Biased randomized insertion orders

In this thesis, we consider insertion orders for incremental construction in computational geometry. Specifically, we focus on Delaunay triangulations and arrangements of line segments. The starting point of this research was the assumption that by adapting the orders to the point sets, we could speed up the point location in incremental constructions. We present new insertion orders for Delaunay triangulations based on the concepts of adap-tive curves. More specifically, we explore orders that attempt to split the point set evenly in the recursive construction of the order. Further, we explore squarified orders that are orders that try to produce subproblems without any bias to one of the coordinate axes. We pro-vide implementations for all of these orders and several existing ones. We also propose new insertion orders for arrangements of line segments. We perform an experimental evaluation of the orders for incrementally constructing Delau-nay triangulations. Our experiments show the advantages of squarifying: for a tour visiting the points in the given order, the squarified order typically produces a shorter tour than the order it is based on. This results in (slightly) faster point location. The experiments also sho

Proceedings of the 8th MIT/ONR Workshop on C[3] Systems, held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 24 to 28, 1985

"December 1985."Includes bibliographies and index.Office of Naval Research Contract no. ONR/N00014-77-C-0532 NR-041-519edited by Michael Athans and Alexander H. Levis

Peer coaching: To what extent can it support the development of professional attributes required to be a teacher?

Students on a science PGCE course were introduced to peer coaching. This article describes the structures developed to enhance student teachers’ professional attributes and then reports the results. The students were given questionnaires to ascertain to what extent they felt they had developed their professional attributes as a result of being involved in peer coaching. The questionnaire design provided both qualitative and quantitative data. The evidence indicates that the peer coaching procedures had a positive impact on student teachers’ professional development. Data was analysed and has been used to draw conclusions to inform peer coaching in an education setting

Proceedings of the 9th MIT/ONR workshop on C3 Systems, held at Naval Postgraduate School and Hilton Inn Resort Hotel, Monterey, California June 2 through June 5, 1986

GRSN 627729"December 1986."Includes bibliographical references and index.Sponsored by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, Cambridge, Mass., with support from the Office of Naval Research. ONR/N00014-77-C-0532(NR041-519) Sponsored in cooperation with IEEE Control Systems Society, Technical Committee on C.edited by Michael Athans, Alexander H. Levis

A knowledge based structure for implementing Value Management in the design of office buildings

Value Management (VM) is an organised effort directed at analyzing the functionsof systems, supplies, equipments and facilities, for the purpose of achieving therequired functions at lowest overall cost, consistent with requirements for performance,including reliability, delivery, maintainability and human factors. Thisstructured method can also be successfully used to define the scope of a project. Inthe UK, the awareness of the tremendous potential and benefits of applying VM toconstruction projects has made some clients eager to apply this technique to theirprojects. There are, however, a number of problems which inhibit the use of thisadvanced technique in the construction industry. Qualified VM specialists, forinstance, are very scarce within the industry, it is often difficult to find them toundertake proper VM studies. This research therefore aimed at exploring thefeasibility of building a Knowledge-Based System (KBS) to facilitate VM implementationsin the design stages of a construction project. A demonstration system has beensuccessfully developed to illustrate the facilities which would be available to potentialusers in a fully developed system. A method of allocating project cost againstfunctions of the project specified by the clients has been developed, which couldexpedite the processes of clarifying clients' brief and ensuring good value for moneyby cutting unnecessary costs and enhancing required functions. The research has alsoexplored how KBSs can be effectively applied to "open-ended" decision-makingproblems in which new options may be generated during each session with thesystem, i.e. the study considered the possibility of letting users extend and customisethe knowledge base. The system has been described as a "satisfactory and verypromising system" by the UK industrial specialists

Generalized averaged Gaussian quadrature and applications

A simple numerical method for constructing the optimal generalized averaged Gaussian quadrature formulas will be presented. These formulas exist in many cases in which real positive GaussKronrod formulas do not exist, and can be used as an adequate alternative in order to estimate the error of a Gaussian rule. We also investigate the conditions under which the optimal averaged Gaussian quadrature formulas and their truncated variants are internal

MS FT-2-2 7 Orthogonal polynomials and quadrature: Theory, computation, and applications

Quadrature rules find many applications in science and engineering. Their analysis is a classical area of applied mathematics and continues to attract considerable attention. This seminar brings together speakers with expertise in a large variety of quadrature rules. It is the aim of the seminar to provide an overview of recent developments in the analysis of quadrature rules. The computation of error estimates and novel applications also are described