BISM: Bytecode-Level Instrumentation for Software Monitoring

BISM (Bytecode-Level Instrumentation for Software Monitoring) is a lightweight bytecode instrumentation tool that features an expressive high-level control-flow-aware instrumentation language. The language follows the aspect-oriented programming paradigm by adopting the joinpoint model, advice inlining, and separate instrumentation mechanisms. BISM provides joinpoints ranging from bytecode instruction to method execution, access to comprehensive static and dynamic context information, and instrumentation methods. BISM runs in two instrumentation modes: build-time and load-time. We demonstrate BISM effectiveness using two experiments: a security scenario and a general runtime verification case. The results show that BISM instrumentation incurs low runtime and memory overheads

Collision analysis for an UAV

International audienceThe Sense and Avoid capacity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is one of the key elements to open the access to airspace for UAVs. In order to replace a pilot's See and Avoid capacity such a system has to be certified "as safe as a human pilot on-board". The problem is to prove that an unmanned aircraft equipped with a S and A system can comply with the actual air transportation regulations. This paper aims to provide mathematical and numerical tools to link together the safety objectives and sensors specifications. Our approach starts with the natural idea of a specified "safety volume" around the aircraft: the safety objective is to guarantee that no other aircraft can penetrate this volume. We use a general reachability and viability concepts to define nested sets which are meaningful to allocate sensor performances and manoeuvring capabilities necessary to protect the safety volume. Using the general framework of HJB equations for the optimal control and differential games, we give a rigorous mathematical characterization of these sets. Our approach allows also to take into account some uncertainties in the measures of the parameters of the incoming traffic. We also provide numerical tools to compute the defined sets, so that the technical specifications of a S and A system can be derived in accordance with a small set of intuitive parameters. We consider several dynamical models corresponding to the different choices of maneuvers (lateral, longitudinal and mixed). Our numerical simulations show clearly that the nature of used maneuvers is an important factor in the specifications of sensor's performances

Modelling the spectral response of the Swift-XRT CCD camera: Experience learnt from in-flight calibration

(Abbreviated) We show that the XRT spectral response calibration was complicated by various energy offsets in photon counting (PC) and windowed timing (WT) modes related to the way the CCD is operated in orbit (variation in temperature during observations, contamination by optical light from the sunlit Earth and increase in charge transfer inefficiency). We describe how these effects can be corrected for in the ground processing software. We show that the low-energy response, the redistribution in spectra of absorbed sources, and the modelling of the line profile have been significantly improved since launch by introducing empirical corrections in our code when it was not possible to use a physical description. We note that the increase in CTI became noticeable in June 2006 (i.e. 14 months after launch), but the evidence of a more serious degradation in spectroscopic performance (line broadening and change in the low-energy response) due to large charge traps (i.e. faults in the Si crystal) became more significant after March 2007. We describe efforts to handle such changes in the spectral response. Finally, we show that the commanded increase in the substrate voltage from 0 to 6V on 2007 August 30 reduced the dark current, enabling the collection of useful science data at higher CCD temperature (up to -50C). We also briefly describe the plan to recalibrate the XRT response files at this new voltage.Comment: 27 pages, 29 figures (many in colour), accepted for publication in A&

Strong and auxiliary forms of the semi-Lagrangian method for incompressible flows

We present a review of the semi-Lagrangian method for advection-diusion and incompressible Navier-Stokes equations discretized with high-order methods. In particular, we compare the strong form where the departure points are computed directly via backwards integration with the auxiliary form where an auxiliary advection equation is solved instead; the latter is also referred to as Operator Integration Factor Splitting (OIFS) scheme. For intermediate size of time steps the auxiliary form is preferrable but for large time steps only the strong form is stable

A Semi-Lagrangian scheme for a modified version of the Hughes model for pedestrian flow

In this paper we present a Semi-Lagrangian scheme for a regularized version of the Hughes model for pedestrian flow. Hughes originally proposed a coupled nonlinear PDE system describing the evolution of a large pedestrian group trying to exit a domain as fast as possible. The original model corresponds to a system of a conservation law for the pedestrian density and an Eikonal equation to determine the weighted distance to the exit. We consider this model in presence of small diffusion and discuss the numerical analysis of the proposed Semi-Lagrangian scheme. Furthermore we illustrate the effect of small diffusion on the exit time with various numerical experiments

