Authorization and access control of application data in Workflow systems

Workflow Management Systems (WfMSs) are used to support the modeling and coordinated execution of business processes within an organization or across organizational boundaries. Although some research efforts have addressed requirements for authorization and access control for workflow systems, little attention has been paid to the requirements as they apply to application data accessed or managed by WfMSs. In this paper, we discuss key access control requirements for application data in workflow applications using examples from the healthcare domain, introduce a classification of application data used in workflow systems by analyzing their sources, and then propose a comprehensive data authorization and access control mechanism for WfMSs. This involves four aspects: role, task, process instance-based user group, and data content. For implementation, a predicate-based access control method is used. We believe that the proposed model is applicable to workflow applications and WfMSs with diverse access control requirements

Flame retardant spandex type polyurethanes

Flame retardant elastomeric compositions were developed, comprised of: (1) spandex type polyurethane having incorporated into the polymer chain, halogen containing polyols; (2) conventional spandex type polyurethanes in physical admixture flame retardant additives; and (3) fluoroelastomeric resins in physical admixture with flame retardant additives. Methods of preparing fibers of the flame retardant elastomeric materials are presented and articles of manufacture comprised of the elastomeric materials are mentioned

Selection bias in dynamically-measured super-massive black hole samples: consequences for pulsar timing arrays

Supermassive black hole -- host galaxy relations are key to the computation of the expected gravitational wave background (GWB) in the pulsar timing array (PTA) frequency band. It has been recently pointed out that standard relations adopted in GWB computations are in fact biased-high. We show that when this selection bias is taken into account, the expected GWB in the PTA band is a factor of about three smaller than previously estimated. Compared to other scaling relations recently published in the literature, the median amplitude of the signal at $f=1$yr$^{-1}$ drops from $1.3\times10^{-15}$ to $4\times10^{-16}$. Although this solves any potential tension between theoretical predictions and recent PTA limits without invoking other dynamical effects (such as stalling, eccentricity or strong coupling with the galactic environment), it also makes the GWB detection more challenging.Comment: 6 pages 4 figures, submitted to MNRAS letter

Flame resistant elastic elastomeric fiber

Compositions exhibit elastomeric properties and possess various degrees of flame resistance. First material polyurethane, incorporates halogen containing polyol and is flame resistant in air; second contains spandex elastomer with flame retardant additives; and third material is prepared from fluorelastomer composition of copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene

Effects of correlation between merging steps on the global halo formation

The excursion set theory of halo formation is modified by adopting the fractional Brownian motion, to account for possible correlation between merging steps. We worked out analytically the conditional mass function, halo merging rate and formation time distribution in the spherical collapse model. We also developed an approximation for the ellipsoidal collapse model and applied it to the calculation of the conditional mass function and the halo formation time distribution. For models in which the steps are positively correlated, the halo merger rate is enhanced when the accreted mass is less than $\sim 25M^*$, while for the negatively correlated case this rate is reduced. Compared with the standard model in which the steps are uncorrelated, the models with positively correlated steps produce more aged population in small mass halos and more younger population in large mass halos, while for the models with negatively correlated steps the opposite is true. An examination of simulation results shows that a weakly positive correlation between successive merging steps appears to fit best. We have also found a systematic effect in the measured mass function due to the finite volume of simulations. In future work, this will be included in the halo model to accurately predict the three point correlation function estimated from simulations.Comment: 8 pages, submitted to MNRA

