'External' Aspects of Self-Determination Movements in Burma

Based on secondary resources and long term anthropological field research, this paper explores some of the 'external' factors involved in the pro-democracy and ethnic struggles for self-determination currently being experienced in Burma. The analysis draws in cultural, economic and political aspects to demonstrate that a number of macro- and micro-level external or external-origin influences are at play, at a number of different 'inside', 'outside' and marginal sites. The paper argues in particular that 'cultural' factors such as computer-mediated communication and contacts with outsiders when living in exile, serve as means by which real, virtual and imaginary connections are drawn between these different sites and the actors who inhabit them. In the context of Burma, this paper thus presents a glimpse into this complexity of origin and substance of external influences, of interactions between the external and the internal, and of the multidirectional pathways along which they operate. After an introductory overview, it does so by first reviewing some pertinent macro-political and macro-economic external factors, including international views and strategic interests. The paper then focuses on micro-level social and cultural issues, examining aspects of new media as utilised by the Burmese exile community and international activists. External influences on exiled communities living in the margins on the Thai-Burma border (characterised by the paper as neither 'inside' nor 'outside' proper), including Christianity and foreign non-governmental organisations, are then explored. The paper concludes that inside views, reactions and experiences of outside influences are presently just as important in determining outcomes as are the outside influences themselves.

VCSEL-based, CWDM - PON systems using reflective technology for bi-directional multi-play service provision

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing based on radio-overfiber schemes allows the direct use of multiple, native format wireless platforms. In combination with standard baseband provision such as Gigabit Ethernet, this provides access to a wide range of services without requiring specialized end-user equipment. However, such signals have a high laser power-bandwidth requirement which may not be a good fit to the domestic environment. Here we explore the use of low-power optical components in customer premises which interface with an intermediate optical network node. Two solutions in the context of SSMF over a CWDM optical network are described, based on either reflective or direct modulation. EVMs of better than 35 dB were achieved. ©2012 Optical Society of America

480Mbit/s UWB bi-directional radio over fiber CWDM PON using ultra-low cost and power VCSELs

Radio-over-fiber (RoF) schemes offer the possibility of permitting direct access to native format services for the domestic user. A low power requirement and cost effectiveness are crucial to both the service provider and the end user. Here, we present an ultra-low cost and power RoF scheme using direct modulation of commercially-available 1344 nm and 1547 nm VCSELs by band-group 1 UWB wireless signals (ECMA-368) at near broadcast power levels. As a result, greatly simplified electrical-optical-electrical conversion is accomplished. A successful demonstration over a transmission distance of 20.1 km is described using a SSMF, CWDM optical network. EVMs of better than-18.3 dB were achieved. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Materiality Matters: Experiencing the Displayed Object

The University of Michigan Museum Studies Program’s series of “Working Papers in Museum Studies” presents emerging research from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, all focused on the multiple concerns of the modern museum and heritage studies field. Contributions from scholars, members of the museum profession and graduate students are represented. Many of these papers have their origins in public presentations made under the auspices of the Museum Studies Program. We gratefully thank the authors published herein for their participation.This paper was first presented as part of the University of Michigan Museum Studies Program’s “Issues in Museum Studies” lecture series on October 12, 2010. Dr. Sandra Dudley is Programme Director, Interpretation, Representation & Heritage, in the School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. She received her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford and is author of numerous publications in the field of museum studies. Dr. Dudley can be reached at [email protected]://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102520/1/8_dudley_2012.pd

Lessons Learned: William Dudley

Recommended Citation: Ward, Sandra (2021) Lessons Learned: William “Bill Dudley, The Journal of Financial Crises: Vol. 3 : Iss. 3, 961-965

Modified Flower Pollination Algorithm for Energy Forecasting and Demand Management Coupled with Improved Battery Life for Smart Building Micro-Grid

This paper presents the Modified Flower Pollination Algorithm-based Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network (MFPA-MLPNN) as an optimization technique for efficient power flow management in a Smart Building Microgrid (SBMG) integrated with solar and wind generation, and Electric Vehicle Batteries (EVBs) within grid connected structure while concurrently reducing optimization processing time. To achieve both technical and economic superiority, two optimization objectives are addressed. Firstly, a Demand Response (DR) framework is harnessed to accommodate the stochastic behavior and forecasting errors associated with intermittent sources. Secondly, the degradation of EVBs is considered, ensuring an economically viable power flow proposed strategy for both EV owners and microgrid (MG) authorities. Power generation of Variable Renewable Energy Sources (VRES) has been forecasted using MLPNN. Battery degradation and system stability under the action of the proposed topology have been evaluated using a simulation-based environment. Results show a significant decrease in battery degradation and processing time using the proposed MFPA-MLPNN optimization architectur

An Analytically Based Approach for Evaluating the Impact of the Noise on the Microwave Imaging Detection

In a realistic scenario, it is inevitable to have noise on the images due to the noise from the system's hardware, which results in producing inaccurate images. This paper presents an investigation on the impact of adding noises into the simulation for an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Microwave Imaging (MWI) procedure based on the Huygens principle (HP). A comparison between uniform and Gaussian noises at different amplitudes is provided, with the aim of investigating the detection process for applications such as bone fracture detection. This is done using analytical simulations. To construct the electric field at the perimeter of the external cylinder, simulations have been run mimicking UWB signals transmitted onto a simulated cylindrical bone-mimicking phantom containing an inclusion with different dielectric properties. This field was simulated using MATLAB and generated a value for the electric field at frequencies between 3 and 5 GHz. To investigate the impact of noise on the detection capability, two types of common noises have been applied to the signal at different amplitudes. The resulting images have visually been compared and the imaging performance has also been analysed using an image quantification metric, signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR). The impact of noise on the detection capability was quantified using this image quantification metric

Developing Artefact Removal Algorithms to Process Data from a Microwave Imaging Device for Haemorrhagic Stroke Detection

In this paper, we present an investigation of different artefact removal methods for ultra-wideband Microwave Imaging (MWI) to evaluate and quantify current methods in a real environment through measurements using an MWI device. The MWI device measures the scattered signals in a multi-bistatic fashion and employs an imaging procedure based on Huygens principle. A simple two-layered phantom mimicking human head tissue is realised, applying a cylindrically shaped inclusion to emulate brain haemorrhage. Detection has been successfully achieved using the superimposition of five transmitter triplet positions, after applying different artefact removal methods, with the inclusion positioned at 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The different artifact removal methods have been proposed for comparison to improve the stroke detection process. To provide a valid comparison between these methods, image quantification metrics are presented. An “ideal/reference” image is used to compare the artefact removal methods. Moreover, the quantification of artefact removal procedures through measurements using MWI device is performed

A Self Regulating and Crowdsourced Indoor Positioning System through Wi-Fi Fingerprinting for Multi Storey Building

[EN] Unobtrusive indoor location systems must rely on methods that avoid the deployment of large hardware infrastructures or require information owned by network administrators. Fingerprinting methods can work under these circumstances by comparing the real-time received RSSI values of a smartphone coming from existing Wi-Fi access points with a previous database of stored values with known locations. Under the fingerprinting approach, conventional methods suffer from large indoor scenarios since the number of fingerprints grows with the localization area. To that aim, fingerprinting-based localization systems require fast machine learning algorithms that reduce the computational complexity when comparing real-time and stored values. In this paper, popular machine learning (ML) algorithms have been implemented for the classification of real time RSSI values to predict the user location and propose an intelligent indoor positioning system (I-IPS). The proposed I-IPS has been integrated with multi-agent framework for betterment of context-aware service (CAS). The obtained results have been analyzed and validated through established statistical measurements and superior performance achieved