Finite difference time domain modeling of spiral antennas

The objectives outlined in the original proposal for this project were to create a well-documented computer analysis model based on the finite-difference, time-domain (FDTD) method that would be capable of computing antenna impedance, far-zone radiation patterns, and radar cross-section (RCS). The ability to model a variety of penetrable materials in addition to conductors is also desired. The spiral antennas under study by this project meet these requirements since they are constructed of slots cut into conducting surfaces which are backed by dielectric materials

Targeting Mr Average: Participation, gender equity and school sport partnerships

The School Sport Partnership Programme (SSPP) is one strand of the national strategy for physical education and school sport in England, the physical education and school sport Club Links Strategy (PESSCL). The SSPP aims to make links between school physical education (PE) and out of school sports participation, and has a particular remit to raise the participation levels of several identified under-represented groups, of which girls and young women are one. National evaluations of the SSPP show that it is beginning to have positive impacts on young people's activity levels by increasing the range and provision of extra curricular activities (Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), 2003, 2004, 2005; Loughborough Partnership, 2005, 2006). This paper contributes to the developing picture of the phased implementation of the programme by providing qualitative insights into the work of one school sport partnership with a particular focus on gender equity. The paper explores the ways in which gender equity issues have been explicitly addressed within the 'official texts' of the SSPP; how these have shifted over time and how teachers are responding to and making sense of these in their daily practice. Using participation observation, interview and questionnaire data, the paper explores how the coordinators are addressing the challenge of increasing the participation of girls and young women. The paper draws on Walby's (2000) conceptualisation of different kinds of feminist praxis to highlight the limitations of the coordinators' work. Two key themes from the data and their implications are addressed: the dominance of competitive sport practices and the PE professionals' views of targeting as a strategy for increasing the participation of under-represented groups. The paper concludes that coordinators work within an equality or difference discourse with little evidence of the transformative praxis needed for the programme to be truly inclusive. © 2008 Taylor & Francis

The Evolving Approach To Section 15(1): Diminished Rights or Bolder Communities?

Inevitably, cases of complex and far reaching constitutional issues form a dynamic platform on which earlier conflicts within the case law are resolved and new ones develop. One concern that refuses resolution, to this point, is the precise balance between the values and interests that define the right to equality under section 15 of the Charter, and those that characterize justification, under section 1. Drawing on the mes laid out in the modern communitarian movement, the authors suggest that in 2004, the Court embarked on a more communitarian approach to the values and interests considered in section 15, showing greater recognition of community interests and a corresponding movement away from past emphasis of individualistic and subjective concerns. The the mes exhibited in the Court’s recent equality decisions include a communitarian approach to the “needs correspondence” factor, a greater recognition of the importance of both community economic interest and community goals, as well as a shift away from reliance on subjective components of the equality analysis. The authors conclude with an assessment of the benefits and disadvantages of the apparent changes in the Court’s approach to section 15

The Evolving Approach To Section 15(1): Diminished Rights or Bolder Communities?

Inevitably, cases of complex and far reaching constitutional issues form a dynamic platform on which earlier conflicts within the case law are resolved and new ones develop. One concern that refuses resolution, to this point, is the precise balance between the values and interests that define the right to equality under section 15 of the Charter, and those that characterize justification, under section 1. Drawing on the mes laid out in the modern communitarian movement, the authors suggest that in 2004, the Court embarked on a more communitarian approach to the values and interests considered in section 15, showing greater recognition of community interests and a corresponding movement away from past emphasis of individualistic and subjective concerns. The the mes exhibited in the Court’s recent equality decisions include a communitarian approach to the “needs correspondence” factor, a greater recognition of the importance of both community economic interest and community goals, as well as a shift away from reliance on subjective components of the equality analysis. The authors conclude with an assessment of the benefits and disadvantages of the apparent changes in the Court’s approach to section 15

A recurrent neural network with ever changing synapses

A recurrent neural network with noisy input is studied analytically, on the basis of a Discrete Time Master Equation. The latter is derived from a biologically realizable learning rule for the weights of the connections. In a numerical study it is found that the fixed points of the dynamics of the net are time dependent, implying that the representation in the brain of a fixed piece of information (e.g., a word to be recognized) is not fixed in time.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 4 figure

Hierarchical Self-Programming in Recurrent Neural Networks

We study self-programming in recurrent neural networks where both neurons (the `processors') and synaptic interactions (`the programme') evolve in time simultaneously, according to specific coupled stochastic equations. The interactions are divided into a hierarchy of $L$ groups with adiabatically separated and monotonically increasing time-scales, representing sub-routines of the system programme of decreasing volatility. We solve this model in equilibrium, assuming ergodicity at every level, and find as our replica-symmetric solution a formalism with a structure similar but not identical to Parisi's $L$-step replica symmetry breaking scheme. Apart from differences in details of the equations (due to the fact that here interactions, rather than spins, are grouped into clusters with different time-scales), in the present model the block sizes $m_i$ of the emerging ultrametric solution are not restricted to the interval $[0,1]$, but are independent control parameters, defined in terms of the noise strengths of the various levels in the hierarchy, which can take any value in [0,\infty\ket. This is shown to lead to extremely rich phase diagrams, with an abundance of first-order transitions especially when the level of stochasticity in the interaction dynamics is chosen to be low.Comment: 53 pages, 19 figures. Submitted to J. Phys.

Stochastic learning in a neural network with adapting synapses

We consider a neural network with adapting synapses whose dynamics can be analitically computed. The model is made of $N$ neurons and each of them is connected to $K$ input neurons chosen at random in the network. The synapses are $n$-states variables which evolve in time according to Stochastic Learning rules; a parallel stochastic dynamics is assumed for neurons. Since the network maintains the same dynamics whether it is engaged in computation or in learning new memories, a very low probability of synaptic transitions is assumed. In the limit $N\to\infty$ with $K$ large and finite, the correlations of neurons and synapses can be neglected and the dynamics can be analitically calculated by flow equations for the macroscopic parameters of the system.Comment: 25 pages, LaTeX fil

Three Able Addresses Delivered Before the State Board of Trade at Bangor, Maine, March 25, 1902

The text of three addresses: Maine canning industry / B.M. Fernald -- Maine as a vacation state / Leroy T. Carleton -- Maine primitive and modern industry / J.W. Penney