Transmission of image data over digital networks involving mobile terminals

There is a growing demand for data transmission over digital networks involving mobile terminals. An important class of data required for transmission over mobile terminals is image information such as street maps, floor plans and identikit images. This sort of transmission is of particular interest to the service industries such as the Police force, Fire brigade, medical services and other services. These services cannot be applied directly to mobile terminals because of the limited capacity of the mobile channels and the transmission errors caused by the multipath (Rayleigh) fading. In this research, transmission of line diagram images such as floor plans and street maps, over digital networks involving mobile terminals at transmission rates of 2400 bits/s and 4800 bits/s have been studied. A low bit-rate source encoding technique using geometric codes is found to be suitable to represent line diagram images. In geometric encoding, the amount of data required to represent or store the line diagram images is proportional to the image detail. Thus a simple line diagram image would require a small amount of data. To study the effect of transmission errors due to mobile channels on the transmitted images, error sources (error files), which represent mobile channels under different conditions, have been produced using channel modelling techniques. Satisfactory models of the mobile channel have been obtained when compared to the field test measurements. Subjective performance tests have been carried out to evaluate the quality and usefulness of the received line diagram images under various mobile channel conditions. The effect of mobile transmission errors on the quality of the received images has been determined. To improve the quality of the received images under various mobile channel conditions, forward error correcting codes (FEC) with interleaving and automatic repeat request (ARQ) schemes have been proposed. The performance of the error control codes have been evaluated under various mobile channel conditions. It has been shown that a FEC code with interleaving can be used effectively to improve the quality of the received images under normal and severe mobile channel conditions. Under normal channel conditions, similar results have been obtained when using ARQ schemes. However, under severe mobile channel conditions, the FEC code with interleaving shows better performance.

The development of a solid waste management strategy

This research is concerned with the application of operational research techniques in the development of a long- term waste management policy by an English waste disposal authority. The main aspects which have been considered are the estimation of future waste production and the assessment of the effects of proposed systems. Only household and commercial wastes have been dealt with in detail, though suggestions are made for the extension of the effect assessment to cover industrial and other wastes. Similarly, the only effects considered in detail have been costs, but possible extensions are discussed. An important feature of the study is that it was conducted in close collaboration with a waste disposal authority, and so pays more attention to the actual needs of the authority than is usual in such research. A critical examination of previous waste forecasting work leads to the use of simple trend extrapolation methods, with some consideration of seasonal effects. The possibility of relating waste production to other social and economic indicators is discussed. It is concluded that, at present, large uncertainties in predictions are inevitable; waste management systems must therefore be designed to cope with this uncertainty. Linear programming is used to assess the overall costs of proposals. Two alternative linear programming formulations of this problem are used and discussed. The first is a straightforward approach, which has been .implemented as an interactive computer program. The second is more sophisticated and represents the behaviour of incineration plants more realistically. Careful attention is paid to the choice of appropriate data and the interpretation of the results. Recommendations are made on methods for immediate use, on the choice of data to be collected for future plans, and on the most useful lines for further research and development.

An iterative agent bidding mechanism for responsive manufacturing

In today's market, the global competition has put manufacturing businesses in great pressures to respond rapidly to dynamic variations in demand patterns across products and changing product mixes. To achieve substantial responsiveness, the manufacturing activities associated with production planning and control must be integrated dynamically, efficiently and cost-effectively. This paper presents an iterative agent bidding mechanism, which performs dynamic integration of process planning and production scheduling to generate optimised process plans and schedules in response to dynamic changes in the market and production environment. The iterative bidding procedure is carried out based on currency-like metrics in which all operations (e.g. machining processes) to be performed are assigned with virtual currency values, and resource agents bid for the operations if the costs incurred for performing them are lower than the currency values. The currency values are adjusted iteratively and resource agents re-bid for the operations based on the new set of currency values until the total production cost is minimised. A simulated annealing optimisation technique is employed to optimise the currency values iteratively. The feasibility of the proposed methodology has been validated using a test case and results obtained have proven the method outperforming non-agent-based methods.

