Finite Element Analysis of an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian Method for Stokes/Parabolic Moving Interface Problem With Jump Coefficients

In this paper, a type of arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) finite element method in the monolithic frame is developed for a linearized fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problem — an unsteady Stokes/parabolic interface problem with jump coefficients and moving interface, where, the corresponding mixed finite element approximation in both semi- and fully discrete scheme are developed and analyzed based upon one type of ALE formulation and a novel H1- projection technique associated with a moving interface problem, and the stability and optimal convergence properties in the energy norm are obtained for both discretizations to approximate the solution of a transient Stokes/parabolic interface problem that is equipped with a low regularity. Numerical experiments further validate all theoretical results. The developed analytical approaches and numerical implementations can be similarly extended to a realistic FSI problem in the future

On A Simpler and Faster Derivation of Single Use Reliability Mean and Variance for Model-Based Statistical Testing

Markov chain usage-based statistical testing has proved sound and effective in providing audit trails of evidence in certifying software-intensive systems. The system end-toend reliability is derived analytically in closed form, following an arc-based Bayesian model. System reliability is represented by an important statistic called single use reliability, and defined as the probability of a randomly selected use being successful. This paper continues our earlier work on a simpler and faster derivation of the single use reliability mean, and proposes a new derivation of the single use reliability variance by applying a well-known theorem and eliminating the need to compute the second moments of arc failure probabilities. Our new results complete a new analysis that could be shown to be simpler, faster, and more direct while also rendering a more intuitive explanation. Our new theory is illustrated with three simple Markov chain usage models with manual derivations and experimental results

An investigation of earnings management practices in Australian firms

Earnings management is an area in which managers are able to exercise discretion over financial reporting to achieve various objectives. Researchers have been investigating the pervasiveness of earnings management and incentives that induce earnings management. However, the evidence is mixed and studies of using Australian data are scarce. This thesis is an empirical investigation of earnings management in the Australian context addressing if and why Australian firms engage in earnings management.Based on a sample covering all ASX listed firms during the period of 2000 to 2006, this study examines the overall breadth and scope of earnings management behaviour in a broad context across Australian industry sectors and individual firms’ characteristics. The result suggests that Australian firms engage in earnings management. The level of earnings management practices in some specific industries and the association of these practices with firms’ characteristics may help the assessment and improvement of the overall quality of financial reporting.Based on a sub-sample, this study also examines whether the practices of earnings management is induced by executive compensation incentives. It extends prior research by using more relevant, recent, and large-scale compensation data to capture the dynamic relations between earnings management and different forms of executive pay. Such dynamic relations may be of interest to compensation committees in designing compensation structures that balance the incentives to improve firms’ performances with the incentive to earnings manipulation.This study also examines whether earnings management is induced by benchmark beating incentives. It extends prior research by examining under what circumstance managers are more likely to beat benchmarks. The results suggest that managers beat two earnings benchmarks: reporting profits and sustaining prior year’s earnings. More importantly, managers are more likely to exercise positive discretionary accruals to inflate earnings to beat ex post benchmarks when the true earnings are below relevant benchmarks. This will be of interest to regulators as an effective way to detect earnings management may be pronounced when the ex ante condition under which firms seek to manipulate earnings is identified

Coherent output of photons from coupled superconducting transmission line resonators controlled by charge qubits

We study the coherent control of microwave photons propagating in a superconducting waveguide consisting of coupled transmission line resonators, each of which is connected to a tunable charge qubit. While these coupled line resonators form an artificial photonic crystal with an engineered photonic band structure, the charge qubits collectively behave as spin waves in the low excitation limit, which modify the band-gap structure to slow and stop the microwave propagation. The conceptual exploration here suggests an electromagnetically controlled quantum device based on the on-chip circuit QED for the coherent manipulation of photons, such as the dynamic creation of laser-like output from the waveguide by pumping the artificial atoms for population inversion.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure