The Critical Exponent is Computable for Automatic Sequences

The critical exponent of an infinite word is defined to be the supremum of the exponent of each of its factors. For k-automatic sequences, we show that this critical exponent is always either a rational number or infinite, and its value is computable. Our results also apply to variants of the critical exponent, such as the initial critical exponent of Berthe, Holton, and Zamboni and the Diophantine exponent of Adamczewski and Bugeaud. Our work generalizes or recovers previous results of Krieger and others, and is applicable to other situations; e.g., the computation of the optimal recurrence constant for a linearly recurrent k-automatic sequence.Comment: In Proceedings WORDS 2011, arXiv:1108.341

Final data reduction and analysis of the AS and E OSO-4 grazing incidence X-ray telescope experiment

Final data analysis of grazing incidence of solar X ray telescope experiment of OSO- 4 satellit

Stochastic Orderings Induced by Star-Shaped Functions

The non-decreasing functions whicl are star-shaped and supported above at each point of a non-empty closed proper subset of the real line induce an ordering, on the class of distribution functions with finite first moments, that is strictly weaker than first degree stochastic dominance and strictly stronger than second degree stochastic dominance. Several characterizations of this ordering are developed, both joint distribution criteria and those involving only marginals. The latter are deduced from a decomposition theorem, which reduces the problem to consideration of certain functions which are star-shaped on the complement of an open interval

Liquid-liquid phase separation and morphology of internally mixed dicarboxylic acids/ammonium sulfate/water particles

Knowledge of the physical state and morphology of internally mixed organic/inorganic aerosol particles is still largely uncertain. To obtain more detailed information on liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and morphology of the particles, we investigated complex mixtures of atmospherically relevant dicarboxylic acids containing 5, 6, and 7 carbon atoms (C5, C6 and C7) having oxygen-to-carbon atomic ratios (O:C) of 0.80, 0.67, and 0.57, respectively, mixed with ammonium sulfate (AS). With micrometer-sized particles of C5/AS/H_2O, C6/AS/H_2O and C7/AS/H_2O as model systems deposited on a hydrophobically coated substrate, laboratory experiments were conducted for various organic-to-inorganic dry mass ratios (OIR) using optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. When exposed to cycles of relative humidity (RH), each system showed significantly different phase transitions. While the C5/AS/H_2O particles showed no LLPS with OIR = 2:1, 1:1 and 1:4 down to 20% RH, the C6/AS/H_2O and C7/AS/H_2O particles exhibit LLPS upon drying at RH 50 to 85% and ~90%, respectively, via spinodal decomposition, growth of a second phase from the particle surface or nucleation-and-growth mechanisms depending on the OIR. This suggests that LLPS commonly occurs within the range of O:C < 0.7 in tropospheric organic/inorganic aerosols. To support the comparison and interpretation of the experimentally observed phase transitions, thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were performed with the AIOMFAC model. For the C7/AS/H_2O and C6/AS/H_2O systems, the calculated phase diagrams agree well with the observations while for the C5/AS/H_2O system LLPS is predicted by the model at RH below 60% and higher AS concentration, but was not observed in the experiments. Both core-shell structures and partially engulfed structures were observed for the investigated particles, suggesting that such morphologies might also exist in tropospheric aerosols

A new code for Fourier-Legendre analysis of large datasets: first results and a comparison with ring-diagram analysis

Fourier-Legendre decomposition (FLD) of solar Doppler imaging data is a promising method to estimate the sub-surface solar meridional flow. FLD is sensible to low-degree oscillation modes and thus has the potential to probe the deep meridional flow. We present a newly developed code to be used for large scale FLD analysis of helioseismic data as provided by the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG), the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument, and the upcoming Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument. First results obtained with the new code are qualitatively comparable to those obtained from ring-diagram analyis of the same time series.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 4th HELAS International Conference "Seismological Challenges for Stellar Structure", 1-5 February 2010, Arrecife, Lanzarote (Canary Islands

Defamation Per Se Cases Should Include Guaranteed Minimum Presumed Damage Awards to Private Plaintiffs

