  Motivated by the recent anomalies observed in semileptonic decays of
B-mesons, the class of models denoted as "4321" is introduced and analysed. The
importance of calculating next-to-leading-order (NLO) effects in performing
precise compatibility tests of data with 4321 predictions is discussed. On the
one hand, the coupling of the $U_1 \sim (\textbf{3},\textbf{1})_{2/3}$
leptoquark appearing in the spectrum to the third-generation fermions is large,
giving rise to sizable NLO corrections in the relevant semileptonic operators.
On the other hand, the new source of flavor violation is introduced with the
vector-like fermions, resulting in the processes whose relevance can only be
quantified at the loop order.


  The physics of transient seismic emission in flares remains largely
mysterious. Its discoverers proposed that these "sunquakes" are the signature
of a shock driven by "thick-target heating" of the flaring chromosphere.
H-{\alpha} observations show evidence for such a shock. However, simulations of
shocks driven by impulsive chromospheric heating show withering radiative
losses as the shock proceeds downward. The compression of the shocked gas heats
and increases its density, making it more radiative. So, radiative losses
increase radically with the strength of the shock. This has introduced doubt
that sufficient energy from such a shock can penetrate into the solar interior
to match that indicated by the helioseismic signatures. We point out that
simulations of acoustic transients driven by impulsive heating have no account
for magnetic fields characteristic of transient-seismic-source environments.
These must have a major impact on the seismic flux conducted into the solar
interior. A strong horizontal magnetic field, for example, greatly increases
the compressional modulus of the chromospheric medium. This greatly reduces
compression of the gas, hence the radiative losses as the transient passes
through it. This could explain the strong affinity of seismic sources to
regions of strong, highly inclined penumbral magnetic fields. The role of
inclined magnetic fields, then, is fundamental to our understanding of the role
of impulsive heating in transient seismic emission.


  We present very long baseline interferometry polarization images of an X-ray
selected sample of BL Lacertae objects belonging to the first High Energy
Astronomy Observatory (HEAO-1) and the ROSAT-Green Bank (RGB) surveys. These
are primarily high-energy-peaked BL Lacs (HBLs) and exhibit core-jet radio
morphologies on pc-scales. They show moderately polarized jet components,
similar to those of low-energy-peaked BL Lacs (LBLs). The fractional
polarization in the unresolved cores of the HBLs is, on average, lower than in
the LBLs, while the fractional polarizations in the pc-scale jets of HBLs and
LBLs are comparable. However a difference is observed in the orientation of the
inferred jet magnetic fields -- while LBL jets are well-known to preferentially
exhibit transverse magnetic fields, the HBL jets tend to display longitudinal
magnetic fields. Although a `spine-sheath' jet velocity structure, along with
larger viewing angles for HBLs could produce the observed magnetic field
configuration, differences in other properties of LBLs and HBLs, such as their
total radio power, cannot be fully reconciled with the different-angle scenario
alone. Instead it appears that LBLs and HBLs differ intrinsically, perhaps in
the spin rates of their central black holes.


  LiDAR segmentation has become a crucial component in advanced autonomous
driving systems. Recent range-view LiDAR segmentation approaches show promise
for real-time processing. However, they inevitably suffer from corrupted
contextual information and rely heavily on post-processing techniques for
prediction refinement. In this work, we propose FRNet, a simple yet powerful
method aimed at restoring the contextual information of range image pixels
using corresponding frustum LiDAR points. Firstly, a frustum feature encoder
module is used to extract per-point features within the frustum region, which
preserves scene consistency and is crucial for point-level predictions. Next, a
frustum-point fusion module is introduced to update per-point features
hierarchically, enabling each point to extract more surrounding information via
the frustum features. Finally, a head fusion module is used to fuse features at
different levels for final semantic prediction. Extensive experiments conducted
on four popular LiDAR segmentation benchmarks under various task setups
demonstrate the superiority of FRNet. Notably, FRNet achieves 73.3% and 82.5%
mIoU scores on the testing sets of SemanticKITTI and nuScenes. While achieving
competitive performance, FRNet operates 5 times faster than state-of-the-art
approaches. Such high efficiency opens up new possibilities for more scalable
LiDAR segmentation. The code has been made publicly available at
https://github.com/Xiangxu-0103/FRNet.


  The shear strength and the corrosion resistance of the fiber/matrix interface
after immersion in simulated body fluid was studied in poly-lactic acid/Mg
fiber composites. The shear strength of the interface was measured by means of
push-out tests in thin slices of the composite perpendicular to the fibers. It
was found that the interface strength dropped from 15.2 \pm 1.4 MPa to 7.8 \pm
3.7 MPa after the composite was immersed in simulated body fluid for 148 hours.
The reduction of the interface strength was associated to the fast corrosion of
the fibers as water diffused to the interface through the polymer. The
expansion of the fibers due to the formation of corrosion products was enough
to promote radial cracks in the polymer matrix which facilitate the ingress of
water and the development of corrosion pitting in the fibers. Moreover, cell
culture testing on the material showed that early degradation of the Mg fibers
affected the proliferation of pre-osteoblasts near the Mg fibers due to the
local changes in the environment produced by the fiber corrosion. Thus, surface
modification of Mg fibers to delay degradation seems to be a critical point for
further development of Mg/PLA composites for biomedical applications.


  We demonstrate that for some certain values of parameters of the
$(1+1)$-dimensional $\varphi^8$ model, the kink solutions can be found from
polynomial equations. For some selected values of the parameters we give the
explicit formulas for the kinks in all topological sectors of the model. Based
on the obtained algebraic equations, we show that in a special limiting case,
kinks with power-law asymptotics arise in the model, describing, in particular,
thick domain walls. Objects of this kind could be of interest for modern
cosmology.


