Theory of unitarity bounds and low-energy form factors

We present a general formalism for deriving bounds on the shape parameters of the weak and electromagnetic form factors using as input correlators calculated from perturbative QCD, and exploiting analyticity and unitarily. The values resulting from the symmetries of QCD at low energies or from lattice calculations at special points inside the analyticity domain can be included in an exact way. We write down the general solution of the corresponding Meiman problem for an arbitrary number of interior constraints and the integral equations that allow one to include the phase of the form factor along a part of the unitarity cut. A formalism that includes the phase and some information on the modulus along a part of the cut is also given. For illustration we present constraints on the slope and curvature of the K-l3 scalar form factor and discuss our findings in some detail. The techniques are useful for checking the consistency of various inputs and for controlling the parameterizations of the form factors entering precision predictions in flavor physics.

Constructing Fair Tourism in Ecuador: The Case of Asoguabo

Tämän pro gradu-tutkielman tarkoitus on tutkia, miten reilun kaupan banaania tuottavan El Guabon pienten banaaninviljelijöiden järjestön Asoguabon reilun turismin projekti on rakennettu. Projektin muotoutumista tutkitaan tässä työssä kahdesta eri näkökulmasta: siitä, miksi ja miten Asoguabo on monipuolistanut viljelystä turismiin, sekä siitä, millainen kuva projektista on rakennettu markkinoinnin kautta ja miten reilun kaupan mainonnasta tuttuja ilmiöitä on hyödynnetty reilun turismin rakentamisessa. Tutkielman teoreettisena taustana on maaseudun muutoksia tarkasteleva uuden ruraliteetin käsite. Turismi on viime vuosikymmenten aikana muuttunut, ja matkailijat etsivät yhä enemmän aitoja ja autenttisia matkailukokemuksia. Samanaikaisesti turismia on tuotteistettu korostamalla sen tiettyjä, kestävän kehityksen mukaisia piirteitä, ja erityisesti kehittyvissä maissa turismia markkinoidaan usein vaihtoehtoisena, yhteisöpohjaisena tai ekoturismina. Reilu turismi on uutena käsitteenä tullut mukaan tähän laajaan kirjoon, ja tämä tutkielma käsitteleekin Asoguabon projektia nimenomaan reilun turismin näkökulmasta. Tämä tutkielma on tapaustutkimus Asoguabon turismiprojektista, ja pohjautuu kuukauden pituiseen kenttätyöhön Ecuadorissa tammikussa 2010 sekä kirjoittajan aiempiin kokemuksiin Asoguabosta. Aineisto koostuu 21 puoli-strukturoidusta laadullisesta haastattelusta kuudentoista informantin kanssa, joista suurin osa oli hyvin läheisesti tekemisissä projektin kanssa. Tämän lisäksi aineistonkeruussa on käytetty havainnointia sekä projektin markkinointimateriaalien sisällönanalyysia. Tutkielma osoittaa reilun turismin projektin sisältävän monia haasteita ennen kuin se voi saavuttaa tavoitteensa tuottaa lisätuloja Asoguabon toimintaan. Tutkimushetkellä projekti hyödytti suoraan pääasiassa muutamia järjestön viljelijöitä, lähinnä niitä, jotka toimivat projektissa oppaina. Nämä oppaat hyötyvät projektista saamalla pieniä lisätuloja, kasvattamalla sosiaalista pääomaansa, sekä saamalla mahdollisuuden oppia muun muassa osallistumalla kursseille. Tutkimuksen keskeiset tulokset osoittavat myös, kuinka vuorovaikutus-ongelmat projektin eri toimijoiden välillä vaikeuttavat tiedonkulkua ja täten reilun turismin toimintaa. Nämä ongelmat myös lisäävät epätietoisuutta Asoguabon muiden viljelijöiden parissa. Lisäksi tutkimus osoittaa, kuinka reilun turismin projektin mainonnassa käytetään osittain samoja keinoja kuin reilun kaupan tuotteiden mainonnassa, joskin tuottajia on kuvattu mainosmateriaaleissa yllättävän vähän ja pääosassa ovat usein eurooppalaiset turistit.

Finite-State Spell-Checking with Weighted Language and Error Models

In this paper we present simple methods for construction and evaluation of finite-state spell-checking tools using an existing finite-state lexical automaton, freely available finite-state tools and Internet corpora acquired from projects such as Wikipedia. As an example, we use a freely available open-source implementation of Finnish morphology, made with traditional finite-state morphology tools, and demonstrate rapid building of Northern Sámi and English spell checkers from tools and resources available from the Internet.

Automatic verification of distributed logic specifications

Formal specification is vital to the development of distributed real-time systems as these systems are inherently complex and safety-critical. It is widely acknowledged that formal specification and automatic analysis of specifications can significantly increase system reliability. Although a number of specification techniques for real-time systems have been reported in the literature, most of these formalisms do not adequately address to the constraints that the aspects of 'distribution' and 'real-time' impose on specifications. Further, an automatic verification tool is necessary to reduce human errors in the reasoning process. In this regard, this paper is an attempt towards the development of a novel executable specification language for distributed real-time systems. First, we give a precise characterization of the syntax and semantics of DL. Subsequently, we discuss the problems of model checking, automatic verification of satisfiability of DL specifications, and testing conformance of event traces with DL specifications. Effective solutions to these problems are presented as extensions to the classical first-order tableau algorithm. The use of the proposed framework is illustrated by specifying a sample problem.

