  Under continuous light illumination, it is known that localized domains with
segregated halide compositions form in semiconducting mixed-halide perovskites,
thus severely limiting their optoelectronic applications due to the negative
changes in bandgap energies and charge-carrier characteristics. Here we deposit
mixed-halide perovskite CsPbBr1.2I1.8 nanocrystals onto an indium tin oxide
substrate, whose temperature can be rapidly changed by ~10 degree in a few
seconds by applying or removing an external voltage. Such a sudden temperature
change induces a temporary transition of CsPbBr1.2I1.8 nanocrystals from the
segregated phase to the mixed phase, the latter of which can be permanently
maintained when the light illumination is coupled with periodic heating cycles.
These findings mark the emergence of a practical solution to the detrimental
phase-segregation problem, given that a small temperature modulation is readily
available in various fundamental studies and practical devices using
mixed-halide perovskites.


  We present a simple unifying model for crystallization and melting
temperatures by showing that homogeneous nucleation and phase transformations
driven by thickening of pre-existing surface layers are limiting conditions of
the more general heterogeneous nucleation case. Furthermore, to a first
approximation all these processes can be described by an extended classical
nucleation theory. The model can also be applied to phase transition
temperatures in confined volumes, provided reliable values for the interfacial
tensions within the systems are determinable. The expected melting and
crystallization temperature for any transformation pathway can then be
predicted.


  In this article, we address the absorption properties of a class of
stochastic differ- ential equations around singular points where both the drift
and diffusion functions vanish. According to the H\"older coefficient alpha of
the diffusion function around the singular point, we identify different
regimes. Stability of the absorbing state, large deviations for the absorption
time, existence of stationary or quasi-stationary distributions are discussed.
In particular, we show that quasi-stationary distributions only exist for alpha
< 3/4, and for alpha in the interval (3/4, 1), no quasi-stationary distribution
is found and numerical simulations tend to show that the process conditioned on
not being absorbed initiates an almost sure exponential convergence towards the
absorbing state (as is demonstrated to be true for alpha = 1). Applications of
these results to stochastic bifurcations are discussed.


  Within the central parsec of the Galaxy, several tens of young stars orbiting
a central supermassive black hole are observed. A subset of these stars forms a
coherently rotating disc. Other observations reveal a massive molecular torus
which lies at a radius ~1.5pc from the centre. In this paper we consider the
gravitational influence of the molecular torus upon the stars of the stellar
disc. We derive an analytical formula for the rate of precession of individual
stellar orbits and we show that it is highly sensitive upon the orbital
semi-major axis and inclination with respect to the plane of the torus as well
as on the mass of the torus. Assuming that both the stellar disc and the
molecular torus are stable on the time-scale >6Myr, we constrain the mass of
the torus and its inclination with respect to the young stellar disc. We
further suggest that all young stars observed in the Galactic Centre may have a
common origin in a single coherently rotating structure with an opening angle
<5deg, which was partially destroyed (warped) during its lifetime by the
gravitational influence of the molecular torus.


  Let $\Delta$ be a cocompact lattice in $\mathsf{Sp}(m,1)$, $m \geq 2$, or
$F_{4}^{(-20)}$. We exhibit examples of finitely generated subgroups of $\Delta
\times \Delta$ with positive first Betti number all of whose discrete faithful
representations into any real semisimple Lie group are quasi-isometric
embeddings. The examples of this paper are inspired by the counterexamples of
Bass-Lubotzky [BL00] to Platonov's conjecture.


  We find new presentations for the Thompson's groups $F$, the derived group
$F^{'}$ and the intermediate group $D$. These presentations have a common
ground in that their relators are the same and only the generating sets differ.
As an application of these presentations we extract the following consequences:
the cost of the group $F^{'}$ is 1 hence the cost cannot decide the
(non)amenability question of $F$; the $II_1$ factor $L(F^{'})$ is inner
asymptotically abelian and the reduced $C^*$-algebra of $F$ is not residually
finite dimensional.


  We investigate the effects of inhomogeneous scalar field configurations on
effective action at finite temperature. Recently, Walliser et al. have
calculated the leading perturbative corrections to the wave function correction
term $Z(\phi,T)$, for the standard model at finite temperature. Here we follow
their results and apply them to calculate the effective energy of the sphaleron
solution, including derivative correction term $Z(\phi,T)$. The dominant
contribution to $Z(\phi,T)$ comes from vector boson loops. We also study the
possible effects of corrected sphaleron energy on the baryon number violation
rate in the standard model.


  Sudden avalanches of magnetic flux bursting into a superconducting sample
undergo deflections of their trajectories when encountering a conductive layer
deposited on top of the superconductor. Remarkably, in some cases flux is
totally excluded from the area covered by the conductive layer. We present a
simple classical model that accounts for this behaviour and considers a
magnetic monopole approaching a semi-infinite conductive plane. This model
suggests that magnetic braking is an important mechanism responsible for
avalanche deflection.


  The absence of information -- entirely or partly -- is called ignorance.
Naturally, one might ask if some ignorance of a whole system will imply some
ignorance of its parts. Our classical intuition tells us yes, however quantum
theory tells us no: it is possible to encode information in a quantum system so
that despite some ignorance of the whole, it is impossible to identify the
unknown part arXiv:1011.6448. Experimentally verifying this counter-intuitive
fact requires controlling and measuring quantum systems of high dimension $(d
{>} 9)$. We provide this experimental evidence using the transverse spatial
modes of light, a powerful resource for testing high dimensional quantum
phenomenon.


  Magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars exhibit complex atmospheres that
allow the investigation of the interplay of atomic diffusion, magnetic fields,
and stellar rotation. A non-uniform surface distribution of chemical elements
and the non-alignment of the rotational and magnetic axes result in the
variability of several observables. Photometrically variable mCP stars are
referred to as alpha2 Canum Venaticorum (ACV) variables. The present work
presents a case study of known variables from the Zwicky Transient Facility
(ZTF) survey, with the aim of investigating the survey's suitability for the
detection and study of new ACV variables. Using suitable selection criteria
based on the known characteristics of ACV variables, candidate ACV stars were
selected from the ZTF Catalog of Periodic Variable Stars. All light curves were
inspected in detail to select the most promising candidates. Where available,
low-resolution spectra from the LAMOST were employed to classify the stars on
the MK system and confirm their status as mCP stars. We have identified 86 new
promising ACV star candidates. 15 of these stars have LAMOST spectra available,
which, in all cases, confirm them as classical mCP stars, which highlights the
viability of our approach. The sample stars can be sorted into four subgroups
characterized by distinct light curve shapes. Anti-phase variations in
different photometric passbands, in particular, is a unique characteristic of a
subset of ACV stars readily usable for their identification. The availability
of data in three different passbands (g, r, and i) is a major advantage of the
ZTF survey. On the basis of our experience with other photometric surveys and
the analysis of light curves, we conclude that the ZTF is well suited for the
search for, and the analysis of, ACV variables, which, however, are not
considered in the available ZTF variable star catalogues.


  We study all possible deformations of the Maxwell algebra. In D=d+1\neq 3
dimensions there is only one-parameter deformation. The deformed algebra is
isomorphic to so(d+1,1)\oplus so(d,1) or to so(d,2)\oplus so(d,1) depending on
the signs of the deformation parameter. We construct in the dS(AdS) space a
model of massive particle interacting with Abelian vector field via non-local
Lorentz force. In D=2+1 the deformations depend on two parameters b and k. We
construct a phase diagram, with two parts of the (b,k) plane with so(3,1)\oplus
so(2,1) and so(2,2)\oplus so(2,1) algebras separated by a critical curve along
which the algebra is isomorphic to Iso(2,1)\oplus so(2,1). We introduce in
D=2+1 the Volkov-Akulov type model for a Abelian Goldstone-Nambu vector field
described by a non-linear action containing as its bilinear term the free
Chern-Simons Lagrangean.


  One of the fastest evolving field among teaching and learning research is
students' performance evaluation. Computer based testing systems are
increasingly adopted by universities. However, the implementation and
maintenance of such a system and its underlying item bank is a challenge for an
inexperienced tutor. Therefore, this paper discusses the advantages and
disadvantages of Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) systems compared to Computer
Based Test systems. Furthermore, a few item selection strategies are compared
in order to overcome the item exposure drawback of such systems. The paper also
presents our CAT system along its development steps. Besides, an item
difficulty estimation technique is presented based on data taken from our
self-assessment system.


  We propose a motion forecasting model called BANet, which means
Boundary-Aware Network, and it is a variant of LaneGCN. We believe that it is
not enough to use only the lane centerline as input to obtain the embedding
features of the vector map nodes. The lane centerline can only provide the
topology of the lanes, and other elements of the vector map also contain rich
information. For example, the lane boundary can provide traffic rule constraint
information such as whether it is possible to change lanes which is very
important. Therefore, we achieved better performance by encoding more vector
map elements in the motion forecasting model.We report our results on the 2022
Argoverse2 Motion Forecasting challenge and rank 1st on the test leaderboard.


  In a class of new physics models, new physics sector is completely or partly
hidden, namely, singlet under the Standard Model (SM) gauge group. Hidden
fields included in such new physics models communicate with the Standard Model
sector through higher dimensional operators. If a cutoff lies in the TeV range,
such hidden fields can be produced at future colliders. We consider a scalar
filed as an example of the hidden fields. Collider phenomenology on this hidden
scalar is similar to that of the SM Higgs boson, but there are several features
quite different from those of the Higgs boson. We investigate productions of
the hidden scalar at the International Linear Collider (ILC) and study the
feasibility of its measurements, in particular, how well the ILC distinguishes
the scalar from the Higgs boson, through realistic Monte Carlo simulations.


  We consider the phenomenon of collapse in the critical Keller-Segel equation
(KS) which models chemotactic aggregation of micro-organisms underlying many
social activities, e.g. fruiting body development and biofilm formation. Also
KS describes the collapse of a gas of self-gravitating Brownian particles. We
find the fluctuation spectrum around the collapsing family of steady states for
these equations, which is instrumental in derivation of the critical collapse
law. To this end we develop a rigorous version of the method of matched
asymptotics for the spectral analysis of a class of second order differential
operators containing the linearized Keller-Segel operators (and as we argue
linearized operators appearing in nonlinear evolution problems). We explain how
the results we obtain are used to derive the critical collapse law, as well as
for proving its stability.


