Study of on-board compression of earth resources data

The current literature on image bandwidth compression was surveyed and those methods relevant to compression of multispectral imagery were selected. Typical satellite multispectral data was then analyzed statistically and the results used to select a smaller set of candidate bandwidth compression techniques particularly relevant to earth resources data. These were compared using both theoretical analysis and simulation, under various criteria of optimality such as mean square error (MSE), signal-to-noise ratio, classification accuracy, and computational complexity. By concatenating some of the most promising techniques, three multispectral data compression systems were synthesized which appear well suited to current and future NASA earth resources applications. The performance of these three recommended systems was then examined in detail by all of the above criteria. Finally, merits and deficiencies were summarized and a number of recommendations for future NASA activities in data compression proposed

Islam and Democracy. Prospects and Possibilities. A Critical Analysis of the Theory of the Religious Democracy of Dr Abdulkarim Soroush

This research is about Islam and democracy and the political theory of ‘democratic religious government’ of Dr Abdulkarim Soroush, an Iranian scholar and one of the leading figures in the debate on Islam and democracy in the Islamic world. The research endeavours to answer several questions: How far has the debate on Islam and democracy developed? Was the Islamic revolution in Iran an Islamic revolution and has it been a step forward for democracy there and an example of the compatibility of Islam and democracy? What are the specificities of Soroush’s political theory and how far are they sustainable? Is he successful in offering, at least in theory, a political model that can accommodate Islam and democracy? The research puts Soroush’s political theory into context and begins by exploring the background of the debate on Islam and democracy and the debate concerning Shia political thought and the legacy of the Iranian revolution. My research finding in the first chapter is that the political challenges posed by democracy as a political system based on the rule of people, regardless of their faith or gender, have been the most serious challenges Islam and Muslims have faced, especially in the past few decades. It also demonstrates how immature the debate is. The second chapter reveals how the Iranian revolution puts Shia Islam on a new track so that it can neither go back to its isolationist position nor resist the trend of secularisation and democratisation. A religion that, I will argue, was an impediment for democracy and open society, has become a force for reconciliation of the faithful’s spiritual needs and their human rights. In the third chapter I explore Soroush’s religious beliefs and development in his religious thoughts. I will try to establish in this chapter how he has found Islam to be exposed to scholarly debate and an easy target for modern Muslim scholars and intellectuals equipped with modern methodology to rehearse it, adjust it and rationalise it in order for it to become compatible with modern forms of life and human rights. I also demonstrate in this chapter that whatever the contents of Soroush’s political theory, he is a faithful Muslim and his religious beliefs do not support a democratic political system. Soroush’s political theory is the topic of the fourth chapter. In this chapter I have discovered how Soroush removes religious hurdles through his religious theory in order to present his political theory. It appears that Soroush believes what we have in the name of religion is nothing more than our knowledge and interpretations of religion. Since these are human understandings, they are like other human knowledge and, therefore, they are historical products that are timely and open to critical analysis and adjustable to humans’ socially evolving demands. I also explain in the fourth chapter why Soroush feels the existence of religion in public life is under threat and therefore endeavours to reconcile religion with the realities of the modern era to secure a space for religion. In doing this, Soroush loses theoretical consistency because he makes every effort, though unsuccessfully, to become the champion of all across the political spectrum, whether religious or liberal. Soroush’s contribution to the debate on Islam and democracy is significant, but he fails, as it will be argued, to offer a viable political theory on the compatibility of Islam and democracy. The research concludes with an assessment of the prospects and possibilities of the ideas of compatibility of Islam and democracy and highlights the contradictions and challenges of the idea. The conclusion sets the steps and prerequisites for a serious debate on Islam and democracy and illuminates the tenability of the debate by raising serious doubts about the authenticity of the debate on Islam and democracy

Design of a digital compression technique for shuttle television

The determination of the performance and hardware complexity of data compression algorithms applicable to color television signals, were studied to assess the feasibility of digital compression techniques for shuttle communications applications. For return link communications, it is shown that a nonadaptive two dimensional DPCM technique compresses the bandwidth of field-sequential color TV to about 13 MBPS and requires less than 60 watts of secondary power. For forward link communications, a facsimile coding technique is recommended which provides high resolution slow scan television on a 144 KBPS channel. The onboard decoder requires about 19 watts of secondary power

Assessment of physical risk factors among artisans using occupational repetitive actions and Nordic questionnaire

Aims: The aims of present study is to determine the level of exposure to physical risk factors of work related repetitive movements in the upper limbs among the artisans in Isfahan, using occupational repetitive actions index and the Nordic Questionnaire. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the study population consisted of 94 males employed in Artisan production. The tools that be used for assessing physical ergonomic risk factors among artisans was Nordic Questionnaire and OCRA index. The different handicraft tasks and work activities included: Simple etching, embossing, reticular embossing, enameling, tiling, illumination, inlay, copper smithing and, miniature painting have been chosen for the study. The Study was carried out on the both left and right hands. The results were analyzed by statistical tests included Chi square, Kruskal Wallis and one-way variance analysis. Results: The highest OCRA index score was related to simple etching job, and the other tasks such as embossing, copper smithing, reticular embossing, tiling, miniature painting, and illumination were in lower risk category. Our finding showed that there are a significant difference between OCRA scores of the various jobs (P value < 0.001), and also the relationship between OCRA index and the type of jobs was statistically significant (P value < 0.001). Risk level in the right hand was significantly higher than the left hand (P value < 0.001). Moreover, in both right and left hands, OCRA index was different among several types of jobs (P value < 0.001). Conclusion: Our assessment showed that in overall there are different physical risk factors among artisans which make them susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders

Good Governance Diera Otonomi Daerah

Terjadinya krisis ekonomi di Indonesia antara lain disebabkan oleh tatacara penyelenggaraan pemerintahan yang tidak dikelola dan diatur dengan baik. Akibatnya timbul berbagai masalah seperti korupsi, kolusi dan nepotisme (KKN) yang sulit diberantas, masalah penegakan hukum yang sulit berjalan, monopoli dalam kegiatan ekonomi, serta kualitas pelayanan kepada masyarakat yang memburuk. Perubahan sistem penyelenggaraan pemerintahan menjadi desentralisasi menuntut redefinisi peranpelaku-pelaku penyelenggaraan pemerintahan. Pemerintah, yang sebelumnya memegang kuat kendali pemerintahan, cepat atau lambat harus mengalami pergeseran perandari posisi yang sebamengatur dan mendikte keposisi sebagai fasilitator. Pemerintah berkewajiban melakukan investasi untuk mempromosikan tujuan ekonomi jangka panjang seperti pendidikan kesehatan dan infrastuktur. Tetapi untuk mengimbangi negara, suatu masyarakat warga yang kompeten dibutuhkan melalui diterapkannya sistem demokrasi, ruleo flaw, hak asasi manusia, dan dihargainya pluralisme. Goodgovernance sangat terkait dengan dua hal yaitu (1) goodgovernance tidak dapatd ibatasi hanya pada tujuan ekonomidan (2) tujuan ekonomi pun tidak dapat dicapai tanpa prasyarat politik tertentu