Performance analyses of selection combining diversity receiver over α?μ fading channels in the presence of co-channel interference

An approach to the performance analyses of dual selection combining (SC) diversity receiver over correlated a ?m fading channels with the arbitrary parameters is presented. Fading between the diversity branches and interferers is correlated and distributed with α ? μ distribution. Infinite series expressions are obtained for the output SIR?s probability density function (PDF), cumulative distribution function (CDF) and an important measure of the system?s performances, the outage probability (OP). An average error probability is efficiently evaluated for coherent and non-coherent modulation schemes such as coherent frequency-shift keying (CFSK), coherent phase-shift keying (CPSK), binary frequency-shift keying (BFSK) and binary differentially phase-shift keying (BDPSK). Numerical results are presented to show the effects of various parameters such as fading severity, input SIR unbalance and the level of correlation between received desired signals and interferences on system?s performances.     

Performance of W-CDMA systems with rectangular signalling in OSTBC MIMO generalised nakagami-m fading channels

The performance of combined temporal multipath diversity with statistically independent branches and spatial antenna diversity with arbitrarily correlated branches is investigated. A downlink wide-band code-division multiple access system employing orthogonal space-time block coding multiple-input-multiple-output communications is considered. The performance is quantified in terms of the average symbol error probability (SEP) of coherent arbitrary rectangular quadrature amplitude modulation in Nakagami-m fading with arbitrary statistics. Through the analysis, new expressions for the average SEP are derived under the generalised system model described above. Specifically, the considerations of the combined path and space diversity model, the arbitrary correlation profile among spatial diversity branches, and the arbitrary statistics of Nakagami-m fading processes are the main aspects that make the system model herein generalised as compared to previous ones. Furthermore, for this generalised system model, the consideration of distinct in-phase and quadrature decision distances as well as modulation orders in the rectangular signalling constellation through the analysis provide additional enhancements on some existing results. Numerical and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the enhanced validity of the analytical development.     

Sum of arbitrarily correlated Gamma variates and performance of wireless communication systems over Nakagami-m fading channels

The probability density function (PDF) and the moment generating function (MGF) of a sum of squares of arbitrarily correlated, non-identically distributed Nakagami-m random variates, with non-identical and non-integer fading orders are derived. The authors proposed a simple method to determine a good truncation of the PDFs infinite sum and the associated truncation error. The derived results can be used to analyse a number of performance measures of diversity combining techniques in wireless communication systems over Nakagami-m fading channels.     

Performance study of linear and nonlinear diversity-combining techniques in synchronous FFH/MA communication systems over fading channels

Based on the Fourier-Bessel series and exponential characteristic function approach, the paper presents analytical bit-error-rate expressions for synchronous fast frequency-hopped spread-spectrum multiple-access systems over Rician fading channels with M-ary frequency-shift-keying modulation. Linear-combining, product-combining and clipper receivers are studied. Numerical results show that both the clipper and product-combining receivers perform significantly better than the linear-combining receiver. The clipper receiver with an optimum threshold level slightly outperforms the product-combining receiver. However, the product-combining receiver is the preferred diversity-combining method because it is completely nonparametric. In addition, the optimum diversity levels for various diversity-combining receivers over Rayleigh fading channels are higher than that of the Rician fading channels     

Demonstration of 1.51μm inas/inp(3 1 1)B quantum dot single-mode laser operating under continuous wave

The achievement of a 1.51 mum InAs/InP(3 11)B quantum dot (QD) single-mode Fabry-Perot laser operating under continuous wave at room temperature is reported. A threshold current of 80 mA associated with a 0.12 W/A external efficiency is reported for as-cleaved device at room temperature. The maximum output power, the gain peak wavelength at threshold and the full width at half maximum of the spectral gain are 5 mW, 1512 nm and 60 nm, respectively. Although these performances must be improved in the future, these results constitute to our knowledge the state-of-the-art on InP(3 1 1)B substrate. These results are of great interest since QD-based lasers are expected to play a major role in the next generation telecommunication networks as low-cost devices.     