  In the last decades, agile methods had a huge impact on how software is
developed. In many cases, this has led to significant benefits, such as quality
and speed of software deliveries to customers. However, safety-critical systems
have widely been dismissed from benefiting from agile methods. Products that
include safety critical aspects are therefore faced with a situation in which
the development of safety-critical parts can significantly limit the potential
speed-up through agile methods, for the full product, but also in the
non-safety critical parts. For such products, the ability to develop
safety-critical software in an agile way will generate a competitive advantage.
In order to enable future research in this important area, we present in this
paper a mapping of the current state of practice based on {a mixed method
approach}. Starting from a workshop with experts from six large Swedish product
development companies we develop a lens for our analysis. We then present a
systematic mapping study on safety-critical systems and agile development
through this lens in order to map potential benefits, challenges, and solution
candidates for guiding future research.


  The equivalent resistance between the origin and any other lattice site, in
an infinite Face Centered Cubic network consisting from identical resistors,
has been expressed rationally in terms of the known value and . The asymptotic
behavior is investigated, and some calculated values for the equivalent
resistance are presented.


  The aim of this short note is to show that the class of problem involving
kinetic or thermo-kinetic constraints in addition to the usual stoechiometric
one is non convex.


  Motivated by the recent galactic center gamma-ray excess identified in the
Fermi-LAT data, we perform a detailed study of QCD fragmentation uncertainties
in the modeling of the energy spectra of gamma-rays from Dark-Matter (DM)
annihilation. When Dark-Matter particles annihilate to coloured final states,
either directly or via decays such as $W^{(*)}\to q\bar{q}'$, photons are
produced from a complex sequence of shower, hadronisation and hadron decays. In
phenomenological studies, their energy spectra are typically computed using
Monte Carlo event generators. These results have however intrinsic
uncertainties due to the specific model used and the choice of model
parameters, which are difficult to asses and which are typically neglected. We
derive a new set of hadronisation parameters (tunes) for the
\textsc{Pythia~8.2} Monte Carlo generator from a fit to LEP and SLD data at the
$Z$ peak. For the first time, we also derive a conservative set of
uncertainties on the shower and hadronisation model parameters. Their impact on
the gamma-ray energy spectra is evaluated and discussed for a range of DM
masses and annihilation channels. The spectra and their uncertainties are also
provided in tabulated form for future use. The fragmentation-parameter
uncertainties may be useful for collider studies as well.


  ZnO nanowires have an enormous potential for applications as ultra-violet
(UV) photodetectors. Their mechanism of photocurrent generation is intimately
related with the presence of surface states where considerable efforts, such as
surface chemical modifications, have been pursued to improve their
photodetection capabilities. In this work, we report a step further in this
direction demonstrating that the photosensitivity and quality factor (Q factor)
of the photodetector are entirely tunable by an applied gate voltage. This
mechanism enables UV photodetection selectivity ranging from wavelengths from
tens of nanometers (full width at half maximum - FWHM) down to a narrow
detection of 3 nm. Such control paves the way for novel applications,
especially related to the detection of elements that have very sharp
luminescence.


  In this paper we show how to obtain representations of Coxeter groups acting
on H^n to certain classical groups. We determine when the kernel of such a
representation is torsion-free and thus the quotient a hyperbolic n-manifold.


  We show that every group acting freely and vertex-transitively by isometries
on a product of two regular trees of finite valence is boundary rigid. That
means that every CAT(0) space that admits a geometric action of any such group
has the visual boundary homeomorphic to a join of two copies of the Cantor set.


  We compute the Hamiltonian for spherically symmetric scalar field collapse in
Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity in D dimensions using slicings that are regular
across future horizons. We first reduce the Lagrangian to two dimensions using
spherical symmetry. We then show that choosing the spatial coordinate to be a
function of the areal radius leads to a relatively simple Hamiltonian
constraint whose gravitational part is the gradient of the generalized mass
function. Next we complete the gauge fixing such that the metric is the
Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet generalization of non-static Painleve-Gullstrand
coordinates. Finally, we derive the resultant reduced equations of motion for
the scalar field. These equations are suitable for use in numerical simulations
of spherically symmetric scalar field collapse in Gauss-Bonnet gravity and can
readily be generalized to other matter fields minimally coupled to gravity.


  In a previous article, given a finite-dimensional real vector space $V$ and a
probability measure $\mu$ on $\operatorname{PGL}(V)$ with finite first moment,
we gave a description of all $\mu$-stationary probability measures on the
projective space $\operatorname{P}(V)$ in the non-critical (or Lyapunov
dominated) case. In the current article, we complete the analysis by providing
a full description of the more subtle critical case. Our results demonstrate an
algebraic rigidity in this situation. Combining our results with those of
Furstenberg--Kifer ('83), Guivarch--Raugi ('07) $\&$ Benoist--Quint ('14), we
deduce a classification of all stationary probability measures on the
projective space for i.i.d random matrix products with finite first moment
without any algebraic assumption.


  In this paper a thorough study of the normal form and the first integrability
conditions arising from {\em bi-conformal vector fields} is presented. These
new symmetry transformations were introduced in {\em Class. Quantum
Grav.}\textbf{21}, 2153-2177 and some of their basic properties were addressed
there. Bi-conformal vector fields are defined on a pseudo-Riemannian manifold
through the differential conditions $\lie P_{ab}=\phi P_{ab}$ and
$\lie\Pi_{ab}=\chi\Pi_{ab}$ where $P_{ab}$ and $\Pi_{ab}$ are orthogonal and
complementary projectors with respect to the metric tensor $\rmg_{ab}$. One of
the main results of our study is the discovery of a new geometric
characterization of {\em conformally separable spaces with conformally flat
leaf metrics} similar to the vanishing of the Weyl tensor for conformally flat
metrics. This geometric characterization seems to carry over to any
pseudo-Riemannian manifold admitting conformally flat foliations which would
open the door to the systematic searching of these type of foliations in a
given pseudo-Riemannian metric. Other relevant aspects such as the existence of
invariant tensors under the finite groups generated by these transformations
are also addressed.