  A string field theory of (p,q) minimal superstrings is constructed with the
free-fermion realization of 2-component KP (2cKP) hierarchy, starting from
2-cut ansatz of two-matrix models. Differential operators of 2cKP hierarchy are
identified with operators in super Liouville theory, and we obtain algebraic
curves for the disk amplitudes of \eta=-1 FZZT-branes and the partition
functions of neutral/charged \eta=-1 ZZ branes, which correctly reproduce those
of type 0B (p,q) minimal superstrings in conformal backgrounds. In the course
of study, some subtle points are clarified, including a difference of (p,q)
even/odd models and quantization of flux, and we show that the Virasoro
constraints naturally incorporate quantized fluxes without ambiguity. We also
argue within this string field framework that type 0A minimal superstrings can
be obtained by orbifolding the type 0B strings with a Z_2 symmetry existing
when special backgrounds are taken.


  We experimentally reveal the emergence of edge states in a photonic lattice
with orbital bands. We use a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of coupled
micropillars whose bulk spectrum shows four gapless bands arising from the
coupling of $p$-like photonic orbitals. We observe zero-energy edge states
whose topological origin is similar to that of conventional edge states in
graphene. Additionally, we report novel dispersive edge states that emerge not
only in zigzag and bearded terminations, but also in armchair edges. The
observations are reproduced by tight-binding and analytical calculations. Our
work shows the potentiality of coupled micropillars in elucidating some of the
electronic properties of emergent 2D materials with orbital bands.


  Multi-wavelength quantum light sources, especially at telecom band, are
extremely desired in quantum information technology. Despite recent impressive
advances, such a quantum light source with high quality remains challenging.
Here we demonstrate a multi-wavelength quantum light source using a silicon
nitride micro-ring with a free spectral range of 200 GHz. The generation of
eight pairs of correlated photons is ensured in a wavelength range of 25.6 nm.
With device optimization and noise-rejecting filters, our source enables the
generation of heralded single-photons - at a rate of 62 kHz with
$g^{(2)}_{h}(0)=0.014\pm0.001$, and the generation of energy-time entangled
photons - with a visibility of $99.39\pm 0.45\%$ in the Franson interferometer.
These results, at room temperature and telecom wavelength, in a CMOS compatible
platform, represent an important step towards integrated quantum light devices
for the quantum networks.


  We propose a realistic cold-atom quantum setting where nontrivial energy-band
topology induces non-reciprocal pumping. This is an intriguing non-Hermitian
phenomenon that illustrates how topology, when assisted with atom loss, can act
as a "switch" for non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE), rather than as a passive
property that is modified by the NHSE. In particular, we present a lattice
shaking scenario to realize a two-dimensional cold-atom platform, where
non-reciprocity is switched on only in the presence of both atom loss and
topological localization due to time-reversal symmetry breaking. Such
spontaneous non-reciprocal pumping is manifested by asymmetric dynamical
evolution, detectable by atomic populations along the system edges. Our results
may trigger possible applications in non-reciprocal atomtronics, where loss and
topological mechanisms conspire to control atomic transport.


  Recent data of the HADES Collaboration in Au+Au central collisions at
$\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.4$ GeV indicate large proton number fluctuations inside
one unit of rapidity around midrapidity. This can be a signature of critical
phenomena due to the strong attractive interactions between baryons. We study
an alternative hypothesis that these large fluctuations are caused by the
event-by-event fluctuations of the number of bare protons, and no interactions
between these protons are assumed. The proton number fluctuations in five
symmetric rapidity intervals $\Delta y$ inside the region $\Delta Y=1$ are
calculated using the binomial acceptance procedure. This procedure assumes the
independent (uncorrelated) emission of protons, and it appears to be in
agreement with the HADES data. To check this simple picture we suggest to
calculate the correlation between proton multiplicities in non-overlapping
rapidity intervals $\Delta y_1$ and $\Delta y_2$ placed inside $\Delta Y=1$.


  In 1872 G. Darboux defined a family of curves on surfaces of R^3 which are
preserved by the action of the Mobius group and share many properties with
geodesics. Here we characterize these curves under the view point of Lorentz
geometry and prove some general properties and make them explicit them on
simple surfaces, retrieving results of Pell (1900) and Santalo (1941).


  Deep-inelastic events for the scattering of the longitudinally polarized
electron by polarized proton with tagged collinear photon radiated from
initial-state electron are considered. The corresponding cross-section is
derived in the Born approximation. The model-independent radiative corrections
to the Born cross-section are also calculated. Obtained result is applied to
the case of elastic scattering.


  In the age of information overload and polarized discourse, understanding
media bias has become imperative for informed decision-making and fostering a
balanced public discourse. This paper presents IndiTag, an innovative online
media bias analysis and annotation system that leverages fine-grained bias
indicators to dissect and annotate bias in digital content. IndiTag offers a
novel approach by incorporating large language models, bias indicator, vector
database to automatically detect and interpret bias. Complemented by a
user-friendly interface facilitating both automated bias analysis and manual
annotation, IndiTag offers a comprehensive platform for in-depth bias
examination. We demonstrate the efficacy and versatility of IndiTag through
experiments on four datasets encompassing news articles from diverse platforms.
Furthermore, we discuss potential applications of IndiTag in fostering media
literacy, facilitating fact-checking initiatives, and enhancing the
transparency and accountability of digital media platforms. IndiTag stands as a
valuable tool in the pursuit of fostering a more informed, discerning, and
inclusive public discourse in the digital age. The demonstration video can be
accessed from https://youtu.be/Gt2T4T7DYqs. We release an online system for end
users and the source code is available at https://github.com/lylin0/IndiTag.


  The solar and baseline neutrino oscillation data suggest bimaximal neutrino
mixing among the first two generations, and trimaximal mixing between all three
neutrino flavors. It has been conjectured that this indicates the existence of
an underlying symmetry for the leptonic fermion mass textures. The
experimentally measured quantities however, are associated to the latter
indirectly and in a rather complicated way through the mixing matrices of the
charged leptons and neutrinos. Motivated by these facts, we derive exact
analytical expressions which directly link the charged lepton and neutrino mass
and mixing parameters to measured quantities and obtain constraints on the
parameter space. We discuss deviations from Tri-Bi mixing matrices and present
minimal extensions of the Harrison Perkins and Scott matrices capable of
interpreting all neutrino data.


  In this paper we consider an holographic model of dark energy, where the
length scale is the Hubble radius, in a non flat geometry. The model contains
the possibility to alleviate the cosmic coincidence problem, and also
incorporate a mechanism to obtain the transition from decelerated to an
accelerated expansion regime. We derive an analytic form for the Hubble
parameter in a non flat universe, and using it, we perform a Bayesian analysis
of this model using SNIa, BAO and CMB data. We find from this analysis that the
data favored a small value for $\Omega_k$, however high enough to still produce
cosmological consequences.


  Absorption and emission lines in the optical spectrum are typically used to
investigate the presence of large-scale environments in active galactic nuclei
(AGNs). BL Lac objects - which are a category of AGNs with the relativistic jet
pointing directly to the observer - are supposed to represent a late evolution
stage of AGNs. Their large-scale structures are probably poorer of material,
which is distributed with lower densities throughout the circumnuclear
environment. Their accretion disk is weak and weakly reprocessed, making the
non-thermal continuum of the relativistic jet dominate their optical spectrum
and preventing us from identifying the thermal emission of the photon fields
produced by such large-scale structures. However, these photon fields may still
exist and eventually interact with the gamma rays traveling in the blazar jet
via gamma-gamma pair production, producing observable effects such as
absorption features in their spectral energy distribution. Interestingly, the
same photon field might also lead to the production of high-energy neutrinos,
acting as targets for proton-photon interactions. In this contribution, we
present the results of a set of simulations over a wide parameter space
describing both the blazar jet and the photon field properties. We discuss the
most effective conditions that may produce fluxes of neutrinos compatible with
the sensitivities of the current and the next generation of neutrino detectors.
We will also discuss how the possible neutrino flux would be related to the
properties of the large-scale structures investigated indirectly through the
analysis of the gamma-ray spectrum of the BL Lac object.


  Cloud computing has been gaining popularity in the recent years. Several
studies are being proceeded to build cloud applications with exquisite quality
based on users demands. In achieving the same, one of the applied criteria is
checkpoint based load balancing in real time scheduling through which suitable
cloud service is chosen from a group of cloud services candidates. Valuable
information can be collected to rank the services within this checkpoint based
load balancing. In order to attain ranking, different services are needed to be
invoked in the cloud, which is time consuming and wastage of services
invocation. To avoid the same, this chapter proposes an algorithm for
predicting the ranks of different cloud services by using the values from
previously offered services.


  We review the occurrence of the patterns of the onset of chaos in
low-dimensional nonlinear dissipative systems in leading topics of condensed
matter physics and complex systems of various disciplines. We consider the
dynamics associated with the attractors at period-doubling accumulation points
and at tangent bifurcations to describe features of glassy dynamics, critical
fluctuations and localization transitions. We recall that trajectories
pertaining to the routes to chaos form families of time series that are readily
transformed into networks via the Horizontal Visibility algorithm, and this in
turn facilitates establish connections between entropy and Renormalization
Group properties. We discretize the replicator equation of game theory to
observe the onset of chaos in familiar social dilemmas, and also to mimic the
evolution of high-dimensional ecological models. We describe an analytical
framework of nonlinear mappings that reproduce rank distributions of large
classes of data (including Zipf's law). We extend the discussion to point out a
common circumstance of drastic contraction of configuration space driven by the
attractors of these mappings. We mention the relation of generalized entropy
expressions with the dynamics along and at the period doubling, intermittency
and quasi-periodic routes to chaos. Finally, we refer to additional natural
phenomena in complex systems where these conditions may manifest.


  This paper investigates higher order generalizations of well known results
for Lie algebroids and bialgebroids. It is proved that $n$-Lie algebroid
structures correspond to $n$-ary generalization of Gerstenhaber algebras and
are implied by $n$-ary generalization of linear Poisson structures on the dual
bundle. A Nambu-Poisson manifold (of order $n>2$) gives rise to a special
bialgebroid structure which is referred to as a weak Lie-Filippov bialgebroid
(of order $n$). It is further demonstrated that such bialgebroids canonically
induce a Nambu-Poisson structure on the base manifold. Finally, the tangent
space of a Nambu Lie group gives an example of a weak Lie-Filippov bialgebroid
over a point.


