Rating Forecasts for Television Programs

This paper investigates the effect of aggregation and non-linearity in relation to television rating forecasts. Several linear models for aggregated and disaggregated television viewing have appeared in the literature. The current analysis extends this work using an empirical approach. We compare the accuracy of population rating models, segment rating models and individual viewing behaviour models. Linear and non-linear models are fitted using regression, decision trees and neural networks, with a two-stage procedure being used to model network choice and viewing time for the individual viewing behaviour model. The most accurate forecast results are obtained from the non-linear segment rating models.Decision Trees, Disaggregation, Discrete Choice Models, Neural Networks, Rating Benchmarks

Quad-Mode Antenna for Wide-Scan Sparse Arrays

A conical quad-mode antenna excited through four orthogonal transverse electromagnetic modes is presented. The radiation characteristics of each mode are validated through measurements, illustrating the complimentary nature of the four far-field radiation patterns through which near-hemispherical field-of-view coverage can be achieved

Mixed-Mode Sensitivity Analysis of a Combined Differential and Common Mode Active Receiving Antenna Providing Near-Hemispherical Field-of-View Coverage

A theoretical framework for a mixed differential and common mode sensitivity analysis of active receiving antennas is presented, which includes the derivation of a novel set of noise parameters for dual-mode balanced amplifiers. The analysis is applied to an example of a mixed-mode active wire antenna design, consisting of an integrated monopole and dipole structure. Results of numerical simulations and experimental measurements are presented which show that, for a single-polarized design, the judicious use of both differential and common modes enables the field-of-view coverage to be extended over the entire hemisphere with a variation in receiving sensitivity of less than 3 dB in the E-plane

Strategically using public housing assets could transform our middle suburbs

‘Greyfields’ in the Australian context have been defined as those ageing but occupied tracts of inner and middle ring suburbia that are physically, technologically and environmentally failing. The research sought to test the potential of an innovative design based approach to create coordinated precincts in these suburbs involving the coordinated redevelopment of multiple, non-contiguous public housing lots (rather than relying on the ‘default’ option of incremental market based development of in-fill housing and piecemeal selling off of public housing properties). Recent public housing investments (under the Social Housing Initiative) were typically planned with job creation in mind rather than innovative housing outcomes, but innovations were still apparent. Innovations were generally simple such as improvements to parking arrangements and interfaces of private dwellings with common areas and public spaces and arrangements for tenancy mix and social diversity. Innovations were often more apparent when governments partnered with Community Housing Organisations who could access alternative land and funding sources, offer design and delivery expertise and facilitate mixed tenancy outcomes. Innovation also was more likely when there was a ‘champion’ for design quality, relaxation of selected planning controls, and project alignment with existing urban renewal strategies. The Department of Human Services (Victorian Government) was found to have existing housing assets in sufficient number (more than 6500 DHS properties) in well-located areas of Melbourne’s middle suburbs that were clustered in ways broadly suitable for coordinated precinct redevelopment. Preliminary investigations suggest the same in Sydney and Brisbane. The coordinated precinct approach could offer an effective model for redeveloping dispersed public housing assets. Integrated redevelopment can achieve substantial increases in dwelling yield—design scenarios developed in this study delivered two to four times the number of dwellings when compared to business-as-usual dual occupancy outcomes. A precinct design approach is potentially more efficient because it allows for non-uniform, flexible siting of higher density buildings, effective program mixes, efficient parking arrangements and a variety of households and tenure types to be accommodated across a neighbourhood. Preliminary discussions with key stakeholders—municipal authorities, community housing organisations and local community members—showed real interest in the benefits of a coordinated precinct-based development approach. - See more at: http://www.ahuri.edu.au/publications/projects/p52012#sthash.wTtz4itu.dpu

A Quadraxial Feed for Ultra-Wide Bandwidth Quadruple-Ridged Flared Horn Antennas

A quadraxial feed, excited by two orthogonal differential modes, is proposed for ultra wideband quadruple-ridged flared horn (QRFH) antennas that obviates the need for a balun. It is shown that in this configuration the fundamental TE11 mode is most strongly excited over the entire frequency band, while the higher-order modes are significantly suppressed, as compared to the conventional excitation using the ridge-to-coax balun transition. These properties lead to several advantages for QRFH antenna applications which require frequency-invariant beam characteristics, high port isolation and low cross-polarisation level, such as e.g. reflector antenna feeds for future radio telescopes

Complementarity between Position and Momentum as a Consequence of Kochen-Specker Arguments

We give two simple Kochen-Specker arguments for complementary between the position and momentum components of spinless particles, arguments that are identical in structure to those given by Peres and Mermin for spin-1/2 particles.Comment: 4 pages, LaTe

The Earth Microbiome Project: Meeting report of the "1 EMP meeting on sample selection and acquisition" at Argonne National Laboratory October 6 2010.

This report details the outcome the first meeting of the Earth Microbiome Project to discuss sample selection and acquisition. The meeting, held at the Argonne National Laboratory on Wednesday October 6(th) 2010, focused on discussion of how to prioritize environmental samples for sequencing and metagenomic analysis as part of the global effort of the EMP to systematically determine the functional and phylogenetic diversity of microbial communities across the world