The Challenge of Consociation in Northern Ireland

This article assesses the role played by the principle of consociational government in promoting Northern Ireland's peace agreement. It reviews the central concept of consociation as it has evolved in recent comparative studies of the politics of divided societies. It describes the stages by which this concept moved to the centre of the political agenda in Northern Ireland, resting on contributions by policy-makers, academics, journalists and others. It reviews the difficult history of efforts to translate this principle into practice, contrasting the failed attempt to promote this formula in 1973 with the much more successful experiment in 1998. Using the classical literature on consociation, an effort is made to explain the difference between these outcomes, a difference with implications for Northern Ireland's future stability.

Analysis of Biological Interactions and Recognitions by Surface Plasmon Resonance

This chapter contains sections titled:

•Introduction to Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology

•Working Principle of SPR

•Sensor Surface Chemistry and Its Fabrications

•Important Factors Impacting on the Performance of SPR-Based Analyses of Biological Interactions on the Nonbiological Transducer Surface

•Localized SPR of Inorganic Nanoparticles for Analyses of Biological Interaction

•References

A Hamiltonian approach to simulation of acoustic systems involving nonlinear interactions

Nonlinear interactions take place in most systems that arise in music acoustics, usually as a result of player-instrument coupling. Several time-stepping methods exist for the numerical simulation of such systems. These methods generally involve the discretization of the Newtonian description of the system. However, it is not always possible to prove the stability of the resulting algorithms, especially when dealing with systems where the underlying force is a non-analytic function of the phase space variables. On the other hand, if the discretization is carried out on the Hamiltonian description of the system, it is possible to prove the stability of the derived numerical schemes. This Hamiltonian approach is applied to a series of test models of single or multiple nonlinear collisions and the energetic properties of the derived schemes are discussed. After establishing that the schemes respect the principle of conservation of energy, a nonlinear single-reed model is formulated and coupled to a digital bore, in order to synthesize clarinet-like sounds.

Selective High Impedance Surface Active Region Loading of Archimedean Spiral Antenna

We show that a significant increase in the gain and front-to-back ratio is obtained when different high impedance surface (HIS) sections are placed below the active regions of an Archimedean spiral antenna. The principle of operation is demonstrated at 3, 6, and 9 GHz for an antenna design that employs a ground plane composed of two dissimilar HISs. The unit cells of the HISs are collocated and resonant at the same frequency as the 3- and 6-GHz active regions of the wideband spiral. It is shown that the former HIS must also be designed to resonate at 9 GHz to avoid the generation of a boresight null that occurs because the structure is physically large enough to support higher-order modes. The improvement that is obtained at each of the three frequencies investigated is shown by comparing the predicted and measured radiation patterns for the free space and HIS-backed antenna.

Clarifying the acquis humanitaire: a transnational legal perspective on the internalization of humanitarian norms

Although the international obligations and institutional frameworks for disaster response are not yet settled, as evidenced by the International Law Commission’s work on the protection of persons in the event of disasters and the on-going promotion of disaster laws by the Red Cross Movement; the diverse source and nature of such initiatives suggests that the international community is engaged in a process of norm creation, elaboration and interpretation reflecting a desire for legal clarity in humanitarian operations. Situated within the framework of transnational law, this paper argues that an acquis humanitaire, based on the principle of humanity, encapsulates the evolving body of law and practice specifically relating to the protection of persons in times of humanitarian crisis in both armed conflicts and natural or human-made disasters. Reflecting the non-traditional, non-statist, dynamic and normative basis of transnational legal process, as elaborated by Harold Koh, the constant flow of ideas and principles between the national, regional and international spheres provides an analytical framework for the on-going transnational dialogues on the social, political and legal internalization of humanitarian norms. Drawing on the internalization of humanitarian norms within the United Kingdom, this paper concludes that as the international community examines the codification of a universal legal framework for the protection of persons in the event of disasters it is necessary to understand the transnational process of interpretation and internalization of humanitarian norms, and how this may vary across different regions and countries.

Sovereignty, Article 4(2) TEU and the Respect of National Identities: Swinging the Balance of Power in Favour of the Member States?

