Synchronization for the uplink of OFDMA-based System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nguyen, Huan Cong

2008-01-01

are designed for single-user system, and therefore are not able to correct multiple CFOs in the uplink. The aim of this thesis is to provide practical solutions  for the synchronization issues occurring in the uplink of the OFDMA-based broadband wireless systems.  Several data-aided CFO estimation algorithms...

Reliable Uplink Communication through Double Association in Wireless Heterogeneous Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kim, Dong Min; Popovski, Petar

2016-01-01

We investigate methods for network association that improve the reliability of uplink transmissions in dense wireless heterogeneous networks. The stochastic geometry analysis shows that the double association, in which an uplink transmission is transmitted to a macro Base Station (BS) and small BS...

Limits on the Capacity of In-Band Full Duplex Communication in Uplink Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Randrianantenaina, Itsikiantsoa

2016-02-26

Simultaneous co-channel transmission and reception, denoted as in-band full duplex (FD) communication, has been promoted as an attractive solution to improve the spectral efficiency of cellular networks. However, in addition to the selfinterference problem, cross-mode interference (i.e., between uplink and downlink) imposes a major obstacle for the deployment of FD communication in cellular networks. More specifically, the downlink to uplink interference represents the performance bottleneck for FD operation due to the uplink limited transmission power and venerable operation when compared to the downlink counterpart. While the positive impact of FD communication to the downlink performance has been proved in the literature, its effect on the uplink transmission has been neglected. This paper focuses on the effect of downlink interference on the uplink transmission in FD cellular networks in order to see whether FD communication is beneficial for the uplink transmission or not, and if yes for which type of network. To quantify the expected performance gains, we derive a closed form expression of the maximum achievable uplink capacity in FD cellular networks. In contrast to the downlink capacity which always improves with FD communication, our results show that the uplink performance may improves or degrades depending on the associated network parameters. Particularly, we show that the intensity of base stations (BSs) has a more prominent effect on the uplink performance than their transmission power.

Limits on the Capacity of In-Band Full Duplex Communication in Uplink Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Randrianantenaina, Itsikiantsoa; Elsawy, Hesham; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

Simultaneous co-channel transmission and reception, denoted as in-band full duplex (FD) communication, has been promoted as an attractive solution to improve the spectral efficiency of cellular networks. However, in addition to the selfinterference problem, cross-mode interference (i.e., between uplink and downlink) imposes a major obstacle for the deployment of FD communication in cellular networks. More specifically, the downlink to uplink interference represents the performance bottleneck for FD operation due to the uplink limited transmission power and venerable operation when compared to the downlink counterpart. While the positive impact of FD communication to the downlink performance has been proved in the literature, its effect on the uplink transmission has been neglected. This paper focuses on the effect of downlink interference on the uplink transmission in FD cellular networks in order to see whether FD communication is beneficial for the uplink transmission or not, and if yes for which type of network. To quantify the expected performance gains, we derive a closed form expression of the maximum achievable uplink capacity in FD cellular networks. In contrast to the downlink capacity which always improves with FD communication, our results show that the uplink performance may improves or degrades depending on the associated network parameters. Particularly, we show that the intensity of base stations (BSs) has a more prominent effect on the uplink performance than their transmission power.

Minimizing Sum-MSE Implies Identical Downlink and Dual Uplink Power Allocations

OpenAIRE

Tenenbaum, Adam J.; Adve, Raviraj S.

2009-01-01

In the multiuser downlink, power allocation for linear precoders that minimize the sum of mean squared errors under a sum power constraint is a non-convex problem. Many existing algorithms solve an equivalent convex problem in the virtual uplink and apply a transformation based on uplink-downlink duality to find a downlink solution. In this letter, we analyze the optimality criteria for the power allocation subproblem in the virtual uplink, and demonstrate that the optimal solution leads to i...

Uplink Contention-based CSI Feedback with Prioritized Layers for a Multi-Carrier System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaneko, Megumi; Hayashi, Kazunori; Popovski, Petar

2012-01-01

, several works have considered contention-based CSI feedback in the UL control channel. We propose such a feedback scheme for a generic MC system, based on the idea of variable collision protection, where the probability that a feedback information experiences a collision depends on its importance......Optimized resource allocation of the Downlink (DL) in wireless systems utilizing Multi-Carrier (MC) transmission requires Channel State Information (CSI) feedback for each user/subchannel to the Base Station (BS), consuming a high amount of Uplink (UL) radio resources. To alleviate this problem...

Uplink SDMA with Limited Feedback: Throughput Scaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey G. Andrews

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Combined space division multiple access (SDMA and scheduling exploit both spatial multiplexing and multiuser diversity, increasing throughput significantly. Both SDMA and scheduling require feedback of multiuser channel sate information (CSI. This paper focuses on uplink SDMA with limited feedback, which refers to efficient techniques for CSI quantization and feedback. To quantify the throughput of uplink SDMA and derive design guidelines, the throughput scaling with system parameters is analyzed. The specific parameters considered include the numbers of users, antennas, and feedback bits. Furthermore, different SNR regimes and beamforming methods are considered. The derived throughput scaling laws are observed to change for different SNR regimes. For instance, the throughput scales logarithmically with the number of users in the high SNR regime but double logarithmically in the low SNR regime. The analysis of throughput scaling suggests guidelines for scheduling in uplink SDMA. For example, to maximize throughput scaling, scheduling should use the criterion of minimum quantization errors for the high SNR regime and maximum channel power for the low SNR regime.

Mobility-Aware User Association in Uplink Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Arshad, Rabe; Elsawy, Hesham; Sorour, Sameh; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2017-01-01

This letter studies the mobility aware user-to-BS association policies, within a stochastic geometry framework, in two tier uplink cellular networks with fractional channel inversion power control. Particularly, we model the base stations’ locations using the widely accepted poisson point process and obtain the coverage probability and handover cost expressions for the coupled and decoupled uplink and downlink associations. To this end, we compute the average throughput for the mobile users and study the merits and demerits of each association strategy.

Mobility-Aware User Association in Uplink Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Arshad, Rabe

2017-07-20

This letter studies the mobility aware user-to-BS association policies, within a stochastic geometry framework, in two tier uplink cellular networks with fractional channel inversion power control. Particularly, we model the base stations’ locations using the widely accepted poisson point process and obtain the coverage probability and handover cost expressions for the coupled and decoupled uplink and downlink associations. To this end, we compute the average throughput for the mobile users and study the merits and demerits of each association strategy.

Efficient Uplink Modeling for Dynamic System-Level Simulations of Cellular and Mobile Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lobinger Andreas

2010-01-01

Full Text Available A novel theoretical framework for uplink simulations is proposed. It allows investigations which have to cover a very long (real- time and which at the same time require a certain level of accuracy in terms of radio resource management, quality of service, and mobility. This is of particular importance for simulations of self-organizing networks. For this purpose, conventional system level simulators are not suitable due to slow simulation speeds far beyond real-time. Simpler, snapshot-based tools are lacking the aforementioned accuracy. The runtime improvements are achieved by deriving abstract theoretical models for the MAC layer behavior. The focus in this work is long term evolution, and the most important uplink effects such as fluctuating interference, power control, power limitation, adaptive transmission bandwidth, and control channel limitations are considered. Limitations of the abstract models will be discussed as well. Exemplary results are given at the end to demonstrate the capability of the derived framework.

Performance of Fast AMC in E-UTRAN Uplink

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosa, Claudio; López Villa, Dimas; Úbeda Castellanos, Carlos

2008-01-01

Evolved (E-) UTRA is currently being standardized as a long term evolution (LTE) of the 3GPP radio access technology. One of the goals of E-UTRA is to achieve 2-4 times the spectral efficiency and user throughputs compared to HSUPA/HSDPA [1]. Support for fast link adaptation based on adaptive...... and interference conditions. It is shown that despite measurement errors and the high variability of uplink inter-cell interference, fast AMC can boost the capacity of E-UTRA uplink by approximately 20% to 25%....

Resource allocation via sum-rate maximization in the uplink of multi-cell OFDMA networks

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2012-10-03

In this paper, we consider maximizing the sum rate in the uplink of a multi-cell orthogonal frequency-division multiple access network. The problem has a non-convex combinatorial structure and is known to be NP-hard. Because of the inherent complexity of implementing the optimal solution, firstly, we derive an upper bound (UB) and a lower bound (LB) to the optimal average network throughput. Moreover, we investigate the performance of a near-optimal single cell resource allocation scheme in the presence of inter-cell interference, which leads to another easily computable LB. We then develop a centralized sub-optimal scheme that is composed of a geometric programming-based power control phase in conjunction with an iterative subcarrier allocation phase. Although the scheme is computationally complex, it provides an effective benchmark for low complexity schemes even without the power control phase. Finally, we propose less complex centralized and distributed schemes that are well suited for practical scenarios. The computational complexity of all schemes is analyzed, and the performance is compared through simulations. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed low complexity schemes can achieve comparable performance with that of the centralized sub-optimal scheme in various scenarios. Moreover, comparisons with the UB and LB provide insight on the performance gap between the proposed schemes and the optimal solution. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

EPOXI Uplink Array Experiment of June 27, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Vilnrotter, V.; Tsao, P. C.; Lee, D. K.; Cornish, T. P.; Paal, L.; Jamnejad, V.

2008-08-01

Uplink array technology is currently being developed for NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) to provide greater range and data throughput for future NASA missions, including manned missions to Mars and exploratory missions to the outer planets, the Kuiper Belt, and beyond. The DSN uplink arrays employ N microwave antennas transmitting at 7.2 GHz (X-band) to produce signals that add coherently at the spacecraft, hence providing a power gain of N^2 over a single antenna. This gain can be traded off directly for an N^2 higher data rate at a given distance such as Mars, providing, for example, high-definition video broadcast from Earth to a future human mission, or it can provide a given data rate for commands and software uploads at a distance N times greater than would be possible with a single antenna. The uplink arraying concept has been recently demonstrated using the three operational 34-m antennas of the Apollo Complex at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California, which transmitted arrayed signals to the EPOXI spacecraft (an acronym formed from EPOCh and DIXI: Extrasolar Planetary Observation and Characterization and Deep Impact Extended Investigation). Both two-element and three-element uplink arrays were configured, and the theoretical array gains of 6 dB and 9.5 dB, respectively, were demonstrated experimentally. This required initial phasing of the array elements, the generation of accurate frequency predicts to maintain phase from each antenna despite relative velocity components due to Earth rotation and spacecraft trajectory, and monitoring of the ground-system phase for possible drifts caused by thermal effects over the 16-km fiber-optic signal distribution network. This article provides a description of the equipment and techniques used to demonstrate the uplink arraying concept in a relevant operational environment. Data collected from the EPOXI spacecraft are also analyzed to verify array calibration, array gain, and system stability

In-Band Full-Duplex Communications for Cellular Networks with Partial Uplink/Downlink Overlap

KAUST Repository

Alammouri, Ahmad; Elsawy, Hesham; Amin, Osama; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2015-01-01

In-band full-duplex (FD) communications have been optimistically promoted to improve the spectrum utilization in cellular networks. However, the explicit impact of spatial interference, imposed by FD communications, on uplink and downlink transmissions has been overlooked in the literature. This paper presents an extensive study of the explicit effect of FD communications on the uplink and downlink performances. For the sake of rigorous analysis, we develop a tractable framework based on stochastic geometry toolset. The developed model accounts for uplink truncated channel inversion power control in FD cellular networks. The study shows that FD communications improve the downlink throughput at the expense of significant degradation in the uplink throughput. Therefore, we propose a novel fine-grained duplexing scheme, denoted as α-duplex scheme, which allows a partial overlap between uplink and downlink frequency bands. To this end, we show that the amount of the overlap can be optimized via adjusting α to achieve a certain design objective.

In-Band Full-Duplex Communications for Cellular Networks with Partial Uplink/Downlink Overlap

KAUST Repository

AlAmmouri, Ahmad

2015-12-06

In-band full-duplex (FD) communications have been optimistically promoted to improve the spectrum utilization in cellular networks. However, the explicit impact of spatial interference, imposed by FD communications, on uplink and downlink transmissions has been overlooked in the literature. This paper presents an extensive study of the explicit effect of FD communications on the uplink and downlink performances. For the sake of rigorous analysis, we develop a tractable framework based on stochastic geometry toolset. The developed model accounts for uplink truncated channel inversion power control in FD cellular networks. The study shows that FD communications improve the downlink throughput at the expense of significant degradation in the uplink throughput. Therefore, we propose a novel fine-grained duplexing scheme, denoted as α-duplex scheme, which allows a partial overlap between uplink and downlink frequency bands. To this end, we show that the amount of the overlap can be optimized via adjusting α to achieve a certain design objective.

Planetary Radar Imaging with the Deep-Space Network's 34 Meter Uplink Array

Science.gov (United States)

Vilnrotter, Victor; Tsao, P.; Lee, D.; Cornish, T.; Jao, J.; Slade, M.

2011-01-01

A coherent Uplink Array consisting of two or three 34-meter antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network has been developed for the primary purpose of increasing EIRP at the spacecraft. Greater EIRP ensures greater reach, higher uplink data rates for command and configuration control, as well as improved search and recovery capabilities during spacecraft emergencies. It has been conjectured that Doppler-delay radar imaging of lunar targets can be extended to planetary imaging, where the long baseline of the uplink array can provide greater resolution than a single antenna, as well as potentially higher EIRP. However, due to the well known R4 loss in radar links, imaging of distant planets is a very challenging endeavor, requiring accurate phasing of the Uplink Array antennas, cryogenically cooled low-noise receiver amplifiers, and sophisticated processing of the received data to extract the weak echoes characteristic of planetary radar. This article describes experiments currently under way to image the planets Mercury and Venus, highlights improvements in equipment and techniques, and presents planetary images obtained to date with two 34 meter antennas configured as a coherently phased Uplink Array.

On the Meta Distribution of Coverage Probability in Uplink Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Elsawy, Hesham

2017-04-07

This letter studies the meta distribution of coverage probability (CP), within a stochastic geometry framework, for cellular uplink transmission with fractional path-loss inversion power control. Using the widely accepted Poisson point process (PPP) for modeling the spatial locations of base stations (BSs), we obtain the percentiles of users that achieve a target uplink CP over an arbitrary, but fixed, realization of the PPP. To this end, the effect of the users activity factor (p) and the path-loss compensation factor () on the uplink performance are analyzed. The results show that decreasing p and/or increasing reduce the CP variation around the spatially averaged value.

Interference Cancelation Schemes for Uplink Transmission in Femtocells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thai, Chan; Popovski, Petar

2010-01-01

We present techniques that solve the near-far problems in femtocell networks. When a co-channel configuration is used, a transmission in the macrocell may cause interference to a femtocell. We introduce methods to cancel the interference caused by the macrocell to a femtocell by using the high......-rate link between the macrocell base station (BS) and the femtocell BS. In such a way, the interference from macrocell transmitters is completely cancelled when uplink transmission is used in the femtocell. Therefore, the allocation of time slots for uplink/downlink in a femtocell can be done by trying only...

Resource allocation based uplink intercell interference model in multi-carrier networks

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Yilmaz, Ferkan; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

Intercell interference (ICI) is a primary cause for performance limitation in emerging wireless cellular systems due to its highly indeterministic nature. In this paper, we derive an analytical statistical model for the uplink ICI in a multiuser multi-carrier cellular network considering the impact of various uncoordinated scheduling schemes on the locations and transmit powers of the interferers. The derived model applies to generic composite fading distributions and provides a useful computational tool to evaluate key performance metrics such as the network ergodic capacity. The derived model is extended to incorporate coordinated scheduling schemes. A study is then presented to quantify the potential performance gains of coordinated over uncoordinated scheduling schemes under various base station coordination scenarios. Numerical results demonstrate that different frequency allocation patterns significantly impact the network performance depending on the coordination among neighboring base stations. The accuracy of the derived analytical expressions is verified via Monte-Carlo simulations. © 2013 IEEE.

Resource allocation based uplink intercell interference model in multi-carrier networks

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2013-06-01

Intercell interference (ICI) is a primary cause for performance limitation in emerging wireless cellular systems due to its highly indeterministic nature. In this paper, we derive an analytical statistical model for the uplink ICI in a multiuser multi-carrier cellular network considering the impact of various uncoordinated scheduling schemes on the locations and transmit powers of the interferers. The derived model applies to generic composite fading distributions and provides a useful computational tool to evaluate key performance metrics such as the network ergodic capacity. The derived model is extended to incorporate coordinated scheduling schemes. A study is then presented to quantify the potential performance gains of coordinated over uncoordinated scheduling schemes under various base station coordination scenarios. Numerical results demonstrate that different frequency allocation patterns significantly impact the network performance depending on the coordination among neighboring base stations. The accuracy of the derived analytical expressions is verified via Monte-Carlo simulations. © 2013 IEEE.

Data Aggregation and Packet Bundling of Uplink Small Packets for Monitoring Applications in LTE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kim, Dong Min; Sørensen, René Brandborg; Mahmood, Kashif

2017-01-01

topic. In this article we analyze the deployment scenarios in which aggregators can perform cellular access on behalf of multiple MTC devices. We study the effect of packet bundling at the aggregator, which alleviates overhead and resource waste when sending small packets. The aggregators give rise...... of aggregators and packet bundle size. Our results show that, in general, data aggregation can benefit the uplink massive MTC in LTE by reducing the signaling overhead....

On the Impact of Explicit Uplink Information on Autonomous Component Carrier Selection for LTE-A Femtocells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sanchez-Moya, Fernando; Villalba-Espinosa, Juan; Garcia, Luis Guilherme Uzeda

2011-01-01

argumentation by including uplink information into the component carrier selection process. We assess and discuss the uplink performance of two proposed variants of ACCS via extensive system level simulations. The striking conclusion based on the results is that the mere addition of uplink information, which...

Sum rate maximization in the uplink of multi-cell OFDMA networks

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2012-10-03

Resource allocation in orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) networks plays an imperative role to guarantee the system performance. However, most of the known resource allocation schemes are focused on maximizing the local throughput of each cell, while ignoring the significant effect of inter-cell interference. This paper investigates the problem of resource allocation (i.e., subcarriers and powers) in the uplink of a multi-cell OFDMA network. The problem has a non-convex combinatorial structure and is known to be NP hard. Firstly, we investigate the upper and lower bounds to the average network throughput due to the inherent complexity of implementing the optimal solution. Later, a centralized sub-optimal resource allocation scheme is developed. We further develop less complex centralized and distributed schemes that are well-suited for practical scenarios. The computational complexity of all schemes has been analyzed and the performance is compared through numerical simulations. Simulation results demonstrate that the distributed scheme achieves comparable performance to the centralized resource allocation scheme in various scenarios. © 2011 IEEE.

A spatiotemporal model for the LTE uplink: Spatially interacting tandem queues approach

KAUST Repository

Gharbieh, Mohammad

2017-07-31

With the proliferation of the Internet-of-things (IoT), there is an undeniable consensus that cellular LTE networks will have to support a dramatically larger number of uplink connections. This is true since most of the devices to be added incur machine-type communications which is dominantly upstream. Can current LTE network withstand this challenge? To answer this question, the joint performance of random access process and the uplink data transmission should be investigated. These two problems have been classically treated in the literature in a disjoint fashion. In this paper, they are jointly analyzed as an inseparable couple. To do that, a tandem queuing model is adopted whereby devices are represented as spatially interacting queues. The interaction between queues is governed by the mutual inter-cell and intra-cell interference. To that end, a joint stochastic geometry and queueing theory model is exploited to study this problem and a spatiotemporal analytical model is developed accordingly. Network stability and scalability are two prime performance criteria for performance assessment. In light of these two criteria, the developed model is poised to offer valuable insights into efficient access and resource allocation strategies.

Block 3 X-band receiver-exciter

Science.gov (United States)

Johns, C. E.

1987-01-01

The development of an X-band exciter, for use in the X-Band Uplink Subsystem, was completed. The exciter generates the drive signal for the X-band transmitter and also generates coherent test signals for the S- and X-band Block 3 translator and a Doppler reference signal for the Doppler extractor system. In addition to the above, the exciter generates other reference signals that are described. Also presented is an overview of the exciter design and some test data taken on the prototype. A brief discussion of the Block 3 Doppler extractor is presented.

A Multistage Decision-Feedback Receiver Design for LTE Uplink in Mobile Time-Variant Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juinn-Horng Deng

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Single-carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA has recently become the preferred uplink transmission scheme in long-term evolution (LTE systems. Similar to orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA, SC-FDMA is highly sensitive to frequency offsets caused by oscillator inaccuracies and Doppler spread, which lead to intercarrier interference (ICI. This work proposes a multistage decision-feedback structure to mitigate the ICI effect and enhance system performance in time-variant environments. Based on the block-type pilot arrangement of the LTE uplink type 1 frame structure, the time-domain least squares (TDLS method and polynomial-based curve-fitting algorithm are employed for channel estimation. Instead of using a conventional equalizer, this work uses a group frequency-domain equalizer (GFDE to reduce computational complexity. Furthermore, this work utilizes a dual iterative structure of group parallel interference cancellation (GPIC and frequency-domain group parallel interference cancellation (FPIC to mitigate the ICI effect. Finally, to optimize system performance, this work applies a novel error-correction scheme. Simulation results demonstrate the bit error rate (BER performance is markedly superior to that of the conventional full-size receiver based on minimum mean square error (MMSE. This structure performs well and is a flexible choice in mobile environments using the SC-FDMA scheme.

A Magnetic-Balanced Inductive Link for the Simultaneous Uplink Data and Power Telemetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Chen; Liu, Dake; Miao, Zhidong; Li, Min

2017-08-02

When using the conventional two-coil inductive link for the simultaneous wireless power and data transmissions in implantable biomedical sensor devices, the strong power carrier could overwhelm the uplink data signal and even saturate the external uplink receiver. To address this problem, we propose a new magnetic-balanced inductive link for our implantable glaucoma treatment device. In this inductive link, an extra coil is specially added for the uplink receiving. The strong power carrier interference is minimized to approach zero by balanced canceling of the magnetic field of the external power coil. The implant coil is shared by the wireless power harvesting and the uplink data transmitting. Two carriers (i.e., 2-MHz power carrier and 500-kHz uplink carrier) are used for the wireless power transmission and the uplink data transmission separately. In the experiments, the prototype of this link achieves as high as 65.72 dB improvement of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) compared with the conventional two-coil inductive link. Benefiting from the significant improvement of SIR, the implant transmitter costs only 0.2 mW of power carrying 50 kbps of binary phase shift keying data and gets a bit error rate of 1 × 10 - 7 , even though the coupling coefficient is as low as 0.005. At the same time, 5 mW is delivered to the load with maximum power transfer efficiency of 58.8%. This magnetic-balanced inductive link is useful for small-sized biomedical sensor devices, which require transmitting data and power simultaneously under ultra-weak coupling.

A Magnetic-Balanced Inductive Link for the Simultaneous Uplink Data and Power Telemetry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Gong

2017-08-01

Full Text Available When using the conventional two-coil inductive link for the simultaneous wireless power and data transmissions in implantable biomedical sensor devices, the strong power carrier could overwhelm the uplink data signal and even saturate the external uplink receiver. To address this problem, we propose a new magnetic-balanced inductive link for our implantable glaucoma treatment device. In this inductive link, an extra coil is specially added for the uplink receiving. The strong power carrier interference is minimized to approach zero by balanced canceling of the magnetic field of the external power coil. The implant coil is shared by the wireless power harvesting and the uplink data transmitting. Two carriers (i.e., 2-MHz power carrier and 500-kHz uplink carrier are used for the wireless power transmission and the uplink data transmission separately. In the experiments, the prototype of this link achieves as high as 65.72 dB improvement of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR compared with the conventional two-coil inductive link. Benefiting from the significant improvement of SIR, the implant transmitter costs only 0.2 mW of power carrying 50 kbps of binary phase shift keying data and gets a bit error rate of 1 × 10 − 7 , even though the coupling coefficient is as low as 0.005. At the same time, 5 mW is delivered to the load with maximum power transfer efficiency of 58.8%. This magnetic-balanced inductive link is useful for small-sized biomedical sensor devices, which require transmitting data and power simultaneously under ultra-weak coupling.

Uplink multi-cluster scheduling with MU-MIMO for LTE-advanced with carrier aggregation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Hua; Nguyen, Hung Tuan; Rosa, Claudio

2012-01-01

-Advanced requirements and are being considered as part of LTE Release 10. In this paper, some of the physical layer enhancement techniques for LTE-Advanced have been studied including carrier aggregation (CA), uplink multi-cluster scheduling, and uplink multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission....... A system-level simulation was conducted to investigate the performance gains that can be achieved in uplink CA with multi-cluster scheduling and MU-MIMO. Simulation results show that with proper separation between power-limited and non-power-limited LTE-A users, multi-cluster scheduling with CA has similar...

Search-Tree Based Uplink Channel Aware Packet Scheduling for UTRAN LTE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Calabrese, Francesco Davide; Michaelsen, Per-Henrik; Rosa, Claudio

2008-01-01

UTRAN Long Term Evolution is currently under standardization within 3GPP with the aim of providing a spectral efficiency 2 to 4 times higher than its predecessor HSUPA/HSDPA. Single Carrier FDMA has been selected as multiple access for the uplink. This technology requires the subcarriers allocate...... distributions. It is shown that, despite measurement errors and high inter-cell interference variability, the proposed algorithm can increase the uplink capacity by more than 26%....

A coalition formation game for transmitter cooperation in OFDMA uplink communications

KAUST Repository

Chelli, Ali

2014-12-01

The SC-FDMA (single-carrier frequency division multiple access) is the access scheme that has been adopted by 3GPP (3rd generation partnership project) for the LTE (long term evolution) uplink. The SC-FDMA is an attractive alternative to OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) especially on the uplink owing to its low peak-to-average power ratio. This fact increases the power efficiency and reduces the cost of the power amplifiers at the mobile terminals. The use of SC-FDMA on the uplink implies that for highly loaded cells the base station allocates a single subcarrier to each user. This results in the limitation of the achievable rate on the uplink. In this work, we propose a coalition game between mobile terminals that allows them to improve their performance by sharing their subcarriers without creating any interference to each other. The proposed scheme allows a fair use of the subcarriers and leads to a significant capacity gain for each user. The cooperation between the nodes is modelled using coalitional game theory. In this game, each coalition tries to maximize its utility in terms of rate. In the absence of cooperation cost, it can be shown that the grand coalition is sum-rate optimal and stable, i.e., the mobile terminals have no incentive to leave the grand coalition.

A Framework for Uplink Intercell Interference Modeling with Channel-Based Scheduling

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2012-12-29

This paper presents a novel framework for modeling the uplink intercell interference(ICI) in a multiuser cellular network. The proposed framework assists in quantifying the impact of various fading channel models and state-of-the-art scheduling schemes on the uplink ICI. Firstly, we derive a semianalytical expression for the distribution of the location of the scheduled user in a given cell considering a wide range of scheduling schemes. Based on this, we derive the distribution and moment generating function (MGF) of the uplink ICI considering a single interfering cell. Consequently, we determine the MGF of the cumulative ICI observed from all interfering cells and derive explicit MGF expressions for three typical fading models. Finally, we utilize the obtained expressions to evaluate important network performance metrics such as the outage probability, ergodic capacity, and average fairness numerically. Monte-Carlo simulation results are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the derived analytical expressions.

A statistical model of uplink inter-cell interference with slow and fast power control mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Yilmaz, Ferkan; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

Uplink power control is in essence an interference mitigation technique that aims at minimizing the inter-cell interference (ICI) in cellular networks by reducing the transmit power levels of the mobile users while maintaining their target received signal quality levels at base stations. Power control mechanisms directly impact the interference dynamics and, thus, affect the overall achievable capacity and consumed power in cellular networks. Due to the stochastic nature of wireless channels and mobile users' locations, it is important to derive theoretical models for ICI that can capture the impact of design alternatives related to power control mechanisms. To this end, we derive and verify a novel statistical model for uplink ICI in Generalized-K composite fading environments as a function of various slow and fast power control mechanisms. The derived expressions are then utilized to quantify numerically key network performance metrics that include average resource fairness, average reduction in power consumption, and ergodic capacity. The accuracy of the derived expressions is validated via Monte-Carlo simulations. Results are generated for multiple network scenarios, and insights are extracted to assess various power control mechanisms as a function of system parameters. © 1972-2012 IEEE.

A statistical model of uplink inter-cell interference with slow and fast power control mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2013-09-01

Uplink power control is in essence an interference mitigation technique that aims at minimizing the inter-cell interference (ICI) in cellular networks by reducing the transmit power levels of the mobile users while maintaining their target received signal quality levels at base stations. Power control mechanisms directly impact the interference dynamics and, thus, affect the overall achievable capacity and consumed power in cellular networks. Due to the stochastic nature of wireless channels and mobile users\\' locations, it is important to derive theoretical models for ICI that can capture the impact of design alternatives related to power control mechanisms. To this end, we derive and verify a novel statistical model for uplink ICI in Generalized-K composite fading environments as a function of various slow and fast power control mechanisms. The derived expressions are then utilized to quantify numerically key network performance metrics that include average resource fairness, average reduction in power consumption, and ergodic capacity. The accuracy of the derived expressions is validated via Monte-Carlo simulations. Results are generated for multiple network scenarios, and insights are extracted to assess various power control mechanisms as a function of system parameters. © 1972-2012 IEEE.

On the modeling of uplink inter-cell interference based on proportional fair scheduling

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2012-10-03

We derive a semi-analytical expression for the uplink inter-cell interference (ICI) assuming proportional fair scheduling (with a maximum normalized signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) criterion) deployed in the cellular network. The derived expression can be customized for different models of channel statistics that can capture path loss, shadowing, and fading. Firstly, we derive an expression for the distribution of the locations of the allocated user in a given cell. Then, we derive the distribution and moment generating function of the uplink ICI from one interfering cell. Finally, we determine the moment generating function of the cumulative uplink ICI from all interfering cells. The derived expression is utilized to evaluate important network performance metrics such as outage probability and fairness among users. The accuracy of the derived expressions is verified by comparing the obtained results to Monte Carlo simulations. © 2012 IEEE.

On the modeling of uplink inter-cell interference based on proportional fair scheduling

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Yilmaz, Ferkan; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

We derive a semi-analytical expression for the uplink inter-cell interference (ICI) assuming proportional fair scheduling (with a maximum normalized signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) criterion) deployed in the cellular network. The derived expression can be customized for different models of channel statistics that can capture path loss, shadowing, and fading. Firstly, we derive an expression for the distribution of the locations of the allocated user in a given cell. Then, we derive the distribution and moment generating function of the uplink ICI from one interfering cell. Finally, we determine the moment generating function of the cumulative uplink ICI from all interfering cells. The derived expression is utilized to evaluate important network performance metrics such as outage probability and fairness among users. The accuracy of the derived expressions is verified by comparing the obtained results to Monte Carlo simulations. © 2012 IEEE.

Codebook-based interference alignment for uplink MIMO interference channels

KAUST Repository

Lee, Hyun Ho; Park, Kihong; Ko, Youngchai; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

In this paper, we propose a codebook-based interference alignment (IA) scheme in the constant multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO) interference channel especially for the uplink scenario. In our proposed scheme, we assume cooperation among base

On stochastic geometry modeling of cellular uplink transmission with truncated channel inversion power control

KAUST Repository

Elsawy, Hesham

2014-08-01

Using stochastic geometry, we develop a tractable uplink modeling paradigm for outage probability and spectral efficiency in both single and multi-tier cellular wireless networks. The analysis accounts for per user equipment (UE) power control as well as the maximum power limitations for UEs. More specifically, for interference mitigation and robust uplink communication, each UE is required to control its transmit power such that the average received signal power at its serving base station (BS) is equal to a certain threshold ρo. Due to the limited transmit power, the UEs employ a truncated channel inversion power control policy with a cutoff threshold of ρo. We show that there exists a transfer point in the uplink system performance that depends on the following tuple: BS intensity λ, maximum transmit power of UEs Pu, and ρo. That is, when Pu is a tight operational constraint with respect to (w.r.t.) λ and ρo, the uplink outage probability and spectral efficiency highly depend on the values of λ and ρo. In this case, there exists an optimal cutoff threshold ρ*o, which depends on the system parameters, that minimizes the outage probability. On the other hand, when Pu is not a binding operational constraint w.r.t. λ and ρo, the uplink outage probability and spectral efficiency become independent of λ and ρo. We obtain approximate yet accurate simple expressions for outage probability and spectral efficiency, which reduce to closed forms in some special cases. © 2002-2012 IEEE.

Discrete rate resource allocation for OFDMA cognitive radio systems with location information

KAUST Repository

Ben Ghorbel, Mahdi; Nam, Haewoon; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2010-01-01

In this paper we introduce a resource allocation algorithm based on location information for cognitive radio systems. The location information allows a practical implementation of cognitive radio systems when the channel state knowledge of the interference links with the primary users is not available. Using this information and measurements, the secondary users estimate the pathloss between the secondary and primary users to avoid interfering the primary users while sharing the frequency bands. The major improvement in this paper is low-complex algorithms for downlink and uplink resource allocations with integer bit distributions, where collocated subchannel constraint is considered in uplink case. We show, through numerical simulations, that for the downlink case, the proposed algorithm is indeed optimal while for the uplink case, it is near-optimal. ©2010 IEEE.

Discrete rate resource allocation for OFDMA cognitive radio systems with location information

KAUST Repository

Ben Ghorbel, Mahdi

2010-09-01

In this paper we introduce a resource allocation algorithm based on location information for cognitive radio systems. The location information allows a practical implementation of cognitive radio systems when the channel state knowledge of the interference links with the primary users is not available. Using this information and measurements, the secondary users estimate the pathloss between the secondary and primary users to avoid interfering the primary users while sharing the frequency bands. The major improvement in this paper is low-complex algorithms for downlink and uplink resource allocations with integer bit distributions, where collocated subchannel constraint is considered in uplink case. We show, through numerical simulations, that for the downlink case, the proposed algorithm is indeed optimal while for the uplink case, it is near-optimal. ©2010 IEEE.

Replacing the CCSDS Telecommand Protocol with the Next Generation Uplink (NGU)

Science.gov (United States)

Kazz, Greg J.; Greenberg, Ed; Burleigh, Scott C.

2012-01-01

The current CCSDS Telecommand (TC) Recommendations 1-3 have essentially been in use since the early 1960s. The purpose of this paper is to propose a successor protocol to TC. The current CCSDS recommendations can only accommodate telecommand rates up to approximately 1 mbit/s. However today's spacecraft are storehouses for software including software for Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) which are rapidly replacing unique hardware systems. Changes to flight software occasionally require uplinks to deliver very large volumes of data. In the opposite direction, high rate downlink missions that use acknowledged CCSDS File Delivery Protocol (CFDP)4 will increase the uplink data rate requirements. It is calculated that a 5 mbits/s downlink could saturate a 4 kbits/s uplink with CFDP downlink responses: negative acknowledgements (NAKs), FINISHs, End-of-File (EOF), Acknowledgements (ACKs). Moreover, it is anticipated that uplink rates of 10 to 20 mbits/s will be required to support manned missions. The current TC recommendations cannot meet these new demands. Specifically, they are very tightly coupled to the Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) code in Ref. 2. This protocol requires that an uncorrectable BCH codeword delimit the TC frame and terminate the randomization process. This method greatly limits telecom performance since only the BCH code can support the protocol. More modern techniques such as the CCSDS Low Density Parity Check (LDPC)5 codes can provide a minimum performance gain of up to 6 times higher command data rates as long as sufficient power is available in the data. This paper will describe the proposed protocol format, trade-offs, and advantages offered, along with a discussion of how reliable communications takes place at higher nominal rates.

A NEW DISCRETE HARTLEY TRANSFORM PRECODING BASED INTERLEAVED-OFDMA UPLINK SYSTEM WITH REDUCED PAPR FOR 4G CELLULAR NETWORKS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VARUN JEOTI

2011-12-01

Full Text Available High peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR reduction is one of the major challenges in orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA systems since last decades. High PAPR increases the complexity of analogue-to-digital (A/D and digital-to-analogue (D/A convertors and also reduces the efficiency of RF high-power-amplifier (HPA. In this paper, we present a new Discrete- Hartley transform (DHT precoding based interleaved-OFDMA uplink system for PAPR reduction in the upcoming 4G cellular networks. Extensive computer simulations have been performed to analyze the PAPR of the proposed system with root-raised-cosine (RRC pulse shaping. We also compare simulation results of the proposed system with the conventional interleaved-OFDMA uplink systems and the Walsh-Hadamard transform (WHT precoding based interleaved-OFDMA uplink systems. It is concluded from the computer simulations that the proposed system has low PAPR as compared to the conventional interleaved-OFDMA uplink systems and the WHT precoded interleaved-OFDMA uplink systems.

Adaptive Multi-Layered Space-Time Block Coded Systems in Wireless Environments

KAUST Repository

Al-Ghadhban, Samir

2014-12-23

© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York. Multi-layered space-time block coded systems (MLSTBC) strike a balance between spatial multiplexing and transmit diversity. In this paper, we analyze the block error rate performance of MLSTBC. In addition, we propose an adaptive MLSTBC schemes that are capable of accommodating the channel signal-to-noise ratio variation of wireless systems by near instantaneously adapting the uplink transmission configuration. The main results demonstrate that significant effective throughput improvements can be achieved while maintaining a certain target bit error rate.

An Efficient Scheduling Scheme to Enhance the Capacity of VoIP Services in Evolved UTRA Uplink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Yong-Seok

2008-01-01

Full Text Available An efficient scheduling scheme is proposed to increase the available capacity of VoIP services over evolved UTRA uplink. On top of the advantages of persistent scheduling, the proposed scheme adaptively share the resources of two VoIP users to get early-termination gain of dynamic scheduler. Through system-level simulations, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in terms of the capacity enhancement of VoIP services. Comparisons with the original persistent scheduling and the HSUPA scheduler reveal that the proposed scheme increases the capacity of VoIP services up to 20%.

Performance Evaluation of an Enhanced Uplink 3.5G System for Mobile Healthcare Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitris Komnakos

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper studies the prospective and the performance of a forthcoming high-speed third generation (3.5G networking technology, called enhanced uplink, for delivering mobile health (m-health applications. The performance of 3.5G networks is a critical factor for successful development of m-health services perceived by end users. In this paper, we propose a methodology for performance assessment based on the joint uplink transmission of voice, real-time video, biological data (such as electrocardiogram, vital signals, and heart sounds, and healthcare records file transfer. Various scenarios were concerned in terms of real-time, nonreal-time, and emergency applications in random locations, where no other system but 3.5G is available. The accomplishment of quality of service (QoS was explored through a step-by-step improvement of enhanced uplink system's parameters, attributing the network system for the best performance in the context of the desired m-health services.

Performance Evaluation of an Enhanced Uplink 3.5G System for Mobile Healthcare Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Komnakos, Dimitris; Vouyioukas, Demosthenes; Maglogiannis, Ilias; Constantinou, Philip

2008-01-01

The present paper studies the prospective and the performance of a forthcoming high-speed third generation (3.5G) networking technology, called enhanced uplink, for delivering mobile health (m-health) applications. The performance of 3.5G networks is a critical factor for successful development of m-health services perceived by end users. In this paper, we propose a methodology for performance assessment based on the joint uplink transmission of voice, real-time video, biological data (such as electrocardiogram, vital signals, and heart sounds), and healthcare records file transfer. Various scenarios were concerned in terms of real-time, nonreal-time, and emergency applications in random locations, where no other system but 3.5G is available. The accomplishment of quality of service (QoS) was explored through a step-by-step improvement of enhanced uplink system's parameters, attributing the network system for the best performance in the context of the desired m-health services.

Performance of Uplink Fractional Power Control in UTRAN LTE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Úbeda Castellanos, Carlos; López Villa, Dimas; Rosa, Claudio

2008-01-01

UTRAN Long Term Evolution is currently being standardized in 3GPP with the aim of more than double capacity over High-Speed Packet Access. The chosen multiple access for uplink is Single Carrier FDMA, which avoids the intra-cell interference typical for CDMA systems, but it is still sensitive to ...

Wireless-Uplinks-Based Energy-Efficient Scheduling in Mobile Cloud Computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xing Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Mobile cloud computing (MCC combines cloud computing and mobile internet to improve the computational capabilities of resource-constrained mobile devices (MDs. In MCC, mobile users could not only improve the computational capability of MDs but also save operation consumption by offloading the mobile applications to the cloud. However, MCC faces the problem of energy efficiency because of time-varying channels when the offloading is being executed. In this paper, we address the issue of energy-efficient scheduling for wireless uplink in MCC. By introducing Lyapunov optimization, we first propose a scheduling algorithm that can dynamically choose channel to transmit data based on queue backlog and channel statistics. Then, we show that the proposed scheduling algorithm can make a tradeoff between queue backlog and energy consumption in a channel-aware MCC system. Simulation results show that the proposed scheduling algorithm can reduce the time average energy consumption for offloading compared to the existing algorithm.

Balancing Uplink and Downlink under Asymmetric Traffic Environments Using Distributed Receive Antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Sohn, Illsoo; Lee, Byong Ok; Lee, Kwang Bok

Recently, multimedia services are increasing with the widespread use of various wireless applications such as web browsers, real-time video, and interactive games, which results in traffic asymmetry between the uplink and downlink. Hence, time division duplex (TDD) systems which provide advantages in efficient bandwidth utilization under asymmetric traffic environments have become one of the most important issues in future mobile cellular systems. It is known that two types of intercell interference, referred to as crossed-slot interference, additionally arise in TDD systems; the performances of the uplink and downlink transmissions are degraded by BS-to-BS crossed-slot interference and MS-to-MS crossed-slot interference, respectively. The resulting performance unbalance between the uplink and downlink makes network deployment severely inefficient. Previous works have proposed intelligent time slot allocation algorithms to mitigate the crossed-slot interference problem. However, they require centralized control, which causes large signaling overhead in the network. In this paper, we propose to change the shape of the cellular structure itself. The conventional cellular structure is easily transformed into the proposed cellular structure with distributed receive antennas (DRAs). We set up statistical Markov chain traffic model and analyze the bit error performances of the conventional cellular structure and proposed cellular structure under asymmetric traffic environments. Numerical results show that the uplink and downlink performances of the proposed cellular structure become balanced with the proper number of DRAs and thus the proposed cellular structure is notably cost-effective in network deployment compared to the conventional cellular structure. As a result, extending the conventional cellular structure into the proposed cellular structure with DRAs is a remarkably cost-effective solution to support asymmetric traffic environments in future mobile cellular

On the Meta Distribution of Coverage Probability in Uplink Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Elsawy, Hesham; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

This letter studies the meta distribution of coverage probability (CP), within a stochastic geometry framework, for cellular uplink transmission with fractional path-loss inversion power control. Using the widely accepted Poisson point process (PPP

Uplink Packet-Data Scheduling in DS-CDMA Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Young Woo; Kim, Seong-Lyun

In this letter, we consider the uplink packet scheduling for non-real-time data users in a DS-CDMA system. As an effort to jointly optimize throughput and fairness, we formulate a time-span minimization problem incorporating the time-multiplexing of different simultaneous transmission schemes. Based on simple rules, we propose efficient scheduling algorithms and compare them with the optimal solution obtained by linear programming.

A Framework for Uplink Intercell Interference Modeling with Channel-Based Scheduling

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Yilmaz, Ferkan; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

This paper presents a novel framework for modeling the uplink intercell interference(ICI) in a multiuser cellular network. The proposed framework assists in quantifying the impact of various fading channel models and state-of-the-art scheduling

Multi-User Interference Cancellation Scheme(s) for Muliple Carrier Frequency Offset Compensation in Uplink OFDMA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nguyen, Huan Cong; Carvalho, Elisabeth De; Prasad, Ramjee

2006-01-01

(ICI) and degrade the system performance considerably. In this paper, we propose a novel Multi-User Interference (MUI) cancellation scheme for uplink OFDMA, which utilizes multiple OFDM-demodulators architecture to correct and then compensate the negative effects of multiple CFOs at the receiver's side......We consider the uplink of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based system, where each Mobile Station (MS) experiences a different Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO). Uncorrected CFO destroy the orthogonality among subcarriers, which could cause severe Inter-Carrier Interference...

Modeling and Characterization of the Uplink and Downlink Exposure in Wireless Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anis Krayni

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with a new methodology to assess the exposure induced by both uplink and downlink of a cellular network using 3D electromagnetic simulations. It aims to analyze together the exposure induced by a personal device (uplink exposure and that induced by a base station (downlink exposure. The study involved the major parameters contributing to variability and uncertainty in exposure assessment, such as the user’s posture, the type of wireless device, and the propagation environment. Our approach is relying basically on the modeling of the power radiated by the personal device and the ambient electric field, while taking into account the effects of human body shadowing and the propagation channel fluctuations. The exposure assessment as well as the human-wave interactions has been simulated using the finite difference in time domain method (FDTD. In uplink scenarios, four FDTD simulations were performed with a child model, used in two postures (sitting and standing and in two usage scenarios (voice and data, which aimed to examine the exposure induced by a mobile phone and a tablet emitting, respectively, at 900 MHz and 1940 MHz. In the downlink scenario, a series of FDTD simulations of an exposure to a single plane wave and multiplane waves have been conducted, and an efficient metamodeling of the exposure using the Polynomial Chaos approach has been developed.

Fractional Programming for Communication Systems—Part II: Uplink Scheduling via Matching

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Kaiming; Yu, Wei

2018-05-01

This two-part paper develops novel methodologies for using fractional programming (FP) techniques to design and optimize communication systems. Part I of this paper proposes a new quadratic transform for FP and treats its application for continuous optimization problems. In this Part II of the paper, we study discrete problems, such as those involving user scheduling, which are considerably more difficult to solve. Unlike the continuous problems, discrete or mixed discrete-continuous problems normally cannot be recast as convex problems. In contrast to the common heuristic of relaxing the discrete variables, this work reformulates the original problem in an FP form amenable to distributed combinatorial optimization. The paper illustrates this methodology by tackling the important and challenging problem of uplink coordinated multi-cell user scheduling in wireless cellular systems. Uplink scheduling is more challenging than downlink scheduling, because uplink user scheduling decisions significantly affect the interference pattern in nearby cells. Further, the discrete scheduling variable needs to be optimized jointly with continuous variables such as transmit power levels and beamformers. The main idea of the proposed FP approach is to decouple the interaction among the interfering links, thereby permitting a distributed and joint optimization of the discrete and continuous variables with provable convergence. The paper shows that the well-known weighted minimum mean-square-error (WMMSE) algorithm can also be derived from a particular use of FP; but our proposed FP-based method significantly outperforms WMMSE when discrete user scheduling variables are involved, both in term of run-time efficiency and optimizing results.

Fair Adaptive Bandwidth and Subchannel Allocation in the WiMAX Uplink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antoni Morell

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In some modern communication systems, as it is the case of WiMAX, it has been decided to implement Demand Assignment Multiple Access (DAMA solutions. End-users request transmission opportunities before accessing the system, which provides an efficient way to share system resources. In this paper, we briefly review the PHY and MAC layers of an OFDMA-based WiMAX system, and we propose to use a Network Utility Maximization (NUM framework to formulate the DAMA strategy foreseen in the uplink of IEEE 802.16. Utility functions are chosen to achieve fair solutions attaining different degrees of fairness and to further support the QoS requirements of the services in the system. Moreover, since the standard allocates resources in a terminal basis but each terminal may support several services, we develop a new decomposition technique, the coupled-decompositions method, that obtains the optimal service flow allocation with a small number of iterations (the improvement is significant when compared to other known solutions. Furthermore, since the PHY layer in mobile WiMAX has the means to adapt the transport capacities of the links between the Base Station (BS and the Subscriber Stations (SSs, the proposed PHY-MAC cross-layer design uses this extra degree of freedom in order to enhance the network utility.

Joint interference management and resource allocation for device-to-device (D2D) communications underlying downlink/uplink decoupled (DUDe) heterogeneous networks

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir; Radaydeh, Redha Mahmoud Mesleh; Al-Qahtani, Fawaz S.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

known as downlink (DL)/UL decoupling (DUDe). Subject to quality of service (QoS) requirements and power constraints, we formulate a joint SB assignment and resource block (RB) allocation optimization as a mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP

Load-aware modeling for uplink cellular networks in a multi-channel environment

KAUST Repository

Alammouri, Ahmad; Elsawy, Hesham; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

We exploit tools from stochastic geometry to develop a tractable analytical approach for modeling uplink cellular networks. The developed model is load aware and accounts for per-user power control as well as the limited transmit power constraint

Uplink capacity of multi-class IEEE 802.16j relay networks with adaptive modulation and coding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Hua; Xiong, C; Iversen, Villy Bæk

2009-01-01

The emerging IEEE 802.16j mobile multi-hop relay (MMR) network is currently being developed to increase the user throughput and extend the service coverage as an enhancement of existing 802.16e standard. In 802.16j, the intermediate relay stations (RSs) help the base station (BS) communicate...... with those mobile stations (MSs) that are either too far away from the BS or placed in an area where direct communication with BS experiences unsatisfactory level of service. In this paper, we investigate the uplink Erlang capacity of a two-hop 802.16j relay system supporting both voice and data traffics...... with adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) scheme applied in the physical layer. We first develop analytical models to calculate the blocking probability in the access zone and the outage probability in the relay zone, respectively. Then a joint algorithm is proposed to determine the bandwidth distribution...

Multi-kW Uplink Fiber-Laser Beacon with Agile Signal Format, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration —  Laser beacons with scalable powers are needed for ground to deep-space optical communication uplinks. They serve as absolute reference for tracking of spacecraft...

Multi-kW Uplink Fiber-Laser Beacon with Agile Signal Format, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Uplink Laser Beacons for deep-space communication, can benefit greatly from migration to the 1010-1030nm wavelengths, via use of Silicon-APDs on the spacecraft...

