Soft Rules Research Articles

Selection of mother wavelet and denoising algorithm for analysis of foetal phonocardiographic signals

This paper is aimed at the selection of suitable mother wavelet and denoising algorithm for the analysis of foetal phonocardiographic (fPCG) signals. Fourier based analysing tools have some limitations concerning frequency and time resolutions. Although wavelet transform (WT) overcomes these limitations, it requires proper selection of a mother wavelet and denoising algorithm. In this study a suitable mother wavelet is selected on the basis of properties of different wavelet families and characteristics of the fPCG signals. The universal threshold, minimax threshold and rigorous SURE threshold algorithms along with soft or hard thresholding rule have been compared to denoise these signals. The mean squared error (MSE) is used to evaluate the performance of these algorithms. The results show that the fourth order Coiflets wavelet has a better performance for the analysis of fPCG signals when using the rigorous SURE threshold denoising algorithm with soft thresholding rule. The proposed approach is simple and proves to be effective when applied to the selection of suitable mother wavelet and denoising algorithm for the fPCG signals. These denoised signals can be used for the accurate determination of foetal heart rate (FHR) and further diagnostic applications of the foetus.

A Comparative Analysis of De-Noising Algorithms for Fetal Phonocardiographic Signals

This paper is aimed at the selection of de-noising algorithm for de-noising of the fetal phonocardiographic (fPCG) signals. Fourier-based analyzing tools have some limitations concerning frequency and time resolutions. Although wavelet transform (WT) overcomes these limitations, it requires selection of appropriate de-noising algorithm. The universal threshold, minimax threshold and rigorous SURE (Stein’s Unbiased Risk Estimate) threshold algorithms along with soft or hard thresholding rule have been compared for de-noising of these signals. The mean-squared error (MSE) is used to evaluate the performance of these algorithms. The results show that, the rigorous SURE threshold algorithm with soft thresholding rule has a better performance for the analysis of fPCG signals when using the fourth-order Coiflets wavelet. The proposed approach is simple and proves to be effective when applied for the selection of de-noising algorithm for the fPCG signals. These de-noised signals can be used for the accurate determination of fetal heart rate (FHR) and further diagnostic applications pertaining to the fetus.

Importance of Matrix Construction for Multiple-Resolution Categorical Map Comparison

This paper describes three important inter-related factors in multipleresolution categorical map comparison that can affect the measured association between two maps: resolution effect, matrix effect, and parameter effect. We demonstrate how cross-tabulation matrix construction affects the quantitative comparison of categorical maps by analyzing synthesized and empirical examples at fine and several coarser resolutions. We consider three soft classification rules and their corresponding matrices—multiplication, minimum, and composite. We measure association using popular coefficients of agreement at multiple resolutions. The results show that the composite matrix has useful interpretability because it assesses clearly the information of quantity and spatial allocation concerning map categories.

Wavelet estimation by Bayesian thresholding and model selection

Many wavelet-based algorithms have been proposed in recent years to solve the problem of function estimation from noisy samples. In particular it has been shown that threshold approaches lead to asymptotically optimal estimation and are extremely effective when dealing with real data. Working under a Bayesian perspective, in this paper we first study optimality of the hard and soft thresholding rules when the function is modelled as a stochastic process with known covariance function. Next, we consider the case where the covariance function is unknown, and propose a novel approach that models the covariance as a certain wavelet combination estimated from data by Bayesian model selection. Simulated data are used to show that the new method outperforms traditional threshold approaches as well as other wavelet-based Bayesian techniques proposed in the literature.

Point de vue

Le dispositif juridique nouvellement adopté par la France sur le commerce équitable constitue une des premières tentatives en la matière en droit comparé. Une démarche partant de l’autorégulation à la régulation étatique permet de démontrer que le choix des autorités publiques a été en grande partie inspiré des normes et standards juridiques déjà créés librement par les organisations du commerce équitable issues de la société civile internationale. La réglementation française semble bien répondre aux attentes de ces acteurs privés, notamment quant à la définition des critères et principes du commerce équitable, à la prise en compte de ses différentes dimensions (économique, sociale, environnementale, etc.), et enfin à la limitation de la procédure de reconnaissance officielle aux seules personnes dont l’activité principale repose sur l’application et le respect de ces critères. Or, par l’absence d’une véritable reconnaissance de l’ancrage du commerce équitable dans l’économie sociale et solidaire et par le cantonnement du commerce équitable aux seuls rapports Nord-Sud, cette réglementation s’avère sujette à critiques. En outre, des doutes persistent quant à l’aptitude du système de reconnaissance officielle des acteurs du commerce équitable mis en place par le législateur à offrir une garantie infaillible pour les consommateurs.

Weighted order statistic and fuzzy rules CFAR detector for Weibull clutter

Order statistic (OS) CFAR processor is a powerful detector, but similar to many other CFAR detectors, suffers from clutter edge as well as interfering targets. To overcome these problems, two derivations of this detector have been developed. These are order statistic greatest of (OSGO) and order statistic smallest of (OSSO) CFAR processors. The cost, paid for this improvement, is a considerable decrease in detection probability for homogenous Weibull clutter. Furthermore, a substantial performance degradation of OSGO in interfering target (high target masking effect) and an excessive false alarm of OSSO in clutter edge, also, occur. This behavior is a result of non-soft rules used in these two detectors. This paper proposes a weighted order statistic and fuzzy rules-CFAR detector, which employs some soft rules based on fuzzy logic to cure the mentioned problems. Our simulation results demonstrate that considering realistic Weibull clutter, the proposed detector gives better detection probability than that of OSGO and OSSO detectors. Moreover, considering the problems of clutter edge and interfering target, the performance of the method is comparable to the best performance of the OSGO and OSSO detectors in different conditions.

