1,108 research outputs found
PKI Interoperability: Still an Issue? A Solution in the X. 509 Realm
There exist many obstacles that slow the global adoption of public key infrastructure (PKI) technology. The PKI interoperability problem, being poorly understood, is one of the most confusing. In this paper, we clarify the PKI interoperability issue by exploring both the juridical and technical domains. We demonstrate the origin of the PKI interoperability problem by determining its root causes, the latter being legal, organizational and technical differences between countries, which mean that relying parties have no one to rely on. We explain how difficult it is to harmonize them. Finally, we propose to handle the interoperability problem from the trust management point of view, by introducing the role of a trust broker which is in charge of helping relying parties make informed decisions about X.509 certificates
Generating Interpretable Fuzzy Controllers using Particle Swarm Optimization and Genetic Programming
Autonomously training interpretable control strategies, called policies,
using pre-existing plant trajectory data is of great interest in industrial
applications. Fuzzy controllers have been used in industry for decades as
interpretable and efficient system controllers. In this study, we introduce a
fuzzy genetic programming (GP) approach called fuzzy GP reinforcement learning
(FGPRL) that can select the relevant state features, determine the size of the
required fuzzy rule set, and automatically adjust all the controller parameters
simultaneously. Each GP individual's fitness is computed using model-based
batch reinforcement learning (RL), which first trains a model using available
system samples and subsequently performs Monte Carlo rollouts to predict each
policy candidate's performance. We compare FGPRL to an extended version of a
related method called fuzzy particle swarm reinforcement learning (FPSRL),
which uses swarm intelligence to tune the fuzzy policy parameters. Experiments
using an industrial benchmark show that FGPRL is able to autonomously learn
interpretable fuzzy policies with high control performance.Comment: Accepted at Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference 2018
(GECCO '18
Satellite tracking reveals novel migratory patterns and the importance of seamounts for endangered South Pacific humpback whales
The humpback whale population of New Caledonia appears to display a novel migratory pattern characterized by multiple directions, long migratory paths and frequent pauses over seamounts and other shallow geographical features. Using satellite-monitored radio tags, we tracked 34 whales for between 5 and 110 days, travelling between 270 and 8540 km on their southward migration from a breeding ground in southern New Caledonia. Mean migration speed was 3.53±2.22 km h-1, while movements within the breeding ground averaged 2.01±1.63 km h-1. The tag data demonstrate that seamounts play an important role as offshore habitats for this species. Whales displayed an intensive use of oceanic seamounts both in the breeding season and on migration. Seamounts probably serve multiple and important roles as breeding locations, resting areas, navigational landmarks or even supplemental feeding grounds for this species, which can be viewed as a transient component of the seamount communities. Satellite telemetry suggests that seamounts represent an overlooked cryptic habitat for the species. The frequent use by humpback whales of such remote locations has important implications for conservation and management
Nonsurgical treatment for localized hepatocellular carcinoma
The most common non-surgical approaches for the treatment of localized hepatocellular carcinoma remain hepatic artery-delivered particles laden with chemotherapy (TACE), or radioactive microparticles (TARE). External beam radiotherapy has been an effective option in many parts of the world for selected HCC patients, but now has an expanded role with stereotactic and proton beam technologies. This review focuses on existing evidence and current guidance for utilizing these modalities for localized, but unresectable, non-transplantable HCC patients
Neo sex chromosomes, colour polymorphism and male-killing in the African queen butterfly, Danaus chrysippus (L.)
