Decentralization, Local Bureaucracies and Service Delivery in Uganda

Decentralization, Local bureaucracies , Social services , Local autonomy

Analysis of modified SMI method for adaptive array weight control

An adaptive array is applied to the problem of receiving a desired signal in the presence of weak interference signals which need to be suppressed. A modification, suggested by Gupta, of the sample matrix inversion (SMI) algorithm controls the array weights. In the modified SMI algorithm, interference suppression is increased by subtracting a fraction F of the noise power from the diagonal elements of the estimated covariance matrix. Given the true covariance matrix and the desired signal direction, the modified algorithm is shown to maximize a well-defined, intuitive output power ratio criterion. Expressions are derived for the expected value and variance of the array weights and output powers as a function of the fraction F and the number of snapshots used in the covariance matrix estimate. These expressions are compared with computer simulation and good agreement is found. A trade-off is found to exist between the desired level of interference suppression and the number of snapshots required in order to achieve that level with some certainty. The removal of noise eigenvectors from the covariance matrix inverse is also discussed with respect to this application. Finally, the type and severity of errors which occur in the covariance matrix estimate are characterized through simulation

Flank solar wind interaction

This report summarizes the results of the first 12 months of our program to study the interaction of the Earth's magnetosphere with the solar wind on the far flanks of the bow shock. This study employs data from the ISEE-3 spacecraft during its traversals of the Earth's magnetotail and correlative data from spacecraft monitoring the solar wind upstream. Our main effort to date has involved assembling data sets and developing new plotting programs. Two talks were given at the Spring Meeting of the American Geophysical Union describing our initial results from analyzing data from the far flank foreshock and magnetosheath. The following sections summarize our results

Operational modules for space station construction

Identification of an effective space construction concept is a current objective of NASA studies. One concept, described in this memorandum, consists of repetitive use of operational modules, which minimizes on-orbit stay time for the shuttle. A space station constructed of operational modules may benefit from fabrication and system checkout in ground-based facilities, and since the modules are the primary structure of the space station, a minimum of additional structure, and trips and on-orbit stay time of the shuttle are required

How the Supreme Court\u27s Misconstruction of the FAA Has Affected Consumers

Neither the drafters of the Federal Arbitration Act nor the Congress that adopted it intended for it to cover consumers or workers or displace state jurisdiction or state substantive law. The FAA was simply intended to provide a means for resolving disputes among commercial entities that might voluntarily choose to forego their rights to have their disputes settled in court, in favor of what they deemed to be a simpler and more efficient means of dispute resolution. That point, which is entirely beyond dispute, has been lost on the Supreme Court. In a series of cases over the past fifty years, the Court, seemingly more concerned with diminishing the size of judicial caseloads or with ensuring certain substantive policy outcomes than with satisfying its obligation to give effect to congressional intent, has made the FAA a cornerstone of its efforts to circumscribe the rights of workers and consumers and nullify the policy choices of state legislators acting within the legitimate sphere of state policy-making. This article explains how this result came about, and how it has trampled consumer rights