in more efficient ways. Instead of just burning these fuels, the exhaust gas or sync-gases can be used for hydrogen fusion reactions along with carbon fusion reactions. This offers the prospect of a longer-term supply of energy by using only a very small amount of fuel. Fusion reaction energy could be made relatively cheap by using proton tunneling catalytic reactors that bypass the nuclear repulsion barrier at lower temperatures, to produce enough energy that can be stored into hydrocarbons through Fischer-Tropsch synthetic gasification and pyrolysis cracking of CO₂. This could significantly decrease environmental pollution and the greenhouse effect. This catalytic reactor uses mesosphore support made of pyroelectric and piezoelectric crystals. Pyroelectric crystals convert the fusion temperature into electricity and piezoelectric crystals control the diameter of porosity to determine diffusion and fusion reaction rate. This active catalyst is a quasi-crystal of fullerenes covered by a single layer of graphene. By providing a voltage difference across this catalyst, its conductivity can be changed. By using magnetic field variable mass Dirac fermions (for example cooper electron-hole/phonon pairs), these can be introduced with different conductive layers (heterogeneous topological layers or parallel quantum wells) due to the quantum Hall effect. Hydrocarbons or its burned products enter this catalyst from mesophores through microphores by carrier fluids which need to be supercritical and superfluid with a momentum vortex at input temperature and pressure. Zero mass Dirac fermions are very sensitive to the applied field by piezoelectric crystal supports which produce maximum charge carriers compared to other layers where electron pairs have less mass. The higher the momentum of these ions, the higher the mass of the Dirac fermions (electron). At the collision point, the catalytic layer which has a Dirac fermion mass higher than the effective electron mass (such as the mass of the muon particle), this increases the probability of fusion by weakening the electron repulsion and increasing a strong nuclear force, also resulting in a tunneling effect due to an increase in gravitational pull between higher masses. This demonstrates that controlling resonance phonon frequency and the electric field through piezoelectric crystal fusion reaction can easily be controlled at lower temperatures due to the action of this catalyst.
Green networks: Energy efficient design for future generations of wireless networks
Authors: Shakir Muhammad Zeeshan , Qaraqe Khalid
Published: October 2012

Background & Objectives:
Qatar ranked number one in the world in terms of per capita CO2 emissions and is the latest Middle Eastern country to aggressively push towards reducing the per capita CO2 emissions and embrace a low carbon economy. Information and communication technology (ICT) already represents around 2% of total CO2 emissions (of which wireless networks represents about 0.2%) and this is expected to increase annually. The exponential growth in demand for higher data rates in wireless networks requires dense deployment of base stations which not only increases the energy consumption but also requires higher capital expenditures which still do not ensure an improvement in the data rate. To address the challenges of increasing the energy efficiency of the future wireless networks and maintain profitability, it is essential to consider various novel technologies which improve the energy efficiency of wireless networks and establish 'greener' networks. Therefore, decreasing the propagation distance between the base station and the mobile users is a promising solution to design energy aware wireless networks.

Methods:
Small cells such as femtocells are becoming a standard part of future wireless networks. We propose an energy aware design for wireless networks where the small cells are arranged around the edge of the macrocell such that the configuration is referred to as cell-on-edge (COE) where mobile users transmitting with a reduced transmitter power enjoy higher data rates due to shorter distances between the transmitter and the receiver. The COE configuration promises energy savings by integrating small cell and macrocell networks and thereby reducing CO2 emissions, operational and capital expenditures whilst enhancing the spectral and energy efficiency of wireless network. In this context, we define a performance metric which characterizes the aggregate energy savings per unit macrocell area and is referred to as an area green efficiency (AGE) wireless network.

Results:
The proposed wireless network design will provide a significant increase in energy efficiency of approximately 50% to 75% in comparison with the existing networks.

Conclusions:
The COE configuration has been shown to reduce CO2 emissions and thereby significantly improve the energy efficiency of future wireless networks.
Date palm fibre as a reinforcement of recycled polymer blend matrix
Authors: AlMaadeed Mariam , NOORUNNISA KHANAM PATAN
Published: October 2012

