Closed-Form Analysis of Various Diversity Techniques for Multiband OFDM UWB System Over Log-Normal Fading Channels

Wireless Personal Communications - In this paper, we investigate the effect of multipath fading on the combined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in conjunction with multiband orthogonal frequency...     

Long-wavelength 640×486 GaAs-AlGaAs quantum well infraredphotodetector snap-shot camera

A 9-μm cutoff 640×486 snap-shot quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) camera has been demonstrated. The performance of this QWIP camera is reported including indoor and outdoor imaging. The noise equivalent differential temperature (NEΔT) of 36 mK has been achieved at 300 K background with f/2 optics. This is in good agreement with expected focal plane array sensitivity due to the practical limitations on charge handling capacity of the multiplexer, read noise, bias voltage, and operating temperature     

Aggregation in sensor networks: an energy–accuracy trade-off

Wireless ad hoc sensor networks (WASNs) are in need of the study of useful applications that will help the researchers view them as distributed physically coupled systems, a collective that estimates the physical environment, and not just energy-limited ad hoc networks. We develop this perspective using a large and interesting class of WASN applications called aggregation applications. In particular, we consider the challenging periodic aggregation problem where the WASN provides the user with periodic estimates of the environment, as opposed to simpler and previously studied snapshot aggregation problems. In periodic aggregation our approach allows the spatial–temporal correlation among values sensed at the various nodes to be exploited towards energy-efficient estimation of the aggregated value of interest. Our approach also creates a system level energy vs. accuracy knob whereby the more the estimation error that the user can tolerate, the less is the energy consumed. We present a distributed estimation algorithm that can be applied to explore the energy–accuracy subspace for a subclass of periodic aggregation problems, and present extensive simulation results that validate our approach. The resulting algorithm, apart from being more flexible in the energy–accuracy subspace and more robust, can also bring considerable energy savings for a typical accuracy requirement (fivefold decrease in energy consumption for 5% estimation error) compared to repeated snapshot aggregations.     

Design and analysis of low‐power access protocols for wireless and mobile ATM networks

This paper describes the design and analysis of a low‐power medium access control (MAC) protocol for wireless/mobile ATM networks. The protocol – denoted EC‐MAC (energy conserving medium access control) – is designed to support different traffic types with quality‐of‐service (QoS) provisions. The network is based on the infrastructure model where a base station (BS) serves all the mobiles currently in its cell. A reservation‐based approach is proposed, with appropriate scheduling of the requests from the mobiles. This strategy is utilized to accomplish the dual goals of reduced energy consumption and quality of service provision over wireless links. A priority round robin with dynamic reservation update and error compensation scheduling algorithm is used to schedule the transmission requests of the mobiles. Discrete‐event simulation has been used to study the performance of the protocol. A comparison of energy consumption of the EC‐MAC to a number of other protocols is provided. This comparison indicates the EC‐MAC has, in general, better energy consumption characteristics. Performance analysis of the proposed protocol with respect to different quality‐of‐service parameters using video, audio and data traffic models is provided. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Clique Number vs. Chromatic Number in Wireless Interference Graphs: Simulation Results

Interference due to transmissions by adjacent nodes in a multi-hop wireless network can be modeled using a unit disc graph (UDG). We investigate the reliability associated with using the clique number instead of the chromatic number of the UDG while computing the interference. In our extensive simulations with UDGs of random networks, we observed that the clique number and the chromatic number values were typically very close to one another and the maximum deviation was much less than the theoretical bounds. This implies very high reliability in the proposed approximation.     

Design of Cryogenic SiGe Low-Noise Amplifiers

This paper describes a method for designing cryogenic silicon-germanium (SiGe) transistor low-noise amplifiers and reports record microwave noise temperature, i.e., 2 K, measured at the module connector interface with a 50-Omega generator. A theory for the relevant noise sources in the transistor is derived from first principles to give the minimum possible noise temperature and optimum generator impedance in terms of dc measured current gain and transconductance. These measured dc quantities are then reported for an IBM SiGe BiCMOS-8HP transistor at temperatures from 295 to 15 K. The measured and modeled noise and gain for both a single-and two-transistor cascode amplifier in the 0.2-3-GHz range are then presented. The noise model is then combined with the transistor equivalent-circuit elements in a circuit simulator and the noise in the frequency range up to 20 GHz is compared with that of a typical InP HEMT.     

