A Distributed Approach for Networked Flying Platform Association with Small Cells in 5G+ Networks

The densification of small-cell base stations in a 5G architecture is a promising approach to enhance the coverage area and facilitate the ever increasing capacity demand of end users. However, the bottleneck is an intelligent management of a backhaul/fronthaul network for these small-cell base stations. This involves efficient association and placement of the backhaul hubs that connects these small-cells with the core network. Terrestrial hubs suffer from an inefficient non line of sight link limitations and unavailability of a proper infrastructure in an urban area. Seeing the popularity of flying platforms, we employ here an idea of using networked flying platform (NFP) such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, unmanned balloons flying at different altitudes, as aerial backhaul hubs. The association problem of these NFP-hubs and small-cell base stations is formulated considering backhaul link and NFP related limitations such as maximum number of supported links and bandwidth. Then, this paper presents an efficient and distributed solution of the designed problem, which performs a greedy search in order to maximize the sum rate of the overall network. A favorable performance is observed via a numerical comparison of our proposed method with optimal exhaustive search algorithm in terms of sum rate and run-time speed.Comment: Submitted to IEEE GLOBECOM 2017, 7 pages and 4 figure

Resource optimization, spectrum allocation and fault tolerance planning in broadband wireless networks

In current (4G) and future (5G) broadband cellular networks, new cell coverage planning ideas, network architectures proposals, novel physical resources allocation optimization techniques, and dynamic spectrum allocation optimization frame works provide good opportunities for mobile service providers (MSPs) to improve their return on investments (ROI), and for mobile equipments manufacturers to increase their profit and market share. Despite the attractive opportunities that network architecture, cell planning and resources allocation optimization offers, there are many challenges and difficulties that are facing MSPs when planning and operating networks to cope with the tremendous increase in mobile applications and to satisfy different users requirements. Physical resources allocation, spectrum allocation optimization, network architecture enhancement, and fault tolerance cell planning are major issues in broadband cellular networks. The work accomplished in this thesis aims at enhancing the network performance by optimizing the planning and operations of the network. Different optimization techniques are used throughout this thesis to help increase the spectral and energy efficiency in 4G and 5G networks. The objectives of this study are four objectives, first to propose a physical resources allocation utility based frame work using a novel utility function that can jointly optimize the maximum normalized spectral efficiency (NSE) and power consumed locally in each cell in order to increase the mobile service providers ROI. The ROI is enhanced by increasing the profits through maximizing the network spectral efficiency and decreasing the operational costs by minimizing the power consumption in the network. The second objective is to determine the optimal down-link frequency partition configuration that can efficiently allocate the spectrum resources to different network frequency partitions in order to globally achieve the same joint optimization objective by addressing the DFPCs dynamic behavior according to the network topology, load conditions, and users distribution. The third objective is to propose a new network architecture that consists of a data collection system that aid as a traffic data repository and a decision support system (DSS) introduced as a new self optimization module within the self organized networks (SON) framework to automate the optimization of the dynamic spectrum allocation. The last objective is to perform a network planning that aims at placing the optimal number of relay stations that aid in achieving network full coverage and minimum rate requirements with a fault tolerance functionality to avoid network failures and using the self organized frame work to perform the self healing by managing the backup solutions needed in response to the network failures. In order to achieve the previously mentioned objectives a detailed study to the state of the art in network planning using relay stations, physical resource allocation, dynamic spectrum allocation, network architecture and SON frame work is conducted. Different methodologies such as integer linear programming, stochastic programming and non-parametric estimation analysis are presented to propose a novel physical resources and dynamic spectrum allocation schemes. A plan-do-control-act model is also proposed within the DSS in the new suggested network architecture for continuous improvement of spectrum allocation. A non-linear to linear formulation conversion using an expanded space state is utilized to perform an in-band fault tolerance network planning that consider network interference between relay stations and base stations and avoid network failures. Simulations and results are conducted to validate the proposed methodologies and to compare it against state of the art work

Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol over γ-Al2O3-Supported Iridium Catalyst

In recent years, much attention has been focused on the hydrogenolysis of biodiesel derived glycerol to other high value products for the sustainable development and efficient valorization strategies. In the present work, alumina-supported Ir catalyst was prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method and tested in the glycerol hydrogenolysis reaction. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by neutron activation analysis, N2 physisorption, and H2 chemisorption techniques. The experiments standard conditions were 150 mL feed volume, 0.3 g catalyst, 1500 rpm stirring speed, and 5 wt% glycerol aqueous solution for 4 h. The effects of catalyst amount, temperature, hydrogen pressure, stirring speed, and solution pH on glycerol conversion and selectivity of the principal products obtained were also investigated. The glycerol conversion and the 1,2-propanediol selectivity varied from 4.9% to 22% and from 23.8% to 70.3%, respectively. It was found that the selectivity of 1,2-propanediol increased significantly with the increased alkalinity of the reaction medium

