A DSP-Based Remote Control Laboratory

This paper presents a framework for rapid remote experiment implementation in the field of automatic control. The proposed solution is based on in-house developed embedded control hardware and two commercially available software packages. MATLAB/Simulink is used for rapid experiment control algorithm development, while LabVIEW is used for the user front-end and remote control. A combination of presented hardware and software solutions enables the rapid and easy creation of different interactive remote control experiments. Using this solution, a digital-signal-processor-based remote control laboratory for teaching purposes has been realized. This remote laboratory enables the remote users to easily interact with a set of physical control experiments through the Internet. In the friendly user interface, the remote user can change predefined system parameters and observe system response in textual, graphical, or video format. In addition, this remote laboratory includes a booking system, which enables remote users to book experiments in advance.     

Electrical properties and positron annihilation study of (Ba<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ho<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics

DC resistivity, dielectric constant, dielectric loss and positron annihilation spectra of (Ba_1−x Ho _x )TiO₃ ceramics have been measured as a function of holmium concentration x. It has been found that the DC resistivity of (Ba_1−x Ho _x )TiO₃ is strongly dependent on the Ho content: it decreases three orders of magnitude and reaches a minimum at x = 0.4%. Doping with 0.6% holmium increases the permittivity of BaTiO₃ by approximately three times (from ∼1,300 to ∼4,000), with only a slight increase in the corresponding dielectric loss. The local electron density and defect concentration estimated using positron annihilation technique conforms well to the features found in the dielectric and resistivity measurements. The results have been discussed in terms of a mixed compensation model.     

Reliability Analysis on the δ-Shock Model of Complex Systems

We investigate the delta-shock model of complex systems consisting of n i.i.d. components. We first obtain a general lifetime distribution for the delta-shock model of a general complex system by reducing the system to a linear combination of parallel systems. We then consider coherent system structures including series, parallel, and k-out-of-n, then derive some useful results including reliability bounds, bounds on the mean lifetime, limiting distributions, and Laplace-Stieltes transforms     

An Effect of Nonferromagnetic Gaps on the Magnetic Properties of Stacks of Steel Plates with Different Values of Magnetic Hardness: I. A Closed Circuit

Stacks of steel plates having different values of magnetic hardness and separated with nonferromagnetic gaps are investigated. The coercive force and the residual magnetic induction of a stack measured in a closed magnetic circuit depend on the layout of the plates in the stack and on the thickness of nonmagnetic gaps between them.__________Translated from Defektoskopiya, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2005, pp. 55–62.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Gorkunov, Mitropol’skaya, Povolotskaya.Dedicated to the Anniversary of the 100th Birthday of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences M. N. Mikheev     

南渡江海口段防洪工程设计的关键问题

在建的南渡江河口段防洪工程具有海岸堤防工程的特点。本文对原堤防存在的问题、设计洪（潮）水面线的确定、不同条件下的堤防断面的设计、水土保持的设计以及环境保护设计等关键的技术问题，进行阐述，以供与一般江河堤防比较和类似海岸堤防工程参考。     

Impedance spectroscopy of ultrafine-grain SnO2 ceramics with a variable grain size

The impedance spectra of nanocrystalline SnO₂ ceramics with an average grain size d ranging from 3 to 43 nm were investigated in the frequency range 1–10⁶ Hz at temperatures from 25 to 300°C in a dry oxygen atmosphere. Analysis of the experimental data by the graphoanalytical method made it possible to separate the contributions of grain bulk and grain boundaries to the conductivity. It is shown that the samples investigated can be arbitrarily divided into two groups with respect to the character of their conductivity. For the samples with an average grain size d < 25 nm, the charge transfer processes are almost completely determined by the grain boundaries. In samples with a larger grain size, the contribution of grain bulk to the conductivity is comparable with that of grain boundaries.     

Improvement of the wavelength switching behavior of semiconductor tunable lasers through optical feedback from a periodic reference filter based on a novel prism-based implementation of a Fox-Smith resonator

We show that the wavelength switching behavior of semiconductor tunable lasers can be improved through optical feedback from a stable reference filter. The filter is based on a novel prism-based implementation of a Fox-Smith resonator and has a response consisting of periodically spaced peaks, both in reflection and transmission. The improvement of the wavelength switching behavior stems from the suppression of the thermally induced wavelength drift associated with the switching of the tuning currents.     

Redox Equilibrium of Iron in Silicate Glasses

The effect of some additives on the equilibrium of valence forms of iron is investigated. It is demonstrated that tin and carbon more significantly than fluorine reduce iron. The redox potential of the glass matrix affects the equilibrium between difference valence forms of iron much less than additives correcting spectral characteristics of glass.     

Blind channel estimation and equalization in wireless sensor networks based on correlations among sensors

In densely deployed wireless sensor networks, signals of adjacent sensors can be highly cross-correlated. This paper proposes to utilize such a property to develop efficient and robust blind channel identification and equalization algorithms. Blind equalization can be performed with complexity as low as O(N/spl tilde/), where N/spl tilde/ is the length of equalizers. Transmissions can be more power and bandwidth efficient in multipath propagation environment, which is especially important for wideband sensor networks such as those for acoustic location or video surveillance. The cross-correlation property of sensor signals and the finite sample effect are analyzed quantitatively to guide the design of low duty-cycle sensor networks. Simulations demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method.