  We study half-line Schr\"odinger operators with locally $H^{-1}$ potentials.
In the first part, we focus on a general spectral theoretic framework for such
operators, including a Last--Simon-type description of the absolutely
continuous spectrum and sufficient conditions for different spectral types. In
the second part, we focus on potentials which are decaying in a local $H^{-1}$
sense; we establish a spectral transition between short-range and long-range
potentials and an $\ell^2$ spectral transition for sparse singular potentials.
The regularization procedure used to handle distributional potentials is also
well suited for controlling rapid oscillations in the potential; thus, even
within the class of smooth potentials, our results apply in situations which
would not classically be considered decaying or even bounded.


  Let $\ell$ be a prime and $q = p^{\nu}$ where $p$ is a prime different from
$\ell$. We show that the $\ell$-completion of the $n$th stable homotopy group
of spheres is a summand of the $\ell$-completion of the $(n, 0)$ motivic stable
homotopy group of spheres over the finite field with $q$ elements $F_q$. With
this, and assisted by computer calculations, we are able to explicitly compute
the two-complete stable motivic stems $\pi_{n, 0}(F_q)^{\wedge}_2$ for $0\leq
n\leq 18$. Additionally, we compute $\pi_{19, 0}(F_q)^{\wedge}_2$ and $\pi_{20,
0}(F_q)^{\wedge}_2$ when $q \equiv 1 \bmod 4$ assuming Morel's connectivity
theorem for $F_q$ holds.


  We perform cosmological hydrodynamical simulations to study the formation of
proto-globular cluster candidates in progenitors of present-day dwarf galaxies
$(M_{\rm vir} \approx 10^{10}\, {\rm M}_\odot$ at $z=0$) as part of the
"Feedback in Realistic Environment" (FIRE) project. Compact ($r_{1/2}<30$ pc),
relatively massive ($0.5 \times 10^5 \lesssim M_{\star}/{\rm M}_\odot \lesssim
5\times10^5$), self-bound stellar clusters form at $11\gtrsim z \gtrsim 5$ in
progenitors with $M_{\rm vir} \approx 10^9\,{\rm M}_\odot$. Cluster formation
is triggered when at least $10^7\,{\rm M}_\odot$ of dense, turbulent gas
reaches $\Sigma_{\rm gas} \approx 10^4\, {\rm M}_\odot\, {\rm pc}^{-2}$ as a
result of the compressive effects of supernova feedback or from cloud-cloud
collisions. The clusters can survive for $2-3\,{\rm Gyr}$; absent numerical
effects, they would likely survive substantially longer, perhaps to $z=0$. The
longest-lived clusters are those that form at significant distance -- several
hundreds of pc -- from their host galaxy. We therefore predict that globular
clusters forming in progenitors of present-day dwarf galaxies will be offset
from any pre-existing stars within their host dark matter halos as opposed to
deeply embedded within a well-defined galaxy. Properties of the nascent
clusters are consistent with observations of some of the faintest and most
compact high-redshift sources in \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} lensing fields
and are at the edge of what will be detectable as point sources in deep imaging
of non-lensed fields with the \textit{James Webb Space Telescope}. By contrast,
the star clusters' host galaxies will remain undetectable.


  Petru\v{s}evski and \v{S}krekovski \cite{odd9} recently introduced the notion
of an odd colouring of a graph: a proper vertex colouring of a graph $G$ is
said to be \emph{odd} if for each non-isolated vertex $x \in V(G)$ there exists
a colour $c$ appearing an odd number of times in $N(x)$.
  Petru\v{s}evski and \v{S}krekovski proved that for any planar graph $G$ there
is an odd colouring using at most $9$ colours and, together with Caro
\cite{oddremarks}, showed that $8$ colours are enough for a significant family
of planar graphs. We show that $8$ colours suffice for all planar graphs.


  Plasmonic nanoparticles embedded into a solid matrix could play crucial role
in laser-matter interactions. In this study, excess energy creation was
observed during the single-shot irradiation of a polymer matrix containing
plasmonic gold nanorods, resonant to the laser wavelength, with a high
intensity femtosecond laser pulse. This effect was manifested in a 7-fold rise
in the crater volume for a 1.7-fold increase of the laser intensity, and was
absent in the pure polymer without the gold doping. It occurred at laser
intensities > 1.5 x 1017 W/cm2, being the vanishing threshold of plasma mirror
formation, resulting in a more than 80% increase of the amount of laser light
entering the target. This threshold was found to be critical for the plasmonic
effect of gold nanoantennas tuned to the wavelength of the laser on the crater
formation.


  Let $I$ be a monomial squarefree ideal of a polynomial ring $S$ over a field
$K$ such that the sum of every three different of its minimal prime ideals is
the maximal ideal of $S$, or more general a constant ideal. We associate to $I$
a graph on $[s]$, $s=|\Min S/I|$ on which we may {\em read} the depth of $I$.
In particular,
  $\depth_S\ I$ does not depend of char $K$. Also we show that $I$ satisfies
the Stanley's Conjecture.


  Emission of pairs of photons in the interface metal-dielectric under the
laser excitation arising due to the time-dependent perturbation of the
zero-point fluctuations of the electromagnetic field by photons of the laser is
considered. The enhancement of this emission by surface plasmons may be used
for getting polarization-entangled photons. A possibility to compensate the
energy of the zero-point fluctuations of bosons by other fluctuations with
negative energy is discussed.