Kinetic Spectrophotometric Determination of Certain Cephalosporins in Pharmaceutical Formulations

A simple, reliable, and sensitive kinetic spectrophotometric method was developed for determination of eight cephalosporin antibiotics, namely, Cefotaxime sodium, Cephapirin sodium, Cephradine dihydrate, Cephalexin monohydrate, Ceftazidime pentahydrate, Cefazoline sodium, Ceftriaxone sodium, and Cefuroxime sodium. The method depends on oxidation of each of studied drugs with alkaline potassium permanganate. The reaction is followed spectrophotometrically by measuring the rate of change of absorbance at 610 nm. The initial rate and fixed time (at 3 minutes) methods are utilized for construction of calibration graphs to determine the concentration of the studied drugs. The calibration graphs are linear in the concentration ranges 5–15 μg mL−1 and 5–25 μg mL−1 using the initial rate and fixed time methods, respectively. The results are validated statistically and checked through recovery studies. The method has been successfully applied for the determination of the studied cephalosporins in commercial dosage forms. Statistical comparisons of the results with the reference methods show the excellent agreement and indicate no significant difference in accuracy and precision

Modification of Irisin Level in Overweight/Obese Women during Pregnancy and Its Association with Some Metabolic Risk Factors

الايرسين كبروتين حيوي يفرز من الانسجه العضليه والانسجه الدهنيه وضيفته اثناء الحمل وعلاقته ببعض عوامل الخطوره الايضيه وخاصه مؤشركتله الجسم قبيل الحمل تحتاج مزيد من التقييم. الهدف من الدراسه:هو معرفه امكانيه التنبؤ بمستوى الايرسين اثناء الحمل من خلال مؤشركتله الجسم قبيل الحمل وايضا توضيح ارتباط الايرسين ببعض المؤشرات المرضيه . تضمنت هذة الدراسة قياس مستوى الايريسين بواسطه تقنيه الايلايزا في امصال 59 حالة حمل طبيعية خلال الفتر ة من كانون الاول 2016 ولغاية شهر ايار 2017 في مستشفى الولادة بمدينة زاخو في كردستان العراق حيث كانت (32) من هذة العينات تعود لحوامل مؤشر كتلة الجسم لديهم قبيل الحمل اقل من24.9 كيلوغرام /مترمربع و27 من العينات تعود لحوامل كان مؤشر كتلة الجسم لديهم قبيل الحمل اكثرمن (25) موزعين على ثلاث فترات 8:10 في الفصل الاول و10:10 في الفصل الثاني و9:12 في الفصل الثالث بالتتابع.وايضا تم الحصول على امصال 22 امراه غير حامل متزوجه وبصحه جيده بعمر الانجاب كمجموعه سيطره .حيث ان 10 منهم كان مؤشركتله الجسم لديهم اقل من 24.9 كيلوغرام/متر مربع والباقي كان مؤشر كتله الجسم لديهم اكبرمن 25 كيلوغرام/مترمربع. .اشارت نتائج الدراسه الى ان مستوى الايرسين ارتفع بشكل معنوي في النساء الحوامل مقارنة بمجموعه السيطره.وارتبط الايرسين معنويا مع مؤشر كتله الجسم قبيل الحمل ومستوى السكر الصيامي والبروتين الكلي و نموذج تقيم توازن مقاومه الانسولين. وجد ان مؤشر كتله الجسم قبيل الحمل والبروتين الكلي استطاعوا التنبؤ بمستوى الايرسين في مجموعه الحوامل ككل.في مجموعه الحوامل ذو الوزن الطبيعي,ارتفع الايرسين بشكل غير معنوي مقارنه بمجموعه السيطره .اما الحوامل ذو الوزن الزائد/البدينات ارتفع الايرسين بشكل معنوي بنسبه 55%  في الثلث الاول من الحمل مقارنة بمجموعه السيطره ثم انخفض مستواه تدريجيا الى نهايه الحمل, وارتبط طرديا مع البروتين الكلي والالبومين والسكر الصيامي و نموذج تقيم توازن مقاومه الانسولين وعكسيا مع الزياده في الوزن خلال الحمل.وان البروتين الكلي والسكر الصيامي استطاعو التنبؤ بمستوى الايرسين في الحوامل ذو الوزن الزائد. خلصت الدراسه الى ان مستوى الايرسين يتاثر بمؤشركتله الجسم قبيل الحمل وان كلا من البروتين الكلي والسكر الصيامي بامكانهم توقع مستوى الايرسين في النساء ذو الوزن الزائد.الايرسين ممكن ان يكون عامل جوهري في الدراسات التي تعنى بالحالات المرضيه المرتبطه بانخفاض البروتين الكلي اثناء الحمل مثل الولاده المبكره والوذمه وامراض الكبد.Irisin is a novel myokine and adipokine, its role during pregnancy and its association with some metabolic risk factors especially pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI) need more evaluation. The aim of the study is to find whether the pre-BMI could predict irisin levels during normal pregnancy and to clarify associations of irisin with some pathological parameters. Irisin levels were estimated by ELISA in sera of 59 normal pregnant women who enrolled from December 2016 to May 2017 at Maternity Hospital, Zakho city, Kurdistan region (Iraq). Thirty-two normal-weight pregnant (pre-BMI≤24.9 kg/m2, Age=24.03 mean±3.7standard deviation) and 27 overweight/obese-pregnant (pre-BMI>25 kg/m2, Age=27.6 mean±3.9 standard deviation) were accounted for each trimester as10: 8 in first trimester, 10:10 in second trimester and12:9 in third trimester respectively. Twenty-two healthy married non-pregnant women of reproductive age served as controls, accounted as 10 normal-weight women (BMI ≤24.9 kg/m2) and 12 overweight/obese women (BMI>25 kg/m2). In pregnant women as a whole, irisin level significantly increased compared to control (p=0.003), and correlated with the pre-BMI, FBS, TP and HOMA2-IR. Pre-BMI and TP predicted irisin levels in a whole study population (p=0.011 and 0.014 respectively). In Overweight/Obese-pregnant, irisin increased significantly by 55.3% in first trimester compared with Overweight/Obese women control, then decreased progressively toward the end of gestation, correlated with TP, Albumin, FBS, HOMA2-IR and negatively correlated with gestational weight gained. TP and FBS independently predicted irisin level in Overweight/Obese-pregnant group. Conclusion: Circulating irisin levels are influenced by pre-BMI, and both of TP and FBS predict irisin levels in overweight/obese pregnant. Irisin level should be a radical factor in future studies for pathological conditions linked to hypoproteinemias such as edema and hepatic disease

