A technique that uses a linear prediction error filter (LPEF) and an adaptive digital filter (ADF) to achieve noise reduction in a speech degraded by additive background noise is proposed. It is known that the coefficients of the LPEF converge such that the prediction error signal becomes white. Since a voiced speech can be represented as the stationary periodic signal over a short interval of time, most of voiced speech cannot be included in the prediction error signal of the LPEF. On the other hand, when the input signal of the LPEF is a background noise, the prediction error signal becomes white. Assuming that the background noise is represented as generate by exciting a linear system with a white noise, then we can reconstruct the background noise from the prediction error signal by estimating the transfer function of noise generation system. This estimation is performed by the ADF which is used as system identification. Noise reduction is achieved by subtracting the noise reconstructed by the ADF from the speech degraded by additive background noise.

Achieving optimal performance with minimal complexity are conflicting problems encountered in constructing receivers. In this paper, to solve the problem, we propose sector beamed space hopping which utilizes a Viterbi equalizing receiver. Reduction of the number of RF circuit sets, system complexity and decreasing the computational burden of the Viterbi equalizer through the use of sector beamed space hopping is presented. This is achieved using a sector beamed antenna which limits the number of paths in the multipath channel environment. This paper describes each key component which comprises the system and discusses the application of FH-SS communication. The channel is assumed to be an industrial indoor propagation channel, such as those found in a factory, where high reliability is required and many complex multipaths exist. We confirm through simulation that Viterbi equalization using less computational complexity can be obtained. It is found that there exists a trade off between system complexity and performance. Through the discussion of power consumption, cost and BER performance, we show that the proposed system achieves acceptable performance while having a low system complexity.

In Vivo Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) can now be used to elucidate and investigate major nerve pathways in the brain. Nerve pathways are constructed by a) calculating a continuous diffusion tensor field from the discrete, noisy, measured DT-MRI data and then b) solving an equation describing the evolution of a fiber tract, in which the local direction vector of the trajectory is identified with the direction of maximum apparent diffusivity. This approach has been validated previously using synthesized, noisy DT-MRI data. Presently, it is possible to reconstruct large white matter structures in the brain, such as the corpus callosum and the pyramidal tracts. Several problems, however, still affect the method's reliability. Its accuracy degrades where the fiber-tract directional distribution is non-uniform, and background noise in diffusion weighted MRIs can cause computed trajectories to jump to different tracts. Nonetheless, this method can provide quantitative information with which to visualize and study connectivity and continuity of neural pathways in the central and peripheral nervous systems in vivo, and holds promise for elucidating architectural features in other fibrous tissues and ordered media.

Using a point matching method, we have numerically analyzed resonance frequencies and unloaded Q factor of whispering gallery modes in a millimeter wave region that are well known as an intrinsic mode of a dielectric disk resonator. We express field distributions of the resonance modes by a summation of spherical waves. Tangential electromagnetic fields inside the disk are matched to those outside the disk at appropriate matching points on a boundary. As the result, a 4N 4N (N; number of matching points) determinant is derived as an eigenvalue equation of the disk resonator. Since elements of the determinant are complex numbers, a complex angular frequency is introduced to make a value of the determinant zero. For a location of the matching points, we also introduce a new technique which is derived from a field expression of the whispering gallery modes. Since an azimuthal angle dependence of the field distributions with a resonance mode number m is presented by the associated Legendre function Pnm(cos θ), we define abscissas θi of the matching points as solutions of Pm+2N-1m (cos θ) = 0. Considering the field symmetry, we also modify the eigenvalue equation to a new eigenvalue equation which is expressed (4N - 2) (4N - 2) determinant. From the results of our numerical analysis, we can find that the resonance frequencies and unloaded Q factor well converge for number of matching points N. A comparison of numerical results and experimental ones, in a millimeter wave band (50 - 100 GHz), shows a good agreement with each other. It is found that our analysis is effective for practical use in the same wave band.

The millimeter wave filter using two whispering-gallery mode dielectric disk resonators is presented in this paper. The coupling coefficients of dual disk resonators and the external Q values of the single resonator excited by a dielectric waveguide are investigated theoretically and experimentally. A 2-stage bandpass filter which is designed at the center frequency of 69.85 GHz with a bandwidth of 500 MHz shows a low-loss property of 1.8 dB insertion loss.

