Proactive Highly Ambulatory Sensor Routing (PHASeR) protocol for mobile wireless sensor networks

This paper presents a novel multihop routing protocol for mobile wireless sensor networks called PHASeR (Proactive Highly Ambulatory Sensor Routing). The proposed protocol uses a simple hop-count metric to enable the dynamic and robust routing of data towards the sink in mobile environments. It is motivated by the application of radiation mapping by unmanned vehicles, which requires the reliable and timely delivery of regular measurements to the sink. PHASeR maintains a gradient metric in mobile environments by using a global TDMA MAC layer. It also uses the technique of blind forwarding to pass messages through the network in a multipath manner. PHASeR is analysed mathematically based on packet delivery ratio, average packet delay, throughput and overhead. It is then simulated with varying mobility, scalability and traffic loads. The protocol gives good results over all measures, which suggests that it may also be suitable for a wider array of emerging applications

Robust Ad-hoc Sensor Routing (RASeR) protocol for mobile wireless sensor networks

Robust Ad-hoc Sensor Routing (RASeR) is a novel protocol for data routing in mobile wireless sensor networks (MWSNs). It is designed to cope with the demanding requirements of emerging technologies, which require the reliable and low-latency delivery of packets in highly mobile conditions. RASeR uses blind forwarding, which is facilitated by a novel method of gradient maintenance. The problem of maintaining a gradient field in a changing topology, without flooding, is solved by using a global time division multiple access MAC. Furthermore, it is enhanced with the additional options of a supersede mode, to aid time-critical applications, reverse flooding, to allow sink-to-sensor commands and energy saving sleep cycles to reduce power consumption. Analytical expressions are derived and verified by simulation. RASeR is compared with the state-of-the-art MWSN routing protocols, PHASeR and MACRO, as well as the MANET protocols, AODV and OLSR. The results indicate that RASeR is a high performance protocol, which shows improvements over PHASeR, MACRO, AODV and OLSR. Tested over varying levels of mobility, scalability and traffic, the simulations yield near perfect PDR in many scenarios, as well as a low end-to-end delay, high throughput, low overhead and low energy consumption. The robustness of this protocol and its consistent reliability, low latency and additional features, makes it highly suitable to a wide number of applications. It is specifically applicable to highly mobile situations with a fixed number of nodes and small payloads

Plasticity in dendroclimatic response across the distribution range of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis)

We investigated the variability of the climate-growth relationship of Aleppo pine across its distribution range in the Mediterranean Basin. We constructed a network of tree-ring index chronologies from 63 sites across the region. Correlation function analysis identified the relationships of tree-ring index to climate factors for each site. We also estimated the dominant climatic gradients of the region using principal component analysis of monthly, seasonal, and annual mean temperature and total precipitation from 1,068 climatic gridpoints. Variation in ring width index was primarily related to precipitation and secondarily to temperature. However, we found that the dendroclimatic relationship depended on the position of the site along the climatic gradient. In the southern part of the distribution range, where temperature was generally higher and precipitation lower than the regional average, reduced growth was also associated with warm and dry conditions. In the northern part, where the average temperature was lower and the precipitation more abundant than the regional average, reduced growth was associated with cool conditions. Thus, our study highlights the substantial plasticity of Aleppo pine in response to different climatic conditions. These results do not resolve the source of response variability as being due to either genetic variation in provenance, to phenotypic plasticity, or a combination of factors. However, as current growth responses to inter-annual climate variability vary spatially across existing climate gradients, future climate-growth relationships will also likely be determined by differential adaptation and/or acclimation responses to spatial climatic variation. The contribution of local adaptation and/or phenotypic plasticity across populations to the persistence of species under global warming could be decisive for prediction of climate change impacts across populations. In this sense, a more complex forest dynamics modeling approach that includes the contribution of genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity can improve the reliability of the ecological inferences derived from the climate-growth relationships.This work was partially supported by Spanish Ministry of Education and Science co-funded by FEDER program (CGL2012-31668), the European Union and the National Ministry of Education and Religion of Greece (EPEAEK- Environment – Archimedes), the Slovenian Research Agency (program P4-0015), and the USDA Forest Service. The cooperation among international partners was supported by the COST Action FP1106, STREeSS

