Solving Target Coverage Problem in Wireless Sensor Network Using Genetic Algorithm

The past few years have seen tremendous increase of interest in the field of wireless sensor network. These wireless sensor network comprise numerous small sensor nodes distributed in an area and collect specific data from that area. The nodes comprising a network are mostly battery driven and hence have a limited amount of energy. The target coverage deals with the surveillance of the area under consideration taking into account the energy constraint associated with nodes. In nutshell, the lifetime of the network is to be maximized while ensuring that all the targets are monitored. The approach of segregating the nodes into various covers is used such that each cover can monitor all the targets while other nodes in remaining covers are in sleep state. The covers are scheduled to operate in turn thereby ensuring that the targets are monitored all the time and the lifetime of the network is also maximized. The segregation method is based on Maximum Set Cover (MSC) problem which is transformed into Maximum Disjoint Set Cover problem (MDSC). This problem of finding Maximum Disjoint Set Cover falls under the category of NP-Complete problem. Hence, two heuristics based approach are discussed in this work; first Greedy Heuristic is implemented to be used as baseline. Then a Genetic Algorithm based approach is proposed that can solve this problem by evolutionary global search technique. The existing and proposed algorithms are coded and functionality verified using MATLAB R2010b and performance evaluation and comparisons are made in terms of number of sensors and sensing range

Incentive Stackelberg Mean-payoff Games

We introduce and study incentive equilibria for multi-player meanpayoff games. Incentive equilibria generalise well-studied solution concepts such as Nash equilibria and leader equilibria (also known as Stackelberg equilibria). Recall that a strategy profile is a Nash equilibrium if no player can improve his payoff by changing his strategy unilaterally. In the setting of incentive and leader equilibria, there is a distinguished player called the leader who can assign strategies to all other players, referred to as her followers. A strategy profile is a leader strategy profile if no player, except for the leader, can improve his payoff by changing his strategy unilaterally, and a leader equilibrium is a leader strategy profile with a maximal return for the leader. In the proposed case of incentive equilibria, the leader can additionally influence the behaviour of her followers by transferring parts of her payoff to her followers. The ability to incentivise her followers provides the leader with more freedom in selecting strategy profiles, and we show that this can indeed improve the payoff for the leader in such games. The key fundamental result of the paper is the existence of incentive equilibria in mean-payoff games. We further show that the decision problem related to constructing incentive equilibria is NP-complete. On a positive note, we show that, when the number of players is fixed, the complexity of the problem falls in the same class as two-player mean-payoff games. We also present an implementation of the proposed algorithms, and discuss experimental results that demonstrate the feasibility of the analysis of medium sized games.Comment: 15 pages, references, appendix, 5 figure

Comparative analysis of metazoan chromatin organization

Genome function is dynamically regulated in part by chromatin, which consists of the histones, non-histone proteins and RNA molecules that package DNA. Studies in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster have contributed substantially to our understanding of molecular mechanisms of genome function in humans, and have revealed conservation of chromatin components and mechanisms. Nevertheless, the three organisms have markedly different genome sizes, chromosome architecture and gene organization. On human and fly chromosomes, for example, pericentric heterochromatin flanks single centromeres, whereas worm chromosomes have dispersed heterochromatin-like regions enriched in the distal chromosomal ‘arms’, and centromeres distributed along their lengths. To systematically investigate chromatin organization and associated gene regulation across species, we generated and analysed a large collection of genome-wide chromatin data sets from cell lines and developmental stages in worm, fly and human. Here we present over 800 new data sets from our ENCODE and modENCODE consortia, bringing the total to over 1,400. Comparison of combinatorial patterns of histone modifications, nuclear lamina-associated domains, organization of large-scale topological domains, chromatin environment at promoters and enhancers, nucleosome positioning, and DNA replication patterns reveals many conserved features of chromatin organization among the three organisms. We also find notable differences in the composition and locations of repressive chromatin. These data sets and analyses provide a rich resource for comparative and species-specific investigations of chromatin composition, organization and function.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (1122374