Improving SC-FDMA performance by Turbo Equalization in UTRA LTE Uplink

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berardinelli, Gilberto; Priyanto, Basuki Endah; Sørensen, Troels Bundgaard

2008-01-01

of UTRA Long Term Evolution (LTE) Uplink. The performance is evaluated for 1x2 Single Input Multiple Output (SIMO) antenna configuration in a 6 paths Typical Urban (TU-06) channel profile. For assessment purpose, the results are compared with SC-FDMA MMSE and OFDMA schemes. Simulation results show...

A spatiotemporal model for the LTE uplink: Spatially interacting tandem queues approach

KAUST Repository

Gharbieh, Mohammad; Elsawy, Hesham; Bader, Ahmed; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

With the proliferation of the Internet-of-things (IoT), there is an undeniable consensus that cellular LTE networks will have to support a dramatically larger number of uplink connections. This is true since most of the devices to be added incur

Experimental evaluation of open-loop UpLink Power Control using ACTS

Science.gov (United States)

Dissanayake, Asoka

1995-01-01

The present investigation deals with the implementation of open-loop up-link power control using a beacon signal in the down-link frequency band as the control parameter. A power control system was developed and tested using the ACTS satellite. ACTS carries beacon signals in both up- and down-link bands with which the relationship between the up- and down-link fading can be established. A power controlled carrier was transmitted to the ACTS satellite from a NASA operated ground station and the transponded signal was received at COMSAT Laboratories using a terminal that was routinely used to monitor the two ACTS beacon signals. The experiment ran for a period of approximately six months and the collected data were used to evaluate the performance of the power control system. A brief review of propagation factors involved in estimating the up-link fade using a beacon signal in the down-link band are presented. The power controller design and the experiment configuration are discussed. Results of the experiment are discussed.

The influence of the uplink noise on the performance of satellite data transmission systems

Science.gov (United States)

Dewal, Vrinda P.

The problem of transmission of binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulated digital data through a bandlimited nonlinear satellite channel in the presence of uplink, downlink Gaussian noise and intersymbol interface is examined. The satellite transponder is represented by a zero memory bandpass nonlinearity, with AM/AM conversion. The proposed optimum linear receiver structure consists of tapped-delay lines followed by a decision device. The linear receiver is designed to minimize the mean square error that is a function of the intersymbol interface, the uplink and the downlink noise. The minimum mean square error equalizer (MMSE) is derived using the Wiener-Kolmogorov theory. In this receiver, the decision about the transmitted signal is made by taking into account the received sequence of present sample, and the interfering past and future samples, which represent the intersymbol interference (ISI). Illustrative examples of the receiver structures are considered for the nonlinear channels with a symmetrical and asymmetrical frequency responses of the transmitter filter. The transponder nonlinearity is simulated by a polynomial using only the first and the third orders terms. A computer simulation determines the tap gain coefficients of the MMSE equalizer that adapt to the various uplink and downlink noise levels. The performance of the MMSE equalizer is evaluated in terms of an estimate of the average probability of error.

W-CDMA Uplink Capacity and Interference Statistics of a LongGroove-Shaped Road Microcells Using A Hybrid Propagation Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. de Haro-Ariet

2003-09-01

Full Text Available The uplink capacity and the interference statistics of the sectorsof a long groove-shaped road W-CDMA microcell are studied. A model of 9microcells in a groove-shaped road is used to analyze the uplink. Ahybrid model for the propagation is used in the analysis. The capacityand the interference statistics of the cell are studied for differentsector ranges, different specific attenuation factors, differentantenna side lobe levels and different bend losses.

The Up-Link Problem: Using RytovProp for Beam Propagation Calculations--Conference Proceedings (Postprint)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fried, David L

2008-01-01

...(s) of the effect of turbulence on optical propagation. This method has been applied to the evaluation of Up-Link performance delivery of laser power from a simple ground transmitter to a satellite...

Spectral and Energy Efficient Low-Overhead Uplink and Downlink Channel Estimation for 5G Massive MIMO Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imran Khan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Uplink and Downlink channel estimation in massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO systems is an intricate issue because of the increasing channel matrix dimensions. The channel feedback overhead using traditional codebook schemes is very large, which consumes more bandwidth and decreases the overall system efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to decrease the channel estimation overhead by taking the advantage of sparse attributes and also to optimize the Energy Efficiency (EE of the system. To cope with this issue, we propose a novel approach by using Compressed-Sensing (CS, Block Iterative-Support-Detection (Block-ISD, Angle-of-Departure (AoD and Structured Compressive Sampling Matching Pursuit (S-CoSaMP algorithms to reduce the channel estimation overhead and compare them with the traditional algorithms. The CS uses temporal-correlation of time-varying channels to produce Differential-Channel Impulse Response (DCIR among two CIRs that are adjacent in time-slots. DCIR has greater sparsity than the conventional CIRs as it can be easily compressed. The Block-ISD uses spatial-correlation of the channels to obtain the block-sparsity which results in lower pilot-overhead. AoD quantizes the channels whose path-AoDs variation is slower than path-gains and such information is utilized for reducing the overhead. S-CoSaMP deploys structured-sparsity to obtain reliable Channel-State-Information (CSI. MATLAB simulation results show that the proposed CS based algorithms reduce the feedback and pilot-overhead by a significant percentage and also improve the system capacity as compared with the traditional algorithms. Moreover, the EE level increases with increasing Base Station (BS density, UE density and lowering hardware impairments level.

On stochastic geometry modeling of cellular uplink transmission with truncated channel inversion power control

KAUST Repository

Elsawy, Hesham; Hossain, Ekram

2014-01-01

Using stochastic geometry, we develop a tractable uplink modeling paradigm for outage probability and spectral efficiency in both single and multi-tier cellular wireless networks. The analysis accounts for per user equipment (UE) power control

Performance of Turbo Interference Cancellation Receivers in Space-Time Block Coded DS-CDMA Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Oluremi Bejide

2008-07-01

Full Text Available We investigate the performance of turbo interference cancellation receivers in the space time block coded (STBC direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA system. Depending on the concatenation scheme used, we divide these receivers into the partitioned approach (PA and the iterative approach (IA receivers. The performance of both the PA and IA receivers is evaluated in Rayleigh fading channels for the uplink scenario. Numerical results show that the MMSE front-end turbo space-time iterative approach receiver (IA effectively combats the mixture of MAI and intersymbol interference (ISI. To further investigate the possible achievable data rates in the turbo interference cancellation receivers, we introduce the puncturing of the turbo code through the use of rate compatible punctured turbo codes (RCPTCs. Simulation results suggest that combining interference cancellation, turbo decoding, STBC, and RCPTC can significantly improve the achievable data rates for a synchronous DS-CDMA system for the uplink in Rayleigh flat fading channels.

Optimization of horizontal microcode within and beyond basic blocks: an application of processor scheduling with resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisher, J.A.

1979-10-01

Microprogram optimization is the rearrangement of microcode written vertically, with one operation issued per step, into legal horizontal microinstructions, in which several operations are issued each instruction cycle. The rearrangement is done in a way that approximately minimizes the running time of the code. This problem is identified with the problem of processor scheduling with resource constraints. Thus, the problem of optimizing basic blocks of microcode can be seen to be np-complete; however, approximate methods for basic blocks which have good records in other, similar scheduling environments can be used. In priority list scheduling the tasks are ordered according to some evaluation function, and then schedules are found by repeated scans of the list. Several evaluation functions are shown to perform very well on large samples of various classes of random data-precedence graphs with characteristics similar to those derived from microprograms. A method of spotting resource bottlenecks in the derived data-precedence graph enables one to obtain a resource-considerate evaluation function, in which tasks which contribute directly to or precede bottlenecks have their priorities raised. The complexity of the calculations necessary to compute the lower bound was greatly reduced. A method is suggested for optimizing beyond basic blocks. Groups of basic blocks are treated as if they were one block; the information necessary to control the motion of tasks between blocks is encoded as data-precedence constraints on the conditional tasks. Long paths of code can thus be optimized, with no back branches, by the same methods used for basic blocks. 9 figures, 6 tables.

Analyzing the impact of relay station characteristics on uplink performance in cellular network

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dimitrova, D.C.; van den Berg, Hans Leo; Heijenk, Geert

2009-01-01

Uplink users in cellular networks, such as UMTS/ HSPA, located at the edge of the cell generally suffer from poor channel conditions. Deploying intermediate relay nodes is seen as a promising approach towards extending cell coverage. This paper focuses on the role of packet scheduling in cellular

Nerve Blocks

Science.gov (United States)

... News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Nerve Blocks A nerve block is an injection to ... the limitations of Nerve Block? What is a Nerve Block? A nerve block is an anesthetic and/ ...

An analytical model for CDMA downlink rate optimization taking into account uplink coverage restriction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Endrayanto, A.I.; van den Berg, Hans Leo; Boucherie, Richardus J.

2003-01-01

This paper models and analyzes downlink and uplink power assignment in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile networks. By discretizing the area into small segments, the power requirements are characterized via a matrix representation that separates user and system characteristics. We obtain a

An analytical model for CDMA downlink rate optimization taking into account uplink coverage restrictions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Endrayanto, A.I.; van den Berg, Hans Leo; Boucherie, Richardus J.

2005-01-01

This paper models and analyzes downlink and uplink power assignment in code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile networks. By discretizing the area into small segments, the power requirements are characterized via a matrix representation that separates user and system characteristics. We obtain a

Analytical bounds on the area spectral efficiency of uplink heterogeneous networks over generalized fading channels

KAUST Repository

Shakir, Muhammad

2014-06-01

Heterogeneous networks (HetNets) are envisioned to enable next-generation cellular networks by providing higher spectral and energy efficiency. A HetNet is typically composed of multiple radio access technologies where several low-power low-cost operators or user-deployed small-cell base stations (SBSs) complement the macrocell network. In this paper, we consider a two-tier HetNet where the SBSs are arranged around the edge of the reference macrocell such that the resultant configuration is referred to as cell-on-edge (COE). Each mobile user in a small cell is considered capable of adapting its uplink transmit power according to a location-based slow power control mechanism. The COE configuration is observed to increase the uplink area spectral efficiency (ASE) and energy efficiency while reducing the cochannel interference power. A moment-generating-function (MGF)-based approach has been exploited to derive the analytical bounds on the uplink ASE of the COE configuration. The derived expressions are generalized for any composite fading distribution, and closed-form expressions are presented for the generalized- K fading channels. Simulation results are included to support the analysis and to show the efficacy of the COE configuration. A comparative performance analysis is also provided to demonstrate the improvements in the performance of cell-edge users of the COE configuration compared with that of macro-only networks (MoNets) and other unplanned deployment strategies. © 2013 IEEE.

How to implement decoy-state quantum key distribution for a satellite uplink with 50-dB channel loss

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer-Scott, Evan; Yan, Zhizhong; MacDonald, Allison; Bourgoin, Jean-Philippe; Hübel, Hannes; Jennewein, Thomas

2011-12-01

Quantum key distribution (QKD) takes advantage of fundamental properties of quantum physics to allow two distant parties to share a secret key; however, QKD is hampered by a distance limitation of a few hundred kilometers on Earth. The most immediate solution for global coverage is to use a satellite, which can receive separate QKD transmissions from two or more ground stations and act as a trusted node to link these ground stations. In this article we report on a system capable of performing QKD in the high loss regime expected in an uplink to a satellite using weak coherent pulses and decoy states. Such a scenario profits from the simplicity of its receiver payload, but has so far been considered to be infeasible due to very high transmission losses (40-50 dB). The high loss is overcome by implementing an innovative photon source and advanced timing analysis. Our system handles up to 57 dB photon loss in the infinite key limit, confirming the viability of the satellite uplink scenario. We emphasize that while this system was designed with a satellite uplink in mind, it could just as easily overcome high losses on any free space QKD link.

How to implement decoy-state quantum key distribution for a satellite uplink with 50-dB channel loss

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer-Scott, Evan; Yan, Zhizhong; MacDonald, Allison; Bourgoin, Jean-Philippe; Huebel, Hannes; Jennewein, Thomas

2011-01-01

Quantum key distribution (QKD) takes advantage of fundamental properties of quantum physics to allow two distant parties to share a secret key; however, QKD is hampered by a distance limitation of a few hundred kilometers on Earth. The most immediate solution for global coverage is to use a satellite, which can receive separate QKD transmissions from two or more ground stations and act as a trusted node to link these ground stations. In this article we report on a system capable of performing QKD in the high loss regime expected in an uplink to a satellite using weak coherent pulses and decoy states. Such a scenario profits from the simplicity of its receiver payload, but has so far been considered to be infeasible due to very high transmission losses (40-50 dB). The high loss is overcome by implementing an innovative photon source and advanced timing analysis. Our system handles up to 57 dB photon loss in the infinite key limit, confirming the viability of the satellite uplink scenario. We emphasize that while this system was designed with a satellite uplink in mind, it could just as easily overcome high losses on any free space QKD link.

An up-link power control for demand assignment International Business Satellite Communications Network

Science.gov (United States)

Nohara, Mitsuo; Takeuchi, Yoshio; Takahata, Fumio

Up-link power control (UPC) is one of the essential technologies to provide efficient satellite communication systems operated at frequency bands above 10 GHz. A simple and cost-effective UPC scheme applicable to a demand assignment international business satellite communications system has been developed. This paper presents the UPC scheme, including the hardware implementation and its performance.

WCDMA Uplink Interference Assessment from Multiple High Altitude Platform Configurations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grace D

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We investigate the possibility of multiple high altitude platform (HAP coverage of a common cell area using a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA system. In particular, we study the uplink system performance of the system. The results show that depending on the traffic demand and the type of service used, there is a possibility of deploying 3–6 HAPs covering the same cell area. The results also show the effect of cell radius on performance and the position of the multiple HAP base stations which give the worst performance.

WCDMA Uplink Interference Assessment from Multiple High Altitude Platform Configurations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mohammed

2008-06-01

Full Text Available We investigate the possibility of multiple high altitude platform (HAP coverage of a common cell area using a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA system. In particular, we study the uplink system performance of the system. The results show that depending on the traffic demand and the type of service used, there is a possibility of deploying 3–6 HAPs covering the same cell area. The results also show the effect of cell radius on performance and the position of the multiple HAP base stations which give the worst performance.

Petroleum resource appraisal of lower group play, badin block, lower Indus basin, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afzal, J.

1996-01-01

Badin Block is a concession area granted to Union Texas Pakistan (UTP). The petroleum resource appraisal of the lower Goru play of Badin Block has been carried out through the 'Discovery Process Model' of a software developed by John R. Lacey International Ltd. in association with Prass Consultants of Canada. The Early gas producing reservoir rocks of this block. These sandstones can be divided into five discrete sand bodies; however, the uppermost and the lowermost sands of the sequence are often considered the primary reservoirs. Exploration in the Lower Indus Basin started in 1939 and the first discovery of oil, in the Badin block, was made by UTP Group in May, 1981 at Khaskheli. Until December, 1992, UTP has discovered 31 oil and gas fields in Badin Block, and the recoverable reserves of these 31 oil and gas pools provide the basis for the estimation of recoverable reserves of oil and gas of the whole Badin Block. The analysis show that about 31% of the total recoverable oil reserves i.e. 35.5 mm bbl still remain to be discovered out of the additional 105 expected pools in the play. Similarly, it has been estimated that about 47% of the total recoverable gas reserves i.e. 520.5 Bcf still remain to be discovered out of the additional 124 expected pools. (author)

Interference statistics and capacity analysis for uplink transmission in two-tier small cell networks: A geometric probability approach

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Dawy, Zaher; Hossain, Ekram; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

This paper presents a novel framework to derive the statistics of the interference considering dedicated and shared spectrum access for uplink transmission in two-tier small cell networks such as the macrocell-femtocell networks. The framework

Adaptive Cross-Layer Distributed Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation Algorithms for Wireless Data Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Saturnino

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The issue of adaptive and distributed cross-layer resource allocation for energy efficiency in uplink code-division multiple-access (CDMA wireless data networks is addressed. The resource allocation problems are formulated as noncooperative games wherein each terminal seeks to maximize its own energy efficiency, namely, the number of reliably transmitted information symbols per unit of energy used for transmission. The focus of this paper is on the issue of adaptive and distributed implementation of policies arising from this approach, that is, it is assumed that only readily available measurements, such as the received data, are available at the receiver in order to play the considered games. Both single-cell and multicell networks are considered. Stochastic implementations of noncooperative games for power allocation, spreading code allocation, and choice of the uplink (linear receiver are thus proposed, and analytical results describing the convergence properties of selected stochastic algorithms are also given. Extensive simulation results show that, in many instances of practical interest, the proposed stochastic algorithms approach with satisfactory accuracy the performance of nonadaptive games, whose implementation requires much more prior information.

Closing the uplink/downlink loop on the new Horizons Mission to Pluto

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Joseph G.; Birath, Emma; Carcich, Brian; Harch, Ann

Commanding the payload on a spacecraft (“ uplink” sequencing and command generation) and processing the instrument data returned (“ downlink” data processing) are two primary functions of Science Operations on a mission. While vitally important, it is sometimes surprisingly difficult to connect data returned from a spacecraft to the corresponding commanding and sequencing information that created the data, especially when data processing is done via an automated science data pipeline and not via a manual process with humans in the loop. For a variety of reasons it is necessary to make such a connection and close this loop. Perhaps the most important reason is to ensure that all data asked for has arrived safely on the ground. This is especially critical when the mission must erase parts of the spacecraft memory to make room for new data; mistakes here can result in permanent loss of data. Additionally, there are often key pieces of information (such as intended observation target or certain instrument modes that are not included in housekeeping, etc.) that are known only at the time of commanding and never makes it down in the telemetry. Because missions like New Horizons strive to be frugal with how much telemetry is sent back to Earth, and the telemetry may not include unambiguous identifiers (like observation ids, etc.), connecting downlinked data with uplink command information in an automated way can require creative approaches and heuristics. In this paper, we describe how these challenges were overcome on the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. The system developed involves ingesting uplink information into a database and automatically correlating it with downlinked data products. This allows for more useful data searches and the ability to attach the original intent of each observation to the processed science data. Also a new data tracking tool is now being developed to help in planning data playback from the spacecraft and to ensu- e data is verified

Multiuser Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation for OFDMA Uplink Based on Multi-Antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Weile; Wang, Junsong; Yin, Qinye; Feng, Ang

In this letter, a novel method is proposed for carrier-frequency offset (CFO) estimation for multiple users in orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) uplink with the generalized carrier assignment scheme (GCAS). The base station (BS) is equipped with multiple antennas, and each user's CFO can be estimated by the ESPRIT-like method that utilizes the rotation invariance of the space-domain snapshot matrix. The method is still effective even in fully loaded system with all subcarriers allocated to users. Simulation results illustrate the high performance of the proposed algorithm.

Diversity-Multiplexing Trade-off for Coordinated Relayed Uplink and Direct Downlink Transmissions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thai, Chan; Popovski, Petar; Sun, Fan

2013-01-01

Abstract—There are two basic principles used in wireless network coding to design throughput-efficient schemes: (1) aggregation of communication flows and (2) interference is embraced and subsequently cancelled or mitigated. These principles inspire design of Coordinated Direct/Relay (CDR) schemes......, where each basic transmission involves two flows to a direct and a relayed user. Considering a scenario with relayed uplink and direct downlink, we analyze the Diversity-Multiplexing Tradeoff (DMT) calculating either the exact value or both upper/lower bounds. The CDR scheme is shown to have a higher...

Achievable Rate Estimation of IEEE 802.11ad Visual Big-Data Uplink Access in Cloud-Enabled Surveillance Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Joongheon; Kim, Jong-Kook

2016-01-01

This paper addresses the computation procedures for estimating the impact of interference in 60 GHz IEEE 802.11ad uplink access in order to construct visual big-data database from randomly deployed surveillance camera sensing devices. The acquired large-scale massive visual information from surveillance camera devices will be used for organizing big-data database, i.e., this estimation is essential for constructing centralized cloud-enabled surveillance database. This performance estimation study captures interference impacts on the target cloud access points from multiple interference components generated by the 60 GHz wireless transmissions from nearby surveillance camera devices to their associated cloud access points. With this uplink interference scenario, the interference impacts on the main wireless transmission from a target surveillance camera device to its associated target cloud access point with a number of settings are measured and estimated under the consideration of 60 GHz radiation characteristics and antenna radiation pattern models.

An improved reconstruction algorithm based on multi-user detection for uplink grant-free NOMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hou Chengyan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available For the traditional orthogonal matching pursuit(OMP algorithm in multi-user detection(MUD for uplink grant-free NOMA, here is a poor BER performance, so in this paper we propose an temporal-correlation orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm(TOMP to realize muli-user detection. The core idea of the TOMP is to use the time correlation of the active user sets to achieve user activity and data detection in a number of continuous time slots. We use the estimated active user set in the current time slot as a priori information to estimate the active user sets for the next slot. By maintaining the active user set Tˆl of size K(K is the number of users, but modified in each iteration. Specifically, active user set is believed to be reliable in one iteration but shown error in another iteration, can be added to the set path delay Tˆl or removed from it. Theoretical analysis of the improved algorithm provide a guarantee that the multi-user can be successfully detected with a high probability. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme can achieve better bit error rate (BER performance in the uplink grant-free NOMA system.

Automation of Cassini Support Imaging Uplink Command Development

Science.gov (United States)

Ly-Hollins, Lisa; Breneman, Herbert H.; Brooks, Robert

2010-01-01

"Support imaging" is imagery requested by other Cassini science teams to aid in the interpretation of their data. The generation of the spacecraft command sequences for these images is performed by the Cassini Instrument Operations Team. The process initially established for doing this was very labor-intensive, tedious and prone to human error. Team management recognized this process as one that could easily benefit from automation. Team members were tasked to document the existing manual process, develop a plan and strategy to automate the process, implement the plan and strategy, test and validate the new automated process, and deliver the new software tools and documentation to Flight Operations for use during the Cassini extended mission. In addition to the goals of higher efficiency and lower risk in the processing of support imaging requests, an effort was made to maximize adaptability of the process to accommodate uplink procedure changes and the potential addition of new capabilities outside the scope of the initial effort.

Achievable Rate Estimation of IEEE 802.11ad Visual Big-Data Uplink Access in Cloud-Enabled Surveillance Applications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joongheon Kim

Full Text Available This paper addresses the computation procedures for estimating the impact of interference in 60 GHz IEEE 802.11ad uplink access in order to construct visual big-data database from randomly deployed surveillance camera sensing devices. The acquired large-scale massive visual information from surveillance camera devices will be used for organizing big-data database, i.e., this estimation is essential for constructing centralized cloud-enabled surveillance database. This performance estimation study captures interference impacts on the target cloud access points from multiple interference components generated by the 60 GHz wireless transmissions from nearby surveillance camera devices to their associated cloud access points. With this uplink interference scenario, the interference impacts on the main wireless transmission from a target surveillance camera device to its associated target cloud access point with a number of settings are measured and estimated under the consideration of 60 GHz radiation characteristics and antenna radiation pattern models.

On the Modelling of the Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e Uplink Scheduler

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darmawaty Mohd Ali

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Packet scheduling has drawn a great deal of attention in the field of wireless networks as it plays an important role in distributing shared resources in a network. The process involves allocating the bandwidth among users and determining their transmission order. In this paper an uplink (UL scheduling algorithm for the Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX network based on the cyclic polling model is proposed. The model in this study consists of five queues (UGS, ertPS, rtPS, nrtPS, and BE visited by a single server. A threshold policy is imposed to the nrtPS queue to ensure that the delay constraint of real time traffic (UGS, ertPS, and rtPS is not violated making this approach original in comparison to the existing contributions. A mathematical model is formulated for the weighted sum of the mean waiting time of each individual queues based on the pseudo-conservation law. The results of the analysis are useful in obtaining or testing approximation for individual mean waiting time especially when queues are asymmetric (where each queue may have different stochastic characteristic such as arrival rate and service time distribution and when their number is large (more than 2 queues.

4G femtocells resource allocation and interference management

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Haijun; Wen, Xiangming

2014-01-01

This brief examines resource allocation and interference management for 4G femtocells. It introduces 4G femtocells in the context of 4G mobile networks and discusses related technical challenges in resource allocation and interference management. Topics include ant colony algorithm based downlink resource allocation, intelligent scheduling and power control, uplink and downlink for two-tier networks, quality of service (QoS) constraints and the cross-tier interference constraint. The authors present algorithms to alleviate common femtocell-related problems such as subchannel power allocation. The complexity of the proposed resource allocation algorithms is analyzed, and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms is verified by simulations. This concise and practical book directly addresses common problems relating to femtocells and resource management. It serves as a useful tool for researchers in the field. Advanced-level students or professionals interested in femtocells and networks will also find the co...

Uplink Performance of Dynamic Interference Coordination under Fractional Power Control for LTE-Advanced Femtocells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garcia, Luis Guilherme Uzeda; Pedersen, Klaus; Mogensen, Preben

2010-01-01

It has been identified in numerous contributions that dynamic interference coordination is very appealing in case of dense and uncoordinated deployments of home eNBs (eNBs), also known as femtocells. One of the proposed schemes for LTE-Advanced is known as Autonomous Component Carrier Selection...... when applied to femtocells is significantly different from that seen on macrocells. In addition we demonstrate that ACCS is equally attractive and applicable to the uplink even though most decisions are based on UE downlink measurements....

Uplink Interference Analysis for Two-tier Cellular Networks with Diverse Users under Random Spatial Patterns

OpenAIRE

Bao, Wei; Liang, Ben

2013-01-01

Multi-tier architecture improves the spatial reuse of radio spectrum in cellular networks, but it introduces complicated heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of transmitters, which brings new challenges in interference analysis. In this work, we present a stochastic geometric model to evaluate the uplink interference in a two-tier network considering multi-type users and base stations. Each type of tier-1 users and tier-2 base stations are modeled as independent homogeneous Poisson point...

30 CFR 77.1505 - Auger holes; blocking.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Auger holes; blocking. 77.1505 Section 77.1505 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH... § 77.1505 Auger holes; blocking. Auger holes shall be blocked with highwall spoil or other suitable...

Development of CINEMA Mission Uplink Communication System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nayoung Yoon

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Triplet Ionospheric Observatory (TRIO CubeSatforIon, Neutral, Electron MAgneticfields (CINEMA is a CubeSat with the weight 3 kg that will be operated in the orbit conditions of about 800 km altitude and 90° inclination angle, using the S-band and ultra-high frequency (UHF-band communication frequencies. Regarding the communication antenna loaded on the satellite, the two patch antennas has the downlink function in the S-band, whereas the two whip antennas has the function to receive the command sent by the ground station to the satellite in the UHF-band. The uplink ground station that communicates through the UHF-band with the CINEMA satellite was established at Kyung Hee University. The system is mainly composed of a terminal node controller, a transceiver, and a helical antenna. The gain of the helical antenna established at the Kyung Hee University ground station was 9.8 dBi. The output of the transceiver was set to be 5 W (6.9 dB for the communication test. Through the far-field test of the established system, it was verified that the Roman characters, figures and symbols were converted into packets and transmitted to the satellite receiver in the communication speed of 9,600 bps.

Sum rates of asynchronous GFDMA and SC-FDMA for 5G uplink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woojin Park

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The fifth generation (5G of mobile communication envisions ultralow latency less than 1 ms for radio interface. To this end, frameless asynchronous multiple access may be needed to allow users to transmit instantly without waiting for the next frame start. In this paper, generalized frequency division multiple-access (GFDMA, one of the promising multiple-access candidates for 5G mobile, is compared with the conventional single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA in terms of the uplink sum rate when both techniques are adapted for the asynchronous scenario. In particular, a waveform windowing technique is applied to both schemes to mitigate the inter-user interference due to non-zero out-of-band emission.

Radio resource management for mobile traffic offloading in heterogeneous cellular networks

CERN Document Server

Wu, Yuan; Huang, Jianwei; Shen, Xuemin (Sherman)

2017-01-01

This SpringerBrief offers two concrete design examples for traffic offloading. The first is an optimal resource allocation for small-cell based traffic offloading that aims at minimizing mobile users’ data cost. The second is an optimal resource allocation for device-to-device assisted traffic offloading that also minimizes the total energy consumption and cellular link usage (while providing an overview of the challenging issues). Both examples illustrate the importance of proper resource allocation to the success of traffic offloading, show the consequent performance advantages of executing optimal resource allocation, and present the methodologies to achieve the corresponding optimal offloading solution for traffic offloading in heterogeneous cellular networks. The authors also include an overview of heterogeneous cellular networks and explain different traffic offloading paradigms ranging from uplink traffic offloading through small cells to downlink traffic offloading via mobile device-to-device cooper...

Codebook-based interference alignment for uplink MIMO interference channels

KAUST Repository

Lee, Hyun Ho

2014-02-01

In this paper, we propose a codebook-based interference alignment (IA) scheme in the constant multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO) interference channel especially for the uplink scenario. In our proposed scheme, we assume cooperation among base stations (BSs) through reliable backhaul links so that global channel knowledge is available for all BSs, which enables BS to compute the transmit precoder and inform its quantized index to the associated user via limited rate feedback link.We present an upper bound on the rate loss of the proposed scheme and derive the scaling law of the feedback load tomaintain a constant rate loss relative to IA with perfect channel knowledge. Considering the impact of overhead due to training, cooperation, and feedback, we address the effective degrees of freedom (DOF) of the proposed scheme and derive the maximization of the effective DOF. From simulation results, we verify our analysis on the scaling law to preserve the multiplexing gain and confirm that the proposed scheme is more effective than the conventional IA scheme in terms of the effective DOF. © 2014 KICS.

Dynamic Resource Management in MC-CDMA Based Cellular Wireless Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bala Jeevitha Vani

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Most of the multimedia and Internet services today are asymmetric in nature, and require high data rate support. Allocating equal band width in both uplink and downlink is not prudent solution, as most of the time user requirement is more either in uplink or downlink. The Multi Carrier Code Division Multiple Access (MC-CDMA system with time division duplex mode can easily met this requirement by dynamically declaring traffic direction in TDD slot, and adaptively allocating the sub channels. In this paper, we propose a adaptive slot and sub carrier allocation algorithm, that can be independently implemented in each cell of mobile communication network. Our analytical model is generalization of two cell concept to represent a multi cell model. Based on two cell concept four cases of interference pattern has been considered and simulated separately in presence of Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN and Rayleigh Channel. The simulated result suggests the requirement of approximately 9dB of Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR to maintain Bit Error Rate below 10-3. We also analyze the average delay incurred by the proposed algorithm in allocating resources.

Exposure assessment of one-year-old child to 3G tablet in uplink mode and to 3G femtocell in downlink mode using polynomial chaos decomposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liorni, I; Parazzini, M; Ravazzani, P; Varsier, N; Hadjem, A; Wiart, J

2016-01-01

So far, the assessment of the exposure of children, in the ages 0–2 years old, to relatively new radio-frequency (RF) technologies, such as tablets and femtocells, remains an open issue. This study aims to analyse the exposure of a one year-old child to these two sources, tablets and femtocells, operating in uplink (tablet) and downlink (femtocell) modes, respectively. In detail, a realistic model of an infant has been used to model separately the exposures due to (i) a 3G tablet emitting at the frequency of 1940 MHz (uplink mode) placed close to the body and (ii) a 3G femtocell emitting at 2100 MHz (downlink mode) placed at a distance of at least 1 m from the infant body. For both RF sources, the input power was set to 250 mW. The variability of the exposure due to the variation of the position of the RF sources with respect to the infant body has been studied by stochastic dosimetry, based on polynomial chaos to build surrogate models of both whole-body and tissue specific absorption rate (SAR), which makes it easy and quick to investigate the exposure in a full range of possible positions of the sources. The major outcomes of the study are: (1) the maximum values of the whole-body SAR (WB SAR) have been found to be 9.5 mW kg −1 in uplink mode and 65 μW kg −1 in downlink mode, i.e. within the limits of the ICNIRP 1998 Guidelines; (2) in both uplink and downlink mode the highest SAR values were approximately found in the same tissues, i.e. in the skin, eye and penis for the whole-tissue SAR and in the bone, skin and muscle for the peak SAR; (3) the change in the position of both the 3G tablet and the 3G femtocell significantly influences the infant exposure. (paper)

Exposure assessment of one-year-old child to 3G tablet in uplink mode and to 3G femtocell in downlink mode using polynomial chaos decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Liorni, I.; Parazzini, M.; Varsier, N.; Hadjem, A.; Ravazzani, P.; Wiart, J.

2016-04-01

So far, the assessment of the exposure of children, in the ages 0-2 years old, to relatively new radio-frequency (RF) technologies, such as tablets and femtocells, remains an open issue. This study aims to analyse the exposure of a one year-old child to these two sources, tablets and femtocells, operating in uplink (tablet) and downlink (femtocell) modes, respectively. In detail, a realistic model of an infant has been used to model separately the exposures due to (i) a 3G tablet emitting at the frequency of 1940 MHz (uplink mode) placed close to the body and (ii) a 3G femtocell emitting at 2100 MHz (downlink mode) placed at a distance of at least 1 m from the infant body. For both RF sources, the input power was set to 250 mW. The variability of the exposure due to the variation of the position of the RF sources with respect to the infant body has been studied by stochastic dosimetry, based on polynomial chaos to build surrogate models of both whole-body and tissue specific absorption rate (SAR), which makes it easy and quick to investigate the exposure in a full range of possible positions of the sources. The major outcomes of the study are: (1) the maximum values of the whole-body SAR (WB SAR) have been found to be 9.5 mW kg-1 in uplink mode and 65 μW kg-1 in downlink mode, i.e. within the limits of the ICNIRP 1998 Guidelines; (2) in both uplink and downlink mode the highest SAR values were approximately found in the same tissues, i.e. in the skin, eye and penis for the whole-tissue SAR and in the bone, skin and muscle for the peak SAR; (3) the change in the position of both the 3G tablet and the 3G femtocell significantly influences the infant exposure.

Model-based verification and validation of the SMAP uplink processes

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, M. O.; Dubos, G. F.; Tirona, J.; Standley, S.

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is being used increasingly within the spacecraft design community because of its benefits when compared to document-based approaches. As the complexity of projects expands dramatically with continually increasing computational power and technology infusion, the time and effort needed for verification and validation (V& V) increases geometrically. Using simulation to perform design validation with system-level models earlier in the life cycle stands to bridge the gap between design of the system (based on system-level requirements) and verifying those requirements/validating the system as a whole. This case study stands as an example of how a project can validate a system-level design earlier in the project life cycle than traditional V& V processes by using simulation on a system model. Specifically, this paper describes how simulation was added to a system model of the Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP) mission's uplink process. Also discussed are the advantages and disadvantages of the methods employed and the lessons learned; which are intended to benefit future model-based and simulation-based development efforts.

Weighted-SNR-based fair scheduling for uplink OFDMA

KAUST Repository

Ma, Yao

2009-11-01

In this paper, we study the sum rate maximization algorithms with long-term proportional rate fairness (PRF) for uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems. In contrast to the rate-maximization schemes which used short-term PRF in the literature, we propose to use a selective multiuser diversity (SMuD) scheme to achieve a long-term PRF and improved sum rate performance. This scheme implements weighted channel signal-to-noise ratio (w-SNR)-based ranking for user selection on each subchannel, and then uses either water-filling (WF) or equal power allocation (EPA) along the assigned channels of each user. Both offline and online methods to find the optimal SNR weight factors are designed to achieve the target proportional rates for different users. The offline optimization technique requires to know the channel distribution information (CDI) at the scheduler. The online method uses the weight adaption combined with individual user rate tracking, which avoids the need to know the CDI. Analytical throughput metrics for the proposed w-SNR scheme with WF and EPA over Rayleigh channels are derived, and verified by simulations. Simulation results show that the proposed w-SNR PRF scheme can achieve significantly higher sum rates than the frequency diversity-based short-term and long-term fairness schemes. Besides the improved performance, the proposed schemes have a low complexity which is linear to numbers of users and subchannels.

Low-peak-to-average power ratio and low-complexity asymmetrically clipped optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing uplink transmission scheme for long-reach passive optical network.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ji; Qiao, Yaojun

2015-09-01

In this Letter, we propose a discrete Hartley transform (DHT)-spread asymmetrically clipped optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (DHT-S-ACO-OFDM) uplink transmission scheme in which the multiplexing/demultiplexing process also uses the DHT algorithm. By designing a simple encoding structure, the computational complexity of the transmitter can be reduced from O(Nlog(2)(N)) to O(N). At the probability of 10(-3), the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of 2-ary pulse amplitude modulation (2-PAM)-modulated DHT-S-ACO-OFDM is approximately 9.7 dB lower than that of 2-PAM-modulated conventional ACO-OFDM. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, a 4-Gbit/s DHT-S-ACO-OFDM uplink transmission scheme with a 1∶64 way split has been experimentally implemented using 100-km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) for a long-reach passive optical network (LR-PON).

Demonstration of intradyne BPSK optical free-space transmission in representative atmospheric turbulence conditions for geostationary uplink channel.

Science.gov (United States)

Surof, Janis; Poliak, Juraj; Calvo, Ramon Mata

2017-06-01

Binary phase-shift keying optical transmission in the C-band with coherent intradyne reception is demonstrated over a long-range (10.45 km) link through the atmosphere. The link emulates representative channel conditions for geostationary optical feeder uplinks in satellite communications. The digital signal processing used in recovering the transmitted data and the performed measurements are described. Finally, the bit error rate results for 10 Gbit/s, 20 Gbit/s, and 30 Gbit/s of the outdoor experiments are presented and compared with back-to-back measurements and theory.

Decentralizing Governance of Natural Resources in India: Lessons from the Case Study of Thanagazi Block, Alwar, Rajasthan, India - Comment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Costanza Torri

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Numerous countries have undergone decentralisation reforms in the management of natural resources. However, the policies implemented are often not applied in ways compatible with the democratic potential with which decentralisation is conceived. The paper analyses the issue of decentralisation in resource management, in Thanagazi block, Alwar District, Rajasthan. In this paper I present a case of community initiated decentralisation carried out through village organisations. The aim is to contrast it with the state initiated decentralisation system carried out through the local administrative unit, the Gram Panchayat. Some conclusive remarks will be made on the importance of promoting more inclusive and democratic institutions which take into account the local needs and priorities regarding the management of natural resources and development interventions.

30 CFR 57.19079 - Blocking mine cars.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Blocking mine cars. 57.19079 Section 57.19079... Hoisting Procedures § 57.19079 Blocking mine cars. Where mine cars are hoisted by cage or skip, means for blocking cars shall be provided at all landings and also on the cage. ...

30 CFR 56.19079 - Blocking mine cars.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Blocking mine cars. 56.19079 Section 56.19079... Hoisting Procedures § 56.19079 Blocking mine cars. Where mine cars are hoisted by cage or skip, means for blocking cars shall be provided at all landings and also on the cage. ...

30 CFR 250.511 - Traveling-block safety device.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Traveling-block safety device. 250.511 Section... Traveling-block safety device. All units being used for well-completion operations that have both a traveling block and a crown block must be equipped with a safety device that is designed to prevent the...

30 CFR 250.611 - Traveling-block safety device.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Traveling-block safety device. 250.611 Section... Traveling-block safety device. After May 31, 1989, all units being used for well-workover operations which have both a traveling block and a crown block shall be equipped with a safety device which is designed...

Interference statistics and capacity analysis for uplink transmission in two-tier small cell networks: A geometric probability approach

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2014-07-01

This paper presents a novel framework to derive the statistics of the interference considering dedicated and shared spectrum access for uplink transmission in two-tier small cell networks such as the macrocell-femtocell networks. The framework exploits the distance distributions from geometric probability theory to characterize the uplink interference while considering a traditional grid-model set-up for macrocells along with the randomly deployed femtocells. The derived expressions capture the impact of path-loss, composite shadowing and fading, uniform and non-uniform traffic loads, spatial distribution of femtocells, and partial and full spectral reuse among femtocells. Considering dedicated spectrum access, first, we derive the statistics of co-tier interference incurred at both femtocell and macrocell base stations (BSs) from a single interferer by approximating generalized- K composite fading distribution with the tractable Gamma distribution. We then derive the distribution of the number of interferers considering partial spectral reuse and moment generating function (MGF) of the cumulative interference for both partial and full spectral reuse scenarios. Next, we derive the statistics of the cross-tier interference at both femtocell and macrocell BSs considering shared spectrum access. Finally, we utilize the derived expressions to analyze the capacity in both dedicated and shared spectrum access scenarios. The derived expressions are validated by the Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results are generated to assess the feasibility of shared and dedicated spectrum access in femtocells under varying traffic load and spectral reuse scenarios. © 2014 IEEE.

A Statistical Model for Uplink Intercell Interference with Power Adaptation and Greedy Scheduling

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2012-10-03

This paper deals with the statistical modeling of uplink inter-cell interference (ICI) considering greedy scheduling with power adaptation based on channel conditions. The derived model is implicitly generalized for any kind of shadowing and fading environments. More precisely, we develop a generic model for the distribution of ICI based on the locations of the allocated users and their transmit powers. The derived model is utilized to evaluate important network performance metrics such as ergodic capacity, average fairness and average power preservation numerically. Monte-Carlo simulation details are included to support the analysis and show the accuracy of the derived expressions. In parallel to the literature, we show that greedy scheduling with power adaptation reduces the ICI, average power consumption of users, and enhances the average fairness among users, compared to the case without power adaptation. © 2012 IEEE.

A Statistical Model for Uplink Intercell Interference with Power Adaptation and Greedy Scheduling

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Yilmaz, Ferkan; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

This paper deals with the statistical modeling of uplink inter-cell interference (ICI) considering greedy scheduling with power adaptation based on channel conditions. The derived model is implicitly generalized for any kind of shadowing and fading environments. More precisely, we develop a generic model for the distribution of ICI based on the locations of the allocated users and their transmit powers. The derived model is utilized to evaluate important network performance metrics such as ergodic capacity, average fairness and average power preservation numerically. Monte-Carlo simulation details are included to support the analysis and show the accuracy of the derived expressions. In parallel to the literature, we show that greedy scheduling with power adaptation reduces the ICI, average power consumption of users, and enhances the average fairness among users, compared to the case without power adaptation. © 2012 IEEE.

Massive-MIMO Sparse Uplink Channel Estimation Using Implicit Training and Compressed Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Babar Mansoor

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive-MIMO is foreseen as a potential technology for future 5G cellular communication networks due to its substantial benefits in terms of increased spectral and energy efficiency. These advantages of massive-MIMO are a consequence of equipping the base station (BS with quite a large number of antenna elements, thus resulting in an aggressive spatial multiplexing. In order to effectively reap the benefits of massive-MIMO, an adequate estimate of the channel impulse response (CIR between each transmit–receive link is of utmost importance. It has been established in the literature that certain specific multipath propagation environments lead to a sparse structured CIR in spatial and/or delay domains. In this paper, implicit training and compressed sensing based CIR estimation techniques are proposed for the case of massive-MIMO sparse uplink channels. In the proposed superimposed training (SiT based techniques, a periodic and low power training sequence is superimposed (arithmetically added over the information sequence, thus avoiding any dedicated time/frequency slots for the training sequence. For the estimation of such massive-MIMO sparse uplink channels, two greedy pursuits based compressed sensing approaches are proposed, viz: SiT based stage-wise orthogonal matching pursuit (SiT-StOMP and gradient pursuit (SiT-GP. In order to demonstrate the validity of proposed techniques, a performance comparison in terms of normalized mean square error (NCMSE and bit error rate (BER is performed with a notable SiT based least squares (SiT-LS channel estimation technique. The effect of channels’ sparsity, training-to-information power ratio (TIR and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR on BER and NCMSE performance of proposed schemes is thoroughly studied. For a simulation scenario of: 4 × 64 massive-MIMO with a channel sparsity level of 80 % and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR of 10 dB , a performance gain of 18 dB and 13 d

A Precoded OFDMA System with User Cooperation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, Yao; Yatawatta, Sarod; Petropulu, Athina P.

2010-01-01

A new cooperative scheme for a two-user orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) uplink communication scenario is proposed. Each user is equipped with one transmit/receive antenna. Before transmission, inter-block linear precoding is introduced to pairs of blocks. The cooperative

Brief Announcement: ZeroBlock: Timestamp-Free Prevention of Block-Withholding Attack in Bitcoin

OpenAIRE

Solat , Siamak; Potop-Butucaru , Maria

2017-01-01

International audience; Bitcoin was recently introduced as a peer-to-peer electronic currency in order to facilitate transactions outside the traditional financial system. The core of Bitcoin, the Blockchain, is the history of the transactions in the system maintained by all miners as a distributed shared register. New blocks in the Blockchain contain the last transactions in the system and are added by miners after a block mining process that consists in solving a resource consuming proof-of...

Error performance analysis in K-tier uplink cellular networks using a stochastic geometric approach

KAUST Repository

Afify, Laila H.

2015-09-14

In this work, we develop an analytical paradigm to analyze the average symbol error probability (ASEP) performance of uplink traffic in a multi-tier cellular network. The analysis is based on the recently developed Equivalent-in-Distribution approach that utilizes stochastic geometric tools to account for the network geometry in the performance characterization. Different from the other stochastic geometry models adopted in the literature, the developed analysis accounts for important communication system parameters and goes beyond signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio characterization. That is, the presented model accounts for the modulation scheme, constellation type, and signal recovery techniques to model the ASEP. To this end, we derive single integral expressions for the ASEP for different modulation schemes due to aggregate network interference. Finally, all theoretical findings of the paper are verified via Monte Carlo simulations.

Channel-aware multi-user uplink transmission scheme for SIMO-OFDM systems

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

PAN ChengKang; CAI YueMing; XU YouYun

2009-01-01

The problem of medium access control (MAC) in wireless single-Input multiple-output-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (SIMO-OFOM) systems is addressed.Traditional random access protocols have low overheads and inferior performance.Centralized methods have superior performance and high overheads.To achieve the tradeoff between overhead and performance,we propose a channelaware uplink transmission (CaUT) scheme for SIMO-OFDM systems.In CaUT,users transmit requestto-send (RTS) at some subcarriers whose channel gains are above a predetermined threshold.Using the channel state information provided by RTS,access point performs user selection with receive beamforming to decide which users can access and then broadcasts the selection results via clear-to-send (CTS) to users.We present a distributed power control scheme by using a simple fixed modulation mode.We optimize the modulation order and channel gain thresholds to maximize the separable packets subject to the bit-error-rate (BER) and temporal fairness requirements and the Individual average transmit power constraints.The performance of CaUT scheme is analyzed analytically and evaluated by simulations.Simulation results show that CaUT can achieve more significant throughput performance than traditional random access protocols.

Partial PIC-MRC Receiver Design for Single Carrier Block Transmission System over Multipath Fading Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juinn-Horng Deng

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Single carrier block transmission (SCBT system has become one of the most popular modulation systems due to its low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR, and it is gradually considered to be used for uplink wireless communication systems. In this paper, a low complexity partial parallel interference cancellation (PIC with maximum ratio combining (MRC technology is proposed to use for receiver to combat the intersymbol interference (ISI problem over multipath fading channel. With the aid of MRC scheme, the proposed partial PIC technique can effectively perform the interference cancellation and acquire the benefit of time diversity gain. Finally, the proposed system can be extended to use for multiple antenna systems to provide excellent performance. Simulation results reveal that the proposed low complexity partial PIC-MRC SIMO system can provide robust performance and outperform the conventional PIC and the iterative frequency domain decision feedback equalizer (FD-DFE systems over multipath fading channel environment.

A MAC Mode for Lightweight Block Ciphers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luykx, Atul; Preneel, Bart; Tischhauser, Elmar Wolfgang

2016-01-01

Lightweight cryptography strives to protect communication in constrained environments without sacrificing security. However, security often conflicts with efficiency, shown by the fact that many new lightweight block cipher designs have block sizes as low as 64 or 32 bits. Such low block sizes lead...... no effect on the security bound, allowing an order of magnitude more data to be processed per key. Furthermore, LightMAC is incredibly simple, has almost no overhead over the block cipher, and is parallelizable. As a result, LightMAC not only offers compact authentication for resource-constrained platforms...

Demonstration of 575-Mb/s downlink and 225-Mb/s uplink bi-directional SCM-WDM visible light communication using RGB LED and phosphor-based LED.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuanquan; Wang, Yiguang; Chi, Nan; Yu, Jianjun; Shang, Huiliang

2013-01-14

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel full-duplex bi-directional subcarrier multiplexing (SCM)-wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) visible light communication (VLC) system based on commercially available red-green-blue (RGB) light emitting diode (LED) and phosphor-based LED (P-LED) with 575-Mb/s downstream and 225-Mb/s upstream transmission, employing various modulation orders of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). For the downlink, red and green colors/wavelengths are assigned to carry useful information, while blue chip is just kept lighting to maintain the white color illumination, and for the uplink, the low-cost P-LED is implemented. In this demonstration, pre-equalization and post-equalization are also adopted to compensate the severe frequency response of LEDs. Using this scheme, 4-user downlink and 1-user uplink transmission can be achieved. Furthermore, it can support more users by adjusting the bandwidth of each sub-channel. Bit error rates (BERs) of all links are below pre-forward-error-correction (pre-FEC) threshold of 3.8x 10(-3) after 66-cm free-space delivery. The results show that this scheme has great potential in the practical VLC system.

