7,791 research outputs found
Performance Verification of Successive Interference Cancellation for STBC MIMO-OFDM System with Channel Correlation
No full text[[abstract]]Multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) transmission can improve both the transmission capacity and performance due to diversity gain. However, when the antennas are close to each other in a MIMO-OFDM system, the diversity order will be decreased because of channel correlation. In the paper performance of various detection methods for space-time block code (STBC) MIMO-OFDM with channel correlation are evaluated, including the conventional Alamouti full matrix detection, the modified diagonal matrix detection, the least square-zero forcing (LS-ZF) detection, and the successive interference cancellation (SIC). The paper also verify that the SIC detection can still keep excellent detection performance under large channel correlation.[[note]]SC
The vanishing author in computer-generated works: a critical analysis of recent Australian case law
Full text linkAbstract
The use of software is ubiquitous in the creation of many copyright works, yet the requirement in copyright law that every work have a human author who engages in independent intellectual effort means that its use may prevent copyright subsistence. Several recent Australian cases have refocused attention on authorship as an essential criterion of copyright subsistence, and these cases suggest that much computer-produced output may be authorless and thus lack copyright protection. This article, the first in a two-part series, analyses how each case deals with the question of authorship of computer-produced works and why the use of software diminishes copyright protection for a significant number of computer-generated works. The article critiques the application of conventional notions of human authorship developed in the pre-computer age to modern productions and suggests alternative approaches to authorship that satisfy both the major objectives of copyright policy and the need to adapt to the computer age. The article argues that, without a broader judicial approach to authorship of computer-generated works, Parliament must remedy the lacuna in protection for these ‘authorless’ works. Possible solutions for reform are suggested. In a forthcoming article, the author comprehensively examines those reform proposals
Agnès Varda Forever
Full text linkAs part of an assignment from artist Harrell Fletcher for the Portland State University Art and Social Practice MFA Program, Laura Glazer commissioned Jennifer “JJ” Jones to continue her “Agnès Varda Forever” project. The project began in the summer of 2020 after JJ and her son watched a marathon of movies directed by Agnès Varda during the Covid-19 stay-at-home order. As a result, they wanted more people to know about Varda. JJ acted on this desire in October by painting “AGNÈS VARDA FOREVER” in eight-inch high letters on the utility pole at the end of her block. Around that time, Laura drove past this bold message and was delighted by its spirit, not realizing that it was JJ’s neighborhood or her handiwork. She was so excited about the sign and its striking letterforms that she emailed JJ about it later that night. (Laura knew JJ was a fan of Varda’s movies because a few years ago they saw each other at a Hollywood Theatre showing of Varda’s film, Faces Places.) JJ replied to Laura’s email: “One night, when I couldn’t sleep, I went down to the corner of MY STREET and painted that pole!!!!! What is incredible is that YOU saw it! I thought about sending you a picture of it, but then thought that a better thing to do would be to someday go and paint it on something near your apartment, so you could accidentally stumble upon it! This is SO magical, that it worked out this way. My heart and my mind are blown!!!” As part of her class assignment in April 2021, Laura received $100 to commission someone to do anything.1 She offered it to JJ and together they designed a poster with the “AGNÈS VARDA FOREVER” message and removable tabs listing movies directed by Varda and a short description of each movie. JJ bought colored paper to print the poster and perforated the lower portion of the poster, making tab removal easier. Then she cut each tab by hand and anonymously hung over 500 of them on poles in Portland and beyond. JJ’s hope was that people would take a tab from the poster and use it as a reminder to find out more about Varda and then watch the film.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/agnes_varda/1000/thumbnail.jp
Evidence for Electroweak Production of W(+/-)W(+/-)jj in pp Collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS Detector
No full textFurther distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.This Letter presents the first study of W±W±jj, same-electric-charge diboson production in association with two jets, using 20.3 fb-1 of proton-proton collision data at √s=8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events with two reconstructed same-charge leptons (e±e±, e±μ±, and μ±μ±) and two or more jets are analyzed. Production cross sections are measured in two fiducial regions, with different sensitivities to the electroweak and strong production mechanisms. First evidence for W±W±jj production and electroweak-only W±W±jj production is observed with a significance of 4.5 and 3.6 standard deviations, respectively. The measured production cross sections are in agreement with standard model predictions. Limits at 95% confidence level are set on anomalous quartic gauge couplings
Physical activity in preschoolers
Full text linkSummary:
The health benefits of physical activity are clearly established. Physical activity is also thought to be
beneficial for children, although morbidity and mortality are established only later in life. One of the
most important benefits of physical activity is maintaining a healthy weight and it thus contributes to
prevent the development of obesity. However, physical activity is also thought to be related to both
aerobic fitness, a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease, and to different motor skills. As there is a
gap on research investigating those relationships in preschool children, cross-sectional and longitudinal
analyses were done to examine children’s physical activity behaviours and their correlates. In addition,
it was analysed if physical activity is associated with socio-cultural characteristics. Finally, the
effects of a physical activity intervention on adiposity and fitness were evaluated, especially in preschoolers
of migrant or low educated families.
