A Framework for Spatio-Temporal Data Analysis and Hypothesis Exploration

We present a general framework for pattern discovery and hypothesis exploration in spatio-temporal data sets that is based on delay-embedding. This is a remarkable method of nonlinear time-series analysis that allows the full phase-space behaviour of a system to be reconstructed from only a single observable (accessible variable). Recent extensions to the theory that focus on a probabilistic interpretation extend its scope and allow practical application to noisy, uncertain and high-dimensional systems. The framework uses these extensions to aid alignment of spatio-temporal sub-models (hypotheses) to empirical data - for example satellite images plus remote-sensing - and to explore modifications consistent with this alignment. The novel aspect of the work is a mechanism for linking global and local dynamics using a holistic spatio-temporal feedback loop. An example framework is devised for an urban based application, transit centric developments, and its utility is demonstrated with real data

The intertextual Anglosphere, whiteness in the nineteenth-century Boy's Own story

The nineteenth-century boy's own adventure story is a vehicle for the maintenance, and promotion, of ethnic identity. The establishment of ethnic self-consciousness is dependent upon a marked sense of difference; an alienation from, or perhaps opposition to, the Other. A shared myth of descent is in many ways a sine qua non of ethnicity. However, I am here concerned not so much with actual descent, but more with a sense of imputed common ancestry; a tribal belonging.It is helpful to look upon the literary works of this period as the products of the Anglosphere, for a shared ethnicity is the mortar that binds. Intertextuality can be presented as a textual adaptation, appropriation, or influence. The use of intertextuality in the Anglospheric children's novel is different from that to be found in contemporary works, for Anglospheric writers could make assumptions about a prospective readership in respect of Biblical knowledge and Classical allusions that their latter-day counterparts patently cannot. This thesis is not presented as a comprehensive investigation of the entire field of intertextuality in the Anglospheric boy's own adventure story, for such an undertaking would be monumental in scope and ambition. Instead, an examination of a subset of that field is carried out, which primarily entails comparative studies of four novels. It should be emphasised that these novels have not been chosen at random, but for sound rational and empirical reasons, all of which are explored in the following chapters. There is also an exploration of allusion, appropriation, and intertextuality in a historical context. Throughout this thesis the problem of identifying the legitimate parameters of intertextuality is discussed. How intertextuality is employed in Anglospheric children's literature can perhaps be studied most fruitfully in the borderlands that lie between the related concepts associated with ethnic identity.The very concept of the literary Anglosphere rests upon an inherited disposition of related peoples, for it would appear to reflect a spiritual morphology that is perhaps transmitted as much through atavism as through experience. There is without doubt a symbolic whiteness in the nineteenth-century boy's own adventure story, for the stories told invoke, implicitly and explicitly, the lineage, language, and customs, of their readers, which is to say their collective identity. The concept of intertextuality is central to any understanding of the whiteness that is emblematic of the nineteenth-century boy's own adventure story.The nineteenth-century boy's own adventure story is a vehicle for the maintenance, and promotion, of ethnic identity. The establishment of ethnic self-consciousness is dependent upon a marked sense of difference; an alienation from, or perhaps opposition to, the Other. A shared myth of descent is in many ways a sine qua non of ethnicity. However, I am here concerned not so much with actual descent, but more with a sense of imputed common ancestry; a tribal belonging.It is helpful to look upon the literary works of this period as the products of the Anglosphere, for a shared ethnicity is the mortar that binds. Intertextuality can be presented as a textual adaptation, appropriation, or influence. The use of intertextuality in the Anglospheric children's novel is different from that to be found in contemporary works, for Anglospheric writers could make assumptions about a prospective readership in respect of Biblical knowledge and Classical allusions that their latter-day counterparts patently cannot. This thesis is not presented as a comprehensive investigation of the entire field of intertextuality in the Anglospheric boy's own adventure story, for such an undertaking would be monumental in scope and ambition. Instead, an examination of a subset of that field is carried out, which primarily entails comparative studies of four novels. It should be emphasised that these novels have not been chosen at random, but for sound rational and empirical reasons, all of which are explored in the following chapters. There is also an exploration of allusion, appropriation, and intertextuality in a historical context. Throughout this thesis the problem of identifying the legitimate parameters of intertextuality is discussed. How intertextuality is employed in Anglospheric children's literature can perhaps be studied most fruitfully in the borderlands that lie between the related concepts associated with ethnic identity.The very concept of the literary Anglosphere rests upon an inherited disposition of related peoples, for it would appear to reflect a spiritual morphology that is perhaps transmitted as much through atavism as through experience. There is without doubt a symbolic whiteness in the nineteenth-century boy's own adventure story, for the stories told invoke, implicitly and explicitly, the lineage, language, and customs, of their readers, which is to say their collective identity. The concept of intertextuality is central to any understanding of the whiteness that is emblematic of the nineteenth-century boy's own adventure story

