An absolute calibration system for millimeter-accuracy APOLLO measurements

Lunar laser ranging provides a number of leading experimental tests of gravitation -- important in our quest to unify General Relativity and the Standard Model of physics. The Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation (APOLLO) has for years achieved median range precision at the ~2 mm level. Yet residuals in model-measurement comparisons are an order-of-magnitude larger, raising the question of whether the ranging data are not nearly as accurate as they are precise, or if the models are incomplete or ill-conditioned. This paper describes a new absolute calibration system (ACS) intended both as a tool for exposing and eliminating sources of systematic error, and also as a means to directly calibrate ranging data in-situ. The system consists of a high-repetition-rate (80 MHz) laser emitting short (< 10 ps) pulses that are locked to a cesium clock. In essence, the ACS delivers photons to the APOLLO detector at exquisitely well-defined time intervals as a "truth" input against which APOLLO's timing performance may be judged and corrected. Preliminary analysis indicates no inaccuracies in APOLLO data beyond the ~3 mm level, suggesting that historical APOLLO data are of high quality and motivating continued work on model capabilities. The ACS provides the means to deliver APOLLO data both accurate and precise below the 2 mm level.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Classical and Quantum Gravit

Generic Business Process Model for SMEs in M-Commerce Based on Talabat’s Case Study

SMEs face a variety of challenges in their attempts to keep up with the cyber revolution, even though SMEs are a major part of the world economy. In a previous publication, the authors established that ‘B2C’ model does not accurately represent or support SMEs in M-Commerce. Instead, the authors reviewed SMEs and SME supporting apps from mobile app marketplaces and suggested a model called ‘B2i2C’. In this model, the ‘i’, in the form of intermediary business entity are playing a vital role in SMEs breakthrough into M-Commerce. Following on, this paper reviews business processes to generate a generic model adaptable to a variety of SME related products and services. This paper presents the case study of Talabat, one of the most successful GCC e-business models that supports SMEs to have come out from Kuwait. The information collected from online resources, student placements and feedback from operation managers attempt to emulate the business process model for a variety of ‘B2i2C’ business models. The generic model is then tested against three different scenarios to identify the level of similarity. The results demonstrate a high degree of adaptability of the model and a major opportunity to explore in the area of SME supporting app in M-Commerce

Equitable representation in councils: theory and an application to the United Nations Security Council

We analyze democratic equity in council voting games (CVGs). In a CVG, a voting body containing all members delegates decision-making to a (time-varying) subset of its members, as describes, e.g., the relationship between the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). We develop a theoretical framework for analyzing democratic equitability in CVGs at both the country and region levels, and for different assumptions regarding preference correlation. We apply the framework to evaluate the equitability of the UNSC, and the claims of those who seek to reform it. We find that the individual permanent members are overrepresented by between 21.3 times (United Kingdom) and 3.8 times (China) from a country-level perspective, while from a region perspective Eastern Europe is the most heavily overrepresented region with more than twice its equitable representation, and Africa the most heavily underrepresented. Our equity measures do not preclude some UNSC members from exercising veto rights, however