CHEM 795 Research Proposal Assignment Rubric With the exception of the ‘Required Elements’, assignments that fall between specific criteria can be awarded a mark corresponding to the midpoint of the marks for those criteria. Total assignment is marked out of 20 marks. Required elements Inclusion of one original figure (1 mark if included, -2 marks if not included) Page limit (-4 marks if > 1 page). Content (8 marks total) Context of the research proposal is clearly introduced, demonstrating a deep understanding of the current state-of-the-art in the field and supported by many relevant references to the scientific literature. The research question and aims of the proposed work are clearly indicated and the ability of these aims to address a knowledge gap self-evident from the context provided. Methods are clearly indicated with excellent use of the scientific literature to support the relevance and appropriateness of these methods for the proposed work. There is an excellent account of expected outcomes within the context of the wider field of the proposal. (8 marks) Context of the research proposal is introduced, demonstrating an understanding of the current state-of- the-art in the field and supported by several relevant references to the scientific literature. The research question and aims of the proposed work are indicated and an attempt made to link these aims to address a knowledge gap. Methods to be used are indicated with their relevance supported by some references to the scientific literature. There is a good attempt at an account of expected outcomes within the context of the wider field of the proposal. (6 marks) Context of the research proposal is outlined with an awareness of some prior work in the field, supported by a few references to the scientific literature. A research question and aims of the proposed work are introduced with some indication of the knowledge gap which will be addressed. Methods to be used are mentioned and generally relevant for the proposed work. There is an attempt at discussing expected outcomes within the context of the wider field of the proposal. (4 marks) Prior work in the field is discussed but references to scientific literature are absent or inconsistent and the state-of-the-art not clearly discussed. An indication of the nature of the research question or aims are presented but the specific knowledge gap being addressed is poorly defined. Methods to be used are mentioned but are not supported by the scientific literature or there is some relevance to the work but their connection with the overall approach is unclear. Expected outcomes are only mentioned vaguely and limited or no attempt made to link to the broader field. (2 marks) Presentation, Structure and Layout (4 marks total) Has a clear logical structure from context to expected outcomes with excellent logic flow between sections and paragraphs used to separate ideas. References and in-text citations are consistently and correctly formatted in a relevant numbered ACS style. with no errors. (4 marks) Has a logical structure from context to expected outcomes, with links made between sections and paragraphs used to separate ideas. References and in-text citations are consistently and correctly formatted in a relevant numbered ACS style. with very few errors ( 3) in implementation. (2 marks) Proposal is poorly structured and missing some sections or their presence is unclear. References are inconsistently formatted or there are significant errors but an attempt is made. (1 mark) Writing (4 marks total) Excellent level of English language used. Well-structured writing and easy to read. No or very few grammar or spelling issues. Language is clear and unambiguous in meaning. (4 marks) Good use of English language. Mainly well-structured writing and article generally flows well. A few minor grammar or spelling issues. Language is mostly clear and unambiguous in meaning. (3 marks) English language is coherent but some grammar and spelling issues; some expressions are unclear or terms used not defined. (2 marks) Language difficult to understand and follow in places but there is a clear written structure, some terms but these are unclear or poorly defined. (1 mark) Figure (4 marks total including required element mark) Figure is of excellent quality, clearly conveys the key aspects of the proposed research idea and strongly supports the discussion in the text. (3 marks) Figure is of above average quality. It is linked to the discussion in the text and portrays some elements of the overall research idea. (2 marks) Figure is of average quality. It relates to the overall research idea and the discussion in the text but does not support the discussion. (1 mark) Figure is absent or of poor quality and unrelated to the discussion or research idea. (0 marks)
Task 4 - Banking at Goldman Stanley Background Welcome to Goldman Stanley, a fictional elite investment bank with a reputation for precision and reliability. You, a recent hire on the TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecom) team. As part of your onboarding, you're being asked to assist with a critical internal tool that tracks simple transactions between internal department budgets. Your manager David wants to ensure that the banking logic is airtight meaning no accidental overdrafts, no incorrect transfers, and absolutely no bugs. To make this happen, you’ll need to write Python code that combines assertions to catch logic errors early and defensive programming to guard against bad input. This is your first step toward earning the team's trust and maybe even that invite to the Friday rooftop drinks. In real-world software, especially in systems like banking, robustness and correctness are critical. Two key tools developers use to build reliable code are: · Assertions: Internal checks that validate assumptions made by the programmer (e.g., "This variable should never be negative"). Assertions are mainly used during development and debugging. · Defensive programming: Validates inputs and usage patterns to prevent invalid or unexpected behaviour at runtime. This includes checking for correct types, value ranges, and providing helpful error messages when something goes wrong. Description In this task we will be using custom errors as python will already raise some of these errors when we execute invalid code. Our new errors are located in cusom_errors.py. You must use these custom errors, please see rubric for related penalties in this task. You are designing a Python class that represents a basic bank account system. The system must allow: · Creating accounts with an owner name and an initial balance. · Depositing money. · Withdrawing money. · Transferring funds between accounts. · Restricting users. You must ensure that this system is: · Correct: Through use of assert to validate assumptions in your logic. · Safe: Through defensive programming techniques that prevent invalid inputs (e.g. wrong types, negative amounts). Requirements Functionality for the BankAccount class: · Each account has an owner (a string) and a non-negative starting balance (float or int) and an account ID (a int). · Users can deposit, withdraw, and transfer funds. · Account ID is a unique number associated with each account. Each account should have an account number should proceed the previous by 1. Account numbers start from 1045. · Every user at Goldman Stanley is gifted $49.99 upon opening their account. o Morgan Stanley will likely build upon this codebase later on and introduce other subclasses of BankAccount for their other financial products that may offer different opening bonuses. To facilitate this you will need minimally the below listed methods and a class itself called BankAccount as well as it's constructor. set_next_account_number(cls, next_account_number:int) -> None In testing your code you will need to create many instance of bank accounts, quite often in your testing it will be useful to reset / update what the next account number is. You can assume this method will be called before each unit test. e.g BankAccount.set_next_account_number(1045) 1. Set's the account number for the next account that will be created. 2. Method is a class method. You can assume if this method is called then you can ignore previous instances. ban_account(self, reason: str) -> None · This method is used to flag an account as banned (e.g., due to suspicious activity or internal audit findings). · Once banned, the user cannot deposit, withdraw, or transfer funds. · All affected methods should check whether the account is banned and raise an error if any operation is attempted. · All banned users have their account number stored within BankAccount.banned_accounts . · A reason is always provided however maybe an empty string. o This method is demonstrated in the string example below. Update 20/05/2025: As this behaviour was not initially defined in the spec we will accept a reasonable interpretation as to not invalidate past attempts see following: Calling the ban_account method on an already banned account you have the choice of: · Not raising an error, but updating the reason to be the new reason. · Raising a relevant error. unban_all(cls) -> None · After this method is called all accounts are no longer banned. Similar to set_next_account_number you can assume this method will be called before each test and is also a class method. deposit(self, amount: float | int) -> None · Adds a specified non-negative amount to the account balance. withdraw(self, amount: float | int) -> None · Deducts a specified non-negative amount from the account balance if sufficient funds are available. transfer_to(self, target_account: "BankAccount", amount: float | int) -> None · Transfers a non-negative amount to another valid BankAccount instance, provided enough funds exist. set_transaction_limit(self, limit: float | int) -> None · Allows the account to specify a maximum transaction amount for withdrawals or transfers. · Withdrawals or transfers that exceed this limit, even if funds are available, should not proceed. · By default an account's limit is None. is_banned(self) -> bool 1. Returns True if the account is banned and False if the account is not banned. __str__(self) -> str Please follow the code snippet below for the correct formatting for the BankAccount's string method: Python
