3,018 research outputs found
Preserving Liveness Guarantees from Synchronous Communication to Asynchronous Unstructured Low-Level Languages
In the implementation of abstract synchronous communication in asynchronous unstructured low-level languages, e.g. using shared variables, the preservation of safety and especially liveness properties is a hitherto open problem due to inherently different abstraction levels. Our approach to overcome this problem is threefold: First, we present our notion of handshake refinement with which we formally prove the correctness of the implementation relation of a handshake protocol. Second, we verify the soundness of our handshake refinement, i.e., all safety and liveness properties are preserved to the lower level. Third, we apply our handshake refinement to show the correctness of all implementations that realize the abstract synchronous communication with the handshake protocol. To this end, we employ an exemplary language with asynchronous shared variable communication. Our approach is scalable and closes the verification gap between different abstraction levels of communication
High-resolution resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering as a probe of the crystal electrical field in lanthanides demonstrated for the case of CeRh2Si2
The magnetic properties of rare earth compounds are usually well captured by
assuming a fully localized f shell and only considering the Hund's rule ground
state multiplet split by a crystal electrical field (CEF). Currently, the
standard technique for probing CEF excitations in lanthanides is inelastic
neutron scattering. Here we show that with the recent leap in energy
resolution, resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering has become a serious
alternative for looking at CEF excitations with some distinct advantages
compared to INS. As an example we study the CEF scheme in CeRh2Si2, a system
that has been intensely studied for more than two decades now but for which no
consensus has been reached yet as to its CEF scheme. We used two new features
that have only become available very recently in RIXS, high energy resolution
of about 30 meV as well as polarization analysis in the scattered beam, to find
a unique CEF description for CeRh2Si2. The result agrees well with previous INS
and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Due to its strong resonant character,
RIXS is applicable to very small samples, presents very high cross sections for
all lanthanides, and further benefits from the very weak coupling to phonon
excitation. The rapid progress in energy resolution of RIXS spectrometers is
making this technique increasingly attractive for the investigation of the CEF
scheme in lanthanides
Exchange bias in GeMn nanocolumns: the role of surface oxidation
We report on the exchange biasing of self-assembled ferromagnetic GeMn
nanocolumns by GeMn-oxide caps. The x-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis of
this surface oxide shows a multiplet fine structure that is typical of the Mn2+
valence state in MnO. A magnetization hysteresis shift |HE|~100 Oe and a
coercivity enhancement of about 70 Oe have been obtained upon cooling (300-5 K)
in a magnetic field as low as 0.25 T. This exchange bias is attributed to the
interface coupling between the ferromagnetic nanocolumns and the
antiferromagnetic MnO-like caps. The effect enhancement is achieved by
depositing a MnO layer on the GeMn nanocolumns.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Origin of interface magnetism in BiMnO3/SrTiO3 and LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures
Possible ferromagnetism induced in otherwise non-magnetic materials has been
motivating intense research in complex oxide heterostructures. Here we show
that a confined magnetism is realized at the interface between SrTiO3 and two
insulating polar oxides, BiMnO3 and LaAlO3. By using polarization dependent
x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we find that in both cases the magnetic order is
stabilized by a negative exchange interaction between the electrons transferred
to the interface and local magnetic moments. These local magnetic moments are
associated to Ti3+ ions at the interface itself for LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and to Mn3+
ions in the overlayer for BiMnO3/SrTiO3. In LaAlO3/SrTiO3 the induced magnetic
moments are quenched by annealing in oxygen, suggesting a decisive role of
oxygen vacancies in the stabilization of interfacial magnetism.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Completeness for a First-order Abstract Separation Logic
Existing work on theorem proving for the assertion language of separation
logic (SL) either focuses on abstract semantics which are not readily available
in most applications of program verification, or on concrete models for which
completeness is not possible. An important element in concrete SL is the
points-to predicate which denotes a singleton heap. SL with the points-to
predicate has been shown to be non-recursively enumerable. In this paper, we
develop a first-order SL, called FOASL, with an abstracted version of the
points-to predicate. We prove that FOASL is sound and complete with respect to
an abstract semantics, of which the standard SL semantics is an instance. We
also show that some reasoning principles involving the points-to predicate can
be approximated as FOASL theories, thus allowing our logic to be used for
reasoning about concrete program verification problems. We give some example
theories that are sound with respect to different variants of separation logics
from the literature, including those that are incompatible with Reynolds's
semantics. In the experiment we demonstrate our FOASL based theorem prover
which is able to handle a large fragment of separation logic with heap
semantics as well as non-standard semantics.Comment: This is an extended version of the APLAS 2016 paper with the same
titl
Enhanced response to ozone exposure during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.
