Concepts of Simultaneous Use in Mobile and Wireless Communications

Wireless communication research is evolving towards integration, inter-working and convergence of wireless systems, which will lead to several concepts of simultaneous use. In the present paper, a coherent set of 10 concepts of simultaneous use is identified, and structured into a space of simultaneous use, where services, systems and operators act as building components. A high level analysis is performed, where the pros and cons of the different concepts are identified. Illustrative examples are also provided for some concepts. Several parameters are listed for the evaluation and comparison of simultaneous use concepts (e.g., cost, throughput and complexity), depending on taking either a users or an operators perspective. One of the largest benefits of this systematic identification of simultaneous use concepts is the identification, from the perspective of users and operators, of essential R&D issues on inter-working and integration, which will lead to a promising pervasive wireless communications future.     

Fundamental Parameters for the Stiffness and Strength Control of Artificially Cemented Sand

The treatment of soils with cement is an attractive technique when the project requires improvement of the local soil for the construction of subgrades for rail tracks, as a support layer for shallow foundations and to prevent sand liquefaction. As reported by Consoli et al. in 2007, a unique dosage methodology has been established based on rational criteria where the voids/cement ratio plays a fundamental role in the assessment of the target unconfined compressive strength. The present study broadened the research carried out by Consoli et al. in 2007 through quantifying quantifies the influence of voids/cement ratio on the initial shear modulus (G0) and Mohr-Coulomb effective strength parameters (c′,?′) of an artificially cemented sand. A number of unconfined compression and triaxial compression tests with bender elements measurements were carried out. It was shown that the void/cement ratio defined as the ratio between the volume of voids of the compacted mixture and the volume of cement is an appropriate parameter to assess both initial stiffness and effective strength of the sand-cement mixture studied.     

Study of strengthening solutions for glued-laminated wood beams of maritime pine wood

The application of the concept of glued-laminated wood (glulam) to improve the mechanical properties of the solid wood of the maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) is the subject of this work. Two reinforced glued-laminated wood beams are proposed and assessed. The first is based on a concept of laminated wood composite with fiber glass; the second is based on the application of pultruded lamellas glued to the most stressed tensile region of the glued-laminated beams. In order to demonstrate the potential of the proposed strengthening solutions, a comparison between their mechanical behaviors and the mechanical behaviors of the conventional glued-laminated and solid beams are performed. Static load–deflection curves, an equivalent Young’s modulus, the ultimate strain and modulus of rupture are determined using 3-point quasi-static bending tests. In general, it is demonstrated the beneficial effect of the proposed strengthening solutions both in terms of resistance and ductility.     

Control of a Robotic Manipulator Using Artificial Neural Networks with On-line Adaptation

An adaptive neural system for positioning control of a PUMA 560 manipulator is presented". The computed torque method was implemented with a Multi-Layer Perceptron with on-line learning. The control scheme is implemented into two phases. The first one is the off-line phase in which the neural network is trained with previously known control actions. The second one is the on-line phase in which the neural network parameters are adapted while controlling the manipulator. The control system is able to respond to changes in the manipulator model and to load disturbances. As will be shown, control system performance is improved with the on-line learning strategy presented in this paper.     

Numerical Modeling of Inclusion Removal in Electromagnetic Stirred Steel Billets

To investigate the inclusion removal in billets cast under electromagnetic stirring (EMS) influence, a numerical model has been developed to compute the magnetic field, the Lorentz force, the steel flow velocities, and the particle transport within the liquid pool. The electromagnetic field was described by the Maxwell equations and the finite element method was applied using a commercial package. The turbulent fluid flow was described by the Navier‐Stokes equation and by the Reynolds Stress model and the finite volume method was applied using another numerical package. The time average of the Lorentz force was calculated in each element center and this value was applied as a body force in the Navier‐Stokes equation. The magnetic flux density profile was compared with the data obtained in the stirrer of the steel plant. The particle transport model includes the drag force, the buoyancy force and the random walk model, to include the turbulence effects on the particle trajectory. The inclusion removal was calculated and analysed in function of casting speed and stirring current for one size section of mold. The inclusions considered in the calculations have a fixed density and four values of diameter. The numerical results of the electromagnetic model are in agreement with the experimental measurements. A good relationship between the electromagnetic model and the fluid flow model could be shown. An interesting effect is the break of the rotation motion due to the EMS by the jet from the nozzle. The fraction of inclusions removed by the top surface of the mold was improved due to the EMS.     

How you move reveals who you are: understanding human behavior by analyzing trajectory data

The widespread use of mobile devices is producing a huge amount of trajectory data, making the discovery of movement patterns possible, which are crucial for understanding human behavior. Significant advances have been made with regard to knowledge discovery, but the process now needs to be extended bearing in mind the emerging field of behavior informatics. This paper describes the formalization of a semantic-enriched KDD process for supporting meaningful pattern interpretations of human behavior. Our approach is based on the integration of inductive reasoning (movement pattern discovery) and deductive reasoning (human behavior inference). We describe the implemented Athena system, which supports such a process, along with the experimental results on two different application domains related to traffic and recreation management.     

Prediction of the n‐hexane/water and 1‐octanol/water partition coefficients for environmentally relevant compounds using molecular simulation

In recent years molecular simulation has emerged as a useful tool to predict physical properties of complex chemical systems. A methodology to estimate the n‐hexane/water and 1‐octanol/water partition coefficients of environmentally relevant solutes, namely substituted alkyl‐aromatic molecules, chlorobenzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) using molecular simulation is elucidated here. The partition coefficients are calculated based on the absolute solvation Gibbs energies in each phase which are estimated from molecular dynamics simulations employing the thermodynamic integration approach. Very encouraging results, with average absolute deviations of 0.4 log P units are presented. Consequently, this molecular‐based approach with a strong physical background can provide reliable prediction of the partition coefficients in different solvent pairs without the a priori knowledge of experimental data. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 1929–1938, 2012     

Green's Functions for Two-and-a-Half-Dimensional Elastodynamic Problems

This paper presents a fully analytical solution, together with explicit expressions, for the steady-state response of a homogeneous 3D space subjected to a spatially sinusoidal, harmonic line load. In the literature, this problem is often referred to as the two-and-a-half-dimensional fundamental solution or two-and-a-half-dimensional Green's functions. These equations are of great usefulness in the formulation of 3D elastodynamic problems by means of integral transforms methods and∕or boundary elements. The final expressions are validated here by applying the equations to the problem of a 3D point load, for which the solution is known in analytical form.