International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 21, 2002 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / The ISM bands have opened up new opportunities for telemetry using spread-spectrum communications. A low-cost frequency-hopping radio is described here for the 900 MHz ISM band that can be programmed with a wide range of hop and data rates. The ‘C6201 DSP from TI is used to control the frequency and data rate of the TI TRF6900 transceiver chip using a custom interface of the 6201 EVM board to the serial I/O on the 6900 evaluation board.

This paper will present the hardware system design, development, and plan for implementation of a wireless transceiver for The Learning Labs 5000 (TLL5000) educational platform. The project is a collaborative effort by Vanessa Canac, Atif Habib, and Jason Perkey to design and implement a complete wireless system including physical hardware, physical layer (PHY-layer) modulation and filters, error correction, drivers and user-interface software. While there are a number of features available on the TLL5000 for a wide variety of applications, there is currently no system in place for transmitting data wirelessly from one circuit board to another. The system proposed in this report is comprised of an external transceiver that communicates with a software application running on the TLL-SILC 6219 ARM9 processor that is interfaced with the TLL5000 baseboard. The details of a reference design, the hardware from the GNU Radio project, are discussed as a baseline and source of information. The state of the project and hardware design is presented as well as the specific portions of the project to which Jason Perkey made significant contributions. / text

Defined Benefit (DB) state pension trust funds are an integral component of state finances and play a major role in the country’s labor and capital markets. The last decade though has seen a substantial growth in unfunded pension obligations and a seeming inability by states to make the contributions needed to cover funding shortfalls. When coupled with even larger unfunded retirement health benefits, the looming threat of insolvent state retirement systems pose both current and long-term fiscal challenges to state governments already struggling with the ongoing economic downturn and billions of dollars in budget deficits. The convergence of these factors have led states to undertake various reform strategies in an attempt to move their respective public pension plans towards a more sustainable funding path. Using an asset-liability framework to describe the DB plan funding structure and process, this dissertation advances the discussion over major pension reform efforts currently implemented or considered by states. I show analytically the link between various pension reform categories and specific DB plan funding components, and how this in turn, affects DB plan funding outcomes. From this analytical framework, I derive the study’s hypotheses on the relationship between DB plan reform-linked funding components and outcomes of interest. This study looks at three DB-plan reform-linked funding components: (1) plan member employee contributions, (2) plan employer contributions, and (3) retirement benefit payments. Four major funding outcomes are evaluated: (1) the employer contribution rate, (2) flow funding ratio, and (3) stock funding ratio, and (4) relative size of plan unfunded liability. Utilizing a unique panel dataset of 100 DB state retirement systems from 50 states covering a nine-year period of FY 2002 to 2010, I empirically test the following hypothesized funding relationships: (1) States as DB plan sponsors have underfunded their plans as indicated by their failure to meet annual employer funding requirements; and (2) Increasing the employee and employer contribution rate and reducing the cost of retirement benefits are associated with higher plan stock funding ratios and lower unfunded pension liabilities. Results from my fixed-effects (FE) panel regression analyses provide the clearest empirical evidence to date that state DB pension plan sponsors underfunded their required annual employer contributions. The financial condition of a state’s budget is also shown to have a significant effect on the amount states are able to contribute into their pension funds. I find empirical support for the crucial function of employer contributions in determining the overall funded status of state pension plans. This finding is further reinforced when I estimate plan stock funding ratios using a dynamic system GMM (sGMM) panel regression model. The results from static FE and dynamic sGMM models suggest no significant effect on overall plan funding levels from changes in the employee contribution rate or the average retirement benefit cost. Lastly, the results lend evidence to the significant influence of past funding levels on current funding levels. It is recommended that future empirical research account for the dynamic nature of public pension funding and related endogeneity issues. This dissertation concludes by discussing the implications of the empirical findings for policy makers seeking to improve the funded status of their respective state DB retirement systems.

Cellular radio communication involves wireless transmission and reception of signals at radio frequencies (RF). Base stations house equipment critical to the transmission and reception of signals. Power amplifier (PA) is a crucial element in base station assembly. PAs are expensive, take up space and dissipate heat. Of all the elements in the base station, it is difficult to design and operate a power amplifier. New designs of power amplifiers are constantly tested. One of the most important components required to perform this test successfully is a circuit simulator model of an entire communication system that generates a standard test signal. Standard test signals 524,288 data points in length require 1080 hours to complete one test of a PA model. In order to reduce the time taken to complete one test, a 'simulated test signal,' was generated. The objective of this study is to develop an algorithm to generate this 'simulated' test signal such that its characteristics match that of the 'standard' test signal.

