Perturbation analysis and control of two-class stochastic fluid models for communication networks

This paper uses stochastic fluid models (SFMs) for the control and optimization (rather than performance analysis) of communication network nodes processing two classes of traffic: one is uncontrolled and the other is subject to threshold-based buffer control. We derive gradient estimators for packet loss and workload related performance metrics with respect to threshold parameters. These estimators are shown to be unbiased and directly observable from a sample path without any knowledge of underlying stochastic characteristics of the traffic processes. This renders them computable in online environments and easily implementable for network management and control. We further demonstrate their use in buffer control problems where our SFM-based estimators are evaluated based on data from an actual system.     

Construction Robot Path-Planning for Earthwork Operations

In developing an intelligent mobile construction robot, a navigation system that can provide an effective and efficient path-planning algorithm is a very important element. The purpose of a path-planning method for a mobile construction robot is to find a continuous collision-free path from the initial position of the construction robot to its target position. This paper presents an improved Bug-based algorithm, called SensBug, which can produce an effective path in an unknown environment with both stationary and movable obstacles. The contributions, which make it possible to generate an effective and short path, are an improved method to select local directions, a reverse mode, and a simple leaving condition. Some emerging technologies that can be used for implementing an intelligent construction robot are introduced in this paper.     

Anaerobic biodecolorization of textile reactive anthraquinone and phthalocyanine dyebaths under hypersaline conditions.

The biological decolorization of two industrial, spent textile reactive dyebaths was investigated using a suspended-growth, halophilic mixed culture fed with glucose. Dyebath I contained mainly Reactive Blue 19 (RB19), an anthraquinone dye, whereas dyebath II contained mainly Reactive Blue 21 (RB21), a phthalocyanine dye. Batch assays under anaerobic conditions with the two neutralized dyebaths resulted in 87 and 37% extent of decolorization for dyebaths I and II, respectively. The rate of glucose utilization and the extent of acetate production were impacted in the presence of each dyebath as compared to the control culture. However, dyebath decolorization occurred despite moderate culture inhibition. Reuse of a biologically renovated RB19-containing dyebath in the dyeing process resulted in reproducible but not identical cotton fabric shades as compared to a standard dyeing (i.e., control) using fresh water. This difference is attributed to a variable degree of RB19 aggregation during the dyeing process and is not related to the efficiency of the biodecolorization process. Further improvement of the redyeing efficiency will lead to the development of an in-plant, closed-loop decolorization system resulting in significant water conservation and minimization of textile pollutants such as salt and dyes.     

Ozone measurement in visible region: an optical fibre sensor system

Ozone measurement based on the optical absorption of visible light at 603 nm using polymer optical fibres is investigated and tested. Comparisons with a commercial UV based sensor demonstrate the ability of the visible based sensor to measure high concentrations over a range 27-127 mg/litre. A resolution of 5 mg/litre is also demonstrated for this sensor.     

Protocols for fiber-optic local area networks

This paper is concerned with the use of optical-fiber and optoelectronic technology for the implementation of local area networks. For the purposes of this paper, we define a local area network as an information transport system which provides connectivity amongst distributed communicating entities within a structure (room, building); within a campus or an office complex; or within a geographical area about the size of a United States local access and transport area (LATA). This paper focuses on the subject of network protocols; i.e., how do we implement the orderly sharing of network resources.     

Mechanical equipment of the Tashlyk pumped-storage hydroelectric station and Aleksandrovka hydro development of the Southern Ukraine power complex

Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel'stvo, No. 11, pp. 6–7, November, 1989.     

Parametric modeling of somatosensory evoked potentials

In this paper, we examine methods of characterizing somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP's) in both the time and frequency domains. We have found that the truncated impulse response (TIR) method produced an accurate time domain model of the SEP signals at model orders greatly reduced from the original state space matrix. The TIR method was valuable for smoothing signals that were slightly corrupted by noise. In this case, the simulated data sequence was close to the original data sequence in the mean squared error sense. For signals that were greatly corrupted by noise, the TIR method was not able to perform as well. Therefore, the TIR method was not a feature extraction method but was valuable for data simulation. In the frequency domain, we have used the autoregressive moving average model (ARMA) to parameterize the SEP signal. An overdetermined set of Yule-Walker equations was created to determine the autoregressive (AR) parameters of the original data with the model order established by the singular value decomposition. From these AR parameters, a residual time series was generated which was used to find the moving average parameters. The resulting ARMA model was used to produce a simulated data sequence. The frequency domain characteristics of the simulated sequence and the corresponding power spectral density of the ARMA filter were very close to the periodogram of the original data sequence. Accurate parameterization was achieved for the SEP waveforms at low filter lengths.