Developing a complete system architecture for sensor networking

Wireless sensor networking is the result of interdisciplinary research involving aspects of computer science and electrical engineering. By creating large wireless networks of computational devices that can sense many types of phenomena, it is possible to gather information in ways that were previously not feasible. Currently the main applications of sensor networking are for biological and environmental data gathering, security and military sensing systems, location tracking and the development of smart spaces; however, as the field continues to advance these networks are consistently being applied to varying scenarios that call for new features and include unique constraints. As new applications for sensor networking arise it is clear that researchers are in need of a highly expandable platform for prototyping both hardware and software technologies. Although it is also important to design specialized systems for specific applications, we believe that at this point in the evolution of sensor networking a general purpose platform with maximum expandability and ease of use would be a more valuable commodity

To the latest generation : Cold War and Post Cold War U.S. Civil War novels in their social contexts

This dissertation argues that readings of the Civil War novels published in America since 1955 should be informed by a consciousness of the social forces at work in each author’s time. Part One consists of a study of the popular Civil War novel, 1955’s Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor; part two, 1974’s The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Chapters One through Three explain that Kantor was especially fitted for the ideological work going on in Andersonville, then outlines the way that novel tried to contribute to the transition between World War II and the Cold War. The book attempted to aid in the process by which Americans were persuaded to shoulder the financial and military burden for the protection of West Germany and West Berlin. Chapters Three and Four examine The Killer Angels, arguing that Shaara’s decision to feature Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the Twentieth Maine’s defense of Little Round Top is a working-through of the longing for a different, more creative style of leadership after the Vietnam War came to be perceived widely as a disaster. On the Confederate side, the conflict between Generals Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet parallels the conflict over the war in Vietnam. Part Three examines about a dozen Civil War novels published in America in the past twenty-five years. In Chapter Five, I argue that these novels partake in the postmodern tendency toward the creation of characters who experience a confusion of perception and identity in the face of the unending cascade of information coming at them, and respond in ways typical of postmodern characters. Chapter Six offers three models for the way contemporary novels explore the Civil War’s meaning: the multiplicity novel, the 1990s anti-war model, and the counter-narrative model, which are all described using examples of each kind of book

The Clinical Significance of Companion Animals for LGBT+ Youth:Unconditional Love in a Straight Society

The Clinical Significance of Companion Animals for LGBT+ Youth: Unconditional Love in a Straight Society Abstract Background: Research continues on LGBT+ youth, social isolation, and mental health. Prior studies have shown the linkage between lack of social support and unhealthy outcomes including depression, substance use, and suicidal ideation. In place of or in addition to human support, companion animal relationships for this marginalized population have not been studied through previous work. This qualitative study explored the experiences of LGBT+ youth who have used companion animals for social and emotional support as a twinship selfobject or attachment object using Self Psychology and Attachment Theory as a clinical lens. Methods: Ten self-identified LGBT+ youth aged eighteen to twenty-five were interviewed privately at two sites in the spring of 2017. Results: Participants were sought through convenience and snowball sampling. Key interview findings included 1) social marginalization based on sexual orientation and gender identity with heterosexism are a pervasive part of society 2) the unconditional love and acceptance from companion animals exists through both verbal and physical communication 3) personal, academic, and professional growth for participants is attributed to pet ownership during their time of sexual development. Discussion: Findings showed that companion animals fulfilled multiple purposes for the participants in this study during their adolescence. This connection merits further quantitative and qualitative research into the clinical significance of companion animals for this population

Calculated Combustion: An Investigation of Electronic Equipment Tenability in Data Center Fires

Fire presents a clear and present danger to computer equipment and generally results in tremendous expense or irreplaceable loss. This study serves as a proof of concept for using computer-based fire modeling to investigate the resilience of typical data center equipment to fire. In this analysis, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Fire Dynamics Simulator computer-based fire modeling tool is utilized to simulate fire scenarios within a rack-mount-style computer enclosure containing six circuit boards. Outcomes including effects of combustion (heat, mixture fraction, and species generation) and water-based sprinkler suppression are explored. Although the presence of standard water-based sprinkler suppression proves advantageous, it is not consistently effective in terminating this class of combustion. Results indicate that fire’s thermal effects constitute the largest impact and ultimately determine component survivability. The use of computer-based simulation proves to be a valuable tool in the ultimate enhancement of electronic equipment tenability

