Distance spectrum analysis of space-time trellis-coded Modulations in quasi-static Rayleigh-fading channels

In this correspondence, we propose an algorithm for computing the distance spectrum of a space-time trellis code achieving maximal diversity gain in quasi-static fading channels. We further present a state reduction technique for trellis codes that can reduce the complexity of the distance spectrum computation. We provide numerical results supporting the empirical evidence that a truncated union bound obtained from the distance spectrum provides an accurate characterization of the relative performance ordering of different space-time trellis codes and, therefore, it offers a tool for better space-time trellis code design.     

Evaluation of solid-desiccant-based evaporative cooling cycles for typical hot and humid climates

This paper presents an evaluation of various solid desiccant cycles for air conditioning in hot and humid climates. Psychometric evaluation of potential cycles for 16 typical Indian cities has been carried out with the objective of achieving standard comfort conditions in the room. Computer simulation is based on constant effectiveness of heat exchangers and evaporative coolers and actual performance data of a commercially available desiccant wheel dehumidifier. The influence of various outdoor conditions, the effectiveness of heat exchangers/evaporative coolers on the cooling coefficient of performance and volumetric air flowrate per unit cooling capacity have been investigated. It is found that amongst ventilation, recirculation and Dunkle cycles, the Dunkle cycle is better for a wide range of outdoor conditions. However, cycles using wet surface heat exchangers give even higher performance.     

Effect of exponentially graded base doping on the performance ofGaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors

The authors have fabricated n-p-n GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with base doping graded exponentially from 5×10¹⁹ cm^-3 at the emitter edge to 5×10¹⁸ cm^-3 at the collector edge. The built-in field due to the exponentially graded doping profile significantly reduces base transit time, despite bandgap narrowing associated with high base doping. Compared to devices with the same base thickness and uniform base doping of 1×10¹⁹ cm^-3 , the cutoff frequency is increased from 22 to 31 GHz and maximum frequency of oscillation is increased from 40 to 58 GHz. Exponentially graded base doping also results ill consistently higher common-emitter current gain than uniform base doping, even though the Gummel number is twice as high and the base resistance is reduced by 40%     

Hydrolysis of Fe(OH)SO4 in the presence of metallic iron

Hydrolysis of Fe(OH)SO₄ was carried out in the presence of metallic iron in order to prevent the formation of iron(III) oxides with strongly bonded sulphate. Under the conditions of the experiment, the products were found to be mixtures of ?-Fe₂O₃ and α-FeOOH. The occluded sulphate, if any, could be easily washed out with water. The hydrolysis reaction passes through an equilibrium state before coming to completion. The entropy with enthalpy of the hydrolysis corresponding to the equilibrium state were found to be 4 e.u. and 0·5 kJ/mol, respectively. The activation energy of the hydrolysis reaction was found to be 21 kJ/mol.     

The integrated academic information management system at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

Over the past seven years, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center has been planning and implementing an integrated academic information management system. Accomplishments to date include establishing an institutional information architecture, installing a campus-wide network of workstations, recruiting the staff needed to develop and implement the system, and developing various applications. This paper presents the rationale and steps involved in these accomplishments, as well as data on use of the system so far.     

Detecting nondeterminacy in parallel programs

Methods and tools for detecting nondeterminacy in programs for shared-memory multiprocessors are discussed. The approach described divides the debugging chore into two phases. The first phase uses tools that automatically detect nondeterminacy to debug synchronization errors, assuming it is decided at the outset to make the parallel program determinate. At the end of this phase, it is known that the program is determinate, that timing differences will not affect results, and the debugging sessions are repeatable. In the second phase, an interactive break-point debugger is used to find arithmetic and logical errors. The proposed tools fall into two groups: those that statically analyze the source program and those that analyze an execution trace of the program     

Evaluating the design of flexible manufacturing systems

Evaluating the design of flexible manufacturing systems is complex. Developing a measure of performance useful for evaluating alternate designs continues to be interesting. Here, total productivity of the system is proposed as an appropriate measure. Specification of parameters based upon strategic considerations for this measure are discussed. Finally, the usefulness of the measure is demonstrated through an example.     

Two-electrode DFB laser filter used as a wide tunable narrow-bandFM receiver: tuning analysis, characteristics and experimental FSK-WDMsystem

Characteristics of a two-electrode DFB laser filter are studied both theoretically and experimentally. Using a matrix analysis of spontaneous emission, a continuous tuning range of 6.7 Å is achieved by changing both net field gains of the two electrodes. A total discontinuous tuning range of over 10 nm comprising alternating mode jumps and continuous tuning range of 4 Å are measured experimentally. The laser filter presents a FWHM bandwidth of 5 GHz which depends on the optical input power. In addition, it is demonstrated that a DFB laser filter can act as a frequency discriminator/photodetector, i.e., a narrow-band FM receiver, with a uniform bandwidth of 1.5 GHz. Using the two-electrode DFB laser for both transmitter and receiver, a two-channel FSK-WDM transmission system utilizing the discontinuous tuning range is reported. The advantage of such a device is the simplicity as compared to the heterodyne technique     

Conformational effects in the reversed-phase chromatographic behavior of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and N-methionyl recombinant human growth hormone (Met-hGH).

This paper examines the retention behavior of recombinant DNA-derived human growth hormone (rhGH) in reversed-phase chromatography and its separation from the closely related N-methionyl variant (Met-hGH). It is first shown that retention for rhGH decreases with increasing column temperature when 1-propanol (1-PrOH) is used as organic modifier. On the other hand, retention increases with temperature when acetonitrile (CH3CN) is employed. The differences in behavior for the two organic modifiers could be related to conformational changes in the protein as determined by solution and adsorption intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy. Specifically, desorption and elution of rhGH using 1-PrOH could be correlated with a solvent-induced conformational change, with retention decreasing with increasing temperature due to the increasing ease of structural alteration. On the other hand for CH3CN the increase in retention correlated with temperature rise was related to a partial structural change yielding a more hydrophobic species. In this case, a surface-driven process is suggested. The work then turned to the separation of rhGH and Met-hGH where it was found for both organic modifiers optimum separation occurred at 45 degrees C and pH 6.5. Separate studies revealed that during the conformational change Met-hGH appeared more hydrophobic than rhGH since protein-protein aggregation was observed at a lower 1-PrOH concentration. It is suggested that this hydrophobic difference, which was optimized under the conditions cited above, resulted in the separation. The study demonstrates the importance of conformational changes in retention behavior and separation of protein samples.