Performance Enhancement of 5G OFDM Systems Using Modified Raised Cosine Power Pulse

Wireless Personal Communications - OFDM is a key modulation technology of current wireless communication systems such as 4G LTE/LTE-A. The fifth generation (5G) of wireless cellular networks is...     

Teleportation of a qubit using entangled non-orthogonal states: a comparative study

The effect of non-orthogonality of an entangled non-orthogonal state-based quantum channel is investigated in detail in the context of the teleportation of a qubit. Specifically, average fidelity, minimum fidelity and minimum assured fidelity (MASFI) are obtained for teleportation of a single-qubit state using all the Bell-type entangled non-orthogonal states known as quasi-Bell states. Using Horodecki criterion, it is shown that the teleportation scheme obtained by replacing the quantum channel (Bell state) of the usual teleportation scheme by a quasi-Bell state is optimal. Further, the performance of various quasi-Bell states as teleportation channel is compared in an ideal situation (i.e., in the absence of noise) and under different noise models (e.g., amplitude and phase damping channels). It is observed that the best choice of the quasi-Bell state depends on the amount non-orthogonality, both in noisy and noiseless case. A specific quasi-Bell state, which was found to be maximally entangled in the ideal conditions, is shown to be less efficient as a teleportation channel compared to other quasi-Bell states in particular cases when subjected to noisy channels. It has also been observed that usually the value of average fidelity falls with an increase in the number of qubits exposed to noisy channels (viz., Alice’s, Bob’s and to be teleported qubits), but the converse may be observed in some particular cases.     

A Stereo‐Matching Technique for Recovering 3D Information from Underwater Inspection Imagery

Underwater inspections stand to gain from using stereo imaging systems to collect three‐dimensional measurements. Although many stereo‐matching algorithms have been devised to solve the correspondence problem, that is, find the same points in multiple images, these algorithms often perform poorly when applied to images of underwater scenes due to the poor visibility and the complex underwater light field. This article presents a new stereo‐matching algorithm, called PaLPaBEL (Pyramidal Loopy Propagated BELief) that is designed to operate on challenging imagery. At its core, PaLPaBEL is a semiglobal method based on a loopy belief propagation message passing algorithm applied on a Markov random field. A pyramidal scheme is adopted that enables wide disparity ranges and high‐resolution images to be handled efficiently. For performance evaluation, PaLPaBEL is applied to underwater stereo images captured under various visibility conditions in a laboratory setting, and to synthetic imagery created in a virtual underwater environment. The technique is also demonstrated on stereo images obtained from a real‐world inspection. The successful results indicate that PaLPaBEL is well suited for underwater application and has value as a tool for the cost‐effective inspection of marine structures.     

Review of micro- and nanoplastic contamination in the food chain

Whereas the dramatic environmental impact of plastic waste rightfully receives considerable attention by scientists, policy makers and public in general, the human health impact of micro- and nanoplastics contamination of our food and beverages remains largely unknown. Indeed, most studies aim at understanding the environmental impact rather than the human health impact of a possible exposure to micro- and nanoplastics. In addition, these papers generally lack a methodological, standardised approach. Furthermore, some studies focus on the damage to and contamination level of animal species collected from the wild environment, and others investigate the rate and biology of microplastic uptake of animals fed with microplastics in laboratory. This review aims at understanding human exposure. Since there is, with few exceptions, no evidence available on the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in a normal diet, this study takes an indirect approach and analyses peer-reviewed publications since 2010 that document the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in those animals (more than 200 species) and food products that are part of the human food chain and that may thus contribute directly or indirectly to the uptake of micro- and nanoplastics via the human diet. It also addresses the question of the definitions, the methodologies and the quality criteria applied to obtain the reported results. This review suggests that, beyond a few estimations and comparisons, precise data to assess the exact exposure of humans to micro- and nanoplastics through their diet cannot be produced until standardised methods and definitions are available.     

The effect of remodelling and contractility of the actin cytoskeleton on the shear resistance of single cells: a computational and experimental investigation

The biomechanisms that govern the response of chondrocytes to mechanical stimuli are poorly understood. In this study, a series of in vitro tests are performed, in which single chondrocytes are subjected to shear deformation by a horizontally moving probe. Dramatically different probe force–indentation curves are obtained for untreated cells and for cells in which the actin cytoskeleton has been disrupted. Untreated cells exhibit a rapid increase in force upon probe contact followed by yielding behaviour. Cells in which the contractile actin cytoskeleton was removed exhibit a linear force–indentation response. In order to investigate the mechanisms underlying this behaviour, a three-dimensional active modelling framework incorporating stress fibre (SF) remodelling and contractility is used to simulate the in vitro tests. Simulations reveal that the characteristic force–indentation curve observed for untreated chondrocytes occurs as a result of two factors: (i) yielding of SFs due to stretching of the cytoplasm near the probe and (ii) dissociation of SFs due to reduced cytoplasm tension at the front of the cell. In contrast, a passive hyperelastic model predicts a linear force–indentation curve similar to that observed for cells in which the actin cytoskeleton has been disrupted. This combined modelling–experimental study offers a novel insight into the role of the active contractility and remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton in the response of chondrocytes to mechanical loading.     

Electro magnetic interference shielding characteristic of silver coated copper powder

The present investigation deals with the synthesis of silver coated copper powder for potential application as filler material in conductive polymers for electro magnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Copper powders were obtained by the reaction of cuprous oxide and, hydrazine in a mixed solvent (H₂O:ethanol) at various reaction conditions. The cuprous oxide powder was produced by the reaction of CuSO₄, NaOH and D-glucose. The synthesized copper powder was silver coated by its reaction with (NH₄)₂SO₄, C₄H₄O₆KNa and AgNO₃. The prepared powders were characterized by XRD, SEM, TGA and XPS. The coaxial transmission line method was used to measure the EMI shielding effectiveness of the powders. The silver coated copper powders exhibited an improved oxidation resistance and higher EMI shielding effectiveness as compared to the uncoated copper powders.     

Energy analysis of single-stage LiBr–water vapour absorption refrigeration system using artificial neural network approach

In this study, artificial neural network (ANN) has been used as a new approach for carrying out the energy analysis of a single-stage absorption refrigeration cycle with water–lithium bromide as the working fluid pair. Energy analysis of an absorption system is a very complicated process mainly because of the limited experimental data and analytical functions required for calculating the thermodynamic properties of fluid pairs, which usually involves the solution of complex differential equations. Instead of complex differential equation and limited experimental data, faster and simpler solutions were obtained by using equations derived from the ANN model. As seen from the results obtained, the calculated thermodynamic properties are within acceptable results. Thermodynamic properties of each point in the cycle are calculated using related equations of the state. Heat flow rate of each component in the cycle and some performance parameters are calculated from the first law analysis. The results show that a high coefficient of performance value is obtained at high generator and evaporator temperatures and also at low condenser and absorber temperatures.