Throughput of a satellite channel communication

Summary The throughput of a satellite channel communication is depending upon the link protocol. It is well known that the classical HDLC protocol is inadequate when applied to satellite links instead of short terrestrial links. Several modifications have been proposed to overcome this problem. The present paper gives an analysis and evaluation of a new class of protocols called Virtual Subchannel schemes which splits the satellite link into several components; these subchannels are assigned for transmission in cyclic order and are controlled independently of each other by the classical HDLC procedure.     

A Simple Electronic Analog of the Squid Axon Membrane: The NEUROFET

A simple electronic circuit is proposed as an analog of the excitable membrane. It is based on the Hodgkin-Huxley model and their squid axon voltage clamp data. The simulated potassium and sodium conductances are reproduced satisfactorily and the electronic action potentials are very similar to the experimentally recorded ones. Since this analog contains only a few electronic elements, it is small and inexpensive to build. It could be very useful as a means of simulating a wide variety of membrane conductances and different types of action potentials. Also, the simplicity of the circuit makes it an ideal unit to build complex neuron networks.     

AXIAL PHASES DISTRIBUTION AND HOMOGENIZATION IN THREE-PHASE FLUIDIZED BEDS

We have investigated the axial distribution of the liquid phase in a three-phase fluidized bed in which the particles were glass beads of two different diameters, 710-850 μm and 2 mm. Two methods were used to reduce the axial heterogeneity and homogenize the bed: the use of packing elements and the addition of a small quantity of a high molecular weight polymer. The use of packing elements was shown to be very efficient in controlling phases distribution in the bed. The packing consisted of 1 mm thick steel horizontal plates punched and stretched to obtain parallelogram-shaped openings. The addition of a high molecular weight polyisobutylene (BASF Oppanol B246, M_u, =6.15 Lo⁶) on the phase distribution was also studied. Low polymer concentrations up to 397 ppm (based on the liquid phase) were investigated. The addition of the polymer reduced bubble coalescence and allowed for a better distribution of the phases.     

The influence of demineralisation and ammoxidation on the adsorption properties of an activated carbon prepared from a Polish lignite

The preparation of cheap nitrogen-enriched materials with large adsorptive capacities and selectivity towards volatile organic compounds remains a challenge. Ammoxidation has been used to prepare nitrogen-enriched activated carbons using a demineralised Polish lignite. The lignite samples were demineralised by two different methods before nitrogen-enrichment by ammoxidation and physical activation in steam. The surface chemistry was investigated by elemental analysis, Boehm titration, infrared and XPS spectroscopies and adsorptive properties by a linear solvation energy relationship approach. Results show a quasi-total demineralisation and a higher reactivity towards nitrogen for the demineralised samples. The BET surface is also higher than for the non-demineralised lignite. Active carbons previously ammoxidated and demineralised are more interesting in terms of selective removal of gaseous pollutants.     

Reaction kinetics modeling and thermal properties of epoxy–amines as measured by modulated‐temperature DSC. II. Network‐forming DGEBA + MDA

Reaction‐induced vitrification takes place in the network‐forming epoxy–amine system diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) + methylenedianiline (MDA) when the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) rises above the cure temperature (T_cure). This chemorheological transition results in diffusion‐controlled reaction and can be followed simultaneously with the reaction rate in modulated‐temperature DSC (MTDSC). To predict the effect of T_cure and the NH/epoxy molar mixing ratio (r) on the reaction rate in chemically controlled conditions, a mechanistic approach was used based on the nonreversing heat flow and heat capacity MTDSC signals, in which the reaction steps of primary (E_1OH = 44 kJ mol^?1) and secondary amine (E_2OH = 48 kJ mol^?1) with the epoxy–hydroxyl complex predominating. The diffusion factor DF as defined by the Rabinowitch approach expresses whether the chemical reaction rate or the diffusion rate determines the overall reaction rate. A model based on the free volume theory together with an Arrhenius temperature dependency was used to calculate the diffusion rate constant in DF as a function of conversion (x) and T_cure. The relation between x, r, and T_g, needed in this model, can be predicted with the Couchman equation. An experimental approximation for DF is the mobility factor DF* obtained from the heat capacity signal at a modulation frequency of 1/60 Hz, normalized for the effect of the reaction heat capacity in the liquid state and the change in C_p in the glassy region with x and T_cure. In this way, an optimized set of diffusion parameters was obtained that, together with the optimized kinetic parameters set, can predict the reaction rate for different cure schedules and for stoichiometric and off‐stoichiometric mixtures. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2814–2833, 2004     

