The Use of Picture Exchange Communication System to Reduce Screaming Behavior in a Child with Severe Autism

Using a multiple baseline across subject areas design, the effect of a package intervention consisting of the Picture Exchange Communication System and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior to decrease screaming behavior of a child with autism was examined. Results showed that the intervention decreased the screaming behavior of the participant.

Peak -to -average power ratio reduced parallel interference cancellation Multicarrier-Code Division Multiple Access system with anti -interference property

Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has been proved to be a promising technology that enables the transmission of higher data rate. Multicarrier Code-Division Multiple Access (MC-CDMA) is a transmission technique which combines the advantages of both OFDM and Code-Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), so as to allow high transmission rates over severe time-dispersive multi-path channels without the need of a complex receiver implementation. Also MC-CDMA exploits frequency diversity via the different subcarriers, and therefore allows the high code rates systems to achieve good Bit Error Rate (BER) performances. Furthermore, the spreading in the frequency domain makes the time synchronization requirement much lower than traditional direct sequence CDMA schemes. There are still some problems when we use MC-CDMA. One is the high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) of the transmit signal. High PAPR leads to nonlinear distortion of the amplifier and results in inter-carrier self-interference plus out-of-band radiation. On the other hand, suppressing the Multiple Access Interference (MAI) is another crucial problem in the MC-CDMA system. Imperfect cross-correlation characteristics of the spreading codes and the multipath fading destroy the orthogonality among the users, and then cause MAI, which produces serious BER degradation in the system. Moreover, in uplink system the received signals at a base station are always asynchronous. This also destroys the orthogonality among the users, and hence, generates MAI which degrades the system performance. Besides those two problems, the interference should always be considered seriously for any communication system. In this dissertation, we design a novel MC-CDMA system, which has low PAPR and mitigated MAI. The new Semi-blind channel estimation and multi-user data detection based on Parallel Interference Cancellation (PIC) have been applied in the system. The Low Density Parity Codes (LDPC) has also been introduced into the system to improve the performance. Different interference models are analyzed in multi-carrier communication systems and then the effective interference suppression for MC-CDMA systems is employed in this dissertation. The experimental results indicate that our system not only significantly reduces the PAPR and MAI but also effectively suppresses the outside interference with low complexity. Finally, we present a practical cognitive application of the proposed system over the software defined radio platform.

Peak-to-Average Power Ratio Reduced Parallel Interference Cancellation Multicarrier-Code Division Multiple Access System with Anti-Interference Property

Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has been proved to be a promising technology that enables the transmission of higher data rate. Multicarrier Code-Division Multiple Access (MC-CDMA) is a transmission technique which combines the advantages of both OFDM and Code-Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), so as to allow high transmission rates over severe time-dispersive multi-path channels without the need of a complex receiver implementation. Also MC-CDMA exploits frequency diversity via the different subcarriers, and therefore allows the high code rates systems to achieve good Bit Error Rate (BER) performances. Furthermore, the spreading in the frequency domain makes the time synchronization requirement much lower than traditional direct sequence CDMA schemes. There are still some problems when we use MC-CDMA. One is the high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) of the transmit signal. High PAPR leads to nonlinear distortion of the amplifier and results in inter-carrier self-interference plus out-of-band radiation. On the other hand, suppressing the Multiple Access Interference (MAI) is another crucial problem in the MC-CDMA system. Imperfect cross-correlation characteristics of the spreading codes and the multipath fading destroy the orthogonality among the users, and then cause MAI, which produces serious BER degradation in the system. Moreover, in uplink system the received signals at a base station are always asynchronous. This also destroys the orthogonality among the users, and hence, generates MAI which degrades the system performance. Besides those two problems, the interference should always be considered seriously for any communication system. In this dissertation, we design a novel MC-CDMA system, which has low PAPR and mitigated MAI. The new Semi-blind channel estimation and multi-user data detection based on Parallel Interference Cancellation (PIC) have been applied in the system. The Low Density Parity Codes (LDPC) has also been introduced into the system to improve the performance. Different interference models are analyzed in multi-carrier communication systems and then the effective interference suppression for MC-CDMA systems is employed in this dissertation. The experimental results indicate that our system not only significantly reduces the PAPR and MAI but also effectively suppresses the outside interference with low complexity. Finally, we present a practical cognitive application of the proposed system over the software defined radio platform.

