162 research outputs found
Novel Dialogue 2.7 The Novel of Revolutionary Ideas: Viet Thanh Nguyen and Colleen Lye (AV)
No full textViet Thanh Nguyen, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning The Sympathizer and its sequel The Committed, joins esteemed scholar Colleen Lye of UC-Berkeley for a candid discussion about the Asian-American novel and the role of literature and theory in radical social movements. Colleen is drawn to the mix of philosophy and suspense in Viet's work and wonders if he considers himself a member of the theory generation; that is, writers for whom literary theory is not just a way of reading texts but an impetus to create new literary forms for grappling with ideas. Viet, schooled in deconstruction and postcolonial theory, accepts the designation with a caveat: If he is a novelist of ideas, then he is a novelist of revolutionary ideas. Inspired by Fanon's anticolonialism and Gayatri Spivak's concept of the double bind, Viet's defiantly politicizing aesthetic looks to place the colonial subject, particularly the Vietnamese refugee, at the center of multiple stories of American and French imperialism. Colleen and Viet reflect on the role of academic training in Viet's transformation from Asian-Americanist scholar into Asian-American novelist and discuss the peculiarities of immigrant Asian identity in terms of language. Mother tongues, bilingualism, orphaned language, and adopted language all become metaphors for how Asian-American writers must balance the loss of heritage and weight of expectation with the call to self-invention. Plus, Viet reveals the not-so-wholesome treats that enabled him to complete The Sympathizer
Research on the History and Production of Lye-kneaded Wheat Noodle as Part of Okinawan Traditional Food Culture
No full text本論文では,沖縄の伝統的食文化の一つである木灰ソバの意義について,その歴史と製造の面から考察した。現在,木灰ソバは中国甘粛省蘭州,タイのチェンマイ,沖縄の三箇所で確認されている。琉球への伝来は,14世紀末の中国からの「久米三十六姓」の渡来以降説と,中国からの冊封使による来琉(1372)以降の説が有力と考えられる。この木灰ソバが一般庶民のポピュラーな食べ物となるのは,明治以降のことではないかとみられる。灰汁に使われる樹種は,戦前ではアカギ,イヌマキ,ガジュマル,モクマオウ,ゲッキツ,現在では,主にガジュマル,イジュ,イタジイ,モクマオウなどである。木灰ソバは天然の樹木の灰から灰汁を採り,それを小麦粉に練り込んでつくる。普通の沖縄ソバでは人工のかん水が使われる。天然の灰汁には,カリウムやナトリウムなどのミネラル成分の他に,微量成分が数多く含まれている。これらの無機成分は,人間の健康維持にとっても不可欠のものである。この天然の灰汁でソバを作るとき,pH値12～13,ボーメ度2～3程度が良好とされる。この天然の灰汁で作る木灰ソバは,味覚の多様性を養う健康食品として,後世に伝えていくべき価値ある麺食文化の一つである。In this article, the author considers the meaning of lye-kneaded wheat noodles as part of Okinawan traditional food culture from the viewpoints of history and production. Currently, lye-kneaded wheat noodles have been found in three places; one is in Lanzhou, Gansu, China, another in Chiang Mai, Thailand and the other in Okinawa. Regarding their introduction to Ryukyu, there seem to be two main theories; one is based upon the arrival of the36 clans of Kumefrom China in the late 14^ century and the other upon the visit ofsapposhito Ryukyu from China (1372). It may be after the Meiji era that the lye-kneaded wheat noodles became popular among the ordinary people. The kinds of tree used for lye-making before World War II were Bischofia javanica, Podocarpus macrophyllus, Ficus microcarpa, Casuarina equisetifolia, and Murraya paniculata. At present, mainly Ficus microcarpa, Schima wallichii, Castanopsis sieboldii, and Casuarina equisetifolia are used. Lye-kneaded wheat noodles are prepared by kneading wheat flour with lye that is obtained from natural wood ashes. For ordinary Okinawa Soba, artificially carbonated water is used. In natural lye, other than major components such as potassium and sodium, many trace components are contained as well. These mineral elements are essential to maintain the health of human beings. Based upon experimental results, suitable pH levels and Baume degrees for soba-making with natural lye were approximately 12-13 and 2-3, respectively. Another look should be taken at the lye-kneaded wheat noodles made with natural lye as health food which fosters a variety of tastes and is part of food culture in noodles and valuable enough to be passed on to future generations.紀要論
An Investigation into an Alternative Transition Criterion of the Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo Method for Bayesian Model Updating
No full textOne of the advanced Monte Carlo techniques employed to perform Bayesian model updating on the epistemic model parameter(s) is the Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler. A key characteristic in its sampling approach involves the use of "transitional" distributions to allow samples to converge iteratively from the prior to the final posterior. Hence, the selection of the transition step size becomes of critical importance. Currently, the selection criterion is such that the optimal transition step size is one that realizes a 100% Coefficient of Variation in the statistical weights of the samples in a given iteration. The work presented here considers an alternative selection criterion on the transition step size involving the use of the Effective Sample Size as a metric. The optimal step size considered in this work is one which achieves an effective sample size equal to half the total sample size. To provide a comparative study, the standard Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler, along with the modified Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler imbued with the alternative selection criterion, are implemented to infer the friction force and the natural frequency of a single-storey frame structure with a metal-to-metal contact, whose dynamics is described by a non-linear differential equation. From there, the sampling performance is compared on the basis of the evolution of the tempering parameter, and the standard error of the estimates.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Aerospace Structures & Computational Mechanic
Elderly monitoring tag
