bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Irrigation System for a Roller-Type Onion Pot Seeding Machine
Authors: Hwang Seok-Joon , Lee Ju-Yeon , Nam Ju-Seok
Published: January 2019

An irrigation system for roller-type onion pot-seeding machines was developed. It is a drip-type and can be installed easily to the existing roller-type onion pot-seeding machines by its modular design. The components were selected to satisfy the required irrigation conditions for onion seeding. The operating condition was determined from a factorial experiment. A verification test was conducted and the result showed that the irrigation system developed made a significant positive contribution to the growth of onion seedlings.
The Design of a Metro Network Using a Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Król Aleksander , Król Małgorzata
Published: January 2019

The process of planning the metro system is very complex. This is due to the large amount of required input data originating from many domains. Additionally, the required extraordinary budget makes the design phase difficult and forces some trade-offs to meet most expectations. Designing a metro system requires often a multi-variant analysis to examine possible future ways of urban agglomeration development. In such circumstances there is a need to apply an efficient method, which allows for obtaining a draft design of a metro system. This paper presents an application of a genetic algorithm for two stages of a metro system design. The first stage determines the layout of metro stations, which optimally meets the transportations demands of the inhabitants. The second stage generates the optimal topology of lines connecting the stations, taking into account the minimization of construction costs and the total travel time of all passengers. The parameters, which control the operation of the optimization procedures, were tuned with the use of the Taguchi method.
A Correlation-Change Based Feature Selection Method for IoT Equipment Anomaly Detection
Authors: Su Shen , Sun Yanbin , Gao Xiangsong , Qiu Jing , Tian Zhihong
Published: January 2019

Selecting the right features for further data analysis is important in the process of equipment anomaly detection, especially when the origin data source involves high dimensional data with a low value density. However, existing researches failed to capture the fact that the sensor data are usually correlated (e.g., duplicated deployed sensors), and the correlations would be broken when anomalies occur with happen to the monitored equipment. In this paper, we propose to capture such sensor data correlation changes to improve the performance of IoT (Internet of Things) equipment anomaly detection. In our feature selection method, we first cluster correlated sensors together to recognize the duplicated deployed sensors according to sensor data correlations, and we monitor the data correlation changes in real time to select the sensors with correlation changes as the representative features for anomaly detection. To that end, (1) we conducted curve alignment for the sensor clustering; (2) we discuss the appropriate window size for data correlation calculation; (3) and adopted MCFS (Multi-Cluster Feature Selection) into our method to adapt to the online feature selection scenario. According to the experiment evaluation derived from real IoT equipment, we prove that our method manages to reduce the false negative of IoT equipment anomaly detection of 30% with almost the same level of false positive.
Controllable Synthesis of Special Reed-Leaf-Like Carbon Nanostructures Using Copper Containing Catalytic Pyrolysis for High-Performance Field Emission
Authors: Zhao Chen , Zhang Zhejuan , Guo Jun , Hu Qiang , Sun Zhuo , Piao Xianqing
Published: January 2019

Special reed-leaf-like carbon nanostructures have been realized by using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) under the combined action of copper containing catalytic pyrolysis and ammonia (NH3) gas. The nucleation and growth mechanisms of CNLs based on growth parameters are discussed. The Raman spectra of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CNLs and CNT-CNL composites were measured and found to be strongly influenced by the type of gas. Field emission (FE) properties of CNL-CNT composites were observed with a lower turn-on electric field of 0.73 V/µm, and a higher current density of 18.0 mA/cm2 at an electric field of 2.65 V/µm, which are superior to those of CNTs and flower-like CNLs. This is because there are more field emitters in CNLs inter-planted in CNTs. We consider that the unique FE stability of CNTs and defects in CNLs play a synergetic role on the improved FE properties.
TDLAS Monitoring of Carbon Dioxide with Temperature Compensation in Power Plant Exhausts
Authors: Zhu Xiaorui , Yao Shunchun , Ren Wei , Lu Zhimin , Li Zhenghui
Published: January 2019

Temperature variations of flue gas have an effect on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions monitoring. This paper demonstrates accurate CO2 concentration measurement using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) with temperature compensation methods. A distributed feedback diode laser at 1579 nm was chosen as the laser source for CO2 measurements. A modeled flue gas was made referring to CO2 concentrations of 10–20% and temperatures of 298–338 K in the exhaust of a power plant. Two temperature compensation methods based on direct absorption (DA) and wavelength modulation (WMS) are presented to improve the accuracy of the concentration measurement. The relative standard deviations of DA and WMS measurements of concentration were reduced from 0.84% and 0.35% to 0.42% and 0.31%, respectively. Our experimental results have validated the rationality of temperature compensations and can be further applied for high-precision measurement of gas concentrations in industrial emission monitoring.
Wireless Channel Models for Over-the-Sea Communication: A Comparative Study
Authors: Habib Arafat , Moh Sangman
Published: January 2019