Design and implementation of a web based shop floor control system to maintain schedule feasibility in a dynamic job shop environment

The effective control of production activities in dynamic job shop with predetermined resource allocation for all the jobs entering the system is a unique manufacturing environment, which exists in the manufacturing industry. In this thesis a framework for an Internet based real time shop floor control system for such a dynamic job shop environment is introduced. The system aims to maintain the schedule feasibility of all the jobs entering the manufacturing system under any circumstance. The system is capable of deciding how often the manufacturing activities should be monitored to check for control decisions that need to be taken on the shop floor. The system will provide the decision maker real time notification to enable him to generate feasible alternate solutions in case a disturbance occurs on the shop floor. The control system is also capable of providing the customer with real time access to the status of the jobs on the shop floor. The communication between the controller, the user and the customer is through web based user friendly GUI. The proposed control system architecture and the interface for the communication system have been designed, developed and implemented.

Submerged aquatic vegetation and bulrush in Lake Okeechobee as indicators of greater Everglades ecosystem restoration

Lake Okeechobee, Florida, located in the middle of the larger Kissimmee River-Lake Okeechobee-Everglades ecosystem in South Florida, serves a variety of ecosystem and water management functions including fish and wildlife habitat, flood control, water supply, and source water for environmental restoration. As a result, the ecological status of Lake Okeechobee plays a significant role in defining the overall success of the greater Everglades ecosystem restoration initiative. One of the major ecological indicators of Lake Okeechobee condition focuses on the near-shore and littoral zone regions as characterized by the distribution and abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and giant bulrush (Scirpus californicus(C.A. Mey.) Steud.). The objective of this study is to present a stoplight restoration report card communication system, common to all 11 indicators noted in this special journal issue, as a means to convey the status of SAV and bulrush in Lake Okeechobee. The report card could be used by managers, policy makers, scientists and the public to effectively evaluate and distill information about the ecological status in South Florida. Our assessment of the areal distribution of SAV in Lake Okeechobee is based on a combination of empirical SAV monitoring and output from a SAV habitat suitability model. Bulrush status in the lake is related to a suitability index linked to adult survival and seedling establishment metrics. Overall, presentation of these performance metrics in a stoplight format enables an evaluation of how the status of two major components of Lake Okeechobee relates to the South Florida restoration program, and how the status of the lake influences restoration efforts in South Florida.

Pilot study: Intranet communication among chronically ill hospitalized pediatric individuals

Hospitalization can be a very stressful experience, especially for children. With the use of technology, Intranet communication can be successful in obtaining interaction that these individuals lack to accomplish a positive adjustment to the hospital setting. The purpose of this exploratory, pilot project is to examine the use of networking chronically ill, hospitalized children with other hospitalized chronically ill children through Intranet communication.^ A target population of chronically ill hospitalized children, in at least Piaget's concrete operational stage, was asked to use the Intranet system to network with other chronically ill hospitalized children during their hospital stay, for one month or until discharge. The length of time of usage was recorded on a log sheet, and questionnaires were filled out at the end of the study.^ Statistical analysis was utilized to determine frequency of network usage, duration, demographics, and the impact on hospitalization. Results indicated that Intranet communication between chronically ill hospitalized children was utilized by the participants from 7-15 age groups; and had a positive impact on their hospitalization. ^

System design and resource management in the next-generation integrated WLAN and 3G cellular networks

