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Openline Newsletter, January 2008, Civil Service Council

OpenLine Newsletter

A monthly newsletter for Civil Service employees, Volume XXXII, Number 7, January 2008.

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Research Grants And Medical Patents: Are The Number Of Medical Patents Dependent On Nih And Nsf Funding, Jay H. Shah

Undergraduate Economic Review

The United States invests more into basic medical research than any other country. This research, mostly done at medical schools, leads to medical technology patented by private firms through a phenomenon known as knowledge spillover. In light of this relationship, this thesis will investigate the relationship between the public investments in the basic medical research sector and the resulting effect on medical patents, contingent on geographic localization with state-level data. It is hypothesized that the larger the investments awarded to basic medical research organizations, the greater the number of medical patents within the state. Quantifying this relationship has important implications …

Induced Innovation In Non-Hydro Renewable Technologies: The Effects Of Energy Prices And Federal Spending, R. E. Taylor Iv

Undergraduate Economic Review

Our society’s reliance on fossil fuels has many negative results, including compromised national security and foreign relations as well as environmental damage. Many see technology as the key to an improved energy future, and in particular the development of new, cleaner renewable energy sources. The question then remains how to stimulate such technological innovation. In this study, I use U.S. patent data from 1970 to 2001, along with historic energy prices and federal spending data to see the affect energy price and R&D spending have on innovation in the non-hydro renewable energy industries – solar, wind, geothermal, oceanic, and fuel …

An Investigation Of Block Searching Algorithms For Video Frame Codecs, Jerome Casey

Other Resources

Block matching is the most computationally demanding aspect of the video encoding process. In many applications real-time video encoding is desired and therefore it is important that the encoding is fast. Also where handheld devices such as a PDA or mobile phone are concerned a less computationally intensive algorithm means a simpler processor can be used which saves on hardware costs and also extends battery life. An optimised algorithm also allows these devices to be used in low bandwidth wireless networks. The challenge is to decrease the computational load on the system without compromising the quality of the video stream …

Researchnews, Issue 1, Vol. 1, June, 2008, Unknown

Issues

No abstract provided.

A System For Automatically Annotating Traditional Irish Music Field Recordings, Bryan Duggan, Brendan O'Shea, Padraig Cunningham

Conference papers

This paper presents MATT2 (Machine Annotation of Traditional Tunes). MATT2 is a novel system which can automatically annotate field recordings of traditional Irish music with useful metadata such as tune name, key signature, time signature, composer and discography. MATT2 works by using a number of algorithms to automatically transcribe digital audio to be annotated to the ABC music notation language. It then compares these transcriptions against a corpus of 860 human made transcriptions in ABC using a variation of the edit distance algorithm. Results using MATT2 to annotate fifty recordings of flute and fiddle tunes demonstrate a high success rate …

Referring Expression Generation Challenge 2008 Dit System Description, John D. Kelleher, Brian Mac Namee

Conference papers

This section describes the two systems developed at DIT for the attribute selection track of the REG 2008 challenge. Both of theses systems use an incremental greedy search to generate descriptions, similar to the incremental algorithm described in (Dale and Reiter, 1995). The output of these incremental algorithms are, to a large extent, determined by the order in which the algorithm tests the target object’s attributes for inclusion in the description. Indeed, the major difference between the two systems described in this section is the mechanism used to order the attributes for inclusion.

Sweetening The Dataset : Using Active Learning To Label Unlabelled Datasets, Rong Hu, Brian Mac Namee, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

Supervised machine learning approaches assume the existence of a large collection of manually labelled examples of the problem under consideration. However, in many cases such a collection does not exist and creating one is time consuming and expensive. This can be a barrier to the use of supervised learning in certain situations, particularly when the doubt as to whether the system will work or not makes the cost of creating a dataset unjustifable. Active learning is a machine learning technique that has been used widely to create classification systems in the absence of large numbers of labelled examples, but that …

Autopilot: Simulating Changing Concepts In Real Data, Patrick Lindstrom, Sarah Jane Delany, Brian Mac Namee

Conference papers

An increasingly important area in supervised incremental learning is learning in the presence of changing concepts. Research into concept drift is hampered by the lack of availability of controllable `real life' datasets. In this paper we propose an approach for generating real life data over which we have control of the concept and can generate data exhibiting different types of concept drift. The approach uses a 3-D driving game to produce a data stream of instances describing how to drive around a track. The classification problem is learning the driving technique of the driver, which can be affected by changes …