A checking method for probabilistic seismic-hazard assessment: case studies on three cities

The conventional Cornell's source-based approach of probabilistic seismic-hazard assessment (PSHA) has been employed all around the world, whilst many studies often rely on the use of computer packages such as FRISK (McGuire FRISK-a computer program for seismic risk analysis. Open-File Report 78-1007, United States Geological Survey, Department of Interior, Washington 1978) and SEISRISK III (Bender and Perkins SEISRISK III-a computer program for seismic hazard estimation, Bulletin 1772. United States Geological Survey, Department of Interior, Washington 1987). A ``black-box'' syndrome may be resulted if the user of the software does not have another simple and robust PSHA method that can be used to make comparisons. An alternative method for PSHA, namely direct amplitude-based (DAB) approach, has been developed as a heuristic and efficient method enabling users to undertake their own sanity checks on outputs from computer packages. This paper experiments the application of the DAB approach for three cities in China, Iran, and India, respectively, and compares with documented results computed by the source-based approach. Several insights regarding the procedure of conducting PSHA have also been obtained, which could be useful for future seismic-hazard studies.

Stream-Close: Fast mining of Closed Frequent Itemsets in high speed data streams

With the emergence of large-volume and high-speed streaming data, the recent techniques for stream mining of CFIpsilas (closed frequent itemsets) will become inefficient. When concept drift occurs at a slow rate in high speed data streams, the rate of change of information across different sliding windows will be negligible. So, the user wonpsilat be devoid of change in information if we slide window by multiple transactions at a time. Therefore, we propose a novel approach for mining CFIpsilas cumulatively by making sliding width(ges1) over high speed data streams. However, it is nontrivial to mine CFIpsilas cumulatively over stream, because such growth may lead to the generation of exponential number of candidates for closure checking. In this study, we develop an efficient algorithm, stream-close, for mining CFIpsilas over stream by exploring some interesting properties. Our performance study reveals that stream-close achieves good scalability and has promising results.

Modified Stability Checking for On-Line Error Detection

The paper propose a unified error detection technique, based on stability checking, for on-line detection of delay, crosstalk and transient faults in combinational circuits and SEUs in sequential elements. The proposed method, called modified stability checking (MSC), overcomes the limitations of the earlier stability checking methods. The paper also proposed a novel checker circuit to realize this scheme. The checker is self-checking for a wide set of realistic internal faults including transient faults. Extensive circuit simulations have been done to characterize the checker circuit. A prototype checker circuit for a 1mm2 standard cell array has been implemented in a 0.13mum process.

Model-checking bisimulation-based information flow properties for infinite state sstems

Bisimulation-based information flow properties were introduced by Focardi and Gorrieri [1] as a way of specifying security properties for transition system models. These properties were shown to be decidable for finite-state systems. In this paper, we study the problem of verifying these properties for some well-known classes of infinite state systems. We show that all the properties are undecidable for each of these classes of systems.

A Protocol for Authentication with Multiple Levels of Anonymity (AMLA) in VANETs

The basic requirements for secure communication in a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) are anonymous authentication with source non-repudiation and integrity. The existing security protocols in VANETs do not differentiate between the anonymity requirements of different vehicles and the level of anonymity provided by these protocols is the same for all the vehicles in a network. To provide high level of anonymity, the resource requirements of security protocol would also be high. Hence, in a resource constrained VANET, it is necessary to differentiate between the anonymity requirements of different vehicles and to provide the level of anonymity to a vehicle as per its requirement. In this paper, we have proposed a novel protocol for authentication which can provide multiple levels of anonymity in VANETs. The protocol makes use of identity based signature mechanism and pseudonyms to implement anonymous authentication with source non-repudiation and integrity. By controlling the number of pseudonyms issued to a vehicle and the lifetime of each pseudonym for a vehicle, the protocol is able to control the level of anonymity provided to a vehicle. In addition, the protocol includes a novel pseudonym issuance policy using which the protocol can ensure the uniqueness of a newly generated pseudonym by checking only a very small subset of the set of pseudonyms previously issued to all the vehicles. The protocol cryptographically binds an expiry date to each pseudonym, and in this way, enforces an implicit revocation for the pseudonyms. Analytical and simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed protocol.

