The Danish Twin Apartment Study – Part II: Mathematical modeling of the relative strength of sources of indoor air pollution

Abstract This study deals with the modeling of air pollution in apartments from laboratory measurements of source strengths, using formaldehyde and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) as model pollutants. The sources in two test apartments were grouped into two: building-related sources and occupant-related sources. The measured source strengths and ventilation rates were used for the prediction of concentrations expected in the apartments. These predictions were compared to measurements in the apartment over 12 months. The conclusions were that the model predictions based on emission rates measured in the laboratory can be used to predict the long-term concentration of the two model pollutants in the apartments. Considering the measured differences in ventilation between the apartments, an occupant emission rate of between 0.2 and 0.3 mg/h/kg body weight could be estimated. Based on previous suggested limits of acceptable exposures of humans to VOCs, an acceptable average emission rate of VOCs from building materials in general was estimated to be about 30 (μ/m²/h. The modeling showed that during the first 200 days, building materials dominated the emissions. After this, sources relating to the occupants dominated. On average about half of the VOC pollution originated from the building materials.     

Training analysis of adaptive interference suppression fordirect-sequence code-division multiple-access systems

This paper studies the transient behavior of an adaptive near-far resistant receiver for direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple-access (CDMA) known as the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver. This receiver structure is known to be near-far resistant and yet does not require the large amounts of side information that are typically required for other near-far resistant receivers. In fact, this receiver only requires code timing on the one desired signal. The MMSE receiver uses an adaptive filter which is operated in a manner similar to adaptive equalizers. Initially there is a training period where the filter locks onto the signal that is sending a known training sequence. After training, the system can then switch to a decision-directed mode and send actual data. This work examines the length of the training period needed as a function of the number of interfering users and the severity of the near-far problem. A standard least mean-square (LMS) algorithm is used to adapt the filter and so the trade-off between convergence and excess mean-squared error is studied. It is found that in almost all cases a step size near 1.0/(total input power) gives the best speed of convergence with a reasonable excess mean-squared error. Also, it is shown that the MMSE receiver can tolerate a 30-40 dB near-far problem without excessively long convergence time     

Metrology-cybernetics-control: A new approach

As a science and as a special activity concerned with measurements, the science of metrology pursues a classical, orthodox purpose, mainly involving the measurement of physical quantities. The term “measurement” is now applied also to social, economic, medical, and other disciplines, including cybernetics and problems of management and control. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 7, pp. 17–20, July, 1996.     

Drug release from heat-treated polyvinyl alcohol films

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films containing 10% w/w of a model drug, sulphathiazole, were cast from aqueous solutions and subjected to heat treatment at specific temperatures for known periods of time. Heat treatment at temperatures above the T_g of the PVA films slowed down the rate of drug release from the films. Increasing the temperature of heat treatment from 120°C to 160°C further decreased the rate of drug release. On the other hand, if the heat treatment were conducted at a temperature below the T_g e.g. at 80°C, there were insignificant differences between the release profile of sulphathiazole from heat-treated films and that from untreated films. The duration of heat treatment affected the rate of drug release to a smaller extent compared to the temperature of heat treatment. These results correlated with the heat induced changes in the morphology of, and in the extent of water uptake by the PVA films.