  In vertical federated learning (FL), the features of a data sample are
distributed across multiple agents. As such, inter-agent collaboration can be
beneficial not only during the learning phase, as is the case for standard
horizontal FL, but also during the inference phase. A fundamental theoretical
question in this setting is how to quantify the cost, or performance loss, of
decentralization for learning and/or inference. In this paper, we consider
general supervised learning problems with any number of agents, and provide a
novel information-theoretic quantification of the cost of decentralization in
the presence of privacy constraints on inter-agent communication within a
Bayesian framework. The cost of decentralization for learning and/or inference
is shown to be quantified in terms of conditional mutual information terms
involving features and label variables.


  In this paper we discuss the global symmetries and the renormalizibility of
Lee-Wick scalar QED. In particular, in the "auxiliary-field" formalism we
identify softly broken SO(1,1) global symmetries of the theory. We introduce
SO(1,1) invariant gauge-fixing conditions that allow us to show in the
two-field formalism directly that the number of superficially divergent
amplitudes in a LW Abelian gauge theory is finite. To illustrate the
renormalizability of the theory, we explicitly carry out the one-loop
renormalization program in LW scalar QED and demonstrate how the counterterms
required are constrained by the joint conditions of gauge- and
SO(1,1)-invariance. We also compute the one-loop beta-functions in LW scalar
QED and contrast them with those of ordinary scalar QED.


  We investigate the local thermal transport in a quantum trimer of harmonic
oscillators connected to two thermal baths. The coupling between them are
augmented by complex phases which leads to the quantum control of the local
atypical heat current between two oscillators connected to the same heat bath.
Our study reveals that this atypical heat current is a consequence of the
lifting of the dark mode and the modulation of this current is due to variation
in system bath correlations. The proposed quantum system may find application
in quantum thermal and memory devices by leveraging the heat current.


  We establish the existence of an entire solution for a class of stationary
Schr\"{o}dinger systems with subcritical discontinuous nonlinearities and lower
bounded potentials that blow-up at infinity. The proof is based on the critical
point theory in the sense of Clarke and we apply Chang's version of the
Mountain Pass Lemma for locally Lipschitz functionals. Our result generalizes
in a nonsmooth framework a result of Rabinowitz \cite{rabi} related to entire
solutions of the Schr\"{o}dinger equation.


  We revisit propagation of galactic cosmic rays (CRs) in light of recent
advances in CR diffusion theory in realistic interstellar turbulence. We use a
tested model of turbulence in which it has been shown that fast modes dominate
scattering of CRs. As a result, propagation becomes inhomogeneous and
environment dependent. By adopting the formalism of the nonlinear theory
developed by Yan & Lazarian, we calculate the diffusion of CRs
self-consistently from first principles. We assume a two- phase model for the
Galaxy to account for different damping mechanisms of the fast modes, and we
find that the energy dependence of the diffusion coefficient is mainly affected
by medium properties. We show that it gives a correct framework to interpret
some of the recent CR puzzles.


  The design automation of analog circuits is a longstanding challenge in the
integrated circuit field. This paper presents a deep reinforcement learning
method to expedite the design of analog circuits at the pre-layout stage, where
the goal is to find device parameters to fulfill desired circuit
specifications. Our approach is inspired by experienced human designers who
rely on domain knowledge of analog circuit design (e.g., circuit topology and
couplings between circuit specifications) to tackle the problem. Unlike all
prior methods, our method originally incorporates such key domain knowledge
into policy learning with a graph-based policy network, thereby best modeling
the relations between circuit parameters and design targets. Experimental
results on exemplary circuits show it achieves human-level design accuracy
(~99%) with 1.5x efficiency of existing best-performing methods. Our method
also shows better generalization ability to unseen specifications and
optimality in circuit performance optimization. Moreover, it applies to
designing diverse analog circuits across different semiconductor technologies,
breaking the limitations of prior ad-hoc methods in designing one particular
type of analog circuits with conventional semiconductor technology.


  The primordial perturbation is widely accepted to be generated through the
vacuum fluctuation of the scalar field which drives inflation. It is, however,
not completely clear what is the natural vacuum in the inflationary universe
particularly in the presence of non-linear interactions. In this series of
papers, we will address this issue, focusing on the condition required for the
removal of the divergence from the infrared (IR) contribution to loop diagrams.
We show that requesting the gauge invariance in the local observable universe
guarantees the IR regularity of the loop corrections beginning with a simple
initial state. In our previous works, the IR regularity condition was discussed
using the slow roll expansion, which restricts the background evolution of the
inflationary universe. We will show more generally that requesting the gauge
invariance/the IR regularity leads to non-trivial constraints on the allowed
quantum states.


  In 1996, Ricardo Ricardo Ma\~n\'e discovered that Mather measures are in fact
the minimizers of a "universal" infinite dimensional linear programming
problem. This fundamental result has many applications, one of the most
important is to the estimates of the generic number of Mather measures.
Ma\~n\'e obtained the first estimation of that sort by using finite dimensional
approximations. Recently, we were able with Gonzalo Contreras to use this
method of finite dimensional approximation in order to solve a conjecture of
John Mather concerning the generic number of Mather measures for families of
Lagrangian systems. In the present paper we obtain finer results in that
direction by applying directly some classical tools of convex analysis to the
infinite dimensional problem. We use a notion of countably rectifiable sets of
finite codimension in Banach (and Frechet) spaces which may deserve independent
interest.


  The phase behavior of hard rectangular rods with length L and diameter D is
studied in a narrow slit-like pore using the Parsons-Lee density functional
theory. Using the restricted orientation approximation, we find strong
adsorption at the walls with planar ordering, second order uniaxial-biaxial
ordering transitions and first order layering transitions. The layering
transition takes place between two fluids having n and n+1 layers, where the
layer spacing is in the order of D. In the case of weak shape anisotropy
(L/D=3), the coexisting fluids can be either uniaxial or biaxial, while both
phases are found to be biaxial for L/D=6 and L/D=9. Interestingly, even two or
more layering transitions can be observed with increasing density at a given
shape anisotropy and pore width.


  Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion
images (MPI) can be displayed both in traditional short-axis (SA) cardiac
planes and polar maps for interpretation and quantification. It is essential to
reorient the reconstructed transaxial SPECT MPI into standard SA slices. This
study is aimed to develop a deep-learning-based approach for automatic
reorientation of MPI. Methods: A total of 254 patients were enrolled, including
228 stress SPECT MPIs and 248 rest SPECT MPIs. Five-fold cross-validation with
180 stress and 201 rest MPIs was used for training and internal validation; the
remaining images were used for testing. The rigid transformation parameters
(translation and rotation) from manual reorientation were annotated by an
experienced operator and used as the ground truth. A convolutional neural
network (CNN) was designed to predict the transformation parameters. Then, the
derived transform was applied to the grid generator and sampler in spatial
transformer network (STN) to generate the reoriented image. A loss function
containing mean absolute errors for translation and mean square errors for
rotation was employed. A three-stage optimization strategy was adopted for
model optimization: 1) optimize the translation parameters while fixing the
rotation parameters; 2) optimize rotation parameters while fixing the
translation parameters; 3) optimize both translation and rotation parameters
together.


  We experimentally study the structure and dynamics of magnetic domains in
synthetic antiferromagnets based on Co/Ru/Co films. Dramatic effects arise from
the interaction among the topological defects comprising the dual domain walls
in these structures. Under applied magnetic fields, the dual domain walls
propagate following the dynamics of bi-meronic (bi-vortex/bi-antivortex)
topological defects built in the walls. Application of an external field
triggers a rich dynamical response: The propagation depends on mutual
orientation and chirality of bi-vortices and bi-antivortices in the domain
walls. For certain configurations, we observe sudden jumps of composite domain
walls in increasing field, which are associated with the decay of composite
skyrmions. These features allow for enhanced control of domain-wall motion in
synthetic antiferromagnets with the potential of employing them as information
carriers in future logic and storage devices.


  We investigate the low temperature magnetic field dependences of both the
resistivity and the magnetization in the misfit cobaltate Ca3Co4O9 from 60 K
down to 2 K. The measured negative magnetoresistance reveals a scaling behavior
with the magnetization which demonstrates a spin dependent diffusion mechanism.
This scaling is also found to be consistent with a shadowed metalliclike
conduction over the whole temperature range. By explaining the observed
transport crossover, this result shed a new light on the nature of the
elementary excitations relevant to the transport.


  We present resummed predictions at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy
matched to the exact next-to-leading order results for a set of classical
event-shape observables in hadronic Higgs decays, i.e., for the channels $H\to
gg$ and $H\to b\bar{b}$. We furthermore consider soft-drop grooming of the
hadronic final states and derive corresponding $\text{NLO}+\text{NLL}^\prime$
predictions for the groomed thrust observable. Differences in the QCD radiation
pattern of gluon- and quark-initiated final states are imprinted in the
event-shape distributions, offering separation power for the two decay
channels. In particular, we show that ungroomed event shapes in $H\to gg$
decays develop a considerably harder spectrum than in $H\to b\bar b$ decays. We
highlight that soft-drop grooming can substantially alter this behaviour,
unless rather inclusive grooming parameters are chosen.


  We present results from our cosmological N-body simulation which consisted of
2048x2048x2048 particles and ran distributed across three supercomputers
throughout Europe. The run, which was performed as the concluding phase of the
Gravitational Billion Body Problem DEISA project, integrated a 30 Mpc box of
dark matter using an optimized Tree/Particle Mesh N-body integrator. We ran the
simulation up to the present day (z=0), and obtained an efficiency of about
0.93 over 2048 cores compared to a single supercomputer run. In addition, we
share our experiences on using multiple supercomputers for high performance
computing and provide several recommendations for future projects.


  For \math{p\ge 1}, we prove that every forest with \math{p} trees whose sizes
are $a_1,..., a_p$ can be embedded in any graph containing at least
$\sum_{i=1}^p (a_i + 1)$ vertices and having a minimum degree at least
$\sum_{i=1}^p a_i$.