Danaus chrysippus (L.), one of the world’s commonest butterflies, has an extensive range throughout the Old-World tropics. In Africa it is divided into four geographical subspecies which overlap and hybridise freely in the East African Rift: Here alone a male-killing (MK) endosymbiont, Spiroplasma ixodetis, has invaded, causing female-biased populations to predominate. In ssp. chrysippus, inside the Rift only, an autosome carrying a colour locus has fused with the W chromosome to create a neo-W chromosome. A total of 40–100% of Rift females are neo-W and carry Spiroplasma, thus transmitting a linked, matrilineal neo-W, MK complex. As neo-W females have no sons, half the mother’s genes are lost in each generation. Paradoxically, although neo-W females have no close male relatives and are thereby forced to outbreed, MK restricts gene flow between subspecies and may thus promote speciation. The neo-W chromosome originated in the Nairobi region around 2.2 k years ago and subsequently spread throughout the Rift contact zone in some 26 k generations, possibly assisted by not having any competing brothers. Our work on the neo-W chromosome, the spread of Spiroplasma and possible speciation is ongoing
The spectrum of screening masses near T_c: predictions from universality
We discuss the spectrum of screening masses in a pure gauge theory near the
deconfinement temperature from the point of view of the dimensionally reduced
model describing the spontaneous breaking of the center symmetry. Universality
arguments can be used to predict the values of the mass ratios in the scaling
region of the deconfined phase when the transition is of second order. One such
prediction is that the scalar sector of the screening spectrum in SU(2) pure
gauge theory contains a bound state of the fundamental excitation,
corresponding through universality to the bound state found in the 3D Ising
model and phi^4 theory in the broken symmetry phase. A Monte Carlo evaluation
of the screening masses in the gauge theory confirms the validity of the
prediction. We briefly discuss the possibility of using similar arguments for
first order deconfinement transitions, and in particular for the physically
relevant case of SU(3).Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. Some changes in the discussion, added
references, results unchanged. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Wightman function and scalar Casimir densities for a wedge with two cylindrical boundaries
Wightman function, the vacuum expectation values of the field square and the
energy-momentum tensor are investigated for a massive scalar field with general
curvature coupling parameter inside a wedge with two coaxial cylindrical
boundaries. It is assumed that the field obeys Dirichlet boundary condition on
bounding surfaces. The application of a variant of the generalized Abel-Plana
formula enables to extract from the expectation values the contribution
corresponding to the geometry of a wedge with a single shell and to present the
interference part in terms of exponentially convergent integrals. The local
properties of the vacuum are investigated in various asymptotic regions of the
parameters. The vacuum forces acting on the boundaries are presented as the sum
of self-action and interaction terms. It is shown that the interaction forces
between the separate parts of the boundary are always attractive. The
generalization to the case of a scalar field with Neumann boundary condition is
discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure
African queens find mates when males are rare
This is the final version. Available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.âŻDATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT:
Sex ratio, spermatophore numbers and Rcode: Figshare doi:10.6084/
m9.figshare.21947729.In butterflies and moths, male-killing endosymbionts are transmitted from infected females via their eggs, and the male progeny then perish. This means that successful transmission of the parasite relies on the successful mating of the host. Paradoxically, at the population level, parasite transmission also reduces the number of adult males present in the final population for infected females to mate with. Here we investigate if successful female mating when males are rare is indeed a likely rate-limiting step in the transmission of male-killing Spiroplasma in the African Monarch, Danaus chrysippus. In Lepidoptera, successful pairings are hallmarked by the transfer of a sperm-containing spermatophore from the male to the female during copulation. Conveniently, this spermatophore remains detectable within the female upon dissection, and thus, spermatophore counts can be used to assess the frequency of successful mating in the field. We used such spermatophore counts to examine if altered sex ratios in the D. chrysippus do indeed affect female mating success. We examined two different field sites in East Africa where males were often rare. Surprisingly, mated females carried an average of 1.5 spermatophores each, regardless of male frequency, and importantly, only 10-20% remained unmated. This suggests that infected females will still be able to mate in the face of either Spiroplasma-mediated male killing and/or fluctuations in adult sex ratio over the wet-dry season cycle. These observations may begin to explain how the male-killing mollicute can still be successfully transmitted in a population where males are rare.National Geographic SocietyRoyal Societ
The Intentional Use of Service Recovery Strategies to Influence Consumer Emotion, Cognition and Behaviour
Service recovery strategies have been identified as a critical factor in the success of. service organizations. This study develops a conceptual frame work to investigate how specific service recovery strategies influence the emotional, cognitive and negative behavioural responses of . consumers., as well as how emotion and cognition influence negative behavior. Understanding the impact of specific service recovery strategies will allow service providers' to more deliberately and intentionally engage in strategies that result in positive organizational outcomes. This study was conducted using a 2 x 2 between-subjects quasi-experimental design. The results suggest that service recovery has a significant impact on emotion, cognition and negative behavior. Similarly, satisfaction, negative emotion and positive emotion all influence negative behavior but distributive justice has no effect
Cavity QED and quantum information processing with "hot" trapped atoms
We propose a method to implement cavity QED and quantum information
processing in high-Q cavities with a single trapped but non-localized atom. The
system is beyond the Lamb-Dick limit due to the atomic thermal motion. Our
method is based on adiabatic passages, which make the relevant dynamics
insensitive to the randomness of the atom position with an appropriate
interaction configuration. The validity of this method is demonstrated from
both approximate analytical calculations and exact numerical simulations. We
also discuss various applications of this method based on the current
experimental technology.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, Revte
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