691 research outputs found
Arbitration and Dispute Settlement in Foreign Indirect Investment. The increasing significance and use of arbitration in international loan agreements, syndicated loans and international bond issues
No full textThis dissertation examines the suitability of arbitration for the resolution of securities regulatory claims and it adoption globally, which has resulted in international arbitration becoming the favoured dispute resolution mechanism in the securities industry. The author explains that disputes arising out of international bilateral and syndicated loan agreements are generally considered to be arbitrable, while international bond disputes are often derived from the controversies over the application of mandatory national laws and the compliance with securities regulation provisions - so the arbitrability of international bond disputes depends on the acceptance of the arbitrability of securities regulatory claims
A monolithically integrated power JFET and Junction Barrier Schottky diode in 4H silicon carbide
No full textEfficiency of power management circuits depends significantly on their constituent switches and rectifiers. The demands of technology are increasingly running up against the intrinsic properties of Si based power devices. 4H-Silicon Carbide (SiC) has superior properties that make it attractive for high power applications. SiC rectifiers are already a competitive choice and SiC switches have also been commercialized recently. Junction Barrier Schottky (JBS) diodes, which combine the advantages of PN and Schottky, have higher Figure of Merit (FOM) as rectifiers. Among switches, a robust and mature process has been developed for Silicon Carbide Vertical Junction Field Effect Transistors (VJFETs), which currently gives it the highest unipolar FOM. Switches are frequently combined with anti-parallel diodes in power circuits. This thesis describes the development of a SiC-based monolithically integrated power switch and diode. Monolithic integration increases reliability and efficiency, and reduces cost. Because of their superior properties and similarities in fabrication, we chose the SiC VJFET and JBS diode as the switch and rectifier. Detailed design, fabrication and characterization of the integrated switch to block above 800 V and conduct current beyond 100 A/cm2 is explained. In this process, the first physics-based 2-D compact model is developed for reverse leakage in a JBS diode as a function of design parameters. Since the gate-channel junctions of SiC VJFETs cannot be assumed to be abrupt, an existing analytical model for Si VJFETs is extended to account for graded gate-channel junctions. Using these analytical models, design rules are developed for the VJFET and JBS diode. Finite element simulations are used to find the best anode layout of the JBS diode and optimize electric field termination in the integrated device to ensure their capability to operate at high voltage. Finally, a spin-on glass based process is developed for filling the gate trenches of the VJFET to improve long-term robustness in extreme environments. The integrated power switch developed in this thesis points to the attractions of monolithic integration in SiC power circuits. Analytical compact design equations derived here will facilitate faster and easier design of switches and rectifiers for desired circuit operation.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Rahul Radhakrishna
Chiral superconductivity from repulsive interactions in doped graphene
No full textAuthor Manuscript 17 Sep 2011Chiral superconductivity, which breaks time-reversal symmetry, can exhibit a wealth of fascinating properties that are highly sought after for nanoscience applications. We identify doped graphene monolayer as a system where chiral superconductivity can be realized. In this material, a unique situation arises at a doping where the Fermi surface is nested and the density of states is singular. In this regime, d-wave superconductivity can emerge from repulsive electron–electron interactions. Using a renormalization group method, we argue that superconductivity dominates over all competing orders for generic weak repulsive interactions. Superconductivity develops simultaneously in two degenerate d-wave pairing channels. We argue that the resulting superconducting state is of chiral type, with the phase of the superconducting order parameter winding by 4π around the Fermi surface. Realization of this state in doped graphene will prove that superconductivity can emerge from electron–electron repulsion, and will open the door to applications of chiral superconductivity
Adding diversity and realism to LAVA, a vulnerability addition system
No full textThesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2018.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 63-64).In this thesis, I designed and implemented several modifications to LAVA, a vulnerability addition system, with the goal of improving realism and diversity of the injected bugs. Specifically, I describe three separate improvements: a method to add fake bugs alongside real ones in order to decrease bug discoverability, two approaches to increase the complexity of the data flow of the inserted bugs, and a standalone program that uses equality saturation to diversify C-source codebases that can be added as a final stage to LAVA. Finally, I present two instances of bug-finding competitions-AutoCTF and Rode0day-that I helped design and run, which leveraged LAVA and the augmentations described in this thesis in order to accomplish their respective goals.by Rahul Sridhar.M. Eng
Adaptive Intrusion Detection in Edge Computing using Cerebellar Model Articulation Controller and Spline Fit
No full textInternet-of-Thing (IoT) faces various security attacks. Different solutions exist to mitigate the intrusion problems. However, the existing solutions lack behind in dealing with heterogeneity of attack sources and features. The future anticipated demand of devices' connections also urge the need of new solutions addressing the concerns of time consumption and complexity. In this article, we show a novel solution for the intrusion detection in IoT framework. We configure the intrusion detection in the edge computing layer so that the effect of the attack is not propagated to the clouds. Our solution uses cerebellar model articulation controller with kernel map. This combination is very new in the direction of intrusion detection; hence, it emphasizes the novelty of our proposed intrusion detection solution. We name our solution as Cerebellar Model Articulation Controller based Intrusion Detection System (CMACIDS). Additionally, we use spline fitting to the kernel mapping for the model fit; this adds on another novel contribution to CMACIDS. The results obtained with our detection system are compared with the state-of-the-art solutions in terms of complexity, false alarms, and precision of detection. The analysis of the comparative study proves the efficiency of the solution and makes CMACIDS suitable for IoT paradigm. </p
Synthesis and structural characterization of m-terphenyl Schiff base ligands and their aluminum complexes