  We show that the rotation curves of 16 nearby disc galaxies in the THINGS
sample and the Milky Way can be described by the NFW halo model and by the
Bosma effect at approximately the same level of accuracy. The latter effect
suggests that the behavior of the rotation curve at large radii is determined
by the rescaled gas component and thus that dark matter and gas distributions
are tightly correlated. By focusing on galaxies with exponential decay in their
gas surface density, we can normalize their rotation curves to match the
exponential thin disc model at large enough radii. This normalization assumes
that the galaxy mass is estimated consistently within this model, assuming a
thin disc structure. We show that this rescaling allows us to derive a new
version of the Tully-Fisher (TF) relation, the Bosma TF relation that nicely
fit the data. In the framework of this model, the connection between the Bosma
Tully-Fisher (TF) relation and the baryonic TF relation can be established by
considering an additional empirical relation between the baryonic mass and the
total mass of the disc, as measured in the data.


  In this manuscript we consider random objects being measured in multiple
metric spaces, which may arise when those objects may be measured in multiple
distinct ways. In this new multivariate setting, we define a Fr\'echet
covariance and Fr\'echet correlation in two metric spaces, and a Fr\'echet
covariance matrix and Fr\'echet correlation matrix in an arbitrary number of
metric spaces. We prove consistency for the sample Fr\'echet covariance, and
propose several tests to compare the means and covariance matrices between two
or more groups. Lastly, we investigate the power and Type I error of each test
under a variety of scenarios.


  We introduce QUEENS, a derivative chess problem based on the classical
n-queens problem. We prove that QUEENS is NP-complete, with respect to
polynomial-time reductions.


  Script knowledge consists of detailed information on everyday activities.
Such information is often taken for granted in text and needs to be inferred by
readers. Therefore, script knowledge is a central component to language
comprehension. Previous work on representing scripts is mostly based on
extensive manual work or limited to scenarios that can be found with sufficient
redundancy in large corpora. We introduce the task of scenario detection, in
which we identify references to scripts. In this task, we address a wide range
of different scripts (200 scenarios) and we attempt to identify all references
to them in a collection of narrative texts. We present a first benchmark data
set and a baseline model that tackles scenario detection using techniques from
topic segmentation and text classification.


  The present manuscript studies signal detection by likelihood ratio tests in
a number of spiked random matrix models, including but not limited to Gaussian
mixtures and spiked Wishart covariance matrices. We work directly with
multi-spiked cases in these models and with flexible priors on the signal
component that allow dependence across spikes. We derive asymptotic normality
for the log-likelihood ratios when the signal-to- noise ratios are below
certain thresholds. In addition, we show that the variances of the
log-likelihood ratios can be asymptotically decomposed as the sums of those of
a collection of statistics which we call bipartite signed cycles.


  Computational methods for sensitivity analysis are invaluable tools for
scientists and engineers investigating a wide range of physical phenomena.
However, many of these methods fail when applied to chaotic systems, such as
the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky (K-S) equation, which models a number of different
chaotic systems found in nature. The following paper discusses the application
of a new sensitivity analysis method developed by the authors to a modified K-S
equation. We find that least squares shadowing sensitivity analysis computes
accurate gradients for solutions corresponding to a wide range of system
parameters.


  The Pauli matrices are a set of three 2x2 complex Hermitian, unitary
matrices. In this article, we investigate the relationships between certain
roots of the Pauli matrices and how gates implementing those roots are used in
quantum circuits. Techniques for simplifying such circuits are given. In
particular, we show how those techniques can be used to find a circuit of
Clifford+T gates starting from a circuit composed of gates from the well
studied NCV library.


  From the explicit solutions of Maxwell's equations under the coordinate
transformation, the conditions for non-reflecting boundaries for the
two-dimensionally propagating light waves, in a finite-embedded coordinate
transformation metamaterial slab are derived in cases of extended
two-dimensional. By exploring several examples, including some reported in the
literatures and some novel developed in this study, we show that our approach
can be used to efficiently determine the condition in which a finite-embedded
coordinate transformed metamaterial slab is non-reflecting.


  Photo retouching enables photographers to invoke dramatic visual impressions
by artistically enhancing their photos through stylistic color and tone
adjustments. However, it is also a time-consuming and challenging task that
requires advanced skills beyond the abilities of casual photographers. Using an
automated algorithm is an appealing alternative to manual work but such an
algorithm faces many hurdles. Many photographic styles rely on subtle
adjustments that depend on the image content and even its semantics. Further,
these adjustments are often spatially varying. Because of these
characteristics, existing automatic algorithms are still limited and cover only
a subset of these challenges. Recently, deep machine learning has shown unique
abilities to address hard problems that resisted machine algorithms for long.
This motivated us to explore the use of deep learning in the context of photo
editing. In this paper, we explain how to formulate the automatic photo
adjustment problem in a way suitable for this approach. We also introduce an
image descriptor that accounts for the local semantics of an image. Our
experiments demonstrate that our deep learning formulation applied using these
descriptors successfully capture sophisticated photographic styles. In
particular and unlike previous techniques, it can model local adjustments that
depend on the image semantics. We show on several examples that this yields
results that are qualitatively and quantitatively better than previous work.


  Under some conditions we give a blow-up analysis for solutions of an equation
with Dirichlet boundary condition.


  This paper presents a systematic approach to nonlinear state-feedback control
design that has three main advantages: (i) it ensures exponential stability and
$ \mathcal{L}_2 $-gain performance with respect to a user-defined set of
reference trajectories, and (ii) it provides constructive conditions based on
convex optimization and a path-integral-based control realization, and (iii) it
is less restrictive than previous similar approaches. In the proposed approach,
first a virtual representation of the nonlinear dynamics is constructed for
which a behavioral (parameter-varying) embedding is generated. Then, by
introducing a virtual control contraction metric, a convex control synthesis
formulation is derived. Finally, a control realization with a virtual reference
generator is computed, which is guaranteed to achieve exponential stability and
$ \mathcal{L}_2 $-gain performance for all trajectories of the targeted
reference behavior. We show that the proposed methodology is a unified
generalization of the two distinct categories of linear-parameter-varying (LPV)
state-feedback control approaches: global and local methods. Moreover, it
provides rigorous stability and performance guarantees as a method for
nonlinear tracking control, while such properties are not guaranteed for
tracking control using standard LPV approaches.