Resistance of thermally modified ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) wood under steam pressure against rot fungi, soil-inhabiting micro-organisms and termites

Thermal modification processes have been developed to increase the biological durability and dimensional stability of wood. The aim of this paper was to study the influence of ThermoWood® treatment intensity on improvement of wood decay resistance against soil-inhabiting micro-organisms, brown/white rots and termite exposures. All of the tests were carried out in the laboratory with two different complementary research materials. The main research material consisted of ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) wood thermally modified at temperatures of 170, 200, 215 and 228 °C. The reference materials were untreated ash and beech wood for decay resistance tests, untreated ash wood for soil bed tests and untreated ash, beech and pine wood for termite resistance tests. An agar block test was used to determine the resistance to two brown-rot and two white-rot fungi according to CEN/TS 15083-1 directives. Durability against soil-inhabiting micro-organisms was determined following the CEN/TS 15083-2 directives, by measuring the weight loss, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) after incubation periods of 24, 32 and 90 weeks. Finally, Reticulitermes santonensis species was used for determining the termite attack resistance by non-choice screening tests, with a size sample adjustment according to EN 117 standard directives on control samples and on samples which have previously been exposed to soil bed test. Thermal modification increased the biological durability of all samples. However, high thermal modification temperature above 215 °C, represented by a wood mass loss (ML%) due to thermal degradation of 20%, was needed to reach resistance against decay comparable with the durability classes of ‘‘durable’’ or ‘‘very durable’’ in the soil bed test. The brown-rot and white-rot tests gave slightly better durability classes than the soil bed test. Whatever the heat treatment conditions are, thermally modified ash wood was not efficient against termite attack neither before nor after soft rot degradation

Critical-state parameters of an unsaturated residual clayey soil from Turkey

WOS: 000250657400001This paper deals with the evaluation of the critical-state parameters with respect to the matric suction for saturated and unsaturated undisturbed residual clayey soils from Turkey. In order to conduct the unsaturated triaxial compression testing procedures a conventional triaxial compression apparatus was redesigned. The data for critical-state conditions from these tests are presented with respect to matric suction, based on the critical-state parameters of M, q(0), Gamma, lambda, which is commonly proposed by many authors. The critical state of the unsaturated samples is compared with that of the saturated samples. This experimental study has demonstrated that matric suction has no influence on parameters of M and lambda. The parameters of M and lambda are approximately 0.85 and 0.074 respectively for saturated and unsaturated conditions. The relationships between matric suction (u(a)-u(w)) and the intercepts q(0) and Gamma have been observed as nonlinear, and thus they can be defined as a function of matric suction (u(a)-u(w)). Furthermore, a method is developed to predict the intercepts q(0) according to matric suction for unsaturated clayey soils. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Critical-state parameters of an unsaturated residual clayey soil from Turkey

This paper deals with the evaluation of the critical-state parameters with respect to the matric suction for saturated and unsaturated undisturbed residual clayey soils from Turkey. In order to conduct the unsaturated triaxial compression testing procedures a conventional triaxial compression apparatus was redesigned. The data for critical-state conditions from these tests are presented with respect to matric suction, based on the critical-state parameters of M, qo, ?, ?, which is commonly proposed by many authors. The critical state of the unsaturated samples is compared with that of the saturated samples. This experimental study has demonstrated that matric suction has no influence on parameters of M and ?. The parameters of M and ? are approximately 0.85 and 0.074 respectively for saturated and unsaturated conditions. The relationships between matric suction (ua - uw) and the intercepts qo and ? have been observed as nonlinear, and thus they can be defined as a function of matric suction (ua - uw). Furthermore, a method is developed to predict the intercepts q0 according to matric suction for unsaturated clayey soils. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The factors affecting sleep quality in type 2 diabetes patients

