Social issues of power harvesting as key enables of WSN in pervasive computing

Pervasive systems have gained popularity and open the door to new applications that will improve the quality of life of the users. Additionally, the implementation of such systems over an infrastructure of Wireless Sensor Networks has been proven to be very powerful. To deal with the WSN problems related to the battery of the elements or nodes that constitute the WSN, Power Harvesting techniques arise as good candidates. With PH each node can extract the energy from the surrounding environment. However, this energy source could not be constant, affecting the continuity and quality of the services provided. This behavior can have a negative impact on the user's perception about the system, which could be perceived as unreliable or faulty. In the current paper, some related works regarding pervasive systems within the home environment are referenced to extrapolate the conclusions and problems to the paradigm of Power Harvesting Pervasive Systems from the user perspective. Besides, the paper speculates about the approach and methods to overcome these potential problems and presents the design trends that could be followed.<br/

Phase Transformation Characteristics of High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloy under Tension, Compression, and Bending Actuation Cycling

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are a unique class of intermetallic alloys that can cyclically sustain large deformations and recover a designed geometry through a solid-to-solid phase transformation. SMAs provide favorable actuation energy density properties, making them suitable for engineering applications requiring a significant, repeated, work output. To facilitate the development and validation of an SMA constitutive model considering the evolving anisotropic material response for High-Temperature SMA (HTSMA), uniaxial and pure bending actuation cycling tests on HTSMA specimens are performed by a custom-built testing frames. The phase transformation characteristics for Ni$_{50.3}$TiHf$_{20}$ HTSMA under uniaxial tension/compression and four-point bending actuation cycles are investigated. The experimental results show that the polycrystalline HTSMAs has a strong tension-compression asymmetry under uniaxial actuation cycling loading conditions. Furthermore, the four-point beam bending test shows that there is an intrinsic phenomenon when HTSMAs are subjected to cyclic actuation bending conditions, i.e., the zero-strain neutral axis shifts as a result of the asymmetric tension-compression phase transformations and the asymmetric generation of TRIP strains on different sides of the beam. The conducted experiments provide invaluable information to develop and improve the SMA constitutive model considering tension-compression asymmetry and TRIP strain generation within a unified modeling effort. As future work, additional experiments on other HTSMA components, such as torque tubes and specimens with notches or cutouts, under actuation cycling would provide more comprehensive validation data and component performance for HTSMA-based actuators

Biogeographic Characterization of Fishes from Intertidal Sandflats in Pamlico River, North Carolina

The spatial and temporal changes in fish community structure in Pamlico River, North Carolina were analyzed. Salinity and temperature are important water quality parameters influencing fish community structure in estuaries. Fish were collected with an 18 m long bag seine from sandy habitats in Pamlico River, North Carolina. Each station was sampled bi-monthly (August to November) in 2009-2010. The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) Program 123 has been collecting fish from two stations in Pamlico River since 1987. There are two main differences between this study and Program 123. First, Program 123 has a much narrower geographic sampling area than this study. I sampled 18 fixed locations from Washington, North Carolina to the mouth of Pamlico Sound; whereas, NCDMF sampled only two stations near Bath, North Carolina. Second, sampling frequency was higher in this study than in Program 123. I sampled bi-weekly in October and November, 2009 and August to November, 2010; whereas, Program 123 sampled monthly from September to November, 2009 and 2010. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM), non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were used to test for differences in fish community structure both spatially and temporally, in Pamlico River, and to test for the correlation of water quality to fish community structure. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significance in water quality among the various sections. Five species (Anchoa mitchilli, Menidia beryllina, Brevoortia tyrannus, Leiostomus xanthurus, and Lagodon rhomboides) accounted for 97.4% of the total abundance in Pamlico River. Temporal and spatial changes in fish community structure were important in Pamlico River. Temperature was the most important environmental factor correlating with temporal fish community structure in Pamlico River. Salinity was the most important factor in spatial fish community structure. Program 123 captured greater catch per unit effort (CPUE) than this study because Program 123 only sampled the Central section, where greatest fish abundance occurred. However, greater species diversity was captured in this study than in Program 123.M.S

OptEEmAL: Decision-Support Tool for the Design of Energy Retrofitting Projects at District Level

Designing energy retrofitting actions poses an elevated number of problems, as the definition of the baseline, selection of indicators to measure performance, modelling, setting objectives, etc. This is time-consuming and it can result in a number of inaccuracies, leading to inadequate decisions. While these problems are present at building level, they are multiplied at district level, where there are complex interactions to analyse, simulate and improve. OptEEmAL proposes a solution as a decision-support tool for the design of energy retrofitting projects at district level. Based on specific input data (IFC(s), CityGML, etc.), the platform will automatically simulate the baseline scenario and launch an optimisation process where a series of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) will be applied to this scenario. Its performance will be evaluated through a holistic set of indicators to obtain the best combination of ECMs that complies with user's objectives. A great reduction in time and higher accuracy in the models are experienced, since they are automatically created and checked. A subjective problem is transformed into a mathematical problem; it simplifies it and ensures a more robust decision-making. This paper will present a case where the platform has been tested.This research work has been partially funded by the European Commission though the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 680676. All related information to the project is available at https://www.opteemal-project.eu