  In spite of their many facets, the phenomena of autoimmunity and
immunodeficiency seem to be related to each other through the subtle links
connecting retroviral mutation and action to immune response and adaptation. In
a previous work, we introduced a network model of how a set of interrelated
genotypes (called a quasispecies, in the stationary state) and a set of
interrelated idiotypes (an idiotypic network) interact. That model, which does
not cover the case of a retroviral quasispecies, was instrumental for the study
of quasispecies survival when confronting the immune system and led to the
conclusion that, unlike what happens when a quasispecies is left to evolve by
itself, letting genotypes mutate too infrequently leads to the destruction of
the quasispecies. Here we extend that genotype-idiotype interaction model by
the addition of a further parameter ($\nu$) to account for the action of
retroviruses (i.e., the destruction of idiotypes by genotypes). We give
simulation results within a suitable parameter niche, highlighting the issues
of quasispecies survival and of the onset of autoimmunity through the
appearance of the so-called pathogenic idiotypes. Our main findings refer to
how $\nu$ and $\lambda$, a parameter describing the rate at which idiotypes get
stimulated, relate to each other. While for $\nu>\lambda$ the quasispecies
survives at the expense of weakening the immune system significantly or even
destroying it, for $\nu<\lambda$ the fittest genotypes of the quasispecies
become mimicked inside the immune system as pathogenic idiotypes. The latter is
in agreement with the current understanding of the HIV quasispecies.


  Ciliated tissues such as in the mammalian lungs, brains, and reproductive
tracts, are specialized to pump fluid. They generate flows by the collective
activity of hundreds of thousands of individual cilia that beat in a striking
metachronal wave pattern. Despite progress in analyzing cilia coordination, a
general theory that links coordination and fluid pumping in the limit of large
arrays of cilia remains lacking. Here, we conduct in-silico experiments with
thousands of hydrodynamically-interacting cilia, and we develop a continuum
theory in the limit of infinitely-many independently beating cilia by combining
tools from active matter and classical Stokes flow. We find, in both
simulations and theory, that isotropic and synchronized ciliary states are
unstable. Traveling waves emerge regardless of initial conditions, but the
characteristics of the wave and net flows depend on cilia and tissue
properties. That is, metachronal phase coordination is a stable global
attractor in large ciliary carpets, even under finite perturbations to cilia
and tissue properties. These results support the notion that functional
specificity of ciliated tissues is interlaced with the tissue architecture and
cilia beat kinematics and open up the prospect of establishing
structure-to-function maps from cilium-level beat to tissue-level coordination
and fluid pumping.


  fc-multicategories are a very general kind of two-dimensional structure,
encompassing bicategories, monoidal categories, double categories and ordinary
multicategories. We define them and explain how they provide a natural setting
for two familiar categorical ideas. The first is the bimodules construction,
traditionally carried out on suitably cocomplete bicategories but perhaps more
naturally carried out on fc-multicategories. The second is enrichment: there is
a theory of categories enriched in an fc-multicategory, extending the usual
theory of enrichment in a monoidal category. We finish by indicating how this
work is just the simplest case of a much larger phenomenon.


  Rollout approaches are an effective tool to address the problem of
co-designing the transmission schedule and the corresponding input values, when
the controller is connected to the plant via a resource-constrained
communication network. These approaches typically employ an MPC, activated at
multiples of the period length of a base transmission schedule. Using
multi-step invariant terminal regions and a prediction horizon longer than the
base period, stability can be ensured. This strategy, however, suffers from
intrinsic shortcomings, such as a high computational complexity and low
robustness. We aim to resolve these drawbacks by proposing an MPC with
periodically time-varying terminal region and cost for the rollout setup, where
the controller is activated at each time instant and features an arbitrary but
fixed prediction horizon. We consider in more detail two specific setups from
the literature on Networked Control Systems, namely the token bucket network
and actuator scheduling. For both setups, we provide conditions for which
convergence under application of the time-varying MPC can be guaranteed. In two
numerical examples, we demonstrate the benefits of the proposed method.


  We present an on-shell formulation of 5d gauged supergravity coupled to
chiral matter multiplets localized at the orbifold fixed points. The brane
action is constructed via the Noether method. In such set-up we compute
one-loop corrections to the Kahler potential of the effective 4d supergravity
and compare the result with previous computations based on the off-shell
formalism. The results agree at lowest order in brane sources, however at
higher order there are differences. We explain this discrepancy by an ambiguity
in resolving singularities associated with the presence of infinitely thin
branes.


  The hadronic leading-order (hlo) contribution to the lepton anomalous
magnetic moments $a_l^\mathrm{hlo}$ of the Standard Model leptons still
accounts for the dominant source of the uncertainty of the Standard Model
estimates. We present the results of an investigation of the hadronic leading
order anomalous magnetic moments of the electron, muon and tau lepton from
first principles in twisted mass lattice QCD. With lattice data for multiple
pion masses in the range $230 \mathrm{~MeV} \lesssim m_{PS} \lesssim 490
\mathrm{~MeV}$, multiple lattice volumes and three lattice spacings we perform
the extrapolation to the continuum and to the physical pion mass and check for
all systematic uncertainties in the lattice calculation. As a result we
calculate $a_{l}^\mathrm{hlo}$ for the three Standard Model leptons with
controlled statistical and systematic error in agreement with phenomenological
determinations using dispersion relations and experimental data. In addition,
we also give a first estimate of the hadronic leading order anomalous magnetic
moments from simulations directly at the physical value of the pion mass.


  An edge-coloring of a multigraph G with colors 1,2,...,t is called an
interval t-coloring if all colors are used, and the colors of edges incident to
any vertex of G are distinct and form an interval of integers. In this paper we
prove that if G is a connected cubic multigraph (a connected cubic graph) that
admits an interval t-coloring, then t\leq |V(G)| +1 (t\leq |V(G)|), where V(G)
is the set of vertices of G. Moreover, if G is a connected cubic graph, G\neq
K_{4}, and G has an interval t-coloring, then t\leq |V(G)| -1. We also show
that these upper bounds are sharp. Finally, we prove that if G is a bipartite
subcubic multigraph, then G has an interval edge-coloring with no more than
four colors.


  This article studies the fundamental invariants of 2--nondegenerate CR
geometries with simple models. We show that there are two sources of these
invariants. The first source is the harmonic curvature of the parabolic
geometry that appears (locally) on the leaf space of the Levi kernel. The
second source is the difference between the complex structure on the complex
tangent space of the CR geometry and the complex structure on the
correspondence space to the underlying parabolic geometry. We show that the
later fundamental invariants appear only when the model is generic and if they
vanish, then the solution of the local equivalence problem of 2--nondegenerate
CR geometries with simple models is provided by the Cartan connection of the
underlying parabolic geometry. We show that nontrivial examples of CR
geometries with the later fundamental invariants can be obtained as
deformations of the models.


  One possible interpretation of the holographic principle is the equality of
the number of degrees of freedom in a bulk region of space and the number of
degrees of freedom on the boundary surface. It is known that such an equality
is maintained on equipotential surfaces in any static spacetime in the form of
an equipartition law N_{bulk}= N_{sur}. In the cosmological context, the de
Sitter universe obeys the same holographic equipartition. I argue that the
difference between the surface degrees of freedom and the bulk degrees of
freedom in a region of space (which has already emerged) drives the accelerated
expansion of the universe through a simple equation dV/dt = (N_{sur} -
N_{bulk}) where V is the Hubble volume in Planck units and t is the cosmic time
in Planck units. This equation reproduces the standard evolution of the
universe. This approach provides a novel paradigm to study the emergence of
space and cosmology and has far reaching implications.


  The study aims to compare different designs for the World Men's Handball
Championships. This event, organised in every two years, has adopted four
hybrid formats consisting of knockout and round-robin stages in recent decades,
including a change of design between the two recent championships in 2017 and
2019. They are evaluated under two extremal seeding policies with respect to
various outcome measures through Monte-Carlo simulations. We find that the
ability to give the first four positions to the strongest teams, as well as the
expected quality and outcome uncertainty of the final is not necessarily a
monotonic function of the number of matches played: the most frugal format is
the second best with respect to these outcome measures, making it a good
compromise in an unavoidable trade-off. A possible error is identified in a
particular design. The relative performance of the formats is independent of
the seeding rules and the competitive balance of the teams. The recent reform
is demonstrated to have increased the probability of winning for the top teams.
Our results have useful implications for the organisers of hybrid tournaments.


  We establish and explore a relationship between two approaches to
moment-cumulant relations in free probability theory: on one side the main
approach, due to Speicher, given in terms of M\"obius inversion on the lattice
of noncrossing partitions, and on the other side the more recent
non-commutative shuffle-algebra approach, where the moment-cumulant relations
take the form of certain exponential-logarithm relations. We achieve this by
exhibiting two operad structures on (noncrossing) partitions, different in
nature: one is an ordinary, non-symmetric operad whose composition law is given
by insertion into gaps between elements, the other is a coloured, symmetric
operad with composition law expressing refinement of blocks. We show that these
operad structures interact so as to make the corresponding incidence bialgebra
of the former a comodule bialgebra for the latter. Furthermore, this
interaction is compatible with the shuffle structure and thus unveils how the
two approaches are intertwined. Moreover, the constructions and results are
general enough to extend to ordinary set partitions.


  Direct numerical simulation data show that the variance of the coupling term
in passive scalar advection by a random velocity field is smaller than it would
be if the velocity and scalar fields were statistically independent. This
effect is analogous to the "depression of nonlinearity" in hydrodynamic
turbulence. We show that the trends observed in the numerical data are
qualitatively consistent with the predictions of closure theories related to
Kraichnan's direct interaction approximation. The phenomenon is demonstrated
over a range of Prandtl numbers. In the inertial-convective range the depletion
is approximately constant with respect to wavenumber. The effect is weaker in
the Batchelor range.


