Applications of artificial intelligence techniques to a spacecraft control problem

Artificial intelligence applied to spacecraft control proble

Systems reliability issues for future aircraft

The reliability of adaptive controls for future aircraft are discussed. The research, formulation, and experimentation for improved aircraft performance are considered

Considerations in designing a cybernetic simple 'learning' model; and an overview of the problem of modelling learning

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Learning is viewed as a central feature of living systems and must be manifested in any artifact that claims to exhibit general intelligence. The central aims of the thesis are twofold: (1) - To review and critically assess the empirical and theoretical aspects of learning as have been addressed in a multitude of disciplines, with the aim of extracting fundamental features and elements. (2) - To develop a more systematic approach to the cybernetic modelling of learning than has been achieved hitherto. In pursuit of aim (1) above the following discussions are included: Historical and Philosophical backgrounds; Natural learning, both physiological and psychological aspects; Hierarchies of learning identified in the evolutionary, functional and developmental senses; An extensive section on the general problem of modelling of learning and the formal tools, is included as a link between aims (1) and (2). Following this a systematic and historically oriented study of cybernetic and other related approaches to the problem of modelling of learning is presented. This then leads to the development of a state-of-the-art general purpose experimental cybernetic learning model. The programming and use of this model is also fully described, including an elaborate scheme for the manifestation of simple learning

Why compete? : a two-part philosophical and narrative rebuttal to competition

This dissertation presents two methods of critiquing the ideology of competition; one, philosophical; and the other, narrative. Using these different methods of presentation, the dissertation attempts to argue a compelling case for the notion that a society based on a cooperative ideology is an acceptable, livable, preferable, and attainable alternative to our society\u27s present state. In Part One, competition is examined from a philosophical perspective. The first five chapters of Part One focus on why the competitive ideology and the competitive society fail to live up to their benign reputation though completely fulfilling their negative aspects. These chapters discuss several competitivist arguments, including the view that competition is an evolutionary or innate psychological condition of humans, social Darwinism, the economics of competition, and the conception of competition as a mutual quest for excellence. Chapter 6 of the dissertation studies the conundrum of why many people, despite evidence to the contrary, continue to support the competitive ideology. Finally, in Chapter 7, I offer one possibility as to what can be done to change this situation by attempting to answer the following question: If philosophy, along with voluminous sociological and psychological studies, has not provided the necessary contingencies to help people convince themselves of the obvious weaknesses of the competitive ideology, what will? Chapter 7 argues that literature (and Utopian literature in particular) is an acceptable alternative for presenting sophisticated ideas and scholarship; it is a medium which appeals to a larger percentage of the population. For the entirety of Part Two, therefore, I offer a quasi-utopian novel which contextualizes arguments for cooperation and against competition in order to demonstrate the literary medium\u27s potential. Because of the scope of the novel, the arguments do not deal strictly with sports-related competition but with competition as it affects a greater number of social institutions, including and especially education. The author hopes that the narrative style of presentation will make more accessible to more people the cooperativist position, thus stimulating pro-social changes

Artificial intelligence in control of real dynamic systems.

PhDA real dynamic plant is used to compare, test and assess the present theoretical techniques of adaptive, learning or intelligent control under practical criteria. Work of this nature has yet to be carried out if "intelligent control" is to have a place in everyday practice. The project follows a natural pattern of development, the construction of computer programmes being an important part of it. First, a. real plant - a model steam engine - and its electronic interface with a general purpose digital computer are designed and built as part of the project. A rough mathematical model of the plant is then obtained through identification tests. Second, conventional control of the plant is effected using digital techniques and the above mentioned mathematical model, and the results are saved to compare with and evaluate the results of "intelligent control". Third, a few well-known adaptive or learning control algorithms are investigated and implemented. These tests bring out certain practical problems not encountered or not given due consideration in theoretical or simulation studies. Alternatively, these problems materialise because assumptions made on paper are not readily available in practice. The most important of these problematic. assumptions are those relating to computational time and storage, convergence of the adaptive or learning algorithm and the training of the controller. The human operator as a distinct candidate for the trainer is also considered and the problems therein are discussed. Finally, the notion of fuzzy sets and logic is viewed from the control point and a controller using this approach is developed and implemented. The operational advantages and the results obtained, albeit preliminary, demonstrate the potential power of this notion and provide the grounds for further work in this area

A comparative study of the evaluative meaning of colour: Implications for identity and the development of self-esteem in young black children.