No full text2,4,6-Triphenylbenzaldehyde 1 undergoes a condensation reaction with 2-aminophenol to give N-(2′,4′,6′-triphenylbenzylidene)-2-iminophenol (TPIP) 2. The imine 2 can be reduced with NaBH4 in ethanol to form N-(2′,4′,6′-triphenylbenzyl)-2-aminophenol (TPAP) 3. Addition of trimethylaluminum to 2 or 3 results in the formation of the complexes TPIP-AlMe2·AlMe3 (4) or TPAP-AlMe2 (5). Compounds 2, 3, and 4 have been crystallographically characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]Peer reviewedFinal article publishedSchiff basesN,O ligandsaluminumm-terphenylX-ray crystallograph
Investor Relations and Corporate Communications (IRSC) and cost of debt and equity capital
No full textIn this study, we examine whether firms’ engagement in Investor Relations and Stakeholder Communication (IRSC) activities reduce the cost of information asymmetry at the time of external financing. We also analyze the intermediary role of financing source (debt vs equity) and the existing level of firm transparency. Measures of IRSC initiatives are frequency of press releases, frequency of events (conferences and meetings, including industry gatherings as well as investment bank seminars), ratio of question and answer portion to the length of events, the average length of answer per question asked during events, and the frequency of slides used in event presentations. Sample includes 1,190 firms listed on S&P1500 index (small, medium, and large-cap firms on NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ stock exchanges) from 1999 to 2018. Multiple regression analyses (with robust standard errors) show that press frequency and the portion of question and answer in events have a significant and positive relationship with the cost of financing and event frequency and the average length of answers have a negative association with the cost of financing. Multivariate multiple regression analyses (seemingly unrelated regression models) are used to control for simultaneous effects of debt and equity issue and show that these findings are more pronounced for firms of lower transparency who are going to issue equity compared to firms of higher transparency who are going to issue debt
The non-hardness of approximating circuit size
No full textThe Minimum Circuit Size Problem (MCSP) has been the focus of intense study recently; MCSP is hard for SZK under rather powerful reductions, and is provably not hard under “local” reductions computable in TIME(n^0.49). The question of whether MCSP is NP-hard (or indeed, hard even for small subclasses of P) under some of the more familiar notions of reducibility (such as many-one or Turing reductions computable in polynomial time or in AC0) is closely related to many of the longstanding open questions in complexity theory.
All prior hardness results for MCSP hold also for computing somewhat weak approximations to the circuit complexity of a function. Some of these results were proved by exploiting a connection to a notion of time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity (KT) and the corresponding decision problem (MKTP). More recently, a new approach for proving improved hardness results for MKTP was developed, but this approach establishes only hardness of extremely good approximations of the form 1+o(1), and these improved hardness results are not yet known to hold for MCSP. In particular, it is known that MKTP is hard for the complexity class DET under nonuniform AC0 many-one reductions, implying MKTP is not in AC0[p] for any prime p. It was still open if similar circuit lower bounds hold for MCSP. One possible avenue for proving a similar hardness result for MCSP would be to improve the hardness
of approximation for MKTP beyond 1 + o(1) to omega(1), as KT-complexity and circuit size are
polynomially-related. In this paper, we show that this approach cannot succeed.
More specifically, we prove that PARITY does not reduce to the problem of computing superlinear approximations to KT-complexity or circuit size via AC0-Turing reductions that make O(1) queries. This is significant, since approximating any set in P/poly AC0-reduces to just one query of a much worse approximation of circuit size or KT-complexity. For weaker approximations, we also prove non-hardness under more powerful reductions. Our non-hardness results are unconditional, in contrast to conditional results presented in [7] (for more powerful reductions, but for much worse approximations). This highlights obstacles that would have to be overcome by any proof that MKTP or MCSP is hard for NP under AC0 reductions. It may also be a step toward confirming a conjecture of Murray and Williams, that MCSP is not NP-complete under logtime-uniform AC0 many-one reductions.Peer reviewe
Tapping Economies of Scale and Scope in Consumer Cooperation - A Case Analysis of Possible Cooperation among selected Cooperatives
No full textBecause of its narrow and negative perspective of safeguarding the interests of only poor consumers against unethical practices of the private traders, consumer cooperation in India seems to have failed, except probably in some isolated pockets. A number of social welfare functions like poverty alleviation and public distribution of essential items of consumption have been imposed on them at the cost of their basic economics. With the basic micro and macro-economic rationale for consumer cooperatives as a positive form of economic organization being lost sight of, they seem to be facing enormous problems both historically as well as currently in a era of economic liberalization. Their worries seem to have been compounded with the threat of impending competition from large private enterpriss - both domestic and foreign, which highlights the need for evolving strategies to rectivy their systemic weaknesses and tackling the competition head on. This case has attempted to document just such an initiative through a round table conference with several doyens of the consumer cooperative movement in India such as Warana Bazar and Amalsad Mandali as well as some fledging consumer cooperatives from West Bengal which are already in existence for some time or contemplating entry into this field. The roundtable conference organized in the spirit of Cooperation among Cooperatives attempted to evolve strategies to capture economies of scale and scope in order to take on the competition, as well as to facilitate dissemination of ideas and information across the country.
Controlling the uncontrolled by noticing the unnoticed: Scope definition and management of scope changes & scope creep in large infrastructure projects in construction industry for lump sum contracts
No full textProject scope is the work that must be accomplished to produce a deliverable with specified features and functions. The deliverable can be a product, service or other result (Kerzner & Saladis, 2010). A project scope with clearly defined goals and objectives has been verified as a dimension for project success by some researchers. Furthermore, projects often seem to grow naturally as the project progresses from inception through design development to construction (Jennifer S. Shane, 2009). Observations from literature and practice show that poor scope management and control is the leading cause of project failure. O. Hussain, (2012) states that scope creep is one of the leading causes of project failure globally according to the 2010 Global Survey...Civil Engineering | Construction Management and Engineerin
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