Exposure to ozone (O3), a toxic component of photochemical smog, results in significant airway inflammation, respiratory discomfort, and pulmonary function impairment. These effects can be reduced via pretreatment with anti-inflammatory agents. Progesterone, a gonadal steroid, is known to reduce general inflammation in the uterine endometrium. However, it is not known whether fluctuations in blood levels of progesterone, which are experienced during the normal female menstrual cycle, could alter O3 inflammatory-induced pulmonary responses. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that young, adult females are more responsive to O3 inhalation with respect to pulmonary function impairment during their follicular (F) menstrual phase when progesterone levels are lowest than during their mid-luteal (ML) phase when progesterone levels are highest. Nine subjects with normal ovarian function were exposed in random order for 1 hr each to filtered air and to 0.30 ppm O3 in their F and ML menstrual phases. Ozone responsiveness was measured by percent change in pulmonary function from pre- to postexposure. Significant gas concentration effects (filtered air versus O3) were observed for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), and forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of FVC (FEF25-75; p < .05). More importantly, the pulmonary function flow rates, FEV1 and FEF25-75, showed a significant menstrual phase and gas concentration interaction effect, with larger decrements observed in the F menstrual phase when progesterone concentrations were significantly lower. We conclude that young, adult females appear to be more responsive to acute O3 exposure during the F phase than during the ML phase of their menstrual cycles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS
Spitzer Observations of Centaurus A: Infrared Synchrotron Emission from the Northern Lobe
We present measurements obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope in five
bands from 3.6-24 microns of the northern inner radio lobe of Centaurus A, the
nearest powerful radio galaxy. We show that this emission is synchrotron in
origin. Comparison with ultraviolet observations from GALEX shows that diffuse
ultraviolet emission exists in a smaller region than the infrared but also
coincides with the radio jet. We discuss the possibility, that synchrotron
emission is responsible for the ultraviolet emission and conclude that further
data are required to confirm this.Comment: 4 pages, accepted by ApJ
Orbital occupancies and the putative jeff = 1/2 groundstate in Ba2IrO4: a combined oxygen K edge XAS and RIXS study
The nature of the electronic groundstate of Ba2IrO4 has been addressed using
soft X-ray absorption and inelastic scattering techniques in the vicinity of
the oxygen K edge. From the polarization and angular dependence of XAS we
deduce an approximately equal superposition of xy, yz and zx Ir4+ 5d orbitals.
By combining the measured orbital occupancies, with the value of the spin-orbit
coupling provided by RIXS, we estimate the crystal field splitting associated
with the tetragonal distortion of the IrO6 octahedra to be small, \Delta=50(50)
meV. We thus conclude definitively that Ba2IrO4 is a close realization of a
spin-orbit Mott insulator with a jeff = 1/2 groundstate, thereby overcoming
ambiguities in this assignment associated with the interpretation of X-ray
resonant scattering experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Echolocation detections and digital video surveys provide reliable estimates of the relative density of harbour porpoises
Acknowledgements We would like to thank Erik Rexstad and Rob Williams for useful reviews of this manuscript. The collection of visual and acoustic data was funded by the UK Department of Energy & Climate Change, the Scottish Government, Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment (COWRIE) and Oil & Gas UK. Digital aerial surveys were funded by Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd and additional funding for analysis of the combined datasets was provided by Marine Scotland. Collaboration between the University of Aberdeen and Marine Scotland was supported by MarCRF. We thank colleagues at the University of Aberdeen, Moray First Marine, NERI, Hi-Def Aerial Surveying Ltd and Ravenair for essential support in the field, particularly Tim Barton, Bill Ruck, Rasmus Nielson and Dave Rutter. Thanks also to Andy Webb, David Borchers, Len Thomas, Kelly McLeod, David L. Miller, Dinara Sadykova and Thomas Cornulier for advice on survey design and statistical approache. Data Accessibility Data are available from the Dryad Digital Repository: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cf04gPeer reviewedPublisher PD
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