Reducing costs of backhaul networks for PCS networks using genetic algorithms

Designing cost-effective telecommunications networks often involves solving several challenging, interdependent combinatorial optimization problems simultaneously. For example, it may be necessary to select a least-cost subset of locations (network nodes) to serve as hubs where traffic is to be aggregated and switched; optimally assign other nodes to these hubs, meaning that the traffic entering the network at these nodes will be routed to the assigned hubs while respecting capacity constraints on the links; and optimally choose the types of links to be used in interconnecting the nodes and hubs based on the capacities and costs associated with each link type. Each of these three combinatorial optimization problems must be solved while taking into account its impacts on the other two. This paper introduces a genetic algorithm (GA) approach that has proved effective in designing networks for carrying personal communications services (PCS) traffic. The key innovation is to represent information about hub locations and their interconnections as two parts of a chromosome, so that solutions to both aspects of the problem evolve in parallel toward a globally optimal solution. This approach allows realistic problems that take 4–10 hours to solve via a more conventional branch-and-bound heuristic to be solved in 30–35 seconds. Applied to a real network design problem provided as a test case by Cox California PCS, the heuristics successfully identified a design 10% less expensive than the best previously known design. Cox California PCS has adopted the heuristic results and plans to incorporate network optimization in its future network designs and requests for proposals.     

Microwave induced thermoelastic process in dielectrics-theory and experiments

Theoretical and experimental studies on microwave pulse induced pressure waves are reported. A thermodynamical formulation of microwave interaction with dielectrics is summarized. It is shown that acoustic waves may be generated by pulsed microwaves even in the absence of inhomogeneity of microwave absorption, owing to discontinuities of thermodynamical variables and microwave exposure conditions across the dielectric interface. The formulation is applied to a spherical system and some numerical results are presented. Experimental results include measurement of pressure waves in a cylinder filled with an aqueous solution of electrolytes exposed to pulsed microwaves and estimation of the coupling efficiency between the liquid dielectric and the adjacent air. Pressure scaling with energy per pulse is also demonstrated.     

Changes in the heavy metal contents of soil from the Park Grass Experiment at Rothamsted Experimental Station

The classical Rothamsted Experiments allow to contribute to current research. The heavy metal content of soil and hay samples have been measured with ICP-AES from a control and a fertilized plot of the Park Grass Experiment. Today a difference of 1.2 can be observed in the pH levels of the control and fertilized plots; the pH level of the control plot has decreased about 1.0, that of the fertilized plot about 2.2 as a result of 150 years of acid deposition and fertilization. The changes in the pH levels has caused many changes in the heavy metal content of the top layer of the soil. Using different extraction methods (e.g., ammonium acetate, EDTA, and sequential analysis), the heavy metal content of different fractions have been estimated. In the control plot, the Zn, Cd and Pb content increased. In the fertilized plot, the Pb and Cd contents have also increased because of atmospheric deposition and small amounts of lead in the fertilizer. The available form of Cd and Pb increased in both the control and the fertilized plots.     

Expansions and phase transitions for the ground state of quantum Ising lattice systems

Expansions for the ground state of some transverse Ising-like models are developed. These expansions are easily estimated by the solutions to some simple implicit equations. Short range or long range order obtains, depending on the coupling constants of the models.Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. degree at the University of VirginiaWork partially supported by NSF-MCS 74-07313-A03