Interpretation and Reflection on Goodness in Sakya Legshad and Bacon Essays

In the 21st century of the in-depth globalization, various problems have emerged such as regional conflicts, epidemics, the environmental deterioration, climate warming, earthquake and other uncertainty. Seeking some common and desirable values is not only the basic needs of harmonious society, but also the inevitable result of human civilization evolution. Sakya legshad, the 1st collection of Chinese Tibetan aphorisms, and Bacon’s Essays, the Britain prose collection, are the world-wide treasures of wisdom, many chapters of which talk about the concept and practice of goodness. It is of immeasurable importance to reread these classics for interpretations of goodness so that their excellent traditional culture can continue to nourish and enlighten today’s moral education, promote the construction of the common views on the good and the evil, awaken people a moral consciousness, and enlighten them to hold good will and do good deeds for sustainable social harmony and world peace

Critical Scenario Identification for Testing of Autonomous Driving Systems

Background: Autonomous systems have received considerable attention from academia and are adopted by various industrial domains, such as automotive, avionics, etc. As many of them are considered safety-critical, testing is indispensable to verify their reliability and safety. However, there is no common standard for testing autonomous systems efficiently and effectively. Thus new approaches for testing such systems must be developed.Aim: The objective of this thesis is two-fold. First, we want to present an overview of software testing of autonomous systems, i.e., relevant concepts, challenges, and techniques available in academic research and industry practice. Second, we aim to establish a new approach for testing autonomous driving systems and demonstrate its effectiveness by using real autonomous driving systems from industry.Research Methodology: We conducted the research in three steps using the design science paradigm. First, we explored the existing literature and industry practices to understand the state of the art for testing of autonomous systems. Second, we focused on a particular sub-domain - autonomous driving - and proposed a systematic approach for critical test scenario identification. Lastly, we validated our approach and employed it for testing real autonomous driving systems by collaborating with Volvo Cars.Results: We present the results as four papers in this thesis. First, we conceptualized a definition of autonomous systems and classified challenges and approaches, techniques, and practices for testing autonomous systems in general. Second, we designed a systematic approach for critical test scenario identification. We employed the approach for testing two real autonomous driving systems from the industry and have effectively identified critical test scenarios. Lastly, we established a model for predicting the distribution of vehicle-pedestrian interactions for realistic test scenario generation for autonomous driving systems. Conclusion: Critical scenario identification is a favorable approach to generate test scenarios and facilitate the testing of autonomous driving systems in an efficient way. Future improvement of the approach includes (1) evaluating the effectiveness of the generated critical scenarios for testing; (2) extending the sub-components in this approach; (3) combining different testing approaches, and (4) exploring the application of the approach to test different autonomous systems

A Multidisciplinary Study Of Antecedents To Voluntary Knowledge Contribution Within Online Forums

One challenge faced by online forums is the provision of a sustainable supply of contributions of knowledge (Wasco et al., 2009). Previous studies have identified online trust and perceived critical mass as antecedents of online knowledge contributions. However, the dynamic aspects of antecedents are little investigated. Moreover, how the dynamics together impact on members’ willingness to contribute knowledge is an open question to be further investigated. To examine the dynamic antecedents of online knowledge continuance, this thesis seeks to develop a holistic approach through three studies. Drawing on a decomposed theory of planned behaviour (Taylor and Todd, 1995), study one identifies dynamic antecedents of intentional online contribution behaviours. Covariance-based structural equation modelling analysis of 910 responses obtained shows that perceived critical mass and trust in online forums that mediates trust in members are the highlighted antecedents in the context of online forums. The development of trust in online forums is investigated through a time series approach in study two. Findings using webnographic and machine learning analysis show that the cognitive dimension of institutional trust is essential in initial trust building. Study three uses network analysis techniques to explore the role of critical mass members. Results indicate that only 5% of critical mass members can sustain online forums. However, critical mass members compete for their connections, inferring the importance of brand building in the beginning of online forums development. A summary of findings from the three studies suggests that the structure assurance of online forums can mediate the effects of interactions between members to a coalition of membership over time. The study provides further knowledge on the voluntary contribution within online forums by taking a dynamic approach, while previous studies in this field are predominantly cross-sectional and un-prophetic

The Gaussian normal basis and its trace basis over finite fields

AbstractIt is well known that normal bases are useful for implementations of finite fields in various applications including coding theory, cryptography, signal processing, and so on. In particular, optimal normal bases are desirable. When no optimal normal basis exists, it is useful to have normal bases with low complexity. In this paper, we study the type k(⩾1) Gaussian normal basis N of the finite field extension Fqn/Fq, which is a classical normal basis with low complexity. By studying the multiplication table of N, we obtain the dual basis of N and the trace basis of N via arbitrary medium subfields Fqm/Fq with m|n and 1⩽m⩽n. And then we determine all self-dual Gaussian normal bases. As an application, we obtain the precise multiplication table and the complexity of the type 2 Gaussian normal basis and then determine all optimal type 2 Gaussian normal bases

Macroscopic non-destructive evaluation by modal analysis techniques

This dissertation describes an investigation of modal analysis methods for the detection, location, and characterization of flaws or damage in a structure or machine. The type of damage considered in the research was restricted to narrow, rectangular slots in symmetric trapezoidal plates. Both modal testing and finite element methods were used to investigate changes in natural frequencies of a clamped trapezoidal plate for all combinations of three slot lengths and three slot orientations. For modal testing, an impulse hammer was used to excite plate vibration, and a near field microphone was used to measure the response of the test plates. The first five natural frequencies were estimated from the measured frequency response function. Modal shapes associated with the natural frequencies were determined roughly from the phase of the measured frequency response function. Natural frequencies and associated modal shapes were also estimated numerically using the ADINA finite element package. Changes in natural frequencies for four different slot widths were investigated using finite element analysis. The changes in natural frequencies obtained by the two methods were in good agreement for all cases studied, and the results agree well with previously published work for an undamaged plate;The investigation demonstrates that: (1) Slot presence can be detected from the change in natural frequency of the plate. (2) Slot length and angular orientation have significant effect on natural frequencies of the plate. (3) Slot width has no significant effect on natural frequencies of the plates. (4) Slot presence can change the numerical order of the natural frequencies associated with adjacent modes of the plate. (5) Slot presence has little influence on modal shapes;The results demonstrate that impact vibrational testing using a near field microphone as the response transducer is a viable method for macroscopic non-destructive evaluation