Highly Sensitive Speech Detector and High-Speed Voiceband Data Discriminator in DSI-ADPCM Systems

This paper describes a highly sensitive speech detector and a high-speed voiceband data classifier capable of discriminating between speech and voiceband data of a 4.8 kbit/s 8-phase PSK and 4.8 kbit/s 8-point QAM, and a 9.6 kbit/s 16-point QAM as described in a CCITT recommendation. The presence of a speech signal is detected by analyzing short-time energies, zero-crossing rates, and sign bit sequences of the input signal. The proposed speech detector, with a short hangover time of 32 ms, is able to reduce the average talk spurt activity in an international satellite link to 36 percent. This detector can also classify the detected speech into narrow-band or wide-band spectrum sounds or a low power sound for a variable rate ADPCM encoding. Discrimination between speech and high-speed voiceband data is based on short-time energies, a zeros-crossing rate and linear prediction coefficients of an adaptive predictor. Classification among a 4.8 kbit/s 8-phase PSK and 8-point QAM, and a 9.6 kbit/s 16-point QAM can also be performed by an average prediction gain and a coefficient of variation of the short-term amplitude distribution of the input signal. Discrimination of voiceband data was performed successfully, and erroneous discrimination of talk spurt of telephone speech as voiceband data were, respectively, four times for two two-party conversations lasting 5 minutes in an international satellite link. This is equivalent to less than 0.09 percent of the conversation time.     

Observation of the electrorheological effect of siliconeoil/polymer particles suspension

A liquid insulator that suspends small particles is one of the electrorheological fluids (ERF) whose apparent viscosity becomes larger under an electric field because of the formation of particle chains. Since many possible applications of ERF are expected, the development of a more practical ERF is required. We have investigated the ER effect of silicone oil in which small particles are suspended. Silica particles, silica particles coated by conductive polymer film, and polymer particles (microcrystalline cellulose), with a diameter between 5~100 μm, are investigated in order to clarify the difference between suspending materials. To measure the ER effect, a rotational viscometer was constructed. It became clear that the shear stress for cellulose particles is much stronger than that for other particles because of its peculiar particle chain formation due to the particle shape     

Giant calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe (pilomatrixoma): imaging features

We present a case of giant calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe (pilomatrixoma) in the right upper arm of a 62-year-old man. It measured 18 x 12 x 8 cm in size, making it the largest of all the cases reported previously. CT clearly demonstrated a well-defined, subcutaneous mass with amorphous calcifications. The mass showed intermediate signal intensity on T2*-weighted MR images and slight contrast uptake on contrast-enhanced MR images. Histopathologically, this tumor showed no aggressive or malignant nature. The patient is without evidence of recurrence or metastasis 3 years following the resection.     

Evaluation of pinhole defect in DLC film prepared by hybrid process of plasma-based ion implantation and deposition

Pinhole defect in diamond-like carbon (DLC) film prepared by a hybrid process of plasma-based ion implantation and deposition using toluene plasma was evaluated by the critical passivation current density in the anodic polarization method. The area ratio of pinhole defects to the SUS304 bare substrate was decreased exponentially with increasing DLC film thickness and reached about 3×10^-6% at film thickness. As a result, it is found that the corrosion resistance of DLC-coated specimens was improved with increasing film thickness. The production of an interfacial mixing layer by ion implantation from methane and acetylene plasmas between the DLC film and the substrate material reduced pinhole defects in the film.     

Mechanism of Crack Growth in Lubricated Rolling/Sliding Contact

In order to explain the mechanism of rolling-contact fatigue crack growth analytically, fracture mechanics are applied to a semicircular surface crack inclined at an angle to the elastic half-space loaded by Hertzian stresses.

It is shown that the surface traction is the controlling factor for lubricant seepage into the crack and for shear mode crack growth rate. It is also clarified that the generation of pits results from tensile mode crack growth mainly due to the oil hydraulic pressure action.     

DC corona discharge of a metal filament particle withinparallel-plate electrodes

For the prevention of a particle-initiated breakdown within gas-insulated switchgear, fundamental characteristics of particle motion were investigated. It was found that the particle motion depends not only on Coulombic force, but on the corona discharge from the tip of a particle. Thus, the corona current from a fixed particle on the lower electrode was measured, for either positive or negative corona case. The measured current showed different characteristics of current depending on the polarity. The corona onset voltage of negative corona is somewhat lower than positive, but the breakdown voltage of negative corona is much higher. Although the current characteristics follow the square law, the applicable region of this law for positive corona is very small. Positive corona depends on the tip configuration contrary to negative corona     

Microstructure of interface for high-adhesion DLC film on metal substrates by plasma-based ion implantation

The diamond-like carbon (DLC) film was prepared on various metal substrates with a plasma-based ion implantation and deposition using superimposed RF and negative high-voltage pulses. The adhesion strength of DLC film was enhanced above the epoxy resin strength by implantation of carbon ions or mixed ions of carbon and silicon to the substrate surface before DLC deposition. In order to clarify the mechanism for improvement in adhesive strength, the microstructure of an interface between DLC film and substrate was examined in detail by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations in combination with EDS analysis. As a result, the enhancement in adhesion strength of DLC film by C ion implantation resulted from the formation of amorphous-like phase in the ion-implanted region of substrate, the production of carbon-component graded interface, the destruction of the oxide layer on the top surface of substrate, and the reduction of residual stress in DLC film by ion implantation during the deposition. The production of stress-free DLC film allowed us to demonstrate a supra-thick DLC film of more than 400 μm in thickness.     

Application of 32 and 16 kb/s speech encoding techniques to digital satellite communications

This paper describes the performance of various voice encoding techniques at 32 and 16 kb/s for applying to digital satellite communication systems. The subjective performances of adaptive differential PCM (ADPCM), adaptive predictive coding (APC), subband coding (SBC) and adaptive delta modulation (ADM) are compared under various satellite channel environments, that is, random and burst channel errors in satellite link and an ambient noise in the ship-to-shore direction in a maritime satellite channel. The performance of the voiceband data at 4·8 and 2·4 kb/s is also evaluated for these coders. ADPCM encoding at 32 kb/s is very attractive for conventional fixed satellite systems, keeping the equivalent quality to 64 kb/s PCM. On the other hand, APC encoding at 16 kb/s is also most suitable for maritime satellite communication systems at the sacrifice of a small degradation of speech quality.     

A 400 μm thickness diamond-like carbon preparation

A 400 μm thick diamond-like carbon (DLC) film was prepared on an aluminum alloy (A5052) substrate by a hybrid process of plasma-based ion implantation and deposition using toluene as a precursor gas. The plasma-based ion implantation during deposition relaxed the residual stress in DLC film to almost 0, indicating the production of stress-free DLC. The carbon ion implantation from the methane and acetylene plasmas to the substrate surface, prior to deposition, resulted in an interface graded in carbon composition as well as the formation of amorphous-like structure at the carbon ion-implanted layer that should work as a buffer for stress-relaxation. As a result, a supra-thick DLC film more than 400 μm in thickness was prepared on the substrate.