Next-generation integrated wireless local area network (WLAN) and 3G cellular networks aim to take advantage of the roaming ability in a cellular network and the high data rate services of a WLAN. To ensure successful implementation of an integrated network, many issues must be carefully addressed, including network architecture design, resource management, quality-of-service (QoS), call admission control (CAC) and mobility management. ^ This dissertation focuses on QoS provisioning, CAC, and the network architecture design in the integration of WLANs and cellular networks. First, a new scheduling algorithm and a call admission control mechanism in IEEE 802.11 WLAN are presented to support multimedia services with QoS provisioning. The proposed scheduling algorithms make use of the idle system time to reduce the average packet loss of realtime (RT) services. The admission control mechanism provides long-term transmission quality for both RT and NRT services by ensuring the packet loss ratio for RT services and the throughput for non-real-time (NRT) services. ^ A joint CAC scheme is proposed to efficiently balance traffic load in the integrated environment. A channel searching and replacement algorithm (CSR) is developed to relieve traffic congestion in the cellular network by using idle channels in the WLAN. The CSR is optimized to minimize the system cost in terms of the blocking probability in the interworking environment. Specifically, it is proved that there exists an optimal admission probability for passive handoffs that minimizes the total system cost. Also, a method of searching the probability is designed based on linear-programming techniques. ^ Finally, a new integration architecture, Hybrid Coupling with Radio Access System (HCRAS), is proposed for lowering the average cost of intersystem communication (IC) and the vertical handoff latency. An analytical model is presented to evaluate the system performance of the HCRAS in terms of the intersystem communication cost function and the handoff cost function. Based on this model, an algorithm is designed to determine the optimal route for each intersystem communication. Additionally, a fast handoff algorithm is developed to reduce the vertical handoff latency.^

Physical dynamic simulation of shipboard power system components in a distributed computational environment

Shipboard power systems have different characteristics than the utility power systems. In the Shipboard power system it is crucial that the systems and equipment work at their peak performance levels. One of the most demanding aspects for simulations of the Shipboard Power Systems is to connect the device under test to a real-time simulated dynamic equivalent and in an environment with actual hardware in the Loop (HIL). The real time simulations can be achieved by using multi-distributed modeling concept, in which the global system model is distributed over several processors through a communication link. The advantage of this approach is that it permits the gradual change from pure simulation to actual application. In order to perform system studies in such an environment physical phase variable models of different components of the shipboard power system were developed using operational parameters obtained from finite element (FE) analysis. These models were developed for two types of studies low and high frequency studies. Low frequency studies are used to examine the shipboard power systems behavior under load switching, and faults. High-frequency studies were used to predict abnormal conditions due to overvoltage, and components harmonic behavior. Different experiments were conducted to validate the developed models. The Simulation and experiment results show excellent agreement. The shipboard power systems components behavior under internal faults was investigated using FE analysis. This developed technique is very curial in the Shipboard power systems faults detection due to the lack of comprehensive fault test databases. A wavelet based methodology for feature extraction of the shipboard power systems current signals was developed for harmonic and fault diagnosis studies. This modeling methodology can be utilized to evaluate and predicate the NPS components future behavior in the design stage which will reduce the development cycles, cut overall cost, prevent failures, and test each subsystem exhaustively before integrating it into the system.

Traffic congestion control in communication networks

Next generation networks are characterized by ever increasing complexity, intelligence, heterogeneous technologies and increasing user expectations. Telecommunication networks in particular have become truly global, consisting of a variety of national and regional networks, both wired and wireless. Consequently, the management of telecommunication networks is becoming increasingly complex. In addition, network security and reliability requirements require additional overheads which increase the size of the data records. This in turn causes acute network traffic congestions. There is no single network management methodology to control the various requirements of today's networks, and provides a good level of Quality of Service (QoS), and network security. Therefore, an integrated approach is needed in which a combination of methodologies can provide solutions and answers to network events (which cause severe congestions and compromise the quality of service and security). The proposed solution focused on a systematic approach to design a network management system based upon the recent advances in the mobile agent technologies. This solution has provided a new traffic management system for telecommunication networks that is capable of (1) reducing the network traffic load (thus reducing traffic congestion), (2) overcoming existing network latency, (3) adapting dynamically to the traffic load of the system, (4) operating in heterogeneous environments with improved security, and (5) having robust and fault tolerance behavior. This solution has solved several key challenges in the development of network management for telecommunication networks using mobile agents. We have designed several types of agents, whose interactions will allow performing some complex management actions, and integrating them. Our solution is decentralized to eliminate excessive bandwidth usage and at the same time has extended the capabilities of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Our solution is fully compatible with the existing standards.