Over the past few years, the modeling of wireless channels for radio wave propagation over the sea surface has drawn the attention of many researchers. Channel models are designed and implemented for different frequencies and communication scenarios. There are models that emphasize the influence of the height of the evaporation duct in the marine environment, as well as models that deal with different frequencies (2.5, 5, and 10 GHz, etc.) or the impact of various parameters, such as antenna height. Despite the increasing literature on channel modeling for the over-the-sea marine environment, there is no comprehensive study that focuses on key concepts that need to be considered when developing a new channel model, characteristics of channel models, and comparative analysis of existing works along with their possible improvements and future applications. In this paper, channel models are discussed in relation to their operational principles and key features, and they are compared with each other in terms of major characteristics and pros and cons. Some important insights on the design and implementation of a channel model, possible applications and improvements, and challenging issues and research directions are also discussed. The main goal of this paper is to present a comparative study of over-the-sea channel models for radio wave propagation, so that it can help engineers and researchers in this field to choose or design the appropriate channel models based on their applications, classification, features, advantages, and limitations.
Fault Prediction Model of High-Power Switching Device in Urban Railway Traction Converter with Bi-Directional Fatigue Data and Weighted LSM
Authors: Wang Lei , Liu Shenyi , Qiu Ruichang , Xu Chunmei
Published: January 2019

The switching device is relatively weakest in the traction converter, and this paper aims at the fault prediction of it. Firstly, the mathematical distribution is analyzed based on the results that were obtained in electro thermal simulation and a single-directional accelerated fatigue test. Then, the accelerated fatigue test with bi-directional fatigue current is proposed, the data from which reflects the accelerating effect from FWD on the device aging process. The analytical model of fatigue process is fitted with the data that were obtained in the test. In order to shorten the test time consumption, we propose a weighted least squares method (LSM) to fit the failure data. Finally, the prediction model is presented with the consideration of fatigue signature and Arrhenius temperature factor.
Channel Modelling and Estimation for Shallow Underwater Acoustic OFDM Communication via Simulation Platform
Authors: Wang Xiaoyu , Wang Xiaohua , Jiang Rongkun , Wang Weijiang , Chen Qu , Wang Xinghua
Published: January 2019

The performance of underwater acoustic (UWA) communication is heavily dependent on channel estimation, which is predominantly researched by simulating UWA channels modelled in complex and dynamic underwater environments. In UWA channels modelling, the measurement-based approach provides an accurate method. However, acquirement of environment data and simulation processes are scenario-specific and thus not cost-effective. To overcome such restraints, this article proposes a comprehensive simulation platform that combines UWA channel modelling with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) channel estimation, allowing users to model UWA channels for different ocean environments and simulate channel estimation with configurable input parameters. Based on the simulation platform, three independent simulations are conducted to determine the impacts of receiving depth, sea bottom boundary, and sea surface boundary on channel estimation. The simulations show that UWA channel estimation is greatly affected by underwater environments. The effect can be mainly attributed to changing acoustic rays tracing which result in fluctuating time delay and amplitude. With 10 m receiving depth and flat sea bottom, the channel estimation achieves optimal performance. Further study indicates that the sea surface has stochastic effects on channel estimation. As the significant wave height (SWH) increases, the average performance of channel estimation shows improvements.
Internal Quantum Efficiency of UV μLED Chips
Authors: Muramoto Yoshihiko , Kimura Masahiro , Kondo Akihiro
Published: January 2019

Micro light emitting diode (μLED) displays have been in development since 2017, aimed for application in 2020. However, when using three-color, i.e., red, blue, and green LEDs, or blue LEDs that excite red and green phosphors, many challenges arise in mass production, cost, and quality. Our group has devised an ultraviolet (UV)-excited red, green, and blue (RGB) display that excites red, green, and blue phosphors using UV-LEDs. This paper studies how the composition and crystal defects of a light-emitting layer affect the luminous efficiency of a UV μLED chip from the perspective of internal quantum efficiency (IQE). It was confirmed that the luminous efficiency improves by making the LED chips in the near ultraviolet range μ-size. The UV μLED chip emitting at 385 nm exhibited a more linear output than a 400-nm purple μLED chip.
Applying Renewable Energy Technologies in an Integrated Optimization Method for Residential Building’s Design
Authors: Aparicio-Ruiz Pablo , Guadix-Martín José , Barbadilla-Martín Elena , Muñuzuri-Sanz Jesús
Published: January 2019

Designing a Zero Energy Building (ZEB) requires an optimal choice of the materials of a building envelope. Different material properties and window areas could be selected to generate a set of possibilities of the design of a building, being the demand defined by its thermal characteristics. The energy demand of a building could be produced with renewable systems such as photovoltaic. Moreover, the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems could be selected considering the system cost. The present methodology focuses on finding a balance between investment and low energy consumption for a building, based on an integrated optimization method. Such methodology applies a Tabu search algorithm and a simplified model to select the passive design. Afterwards, active elements of the design, as photovoltaic systems, are selected. Therefore, the methodology faces the problem of estimating the annual energy demand and the life cycle cost. The goal is the design of a building with a large amount of energy generated by renewable energy, to have a ZEB, and in the worst case, a nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB). This methodology reduces investment, reduces the energy demand and selects the best construction materials, renewable energy, and air conditioning system. The present paper analyzes a set of case studies considering different climatic zones in Spain. The results conclude that the methodology could help builders in the design stage, to find a new design that allows a ZEB with the optimal life cycle cost.
An Embedded Gateway with Communication Extension and Backup Capabilities for ZigBee-Based Monitoring and Control Systems
Authors: Lin Ke-Feng , Lin Shih-Sung , Hung Min-Hsiung , Kuo Chung-Hsien , Chen Ping-Nan
Published: January 2019

