Stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) lose a significant fraction of their mass to their surroundings through stellar winds. As a result, they are surrounded by circumstellar shells of gas and dust. This stellar mass loss replenishes and enriches the interstellar medium (ISM) with the products of stellar nucleosynthesis, progressively increasing its metallicity and thereby driving galactic chemical evolution. In this thesis I present a comprehensive study of oxygen-rich (O-rich) AGB stars and red supergiants (RSG) observed with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph and Infrared Space Observatory Short Wavelength Spectrometer in the Milky Way, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and Galactic globular clusters; focusing on the composition of the dust in the circumstellar envelopes surrounding these stars. Combining spectroscopic and photometric observations with the GRAMS grid of radiative transfer models to derive (dust) mass-loss rates, I detect crystalline silicates in stars with dust mass-loss rates which span over a factor of 1000, down to rates of ~10^{-9} Msun/yr. Detections of crystalline silicates are more prevalent in higher mass-loss rate objects, and our results indicate that the dust mass-loss rate has a greater influence on the crystalline fraction than the gas mass-loss rate, suggesting that thermal annealing of amorphous silicate grains is the primary formation mechanism of crystalline silicates in such environments rather than the direct condensation of crystalline silicates from the gas phase. I also find that metallicity influences the composition of crystalline silicates, with enstatite seen increasingly at low metallicity, while forsterite becomes depleted at these metallicities due to the different chemical composition of the gas. To trace the evolution of alumina and silicate dust along the AGB, I present an alternative grid of MODUST radiative transfer-models for a range of dust compositions, mass-loss rates, dust shell inner radii and stellar parameters. Our analysis shows that the AKARI [11]-[15] versus [3.2]-[7] colour is a robust indicator of the fractional abundance of alumina in O-rich AGB stars. From the modelling, I show that a grain mixture consisting primarily of amorphous silicates, with contributions from amorphous alumina and metallic iron provides a good fit to the observed spectra of O-rich AGB stars in the LMC. In agreement with previous studies, we find a correlation between the dust composition and mass-loss rate; the lower the mass-loss rate the higher the percentage of alumina in the shell. Finally, I present mid-infrared observations of the Local Group dwarf elliptical galaxy M32; where I find a large population of dust-enshrouded stars. These observations will act as a pathfinder for future observations with the JWST and SPICA.

Evolved stars and planetary nebulae are rich and varied sites of molecule and dust formation. These objects undergo dramatic mass loss which ultimately enriches the interstellar medium. In this thesis, a number of studies, outlined below, have been undertaken to better understand the chemical and physical properties of these diverse objects. A molecular line survey of a sample of evolved stars and planetary nebulae has been carried out using the Mopra radio telescope, Australia. Transitions with hyperfine structure have been fitted to constrain optical depths. The population diagram method was applied to determine the rotation temperatures of molecules which had multiple transitions available. Column densities have been calculated for all detected species and isotopic ratios measured where possible. The results include the corroboration of the classification of II Lup as a J-type star. The 89.087 GHz HCN maser was detected in IRAS 15082-4808 for the first time from the aforementioned survey, bringing the total number of detections of this maser to ten. The velocity shift of this maser has been measured at −2.0+/-0.9 km/s. Drawing on literature data in addition to the survey data, the variation of maser intensity with pulsation phase has been investigated across all sources for the first time. Comparing these masers with model atmospheres constrains the formation region to between 2 and 4 stellar radii. CO in the circumstellar envelope of II Lup has been modelled using the radiative transfer codes GASTRoNOoM, and ComboCode. The models have demonstrated that a ‘standard’ smooth model does not satisfactorily reproduce the combined CO observations of PACS, JCMT, Mopra and APEX. Two potential solutions are proposed: a discontinuous temperature model, requiring the presence of an efficient cooling molecule that is most effective in the region 75-200 R*, or a variable mass loss model that requires a factor of ten increase inmass loss in the same region. Zinc abundances, a proxy for iron abundances, have been determined for a sample of Galactic planetary nebulae using the [Zn IV] 3.625 μm line. O++/O has been shown to be a reliable ionisation correction factor for Zn3+ from Cloudy photoionisation models. The majority of the sample are sub-solar in [Zn/H] and enriched in [O/Zn]. Zinc abundances as functions of Galactocentric distance have also been investigated and no evidence for a trend has been found.

