Career adaptability development in adolescence: Multiple prdictors and effect on sense of power and life satisfaction

This longitudinal panel study investigated predictors of career adaptability development and its effect on development of sense of power and experience of life satisfaction among 330 Swiss eighth graders. A multivariate measure of career adaptability consisting of career choice readiness, planning, exploration, and confidence was applied. Based on Motivational Systems Theory four groups of predictors were assessed: positive emotional disposition, goal decidedness, capability beliefs and social context beliefs. Influence of gender, age, immigration background, parental educational level, and college-bound or vocational education plans were also assessed. Perceived social support and positive emotional disposition, non-immigration background, and continuing to vocational education were single significant predictors of more career adaptability development over the school year. Supporting the connection of career adaptability and positive youth development, increase in career adaptability over time predicted increase in sense of power and experience of life satisfaction.

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.

Fast and efficient user pairing and power allocation algorithm for non-orthogonal multiple access in cellular networks

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is emerging as a promising multiple access technology for the fifth generation cellular networks to address the fast growing mobile data traffic. It applies superposition coding in transmitters, allowing simultaneous allocation of the same frequency resource to multiple intra-cell users. Successive interference cancellation is used at the receivers to cancel intra-cell interference. User pairing and power allocation (UPPA) is a key design aspect of NOMA. Existing UPPA algorithms are mainly based on exhaustive search method with extensive computation complexity, which can severely affect the NOMA performance. A fast proportional fairness (PF) scheduling based UPPA algorithm is proposed to address the problem. The novel idea is to form user pairs around the users with the highest PF metrics with pre-configured fixed power allocation. Systemlevel simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is significantly faster (seven times faster for the scenario with 20 users) with a negligible throughput loss than the existing exhaustive search algorithm.

Simultaneous detection of multiple antigens with triple immunolabeling

Immunolabeling is commonly used to localize antigens within frozen or paraffin tissue sections. We modified existing immunolabeling techniques to allow the detection of three antigens simultaneously within the one tissue section. The approach relies on the use of three monoclonal antibodies in sequential immunoperoxidase staining steps, each with colored substrates, resulting in the deposition of black, brown, and rose stains. The method is rapid and does not require novel techniques or materials. In this report, we demonstrate the colocalization of mast cell tryptase, neurofilament protein, and CD31 (platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule) or laminin in normal human skin and normal buccal mucosa, as an illustration of the power and simplicity of the multiple antigen localization technique.

Computation of bifurcation boundaries for power systems: A new Delta-plane method

This paper is devoted to the problems of finding the load flow feasibility, saddle node, and Hopf bifurcation boundaries in the space of power system parameters. The first part contains a review of the existing relevant approaches including not-so-well-known contributions from Russia. The second part presents a new robust method for finding the power system load flow feasibility boundary on the plane defined by any three vectors of dependent variables (nodal voltages), called the Delta plane. The method exploits some quadratic and linear properties of the load now equations and state matrices written in rectangular coordinates. An advantage of the method is that it does not require an iterative solution of nonlinear equations (except the eigenvalue problem). In addition to benefits for visualization, the method is a useful tool for topological studies of power system multiple solution structures and stability domains. Although the power system application is developed, the method can be equally efficient for any quadratic algebraic problem.

Power of the joint segregation analysis method for testing mixed major-gene and polygene inheritance models of quantitative traits

Understanding the genetic architecture of quantitative traits can greatly assist the design of strategies for their manipulation in plant-breeding programs. For a number of traits, genetic variation can be the result of segregation of a few major genes and many polygenes (minor genes). The joint segregation analysis (JSA) is a maximum-likelihood approach for fitting segregation models through the simultaneous use of phenotypic information from multiple generations. Our objective in this paper was to use computer simulation to quantify the power of the JSA method for testing the mixed-inheritance model for quantitative traits when it was applied to the six basic generations: both parents (P-1 and P-2), F-1, F-2, and both backcross generations (B-1 and B-2) derived from crossing the F-1 to each parent. A total of 1968 genetic model-experiment scenarios were considered in the simulation study to quantify the power of the method. Factors that interacted to influence the power of the JSA method to correctly detect genetic models were: (1) whether there were one or two major genes in combination with polygenes, (2) the heritability of the major genes and polygenes, (3) the level of dispersion of the major genes and polygenes between the two parents, and (4) the number of individuals examined in each generation (population size). The greatest levels of power were observed for the genetic models defined with simple inheritance; e.g., the power was greater than 90% for the one major gene model, regardless of the population size and major-gene heritability. Lower levels of power were observed for the genetic models with complex inheritance (major genes and polygenes), low heritability, small population sizes and a large dispersion of favourable genes among the two parents; e.g., the power was less than 5% for the two major-gene model with a heritability value of 0.3 and population sizes of 100 individuals. The JSA methodology was then applied to a previously studied sorghum data-set to investigate the genetic control of the putative drought resistance-trait osmotic adjustment in three crosses. The previous study concluded that there were two major genes segregating for osmotic adjustment in the three crosses. Application of the JSA method resulted in a change in the proposed genetic model. The presence of the two major genes was confirmed with the addition of an unspecified number of polygenes.