Joint Throughput Maximization and Fair Uplink Transmission Scheduling in CDMA Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Symeon Papavassiliou

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We study the fundamental problem of optimal transmission scheduling in a code-division multiple-access wireless system in order to maximize the uplink system throughput, while satisfying the users quality-of-service (QoS requirements and maintaining fairness among them. The corresponding problem is expressed as a weighted throughput maximization problem, under certain power and QoS constraints, where the weights are the control parameters reflecting the fairness constraints. With the introduction of the power index capacity, it is shown that this optimization problem can be converted into a binary knapsack problem, where all the corresponding constraints are replaced by the power index capacities at some certain system power index. A two-step approach is followed to obtain the optimal solution. First, a simple method is proposed to find the optimal set of users to receive service for a given fixed target system load, and then the optimal solution is obtained as a global search within a certain range. Furthermore, a stochastic approximation method is presented to effectively identify the required control parameters. The performance evaluation reveals the advantages of our proposed policy over other existing ones and confirms that it achieves very high throughput while maintains fairness among the users, under different channel conditions and requirements.

Evolution of branch points for a laser beam propagating through an uplink turbulent atmosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Xiao-Lu; Liu, Xuan; Guo, Cheng-Shan

2014-03-24

Evolution of branch points in the distorted optical field is studied when a laser beam propagates through turbulent atmosphere along an uplink path. Two categories of propagation events are mainly explored for the same propagation height: fixed wavelength with change of the turbulence strength and fixed turbulence strength with change of the wavelength. It is shown that, when the beam propagates to a certain height, the density of the branch-points reaches its maximum and such a height changes with the turbulence strength but nearly remains constant with different wavelengths. The relationship between the density of branch-points and the Rytov number is also given. A fitted formula describing the relationship between the density of branch-points and propagation height with different turbulence strength and wavelength is found out. Interestingly, this formula is very similar to the formula used for describing the Blackbody radiation in physics. The results obtained may be helpful for atmospheric optics, astronomy and optical communication.

30 CFR 250.404 - What are the requirements for the crown block?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What are the requirements for the crown block... General Requirements § 250.404 What are the requirements for the crown block? You must have a crown block safety device that prevents the traveling block from striking the crown block. You must check the device...

Load control strategies in 2G mobile network for W-CDMA radio ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Network planning requires a faithful analysis of each individual cell's capacity. In this paper, we examine load control equations as a resource allocation tool to analyse cell capacity for the uplink and downlink of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) networks. In the uplink, the noise rise is a parameter of ...

A generic interference model for uplink OFDMA networks with fractional frequency reuse

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2014-03-01

Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) has emerged as a viable solution to coordinate and mitigate cochannel interference (CCI) in orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA)-based wireless cellular networks. The incurred CCI in cellular networks with FFR is highly uncertain and varies as a function of various design parameters that include the user scheduling schemes, the transmit power distribution among multiple allocated subcarriers, the partitioning of the cellular region into cell-edge and cell-center zones, the allocation of spectrum within each zone, and the channel reuse factors. To this end, this paper derives a generic analytical model for uplink CCI in multicarrier OFDMA networks with FFR. The derived expressions capture several network design parameters and are applicable to any composite fading-channel models. The accuracy of the derivations is verified via Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, their usefulness is demonstrated by obtaining closed-form expressions for the Rayleigh fading-channel model and by evaluating important network performance metrics such as ergodic capacity. Numerical results provide useful system design guidelines and highlight the trade-offs associated with the deployment of FFR schemes in OFDMA-based networks. © 2013 IEEE.

Load-aware modeling for uplink cellular networks in a multi-channel environment

KAUST Repository

AlAmmouri, Ahmad

2014-09-01

We exploit tools from stochastic geometry to develop a tractable analytical approach for modeling uplink cellular networks. The developed model is load aware and accounts for per-user power control as well as the limited transmit power constraint for the users\\' equipment (UEs). The proposed analytical paradigm is based on a simple per-user power control scheme in which each user inverts his path-loss such that the signal is received at his serving base station (BS) with a certain power threshold ρ Due to the limited transmit power of the UEs, users that cannot invert their path-loss to their serving BSs are allowed to transmit with their maximum transmit power. We show that the proposed power control scheme not only provides a balanced cell center and cell edge user performance, it also facilitates the analysis when compared to the state-of-the-art approaches in the literature. To this end, we discuss how to manipulate the design variable ρ in response to the network parameters to optimize one or more of the performance metrics such as the outage probability, the network capacity, and the energy efficiency.

A generic interference model for uplink OFDMA networks with fractional frequency reuse

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Yilmaz, Ferkan

2014-01-01

Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) has emerged as a viable solution to coordinate and mitigate cochannel interference (CCI) in orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA)-based wireless cellular networks. The incurred CCI in cellular networks with FFR is highly uncertain and varies as a function of various design parameters that include the user scheduling schemes, the transmit power distribution among multiple allocated subcarriers, the partitioning of the cellular region into cell-edge and cell-center zones, the allocation of spectrum within each zone, and the channel reuse factors. To this end, this paper derives a generic analytical model for uplink CCI in multicarrier OFDMA networks with FFR. The derived expressions capture several network design parameters and are applicable to any composite fading-channel models. The accuracy of the derivations is verified via Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, their usefulness is demonstrated by obtaining closed-form expressions for the Rayleigh fading-channel model and by evaluating important network performance metrics such as ergodic capacity. Numerical results provide useful system design guidelines and highlight the trade-offs associated with the deployment of FFR schemes in OFDMA-based networks. © 2013 IEEE.

Automatic Loss Adjustment for CDMA2000 and 1xEV-DO Standard for Downlink and Uplink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiri Kominek

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The functional and thermal testing of the mobile phone is always performed under various conditions that vary in terms of the connection between the DUT (Device Under Test and the measuring instrument. To achieve repeatable measurements under such conditions, it is necessary to adjust uplink and downlink loss using the instrument's external attenuation. While for GSM, WCDMA and LTE this is a relatively easy task, CDMA2000 and 1xEV-DO make automation of the adjustment process somewhat challenging due to the nature of the CDMA standard. An especially forward link is more complicated as those tests are run in signaling mode and not all instruments provide an FER value measured by an MS. This paper describes the algorithm for forward link loss adjustment and its implementation using Rohde & Schwarz CMW500.

Virtual Machine Language

Science.gov (United States)

Grasso, Christopher; Page, Dennis; O'Reilly, Taifun; Fteichert, Ralph; Lock, Patricia; Lin, Imin; Naviaux, Keith; Sisino, John

2005-01-01

Virtual Machine Language (VML) is a mission-independent, reusable software system for programming for spacecraft operations. Features of VML include a rich set of data types, named functions, parameters, IF and WHILE control structures, polymorphism, and on-the-fly creation of spacecraft commands from calculated values. Spacecraft functions can be abstracted into named blocks that reside in files aboard the spacecraft. These named blocks accept parameters and execute in a repeatable fashion. The sizes of uplink products are minimized by the ability to call blocks that implement most of the command steps. This block approach also enables some autonomous operations aboard the spacecraft, such as aerobraking, telemetry conditional monitoring, and anomaly response, without developing autonomous flight software. Operators on the ground write blocks and command sequences in a concise, high-level, human-readable programming language (also called VML ). A compiler translates the human-readable blocks and command sequences into binary files (the operations products). The flight portion of VML interprets the uplinked binary files. The ground subsystem of VML also includes an interactive sequence- execution tool hosted on workstations, which runs sequences at several thousand times real-time speed, affords debugging, and generates reports. This tool enables iterative development of blocks and sequences within times of the order of seconds.

Resource Allocation and Interference Management for D2D-Enabled DL/UL Decoupled Het-Nets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir

2017-10-06

In this paper, resource allocation and interference mitigation are investigated for heterogeneous networks (HetNets) where the lowest tier consists of device-to-device (D2D) cells. In order to alleviate dead-zone problem, we first consider downlink/ uplink (DL/UL) decoupling (DUDe) user association and quantify its capability on interference management and networkwide D2D performance enhancement. Secondly, we propose an UL fractional frequency reuse (FFR) scheme where subband (SB) bandwidths are adaptively determined based on: i) user equipment (UE) density, ii) e-node-B (eNB) density, and iii) ON/OFF switching frequency of smallcells. Obtained results show that the adaptive method significantly reduces the number of outage users. Thereafter, a novel concatenated bi-partite matching (CBM) method is proposed for joint SB assignment (SA) and resource block allocation (RA) of cellular UEs (CUEs). Numerical results show that the CBM provides a close performance to exhaustive solution with greatly reduced running time. The CBM is then extended to a centralized mode selection, SA, and RA for D2D cells. Alternatively, we develop offline and online semidistributed approaches where a D2D-cell can reuse white-list RBs (WRBs), which are not occupied by the adjacent smallcells. In the former, D2D-cell members are not aware of intra-cell and inter-cell interference and uniformly distribute their maximum permissible power to WRBs. In the latter, we put D2D sumrate maximization into a convex form by exploiting the proximity gain of D2D UEs (DUEs). Online distributed solution is then developed by message passing of dual variables and consistency prices. Finally, virtues and drawbacks of the developed approaches are compared and explained.

Resource Allocation and Interference Management for D2D-Enabled DL/UL Decoupled Het-Nets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir; Radaydeh, Redha Mahmoud Mesleh; Al-Qahtani, Fawaz S.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

In this paper, resource allocation and interference mitigation are investigated for heterogeneous networks (HetNets) where the lowest tier consists of device-to-device (D2D) cells. In order to alleviate dead-zone problem, we first consider downlink/ uplink (DL/UL) decoupling (DUDe) user association and quantify its capability on interference management and networkwide D2D performance enhancement. Secondly, we propose an UL fractional frequency reuse (FFR) scheme where subband (SB) bandwidths are adaptively determined based on: i) user equipment (UE) density, ii) e-node-B (eNB) density, and iii) ON/OFF switching frequency of smallcells. Obtained results show that the adaptive method significantly reduces the number of outage users. Thereafter, a novel concatenated bi-partite matching (CBM) method is proposed for joint SB assignment (SA) and resource block allocation (RA) of cellular UEs (CUEs). Numerical results show that the CBM provides a close performance to exhaustive solution with greatly reduced running time. The CBM is then extended to a centralized mode selection, SA, and RA for D2D cells. Alternatively, we develop offline and online semidistributed approaches where a D2D-cell can reuse white-list RBs (WRBs), which are not occupied by the adjacent smallcells. In the former, D2D-cell members are not aware of intra-cell and inter-cell interference and uniformly distribute their maximum permissible power to WRBs. In the latter, we put D2D sumrate maximization into a convex form by exploiting the proximity gain of D2D UEs (DUEs). Online distributed solution is then developed by message passing of dual variables and consistency prices. Finally, virtues and drawbacks of the developed approaches are compared and explained.

Adaptation of AMO-FBMC-OQAM in optical access network for accommodating asynchronous multiple access in OFDM-based uplink transmission

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Sun-Young; Jung, Sang-Min; Han, Sang-Kook

2015-01-01

Exponentially expanding various applications in company with proliferation of mobile devices make mobile traffic exploded annually. For future access network, bandwidth efficient and asynchronous signals converged transmission technique is required in optical network to meet a huge bandwidth demand, while integrating various services and satisfying multiple access in perceived network resource. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is highly bandwidth efficient parallel transmission technique based on orthogonal subcarriers. OFDM has been widely studied in wired-/wireless communication and became a Long term evolution (LTE) standard. Consequently, OFDM also has been actively researched in optical network. However, OFDM is vulnerable frequency and phase offset essentially because of its sinc-shaped side lobes, therefore tight synchronism is necessary to maintain orthogonality. Moreover, redundant cyclic prefix (CP) is required in dispersive channel. Additionally, side lobes act as interference among users in multiple access. Thus, it practically hinders from supporting integration of various services and multiple access based on OFDM optical transmission In this paper, adaptively modulated optical filter bank multicarrier system with offset QAM (AMO-FBMC-OQAM) is introduced and experimentally investigated in uplink optical transmission to relax multiple access interference (MAI), while improving bandwidth efficiency. Side lobes are effectively suppressed by using FBMC, therefore the system becomes robust to path difference and imbalance among optical network units (ONUs), which increase bandwidth efficiency by reducing redundancy. In comparison with OFDM, a signal performance and an efficiency of frequency utilization are improved in the same experimental condition. It enables optical network to effectively support heterogeneous services and multiple access.

A Novel Optimal Joint Resource Allocation Method in Cooperative Multicarrier Networks: Theory and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Gao

2016-04-01

Full Text Available With the increasing demands for better transmission speed and robust quality of service (QoS, the capacity constrained backhaul gradually becomes a bottleneck in cooperative wireless networks, e.g., in the Internet of Things (IoT scenario in joint processing mode of LTE-Advanced Pro. This paper focuses on resource allocation within capacity constrained backhaul in uplink cooperative wireless networks, where two base stations (BSs equipped with single antennae serve multiple single-antennae users via multi-carrier transmission mode. In this work, we propose a novel cooperative transmission scheme based on compress-and-forward with user pairing to solve the joint mixed integer programming problem. To maximize the system capacity under the limited backhaul, we formulate the joint optimization problem of user sorting, subcarrier mapping and backhaul resource sharing among different pairs (subcarriers for users. A novel robust and efficient centralized algorithm based on alternating optimization strategy and perfect mapping is proposed. Simulations show that our novel method can improve the system capacity significantly under the constraint of the backhaul resource compared with the blind alternatives.

On the Geometric Modeling of the Uplink Channel in a Cellular System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. B. Baltzis

2008-01-01

Full Text Available To meet the challenges of present and future wireless communications realistic propagation models that consider both spatial and temporal channel characteristics are used. However, the complexity of the complete characterization of the wireless medium has pointed out the importance of approximate but simple approaches. The geometrically based methods are typical examples of low–complexity but adequate solutions. Geometric modeling idealizes the aforementioned wireless propagation environment via a geometric abstraction of the spatial relationships among the transmitter, the receiver, and the scatterers. The paper tries to present an efficient way to simulate mobile channels using geometrical–based stochastic scattering models. In parallel with an overview of the most commonly used propagation models, the basic principles of the method as well the main assumptions made are presented. The study is focused on three well–known proposals used for the description of the Angle–of –Arrival and Time–of–Arrival statistics of the incoming multipaths in the uplink of a cellular communication system. In order to demonstrate the characteristics of these models illustrative examples are given. The physical mechanism and motivations behind them are also included providing us with a better understanding of the physical insight of the propagation medium.

Uplink transmit beamforming design for SINR maximization with full multiuser channel state information

Science.gov (United States)

Xi, Songnan; Zoltowski, Michael D.

2008-04-01

Multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems are considered in this paper. We continue our research on uplink transmit beamforming design for multiple users under the assumption that the full multiuser channel state information, which is the collection of the channel state information between each of the users and the base station, is known not only to the receiver but also to all the transmitters. We propose an algorithm for designing optimal beamforming weights in terms of maximizing the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Through statistical modeling, we decouple the original mathematically intractable optimization problem and achieved a closed-form solution. As in our previous work, the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver with successive interference cancellation (SIC) is adopted for multiuser detection. The proposed scheme is compared with an existing jointly optimized transceiver design, referred to as the joint transceiver in this paper, and our previously proposed eigen-beamforming algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that our algorithm, with much less computational burden, accomplishes almost the same performance as the joint transceiver for spatially independent MIMO channel and even better performance for spatially correlated MIMO channels. And it always works better than our previously proposed eigen beamforming algorithm.

A Robust Parametric Technique for Multipath Channel Estimation in the Uplink of a DS-CDMA System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The problem of estimating the multipath channel parameters of a new user entering the uplink of an asynchronous direct sequence-code division multiple access (DS-CDMA system is addressed. The problem is described via a least squares (LS cost function with a rich structure. This cost function, which is nonlinear with respect to the time delays and linear with respect to the gains of the multipath channel, is proved to be approximately decoupled in terms of the path delays. Due to this structure, an iterative procedure of 1D searches is adequate for time delays estimation. The resulting method is computationally efficient, does not require any specific pilot signal, and performs well for a small number of training symbols. Simulation results show that the proposed technique offers a better estimation accuracy compared to existing related methods, and is robust to multiple access interference.

Automation of block assignment planning using a diagram-based scenario modeling method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

In Hyuck Hwang

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Most shipbuilding scheduling research so far has focused on the load level on the dock plan. This is because the dock is the least extendable resource in shipyards, and its overloading is difficult to resolve. However, once dock scheduling is completed, making a plan that makes the best use of the rest of the resources in the shipyard to minimize any additional cost is also important. Block assignment planning is one of the midterm planning tasks; it assigns a block to the facility (factory/shop or surface plate that will actually manufacture the block according to the block characteristics and current situation of the facility. It is one of the most heavily loaded midterm planning tasks and is carried out manually by experienced workers. In this study, a method of representing the block assignment rules using a diagram was suggested through analysis of the existing manual process. A block allocation program was developed which automated the block assignment process according to the rules represented by the diagram. The planning scenario was validated through a case study that compared the manual assignment and two automated block assignment results.

Automation of block assignment planning using a diagram-based scenario modeling method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hwang In Hyuck

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Most shipbuilding scheduling research so far has focused on the load level on the dock plan. This is be¬cause the dock is the least extendable resource in shipyards, and its overloading is difficult to resolve. However, once dock scheduling is completed, making a plan that makes the best use of the rest of the resources in the shipyard to minimize any additional cost is also important. Block assignment planning is one of the midterm planning tasks; it assigns a block to the facility (factory/shop or surface plate that will actually manufacture the block according to the block characteristics and current situation of the facility. It is one of the most heavily loaded midterm planning tasks and is carried out manu¬ally by experienced workers. In this study, a method of representing the block assignment rules using a diagram was su¬ggested through analysis of the existing manual process. A block allocation program was developed which automated the block assignment process according to the rules represented by the diagram. The planning scenario was validated through a case study that compared the manual assignment and two automated block assignment results.

Blocking Reduction of Span Restoration Requests in GMPLS Controlled WDM Optical Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buron, Jakob Due; Ruepp, Sarah Renée; Andriolli, N.

2006-01-01

The proposed label preference scheme reduces blocking of span restoration requests in GMPLS optical networks with limited wavelength conversion. By minimizing resource contention and conversion usage, it increases recovery percentage and reduces control plane load.......The proposed label preference scheme reduces blocking of span restoration requests in GMPLS optical networks with limited wavelength conversion. By minimizing resource contention and conversion usage, it increases recovery percentage and reduces control plane load....

A Blind Antenna Selection Scheme for Single-Cell Uplink Massive MIMO

KAUST Repository

Elkhalil, Khalil

2017-02-09

This paper considers the uplink of a single-cell large-scale multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) system in which m mono-antenna users communicate with a base station (BS) outfitted by n antennas. We assume that the number of antennas at the BS and that of users take large values, as envisioned by large-scale MIMO systems. This allows for high spectral efficiency gains but obviously comes at the cost of higher complexity, a fact that becomes all the more critical as the number of antennas grows large. To solve this issue is to choose a subset of the available n antennas. The subset must be carefully chosen to achieve the best performance. However, finding the optimal subset of antennas is usually a difficult task, requiring one to solve a high dimensional combinatorial optimization problem. In this paper, we approach this problem in two ways. The first one consists in solving a convex relaxation of the problem using standard convex optimization tools. The second technique solves the problem using a greedy approach. The main advantages of the greedy approach lies in its wider scope, in that, unlike the first approach, it can be applied irrespective of the considered performance criterion. As an outcome of this feature, we show that the greedy approach can be applied even when only the channel statistics are available at the BS, which provides blind way to perform antenna selection.

An efficient, block-by-block algorithm for inverting a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reuter, Matthew G; Hill, Judith C

2012-01-01

We present an algorithm for computing any block of the inverse of a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix (defined as a block tridiagonal matrix with a small number of deviations from the purely block Toeplitz structure). By exploiting both the block tridiagonal and the nearly block Toeplitz structures, this method scales independently of the total number of blocks in the matrix and linearly with the number of deviations. Numerical studies demonstrate this scaling and the advantages of our method over alternatives.

Mature data transport and command management services for the Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Carper, R. D.

1986-01-01

The duplex space/ground/space data services for the Space Station are described. The need to separate the uplink data service functions from the command functions is discussed. Command management is a process shared by an operation control center and a command management system and consists of four functions: (1) uplink data communications, (2) management of the on-board computer, (3) flight resource allocation and management, and (4) real command management. The new data service capabilities provided by microprocessors, ground and flight nodes, and closed loop and open loop capabilities are studied. The need for and functions of a flight resource allocation management service are examined. The system is designed so only users can access the system; the problems encountered with open loop uplink access are analyzed. The procedures for delivery of operational, verification, computer, and surveillance and monitoring data directly to users are reviewed.

Uplink scheduling and adjacent-channel coupling loss analysis for TD-LTE deployment.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeo, Woon-Young; Moon, Sung Ho; Kim, Jae-Hoon

2014-01-01

TD-LTE, one of the two duplexing modes in LTE, operates in unpaired spectrum and has the advantages of TDD-based technologies. It is expected that TD-LTE will be more rapidly deployed in near future and most of WiMax operators will upgrade their networks to TD-LTE gradually. Before completely upgrading to TD-LTE, WiMax may coexist with TD-LTE in an adjacent frequency band. In addition, multiple TD-LTE operators may deploy their networks in adjacent bands. When more than one TDD network operates in adjacent frequency bands, severe interference may happen due to adjacent channel interference (ACI) and unsynchronized operations. In this paper, coexistence issues between TD-LTE and other systems are analyzed and coexistence requirements are provided. This paper has three research objectives. First, frame synchronization between TD-LTE and WiMax is discussed by investigating possible combinations of TD-LTE and WiMax configurations. Second, an uplink scheduling algorithm is proposed to utilize a leakage pattern of ACI in synchronized operations. Third, minimum requirements for coexistence in unsynchronized operations are analyzed by introducing a concept of adjacent-channel coupling loss. From the analysis and simulation results, we can see that coexistence of TD-LTE with other TDD systems is feasible if the two networks are synchronized. For the unsynchronized case, some special cell-site engineering techniques may be required to reduce the ACI.

BCYCLIC: A parallel block tridiagonal matrix cyclic solver

Science.gov (United States)

Hirshman, S. P.; Perumalla, K. S.; Lynch, V. E.; Sanchez, R.

2010-09-01

A block tridiagonal matrix is factored with minimal fill-in using a cyclic reduction algorithm that is easily parallelized. Storage of the factored blocks allows the application of the inverse to multiple right-hand sides which may not be known at factorization time. Scalability with the number of block rows is achieved with cyclic reduction, while scalability with the block size is achieved using multithreaded routines (OpenMP, GotoBLAS) for block matrix manipulation. This dual scalability is a noteworthy feature of this new solver, as well as its ability to efficiently handle arbitrary (non-powers-of-2) block row and processor numbers. Comparison with a state-of-the art parallel sparse solver is presented. It is expected that this new solver will allow many physical applications to optimally use the parallel resources on current supercomputers. Example usage of the solver in magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD), three-dimensional equilibrium solvers for high-temperature fusion plasmas is cited.

On mode selection and power control for uplink D2D communication in cellular networks

KAUST Repository

Ali, Konpal S.

2015-06-08

Device-to-device (D2D) communication enables users lying in close proximity to bypass the cellular base station (BS) and transmit to one another directly. This offloads traffic from the cellular network, improves spatial frequency reuse and energy efficiency in the network. We present a comprehensive and tractable analytical framework for D2D-enabled uplink cellular networks with two different flexible mode-selection schemes. The power-control cutoff thresholds of the two communication modes have been decoupled unlike past work on the subject. We find that for a given network, an optimal value exists not only for the biased mode selection criterion, but also for r, the ratio of the power-control cutoff thresholds of the two communication modes, which maximizes spatial spectral efficiency. Also, r turns out to be a more robust parameter for optimizing network performance. Further, it is shown that the second scheme, which prioritizes spatial frequency reuse over the per-user achievable performance compared to the first scheme, achieves almost the same overall network performance; thereby trading per user performance to serve a larger number of users.

On mode selection and power control for uplink D2D communication in cellular networks

KAUST Repository

Ali, Konpal S.; Elsawy, Hesham; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2015-01-01

Device-to-device (D2D) communication enables users lying in close proximity to bypass the cellular base station (BS) and transmit to one another directly. This offloads traffic from the cellular network, improves spatial frequency reuse and energy efficiency in the network. We present a comprehensive and tractable analytical framework for D2D-enabled uplink cellular networks with two different flexible mode-selection schemes. The power-control cutoff thresholds of the two communication modes have been decoupled unlike past work on the subject. We find that for a given network, an optimal value exists not only for the biased mode selection criterion, but also for r, the ratio of the power-control cutoff thresholds of the two communication modes, which maximizes spatial spectral efficiency. Also, r turns out to be a more robust parameter for optimizing network performance. Further, it is shown that the second scheme, which prioritizes spatial frequency reuse over the per-user achievable performance compared to the first scheme, achieves almost the same overall network performance; thereby trading per user performance to serve a larger number of users.

Power-Controlled CDMA Cell Sectorization with Multiuser Detection: A Comprehensive Analysis on Uplink and Downlink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aylin Yener

2007-12-01

Full Text Available We consider the joint optimization problem of cell sectorization, transmit power control and multiuser detection for a CDMA cell. Given the number of sectors and user locations, the cell is appropriately sectorized such that the total transmit power, as well as the receiver filters, is optimized. We formulate the corresponding joint optimization problems for both the uplink and the downlink and observe that in general, the resulting optimum transmit and receive beamwidth values for the directional antennas at the base station are different. We present the optimum solution under a general setting with arbitrary signature sets, multipath channels, realistic directional antenna responses and identify its complexity. We propose a low-complexity sectorization algorithm that performs near optimum and compare its performance with that of optimum solution. The results suggest that by intelligently combining adaptive cell sectorization, power control, and linear multiuser detection, we are able to increase the user capacity of the cell. Numerical results also indicate robustness of optimum sectorization against Gaussian channel estimation error.

Power-Controlled CDMA Cell Sectorization with Multiuser Detection: A Comprehensive Analysis on Uplink and Downlink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oh Changyoon

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We consider the joint optimization problem of cell sectorization, transmit power control and multiuser detection for a CDMA cell. Given the number of sectors and user locations, the cell is appropriately sectorized such that the total transmit power, as well as the receiver filters, is optimized. We formulate the corresponding joint optimization problems for both the uplink and the downlink and observe that in general, the resulting optimum transmit and receive beamwidth values for the directional antennas at the base station are different. We present the optimum solution under a general setting with arbitrary signature sets, multipath channels, realistic directional antenna responses and identify its complexity. We propose a low-complexity sectorization algorithm that performs near optimum and compare its performance with that of optimum solution. The results suggest that by intelligently combining adaptive cell sectorization, power control, and linear multiuser detection, we are able to increase the user capacity of the cell. Numerical results also indicate robustness of optimum sectorization against Gaussian channel estimation error.

Admission Control of Integrated Voice and Data CDMA／TDD System Considering Asymmetric Traffic and Power Limit

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CAOYanbo; ZHOUBin; LIChengshu

2004-01-01

In this paper, we research an admission control scheme of integrated voice and data CDMA/TDD (Code division multiple access/Time division duplex) system considering asymmetric traffic and power limit. A new user can access the system only if the outage probabilities it experiences on the uplink and downlink time slots are below a threshold value. Based on the power limit the results show the voice and data blocking probabilities under different cell coverage~ arrival rates and various uplink/downlink time slot allocation patterns. Furthermore, multicode and multislot schemes are also evaluated under the presented admission control scheme.

Blocking Optimality in Distributed Real-Time Locking Protocols

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Björn Bernhard Brandenburg

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Lower and upper bounds on the maximum priority inversion blocking (pi-blocking that is generally unavoidable in distributed multiprocessor real-time locking protocols (where resources may be accessed only from specific synchronization processors are established. Prior work on suspension-based shared-memory multiprocessor locking protocols (which require resources to be accessible from all processors has established asymptotically tight bounds of Ω(m and Ω(n maximum pi-blocking under suspension-oblivious and suspension-aware analysis, respectively, where m denotes the total number of processors and n denotes the number of tasks. In this paper, it is shown that, in the case of distributed semaphore protocols, there exist two different task allocation scenarios that give rise to distinct lower bounds. In the case of co-hosted task allocation, where application tasks may also be assigned to synchronization processors (i.e., processors hosting critical sections, Ω(Φ · n maximum pi-blocking is unavoidable for some tasks under any locking protocol under both suspension-aware and suspension-oblivious schedulability analysis, where Φ denotes the ratio of the maximum response time to the shortest period. In contrast, in the case of disjoint task allocation (i.e., if application tasks may not be assigned to synchronization processors, only Ω(m and Ω(n maximum pi-blocking is fundamentally unavoidable under suspension-oblivious and suspension-aware analysis, respectively, as in the shared-memory case. These bounds are shown to be asymptotically tight with the construction of two new distributed real-time locking protocols that ensure O(m and O(n maximum pi-blocking under suspension-oblivious and suspension-aware analysis, respectively.

Research on an uplink carrier sense multiple access algorithm of large indoor visible light communication networks based on an optical hard core point process.

Science.gov (United States)

Nan, Zhufen; Chi, Xuefen

2016-12-20

The IEEE 802.15.7 protocol suggests that it could coordinate the channel access process based on the competitive method of carrier sensing. However, the directionality of light and randomness of diffuse reflection would give rise to a serious imperfect carrier sense (ICS) problem [e.g., hidden node (HN) problem and exposed node (EN) problem], which brings great challenges in realizing the optical carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) mechanism. In this paper, the carrier sense process implemented by diffuse reflection light is modeled as the choice of independent sets. We establish an ICS model with the presence of ENs and HNs for the multi-point to multi-point visible light communication (VLC) uplink communications system. Considering the severe optical ICS problem, an optical hard core point process (OHCPP) is developed, which characterizes the optical CSMA for the indoor VLC uplink communications system. Due to the limited coverage of the transmitted optical signal, in our OHCPP, the ENs within the transmitters' carrier sense region could be retained provided that they could not corrupt the ongoing communications. Moreover, because of the directionality of both light emitting diode (LED) transmitters and receivers, theoretical analysis of the HN problem becomes difficult. In this paper, we derive the closed-form expression for approximating the outage probability and transmission capacity of VLC networks with the presence of HNs and ENs. Simulation results validate the analysis and also show the existence of an optimal physical carrier-sensing threshold that maximizes the transmission capacity for a given emission angle of LED.

Prediction and comparison of down-link electric field and uplink localised SAR values for realistic indoor wireless planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plets, David; Joseph, Wout; Aerts, Sam; Vanhecke, Kris; Vermeeren, Guenter; Martens, Luc

2014-01-01

In this paper, for the first time a heuristic network calculator for both whole-body exposure due to indoor base station antennas or access points (down-link exposure) and localised exposure due to the mobile device (uplink exposure) in indoor wireless networks is presented. As an application, three phone call scenarios are investigated (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) macro-cell, UMTS femto-cell and WiFi voice-over-IP) and compared with respect to the electric-field strength and localised specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution. Prediction models are created and successfully validated with an accuracy of 3 dB. The benefits of the UMTS power control mechanisms are demonstrated. However, dependent on the macro-cell connection quality and on the user's average phone call connection time, also the macro-cell solution might be preferential from an exposure point of view for the considered scenario. (authors)

Transmitter Spatial Diversity for FSO Uplink in Presence of Atmospheric Turbulence and Weather Conditions for Different IM Schemes

Science.gov (United States)

Viswanath, Anjitha; Kumar Jain, Virander; Kar, Subrat

2017-12-01

We investigate the error performance of an earth-to-satellite free space optical uplink using transmitter spatial diversity in presence of turbulence and weather conditions, using gamma-gamma distribution and Beer-Lambert law, respectively, for on-off keying (OOK), M-ary pulse position modulation (M-PPM) and M-ary differential PPM (M-DPPM) schemes. Weather conditions such as moderate, light and thin fog cause additional degradation, while dense or thick fog and clouds may lead to link failure. The bit error rate reduces with increase in the number of transmitters for all the schemes. However, beyond a certain number of transmitters, the reduction becomes marginal. Diversity gain remains almost constant for various weather conditions but increases with increase in ground-level turbulence or zenith angle. Further, the number of transmitters required to improve the performance to a desired level is less for M-PPM scheme than M-DPPM and OOK schemes.

Resource Allocation and Cluster Formation for Imperfect NOMA in DL/UL Decoupled HetNets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir; Radaydeh, Redha; Al-Qahtani, Fawaz; Abd El-Malek, Ahmed H.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

Being capable of serving multiple users with the same radio resource, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) can provide desirable performance enhancements in a fair and spectral efficient manner. In this paper, we investigate the resource allocation (RA) and cluster formation (CF) aspects of NOMA for downlink (DL) uplink (UL) decoupled (DUDe) heterogeneous networks (HetNets). A non-ideal NOMA scheme is considered with power disparity and sensitivity constraints (PDSCs), delay tolerance, and residual interference after cancellation. Taking the PDSCs into account, we analytically show that using the DL decoding order limits UL-NOMA performance by that of OMA, while employing an inverse order result in a performance gain that is mainly determined by the channel gain disparity of users. Thereafter, a generic CF method is proposed for any type of user graph, which iteratively forms clusters using Blossom algorithm. Finally, highly non-convex RA problem is converted into a convex form by employing geometric programming (GP) where power and bandwidth are optimized to maximize network sumrate and max-min fairness objectives.

Resource Allocation and Cluster Formation for Imperfect NOMA in DL/UL Decoupled HetNets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir

2017-04-15

Being capable of serving multiple users with the same radio resource, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) can provide desirable performance enhancements in a fair and spectral efficient manner. In this paper, we investigate the resource allocation (RA) and cluster formation (CF) aspects of NOMA for downlink (DL) uplink (UL) decoupled (DUDe) heterogeneous networks (HetNets). A non-ideal NOMA scheme is considered with power disparity and sensitivity constraints (PDSCs), delay tolerance, and residual interference after cancellation. Taking the PDSCs into account, we analytically show that using the DL decoding order limits UL-NOMA performance by that of OMA, while employing an inverse order result in a performance gain that is mainly determined by the channel gain disparity of users. Thereafter, a generic CF method is proposed for any type of user graph, which iteratively forms clusters using Blossom algorithm. Finally, highly non-convex RA problem is converted into a convex form by employing geometric programming (GP) where power and bandwidth are optimized to maximize network sumrate and max-min fairness objectives.

Optimal Multiuser Diversity in Multi-Cell MIMO Uplink Networks: User Scaling Law and Beamforming Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bang Chul Jung

2017-07-01

Full Text Available We introduce a distributed protocol to achieve multiuser diversity in a multicell multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO uplink network, referred to as a MIMO interfering multiple-access channel (IMAC. Assuming both no information exchange among base stations (BS and local channel state information at the transmitters for the MIMO IMAC, we propose a joint beamforming and user scheduling protocol, and then show that the proposed protocol can achieve the optimal multiuser diversity gain, i.e., KMlog(SNRlog N, as long as the number of mobile stations (MSs in a cell, N, scales faster than SNR K M − L 1 − ϵ for a small constant ϵ > 0, where M, L, K, and SNR denote the number of receive antennas at each BS, the number of transmit antennas at each MS, the number of cells, and the signal-to-noise ratio, respectively. Our result indicates that multiuser diversity can be achieved in the presence of intra-cell and inter-cell interference even in a distributed fashion. As a result, vital information on how to design distributed algorithms in interference-limited cellular environments is provided.

A Downlink and Uplink Alignment Scheme for Power Saving in IEEE 802.16 Protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenhui Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study shows the problem of power saving mechanism (PSM that sleep intervals of uplink (UL connections do not synchronize with sleep intervals of downlink (DL connections. That is, the energy of a mobile station (MS is not really saved if the DL connections are in the sleep mode while the UL connections are in normal mode, and vice versa. To avoid the asynchronism of power saving (PS between UL and DL connections, we invent a mechanism of DL connections regulating UL connections, called DL and UL Alignment (DUAL scheme, to improve the energy efficiency for PS. Considering that the buffer size of MS is limited, DUAL uses the mean packet arrival rate of UL λu and a relatively safe threshold of buffer size QT as the parameters to estimate the maximum allowable waiting time to align the UL with the DL connections. To analyze the performance of DUAL, a system model of PS is proposed to evaluate the performance of DUAL under different conditions. The correctness of performance analysis of DUAL is validated by using simulation with realistic parameters. Numerical experiments show that DUAL improves the energy conservation significantly when UL traffic is greater than DL traffic.

Multi-Objective Resource Allocation Scheme for D2D Multicast with QoS Guarantees in Cellular Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fangmin Li

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Device-to-device (D2D multicast communication can greatly improve the spectrum utilization in a content delivery scenario. However, the co-channel interference and power consumption brought by D2D bring new challenges. All the D2D multicast groups expect to achieve a higher system capacity with less extra energy cost. In this paper, we investigate the uplink resource allocation issue when D2D multicast groups share the resources with other cellular uses (CUs, while guaranteeing a certain level of quality of service (QoS to CUs and D2D users. Firstly we address a flexible tradeoff framework in which the system power consumption and the system capacity (i.e., the number of admitted D2D links are assigned with different weight factors so that these two objectives are jointly considered. Then we propose an efficient resource optimization scheme, which comprises sub-channel allocation and signal-to-interference- plus-noise ratio (SINR assignment. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, and demonstrate the advantages in dealing with the proposed multi-objective optimization problem.

Analysis of Block OMP using Block RIP

OpenAIRE

Wang, Jun; Li, Gang; Zhang, Hao; Wang, Xiqin

2011-01-01

Orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) is a canonical greedy algorithm for sparse signal reconstruction. When the signal of interest is block sparse, i.e., it has nonzero coefficients occurring in clusters, the block version of OMP algorithm (i.e., Block OMP) outperforms the conventional OMP. In this paper, we demonstrate that a new notion of block restricted isometry property (Block RIP), which is less stringent than standard restricted isometry property (RIP), can be used for a very straightforw...

31 CFR 595.301 - Blocked account; blocked property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (Continued) OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 595.301 Blocked account; blocked property. The terms blocked account and blocked...

(Sub-)Optimality of Treating Interference as Noise in the Cellular Uplink With Weak Interference

KAUST Repository

Gherekhloo, Soheil; Chaaban, Anas; Di, Chen; Sezgin, Aydin

2015-01-01

Despite the simplicity of the scheme of treating interference as noise (TIN), it was shown to be sum-capacity optimal in the Gaussian interference channel (IC) with very-weak (noisy) interference. In this paper, the two-user IC is altered by introducing an additional transmitter that wants to communicate with one of the receivers of the IC. The resulting network thus consists of a point-to-point channel interfering with a multiple access channel (MAC) and is denoted by PIMAC. The sum-capacity of the PIMAC is studied with main focus on the optimality of TIN. It turns out that TIN in its naive variant, where all transmitters are active and both receivers use TIN for decoding, is not the best choice for the PIMAC. In fact, a scheme that combines both time division multiple access and TIN (TDMA-TIN) strictly outperforms the naive-TIN scheme. Furthermore, it is shown that in some regimes, TDMA-TIN achieves the sum-capacity for the deterministic PIMAC and the sum-capacity within a constant gap for the Gaussian PIMAC. In addition, it is shown that, even for very-weak interference, there are some regimes where a combination of interference alignment with power control and TIN at the receiver side outperforms TDMA-TIN. As a consequence, on the one hand, TIN in a cellular uplink is approximately optimal in certain regimes. On the other hand, those regimes cannot be simply described by the strength of interference.

(Sub-)Optimality of Treating Interference as Noise in the Cellular Uplink With Weak Interference

KAUST Repository

Gherekhloo, Soheil

2015-11-09

Despite the simplicity of the scheme of treating interference as noise (TIN), it was shown to be sum-capacity optimal in the Gaussian interference channel (IC) with very-weak (noisy) interference. In this paper, the two-user IC is altered by introducing an additional transmitter that wants to communicate with one of the receivers of the IC. The resulting network thus consists of a point-to-point channel interfering with a multiple access channel (MAC) and is denoted by PIMAC. The sum-capacity of the PIMAC is studied with main focus on the optimality of TIN. It turns out that TIN in its naive variant, where all transmitters are active and both receivers use TIN for decoding, is not the best choice for the PIMAC. In fact, a scheme that combines both time division multiple access and TIN (TDMA-TIN) strictly outperforms the naive-TIN scheme. Furthermore, it is shown that in some regimes, TDMA-TIN achieves the sum-capacity for the deterministic PIMAC and the sum-capacity within a constant gap for the Gaussian PIMAC. In addition, it is shown that, even for very-weak interference, there are some regimes where a combination of interference alignment with power control and TIN at the receiver side outperforms TDMA-TIN. As a consequence, on the one hand, TIN in a cellular uplink is approximately optimal in certain regimes. On the other hand, those regimes cannot be simply described by the strength of interference.

Testing block subdivision algorithms on block designs

Science.gov (United States)

Wiseman, Natalie; Patterson, Zachary

2016-01-01

Integrated land use-transportation models predict future transportation demand taking into account how households and firms arrange themselves partly as a function of the transportation system. Recent integrated models require parcels as inputs and produce household and employment predictions at the parcel scale. Block subdivision algorithms automatically generate parcel patterns within blocks. Evaluating block subdivision algorithms is done by way of generating parcels and comparing them to those in a parcel database. Three block subdivision algorithms are evaluated on how closely they reproduce parcels of different block types found in a parcel database from Montreal, Canada. While the authors who developed each of the algorithms have evaluated them, they have used their own metrics and block types to evaluate their own algorithms. This makes it difficult to compare their strengths and weaknesses. The contribution of this paper is in resolving this difficulty with the aim of finding a better algorithm suited to subdividing each block type. The proposed hypothesis is that given the different approaches that block subdivision algorithms take, it's likely that different algorithms are better adapted to subdividing different block types. To test this, a standardized block type classification is used that consists of mutually exclusive and comprehensive categories. A statistical method is used for finding a better algorithm and the probability it will perform well for a given block type. Results suggest the oriented bounding box algorithm performs better for warped non-uniform sites, as well as gridiron and fragmented uniform sites. It also produces more similar parcel areas and widths. The Generalized Parcel Divider 1 algorithm performs better for gridiron non-uniform sites. The Straight Skeleton algorithm performs better for loop and lollipop networks as well as fragmented non-uniform and warped uniform sites. It also produces more similar parcel shapes and patterns.

Guidance system operations plan for manned LM earth orbital and lunar missions using program luminary 1E. Section 2: Data links

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, M. H.

1972-01-01

Data links for the guidance system of manned lunar module orbital and lunar missions are presented. Subjects discussed are: (1) digital uplink to lunar module, (2) lunar module liftoff time increment, (3) lunar module contiguous block update, (4) lunar module scatter update, (5) lunar module digital downlink, and (6) absolute addresses for update program.

LTE uplink scheduling - flow level analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dimitrova, D.C.; van den Berg, J.L.; Heijenk, G.; Litjens, R.; Sacchi, Claudio; Bellalta, Boris; Vinel, Alexey; Schlegel, Christian; Granelli, Fabrizio; Zhang, Yan

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a cellular technology foreseen to extend the capacity and improve the performance of current 3G cellular networks. A key mechanism in the LTE traffic handling is the packet scheduler, which is in charge of allocating resources to active flows in both the frequency and

LTE uplink scheduling - Flow level analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dimitrova, D.C.; Berg, J.L. van den; Heijenk, G.; Litjens, R.

2011-01-01

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a cellular technology foreseen to extend the capacity and improve the performance of current 3G cellular networks. A key mechanism in the LTE traffic handling is the packet scheduler, which is in charge of allocating resources to active flows in both the frequency and

Simulating Global AeroMACS Airport Ground Station Antenna Power Transmission Limits to Avoid Interference With Mobile Satellite Service Feeder Uplinks

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Jeffrey D.

2013-01-01

The Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS), which is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard, is expected to be implemented in the 5091 to 5150 MHz frequency band. As this band is also occupied by Mobile Satellite Service feeder uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. In this study, the cumulative interference power distribution at low Earth orbit from transmitters at global airports was simulated with the Visualyse Professional software. The dependence of the interference power on antenna distribution, gain patterns, duty cycle, and antenna tilt was simulated. As a function of these parameters, the simulation results are presented in terms of the limitations on transmitter power from global airports required to maintain the cumulative interference power under the established threshold.

Guidance system operations plan for manned cm earth orbital and lunar missions using program Colossus 3. Section 2: Data links

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, M. H.

1971-01-01

The data links for use with the guidance system operations plan for manned command module earth orbital and lunar missions using program Colossus 3 are presented. The subjects discussed are: (1) digital uplink to CMC, (2) command module contiguous block update, (3) CMC retrofire external data update, (4) CMC digital downlink, and (5) CMC entry update.

Cutaneous Sensory Block Area, Muscle-Relaxing Effect, and Block Duration of the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Støving, Kion; Rothe, Christian; Rosenstock, Charlotte V

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a widely used nerve block. However, basic block characteristics are poorly described. The purpose of this study was to assess the cutaneous sensory block area, muscle-relaxing effect, and block duration. METHODS: Sixteen...... healthy volunteers were randomized to receive an ultrasound-guided unilateral TAP block with 20 mL 7.5 mg/mL ropivacaine and placebo on the contralateral side. Measurements were performed at baseline and 90 minutes after performing the block. Cutaneous sensory block area was mapped and separated...... into a medial and lateral part by a vertical line through the anterior superior iliac spine. We measured muscle thickness of the 3 lateral abdominal muscle layers with ultrasound in the relaxed state and during maximal voluntary muscle contraction. The volunteers reported the duration of the sensory block...

Green heterogeneous small-cell networks: Toward reducing the CO2 emissions of mobile communications industry using uplink power adaptation

KAUST Repository

Shakir, Muhammad Zeeshan; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Tabassum, Hina; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Serpedin, Erchin; Imran, Muhammad Ali

2013-01-01

Heterogeneous small cell networks, or Het- SNets, are considered as a standard part of future mobile networks in which multiple lowpower low-cost user deployed base stations complement the existing macrocell infrastructure. This article proposes an energy-efficient deployment of the cells where the small cell base stations are arranged around the edge of the reference macrocell, and the deployment is referred to as cell-on-edge (COE) deployment. The proposed deployment ensures an increase in the network spectral and energy efficiency by facilitating cell edge mobile users with small cells. Moreover, COE deployment guarantees reduction of the carbon footprint of mobile operations by employing adaptive uplink power control. In order to calibrate the reduction in CO2 emissions, this article quantifies the ecological and associated economical impacts of energy savings in the proposed deployment. Simulation results quantify the improvements in CO2 emissions and spectral and energy gains of the proposed COE deployment compared to macro-only networks and typical small cell deployment strategies where small cells are randomly deployed within a given macrocell. © 2013 IEEE.

Green heterogeneous small-cell networks: Toward reducing the CO2 emissions of mobile communications industry using uplink power adaptation

KAUST Repository

Shakir, Muhammad Zeeshan

2013-06-01

Heterogeneous small cell networks, or Het- SNets, are considered as a standard part of future mobile networks in which multiple lowpower low-cost user deployed base stations complement the existing macrocell infrastructure. This article proposes an energy-efficient deployment of the cells where the small cell base stations are arranged around the edge of the reference macrocell, and the deployment is referred to as cell-on-edge (COE) deployment. The proposed deployment ensures an increase in the network spectral and energy efficiency by facilitating cell edge mobile users with small cells. Moreover, COE deployment guarantees reduction of the carbon footprint of mobile operations by employing adaptive uplink power control. In order to calibrate the reduction in CO2 emissions, this article quantifies the ecological and associated economical impacts of energy savings in the proposed deployment. Simulation results quantify the improvements in CO2 emissions and spectral and energy gains of the proposed COE deployment compared to macro-only networks and typical small cell deployment strategies where small cells are randomly deployed within a given macrocell. © 2013 IEEE.

31 CFR 594.301 - Blocked account; blocked property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (Continued) OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY GLOBAL TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 594.301 Blocked account; blocked property. The terms blocked account and...

Location-Based Resource Allocation for OFDMA Cognitive Radio Systems

KAUST Repository

Ghorbel, Mahdi

2011-05-01

Cognitive radio is one of the hot topics for emerging and future wireless communication. It has been proposed as a suitable solution for the spectrum scarcity caused by the increase in frequency demand. The concept is based on allowing unlicensed users, called cognitive or secondary users, to share the unoccupied frequency bands with their owners, called the primary users, under constraints on the interference they cause to them. In order to estimate this interference, the cognitive system usually uses the channel state information to the primary user, which is often impractical to obtain. However, we propose to use location information, which is easier to obtain, to estimate this interference. The purpose of this work is to propose a subchannel and power allocation method which maximizes the secondary users\\' total capacity under the constraints of limited budget power and total interference to the primary under certain threshold. We model the problem as a constrained optimization problem for both downlink and uplink cases. Then, we propose low-complexity resource allocation schemes based on the waterfilling algorithm. The simulation results show the efficiency of the proposed method with comparison to the exhaustive search algorithm.

Apache, Santa Fe energy units awarded two Myanmar blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Myanmar's state oil company has awarded production sharing contracts (PSCs) on two blocks to units of Apache Corp. and Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc., both of Houston. That comes on the heels of a report by County NatWest Woodmac that notes Myanmar's oil production, currently meeting less than half the country's demand, is set to fall further this year. 150 line km of new seismic data could be acquired and one well drilled. During the initial 2 year exploration period on Block EP-3, Apache will conduct geological studies and conduct at least 200 line km of seismic data

["Habitual" left branch block alternating with 2 "disguised" bracnch block].

Science.gov (United States)

Lévy, S; Jullien, G; Mathieu, P; Mostefa, S; Gérard, R

1976-10-01

Two cases of alternating left bundle branch block and "masquerading block" (with left bundle branch morphology in the stnadard leads and right bundle branch block morphology in the precordial leads) were studied by serial tracings and his bundle electrocardiography. In case 1 "the masquerading" block was associated with a first degree AV block related to a prolongation of HV interval. This case is to our knowledge the first cas of alternating bundle branch block in which his bundle activity was recorded in man. In case 2, the patient had atrial fibrilation and His bundle recordings were performed while differents degrees of left bundle branch block were present: The mechanism of the alternation and the concept of "masquerading" block are discussed. It is suggested that this type of block represents a right bundle branch block associated with severe lesions of the "left system".

