A resource allocation protocol is presented in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access （OFDMA） cognitive radio （CR） network with a hybrid model which combines overlay and underlay models. Without disrupti...A resource allocation protocol is presented in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access （OFDMA） cognitive radio （CR） network with a hybrid model which combines overlay and underlay models. Without disrupting the primary user （PU） transmissions, the overlay model allows the secondary user （SU） to utilize opportunistically the idle sub-channels; the underlay model allows the SU to occupy the same sub-channels with PU. The proposed protocols are designed for maximizing the quality of experience （QoE） of CR users and switching dynamically between the overlay and underlay models. QoE is measured by the mean opinion score （MOS） rather than simply fulfilling the physical and medium access control （MAC） layer requirements. The simulations considering the file transfer and video stream services show that the proposed resource allocation strategy is spectrum efficient.展开更多
It is well-known that classical quality measures,such as Mean Squared Error(MSE),Weighted Mean Squared Error(WMSE)or Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio(PSNR),are not always corresponding with visual observations.Structural si...It is well-known that classical quality measures,such as Mean Squared Error(MSE),Weighted Mean Squared Error(WMSE)or Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio(PSNR),are not always corresponding with visual observations.Structural similarity based image quality assessment was proposed under the assumption that the Human Visual System(HVS)is highly adapted for extracting structural information from an image.While the demand on high color quality increases in the media industry,color loss will make the visual quality different.In this paper,we proposed an improved quality assessment(QA)method by adding color comparison into the structural similarity(SSIM)measurement system for evaluating color image quality.Then we divided the task of similarity measurement into four comparisons:luminance,contrast,structure,and color.Experimental results show that the predicted quality scores of the proposed method are more effective and consistent with visual quality than the classical methods using five different distortion types of color image sets.展开更多
AIM： To evaluate the effectiveness of simethicone in enhancing visibility and efficacy during colonoscopy.METHODS： A prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted. One hundred and twe...AIM： To evaluate the effectiveness of simethicone in enhancing visibility and efficacy during colonoscopy.METHODS： A prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted. One hundred and twenty-four patients were allocated to receive 2 doses of sodium phosphate plus 240 mg of tablet simethicone or placebo as bowel preparation. Visibility was blindly assessed for the amount of air bubbles and adequacy of colon preparation. Total colonoscopic time, side effects of the medication, endoscopist and patient satisfaction were also compared.RESULTS： Sodium phosphate plus simethicone, compared to sodium phosphate plus placebo, improved visibility by diminishing air bubbles （100.00% vs 42.37%, P 〈 0.0002） but simethicone failed to demonstrate improvement in adequacy of colon preparation （90.16% vs 81.36%, P = 0.17）. Endoscopist and patient satisfaction were increased significantly in the simethicone group. However, there was no difference in the total duration of colonoscopy and side effects of the medication.CONCLUSION： The addition of simethicone is of benefit for colonoscopic bowel preparation by diminishing air bubbles, which results in enhanced visibility. Endoscopist and patient satisfaction is also increased.展开更多
The aggregation of fuzzy opinions is an important component of group decision analysis with fuzzy information. This paper proposes two new approaches for the assessment of the weights to be associated with fuzzy opini...The aggregation of fuzzy opinions is an important component of group decision analysis with fuzzy information. This paper proposes two new approaches for the assessment of the weights to be associated with fuzzy opinions. These approaches involve,respectively,the minimization of the sum of squared differences between the individual weighted fuzzy opinion and the weighted mean value of all fuzzy opinions,which is called the weighted minimum variance method (WMVM),and the minimax difference of any two adjacent individual weighted fuzzy opinions,which is called the mean value minimax differences method (MVMDM). The two approaches are developed and numerical examples are presented to illustrate their simplicity and effectiveness in aggregating fuzzy opinions.展开更多
