Towards Increased Understanding of Open Data Use for Software Development

Information Systems Frontiers - The way open data resources of varied type and volume are used by software applications remains only partly known. In this study, following CRoss-Industry Standard...     

Path Loss Modelling for Location Service Applications

The aim of this paper is the path loss modelling for the radiolocation services in radio communication networks, particularly in cellular networks. The main results of the measurements obtained in the physical layer of the UMTS are introduced. A new method for the utilization of the multipath propagation phenomenon to improve the estimation of the distance between the MS （mobile station） and the BS （base station） is outlined. This method significantly increases the quality of location services in systems which use a radio interface with DS （direct sequence） CDMA （code division multiple access）.     

Temperatures in linguistics as a model of thermodynamics

Natural languages have been taken as models of systems with strong statistical correlations. In such systems the usual probabilistic limiting laws (Gauss etc.) are no more valid and the concept of higher order temperatures can be applied. It has been shown that this is the case in such languages as English, German, French, Russian and Japanese, for letter and word statistics. The corresponding temperatures (up to the 5-th order), entropies and statistical moments have been calculated and their mutual relations have been checked.... erst wenn du plötzlich Fänger wirst des Balles, den eine ewige Mitspielerin dir zuwarf, ... erst dann ist Fangen-können ein Vermögen, nicht deines, einer Welt.(... only when you suddenly catch the ball which the eternal fellow player throws to you,... only then the catching ability is an accomplishment, not of you, but of the world.)R. M. Rilke (from the motto of [3])Supported by Committee of Scientific Research, Warsaw (KBN), Project Nr. 20412 91 01.     

Miniaturized ceramic differential scanning calorimeter with integrated oven and crucible in LTCC technology

A miniaturized ceramic differential scanning calorimeter (MC-DSC) with integrated oven and crucible is presented. Despite its small size of only 11 mm × 39 mm × 1.5 mm, all functions of a conventional DSC apparatus are integrated in this novel device - including the oven. The MC-DSC is fully manufactured in thick-film and green glass ceramic tape-based low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) technology. Therefore, production costs are considered to be low. Initial results using indium as a sample material show a good dynamic performance of the MC-DSC. Full width at half maximum of the melting peak is 2.4 °C (sample mass approx. 11 mg, heating rate approx. 50 °C/min). Repeatability of the indium melting point is within ±0.02 °C. The melting peak area increases linearly with the sample mass up to at least 26 mg. Simulations of a strongly simplified finite element model of the MC-DSC are in a good agreement with measurement results allowing a model-based prediction of its basic characteristics.     

MDO: assessment and direction for advancement—an opinion of one international group

This paper is a summary of topics presented and discussed at the 2006 European–U.S. Multidisciplinary Optimization (MDO) Colloquium in Goettingen, Germany, attended by nearly seventy professionals from academia, industry, and government. An attempt is made to accurately reflect the issues discussed by this diverse group, qualified by interest, experience, and accomplishment to present an opinion about the state-of-the-art, trends, and developments in Multidisciplinary Design Optimization. As such, its main purpose is to provide suggestions and stimulus for future research in the field. The predominant content of the colloquium was centered on aerospace, with a few contributions from the automotive industry, and this is reflected in the article. Due to the timeframe that has passed since the conclusion of the workshop, the authors have updated topics where appropriate to reflect observed developments over the past 3 years. Finally, rather than dwelling extensively on past accomplishments and current capabilities in MDO we focus on the needs and identified shortcomings from the colloquium which lead to potential future research directions. A brief MDO background is provided to set the discussion in its proper context.     

