High definition systems in Japan

The successful implementation of a strategy to produce high-definition systems within the Japanese economy will favorably affect the fundamental competitiveness of Japan relative to the rest of the world. The development of an infrastructure necessary to support high-definition products and systems in that country involves major commitments of engineering resources, plants and equipment, educational programs and funding. The results of these efforts appear to affect virtually every aspect of the Japanese industrial complex. The results of assessments of the current progress of Japan toward the development of high-definition products and systems are presented. The assessments are based on the findings of a panel of U.S. experts made up of individuals from U.S. academia and industry, and derived from a study of the Japanese literature combined with visits to the primary relevant industrial laboratories and development agencies in Japan. Specific coverage includes an evaluation of progress in R&D for high-definition television (HDTV) displays that are evolving in Japan; high-definition standards and equipment development; Japanese intentions for the use of HDTV; economic evaluation of Japan's public policy initiatives in support of high-definition systems; management analysis of Japan's strategy of leverage with respect to high-definition products and systems

Human Factors and Neurophysiological Metrics in Air Traffic Control: a Critical Review

International audienceThis article provides the reader a focused and organised review of the research progresses on neurophysiological indicators, also called “neurometrics”, to show how neurometrics could effectively address some of the most important Human Factors (HFs) needs in the Air Traffic Management (ATM) field. The state of the art on the most involved HFs and related cognitive processes (e.g. mental workload, cognitive training) is presented together with examples of possible applications in the current and future ATM scenarios, in order to better understand and highlight the available opportunities of such neuroscientific applications. Furthermore, the paper will discuss the potential enhancement that further research and development activities could bring to the efficiency and safety of the ATM service

Choice And Consequence In Avian Vocal Learning: Song Development And Territorial Behaviour In Savannah Sparrows

In this thesis I study the effect of acoustic similarity on song selection and territorial aggression in Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). In my first data chapter I studied the phenomenon of overproduction and selective attrition in Savannah Sparrow song development. Four years of field data reveal that Savannah Sparrows routinely exhibit overproduction of their song repertoires; more than half of young males express more than one song type early on in their first breeding season, before undergoing attrition to a single song. I found that the attrition of song types is a selective process, with males retaining songs that were more similar to their territorial neighbours. In my second data chapter I examined whether birds whose songs were similar to their neighbours benefited from lower levels of territorial aggression. Males that sang songs that were dissimilar to their neighbours faced higher levels of territorial aggression as indicated by higher numbers of aggressive calls detected in their territories. I conclude that birds which learn songs dissimilar to their neighbours face elevated levels of territorial aggression at the onset of the breeding season. My results provide support for the theory that vocal learning in songbirds can allow males to produce a song type that matches local cultural traditions, providing a benefit in term

Simulation and analysis of a digital scanning system

The analysis and simulation of the motion of a digitally-controlled digital imaging system is presented. The dynamic system consists of a scanning carriage, power transmission elements, a prime mover, and a control subsystem. The prime mover is a permanent magnet DC motor that is positioned by a direct digital control system. The scan carriage motion is mathematically modeled and simulated using ACSL and DADS simulation software. T he simulation results are compared to empirical data. It is shown that the dynamic response of the actual scan system can be predicted quite well using such simulations. Furthermore, these simulations can aid in the design of vibration-sensitive image formation devices

CHORUS Deliverable 2.1: State of the Art on Multimedia Search Engines

Based on the information provided by European projects and national initiatives related to multimedia search as well as domains experts that participated in the CHORUS Think-thanks and workshops, this document reports on the state of the art related to multimedia content search from, a technical, and socio-economic perspective. The technical perspective includes an up to date view on content based indexing and retrieval technologies, multimedia search in the context of mobile devices and peer-to-peer networks, and an overview of current evaluation and benchmark inititiatives to measure the performance of multimedia search engines. From a socio-economic perspective we inventorize the impact and legal consequences of these technical advances and point out future directions of research

Self-checkout kiosk system with RFlllbased payment module

The Self-checkout kiosk system with RFID-based payment module (SCHECK) is to provide a convenient checkout alternative for customers in hypermarts to checkout their items. The system shall reduce the overall time taken for the whole checkout process and is specially addressed for the time-crunched individuals. The system will embodies the oonventional cheokout pnocess in hypermarts while enhancing the convenience for customers and speed the overall process. The author, inspired by the capabilities and potential in RFID technology has decided to embed the technology into his project. SCIIECK will use the RFID technology in its payment module in order to provide a speedy checkout elperience for customers in hypermarts. In fact, through SCIIECK, the author aspires to orpose the Malaysian community to the RFID based payment card technology; e.g. Touch n Go card and leverage the utilization of the technology in the couutry through the retail industry, Lastly, this project will also act as a platform to study the implementation of RFID based payment card technology in lvlalaysia and its acceptance rate among the Malaysian community

