Empirical evaluation of public transport travel time variability

Although transit travel time variability is essential for understanding the deterioration of reliability, optimising transit schedule and route choice; it has not attracted enough attention from the literature. This paper proposes public transport-oriented definitions of travel time variability and explores the distributions of public transport travel time using the Transit Signal Priority data. First, definitions of public transport travel time variability are established by extending the common definitions of variability in the literature and by using route and services data of public transport vehicles. Second, the paper explores the distribution of public transport travel time. A new approach for analysing the distributions involving all transit vehicles as well as vehicles from a specific route is proposed. The Lognormal distribution is revealed as the descriptors for public transport travel time from the same route and service. The methods described in this study could be of interest for both traffic managers and transit operators for planning and managing the transit systems.

Regulating virtual worlds : considering participant-driven approaches

There are a number of pressing issues facing contemporary online environments that are causing disputes among participants and platform operators and increasing the likelihood of external regulation. A number of solutions have been proposed, including industry self-governance, top-down regulation and emergent self-governance such as EVE Online’s “Council of Stellar Management”. However, none of these solutions seem entirely satisfying; facing challenges from developers who fear regulators will not understand their platforms, or players who feel they are not sufficiently empowered to influence the platform, while many authors have raised concerns over the implementation of top-down regulation, and why the industry may be well-served to pre-empt such action. This paper considers case studies of EVE Online and the offshore gambling industry, and whether a version of self-governance may be suitable for the future of the industry.

Governance challenges in the global games industry

Current governance challenges facing the global games industry are heavily dominated by online games. Whilst much academic and industry attention has been afforded to Virtual Worlds, the more pressing contemporary challenges may arise in casual games, especially when found on social networks. As authorities are faced with an increasing volume of disputes between participants and platform operators, the likelihood of external regulation increases, and the role that such regulation would have on the industry – both internationally and within specific regions – is unclear. Kelly (2010) argues that “when you strip away the graphics of these [social] games, what you are left with is simply a button [...] You push it and then the game returns a value of either Win or Lose”. He notes that while “every game developer wants their game to be played, preferably addictively, because it’s so awesome”, these mechanics lead not to “addiction of engagement through awesomeness” but “the addiction of compulsiveness”, surmising that “the reality is that they’ve actually sort-of kind-of half-intentionally built a virtual slot machine industry”. If such core elements of social game design are questioned, this gives cause to question the real-money options to circumvent them. With players able to purchase virtual currency and speed the completion of tasks, the money invested by the 20% purchasing in-game benefits (Zainwinger, 2012) may well be the result of compulsion. The decision by the Japanese Consumer Affairs agency to investigate the ‘Kompu Gacha’ mechanic (in which players are rewarded for completing a set of items obtained through purchasing virtual goods such as mystery boxes), and the resultant verdict that such mechanics should be regulated through gambling legislation, demonstrates that politicians are beginning to look at the mechanics deployed in these environments. Purewal (2012) states that “there’s a reasonable argument that complete gacha would be regulated under gambling law under at least some (if not most) Western jurisdictions”. This paper explores the governance challenged within these games and platforms, their role in the global industry, and current practice amongst developers in the Australian and United States to address such challenges.

Applying POVM to model non-orthogonality in quantum cognition

Much of the work currently occurring in the field of Quantum Interaction (QI) relies upon Projective Measurement. This is perhaps not optimal, cognitive states are not nearly as well behaved as standard quantum mechanical systems; they exhibit violations of repeatability, and the operators that we use to describe measurements do not appear to be naturally orthogonal in cognitive systems. Here we attempt to map the formalism of Positive Operator Valued Measure (POVM) theory into the domain of semantic memory, showing how it might be used to construct Bell-type inequalities.

Characterisation of humidity dependence of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensor array using Partial Least Squares (PLS)

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors are a class of chemical sensor that have potential for being a practical core sensor module for an electronic nose system in various environmental monitoring applications. However, the responses of these sensors may be affected by changes in humidity and this must be taken into consideration when developing calibration models. This paper characterises the humidity dependence of a sensor array which consists of 12 MOS sensors. The results were used to develop calibration models using partial least squares. Effects of humidity on the response of the sensor array and predictive ability of partial least squares are discussed. It is shown that partial least squares can provide proper calibration models to compensate for effects caused by changes in humidity.

Characterisation of humidity dependence of a metal oxide semiconductor sensor array using partial least squares

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors are a class of chemical sensors that have potential for being a practical core sensor module for an electronic nose system in various environmental monitoring applications. However, the responses of these sensors may be affected by changes in humidity and this must be taken into consideration when developing calibration models. This paper characterises the humidity dependence of a sensor array which consists of 12 MOS sensors. The results were used to develop calibration models using partial least squares (PLS). Effects of humidity on the response of the sensor array and predictive ability of partial least squares are discussed. It is shown that partial least squares can provide proper calibration models to compensate for effects caused by changes in humidity. Special Issue: Selected Paper from the 12th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Noses - ISOEN 2007, International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Noses.

