Piecewise constant timed continuous PNs for the steady state estimation of stochastic PNs

Reliability analysis is often based on stochastic discrete event models like Markov models or stochastic Petri nets. For complex dynamical systems with numerous components, analytical expressions of the steady state are tedious to work out because of the combinatory explosion with discrete models. The computation of numerical approximations is also time consuming due to the slow convergence of stochastic simulations. For these reasons, fluidification can be investigated to estimate the asymptotic behaviour of stochastic processes. The contributions of this paper are to point out that timed continuous Petri nets may lead to biased estimators of the stochastic steady state and to introduce fluid Petri nets with piecewise-constant maximal firing speeds and sufficient conditions in order to obtain unbiased estimators.     

Inkjettable conductive adhesive for use in microelectronics and microsystems technology

Ink jet is an accepted technology for dispensing small volumes of material (50–500 picolitres). Currently traditional metal-filled conductive adhesives cannot be processed by ink jetting (owing to their relatively high viscosity and the size of filler material particles). Smallest droplet size achievable by traditional dispensing techniques is in the range of 150 μm, yielding proportionally larger adhesive dots on the substrate. Electrically conductive inks are available on the market with metal particles (gold or silver) <20 nm suspended in a solvent at 30–50 wt%. After deposition, the solvent is eliminated and electrical conductivity is enabled by a high metal ratio in the residue. Some applications include a sintering step. These nano-filled inks do not offer an adhesive function. Work reported here presents materials with both functions, adhesive and conductive. This newly developed silver filled adhesive has been applied successfully by piezo-ink jet and opens a new dimension in electrically conductive adhesives technology.The present work demonstrates feasibility of an inkjettable, isotropically conductive adhesive in the form of a silver loaded resin with a two-step curing mechanism: In the first-step, the adhesive is dispensed (jetted) and precured leaving a ‘dry’ surface. The second step consists of assembly (wetting of the 2nd part) and final curing.     

Non-invasive assessment of inspiratory muscle performance during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess inspiratory performance at rest and during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure in comparison with healthy controls using a non-invasive index: the tension-time index of inspiratory muscles (TTMUS). METHODS: We studied 13 patients with chronic heart failure (57 +/- 7 years) and 10 control subjects (58 +/- 6 years) at rest and during an incremental maximal exercise test. Measurements included breathing pattern (inspiratory time, total time of respiratory cycle, minute ventilation, tidal volume and respiratory frequency), mouth occlusion pressure and mean inspiratory pressure (calculated as follows: 5 x mouth occlusion pressure x inspiratory time). The maximal inspiratory pressure was measured at rest. TTMUS was calculated from the equation: TTMUS = PI/PIMAX x TI/TTOT, where PI/PIMAX is the ratio of mean inspiratory pressure to maximal inspiratory pressure and TI/TTOT is the ratio of mean inspiratory time to total time of the respiratory cycle. RESULTS: At rest, the results in patients showed non-significantly higher mouth occlusion pressure, lower maximal inspiratory pressure (P < 0.001), and a higher ratio of mean inspiratory pressure to maximal inspiratory pressure (P < 0.01). There was no difference in the breathing pattern. TTMUS was thus significantly higher in the patients with chronic heart failure (P < 0.001). At maximal exercise (77 +/- 16 W for patients with chronic heart failure vs 142 +/- 27 W for controls, P < 0.001), the ratio of mean inspiratory time to total time of respiratory cycle, the mouth occlusion pressure and the ratio of mean inspiratory pressure to maximal inspiratory pressure were not different. TTMUS was thus comparable in the two groups. During exercise, at comparable workloads (20, 40 and 60 W), the patients showed higher mouth occlusion pressure (P < 0.01) and a higher ratio of mean inspiratory pressure to maximal inspiratory pressure (P < 0.001), whereas the ratio of mean inspiratory time to total time of the respiratory cycle was similar. TTMUS was thus higher in the patients at each workload (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study shows that the determination of TTMUS at rest and during exercise allows the observation of alterations in inspiratory muscle performance as a result of both reduced inspiratory strength, as measured by the maximal inspiratory pressure, and increased ventilatory drive, as reflected by the mouth occlusion pressure in patients with chronic heart failure. The non-invasiveness of this new index is an additional argument for its use in a clinical setting.     

Assessment of the slip-resistance of floors in the laboratory and in the field: Two complementary methods for two applications

There are numerous methods available to measure the slip-resistance of different floor-coverings. The INRS has developed two distinct methods for the evaluation of the slip resistance of a given surface within the framework of its studies on the prevention of slips:

• - One method that can be used to compare new surfaces. It uses a static device developed at the INRS and it is based on the evaluation of a coefficient of dynamic friction between a sample of a new oiled surface and an elastomer. This method is well-adapted to the needs of standardisation work;

• - Another method that can be used to evaluate slippage in the field where the surfaces are often worn and polluted with a specific product. It uses a portable device developed in Sweden and it is based on the continuous evaluation of a coefficient of dynamic friction over a variable distance between the surface to be tested and an elastomer.

These two methods which present well-correlated results are described in this publication, and their distinctly different uses will be underlined.     

Role of gas phase in the deposition dynamics of fine particles in trickle-bed reactors

Experiments were conducted to study the role of gas velocity in the capture of fine particles from non-aqueous suspensions circulated in co-current down-flow trickle flow reactors. The rate of filtration and pressure drop in the trickle bed were investigated using surfactant-stabilized kaolin-containing kerosene suspensions. It was determined that the filter coefficient was sensitive to liquid holdup and specific deposit. The initial collection efficiencies were compared with predictions based on existing theories. Agreement was generally not good with the exception for the limit of low superficial gas velocity. A general correlation establishing the relationship between the filtration rate and the liquid holdup in trickle beds was proposed to reconcile the experimental data with existing filtration theories.     

