The Roberta Mitchell Lecture: Structuring Responsibility in Securitization Transactions

In this Lecture, Professor Schwarcz examines how complex securitization transactions may have created a “protection gap,” the conundrum that transaction parties may be unable to purchase or might not want to pay the price for full protection. As a result, they sometimes choose or are forced to assume the good faith of the other parties to the transaction and the consistency and completeness of protections provided in the transaction documents

Legislating for Air Quality Management: Reducing Theory to Practice

What does it mean to bootstrap a compiler, and why do it? This paper reports on the first bootstrapping of a full-scale EOO (Equation-based Object-Oriented) modeling language such as Modelica. Bootstrapping means that the compiler of a language can compile itself. However, the usual application area for the Modelica is modeling and simulation of complex physical systems. Fortunately it turns out that with some minor extensions, the Modelica language is well suited for the modeling of language semantics. We use the name MetaModelica for this slightly extended Modelica. This is a prerequisite for bootstrapping which requires that the language can be used to model and/or implement itself. The OpenModelica Compiler (OMC) has been written in this MetaModelica language. It originally supported only the standard Modelica language but has been gradually extended to also cover the MetaModelica language extensions. After substantial work, OMC is able to quickly compile itself and produces an executable with good performance. The benefits include a more extensible and maintainable compiler by introducing improved language constructs and a more powerful runtime that makes it easy to add functionality such as parser generators, debuggers, and profiling tools. Future work includes extracting and restructuring parts of OMC, making the compiler smaller and more modular and extensible. This will also make it easier to interface with OMC, making it possible to create more powerful and user-friendly OpenModelica-based tools. The compiler and its bootstrapping is a major effort -- it is currently about 330 000 lines of code, and the MetaModelica extensions are used routinely by approximately ten developers on a daily basis

Judicial Independence and Democratic Accountability in Highest State Courts

Carrington notes that because judges in trial and intermediate courts are accountable to highest courts, it is the latter that are responsible for keeping the faith with democratic traditions

La politique budgétaire stabilisée

En 2005, la politique budgétaire n’apparaît plus comme l’élément dominant de la différence des performances de croissance entre les États-Unis et la zone euro. Après des impulsions budgétaires de 1,2 point de PIB en moyenne depuis 2001, la contribution de la politique budgétaire américaine à la croissance serait négative en 2005. En 2005, le déficit budgétaire de la zone euro se détériorerait légèrement, avec l’abandon d’une politique discrétionnaire restrictive, l’impulsion devenant légèrement positive. Cinq pays appartenant à la zone euro, la France, l’Allemagne, l’Italie, le Portugal et la Grèce, présenteraient un déficit encore supérieur à 3 % en 2005 et en 2006. L’assouplissement du volet répressif du Pacte de stabilité, lors de la réforme intervenue en mars 2005, n’aurait pourtant pas engendré en 2005 un écart du déficit par rapport aux objectifs des Programmes de stabilité supérieur à celui réalisé sur la période 2001-2004. Mais le cycle électoral s’annonçant en Italie en 2006 et en France en 2007 constituerait un risque de dérive par rapport aux objectifs affichés dans les lois de Finances pour 2006. Aux États-Unis, en revanche, l’abandon d’une orientation budgétaire restrictive interromprait la réduction du déficit public, rendant plus risquée la gestion des déséquilibres internes et externes

Hybrid Simulation Safety: Limbos and Zero Crossings

Physical systems can be naturally modeled by combining continuous and discrete models. Such hybrid models may simplify the modeling task of complex system, as well as increase simulation performance. Moreover, modern simulation engines can often efficiently generate simulation traces, but how do we know that the simulation results are correct? If we detect an error, is the error in the model or in the simulation itself? This paper discusses the problem of simulation safety, with the focus on hybrid modeling and simulation. In particular, two key aspects are studied: safe zero-crossing detection and deterministic hybrid event handling. The problems and solutions are discussed and partially implemented in Modelica and Ptolemy II

A Rewriting-Logic-Based Technique for Modeling Thermal Systems

This paper presents a rewriting-logic-based modeling and analysis technique for physical systems, with focus on thermal systems. The contributions of this paper can be summarized as follows: (i) providing a framework for modeling and executing physical systems, where both the physical components and their physical interactions are treated as first-class citizens; (ii) showing how heat transfer problems in thermal systems can be modeled in Real-Time Maude; (iii) giving the implementation in Real-Time Maude of a basic numerical technique for executing continuous behaviors in object-oriented hybrid systems; and (iv) illustrating these techniques with a set of incremental case studies using realistic physical parameters, with examples of simulation and model checking analyses.Comment: In Proceedings RTRTS 2010, arXiv:1009.398

Kan den nordliga rotgallnematoden, Meloidogyne hapla, bekämpas med svampen Clonostachys rosea? : en experimentell studie

The northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla, is causing great economical losses to growers worldwide. There is a need for alternative control measures that are environmentally sustainable and effective against the nematode. Biological control is one promising control measure and there are multiple biological control agents on the market against fungal pathogens and insects. One such biocontrol agent is the fungus Clonostachys rosea. In this experiment the biocontrol effect of C. rosea against the root-knot nematode M. hapla was evaluated. The investigation included an antibiosis in vitro experiment and a pot experiment with carrot and lettuce under controlled conditions. Additionally, the effect from drought on M. hapla infection and C. rosea biocontrol was tested. Drought increased the infection by M. hapla on carrot and caused a significant (P < 0,001) decrease in fresh and dry root weight and shoot dry weight, indicating a higher parasitic effect on plant mass of infected plants during dryer periods in cultivated fields of carrot. No biological control effect from C. rosea on M. hapla was detected, nor any growth promoting effects from the fungus on the plants. However, plants treated with C. rosea showed an increased tolerance towards drought stress by not showing significant distinction between plant mass under normal and drought conditions, which was seen in the other treatments. Though, an error due to a high buildup of roots in the peat soil made it difficult to count the galls on plant roots, affecting the result of biocontrol effect and actual nematode infection. The use of sand might have simplified the rinse of the roots and a more accurate result could have been obtained