  Recently, superconductivity at about 9-15K was discovered in
Nd$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$NiO$_2$ infinite-layer thin films, which has stimulated
enormous interests in related rare-earth nickelates. Usually, the first step to
synthesize this 112 phase is to fabricate the RNiO$_3$ phase, however, it was
reported that the 113 phase is very difficult to be synthesized successfully
due to the formation of unusual Ni$^{3+}$ oxidation state. And the difficulty
of preparation is enhanced as the ionic radius of rare-earth element decreases.
In this work, we report the synthesis and investigation on multiple physical
properties of polycrystalline perovskites Sm$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$NiO$_3$ (x = 0, 0.2)
in which the ionic radius of Sm$^{3+}$ is smaller than that of Pr$^{3+}$ and
Nd$^{3+}$ in related superconducting thin films. The structural and
compositional analyses conducted by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive
X-ray spectrum reveal that the samples mainly contain the perovskite phase of
Sm$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$NiO$_3$ with small amount of NiO impurities. Magnetization and
resistivity measurements indicate that the parent phase SmNiO$_3$ undergoes a
paramagnetic-antiferromagnetic transition at about 224K on a global insulating
background. In contrast, the Sr-doped sample Sm$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_3$ shows
a metallic behavior from 300K down to about 12K, while below 12K the
resistivity exhibits a slight logarithmic increase. Meanwhile, from the
magnetization curves, we can see that a possible spin-glass state occurs below
12K in Sm$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_3$. Using a soft chemical reduction method, we
also obtain the infinite-layer phase Sm$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$ with square
NiO$_2$ planes. The compound shows an insulating behavior which can be
described by the three-dimensional variable-range-hopping model. And
superconductivity is still absent in the polycrystalline
Sm$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$.


  Complex systems, ranging from soft materials to wireless communication, are
often organised as random geometric networks in which nodes and edges evenly
fill up the volume of some space. Studying such networks is difficult because
they inherit their properties from the embedding space as well as from the
constraints imposed on the network's structure by design, for example, the
degree sequence. Here we consider geometric graphs with a given distribution
for vertex degrees and edge lengths and propose a numerical method for unbiased
sampling of such graphs. We show that the method reproduces the desired target
distributions up to a small error asymptotically, and that is some boundary
cases only a positive fraction of the network is guaranteed to possible to
construct.


  We show that any CPA-structure (commutative post-Lie algebra structure) on a
perfect Lie algebra is trivial. Furthermore we give a general decomposition of
inner CPA-structures, and classify all CPA-structures on parabolic subalgebras
of simple Lie algebras.


  The optical forces in optical tweezers can be robustly modeled over a broad
range of parameters using generalsed Lorenz-Mie theory. We describe the
procedure, and show how the combination of experimental measurement of
properties of the trap coupled with computational modeling, can allow unknown
parameters of the particle - in this case, the refractive index - to be
determined.


  This is the eighth and final paper in a series giving a proof of the Kepler
conjecture, which asserts that the density of a packing of congruent spheres in
three dimensions is never greater than $\pi/\sqrt{18}\approx 0.74048...$. This
is the oldest problem in discrete geometry and is an important part of
Hilbert's 18th problem. An example of a packing achieving this density is the
face-centered cubic packing.
  This paper completes the fourth step of the program outlined in
math.MG/9811073: A proof that if some standard region has more than four sides,
then the star scores less than $8 \pt$.


  We consider a strongly interacting one-dimensional (1D) Bose-Fermi mixture
confined in a hard wall trap or a harmonic oscillator trap with a tunable
$\delta$-function barrier at the trap center. The mixture consists of 1D Bose
gas with repulsive interactions and of 1D noninteracting spin-aligned Fermi
gas, both species interacting through hard-core interactions. Using a
generalized Bose-Fermi mapping, we calculated the reduced single-particle
density matrix and the momentum distribution of the gas as a function of
barrier strength and the parity of particle number. The secondary peaks in the
momentum distribution show remarkable correlation between particles on the two
sides of the split.


  In this paper, we demonstrate that the explicit ADER approach as it is used
inter alia in [1] can be seen as a special interpretation of the deferred
correction (DeC) method as introduced in [2]. By using this fact, we are able
to embed ADER in a theoretical background of time integration schemes and prove
the relation between the accuracy order and the number of iterations which are
needed to reach the desired order. Next, we extend our investigation to stiff
ODEs, treating these source terms implicitly. Some differences in the
interpretation and implementation can be found. Using DeC yields typically a
much simpler implementation, while ADER benefits from a higher accuracy, at
least for our numerical simulations. Then, we also focus on the PDE case and
present common space-time discretizations using DeC and ADER in closed forms.
Finally, in the numerical section we investigate A-stability for the ADER
approach - this is done for the first time up to our knowledge - for different
order using several basis functions and compare them with the DeC ansatz. Then,
we compare the performance of ADER and DeC for stiff and non-stiff ODEs and
verify our analysis focusing on two basic hyperbolic problems.
  [1] O. Zanotti, F. Fambri, M. Dumbser, and A. Hidalgo. Space-time adaptive
ader discontinuous galerkin finite element schemes with a posteriori sub-cell
finite volume limiting. Computers & Fluids, 118:204-224, 2015.
  [2] A. Dutt, L. Greengard, and V. Rokhlin. Spectral Deferred Correction
Methods for Ordinary Differential Equations. BIT Numerical Mathematics,
40(2):241-266, 2000.


