A Simulation Tool for tccp Programs

The Timed Concurrent Constraint Language tccp is a declarative synchronous concurrent language, particularly suitable for modelling reactive systems. In tccp, agents communicate and synchronise through a global constraint store. It supports a notion of discrete time that allows all non-blocked agents to proceed with their execution simultaneously. In this paper, we present a modular architecture for the simulation of tccp programs. The tool comprises three main components. First, a set of basic abstract instructions able to model the tccp agent behaviour, the memory model needed to manage the active agents and the state of the store during the execution. Second, the agent interpreter that executes the instructions of the current agent iteratively and calculates the new agents to be executed at the next time instant. Finally, the constraint solver components which are the modules that deal with constraints. In this paper, we describe the implementation of these components and present an example of a real system modelled in tccp.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Studies in microwave and RF capacitively coupled excimer lamp

A lamp that emits strongly in the 180--200 nm region is desirable because of the response of organic materials in this wavelength range. Therefore there is the demand for high-powered, efficient, and low-cost UV and VUV sources.;The purpose of this work is to construct and study two novel (low-cost) UV sources and to understand the (1) emission (180--200 nm) characteristics, (2) electron energy and (3) temperature distribution in the plasmas generated by these two novel excimer lamps.;We designed, constructed and studied (1) a probe-coupled 2.45 GHz microwave arrangement to drive Xe and KrI excimer lamps and (2) a 13.45 GHz RF capacitively coupled arrangement to drive Xe/XeAr excimer lamps. In the 2.45 GHz microwave drive, the Xe electrical efficiency and output power in the 160--200 nm range both increased with pressure and input power up to 1500 torr and 600 W (42.5 W/cm3) respectively. For the KrI discharge, over the pressure range of 50--100 torr, more than 80% of the emission was in the wavelength range 170--190 nm. Model calculation that takes into account the angular distribution of intensity and experimental measurement of the angular distribution of emission find considerable intensity well away from the surface normal. The calculated efficiency varied from 20 to 40% for the Xe and 8 to 20% for the KrI depending on pressure giving for the first time good agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental measurements of excimer lamp performance. Over the pressure range studied, the highest output power was ∼0.96 W/cm2.;The 13.56 MHz lamp arrangement was used to produce a bright, halogen-free light in the 180--200 nm range. at input powers of \u3e500 W and pressures \u3e500 torr, more than 80% of the emission appears in the spectral region between 180 run and 200 nm with a strong 193 nm emission due to energy transfer mechanism between Ar and Xe. The estimated electrical efficiency is 15--20%, taking into account the angular distribution of the light intensity. Output power increased with increasing pressure up to 1500 torr. Cooling with liquid nitrogen boil-off rather than room air more than doubled the optical output power for fixed input power.;We used an RF fluid model to calculate the plasma electron density and electron temperature distribution along the length of the discharge bulb. Our results indicate that the electron density and temperature distribution along the length of the bulb is constant. Electron density is an important plasma parameter; it determines the rates of production of reactive species and ions and provides basis for monitoring and real-time control

Digital Forensics Investigation Frameworks for Cloud Computing and Internet of Things

Rapid growth in Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) introduces new vulnerabilities that can be exploited to mount cyber-attacks. Digital forensics investigation is commonly used to find the culprit and help expose the vulnerabilities. Traditional digital forensics tools and methods are unsuitable for use in these technologies. Therefore, new digital forensics investigation frameworks and methodologies are required. This research develops frameworks and methods for digital forensics investigations in cloud and IoT platforms

Design and Advanced Manufacturing of NU-1000 Metal–Organic Frameworks with Future Perspectives for Environmental and Renewable Energy Applications

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a relatively new family of materials that attract lots of attention thanks to their unique features such as hierarchical porosity, active metal centers, versatility of linkers/metal nodes, and large surface area. Among the extended list of MOFs, Zr-based-MOFs demonstrate comparably superior chemical and thermal stabilities, making them ideal candidates for energy and environmental applications. As a Zr-MOF, NU-1000 is first synthesized at Northwestern University. A comprehensive review of various approaches to the synthesis of NU-1000 MOFs for obtaining unique surface properties (e.g., diverse surface morphologies, large surface area, and particular pore size distribution) and their applications in the catalysis (electro-, and photo-catalysis), CO2 reduction, batteries, hydrogen storage, gas storage/separation, and other environmental fields are presented. The review further outlines the current challenges in the development of NU-1000 MOFs and their derivatives in practical applications, revealing areas for future investigation

Development of a Screening Assay for Type III Secretion System Inhibitors and High Throughput Screening Campaign of Inhibitors of PRP of Staphylococcus aureus

Antibiotics inhibit the growth or survival of bacteria by targeting their essential functions.1 Due to weaknesses in traditional antibiotics and the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors are being targeted for therapeutic treatment of bacterial infection.2 We have developed an assay to quantify and observe type III secretion system (T3SS) activity. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a virulence factor present in some Gram-negative pathogens including enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EPEC and EHEC, respectively),3 and others.4–9 The T3SS between EPEC and EHEC are highly conserved and share over 90% sequence identity with the mouse pathogen Citrobacter rodentium.3,10,11 Because of the high similarity between the pathophysiology of these organisms, C. rodentium is often used as the mouse model of EPEC and EHEC infection.12–14 We have developed a construct of C. rodentium to produce carboxypeptidase G2 (CPG2), a eukaryotic enzyme that selectively cleaves glutamate residues. We have tagged CPG2 on the N-terminus with an amino acid sequence to target the enzyme for type III secretion.15 The CPG2 reporter assay was used to screen natural products for their ability to inhibit the T3SS.16–26 We also completed a high throughput screening campaign for the identification of inhibitors of phage-related ribosomal protease Prp. This protease is essential for ribosomal assembly in bacteria and previously reported knockdown studies have indicated that bacteria cannot survive without Prp. We have screened over 5000 compounds for their inhibitory activity