Equity Volatility and Corporate Bond Yields

This paper explores the effect of equity volatility on corporate bond yields. Panel data for the late 1990's show that idiosyncratic firm-level volatility can explain as much cross-sectional variation in yields as can credit ratings. This finding, together with the upward trend in idiosyncratic equity volatility documented by Campbell, Lettau, Malkiel, and Xu (2001), helps to explain recent increases in corporate bond yields.

Equity Volatility and Corporate Bond Yields

This paper explores the effect of equity volatility on corporate bond yields. Panel data for the late 1990's show that idiosyncratic firm-level volatility can explain as much cross-sectional variation in yields as can credit ratings. This finding, together with the upward trend in idiosyncratic equity volatility documented by Campbell, Lettau, Malkiel, and Xu (2001), helps to explain recent increases in corporate bond yields.

The Application of Non-Axisymmetric Endwall Contouring in a 1½ Stage, Rotating Turbine

Today gas turbines are a crucial part of the global power generation and aviation industries. Small improvements to the efficiencies of individual components within the gas flow path can, over time, lead to dramatic cost savings for the operator and at the same time improve on the amount of carbon dioxide gas emissions to the environment. One such technology is the reduction of secondary flow losses in individual blade rows within the compressor or turbine section of the gas turbine through the use of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring. By introducing subtle geometrical features onto the endwall it has been shown to be possible to improve the efficiency of individual blade rows by between 1 and 2%. Few studies of these non-axisymmetric endwalls have been performed outside of the two dimensional cascade and computational domain, in addition these endwalls have been designed and tested to improve the performance of blade rows at a single design point with the off design performance having been ignored. The work presented here is aimed at investigating the use of such endwalls in a rotating blade row both at design and off-design conditions and in the presence of an upstream blade row. To this end a 1½ stage, low speed, turbine test rig has been refurbished and a new set of blades was designed to accommodate the profile of the Durham cascade at the hub. The Durham cascade is a de facto industry test case for non-axisymmetric endwall applications and therefore a generic, cascade proven, endwall design is available from the literature. The design of this new blade set is unique in that it is openly available. The results include steady-state 5-hole pressure probe measurements between blade rows and computational fluid dynamics solutions to provide detailed analysis of the flow quality found within the turbine. These results are reproduced for a turbine with annular or reference endwalls and one with the generic P2 endwall design obtained from the Durham cascade. Experimentally a 1.5% improvement in mixed out stage efficiency at the design condition has been found with a positive trend with increasing load. Additionally the rotor exit flows are show to be generally more uniform in the presence of profiled endwalls. The rotor torque is however reduced by as much as 3.5% and the improved flow uniformity does not always translate into a improved performance in the downstream row. Insight into the overall performance and fluid mechanics of the generic non-axisymmetric endwall at a variety of load conditions has been gained and an analysis of the parameters commonly used in optimising these endwalls is discussed with Cske being clearly shown to be the superior parameter in this case. CFD evidence suggests that while the cross passage pressure gradient is reduced by endwall profiling the extent of the effect of the change in hub endwalls reaches as far as the tip. The mechanism by which the overall loss is reduced appears to be a through a change in the relative strengths of the suction and pressure side horseshoe vortices and through the delayed migration of the passage cross flow, this change the relationship of these two vortex structures; dispersing the vortex structures as they leave the row and reducing the potential for mixing losses downstream