  The reinforcement learning research area contains a wide range of methods for
solving the problems of intelligent agent control. Despite the progress that
has been made, the task of creating a highly autonomous agent is still a
significant challenge. One potential solution to this problem is intrinsic
motivation, a concept derived from developmental psychology. This review
considers the existing methods for determining intrinsic motivation based on
the world model obtained by the agent. We propose a systematic approach to
current research in this field, which consists of three categories of methods,
distinguished by the way they utilize a world model in the agent's components:
complementary intrinsic reward, exploration policy, and intrinsically motivated
goals. The proposed unified framework describes the architecture of agents
using a world model and intrinsic motivation to improve learning. The potential
for developing new techniques in this area of research is also examined.


  We present the current results in the study of weighted composition operators
on weighted Banach spaces of an unbounded, locally finite metric space.
Specifically, we determine characterizations of bounded and compact weighted
composition operators, including the operator and essential norms. In addition,
we characterize the weighted composition operators that are injective, are
bounded below, have closed range, and have bounded inverse. We characterize the
isometries and surjective isometries among the weighted composition operators,
as well as those that satisfy the Fredholm condition. Lastly, we provide
numerous interesting examples of the richness of these operators acting on the
discrete weighted Banach spaces.


  In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) we present the
corrections to the heavy neutral CP-even Higgs-boson production in the
WW-fusion and Higgs-strahlung channel, e+e- -> \bar nu nu H, taking into
account all O(\alpha) corrections arising from loops of fermions and sfermions.
While the H boson shows decoupling behavior at the tree-level, we find
non-negligible loop corrections that can enhance the cross section
considerably. At a center-of-mass energy of \sqrt{s} = 1000 GeV, masses of up
to M_H <= 750 GeV are accessible at the LC in favorable regions of the MSSM
parameter space.


  An introduction to the Quantum Chemistry Package (QCP), implemented in the
computer algebra system Maple, is presented. The QCP combines sophisticated
electronic structure methods and Maple's easy-to-use graphical interface to
enable computation and visualization of the electronic energies and properties
of molecules. Here we describe how the QCP can be used in the chemistry
classroom using lessons provided within the package. In particular, the
calculation and visualization of molecular orbitals of hydrogen fluoride, the
application of the particle in a box to conjugated dyes, the use of geometry
optimization and normal mode analysis for hypochlorous acid, and the
thermodynamics of combustion of methane.


  We derive exact relations between the Potts model partition function, or
equivalently the Tutte polynomial, for a network (graph) $G$ and a network
obtained from $G$ by (i) by replacing each edge (i.e., bond) of $G$ by two or
more edges joining the same vertices, and (ii) by inserting one or more
degree-2 vertices on edges of $G$. These processes are called edge and vertex
inflation, respectively. The physical effects of these edge and vertex
inflations are discussed. We also present exact calculations of these
polynomials for families of networks obtained via the operation (ii) on a
subset of the bonds of the network. Applications of these results include
calculations of some network reliability polynomials. In addition, we evaluate
our results to calculate various quantities of structural interest such as
numbers of spanning trees, etc., and to determine their asymptotic behavior for
large networks.


  This article is dedicated to the estimation of Wasserstein distances and
Wasserstein costs between two distinct continuous distributions $F$ and $G$ on
$\mathbb R$. The estimator is based on the order statistics of (possibly
dependent) samples of $F$ resp. $G$. We prove the consistency and the
asymptotic normality of our estimators. \begin{it}Keywords:\end{it} Central
Limit Theorems- Generelized Wasserstein distances- Empirical processes- Strong
approximation- Dependent samples.


  In this paper we consider the Dvali and G\'omez assumption that the end state
of a gravitational collapse is a Bose-Einstein condensate of gravitons. We then
construct the two Gross-Pitaevskii equations for a static and spherically
symmetric configuration of the condensate. These two equations correspond to
the constrained minimisation of the gravitational Hamiltonian with respect to
the redshift and the Newtonian potential, per given number of gravitons. We
find that the effective geometry of the condensate is the one of a gravastar (a
DeSitter star) with a sub-Planckian cosmological constant, for masses larger
than the Planck scale. Thus, a condensate corresponding to a semiclassical
black hole, is always quantum and weakly coupled. Finally, we obtain that the
boundary of our gravastar, although it is not the location of a horizon,
corresponds to the Schwarzschild radius.


  Advances in deep learning over the last decade have led to a flurry of
research in the application of deep artificial neural networks to robotic
systems, with at least thirty papers published on the subject between 2014 and
the present. This review discusses the applications, benefits, and limitations
of deep learning vis-\`a-vis physical robotic systems, using contemporary
research as exemplars. It is intended to communicate recent advances to the
wider robotics community and inspire additional interest in and application of
deep learning in robotics.


  The internal structure of neutron stars and the physical properties of nuclei
depend on the equation of state (EOS) of neutron matter. Dilute neutron matter
is a quantum system of spin-1/2 Fermi particles interacting via s-wave
scattering. Although a nuclear system and an ultracold atomic system have
length scales and energy scales that differ by several orders of magnitude,
both systems follow a common universal EOS considering their non-dimensional
universal interaction parameters. In this study, we determine the EOS of
neutron matter in the dilute region, where the influence of the s-wave
scattering length is dominant but that of the effective range is small, by
utilizing a quantum simulator of ultracold $^6$Li atoms with Feshbach
resonance.


  We discuss tangent maps related to the multipliers of periodic points of a
typical one-dimensional polynomial map.


  Generalized Parton Distributions are investigated within a holographic
approach where the string modes in the fifth dimension describe the nucleon in
a bottom-up or AdS/QCD framework. The aim is to bring the AdS/QCD results in
the realm of phenomenology in order to extract consequences and previsions. Two
main aspects are studied: i) the role of the confining potential needed for
breaking conformal invariance and introducing confinement (both: classic
Soft-Wall and recent Infra-Red potentials are investigated); ii) the extension
of the predicted GPDs to the entire range of off-forward kinematics by means of
Double-Distributions. Higher Fock states are included describing the nucleon as
a superposition of three valence quarks and quark-antiquark pairs and gluons.


  The outpouring of radiation during an X-ray burst can affect the properties
of accretion discs around neutron stars: the corona can cool and collapse, the
inner regions can be bled away due to enhanced accretion, and the additional
heating will lead to changes in the disc height. In this paper, we investigate
whether radiation from bursts can cause the disc to distort through a warping
instability. Working in the limit of isotropic viscosity and linear growth, we
find that bursts are more likely to drive disc warps when they have larger
luminosities and longer durations. Therefore, warps will be most probable
during intermediate duration bursts (IMDBs) and superbursts with evidence for
photospheric radius expansion. Further, the development of warps depends on the
disc viscosity with larger values of $\alpha$ increasing the likelihood of warp
growth. We perform time-dependent evolution calculations of the development of
warps during Type I bursts and IMDBs. Depending on the initial warp prior to
the burst, we find the burst produces warps at $r$ <~ 50 $r_g$ that rapidly
grow and decay on second-long timescales, or ones that grow more slowly and
cover a large fraction of the disc. The pulsations of warp at small radii
appear to have the properties needed to explain the achromatic fluctuations
that have been observed during the tails of some IMDBs. The large scale, slowly
growing warps could account for the large reflection strengths and absorbing
column densities inferred late in the 4U 1820-30 and 4U 1636-53 superbursts.


  Image-text matching tasks have recently attracted a lot of attention in the
computer vision field. The key point of this cross-domain problem is how to
accurately measure the similarity between the visual and the textual contents,
which demands a fine understanding of both modalities. In this paper, we
propose a novel position focused attention network (PFAN) to investigate the
relation between the visual and the textual views. In this work, we integrate
the object position clue to enhance the visual-text joint-embedding learning.
We first split the images into blocks, by which we infer the relative position
of region in the image. Then, an attention mechanism is proposed to model the
relations between the image region and blocks and generate the valuable
position feature, which will be further utilized to enhance the region
expression and model a more reliable relationship between the visual image and
the textual sentence. Experiments on the popular datasets Flickr30K and MS-COCO
show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Besides the public datasets, we
also conduct experiments on our collected practical large-scale news dataset
(Tencent-News) to validate the practical application value of proposed method.
As far as we know, this is the first attempt to test the performance on the
practical application. Our method achieves the state-of-art performance on all
of these three datasets.


  We explain and generalise row-removal phenomena for Schur algebras via
isomorphisms between subquotients of these algebras. In particular, we prove a
new reduction formulae for $p$-Kostka numbers and extension groups between Weyl
and simple modules.


  A rigorous, modern version of Boole's algebra of logic is presented, based
partly on the 1890s treatment of Ernst Schroder.


  The real-world deployment of fair allocation algorithms usually involves a
heterogeneous population of users, which makes it challenging for the users to
get complete knowledge of the allocation except for their own bundles. Chan et
al. [IJCAI 2019] proposed a new fairness notion, maximin-awareness (MMA), which
guarantees that every agent is not the worst-off one, no matter how the items
that are not allocated to her are distributed. We adapt and generalize this
notion to the case of indivisible chores and when the agents may have arbitrary
weights. Due to the inherent difficulty of MMA, we also consider its up to one
and up to any relaxations. A string of results on the existence and computation
of MMA related fair allocations, and their connections to existing fairness
concepts is given.


  In this paper we show that the solution of the supercrti- cal surface
quasi-geostrophic (SQG) equation, starting from initial data in homogeneous
critical Besov spaces belong to a subanalytic Gevrey class. In particular, we
improve upon the result of Dong and Li in [26], where they showed that the
solutions of Chen-Miao-Zhang (cf. [11]) are classical solutions. We extend the
approach of Biswas (cf. [7]) to critical, L^p -based Besov spaces, and adapt
the point of view of Lemarie- Rieusset (cf. [36]), who treated the operator
arising from applying the analytic Gevrey operator to a product of analytic
functions as a bilinear multiplier operator. In order to obtain L^p bounds, we
prove that our bilinear multiplier operator is of Marcinkiewicz type, and show
that due to additional localizations inherited from working in Besov spaces,
this condition implies boundedness.


