Virtual Element Methods for hyperbolic problems on polygonal meshes

In the present paper we develop the Virtual Element Method for hyperbolic problems on polygonal meshes, considering the linear wave equations as our model problem. After presenting the semi-discrete scheme, we derive the convergence estimates in H^1 semi-norm and L^2 norm. Moreover we develop a theoretical analysis on the stability for the fully discrete problem by comparing the Newmark method and the Bathe method. Finally we show the practical behaviour of the proposed method through a large array of numerical tests

Measurements of charm rare decays at LHCb

Following the intriguing hints of deviations from the Standard Model in rare B meson decays, searches for rare and forbidden decays of charm hadrons become a hot topic again. We present recent results on Flavour Changing Neutral Current $D^{0}\rightarrow\mu^+ \mu^-$, $D^0 \rightarrow\mu^+\mu^- \pi^+ \pi^-$, $D^{\pm}_{(s)}\rightarrow \pi^{\pm} \mu^+\mu^-$ and LFV $D^{\pm}_{(s)}\rightarrow \pi^{\mp}\mu^{\pm}\mu^{\pm}$ obtained at LHCb.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of CHARM-2015, Detroit, MI, 18-22 May 201

Patent Reform and Best Mode: A Signal to the Patent Office or a Step Toward Elimination?

On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed the America Invents Act (AIA), the first major overhaul of the patent system in nearly sixty years. This article analyzes the recent change to patent law\u27s best mode requirement under the AIA. Before the AIA, patent applicants were required, at the time of submitting their application, to disclose the best mode of carrying out the invention as contemplated by the inventor. A failure to disclose the best mode was a basis for a finding of invalidity of the relevant claims or could render the entire patent unenforceable under the doctrine of inequitable conduct. The AIA still requires patent applicants to disclose the best mode, but has removed the traditional enforcement mechanisms – declarations of invalidity and unenforceability – as defenses to patent infringement. In this article, I propose and explore a couple innovative techniques that could be used to add teeth to the seemingly toothless best mode requirement. Ultimately, I reject these proposals as not being workable solutions and suggest that Congress\u27s resolution of the best mode problem is nonsensical and that it should completely eliminate the requirement rather than sending mixed signals to the Patent Office and patent practitioners

Work Made for Hire – Analyzing the Multifactor Balancing Test

Authorship, and hence, initial ownership of copyrighted works is oftentimes controlled by the 1976 Copyright Act’s work made for hire doctrine. This doctrine states that works created by employees within the scope of their employment result in the employer owning the copyright. One key determination in this analysis is whether the hired party is an employee or independent contractor. In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court, in CCNV v. Reid, answered the question of how employees are distinguished from independent contractors by setting forth a list of factors courts should consider. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court did not give further guidance on how to balance these factors. Three years later, in 1992, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided Aymes v. Bonelli and noted that not all factors are equally weighted and that five of the factors would “be significant in virtually every situation.” This analysis was supported by looking at all the work made for hire cases decided in the three year period since Reid – six cases in total. This Article expands in both scope and time what the Second Circuit did in Aymes and systematically analyzes how courts have utilized the factors in the twenty-five years since Reid. In particular, this study has identified the universe of cases where the courts have decided whether a hired party was an employee or independent contractor and uses the data from these cases to describe what factors appear to be the most and least important in reaching these conclusions. Based on the results of this study, this Article proposes a continuum of importance, which graphically illustrates the relative importance of each factor

Acting Like an Administrative Agency: The Federal Circuit En Banc

When Congress created the Federal Circuit in 1982, it thought it was creating a court of appeals. Little did it know that it was also creating a quasi-administrative agency that would engage in substantive rulemaking and set policy in a manner substantially similar to administrative agencies. In this Article, I examine the Federal Circuit\u27s practices when it orders a case to be heard en banc and illustrate how these practices cause the Federal Circuit to look very much like an administrative agency engaging in substantive rulemaking. The number and breadth of questions the Federal Circuit agrees to hear en banc and the means by which it hears them goes beyond the limited role of a court – to decide the case before it. Instead of exercising restraint and addressing only what it must, the Federal Circuit raises wide-ranging questions and makes broad pronouncements of law that sets or changes patent policy. This role has traditionally been delegated to administrative agencies that must comply with the Administrative Procedure Act, particularly the notice and comment provisions. Despite being an appellate court and not being subject to the notice and comment requirements, the Federal Circuit seems to comply with these requirements when it orders cases to be heard en banc. And although there are strong objections as to why the en banc Federal Circuit should refrain from acting like an administrative agency by engaging in substantive rulemaking and policy setting, I argue that the Federal Circuit is probably in the best position to do so, although other governmental bodies can or should play a larger role in shaping patent policy

Pomeron-Odderon Interactions: A Functional RG Flow Analysis

In the quest for an effective field theory which could help to understand some non perturbative feature of the QCD in the Regge limit, we consider a Reggeon Field Theory (RFT) for both Pomeron and Odderon interactions and perform an analysys of the critical theory using functional renormalization group techniques, unveiling a novel symmetry structure.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, typos corrected, Proceedings of the "Diffraction 2016" International Workshop on Diffraction in High-Energy Physics, 2-8 September 2016, Acireale, Ital