Dominant partition method

By use of the L'Huillier, Redish, and Tandy (LRT) wave function formalism, a partially connected method, the dominant partition method (DPM) is developed for obtaining few body reductions of the many body problem in the LRT and Bencze, Redish, and Sloan (BRS) formalisms. The DPM maps the many body problem to a fewer body one by using the criterion that the truncated formalism must be such that consistency with the full Schroedinger equation is preserved. The DPM is based on a class of new forms for the irreducible cluster potential, which is introduced in the LRT formalism. Connectivity is maintained with respect to all partitions containing a given partition, which is referred to as the dominant partition. Degrees of freedom corresponding to the breakup of one or more of the clusters of the dominant partition are treated in a disconnected manner. This approach for simplifying the complicated BRS equations is appropriate for physical problems where a few body reaction mechanism prevails

Improving music genre classification using automatically induced harmony rules

We present a new genre classification framework using both low-level signal-based features and high-level harmony features. A state-of-the-art statistical genre classifier based on timbral features is extended using a first-order random forest containing for each genre rules derived from harmony or chord sequences. This random forest has been automatically induced, using the first-order logic induction algorithm TILDE, from a dataset, in which for each chord the degree and chord category are identified, and covering classical, jazz and pop genre classes. The audio descriptor-based genre classifier contains 206 features, covering spectral, temporal, energy, and pitch characteristics of the audio signal. The fusion of the harmony-based classifier with the extracted feature vectors is tested on three-genre subsets of the GTZAN and ISMIR04 datasets, which contain 300 and 448 recordings, respectively. Machine learning classifiers were tested using 5 × 5-fold cross-validation and feature selection. Results indicate that the proposed harmony-based rules combined with the timbral descriptor-based genre classification system lead to improved genre classification rates

Generalizing Boolean Satisfiability II: Theory

This is the second of three planned papers describing ZAP, a satisfiability engine that substantially generalizes existing tools while retaining the performance characteristics of modern high performance solvers. The fundamental idea underlying ZAP is that many problems passed to such engines contain rich internal structure that is obscured by the Boolean representation used; our goal is to define a representation in which this structure is apparent and can easily be exploited to improve computational performance. This paper presents the theoretical basis for the ideas underlying ZAP, arguing that existing ideas in this area exploit a single, recurring structure in that multiple database axioms can be obtained by operating on a single axiom using a subgroup of the group of permutations on the literals in the problem. We argue that the group structure precisely captures the general structure at which earlier approaches hinted, and give numerous examples of its use. We go on to extend the Davis-Putnam-Logemann-Loveland inference procedure to this broader setting, and show that earlier computational improvements are either subsumed or left intact by the new method. The third paper in this series discusses ZAPs implementation and presents experimental performance results

Shear horizontal (SH) ultrasound wave propagation around smooth corners

Shear horizontal (SH) ultrasound guided waves are being used in an increasing number of non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. One advantage SH waves have over some wave types, is their ability to propagate around curved surfaces with little energy loss; to understand the geometries around which they could propagate, the wave reflection must be quantified. A 0.83 mm thick aluminium sheet was placed in a bending machine, and a shallow bend was introduced. Periodically-poled magnet (PPM) electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), for emission and reception of SH waves, were placed on the same side of the bend, so that reflected waves were received. Additional bending of the sheet demonstrated a clear relationship between bend angles and the reflected signal. Models suggest that the reflection is a linear superposition of the reflections from each bend segment, such that sharp turns lead to a larger peak-to-peak amplitude, in part due to increased phase coherence

Generalizing Boolean Satisfiability I: Background and Survey of Existing Work

This is the first of three planned papers describing ZAP, a satisfiability engine that substantially generalizes existing tools while retaining the performance characteristics of modern high-performance solvers. The fundamental idea underlying ZAP is that many problems passed to such engines contain rich internal structure that is obscured by the Boolean representation used; our goal is to define a representation in which this structure is apparent and can easily be exploited to improve computational performance. This paper is a survey of the work underlying ZAP, and discusses previous attempts to improve the performance of the Davis-Putnam-Logemann-Loveland algorithm by exploiting the structure of the problem being solved. We examine existing ideas including extensions of the Boolean language to allow cardinality constraints, pseudo-Boolean representations, symmetry, and a limited form of quantification. While this paper is intended as a survey, our research results are contained in the two subsequent articles, with the theoretical structure of ZAP described in the second paper in this series, and ZAP's implementation described in the third

Effect of cryogenic irradiation on NERVA structural alloys

Several alloys (Hastelloy X, AISI 347, A-286 bolts, Inconel 718, Al 7039-T63 and Ti-5Al-2.5Sn ELI) were irradiated in liquid nitrogen (140 R) to neutron fluences between 10 to the 17th power and 10 to the 19th power nvt (E greater than 1.0 Mev). After irradiation, tensile properties were obtained in liquid nitrogen without permitting any warmup except for some specimens which were annealed at 540 R. The usual trend of radiation damage typical for materials irradiated at and above room temperature was observed, such as an increase in strength and decrease in ductility. However, the damage at 140 R was greater because this temperature prevented the annealing of radiation-induced defects which occurs above 140 R

Generalizing Boolean Satisfiability III: Implementation

This is the third of three papers describing ZAP, a satisfiability engine that substantially generalizes existing tools while retaining the performance characteristics of modern high-performance solvers. The fundamental idea underlying ZAP is that many problems passed to such engines contain rich internal structure that is obscured by the Boolean representation used; our goal has been to define a representation in which this structure is apparent and can be exploited to improve computational performance. The first paper surveyed existing work that (knowingly or not) exploited problem structure to improve the performance of satisfiability engines, and the second paper showed that this structure could be understood in terms of groups of permutations acting on individual clauses in any particular Boolean theory. We conclude the series by discussing the techniques needed to implement our ideas, and by reporting on their performance on a variety of problem instances

Computer simulations of cosmic ray extensive air showers

This thesis describes the results of computer simulations of cosmic ray extensive air showers with primary energy in the range 10 (^14) – 10 (^19) eV. A brief review of simulations made by other authors is presented after which models for high energy nuclear interactions are discussed. The parameters chosen for the preferred model employed here are stated and some more recent data from accelerator experiments are mentioned. The predictions from the preferred model for proton initiated air showers are compared with experimental data and the results of previous simulations; the consequences of including trends seen from recent accelerator experiments in the model for interactions are also discussed. The break-up of energetic particles with atomic mass number as high as 56 as they traverse the atmosphere is discussed and a model to reconstruct this process at cosmic ray energies is described. The predictions from the preferred model for interactions assuming iron primary particles are given. It is concluded that a study of the average shower characteristics will not lead to a reliable determination of the mass composition of the primary radiation. Predictions for the fluctuations of measurable parameters in air showers are presented; it is shown that on the basis of these studies it is likely that comment may be made upon the primary composition. The results of these simulations are particularly relevant to the Haverah Park Extensive Air Shower Array; the improvements to the array presently being implemented should, according to the present results, enable an estimation of the primary composition IV at energies > 10 (^17) eV to be made. In particular the presence or otherwise of protons in the primary beam should be estimated. The feasibility of the cluster analysis of experimental data is investigated and it is shown on the basis of the clustering of simulation data that to a limited extent the separation of air showers into groups according to the atomic mass number of the primary particle is possible

Laid Off: American Workers and Employers Assess a Volatile Labor Market

This Work Trends survey shows that despite economic growth, worker concern for the economy, their job security, and the threat of terrorism is increasing; workers and employers express fear about outsourcing jobs abroad