This research aims to investigate how particles assemble together through thermodynamic and kinetic control. Particle assembly with thermodynamic control is achieved in part due to electrostatic attraction between particles. Electrostatic attraction between particles can be achieved by functionalizing polystyrene or SiO2 particles with different charges. Particles with different charges will come together in solution slowly and self-assemble to form ordered crystals with different patterns based on size and charge ratios of two oppositely charged particles. Kinetic control of particle assembly is achieved by pattern aided exponential amplification of nanoscale structures. Some of these nanoscale structures are difficult to build with other conventional synthetic methods. On the other hand, as for kinetically controlled particle replication, the patterns can be synthesized by one of two ways i) crystal products which are produced by thermodynamically controlled particle assembly or ii) single particle deposition. Specifically, kinetically controlled particle assembly focuses on constructing SiO2 particles. Exponential replication of SiO2 particles is achieved by growing a "bridge layer", between templates of SiO2 particles and next generation SiO2 replicas. By dissolving the bridge layer, two times the amount of the SiO2 particles with the shape of the original templates can be formed. In the next generation, all the particles serve as template particles. Thus, after n cycles of replication, 2n amount of products can be formed. If successful, particle assembly can be thermodynamic controlled and particle exponential replication can be kinetical controlled, which will enable new ways to build particles with well-defined shapes from readily available building blocks.

This thesis is an inquiry that documents, identifies and assesses the effectiveness, circumstances, and potential resources related to addressing the gap between social needs and higher education as stated in the National Development Strategy 2011-2016. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the response of the students on the collaborative, human-centered, result-oriented aspects of design thinking while addressing the eating experience topic, an articulated theme from the wicked problem of obesity. The eating experience theme provided students from design, business and engineering majors a contextualized topic to test design thinking in a series of workshops conducted in three different universities. Quantitative research methods were used to test the students’ feedback on design thinking, map their reactions during the process and rate the workshops. The later served as a recruitment channel to bring interested students from design, business and engineering majors in a last workshop. Participants develop one of the previously generated seed concepts and reflect on the multi-disciplinary experience. Results have shown that students successfully articulated the method, focused on the user-needs, collaborated with each other and generated tangible seed concepts to address the social topic. The interior design students assessed the method with an average rating. They were the least comfortable with the ambiguity level of the topic and with the user-centered approach of design thinking. Whereas the engineering and business students rated the method with high scores and were comfortable in the workshops. Furthermore, 22% of the students involved in the study were interested to enroll in the last multi-disciplinary workshop yet 5% participated due to their workload and the lack of incentives. In conclusion, the inquiry engaged students in a transformative academic experience that impacted their cognitive and ethical capacity. It also revealed new opportunities that can bridge the gap between higher education and social needs.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background Antibiotic resistance is a phenomenon that occurs naturally and is accelerated by use. There have been no studies looking at trends in antibiotic consumption in the public health sector in Namibia, which provides services to 85% of the population. Aim This study described the pattern of antibiotic consumption in the Namibian public health sector based on distribution of antibiotics from Central Medical Stores (CMS) to the 13 regions in the country. Methodology Antibiotic consumption data from distribution records at the Central Medical Store (CMS), public health sector wholesaler, between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2016 was collated and analysed to describe trends and usage patterns in the public health sector of Namibia. For the purpose of this study DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID) was used as an indicator so as to be comparable with previously conducted studies. DIDs provide information about the proportion of the selected population using a particular medicine per day. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended anatomical therapeutic classification (ATC)/daily defined dose (DDD) methodology be used to analyse the data and evaluate the consumption. Data was presented using stacked bar charts to demonstrate the variation in consumption by ATC classes in each region and over time.

We have implemented a TDOA multilateration of transmitters on an unmodified rtl-sdr receiver using transmitters with known location as a timing reference. We present a brief theoretical background and describe the measurement process which includes several approaches that correct the timing and frequency errors between the receivers. Additionally, we have implemented an angle of arrival direction finder using coherent rtl-sdr.

Thesis advisor: Matthew S. Rutledge / In the past several decades, saving for retirement has significantly changed, with the large replacement of Defined Contribution for Defined Benefit plans, as well as the unreliability of Social Security given the aging population. This paper analyzes retirement wealth across three generational cohorts—Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Gen Xers (1965-1980), and Millennials (1981-2000)—in order to compare preparedness and determine whether or not younger cohorts have compensated for the future unreliability of other traditional retirement income sources. The results suggest that levels of retirement wealth do not significantly differ across cohorts at all age profiles. Therefore, younger generational cohorts have not increased the amount of personal saving in order to maintain their pre-retirement standards of living throughout retirement. These results indicate that a change in saving structure and policy may be necessary to ensure that younger cohorts retire out of poverty. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Arts and Sciences Honors Program. / Discipline: Economics.