DBAS Financial Management QP E0318 ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS (25 MARKS EACH) Write your answers in the answer booklet provided, starting your answer to each question on a new page. Number your answers according to the question number, and also enter these numbers on the frontpage of the answer booklet. 1. New-worn Pte Ltd, a textile recycling firm, has been in business for 20 years. It is contemplating purchasing new machines to replace existing ones. In order to determine the feasibility of incorporating the new machines into its current production process, New-worn had previously paid $6000 to commission a study for this exercise. The new machines are expected to cost $340 000, with an additional $10 000 for installation expense. The after-tax proceeds from disposing off existing machines is expected to amount to $45 000. Current assets will increase by $5000, and current liabilities will increase by $3000. The revenues and expenses (excluding depreciation and interest) associated with the existing machines for the next four years are given in the table below. ($)380000520000600000650000DebtBeforetaxcostofdebt4%. 40%.PreferredStock6% pershareandFloatationcost$4 $22 (D) $1.50pershareGrowthrate(g)ofdividend Giving your answers in percentages to 2 decimal places, calculate the (i) Cost of debt. (2 marks) (ii) Cost of preferred stock. (2 marks) (iii) Cost of common stock. (2 marks) (iv) Weighted average cost of capital, using the following capital structure. (4 marks) 3. P-Generator is a manufacturer of industrial portable power generators. The finance manager is concerned about the firm’s management of working capital. a) The average collection period and average payment period are 28 days and 32 days respectively. The firm turns over its inventory 10 times each year (assume 365 days year), and currently has annual sales of $30 million. (i) Calculate the firm’s operating cycle and cash conversion cycle, correct to 1 decimal place. (5 marks) (ii) Determine the amount of resources needed to support the firm’s cash conversion cycle. (4 marks) b) P-Generator purchases 80 000 units per year of a component used in power generators production. The cost per order is $40, while the carry cost is $8 per unit per year. (i) Calculate the economic order quantity. (4 marks) (ii) Using your answer in (i), calculate the ordering cost, carrying cost and total inventory cost. (8 marks) c) Suppose P-Generator operates a 250 days per year, and maintains a minimum inventory level of 150 units of safety stock. If the lead time to receive orders ofthe component is 5 days, calculate the reorder point. (4 marks) 4. a) Describe the FIVE steps in planning personal financial affairs. (10 marks) b) “Apart from your own actions, the outcome of your financial plans also depended on external factors”. List THREE of such external factors. (6 marks) c) The following is an extract of Danny Ong’s personal balance sheet. (i) Calculate Danny’s net worth. (3 marks) (ii) Determine Danny’s Solvency, Liquidity and Gearing ratios (6 marks)
Summative: Final Project [ 80 marks]
ECON2101 Cost Benefit Analysis Final Case Study – Indigenous Health Clinic ALL SECTIONS DUE, 3pm 9th June. Submitted online. Instructions: This assignment will consist of a group task worth 30% and an individual reflection worth 10%, for a total of 40% of your final grade. The case study can be done individually or as a group of TWO students. Please note that this task is a significant amount of work for an individual, so groups are encouraged. The assignment must be submitted electronically through the Online Submission links in the Assessment section of the Course Blackboard site. • Part 1 MUST be submitted as an Excel file (.xls or .xlsx) – only one submission per group is required. • Part 2 MUST be submitted as a Word file (.doc or docx) – only one submission per group is required. • Part 3 MUST be submitted as a Word file (.doc or .docx) – each student must submit their own reflective task for marking. Further details to be announced on Blackboard. Groups must be finalised by 5pm, 6th June. No changes are allowed after this date. Remember that each value should be entered into the spreadsheet only once. Marked out of 80 points (weighted to 40% of your final grade). Background A regional health authority is considering the development of a community-led Indigenous health clinic in a remote area of Queensland. The clinic would provide culturally safe primary healthcare services, preventative programs, and social and emotional wellbeing support tailored to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples. To assist in evaluating the investment, the authority has asked you to provide a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to determine the feasibility of the project. As part of this analysis, the authority would like you to examine the potential costs involved in establishing and operating the clinic, as well as the expected benefits to individuals, families, and the wider community. Additionally, the CBA should consider how the proposed clinic aligns with national Closing the Gap targets and regional strategies to improve long-term health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. The facility is expected to be operational by the start of 2026 and will operate for 20 years. The initial capital investment is scheduled for 2025, with additional purchases required in 2026. In your report to the regional health authority stakeholder, you will need to discuss the results from the Investor, Social, and Disaggregated analyses. You will also need to consider any relevant literature or reports on the evaluation of the external benefits of improved health as part of a program to support the local government and community. Part 1- Spreadsheet Group Task – 30 marks (15%) [Use the template Excel File on the BB website] a) Market and Investor Analysis Development of the new indigenous health clinic requires the preparation of a site and a prefabricated building for the clinic. The custom-designed prefabricated building is built off-site and transported for assembly The cost of the prefabricated building is $1.25 million, but there will also be an expected transportation and set up cost of $150,000. The regional health authority plans to rent a location for the clinic, however site preparation including basic landscaping, fencing, and 8-10 car parks for staff and patients will be required. This site preparation is expected to cost $150/m² for preparation of 750 m² of the site including the cost of the new car parks. The clinic will feature three patient consultation rooms, an administrative area, and a dedicated pathology room, designed to support efficient and high-quality healthcare delivery. The medical treatment rooms will be fitted out in 2025 at a cost of $40,000 per room. Furniture for the consultation rooms and administrative area will also be purchased in 2025, with an allocated budget of $55,000. Equipment for the pathology room is scheduled for purchase in 2026, with an expected cost of $45,000. An additional $11,000 has been budgeted for 2026 to cover any unforeseen furniture requirements that may arise as operations expand. Further, the health clinic requires an IT system and software at a cost of $100,000 for recordkeeping, scheduling, and service efficiency. Given the facility is in a regional area, two 4WD or SUVs with regional suitability will be purchased at a cost of $75,000 each. To ensure uninterrupted operations in a remote setting, a reliable backup power source is essential. A diesel generator will be installed at an estimated cost of $40,000, based on current market prices for a high-quality model with a 100-litre fuel tank. This generator is capable of running for 13 hours on a single tank, providing critical support during power outages. To ensure readiness, 1,000 litres of diesel fuel will be procured in 2025 at a cost of $2.20/L to support ongoing use of the vehicles and generator. The clinic will need to purchase the following items in 2026 as part of the initial investment: (1) Medical supplies and pharmaceuticals will be required based on projected patient volumes. With two General Practitioners (GPs), each seeing 25 patients per day for approximately 20 - 24-minute consultations, and working 5 days per week for 48 weeks per year, the total number of annual patient visits has been estimated accordingly to allow for personal leave. (2) Costs for medical supplies and pharmaceuticals are calculated on a per patient per year (PPPY) basis, with expected average costs of $110 for medical supplies and $159 for pharmaceutical supplies. (3) While point (1) estimates the total number of visits, calculating costs on a per patient per year (PPPY) basis requires adjusting for the average number of GP visits per patient in regional areas, which is currently 3.4 visits per year. (4) To ensure readiness, an initial stock of medical and pharmaceutical supplies will be pre- purchased to cover 30% of the expected patient volume calculated in (1). As part of the project, the clinic will need to invest in working capital in 2026 to assist in maintenance of the facilities. The working capital items have been provided in Table 1. Item Units Price Per Unit Medical Supplies 40% of the initial investment purchase $110 Pharmaceutical Purchases 40% of the initial investment purchase $159 Fuel (per Litre) 100 $2.20 Table 1: Working Capital In addition to the working capital, the council expects the following operating costs: Item Units Price Per Unit Administration System Upkeep 1 $60,000.00 Utilities and Maintenance (/month) 12 $2,100.00 Miscellaneous (/month) 12 $1,200.00 Table 2: Operating Costs Ongoing fuel costs are complex due to the combined needs of both the clinic s vehicles and the backup diesel generator. The generator is expected to operate for approximately 260 hours per year. In addition, the two vehicles are estimated to consume 3,000 litres of fuel annually for patient transport, outreach services, and