ZigBee wireless sensor devices possess characteristics of small size, light weight, low power consumption, having up to 65535 nodes in a sensor network, in theory. Therefore, the ZigBee wireless sensor network (WSN) is very suitable for use in developing monitoring and control (MC) applications, such as remote healthcare, industrial control, fire detection, environmental monitoring, and so on. This dissertation is directed towards the research on the issues of communication extension and backup, encountered in creating ZigBee-based MC systems for military storerooms, together with providing associated solutions. We design an embedded gateway that possesses wired network (Ethernet) and wireless communication (GSM) backup capability. The gateway can not only easily extend the monitoring distance of the ZigBee-based MCS, but can also solve the problem that some military zones do not have wire networks or possess communication blind spots. The results of this dissertation have been practically applied in constructing a paradigm monitoring system of a military storeroom. It is believed that the research results could be a useful reference for developing ZigBee-based MCSs in the future.
Effects of Ultrasonication on the Conformational, Microstructural, and Antioxidant Properties of Konjac Glucomannan
Authors: Yin Jun-Yi , Ma Lu-Yao , Siu Ka-Chai , Wu Jian-Yong
Published: January 2019

This study aims to evaluate the effects of ultrasonication (US) on the conformational, microstructural, and antioxidant properties of konjac glucomannan (KGM). US treatment with a 20-kHz and 750-W ultrasonic processor at 60% amplitude was applied for partial degradation of KGM with an average molecular weight (MW) of 823.4 kDa. Results indicated that the US treatment caused dramatic reduction in the MW, apparent viscosity, hydrodynamic radius, and z-average mean radius of gyration. The flexibility of chain conformation of native KGM was slightly increased during the US treatment. According to electronic microscopic imaging, the compact, smooth, and orderly fibrous strings formed by KGM were changed to amorphous, porous flakes and globular particles after US treatment. KGM and its US-treated fractions showed moderate radical-scavenging and ferric-reducing antioxidant activity. US degradation of KGM affected these activities either positively or negatively, depending on the US treatment period. In summary, ultrasonic degradation of KGM caused changes in its conformation characteristics, microstructure, and antioxidant activities.
Preparation of Carbon Nitride Dots with Sizes Larger than 20 nm
Authors: Luo Peihui , Yu Yunlong , Guan Xiangfeng
Published: January 2019

Carbon nitride dots (CNDs) were obtained via carbonization of polymer formed via the reaction of 1, 2-ethylenediamine (EDA) and CCl4. The average diameter of CNDs is calculated to be ca. 44 nm. They possess solubility in water and polar organic solvents.
Forecasting of Surface Ozone Concentration by Using Artificial Neural Networks in Rural and Urban Areas in Central Poland
Authors: Pawlak Izabela , Jarosławski Janusz
Published: January 2019

This paper presents the development of artificial neural network models for the prediction of the daily maximum hourly mean of surface ozone concentration for the next day at rural and urban locations in central Poland. The models were generated with six input variables: forecasted basic meteorological parameters and the maximum O3 concentration recorded on the previous day and number of the month. The training data set covered the period from April 2015 to September 2015. An analogous data set of input variables, for the 2014 year, not used during the process of training the networks, was used as test data to examine the quality of these models. From the results of simulations for the year 2014, the average relative error values were equal to 15.3% and 15.7% for Belsk and Warsaw stations, respectively. The mean error (ME) value indicates a tendency to overestimate the predicted values by 4.8 µg/m3 for Belsk station and to underestimate the predicted values by 0.9 µg/m3 for Warsaw station. The analysis of days when the relative error value was >50% revealed that all predictions with extremely high relative error value were associated with relatively low daily maximum surface ozone concentration values that occurred suddenly due to a sharp drop in day-to-day ozone concentration values.
Preservation of Xinyu Tangerines with an Edible Coating Using Ficus hirta Vahl. Fruits Extract-Incorporated Chitosan
Authors: Chen Chuying , Nie Zhengpeng , Wan Chunpeng , Chen Jinyin
Published: January 2019