This paper investigates for the first time the effect of the amount of Maleic anhydride (MA) on blends of recycled polymers and date palm fibre composites. Recycled low density polyethylene (RLDPE) 20 wt%, recycled high density polyethylene (RHDPE) 40 wt%, and recycled polypropylene (RPP) 40 wt%, blends have been prepared. The recycled polymers, 10 wt% RLDPE, 35 wt% RHDPE and 35 wt% RPP, were used as the polymer matrix for preparing the composites with 20 wt% date palm fibre leaves and 1,2 wt% of MA. The composites were prepared by a two-step process, extrusion followed by injection molding. The results showed that the addition of MA by 1 wt% has the maximum effect in improving the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the material but reduced the hardness. Pure blend matrix showed higher % of elongation at break and hardness. Melting and crystallization points of the blends did not change with the addition of the fibre and MA, but an improvement in the thermal stability by 4 °C was achieved for the 1 wt% of MA composite compared to the composite without the MA, which is confirmed by the improvement in bonding between the blend matrix and the date palm fibre shown in the scanning electron microscope morphology photos.
Passive vibration control using a linear particle chain impact damper
Authors: Gharib Mohamed , Ghani Saud
Published: October 2012

Passive control is preferred due to its simplicity and zero power consumption. A common passive control device is the impact damper which consists of a freely moving mass constrained by two stops inside a container mounted on the primary system. Typical application of impact dampers are vibration attenuation of cutting tools, television antennas, turbine blades, manufacturing machines, heavy armored personnel carriers (Armadillos), digger machines, structures, plates, tubing, and shafts. Researchers have attempted to develop the impact damper for many decades. The objectives have been to decrease the high accelerations, contact forces, and noise levels. The common types of impact damper are the following: single unit impact damper (1-dof or 2-dof), multi-unit impact damper, bean bag damper, particle (or granular) impact damper, resilient impact damper, and buffered impact damper.

In this paper, a new type of impact damper consists of linear chain of spherical balls. Previous work proposed a new energy absorption scheme based on the multiple impact in the linear chain of spherical balls with different sizes. The new impact damper is based on placing a small ball between each two larger balls in the chain. Hence, the small ball will have numerous collisions with the larger balls during an impact event. This behavior leads to the dissipation of the kinetic energy due to the numerous collisions of the large balls. The linear chain impact damper is validated by comparing its responses with the single unit impact damper. A parametric study is conducted to specify the sufficient number of balls and the efficient diameters to be used in a specific available space in the primary system.
Progress on fine-mapping the gender control gene in date palm
Authors: Mathew Lisa Sara , Mohamoud Yasmin , Al-Dous Eman , Salameh Yasmeen , Al-Azwani Eman , George Binu , Malek Joel
Published: October 2012

Introduction and Background:
The date palm is a critical tree to Arabian Gulf agriculture, history and culture. Dates are a major source of nutrition in the region, and the tree itself plays an important role in the development of sustainable agriculture in many drought and saline-affected regions of the world. Date palm development presents a challenge, however, as the tree is a dioecious species, that is, individual plants are either male or female and are indistinguishable during the first 5-8 years, until flowering begins. We recently identified a region of the date palm genome linked to gender, which showed that the date palm employs an XY system of gender inheritance similar to that of humans.

Methods and Technology:
As part of a development plan we recently released a draft sequence of the date palm genome (Khalas female). In our findings, we identified sequence variations on four contigs that were strongly linked to gender and validated them in a large pedigree. We identified an additional 20 contigs with some evidence of linkage to gender. Validation of new gender-linked contigs will help in the fine-mapping of a possible single mutation, which results in gender determination in date palm. To validate linkage we have amplified the DNA of 7 male and 7 female date palm samples using 20 specifically designed primers. The PCR products obtained are sequenced by Sanger's sequencing. The sequenced regions from these contigs are from a diverse set of male and female date palms. We are studying these sequences and regions to identify a possible specific mutation or other gene content difference that determines plant gender.

Result:
We have confirmed linkage in many of the contigs, and these provide a set of genes within the "degraded" male sequence which may offer clues to how gender is determined biochemically and developmentally in date palm.

Conclusion:
There may be many more additional contigs which we are investigating to aid in the mapping of more variations and mutations, which correspond to different traits and features in the date palm, particularly dealing with gender.
Separation, pre-concentration and determination of stroniutm-90 in environmental soil samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Authors: Al-Meer Saeed H. , Amr Mohamed A. , Al-Shammari Saoud K. , Ewis Dalia M.
Published: October 2012

Introduction:
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used for the determination of many radioisotopes including 99Tc, 226Ra, 235,236,238U, 232Th, and 239,240Pu. The major challenge in the determination of 90Sr is the separation of isobaric and polyatomic interferences. 90Sr is found in the environment at specific activities ranging from a few millibecquerels to several becquerels, depending on the medium studied. These specific activities, converted to masses, represent only a few femtograms and are significantly lower than the typical detection limits of most ICP-MSs using direct aspiration nebulization. This suggests that a pre-concentration of the 90Sr is necessary in order to increase the number of atoms detected.

