A 155 Mbps laser diode driver with automatic power and extinction ratio control

An integrated laser diode driver(LDD) driving an edge-emitting laser diode was designed and fabricated by 0.35 μm BiCMOS technology. This paper proposes a scheme which combines the automatic power control loop and temperature com-pensation for modulation current in order to maintain constant extinction ratio and average optical power. To implement tem-perature compensation for modulation current,a novel circuit which generates a PTAT current by using the injecting base current of a bipolar transistor in saturation region,and alternates the amplifier feedback loop(closed or not) to control the state of the current path is presented. Simulation results showed that programmed by choice of external resistors,the IC can provide modu-lation current from 5 mA to 85 mA with temperature compensation adjustments and independent bias current from 4 mA to 100 mA. Optical test results showed that clear eye-diagrams can be obtained at 155 Mbps,with the output optical power being nearly constant,and the variation of extinction ratio being lower than 0.7 dB.     

Study on hydrodynamic vibration in fluidic flowmeter

The characteristics of the fluidic flowmeter,which is a combination of impinged concave wall and bistable fluid amplifier,is investigated by experimental studies and numerical simulations. The numerical approaches are utilized to examine the time dependent flow field and pressure field inside the proposed flowmeter. The effect of varying structural parameters on flow characteristics of the proposed fluidic flowmeter is investigated by computational simulations for the optimization. Both the simulation and experimental results disclose that the hydrodynamic vibration,with the same intensity,frequency and 180° phase shift,occurs at axisymmetric points in the feedback channel of the fluidic flowmeter. Using the structural combination of impinged concave wall and bistable fluid amplifier and differential signal processing technique,a novel fluidic flowmeter with excellent immunity and improved sensibility is developed.     

The limit analysis in soil and rock： a mature discipline of geomechanics

The solution of a slope stability problem can be approached by its least upper-bound and maximum lower-bound with high accuracy. The limit equilibrium methods that employ vertical slices imply a lower bound of the factor of safety. It has been successfully extended to the area of active earth pressure analysis that accounts for different input of locations of earth pressure applications. Those methods that employ slices with inclined interfaces give an upper-bound approach to the stability analysis. It enjoys a sound mechanical background and is able to provide accurate solutions of soil plasticity. It has been successfully extended to the area of bearing capacity analysis in which various empirical coefficients are no longer necessary. The 3D upper- and lower-bound methods under this framework have been made possible and show great potential for solving various engineering problems.     

Effects of slag fineness on durability of mortars

In recent years, the usages of by-products and wastes in industry have become more important. The importance of the sustainable development is also of increasing. The utilizations of wastes, as mineral admixture or fine aggregate, reduce the consumption of the natural resources and improve the durability of concrete. In this study, the effect of the fineness on the high temperature and sulphate resistances of concrete mortar specimens, produced with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) replacing cement, is investigated. The compressive and flexural strength test results for all series related to durability effects, exposing temperature and solutions, exposure times for these durability effects, slag content and fineness are discussed. Conse- quently, the optimum slag contents are determined for producing the sulphate and high temperature resistant mortars.     

Research on the operating characteristics of parallel 4-DOF electric platform with 4TPS-PS structure

The 4TPS-PS parallel platform designed for a stabilization and automatic tracking system is a novel lower-mobility parallel mechanism. In the first part of this paper, the structure of the platform is described and the kinematics model is built. The workspace of the platform is defined as the full reachable rotation workspace when the Z coordinate dimension of the upper plate varies continuously. A fast searching method of the full reachable workspace is presented, after which the inverse kinematics of the platform is deduced. The forward and inverse solutions of the speed and force of the platform are deduced. According to the characteristic of the 4TPS-PS platform’s structure, a fast searching algorithm of the maximum generalized speed and maximum generalized force output by the upper plate is put forward based on the forward and inverse solutions of the platform’s speed and force. The 4TPS-PS platform prototype built by the State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control of China is taken as the research subject. The full reachable rotation workspace of the prototype is computed out and analyzed. The curves of maximum generalized speed and maximum generalized force of the prototype are computed out and plotted. Finally, the com- puting and analyzing results of the operating characteristics are confirmed through the experiment.     

Influences affecting the soil-water characteristic curve

INTRODUCTION The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) gives the relationship between the amount of water in the soil (i.e. gravimetric or volumetric water content) and soil suction (i.e. matric suction at low suction and total suction at high suction). Many properties of a partially saturated soil such as the coefficient of permeability, shear strength and volume strain, pore size distribution, the amount of water contained in the pores at any suction, can be obtained from the SWCC. …     

Initial and Further Education: Substitutes or Complements? Differences in Continuing Education and Training over the Life-Course of European Workers

This investigation examines the place of initial and further education in continuing education and training over the life-course of workers across Europe. The evidence presented demonstrates that in countries with a strong orientation towards vocational education, participation in continuing education and training among employees is higher than in countries that mainly provide general education. Moreover, it can be seen that the effect of the vocational orientation of the education system increases over the life-course of workers. The conclusion of this investigation is that further education complements rather than substitutes for initial education. This implies that national education and training policies meant to encourage lifelong learning should not only attempt to expand or redirect training received by already experienced workers, but also try to facilitate participation in initial vocational training.     

Reformation of VET and demands on teachers’ subject knowledge – Swedish vocational teachers’ recurrent participation in a national CPD initiative

This study investigates continuing professional development (CPD) of vocational teachers, with a focus on recurrent participation. Vocational teachers need to be competent as teachers and in relation to their vocational teaching subject. Reformation of Swedish vocational education in order to strengthen the working-life connection imposes demands on teachers to have up-to-date knowledge about the vocations related to their vocational subjects. To support the reform, vocational teachers have been offered to participate in a new national CPD initiative targeting their vocational competence. The study concerns participation in this initiative. Drawing on a socio-cultural perspective, vocational teachers’ CPD implies boundary-crossing between school and working-life. Theory concerning adults’ participation in education is considered relevant to understand conditions for such boundary-crossing, and learning, among vocational teachers. The article specifically investigates patterns in vocational teachers’ recurrent participation, which is expected to clarify the factors influencing further participation in professional development. The strongest predictor of recurrent participation, when adjusting for the influence of other factors, is the type of municipality that the teacher comes from, with low populated municipalities having the lowest likelihood of participation. Furthermore, recurrent participation is more likely by participating teachers from adult education or from privately owned schools, and by male teachers.     

A Diagnostic-Remediation Teaching System for Enhancing Elementary Students’ Science Listening Comprehension

The purpose of this study was to explore elementary students’ listening comprehension changes using a Web-based teaching system that can diagnose and remediate students’ science listening comprehension problems during scientific inquiry. The 3-component system consisted of a 9-item science listening comprehension test, a 37-item diagnostic test, and 107 scaffoldings of listening strategies. The diagnostic and remediation system was trialed with grade 6 students (N?= 526) from southern Taiwan who were selected by cluster sampling. The participants were asked to take the 3 components individually on a computer. The students’ responses were collected and analyzed to document performance and changes. Results indicated that the diagnostic test had a positive influence on science listening comprehension proficiency and addressed potential problems, while the scaffolding helped remediate confirmed listening difficulties. Instructional implications for classroom diagnosis–remediation applications are discussed and future research is outlined.