Xinyu tangerine is a citrus fruit that has enjoyed great popularity in China for its fewer dregs and abundant nutrients. However, it is considered an easily perishable fruit that is vulnerable to various pathogenic fungal infections, especially by Penicillium italicum, which reduces its storage life and commercial value. Normally, to reduce the losses caused by fungal deterioration of harvested fruit, polysaccharide-based edible coating, containing natural antimicrobial agents (e.g., plant extracts), have been applied. In current study, we evaluated the effects of Ficus hirta Vahl. fruits extract (FFE)–incorporated chitosan (CS) edible coating on Xinyu tangerines during cold storage at 5 °C. The results showed FFE has efficacy as an antifungal against P. italicum in a dose-dependent manner in vivo, with an EC50 value of 12.543 mg·mL−1. It was found that the edible coating of FFE–CS exhibited a higher reduction of total soluble solid (TSS), titrable acid (TA), and ascorbic acid (AsA) content by reducing the fruit decay rate, weight loss, respiration rate, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content during cold storage at 5 °C. Moreover, the activities of protective enzyme such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), which have been linked with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the phenylpropanoid pathway, were higher in the FFE–CS-coated fruits. On the basis of these study results, the FFE–CS edible coating could reduce postharvest loss and enhance the storability of Xinyu tangerines due to the in vivo antifungal activity of FFE.
Ternary N, S, and P-Doped Hollow Carbon Spheres Derived from Polyphosphazene as Pd Supports for Ethanol Oxidation Reaction
Authors: Yu Ke , Lin Yan , Fan Jinchen , Li Qiaoxia , Shi Penghui , Xu Qunjie , Min Yulin
Published: January 2019

Ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is an important electrode reaction in ethanol fuel cells. However, there are many problems with commercial ethanol oxidation electrocatalysts today, such as poor durability, poor anti-CO poisoning ability, and low selectivity for C–C bond cleavage. Therefore, it is very meaningful to develop a high-performance EOR catalyst. Herein, we designed ternary N, S, and P-doped hollow carbon spheres (C–N,P,S) from polyphosphazene (PCCP) as Pd supports for EOR. Using SiO2 spheres as the templates, the PCCP was first coated on the surfaces of SiO2 spheres by in situ polymerization. Through high-temperature pyrolysis and hydrofluoric acid-etching, the hollow PCCP has a large surface area and porous structure. After loading Pd nanoparticles (NPs), the Pd/C–N, P, S catalysts with Pd NPs decorated on the surfaces of C–N, P, S can achieve a high mass peak current density of 1686 mA mgPd−1, which was 2.8 times greater than that of Pd/C. Meanwhile, the Pd/C–N, P, S catalyst also shows a better stability than that of Pd/C after a durability test of 3600s.
Synthesis of (−)-Verbenone-Derived Triazolium Salts and Their Application in Enantioselective Intramolecular Stetter Reaction
Authors: Rafiński Zbigniew , Krzemiński Marek P.
Published: January 2019

Two novel chiral verbenone-derived triazolium salts have been synthesized from readily available (−)-verbenone and found to be efficient for the enantioselective intramolecular Stetter reaction. The approach, based on the intramolecular annulation between acyl anion equivalents and Michael acceptors, benefits from broad substrate scope, high chemical and stereochemical efficiency, and operational simplicity. Mono-, and disubstituded chromanone derivatives have been obtained in excellent yields and in a highly stereochemical manner.
Hybridization of Nanodiamond and CuFe-LDH as Heterogeneous Photoactivator for Visible-Light Driven Photo-Fenton Reaction: Photocatalytic Activity and Mechanism
Authors: Liu Lu , Li Shijun , An Yonglei , Sun Xiaochen , Wu Honglin , Li Junzhi , Chen Xue , Li Hongdong
Published: January 2019

Establishing a heterojunction for two kinds of semiconductor catalysts is a promising way to enhance photocatalytic activity. In this study, nanodiamond (ND) and CuFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) were hybridized by a simple coprecipitation method as a novel heterojunction to photoactivate H2O2. The ND/LDH possessed a hydrotalcite-like structure, large specific surface area (SBET = 99.16 m2/g), strong absorption of visible-light and low band gap (Eg = 0.94 eV). Under the conditions of ND/LDH dosage 0.0667 g/L, H2O2 concentration 19.6 mmol/L, and without initial pH adjustment, 93.5% of 10 mg/L methylene blue (MB) was degraded within 120 min, while only 78.3% of MB was degraded in the presence of LDH instead of ND/LDH. The ND/LDH exhibited excellent stability and maintained relatively high activity, sufficient to photoactivate H2O2 even after five recycles. The mechanism study revealed that in the heterojunction of ND/LDH, the photoelectrons transferred from the valence band of LDH (Cu/Fe 3d t2g) to the conduction band of LDH (Cu/Fe 3d eg) could spontaneously migrate onto the conduction band of ND, promoting the separation of photo-induced charges. Thus, the photoelectrons had sufficient time to accelerate the redox cycles of Cu3+/Cu2+ and Fe3+/Fe2+ to photoactivate H2O2 to produce hydroxyl radicals, resulting in excellent photo-Fenton efficiency on MB degradation.
Structure and Properties of Piezoelectric Strontium Fresnoite Glass-Ceramics Belonging to the Sr–Ti–Si–Al–K–O System
Authors: Renoirt Marie-Sophie , Maury Nathalie , Dupla Florian , Gonon Maurice
Published: January 2019

