Narrow band optical heterodyne detection

Narrowband optical heterodyne detectio

Scalable data abstractions for distributed parallel computations

The ability to express a program as a hierarchical composition of parts is an essential tool in managing the complexity of software and a key abstraction this provides is to separate the representation of data from the computation. Many current parallel programming models use a shared memory model to provide data abstraction but this doesn't scale well with large numbers of cores due to non-determinism and access latency. This paper proposes a simple programming model that allows scalable parallel programs to be expressed with distributed representations of data and it provides the programmer with the flexibility to employ shared or distributed styles of data-parallelism where applicable. It is capable of an efficient implementation, and with the provision of a small set of primitive capabilities in the hardware, it can be compiled to operate directly on the hardware, in the same way stack-based allocation operates for subroutines in sequential machines

Regularized Ordinal Regression and the ordinalNet R Package

Regularization techniques such as the lasso (Tibshirani 1996) and elastic net (Zou and Hastie 2005) can be used to improve regression model coefficient estimation and prediction accuracy, as well as to perform variable selection. Ordinal regression models are widely used in applications where the use of regularization could be beneficial; however, these models are not included in many popular software packages for regularized regression. We propose a coordinate descent algorithm to fit a broad class of ordinal regression models with an elastic net penalty. Furthermore, we demonstrate that each model in this class generalizes to a more flexible form, for instance to accommodate unordered categorical data. We introduce an elastic net penalty class that applies to both model forms. Additionally, this penalty can be used to shrink a non-ordinal model toward its ordinal counterpart. Finally, we introduce the R package ordinalNet, which implements the algorithm for this model class

Establishing the potential for using routine data on Incapacity Benefit to assess the local impact of policy initiatives

<i>Background</i>: Incapacity Benefit (IB) is the key contributory benefit for people who are incapable of work because of illness or disability. <i>Methods</i>: The aims were to establish the utility of routinely collected data for local evaluation and to provide a descriptive epidemiology of the IB population in Glasgow and Scotland for the period 2000–05 using data supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions. <i>Results</i>: Glasgow's IB population is large in absolute and relative terms but is now falling, mainly due to a decrease in on flow. Claimants, tend to be older, have a poor work history and suffer from mental health problems. The rate of decline has been greater in Glasgow than Scotland, although the rate of on flow is still higher. <i>Conclusions</i>: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data can be used locally to provide important insights into the dynamics of the IB population. However, to be truly useful, more work needs to be undertaken to combine the DWP data with other information

Wavelet Analysis and Lognormal Distributions in GRBs

A wavelet analysis has been performed on 80 intense gamma-ray bursts GRBs) from the BATSE 3B catalog with durations longer than 2 seconds. The wavelet analysis applied novel features developed for edge detection in image processing and this filtering process was used to extract a fit to the irregular GRB profile from the background. A straightforward algorithm was subsequently used to identify statistically significant peaks in this profile. The areas and FWHM of 270 peaks that were characterised as isolated were found to be consistent with lognormal distributions. The distribution of time intervals between peak maxima for all 963 identified peaks in the GRBs is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Vision and support in new venture start-ups : an exploratory study of Newfoundland firms

In seeking to account for variation in the performance of new and small firms entrepreneurship theory has experienced a shift away from approaches which attribute success to personal characteristics in favour of approaches emphasizing the social context of resource acquisition and mobilization. This study develops and tests a new theoretical model concerning relations between vision, support and new venture performance based on Sooklal's (1991) grounded theory of visionary leadership. In doing so, it addresses theoretical and methodological weaknesses associated with past efforts. Four stages of data collection were required to execute the study. Phases One and Two were used to develop the instrumentation for measuring entrepreneurial vision. Phase Three was a small-scale pilot study. Phase Four, the main component of the study, was utilized to test the research hypotheses. This final phase entailed semi-structured interviews with a random sample of 50 Newfoundland firms incorporated in 1993. Employing Wold's method of Partial Least Squares analysis, five of the nine hypotheses concerning relations amongst seven theoretical constructs were statistically significant. In general, there was strong support for the contribution of both vision and support in the theoretical model. Higher performance were found to be positively influenced by both vision reach (i. e. the "ambitiousness" of the vision) and the strength of received support. Increased support strength was associated with greater vision reach and greater diversity of value-based (i. e. without expectation of reciprocal benefit) and convenience-based (i. e. relationships based on economic exchange) supporters. Contrary to expectations, visions that focused on either internal or external dimensions were associated with greater insider and outsider supporter diversity. The relative importance of predictor constructs in the model was substantially different for urban versus rural firms. Overall, the model was found to possess useful predictive power. The results of the study indicate that vision and supporter diversity play an important role in the strength of support received by start-up entrepreneurs and that both entrepreneurial vision and the strength of received support contribute to new venture performance. In developing the measurement model for the research, many of the indicators for the theoretical constructs were either adapted from other disciplines or newly developed in the absence of pre-existing measures of vision and to overcome weaknesses associated with past "network" studies of support. This measurement model was found to possess satisfactory validity and provides a substantial base upon which further advancements can be made. Practitioners stand to benefit from the predictive power of the model and the insights the model provides concerning performance-enhancing start-up activities beyond the business plan

Early Postnatal Zinc Deficiency and Aggression in the Rat

The effects of a transitory zinc deficiency on subsequent aggression were assessed. Eleven Sprague Dawley dams were assigned to three dietary conditions.on days 1—21 postpartum. They were fed either a low zinc diet (less than 1 ppm) or an equal amount of the same diet but with zinc supplementation via their water supply, or unrestricted amounts of the zinc supplemented regimen. Within the first two days postpartum, litter sizes were equalized. All dams were returned to zinc adequate diets on day 22, and the pups were weaned on day 24. Food intake data for pups and dams were recorded as well as weights of dams and pups. After approximately 130 days of ad libitum access to a zinc sufficient diet, the pups were tested for levels of shock-elicited aggression. The animals were tested in pairs with each pair receiving 100 2 inA shocks. Human judges counted aggressive attacks between pairs, and their judgments were statistically compared for reliability. The judges viewed videotapes of the testing sessions. Pups whose dams were made zinc deficient on days 1-21 postpartum exhibited more aggressive attacks than pups of dams pair- fed or given ad libitum, access to the zinc supplemented diet

Exploring Emerging Technologies for the Built Environment Circa 2015 for use in Architectural Engineering and Related Majors

For this senior project I am seeking to combine my knowledge of Structural Engineering with Construction Management. For this task, I have decided to look at Building Information Modeling (BIM). In this project I investigate the BIM tools Trimble Tekla Structures and Autodesk Navis- works Manage. Tekla is a modeling, fabrication, and design program. Navisworks is a visualiza- tion and Clash Detection tool. For this project I have identiÅied two main goals relating to Navis- works and Tekla: Create content to allow students and professors learn how to use Tekla and Navisworks Determine the capabilities of these softwares, and Åigure out why these softwares matter to Architectural Engineering (ARCE) students. After reading through this report, and accessing additional on-line resources including home- work assignments and tutorial videos, students should have a solid understanding of how these programs work and why they matter to the Design and Construction process