DIANA: A Machine Learning Mechanism for Adjusting the TDD Uplink-Downlink Configuration in XG-PON-LTE Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panagiotis Sarigiannidis

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Modern broadband hybrid optical-wireless access networks have gained the attention of academia and industry due to their strategic advantages (cost-efficiency, huge bandwidth, flexibility, and mobility. At the same time, the proliferation of Software Defined Networking (SDN enables the efficient reconfiguration of the underlying network components dynamically using SDN controllers. Hence, effective traffic-aware schemes are feasible in dynamically determining suitable configuration parameters for advancing the network performance. To this end, a novel machine learning mechanism is proposed for an SDN-enabled hybrid optical-wireless network. The proposed architecture consists of a 10-gigabit-capable passive optical network (XG-PON in the network backhaul and multiple Long Term Evolution (LTE radio access networks in the fronthaul. The proposed mechanism receives traffic-aware knowledge from the SDN controllers and applies an adjustment on the uplink-downlink configuration in the LTE radio communication. This traffic-aware mechanism is capable of determining the most suitable configuration based on the traffic dynamics in the whole hybrid network. The introduced scheme is evaluated in a realistic environment using real traffic traces such as Voice over IP (VoIP, real-time video, and streaming video. According to the obtained numerical results, the proposed mechanism offers significant improvements in the network performance in terms of latency and jitter.

Investigation of Inter-Node B Macro Diversity for Single-Carrier Based Radio Access in Evolved UTRA Uplink

Science.gov (United States)

Kawai, Hiroyuki; Morimoto, Akihito; Higuchi, Kenichi; Sawahashi, Mamoru

This paper investigates the gain of inter-Node B macro diversity for a scheduled-based shared channel using single-carrier FDMA radio access in the Evolved UTRA (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access) uplink based on system-level simulations. More specifically, we clarify the gain of inter-Node B soft handover (SHO) with selection combining at the radio frame length level (=10msec) compared to that for hard handover (HHO) for a scheduled-based shared data channel, considering the gains of key packet-specific techniques including channel-dependent scheduling, adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), hybrid automatic repeat request (ARQ) with packet combining, and slow transmission power control (TPC). Simulation results show that the inter-Node B SHO increases the user throughput at the cell edge by approximately 10% for a short cell radius such as 100-300m due to the diversity gain from a sudden change in other-cell interference, which is a feature specific to full scheduled-based packet access. However, it is also shown that the gain of inter-Node B SHO compared to that for HHO is small in a macrocell environment when the cell radius is longer than approximately 500m due to the gains from hybrid ARQ with packet combining, slow TPC, and proportional fairness based channel-dependent scheduling.

E-Block: A Tangible Programming Tool with Graphical Blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danli Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper designs a tangible programming tool, E-Block, for children aged 5 to 9 to experience the preliminary understanding of programming by building blocks. With embedded artificial intelligence, the tool defines the programming blocks with the sensors as the input and enables children to write programs to complete the tasks in the computer. The symbol on the programming block's surface is used to help children understanding the function of each block. The sequence information is transferred to computer by microcomputers and then translated into semantic information. The system applies wireless and infrared technologies and provides user with feedbacks on both screen and programming blocks. Preliminary user studies using observation and user interview methods are shown for E-Block's prototype. The test results prove that E-Block is attractive to children and easy to learn and use. The project also highlights potential advantages of using single chip microcomputer (SCM technology to develop tangible programming tools for children.

SIMULATION AND INVESTIGATION OF TIRE TREAD BLOCKS INTERACTION WITH ICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrius Ružinskas

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The car tire is an essential subject analysing its interaction with the road. From tire’s tread condition, geometry and rubber compound depends grip and vehicle stability. This is especially relevant in winter time, when roads are covered with the layer of snow or ice. Generally, new tires are tested in real traffic conditions using vehicles. However, ensuring these conditions requires many resources and sometimes it could be a big challenge. For this reason, simulation of the tire interaction with the road becomes more important in nowadays tire researches. Since the tire is a complex engineering subject, the tire tread blocks could be separated for individual analysis. The interaction between the dry ice and the tread block with sipes was analysed using finite element analysis. The tread block was described using hyperelastic Mooney­Rivlin material model. The deformations, distribution of the contact pressure and shear stresses were obtained for the soft and hard rubber compounds with different vertical load conditions. Also a solid tread block interaction was analysed and it was found that values of contact pressure and shear stresses are much lower comparing to siped tread block.

E-Block: A Tangible Programming Tool with Graphical Blocks

OpenAIRE

Danli Wang; Yang Zhang; Shengyong Chen

2013-01-01

This paper designs a tangible programming tool, E-Block, for children aged 5 to 9 to experience the preliminary understanding of programming by building blocks. With embedded artificial intelligence, the tool defines the programming blocks with the sensors as the input and enables children to write programs to complete the tasks in the computer. The symbol on the programming block's surface is used to help children understanding the function of each block. The sequence information is transfer...

National Space Transportation System telemetry distribution and processing, NASA-JFK Space Center/Cape Canaveral

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, George

1986-01-01

Prelaunch, launch, mission, and landing distribution of RF and hardline uplink/downlink information between Space Shuttle Orbiter/cargo elements, tracking antennas, and control centers at JSC, KSC, MSFC, GSFC, ESMC/RCC, and Sunnyvale are presented as functional block diagrams. Typical mismatch problems encountered during spacecraft-to-project control center telemetry transmissions are listed along with new items for future support enhancement.

Traffic grooming in WDM optical network with grooming resources at Max Connectivity nodes

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Partha; Rawat, Balbeer Singh; Ghorai, S. K.

2012-12-01

In this paper, we propose Max Connectivity grooming in WDM mesh networks under static lightpath connection requests. The grooming and wavelength conversion resources are placed at the nodes having maximum connections. We propose a heuristic genetic algorithm (GA) model to solve grooming, routing and wavelength assignment. The GA algorithm has been used to optimize the cost of grooming and wavelength conversion resources. The blocking probability has been investigated under different lightpath connections. The performance of Max Connectivity grooming has been compared with other grooming policies. Our results indicate the improvement of resource utilization with minimum blocking probability.

Poly(ferrocenylsilane)-block-Polylactide Block Copolymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roerdink, M.; van Zanten, Thomas S.; Hempenius, Mark A.; Zhong, Zhiyuan; Feijen, Jan; Vancso, Gyula J.

2007-01-01

A PFS/PLA block copolymer was studied to probe the effect of strong surface interactions on pattern formation in PFS block copolymer thin films. Successful synthesis of PFS-b-PLA was demonstrated. Thin films of these polymers show phase separation to form PFS microdomains in a PLA matrix, and

A Bayesian matching pursuit based scheduling algorithm for feedback reduction in MIMO broadcast channels

KAUST Repository

Shibli, Hussain J.; Eltayeb, Mohammed E.; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2013-01-01

challenges are faced during uplink transmission. First of all, the statistics of the noisy and fading feedback channels are unknown at the base station (BS) and channel training is usually required from all users. Secondly, the amount of network resources

Rollerchain, a Blockchain With Safely Pruneable Full Blocks

OpenAIRE

Chepurnoy, Alexander; Larangeira, Mario; Ojiganov, Alexander

2016-01-01

Bitcoin is the first successful decentralized global digital cash system. Its mining process requires intense computational resources, therefore its usefulness remains a disputable topic. We aim to solve three problems with Bitcoin and other blockchain systems of today by repurposing their work. First, space to store a blockchain is growing linearly with number of transactions. Second, a honest node is forced to be irrational regarding storing full blocks by a way implementations are done. Th...

Wind Information Uplink to Aircraft Performing Interval Management Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Nashat N.; Barmore, Bryan E.; Swieringa, Kurt A.

2016-01-01

provider. This is generally a global environmental prediction obtained from a weather model such as the Rapid Refresh (RAP) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The weather forecast data will have errors relative to the actual, or truth, winds that the aircraft will encounter. The second source of uncertainty is that only a small subset of the forecast data can be uplinked to the aircraft for use by the FIM equipment. This results in loss of additional information. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and RTCA are currently developing standards for the communication of wind and atmospheric data to the aircraft for use in NextGen operations. This study examines the impact of various wind forecast sampling methods on IM performance metrics to inform the standards development.

Block and sub-block boundary strengthening in lath martensite

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Du, C.; Hoefnagels, J.P.M.; Vaes, R.; Geers, M.G.D.

2016-01-01

Well-defined uniaxial micro-tensile tests were performed on lath martensite single block specimens and multi-block specimens with different number of block boundaries parallel to the loading direction. Detailed slip trace analyses consistently revealed that in the {110}<111> slip system with the

On the Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of Block Triangular Preconditioned Block Matrices

KAUST Repository

Pestana, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Block lower triangular matrices and block upper triangular matrices are popular preconditioners for 2×2 block matrices. In this note we show that a block lower triangular preconditioner gives the same spectrum as a block upper triangular preconditioner and that the eigenvectors of the two preconditioned matrices are related. © 2014 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Single‑shot lamina technique of paravertebral block as an adjunct to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Thoracic paravertebral block can be employed as an alternative or an adjunct to general anesthesia (GA) for breast cancer surgery. There is no report of this new lamina technique for catheter placement in our environment. In low‑resource settings, potent opioids are lacking and the extended postoperative analgesia it ...

Powder wastes confinement block and manufacturing process of this block

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dagot, L.; Brunel, G.

1996-01-01

This invention concerns a powder wastes containment block and a manufacturing process of this block. In this block, the waste powder is encapsulated in a thermo hardening polymer as for example an epoxy resin, the encapsulated resin being spread into cement. This block can contain between 45 and 55% in mass of wastes, between 18 and 36% in mass of polymer and between 14 and 32% in mass of cement. Such a containment block can be used for the radioactive wastes storage. (O.M.). 4 refs

Blocked Randomization with Randomly Selected Block Sizes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jimmy Efird

2010-12-01

Full Text Available When planning a randomized clinical trial, careful consideration must be given to how participants are selected for various arms of a study. Selection and accidental bias may occur when participants are not assigned to study groups with equal probability. A simple random allocation scheme is a process by which each participant has equal likelihood of being assigned to treatment versus referent groups. However, by chance an unequal number of individuals may be assigned to each arm of the study and thus decrease the power to detect statistically significant differences between groups. Block randomization is a commonly used technique in clinical trial design to reduce bias and achieve balance in the allocation of participants to treatment arms, especially when the sample size is small. This method increases the probability that each arm will contain an equal number of individuals by sequencing participant assignments by block. Yet still, the allocation process may be predictable, for example, when the investigator is not blind and the block size is fixed. This paper provides an overview of blocked randomization and illustrates how to avoid selection bias by using random block sizes.

Population Blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Martin H.

1992-01-01

Describes an educational game called "Population Blocks" that is designed to illustrate the concept of exponential growth of the human population and some potential effects of overpopulation. The game material consists of wooden blocks; 18 blocks are painted green (representing land), 7 are painted blue (representing water); and the remaining…

3D Geological Modeling of CoalBed Methane (CBM) Resources in the Taldykuduk Block Karaganda Coal Basin, Kazakhstan

Science.gov (United States)

Sadykov, Raman; Kiponievich Ogay, Evgeniy; Royer, Jean-Jacques; Zhapbasbayev, Uzak; Panfilova, Irina

2015-04-01

Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is gas stored in coal layers. It can be extracted from wells after hydraulic fracturing and/or solvent injection, and secondary recovery techniques such as CO2 injection. Karaganda Basin is a very favorable candidate region to develop CBM production for the following reasons: (i) Huge gas potential; (ii) Available technologies for extracting and commercializing the gas produced by CBM methods; (iii) Experience in degassing during underground mining operations for safety reasons; (iv) Local needs in energy for producing electricity for the industrial and domestic market. The objectives of this work are to model the Taldykuduk block coal layers and their properties focusing on Coal Bed Methane production. It is motivated by the availability of large coal bed methane resources in Karaganda coal basin which includes 4 300 Bm3 equivalent 2 billion tons of coal (B = billion = 109) with gas content 15-25 m3/t of coal (for comparison San Juan basin (USA) has production in a double porosity model considering two domains: the matrix (m) and the fracture (f) for which the initial and boundary conditions are different. The resulting comprehensive 3D models had helped in better understanding the tectonic structures of the region, especially the relationships between the fault systems.

Blocking of CERN Accounts after 28 February 28 2011

CERN Multimedia

IT Department

2011-01-01

Since last year, all persons owning a CERN computer account must follow the obligatory CERN Computer Security Course. This course takes usually less than 15 minutes and is available online from inside and outside CERN at http://cern.ch/computersecuritycourse. Failure to pass this course by February 28th 2011 will lead to blocking the corresponding account. If you haven't taken it yet, do it NOW! Accounts of users who have not followed this course yet will be blocked during the first weeks of March. As a consequence, these users will not able anymore to log into any CERN computing resource with their primary account. Affected users should contact the CERN Service Desk at 77777 (+41 22 76 77777 from outside CERN) or http://cern.ch/service-desk in order to get their account unblocked. They will be given a grace-period of five days to follow the course or the account will be blocked again. Please see also the announcement in a previous issue of the Bulletin. Thank you for your collaboration, CERN Computer Sec...

Minimum description length block finder, a method to identify haplotype blocks and to compare the strength of block boundaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mannila, H; Koivisto, M; Perola, M; Varilo, T; Hennah, W; Ekelund, J; Lukk, M; Peltonen, L; Ukkonen, E

2003-07-01

We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the significance of each block boundary. We have applied the method to the published data of Daly and colleagues. The results expose some problems that exist in the current methods for the evaluation of the significance of predicted block boundaries. Our method, MDL block finder, can be used to compare block borders in different sample sets, and we demonstrate this by applying the MDL-based method to define the block structure in chromosomes from population isolates.

Reducing resistance and emotional blocks in writing

OpenAIRE

Majda Cencič

1996-01-01

Writing is as much a communicative as it is a cognitive process an active individual is involved in. In this paper some characteristics of writing as a communicative process and some characteristics of writing as a cognitive process are stated. Further a model engaging both communicative and cognitive elements of writing is added, these elements being connected with linguistic resources. The author considers some prejudices, myths or emotional blocks to be destroyed as not to hinder the write...

Improving the Curie depth estimation through optimizing the spectral block dimensions of the aeromagnetic data in the Sabalan geothermal field

Science.gov (United States)

Akbar, Somaieh; Fathianpour, Nader

2016-12-01

The Curie point depth is of great importance in characterizing geothermal resources. In this study, the Curie iso-depth map was provided using the well-known method of dividing the aeromagnetic dataset into overlapping blocks and analyzing the power spectral density of each block separately. Determining the optimum block dimension is vital in improving the resolution and accuracy of estimating Curie point depth. To investigate the relation between the optimal block size and power spectral density, a forward magnetic modeling was implemented on an artificial prismatic body with specified characteristics. The top, centroid, and bottom depths of the body were estimated by the spectral analysis method for different block dimensions. The result showed that the optimal block size could be considered as the smallest possible block size whose corresponding power spectrum represents an absolute maximum in small wavenumbers. The Curie depth map of the Sabalan geothermal field and its surrounding areas, in the northwestern Iran, was produced using a grid of 37 blocks with different dimensions from 10 × 10 to 50 × 50 km2, which showed at least 50% overlapping with adjacent blocks. The Curie point depth was estimated in the range of 5 to 21 km. The promising areas with the Curie point depths less than 8.5 km are located around Mountain Sabalan encompassing more than 90% of known geothermal resources in the study area. Moreover, the Curie point depth estimated by the improved spectral analysis is in good agreement with the depth calculated from the thermal gradient data measured in one of the exploratory wells in the region.

THE ECONOMIC MECHANISM OF RESOURCE SAVINGS OF AIRLINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Oleshko

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The essence of the economic mechanism of resource savings and the reasons of the relationships between them are defined in this article. Also the place and the role of each of the blocks are analyzed.

Research on manufacturing service behavior modeling based on block chain theory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Gang; Zhang, Guangli; Liu, Ming; Yu, Shuqin; Liu, Yali; Zhang, Xu

2018-04-01

According to the attribute characteristics of processing craft, the manufacturing service behavior is divided into service attribute, basic attribute, process attribute, resource attribute. The attribute information model of manufacturing service is established. The manufacturing service behavior information is successfully divided into public and private domain. Additionally, the block chain technology is introduced, and the information model of manufacturing service based on block chain principle is established, which solves the problem of sharing and secreting information of processing behavior, and ensures that data is not tampered with. Based on the key pairing verification relationship, the selective publishing mechanism for manufacturing information is established, achieving the traceability of product data, guarantying the quality of processing quality.

Building Blocks Of Innovation Within A State-Owned Enterprise (Part Two

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Betsie van Zyl

2005-11-01

Full Text Available In this article (the second part of a two-part study the focus is on establishing a theoretical framework of state owned enterprise (SOE managers’ espoused theory of building blocks of innovation. A qualitative approach, namely Grounded Theory, supported by Theoretical Sampling, was applied in generating the primary data for the study from different management levels in the SOE. The managers’ espoused theory, based on empirical evidence, shows that innovation consisted of five important building blocks, namely contextual setting; strategic enablers; business enablers; foundational enablers; and human resources; each with its own categories and sub-categories. The study also identified barriers to innovation. An innovation diffusion framework, specifically for implementation in a government context, was proposed.

Generalized Block Failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jönsson, Jeppe

2015-01-01

Block tearing is considered in several codes as a pure block tension or a pure block shear failure mechanism. However in many situations the load acts eccentrically and involves the transfer of a substantial moment in combination with the shear force and perhaps a normal force. A literature study...... shows that no readily available tests with a well-defined substantial eccentricity have been performed. This paper presents theoretical and experimental work leading towards generalized block failure capacity methods. Simple combination of normal force, shear force and moment stress distributions along...... yield lines around the block leads to simple interaction formulas similar to other interaction formulas in the codes....

Epidural block

Science.gov (United States)

... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000484.htm Epidural block - pregnancy To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. An epidural block is a numbing medicine given by injection (shot) ...

Predictability of blocking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosi, E.; Ruti, P.; Tibaldi, S.; D'Andrea, F.

1994-01-01

Tibaldi and Molteni (1990, hereafter referred to as TM) had previously investigated operational blocking predictability by the ECMWF model and the possible relationships between model systematic error and blocking in the winter season of the Northern Hemisphere, using seven years of ECMWF operational archives of analyses and day 1 to 10 forecasts. They showed that fewer blocking episodes than in the real atmosphere were generally simulated by the model, and that this deficiency increased with increasing forecast time. As a consequence of this, a major contribution to the systematic error in the winter season was shown to derive from the inability of the model to properly forecast blocking. In this study, the analysis performed in TM for the first seven winter seasons of the ECMWF operational model is extended to the subsequent five winters, during which model development, reflecting both resolution increases and parametrisation modifications, continued unabated. In addition the objective blocking index developed by TM has been applied to the observed data to study the natural low frequency variability of blocking. The ability to simulate blocking of some climate models has also been tested

Adaptive QoS provision for IEEE 802.16e BWA networks based on cross-layer design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuo GS

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract This article proposes an integrated framework for adaptive QoS provision in IEEE 802.16e broadband wireless access networks based on cross-layer design. On one hand, an efficient admission control (AC algorithm is proposed along with a semi-reservation scheme to guarantee the connection-level QoS. First, to guarantee the service continuity for handoff connections and resource efficiency, our semi-reservation scheme considers both users' handoff probability and average resource consumption together, which effectively avoids resource over-reservation and insufficient reservation. For AC, a new/handoff connection is accepted only when the target cell has enough resource to afford both instantaneous and average resource consumption to meet the average source rate request. On the other hand, a joint resource allocation and packet scheduling scheme is designed to provide packet-level QoS guarantee in term of "QoS rate", which can ensure fairness for the services with identical priority level in case of bandwidth shortage. Particularly, an enhanced bandwidth request scheme is designed to reduce unnecessary BR delay and redundant signaling overhead caused by the existing one in IEEE 802.16e, which further improves the packet-level QoS performance and resource efficiency for uplink transmission. Simulation results show that the proposed approach not only balances the tradeoff among connection blocking rate, connection dropping rate, and connection failure rate, but also achieves low mean packet dropping rate (PDR, small deviation of PDR, and low QoS outage rate. Moreover, high resource efficiency is ensured.

Balancing supply and demand resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, J.; Saleeby, R.G.

1990-01-01

This article deals with using demand-side management (DSM) resources as an effective means of balancing supply and demand as a part of least-cost planning. The authors present a more sophisticated application of the load forecast adjustment method that reduces the number of DSM programs that need to be evaluated and provides blocks large enough to eliminate resolution problems in production costing models

A chemical platform approach on cardanol oil: from the synthesis of building blocks to polymer synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaillet Fanny

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This review proposes a platform approach for the synthesis of various building blocks from cardanol oil in one or two-steps synthesis. Cardanol is a natural phenol issued from Cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL. CNSL is a non-edible renewable resource, co-produced from cashew industry in large commercial volumes. Cardanol is non-toxic and particularly suitable as an aromatic renewable resource for polymers and materials. Various routes were used for the synthesis of di- and poly-functional building blocks used thereafter in polymer syntheses. Phenolation was used to dimerize/oligomerize cardanol to propose increase functionality of cardanol. Thio-ene was used to synthesize new reactive amines. Epoxidation and (methacrylation were also used to insert oxirane or (methacrylate groups in order to synthesize polymers and materials.

Homogeneous bilateral block shifts

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Douglas class were classified in [3]; they are unilateral block shifts of arbitrary block size (i.e. dim H(n) can be anything). However, no examples of irreducible homogeneous bilateral block shifts of block size larger than 1 were known until now.

The DSS-14 C-band exciter

Science.gov (United States)

Rowan, D. R.

1989-01-01

The development and implementation of a C-band exciter for use with the Block IV Receiver-Exciter Subsystem at Deep Space Station 14 (DSS-14) has been completed. The exciter supplements the standard capabilities of the Block IV system by providing a drive signal for the C-band transmitter while generating coherent translation frequencies for C-band (5-GHz) to S-band (2.2- to 2.3-GHz) Doppler extraction, C-band to L-band (1.6-GHz) zero delay measurements, and a level calibrated L-band test signal. Exciter functions are described, and a general explanation and description of the C-band uplink controller is presented.

Detection block

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezak, A.

1987-01-01

A diagram is given of a detection block used for monitoring burnup of nuclear reactor fuel. A shielding block is an important part of the detection block. It stabilizes the fuel assembly in the fixing hole in front of a collimator where a suitable gamma beam is defined for gamma spectrometry determination of fuel burnup. The detector case and a neutron source case are placed on opposite sides of the fixing hole. For neutron measurement for which the water in the tank is used as a moderator, the neutron detector-fuel assembly configuration is selected such that neutrons from spontaneous fission and neutrons induced with the neutron source can both be measured. The patented design of the detection block permits longitudinal travel and rotation of the fuel assembly to any position, and thus more reliable determination of nuclear fuel burnup. (E.S.). 1 fig

Direct and indirect effects of land use on floral resources and flower-visiting insects across an urban landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Matteson, K.C.; Grace, James B.; Minor, E.S.

2013-01-01

Although urban areas are often considered to have uniformly negative effects on biodiversity, cities are most accurately characterized as heterogeneous mosaics of buildings, streets, parks, and gardens that include both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ areas for wildlife. However, to date, few studies have evaluated how human impacts vary in direction and magnitude across a heterogeneous urban landscape. In this study, we assessed the distribution of floral resources and flower-visiting insects across a variety of land uses in New York City. We visited both green spaces (e.g. parks, cemeteries) and heavily developed neighborhood blocks (e.g. with high or low density residential zoning) and used structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of median income, vegetation, and development intensity on floral resources and insects in both settings. Abundance and taxonomic richness of flower-visiting insects was significantly greater in green spaces than neighborhood blocks. The SEM results indicated that heavily-developed neighborhoods generally had fewer flower-visiting insects consistent with reductions in floral resources. However, some low-density residential neighborhoods maintained high levels of floral resources and flower-visiting insects. We found that the effects of surrounding vegetation on floral resources, and thus indirect effects on insects, varied considerably between green spaces and neighborhood blocks. Along neighborhood blocks, vegetation consisted of a mosaic of open gardens and sparsely distributed trees and had a positive indirect effect on flower-visiting insects. In contrast, vegetation in urban green spaces was associated with increased canopy cover and thus had a negative indirect effect on flower-visiting insects through reductions in floral resources. In both neighborhood blocks and green spaces, vegetation had a positive direct effect on flower-visiting insects independent of the influence of vegetation on floral

MANAGING THE INTERACTION OF RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION AND FUNCTIONING OF EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Дмитро Сергійович КОБИЛКІН

2016-02-01

Full Text Available There have been proposed to use a mobile module "Resources manager" and its component model – scheme for managing the distribution of resources during the project management of implementation and functioning of System 112 in Ukraine. Are described the formalized tasks of performance the processes of managing the model – scheme at all stages of the projects life cycle. Also is developed the model – scheme interaction the blocks of the mobile module of resource management at the System 112 project. It describes the step by step interaction of blocks project management with the project data for successful project implementation and obtaining a product of the project, pointing out the environmental impact of the project on each of the project blocks. The conclusions about the expediency and efficiency of implementation of model – scheme in conditions of managing the emergency call systems at a single number were made.

Resource allocation for phantom cellular networks: Energy efficiency vs spectral efficiency

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Amr Mohamed Abdelaziz; Amin, Osama; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

Multi-tier heterogeneous networks have become an essential constituent for next generation cellular networks. Mean-while, energy efficiency (EE) has been considered a critical design criterion along with the traditional spectral efficiency (SE) metric. In this context, we study power and spectrum allocation for the recently proposed two-tier network architecture known as phantom cellular networks. The optimization framework includes both EE and SE, where we propose an algorithm that finds the SE and EE resource allocation strategies for phantom cellular networks. Then, we compare the performance of both design strategies versus the number of users, and phantom cells share of the total number of available resource blocks. We aim to investigate the effect of some system parameters to achieve improved SE performance at a non-significant loss in EE performance, or vice versa. It was found that increasing phantom cells share of resource blocks decreases the SE performance loss due to EE optimization when compared with the optimized SE performance. © 2016 IEEE.

Resource allocation for phantom cellular networks: Energy efficiency vs spectral efficiency

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Amr M.

2016-07-26

Multi-tier heterogeneous networks have become an essential constituent for next generation cellular networks. Mean-while, energy efficiency (EE) has been considered a critical design criterion along with the traditional spectral efficiency (SE) metric. In this context, we study power and spectrum allocation for the recently proposed two-tier network architecture known as phantom cellular networks. The optimization framework includes both EE and SE, where we propose an algorithm that finds the SE and EE resource allocation strategies for phantom cellular networks. Then, we compare the performance of both design strategies versus the number of users, and phantom cells share of the total number of available resource blocks. We aim to investigate the effect of some system parameters to achieve improved SE performance at a non-significant loss in EE performance, or vice versa. It was found that increasing phantom cells share of resource blocks decreases the SE performance loss due to EE optimization when compared with the optimized SE performance. © 2016 IEEE.

Synthesis of amylose-block-polystyrene rod-coil block copolymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loos, Katja; Stadler, Reimund

1997-01-01

In the present communication we demonstrate the synthesis of a hybrid block copolymer based on the combination of a biopolymer (amylose) with a synthetic block (polystyrene). To obtain such materials, amino-functionalized polymers were modified with maltoheptaose moieties that serve as initiators

Paravertebral Block Plus Thoracic Wall Block versus Paravertebral Block Alone for Analgesia of Modified Radical Mastectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nai-Liang Li

Full Text Available Paravertebral block placement was the main anesthetic technique for modified radical mastectomy in our hospital until February 2014, when its combination with blocks targeting the pectoral musculature was initiated. We compared the analgesic effects of paravertebral blocks with or without blocks targeting the pectoral musculature for modified radical mastectomy.We retrospectively collected data from a single surgeon and anesthesiologist from June 1, 2012, to May 31, 2015. Intraoperative sedatives and analgesic requirements, time to the first analgesic request, postoperative analgesic doses, patient satisfaction, and complications were compared.Fifty-four patients received a paravertebral block alone (PECS 0, and 46 received a paravertebral block combined with blocks targeting the pectoral musculature (PECS 1. The highest intraoperative effect-site concentration of propofol was significantly lower in the PECS 1 group than in the PECS 0 group [2.3 (1.5, 2.8 vs 2.5 (1.5, 4 μg/mL, p = 0.0014]. The intraoperative rescue analgesic dose was significantly lower in the PECS 1 group [0 (0, 25 vs 0 (0, 75 mg of ketamine, p = 0.0384]. Furthermore, the PECS 1 group had a significantly longer time to the first analgesic request [636.5 (15, 720 vs 182.5 (14, 720 min, p = 0.0001]. After further adjustment for age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification, chronic pain history, incidence of a superficial cervical plexus block placement, and operation duration, blocks targeting the pectoral musculature were determined to be the only significant factor (hazard ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.58; p < 0.0001. Very few patients used potent analgesics including morphine and ketorolac; the cumulative use of morphine or ketorolac was similar in the study groups. However, the incidence of all analgesic use, namely morphine, ketorolac, acetaminophen, and celecoxib, was significantly lower in the PECS 1 group [3

Performance Analysis of Simple Channel Feedback Schemes for a Practical OFDMA System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Klaus, I.; Kolding, Troels; Kovacs, Istvan

2009-01-01

In this paper, we evaluate the tradeoff between the amount of uplink channel feedback information and the orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) downlink performance with opportunistic frequency-domain packet scheduling. Three candidate channel feedback schemes are investigated......, including practical aspects, such as the effects of terminal measurement errors, bandwidth measurement granularity, quantization, and uplink signaling delays. The performance is evaluated by means of system-level simulations with detailed modeling of various radio resource-management algorithms, etc. Our...... results show that the optimal tradeoff between the channel feedback and the downlink OFDMA system performance depends on the radio channel frequency coherence bandwidth. We conclude that the so-called average best-M scheme is the most attractive channel feedback solution, where only the average channel...

Modular approach for satellite communication ground terminals

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, G. R.

1984-01-01

The trend in satellite communications is toward completely digital, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems with uplink and downlink data rates dictated by the type of service offered. Trunking terminals will operate in the 550 MBPS (megabit per second) region uplink and downlink, whereas customer premise service (CPS) terminals will operate in the 25 to 10 MBPS region uplink and in the 200 MBPS region downlink. Additional criteria for the ground terminals will be to maintain clock sychronization with the system and burst time integrity to within a matter of nanoseconds, to process required order-fire information, to provide adaptive data scrambing, and to compensate for variations in the user input output data rates, and for changes in range in the satellite communications links resulting from satellite perturbations in orbit. To achieve the required adaptability of a ground terminal to the above mentioned variables, programmable building blocks can be developed that will meet all of these requirements. To maintain system synchronization, i.e., all bursted data arriving at the satellite within assigned TDMA windows, ground terminal transmit data rates and burst timing must be maintained within tight tolerances. With a programmable synchronizer as the heart of the terminal timing generation, variable data rates and burst timing tolerances are achievable. In essence, the unit inputs microprocessor generated timing words and outputs discrete timing pulses.

Influence of anchor block size on the thickness of adsorbed block copolymer layers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belder, G.F; ten Brinke, G.; Hadziioannou, G

1997-01-01

We present surface force data on three different polystyrene/poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymers (PS/P2VP) with a fixed size of the nonadsorbing PS block but widely varying sizes of the adsorbing P2VP block. With respect to the sizes of the two blocks, they range from moderately to highly

Combined KHFAC + DC nerve block without onset or reduced nerve conductivity after block

Science.gov (United States)

Franke, Manfred; Vrabec, Tina; Wainright, Jesse; Bhadra, Niloy; Bhadra, Narendra; Kilgore, Kevin

2014-10-01

Objective. Kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) waveforms have been shown to provide peripheral nerve conductivity block in many acute and chronic animal models. KHFAC nerve block could be used to address multiple disorders caused by neural over-activity, including blocking pain and spasticity. However, one drawback of KHFAC block is a transient activation of nerve fibers during the initiation of the nerve block, called the onset response. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using charge balanced direct current (CBDC) waveforms to temporarily block motor nerve conductivity distally to the KHFAC electrodes to mitigate the block onset-response. Approach. A total of eight animals were used in this study. A set of four animals were used to assess feasibility and reproducibility of a combined KHFAC + CBDC block. A following randomized study, conducted on a second set of four animals, compared the onset response resulting from KHFAC alone and combined KHFAC + CBDC waveforms. To quantify the onset, peak forces and the force-time integral were measured during KHFAC block initiation. Nerve conductivity was monitored throughout the study by comparing muscle twitch forces evoked by supra-maximal stimulation proximal and distal to the block electrodes. Each animal of the randomized study received at least 300 s (range: 318-1563 s) of cumulative dc to investigate the impact of combined KHFAC + CBDC on nerve viability. Main results. The peak onset force was reduced significantly from 20.73 N (range: 18.6-26.5 N) with KHFAC alone to 0.45 N (range: 0.2-0.7 N) with the combined CBDC and KHFAC block waveform (p conductivity was observed after application of the combined KHFAC + CBDC block relative to KHFAC waveforms. Significance. The distal application of CBDC can significantly reduce or even completely prevent the KHFAC onset response without a change in nerve conductivity.

Abdominal wall blocks in adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Børglum, Jens; Gögenür, Ismail; Bendtsen, Thomas F

2016-01-01

been introduced with success. Future research should also investigate the effect of specific abdominal wall blocks on neuroendocrine and inflammatory stress response after surgery.  Summary USG abdominal wall blocks in adults are commonplace techniques today. Most abdominal wall blocks are assigned......Purpose of review Abdominal wall blocks in adults have evolved much during the last decade; that is, particularly with the introduction of ultrasound-guided (USG) blocks. This review highlights recent advances of block techniques within this field and proposes directions for future research.......  Recent findings Ultrasound guidance is now considered the golden standard for abdominal wall blocks in adults, even though some landmark-based blocks are still being investigated. The efficiency of USG transversus abdominis plane blocks in relation to many surgical procedures involving the abdominal wall...

Comparative study between ultrasound guided TAP block and paravertebral block in upper abdominal surgeries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruqaya M Elsayed Goda

2017-01-01

Conclusion: We concluded that ultrasound guided transverses abdominis plane block and thoracic paravertebral block were safe and effective anesthetic technique for upper abdominal surgery with longer and potent postoperative analgesia in thoracic paravertebral block than transverses abdominis block.

Fermion-scalar conformal blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iliesiu, Luca [Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University,Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Kos, Filip [Department of Physics, Yale University,217 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Poland, David [Department of Physics, Yale University,217 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study,1 Einstein Dr, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (United States); Pufu, Silviu S. [Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University,Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Simmons-Duffin, David [School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study,1 Einstein Dr, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (United States); Yacoby, Ran [Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University,Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2016-04-13

We compute the conformal blocks associated with scalar-scalar-fermion-fermion 4-point functions in 3D CFTs. Together with the known scalar conformal blocks, our result completes the task of determining the so-called ‘seed blocks’ in three dimensions. Conformal blocks associated with 4-point functions of operators with arbitrary spins can now be determined from these seed blocks by using known differential operators.

Block Cipher Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miolane, Charlotte Vikkelsø

ensurethat no attack violatesthe securitybounds specifiedbygeneric attack namely exhaustivekey search and table lookup attacks. This thesis contains a general introduction to cryptography with focus on block ciphers and important block cipher designs, in particular the Advanced Encryption Standard(AES...... on small scale variants of AES. In the final part of the thesis we present a new block cipher proposal Present and examine its security against algebraic and differential cryptanalysis in particular....

Main-chain supramolecular block copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Si Kyung; Ambade, Ashootosh V; Weck, Marcus

2011-01-01

Block copolymers are key building blocks for a variety of applications ranging from electronic devices to drug delivery. The material properties of block copolymers can be tuned and potentially improved by introducing noncovalent interactions in place of covalent linkages between polymeric blocks resulting in the formation of supramolecular block copolymers. Such materials combine the microphase separation behavior inherent to block copolymers with the responsiveness of supramolecular materials thereby affording dynamic and reversible materials. This tutorial review covers recent advances in main-chain supramolecular block copolymers and describes the design principles, synthetic approaches, advantages, and potential applications.

Efficient Resource Scheduling by Exploiting Relay Cache for Cellular Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun He

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In relay-enhanced cellular systems, throughput of User Equipment (UE is constrained by the bottleneck of the two-hop link, backhaul link (or the first hop link, and access link (the second hop link. To maximize the throughput, resource allocation should be coordinated between these two hops. A common resource scheduling algorithm, Adaptive Distributed Proportional Fair, only ensures that the throughput of the first hop is greater than or equal to that of the second hop. But it cannot guarantee a good balance of the throughput and fairness between the two hops. In this paper, we propose a Two-Hop Balanced Distributed Scheduling (TBS algorithm by exploiting relay cache for non-real-time data traffic. The evolved Node Basestation (eNB adaptively adjusts the number of Resource Blocks (RBs allocated to the backhaul link and direct links based on the cache information of relays. Each relay allocates RBs for relay UEs based on the size of the relay UE’s Transport Block. We also design a relay UE’s ACK feedback mechanism to update the data at relay cache. Simulation results show that the proposed TBS can effectively improve resource utilization and achieve a good trade-off between system throughput and fairness by balancing the throughput of backhaul and access link.

HotpathVM: An Effective JIT for Resource-constrained Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gal, Andreas; Franz, Michael; Probst, Christian

2006-01-01

We present a just-in-time compiler for a Java VM that is small enough to fit on resource-constrained devices, yet surprisingly effective. Our system dynamically identifies traces of frequently executed bytecode instructions (which may span several basic blocks across several methods) and compiles...

Ultrasound guided supraclavicular block.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hanumanthaiah, Deepak

2013-09-01

Ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia is becoming increasingly popular. The supraclavicular block has been transformed by ultrasound guidance into a potentially safe superficial block. We reviewed the techniques of performing supraclavicular block with special focus on ultrasound guidance.

Efficient preparation of large-block-code ancilla states for fault-tolerant quantum computation

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yi-Cong; Lai, Ching-Yi; Brun, Todd A.

2018-03-01

Fault-tolerant quantum computation (FTQC) schemes that use multiqubit large block codes can potentially reduce the resource overhead to a great extent. A major obstacle is the requirement for a large number of clean ancilla states of different types without correlated errors inside each block. These ancilla states are usually logical stabilizer states of the data-code blocks, which are generally difficult to prepare if the code size is large. Previously, we have proposed an ancilla distillation protocol for Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) codes by classical error-correcting codes. It was assumed that the quantum gates in the distillation circuit were perfect; however, in reality, noisy quantum gates may introduce correlated errors that are not treatable by the protocol. In this paper, we show that additional postselection by another classical error-detecting code can be applied to remove almost all correlated errors. Consequently, the revised protocol is fully fault tolerant and capable of preparing a large set of stabilizer states sufficient for FTQC using large block codes. At the same time, the yield rate can be boosted from O (t-2) to O (1 ) in practice for an [[n ,k ,d =2 t +1

Adductor Canal Block versus Femoral Nerve Block and Quadriceps Strength

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jæger, Pia Therese; Nielsen, Zbigniew Jerzy Koscielniak; Henningsen, Lene Marianne

2013-01-01

: The authors hypothesized that the adductor canal block (ACB), a predominant sensory blockade, reduces quadriceps strength compared with placebo (primary endpoint, area under the curve, 0.5-6 h), but less than the femoral nerve block (FNB; secondary endpoint). Other secondary endpoints were...

Asymmetric PS-block-(PS-co-PB)-block-PS block copolymers: morphology formation and deformation behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adhikari, Rameshwar; Huy, Trinh An; Buschnakowski, Matthias; Michler, Goerg H; Knoll, Konrad

2004-01-01

Morphology formation and deformation behaviour of asymmetric styrene/butadiene triblock copolymers (total polystyrene (PS) content ∼70%) consisting of PS outer blocks held apart by a styrene-co-butadiene random copolymer block (PS-co-PB) each were investigated. The techniques used were differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscopy, uniaxial tensile testing and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. A significant shift of the phase behaviour relative to that of a neat symmetric triblock copolymer was observed, which can be attributed to the asymmetric architecture and the presence of PS-co-PB as a soft block. The mechanical properties and the microdeformation phenomena were mainly controlled by the nature of their solid-state morphology. Independent of morphology type, the soft phase was found to deform to a significantly higher degree of orientation when compared with the hard phase

Adductor canal block versus femoral nerve block for analgesia after total knee arthroplasty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jaeger, Pia; Zaric, Dusanka; Fomsgaard, Jonna Storm

2013-01-01

Femoral nerve block (FNB), a commonly used postoperative pain treatment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), reduces quadriceps muscle strength essential for mobilization. In contrast, adductor canal block (ACB) is predominately a sensory nerve block. We hypothesized that ACB preserves quadriceps...

Block That Pain!

Science.gov (United States)

Skip Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Block That Pain! Past Issues / Fall 2007 Table of ... contrast, most pain relievers used for surgical procedures block activity in all types of neurons. This can ...

Bundle Branch Block

Science.gov (United States)

... known cause. Causes can include: Left bundle branch block Heart attacks (myocardial infarction) Thickened, stiffened or weakened ... myocarditis) High blood pressure (hypertension) Right bundle branch block A heart abnormality that's present at birth (congenital) — ...

A Service Differentiated MAC Protocol for OFDM/TDMA Wireless Systems

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG Ying; ZHANG Ping

2005-01-01

This paper proposes a Service Differentiated-Dynamic Slotted Multiple Access (SD-DSMA) protocol with QoS guarantee. The Media Access Control (MAC) frame format is variable according to the traffic of uplink and downlink and the traffic of control and data. In addition, the services are divided into two categories, Guaranteed Bandwidth (GB) and Best Effort (BE). Uplink control message slots are designed for the GB users to reduce contention. Taking into consideration the techniques in physical layer, a two-Dimensional Radio Resource Allocation (2-D RRA) method is proposed. The 2-D RRA is an efficient way to allocate radio resources for multi-cell, multi-user OFDM/TDMA system as it takes into consideration both the channel condition and the co-channel interference. The piggyback mechanism and fair scheduling algorithm are adopted for GB services, and the max C/I scheduling algorithm is used for BE services. The simulation results show that the proposed MAC protocol has better performance in terms of delay, probability of successful access request.

A randomized trial comparing surgeon-administered intraoperative transversus abdominis plane block with anesthesiologist-administered transcutaneous block.

Science.gov (United States)

Narasimhulu, D M; Scharfman, L; Minkoff, H; George, B; Homel, P; Tyagaraj, K

2018-04-27

Injection of local anesthetic into the transversus abdominis plane (TAP block) decreases systemic morphine requirements after abdominal surgery. We compared intraoperative surgeon-administered TAP block (surgical TAP) to anesthesiologist-administered transcutaneous ultrasound-guided TAP block (conventional TAP) for post-cesarean analgesia. We hypothesized that surgical TAP blocks would take less time to perform than conventional TAP blocks. We performed a randomized trial, recruiting 41 women undergoing cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia, assigning them to either surgical TAP block (n=20) or conventional TAP block (n=21). Time taken to perform the block was the primary outcome, while postoperative pain scores and 24-hour opioid requirements were secondary outcomes. Student's t-test was used to compare block time and Kruskal-Wallis test opioid consumption and pain-scores. Time taken to perform the block (2.4 vs 12.1 min, P consumption (P=0.17) and postoperative pain scores at 4, 8, 24 and 48 h were not significantly different between the groups. Surgical TAP blocks are feasible and less time consuming than conventional TAP blocks, while providing comparable analgesia after cesarean delivery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

WRIS: a resource information system for wildland management

Science.gov (United States)

Robert M. Russell; David A. Sharpnack; Elliot Amidon

1975-01-01

WRIS (Wildland Resource Information System) is a computer system for processing, storing, retrieving, updating, and displaying geographic data. The polygon, representing a land area boundary, forms the building block of WRIS. Polygons form a map. Maps are digitized manually or by automatic scanning. Computer programs can extract and produce polygon maps and can overlay...

Thinking Outside the Block: An Innovative Alternative to 4X4 Block Scheduling.

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Myra

2002-01-01

Introduces a 4x1 block scheduling method that was developed as an alternative to 4x4 block scheduling. Schedules Fridays for summer school, test preparation, and enrichment and elective courses. Includes suggestions on how to alleviate drawbacks of the 4x1 block schedule. (YDS)

Engineering cell factories for producing building block chemicals for bio-polymer synthesis

OpenAIRE

Tsuge, Yota; Kawaguchi, Hideo; Sasaki, Kengo; Kondo, Akihiko

2016-01-01

Synthetic polymers are widely used in daily life. Due to increasing environmental concerns related to global warming and the depletion of oil reserves, the development of microbial-based fermentation processes for the production of polymer building block chemicals from renewable resources is desirable to replace current petroleum-based methods. To this end, strains that efficiently produce the target chemicals at high yields and productivity are needed. Recent advances in metabolic engineerin...

Distribution of short block copolymer chains in Binary Blends of Block Copolymers Having Hydrogen Bonding

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Jongheon; Han, Sunghyun; Kim, Jin Kon

2014-03-01

A binary mixture of two block copolymers whose blocks are capable of forming the hydrogen bonding allows one to obtain various microdomains that could not be expected for neat block copolymer. For instance, the binary blend of symmetric polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) copolymer (PS-b-P2VP) and polystyrene-block-polyhydroxystyrene copolymer (PS-b-PHS) blends where the hydrogen bonding occurred between P2VP and PHS showed hexagonally packed (HEX) cylindrical and body centered cubic (BCC) spherical microdomains. To know the exact location of short block copolymer chains at the interface, we synthesized deuterated polystyrene-block-polyhydroxystyrene copolymer (dPS-b-PHS) and prepared a binary mixture with PS-b-P2VP. We investigate, via small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and neutron reflectivity (NR), the exact location of shorter dPS block chain near the interface of the microdomains.

Minimum Description Length Block Finder, a Method to Identify Haplotype Blocks and to Compare the Strength of Block Boundaries

OpenAIRE

Mannila, H.; Koivisto, M.; Perola, M.; Varilo, T.; Hennah, W.; Ekelund, J.; Lukk, M.; Peltonen, L.; Ukkonen, E.

2003-01-01

We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the ...

The wild tapered block bootstrap

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hounyo, Ulrich

In this paper, a new resampling procedure, called the wild tapered block bootstrap, is introduced as a means of calculating standard errors of estimators and constructing confidence regions for parameters based on dependent heterogeneous data. The method consists in tapering each overlapping block...... of the series first, the applying the standard wild bootstrap for independent and heteroscedastic distrbuted observations to overlapping tapered blocks in an appropriate way. Its perserves the favorable bias and mean squared error properties of the tapered block bootstrap, which is the state-of-the-art block......-order asymptotic validity of the tapered block bootstrap as well as the wild tapered block bootstrap approximation to the actual distribution of the sample mean is also established when data are assumed to satisfy a near epoch dependent condition. The consistency of the bootstrap variance estimator for the sample...

Paroxysmal atrioventricular block: Electrophysiological mechanism of phase 4 conduction block in the His-Purkinje system: A comparison with phase 3 block.

Science.gov (United States)

Shenasa, Mohammad; Josephson, Mark E; Wit, Andrew L

2017-11-01

Paroxysmal atrioventricular (A-V) block is relatively rare, and due to its transient nature, it is often under recognized. It is often triggered by atrial, junctional, or ventricular premature beats, and occurs in the presence of a diseased His-Purkinje system (HPS). Here, we present a 45-year-old white male who was admitted for observation due to recurrent syncope and near-syncope, who had paroxysmal A-V block. The likely cellular electrophysiological mechanisms(s) of paroxysmal A-V block and its differential diagnosis and management are discussed. Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring was done while the patient was in the cardiac unit. Multiple episodes of paroxysmal A-V block were documented in this case. All episodes were initiated and terminated with atrial/junctional premature beats. The patient underwent permanent pacemaker implantation and has remained asymptomatic since then. Paroxysmal A-V block is rare and often causes syncope or near-syncope. Permanent pacemaker implantation is indicated according to the current guidelines. Paroxysmal A-V block occurs in the setting of diseased HPS and is bradycardia-dependent. The detailed electrophysiological mechanisms, which involve phase 4 diastolic depolarization, and differential diagnosis are discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optimal uplink power control for dual connected users in LTE heterogeneous networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Popovska Avramova, Andrijana; Wang, Hua; Dittmann, Lars

2016-01-01

In Dual Connectivity (DC), a User Equipment (UE) can be configured with two radio access nodes in order to aggregate the available resources at both nodes. As with dual connectivity each node has independent radio resource manage- ment, the maximum power allocation at the UE can be easily exceede...

Designers Block 2002

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dickson, Thomas

2002-01-01

Artiklen indleder med: ved siden aaf Londons etablerede designmesse '100% Design', er der vokset et undergrundsmiljø af designudstillinger op. Det dominerende og mest kendte initiativ er Designers Block, der i år udstillede to steder i byen. Designers Block er et mere uformelt udstillingsforum...

Arthroscopic medial meniscus trimming or repair under nerve blocks: Which nerves should be blocked?