Neuroendocrine control of a dynamic communication signal

Multiple physiological systems regulate the electric communication signal of the weakly electric gymnotiform fish, Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus. Fish were injected with neuroendocrine probes which identified pharmacologically relevant serotonin (5-HT) receptors similar to the mammalian 5-HT1AR and 5-HT2AR. Peptide hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis also augment the electric waveform. These results indicate that the central serotonergic system interacts with the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal system to regulate communication signals in this species. The same neuroendocrine probes were tested in females before and after introducing androgens to examine the relationship between sex steroid hormones, the serotonergic system, melanocortin peptides, and EOD modulations. Androgens caused an increase in female B. pinnicaudatus responsiveness to other pharmacological challenges, particularly to the melanocortin peptide adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). A forced social challenge paradigm was administered to determine if androgens are responsible for controlling the signal modulations these fish exhibit when they encounter conspecifics. Males and females responded similarly to this social challenge construct, however introducing androgens caused implanted females to produce more exaggerated responses. These results confirm that androgens enhance an individual's capacity to produce an exaggerated response to challenge, however another unidentified factor appears to regulate sex-specific behaviors in this species. These results suggest that the rapid electric waveform modulations B. pinnicaudatus produces in response to conspecifics are situation-specific and controlled by activation of different serotonin receptor types and the subsequent effect on release of pituitary hormones.

An approach for design and analysis of User-centric Communication Middleware

Today, the development of domain-specific communication applications is both time-consuming and error-prone because the low-level communication services provided by the existing systems and networks are primitive and often heterogeneous. Multimedia communication applications are typically built on top of low-level network abstractions such as TCP/UDP socket, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) APIs. The User-centric Communication Middleware (UCM) is proposed to encapsulate the networking complexity and heterogeneity of basic multimedia and multi-party communication for upper-layer communication applications. And UCM provides a unified user-centric communication service to diverse communication applications ranging from a simple phone call and video conferencing to specialized communication applications like disaster management and telemedicine. It makes it easier to the development of domain-specific communication applications. The UCM abstraction and API is proposed to achieve these goals. The dissertation also tries to integrate the formal method into UCM development process. The formal model is created for UCM using SAM methodology. Some design errors are found during model creation because the formal method forces to give the precise description of UCM. By using the SAM tool, formal UCM model is translated to Promela formula model. In the dissertation, some system properties are defined as temporal logic formulas. These temporal logic formulas are manually translated to promela formulas which are individually integrated with promela formula model of UCM and verified using SPIN tool. Formal analysis used here helps verify the system properties (for example multiparty multimedia protocol) and dig out the bugs of systems.

Endocrine regulation of dynamic communication signals in gymnotiform fish

Communication signals are shaped by the opposing selection pressures imposed by predators and mates. A dynamic signal might serve as an adaptive compromise between an inconspicuous signal that evades predators and an extravagant signal preferred by females. Such a signal has been described in the gymnotiform electric fish, Brachyhypopomus gauderio, which produces a sexually dimorphic electric organ discharge (EOD). The EOD varies on a circadian rhythm and in response to social cues. This signal plasticity is mediated by the slow action of androgens and rapid action of melanocortins. My dissertation research tested the hypotheses that (1) signal plasticity is related to sociality levels in gymnotiform species, and (2) differences in signal plasticity are regulated by differential sensitivity to androgen and melanocortin hormones. To assess the breadth of dynamic signaling within the order Gymnotiformes, I sampled 13 species from the five gymnotiform families. I recorded EODs to observe spontaneous signal oscillations after which I injected melanocortin hormones, saline control, or presented the fish with a conspecific. I showed that through the co-option of the ancient melanocortin pathway, gymnotiforms dynamically regulate EOD amplitude, spectral frequency, both, or neither. To investigate whether observed EOD plasticities are related to species-specific sociality I tested four species; two territorial, highly aggressive species, Gymnotus carapo and Apteronotus leptorhynchus, a highly gregarious species, Eigenmannia cf. virescens , and an intermediate short-lived species with a fluid social system, Brachyhypopomus gauderio. I examined the relationship between the androgens testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone, the melanocortin α-MSH, and their roles in regulating EOD waveform. I implanted all fish with androgen and blank silicone implants, and injected with α-MSH before and at the peak of implant effect. I found that waveforms of the most territorial and aggressive species were insensitive to hormone treatments; maintaining a static, stereotyped signal that preserves encoding of individual identity. Species with a fluid social system were most responsive to hormone treatments, exhibiting signals that reflect immediate condition and reproductive state. In conclusion, variation in gymnotiform signal plasticity is hormonally regulated and seems to reflect species-specific sociality.

