520 research outputs found
Compositional closure for Bayes Risk in probabilistic noninterference
We give a sequential model for noninterference security including probability
(but not demonic choice), thus supporting reasoning about the likelihood that
high-security values might be revealed by observations of low-security
activity. Our novel methodological contribution is the definition of a
refinement order and its use to compare security measures between
specifications and (their supposed) implementations. This contrasts with the
more common practice of evaluating the security of individual programs in
isolation.
The appropriateness of our model and order is supported by our showing that
our refinement order is the greatest compositional relation --the compositional
closure-- with respect to our semantics and an "elementary" order based on
Bayes Risk --- a security measure already in widespread use. We also relate
refinement to other measures such as Shannon Entropy.
By applying the approach to a non-trivial example, the anonymous-majority
Three-Judges protocol, we demonstrate by example that correctness arguments can
be simplified by the sort of layered developments --through levels of
increasing detail-- that are allowed and encouraged by compositional semantics
The elusive source of quantum effectiveness
We discuss two qualities of quantum systems: various correlations existing
between their subsystems and the distingushability of different quantum states.
This is then applied to analysing quantum information processing. While quantum
correlations, or entanglement, are clearly of paramount importance for
efficient pure state manipulations, mixed states present a much richer arena
and reveal a more subtle interplay between correlations and distinguishability.
The current work explores a number of issues related with identifying the
important ingredients needed for quantum information processing. We discuss the
Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm, the Shor algorithm, the Grover algorithm and the power
of a single qubit class of algorithms. One section is dedicated to cluster
states where entanglement is crucial, but its precise role is highly
counter-intuitive. Here we see that distinguishability becomes a more useful
concept.Comment: 8 pages, no figure
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Rallying the Troops: Collective Action and Self-Interest in UN Peacekeeping Contributions
Is the acquisition of personnel for UN peacekeeping missions susceptible to free-riding by UN member states? If so, what drives this behavior and what impact does this have on obtaining required personnel for the mission? Using data from 21 missions in 13 African countries between 1990 and 2010, this article addresses whether UN peacekeeping missions experience a shortfall in personnel due to incentives to free-ride by contributing states. It argues that as the number of states contributing to a mission increases, contributors have a greater incentive to free-ride and make suboptimal personnel contributions, leading to greater overall shortfall in the mission’s personnel. However, this free-riding behavior can be mitigated by the economic incentives of contributor states. The findings support two central tenets of collective action theory: that free-riding by member states contributing to the mission is more prevalent when the number of contributors is larger, and when selective incentives such as economic gains are lower. These findings have implications for the strategic composition and efficacy of peacekeeping forces. More broadly, the results underscore the struggle of international organizations to obtain compliance from member states in achieving their international objectives
Quantum state merging and negative information
We consider a quantum state shared between many distant locations, and define
a quantum information processing primitive, state merging, that optimally
merges the state into one location. As announced in [Horodecki, Oppenheim,
Winter, Nature 436, 673 (2005)], the optimal entanglement cost of this task is
the conditional entropy if classical communication is free. Since this quantity
can be negative, and the state merging rate measures partial quantum
information, we find that quantum information can be negative. The classical
communication rate also has a minimum rate: a certain quantum mutual
information. State merging enabled one to solve a number of open problems:
distributed quantum data compression, quantum coding with side information at
the decoder and sender, multi-party entanglement of assistance, and the
capacity of the quantum multiple access channel. It also provides an
operational proof of strong subadditivity. Here, we give precise definitions
and prove these results rigorously.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure
Effect of band-filling and structural distortions on the Curie temperature of Fe-Mo double perovkites
By means of high resolution neutron powder diffraction at low temperature we
have characterized the structural details of
() and () series of compounds. This study reveals a similar variation of the mean
bond-angle \FeOMo in both series. In contrast, the mean bond-distance \FeMoO\
increases with La but not with Ca substitution. Both series also present a
different evolution of the Curie temperature (), which raises in the La
series and slightly decreases in the Ca one. We thus conclude that the
enhancement of in the La series is due to the electron filling of the
conduction band and a concomitant rising of the density of states at the Fermi
level.Comment: Revtex, 4 Journal pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Nanoparticles of palladium supported on bacterial biomass : new re-usable heterogeneous catalyst with comparable activity to homogeneous colloidal Pd in the Heck reaction