Late-Time X-ray Flares during GRB Afterglows: Extended Internal Engine Activity

Observations of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) with Swift produced the initially surprising result that many bursts have large X-ray flares superimposed on the underlying afterglow. These flares were sometimes intense, rapid, and late relative to the nominal prompt phase. The most intense of these flares was observed by XRT with a flux >500 the afterglow. This burst then surprised observers by flaring again after >10000 s. The intense flare can be most easily understood within the context of the standard fireball model, if the internal engine that powers the prompt GRB emission is still active at late times. Recent observations indicate that X-ray flares are detected in ~1/3 of XRT detected afterglows. By studying the properties of the varieties of flares (such as rise/fall time, onset time, spectral variability, etc.) and relating them to overall burst properties, models of flare production and the GRB internal engine can be constrained.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the 16th Annual October Astrophysics Conference in Maryland "Gamma Ray Bursts in the Swift Era

Metamaterial-inspired antenna array for application in microwave breast imaging systems for tumor detection

This paper presents a study of a planar antenna-array inspired by the metamaterial concept where the resonant elements have sub-wavelength dimensions for application in microwave medical imaging systems for detecting tumors in biological tissues. The proposed antenna consists of square-shaped concentric-rings which are connected to a central patch through a common feedline. The array structure comprises several antennas that are arranged to surround the sample breast model. One antenna at a time in the array is used in transmission-mode while others are in receive-mode. The antenna array operates over 2-12 GHz amply covering the frequency range of existing microwave imaging systems. Measured results show that compared to a standard patch antenna array the proposed array with identical dimensions exhibits an average radiation gain and efficiency improvement of 4.8 dBi and 18%, respectively. The average reflection-coefficient of the array over its operating range is better than S-11 <= -20 dB making it highly receptive to weak signals and minimizing the distortion encountered with the transmission of short duration pulse-trains. Moreover, the proposed antenna-array exhibits high-isolation on average of 30dB between radiators. This means that antennas in the array (i) can be closely spaced to accommodate more radiators to achieve higher-resolution imaging scans, and (ii) the imagining scans can be done over a wider frequency range to ascertain better contrast in electrical parameters between malignant tumor-tissue and the surrounding normal breast-tissue to facilitate the detection of breast-tumor. It is found that short wavelength gives better resolution. In this experimental study a standard biomedical breast model that mimics a real-human breast in terms of dielectric and optical properties was used to demonstrate the viability of the proposed antenna over a standard patch antenna in the detection and the localization of tumor. These results are encouraging for clinical trials and further refinement of the antenna-array

The July 2010 outburst of the NLS1 PMN J0948+0022

We report about the multiwavelength campaign on the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) Galaxy PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.5846) performed in 2010 July-September and triggered by high activity as measured by Fermi/LAT. The peak luminosity in the 0.1-100 GeV energy band exceeded, for the first time in this type of source, the value of 10^48 erg/s, a level comparable to the most powerful blazars. The comparison of the spectral energy distribution of the NLS1 PMN J0948+0022 with that of a typical blazar - like 3C 273 - shows that the power emitted at gamma rays is extreme.Comment: 2011 Fermi Symposium proceedings - eConf C11050

Bandwidth and gain enhancement of composite right left handed metamaterial transmission line planar antenna employing a non foster impedance matching circuit board

The paper demonstrates an effective technique to significantly enhance the bandwidth and radiation gain of an otherwise narrowband composite right/left-handed transmission-line (CRLH-TL) antenna using a non-Foster impedance matching circuit (NF-IMC) without affecting the antenna's stability. This is achieved by using the negative reactance of the NF-IMC to counteract the input capacitance of the antenna. Series capacitance of the CRLH-TL unit-cell is created by etching a dielectric spiral slot inside a rectangular microstrip patch that is grounded through a spiraled microstrip inductance. The overall size of the antenna, including the NF-IMC at its lowest operating frequency is 0.335 lambda (0)x0.137 lambda (0)x0.003 lambda (0), where lambda (0) is the free-space wavelength at 1.4 GHz. The performance of the antenna was verified through actual measurements. The stable bandwidth of the antenna for |S-11|<= -18 dB is greater than 1 GHz (1.4-2.45 GHz), which is significantly wider than the CRLH-TL antenna without the proposed impedance matching circuit. In addition, with the proposed technique the measured radiation gain and efficiency of the antenna are increased on average by 3.2 dBi and 31.5% over the operating frequency band