Correlation Effects on the MIMO Capacity for Conformal Antennas on a Paraboloid

The use of conformal antennas in a MIMO link scenario is investigated. Conformal slot antennas are considered both in the transmitter and the receiver. First, a new modified correlation coefficient is derived that goes beyond the Clarke coefficient and takes into account the element radiation pattern. Secondly, a hybrid formulation that accounts for the impact of the mutual coupling and the pattern dependent correlation on the capacity is presented. The mutual coupling for slots placed circumferentially on a paraboloid substrate is derived using a rigorous approach based on Uniform Theory of Diffraction (UTD). The capacity is evaluated for the case of Rayleigh fading channel considering the new pattern dependent correlation coefficient and the conformal antenna mutual coupling. The planar case is included as a limiting case. It is shown that for conformal antennas on a paraboloid the capacity degradation compared to the planar case is up to 0.5 bps/Hz due to coupling and correlation.Grant numbers : The authors acknowledge EU COST Action IC1301 Wireless Power Transmission for Sustainable Electronics

An Iterative Technique for the Synthesis of Active Antenna Oscillator Arrays

A design procedure for the synthesis of a coupled active antenna oscillator array is presented. Such an array is synthesized by deriving two sets of parameters: the radiators' positions and the oscillators' outputs. The outputs are used to excite the radiators. Minimization of the mean square error between the desired pattern and the resulting one is made. Synthesis starts from an initial array, which is perturbed iteratively by varying simultaneously the element excitations and positions. In the iteration, the first variation of the cost function is set equal to zero. The final array results from the last iteration, where the stopping criteria are met. The procedure designs simultaneously both the antenna and the attached coupled oscillator array providing viable solutions. The second by properly configuring the tuning parameters through the use of closed-form formulas. The resulting arrays are shown to comply with the desired pattern and the nonlinear dynamics thus proving the validity of our method

Procjena smjera dolaska vala primjenom neuralnih mreža za sustave D-CDMA s preklapanjem snopa

A Neural Network (NN) methodology is presented for the Direction of Arrival (DoA) estimation of the desired mobile user, namely the Signal of Interest (SoI), in the asynchronous Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) scheme. In DS-CDMA the SoI DoA should be estimated in the presence of a group of interfering users that constitute the Multiple Access Interference (MAI). In this paper a NN algorithm follows the MAI suppression done by the code-matched filters, to achieve the DoA finding goal for a Switched-Beam System (SBS). The proposed method is developed, while DoA estimation simulation tests show accurate results for a varying number of mobile users.Prikazana je metodologija procjene smjera dolaska signala željenog pokretnog korisnika uz primjenu neuralnih mreža za sustave s višestrukim pristupom po kodnoj osnovi s asinkronom izravnom sekvencijom (DS-CDMA). U sustavima DS-CDMA, valja procijeniti smjer dolaska signala željenog korisnika u nazočnosti više korisnika koji stvaraju interferencije (smetnje) što vodi do interferencije višestrukog pristupa. U ovom se radu rabi algoritam neuralnih mreža za potiskivanje interferencije uz primjenu kodno prilagodenih filtara kako bi se mogao odrediti smjer dolaska signala u sustavu s preklapanjem antenskog snopa. Razvijena je predložena metoda, a simulacijski pokusi s procjenom smjera dolaska signala pokazali su točne rezultate za različit broj pokretnih korisnika

Reductive dechlorination by nanoscale zero-valent iron particles : an innovative solution for the remediation of groundwaters contaminated with trichlorethylene