An earlier baseline study （Jellason et al. in preparation） has identified some of the key challenges faced by farmers and from that, appropriate Good Agricultural Practices （GAPs） have been selected for the enviro...An earlier baseline study （Jellason et al. in preparation） has identified some of the key challenges faced by farmers and from that, appropriate Good Agricultural Practices （GAPs） have been selected for the environment the farmers find themselves in and based on a review of available literature. Farmer action plans for enhancing smallholder resilience, GHGs emission mitigation and food security for these dry lands were developed. Expert opinions on the applicability of the selected GAPs to inform farmer co-learning and to validate the suitability of these practices in a dry land context were sought through the Delphi study. Experts were also invited to offer suggestions for improvement of the training action plan. Two rounds of a modified Delphi survey were carried out with experts from diverse backgrounds and locations across the globe to solicit their opinion. Results show that experts＇ agreement was reached on most of the action plan items. The results and opinions obtained from the survey were reviewed and adapted into the action plan leading to the development of GAPs for the co-learning exercise.展开更多
This paper provides empirical evidence on audit quality in Kazakhstan as measured by audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. In addition, an overview of audit institutions of Kazakhstan and an ana...This paper provides empirical evidence on audit quality in Kazakhstan as measured by audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. In addition, an overview of audit institutions of Kazakhstan and an analysis of the current audit market for public companies are offered. This paper also sheds light upon the potential independence problems resulting in low audit quality and current barriers to audit researches in Kazakhstan. Consistent with the findings of extant researches on audit quality and the general perceptions of investors, two hypotheses were developed, i.e., the audits performed by Big 4 audit firms in Kazakhstan also have higher quality than non-Big 4 audit firms in terms of audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result confirms the hypothesis that Big 4 audit firms provide higher audit quality than smaller local firms in association with audit tenure instead of in relation to the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result indicates that Big 4 audit firms may not be as independent as they will be in a highly litigious market. Therefore, an independent inspection should be regularly implemented according to the audit law, and the inspection report should be publicized by Chamber of Auditors （COA）1. If this is not practical due to the lack of qualified inspectors, a peer review may be an altemative to implement the quality control policy immediately. To the author＇s best knowledge, this is the first audit quality research in countries of the Commonwealth of Independence States （CIS）.展开更多
The study in this paper that draws on dialogic interaction is a focus of investigation as the way to communicate social sciences to the public. In science communication people, for example, experts or scientists attem...The study in this paper that draws on dialogic interaction is a focus of investigation as the way to communicate social sciences to the public. In science communication people, for example, experts or scientists attempt to persuade lay people about the validity of their assessments. Currently dialogue in science communication might be seen as an important way to deliver information about sciences to the public as previously communicating science was conducted through top-down approaches. In addition, currently there is a tendency that people prefer to deliver and to receive information about sciences through two-way communication models between two or more parties, face-to-face or mediated by any means of communication as this way of communication is seen as more interactive. In the context of Indonesia, in terms of social science communication, this is an important phenomenon to investigate as two-way communication models might bridge the gap between expert opinion and lay opinion, where lay opinion is often seen as irrational or emotional. However, there are still a small number of studies with regard to how social sciences are communicated to the public and in what ways people preferred to deliver, moreover to discuss information within social sciences. One of the potential reasons is that research on science communication is mainly focused on natural and physical sciences. Since the study in this paper focuses on dialogic interactions in social science communication, this study will contribute to the current discussions of mass communication, in terms of science communication, and to related fields.展开更多
In order to measure the status quo of residents＇ cultural well-being, this paper adopts a combination of theoretical research and empirical research： According to the current relevant research results, the index sys...In order to measure the status quo of residents＇ cultural well-being, this paper adopts a combination of theoretical research and empirical research： According to the current relevant research results, the index system of residents＇ cultural well-being index is proposed. The determination of index weights is a combination of hierarchical analysis and expert opinions. And to build the evaluation model.展开更多
