Search for high-performance probe-fed stacked patches using optimization

High-performance circular probe-fed stacked patch antenna designs are explored through the use of numerical optimization. New trends are sought to aid understanding and to suggest novel solutions. We describe the optimization technique, present a new design trend relating efficiency and bandwidth to the choice of substrate dielectric, and propose and demonstrate a novel, optimized antenna achieving 33% bandwidth whilst maintaining greater than 80% surface wave efficiency.     

L’optimisation des réseaux cellulaires assistée par ordinateur: le logiciel RNO (Radio Network Optimisation)

Quality of service has become today a major concern for operators of mobile communication networks. The massive development of networks and strong competition between operators has lead to the necessary and daily follow-up of network quality of service, a key factor for its subscriber’s fidelity. This article aims at presenting the optimization methodology and proposes its illustration with a case of RNO (Radio Network Optimisation) software usage, one of the Alcatel optimization toolchain component. After a short presentation of cellular network, the optimization basic principles are described. RNO software and its main functionnalities are then detailed before a last part dedicated to a real case of optimization done with RNO software.     

End-to-end congestion control schemes: utility functions, random losses and ECN marks

We present a framework for designing end-to-end congestion control schemes in a network where each user may have a different utility function and may experience noncongestion-related losses. We first show that there exists an additive-increase-multiplicative-decrease scheme using only end-to-end measurable losses such that a socially optimal solution can be reached. We incorporate round-trip delay in this model, and show that one can generalize observations regarding TCP-type congestion avoidance to more general window flow control schemes. We then consider explicit congestion notification (ECN) as an alternate mechanism (instead of losses) for signaling congestion and show that ECN marking levels can be designed to nearly eliminate losses in the network by choosing the marking level independently for each node in the network. While the ECN marking level at each node may depend on the number of flows through the node, the appropriate marking level can be estimated using only aggregate flow measurements, i.e., per-flow measurements are not required.     

Polarizational Frequency-Selective Multipath Interference Devices for Millimetric- and Submillimetric-Wave Receivers

Variants are considered of palarizational frequency-selective multipath interference devices for millimetric- and submillimetric- wave receivers. Main expressions are presented that describe their characteristics. Advantages are pointed out of the devices as compared with Fabry-Perot interferometers when solving problems of received frequency-band shaping, heterodyne noise rejection, and signal- and heterodyne-radiation transfer to mixer.     

Bio-layer management in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment.

Membrane separation technology represents an alternative way to achieve biomass retention in anaerobic bioreactors for wastewater treatment. Due to high biomass concentrations of anaerobic reactors, cake formation is likely to represent a major cause of flux decline. In the presented research, experiments are performed on the effect of biomass concentration and level of gas sparging on the hydraulic capacity of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor. Both parameters significantly affected the hydraulic capacity, with biomass exerting the most pronounced effect. After 50 days of continuous operation the critical flux remained virtually unchanged, despite an increase in membrane resistance, suggesting that biomass characteristics and hydraulic conditions determine the bio-layer formation rather than the membrane's fouling level. The concept of bio-layer management is introduced to describe the programmed combination of actions performed in order to control the formation of biomass layer over membranes.     

Use of citric acid for heavy metals extraction from contaminated sewage sludge for land application.

Recent studies revealed that organic acids such as citric and oxalic acids seemed to be more promising as chemical extracting agents for removal of heavy metals from contaminated sludge, since they are biodegradable and can attain a higher metal extraction efficiency at mildly acidic pH compared to other extracting agents. Results of a lab-scale study on the efficiency of citric acid in the extraction of chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) from anaerobically digested sludge, revealed that citric acid seemed to be highly effective in extracting Cr (at 100%), Cu (at 88%), Ni (at 98%) and Zn (at 100%) at pH 2.33, mostly at 5 days leaching time except for Cu and Zn, which are at 1 day and 2 h contact times respectively. Lead removal at the same pH was also high at 95% but at a longer leaching time of 11 days. At pH 3, citric acid seemed to be highly effective in extracting Pb (at 100%) at 1 day leaching time, although higher removals were also attained for Ni (70%) and Zn (80%) at only 2 h leaching time. Chemical speciation studies showed that Cr, Cu and Ni in the sludge sample seem to predominate in residual fractions, while Pb and Zn were found mostly bound to organic and inorganic matter forms, hence the potential of the sludge for land application.     

Book Reviews: Extensible Middleware

A review of Distributed Infrastructure Support for Electronic Commerce Applications by Hans-Arno Jacobsen.     

Low Temperature Physics at the Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Pulsés in Toulouse

An overview over past and present activities and future developments at the Toulouse pulsed magnetic field facility is given, both as far as technical developments of the infrastructure, as well as low temperature physics performed at the LNCMP are concerned.     

Analysis of the mechanism of die soldering in aluminum die casting

A mechanism of soldering of an aluminum alloy die casting to a steel die is proposed. A soldering critical temperature is postulated, at which iron begins to react with aluminum to form an aluminum-rich liquid phase and solid intermetallic compounds. The liquid joins the die with the casting upon solidification. The critical temperature is determined by the elements in both the casting alloy and the die material and is equal to the solidus temperature of the resulting alloy. The critical temperature is used to predict the onset of die soldering, and the local liquid fraction is related to the soldering tendency. Experiments have been carried out to validate the concept and to determine the critical temperature for die soldering in an iron-aluminum system. Thermodynamic calculations are used to determine the critical temperature and soldering tendency for the cases of pure aluminum and a 380 alloy in a steel mold. Factors affecting the soldering tendency are discussed, and methods for reducing die soldering are suggested.     

Wavelength-tunable 40-GHz picosecond harmonically mode-locked fiber laser source

We demonstrate a novel 40-GHz mode-locked fiber laser that utilizes a single active device to provide both gain and mode-locking. The laser produces pulses as short as 2.2 ps, is tunable over a 27-nm band centered at 1553 nm, and exhibits long-term stability without cavity-length feedback control. The pulse train at 1556 nm was used in a 40-Gb/s transmission experiment over 45 km with a low 0.4-dB power penalty.