Steady, oscillatory, and unsteady subsonic Aerodynamics, production version 1.1 (SOUSSA-P1.1). Volume 2: User/programmer manual

A user/programmer manual for the computer program SOUSSA P 1.1 is presented. The program was designed to provide accurate and efficient evaluation of steady and unsteady loads on aircraft having arbitrary shapes and motions, including structural deformations. These design goals were in part achieved through the incorporation of the data handling capabilities of the SPAR finite element Structural Analysis computer program. As a further result, SOUSSA P possesses an extensive checkpoint/ restart facility. The programmer's portion of this manual includes overlay/subroutine hierarchy, logical flow of control, definition of SOUSSA P 1.1 FORTRAN variables, and definition of SOUSSA P 1.1 subroutines. Purpose of the SOUSSA P 1.1 modules, input data to the program, output of the program, hardware/software requirements, error detection and reporting capabilities, job control statements, a summary of the procedure for running the program and two test cases including input and output and listings are described in the user oriented portion of the manual

Can a connectionist model explain the processing of regularly and irregularly inflected words in German as L1 and L2?

The connectionist model is a prevailing model of the structure and functioning of the cognitive system of the processing of morphology. According to this model, the morphology of regularly and irregularly inflected words (e.g., verb participles and noun plurals) is processed in the same cognitive network. A validation of the connectionist model of the processing of morphology in German as L2 has yet to be achieved. To investigate L2-specific aspects, we compared a group of L1 speakers of German with speakers of German as L2. L2 and L1 speakers of German were assigned to their respective group by their reaction times in picture naming prior to the central task. The reaction times in the lexical decision task of verb participles and noun plurals were largely consistent with the assumption of the connectionist model. Interestingly, speakers of German as L2 showed a specific advantage for irregular compared with regular verb participles

Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics with Anderson-localized Modes

A major challenge in quantum optics and quantum information technology is to enhance the interaction between single photons and single quantum emitters. Highly engineered optical cavities are generally implemented requiring nanoscale fabrication precision. We demonstrate a fundamentally different approach in which disorder is used as a resource rather than a nuisance. We generate strongly confined Anderson-localized cavity modes by deliberately adding disorder to photonic crystal waveguides. The emission rate of a semiconductor quantum dot embedded in the waveguide is enhanced by a factor of 15 on resonance with the Anderson-localized mode and 94 % of the emitted single-photons couple to the mode. Disordered photonic media thus provide an efficient platform for quantum electrodynamics offering an approach to inherently disorder-robust quantum information devices

Neural Simplex Architecture

We present the Neural Simplex Architecture (NSA), a new approach to runtime assurance that provides safety guarantees for neural controllers (obtained e.g. using reinforcement learning) of autonomous and other complex systems without unduly sacrificing performance. NSA is inspired by the Simplex control architecture of Sha et al., but with some significant differences. In the traditional approach, the advanced controller (AC) is treated as a black box; when the decision module switches control to the baseline controller (BC), the BC remains in control forever. There is relatively little work on switching control back to the AC, and there are no techniques for correcting the AC's behavior after it generates a potentially unsafe control input that causes a failover to the BC. Our NSA addresses both of these limitations. NSA not only provides safety assurances in the presence of a possibly unsafe neural controller, but can also improve the safety of such a controller in an online setting via retraining, without overly degrading its performance. To demonstrate NSA's benefits, we have conducted several significant case studies in the continuous control domain. These include a target-seeking ground rover navigating an obstacle field, and a neural controller for an artificial pancreas system.Comment: 12th NASA Formal Methods Symposium (NFM 2020

Guarded Kleene algebra with tests: verification of uninterpreted programs in nearly linear time

Guarded Kleene Algebra with Tests (GKAT) is a variation on Kleene Algebra with Tests (KAT) that arises by restricting the union (+) and iteration (*) operations from KAT to predicate-guarded versions. We develop the (co)algebraic theory of GKAT and show how it can be efficiently used to reason about imperative programs. In contrast to KAT, whose equational theory is PSPACE-complete, we show that the equational theory of GKAT is (almost) linear time. We also provide a full Kleene theorem and prove completeness for an analogue of Salomaa’s axiomatization of Kleene Algebra

A multimodal neuroimaging classifier for alcohol dependence

With progress in magnetic resonance imaging technology and a broader dissemination of state-of-the-art imaging facilities, the acquisition of multiple neuroimaging modalities is becoming increasingly feasible. One particular hope associated with multimodal neuroimaging is the development of reliable data-driven diagnostic classifiers for psychiatric disorders, yet previous studies have often failed to find a benefit of combining multiple modalities. As a psychiatric disorder with established neurobiological effects at several levels of description, alcohol dependence is particularly well-suited for multimodal classification. To this aim, we developed a multimodal classification scheme and applied it to a rich neuroimaging battery (structural, functional task-based and functional resting-state data) collected in a matched sample of alcohol-dependent patients (N = 119) and controls (N = 97). We found that our classification scheme yielded 79.3% diagnostic accuracy, which outperformed the strongest individual modality - grey-matter density - by 2.7%. We found that this moderate benefit of multimodal classification depended on a number of critical design choices: a procedure to select optimal modality-specific classifiers, a fine-grained ensemble prediction based on cross-modal weight matrices and continuous classifier decision values. We conclude that the combination of multiple neuroimaging modalities is able to moderately improve the accuracy of machine-learning-based diagnostic classification in alcohol dependence

Towards a Declarative Query and Transformation Language for XML and Semistructured Data: Simulation Unification

The growing importance of XML as a data interchange standard demands languages for data querying and transformation. Since the mid 90es, several such languages have been proposed that are inspired from functional languages (such as XSLT [1]) and/or database query languages (such as XQuery [2]). This paper addresses applying logic programming concepts and techniques to designing a declarative, rule-based query and transformation language for XML and semistructured data. The paper first introduces issues specific to XML and semistructured data such as the necessity of flexible “query terms” and of “construct terms”. Then, it is argued that logic programming concepts are particularly appropriate for a declarative query and transformation language for XML and semistructured data. Finally, a new form of unification, called “simulation unification”, is proposed for answering “query terms”, and it is illustrated on examples

No differences in value-based decision-making due to use of oral contraceptives

Fluctuating ovarian hormones have been shown to affect decision-making processes in women. While emerging evidence suggests effects of endogenous ovarian hormones such as estradiol and progesterone on value-based decision-making in women, the impact of exogenous synthetic hormones, as in most oral contraceptives, is not clear. In a between-subjects design, we assessed measures of value-based decision-making in three groups of women aged 18 to 29 years, during (1) active oral contraceptive intake (N = 22), (2) the early follicular phase of the natural menstrual cycle (N = 20), and (3) the periovulatory phase of the natural menstrual cycle (N = 20). Estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and sex-hormone binding globulin levels were assessed in all groups via blood samples. We used a test battery which measured different facets of value-based decision-making: delay discounting, risk-aversion, risk-seeking, and loss aversion. While hormonal levels did show the expected patterns for the three groups, there were no differences in value-based decision-making parameters. Consequently, Bayes factors showed conclusive evidence in support of the null hypothesis. We conclude that women on oral contraceptives show no differences in value-based decision-making compared to the early follicular and periovulatory natural menstrual cycle phases. Copyright © 2022 Lewis, Kimmig, Kroemer, Pooseh, Smolka, Sacher and Derntl