Optical Communications Research Activities at COM RD1 Siemens S.A.

Abstract

This article summarizes the research activities carried out by the R&D Optical Networks Communications group (COM RD1), at Siemens S.A., in collaboration with both universities and other research institutes. These activities cover various aspects of advanced modulation formats, all optical wavelength conversion, optical quality of signal monitoring in transparent WDM networks, routing, and wavelength assignment in optical networks.     

International Perspective on Government Nanotechnology Funding in 2005

The worldwide investment in nanotechnology research and development (R&D) reported by national government organizations and EC has increased approximately 9-fold in the last 8 years – from $432 million in 1997 to about $4,100 million in 2005. The proportion of national government investments for: academic R&D and education are between 20% (Korea, Taiwan) and 65% (US), industrial R&D – between 5% (US) and 60% (Korea, Taiwan), and core facilities and government laboratories – about 20–25% in all major contributing economies. This evaluation uses the NNI definition of nanotechnology (that excludes MEMS or microelectronics), and is based on direct information and analysis with managers of nanotechnology R&D programs in the respective countries.     

Continuously improving safety of nuclear installations: An approach to be reinforced after the Fukushima accident

After the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 and the Chernobyl accident in 1986, the Fukushima accident shows that the probability of a core meltdown accident in an LWR (Light Water Reactor) has been largely underestimated. The consequences of such an accident are unacceptable: except in the case of TMI2 (Three Mile Island 2) large areas around the damaged plants are contaminated for decades and populations have to be relocated for long periods. This article presents the French approach which consists in improving continuously the safety of the Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) on the basis of lessons learned from operating experience and from the progress in R&D (Research and Development). It details the key role played by IRSN (Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire), the French TSO (Technical and scientific Safety Organization), and shows how the Fukushima accident contributes to this approach in improving NPP robustness. It concludes on the necessity to keep on networking TSOs, to share knowledge as well as R&D resources, with the ultimate goal of enhancing and harmonizing nuclear safety worldwide.     

Automatized segmentation of photovoltaic modules in IR-images with extreme noise

Local electric defects may result in considerable performance losses in solar cells. Infrared thermography is an essential tool to detect these defects on photovoltaic modules. Accordingly, IR-thermography is frequently used in R&D labs of PV manufactures and, furthermore, outdoors in order to identify faulty modules in PV-power plants. Massive amount of data is acquired which needs to be analyzed. An automatized method for detecting solar modules in IR-images would enable a faster and automatized analysis of the data.However, IR-images tend to suffer from rather large noise, which makes an automatized segmentation challenging. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable segmentation algorithm for R&D labs. We propose an algorithm, which detects a solar cell or module within an IR-image with large noise. We tested the algorithm on images of 10 PV-samples characterized by highly sensitive dark lock-in thermography (DLIT). The algorithm proved to be very reliable in detecting correctly the solar module. In our study, we focused on thin film solar cells, however, a transfer of the algorithm to other cell types is straight forward.     

一种全局同质化相依网络耦合模式

相依网络的相依模式(耦合模式)是影响其鲁棒性的重要因素之一.本文针对具有无标度特性的两个子网络提出一种全局同质化相依网络耦合模式.该模式以子网络的总度分布均匀化为原则建立相依网络的相依边,一方面压缩度分布宽度,提高其对随机失效的抗毁性,另一方面避开对度大节点(关键节点)的相依,提高其对蓄意攻击的抗毁性.论文将其与常见的节点一对一的同配、异配及随机相依模式以及一对多随机相依模式作了对比分析,仿真研究其在随机失效和蓄意攻击下的鲁棒性能.研究结果表明,本文所提全局同质化相依网络耦合模式能大大提高无标度子网络所构成的相依网络抗级联失效能力.本文研究成果能够为相依网络的安全设计等提供指导意义.     

