Design discussion on the ISDA Common Domain Model

A new initiative from the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) aims to establish a "Common Domain Model" (ISDA CDM): a new standard for data and process representation across the full range of derivatives instruments. Design of the ISDA CDM is at an early stage and the draft definition contains considerable complexity. This paper contributes by offering insight, analysis and discussion relating to key topics in the design space such as data lineage, timestamps, consistency, operations, events, state and state transitions.Comment: 19 page

Temporal Aspects of Smart Contracts for Financial Derivatives

Implementing smart contracts to automate the performance of high-value over-the-counter (OTC) financial derivatives is a formidable challenge. Due to the regulatory framework and the scale of financial risk if a contract were to go wrong, the performance of these contracts must be enforceable in law and there is an absolute requirement that the smart contract will be faithful to the intentions of the parties as expressed in the original legal documentation. Formal methods provide an attractive route for validation and assurance, and here we present early results from an investigation of the semantics of industry-standard legal documentation for OTC derivatives. We explain the need for a formal representation that combines temporal, deontic and operational aspects, and focus on the requirements for the temporal aspects as derived from the legal text. The relevance of this work extends beyond OTC derivatives and is applicable to understanding the temporal semantics of a wide range of legal documentation

A common graphical form

We present the Common Graphical Form, a low level, abstract machine independent structure which provides a basis for implementing graph reduction on distributed processors. A key feature of the structure is its ability to model disparate abstract machines in a uniform manner; this enables us to experiment with different abstract machines without having to recode major parts of the run-time system for each additional machine. Because we are dealing with a uniform data structure it is possible to build a suite of performance measurement tools to examine interprocessor data-flow and to apply these tools to different abstract machines in order to make relative comparisons between them at run-time. As a bonus to our design brief we exploit the unifying characteristics of the Common Graphical Form by using it as an intermediate language at compile-time

Loudness and the power series transformation

A nonlinear-algebraic approach to monaural intensity processing is proposed: the purpose is to integrate the conscious loudness attribute evoked by a pure tone with the power-series description of auditory distorition. The preliminary model consists of six postulates leading to a mathematical definition for loudness. To evaluate this equation, two task-specific sets of loudness judgments from each of seven subjects are examined. When linked to loudness-interval responses via the equisection assumption, the equation describes the behaviors quite well. Extrapolations into other intensity ranges predict similar responses with relatively slight overestimates. By relaxing the assumption that subjects will adjust the loudness proportions exactly as instructed, their ratio productions also can be described and predicted with sometimes surprising accuracy. Particularly striking is the prediction of overall levels and the curvilinearities of “doublings” from the “halvings”. In addition, the theory proposes absolute loudness measurement, an explanation for the growth of loudness including the principle underlying Steven's Power Law, and might prove useful in examining some exceptions to this relationship. Several aspects of this model differ from traditional approaches to intensity processing, but it appears to warrent further critical evaluations.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47430/1/422_2004_Article_BF00344266.pd

Bulk Band Gaps in Divalent Hexaborides

Complementary angle-resolved photoemission and bulk-sensitive k-resolved resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of divalent hexaborides reveal a >1 eV X-point gap between the valence and conduction bands, in contradiction to the band overlap assumed in several models of their novel ferromagnetism. This semiconducting gap implies that carriers detected in transport measurements arise from defects, and the measured location of the bulk Fermi level at the bottom of the conduction band implicates boron vacancies as the origin of the excess electrons. The measured band structure and X-point gap in CaB_6 additionally provide a stringent test case for proper inclusion of many-body effects in quasi-particle band calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; new RIXS analysis; accepted for publication in PR

Comparative Carcinogenicity for Mouse-Skin of Smoke Condensates Prepared from Cigarettes Made from the Same Tobacco Cured by Two Processes

Bright tobacco grown in Mexico was either flue-cured and redried (FC) or air-cured and bulk-fermented (AC). Both FC and AC were made into cigarettes standardized for draw resistance. FC and AC cigarettes were smoked under similar conditions in a smoking machine (one 2-second 25 ml. puff per minute down to a 20 mm. butt length). Condensates were kept at 0-4° C. until applied to the skin of mice

Using virtual reality to train infection prevention: what predicts performance and behavioral intention?

Training medical professionals for hand hygiene is challenging, especially due to the invisibility of microorganisms to the human eye. As the use of virtual reality (VR) in medical training is still novel, this exploratory study investigated how preexisting technology acceptance and in-training engagement predict VR hand hygiene performance scores. The effect of training in the VR environment on the behavioral intention to further use this type of training device (a component of technology acceptance) was also investigated. Participants completed a VR hand hygiene training comprising three levels of the same task with increasing difficulty. We measured technology acceptance, composed of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and behavioral intention, pre- and post-training, and in-training engagement using adaptations of existing questionnaires. We used linear regression models to determine predictors of performance in level-3 and of behavioral intention to further use VR training. Forty-three medical students participated in this exploratory study. In-training performance significantly increased between level-1 and level-3. Performance in level-3 was predicted by prior performance expectancy and engagement during the training session. Intention to further use VR to learn medical procedures was predicted by both prior effort expectancy and engagement. Our results provide clarification on the relationship between VR training, engagement, and technology acceptance. Future research should assess the long-term effectiveness of hand hygiene VR training and the transferability of VR training to actual patient care in natural settings. A more complete VR training could also be developed, with additional levels including more increased difficulty and additional medical tasks