In this study, we consider a relay network, with two transceivers and r relay nodes. We assume that each of relays and the two transceivers have a single antenna. For establishing the connection between these two transceivers, we propose a two-way relaying scheme which takes three phases (time slots) to accomplish the exchange of two information symbols between the two transceivers. In the first and second phases, the transceivers, transmit their signals, toward the relays, one after other. The signals that are received by relays are noisy versions of the original signals. Each relay, multiplies its received signal by a complex beamforming coefficient to adjust the phase and amplitude of the signal. Then in the third phase, each relay transmits the summation of so-obtained signals to both transceivers. Our goal is to find the optimal values of transceivers’ transmit powers and the optimal values of the beamforming coefficients by minimizing the total transmit power subject to quality of service constraints. In our approach, we minimize the total transmit power under two constraints. These two constraints are used to guarantee that the transceivers’ receive Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNRs) are above given thresholds. To solve the underlying optimization problem, we develop two techniques. The first technique is a combination of a two-dimensional search and Second-Order Convex Cone Programming (SOCP). More specifically, the set of feasible values of transceivers’ transmit powers is quantized into a sufficient fine grid. Then, at each vertice of this grid, an SOCP problem is solved to obtain the beamforming coefficients such that for the given pair of transceivers’ transmit powers, the total transmit power is minimized. The pair of the transceivers’ transmit powers, which result in the smallest possible value of the total transmit power, leads us to the solution of the problem. This approach requires a two-dimensional search and solving an SOCP problem at each point of the corresponding two-dimensional grid. Thus, it can be prohibitively expensive in terms of computational complexity. As a second method, we resort to a gradient based steepest descent technique. Our simulation results show that this second technique performs very close to the optimal two-dimensional search based algorithm. Finally we compare our technique with multi-relay distributed beamforming schemes, previously developed in literature and show that our three-phase two-way relaying scheme requires less total power as compared to the two-phase two-way relaying method. On the other hand, the two-phase two-way relaying achieves higher data rates when compared with three-phase two-way relaying for the same total transmit power. Also, we observe that the three-phase scheme has more degrees of freedom while multi-relay distributed beamforming schemes, previously developed in literature appears to be more bandwidth efficient. / UOIT

Despite the numerous advantages associated with using compact cylindrical cyclone gas/liquid separators, particularly for upstream production operations, the lack of a full understanding of the complex hydrodynamic process taking place in it and its “unfamiliarity” to oil field personnel has hindered its widespread use. The complexity associated with this technology is attributed to two limiting physical phenomena, liquid carry-over and gas carryunder. While a lot of work has been done to better understand and predict the liquid carry-over operational envelope, little or no information about methods capable of adequately predicting or characterizing the gas carry-under performance of such separators is available. Traditionally, to mitigate the gas carry-under phenomena, the use of complex control algorithms and systems has been employed. These systems make the technology expensive (as opposed to the potential cost reduction it promises) and impractical for realistic use in the oil field where reliability is of critical importance. A simpler solution, the use of changeable or adjustable inlet-slots that regulate the artificial gravity environment created in the separator, could significantly improve the gas carry-under performance of cylindrical cyclone separators. This research has focused primarily on the use of adjustable inlet-slots. Theoretical analysis and experimental data investigating the benefits of variable inlet geometry have been provided. This work lays the foundation or validation required to perform more tests on a field-scale version to verify the results presented here. A modular design of such a variable inlet-slot inletsection has the potential of simplifying the design and specifications of cylindrical cyclone gas/liquid separators. From the results of this investigation, it was found that the gas carry-under performance of a cylindrical cyclone gas/liquid separator could be improved considerably over a wider range of operating conditions by adjusting the size of the inlet-slots. This contradicts earlier reports of liquid carry-over improvement in separator performance. Also, for the first time, a simple method for theoretically analyzing the percent improvement in separator gas carry-under performance using the optimum g-force concept is presented. This method could be incorporated into design software for determining the slot-size configuration required for varying separator-operating conditions.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate response allocation amongst two concurrently available computerized slot machines, one dispensing Losses Disguised as Wins (LDWs) while the other did not. Both payouts were equal in the beginning and became consistently worst for the LDW machine by lowering the payout each phase. LDWs are slot machine outcomes, participants bet on a slot machine and win back less than their wager. This may be a problem because participants may react to LDWs as a win, misleading the participant to think they are winning more than they actually are. In the present study the LDW outcome payout started at 80 percent payback and decrease by 20 percent each phase and non LDW, maintained at 400 percent payback over 12 percent of the trials. Twenty individuals were recruited by the researcher. Results indicated that a higher percentages of spins were allocated to the machine dispensing LDW. These results suggest that gamblers have a preference for LDW machines because of the reinforcement of the misleading factors that may indicated a win. Keywords: Gambling, LDW, slot machine, visual basic

