Spirals

The authors propose a general fuzzy classification scheme with learning ability using an adaptive network. System parameters, such as the membership functions defined for each feature and the parameterized t-norms used to combine conjunctive conditions, are calibrated with backpropagation. To explain this approach, the concept of adaptive networks is introduced and a supervised learning procedure based on a gradient descent algorithm is derived to update the parameters in an adaptive network. The proposed architecture is applied to two problems: two-spiral classification and Iris categorization. From the experimental results, it is concluded that the adaptively adjusted classifier performs well on an Iris classification problem. The results are discussed from the viewpoint of feature selection

In this paper a novel design procedure for lumped element Marchand baluns is proposed. An analysis is performed on the balun structure in order to determine the conditions for ideal balun performance in terms of the lumped element values. The analysis is verified by two broadband designs centered around 22.75 GHz and differing only in terms of their impedance transformation

The Long Meg standing stone in Cumbria, North-west England holds some of the best examples of Neolithic spiral carvings. Moreover, unlike so many other monuments, the stone circle of Long Meg and her Daughters has never been disturbed or reconstructed, thus allowing archaeologists to determine the prehistoric horizon alignment of the stones. It would seem that: wherever we find spirals then we also find astronomical alignments!

This article expands upon the author’s previously published theories regarding the significance of spiral carvings and the calendrical function of the Long Meg circle and other Neolithic sites in Britain and Ireland. These would suggest that when the stone circle was built, during the early third millennium BC, the annual seasons were not so regular and predictable as they are today due to transient astronomical factors. The prehistoric alignments, together with the many legends may be the only surviving record of these short-lived climate events.

This document was reformatted in 2023 to assist readability without material change to content (V1.4). It was originally a web-page format from 2019.

Summary form only given, as follows. Boehm's spiral model is currently gaining popularity over the traditional waterfall software development model. The spiral model is a risk-driven approach. The process steps are determined by the need to resolve the high-risk situations-ones that have greatest chance to ruin the project. This approach contrasts with traditional document-driven approach where the process step is determined by the type of document that has to be submitted. Over a period of two years, the author applied the spiral model approach in the requirements analysis phase for four projects. These projects were with different sectors of the Thai government. The author was the head of the requirement analysis team for three projects and was responsible for quality assurance in one project. The author's experience reveals factors that foster the spiral approach's success in requirement analysis as well as factors that inhibit its effectiveness. Some of these factors include the Thai culture, governmental regulations, the educational background of the requirement engineers, the governmental employees' understanding of requirements analysis, terms in the contract, etc. The experience also reveals the risks in conducting software requirements analysis in a country that endures shortages of software engineers

RESUMO (see Abstract bellow)

Os Estados Não Ordinários de Consciência, ENOC, induzidos especialmente por alguns tipos específicos de agentes psicoativos, como a ayahuasca, propiciam visões, tratadas neste trabalho também como mirações. Nos estágios iniciais da experiência, essas mirações geralmente são formadas por padrões luminosos geométricos simétricos, ziguezagues, treliças, teias e espirais, entre outros. Em estágios mais avançados, essas imagens podem se transformar em objetos e cenários diversos, onde a influência cultural exercerá importante papel. Padrões visuais análogos encontram-se em obras artísticas, desde as pinturas rupestres pré-históricas, o que possibilita inferir que sua produção esteja, de algum modo, associada aos ENOC. Com efeito, esses mesmos padrões visuais são encontrados em obras indígenas e de artistas da atualidade que usam essa categoria de psicoativo.
As mirações dos ENOC são muitas vezes consideradas experiências de natureza espiritual ou mística, já que são sentidas como vivências genuínas de um “outro mundo”, vivências essas que só podem ser traduzidas para “este mundo” - o mundo objetivo, material, do dia-a-dia - de forma descritiva e simbólica. Dentre as diversas imagens que podem aparecer nas mirações, o presente trabalho visa investigar as espirais e os vórtices. Estuda alguns dos significados que costumam ser atribuídos a esses elementos, assim como algumas transformações e adaptações que eles podem passar, dependendo da cultura local. O presente trabalho busca, ainda, coligir alguns exemplos da presença das espirais e vórtices na natureza, na ciência e na história da arte, com o intuito de evidenciar a forte influência que essas imagens podem ter sobre a imaginação, o conhecimento e a produção artística.
Palavras-chave: Artes Visuais; Arte Visionária; Ayahuasca; Espirais; Vórtices; Estados Não Ordinários de Consciência (ENOC).