The question of whether and to what extent sovereignty has been transferred to the European Union (EU) from its Member States remains a central debate within the EU and is interlinked with issues such as Kompetenz-Kompetenz, direct effect and primacy. Central to any claim to sovereignty is the principle of primacy, which requires that Member States uphold EU law over national law where there is a conflict. However, limitations to primacy can traditionally be found in national jurisprudence and the Maastricht Treaty introduced a possible EU limitation with the requirement that the EU respect national identities of Member States. The Lisbon Treaty provided only minimal further support to the principle of primacy whilst simultaneously developing the provision on national identities, now found within Article 4(2) TEU. There are indications from the literature, national constitutional courts and the Court of Justice of the EU that the provision is gathering strength as a legal tool and is likely to have a wider scope than the text might indicate. In its new role, Article 4(2) TEU bolsters the Member States’ claim to sovereignty and the possibility to uphold aspects crucial to them in conflict with EU law and the principle of primacy. Consequently, it is central to the relationship between the constitutional courts of the Member States and the CJEU, and where the final elements of control remain in ‘hard cases’. However, it does so as part of EU law, thereby facilitating the evasion of direct fundamental conflicts and reflecting the concept of constitutional pluralism.

Proportionality in Age Discrimination Cases - a Model Suitable for Socially Embedded Rights

This chapter discusses the use of proportionality in age discrimination cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union. It argues that the Court does not use this concept systematically - indeed it exposes some contradiction that make the case law seem arbitrary - and proposes a more fruitful use of the principle, which is in line with a modern conception of human rights. The chapter argues that the principle of proportionality stems from the time when human rights served the recently liberated burgeois elite in guarding their rights to property and liberty against the state. Today, states not only respect human rights (which is fully sufficient for this elite, who can rely on their inherited wealth to fend for themselves). They also protect and promote human rights, and these activities are a precondition for human rights to be practically relevant for the whole population. This also means that state activity, which is experienced as a limitation of rights to property and liberty by some, may constitute a measure to promote and protect human rights of others. In employment law - the only field where the EU ban on age discrimination is applied - this is a typical situation. If such a situation occurs, the principle of proportionality must be applied in a bifurcated way.It is not sufficient that the limitation of property rights is proportionate for the achievement of a public policy aim. If the aim of public policy is to enable the effective use of human rights, the limitation of the state action must be proportionate to the protection and promotion of those human rights. It is argued that the principle of proportionality is superior to less structures balancing acts (e.g. the Wednesbury principle), if it is applied both ways. Going over to the field of age discrimination, the chapter identifies a number of potentially colliding aims pursued in this field. Banning age discrimination may relate to genuine aims of anti-discrimination law if bias against older or very young workers is addressed. However, the EU ban of discrimination against all ages also serves to restructure employment law and policy to the age of flexibilisation, replacing the synchronisation principle that has been predominant for the welfare states of the 20th century. The former aim is related to human rights protection, while the latter aim is not (at least not always). This has consequences for applying the proportionality test. The chapter proposes different ways to argue the most difficult age discrimination cases, where anti-discrimination rationales and flexibilisation rationales clash

An Ambiguity Aversion Framework of Security Game under Ambiguities

Security is a critical concern around the world. Since resources for security are always limited, lots of interest have arisen in using game theory to handle security resource allocation problems. However, most of the existing work does not address adequately how a defender chooses his optimal strategy in a game with absent, inaccurate, uncertain, and even ambiguous strategy profiles' payoffs. To address this issue, we propose a general framework of security games under ambiguities based on Dempster-Shafer theory and the ambiguity aversion principle of minimax regret. Then, we reveal some properties of this framework. Also, we present two methods to reduce the influence of complete ignorance. Our investigation shows that this new framework is better in handling security resource allocation problems under ambiguities.

Equality, justice and feasibility: an ethical analysis of the WBGU’s budget approach

According to the Budget Approach proposed by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), allocating CO2 emission rights to countries on an equal per-capita basis would provide an ethically justified response to global climate change. In this paper, we will highlight four normative issues which beset the WBGU’s Budget Approach: (1) the approach’s core principle of distributive justice, the principle of equality, and its associated policy of emissions egalitarianism are much more complex than it initially appears; (2) the “official” rationale for determining the size of the budget should be modified in order to avoid implausible normative assumptions about the imposition of permissible intergenerational risks; (3) the approach heavily relies on trade-offs between justice and feasibility which should be stated more explicitly; and (4) part of the approach’s ethical appeal depends on policy instruments which are “detachable” from the approach’s core principle of distributive justice.