Machine Annotation Of Sets Of Traditional Irish Dance Tunes, Bryan Duggan, Brendan O'Shea, Mikel Gainza, Padraig Cunningham

Conference papers

A set in traditional Irish music is a sequence of two or more dance tunes in the same time signature, where each tune is repeated an arbitrary number of times. A turn in a set represents the point at which either a tune repeats or a new tune is introduced. Tunes in sets are played in a segue (without a pause) and so detecting the turn is a significant challenge. This paper presents the MATS algorithm, a novel algorithm for identifying turns in sets of traditional Irish music. MATS works on digitised audio files of monophonic flute and tin-whistle music. …

Hydrodynamic Aspect Of Caves, Mitja Prelovšek, Janez Turk, Franci Gabrovšek

International Journal of Speleology

From a hydrological point of view, active caves are a series of connected conduits which drain water through an aquifer. Water tends to choose the easiest way through the system but different geological and morphological barriers act as flow restrictions. The number and characteristics of restrictions depends on the particular speleogenetic environment, which is a function of geological, geomorphological, climatological and hydrological settings. Such a variety and heterogeneity of underground systems has presented a challenge for human understanding for many centuries. Access to many underground passages, theoretical knowledge and recent methods (modeling, water pressure-resistant dataloggers, precise sensors etc.) give us …

Integration Of Analysis And Deliberation To Evaluate Biodiesel Occupational And Environmental Exposures, Nora M. Traviss

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Many U.S. organizations interested in a renewable and domestic source of energy are considering switching from petroleum diesel to biodiesel blends for transportation and heavy-duty equipment use. Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable oils or waste grease. While there is a considerable body of evidence on the negative health effects of petroleum diesel exhaust exposures in occupational and urban settings, there has been little research examining the impact of biodiesel fuel on occupational and environmental exposures. This dissertation combined a collaborative exposure assessment of B20 (20% soy-based biodiesel/80% diesel) at a rural recycling center with a policy intervention to …

Connecting With Nature Through Land Use Decision Making, Cathy Setterlin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This narrative inquiry, which draws on my experience as a land use decision maker, environmental educator, and scholar, examines the complexities of our human-nature relationship as we use and protect the life of the land in local communities. I began this research by interviewing seventeen land use decision makers representing a range of land use perspectives in New Milford, Connecticut, focusing on their views of land as a living community, their connections to land, and their sense of duty and responsibility.

Their responses led me to further inquiry and drew me into a process that transformed my views of both …

The Ecology Of Paradox: Disturbance And Restoration In Land And Soul, Rowland S. Russell

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This heuristic study explores environmental disturbance and ecological restoration in several North American settings in order to uncover epistemological, philosophical, aesthetic and ethical considerations revolving around those place-based processes. With fire as one of the central metaphors of this work, the initial place-based chapter examines Northern New Mexico's Pajarito Plateau to explore the region's fire ecology. The study then moves to the Pacific Northwest to draw restoration practice that attempt to restore wild salmon to urban Seattle habitat. The third place-based chapter focuses on the Midwest grass and farmlands in order to investigate the seeming contradictions between commodity and diversity …

How Scientist/Founders Lead Successful Biopharmaceutical Organizations: A Study Of Three Companies, Lynn Johnson Langer

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine how the leadership of scientist/founders of biopharmaceutical companies affects the success of their organization. Over half of all biotechnology firms are founded by scientists, yet for every start-up biotech firm that succeeds, 15-20 fail and eight out of 10 drugs fail in clinical trials (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 2007; Stanford Graduate School of Business, n.d.; Zhang & Patel, 2005). To bring a biopharmaceutical product from the research bench to the consumer costs more than $800 million (Tufts, 2007). This dissertation research explored the leadership practices of three successful scientist/founders and how …

Mentoring Women Of Color For Leadership: Do Barriers Exist?, Sandra Yvonne Jeffcoat

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The number of women in the workforce is increasing, but they continue to hold few corporate leadership positions. Women are running into the glass ceiling, a ceiling that is thicker for Women of Color. The under-representation of women and minorities in leadership positions and the recognition of the business value of Diversity in this global economy have driven organizations to launch diversity programs and use mentoring as support for aspiring women leaders. Ragins and Cotton's 1991 research found that there were barriers for women who were looking to use mentoring as a tool for leadership development, but her participants were …

