An algorithm to solve integer programming problems: An efficient tool for reliability design

In many reliability design problems, the decision variables can only have integer values. The redundancy allocation is an example of one such problem; others include spare parts allocation, or repairmen allocation, which necessitate an integer programming formulation. In other words, integer programming plays an important role in system reliability optimization. In this paper, an algorithm is presented which provides an exact, simple and economical solution to any general class of integer programming problems and thereby offers reliability designers an efficient tool for system design. The algorithm can be used effectively to solve a wide variety of reliability design problems. The scope of use of this algorithm is also indicated and the procedure is illustrated by an example.     

Classification of Spectral Patterns Obtained from Eustachian Tube Sonometry

Spectral patterns of sound transmission through the Eustachian tube (ET) have been obtained in a series of experiments designed to identify ET dysfunction. Previous studies of ET function using sonometry have relied on heuristic and somewhat arbitrary methods in interpreting the data. In this study, an automated classification algorithm was developed to separate these sonograms into three distinct groups. From a total of 150 sample spectra, 75 were used in the formation of learning sets. The remaining spectra were classified into these three groups using standard Bayesian techniques. Both parametric and nonparametric methods were applied in estimating conditional probability density functions. Results of classification are compared with an independent test of ET function. Agreement between our classifier and the results of the independent test was as good as 97.3 percent. The results of this study indicate that an automated classification procedure can effectively distinguish among the three major types of sonograms obtained from ET sonometry.     

Midwavelength Infrared Avalanche Photodiode Using InAs–GaSb Strain Layer Superlattice

InAs-GaSb strain layer superlattice p⁺-n^--n avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are fabricated using a newly introduced electron-beam aided zinc sulfide deposition. Temperature-dependent measurements were performed on 300 times 300 mum² mesa etched APDs. The effect of passivation was also studied on the diode characteristics and APD performances. Temperature-dependent gain strongly correlates with avalanche mechanism.     

Challenges and opportunities for next-generation intracortically based neural prostheses

Neural prosthetic systems aim to help disabled patients by translating neural signals from the brain into control signals for guiding computer cursors, prosthetic arms, and other assistive devices. Intracortical electrode arrays measure action potentials and local field potentials from individual neurons, or small populations of neurons, in the motor cortices and can provide considerable information for controlling prostheses. Despite several compelling proof-of-concept laboratory animal experiments and an initial human clinical trial, at least three key challenges remain which, if left unaddressed, may hamper the translation of these systems into widespread clinical use. We review these challenges: achieving able-bodied levels of performance across tasks and across environments, achieving robustness across multiple decades, and restoring able-bodied quality proprioception and somatosensation. We also describe some emerging opportunities for meeting these challenges. If these challenges can be largely or fully met, intracortically based neural prostheses may achieve true clinical viability and help increasing numbers of disabled patients.     

A Comparison of Bit-Parallel and Bit-Serial Architectures for WDM Networks

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is emerging as a viable solution to reduce the electronic processing bottleneck in very high-speed optical networks. A set of parallel and independent channels are created on a single fiber using this technique. Parallel communication utilizing the WDM channels may be accomplished in two ways: (i) bit serial, where each source-destination pair communicates using one wavelength and data are sent serially on this wavelength; and (ii) bit parallel, where each source-destination pair communicates using a subset of channels and data are sent in multiple-bit words. Three architectures are studied in the paper: single-hop bit-serial star, single-hop bit-parallel star, and multi-hop bit-parallel shufflenet. The objective of this paper is to evaluate these architectures with respect to average packet delay, network utilization, and link throughput. It is shown that the Shufflenet offers the lowest latency but suffers from high cost and low link throughput. The star topology with bit-parallel access offers lower latency than the bit-serial star, but is more expensive to implement.     