This research is based on the Ballabeina Study, a multidimensional lifestyle intervention study aimed
at reducing BMI and increasing fitness in preschool children. The cluster-randomized trial was conducted
in German and French speaking regions in Switzerland with a high prevalence of migrant
populations. The intervention targeted four lifestyle behaviours during one school year: an increase in
physical activity, a balanced nutrition, sufficient sleep and a reduction in media use.
In the cross-sectional analyses, substantial differences in physical activity and in adiposity were found
between the German and French speaking part of Switzerland. On the other hand, parental sociocultural
characteristics (migrant status or educational level) had less impact on physical activity and
adiposity. The cross-sectional analyses also revealed a relationship between physical and body fat,
aerobic fitness and motor skills. The cross-sectional analyses also revealed a relationship between
physical and body fat, aerobic fitness and motor skills. The longitudinal analyses also showed an association
of baseline physical activity with prospective changes in aerobic fitness and in motor skills,
but not in body fat. These findings contribute to the current understanding of the relationships of physical
activity with fitness and adiposity and strengthen the benefits of being active from early childhood.
The intervention led to improvements in aerobic fitness, but not in BMI, the two primary outcomes. It
also led to improvements in body fat and agility. In view of the substantial decrease in children’s fitness
and the increase in obesity over the last 20 years, the improvements in aerobic fitness and in
body fat in favor of the intervention group are most relevant. Moreover, children of migrant or low educated
parents benefitted equally from the intervention compared to their respective counterparts.
These results are encouraging, as these children have been less accessible in previous interventions.
Thus, using strategies to target a multicultural population might represent a promising approach to
reduce body fat and increase fitness in these high-risk groups. In conclusion, Ballabeina is an intensive
intervention, but offers an effective school-based intervention program to reduce body fat and
increase fitness in preschool children.
Physical activity in preschoolers. ---------- Zusammenfassung:
Der gesundheitliche Nutzen von körperlicher Aktivität ist unbestritten. Dies gilt auch für Kinder, auch
wenn sich die positiven Effekte meist erst im späteren Leben zeigen. Körperliche Aktivität ist wichtig,
um ein gesundes Körpergewicht zu halten und dadurch einen Beitrag zur Übergewichtsprävention zu
leisten. Körperliche Aktivität scheint aber auch mit aerober Ausdauer, einem wichtigen Einflusswert für
kardiovaskuläre Krankheiten, und mit motorischen Fertigkeiten assoziiert zu sein. Da diese Zusammenhänge
im Vorschulalter noch nicht ausreichend untersucht worden sind, haben wir die körperliche
Aktivität von Vorschulkindern und dessen Wechselbeziehungen mit Adipositas und Fitness genauer
unter die Lupe genommen. Zudem haben wir untersucht, inwiefern körperliche Aktivität und Adipositas
mit sozio-kulturellen Faktoren assoziiert sind. Schlussendlich haben wir auch die Effekte einer schulbasierten
Intervention in Bezug auf Adipositas und Fitness evaluiert, speziell bei Kindern aus Familien
mit Migrationshintergrund oder tiefem Bildungsniveau.
Die Grundlage dieser Forschungsarbeit bildet die Ballabeina Studie, eine in der Schweiz durchgeführte
Interventionsstudie bei Kindergartenkindern. Diese cluster-randomisierte Studie wurde in Regionen
mit einem hohen Ausländeranteil in der Deutschschweiz sowie in der Romandie durchgeführt. Ziel der
Studie war, den BMI zu senken und die aerobe Fitness zu verbessern. Die vier wichtigsten Elemente
der Intervention waren: eine Erhöhung der täglichen Aktivität, eine ausgewogene Ernährung, genügend
Schlaf und eine Reduktion des Medienkonsums.