  Polyhazard models are a class of flexible parametric models for modelling
survival over extended time horizons. Their additive hazard structure allows
for flexible, non-proportional hazards whose characteristics can change over
time while retaining a parametric form, which allows for survival to be
extrapolated beyond the observation period of a study. Significant user input
is required, however, in selecting the number of latent hazards to model, their
distributions and the choice of which variables to associate with each hazard.
The resulting set of models is too large to explore manually, limiting their
practical usefulness. Motivated by applications to stroke survivor and kidney
transplant patient survival times we extend the standard polyhazard model
through a prior structure allowing for joint inference of parameters and
structural quantities, and develop a sampling scheme that utilises
state-of-the-art Piecewise Deterministic Markov Processes to sample from the
resulting transdimensional posterior with minimal user tuning.


  In this paper, we are concerned with the study of stabilization problem for
the following strongly degenerate wave equation in one space dimension
$$w_{tt}(x,t)-\left(x^\alpha w_x(x,t)\right)_x=0$$ where ${\bf\alpha\in
[1,2)}$. Thus, using a frequency domain method inspired from \cite{BT}, we
prove the polynomial decays of its total energy with $t^{-\nicefrac{1}{2}}$
decay rate.


  We revisit the boundary conformal field theory of twist fields. Based on the
equivalence between twisted bosons on a circle and the orbifold theory at the
critical radius, we provide a bosonized representation of boundary twist fields
and thus a free field representation of the latter. One advantage of this
formulation is that it considerably simplifies the calculation of correlation
functions involving twist fields. At the same time this also gives access to
higher order terms in the operator product expansions of the latter which, in
turn, allows to explore the moduli space of marginal deformation of bound
states of D-branes. In the process we also generalize some results on
correlation functions with excited twist fields.


  We consider a model of non-commutative Quantum Mechanics given by two
harmonic oscillators over a non-commutative two dimensional configuration
space. We study possible ways of removing the non-commutativity based on the
classical limit context known as anti-Wick quantization. We show that removal
of non-commutativity from the configuration space and from the canonical
operators are not commuting operations.


  We examine the RKKY interactions of CeB$_6$ between multipole moments based
on the effective Wannier model obtained from the bandstructure calculation
including 14 Ce-$f$ orbitals and 60 conduction orbitals of Ce-$d,s$ and
B-$p,s$. By using the $f$-$c$ mixing matrix elements of the Wannier model
together with the conduction band dispersion, the multipole couplings with the
RKKY oscillation are obtained for the active moments in $\Gamma_{8}$ subspace.
Both of the $\Gamma_{5g}$ quadrupole $O_{xy}$ and the $\Gamma_{2u}$ octupole
$T_{xyz}$ couplings are largely enhanced with $\bm{q}=(\pi,\pi,\pi)$ which
naturally explains the antiferro-quadrupolar phase of the phase II, and are
also enhanced with $\bm{q}=(0,0,0)$ corresponding to the elastic softening of
$C_{44}$. Also the couplings of the $\Gamma_{5u}$ octupole $T_{z}^{\beta}$ is
quite large for $\bm{q}=(0,0,\pi)$ which is related to the antiferro-octupolar
ordering of a possible candidate for the phase IV of Ce$_{x}$La$_{1-x}$B$_6$.


  The Computational Algebraic Geometry applied in Algebraic Statistics; are
beginning to exploring new branches and applications; in artificial
intelligence and others areas. Currently, the development of the mathematics is
very extensive and it is difficult to see the immediate application of few
theorems in different areas, such as is the case of the Theorem 3.9 given in
[10] and proved in part of here. Also this work has the intention to show the
Hilbert basis as a powerful tool in data science; and for that reason we
compile important results proved in works by, S. Watanabe [27], D. Cox, J.
Little and H. Schenck [8], B. Sturmfels [16] and G. Ewald [10]. In this work we
study, first, the fundamental concepts in Toric Algebraic Geometry. The
principal contribution of this work is the application of Hilbert basis (as one
realization of Theorem 3.9) for the resolution of singularities with toric
varieties, and a background in Lattice Polytope. In the second part we apply
this theorem to problems in statistical learning, principally in a recent area
as is the Singular Learning Theory. We define the singular machines and the
problem of Singular Learning through the computing of learning curves on these
statistical machines. We review and compile results on the work of S. Watanabe
in Singular Learning Theory, ref.; [17], [20], [21], also revising the
important result in [26], about almost the machines are singular, we formalize
this theory withtoric resolution morphism in a theorem proved here (Theorem
5.4), characterizing these Learning Machines as toric varieties, and we
reproduce results previously published in Singular Statistical Learning seen in
[19], [20], [23].


  We use orthogonality calculus to prove a downward transfer from categoricity
in a successor in abstract elementary classes (AECs) that have a good frame (a
forking-like notion for types of singletons) on an interval of cardinals:
  $\mathbf{Theorem}$
  Let $K$ be an AEC and let $\text{LS} (K) \le \lambda < \theta$ be cardinals.
If $K$ has a type-full good $[\lambda, \theta]$-frame and $K$ is categorical in
both $\lambda$ and $\theta^+$, then $K$ is categorical in all $\lambda' \in
[\lambda, \theta]$.
  We deduce improvements on the threshold of several categoricity transfers
that do not mention frames. For example, the threshold in Shelah's transfer can
be improved from $\beth_{\beth_{\left(2^{\text{LS} (K)}\right)^+}}$ to
$\beth_{\left(2^{\text{LS} (K)}\right)^+}$ assuming that the AEC is $\text{LS}
(K)$-tame. The successor hypothesis can also be removed from Shelah's result by
assuming in addition either that the AEC has primes over sets of the form $M
\cup \{a\}$ or (using an unpublished claim of Shelah) that the weak generalized
continuum hypothesis holds.