Satellite Luminosities in Galaxy Groups

Halo model interpretations of the luminosity dependence of galaxy clustering assume that there is a central galaxy in every sufficiently massive halo, and that this central galaxy is very different from all the others in the halo. The halo model decomposition makes the remarkable prediction that the mean luminosity of the non-central galaxies in a halo should be almost independent of halo mass: the predicted increase is about 20% while the halo mass increases by a factor of more than 20. In contrast, the luminosity of the central object is predicted to increase approximately linearly with halo mass at low to intermediate masses, and logarithmically at high masses. We show that this weak, almost non-existent mass-dependence of the satellites is in excellent agreement with the satellite population in group catalogs constructed by two different collaborations. This is remarkable, because the halo model prediction was made without ever identifying groups and clusters. The halo model also predicts that the number of satellites in a halo is drawn from a Poisson distribution with mean which depends on halo mass. This, combined with the weak dependence of satellite luminosity on halo mass, suggests that the Scott effect, such that the luminosities of very bright galaxies are merely the statistically extreme values of a general luminosity distribution, may better apply to the most luminous satellite galaxy in a halo than to BCGs. If galaxies are identified with halo substructure at the present time, then central galaxies should be about 4 times more massive than satellite galaxies of the same luminosity, whereas the differences between the stellar M/L ratios should be smaller. Therefore, a comparison of the weak lensing signal from central and satellite galaxies should provide useful constraints. [abridged]Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Matches version accepted by MNRA

Non-flammable elastomeric fiber from a fluorinated elastomer and containing an halogenated flame retardant

Flame retardant elastomeric compositions are described comprised of either spandex type polyurethane having incorporated into the polymer chain halogen containing polyols, conventional spandex type polyurethanes in physical admixture with flame retardant additives, or fluoroelastomeric resins in physical admixture with flame retardant additives. Methods are described for preparing fibers of the flame retardant elastomeric materials and articles of manufacture comprised of the flame retardant clastomeric materials and non elastic materials such as polybenzimidazoles, fiberglass, nylons, etc

The Mass Function of Dark Halos in Superclusters and Voids

A modification of the Press-Schechter theory allowing for presence of a background large-scale structure (LSS) - a supercluster or a void, is proposed. The LSS is accounted as the statistical constraints in form of linear functionals of the random overdensity field. The deviation of the background density within the LSS is interpreted in a pseudo-cosmological sense. Using the constraints formalism may help us to probe non-trivial spatial statistics of haloes, e.g. edge and shape effects on boundaries of the superclusters and voids. Parameters of the constraints are connected to features of the LSS: its mean overdensity, a spatial scale and a shape, and spatial momenta of higher orders. It is shown that presence of a non-virialized LSS can lead to an observable deviation of the mass function. This effect is exploited to build a procedure to recover parameters of the background perturbation from the observationally estimated mass function.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures; to be appeared in Astronomy Reports, 2014, Vol. 58, No. 6, pp. 386-39

Effect of low level radiation on the barrier qualities of spunbonded olefin

Medical packages have to meet highly specific criteria over and above other types of packages. Protection of contents from microbial contamination and physical damage is a priority. The permeability to sterilizing gas; retention of properties and appearance after sterilizing radiation; printability and aseptic presentation all have to be present at reasonable cost. The most important is maintenance of sterile integrity. In order to have sterile integrity, the medical package must have high barrier properties. Sterility maintenance is the ability of porous packaging materials to act as barriers to microorganisms. The random non- woven structure of spunbonded olefin creates a highly complex maze through the sheet. This torturous path coupled with infinitesimally small openings presents bacteria with an impossible task to penetrate the spunbonded olefin. Thus by virtue of the properties exhibited similar to the Size Exclusion principle, spunbonded olefin maintains permeability for gas sterilization but not for microorganisms. The immediate consequences of this morphology are: high opacity, high filtration efficiency, acceptable to high air permeability and excellent strength. Strength of a spunbonded sheet is directly related to the strength of the individual fibers and how are they bonded. It is clear that to have an effective material; strength, permeability and barrier have to be balanced in an optimum structure. Packages made from spunbonded olefin can be sterilized by ionizing irradiation which is commercially exposure to ionizing radiation, high energy electron from electron beams or gamma rays from Cobalt-60 or Cesium- 137 radioisotopes. Irradiation does not leave a residue in the spunbonded olefin and it does not make it radioactive. The low energy level of Cobalt and Cesium isotopic gamma rays does not induce any radioactivity. Although, irradiation has the same sterilizing effect on spunbonded olefin packages as ethylene oxide gas treatment, it does not appreciably raise the temperature of the medical product as does an Eto cycle. One of the characteristic advantages of the irradiation process is that the medical product can be irradiated even after package has been sealed so recontamination after processing is prevented. It is not possible for the medical product itself to become radioactive, and there are no residues of any kind left by this process. Once treated, medical packages are considered sterile and ready for use