Crystallization of strontium fresnoite Sr2TiSi2O8 piezoelectric crystals in Sr–Ti–Si–K–Al–O parent glasses is investigated with the aim of showing the influence of composition and crystallization conditions on the microstructure and piezoelectric properties of the resulting glass-ceramic. All the investigated conditions lead to a surface crystallization mechanism that induces a preferential orientation of crystal growth in the glasses. Near the surface, all the glass-ceramics obtained exhibit (002) planes preferentially oriented parallel to their faces. Deeper in the specimens, this preferential orientation is either kept or tilted to (201) after a depth of about 300 µm. The measurement of the charge coefficient d33 of the glass-ceramic highlights that surface crystallization induces mirror symmetry in the polarization. It reaches 11 to 12 pC/N and is not significantly influenced by the preferential orientation (002) or (201). High temperature XRD shows the stability of the fresnoite phase in the glass-ceramics up to 1000 °C. Mechanical characterization of the glass-ceramics by impulse excitation technique (IET) highlights that the softening of the residual glass leads to a progressive decrease of Young’s modulus in the temperature range 600–800 °C. Damping associated to the viscoplastic transition become severe only over 800 °C.
New Cosmetic Formulation for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Infantile Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: de Lucas Raúl , García-Millán Cristina , Pérez-Davó Azahara , Moreno Esther , Redondo Pedro
Published: January 2019

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic cutaneous inflammatory disorder, characterized by skin barrier disruption. Dermacare is a new cosmetic formulation, which enhances moisturization, reinforces and repairs the skin barrier, and prevents cutaneous microbiota imbalance. To demonstrate its safety and efficacy, a prospective, open-label, and multicenter study was carried out on patients diagnosed with mild to moderate AD. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL), clinical severity, Desquamation Index, Patient/Investigator Global Assessments, quality of life index, and tolerance were assessed. Adverse events were recorded. Daily application of the new treatment was well tolerated, and adverse events were absent. After 14 days, TEWL showed a 36.7% significant decrease (p = 0.035). At the end of the 28-day treatment, the Desquamation Index showed a reduction in 70% of patients; Eczema Area and Severity Index were reduced by 70.4% (p = 0.002); and skin irritation showed a significant reduction (p = 0.024). Likewise, Patient and Investigator Global Assessments reported a significant improvement in conditions and an overall global worsening when patients restarted their normal treatment. Parent’s Index of Quality of Life Index significantly increased by 36.4% (p < 0.05) with Dermacare. In conclusion, a regular use of this new formulation can reduce the risk of relapse and extend the steroid-free treatment periods.
A Physical–Mathematical Approach to Climate Change Effects through Stochastic Resonance
Authors: Caccamo Maria Teresa , Magazù Salvatore
Published: January 2019

The aim of this work is to study the effects induced by climate changes in the framework of the stochastic resonance approach. First, a wavelet cross-correlation analysis on Earth temperature data concerning the last 5,500,000 years is performed; this analysis confirms a correlation between the planet’s temperature and the 100,000, 41,000, and 23,000-year periods of the Milankovitch orbital cycles. Then, the stochastic resonance model is invoked. Specific attention is given to the study of the impact of the registered global temperature increase within the stochastic model. Further, a numerical simulation has been performed, based on: (1) A double-well potential, (2) an external periodic modulation, corresponding to the orbit eccentricity cycle, and (3) an increased value of the global Earth temperature. The effect of temperature increase represents one of the novelties introduced in the present study and is determined by downshifting the interaction potential used within the stochastic resonance model. The numeric simulation results show that, for simulated increasing values of the global temperature, the double-well system triggers changes, while at higher temperatures (as in the case of the absence of a global temperature increase although with a different threshold) the system goes into a chaotic regime. The wavelet analysis allows characterization of the stochastic resonance condition through the evaluation of the signal-to-noise ratio. On the basis of the obtained findings, we hypothesize that the global temperature increase can suppress, on a large time scale corresponding to glacial cycles, the external periodic modulation effects and, hence, the glacial cycles.
Polymeric Nanocomposites of Iron–Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) Synthesized Using Terminalia chebula Leaf Extract for Enhanced Adsorption of Arsenic(V) from Water
Authors: Saif Sadia , Tahir Arifa , Asim Tayyaba , Chen Yongsheng , Adil Syed Farooq
Published: January 2019