Multi-Objective and Financial Portfolio Optimization of Carrier-Sense Multiple Access Protocols with Cooperative Diversity

8th International Workshop on Multiple Access Communications (MACOM2015), Helsinki, Finland.

Power Law Behavior and Self-similarity in Modern Industrial Accidents

Advances in technology have produced more and more intricate industrial systems, such as nuclear power plants, chemical centers and petroleum platforms. Such complex plants exhibit multiple interactions among smaller units and human operators, rising potentially disastrous failure, which can propagate across subsystem boundaries. This paper analyzes industrial accident data-series in the perspective of statistical physics and dynamical systems. Global data is collected from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) during the time period from year 1903 up to 2012. The statistical distributions of the number of fatalities caused by industrial accidents reveal Power Law (PL) behavior. We analyze the evolution of the PL parameters over time and observe a remarkable increment in the PL exponent during the last years. PL behavior allows prediction by extrapolation over a wide range of scales. In a complementary line of thought, we compare the data using appropriate indices and use different visualization techniques to correlate and to extract relationships among industrial accident events. This study contributes to better understand the complexity of modern industrial accidents and their ruling principles.

Linear amplification with multiple nonlinear devices

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e Computadores

Analysis of a controversial decision process: the case of the pumped hydro storage power plant Atdorf in Germany

Based on the report for the unit “Métodos Interactivos de Participação e Decisão A” (Interactive methods of participation and decision A), coordinated by Prof. Lia Maldonado Teles de Vasconcelos and Prof. Nuno Miguel Ribeiro Videira Costa. This unit was provided for the PhD Program in Technology Assessment in 2015/2016.

Multifunctional converter to interface renewable energy sources and electric vehicles with the power grid in smart grids context

This paper proposes a multifunctional converter to interface renewable energy sources (e.g., solar photovoltaic panels) and electric vehicles (EVs) with the power grid in smart grids context. This multifunctional converter allows deliver energy from the solar photovoltaic panels to an EV or to the power grid, and exchange energy in bidirectional mode between the EV and the power grid. Using this multifunctional converter are not required multiple conversion stages, as occurs with the traditional solutions, where are necessary two power converters to integrate the solar photovoltaic system in the power grid and also two power converters to integrate an off-board EV battery charger in the power grid (dc-dc and dc-ac power converters in both cases). Taking into account that the energy provided (or delivered) from the power grid in each moment is function of the EV operation mode and also of the energy produced from the solar photovoltaic system, it is possible to define operation strategies and control algorithms in order to increase the energy efficiency of the global system and to improve the power quality of the electrical system. The proposed multifunctional converter allows the operation in four distinct cases: (a) Transfer of energy from the solar photovoltaic system to the power grid; (b) Transfer of energy from the solar photovoltaic system and from the EV to the power grid; (c) Transfer of energy from the solar photovoltaic system to the EV or to the power grid; (d) Transfer of energy between the EV and the power grid. Along the paper are described the system architecture and the control algorithms, and are also presented some computational simulation results for the four aforementioned cases. It is also presented a comparative analysis between the traditional and the proposed solution in terms of operation efficiency and estimated cost of implementation.

Equilibrium Exchange Rate Determination and Multiple Structural Changes

The large appreciation and depreciation of the US dollar in the 1980s stimulated an important debate on the usefulness of unit root tests in the presence of structural breaks. In this paper, we propose a simple model to describe the evolution of the real exchange rate. We then propose a more general smooth transition (STR) function than has hitherto been employed, which is able to capture structural changes along the (long-run) equilibrium path, and show that this is consistent with our economic model. Our framework allows for a gradual adjustment between regimes and allows for under- and/or over-valued exchange rate adjustments. Using monthly and quarterly data for up to twenty OECD countries, we apply our methodology to investigate the univariate time series properties of CPI-based real exchange rates with both the U.S. dollar and German mark as the numeraire currencies. The empirical results show that, for more than half of the quarterly series, the evidence in favour of the stationarity of the real exchange rate was clearer in the sub-sample period post-1980.

Income stratification and the measurement of interdistributional inequality between multiple groups

This paper proposes a new class of stratification indices that measure interdistributional inequality between multiple groups. The class is based on a conceptualisation of stratification as a process that results in a hierarchical ordering of groups and therefore seeks to capture not only the extent to which groups form well-defined strata in the income distribution but also the scale of the resultant differences in income standards between them, where these two factors play the same role as identification and alienation respectively in the measurement of polarisation. The properties of the class as a whole are investigated as well as those of selected members of it: zeroth and first power indices may be interpreted as measuring the overall incidence and depth of stratification respectively, while higher power indices members are directly sensitive to the severity of stratification between groups. An illustrative application provides an empirical analysis of global income stratification by regions in 1993.