Flexible Automatic Scheduling For Autonomous Telescopes: The MAJORDOME

We have developped a new method for the scheduling of astronomical automatic telescopes, in the framework of the autonomous TAROT instrument. The MAJORDOME software can handle a variety of observations, constrained, periodic, etc., and produces a timeline for the night, which may be modified at any time to take into account the specific conditions of the night. The MAJORDOME can also handle target of opportunity observations without delay.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Experimental Astronom

Security and Efficiency Analysis of the Hamming Distance Computation Protocol Based on Oblivious Transfer

open access articleBringer et al. proposed two cryptographic protocols for the computation of Hamming distance. Their first scheme uses Oblivious Transfer and provides security in the semi-honest model. The other scheme uses Committed Oblivious Transfer and is claimed to provide full security in the malicious case. The proposed protocols have direct implications to biometric authentication schemes between a prover and a verifier where the verifier has biometric data of the users in plain form. In this paper, we show that their protocol is not actually fully secure against malicious adversaries. More precisely, our attack breaks the soundness property of their protocol where a malicious user can compute a Hamming distance which is different from the actual value. For biometric authentication systems, this attack allows a malicious adversary to pass the authentication without knowledge of the honest user's input with at most $O(n)$ complexity instead of $O(2^n)$, where $n$ is the input length. We propose an enhanced version of their protocol where this attack is eliminated. The security of our modified protocol is proven using the simulation-based paradigm. Furthermore, as for efficiency concerns, the modified protocol utilizes Verifiable Oblivious Transfer which does not require the commitments to outputs which improves its efficiency significantly

Observational constraints on the afterglow of GRB 020531

We present the data acquired by the TAROT automated observatory on the afterglow of GRB 020531. Up to now, no convincing afterglow emission has been reported for this short/hard GRB at any wavelength, including X-ray and optical. The combination of our early limits, with other published data allows us to put severe constraints on the afterglow magnitude and light curve. The limiting magnitude is 18.5 in R band, 88 minutes after the GRB, and the decay slope power law index could be larger than 2.2.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to A&A (letter

Seleção de Sistema de Tratamentos de Esgotos no Âmbito de Bacias Hidrográficas a partir do Emprego de Modelagem de Qualidade, Otimização e da Análise Multiobjetivo.

RESUMO No Brasil, a disposição de efluentes industriais e domésticos brutos constitui um dos principais fatores responsáveis pelo severo comprometimento da qualidade dos cursos hídricos. Em contrapartida, o tratamento individual ou coletivo dos esgotos antes do lançamento apresenta-se como a principal estratégia de controle de poluição. No entanto, o nível de tratamento necessário depende da capacidade de autodepuração do corpo receptor, das características de uso da água a jusante do ponto de lançamento e das características e condições dos despejos. Buscando-se determinar o nível de remoção requerido a uma estação de tratamento de esgotos, modelos matemáticos de qualidade da água em conjunto com técnicas de otimização têm sido utilizados no processo de seleção de sistemas de tratamento, visando, usualmente, atingir objetivos de natureza econômica. No entanto, em sistemas de recursos hídricos, a busca pela solução de problemas envolve objetivos múltiplos e conflitantes. O presente trabalho empregou, para a bacia hidrográfica do rio Pardo, modelo de simulação da qualidade da água, técnica de otimização e análise multiobjetivo para selecionar sistemas de tratamento de esgotos. Reproduzindo as formulações matemáticas e estruturas conceitual e computacional do modelo QUAL-UFMG, o programa computacional desenvolvido no ambiente do software MATLAB, em conjunto com o Algoritmo Genético, permitiu apropriar eficiências mínimas de remoção de matéria orgânica para os diferentes pontos de disposição de efluentes da bacia hidrográfica do rio Pardo, considerando diferentes cenários de disposição de efluentes tratados. Após uma etapa de pré-seleção técnica, que considerou três diferentes possíveis cenários de tratamento de esgotos, foi aplicada a análise multiobjetivo com o auxílio do método Electre III, que indicou sistemas de tratamento de esgotos para as localidades de Ibatiba, Irupi, Iúna, Santíssima Trindade e Nossa Senhora das Graças, atualmente responsáveis pela disposição de esgotos brutos na bacia hidrográfica do rio Pardo. Sistemas como Infiltração Rápida, Biofiltro Aerado Submerso (com Nitrificação), Wetland, Lagoas facultativas e reatores UASB (seguidos ou não de pós-tratamento) foram os mais indicados para os cenários de tratamento de esgotos considerado

Maximising transparency in a doctoral thesis: The complexities of writing about the use of QSR*NVIVO within a grounded theory study

This paper discusses the challenges of how to provide a transparent account of the use of the software programme QSR*NVIVO (QSR 2000) within a Grounded Theory framework (Glaser and Strauss 1967; Strauss and Corbin 1998). Psychology students are increasingly pursuing qualitative research projects such to the extent that the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) advise that students should have skill in the use of computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) (Economic and Social Research Council 2001). Unlike quantitative studies, rigid formulae do not exist for writing-up qualitative projects for doctoral theses. Most authors, however, agree that transparency is essential when communicating the findings of qualitative research. Sparkes (2001) recommends that evaluative criteria for qualitative research should be commensurable with the aims, objectives, and epistemological assumptions of the research project. Likewise, the use of CAQDAS should vary according to the research methodology followed, and thus researchers should include a discussion of how CAQDAS was used. This paper describes how the evolving process of coding data, writing memos, categorising, and theorising were integrated into the written thesis. The structure of the written document is described including considerations about restructuring and the difficulties of writing about an iterative process within a linear document