Manual design of levels can be an expensive and time consuming process. Procedural content generation (PCG) entails methods to algorithmically generate game content such as levels. One such way is by using cellular automata (CA), and in particular evolved cellular automata. Existing research primarily considers specifically determined starting states, as opposed to randomly initialized ones. In this paper we investigate the current state of the art regarding using CA’s that have been evolved with a genetic algorithm (GA) for level generation purposes. Additionally, we create a level generator that uses a GA in order to evolve CA rules for the creation of maze-like 2d levels which can be used in video games. Specifically, we investigate if it is possible to evolve CA rules that, when applied to a set of random starting states, could transform these into game levels with long solution paths and a large number of dead ends. We generate 60 levels over 6 experiments, rendering 58 playable levels. Our analysis of the levels show some flaws in certain levels, such as large numbers of unreachable cells. Additionally, the results indicate that the designed GA can be further improved upon. Finally, we conclude that it is possible to evolve CA rules that can transform a set of random starting states into game levels.

A number of substellar companions to evolved cool stars have now been reported. Cool giants are distinct from their progenitor main-sequence low-mass stars in a number of ways. First, the mass loss rates of cool giant stars are orders of magnitude greater than for the late-type main-sequence stars. Secondly, on the cool side of the Linsky–Haisch ‘dividing line’, K and M giant stars are not X-ray sources, although they do show evidence for chromospheres. As a result, cool star winds are largely neutral for those spectral types, suggesting that planetary or brown dwarf magnetospheres will not be effective in standing off the stellar wind. In this case, one expects the formation of a bow shock morphology at the companion, deep inside its magnetosphere. We explore radio emissions from substellar companions to giant stars using (a) the radiometric Bode's law and (b) a model for a bow shock morphology. Stars that are X-ray emitters likely have fully ionized winds, and the radio emission can be at the milli-Jansky level in favourable conditions. Non-coronal giant stars produce only micro-Jansky level emissions when adjusted for low-level ionizations. If the largely neutral flow penetrates the magnetosphere, a bow shock results that can be strong enough to ionize hydrogen. The incoherent cyclotron emission is sub-micro-Jansky. However, the long wavelength radio emission of Solar system objects is dominated by the cyclotron maser instability (CMI) mechanism. Our study leads to the following two observational prospects. First, for coronal giant stars that have ionized winds, application of the radiometic Bode's law indicates that long wavelength emission from substellar companions to giant stars may be detectable or nearly detectable with existing facilities. Secondly, for the non-coronal giant stars that have neutral winds, the resultant bow shock may act as a ‘feeder’ of electrons that is well embedded in the companion's magnetosphere. Incoherent cyclotron emissions are far too faint to be detectable, even with next generation facilities; however, much brighter flux densities may be achievable when CMI is considered.

