http://www.hindawi.com The latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation © 2013 , Hindawi Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 19:01:57 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/624670/ A method of extracting information in estimating heading angle of vision system is presented. Integration of grey-level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) in an area of interest selection is carried out to choose a suitable region that is feasible for optical flow generation. The selected area is employed for optical flow generation by using Horn-Schunck method. From the generated optical flow, heading angle is estimated and enhanced via moving median filter (MMF). In order to ascertain the effectiveness of GLCM, we compared the result with a different estimation method of optical flow which is generated directly from untouched greyscale images. The performance of GLCM is compared to the true heading, and the error is evaluated through mean absolute deviation (MAE). The result ensured that GLCM can improve the estimation result of the heading angle of vision system significantly. Zairulazha Zainal, Rizauddin Ramli, and Mohd Marzuki Mustafa Copyright © 2013 Zairulazha Zainal et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 08:48:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/792978/ The main goal of Ambient Assisted Living solutions is to provide assistive technologies and services in smart environments allowing elderly people to have high quality of life. Since 3D sensing technologies are increasingly investigated as monitoring solution able to outperform traditional approaches, in this work a noninvasive monitoring platform based on 3D sensors is presented providing a wide-range solution suitable in several assisted living scenarios. Detector nodes are managed by low-power embedded PCs in order to process 3D streams and extract postural features related to person’s activities. The feature level of details is tuned in accordance with the current context in order to save bandwidth and computational resources. The platform architecture is conceived as a modular system suitable to be integrated into third-party middleware to provide monitoring functionalities in several scenarios. The event detection capabilities were validated by using both synthetic and real datasets collected in controlled and real-home environments. Results show the soundness of the presented solution to adapt to different application requirements, by correctly detecting events related to four relevant AAL services. Alessandro Leone, Giovanni Diraco, and Pietro Siciliano Copyright © 2013 Alessandro Leone et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 12 May 2013 17:38:16 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/781548/ An inexpensive fiber-based noncontact distance sensor specific for monitoring short-range displacements in micromachining applications is presented. To keep the overall costs low, the sensor uses plastic optical fibers and an intensiometric approach based on the received light intensity after the reflection from the target whose displacement has to be measured. A suitable target reflectivity compensation technique is implemented to mitigate the effects due to target surface nonuniformity or ageing. The performances of the sensor are first evaluated for different fiber configurations and target reflectivity profiles and positions using a numerical method based on Monte Carlo simulations. Then, experimental validations on a configuration designed to work up to 1.5 mm have been conducted. The results have confirmed the validity of the proposed sensor architecture, which demonstrated excellent compensation capabilities, with errors below 0.04 mm in the (0-1) mm range regardless the color and misalignment of the target. Daniele Tosi, Guido Perrone, and Alberto Vallan Copyright © 2013 Daniele Tosi et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:05:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/393406/ The development of a current and temperature monitoring optical device intended to be used in high-voltage environments, particularly transmission lines, is presented. The system is intended to offer not only measurement reliability, but to be also practical and light weighted. Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are employed in the measurement of both physical parameters: the current will be acquired using a hybrid sensor head setup—an FBG fixed on a magnetostrictive rod—while a single-point temperature information is provided by a dedicated grating. An inexpensive and outdoor-suitable demodulation method, such as the fixed filter technique, should be used in order to improve the instrumentation robustness, avoiding expensive and complex auxiliary electronics. The preliminary results for laboratory tests are also discussed. Fábio V. B. de Nazaré, Marcelo M. Werneck, Rodrigo P. de Oliveira, D. M. Santos, R. C. Allil, and B. A. Ribeiro Copyright © 2013 Fábio V. B. de Nazaré et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:33:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/142078/ We propose an energy-efficient adaptive geosource multicast routing (EAGER) for WSNs. It addresses the energy and scalability issues of previous location based stateless multicast protocols in WSNs. EAGER is a novel stateless multicast protocol that optimizes location-based and source-based multicast approaches in various ways. First, it uses the receiver's geographic location information to save the cost of building a multicast tree. The information can be obtained during the receiver's membership