  We study the stability of static, spherically symmetric solutions to the
Einstein equations with a scalar field as the source. We describe a general
methodology of studying small radial perturbations of scalar-vacuum
configurations with arbitrary potentials V(\phi), and in particular space-times
with throats (including wormholes), which are possible if the scalar is
phantom. At such a throat, the effective potential for perturbations V_eff has
a positive pole (a potential wall) that prevents a complete perturbation
analysis. We show that, generically, (i) V_eff has precisely the form required
for regularization by the known S-deformation method, and (ii) a solution with
the regularized potential leads to regular scalar field and metric
perturbations of the initial configuration. The well-known conformal mappings
make these results also applicable to scalar-tensor and f(R) theories of
gravity. As a particular example, we prove the instability of all static
solutions with both normal and phantom scalars and V(\phi) = 0 under spherical
perturbations. We thus confirm the previous results on the unstable nature of
anti-Fisher wormholes and Fisher's singular solution and prove the instability
of other branches of these solutions including the anti-Fisher "cold black
holes".


  The chiral WZNW symplectic form $\Omega^{\rho}_{chir}$ is inverted in the
general case. Thereby a precise relationship between the arbitrary monodromy
dependent 2-form appearing in $\Omega^{\rho}_{chir}$ and the exchange r-matrix
that governs the Poisson brackets of the group valued chiral fields is
established. The exchange r-matrices are shown to satisfy a new dynamical
generalization of the classical modified Yang-Baxter (YB) equation and
Poisson-Lie (PL) groupoids are constructed that encode this equation
analogously as PL groups encode the classical YB equation. For an arbitrary
simple Lie group G, exchange r-matrices are found that are in one-to-one
correspondence with the possible PL structures on G and admit them as PL
symmetries.


  It has been conjectured that spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in strongly
coupled vectorlike gauge theories falls into only three different classes,
depending on the gauge group and the representations carried by the fermions.
We test this proposal by studying SU(2), SU(3) and SU(4) lattice gauge theories
with staggered fermions in different irreducible representations. Staggered
fermions away from the continuum limit should, for all complex representations,
still belong to the continuum class of spontaneous symmetry breaking. But for
all real and pseudo-real representations we show that staggered fermions should
belong to incorrect symmetry breaking classes away from the continuum, thus
generalizing previous results. As an unambiguous signal for whether chiral
symmetry breaks, and which breaking pattern it follows, we look at the smallest
Dirac eigenvalue distributions. We find that the patterns of symmetry breaking
are precisely those conjectured.


  A formalism is presented to construct a non-perturbative Grand Unified Theory
when gravitational Planck-scale phenomena are included. The fundamental object
on the Planck scale is the three-torus T^3 from which the known properties of
superstrings, such as the geometric action and duality, follow directly. The
low energy theory is 11-dimensional and compactification to a Lorentzian
four-manifold is an automatic feature of the unified model. In particular, the
simply-connected K3 Calabi-Yau manifold follows naturally from the model and
provides a direct link with M-theory. The high energy theory is formulated on a
T^3 lattice with handles which exhibits the necessary symmetry groups for the
standard model, and yields a consistent amplitude for the cosmic microwave
background fluctuations. The equation of motion for the supersymmetric, unified
theory is derived and leads to the Higgs field. This formulation predicts a
remnant, scalar topological defect of mass < 9 m_Planck/46 from the Planck
epoch, which is a candidate for dark matter. Finally, it is shown that if the
universe is quantum-mechanical, its spatial dimension is equal to three and the
laws of nature are Lorentz invariant when gravity can be neglected.


  The Cepheid Period-Luminosity law is a key rung on the extragalactic distance
ladder. However, numerous Cepheids are known to undergo period variations.
Monitoring, refining, and understanding these period variations allows us to
better determine the parameters of the Cepheids themselves and of the
instability strip in which they reside, and to test models of stellar
evolution. VZ Cyg, a classical Cepheid pulsating at $\sim$4.864 days, has been
observed for over 100 years. Combining data from literature observations, the
Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) transit survey, and new targeted
observations with the Robotically Controlled Telescope (RCT) at Kitt Peak, we
find a period change rate of $dP/dt = -0.0642 \pm 0.0018$ sec yr$^{-1}$.
However, when only the recent observations are examined, we find a much higher
period change rate of $dP/dt = - 0.0923 \pm 0.0110$ sec yr$^{-1}$. This higher
rate could be due to an apparent long-term (P $\approx$ 26.5 yr) cyclic period
variation. The possible interpretations of this single Cepheid's complex period
variations underscore both the need to regularly monitor pulsating variables,
and the important benefits that photometric surveys such as KELT can have on
the field. Further monitoring of this interesting example of Cepheid
variability is recommended to confirm and better understand the possible cyclic
period variations. Further, Cepheid timing analyses are necessary to fully
understand their current behaviors and parameters, as well as their
evolutionary histories.


  This paper theoretically analyzes the hydrodynamic shape stability problem
for sonoluminescing bubbles. We present a semianalytical approach to describe
the evolution of shape perturbations in the strongly nonlinear regime of
violent collapse. The proposed approximation estimating the damping rate
produced by liquid viscosity is used to elucidate the influence of the collapse
phase on subsequent evolution of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. We
demonstrate that time derivatives of shape perturbations grow significantly as
the bubble radius vanishes, forming the dominant contribution to
destabilization during the ensuing bounce phase. By this effect the
Rayleigh-Taylor instability can be enhanced drastically, yielding a viable
explanation of the upper threshold of driving pressure experimentally observed
by Barber et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 1380 (1994)].


  While neural network-based models have achieved impressive performance on a
large body of NLP tasks, the generalization behavior of different models
remains poorly understood: Does this excellent performance imply a perfect
generalization model, or are there still some limitations? In this paper, we
take the NER task as a testbed to analyze the generalization behavior of
existing models from different perspectives and characterize the differences of
their generalization abilities through the lens of our proposed measures, which
guides us to better design models and training methods. Experiments with
in-depth analyses diagnose the bottleneck of existing neural NER models in
terms of breakdown performance analysis, annotation errors, dataset bias, and
category relationships, which suggest directions for improvement. We have
released the datasets: (ReCoNLL, PLONER) for the future research at our project
page: http://pfliu.com/InterpretNER/. As a by-product of this paper, we have
open-sourced a project that involves a comprehensive summary of recent NER
papers and classifies them into different research topics:
https://github.com/pfliu-nlp/Named-Entity-Recognition-NER-Papers.


  This paper considers the single-server Private Linear Transformation (PLT)
problem when individual privacy is required. In this problem, there is a user
that wishes to obtain $L$ linear combinations of a $D$-subset of messages
belonging to a dataset of $K$ messages stored on a single server. The goal is
to minimize the download cost while keeping the identity of every message
required for the computation individually private. The individual privacy
requirement implies that, from the perspective of the server, every message is
equally likely to belong to the $D$-subset of messages that constitute the
support set of the required linear combinations. We focus on the setting in
which the matrix of coefficients pertaining to the required linear combinations
is the generator matrix of a Maximum Distance Separable code. We establish
lower and upper bounds on the capacity of PLT with individual privacy, where
the capacity is defined as the supremum of all achievable download rates. We
show that our bounds are tight under certain divisibility conditions. In
addition, we present lower bounds on the capacity of the settings in which the
user has a prior side information about a subset of messages.


  We point out that in a class of supersymmetric models where R-parity
violation is induced by the spontaneous breaking of local $B-L$ symmetry, the
R-parity violating $W$ decay $W\rightarrow\slep\gamma$ and $Z$ decay
$Z\rightarrow\snu\gamma$, forbidden in the minimal supersymmetric standard
model (MSSM), occur at an enhanced rate compared to other models with R-parity
breaking. We find that the branching fractions for these modes can be of order
$10^{-5}$ .


  We study the edge spin current and spin polarization in a two-dimensional
electron gas with spin-orbit coupling in the presence of a perpendicular
magnetic field. The edge effect removes the degeneracy of Landau levels due to
the competition between the Rashba coupling and the Zeeman splitting, which
exists in the bulk. Large spin edge current and non-linear response to an
electric field are found when the two levels are degenerated in the bulk. It is
found that he spin current is proportional to spin polarization along the
y-direction in an finite magnetic field, which provides a way to extract the
spin current in the system.


  Within the framework of stochastic inflationary cosmology we derive
steady-state distributions P_c(V) of domains in comoving coordinates, under the
assumption of slow-rolling and for two specific choices of the coarse-grained
inflaton potential $V(\Phi)$. We model the process as a Starobinsky-like
equation in V-space plus a time-independent source term P_w(V) which carries
(phenomenologically) quantum-mechanical information drawn from either of two
known solutions of the Wheeler-De Witt equation: Hartle-Hawking's and
Vilenkin's wave functions. The presence of the source term leads to the
existence of nontrivial steady-state distributions P^w_c(V). The relative
efficiencies of both mechanisms at different scales are compared for the
proposed potentials.


  Despite the importance of feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in
models of galaxy evolution, observational constraints on the influence of AGN
feedback on star formation remain weak. To this end, we have compared the star
formation trends of 279 low-redshift AGN galaxies with 558 inactive control
galaxies using integral field unit spectroscopy from the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey.
With a Gaussian process-based methodology, we reconstruct nonparametric star
formation histories in spatially resolved spaxels covering the face of each
galaxy. Based on galaxy-wide star formation rates (SFRs) alone, we find no
obvious signatures of AGN feedback. However, the AGN galaxies have
significantly suppressed central (kiloparsec-scale) SFRs, lying up to a factor
of $2$ below those of the control galaxies, providing direct observational
evidence of AGN feedback suppressing star formation. The suppression of central
SFRs in the AGN galaxies began in the central regions ${\sim} 6$ Gyr ago
(redshift $z {\sim} 0.7$), taking place over a few gigayears. A small subset of
the AGN galaxies were rapidly driven to quiescence shortly before being
observed (in the last $500$ Myr), potentially indicating instances of
AGN-driven feedback. More frequently, however, star formation continues in the
AGN galaxies, with suppression primarily in the central regions. This is
suggestive of a picture in which integrated (Gyr-timescale) AGN feedback can
significantly affect central star formation, but may be inefficient in driving
galaxy-wide quenching in low-redshift galaxies, instead leaving them in the
green valley.


  We address the multi-agent persistent monitoring problem defined on a set of
nodes (targets) interconnected over a network topology. A measure of mean
overall node state uncertainty evaluated over a finite period is to be
minimized by controlling the motion of a cooperating team of agents. To address
this problem, we propose an event-driven receding horizon control approach that
is computationally efficient, distributed and on-line. The proposed controller
differs from the existing on-line gradient-based parametric controllers and
off-line greedy cycle search methods that often lead to either low-performing
local optima or computationally intensive centralized solutions. A critical
novel element in this controller is that it automatically optimizes its
planning horizon length, thus making it parameter-free. We show that explicit
globally optimal solutions can be obtained for every distributed optimization
problem encountered at each event where the receding horizon controller is
invoked. Numerical results are provided showing improvements compared to state
of the art distributed on-line parametric control solutions.