  Approximately 3-17 percent of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) without detected
rest-frame UV/optical broad emission lines (type-2 AGN) do not show absorption
in X-rays. The physical origin behind the apparently discordant optical/X-ray
properties is not fully understood. Our study aims at providing insight into
this issue by conducting a detailed analysis of the nuclear dust extinction and
X-ray absorption properties of two AGN with low X-ray absorption and with high
optical extinction, for which a rich set of high quality spectroscopic data is
available from XMM-Newton archive data in X-rays and XSHOOTER proprietary data
at UV-to-NIR wavelengths. In order to unveil the apparent mismatch, we have
determined the A$_{\rm V}$/N$_{\rm H}$ and both the Super Massive Black Hole
(SMBH) and the host galaxy masses. We find that the mismatch is caused in one
case by an abnormally high dust-to-gas ratio that makes the UV/optical emission
to appear more obscured than in the X-rays. For the other object we find that
the dust-to-gas ratio is similar to the Galactic one but the AGN is hosted by a
very massive galaxy so that the broad emission lines and the nuclear continuum
are swamped by the star-light and difficult to detect.


  We report the detection of a diffuse radio halo source in the hottest known
cluster of galaxies 1E0658-56 (RXJ0658-5557). The radio halo has a morphology
similar to the X-ray emission from the hot intracluster medium. The detection
of such a strong radio halo in such a hot cluster is further evidence to the
link between X-ray temperature and cluster-wide radio halos. We describe a new
model for the origin of cluster-wide radio halo sources involving a direct
connection between the X-ray emitting thermal particles and the radio emitting
relativistic particles.


  In \cite{W}, there is a graphic description of any irreducible, finite
dimensional $\mathfrak{sl}(3)$ module. This construction, called diamond
representation is very simple and can be easily extended to the space of
irreducible finite dimensional ${\mathcal U}\_q(\mathfrak{sl}(3))$-modules. In
the present work, we generalize this construction to $\mathfrak{sl}(n)$. We
show this is in fact a description of the reduced shape algebra, a quotient of
the shape algebra of $\mathfrak{sl}(n)$. The basis used in \cite{W} is thus
naturally parametrized with the so called quasi standard Young tableaux. To
compute the matrix coefficients of the representation in this basis, it is
possible to use Groebner basis for the ideal of reduced Pl\"{u}cker relations
defining the reduced shape algebra.


  In this paper within a field-theoretical approach taking into account
explicitly a co-solvent with a nonzero dipole and a polarizability tensor, we
derive a modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation. Applying the modified
Poisson-Boltzmann equation, we formulate a generalized Gouy-Chapman theory for
the case when an electrolyte solution is mixed with a polar co-solvent having a
large polarizability. We show that an increase of the co-solvent concentration
as well as the co-solvent polarizability lead to a significant increase of
differential capacitance at sufficiently high surface potentials of the
electrode, whereas the profile of the electrostatic potential becomes
considerably more long-ranged. On the contrary, an increase in the permanent
dipole of the co-solvent only weakly affects the differential capacitance.


  Terahertz (THz) signals, mainly generated by photonic or electronic
approaches, are being sought for various applications, whereas the development
of magnetic source might be a necessary step to harness the magnetic nature of
electromagnetic radiation. We show that the relativistic effect on the
current-driven domain-wall motion induces THz spin-wave emission in
ferrimagnets. The required current density increases dramatically in materials
with strong exchange interaction and rapidly exceeds 1012 A m-2, leading to the
device breakdown and thus the lack of experimental evidence. By translating the
collective magnetization oscillations into voltage signals, we propose a
three-terminal device for the electrical detection of THz spin wave. Through
material engineering, wide frequency range from 264 GHz to 1.1 THz and uniform
continuous signals with improved output power can be obtained. As a reverse
effect, the spin wave generated in this system is able to move ferrimagnetic
domain wall. Our work provides guidelines for the experimental verification of
THz spin wave, and could stimulate the design of THz spintronic oscillators for
wideband applications as well as the all-magnon spintronic devices.


  We study the negative correction to the quantized value $2e^2/h$ of the
conductance of a quantum point contact due to the backscattering of electrons
by acoustic phonons. The correction shows activated temperature dependence and
also gives rise to a zero-bias anomaly in conductance. Our results are in
qualitative agreement with recent experiments studying the 0.7 feature in the
conductance of quantum point contacts.


  The structure and dynamics of a molecular system is governed by its potential
energy surface (PES), representing the total energy as a function of the
nuclear coordinates. Obtaining accurate potential energy surfaces is limited by
the exponential scaling of Hilbert space, restricting quantitative predictions
of experimental observables from first principles to small molecules with just
a few electrons. Here, we present an explicitly physics-informed approach for
improving and assessing the quality of families of PESs by modifying them
through linear coordinate transformations based on experimental data. We
demonstrate this "morphing" of the PES for the He-H$_{2}^{+}$ complex for
reference surfaces at three different levels of quantum chemistry and using
recent comprehensive Feshbach resonance(FR) measurements. In all cases, the
positions and intensities of peaks in the collision cross-section are improved.
We find these observables to be mainly sensitive to the long-range part of the
PES.


  The cellular automata (CA) approach to traffic modeling is extended to allow
for spatially homogeneous steady state solutions that cover a two dimensional
region in the flow-density plane. Hence these models fulfill a basic postulate
of a three-phase traffic theory proposed by Kerner. This is achieved by a
synchronization distance, within which a vehicle always tries to adjust its
speed to the one of the vehicle in front. In the CA models presented, the
modelling of the free and safe speeds, the slow-to-start rules as well as some
contributions to noise are based on the ideas of the Nagel-Schreckenberg type
modelling. It is shown that the proposed CA models can be very transparent and
still reproduce the two main types of congested patterns (the general pattern
and the synchronized flow pattern) as well as their dependence on the flows
near an on-ramp, in qualitative agreement with the recently developed continuum
version of the three-phase traffic theory [B. S. Kerner and S. L. Klenov. 2002.
J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 35, L31]. These features are qualitatively different
than in previously considered CA traffic models. The probability of the
breakdown phenomenon (i.e., of the phase transition from free flow to
synchronized flow) as function of the flow rate to the on-ramp and of the flow
rate on the road upstream of the on-ramp is investigated. The capacity drops at
the on-ramp which occur due to the formation of different congested patterns
are calculated.


