Extensional Collapse Situations I: non-termination and unrecoverable errors

We consider a simple model of higher order, functional computation over the booleans. Then, we enrich the model in order to encompass non-termination and unrecoverable errors, taken separately or jointly. We show that the models so defined form a lattice when ordered by the extensional collapse situation relation, introduced in order to compare models with respect to the amount of "intensional information" that they provide on computation. The proofs are carried out by exhibiting suitable applied {\lambda}-calculi, and by exploiting the fundamental lemma of logical relations

The Impact of the “Dukes” Case on Retail Employers

[Excerpt] In the past, the notion of a large class action discrimination suit against a national retailer has been a true threat- a tool in the arsenal of the employees- to be feared by the employer. With the Supreme Court decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, that arsenal has been significantly depleted and the large retailer now treads on somewhat new ground when thinking about discrimination lawsuits. This paper will discuss some of the more recent class action discrimination suits against large U.S. retailers. It will then discuss the narrative behind the Dukes case, the way in which the opinion could potentially affect the substance of Title VII, and the consequences the Dukes decision holds for human resource departments at large retailers throughout the country

Qualitative and analytical results of the bifurcation thresholds to halo orbits

We study the dynamics in the neighborhood of the collinear Lagrangian points in the spatial, circular, restricted three--body problem. We consider the case in which one of the primaries is a radiating body and the other is oblate (although the latter is a minor effect). Beside having an intrinsic mathematical interest, this model is particularly suited for the description of a mission of a spacecraft (e.g., a solar sail) to an asteroid. The aim of our study is to investigate the occurrence of bifurcations to halo orbits, which take place as the energy level is varied. The estimate of the bifurcation thresholds is performed by analytical and numerical methods: we find a remarkable agreement between the two approaches. As a side result, we also evaluate the influence of the different parameters, most notably the solar radiation pressure coefficient, on the dynamical behavior of the model. To perform the analytical and numerical computations, we start by implementing a center manifold reduction. Next, we estimate the bifurcation values using qualitative techniques (e.g. Poincar\'e surfaces, frequency analysis, FLIs). Concerning the analytical approach, following \cite{CPS} we implement a resonant normal form, we transform to suitable action-angle variables and we introduce a detuning parameter measuring the displacement from the synchronous resonance. The bifurcation thresholds are then determined as series expansions in the detuning. Three concrete examples are considered and we find in all cases a very good agreement between the analytical and numerical results

Inhabitation for Non-idempotent Intersection Types

The inhabitation problem for intersection types in the lambda-calculus is known to be undecidable. We study the problem in the case of non-idempotent intersection, considering several type assignment systems, which characterize the solvable or the strongly normalizing lambda-terms. We prove the decidability of the inhabitation problem for all the systems considered, by providing sound and complete inhabitation algorithms for them

Full Abstraction for the Resource Lambda Calculus with Tests, through Taylor Expansion

We study the semantics of a resource-sensitive extension of the lambda calculus in a canonical reflexive object of a category of sets and relations, a relational version of Scott's original model of the pure lambda calculus. This calculus is related to Boudol's resource calculus and is derived from Ehrhard and Regnier's differential extension of Linear Logic and of the lambda calculus. We extend it with new constructions, to be understood as implementing a very simple exception mechanism, and with a "must" parallel composition. These new operations allow to associate a context of this calculus with any point of the model and to prove full abstraction for the finite sub-calculus where ordinary lambda calculus application is not allowed. The result is then extended to the full calculus by means of a Taylor Expansion formula. As an intermediate result we prove that the exception mechanism is not essential in the finite sub-calculus

EUROPEAN LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY AND CORPORATE E-LEARNING ACTIVITIES: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

The purpose of this analysis is to test the hypothesis which growth in workers’ competency level is affected by educational, training and workplace features. We focused above all on the corporate e-learning activities and labour productivity, in order to identify differences between European countries. Our findings showed some statistical significances related to six variables concerning a macro view of knowledge and innovation in the workplace, whereby we highlighted the comparison of mutual positions of European countries on the basis of a potential component of investments in human capital which is e-learning. According to statistical significativity we specifically noted that most Northern European countries have a comparative advantage in terms of labour productivity and direct investments than those in the south.corporate e-learning, European labour productivity, principal component analysis

The Gaia Data Release 1 parallaxes and the distance scale of Galactic planetary nebulae

In this paper we gauge the potentiality of Gaia in the distance scale calibration of planetary nebulae (PNe) by assessing the impact of DR1 parallaxes of central stars of Galactic PNe (CSPNe) against known physical relations. For selected PNe targets with state-of-the-art data on angular sizes and fluxes, we derive the distance-dependent parameters of the classical distance scales, i.e., physical radii and ionized masses, from DR1 parallaxes; we propagate the uncertainties in the estimated quantities and evaluate their statistical properties in the presence of large relative parallax errors; we populate the statistical distance scale diagrams with this sample and discuss its significance in light of existing data and current calibrations. We glean from DR1 parallaxes 8 CSPNe with S/N$>$1. We show that this set of potential calibrators doubles the number of extant trigonometric parallaxes (from HST and ground-based), and increases by two orders of magnitude the domain of physical parameters probed previously. We then use the combined sample of suitable trigonometric parallaxes to fit the physical-radius-to-surface-brightness relation. This distance scale calibration, although preliminary, appears solid on statistical grounds, and suggestive of new PNe physics. With the tenfold improvement in PNe number statistics and astrometric accuracy expected from future Gaia releases the new distance scale, already very intriguing, will be definitively constrained.Comment: New Astronomy, in pres

Science and the Courts

"Science and the Courts" is a module meant to illustrate how one might teach exemplary engineering content from the perspective of the humanities and social sciences - the aim of the proposed Bachelor of Arts in "Liberal Studies in Engineering