  The behavior of granular column collapses is associated with the dynamics of
geohazards, such as debris flows, landslides, and pyroclastic flows, yet its
underlying physics is still not well understood. In this paper, we explore
granular column collapses using the spheropolyhedral discrete element method
(DEM), where the system contains two types of particles with different
frictional properties. We impose three different mixing ratios and multiple
different particle frictional coefficients, which lead to different run-out
distances and deposition heights. Based on our previous work and a simple
mixture theory, we propose a new effective initial aspect ratio for the
bi-frictional granular mixture, which helps unify the description of the
relative run-out distances. We analyze the kinematics of bi-frictional granular
column collapses and find that deviations from classical power-law scaling in
both the dimensionless terminal time and the dimensionless time when the system
reaches the maximum kinetic energy may result from differences in the initial
solid fraction and initial structures. To clarify the influence of initial
states, we further decrease the initial solid fraction of granular column
collapses, and propose a trial function to quantitatively describe its
influence. Due to the utilization of a simple mixture theory of contact
occurrence probability, this study can be associated with the
friction-dependent rheology of granular systems and friction-induced granular
segregations, and further generalized into applications with multiple species
of particles in various natural and engineering mixtures.


  We study a model that intermediates among the wave, heat, and transport
equations. The approach considers the propagation of initial disturbances in a
one-dimensional medium that can vibrate. The medium is nonlinear in such a form
that nonlocal differential expressions are required to describe the
time-evolution of solutions. Non-locality is modeled with a space-time
fractional differential equation of order $1 \leq \alpha \leq 2$ in time, and
order $1\leq \beta \leq 2$ in space. We adopt the notion of Caputo for
time-derivative and the Riesz pseudo-differential operator for
space-derivative. The corresponding Cauchy problem is solved for zero initial
velocity and initial disturbance represented by either the Dirac delta or the
Gaussian distributions. Well known results for the partial differential
equations of wave propagation, diffusion and (modified) transport processes are
recovered as particular cases. In addition, regular solutions are found for the
partial differential equation that arises from $\alpha=2$ and $\beta=1$. Unlike
the above cases, the latter equation permits the presence of nodes in its
solutions.


  We study individual pulses of Vela (PSR\ B0833-45\,/\,J0835-4510) from daily
observations of over three hours (around 120,000 pulses per observation),
performed simultaneously with the two radio telescopes at the Argentine
Institute of Radioastronomy. We select 4 days of observations in January-March
2021 and study their statistical properties with machine learning techniques.
We first use density based DBSCAN clustering techniques, associating pulses
mainly by amplitudes, and find a correlation between higher amplitudes and
earlier arrival times. We also find a weaker (polarization dependent)
correlation with the mean width of the pulses. We identify clusters of the
so-called mini-giant pulses, with $\sim10\times$ the average pulse amplitude.
We then perform an independent study, with Self-Organizing Maps (SOM)
clustering techniques. We use Variational AutoEncoder (VAE) reconstruction of
the pulses to separate them clearly from the noise and select one of the days
of observation to train VAE and apply it to thre rest of the observations. We
use SOM to determine 4 clusters of pulses per day per radio telescope and
conclude that our main results are robust and self-consistent. These results
support models for emitting regions at different heights (separated each by
roughly a hundred km) in the pulsar magnetosphere. We also model the pulses
amplitude distribution with interstellar scintillation patterns at the
inter-pulses time-scale finding a characterizing exponent
$n_{\mathrm{ISS}}\sim7-10$. In the appendices we discuss independent checks of
hardware systematics with the simultaneous use of the two radio telescopes in
different one-polarization / two-polarizations configurations. We also provide
a detailed analysis of the processes of radio-interferences cleaning and
individual pulse folding.


  We introduce a graphical framework for multiple instance learning (MIL) based
on Markov networks. This framework can be used to model the traditional MIL
definition as well as more general MIL definitions. Different levels of
ambiguity -- the portion of positive instances in a bag -- can be explored in
weakly supervised data. To train these models, we propose a discriminative
max-margin learning algorithm leveraging efficient inference for
cardinality-based cliques. The efficacy of the proposed framework is evaluated
on a variety of data sets. Experimental results verify that encoding or
learning the degree of ambiguity can improve classification performance.


  The concept of non-Hermiticity has expanded the understanding of band
topology leading to the emergence of counter-intuitive phenomena. One example
is the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE), which involves the concentration of
eigenstates at the boundary. However, despite the potential insights that can
be gained from high-dimensional non-Hermitian quantum systems in areas like
curved space, high-order topological phases, and black holes, the realization
of this effect in high dimensions remains unexplored. Here, we create a
two-dimensional (2D) non-Hermitian topological band for ultracold fermions in
spin-orbit-coupled optical lattices with tunable dissipation, and
experimentally examine the spectral topology in the complex eigenenergy plane.
We experimentally demonstrate pronounced nonzero spectral winding numbers when
the dissipation is added to the system, which establishes the existence of 2D
skin effect. We also demonstrate that a pair of exceptional points (EPs) are
created in the momentum space, connected by an open-ended bulk Fermi arc, in
contrast to closed loops found in Hermitian systems. The associated EPs emerge
and shift with increasing dissipation, leading to the formation of the Fermi
arc. Our work sets the stage for further investigation into simulating
non-Hermitian physics in high dimensions and paves the way for understanding
the interplay of quantum statistics with NHSE.


  In this paper, we present PerfEnforce, a scaling engine designed to enable
cloud providers to sell performance levels for data analytics cloud services.
PerfEnforce scales a cluster of virtual machines allocated to a user in a way
that minimizes cost while probabilistically meeting the query runtime
guarantees offered by a service level agreement. With PerfEnforce, we show how
to scale a cluster in a way that minimally disrupts a user's query session. We
further show when to scale the cluster using one of three methods: feedback
control, reinforcement learning, or perceptron learning. We find that
perceptron learning outperforms the other two methods when making cluster
scaling decisions.


  There is recently a surge in approaches that learn low-dimensional embeddings
of nodes in networks. As there are many large-scale real-world networks, it's
inefficient for existing approaches to store amounts of parameters in memory
and update them edge after edge. With the knowledge that nodes having similar
neighborhood will be close to each other in embedding space, we propose COSINE
(COmpresSIve NE) algorithm which reduces the memory footprint and accelerates
the training process by parameters sharing among similar nodes. COSINE applies
graph partitioning algorithms to networks and builds parameter sharing
dependency of nodes based on the result of partitioning. With parameters
sharing among similar nodes, COSINE injects prior knowledge about higher
structural information into training process which makes network embedding more
efficient and effective. COSINE can be applied to any embedding lookup method
and learn high-quality embeddings with limited memory and shorter training
time. We conduct experiments of multi-label classification and link prediction,
where baselines and our model have the same memory usage. Experimental results
show that COSINE gives baselines up to 23% increase on classification and up to
25% increase on link prediction. Moreover, time of all representation learning
methods using COSINE decreases from 30% to 70%.


  The metaverse is expected to be the next major evolution phase of the
internet. The metaverse will have an impact on human society, production, and
life. In this work, we analyze the current trends and challenges that building
such a virtual environment will face. We focus on three major pillars to guide
the development of the metaverse: privacy, governance, and ethical design, to
guide the development of the metaverse. Finally, we propose a preliminary
modular-based framework for an ethical design of the metaverse.


  Let $M^3$ be a 3-dimensional manifold with fundamental group $\pi_1(M)$ which
contains a quaternion subgroup $Q$ of order 8. In 1979 Cappell and Shaneson
constructed a nontrivial normal map $ f\colon M^3\times T^2\to M^3\times S^2$
which cannot be detected by simply connected surgery obstructions along
submanifolds of codimension 0, 1, or 2, but it can be detected by the
codimension 3 Kervaire-Arf invariant.
  The proof of non-triviality of $\sigma(f)\in L_5(\pi_1(M))$ is based on
consideration of a Browder-Livesay filtration of a manifold $X$ with
$\pi_1(X)\cong \pi_1(M)$. For a Browder-Livesay pair $Y^{n-1}\subset X^n$, the
restriction of a normal map to the submanifold $Y$ is given by a partial
multivalued map $\Gamma\colon L_n(\pi_1(X))\to L_{n-1}(\pi_1(Y))$, and the
Browder-Livesay filtration provides an iteration $\Gamma^n$. This map is a
basic step in the definition of the iterated Browder-Livesay invariants which
give obstructions to realization of surgery obstructions by normal maps of
closed manifolds.
  In the present paper we prove that $\Gamma^3(\sigma(f))=0$ for any
Browder-Livesay filtration of a manifold $X^{4k+1}$ with $\pi_1(X)\cong Q$.
  We compute splitting obstruction groups for various inclusions $\rho\to Q$ of
index 2, describe natural maps in the braids of exact sequences, and make more
precise several results about surgery obstruction groups of the group $Q$.


  Sparse-view CT reconstruction, aimed at reducing X-ray radiation risks,
frequently suffers from image quality degradation, manifested as noise and
artifacts. Existing post-processing and dual-domain techniques, although
effective in radiation reduction, often lead to over-smoothed results,
compromising diagnostic clarity. Addressing this, we introduce TD-Net, a
pioneering tri-domain approach that unifies sinogram, image, and frequency
domain optimizations. By incorporating Frequency Supervision Module(FSM),
TD-Net adeptly preserves intricate details, overcoming the prevalent
over-smoothing issue. Extensive evaluations demonstrate TD-Net's superior
performance in reconstructing high-quality CT images from sparse views,
efficiently balancing radiation safety and image fidelity. The enhanced
capabilities of TD-Net in varied noise scenarios highlight its potential as a
breakthrough in medical imaging.


  We study the influence of telegraph noise on synchrony of limit cycle
oscillators. Adopting the phase description for these oscillators, we derive
the explicit expression for the Lyapunov exponent. We show that either for weak
noise or frequent switching the Lyapunov exponent is negative, and the phase
model gives adequate analytical results. In some systems moderate noise can
desynchronize oscillations, and we demonstrate this for the Van der
Pol--Duffing system.


