11,144 research outputs found
Recursive Program Optimization Through Inductive Synthesis Proof Transformation
The research described in this paper involved developing transformation techniques which increase the efficiency of the noriginal program, the source, by transforming its synthesis proof into one, the target, which yields a computationally more efficient algorithm. We describe a working proof transformation system which, by exploiting the duality between mathematical induction and recursion, employs the novel strategy of optimizing recursive programs by transforming inductive proofs. We compare and contrast this approach with the more traditional approaches to program transformation, and highlight the benefits of proof transformation with regards to search, correctness, automatability and generality
Relationships Between Atomic Diffusion Mechanisms and Ensemble Transport Coefficients in Crystalline Polymorphs
Ionic transport in conventional ionic solids is generally considered to
proceed via independent diffusion events or "hops''. This assumption leads to
well-known Arrhenius expressions for transport coefficients, and is equivalent
to assuming diffusion is a Poisson process. Using molecular dynamics
simulations of the low-temperature B1, B3, and B4 AgI polymorphs, we have
compared rates of ion-hopping with corresponding Poisson distributions to test
the assumption of independent hopping in these common structure-types. In all
cases diffusion is a non-Poisson process, and hopping is strongly correlated in
time. In B1 the diffusion coefficient can be approximated by an Arrhenius
expression, though the physical significance of the parameters differs from
that commonly assumed. In low temperature B3 and B4 diffusion is characterised
by concerted motion of multiple ions in short closed loops. Diffusion
coefficients can not be expressed in a simple Arrhenius form dependent on
single-ion free-energies, and intrinsic diffusion must be considered a
many-body process
Locality-Adaptive Parallel Hash Joins Using Hardware Transactional Memory
Previous work [1] has claimed that the best performing implementation of in-memory hash joins is based on (radix-)partitioning of the build-side input. Indeed, despite the overhead of partitioning, the benefits from increased cache-locality and synchronization free parallelism in the build-phase outweigh the costs when the input data is randomly ordered. However, many datasets already exhibit significant spatial locality (i.e., non-randomness) due to the way data items enter the database: through periodic ETL or trickle loaded in the form of transactions. In such cases, the first benefit of partitioning — increased locality — is largely irrelevant. In this paper, we demonstrate how hardware transactional memory (HTM) can render the other benefit, freedom from synchronization, irrelevant as well. Specifically, using careful analysis and engineering, we develop an adaptive hash join implementation that outperforms parallel radix-partitioned hash joins as well as sort-merge joins on data with high spatial locality. In addition, we show how, through lightweight (less than 1% overhead) runtime monitoring of the transaction abort rate, our implementation can detect inputs with low spatial locality and dynamically fall back to radix-partitioning of the build-side input. The result is a hash join implementation that is more than 3 times faster than the state-of-the-art on high-locality data and never more than 1% slower
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Coherent Interfaces in Fluorite Heterostructures
The standard model of enhanced ionic conductivities in solid electrolyte
heterostructures follows from a continuum mean-field description of defect
distributions that makes no reference to crystalline structure. To examine
ionic transport and defect distributions while explicitly accounting for
ion-ion correlations and lattice effects, we have performed molecular dynamics
simulations of a model coherent fluorite heterostructure without any extrinsic
defects, with a difference in standard chemical potentials of mobile fluoride
ions between phases induced by an external potential. Increasing the offset in
fluoride ion standard chemical potentials across the internal interfaces
decreases the activation energies for ionic conductivity and diffusion and
strongly enhances fluoride ion mobilities and defect concentrations near the
heterostructure interfaces. Non-charge-neutral "space-charge" regions, however,
extend only a few atomic spacings from the interface, suggesting a continuum
model may be inappropriate. Defect distributions are qualitatively inconsistent
with the predictions of the continuum mean-field model, and indicate strong
lattice-mediated defect-defect interactions. We identify an atomic-scale
"Frenkel polarisation" mechanism for the interfacial enhancement in ionic
mobility, where preferentially oriented associated Frenkel pairs form at the
interface and promote local ion mobility via concerted diffusion processes
A 6-D Brane World Model
We consider a 6D space-time which is periodic in one of the extra dimensions
and compact in the other. The periodic direction is defined by two 4-brane
boundaries. Both static and non-static exact solutions, in which the internal
spacetime has constant radius of curvature, are derived. In the case of static
solutions, the brane tensions must be tuned as in the 5D Randall-Sundrum model,