  The warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) at temperatures 1E5-1E7 K is
believed to contain 30-50% of the baryons in the local universe. However, all
current X-ray detections of the WHIM at redshifts z>0 are of low statistical
significance (<=3sigma) and/or controversial. In this work, we aim to establish
the detection limits of current X-ray observatories and explore requirements
for next-generation X-ray telescopes for studying the WHIM through X-ray
absorption lines. We analyze all available grating observations of Mrk 421 and
obtain spectra with signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of \sim90 and 190 per 50 mA
spectral bin from Chandra and XMM observations, respectively. Although these
spectra are two of the best ever collected with Chandra and XMM, we cannot
confirm the two WHIM systems reported by Nicastro et al. in 2005. Our bootstrap
simulations indicate that spectra with such high S/N cannot constrain the WHIM
with OVII column densities N(OVII)\sim1e15 cm^{-2} (corresponding to an
equivalent widths of 2.5 mA for a Doppler velocity of 50 km s^{-1}) at >=3sigma
significance level. The simulation results also suggest that it would take >60
Ms for Chandra and 140 Ms for XMM to measure the N(OVII) at >=4sigma from a
spectrum of a background QSO with flux of \sim0.2 mCrab (1 Crab = 2E-8 erg
s^{-1} cm^{-2} at 0.5-2 keV). Future X-ray pectrographs need to be equipped
with spectral resolution R \sim 4000 and effective area A>=100 cm^2 to
accomplish the similar constraints with an exposure time of \sim2 Ms and would
require \sim11 Ms to survey the 15 QSOs with flux \sim0.2 mCrab along which
clear intergalactic OVI absorbers have been detected.


  A significant fraction of nearby late-type galaxies are lopsided. We study
the asymmetry of the stellar component in a sample of well-resolved disky
galaxies selected from the last snapshot of the Illustris TNG100 simulation
based on their flatness and rotational support. Among 1912 disks, we identify
161 objects with significant asymmetry in terms of the m=1 Fourier mode of the
stellar component within (1-2) stellar half-mass radii and describe their
properties using three representative examples. The profiles of the m=1 mode
typically increase with radius, and the corresponding phase is constant in the
asymmetric region, signifying a global distortion. Following the evolution of
the lopsided disks over time, we find that their history is rather uneventful
and the occurrence of the asymmetry is fairly recent. Only about 1/3 of the
lopsided disks experienced any strong interaction recently that could have led
to the distortion of their shape: 24% were affected by a more massive object
and 9% underwent a gas-rich merger. Still, a majority of lopsided disks show a
significant increase in their recent star formation rate. The most frequent
mechanism for the formation of lopsided disks thus seems to be asymmetric star
formation probably related to gas accretion, although the distortions in the
gas and stars are not strongly correlated. This picture is supported by the
finding that the lopsided population on average contains more gas, has higher
star formation rate, lower metallicity and bluer color than the remaining
disks. These correlations are similar to those seen in real galaxies, even
though the fraction of simulated lopsided disks (8%) is much lower than in
observations (30%). The observed correlation between the presence of the
asymmetry and a bar is not reproduced either. These discrepancies may be due to
overquenching or insufficient resolution of IllustrisTNG simulations.


  Using recently developed Lanczos technique we study finite-temperature
properties of the 2D Kondo lattice model at various fillings of the conduction
band. At half filling the quasiparticle gap governs physical properties of the
chemical potential and the charge susceptibility at small temperatures. In the
intermediate coupling regime quasiparticle gap scales approximately linearly
with Kondo coupling. Temperature dependence of the spin susceptibility reveals
the existence of two different temperature scales. A spin gap in the
intermediate regime leads to exponential drop of the spin susceptibility at low
temperatures. Unusual scaling of spin susceptibility is found for temperatures
above 0.6 J. Charge susceptibility at finite doping reveals existence of heavy
quasiparticles. A new low energy scale is found at finite doping.


  Trans-dimensional random field language models (TRF LMs) have recently been
introduced, where sentences are modeled as a collection of random fields. The
TRF approach has been shown to have the advantages of being computationally
more efficient in inference than LSTM LMs with close performance and being able
to flexibly integrating rich features. In this paper we propose neural TRFs,
beyond of the previous discrete TRFs that only use linear potentials with
discrete features. The idea is to use nonlinear potentials with continuous
features, implemented by neural networks (NNs), in the TRF framework. Neural
TRFs combine the advantages of both NNs and TRFs. The benefits of word
embedding, nonlinear feature learning and larger context modeling are inherited
from the use of NNs. At the same time, the strength of efficient inference by
avoiding expensive softmax is preserved. A number of technical contributions,
including employing deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to define the
potentials and incorporating the joint stochastic approximation (JSA) strategy
in the training algorithm, are developed in this work, which enable us to
successfully train neural TRF LMs. Various LMs are evaluated in terms of speech
recognition WERs by rescoring the 1000-best lists of WSJ'92 test data. The
results show that neural TRF LMs not only improve over discrete TRF LMs, but
also perform slightly better than LSTM LMs with only one fifth of parameters
and 16x faster inference efficiency.


  Let $\mathcal{M}$ be a $\sigma$-finite von Neumann algebra, equipped with a
normal faithful state $\varphi$, and let $\mathcal{A}$ be maximal subdiagonal
subalgebra of $\mathcal{M}$ and $1\le p<\8$. We prove a
Beurling-Blecher-Labuschagne type theorem for $\mathcal{A}$-invariant subspaces
of Haagerup noncommutative $L^p(\mathcal{M})$ and give a characterization of
outer operators in Haagerup noncommutative $H^{p}$-spaces associated with
$\mathcal{A}$.


  We introduce language-based games, a generalization of psychological games
[6] that can also capture reference-dependent preferences [7]. The idea is to
extend the domain of the utility function to situations, maximal consistent
sets in some language. The role of the underlying language in this framework is
thus particularly critical. Of special interest are languages that can express
only coarse beliefs [9]. Despite the expressive power of the approach, we show
that it can describe games in a simple, natural way. Nash equilibrium and
rationalizability are generalized to this setting; Nash equilibrium is shown
not to exist in general, while the existence of rationalizable strategies is
proved under mild conditions.


  Using the self--consistent Hartree-Fock approximation for electrons with spin
at zero temperature, we study the effect of the electronic interactions on the
charge distribution in a one-dimensional continuous ring containing a single
$\delta $ scatterer. We reestablish that the interaction suppresses the decay
of the Friedel oscillations. Based on this result, we show that in an infinite
one dimensional conductor containing a weak scatterer, the current is totally
suppressed because of a gap opened at the Fermi energy. In a canonical ensemble
of continuous rings containing many scatterers, the interactions enhance the
average and the typical persistent current.


  Recently, encoder-only pre-trained models such as BERT have been successfully
applied in automated essay scoring (AES) to predict a single overall score.
However, studies have yet to explore these models in multi-trait AES, possibly
due to the inefficiency of replicating BERT-based models for each trait.
Breaking away from the existing sole use of encoder, we propose an
autoregressive prediction of multi-trait scores (ArTS), incorporating a
decoding process by leveraging the pre-trained T5. Unlike prior regression or
classification methods, we redefine AES as a score-generation task, allowing a
single model to predict multiple scores. During decoding, the subsequent trait
prediction can benefit by conditioning on the preceding trait scores.
Experimental results proved the efficacy of ArTS, showing over 5% average
improvements in both prompts and traits.


  Extreme edge platforms, such as in-vehicle smart devices, require efficient
deployment of quantized deep neural networks (DNNs) to enable intelligent
applications with limited amounts of energy, memory, and computing resources.
However, many edge devices struggle to boost inference throughput of various
quantized DNNs due to the varying quantization levels, and these devices lack
floating-point (FP) support for on-device learning, which prevents them from
improving model accuracy while ensuring data privacy. To tackle the challenges
above, we propose a precision-scalable RISC-V DNN processor with on-device
learning capability. It facilitates diverse precision levels of fixed-point DNN
inference, spanning from 2-bit to 16-bit, and enhances on-device learning
through improved support with FP16 operations. Moreover, we employ multiple
methods such as FP16 multiplier reuse and multi-precision integer multiplier
reuse, along with balanced mapping of FPGA resources, to significantly improve
hardware resource utilization. Experimental results on the Xilinx ZCU102 FPGA
show that our processor significantly improves inference throughput by
1.6$\sim$14.6$\times$ and energy efficiency by 1.1$\sim$14.6$\times$ across
various DNNs, compared to the prior art, XpulpNN. Additionally, our processor
achieves a 16.5$\times$ higher FP throughput for on-device learning.


  Secret sharing and multiparty computation (also called "secure function
evaluation") are fundamental primitives in modern cryptography, allowing a
group of mutually distrustful players to perform correct, distributed
computations under the sole assumption that some number of them will follow the
protocol honestly. This paper investigates how much trust is necessary -- that
is, how many players must remain honest -- in order for distributed quantum
computations to be possible.
  We present a verifiable quantum secret sharing (VQSS) protocol, and a general
secure multiparty quantum computation (MPQC) protocol, which can tolerate any
(n-1)/2 (rounded down) cheaters among n players. Previous protocols for these
tasks tolerated (n-1)/4 (rounded down) and (n-1)/6 (rounded down) cheaters,
respectively. The threshold we achieve is tight - even in the classical case,
``fair'' multiparty computation is not possible if any set of n/2 players can
cheat.
  Our protocols rely on approximate quantum error-correcting codes, which can
tolerate a larger fraction of errors than traditional, exact codes. We
introduce new families of authentication schemes and approximate codes tailored
to the needs of our protocols, as well as new state purification techniques
along the lines of those used in fault-tolerant quantum circuits.


  Quantum nonlinear interferometers (QNIs) can measure the infrared physical
quantities of a sample by detecting visible photons. A QNI with Michelson
geometry based on the spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a second-order
nonlinear crystal is studied systematically. A simplified theoretical model of
the QNI is presented. The interference visibility, coherence length,
equal-inclination interference, and equal-thickness interference for the QNI
are demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. As an application example of
the QNI, the refractive index and the angle between two surfaces of a BBO
crystal are measured using equal-inclination interference and equal-thickness
interference.