Equilibrium And Kinetic Study On The Biosorption Of Trypan Blue From Aqueous Solutions Using Avocado Seed Powder

This research aims to investigate the removal of trypan blue dye from aqueous solutions by employing ground avocado seeds powder, a low-cost biowaste adsorbent (biosorbent), under various experimental conditions. The effect of contact time, initial dye concentration, and adsorbent dose on dye removal were studied. The experimental kinetic data were fitted to pseudo-first order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Results imply that adsorption of trypan blue on the avocado seed adsorbent nicely followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Equilibrium isotherms were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, where Langmuir isotherm described the isotherm data with a high-correlation coefficient (R2=0.9948) closer to unity, and maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 19.3 mg g−1. The present study results substantiate that ground avocado seeds are a promising adsorbent for the removal of the dye trypan blue from industrial wastewater

Lupine as a potential agent against diet-induced obesity through adenosine monophosphateactivated protein kinase pathway: crude oil versus nanoemulsion formulations

Obesity represents a major challenge to the pharmaceutical community due to the minimal availability of anti-obesity drugs and the drawbacks of current weight-loss agents. The study described herein presents lupine oil, in two pharmaceutical formulations, as a potential anti-obesity agent via its effect on different physiological, biochemical, and hormonal parameters. Rats were divided into two groups; one group was continued on a standard commercial rodent diet and served as the non-obese control. The other group was fed a high-fat diet for 7 weeks to prepare an obese rat model. Then, the obese rats were divided into groups to receive 100 mg/kg of the crude lupine oil or nanoemulsion for 10 or 20 days. Lupine oil showed a potent body weight-reducing effect and improved insulin resistance. The oil altered obesity-induced hyperlipidemia and it enhanced the leptin/adiponectin/AMPK hormonal system in epididymal fat, serum, and liver, to which all the above physiological activities could be attributed. The nanoemulsion formulation of lupine oil significantly amplified the activity for all the above physiological and hormonal parameters when compared to the crude oil formulation. Lupine oil nanoemulsion could be used as a potential drug against diet-induced obesity

An enhanced consensus-based distributed secondary control for voltage regulation and proper current sharing in a DC islanded microgrid

A centralized secondary control is utilized in a DC islanded microgrid to fine-tune voltage levels following the implementation of droop control. This is done to avoid conflicts between current allocation and voltage adjustments. However, because it introduces a single point of failure, a distributed secondary control is preferred. This paper introduces a consensus-based secondary distributed control approach to restore critical bus voltages to their nominal values and properly distribute current among converters. The critical bus takes the lead in voltage adjustments, with only connected energy resources contributing to regulation. The microgrid is represented as an undirected graph to facilitate consensus building. Two adjustment terms, δv and δi, are generated to assist in returning voltage to its nominal level and correctly allocating current among energy resources. To enhance consistency and improve controller performance compared to those reported in existing literature, all buses are connected to a leader node. In the event of the failure of all converters except one, voltage can still be effectively restored. MATLAB-Simulink simulations are conducted on two medium-voltage DC (MVDC) microgrids to validate the efficiency of the proposed control method. The results confirmed that the proposed control method can effectively maintain voltage stability and enhance the precise distribution of current among agents by 8%