staff travel in the regional setting. The project will also require leasing a 1,000 m² parcel of land to accommodate the clinic and associated infrastructure, at an annual cost of $28 per square metre. In addition to the initial investment in medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, there will be ongoing operating costs associated with replenishing these items. It is estimated that these ongoing costs will amount to 10% of the initial 2026 investment in medical and pharmaceutical supplies, supporting continuous service delivery throughout the year. To run the clinic, the expected wage expenses include: - Two General Practitioners (GPs) at salary of $300,000 per year. - Two Registered Nurses (RNs) at a salary of $87,000 per year. - One practice manager at a salary of $84,000 per year. - Cleaning and maintenance will be provided by casual staff for a total of 750 hours per year, at a rate of $35 per hour. - Support staff will be employed on a casual basis for 400 hours per year, at a rate of $42 per hour. These staff will assist with administrative and operational tasks within the clinic when the salaried staff are unavailable. There are two components to insurance. Firstly, the clinic itself requires insurance. This is expected to be 4.5% of the total initial investment. Then both practicing GPs in the clinic require medical indemnity insurance at a cost of $6,000 per year. To calculate clinic revenues, various sources tied to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), patient services, and government incentive programs need to be considered. Below is a breakdown of the key revenue streams and how you decide it is best to calculate them: (1) General consultations: 50% of consultations are bulk billed at $42.00 each. The remaining 50% are not bulk billed and attract a full fee of $120.00 per consultation. (2) Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Plans: These plans are billed at $164.50 per eligible patient. The number of CDM plans will depend on the clinic s patient mix and GP service patterns. It is expected that 40% of patients require a CDM each year. (3) Immunisations: Each immunisation is billed at $145.00 with 150 immunisations expected to be done each year. (4) Minor medical procedures: There is an estimated 15 procedures expected each week such as wound suturing, skin lesion removal, and joint injections. This is billed at $120.00 each. (5) Allied Health Services: Services such dietician visits are billed at $75.00 per session. Each person on a CDM uses at least one allied health service per year. (6) Travel checkups: Pre-travel medical consultations are billed at $350.00 per visit. Only 125 of these can be done in a single year. (7) Practice Incentive Program (PIP): The clinic is eligible for a fixed annual payment of $30,000.00 per GP working full time at the clinic as part of the rural program incentive to supports quality improvement and continuity of care. To finance the initial investment costs, the clinic requires a loan of $500,000 at an interest rate of 4.5% per annum. The loan will have a 12-year term with repayments starting from 2026. Additionally, in 2028 the council will take out a balloon loan of $100,000 as a contingency for any unexpected costs. This loan will have a term of 4 years with repayments starting in 2029 and an interest rate of 9% per annum. The balloon payment is 25% of the initial loan paid in the final year. Both loans are from foreign banks. Depreciation Life Medical Equipment Set Up (per room) 15 Prefabricated Building 20 Furniture* 8 Vehicles 5 Table 3: Depreciation *Note that the furniture purchase in 2026 can be depreciated in the same year of purchase. The tax rate on profits is 30%. Assume the salvage value for all investment costs is 5% of the initial fixed investment cost plus 5% of the additional investment cost (for capital purchased in year 2026). Assume the clinic operates at two different capacity levels: - Operating capacity starts at 70% in Year 1, increases to 80% in Year 2, and reaches 100% in Year 3. - Revenue capacity is expected to be 45% in Year 1, 70% in Year 2, and 95% in Year 3. Using a conversion factor of 10,000 and the information above, you have been asked to calculate the following: i) The IRR and NPV for the Market Analysis at a 5%, 7% and 10% real discount rate. ii) The IRR on equity and NPV for the business at a 5%, 7% and 10% real discount rate for the Investor Analysis. b) Social Analysis You now need to consider the social CBA. Due to taxes, duties, and subsidies we are required to calculate the relevant shadow prices for the following: Input Item Percentage Duties* - Prefabricated Building 20% - Vehicles 20% Indirect Taxes - Fuel (per Litre) 20% - Furniture 10% Subsidies - Medical Equipment Set Up (per room) 15% - Medical Supplies 10% - Pharmaceutical Purchases 50% Table 4: Taxes and Subsidies *remember that duties are only paid once. As we observe taxes and subsidies only on inputs in this project, we assume that inputs represent additional quantities supplied (not diverted from other uses). It is also noted that land has an opportunity cost of $0 and the opportunity cost of casual labour is 60% of the market wage for casual workers. All other workers are employed from elsewhere and should be costed at the market wage. To estimate the external benefits of the new Indigenous health clinic, several key factors have been considered to reflect improvements in access, health outcomes, and community wellbeing (1) Reduced travel burden The clinic will significantly reduce the need for long-distance travel to access healthcare. For 50% of total patient visits, travel time to receive healthcare is expected to decrease by 70 minutes. This is particularly valuable in remote and regional Indigenous communities where access to local, culturally safe care is limited. - The value of time saved from reduced travel is estimated using a market wage rate of $39.70 per hour, which serves as a proxy for opportunity cost. (2) Fewer potentially preventable hospitalisations Improved access to timely primary care will reduce avoidable hospital admissions. It is estimated that 15 individuals per year will avoid hospitalisation due to receiving early intervention locally. With an average hospital stay of 4 days at a cost of $3,595 per day, this represents a significant health system saving. (3) Improved quality of life The clinic is expected to enhance overall wellbeing, particularly for Indigenous patients through culturally appropriate care. It is estimated that 75 patients per year will experience a 0.025 gain in QALYs (Quality-Adjusted Life Years). Based on a willingness-to-pay value of $28,000 per QALY. These benefits highlight the broader social value of the clinic beyond direct medical services, particularly in addressing health inequities faced by Indigenous Australians. i) Building on the spreadsheet completed in a), calculate the NPV and IRR of the Social Cost Benefit Analysis using a 5%, 7% and 10% real discount rate. c) Disaggregated Social Analysis Now you want to disaggregate the results of the analysis. In this case you would like to evaluate who gains and who loses from the project. As part of the approach to disaggregation you are asked to exclude the private investor and the foreign bank from the Total Disaggregated CBA and then identify the remaining stakeholders with standing. The remaining stakeholders include landowners, local labour, the community, and the government. Using the template identify: i) The NPV for the total disaggregated group of interest (without the investor and foreign bank) using a 5%, 7% and 10% real discount rate. ii) The NPV for each remaining stakeholder group using a 5%, 7% and 10% real discount rate. d) Sensitivity Analysis Now as part of the cost-benefit analysis, the health authority is interested in evaluating the assumptions and how sensitive or insensitive the results are to the best guess inputs. Specifically, the health authority would like to answer the following questions: i) There are two key inputs that are uncertain for the generation of revenue for the clinic the percentage of patients who are bulk billed and the price charged for those who pay full fees to see a GP. As these are two components that the clinic has some control over, they would like to see how the NPV changes for the investor analysis at the 5% discount rate. Allow the full fee-paying patients fee to to vary by $10 from the best guess and the bulk billing percentage vary by 20% from the best guess. Comment on the result. ii) The health authority would like to identify the full fee-paying price for the breakeven NPV at a 5% discount rate. Use the “Goal Seek” command to identify the minimum full fee (for non-bulk billed patients) the facility could charge to just break even. How much would this fee change if the bulk billing percentage was increased to 60%? Part 2 – Written Report Group Task – 30 marks (15%) Using your results from Part 1 of the case study, write a comprehensive report analysing the results of your CBA. In your report ensure you: 1) Provide professional recommendations to the health authority on whether it should implement the re-development project. You are expected to research relevant literature on indigenous health. 2) Outline the approach and results of sections a) to d) in Part 1. In your response you should investigate which variables should be subject to a partial sensitivity analysis in addition to the results of d). 3) Identify considerations for your analysis or any alternative approaches that would improve on the current format of the CBA. Word limit 1,500 words (+/- 10 %). The rubric for this component of the case study can be found on the course website. Part 3 – Reflective Assessment Individual Task – 20 marks (10%) Critically reflect on the CBA task from the Case Study. In your answer, 1) determine and establish the relevance and authenticity of the case study task as part of your development in a professional context. 2) reflect on your individual challenges or challenges faced as part of a group. Word limit 750 words. The rubric for this component of the case study can be found on the course website.