This study demonstrates the ecofriendly synthesis of iron–oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and their stabilization with polymers, i.e., chitosan (C) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–alginate (PA), along with a further investigation for the removal of arsenic(As(V)) from water. IONPs with an average diameter of less than 100 nm were prepared via a green synthesis process using an aqueous leaf extract of Terminalia chebula. Batch experiments were conducted to compare the removal efficiency of As(V) by these adsorbents. Factors such as pH and adsorbent dosages significantly affected the removal of arsenate As(V) by IONPs and polymer-supported reactive IONPs. Several adsorption kinetic models, such as pseudo first-order, and pseudo second-order Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, were used to describe the adsorption of As(V). The removal of As(V) by IONPs follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The highest monolayer saturation adsorption capacity as obtained from the Langmuir adsorption isotherm for IONPs was 28.57 mg/g. As(V) adsorption by polymer-supported IONPs best fit the Freundlich model, and maximum adsorption capacities of 34.4 mg/g and 40.3 mg/g were achieved for chitosan- and PVA–alginate-supported IONPs, respectively. However, among these absorbents, PVA–alginate-supported IONPs were found to be more effective than the other adsorbents in terms of adsorption, stability, and reusability.
Design Methodology for the Development of a New Cosmetic Active Based on Prunus	domestica L. Leaves Extract
Authors: Plainfossé Hortense , Burger Pauline , Verger-Dubois Grégory , Azoulay Stéphane , Fernandez Xavier
Published: January 2019

When it comes to the development of new active ingredients for cosmetics, biodiversity is a rich source for inspiration that must be tapped in a sustainable manner to cause no social nor ecological damage. Agri-food by-products are therefore more and more considered as available biomass that can be reused to extract their maximum value to produce new cosmetic ingredients before returning to the biosphere. The process to transform plant waste materials into powerful cosmetic actives is thoroughly described in the present paper via the example of the design of a liquid anti-aging ingredient based on a Prunus domestica L. extract obtained by maceration of plums’ dried leaves in propylene glycol. The subsequent development of an SPE (solid-phase extraction) methodology used to remove the propylene glycol to get access to the extracted molecules is thoroughly described as a means to follow the stability of the ingredient over time once formulated into a finished product.
Parameter Space Design of a Guest-Host Liquid Crystal Device for Transmittance Control
Authors: Nam Seung-Min , Oh Seung-Won , Kim Sang-Hyeok , Huh Jae-Won , Lim Eunjung , Kim Jinhong , Yoon Tae-Hoon
Published: January 2019

A transmittance-control device requires a high transmittance difference between its transparent and opaque states. In this paper, we propose a systematic approach to find the condition for the maximum transmittance difference in a guest-host liquid crystal (GHLC) cell. To this end, we calculated the transmittance difference as we varied the cell gap and dye concentration. The transmittance of a GHLC cell is dependent on the alignment of dye molecules, cell gap, and dye concentration. We used a constant-transmittance contour map to find the condition for the desired transmittance of LC cells in each state and the transmittance difference of each LC mode. We experimentally confirmed that the design of a GHLC cell with the desired performance could be achieved through the proposed design process.
Influence of Pyruvic Acid and UV Radiation on the Morphology of Silica-carbonate Crystalline Biomorphs
Authors: Pérez Karina S. , Moreno Abel
Published: January 2019

In this work we report the effect of introducing pyruvic acid (PA) in the growing process of silica-carbonate biomorphs. Gas-diffusion and single-phase methods were performed, and different concentrations of pyruvic acid were tested. Moreover, influence of UV radiation on the morphogenesis of the samples was analyzed. Since PA decomposes in CO2 and other compounds under UV radiation, here we demonstrate that PA decomposition enables a source of carbonate ions to induce the precipitation of silica-carbonate biomorphs in absence of environmental CO2. We also found that high concentrations [0.5 M] of PA inhibit the formation of biomorphs, while lower concentrations [0.01 M] results in common life-like structures. However [0.1 M] of PA provokes the precipitation of carbonates of alkaline earth metals in non-usual crystalline habits, i.e., semi-spherical smoothed shapes sized between 10 and 70 µm and homogeneously growth on a glass substrate.
Modelling of the Polymorph Nucleation Based on Classical Nucleation Theory
Authors: Shiau Lie-Ding
Published: January 2019

To elucidate the relative nucleation rates of different polymorphs, a competitive kinetic model is developed based on classical nucleation theory to describe the time evolution of two different polymorphic cluster size distributions controlled by the association and dissociation of the solute molecules during polymorph nucleation. Although there is only one type of the solute molecules, the agglomerated solute clusters are divided into two types–A form and B form, which resemble the structures and morphologies of the different mature polymorphs and eventually lead to the formation of two polymorphic crystals. A dissociation kernel is incorporated into the proposed model to account for gradual dissolution of the solute clusters smaller than a critical nucleus size due to the thermodynamic instability. By fitting the experimental induction period data and the final measured weight fractions of eflucimibe polymorphs with the proposed model, the association and dissociation rate constants for two polymorphs are determined. The developed model is satisfactory to explain the competitive mechanism of polymorph nucleation for eflucimibe that B form dominates at higher supersaturation while A form dominates at lower supersaturation. The results also indicate that A form is more stable than B form with a transition energy of 3.1 kJ/mole at 35 °C.
Collaboration of Drone and Internet of Public Safety Things in Smart Cities: An Overview of QoS and Network Performance Optimization
Authors: Alsamhi Saeed , Ma Ou , Ansari M. , Gupta Sachin
Published: January 2019

