Computational aspects of multilevel trajectory optimization

This paper presents new computational results in multilevel trajectory optimization. The original formulation of trajectory decomposition is extended and applied to a difficult multiple arc trajectory example, the low thrust interplanetary swingby problem. A numerical solution is obtained for this trajectory which is characterized by nonlinear, time variant differential equations and interior boundaries and discontinuities. The time domain decomposition of the trajectory is made at the boundaries between arc segments. A three level optimization hierarchy is employed to transform the first feasible trajectory iterate into a final solution trajectory. This example is characteristic of a large class of interplanetary swingby problems which defy solution by conventional computational methods because of multiple discontinuities, constraints, and severe numerical sensitivities. The multilevel approach appears to be effective in obtaining a solution to problems of this type when other more conventional methods are unsatisfactory

Resolving Dilemmas in Canadian Class Actions by Reconsidering Private Law Principles

Class actions cases illuminate the theoretical underpinnings of private law in a way that traditional two-party litigation does not. Many class actions deal with plaintiffs who have not suffered a large loss (or a quantifiable monetary loss at all), or the defendant has made profits that are disproportionately greater than the plaintiffs’ compensable loss (if any). Applying orthodox principles of private law and negligence to these cases results in barring plaintiffs from recovery despite their rights being violated and defendants not disgorging profits made from wrongdoing. The solution resolving these dilemmas should not be to create separate law only applicable to class actions. Rather, the traditional interpretations of damage and disgorgement must be reconsidered generally. By refocusing on a view of negligence as serving to vindicate litigants’ rights and reconsidering orthodox principles, class actions dilemmas can be resolved in a way that is consistent with, and clarifies, the private law

The role of municipal ownership for urban net-zero path creation

Particularly within recent years, the rising number of city actors worldwide declaring climate emergencies and pledging commitments to carbon neutrality has sparked a spatial turn in broader sustainable transition thinking, noting the importance of the local level for governing sustainable transitions. Using a Geographical Political Economy approach, this paper critically engages with path creation theory and sustainable transitions literature to explore the potential of urban net-zero carbon transitions in a multi-scalar governance framework. The main argument is that municipal ownership across sectors has a fundamental role in sustainable transitions at the city level. This paper makes a distinct conceptual contribution to sustainable transitions literature by drawing on path creation theory to illustrate how municipal ownership is a central tenet of path creation by bringing together local actors and enabling political capacity and agency to control and strategize integrated sustainable urban pathways. Using the transport and energy sectors in Nottingham in the UK, it applies the Path Creation Framework in an urban setting to illustrate that municipal ownership stimulates a positive path creation through three main arguments. First, municipal ownership enables a positive embeddedness and historical legacy in the provision of sustainable urban energy and transport services; second, it facilitates the establishment of skills and expertise that positively reinforces urban political capacity for the pursuit of urban sustainability; and third, it stimulates the creation of innovative urban projects for sustainable and equitable pathways

OER: One Course at a Time

Open Educational Resources (OER) provide an excellent opportunity to reduce costs, increase access, and vary interaction for learners. However, locating, compiling, and distributing OER can be a daunting task and there several factors to consider, such as time, sustainability, accessibility, and instructional strategies. During this presentation, I will share how Rollins College supports the implementation of OER by offering a grant. Faculty awarded a grant collaborate with a librarian and an instructional technologist to locate, create, compile, and distribute OER. Three grants have been awarded to date, each of which has been unique, ranging from one class utilizing free online .epub files to a faculty member creating an OER from scratch. I will provide a brief overview of these projects, the process used to support each, lessons learned, and implementation strategies to consider. Additionally, I will share survey data collected during a pre- and post- OER implementation

Guilt in Vergil’s \u27Aeneid\u27 and Lucan’s \u27Bellum Civile\u27

This study is a comparative analysis that focuses on the portrayal of guilt in Vergil’s Aeneid and Lucan’s Bellum Civile. I use Greek and Roman concepts of emotions and modern theories from psychology and psychoanalysis to argue that many of the emotions that seemingly pervade these poems, such as anger and despair, should be read as being partly related to a hero’s experience of guilt. I examine different types of guilt, namely legal and psychological guilt, to better understand how Vergil and Lucan use guilt to develop the emotional landscapes of their poems and how they represent the psychological processes and effects that this emotion elicits in their characters. I also argue that Vergil and Lucan make the characters’ psychological guilt manifest by utilizing specific literary devices. I analyze episodes that describe the intervention and influence of the gods in the Aeneid and Fatum and Fortuna in the Bellum Civile. I demonstrate that one of the roles these divinities maintain is directly associated with the heroes’ experience of guilt because they act as promoters, preventers, and alleviators of guilt and actions that will incur guilt. Finally, I examine dream accounts and appearances of ghosts and apparitions to show how the poets use these mechanisms to make their characters’ latent psychological struggle with guilt manifest to the reader because they represent external embodiments of this emotion