A Distance Based Communication Mode Selection Mechanism for M2M Communications Over Cellular Networks

The implementation of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications in fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks can facilitate with several benefits like enhancement of bandwidth utilization, accommodating large number of users and decreasing traffic load on evolved node B (eNB). Integration of location information of unknown machine in communication mode selection mechanism is the key feature of this research. In this paper, a distance based communication mode selection mechanism using non-orthogonal resource sharing scheme is adopted in the proposed system model. Under the proposed mechanism, the expressions of throughput and RBs utilization policy are derived, which are the key parameters to evaluate the performance in the proposed network. Depending on the mode selection condition, such as threshold distance and threshold SINR between M2M users and regular cellular users, a UE can automatically choose its communication mode in the network. It is supposed that selection of mode before data transfer can improve the system performance. On the other hand, designing of efficient distance assisted proposed resource blocks (RBs) utilization policy reduces the traffic load on the eNB. Extensive simulations are carried out for evaluating the performance of the proposed mechanisms. The system performance is compared with various changeable parameters, such as throughput, mode selection threshold SINR, threshold distance and RBs. Besides, the proposed mechanism provides better network performance as well as reduces the traffic load in the proposed network.

     

Classification of sport videos using edge-based features and autoassociative neural network models

In this paper, we propose a method for classification of sport videos using edge-based features, namely edge direction histogram and edge intensity histogram. We demonstrate that these features provide discriminative information useful for classification of sport videos, by considering five sports categories, namely, cricket, football, tennis, basketball and volleyball. The ability of autoassociative neural network (AANN) models to capture the distribution of feature vectors is exploited, to develop class-specific models using edge-based features. We show that combining evidence from complementary edge features results in improved classification performance. Also, combination of evidence from different classifiers like AANN, hidden Markov model (HMM) and support vector machine (SVM) helps improve the classification performance. Finally, the performance of the classification system is examined for test videos which do not belong to any of the above five categories. A low rate of misclassification error for these test videos validates the effectiveness of edge-based features and AANN models for video classification.     

Sharp-rejection microstrip bandpass filters with multiple transmission zeros

A simple design of a sharp-rejection microstrip bandpass (BPF) filter is presented. By creating multiple transmission zeros in the lower and upper stopbands, sharp rejection characteristics are obtained. The basic filter unit consists of a single parallel coupled-line section and an open-ended stub. A lossless transmission line model approach is used to derive the design equations for frequency responses and transmission zero positions. The bandwidths are controllable by the zero locations that in turn are controlled by varying the impedances of the configuration. To validate theoretical predictions, two prototype BPFs operating at lower band 2.4 GHz of WLAN are fabricated in microstrip form.     

Study of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and measurement of hole effective mass in compressively strained InXGa1−XSb quantum wells

In_XGa_1−XSb has the highest hole mobility amongst all III-V semiconductors which can be enhanced further with the use of strain. The use of confinement and strain in In_XGa_1−XSb quantum wells lifts the degeneracy between the light and heavy hole bands which leads to reduction in the hole effective mass in the lowest occupied band and an increase in the mobility. We present magnetotransport measurements on compressively strained In_XGa_1−XSb and GaSb quantum wells. Hall-bar and Van de Pauw structures were fabricated and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in the temperature range of T = 2-10 K for magnetic fields of B = 0-9 T were measured. The reduction of effective hole mass with strain was quantified. These results are in excellent agreement with modeling results from band structure calculations of the effective hole mass in the presence of strain and confinement.     

An Adaptive Learning Scheme for Medium Access with Channel Reservation in Wireless Networks

Providing effective medium access for wireless networks is a challenging task. Most of the existing protocols of IEEE 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) work towards the goal of achieving effective channel access by developing various backoff procedures. In this paper, we make an attempt to develop a new medium access protocol named Learning Automata (LA) based Wireless Channel Reservation (LAWCR). We use an LA approach to implement reservation for channel access for single hop wireless networks. Also, sequence procedure is used to improve the reservation mechanism. The performance of the proposed LAWCR scheme show significant improvements over the legacy DCF protocol with respect to important criteria such as the average time spent in the buffer and the throughput.