Noose or Lifeline? The Role of Transport in Independent Namibia

INTRODUCTION As the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa intensifies, attention has increasingly been distracted fran the vexed issue of Namibian independence. All parties to the dispute have agreed for at least eight years on the desirability of independence for Africa's last colony, but attainment of that goal has been continually frustrated by South Africa; through the introduction of new obstacles. The current deadlock is over Pretoria's insistence that independence be linked to the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola. Meanwhile, yet another interim government has been appointed in Windhoek, onto which South Africa is making a sustained attempt to confer legitimacy as oppsition to SWAPO. (Continues..

Transport Priority Assessment Techniques Developed by British Local Authorities: A Synopsis and Review

INTRODUCTION This Working Paper is the first in a series reporting progress on a 2-year ESRC-funded research project entitled "Priority Assessment Techniques for Local Transport Improvement Projects" ; and directed by Prof. A.D. May; Dr. A. D. Pearlman and Mr P.J. Mackie. The project's objectives - to be pursued in successive phases - are threefold: to undertake a critical review of the various techniques adopted by different local authorities: to obtain fmn the review a representative sample of methods for more detailed comprison and testing on a set of schemes for which data are available: and to combine the exprience thus gained with wider pactical and theoretical knowledge of multiple criteria assessment issues, in order to develop a model technique that overcomes existing problems and thereby contributes to better decision making

Quantum Sensors: Improved Optical Measurement via Specialized Quantum States

Classical measurement strategies in many areas are approaching their maximum resolution and sensitivity levels, but these levels often still fall far short of the ultimate limits allowed by the laws of physics. To go further, strategies must be adopted that take into account the quantum nature of the probe particles and that optimize their quantum states for the desired application. Here, we review some of these approaches, in which quantum entanglement, the orbital angular momentum of single photons, and quantum interferometry are used to produce optical measurements beyond the classical limit

Pulsar Braking Indices Revisited

Using the standard equation for the slowdown of a neutron star, we derive a formula for the braking index via integration rather than the conventional differentiation. The new formula negates the need to measure the second time derivative of the rotation frequency. We show that the method gives similar braking indices for PSR B1509-58 and the Crab pulsar to those already in the literature. We point out that our method is useful for obtaining the braking indices of moderate aged pulsars without the need for long, phase-connected timing solutions. We applied the method to 20 pulsars and discuss the implications of the results. We find that virtually all the derived braking indices are dominated by the effects of (unseen) glitches, the recovery from which corrupts the value of the frequency first derivative. However, any real, large, positive braking index has implications for magnetic field decay and offers support to recent models of pulsar evolution.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, accepted by MNRA

Jost Functions and Jost Solutions for Jacobi Matrices, II. Decay and Analyticity

We present necessary and sufficient conditions on the Jost function for the corresponding Jacobi parameters $a_n -1$ and $b_n$ to have a given degree of exponential decay.Comment: 28 page

From Jack polynomials to minimal model spectra

In this note, a deep connection between free field realisations of conformal field theories and symmetric polynomials is presented. We give a brief introduction into the necessary prerequisites of both free field realisations and symmetric polynomials, in particular Jack symmetric polynomials. Then we combine these two fields to classify the irreducible representations of the minimal model vertex operator algebras as an illuminating example of the power of these methods. While these results on the representation theory of the minimal models are all known, this note exploits the full power of Jack polynomials to present significant simplifications of the original proofs in the literature.Comment: 14 pages, corrected typos and added comment on connections to the AGT conjecture in introduction, version to appear in J. Phys.

Switch access to technology - A comprehensive Guide.

When most of us use a computer we use the standard interface of a keyboard and mouse. However, what do you do if you cannot use a keyboard or mouse? A number of alternative access systems exist, for example: alternative keyboards, tracker balls, touchscreens, head pointers etc. But for some people these devices are also an impossibility, and this is where switches 'kick in'. The main subject of this document is the switch user. For completeness we have include a brief mention of other input devices, which may be grouped together as 'alternative access systems'.We aim to: - Encourage developers to include switch access into their products - Standardise practice and terminology. This document explains some of the issues involved for people with severe physical difficulties who access computers and other electronic devices with switches. It details the ways in which switch users interact with computer programs and other technology designed to be directly accessible to them. The document includes some precise definitions of terms. It also attempts to survey the whole range of issues associated with switch use. As such it should be useful to professionals working or entering the field, those software developers considering switch users for the first time and also for those already developing in this area

Lifting flat directions in lattice supersymmetry

We present a procedure to improve the lattice definition of $\mathcal N = 4$ supersymmetric Yang--Mills theory. The lattice construction necessarily involves U(1) flat directions, and we show how these can be lifted without violating the exact lattice supersymmetry. The basic idea is to modify the equations of motion of an auxiliary field, which determine the moduli space of the system. Applied to numerical calculations, the resulting improved lattice action leads to dramatically reduced violations of supersymmetric Ward identities and much more rapid approach to the continuum limit