Enhancing CNNs for Image Classification via Multimodal Feature Fusion I Research Question and Hypothesis 1.1 Research Question How can the integration of global and color features to enhance the performance of CNNs? 1.2 Hypothesis The hypothesis of this research is the integration of global features, and CNNs will significantly enhance scale-invariance. This cam increases overall classification accuracy. This hypothesis is based on traditional CNN architectures focus primarily on local features to limit their ability to generalize across scales. By introducing additional global and color features, the network should be able to better capture the shape and structure of objects. 1.3 Objectives 1. Assesses the performance of traditional CNNs when confronted with scale variations in image classification tasks. 2. Evaluates the impact of combining global and local features on the accuracy of CNNs. 3. Investigates the benefits of incorporating color information into CNNs. II Literature Review Lately, CNNs are really popular for telling what's in pictures, especially when they need to find tricky patterns. But they have trouble when pictures are different sizes. Some studies have found that CNNs don't do so well with objects that come in different sizes. This can be a big problem in the real world, because things can look different sizes depending on how far away the camera is. Scientists are looking at how to put different kinds of picture details together to fix this. They've found that using things like HOG, which shows the shape and lines in a picture, can help. These details can spot big patterns in pictures, which is important for knowing what something is, no matter its size. Also, the colors in pictures are helpful too. They give extra clues about what things are, especially when they look similar in shape. But there's still a question: how do we put all these details together in the best way to make CNNs work better? Most studies look at either the big picture details or the small ones, but they don't use color information all together. This study wants to figure that out by making a new CNN model. This model will use all three kinds of details to do better with different sizes.. III Research Problem The main goal of this study is to make a CNN model that works well with pictures of different sizes. The study will look at how to put together big picture details, small picture details, and colors into one CNN model. The idea is to fix the problems that old CNNs have and make them better at sorting pictures no matter what size they are. This study is important because we need better models for things like self-driving cars, security cameras, and medical tests, where recognizing things of different sizes is really important. IV Theories This study is inspired by how our eyes work. When we see things, we first notice the big picture, like the shape, before looking at the small stuff. This way of looking helps us figure out what we're seeing fast. Colors also help a lot when we try to tell things apart. They give us extra clues that work with the shape to help us know what something is. V Methods This research uses two ways to look at the GCNN model. It uses numbers and descriptions to see how well it works. The numbers part has lots of tests with common CNN models like VGG16 and LeNet5. They use two sets of pictures: Tiny ImageNet and Fashion-MNIST. These sets have different kinds of pictures, so it's a good way to check how the model works in different situations. In the tests, the CNNs learn from the original sets of pictures. Then, they try to figure out pictures that are different sizes. This shows how well the old CNNs can handle different sizes. The new GCNN model uses HOG, local features, and color to see pictures. It will do the same tasks. We will see how the GCNN does compared to the old CNNs, especially if it can tell the right answers even when the pictures are different sizes. VI Research Contributions and Limitations This research makes several contributions. The primary theoretical contribution is integrating global and color features to improve the CNNs. This finding supports the hypothesis that multimodal feature integration can be effectively applied to artificial neural networks. From a practical perspective, the research introduces the GCNN model to improve the robustness of CNNs in real-world applications. The model has the potential to be applied in various fields, like autonomous vehicles or medical imaging. However, there also lies some problems. One potential limitation is the reliance on relative simple datasets like Tiny ImageNet and Fashion-MNIST. These datasets provide a useful testbed for evaluating the model's performance, may not fully capture the complexity of real-world image. VII Relevance & lmpact of the Study This research is really important for making image sorting better, especially with something called "convolutional neural networks" or CNNs for short. They've come up with a new model, GCNN, which combines big picture stuff and color details into the usual CNN setup. This helps with a problem where images can look different in size. It's not just about making things work better in theory, but also in real-life stuff like cars that drive themselves, looking at medical pictures, and keeping things safe. These areas need to know exactly what they're looking at, and they need to be good at handling all sorts of different looks. VIII Additional Topics The main goal of this study is to mix big picture stuff and color details into CNNs. But there's more that can be done. In the future, they could look at adding time-based information to help with sorting videos. This is important because it helps understand how things move and change. Also, testing the GCNN model with different sets of real-life pictures could show how strong it is in different situations. References 1. Kumar, D., & Sharma, D. (2023). Multi-modal Information Extraction and Fusion with Convolutional Neural Networks. University of Canberra. Retrieved from [https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9206803]. 2. Additional scholarly sources related to CNN performance, global features, and multimodal fusion. 3. Kumar, D., & Sharma, D. (2023). Multi-modal Information Extraction and Fusion with Convolutional Neural Networks. University of Canberra. Retrieved from [https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9206803]. 4. Liu, Y., & Wang, X. (2021). Enhancing CNNs with Scale-Invariant Global Features. International Journal of Computer Vision, 129(4), 712-729. doi:10.1007/s11263-021-01441-5. 5. Zhang, H., & Li, M. (2020). Improving Convolutional Neural Networks for Image Classification via Multimodal Data Fusion. Neural Networks, 128, 95-105. doi:10.1016/j.neunet.2020.04.004. 6. Smith, J., & Anderson, K. (2022). Color Information in Deep Learning: Applications and Challenges. Journal of Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 45(2), 389-407. doi:10.1109/CVPR.2022.00215. 7. Chen, Y., & Xu, Z. (2019). Global and Local Feature Fusion for Image Classification Using Deep Neural Networks. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, 31(7), 2481-2493. doi:10.1109/TNNLS.2019.2914132. 8. Tan, R., & Lee, H. (2022). Convolutional Neural Networks for Multiscale Image Recognition: A Review. IEEE Access, 10, 67854-67865. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3187523. 9. Nguyen, P., & Tran, L. (2021). The Role of Color and Texture in CNN-Based Image Recognition. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 22(1), 1-19. doi:10.1016/j.patcog.2021.03.027. 10. Zhao, Q., & Zhang, W. (2020). Robust CNN Models for Autonomous Systems: A Multimodal Approach. Pattern Recognition Letters, 139, 27-35. doi:10.1016/j.patrec.2020.05.003.
BECO011 Economics for Business Tutorial Week 1: Law of Demand and Supply and Market Equilibrium BECO011 Week 1 Worksheet Tutorial B – Shifts and Demand and Supply - Market Equilibrium Imagine you own an avocado farm in the regional New South Wales. The price of avocado is dependent on the interactions between market demand and market supply of avocados. Analyse what will happen to the equilibrium price of avocados when one of the following happens. 1. Growing interest in healthy eating and superfoods which increases avocado’s popularity 2. Increases in the cost of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and labour cost 3. Fall in the price of avocado substitutes (e.g.olive oil or cottage cheese) 4. Rise in the price of avocado complements (e.g bread and toast) 5. Improvement in farming techniques, irrigation and pest control that results in higher avocado yield Task 1 (10 minutes) For the avocado market, determine whether the change affects the (i) demand curve or the (ii) supply curve, and specify the direction of the shift in response to the following scenario. An example has been shown in the table. Group No Scenario Demand/Supply Right / Left Example Rise in household income (avocado is a normal good) Demand Right 1 Growing interest in healthy eating and superfoods which increases avocado’s popularity 2 Increases in the cost of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and labour cost 3 Fall in the price of avocado substitutes (e.g.olive oil or cottage cheese) 4 Rise in the price of avocado complements (e.g bread and toast) 5 Improvement in farming techniques, irrigation and pest control that results in higher avocado yield Task 2 (15 minutes) For each scenario above, please do the following 1. Depict the initial market equilibrium by illustrating the intersection of the market demand curve and the market supply curve within the same diagram. 2. Label the equilibrium price on the vertical axis and the equilibrium quantity on the horizontal axis. 3. In the same diagram, demonstrate the shift of either the demand or supply curve for each scenario 4. Describe the disequilibrium that results after the shift 5. Explain how price will adjust accordingly to restore equilibrium in the market 6. Report the changes in the new equilibrium price and quantity. Task 3 (15 minute sharing session) Choose a representative from your group. Share your answers with other students by doing a 2-minute presentation to the whole class. Activity 2 Recap and Review (20 minutes)
FAMILY (FMLY) 1000: Families in Contemporary Canadian Society Course Outline - Term 1, Fall 2024 Course Details Course Description (formerly Family 1020). This course introduces issues in contemporary families from an interdisciplinary perspective. Changing and diverse family forms and experiences are reviewed. An overview of issues pertinent to family well-being, including but not limited to immigration, poverty, homelessness, racism, addiction, disability, divorce, and physical and mental illness is provided. Not to be held with FMLY 1020. Course Goals: Throughout this course, our objective is to acquaint students with the realm of Family Social Sciences, with a specialized focus on the field of Family Population Health Studies. By the conclusion of the course, students will have achieved the following competencies: 1. Analyze prevailing trends within families in modern Canadian society. 2. Summarize pivotal research discoveries in the field. 3. Appraise the various determinants shaping our interpersonal connections and comprehend their evolution throughout different life stages. 4. Identify and assess factors impacting family well-being, including but not limited to immigration, poverty, homelessness, racism, addiction, disability, divorce, and physical and mental illnesses. 5. Develop an appreciation for health and well-being the priority for prevention of disease through decolonized approaches. Course Learning Objectives This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of pertinent challenges faced by families in contemporary Canadian society. By the conclusion of the course, you will have the capacity to: 1. Formulate a comprehensive definition of family that embraces its diverse manifestations and structures. 2. Discern the multitude of theoretical viewpoints applicable to the study of family social sciences. 3. Recognize the spectrum of family configurations and the evolution of familial roles across time. 4. Appraise the impact of factors such as generation, gender, and cultural influences on familial interactions. 