Abstract

Non-ordinary States of Consciousness, produced by some specific kinds of psychoactive agents, as, for instance, the ayahuasca, propitiate visions, treated in this work as mirações. In the initial stages of the experience, these mirações are often formed by luminous and symmetrical geometric patterns, zigzags, latticeworks, cobwebs, and spirals, among others. In more advanced stages, these images can turn themselves into several objects and scenes, where the influence of culture will play an important role. Analogous visual patterns can be found in artistic works, ever since the pre-historical rupestrian paintings, and this fact allows the conclusion that such a production is, in some form, related to the Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness. In fact, the same visual patters can be found in the art of Indians and present day artists that use such kind of psychoactive agents.
The mirações from NOSC are often considered spiritual or mystical experiences, since are felt as actual experiences of “another world”, and such experiences can only be translated to this world, the objective, material and daily world, in a descriptive and symbolical way. Among the several images that can appear in the mirações, this work aims at investigating spirals and vortices. It approaches some of the meanings that are commonly related to these elements, as well as some transformations and adaptations that they are bound to, depending on the local culture. Moreover, this work collects some spirals and vortices occurrences in nature, science and art history, aiming at presenting the great influence that such images may have on the imagination, knowledge and art productions.

This paper describes a study on electronic book (eBook) among Malaysian children. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the Malaysian children acceptance of three types of eBook readers (i.e. Plus, Comic, and Spiral). The acceptance study is based on users' perceptions on ease of use and usefulness of the three readers. As a result, majority of respondents do not give clear distinction among the readers. Generally, all readers are useful and easy to use because very big majority of the respondents (the least is 74.8%) agree with the positive statements. The users also perceived Comic reader as the easiest reader to use.

In this paper, we present the WCIP iterative procedure (wave concept iterative procedure) for solving continuity conditions in terms of waves rather than in term of tangential fields providing a mixed resolution in spatial and spectral domain taking the best advantage of each resolution domain and lower computation time. The spiral inductor with patterned ground shield is taken as an example of multi-layer structures; the results are in reasonably good agreement with the experimental data.

Many software development organizations struggle to make informed decisions when investing in new software technologies. The authors' experimental framework can help companies evaluate a new software technology by examining its features in relation to its peers and competitors through a systematic approach that includes modeling experiments

The design and optimization of spiral inductors on silicon substrates, the related layout issues in integrated circuits, and the effect of the inductor-Q an the performance of radio-frequency (RF) building blocks are discussed. Integrated spiral inductors with ...

ABSTRACT Recent activities at Queen Mary, University of London, relating to wearable wireless sensors research for healthcare applications are reviewed in this paper. The monitoring of blood glucose levels using non-invasive radio-based sensors is discussed. The analysis of on-body radio propagation channels is then presented, with an emphasis on variations related to activity.

We propose a novel, robust MANET protocols evaluation framework which enables researchers to track performance metrics and evaluate theoretical predictions. This framework speeds up the research and development spirals, provides faster feedback to algorithm developers and closes the loop between theory and qualitative analysis of the protocols' performance. Rapid prototyping and evaluation of proposed algorithms is performed in the MATLAB environment. These tools enable us to numerically analyze performance, capabilities, convergence, and robustness of new algorithms. The second higher fidelity approach is the test and evaluation framework developed in OPNET simulation environment. Its unique features are the novel application and evaluation process including sophisticated statistics collection and an event logging architecture.

This paper describes a method used to design an ultra wideband (UWB) receiver antenna and low noise amplifier (LNA) simultaneously using optimization methods. In narrow band (NB) design, the impedance of the LNA or antenna is almost constant, usually matched to 50 or 75 Ohms. Thus, the antenna and LNA are designed independently. In UWB, the antenna impedance is a junction of frequency, and varies greatly. Thus, the designer's option of designing each subsystem independently is difficult.

Collaboration is a key factor in successful knowledge management. Recently, wikis have become a popular solution for distributed and collaborative knowledge management. However, most wikis do not appropriately support the facilities needed for group idea creation and can only represent unstructured knowledge (text, images, and hyperlinks) which cannot be reused or systematized. This paper proposes the use of a Spatial Hypertext Wiki (ShyWiki) as a knowledge management wiki which allows users to interact in a distributed and collaborative way in order to generate ideas, and organize and structure knowledge. This type of wiki can help in the externalization of tacit knowledge, and is able to represent explicit knowledge at different levels of formality. Furthermore, the visual and spatial characteristics of this wiki can be used for representing implicit relations among concepts as well as for organizing and visualizing knowledge.