To combat the reputational harm associated with defamatory comments, forty states allow plaintiffs to recover presumed damages for reputational harm for defamatory statements considered “per se” defamation without having to prove the exact dollar figure associated with their reputational damages. While damages are presumed to a plaintiff’s reputation in a successful defamation per se lawsuit, the spectrum of presumed damages is so wide that there is almost no practical way for a plaintiff to reliably know the size of a presumed damages award, especially a lower-income plaintiff. Plaintiffs cannot evaluate the financial merit of a defamation lawsuit, which removes the primary benefit of presumed damages. This is especially problematic for plaintiffs relying on presumed damages to their reputations to justify the costs of litigation for defamation per se cases, which are the most egregious types of defamation, and why reputational damages are presumed. Without some assurance that a defamed plaintiff will be awarded damages to compensate them for the harm to their reputation, presumed damages have insufficient practical value—lower income plaintiffs who are defamed and later struggle to find employment or who live with tarnished reputations will not pursue litigation while their defamers face no repercussions and no fear of repeating that behavior. Instead of abolishing the doctrine of presumed damages, which some states have done because presumed damages are difficult to quantify, a better approach is to set a guaranteed minimum damages floor associated with presumed damages for plaintiffs who are successful in a per se defamation claim

Image-based sexual violence: Victim experiences and bystander responses

Advances in internet-enabled and social networking technologies have permeated modern life, changing the nature of social interactions, including how sexual violence is committed and experienced. A novel form of technology-facilitated sexual violence is the use of technology to take, share, or otherwise use sexual images of another person without their consent, termed image-based sexual violence (IBSV). This is not widely thought of as a form of sexual violence and the impact on women and girls is often minimized despite emerging evidence that these experiences are both common and distressing. This form of violence has only begun to be studied, but the accounts that exist suggest that these acts may be similar to traditional (offline) sexual violence in some ways and differ significantly in others. The internet and networked technologies allow sexual images to be spread quickly and indefinitely to vast audiences, which may result in negative social and psychological outcomes for victims beyond, or that differ from, those that exist for other forms of sexual violence. Technology also introduces a social element to these acts, as non-consensual use of sexual images is often social (e.g., an image is sent to or viewed by others) which has implications both for victims’ experiences and prevention. Individuals who receive or view the images are considered bystanders and represent an important population to study as they are uniquely positioned to either intervene in prosocial ways (e.g., by preventing future misuse of the image) or to transition into perpetration (e.g., by forwarding an image). The current project contributes to the nascent literature on IBSV through a series of three online studies that investigated victims and bystanders. Study 1 explored key psychological symptoms and social changes inadult women victims of IBSV. A minority of women had symptoms of depression, trauma, and anxiety within clinical levels and about 60% had changes to some of their relationships. Study 2 contextualizes the quantitative findings of Study 1, deepening our understanding of women’s experiences. Using a qualitative method, Study 2 examined how women conceptualized and labeled their experiences of IBSV. Women’s experiences were similar to victims of offline sexual violence, and were fell into two braod categories – themes decribing emotional reactions, which were more common when the incident occurred, and themes that involved processing or meaning-making, which reflected women’s current thoughts and feelings about the incident. None of the labels which women used to describe these acts (e.g., betrayal) alluded to their gendered nature. Study 3 explored the impact of group size, gender, peer norms, and attributions of victim blame and responsibility on bystanders’ self-reported likelihood of helping in a hypothetical scenario in which they receive a sexual image forwarded without consent. Group size was experimentally varied. Only victim blame, gender, and peer norms around image sharing predicted intent to help. Taken together, Studies 1 and 2 enhance our understanding of the impact of IBSV for victims so that this form of violence can be established as worthy of serious consideration, future study, and intervention. Study 3 illuminates several factors that may impact bystander responses to inform intervention and educational efforts. A secondary aim of the project was to explore ways in which IBSV is similar to, and different from, traditional sexual violence. The current studies identified similarities in women’s accounts and outcomes between offline and IBSV, as well as identified variables that influence bystander behaviour offline as well as when responding to image-. These findings suggest that existing interventions to prevent sexual violence (in the case of bystanders) and support victims may be adapted for IBSV. Most importantly, when synthesizing across the three studies, the findings suggest that the larger social and cultural context that supports violence against women offline also supports such violence in online spaces, underscoring the need for systemic change