Within the theoretical framework of English rhetoric, this paper analyzes the effect of imagery as a rhetorical device by Jane Austenin the novel Pride and Prejudice （2006）. Instances are cited with the use of image...Within the theoretical framework of English rhetoric, this paper analyzes the effect of imagery as a rhetorical device by Jane Austenin the novel Pride and Prejudice （2006）. Instances are cited with the use of imagery respectively in character portraits, dialogues, and scenes. It proves that an integrated use of this rhetorical device is an important means for vivid and impressive accounts in literary works, for it helps to build up the context for characterization, presenting the characters alive and distinctive, and effectively reveal the theme of the novel, bringing about authentic feelings to readers.展开更多
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61271207,61372104)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.BK20130530)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China(No.12KJB510002)the Programs of Senior Talent Foundation of Jiangsu University(No.11JDG130)
文摘A resource allocation protocol is presented in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access （OFDMA） cognitive radio （CR） network with a hybrid model which combines overlay and underlay models. Without disrupting the primary user （PU） transmissions, the overlay model allows the secondary user （SU） to utilize opportunistically the idle sub-channels; the underlay model allows the SU to occupy the same sub-channels with PU. The proposed protocols are designed for maximizing the quality of experience （QoE） of CR users and switching dynamically between the overlay and underlay models. QoE is measured by the mean opinion score （MOS） rather than simply fulfilling the physical and medium access control （MAC） layer requirements. The simulations considering the file transfer and video stream services show that the proposed resource allocation strategy is spectrum efficient.
文摘It is well-known that classical quality measures,such as Mean Squared Error(MSE),Weighted Mean Squared Error(WMSE)or Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio(PSNR),are not always corresponding with visual observations.Structural similarity based image quality assessment was proposed under the assumption that the Human Visual System(HVS)is highly adapted for extracting structural information from an image.While the demand on high color quality increases in the media industry,color loss will make the visual quality different.In this paper,we proposed an improved quality assessment(QA)method by adding color comparison into the structural similarity(SSIM)measurement system for evaluating color image quality.Then we divided the task of similarity measurement into four comparisons:luminance,contrast,structure,and color.Experimental results show that the predicted quality scores of the proposed method are more effective and consistent with visual quality than the classical methods using five different distortion types of color image sets.
基金Supported by The Gastroenterological Association of Thailand
文摘AIM： To evaluate the effectiveness of simethicone in enhancing visibility and efficacy during colonoscopy.METHODS： A prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted. One hundred and twenty-four patients were allocated to receive 2 doses of sodium phosphate plus 240 mg of tablet simethicone or placebo as bowel preparation. Visibility was blindly assessed for the amount of air bubbles and adequacy of colon preparation. Total colonoscopic time, side effects of the medication, endoscopist and patient satisfaction were also compared.RESULTS： Sodium phosphate plus simethicone, compared to sodium phosphate plus placebo, improved visibility by diminishing air bubbles （100.00% vs 42.37%, P 〈 0.0002） but simethicone failed to demonstrate improvement in adequacy of colon preparation （90.16% vs 81.36%, P = 0.17）. Endoscopist and patient satisfaction were increased significantly in the simethicone group. However, there was no difference in the total duration of colonoscopy and side effects of the medication.CONCLUSION： The addition of simethicone is of benefit for colonoscopic bowel preparation by diminishing air bubbles, which results in enhanced visibility. Endoscopist and patient satisfaction is also increased.
文摘The aggregation of fuzzy opinions is an important component of group decision analysis with fuzzy information. This paper proposes two new approaches for the assessment of the weights to be associated with fuzzy opinions. These approaches involve,respectively,the minimization of the sum of squared differences between the individual weighted fuzzy opinion and the weighted mean value of all fuzzy opinions,which is called the weighted minimum variance method (WMVM),and the minimax difference of any two adjacent individual weighted fuzzy opinions,which is called the mean value minimax differences method (MVMDM). The two approaches are developed and numerical examples are presented to illustrate their simplicity and effectiveness in aggregating fuzzy opinions.