This paper studies the network performance of collaboration between the Internet of public safety things (IoPST) and drones. Drones play a vital role in delivering timely and essential wireless communication services for the recovery of services right after a disaster by increasing surge capacity for the purposes of public safety, exploring areas that are difficult to reach, and providing an area of rapid coverage and connectivity. To provide such critical facilities in the case of disasters and for the purposes of public safety, collaboration between drones and IoPST is able to support public safety requirements such as real-time analytics, real-time monitoring, and enhanced decision-making to help smart cities meet their public safety requirements. Therefore, the deployment of drone-based wireless communication can save people and ecosystems by helping public safety organizations face threats and manage crises in an efficient manner. The contribution of this work lies in improving the level of public safety in smart cities through collaborating between smart wearable devices and drone technology. Thus, the collaboration between drones and IoPST devices establishes a public safety network that shows satisfying results in terms of enhancing efficiency and information accuracy.
Emergent Quantum Mechanics: David Bohm Centennial Perspectives
Authors: Walleczek Jan , Grössing Gerhard , Pylkkänen Paavo , Hiley Basil
Published: January 2019

Emergent quantum mechanics (EmQM) explores the possibility of an ontology for quantum mechanics. The resurgence of interest in realist approaches to quantum mechanics challenges the standard textbook view, which represents an operationalist approach. The possibility of an ontological, i.e., realist, quantum mechanics was first introduced with the original de Broglie–Bohm theory, which has also been developed in another context as Bohmian mechanics. This Editorial introduces a Special Issue featuring contributions which were invited as part of the David Bohm Centennial symposium of the EmQM conference series (www.emqm17.org). Questions directing the EmQM research agenda are: Is reality intrinsically random or fundamentally interconnected? Is the universe local or nonlocal? Might a radically new conception of reality include a form of quantum causality or quantum ontology? What is the role of the experimenter agent in ontological quantum mechanics? The Special Issue also includes research examining ontological propositions that are not based on the Bohm-type nonlocality. These include, for example, local, yet time-symmetric, ontologies, such as quantum models based upon retrocausality. This Editorial provides topical overviews of thirty-one contributions which are organized into seven categories to provide orientation.
Phases, Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of CoCrNiCuZn High-Entropy Alloy Prepared by Mechanical Alloying and Spark Plasma Sintering
Authors: Sun Yuchen , Ke Boren , Li Yulin , Yang Kai , Yang Mingqi , Ji Wei , Fu Zhengyi
Published: January 2019

In the study, an equiatomic CoCrNiCuZn high-entropy alloy (HEA) was prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and the phases, microstructures, and thermal properties of the alloy powder were explored. The results suggest that a solid solution with body-centered cubic (BCC) phase and a crystalline size of 10 nm formed after 60 h of milling. Subsequently, the alloy powder was consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at different temperatures (600 °C, 700 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C). Two kinds of face-centered cubic (FCC) phases co-existed in the as-sintered samples. Besides, Vickers hardness and compressive strength of the consolidated alloy sintered at 900 °C were respectively 615 HV and 2121 MPa, indicating excellent mechanical properties.
QuantumIS: A Qualia Consciousness Awareness and Information Theory Quale Approach to Reducing Strategic Decision-Making Entropy
Authors: Rodger James A.
Published: January 2019

This paper investigates the underlying driving force in strategic decision-making. From a conceptual standpoint, few studies empirically studied the decision-maker’s intrinsic state composed of entropy and uncertainty. This study examines a mutual information theory approach integrated into a state of qualia complexity that minimizes exclusion and maximizes the interactions of the information system and its dynamic environment via logical metonymy, illusion, and epigenetics. The article questions whether decision-makers at all levels of the organization are responding from the consciousness of an objective quale from a more subjective qualia awareness in the narrow-sense perspective of individual instances of their conscious experience. To quantify this research question, we explore several hypotheses revolving around strategic information system decisions. In this research, we posit that the eigenvalues of factor analysis along with the reduction in the uncertainty coefficients of the qualia entropy will be balanced by the quale enthalpy of our information theory structural equation model of trust, flexibility, expertise, top management support, and competitive advantage performance. We operationalize the integration of the aforementioned top management support, information systems competencies, and competitive advantage performance concepts into the qualia consciousness awareness and information theory quale framework.
Students’ Perceptions on Reciprocal Peer Tutorial Assessment in an Undergraduate Course in Process Metallurgy
Authors: Matinde Elias
Published: January 2019

Tutorials play a key role in the teaching and learning of engineering sciences. However, the efficacy of tutorials as platforms for providing personal and academic support is continuously being challenged by factors such as declining faculty-to-student ratios and students’ under-preparedness. This study adopted reciprocal peer tutorial assessment as an instructional strategy in a capstone course in Process Metallurgy. The findings from highlighted the delicate balance between the obvious benefits and the unintended consequences of adopting reciprocal peer assessments during tutorials. The obvious benefits of RPTA included opportunities for synergistic peer learning, healthy competition among students, self-directed learning, among others. However, the benefits of RPTA were negated by factors such as low level of trust among peers, anxiety over year marks, time constraints, and discomfort due to perceived incompetency when compared to their peers. Finally, the findings from the present study provided opportunities for iterative design and continuous improvement.
Backscatter Communications: Inception of the Battery-Free Era—A Comprehensive Survey
Authors: Memon Mudasar Latif , Saxena Navrati , Roy Abhishek , Shin Dong Ryeol
Published: January 2019