Robustness of Complex Networks under Attack and Repair

To study the robustness of complex networks under attack and repair, we introduce a repair model of complex networks. Based on the model, we introduce two new quantities, i.e. attack fraction fa and the maximum degree of the nodes that have never been attacked ~Ka, to study analytically the critical attack fraction and the relative size of the giant component of complex networks under attack and repair, using the method of generating function. We show analytically and numerically that the repair strategy significantly enhances the robustness of the scale-free network and the effect of robustness improvement is better for the scale-free networks with a smaller degree exponent. We discuss the application of our theory in relation to the
understanding of robustness of complex networks with reparability.     

Optical Fiber Sensor Technology in Portugal

Abstract

A general overview of the R&D activity in fiber optic sensing developed over the last fifteen years in Portugal is given. Different topics are addressed, including interferometric, intensity and Bragg grating based fiber optic sensors, signal processing and multiplexing techniques, optical current sensors, together with some references to field trials and applications. Possible guidelines for present and future national R&D activity on this subject are outlined.     

Aluminum-doped ZnO nanoparticles: gas-phase synthesis and dopant location

Printed electronics, as an extension to conventional electronics, has grown considerably for decades. At this moment, therefore, tracing the development of this technology up to the present will provide researchers and R&D planners with better understanding of the technology’s evolving characteristics and insights for further R&D directions. This paper carries out two bibliographic analyses to study the technology development life cycle and the technological knowledge within the area of printed electronics. First, we fit a growth curve to yearly patent registration data, thereby calculating several indicators, including the current technological maturity ratio, the number of potential future patents and the expected remaining life. Second, we identify the core and brokering technology classes within the overall technology network of printed electronics by combining patent co-classification analysis and social network analysis. As a result, we could obtain some findings from the inventional point of view; the technological development of printed electronics has entered the maturity stage, and the expected remaining life was 8.5 years as of the beginning of 2013. In addition, we identified several technology areas that have the high importance to act as both core and brokering technologies, apparatus for metal working, anti-inductive structures, and electronic circuit control systems.     

Advanced lithium ion battery materials

Although a commercial reality, the lithium ion battery is still the object of intense R&D aimed to further improve its performance. In this paper we review the activities in progress in our laboratory for the characterization of novel, not-carbonaceous anode materials, high-voltage cathode materials and composite polymer electrolytes.     

Process industry heat exchanger R&D with possible implications for aerospace technology

Important European co-ordinated research activities in heat exchanges are within the European Community Non-Nuclear Energy R&D Programme entitled JOULE, while national governments and a wide variety of industrial laboratories and companies also carry out work in these areas.This paper will cover the past and present JOULE activities in a number of ways. R&D projects within this programme include gas-gas, gas-liquid, gas-solid and liquid-liquid heat exchangers, with high, medium and low temperature terrestrial process applications. Examples of past projects which are described include compact plate heat exchangers, novel high capacity thermosyphons, the use of jet impingement to enhance heat transfer, fouling and complementary activities such as expert systems. Projects currently being studied within JOULE concentrate mainly on two-phase heat transfer enhancement and fouling of both gas-side and liquid-side heat transfer equipment.In order to maintain the competitiveness of industry, the paper underlines the necessity to continue the R&D activities in heat exchanger technologies.     

Cutting-edge Results on Energies and Catalysts at SPring-8

What is an industrial researcher expecting from the use of synchrotron radiation at SPring-8? It seems that there are two answers. One expectation is that he is able to explain convincingly to his customers a distinctive advantage of the developed product in a visible manner, and the other is that he investigates essential quality of materials by returning to the starting point when he is at a loss what to do in the process of his R&D; thus he can gain the opportunity of making a technical breakthrough in his R&D. This is because SPring-8 provides the most powerful synchrotron radiation currently available. As a result, a researcher can understand the chemical-bonding states of the material structure at the atomic and electronic levels by utilizing new analytical tools such as XAFS (X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) and XRD (X-ray Diffraction), etc.     