  A combinatorial expression for the coefficient of the Schur function
$s_{\lambda}$ in the expansion of the plethysm $p_{n/d}^d \circ s_{\mu}$ is
given for all $d$ dividing $n$ for the cases in which $n=2$ or $\lambda$ is
rectangular. In these cases, the coefficient $\langle p_{n/d}^d \circ s_{\mu},
s_{\lambda} \rangle$ is shown to count, up to sign, the number of fixed points
of an $\langle s_{\mu}^n, s_{\lambda} \rangle$-element set under the
$d^{\text{th}}$ power of an order-$n$ cyclic action. If $n=2$, the action is
the Sch\"utzenberger involution on semistandard Young tableaux (also known as
evacuation), and, if $\lambda$ is rectangular, the action is a certain power of
Sch\"utzenberger and Shimozono's jeu-de-taquin promotion.
  This work extends results of Stembridge and Rhoades linking fixed points of
the Sch\"utzenberger actions to ribbon tableaux enumeration. The conclusion for
the case $n=2$ is equivalent to the domino tableaux rule of Carr\'e and Leclerc
for discriminating between the symmetric and antisymmetric parts of the square
of a Schur function.


  We use a simple model to study the long time fluctuations induced by random
pinning on the motion of driven non--interacting vortices. We find that vortex
motion seen from the co--moving frame is diffusive and anisotropic, with
velocity dependent diffusion constants. Longitudinal and transverse diffusion
constants cross at a characteristic velocity where diffusion is isotropic. The
diffusion front is elongated in the direction of the drive at low velocities
and elongated in the transverse direction at large velocities. We find that the
mobility in the driven direction is always larger than the transverse mobility,
and becomes isotropic only in the large velocity limit.


  We identify the goldstino fields that give mass to the Kaluza Klein modes of
five dimensional supergravity, when supersymmetry breaking is induced by brane
effects. We then proof the four dimensional Equivalence Theorem that, in
renormalizable gauges, allows for the replacement of Kaluza Klein modes of
helicity $\pm1/2$ gravitinos in terms of goldstinos. Finally we identify the
five dimensional renormalizable gauge fixing that leads to the Equivalence
Theorem.


  This article presents main results of the pilot study of approaches to the
subject information search based on automated semantic processing of mass
scientific and technical data. The authors focus on technology of building and
qualification of search queries with the following filtering and ranking of
search data. Software architecture, specific features of subject search and
research results application are considered.


  The usual equivalence between the Palatini and metric (or affinity and
vielbein) formulations of Einstein theory fails in two spacetime dimensions for
its "Kaluza--Klein" reduced (as well as for its standard) version. Among the
differences is the necessary vanishing of the cosmological constant in the
first order forms. The purely affine Eddington formulation of Einstein theory
also fails here.


  The first full angular analysis and an updated measurement of the decay-rate
$CP$ asymmetry of the $D^0 \to \pi^+\pi^-\mu^+\mu^-$ and $D^0 \to
K^+K^-\mu^+\mu^-$ decays are reported. The analysis uses proton-proton
collision data collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of
7, 8 and 13 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 9
fb$^{-1}$. The full set of $CP$-averaged angular observables and their $CP$
asymmetries are measured as a function of the dimuon invariant mass. The
results are consistent with expectations from the standard model and with $CP$
symmetry.


  For an axisymmetric tokamak plasma, Hamiltonian theory predicts that the
orbits of charged particles must stay on invariant tori of conserved energy in
the moving frame of reference of a wave that propagates along the torus with a
fixed angular phase velocity. In principle, this is true for arbitrary mode
structures in the poloidal plane, but only if the fluctuations are expressed in
terms of potentials $\Phi$ and ${\bf A}$, which satisfy Faraday's law by
definition. Here, we use the physical fields ${\bf E}$ and ${\bf B}$, where
Faraday's law may be violated by errors introduced during the process of
computing or designing the wave field through numerical inaccuracies,
approximations, or gross negligence. Numerical heating caused by noise-like
artifacts on the grid scale can to some extent be reduced via shorter time
steps. In contrast, coherent inconsistencies between ${\bf E}$ and ${\bf B}$
cause spurious acceleration that is independent of time steps or numerical
methods, but can be sensitive to geometry. In particular, we show that secular
acceleration is enhanced when one imposes nonnormal modes that possess strong
up-down asymmetry instead of the usual in-out asymmetry of normal toroidal
(eigen)modes. Our tests are performed for full gyroorbit and guiding center
(GC) models, which give similar results. In addition, we show that $N$-point
gyroaveraging is not a recommendable method to enhance the realism of GC
simulations. Besides breaking conservation laws, $N$-point gyroaveraging in our
example makes the GC results deviate further from the full orbit results,
showing that this method can even give the wrong trend.


  We introduce a saddle-point finder that can find the complex saddle points
for any analytically continued action. We showcase our saddle-point finder by
two examples in the EPRL spin foam model: the single vertex case and the case
of triangulation $\Delta_3$. In both cases, the complex saddle points are
found, and each saddle point's contribution to the partition function is
estimated. We also discuss the geometrical interpretation of each saddle point.


  We implement a real-time coherent transceiver with fast streaming outputs for
environmental sensing. Continuous sensing using phase and equalizer outputs
over 12800km of a submarine cable is demonstrated to enable time resolved
spectroscopy in broad spectral range of 10mHz - 1kHz.


  In the context of tvs-cone metric spaces, we prove a Bishop-Phelps and a
Caristi's type theorem. These results allow us to prove a fixed point theorem
for $(\delta, L)$-weak contraction according to a pseudo Hausdorff metric
defined by means of a cone metric.


  Evolution of resonant frequencies and resonant modes as dependent on the
aspect ratio is considered in a dielectric high index spheroid. Because of
rotational symmetry of the spheroid the solutions are separated by the
azimuthal index $m$. By the two-fold variation of a refractive index and the
aspect ratio we achieve exceptional points (EPs) at which the resonant
frequencies and resonant modes are coalesced in the sectors $m=0$ for both TE
and TM polarizations and $m=1$.


  We present results on the X-ray and optical/UV emission from the type IIP SN
2006bp and the interaction of the SN shock with its environment, obtained with
the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and UV/Optical Telescope (UVOT) on-board the Swift
observatory. SN 2006bp is detected in X-rays at a 4.5 sigma level of
significance in the merged XRT data from days 1 to 12 after the explosion. If
the X-ray luminosity of (1.8+/-0.4)E39 ergs/s is caused by interaction of the
SN shock with circumstellar material (CSM), deposited by a stellar wind from
the progenitor's companion star, a mass-loss rate of ~E-05 M_sun/yr is
inferred. The mass-loss rate is consistent with the non-detection in the radio
with the VLA on days 2, 9, and 11 after the explosion and characteristic of a
red supergiant progenitor with a mass around 12-15 M_sun prior to the
explosion. In combination with a follow-up XMM-Newton observation obtained on
day 21 after the explosion, an X-ray rate of decline with index 1.2+/-0.6 is
inferred. Since no other SN has been detected in X-rays prior to the optical
peak and since type IIP SNe have an extended 'plateau' phase in the optical, we
discuss the scenario that the X-rays might be due to inverse Compton scattering
of photospheric optical photons off relativistic electrons produced in
circumstellar shocks. However, due to the high required value of the Lorentz
factor (~10-100) we conclude that Inverse Compton scattering is an unlikely
explanation for the observed X-ray emission. The fast evolution of the
optical/ultraviolet spectral energy distribution and the spectral changes
observed with Swift reveal the onset of metal line-blanketing and cooling of
the expanding photosphere during the first few weeks after the outburst.


  Observable consequences of the hypothesis that the observed universe is a
numerical simulation performed on a cubic space-time lattice or grid are
explored. The simulation scenario is first motivated by extrapolating current
trends in computational resource requirements for lattice QCD into the future.
Using the historical development of lattice gauge theory technology as a guide,
we assume that our universe is an early numerical simulation with unimproved
Wilson fermion discretization and investigate potentially-observable
consequences. Among the observables that are considered are the muon g-2 and
the current differences between determinations of alpha, but the most stringent
bound on the inverse lattice spacing of the universe, b^(-1) >~ 10^(11) GeV, is
derived from the high-energy cut off of the cosmic ray spectrum. The numerical
simulation scenario could reveal itself in the distributions of the highest
energy cosmic rays exhibiting a degree of rotational symmetry breaking that
reflects the structure of the underlying lattice.


  The process of protein synthesis in biological systems resembles a one
dimensional driven lattice gas in which the particles have spatial extent,
covering more than one lattice site. We expand the well studied Totally
Asymmetric Exclusion Process (TASEP), in which particles typically cover a
single lattice site, to include cases with extended objects. Exact solutions
can be determined for a uniform closed system. We analyze the uniform open
system through two approaches. First, a continuum limit produces a modified
diffusion equation for particle density profiles. Second, an extremal principle
based on domain wall theory accurately predicts the phase diagram and currents
in each phase. Finally, we briefly consider approximate approaches to a
non-uniform open system with quenched disorder in the particle hopping rates
and compare these approaches with Monte Carlo simulations.


  The aim of this chapter is to identify and characterise the pedagogical model
prescribed for this particular mathematics teaching delivered in post-primary
vocational training. More specifically, the contribution investigates two major
questions: what specificities, proximities, differences with the pedagogical
models of mathematics teaching for elementary primary and secondary? How should
this mathematics teaching be operationalised, particularly with regard to the
specific characteristics of the public for whom it is intended?


  This work investigates the consequences of imposing a volume constraint on
the maximum power that can be absorbed from progressive regular incident waves
by an attenuating line absorber heaving in a travelling wave mode. Under
assumptions of linear theory an equation for the maximum absorbed power is
derived in terms of two dimensionless independent variables representing the
length and the half-swept volume of the line absorber. The equation gives the
well-known result for a point absorber wave energy converter in the limit of
zero length and it gives Budal's upper bound in the limit of zero volume. The
equation shows that the maximum power absorbed by a heaving point absorber is
limited regardless of its volume, while for a heaving line absorber whose
length tends to infinity the maximum power is proportional to its swept volume,
with no limit. Power limits arise for line absorbers of practical lengths and
volumes but they can be multiples of those achieved for point absorbers of
similar volumes. This conclusion has profound implications for the scaling and
economics of wave energy converters.


