Performance of direct-oversampling correlator-type receivers in chaos-based DS-CDMA systems over frequency non-selective fading channels

In this paper, we present a study on the performance of direct-oversampling correlator-type receivers in chaos-based direct-sequence code division multiple access systems over frequency non-selective fading channels. At the input, the received signal is sampled at a sampling rate higher than the chip rate. This oversampling step is used to precisely determine the delayed-signal components from multipath fading channels, which can be combined together by a correlator for the sake of increasing the SNR at its output. The main advantage of using direct-oversampling correlator-type receivers is not only their low energy consumption due to their simple structure, but also their ability to exploit the non-selective fading characteristic of multipath channels to improve the overall system performance in scenarios with limited data speeds and low energy requirements, such as low-rate wireless personal area networks. Mathematical models in discrete-time domain for the conventional transmitting side with multiple access operation, the generalized non-selective Rayleigh fading channel, and the proposed receiver are provided and described. A rough theoretical bit-error-rate (BER) expression is first derived by means of Gaussian approximation. We then define the main component in the expression and build its probability mass function through numerical computation. The final BER estimation is carried out by integrating the rough expression over possible discrete values of the PFM. In order to validate our findings, PC simulation is performed and simulated performance is compared with the corresponding estimated one. Obtained results show that the system performance get better with the increment of the number of paths in the channel.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A novel approach to security enhancement of chaotic DSSS systems

In this paper, we propose a novel approach to the enhancement of physical layer security for chaotic direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) communication systems. The main idea behind our proposal is to vary the symbol period according to the behavior of the chaotic spreading sequence. As a result, the symbol period and the spreading sequence vary chaotically at the same time. This simultaneous variation aims at protecting DSSS-based communication systems from the blind estimation attacks in the detection of the symbol period. Discrete-time models for spreading and despreading schemes are presented and analyzed. Multiple access performance of the proposed technique in the presence of additional white Gaussian noise (AWGN) is determined by computer simulations. The increase in security at the physical layer is also evaluated by numerical results. Obtained results show that our proposed technique can protect the system against attacks based on the detection of the symbol period, even if the intruder has full information on the used chaotic sequence.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

An Oversampling-based Correlator-type Receiver for DCSK Communication Systems Over Generalized Flat Rayleigh Fading Channels

This paper proposes an oversampling-based correlator-type receiver for Differential Chaos-shift Keying (DCSK) communication systems, which can exploit the flat-fading characteristic of multipath channels in order to improve the system performance. At the receiver, the incoming signal is sampled with a sampling rate higher than chip rate before feeding to a correlator. This oversampling step aims to specifically determine delayed-signal components from fading multipath channels, which can be combined together by the correlator in order to increase the ratio of signal-to-noise at its output. In particular, the performance of the proposed receiver is investigated by means of a generalized flat Rayleigh fading channel which has one primary path (i.e., the path having the shortest transmission period) and multiple secondary paths (i.e., the other remaining paths with delays). Mathematical models in discrete-time domain for the conventional transmitter, generalized channel, and proposed receiver are proposed and analyzed. The theoretical bit-error-rate (BER) expression is first derived and then distribution histogram for the ratio of variable bit energy to noise power spectral density is computed. The BER performance is finally estimated by integrating the BER expression over all possible values of the histogram. Numerical simulations with specific parameters are carried out and then simulated performances are shown in comparison to estimated ones. Obtained results point out that the system performance is significantly improved when the number of secondary paths increases

Groundwork-Based Research to Design Application SCC - Building a Sustainable Community for Children in Mountainous Area

Children’s clothing is a prime example of fast fashion, as their continuous growth requires frequent purchases. This not only impacts the environment but also puts financial strain on parents. Concurrently, many highland children lack essential material and educational resources, contributing to poverty in the region. To address these challenges, local authorities urgently require a sustainable solution that supports children, communities, and localities, fostering comprehensive development. The project development criteria are evaluated based on the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). Data was collected through an online survey of 50 married individuals, 162 non-married individuals, and interviews with those who have organized events for children in the highlands. Additionally, insights were obtained from three children from disadvantaged areas. The results indicate that all target groups show a keen interest in social activities for children. Parents facing difficulties accessing charities, and the lack of effective collaboration between charities and local authorities, hinders sustainable development efforts. Keywords: children, SDG, social sustainabilty, communit

Students’ use and perceptions of feedback in a paired collaborative speaking task

Learner-centeredness is an integral part of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and paired conversations are promoted by this method because it is considered to effectively increase the student talking time. In paired conversations, instead of being merely interlocutors during their speaking activities, students are expected to initiatively assist each other’s performances by exchanging feedback and comments. This study examined 28 intermediate students on how they gave their partners feedback during a paired collaborative speaking task. It also investigated their perceptions on exchanging feedback. Observation and semi-structured interviews were employed for data collection. A mismatch between their viewpoints and actual performances was found. The interview analysis suggests that the students were well-aware of the roles and benefits of giving and receiving feedback. Meanwhile, the empirical data collected from the observation scheme shows that only a modest number of feedback instances, particularly corrective feedback, were actually given by the students. This was mostly resulted from the students’ lack of proper strategies and skills on giving feedback and their fear of losing their partners’ faces