Science.gov (United States)

Taha, AM; Abd-Elmaksoud, AM

2016-01-01

Background: This study aimed to determine the role of the sciatic and obturator nerve blocks (in addition to femoral block) in providing painless arthroscopic medial meniscus trimming/repair. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with medial meniscus tear, who had been scheduled to knee arthroscopy, were planned to be included in this controlled prospective double-blind study. The patients were randomly allocated into three equal groups; FSO, FS, and FO. The femoral, sciatic, and obturator nerves were blocked in FSO groups. The femoral and sciatic nerves were blocked in FS group, while the femoral and obturator nerves were blocked in FO group. Intraoperative pain and its causative surgical maneuver were recorded. Results: All the patients (n = 7, 100%) in FO group had intraoperative pain. The research was terminated in this group but completed in FS and FSO groups (40 patients each). During valgus positioning of the knee for surgical management of the medial meniscus tear, the patients in FS group experienced pain more frequently than those in FSO group (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Adding a sciatic nerve block to the femoral nerve block is important for painless knee arthroscopy. Further adding of an obturator nerve block may be needed when a valgus knee position is required to manage the medial meniscus tear. PMID:27375382

Coastal protection using topological interlocking blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Pasternak, Elena; Dyskin, Arcady; Pattiaratchi, Charitha; Pelinovsky, Efim

2013-04-01

The coastal protection systems mainly rely on the self-weight of armour blocks to ensure its stability. We propose a system of interlocking armour blocks, which form plate-shape assemblies. The shape and the position of the blocks are chosen in such a way as to impose kinematic constraints that prevent the blocks from being removed from the assembly. The topological interlocking shapes include simple convex blocks such as platonic solids, the most practical being tetrahedra, cubes and octahedra. Another class of topological interlocking blocks is so-called osteomorphic blocks, which form plate-like assemblies tolerant to random block removal (almost 25% of blocks need to be removed for the assembly to loose integrity). Both classes require peripheral constraint, which can be provided either by the weight of the blocks or post-tensioned internal cables. The interlocking assemblies provide increased stability because lifting one block involves lifting (and bending) the whole assembly. We model the effect of interlocking by introducing an equivalent additional self-weight of the armour blocks. This additional self-weight is proportional to the critical pressure needed to cause bending of the interlocking assembly when it loses stability. Using beam approximation we find an equivalent stability coefficient for interlocking. It is found to be greater than the stability coefficient of a structure with similar blocks without interlocking. In the case when the peripheral constraint is provided by the weight of the blocks and for the slope angle of 45o, the effective stability coefficient for a structure of 100 blocks is 33% higher than the one for a similar structure without interlocking. Further increase in the stability coefficient can be reached by a specially constructed peripheral constraint system, for instance by using post-tension cables.

Nalbuphine as an adjuvant to 0.25% levobupivacaine in ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block provided prolonged sensory block and similar motor block durations (RCT).

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelhamid, Bassant Mohamed; Omar, Heba

2018-05-28

Prolonged postoperative analgesia with early motor recovery for early rehabilitation is a challenge in regional block. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of adding 20 mg nalbuphine to 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine in supraclavicular brachial plexus block. One hundred thirty-five (135) patients scheduled for hand and forearm surgeries with supraclavicular block were randomly allocated into three equal groups. Group L received 25 ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine + 1 ml normal saline; group H received 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine + 1 ml normal saline; and group N received 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine + 1 ml (20 mg) nalbuphine. Onset time and duration of sensory and motor block, and time to first analgesic dose were recorded. Sensory block onset was comparable between the three groups. Motor block onset in group L and group N was comparable (13.16 ± 3.07 and 13.84 ± 3.05 min, respectively) and was shorter than that in group H (15.71 ± 2 0.91 min). Sensory block duration in group L and group N was comparable (522.22 ± 69.57 and 533.78 ± 66.03 min, respectively) and was longer than that in group H (342.67 ± 92.80 min). Motor block duration in group N and group H was comparable (272.00 ± 59.45 and 249.78 ± 66.01 min, respectively) and was shorter than that in group L (334.67 ± 57.90 min). Time to first analgesic dose was significantly longer in group N (649.78 ± 114.76 min) than that of group L and group H (575.56 ± 96.85 and 375.56 ± 84.49 min, respectively) and longer in group L when compared to group H. Adding 20 mg nalbuphine to 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine in supraclavicular block provided prolonged duration of sensory block with similar duration of motor block.

Resource Allocation for the Multiband Relay Channel: A Building Block for Hybrid Wireless Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyounghwan Lee

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate optimal resource allocation for the multiband relay channel. We find the optimal power and bandwidth allocation strategies that maximize the bounds on the capacity, by solving the corresponding max-min optimization problem. We provide sufficient conditions under which the associated max-min problem is equivalent to a supporting plane problem, which renders the solution for an arbitrary number of bands tractable. In addition, the sufficient conditions derived are general enough so that a class of utility functions can be accommodated with this formulation. As an example, we concentrate on the case where the source has two bands and the relay has a single band available and find the optimal resource allocation. We observe that joint power and bandwidth optimization always yields higher achievable rates than power optimization alone, establishing the merit of bandwidth sharing. Motivated by our analytical results, we examine a simple scenario where new channels become available for a transmitter to communicate; that is, new source to relay bands are added to a frequency division relay network. Given the channel conditions of the network, we establish the guidelines on how to allocate resources in order to achieve higher rates, depending on the relative quality of the available links.

Approximate design theory for a simple block design with random block effects

OpenAIRE

Christof, Karin

1985-01-01

Approximate design theory for a simple block design with random block effects / K. Christof ; F. Pukelsheim. - In: Linear statistical inference / ed. by T. Calinski ... - Berlin u. a. : Springer, 1985. - S. 20-28. - (Lecture notes in statistics ; 35)

Solving block linear systems with low-rank off-diagonal blocks is easily parallelizable

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menkov, V. [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States)

1996-12-31

An easily and efficiently parallelizable direct method is given for solving a block linear system Bx = y, where B = D + Q is the sum of a non-singular block diagonal matrix D and a matrix Q with low-rank blocks. This implicitly defines a new preconditioning method with an operation count close to the cost of calculating a matrix-vector product Qw for some w, plus at most twice the cost of calculating Qw for some w. When implemented on a parallel machine the processor utilization can be as good as that of those operations. Order estimates are given for the general case, and an implementation is compared to block SSOR preconditioning.

Entropy-Based Block Processing for Satellite Image Registration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ikhyun Lee

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Image registration is an important task in many computer vision applications such as fusion systems, 3D shape recovery and earth observation. Particularly, registering satellite images is challenging and time-consuming due to limited resources and large image size. In such scenario, state-of-the-art image registration methods such as scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT may not be suitable due to high processing time. In this paper, we propose an algorithm based on block processing via entropy to register satellite images. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using different real images. The comparative analysis shows that it not only reduces the processing time but also enhances the accuracy.

Prediction-Based Energy Saving Mechanism in 3GPP NB-IoT Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jinseong; Lee, Jaiyong

2017-09-01

The current expansion of the Internet of things (IoT) demands improved communication platforms that support a wide area with low energy consumption. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project introduced narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) as IoT communication solutions. NB-IoT devices should be available for over 10 years without requiring a battery replacement. Thus, a low energy consumption is essential for the successful deployment of this technology. Given that a high amount of energy is consumed for radio transmission by the power amplifier, reducing the uplink transmission time is key to ensure a long lifespan of an IoT device. In this paper, we propose a prediction-based energy saving mechanism (PBESM) that is focused on enhanced uplink transmission. The mechanism consists of two parts: first, the network architecture that predicts the uplink packet occurrence through a deep packet inspection; second, an algorithm that predicts the processing delay and pre-assigns radio resources to enhance the scheduling request procedure. In this way, our mechanism reduces the number of random accesses and the energy consumed by radio transmission. Simulation results showed that the energy consumption using the proposed PBESM is reduced by up to 34% in comparison with that in the conventional NB-IoT method.

Rolling block mazes are PSPACE-complete

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buchin, K.; Buchin, M.

2012-01-01

In a rolling block maze, one or more blocks lie on a rectangular board with square cells. In most mazes, the blocks have size k × m × n where k, m, n are integers that determine the size of the block in terms of units of the size of the board cells. The task of a rolling block maze is to roll a

Two-dimensional priority-based dynamic resource allocation algorithm for QoS in WDM/TDM PON networks

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yixin; Liu, Bo; Zhang, Lijia; Xin, Xiangjun; Zhang, Qi; Rao, Lan

2018-01-01

Wavelength division multiplexing/time division multiplexing (WDM/TDM) passive optical networks (PON) is being viewed as a promising solution for delivering multiple services and applications. The hybrid WDM / TDM PON uses the wavelength and bandwidth allocation strategy to control the distribution of the wavelength channels in the uplink direction, so that it can ensure the high bandwidth requirements of multiple Optical Network Units (ONUs) while improving the wavelength resource utilization. Through the investigation of the presented dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithms, these algorithms can't satisfy the requirements of different levels of service very well while adapting to the structural characteristics of mixed WDM / TDM PON system. This paper introduces a novel wavelength and bandwidth allocation algorithm to efficiently utilize the bandwidth and support QoS (Quality of Service) guarantees in WDM/TDM PON. Two priority based polling subcycles are introduced in order to increase system efficiency and improve system performance. The fixed priority polling subcycle and dynamic priority polling subcycle follow different principles to implement wavelength and bandwidth allocation according to the priority of different levels of service. A simulation was conducted to study the performance of the priority based polling in dynamic resource allocation algorithm in WDM/TDM PON. The results show that the performance of delay-sensitive services is greatly improved without degrading QoS guarantees for other services. Compared with the traditional dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithms, this algorithm can meet bandwidth needs of different priority traffic class, achieve low loss rate performance, and ensure real-time of high priority traffic class in terms of overall traffic on the network.

A PMT-Block test bench

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adragna, P.; Antonaki, A.

2006-01-01

The front-end electronics of the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter (Tile Cal) is housed in a unit, called PMT-Block. The PMT-Block is a compact instrument comprising a light mixer, a PMT together with its divider and a 3-in-1 card, which provides shaping, amplification and integration for the signals. This instrument needs to be qualified before being assembled on the detector. A PMT-Block test bench has been developed for this purpose. This test bench is a system which allows fast, albeit accurate enough, measurements of the main properties of a complete PMT-Block. The system, both hardware and software, and the protocol used for the PMT-Blocks characterization are described in detail in this report. The results obtained in the test of about 10 000 PMT-Blocks needed for the instrumentation of the ATLAS (LHC-CERN) hadronic Tile Calorimeter are also reported

A PMT-Block test bench

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adragna, P [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E.Fermi' , Universita di Pisa and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, Pisa 56127 (Italy); Universita degli studi di Siena, via Roma 56, 53100 Siena (Italy); Antonaki, A [Institute of Accelerating Systems and Applications, P.O. Box 17214, Athens 10024 (Greece); National Capodistrian University of Athens, 30 Panepistimiou st., Athens 10679 (Greece)] (and others)

2006-08-01

The front-end electronics of the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter (Tile Cal) is housed in a unit, called PMT-Block. The PMT-Block is a compact instrument comprising a light mixer, a PMT together with its divider and a 3-in-1 card, which provides shaping, amplification and integration for the signals. This instrument needs to be qualified before being assembled on the detector. A PMT-Block test bench has been developed for this purpose. This test bench is a system which allows fast, albeit accurate enough, measurements of the main properties of a complete PMT-Block. The system, both hardware and software, and the protocol used for the PMT-Blocks characterization are described in detail in this report. The results obtained in the test of about 10 000 PMT-Blocks needed for the instrumentation of the ATLAS (LHC-CERN) hadronic Tile Calorimeter are also reported.

Masquerading bundle branch block as a presenting manifestation of complete atrioventricular block that caused syncope.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Zhenyu; Tian, Ying; Yang, Xinchun; Liu, Xingpeng

2017-10-01

A 59-year-old male patient was admitted with the main complaints of stuffiness and shortness of breath. An ECG from precordial leads on admission showed masquerading bundle branch block. Syncope frequently occurred after admission. During syncope episodes, ECG telemetry showed that the syncope was caused by intermittent complete atrioventricular block, with the longest RR interval lasting for 4.36 s. At the gap of syncope, ECG showed complete right bundle branch block accompanied by alternation of left anterior fascicular block and left posterior fascicular block. The patient was implanted with a dual-chamber permanent pacemaker. Follow-up of 9 months showed no reoccurrence of syncope.

Backfilling of deposition tunnels, block alternative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keto, P.; Roennqvist, P.-E.

2007-03-01

This report presents a preliminary process description of backfilling the deposition tunnels with pre-compacted blocks consisting of a mixture of bentonite and ballast (30:70). The process was modified for the Finnish KBS-3V type repository assuming that the amount of spent fuel canisters disposed of yearly is 40. Backfilling blocks (400 x 300 x 300 mm) are prepared in a block production plant with a hydraulic press with an estimated production capacity of 840 blocks per day. Some of the blocks are modified further to fit the profile of the tunnel roof. Prior to the installation of the blocks, the deposition tunnel floor is levelled with a mixture of bentonite and ballast (15:85). The blocks are placed in the tunnel with a modified reach truck. Centrifugal pellet throwing equipment is used to fill the gap between the blocks and the rock surface with bentonite pellets. Based on a preliminary assessment, the average dry density achieved with block backfill is sufficient to fulfil the criteria set for the backfill in order to ensure long-term safety and radiation protection. However, there are uncertainties concerning saturation, homogenisation, erosion, piping and self-healing of the block backfill that need to be studied further with laboratory and field tests. In addition, development efforts and testing concerning block manufacturing and installation are required to verify the technical feasibility of the concept. (orig.)

Emplacement of small and large buffer blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saari, H.; Nikula, M.; Suikki, M.

2010-05-01

The report describes emplacement of a buffer structure encircling a spent fuel canister to be deposited in a vertical hole. The report deals with installability of various size blocks and with an emplacement gear, as well as evaluates the achieved quality of emplacement and the time needed for installing the buffer. Two block assembly of unequal size were chosen for examination. A first option involved small blocks, the use of which resulted in a buffer structure consisting of small sector blocks 200 mm in height. A second option involved large blocks, resulting in a buffer structure which consists of eight blocks. In these tests, the material chosen for both block options was concrete instead of bentonite. The emplacement test was a three-phase process. A first phase included stacking a two meter high buffer structure with small blocks for ensuring the operation of test equipment and blocks. A second phase included installing buffer structures with both block options to a height matching that of a canister-encircling cylindrical component. A third phase included testing also the installability of blocks to be placed above the canister by using small blocks. In emplacement tests, special attention was paid to the installability of blocks as well as to the time required for emplacement. Lifters for both blocks worked well. Due to the mass to be lifted, the lifter for large blocks had a more heavy-duty frame structure (and other lifting gear). The employed lifters were suspended in the tests on a single steel wire rope. Stacking was managed with both block sizes at adequate precision and stacked-up towers were steady. The stacking of large blocks was considerably faster. Therefore it is probably that the overall handling of the large blocks will be more convenient at a final disposal site. From the standpoint of reliability in lifting, the small blocks were safer to install above the canister. In large blocks, there are strict shape-related requirements which are

Downlink scheduling using non-orthogonal uplink beams

KAUST Repository

Eltayeb, Mohammed E.

2014-04-01

Opportunistic schedulers rely on the feedback of the channel state information of users in order to perform user selection and downlink scheduling. This feedback increases with the number of users, and can lead to inefficient use of network resources and scheduling delays. We tackle the problem of feedback design, and propose a novel class of nonorthogonal codes to feed back channel state information. Users with favorable channel conditions simultaneously transmit their channel state information via non-orthogonal beams to the base station. The proposed formulation allows the base station to identify the strong users via a simple correlation process. After deriving the minimum required code length and closed-form expressions for the feedback load and downlink capacity, we show that i) the proposed algorithm reduces the feedback load while matching the achievable rate of full feedback algorithms operating over a noiseless feedback channel, and ii) the proposed codes are superior to the Gaussian codes.

Downlink scheduling using non-orthogonal uplink beams

KAUST Repository

Eltayeb, Mohammed E.; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.; Bahrami, Hamid Reza Talesh

2014-01-01

Opportunistic schedulers rely on the feedback of the channel state information of users in order to perform user selection and downlink scheduling. This feedback increases with the number of users, and can lead to inefficient use of network resources and scheduling delays. We tackle the problem of feedback design, and propose a novel class of nonorthogonal codes to feed back channel state information. Users with favorable channel conditions simultaneously transmit their channel state information via non-orthogonal beams to the base station. The proposed formulation allows the base station to identify the strong users via a simple correlation process. After deriving the minimum required code length and closed-form expressions for the feedback load and downlink capacity, we show that i) the proposed algorithm reduces the feedback load while matching the achievable rate of full feedback algorithms operating over a noiseless feedback channel, and ii) the proposed codes are superior to the Gaussian codes.

Comparative study between ultrasound guided tap block and paravertebral block in upper abdominal surgeries. Randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruqaya M. Elsayed

2017-01-01

Conclusion: We concluded that ultrasound guided transversus abdominis plane block and thoracic paravertebral block were safe and effective anesthetic technique for upper abdominal surgery with longer and potent postoperative analgesia in thoracic paravertebral block than transversus abdominis block.

POBE: A Computer Program for Optimal Design of Multi-Subject Blocked fMRI Experiments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bärbel Maus

2014-01-01

Full Text Available For functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI studies, researchers can use multi-subject blocked designs to identify active brain regions for a certain stimulus type of interest. Before performing such an experiment, careful planning is necessary to obtain efficient stimulus effect estimators within the available financial resources. The optimal number of subjects and the optimal scanning time for a multi-subject blocked design with fixed experimental costs can be determined using optimal design methods. In this paper, the user-friendly computer program POBE 1.2 (program for optimal design of blocked experiments, version 1.2 is presented. POBE provides a graphical user interface for fMRI researchers to easily and efficiently design their experiments. The computer program POBE calculates the optimal number of subjects and the optimal scanning time for user specified experimental factors and model parameters so that the statistical efficiency is maximised for a given study budget. POBE can also be used to determine the minimum budget for a given power. Furthermore, a maximin design can be determined as efficient design for a possible range of values for the unknown model parameters. In this paper, the computer program is described and illustrated with typical experimental factors for a blocked fMRI experiment.

Ionization of amphiphilic acidic block copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Colombani, Olivier; Lejeune, Elise; Charbonneau, Céline; Chassenieux, Christophe; Nicolai, Taco

2012-06-28

The ionization behavior of an amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(n-butyl acrylate(50%)-stat-acrylic acid(50%))(100)-block-poly(acrylic acid)(100) (P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100)-b-PAA(100), DH50) and of its equivalent triblock copolymer P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100)-b-PAA(200)-b-P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100) (TH50) were studied by potentiometric titration either in pure water or in 0.5 M NaCl. These polymers consist of a hydrophilic acidic block (PAA) connected to a hydrophobic block, P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100), whose hydrophobic character has been mitigated by copolymerization with hydrophilic units. We show that all AA units, even those in the hydrophobic block could be ionized. However, the AA units within the hydrophobic block were less acidic than those in the hydrophilic block, resulting in the preferential ionization of the latter block. The preferential ionization of PAA over that of P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100) was stronger at higher ionic strength. Remarkably, the covalent bonds between the PAA and P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100) blocks in the diblock or the triblock did not affect the ionization of each block, although the self-association of the block copolymers into spherical aggregates modified the environment of the PAA blocks compared to when PAA was molecularly dispersed.

Integral-fuel blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunningham, C.; Simpkin, S.D.

1975-01-01

A prismatic moderator block is described which has fuel-containing channels and coolant channels disposed parallel to each other and to edge faces of the block. The coolant channels are arranged in rows on an equilateral triangular lattice pattern and the fuel-containing channels are disposed in a regular lattice pattern with one fuel-containing channel between and equidistant from each of the coolant channels in each group of three mutually adjacent coolant channels. The edge faces of the block are parallel to the rows of coolant channels and the channels nearest to each edge face are disposed in two rows parallel thereto, with one of the rows containing only coolant channels and the other row containing only fuel-containing channels. (Official Gazette)

Outage Analysis of Spectrum-Sharing over M-Block Fading with Sensing Information

KAUST Repository

Alabbasi, Abdulrahman

2016-07-13

Future wireless technologies, such as, 5G, are expected to support real-time applications with high data throughput, e.g., holographic meetings. From a bandwidth perspective, cognitive radio is a promising technology to enhance the system’s throughput via sharing the licensed spectrum. From a delay perspective, it is well known that increasing the number of decoding blocks will improve the system robustness against errors, while increasing the delay. Therefore, optimally allocating the resources to determine the tradeoff of tuning the length of decoding blocks while sharing the spectrum is a critical challenge for future wireless systems. In this work, we minimize the targeted outage probability over the block-fading channels while utilizing the spectrum-sharing concept. The secondary user’s outage region and the corresponding optimal power are derived, over twoblocks and M-blocks fading channels. We propose two suboptimal power strategies and derive the associated asymptotic lower and upper bounds on the outage probability with tractable expressions. These bounds allow us to derive the exact diversity order of the secondary user’s outage probability. To further enhance the system’s performance, we also investigate the impact of including the sensing information on the outage problem. The outage problem is then solved via proposing an alternating optimization algorithm, which utilizes the verified strict quasiconvex structure of the problem. Selected numerical results are presented to characterize the system’s behavior and show the improvements of several sharing concepts.

Comparison of the Effect of Continuous Femoral Nerve Block and Adductor Canal Block after Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Seung Suk; Kim, Ok Gul; Seo, Jin Hyeok; Kim, Do Hoon; Kim, Youn Gu; Park, Beyoung Yun

2017-09-01

This study aimed to compare the effects of femoral nerve block and adductor canal block on postoperative pain, quadriceps strength, and walking ability after primary total knee arthroplasty. Between November 2014 and February 2015, 60 patients underwent primary total knee arthroplasty. Thirty patients received femoral nerve block and the other 30 received adductor canal block for postoperative pain control. Before spinal anesthesia, the patients received nerve block via a catheter (20 mL 0.75% ropivacaine was administered initially, followed by intermittent bolus injection of 10 mL 0.2% ropivacaine every 6 hours for 3 days). The catheters were maintained in the exact location of nerve block in 24 patients in the femoral nerve block group and in 19 patients in the adductor canal block group. Data collection was carried out from these 43 patients. To evaluate postoperative pain control, the numerical rating scale scores at rest and 45° flexion of the knee were recorded. To evaluate quadriceps strength, manual muscle testing was performed. Walking ability was assessed using the Timed Up and Go test. We also evaluated analgesic consumption and complications of peripheral nerve block. No significant intergroup difference was observed in the numerical rating scale scores at rest and 45° flexion of the knee on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 7. The adductor canal block group had significantly greater quadriceps strength than did the femoral nerve block group, as assessed by manual muscle testing on postoperative days 1, 2, and 3. The 2 groups showed no difference in walking ability on postoperative day 1, but on postoperative days 2, 3, walking ability was significantly better in the adductor canal block group than in the femoral nerve block group. No significant intergroup difference was observed in analgesic consumption. The groups showed no difference in postoperative pain control. Adductor canal block was superior to femoral nerve block in preserving quadriceps

Powered Explicit Guidance Modifications and Enhancements for Space Launch System Block-1 and Block-1B Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Von der Porten, Paul; Ahmad, Naeem; Hawkins, Matt; Fill, Thomas

2018-01-01

NASA is currently building the Space Launch System (SLS) Block-1 launch vehicle for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) test flight. NASA is also currently designing the next evolution of SLS, the Block-1B. The Block-1 and Block-1B vehicles will use the Powered Explicit Guidance (PEG) algorithm (of Space Shuttle heritage) for closed loop guidance. To accommodate vehicle capabilities and design for future evolutions of SLS, modifications were made to PEG for Block-1 to handle multi-phase burns, provide PEG updated propulsion information, and react to a core stage engine out. In addition, due to the relatively low thrust-to-weight ratio of the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) and EUS carrying out Lunar Vicinity and Earth Escape missions, certain enhancements to the Block-1 PEG algorithm are needed to perform Block-1B missions to account for long burn arcs and target translunar and hyperbolic orbits. This paper describes the design and implementation of modifications to the Block-1 PEG algorithm as compared to Space Shuttle. Furthermore, this paper illustrates challenges posed by the Block-1B vehicle and the required PEG enhancements. These improvements make PEG capable for use on the SLS Block-1B vehicle as part of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) System.

Building Curriculum during Block Play

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Nicole

2015-01-01

Blocks are not just for play! In this article, Nicole Andrews describes observing the interactions of three young boys enthusiastically engaged in the kindergarten block center of their classroom, using blocks in a building project that displayed their ability to use critical thinking skills, physics exploration, and the development of language…

Region 9 Census Block 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Geography:The TIGER Line Files are feature classes and related database files (.) that are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER Line File is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. Census Blocks are statistical areas bounded on all sides by visible features, such as streets, roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and/or by non visible boundaries such as city, town, township, and county limits, and short line-of-sight extensions of streets and roads. Census blocks are relatively small in area; for example, a block in a city bounded by streets. However, census blocks in remote areas are often large and irregular and may even be many square miles in area. A common misunderstanding is that data users think census blocks are used geographically to build all other census geographic areas, rather all other census geographic areas are updated and then used as the primary constraints, along with roads and water features, to delineate the tabulation blocks. As a result, all 2010 Census blocks nest within every other 2010 Census geographic area, so that Census Bureau statistical data can be tabulated at the block level and aggregated up t

Various semiclassical limits of torus conformal blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alkalaev, Konstantin [I.E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute,Leninsky ave. 53, Moscow, 119991 (Russian Federation); Department of General and Applied Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology,Institutskiy per. 7, Dolgoprudnyi, Moscow region, 141700 (Russian Federation); Geiko, Roman [Mathematics Department, National Research University Higher School of Economics,Usacheva str. 6, Moscow, 119048 (Russian Federation); Rappoport, Vladimir [I.E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute,Leninsky ave. 53, Moscow, 119991 (Russian Federation); Department of Quantum Physics, Institute for Information Transmission Problems,Bolshoy Karetny per. 19, Moscow, 127994 (Russian Federation)

2017-04-12

We study four types of one-point torus blocks arising in the large central charge regime. There are the global block, the light block, the heavy-light block, and the linearized classical block, according to different regimes of conformal dimensions. It is shown that the blocks are not independent being connected to each other by various links. We find that the global, light, and heavy-light blocks correspond to three different contractions of the Virasoro algebra. Also, we formulate the c-recursive representation of the one-point torus blocks which is relevant in the semiclassical approximation.

Common blocks for ASQS(12

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorenzo Milazzo

1997-05-01

Full Text Available An ASQS(v is a particular Steiner system featuring a set of v vertices and two separate families of blocks, B and G, whose elements have a respective cardinality of 4 and 6. It has the property that any three vertices of X belong either to a B-block or to a G-block. The parameter cb is the number of common blocks in two separate ASQSs, both defined on the same set of vertices X . In this paper it is shown that cb ≤ 29 for any pair of ASQSs(12.

Pectoral nerve block (Pecs block) with sedation for breast conserving surgery without general anesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Eun-Jin; Kim, Seung-Beom; Chung, Jun-Young; Song, Jeong-Yoon; Yi, Jae-Woo

2017-09-01

Most regional anesthesia in breast surgeries is performed as postoperative pain management under general anesthesia, and not as the primary anesthesia. Regional anesthesia has very few cardiovascular or pulmonary side-effects, as compared with general anesthesia. Pectoral nerve block is a relatively new technique, with fewer complications than other regional anesthesia. We performed Pecs I and Pec II block simultaneously as primary anesthesia under moderate sedation with dexmedetomidine for breast conserving surgery in a 49-year-old female patient with invasive ductal carcinoma. Block was uneventful and showed no complications. Thus, Pecs block with sedation could be an alternative to general anesthesia for breast surgeries.

49 CFR 236.708 - Block.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Block. 236.708 Section 236.708 Transportation... OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.708 Block. A length of track of defined limits, the use of which by trains is governed by block signals, cab signals, or both. ...

The nursing human resource planning best practice toolkit: creating a best practice resource for nursing managers.

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, Leslie; Beduz, Mary Agnes

2010-05-01

Evidence of acute nursing shortages in urban hospitals has been surfacing since 2000. Further, new graduate nurses account for more than 50% of total nurse turnover in some hospitals and between 35% and 60% of new graduates change workplace during the first year. Critical to organizational success, first line nurse managers must have the knowledge and skills to ensure the accurate projection of nursing resource requirements and to develop proactive recruitment and retention programs that are effective, promote positive nursing socialization, and provide early exposure to the clinical setting. The Nursing Human Resource Planning Best Practice Toolkit project supported the creation of a network of teaching and community hospitals to develop a best practice toolkit in nursing human resource planning targeted at first line nursing managers. The toolkit includes the development of a framework including the conceptual building blocks of planning tools, manager interventions, retention and recruitment and professional practice models. The development of the toolkit involved conducting a review of the literature for best practices in nursing human resource planning, using a mixed method approach to data collection including a survey and extensive interviews of managers and completing a comprehensive scan of human resource practices in the participating organizations. This paper will provide an overview of the process used to develop the toolkit, a description of the toolkit contents and a reflection on the outcomes of the project.

Ultrasound-Guided Single-Injection Infraclavicular Block Versus Ultrasound-Guided Double-Injection Axillary Block: A Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Boivin, Ariane; Nadeau, Marie-Josée; Dion, Nicolas; Lévesque, Simon; Nicole, Pierre C; Turgeon, Alexis F

2016-01-01

Single-injection ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block is a simple, reliable, and effective technique. A simplified double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block technique with a high success rate recently has been described. It has the advantage of being performed in a superficial and compressible location, with a potentially improved safety profile. However, its effectiveness in comparison with single-injection infraclavicular block has not been established. We hypothesized that the double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block would show rates of complete sensory block at 30 minutes noninferior to the single-injection ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block. After approval by our research ethics committee and written informed consent, adults undergoing distal upper arm surgery were randomized to either group I, ultrasound-guided single-injection infraclavicular block, or group A, ultrasound-guided double-injection axillary block. In group I, 30 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine was injected posterior to the axillary artery. In group A, 25 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine was injected posteromedial to the axillary artery, after which 5 mL was injected around the musculocutaneous nerve. Primary outcome was the rate of complete sensory block at 30 minutes. Secondary outcomes were the onset of sensory and motor blocks, surgical success rates, performance times, and incidence of complications. All outcomes were assessed by a blinded investigator. The noninferiority of the double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block was considered if the limits of the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) were within a 10% margin of the rate of complete sensory block of the infraclavicular block. At 30 minutes, the rate of complete sensory block was 79% in group A (90% CI, 71%-85%) compared with 91% in group I (90% CI, 85%-95%); the upper limit of CI of group A is thus included in the established noninferiority margin of 10%. The rate of complete sensory block was lower in group A (proportion

Block copolymer battery separator

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, David; Balsara, Nitash Pervez

2016-04-26

The invention herein described is the use of a block copolymer/homopolymer blend for creating nanoporous materials for transport applications. Specifically, this is demonstrated by using the block copolymer poly(styrene-block-ethylene-block-styrene) (SES) and blending it with homopolymer polystyrene (PS). After blending the polymers, a film is cast, and the film is submerged in tetrahydrofuran, which removes the PS. This creates a nanoporous polymer film, whereby the holes are lined with PS. Control of morphology of the system is achieved by manipulating the amount of PS added and the relative size of the PS added. The porous nature of these films was demonstrated by measuring the ionic conductivity in a traditional battery electrolyte, 1M LiPF.sub.6 in EC/DEC (1:1 v/v) using AC impedance spectroscopy and comparing these results to commercially available battery separators.

Atrial Fibrillation, Atrioventricular Blocks and Bundle Branch Blocks in Hemodialysis Patients

OpenAIRE

Mandic, Ante; Tomic, Monika; Petrov, Bozo; Romic, Zeljko

2012-01-01

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most frequent arrhythmias diagnosed in clinical practice and it is also relatively common in dialysis patients. Atrioventricular and intraventricular conduction disturbances are less investigated in hemodialysis patients and data about their prevalence are insufficient. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular blocks and bundle branch blocks in hemodialysis patients and to analyze different clinical ...

Strength and deformability of hollow concrete blocks: correlation of block and cylindrical sample test results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. S. Barbosa

Full Text Available This paper deals with correlations among mechanical properties of hollow blocks and those of concrete used to make them. Concrete hollow blocks and test samples were moulded with plastic consistency concrete, to assure the same material in all cases, in three diferente levels of strength (nominally 10 N/mm², 20 N/mm² and 30 N/mm². The mechanical properties and structural behaviour in axial compression and tension tests were determined by standard tests in blocks and cylinders. Stress and strain analyses were made based on concrete’s modulus of elasticity obtained in the sample tests as well as on measured strain in the blocks’ face-shells and webs. A peculiar stress-strain analysis, based on the superposition of effects, provided an estimation of the block load capacity based on its deformations. In addition, a tentative method to preview the block deformability from the concrete mechanical properties is described and tested. This analysis is a part of a broader research that aims to support a detailed structural analysis of blocks, prisms and masonry constructions.

Reversible chronic acquired complete atrioventricular block.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakovec, P; Milcinski, G; Voga, G; Korsic, L

1982-01-01

The return of atrioventricular conduction is reported in a case after nearly four years of complete acquired heart block. After recovery from atrioventricular block, right bundle branch block persisted, but P-R interval and H-V interval were normal. Three months later a relapse of second degree infranodal atrioventricular block was noted. A short review of similar cases from the literature is given.

Compaction of bentonite blocks. Development of techniques for production of blocks with different shapes and sizes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johannesson, Lars-Erik; Boergesson, Lennart

1998-09-01

In this report useful techniques for producing both smaller blocks manageable by man (10-15 kg) and larger blocks which need special equipment for handling (weight up to 600 kg) are described. Tests for producing blocks with a weight of approximately 10 kg were carried out at Hoeganaes Bjuf AB in Bjuv. This industry is normally producing refractory bricks and other refractory products. The plant has facilities for handling large volumes of clay. It also has machines suitable for producing uniaxially compacted blocks. Tests performed at the plant show that it is possible to compact blocks with good quality. The best quality was reached with a coarsely ground bentonite at a water ratio of 17 %. The compaction rate was high and performed with lubricated form and stepwise loading. Tests, in order to find a technique for producing larger blocks with a diameter of the same size as a deposition hole (about 1.65 m), were also made. The technique was developed in a smaller scale (250 mm). Ring-shaped blocks with the same outer diameter and with an inner diameter of about 156 mm were also compacted. The compaction was made with vacuum in the form. The outer surface of the form was conical and most of the tests were performed with a lubricated form. Tests were performed with different water ratios of the bentonite. All the blocks had a good quality. In consequence of the good test results a form with a 1000 mm diameter was constructed and a number of compaction tests were performed. The same technique was used as for the smaller blocks. The compaction pressure in most tests was 100 MPa (maximum compaction load 80.000 kN). The tests were performed at HYDROWELD in Ystad in a press with a maximum capacity of 300.000 kN. All tests were performed with MX-80. Most of the blocks had a good quality. A small damage close to the upper surface of all blocks was observed but is considered to be of no importance for the possibility to handle the blocks and is not affecting the properties

Compaction of bentonite blocks. Development of techniques for production of blocks with different shapes and sizes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johannesson, Lars-Erik; Boergesson, Lennart [Clay Technology AB, Lund (Sweden)

1998-09-01

In this report useful techniques for producing both smaller blocks manageable by man (10-15 kg) and larger blocks which need special equipment for handling (weight up to 600 kg) are described. Tests for producing blocks with a weight of approximately 10 kg were carried out at Hoeganaes Bjuf AB in Bjuv. This industry is normally producing refractory bricks and other refractory products. The plant has facilities for handling large volumes of clay. It also has machines suitable for producing uniaxially compacted blocks. Tests performed at the plant show that it is possible to compact blocks with good quality. The best quality was reached with a coarsely ground bentonite at a water ratio of 17 %. The compaction rate was high and performed with lubricated form and stepwise loading. Tests, in order to find a technique for producing larger blocks with a diameter of the same size as a deposition hole (about 1.65 m), were also made. The technique was developed in a smaller scale (250 mm). Ring-shaped blocks with the same outer diameter and with an inner diameter of about 156 mm were also compacted. The compaction was made with vacuum in the form. The outer surface of the form was conical and most of the tests were performed with a lubricated form. Tests were performed with different water ratios of the bentonite. All the blocks had a good quality. In consequence of the good test results a form with a 1000 mm diameter was constructed and a number of compaction tests were performed. The same technique was used as for the smaller blocks. The compaction pressure in most tests was 100 MPa (maximum compaction load 80.000 kN). The tests were performed at HYDROWELD in Ystad in a press with a maximum capacity of 300.000 kN. All tests were performed with MX-80. Most of the blocks had a good quality. A small damage close to the upper surface of all blocks was observed but is considered to be of no importance for the possibility to handle the blocks and is not affecting the properties

Bullet-Block Science Video Puzzle

Science.gov (United States)

Shakur, Asif

2015-01-01

A science video blog, which has gone viral, shows a wooden block shot by a vertically aimed rifle. The video shows that the block hit dead center goes exactly as high as the one shot off-center. (Fig. 1). The puzzle is that the block shot off-center carries rotational kinetic energy in addition to the gravitational potential energy. This leads a…

Cellient™ automated cell block versus traditional cell block preparation: a comparison of morphologic features and immunohistochemical staining.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, David G; Russell, Donna K; Benson, Jenna M; Schneider, Ashley E; Hoda, Rana S; Bonfiglio, Thomas A

2011-10-01

Traditional cell block (TCB) sections serve as an important diagnostic adjunct to cytologic smears but are also used today as a reliable preparation for immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. There are many ways to prepare a cell block and the methods continue to be revised. In this study, we compare the TCB with the Cellient™ automated cell block system. Thirty-five cell blocks were obtained from 16 benign and 19 malignant nongynecologic cytology specimens at a large university teaching hospital and prepared according to TCB and Cellient protocols. Cell block sections from both methods were compared for possible differences in various morphologic features and immunohistochemical staining patterns. In the 16 benign cases, no significant morphologic differences were found between the TCB and Cellient cell block sections. For the 19 malignant cases, some noticeable differences in the nuclear chromatin and cellularity were identified, although statistical significance was not attained. Immunohistochemical or special stains were performed on 89% of the malignant cases (17/19). Inadequate cellularity precluded full evaluation in 23% of Cellient cell block IHC preparations (4/17). Of the malignant cases with adequate cellularity (13/17), the immunohistochemical staining patterns from the different methods were identical in 53% of cases. The traditional and Cellient cell block sections showed similar morphologic and immunohistochemical staining patterns. The only significant difference between the two methods concerned the lower overall cell block cellularity identified during immunohistochemical staining in the Cellient cell block sections. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Compatibilization of low-density polyethylene/polystyrene blends by segmented EB(PS-block-EB)(n) block copolymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kroeze, E; ten Brinke, G.; Hadziioannou, G

Hydrogenated segmented poly[butadiene-block-(styrene-block-butadiene)(n)] block copolymers, which were developed by use of a polymeric iniferter technique, were tested on their compatibilizing effectiveness for (10/90) LDPE/PS blends. They were found to be effective compatibilizers for this mixture,

Light extraction block with curved surface

Science.gov (United States)

Levermore, Peter; Krall, Emory; Silvernail, Jeffrey; Rajan, Kamala; Brown, Julia J.

2016-03-22

Light extraction blocks, and OLED lighting panels using light extraction blocks, are described, in which the light extraction blocks include various curved shapes that provide improved light extraction properties compared to parallel emissive surface, and a thinner form factor and better light extraction than a hemisphere. Lighting systems described herein may include a light source with an OLED panel. A light extraction block with a three-dimensional light emitting surface may be optically coupled to the light source. The three-dimensional light emitting surface of the block may includes a substantially curved surface, with further characteristics related to the curvature of the surface at given points. A first radius of curvature corresponding to a maximum principal curvature k.sub.1 at a point p on the substantially curved surface may be greater than a maximum height of the light extraction block. A maximum height of the light extraction block may be less than 50% of a maximum width of the light extraction block. Surfaces with cross sections made up of line segments and inflection points may also be fit to approximated curves for calculating the radius of curvature.

An application of computer aided requirements analysis to a real time deep space system

Science.gov (United States)

Farny, A. M.; Morris, R. V.; Hartsough, C.; Callender, E. D.; Teichroew, D.; Chikofsky, E.

1981-01-01

The entire procedure of incorporating the requirements and goals of a space flight project into integrated, time ordered sequences of spacecraft commands, is called the uplink process. The Uplink Process Control Task (UPCT) was created to examine the uplink process and determine ways to improve it. The Problem Statement Language/Problem Statement Analyzer (PSL/PSA) designed to assist the designer/analyst/engineer in the preparation of specifications of an information system is used as a supporting tool to aid in the analysis. Attention is given to a definition of the uplink process, the definition of PSL/PSA, the construction of a PSA database, the value of analysis to the study of the uplink process, and the PSL/PSA lessons learned.

Contributions of hard and soft blocks in the self-healing of metal-ligand-containing block copolymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bose, Ranjita K.; Enke, Marcel; Grande, Antonio M.; Zechel, Stefan; Schacher, Felix H.; Hager, Martin D.; Garcia, Santiago J.; Schubert, Ulrich S.; van der Zwaag, Sybrand

2017-01-01

The main aim of this work is to study the respective contribution of the hard and soft blocks of a metal-ligand containing block copolymer to the self-healing behavior. To this aim, different block copolymers containing terpyridine were synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain

Study on Resources Assessment of Coal Seams covered by Long-Distance Oil & Gas Pipelines

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Bing; Fu, Qiang; Pan, Wei; Hou, Hanfang

2018-01-01

The assessment of mineral resources covered by construction projects plays an important role in reducing the overlaying of important mineral resources and ensuring the smooth implementation of construction projects. To take a planned long-distance gas pipeline as an example, the assessment method and principles for coal resources covered by linear projects are introduced. The areas covered by multiple coal seams are determined according to the linear projection method, and the resources covered by pipelines directly and indirectly are estimated by using area segmentation method on the basis of original blocks. The research results can provide references for route optimization of projects and compensation for mining right..

Contributions of hard and soft blocks in the self-healing of metal-ligand-containing block copolymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bose, R.K.; Enke, Marcel; Grande, A.M.; Zechel, Stefan; Schacher, Felix H.; Hager, Martin D.; Garcia Espallargas, Santiago J.; Schubert, Ulrich S.; van der Zwaag, S.

2017-01-01

The main aim of this work is to study the respective contribution of the hard and soft blocks of a metal-ligand containing block copolymer to the self-healing behavior. To this aim, different block copolymers containing terpyridine were synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain

Blending of styrene-block-butadiene-block-styrene copolymer with sulfonated vinyl aromatic polymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruggeri, Giacomo; Passaglia, Elisa; Giorgi, Ivan; Picchioni, Francesco; Aglietto, Mauro

2001-01-01

Different polymers containing sulfonic groups attached to the phenyl rings were prepared by sulfonation of polystyrene (PS) and styrene-block-(ethylene-co-1-butene)-block-styrene (SEBS). The sulfonation degree (SD) was varied between 1 and 20 mol% of the styrene units. Polyphase materials containing

Comparison of the Cellient(™) automated cell block system and agar cell block method.

Science.gov (United States)

Kruger, A M; Stevens, M W; Kerley, K J; Carter, C D

2014-12-01

To compare the Cellient(TM) automated cell block system with the agar cell block method in terms of quantity and quality of diagnostic material and morphological, histochemical and immunocytochemical features. Cell blocks were prepared from 100 effusion samples using the agar method and Cellient system, and routinely sectioned and stained for haematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-Schiff with diastase (PASD). A preliminary immunocytochemical study was performed on selected cases (27/100 cases). Sections were evaluated using a three-point grading system to compare a set of morphological parameters. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test. Parameters assessing cellularity, presence of single cells and definition of nuclear membrane, nucleoli, chromatin and cytoplasm showed a statistically significant improvement on Cellient cell blocks compared with agar cell blocks (P cell groups, PASD staining or the intensity or clarity of immunocytochemical staining. A discrepant immunocytochemistry (ICC) result was seen in 21% (13/63) of immunostains. The Cellient technique is comparable with the agar method, with statistically significant results achieved for important morphological features. It demonstrates potential as an alternative cell block preparation method which is relevant for the rapid processing of fine needle aspiration samples, malignant effusions and low-cellularity specimens, where optimal cell morphology and architecture are essential. Further investigation is required to optimize immunocytochemical staining using the Cellient method. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Two injection digital block versus single subcutaneous palmar injection block for finger lacerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Okur, O M; Şener, A; Kavakli, H Ş; Çelik, G K; Doğan, N Ö; Içme, F; Günaydin, G P

2017-12-01

We aimed to compare two digital nerve block techniques in patients due to traumatic digital lacerations. This was a randomized-controlled study designed prospectively in the emergency department of a university-based training and research hospital. Randomization was achieved by sealed envelopes. Half of the patients were randomised to traditional (two-injection) digital nerve block technique while single-injection digital nerve block technique was applied to the other half. Score of pain due to anesthetic infiltration and suturing, onset time of total anesthesia, need for an additional rescue injection were the parameters evaluated with both groups. Epinephrin added lidocaine hydrochloride preparation was used for the anesthetic application. Visual analog scale was used for the evaluation of pain scores. Outcomes were compared by using Mann-Whitney U test and Student t-test. Fifty emergency department patients ≥18 years requiring digital nerve block were enrolled in the study. Mean age of the patients was 33 (min-max: 19-86) and 39 (78 %) were male. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of our main parameters; anesthesia pain score, suturing pain score, onset time of total anesthesia and rescue injection need. Single injection volar digital nerve block technique is a suitable alternative for digital anesthesias in emergency departments.

Related Drupal Nodes Block

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Vegt, Wim

2010-01-01

Related Drupal Nodes Block This module exposes a block that uses Latent Semantic Analysis (Lsa) internally to suggest three nodes that are relevant to the node a user is viewing. This module performs three tasks. 1) It periodically indexes a Drupal site and generates a Lsa Term Document Matrix.

Application of multi-block methods in cement production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svinning, K.; Høskuldsson, Agnar

2008-01-01

distribution and the two last blocks the superficial microstructure analysed by differential thermo gravimetric analysis. The multi-block method is used to identify the role of each part. The score vectors of each block can be analysed separately or together with score vectors of other blocks. Stepwise......Compressive strength at 1 day of Portland cement as a function of the microstructure of cement was statistically modelled by application of multi-block regression method. The observation X-matrix was partitioned into four blocks, the first block representing the mineralogy, the second particle size...... regression is used to find minimum number of variables of each block. The multi-block method proved useful in determining the modelling strength of each data block and finding minimum number of variables within each data block....

Right bundle branch block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bussink, Barbara E; Holst, Anders Gaarsdal; Jespersen, Lasse

2013-01-01

AimsTo determine the prevalence, predictors of newly acquired, and the prognostic value of right bundle branch block (RBBB) and incomplete RBBB (IRBBB) on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram in men and women from the general population.Methods and resultsWe followed 18 441 participants included...... in the Copenhagen City Heart Study examined in 1976-2003 free from previous myocardial infarction (MI), chronic heart failure, and left bundle branch block through registry linkage until 2009 for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. The prevalence of RBBB/IRBBB was higher in men (1.4%/4.7% in men vs. 0.......5%/2.3% in women, P block was associated with significantly...

Isostatic compression of buffer blocks. Middle scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritola, J.; Pyy, E.

2012-01-01

Manufacturing of buffer components using isostatic compression method has been studied in small scale in 2008 (Laaksonen 2010). These tests included manufacturing of buffer blocks using different bentonite materials and different compression pressures. Isostatic mould technology was also tested, along with different methods to fill the mould, such as vibration and partial vacuum, as well as a stepwise compression of the blocks. The development of manufacturing techniques has continued with small-scale (30 %) blocks (diameter 600 mm) in 2009. This was done in a separate project: Isostatic compression, manufacturing and testing of small scale (D = 600 mm) buffer blocks. The research on the isostatic compression method continued in 2010 in a project aimed to test and examine the isostatic manufacturing process of buffer blocks at 70 % scale (block diameter 1200 to 1300 mm), and the aim was to continue in 2011 with full-scale blocks (diameter 1700 mm). A total of nine bentonite blocks were manufactured at 70 % scale, of which four were ring-shaped and the rest were cylindrical. It is currently not possible to manufacture full-scale blocks, because there is no sufficiently large isostatic press available. However, such a compression unit is expected to be possible to use in the near future. The test results of bentonite blocks, produced with an isostatic pressing method at different presses and at different sizes, suggest that the technical characteristics, for example bulk density and strength values, are somewhat independent of the size of the block, and that the blocks have fairly homogenous characteristics. Water content and compression pressure are the two most important properties determining the characteristics of the compressed blocks. By adjusting these two properties it is fairly easy to produce blocks at a desired density. The commonly used compression pressure in the manufacturing of bentonite blocks is 100 MPa, which compresses bentonite to approximately

Isostatic compression of buffer blocks. Middle scale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ritola, J.; Pyy, E. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

2012-01-15

Manufacturing of buffer components using isostatic compression method has been studied in small scale in 2008 (Laaksonen 2010). These tests included manufacturing of buffer blocks using different bentonite materials and different compression pressures. Isostatic mould technology was also tested, along with different methods to fill the mould, such as vibration and partial vacuum, as well as a stepwise compression of the blocks. The development of manufacturing techniques has continued with small-scale (30 %) blocks (diameter 600 mm) in 2009. This was done in a separate project: Isostatic compression, manufacturing and testing of small scale (D = 600 mm) buffer blocks. The research on the isostatic compression method continued in 2010 in a project aimed to test and examine the isostatic manufacturing process of buffer blocks at 70 % scale (block diameter 1200 to 1300 mm), and the aim was to continue in 2011 with full-scale blocks (diameter 1700 mm). A total of nine bentonite blocks were manufactured at 70 % scale, of which four were ring-shaped and the rest were cylindrical. It is currently not possible to manufacture full-scale blocks, because there is no sufficiently large isostatic press available. However, such a compression unit is expected to be possible to use in the near future. The test results of bentonite blocks, produced with an isostatic pressing method at different presses and at different sizes, suggest that the technical characteristics, for example bulk density and strength values, are somewhat independent of the size of the block, and that the blocks have fairly homogenous characteristics. Water content and compression pressure are the two most important properties determining the characteristics of the compressed blocks. By adjusting these two properties it is fairly easy to produce blocks at a desired density. The commonly used compression pressure in the manufacturing of bentonite blocks is 100 MPa, which compresses bentonite to approximately

A novel block encryption scheme based on chaos and an S-box for wireless sensor networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong Xiao-Jun; Zuo Ke; Wang Zhu

2012-01-01

The wireless sensor network (WSN) has been widely used in various fields, but it still remains in the preliminary discovery and research phase with a lack of various related mature technologies. Traditional encryption schemes are not suitable for wireless sensor networks due to intrinsic features of the nodes such as low energy, limited computation capability, and lack of storage resources. In this paper, we present a novel block encryption scheme based on the integer discretization of a chaotic map, the Feistel network structure, and an S-box. The novel scheme is fast, secure, has low resource consumption and is suitable for wireless sensor network node encryption schemes. The experimental tests are carried out with detailed analysis, showing that the novel block algorithm has a large key space, very good diffusion and disruptive performances, a strict avalanche effect, excellent statistical balance, and fast encryption speed. These features enable the encryption scheme to pass the SP800-22 test. Meanwhile, the analysis and the testing of speed, time, and storage space on the simulator platform show that this new encryption scheme is well able to hide data information in wireless sensor networks. (general)

Performance evaluation of data center service localization based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic optical network.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Tan, Yuanlong; Lin, Yi; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

2015-09-07

Data center interconnection with elastic optical network is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented cross stratum optimization of optical network and application stratums resources that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends the data center resources to user side to enhance the end-to-end quality of service. We propose a novel data center service localization (DCSL) architecture based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic data center optical network. A migration evaluation scheme (MES) is introduced for DCSL based on the proposed architecture. The DCSL can enhance the responsiveness to the dynamic end-to-end data center demands, and effectively reduce the blocking probability to globally optimize optical network and application resources. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture are experimentally verified on the control plane of our OpenFlow-based enhanced SDN testbed. The performance of MES scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on DCSL architecture in terms of path blocking probability, provisioning latency and resource utilization, compared with other provisioning scheme.