No full textThis project described an implementation of the elderly monitoring tag system. It is implemented on sensor tag CC2650 by Texas Instrument and featured fall detection and step detection algorithm with the purpose of sending a warning if a medical hazard is detected while reducing power consumption by minimizing Radio Frequency communication. Additional algorithms are also implemented to further enhance the system such as single point calibration for temperature detection, signal strength detection which will regulate the connection between the Sensor Tag devices and the listening servers, and average activity level functionality which keeps track of how active a person compared to his/her peers. The data was collected from the sensor tag by using raspberry pi, which acts as the listening servers and processes the data sent by Sensor Tag devices. The algorithms were found to be working within the objective requirement. All simulated falls were detected with approximately 20 times reduced power consumption. Various results were obtained for simulated steps with an error of ±1 for 5 steps and ±2 for 20 steps. However, rare occurrences of 1 or 2 additional steps resulting in 23 or 24 steps were observed.Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering
Standardizing the Calculation of the Lyapunov Exponent for Human Gait using Inertial Measurement Units
No full textabstract: There are many inconsistencies in the literature regarding how to estimate the Lyapunov Exponent (LyE) for gait. In the last decade, many papers have been published using Lyapunov Exponents to determine differences between young healthy and elderly adults and healthy and frail older adults. However, the differences in methodologies of data collection, input parameters, and algorithms used for the LyE calculation has led to conflicting numerical values for the literature to build upon. Without a unified methodology for calculating the LyE, researchers can only look at the trends found in studies. For instance, LyE is generally lower for young adults compared to elderly adults, but these values cannot be correlated across studies to create a classifier for individuals that are healthy or at-risk of falling. These issues could potentially be solved by standardizing the process of computing the LyE.
This dissertation examined several hurdles that must be overcome to create a standardized method of calculating the LyE for gait data when collected with an accelerometer. In each of the following investigations, both the Rosenstein et al. and Wolf et al. algorithms as well as three normalization methods were applied in order to understand the extent at which these factors affect the LyE. First, the a priori parameters of time delay and embedding dimension which are required for phase space reconstruction were investigated. This study found that the time delay can be standardized to a value of 10 and that an embedding dimension of 5 or 7 should be used for the Rosenstein and Wolf algorithm respectively. Next, the effect of data length on the LyE was examined using 30 to 1300 strides of gait data. This analysis found that comparisons across papers are only possible when similar amounts of data are used but comparing across normalization methods is not recommended. And finally, the reliability and minimum required number of strides for each of the 6 algorithm-normalization method combinations in both young healthy and elderly adults was evaluated. This research found that the Rosenstein algorithm was more reliable and required fewer strides for the calculation of the LyE for an accelerometer.Dissertation/ThesisAppendix ADoctoral Dissertation Biomedical Engineering 201
Sequential ensemble Monte Carlo sampler for on-line Bayesian inference of time-varying parameter In engineering applications
No full textSeveral on-line identification approaches have been proposed to identify parameters and evolution models of engineering systems and structures when sequential datasets are available via Bayesian inference. In this work, a robust and “tune-free” sampler is proposed to extend one of the sequential Monte Carlo implementations for the identification of time-varying parameters which can be assumed constant within each set of data collected but might vary across different sequences of datasets. The proposed approach involves the implementation of the affine-invariant Ensemble sampler in place of the Metropolis–Hastings sampler to update the samples. An adaptive-tuning algorithm is also proposed to automatically tune the step-size of the affine-invariant ensemble sampler which, in turn, controls the acceptance rate of the samples across iterations. Furthermore, a numerical investigation behind the existence of inherent lower and upper bounds on the acceptance rate, making the algorithm robust by design, is also conducted. The proposed method allows for the off-line and on-line identification of the most probable models under uncertainty. The proposed sampling strategy is first verified against the existing sequential Monte Carlo sampler in a numerical example. Then, it is validated by identifying the time-varying parameters and the most probable model of a nonlinear dynamical system using experimental data.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Mechanics and Physics of Structure
新加坡华文儿童诗歌研究 (1980-1998)
