R v. Jogee: A Case for Comparative Study

Criminal cases, being almost entirely domestic in their nature, rarely draw comparative attention. But R v. Jogee, decided by the UK Supreme Court in 2016, is exceptional in its nature. It provoked a new discourse on a mental element in complicity in a highly controversial situation where the principal went beyond the scope of what was agreed, or in civil law language, excessu mandati. Following Jogee, common law is likely to move in the direction of implementing in a more coherent way the idea of a subjective fault standard for a mental element in complicity. Paradoxically, civil law systems are now much closer to pre-Jogee jurisprudence so there is good reason to conduct comparative analysis at this point

KB: A Knowledge Representation Package for Common Lisp

KB is a frame-based knowledge representation package. It is written as a Common Lisp package, and is comprised of a set of functions for representing semantic knowledge and relationships among data represented. KB encourages the use of the object-oriented programming metaphor by requiring that a set of operators be defined for each concept (object). Inheritance is supported for both data types and for operators. KB has a well-defined programming interface through which a user interface language can be easily developed. The semantics of KB are straightforward and allow a programmer considerable flexibility in developing an application. KB borrows heavily from the Flavors system in syntax and semantics (and in documentation!)

An Investigation of Language Input and Performance Timing for Task Animation

We describe a prototype system in which task animation is driven via natural language. The primary effort in developing the system is concentrated on the link between the natural language parser and the animation environment. Two primary problems are object referencing and specifying action durations. We describe a technique by which objects referenced by the parser can be correctly mapped to their geometric representation within the animation environment even though the internal representations may be vastly different. Furthermore, we show that results from experiments measuring human motor behavior can be applied to computer simulations to generate default task durations

Human Task Animation from Performance Models and Natural Language Input

Graphical manipulation of human figures is essential for certain types of human factors analyses such as reach, clearance, fit, and view. In many situations, however, the animation of simulated people performing various tasks may be based on more complicated functions involving multiple simultaneous reaches, critical timing, resource availability, and human performance capabilities. One rather effective means for creating such a simulation is through a natural language description of the tasks to be carried out. Given an anthropometrically-sized figure and a geometric workplace environment, various simple actions such as reach, turn, and view can be effectively controlled from language commands or standard NASA checklist procedures. The commands may also be generated by external simulation tools. Task timing is determined from actual performance models, if available, such as strength models or Fitts\u27 Law. The resulting action specifications are animated on a Silicon Graphics Iris workstation in real-time

Reading race : the curriculum as a site of transformation

Transformation of post-apartheid higher education institutions has shown itself to be deeply complex and contentious. Exploring transformation at a former whites-only Afrikaans university, this study leans on Michel Foucault’s archaeological methodology and uses a qualitative case study approach. In accordance with this methodological approach the study excavates, de-layers and probes at an inter-departmental conflict which ensued over how racial identity is being re-imagined within the curriculum. The study further seeks to explore what this conflict says about institutional ideologies and commitments to change. Ostensibly, the conflict was over the contents of a module, the Ubuntu Module, presented at both the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Humanities. Contested views on the nature of knowledge presented in the module, which deals overtly and explicitly with racial and cultural identity, emerged between the two faculties. The Faculty of Education removed the module from its curriculum, asserting that its’ contents were antithetical to the faculty’s ideological tenets with regards to curriculum transformation. Amid attempts by the Faculty of Education to have the module removed from the university’s curriculum, the Faculty of Humanities took the decision to continue offering the module. What this study suggests is that the debate went beyond a mere inter-faculty contention over curriculum contents, and can offer a lens into broader institutional transformation ideologies, and commitments to the decommissioning of apartheid identities. The study was explored and analysed through the lens of critical theory, and in so doing it offers a critical look at the intellectual and ideological foundations of the university, and how the university navigates transformation in post-apartheid South Africa. The literature review uses eclectic literatures to historicise and contextualise the study. It underscores how the focus of literature on curriculum transformation on post-apartheid higher educational institutions has essentially skimmed over the links between the inherent dynamics of knowledge and power as is reflected in curriculum contents. As the findings of the study point to, pressures exerted on the university from both government, and grassroots level at the university, that being students and staff, are having an unequivocal impact on how the university thinks about and implements transformation. The findings of the study suggest that although rhetorically committed to transformation, the university is struggling to emerge from its own politically instrumentalist past.Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2008.Curriculum Studiesunrestricte

Animation From Instructions

We believe that computer animation in the form of narrated animated simulations can provide an engaging, effective and flexible medium for instructing agents in the performance of tasks. However, we argue that the only way to achieve the kind of flexibility needed to instruct agents of varying capabilities to perform tasks with varying demands in work places of varying layout is to drive both animation and narration from a common representation that embodies the same conceptualization of tasks and actions as Natural Language itself. To this end, we are exploring the use of Natural Language instructions to drive animated simulations. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between instructions and behavior that underlie our work and the overall structure of our system. We then describe in some what more detail three aspects of the system - the representation used by the Simulator, the operation of the Simulator and the Motion Generators used in the system

Plasmagasdynamic experiments in Russia and prospects of plasma technology applications in aerodynamics

The investigations in the field of a plasma gas dynamics performed by MRTI RAS and other organizations during last 20 years are considered. The following experimental schemes were used: probing of discharge plasma by a sound, weak shock wave and strong shock wave, including experiments on shock tubes, body flight through plasma region in ballistic stand, a flow around a body in the wind tunnels provided by section with plasma discharge, etc. The direct current sources, the high-frequency and microwave generators were used for creation of plasma. The results of the experiments are considered and the positive conclusions about prospect of use of the plasma technology in aerodynamics are done