Direct synthesis of maghemite,magnetite and wustite nanoparticles by flame spray pyrolysis

Magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles have been prepared by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) under controlled atmosphere. This way controlled and direct flame synthesis of Fe₂O₃ (maghemite), Fe₃O₄ (magnetite) and FeO (wustite) particles is possible by a scalable process. The Fe oxidation state was controlled by varying the fuel to air ratio during combustion as well as by varying the valence state of the applied Fe precursor. The as-prepared materials were characterized by electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Magnetic properties were investigated with SQUID, which unravelled superparamagnetic behaviour for all materials and typical features for the corresponding crystal structures and particle sizes. Maximum magnetisation was achieved for a mixture of maghemite and magnetite.     

A probabilistic algorithm for efficient and robust data propagation in wireless sensor networks

We study the problem of data propagation in sensor networks, comprised of a large number of very small and low-cost nodes, capable of sensing, communicating and computing. The distributed co-operation of such nodes may lead to the accomplishment of large sensing tasks, having useful applications in practice. We present a new protocol for data propagation towards a control center (“sink”) that avoids flooding by probabilistically favoring certain (“close to optimal”) data transmissions. Motivated by certain applications (see [I.F. Akyildiz, W. Su, Y. Sankarasubramaniam, E. Cayirci, Wireless sensor networks: a survey, Journal of Computer Networks 38 (2002) 393–422], [C. Intanagonwiwat, R. Govindan, D. Estrin, Directed diffusion: a scalable and robust communication paradigm for sensor networks, in: 6th ACM/IEEE Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing (MOBICOM 2000), 2000, pp. 56–67]) and also as a starting point for a rigorous analysis, we study here lattice-shaped sensor networks. We however show that this lattice shape emerges even in randomly deployed sensor networks of sufficient sensor density. Our work is inspired and builds upon the directed diffusion paradigm of [C. Intanagonwiwat, R. Govindan, D. Estrin, Directed diffusion: a scalable and robust communication paradigm for sensor networks, in: 6th ACM/IEEE Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing (MOBICOM 2000), 2000, pp. 56–67].This protocol is very simple to implement in sensor devices, uses only local information and operates under total absence of co-ordination between sensors. We consider a network model of randomly deployed sensors of sufficient density. As shown by a geometry analysis, the protocol is correct, since it always propagates data to the sink, under ideal network conditions (no failures). Using stochastic processes, we show that the protocol is very energy efficient. Also, when part of the network is inoperative, the protocol manages to propagate data very close to the sink, thus in this sense it is robust. We finally present and discuss large-scale simulation findings validating the analytical results.     

Efficient sensor network design for continuous monitoring of moving objects

We study the problem of localizing and tracking multiple moving targets in wireless sensor networks, from a network design perspective i.e. towards estimating the least possible number of sensors to be deployed, their positions and operation characteristics needed to perform the tracking task. To avoid an expensive massive deployment, we try to take advantage of possible coverage overlaps over space and time, by introducing a novel combinatorial model that captures such overlaps.     

A new interpolation algorithm for tracing planar equidistant curves

The aim of this paper is to propose an interpolation algorithm for tracing the equidistant (bisector) of two planar curves. The structure of the algorithm may be adapted accordingly so as to be used either for purely computing purposes or for presentation purposes. As a computing tool, the algorithm is suitable for computation of offset intersections and construction of Voronoi diagrams. In this case the step size is adjusted appropriately in order to reach the desired position in a small number of steps but with high accuracy. As a presentation tool, it may be embedded in a CAD system, entrusted with the task of drawing equidistants or even it may be used for plotting equidistants by driving the plotting tip. In this case, a fixed step size is selected to satisfy the specific precision requirements of the presentation. The development of the algorithm is achieved by treating equidistant generation as a locus-tracing problem. Using analytic concepts and the locus-defining geometric property, we formulate two sophisticated constructive operations. The repeated application of these operations generates a succession of points on the desired path (the locus) accurately and efficiently.     