  CMB full-sky temperature data show a hemispherical asymmetry in power nearly
aligned with the Ecliptic. In real space, this anomaly can be quantified by the
temperature variance in the northern and southern Ecliptic hemispheres, with
the north displaying an anomalously low variance while the south appears
consistent with expectations from the best-fitting theory, LCDM. While this is
a well-established result in temperature, the low signal-to-noise ratio in
current polarization data prevents a similar comparison. Even though
temperature and polarization are correlated, polarization realizations
constrained by temperature data show that the lack of variance is not expected
to be present in polarization data. Therefore, a natural way of testing whether
the temperature result is a fluke is to measure the variance of CMB
polarization components. In anticipation of future CMB experiments that will
allow for high-precision large-scale polarization measurements, we study how
variance of polarization depends on LCDM parameters' uncertainties by
forecasting polarization maps with Planck's MCMC chains. We find that, unlike
temperature variance, polarization variance is noticeably sensitive to present
uncertainties in cosmological parameters. This comes mainly from the current
poor constraints on the reionization optical depth, tau, and the fact that tau
drives variance at low multipoles. In this work we show how the variance of
polarization maps generically depends on the cosmological parameters. We
demonstrate how the improvement in the tau measurement seen between Planck's
two latest data releases results in a tighter constraint on polarization
variance expectations. Finally, we consider even smaller uncertainties on tau
and how more precise measurements of tau can drive the expectation for
polarization variance in a hemisphere close to that of the
cosmic-variance-limited distribution.


  We prove that for a typical Radon measure mu in R^d, every non-zero Radon
measure is a tangent measure of mu at mu almost every point. This was already
shown by T. O'Neil in his PhD thesis from 1994, but we provide a different
self-contained proof for this fact. Moreover, we show that this result is
sharp: for any non-zero measure we construct a point in its support where the
set of tangent measures does not contain all non-zero measures. We also study a
concept similar to tangent measures on trees, micromeasures, and show an
analogous typical property for them.


  We discuss contact geometry naturally related with optimal control problems
(and Pontryagin Maximum Principle). We explore and expand the observations of
[Ohsawa, 2015], providing simple and elegant characterizations of normal and
abnormal sub-Riemannian extremals.


  We present a formalism that incorporates hydrogen Lyman-alpha (Ly$\alpha$)
polarization arising from the scattering of radiation in galaxy halos into the
intensity mapping approach. Using the halo model, and emission profiles based
on simulations and observations, we calculate auto and cross power spectra at
redshifts $3\leq z \leq13$ for the Ly$\alpha$ total intensity, $I$, polarized
intensity, $P$, degree of polarization, $\Pi=P/I$, and two new quantities, the
astrophysical $E$ and $B$ modes of Ly$\alpha$ polarization. The one-halo terms
of the $\Pi$ power spectra show a turnover that signals the average extent of
the polarization signal, and thus the extent of the scattering medium. The
position of this feature depends on redshift, and on the specific emission
profile shape and extent, in our formalism. Therefore, the comparison of
various Ly$\alpha$ polarization quantities and redshifts can break degeneracies
between competing effects, and it can reveal the true shape of the emission
profiles, and thus, the physical properties of the cool gas in halos.
Furthermore, measurements of Ly$\alpha$ $E$ and $B$ modes may be used as probes
of galaxy evolution, because they are related to the average degree of
anisotropy in the emission and in the halo gas distribution across redshifts.
The detection of the polarization signal at $z \sim 3-5$ requires improvements
in the sensitivity of current ground-based experiments by a factor of $\sim
10$, and of $\sim 100$ for space-based instruments targeting the redshifts
$z\sim 9-10$, the exact values depending on the specific redshift and
experiment. Interloper contamination in polarization is expected to be small,
because the interlopers need to also be polarized. Overall, Ly$\alpha$
polarization boosts the amount of physical information retrievable on galaxies
and their surroundings, most of it not achievable with total emission alone.
(abridged)


  The degree chromatic polynomial $Pm(G,k)$ of a graph $G$ counts the number of
$k$-colorings in which no vertex has $m$ adjacent vertices of its same color.
We prove Humpert and Martin's conjecture on the leading terms of the degree
chromatic polynomial of a tree.


  Using data from TNG300-2, we train a neural network (NN) to recreate the
stellar mass ($M^*$) and star formation rate (SFR) of central galaxies in a
dark-matter-only simulation. We consider 12 input properties from the halo and
sub-halo hosting the galaxy and the near environment. $M^*$ predictions are
robust, but the machine does not fully reproduce its scatter. The same happens
for SFR, but the predictions are not as good as for $M^*$. We chained neural
networks, improving the predictions on SFR to some extent. For SFR, we
time-averaged this value between $z=0$ and $z=0.1$, which improved results for
$z=0$. Predictions of both variables have trouble reproducing values at lower
and higher ends. We also study the impact of each input variable in the
performance of the predictions using a leave-one-covariate-out approach, which
led to insights about the physical and statistical relation between input
variables. In terms of metrics, our machine outperforms similar studies, but
the main discoveries in this work are not linked with the quality of the
predictions themselves, but to how the predictions relate to the input
variables. We find that previously studied relations between physical variables
are meaningful to the machine. We also find that some merger tree properties
strongly impact the performance of the machine. %We highlight the value of
machine learning (ML) methods in helping understand the information contained
in different variables, since with its help we were able to obtain useful
insights resulting from studying the impact of input variables on the resulting
behaviour of galaxy properties. We conclude that ML models are useful tools to
understand the significance of physical different properties and their impact
on target characteristics, as well as strong candidates for potential
simulation methods.


  Given the exponential expansion of the internet, the possibilities of
security attacks and cybercrimes have increased accordingly. However, poorly
implemented security mechanisms in the Internet of Things (IoT) devices make
them susceptible to cyberattacks, which can directly affect users. IoT
forensics is thus needed for investigating and mitigating such attacks. While
many works have examined IoT applications and challenges, only a few have
focused on both the forensic and security issues in IoT. Therefore, this paper
reviews forensic and security issues associated with IoT in different fields.
Future prospects and challenges in IoT research and development are also
highlighted. As demonstrated in the literature, most IoT devices are vulnerable
to attacks due to a lack of standardized security measures. Unauthorized users
could get access, compromise data, and even benefit from control of critical
infrastructure. To fulfil the security-conscious needs of consumers, IoT can be
used to develop a smart home system by designing a FLIP-based system that is
highly scalable and adaptable. Utilizing a blockchain-based authentication
mechanism with a multi-chain structure can provide additional security
protection between different trust domains. Deep learning can be utilized to
develop a network forensics framework with a high-performing system for
detecting and tracking cyberattack incidents. Moreover, researchers should
consider limiting the amount of data created and delivered when using big data
to develop IoT-based smart systems. The findings of this review will stimulate
academics to seek potential solutions for the identified issues, thereby
advancing the IoT field.


  We observe the decays $ $D^*_{s1}(2710)^+ \to D^*K$ and $D^*_{sJ}(2860)^+ \to
D^*K$ and measure their branching fractions relative to the $D K$ final state.
We also observe, in the $D^*K$ mass spectrum, a new broad structure at a mass
of $(3044 \pm 8_{stat} (^{+30}_{-5})_{syst})$ $MeV/c^2$ having a width
$\Gamma=(239 \pm 35_{stat} (^{+46}_{-42})_{syst})$ $MeV$. To obtain this result
we use 470 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$ of data recorded by the BaBar detector at the PEPII
asymmetric-energy $e^+e^-$ storage rings at the Stanford Linear Accelerator
Center running at center-of-mass energies near 10.6 GeV.


  In their study of a quartic integral, Boros and Moll introduced a special
case of Jacobi polynomials, which are now known as the Boros-Moll polynomials.
In this paper, we study a symmetric decomposition of Boros-Moll polynomials. We
discover that both of the polynomials in the symmetric decomposition are
alternatingly gamma-positive polynomials.


  We propose a simple method for combining together voting rules that performs
a run-off between the different winners of each voting rule. We prove that this
combinator has several good properties. For instance, even if just one of the
base voting rules has a desirable property like Condorcet consistency, the
combination inherits this property. In addition, we prove that combining voting
rules together in this way can make finding a manipulation more computationally
difficult. Finally, we study the impact of this combinator on approximation
methods that find close to optimal manipulations.


  Open-set object detection (OSOD) has recently gained attention. It is to
detect unknown objects while correctly detecting known objects. In this paper,
we first point out that the recent studies' formalization of OSOD, which
generalizes open-set recognition (OSR) and thus considers an unlimited variety
of unknown objects, has a fundamental issue. This issue emerges from the
difference between image classification and object detection, making it hard to
evaluate OSOD methods' performance properly. We then introduce a novel scenario
of OSOD, which considers known and unknown classes within a specified
super-class of object classes. This new scenario has practical applications and
is free from the above issue, enabling proper evaluation of OSOD performance
and probably making the problem more manageable. Finally, we experimentally
evaluate existing OSOD methods with the new scenario using multiple datasets,
showing that the current state-of-the-art OSOD methods attain limited
performance similar to a simple baseline method. The paper also presents a
taxonomy of OSOD that clarifies different problem formalizations. We hope our
study helps the community reconsider OSOD problems and progress in the right
direction.


  We demonstrate that an ultrashort high intensity laser pulse can propagate
for hundreds of Rayleigh ranges in a prepared neutral hydrogen channel by
generating its own plasma waveguide as it propagates; the front of the pulse
generates a waveguide that confines the rest of the pulse. A wide range of
suitable initial index structures will support this "self-waveguiding" process;
the necessary feature is that the gas density on axis is a minimum. Here, we
demonstrate self-waveguiding of pulses of at least $1.5\times10^{17} W/cm^2$
(normalized vector potential $a_0\sim0.3)$ over 10 cm, or $\sim100$ Rayleigh
ranges, limited only by our laser energy and length of our gas jet. We predict
and observe characteristic oscillations corresponding to mode-beating during
self-waveguiding. The self-waveguiding pulse leaves in its wake a fully ionized
low density plasma waveguide which can guide another pulse injected immediately
following; we demonstrate optical guiding of such a follow-on probe pulse


  To understand evolutionary and environmental effects during the formation of
high-mass stars, we observed three regions of massive star formation at
different evolutionary stages that reside in the same natal molecular cloud.
Methods. The three regions S255IR, S255N and S255S were observed at 1.3 mm with
the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and followup short spacing information was
obtained with the IRAM 30m telescope. Near infrared (NIR) H + K-band spectra
and continuum observations were taken for S255IR with VLT-SINFONI to study the
different stellar populations in this region. The combination of millimeter
(mm) and near infrared data allow us to characterize different stellar
populations within the young forming cluster in detail. While we find multiple
mm continuum sources toward all regions, their outflow, disk and chemical
properties vary considerably. The most evolved source S255IR exhibits a
collimated bipolar outflow visible in CO and H2 emission, the outflows from the
youngest region S255S are still small and rather confined in the regions of the
mm continuum peaks. Also the chemistry toward S255IR is most evolved exhibiting
strong emission from complex molecules, while much fewer molecular lines are
detected in S255N, and in S255S we detect only CO isotopologues and SO lines.
Also, rotational structures are found toward S255N and S255IR. Furthermore, a
comparison of the NIR SINFONI and mm data from S255IR clearly reveal two
different (proto) stellar populations with an estimated age difference of
approximately 1 Myr. A multi-wavelength spectroscopy and mapping study reveals
different evolutionary phases of the star formation regions. We propose the
triggered outside-in collapse star formation scenario for the bigger picture
and the fragmentation scenario for S255IR.


