3-D discrete analytical ridgelet transform.

In this paper, we propose an implementation of the 3-D Ridgelet transform: the 3-D discrete analytical Ridgelet transform (3-D DART). This transform uses the Fourier strategy for the computation of the associated 3-D discrete Radon transform. The innovative step is the definition of a discrete 3-D transform with the discrete analytical geometry theory by the construction of 3-D discrete analytical lines in the Fourier domain. We propose two types of 3-D discrete lines: 3-D discrete radial lines going through the origin defined from their orthogonal projections and 3-D planes covered with 2-D discrete line segments. These discrete analytical lines have a parameter called arithmetical thickness, allowing us to define a 3-D DART adapted to a specific application. Indeed, the 3-D DART representation is not orthogonal, It is associated with a flexible redundancy factor. The 3-D DART has a very simple forward/inverse algorithm that provides an exact reconstruction without any iterative method. In order to illustrate the potentiality of this new discrete transform, we apply the 3-D DART and its extension to the Local-DART (with smooth windowing) to the denoising of 3-D image and color video. These experimental results show that the simple thresholding of the 3-D DART coefficients is efficient.     

D类放大器背后的奥秘

音频放大器的用途是在发声输出元件上复现输入音频信号,提供所需要的音量和功率水平-保证复现的忠实性、高效率以及低失真度.在这一任务面前,D类放大器表现出多方面的优势.     

Microwave radiometry for cement kiln temperature measurements.

The maximum temperature inside a cement kiln is a critical operating parameter, but is often difficult or impossible to measure. We present here the first data that show a correlation between cement kiln temperature measured using a microwave radiometer and product chemistry over an eight-hour period. The microwave radiometer senses radiation in the 12-13 GHz range and has been described previously [Stephan and Pearce (2002), JMPEE 37: 112-124].     

Design challenges of a 65 nm CMOS stacked folded differential PA structure for mobile communications

In this paper, a novel phase-locked loop (PLL) architecture with multiple charge pumps, which is used to design a fast-locking PLL and a low-phase-noise PLL, is proposed. The effective capacitance and resistance of the loop filter in terms of voltage is scaled up/down according to the locking status by controlling the magnitude and direction of the charge pump current. Two PLLs, one with a fast-locking characteristic and the other with a low-phase-noise characteristic, are designed and fabricated in a 0.35-μm CMOS process based on the proposed architecture. The fast-locking PLL has a locking time of less than 6 μs and a phase noise of −90.45 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset. The low-phase-noise PLL has a locking time of 25 μs, a phase noise of −105.37 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset, and a reference spur of −50 dBc. Both PLLs have an 851.2 MHz output frequency.     

开关电容ADC及其驱动放大器之间的阻抗谐振匹配方法

高采样速率模数转换器（ADC）通常用在现代无线接收器设计中,以中频（IF）采样速率采集复数调制的信号.这类设计通常都选用基于CMOS开关电容的ADC,因为它们的低成本和低功耗特点很吸引人。但这类ADC采用一种直接连接到采样网络的无缓冲器的前端,这样就会出现驱动ADC的放大器的输入跟踪和保持阻抗随时间变化的问题.为了有效地驱动ADC,使噪声最低和有用信号失真最小,必须设计一种无源网络接口帮助抑制宽带噪声,并对跟踪阻抗和保持阻抗进行变换以便为驱动放大器提供更好的负载阻抗。针对几种常见的IF频率,本文中提出了一种谐振匹配方法,用于将跟踪和保持阻抗转换为比较容易计算的负载,从而实现抗锯齿滤波器的精密设计。     

