A statistical analysis on the leak detection performance of underground and overground pipelines with wireless sensor networks through the maximum likelihood ratio test

Leaks in pipelines of the oil and gas industry are an economic and environmental problem that needs to be detected early and effectively. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been researched as one of those technologies to be used in the remote monitoring of pipeline infrastructure. The idea of using tiny sensor nodes on pipelines seemingly provides industries with effective and reliable real-time monitoring, and better coverage density per area. The benefits are apparent in the deployment of WSNs for pipeline monitoring. However, what really lacks is an actual comparison in the detection performance between deployment in overground pipelines and underground pipelines. Extensive research has been going on the use of wireless underground sensor networks for a number of applications. This paper attempts to provide a statistical insight on the concepts of leak detection performance of WSNs when deployed on overground and underground pipelines. The approach in the study employs the hypothesis testing problem to formulate a solution on the detection plan. Through the hypothesis test, the maximum likelihood ratio scheme is used to provide an optimal performance analysis of the detection idea. The test also takes into consideration the signal to noise ratio performance of the two settings of underground and overground and is crucial in bringing up a conjecture on the performance of detection. As would be shown in the paper, thresholds, determined by probability, are the key in ensuring a good detecting performance for the WSN.     

Conjugated NiO-ZnO/GO nanocomposite powder for applications in supercapacitor electrodes material

The nanocomposite of NiO-ZnO/graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized for applications in supercapacitor electrodes material. GO was produced using the modified Hummers' method, and the nanocomposite of NiO-ZnO/GO was synthesized using the co-precipitation method. Thin films of nanocomposite powder were deposited on quartzite (glass) and fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates by a drop casting technique. X-ray diffraction revealed the crystallographic information of NiO-ZnO/GO nanocomposites. The surface morphology and elemental composition were studied using a scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. The electrochemical properties were examined using cyclic voltammetry in a 1.0 M solution of Na₂SO₄ electrolyte with a three-electrode system. Moreover, the NiO-ZnO/GO binary metal oxides nanocomposite based electrodes fabricated for supercapacitor delivered a high specific capacitance of 1690 F g⁻¹ for 1:1/GO sample at a scan rate of 10 mV s⁻¹ and has excellent conductivity due to reduced band gap energy range of 1.52-1.79 eV and with electrodes resistance of 0.02 Ω. The absence of semicircle in the Nyquist plot denotes low charge transfer resistance of the electrodes. The highest energy densities obtained for 1:1/GO and 2:1/GO are 192 and 148 Wh kg⁻¹, respectively, while the highest power density obtained for 1:1/GO and 2:1/GO are 8.46 and 7.42 W kg⁻¹, respectively. Our study paves way for a facile, affordable, nontoxic, and fast way to synthesis binary transition metal oxides/GO-based electrodes material for high-performance supercapacitor.     

Differences in coagulation in clotting of vascular access in hemodialysis patients

Arteriovenous graft (AVG) thrombosis is a frequent cause of graft failure. We evaluated coagulation protein concentrations, platelet function, and viscoelasticity factors in 20 hemodialysis (HD) patients with AVGs. The goal was to determine whether significant differences in protein concentrations, platelet function, and viscoelasticity factors exist among dialysis patients requiring frequent AVG declot procedures vs. those who do not. Twenty HD patients were enrolled: 10 frequent clotters (>3 declots in the previous year) and 10 were nonclotters. Patients on antiplatelets or chronic anticoagulation were excluded. Laboratories were drawn pretreatment and heparinase was added to counteract any potential heparin effect. Coagulation protein concentrations including tissue factor (TF), thrombin/antithrombin III complex (TAT), and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F₁₊₂) were assayed. The time to clot onset was measured by force onset time (FOT). Platelet contractile force (PCF) measured the force produced by platelets during clot retraction, whereas clot rigidity was measured as clot elastic modulus (CEM). FOT, CEM, and PCF were measured by Hemodyne. Both groups had upregulation of the TF pathway, as TF, TAT, and F₁₊₂ levels were similarly increased over baseline levels. Hemodialysis patients with frequent AVG clotting had higher levels of both PCF and CEM compared with nonclotters. Additionally, the frequent clotters had a lower FOT relative to nonclotters, although both were considered in the normal range. Our study suggests that HD patients with recurrent AVG thrombotic events form clots with higher tensile strength compared with HD patients without recurrent graft thrombosis.     

Identification and Characterization of Circular RNAs in Brassica rapa in Response to Plasmodiophora brassicae

Plasmodiophora brassicae is a soil-borne pathogen that attacks the roots of cruciferous plants and causes clubroot disease. CircRNAs are noncoding RNAs, widely existing in plant and animal species. Although knowledge of circRNAs has been updated continuously and rapidly, information about circRNAs in the regulation of clubroot disease resistance is extremely limited in Brassica rapa. Here, Chinese cabbage (BJN 222) containing clubroot resistance genes (CRa) against P. brassicae Pb4 was susceptible to PbE. To investigate the mechanism of cicRNAs responsible for clubroot disease resistance in B. rapa, circRNA-seq was performed with roots of ‘BJN 222’ at 0, 8, and 23 days post-inoculated (dpi) with Pb4 and PbE. A total of 231 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified between the groups. Based on the differentially expressed circRNAs, the circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network was constructed using the target genes directly or indirectly related to plant resistance. Upregulated novel_circ_000495 suppressed the expression of miR5656-y, leading to the upregulation of Bra026508, which might cause plant resistance. Our results provide new insights into clubroot resistance mechanisms and lay a foundation for further studies exploring complex gene regulation networks in B. rapa.     

Real-time state-of-health monitoring of lithium-ion battery with anomaly detection,Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm,and multiphase exponential regression model

Neural Computing and Applications - The state of health (SOH) of lithium-ion (Li+) battery prediction plays significant roles in battery management and the determination of the durability of the...     

Mechanical and performance-related properties of bitumen-beneficiated indurated shale aggregates for use in road construction in southeastern Nigeria

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - In most developing countries, the use of marginal quality aggregates had resulted in premature distress on the road pavements not visible until...     

The effect of Kankara zeolite-Y-based catalyst on some physical properties of liquid fuel from mixed waste plastics (MWPs) pyrolysis

Polymer Bulletin - The effect of Kankara zeolite-Y-based catalyst on some physical properties of liquid fuel obtained from the pyrolysis of mixed waste plastics has been investigated. Combination...