  We study anti-de Sitter black holes in the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet and the
generic R^2 gravity theories, evaluate different thermodynamic quantities, and
also examine the possibilities of Hawking-Page type thermal phase transitions
in these theories. In the Einstein theory, with a possible cosmological term,
one observes a Hawking-Page phase transition only if the event horizon is a
hypersurface of positive constant curvature (k=1). But, with the Gauss-Bonnet
or/and the (Riemann)^2 interaction terms, there may occur a similar phase
transition for a horizon of negative constant curvature (k=-1). We examine the
finite coupling effects, and find that N>5 could trigger a Hawking-Page phase
transition in the latter theory. For the Gauss-Bonnet black holes, one relates
the entropy of the black hole to a variation of the geometric property of the
horizon based on first law and Noether charge. With (Riemann)^2 term, however,
we can do this only approximately, and the two results agree when, r_H>>L, the
size of the horizon is much bigger than the AdS curvature scale. We establish
some relations between bulk data associated with the AdS black hole and
boundary data defined on the horizon of the AdS geometry. Following a heuristic
approach, we estimate the difference between Hubble entropy {\cal S}_H and
Bekenstein-Hawking entropy {\cal S}_{BH} with (Riemann)^2 term, which, for k=0
and k=-1, would imply {\cal S}_{BH}\leq {\cal S}_H.


  To facilitate knowledge reuse in engineering design, several dataset
approaches have been proposed and applied by designers. This paper builds a
patent-based knowledge graph, patent-KG, to represent the knowledge facts in
patents for engineering design. The arising patent-KG approach proposes a new
unsupervised mechanism to extract knowledge facts in a patent, by searching the
attention graph in language models. This method avoids using expensive labelled
data in supervised learning or listing complex syntactic rules in rule-based
extraction. The extracted entities are compared with other benchmarks in the
criteria of recall rate. The result reaches the highest 0.9 recall rate in the
standard list of mechanical engineering related technical terms, which means
the highest coverage of engineering words. The extracted relationships are also
compared with other benchmarks. The result shows that our method provides more
contextual information in relationships, and extracts more relationship types
including positional and negation relationships.


  In this paper the improved multipolar model of bremsstrahlung accompanied the
$\alpha$-decay is presented. The angular formalism of calculations of the
matrix elements, being enough complicated component of the model, is stated in
details. A new definition of the angular (differential) probability of the
photon emission in the $\alpha$-decay is proposed where direction of motion of
the $\alpha$-particle outside (with its tunneling inside barrier) is defined on
the basis of angular distribution of its spacial wave function. In such
approach, the model gives values of the angular probability of the photons
emission in absolute scale, without its normalization on experimental data.
Effectiveness of the proposed definition and accuracy of the spectra
calculations of the bremsstrahlung spectra are analyzed in their comparison
with experimental data for the $^{210}{\rm Po}$, $^{214}{\rm Po}$, $^{226}{\rm
Ra}$ and $^{244}{\rm Cm}$ nuclei, and for some other nuclei predictions are
performed (in absolute scale). With a purpose to find characteristics taking
influence on the bremsstrahlung probability strongly, a dependence of the
bremsstrahlung probability on effective charge of the decaying system is
analyzed. As a natural result, as supposed type of decaying system the emission
of proton from nucleus is studied, for which the effective charge is
essentially larger in a comparison with $\alpha$-decay. For some proton
emitters estimations of the bremsstrahlung probability are obtained (at first
time, in fully quantum approach). Also the bremsstrahlung in fission of the
$^{252}{\rm Cf}$ nucleus is analyzed.


  In this work, we have considered the DBI-essence dark energy model in FRW
Universe. We have found the exact solutions of potential, warped brane tension
and DBI scalar field. We also calculate the statefinder parameters for our
model that make it distinguishable among numerous dark energy models. Moreover,
we establish correspondence between DBI-essence and modified Chaplygin gas
(MCG) and hence reconstruct the potential and warped brane tension. By this
reconstruction, we observe that DBI scalar field and potential increase and
warped brane tension decreases during evolution of the Universe. Finally, we
investigate the validity of the generalized second law (GSL) of thermodynamics
in the presence of DBI-essence and modified Chaplygin gas. It is observed that
the GSL breaks down for DBI-essence model but GSL always satisfied for MCG
model.


  Quantum guessing games form a versatile framework for studying different
tasks of information processing. A quantum guessing game with posterior
information uses quantum systems to encode messages and classical communication
to give partial information after a quantum measurement has been performed. We
present a general framework for quantum guessing games with posterior
information and derive structure and reduction theorems that enable to analyze
any such game. We formalize symmetry of guessing games and characterize the
optimal measurements in cases where the symmetry is related to an irreducible
representation. The application of guessing games to incompatibility detection
is reviewed and clarified. All the presented main concepts and results are
demonstrated with examples.


  Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) aims to achieve secure
key distribution with only minimal assumptions, by basing its security on the
violation of Bell inequalities. While this offers strong security guarantees,
it comes at the cost of being challenging to implement experimentally. In this
thesis, we present security proofs for several techniques that help to improve
the keyrates and noise tolerance of DIQKD, such as noisy preprocessing, random
key measurements, and advantage distillation. We also show finite-size security
proofs for some protocols based on combining several of these techniques. These
results and proof techniques should be useful for further development of DIQKD
protocols.


  Modern day's vehicles require advanced communication system on board to
enable passengers benefit the most from available services. IEEE 802.11p is the
new extension of IEEE 802.11 standards; especially proposed for the high
vehicular environment. The WAVE documentation represents enhancements to the
Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) layer of IEEE 802.11 standards to
work efficiently in high vehicular environment. In this research work, the main
emphasis is on the new IEEE 802.11p enhancement of MAC and PHY layers. More
specifically, the target of this research is to setup a simulation environment
which will allow us to investigate the use of real time voice application,
using IEEE 802.11p (WAVE) enhance setting, in a single hop and multi-hop
environment where nodes are not directly connected. Also, the evaluation of
transmission between moving nodes are tested by simply sending and receiving
FTP file between them with varying speed of the moving nodes.


  A Lie system is a non-autonomous system of first-order ordinary differential
equations describing the integral curves of a non-autonomous vector field
taking values in a finite-dimensional real Lie algebra of vector fields, a
so-called Vessiot--Guldberg Lie algebra. In this work, multisymplectic
structures are applied to the study of the reduction of Lie systems through
their Lie symmetries. By using a momentum map, we perform a reduction and
reconstruction procedure of multisymplectic Lie systems, which allows us to
solve the original problem by analysing several simpler multisymplectic Lie
systems. Conversely, we study how reduced multisymplectic Lie systems allow us
to retrieve the form of the multisymplectic Lie system that gave rise to them.
Our results are illustrated with examples occurring in physics, mathematics,
and control theory.


  Sulfur abundances have been determined for ten stars to resolve a debate in
the literature on the Galactic chemical evolution of sulfur in the halo phase
of the Milky Way. Our analysis is based on observations of the S I lines at
9212.9, 9228.1, and 9237.5 A for stars for which the S abundance was obtained
previously from much weaker S I lines at 8694.0 and 8694.6 A. In contrast to
the previous results showing [S/Fe] to rise steadily with decreasing [Fe/H],
our results show that [S/Fe] is approximately constant for metal-poor stars
([Fe/H] < -1) at [S/Fe] = +0.3. Thus, sulfur behaves in a similar way to the
other alpha elements, with an approximately constant [S/Fe] for metallicities
lower than [Fe/H] = -1. We suggest that the reason for the earlier claims of a
rise of [S/Fe] is partly due to the use of the weak S I 8694.0 and 8694.6 A
lines and partly uncertainties in the determination of the metallicity when
using Fe I lines. The S I 9212.9, 9228.1, and 9237.5 A lines are preferred for
an abundance analysis of sulfur for metal-poor stars.


  We present the results of an on-sky point spread function reconstruction
(PSF-R) experiment for the Gemini North telescope adaptive optics system,
Altair, in the simplest mode, bright on-axis natural guise star. We demonstrate
that our PSF-R method does work for system performance diagnostic but suffers
from hidden telescope and system aberrations that are not accounted for in the
model, making the reconstruction unsuccessful for Altair, for now. We discuss
the probable origin of the discrepancy. In the last section, we propose
alternative PSF-R methods for future multiple natural and laser guide stars
systems.


  There is growing interest in the language developed by agents interacting in
emergent-communication settings. Earlier studies have focused on the agents'
symbol usage, rather than on their representation of visual input. In this
paper, we consider the referential games of Lazaridou et al. (2017) and
investigate the representations the agents develop during their evolving
interaction. We find that the agents establish successful communication by
inducing visual representations that almost perfectly align with each other,
but, surprisingly, do not capture the conceptual properties of the objects
depicted in the input images. We conclude that, if we are interested in
developing language-like communication systems, we must pay more attention to
the visual semantics agents associate to the symbols they use.


  It is shown that an undirected graph $G$ is cospectral with the Hermitian
adjacency matrix of a mixed graph $D$ obtained from a subgraph $H$ of $G$ by
orienting some of its edges if and only if $H=G$ and $D$ is obtained from $G$
by a four-way switching operation; if $G$ is connected, this happens if and
only if $\lambda_1(G)=\lambda_1(D)$. All mixed graphs of rank 2 are determined
and this is used to classify which mixed graphs of rank 2 are cospectral with
respect to their Hermitian adjacency matrix. Several families of mixed graphs
are found that are determined by their Hermitian spectrum in the sense that
they are cospectral precisely to those mixed graphs that are switching
equivalent to them.