establishment stage without flooding. Second, it reduces packet overhead, and in turn, energy usage by encoding with a small sized node ID instead of potentially large bytes of location information and by dynamically using branch geographic information for common source routing path segments. Third, it decreases computation overhead at each forwarding node by determining the multicast routing paths at a multicast node (or rendezvous point (RP)). Our extensive simulation results validate that EAGER outperforms existing stateless multicast protocols in computation time, packet overhead, and energy consumption while maintaining the advantages of stateless protocols. Daehee Kim, Sejun Song, and Baek-Young Choi Copyright © 2013 Daehee Kim et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:18:23 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/436492/ An integrated channel selector system employing thermoreversible gelation of a polymer was developed. Here, we show a system with arrayed microchannels having nine crossing points. Infrared laser irradiation was used to form gel areas at several crossing points in arranging a flow path from the inlet to one of the nine outlets passing through certain junctions and channels. The multipoint irradiation by the infrared laser was realized using a personal-computer-controlled digital mirror device. The system was demonstrated to be able to direct flow to all nine outlets. Finally, we achieved to produce flexible paths for flowing particles including side trips. Yoshitaka Shirasaki, Masayasu Tatsuoka, Mai Yamagishi, Jun Mizuno, Shuichi Shoji, and Takashi Funatsu Copyright © 2013 Yoshitaka Shirasaki et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:20:23 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/382726/ In the present work, the seedless, highly aligned and vertical ZnO nanorods in 3 dimensions (3D) were grown on the nickel foam substrate. The seedless grown ZnO nanorods were characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The characterised seedless ZnO nanorods in 3D on nickel foam were highly dense, perpendicular to substrate, grown along the (002) crystal plane, and also composed of single crystal. In addition to this, these seedless ZnO nanorods were functionalized with trans-dinitro-dibenzo-18-6 crown ether, a selective iron (III) ion ionophore, along with other components of membrane composition such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 2-nitopentylphenyl ether as plasticizer (NPPE), and tetrabutyl ammonium tetraphenylborate (TBATPB) as conductivity increaser. The sensor electrode has shown high linearity with a wide range of detection of iron (III) ion concentrations from 0.005 mM to 100 mM. The low limit of detection of the proposed ion selective electrode was found to be 0.001 mM. The proposed sensor also described high storage stability, selectivity, reproducibility, and repeatability and a quick response time of less than 10 s. Mazhar Ali Abbasi, Zafar Hussain Ibupoto, Yaqoob Khan, Azam Khan, Omer Nur, and Magnus Willander Copyright © 2013 Mazhar Ali Abbasi et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:02:46 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/414731/ Traditional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) transmit the scalar data (e.g., temperature and irradiation) to the sink node. A new wireless visual sensor network (WVSN) that can transmit images data is a more promising solution than the WSN on sensing, detecting, and monitoring the environment to enhance awareness of the cyber, physical, and social contexts of our daily activities. However, the size of image data is much bigger than the scalar data that makes image transmission a challenging issue in battery-limited WVSN. In this paper, we study the energy efficient image aggregation scheme in WVSN. Image aggregation is a possible way to eliminate the redundant portions of the image captured by different data source nodes. Hence, transmission power could be reduced via the image aggregation scheme. However, image aggregation requires image processing that incurs node processing power. Besides the additional energy consumption from node processing, there is another MAC-aware retransmission energy loss from image aggregation. In this paper, we first propose the mathematical model to capture these three factors (image transmission, image processing, and MAC retransmission) in WVSN. Numerical results based on the mathematical model and real WVSN sensor node (i.e., Meerkats node) are performed to optimize the energy consumption tradeoff between image transmission, image processing, and MAC retransmission. Yui-Liang Chen and Hong-Hsu Yen Copyright © 2013 Yui-Liang Chen and Hong-Hsu Yen. All rights reserved. Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:27:02 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/814753/ Multiple core-sheath flow was realized using matrix arrangement of 3D sheath flows. The sheath flow was hydrodynamically formed in a flow shift area which has symmetrical microgrooves on channel walls. Vertical and horizontal alignments of the sample streams are a key element of matrix configuration. The flow shift areas were connected in parallel to achieve horizontal alignment of the sheath flow. The cascade connection of the flow shift areas is used for vertical alignment of the sheath flow. In order to achieve matrix arrangement of core-sheath flow, combination of the parallel and cascade connections was utilized. In this work, the horizontal and vertical configurations of the 2-sample sheath flow were demonstrated. Two streams of the vertically aligned 2-sample