Polarisation transformer on Ti:LiNbO3 with reset-free optical operation for heterodyne/homodyne receivers

Experimental results for an integrated-optical state-of-polarisation (SOP) controller device on Ti:LiNbO3 for continuous broadband optical operation, with small temperature sensitivity and the possibility of integration with polarisation- insensitive directional couplers, are presented.     

On simulation methods for solving the Boltamann equation

We will give an overview of the problem and then show how to modify an already present algorithm, so that it is also useful from a practical point of view. Further we will show that this algorithm is suitable for parallel computing and prove by means of an example that it can compete with the Bird algorithm, which is almost always applied by engineers but has only a heuristic base.     

Relevance of the use of the quality index concept in cast SiCP-reinforced Al-Si-Mg composites

The quality index, Q, defined as Q=UTS + klogE1 was introduced as a means to better interpret tensile test data. However, its use in the case of composite materials is often questioned. The difficulty arises from the fact that the elongations obtained are usually close to, or less than, unity. Based on a heat-treatment study of cast Al-Si-Mg/SiC_p composites (359/SiC_p) and an analysis of the tensile properties obtained, it is shown that the concept of quality index, as it is commonly applied, is inappropriate in describing the combined effects of UTS and E1, and it is much better, instead, to use the probable yield strength (PYS) for such materials. Respective expressions for Q and PYS have been obtained for the 359, 359/SiC/10_p and 359/SiC/20_p alloys studied.     

Fluidised pellet bed bioreactor: a promising technology for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse.

A pilot-scale fluidised pellet bed (FPB) bioreactor, which combines chemical coagulation, biological degradation, particle pelletisation and separation in one unit, was applied for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse. As a result of rational use of inorganic coagulant and organic polymer and moderate mechanical agitation, spherical particles were generated in the upflow column and a well-fluidised bed was formed. With a continuous supply of dissolved oxygen through a recycling loop, an aerobic condition was kept in the bottom section of the FPB column. Under such conditions the pellets in the FPB column showed the following characteristics: (1) compact structure and high density; (2) rich in microorganisms; and (3) high MLSS and MLVSS concentrations. Therefore, the FPB bioreactor achieved more than 90% removal of SS, COD, BOD and TP from raw domestic wastewater within a total hydraulic retention time (HRT) of only about 30 minutes. It also showed nitrification and denitrification ability and the TN removal could be about 50% as the recycling ratio was increased to 1:1. The treated water quality is generally competitive with the secondary effluent from a conventional activated sludge process. With these advantages the FPB bioreactor is recommendable as a compact system for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse.     

Drying of Chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) after Osmotic Dehydration with Sucrose and Glucose Solutions

Chestnuts were dehydrated by using a combined method of osmotic dehydration followed by air drying. Samples were osmotically pretreated with sucrose (60% w/w) and glucose (56% w/w) for 8 h, air-dried at temperatures of 45, 55, and 65°C, at a relative humidity of 30% and at a velocity of 2.7 m·s^-1 and the experimental data of the drying kinetics were obtained. Whole samples were dried with different peelings: (a) removal of endocarp and pericarp (peeled) and (b) additionally the internal rough surface (cut). In all cases, cut chestnuts show greater drying rates than peeled samples, indicating that a significant mass transfer resistance in the layer nearest to the surface takes place. Peeled samples pretreated with sucrose solutions behave in a similar way to untreated samples. For the rest of the samples, the cut samples osmotically treated with sucrose solutions and all the samples treated with the glucose solution, the drying rates decrease during drying. Drying kinetics are successfully modeled by employing a diffusional model that takes the shrinkage into account. The effective coefficient of water diffusion was evaluated and correlated with temperature. The quality of the final product was monitored by color change. In spite of the fact that the total color difference is not modified by the osmotic treatment, the L*, a*, and b* color coordinates of cut samples treated with sucrose and glucose solutions do undergo changes; the L* and a* coordinates change less than the b*.     

FPGA-Based Decentralized Control of Arrayed MEMS for Microrobotic Application

In this paper, the authors have developed and implemented a decentralized decision-making strategy using field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology as a prototype for an integrated controller of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) array for air-flow planar micromanipulation. The MEMS array was proposed to be integrated in a hybrid multichip module containing the FPGA-based controller. Algorithms and architectures, used for the decentralized control implementation and the hardware resource optimization, are described. A charge-coupled device camera was used to make each MEMS like an autonomous system when the distributed MEMS chip was tested. Finally, under air-flow condition, the FPGA-based decentralized control system successfully performed an object manipulation.     

A video codec LSI for high-definition TV systems withone-transistor DRAM line memories

A video codec LSI for high-definition television (HDTV) systems has been developed. By using a time-compressed integration encoding technique, it converts a 20.0-MHz bandwidth luminance signal and two 5.0-MHz chrominance signals into a compressed image signal at 48.6-MHz sampling frequency. It is useful in many HDTV application systems, such as 400-Mb/s digital transmission system, a video disk player system, or an analog transmission system. Over 288000 elements, including a 52-kb one-transistor DRAM (dynamic random access memory) line memory specially developed for this LSI, were integrated on a 12.16×12.10-mm² chip. A standard cell layout method and a 1.2-μm CMOS logic LSI process were used     

On/off cycling under multiple stresses

The authors describe an experiment, a model, and an analytic method for on/off vs. continuous policy evaluation. The methodology was developed and verified through experimentation. An experimental life-test of small DC motors was designed and performed; it involved on/off cycling vs. continuous operation under multiple stresses. A stress-factor reliability model based on the two-parameter Weibull proportional-hazards life distribution was fitted to the data. The analysis provides an estimate of the model parameters for the life distribution of the DC motors under two operating policies, while under multiple stresses. The characteristic life was related to the explanatory covariates: voltage, on/off cycling, and load. Due to the proportional hazards (common Weibull shape) nature of the model, acceleration factors were calculated to relate the stress levels. The reliability model was extended to develop a simple rule to aid in a decision between on/off cycling and continuous-run policies (to achieve higher reliability). The proposed model (with covariates) allows a much broader approach to reliability modeling than the usual Weibull model (without covariates) because it predicts the reliability under various environmental combinations