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Katelyn Louise Decker, Master of Science Degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy, presented on April 30, 2015, at Southern Illinois University TITLE: EFFECTS OF GAMBLING OUTCOMES ON LEVEL OF IMPULSIVITY MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Mark R. Dixon The effects of exposure to winning and losing gambling outcomes on levels of impulsivity among non-gamblers were investigated in a within-subjects experimental design with randomization of treatment phases. Participants included 20 non-gamblers (10 male, 10 female), 18 years or older, selected from a sample of 40 volunteers who completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen (Lesieur & Blume, 1987) and received a score of 0, indicating no predictors of potential pathological gambling. Dependent measures of levels of impulsivity were recorded using an abbreviated version of the delayed discounting questionnaire described by Dixon et al. (2003). Derived k-values were calculated by fitting indifference points at each delay to the hyperbolic equation proposed by Mazur (1987) and average k-value was calculated for each participant across delays. Participants were exposed to both winning and losing outcomes by completing 25 trials within a slot-machine task programmed in Microsoft Visual Basic Express Edition 2008 (Maclin, et al., 2006, p. 127-154). Results were subjected to statistical analysis to determine whether a statistically significant, functional relationship existed between increases and decreases in level of impulsivity (k-value) in comparison to baseline. Across all participants, regardless of order of experimental conditions, results indicated a more than 26% decrease (-82.20-3133.33) in level of impulsivity (0-2.1694) following a losing outcome and a more than 24% decrease (-89.95-3300) in level of impulsivity (0-2.1694) following a winning outcome in comparison to baseline (0-2.3056). Results are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to winning outcomes decrease impulsivity, but inconsistent with the hypothesis that exposure to losing outcomes increase impulsivity. Historical perspectives of pathological gambling, social impacts of gambling disorder, and trait and state-dependent perspectives of impulsivity are discussed. Potential implications for further research using delayed discounting measures are provided, as well as potential limitations of the present study. Keywords: gambling, impulsivity, delayed discounting, slot-machine, outcomes

It has been suggested that gambling behaviour may not be solely controlled by schedules of reinforcement, but may be under the control of verbal behaviour. Relational frame theory is a contemporary account of verbal behaviour which may be able to account for aspects of gambling behaviour that cannot be explained by a pure schedule of reinforcement account. Chapter 2 demonstrated that contextual cues may influence preferences for concurrently available slot-machines, thus overriding the contingencies of reinforcement in place. Chapter 3 demonstrated that the presence of accurate or inaccurate rules may influence slot-machine choice and affect gambling persistence. Participants that received inaccurate rules regarding the payout probability of a slot machine, gambled for longer than those given accurate rules. Chapter 4 reported that the discriminative functions of slot-machines could be transformed in accordance with derived same and opposite relations, such that participants showed preferences for slot-machines that had never been experienced before. Chapter 5 demonstrated that not only could preferences for concurrently available slot machines be transformed in accordance with derived comparative relations, but found that preferences for slot machines increased relative to the relational network that had been trained. In Chapter 6, ratings of wins, near-misses and losses on a computer simulated slot-machine could be altered in accordance with derived same and opposite relations, and could even override the non-arbitrary properties of a slot-machine. It was concluded that gambling is verbal behaviour and can be accounted for by derived relations and the transformation of function. These findings may explain instances of gambling behaviour which cannot be accounted for by the direct acting contingencies.

