System architecture study of an orbital GPS user terminal

The generic RF and applications processing requirements for a GPS orbital navigator are considered. A line of demarcation between dedicated analog hardware, and software/processor implementation, maximizing the latter is discussed. A modular approach to R/PA design which permits several varieties of receiver to be constructed from basic components is described. It is a basic conclusion that software signal processing of the output of the baseband correlator is the best choice of transition from analog to digital signal processing. High performance sets requiring multiple channels are developed from a generic design by replicating the RF processing segment, and modifying the applications software to provide enhanced state propagation and estimation

Art Education in Finland and the United States: A Qualitative Inquiry into Teacher Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to gain insights into the educational system in Finland, where art seem to be valued, and America, where it seems to struggle. I first studied how policies that promote a business-like ideology and standardized testing in schools have impacted art education in the United States. Then I investigated Finland’s educational system, which does not rely on standardized testing to monitor student learning and teachers. During my research I noticed that Finland uses a noncompetitive approach to education, which I assumed was connected to the art Folk School that originated in Denmark and moved throughout Europe. Based upon this information, I anticipated that art education was valued more in Finland than in the United States. I also anticipated that Finland’s educational success had a connection to its non-competitive system and its inclusion of the arts. In order to explore this idea, I investigated Finland’s approach to art education by interviewing Finnish professionals in the art education field

Consumer product invention: some developmental, economic & consumer aspects

This study of the British Bicycle and Domestic Radio Receiver industries produced a model of invention/product design having the following features: Invention depended mainly on the combined effect of three factors, each with changing significance over a three-stage life cycle. Technology Factor: Induced a cumulative sequence of inventions to improve product performance, of various origins (ideas, problems, techno-transfers or science). This factor most important in the first Incubation stage, of equal importance in second Early Growth stage and of incremental importance in final Mature stage. Economic Factor: Induced invention to suit market, mainly for cheaper, lower performance products but also for superlative models. This factor inoperative at Incubation stage, very important at Early Growth stage and important at Mature stage. Consumer Factor: Induced invention to make products more appealing to consumer; for simpler/automatic operation, greater reliability, accessories and new uses. This factor inoperative at Incubation stage, important at Early Growth stage and supremely important at Mature stage. Product life-cycle pattern a sequence of new models subsequently improved until an basic satisfactory design achieved, later incrementally improved. Empirical invention often systematic and as important as scientific invention; science often used to define design problem. Peak invention in Early Growth stage to explore all technical possibilities, design trade-offs and for market share. Invention and Demand: No direct and proportional relationship. Initial demand due to novelty appeal of function, subsequent rapid increased demand due to better technical product performance, lower product prices and increased income-related purchasing power. After market saturation demand declined despite better, sometimes radical, designs; as consumers sought other new products

A review of gait optimization based on evolutionary computation

Gait generation is very important as it directly affects the quality of locomotion of legged robots. As this is an optimization problem with constraints, it readily lends itself to Evolutionary Computation methods and solutions. This paper reviews the techniques used in evolution-based gait optimization, including why Evolutionary Computation techniques should be used, how fitness functions should be composed, and the selection of genetic operators and control parameters. This paper also addresses further possible improvements in the efficiency and quality of evolutionary gait optimization, some problems that have not yet been resolved and the perspectives for related future research

ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH CARE OUTCOMES IN VA EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS: A CONFIGURATIONAL APPROACH

Objective: To investigate the relationship between emergency department (ED) design and performance under different conditions of clinical uncertainty - respiratory disease (high uncertainty) and minor injuries (low uncertainty) - within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system. Methods: ED design features were identified using an information processing approach based on structural contingency theory. The first aim considered net effects of individual design features on performance (admission and 72-hour return rates) using multivariate linear regression. The second aim considered causal complexity and measured the effect of design combinations on high performance using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Organizational characteristics were obtained from 2007 Survey of Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Clinics in VHA data from 95 VA EDs, which were linked to secondary VA clinical data for a sub-set of patients with a VA ED encounter between 10/1/2007 and 6/30/2008. Results: Net effects of individual design features (regression results) showed weak empirical support for hypotheses. High use of information technology was associated with slightly lower 72-hour return rates while high guideline use was associated with slightly higher admission rates under different conditions of uncertainty. EDs with both an observation unit and high guideline use had better performance on admission rates under high uncertainty conditions than EDs using only one of the design features. Qualitative comparative analysis results indicate that observation units are a sufficient measure for high performance in the high uncertainty group. No other single design feature was consistently associated with high performance. Several design combinations were consistently associated with high performance at different levels of uncertainty. Conclusions: Empirical support for the theoretical approach was mixed. While the effect of individual ED design features on high performance is influenced by the level of task uncertainty, in practice these features do not occur in isolation and performance is influenced by combinations of design features. A variety of design combinations can lead to the same level of performance which has important implications for work performance, resource allocation, quality improvement and implementation of services. Understanding how different levels of uncertainty influence care delivery can aide in designing more efficient operations across a range of patients.Doctor of Philosoph

Accounting for performance: Case studies of relative performance evaluation in Egypt and England.

Relative Performance Evaluation "RPE" is a performance evaluation and reward scheme which have been receiving a growing attention from academic and professionals (Holmstrom 1982, Frederickson 1992, Conyon and Gregg 1994, and Defond & Park 1999). Under RPE rewards for managers and executives are set upon their performance compared to that of their peers. Holmstrom (1982) introduced the basic model of RPE founded on agent-principal assumptions. In that model, the peers' performance was seen to provide information about the agent's unobservable effort. Fredrickson (1992) suggested that RPE could satisfy economic and psychological needs of employee. In this study, an attempt is made to depart from the universal agency perspective and to adopt a contingent framework. The research arguments were developed from an identification of the discrepancies and gaps in the literature of RPE, overlooked complications and issues in the UK practice, relating the debate about RPE to the wider accounting literature of performance measurements and evaluation (Emmanuel et.al. 1990, Kaplan & Atkinson 1998). The aim of this research was to explore the content and context of RPE therefore, the arguments focused on: whether RPE is motivating, the impacts of difficulty of peer group, non financial measures, market measures and varying the form of the rewards on RPE. Case study approach was adopted to examine the research arguments. Data were collected from three companies in Egypt and one company in England. Access was partially accidental but turned to provide four different cases. Three cases were developed in Egypt including: Trade (a public company), Dairy (private company) and Steel (joint venture) and the English company was United Utilities (private company). Data were collected by questionnaire, interviews and other documentary sources of the companies. The research findings suggest associations between RPE and target's difficulty, using non financial but not varying rewards. Competition and type of ownership and the organisational culture were influential on RPE