Measurement accuracies in band-limited extrapolation

The problem of numerical instability associated with extrapolation algorithms is addressed. An attempt is made to estimate the bounds for the acceptable errors and to place a ceiling on the measurement accuracy and computational accuracy needed for the extrapolation. It is shown that in band limited (or visible angle limited) extrapolation the larger effective aperture L' that can be realized from a finite aperture L by over sampling is a function of the accuracy of measurements. It is shown that for sampling in the interval L/b absolute value of xL, b1 the signal must be known within an error e sub N given by e sub N squared approximately = 1/4(2kL') cubed (e/8b L/L')(2kL') where L is the physical aperture, L' is the extrapolated aperture, and k = 2pi lambda

Indenture as a Self-Enforced Contract Device: An Experimental Test

We experimentally test the efficacy of indenture as a self-enforced contract device. In an indenture game, the principal signals the intention of payment-on-delivery, by tearing a banknote and giving the agent half of it as "prepayment"; the agent receives the completing half after delivering the service. By forward induction, cooperation is incentive-compatibly self-enforcing. The indenture performs very well, inducing a significantly higher level of cooperation than that in a three-stage centipede game, which we use to benchmark the natural rate of cooperation. The difference between cooperation rates in both games increases over time.Cooperation, experiment, contracts, indenture, reciprocity

The Economics of Solidarity: A Conceptual Framework

For many people "solidarity" has become a meaningless word used in slogans - too often used without leading to any economic consequences. We show in this paper conditions under which solidarity can be a powerful instrument. In a solidary action, an individual in a group contributes to a series of actions that aims for a reallocation of scarce resources. The willingness to contribute is mainly influenced by the efficiency of the objective of the solidary action, and is enhanced by feelings of mutual exchange (solidarity) within a group. --solidarity,altruism,dynamic,mutual

Higher-order cognitive factors affect subjective but not proprioceptive aspects of self-representation in the rubber hand illusion

In the current study we look at whether subjective and proprioceptive aspects of selfrepresentation are separable components subserved by distinct systems of multisensory integration. We used the rubber hand illusion (RHI) to draw the location of the ‘self’ away from the body, towards extracorporeal space (Out Condition), thereby violating top-down information about the body location. This was compared with the traditional RHI which drew position of the ‘self’ towards the body (In Condition). We were successfully able to draw proprioceptive position of the limbs in and out from the body suggesting body perception is a purely bottom-up process, resistant to top-down effects. Conversely, we found subjective self-representation was altered by the violation of top-down body information – as the strong association of subjective and proprioceptive factors found in the In Condition became non-significant in the Out Condition. Interestingly, we also found evidence that subjective embodiment can modulate tactile perception

Technology needs assessment of an atmospheric observation system for tropospheric research missions, part 1

The technology advancements needed to implement the atmospheric observation satellite systems for air quality research were identified. Tropospheric measurements are considered. The measurements and sensors are based on a model of knowledge objectives in atmospheric science. A set of potential missions and attendant spacecraft and sensors is postulated. The results show that the predominant technology needs will be in passive and active sensors for accurate and frequent global measurements of trace gas concentration profiles

Handedness modulates proprioceptive drift in the rubber hand illusion

Preference for use of either the left or right hand ('handedness') has been linked with modulations of perception and sensory processing-both of space and the body. Here we ask whether multisensory integration of bodily information also varies as a function of handedness. We created a spatial disparity between visual and somatosensory hand position information using the rubber hand illusion, and use the magnitude of illusory shifts in hand position (proprioceptive 'drift') as a tool to probe the weighted integration of multisensory information. First, we found drift was significantly reduced when the illusion was performed on the dominant vs. non-dominant hand. We suggest increased manual dexterity of the dominant hand causes greater representational stability and thus an increased resistance to bias by the illusion induction. Second, drift was generally greatest when the hand was in its habitual action space (i.e., near the shoulder of origin), compared to when it laterally displaced towards, or across the midline. This linear effect, however, was only significant for the dominant hand-in both left- and right-handed groups. Thus, our results reveal patterns of habitual hand action modulate drift both within a hand (drift varies with proximity to action space), and between hands (differences in drift between the dominant and non-dominant hands). In contrast, we were unable to find conclusive evidence to support, or contradict, an overall difference between left- and right-handers in susceptibility to RHI drift (i.e., total drift, collapsed across hand positions). In sum, our results provide evidence that patterns of daily activity-and the subsequent patterns of sensory input-shape multisensory integration across space

Distributed service‐level agreement management with smart contracts and blockchain

The current cloud market is dominated by a few providers, which offer cloud services in a take‐it‐or‐leave‐it manner. However, the dynamism and uncertainty of cloud environments may require the change over time of both application requirements and service capabilities. The current service‐level agreement (SLA) management solutions cannot easily guarantee a trustworthy, distributed SLA adaptation due to the centralized authority of the cloud provider who could also misbehave to pursue individual goals. To address the above issues, we propose a novel SLA management framework, which facilitates the specification and enforcement of dynamic SLAs that enable one to describe how, and under which conditions, the offered service level can change over time. The proposed framework relies on a two‐level blockchain architecture. At the first level, the smart SLA is transformed into a smart contract that dynamically guides service provisioning. At the second level, a permissioned blockchain is built through a federation of monitoring entities to generate objective measurements for the smart SLA/contract assessment. The scalability of this permissioned blockchain is also thoroughly evaluated. The proposed framework enables creating open distributed clouds, which offer manageable and dynamic services, and facilitates cost reduction for cloud consumers, while it increases flexibility in resource management and trust in the offered cloud services

Assessment of the use of space technology in the monitoring of oil spills and ocean pollution: Technical volume. Executive summary

The potential of space systems and technology for detecting and monitoring ocean oil spills and waste pollution was assessed as well as the impact of this application on communication and data handling systems. Agencies charged with responsibilities in this area were identified and their measurement requirements were ascertained in order to determine the spatial resolution needed to characterize operational and accidental discharges. Microwave and optical sensors and sensing techniques were evaluated as candidate system elements. Capabilities are described for the following: synthetic aperture radar, microwave scatterometer, passive microwave radiometer, microwave altimeter, electro-optical sensors currently used in airborne detection, existing space-based optical sensors, the thematic mapper, and the pointable optical linear array