Em um futuro próximo, “dispositivos inteligentes” serão massivamente empregados em campos de batalha. Essa já é uma realidade, porém, o número de dispositivos utilizados em campos de batalha tende a aumentar em ordens de magnitude. As redes de comunicação de dados serão essenciais para transmitir os dados que esses dispositivos coletam e transformá-los em informações valiosas utilizadas como suporte à atuação humana. O suporte à tomada de decisão, ou mesmo níveis de autonomia, permitindo que estes dispositivos coordenem outros dispositivos, exigem comunicação contínua. Desafios relacionados à comunicação surgirão devido à dinamicidade do ambiente. A configuração da rede deve refletir decisões superiores automaticamente. A grande escala das redes conectando os altos escalões, tropas, veículos e sensores, aliada à falta de padronização dos dispositivos, tornará a integração destes desafiadora. Em um ambiente tão heterogêneo, muitos protocolos e tecnologias coexistirão. As redes de campo de batalha são um elemento de suma importância nas operações militares modernas e conceito de guerra centrada em rede é uma tendência sem volta e influencia desde os altos escalões até o controle de tropas Embora estudos tenham sido realizados nessa área, a maioria deles aborda redes estratégicas de alto nível e portanto não levam em conta as “redes táticas de última milha” (TEN), que compreendem dispositivos de comunicação com recursos limitados, como sensores ou ainda pequenos veículos aéreos não tripulados. Em uma tentativa de preencher esta lacuna, esse trabalho propõe uma arquitetura que combina conceitos dos paradigmas de redes definidas por software (SDN) juntamente com redes tolerantes à atraso/disrupçoes (DTN), para aplicação em redes táticas de última milha. O uso de SDN em cenários com nodos móveis é avaliado considerando uma aplicação de vigilância que utiliza streaming de vídeo e medidas de Qualidade de Experiência (QoE) de usuário são coletadas. Com base nos resultados obtidos, uma aplicação em conjunto dos conceitos de SDN e DTN é proposta, além disso abordamos a escolha do nodo que atuará como controlador SDN na rede. Os experimentos foram executados utilizando um emulador de redes. Apesar de pesquisas adicionais serem necessárias – considerado requisitos de segurança, por exemplo – os resultados foram promissores e demonstram a aplicabilidade destes conceitos no cenários das TENs. / The future battlefield tends to be populated by a plethora of “intelligent things”. In some ways, this is already a reality, but in future battlefields, the number of deployed things should be orders of magnitude higher. Networked communication is essential to take real advantage of the deployed devices on the battlefield, and to transform the data collected by them into information valuable for the human warfighters. Support for human decision making and even a level of autonomy, allowing devices to coordinate and interact with each other to execute their activities in a collaborative way require continuous communication. Challenges regarding communication will arise from the high dynamics of the environment. The network adaption and management should occur autonomously, and it should reflect upper-level decisions. The large scale of the network connecting high-level echelons, troops on the field, and sensors of many types, beside the lack of communication standards turn the integration of the devices more challenging. In such a heterogeneous environment, many protocols and communication technologies coexist. This way, battlefield networks is an element of paramount importance in modern military operations Additionally, a change of paradigm regarding levels of autonomy and cooperation between humans and machines is in course and the concept of network-centric warfare is a no way back trend. Although new studies have been carried out in this area, most of these concern higher-level strategic networks, with abundant resources. Thus, these studies fail to take into account the “last-mile Tactical Edge Network (TEN) level,” which comprises resource constrained communication devices carried by troopers, sensor nodes deployed on the field or small unmanned aerial vehicles. In an attempt to fill this gap, this work proposes an architecture combining concepts from software-defined networking (SDN) paradigm and the delay-tolerant approach to support applications in the last-mile TEN. First, the use of SDN in dynamic scenarios regarding node positioning is evaluated through a surveillance application using video streaming and Quality of Experience (QoE) measures are captured on the video player. We also explore the election of nodes to act as SDN Controllers in the TEN environment. The experiments use emulator for SDN with support to wireless networks. Further investigation is required, for example, considering security requirements, however the results are promising and demonstrate the applicability of this architecture in the TEN network scenario.