3,716 research outputs found
CSM-361 - A Logic for Schema-based Program Development
We show how a theory of specification refinement and program development can be constructed as a conservative extension of our existing logic for Z. The resulting system can be set up as a development method for Z, or as a generalisation of a refinement calculus (with a novel semantics). In addition to the technical development we illustrate how the theory can be used in practice
CSM-363 - Six theories of operation refinement for partial relation semantics
In this paper we analyse total correctness operation refinement on a partial relation semantics for specification. In particular we show that three theories: a relational completion approach, a proof-theoretic approach and a functional models approach, are all equivalent. This result holds whether or not preconditions are taken to be minimal or fixed conditions for establishing the postcondition
CSM-364 - An analysis of operation refinement in Z
In this paper we analyse and compare several notions of operation refinement for specifications in Z. In particular we show that three theories: relational completion, proof-theoretic and functional (models) are all equivalent
Spectral geometry as a probe of quantum spacetime
Employing standard results from spectral geometry, we provide strong evidence
that in the classical limit the ground state of three-dimensional causal
dynamical triangulations is de Sitter spacetime. This result is obtained by
measuring the expectation value of the spectral dimension on the ensemble of
geometries defined by these models, and comparing its large scale behaviour to
that of a sphere (Euclidean de Sitter). From the same measurement we are also
able to confirm the phenomenon of dynamical dimensional reduction observed in
this and other approaches to quantum gravity -- the first time this has been
done for three-dimensional causal dynamical triangulations. In this case, the
value for the short-scale limit of the spectral dimension that we find is
approximately 2. We comment on the relevance of these results for the
comparison to asymptotic safety and Horava-Lifshitz gravity, among other
approaches to quantum gravity.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures. Version 2: references to figures added,
acknowledgment added
Billy Elliot The Musical: visual representations of working-class masculinity and the all-singing, all-dancing bo[d]y
According to Cynthia Weber, ‘[d]ance is commonly thought of as liberating, transformative, empowering, transgressive, and even as dangerous’. Yet ballet as a masculine activity still remains a suspect phenomenon. This paper will challenge this claim in relation to Billy Elliot the Musical and its critical reception. The transformation of the visual representation of the human body on stage (from
an ephemeral existence to a timeless work of art) will be discussed and analysed vis-a-vis the text and sub-texts of Stephen Daldry’s direction and Peter Darling’s
choreography. The dynamics of working-class masculinity will be contextualised within the framework of the family, the older female, the community, the self and
the act of dancing itself
Wireless recording of the calls of Rousettus aegyptiacus and their reproduction using electrostatic transducers
Bats are capable of imaging their surroundings in great detail using echolocation. To apply similar methods to human engineering systems requires the capability to measure and recreate the signals used, and to understand the processing applied to returning echoes. In this work, the emitted and reflected echolocation signals of Rousettus aegyptiacus are recorded while the bat is in flight, using a wireless sensor mounted on the bat. The sensor is designed to replicate the acoustic gain control which bats are known to use, applying a gain to returning echoes that is dependent on the incurred time delay. Employing this technique allows emitted and reflected echolocation calls, which have a wide dynamic range, to be recorded. The recorded echoes demonstrate the complexity of environment reconstruction using echolocation. The sensor is also used to make accurate recordings of the emitted calls, and these calls are recreated in the laboratory using custom-built wideband electrostatic transducers, allied with a spectral equalization technique. This technique is further demonstrated by recreating multi-harmonic bioinspired FM chirps. The ability to record and accurately synthesize echolocation calls enables the exploitation of biological signals in human engineering systems for sonar, materials characterization and imaging
Spacelike distance from discrete causal order
Any discrete approach to quantum gravity must provide some prescription as to
how to deduce continuum properties from the discrete substructure. In the
causal set approach it is straightforward to deduce timelike distances, but
surprisingly difficult to extract spacelike distances, because of the unique
combination of discreteness with local Lorentz invariance in that approach. We
propose a number of methods to overcome this difficulty, one of which
reproduces the spatial distance between two points in a finite region of
Minkowski space. We provide numerical evidence that this definition can be used
to define a `spatial nearest neighbor' relation on a causal set, and conjecture
that this can be exploited to define the length of `continuous curves' in
causal sets which are approximated by curved spacetime. This provides evidence
in support of the ``Hauptvermutung'' of causal sets.Comment: 32 pages, 16 figures, revtex4; journal versio
Depth-resolved particle associated microbial respiration in the northeast Atlantic
Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are tightly linked to the depth at which sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) is remineralised in the ocean. Rapid attenuation of downward POC flux typically occurs in the upper mesopelagic (top few hundred metres of the water column), with much slower loss rates deeper in the ocean. Currently, we lack understanding of the processes that drive POC attenuation, resulting in large uncertainties in the mesopelagic carbon budget. Attempts to balance the POC supply to the mesopelagic with respiration by zooplankton and microbes rarely succeed. Where a balance has been found, depth-resolved estimates reveal large compensating imbalances in the upper and lower mesopelagic. In particular, it has been suggested that respiration by free-living microbes and zooplankton in the upper mesopelagic are too low to explain the observed flux attenuation of POC within this layer. We test the hypothesis that particle-associated microbes contribute significantly to community respiration in the mesopelagic, measuring particle-associated microbial respiration of POC in the northeast Atlantic through shipboard measurements on individual marine snow aggregates collected at depth (36–500 m). We find very low rates of both absolute and carbon-specific particle-associated microbial respiration (< 3 % d−1), suggesting that this term cannot solve imbalances in the upper mesopelagic POC budget. The relative importance of particle-associated microbial respiration increases with depth, accounting for up to 33 % of POC loss in the mid-mesopelagic (128–500 m). We suggest that POC attenuation in the upper mesopelagic (36–128 m) is driven by the transformation of large, fast-sinking particles to smaller, slow-sinking and suspended particles via processes such as zooplankton fragmentation and solubilisation, and that this shift to non-sinking POC may help to explain imbalances in the mesopelagic carbon budget
Approaching the adiabatic timescale with machine-learning
The control and manipulation of quantum systems without excitation is
challenging, due to the complexities in fully modeling such systems accurately
and the difficulties in controlling these inherently fragile systems
experimentally. For example, while protocols to decompress Bose-Einstein
condensates (BEC) faster than the adiabatic timescale (without excitation or
loss) have been well developed theoretically, experimental implementations of
these protocols have yet to reach speeds faster than the adiabatic timescale.
In this work, we experimentally demonstrate an alternative approach based on a
machine learning algorithm which makes progress towards this goal. The
algorithm is given control of the coupled decompression and transport of a
metastable helium condensate, with its performance determined after each
experimental iteration by measuring the excitations of the resultant BEC. After
each iteration the algorithm adjusts its internal model of the system to create
an improved control output for the next iteration. Given sufficient control
over the decompression, the algorithm converges to a novel solution that sets
the current speed record in relation to the adiabatic timescale, beating out
other experimental realizations based on theoretical approaches. This method
presents a feasible approach for implementing fast state preparations or
transformations in other quantum systems, without requiring a solution to a
theoretical model of the system. Implications for fundamental physics and
cooling are discussed.Comment: 7 pages main text, 2 pages supporting informatio
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