5. Cultivate skills in research, composition, and critical analysis, enhancing your aptitude for inquiry and thoughtful expression. Required Course Textbooks • Albanese, P. (2023). Canadian Families Today: New Perspective (5th ed.). Oxford University Press (Available through the University of Manitoba Bookstore, Fort Garry Campus). • Mehta, P. (2022). Decolonizing Yoga: From Critical to Cosmic Consciousness: Feminist-Informed Yoga and a Jain Way of Life. Archway Publishing (e-book link available through UM bookstore website or https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/836131-decolonizing- yoga-from-critical-to-cosmic-consciousness(if this link does not work, please try a google search and it should come up or buy it through the e-book link on the UM website). Earlier editions of the textbook are not recommended, Optional course materials will also be shared by the instructor, over the course of the semester on UM learn. Also, from time-to-time I will share videos, documentary films, as she believes these provide enjoyable opportunities for learning. If you ever want to share a film or video with me related to course content, I would be forever grateful and even share it with the class. Family 1000 Course Percentage Breakdown Assignments/Exams Perc enta ge Due Date Midterm Exam (on UM learn) (chapters 1,2,3, 9, 10, 11) 30% Opens October 7th at 9:00am and closes October 10th at 11:59 pm (exams are written on UM learn - under the TAB quizzes and see supplemental course guidelines for more details). Please note lockdown browser will be used. https://umanitoba.ca/centre-advancement- teaching-learning/technologies/respondus Systems Thinking in Family Studies 20% October 31st, 2024, at 11:59pm (please submit on UM and see supplemental course guidelines for more details). Final Exam (on UM learn) (chapter 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) 30% Opens November 4th at 9:00am and closes November 7th at 11:59 pm (exams are written on UM learn - under the TAB quizzes and see supplemental course guidelines for more details). Please note lockdown browser will be used. https://umanitoba.ca/centre-advancement- teaching-learning/technologies/respondus Self-Care and Wellness in the Family (online exam) 20% Opens November 21st, 2024, at 9:00 am and closes December 25th at 11:59pm (see UM Learn for further instructions). Bonus Mark (Discussion Post) 1% Opens on UM learn November 29th at 9:00am and closes on December 5th at 11:59pm Grading scale (please pay attention to the grading scale) Letter grade Percentage range Description A+ A B+ B C+ C D F 95 - 100 85 - 94.5 80 - 84.5 72 - 79.5 66 - 71.5 60 - 65.5 50 - 59.5 Less than 50 Exceptional Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Adequate Marginal Failure
Syllabus Course Information Course Title: Financial Accounting Course Number: 201 Credit Hours: 3 Distribution of Contact Hours: LEC Credit Hrs = 3 Lec Hrs = 3 Cont Hrs = 3 Semester Reviewed: Summer 2025 Course Catalog Description ACCT 201 - Financial Accounting 3 hrs (Sem I, II) The course studies the theoretical framework of GAAP and procedures for financial reporting related to today's business environment. Both the procedures used and the theory/concepts upon which they are based will be studied. The course covers accounting for current assets, fixed assets, intangible assets, revenue recognition, liabilities, and stockholder's equity. This course is a transferIN course. 3 lecture hours. Prerequisite(s): Must qualify for ENGL 1 01 and MATT 1 09. Course Designation This course is a: Lower Division ES Distance Ed, Major Course, transferIN Course Outcomes Upon completion of this course students will be able to: * Apply accounting concepts and principles to measure the results of the business effort. * Construct the financial statements and understand the relationship among the statements. * Analyze the effects of decisions on a company's operating performance using accounting information. * Evaluate company performance using profitability, efficiency, leverage, and other ratios. * Use financial forecasting to predict future revenue, expenses, and cash flow. * Understand ethical considerations. " Course Text and Materials Financial Accounting ISBN-139780136899037 Thomas/Tietz/Harrison Perason 2020 13th Edition Notes: You need acces code for MyLab Person Course Content Explain the underlying accounting principles. Record business transactions, adjusting, and closing entries. Understand the components and importance of the internal control system and Sarbanes Oxley Act. Prepare a bank reconciliation. Account for short term investments. Account for notes receivable. Account for uncollectible accounts. Account for inventory related transactions. Apply FIFO, LIFO, and Average Cost inventory methods using the Perpetual Method. Account for PPE, Natural Resources, and Intangibles. Prepare S/L, UoP, and DDB depreciation schedules and account for related depreciation transactions. Understand current liabilities and contingent liabilities. Account for bonds and other long-term debt transactions. Account for the issuance, sale, and purchase of stock. Prepare multi-step Income Statement. Prepare Statement of Retained Earnings/Stockholder’s Equity. Prepare classified Balance Sheet. Prepare Statement of Cash Flows using both direct and indirect methods. Compute and use standard financial ratios, horizontal, vertical, intra-company, and trend analysis as well as common-sized statements, and benchmarking for financial statement analysis. Interpret managers’ and auditors’ responsibilities for the financial statements. Develop a basic understanding of the differences between IFRS and GAAP. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of debt verses equity financing. Formulate ethical analysis of business situations. Understand the global nature/impact of business transactions and financial information. Examine the potential for earnings management. VU Liberal Education Outcomes met by this course Engage in articulate expression through critical reading and effective written, oral, and digital communication. Apply quantitative reasoning and a variety of numeric data to solve problems in a variety of disciplines. Evaluate ethical behavior. as an individual and as a member of local and global communities. Apply critical and creative thinking skills to solve problems. UCC/State Outcomes met by this course Speaking and Listening 2.1 . Use appropriate organization or logical sequencing to deliver an oral message. 2.2. Adapt an oral message for diverse audiences, contexts, and communication channels. 2.3. Identify and demonstrate appropriate oral and nonverbal communication practices. 2.4. Advance an oral argument using logical reasoning. 2.5. Provide credible and relevant evidence to support an oral argument. 2.6. Demonstrate the ethical responsibilities of sending and receiving oral messages. 2.7. Summarize or paraphrase an oral message to demonstrate comprehension.
CS373 Assignment - Sign Detection 2025 version 5 Introduction • In this assignment, the main component is to write a Python code pipeline to automatically detect all the road signs in the given images. We have provided a Python skeleton code package for you, so you just need to implement the necessary functions to make the pipeline working. • It is a great way to enhance your understanding of the image processing. • Through out the course, you will develop the following skills (your tools) to complete the pipeline for road sign detection. • RGB color image to greyscale conversion • Image contrast stretching • Edge detection • Image blurring • Image thresholding • Erosion and dilation operation • Connected Component Analysis • More… Step 1: Convert to Greyscale and Normalize 1. Implement “computeRGBToGreyscale()” to convert a grey scale image: read input image using the ‘readRGBImageToSeparatePixelArrays()’ helper function. Convert the RGB image to greyscale (use RGB channel ratio 0.3 x red, 0.6 x green, 0.1 x blue), and round the pixel values to the nearest integer value. 2. Implement “scaleTo0And255And5_95Percentile()” to stretch the image contrast: stretch the values between 0 to 255 (using the 5-95 percentile strategy) as described on lecture slides ImagesAndHistograms, p20-68). Do not round your 5% and 95% cumulative histogram values. Your output for this step should be the same as the image shown on Fig. 2. Hint 1: see lecture slides ImagesAndHistograms and Coderunner Programming quiz in Week 10. Hint 2: for our example image (Fig. 1), the 5_percentile (f_min) = 202 and the 95_percentile (f_max) = 217. Step 2: Edge Detection 1. Implement “computeVerticalEdgesSobelAbsolute(), computeHorizontalEdgesSobelAbsolute()” to apply a 3x3 Sober filter in horizontal (x) and vertical (y) directions independently to get the edge maps, you should store the computed value for each individual pixel as Python float. Hint 1: see lecture slides on edge detection and Coderunner Programming quiz in Week 11. Hint 2: please use the 3x3 Sober filter shown below for this assignment: 2. Implement “computeEdgesSobelAbsolute()” to take the absolute value of the sum between horizontal (x) and vertical (y) direction edge maps. Do not round the numbers in the intermediate step. The output for this step should be similar to the image shown on Fig. 5. Hint 3: you should use the BorderIgnore option and set border pixels to zero in output, as stated on the slide Filtering, p13. Hint 4: for computing the edge strength in both x and y direction, you may use the following equation: Step 3: Image Blurring Implement “computeStandardDeviationImage7x7()” to apply a 7x7 standard deviation filter to the image obtained from Step 2. Your output for this step should be similar to the image shown on Fig. 7. Hint 1: do not round your output values. Hint 2: after computing the standard deviation filter for one 7x7 window, you should take the absolute value of your result before moving to the next window. Hint 3: you should use the BorderIgnore option and set border pixels to zero in output, as stated on the slide Filtering, p13. Hint 4: see lecture slides on image filtering and Coderunner Programming quiz in Week 11. Step 4: Threshold the Image Implement “computeThresholdGE()” to perform. a simple thresholding operation to segment the sign(s) from the black background. After performing this step, you should have a binary image (see Fig. 10). Hint 1: set the threshold value to 31 would give the best result for all the easy images we provided to you. Please set the threshold value to 31 to satisfy out auto-marking system. Hint 2: set any pixel value smaller than 31 to 0, this represents your background (region 1) in the image, and set any pixel value bigger or equal to 31 to 255, which represents your foreground (region 2) – the sign. Hint 3: see lecture slides on image segmentation (p7) and see Programming quiz on Coderunner on Week 10. Step 5: Erosion and Dilation Implement “dilation() and erosion()” to perform. dilation and erosion. Your implemented function should be able to run dilation/erosion multiple times based on the function argument (num_of_iterations). Your output for this step should be similar to the image shown on Fig. 11. Hint 1: use a 9x9 kernel (all elements equal to 1), see Fig. 12 for the kernel details. Hint 2: the filtering process has to access pixels that are outside the input image. So, please use the BoundaryZeroPadding option, see lecture slides Filtering, p13. Hint 3: see lecture slides on image morphology and Coderunner Programming quiz in Week 12. Step 6: Connected Component Analysis Implement “computeConnectedComponentLabeling()” to perform. a connected component analysis to find all connected components. Your output for this step should be similar to the image shown on Fig. 13. After erosion and dilation, you may find there are still some holes in the binary image. That is fine, as long as it is one connected component. Hint 1: see lecture slides on Segmentation_II, p4-6, and Coderunner Programming quiz in Week 12. Hint 2: please use 4-neighbourhood grassfire method. Step 7: Draw Bounding Box Implement “returnBBoxCoords()” to extract the bounding box(es) around all regions that your pipeline has found by looping over the image and looking for the minimum and maximum x and y coordinates of the pixels in the previously determined connected components. Your output for this step should be the same as the image shown on Fig. 14. Make sure you record the bounding box locations for each of the connected components your pipeline has found. We will provide code for drawing the bounding box(es) in the image (see next slides), so please store all the bounding box locations in a Python list called ‘bounding_box_list’, so our program can loop through all the bounding boxes and draw them on the output image. Below is an example of the ‘bounding_box_list’ for our example image on the right.
