Experimental and numerical analysis of the influence of cable tray arrangements on the resulting mass loss rate and fire spreading

In the context of industrial buildings and power plants, electrical installations and cable trays represent a main fuel load and a potential initial fire source due to possible short circuits or comparable malfunction. Furthermore, a fire can spread from one tray to additional trays mounted above and/or horizontally on one tray. Because of the high significance of cable fires, several research projects have been carried out, investigating the fire behaviour of cables from small‐scale tests, eg, the cone calorimeter, up to large‐scale tests, analysing complete cable tray constructions. The goal of the work presented in this paper is the extension of the knowledge regarding the influence of geometrical parameters like the packing density and tray distance on the burning behaviour and fire spread of cable tray installations. The results are considered, together with test results from the literature, to quantify the main physical parameters describing the burning behaviour. In a next step, the general applicability of these parameters as input data for the parametrization of the source term of numerical simulations is shown. The test results show that the burning behaviour and the fire spreading highly depend on the cable arrangement of the cables on the cable tray, in combination with other boundary conditions. By applying the results as input for a fire simulation, the mass loss rate is considered appropriately.     

Continuously distributed phase shifts in chirped DFB lasers usingbent waveguides

The authors have implemented chirped distributed feedback (DFB) grating lasers with phase shifts [λ/8, 2λ/8 and 3λ/8] distributed continuously over various axial distances, using their recently proposed method for producing bent optical waveguides. The singlemode stability of the lasers with distributed phase shifts was found to be considerably higher than for lasers with abrupt phase shifts     

Monolithic integration of DFB laser with spot-size transformer forhighly efficient laser fibre coupling

The monolithic integration of a mushroom type InGaAs-InGaAsP MQW DFB laser with a spot-size transformer based on a two-layer lateral taper is reported. Highly efficient coupling to a butt-joined dispersion shifted singlemode fibre with a coupling loss down to 0.9 dB and large alignment tolerances was achieved, maintaining the good spectral characteristics of an isolated DFB-laser structure     

Continuously chirped DFB gratings by specially bent waveguides fortunable lasers

We have implemented and studied a new type of tunable multiple-section semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) laser using tailored chirped DFB gratings. Arbitrarily and continuously chirped DFB gratings are defined by bent waveguides on homogeneous grating fields with ultrahigh spatial precision. The mathematical bending functions are optimized in this case to provide enlarged wavelength tuning ranges. We present the results of model calculations, the technological device realization and experimental results of the DFB laser characterization e.g. a tuning range of 5.5 nm without wavelength gaps and high side mode suppression ratio     

A tractable large-signal dynamic model-application to stronglycoupled distributed feedback lasers

The modulation characteristics of DFB semiconductor lasers have been studied using a transfer matrix method combined with an appropriate rate equation analysis. The model takes into account longitudinal mode spatial hole burning, as well as the nonuniform current injection resulting from the axially varying Fermi voltage, and can be used for the efficient simulation of static, small-signal, and large-signal dynamic properties. The program is applied to the interpretation of experimental data from a strongly coupled InGaAsP/InP DFB laser. The experimental high-frequency properties of this device are well described by the simulations     

Syndecan-1 Depletion Has a Differential Impact on Hyaluronic Acid Metabolism and Tumor Cell Behavior in Luminal and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteoglycans (PGs) are major components of the glycocalyx. The secreted GAG and CD44 ligand hyaluronic acid (HA), and the cell surface PG syndecan-1 (Sdc-1) modulate the expression and activity of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and adhesion molecules, acting as critical regulators of tumor cell behavior. Here, we studied the effect of Sdc-1 siRNA depletion and HA treatment on hallmark processes of cancer in breast cancer cell lines of different levels of aggressiveness. We analyzed HA synthesis, and parameters relevant to tumor progression, including the stem cell phenotype, Wnt signaling constituents, cell cycle progression and apoptosis, and angiogenic markers in luminal MCF-7 and triple-negative MDA-MB-231 cells. Sdc-1 knockdown enhanced HAS-2 synthesis and HA binding in MCF-7, but not in MDA-MB-231 cells. Sdc-1-depleted MDA-MB-231 cells showed a reduced CD24-/CD44+ population. Furthermore, Sdc-1 depletion was associated with survival signals in both cell lines, affecting cell cycle progression and apoptosis evasion. These changes were linked to the altered expression of KLF4, MSI2, and miR-10b and differential changes in Erk, Akt, and PTEN signaling. We conclude that Sdc-1 knockdown differentially affects HA metabolism in luminal and triple-negative breast cancer model cell lines and impacts the stem phenotype, cell survival, and angiogenic factors.     

Comparing orthogonal force and unidirectional strain component processing for tool condition monitoring

Signal processing using orthogonal cutting force components for tool condition monitoring has established itself in literature. In the application of single axis strain sensors however a linear combination of cutting force components has to be processed in order to monitor tool wear. This situation may arise when a single axis piezoelectric actuator is simultaneously used as an actuator and a sensor, e.g. its vibration control feedback signal exploited for monitoring purposes. The current paper therefore compares processing of a linear combination of cutting force components to the reference case of processing orthogonal components. Reconstruction of the dynamic force acting at the tool tip from signals obtained during measurements using a strain gauge instrumented tool holder in a turning process is described. An application of this dynamic force signal was simulated on a filter-model of that tool holder that would carry a self-sensing actuator. For comparison of the orthogonal and unidirectional force component tool wear monitoring strategies the same time-delay neural network structure has been applied. Wear-sensitive features are determined by wavelet packet analysis to provide information for tool wear estimation. The probability of a difference less than 5 percentage points between the flank wear estimation errors of above mentioned two processing strategies is at least 95 %. This suggests the viability of simultaneous monitoring and control by using a self-sensing actuator.     

A simple method for the objective characterisation of fabric softness. Part 1: Influence of bleaching,dyeing and crosslinking of wool*

A simple method for the characterisation of fabric softness using a conventional tensile tester and a special measurement device has been developed. The method is demonstrated to be especially useful in detecting changes in softness of a given substrate due to different treatments. The results obtained, particularly hysteresis at 75% of the maximum extension, provide a good correlation with subjective ranking for samples that are subjectively distinguishable; they also differentiate well between samples which seem subjectively indistinguishable. Screening tests were carried out, mainly on wool fabrics, to find the effect of different treatments such as oxidative (alkaline and acidic) and reductive (Blankit IN) bleaching, dyeing with acid and a 1:2 metal complex, chrome and (mono and bi)reactive dyes, the effect of the antisetting agent Basolan AS (BASF) and of crosslinking with Irgasol HTW (CGY) on fabric softness.