Measuring Creative Experience from Visitors’ Paths and Abstract Multi-sensory Artefacts

Mobile Networks and Applications - Project MindCatcher is an art/research project which has the intention to explore the potential of interactive artistic environments for measuring and a better...     

A new electronically controlled floating/grounded meminductor emulator based on single MO-VDTA

Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing - This paper proposes a circuit configuration to emulate the behaviour of a floating/grounded incremental/decremental flux-controlled meminductor,...     

An initial study on feasible treatment of Serbian lignite through utilization of low-rank coal upgrading technologies

Despite benefiting from vast fuel reserves, combustion of low-rank coals is commonly characterized by low thermal efficiency and high pollutant emissions, partly due to high moisture content of the coals in question. Thus, removal of moisture from low-rank coals is deemed an important quality upgrading method. The paper provides an overview of the current status of low-rank coal upgrading technologies, particularly with respect to utilization of drying and dewatering procedures. In order to examine the influence of relevant parameters on the moisture removal process, a model of convective coal drying in a packed, as well as in a fluid bed combustion arrangement, is developed and presented. Product-specific data (intraparticle mass transfer, gas–solid moisture equilibrium) related to the coal variety addressed herein (lignite) are obtained through preliminary investigations. Effective thermal conductivity of the packed bed as defined by Zehner/Bauer/Schlünder is used to define heat transfer mechanisms occurring in the packed bed. Similar two-phase fluidization model has been validated for different types of biomaterials.     

Numerical modelling of the NGI-DSS test and cyclic threshold shear strain for degradation in sand

Ability of laboratory determination of a sand behaviour in static and dynamic loading conditions are influenced by (among other things): sample preparation, number of tests, size of strains, speed of loading and averaging of the errors during examination. Dynamic load per se causes accumulation of the pore water pressure and the phenomenon of stiffening-threshold-degradation which makes the understanding of the sand behaviour more difficult. The complex behaviour of granular material, i.e. sand, is caused by chemical and physical properties of individual particles and their mutual interaction. Obviously, these interrelationships could not be analysed on the basis of laboratory testing. One way to analyse it is numerically, with algorithm that takes into consideration the characteristics of individual particles as well as their interaction in the sand matrix. Discrete element method (DEM) is a numerical method which takes into consideration the discrete nature of sand and shape of particles and is used as an elementary research tool for sand behaviour. Program package PFC3D is based on DEM and allows the modelling of the laboratory equipment, materials and calibration of its micro-characteristics, based on experimental results. The research of cyclic threshold shear strain for degradation in sand includes observation and visualization of the sample preparation (creation of the material skeleton), pouring of the material (transition from liquid to meta-stable state), influence of the particle shape (interlocking, arching), consolidation (deformation of the skeleton) and development and braking of force chains through the sample. This paper explores the suitability of the selected numerical method for modelling of NGI-DSS device, calibration of the tested granular material (Nevada sand) and preparation of the sample for testing and presentation of the stiffening-threshold-degradation phenomenon.     

Chemical sputtering of deuterated carbon surfaces at various surface temperatures

The chemical sputtering of deuterated amorphous carbon (a-C:D) surfaces irradiated by 1-50 eV deuterium atoms at surface temperatures between 300 and 1000 K was studied using classical molecular dynamics. A quasi-stationary state was reached by cumulative bombardment for each energy and temperature. Results were compared with available experimental data and previous modeling results and the applicability of molecular dynamics for thermally generated processes was discussed. An attempt is made to correct the absence of the thermally stimulated desorption/degassing of hydrogen from the MD simulations, which evolve at the longer time scales.     

Efficiently repairing and measuring replica consistency in distributed databases

In a distributed database, maintaining large table replicas with frequent asynchronous insertions is a challenging problem that requires carefully managing a tradeoff between consistency and availability. With that motivation in mind, we propose efficient algorithms to repair and measure replica consistency. Specifically, we adapt, extend and optimize distributed set reconciliation algorithms to efficiently compute the symmetric difference between replicated tables in a distributed relational database. Our novel algorithms enable fast synchronization of replicas being updated with small sets of new records, measuring obsolence of replicas having many insertions and deciding when to update a replica, as each table replica is being continuously updated in an asynchronous manner. We first present an algorithm to repair and measure distributed consistency on a large table continuously updated with new records at several sites when the number of insertions is small. We then present a complementary algorithm that enables fast synchronization of a summarization table based on foreign keys when the number of insertions is large, but happening on a few foreign key values. From a distributed systems perspective, in the first algorithm the large table with data is reconciled, whereas in the second case, its summarization table is reconciled. Both distributed database algorithms have linear communication complexity and cubic time complexity in the size of the symmetric difference between the respective table replicas they work on. That is, they are effective when the network speed is smaller than CPU speed at each site. A performance experimental evaluation with synthetic and real databases shows our algorithms are faster than a previous state-of-the art algorithm as well as more efficient than transferring complete tables, assuming large replicated tables and sporadic asynchronous insertions.     

Test run of biodiesel in public transport system in Belgrade

The problems related to our strong dependency on fossil fuels, i.e. greenhouse effect, energy dependency, urban pollution, are of growing importance in recent years. European Union (EU) Action plan of 2003, which had originated from Kyoto Agreement, defined a strategy for substitution of 20% of conventional fuel with the alternative one by 2020. Proved advantages of biodiesel usage in the system of public transport of passengers, with regard to exhaust gases emission above all, have been the decisive determinants for the actual promotion of biodiesel as ecologically “clean” fuel, while its wider usage gives important contribution to sustainable development of cities. This paper presents results of biodiesel-test run in Belgrade, as a part of the project BIO-PEX, which relates to the usage of this alternative fuel in real operating conditions in urban public transport system, with special emphasis on technical, ecological and operational aspects of biofuel usage.     

Modeling contact between rigid sphere and elastic layer bonded torigid substrate

An approximate mechanical model is developed for predicting the radius of contact between a sphere and a layered substrate. The complex solution of Chen and Engel is reduced to the simple root finding procedure for the unknown contact radius. Numerical data from the model of Chen and Engel are obtained for several combinations of layer material. It is shown that with the proper selection of dimensionless parameters the numerical results fall on a single curve that is easily correlated. Radius predictions show good agreement with experimental measurements