On the thermal anisotropy affecting transfers in a multilayer porous mediumSur l'effet de l'anisotropie thermique sur les transferts dans un milieu poreux multicouches

An analytical model for studying double-diffusive natural convection within a multilayer anisotropic porous medium is developed and validated with respect to a direct numerical silmulation. The studied domain is composed of two horizontal porous layers where the lower one is thermally anisotropic and is submitted to a uniform horizontal heat flux and a vertical mass flux. The assumption of parallel flow is validated and the effect of anisotropy on dynamic transitions is investigated. To cite this article: R. Bennacer et al., C. R. Mecanique 332 (2004).     

The Somigliana ring dislocation

A basic elasticity solution applicable to an important class of internal stress problems related, for example, to fiber-matrix composites and spalling of cylindrical coatings is obtained. The basic problem that has been solved is that of the singular stress-displacement field resulting from the introduction of a Somigliana ring dislocation in an isotropic linear elastic solid. The Burgers vector of this dislocation has two components, one being normal to the plane of the circular ring dislocation (Volterra type) and the other being in the radial direction of the ring dislocation everywhere (Somigliana type). The analytical solution, in terms of complete elliptic integrals of the first, second and third kinds, is obtained using the Love stress function and Fourier transform. The results are verified numerically and by examining various limiting cases, including the straight edge dislocation as the radius of the dislocation loop tends to infinity, the orthogonal pair of dipoles as the radius tends to zero, and the Lamé solution of a cylindrical bar and a cylindrical hole in an infinite medium as the axial location of the dislocation tends to minus infinity. The resulting analytical solution is considered as a step towards evaluating both the extended stress field around and interactions among various three-dimensional defects such as cylindrical cracks, fiber-tips and fiber-matrix debonding.     

Structural and magnetic studies of the Zn-substituted magnesium ferrite chromate

The formation of iron oxide nanoparticles in course of a sol-gel preparation process was traced by UV/Vis and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer absorption spectroscopy. Samples were extracted at different stages of the reaction. While spectra measured on samples extracted at low reactor temperatures showed the starting materials Fe(acac)₃ diluted in benzyl alcohol undergoing slow paramagnetic relaxation, a sample extracted at a reactor temperature of 180 °C gave clear evidence for emerging iron oxide nanoparticles. A prolonged stay at 200 °C results in a complete transformation from Fe(acac)₃ to maghemite nanoparticles.     

Composite thin film materials on the basis of silver nanostructures on polymer matrix by methods of chemical metallization and self-assembling

The techniques of formation of thin metallic coatings by deposition of silver nanoparticles (NPs) from solution onto the surface of glass and silicon substrates modified by polyelectrolytes were developed. The possibilities of the adsorption of individual silver particles, as well as creation of continuous films on their basis, were shown. The transmission, absorption and reflection spectra of obtained coatings were investigated. The most promising structure for metamaterials creation from the list of formed one was determined—solid thin film of Ag NPs on a glass substrate modified by polyethylenimine.     

The fictitious force method for efficient calculation of vibration from a tunnel embedded in a multi-layered half-space

This paper presents an extension of the Pipe-in-Pipe (PiP) model for calculating vibrations from underground railways that allows for the incorporation of a multi-layered half-space geometry. The model is based on the assumption that the tunnel displacement is not influenced by the existence of a free surface or ground layers. The displacement at the tunnel–soil interface is calculated using a model of a tunnel embedded in a full space with soil properties corresponding to the soil in contact with the tunnel. Next, a full space model is used to determine the equivalent loads that produce the same displacements at the tunnel–soil interface. The soil displacements are calculated by multiplying these equivalent loads by Green?s functions for a layered half-space. The results and the computation time of the proposed model are compared with those of an alternative coupled finite element–boundary element model that accounts for a tunnel embedded in a multi-layered half-space. While the overall response of the multi-layered half-space is well predicted, spatial shifts in the interference patterns are observed that result from the superposition of direct waves and waves reflected on the free surface and layer interfaces. The proposed model is much faster and can be run on a personal computer with much less use of memory. Therefore, it is a promising design tool to predict vibration from underground tunnels and to assess the performance of vibration countermeasures in an early design stage.     

The effect of an external mechanical compression on in vivo optical properties of human skin

We have studied the influence of an external mechanical compression on diffuse reflection spectra of skin tissue under in vivo conditions. An analysis of these spectra based on the diffusion approximation of the radiation transfer theory has allowed us to find that the application of the external compression weakens absorbing and scattering properties of skin tissue. After the removal of the compression, the recovery time of the skin tissue (on the order of 1 h) considerably exceeds the stabilization time of its parameters after application of external mechanical compression (several minutes). In this case, at the initial moment of time after the removal of the compression, the fullness of blood vessels and the degree of oxygenation of blood hemoglobin in the skin tissue increase considerably compared to normal skin.     

An efficient MAI cancellation technique in Optical CDMA

Optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) is a promising operational system for future backhaul optical networks especially for switching and optical signal multiplexing. However, OCDMA operation is restricted by multiple access interference (MAI) due to the asynchronous nature of transmission. In this study, we discuss an efficient MAI technique for OCDMA systems that depends not only on using hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation but also on employing the double padded modified prime code (DPMPC) as a signature sequence. MAI cancellation is performed by subtracting a reference signal from the received signal of the desired user. The simulation results show that the performance of the FSK-OCDMA technique is superior to the performance of the PPM-OCDMA technique. Furthermore, the obtained results illustrate that the FSK-OCDMA technique is able to accommodate a large number of simultaneous active users with low error-rate.     

Block based embedding of encrypted watermarks using singular value decomposition

Watermarking is a solution to the problem of copyright protection of multimedia documents over the Internet. This paper presents a block based watermarking scheme using the singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm to embed encrypted watermarks into digital images. The paper compares between the traditional method of Liu and the proposed method for embedding encrypted watermarks. Also, a permutation based encryption algorithm and a diffusion based encryption algorithm are compared as the watermark encryption algorithms. Experimental results show that the proposed method is superior to the traditional method of Liu for embedding encrypted watermarks and extracting them efficiently under attacks. Results also show that it is preferred to use permutation based encryption algorithms than diffusion based encryption algorithms for watermark encryption due to their lower sensitivity to attacks.     

Self‐Assembled Heteroleptic Zn(II) Dithiocarbamate‐Based 2D‐Interwoven Supramolecular Giant Macrocycles and Their Redox Properties

This article presents a new heteroleptic Zn(II) dithiocarbamate ( 1 ) having molecules linked together via H···H and π···π interactions to form a giant hexanuclear macrocycle. These macrocycles are connected together through S···H interactions to offer a unique two‐dimensional cloth‐like interwoven architecture in the solid state. The redox behavior of the complex deposited on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode was investigated in different pH media. The analyte was found to oxidize and reduce in a pH‐dependent irreversible manner. On the basis of the electrochemical findings, redox mechanistic pathways were proposed.