Enhanced viability of probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii encapsulated by layer-by-layer approach in pH responsive chitosan-dextran sulfate polyelectrolytes

Saccharomyces boulardii was encapsulated by layer-by-layer technique (LbL) using oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, chitosan and dextran sulfate to protect from degradation during its gastrointestinal transit. The protective effect of the coating was evaluated by checking viability after subjecting the coated cells to lyophilisation and simulated gastrointestinal conditions. During lyophilization, coated S. boulardii was found to have an enhanced viability of 7.74 +/- 2.00 log CFU/100 mg (5.62 x 10(6) +/- 2.12 CFU/100 mg) and 5.53 +/- 1.85 log CFU/100 mg (3.46 x 10(5) 1.73 CFU/100 mg) for uncoated cells. On sequential treatment with simulated gastric and intestinal juice, the coated cells had a viability of 4.59 +/- 1.52 log CFU/100 mg (3.8 x 104 +/- 1.52 CFU/100 mg) while only 1.90 +/- 0.80 log CFU/100 mg (0.79 x 102 +/- 0.81 CFU/100 mg) of uncoated cells survived. Confocal studies displayed the selective permeability of the coated cells which plays a significant role in maintaining the integrity and viability of the yeast cells. This clearly indicates that LbL is an efficient protective encapsulation technique and it could be potentially used for improving therapeutic applications of yeast. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Non-deterministic transducer models of retransmission protocols over noisy channels

Retransmission protocols such as HDLC and TCP are designed to ensure reliable communication over noisy channels (i.e., channels that can corrupt messages). Thakkar et al. 15] have recently presented an algorithmic verification technique for deterministic streaming string transducer (DSST) models of such protocols. The verification problem is posed as equivalence checking between the specification and protocol DSSTs. In this paper, we argue that more general models need to be obtained using non-deterministic streaming string transducers (NSSTs). However, equivalence checking is undecidable for NSSTs. We present two classes where the models belong to a sub-class of NSSTs for which it is decidable. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Homing abilities of the tropical primitively eusocial paper wasp Ropalidia marginata

Compared to our extensive knowledge about the navigation and homing abilities of ants and bees, we know rather little about these phenomena in social wasps. Here, we report the homing abilities of the tropical primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata and the factors that affect their homing success. To determine from how far these wasps can return to their nests, we transported foragers blindfold and released them at gradually increasing distances from their nests in four cardinal directions. Their homing success was determined by checking their presence on their nests on three consecutive nights. All foragers (56 individuals, 115 releases) returned back from an area of 0.73 +/- A 0.25 km(2) on the day of release (minimal homing area), whereas 83.8 % of the foragers (217 individuals, 420 releases) returned when we enlarged the area of release to 6.22 +/- A 0.66 km(2) around their nests (maximal homing area). Of 66 releases, no wasps returned from beyond the maximal homing area. The minimal homing area might be familiar to the foragers because they probably routinely forage in this area and the maximal homing area represents the maximum distances from which the wasps are capable of returning to their nests, with or without familiarity.

Experimental Validation of Improving Aircraft Rolling Power Using Piezoelectric Actuators

Piezoelectric actuators are mounted on both sides of a rectangular wing model. Possibility of the improvement of aircraft rolling power is investigated. All experiment projects, including designing the wind tunnel model, checking the material constants, measuring the natural frequencies and checking the effects of actuators, guarantee the correctness and precision of the finite element model. The wind tunnel experiment results show that the calculations coincide with the experiments. The feasibility of fictitious control surface is validated.

Damage Localization, Sensitivity of Energy Release and the Catastrophe Transition

Large earthquakes can be viewed as catastrophic ruptures in the earth’s crust. There are two common features prior to the catastrophe transition in heterogeneous media. One is damage localization and the other is critical sensitivity; both of which are related to a cascade of damage coalescence. In this paper, in an attempt to reveal the physics underlying the catastrophe transition, analytic analysis based on mean-field approximation of a heterogeneous medium as well as numerical simulations using a network model are presented. Both the emergence of damage localization and the sensitivity of energy release are examined to explore the inherent statistical precursors prior to the eventual catastrophic rupture. Emergence of damage localization, as predicted by the mean-field analysis, is consistent with observations of the evolution of damage patterns. It is confirmed that precursors can be extracted from the time-series of energy release according to its sensitivity to increasing crustal stress. As a major result, present research indicates that the catastrophe transition and the critical point hypothesis (CPH) of earthquakes are interrelated. The results suggest there may be two cross-checking precursors of large earthquakes: damage localization and critical sensitivity.

Influence of Indenter Tip Roundness on Hardness Behavior in Nanoindentation

In this paper. the effect of indenter tip roundness on hardness behavior for two typical elastic perfectly plastic materials is studied by means of finite element simulation. A rigid conical indenter of semi apex angle 70.3 degrees fitted smoothly with a spherical tip is employed. It is shown that as the indentation depth increases hardness first rises from zero, reaches a maximum and then decreases slowly approaching asymptotically the limiting value equal to that due to a conical indenter of ideally sharp tip. The range within which hardness varies appreciably is comparable to the radius of the indenter tip. The difference between the maximum value and the limiting value depends on the yield stress over the Young's modulus ratio. The smaller this ratio the greater the difference is. Numerical simulation also provides an opportunity for checking the accuracy and limitations of the widely used Oliver-Pharr method.