Small businesses online : an in-depth analysis

Includes bibliographical references.This analysis identifies the factors to consider when contemplating the decision to put a small business online. This includes identifying the steps involved in the process, including building the website, designing the website, and maintaining the website. Other factors, such as cost, competition, advertising, and the Internet economy are also considered. Combed throughout the analysis are results of an investigation of small businesses and their online ventures. Results indicate that, with the advances in technology and available Internet services, small businesses readily have all the necessary tools to create an online presence. Many businesses have profited from these tools. However, consumer buying patterns or lack of need still discourage many small businesses from competing in the online market. With research and field studies, this analysis explores the extensive elements involved with small businesses and the Internet marketplace.B.S. (Bachelor of Science

Unconstrained design: improving multitasking with in-vehicle information systems through enhanced situation awareness

In the age of information, in-vehicle multitasking is inevitable. The popularity of the automobile in combination with the demands of everyday life presents a demand to do more than simply focus on the road. Situation Awareness (SA) is a theory that allows designers to understand how operators interact in dynamic, complex environments. Unconstrained Design is proposed as a way of enhancing multitasking performance in-vehicle. This paper presents an experimental investigation into human-machine interface concepts that aim to support drivers to multitask in-vehicle when frequent task switching is required. Two SA-based approaches were investigated, one which focussed on supporting preparation for a Non-Driving Related Activity (NDRA), and one which focussed on supporting the Driving Related Activity (DRA) when an NDRA is active. While multitasking, Contextual Cueing, using a Head-up Display, produced significant reductions in NDRA response time while an auditory lane keeping aid increased the amount of time a driver spent in the central region of a lane. This provides evidence to suggest that using SA and Unconstrained Design as a philosophy for the design of IVIS that supports drivers’ ability to multitask in-vehicle, could lead to task performance improvements.Jaguar Land Rove

The Structure of Search Engine Law

This Article provides a road map to issues of search engine law. It indicates what questions we must consider when thinking about search engines, and it indicates the interconnections among those questions. It does not endorse any particular normative framework for search. Nor does it recommend who should regulate search. Instead, it provides the necessary foundation for informed decision-making, by whatever regulator and whatever its normative approach. Part I will explain how modern search engines function and describe the business environment within which they operate. Search engine operations can be understood in terms of the information flows among four principal actors: search engines themselves, their users, information providers, and third parties (such as copyright holders and censorious governments) with interests in particular content flows. There are, in turn, four significant information flows: the indexing by which a search engine leans what content providers are making available, user queries to the search engine for information about particular topics, the results returned by the search engine to users, and finally, the context that providers send to users who have found them through searching. Because so many major search engines are funded through advertising, this Part will also includes a survey of how search engine advertising works and the distinctive fraud problems confronting search engines and their advertisers. Part II, the heart of the Article, will present a descriptive analysis of the legal struggles over search, showing how questions of search policy, many of which have long been latent in different fields of Internet law, are increasingly confronting lawyers, courts, and regulators. It will describe those struggles in terms of the legitimate interests that each of these actors brings to debates over search. Users want high-quality results without too great a sacrifice of privacy. Content providers want favorable placement in search results without paying more than their fair share of the costs of supporting search and without facing unfair competition from search engines. Third parties want to prevent unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content, to preserve their own privacy, to protect their reputation, and to preserve user virtue. And finally, search engines want to preserve their ability to innovate, to protect themselves from fraud, and to ensure that the search market remains open to competition. Each entry in this list of a dozen interests has its own associated legal theories; this systematic taxonomy allows us to recognize how any given legal theory affects the search ecology. Part III will then show, with five examples, how taking a broad view of search yields otherwise unavailable insights into pressing controversies. This is not to say that the end result must be a body of search-specific law, only to note that failing to consider the larger forces at work in search is antithetical to sensible policy-making. First, the broad, systematic view illustrates how various claims in search engine disputes can serve as functional substitutes for each other. Second, it shows that the degree of transparency of the search process is a highly contested variable, which some concerns pressing for greater transparency and some pressing for less. Third, it illustrates that user privacy is a deeply knotty problem, and that preserving reasonable user expectations will involve difficult trade-offs with other interests—including some of users’ own. Fourth, it shows that we require a theory of search engine speech; the most well-developed theory of search engine results as speech so far articulated by a court is insufficiently complex. And fifth, it illustrates the richness of debates over search engines’ relationship to providers’ trademarks