Experimental and theoretical study of hydrogen absorption by LaNi3.6Mn0.3Al0.4Co0.7 alloy using statistical physics modeling

A monolayer model treated by statistical physics by means of the grand canonical ensemble has been developed, describing PCT isotherms for absorption of hydrogen by LaNi_3.6Mn_0.3Al_0.4Co_0.7 alloy. This model presents a high correlation with the experimental results. The experimental absorption isotherms are fitted at three temperature different (T = 293 K to T = 313 K). The physicochemical parameters involved in the model were determined from the experimental isotherms by numerical simulation. These parameters, such as two numbers of absorbed atoms per site n₁ and n₂, two receptor site densities N_1M and N_2M, and two energetic parameters, P₁ and P₂ are discussed in relationship with absorption process. The different thermodynamic functions which govern the absorption mechanism such as entropy (S_a), free enthalpy of Gibbs (G) and internal energy (E_int) are derived by statistical physics model calculations.     

GMRP: problème généralisé de routage multipoint

In this paper we study the importance of group characteristics in the multicast routing problem. We show that by taking into consideration characteristics such as group size, group composition, type and duration of the session during the routing process, we can improve the performances of the constructed tree (in terms of total cost and average delay). As a case study, we considered semi-dynamic groups. Such groups are composed of static and dynamic members. For this type of groups, we propose a new efficient routing algorithm called MDMDA (Maximum Degree Minimum Delay Algorithm). Simulations show that our algorithm produces trees with better average delay while keeping a comparable total cost compared to the Greedy algorithm.     

Methodology for integrated management system improvement: combining costs deployment and value stream mapping

Integrated Management System – Quality, Environment, Safety (IMS-QES) combines all related components of a business into one system for easier management and operations Quality (QMS/ISO 9001), Environmental (EMS/ISO 14001), and Health & Safety (OHSAS 18001). IMS-QES has been generally used to increase operational performance in manufacturing systems. However, the economic impact of standard approach of IMS-QES remains difficult due to the lack of alignment between IMS-QES objectives and strategic management of the company (policy of IMS-QES) and also the inadequacy between the improvement processes and the cost of losses.

Therefore, the main objective of this work is to overcome this limitation. The Framework proposed approach called IM-VCF integrates concepts from IMS-QES, Value Stream Mapping and Cost Deployment tool. It is structured in ten steps. It allows a company to assure proper alignment between IMS-QES policy and business operations and identify the categories of losses. IM-VCF allows analysing critical issues and estimating the potential savings, in terms of cost. A case study taken from the application of the IM-VSF within certified QSE chemical fertiliser port is presented.     

Segmentation of cancellous bone from high-resolution computed tomography images: influence on trabecular bone measurements

The quantification of cancellous bone network from computed tomography (CT) images requires a segmentation step which is crucial and difficult because of the partial volume effect in CT images. In this paper, we present and evaluate a new approach for segmenting cancellous bone network from high-resolution CT (HRCT) slices. The idea is first to detect a skeleton from the crest lines of the structure and then to thicken it to extract the whole bone structure by satisfying local neighborhood constraints. The segmentation requires the adjustment of relative and not absolute parameters like most methods. We quantified the influence of these parameters on architectural measurements. Results were first validated by using a physical phantom and then examined on a series of 12 HRCT images of human lumbar vertebra of different ages. We demonstrated that the choice of segmentation parameters yielded important variability on architectural measurements (up to 20%), but less variability than a more commonly used approach. This stresses the importance of settle on the segmentation parameters for once, which is possible with the proposed method.     

Hybrid energy efficient static routing protocol for homogeneous and heterogeneous large scale WSN

Wireless Networks - Wireless sensor networks consist of a large number of nodes deployed randomly in an area of interest. Theses nodes have sensing, computation, and wireless communications...