LBP-and-ScatNet-based combined features for efficient texture classification

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In this paper, we propose a micro-macro feature combination approach for texture classification. The two disparate yet complementary categories of features are...     

The Effect of Fluoropolymer on Wettability Alteration of Sandstone at Elevated Temperatures

Gas condensate reservoirs are generally recovered using a pressure depletion drive. Gas can condensate into the liquid phase near the wellbore region when the reservoir pressure falls below the dew point pressure, which can kill gas deliverability. Wettability alteration is an effective means of overcoming this problem; core wettability can be altered from liquid-wet to gas-wet to alleviate the effect of condensate accumulation near the wellbore region. To establish the effect of fluoropolymer on wettability alteration in a gas-condensate reservoir, a gas-wetting alteration agent was synthesized by emulsion polymerization using different molar ratios of fluorine-containing monomers and acrylic monomers. FTIR and SEM were performed to analyze the structure of the gas-wetting agent. Contact angle measurements were used to assess surface alteration by the Owens two-liquid method. The effects of alteration agent concentration, salt concentration, pH and temperature on gas-wetting alteration were also evaluated. Results showed that the best molar ratio of fluoropolymer monomer to acrylic monomers was 1:2. The egg-like structure of the fluoropolymer latex on the core surface mainly contributes to gas-wetting alteration. The contact angles of brine and oil can be altered from 23° and 0° to 137° and 67° by 1 wt% FP-2 treatment, respectively. The surface free energy of the core was reduced from 67.52 to 1.66 mN/m. Moreover, the treated cores remain gas-wetting up to 100 g L^?1 of salt solution, 120 °C and within the pH range of 5–7. This novel gas-wetting alteration agent can be used to solve the problem of liquid blocking effects in gas condensate reservoirs and improve gas recovery significantly.     

An Amphiprotic Novel Chitosanase from Bacillus mycoides and Its Application in the Production of Chitooligomers with Their Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Evaluation

The objectives of this investigation were to produce a novel chitosanase for application in industries and waste treatment. The transformation of chitinous biowaste into valuable bioactive chitooligomers (COS) is one of the most exciting applications of chitosanase. An amphiprotic novel chitosanase from Bacillus mycoides TKU038 using squid pen powder (SPP)-containing medium was retrieved from a Taiwan soil sample, which was purified by column chromatography, and characterized by biochemical protocol. Extracellular chitosanase (CS038) was purified to 130-fold with a 35% yield, and its molecular mass was roughly 48 kDa. CS038 was stable over a wide range of pH values (4–10) at 50 °C and exhibited an optimal temperature of 50 °C. Interestingly, the optimum pH values were estimated as 6 and 10, whereas CS038 exhibited chitosan-degrading activity (100% and 94%, respectively). CS038 had K_m and V_max values of 0.098 mg/mL and 1.336 U/min, separately, using different concentrations of water-soluble chitosan. A combination of the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometer data revealed that the chitosan oligosaccharides obtained from the hydrolysis of chitosan by CS038 comprise oligomers with multiple degrees of polymerization (DP), varying from 3–9, as well as CS038 in an endolytic fashion. The TKU038 culture supernatant and COS mixture exhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities. The COS activities were dose dependent and correlated to their DP. The COS with high DP exhibited enhanced DPPH radical scavenging capability compared with COS with low DP. Furthermore, the COS exhibited inhibitory behavior on nitric oxide (NO) production in murine RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, which was induced by Escherichia coli O111 lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The COS with low DP possesses a more potent anti-inflammatory capability to decrease NO production (IC₅₀, 76.27 ± 1.49 µg/mL) than that of COS with high DP (IC₅₀, 82.65 ± 1.18 µg/mL). Given its effectiveness in production and purification, acidophilic and alkalophilic properties, stability over ranges of pH values, ability to generate COS, antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory, CS038 has potential applications in SPP waste treatment and industries for COS production as a medical prebiotic.     

Parameterized model checking for security policy analysis

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer - We explain how a parameterized model checking technique can be exploited to mechanize the analysis of access control policies. The...     

Coalgebraic Aspects of Context-Awareness

This paper will be both to give an in-depth analysis as well as to present the new material on the notion of context-aware computing, an idea that computing can both sense and react accordantly based on its environment. The paper formalizes context-awareness process using coalgebraic language, including the coalgebraic definition of context-awareness, bisimulation between context-awarenesses, homomorphism between context-awarenesses and context-awarenesses as coalgebras. Discussions for further development based on this approach are also given.     

Dual approach to local mean square error criterion for stochastic equivalent linearization

Based on the dual conception, the paper suggests a consideration at global level to the local mean square error criterion of the stochastic equivalent linearization method. It results in new values of linearization coefficients that are obtained as global averaged values of all local linearization coefficients. The numerical analysis of some typical nonlinear systems under white noise excitation shows that the accuracy of the proposed criterion is significantly improved in comparison with the one of the classical mean square error criterion.     

Y2O3:Eu3+ phosphor: a novel solution for an increase in color rendering index of multi-chip white LED packages

Abstract

In this study, a novel compound is synthesized by adding the red-emitting Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ dopant to conformal phosphor package (CPP) or in-cup phosphor package (IPP), to be employed as a component in multi-chip white LEDs lamps (W-LEDs). It was found that this solution can enhance the color rendering index (CRI) of W-LEDs that have correlated color temperatures of 5600 K through 8500 K to more than 86. Besides, the impacts of the Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ phosphor on the attenuation of light through the phosphor layers, CPP and IPP, are also demonstrated based on the Beer–Lambert law and Mie theory. These results provide important information for producing W-LEDs with higher CRI.     

Carbon and steel surfaces modified by Leptothrix discophora SP-6: characterization and implications

Leptothrix discophora SP-6, a type of manganese(Mn)-oxidizing bacteria, has been known to accumulate Mn oxides from the aqueous environment and thus play a key role in microbiologically influenced corrosion by increasing the electrochemical potential of steel and other metals. Similarly, this bacterium was found to modify the surface of glassy carbon in aqueous solution and increase its potential (i.e., ennoblement). In the latter case, biomineralized Mn oxides can be used as cathodic reactants for a new generation of microbial fuel cells featuring a biocathode. In this preliminary study, factors affecting the biofilm formation and biomineralization processes were examined. The inflow of air into the culture medium was found essential to sustain the ennoblement of substrate electrodes. The OCP and FESEM/EDS data indicated that a smoother initial substrate surface generally led to better ennoblement. Polarizing the carbon electrode at +500 mV(SCE) for 15 min was found to facilitate the ennoblement on carbon electrodes, and so did coating it with a poly(L-lysine) layer. Independent of substrate material, initial surface roughness, and pretreatment, there were three parameters in the EIS equivalent circuit that correlated well with the OCP indicating the level of ennoblement by L. discophora SP-6, i.e., electrolyte resistance, double-layer capacitance, and low-frequencies capacitance. These fascinating findings merit further investigation as they may shed light on the fundamental bacteria/substrate interactions and help advance the knowledge base needed forthe engineering applications.