Real-Time Optimized Error Protection Assignment for Scalable Image and Video over Wireless Channels

A new error protection assignment scheme with applications to real-time wireless multimedia transmission is presented. The proposed scheme exploits the structure of scalable sources to ensure optimal assignment. This novel approach recasts the nonlinear optimization problem into a linear one, and then further remodels it into a discrete programming problem, thereby reducing the computational complexity dramatically. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm does not impose any requirement on the convexity of the source; i.e., it can equally be applied on a convex or nonconvex source. Results show that the described method facilitates a significant complexity reduction with respect to existing schemes, while exhibiting almost equivalent performance.     

Quality of water in hemodialysis centers in Baghdad,Iraq

Dialysis water quality is one of the important parameters all over the world because of its direct influence on the health of kidney patients. In Iraq, there are more than 20 dialysis centers; most of them contain identical units for the production of dialysis water. In this work, the quality of water used for dialysis in six dialysis centers located within Baghdad hospitals was evaluated. Samples of product water from each of the six dialysis centers were examined for total heterotrophic bacteria, endotoxin, and chemical contaminants. Endotoxin was measured on‐site using a portable instrument. Bacteriological and chemical examinations were done in the laboratory after collecting samples from each dialysis center. The results showed a fluctuation in the produced water quality that makes the produced water unaccepted when compared with international standards. Bacterial counts for 60% of the analyzed samples were above the action level (50 colony‐forming units[CFU]/mL), while five out of the six dialysis centers showed values higher than the maximum value (100 CFU/mL). Chemical analysis showed that the dialysis water quality suffers from elevated aluminum concentration for all dialysis centers. All hemodialysis centers need thorough monitoring and preventive maintenance to ensure good water quality. In addition, it is important to revise the design of the water treatment units according to the feed and product water quality.     

Significant enhancement of electrical conductivity by incorporating carbon fiber into CoSb3 thermoelectric skutterudite fabricated by spark plasma sintering method

Journal of Materials Science - The effects of carbon fiber additions on the electrical and thermoelectric performance in p-type CoSb3-based skutterudite are reported. A threefold enhancement in...     

Ueber die Backhaus'sche Kindermilch

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Das Vorkommen von Pyridinmethylchlorid im menschlichen Harn und seine Beziehungen zu den Genu?mitteln Tabak und Kaffee

Ohne ZusammenfassungMitteilung aus dem Physiologischen Institut der Universität Marburg.     

The effect of oxygen on interface microstructure evolution in CdS/CdTe solar cells

Microstructural changes at the CdS/CdTe solar cell interface where close‐spaced sublimation (CSS) is used as the growth technique to deposit the p‐type CdTe absorber layer are studied by systematic layer characterization at various stages during heterojunction growth. CdS layers grown by both chemical bath deposition (CBD) and CSS provide a basis for determining the effects of CdS crystallinity, grain size, and oxygen content on the subsequent CdTe layer. As‐grown CBD CdS films exhibit small grains and variations in optical properties attributed to film impurities. In contrast, CSS yields CdS films with good crystallinity, larger grains, and nearly ideal optical properties. The hexagonal nature of CSS‐grown CdS is seen to nucleate hexagonal CdTe during the initial stages of CdTe film growth. Cubic CdS deposited by CBD in contrast promotes cubic CdTe nucleation. Oxygen anneals in the latter case can aid hexagonal CdTe nucleation. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the CdS/CdTe interface show CdS‐dependent differences in interdiffusion at the interface. This interdiffusion appears to be determined by the oxygen level in the CdS. When low‐oxygen‐containing CSS CdS films are used, sulfur diffusion is substantial, leading to significant consumption of the CdS layer. When these same films are annealed in oxygen, the consumption is reduced. Te diffusion into the CdS layer is also observed to decrease with oxygen anneals. Optical modeling shows that Te alloying with the CdS layer can greatly reduce the short‐circuit current of CdS/CdTe devices. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of Novel Methods to Determine Crystalline Glucose Content of Honey Based on DSC,HPLC, and Viscosity Measurements,and Their Use to Examine the Setting Propensity of Honey

Crystallization must occur in honey in order to produce set or creamed honey; however, the process must occur in a controlled manner in order to obtain an acceptable product. As a consequence, reliable methods are needed to measure the crystal content of honey (? expressed as kg crystal per kg honey), which can also be implemented with relative ease in industrial production facilities. Unfortunately, suitable methods do not currently exist. This article reports on the development of 2 independent offline methods to measure the crystal content in honey based on differential scanning calorimetry and high‐performance liquid chromatography. The 2 methods gave highly consistent results on the basis of paired t‐test involving 143 experimental points (P > 0.05, r² = 0.99). The crystal content also correlated with the relative viscosity, defined as the ratio of the viscosity of crystal containing honey to that of the same honey when all crystals are dissolved, giving the following correlation: . This correlation can be used to estimate the crystal content of honey in industrial production facilities. The crystal growth rate at a temperature of 14 °C—the normal crystallization temperature used in practice—was linear, and the growth rate also increased with the total glucose content in the honey.