Early re-brightening of the afterglow of GRB 050525a

We present time resolved optical data acquired by the TAROT automated observatory on the afterglow of GRB 050525a from 6 to 136 minutes after the GRB. We evidence a rapid re-brightening of 0.65 magnitude of the afterglow at $\sim$ 33 min after the GRB. The decay slope $\alpha$ is $1.14\pm 0.07$ in the first part and is $1.23\pm 0.27$ after the re-brightening event. The afterglow of GRB 050525a is the third known afterglow that exhibits a re-brightening event begining at 0.01--0.02 day in the rest time frame.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to A&

Stellar evolution through the ages: period variations in galactic RRab stars as derived from the GEOS database and TAROT telescopes

The theory of stellar evolution can be more closely tested if we have the opportunity to measure new quantities. Nowadays, observations of galactic RR Lyr stars are available on a time baseline exceeding 100 years. Therefore, we can exploit the possibility of investigating period changes, continuing the pioneering work started by V. P. Tsesevich in 1969. We collected the available times of maximum brightness of the galactic RR Lyr stars in the GEOS RR Lyr database. Moreover, we also started new observational projects, including surveys with automated telescopes, to characterise the O-C diagrams better. The database we built has proved to be a very powerful tool for tracing the period variations through the ages. We analyzed 123 stars showing a clear O-C pattern (constant, parabolic or erratic) by means of different least-squares methods. Clear evidence of period increases or decreases at constant rates has been found, suggesting evolutionary effects. The median values are beta=+0.14 day/Myr for the 27 stars showing a period increase and beta=-0.20 day/Myr for the 21 stars showing a period decrease. The large number of RR Lyr stars showing a period decrease (i.e., blueward evolution) is a new and intriguing result. There is an excess of RR Lyr stars showing large, positive $\beta$ values. Moreover, the observed beta values are slightly larger than those predicted by theoretical models.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures; to be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics; full resolution version available at http://dbrr.ast.obs-mip.fr/tarot/publis/publis.htm

Limits on the early afterglow phase of gamma-ray burst sources from TAROT-1

The T\'elescope \`a Action Rapide pour les Objets Transitoires (TAROT-1) has as prime objective the observation of the prompt and delayed emission of cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We have performed a search for optical emission from 6 GRBs detected by BATSE. The positioning error circle was fully covered within typically thirty minutes after the trigger. No detection of the early afterglow phase was made, and magnitude limits in the range of $\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{R}} = 13-15$ were estimated using 20s exposures. These limits are compared to optical afterglow data obtained in later phases and the results are interpreted in terms of source distances. They correspond to a median redshift of z = 0.5. With HETE-2 and the planned instrument upgrade, TAROT-1 will be able to detect the early optical emission of GRBs up to a redshift of the order of 5.Comment: 7 pages, accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Diurnal salivary cortisol concentrations in Parkinson’s disease: increased total secretion and morning cortisol concentrations

Background:Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. There is limited knowledge about the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in PD. The primary aim of this prospective study was to analyze diurnal salivary cortisol concentrations in patients with PD and correlate these with age, gender, body mass index (BMI), duration of PD, and pain. The secondary aim was to compare the results with a healthy reference group. Methods:Fifty-nine PD patients, 35 women and 24 men, aged 50–79 years, were recruited. The reference group comprised healthy individuals matched for age, gender, BMI, and time point for sampling. Salivary cortisol was collected at 8 am, 1 pm, and 8 pm, and 8 am the next day using cotton-based Salivette ®tubes and analyzed using Spectria®Cortisol I125. A visual analog scale was used for estimation of pain. Results:The median cortisol concentration was 16.0 (5.8–30.2) nmol/L at 8 am, 5.8 (3.0–16.4) at 1 pm, 2.8 (1.6–8.0) at 8 pm, and 14.0 (7.5–28.7) at 8 am the next day. Total secretion and rate of cortisol secretion during the day (8 am–8 pm) and the concentration of cortisol on the next morning were lower (12.5 nmol/L) in the reference group. No significant correlations with age, gender, BMI, duration of PD, Hoehn and Yahr score, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III score, gait, pain, or cortisol concentrations were found. Conclusion:The neurodegenerative changes in PD does not seem to interfere with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Salivary cortisol concentrations in PD patients were increased in the morning compared with the reference group, and were not influenced by motor dysfunction, duration of disease, or coexistence of chronic or acute pain

Pseudo Identities Based on Fingerprint Characteristics

This paper presents the integrated project TURBINE which is funded under the EU 7th research framework programme. This research is a multi-disciplinary effort on privacy enhancing technology, combining innovative developments in cryptography and fingerprint recognition. The objective of this project is to provide a breakthrough in electronic authentication for various applications in the physical world and on the Internet. On the one hand it will provide secure identity verification thanks to fingerprint recognition. On the other hand it will reliably protect the biometric data through advanced cryptography technology. In concrete terms, it will provide the assurance that (i) the data used for the authentication, generated from the fingerprint, cannot be used to restore the original fingerprint sample, (ii) the individual will be able to create different "pseudo-identities" for different applications with the same fingerprint, whilst ensuring that these different identities (and hence the related personal data) cannot be linked to each other, and (iii) the individual is enabled to revoke an biometric identifier (pseudo-identity) for a given application in case it should not be used anymore