In mobile networks, the mobile core plays a crucial role in providing connectivity between mobile user devices and external packet data networks such as the Internet. Through the years, along with the dramatical changes in radio access networks, the mobile core has also been evolved from being a circuit-based analog telephony system in its first generation (1G) to become a purely packet-based network called the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) in the current generation (4G). In recent years, the explosion of mobile data traffic and devices and the advent of new services have led to the investigation of the next generation of mobile networks, i.e., 5G. A wide range of technologies has been proposed as candidates for the development of 5G. Among other technology candidates, Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) have been widely considered to be key enablers for the network architecture of 5G, especially the mobile packet core (MPC) network. This thesis aims at identifying benefits and challenges of introducing SDN and NFV to re-achitect the current MPC network architecture towards 5G and addressing some of the challenges. To this end, we conduct a comprehensive literature review of the state-of-the-art work leveraging SDN and NFV to re-design the 4G EPC architecture. Through this survey work, several research questions for future work have been identified and we contribute to address two of them in this thesis. Firstly, since most of the current works focus on unicast services, we propose an SDN/NFV-based MPC architecture for providing multicast and broadcast services. Our numerical results show that the proposed architecture can reduce the total signaling cost compared to the traditional architecture. Secondly, we address the question regarding the scalability of the control plane. We take the Mobility Management Entity (MME) - one of the EPC key control plane entities - as a case study. In our work, the MME is deployed as a cluster of multiple virtual instances (vMMEs) and a front-end load balancer. We focus on investigating different approaches to achieve better load balancing among these vMMEs, which in turn improves scalability. Our experimental results suggest that carefully selected load balancing algorithms can significantly reduce the control plane latency. / In mobile networks, the mobile core plays a crucial role in providing connectivity between mobile user devices and external packet data networks such as the Internet. After more than three decades, the mobile core has been gradually evolved through four generations and is called the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) in the current generation (4G). In recent years, the explosion of mobile data traffic and devices and the advent of new services have led to the investigation of the next generation of mobile networks, i.e., 5G. Among other technology candidates, Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) have been widely considered to be key enablers for the network architecture of 5G, especially the mobile packet core (MPC) network. This thesis aims at identifying benefits and challenges of introducing SDN and NFV to re-achitect the current MPC architecture towards 5G and addressing some of the challenges. To this end, we conduct a comprehensive survey of the existing SDN/NFV-based MPC architectures. Through this survey work, several research questions for future work have been identified and we contribute to address two of the research questions. Firstly, we propose an SDN/NFV-based MPC architecture for providing multicast and broadcast services. Secondly, we tackle the scalability problem of the Mobility Management Entity (MME) - one of the EPC key control plane entities. In particular, we investigate different approaches to achieve better load balancing among virtual MMEs in a virtual and distributed MME design, which in turn improves scalability. / HITS, 4707

Les mécanismes physiques de la perte de masse des étoiles évoluées sont encore largement inconnus. Ce processus essentiel est pourtant le moteur principal de l'évolution chimique du milieu interstellaire. Pour les supergéantes rouges (SGR), le déclenchement de l'éjection de la matière et les mécanismes de condensation de la poussière demeurent mal compris. La façon dont les géantes rouges parviennent à former des nébuleuses planétaires non-Sphériques est aussi inconnue. Au cours de ma thèse j'ai étudié des étoiles évoluées grâce à des techniques de haute résolution angulaire permettant de détailler leur surface et leur environnement proche où se trouve l'origine de la perte de masse. À partir d'observations interférométriques en infrarouge (IR), j'ai caractérisé l'enveloppe de vapeur d'eau et de monoxyde de carbone de la SGR Bételgeuse. J'ai également suivi l'évolution d'un point chaud à sa surface et analysé la structure de sa convection ainsi que celle d'Antarès (une autre SGR très proche) grâce à des simulations hydrodynamiques radiatives. L'imagerie à la limite de diffraction (optique adaptative en IR, télescope spatial en ultraviolet) m'a permis d'étudier l'évolution des inhomogénéités de l'enveloppe circumstellaire de Bételgeuse et découvrir un disque circumstellaire autour de L2 Puppis, une étoile de la branche asymptotique des géantes. Ces observations multi-Longueurs d'onde, répétées à plusieurs époques, m'ont permis d'initier un suivi temporel et d'apporter des informations sur la dynamique en jeu. Renouvelé sur un plus grand échantillon d'étoiles dans les années à venir, ce programme permettra de mieux appréhender la perte de masse des étoiles évoluées. / Mass loss of evolved stars is still largely mysterious, despite its importance as the main evolution engine for the chemical composition of the interstellar medium. For red supergiants (RSG), the triggering of the outflow and the mechanism of dust condensation remain unknown. Concerning red giant stars, we still do not know how their mass loss is able to form a bipolar planetary nebula. During my PhD thesis, I observed evolved stars with high angular resolution techniques. They allowed us to study the surface and the close environment of these stars, from where mass loss originates. With near-Infrared interferometric observations, I characterized the water vapor and carbon monoxide envelope of the nearby RSG Betelgeuse. I also monitored a hot spot on its surface and analyzed the structure of its convection, as well as that of Antares (another very nearby supergiant) thanks to radiative hydrodynamical simulations. Diffraction-Limited imaging techniques (near-Infrared adaptive optics, ultraviolet space telescope) allowed me to observe the evolution of inhomogeneities in the circumstellar envelope of Betelgeuse and to discover a circumstellar disk around L2 Puppis, an asymptotic giant branch star. These multi-Scale and multi-Wavelength observations obtained at several epochs allowed us to monitor the evolution of the structures and to derive information on the dynamics of the stellar environment. With a wider stellar sample expected in the next few years, this observing program will allow a better understanding of the mass loss of evolved stars.