sheath flow were joined horizontally, and, as a result, 4-sample core-sheath flow of matrix configuration was obtained successfully. Dong Hyun Yoon, Asahi Nakahara, Afshan Jamshaid, Hironobu Sato, Tetsushi Sekiguchi, and Shuichi Shoji Copyright © 2013 Dong Hyun Yoon et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:07:32 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/206738/ Gas turbine operation control is normally based on thermocouple-measured exhaust temperatures. Due to radiation shielding and bulky package, it is difficult to provide high spatial resolution for measuring can-to-can combustion temperature profile at the exhaust duct. This paper has demonstrated that wavelength-division-multiplexing-based fiber Bragg grating sensors could provide high spatial resolution steady and dynamic temperature measurements. A robust sensor package can be designed with either circumferential sensing cable or radial sensing rake for quasi-distributing multiple fiber sensors in the gas turbine environment. The field validations have demonstrated that quasi-distributed fiber sensors have not only demonstrated its temperature measurement accuracy compared to existing thermocouple sensors but also shown its unique dynamic response amplitude and power spectra that could be utilized for gas turbine transient operation condition monitoring and diagnostics. Hua Xia, Doug Byrd, Sachin Dekate, and Boon Lee Copyright © 2013 Hua Xia et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:33:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/759654/ The main problem for event gathering in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is the restricted communication range for each node. Due to the restricted communication range and high network density, event forwarding in WSNs is very challenging and requires multihop data forwarding. Currently, the energy-efficient ant based routing (EEABR) algorithm, based on the ant colony optimization (ACO) metaheuristic, is one of the state-of-the-art energy-aware routing protocols. In this paper, we propose three improvements to the EEABR algorithm to further improve its energy efficiency. The improvements to the original EEABR are based on the following: (1) a new scheme to intelligently initialize the routing tables giving priority to neighboring nodes that simultaneously could be the destination, (2) intelligent update of routing tables in case of a node or link failure, and (3) reducing the flooding ability of ants for congestion control. The energy efficiency improvements are significant particularly for dynamic routing environments. Experimental results using the RMASE simulation environment show that the proposed method increases the energy efficiency by up to 9% and 64% in converge-cast and target-tracking scenarios, respectively, over the original EEABR without incurring a significant increase in complexity. The method is also compared and found to also outperform other swarm-based routing protocols such as sensor-driven and cost-aware ant routing (SC) and Beesensor. Adamu Murtala Zungeru, Kah Phooi Seng, Li-Minn Ang, and Wai Chong Chia Copyright © 2013 Adamu Murtala Zungeru et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 24 Feb 2013 09:20:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/625274/ We propose a link expiration time-aware routing protocol for UWSNs. In this protocol, a sending node forwards a data packet after being sure that the packet reaches the forwarding node, and acknowledgment is returned to the sending node after receiving the data packet. Node mobility is handled in the protocol through the calculation of the link expiration time and sending the packet based on the link expiration time. Although the protocol employs two types of control packet, it provides less energy consumption and at the same time is providing better reliability of packets reaching to the destination because of using acknowledgement packet. The forwarding decision of node is taken by applying Bayes’ uncertainty theorem. We use depth, residual energy, and distance from the forwarding node to the sending node as evidence in Bayes’ theorem. In this protocol, we use the concept of expert systems ranking potentially true hypothesis. Extensive simulation has been executed to endorse better performance of the proposed protocol. Md. Ashraf Uddin and Mamun-or-Rashid Copyright © 2013 Md. Ashraf Uddin and Mamun-or-Rashid. All rights reserved. Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:20:37 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2013/741248/ This paper reports the strain sensitivity of flexible, electrically conductive, and nanostructured cellulose which was prepared by modification of bacterial cellulose with double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The electrical conductivity depends on the modifying agent and its dispersion process. The conductivity of the samples obtained from bacterial cellulose (BNC) pellicles modified with DWCNT was in the range from 0.034 S·cm−1 to 0.39 S·cm−1, and for BNC pellicles modified with MWCNTs it was from 0.12 S·cm−1 to 1.6 S·cm−1. The strain-induced electromechanical response, resistance versus strain, was monitored during the application of tensile force in order to study the sensitivity of the modified nanocellulose. A maximum gauge factor of 252 was found from the highest conductive sample treated by MWCNT. It has been observed that the sensitivity of the sample depends on the conductivity of the modified cellulose. S. Farjana, F. Toomadj, P. Lundgren, A. Sanz-Velasco, O. Naboka, and P. Enoksson Copyright © 2013 S. Farjana