How Are Nasa Engineers Motivated? An Analysis Of Factors That Influence Nasa Goddard Engineers’ Level Of Motivation, Howard Eric Kea

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

NASA is an organization known for pushing the envelope of engineering and scientific achievement. It can be argued that engineers working for NASA are intrinsically highly motivated due to the nature of the work and the mission of NASA. This study explores how supervisor behaviors, both intrinsic and extrinsic and demographic factors influence motivation of NASA Goddard engineers in their current environment. Recent Congressional and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policies, such as full cost accounting, levy strict oversight of project spending. As a result of these policies, NASA engineers must now focus their attention on getting assigned work …

Fostering Sustainability In Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Transformative Leadership And Change Strategies, Kim H. Mcnamara

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

As evidence of the earth’s limited capacity to sustain human life mounts, institutions of higher education are being looked to for leadership in the effort to educate students about environmental concerns and support the development of sustainable innovations. Colleges and universities are responding to this call for leadership by starting and/or expanding environmental research programs, integrating sustainability issues throughout the curriculum, adopting sustainable operations, and building green facilities. Reflecting upon the sustainability efforts of these institutions, this research study explores the following questions: What factors are essential for initiating and leading a successful change effort to foster sustainability in higher …

International Energy And Natural Resources, Mattia Colonnelli De Gasperis, Matteo Falcione, Robert E. Wilson, Petra Linsmeier, Richard Silberstein, Miroljub Maćešić, Ben Dovovan, Nabil L. Khodadad, Faris Sahra, Babatunde Irukera, Shourya Mandal, Nabil L. Khodadad, Nabanita Roy, Serge A. Lomako, Miriam Grunstein, Juan F. Pardini B., Alvaro Araya, Jean Paul Chabaneix, Ilan Dunsky, Laura Mcmahon

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Panel: Ethics-Based Decision-Making In Societal Water Management, David Decosse

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Lambs Into Lions: The Utilization Of Child Soldiers In The War In Iraq And Why International And Iraqi Laws Are Failing To Protect The Innocent, Anna-Liisa Jacobsen

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

No abstract provided.

Online Leisure Hotel Selection Criteria And Booking Behavior Of Young Middle-Income Singaporeans, Kin Wai Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Internet has changed the face of purchasing and customer behaviour over the last decade or so. Traditional concepts of marketing must be reviewed and businesses must be ready to fully embrace the online marketplace. The hotel industry is no different and evidently, has much to gain from this new medium with online sales figures climbing annually (Carroll & Sileo, 2007; PhoCusWright, 2006).

Studies have shown that more and more consumers are moving towards the Internet to find their products and services and ultimately making the purchase online (Starkov & Price, 2003). Singaporeans make for interesting subjects in this area, …

Panel: Water Ethics In A Globalized World, Kenneth Manaster

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Roundtable Discussion [Santa Clara Journal Of International Law Symposium 2008: Common Grounds, Common Waters: Towards A Water Ethic], Gabriel Eckstein, Irene Klaver

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

New Strategies For Progressive Realization Assessments Of Economic, Social, And Cultural Rights: Cambodian Aids-Related Orphans And Vulnerable Children As The Hard Case, Elizabeth Shura

Fordham International Law Journal

This Note proposes two alternatives to the standard use of progressive realization assessments under international human rights law. The first is to identify "key rights"-immediately enforceable civil and political rights that are so deeply intertwine with related social, economic, and political rights that enforcing the first unlocks access to the second. This strategy relies on the deep interconnection of all human rights a connection that is heightened among vulnerable populations such as Cambodian AIDS-related orphans. The second solution offered is an alternative method of conducting analysis under the progressive realization standard. Economic, social, and cultural rights can be examined and …

Massachusetts V. Epa: The Causes And Effects Of Creating Comprehensive Climate Change Regulations, Colin H. Cassedy

Journal of International Business and Law

No abstract provided.

Amending Trips: A New Hope For Increased Access To Essential Medicines, Tina S. Bhatt

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The U.S.-India Strategic Nuclear Partnership: A Debilitating Blow To The Non-Proliferation Regime, Kesav Murthy Wable

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Conceptual Difficulties In The Empirical Study Of Bilateral Investment Treaties, Jason Webb Yackee

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Estimation Of Sound Transmission Class And Impact Insulation Class Rating For Steel Framed Assemblies, American Iron And Steel Institute

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

No abstract provided.