Building belief in organizational learning: the role of organizational learning efficacy

There appears to be a missing dimension in OL literature to embrace the collective experience of emotion, both within groups and communities and also across the organization as a whole. The concept of OL efficacy- as a stimulus offering energy and direction for learning - remains unexplored. This research involved engaging with a company we have called ‘Electroco’ in depth to create a rich and nuanced representation of OL and members’ perceptions of OL over an extended time-frame (five years). We drew upon grounded theory research methodology (Locke, 2001), to elicit feedback from the organization, which was then used to inform future research plans and/ or refine emerging ideas. The concept of OL efficacy gradually emerged as a factor to be considered when exploring the relationship between individual learning and OL. . Bearing in mind Bandura’s (1982) conceptualization of self-efficacy (linked with mastery, modelling, verbal persuasion and emotional arousal), we developed a coding strategy encompassing these four factors as conceptualized at the organizational level. We added a fifth factor: ‘control of OL.’ We focused on feelings across the organization and the extent of consensus or otherwise around these five attributes. The construct has potential significance for how people are managed in many ways. Not only is OL efficacy is difficult for competitors to copy (arising as it does from the collective experience of working within a specific context); the self-efficacy concept suggests that success can be engineered with ‘small wins’ to reinforce mastery perceptions. Leaders can signal the importance of interaction with the external context, and encourage reflection on the strategies adopted by competitors or benchmark organizations (modelling). The theory also underlines the key role managers may play in persuading others about their organization’s propensity to learn (by focusing on success stories, for example). Research is set to continue within other sectors, including the high-performance financial service sector as well as the health-care technology sector.

Cojumps in stock prices:empirical evidence

We examine contemporaneous jumps (cojumps) among individual stocks and a proxy for the market portfolio. We show, through a Monte Carlo study, that using intraday jump tests and a coexceedance criterion to detect cojumps has a power similar to the cojump test proposed by Bollerslev et al. (2008). However, we also show that we should not expect to detect all common jumps comprising a cojump when using such coexceedance based detection methods. Empirically, we provide evidence of an association between jumps in the market portfolio and cojumps in the underlying stocks. Consistent with our Monte Carlo evidence, moderate numbers of stocks are often detected to be involved in these (systematic) cojumps. Importantly, the results suggest that market-level news is able to generate simultaneous large jumps in individual stocks. We also find evidence of an association between systematic cojumps and Federal Funds Target Rate announcements. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Enhancing competitive advantage with radio-frequency identification (RFID) enabled returnable transport equipment (RTE)

Fierce competition within the third party logistics (3PL) market has developed as providers compete to win customers and enhance their competitive advantage through cost reduction plans and creating service differentiation. 3PL providers are expected to develop advanced technological and logistical service applications that can support cost reduction while increasing service innovation. To enhance competitiveness, this paper proposes the implementation of radio-frequency identification (RFID) enabled returnable transport equipment (RTE) in combination with the consolidation of network assets and cross-docking. RFID enabled RTE can significantly improve network visibility of all assets with continuous real-time data updates. A four-level cyclic model aiding 3PL providers to achieve competitive advantage has been developed. The focus is to reduce assets, increase asset utilisation, reduce RTE cycle time and introduce real-time data in the 3PL network. Furthermore, this paper highlights the need for further research from the 3PL perspective. Copyright © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Diabetes management in care homes:steps in the right direction?

Aims: Previous research has identified several inadequacies in management of diabetes within care homes many of which were highlighted in Diabetes UK’s report Diabetes in care homes:awareness, screening, training. The aim of this study was to see if this was still the case and to identify specific areas for improvement. Methods: Thirty care homes in Birmingham were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire based on the Diabetes UK national survey of care homes comprising questions relating to screening, self-management, care planning and local authority support. All returned responses were analysed. Results: Responses were received from 20 of the 30 care homes approached. The mean percentage of residents with diabetes in the care homes sampled was 13.7%. None of the homes screened for diabetes on admission and only 5% screened residents annually.80% of homes acknowledged providing diabetes-specific training to staff. Residents in 95% of homes had a medical review in the last 12 months: 70% with a GP, 20% with a diabetes specialist nurse/nurse. 65% of homes provided support for self-management.45% of care homes did not have individualised care plans for residents with diabetes. 35% of managers reported poor support and guidance from their local authority.Conclusions: Improvements were noted in the care provided to individuals with diabetes living in care homes in Birmingham. Aspects relating to screening, individualised care plans and support to care home staff still need attention.

Essential features of serious games design in higher education:linking learning attributes to game mechanics

This paper consolidates evidence and material from a range of specialist and disciplinary fields to provide an evidence-based review and synthesis on the design and use of serious games in higher education. Search terms identified 165 papers reporting conceptual and empirical evidence on how learning attributes and game mechanics may be planned, designed and implemented by university teachers interested in using games, which are integrated into lesson plans and orchestrated as part of a learning sequence at any scale. The findings outline the potential of classifying the links between learning attributes and game mechanics as a means to scaffold teachers’ understanding of how to perpetuate learning in optimal ways while enhancing the in-game learning experience. The findings of this paper provide a foundation for describing methods, frames and discourse around experiences of design and use of serious games, linked to methodological limitations and recommendations for further research in this area.