Uniaxial backfill block compaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koskinen, V.

2012-05-01

The main parts of the project were: to make a literature survey of the previous uniaxial compaction experiments; do uniaxial compaction tests in laboratory scale; and do industrial scale production tests. Object of the project was to sort out the different factors affecting the quality assurance chain of the backfill block uniaxial production and solve a material sticking to mould problem which appeared during manufacturing the blocks of bentonite and cruched rock mixture. The effect of mineralogical and chemical composition on the long term functionality of the backfill was excluded from the project. However, the used smectite-rich clays have been tested for mineralogical consistency. These tests were done in B and Tech OY according their SOPs. The objective of the Laboratory scale tests was to find right material- and compaction parameters for the industrial scale tests. Direct comparison between the laboratory scale tests and industrial scale tests is not possible because the mould geometry and compaction speed has a big influence for the compaction process. For this reason the selected material parameters were also affected by the previous compaction experiments. The industrial scale tests were done in summer of 2010 in southern Sweden. Blocks were done with uniaxial compaction. A 40 tons of the mixture of bentonite and crushed rock blocks and almost 50 tons of Friedland-clay blocks were compacted. (orig.)

Impression block with orientator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brilin, V I; Ulyanova, O S

2015-01-01

Tool review, namely the impression block, applied to check the shape and size of the top of fish as well as to determine the appropriate tool for fishing operation was realized. For multiple application and obtaining of the impress depth of 3 cm and more, the standard volumetric impression blocks with fix rods are used. However, the registered impress of fish is not oriented in space and the rods during fishing are in the extended position. This leads to rods deformation and sinking due to accidental impacts of impression block over the borehole irregularity and finally results in faulty detection of the top end of fishing object in hole. The impression blocks with copy rods and fixed magnetic needle allow estimating the object configuration and fix the position of magnetic needle determining the position of the top end of object in hole. However, the magnetic needle fixation is realized in staged and the rods are in extended position during fishing operations as well as it is in standard design. The most efficient tool is the impression block with copy rods which directs the examined object in the borehole during readings of magnetic needles data from azimuth plate and averaging of readings. This significantly increases the accuracy of fishing toll direction. The rods during fishing are located in the body and extended only when they reach the top of fishing object

Phrenic nerve block caused by interscalene brachial plexus block: breathing effects of different sites of injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergmann, Lars; Martini, Stefan; Kesselmeier, Miriam; Armbruster, Wolf; Notheisen, Thomas; Adamzik, Michael; Eichholz, Rϋdiger

2016-07-29

Interscalene brachial plexus (ISB) block is often associated with phrenic nerve block and diaphragmatic paresis. The goal of our study was to test if the anterior or the posterior ultrasound guided approach of the ISB is associated with a lower incidence of phrenic nerve blocks and impaired lung function. This was a prospective, randomized and single-blinded study of 84 patients scheduled for elective shoulder surgery who fullfilled the inclusion and exclusion critereria. Patients were randomized in two groups to receive either the anterior (n = 42) or the posterior (n = 42) approach for ISB. Clinical data were recorded. In both groups patients received ISB with a total injection volume of 15 ml of ropivacaine 1 %. Spirometry was conducted at baseline (T0) and 30 min (T30) after accomplishing the block. Changes in spirometrical variables between T0 and T30 were investigated by Wilcoxon signed-rank test for each puncture approach. The temporal difference between the posterior and the anterior puncture approach groups were again analyzed by the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. The spirometric results showed a significant decrease in vital capacity, forced expiratory volume per second, and maximum nasal inspiratory breathing after the Interscalene brachial plexus block; indicating a phrenic nerve block (p Wilcoxon signed-rank). A significant difference in the development of the spirometric parameters between the anterior and the posterior group could not be identified (Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test). Despite the changes in spirometry, no cases of dyspnea were reported. A different site of injection (anterior or posterior) did not show an effect in reducing the cervical block spread of the local anesthetic and the incidence of phrenic nerve blocks during during ultrasound guided Interscalene brachial plexus block. Clinical breathing effects of phrenic nerve blocks are, however, usually well compensated, and subjective dyspnea did not occur in our patients. German

49 CFR 236.804 - Signal, block.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Signal, block. 236.804 Section 236.804 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Signal, block. A roadway signal operated either automatically or manually at the entrance to a block. ...

Toward Composable Hardware Agnostic Communications Blocks Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-01

block-by-block level or on a multi- block level. In the block-by-block pushback approach, queues between each block are small and blocks processing data...medium access, and physical layers of the waveform has limited our ability to take advantage of technology advances in signal processing , rate...pro- cessing functions, and application processing functions as shown in Figure 1 [1]. Transceiver functions are functions associated with transmitting

Advances in metabolic pathway and strain engineering paving the way for sustainable production of chemical building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yun; Nielsen, Jens

2013-12-01

Bio-based production of chemical building blocks from renewable resources is an attractive alternative to petroleum-based platform chemicals. Metabolic pathway and strain engineering is the key element in constructing robust microbial chemical factories within the constraints of cost effective production. Here we discuss how the development of computational algorithms, novel modules and methods, omics-based techniques combined with modeling refinement are enabling reduction in development time and thus advance the field of industrial biotechnology. We further discuss how recent technological developments contribute to the development of novel cell factories for the production of the building block chemicals: adipic acid, succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Micellar aggregates of amylose-block-polystyrene rod-coil block copolymers in water and THF

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loos, Katja; Böker, Alexander; Zettl, Heiko; Zhang, Mingfu; Krausch, Georg; Müller, Axel H.E.; Boker, A.; Zhang, A.F.

2005-01-01

Amylose-block-polystyrenes with various block copolymer compositions were investigated in water and in THF solution. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, dynamic light, scattering (DLS), and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation with multiangle light scattering detection indicate the presence

A comparison of oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block versus thoracic paravertebral block for postoperative analgesia after open cholecystectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghada Kamhawy

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: A major challenge in the postoperative period is pain management which, if not adequately controlled, may contribute to patient discomfort and decreased patient satisfaction, and possibly increased morbidity and mortality. Both Thoracic paravertebral block and oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can be used as analgesic techniques for abdominal surgeries. Our aim in this research was comparison of cumulative 24-h post-operative morphine consumption between ultrasound-guided oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block and ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block in patients who underwent an open cholecystectomy under general anesthesia. Patients and methods: This study was performed on 46 patients who underwent open cholecystectomy under general anesthesia. All patients were randomly allocated alternatively to one of two equal groups to either undergo ultrasound-guided unilateral oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block Group (I or to undergo ultrasound-guided unilateral thoracic paravertebral block Group (II. Both groups were subjected to a similar analgesic regimen in the immediate post-operative period that involved intravenous patient-controlled morphine analgesia which was used in both groups. Results: The total morphine consumption in the first postoperative 24 h was lower in thoracic paravertebral block Group (II (9.9 mg in thoracic paravertebral block group vs. 15.4 mg in oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block Group (I with p < 0.001. The mean time of first request of analgesia in Group (I was 248.7 min compared to 432.1 for Group (II with p < 0.001. Conclusions: Both ultrasound-guided oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plain block and single injection ultrasound guided thoracic paravertebral block are effective analgesic techniques for upper abdominal surgeries and reduces postoperative opioid requirements. However, thoracic paravertebral block is more

Habitat Blocks and Wildlife Corridors

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — Habitat blocks are areas of contiguous forest and other natural habitats that are unfragmented by roads, development, or agriculture. Vermonts habitat blocks are...

Analysis of Blocking Rate and Bandwidth Usage of Mobile IPTV Services in Wireless Cellular Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingfu Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Mobile IPTV services over wireless cellular networks become more and more popular, owing to the significant growth in access bandwidth of wireless cellular networks such as 3G/4G and WiMAX. However, the spectrum resources of wireless cellular networks is rare. How to enhance the spectral efficiency of mobile networks becomes an important issue. Unicast, broadcast, and multicast are the most important transport schemes for offering mobile IPTV services over wireless cellular networks. Therefore, bandwidth usages and blocking rates of unicast, broadcast, and multicast IPTV services were analyzed and compared in this paper. Simulations were also conducted to validate the analytical results. Numerical results demonstrate that the presented analysis is correct, and multicast scheme achieves the best bandwidth usage and blocking rate performance, relative to the other two schemes.

Analysis of blocking rate and bandwidth usage of mobile IPTV services in wireless cellular networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingfu

2014-01-01

Mobile IPTV services over wireless cellular networks become more and more popular, owing to the significant growth in access bandwidth of wireless cellular networks such as 3G/4G and WiMAX. However, the spectrum resources of wireless cellular networks is rare. How to enhance the spectral efficiency of mobile networks becomes an important issue. Unicast, broadcast, and multicast are the most important transport schemes for offering mobile IPTV services over wireless cellular networks. Therefore, bandwidth usages and blocking rates of unicast, broadcast, and multicast IPTV services were analyzed and compared in this paper. Simulations were also conducted to validate the analytical results. Numerical results demonstrate that the presented analysis is correct, and multicast scheme achieves the best bandwidth usage and blocking rate performance, relative to the other two schemes.

Resource Symmetric Dispatch Model for Internet of Things on Advanced Logistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guofeng Qin

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Business applications in advanced logistics service are highly concurrent. In this paper, we propose a resource symmetric dispatch model for the concurrent and cooperative tasks of the Internet of Things. In the model, the terminals receive and deliver commands, data, and information with mobile networks, wireless networks, and sensor networks. The data and information are classified and processed by the clustering servers in the cloud service platform. The cluster service, resource dispatch, and load balance are cooperative for management and monitoring of every application case during the logistics service lifecycle. In order to support the high performance of cloud service, resource symmetric dispatch algorithm among clustering servers and load balancing method among multi-cores in one server, including NIO (Non-blocking Input/Output and RMI (Remote Method Invocation are utilized to dispatch the cooperation of computation and service resources.

Recursion Relations for Conformal Blocks

CERN Document Server

Penedones, João; Yamazaki, Masahito

2016-09-12

In the context of conformal field theories in general space-time dimension, we find all the possible singularities of the conformal blocks as functions of the scaling dimension $\\Delta$ of the exchanged operator. In particular, we argue, using representation theory of parabolic Verma modules, that in odd spacetime dimension the singularities are only simple poles. We discuss how to use this information to write recursion relations that determine the conformal blocks. We first recover the recursion relation introduced in 1307.6856 for conformal blocks of external scalar operators. We then generalize this recursion relation for the conformal blocks associated to the four point function of three scalar and one vector operator. Finally we specialize to the case in which the vector operator is a conserved current.

Block-Parallel Data Analysis with DIY2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morozov, Dmitriy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Peterka, Tom [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2017-08-30

DIY2 is a programming model and runtime for block-parallel analytics on distributed-memory machines. Its main abstraction is block-structured data parallelism: data are decomposed into blocks; blocks are assigned to processing elements (processes or threads); computation is described as iterations over these blocks, and communication between blocks is defined by reusable patterns. By expressing computation in this general form, the DIY2 runtime is free to optimize the movement of blocks between slow and fast memories (disk and flash vs. DRAM) and to concurrently execute blocks residing in memory with multiple threads. This enables the same program to execute in-core, out-of-core, serial, parallel, single-threaded, multithreaded, or combinations thereof. This paper describes the implementation of the main features of the DIY2 programming model and optimizations to improve performance. DIY2 is evaluated on benchmark test cases to establish baseline performance for several common patterns and on larger complete analysis codes running on large-scale HPC machines.

Assessment of exit block following pulmonary vein isolation: far-field capture masquerading as entrance without exit block.

Science.gov (United States)

Vijayaraman, Pugazhendhi; Dandamudi, Gopi; Naperkowski, Angela; Oren, Jess; Storm, Randle; Ellenbogen, Kenneth A

2012-10-01

Complete electrical isolation of pulmonary veins (PVs) remains the cornerstone of ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation. Entrance block without exit block has been reported to occur in 40% of the patients. Far-field capture (FFC) can occur during pacing from the superior PVs to assess exit block, and this may appear as persistent conduction from PV to left atrium (LA). To facilitate accurate assessment of exit block. Twenty consecutive patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation referred for ablation were included in the study. Once PV isolation (entrance block) was confirmed, pacing from all the bipoles on the Lasso catheter was used to assess exit block by using a pacing stimulus of 10 mA at 2 ms. Evidence for PV capture without conduction to LA was necessary to prove exit block. If conduction to LA was noticed, pacing output was decreased until there was PV capture without conduction to LA or no PV capture was noted to assess for far-field capture in both the upper PVs. All 20 patients underwent successful isolation (entrance block) of all 76 (4 left common PV) veins: mean age 58 ± 9 years; paroxysmal atrial fibrillation 40%; hypertension 70%, diabetes mellitus 30%, coronary artery disease 15%; left ventricular ejection fraction 55% ± 10%; LA size 42 ± 11 mm. Despite entrance block, exit block was absent in only 16% of the PVs, suggesting persistent PV to LA conduction. FFC of LA appendage was noted in 38% of the left superior PVs. FFC of the superior vena cava was noted in 30% of the right superior PVs. The mean pacing threshold for FFC was 7 ± 4 mA. Decreasing pacing output until only PV capture (loss of FFC) is noted was essential to confirm true exit block. FFC of LA appendage or superior vena cava can masquerade as persistent PV to LA conduction. A careful assessment for PV capture at decreasing pacing output is essential to exclude FFC. Copyright © 2012 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Effective thermal conductivity models on the prismatic fuel block of a Very High Temperature Reactor by CFD analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Dong-Ho; Cho, Hyoung-Kyu; Tak, Nam-Il; Park, Goon-Cherl

2014-01-01

Effective thermal conductivity models which can be used to analyze the heat transfer phenomena of a prismatic fuel block were evaluated by CFD analysis. In the accident condition of VHTR when forced convection is lost, the heat flows in radial direction through the hexagonal fuel blocks that contain the large number of coolant holes and fuel compacts. Due to the complex geometry of fuel block and radiation heat transfer; the detail heat transfer computation on the fuel block needs excessive computation resources. Therefore, the detail computation isn’t appropriate for the lumped parameter code. The system code such as GAMMA+ adopts effective thermal conductivity model. Despite the complexity in heat transfer modes, the accurate analysis on the heat transfer in fuel block is necessary since it is directly relevant to the integrity of nuclear fuel embedded in fuel block. To satisfy the accurate analysis of complex heat transfer modes with limited computing sources, the credible effective thermal conductivity (ETC) models in which the effects of all of heat transfer modes are lumped is necessary. In this study, various ETC models were introduced and they are evaluated with CFD calculations. It is estimated that Maxwell-based model was the most pertinent one among the introduced ETC models. (author)

Task set induces dynamic reallocation of resources in visual short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheremata, Summer L; Shomstein, Sarah

2017-08-01

Successful interaction with the environment requires the ability to flexibly allocate resources to different locations in the visual field. Recent evidence suggests that visual short-term memory (VSTM) resources are distributed asymmetrically across the visual field based upon task demands. Here, we propose that context, rather than the stimulus itself, determines asymmetrical distribution of VSTM resources. To test whether context modulates the reallocation of resources to the right visual field, task set, defined by memory-load, was manipulated to influence visual short-term memory performance. Performance was measured for single-feature objects embedded within predominantly single- or two-feature memory blocks. Therefore, context was varied to determine whether task set directly predicts changes in visual field biases. In accord with the dynamic reallocation of resources hypothesis, task set, rather than aspects of the physical stimulus, drove improvements in performance in the right- visual field. Our results show, for the first time, that preparation for upcoming memory demands directly determines how resources are allocated across the visual field.

Atrioventricular block, ECG tracing (image)

Science.gov (United States)

... an abnormal rhythm (arrhythmia) called an atrioventricular (AV) block. P waves show that the top of the ... wave (and heart contraction), there is an atrioventricular block, and a very slow pulse (bradycardia).

Quadratus Lumborum Block Versus Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Postoperative Pain After Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco, Rafael; Ansari, Tarek; Riad, Waleed; Shetty, Nanda

Effective postoperative analgesia after cesarean delivery enhances early recovery, ambulation, and breastfeeding. In a previous study, we established the effectiveness of the quadratus lumborum block in providing pain relief after cesarean delivery compared with patient-controlled analgesia (morphine). In the current study, we hypothesized that this method would be equal to or better than the transversus abdominis plane block with regard to pain relief and its duration of action after cesarean delivery. Between April 2015 and August 2015, we randomized 76 patients scheduled for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia to receive the quadratus lumborum block or the transversus abdominis plane block for postoperative pain relief. This trial was registered prospectively (NCT 02489851) [corrected]. Patients in the quadratus lumborum block group used significantly less morphine than the transversus abdominis plane block group (P consumption and demands than transversus abdominis plane blocks after cesarean section. This effect was observed up to 48 hours postoperatively.

[THE TECHNOLOGY "CELL BLOCK" IN CYTOLOGICAL PRACTICE].

Science.gov (United States)

Volchenko, N N; Borisova, O V; Baranova, I B

2015-08-01

The article presents summary information concerning application of "cell block" technology in cytological practice. The possibilities of implementation of various modern techniques (immune cytochemnical analysis. FISH, CISH, polymerase chain reaction) with application of "cell block" method are demonstrated. The original results of study of "cell block" technology made with gelatin, AgarCyto and Shadon Cyoblock set are presented. The diagnostic effectiveness of "cell block" technology and common cytological smear and also immune cytochemical analysis on samples of "cell block" technology and fluid cytology were compared. Actually application of "cell block" technology is necessary for ensuring preservation of cell elements for subsequent immune cytochemical and molecular genetic analysis.

21 CFR 520.1448a - Monensin blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...) Limitations. Block to be fed free choice to pasture cattle (slaughter, stocker, feeder, and dairy and beef.... Blocks to be fed free choice to pasture cattle (slaughter, stocker, feeder, and dairy and beef.... Blocks to be fed free choice to pasture cattle (slaughter, stocker, and feeder). Provide at least 1 block...

Approximating the imbibition and absorption behavior of a distribution of matrix blocks by an equivalent spherical block

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, R.W.; Bodvarsson, G.S.

1994-03-01

A theoretical study is presented of the effect of matrix block shape and matrix block size distribution on liquid imbibition and solute absorption in a fractured rock mass. It is shown that the behavior of an individual irregularly-shaped matrix block can be modeled with reasonable accuracy by using the results for a spherical matrix block, if one uses an effective radius a = 3V/A, where V is the volume of the block and A is its surface area. In the early-time regime of matrix imbibition, it is shown that a collection of blocks of different sizes can be modeled by a single equivalent block, with an equivalent radius of -1 > -1 , where the average is taken on a volumetrically-weighted basis. In an intermediate time regime, it is shown for the case where the radii are normally distributed that the equivalent radius is reasonably well approximated by the mean radius . In the long-time limit, where no equivalent radius can be rigorously defined, an asymptotic expression is derived for the cumulative diffusion as a function of the mean and the standard deviation of the radius distribution function

Application of interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramic block for onlay block bone grafting in implant treatment: A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohta, Kouji; Tada, Misato; Ninomiya, Yoshiaki; Kato, Hiroki; Ishida, Fumi; Abekura, Hitoshi; Tsuga, Kazuhiro; Takechi, Masaaki

2017-12-01

Autogenous block bone grafting as treatment for alveolar ridge atrophy has various disadvantages, including a limited availability of sufficiently sized and shaped grafts, donor site morbidity and resorption of the grafted bone. As a result, interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramic (IP-CHA) materials with high porosity have been developed and used successfully in orthopedic cases. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first report of clinical application of an IP-CHA block for onlay grafting for implant treatment in a patient with horizontal alveolar atrophy. The present study performed onlay block grafting using an IP-CHA block to restore bone volume for implant placement in the alveolar ridge area without collecting autogenous bone. Dental X-ray findings revealed that the border of the IP-CHA block became increasingly vague over the 3-year period, whereas CT scanning revealed that the gap between the block and bone had a smooth transition, indicating that IP-CHA improved the process of integration with host bone. In follow-up examinations over a period of 5 years, the implants and superstructures had no problems. An IP-CHA block may be useful as a substitute for onlay block bone grafting in implant treatment.

Optimized Energy Efficiency and Spectral Efficiency Resource Allocation Strategies for Phantom Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Amr, M.; Amin, Osama; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

Multi-teir hetrogeneous networks have become an essential constituent for next generation cellular networks. Meanwhile, energy efficiency (EE) has been considered a critical design criterion along with the traditional spectral efficiency (SE) metric. In this context, we study power and spectrum allocation for the recently proposed two-teir architecture known as Phantom cellular networks. The optimization framework includes both EE and SE, where we propose an algorithm that computes the SE and EE resource allocation for Phantom cellular networks. Then, we compare the performance of both design strategies versus the number of users, and the ration of Phantom cellresource blocks to the total number or resource blocks. We aim to investigate the effect of some system parameters to acheive improved SE or EE performance at a non-significant loss in EE or SE performance, respectively. It was found that the system parameters can be tuned so that the EE solution does not yield a significant loss in the SE performance.

Optimized Energy Efficiency and Spectral Efficiency Resource Allocation Strategies for Phantom Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Amr, M.

2016-01-06

Multi-teir hetrogeneous networks have become an essential constituent for next generation cellular networks. Meanwhile, energy efficiency (EE) has been considered a critical design criterion along with the traditional spectral efficiency (SE) metric. In this context, we study power and spectrum allocation for the recently proposed two-teir architecture known as Phantom cellular networks. The optimization framework includes both EE and SE, where we propose an algorithm that computes the SE and EE resource allocation for Phantom cellular networks. Then, we compare the performance of both design strategies versus the number of users, and the ration of Phantom cellresource blocks to the total number or resource blocks. We aim to investigate the effect of some system parameters to acheive improved SE or EE performance at a non-significant loss in EE or SE performance, respectively. It was found that the system parameters can be tuned so that the EE solution does not yield a significant loss in the SE performance.

Ultrasound guided TAP block versus ultrasound guided caudal block for pain relief in children undergoing lower abdominal surgeries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wafaa Mohamed Alsadek

2015-04-01

Conclusion: TAP block and caudal block under ultrasound guidance proved to be safe with no recorded complications either intra or postoperatively. Patient and parent satisfaction was markedly observed in case of TAP block.

Naming Block Structures: A Multimodal Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Lynn; Uhry, Joanna

2011-01-01

This study describes symbolic representation in block play in a culturally diverse suburban preschool classroom. Block play is "multimodal" and can allow children to experiment with materials to represent the world in many forms of literacy. Combined qualitative and quantitative data from seventy-seven block structures were collected and analyzed.…

21 CFR 882.5070 - Bite block.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bite block. 882.5070 Section 882.5070 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES NEUROLOGICAL DEVICES Neurological Therapeutic Devices § 882.5070 Bite block. (a) Identification. A bite block...

Assessment of groundwater quality in Kashipur Block, Purulia district, West Bengal

Science.gov (United States)

Kundu, Anindita; Nag, S. K.

2018-03-01

Hydrogeochemical investigation of groundwater resources of Kashipur Block, Purulia district, West Bengal has been carried out to assess the water quality for domestic and irrigation uses. Twenty groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, hardness, major anions (CO3 2-, HCO3 -, Cl-, SO4 2-, F-) and cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Na+, K+). Study results reveal that the groundwater of the area is mostly acidic in nature. The trend amongst average ionic concentrations of cations and anions is Mg2+ > Ca2+ > Na+ > Fe2+ > K+ and Cl- > HCO3 - > CO3 2- > SO4 2- > F- respectively during the post monsoon whereas the trend for cations and anions are Mg2+ > Ca2+> Na+ > K+ > Fe and Cl- > HCO3 - > SO4 2- > F- > CO3 - in pre monsoon session, respectively. To explore the ionic toxicity of the study area, the derived parameters like sodium adsorption ratio, soluble sodium percentage, residual sodium carbonate, magnesium adsorption ratio, Kelly's ratio and permeability index were calculated. The hydro geochemical data suggest that weathering of rock forming minerals along with secondary contributions from agricultural and anthropogenic sources are mainly controlling the groundwater composition of Kashipur Block, Purulia District. According to piper diagram, water samples of most of the area of the block are fresh water and in some areas sulphate rich throughout the year. All samples are distributed to central rock dominance category. Groundwater chemistry of this block is mainly controlled by the interaction existing between the litho units and the percolating water into the subsurface domain. However, the groundwater quality and suitability of this study area can be termed as good to moderate with a few exceptions which have been encountered on a local scale.

Pectoralis-serratus interfascial plane block vs thoracic paravertebral block for unilateral radical mastectomy with axillary evacuation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hetta, Diab Fuad; Rezk, Khalid Mohammed

2016-11-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and safety of pectoralis-serratus interfascial plane block in comparison with thoracic paravertebral block for postmastectomy pain. A prospective randomized controlled study. Tertiary center, university hospital. Sixty-four adult women, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classes I, II, and III, scheduled for unilateral modified radical mastectomy with axillary evacuation. Patients were randomized to receive either pectoralis-serratus interfascial plane block, PS group (n=32), or thoracic paravertebral block, PV group (n=32). Twenty-four-hour morphine consumption and the time to rescue analgesic were recorded. The pain intensity evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) score at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24hours postoperatively was also recorded. The median (interquartile range) postoperative 24-hour morphine consumption was significantly increased in PS group in comparison to PV group (PS vs PV), 20 mg (16-23 mg) vs 12 mg (10-14 mg) (Pplane block was safe and easy to perform and decreased intensity of postmastectomy pain, but it was inferior to thoracic paravertebral block. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ground reaction curve based upon block theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yow, J.L. Jr.; Goodman, R.E.

1985-09-01

Discontinuities in a rock mass can intersect an excavation surface to form discrete blocks (keyblocks) which can be unstable. Once a potentially unstable block is identified, the forces affecting it can be calculated to assess its stability. The normal and shear stresses on each block face before displacement are calculated using elastic theory and are modified in a nonlinear way by discontinuity deformations as the keyblock displaces. The stresses are summed into resultant forces to evaluate block stability. Since the resultant forces change with displacement, successive increments of block movement are examined to see whether the block ultimately becomes stable or fails. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) analytic models for the stability of simple pyramidal keyblocks were evaluated. Calculated stability is greater for 3D analyses than for 2D analyses. Calculated keyblock stability increases with larger in situ stress magnitudes, larger lateral stress ratios, and larger shear strengths. Discontinuity stiffness controls blocks displacement more strongly than it does stability itself. Large keyblocks are less stable than small ones, and stability increases as blocks become more slender

Wireless-Uplinks-Based Energy-Efficient Scheduling in Mobile Cloud Computing

OpenAIRE

Xing Liu; Chaowei Yuan; Zhen Yang; Enda Peng

2015-01-01

Mobile cloud computing (MCC) combines cloud computing and mobile internet to improve the computational capabilities of resource-constrained mobile devices (MDs). In MCC, mobile users could not only improve the computational capability of MDs but also save operation consumption by offloading the mobile applications to the cloud. However, MCC faces the problem of energy efficiency because of time-varying channels when the offloading is being executed. In this paper, we address the issue of ener...

Strength and deformability of hollow concrete blocks: correlation of block and cylindrical sample test results

OpenAIRE

Barbosa, C. S.; Hanai, J.B.

2009-01-01

This paper deals with correlations among mechanical properties of hollow blocks and those of concrete used to make them. Concrete hollow blocks and test samples were moulded with plastic consistency concrete, to assure the same material in all cases, in three diferente levels of strength (nominally 10 N/mm², 20 N/mm² and 30 N/mm²). The mechanical properties and structural behaviour in axial compression and tension tests were determined by standard tests in blocks and cylinders. Stress and str...

Encoders for block-circulant LDPC codes

Science.gov (United States)

Divsalar, Dariush (Inventor); Abbasfar, Aliazam (Inventor); Jones, Christopher R. (Inventor); Dolinar, Samuel J. (Inventor); Thorpe, Jeremy C. (Inventor); Andrews, Kenneth S. (Inventor); Yao, Kung (Inventor)

2009-01-01

Methods and apparatus to encode message input symbols in accordance with an accumulate-repeat-accumulate code with repetition three or four are disclosed. Block circulant matrices are used. A first method and apparatus make use of the block-circulant structure of the parity check matrix. A second method and apparatus use block-circulant generator matrices.

How to block and tackle the face.

Science.gov (United States)

Zide, B M; Swift, R

1998-03-01

Regional blocking techniques as noted in dentistry, anesthesia, and anatomy texts may result in inconsistent and imperfect analgesia when needed for facial aesthetic surgery. The advent of laser facial surgery and more complicated aesthetic facial procedures has thus increased the demand for anesthesia support. Surgeons should know a fail-safe method of nerve blocks. Fresh cadaver dissections are used to demonstrate a series of eight regional nerve-blocking routes. This sequence of bilateral blocks will routinely provide profound full facial anesthesia. Certain groupings of blocks are effective for perioral or periorbital laser surgery.

Amphiphilic block copolymers for drug delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Monica L; Lavasanifar, Afsaneh; Kwon, Glen S

2003-07-01

Amphiphilic block copolymers (ABCs) have been used extensively in pharmaceutical applications ranging from sustained-release technologies to gene delivery. The utility of ABCs for delivery of therapeutic agents results from their unique chemical composition, which is characterized by a hydrophilic block that is chemically tethered to a hydrophobic block. In aqueous solution, polymeric micelles are formed via the association of ABCs into nanoscopic core/shell structures at or above the critical micelle concentration. Upon micellization, the hydrophobic core regions serve as reservoirs for hydrophobic drugs, which may be loaded by chemical, physical, or electrostatic means, depending on the specific functionalities of the core-forming block and the solubilizate. Although the Pluronics, composed of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide), are the most widely studied ABC system, copolymers containing poly(L-amino acid) and poly(ester) hydrophobic blocks have also shown great promise in delivery applications. Because each ABC has unique advantages with respect to drug delivery, it may be possible to choose appropriate block copolymers for specific purposes, such as prolonging circulation time, introduction of targeting moieties, and modification of the drug-release profile. ABCs have been used for numerous pharmaceutical applications including drug solubilization/stabilization, alteration of the pharmacokinetic profile of encapsulated substances, and suppression of multidrug resistance. The purpose of this minireview is to provide a concise, yet detailed, introduction to the use of ABCs and polymeric micelles as delivery agents as well as to highlight current and past work in this area. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Personal communications via ACTS satellite HBR transponders

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Russell J. F.

1991-01-01

The concept of a fully meshed network of briefcase-sized terminals is presented for personal communications over Ka-band satellite transponders. In this concept, undesirable double-hop delays are avoided for voice communications. The bandwidth and power resources of the transponder are efficiently shared by users in a simple demand-assigned manner via code-division multiple access (CDMA). Voice, data, and facsimile are statistically multiplexed at each terminal. In order to minimize terminal costs, frequency-precorrected, and level-preadjusted continuous-wave tones are sent from the central network control station in each beam so that the terminals in each down-link beam can use these pilots as references for antenna acquisition and tracking, as reliable frequency sources, and as indicators of signal fade for up-link power control (ULPC). The potential CDMA 'near-far' problem due to up-link fades is mitigated by using ULPC. Quasi-burst mode transmission is employed to minimize the potential clock and pseudorandom number code synchronization.

Which Ultrasound-Guided Sciatic Nerve Block Strategy Works Faster? Prebifurcation or Separate Tibial-Peroneal Nerve Block? A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Faiz, Seyed Hamid Reza; Imani, Farnad; Rahimzadeh, Poupak; Alebouyeh, Mahmoud Reza; Entezary, Saeed Reza; Shafeinia, Amineh

2017-08-01

Peripheral nerve block is an accepted method in lower limb surgeries regarding its convenience and good tolerance by the patients. Quick performance and fast sensory and motor block are highly demanded in this method. The aim of the present study was to compare 2 different methods of sciatic and tibial-peroneal nerve block in lower limb surgeries in terms of block onset. In this clinical trial, 52 candidates for elective lower limb surgery were randomly divided into 2 groups: sciatic nerve block before bifurcation (SG; n = 27) and separate tibial-peroneal nerve block (TPG; n = 25) under ultrasound plus nerve stimulator guidance. The mean duration of block performance, as well as complete sensory and motor block, was recorded and compared between the groups. The mean duration of complete sensory block in the SG and TPG groups was 35.4 ± 4.1 and 24.9 ± 4.2 minutes, respectively, which was significantly lower in the TPG group (P = 0.001). The mean duration of complete motor block in the SG and TPG groups was 63.3 ± 4.4 and 48.4 ± 4.6 minutes, respectively, which was significantly lower in the TPG group (P = 0.001). No nerve injuries, paresthesia, or other possible side effects were reported in patients. According to the present study, it seems that TPG shows a faster sensory and motor block than SG.

Harmony of spinning conformal blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schomerus, Volker [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Theory Group; Sobko, Evgeny [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden); Nordita, Stockholm (Sweden); Isachenkov, Mikhail [Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth (Israel). Dept. of Particle Physics and Astrophysics

2016-12-07

Conformal blocks for correlation functions of tensor operators play an increasingly important role for the conformal bootstrap programme. We develop a universal approach to such spinning blocks through the harmonic analysis of certain bundles over a coset of the conformal group. The resulting Casimir equations are given by a matrix version of the Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian that describes the scattering of interacting spinning particles in a 1-dimensional external potential. The approach is illustrated in several examples including fermionic seed blocks in 3D CFT where they take a very simple form.

PEO-related block copolymer surfactants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, K.

2001-01-01

Non-ionic block copolymer systems based on hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) and more hydrophobic co-polymer blocks are used intensively in a variety of industrial and personal applications. A brief description on the applications is presented. The physical properties of more simple model systems...... of such PEG-based block copolymers in aqueous suspensions are reviewed. Based on scattering experiments using either X-ray or neutrons, the phase behavior is characterized, showing that the thermo-reversible gelation is a result of micellar ordering into mesoscopic crystalline phases of cubic, hexagonal...

Harmony of spinning conformal blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schomerus, Volker [DESY Hamburg, Theory Group,Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg (Germany); Sobko, Evgeny [Nordita and Stockholm University,Roslagstullsbacken 23, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Isachenkov, Mikhail [Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science,Rehovot 7610001 (Israel)

2017-03-15

Conformal blocks for correlation functions of tensor operators play an increasingly important role for the conformal bootstrap programme. We develop a universal approach to such spinning blocks through the harmonic analysis of certain bundles over a coset of the conformal group. The resulting Casimir equations are given by a matrix version of the Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian that describes the scattering of interacting spinning particles in a 1-dimensional external potential. The approach is illustrated in several examples including fermionic seed blocks in 3D CFT where they take a very simple form.

Metallo-supramolecular block copolymer micelles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gohy, J.M.W.

2009-01-01

Supramolecular copolymers have become of increasing interest in recent years in the search for new materials with tunable properties. In particular, metallo-supramolecular block copolymers in which metal-ligand complexes are introduced in block copolymer architectures, have known important progress,

Inferior alveolar nerve block: Alternative technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Thangavelu, K; Kannan, R; Kumar, N Senthil

2012-01-01

Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is a technique of dental anesthesia, used to produce anesthesia of the mandibular teeth, gingivae of the mandible and lower lip. The conventional IANB is the most commonly used the nerve block technique for achieving local anesthesia for mandibular surgical procedures. In certain cases, however, this nerve block fails, even when performed by the most experienced clinician. Therefore, it would be advantageous to find an alternative simple technique. The objective of this study is to find an alternative inferior alveolar nerve block that has a higher success rate than other routine techniques. To this purpose, a simple painless inferior alveolar nerve block was designed to anesthetize the inferior alveolar nerve. This study was conducted in Oral surgery department of Vinayaka Mission's dental college Salem from May 2009 to May 2011. Five hundred patients between the age of 20 years and 65 years who required extraction of teeth in mandible were included in the study. Out of 500 patients 270 were males and 230 were females. The effectiveness of the IANB was evaluated by using a sharp dental explorer in the regions innervated by the inferior alveolar, lingual, and buccal nerves after 3, 5, and 7 min, respectively. This study concludes that inferior alveolar nerve block is an appropriate alternative nerve block to anesthetize inferior alveolar nerve due to its several advantages.

Diaphragm-Sparing Nerve Blocks for Shoulder Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, De Q H; Elgueta, Maria Francisca; Aliste, Julian; Finlayson, Roderick J

Shoulder surgery can result in significant postoperative pain. Interscalene brachial plexus blocks (ISBs) constitute the current criterion standard for analgesia but may be contraindicated in patients with pulmonary pathology due to the inherent risk of phrenic nerve block and symptomatic hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. Although ultrasound-guided ISB with small volumes (5 mL), dilute local anesthetic (LA) concentrations, and LA injection 4 mm lateral to the brachial plexus have been shown to reduce the risk of phrenic nerve block, no single intervention can decrease its incidence below 20%. Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular blocks with LA injection posterolateral to the brachial plexus may anesthetize the shoulder without incidental diaphragmatic dysfunction, but further confirmatory trials are required. Ultrasound-guided C7 root blocks also seem to offer an attractive, diaphragm-sparing alternative to ISB. However, additional large-scale studies are needed to confirm their efficacy and to quantify the risk of periforaminal vascular breach. Combined axillary-suprascapular nerve blocks may provide adequate postoperative analgesia for minor shoulder surgery but do not compare favorably to ISB for major surgical procedures. One intriguing solution lies in the combined use of infraclavicular brachial plexus blocks and suprascapular nerve blocks. Theoretically, the infraclavicular approach targets the posterior and lateral cords, thus anesthetizing the axillary nerve (which supplies the anterior and posterior shoulder joint), as well as the subscapular and lateral pectoral nerves (both of which supply the anterior shoulder joint), whereas the suprascapular nerve block anesthetizes the posterior shoulder. Future randomized trials are required to validate the efficacy of combined infraclavicular-suprascapular blocks for shoulder surgery.

Brief reports: a clinical evaluation of block characteristics using one milliliter 2% lidocaine in ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Donnell, Brian

2010-09-01

We report onset and duration of ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block using 1 mL of 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine per nerve (total local anesthetic volume 4 mL). Block performance time, block onset time, duration of surgery, and block duration were measured. Seventeen consecutive patients were recruited. The mean (SD) block performance and onset times were 271 (67.9) seconds and 9.7 (3.7) minutes, respectively. Block duration was 160.8 (30.7) minutes. All operations were performed using regional anesthesia alone. The duration of anesthesia obtained is sufficient for most ambulatory hand surgery.

ALS insertion device block measurement and inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marks, S.; Carrieri, J.; Cook, C.; Hassenzahl, W.V.; Hoyer, E.; Plate, D.

1991-05-01

The performance specifications for ALS insertion devices require detailed knowledge and strict control of the Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet blocks incorporated in these devices. This paper describes the measurement and inspection apparatus and the procedures designed to qualify and characterize these blocks. A detailed description of a new, automated Helmholtz coil facility for measurement of the three components of magnetic moment is included. Physical block inspection and magnetic moment measurement procedures are described. Together they provide a basis for qualifying blocks and for specifying placement of blocks within an insertion devices' magnetic structures. 1 ref., 4 figs

Engineering cell factories for producing building block chemicals for bio-polymer synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuge, Yota; Kawaguchi, Hideo; Sasaki, Kengo; Kondo, Akihiko

2016-01-21

Synthetic polymers are widely used in daily life. Due to increasing environmental concerns related to global warming and the depletion of oil reserves, the development of microbial-based fermentation processes for the production of polymer building block chemicals from renewable resources is desirable to replace current petroleum-based methods. To this end, strains that efficiently produce the target chemicals at high yields and productivity are needed. Recent advances in metabolic engineering have enabled the biosynthesis of polymer compounds at high yield and productivities by governing the carbon flux towards the target chemicals. Using these methods, microbial strains have been engineered to produce monomer chemicals for replacing traditional petroleum-derived aliphatic polymers. These developments also raise the possibility of microbial production of aromatic chemicals for synthesizing high-performance polymers with desirable properties, such as ultraviolet absorbance, high thermal resistance, and mechanical strength. In the present review, we summarize recent progress in metabolic engineering approaches to optimize microbial strains for producing building blocks to synthesize aliphatic and high-performance aromatic polymers.

Optimized Virtual Machine Placement with Traffic-Aware Balancing in Data Center Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Chen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Virtualization has been an efficient method to fully utilize computing resources such as servers. The way of placing virtual machines (VMs among a large pool of servers greatly affects the performance of data center networks (DCNs. As network resources have become a main bottleneck of the performance of DCNs, we concentrate on VM placement with Traffic-Aware Balancing to evenly utilize the links in DCNs. In this paper, we first proposed a Virtual Machine Placement Problem with Traffic-Aware Balancing (VMPPTB and then proved it to be NP-hard and designed a Longest Processing Time Based Placement algorithm (LPTBP algorithm to solve it. To take advantage of the communication locality, we proposed Locality-Aware Virtual Machine Placement Problem with Traffic-Aware Balancing (LVMPPTB, which is a multiobjective optimization problem of simultaneously minimizing the maximum number of VM partitions of requests and minimizing the maximum bandwidth occupancy on uplinks of Top of Rack (ToR switches. We also proved it to be NP-hard and designed a heuristic algorithm (Least-Load First Based Placement algorithm, LLBP algorithm to solve it. Through extensive simulations, the proposed heuristic algorithm is proven to significantly balance the bandwidth occupancy on uplinks of ToR switches, while keeping the number of VM partitions of each request small enough.

Ultrasound-guided block of the axillary nerve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rothe, C; Lund, J; Jenstrup, M T

2012-01-01

The specific blocking of the axillary nerve has never been investigated clinically. We present four cases illustrating potential applications of the axillary nerve block in the perioperative setting and discuss possible directions for future research in this area. The axillary nerve blocks were all...... performed using a newly developed in-plane ultrasound-guided technique. In one patient undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery, we used the axillary nerve block as the only analgesic combined with propofol sedation and spontaneous breathing. Chronic shoulder pain was eliminated after the axillary nerve...... block in two patients. The pain score after arthroscopic shoulder surgery in these two patients remained low until termination of the nerve block. In a fourth patient, severe post-operative pain after osteosynthesis of a displaced proximal humerus fracture was almost eliminated after performing...

Enhanced cognitive Radio Resource Management for LTE systems

KAUST Repository

Alqerm, Ismail

2013-10-01

The explosive growth in mobile Internet and related services has increased the need for more bandwidth in cellular networks. The Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology is an attractive solution for operators and subscribers to meet such need since it provides high data rates and scalable bandwidth. Radio Resource Management (RRM) is essential for LTE to provide better communication quality and meet the application QoS requirements. Cognitive resource management is a promising solution for LTE RRM as it improves network efficiency by exploiting radio environment information, intelligent optimization algorithms to configure transmission parameters, and mitigate interference. In this paper, we propose a cognitive resource management scheme to adapt LTE network parameters to the environment conditions. The scheme optimizes resource blocks assignment, modulation selection and bandwidth selection to maximize throughput and minimize interference. The scheme uses constrained optimization for throughput maximization and interference control. It is also enhanced by learning mechanism to reduce the optimization complexity and improve the decision-making quality. Our evaluation results show that our scheme achieved significant improvements in throughput and LTE system capacity. Results also show the improvement in the user satisfaction over other techniques in LTE RRM.

Microbial production of building block chemicals and polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeong Wook; Kim, Hyun Uk; Choi, Sol; Yi, Jongho; Lee, Sang Yup

2011-12-01

Owing to our increasing concerns on the environment, climate change, and limited natural resources, there has recently been considerable effort exerted to produce chemicals and materials from renewable biomass. Polymers we use everyday can also be produced either by direct fermentation or by polymerization of monomers that are produced by fermentation. Recent advances in metabolic engineering combined with systems biology and synthetic biology are allowing us to more systematically develop superior strains and bioprocesses for the efficient production of polymers and monomers. Here, we review recent trends in microbial production of building block chemicals that can be subsequently used for the synthesis of polymers. Also, recent successful cases of direct one-step production of polymers are reviewed. General strategies for the production of natural and unnatural platform chemicals are described together with representative examples. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safe Laser Beam Propagation for Interplanetary Links

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Keith E.

2011-01-01

Ground-to-space laser uplinks to Earth–orbiting satellites and deep space probes serve both as a beacon and an uplink command channel for deep space probes and Earth-orbiting satellites. An acquisition and tracking point design to support a high bandwidth downlink from a 20-cm optical terminal on an orbiting Mars spacecraft typically calls for 2.5 kW of 1030-nm uplink optical power in 40 micro-radians divergent beams.2 The NOHD (nominal ocular hazard distance) of the 1030nm uplink is in excess of 2E5 km, approximately half the distance to the moon. Recognizing the possible threat of high power laser uplinks to the flying public and to sensitive Earth-orbiting satellites, JPL developed a three-tiered system at its Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) to ensure safe laser beam propagation through navigational and near-Earth space.

Reversible conduction block in peripheral nerve using electrical waveforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhadra, Niloy; Vrabec, Tina L; Bhadra, Narendra; Kilgore, Kevin L

2018-01-01

Electrical nerve block uses electrical waveforms to block action potential propagation. Two key features that distinguish electrical nerve block from other nonelectrical means of nerve block: block occurs instantly, typically within 1 s; and block is fully and rapidly reversible (within seconds). Approaches for achieving electrical nerve block are reviewed, including kilohertz frequency alternating current and charge-balanced polarizing current. We conclude with a discussion of the future directions of electrical nerve block. Electrical nerve block is an emerging technique that has many significant advantages over other methods of nerve block. This field is still in its infancy, but a significant expansion in the clinical application of this technique is expected in the coming years.

Morphology-properties relationship on nanocomposite films based on poly(styrene-block-diene-block-styrene copolymers and silver nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2011-02-01

Full Text Available A comparative study on the self-assembled nanostructured morphology and the rheological and mechanical properties of four different triblock copolymers, based on poly(styrene-block-diene-block-styrene and poly(styrene-block-diene-block-styrene matrices, and of their respective nanocomposites with 1 wt% silver nanoparticles, is reported in this work. In order to obtain well-dispersed nanoparticles in the block copolymer matrix, dodecanethiol was used as surfactant, showing good affinity with both nanoparticles and the polystyrene phase of the matrices as predicted by the solubility parameters calculated based on Hoftyzer and Van Krevelen theory. The block copolymer with the highest PS content shows the highest tensile modulus and tensile strength, but also the smallest elongation at break. When silver nanoparticles treated with surfactant were added to the block copolymer matrices, each system studied shows higher mechanical properties due to the good dispersion and the good interface of Ag nanoparticles in the matrices. Furthermore, it has been shown that semiempirical models such as Guth and Gold equation and Halpin-Tsai model can be used to predict the tensile modulus of the analyzed nanocomposites.

Blocking in Category Learning

OpenAIRE

Bott, Lewis; Hoffman, Aaron B.; Murphy, Gregory L.

2007-01-01

Many theories of category learning assume that learning is driven by a need to minimize classification error. When there is no classification error, therefore, learning of individual features should be negligible. We tested this hypothesis by conducting three category learning experiments adapted from an associative learning blocking paradigm. Contrary to an error-driven account of learning, participants learned a wide range of information when they learned about categories, and blocking effe...

[Complete atrioventricular block in Duchenne muscular dystrophy].

Science.gov (United States)

Kuru, Satoshi; Tanahashi, Tamotsu; Matsumoto, Shinjirou; Kitamura, Tetsuya; Konagaya, Masaaki

2012-01-01

We report a case of complete atrioventricular (AV) block in a 40-year-old patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). While he was bed-ridden and required mechanical ventilation, his cardiac involvement was mild. He had the deletion of exon 45-52 in the dystrophin gene. He underwent transient complete AV block and came to require pacemaker implantation due to recurrence of complete AV block ten days after the first attack. Electrophysiological study revealed mild prolonged AH and HV interval. Although DMD patients with AV block have been rarely reported so far, attention should be paid to AV block for patients who prolonged their lives.