et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:40:37 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/582028/ There are methods to increase fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency through optical sensor-based nitrogen application; however, the sensors are expensive and cost prohibitive to farmers in the developing world. This study evaluated a novel, reduced cost, prototype, and optical sensor to determine if it could be used with the same level of accuracy as a commercial sensor. The stability of the prototype sensor (pocket sensor) to maintain an accurate calibration over time, the effect of operator on sensor readings, and sensor performance in maize and wheat were assessed. Evaluation of the sensor performance was conducted in existing wheat and maize trials, as well as turf grass canopies at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.The prototype sensors were highly correlated to the commercial GreenSeeker NDVI sensor in turf grass, wheat, and maize canopies (, , and , resp.). The Pocket Sensors lacked some precision in comparison to the commercial sensor; however, even with the reduced precision, the cost of the sensor and robustness of N fertilizer algorithms compensate for this apparent weakness. The pocket sensor is a new and viable tool to assess wheat and maize nitrogen status and make nitrogen recommendations based upon the data collected with this sensor. Jared Crain, Ivan Ortiz-Monasterio, and Bill Raun Copyright © 2012 Jared Crain et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:19:24 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/769613/ This paper presents experimental measurements conducted using two noninvasive fibre optic methods for detecting heart pulse waves in the human body. Both methods can be used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). For comparison, the paper also performs an MRI-compatible electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement. By the simultaneous use of different measurement methods, the propagation of pressure waves generated by each heart pulse can be sensed extensively in different areas of the human body and at different depths, for example, on the chest and forehead and at the fingertip. An accurate determination of a pulse wave allows calculating the pulse transit time (PTT) of a particular heart pulse in different parts of the human body. This result can then be used to estimate the pulse wave velocity of blood flow in different places. Both measurement methods are realized using magnetic resonance-compatible fibres, which makes the methods applicable to the MRI environment. One of the developed sensors is an extraordinary accelerometer sensor, while the other one is a more common sensor based on photoplethysmography. All measurements, involving several test patients, were performed both inside and outside an MRI room. Measurements inside the MRI room were conducted using a 3-Tesla strength closed MRI scanner in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the Oulu University Hospital. Teemu Myllylä, Vesa Korhonen, Erkki Vihriälä, Hannu Sorvoja, Tuija Hiltunen, Osmo Tervonen, and Vesa Kiviniemi Copyright © 2012 Teemu Myllylä et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 16 Dec 2012 14:17:12 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/346062/ Martin Hegner, Maria Tenje, and Sangmin Jeon Copyright © 2012 Martin Hegner et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 05 Dec 2012 13:21:33 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/107847/ Optical fiber sensing has the potential to overcome weak points of traditional electric sensors. Many types of optical fiber sensors have been proposed according to the modulation parameter of incident light. We have proposed an optical pulse correlation sensing system that focuses on the time drift values of the propagating optical pulses to monitor the temperature- or strain-induced extension along the optical fiber in the sensing region. In this study, we consider the instability in the optical pulse correlation sensing system applied to remote monitoring over a kilometer-long distance. We introduce a method to stabilize the instability of the pulse correlation signal resulting from the time drift fluctuation along a transmission line. By using this method, we can purify the response and improve the accuracy of signals at the focused sensing regions. We also experimentally demonstrate remote temperature monitoring over a 30 km-long distance using a remote reference technique, and we estimate the resolution and the measurable span of the temperature variation as and , respectively, where is the length of the fiber in the sensing region. Hirokazu Kobayashi, Toshimasa Tsuzuki, Toshitake Onishi, Yuhei Masaoka, Xunjian Xu, and Koji Nonaka Copyright © 2012 Hirokazu Kobayashi et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:12:50 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/539095/ A review of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) with special structures induced by scanning CO2 laser pulses in single mode fiber (SMF) is presented in this paper. In the first part, the special structures and fabrication methods of LPFGs are demonstrated in detail. Next, the special LPFG-based sensors are demonstrated, such as refractive index sensor, strain sensor with temperature compensation, and torsion sensor without temperature crosstalking. Finally, several investigation methods including intensity, wavelength shift, and fiber ring laser demodulation are discussed. Tao Zhu, Leilei Shi, Min Liu, and Wei Huang Copyright © 2012 Tao Zhu et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:42:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/681826/ A modified Ti/(SnO2 + Sb2O3) electrode was prepared by thermal deposition on titanium substrate and its use as indicator electrode to potentiometric and conductometric acid-base titration in aqueous solution at 298 K was developed. The E-pH curve is linear with slope of 0.0512 V/dec at 298 K. The standard potential of this electrode, , was determined with respect to the SCE as reference electrode. The recovery percentages for potentiometric and conductometric acid-base titration for acetic acid against NaOH were calculated. The cell constant, specific conductance, and the molar conductance with dilution for some common electrolytes were measured. Nasser Abu Ghalwa Copyright © 2012 Nasser Abu Ghalwa. All rights reserved. Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:54:35 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/539638/ Energy is an important consideration in the design and deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) since sensor nodes are typically powered by batteries with limited capacity. Since the communication unit on a wireless sensor node is the major power consumer, data compression is one of possible techniques that can help reduce the amount of data exchanged between wireless sensor nodes resulting in power saving. However, wireless sensor networks possess significant limitations in communication, processing, storage, bandwidth, and power. Thus, any data compression scheme proposed for WSNs must be lightweight. In this paper, we present an adaptive lossless data compression (ALDC) algorithm for wireless sensor networks. Our proposed ALDC scheme performs compression losslessly using multiple code options. Adaptive compression schemes allow compression to dynamically adjust to a changing source. The data sequence to be compressed is partitioned into blocks, and the optimal compression scheme is applied for each block. Using various real-world sensor datasets we demonstrate the merits of our proposed compression algorithm in comparison with other recently proposed lossless compression algorithms for WSNs. Jonathan Gana Kolo, S. Anandan Shanmugam, David Wee Gin Lim, Li-Minn Ang, and Kah Phooi Seng Copyright © 2012 Jonathan Gana Kolo et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 11 Nov 2012 09:20:33 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/369375/ Temperature and strain monitoring will be implemented in the envisioned French geological repository for high- and intermediate-level long-lived nuclear wastes. Raman and Brillouin scatterings in optical fibers are efficient industrial methods to provide distributed temperature and strain measurements. Gamma radiation and hydrogen release from nuclear wastes can however affect the measurements. An industrial qualification process is successfully proposed and implemented. Induced measurement uncertainties and their physical origins are quantified. The optical fiber composition influence is assessed. Based on radiation-hard fibers and carbon-primary coatings, we showed that the proposed system can provide accurate temperature and strain measurements up to 0.5 MGy and 100% hydrogen concentration in the atmosphere, over 200 m distance range. The selected system was successfully implemented in the Andra underground laboratory, in one-to-one scale mockup of future cells, into concrete liners. We demonstrated the efficiency of simultaneous Raman and Brillouin scattering measurements to provide both strain and temperature distributed measurements. We showed that 1.3 μm working wavelength is in favor of hazardous environment monitoring. S. Delepine-Lesoille, X. Phéron, J. Bertrand, G. Pilorget, G. Hermand, R. Farhoud, Y. Ouerdane, A. Boukenter, S. Girard, L. Lablonde, D. Sporea, and V. Lanticq Copyright © 2012 S. Delepine-Lesoille et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:36:32 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/204121/ A review focused on real world applications of Brillouin distributed fiber sensors is presented in this paper. After a brief overview of the theoretical principles, some works to face the two main technical challenges (large dynamic range and higher spatial resolution) are commented. Then an overview of some real and on-field applications is done. C. A. Galindez-Jamioy and J. M. López-Higuera Copyright © 2012 C. A. Galindez-Jamioy and J. M. López-Higuera. All rights reserved. Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:02:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/156583/ This study addressed delamination detection of concrete slabs by analyzing global dynamic responses of structures. Both numerical and experimental studies are presented. In the numerical examples, delaminations with different sizes and locations were introduced into a concrete slab; the effects of presence, sizes, and locations of delaminations on the modal frequencies and mode shapes of the concrete slab under various support conditions were studied. In the experimental study, four concrete deck specimens with different delamination sizes were constructed, and experimental tests were conducted. Traditional peak-picking, frequency domain decomposition, and stochastic subspace identification methods were applied to the modal identification from dynamic response measurements. The modal parameters identified by these three methods correlated well. The changes in modal frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes that were extracted from the dynamic measurements were investigated and correlated to the actual delaminations and can indicate presence and severity