This study reviews in detail the literature on identity development in children and adolescents, drawing on the theoretical framework of George Herbert Mead and Erik Erikson. Particular attention is paid to identity development in young black children in Britain, the United States, and Jamaica. Literature on self-concept and self-esteem in young children is also reviewed in detail, and a chapter is devoted to measurement problems in this area. An attempt is made to integrate accounts of self-esteem and self-concept within the concept of global identity. The ways in which young children acquire evaluative meanings of colour are considered, with special consideration of the development of feelings about their personal ethnicity in relation to self-esteem in young black children aged between four and seven. The argument is developed that devaluation of one's ethnic group is a manifestation of poor self-esteem. The development of the Williams Colour Meaning Test and the Pre-School Racial Attitudes Measure in America is described, the race-of-tester effect being discussed in detail. An adaptation of the Ziller method of measuring self-esteem, suitable for use with children aged 4 to 7 is also described. A study is described using the Colour Weaning Test, the Pre-School Racial Attitudes Measure and the Ziller self-esteem measure in 414 children aged 4 to 7 in England and Jamaica. The subjects in England (white English, black Jamaican, black West Indian, Cypriot, African and Asian) attended nursery and infant schools in London. The Jamaican subjects attended an infant school in a rural area. The results showed that black West Indian subjects, both in England and Jamaica, displayed considerable white bias in their evaluation of colour and ethnicity. The evaluation of colour and ethnicity was significantly related to the measurement of self-esteem in predicted directions, in both English and West Indian children. African children displayed the least white bias in the evaluation of colour and ethnicity. In the subjects in England, a high proportion of black and Asian children in a classroom was associated with a more positive evaluation of colour and ethnicity in the West Indian subjects; in contrast, white children in a minority in a classroom showed enhanced rather than diminished ethnic identity. These and other findings are considered at some length in a discussion of ways of enhancing identity and the development of self-esteem in young black children in Britain

An Exploratory Mixed-Methodological Analysis of Police Hostage and Crisis Negotiation in the United Kingdom

Hostage and crisis negotiators are police officers who have been trained to respond to and resolve hostage and crisis incidents. They are often required to respond to highly-pressurised and emotive incidents that may last for protracted periods of time and are likely to encounter situations whereby their actions could play a role in whether individuals live or die. The first aim of the current thesis was to identify whether negotiators in the United Kingdom (UK) possess certain traits or characteristics that serve to enable them to perform their role effectively and differentiate them from the wider police population. The first phase of the research involved a quantitative cross-sectional comparison of a sample of hostage and crisis negotiators (n = 117) with a sample of non-negotiator police officers (n = 118) from 21 UK forces and a sample of students (n = 203) utilising a psychometric test battery measuring five constructs previously identified within the literature as playing a role in success within occupational settings: Personality, Coping Style, Cognitive Emotion Regulation, Decision-Making Style and Emotional Intelligence. The findings refuted the existence of a “unique hostage and crisis negotiator profile” but confirmed the existence of a unique “police officer profile” by demonstrating significant differences between both police samples and the student sample in relation to all constructs measured. These findings are discussed with reference to the implications for the selection, training and CPD of UK negotiators. Hostage and crisis negotiation is one of many options available to police incident commanders and is well-established as an effective means of resolving hostage and crisis incidents. Whilst there is a plethora of published literature relating to the entity of hostage and crisis negotiation, the majority of this literature has been developed within the United States of America (USA), on the basis of USA negotiator deployments and experiences. The second aim, therefore, was to provide an insight into the discipline of negotiation in the UK by conducting a constructivist grounded theory analysis of the experiences of negotiators as derived from semi-structured interviews with 15 negotiators from nine UK police forces. The findings allowed for the development of five grounded theoretical micro-models: a) The Nature and Characteristics of UK Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, b) The UK Hostage and Crisis Negotiator Journey, c) The UK-Centric D.I.A.M.O.N.D. Procedural Model of Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, d) The UK Hostage and Crisis Negotiator Experience, and e) The Self-Perceived Successful UK Hostage and Crisis Negotiator Profile. These micro-models are discussed with reference to their implications for hostage and crisis negotiation policy and practice in a UK-centric context