Co-constructive consulting : a pragmatic, relational constructionist approach

Management consulting is a $300 billion industry, about 70% of which is accounted for by organizational change work. These numbers aren’t especially remarkable, unless you consider that a similar percentage of change initiatives—about 70%, according to numerous studies—fail to meet their stated objectives. It’s not too difficult, in other words, to make a case for fundamental change in management and business consulting. \ud \ud In this dissertation, we develop an alternative approach we refer to as ‘co-constructive consulting.’ With this alternative, the focus is less on the transfer of existing knowledge, and more on the co-constructing of new knowledge that is fit-for-purpose. Client-consultant relationships are considered to be the co-constructed result of close collaboration, rather than simply a conduit for exchange between individuals. \ud \ud Co-constructive consulting draws from the pragmatism of Richard Rorty, the social constructionism of Ken Gergen, and the relational constructionism of Dian Marie Hosking. It makes use of practical tools and methods from sociology, psychology and anthropology, including sensemaking, framing, the notion of affordances, situated knowledge, situated learning, distributed cognition and others. \ud \ud These tools and methods are useful when we embrace the indeterminacy of practice and the low predictability of change outcomes, rather than seeking only to control for them; when we treat these not as risks to be minimized, but as ongoing opportunities for co-constructing and innovating

Eye Tracking as a Control Interface for Tele-Operation During a Visual Search Task

This study examined the utility of eye-tracking as a control method during tele-operation in a simulated task environment. Operators used a simulator to tele-operate a search robot using three different control methods: fully manual, hybrid, and eye-only. Using Endsely’s (1995a) three level SA model and a natural interface (e.g., eye-tracking) as a more user-centered approach to tele-operation, the study measured objective, electroencephalogram, and subjective (NASA-TLX) measures to reflect both workload and situation awareness during tele-operation. The results showed a significant reduction in mental workload, as reflected by EEG measures. However a significant effect was found where the operators’ perceived mental workload scores, as reflected by the TLX, significantly increased while using the natural interface. The difference in perceived mental workload was also mirrored by a post hoc analysis where frustration scores, also reflected by the TLX, supported the initial findings of the differences in perceived mental workload scores between the three conditions. The results of this study can be explained by both incomplete mental models of motor movements and differences in affordances offered by the different control conditions. Additional considerations for system designers and future research are also discussed

A near real-time algorithm for flood detection in urban and rural areas using high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar images

A near real-time flood detection algorithm giving a synoptic overview of the extent of flooding in both urban and rural areas, and capable of working during night-time and day-time even if cloud was present, could be a useful tool for operational flood relief management and flood forecasting. The paper describes an automatic algorithm using high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data that assumes that high resolution topographic height data are available for at least the urban areas of the scene, in order that a SAR simulator may be used to estimate areas of radar shadow and layover. The algorithm proved capable of detecting flooding in rural areas using TerraSAR-X with good accuracy, and in urban areas with reasonable accuracy

Near real-time flood detection in urban and rural areas using high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar images

A near real-time flood detection algorithm giving a synoptic overview of the extent of flooding in both urban and rural areas, and capable of working during night-time and day-time even if cloud was present, could be a useful tool for operational flood relief management. The paper describes an automatic algorithm using high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data that builds on existing approaches, including the use of image segmentation techniques prior to object classification to cope with the very large number of pixels in these scenes. Flood detection in urban areas is guided by the flood extent derived in adjacent rural areas. The algorithm assumes that high resolution topographic height data are available for at least the urban areas of the scene, in order that a SAR simulator may be used to estimate areas of radar shadow and layover. The algorithm proved capable of detecting flooding in rural areas using TerraSAR-X with good accuracy, classifying 89% of flooded pixels correctly, with an associated false positive rate of 6%. Of the urban water pixels visible to TerraSAR-X, 75% were correctly detected, with a false positive rate of 24%. If all urban water pixels were considered, including those in shadow and layover regions, these figures fell to 57% and 18% respectively

The Nature of Lyman Break Galaxies in Cosmological Hydrodynamic Simulations

What type of objects are being detected as $z\sim 3$ "Lyman break galaxies"? Are they predominantly the most massive galaxies at that epoch, or are many of them smaller galaxies undergoing a short-lived burst of merger-induced star formation? We attempt to address this question using high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic simulations including star formation and feedback. Our $\Lambda$CDM simulation, together with Bruzual-Charlot population synthesis models, reproduces the observed number density and luminosity function of Lyman break galaxies when dust is incorporated. The inclusion of dust is crucial for this agreement. In our simulation, these galaxies are predominantly the most massive objects at this epoch, and have a significant population of older stars. Nevertheless, it is possible that our simulations lack the resolution and requisite physics to produce starbursts, despite having a physical resolution of \la 700 pc at z=3. Thus we cannot rule out merger-induced starburst galaxies also contributing to the observed population of high-redshift objects.Comment: 5 pages, contribution to the Proceedings of Rencontres Internationales de l'IGRAP, Clustering at High Redshift, Marseille 199