Perméabilité des géotextiles et perméamètres

Effectuer une mesure réaliste de la perméabilité des géotextiles est moins aisé qu'il n'y paraît au premier abord. En appliquant aux géotextiles la théorie de l'Hydraulique des milieux poreux, et en se fondant sur des expérimentations effectuées à l'IRIGM (Université de Grenoble) et à l'Institut Textile de France, sur quatre perméamètres différents, nous avons montré la nécessité de conditions d'essais rigoureuses. Nous avons notamment comparé les résultats obtenus avec deux fluides (air et eau), nous avons montré l'intérêt d'utiliser de préférence un nouveau paramètre, la perméance intrinsèque ki/b, et enfin nous avons corrélé la précision de mesure à la valeur du nombre de Reynolds. En conclusion, nous proposons un nouveau modèle de perméamètre répondant aux conditions imposées plus haut.     

Influence de faibles teneurs en silicium et de certains traitements de surface sur l'oxydation des aciers ordinaires dans les atmosphères à base de gaz carbonique aux températures moyennes

Effect of low silicium content and some surface treatment on the oxidation of carbon steels in carbon dioxide atmospheres at medium temperatures Carbon or low alloyed steels have been corrosion tested, for a great length of time (thousands of hours) between 375 and 450°C, in pressurized carbon dioxide (28 ou 40 bars) containing in particular: carbon monoxide (1 to 2% vol.) and water vapour (50 to 100 Ppm vol.). These steels have been investigated under several surface conditions: as received, sand-blasted, etched in a sulfophosphoric bath, etched and then passivated in a bath mainly composed of sodium bichromate, etched and passivated in a phosphate bath. The first passivating treatment induces the formation of a deposit, mostly made of chromium compound, on the steel surface. Samples which were treated in that way are much more rapidly oxidized than those prepared in the second bath or than the as-received samples. On the other hand, under given test conditions, the absence of silicon (< 0.02 %) in carbon steel corresponds to an accelerated oxidation. It should be said more precisely that the oxidation kinetic, soon become hear in that case, but keep rather slow when a similar steel contains at least 0.20% silicon. Both effects are cumulative: very high corrosion levels result of an unfavorable surface treatment applied to a steel without silicon. It has been shown, through microprobe examinations, that silicon traces are concentrated at the steeloxide interface during the oxidation process; it thus forms a “border” which rather prevents the diffusion of ions. As for the chromium traces, they tend to create disorders on the oxide scale. This scale breaks up into two layers and the development of the oxidation process is depending on the stability of the internal layer. In fact, the chromium induce a disordered growth of that internal layer, to the detriment of the external one, which either cracks or even disappears.     

Modelling Study of the Temperature-Programmed Conversion Curves of NO Reduction by CO over Supported Pt- and Rh-Based Catalysts

We have attempted to model the rate of NO transformation on a sintered Pt–Rh/Al₂O₃ three-way catalyst (TWC) in various temperature and conversion conditions close to the actual ones in TWCs. For this purpose a rate expression, previously established from kinetic measurements performed at a single temperature of 300°C, was used. The temperature dependency of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters, using a non-linear optimisation, has been previously determined. Then, temperature-programmed experiments, performed in a fixed-bed flow reactor at atmospheric pressure under differential conditions, have been modelled using such parameters. A similar procedure has been achieved for modelling the TP experiments on Rh/Al₂O₃. Both results have been compared and discussed in the light of previous surface characterisations.     

Heptakis(2,3‐di‐O‐methyl‐6‐O‐sulfopropyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin: A Genuine Supramolecular Carrier for Aqueous Organometallic Catalysis

The behavior of heptakis(2,3‐di‐O‐methyl‐6‐O‐sulfopropyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin as inverse phase transfer catalyst in biphasic Tsuji–Trost and hydroformylation reactions has been investigated. In terms of activity, this methylated sulfopropyl ether β‐cyclodextrin is much more efficient than the randomly methylated β‐cyclodextrin, which was the most active cyclodextrin known to date. From a selectivity point of view, the intrinsic properties of the catalytic system are fully preserved in the presence of this cyclodextrin as the chemo‐ or regioselectivity was found to be identical to that observed without a mass transfer promoter in the hydroformylation reaction. The efficiency of this cyclodextrin was attributed to its high surface activity and to the absence of interactions with the catalytically active species and the water‐soluble phosphane used to dissolve the organometallic catalyst in the aqueous phase.     

Micromachined microwave planar spiral inductors and transformers

A new micromachined planar spiral inductor, with the strips suspended individually, has been fabricated in standard GaAs high electron-mobility transistor monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit technology through maskless front-side bulk micromachining. The electronic compatibility, the use of industrial integrated-circuit production lines, the straightforward and low-cost additional procedure for structure releasing, and the very short etching time required are the principal features related to such a novel inductor structure. Moreover, the air-gap layer created underneath the device and between the strips significantly reduces shunt and fringing parasitic capacitances, consequently increasing the performance and operating frequency range. Experimental measurements, carried out up to 15 GHz, before and after micromachining, showed for a 12-nH inductor an increase of the maximum Q factor from 5 (at 3 GHz) to about 20 (at 7 GHz), while the self-resonant frequency was shifted from 5 to 13 GHz. Furthermore, a structure with two interleaved spiral inductors, in a 1:1 transformer-like configuration, was also fabricated, and its performance verified in order to demonstrate the promising performance improvements provided by the proposed device. Finally, heating and mechanical characteristics associated with freestanding microstructures are briefly evaluated using finite-element method simulations