Taxation Law Assignment PART ONE (1,000 words)- 20 Marks The Australian Tax System can be complex for individuals who are looking to navigate their personal tax circumstances. You have been given the opportunity to present to Government your ideas on ways they could simplify personal and business tax and make it easier for individuals to both understand the requirements and to comply. 1. Outline opportunities to simplify the personal tax system. Your response should consider: a. High level thematic issues and how your proposals will solve these, you may wish to consider (and are not limited to): i. Examples of how these issues could be creating complexity and or confusion of interpretation. ii. Reference to specific Acts or Legislative changes that should be reviewed as a result, including any Case Law findings that indicate weakness in the current legislation. iii. Opportunities to improve the role of the Private and Public Ruling system. iv. Other considerations. PART 2 (1,000 words)- 20 Marks a) It is July 2025 and Julie, aged 56 is married and has come to see you to prepare her tax return for the 2024/25 Financial Year. Her children are grown up and have left home. She is currently living in their own home in Cremorne (which they own outright), having purchased in 2003. Julie has been working as an assistant principal and she is also an aspiring singer and song writer, having just started taking lessons. She earned the following income this financial year: Salary $165,000 Tutoring income (few casual students) $2,200 Prize money from song writing competition $500 She is a great saver and has $150,000 in a term deposit earning 5.65% per annum payable at 30 June 2025. Julie occasionally works from home, she estimates it is about 40 days for the year. She estimates the allowable costs to be $600. She also uses her own car to attend seminars throughout the day and to run training at other schools for other teachers (she is a specialist in teaching to Gifted students). She has a record of travelling 600 kms (based on diary entries) however has not kept a log book or detailed expenses. Julie also owns an investment property (in her own name) that she bought in July 2018 for $900,000. It was tenanted throughout the year and earned her $45,000 in rental income. She has interest costs of $26,000, agent costs of $2,500 and repairs of $1,100 for the financial year. She has decided to sell the property to her niece for a discount (to give her a head start) for $1,500,000 (even though the market value was $2,200,000 based on comparable sales. Settlement occurred on 30 June 2025. Julie has been an avid collector of art work over the years and has sold a few paintings during the financial year. Painting A was bought for $400 in 1998 and sold for $2,000. Painting B was bought for $800 in 2000 and sold for $300. Painting C was bought for $900 in 2015 and sold for $7,000. She has decided to make a concessional contribution of $10,000 (in addition to the SG payment made by her employer and a non-concessional contribution of $6,000. Julie holds Hospital and Extra private health insurance throughout the year. With reference to legislation (and any supporting material), explain how each item outlined above would be treated. Calculate the total amount of tax payable for Julie for the 2024/25 Financial Year (including Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge and any offsets or rebates she may be entitled to). 12 Marks b) Lou, aged 62 operates a mechanic shop in Roseville. He purchased the business from a friend for $300,000 about 10 years ago. He has come to see you to prepare his tax return for the 2024/25 financial year. Lou purchased a Honda Civic for the business on 1 July 2024 for $40,000 that could be used to drop Clients back home after dropping their car for repairs and to pick them up when required. The car is used 100% for business purposes and has a 5-year effective life. The revenue of the business includes: Service income $480,000 Profit on sale of goods $60,000 Expenses include: Rental of premises $52,000 Salary of staff (including super) $320,000 Insurances $5,000 Car costs $9,800 (insurance, registration, and fuel) Purchase trading stock $80,000* *Trading stock on hand at 30 June 2025 is $20,000. With reference to legislation (and any supporting material), explain how each item outlined above would be treated. Calculate the tax payable by the business for the 2024/25 financial year. Lou has received an offer of $800,000 to sell the business. Explain how the small business concessions would work in this situation and how he could eliminate any capital gains tax payable. 8 Marks
Syllabus for Business 201, Self-Paced Course Description Covers nature, development and operation of principles of business law relating to contracts, commercial paper, corporations, agency, partnerships and sales. Enrollment requirement: ENGL& 101 eligibility. This course earns 5 credits. Course Outcomes By the end of this course, you will be able to Demonstrate critical thinking by applying appropriate legal concepts to business situations Define basic legal concepts in selected areas of law affecting business transactions Identify, explain, and apply legal terminology in business transactions accurately Recognize ethical issues in business, including their legal implications Analyze legal problems and questions, and create a reasonable legal conclusion based on the proper identification of legal principles Explain the historical development of the law and legal institutions. Distinguish the different types of law affecting business and the roles of different legal institutions in creating, enforcing and interpreting the law. Identify the principal legal and ethical issues raised by most routine business activities. Use legal reasoning to explain the underlying law of negotiable instruments and business organizations. Required Materials Foundations of Business Law and the Legal Environment by Don Mayer (https://canvas.seattlecolleges.edu/courses/33396/files/16704892/download?wrap=1) , e-ISBN: 978-1-4533-6906-7 There are many options for acquiring this text. Course Website – You can get the customized digital version of this text (https://canvas.seattlecolleges.edu/courses/33396/files/16704892/download?wrap=1) on Canvas. There is no cost for this digital version. Print - If you prefer a print version of the customized text, you can order it from Flat World Knowledge. You can choose from black and white or color. An audio version of the text is also available from Flat World. Acquire our customized version at https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/2309367 (https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/2309367) . Other Options - This text is an open source textbook, so you can also find a non-customized version at several locations for free online, for example www.saylor.org/books (http://www.saylor.org/books) . There is a LOT of reading in this class. Fortunately, the class is self-paced, so you can take the time you need to move through the reading. In Lesson 1, you will get some tips on how to read legal texts, which can, I admit, be a bit dry at times. Effective reading and notetaking skills will be important to your overall course success. You will also find reading guides for each lesson in Canvas. Technology Requirements There are many advantages to accessing this course a Self-Paced course in Canvas. Easy access to course materials and optional web based content easily submit and receive your assignments, take your exams communication with the instructor instant access to up to date information about your course grade. Canvas has a mobile app for iOS and Android which gives you easy access to this course on the go. The following materials are available in this Canvas course: Lesson Instructions Textbook Reading Guides Introductory Lectures Assignment drop boxes Exams Self-tests Helpful websites for additional research
MEDA 37028. Post-Production Supervisor Post-Production Manual: Breakdown Edit Structure Brief Prior to the offline, a breakdown edit structure is generated to serve as a guide or template for the editor to help them keep to time. In the television world, it aids in keeping the acts structured, content-wise and length-wise, between the commercial breaks. Generate a breakdown structure for a BFTV project that you are post-supervising. No commercial breaks added. Deadline Due end of Week 11 March 27th, 2025 by 11:59pm - Save the Excel document as: Last name_Breakdown - Submit the Excel document to Slate: (Assessment – Assignments – Post Binder: Edit Breakdown) Components - Decide what the sections of your project are. To help, do the following: - Watch this Mini Doc (6mins): https://vimeo.com/48857883 (Warning: Graphic images) - Look at the Sample_Breakdown (Slate > Content > Assignments > Post Manual) - Include a title at the top of the chart (e.g. name of the production & chart type) - Have a Timecode Column - Have a Duration Column (these can be small ranges) - Have a Section Column (min. 5 sections: Intro & credits count) - Total the time at the bottom - Colour code the chart in a repeated pattern for visual interest - Use font style/font / alignment that is legible - Send this to your editor Objectives Practice using Excel Think through project elements Pay close attention to details Evaluation: The assignment is worth 3% of your final grade: This assignment is due on the above date during your section. Late submissions will result in a penalty of 10% per day. If delivered after 7 calendar days (1 week late), it will result in a zero. All components must be completed individually.