Free Air Time: The Continuing Reform Battle

171 IN THE SPRING OF 2002, Congress passed and President Bush signed into law the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002,1 the most comprehensive attempt at reforming federal campaign finance laws since the Federal Election Campaign Act was enacted and amended in the 1970s. Most significantly, the Reform Act bans “soft money,” the political donations from labor unions, corporations, and unlimited contributions from individuals that present the greatest potential to corrupt the workings of our government. It also puts teeth back into laws long on the books that required corporations and unions to use only limited and disclosed “hard money” contributions to finance campaign advertisements proximate to federal elections. Corporations and unions had been evading these laws by using their treasury funds to finance campaign advertisements masquerading as “issue discussion.” It took seven years to secure the enactment of the Reform Act—and the fight to ban soft money did not end with its signature into law. Indeed, we are currently waging a two-front war to protect the new law and ensure that its purposes are served. One front is at the Federal Election Commission (FEC), where a number of party-backed Commissioners have written implementation regulations that run contrary to the law’s language and intent and re-created aspects of the soft money system. My long-time Senate partner in fighting for campaign finance reform, U.S. Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI), has joined me in filing legislation to overturn the FEC’s loophole-ridden soft money rules.2 Separately, our House counterparts, U.S. Congressmen Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA), have filed suit to repeal the FEC soft money rules.3 The other front is before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which is hearing the constitutional challenges to the Reform Act brought by roughly 80 separate plaintiffs, consolidated into one case, McConnell v. FEC.4 Upon appeal from the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case. Throughout the effort to pass the Reform Act, I have often stated that this legislation is just the first step towards restoring trust and confidence in our political system and eliminating the actuality and perception of corruption in politics. Other reforms are clearly needed. Reform of the Federal Election Commission is desperately needed to ensure that federal campaign finance law is enforced by an

Soft symmetry selection rules in photoemission spectroscopy: The (1×2) phase of hydrogen adsorbed on Ni(110)

Based on the idea that systems may very well exhibit continuous changes in symmetry if one focuses on physical quantities such as transition matrix elements, the concept of soft symmetry selection rules for dipole transitions is developed. The high-coverage, low-temperature (1×2)-3H phase of H/Ni(110) is chosen to illustrate the new concept. Photoemission measurements on this adsorption system only reveal a single hydrogen-derived band in variance to the stoichiometry of the adlayer. A special procedure to quantitatively decompose the eigenstates of (1×2)-3H/Ni(110) according to their behavior under 2a/3 translation along [001] is derived. It is demonstrated that this symmetry transformation, though not a strict symmetry element of the adsorption system, can be drawn upon to rationalize the unexpected experimental observations in the spirit of soft symmetry selection.

Decorrelating Detectors for a Dual Rate Synchronous DS/CDMA System

This paper addresses the use of decorrelating detectors for a dual rate DS/CDMA system that serves both low bit rate and high bit rate users. We assume that in an interval of duration T_0, a low rate user transmits one bit while a high rate user transmits M bits. Applying a standard decorrelator to the interval of duration T_0 yields an M bit processing delay for high rate users and a computational complexity that grows with M. In this paper, we propose a decorrelator that generates bit decisions for each high rate user in every subinterval of duration T_0/M. To decode a low rate user, a soft decoding rule applies maximal ratio combining on M separate decorrelated outputs of each low rate user. The soft decoding dual rate decorrelator eliminates the bit processing delay for high rate users and also reduces the computational complexity of a standard decorrelator. Further, it is shown that the asymptotic efficiency of the standard decorrelator is greater than or equal to the proposed decorrelator. By evaluation, it is observed that when the signature sequences have good correlation properties, the proposed soft decoding decorrelator is found to perform nearly as well as the standard decorrelator. However, when the signature sequences have high cross-correlation, then the proposed decorrelator suffers in terms of bit error rate while retaining the near-far resistance property.

Soft X-ray fluorescence yield XMCD sum rules

Abstract Because of the high flux available from third generation soft X-ray beamlines and the application of high efficiency photodiodes, total fluorescent yield spectroscopy is becoming increasingly attractive for obtaining ground state information in a way similar to X-ray absorption measurement. This allows one to tackle systems that are hard to access with transmission or electron yield methods. A prerequisite, however, is that one has sufficient understanding of the measurement process. A recent article (Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 (1996) 1508) based on the insights of Theo Thole shows that, in a description in terms of inelastic scattering, the XMCD absorption sum rules should hold also for fluorescence yield in a large number of important cases. In this paper we give some background and illustrate the applicability of the inelastic picture with experimental data.

Soft law as a method for consumer protection and consumer influence. A review with special reference to Nordic experiences

Also within consumer policy soft law methods are now being discussed. Soft law rules are characterized above all (a) by being designed to function in the same way as legal norms, (b) by being developed either on the basis of a statutory mandate or by the participation of a supervisory authority in one way or another, and (c) by the fact that the parties on the market who are affected by the rules — business and consumers — participate in the formulation and/or the surveillance of the rules.