Railroad Quiet Zones

Speaker(s): Mary Cripe, P.E., City of Goshen Engineering Department Glen Campbell, P.E., Patrick Engineering Track: Multi-Modal Transportation Submission ID #: 119 Presentation Duration: 50 Minutes Presentation Title: Railroad Quiet Zones Abstract: In 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) provided communities with the opportunity to reduce locomotive horn noise without compromising public safety. The proposed Marion Branch Quiet Zone, located in Goshen, Indiana, will not only improve public safety, it will also enhance the quality of life and raise home values for adjacent residents. This intricate process involves creative problem-solving and knowledge of the multiple parties involved. It will take a coordinated effort by the FRA, Norfolk Southern, and City for the quiet zone to be approved. Lessons that other communities can learn from this effort are 1) for a quiet zone to be considered feasible, political will supporting the project must exist and 2) involve FRA and the affected railroads as early in the process as possible

Transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus

A transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus for moving machinery includes a microwave transmitter disposed outside the moving machinery to fill a chamber of the moving machinery with microwave energy. The transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus also includes a transponder disposed inside the moving machinery for measuring a sensed condition of a part of the moving machinery and providing a modulated microwave signal that contains information on the sensed condition. The transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus further includes a receiver disposed outside the moving machinery to separate modulated and continuous-wave signal components of the signal and extracts information from the modulated component.https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/1043/thumbnail.jp

The Association of Changes in Local Health Department Resources With Changes in State-Level Health Outcomes

We explored the association between changes in local health department (LHD) resource levels with changes in health outcomes via a retrospective cohort study. We measured changes in expenditures and staffing reported by LHDs on the 1997 and 2005 National Association of County and City Health Officials surveys and assessed changes in state-level health outcomes with the America’s Health Rankings reports for those years. We used pairwise correlation and multivariate regression to analyze the association of changes in LHD resources with changes in health outcomes. Increases in LHD expenditures were significantly associated with decreases in infectious disease morbidity at the state level (P=.037), and increases in staffing were significantly associated with decreases in cardiovascular disease mortality (P=.014), controlling for other factors

Renal Cell Carcinoma in a Horseshoe Kidney and Preoperative Superselective Renal Artery Embolization: A Case Report

Only rarely is renal cell carcinoma encountered in a horseshoe kidney. This is a case report on renal cell carcinoma in a horseshoe kidney, in which superselective renal artery embolization was performed preoperatively. CT and digital subtraction angiography revealed a horseshoe kidney with a 3-cm tumor in the left side. Superselective renal artery embolization of the tumor was performed as a prerequisite procedure for the organ-preserving surgery of simple enucleation. Preoperative superselective renal artery embolization can be an effective tool to facilitate organ-preserving surgery in a horseshoe kidney

Microwave telemetry for sensing conditions in enclosed rotating and/or reciprocating machinery

An apparatus for measuring the pressure within the torque converter of an automatic transmission. The apparatus includes a sensor to sense the interior pressure of the torque converter and generate an electrical signal representative of that pressure. That signal is converted to microwave energy which is radiated into the interior of the torque converter housing from a microwave transmitter located within the torque converter. Receiving microwave antennae exposed to the housing interior receive the microwaves and transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the microwave energy to a remote readout external of the torque converter. The receiving antenna are preferably in the form of resonant slots in the torque converter housing and the slots have a length related to the wavelength of the generated microwaves.https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/1069/thumbnail.jp