AGATA DAQ-box: a unified data acquisition system for different experimental conditions

The AGATA tracking detector array represents a significant improvement over previous Compton suppressed arrays. The construction of AGATA led to numerous technological breakthroughs in order to meet the requirements and the challenges of building a mobile detector across Europe. This paper focuses on the design and implementation of the data acquisition system responsible of the readout and control of the germanium detectors of AGATA. Our system is highly versatile, capable of instrumenting AGATA and seamlessly adapting it to various configurations with a wide range of ancillary detectors and/or spectrometers. It consists of three main components: an autonomous and independent infrastructure, a dedicated application core ensuring overall consistency, and a high--performance software package providing a fully integrated data flow management including the setting-up, the supervision and the slow control of the instrument. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the system's design and performance, particularly under high-counting rate conditions

Relation Structure moléculaire - Odeur Utilisation des Réseaux de Neurones pour l’estimation de l’Odeur Balsamique

Les molécules odorantes (parfums ou flaveurs) sont utilisées dans une grande variété de produits de consommation, pour inciter les consommateurs à associer les impressions favorables à un produit donné. La Relation Structure moléculaire-Odeur (SOR) est cruciale pour la synthèse de ces molécules mais est très difficile à établir due à la subjectivité de l’odeur. Ce travail présente une approche de prédiction de l'odeur des molécules basée sur les descripteurs moléculaires. Les techniques d’analyse en composantes principales (PCA) et de d’analyse de colinéarité permettent d’identifier les descripteurs les plus pertinents. un réseau de neurones supervisé5 à deux couches (cachée et sortie) est employé pour corréler la structure moléculaire à l’odeur. La base de données décrite précédemment est utilisée pour l’apprentissage. Un ensemble de paramètres est modifié jusqu’à la satisfaction de la meilleure régression. Les résultats obtenus sont encouragent, ainsi les descripteurs moléculaires convenables corrèlent efficacement l'odeur des molécules. C’est la première étape d’un modèle générique en développement pour corréler l'odeur avec les structures moléculaire

Application of Shock Capturing Method for Free Surface Flow Simulation

The present study is a contribution to free surface flow simulation by numerical resolution of Saint-Venant's equations, which form a nonlinear hyperbolic system. For reasons of stability and accuracy, we apply finite volume method, based on Riemann problem’s resolution using shock capturing schemes. Application tests for steady and unsteady flows confirm the capacity of these schemes to maintain stability and precision

Computer Aided Aroma Design. II. Quantitative structure-odour relationship

Computer Aided Aroma Design (CAAD) is likely to become a hot issue as the REACH EC document targets many aroma compounds to require substitution. The two crucial steps in CAMD are the generation of candidate molecules and the estimation of properties, which can be difficult when complex molecular structures like odours are sought and their odour quality are definitely subjective or their odour intensity are partly subjective as stated in Rossitier’s review (1996). The CAAD methodology and a novel molecular framework were presented in part I. Part II focuses on a classification methodology to characterize the odour quality of molecules based on Structure – Odour Relation (SOR). Using 2D and 3D molecular descriptors, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Artificial Neural Network are compared in favour of LDA. The classification into balsamic / non balsamic quality was satisfactorily solved. The classification among five sub notes of the balsamic quality was less successful, partly due to the selection of the Aldrich’s Catalog as the reference classification. For the second case, it is shown that the sweet sub note considered in Aldrich’s Catalog is not a relevant sub note, confirming the alternative and popular classification of Jaubert et al., (1995), the field of odours

Computer Aided Aroma Design. I. Molecular knowledge framework

Computer Aided Aroma Design (CAAD) is likely to become a hot issue as the REACH EC document targets many aroma compounds to require substitution. The two crucial steps in CAMD are the generation of candidate molecules and the estimation of properties, which can be difficult when complex molecular structures like odours are sought and when their odour quality are definitely subjective whereas their odour intensity are partly subjective as stated in Rossitier’s review (1996). In part I, provided that classification rules like those presented in part II exist to assess the odour quality, the CAAD methodology presented proceeds with a multilevel approach matched by a versatile and novel molecular framework. It can distinguish the infinitesimal chemical structure differences, like in isomers, that are responsible for different odour quality and intensity. Besides, its chemical graph concepts are well suited for genetic algorithm sampling techniques used for an efficient screening of large molecules such as aroma. Finally, an input/output XML format based on the aggregation of CML and ThermoML enables to store the molecular classes but also any subjective or objective property values computed during the CAAD process

Kolmogorov-Smirnov method for the determination of signal time-shifts

A new method for the determination of electric signal time-shifts is introduced. As the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, it is based on the comparison of the cumulative distribution functions of the reference signal with the test signal. This method is very fast and thus well suited for on-line applications. It is robust to noise and its performances in terms of precision are excellent for time-shifts ranging from a fraction to several sample durations. PACS. 29.40.Gx (Tracking and position-sensitive detectors), 29.30.Kv (X- and -ray spectroscopy), 07.50.Qx (Signal processing electronics)Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Fast analytical methods for the correction of signal random time-shifts and application to segmented HPGe detectors

Detection systems rely more and more on on-line or off-line comparison of detected signals with basis signals in order to determine the characteristics of the impinging particles. Unfortunately, these comparisons are very sensitive to the random time shifts that may alter the signal delivered by the detectors. We present two fast algebraic methods to determine the value of the time shift and to enhance the reliability of the comparison to the basis signals.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

High-efficiency interface between multi-mode and single-mode fibers

Multi-mode fibers (MMFs) and single-mode fibers (SMFs) are widely used in optical communication networks. MMFs are the practical choice in terms of cost in applications that require short distances. Beyond that, SMFs are necessary because of the modal dispersion in MMFs. Here, we present a method capable of interfacing an MMF with an SMF using a re-programmable multi-plane light conversion scheme (MPLC). We demonstrate that only 3-phase modulations are necessary to achieve MMF-to-SMF coupling efficiencies from 30\% to 70\% for MMF's with core diameters up to 200 microns. We show how the obtained coupling efficiency can be recovered if the output field of the MMF changes entirely, e.g. through strong deformation of the fiber, by simple monitoring of the field. Furthermore, we test the influence of the resolution of both essential devices (field reconstruction and MPLC) on coupling efficiencies. We find that commercially available devices with increased speed and efficiency, such as wavefront sensors and deformable mirrors, are sufficient for establishing an MMF to SMF interface which auto-corrects any decoupling in the kHz regime

EBP: An Efficient Broadcast Protocol for Warning Message Dissemination in VANETs

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) enable vehicle-to-vehicle communications to share relevant road information with various applications. Road safety is one of the main objectives of VANETs that has attracted great interest from researchers. Other so-called comfort applications have also been studied which can improve driving experience and passenger safety. In all these applications, sharing of warning messages can help drivers minimize accidents and congestions, and plan better itinerary during the congestion situations or the anticipation of potential and highly hazardous events. In this paper, we present an efficient broadcast protocol (EBP) for broadcasting warning messages in VANETs. As an improved strategy for alert data dissemination, EBP can be applied in whatever the nature of the risk, with a particular focus on mobile dangers. We first conduct an in-depth analysis and evaluation, under different conditions, of the existing approaches and mechanisms used for information dissemination in VANETs. Then, we point out their drawbacks and design the EBP to avoid these drawbacks. As a result, the EBP is an improved, well-justified and more effective protocol. We validate it by simulation experiments under various scenarios