Implementation of an electronic nose for continuous odour monitoring in a poultry shed

Continuous odour monitoring technologies are necessary to understand the complex odour-generating mechanisms within poultry housing as well as to identify strategies to reduce the impact of odour emissions on local communities. To evaluate electronic nose (EN) technologies for continuously assessing odour concentration in poultry housing, a mobile laboratory containing an electronic nose and an associated sample delivery system was deployed to a commercial poultry farm and tested over a broiler production cycle. The results demonstrated that it was possible to develop a model to allow an electronic nose to provide a semi-continuous measurement of odour concentrations. The electronic nose was also able to demonstrate the influence of shed conditions on odour emissions.

A generic design environment for the rural industry knowledge acquisition

This paper describes a new knowledge acquisition method using a generic design environment where context-sensitive knowledge is used to build specific DSS for rural business. Although standard knowledge acquisition methods have been applied in rural business applications, uptake remains low and familiar weaknesses such as obsolescence and brittleness apply. We describe a decision support system (DSS) building environment where contextual factors relevant to the end users are directly taken into consideration. This "end user enabled design environment" (EUEDE) engages both domain experts in creating an expert knowledge base and business operators/end users (such as farmers) in using this knowledge for building their specific DSS. We document the knowledge organisation for the problem domain, namely a dairy industry application. This development involved a case-study research approach used to explore dairy operational knowledge. In this system end users can tailor their decision-making requirements using their own judgement to build specific DSSs. In a specific end user's farming context, each specific DSS provides expert suggestions to assist farmers in improving their farming practice. The paper also shows the environment's generic capability.

Detecting the attributes of a wheat crop using digital imagery acquired from a low-altitude platform

A low-altitude platform utilising a 1.8-m diameter tethered helium balloon was used to position a multispectral sensor, consisting of two digital cameras, above a fertiliser trial plot where wheat (Triticum spp.) was being grown. Located in Cecil Plains, Queensland, Australia, the plot was a long-term fertiliser trial being conducted by a fertiliser company to monitor the response of crops to various levels of nutrition. The different levels of nutrition were achieved by varying nitrogen application rates between 0 and 120 units of N at 40 unit increments. Each plot had received the same application rate for 10 years. Colour and near-infrared images were acquired that captured the whole 2 ha plot. These images were examined and relationships sought between the captured digital information and the crop parameters imaged at anthesis and the at-harvest quality and quantity parameters. The statistical analysis techniques used were correlation analysis, discriminant analysis and partial least squares regression. A high correlation was found between the image and yield (R2 = 0.91) and a moderate correlation between the image and grain protein content (R2 = 0.66). The utility of the system could be extended by choosing a more mobile platform. This would increase the potential for the system to be used to diagnose the causes of the variability and allow remediation, and/or to segregate the crop at harvest to meet certain quality parameters.

Spinorial relativistic rotator: The transformation from quasi-Newtonian to Minkowski coordinates

There exists a remarkably close relationship between the operator algebra of the Dirac equation and the corresponding operators of the spinorial relativistic rotator (an indecomposable object lying on a mass-spin Regge trajectory). The analog of the Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation (more generally, the transformation between quasi-Newtonian and Minkowski coordinates) is constructed and explicit results are discussed for the spin and position operators. Zitterbewegung is shown to exist for a system having only positive energies.