Les récents progrès en matière de nanotechnologies ont permis d'élaborer de nouveaux matériaux aux propriétés physico-chimiques uniques tels que les nanoparticules de fer zéro valent (NPFe0). Ces nanoparticules ont prouvé leur efficacité pour dégrader les composés organiques chlorés comme le trichloroéthylène (TCE), cependant leur transport dans les milieux poreux est souvent limité. Une solution pour pallier à ce problème est de modifier leur surface par adsorption de molécules organiques. Toutefois, cet enrobage modifie la réactivité des NPFe0 vis-à-vis du TCE, ce qui peut potentiellement affecter l'efficacité du traitement. Ainsi, le premier volet de cette thèse concerne l'étude de la réactivité de NPFe0 brutes ou modifiées par des polyélectrolytes anioniques vis-à-vis du TCE. Cette réactivité a été évaluée au travers des cinétiques de dégradation du TCE et de ses produits de transformation.D'autre part, les eaux souterraines contiennent souvent des espèces dissoutes réductibles pouvant réagir avec Fe0. Ces dernières peuvent affecter la réactivité des NPFe0 vis-à-vis du polluant ciblé et donc l'efficacité du traitement de dépollution. Le deuxième volet de cette thèse porte sur l'effet de deux accepteurs d'électrons (CrVI et NO3-) sur la réactivité des NPFe0 brutes et modifiées. Enfin, le troisième volet de cette thèse concerne l'évaluation de la réactivité des NPFe0 vis-à-vis du TCE dans un cas « réel », afin de valider la technique de dépollution. Une étude pilote et une application in situ ont ainsi été menées sur un site industriel dont l'eau souterraine est contaminée par le TCE (polluant ciblé) avec de fortes teneurs en CrVI et NO3-.Recent advances in nanotechnology have led to the development of new materials with unique physicochemical properties such as nanoscale zero valent iron particles (nZVI). These nanoparticles proved their efficiency to degrade chlorinated organic compounds such as trichlorethylene (TCE), but their migration in porous media is often limited. To overcome this problem, a solution is to modify their surface by adsorption of organic molecules. However, this coating modifies the reactivity towards TCE, which can potentially affect the treatment efficiency.Thus, the first part of this PhD focuses on the reactivity of nZVI (bare or modified by anionic polyelectrolytes) towards TCE. This reactivity was evaluated through the TCE degradation kinetics rates and its transformation products.In addition, groundwaters often contain reducible species that can react with dissolved Fe0. These last species may affect the reactivity of nZVI towards the target pollutant and therefore the remediation efficiency. The second part of this PhD focuses on the effect of two electron acceptors (CrVI and NO3-) on the reactivity of bare and modified nZVI.Finally, the third part of this PhD presents the assessment of the reactivity of nZVI towards TCE in a "real" case, in order to validate the remediation process. A pilot study and in situ application have been carried out on an industrial site which groundwater is contaminated with TCE (targeted pollutant) with high levels of CrVI and NO3-

An Iterative Technique for the Synthesis of Active Antenna Oscillator Arrays

A design procedure for the synthesis of a coupled active antenna oscillator array is presented. Such an array is synthesized by deriving two sets of parameters: the radiators' positions and the oscillators' outputs. The outputs are used to excite the radiators. Minimization of the mean square error between the desired pattern and the resulting one is made. Synthesis starts from an initial array, which is perturbed iteratively by varying simultaneously the element excitations and positions. In the iteration, the first variation of the cost function is set equal to zero. The final array results from the last iteration, where the stopping criteria are met. The procedure designs simultaneously both the antenna and the attached coupled oscillator array providing viable solutions. The second by properly configuring the tuning parameters through the use of closed-form formulas. The resulting arrays are shown to comply with the desired pattern and the nonlinear dynamics thus proving the validity of our method

Synthesis of pH-sensitive micelles from linseed oil using atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP)

International audienc

Assessment of potential positive effects of nZVI surface modification and concentration levels on TCE dechlorination in the presence of competing strong oxidants, using an experimental design

International audienceNanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles are efficient for the remediation of aquifers polluted by trichloroethylene (TCE). But for on-site applications, their reactivity can be affected by the presence of common inorganic co-pollutants, which are equally reduced by nZVI particles. The aim of this study was to assess the potential positive effects of nZVI surface modification and concentration level on TCE removal in the concomitant presence of two strong oxidants, i.e., Cr(VI) and NO. A design of experiments, testing four factors (i.e. nZVI concentration, nZVI surface modification, Cr(VI) concentration and NO3- concentration), was used to select the best trials for the identification of the main effects of the factors and of the factors interactions. The effects of these factors were studied by measuring the following responses: TCE removal rates at different times, degradation kinetic rates, and the transformation products formed. As expected, TCE degradation was delayed or inhibited in most of the experiments, due to the presence of inorganics. The negative effects of co-pollutants can be palliated by combining surface modification with a slight increase in nZVI concentration. Encouragingly, complete TCE removal was achieved for some given experimental conditions. Noteworthily, nZVI surface modification was found to promote the efficient degradation of TCE. When degradation occurred, TCE was mainly transformed into innocuous non-chlorinated transformation products, while hazardous chlorinated transformation products accounted for a small percentage of the mass-balance. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Assessment of flushing methods for the removal of heavy chlorinated compounds DNAPL in an alluvial aquifer

International audienceImmiscible mobilization and foam flushing were assessed as low surfactant consuming technologies, for the enhanced recovery of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) residual at a site contaminated by heavy chlorinated compounds. Preliminary experiments in well-controlled conditions demonstrated the phenomena involved in these remediation technologies and their limitations. Furthermore, we characterized the technologies according to by their surfactant consumption (per kg of DNAPL recovered) and the final DNAPL saturation reached. Surfactant foam flushing (SFF) produced lower DNAPL saturation than immiscible mobilization, thanks to its higher viscosity. However, its efficiency is strongly correlated to the pressure gradient (▽P) used during injection, and that is limited by risks of soil fracturing. The two technologies were tested in field cells (10 m × 10 m × 10 m) delimited by cement/ bentonite walls anchored in the clayey substratum. The deepest soil layer was the most contaminated. It was composed of silt-sandy soil and had an average hydraulic conductivity of 10 −4 m s −1. Field results show that we should now model flushing fluid propagation to design efficient setups for recovering the displaced DNAPL