On maximum likelihood soft decoding of some binary self-dual codes

Efficient algorithms are derived for maximum likelihood (ML) soft-decision decoding of some binary self-dual codes. A family of easily decodable self-dual codes is derived by modifying a known F₂₄, which has a weight distribution resembling that of the [24, 12, 8] Golay code G₂₄. The ML decoding of F₂₄ is accomplished by only 227 real additions, compared to 651 required for G₂₄, yet the error rates of the two decoders are similar for moderate noise conditions     

Enhancement of repair in experimental calvarial bone defects using calcium sulfate and dextran beads

Granular medical-grade calcium sulfate hemihydrate (MGCSH) and negatively charged dextran beads (DB) were evaluated both separately and in combination in cranial defects. Thirty-six rats received bilateral parietal inlay reconstructions using MGCSH, MGCSH plus DB, or DB alone or the defects were left unfilled. Postoperative evaluation at 45, 90, and 135 days was done by visual inspection, caliper measurements of defect thickness, and histologic examination. The best fibro-osseous repair of the defects occurred with the use of MGCSH in combination with DB. Repair tissue, which was confluent with the adjacent cranium, was noted to have good thickness, and a high bone content. By contrast, defects repaired with either DB or MGCSH alone had poorer quality repair tissue, with concavities, voids, bead migration, decreased thickness, and minimal bony replacement/ingrowth. Unfilled control defects showed only a thin, friable, translucent connective tissue layer of repair. No method produced complete bony closure.     

Reduced lists of error patterns for maximum likelihood softdecoding

A method whereby a substantially reduced family of error patterns, called survivors, may be created for maximum likelihood soft decoding is introduced. The family of survivor depends on the received word. A decoder based on this approach first forms the survivors, then scores them. Rather than obtaining the survivors by online elimination of error patterns, the use of predetermined lists that represent all families of survivors is proposed     

Maximum likelihood soft decoding of binary block codes and decodersfor the Golay codes

Maximum-likelihood soft-decision decoding of linear block codes is addressed. A binary multiple-check generalization of the Wagner rule is presented, and two methods for its implementation, one of which resembles the suboptimal Forney-Chase algorithms, are described. Besides efficient soft decoding of small codes, the generalized rule enables utilization of subspaces of a wide variety, thereby yielding maximum-likelihood decoders with substantially reduced computational complexity for some larger binary codes. More sophisticated choice and exploitation of the structure of both a subspace and the coset representatives are demonstrated for the (24, 12) Golay code, yielding a computational gain factor of about 2 with respect to previous methods. A ternary single-check version of the Wagner rule is applied for efficient soft decoding of the (12, 6) ternary Golay code     

Sensitive and rapid hydrogen sensors based on Pd–WO3 thick films with different morphologies

WO₃ loaded with noble metals is well-known to be sensitive to reducing gases and can be used as hydrogen sensor. This paper presents a simple and attractive method concerning the preparation of hydrogen sensors based on Pd-loaded WO₃ nanocomposites with different morphologies. The influences of the morphology of WO₃ and the palladium growth on its surface on the hydrogen sensing performances are studied. WO₃ nanospheres, nanowires and nanolamellae were synthesized by different methods starting from the same precursor (H₂WO₄·nH₂O) which has been obtained by acidification of sodium tungstate (Na₂WO₄). The prepared WO₃ nanostructures were modified with the Pd by dispersing them in a PdCl₂ containing solvent using sonication (giving Pd-WO₃ inks). The sensors were prepared by screen-printing thick films (∼10 μm) of these inks on alumina substrates fitted with gold electrodes. The response of Pd-loaded WO₃ sensors to hydrogen was checked for the different morphologies at working temperatures ranging from 180 to 240 °C. The sensors prepared from nanolamellae showed the highest response while the nanowires presented the shortest response time to hydrogen.     

Deposition of titanium oxide films by reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS): Influence of the peak current value on the transition from metallic to poisoned regimes

In this study, reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) experiments were carried out to synthesize titanium oxide films, using a 45 × 15 cm² titanium target in Ar/O₂ gas mixtures. The deposition process was studied as a function of the peak current (i_peak) at constant voltage during the pulse (1 kV) and constant average power (P_av). As the oxygen flow was increased, i_peak was kept constant (160, 300 or 400A) by adjusting the pulse duration and the average power (2 or 4 kW) by adjusting the pulse repetition frequency. For all experimental conditions, an abrupt transition from metallic towards poisoned regimes was observed. The transition curves exhibit hysteresis. As i_peak is increased from 160 A to 450 A, for P_av = 4 kW, the oxygen content (Ω) in the Ar/O₂ mixture needed to poison the target surface was reduced from Ω = 11.5% to Ω = 8.5%. These values are much smaller than those recorded for DC magnetron sputtering (DCMS) (Ω = 42%) and pulsed DCMS (Ω = 36%) experiments carried out at the same power. These results are explained by the enhancement of the ionization and dissociation rates of oxygen molecules with the increase of i_peak.     

Error-trellises for convolutional codes .I. Construction

An error-trellis is a directed graph that represents all the sequences belonging to the coset which contains the symbol-by-symbol detected version of a given received sequence. A modular construction of error-trellises for an (n,k) convolutional code over GF(q) is presented. The trellis is designed on the basis of partitioning the scalar check matrix of the code into submatrices of l rows, accompanied with a corresponding segmentation of the syndrome. The value of the design parameter l is an essentially unconstrained multiple of n-k. For all the cosets of the code, the sections of the error-trellis are drawn from a collection of only q^l modules; the module for each section is determined by the value of the associated syndrome segment. In case the construction is based on a basic polynomial check matrix, either canonical or noncanonical, then the error-trellis is minimal in the sense that σ⩽μ, where σ is the dimension of the state space of the trellis and μ is the constraint length of a canonical generator matrix for the code. For basic check matrices with delay-free columns, the inequality reduces to σ=μ     

Fluorination of suspended graphene

Nano Research - Suspended graphene is exposed to different fluorine-containing species produced by a plasma source fed with CF4 precursor gas. We investigate the fluorination process by selecting...     

Feedforward multiple access satellite communications

Satellite communications modeled by a feedforward random multiple-access system are considered. The transmission times of the users are governed by protocol signals. The authors consider the model of a slot-synchronized collision channel without feedback, proposed by J.L. Massey and P. Mathys (1985), augmented by interleavers that are essential for enabling the use of practical short codes. They assess the throughput of the channel on the basis of a short-coding error parameter. The set of parameters of all users characterizes the rate region achievable by employing short block codes with nonideal interleaving. The short-coding error parameter corresponds to a bound on the probability of error which is tighter than the bound expressed with the aid of the conventional cut-off rate. The analysis takes into account practical communication aspects, such as the effect of interleaving span and noise in noninterfered slots