On the effects of the packet size distribution on the packet loss process

Real-time multimedia applications have to use forward error correction (FEC) anderror concealment techniques to cope with losses in today’s best-effort Internet. The efficiency of these solutions is known however to depend on the correlation between losses in the media stream. In this paper we investigate how the packet size distribution affects the packet loss process, that is, the distribution of the number of lost packets in a block, the related FEC performance and the average loss run length. We present mathematical models for the loss process of the MMPP+M/D/1/K and the MMPP+M/M/1/K queues; we validate the models via simulations, and compare the results to simulation results with an MPEG-4 coded video trace. We conclude that the deterministic packet size distribution (PSD) not only results in lower stationary loss probability than the exponential one, but also gives a less correlated loss process, both at a particular average link load and at a particular stationary loss probability as seen by the media stream.Our results show that for applications that can only measure the packet loss probability, the effects of the PSD on FEC performance are higher in access networks, where a single multimedia stream might affect the multiplexing behavior. Our results show that the effects of the PSD on FEC performance are higher in access networks, where a single multimedia stream might affect the multiplexing behavior and thus can improve the queuing performance by decreasing the variance of its PSD.     

可重定位的基于事务的系统级验证

功能验证已经成为开发SoC的主要问题。随着一些复杂SoC的规模超过两千万门，以及对开发和集成嵌入式软件的需求持续增加，软件模拟器已经力所不及。在设计过程需要几百万个时钟周期来充分测试和验证软件功能的情况下，软件仿真器的性能下降到1-5Hz。按照这种速率，软件调试需要几年的时     

A comparison between different PMD compensation techniques

We quantify the benefits of using different techniques for compensation of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in fiber-optic communication systems by means of numerical simulations. This is done both with respect to PMD-induced pulse broadening and in terms of system outage probability for different data formats [nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) and return-to-zero (RZ)]. Attention is focused on simple and relevant single- and double-stage post-transmission compensators with a few degrees of freedom (DOF). It is generally believed that a PMD compensator with a polarization controller and a variable delay line can only compensate the PMD to the first order. We show, from analytical results, the counterintuitive fact that this scheme can also partially compensate for higher order PMD. We also investigate the benefit of using a polarizer as compensation element where the optical average power can be used as a feedback signal     

Quantitation of Cefaclor in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography for the quantitation of cefaclor in pharmaceutical dosage forms has been developed. The method is accurate and precise with a percent relative standard deviation of 1.2 based on 5 readings. A number of inactive ingredients present in the capsules and suspensions did not interfere with the assay procedure. The extraction procedure from the dosage forms is very simple. The recovery from the synthetic mixtures was quantitative. The capsules which had expired 3 years ago lost only 3% of the potency. The drug appears to be very sensitive to strong acids or bases since a 5 minute boiling caused 100% degradation of drug in both the solutions.     

Tensile,creep, and low-cycle fatigue behavior of a cast γ-TiAl-based alloy for gas turbine applications

The influence of chemical composition on the microstructure of the γ-titanium aluminide alloy Ti-48Al-2W-0.5Si (at. pct) and the accompanying tensile, low-cycle fatigue, and creep properties has been evaluated. The study showed that small variations in chemical composition and casting procedures resulted in considerable variations in the microstructure, yielding vastly different mechanical properties. Low contents of aluminum and tungsten led to a coarse-grained lamellar (γ/α ₂) microstructure with high creep resistance. A composition close to the nominal one produced a duplex (γ+γ/α ₂) structure with favorable strength, ductility, and low-cycle fatigue properties. By controlling the solidification and cooling rates at casting, a pseudoduplex (PS-DP) microstructure with a unique combination of high strength and high fatigue and creep resistance can be obtained. These unique properties can be explained by the diffuse boundaries between the relatively small γ grains and the neighboring lamellar colonies, combined with semicoherent interfaces between the γ and α ₂ phases. At tensile and low-cycle fatigue loading, these boundaries act like high-angle boundaries, producing a virtually fine-grained material promoting strength, whereas at creep loading, grain-boundary sliding is hindered in the semicoherent interfaces leading to high creep resistance.     

Optimization of metal-based multilayers for transparent heat mirrors

Multilayer calculations by conventional matrix methods for dielectricum/noble metal/dielectricum systems on glass have been performed. The aim has been to maximize the integrated parameters for solar transmission, T_sol, and transmission of visible light, T_eye We have found that Ag is superior for maximizing the transmittance over the narrow visible wavelength range owing to the low internal absorptance. When solar energy transmission is considered multilayers based on Au are the best choice for metal film thicknesses above 15 nm. For thinner films, Ag is still to be preferred.     

Effects of quinine on the mechanical frequency response of the cupula in the fish lateral line

Quinine induces changes in the motion of the cupula in the lateral line canal of the African knife-fish in response to sinusoidal water movements. Two different phases in the action of quinine on the cupular frequency response can be discerned. In the first phase the best frequency, i.e., the frequency at which the cupular vibratory displacement is maximal in response to constant-amplitude sinusoidal canal fluid displacement, shifts toward higher frequencies. During this phase, lasting about 70-100 min, the best frequency increases by a factor between 1.3 and 1.5. In the second phase, during roughly the following 90 min, the best frequency decreases gradually to a value 0.3-0.5 times that observed before the application of quinine.     

Pressure pain thresholds in patients with craniomandibular disorders before and after treatment with acupuncture and occlusal splint therapy: a controlled clinical study

Fifty-five patients (46 women and 9 men) with craniomandibular disorders and a history of pain of at least 6 months' duration participated in this trial. The patients were randomly assigned to three groups: one group to receive acupuncture; one group to receive occlusal splint therapy; and one group to act as controls. Pressure pain threshold, clinical dysfunction score, and visual analog scale measures were used to evaluate patients before, immediately after, and 6 months after treatment. A moderate, but statistically significant, correlation was found between pressure pain threshold and the number of tender spots in the masticatory muscles (tau = -.43; P < .001), degree of tenderness in the masticatory muscles (tau = -.43; P < .001), clinical dysfunction score (tau = .32; P < .001), and the visual analog scale (tau = -.25; P < .01). The short-term results showed a statistically significant improvement in all evaluations for both treatment groups. No significant differences were found in the control group. The improvements resulted in significant differences between the control and each treatment group immediately after treatment. At the 6-month follow-up, no significant differences in pressure pain threshold or clinical dysfunction score were found in the two treatment groups compared with the short-term results.