GED - a generalised syntax editor : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University

This thesis traces the development of a full-screen syntax-directed editor - a type of editor that operates on a program in terms of its syntactic tree structure instead of its sequential character representation. The editor is table-driven, reading as input an extended BNF syntax of the target language. It can therefore be used for any language whose syntax can be defined in EBNF. Print formatting information can be included with the syntactic definition to enable programs to be pretty-printed when they are displayed. The user is presented with a pretty-printed skeletal outline of a program with the currently selected construct highlighted and all required syntactic items provided by the editor. Any constructs with alternatives, such as "", which occurs in many languages, are initially denoted by a placeholder in the form of a non-terminal name (i.e. "") which is expanded when the user indicates which alternative is wanted. All symbols entered by the user are parsed immediately and any erroneous symbols rejected, making it impossible to create a syntactically incorrect program. The editor cannot detect semantic errors as no semantic information is available from the EBNF syntax. However the first use of all identifiers is flagged by the editor as an aid to the detection of undeclared identifiers. A "help" area at the bottom of the screen continuously displays a list of the correct next symbols and the syntactic definition of the currently selected program construct. This display, together with a multi-level "undo" command and the provision of a skeletal program by the editor, provides a way of exploring the various constructs in a programming language, while ensuring the syntactic correctness of the resultant program

Modified Gravitational Waves Across Galaxies from Macroscopic Gravity

We analyze the propagation of gravitational waves in a medium containing bounded subsystems ("molecules"), able to induce significant Macroscopic Gravity effects. We establish a precise constitutive relation between the average quadrupole and the amplitudes of a vacuum gravitational wave, via the geodesic deviation equation. Then we determine the modified equation for the wave inside the medium and the associated dispersion relation. A phenomenological analysis shows that anomalous polarizations of the wave emerge with an appreciable experimental detectability if the medium is identified with a typical galaxy. Both the modified dispersion relation (wave velocity less than the speed of light) and anomalous oscillations modes could be detectable by the incoming LISA or pulsar timing arrays experiments, having the appropriate size to see the concerned wavelengths (larger than the molecular size) and the appropriate sensitivity to detect the expected deviation from vacuum General Relativity.Comment: 10 pages, comments are welcom

The pure B−LB-L model and future linear colliders: the Higgs sector

We summarise the phenomenology of the Higgs sector of the minimal $B-L$ extension of the Standard Model at an $e^+e^-$ Linear Collider. Within such a scenario, we show that (in comparison with the Large Hadron Collider) several novel production and decay channels involving the two physical Higgs states could experimentally be accessed at such a machine. In particular, we present the scope of the $Z'$ strahlung process for single and double Higgs production, the only suitable mechanism for accessing an almost decoupled heavy scalar state.Comment: This proceeding of the 2011 International Workshop on Future Linear Colliders (LCWS11) is published through the SLAC Electronic Conference Proceedings Archiv

Future Electron-Positron Colliders and the 4-Dimensional Composite Higgs Model

In this note we analyse the prospects of a future electron-positron collider in testing a particular realisation of a composite Higgs model encompassing partial compositeness, namely, the 4-Dimensional Composite Higgs Model. We study the main Higgs production channels for three possible energy stages and different luminosity options of such a machine and confront our results to the expected experimental accuracies in the various Higgs decay channels accessible herein and, for comparison, also at the Large Hadron Collider.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, minor corrections for publication in JHE

Gravity from Dirac Eigenvalues

We study a formulation of euclidean general relativity in which the dynamical variables are given by a sequence of real numbers $\lambda_{n}$, representing the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator on the curved spacetime. These quantities are diffeomorphism-invariant functions of the metric and they form an infinite set of ``physical observables'' for general relativity. Recent work of Connes and Chamseddine suggests that they can be taken as natural variables for an invariant description of the dynamics of gravity. We compute the Poisson brackets of the $\lambda_{n}$'s, and find that these can be expressed in terms of the propagator of the linearized Einstein equations and the energy-momentum of the eigenspinors. We show that the eigenspinors' energy-momentum is the Jacobian matrix of the change of coordinates from the metric to the $\lambda_{n}$'s. We study a variant of the Connes-Chamseddine spectral action which eliminates a disturbing large cosmological term. We analyze the corresponding equations of motion and find that these are solved if the energy momenta of the eigenspinors scale linearly with the mass. Surprisingly, this scaling law codes Einstein's equations. Finally we study the coupling to a physical fermion field.Comment: An enlarged and improved version which will be pubblished in Mod. Phys. Lett.

Top pair production at a future e+e−e^+e^- machine in a composite Higgs scenario

The top quark plays a central role in many New Physics scenarios and in understanding the details of Electro-Weak Symmetry Breaking. In the short- and mid-term future, top-quark studies will mainly be driven by the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. Exploration of top quarks will, however, be an integral part of particle physics studies at any future facility and an $e^+ e^-$ collider will have a very comprehensive top-quark physics program. We discuss the possibilities of testing NP in the top-quark sector within a composite Higgs scenario through deviations from the Standard Model in top pair production for different Centre-of-Mass energy options of a future $e^+e^-$ machine. In particular, we focus on precision studies of the top-quark sector at a CM energy ranging from 370 GeV up to 3 TeV.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures; v2: minor corrections, published on JHE

The Rationale for Using Neridronate in Musculoskeletal Disorders: From Metabolic Bone Diseases to Musculoskeletal Pain

Neridronate or ((6-amino-1-hydroxy-1-phosphonohexyl) phosphonic acid) is an amino-bisphosphonate (BP) synthetized in Italy in 1986. Bisphosphonates are molecules with a P-C-P bond in their structure that allows strong and selectively binding to hydroxyapatite (HAP) as well as osteoclasts inhibition through different mechanisms of action. Neridronate was initially used to treat Paget disease of the bone, demonstrating effectiveness in reducing bone turnover markers as well as pain. The interesting molecular properties of neridronate foster its wide use in several other conditions, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, and osteoporosis. Thanks to the unique safety and efficacy profile, neridronate has been used in secondary osteoporosis due to genetic, rheumatic, and oncological diseases, including in pediatric patients. In the last decade, this drug has also been studied in chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions, such as algodystrophy, demonstrating effectiveness in improving extraskeletal outcomes. This review highlights historical and clinical insights about the use of neridronate for metabolic bone disorders and musculoskeletal pain conditions

Myths and Truths about Placebo Effect in Rehabilitation for Musculoskeletal Pain.

This commentary provides the authors’ point of view about the biopsychosocial perspective of placebo effect on musculoskeletal pain in the rehabilitation fiel

Community of Practice and Teacher’s Professional Development: An Explorative Survey

The article shows the outcomes of an explorative survey employing interviews, case analysis and focus groups on a sample of newly employed teachers in Rome in 2012. The hypothesis leading the research is that, within the Italian context of school autonomy, the school management that is able to promote a distributed leadership (Spillane, 2005) finds ways to recognize, support and develop the communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002). It is expected that promoting a distributed leadership through the community of practice both assists the teacher’s professional development and produces a positive effect in the learning processes. The research also investigates the way in which the experienced teachers and the whole institute support the newly employed teachers. Results indicate that the process with which the new teachers enter into school is critical. Results also point out: the fragile role of the teacher tutoring the newcomer; the influence of the experienced teachers who know the context better; the strategic role of the school principals, but also the principals unawareness of the informal local practices of learning. The article points out diverse interesting points of the Italian school system that is about to employ permanently a number of teachers