Homotopy types of stabilizers and orbits of Morse functions on surfaces

Let $M$ be a smooth compact surface, orientable or not, with boundary or without it, $P$ either the real line $R^1$ or the circle $S^1$, and $Diff(M)$ the group of diffeomorphisms of $M$ acting on $C^{\infty}(M,P)$ by the rule $h\cdot f\mapsto f \circ h^{-1}$, where $h\in Diff(M)$ and $f \in C^{\infty}(M,P)$. Let $f:M \to P$ be a Morse function and $O(f)$ be the orbit of $f$ under this action. We prove that $\pi_k O(f)=\pi_k M$ for $k\geq 3$, and $\pi_2 O(f)=0$ except for few cases. In particular, $O(f)$ is aspherical, provided so is $M$. Moreover, $\pi_1 O(f)$ is an extension of a finitely generated free abelian group with a (finite) subgroup of the group of automorphisms of the Reeb graph of $f$. We also give a complete proof of the fact that the orbit $O(f)$ is tame Frechet submanifold of $C^{\infty}(M,P)$ of finite codimension, and that the projection $Diff(M) \to O(f)$ is a principal locally trivial $S(f)$-fibration.Comment: 49 pages, 8 figures. This version includes the proof of the fact that the orbits of a finite codimension of tame action of tame Lie group on tame Frechet manifold is a tame Frechet manifold itsel

Propulsion Study for Small Transport Aircraft Technology (STAT)

Propulsion requirements were determined for 0.5 and 0.7 Mach aircraft. Sensitivity studies were conducted on both these aircraft to determine parametrically the influence of propulsion characteristics on aircraft size and direct operating cost (DOC). Candidate technology elements and design features were identified and parametric studies conducted to select the STAT advanced engine cycle. Trade off studies were conducted to determine those advanced technologies and design features that would offer a reduction in DOC for operation of the STAT engines. These features were incorporated in the two STAT engines. A benefit assessment was conducted comparing the STAT engines to current technology engines of the same power and to 1985 derivatives of the current technology engines. Research and development programs were recommended as part of an overall technology development plan to ensure that full commercial development of the STAT engines could be initiated in 1988

Property-Based Testing - The ProTest Project

The ProTest project is an FP7 STREP on property based testing. The purpose of the project is to develop software engineering approaches to improve reliability of service-oriented networks; support fault-finding and diagnosis based on specified properties of the system. And to do so we will build automated tools that will generate and run tests, monitor execution at run-time, and log events for analysis. The Erlang / Open Telecom Platform has been chosen as our initial implementation vehicle due to its robustness and reliability within the telecoms sector. It is noted for its success in the ATM telecoms switches by Ericsson, one of the project partners, as well as for multiple other uses such as in facebook, yahoo etc. In this paper we provide an overview of the project goals, as well as detailing initial progress in developing property based testing techniques and tools for the concurrent functional programming language Erlang

Editorial: Breastfeeding: a sociological reflection on new mothers' wellbeing

In this editorial, we consider a sociological reflection on breastfeeding and new mother's wellbeing, a Research Topic that was launched to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. This is a global campaign, which began in 1992, designed to raise awareness and action on breastfeeding

Using digital watermarking to enhance security in wireless medical image transmission

This is the published version of the article. Copyright 2010 Mary Ann Liebert Inc.During the last few years, wireless networks have been increasingly used both inside hospitals and in patients’ homes to transmit medical information. In general, wireless networks suffer from decreased security. However, digital watermarking can be used to secure medical information. In this study, we focused on combining wireless transmission and digital watermarking technologies to better secure the transmission of medical images within and outside the hospital. Methods: We utilized an integrated system comprising the wireless network and the digital watermarking module to conduct a series of tests. Results: The test results were evaluated by medical consultants. They concluded that the images suffered no visible quality degradation and maintained their diagnostic integrity. Discussion: The proposed integrated system presented reasonable stability, and its performance was comparable to that of a fixed network. This system can enhance security during the transmission of medical images through a wireless channel.The General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development and the British Council

Pluto's global surface composition through pixel-by-pixel Hapke modeling of New Horizons Ralph/LEISA data

On July 14th 2015, NASA's New Horizons mission gave us an unprecedented detailed view of the Pluto system. The complex compositional diversity of Pluto's encounter hemisphere was revealed by the Ralph/LEISA infrared spectrometer on board of New Horizons. We present compositional maps of Pluto defining the spatial distribution of the abundance and textural properties of the volatiles methane and nitrogen ices and non-volatiles water ice and tholin. These results are obtained by applying a pixel-by-pixel Hapke radiative transfer model to the LEISA scans. Our analysis focuses mainly on the large scale latitudinal variations of methane and nitrogen ices and aims at setting observational constraints to volatile transport models. Specifically, we find three latitudinal bands: the first, enriched in methane, extends from the pole to 55deg N, the second dominated by nitrogen, continues south to 35deg N, and the third, composed again mainly of methane, reaches 20deg N. We demonstrate that the distribution of volatiles across these surface units can be explained by differences in insolation over the past few decades. The latitudinal pattern is broken by Sputnik Planitia, a large reservoir of volatiles, with nitrogen playing the most important role. The physical properties of methane and nitrogen in this region are suggestive of the presence of a cold trap or possible volatile stratification. Furthermore our modeling results point to a possible sublimation transport of nitrogen from the northwest edge of Sputnik Planitia toward the south.Comment: 43 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in Icaru