Performance analysis under dynamic loading of wavelength continuous and non‐continuous WDM networks with shortest‐path routing

The performance of WDM networks using shortest path routing is studied under wavelength continuous (WC) and non‐continuous (NWC) constraints and dynamic traffic loading. Approximate analytical models are presented for the performance studies of such systems. Results of numerical calculations based on these models and simulations are given for different network topologies for the purposes of comparison. These analytical and simulation results are used to study the performance of these WDM networks under dynamic traffic loading. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design of fiducials for accurate registration using machine vision

The effect of the shape and size of a standard feature (fiducial) on the positional accuracy of the centroid in machine-vision applications is studied. It is shown that a circular fiducial provides superior subpixel registration accuracy among the fiducial shapes typically used today     

BER of Differentially Detected π/4-DQPSK with Selection Combining in Nakagami-m Fading

Nakagami’s m distribution is a versatile statistical model to characterize small-scale multipath fading in wireless channels. On the other hand, selection combining (SC) is a widely practiced diversity technique to mitigate the detrimental effects of multipath fading. Thus, when SC is applied over Nakagami fading channel, the error performance improvement for any given modulation format is of considerable interest. Since the last decade, π/4-shifted differential quadrature phase shift keying (π/4-DQPSK) modulation has attracted much attention as it is used for high-capacity code division multiple access (CDMA) based digital cellular systems. One of the major reasons behind this is the provision for differential detection which allows production of low complexity mobile units. In this paper, we present analytical expressions for bit error rate (BER) of π/4-DQPSK modulation with L-branch SC diversity in Nakagami-m fading channels perturbed by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The derived end expressions are in closed form and contain finite series of Gaussian hypergeometric function. This makes evaluation of error rates much more straightforward compared to earlier approaches that required single or even double numerical integration. Some special instances such as the nondiversity case and Rayleigh fading case are also investigated and plotted along with the main findings. For different fading parameter (m) values and for different diversity orders (L), simulated results are shown to be in excellent agreement with the derived analytical results. All the results are, however, limited to integer values of fading severity parameter m.     

Multi-User Relaying of High-Rate Space–Time Code in Cooperative Networks

In this paper, we propose high-rate space–time coding for cooperative wireless networks to reduce the overall delay incurred in relaying signals to multiple receivers. The relay structure is optimized in order to achieve maximum SNR at the receiver nodes. The proposed scheme provides a significant reduction in the delay required for the relaying and transmission of the signals to the multiple receivers with a minute loss in performance. We have also shown by simulation that this loss in the performance could be recovered by selecting more number of relays. We propose two relaying strategies for high-rate space–time codes, which are very useful in providing high data-rate in wireless cooperative networks.     

My words for your pizza: An analysis of persuasive narratives in online crowdfunding

We analyze charity requests registered on the Random Acts of Pizza online community and examine the content of postings and non-content characteristics to identify features that are associated with the success of donation. We find that the presence of rational and credible appeals in a message increases the likelihood of receiving a donation, whereas the mere presence of negative emotional appeal does not do so. Our research is useful for those who like to make persuasive charity requests on online platforms.     

Influence of pentavalent dopant addition to polarization and bioactivity of hydroxyapatite

Influence of pentavalent tantalum doping in bulk hydroxyapatite (HAp) ceramics has been investigated for polarizability and bioactivity. Phase analysis from X-ray diffraction measurement indicates that increasing dopant concentration decreased the amount of HAp phase and increased β-TCP and/or α-TCP phases during sintering at 1250 °C in a muffle furnace. Results from thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) measurements showed that doping hindered charge storage ability in HAp ceramics, and doped samples stored fewer charge compared to pure HAp. However, doping enhanced wettability of HAp samples, which was improved further due to polarization. In vitro human osteoblast cell–material interaction study revealed an increase in bioactivity due to dopant addition and polarization compared to pure HAp. This increase in bioactivity was attributed to the increase in wettability due to surface charge and dopant addition.     

Marine Water Quality Assessment Of Synthetic-Based Drilling Waste Discharges

Drilling muds or fluids used in drilling operations serve several functions: they lubricate the drill bit; maintain borehole pressure; clean and condition the hole; and flush rock cuttings to the surface. Drilling mud also adheres to rock cuttings, as can formation oil. Barite is used as a weighting agent, which approximately makes up approximately 33% of synthetic mud. It contains traces of heavy metals, which contribute to the toxicity of drilling waste. As environmental issues attract increasing public awareness, the treatment and disposal of spent drilling fluids and contaminated rock cuttings from drilling operations have become sensitive issues for offshore operations around the world. Within the last decade, the oil and gas industry has introduced synthetic-based drilling fluids as substitutes for oil-based fluids. This pollution prevention measure has been complemented by improvements in solid control systems technology. This paper adopts the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methodology for a hypothetical case study of an oil field on the East Coast of Canada to determine the water quality impacts of disposal of drilling wastes. The concentration of pollutants at the edge of the mixing zone in the water column and pore water are estimated and compared with Canadian water quality guidelines for protection of aquatic life.     

Contingency ranking based on severity indices in dynamic securityanalysis

Fast contingency screening is expected to be an integral part of any practical online dynamic security analysis (DSA). Ranking of contingencies requires the use of severity indices, and for DSA such an index must be a measure of stability. From experience in static security analysis, it is well known that some indices work better than others for particular power systems and that combinations of indices usually work better than a single index. For DSA, which is still in its infancy, severity indices are more complex and very few have been tested for screening. In this paper, several indices are proposed for contingency screening in online DSA. These indices are based on the concepts of coherency, transient energy conversion between kinetic energy and potential energy and three dot products of system variables. Test results on realistic power systems show the promise of these indices in contingency screening     

Electro-optical studies in chemically deposited La/Nd doped (Cd-Pb) S films

Results of photoluminescence emission spectra, photoluminescence decay, and temperature dependence of photoluminescence brightness of chemically deposited La- and Nd-doped films are reported. Along with these results of photoconductivity, X-ray diffraction, and SEM studies are also presented and discussed.