AbstractThe Heck coupling of iodobenzene with ethyl acrylate or styrene was used to assess the catalytic properties of biogenic nanoparticles of palladium supported upon the surface of bacterial biomass (bioPd), this approach combining advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. The biomaterial was comparably active or superior to colloidal Pd in the Heck reaction, giving a final conversion of 85% halide and initial rate of 0.17mmol/min for the coupling of styrene and iodobenzene compared to a final conversion of 70% and initial rate of 0.15mmol/min for a colloidal Pd catalyst under the same reaction conditions at 0.5mol.% catalyst loading. It was easily separated from the products under gravity or by filtration for reuse with low loss or agglomeration. When compared to two alternative palladium catalysts, commercial 5% Pd/C and tetraalkylammonium-stabilised palladium clusters, the bioPd was successfully reused in six sequential alkylations with only slight decreases in the rate of reaction as compared to virgin catalyst (initial rate normalised for g Pd decreased by 5% by the 6th run with bioPd catalyst cf. a decrease of 95% for Pd/C). A re-usable Pd-catalyst made cheaply from bacteria left over from other processes would impact on both conservation of primary sources via reduced metal losses in industrial application and the large environmental demand of primary processing from ores
Pulsar timing arrays and the challenge of massive black hole binary astrophysics
Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are designed to detect gravitational waves (GWs)
at nHz frequencies. The expected dominant signal is given by the superposition
of all waves emitted by the cosmological population of supermassive black hole
(SMBH) binaries. Such superposition creates an incoherent stochastic
background, on top of which particularly bright or nearby sources might be
individually resolved. In this contribution I describe the properties of the
expected GW signal, highlighting its dependence on the overall binary
population, the relation between SMBHs and their hosts, and their coupling with
the stellar and gaseous environment. I describe the status of current PTA
efforts, and prospect of future detection and SMBH binary astrophysics.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the 2014 Sant
Cugat Forum on Astrophysics. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, ed.
C.Sopuerta (Berlin: Springer-Verlag
Semiclassical Theory of Coulomb Blockade Peak Heights in Chaotic Quantum Dots
We develop a semiclassical theory of Coulomb blockade peak heights in chaotic
quantum dots. Using Berry's conjecture, we calculate the peak height
distributions and the correlation functions. We demonstrate that the
corrections to the corresponding results of the standard statistical theory are
non-universal and can be expressed in terms of the classical periodic orbits of
the dot that are well coupled to the leads. The main effect is an oscillatory
dependence of the peak heights on any parameter which is varied; it is
substantial for both symmetric and asymmetric lead placement. Surprisingly,
these dynamical effects do not influence the full distribution of peak heights,
but are clearly seen in the correlation function or power spectrum. For
non-zero temperature, the correlation function obtained theoretically is in
good agreement with that measured experimentally.Comment: 5 color eps figure
On the generalized linear equivalence of functions over finite fields
In this paper we introduce the concept of generalized linear equivalence between functions defined over finite fields; this can be seen as an extension of the classical criterion of linear equivalence, and it is obtained by means of a particular geometric representation of the functions. After giving the basic definitions, we prove that the known equivalence relations can be seen as particular cases of the proposed generalized relationship and that there exist functions that are generally linearly equivalent but are not such in the classical theory. We also prove that the distributions of values in the Difference Distribution Table (DDT) and in the Linear Approximation Table (LAT) are invariants of the new transformation; this gives us the possibility to find some Almost Perfect Nonlinear (APN) functions that are not linearly equivalent (in the classical sense) to power functions, and to treat them accordingly to the new formulation of the equivalence criterion
Crystal structure, electronic, and magnetic properties of the bilayered rhodium oxide Sr3Rh2O7
The bilayered rhodium oxide Sr3Rh2O7 was synthesized by high-pressure and
high-temperature heating techniques. The single-phase polycrystalline sample of
Sr3Rh2O7 was characterized by measurements of magnetic susceptibility,
electrical resistivity, specific heat, and thermopower. The structural
characteristics were investigated by powder neutron diffraction study. The
rhodium oxide Sr3Rh2O7 [Bbcb, a = 5.4744(8) A, b = 5.4716(9) A, c = 20.875(2)
A] is isostructural to the metamagnetic metal Sr3Ru2O7, with five 4d electrons
per Rh, which is electronically equivalent to the hypothetic bilayered
ruthenium oxide, where one electron per Ru is doped into the Ru-327 unit. The
present data show the rhodium oxide Sr3Rh2O7 to be metallic with enhanced
paramagnetism, similar to Sr3Ru2O7. However, neither manifest contributions
from spin fluctuations nor any traces of a metamagnetic transition were found
within the studied range from 2 K to 390 K below 70 kOe.Comment: To be published in PR
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