In this paper, an asymmetric compact multiband slot antenna is proposed for global positioning system (GPS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and wireless area network (WLAN) applications. The top plane, a ground is composed of a rectangular slot with a trapezoidal-like stub, an inverted U-shaped slot at the right side of the rectangular slot, an inverted L-shaped slot at the left side of the rectangular slot, and three stubs. The proposed antenna is fed by an asymmetric cross-parasitic strip on the bottom plane. By properly designing the slots and stubs, four resonant frequency bands are achieved with -10 dB reflection coefficient bandwidths of 50 MHz, 400 MHz, 390 MHz, and 830 MHz in the 1.57 GHz GPS band, 2.4 GHz WLAN band, 3.5 GHz WiMAX band, and 5.5 GHz WLAN bands, respectively. The antenna has a total compact size of 13 mm x 32 mm x 0.8 mm. Simulated and measured results indicate that the proposed antenna has sufficient bandwidth and good radiation performance in each band.

No description available.

No description available.

The "slot-drill" completion method, which utilizes a mechanically cut high-conductivity "slot" in the target formation created using a tensioned abrasive cable, has been proposed as an alternative stimulation technique for shale-gas and other low/ultra-low permeability formations. This thesis provides a comprehensive numerical simulation study on the "slot drill" completion technique. Using a Voronoi gridding scheme, I created representative grid systems for the slot-drill completion, as well as for the case of a vertical well with a single fracture, the case of a horizontal well with multiple hydraulic fractures, and various combinations of these completions. I also created a rectangular slot configuration, which is a simplified approximation of the actual "slot-drill" geometry, and investigated the ability of this rectangular approximation to model flow from the more complicated (actual) slot-drill configuration(s). To obtain the maximum possible diagnostic and analytical value, I simulated up to 3,000 years of production, allowing the assessment of production up to the point of depletion (or boundary-dominated flow). These scenarios provided insights into all the various flow regimes, as well as provided a quantitative evaluation of all completion schemes considered in the study. The results of my study illustrated that the "slot-drill" completion technique was not, in general, competitive in terms of reservoir performance and recovery compared to the more traditional completion techniques presently in use. Based on my modeling, it appears that the larger surface area to flow that multistage hydraulic fracturing provides is much more significant than the higher conductivity achieved using the slot-drill technique. This work provides quantitative results and diagnostic interpretations of productivity and flow behavior for low and ultra-low permeability formations completed using the slot-drill method. The results of this study can be used to (a) help evaluate the possible application of the "slot-drill" technique from the perspective of performance and recovery, and (b) to establish aggregated economic factors for comparing the slot-drill technique to more conventional completion and stimulation techniques applied to low and ultra-low permeability reservoirs.

Novel designs of printed slot antennas have been investigated in this dissertation. For the linearly polarized designs, the study of single-feed dual-frequency printed slot antennas with an open-ring conducting strip is first presented. In addition, a novel design of dual-frequency dual-loop printed slot antenna is described. As for the broadband printed slot antenna designs, a printed semicircular slot antenna with a microstripline feed is shown. The impedance bandwidth obtained reaches about 46%. For the circularly polarized designs, we propose a circularly polarized microstrip antenna with an asymmetry of the antenna structure. By choosing a suitable meandered slot, CP operation can be obtained. Finally, we apply the design concept of CP operation using a shorted section to achieve a circularly polarized printed slot antenna design. The obtained CP bandwidth of this design is greater than 8%.