Measurement of optical gain, effective group index and linewidth enhancement factor in 1.3 μm dilute nitride double-quantum-well lasers

The net modal gain, effective group index and linewidth enhancement factor (LWEF) in edge-emitting InGaAsN/GaAs lasers have been determined as a function of both temperature and injection current from experimentally amplified spontaneous emission spectra. The shift of the peak gain with temperature was found to be 0.49 nm/K. Values of effective group index between 3.52 and 3.59 were measured, suggesting a relatively high refractive index of 3.75 for a dilute nitride quantum well. LWEF values between 1.87 and 2.84 were measured.     

1.2-V, 10-bit, 60-360 MS/s time-interleaved pipelined analog-to-digital converter in 0.18 μm CMOS with minimised supply headroom

A low-voltage 1.2-V, 10-bit, 60?360 MS/s six channels time-interleaved reset-opamp pipelined ADC is designed and implemented in a 0.18-μm CMOS (V_THN/V_THP = 0.63 V/-0.65 V for mid-supply floating switches). Without using on-chip high-voltage and low-V_T options, the proposed ADC employs low-voltage resistivedemultiplexing techniques, low-voltage gain-and-offset compensation, feedback current biasing to reduce the sensitivity of the bias current over process variations and current-mode sub-ADCs with static current sharing for a low-voltage time-interleaved implementation. Speed options of 60-360 MS/s are available with scalable power and they can be obtained by automatic selection of the number of time-interleaved channels. The chip measurement results show that the ADC exhibits a differential non-linearity (DNL)/integral non-linearity (INL) better than 0.9/1.2 LSB and a peak SNDR above 54 dB, for all speed options, while consuming 85 mW at 60 MS/s and 426 mW at 360 MS/s. The active die area is 13.2 mm².     

A nonlinear dynamic model for performance analysis of large-signal amplifiers in communication systems

A new nonlinear dynamic model of large-signal amplifiers based on a Volterra-like integral series expansion is described. The new Volterra-like series is specially oriented to the modeling of nonlinear communication circuits, since it is expressed in terms of dynamic deviations of the complex modulation envelope of the input signal. The proposed model represents a generalization, to nonlinear systems with memory, of the widely-used amplitude/amplitude (AM/AM) and amplitude/phase (AM/PM) conversion characteristics, which are based on the assumption of a practically memoryless behavior. A measurement procedure for the experimental characterization of the proposed model is also outlined.     

Application of the generalised ballot theorem for evaluation of performance in packet buffers with non-first in first out scheduling

Packet scheduling is a vital component to support different classes of service in all-packet networks. In classical queuing systems, the waiting-time performance of non-first in first out buffer scheduling systems could be predicted through the use of analysis. However, all-packet networks feature traffic patterns that do not conform to classical Poisson-like processes, and this greatly complicates the evaluation of their performance. Our novel approach to this problem is through a hybrid combination of analysis and simulation. The authors derive a combinatorial algorithm, using the generalised ballot theorem, which predicts waiting times for low-priority traffic. When this algorithm is combined with prior work on traffic aggregation, the authors achieve a significant reduction in the state space associated with the buffer under study. To numerically test this algorithm, the authors demonstrate its use in simulation, where state space and event count reduction is a fundamental requirement to ensure experiments complete in a timely fashion. Numerical results from these simulations show a very significant reduction in the number of events processed combined with improved state coverage. This is achieved while maintaining a highly accurate representation of packet delays compared with a conventional approach.     