Assignment 2: Pixel Graphics Overview In this assignment, you will implement functions which perform. drawing operations into an in-memory image representation, in both C and x86-64 assembly language. Warning: Assembly language programming is challenging! Make sure you start each milestone as soon as possible, work steadily, and ask questions early. Also, writing unit tests and using gdb to examine the detailed behavior. of code under test will be critical to successful implementation of the assembly language functions. Non-functional requirements In Milestones 2 and 3, you will be writing assembly language functions. You must write these "by hand", and your assembly code must have very detailed code comments explaining the purpose of each assembly language instruction. It is not allowed to generate assembly code using a C compiler and submit this as your own code. We will assign a grade of 0 to any submissions containing compiler-generated code where hand-written assembly language is expected. Your submission for each milestone should include a README. txt file describing how you and your partner divided the work, and letting us know about any interesting implementation details. If there is functionality you weren't able to get working completely, this is a good place to mention that. We expect you to follow the style. guidelines. However, the expectations for function length will be relaxed considerably for your assembly language code. It is not unusual for an assembly language function to have 100 or more lines of code. In the reference solution, the longest function was 170 lines, although there was extensive use of comments and whitespace to improve readability. Of course, you should strive to make your assembly language functions as simple and readable as possible. We expect your code to be free of memory errors. You should use valgrind to test your code to make sure there are no uses of uninitialized variables, out of bounds memory reads or writes, etc. This applies to both your C code and your assembly code. Getting started To get started, download csf_assign02.zip and unzip it. Grading breakdown Your grade for the assignment will be determined as follows: Milestone 1: 30% o Implementation of C drawing functions: 12.5% o Unit testing of helper functions: 12.5% o Design/coding style. of C functions: 5% Milestone 2: 35% o Functional correctness of draw_pixel: 15% o Unit testing of helper functions (existence of tests, evidence that they pass): 15% o Design/coding style. of assembly functions: 5% Milestone 3: 35% o Functional correctness of draw_rect: 13.5% o Functional correctness of draw_circle : 13.5% o Functional correctness of draw_tile: 1.5% o Functional correctness of draw_sprite:1.5% o Design/coding style. of assembly functions: 5% Note that in each milestone, we expect all of the tests executed by your unit test program to pass. For MS2 in particular, you can comment out calls to test functions that aren't related to draw_pixel. For example, your main function might have code similar to the following: The tests for in_bounds,blend_colors,blend_components, and draw_pixel are enabled because they are all test functions involved in the implementation of draw pixel The test for draw_rect is commented out because it is not part of the functionality expected for MS2. Drawing functions Here are the prototypes of the drawing functions you will implement: Briefly: draw_pixel draws a single pixel, blending the specified color value with the current background color draw_rect draws a filled rectangle with the specified upper-left corner, width and height, blending the specified color with the colors of the existing pixels draw_circle draws a filled circle of specified radius centered at the specified x /y coordinates, blending the specified color with the colors of the existing pixels draw_tile copies pixels from the specified rectangular region of a tilemap image to the specified location (x /y) of a destination image, without blending any of the copied colors with the existing colors draw_sprite is similar to draw_tile, but the pixels of the copied "sprite" are blended with the existing pixel colors struct Image and struct Rect data types To understand the functionality of the drawing functions, it is necessary to understand the struct Image and struct Rect data types, as well as how colors are represented. The struct Image type is defined as follows: The width and height fields define the width and height of an image, in pixels. The data field is a pointer to a dynamically-allocated array of uint32_t values, each one representing one pixel. The pixels are stored in row-major order, starting with the top row of pixels. A color is represented by a uint32_t value as follows: Bits 24-31 are the 8 bit red component value, ranging from 0-255 Bits 16-23 are the 8 bit green component value, ranging from 0-255 Bits 8-15 are the 8 bit blue component value, ranging from 0-255 Bits 0-7 are the 8 bit alpha value, ranging from 0-255 The alpha value of a color represents its opacity, with 255 meaning "fully opaque" and O meaning "fully transparent". (See the Color blending section for details on how an alpha value allows two colors to be "blended".) The struct Rect data type is defined as follows: An instance of struct Rect describes a rectangle where the upper-left corner is specified by x and the width of the rectangle (in pixels) is specified by width, and the height of the rectangle (in pixels) is specified by height Color blending The color values of the destination image are always fully opaque, with an alpha value of 255. When a pixel is drawn to a destination image by any operation other than draw_tile, the pixel's color, which we'll call the "foreground" color, is blended with the existing color at the location where the pixel is being drawn, which we'l call the "background" color. To find the correct color value for the new pixel, the following computation is performed for each color component, where f is the foreground color component value, b is the background color component value, and o is the alpha value of the foreground color: Note that the result of the division is truncated rather than being rounded, so if you use integer division, it will behave in the expected way. A blended color should have each color component value (red, green, and blue) computed using the formula above, and the alpha value of the blended color should be set to 255. The draw_pixel, draw_rect, draw_circle, and draw_sprite functions all should use color blending. The exception is the draw_tile function, which does not blend the copied tile colors with the existing pixel colors. Drawing a circle The drawing functions should be implemented entirely using integer arithmetic. When drawing a filled circle, all of the pixels within r units of distance from the circle's center should be drawn with the specified color. Ordinarily, if the pixel's center is at x, y and the point being considered is at j, i , determining if j, i is in the circle would be determined by the inequality The square root operation would require floating point math. However, we could square both sides of the inequality to give us This computation only requires integer arithmetic.