Improvement of Bit Rate Using M-ary Chaotic Pulse Position Modulation

Recent studies have pointed out that Chaotic Pulse Position Modulation (CPPM) is a very promising method for improving privacy and security in chaos-based digital communication. Especially, CPPM provides better performance than other chaotic modulation methods in noise- and distortion-affected environments. In this paper we present our development of a robust method named M-ary CPPM which is based on the combination of the conventional CPPM and multi-symbol modulation in order to improve the transmission bit rate. The M-ary CPPM signal has a pulse train format in which each pulse is a symbol and the chaotically-varied inter-pulse time interval conveys the binary information of k bits (M = 2k). The analysis and development of modulation and demodulation schemes are presented in detail. Theoretical evaluation of Bit-Error-Rate (BER) performance in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and the use of AWGN filtering is also provided. The chaotic behavior of the M-ary CPPM is investigated with the variation of modulation parameters. In order to verify the performance of the proposed schemes, numerical simulations were carried out in Simulink and comparison between simulation and theoretical results is reported

Performance of Ozonation Process as Advanced Treatment for Antibiotics Removal in Membrane Permeate

There was an investigation into the removal of 6 types of antibiotics from hospital wastewater through membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment and ozonation processes. Six types of antibiotics, namely, Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), Norfloxacin (NOR), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Ofloxacin (OFL), Erythromycin (ERY), and Vancomycin (VAN) which had high detection frequencies in collected samples from hospital wastewater treatment plant (HWTPs). After MBR treatment, the removal efficiencies of SMZ, NOR, OFL, and ERY were 45%, 25%, 30%, and 16%, respectively. Among of them, almost no elimination was observed for CIP and VAN since their concentrations increased by 0.24 ± 0.18 (μgl-1) and 0.83 ± 0.20 (μgl-1), respectively. Then, residues of the antibiotics were removed from the MBR effluent by the ozonation process. The overall removal efficiencies of SMZ, NOR, CIP, OFL, ERY, and VAN were approximately 66 %, 88 %, 83 %, 80 %, 93 %, and 92 %, respectively. The reason might be depended on different ozone consumption of those antibiotics (ABS) in a range of 313 to 1681 μg ABSgO3-1. Consequently, the ozonation process performed better in the antibiotics removal (e.g. CIP and VAN) so ozonation could be considered as important support for the MBR treatment to reduce the risk of antibiotic residues

Smoothed finite element method for two-dimensional elasto-plasticity

This communication shows how the smoothed finite element method (SFEM) very recently proposed by G. R. Liu [14] can be extended to elasto-plasticity. The SFEM results are in excellent agreement with the finite element (FEM) and analytical results. For the examples treated, the method is quite insensitive to mesh distortion and volumetric locking. Moreover, the SFEM yields more compliant load-displacement curves compared to the standard, displacement based FE method, as expected from the theoretical developments recently published in [4], [3] and [6]

INFLUENCE OF SYNTHESIS FACTORS ON PROPERTIES OF GEOPOLYMERS BASED ON RED MUD AND RICE HUSK ASH

In this paper, the effect of mixing ratio of raw materials, curing temperature and time on geopolymerization between red mud and rice husk ash were investigated. The results showed that the optimum conditions were SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 4 and Na2O/Al2O3 ratio of 2.0, curing temperature of 100oC and curing time of 24 hours. The compressive strength, bulk density, total shrinkage of the obtained product were 22.8 MPa, 2.39 g.cm-3, 15%, respectively that met requirement of unsintered bricks using for construction

EVALUATION OF EFFICACY OF NIBRG-14 VACCINE AGAINST HIGHLY PATHOGENIC H5N1 VIRUSES ISOLATED DURING 2011 INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS IN VIETNAM

Highly pathogenic avian  influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses continue to be endemic  in many Asian countries causing  lethal  infections  in human. The vaccine virus  (NIBRG-14) developed from a H5N1 virus strain (A/Vietnam/1194/2004) has been approved by WHO for use in human as  well  as  poultry  vaccine.  It  is  well-known  that  the  A/H5N1  viruses  have  diversified  both genetically  and  antigenically  allowing  them  to  escape  from  the  host  immune  surveillance system.  Therefore,  evaluation  of  the  vaccine  immunogenicity  and  its  relationship  to  newly emerging  viruses  is  crucially  important. NIBRG-14 virus particles propagated  in  embryonated chicken eggs were inactivated with formalin and adjuvanted with mineral oil to form a water-in-oil emulsion. The  resulting vaccine was  injected  subcutaneously  into chickens and ducks. The vaccinated birds were challenged with  the HPAI virus strains circulating  in Vietnam  including clade  1,  clade  2.3.2.1a  and  2.3.2.1b  at  day  21  post-vaccination  (p.  v.).  We  observed  that vaccinated birds were protected from manifestation of disease signs upon challenge with HPAI clade 1 and clade 2.3.2.1a viruses; however,  it did not confer protection against clade 2.3.2.1b challenge  andstressing  the  need  for  development  of  new  effective  vaccines  against  the  newly emerging viruses