Die Querschnittuntersuchungen zeigten, dass körperliche Aktivität mit Körperfett, Ausdauer und motorischen
Fertigkeiten assoziiert war. Dabei stellten wir bedeutende Unterschiede in Bezug auf körperliche
Aktivität und Adipositas zwischen der Deutschen und Französischen Schweiz fest. Auf der anderen
Seite schienen elterliche Merkmale wie Migrationshintergrund oder Bildungsniveau weniger Einfluss
auf diese Parameter zu haben. In den Längsschnittuntersuchungen konnten wir einen Zusammenhang
zwischen körperlicher Aktivität und Verbesserungen in der Fitness aufzeigen, jedoch nicht
beim Körperfett. Diese Erkenntnisse entsprechen früher gefundenen Zusammenhänge von körperlicher
Aktivität, Adipositas und Fitness und unterstreichen somit die Wichtigkeit, bereits im frühen Kindesalter
körperlich aktiv zu sein.
Die Intervention führte zu einer Verbesserung der aeroben Fitness, nicht aber zu einer Reduktion des
BMI’s. Zusätzlich erzielten wir eine Abnahme des Körperfetts und eine Verbesserung bei den motorischen
Fertigkeiten. Da die Fitness bei Kindern über die letzten 20 Jahren stetig abgenommen und das
Übergewicht stetig zugenommen hat, sind diese positiven Resultate besonders wichtig. Darüber hinaus
konnten Kinder aus Familien mit Migrationshintergrund oder tiefem Bildungsniveau ebenso viel
von der Intervention profitieren wie alle anderen Kindern. Dies ist besonders betonenswert, da diese
Kinder in früheren Interventionen weniger erreicht werden konnten. Der Ansatz, eine multikulturelle
Population einzubeziehen, stellt einen vielversprechenden Lösungsansatz dar, um Übergewicht und
Fitness auch bei benachteiligten Kindern zu verbessern. Schlussfolgernd kann gesagt werden, dass
Ballabeina ein intensives, aber erfolgreiches schulbasiertes Interventionsprogramm darstellt, mit welchem
Körperfett und Fitness von Kindergartenkindern verbessert werden kann
Characteristics of Polysilicon Wire Glucose Sensors with a Surface Modified by Silica Nanoparticles/gamma-APTES Nanocomposite
No full text[[abstract]]This report investigates the sensing characteristics of polysilicon wire (PSW) glucose biosensors, including thickness characteristics and line-width effects on detection limits, linear range and interference immunity with membranes coated by micropipette/spin-coating and focus-ion-beam (FIB) processed capillary atomic-force-microscopy (C-AFM) tip scan/coating methods. The PSW surface was modified with a mixture of 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (gamma-APTES) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-treated hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles (NPs). We found that the thickness of the gamma-APTES+NPs nonocomposite could be controlled well at about 22 nm with small relative standard deviation (RSD) with repeated C-AFM tip scan/coatings. The detection limit increased and linear range decreased with the line width of the PSW through the tip-coating process. Interestingly, the interference immunity ability improves as the line width increases. For a 500 nm-wide PSW, the percentage changes of the channel current density changes (Delta J) caused by acetaminophen (AP) can be kept below 3.5% at an ultra-high AP-to-glucose concentration ratio of 600:1. Simulation results showed that the line width dependence of interference immunity was strongly correlated with the channel electrical field of the PSW biosensor.[[note]]SC
The contingent effect of personal IT innovativeness and IT self-efficacy on innovative use of complex IT
Full text linkAuthor name used in the publication: JJ Po-An Hsieh2013-2014 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishedGreen (AAM
Xhosalising English? Negotiating meaning and identity in economics
No full textThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies on 23 December 2010 available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.2989/16073614.2010.545027.As yet, very few South African studies have explored multilingual learning contexts in order to develop a better understanding of the role that students' diverse primary or hybrid languages play in meaning making in English medium universities.This paper will report on a project which set out to investigate code-switching practices in informal learning groups in the university and to distinguish the forms and functions of these code-switching practices. A particular focus has been to gain insights into the ways in which concepts transfer from one language to another in order to develop thinking on language and learning in multilingual contexts and extend theories of conceptual transfer. The particular focus of this paper is the pedagogic and social functions of this hybrid language and how its use might be tied to questions of identity. We look particularly at the way the tutor in the peer learning group used code-mixing to negotiate different identities in dealing with first a rural and then an urban group of students. We will also illustrate by means of our data ways in which English is being appropriated and Xhosalised, particularly by the urban group of students in order to negotiate meaning, identity and status on this campus and in the wider community
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