The emergence and policy implications of converging new technologies integrated from the nanoscale

Science based on the unified concepts on matter at the nanoscale provides a new foundation for knowledge creation, innovation, and technology integration. Convergent new technologies refers to the synergistic combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive sciences (NBIC), each of which is currently progressing at a rapid rate, experiencing qualitative advancements, and interacting with the more established fields such as mathematics and environmental technologies (Roco & Bainbridge, 2002). It is expected that converging technologies will bring about tremendous improvements in transforming tools, new products and services, enable human personal abilities and social achievements, and reshape societal relationships.After a brief overview of the general implications of converging new technologies, this paper focuses on its effects on R&D policies and business models as part of changing societal relationships. These R&D policies will have implications on investments in research and industry, with the main goal of taking advantage of the transformative development of NBIC. Introduction of converging technologies must be done with respect of immediate concerns (privacy, toxicity of new materials, etc.) and longer-term concerns including human integrity, dignity and welfare. The efficient introduction and development of converging new technologies will require new organizations and business models, as well as solutions for preparing the economy, such as multifunctional research facilities, integrative technology platforms, and global risk governance.     

Mitigation strategies on scale-free networks against cascading failures

According to the dynamic characteristics of the cascading propagation, we introduce a mitigation mechanism and propose four mitigation methods on four types of nodes. By the normalized average avalanche size and a new measure, we demonstrate the efficiencies of the mitigation strategies on enhancing the robustness of scale-free networks against cascading failures and give the order of the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies. Surprisingly, we find that only adopting once mitigation mechanism on a small part of the overload nodes can dramatically improve the robustness of scale-free networks. In addition, we also show by numerical simulations that the optimal mitigation method strongly depends on the total capacities of all nodes in a network and the distribution of the load in the cascading model. Therefore, according to the protection strength for scale-free networks, by the distribution of the load and the protection price of networks, we can reasonably select how many nodes and which mitigation method to efficiently protect scale-free networks at the lower price. These findings may be very useful for avoiding various cascading-failure-induced disasters in the real world and for leading to insights into the mitigation of cascading failures.     

False Positive and False Negative Effects on Network Attacks

Robustness against attacks serves as evidence for complex network structures and failure mechanisms that lie behind them. Most often, due to detection capability limitation or good disguises, attacks on networks are subject to false positives and false negatives, meaning that functional nodes may be falsely regarded as compromised by the attacker and vice versa. In this work, we initiate a study of false positive/negative effects on network robustness against three fundamental types of attack strategies, namely, random attacks (RA), localized attacks (LA), and targeted attack (TA). By developing a general mathematical framework based upon the percolation model, we investigate analytically and by numerical simulations of attack robustness with false positive/negative rate (FPR/FNR) on three benchmark models including Erd?s-Rényi (ER) networks, random regular (RR) networks, and scale-free (SF) networks. We show that ER networks are equivalently robust against RA and LA only when FPR equals zero or the initial network is intact. We find several interesting crossovers in RR and SF networks when FPR is taken into consideration. By defining the cost of attack, we observe diminishing marginal attack efficiency for RA, LA, and TA. Our finding highlights the potential risk of underestimating or ignoring FPR in understanding attack robustness. The results may provide insights into ways of enhancing robustness of network architecture and improve the level of protection of critical infrastructures.     

The emergence and policy implications of converging new technologies integrated from the nanoscale

Science based on the unified concepts on matter at the nanoscale provides a new foundation for knowledge creation, innovation, and technology integration. Convergent new technologies refers to the synergistic combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive sciences (NBIC), each of which is currently progressing at a rapid rate, experiencing qualitative advancements, and interacting with the more established fields such as mathematics and environmental technologies (Roco & Bainbridge, 2002). It is expected that converging technologies will bring about tremendous improvements in transforming tools, new products and services, enable human personal abilities and social achievements, and reshape societal relationships.After a brief overview of the general implications of converging new technologies, this paper focuses on its effects on R&D policies and business models as part of changing societal relationships. These R&D policies will have implications on investments in research and industry, with the main goal of taking advantage of the transformative development of NBIC. Introduction of converging technologies must be done with respect of immediate concerns (privacy, toxicity of new materials, etc.) and longer-term concerns including human integrity, dignity and welfare. The efficient introduction and development of converging new technologies will require new organizations and business models, as well as solutions for preparing the economy, such as multifunctional research facilities, integrative technology platforms, and global risk governance.(*) This is an extension of the presentation made at the Converging Technologies Conference, February 26, 2004, New York.This revised version was published online in August 2005 with a corrected issue number.     

