Complexity reduction of equalization/pre-emphasis using set membership filtering for NG LR-PON

Coherent receivers, with advanced and low-complexity digital signal processing (DSP), have the advantage of increasing the loss/power budget of next generation-long-reach passive optical networks (NG-LRPONs). This reduces the network capital expenditures by eliminating or reducing the number of amplifiers to be installed between the optical line terminal (OLT) and the optical network units (ONUs). In this paper, we investigate the complexity and convergence speed of two adaptive equalization and/or pre-emphasis strategies for mitigating chromatic and polarization mode dispersions (CD and PMD) in NG-LRPON. We first identify two potential deployment strategies of equalization and/or pre-emphasis. The first equally splits the signal processing in the OLT and ONU; however, the second concentrates most of DSP in the OLT trying to reduce the cost and alleviate the complexity of ONUs. Our investigation shows that the second strategy achieves 50 % faster convergence rate in terms of number of symbols for 16QAM/5 Gbaud. Moreover, we apply the enhanced set membership filtering (SMF) technique, recently introduced for next generation wireless communications, to our LR-PON in order to reduce the update rate of equalizers’ taps, hence reduce the calculation complexity of the OLT and ONUs. Our results show that by employing SMF technique a substantial reduction in the number of mathematical operations needed to attain convergence is achieved. Simulation results reveal that our proposed SMF can reduce the equalizers’ update rate, hence calculation complexity, by 55 % for 16QAM and 75 % for QPSK with marginal degradation of the BER.     

Identification of surface carbides and spinels in welded austenitic stainless steels

Welding of stainless steels has been shown to cause localized changes in the microstructure and chemical composition which could have adverse implications for the mechanical and corrosion properties of the material. The application of several electron-optical techniques, such as transmission and scanning electron microscopies (TEM, SEM) and electron and Auger microprobe analysis (AEM), for the identification of different phases has been illustrated by the investigation of segregation effects in welded steels of AISI types 304, 304L, 316 and 316L. Considerable enhancement of chromium and carbon has been observed in certain welldefined zones on the parent metal and on the weld beads. Enhancement of oxygen was also observed at some of the points in these areas. The localized change in surface composition, particularly in the parent metal is attributed to the formation of the carbide M₂₃C₆ and the spinel FeCr₂O₄. The results were confirmed by the determination of the composition of the segregation zone, as well as the lattice parameter of some of the particles, with TEM, SEM and AEM.     

Investigation of natural convection heat transfer in a unique scaled‐down dual‐channel facility

Multiphase Reactors Engineering and Applications Laboratory (mReal) has designed and constructed a scaled‐down dual‐channel facility to investigate plenum‐to‐plenum natural circulation heat transfer through two channels for coolant flow that would be encountered during a loss of flow accident in the prismatic modular reactor (PMR). Heat transfer characterization of the current facility has been investigated under different upper plenum and cooled channel outer surface temperatures using sophisticated flush mounted heat transfer sensors. Results show a reduction in the values of local heat‐transfer coefficient and Nusselt number along the heated channel with increasing outer surface temperatures. One significant observation was the heat transfer reversal close to heated channel exit, where the heat flows from gas to the channel wall. This flow reversal is attributed to recirculation at the heated channel exit to the upper plenum. The average heat transfer results, when compared with previous literature, showed a similar qualitative trend. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 387–396, 2017     

Frictional power loss in solid‐grease‐lubricated needle roller bearing

The use of solid grease as a lubricant, in comparison with standard grease or oil, is a pre‐requisite when needle roller bearings undergo a high‐speed oscillating motion and when access to the bearing is difficult for maintenance purposes. This paper examines the frictional power loss of a solid‐grease‐lubricated needle roller bearing. First set of measurement result reveals that the test bearing has higher frictional power loss as compared with other bearings with conventional lubrications, due to the high viscosity of the solid grease. Furthermore, measurements are compared with the Palmgren and SKF models. For improving these models, the parameters of the models are updated on the basis of the measurement data. A second set of measurement result shows that the use of oil (kept at higher temperature) in addition to solid grease significantly reduces the frictional power loss. The reduction is due to the decrease in operational viscosity of the solid grease. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multichannel Fast QR-Decomposition Algorithms: Weight Extraction Method and Its Applications

Multichannel fast QR decomposition RLS (MC-FQRD-RLS) algorithms are well known for their good numerical properties and low computational complexity. The main limitation is that they lack an explicit weight vector term, limiting themselves to problems seeking an estimate of the output error signal. This paper presents techniques which allow us to use MC-FQRD-RLS algorithms with applications that previously have required explicit knowledge of the adaptive filter weights. We first consider a multichannel system identification setup and present how to obtain, at any time, the filter weights associated with the MC-FQRD-RLS algorithm. Thereafter, we turn to problems where the filter weights are periodically updated using training data, and then used for fixed filtering of a useful data sequence, e.g., burst-trained equalizers. Finally, we consider a particular control structure, indirect learning, where a copy of the coefficient vector is filtering a different input sequence than that of the adaptive filter. Simulations are carried out for Volterra system identification, decision feedback equalization, and adaptive predistortion of high-power amplifiers. The results verify our claims that the proposed techniques achieve the same performance as the inverse QRD-RLS algorithm at a much lower computational cost.     

Preparation of PVC/PVP composite polymer membranes via phase inversion process for water treatment purposes

In this work, new composite membranes were successfully prepared via phase inversion technique using polyvinyl chloride(PVC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP) as polymers and tetrahydrofuran(THF) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone(NMP) as solvents. The prepared membranes have been characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM), and fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy(FTIR). The scanning electron microscope results prove that the prepared membranes are smooth and their pores are distributed throughout the whole surface and bulk body of the membrane without any visible cracks. The stress–strain mechanical test showed an excellent mechanical behavior enhanced by the presence of PVP in the prepared membranes. The membranes performance results showed that the salt rejection reached 98% with a high flux. This, in turn, makes the prepared membranes can be applied for sea and brackish water treatment through membrane distillation technology.     

Hardware based genetic evolution of self-adaptive arbitrary response FIR filters

This work presents a hardware implementation of an FIR filter that is self-adaptive; that responds to arbitrary frequency response landscapes; that has built-in coefficient error tolerance capabilities; and that has a minimal adaptation latency. This hardware design is based on a heuristic genetic algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed design is more efficient than non-evolutionary designs even for arbitrary response filters. As a byproduct, the paper also presents a novel flow for the complete hardware design of what is termed as an Evolutionary System on Chip (ESoC). With the inclusion of an evolutionary process, the ESoC is a new paradigm in modern System on Chip (SoC) designs. The ESoC methodology could be a very useful structured FPGA/ASIC implementation alternative in many practical applications of FIR filters.     

Integrated neuro-evolution-based computing solver for dynamics of nonlinear corneal shape model numerically

Neural Computing and Applications - In this study, bio-inspired computational techniques have been exploited to get the numerical solution of a nonlinear two-point boundary value problem arising in...