Carbon Trading with Blockchain

Blockchain has the potential to accelerate the deployment of emissions trading systems (ETS) worldwide and improve upon the efficiency of existing systems. In this paper, we present a model for a permissioned blockchain implementation based on the successful European Union (EU) ETS and discuss its potential advantages over existing technology. We propose an ETS model that is both backwards compatible and future-proof, characterised by interconnectedness, transparency, tamper-resistance and high liquidity. Further, we identify key challenges to implementation of a blockchain ETS, as well as areas of future work required to enable a fully-decentralised blockchain ETS

CLEARER: a new tool for the analysis of X-ray fibre diffraction patterns and diffraction simulation from atomic structural models

Fibre diffraction can provide structural information about polymers and biopolymers that is unobtainable using other methods. This method has been used to elucidate the structures of many polymers, biopolymers and protein assemblies. Extracting structural information from fibre diffraction patterns is a major challenge. A computer program called CLEARER has been developed that aids the detailed analysis of polycrystalline fibre diffraction patterns. It offers an easy-to-use interface that enables diffraction data processing, analysis and simulation of diffraction patterns. It is likely to be applicable to structural determination for a wide range of polymeric fibrous materials. CLEARER simplifies and speeds up the data analysis process and helps to utilize all of the structural information present in the analysed X-ray and electron diffraction patterns

On the Reverse Engineering of the Citadel Botnet

Citadel is an advanced information-stealing malware which targets financial information. This malware poses a real threat against the confidentiality and integrity of personal and business data. A joint operation was recently conducted by the FBI and the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit in order to take down Citadel command-and-control servers. The operation caused some disruption in the botnet but has not stopped it completely. Due to the complex structure and advanced anti-reverse engineering techniques, the Citadel malware analysis process is both challenging and time-consuming. This allows cyber criminals to carry on with their attacks while the analysis is still in progress. In this paper, we present the results of the Citadel reverse engineering and provide additional insight into the functionality, inner workings, and open source components of the malware. In order to accelerate the reverse engineering process, we propose a clone-based analysis methodology. Citadel is an offspring of a previously analyzed malware called Zeus; thus, using the former as a reference, we can measure and quantify the similarities and differences of the new variant. Two types of code analysis techniques are provided in the methodology, namely assembly to source code matching and binary clone detection. The methodology can help reduce the number of functions requiring manual analysis. The analysis results prove that the approach is promising in Citadel malware analysis. Furthermore, the same approach is applicable to similar malware analysis scenarios.Comment: 10 pages, 17 figures. This is an updated / edited version of a paper appeared in FPS 201

Anatomy of Malicious Singularities

As well known, the b-boundaries of the closed Friedman world model and of Schwarzschild solution consist of a single point. We study this phenomenon in a broader context of differential and structured spaces. We show that it is an equivalence relation $\rho$, defined on the Cauchy completed total space $\bar{E}$ of the frame bundle over a given space-time, that is responsible for this pathology. A singularity is called malicious if the equivalence class $[p_0]$ related to the singularity remains in close contact with all other equivalence classes, i.e., if $p_0 \in \mathrm{cl}[p]$ for every $p \in E$. We formulate conditions for which such a situation occurs. The differential structure of any space-time with malicious singularities consists only of constant functions which means that, from the topological point of view, everything collapses to a single point. It was noncommutative geometry that was especially devised to deal with such situations. A noncommutative algebra on $\bar{E}$, which turns out to be a von Neumann algebra of random operators, allows us to study probabilistic properties (in a generalized sense) of malicious singularities. Our main result is that, in the noncommutative regime, even the strongest singularities are probabilistically irrelevant.Comment: 16 pages in LaTe

Far-Infrared Excitations below the Kohn Mode: Internal Motion in a Quantum Dot

We have investigated the far-infrared response of quantum dots in modulation doped GaAs heterostructures. We observe novel modes at frequencies below the center-of-mass Kohn mode. Comparison with Hartree-RPA calculations show that these modes arise from the flattened potential in our field-effect confined quantum dots. They reflect pronounced relative motion of the charge density with respect to the center-of-mass.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX with integrated 6 PostScript figure

Oscillation modes of two-dimensional nanostructures within the time-dependent local-spin-density approximation

We apply the time-dependent local-spin-density approximation as general theory to describe ground states and spin-density oscillations in the linear response regime of two-dimensional nanostructures of arbitrary shape. For this purpose, a frequency analysis of the simulated real-time evolution is performed. The effect on the response of the recently proposed spin-density waves in the ground state of certain parabolic quantum dots is considered. They lead to the prediction of a new class of excitations, soft spin-twist modes, with energies well below that of the spin dipole oscillation.Comment: 4 RevTex pages and 4 GIF figures, accepted in PR

Subluxation: dogma or science?

Subluxation syndrome is a legitimate, potentially testable, theoretical construct for which there is little experimental evidence. Acceptable as hypothesis, the widespread assertion of the clinical meaningfulness of this notion brings ridicule from the scientific and health care communities and confusion within the chiropractic profession. We believe that an evidence-orientation among chiropractors requires that we distinguish between subluxation dogma vs. subluxation as the potential focus of clinical research. We lament efforts to generate unity within the profession through consensus statements concerning subluxation dogma, and believe that cultural authority will continue to elude us so long as we assert dogma as though it were validated clinical theory

A Topological Study of Contextuality and Modality in Quantum Mechanics

Kochen-Specker theorem rules out the non-contextual assignment of values to physical magnitudes. Here we enrich the usual orthomodular structure of quantum mechanical propositions with modal operators. This enlargement allows to refer consistently to actual and possible properties of the system. By means of a topological argument, more precisely in terms of the existence of sections of sheaves, we give an extended version of Kochen-Specker theorem over this new structure. This allows us to prove that contextuality remains a central feature even in the enriched propositional system.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, submitted to I. J. Th. Phy