Objectives:
The objective of this study was to develop a method for the ultratrace determination of 90Sr in environmental soil samples using ICP-MS.

Methodology:
Strontium was separated from matrix using a selective extraction chromatographic Sr-resin (100-150 m) from EiChrom. The resin was conditioned with 10 mL of 8 M HNO3. The samples were loaded and the resin was rinsed with 3 mL of 3 M HNO3. Zirconium and other matrix elements were washed from the column to leave pure Sr on the column. Strontium was eluted with 10 mL of distilled water. The final solution was analyzed by ICP-MS.

Results:
Following the acid digestion, extraction chromatography was tested to assess their usefulness in reducing its interferences. A 90Sr pre-concentration of >300-fold and recoveries of 60-70% were obtained using a combined extraction chromatography and pre-concentration by evaporation protocol. Improvement in sensitivity of 90Sr was found by optimization of the ICP-MS parameters using the stable isotope 88Sr. The detection limit was improved by a factor of 300 for 90Sr. A detection limit of 0.2 ppt was obtained. The method was applied to determine 90Sr in the environmental soil samples. The average 90Sr/86Sr isotope ratio was 4.05×10−9.

Conclusions:
The main 90Sr/86Sr isotope ratio in environmental soil samples confirms that the source of 90Sr is the global fallout. The overall time requirement for the measurement of 90Sr by ICP-MS is 2 days, significantly shorter than any radioanalytical protocol currently available.
A computational model for predicting the fluid motion induced by Brownian motions of suspended nanoparticles
Authors: Cheng Way Lee , Kanjirakat Anoop , Sadr Reza
Published: October 2012

Nanoparticles, when suspended in a base liquid have been reported to enhance heat transfer properties. This suggests a potential in industrial applications. However, the extent of reported enhancements were inconsistent. The underlying principal that leads to the improvements is not clearly understood, albeit the interactions between the particles and fluid which is likely to be the main contributor to the observed phenomena. Further research efforts are needed in this area as the previously proposed theories were inconclusive or even contradicting.

In this study, a novel approach of using computational analytical code is being developed for studying the velocity field in the base fluid induced by the suspended nanoparticles. The Langevin equation was used to evaluate the randomly moving nanoparticles with unconfined Brownian motions. The induced velocity field in the vicinity fluid is determined by solving the governing hydrodynamic equations, assuming no interaction between particles. The criterion of various numerical parameters such as time step size, computational domain definition will be discussed. To reduce the computational cost, the motion of a sample of Brownian particles is traced upon and recorded throughout the calculation, for which a statistical representation of the induced fluid field can then be obtained. The effects of various parameters on the induced fluid field will also be examined and discussed.
Instability of damaged pipes retrofitted by a liner
Authors: Haghpanah babak , Hamouda Abdelmagid Salem , Vaziri Ashkan
Published: October 2012

Background:
Underground piping systems have a large variety of applications ranging from oil, gas and petrochemical industries to water distribution networks. Presence of defects, particularly cracks, in underground pipes may severely undermine structural stability and makes restoration of the shell's structural integrity inevitable. Replacement of the damaged sections of the pipeline as the most direct restoration approach is costly, hard to execute due to difficulty in physically accessing the damaged sections, and often leads to prolonged interruption in the service. In light of these difficulties, alternative approaches have been proposed in recent years for retrofitting the damaged thin-walled structures by engagement between an inserted, expandable liner and the existing pipe (e.g. Underground Solutions' Duraliner™).

Objective:
The objective of this project is to examine the stability of the repaired pipelines and to provide a more in-depth understanding of the validity and practicality of the relining process materials and techniques and their limitations. We explored the instability of a cracked thin shell cylinder reinforced with an elastic liner subjected to pure axial compression and also combined axial compression and internal pressure.

Method:
Finite element models of cracked cylindrical shells with elastic liners for various crack lengths and orientations were developed using a special meshing scheme to accurately capture the crack tip stress intensity. Eigenvalue buckling analysis was used to assess the critical loading and buckling modes.

Results:
Through our extensive parametric studies, we studied the correlations between buckling response and reinforcement parameters such as the relative thickness and stiffness of the liner and shell layers and damage parameters such as crack size and orientation.