Dynamic simulation and visualisation of coastal erosion

A key requirement for effective coastal zone management is good knowledge and prediction of land erosion rates due to encroachment of the sea. However, in addition to demarcation of the hazard through modelling and mapping, a policy of risk mitigation necessitates significant attention should also be addressed to communicating the transient behaviour of the predictions and associated uncertainty. With climate change and sea level rise implying that historical rates of change may not be a reliable guide for the future, enhanced visualisation of the evolving coastline has the potential to improve awareness of this changing risk. This visual content is developed by linking scientific modelling with the transformation of digital elevation models, and then using GIS to integrate other spatiotemporal content. The resulting high-resolution visualisations may meet demands from decision-makers for tools to communicate scientific results more effectively, due to their realism and apparent authenticity. Nevertheless they can also produces a tension with the underlying scientific content because of the necessary extrapolation of extra detail, and the lack of established procedures to communicate the resulting uncertainty in the visualisation. Coastal managers also have concerns about releasing the visualisations to the general public. These issues are explored through analysis of future cliff erosion in Norfolk on the eastern coast of Great Britain.     

Dynamics and dispersion modelling of nanoparticles from road traffic in the urban atmospheric environment—A review

Reducing exposure to atmospheric nanoparticles in urban areas is important for protecting public health. Developing new or improving the capabilities of existing dispersion models will help to design effective mitigation strategies for nanoparticle rich environments. The aims of this review are to summarise current practices of nanoparticle dispersion modelling at five local scales (i.e. vehicle wake, street canyons, neighbourhood, city and road tunnels), together with highlighting associated challenges, research gaps and priorities. The review begins with a synthesis of available information about the flow and mixing characteristics in urban environments which is followed by a brief discussion on dispersion modelling of nanoparticles. Further sections cover the effects of transformation processes in dispersion modelling of nanoparticles, and a critical discussion on associated structural and parametric uncertainties in modelling. The article concludes with a comprehensive summary of current knowledge and future research required on the topic areas covered.Appropriate treatment of transformation processes (i.e. nucleation, coagulation, deposition and condensation) in existing dispersion models is essential for extending the applicability of gaseous dispersion models to nanoparticles. Some modelling studies that consider the particles down to 1 nm size indicate importance of coagulation and condensation processes on street-scale modelling whereas others neglecting either sub-10 nm particles or Van der Waals forces along with fractal geometry suggest to discard these processes due to negligible effects on particle number and size distributions. Further, it is important to consider those transformation processes e.g. at city scale or in road tunnels because of the much longer residence time or much higher concentration levels compared to the street scale processes. Structural and parametric uncertainties affect the modelled results considerably. In particular, parametric uncertainty in the form of particle number emission factors appears to be the most significant due to considerably large variations in their estimates. A consistent approach to the use of emission factors, appropriate treatment of transformation processes in particle dispersion models and the evaluation of model performance against measured data are essential for producing reliable modelled results.     

Impact and uncertainty of a traffic management intervention: population exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

In urban areas, road traffic is a major source of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), thus any changes in traffic patterns are expected to affect PAH concentrations in ambient air. Exposure to PAH and other traffic-related air pollutants has often been quantified in a deterministic manner that disregards the various sources of uncertainty in the modelling systems used. In this study, we developed a generic method for handling uncertainty in population exposure models. The method was applied to quantify the uncertainty in population exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) before and after the implementation of a traffic management intervention. This intervention would affect the movement of vehicles in the studied area and consequently alter traffic emissions, pollutant concentrations and population exposure. Several models, including an emission calculator, a dispersion model and a Geographic Information System were used to quantify the impact of the traffic management intervention. We established four exposure zones defined by distance of residence postcode centroids from major road or intersection. A stochastic method was used to quantify the uncertainty in the population exposure model. The method characterises uncertainty using probability measures and propagates it applying Monte Carlo analysis. The overall model predicted that the traffic management scheme would lead to a minor reduction in mean population exposure to BaP in the studied area. However, the uncertainty associated with the exposure estimates was much larger than this reduction. The proposed method is generic and provides realistic estimates of population exposure to traffic-related pollutants, as well as characterises the uncertainty in these estimates. This method can be used within a decision support tool to evaluate the impact of alternative traffic management policies.