A monomial-based method for solving systems of non-linear algebraic equations

A monomial-based method for solving systems of algebraic non-linear equations is presented. The method uses the arithmetic-geometric mean inequality to construct a system of monomial equations that approximates the system of non-linear equations. A change of variables transforms the monomial system into a system of linear equations, which is readily solved. Special properties of the monomial method are identified and their significance is discussed. Invariance properties of the monomial method produce a built-in, self-adjusting scaling of the variables and equilibration of the equations of the linear system. Other special properties can lead to useful bounds on, and invariances of, the conditioning of the linear system. An invariance to uniform scaling is responsible for extremely rapid convergence to the equation surfaces in the initial iterations. An invariance to multiplication of the algebraic equations by a certain class of functions leads to a useful insensitivity to form of the algebraic system. Insensitivity of the monomial method to solutions with negative components avoids meaningless solutiuons of the algebraic system that appear as undesirable by-products of the formulation. A practical engineering design problem is solved to demonstrate the special properties of the monomial method.     

Use of a doubly polarized laser for remote powering of anintegrated optical modulator

Stable operation of an integrated optic modulator is demonstrated using a 1.3 μm doubly polarized laser as a depolarized source in conjunction with a long run of ordinary fiber. The laser is found to be unusually susceptible to feedback due to gain competition between the polarization modes. The resulting low-frequency polarization noise is significantly reduced by the addition of fiber isolators to the system     

Using neural networks to select wavelet features for breast cancerdiagnosis

This study focuses on improving microcalcification classification by establishing an efficient computer-aided diagnosis system that extracts Daubechies-4 and biorthogonal wavelet features. These wavelets were chosen because they have been used in military target recognition and fingerprint recognition research with images characterized by low contrast, similar to mammography. Feature selection techniques are employed to further increase classification performance. The artificial neural network feature selection techniques are complemented by a conventional decision boundary-based feature selection method. The results using the wavelet features are compared to more conventional measures of image texture, angular second moment, and Karhunen Loeve coefficients. The use of alternative signal processing to compare wavelet and neural techniques allows for a measure of the problem difficulty. It is concluded that advances and contributions have been made with the introduction of two novel feature extraction methods for breast cancer diagnosis, wavelets and eigenmasses. Additionally, feature selection techniques are demonstrated, compared, and validated, transforming adequate discrimination power into promising classification results     

Growth of part-through thickness fatigue cracks in sheet polymethylmethacrylate

Fatigue growth data has been obtained for part-through thickness cracks in sheet specimens of polymethylmethacrylate subjected to cyclic tension. Statistical techniques are used to examine the usefulness of linear elastic fracture mechanics for correlating this part-through thickness crack growth data with throughthickness data published previously.     

Euclidean controllable realizations of linear hereditary systems

A realization problem for a class of linear hereditary systems is formulated and state space representations are constructed from inputoutput relations. The resulting hereditary models are shown to be Euclidean controllable, and comparisons are made between these hereditary realizations and other recently developed theories.This research was supported in part by the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory under grant AFOSR-77-3221.     

Actively stabilised diode pumped Tm:YAlO laser

An actively stabilised, continuous-wave, 1.94 /spl mu/m Tm:YAlO laser is presented. Optoelectronic negative feedback stabilisation is utilised to prevent relaxation-oscillation-driven spiking. The amplitude stability of the laser is found to be very robust against cavity perturbation and parasitic radiation back-reflection, making it attractive for practical applications.     

Noise characterization of a mode-locked InGaAsP semiconductor diodelaser

Noise measurements were made on an InGaAsP semiconductor diode laser by monitoring and analyzing the mode-locked pulse train power spectrum. The noise content of the mode-locking RF source was observed to be transferred directly to the laser pulse train and, thus, careful selection of the drive oscillator is essential. Amplification of the laser pulses by an erbium-fiber amplifier did not lead to any increase in timing jitter and the additional amplitude noise present could be removed by using a more compatible pump source such as a diode laser operating at either 980 or 1490 nm     

Novel Solid‐State Microbial Sensors Based on ZnO Nanorod Arrays

Gravity and magnetism are implemented to change the morphology of zinc oxide nanorod sensors during synthesis. The effects of gravity and magnetism can translate into future application of these nanorods through cost‐effective, environmentally friendly, and easy‐to‐use biosensor technology with the quickest available sensing. The sensors can pave the way toward detection of both bacteria and fungi present on the surface with high sensitivity. This ability to sense microorganisms in a “non‐solution‐based” environment represents a key step forward in the fields of health and food safety, as well as solid‐state nanomaterial biotechnology applications. Hundreds of thousands of people are affected each year by accidental contamination and current protocols are far from preventative. The results of the magnetic field studies when compared with previous results show that the following factors affect the outcome of applying magnetic field during the growth of nanorods on their morphology: the direction of growth with respect to gravity, the method of seeding, and the substrate.