Representation in Westminster in the 1990s : The ghost of Edmund Burke

Why are 'trustee' notions of representation still invoked in the UK House of Commons in the 1990s? In answering this question this article analyses the premises of Burkean theory and the arguments that these premises are of little relevance in the late twentieth century. Despite these dismissals of trusteeship, Burkean ideas are still articulated in the Commons some 200 years after they were first voiced. The idea of trusteeship can prove extremely useful to justify the actions of representatives when those actions conflict with constituency 'opinion', party policy or the wishes of interest groups. Examples of the occasions when Burkean notions have been invoked in the 1990s are provided

A guided search non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm for the multi-objective university course timetabling problem

Copyright @ Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.The university course timetabling problem is a typical combinatorial optimization problem. This paper tackles the multi-objective university course timetabling problem (MOUCTP) and proposes a guided search non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm to solve the MOUCTP. The proposed algorithm integrates a guided search technique, which uses a memory to store useful information extracted from previous good solutions to guide the generation of new solutions, and two local search schemes to enhance its performance for the MOUCTP. The experimental results based on a set of test problems show that the proposed algorithm is efficient for solving the MOUCTP

First and second simulator evaluations of advanced integrated display and control systems

Advanced integrated visual and control systems simulator evaluations for post-Apollo manned spacecraf

Comparison of numerical methods for the calculation of cold atom collisions

Three different numerical techniques for solving a coupled channel Schroedinger equation are compared. This benchmark equation, which describes the collision between two ultracold atoms, consists of two channels, each containing the same diagonal Lennard-Jones potential, one of positive and the other of negative energy. The coupling potential is of an exponential form. The methods are i) a recently developed spectral type integral equation method based on Chebyshev expansions, ii) a finite element expansion, and iii) a combination of an improved Numerov finite difference method and a Gordon method. The computing time and the accuracy of the resulting phase shift is found to be comparable for methods i) and ii), achieving an accuracy of ten significant figures with a double precision calculation. Method iii) achieves seven significant figures. The scattering length and effective range are also obtained.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures, submitted to J. Comput. Phys. documentstyle [thmsa,sw20aip]{article} in .te

A Component Based Heuristic Search Method with Evolutionary Eliminations

Nurse rostering is a complex scheduling problem that affects hospital personnel on a daily basis all over the world. This paper presents a new component-based approach with evolutionary eliminations, for a nurse scheduling problem arising at a major UK hospital. The main idea behind this technique is to decompose a schedule into its components (i.e. the allocated shift pattern of each nurse), and then to implement two evolutionary elimination strategies mimicking natural selection and natural mutation process on these components respectively to iteratively deliver better schedules. The worthiness of all components in the schedule has to be continuously demonstrated in order for them to remain there. This demonstration employs an evaluation function which evaluates how well each component contributes towards the final objective. Two elimination steps are then applied: the first elimination eliminates a number of components that are deemed not worthy to stay in the current schedule; the second elimination may also throw out, with a low level of probability, some worthy components. The eliminated components are replenished with new ones using a set of constructive heuristics using local optimality criteria. Computational results using 52 data instances demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach in solving real-world problems.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figure

Average and worst-case specifications of precipitating auroral electron environment

The precipitation electrons in the auroral environment are highly variable in their energy and intensity in both space and time. As such they are a source of potential hazard to the operation of the Space Shuttle and other large spacecraft operating in polar orbit. In order to assess these hazards both the average and extreme states of the precipitating electrons must be determined. Work aimed at such a specification is presented. First results of a global study of the average characteristics are presented. In this study the high latitude region was divided into spatial elements in magnetic local time and corrected geomagnetic latitude. The average electron spectrum was then determined in each spatial element for seven different levels of activity as measured by K sub p using an extremely large data set of auroral observations. Second a case study of an extreme auroral electron environment is presented, in which the electrons are accelerated through field aligned potential as high as 30,000 volts and in which the spacecraft is seen to charge negatively to a potential approaching .5 kilovolts

Contamination of histology biopsy specimen - a potential source of error for surgeons: a case report

Tissue contamination is a common occurrence in pathology, but surgeons are relatively unaware of this. We present the case of a 45-year-old man with Barrett's oesophagus, in which the histology of routine biopsies of an asymptomatic patient, were reported as 'carcinoma in situ'. Further biopsies were taken over a three month period but showed no evidence of malignancy. Tissue contamination or 'cross over' was identified as the likely cause of the abnormal result. This case report highlights the importance of the correlation of the clinical and histopathological findings and tissue contamination should be considered when both of these findings are not consistent

Shuttle mission simulator baseline definition report, volume 1

A baseline definition of the space shuttle mission simulator is presented. The subjects discussed are: (1) physical arrangement of the complete simulator system in the appropriate facility, with a definition of the required facility modifications, (2) functional descriptions of all hardware units, including the operational features, data demands, and facility interfaces, (3) hardware features necessary to integrate the items into a baseline simulator system to include the rationale for selecting the chosen implementation, and (4) operating, maintenance, and configuration updating characteristics of the simulator hardware

Image processing used to harness blinking as a channel of communication and control for physically disabled people

ÐSophisticated mathematical algorithms (such as differencing, thresholding, aggregation and statistical analysis of skin colours) are used to compare successive frames of computer-captured images of the face. From these, changes in state of the eyes are determined and are used to detect blinks. A recognition performance of 83.74+0.03% is achieved over ®ve subjects with a low rate of false positives 2.71+0.01%. A logical decision rule identi®es purposeful blinks and applies them to control either a custom-designed communication package or an external device