The reduction mechanism of a natural chromite at 1416 °C

The behavior of a natural chromite from the Bushveld Complex, Transvaal, South Africa, during reduction at 1416 °C by graphite was studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and metallographic analysis. Experimental runs were allowed to proceed up to 120 minutes, resulting in 99 pct reduction. The specific objective of this study was to delineate the reduction mechanism of chromite by graphite. Zoning was observed in partially reduced chromites with degrees of reduction of up to about 70 pct. The inner cores were rich in iron, while the outer cores were depleted of iron. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis revealed that Fe²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions had diffused outward, whereas Cr²⁺, Al³⁺, and Mg²⁺ ions had diffused inward. The following mechanism of reduction, which is based on the assumption that the composition of the spinel phase remains stoichiometric with increasing degree of reduction, is proposed, (a) Initially, Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions at the surface of the chromite particle are reduced to the metallic state. This is followed immediately by the reduction of Cr³⁺ ions to the divalent state, (b) Cr²⁺ ions diffusing toward the center of the particle reduce the Fe³⁺ ions in the spinel under the surface of the particle to Fe²⁺ at the interface between the inner and outer cores. Fe²⁺ ions diffuse toward the surface, where they are reduced to metallic iron, (c) After the iron has been completely reduced, Cr³⁺ and any Cr²⁺ that is present are reduced to the metallic state, leaving an iron- and chromium-free spinel, MgAl₂O₄. Formerly Postgraduate Student, Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand. Formerly with the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand.     

The 6-49 Lottery Paradox

The paradox of the preface and the lottery paradox are paradoxes of practical certainty sharing certain features. The paradox of the lottery argues that rational agents are at once practically certain that each ticket in a lottery will lose but also practically certain some ticket will win. The paradox of the preface argues that rational agents are at once practically certain that all facts in a written volume are true, yet are also practically certain that some fact is wrong. A difference between real lotteries and prefaces is that a winning lottery ticket is generally an intended feature of the lottery, whereas incorrect facts are generally unintended.
Despite these similarities, Pollock gives a novel argument suggesting that the preface paradox warrants qualitatively different treatment from the lottery, using as a rationale the differences between real lotteries and prefaces. This draws a clear line between the work of Pollock and the work of Kyburg, both of whom have had a prominent influence in recent thinking on nonmonotonic reasoning in AI.
This note shows there are real lotteries with the formal structure of the preface paradox and possibly prefaces with the formal structure of lotteries. The surprising conclusion is that within Pollock's framework, the treatment of any problem with a formal structure resembling the lottery (or the preface) depends on the process by which winning tickets (or publishing errors) are generated. The rationales given by Pollock seem to be unrelated to the actual mechanisms implemented.     

Sex-based and hormonal contraception effects on the metabolism of nicotine among adolescent tobacco-dependent smokers.

Variations in nicotine metabolism influence smoking patterns. Differences between sexes or related to sex hormones may affect nicotine metabolism. Because smoking initiation starts during adolescence, observations gathered from adolescent smokers might broaden our understanding of such sex-based differences. We tested the hypothesis that nicotine metabolism--as indexed primarily by the ratio of trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (3HC) to cotinine--is more rapid among adolescent girl smokers compared with boys and that regular use of hormonal contraceptives influences nicotine and cotinine metabolism. We also hypothesized that more rapid nicotine metabolism is associated with higher nicotine dependence as indexed by smoking frequency and morning urgency. Plasma samples of nicotine, cotinine, and 3HC concentrations were obtained from 120 adolescents (36 boys). Plasma nicotine and cotinine concentrations were similar in boys and girls. Median plasma 3HC concentrations were 44.45 ng/ml for girls versus 35.74 ng/ml for boys (p = .025), and median plasma 3HC-cotinine ratios were significantly higher in girls than in boys (0.317 vs. 0.253, p = .025). After stratifying girls into two groups based on use versus nonuse of hormonal contraception, plasma 3HC-cotinine ratios in girls using hormonal contraception (0.47) were substantially higher (p<.0001) than in boys (0.25) and were significantly higher than in girls not using hormonal contraception (0.28). Controlling for cigarettes smoked per day, ethnicity, and age did not modify these results. Although plasma nicotine, cotinine, or 3HC concentrations were significantly lower in less dependent adolescent smokers, nicotine and cotinine metabolite ratios were similar. This study showed that hormonal contraception in adolescent girls may accelerate cotinine metabolism, an effect likely related to induction of cytochrome P450 2A6 and independent of ethnicity and cigarette consumption. Prospective controlled studies are needed to further evaluate the role of hormonal contraception in patterns of adolescent smoking and nicotine metabolism.