On Infinite Time Performance of Nonlinear Model Predictive Controllers

This paper addresses the problem of infinite time performance of model predictive controllers applied to constrained nonlinear systems. The total performance is compared with a finite horizon optimal cost to reveal performance limits of closed-loop model predictive control systems. Based on the Principle of Optimality, an upper and a lower bound of the ratio between the total performance and the finite horizon optimal cost are obtained explicitly expressed by the optimization horizon. The results also illustrate, from viewpoint of performance, how model predictive controllers approaches to infinite optimal controllers as the optimization horizon increases.

Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: a defence of autonomy and personhood.

Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland’s 3-18 curriculum, has been described as ‘the most significant curricular change in Scotland for a generation’ (McAra, Broadley and McLauchlan, 2013:223). The purpose of the curriculum is ‘encapsulated’ in four capacities in order that learners become i) successful learners, ii) confident individuals, iii) responsible citizens, and iv) effective contributors. With particular reference to these capacities, we explore the principle of autonomy as it pertains to both individual and collective flourishing seeking to disarm commonplace criticisms of autonomy by arguing that it might be put to work in CfE as a potentially multi-dimensional, context-sensitive concept that is relational as well as individual. We conclude that the four capacities lend themselves to re-consideration and re-mapping in pursuit of autonomy and flourishing premised on the principles of liberal personhood.

Recognising difference while promoting cohesion: the role of collaborative networks in education

The chapter outlines various approaches taken to the challenge of divided societies through education systems and links this to debates on political approaches to conflict resolution in Northern Ireland. The education debate has structural and affective components, while the political debate revolves around the privileging of identity or commonality. Applying the principle of recognition and the importance of tolerance is seen to provide a range of policy options, but the evidence of education interventions in Northern Ireland does not highlight any one policy option as the most effective, nor did the end of the violent conflict produce a new consensus on a way forward. The chapter argues that a key additional element to effective practice might be provided through the promotion of shared education through collaborative networks of schools which allows for the continued operation of separate schools while promoting an integrated experience for pupils and teachers.

A Molecular Mechanism for Sequential Activation of a G Protein-Coupled Receptor

Ligands targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are currently classified as either orthosteric, allosteric, or dualsteric/bitopic. Here, we introduce a new pharmacological concept for GPCR functional modulation: sequential receptor activation. A hallmark feature of this is a stepwise ligand binding mode with transient activation of a first receptor site followed by sustained activation of a second topographically distinct site. We identify 4-CMTB (2-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-methyl-N-(thiazol-2-yl)butanamide), previously classified as a pure allosteric agonist of the free fatty acid receptor 2, as the first sequential activator and corroborate its two-step activation in living cells by tracking integrated responses with innovative label-free biosensors that visualize multiple signaling inputs in real time. We validate this unique pharmacology with traditional cellular readouts, including mutational and pharmacological perturbations along with computational methods, and propose a kinetic model applicable to the analysis of sequential receptor activation. We envision this form of dynamic agonism as a common principle of nature to spatiotemporally encode cellular information.

Using an anisotropic semivariogram of acoustic backscatter intensity to determine the effects of river and tidal forces on the spatial structure of the Gold River delta

Senior thesis written for Oceanography 445

You Can't Always Get What You Want: A Gewirthian Model of Rational Autonomy in Abortion

The law regulating the availability of abortion is problematic both legally and morally. It is dogmatic in its requirements of women and doctors and ignorant of would-be fathers. Practically, its usage is liberal - with s1(1)(a) Abortion Act 1967 treated as a ‘catch all’ ground - it allows abortion on demand. Yet this is not reflected in the ‘law’. Against this outdated legislation I propose a model of autonomy which seeks to tether our moral concerns with a new legal approach to abortion. I do so by maintaining that a legal conception of autonomy is derivable from the categorical imperative resulting from Gewirth’s argument to the Principle of Generic Consistency: Act in accordance with the generic rights of your recipients as well as of yourself. This model of Gewirthian Rational Autonomy, I suggest, provides a guide for both public and private notions of autonomy and how our autonomous interests can be balanced across social structures in order to legitimately empower choice. I claim, ultimately, that relevant rights in the context of abortion are derivable from this model.