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Error rate of RF digital communication link is measured at low signal-to-noise ratios using this technique. In this method, identical pseudo-random sequences of pulses are generated at transmitter and receiver of link. However, comparison of two sequences at receiver involves integration that makes bit-tracking threshold depend on length of pseudo-random sequence, rather than on actual rate of transmission of individual bits.
Two highly reliable codes termed "Modified b-adjacent interleaving codes" provide fail-safe operation of launch processing and control system in which common memory is coordination point for interconnection of up to 64 minicomputers. Codes detect and correct bit errors in computer data transmission.
The root-mean-square error performance measure is used to compare the relative performance of several widely known source coding algorithms with the RM2 image data compression system. The results demonstrate that RM2 has a uniformly significant performance advantage.
A laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) built for use in the Lewis Research Center's turbine stator cascade facilities is described. The signal processing and self contained data processing are based on a computing counter. A procedure is given for mode matching the laser to the probe volume. An analysis is presented of biasing errors that were observed in turbulent flow when the mean flow was not normal to the fringes.
Errors in short circuit current measurement were calculated for a variety of spectral mismatch conditions. The differences in spectral irradiance between terrestrial sunlight and three types of solar simulator were studied, as well as the differences in spectral response between three types of reference solar cells and various test cells. The simulators considered were a short arc xenon lamp AMO sunlight simulator, an ordinary quartz halogen lamp, and an ELH-type quartz halogen lamp. Three types of solar cells studied were a silicon cell, a cadmium sulfide cell and a gallium arsenide cell.
The solar concentration performance of a line focusing, flat base Fresnel lens in the presence of small transverse tracking errors was analyzed. Solar transmittance of the lens and focal plane imaging characteristics were evaluated. Transmission losses by reflectance and material absorption were also studied.
The problem of modeling a dynamic system described by a system of ordinary differential equations which has unstable components for limited periods of time is discussed. It is shown that the global error in a multistep numerical method is the solution to a difference equation initial value problem, and the approximate solution is given for several popular multistep integration formulas. Inspection of the solution leads to the formulation of four criteria for integrators appropriate to unstable problems. A sample problem is solved numerically using three popular formulas and two different stepsizes to illustrate the appropriateness of the criteria.
Digital fiber-optic data-link terminal modules are being developed in a number of laboratories, and often the modules take the form of black boxes without convenient access to internal signals. This paper discusses types of measurements which can be made using only the digital terminals of the link. Bit-error-rate (BER) vs signal-power data can, of course, provide a means for proving overall link performance, but it can also be used to determine certain internal parameters of the receiver. The theoretical dependence of the BER-vs-light-signal-power curve shape on receiver input-noise equivalent power and comparator slicing level is discussed. BER-vs-light-signal-power measurements obtained with an experimental link are presented and interpreted with the aid of the theoretical curves. The effects of other problems, such as hum or oscillation, on the BER data are mentioned. Sensitivity of the system BER to bit rate is also discussed, with application to determining system operating limits. Since BER measurements are simple to make and can easily be automated, they may prove to be a useful means for either laboratory evaluation or production-line acceptance testing of sealed terminal modules.
Long-term time-trend analysis was performed on astronomical atmospheric extinction data in wideband UBV and various narrow-band systems recorded at Cerro Tololo, Kitt Peak, Lick, and McDonald observatories. All of the data had to be transformed into uniform monochromatic extinction data before trend analysis could be performed. The paper describes the various reduction techniques employed. The time-trend analysis was then carried out by the method of least squares. A special technique, called 'histogram shaping', was employed to adjust for the fact that the errors of the reduced monochromatic extinction data were not essentially Gaussian. On the assumption that there are no compensatory background and local extinction changes, the best values obtained for extinction trends due to background aerosol changes during the years 1960 to 1972 are 0.006 + or - 0.013 (rms) and 0.009 + or - 0.009 (rms) stellar magnitudes per air mass per decade in the blue and yellow wavelength regions, respectively.
The paper describes a Monte Carlo model for simulation of two-dimensional representations of thin sections of some of the more common igneous rock textures. These representations are extrapolated to three dimensions to develop a volume of 'rock'. The model (here applied to a medium-grained high-Ti basalt) can be used to determine a statistically significant sample for a lunar rock or to predict the probable errors in the oxide contents that can occur during the analysis of a sample that is not representative of the parent rock.
Procedure detects and corrects errors in data held for long term storage on magnetic tape.
Results are presented in the form of 14 theorems specifying sufficient conditions under which it is possible to construct new more efficient single- and multi error correcting codes from existing one when the method used to construct existing codes is known.
The dynamical behavior of comet Tempel 2 is investigated and the comet is found to be very well behaved and easily predictable. The nongravitational forces affecting the motion of this comet are the smallest of any comet that is affected by nongravitational forces. The sign and time history of these nongravitational forces imply (1) a direct rotation of the comet's nucleus and (2) the comet's ability to outgas has not changed substantially over its entire observational history. The well behaved dynamical motion of the comet, the well observed past apparitions, the small nongravitational forces and the excellent 1988 ground based observing conditions all contribute to relatively small position and velocity errors in 1988 -- the year of a proposed rendezvous space mission to this comet. To assist in planned ground based and earth orbital observations of this comet, ephemerides are given for the 1978-79, 1983-84 and 1988 apparitions.
Attention is given to a general derivation of the fractional standard deviation (FSD) of any integrated property X such that X(D) = cD to the n. This work extends that of Joss and Waldvogel (1969). The equation is applicable to measuring integrated properties of cloud, rain or hail populations (such as water content, precipitation rate, kinetic energy, or radar reflectivity) which are subject to statistical sampling errors due to the Poisson distributed fluctuations of particles sampled in each particle size interval and the weighted sum of the associated variances in proportion to their contribution to the integral parameter to be measured. Universal curves are presented which are applicable to the exponential size distribution permitting FSD estimation of any parameters from n = 0 to n = 6. The equations and curves also permit corrections for finite upper limits in the size spectrum and a realistic fall speed law.
The problem of modelling a dynamic system described by a system of ordinary differential equations which has unstable components for limited periods of time is discussed. It is shown that the global error in a multistep numerical method is the solution to a difference equation initial value problem, and the approximate solution is given for several popular multistep integration formulae. Inspection of the solution leads to the formulation of four criteria for integrators appropriate to unstable problems. A sample problem is solved numerically using three popular formulae and two different stepsizes to illustrate the appropriateness of the criteria.
Using the finite field transform and continued fractions, a simplified algorithm for decoding Reed-Solomon (R-S) codes is developed to correct erasures caused by other codes as well as errors over the finite field GF (q(m), where q is a prime and m is an integer. Such an R-S decoder can be faster and simpler than a decoder that uses more conventional methods.
A procedure is shown to derive root-mean-square tracking error for an antenna system in response to wind gust loading. Example calculations are illustrated for the design of a proposed 100 m antenna. The effect of wind gust correlation is also considered.
Simulation studies of the ERBSS scanner were performed to determine the sensitivity of the inferred flux at the top of the atmosphere to radiation directional model errors for candidate scan plane orientations.