Conclusions:
While elastic reinforcement significantly improves buckling characteristics of the structure compared to the unreinforced case, there is significant differences in buckling behavior depending on crack size, orientation and the material properties of the shell structure and liner. We find that internal pressure may stabilize against local buckling by suppression at the lower internal pressure zones or, may precipitate local buckling of the reinforced cylindrical shells due to stress concentration at higher internal pressure zones depending upon the elastic and geometric properties of the structure.
A novel robust control system to reduce the exhaust emission and enhance the fuel economy for spark ignition engines
Authors: Tafreshi Reza , Ebrahimi Behrouz , Mohammadpour Javad , Franchek matthew , Grigoriadis Karolos , Masudi Houshang
Published: October 2012

It's been many years since the invention of the internal combustion engine. These engines are getting more challenging due to the concerns of ever increasingly harmful pollutions and limited energy sources. Environmental regulations have been more restrictive, and car manufacturers have invested more into reducing emitted pollutions and fuel consumption. It is well recognized that for spark ignition (SI) engines, the air-fuel ratio (AFR) is by far the most dominant factor in determining the engine exhaust gas mixture and the amount of lit/km characteristics. For many years this has been partially addressed due to the restrictions on the control approaches because of existence of a time delay in the control input. The control approach presented in this research provides a novel strategy based on the internal dynamics of SI engines. It compensates for the delay at each instant and follows the desired trajectory of AFR. This leads to a reduction of fuel consumption and keeps the actual AFR close to the stoichiometric AFR, which indeed minimizes the harmful pollutants. The research proposes a thorough design methodology that circumvents the previous limitations for industrial PID controllers in terms of noise attenuation. It is robust against canister purge disturbances, modeling uncertainties, parameter variations and time-varying engine operating conditions. The proposed controller has been implemented on experimental data collected at University of Houston on a FORD F-150 truck. The results have shown considerable improvements over the baseline controller and exhibited excellent performance for the noisy outputs of the sensor due to the aging factors.
High Temperature and High Pressure Rheology of Nanofluids: a case study
Authors: Taimour Khalifa , Kanjirakat Anoop , Sadr Reza , Taimour Khalifa
Published: October 2012

Nanotechnology is foreseen to change our life by bringing new horizons to current industrial applications. It could be used, for example, to improve the performances of heat exchangers--which are widely used in industrial applications--by augmenting heat transfer characteristics of the working fluids. Nanofluids, which are engineered colloidal suspensions of nano-sized particles (less than 100nm) dispersed in a base fluid, have shown potential as industrial cooling fluids due to their reported enhanced heat transfer characteristics. However, rheological characteristics of nanofluids at extreme working conditions that occur in industrial applications are not well studied. This work for the first time presents the rheological characteristics of cooling oil based nanofluids at high temperatures and pressures. In this work, nanofluids are prepared by dispersing SiO2 nanoparticles (~20nm) in a highly refined paraffinic mineral oil (Therm Z-32, QALCO) that has wide applications in industrial heat exchangers, especially in NGL plants operated by Qatar Petroleum. Three particle concentrations of 1%, 5% and 10% by weight are considered for the investigation. The high pressure and high temperature viscosity values are measured using a HPHT viscometer (METEK CHANDLER ENGG.). In the experimentation, viscosity values of the nanofluids are measured at temperatures ranging from ambient to 160oC, with pressures varying from atmospheric to 100 atmospheres. Initial observations have shown that variation in particle loading and temperature affects the viscosity of nanofluids, whereas increases in pressure had a negligible effect on nanofluids viscosity.
Otology versus Otosociology
Authors: Lopez-Gonzalez Miguel A. , Cherta Georgina , Nieto Jose A. , Esteban Francisco
Published: October 2012

Otology concerns the biological study of ear alterations and diseases, solely. So, the diagnosis of audiovestibular diseases tends to be idiopathic or is based on theoretical concepts such as idiopathic sudden deafness, Ménière disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, tinnitus, hyperacusis, or idiopathic facial paralysis. The treatment for these pathologies is symptomatic. Otosociology takes the aetiology and pathogenesis of the ear and situates them within the social and cultural environment of the patient. Then, audiovestibular disease is based on evidence, and the treatment options seek to solve the causes and consequences produced. Otosociology should be considered as a new discipline. Otosociology came into being since otology does not provide definitive solutions for the audiovestibular alterations produced from the point of view of the ear, whereas otosociology finds these solutions within the social/cultural environment of the patient. Where otology emphasises the diseases of the ear, otosociology deals with social manifestations. Where otology deals with idiopathic diseases, otosociology deals with causes and pathogeny produced by interactions in the social and cultural surroundings of the patient. Where otology offers symptomatic treatment, otosociology offers treatment of causes and consequences. Otosociology can fill significant voids in audiovestibular processes from the perspective of the patient’s social environment.
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy: Fundamentals, Applications, and Challenges
Authors: Anabitarte F. , Cobo A. , Lopez-Higuera J. M.
Published: October 2012