Diakoniatyön paikka ihmisten arjessa

This study examines the diaconia work of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church from the standpoint of clients. The role of diaconia work has grown since the early 1990s recession, and since it established itself as one of the actors along with other social organizations. Previous studies have described the changing role of diaconal work, especially from the standpoint of diaconia workers and co-operators. This research goes back to examine, beyond the activities of the diaconia work of everyday practices, its relations of ruling which are determining practices. The theoretical and methodological framework rises from the thinking of Dorothy E. Smith, the creator of institutional ethnography. Its origins are in feminism, Marxism, phenomenology, etnomethodology, and symbolic interactionism. However, it does not represent any school. Unlike the objectivity-based traditional sociology, institutional ethnography has its starting point in everyday life, and people s subjective experience of it. Everyday life is just a starting point, and is used to examine everyday life s experiences of hidden relations of ruling, linking people and organizations. The level of generalization is just on the relations of ruling. The research task is to examine those meanings of diaconia work which are embedded in its clients experiences. The research task is investigated with two questions: how diaconia work among its clients takes shape and what kinds of relations of ruling exist in diaconia work. The meanings of diaconia work come through an examination of the relations of ruling, which create new forms of diaconal work compared with previous studies. For the study, two kinds of data were collected: a questionnaire and ethnographic fieldwork. The first data set was collected from diaconal workers using the questionnaire. It gives background information of the diaconia work process from the standpoint of the clients. In the ethnographic study there were two phases. The first ethnographic material was collected from one local parish by observing, interviewing clients and diaconal workers and gathering documents. The number of observations was 36 customer appointments, and 29 interviews. The second ethnographic material was included as a part of the analysis, in which ruling relations in people s experiences were collected from the transcribed data. Close reading and narrative analysis are used as analysing methods. The analysis has three phases. First, the experiences are identified with close reading; the following step is to select some of the institutional processes that are shaping those experiences and are relevant for the research. At the third stage, those processes are investigated in order to describe analytically how they determine people s experience. The analysis produces another narrative about diaconia work, which provides tools for examining the diaconal work from a new perspective. Through the analysis it is possible to see diaconia as an exchange ratio, in which the exchange takes place between a client and a diaconia worker, but also more broadly with other actors, such as social workers, shop clerks, or with other parishioners. The exchange ratio is examined from the perspective of power which is embedded in the client s experiences. The analysis reveals that the most important relations of ruling are humiliation and randomness in the exchange ratio of diaconia work; valuating spirituality above the bodily being; and replacing official social work. The results give a map about the relations of ruling of diaconia work which gives tools to look at diaconia work s meanings to the clients. The hidden element of humiliation in the exchange ratio breaks the current picture of diaconia work. The ethos of the holistic encounters and empathic practices are shown to be of another kind when spirituality is preferred to the bodily being. Nevertheless, diaconia appears to be a place for a respectful encounter, especially in situations where the public sector s actors are retreating on liability or clients are in a life crisis. The collapse of the welfare state structures imposes on diaconia work tasks that have not previously belonged to it. At the local level, clients receive partners from diaconia workers in order to advocate them in the welfare system. Actions to influence the wider societal structures are not reached because of lacking resources. An awareness of the oppressive practices of diaconia work and their critical reviewing are the keys to the development of diaconia work, since there are such practices even in holistic and respectful diaconia work. While the research raises new information for the development of diaconia work, it also opens up new aspects for developing other kinds of social work by emphasizing the importance of taking people s experiences seriously. Keywords: diaconia work, institutional ethnography, Dorothy E. Smith, experience, customer, relations of ruling.

Wigner distribution for angle coordinates in quantum mechanics

The method of Wigner distribution functions, and the Weyl correspondence between quantum and classical variables, are extended from the usual kind of canonically conjugate position and momentum operators to the case of an angle and angular momentum operator pair. The sense in which one has a description of quantum mechanics using classical phase‐space language is much clarified by this extension.

Squeezed vacuum as an eigenstate of two-photon annihilation operator

We introduce the inverse annihilation and creation operators a-1 and a(dagger-1) by their actions on the number states. We show that the squeezed vacuum exp(1/2xia(dagger2)]\0] and squeezed first number state exp[1.2xia(dagger2)]\n = 1] are respectively the eigenstates of the operators (a(dagger-1)a) and (aa(dagger-1)) with the eigenvalue xi.

Mixed norm estimates for the Riesz transforms on the Heisenberg group

In this paper we prove weighted mixed norm estimates for Riesz transforms on the Heisenberg group and Riesz transforms associated to the special Hermite operator. From these results vector-valued inequalities for sequences of Riesz transforms associated to generalised Grushin operators and Laguerre operators are deduced.

Integrals of motion for one-dimensional Anderson localized systems

Anderson localization is known to be inevitable in one-dimension for generic disordered models. Since localization leads to Poissonian energy level statistics, we ask if localized systems possess `additional' integrals of motion as well, so as to enhance the analogy with quantum integrable systems. We answer this in the affirmative in the present work. We construct a set of nontrivial integrals of motion for Anderson localized models, in terms of the original creation and annihilation operators. These are found as a power series in the hopping parameter. The recently found Type-1 Hamiltonians, which are known to be quantum integrable in a precise sense, motivate our construction. We note that these models can be viewed as disordered electron models with infinite-range hopping, where a similar series truncates at the linear order. We show that despite the infinite range hopping, all states but one are localized. We also study the conservation laws for the disorder free Aubry-Andre model, where the states are either localized or extended, depending on the strength of a coupling constant. We formulate a specific procedure for averaging over disorder, in order to examine the convergence of the power series. Using this procedure in the Aubry-Andre model, we show that integrals of motion given by our construction are well-defined in localized phase, but not so in the extended phase. Finally, we also obtain the integrals of motion for a model with interactions to lowest order in the interaction.