Progetto vhdl di un nucleo di calcolo per misure di impedenza basate su segnali pseudo-random

In questo elaborato si affronta il progetto di un nucleo di calcolo per misure d'impedenza sulla pelle tramite l'utilizzo di segnali pseudo-random. La misura viene effettuata applicando il segnale casuale all'impedenza per ottenere la risposta impulsiva tramite un'operazione di convoluzione. Il nucleo di calcolo è stato implementato in VHDL.

Pseudo-random single photon counting for space-borne atmospheric sensing applications

The ability to accurately observe the Earth's carbon cycles from space gives scientists an important tool to analyze climate change. Current space-borne Integrated-Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) Iidar concepts have the potential to meet this need. They are mainly based on the pulsed time-offlight principle, in which two high energy pulses of different wavelengths interrogate the atmosphere for its transmission properties and are backscattered by the ground. In this paper, feasibility study results of a Pseudo-Random Single Photon Counting (PRSPC) IPDA lidar are reported. The proposed approach replaces the high energy pulsed source (e.g. a solidstate laser), with a semiconductor laser in CW operation with a similar average power of a few Watts, benefiting from better efficiency and reliability. The auto-correlation property of Pseudo-Random Binary Sequence (PRBS) and temporal shifting of the codes can be utilized to transmit both wavelengths simultaneously, avoiding the beam misalignment problem experienced by pulsed techniques. The envelope signal to noise ratio has been analyzed, and various system parameters have been selected. By restricting the telescopes field-of-view, the dominant noise source of ambient light can be suppressed, and in addition with a low noise single photon counting detector, a retrieval precision of 1.5 ppm over 50 km along-track averaging could be attained. We also describe preliminary experimental results involving a negative feedback Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) single photon avalanche photodiode and a low power Distributed Feedback laser diode modulated with PRBS driven acoustic optical modulator. The results demonstrate that higher detector saturation count rates will be needed for use in future spacebourne missions but measurement linearity and precision should meet the stringent requirements set out by future Earthobserving missions.

Random number generation on the I.B.M. 360.

"Errata" ([3] p.) inserted.

Generating pseudo-random numbers in the ILLIAC /

"This work has been supported by Contract N6ori-71 Task XXX United States Navy ONR NR 044 001"

Incoherent fibre supercontinuum generation for all-optical random number generation

Random number generation is a central component of modern information technology, with crucial applications in ensuring communications and information security. The development of new physical mechanisms suitable to directly generate random bit sequences is thus a subject of intense current research, with particular interest in alloptical techniques suitable for the generation of data sequences with high bit rate. One such promising technique that has received much recent attention is the chaotic semiconductor laser systems producing high quality random output as a result of the intrinsic nonlinear dynamics of its architecture [1]. Here we propose a novel complementary concept of all-optical technique that might dramatically increase the generation rate of random bits by using simultaneously multiple spectral channels with uncorrelated signals - somewhat similar to use of wave-division-multiplexing in communications. We propose to exploit the intrinsic nonlinear dynamics of extreme spectral broadening and supercontinuum (SC) generation in optical fibre, a process known to be often associated with non-deterministic fluctuations [2]. In this paper, we report proof-of concept results indicating that the fluctuations in highly nonlinear fibre SC generation can potentially be used for random number generation.

Sums of a Random Number of Random Variables and their Approximations with ν- Accompanying Infinitely Divisible Laws

* Research supported by NATO GRANT CRG 900 798 and by Humboldt Award for U.S. Scientists.

Robust Parametric Estimation of Branching Processes with a Random Number of Ancestors

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60J80.

Parametric Estimation in Branching Processes with an Increasing Random Number of Ancestors

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60J80, 62M05

Bronchoscopic lung-volume reduction with Exhale airway stents for emphysema (EASE trial): randomised, sham-controlled, multicentre trial

Background Airway bypass is a bronchoscopic lung-volume reduction procedure for emphysema whereby transbronchial passages into the lung are created to release trapped air, supported with paclitaxel-coated stents to ease the mechanics of breathing. The aim of the EASE (Exhale airway stents for emphysema) trial was to evaluate safety and efficacy of airway bypass in people with severe homogeneous emphysema. Methods We undertook a randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled study in 38 specialist respiratory centres worldwide. We recruited 315 patients who had severe hyperinflation (ratio of residual volume [RV] to total lung capacity of >= 0.65). By computer using a random number generator, we randomly allocated participants (in a 2:1 ratio) to either airway bypass (n=208) or sham control (107). We divided investigators into team A (masked), who completed pre-procedure and post-procedure assessments, and team B (unmasked), who only did bronchoscopies without further interaction with patients. Participants were followed up for 12 months. The 6-month co-primary efficacy endpoint required 12% or greater improvement in forced vital capacity (FVC) and 1 point or greater decrease in the modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea score from baseline. The composite primary safety endpoint incorporated five severe adverse events. We did Bayesian analysis to show the posterior probability that airway bypass was superior to sham control (success threshold, 0.965). Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00391612. Findings All recruited patients were included in the analysis. At 6 months, no difference between treatment arms was noted with respect to the co-primary efficacy endpoint (30 of 208 for airway bypass vs 12 of 107 for sham control; posterior probability 0.749, below the Bayesian success threshold of 0.965). The 6-month composite primary safety endpoint was 14.4% (30 of 208) for airway bypass versus 11.2% (12 of 107) for sham control (judged non-inferior, with a posterior probability of 1.00 [Bayesian success threshold >0.95]). Interpretation Although our findings showed safety and transient improvements, no sustainable benefit was recorded with airway bypass in patients with severe homogeneous emphysema.

