Evaluating true BCI communication rate through mutual information and language models.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems are a promising means for restoring communication to patients suffering from "locked-in" syndrome. Research to improve system performance primarily focuses on means to overcome the low signal to noise ratio of electroencephalogric (EEG) recordings. However, the literature and methods are difficult to compare due to the array of evaluation metrics and assumptions underlying them, including that: 1) all characters are equally probable, 2) character selection is memoryless, and 3) errors occur completely at random. The standardization of evaluation metrics that more accurately reflect the amount of information contained in BCI language output is critical to make progress. We present a mutual information-based metric that incorporates prior information and a model of systematic errors. The parameters of a system used in one study were re-optimized, showing that the metric used in optimization significantly affects the parameter values chosen and the resulting system performance. The results of 11 BCI communication studies were then evaluated using different metrics, including those previously used in BCI literature and the newly advocated metric. Six studies' results varied based on the metric used for evaluation and the proposed metric produced results that differed from those originally published in two of the studies. Standardizing metrics to accurately reflect the rate of information transmission is critical to properly evaluate and compare BCI communication systems and advance the field in an unbiased manner

Project 150

https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/educ_sys_202/1119/thumbnail.jp

Photoionization research on atomic beams. 2: The photoionization cross section of atomic oxygen

An experiment to determine the absolute value of the photo-ionization cross section of atomic oxygen is described. The atoms are produced in an electrical discharge in oxygen gas with 1% hydrogen added. In order to prevent recombination a crossed beam technique is employed. The ions formed are detected by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The concentration of oxygen atoms in the beam is 57%. The measured photoionization cross section of atomic oxygen is compared with theoretical data. The results show the participation of autoionization processes in ionization. The cross section at the autoionizing levels detected is considerably higher than the absorption due to the unperturbed continuum. Except for wavelengths where autoionization occurs, the measured ionization cross section is in fair agreement with theory. This holds up to 550 A whereas for shorter wavelengths the theoretical values are much higher

Clarifying the Business Trust in Bankruptcy: A Proposed Restatement Test

When bankruptcy courts attempt to define the business trust, the “decisions are sharply, and perhaps hopelessly, divided.” The Bankruptcy Code, which guides the determinations of bankruptcy courts, specifically lists business trusts as eligible for protection. However, the Code does not define what a business trust is and does not list any criteria for determining when a trust is a business trust. The lack of a concrete definition has led many courts to formulate their own definitions of business trusts. While the courts hoped that they would eventually settle on a uniform test to tackle this issue, it has yet to occur. Presently, courts apply varying tests, some of which propose twenty-four individual factors to consider while others adopt tax and state laws. This confusion regarding the appropriate test leads to uncertainty on behalf of debtors, who are unsure if they will be eligible for bankruptcy protection. This Comment proposes a restatement test that incorporates the history of the business trust as well as courts’ various previous approaches into a single uniform test. Part II of this Comment will address the history of the business trust from its roots in feudal England to its use as a tool to circumvent strict corporate statutes. Part II will outline the current state of the law regarding business trusts, both within and outside the bankruptcy context. Part IV proposes a four-factor test to remedy the courts’ current confusion regarding business trusts

Embracing Airbnb: How Cities Can Champion Private Property Rights Without Compromising the Health and Welfare of the Community

Peer-to-peer services offer participants considerable advantages whether they are a provider of such services or a user of them. The Airbnb phenomenon is an example of how technological advancement has transformed the rental industry and has signaled a societal acceptance of a sharing economy. However, the question now is to what extent cities should regulate this influx of short-term rentals while still preserving the property rights of homeowners. Much of the answer to this question depends on each city’s individual interpretation of specific areas of the law. Some legal issues raised by regulation and explored by this article include the property rights of homeowners, zoning restrictions on short-term rentals, and taxation responsibilities. Thus far, there have been several city-specific approaches to regulating Airbnb. This Comment contrasts San Francisco’s use of a permitting system with New York’s adherence to its Multiple Dwelling Law and analyzes the benefits and ramifications of each. Then, it turns to Portland’s Shared City initiative, which provides a more-balanced approach by combining the benefits of the permitting system with an enforcement mechanism to allow the city to realize the full benefits of the law. It concludes by urging more cities to follow Portland’s lead because it provides an ideal middle ground between preserving an owner’s right to engage in short-term rentals and protecting the nature of the city for all residents and visitors alike

Borges, traductor imposible de Dante

La Comedia de Dante es una referencia intertextual que atraviesa toda la obra de madurez de Borges, que la considera el ápice de todas las literaturas, el clásico por antonomasia, un texto en el que cada palabra está justificada. En 1952, la Universidad de Puerto Rico le encomendó la traducción del texto dantesco, que Borges nunca realizó. El propósito de este trabajo es rastrear en la obra de Borges señales de las causas literarias de esta decisión. Para ello, a partir de sus ricas y a menudo contradictoras posiciones acerca de la traducción, y de las características de su labor traductiva, se estudian las distintas estrategias (de traducción literal, paráfrasis, resumen o cita textual en italiano) a las que Borges recurre en las ocasiones en que debe referir palabras de Dante en conferencias, ensayos, poemas y cuentos. Se cotejan, por último, estas estrategias con las que Borges despliega en sus traducciones, con el fin de establecer la especificidad de su vínculo con Dante en el marco de su poética.Borges, impossible translator of Dante Dante's Comedy is an intertextual reference that runs throughout the mature work of Borges, who considers it the pinnacle of all literature, a classic par excellence and a text in which every word is justified. In 1952, the University of Puerto Rico commissioned Borges to translate the poem, but he never carried out the task. The purpose of this article is to search for the literary reasons for this decision in Borges' work. To that end, on the basis of his rich and often contradictory stances on translation, as well as the characteristics of his work as a translator, we study the different strategies (literal translation, paraphrase, summary and quoting in the original language) Borges uses when referring to Dante's words in lectures, essays, poems and short stories. Finally, we compare these strategies with those used in his translations, in order to establish the specificity of his bond with Dante in the framework of his poetics

Embracing Airbnb: How Cities Can Champion Private Property Rights Without Compromising the Health and Welfare of the Community

Peer-to-peer services offer participants considerable advantages whether they are a provider of such services or a user of them. The Airbnb phenomenon is an example of how technological advancement has transformed the rental industry and has signaled a societal acceptance of a sharing economy. However, the question now is to what extent cities should regulate this influx of short-term rentals while still preserving the property rights of homeowners. Much of the answer to this question depends on each city’s individual interpretation of specific areas of the law. Some legal issues raised by regulation and explored by this article include the property rights of homeowners, zoning restrictions on short-term rentals, and taxation responsibilities. Thus far, there have been several city-specific approaches to regulating Airbnb. This Comment contrasts San Francisco’s use of a permitting system with New York’s adherence to its Multiple Dwelling Law and analyzes the benefits and ramifications of each. Then, it turns to Portland’s Shared City initiative, which provides a more-balanced approach by combining the benefits of the permitting system with an enforcement mechanism to allow the city to realize the full benefits of the law. It concludes by urging more cities to follow Portland’s lead because it provides an ideal middle ground between preserving an owner’s right to engage in short-term rentals and protecting the nature of the city for all residents and visitors alike