Scattering Models and Basic Experiments in the Microwave Regime

The objectives of research over the next three years are: (1) to develop a randomly rough surface scattering model which is applicable over the entire frequency band; (2) to develop a computer simulation method and algorithm to simulate scattering from known randomly rough surfaces, Z(x,y); (3) to design and perform laboratory experiments to study geometric and physical target parameters of an inhomogeneous layer; (4) to develop scattering models for an inhomogeneous layer which accounts for near field interaction and multiple scattering in both the coherent and the incoherent scattering components; and (5) a comparison between theoretical models and measurements or numerical simulation

Graph Sparsification by Edge-Connectivity and Random Spanning Trees

We present new approaches to constructing graph sparsifiers --- weighted subgraphs for which every cut has the same value as the original graph, up to a factor of $(1 \pm \epsilon)$. Our first approach independently samples each edge $uv$ with probability inversely proportional to the edge-connectivity between $u$ and $v$. The fact that this approach produces a sparsifier resolves a question posed by Bencz\'ur and Karger (2002). Concurrent work of Hariharan and Panigrahi also resolves this question. Our second approach constructs a sparsifier by forming the union of several uniformly random spanning trees. Both of our approaches produce sparsifiers with $O(n \log^2(n)/\epsilon^2)$ edges. Our proofs are based on extensions of Karger's contraction algorithm, which may be of independent interest

The recovery of microwave scattering parameters from scatterometric measurements with special application to the sea

As part of an effort to demonstrate the value of the microwave scatterometer as a remote sea wind sensor, the interaction between an arbitrarily polarized scatterometer antenna and a noncoherent distributive target was derived and applied to develop a measuring technique to recover all the scattering parameters. The results are helpful for specifying antenna polarization properties for accurate retrieval of the parameters not only for the sea but also for other distributive scenes

Towards a more natural and intelligent interface with embodied conversation agent

Conversational agent also known as chatterbots are computer programs which are designed to converse like a human as much as their intelligent allows. In many ways, they are the embodiment of Turing's vision. The ability for computers to converse with human users using natural language would arguably increase their usefulness. Recent advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in general have advances this field in realizing the vision of a more humanoid interactive system. This paper presents and discusses the use of embodied conversation agent (ECA) for the imitation games. This paper also presents the technical design of our ECA and its performance. In the interactive media industry, it can also been observed that the ECA are getting popular

A theory of microwave apparent temperature over the ocean

In the microwave region combined active (scatterometer) and passive (radiometer) remote sensors over the ocean show promise of providing surface wind speeds and weather information to the oceanographer and meteorologist. This has aroused great interest in the investigation of the scattering of waves from the sea surface. A composite surface scattering theory is investigated. The two-scale scattering theory proposed by Semyonov was specifically extended to compute the emmision and scattering characteristics of ocean surfaces. The effects of clouds and rain on the radiometer and scatterometer observations are also investigated using horizontally stratified model atmospheres with rough sea surfaces underneath. Various cloud and rain models proposed by meteorologist were employed to determine the rise in the microwave temperature when viewing downward through these model atmospheres. For heavy rain-fall rates the effects of scattering on the radiative transfer process are included

Transonic flow studies

Major emphasis was on the design of shock free airfoils with applications to general aviation. Unsteady flow, transonic flow, and shock wave formation were examined

Hedge funds: an industry in its adolescence

The dramatic increase in the number of hedge funds and the "institutionalization" of the industry over the past decade have spurred rigorous research into hedge fund performance. This research has tended to uncover more questions than answers about the dynamic and multifaceted hedge fund industry. ; This article presents a simple hedge fund business model in which fund returns are a function of three key elements -- how the funds trade, where they trade, and how the positions are financed. The article also provides methods to help investors, intermediaries, and regulators identify systemic risk factors inherent in hedge fund strategies. ; Estimating these risk factors requires having an accurate history of hedge fund performance. The authors examine recent statistics from three commercial hedge fund databases and discuss the problems with database biases that must be recognized to obtain accurate measures of returns. ; While the data show that today's hedge funds use myriad strategies that have no uniform definition, the proposed business model implies that hedge fund managers are diversifying in order to maximize the enterprise value of their firms. But this diversification does not preclude the risk of leveraged opinions converging onto the same set of bets. Preventing convergence risk will require action by investors, intermediaries, regulators, and fund managers to improve industry-level disclosure and transparency while preserving the privacy of individual hedge funds' positions.Hedge funds

Treatment Outcomes for At-Risk Young Children With Behavior Problems: Toward a New Definition of Success

This study examined the outcomes of Early Pathways (EP), an in-home parent–child therapy program with 447 at-risk children younger than 5 years of age who were referred for severe behavior and emotional problems, such as aggression, oppositional behavior, and separation anxiety. EP emphasized parent-directed training of child behavior strategies including psychoeducation regarding child development, child-led play, and cognitive-behavioral techniques. Outcomes were assessed using a unique 2-dimensional definition of treatment completion, which consisted of treatment duration and an assessment of reliable change for the primary outcome measure of child behavior problems. Results showed that the majority of children (63.4%) met or exceeded treatment completion. In addition, repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance at pretest, posttest, and follow-up revealed increased child prosocial behaviors, reduced child behavior problems, improved caregiver nurturing, an increase in parents’ developmentally appropriate expectations of children, improved parent–child relationships, and a decrease in clinical diagnoses following treatment. This study offers guidance for developing effective early-intervention services for families in poverty to enhance outcomes for their young children. Along with its existing large-scale, community-based effectiveness studies, future research should establish additional statistical support including a randomized, waitlist control design of EP

Locally Advanced Spiroadenocarcinoma in the Regional Axilla of a Breast Cancer Patient: Hallmarks of Definitive Diagnosis and Management.

Eccrine spiroadenocarcinoma is an extremely rare malignant eccrine gland tumor which may masquerade as other more common malignancies such as poorly differentiated squamous carcinoma or metastatic breast cancer. We report a case of an ulcerated axillary skin lesion with bulky adenopathy in a 77 year-old female with a prior history of ipsilateral triple negative breast carcinoma. The clear transition of benign spiradenoma to malignant carcinoma was essential to establishing a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan

Detection of electrode asymmetry in electrochemical noise analysis

The electrochemical noise resistance is a calculation that can be used for estimating the rate of corrosion of a pair of metal samples purely from the electrochemical noise that they generate. Ideally these metal samples (electrodes) would be identical, but it is not uncommon, for various reasons, for the electrodes to be significantly different. In that case, the theory linking the noise resistance to the more conventional electrochemical parameter, the polarisation resistance, breaks down. This link is important because it is only via the polarisation resistance that noise resistance can be used for corrosion rate estimation. It is therefore important to be able to detect an asymmetric electrode pair. This paper describes how the cross correlation between voltage and current noise can be used to detect an asymmetr