文摘An earlier baseline study （Jellason et al. in preparation） has identified some of the key challenges faced by farmers and from that, appropriate Good Agricultural Practices （GAPs） have been selected for the environment the farmers find themselves in and based on a review of available literature. Farmer action plans for enhancing smallholder resilience, GHGs emission mitigation and food security for these dry lands were developed. Expert opinions on the applicability of the selected GAPs to inform farmer co-learning and to validate the suitability of these practices in a dry land context were sought through the Delphi study. Experts were also invited to offer suggestions for improvement of the training action plan. Two rounds of a modified Delphi survey were carried out with experts from diverse backgrounds and locations across the globe to solicit their opinion. Results show that experts＇ agreement was reached on most of the action plan items. The results and opinions obtained from the survey were reviewed and adapted into the action plan leading to the development of GAPs for the co-learning exercise.
文摘This paper provides empirical evidence on audit quality in Kazakhstan as measured by audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. In addition, an overview of audit institutions of Kazakhstan and an analysis of the current audit market for public companies are offered. This paper also sheds light upon the potential independence problems resulting in low audit quality and current barriers to audit researches in Kazakhstan. Consistent with the findings of extant researches on audit quality and the general perceptions of investors, two hypotheses were developed, i.e., the audits performed by Big 4 audit firms in Kazakhstan also have higher quality than non-Big 4 audit firms in terms of audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result confirms the hypothesis that Big 4 audit firms provide higher audit quality than smaller local firms in association with audit tenure instead of in relation to the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result indicates that Big 4 audit firms may not be as independent as they will be in a highly litigious market. Therefore, an independent inspection should be regularly implemented according to the audit law, and the inspection report should be publicized by Chamber of Auditors （COA）1. If this is not practical due to the lack of qualified inspectors, a peer review may be an altemative to implement the quality control policy immediately. To the author＇s best knowledge, this is the first audit quality research in countries of the Commonwealth of Independence States （CIS）.
文摘The study in this paper that draws on dialogic interaction is a focus of investigation as the way to communicate social sciences to the public. In science communication people, for example, experts or scientists attempt to persuade lay people about the validity of their assessments. Currently dialogue in science communication might be seen as an important way to deliver information about sciences to the public as previously communicating science was conducted through top-down approaches. In addition, currently there is a tendency that people prefer to deliver and to receive information about sciences through two-way communication models between two or more parties, face-to-face or mediated by any means of communication as this way of communication is seen as more interactive. In the context of Indonesia, in terms of social science communication, this is an important phenomenon to investigate as two-way communication models might bridge the gap between expert opinion and lay opinion, where lay opinion is often seen as irrational or emotional. However, there are still a small number of studies with regard to how social sciences are communicated to the public and in what ways people preferred to deliver, moreover to discuss information within social sciences. One of the potential reasons is that research on science communication is mainly focused on natural and physical sciences. Since the study in this paper focuses on dialogic interactions in social science communication, this study will contribute to the current discussions of mass communication, in terms of science communication, and to related fields.
文摘In order to measure the status quo of residents＇ cultural well-being, this paper adopts a combination of theoretical research and empirical research： According to the current relevant research results, the index system of residents＇ cultural well-being index is proposed. The determination of index weights is a combination of hierarchical analysis and expert opinions. And to build the evaluation model.
文摘Within the theoretical framework of English rhetoric, this paper analyzes the effect of imagery as a rhetorical device by Jane Austenin the novel Pride and Prejudice （2006）. Instances are cited with the use of imagery respectively in character portraits, dialogues, and scenes. It proves that an integrated use of this rhetorical device is an important means for vivid and impressive accounts in literary works, for it helps to build up the context for characterization, presenting the characters alive and distinctive, and effectively reveal the theme of the novel, bringing about authentic feelings to readers.
