Energy Dissipation in Transient Gaseous Cavitation

The aim of the paper is to examine nonfriction energy dissipation in transient cavitating flows and to verify whether they can be attributed to thermic exchange between gas bubbles and the surrounding liquid or to gas release and solution process. A two-dimensional (2D) numerical model for liquid flow with a small amount of free gas is proposed. The results of the numerical runs are compared with experimental data of pressure head oscillations in transient cavitating flow. Both thermic exchange and gas release can explain some of the dissipation if a relaxation process is assumed. However, the 2D model, including the thermodynamics of the gaseous phase, does not seem to fully explain the observed dissipation. The 2D model with gas release allows for a good simulation of the experimental data after a suitable calibration of the model parameters.     

An empirical study of derivative-free-optimization algorithms for targeted black-box attacks in deep neural networks

Optimization and Engineering - We perform a comprehensive study on the performance of derivative free optimization (DFO) algorithms for the generation of targeted black-box adversarial attacks on...     

Lifetime total and beverage specific - alcohol intake and prostate cancer risk: a case-control study

Background

We investigated lifetime alcohol consumption and prostate cancer risk in a case-control study conducted in Buffalo, NY (1998–2001).

Methods

The study included 88 men, aged 45 to 85 years with incident, histologically-confirmed prostate cancer and 272 controls. We conducted extensive in-person interviews regarding lifetime alcohol consumption and other epidemiologic data.

Results

Prostate cancer risk was not associated with lifetime intake of total and beverage specific ethanol. In addition we found no association with number of drinks per day (average drinks per day over the lifetime) or drinks per drinking day (average drinks per day on drinking days only over the lifetime). However, we observed an inverse association with the total number of drinking years. Men in the lowest tertile of total drinking years had a two-fold prostate cancer risk than men in the highest tertile (OR 2.16, 95% CI 0.98–4.78, p for trend <0.05).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that alcohol intake distribution across lifetime may play a more important role in prostate cancer etiology than total lifetime consumption.     

Effect of a trapping force on a photon-counting histogram

A theoretical study of the effect of a harmonic trapping force on the distribution of the fluorescence photon counts from Brownian particles is reported. The research of by Chen et al. [Biophys. J. 77, 553 (1999)] is extended. Simulations of the photon-counting histograms indicate that the trapping force parameters can be estimated from changes in the shapes of the histograms, at least for microspheres.     

Low-randomness constant-round private XOR computations

In this paper we study the randomness complexity needed to distributively perform k XOR computations in a t-private way using constant-round protocols in the case in which the players are honest but curious. We show that the existence of a particular family of subsets allows the recycling of random bits for constant-round private protocols. More precisely, we show that after a 1-round initialization phase during which random bits are distributed among n players, it is possible to perform each of the k XOR computations using two rounds of communication. For , for any c < 1/2, we design a protocol that uses O(kt ²log n) random bits.     

A domain decomposition technique for finite element based parametric sweep and tolerance analyses of microwave passive devices

A domain decomposition approach is here applied to the finite element solution of a multiport waveguide passive device. The approach allows separating the problem in multiple, coupled subproblems which can be solved individually. By appropriately defining one of these subdomains as containing all the possible variations to be studied it is hence possible to restrict the tolerance analysis to this latter, smaller domain. Numerical results showing the gain in computing time are presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2009.     

Combining Deduction and Model Checking into Tableaux and Algorithms for Converse-PDL

This paper presents a prefixed tableaux calculus for Propositional Dynamic Logic with Converse based on a combination of different techniques such as prefixed tableaux for modal logics and model checkers for μ-calculus. We prove the correctness and completeness of the calculus and illustrate its features. We also discuss the transformation of the tableaux method (naively NEXPTIME) into an EXPTIME algorithm.