Using the job-exposure matrix for elaborating job histories.

A first software (JHS) for the elaboration of job histories oriented toward risks was designed and results published In an article "A software for the elaboration of Job Histories". This article presents a second software (JES), based on the use of a job-exposure matrix designed for one company. The matrix is essentially a database, an organized gathering of information concerning the company. The two softwares are inter-faced and both run on a PC. When properly exploited, the two softwares can serve as an asset for epidemiological studies dealing with occupational health.     

Thin‐film encapsulated white organic light top‐emitting diodes using a WO3/Ag/WO3 cathode to enhance light out‐coupling

An alternative design of a semitransparent cathode for top‐emission white‐fluorescent organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) has been investigated. The scope of this study was to improve the luminance of OLEDs used for displays while keeping the current density versus voltage characteristic unchanged for addressing purposes. The use of an optical simulation tool allowed the optimization of the tri‐layer cathode WO₃/Ag/WO₃ to increase the light out‐coupling coefficient of the device leading to an increased white emission compared with a reference device with a Ca/Ag cathode. An increase of ~40% in luminance has been calculated by simulation and experimentally confirmed. The p‐i‐n OLED structure underneath the tri‐layer cathode allowed an efficient injection of electrons independently from the work function of WO₃. The WO₃/Ag/WO₃ cathode has been also confirmed to be compatible with the atomic layer deposition technique for thin film encapsulation. Finally, lifetime measurements up to 600 h have been carried out to quantify the enhancements induced by the new cathode compared with the control device. It has been found that lifetimes of both cathode architectures are similar on this time scale, while the WO₃/Ag/WO₃ cathode shows a lower voltage drift versus aging.     

A cost-effective heuristic to schedule local and remote memory in cluster computers

Cluster computers represent a cost-effective alternative solution to supercomputers. In these systems, it is common to constrain the memory address space of a given processor to the local motherboard. Constraining the system in this way is much cheaper than using a full-fledged shared memory implementation among motherboards. However, memory usage among motherboards can be unfairly balanced.     

Recovery of Oil,Erucic Acid,and Phenolic Compounds from Rapeseed and Rocket Seeds

Erucic acid‐enriched oil, sought for industrial purposes, from rapeseed (agronomic plant) and rocket seeds (non‐agronomic plant) was extracted by three different processes: supercritical CO₂, mechanical expression, and hexane extraction. Oil extraction yields were determined and the extracted oils were characterized for their fatty acid and phenolic compound compositions. Higher oil yields were achieved using hexane compared to mechanical expression and supercritical CO₂ extractions. Fatty acid analysis indicated a higher content of erucic acid in rapeseed oil than in rocket oil. In addition, supercritical CO₂ extraction allowed better recovery of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activities. The most prominent identified polyphenols were vanillin, sinapic acid, syringic acid, and apigenin.     

Energy Based 3D Autopilot for VTOL UAV Under Guidance & Navigation Constraints

Motion control design plays a crucial role in autonomous vehicles. Mainly, these systems operate in conditions of under-actuation, which make the control a serious task especially in presence of practical constraints. The main objective within this paper is to ensure the tracking of 3D reference trajectory overcoming some of the issues related to the control of multi-rotor vehicles (such as underactuation, robustness, limited power, accuracy, overshoot, etc.). Therefore, a control scheme for Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) multi-rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is designed, applying the Interconnection and Damping Assignment-Passivity Based Control (IDA-PBC) technique. As reference model based technique, the control specifications are readily met by fixing a desired dynamic model, which is a major advantage of the technique. Moreover, a port ?controlled Hamiltonian representation is exploited in order to point out the physical properties of the system such as its internal energy. This latter is exploited, as a fitness function for an optimization algorithm, in order to decrease the consumed energy especially at the take-off step and allows the tuning of the controller parameters. The numerical simulations have shown satisfactory results that support the claims using nominal system model or disturbed model. The designed controller has been implemented on a real vehicle for which one demonstrates, in an indoor area manipulation, the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.     

Use of Phosphate Rock for the Removal of Ni2+ from Aqueous Solutions: Kinetic and Thermodynamics Studies

A study was carried out in batch conditions to examine the removal of nickel ions from an aqueous solution by phosphate rock. The effect of different sorption parameters, such as initial metal concentration, equilibration time, solution pH, and temperature on the amount of Ni2+ sorbed was studied and discussed. The sorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics with necessary time of 2?h to reach equilibrium. The maximum removal obtained is at initial pH around 8. Nickel uptake was quantitatively evaluated using the Langmuir and Dubinin–Kaganer–Radushkevich model. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm constant corresponding to adsorption capacity, Q0, was found to be 7.63?mg/g. The possibility of metal recovery was investigated using several eluting agents. The desorbed amount of nickel decreased continuously with increasing pH, and increased with increasing Ca2+ concentration in leaching solution.     

Demand function estimate for residential water in Oman

Current subsidies to residential water users in Oman are estimated at USD 314 million/y. This study estimates the demand function for residential water in Muscat, Oman, for households living in villas. A two-stage least squares econometric model with lagged average water price was used with socio-economic variables. Price elasticity for residential water in Muscat was estimated as –2.10. This high price elasticity is explained by the large proportion of water used for outdoor purposes. This study indicates that it may be possible to manage water demand in Muscat through modifying the price of water and reforming subsidies for residential water.