  Some 15 years ago M. Kontsevich and A. Rosenberg [KR] proposed a heuristic
principle according to which the family of schemes ${Rep_n(A)}$ parametrizing
the finite-dimensional represen- tations of a noncommutative algebra A should
be thought of as a substitute or "approximation" for Spec(A). The idea is that
every property or noncommutative geometric structure on A should induce a
corresponding geometric property or structure on $Rep_n(A)$ for all n. In
recent years, many interesting structures in noncommutative geometry have
originated from this idea. In practice, however, if an associative algebra A
possesses a property of geometric nature (e.g., A is a NC complete
intersection, Cohen-Macaulay, Calabi-Yau, etc.), it often happens that, for
some n, the scheme $Rep_n(A)$ fails to have the corresponding property in the
usual algebro-geometric sense. The reason for this seems to be that the
representation functor $Rep_n$ is not "exact" and should be replaced by its
derived functor $DRep_n$ (in the sense of non-abelian homological algebra). The
higher homology of $DRep_n(A)$, which we call representation homology,
obstructs $Rep_n(A)$ from having the desired property and thus measures the
failure of the Kontsevich-Rosenberg "approximation." In this paper, which is
mostly a survey, we prove several results confirming this intuition. We also
give a number of examples and explicit computations illustrating the theory
developed in [BKR] and [BR].


  We investigate a large number of cosmological evolution models for QSOs and
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We introduce a spectrum-luminosity correlation as
a new input parameter and adopt the estimated mass function (MF) of massive
black holes in centers of nearby galactic nuclei as a constraint to distinguish
among different QSO/AGN models. We explore three basic types of
phenomenological scenarios; (i) Models with multiple short-lived ($\sim$ a few
$10^{6-8}$ yrs) populations, (ii) Models with a single long-lived ($\sim 10^9$
yr) QSO population, and (iii) Models with recurrent QSO/AGN activities which
are driven by long-term variabilities of the disk instability type. In each
model, we derive the expected theoretical luminosity function (LF) and the MF
of black holes which grow through mass accretion. We assess the plausibility of
each model based on whether each model's LF and MF are compatible with the
observed data. We find that the best fits to the observed LFs are obtained in
the model with multiple short-lived populations and without any significant
spectral evolution. This finding suggests that the QSO populations may be
composed of many short-lived generations ($\sim$ a few 10$^8$ yrs) and that
there is no significant spectral evolution within each generation. On the other
hand, we also show that there is no satisfactory model which can simultaneously
account for the observed LF and the estimated MF. We speculate that some of the
present-day black holes (BHs) found in galactic nuclei may have formed without
undergoing the QSO/AGN phase.


  We present high resolution (R~50,000) spectroastrometry over the CO 1st
overtone bandhead of a sample of seven intermediate/massive young stellar
objects. These are primarily drawn from the red MSX source (RMS) survey, a
systematic search for young massive stars which has returned a large, well
selected sample of such objects. The mean luminosity of the sample is
approximately 5 times 10^4 L_\odot, indicating the objects typically have a
mass of ~15 solar masses. We fit the observed bandhead profiles with a model of
a circumstellar disc, and find good agreement between the models and
observations for all but one object. We compare the high angular precision
(0.2-0.8 mas) spectroastrometric data to the spatial distribution of the
emitting material in the best-fitting models. No spatial signatures of discs
are detected, which is entirely consistent with the properties of the
best-fitting models. Therefore, the observations suggest that the CO bandhead
emission of massive young stellar objects originates in small-scale disks, in
agreement with previous work. This provides further evidence that massive stars
form via disc accretion, as suggested by recent simulations.


  The study of the Cu-Sn-In ternary system has become of great importance in
recent years, due to new environmental regulations forcing to eliminate the use
of Pb in bonding technologies for electronic devices. A key relevant issue
concerns the intermetallic phases which grow in the bonding zone and are
determining in their quality and performance. In this work, we focus in the
{\eta}-phase (Cu2In or Cu6Sn5) that exists in both end binaries and as a
ternary phase. We present a neutron diffraction study of the constitution and
crystallography of a series of alloys around the 60 at.% Cu composition, and
with In contents ranging from 0 to 25 at.%, quenched from 300\degreeC. The
alloys were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, probe microanalysis
and high-resolution neutron diffraction. The Rietveld refinement of neutron
diffraction data allowed to improve the currently available model for site
occupancies in the hexagonal {\eta}-phase in the binary Cu-Sn as well as in
ternary alloys. For the first time, structural data is reported in the ternary
Cu-Sn-In {\eta}-phase as a function of composition, information that is of
fundamental technological importance as well as valuable input data for ongoing
modelisations of the ternary phase diagram.


  We introduce a derived smooth duality functor on the unbounded derived
category of smooth mod p representations of a p-adic Lie group. Using this
functor we relate various subcategories of admissible complexes.


  We study a hybrid quantum computing system using nitrogen-vacancy center
ensemble (NVE) as quantum memory, current-biased Josephson junction (CBJJ)
superconducting qubit fabricated in a transmission line resonator (TLR) as
quantum computing processor and the microwave photons in TLR as quantum data
bus. The storage process is seriously treated by considering all kinds of
decoherence mechanisms. Such a hybrid quantum device can also be used to create
multi-qubit W states of NVEs through a common CBJJ. The experimental
feasibility and challenge are justified using currently available technology.


  Given a graph $G$, we let $s^+(G)$ denote the sum of the squares of the
positive eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of $G$, and we similarly define
$s^-(G)$. We prove that
  \[\chi_f(G)\ge
1+\max\left\{\frac{s^+(G)}{s^-(G)},\frac{s^-(G)}{s^+(G)}\right\}\] and thus
strengthen a result of Ando and Lin, who showed the same lower bound for the
chromatic number $\chi(G)$.
  We in fact show a stronger result wherein we give a bound using the
eigenvalues of $G$ and $H$ whenever $G$ has a homomorphism to an
edge-transitive graph $H$. Our proof utilizes ideas motivated by association
schemes.


  The amount of completely sequenced chloroplast genomes increases rapidly
every day, leading to the possibility to build large scale phylogenetic trees
of plant species. Considering a subset of close plant species defined according
to their chloroplasts, the phylogenetic tree that can be inferred by their core
genes is not necessarily well supported, due to the possible occurrence of
"problematic" genes (i.e., homoplasy, incomplete lineage sorting, horizontal
gene transfers, etc.) which may blur phylogenetic signal. However, a
trustworthy phylogenetic tree can still be obtained if the number of
problematic genes is low, the problem being to determine the largest subset of
core genes that produces the best supported tree. To discard problematic genes
and due to the overwhelming number of possible combinations, we propose an
hybrid approach that embeds both genetic algorithms and statistical tests.
Given a set of organisms, the result is a pipeline of many stages for the
production of well supported phylogenetic trees. The proposal has been applied
to different cases of plant families, leading to encouraging results for these
families.


  The distance to the fireworks galaxy NGC 6946 is highly uncertain. Recent
distance estimates using the tip of the red giant branch of 7.7 to 7.8 Mpc are
larger than the distance commonly assumed for studying supernovae in this
galaxy of 5.9 Mpc. Here we use the high supernova rate of the galaxy to derive
the star-formation rate and predict the galaxy's FUV flux. We also account for
dust extinction by different methods to derive a distance of 7.9+/-4.0 Mpc for
NGC 6946. We then use the new distance to re-evaluate the understanding of the
supernova progenitors 2002hh, 2004et, 2017eaw, the possible electron capture
event 2008S and the possible black-hole forming event N6946-BH1. For the latter
two exotic events the new distance improves the consistency between the
observed progenitors and the stellar models that give rise to these events.
From our findings we strongly recommend that all future studies of NGC~6946
must use the greater distance to the galaxy of 7.72+/-0.32 Mpc of Anand et al.
(2018).


  We study the relation between Bourn's notion of peri-abelian category and
conditions involving the coincidence of the Smith, Huq and Higgins commutators.
In particular we show that a semi-abelian category is peri-abelian if and only
if for each normal subobject $K\leq X$, the Higgins commutator of $K$ with
itself coincides with the normalisation of the Smith commutator of the
denormalisation of $K$ with itself. We show that if a category is peri-abelian,
then the condition (UCE), which was introduced and studied by Casas and the
second author, holds for that category. In addition we show, using amongst
other things a result by Cigoli, that all categories of interest in the sense
of Orzech are peri-abelian and therefore satisfy the condition (UCE).


  Since the mid-1980s it has been known that Byzantine Agreement can be solved
with probability 1 asynchronously, even against an omniscient, computationally
unbounded adversary that can adaptively \emph{corrupt} up to $f<n/3$ parties.
Moreover, the problem is insoluble with $f\geq n/3$ corruptions. However,
Bracha's 1984 protocol achieved $f<n/3$ resilience at the cost of exponential
expected latency $2^{\Theta(n)}$, a bound that has never been improved in this
model with $f=\lfloor (n-1)/3 \rfloor$ corruptions.
  In this paper we prove that Byzantine Agreement in the asynchronous, full
information model can be solved with probability 1 against an adaptive
adversary that can corrupt $f<n/3$ parties, while incurring only polynomial
latency with high probability. Our protocol follows earlier polynomial latency
protocols of King and Saia and Huang, Pettie, and Zhu, which had suboptimal
resilience, namely $f \approx n/10^9$ and $f<n/4$, respectively.
  Resilience $f=(n-1)/3$ is uniquely difficult as this is the point at which
the influence of the Byzantine and honest players are of roughly equal
strength. The core technical problem we solve is to design a collective
coin-flipping protocol that eventually lets us flip a coin with an unambiguous
outcome. In the beginning the influence of the Byzantine players is too
powerful to overcome and they can essentially fix the coin's behavior at will.
We guarantee that after just a polynomial number of executions of the
coin-flipping protocol, either (a) the Byzantine players fail to fix the
behavior of the coin (thereby ending the game) or (b) we can ``blacklist''
players such that the blacklisting rate for Byzantine players is at least as
large as the blacklisting rate for good players. The blacklisting criterion is
based on a simple statistical test of fraud detection.