of delamination. Finite element (FE) models of reinforced concrete decks with different delamination sizes and locations were established. The modal parameters computed from the FE models were compared to those obtained from the laboratory specimens, and the FE models were validated. The delamination detection approach was proved to be effective for concrete decks on beams. Shutao Xing, Marvin W. Halling, and Paul J. Barr Copyright © 2012 Shutao Xing et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:41:24 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/154586/ This work experimentally demonstrates a remote sensing network which interrogates bending sensors using time-division multiplexing techniques and a broadband light source. The bending sensors are located 50 km away from the monitoring station. They are based on a simple tie displacement sensor and offer high-resolution measurements of displacement. Mikel Bravo and Manuel López-Amo Copyright © 2012 Mikel Bravo and Manuel López-Amo. All rights reserved. Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:19:56 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/518754/ Gui Yun Tian, Lalita Udpa, Raimond Grimberg, B. P. C. Rao, and Shenfang Yuan Copyright © 2012 Gui Yun Tian et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 22 Jul 2012 10:27:27 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/318038/ In a previous contribution, a welding diagnostics approach based on plasma optical spectroscopy was presented. It consisted of the employment of optimization algorithms and synthetic spectra to obtain the participation profiles of the species participating in the plasma. A modification of the model is discussed here: on the one hand the controlled random search algorithm has been substituted by a particle swarm optimization implementation. On the other hand a feature selection stage has been included to determine those spectral windows where the optimization process will take place. Both experimental and field tests will be shown to illustrate the performance of the solution that improves the results of the previous work. J. Mirapeix, P. B. García-Allende, O. M. Conde, J. M. Lopez-Higuera, and A. Cobo Copyright © 2012 J. Mirapeix et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 15 Jul 2012 12:35:30 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/586429/ This paper present the design of cantilever-based biosensors with new readout, which hold promises as fast and cheap “point of care” device as well as interesting research tools. The fabrication process and related issues of the cantilever based bio-sensor are discussed. Coventorware simulation is carried out to analyze the device behavior. A fully integrated control circuit has been designed to solve manufacturing challenge which will take care of positioning of the cantilever instead of creating nanometer gap between the electrodes. The control circuit will solve the manufacturing challenge faced by the readout methods where it is essential to maintain precise gap between the electrodes. The circuit can take care of variation obtained due to fabrication process and maintain the precise gap between the electrodes by electrostatic actuation. The control circuit consist of analog and digital modules. The reliability issues of the sensor are also discussed. Jayu P. Kalambe and Rajendra M. Patrikar Copyright © 2012 Jayu P. Kalambe and Rajendra M. Patrikar. All rights reserved. Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:35:10 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/365165/ A novel operation system to detect train vibration and train weight using FBG sensing network has been designed and tested in Hong Kong. The purpose of the system is for real time condition monitoring of trains. Because of the fast response of optical systems, the trains can be monitored in real-time during its normal service without any special arrangement. Hence, the condition checking can be realized without any disruption on the operating condition of the railway system. C. C. Lai, Jacob C. P. Kam, David C. C. Leung, Tony K. Y. Lee, Aiken Y. M. Tam, S. L. Ho, H. Y. Tam, and Michael S. Y. Liu Copyright © 2012 C. C. Lai et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:18:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/735982/ Wolfgang Ecke, Kevin Chen, and Jinsong Leng Copyright © 2012 Wolfgang Ecke et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 05 Jul 2012 10:40:54 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2012/696247/ The fabrication of galactose biosensor based on functionalised ZnO nanorods is described. The galactose biosensor was developed by immobilizing galactose oxidase on ZnO nanorods in conjunction with glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker molecule. The IRAS study provided evidence for the interaction of galactose oxidase with the surface of ZnO nanorods. The electromotive force (EMF) response of the galactose biosensor was measured by potentiometric method. We observed that the proposed biosensor has a linear detection range over a concentration range from 10 mM to 200 mM with good sensitivity of 89.10±1.23 mV/decade. In addition, the proposed biosensor has shown fast time response of less than 10 s and a good selectivity towards galactose in the presence of common interferents such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, glucose, and magnesium ions. The galactose biosensor based on galactose oxidase immobilized ZnO nanorods has a shelf life more than four weeks. K. Khun, Z. H. Ibupoto, O. Nur, and M. Willander Copyright © 2012 K. Khun et al. All rights reserved.