Antibacterial,anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects of acetyl‐11‐α‐keto‐β‐boswellic acid mediated silver nanoparticles in experimental murine mastitis

Mastitis is an important economic disease causing production losses in dairy industry. Antibiotics are becoming ineffective in controlling mastitis due to the emergence of resistant strains requiring the development of novel therapeutic agents. In this study, the authors present the phytochemical synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with acetyl‐11‐α‐keto‐β‐boswellic acid and evaluation of their activity in Staphylococcus aureus induced murine mastitis. Boswellic acid mediated AgNP (BANS) were oval, polydispersed (99.8 nm) with an minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.033 µg ml⁻¹ against S. aureus, inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 30.04 µg ml⁻¹ on mouse splenocytes and safe at an in vivo acute oral dose of 3.5 mg kg⁻¹ in mice. Mastitis was induced in lactating mice by inoculating S. aureus (log₁₀ 5.60 cfu) and treated 6 h post‐inoculation with BANS (0.12 mg kg⁻¹, intramammary and intraperitoneal), and cefepime (1 mg kg⁻¹, intraperitoneal). S. aureus inoculated mice showed increased bacterial load, neutrophil infiltration in mammary glands and elevated C‐reactive protein (CRP) in serum. Oxidative stress was also observed with elevated malondialdehyde level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. BANS treatment significantly (P  < 0.05) reduced bacterial load, CRP, SOD, CAT activities and neutrophil infiltration in affected mammary glands. BANS could be a potential therapeutic agent for managing bovine mastitis.Inspec keywords: nanomedicine, nanoparticles, silver, antibacterial activity, drugs, diseases, enzymesOther keywords: antibacterial effects, antiinflammatory effects, antioxidant effects, acetyl‐11‐α‐keto‐β‐boswellic acid, mediated silver nanoparticles, experimental murine mastitis, economic disease, dairy industry, resistant strains, phytochemical synthesis, Staphylococcus aureus, minimum inhibitory concentration, inoculating S. aureus, neutrophil infiltration, mammary glands, elevated C‐reactive protein, superoxide dismutase, catalase, bovine mastitis, Ag     

An integrated methodology for the dynamic performance and reliability evaluation of fault-tolerant systems

We propose an integrated methodology for the reliability and dynamic performance analysis of fault-tolerant systems. This methodology uses a behavioral model of the system dynamics, similar to the ones used by control engineers to design the control system, but also incorporates artifacts to model the failure behavior of each component. These artifacts include component failure modes (and associated failure rates) and how those failure modes affect the dynamic behavior of the component. The methodology bases the system evaluation on the analysis of the dynamics of the different configurations the system can reach after component failures occur. For each of the possible system configurations, a performance evaluation of its dynamic behavior is carried out to check whether its properties, e.g., accuracy, overshoot, or settling time, which are called performance metrics, meet system requirements. Markov chains are used to model the stochastic process associated with the different configurations that a system can adopt when failures occur. This methodology not only enables an integrated framework for evaluating dynamic performance and reliability of fault-tolerant systems, but also enables a method for guiding the system design process, and further optimization. To illustrate the methodology, we present a case-study of a lateral-directional flight control system for a fighter aircraft.     

Evolution of hole size and shape in {100}, {110} and {111} monocrystalline thin films of gold

Monocrystalline thin films of gold, containing controlled distributions of small holes, were produced by an epitaxial flash deposition process on heated {100}, {110} and {111} monocrystalline substrates of sodium chloride. These films, ranging from 10 to 20 nm in thickness, were then removed from their substrates, annealed for various periods at temperatures ranging from 180 to 290 °C and subsequently examined by transmission electron microscopy in order to record the evolution of hole size and shape as a function of crystallographic orientation and annealing conditions. During annealing, these holes either grow or shrink, depending on the ratio of hole diameter to film thickness, with growing holes developing clearly defined crystallographic facets aligned normal to the film surface. The evolution of hole size is in satisfactory agreement with a kinetic analysis based on atomic surface mobility, whereas the evolution of hole shape is consistent with anisotropy of the surface energy, as computed from a nearest neighbor bond model.     