Content: The thermal degradation kinetics of hides before and after being tanned with formaldehyde were investigated using thermalgravimetric analysis (TGA) at four different heating rates of 5, 10, 20, 30 K/min. Such model-free methods as Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Friedman as well as model-fitting method of Criado were employed to determine the thermal degradation active energy and degradation mechanism. Based on the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Friedman methods, the average active energy (Ea) of formaldehyde-tanned leather was 223.1 kJ/mol and 230.7 kJ/mol respectively. Results from general master curves showed diffusion processes in the thermal degradation of formaldehyde-tanned leather. Neither the thermal degradation activation energy nor the degradation mechanism is affected by the formaldehyde tanning. Nevertheless, the results by thermalgravimetric analyzer coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (TG-FTIR) indicated difference in the relative amounts of evolved products. According to the 3D-FTIR analysis, the dominant components of evolved gas for both untanned and tanned hides are CO2, CH4, H2O, NH3 along with small amount of HNCO. However, after formaldehyde tanning, both the evolved NH3 by the decomposition of free –NH2 groups and peptide –NH– groups from different amino acids in collagen and CH4 by the cleavage of -CH3 and -CH2- increase. Take-Away: 1. The theraml degradtion mechanism of hides before and after formaldehyde-tanning is eatablished in our paper. 2. The main degradation pathway of hides before and after formaldehyde-tanning is discussed with the help of TG-FTIR analysis.

More than 80% of the stars in the Universe are expected to have initial masses below eight to ten times the mass of our sun. These low mass stars, including our sun, become cool red giants during one of the final evolutionary stages of their life: the Asymptotic Giant Branch (or AGB) phase. AGB stars are among the main producers of carbon and heavy (s-process) elements in the Universe. These elements are synthesized inside the star and mixed to the stellar atmosphere where stellar winds are responsible for the loss of more than 50% of the stellar mass, hence, AGB stars are strong polluters of the interstellar medium. The ejected material can clump together into dusty particles which may serve as ingredients for the birth of new stars and planets. When most of the AGB stellar envelope is lost, the AGB star stops releasing nuclear energy from interior processes and swaps its giant face for a planetary nebulae look, whereafter it fades away as a white dwarf.<p><p>The dredge-up of carbon and s-process elements into the AGB atmosphere causes an important chemical anomaly among them: initial oxygen-rich stars (M stars) are transformed into carbon-rich stars (C stars). As a consequence, a group of oxygen-rich AGB stars exists which makes the transition between M and C stars. These transition stars are classified as S.<p><p>Although AGB stars are identified as producers of heavy elements, their nucleosynthesis and mixing processes are weakly constrained due to large uncertainties on their estimated temperature, gravity and chemical composition. Stronger constraints on the atmospheric parameter space, hence interior processes, of AGB stars can be obtained by investigating the atmosphere of S stars. Since they are transition objects on the AGB, they trace the rise of the s-process. S stars are less numerous than C stars, but their optical spectra are brighter making it easier to identify atomic and molecular lines. Therefore, S stars belong to the most interesting objects along the AGB to perform this task.<p><p><p><p>From a practical point of view, the spectra of S stars are extremely difficult to study since they are dominated by different, overlapping molecular bands, and the spectral shape may vary strongly from star to star due to their transition status. Therefore, tailored model atmospheres for S stars are of utmost importance to understand the spectroscopic, and even photometric, changes in terms of variations in the atmospheric parameters. A comparison between the models and observations aims not only at constraining the atmospheric parameter space of S stars, it will also test the reliability of 1D state-of-the-art model atmospheres for such complex stars.<p><p><p><p>From an evolutionary point of view, the S-star family is contaminated with stars who gained their atmospheric enrichment in heavy elements from a companion star. Evidences were found that these binary S stars are not at all located on the AGB, hence, they are labelled as extrinsic S stars while S stars on the AGB are labelled as intrinsic. The difference in evolutionary stages between intrinsic and extrinsic S stars was already found 20 years ago, however, a separation in terms of surface temperature, gravity and chemical composition is not well-established due to the lack of S-star model atmospheres. Such a distinction in atmospheric parameters will facilitate the discovery of these intruders and even help to calibrate stellar evolutionary models of single and binary stars.<p>To achieve these goals, the first step consists in the construction of a grid of model atmospheres for S stars. The grid will be used to quantify the influence of atmospheric parameters on the model structure and emergent flux. These results will be analyzed to derive precise atmospheric parameters of observed S stars, using a set of well-defined photometric and spectroscopic indices. Once the best model atmosphere has been selected for all observed S stars, their atmospheric parameters will be discussed in view of their evolutionary stage. The best-fitting model atmosphere will also be used to derive abundances from spectral syntheses. The abundance profiles are compared with stellar evolution model prediction to constrain nucleosynthesis and mixing processes inside S stars. Derived abundances of unstable elements will be used to estimate, for the first time, the age of AGB stars. Finally, their abundance profile will be discussed as a function of their time spent on the AGB. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