Emulsion Solvent Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers Containing pH-Sensitive Block.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yuqing; Wang, Ke; Tan, Haiying; Xu, Jiangping; Zhu, Jintao

2017-09-26

A simple yet efficient method is developed to manipulate the self-assembly of pH-sensitive block copolymers (BCPs) confined in emulsion droplets. Addition of acid induces significant variation in morphological transition (e.g., structure and surface composition changes) of the polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) assemblies, due to the hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition of the pH-sensitive P4VP block via protonation. In the case of pH > pKa (P4VP) (pKa (P4VP) = 4.8), the BCPs can self-assemble into pupa-like particles because of the nearly neutral wetting of PS and P4VP blocks at the oil/water interface. As expected, onion-like particles obtained when pH is slightly lower than pKa (P4VP) (e.g., pH = 3.00), due to the interfacial affinity to the weakly hydrophilic P4VP block. Interestingly, when pH was further decreased to ∼2.5, interfacial instability of the emulsion droplets was observed, and each emulsion droplet generated nanoscale assemblies including vesicles, worm-like and/or spherical micelles rather than a nanostructured microparticle. Furthermore, homopolymer with different molecular weights and addition ratio are employed to adjust the interactions among copolymer blocks. By this means, particles with hierarchical structures can be obtained. Moreover, owing to the kinetically controlled processing, we found that temperature and stirring speed, which can significantly affect the kinetics of the evaporation of organic solvent and the formation of particles, played a key role in the morphology of the assemblies. We believe that manipulation of the property for the aqueous phase is a promising strategy to rationally design and fabricate polymeric assemblies with desirable shapes and internal structures.

Pore pressure control on faulting behavior in a block-gouge system

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Z.; Juanes, R.

2016-12-01

Pore fluid pressure in a fault zone can be altered by natural processes (e.g., mineral dehydration and thermal pressurization) and industrial operations involving subsurface fluid injection/extraction for the development of energy and water resources. However, the effect of pore pressure change on the stability and slip motion of a preexisting geologic fault remain poorly understood; yet they are critical for the assessment of seismic risk. In this work, we develop a micromechanical model to investigate the effect of pore pressure on faulting behavior. The model couples pore network fluid flow and mechanics of the solid grains. We conceptualize the fault zone as a gouge layer sandwiched between two blocks; the block material is represented by a group of contact-bonded grains and the gouge is composed of unbonded grains. A pore network is extracted from the particulate pack of the block-gouge system with pore body volumes and pore throat conductivities calculated rigorously based on the geometry of the local pore space. Pore fluid exerts pressure force onto the grains, the motion of which is solved using the discrete element method (DEM). The model updates the pore network regularly in response to deformation of the solid matrix. We study the fault stability in the presence of a pressure inhomogeneity (gradient) across the gouge layer, and compare it with the case of homogeneous pore pressure. We consider both normal and thrust faulting scenarios with a focus on the onset of shear failure along the block-gouge interfaces. Numerical simulations show that the slip behavior is characterized by intermittent dynamics, which is evident in the number of slipping contacts at the block-gouge interfaces and the total kinetic energy of the gouge particles. Numerical results also show that, for the case of pressure inhomogeneity, the onset of slip occurs earlier for the side with higher pressure, and that this onset appears to be controlled by the maximum pressure of both sides

[Postoperative analgesia in knee arthroplasty using an anterior sciatic nerve block and a femoral nerve block].

Science.gov (United States)

del Fresno Cañiaveras, J; Campos, A; Galiana, M; Navarro-Martínez, J A; Company, R

2008-11-01

To evaluate the efficacy of a nerve block as an alternative technique for analgesia after knee arthroplasty and to indicate the usefulness and advantages of the anterior approach to the sciatic nerve block. Between April 2004 and March 2006, we studied a series of consecutive patients undergoing knee arthroplasty in which a subarachnoid block was used as the anesthetic technique and postoperative analgesia was provided by means of a combined peripheral femoral nerve block and an anterior sciatic nerve block. We evaluated the mean length of time free from pain, quality of analgesia, and length of stay in hospital. Seventy-eight patients were included in the study. The mean (SD) length of time free from pain for the group was 42.1 (3.9) hours. Patients reported mild pain after 34.8 (4.1) hours and moderate to severe pain after 42.4 (3.5) hours. By the third day, 62.8% of patients were able to bend the knee to 90 degrees. There were no complications resulting from the technique and the level of patient satisfaction was high. A combined femoral-sciatic nerve block is effective in knee arthroplasty. It controls postoperative pain and allows for early rehabilitation. The anterior approach to the sciatic nerve is relatively simple to perform without removing the pressure bandaging from the thigh after surgery. This approach also makes it unnecessary to move the patient.

Fade Mitigation Techniques at Ka-Band

Science.gov (United States)

Dissanayake, Asoka (Editor)

1996-01-01

Rain fading is the dominant propagation impairment affecting Ka-band satellite links and rain fade mitigation is a key element in the design of Ka-band satellite networks. Some of the common fade mitigation techniques include: power control, diversity, adaptive coding, and resource sharing. The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) provides an excellent opportunity to develop and test Ka-band rain impairment amelioration techniques. Up-link power control and diversity are discussed in this paper.

Ultrasound Guided Transversus Thoracic Plane block, Parasternal block and fascial planes hydrodissection for internal mammary post thoracotomy pain syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Piraccini, E; Biondi, G; Byrne, H; Calli, M; Bellantonio, D; Musetti, G; Maitan, S

2018-05-16

Pectoral Nerves Block (PECS) and Serratus Plane Block (SPB) have been used to treat persistent post-surgical pain after breast and thoracic surgery; however, they cannot block the internal mammary region, so a residual pain may occur in that region. Parasternal block (PSB) and Thoracic Transversus Plane Block (TTP) anaesthetize the anterior branches of T2-6 intercostal nerves thus they can provide analgesia to the internal mammary region. We describe a 60-year-old man suffering from right post-thoracotomy pain syndrome with residual pain located in the internal mammary region after a successful treatment with PECS and SPB. We performed a PSB and TTP and hydrodissection of fascial planes with triamcinolone and Ropivacaine. Pain disappeared and the result was maintained 3 months later. This report suggests that PSB and TTP with local anaesthetic and corticosteroid with hydrodissection of fascial planes might be useful to treat a post thoracotomy pain syndrome located in the internal mammary region. The use of Transversus Thoracic Plane and Parasternal Blocks and fascial planes hydrodissection as a novel therapeutic approach to treat a residual post thoracotomy pain syndrome even when already treated with Pectoral Nerves Block and Serratus Plane Block. © 2018 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Effective System for Automatic Bundle Block Adjustment and Ortho Image Generation from Multi Sensor Satellite Imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Akilan, A.; Nagasubramanian, V.; Chaudhry, A.; Reddy, D. Rajesh; Sudheer Reddy, D.; Usha Devi, R.; Tirupati, T.; Radhadevi, P. V.; Varadan, G.

2014-11-01

Block Adjustment is a technique for large area mapping for images obtained from different remote sensingsatellites.The challenge in this process is to handle huge number of satellite imageries from different sources with different resolution and accuracies at the system level. This paper explains a system with various tools and techniques to effectively handle the end-to-end chain in large area mapping and production with good level of automation and the provisions for intuitive analysis of final results in 3D and 2D environment. In addition, the interface for using open source ortho and DEM references viz., ETM, SRTM etc. and displaying ESRI shapes for the image foot-prints are explained. Rigorous theory, mathematical modelling, workflow automation and sophisticated software engineering tools are included to ensure high photogrammetric accuracy and productivity. Major building blocks like Georeferencing, Geo-capturing and Geo-Modelling tools included in the block adjustment solution are explained in this paper. To provide optimal bundle block adjustment solution with high precision results, the system has been optimized in many stages to exploit the full utilization of hardware resources. The robustness of the system is ensured by handling failure in automatic procedure and saving the process state in every stage for subsequent restoration from the point of interruption. The results obtained from various stages of the system are presented in the paper.

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, Timothy; Pitman, Janet K.; Moore, T.E.; Gautier, D.L.

2017-11-22

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province as part of the 2008 USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal program. The province is in the Russian Federation and is situated on the Omolon superterrane of the Kolyma block. The one assessment unit (AU) that was defined for this study, called the Zyryanka Basin AU, which coincides with the province, was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable, conventional resources. The estimated mean volumes of undiscovered resources in the Zyryanka Basin Province are ~72 million barrels of crude oil, 2,282 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 61 million barrels of natural-gas liquids. About 66 percent of the study area and undiscovered petroleum resources are north of the Arctic Circle.

Uplink Coding

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Ken; Divsalar, Dariush; Dolinar, Sam; Moision, Bruce; Hamkins, Jon; Pollara, Fabrizio

2007-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the objectives, meeting goals and overall NASA goals for the NASA Data Standards Working Group. The presentation includes information on the technical progress surrounding the objective, short LDPC codes, and the general results on the Pu-Pw tradeoff.

Readiness for surgery after axillary block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koscielniak-Nielsen, Z J; Stens-Pedersen, H L; Lippert, F K

1997-01-01

required less time for block performance (mean 5.5 min) than multiple injections (mean 9.5 min), P requirement for supplemental nerve blocks was greater, after single injections (33 min and 57%) than after multiple injections (15.5 min and 7......We have assessed prospectively the time to readiness for surgery following axillary block (sum of block performance and latency times) in 80 patients. The brachial plexus was identified using a nerve stimulator, and anaesthetized with 45 mL of mepivacaine 1% with adrenaline 5 micrograms mL-1......%, respectively), P effectiveness was 100% in group 1 and 98% in group 2 (NS). The frequency of adverse effects (vessel puncture or paraesthesia) was similar...

Writing Blocks and Tacit Knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Boice, Robert

1993-01-01

A review of the literature on writing block looks at two kinds: inability to write in a timely, fluent fashion, and reluctance by academicians to assist others in writing. Obstacles to fluent writing are outlined, four historical trends in treating blocks are discussed, and implications are examined. (MSE)

Concurrent processes scheduling with scarce resources in small and medium enterprises

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

马嵩华

2016-01-01

Scarce resources , precedence and non-determined time-lag are three constraints commonly found in small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMEs), which are deemed to block the ap-plication of workflow management system ( WfMS ) .To tackle this problem , a workflow scheduling approach is proposed based on timing workflow net (TWF-net) and genetic algorithm (GA).The workflow is modelled in a form of TWF-net in favour of process simulation and resource conflict checking .After simplifying and reconstructing the set of workflow instance , the conflict resolution problem is transformed into a resource-constrained project scheduling problem ( RCPSP ) , which could be efficiently solved by a heuristic method , such as GA.Finally, problems of various sizes are utilized to test the performance of the proposed algorithm and to compare it with first-come-first-served ( FCFS) strategy.The evaluation demonstrates that the proposed method is an overwhelming and effective approach for scheduling the concurrent processes with precedence and resource con -straints .

Polybenzimidazole block copolymers for fuel cell: synthesis and studies of block length effects on nanophase separation, mechanical properties, and proton conductivity of PEM.

Science.gov (United States)

Maity, Sudhangshu; Jana, Tushar

2014-05-14

A series of meta-polybenzimidazole-block-para-polybenzimidazole (m-PBI-b-p-PBI), segmented block copolymers of PBI, were synthesized with various structural motifs and block lengths by condensing the diamine terminated meta-PBI (m-PBI-Am) and acid terminated para-PBI (p-PBI-Ac) oligomers. NMR studies and existence of two distinct glass transition temperatures (Tg), obtained from dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) results, unequivocally confirmed the formation of block copolymer structure through the current polymerization methodology. Appropriate and careful selection of oligomers chain length enabled us to tailor the block length of block copolymers and also to make varieties of structural motifs. Increasingly distinct Tg peaks with higher block length of segmented block structure attributed the decrease in phase mixing between the meta-PBI and para-PBI blocks, which in turn resulted into nanophase segregated domains. The proton conductivities of proton exchange membrane (PEM) developed from phosphoric acid (PA) doped block copolymer membranes were found to be increasing substantially with increasing block length of copolymers even though PA loading of these membranes did not alter appreciably with varying block length. For example when molecular weight (Mn) of blocks were increased from 1000 to 5500 then the proton conductivities at 160 °C of resulting copolymers increased from 0.05 to 0.11 S/cm. Higher block length induced nanophase separation between the blocks by creating less morphological barrier within the block which facilitated the movement of the proton in the block and hence resulting higher proton conductivity of the PEM. The structural varieties also influenced the phase separation and proton conductivity. In comparison to meta-para random copolymers reported earlier, the current meta-para segmented block copolymers were found to be more suitable for PBI-based PEM.

Natural convection in a horizontal channel provided with heat generating blocks: Discussion of the isothermal blocks validity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mouhtadi, D.; Amahmid, A.; Hasnaoui, M.; Bennacer, R.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We examine the validity of isothermal model for blocks with internal heat generation. ► Criteria based on comparison of total and local quantities are adopted. ► Thermal conductivity and Biot number required for the validity of the isothermal model are dependent on the Rayleigh number. ► The validity conditions are also affected by the multiplicity of solutions. - Abstract: This work presents a numerical study of air natural convection in a horizontal channel provided with heating blocks periodically distributed on its lower adiabatic surface. The blocks are submitted to a uniform heat generation and the channel upper surface is maintained at a cold constant temperature. The main objective of this study is to examine the validity of the model with isothermal blocks for the system under consideration. Then the calculations are performed using two different models. In the first (denoted Model 1 or M1) the calculations are performed by imposing a uniform volumetric heat generation inside the blocks. In the second model (denoted Model 2 or M2), the blocks are maintained isothermal at the average blocks surface temperature deduced from the Model 1. The controlling parameters of the present problem are the thermal conductivity ratio of the solid block and the fluid (0.1 ⩽ k* = k s /k a ⩽ 200) and the Rayleigh number (10 4 ⩽ Ra ⩽ 10 7 ). The validity of the isothermal model is examined for various Ra by using criteria based on local and mean heat transfer characteristics. It is found that some solutions of the isothermal model do not reproduce correctly the results of the first model even for very large conductivity ratios. The Biot number below which the Model 2 is valid depends strongly on the Rayleigh number and the type of solution.

Conformal Nets II: Conformal Blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Bartels, Arthur; Douglas, Christopher L.; Henriques, André

2017-08-01

Conformal nets provide a mathematical formalism for conformal field theory. Associated to a conformal net with finite index, we give a construction of the `bundle of conformal blocks', a representation of the mapping class groupoid of closed topological surfaces into the category of finite-dimensional projective Hilbert spaces. We also construct infinite-dimensional spaces of conformal blocks for topological surfaces with smooth boundary. We prove that the conformal blocks satisfy a factorization formula for gluing surfaces along circles, and an analogous formula for gluing surfaces along intervals. We use this interval factorization property to give a new proof of the modularity of the category of representations of a conformal net.

Inferior alveolar nerve block: Alternative technique

OpenAIRE

Thangavelu, K.; Kannan, R.; Kumar, N. Senthil

2012-01-01

Background: Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is a technique of dental anesthesia, used to produce anesthesia of the mandibular teeth, gingivae of the mandible and lower lip. The conventional IANB is the most commonly used the nerve block technique for achieving local anesthesia for mandibular surgical procedures. In certain cases, however, this nerve block fails, even when performed by the most experienced clinician. Therefore, it would be advantageous to find an alternative simple techni...

Natural convective flows in a horizontal channel provided with heating isothermal blocks: Effect of the inter blocks spacing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakkas, M.; Hasnaoui, M.; Amahmid, A.

2010-01-01

A numerical study of laminar steady natural convection induced in a two dimensional horizontal channel provided with rectangular heating blocks, periodically mounted on its lower wall, is carried out. The blocks' surface temperature, T H ' , is maintained constant and the former are connected with adiabatic surfaces. The upper wall of the channel is maintained cold at a temperature T C ' H ' . Fluid flow, temperature fields and heat transfer rates are presented for different combinations of the governing parameters which are the Rayleigh number (10 2 ≤Ra≤2x10 6 ), the blocks' spacing (1/4≤C=l ' /H ' ≤1), the blocks' height (1/8≤B=h ' /H ' ≤1/2) and the relative width of the blocks (A=(L ' -l ' )/H ' =1/2). The results obtained in the case of air (Pr = 0.72) show that the flow structure and the heat transfer are significantly influenced by the control parameters. It is found that there are situations where the increase of the blocks' spacing leads to a reduction of heat transfer.

Thoracic paravertebral block versus transversus abdominis plane block in major gynecological surgery: a prospective, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melnikov AL

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Andrey L Melnikov,1 Steinar Bjoergo,1 Ulf E Kongsgaard21Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 2Department of Research and Development, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital and Medical Faculty, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayBackground and objectives: Patients undergoing abdominal surgery often receive an epidural infusion for postoperative analgesia. However, when epidural analgesia is contraindicated or unwanted, the administration of opioids is the usual means used to relieve pain. Various regional analgesia techniques used in conjunction with systemic analgesia have been reported to reduce the cumulative postoperative opioid consumption and opioid-induced side effects. The objective of this trial was to assess the effectiveness of transversus abdominis plane block and paravertebral block in women undergoing major gynecological surgery.Methods: We analyzed 58 patients scheduled for a midline vertical laparatomy due to gynecological cancer. They were all equipped with a patient-controlled postoperative analgesia pump that delivered ketobemidon. In addition, some patients were randomized to receive either a bilateral transversus abdominis plane block (n = 19 or a bilateral paravertebral block at the level of Th10 (n = 19. Both blocks were performed preoperatively as a single injection of bupivacaine.Results: Cumulative ketobemidon consumption, postoperative pain scores at rest and while coughing, and postoperative nausea and vomiting scores were assessed by a blinded observer at 2, 4, 6, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively. Both blocks were associated with significant reductions in opioid consumption and pain scores throughout the study period compared with the control patients. Postoperative nausea and vomiting scores were low in all groups, but during the early postoperative period more control group patients needed antiemetics

MARINE BOTTOM COMMUNITIES OF BLOCK ISLAND WATERS

Science.gov (United States)

The sea has long been an integral part of Block Island's natural history, beginning when the rising sea surrounded the high spot on a Pleistocene terminal moraine that became Block Island. The southern New England continental shelf, which lies around Block Island, and the Great S...

Compaction of bentonite blocks. Development of technique for industrial production of blocks which are manageable by man

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johannesson, L E; Boergesson, L; Sanden, T [Clay Technology AB, Lund (Sweden)

1995-04-01

In this report a useful technique for producing compacted blocks of bentonite is described. The report only deals with the technique to produce uniaxially compacted blocks (weight of the blocks: 10-15 kg) which are manageable by man. Tests for producing blocks with a weight of approximately 10 kg were carried out at Hoeganaes Bjuf AB in Bjuf. This industry is normally producing refractory bricks and other refractory products. The plant has facilities for handling large volumes of clay. Furthermore there are machines suitable for producing uniaxially compacted blocks. Performed tests at the plant show that it is possible to compact blocks with good quality. Best quality was reached with a coarsely ground bentonite at a water ratio of 20 %. The compaction was performed with lubricated form and stepwise loading. The tests at Hoeganaes Bjuf AB were preceded by tests in the laboratory. In these tests smaller samples were compacted for studying how different factors affect the quality of the samples (density, water ratio, homogeneity et cetera). The influence of following factors was studied: water ratio of bentonite; bentonite type and granulometry; compaction pressure; compaction rate; form geometry; form lubrication; form heating. The results from these tests were used to modify and optimize the technique in the factory.

Electrocardiographic characteristics of atrioventricular block induced by tilt testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zyśko, Dorota; Gajek, Jacek; Koźluk, Edward; Mazurek, Walentyna

2009-02-01

The electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics of atrioventricular (AV) block during reflex syncope may be unique due to the presence of hypervagotonia. The aim of the present study was to define the ECG characteristics of the AV block induced by neurocardiogenic reflex provoked by tilt testing (TT). A series of 31 patients with presumed vasovagal syncope and AV block provoked by TT was studied. The duration of PP and PR interval, AV block grade and type, concomitant arrhythmias, and timing of the AV block occurrence were assessed. The AV block occurred at TT termination in 26 patients, in the recovery in 4 patients, and in both periods in 1 patient. Atrioventricular block was preceded by sinus slowing, and sinus rhythm during AV block was slow and instable. Mobitz I, 2:1 second-degree AV block, and advanced second-degree AV block were recognized in 35.5, 48.4, and 67.8% of patients, respectively. Third-degree AV block was diagnosed in 41.9% of patients. Twenty-one patients had at least two AV block forms. The most prevalent concomitant arrhythmia was junctional escape rhythm (61.3%). (i) The occurrence of the AV block during neurocardiogenic reaction induced by TT is always preceded by sinus rhythm slowing and usually by PR interval prolongation. (ii) The AV block provoked by TT usually occurs at TT termination, but may occur even in the recovery period in a supine position. Sometimes the AV block may be present both at TT termination and during the recovery period.

The undesirable effects of neuromuscular blocking drugs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Claudius, C; Garvey, L H; Viby-Mogensen, J

2009-01-01

Neuromuscular blocking drugs are designed to bind to the nicotinic receptor at the neuromuscular junction. However, they also interact with other acetylcholine receptors in the body. Binding to these receptors causes adverse effects that vary with the specificity for the cholinergic receptor...... in question. Moreover, all neuromuscular blocking drugs may cause hypersensitivity reactions. Often the symptoms are mild and self-limiting but massive histamine release can cause systematic reactions with circulatory and respiratory symptoms and signs. At the end of anaesthesia, no residual effect...... of a neuromuscular blocking drug should be present. However, the huge variability in response to neuromuscular blocking drugs makes it impossible to predict which patient will suffer postoperative residual curarization. This article discusses the undesirable effects of the currently available neuromuscular blocking...

A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effect of the Addition of the Mandibular Block to Cervical Plexus Block for Carotid Endarterectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavrut Ozturk, Nilgun; Kavakli, Ali Sait; Sagdic, Kadir; Inanoglu, Kerem; Umot Ayoglu, Raif

2018-04-01

Although the cervical plexus block generally provides adequate analgesia for carotid endarterectomy, pain caused by metal retractors on the inferior surface of the mandible is not prevented by the cervical block. Different pain relief methods can be performed for patients who experience discomfort in these areas. In this study, the authors evaluated the effect of mandibular block in addition to cervical plexus block on pain scores in carotid endarterectomy. A prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Training and research hospital. Patients who underwent a carotid endarterectomy. Patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy under cervical plexus block were randomized into 2 groups: group 1 (those who did not receive a mandibular block) and group 2 (those who received a mandibular block). The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the mandibular block in addition to cervical plexus block in terms of intraoperative pain scores. Intraoperative visual analog scale scores were significantly higher in group 1 (p = 0.001). The amounts of supplemental 1% lidocaine and intraoperative intravenous analgesic used were significantly higher in group 1 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.035, respectively). Patient satisfaction scores were significantly lower in group 1 (p = 0.044). The amount of postoperative analgesic used, time to first analgesic requirement, postoperative visual analog scale scores, and surgeon satisfaction scores were similar in both groups. There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to complications. No major neurologic deficits or perioperative mortality were observed. Mandibular block in addition to cervical plexus block provides better intraoperative pain control and greater patient satisfaction than cervical plexus block alone. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Conduction block: a notion to let through].

Science.gov (United States)

Fournier, E

2012-12-01

Historical study of electrodiagnosis indicates that nerve conduction block is an old notion, used as early as the second century by Galien and then early in the 19th by physiologists such as Müller and Mateucci. Although introduced into the field of human pathology by Mitchell in 1872, who used it to study nerve injuries, and then by Erb in 1874 to study radial palsy, the contribution of nerve conduction blocks to electrodiagnosis was not exploited until the 1980s. At that time, attempts to improve early diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome showed that among the electrophysiological consequences of demyelination, conduction block was the most appropriate to account for the paralysis. At the same time, descriptions of neuropathies characterized by conduction blocks led to considering conduction block as a major electrophysiological sign. Why was it so difficult for this sign to be retained for electrodiagnosis? Since the notion is not always associated with anatomical lesions, it doesn't fit easily into anatomoclinical reasoning, but has to be thought of in functional terms. Understanding how an uninjured axon could fail to conduct action potentials leads to an examination of the intimate consequences of demyelinations and axonal dysfunctions. But some of the difficulty encountered in adding this new old sign to the armamentarium of electrophysiological diagnosis was related to the technical precautions required to individualize a block. Several pitfalls have to be avoided if a conduction block is to be afforded real diagnostic value. Similar precautions and discussions are also needed to establish an opposing sign, the "excitability block" or "inverse block". Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Block Copolymers: Synthesis and Applications in Nanotechnology

Science.gov (United States)

Lou, Qin

This study is focused on the synthesis and study of (block) copolymers using reversible deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs), including atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. In particular, two primary areas of study are undertaken: (1) a proof-of-concept application of lithographic block copolymers, and (2) the mechanistic study of the deposition of titania into block copolymer templates for the production of well-ordered titania nanostructures. Block copolymers have the ability to undergo microphase separation, with an average size of each microphase ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers. As such, block copolymers have been widely considered for nanotechnological applications over the past two decades. The development of materials for various nanotechnologies has become an increasingly studied area as improvements in many applications, such as those found in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries are constantly being sought. Significant growth in developments of new synthetic methods ( i.e. RDRPs) has allowed the production of block copolymers with molecular (and sometimes atomic) definition. In turn, this has greatly expanded the use of block copolymers in nanotechnology. Herein, we describe the synthesis of statistical and block copolymers of 193 nm photolithography methacrylate and acrylate resist monomers with norbornyl and adamantyl moieties using RAFT polymerization.. For these resist (block) copolymers, the phase separation behaviors were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). End groups were removed from the polymers to avoid complications during the photolithography since RAFT end groups absorb visible light. Poly(glycidyl methacrylate-block-polystyrene) (PGMA-b-PS) was synthesize by ATRP and demonstrated that this block copolymer acts as both a lithographic UV (365 nm) photoresist and a self-assembly material. The PGMA segments can undergo cationic

OPAL Various Lead Glass Blocks

CERN Multimedia

These lead glass blocks were part of a CERN detector called OPAL (one of the four experiments at the LEP particle detector). OPAL uses some 12 000 blocks of glass like this to measure particle energies in the electromagnetic calorimeter. This detector measured the energy deposited when electrons and photons were slowed down and stopped.

Steam-cured stabilised soil blocks for masonry construction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkatarama Reddy, B.V. [Indian Inst. of Science, Bangalore (India). Dept. of Civil Engineering; Lokras, S.S. [Indian Inst. of Science, Bangalore (India). ASTRA

1998-12-01

Energy-efficient, economical and durable building materials are essential for sustainable construction practices. The paper deals with production and properties of energy-efficient steam-cured stabilised soil blocks used for masonry construction. Problems of mixing expansive soil and lime, and production of blocks using soil-lime mixtures have been discussed briefly. Details of steam curing of stabilised soil blocks and properties of such blocks are given. A comparison of energy content of steam-cured soil blocks and burnt bricks is presented. It has been shown that energy-efficient steam cured soil blocks (consuming 35% less thermal energy compared to burnt clay bricks) having high compressive strength can be easily produced in a decentralised manner. (orig.)

Climatological features of blocking anticyclones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lupo, A.R.; Smith, P.J.; Oglesby, R.J.

1994-01-01

Several climatological studies have been previously performed using large observational data sets (i.e., 10 years or longer) in order to determine the predominant characteristics of blocking anticyclones, including favored development regions, duration, preferred seasonal occurrence, and frequency of occurrence. These studies have shown that blocking anticyclones occur most frequently from October to April over the eastern Atlantic and Pacific oceans downstream from both the North American and Asian continental regions and the storm track regions to the east of these continents. Some studies have also revealed the presence of a third region block formation in western Russia near 40 degrees E which is associated with another storm track region over the Mediterranean and western Asia

Thermal-stress analysis of HTGR fuel and control rod fuel blocks in in-block carbonization and annealing furnace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gwaltney, R.C.; McAfee, W.J.

1977-01-01

The equivalent solid plate method, in conjunction with two-dimensional plane stress and plane strain analyses, was used in assessing the thermal stress behavior of HTGR fuel and control rod fuel blocks. For the control rod fuel blocks, particular attention was given to ascertaining the effects of the reserve shutdown hole and the control rod channel holes. The assumed safety factor of 2 on the failure criteria was considered adequate to account for neglecting the axial temperature gradient in the plane analyses of the ends of the blocks. The analyses indicated that the maximum calculated tensile stress values were smaller than the criteria values except for the plane strain analysis of the control rod fuel block end surfaces and the axisymmetric analysis of the fuel block as a circular cylinder. However, most of the maximum calculated strain values were greater than the criteria values

Ipsilateral Brachial Plexus Block and Hemidiaphragmatic Paresis as Adverse Effect of a High Thoracic Paravertebral Block

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Renes, Steven H.; van Geffen, Geert J.; Snoeren, Miranda M.; Gielen, Matthieu J.; Groen, Gerbrand J.

Background: Thoracic paravertebral block is regularly used for unilateral chest and abdominal surgery and is associated with a low complication rate. Case Reports: We describe 2 patients with an ipsilateral brachial plexus block with Horner syndrome after a high continuous thoracic paravertebral

Functional Nanoporous Polymers from Block Copolymer Precursors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Fengxiao

Abstract Self-assembly of block copolymers provides well-defined morphologies with characteristic length scales in the nanometer range. Nanoporous polymers prepared by selective removal of one block from self-assembled block copolymers offer great technological promise due to their many potential...... functionalities remains a great challenge due to the limitation of available polymer synthesis and the nanoscale confinement of the porous cavities. The main topic of this thesis is to develop methods for fabrication of functional nanoporous polymers from block copolymer precursors. A method has been developed......, where living anionic polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are combined to synthesize a polydimethylsiloxane-b-poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-b-polystyrene (PDMS-b-PtBA-b-PS) triblock copolymer precursor. By using either anhydrous hydrogen fluoride or trifluoroacetic acid, PtBA block...

Forbidden subgraph pairs for traceability of block-chains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Binlong Li

2013-04-01

Full Text Available A block-chain is a graph whose block graph is a path, i.e. it is either a $P_1$, a $P_2$, or a 2-connected graph, or a graph of connectivity 1 with exactly two end-blocks. A graph is called traceable if it contains a Hamilton path. A traceable graph is clearly a block-chain, but the reverse does not hold in general.In this paper we characterize all pairs of connected graphs $\\{R,S\\}$ such that every $\\{R,S\\}$-free block-chain is traceable.

Synthesis of Functional Block Copolymers Carrying One Poly( p -phenylenevinylene) and One Nonconjugated Block in a Facile One-Pot Procedure

KAUST Repository

Menk, Florian

2016-02-29

Block copolymers composed of a MEH-PPV block and a nonconjugated functional block (molecular weights between 5 and 90 kg/mol) were synthesized in a facile one-pot procedure via ROMP. This one-pot procedure permits the synthesis of numerous block copolymers with little effort. Amphiphilic block copolymers were obtained via incorporation of oxanorbornene carrying a PEG side chain as well as via postpolymerization modification of a reactive ester carrying norbornene derivative with methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)amine. These amphiphilic block copolymers can be self-assembled into micelles exhibiting different sizes (60-95 nm), morphologies (micelles or fused, caterpillar-like micelles), and optical properties depending on the polymer composition and the micellization procedure. Furthermore, the reactive ester carrying block copolymers enabled the introduction of anchor groups which facilitated the preparation of nanocomposites with CdSe/CdZnS core-shell QDs. The obtained composites were studied using time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. The results revealed an increased interaction based on an accelerated decay of the QD emission for composites as compared to the mixture of the QDs with unfunctionalized polymers. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Synthesis of Functional Block Copolymers Carrying One Poly( p -phenylenevinylene) and One Nonconjugated Block in a Facile One-Pot Procedure

KAUST Repository

Menk, Florian; Shin, Suyong; Kim, Kyung-Oh; Scherer, Martin; Gehrig, Dominik; Laquai, Fré dé ric; Choi, Tae-Lim; Zentel, Rudolf

2016-01-01

Block copolymers composed of a MEH-PPV block and a nonconjugated functional block (molecular weights between 5 and 90 kg/mol) were synthesized in a facile one-pot procedure via ROMP. This one-pot procedure permits the synthesis of numerous block copolymers with little effort. Amphiphilic block copolymers were obtained via incorporation of oxanorbornene carrying a PEG side chain as well as via postpolymerization modification of a reactive ester carrying norbornene derivative with methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)amine. These amphiphilic block copolymers can be self-assembled into micelles exhibiting different sizes (60-95 nm), morphologies (micelles or fused, caterpillar-like micelles), and optical properties depending on the polymer composition and the micellization procedure. Furthermore, the reactive ester carrying block copolymers enabled the introduction of anchor groups which facilitated the preparation of nanocomposites with CdSe/CdZnS core-shell QDs. The obtained composites were studied using time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. The results revealed an increased interaction based on an accelerated decay of the QD emission for composites as compared to the mixture of the QDs with unfunctionalized polymers. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Quantization Distortion in Block Transform-Compressed Data

Science.gov (United States)

Boden, A. F.

1995-01-01

The popular JPEG image compression standard is an example of a block transform-based compression scheme; the image is systematically subdivided into block that are individually transformed, quantized, and encoded. The compression is achieved by quantizing the transformed data, reducing the data entropy and thus facilitating efficient encoding. A generic block transform model is introduced.

21 CFR 520.905e - Fenbendazole blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fenbendazole blocks. 520.905e Section 520.905e... DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS ORAL DOSAGE FORM NEW ANIMAL DRUGS § 520.905e Fenbendazole blocks. (a) Specifications. (1) Each pound of molasses block contains 750 milligrams of fenbendazole. (2) Each pound of...

Ultrasound-guided truncal blocks: A new frontier in regional anaesthesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arunangshu Chakraborty

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The practice of regional anaesthesia is rapidly changing with the introduction of ultrasound into the working domain of the anaesthesiologist. New techniques are being pioneered. Among the recent techniques, notable are the truncal blocks, for example, the transversus abdominis plane block, rectus sheath block, hernia block and quadratus lumborum block in the abdomen and the pectoral nerves (Pecs block 1 and 2, serratus anterior plane block and intercostal nerve block. This narrative review covers the brief anatomical discourse along with technical description of the ultrasound-guided truncal blocks.

Block copolymer membranes for aqueous solution applications

KAUST Repository

Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2016-03-22

Block copolymers are known for their intricate morphology. We review the state of the art of block copolymer membranes and discuss perspectives in this field. The main focus is on pore morphology tuning with a short introduction on non-porous membranes. The two main strategies for pore formation in block copolymer membranes are (i) film casting and selective block sacrifice and (ii) self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation (SNIPS). Different fundamental aspects involved in the manufacture of block copolymer membranes are considered, including factors affecting the equilibrium morphology in solid films, self-assembly of copolymer in solutions and macrophase separation by solvent-non-solvent exchange. Different mechanisms are proposed for different depths of the SNIPS membrane. Block copolymer membranes can be prepared with much narrower pore size distribution than homopolymer membranes. Open questions and indications of what we consider the next development steps are finally discussed. They include the synthesis and application of new copolymers and specific functionalization, adding characteristics to respond to stimuli and chemical environment, polymerization-induced phase separation, and the manufacture of organic-inorganic hybrids.

Capacitor blocks for linear transformer driver stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovalchuk, B M; Kharlov, A V; Kumpyak, E V; Smorudov, G V; Zherlitsyn, A A

2014-01-01

In the Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) technology, the low inductance energy storage components and switches are directly incorporated into the individual cavities (named stages) to generate a fast output voltage pulse, which is added along a vacuum coaxial line like in an inductive voltage adder. LTD stages with air insulation were recently developed, where air is used both as insulation in a primary side of the stages and as working gas in the LTD spark gap switches. A custom designed unit, referred to as a capacitor block, was developed for use as a main structural element of the transformer stages. The capacitor block incorporates two capacitors GA 35426 (40 nF, 100 kV) and multichannel multigap gas switch. Several modifications of the capacitor blocks were developed and tested on the life time and self breakdown probability. Blocks were tested both as separate units and in an assembly of capacitive module, consisting of five capacitor blocks. This paper presents detailed design of capacitor blocks, description of operation regimes, numerical simulation of electric field in the switches, and test results.

Block copolymer membranes for aqueous solution applications

KAUST Repository

Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2016-01-01

Block copolymers are known for their intricate morphology. We review the state of the art of block copolymer membranes and discuss perspectives in this field. The main focus is on pore morphology tuning with a short introduction on non-porous membranes. The two main strategies for pore formation in block copolymer membranes are (i) film casting and selective block sacrifice and (ii) self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation (SNIPS). Different fundamental aspects involved in the manufacture of block copolymer membranes are considered, including factors affecting the equilibrium morphology in solid films, self-assembly of copolymer in solutions and macrophase separation by solvent-non-solvent exchange. Different mechanisms are proposed for different depths of the SNIPS membrane. Block copolymer membranes can be prepared with much narrower pore size distribution than homopolymer membranes. Open questions and indications of what we consider the next development steps are finally discussed. They include the synthesis and application of new copolymers and specific functionalization, adding characteristics to respond to stimuli and chemical environment, polymerization-induced phase separation, and the manufacture of organic-inorganic hybrids.

Block circulant and block Toeplitz approximants of a class of spatially distributed systems-An LQR perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iftime, Orest V.

2012-01-01

In this paper block circulant and block Toeplitz long strings of MIMO systems with finite length are compared with their corresponding infinite-dimensional spatially invariant systems. The focus is on the convergence of the sequence of solutions to the control Riccati equations and the convergence

Block Play: Practical Suggestions for Common Dilemmas

Science.gov (United States)

Tunks, Karyn Wellhousen

2009-01-01

Learning materials and teaching methods used in early childhood classrooms have fluctuated greatly over the past century. However, one learning tool has stood the test of time: Wood building blocks, often called unit blocks, continue to be a source of pleasure and learning for young children at play. Wood blocks have the unique capacity to engage…

Block storage subsystem performance analysis

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

You feel that your service is slow because of the storage subsystem? But there are too many abstraction layers between your software and the raw block device for you to debug all this pile... Let's dive on the platters and check out how the block storage sees your I/Os! We can even figure out what those patterns are meaning.

A Novel Tetrathiafulvalene Building Block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeppesen, Jan Oskar; Takimiya, Kazuo; Thorup, Niels

1999-01-01

Efficient synthesis of a novel tetrathiafulvalene building block. 2,3-bis(2-cyanoethylthio)-6,7-bis(thiocyanato-methyl)tetrathiafulv alene (7) useful for stepwise and asymmetrical bis-function-alization is reported.......Efficient synthesis of a novel tetrathiafulvalene building block. 2,3-bis(2-cyanoethylthio)-6,7-bis(thiocyanato-methyl)tetrathiafulv alene (7) useful for stepwise and asymmetrical bis-function-alization is reported....

Forbidden subgraph pairs for traceability of block-chains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Binlong; Li, Binlong; Broersma, Haitze J.; Zhang, Shenggui

2013-01-01

A block-chain is a graph whose block graph is a path, i.e. it is either a P1, a P2, or a 2-connected graph, or a graph of connectivity 1 with exactly two end-blocks. A graph is called traceable if it contains a Hamilton path. A traceable graph is clearly a block-chain, but the reverse does not hold

Blocking device especially for circulating pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susil, J.; Vychodil, V.; Lorenc, P.

1976-01-01

The claim of the invention is a blocking device which blocks reverse flow occurring after the shutdown of circulating pumps, namely in the operation of nuclear power plants or in pumps with a high delivery head. (F.M.)

Rapid self-assembly of block copolymers to photonic crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yan; Sveinbjornsson, Benjamin R; Grubbs, Robert H; Weitekamp, Raymond; Miyake, Garret M; Atwater, Harry A; Piunova, Victoria; Daeffler, Christopher Scot; Hong, Sung Woo; Gu, Weiyin; Russell, Thomas P.

2016-07-05

The invention provides a class of copolymers having useful properties, including brush block copolymers, wedge-type block copolymers and hybrid wedge and polymer block copolymers. In an embodiment, for example, block copolymers of the invention incorporate chemically different blocks comprising polymer size chain groups and/or wedge groups that significantly inhibit chain entanglement, thereby enhancing molecular self-assembly processes for generating a range of supramolecular structures, such as periodic nanostructures and microstructures. The present invention also provides useful methods of making and using copolymers, including block copolymers.

Functionalization of Block Copolymer Vesicle Surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolfgang Meier

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In dilute aqueous solutions certain amphiphilic block copolymers self-assemble into vesicles that enclose a small pool of water with a membrane. Such polymersomes have promising applications ranging from targeted drug-delivery devices, to biosensors, and nanoreactors. Interactions between block copolymer membranes and their surroundings are important factors that determine their potential biomedical applications. Such interactions are influenced predominantly by the membrane surface. We review methods to functionalize block copolymer vesicle surfaces by chemical means with ligands such as antibodies, adhesion moieties, enzymes, carbohydrates and fluorophores. Furthermore, surface-functionalization can be achieved by self-assembly of polymers that carry ligands at their chain ends or in their hydrophilic blocks. While this review focuses on the strategies to functionalize vesicle surfaces, the applications realized by, and envisioned for, such functional polymersomes are also highlighted.

Theory of circuit block switch-off

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Henzler

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Switching-off unused circuit blocks is a promising approach to supress static leakage currents in ultra deep sub-micron CMOS digital systems. Basic performance parameters of Circuit Block Switch-Off (CBSO schemes are defined and their dependence on basic circuit parameters is estimated. Therefore the design trade-off between strong leakage suppression in idle mode and adequate dynamic performance in active mode can be supported by simple analytic investigations. Additionally, a guideline for the estimation of the minimum time for which a block deactivation is useful is derived.

Productivity assessment of Angola's oil blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, Carlos Pestana; Managi, Shunsuke

2009-01-01

This paper analyzes the change in productivity as a result of Angola oil policy from 2001 to 2007. Angola oil blocks are the main source of tax receipts and, therefore, strategically important for public finances. A Malmquist index with the input technological bias is applied to measure productivity change. Oil blocks on average became both more efficient and experienced technological progress. Our results indicate that the traditional growth accounting method, which assumes Hicks neutral technological change, is not appropriate for analyzing changes in productivity for Angola oil blocks. Policy implications are derived. (author)

New Opportunities to Expand Information on Intense-Strained State of the Earth's Crust in the Areas of Development Mineral Resources During Monitoring Creation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pershin Vladimir

2017-01-01

Full Text Available It is established that new safe and pollution-free technologies of development of Kuzbass coal deposits should be based on new knowledge of development geodynamic and technogenic processes in exploration of mineral resources. Such information is impossible without formation of new models of deformations of the earth crust blocks. Now in traditional technologies of geomechanical ensuring development of mineral resources the main characteristic is the information about the kinematics of these processes. A comprehensive approach which beginning is development of the theory for justification of scale of the explored territory and establishment of uniform integral parameters of a strained state of blocks of crust. Justification of scale of the explored territory defines effectiveness of expenses. Establishment of uniform integral parameters of a strained state of crustal blocks characterizes the new level of information exchange between sciences about Earth and geomechanics. Practical use of the specified theory consists of assessment of geodynamic danger at development of coal fields.

Combination of Transversus abdominis plane block and Serratus plane block anesthesia in dogs submitted to masctetomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciana G. Teixeira

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This paper pretends to demonstrate the effect of the combination of transversus abdominis plane block (TAP block and Serratus plane block (SP block techniques in analgesia of 4 dogs undergoing total unilateral mastectomy. Dogs were premedicated with methadone (0.5mg.kg-1 intramuscularly. Anesthesia was induced with propofol (6mg.kg-1 and midazolam (0.3mg.kg-1 and maintained with isoflurane. SP and TAP block were performed unilaterally using ultrasound by the injection of bupivacaine 0.25% (0.3mL kg-1 diluted with NaCl solution 1:1. Heart rate (HR, respiratory rate (f, non-invasive arterial pressure, esophageal temperature (T, oxygen saturation (SpO2 and electrocardiogram were monitored continuously. Animals were monitored for two and four hours after extubation for pain by using the Canine Acute Pain Scale from Colorado State University. Two hours after extubation, tramadol (4mg.kg-1 and dipyrone (25mg.kg-1 was administered to all dogs. It was not observed any alteration on cardiac rhythm. HR, f, T and mean arterial pressure remained below the preincisional values for all dogs. No dog required intraoperative rescue analgesia. Recovery from anesthesia was without any complication. All animals scored 0 (0/5 at pain scale, two and four hours after extubation and none of them expressed concern over the surgical wound. Dogs were able to walk before two hours after extubation. The combination of both techniques is effective in anesthetic blocking the thoracic and abdominal walls and it is suggested both may be included in the multimodal analgesia protocols for this type of surgery.

Comparison of extent of sensory block following posterior and subcostal approaches to ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, T H W; Barrington, M J; Tran, T M N; Wong, D; Hebbard, P D

2010-05-01

Transversus abdominis plane block provides postoperative analgesia following abdominal surgery by targeting thoracolumbar nerves between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles. Posterior and subcostal approaches using ultrasound guidance have been described. However there have been inconsistent results in relation to the extent of the sensory block. This observational study evaluated the distributions of sensory block following either a posterior or subcostal approach and the quality of analgesia achieved. Following ethics committee approval, 50 patients undergoing minimally invasive and major abdominal surgery were recruited. A total of 81 transversus abdominis plane blocks were performed preoperatively under real-time ultrasound guidance. Postoperatively, patients received multimodal analgesia including morphine via patient-controlled pumps. Ninety-eight percent of patients had some degree of demonstrable sensory block and the dermatomal spread differed between posterior and subcostal approaches (P interquartile range 2 to 4), the most cephalad being T10 (interquartile range T9 to T10), while the subcostal approach blocked a median of four segments (interquartile range 3 to 5), the most cephalad being T8 (interquartile range T7 to T9, P interquartile range 17 to 50 mg) at 24 hours. Median pain scores at rest and with coughing were 20 (interquartile range 10 to 35) and 50 (interquartile range 29 to 67) respectively at 24 hours. The posterior approach appears to be more appropriate for lower abdominal surgery and the subcostal approach better suited to upper abdominal surgery. Whichever approach is used, transversus abdominis plane block is only one component of a multimodal analgesic technique.

Block Textured a-Si:H Solar Cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung Jae Moon

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A series of etching experiments on light trapping structure have been carried out by glass etching. The block structure provides long light traveling path and a constant distance between the cathode and anode electrodes regardless of the block height, which results in higher efficiency of the block textured solar cell. In terms of etching profile of the glass substrate, the addition of NH4F resulted in the smooth and clean etching profile, and the steep slope of the block was obtained by optimizing the composition of etching solution. For a higher HF concentration, a more graded slope was obtained and the addition of HNO3 and NH4F provided steep slope and clean etching profile. The effects of the block textured glass were verified by a comparison of the solar cell efficiency. For the textured solar cell, the surface was much rougher than that of the plain glass, which also contributes to the improvement of the efficiency. We accomplished block shaped light trapping structure for the first time by wet etching of the glass substrate, which enables the high efficiency thin film solar cell with the aid of the good step coverage deposition.

Direct block scheduling technology: Analysis of Avidity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Ribeiro Souza

Full Text Available Abstract This study is focused on Direct Block Scheduling testing (Direct Multi-Period Scheduling methodology which schedules mine production considering the correct discount factor of each mining block, resulting in the final pit. Each block is analyzed individually in order to define the best target period. This methodology presents an improvement of the classical methodology derived from Lerchs-Grossmann's initial proposition improved by Whittle. This paper presents the differences between these methodologies, specially focused on the algorithms' avidity. Avidity is classically defined by the voracious search algorithms, whereupon some of the most famous greedy algorithms are Branch and Bound, Brutal Force and Randomized. Strategies based on heuristics can accentuate the voracity of the optimizer system. The applied algorithm use simulated annealing combined with Tabu Search. The most avid algorithm can select the most profitable blocks in early periods, leading to higher present value in the first periods of mine operation. The application of discount factors to blocks on the Lerchs-Grossmann's final pit has an accentuated effect with time, and this effect may make blocks scheduled for the end of the mine life unfeasible, representing a trend to a decrease in reported reserves.

Exploring atmospheric blocking with GPS radio occultation observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Brunner

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric blocking has been closely investigated in recent years due to its impact on weather and climate, such as heat waves, droughts, and flooding. We use, for the first time, satellite-based observations from Global Positioning System (GPS radio occultation (RO and explore their ability to resolve blocking in order to potentially open up new avenues complementing models and reanalyses. RO delivers globally available and vertically highly resolved profiles of atmospheric variables such as temperature and geopotential height (GPH. Applying a standard blocking detection algorithm, we find that RO data robustly capture blocking as demonstrated for two well-known blocking events over Russia in summer 2010 and over Greenland in late winter 2013. During blocking episodes, vertically resolved GPH gradients show a distinct anomalous behavior compared to climatological conditions up to 300 hPa and sometimes even further up into the tropopause. The accompanying increase in GPH of up to 300 m in the upper troposphere yields a pronounced tropopause height increase. Corresponding temperatures rise up to 10 K in the middle and lower troposphere. These results demonstrate the feasibility and potential of RO to detect and resolve blocking and in particular to explore the vertical structure of the atmosphere during blocking episodes. This new observation-based view is available globally at the same quality so that blocking in the Southern Hemisphere can also be studied with the same reliability as in the Northern Hemisphere.