No full textChildren's literature is an important facet of literature. Since Singapore's independence, a number of studies have been done on the development and characteristics of Singapore Chinese literature. However, no study has been done on Singapore Chinese literature written for children. This motivated the author to do some research.There are many different types of Chinese literature written for children in Singapore. For example, we have short stories, fables and poetry. Among these, children's poetry is the most abundant and has the best quality. This is why the author has chosen children's poetry for a subject. She has also limited the scope of study to children's poetry written from 1980 to 1998 by Singapore writers.Different researchers of Chinese poetry for children define children's poetry differently. After giving an introduction of these different definitions, the author gives an account of what children's poetry means to her and which can be applied to children's poetry written by Singaporeans. Next, she gives an outline of the development of children's poetry in the last thirtythree years, and analyzes the reasons for the slow development.In the thrd chapter, she continues with a classification of the different themes local poets use, such as events that occur at home, school, and what children imagine. Writers also like to incorporate moral values into the poems. Sometimes they also write about changes that have taken place in society and about nature.In chapter four, the author gives an analysis of the characteristics of Chinese poetry for Singapore children. She approaches the topic from three viewpoints, namely, the language used by writers, their styles and attitudes.In the last chapter, the author presents a "report card" of the performance of local Chinese poets. She also examines the ways by which Singapore can extend the influences of Chinese poetry written for children.With this study, the author hopes that she and other researchers will achieve a greater understanding of poetry written for children and also to promote an awareness of local children's literature
Crystal Methamphetamine: Fact Sheet
No full textCrystal meth is a stimulant drug also known as meth, tina, yaba, crystal, jib, speed, crank, ice, sketch, cryssie, or glass. It is a white, odourless powder that can be snorted, smoked, injected, and eaten. Meth does not occur naturally. It is a synthetic drug that is made from a combination of chemical ingredients. Ingredients might include iodine, hydrochloric acid, drain cleaner, battery acid, lye, antifreeze, pool acid, sodium hydroxide, lithium/sodium metal, red phosphorous, or anhydrous ammonia
TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF HYDRAULIC PUMPS IN DELIQUIFYING GAS WELLS
No full textThis paper presents the concepts of deliquifying gas wells using one of the methods
to unload liquid gas wells: hydraulic pumping. Liquid loading is the inability of
produced gas to remove liquids produced together from the wellbore. This is a wellknown
phenomenon in mature gas wells. As production depletes, the reservoir loses
energy and therefore allowing liquids to accumulate at bottomhole. The backpressure
created from liquid loading can reduce gas production and with time, might even kill
the well. Deliquification or liquid unloading - the process of removing associated
liquids from the produced gas is severely critical for mature gas wells.
The author subsequently explores the theory and working principles of hydraulic
piston pumps and hydraulic jet pumps. Both types of pumps have different
specifications that can be suited for different cases. In order to further contrast the
specifications, the author will compare hydraulic pumping with gas-lift system, one
of the pioneer methods used in the industry. As to validate the system feasibility, the
author generated a mechanism for technical and economic analysis, to provide
system requirement from production projection to users. System requirement is
crucial as to assess viability of system to be installed and operated. The economics
involved in the process will be analysed through computer coding generated.
Economic analysis is vital in the selection of deliquification method; operational
benefits must be in balance with the economic value so that the costing is
economically viable. Expansive research and studies have been made on the theories
of the pumps.
This progress report carries the objectives to update the advancement of project since
Progress report in FYP II. Since that, the author refined and improvised the
mechanism through Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. The author has developed a set of
computer coding to ease technical and economic analysis when determining system
compatibility. Sensitivity studies were conducted to analyse the parameters’
relationships
Development of a microbioreactor for synthetic biology applications
No full textThis thesis details the development of a microbioreactor with application in synthetic biology. The aim was the development and engineering characterization of an instrumented microbioreactor system that could aid scientists in the phenotypic analysis of genetically engineered strains. An existing prototype of a microbioreactor was modified to improve mixing. The microbioreactor was then critically evaluated by: assessing two mixing methods, assessing the prototype against a second reactor design option, characterizing oxygen transfer and mixing, comparing performance with a commercially available minibioreactor, and successfully culturing the genetically modified, gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus carnosus using the chemostat mode of operation. Engineering characterization of the device was used to inform the selection of process conditions for chemostat studies. KLa values of ~ 113 h-1 and mixing times of ~ 1.2 s were achieved. Residence time distribution analysis demonstrated operation under nearly ideally mixed conditions with ~ 1% of stagnant volumes. Continuous fermentations using different dilution rates and glucose feed concentrations demonstrated the ability of the system to control the growth rate and create a controlled change in OD concentration, respectively. The oxygen uptake rate (OUR) was determined at two dilution rates, which are to the knowledge of the author, the first OUR values reported for Staphylococcus carnosus in a microchemostat. Overall, the results provided a more complete engineering understanding of the device, which will facilitate further improvement of the microbioreactor set up to create a high-throughput experimental platform capable of rapidly screening for growth conditions
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