  We determine Li abundances and vsini values from new spectra of 53 stars with
Doppler-detected planets not included in our previous papers in this series. We
also examine two sets of stars without detected planets, which together serve
as our comparison sample. Using the method of comparison of Li abundances and
vsini values between two sets of stars we introduced in Gonzalez (2008), we
confirm that these two quantities are smaller among stars with planets compared
to stars without detected planets near the solar temperature. The transition
from low to high Li abundance among SWPs occurs near 5850 K, a revision of
about 50 K from our previous determination. The transition from low to high
vsini occurs near 6000 K, but this temperature is not as well constrained.


  The model of RH neutrino fields coupled to the MSSM is shown to yield a large
parameter regime of warm inflation. In the strong dissipative regime, it is
shown that inflation, driven by a single sneutrino field, occurs with {\it all
field amplitudes below the Planck scale}. Analysis is also made of
leptogenesis, neutrino mass generation and gravitino constraints. A new warm
inflation scenario is purposed in which one scalar field drives a period of
warm inflation and a second field drives a subsequent phase of reheating. Such
a model is able to reduce the final temperature after inflation, thus helping
to mitigate gravitino constraints.


  Motivated by the discovery of new family 122 iron-based superconductors, we
present the theoretical results on the ground state phase diagram, spin wave
and dynamic structure factor of the extended $J_{1}-J_{2}$ Heisenberg model. In
the reasonable physical parameter region of $K_{2}Fe_{4}Se_{5}$, we fi{}nd the
block checkerboard antiferromagnetic order phase is stable. There are two
acoustic branches and six optical branches spin wave in the block checkerboard
antiferromagnetic phase, which has analytic expression in the high symmetry
points. To compare the further neutron scattering experiments, we discuss the
saddlepoint structure in the magnetic excitation spectrum and calculate the
predicted inelastic neutron scattering pattern based on linear spin wave
theory.


  Elliptic flow of direct photons in relativistic heavy ion collisions is
believed to be dominated by contribution from thermal radiation of quark gluon
plasma up to $p_T$ $\sim 5$ GeV/$c$, although other sources start outshining
the thermal contribution at already smaller values of $p_T$ in the direct
photon spectrum. The elliptic flow of thermal photons from ideal hydrodynamics
considering a smooth initial density distribution under-predicts the PHENIX
direct photon data from 200A GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC by a large margin in
the range $1 < p_T < 5$ GeV/$c$. However, a significant enhancement of thermal
photon production due to fluctuations in the initial QCD matter density
distributions is expected. We show that such fluctuations result in
substantially larger photon elliptic flow for $p_T > 2.5 $ GeV/$c$ compared to
a smooth initial-state-averaged density profile. The results from
event-by-event hydrodynamics are found to be sensitive to the fluctuation size
parameter. However, the effects of initial state fluctuations are insufficient
to account for the discrepancy to the PHENIX data for direct photon elliptic
flow. Furthermore, the photon $v_2$ is reduced even more when we include the
NLO pQCD prompt photon component. We also calculate the spectra and elliptic
flow of thermal photons for 2.76A TeV Pb+Pb collisions at LHC and for the
0--40% centrality bin. Thermal photons from event-by-event hydrodynamics along
with prompt photons from NLO pQCD calculations explain the ALICE preliminary
direct photon data well in the region $p_T \ge 2.5$ GeV/c. Similar to RHIC, the
elliptic flow results at LHC are again found to be much smaller than the ALICE
preliminary $v_2$ data.


  Spin-split two-dimensional electronic states have been observed on ultrathin
Sn(001) films grown on InSb(001) substrates. Angle-resolved photoelectron
spectroscopy (ARPES) performed on these films revealed Dirac-cone-like linear
dispersion around the $\bar{\Gamma}$ point of surface Brillouin zone,
suggesting nearly massless electrons belonging to 2D surface states. The states
disperse across a bandgap between bulk-like quantum well states in the films.
Moreover, both circular dichroism of ARPES and spin-resolved ARPES studies show
helical spin polarization of the Dirac-cone-like surface states, suggesting a
topologically protected character as in a bulk topological insulator (TI).
These results indicate that a quasi-3D TI phase can be realized in ultrathin
films of zero-gap semiconductors.


  {\it Ab initio\} calculations have been successfully used for evaluating
lattice dynamical properties of solids within the (quasi-)harmonic
approximation (i.e., assuming non-interacting phonons with infinite lifetimes),
but it remains difficult to treat anharmonicity in all but the simplest
compounds. We detail a systematic information theory based approach to deriving
{\it ab initio\} anharmonic force constants: compressive sensing lattice
dynamics (CSLD). The non-negligible terms that are necessary to reproduce the
first-principles calculated interatomic forces are automatically selected by
minimizing the $\ell_1$ norm (sum of absolute values) of the scaled force
constants. By using efficient sampling of the configuration space using a
modest number of atomic configurations with quasi-random displacements, CSLD is
well suited for deriving accurate anharmonic potentials for complex
multicomponent compounds with large unit cells. We demonstrate the power and
generality of CSLD by calculating the phonon lifetimes and thermal transport
properties of Type-I Si clathrates.


  This paper studies the existence and uniqueness of a solution to linear
quadratic (LQ) mean field social optimization problems with uniform agents. We
exploit a Hamiltonian matrix structure of the associated ordinary differential
equation (ODE) system and apply a subspace decomposition method to find the
solution.
  This approach is effective for both the existence analysis and numerical
computations.
  We further extend the decomposition method to LQ mean field games.


  Sequential design of experiments for optimizing a reward function in causal
systems can be effectively modeled by the sequential design of interventions in
causal bandits (CBs). In the existing literature on CBs, a critical assumption
is that the causal models remain constant over time. However, this assumption
does not necessarily hold in complex systems, which constantly undergo temporal
model fluctuations. This paper addresses the robustness of CBs to such model
fluctuations. The focus is on causal systems with linear structural equation
models (SEMs). The SEMs and the time-varying pre- and post-interventional
statistical models are all unknown. Cumulative regret is adopted as the design
criteria, based on which the objective is to design a sequence of interventions
that incur the smallest cumulative regret with respect to an oracle aware of
the entire causal model and its fluctuations. First, it is established that the
existing approaches fail to maintain regret sub-linearity with even a few
instances of model deviation. Specifically, when the number of instances with
model deviation is as few as $T^\frac{1}{2L}$, where $T$ is the time horizon
and $L$ is the longest causal path in the graph, the existing algorithms will
have linear regret in $T$. Next, a robust CB algorithm is designed, and its
regret is analyzed, where upper and information-theoretic lower bounds on the
regret are established. Specifically, in a graph with $N$ nodes and maximum
degree $d$, under a general measure of model deviation $C$, the cumulative
regret is upper bounded by $\tilde{\mathcal{O}}(d^{L-\frac{1}{2}}(\sqrt{NT} +
NC))$ and lower bounded by $\Omega(d^{\frac{L}{2}-2}\max\{\sqrt{T},d^2C\})$.
Comparing these bounds establishes that the proposed algorithm achieves nearly
optimal $\tilde{\mathcal{O}}(\sqrt{T})$ regret when $C$ is $o(\sqrt{T})$ and
maintains sub-linear regret for a broader range of $C$.


  We investigate the prospects of measuring the strange quark distribution
function at the Tevatron, using $W$ plus charm quark events. The $W$ plus charm
quark signal produced by strange quark--gluon fusion, $sg\rightarrow W^-c$ and
$\bar sg\rightarrow W^+\bar c$, is approximately 5\% of the inclusive $W+1$ jet
cross section for jets with a transverse momentum $p_T(j)>10$~GeV. We study the
sensitivity of the $W$ plus charm quark cross section to the parametrization of
the strange quark distribution function, and evaluate the various background
processes. Strategies to identify charm quarks in CDF and D$0\llap/$ are
briefly described.


  We consider global-in-time small mild solutions of the initial value problem
to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in $R^3$. For such solutions, an
asymptotic stability is established under arbitrarily large initial
$L^2$-perturbations.


  We report spectro-imaging observations of the bright western ridge of the
supernova remnant IC 443 obtained with the ISOCAM circular variable filter
(CVF) on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). This ridge corresponds to
a location where the interaction between the blast wave of the supernova and
ambient molecular gas is amongst the strongest. The CVF data show that the 5 to
14 micron spectrum is dominated by the pure rotational lines of molecular
hydrogen (v = 0--0, S(2) to S(8) transitions). At all positions along the
ridge, the H2 rotational lines are very strong with typical line fluxes of
10^{-4} to 10^{-3} erg/sec/cm2/sr. We compare the data to a new time-dependent
shock model; the rotational line fluxes in IC 443 are reproduced within factors
of 2 for evolutionary times between 1,000 and 2,000 years with a shock velocity
of 30 km/sec and a pre-shock density of 10^4 /cm3.


  A computational strategy based on large deviation theory (LDT) is used to
study the anomalous statistical features of turbulent surface waves propagating
past an abrupt depth change created via a step in the bottom topography. The
dynamics of the outgoing waves past the step are modeled using the truncated
Korteweg-de Vries (TKdV) equation with random initial conditions at the step
drawn from the system's Gibbs invariant measure of the incoming waves. Within
the LDT framework, the probability distributions of the wave height can be
obtained via the solution of a deterministic optimization problem. Detailed
numerical tests show that this approach accurately captures the non-Gaussian
features of the wave height distributions, in particular their asymmetric tails
leading to high skewness. These calculations also give the spatio-temporal
pattern of the anomalous waves most responsible for these non-Gaussian
features. The strategy shows potential for a general class of nonlinear
Hamiltonian systems with highly non-Gaussian statistics.