The R&D status of DTL for CSNS

The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) is a spallation neutron research facility being built at Dongguan in Guangdong Province. The 324 MHz Alvarez-type Drift Tube Linac will be used to accelerate the H⁻ ion beam from 3 to 80.0 MeV with peak current 15 mA. The R&D of a prototype structure at the low energy section of DTL is taking place at IHEP. The first unit tank ∼2.8 m in length and 28 drift tubes containing electromagnetic quadrupoles are developed. The SAKAE coils are applied in the fabrication of the electromagnetic quadrupoles. This paper introduces the R&D status of the tank and 28 drift tubes. The fabrication process and measurement results of the electromagnetic quadrupoles of special interest are also presented.

     

面向级联失效的相依网络鲁棒性研究

针对相依网络耦合强度、子网络边以及耦合边对网络鲁棒性影响的问题,基于三种典型网络模型,建立对称相依网络和不对称相依网络模型.针对六种不同的相依网络模型,计算其网络临界成本,比较耦合边权值和子网络边权值对相依网络成本的贡献程度,发现耦合边对网络的贡献更大.采用仿真和理论证明的方法,获得使网络具有最小网络成本时的子网络负载参数α值和耦合强度参数β值,并证明了网络成本变化趋势与该参数对有关.以网络成本作为鲁棒性测度的变量,通过对六种相依网络模型进行级联失效仿真,给出了网络具有最强鲁棒性时参数对的取值,以及网络鲁棒性与耦合强度之间的关系,发现网络鲁棒性并不是随着耦合强度单调地增加或减少.     

New developments of the R&;D silicon tracking for linear collider on silicon trackers

The status of the R&D activity achieved so far within the SiLC (silicon tracking for the linear collider) collaboration is reported here. It includes the following items: present status of the collaboration, new developments on sensors, on mechanics (new directions for module construction, large support structure, cooling, and alignment and integration issues), new lab test bench results on electronics and sensors. The perspectives over a period of four years are presented with a detailed test beam schedule and the roadmap including the construction of new mechanical prototypes equipped with front end and readout chips in deep sub-micron CMOS technology are discussed. Combined tests with other sub-detectors are finally addressed. This test beam program is inserted in the framework of the EUDET European project. on behalf of the SiLC R&D Collaboration     

Robust network community detection using balanced propagation

Label propagation has proven to be an extremely fast method for detecting communities in large complex networks. Furthermore, due to its simplicity, it is also currently one of the most commonly adopted algorithms in the literature. Despite various subsequent advances, an important issue of the algorithm has not yet been properly addressed. Random (node) update orders within the algorithm severely hamper its robustness, and consequently also the stability of the identified community structure. We note that an update order can be seen as increasing propagation preferences from certain nodes, and propose a balanced propagation that counteracts for the introduced randomness by utilizing node balancers. We have evaluated the proposed approach on synthetic networks with planted partition, and on several real-world networks with community structure. The results confirm that balanced propagation is significantly more robust than label propagation, when the performance of community detection is even improved. Thus, balanced propagation retains high scalability and algorithmic simplicity of label propagation, but improves on its stability and performance.     

A model for the spread of rumors in Barrat–Barthelemy–Vespignani (BBV) networks

Rumor propagation is a typical form of social communication and plays a significant role in social life. In this paper, we studied the process of rumor propagation by accounting for the mechanism of forgetting in Barrat–Barthelemy–Vespignani (BBV) networks. First, we derived mean-field equations for rumor propagation based on the strength of the nodes in the propagation network. We then analyzed the stability of the model to determine whether a propagation threshold existed in the BBV networks. We also conducted numerical simulations of the BBV networks and found that rumors propagate more slowly in BBV networks than in unweighted networks. The numerical simulation results also demonstrated that as the forgetting rate increases, the rumor’s influence decreases in both BBV networks and unweighted networks. Finally, the simulation results confirmed that a threshold exists for rumor propagation in BBV networks, but that it was independent of the value of the stifling rate.