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Exploring the Dynamic Nexus Between the European Union’s Trade and Foreign Policy Toward East Asia
No full textThe relationship between the European Union (EU) and East Asia appears to be at a turning point: on 19 September 2018, the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy unveiled a Joint Communication entitled “Connecting Europe and Asia” that will have a far-reaching influence on the future relationship between the EU and Asia. This recent ambitious strategy can in fact be considered as a continuation of the EU’s mini “pivot to Asia”—namely a significant increase in engagement with Asian countries beyond the traditional focus on trade cooperation since 2012. The increasing cooperation between the EU and Asian partners in the socio-political and security spheres has attracted tremendous scholarly attention; however, the increasing nexus between the EU’s trade and foreign policy toward East Asia remains underexplored. This chapter aims to address this question by focusing on the evolving interconnectedness and dynamic links between the EU’s trade policy and its broader external policy toward East Asia. In particular, given the implications of the Lisbon Treaty on the interrelations between the EU’s trade and foreign policy, we seek to unpack how the EU’s trade policy fits into its wider strategy vis-à-vis the Asian region
Globalism or Nationalism? The Paradox of Chinese Official Discourse in the Context of the COVID-19 Outbreak
Get PDFBy employing discourse-historical approach and corpus linguistics, this paper examines media reports to analyze the Chinese official discourse in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The results demonstrate that a paradox of globalism and nationalism has been simultaneously reflected when reporting the global pandemic. Based on a polarizing discursive construction of positive “self” and negative “others,” on many occasions, the globalist and nationalist arguments have been closely intertwined and complement each other to reinforce the legitimacy of the ruling party at home and the international reputation of China under the leadership of the ruling party
Colour communication within different languages
Get PDFFor computational methods aiming to reproduce colour names that are meaningful to speakers of different languages, the mapping between perceptual and linguistic aspects of colour is a problem of central information processing. This thesis advances the field of computational colour communication within different languages in five main directions. First, we show that web-based experimental methodologies offer considerable advantages in obtaining a large number of colour naming responses in British and American English, Greek, Russian, Thai and Turkish. We continue with the application of machine learning methods to discover criteria in linguistic, behavioural and geometric features of colour names that distinguish classes of colours. We show that primary colour terms do not form a coherent class, whilst achromatic and basic classes do. We then propose and evaluate a computational model trained by human responses in the online experiment to automate the assignment of colour names in different languages across the full three-dimensional colour gamut. Fourth, we determine for the first time the location of colour names within a physiologically-based cone excitation space through an unconstrained colour naming experiment using a calibrated monitor under controlled viewing conditions. We show a good correspondence between online and offline datasets; and confirm the validity of both experimental methodologies for estimating colour naming functions in laboratory and real-world monitor settings. Finally, we present a novel information theoretic measure, called dispensability, for colour categories that predicts a gradual scale of basicness across languages from both web- and laboratory- based unconstrained colour naming datasets. As a result, this thesis contributes experimental and computational methodologies towards the development of multilingual colour communication schemes
Artificial Neural Network approach for business decision making applied to a corporate relocation problem
Get PDFThis paper presents a new Artificial Neural Network approach to making a business decision. A corporate relocation problem is considered as an example for a business decision and the new approach is applied to select a city for corporate relocation and to rank a set of potential alternatives. Selecting the location of corporate real estate can be key to optimizing an organization’s success. This is the first time Artificial Neural Networks have been used for this sort of business application. The Neural Network behaved satisfactorily and provided 91.76% accuracy when tested against randomly generated test sets. Five potential cities were considered: New York City, Washington D.C. Atlanta, Los Angeles and Portland. Decision makers identified six criteria: Financial Considerations Employee Availability, Support Services, Cultural Opportunities, Leisure Activities, and Climate. A suitable city is recommended that provides an appropriate solution and the outcome of the new approach is also used to rank potential cities based on their suitability
Intelligent control and HCI for a powered wheelchair using a simple expert system and ultrasonic sensors
No full textIntelligent control and human computer interaction is investigated for a powered wheelchair using a simple expert system and ultrasonic sensors. The aim is to make driving easier. Signals from sensors and joysticks are interpreted. The interpreted signals are mixed so that the systems collaborate with the human driver to improve their control over direction and speed. Ultrasonic sensors identify hazards and the system suggests a safer speed and direction. Results are presented from drivers completing a series of timed routes using joysticks to control wheelchairs both with a microcomputer and sensors assisting them and without. Recently published systems are used to contrast and compare results. The new system described in this paper consistently performed better. An additional result appears to be that the amount of support from the microcomputer and sensors should be altered depending on surroundings and situations. The research is part of a bigger research project to improve mobility and enhance the quality of life of disabled powered wheelchair users by increasing their self-reliance and self-confidence
Crowdsourcing of Multilingual Color Names
Get PDFMultilingual crowdsourcing refers to distributed experimental methodologies designed to collect large datasets of color naming responses in different languages from a large number of observers over the Internet
The Documentary Drift: Lutyens, Cockington and Poetry
Get PDFI did not set out to write a poetry collection about the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944). Influenced by Cecile Oak’s (2017) mythogeographical journey across South Devon in Anywhere, I set out to write a poetry collection exploring the pastoral contradictions of Cockington, a heritage village in the South West. But after an encounter with a collection of letters by Lutyens, who designed the village’s Drum Inn, the village soon became a fantastical theatre where his questions of language, craft and beauty could unravel. In this essay I’ll highlight the role that walking played in a bleeding together of a documentary and geographical landscape
Intelligent control of the steering for a powered wheelchair using a microcomputer
No full textThe research presented in this paper describes a new architecture for controlling powered wheelchairs. A Raspberry Pi microcomputer is considered to assist in controlling direction. A Raspberry Pi is introduced between user input switches and powered wheelchair motors to create an intelligent Human Machine Interface (HCI). An electronic circuit is designed that consists of an ultrasonic sensor array and a set of control relays. The sensors delivered information about obstructions in the surrounding environment of the wheelchair. Python programming language was used to create a program that digitized the user switches output and assessed information provided by the ultrasonic sensor array. The program was installed on a Raspberry Pi and the Raspberry Pi controlled power delivered to the motors. Tests were conducted and results showed that the new system successfully assisted a wheelchair user in avoiding obstacles. The new architecture can be used to intelligently interface any input device or sensor system to powered wheelchair