The blocking reagent optimization for the magnetoelastic biosensor

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiajia; Chai, Yating; Horikawa, Shin; Wikle, Howard C.; Wang, Feng'en; Du, Songtao; Chin, Bryan A.; Hu, Jing

2015-06-01

The wireless phage-based magnetoelastic (ME) biosensor has proven to be promising for real-time detection of pathogenic bacteria on fresh produces. The ME biosensor consists of a freestanding ME resonator as the signal transducer and filamentous phage as the biomolecular-recognition element, which can specifically bind to a pathogen of interest. Due to the Joule magnetostriction effect, the biosensors can be placed into mechanical resonance when subjected to a time-varying magnetic field alternating at the sensor's resonant frequency. Upon the attachment of the target pathogen, the mass of the biosensor increases, thereby decreasing its resonant frequency. This paper presents an investigation of blocking reagents immobilization for detecting Salmonella Typhimurium on fresh food surfaces. Three different blocking reagents (BSA, SuperBlock blocking buffer, and blocker BLOTTO) were used and compared. The optical microscope was used for bacterial cells binding observation. Student t-test was used to statistically analysis the experiment results. The results shows that SuperBlock blocking buffer and blocker BLOTTO have much better blocking performance than usually used BSA.

Block ground interaction of rockfalls

Science.gov (United States)

Volkwein, Axel; Gerber, Werner; Kummer, Peter

2016-04-01

During a rockfall the interaction of the falling block with the ground is one of the most important factors that define the evolution of a rockfall trajectory. It steers the rebound, the rotational movement, possibly brake effects, friction losses and damping effects. Therefore, if most reliable rockfall /trajectory simulation software is sought a good understanding of the block ground interaction is necessary. Today's rockfall codes enable the simulation of a fully 3D modelled block within a full 3D surface . However, the details during the contact, i.e. the contact duration, the penetration depth or the dimension of the marks in the ground are usually not part of the simulation. Recent field tests with rocks between 20 and 80 kg have been conducted on a grassy slope in 2014 [1]. A special rockfall sensor [2] within the blocks measured the rotational velocity and the acting accelerations during the tests. External video records and a so-called LocalPositioningSystem deliver information on the travel velocity. With these data not only the flight phases of the trajectories but also the contacts with the ground can be analysed. During the single jumps of a block the flight time, jump length, the velocity, and the rotation are known. During the single impacts their duration and the acting accelerations are visible. Further, the changes of rotational and translational velocity influence the next jump of the block. The change of the rotational velocity over the whole trajectory nicely visualizes the different phases of a rockfall regarding general acceleration and deceleration in respect to the inclination and the topography of the field. References: [1] Volkwein A, Krummenacher B, Gerber W, Lardon J, Gees F, Brügger L, Ott T (2015) Repeated controlled rockfall trajectory testing. [Abstract] Geophys. Res. Abstr. 17: EGU2015-9779. [2] Volkwein A, Klette J (2014) Semi-Automatic Determination of Rockfall Trajectories. Sensors 14: 18187-18210.

From global to heavy-light: 5-point conformal blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alkalaev, Konstantin; Belavin, Vladimir

2016-01-01

We consider Virasoro conformal blocks in the large central charge limit. There are different regimes depending on the behavior of the conformal dimensions. The most simple regime is reduced to the global sl(2,ℂ) conformal blocks while the most complicated one is known as the classical conformal blocks. Recently, Fitzpatrick, Kaplan, and Walters showed that the two regimes are related through the intermediate stage of the so-called heavy-light semiclassical limit. We study this idea in the particular case of the 5-point conformal block. To find the 5-point global block we use the projector technique and the Casimir operator approach. Furthermore, we discuss the relation between the global and the heavy-light limits and construct the heavy-light block from the global block. In this way we reproduce our previous results for the 5-point perturbative classical block obtained by means of the monodromy method.

Stabilization of colloidal palladium particles by a block copolymer of polystyrene and a block containing amide sidegroups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roescher, G.A.; Roescher, A.; Hempenius, Mark A.; Klok, H.A.; Moller, M.; Möller, M.

1996-01-01

A block copolymer of polystyrene and poly(tert-butylmethacrylate) was prepared by anionic polymerization. The ester groups of the poly(tert-butylmethacrylate) were hydrolyzed, after wich the remaining carboxyl groups were reacted with pyrrolidine. The resulting block copolymer with amide sidegroups

Fabrication and handling of bentonite blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-06-01

In accordance with the project for the final storage of spent nuclear fuel, the waste will be encapsulated into copper canisters, which will be deposited in a final repository located in rock 500 m below ground level. The canisters will be placed in vertical holes in the bottoms of the tunnels, where the copper cylinders will be surrounded by blocks of highly compacted bentonite. When the blocks are saturated with water and expansion is essentially retained as in the actual case, a very high swelling pressure will arise. The bentonite will be extremely impermeable and thus it will form a barrier against transport of corrosive matters to the canister. The blocks are fabricated by means of cold isostatic pressing of bentonite powder. The base material in the form of powder is enclosed in flexible forms, which are introduced into pressure vessels where the forms are surrounded by oil or water. Thus the powder is compacted into rigid bodies with a bulk density of about 2.2 t/m 3 for ''air dry'' bentonite, which might be compared with a specific density of about 2.7 t/m 3 . The placing of a canister is preceded by piling up bentonite blocks to a level just below the canister lid position, after which the slot around the blocks is filled with bentonite powder. The rest of the blocks are mounted after filling bentonite powder into the inner slot around the canister as well. Finally the storage tunnels will be sealed by filling them with a mixture o02067NRM 0000181 45

Peripheral nerve blocks in pediatric anesthesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novaković Dejan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction Most children undergoing surgery can benefit from regional anesthetic techniques, either as the sole anesthetic regimen or, as usual in pediatric practice, in combination with general anesthesia. The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs in pediatric anesthesia is an effective way to decrease the side-effects and complications associated with central blocks. In spite of their many advantages, including easy performance end efficacy, peripheral nerve blocks are still underused. Objective This article discusses a general approach to PNBs in children and provides data concerning the practice of this regional technique in different age groups. Methods Data from 1,650 procedures were prospectively collected during the period from March 1, 2007 to February 29, 2008. The type of PNB, if any, as well as the patient age were noted. Our patients were divided into four groups: 0-3 years, 4-7 years, 8-12 years and 13-18 years. Results During the investigated period, PNBs as a sole technique or in anesthetized children were performed in 7.45% of cases. Ilioingunal/iliohypogastric nerve block and penile block were the most common (70% of all PNBs distributed mainly among the children between 4-7 years of age (p<0.05. In older children, extremity PNBs predominate in regard to other types of blocks. PNBs are most frequently performed under general anesthesia (85%, so the perineural approach requires a safe technique to avoid nerve damage. Conclusion The observed differences in PNB usage seem to be related to patient age and correlate with common pathology and also with technical availability of PNB performance.

Concrete Waste as a Cement Replacement Material in Concrete Blocks for Optimization of Thermal and Mechanical Properties

OpenAIRE

Rosman M.S.; Abas N.F.; Othuman Mydin M.A.

2014-01-01

The sustainability of the natural environment and eco-systems is of great importance. Waste generated from construction forces mankind to find new dumping grounds and at the same time, more natural resources are required for use as construction materials. In order to overcome this problem, this study was conducted to investigate the use of concrete waste in concrete blocks with a special focus on the thermal and mechanical properties of the resulting products. Three varieties of concrete mixt...

CONJUGATED BLOCK-COPOLYMERS FOR ELECTROLUMINESCENT DIODES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hilberer, A; Gill, R.E; Herrema, J.K; Malliaras, G.G; Wildeman, J.; Hadziioannou, G

In this article we review results obtained in our laboratory on the design and study of new light-emitting polymers. We are interested in the synthesis and characterisation of block copolymers with regularly alternating conjugated and non conjugated sequences. The blocks giving rise to luminescence

Superintegrability of d-dimensional conformal blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isachenkov, Mikhail

2016-02-01

We observe that conformal blocks of scalar 4-point functions in a d-dimensional conformal field theory can mapped to eigenfunctions of a 2-particle hyperbolic Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian. The latter describes two coupled Poeschl-Teller particles. Their interaction, whose strength depends smoothly on the dimension d, is known to be superintegrable. Our observation enables us to exploit the rich mathematical literature on Calogero-Sutherland models in deriving various results for conformal field theory. These include an explicit construction of conformal blocks in terms of Heckman-Opdam hypergeometric functions and a remarkable duality that relates the blocks of theories in different dimensions.

Superintegrability of d-dimensional conformal blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Isachenkov, Mikhail [Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel). Dept. of Particle Physics and Astronomy; Schomerus, Volker [DESY Theory Group, Hamburg (Germany)

2016-02-15

We observe that conformal blocks of scalar 4-point functions in a d-dimensional conformal field theory can mapped to eigenfunctions of a 2-particle hyperbolic Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian. The latter describes two coupled Poeschl-Teller particles. Their interaction, whose strength depends smoothly on the dimension d, is known to be superintegrable. Our observation enables us to exploit the rich mathematical literature on Calogero-Sutherland models in deriving various results for conformal field theory. These include an explicit construction of conformal blocks in terms of Heckman-Opdam hypergeometric functions and a remarkable duality that relates the blocks of theories in different dimensions.

Three-dimensional Reconstruction of Block Shape Irregularity and its Effects on Block Impacts Using an Energy-Based Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yulong; Liu, Zaobao; Shi, Chong; Shao, Jianfu

2018-04-01

This study is devoted to three-dimensional modeling of small falling rocks in block impact analysis in energy view using the particle flow method. The restitution coefficient of rockfall collision is introduced from the energy consumption mechanism to describe rockfall-impacting properties. Three-dimensional reconstruction of falling block is conducted with the help of spherical harmonic functions that have satisfactory mathematical properties such as orthogonality and rotation invariance. Numerical modeling of the block impact to the bedrock is analyzed with both the sphere-simplified model and the 3D reconstructed model. Comparisons of the obtained results suggest that the 3D reconstructed model is advantageous in considering the combination effects of rockfall velocity and rotations during colliding process. Verification of the modeling is carried out with the results obtained from other experiments. In addition, the effects of rockfall morphology, surface characteristics, velocity, and volume, colliding damping and relative angle are investigated. A three-dimensional reconstruction modulus of falling blocks is to be developed and incorporated into the rockfall simulation tools in order to extend the modeling results at block scale to slope scale.

Zero-block mode decision algorithm for H.264/AVC.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yu-Ming; Lin, Yinyi

2009-03-01

In the previous paper , we proposed a zero-block intermode decision algorithm for H.264 video coding based upon the number of zero-blocks of 4 x 4 DCT coefficients between the current macroblock and the co-located macroblock. The proposed algorithm can achieve significant improvement in computation, but the computation performance is limited for high bit-rate coding. To improve computation efficiency, in this paper, we suggest an enhanced zero-block decision algorithm, which uses an early zero-block detection method to compute the number of zero-blocks instead of direct DCT and quantization (DCT/Q) calculation and incorporates two adequate decision methods into semi-stationary and nonstationary regions of a video sequence. In addition, the zero-block decision algorithm is also applied to the intramode prediction in the P frame. The enhanced zero-block decision algorithm brings out a reduction of average 27% of total encoding time compared to the zero-block decision algorithm.

Effective management of combined renewable energy resources in Tajikistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimov, Khasan S; Akhmedov, Khakim M; Abid, Muhammad; Petrov, Georgiy N

2013-09-01

Water is needed mostly in summer time for irrigation and in winter time for generation of electric power. This results in conflicts between downstream countries that utilize water mostly for irrigation and those upstream countries, which use water for generation of electric power. At present Uzbekistan is blocking railway connection that is going to Tajikistan to interfere to transportation of the equipment and materials for construction of Rogun hydropower plant. In order to avoid conflicts between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan a number of measures for the utilization of water resources of the trans-boundary Rivers Amu-Darya and Sir-Darya are discussed. In addition, utilization of water with the supplement of wind and solar energy projects for proper and efficient management of water resources in Central Asia; export-import exchanges of electric energy in summer and winter time between neighboring countries; development of small hydropower project, modern irrigation system in main water consuming countries and large water reservoir hydropower projects for control of water resources for hydropower and irrigation are also discussed. It is also concluded that an effective management of water resources can be achieved by signing Water treaty between upstream and downstream countries, first of all between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In this paper management of water as renewable energy resource in Tajikistan and Central Asian Republics are presented. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Risking Aggression: Reply to Block

OpenAIRE

Kris Borer

2010-01-01

In his paper, “Is There an ‘Anomalous’ Section of the Laffer Curve?”, Walter Block describes some situations in which it appears that a libertarian should violate the non-aggression principle. To rectify this, Block proposes a different perspective on libertarianism which he calls punishment theory. This paper argues that no new theory is needed, as the non-aggression principle can be used to resolve theapparent conundrums.

Regional anesthesia in transurethral resection of prostate (TURP surgery: A comparative study between saddle block and subarachnoid block

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susmita Bhattacharyya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Spinal anesthesia is the technique of choice in transurethral resection of prostate (TURP. The major complication of spinal technique is risk of hypotension. Saddle block paralyzed pelvic muscles and sacral nerve roots and hemodynamic derangement is less. Aims and objectives: To compare the hemodynamic changes and adequate surgical condition between saddle block and subarachnoid block for TURP. Material and methods: Ninety patients of aged between 50 to 70 years of ASA-PS I, II scheduled for TURP were randomly allocated into 2 groups of 45 in each group. Group A patients were received spinal (2 ml of hyperbaric bupivacaine and Group B were received saddle block (2 ml of hyperbaric bupivacaine. Baseline systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation were recorded and measured subsequently. The height of block was noted in both groups. Hypotension was corrected by administration of phenylephrine 50 mcg bolus and total requirement of vasopressor was noted. Complications (volume overload, TURP syndrome etc. were noted. Results: Incidence of hypotension and vasopressor requirement was less (P < 0.01 in Gr B patients.Adequate surgical condition was achieved in both groups. There was no incidence of volume overload, TURP syndrome, and bladder perforation. Conclusion: TURP can be safely performed under saddle block without hypotension and less vasopressor requirement.

21 CFR 882.1925 - Ultrasonic scanner calibration test block.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ultrasonic scanner calibration test block. 882... Ultrasonic scanner calibration test block. (a) Identification. An ultrasonic scanner calibration test block is a block of material with known properties used to calibrate ultrasonic scanning devices (e.g., the...

Thermal-stress analysis of HTGR fuel and control rod fuel blocks in in-block carbonization and annealing furnace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gwaltney, R.C.; McAfee, W.J.

1977-01-01

A new method for performing thermal stress analyses in structures with multiple penetrations was applied to these analyses. This method couples the development of an equivalent thermal conductivity for the blocks, a technique that has been used extensively for modeling the thermal characteristics of reactor cores, with the use of the equivalent solid plate method for stress analysis. Using this equivalent thermal conductivity, which models as one material the heat transfer characteristics of the fuel, coolant, and graphite two-dimensional, steady-state thermal analyses of the fuel and control rod fuel blocks were performed to establish all temperature boundaries required for the stress analyses. In applying the equivalent solid plate method, the region of penetrations being modeled was replaced by a pseudo material having the same dimensions but whose materials properties were adjusted to account for the penetration. The peak stresses and strains were determined by applying stress and strain intensification factors to the calculated distributions. The condition studied was where the blocks were located near the center of the furnace. In this position, the axial surface of the block is heated near one end and cooled near the other. The approximate axial surface temperatures ranged from 1521 0 C at both the heated and the cooled ends to a peak of 1800 0 C near the center. Five specific cases were analyzed: plane (two-dimensional thermal, plane stress strain) analyses of each end of a standard fuel block (2 cases), plane analyses of each end of a control rod fuel block (2 cases), and a two-dimensional analysis of a fuel block treated as an axisymmetric cylind

Block Gas Sol Unit in Haderslev

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vejen, Niels Kristian

2000-01-01

Investigation of a SDHW system based on a Block Gas Sol Unit from Baxi A/S installed by a consumer i Haderslev, Denmark.......Investigation of a SDHW system based on a Block Gas Sol Unit from Baxi A/S installed by a consumer i Haderslev, Denmark....

Secure Block Ciphers - Cryptanalysis and Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tiessen, Tyge

be applied to the AES can be transferred to this block cipher, albeit with a higher attack complexity. The second publication introduces a new block cipher family which is targeted for new applications in fully homomorphic encryption and multi-party computation. We demonstrate the soundness of the design...... is encrypted using so-called symmetric ciphers. The security of our digital infrastructure thus rests at its very base on their security. The central topic of this thesis is the security of block ciphers – the most prominent form of symmetric ciphers. This thesis is separated in two parts. The first part...... is an introduction to block ciphers and their cryptanalysis, the second part contains publications written and published during the PhD studies. The first publication evaluates the security of a modification of the AES in which the choice of S-box is unknown to the attacker. We find that some of the attacks that can...

Experimental demonstration of high spectral efficient 4 × 4 MIMO SCMA-OFDM/OQAM radio over multi-core fiber system.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chang; Deng, Lei; He, Jiale; Li, Di; Fu, Songnian; Tang, Ming; Cheng, Mengfan; Liu, Deming

2017-07-24

In this paper, 4 × 4 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio over 7-core fiber system based on sparse code multiple access (SCMA) and OFDM/OQAM techniques is proposed. No cyclic prefix (CP) is required by properly designing the prototype filters in OFDM/OQAM modulator, and non-orthogonally overlaid codewords by using SCMA is help to serve more users simultaneously under the condition of using equal number of time and frequency resources compared with OFDMA, resulting in the increase of spectral efficiency (SE) and system capacity. In our experiment, 11.04 Gb/s 4 × 4 MIMO SCMA-OFDM/OQAM signal is successfully transmitted over 20 km 7-core fiber and 0.4 m air distance in both uplink and downlink. As a comparison, 6.681 Gb/s traditional MIMO-OFDM signal with the same occupied bandwidth has been evaluated for both uplink and downlink transmission. The experimental results show that SE could be increased by 65.2% with no bit error rate (BER) performance degradation compared with the traditional MIMO-OFDM technique.

RADIOMETRIC BLOCK ADJUSMENT AND DIGITAL RADIOMETRIC MODEL GENERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Pros

2013-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present a radiometric block adjustment method that is related to geometric block adjustment and to the concept of a terrain Digital Radiometric Model (DRM as a complement to the terrain digital elevation and surface models. A DRM, in our concept, is a function that for each ground point returns a reflectance value and a Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF. In a similar way to the terrain geometric reconstruction procedure, given an image block of some terrain area, we split the DRM generation in two phases: radiometric block adjustment and DRM generation. In the paper we concentrate on the radiometric block adjustment step, but we also describe a preliminary DRM generator. In the block adjustment step, after a radiometric pre-calibraton step, local atmosphere radiative transfer parameters, and ground reflectances and BRDFs at the radiometric tie points are estimated. This radiometric block adjustment is based on atmospheric radiative transfer (ART models, pre-selected BRDF models and radiometric ground control points. The proposed concept is implemented and applied in an experimental campaign, and the obtained results are presented. The DRM and orthophoto mosaics are generated showing no radiometric differences at the seam lines.

Pre-operative brachial plexus block compared with an identical block performed at the end of surgery: a prospective, double-blind, randomised clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmberg, A; Sauter, A R; Klaastad, Ø; Draegni, T; Raeder, J C

2017-08-01

We evaluated whether pre-emptive analgesia with a pre-operative ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block resulted in better postoperative analgesia than an identical block performed postoperatively. Fifty-two patients undergoing fixation of a fractured radius were included. All patients received general anaesthesia with remifentanil and propofol. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups: a pre-operative block or a postoperative block with 0.5 ml.kg -1 ropivacaine 0.75%. After surgery, all patients received regular paracetamol plus opioids for breakthrough pain. Mean (SD) time to first rescue analgesic after emergence from general anaesthesia was 544 (217) min in the pre-operative block group compared with 343 (316) min in the postoperative block group (p = 0.015). Postoperative pain scores were higher and more patients required rescue analgesia during the first 4 h after surgery in the postoperative block group. There were no significant differences in plasma stress mediators between the groups. Analgesic consumption was lower at day seven in the pre-operative block group. Pain was described as very strong at block resolution in 27 (63%) patients and 26 (76%) had episodes of mild pain after 6 months. We conclude that a pre-operative ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block provides longer and better analgesia in the acute postoperative period compared with an identical postoperative block in patients undergoing surgery for fractured radius. © 2017 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

A fast direct method for block triangular Toeplitz-like with tri-diagonal block systems from time-fractional partial differential equations

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Rihuan; Ng, Michael K.; Sun, Hai-Wei

2015-12-01

In this paper, we study the block lower triangular Toeplitz-like with tri-diagonal blocks system which arises from the time-fractional partial differential equation. Existing fast numerical solver (e.g., fast approximate inversion method) cannot handle such linear system as the main diagonal blocks are different. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a fast direct method for solving this linear system, and to illustrate that the proposed method is much faster than the classical block forward substitution method for solving this linear system. Our idea is based on the divide-and-conquer strategy and together with the fast Fourier transforms for calculating Toeplitz matrix-vector multiplication. The complexity needs O (MNlog2 ⁡ M) arithmetic operations, where M is the number of blocks (the number of time steps) in the system and N is the size (number of spatial grid points) of each block. Numerical examples from the finite difference discretization of time-fractional partial differential equations are also given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.

Robust and Adaptive Block Tracking Method Based on Particle Filter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Sun

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In the field of video analysis and processing, object tracking is attracting more and more attention especially in traffic management, digital surveillance and so on. However problems such as objects’ abrupt motion, occlusion and complex target structures would bring difficulties to academic study and engineering application. In this paper, a fragmentsbased tracking method using the block relationship coefficient is proposed. In this method, we use particle filter algorithm and object region is divided into blocks initially. The contribution of this method is that object features are not extracted just from a single block, the relationship between current block and its neighbor blocks are extracted to describe the variation of the block. Each block is weighted according to the block relationship coefficient when the block is voted on the most matched region in next frame. This method can make full use of the relationship between blocks. The experimental results demonstrate that our method can provide good performance in condition of occlusion and abrupt posture variation.

Evidence of peripheral nerve blocks for cancer-related pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klepstad, P; Kurita, G P; Mercadante, S

2015-01-01

The European Association for Palliative Care has initiated a comprehensive program to achieve an over-all review of the evidence of multiple cancer pain management strategies in order to extend the current guideline for treatment of cancer pain. The present systematic review analyzed the existing...... evidence of analgesic efficacy for peripheral nerve blocks in adult patients with cancer. A search strategy was elaborated with words related to cancer, pain, peripheral nerve and block. The search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane for the period until February 2014. The number of abstracts...... retrieved was 155. No controlled studies were identified. Sixteen papers presented a total of 79 cases. The blocks applied were paravertebral blocks (10 cases), blocks in the head region (2 cases), plexus blocks (13 cases), intercostal blocks (43 cases) and others (11 cases). In general, most cases reported...

Risking Aggression: Reply to Block

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kris Borer

2010-05-01

Full Text Available In his paper, “Is There an ‘Anomalous’ Section of the Laffer Curve?”, Walter Block describes some situations in which it appears that a libertarian should violate the non-aggression principle. To rectify this, Block proposes a different perspective on libertarianism which he calls punishment theory. This paper argues that no new theory is needed, as the non-aggression principle can be used to resolve theapparent conundrums.

Patchy micelles based on coassembly of block copolymer chains and block copolymer brushes on silica particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Shuzhe; Li, Zhan-Wei; Zhao, Hanying

2015-04-14

Patchy particles are a type of colloidal particles with one or more well-defined patches on the surfaces. The patchy particles with multiple compositions and functionalities have found wide applications from the fundamental studies to practical uses. In this research patchy micelles with thiol groups in the patches were prepared based on coassembly of free block copolymer chains and block copolymer brushes on silica particles. Thiol-terminated and cyanoisopropyl-capped polystyrene-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) block copolymers (PS-b-PNIPAM-SH and PS-b-PNIPAM-CIP) were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and chemical modifications. Pyridyl disulfide-functionalized silica particles (SiO2-SS-Py) were prepared by four-step surface chemical reactions. PS-b-PNIPAM brushes on silica particles were prepared by thiol-disulfide exchange reaction between PS-b-PNIPAM-SH and SiO2-SS-Py. Surface micelles on silica particles were prepared by coassembly of PS-b-PNIPAM-CIP and block copolymer brushes. Upon cleavage of the surface micelles from silica particles, patchy micelles with thiol groups in the patches were obtained. Dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and zeta-potential measurements demonstrate the preparation of patchy micelles. Gold nanoparticles can be anchored onto the patchy micelles through S-Au bonds, and asymmetric hybrid structures are formed. The thiol groups can be oxidized to disulfides, which results in directional assembly of the patchy micelles. The self-assembly behavior of the patchy micelles was studied experimentally and by computer simulation.

Fabrication of calcite blocks from gypsum blocks by compositional transformation based on dissolution-precipitation reactions in sodium carbonate solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Kunio; Kawachi, Giichiro; Tsuru, Kanji; Yoshimoto, Ayami

2017-03-01

Calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) has been used as a bone substitute, and is a precursor for carbonate apatite, which is also a promising bone substitute. However, limited studies have been reported on the fabrication of artificial calcite blocks. In the present study, cylindrical calcite blocks (ϕ6×3mm) were fabricated by compositional transformation based on dissolution-precipitation reactions using different calcium sulfate blocks as a precursor. In the dissolution-precipitation reactions, both CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and CaSO 4 transformed into calcite, a polymorph of CaCO 3 , while maintaining their macroscopic structure when immersed in 1mol/L Na 2 CO 3 solution at 80°C for 1week. The diametral tensile strengths of the calcite blocks formed using CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and CaSO 4 were 1.0±0.3 and 2.3±0.7MPa, respectively. The fabrication of calcite blocks using CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and CaSO 4 proposed in this investigation may be a useful method to produce calcite blocks because of the self-setting ability and high temperature stability of gypsum precursors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resource Allocation and Outpatient Appointment Scheduling Using Simulation Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carrie Ka Yuk Lin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper studies the real-life problems of outpatient clinics having the multiple objectives of minimizing resource overtime, patient waiting time, and waiting area congestion. In the clinic, there are several patient classes, each of which follows different treatment procedure flow paths through a multiphase and multiserver queuing system with scarce staff and limited space. We incorporate the stochastic factors for the probabilities of the patients being diverted into different flow paths, patient punctuality, arrival times, procedure duration, and the number of accompanied visitors. We present a novel two-stage simulation-based heuristic algorithm to assess various tactical and operational decisions for optimizing the multiple objectives. In stage I, we search for a resource allocation plan, and in stage II, we determine a block appointment schedule by patient class and a service discipline for the daily operational level. We also explore the effects of the separate strategies and their integration to identify the best possible combination. The computational experiments are designed on the basis of data from a study of an ophthalmology clinic in a public hospital. Results show that our approach significantly mitigates the undesirable outcomes by integrating the strategies and increasing the resource flexibility at the bottleneck procedures without adding resources.

Clinical and electrocardiographic presentations of transient trifascicular block in three cats.

Science.gov (United States)

Oxford, Eva M; Giacomazzi, Flavia B; Moïse, N Sydney; Santilli, Roberto A

2018-06-01

This report describes transient trifascicular block in three cats presented with lethargy and inappetence, and elevated cardiac troponin I concentrations. The electrocardiogram (ECG) of cat 1 showed a sinus rhythm with pronounced first-degree atrioventricular (AV) block, right bundle branch block, and left anterior fascicular block. The ECG of cat 2 showed truncular left bundle branch block alternating with left anterior fascicular block coupled with prolonged PR intervals, second-degree heart block, and paroxysmal third-degree AV block. The ECG of cat 3 showed first-degree AV block with concomitant right bundle branch block. The diagnosis of trifascicular block was made when paroxysmal third-degree AV block was documented. All cats recovered with medical management within weeks. Each cat resumed a sinus rhythm. Elevated cardiac troponin I concentrations suggested myocarditis that improved. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic code block size for JPEG 2000

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Ping-Sing; LeCornec, Yann

2008-02-01

Since the standardization of the JPEG 2000, it has found its way into many different applications such as DICOM (digital imaging and communication in medicine), satellite photography, military surveillance, digital cinema initiative, professional video cameras, and so on. The unified framework of the JPEG 2000 architecture makes practical high quality real-time compression possible even in video mode, i.e. motion JPEG 2000. In this paper, we present a study of the compression impact using dynamic code block size instead of fixed code block size as specified in the JPEG 2000 standard. The simulation results show that there is no significant impact on compression if dynamic code block sizes are used. In this study, we also unveil the advantages of using dynamic code block sizes.

Cement Stabilized Soil Blocks Admixed with Sugarcane Bagasse Ash

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jijo James

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The study involved investigating the performance of ordinary Portland cement (OPC stabilized soil blocks amended with sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA. Locally available soil was tested for its properties and characterized as clay of medium plasticity. This soil was stabilized using 4% and 10% OPC for manufacture of blocks of size 19 cm × 9 cm × 9 cm. The blocks were admixed with 4%, 6%, and 8% SBA by weight of dry soil during casting, with plain OPC stabilized blocks acting as control. All blocks were cast to one target density and water content followed by moist curing for a period of 28 days. They were then subjected to compressive strength, water absorption, and efflorescence tests in accordance with Bureau of Indian standards (BIS specifications. The results of the tests indicated that OPC stabilization resulted in blocks that met the specifications of BIS. Addition of SBA increased the compressive strength of the blocks and slightly increased the water absorption but still met the standard requirement of BIS code. It is concluded that addition of SBA to OPC in stabilized block manufacture was capable of producing stabilized blocks at reduced OPC content that met the minimum required standards.

Catheter ablation as a treatment of atrioventricular block.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuohy, Stephen; Saliba, Walid; Pai, Manjunath; Tchou, Patrick

2018-01-01

Symptomatic second-degree atrioventricular (AV) block is typically treated by implantation of a pacemaker. An otherwise healthy AV conduction system can nevertheless develop AV block due to interference from junctional extrasystoles. When present with a high burden, these can produce debilitating symptoms from AV block despite an underlying normal AV node and His-Purkinje system properties. The purpose of this study was to describe a catheter ablation approach for alleviating symptomatic AV block due to a ventricular nodal pathway interfering with AV conduction. Common clinical monitoring techniques such as Holter and event recorders were used. Standard electrophysiological study techniques using multipolar recording and ablation catheters were utilized during procedures. A 55-year-old woman presented with highly symptomatic, high-burden second-degree AV block due to concealed and manifest junctional premature beats. Electrophysiological characteristics indicated interference of AV conduction due to a concealed ventricular nodal pathway as the cause of the AV block. The patient's AV nodal and His-Purkinje system conduction characteristics were otherwise normal. Radiofrequency catheter ablation of the pathway was successful in restoring normal AV conduction and eliminating her clinical symptoms. Pathways inserting into the AV junction can interfere with AV conduction. When present at a high burden, this type of AV block can be highly symptomatic. Catheter ablation techniques can be used to alleviate this type of AV block and restore normal AV conduction. Copyright © 2017 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecohydrologic process modeling of mountain block groundwater recharge.

Science.gov (United States)

Magruder, Ian A; Woessner, William W; Running, Steve W

2009-01-01

Regional mountain block recharge (MBR) is a key component of alluvial basin aquifer systems typical of the western United States. Yet neither water scientists nor resource managers have a commonly available and reasonably invoked quantitative method to constrain MBR rates. Recent advances in landscape-scale ecohydrologic process modeling offer the possibility that meteorological data and land surface physical and vegetative conditions can be used to generate estimates of MBR. A water balance was generated for a temperate 24,600-ha mountain watershed, elevation 1565 to 3207 m, using the ecosystem process model Biome-BGC (BioGeochemical Cycles) (Running and Hunt 1993). Input data included remotely sensed landscape information and climate data generated with the Mountain Climate Simulator (MT-CLIM) (Running et al. 1987). Estimated mean annual MBR flux into the crystalline bedrock terrain is 99,000 m(3) /d, or approximately 19% of annual precipitation for the 2003 water year. Controls on MBR predictions include evapotranspiration (radiation limited in wet years and moisture limited in dry years), soil properties, vegetative ecotones (significant at lower elevations), and snowmelt (dominant recharge process). The ecohydrologic model is also used to investigate how climatic and vegetative controls influence recharge dynamics within three elevation zones. The ecohydrologic model proves useful for investigating controls on recharge to mountain blocks as a function of climate and vegetation. Future efforts will need to investigate the uncertainty in the modeled water balance by incorporating an advanced understanding of mountain recharge processes, an ability to simulate those processes at varying scales, and independent approaches to calibrating MBR estimates. Copyright © 2009 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2009 National Ground Water Association.

Photo-Induced Micellization of Block Copolymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Kuwayama

2010-11-01

Full Text Available We found novel photo-induced micellizations through photolysis, photoelectron transfer, and photo-Claisen rearrangement. The photolysis-induced micellization was attained using poly(4-tert-butoxystyrene-block-polystyrene diblock copolymer (PBSt-b-PSt. BSt-b-PSt showed no self-assembly in dichloromethane and existed as isolated copolymers. Dynamic light scattering demonstrated that the copolymer produced spherical micelles in this solvent due to irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp in the presence of photo-acid generators, such as bis(alkylphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate, diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate, and triphenylsulfonium triflate. The 1H NMR analysis confirmed that PBSt-b-PSt was converted into poly(4-vinylphenol-block-PSt by the irradiation, resulting in self-assembly into micelles. The irradiation in the presence of the photo-acid generator also induced the micellization of poly(4-pyridinemethoxymethylstyrene-block-polystyrene diblock copolymer (PPySt-b-PSt. Micellization occurred by electron transfer from the pyridine to the photo-acid generator in their excited states and provided monodispersed spherical micelles with cores of PPySt blocks. Further, the photo-Claisen rearrangement caused the micellization of poly(4-allyloxystyrene-block-polystyrene diblock copolymer (PASt-b-PSt. Micellization was promoted in cyclohexane at room temperature without a catalyst. During micellization, the elimination of the allyl groups competitively occurred along with the photorearrangement of the 4-allyloxystyrene units into the 3-allyl-4-hydroxystyrene units.

Advances in metabolic pathway and strain engineering paving the way for sustainable production of chemical building blocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Yun; Nielsen, Jens

2013-01-01

Bio-based production of chemical building blocks from renewable resources is an attractive alternative to petroleum-based platform chemicals. Metabolic pathway and strain engineering is the key element in constructing robust microbial chemical factories within the constraints of cost effective...... production. Here we discuss how the development of computational algorithms, novel modules and methods, omics-based techniques combined with modeling refinement are enabling reduction in development time and thus advance the field of industrial biotechnology. We further discuss how recent technological...

Measuring the health systems impact of disease control programmes: a critical reflection on the WHO building blocks framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Mounier-Jack, Sandra; Griffiths, Ulla K; Closser, Svea; Burchett, Helen; Marchal, Bruno

2014-03-25

The WHO health systems Building Blocks framework has become ubiquitous in health systems research. However, it was not developed as a research instrument, but rather to facilitate investments of resources in health systems. In this paper, we reflect on the advantages and limitations of using the framework in applied research, as experienced in three empirical vaccine studies we have undertaken. We argue that while the Building Blocks framework is valuable because of its simplicity and ability to provide a common language for researchers, it is not suitable for analysing dynamic, complex and inter-linked systems impacts. In our three studies, we found that the mechanical segmentation of effects by the WHO building blocks, without recognition of their interactions, hindered the understanding of impacts on systems as a whole. Other important limitations were the artificial equal weight given to each building block and the challenge in capturing longer term effects and opportunity costs. Another criticism is not of the framework per se, but rather how it is typically used, with a focus on the six building blocks to the neglect of the dynamic process and outcome aspects of health systems.We believe the framework would be improved by making three amendments: integrating the missing "demand" component; incorporating an overarching, holistic health systems viewpoint and including scope for interactions between components. If researchers choose to use the Building Blocks framework, we recommend that it be adapted to the specific study question and context, with formative research and piloting conducted in order to inform this adaptation. As with frameworks in general, the WHO Building Blocks framework is valuable because it creates a common language and shared understanding. However, for applied research, it falls short of what is needed to holistically evaluate the impact of specific interventions on health systems. We propose that if researchers use the framework, it

Finding Large Aperture Fractures in Geothermal Resource Areas Using a Three-Component Long-Offset Surface Seismic Survey, PSInSAR and Kinematic Structural Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teplow, William J. [US Geothermal, Inc., Boise, ID (United States); Warren, Ian [US Geothermal, Inc., Boise, ID (United States)

2015-08-12

The DOE cost-share program applied innovative and cutting edge seismic surveying and processing, permanent scatter interferometry-synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR) and structural kinematics to the exploration problem of locating and mapping largeaperture fractures (LAFs) for the purpose of targeting geothermal production wells. The San Emidio geothermal resource area, which is under lease to USG, contains production wells that have encountered and currently produce from LAFs in the southern half of the resource area (Figure 2). The USG lease block, incorporating the northern extension of the San Emidio geothermal resource, extends 3 miles north of the operating wellfield. The northern lease block was known to contain shallow thermal waters but was previously unexplored by deep drilling. Results of the Phase 1 exploration program are described in detail in the Phase 1 Final Report (Teplow et al., 2011). The DOE cost shared program was completed as planned on September 30, 2014. This report summarizes results from all of Phase 1 and 2 activities.

Near-Optimal Resource Allocation in Cooperative Cellular Networks Using Genetic Algorithms

OpenAIRE

Luo, Zihan; Armour, Simon; McGeehan, Joe

2015-01-01

This paper shows how a genetic algorithm can be used as a method of obtaining the near-optimal solution of the resource block scheduling problem in a cooperative cellular network. An exhaustive search is initially implementedto guarantee that the optimal result, in terms of maximizing the bandwidth efficiency of the overall network, is found, and then the genetic algorithm with the properly selected termination conditions is used in the same network. The simulation results show that the genet...

FPGA Implementation of Block Parallel DF-MPIC Detectors for DS-CDMA Systems in Frequency-Nonselective Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adel Omar Dahmane

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Multistage parallel interference cancellation- (MPIC- based detectors allow to mitigate multiple-access interference in direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA systems. They are considered serious candidates for practical implementation showing a good tradeoff between performance and complexity. Better performance is obtained when decision feedback (DF is employed. Although MPIC and DF-MPIC have the same arithmetic complexity, DF-MPIC needs much more FPGA resources when compared to MPIC without decision feedback. In this letter, FPGA implementation of block parallel DF-MPIC (BP-DF-MPIC is proposed allowing better tradeoff between performance and FPGA area occupancy. To reach an uncoded bit-error rate of 10−3, BP-DF-MPIC shows a 1.5 dB improvement over the MPIC without decision feedback with only 8% increase in FPGA resources compared to 69% for DF-MPIC.

Systematic review of the systemic concentrations of local anaesthetic after transversus abdominis plane block and rectus sheath block

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rahiri, J.; Tuhoe, J.; Svirskis, D.; Lightfoot, N. J.; Lirk, P. B.; Hill, A. G.

2017-01-01

Background. Safe and efficacious modalities of perioperative analgesia are essential for enhanced recovery after surgery. Truncal nerve blocks are one potential adjunct for analgesia of the abdominal wall, and in recent years their popularity has increased. Transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB)

Thermal stress analysis of HTGR fuel and control rod fuel blocks in the HTGR in-block carbonization and annealing furnace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gwaltney, R.C.; McAfee, W.J.

1977-01-01

A new approach that utilizes the equivalent solid plate method has been applied to the thermal stress analysis of HTGR fuel and control rod fuel blocks. Cases were considered where these blocks, loaded with reprocessed HTGR fuel pellets, were being cured at temperatures up to 1800 0 C. A two-dimensional segment of a fuel block cross section including fuel, coolant holes, and graphite matrix was analyzed using the ORNL HEATING3 heat transfer code to determine the temperature-dependent effective thermal conductivity for the perforated region of the block. Using this equivalent conductivity to calculate the temperature distributions through different cross sections of the blocks, two-dimensional thermal-stress analyses were performed through application of the equivalent solid plate method. In this approach, the perforated material is replaced by solid homogeneous material of the same external dimensions but whose material properties have been modified to account for the perforations

Availability and quality of paraffin blocks identified in pathology archives: A multi-institutional study by the Shared Pathology Informatics Network (SPIN)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, Ashokkumar A; Dry, Sarah; Schirripa, Osvaldo; Yu, Hong; Becich, Michael J; Parwani, Anil V; Gupta, Dilipkumar; Seligson, David; Hattab, Eyas M; Balis, Ulysses J; Ulbright, Thomas M; Kohane, Isaac S; Berman, Jules J; Gilbertson, John R

2007-01-01

Shared Pathology Informatics Network (SPIN) is a tissue resource initiative that utilizes clinical reports of the vast amount of paraffin-embedded tissues routinely stored by medical centers. SPIN has an informatics component (sending tissue-related queries to multiple institutions via the internet) and a service component (providing histopathologically annotated tissue specimens for medical research). This paper examines if tissue blocks, identified by localized computer searches at participating institutions, can be retrieved in adequate quantity and quality to support medical researchers. Four centers evaluated pathology reports (1990–2005) for common and rare tumors to determine the percentage of cases where suitable tissue blocks with tumor were available. Each site generated a list of 100 common tumor cases (25 cases each of breast adenocarcinoma, colonic adenocarcinoma, lung squamous carcinoma, and prostate adenocarcinoma) and 100 rare tumor cases (25 cases each of adrenal cortical carcinoma, gastro-intestinal stromal tumor [GIST], adenoid cystic carcinoma, and mycosis fungoides) using a combination of Tumor Registry, laboratory information system (LIS) and/or SPIN-related tools. Pathologists identified the slides/blocks with tumor and noted first 3 slides with largest tumor and availability of the corresponding block. Common tumors cases (n = 400), the institutional retrieval rates (all blocks) were 83% (A), 95% (B), 80% (C), and 98% (D). Retrieval rate (tumor blocks) from all centers for common tumors was 73% with mean largest tumor size of 1.49 cm; retrieval (tumor blocks) was highest-lung (84%) and lowest-prostate (54%). Rare tumors cases (n = 400), each institution's retrieval rates (all blocks) were 78% (A), 73% (B), 67% (C), and 84% (D). Retrieval rate (tumor blocks) from all centers for rare tumors was 66% with mean largest tumor size of 1.56 cm; retrieval (tumor blocks) was highest for GIST (72%) and lowest for adenoid cystic carcinoma (58

Bier′s block using lignocaine and butorphanol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Bansal

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background : Opioids are most commonly used as adjuncts in intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA to improve the quality of intraoperative and postoperative analgesia. There is paucity of literature on the use of butorphanol in IVRA. Aims : The aim of this study was to evaluate the likely benefits of addition of butorphanol to lignocaine in Bier′s block in terms of onset and duration of sensory block and also for analgesic requirement in postoperative period. Settings and Design : A randomized double blind study was conducted at Tertiary Care Educational Institute. Patients and Methods : A total of 40 adult ASA I or II patients scheduled to undergo upper limb surgery were randomized in two groups (n=20. Group I received 3 mg/kg of lignocaine alone and group II received 1 mg butorphanol in addition to 3 mg/kg lignocaine. Sensory block onset time and time to recovery from sensory block after tourniquet deflation were noted using the pin prick method. Duration of postoperative analgesia was noted using a visual analogue scale. All the patients were compared for the time to first rescue analgesic consumption and total analgesic consumption in first 24 hours postoperatively. Statistical Analysis Used : The statistical analysis was done using unpaired Student′s t-test. Results : Our study showed significant prolongation of postoperative analgesia in group II as noted by the time to first analgesic requirement. Total analgesic consumption in first 24 hours postoperatively was less in group II. Sensory block onset time and time to recovery from sensory block after tourniquet deflation, did not show any significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions : Addition of butorphanol to lignocaine in IVRA significantly prolongs the duration of postoperative analgesia and 24 hours analgesic consumption is less in patients receiving butorphanol along with lignocaine in IVRA. However, there is no effect on sensory block onset time and time to recovery

Ophthalmic regional blocks: management, challenges, and solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Palte HD

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Howard D Palte Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA Abstract: In the past decade ophthalmic anesthesia has witnessed a major transformation. The sun has set on the landscape of ophthalmic procedures performed under general anesthesia at in-hospital settings. In its place a new dawn has ushered in the panorama of eye surgeries conducted under regional and topical anesthesia at specialty eye care centers. The impact of the burgeoning geriatric population is that an increasing number of elderly patients will present for eye surgery. In order to accommodate increased patient volumes and simultaneously satisfy administrative initiatives directed at economic frugality, administrators will seek assistance from anesthesia providers in adopting measures that enhance operating room efficiency. The performance of eye blocks in a holding suite meets many of these objectives. Unfortunately, most practicing anesthesiologists resist performing ophthalmic regional blocks because they lack formal training. In future, anesthesiologists will need to block eyes and manage common medical conditions because economic pressures will eliminate routine preoperative testing. This review addresses a variety of topical issues in ophthalmic anesthesia with special emphasis on cannula and needle-based blocks and the new-generation antithrombotic agents. In a constantly evolving arena, the sub-Tenon’s block has gained popularity while the deep angulated intraconal (retrobulbar block has been largely superseded by the shallower extraconal (peribulbar approach. Improvements in surgical technique have also impacted anesthetic practice. For example, phacoemulsification techniques facilitate the conduct of cataract surgery under topical anesthesia, and suture-free vitrectomy ports may cause venous air embolism during air/fluid exchange. Hyaluronidase is a useful adjuvant because it

Evaluation on Behavior of Single Block Subject to Harmonic Excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Woo-Seok; Kim, Dong-Ok; Park, Keun-Bae; Lee, Won-Jae

2007-01-01

NHDD(Nuclear Hydrogen Development and Demonstration) project team in KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) has been developing a methodology on the seismic evaluation of VHTR(Very High Temperature Reactor). Roughly, there are a block type and a pebble type reactor in VHTR. In the block type reactor, several blocks are stacked and the stacked blocks are arrayed in certain pattern. To evaluate a behavior style and an integrity of the stacked structure subject to a seismic load, a modeling technique to represent the contact surface characteristics between a block and a block support structure and between blocks is necessary. The way to evaluate a load path is also needed. However, it is difficult to deal with a realistic seismic load and to figure out the characteristic of block behavior since it has very complicated time history. In this study, the evaluation of single block subject to a harmonic excitation is conducted for a preliminary evaluation

Weed Control in Maize-Cowpea Intercropping System Related to Environmental Resources Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamdollah ESKANDARI

2011-03-01

Full Text Available A field experiment was carried out in Ramhormoz, Iran during the 2008-2009 growing season to investigate the effects of different planting pattern of intercropping on environmental resource consumption and weed biomass. A randomized complete block design (RCBD with three replications was employed to compare the treatments. Treatments included maize sole crop (M, cow pea sole crop (C, within row intercropping (I1, row intercropping (I2 and mix cropping (I3. The density of intercropping was according to replacement design (one maize replaced by three cow pea plants. The results showed that environmental resource consumption was significantly (P?0.05 affected by cropping system, where PAR interception, moisture and nutrients uptake were higher in intercropping systems compared to sole crop systems. Regarding to weed control, intercrops were more effective than sole crops and it was related to lower availability of environmental resources for weeds in intercropping systems.

Ankle Block vs Single-Shot Popliteal Fossa Block as Primary Anesthesia for Forefoot Operative Procedures: Prospective, Randomized Comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Schipper, Oliver N; Hunt, Kenneth J; Anderson, Robert B; Davis, W Hodges; Jones, Carroll P; Cohen, Bruce E

2017-11-01

Postoperative pain is often difficult to control with oral medications, requiring large doses of opioid analgesia. Regional anesthesia may be used for primary anesthesia, reducing the need for general anesthetic and postoperative pain medication requirements in the immediate postoperative period. The purpose of this study was to compare the analgesic effects of an ankle block (AB) to a single-shot popliteal fossa block (PFB) for patients undergoing orthopedic forefoot procedures. All patients having elective outpatient orthopedic forefoot procedures were invited to participate in the study. Patients were prospectively randomized to receive either an ultrasound-guided AB or PFB by a board-certified anesthesiologist prior to their procedure. Intraoperative conversion to general anesthesia and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) opioid requirements were recorded. Postoperative pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) at regular time intervals until 8 am on postoperative day (POD) 2. Patients rated the effectiveness of the block on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being very effective. A total of 167 patients participated in the study with 88 patients (53%) receiving an AB and 79 (47%) receiving a single-shot PFB. There was no significant difference in the rate of conversion to general anesthesia between the 2 groups (13.6% [12/88] AB vs 12.7% [10/79] PFB). PACU morphine requirements and doses were significantly reduced in the PFB group ( P = .004) when compared to the AB group. The VAS was also significantly lower for the PFB patients at 10 pm on POD 0 (4.6 vs 1.6, P block site pain and/or erythema (AB 6.9% [6/88] vs PFB 5.1% [4/79], P = .44). The analgesic effect of the PFB lasted significantly longer when compared to the ankle block (AB 14.5 hours vs PFB 20.9 hours, P block between the 2 groups, with both blocks being highly effective (AB 4.79/5 vs PFB 4.82/5, P = .68). Regional anesthesia was a safe and reliable adjunct to perioperative pain management and highly

Evaluative Conditioning is Insensitive to Blocking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Beckers

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Evaluative conditioning has been claimed to have a number of functional characteristics that set it apart from other forms of associative learning in humans, such as insensitivity to extinction and contingency, independence of contingency awareness, and insensitivity to modulation. Despite its potential theoretical importance, until now few data are available concerning the susceptibility of evaluative conditioning to cue competition effects such as blocking. In the present study, we assessed the susceptibility of acquired preferences and evaluations to blocking in a candy game. Results suggest that evaluative conditioning is not susceptible to blocking. We discuss this observation in the light of theoretical accounts of evaluative conditioning and associative learning in humans.

Introgression of a Block of Genome Under Infinitesimal Selection.