  A simplified 3D FE model based on McCormick's model is developed to
numerically predict the spatiotemporal behaviors of the PLC effect in Ti-12Mo
alloy tensile tests at 350 degrees C with strain rates from the order of
$10^{-4}$ s$^{-1}$ to $10^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The material parameter identification
procedure is firstly presented in details, and the simulated results are highly
consistent with experimental ones, especially in terms of stress drop
magnitudes and PLC band widths. The distribution of simulated stress drop
magnitudes at a constant tensile velocity (0.01 mm/s) follows a normal
distribution and its peak value is in the range of 26-28 MPa. Furthermore, the
simulated band width slightly fluctuates with the increase of true strain and
its average value is about 1.5 mm. Besides, the staircase behavior of
strain-time curves and the hopping propagation of the PLC band are observed in
Ti-12Mo alloy tensile process, which are related to the strain localization and
stress drop magnitudes.


  The time evolution of protons and $^3$He fragments from Au+Au/Pb+Pb reactions
at 0.25, 2, and 20 GeV$/$nucleon is investigated with the potential version of
the Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) model combined with
the traditional coalescence afterburner. In the coalescence process, the
relative distance $R_0$ and relative momentum $P_0$ are surveyed in the range
of 3-4 fm and 0.25-0.35 GeV$/$c, respectively. For both clusters, a strong
reversed correlation between $R_0$ and $P_0$ is seen and it is time-dependent
as well. For protons, the accepted ($R_0$, $P_0$) bands lie in the time
interval 30-60 fm$/$c, while for $^3$He, a longer time evolution (at about
60-90 fm$/$c) is needed. Otherwise, much smaller $R_0$ and $P_0$ values should
be chosen. If we further look at the rapidity distributions from both central
and semi-central collisions, it is found that the accepted [$t_{\rm cut}, (R_0,
P_0$)] assemble can provide consistent results for proton yield and collective
flows especially at mid-rapdities, while for $^3$He, the consistency is
destroyed at both middle and projectile-target rapidities.


  The High Latitude Survey of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected
to measure the positions and shapes of hundreds of millions of galaxies in an
area of 2220 deg$^2$. This survey will provide high-quality weak lensing data
with unprecedented systematics control. The Roman Space Telescope will survey
the sky in near infrared (NIR) bands using Teledyne H4RG HgCdTe photodiode
arrays. These NIR arrays exhibit an effect called persistence: charges that are
trapped in the photodiodes during earlier exposures are gradually released into
later exposures, leading to contamination of the images and potentially to
errors in measured galaxy properties such as fluxes and shapes. In this work,
we use image simulations that incorporate the persistence effect to study its
impact on galaxy shape measurements and weak lensing signals. No significant
spatial correlations are found between the galaxy shape changes induced by
persistence. On the scales of interest for weak lensing cosmology, the effect
of persistence on the weak lensing correlation function is about two orders of
magnitude lower than the Roman Space Telescope additive shear error budget,
indicating that the persistence effect is expected to be a subdominant
contributor to the systematic error budget for weak lensing with the Roman
Space Telescope given its current design.


  Statistically significant excesses exist at around 152 GeV in associated
di-photon production ($\gamma\gamma+X$) in the sidebands of SM Higgs analyses
of ATLAS (using the full run-2 dataset). They are most pronounced in the
single-$\tau$, missing-transverse-energy, four-jet and
$\geqslant1\ell+\!\geqslant1b$-jet channels ($\approx3\sigma$) and can be
explained by the Drell-Yan production of new Higgs bosons, i.e. $pp\to W^*\to
H^\pm H^0$. We first examine the excesses in a simplified model approach,
considering that $H^\pm$ decays to $\tau\nu$, $WZ$ or $tb$. Both the $\tau\nu$
and $tb$ decay modes individually lead to a significance of
$\lessapprox4\sigma$ while for $WZ$ one can obtain at most $3.5\sigma$. This is
because the decays of $WZ$ lead to multiple leptons contributing to the
two-lepton channel which does not show an excess at 152 GeV. Next, we consider
two-Higgs-doublet models where the charged Higgs does not decay to $WZ$ at
tree-level, finding a significance of $\gtrapprox4\sigma$ for a branching ratio
of the new neutral Higgs to photons of $\approx$2%. Even though this branching
fraction is quite sizable, it can be obtained in composite models or via the
Lagrangian term $\lambda_6 H_1^\dagger H_1 H_2^\dagger H_1+{\rm h.c.}$ breaking
the commonly imposed $Z_2$ symmetry.


  A nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation is derived for the dynamics of a beam of
ultracold fermionic atoms traversing a Bose-Einstein condensate. The condensate
phonon modes are shown to provide a nonlinear medium for the fermionic atoms. A
two-fermion bound state is predicted to arise, and the signature of the bound
state in a nonlinear atom optics experiment is discussed.


  In this note, we prove that finite CAT(0) cube complexes can be reconstructed
from their boundary distances (computed in their 1-skeleta). This result was
conjectured by Haslegrave, Scott, Tamitegama, and Tan (2023). The
reconstruction of a finite cell complex from the boundary distances is the
discrete version of the boundary rigidity problem, which is a classical problem
from Riemannian geometry. In the proofs, we use the bijection between CAT(0)
cube complexes and median graphs and the corner peelings of median graphs.


  Significant nucleosynthesis is possible in the centrifugal pressure-supported
dense and hot region of the accretion flows which deviate from Keplerian disks
around black holes. We compute composition changes and energy generations due
to such nuclear processes. We use a network containing 255 species and follow
the changes in composition. Highly viscous, high-accretion-rate flows deviate
from a Keplerian disk very close to the black hole and the temperature of the
flow is very small due to Compton cooling. No significant nucleosynthesis takes
place in these cases. Low-viscosity and lower-accretion-rate hot flows deviate
farther out and significant changes in composition are possible in these cases.
We suggest that such changes in composition could be contributing to the
metallicities of the galaxies. Moreover, the radial variation of the energy
generation/absorption specifically due to proton capture and photo-dissociation
reactions could cause instabilities in the inner regions of the accretion
flows. For most of these cases sonic point oscillations may take place. We
discuss the possibility of neutrino emissions.


  Optical/UV observations provide many constraints on accretion disk models of
AGN which aren't always appreciated by modelers of the X-ray emission (or
sometimes even of the optical/UV emission). The spectral behavior at the Ly
edge, the polarization, the continuum slopes and breaks, and the variability
timescales and phasing all conflict with simple models and strongly constrain
the more Baroque ones. Partial-covering absorbers and microlensing data suggest
that the radiation is not released simply according to where the potential drop
(modified by standard viscous transport) takes place. On the other hand, the
orientation-based unified model is in accord with the K-\alpha inclination
distributions for the AGN spectral classes, basing the latter on the limited
existing data and theoretical understanding.


  A discretization of a continuum theory with constraints or conserved
quantities is called mimetic if it mirrors the conserved laws or constraints of
the continuum theory at the discrete level. Such discretizations have been
found useful in continuum mechanics and in electromagnetism. We have recently
introduced a new technique for discretizing constrained theories. The technique
yields discretizations that are consistent, in the sense that the constraints
and evolution equations can be solved simultaneously, but it cannot be
considered mimetic since it achieves consistency by determining the Lagrange
multipliers. In this paper we would like to show that when applied to general
relativity linearized around a Minkowski background the technique yields a
discretization that is mimetic in the traditional sense of the word. We show
this using the traditional metric variables and also the Ashtekar new
variables, but in the latter case we restrict ourselves to the Euclidean case.
We also argue that there appear to exist conceptual difficulties to the
construction of a mimetic formulation of the full Einstein equations, and
suggest that the new discretization scheme can provide an alternative that is
nevertheless close in spirit to the traditional mimetic formulations.


  [abridged] The properties of galaxies with the reddest observed R-K colors
(Extremely Red Objects, EROs), including their apparent division into passive
and obscured active objects with roughly similar number densities, are a known
challenge for models of galaxy formation. We produce mock catalogues generated
by interfacing the predictions of the semi-analytical MORGANA model for the
evolution of galaxies in a Lambda-CDM cosmology with the spectro-photometric +
radiative transfer code GRASIL and Infrared (IR) template library to show that
the model correctly reproduces number counts, redshift distributions and active
fractions of R-K>5 sources. We test the robustness of our results against
different dust attenuations and, most importantly, against the inclusion of
TP-AGB stars in Simple Stellar Populations used to generate galaxy spectra, and
find that the inclusion of TP-AGBs has a relevant effect, in that it allows to
increase by a large factor the number of very red active objects at all color
cuts. We find that though the most passive and the most obscured active
galaxies have a higher probability of being selected as EROs, many EROs have
intermediate properties and the population does not show bimodality in specific
star formation rate (SSFR). We predict that deep observations in the Far-IR,
from 100 to 500 micron, are the most efficient way to constrain the SSFR of
these objects; we give predictions for future Herschel observations. Finally,
we test whether a simple evolutionary sequence for the formation of z=0 massive
galaxies, going through a sub-mm-bright phase and then a ERO phase, are typical
in this galaxy formation model. We find that this sequence holds for ~25 per
cent of z=0 massive galaxies, while the model typically shows a more complex
connection between sub-mm, ERO and massive galaxies. [abridged]


  Since neutrinos have mass differences, they could decay into one another. But
their lifetimes are likely long, even when shortened by new physics, so decay
likely impacts neutrinos only during long trips. This makes high-energy
astrophysical neutrinos, traveling for up to billions of light-years, sensitive
probes of decay. However, their sensitivity must be tempered by reality. We
derive from them thorough bounds on the neutrino lifetimes accounting for
critical astrophysical unknowns and the nuances of neutrino detection. Using
the diffuse neutrino flux, we disfavor lifetimes $\tau \lesssim 20$-450 s
$(m/{\rm eV})$, based on present IceCube data, and forecast factor-of-10
improvements by upcoming detectors. Using, for the first time, neutrinos from
the active galaxy NGC 1068, extant unknowns preclude placing lifetime bounds
today, but upcoming detectors could disfavor $\tau \sim 100$-5000 s $(m/{\rm
eV})$.