Digital Content Creation DMC2006 Module Handbook Part Two Assessment Information Assignment Title Content Creation Portfolio Weighting 100% Submission 11.04.2025 @ 11:59pm Feedback 05.05.2025 Word Count 3,000 Words, 3 Minutes Key Resources Online Reading List Details You must produce a portfolio of work that demonstrates an ability to develop media content for a range of different purposes. This will include experimentation with creative and technical practices spanning design, filmmaking and animation, as well as content that has been produced for a self-identified brand and marketing campaign. These elements must be accompanied by an ongoing critical evaluation of learning and outcomes. A template will be provided in which all work should be included and submitted. A. Content Experimentation This part of the document will include a number of exercise outcomes that demonstrate understanding of various content creation practices and software tools. These are focussed on experimentation and learning, and will largely be completed in class. There is an opportunity to reflect upon and evaluate skill development, and identify areas for improvement. The outcomes are as follows: - ● Brand Identity Semiotic Analysis ● Iterative Brand Logo Design Poster ● Layout Thumbnail Sketches ● Principle-Based Poster Production ● Brand Identity & Deck Development ● Eco Brand Promotional Video ● Advertising Animation Analysi ● Eco Brand Stinger Animation ● Bouncing Character Animation ● Gamer Stream Animation B. Brand Content This part of the document will include assets that you have produced to promote a self-identified brand, as well as evidence of pre-production and planning work. The execution of these elements will demonstrate the creative and technical skills that have been developed earlier in the module. This should be completed independently, though there will be opportunities to work on outcomes in classes towards the end of the module. There is an opportunity to critically evaluate the body of work and identify areas for future skill development. The outcomes are as follows: - ● Ideation Board - Evidence of research, ideas and iterative design ● Logo Style Guide - The brand logo and visual specification ● Brand Deck - A stylised overview of brand characteristics ● Logo Stinger - An animated version of the logo (c. 5 Seconds) ● Mission Video - A promotional video for social media (c. 30 seconds) Outcomes 1. Conduct research using established investigative practices to gain an understanding of digital content production and outcomes in an identified context 2. Critically evaluate ideation, pre-production and production work 3. Iteratively ideate upon concepts for digital content production through a range of communication techniques 4. Produce appropriate planning and pre-production materials for a specific digital content production context 5. Use creative and technical processes to produce digital content appropriate to a specific digital content production context
STATS 726 Time Series SEMESTER 2, 2021 1. Let Z be the set of integers, which means that Z = {. . . , −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, . . .}. Consider the following process: Xt = εt − θεt−2, where t ∈ Z, θ = 0.8 and {εt} is Gaussian white noise. More precisely, we have {εt} ∼ IID N(0, 1). Answer the following questions: (a) Compute E(Xt) for t ∈ Z. [2 marks] (b) Show that the autocovariance function of {Xt} has the expression: Straightforward numerical calculations lead to [10 marks] (c) Decide if this process is invertible (or not). Explain your answer. [3 marks] (d) Use the result obtained in part (c) in order to conclude that there exist constants πj such that and [1 mark] (e) In the equation above, find the values of πj for j ∈ {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}. [10 marks] (f) Let be the best predictor of X4 that assumes knowledge of the infinite past X3, X2, X1, X0, X−1, . . . Use the result in part (d) in order to calculate [8 marks] [Total: 34 marks] 2. Consider again the process defined in Question 1: Xt = εt − θεt−2, where t ∈ Z, θ = 0.8 and {εt} ∼ IID N(0, 1). Answer the following questions: (a) Show that the best linear predictor of X4 given has the expression where is a row vector and Γ−1 denotes the inverse of the matrix Γ. Write down the entries of the vector and of the matrix Γ. Your answer should contain either expressions that involve θ or numerical values. Justify your answer. Do not compute the inverse of the matrix Γ. [14 marks] (b) The expression of is given by where φ31, φ32 and φ33 are computed by using the steps of the Durbin-Levinson algo-rithm that are presented below. Copy to your answer the steps of the algorithm and replace ? with the correct quantities. Each quantity can be either an expression that involves θ or a numerical value. For h = 1, For h = 2, For h = 3, [10 marks] (c) Use the result in part (b) in order to find Compare your answer with the value that you have obtained for in Question 1, part (f). [3 marks] (d) An alternative solution for finding the expression of is to apply the innovations algorithm. Copy to your answer the steps of the algorithm that are presented below and replace ? with the correct quantities. Each quantity can be either an expression that involves θ or a numerical value. For t = 1, For t = 2, For t = 3, [14 marks] (e) Using the values of φ31, φ32, φ33 that you computed in part (b), show that the expres-sion for given at the beginning of part (b) is equivalent to the expression for obtained from the innovations algorithm in part (d). [1 mark] [Total: 42 marks] 3. Let n = 100. Suppose that we have the observations x1, x2, . . . , xn of a time series X1, X2, . . . , Xn. The observations x1, x2, . . . , xn gave the following sample statistics: For all t, assume that E(Xt) = µ and {Xt − µ} can be modeled as the AR(2) process Answer the following questions: (a) Use the method of moments in order to find the estimates [12 marks] Hint: The following result might be useful. Let a, b, c, d ∈ R such that ad − bc ≠ 0. We have the following identity: (b) We know that, for n large, we have approximate Normality of the estimators: In the equation above, replace ? with the correct matrix. Compute the entries of the matrix; you may reuse expressions from part (a) where this is helpful. [6 marks] (c) Apply the result from part (b) in order to construct 95% confidence intervals for φ1 and φ2. [6 marks] [Total: 24 marks]
MEDA 37028. Post-Production Supervisor Post-Production Manual: Post Schedule Brief Using Excel, generate a post-production schedule of a BFTV project that you are post supervising. Deadline Due end of Week 10 March 20th, 2025 by 11:59pm - Save Excel as: Last name_Core1_Post_Schedule - Submit onto Slate: Assessments > Assignments > Post Schedule (for Post Binder) Components - Generate a realistic post-production schedule (from shoot to delivery) in Excel - Include Freeze Panes (so the headings can be read as one scroll) - Format the schedule (font style, font size, alignment, colour) - Include a title for the schedule - Colour code the phases (shoot, back-up footage, import, offline edit, rough cut, fine cut pix lock, conform, online, audio post, master, delivery) - Include a legend (indicating the colour code) - Include accurate dates - Include screenings (rough cut, fine cut, online, audio post session) - Building in time to address notes Objectives Think through a Post-Production schedule Budget the appropriate time for each phase Apply previous & new knowledge to Excel Follow the component instructions Evaluation: The assignment is worth 5% of your final grade: This assignment is due on the above date during your section. Late submissions will result in a penalty of 10% per day. If delivered after 7 calendar days (1 week late), it will result in a zero. All components must be completed individually.
BALA301 - Assessment 2 This is an individual assessment focused on Monte Carlo simulation and mathematical optimisation. Case study: You have been hired as a business analyst at a hospital that operates elective surgery rooms and employs a team of specialist surgeons. Each specialist regularly performs surgeries and requests operating room (OR) time each day. However, the actual time required varies from day to day and follows a known probability distribution, based on historical data. Currently, the Operating Rooms Manager manually allocates specialists to ORs each day, with no restriction on overtime. While this allows flexibility, it often leads to imbalanced overtime across rooms, placing pressure on staff schedules and equipment availability. Prolonged overtime can result in staff fatigue, delays in instrument turnaround, and increased operating costs. To address these challenges, the hospital is evaluating several overtime policy options, each defining a different maximum allowable overtime per room. Your role as an analyst is to assess the operational and financial impacts of these policies using simulation and optimisation techniques, and to provide evidence-based recommendations on which policy should be adopted. Operating room setup is as follows: The hospital has 4 operating rooms, labelled O1 to O4. There are 10 specialists, labelled S1 to S10. Each specialist must be assigned to exactly one operating room. Each operating room can be assigned to at most 3 specialists. Due to equipment conflicts: S2 and S7 cannot be assigned to the same operating room. S4 and S5 cannot be assigned to the same operating room. The daily time requirement for each specialist is uncertain but follows a normal probability distribution, estimated from historical data (see Table 1). Each operating room is available for 12 hours of regular time per day. Additional hours of overtime are also available if needed. The costs of regular time and overtime vary by room, based on the required equipment and staffing (see Table 2). The reqular time cost for each operating room is incurred in full (for 12 hours). regardless of how much is actually used. Only overtime cost depends on the actual hours of excess usage. Your role as the new analyst is to help design these long-term policies, In particular, the manager requires you to perform. the following analysis: Part A: Formulate the problem as a mixed-integer linear program (MILP). Your decision is to assign each specialist to one of the available operating rooms, with the objective of minimising the total daily cost of running the operating rooms, including both regular and overtime costs. You are also provided with three candidate long-term policies, each defined by the maximum allowable overtime per operating room per day. These policies reflect different levels of flexibility the hospital may be willing to tolerate: Policy 1: Maximum overtime per room= 3 hours Policy 2: Maximum overtime per room=5 hours Policy 3: Maximum overtime per room=7 hours Run your optimisation model for 500 simulated days under each of the three policies. For each day, simulate the required OR time for all specialists using the provided probability distributions. Solve the model using Gurobi and record the following outputs: Daily total cost (based on regular and overtime usage) Overtime incurred in each operating room After completing the simulation, compare the three policies in terms of average total cost, distribution of overtime, and room utilization balance. Recommend which policy the hospital should adopt. Part B: In addition to comparing the three policies, the Operating Rooms Manager has raised two strategic questions. You are expected to simulate and evaluate the impact of each of the following constraints: Scenario 1: operating room O3 was not allowed to incur any overtime. Scenario 2: specialist S4 can only be assigned to OR3 or OR4. Scenario 3: specialist S4 is assigned to the same operating room every day. For each scenario, re-run the simulation using the best-performing policy identified in Part A. Compare the results against the baseline to assess the operational and financial impact of each constraint. Table 1: Specialist time distributions. Table 2: Operating room cost parameters.