The efficiency-fractional bandwidth product (EB), which is expressed as a ratio of the radiation resistance to the absolute value of the input reactance of an antenna, is used as a performance criterion for small dielectric loaded monopole antennas (DLMAs). The dependence of the EB on the permittivity of the dielectric loading (i.e., the electrical volume) is experimentally and numerically investigated for the first time in antenna research. As a result, it is found that the EBs of the some DLMAs are enhanced over a bare monopole antenna and an EB characteristic curve has a maximum point. This result suggests the presence of the optimum electrical volume for the dielectric loading in order to obtain the best EB performance. A general reason for the existence of the peak value is also explained using a mathematical deduction. Finally the system EB, which is an efficiency-fractional bandwidth product of the DLMA with a practical matching circuit, is defined and its dependence on the relative permittivity is illustrated. Consequently, the existence of the peak value is also confirmed for the system EBs. In addition, it is demonstrated that the enhancement of the system EB is mainly due to the enhancement in the efficiency of the antenna system.

This paper conducts performance evaluation and performs simulation for a code division multiple access (CDMA) system when channel bands of multiple neighboring CDMA/DSSS are overlapped in time domain. It is assumed that all systems adopt direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technique and are BPSK modulated by the different carrier frequencies. Automatic power control (APC) is also applied in the interfered system such that the receiver gets the same power from all users. Without loss generality, an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel is also assumed during analysis. In this paper, the analytic solution of the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is first derived in which both CDMA systems are modulated by different carrier frequencies. We have the results by simulation with Δ f = 0 and Δ f = 1 MHz, respectively. This analysis is good for general cases; and the results show an excellent computational performance. In particular, the result is very close to Pursley's result, when the systems have the same code length with no carrier difference.

A new approach to 3-D profilometry for the white light interferometric (WLI) is presented. The proposed method is the extended depth from focus (EDFF) that determine the zero optical path difference (OPD) from the quantity of fringe contrast degradation of white light interferometer. In the method, the variance of the mismatch function and the modified local variance function are used as the focus measures. The method has a theoretically unlimited range and can profile with subpixel accuracy both optically rough and smooth surfaces without changing algorithm.

The blind separation of sources is a recent and important problem in signal processing. Since 1984, it has been studied by many authors whilst many algorithms have been proposed. In this paper, the description of the problem, its assumptions, its currently applications and some algorithms and ideas are discussed.

This paper presents a new technique for the synthesis of orthogonal-base-set sequences suitable for applications requiring sets of uncorrelated pseudo-white-noise sources. The synthesized sequences (vectors) are orthogonal to each other, and each sequence also has a flat power spectrum and low peak factor. In order to construct the orthogonal-base-set sequences, the new application of ta-sequence (trigonometric function aliasing sequence) introduced in this paper uses Latin-squares and Walsh-Hadamard sequences. The ta-sequence itself is a very new concept, and the method presented here provides the means for generating various orthogonal-base-set sequences at sizes required for such applications as system measurement (needing uncorrelated test signals), pseudo noise synthesis for spread spectrum communication, and audio signal processing (needing synthesis of stereo or multichannel signals from mono sources).

A partial buffer sharing scheme is proposed as loss-priority control for a finite buffer with batch Poisson inputs under a whole batch acceptance rule. Customer and batch loss probabilities for high- and low-priority customers are derived under this batch acceptance rule using a supplementary variable method. A comparison of the partial buffer sharing scheme and a system without loss-priority control is made in terms of admissible offered load. Whole batch acceptance and partial batch acceptance rules are also compared in terms of admissible offered load.

In 2001, the DEMETER micro-satellite will be launched to perform Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions. Its main scientific objective is related to the investigation of the ionospheric perturbations due to the seismic and volcanic activity. A system allowing an onboard identification and characterization of spatially and temporally coherent structures associated with the measurement of one or several electromagnetic wave field components is used. It is based on neural networks. The choice and training of the neural network are done on the ground from available waveforms. The parameters of the neural network system are then transmitted to the satellite. This reconfiguration process can be repeated whenever necessary during the space mission. Details about the functioning and coding optimization for DSP implementation is presented. The first function of this system which will be performed on the satellite DEMETER is the real-time identification and characterization of whistler phenomena. An application to the analysis of such phenomena observed in data from the AUREOL-3 satellite is exposed.