Laser In-Situ Combinatorial Carbide Coating on Steel

The potential for synthesizing an in-situ grown ultra-fine carbide composite coating on the surface of steel during laser surface engineering was investigated. A 2.5 KW Nd:YAG laser was employed to modify the surface of a AISI 1010 steel deposited with a precursor powder mixture of Fe, Ti, Cr and C. With the help of laser surface engineering, carbide composite coating on the surface of plain C steel was achieved. It is envisioned that such a coating will offer superior tribological properties. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy in supplement with X-ray Diffractometery indicated the evolution of TiC, Fe-Cr, and M7C3 as major phases in the coating. An oscillatory pattern for evolution of M7C3 was observed with respect to the laser power over the range of 900-2100 watts during processing. Although TiC was present in all the samples, the chromium carbides were absent in samples processed at certain laser powers. Corresponding to this behavior, variation in mechanical properties of the coating was observed. The hardness and wear properties of the samples without chromium carbides was inferior in comparison to samples with both TiC and chromium carbides. The roles of in-situ growth, refractory nature of the carbide particles, the non-equilibrium nature of the process and their contribution in successfully forming a composite coating have been described. Computational techniques were employed with the aim of studying possible reasons for phase evolution, stability of phases and solidification path and thus optimize parameters to tailor properties according to requirement. The temperature range of thermal transitions within the quaternary system (Fe, Ti, Cr and C) and the thermal stability of the evolved phases were studied with the help of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC studies indicated that the major exothermic reactions (formation of carbides) take place within 850-1150oC. Temperature ranges for individual reactions were investigated. The evolved phases (TiC, M7C3, Fe-Cr and Fe3C) were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). This multicomponent powder mixture, which was used as a precursor for synthesizing a composite coating on the surface of steel via laser surface engineering (LSE), was computationally investigated for thermal stability. The intended wear applications of the coating made thermal stability investigations imperative, as there is a localized heat buildup during wear, because of the contact between rubbing surfaces. Experimental evaluation (DSC) of thermal stability of the phases formed was done to supplement the computational investigations. The degradation of the coating due to prolonged stay at elevated temperatures (in oxidizing environments such as air) could lead to degradation in the properties of the coating. High temperature oxidation studies were done to investigate the oxidation kinetics of the composite coating

Developing Model for Fuel Consumption Optimization in Aviation Industry

The contribution of aviation to society and economy is undisputedly significant. The aviation industry drives economic and social progress by contributing prominently to tourism, commerce and improved quality of life. Identifying the amount of fuel consumed by an aircraft while moving in both airspace and ground networks is critical to air transport economics. Aviation fuel is a major operating cost parameter of the aviation industry and at the same time it is prone to various constraints. This article aims to develop a model for fuel consumption of aviation product. The paper tailors the information for the fuel consumption optimization in terms of information development, information evaluation and information refinement. The information is evaluated and refined using statistical package R and Factor Analysis which is further validated with neural networking. The study explores three primary dimensions which are finally summarized into 23 influencing variables in contrast to 96 variables available in literature. The 23 variables explored in this study should be considered as highly influencing variables for fuel consumption which will contribute significantly towards fuel optimization. Keywords: Fuel Consumption, Civil Aviation Industry, Neural Networking, Optimizatio

Membrane Based Point-of-Use Drinking Water Treatment Systems

Membrane based PoU water treatment systems are preferred due to shortcomings of other water treatment technologies. This system works without the addition of chemicals, with relatively low energy consumption, and easy and well-arranged process conductions. Hence, there is an inevitable need to understand the basic operational parameters, design and maintenance of membrane based PoU water treatment systems. The book provides insight of membrane based PoU water treatment systems (ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nano-filtration, reverse osmosis etc.) including description of physical, chemical, microbiological water contaminants and conventional methods for their removal. This book also discusses the limitations of conventional water treatment systems in fulfilling PoU water demands in developing countries and evaluates the suitability of membrane based treatment covering design, operation, maintenance and techno-economic feasibility of PoU water treatment system. The book covers issues related to water quality, water contamination, reasons for recent water quality degradation, conventional methods for water treatment –their limitations and need for PoU water treatment systems. The first chapter explains the contaminants in drinking water, sources and effects of these contaminants, and importance of removal of these contaminants. Second chapter describes various units, advantages and limitations of conventional water treatment plant in addition to various point-of-use water treatment technologies. Third chapter covers detail about ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration and RO based PoU water treatment systems. Fourth chapter describes design criteria, and design of pre-treatment and post-treatment and multi-stage/multi-barrier systems. Modelling and simulation, process optimization, material requirement and bill of materials and more importantly fabrication aspects are included in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 includes operation and maintenance aspects including that of pre and post treatment units. Techno-economic aspects of membrane based PoU systems are elucidated in seventh chapter. The last chapter elaborates process of certification and evaluation

A basic two-sector new Keynesian DSGE model of the Indian economy

Indian economy is going through underlying changes in post-pandemic recovery process. Effect of policies, monetary or fiscal, on macroeconomy needs a thorough analysis in these recessionary times. In this context, this study develops a closed-economy DSGE model to see the impact of monetary policy on the Indian economy. The model includes price rigidities, and parameters are calibrated using the data on the Indian economy. The model includes two sectors - production and consumption, and an inflation-targeting regime following the Taylor rule. The model is simulated for a positive productivity shock and an expansionary monetary policy shock. Results show that a positive productivity shock improves economic activity, and an expansionary monetary policy shock increases output for the short term only