A Decision Support System to Determine the Familiy’s Economic Status for Certificate of The Low-Income Household Using MAUT Method

The problem of unemployment and poverty is a significant issue that the government have yet to address completely. The number of working-age people continues to rise, yet there are insufficient employment openings to meet demand. The government then provided extensive aid to the community. The Village Information System, part of the digitization system in Laguruda Village, Takalar Regency, comprises an integrated intelligent system that can forecast the eligibility of people who come to apply for a certificate of incapacity so that they are no longer inappropriate targets. The method employed is the Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT), based on 14 criteria set forth by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The results of a 49-person sample of household heads who identified themselves as poor and in need of assistance from the Ministry of Social Affairs revealed that 57.14% were in the mediocre category, 36.73% were in the rich category, 4.08% were in the poor category, and 2.04% were in the very poor category. This information demonstrates the system's ability to filter requests for poverty certifications. On the other hand, village officials were assisted in determining the right conditions for residents to be eligible for a poverty certificat

Scholarly communication in transition: The use of question marks in the titles of scientific articles in medicine, life sciences and physics 1966–2005

The titles of scientific articles have a special significance. We examined nearly 20 million scientific articles and recorded the development of articles with a question mark at the end of their titles over the last 40 years. Our study was confined to the disciplines of physics, life sciences and medicine, where we found a significant increase from 50% to more than 200% in the number of articles with question-mark titles. We looked at the principle functions and structure of the titles of scientific papers, and we assume that marketing aspects are one of the decisive factors behind the growing usage of question-mark titles in scientific articles

SIM-PA Aplikasi Perwalian sebagai Wadah Komunikasi Pembimbingan Mahasiswa Universitas Negeri Makassar

Salah satu civitas akademika dalam sistem perguruan tinggi adalah mahasiswa. mahasiswa merupakan salah satu produk yang akan menjadi lulusan dari sebuah pergirian tinggi. Hal ini menjadikan perguruan tinggi harus memperhatikan kualitasnya. Dengan konsep ini setiap mahasiswa diberikan dosen penasehat akademik (PA) yang menjadi wali pada perguruan tingginya. Dosen ini akan menjadi penasehat sekaligus sebagai pembimbing yang nantikan mahasiswa dapat melakukan komunikasi terkait permasalahan-permasalahan yang mungkin dialami oleh mahasiswa. Tetapi, terkadang mahasiswa tidak memanfaatkan dosen penasehat dan tidak melakukan konsultasi dengan dosennya. Atas dasar itulah dikembangkanlah suatu sistem informasi perwalian. Sistem ini diharapkan dapat mempermudah proses perwalian dalam kaitannya dengan mengetahui masalah-masalah mahasiswanya lebih dini. Tahapan penelitian dibagi menjadi 7 (tujuh) tahapan, yaitu: (a) analisis masalah; (b) pengumpulan data; (c) desain aplikasi; (d) pengujian pada aplikasi; (e) perbaikan aplikasi; (f) uji coba aplikasi; (g) Diseminasi dan Implementasi. Hasil dari penelitian Pengembangan Sistem Informasi Manajemen Penasihat Akademik (SIM-PA) memiliki prospek yang sangat menjanjikan jika dapat diimplementasikan sebagai inovasi teknologi. Lembaga dan Institusi akan sangat terbantu dalam peningkatan efisiensi dan efektivitas proses bimbingan PA. Dengan adanya sistem ini dapat mempermudah PA dalam mengamati perkembangan mahasiswa. Sehingga dapat menigkatkan presentasi kelulusan mahasiswa

OptEEmAL: Decision-Support Tool for the Design of Energy Retrofitting Projects at District Level

Designing energy retrofitting actions poses an elevated number of problems, as the definition of the baseline, selection of indicators to measure performance, modelling, setting objectives, etc. This is time-consuming and it can result in a number of inaccuracies, leading to inadequate decisions. While these problems are present at building level, they are multiplied at district level, where there are complex interactions to analyse, simulate and improve. OptEEmAL proposes a solution as a decision-support tool for the design of energy retrofitting projects at district level. Based on specific input data (IFC(s), CityGML, etc.), the platform will automatically simulate the baseline scenario and launch an optimisation process where a series of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) will be applied to this scenario. Its performance will be evaluated through a holistic set of indicators to obtain the best combination of ECMs that complies with user's objectives. A great reduction in time and higher accuracy in the models are experienced, since they are automatically created and checked. A subjective problem is transformed into a mathematical problem; it simplifies it and ensures a more robust decision-making. This paper will present a case where the platform has been tested.This research work has been partially funded by the European Commission though the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 680676. All related information to the project is available at https://www.opteemal-project.eu