Recent progress in road and lane detection: a survey

The problem of road or lane perception is a crucial enabler for advanced driver assistance systems. As such, it has been an active field of research for the past two decades with considerable progress made in the past few years. The problem was confronted under various scenarios, with different task definitions, leading to usage of diverse sensing modalities and approaches. In this paper we survey the approaches and the algorithmic techniques devised for the various modalities over the last 5 years. We present a generic break down of the problem into its functional building blocks and elaborate the wide range of proposed methods within this scheme. For each functional block, we describe the possible implementations suggested and analyze their underlying assumptions. While impressive advancements were demonstrated at limited scenarios, inspection into the needs of next generation systems reveals significant gaps. We identify these gaps and suggest research directions that may bridge them.     

A 60‐GHz on‐chip slot‐array antenna in integrated‐passive‐device technology for antenna‐in‐package applications

A new millimeter‐wave antenna structure on a low‐cost, production platform integrated passive device technology is presented. The antenna consists of a 2‐by‐1 array of slot antennas at 60 GHz. An in‐house developed on‐chip antenna measurement setup was used to characterize the fabricated antenna. The measurement results show an antenna gain of more than 5 dBi with a return loss of 18 dB at 60 GHz. The better‐than‐10‐dB impedance bandwidth of the antenna covers the 60‐GHz unlicensed band from 57 to 64 GHz. The 3‐dB beamwidths of the antenna are 105° and 76° at E‐plane and H‐plane at 60 GHz, respectively. The size of the die of the antenna is 2 mm × 4.5 mm. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 24:155–160, 2014.     

Nearly-Linear Work Parallel SDD Solvers,Low-Diameter Decomposition,and Low-Stretch Subgraphs

We present the design and analysis of a nearly-linear work parallel algorithm for solving symmetric diagonally dominant (SDD) linear systems. On input an SDD n-by-n matrix A with m nonzero entries and a vector b, our algorithm computes a vector \(\tilde{x}\) such that \(\|\tilde{x} - A^{+}b\|_{A} \leq\varepsilon\cdot\|{A^{+}b}\|_{A}\) in \(O(m\log^{O(1)}{n}\log {\frac{1}{\varepsilon}})\) work and \(O(m^{1/3+\theta}\log\frac{1}{\varepsilon})\) depth for any θ>0, where A ⁺ denotes the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse of A. The algorithm relies on a parallel algorithm for generating low-stretch spanning trees or spanning subgraphs. To this end, we first develop a parallel decomposition algorithm that in O(mlog ^O(1) n) work and polylogarithmic depth, partitions a graph with n nodes and m edges into components with polylogarithmic diameter such that only a small fraction of the original edges are between the components. This can be used to generate low-stretch spanning trees with average stretch O(n ^α ) in O(mlog ^O(1) n) work and O(n ^α ) depth for any α>0. Alternatively, it can be used to generate spanning subgraphs with polylogarithmic average stretch in O(mlog ^O(1) n) work and polylogarithmic depth. We apply this subgraph construction to derive a parallel linear solver. By using this solver in known applications, our results imply improved parallel randomized algorithms for several problems, including single-source shortest paths, maximum flow, minimum-cost flow, and approximate maximum flow.     

On the Relation of Job Insecurity,Job Autonomy,Innovative Work Behaviour and the Mediating Effect of Work Engagement

European policy is focusing on innovation as a way out of the economic crisis. At the same time, job insecurity is rising as Europe is still in crisis. In this paper, we examine whether job insecurity affects the innovative work behaviour of employees by focusing on the relation between job insecurity, job autonomy, work engagement and innovative work behaviour (IWB). Using employee level survey data, we use structural equation modelling to disentangle the relations between these variables. The partially mediated model shows the best fit with the data. This model shows that job insecurity and autonomy are both directly and indirectly, through work engagement, related with IWB. For autonomy these relations are positive, while they are negative (and smaller) for job insecurity. Moreover, a negative covariance is observed between job insecurity and autonomy.