Measurement of single event upsets in the ALICE-TPC front-end electronics

The Time Projection Chamber of the ALICE experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider features highly integrated on-detector read-out electronics. It is following the general trend of high energy physics experiments by placing the front-end electronics as close to the detector as possible -- only some 10 cm away from its active volume. Being located close to the beams and the interaction region, the electronics is subject to a moderate radiation load, which allowed us to use commercial off-the-shelf components. However, they needed to be selected and qualified carefully for radiation hardness and means had to be taken to protect their functionality against soft errors, i.e. single event upsets. Here we report on the first measurements of LHC induced radiation effects on ALICE front-end electronics and on how they attest to expectations

Comprehensive analysis of security issues in cloud-based Internet of Things: A survey

The Internet of Things (IoT )has emerged as the largest computing platform, enabling IoT devices to sense real-world conditions such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and cloud prediction. However, the security of IoT systems is crucial due to their direct impact on human life. With the expansion of processing and communication capabilities to numerous devices, IoT has become a vast network where connectivity is ubiquitous. This paper focuses on the security issues of cloud-based IoT, specifically access control, network security, data security, and privacy, which are the four main components of cloud-based IoT. By analyzing and comparing existing research papers on security in cloud IoT and IoT in general, we identify proposed solutions. Most researchers have concentrated on a single component, while only a few have addressed two components. Consequently, our research aims to bridge the gap in Cloud IoT security by focusing on more than two components. We propose the utilization of methods such as Machine Learning and blockchain to enhance security, drawing on the strengths highlighted in previous works. Our future focus will involve exploring potential attacks in cloud IoT and developing a comprehensive method that encompasses atleast three security components of cloud IoT security

Quality Assessment of Borehole Water in-Terms of Selected Physicochemical Parameters in Maiduguri Urban Areas, Borno State, Nigeria

In Nigeria, over 120 million peoples use boreholes as their main source of drinking water and in-view of the increasing volume of solid waste materials in Maiduguri, it has become exigencies to evaluate the quality of borehole waters in the city. The objective of this paper is therefore to evaluate some physicochemical characteristic of borehole water samples in Maiduguri urban areas Borno State, Nigeria using standard methods. Result obtained revealed that the pH of all the water samples was within the range of 6.5 to 8.5 as recommended limit by World Health Organization (WHO). Except for the pH of borehole water at Bulumkutu ward which is acidic (6.2). The pHs of all the water from the three wards were alkaline. The total dissolved solid and the electrical conductivity of water samples from the three wards fall within the limit of WHO, except water samples from Ngarannam (1100 mg/l) and (2220 uS/cm). The concentration of major ions (Na, Mg and K) fall far below the WHO recommended limit and thus the water can said to be excellent in terms of these elements. Except for Cl ion (262 mg/g) at borehole water in Gwange ward fall above the permissible limit by WHO. The study recommends performing regular testing of different water sources within the study area to ensure that commensurate attention given is maintaining a healthy population

The CAST Time Projection Chamber

One of the three X-ray detectors of the CAST experiment searching for solar axions is a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with a multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) as a readout structure. Its design has been optimized to provide high sensitivity to the detection of the low intensity X-ray signal expected in the CAST experiment. A low hardware threshold of 0.8 keV is safely set during normal data taking periods, and the overall efficiency for the detection of photons coming from conversion of solar axions is 62 %. Shielding has been installed around the detector, lowering the background level to 4.10 x 10^-5 counts/cm^2/s/keV between 1 and 10 keV. During phase I of the CAST experiment the TPC has provided robust and stable operation, thus contributing with a competitive result to the overall CAST limit on axion-photon coupling and mass.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures and images, submitted to New Journal of Physic

Influence of Cultivar and Sokoto Phosphate Rock Levels on the Yield and Yield Components of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in Dry Sub-Humid Sokoto Area, Nigeria

Locally and easily available rock phosphate could be a sustainable source of phosphorus for legumes production in this region, where, phosphorus deficiency is one of the major problems to crop production. As such, field experiments were conducted during 2007 and 2008 rainy seasons at the Dry land Teaching and Research Farm of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto to study the effect of cultivar and Sokoto phosphate rock (SPR) on the performance of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in the semi-arid zone of Nigeria. Treatments consisted of factorial combination of two groundnut cultivars (Ex-Dakar and RMP-12) and four levels of Sokoto phosphate rock (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha-1) laid out in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Results revealed that pods per plant, pod yield, kernel yield, shelling percentage and harvest index were higher in Ex-Dakar. Also, results obtained revealed no significant effect of SRP on the performance of the parameters observed. Thus, from the findings of this research it could be concluded that Ex-Dakar cultivar could be planted for increased groundnut production in the area. Groundnut cultivars under study did not respond to Sokoto rock phosphate application in the semi-arid zone

On the virtual inertia provision by BESS in low inertia power systems

This paper emphasizes the importance of battery energy storage systems (BESS) for frequency stability in low inertia power systems. A mixed input signal is considered for the BESS control, consisting of the frequency variation and the rate of change of frequency, as a solution to deploy the BESS for providing both inertia and primary frequency control. A sensitivity analysis on the influence of each input signal and the reaction time of the BESS on the frequency control, as well as on the frequency stabilization was performed. Simulation are conducted on a two-area interconnected power system to study and validate the capability of BESS to provide virtual inertia and contribute to system frequency regulatio

Differential localisation of BPIFA1 (SPLUNC1) and BPIFB1 (LPLUNC1) in the nasal and oral cavities of mice

Despite being initially identified in mice, little is known about the sites of production of members of the BPI fold (BPIF) containing (PLUNC) family of putative innate defence proteins in this species. These proteins have largely been considered to be specificaly expressed in the respiratory tract, and we have recently shown that they exhibit differential expression in the epithelium of the proximal airways. In this study, we have used species-specific antibodies to systematically localize two members of this protein family; BPIFA1 (PLUNC/SPLUNC1) and BPIFB1 (LPLUNC1) in adult mice. In general, these proteins exhibit distinct and only partially overlapping localization. BPIFA1 is highly expressed in the respiratory epithelium and Bowman’s glands of the nasal passages, whereas BPIFB1 is present in small subset of goblet cells in the nasal passage and pharynx. BPIFB1 is also present in the serous glands in the proximal tongue where is co-localised with the salivary gland specific family member, BPIFA2E (parotid secretory protein) and also in glands of the soft palate. Both proteins exhibit limited expression outside of these regions. These results are consistent with the localization of the proteins seen in man. Knowledge of the complex expression patterns of BPIF proteins in these regions will allow the use of tractable mouse models of disease to dissect their function