IFF Tactical Electronic Simulation And Test System: Technical Issue Research Status Report

Report documents the work performed by three technical teams (Electro Magnetic & Radar team, Signal Generation team, and Communications Systems Modeling team) for the Tactical Electronics Simulation Test System (TESTS)

A gradient-based optimum block adaptation ICA technique for interference suppression in highly dynamic communication channels

The fast fixed-point independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm has been widely used in various applications because of its fast convergence and superior performance. However, in a highly dynamic environment, real-time adaptation is necessary to track the variations of the mixing matrix. In this scenario, the gradient-based online learning algorithm performs better, but its convergence is slow, and depends on a proper choice of convergence factor. This paper develops a gradient-based optimum block adaptive ICA algorithm (OBA/ICA) that combines the advantages of the two algorithms. Simulation results for telecommunication applications indicate that the resulting performance is superior under time-varying conditions, which is particularly useful in mobile communications. Copyright (C) 2006 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved

A toilet in every compound: improving access to compound toilets in Kumasi and Ga West, Ghana

Levels of compound sanitation and access to private toilets are low in Ghana, with low-income communities especially reliant on public toilets. To address this challenge, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is supporting Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and Ga West Municipal Assembly with long-term strategies focused on legislation, enforcement, access to finance and developing the private market for compound toilets. It is hoped that by A) improving legislative capacity and B) promoting private sector involvement in the low-income consumer market, demand and supply for compound toilets will grow together, with the support of metropolitan and municipal assemblies. Following a period of monitoring, learning and adaptation, this approach could form a model to be expanded across Ghana

Improving the quality of public toilet services in Kumasi, Ghana

While household access to private toilets is the long-term goal in Kumasi, Ghana, it is still far from reality. As a result, large proportions of the city’s population – particularly those living in low-income communities – will remain reliant on public toilets for many years to come. Standards in these facilities are often very low, and inadequate for the needs of some vulnerable groups. To improve standards, WSUP is supporting the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) through diverse but complementary activities including A) training of the owners and operators of public toilet blocks, B) training of Environmental Health Officers to better monitor standards in public toilet blocks, and C) working with the private sector to construct and run new facilities to meet medium-term demand. This paper outlines that there is much to be positive about regarding sanitation in Kumasi, with the potential for this model of public toilet service improvement to be expanded across urban centres in Ghana

Perancangan Buku Esai Foto Pengrajin Enceng Gondok Di Desa Wisata Rawa Pening Kabupaten Semarang

Rawa Pening merupakan daerah wisata yang mempunyai potensi berkembang yang sangat luar biasa. Karena Rawa Pening memiliki dua potensi luar biasa yaitu keindahan alamnya dan juga potensi manusianya. Namun sayang kurangya publikasi serta pemeliharaan pemerintah membuat tempat tersebut kurang di kenal masyarakat. Oleh karena itu, perancangan buku ini dibuat agar memberi wawasan mengenai tempat wisata Rawa Pening

Functional neuroanatomy of intuitive physical inference

To engage with the world - to understand the scene in front of us, plan actions, and predict what will happen next - we must have an intuitive grasp of the world's physical structure and dynamics. How do the objects in front of us rest on and support each other, how much force would be required to move them, and how will they behave when they fall, roll, or collide? Despite the centrality of physical inferences in daily life, little is known about the brain mechanisms recruited to interpret the physical structure of a scene and predict how physical events will unfold. Here, in a series of fMRI experiments, we identified a set of cortical regions that are selectively engaged when people watch and predict the unfolding of physical events - a "physics engine" in the brain. These brain regions are selective to physical inferences relative to nonphysical but otherwise highly similar scenes and tasks. However, these regions are not exclusively engaged in physical inferences per se or, indeed, even in scene understanding; they overlap with the domain-general "multiple demand" system, especially the parts of that system involved in action planning and tool use, pointing to a close relationship between the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in parsing the physical content of a scene and preparing an appropriate action.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.) (Grant F32-HD075427)National Eye Institute (Grant EY13455)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CCF-1231216

Archimedean-like colloidal tilings on substrates with decagonal and tetradecagonal symmetry

Two-dimensional colloidal suspensions subject to laser interference patterns with decagonal symmetry can form an Archimedean-like tiling phase where rows of squares and triangles order aperiodically along one direction [J. Mikhael et al., Nature 454, 501 (2008)]. In experiments as well as in Monte-Carlo and Brownian dynamics simulations, we identify a similar phase when the laser field possesses tetradecagonal symmetry. We characterize the structure of both Archimedean-like tilings in detail and point out how the tilings differ from each other. Furthermore, we also estimate specific particle densities where the Archimedean-like tiling phases occur. Finally, using Brownian dynamics simulations we demonstrate how phasonic distortions of the decagonal laser field influence the Archimedean-like tiling. In particular, the domain size of the tiling can be enlarged by phasonic drifts and constant gradients in the phasonic displacement. We demonstrate that the latter occurs when the interfering laser beams are not adjusted properly

A Comparative Study on the Effects of Size and Sources or Traceability on the Price of Identified Fish Species Sold at Muñoz Market, Quezon City

The diversity of fish in markets is constantly dynamic under several factors. The study aims to find the correlation of these factors and their effects with the selection of fishes found in Muñoz Market. This study adopted the research design of the two previous studies to ensure consistency in assessing the gathered data. The researchers utilized premade questionnaires that were given to the vendors working inside Muñoz Market. In analyzing the data, the researchers applied Pearson’s correlation coefficient to assess the factors’ correlation between them. The results showed an increase in the number of identified species and the price and size range of the fish placed in the market. This implies that the domain of the market is constantly increasing. The market is more diverse than in the past, where new species are introduced to the market and made accessible to the general public at Muñoz Market