Algebraic theory of optimal filterbanks

We introduce an optimality theory for finite impulse response (FIR) filterbanks using a general algebraic point of view. We consider an admissible set /spl Lscr/ of FIR filterbanks and use scalability as the main notion based on which performance of the elements in /spl Lscr/are compared. We show that quantification of scalability leads naturally to a partial ordering on the set /spl Lscr/. An optimal solution is, therefore, represented by the greatest element in /spl Lscr/. It turns out that a greatest element does not necessarily exist in /spl Lscr/. Hence, one has to settle with one of the maximal elements that exist in /spl Lscr/. We provide a systematic way of finding a maximal element by embedding the partial ordering at hand in a total ordering. This is done by using a special class of order-preserving functions known as Schur-convex. There is, however, a price to pay for achieving a total ordering: there are infinitely many possible choices for Schur-convex functions, and the optimal solution specified in /spl Lscr/ depends on this (subjective) choice. An interesting aspect of the presented algebraic theory is that the connection between several concepts, namely, principal component filterbanks (PCFBs), filterbanks with maximum coding gain, and filterbanks with good scalability, is clearly revealed. We show that these are simply associated with different extremal elements of the partial ordering induced on /spl Lscr/ by scalability.     

Problems of Wastewater Treatment and Methods of Solving Them

The studies show that in the combined use of biological and chemisorption stages of treatment, a deeper degree of removal of industrial pollutants from wastewaters is attained. The chemisorption stage allows stabilizing the treatment process in different concentration-temperature drops and increasing the degree of removal of synthetic surfactants (SSF), petroleum products, and nitrogen compounds. The possibility of regulating the selectivity of the treatment process by varying the composition of the chemisorption material is demonstrated.     

A printer model using signal processing techniques

An accurate printer model that is efficient enough to be used by halftoning algorithms is proposed. The proposed signal processing model (SPM) utilizes a physical model to train adaptive linear combiners (ALCs), after which the average exposure of each subpixel for any input pattern can be calculated using the optimized weight vector. The SPM can be used to model multi-level halftoning and resolution enhancement, as well as traditional halftoning. The SPM is comprised of a single ALC layer followed by a peak-to-average ratio (PAR) correction layer, which serves to produce a PAR of less than 1.5 in the modeled exposure. The PCN (PAR correction network) employs one ALC/pixel and exploits the physics governing the characteristics of exposure in small regions. A relatively small number of training patterns suffices to train the SPM.     

Improvement of AlGaInP light emitting diode by sulfide passivation

The brightness of AlGaInP light emitting diodes (LEDs) has been raised by a factor of 1.12 at 20 mA by sulfide passivation. Meanwhile, the sulfide also can decrease leakage current of AlGaInP LEDs at -2 V to nearly one thousandth of that in the as-fabricated device. The possible causes for the brightness increase of AlGaInP LEDs after sulfide treatment including surface roughness, reduction of Fresnel loss, and effective injection of carriers were demonstrated.     

Characterization of the Residence Time Distribution in Spray Dryers

In this work it is presented a study on the residence time distribution (RTD) of particles in a co-current pilot-plant spray dryer operated with a rotary atomization system. A nuclear technique is applied to investigate the RTD responses of spray dryers. The methodology is based on the injection of a radioisotope tracer in the feed stream followed by the monitoring of its concentration at the outlet stream. The experiments were performed during the drying of aqueous suspensions of gadolinium oxide. The RTD responses obtained experimentally presented good reproducibility, indicating that the technique applied is well suited to investigating fluid-dynamics of spray dryers. In addition to the experimental investigation, a mathematical model was used to describe the RTD experimental curves.     

Ambient Technology — Now You See It, Now You Don't

The continuing progression of Moore's Law has enabled the miniaturisation and dramatic cost reduction in electronics over the last ten years. For a truly pervasive communications environment the challenges of hiding key hardware technologies from the user are rapidly being overcome. This paper reviews the status of these hardware technology developments in the pervasive space and briefly discusses other contributing factors that will enable the pervasive vision to be realised.     

Mixed oxide supported hydrodesulfurization catalysts—a review

Support effects form important aspect of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) studies and mixed oxide supports received maximum attention in the last two decades. This review will focus attention on studies on mixed oxide supported Mo and W catalysts. For convenience of discussion, these are divided into Al₂O₃ containing mixed oxide supports, TiO₂ containing mixed oxide supports, ZrO₂ containing mixed oxide supports and other mixed oxide supports containing all the rest. TiO₂ containing mixed oxides received maximum attention, especially TiO₂–Al₂O₃ supported catalysts. A brief discussion about their prospects for application to ultradeep desulfurization is also included. An overview of the available literature with emphasis on research carried out in our laboratory form the contents of this publication.     

Failure analysis of a broken tooth

Several days after heart surgery, a patient discovered his upper right canine tooth had broken at the root. Such tooth damage, recognized post-operatively, is usually assumed to be caused by blunt mechanical force from an instrument used by the anesthesiologist during placement of a breathing tube at the start of surgery. In this case, the patient had saved the crown portion of the broken tooth, and it was possible to examine the root fracture characteristics. The curvature and direction of the crack path and natural tooth situation suggested that failure could be described through a cantilever beam model. This was confirmed when a whole extracted sample tooth was embedded and broken by a measured force in a manner consistent with the model. The resulting fracture surface matched that of the patient’s broken canine tooth. However, the high load and force direction necessary to fracture the root was inconsistent with forces applied during the anesthesia procedure. The failure analysis and further investigation indicated tooth clenching on the breathing tube during recovery was the likely cause of fracture. This paper presents an alternate explanation for intubation-related dental injury, demonstrates the practicality of fractographic analysis of biological materials, and introduces a methodology for simulating in vitro tooth settings for mechanical testing.