  We show that a coded system is mixing if and only if it is totally transitive
and if in addition it has a relatively prime generator, then it has strong
property P. We continue by showing that a mixing half-synchronized system has
such a generator. Moreover, we give an example of a mixing coded system which
does not have any relatively prime generator.


  Energy efficiency (EE) problem has become an important and major issue in
satellite communications. In this paper, we study the beamforming design
strategy to maximize the EE of rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) for the
multibeam satellite communications by considering imperfect channel state
information at the transmitter (CSIT). We propose an expectation-based robust
beamforming algorithm against the imperfect CSIT scenario. By combining the
successive convex approximation (SCA) with the penalty function transformation,
the nonconvex EE maximization problem can be solved in an iterative manner. The
simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of RSMA over
traditional space division multiple access (SDMA). Moreover, our proposed
beamforming algorithm can achieve better EE performance than the conventional
beamforming algorithm.


  This paper is devoted to a global stochastic maximum principle for
conditional mean-field forward-backward stochastic differential equations
(FBSDEs, for short) with regime switching. The control domain is unnecessarily
convex and the driver of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs, for
short) could depend on $Z$. Different from the case of non-recursive utility,
the first-order and second-order adjoint equations are both high-dimensional
linear BSDEs. Based on the adjoint equations, we reveal the relations among the
terms of the first- and second-order Taylor's expansions. A general maximum
principle is proved, which develops the work of Nguyen, Yin, and Nguyen [22] to
recursive utility. As applications, the linear-quadratic problem is considered
and a problem with state constraint is studied.


  Randall-Sundrum models are models of quark flavor, because they explain the
hierarchies in the quark masses and mixings in terms of order one localization
parameters of extra dimensional wavefunctions. The same small numbers which
generate the light quark masses suppress contributions to flavor violating tree
level amplitudes. In this note we update universal constraints from electroweak
precision parameters and demonstrate how future measurements of flavor
violation in ultra rare decay channels of Kaons and B mesons will constrain the
parameter space of this type of models. We show how collider signatures are
correlated with these flavor measurements and compute projected limits for
direct searches at the 14 TeV LHC run, a 14 TeV LHC luminosity upgrade, a 33
TeV LHC energy upgrade, and a potential 100 TeV machine. We further discuss the
effects of a warped model of leptons in future measurements of lepton flavor
violation.


  We report on a detailed analysis of generalization of the local adiabatic
search algorithm. Instead of evolving directly from an initial ground state
Hamiltonian to a solution Hamiltonian a different evolution path is introduced
and is shown that the time required to find an item in a database of size $N$
can be made to be independent of the size of the database by modifying the
Hamiltonian used to evolve the system.


  This paper provides bayesian analysis of singular Marshall-Olkin bivariate
Pareto distribution. We consider three parameter singular Marshall-Olkin
bivariate Pareto distribution. We consider two types of prior - reference prior
and gamma prior. Bayes estimate of the parameters are calculated based on slice
cum gibbs sampler and Lindley approximation. Credible interval is also provided
for all methods and all prior distributions. A data analysis is kept for
illustrative purpose.


  In this paper, firstly, we show the existence of a compact embedded constant
mean curvature (CMC) hypersurface $\Sigma_1$ in $\mathbb{S}^{2n}$ of the type
$S^{n-1} \times S^{n-1} \times S^{1}$. Moreover, the hypersurface $\Sigma_1$
exhibits $O(n)\times O(n)$ symmetry. Secondly, we show that there exists a
compact embedded CMC-hypersurface $\Sigma_2 \subset \mathbb{S}^{3n-1}$ of the
type $S^{n-1} \times S^{n-1} \times S^{n-1} \times S^{1}$. These results
generalize the results of Carlotto and Schulz.


  Imaging and spectroscopy with HST show that LBQS 0103-2753 (V = 17.8, z =
0.848) is a binary quasar with a separation of 0.3 arcsec or 2.3 kpc. This is
by far the smallest separation binary quasar reported to date. The two
components have very different spectra, including the presence of strong broad
absorption lines (BALs) in component A only. The emission-line redshifts, based
on the broad high ionization C IV lines, are z_A = 0.834 and z_B = 0.858; their
difference is 3900 km/s in velocity units. The broad C IV lines, however, are
probably not a good indicator of systemic redshift; and LBQS 0103-2753 A and B
could have a much smaller systemic redshift difference, like the other known
binary quasars. If the systemic redshift difference is small, then LBQS
0103-2753 would most likely be a galaxy merger that has led to a binary
supermassive black hole. There is now one known 0.3 arcsec binary among roughly
500 QSOs that have been observed in a way that would reveal such a close
binary. This suggests that QSO activity is substantially more likely for black
hole binaries at spacings ~2 kpc than at ~15 to 60 kpc. Between 1987 and 1998,
the observed Mg II BAL disappeared.


  The human T cell repertoire is generated by the rearrangement of variable
(V), diversity (D) and joining (J) segments on the T cell receptor (TCR) loci.
To determine whether the structural ordering of these gene segments on the TCR
loci contributes to the observed clonal frequencies, the TCR loci were examined
for self-similarity and periodicity in terms of gene segment organization.
Logarithmic transformation of numeric sequence order demonstrated that the V
and J gene segments for both T cell receptor alpha (TRA) and beta (TRB) loci
were arranged in a self-similar manner when the spacing between adjacent
segments was considered as a function of the size of the neighboring gene
segment. The ratio of genomic distance between either the J (in TRA) or D (in
TRB) segments and successive V segments on these loci declined logarithmically.
Accounting for the gene segments occurring on helical DNA molecules, in a
logarithmic distribution, sine and cosine functions of the log transformed
angular coordinates of the start and stop nucleotides of successive TCR gene
segments showed an ordered progression across the locus, supporting a
log-periodic organization. T cell clonal frequencies, based on V and J segment
usage, from three normal stem cell donors plotted against the respective
segment locations on TRB locus demonstrated a periodic variation. We
hypothesize that this quasi-periodic variation in T cell clonal repertoire may
be influenced by the location of the gene segments on the logarithmically
scaled TCR loci. Interactions between the two strands of DNA in the double
helix may influence the probability of gene segment usage by means of either
constructive or destructive interference resulting from the superposition of
the two helices, impacting probability of DNA recombination.


  The asymptotic mean squared test error and sensitivity of the Random Features
Regression model (RFR) have been recently studied. We build on this work and
identify in closed-form the family of Activation Functions (AFs) that minimize
a combination of the test error and sensitivity of the RFR under different
notions of functional parsimony. We find scenarios under which the optimal AFs
are linear, saturated linear functions, or expressible in terms of Hermite
polynomials. Finally, we show how using optimal AFs impacts well-established
properties of the RFR model, such as its double descent curve, and the
dependency of its optimal regularization parameter on the observation noise
level.


  We use soliton methods in order to investigate the interior electrovacuum
region of axisymmetric and stationary, electrically charged black holes with
arbitrary surrounding matter in Einstein-Maxwell theory. These methods can be
applied since the Einstein-Maxwell vacuum equations permit the formulation in
terms of the integrability condition of an associated linear matrix problem. We
find that there always exists a regular inner Cauchy horizon inside the black
hole, provided the angular momentum $J$ and charge $Q$ of the black hole do not
vanish simultaneously. Moreover, the soliton methods provide us with an
explicit relation for the metric on the inner Cauchy horizon in terms of that
on the event horizon. In addition, our analysis reveals the remarkable
universal relation $(8\pi J)^2+(4\pi Q^2)^2=A^+ A^-$, where $A^+$ and $A^-$
denote the reas of event and inner Cauchy horizon respectively.


  Independently exploring unknown spaces or finding objects in an indoor
environment is a daily but challenging task for visually impaired people.
However, common 2D assistive systems lack depth relationships between various
objects, resulting in difficulty to obtain accurate spatial layout and relative
positions of objects. To tackle these issues, we propose HIDA, a lightweight
assistive system based on 3D point cloud instance segmentation with a
solid-state LiDAR sensor, for holistic indoor detection and avoidance. Our
entire system consists of three hardware components, two interactive
functions~(obstacle avoidance and object finding) and a voice user interface.
Based on voice guidance, the point cloud from the most recent state of the
changing indoor environment is captured through an on-site scanning performed
by the user. In addition, we design a point cloud segmentation model with dual
lightweight decoders for semantic and offset predictions, which satisfies the
efficiency of the whole system. After the 3D instance segmentation, we
post-process the segmented point cloud by removing outliers and projecting all
points onto a top-view 2D map representation. The system integrates the
information above and interacts with users intuitively by acoustic feedback.
The proposed 3D instance segmentation model has achieved state-of-the-art
performance on ScanNet v2 dataset. Comprehensive field tests with various tasks
in a user study verify the usability and effectiveness of our system for
assisting visually impaired people in holistic indoor understanding, obstacle
avoidance and object search.


  The experiments at the LHC are searching for many different final states that
can hint to the presence of new physics beyond the Standard Model. One of the
most interesting and promising sectors for these searches is that of the top
quark, for both theoretical and phenomenological reasons linked to its large
mass and to its possible special role in the electroweak symmetry breaking
sector. We suggest that multi-top events, beyond the standard $t$-$\bar t$ and
four top searches, can bring further insight in constraining and discovering
physics beyond the Standard Model, taking advantage of experimental techniques
similar to those used in present top-quark analyses. This is relevant both for
the next data taking runs at the LHC and even more at higher luminosity and
higher energy collider options, which are discussed for future LHC upgrades and
future accelerators. In particular we consider six top and eight top final
states, discussing the generic colour representations for beyond the Standard
Model particles giving rise to those final state. We also discuss the limits
which can be extracted by using the present analyses sensitive to four top
final states, as well as the potential bounds from new searches we propose to
experimental collaborations as an alternative.


  Let A be a C*-algebra with real rank zero which has the stable weak
cancellation property. Let I be an ideal of A such that I is stable and
satisfies the corona factorization property. We prove that 0->I->A->A/I->0 is a
full extension if and only if the extension is stenotic and K-lexicographic. As
an immediate application, we extend the classification result for graph
C*-algebras obtained by Tomforde and the first named author to the general
non-unital case. In combination with recent results by Katsura, Tomforde, West
and the first author, our result may also be used to give a purely
K-theoretical description of when an essential extension of two simple and
stable graph C*-algebras is again a graph C*-algebra.