This paper presents a new technique for the synthesis of sets of low-peak sequences exhibiting low peak cross correlation. The sequences also have flat power spectra and are suitable for many applications requiring such sets of uncorrelated pseudo-white-noise sources. This is a new application of the ta-sequence (trigonometric function aliasing sequence), which itself is a very new technique that uses the well-known "Reed-Solomon code" or "One coincident code" to generate these sets of low-peak-factor pseudo-white-noise exhibiting low peak cross correlation. The ta sequence method presented here provides the means for generating various sequences at the lengths required for such applications as system measurement (needing uncorrelated test signals), pseudo-noise synthesis (for spread spectrum communication), and audio signal processing for sound production (for enhancing spatial imagery in stereo signals synthesized from mono sources) and sound reproduction (for controlling unwanted interference effects in multiple-loudspeaker arrays).

Much of the data we deal with every day is organized hierarchically: file systems, library classification schemes and yellow page categories are salient examples. Business data too, benefits from a hierarchical organization, and indeed the hierarchical data model was quite prevalent thirty years ago. Due to the recently increased importance of X. 500/LDAP directories, which are hierarchical, and the prevalence of aggregation hierarchies in datacubes, there is now renewed interest in the hierarchical organization of data. In this paper, we develop a framework for a modern hierarchical data model, substantially improved from the original version by taking advantage of the lessons learned in the relational database context. We argue that this new hierarchical data model has many benefits with respect to the ubiquitous flat relational data model.

This paper presents both new analytical and new numerical solutions to the problem of generating waveforms exhibiting a low peak-to-peak factor. One important application of these results is in the generation of pseudo-white noise signals that are commonly uses in multi-frequency measurements. These measurements often require maximum signal-to-noise ratio while maintaining the lowest peak-to-peak excursion. The new synthesis scheme introduced in this paper uses the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) to generate pseudo-white noise sequence that theoretically has a minimized peak-to-peak factor, Fp-p. Unlike theoretical works in the literature, the method presented here is based in purely discrete mathematics, and hence is directly applicable to the digital synthesis of signals. With this method the shape of the signal can be controlled with about N parameters given N harmonic components. A different permutation of the same set of offset phases of the "source harmonics" creates an entirely different sequence.

A method is proposed for estimating the error of whole-body average specific absorption rate (SAR) of an infinite-length cylindrical model of man exposed to TM microwave. At high frequencies, the average SAR of the infinite-length cylindrical model is approximately 5% smaller than that of the finite-length cylindrical model.

We have developed an efficient recursive algorithm based on the interacting multiple model (IMM) for enhancing speech degraded by additive white noise. The clean speech is modeled by the hidden filter model (HFM). The simulation results shows that the proposed method offers performance gains relative to the previous one with slightly increased complexity.

Electroluminescent (EL) devices with mixed single layer that consist of fluorescent dyes, distylylbiphenyl derivative (DPVBi) and triphenylamine derivative (TPD), are studied. Blue light emission was observed from the device with DPVBi and TPD. White emission over 2,500 cd/m2 was observed from the devices with mixed single layer of DPVBi, TPD and dicyanomethylene derivative (DCM).

Resonance characteristics of a coupled dielectric resonator which consists of a Whispering Gallery mode dielectric disk resonator and a ring resonator located eccentrically are analyzed. New analytical results of resonance characteristic based on the distributed coupling phenomena between the disk and the ring are obtained. The resonance performances have also been verified experimentally on X band model. We have found that Free Spectral Range of the coupled resonator is several times larger than that of the single disk resonator and the single ring resonator, respectively. As a result, the eccentric coupled resonator discussed in this paper can be used as a frequency selective element in millimeter wave integrated circuits.

Photoluminescence characterization with a surface treatment suggests that a reduction in the radiative recombination rate of GaAs nanowhiskers is caused by charge separation in depletion potential. Good agreement is obtained between photoluminescence characteristics and calculations based on self-consistent wavefunctions confined in the depletion potential. The radiative life time of 200-nm GaAs nanowhiskers at 77 K is estimated as short as 0.5 ns if the depletion potential is completely eliminated. Weak size dependence of photoluminescence spectra at 6 K is explained as a sign of band-gap reduction induced by the depletion potential.