Analysis and enhancement of the detection performance of the PMF-FFT acquisition algorithm for spread spectrum communication systems

针对扩频通信系统部分匹配滤波结合快速傅立叶变换(PMF-FFT)捕获算法由于FFT对频偏补偿不完全而引起相关能量衰减从而导致检测概率降低的问题,研究了检测器的输出特性,利用剩余频偏存在时检测器输出相关能量扩展的特点,提出了将相邻检测单元输出值累加作为检测变量的相邻bin联合检测方案,理论推导了该方案的虚警概率、检测概率.仿真结果表明,与原检测方案相比,该方案不仅能够提高检测概率,而且在不同剩余频偏条件下的检测具有良好的鲁棒性,适用于高动态低信噪比条件下扩频信号的快速捕获.     

Direct evaluation of Cauchy-principal-value integrals in boundary elements for infinite and semi-infinite three-dimensional domains

Algorithms for the direct numerical evaluation of Cauchy-principal-value integrals in three-dimensional problems have recently been implemented. An application of one of these algorithms to infinite boundary elements and to semi-infinite special fundamental solutions is discussed.     

Chitosan nanoparticles loaded with aspirin and 5‐fluororacil enable synergistic antitumour activity through the modulation of NF‐κB/COX‐2 signalling pathway

Based on the enhancement of synergistic antitumour activity to treat cancer and the correlation between inflammation and carcinogenesis, the authors designed chitosan nanoparticles for co‐delivery of 5‐fluororacil (5‐Fu: an as anti‐cancer drug) and aspirin (a non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug) and induced synergistic antitumour activity through the modulation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB)/cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) signalling pathways. The results showed that aspirin at non‐cytotoxic concentrations synergistically sensitised hepatocellular carcinoma cells to 5‐Fu in vitro. It demonstrated that aspirin inhibited NF‐κB activation and suppressed NF‐κB regulated COX‐2 expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. Furthermore, the proposed results clearly indicated that the combination of 5‐Fu and aspirin by chitosan nanoparticles enhanced the intracellular concentration of drugs and exerted synergistic growth inhibition and apoptosis induction on hepatocellular carcinoma cells by suppressing NF‐κB activation and inhibition of expression of COX‐2.Inspec keywords: proteins, molecular biophysics, cellular biophysics, biomedical materials, cancer, nanoparticles, drug delivery systems, enzymes, tumours, nanomedicine, drugsOther keywords: chitosan nanoparticles, aspirin, 5‐fluororacil, synergistic antitumour activity, anticancer drug, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, hepatocellular carcinoma cells, NF‐κB activation, NF‐κB regulated COX‐2 expression, PGE2, synergistic growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, prostaglandin E2 synthesis, intracellular concentration, noncytotoxic concentrations, NF‐κB‐cyclooxygenase‐2 signalling pathways, cyclooxygenase‐2, nuclear factor kappa B     

A unified and integrated numerical‐analytical approach for evaluation of Jk‐integrals of an interfacial crack in orthotropic and isotropic bimaterials

A new unified and integrated method for the numerical‐analytical calculation of J_k‐integrals of an in‐plane traction free interfacial crack in homogeneous orthotropic and isotropic bimaterials is presented. The numerical algorithm, based on the boundary element crack shape sensitivities, is generic and flexible. It applies to both straight and curved interfacial cracks in anisotropic and/or isotropic bimaterials. The shape functions of semidiscontinuous quadratic quarter point crack tip elements are correctly scaled to adapt the singular oscillatory near tip field of tractions. The length of crack is designated as the design variable to compute the strain energy release rate precisely. Although an analytical equation relating J₁ and stress intensity factors (SIFs) exists, a similar relation for J₂ in debonded anisotropic solids for decoupling SIFs is not available. An analytical expression was recently derived by this author for J₂ in aligned orthotropic/orthotropic bimaterials with a straight interface crack. Using this new relation and the present computed J_k values, the SIFs can be decoupled without the need for an auxiliary equation. Here, the aforementioned analytical relation is reconstructed for cubic symmetry/isotropic bimaterials and used with the present numerical algorithm. An example with known analytical SIFs is presented. The numerical and analytical magnitudes of J_k for an interface crack in orthotropic/orthotropic and cubic symmetry/isotropic bimaterials show an excellent agreement.