With National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) Advanced Wireless Services (AWS-3) auction of frequencies in the 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780MHz, and 2155- 2180MHz bands, users of the Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry (AMT) band from 1755- 1850MHz, known as Upper L-Band, could be greatly affected. This paper takes an initial look at how the 1755-1780MHz band will be used by the cellular carriers and presents some preliminary testing results of adjacent channel (band) interference that could be experienced by AMT users. This paper should be considered as the stepping off point for future interference discussions, required analysis, and further testing.

A stable mixed culture, deposited as ATCC 55644, previously shown to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons at relatively high concentrations was used as the source of inoculum. This culture was grown in Stanier’s minimal media, either in the presence of different concentrations of naphthalene, nitrobenzene and toluene (NNT) or naphthalene and toluene (NT) as the sole source of C and/or N. Results showed that the majority of the strains isolated from the mixed culture were able to grow in the presence of NNT or NT. A total of 20 different isolates were isolated from the mixed culture. Individual isolates were grown in Stanier’s minimal medium containing a single hydrocarbon as the source of carbon or carbon and nitrogen. Only one strain was found to grow solely in the presence of nitrobenzene as the source of C and N. Most of the other isolates were able to grow in the presence of naphthalene, toluene, acenaphthene, anthracene, fluoranthene and phenanthrene, n-dodecane, hexadecane, n-pentadecane, n-tetradecane, and n-octadecane. Planktonic and immobilized cells of the controlled mixed culture (ATCC 55644) were grown in separate Sequential Batch Reactors (SBR) using Stanier's media, to which naphthalene, nitrobenzene and toluene were added as the sole source of C and/or N. Biodegradation was determined by measuring the residual hydrocarbon in the SBR and the amount of trapped volatile organic carbon (VOC) and the evolved CO2. Gas chromatography data showed that immobilized cells were able to degrade NNT faster than the planktonic cells. This observation was confirmed by CO2 evolution. Over time the loading of hydrocarbon was significantly increased from a starting level of 400 ppm (Naphthalene), 100 ppm (Nitrobenzene), and 500 ppm (toluene), to a final level of 3000 ppm (Naphthalene), 400 ppm (Nitrobenzene), and 1600 ppm (toluene). While increasing nutrient loading, the frequency of re-feeding with hydrocarbons was changed from an initial re-feeding every 60 hrs to a final re-feeding frequency of 18 hrs. The experiments clearly showed that the attached, mixed microbial community was able to effectively and rapidly degrade high concentrations of hydrocarbons. This demonstrated the practical advantages of employing attached, mixed microbial cultures in a SBR.