  We report on the tentative detection of $trans$ Ethyl Methyl Ether (tEME),
$t-CH_3CH_2OCH_3$, through the identification of a large number of rotational
lines from each one of the spin states of the molecule towards Orion KL. We
also search for $gauche$-$trans$-n-propanol, $Gt-n-CH_3CH_2CH_2OH$, an isomer
of tEME in the same source. We have identified lines of both species in the
IRAM 30m line survey and in the ALMA Science Verification data. We have
obtained ALMA maps to establish the spatial distribution of these species.
Whereas tEME mainly arises from the compact ridge component of Orion,
Gt-n-propanol appears at the emission peak of ethanol (south hot core). The
derived column densities of these species at the location of their emission
peaks are $\leq(4.0\pm0.8)\times10^{15} cm^{-2}$ and
$\leq(1.0\pm0.2)\times10^{15} cm^{-2}$ for tEME and Gt-n-propanol,
respectively. The rotational temperature is $\sim100 K$ for both molecules. We
also provide maps of $CH_3OCOH$, $CH_3CH_2OCOH$, $CH_3OCH_3$, $CH_3OH$, and
$CH_3CH_2OH$ to compare the distribution of these organic saturated O-bearing
species containing methyl and ethyl groups in this region. Abundance ratios of
related species and upper limits to the abundances of non-detected ethers are
provided. We derive an abundance ratio $N(CH_3OCH_3)/N(tEME)\geq150$ in the
compact ridge of Orion.


  I review the ongoing attempts to define chiral gauge theories using the
lattice regularization.


  The ability of type-II superconductors to carry large amounts of current at
high magnetic fields is a key requirement for future design innovations in
high-field magnets for accelerators and compact fusion reactors and largely
depends on the vortex pinning landscape comprised of material defects. The
complex interaction of vortices with defects that can be grown chemically,
e.g., self-assembled nanoparticles and nanorods, or introduced by
post-synthesis particle irradiation precludes a priori prediction of the
critical current and can result in highly non-trivial effects on the critical
current. Here, we borrow concepts from biological evolution to create a genetic
algorithm evolving pinning landscapes to accommodate vortex pinning and
determine the best possible configuration of inclusions for two different
scenarios: an evolution process starting from a pristine system and one with
pre-existing defects to demonstrate the potential for a post-processing
approach to enhance critical currents. Furthermore, the presented approach is
even more general and can be adapted to address various other targeted material
optimization problems.


  Bayesian model selection methods provide a self-consistent probabilistic
framework to test the validity of competing scenarios given a set of data. We
present a case study application to strong gravitational lens parametric
models. Our goal is to select a homogeneous lens subsample suitable for
cosmological parameter inference. To this end we apply a Bayes factor analysis
to a synthetic catalog of 500 lenses with power-law potential and external
shear. For simplicity we focus on double-image lenses (the largest fraction of
lens in the simulated sample) and select a subsample for which astrometry and
time-delays provide strong evidence for a simple power-law model description.
Through a likelihood analysis we recover the input value of the Hubble constant
to within 3\sigma statistical uncertainty. We apply this methodology to a
sample of double image lensed quasars. In the case of B1600+434, SBS 1520+530
and SDSS J1650+4251 the Bayes' factor analysis favors a simple power-law model
description with high statistical significance. Assuming a flat \LambdaCDM
cosmology, the combined likelihood data analysis of such systems gives the
Hubble constant H_0=76+15-5 km/s/Mpc having marginalized over the lens model
parameters, the cosmic matter density and consistently propagated the
observational errors on the angular position of the images. The next generation
of cosmic structure surveys will provide larger lens datasets and the method
described here can be particularly useful to select homogeneous lens subsamples
adapted to perform unbiased cosmological parameter inference


  Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are known to have the most relativistic jets, with
initial Lorentz factors in the order of a few hundreds. Many GRBs display an
early X-ray light-curve plateau, which was not theoretically expected and
therefore puzzled the community for many years. Here, we show that this
observed signal is naturally obtained within the classical GRB "fireball"
model, provided that the initial Lorentz factor is rather a few tens, and the
expansion occurs into a medium-low density "wind". The range of Lorentz factors
in GRB jets is thus much wider than previously thought and bridges an
observational gap between mildly relativistic jets inferred in active galactic
nuclei, to highly relativistic jets deduced in few extreme GRBs. Furthermore,
long GRB progenitors are either not Wolf-Rayet stars, or the wind properties
during the final stellar evolution phase are different than at earlier times.
We discuss several testable predictions of this model.


  The cold-dense plasma is occasionally detected in the solar wind with in situ
data, but the source of the cold-dense plasma remains illusive. Interchange
reconnections (IRs) between closed fields and nearby open fields are well known
to contribute to the formation of solar winds. We present a confined filament
eruption associated with a puff-like coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2014
December 24. The filament underwent successive activations and finally erupted,
due to continuous magnetic flux cancellations and emergences. The confined
erupting filament showed a clear untwist motion, and most of the filament
material fell back. During the eruption, some tiny blobs escaped from the
confined filament body, along newly-formed open field lines rooted around the
south end of the filament, and some bright plasma flowed from the north end of
the filament to remote sites at nearby open fields. The newly-formed open field
lines shifted southward with multiple branches. The puff-like CME also showed
multiple bright fronts and a clear southward shift. All the results indicate an
intermittent IR existed between closed fields of the confined erupting filament
and nearby open fields, which released a portion of filament material (blobs)
to form the puff-like CME. We suggest that the IR provides a possible source of
cold-dense plasma in the solar wind.


  To enable space-based quantum key distribution proposals the Centre for
Quantum Technologies is developing a source of entangled photons ruggedized to
survive deployment in space and greatly miniaturised so that it conforms to the
strict form factor and power requirements of a 1U CubeSat. The Small Photon
Entangling Quantum System is an integrated instrument where the pump, photon
pair source and detectors are combined within a single optical tray and
electronics package that is no larger than 10 cm x 10 cm x 3 cm. This footprint
enables the instrument to be placed onboard nanosatellites or the CubeLab
structure aboard the International Space Station. We will discuss the
challenges and future prospects of CubeSat-based missions.


  This paper is devoted to the well-posedness for dissipative KdV equations
$u_t+u_{xxx}+|D_x|^{2\alpha}u+uu_x=0$, $0<\alpha\leq 1$. An optimal bilinear
estimate is obtained in Bourgain's type spaces, which provides global
well-posedness in $H^s(\R)$, $s>-3/4$ for $\alpha\leq1/2$ and
$s>-3/(5-2\alpha)$ for $\alpha>1/2$.


  We prove analogues of several well-known results concerning rational
morphisms between quadrics for the class of so-called quasilinear
$p$-hypersurfaces. These hypersurfaces are nowhere smooth over the base field,
so many of the geometric methods which have been successfully applied to the
study of projective homogeneous varieties over fields cannot be used. We are
therefore forced to take an alternative approach, which is partly facilitated
by the appearance of several non-traditional features in the study of these
objects from an algebraic perspective. Our main results were previously known
for the class of quasilinear quadrics. We provide new proofs here, because the
original proofs do not immediately generalise for quasilinear hypersurfaces of
higher degree.


  We present a Linearized Coupled Cluster (LCC) correction based on an
Antisymmetric Product of 1 reference orbital Geminals (AP1roG) reference state.
In our LCC ansatz, the cluster operator is restricted to double and to single
and double excitations as in standard single-reference CC theory. The
performance of the AP1roG-LCC models is tested for the dissociation of diatomic
molecules (C$_2$ and F$_2$), spectroscopic constants of the uranyl cation
(UO$_2^{2+}$), and the symmetric dissociation of the H$_{50}$ hydrogen chain.
Our study indicates that an LCC correction based on an AP1roG reference
function is more robust and reliable than corrections based on perturbation
theory, yielding spectroscopic constants that are in very good agreement with
theoretical reference data.


  We study operator spaces, operator algebras, and operator modules, from the
point of view of the `noncommutative Shilov boundary'. In this attempt to
utilize some `noncommutative Choquet theory', we find that Hilbert
C$^*-$modules and their properties, which we studied earlier in the operator
space framework, replace certain topological tools. We introduce certain
multiplier operator algebras and C$^*-$algebras of an operator space, which
generalize the algebras of adjointable operators on a C$^*-$module, and the
`imprimitivity C$^*-$algebra'. It also generalizes a classical Banach space
notion. This multiplier algebra plays a key role here. As applications of this
perspective, we unify, and strengthen several theorems characterizing operator
algebras and modules, in a way that seems to give more information than other
current proofs. We also include some general notes on the `commutative case' of
some of the topics we discuss, coming in part from joint work with Christian Le
Merdy, about `function modules'.


  In the present report, by using the Stokes-Helmholtz decomposition theorem
the 3-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation (NSE) is uncoupled and transformed
into a scalar equation for the velocity potential when the flow field is
toroidal. The dynamics of the velocity potential is independent of the vector
potential. The reduction and invariant solutions to the equation are analyzed
by the Lie symmetry method subsequently. The Lie subalgebras for the equation
are discussed and the corresponding invariant solutions are also presented.


  We study a mathematical model for revenue management under competition with
multiple sellers. The model combines the stochastic knapsack problem, a classic
revenue management model, with a non coorperative game model that characterizes
the sellers' rational behavior. We are able to establish a dynamic recursive
procedure that incorporate the value function with the utility function of the
games. The formalization of the dynamic recursion allows us to establish some
fundamental structural properties.


  This paper explores the X-ray properties of `normal' galaxies using a shallow
XMM-Newton survey covering an area of ~1.5deg2. The X-ray survey overlaps with
the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. Compared with previous studies this has the
advantage of high quality spectra and spectral classifications to bj=19.4.
Moreover, sources with optical spectra revealing powerful AGNs can easily be
discarded from the normal galaxy sample used here. In particular, we present
stacking analysis results for 200 galaxies from the 2dFGRS at <z>=0.1. We
detect a strong signal for the whole sample (~6sigma) in the soft 0.5-2keV band
corresponding to a flux of ~7*10^-16cgs and a luminosity of ~2*10^40cgs. A
statistically significant signal is also detected for both the early and late
galaxy sub-samples with X-ray luminosities of ~3*10^40 and ~5*10^39cgs
respectively. In contrast, no signal is detected in the hard 2-8keV band for
any of the above samples. The mean L_X/L_B ratio of the spiral galaxy sample is
consistent with both local (<100Mpc) and distant (z~1) samples suggesting
little or no evolution of the X-ray emission mechanisms relative to the
optical. The 0.5-2keV XRB contribution of the spiral galaxy sub-sample at z~0.1
is estimated to be 0.4% in broad agreement with the XRB fractions estimated in
previous studies.Assuming that star-forming galaxies evolve with redshift as
(1+z)^{k} the present data combined with previous studies suggest k<3. The k
values are constrained by the relatively low fraction of the soft X-ray
background that remains unresolved by deep surveys (6-26%). The mean X-ray
emissivity of spiral galaxies at z~0.1 is also estimated and is found to be
consistent within the uncertainties with that of local HII galaxy samples.