Magnetically Guided Self‐Assembly and Coding of 3D Living Architectures

In nature, cells self‐assemble at the microscale into complex functional configurations. This mechanism is increasingly exploited to assemble biofidelic biological systems in vitro. However, precise coding of 3D multicellular living materials is challenging due to their architectural complexity and spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Therefore, there is an unmet need for an effective assembly method with deterministic control on the biomanufacturing of functional living systems, which can be used to model physiological and pathological behavior. Here, a universal system is presented for 3D assembly and coding of cells into complex living architectures. In this system, a gadolinium‐based nonionic paramagnetic agent is used in conjunction with magnetic fields to levitate and assemble cells. Thus, living materials are fabricated with controlled geometry and organization and imaged in situ in real time, preserving viability and functional properties. The developed method provides an innovative direction to monitor and guide the reconfigurability of living materials temporally and spatially in 3D, which can enable the study of transient biological mechanisms. This platform offers broad applications in numerous fields, such as 3D bioprinting and bottom‐up tissue engineering, as well as drug discovery, developmental biology, neuroscience, and cancer research.     

Calf massager: Intervention for body muscle discomfort during prolonged standing

Many occupations require workers to stand for long periods of time without proper interventions, which causes discomfort in the back and lower limbs. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effectiveness in alleviating body muscle discomfort during prolonged standing through the use of a calf massager. This study was conducted among male workers at a manufacturer with production line workers and the list was obtained from the HR Department and simple random sampling was done by number categorization. A total of 100 respondents (50 respondents for both the control and the experimental groups) participated in this study. The experiment took place in a room with a similar setup for the production line. Each respondent was requested to perform the simulated task for 2 hr. For the experimental group, the calf massager was turned on every 15 min. At every 15‐min interval after turning on the calf massager, respondents from both groups were required to evaluate their discomfort level on a Borg's scale CR‐10 questionnaire. The results showed that the level of body discomfort among respondents in the experimental group reduced (20–30%) compared with that of the control group. Multivariate analysis results revealed that the discomfort rating for the lower back, knees, thighs, calves, and feet was significantly lower (p < .05) among the experimental group compared with the control group. For lower body parts, the lower back region was statistically significant (p < .05) at the 90th, 105th, and 120th min; the thigh region was statistically significant (p < .05) at the 120th min; the knee region was statistically significant (p < .05) at the 105th and 120th min; the calf region was statistically significant (p < .05) at all minute intervals except the 15th and 45th min, while the feet region, was statistically significant at the 105th and 120th min. Therefore, this study indicates that calf massage treatment is capable of reducing body muscle discomfort during prolonged standing and highlights the significance of calf massage.     

Experimental correlation of mechanical properties of joints and transverse vibrations in PMMA beams

An ultrathin joint in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) beam was introduced by joining the two pieces using 1,2-dichloroethane. The viscoelastic property of the interfacial region was varied using dioctylphthalate (DOP) plasticizer and flexural waves in the beam were generated by impacting the beam with a small steel ball as well as with a calibrated experimental impact hammer. The acceleration vs. time data of a given point on a beam were used to optimally separate the wave emanating from the joint and were shown to correlate with the mechanical strength of the joint. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Solubility enhancement of steviol glycosides and characterization of their inclusion complexes with gamma-cyclodextrin

Steviol glycosidesrebaudioside (reb) A, C and D have low aqueous solubilities. To improve their aqueous solubilities, inclusion complex of steviol glycosides, reb A, C and D and gamma cyclodextrin were prepared by freeze drying method and further characterized by means of differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of gamma cyclodextrin on chemical shifts of the steviol glycosides was also studied in proton NMR experiments as well as in solid state (13)C CP/MAS NMR experiments. These results indicated that the steviol glycosides were clearly in inclusion complex formation with the gamma cyclodextrin which also results in solubility enhancement of these steviol glycosides. Phase solubility studies showed that amounts of soluble reb A, C and D increased with increasing amounts of gamma cyclodextrin indicating formation of 1:1 stoichiometric and higher order inclusion complexes.