The ever increasing proliferation of wireless objects and consistent connectivity demands are creating significant challenges for battery-constrained wireless devices. The vision of massive IoT, involving billions of smart objects to be connected to the cellular network, needs to address the problem of uninterrupted power consumption while taking advantage of emerging high-frequency 5G communications. The problem of limited battery power motivates us to utilize radio frequency (RF) signals as the energy source for battery-free communications in next-generation wireless networks. Backscatter communication (BackCom) makes it possible to harvest energy from incident RF signals and reflect back parts of the same signals while modulating the data. Ambient BackCom (Amb-BackCom) is a type of BackCom that can harvest energy from nearby WiFi, TV, and cellular RF signals to modulate information. The objective of this article is to review BackCom as a solution to the limited battery life problem and enable future battery-free communications for combating the energy issues for devices in emerging wireless networks. We first highlight the energy constraint in existing wireless communications. We then investigate BackCom as a practical solution to the limited battery life problem. Subsequently, in order to take the advantages of omnipresent radio waves, we elaborate BackCom tag architecture and various types of BackCom. To understand encoding and data extraction, we demonstrate signal processing aspects that cover channel coding, interference, decoding, and signal detection schemes. Moreover, we also describe BackCom communication modes, modulation schemes, and multiple access techniques to accommodate maximum users with high throughput. Similarly, to mitigate the increased network energy, adequate data and power transfer schemes for BackCom are elaborated, in addition to reliability, security, and range extension. Finally, we highlight BackCom applications with existing research challenges and future directions for next-generation 5G wireless networks.
Wireless Sensor Networks for Smart Homes: A Fuzzy-Based Solution for an Energy-Effective Duty Cycle
Authors: Pau Giovanni , Salerno Valerio Mario
Published: January 2019

This paper introduces a fuzzy-based method that, according to the ratio of Throughput to Workload and the battery level, manages the sleeping time of devices in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) for smart homes. The purpose of this work is a system that can be executed on off-the-shelf hardware and offers enhanced performance confronted with other approaches. The challenge here is to achieve a practical method that reaches the target while bypassing complex and computationally expensive solutions, which would diminish the possible applicability of the method in real scenarios. The retrieved results prove that the proposed approach outperforms other solutions, significantly prolonging the life of battery-powered wireless devices with also satisfactory values of the ratio Throughput to Workload. Besides, a proof-of-concept implementation on off-the-shelf devices confirms that the proposed method does not expect powerful hardware and can be surely implemented on a low-cost device.
An Optimized Fuzzy Logic Control Model Based on a Strategy for the Learning of Membership Functions in an Indoor Environment
Authors: Fayaz Muhammad , Ullah Israr , Kim DoHyeun
Published: January 2019

The Mamdani fuzzy inference method is one of the most important fuzzy logic control (FLC) techniques and has several applications in different fields. Despite its applications, the Mamdani fuzzy inference method has some core issues which still require solutions. The most critical issue is the selection of accurate shape and boundaries of membership functions (MFs) in the universe of discourse. In this work, we introduced a methodology called learning to control (LtC) to resolve the problem. The proposed methodology consisted of two main modules, namely, a control algorithm (CA) module and a learning algorithm (LA) module. In the CA module, the Mamdani FLC method has been used, whereas, in the LA module, we have used the artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm. Inputs into the ANN were the error difference between environmental temperature and the required temperature. The output of the ANN was the MF set to the FLC. Inputs into the fuzzy logic controller (FLC) were the error difference between environmental temperature and required temperature (D), and the output was the required power for the fan actuator. The purpose of the ANN was to tune the MFs of the FLC to improve its efficiency. The proposed learning-to-control method along with the conventional fuzzy logic controller method was applied to the data to evaluate the model’s performance. The results indicate that the proposed model’s performance is far better than that of conventional fuzzy logic techniques.
Adaptive Method for Packet Loss Types in IoT: An Naive Bayes Distinguisher
Authors: Chen Yating , Lu Lingyun , Yu Xiaohan , Li Xiang
Published: January 2019

With the rapid development of IoT (Internet of Things), massive data is delivered through trillions of interconnected smart devices. The heterogeneous networks trigger frequently the congestion and influence indirectly the application of IoT. The traditional TCP will highly possible to be reformed supporting the IoT. In this paper, we find the different characteristics of packet loss in hybrid wireless and wired channels, and develop a novel congestion control called NB-TCP (Naive Bayesian) in IoT. NB-TCP constructs a Naive Bayesian distinguisher model, which can capture the packet loss state and effectively classify the packet loss types from the wireless or the wired. More importantly, it cannot cause too much load on the network, but has fast classification speed, high accuracy and stability. Simulation results using NS2 show that NB-TCP achieves up to 0.95 classification accuracy and achieves good throughput, fairness and friendliness in the hybrid network.