however, no additional fine-tuning is necessary between the brane tensions and
the bulk cosmological constant. By further relaxing the sole fine-tuning of the
model, we derive non-static solutions, describing de Sitter or Anti de Sitter
4D spacetimes, that allow for the fixing of the inter-brane distance and the
accommodation of pairs of positive-negative and positive-positive tension
branes. Finally, we consider the stability of the radion field in these
configurations by employing small, time-dependent perturbations around the
background solutions. In analogy with results drawn in 5 dimensions, the
solutions describing a de Sitter 4D spacetime turn out to be unstable while
those describing an Anti de Sitter geometry are shown to be stable.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX file, no figure
The impact of water on free-falling bodies
Report discussed measures to cushion impact on body falling into water. Heavy loads are generated by impact and by pressures of water cavity collapsing onto the body
Modeling the physical properties in the ISM of the low-metallicity galaxy NGC4214
We present a model for the interstellar medium of NGC4214 with the objective
to probe the physical conditions in the two main star-forming regions and their
connection with the star formation activity of the galaxy. We used the spectral
synthesis code Cloudy to model an HII region and the associated
photodissociation region (PDR) to reproduce the emission of mid- and
far-infrared fine-structure cooling lines from the Spitzer and Herschel space
telescopes for these two regions. Input parameters of the model, such as
elemental abundances and star formation history, are guided by earlier studies
of the galaxy, and we investigated the effect of the mode in which star
formation takes place (bursty or continuous) on the line emission. Furthermore,
we tested the effect of adding pressure support with magnetic fields and
turbulence on the line predictions. We find that this model can satisfactorily
predict (within a factor of ~2) all observed lines that originate from the
ionized medium ([SIV] 10.5um, [NeIII] 15.6um, [SIII] 18.7um, [SIII] 33.5um, and
[OIII] 88um), with the exception of [NeII] 12.8um and [NII] 122um, which may
arise from a lower ionization medium. In the PDR, the [OI] 63um, [OI] 145um,
and [CII] 157um lines are matched within a factor of ~5 and work better when
weak pressure support is added to the thermal pressure or when the PDR clouds
are placed farther away from the HII regions and have covering factors lower
than unity. Our models of the HII region agree with different evolutionary
stages found in previous studies, with a more evolved, diffuse central region,
and a younger, more compact southern region. However, the local PDR conditions
are averaged out on the 175 pc scales that we probe and do not reflect
differences observed in the star formation properties of the two regions.Comment: accepted for publication in A&
Effect of dispersion interactions on the properties of LiF in condensed phases
Classical molecular dynamics simulations are performed on LiF in the
framework of the polarizable ion model. The overlap-repulsion and polarization
terms of the interaction potential are derived on a purely non empirical,
first-principles basis. For the dispersion, three cases are considered: a first
one in which the dispersion parameters are set to zero and two others in which
they are included, with different parameterizations. Various thermodynamic,
structural and dynamic properties are calculated for the solid and liquid
phases. The melting temperature is also obtained by direct coexistence
simulations of the liquid and solid phases. Dispersion interactions appear to
have an important effect on the density of both phases and on the melting
point, although the liquid properties are not affected when simulations are
performed in the NVT ensemble at the experimental density.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Duramycin-induced calcium release in cancer cells
Introduction: Duramycin through binding with phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) has shown potential to be an effective anti-tumour agent. However its mode of action in relation to tumour cells is not fully understood. Methods: PE expression on the surface of a panel of cancer cell lines was analysed using duramycin and subsequent antibody labelling then analysed by flow cytometry. Cell viability was also assessed via flow cytometry using annexin V and propidium iodide (PI). Calcium ion (Ca²⁺) release by tumour cells in response to duramycin was determined by spectrofluorometry following incubation with Fluo-3, AM. Confocal microscopy was performed on the cancer cell line AsPC-1 to assess real time cell response to duramycin treatment. Results: Duramycin was able to detect cell surface PE expression on all 15 cancer cell lines screened, which was shown to be duramycin concentration dependent. However higher concentrations induced necrotic cell death. Duramycin induced calcium ion (Ca²⁺) release from the cancer cell lines also in a concentration and time dependent manner. Confocal microscopy showed an influx of PI into the cells over time and induced morphological changes. Conclusion: Duramycin induces Ca²⁺ release from cancer cell lines in a time and concentration dependent relationship
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