Turbulent boundary layers with assigned wall shear

In this paper we consider the problem of computing the external velocity distribution on a two-dimensional body in an incompressible boundary-layer flow for a specified wall shear. This leads to an ‘overdetermined’ boundary-value problem for a partial differential equation containing the edge velocity as an unknown parameter. A numerical procedure for determining the external velocity is given, together with several examples for laminar and turbulent boundary layers.     

Preparation of dextran cryogels for separation processes of binary dye and pesticide mixtures from aqueous solutions

We present mechanically strong macroporous, squeezable dextran cryogels as a column filling material for the removal and separation of binary organic dye and pesticide mixtures from aquatic medium. Dextran cryogels were prepared from aqueous solutions of dextran of various molecular weights (MWs) in the presence of 20 to 50 mol% divinyl sulfone (DVS) as a cross-linker at −18°C. The cryogels have interconnected irregular pores of 100 μm in sizes, and exhibit 69-84% reversible squeezability without damaging the 3D dextran network. Their total open pore volumes (6.3-10 mL g⁻¹), weight swelling ratios in water (1380%-2200%), and mechanical parameters could easily be adjusted by both DVS mol% and MW of dextran. Dextran cryogel with the highest modulus (3.8 ± 0.5 MPa), compressive stress (8 ± 2 MPa) and plateau stress (0.46 ± 0.04 MPa) was obtained at 50 mol% DVS using dextran with a MW of 15 to 25 kg·mol⁻¹. Dextran cryogels are hydrolysable at pH = 1 and 9 but stable at 7.4 independent on both the degree of cross-linking and MW of dextran. At below 50 mol% DVS, they are blood compatible and possess slight thrombogenic effect with blood clotting index value of 98% ± 5%. They are also capable to separate binary dye and pesticide mixtures from aqueous solutions via ionic interactions.     

A practical privacy-preserving targeted advertising scheme for IPTV users

In this work, we present a privacy-preserving scheme for targeted advertising via the Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). The scheme uses a communication model involving a collection of subscribers, a content provider (IPTV), advertisers and a semi-trusted server. To target potential customers, the advertiser can utilize not only demographic information of subscribers, but also their watching habits. The latter includes watching history, preferences for IPTV content and watching rate, which are periodically (e.g., weekly) published on a semi-trusted server (e.g., cloud server) along with anonymized demographics. Since the published data may leak sensitive information about subscribers, it is safeguarded using cryptographic techniques in addition to the anonymization of demographics. The techniques used by the advertiser, which can be manifested in its queries to the server, are considered (trade) secrets and therefore are protected as well. The server is oblivious to the published data and the queries of the advertiser as well as its own responses to these queries. Only a legitimate advertiser, endorsed with so-called trapdoors by the IPTV, can query the cloud server and access the query results. Even when some background information about users is available, query responses do not leak sensitive information about the IPTV users. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated with experiments, which show that the scheme is practical. The algorithms demonstrate both weak and strong scaling property and take advantage of high level of parallelism. The scheme can also be applied as a recommendation system.     

Handwritten digit classification using higher order singular value decomposition

In this paper we present two algorithms for handwritten digit classification based on the higher order singular value decomposition (HOSVD). The first algorithm uses HOSVD for construction of the class models and achieves classification results with error rate lower than 6%. The second algorithm uses the HOSVD for tensor approximation simultaneously in two modes. Classification results for the second algorithm are almost down at 5% even though the approximation reduces the original training data with more than 98% before the construction of the class models. The actual classification in the test phase for both algorithms is conducted by solving a series least squares problems. Considering computational amount for the test presented the second algorithm is twice as efficient as the first one.     

Integrating identity-based and certificate-based authenticated key exchange protocols

Key establishment is becoming a widely deployed cryptographic primitive. As such, there has been extensive research on designing algorithms that produce shared secret keys. These protocols require parties to either hold certificates or rely on identity (ID)-based primitives to achieve authentication. Chain and cross certifications allow users trusting different certification authorities to interact. Similarly, there are methods to extend ID-based solutions across multiple key generation centers (KGC). However, there has been no dedicated work on interoperability between the two settings. A straightforward solution would require each user to maintain certificates and ID-based static keys to accommodate all peers. The cost of maintaining many secret keys; matching keys with protocols; and preventing undesired interference would arguably make such a solution impractical. In this work, we offer an alternative where a user needs to keep a single static key pair and can subsequently engage in a session key establishment with peers holding certificates or identity-based keys. Thus, the proposed solution has none of disadvantages of maintaining multiple static private keys.     

Poly(benzoxazine‐co‐sulfur): An efficient sorbent for mercury removal from aqueous solution

A novel sulfur‐rich adsorbent, poly(BA‐ala‐co ‐sulfur), was synthesized by reacting allyl functional benzoxazine (BA‐ala) and elemental sulfur. Simultaneous inverse vulcanization and ring‐opening reactions of benzoxazine generated copolymers in several feed ratios. The adsorption behavior of these copolymers was investigated in aqueous solutions containing Hg²⁺. A three level Box–Behnken design with four factors was applied in order to examine the interactive effect of Hg²⁺ concentration (ppm), S % in adsorbent, temperature, and pH. The optimum adsorption conditions were determined as: 10.33 ppm Hg²⁺, 68% S content, 329 K, and pH 6.3. Common isotherm and kinetic models were applied to the experimental data, where the Langmuir isotherm provided the better fit (q _max = 79.36 mg g^?1) and the pseudo‐second order fit indicated chemisorption as the process‐controlling step. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45306.     

Hypergraph-Partitioning-Based Remapping Models for Image-Space-Parallel Direct Volume Rendering of Unstructured Grids

In this work, image-space-parallel direct volume rendering (DVR) of unstructured grids is investigated for distributed-memory architectures. A hypergraph-partitioning-based model is proposed for the adaptive screen partitioning problem in this context. The proposed model aims to balance the rendering loads of processors while trying to minimize the amount of data replication. In the parallel DVR framework we adopted, each data primitive is statically owned by its home processor, which is responsible from replicating its primitives on other processors. Two appropriate remapping models are proposed by enhancing the above model for use within this framework. These two remapping models aim to minimize the total volume of communication in data replication while balancing the rendering loads of processors. Based on the proposed models, a parallel DVR algorithm is developed. The experiments conducted on a PC cluster show that the proposed remapping models achieve better speedup values compared to the remapping models previously suggested for image-space-parallel DVR     

Hydrophobically modified nanocomposite hydrogels with self-healing ability

Several strategies have been developed in the past two decades to increase the mechanical performance of the hydrogels, and to generate self-healing function within the polymer network. Here, we combine two of these strategies to create hydrophobically modified nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels with high mechanical strength and self-healing efficiency. The hydrogels were prepared by in situ copolymerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and n-octadecyl acrylate (C18A) in the presence of 2 w/v % Laponite clay nanoparticles in an aqueous solution of worm-like sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles. Incorporation of hydrophobic C18A segments into the gel network significantly increases both the storage and loss moduli of NC hydrogels indicating increasing elasticity and energy dissipation. An improvement in the mechanical performance and self-recoverability of NC hydrogels was also observed after hydrophobic modification. The compressive fracture stress and Young's modulus increase with increasing amount of C18A, and they become 9 ± 1 MPa and 30 ± 2 kPa, respectively, at 4 mol % C18A. Incorporation of hydrophobic segments also provides a larger energy dissipation under large strain as compared to the traditional NC hydrogels providing a self-healing efficiency of 90 ± 10% in mechanically strong NC hydrogels. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48853.     

Oxidative degradations of reactive blue 4 dye by different advanced oxidation methods

The degradations of an anthraquinone dye, the reactive blue 4 (RB4), were studied by wet air oxidation (WAO), wet peroxide oxidation (WPO), photocatalytic oxidation, and electro-Fenton (EF) advanced oxidation. The RB4 oxidation was evaluated by the decrease in total organic carbon (TOC) content and concentration. The most efficient method for mineralization of RB4 was WPO, but in all methods TOC removal efficiency was above 75% after 60 min of treatment.