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique that provides an accurate in situ quantitative chemical analysis and, thanks to the developments in new spectral processing algorithms in the last decade, has achieved a promising performance as a quantitative chemical analyzer at the atomic level. These possibilities along with the fact that little or no sample preparation is necessary have expanded the application fields of LIBS. In this paper, we review the state of the art of this technique, its fundamentals, algorithms for quantitative analysis or sample classification, future challenges, and new application fields where LIBS can solve real problems.
Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of a New Treatment for Head Lice
Authors: Mac-Mary Sophie , Messikh Rafat , Jeudy Adeline , Lihoreau Thomas , Sainthillier Jean-Marie , Gabard Bernard , Schneider Catherine , Auderset Philippe , Humbert Philippe
Published: October 2012

Infestation with head lice is a widespread, persistent, and recurring issue leading to serious health problems if untreated. We are facing resistance phenomena to usual pediculicides and questions about their direct or cumulative toxicity. The aim of this trial was to assess the efficacy of a new product, free of chemical insecticides but with a physical effect. This product contains components whose antilice efficacy has already been demonstrated, as well as Andiroba oil which asphyxiates the lice and Quassia vinegar which dissolves the chitin of the nits (they are then inactivated). 30 patients with head lice infestation, aged 3–39 years, applied the treatment one to three times, 5 days apart. Cure was defined as the absence of live lice after 5, 10, or 14 days, and symptoms are usually associated with infestation. Easiness and safety of the treatment were assessed by the patients and/or their parents. Overall cure rates were 20% on D5 after one treatment, 37% on D10 after two treatments, and 90% on D14 after three treatments. Symptoms such as itch, scalp dryness, redness, and flakiness rapidly diminished. This treatment seems to be a beneficial addition or a valuable alternative to existing treatments, considering the total absence of chemical insecticides, the absence of drug-resistance induction in head lice, the absence of major toxicological risks compared with usual pediculicides, and the favourable patient use instructions.
Hypoglycemic Effect ofLaminaria japonicaPolysaccharide in a Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Mouse Model
Authors: Li Xiaodan , Yu Zhuqin , Long Shaohua , Guo Yunliang , Duan Delin
Published: October 2012

The aim is to investigate the hypoglycemic effect ofLaminaria japonicapolysaccharides (LJPS) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice model. 60 healthy male mice have been used in the experiment. T2DM animal mode was prepared by high fatty forage feeding and intraperitoneal injection with alloxan. Diabetic mice were orally supplied with LJPS. Then their blood was collected for various biomedical measurements of fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum insulin, and amylin. Treatment with LJPS significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (P<0.05) and increased the levels of insulin and amylin in serum (P<0.05). Overall, the study presented that LJPS can reverse several components of T2DM. Therefore, LJPS may become a new oral candidate medicine for the treatment of diabetes.
Vitamins E and C Alleviate the Germ Cell Loss and Oxidative Stress in Cryptorchidism When Administered Separately but Not When Combined in Rats
Authors: Afolabi Ayobami Oladele , Olotu Olaolu Opeyemi , Alagbonsi Isiaka Abdullateef
Published: October 2012

The antioxidant effects of vitamins C and E on cryptorchidism-induced oxidative stress were investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Forty rats (200–250 g) were randomly divided in a blinded fashion into five groups (). Group 1 was sham operated and treated with vehicle (corn-oil, 10 mL/kg). Groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 were rendered unilaterally cryptorchid and treated with vehicle (10 mL/kg), vitamin E solution (75 mg/kg), vitamin C solution (1.25 g/kg), and combination of vitamin E (75 mg/kg) and vitamin C (1.25 g/kg) solutions, respectively. Germ cell count, superoxide dismutase (SOD), total protein (TP), and testicular weight (TW) were lower, but malondialdhyde (MDA) was higher in the cryptorchid rats than the sham-operated rats. When administered separately, vitamins C and E increased germ cell count, SOD, TP, and TW but did not reduce MDA in the cryptorchid rats when compared to the vehicle-treated cryptorchid rats. However, there was no significant difference in these parameters between vehicle-treated and combined vitamins C- and E-treated rats. This suggests that vitamins E and C alleviate the germ cell loss and oxidative stress in cryptorchidism when administered separately but not when combined in rats.