Xifratge d'arxius

Aquest treball de final de carrera inclou el desenvolupament d'un programari que permet xifrar arxius utilitzant un algorisme de flux. El desenvolupament del programari ha estat dividit en tres parts, el generador de números aleatoris, l'aplicació de l'algorisme de xifrat on s'han aplicat les tècniques adients de criptografia i la interfície gràfica per l'usuari.

Acceptability of home-assessment post medical abortion and medical abortion in a low-resource setting in Rajasthan, India : Secondary outcome analysis of a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial

Background: Studies evaluating acceptability of simplified follow-up after medical abortion have focused on high-resource or urban settings where telephones, road connections, and modes of transport are available and where women have formal education. Objective: To investigate women's acceptability of home-assessment of abortion and whether acceptability of medical abortion differs by in-clinic or home-assessment of abortion outcome in a low-resource setting in India. Design: Secondary outcome of a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. Setting Outpatient primary health care clinics in rural and urban Rajasthan, India. Population: Women were eligible if they sought abortion with a gestation up to 9 weeks, lived within defined study area and agreed to follow-up. Women were ineligible if they had known contraindications to medical abortion, haemoglobin < 85mg/l and were below 18 years. Methods: Abortion outcome assessment through routine clinic follow-up by a doctor was compared with home-assessment using a low-sensitivity pregnancy test and a pictorial instruction sheet. A computerized random number generator generated the randomisation sequence (1: 1) in blocks of six. Research assistants randomly allocated eligible women who opted for medical abortion (mifepristone and misoprostol), using opaque sealed envelopes. Blinding during outcome assessment was not possible. Main outcome measures: Women's acceptability of home-assessment was measured as future preference of follow-up. Overall satisfaction, expectations, and comparison with previous abortion experiences were compared between study groups. Results: 731 women were randomized to the clinic follow-up group (n = 353) or home-assessment group (n = 378). 623 (85%) women were successfully followed up, of those 597 (96%) were satisfied and 592 (95%) found the abortion better or as expected, with no difference between study groups. The majority, 355 (57%) women, preferred home-assessment in the event of a future abortion. Significantly more women, 284 (82%), in the home-assessment group preferred home-assessment in the future, as compared with 188 (70%) of women in the clinic follow-up group, who preferred clinic follow-up in the future (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Home-assessment is highly acceptable among women in low-resource, and rural, settings. The choice to follow-up an early medical abortion according to women's preference should be offered to foster women's reproductive autonomy.

análise experimental do efeito da diversificação em carteiras de ações: a relação entre risco e quantidade de ativos sob a ótica da estratégia ingênua

The objective is to analyze the relationship between risk and number of stocks of a portfolio for an individual investor when stocks are chosen by "naive strategy". For this, we carried out an experiment in which individuals select actions to reproduce this relationship. 126 participants were informed that the risk of first choice would be an asset average of all standard deviations of the portfolios consist of a single asset, and the same procedure should be used for portfolios composed of two, three and so on, up to 30 actions . They selected the assets they want in their portfolios without the support of a financial analysis. For comparison we also tested a hypothetical simulation of 126 investors who selected shares the same universe, through a random number generator. Thus, each real participant is compensated for random hypothetical investor facing the same opportunity. Patterns were observed in the portfolios of individual participants, characterizing the curves for the components of the samples. Because these groupings are somewhat arbitrary, it was used a more objective measure of behavior: a simple linear regression for each participant, in order to predict the variance of the portfolio depending on the number of assets. In addition, we conducted a pooled regression on all observations by analyzing cross-section. The result of pattern occurs on average but not for most individuals, many of which effectively "de-diversify" when adding seemingly random bonds. Furthermore, the results are slightly worse using a random number generator. This finding challenges the belief that only a small number of titles is necessary for diversification and shows that there is only applicable to a large sample. The implications are important since many individual investors holding few stocks in their portfolios

Desenvolvimento de uma arquitetura multiprocessada e reconfigurável para a síntese de redes de Petri em hardware

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Beherrschung stark korrelierter Logistik- und Produktions-Prozesse

Bei der Simulation von Logistik- und Produktionssystem werden Zufallszahlengeneratoren verwendet, um stochastische Einflüsse zu modellieren. Ein wichtiges Qualitätsmerkmal dieser Generatoren ist die Er-zeugung möglichst unabhängiger Zufallszahlen. Werden jedoch reale Prozesse betrachtet, so sind die Daten im Allgemeinen nicht unabhängig. Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der Analyse von Praxisdaten bezüglich des Auftretens von Abhängigkeiten. Dazu werden Korrelationsstrukturen gesucht. Außerdem wird gezeigt, dass unabhängige Zufallszahlen in der Regel ungeeignet sind, um stochastische Prozesse mit ausgeprägten Abhängigkeiten zu modellieren.