Graph‐Theory Approach to Eigenvalue Problem of Large Space Structures

The dynamic analysis and control system design of large space structures involve the solution of the large‐dimensional generalized matrix eigenvalue problem. The computational effort involved is proportional to the third power of the dimension of the matrices involved. To minimize the computational time a graph‐theory approach to reduce a matrix to lower‐ordered submatrices is proposed. The matrix‐reduction algorithm uses the Boolean matrices corresponding to the original numerical matrices and, thus, the computational effort to reduce the original matrix is nominal. The computational savings directly depend upon the number of submatrices into which the original matrix is reduced. A free‐free square plate is considered as an example to illustrate the technique. In this example a matrix of 16th order is reduced to three scalars corresponding to three rigid‐body modes, and three matrices of order three and one matrix of order four.     

Reconstruction of a discontinuous function from a few fourier coefficients using bayesian estimation

The goal of this paper is the application of spectral methods to the numerical solution of conservation law equations. Spectral methods furnish estimates of the firstn Fourier coefficients of the solution. But since the solutions of conservation law equations can have discontinuities, the estimate of the solution by summing the firstn terms of the Fourier series will haveO(1/n) error, even if the Fourier coefficients are known to high accuracy. But if the solution could be accurately reconstructed from its Fourier coefficients, spectral methods could be used effectively in these problems. A method for doing this is to assume a probability distribution for functions. Functions which are smooth away from the discontinuity are assumed to be likely, and those which are not smooth away from the discontinuity are assumed to be unlikely. Then a reconstruction algorithm is chosen by minimizing the expected error over all algorithms. It is possible to put the smoothness assumptions mentioned earlier into an infinite-dimensional Gaussian probability distribution, and then the minimum-error algorithm is well-known and fairly simple to construct and apply. If the Fourier coefficients of the reconstructed function are known exactly, then this approach gives very good results. But when used with Fourier coefficients obtained from a spectral approximation to Burgers' equation, the results were much less impressive, probably because the coefficients were not known very accurately. It is possible to construct filters that reconstruct a function using Legendre or Chebyshev coefficients for information instead Fourier coefficients. It is found that the performance of these filters is similar to the Fourier case.     

Deorthogonalization of ODS-CDMA QPSK by AM/PM Nonlinearity

When using a conventional demodulator, a sufficient condition to maintain ODS-CDMA codeword orthogonality is constant relative channel amplitude over the codeword duration. When transmitted over a memoryless, AM/PM nonlinearity channel, the chip-to-chip fluctuating amplitude of a composite ODS-CDMA QPSK waveform produces a chip-to-chip fluctuating phase that deorthogonalizes the ODS-CDMA codewords, resulting in an additional multiple access self-interference similar to that found in asynchronous DS-CDMA. For ODS-CDMA QPSK in an AM/PM nonlinearity channel, we utilize the Central Limit Theorem, derive, and evaluate: (i) an expression for the signal-to-distortion ratio at the demodulator output, (ii) an expression for the uncoded bit error probability, and (iii) an upper bound on the convolutionally-coded bit error probability. We find that the degradation to BER depends on both the AM/PM nonlinearity slope and the ODS-CDMA channel loading.     

Formal methods: The next generation of system design tools

Because of the growing demand for increasingly complex computer-based systems there is now an urgent need to provide tools to assist during the design of such systems. Formal specifications and formal methods provide such assistance but their widespread adoption has been hindered by the so-called ‘math fear’ and the perception that the tools are too difficult, too time consuming and too costly to use in a commercial environment. The aim of this article is to dispel the mystery surrounding the topic and to explain what formal methods are, how and why they are used, the benefits that accrue and why the technology should be accepted on a broader front. The application of formal methods to the design of computer-based systems will be discussed without resorting to jargon or mathematics. The discussion will concentrate more on the software content of systems but the arguments apply equally well to hardware. Some of the available tools will also be introduced.     

Optical measurements of thermal diffusivity of a material

The measurement of thermal diffusivity of a material (in particular, a thin film) is important for various reasons, e.g., to predict the heat transfer in the solid subjected to a thermal process, to monitor surface composition or morphology, or to detect invisible subsurface defects like delaminations. This measurement can be done in a noncontact manner using various photothermal methods. Such methods typically involve pulsed heating of the surface by small amounts using a laser source; the decay of the surface temperature after this pulsed photothermal heating is then probed to provide the thermal diffusivity. Various probing methods have been developed in the literature, including the probing of reflection, refraction, and diffraction from the pulsed heated area, infrared thermal radiometry, and surface deformation. This paper provides an overview of such techniques and some examples of their applications.     

Contemporary approaches to certification of measurement provision software

Contemporary approaches to the certification of measurement provision software are considered in domestic and overseas publications. Normative documentation is analyzed and a scheme is proposed for certification that takes account of the features of programs used for metrological purposes. __________ Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 5, pp. 65–68, May, 2007.     

Teaching-Material Design Center: An ontology-based system for customizing reusable e-materials

Use of electronic teaching materials (e-material) to support teaching is a trend. e-Material design is therefore an important issue. Currently, most e-material providers offer a package of solutions for different purposes. However, not all teachers and learners need everything from a single package. A preferable alternative is to find useful material from different packages and combine them for a particular course. Currently, most educators collect the material manually, which is time-consuming and may result in missed material. In this paper, we describe a system – the Teaching-Material Design Center, which follows the standard of Sharable Content Object Reference Model – to separate e-material for use as teaching templates and learning objects and to label the material with use of semantic metadata for searching. This system can find existing teaching templates and learning objects for e-material designers and provide a convenient environment for constructing customized e-material for different requirements. We describe the implementation and evaluation of the proposed system for a course. Our system is efficient in finding teaching templates and learning objects and shortening the e-material development process.     

3G中的QoS结构及无线资源分配策略

在3G（第3代移动通信系统）中，为了给不同类型的业务提供不同级别的端到端QoS，网络资源必须进行合理分配。QoS和资源分配是密不可分的，而无线资源分配显得尤为重要。文中提出了UMTS的QoS结构，分3部分对空中接口部分的QoS（即无线资源分配策略问题）进行了讨论：首先提出了一种RRA算法，接着讨论了W－CDMA和TD－CDMA系统的无线资源分配问题，最后讨论了下行链路及上行链路的呼叫允许控制（CAC）。     

Performance Evaluation of Packet Mobile Communications through Level Crossing Analysis

In this paper the performance of a packet mobile radio network is studied inthe presence of shadow fading outage intervals.Under quite general assumptions for the medium access protocol,the probability mass function of the sequence of packets that may be lostdue to an outage interval is derived. It is seen that long sequences of lostpackets are likely to occur for typical values of the mobile speed andshadowing correlation parameters.For delay constrained sources, e.g., voice, the analysis is mainly focused atderiving the probability function of the sequence of dropped packetsand the probability of dropping. For data sources, the delay statistic isalso derived. In the latter case, the effect of finite buffer length isaddressed. Simulation is used to verify the accuracy of approximations introduced in the analysis.     

宽带接入服务器的选择配置和应用

本文主要分析了影响宽带接入服务器性能的各种因素，介绍了如何选择宽带接入服务器，并针对REDBACK公司的SMS1800和UNISPHERE公司的ERX1400两种典型宽带接入服务器说明如何进行配置，为应用宽带接入服务器提供参考。