Quality of experience evaluation of voice communication: an affect-based approach

Voice communication systems such as Voice-over IP (VoIP), Public Switched Telephone Networks, and Mobile Telephone Networks, are an integral means of human tele-interaction. These systems pose distinctive challenges due to their unique characteristics such as low volume, burstiness and stringent delay/loss requirements across heterogeneous underlying network technologies. Effective quality evaluation methodologies are important for system development and refinement, particularly by adopting user feedback based measurement. Presently, most of the evaluation models are system-centric (Quality of Service or QoS-based), which questioned us to explore a user-centric (Quality of Experience or QoE-based) approach as a step towards the human-centric paradigm of system design. We research an affect-based QoE evaluation framework which attempts to capture users' perception while they are engaged in voice communication. Our modular approach consists of feature extraction from multiple information sources including various affective cues and different classification procedures such as Support Vector Machines (SVM) and k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN). The experimental study is illustrated in depth with detailed analysis of results. The evidences collected provide the potential feasibility of our approach for QoE evaluation and suggest the consideration of human affective attributes in modeling user experience.

Integrated construction project delivery system in the U.S. public sector: An information modeling framework

Integrated project delivery (IPD) method has recently emerged as an alternative to traditional delivery methods. It has the potential to overcome inefficiencies of traditional delivery methods by enhancing collaboration among project participants. Information and communication technology (ICT) facilitates IPD by effective management, processing and communication of information within and among organizations. While the benefits of IPD, and the role of ICT in realizing them, have been generally acknowledged, the US public construction sector is very slow in adopting IPD. The reasons are - lack of experience and inadequate understanding of IPD in public owner as confirmed by the results of the questionnaire survey conducted under this research study. The public construction sector should be aware of the value of IPD and should know the essentials for effective implementation of IPD principles - especially, they should be cognizant of the opportunities offered by advancements in ICT to realize this.^ In order to address the need an IPD Readiness Assessment Model (IPD-RAM) was developed in this research study. The model was designed with a goal to determine IPD readiness of a public owner organization considering selected IPD principles, and ICT levels, at which project functions were carried out. Subsequent analysis led to identification of possible improvements in ICTs that have the potential to increase IPD readiness scores. Termed as the gap identification, this process was used to formulate improvement strategies. The model had been applied to six Florida International University (FIU) construction projects (case studies). The results showed that the IPD readiness of the organization was considerably low and several project functions can be improved by using higher and/or advanced level ICT tools and methods. Feedbacks from a focus group comprised of FIU officials and an independent group of experts had been received at various stages of this research and had been utilized during development and implementation of the model. Focus group input was also helpful for validation of the model and its results. It was hoped that the model developed would be useful to construction owner organizations in order to assess their IPD readiness and to identify appropriate ICT improvement strategies.^

The Prison System and the Media: How “Orange Is The New Black” Engages with the Prison as a Normalizing Agent

The purpose of this project is to ascertain the ways in which Orange is the New Black uses its platform to either complicate or reify narratives about the prison system, prisoners and their relationship to the state. This research uses the works of Giorgio Agamben, Colin Dayan, Michelle Alexander and Lisa Guenther to situate the ways the state uses the prison and social narratives about the prison to extend its control on certain populations beyond prison walls through police presence, parole, the war on drugs and prison fees. From that basis, this work argues that while Orange does challenge some narratives about race and sexuality, because of its reliance on “bad choices” as a humanizing trope and its reliance on certain racialized stereotypes for entertainment, the show ultimately does more to reify existing narratives that support state interests.