Development of nanocomposites based on organically modified montmorillonite and plasticized PVC with improved barrier properties

Montmorillonite (MMT) was organically modified with tributyl citrate (TBC). Organoclays (OMMTs) were processed with diisononyl phthalate (DINP)‐plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to form polymer nanocomposites. The produced composite materials showed a contradictory change in properties to that expected of a layered silicate nanocomposite, with a decreased E‐modulus and increased gas permeability compared with a material without OMMT. It was experimentally shown that the TBC modifier was extracted from the OMMT and was dispersed in the PVC/DINP matrix, whereupon the OMMT collapsed and formed micrometer‐sized agglomerates. Further investigation revealed that TBC has a significant effect on the gas permeability and the E‐modulus, even at low additions to a DINP‐plasticized PVC. A PVC nanocomposite with the TBC acting as both the OM for MMT and as the primary plasticizer was produced. This material showed a significantly increased E‐modulus as well as a decrease in gas permeability, confirming that it is possible to develop a nanocomposite based on plasticized PVC, if both the organo‐modification of the MMT and the formulation of the matrix are carefully selected. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42876.     

Promising curaua fiber‐reinforced polyester composite for high‐impact ballistic multilayered armor

A typical multilayered armor system (MAS) is composed of a harder front ceramic tile, which is able to erode heavy ammunition, such as the 7.62 mm bullet, followed by a second layer to further reduce the impact energy. Aramid fabric is a common choice for the second layer. In the present work, polyester matrix composites reinforced with 10 to 30 vol% of curaua fibers, despite having much lower strength and stiffness than aramid fabric, displayed similar trauma indentation in a standard clay witness simulating the human body. Impedance matching and scanning electron microscopy analyses suggest effective energy absorption through ceramic fragment capture by curaua composites. Additionally, because of the high cost of aramid fabric, a full MAS with curaua fiber composite is much cheaper than a MAS composed of aramid fabric. Taking into consideration, both the economical and environmental advantages of natural fibers, it is concluded that curaua fiber‐reinforced polyester composite could replace aramid fabric as the second layer in MASs for personal ballistic protection. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:947–954, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The Numerical Comparison of Heat Transfer in a Coated and Fixed Bed of an Adsorption Chiller

Ecological adsorption technology is becoming a focus of attention by industry due to the utilization of low grade thermal energy sources for cooling production. It can be a promising part of sustainable development concept of the global economy. Therefore, research aiming at improving their performance i.e. Coefficient of Performance (COP) by optimizing the construction of sorption beds with a built in heat exchanger system is crucial. The heat transfer characteristics between the bed of porous media (sorbent) and surface of the heat exchanger system determine the heating power of an adsorption chiller. The HP increase can be obtained by heat transfer intensification due to the increase in the thermal conductivity of the sorbent layer in the vicinity of the heat exchanger’s surface. The novel modification of the sorbent layer structure is proposed in the paper in order to improve the heat transfer processes in the heat exchanger boundary layer. The analysis of desorption process conditions in the parametric model of a coated and fixed adsorption bed design is presented in the paper. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with conjugate heat transfer analysis is used to determine the crucial input parameters (temperature distribution in the sorbent bed) for further analytical calculations. The commercial code Ansys Fluent was used to perform numerical simulations. The developed computational model consisted of three subdomains representing heating water, heat exchanger material (copper) and sorbent (silica gel). The comparison of a novel coated design and a conventional fixed bed is discussed in the paper. The numerical analysis is based on experimental thermal conductivity measurements of the sorbent layer in different configurations, which were performed using Laser Flash Method.     

Pulsed laser induced birefringence switching in a biopolymer matrix containing azo-dye molecules

All optical switching has been studied using the Optical Kerr Effect (OKE) configuration in a biopolymer matrix containing an azo-dye: the Disperse Orange 3 (DO3). The biopolymer system consisted of a deoxyribonucleic acid blended with cationic surfactant molecule cetyltrimethyl-ammonium chloride is suitable for optical quality thin film fabrication. The excitation beams inducing birefringence were delivered from a continuous wave laser at 532 nm and another nanosecond pulsed Nd: YAG laser. The birefringence was instantaneously monitored under crossed polarizer system by a weak non-absorbed light from a cw He-Ne laser working at 632.8 nm. Fast all optical switching process (in the range of microseconds) and excellent reversibility have been observed.