Clinical Determination of Dry Body Weight

While nephrologists wait for the ideal, non invasive, inexpensive, precise, and reproducible tool to evaluate extracellular volume (ECV), they need to exert their clinical acumen in the quest of that holy grail, dry weight (DW). Estimation of DW using a clinical approach based on blood pressure (BP) and ECV is feasible and reliable as shown by successful experiences in various dialysis modes over more than three decades. But a need still exists to resolve difficulties associated with accurate assessment of BP (methods and circumstances of measurement, and the confounding effects of antihypertensive drugs) and ECV (evaluation of weight changes unrelated to ECV, lack of specificity and sensitivity of clinical symptoms, lag time, confusion in terminology). An essential point in clinical assessment of DW is that a normal BP is at the same time the target and the crucial index of DW achievement. For this reason, a trialand‐error “probe” process has to be used at intervals to make sure that the dry weight target point is correctly estimated. The various “non clinical” methods proposed for dry weight assessment increase the complexity and the cost of hemodialysis. They are, in the present state of things, more clinical research than practice tools. They do not replace clinical judgment.     

Progress in the design of ITER front-end vacuum instrumentation and controls

The ITER vacuum system will be one of the largest and most complex vacuum systems ever to be built. Extensive instrumentation and controls are being developed to satisfy the stringent vacuum processes necessary for the successful and safe operation of the ITER Tokamak. The complexity and deep integration of the vacuum systems within the ITER machine presents a challenge to implement all of the controls necessary for reliable operation. Several thousand valves and sensors have to be implemented within the harsh environmental conditions of the Tokamak vicinity, and require engineering of instrumentation and controls with remote electronics solutions.In this paper the status of the design of field end vacuum controls and instrumentation for the ITER vacuum systems is described. Details of the progress on selection of sensors and actuator technologies are given herein and solutions for remote device operation, including those for cryogenic devices, are described together with necessary local shielding.     

Comparative Studies of the Superconducting Properties of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ and Bi1.7Pb0.3Sr2CaCu2O8+δ/Ag Random Composites

We report the results of the study of the resistive transition and the screening effect on similar random composites made of a silver matrix containing sintered superconducting grains of bismuth phase with two different stoichiometries. We show that most of the observed behaviors are compatible with a phenomenological approach in which the intergrain junctions behave as weak links whose the state depends strongly on temperature and field. We find that these links a much weaker in one of the series of samples.     

Low and intermediate level waste management in EDF PWRs

This paper aims to explain how Electricité de France as owner and plant operator of nuclear power stations generating wastes has improved its management to meet its obligations which are the protection of man and preservation of the environment. Beyond the technical aspects (reducing liquid effluents and sorting waste at source for example) which have led to a significant decrease of radioactive waste volumes, continued success depends on planned management initiatives. These include computerized waste management and will be completed finally by setting up centralized treatment methods such as fusion and incineration. To provide packages in accordance with French specifications for final near-surface disposal, EDF has applied the same quality approach to radioactive waste management as that used for other operating actions. Management decisions taken mainly coordinate around two axes, namely "Accountability" and "organisation".     

Acoustic, piezoelectric, and dielectric nonlinearities of AlN in coupled resonator filters for high RF power levels

Coupled resonator filters (CRFs) are the new generation of BAW filters recently designed for the front-end modules of mobile transmission systems. Looking for designers' requirements, CRF devices have been characterized and modeled. The model based on equivalent circuits relies on material constants such as stiffness and electro-coupling coefficients, and works only for linear-mode propagation. Because of their positions between antennas and power amplifiers, they often work under high RF power, inducing nonlinear response in the AlN piezoelectric layer. In this work, we analyze for the first time the nonlinear behavior of AlN material particularly for coupled BAW resonators. To characterize the nonlinear effects in CRFs, we measure the 1-dB gain compression point (P1dB) and the intercept point (IP(3)). Then, we develop a nonlinear model of CRFs using harmonic balance (HB) simulation in commercially available software. The HB environment allows fitting simulations to measurements in terms of P(1dB) and IP(3). We find that a high RF power induces nonlinear changes in the material constants' real parts: elastic stiffness c(33) (4.9%), piezoelectric e(33) (17.4%), and permittivity ?(33) (5.2%). These nonlinear variations of material constants describe the nonlinear behavior of CRF devices using the same deposit process for AlN material.     

Réalisation de filtres multidiélectriques sur un substrat biréfringent,déformable et de faible épaisseur (mylar)

La répartition spectrale d'un filtre interférentiel à bande étroite est fixée par le type d'empilement et le choix des diélectriques.Nous étudions une technique qui permet de changer le pouvoir de transmission d'un filtre terminé, en faisant varier l'épaisseur optique du substrat. Ce substrat, qui fait partie intégrante du filtre, est élastique et biréfringent. Cette variation peut être obtenue soit par déformation élastique du substrat qui entraîne une modification de l'épaisseur mécanique, soit par utilisation d'un polariseur qui permet de changer la valeur de l'indice utilisé.     

DIVA: Recognition of typical situations for turbine generator diagnosis

DIVA is an expert system for turbine generator diagnosis. Its aim is to help a plant operator interpret vibration evolution to diagnose developing faults. Interpretation of vibration evolution is primarily a recognition process which is achieved by a particular model of heuristic classification. DIVA tries to recognize the observed situation among a hierarchy of typical situations.The purpose of this paper is to present the model we used for heuristic classification, based on prototypes. Prototypes represent typical problem situations and may also be seen as experts with special knowledge of what to do in such situations. We argue that this model presents significant advantages to deal with complex problems such as vibration surveillance.     

Calcul d'energie de fautes d'empilement dans le dioxyde d'uranium

Energy computations of some (100), (110) and (111), planar defects were performed using an ionic bond model for stoichiometric uranium dioxyde. The repulsive contribution to the fault was estimated in two different ways, i.e. using the Born-Mayer classical treatment, or potentials derived from shell model calculations. The stability of the various defect configurations has been studied; on the basis of our numerical values, we may conclude that dislocation dissociation is unlikely in stoichiometric uranium dioxyde.