Traffic simulation in urban cellular networks of Manhattan type

A theoretical study of traffic in cellular networks usually requires long and complex calculations. For this reason, simulation appears to be a practical alternative for analyzing traffic in mobile radio systems. This paper presents a traffic simulator for urban cellular networks of Manhattan type. The model implemented includes network organization, distinct consumers, and a classification process for frequency assignment. Several simulations have been realized in order to measure network performances in different situations. Different channel assignment techniques that are both fixed and dynamic, including those that are with or without channel reservation for handoffs are compared. The results of this traffic simulator comparison confirm the efficiency of this study tool for traffic in cellular systems used in an urban environment.     

In situ mid-IR and UV-visible spectroscopies applied to the determination of kinetic parameters in the anionic copolymerization of styrene and isoprene

In situ MIR and UV-visible spectroscopies have been combined in a set-up that has been used to monitor anionic (co)polymerizations of styrene and isoprene. This experimental set-up gives access to the simultaneous and real time concentrations of monomers and actives species during the polymerization, through optical fibers probes immersed in the reaction medium. This method allows fast, accurate and reproducible measurements of the rate constants of the (co)polymerizations investigated even if it does not resort to high vacuum. The influence of some experimental factors has been examined using this method. Among the kinetic parameters governing the (co)polymerization of styrene and isoprene initiated by sec-butyllithium, the influence of the nature of solvent was investigated. It appears that the only reaction to depend on the nature of the aromatic solvent (k_ss,toluene > k_{ss,ethylbenzene}) is the propagation step of styrene.     

Motor Areas Beyond Motor Performance: Deficits in Serial Prediction Following Ventrolateral Premotor Lesions.

Previous functional MRI findings have indicated that a premotor-parietal network is involved in the perceptual processing of sequential information. Given that premotor functions have traditionally been restricted to behaviors requiring motor or sensorimotor computations, the goal of the present patient study was to further investigate whether the lateral premotor cortex is critical in purely perceptual sequencing. Patients with either ventral premotor or inferior parietal lesions, in addition to patients with prefrontal lesions and age- and gender-matched healthy controls, were tested during the processing of temporal, object-specific, and spatial sequences. Results revealed that premotor patients as well as parietal patients showed significantly higher error rates than did healthy controls on all sequence tasks. In contrast, prefrontal patients showed no behavioral deficits. These findings support the significance of the ventrolateral premotor cortex, in addition to parietal areas, in nonmotor (attentional) functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling Superheated Steam Vacuum Drying of Wood

A two-dimensional mathematical model developed for vacuum-contact drying of wood was adapted to simulate superheated steam vacuum drying. The moisture and heat equations are based on the water potential concept whereas the pressure equation is formulated considering unsteady-state mass conservation of dry air. A drying test conducted on sugar maple sapwood in a laboratory vacuum kiln was used to infer the convective mass and heat transfer coefficients through a curve fitting technique. The average air velocity was 2.5 m s^-1 and the dry-bulb temperature varied between 60 and 66°C. The ambient pressure varied from 15 to 11 kPa. Simulation results indicate that heat and mass transfer coefficients are moisture content dependent. The simulated drying curve based on transfer coefficients calculated from boundary layer theory poorly fits experimental results. The functional relation for the relative permeability of wood to air is a key parameter in predicting the pressure evolution in wood in the course of drying. In the case of small vacuum kilns, radiant heat can contribute substantially to the total heat transfer to the evaporative surface at the early stages of drying. As for conventional drying, the air velocity could be reduced at the latter stage of drying with little or no change to the drying rate.     

Structure of Channel Flows with Surface Mounted Ribs

The flow inside a channel with surface mounted ribs is studied by numerical simulation and experimental flow visualization. Both the geometry with one rib and the geometry with two ribs, placed perpendicular to the flow, are studied, with particular emphasis on the effect of the variation of the distance between the ribs on the structure of the flow. Results show that, for Reynolds number flows of 400 and 1000 (based on the uniform incoming velocity and the height of the ribs), the flow reattaches between the ribs when they are separated by distances of 12h (h being the height of the ribs) and 6h, respectively. In this respect, however, the numerical results for the Reynolds number flow of 1000 are in contradiction with published results.     

Thermophysical characterization of a laminated solid-wood pine wall

The experimental results obtained by the thermophysical characterization of a wall made of stacked laminated solid-wood planks are reported in this article. The interface between two logs is filled with a felt packing that is compressed under the weight of the upper plank. The characteristics which affect heat, air and water vapour transfers through the wall have been determined, i.e. the sorption isotherm, density, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, water vapour diffusion coefficient, and air permeability of the wall. The results achieved demonstrate the influence of the presence of the laminating adhesive on water vapour and air diffusion, and the influence of the presence of the felt packing on air permeability. The result is that the hygrothermal behaviour of the wall studied cannot be described properly by simply taking into account the properties of the solid wood, and it is thus necessary to determine the global properties of the composite wall.     

Investigation of cutting parameter effects on surface roughness in lathe boring operation by use of a full factorial design

The main objective of this study is to investigate cutting parameter effects of surface roughness in a lathe dry boring operation. A full factorial design was used to evaluate the effect of six (6) independent variables (cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut, tool nose radius, tool length and type of boring bar) and their corresponding two-level interactions. In this experiment, the dependant variable was the resulting fast cut surface roughness (R,). In order to perform all possible variable combinations, a total of 216 cuts were.

The results revealed that using short tool length always provide good surface roughness and that only slight improvement on surface roughness can be achieved by properly controlling the cutting parameters and/or the type of boring bar used. The results also revealed that using a long tool length may results in vibration that could be efficiently controlled by the use of a damped boring bar. With such a long tool length, the cutting variables become important factors to control in order to significantly improve surface roughness results with both types of boring bars. A prediction model is proposed for each types of boring bar. Both models are highly significant, p<0.00001, with coefficients of determination of 0.56 and 0.57 for a standard boring bar and a damped boring bar, respectively.     

Two opposite effects of sodium on elastic constants of silicate binary glasses

(1 - x)SiO₂-xNa₂O glasses have been studied by Brillouin scattering when sodium oxide molar concentration x, varies in the range 0.05 < x < 0.44. Non-linear dependence of elastic constants on sodium oxide concentration is shown unambiguously for the first time and the compressive elastic constant C₁₁ experienced a non-monotonic behaviour with a minimum value around x = 0.15. These results are compared with those obtained previously in the case of other alkali silicate glasses (Li, K). The variations of elastic constants of these glasses with the alkali metal nature and concentration are discussed on the basis of relations with the molar density of silicon atoms and the force constants between modifiers and non-bridging oxygens.     

Oxidation of Two Major Disaccharides: Sucrose and Isomaltulose

The chemical oxidation of sucrose, isomaltulose and methyl isomaltuloside is described, with special focus on the use of the NaOCl–TEMPO oxidizing system.