2-s2.0-85075294425Objective: Research was planned with the aim of determining the sleep quality of individuals with type 2 diabetes and the factors affecting this. Design: Descriptive and cross-sectional study Setting: Endocrinology Department of the Internal Medicine Section of Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital, Manisa Celal Bayar University Hafsa Sultan Hospital, and Balıkesir University Medical Faculty Hospital Subjects: The research was conducted between May 2014 and February 2015 on 366 individuals with type 2 diabetes. Intervention: Non-interventional Main outcome measure: The sleep quality of individuals with type 2 diabetes and the factors affecting this Results: The total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores of individuals who had had diabetes for 1-4 years and 5-9 years were found to be significantly higher than the scores of those who had had diabetes for less than one year or more than ten years (f = 10.85, p = 0.000). The total PSQI scores of individuals using oral anti diabetic (OAD) and insulin diabetes treatment were significantly higher than the scores of patients receiving only diet treatment or OAD + insulin (f = 3.03, p = 0.029). A significant relationship was found between the HbA1c of the individuals in the study with type 2 diabetes and their total PSQI scores (p <0.01). Conclusion: It can be said that such socio-demographic characteristics as age, gender, income, duration of diabetes and diabetes treatment, and metabolic values such as the glycated haemoglobin (Hemoglobin A1c-HbA1c), fasting blood glucose and body mass index negatively affect sleep quality. © 2019, Kuwait Medical Association. All rights reserved.We wish to thank the participating type 2 diabetes mellitus patients for their participation. We also thank of the Endocrinology Department of the Internal Medicine Section of Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital, the Endocrinology Science Department of the Internal Medicine Section of Celal Bayar University Hafsa Sultan Hospital, and the Internal Medicine clinics and outpatient clinics of Bal?kesir University Medical Faculty Hospital

Fuzzy AHP–GOAL Programming Approach for a Supplier Selection Problem

This paper presents an integrated evaluation approach for decision support enabling effective supplier selection and ordering processes in textile industry. The integrated evaluation method in this study includes two phases that consist of fuzzy AHP and goal programming approaches. Supplier evaluation and selection is a multi-criterion decision problem which includes both qualitative and quantitative factors. That’s why; firstly, linguistic variables expressed in trapezoidal fuzzy numbers are applied to assess weights and ratings of supplier selection criteria. Then a hierarchy multiple model based on fuzzy set theory is expressed and the geometric mean method of Buckley is used to aggregate pair wise comparisons. Finally, a goal programming model is built using the goals about coefficients of suppliers, total ordering cost, number of wrong deliveries, total delivery cost under the constraints of required minimum and maximum number of orderings and acceptable quality cost levels of each supplier and demand constraint of the product

The factors affecting sleep quality in type 2 diabetes patients

Objective: Research was planned with the aim of determining the sleep quality of individuals with type 2 diabetes and the factors affecting this. Design: Descriptive and cross-sectional study Setting: Endocrinology Department of the Internal Medicine Section of Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital, Manisa Celal Bayar University Hafsa Sultan Hospital, and Balıkesir University Medical Faculty Hospital Subjects: The research was conducted between May 2014 and February 2015 on 366 individuals with type 2 diabetes. Intervention: Non-interventional Main outcome measure: The sleep quality of individuals with type 2 diabetes and the factors affecting this Results: The total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores of individuals who had had diabetes for 1-4 years and 5-9 years were found to be significantly higher than the scores of those who had had diabetes for less than one year or more than ten years (f = 10.85, p = 0.000). The total PSQI scores of individuals using oral anti diabetic (OAD) and insulin diabetes treatment were significantly higher than the scores of patients receiving only diet treatment or OAD + insulin (f = 3.03, p = 0.029). A significant relationship was found between the HbA1c of the individuals in the study with type 2 diabetes and their total PSQI scores (p <0.01). Conclusion: It can be said that such socio-demographic characteristics as age, gender, income, duration of diabetes and diabetes treatment, and metabolic values such as the glycated haemoglobin (Hemoglobin A1c-HbA1c), fasting blood glucose and body mass index negatively affect sleep quality. © 2019, Kuwait Medical Association. All rights reserved