  The magnetic fields observed in the Milky~Way and nearby galaxies appear to
be in equipartition with the turbulent, thermal, and cosmic ray energy
densities, and hence are expected to be dynamically important. However, the
origin of these strong magnetic fields is still unclear, and most previous
attempts to simulate galaxy formation from cosmological initial conditions have
ignored them altogether. Here, we analyse the magnetic fields predicted by the
simulations of the Auriga Project, a set of 30 high-resolution cosmological
zoom simulations of Milky~Way-like galaxies, carried out with a moving-mesh
magneto-hydrodynamics code and a detailed galaxy formation physics model. We
find that the magnetic fields grow exponentially at early times owing to a
small-scale dynamo with an e-folding time of roughly $100\,\rm{Myr}$ in the
center of halos until saturation occurs around $z=2-3$, when the magnetic
energy density reaches about $10\%$ of the turbulent energy density with a
typical strength of $10-50\,\rm{\mu G}$. In the galactic centers the ratio
between magnetic and turbulent energy remains nearly constant until $z=0$. At
larger radii, differential rotation in the disks leads to linear amplification
that typically saturates around $z=0.5$ to $z=0$. The final radial and vertical
variations of the magnetic field strength can be well described by two joint
exponential profiles, and are in good agreement with observational constraints.
Overall, the magnetic fields have only little effect on the global evolution of
the galaxies as it takes too long to reach equipartition. We also demonstrate
that our results are well converged with numerical resolution.


  We propose a scheme that is able to generate the microwave controlled optical
double optome-chanical induced transparency (OMIT) in a hybrid
piezo-optomechanical cavity system, which a piezoelectric optomechanical
crystal AlN-nanobeam resonator is placed in a superconducting microwave cavity,
and the AlN-nanobeam resonator can be simultaneously driven by both the optical
field via the radiation pressure and the microwave field via the piezoelectric
interaction. We show that in the presence of a strong pumped optical field
applied to the optomechanical crystal cavity through the optical waveguide and
an intensely stimulated microwave field applied to the superconducting
microwave cavity, a double-OMIT window can be observed in the weak output probe
field. The mechanism is that a N-type four-level system can be formed by the
system, when two driving fields and a probe field are applied to the
corresponding levels, under the effect of quantum interference between
different energy level pathways, the third-order nonlinear absorption is
enhanced by the constructive quantum interference while the linear absorption
is inhibited by the destruc- tive quantum interference, as a result, the
double-OMIT window is generated. Our scheme can be applied to realize
high-speed optical switches, high-resolution spectroscopy, coherent population
trapping or quantum information processing in the solid state quantum systems.


  In the traditional art pricing models, the variables that capture the
painting's content are often missing. Recent research starts to apply the
computer graphic techniques to extract the information from the painting
content. Most of the research concentrates on the reading of the color
information from the painting images and analyzes how different color
compositions can affect the sales prices of paintings. This paper takes a
different approach, and tries to abstract away from the interpretation of the
content information, while only focus on measuring the quantity of information
contained. We extend the concept of Shannon entropy in information theory to
the painting's scenario, and suggest using the variances of a painting's
composing elements, i.e., line, color, value, shape/form and space, to measure
the amount of information in the painting. These measures are calculated at the
pixel level based on a picture's digital image. We include them into the
traditional hedonic regression model to test their significance based on the
auction samples from two famous artists (Picasso and Renoir). We find that all
the variance measurements can significantly explain the sales price either at
1% or 5% level. The adjusted R square is also increased by more than ten
percent. Our method greatly improves the traditional pricing models, and may
also find applications in other areas such as art valuation and authentication.


  $sl_2$-covariant expressions for structure constants of the associative
algebra of deformed oscillators $Aq\left(2,\nu\right)$ are obtained.


  A classical random walker starting on a node of a finite graph will always
reach any other node since the search is ergodic, namely it is fully exploring
space, hence the arrival probability is unity. For quantum walks, destructive
interference may induce effectively non-ergodic features in such search
processes. Under repeated projective local measurements, made on a target
state, the final detection of the system is not guaranteed since the Hilbert
space is split into a bright subspace and an orthogonal dark one. Using this we
find an uncertainty relation for the deviations of the detection probability
from its classical counterpart, in terms of the energy fluctuations.


  It is proved that $$\left(\frac{x^n}{1-e^{-x}}\right)^{(n)}>0$$ for all $x\in
(\log 2, \infty)$ and $n\in \mathbb{N}$, which improves the result of
[Al-Musallam and Bustoz in Ramanujan J. 11 (2006) 399-402].


  In this paper we propose a nonlinear scalar predictor based on a combination
of Multi Layer Perceptron, Radial Basis Functions and Elman networks. This
system is applied to speech coding in an ADPCM backward scheme. The combination
of this predictors improves the results of one predictor alone. A comparative
study of this three neural networks for speech prediction is also presented.


  Ab initio prediction of the variation of properties in the configurational
space of solid solutions is computationally very demanding. We present an
approach to accelerate these predictions via a combination of density
functional theory and machine learning, using the cubic spinel nitride
GeSn$_2$N$_4$ as a case study, exploring how formation energy and electronic
bandgap are affected by configurational variations. Furthermore, we demonstrate
the utility of applying explainable machine learning to understand the crystal
chemistry origins of the trends that we observe. Different configuration
descriptors (Coulomb matrix eigenspectrum, many-body tensor representation, and
cluster correlation function vectors) are combined with different models
(linear regression, gradient-boosted decision tree, and multi-layer perceptron)
to extrapolate the calculation of ab initio properties from a small set of
configurations to the full space with thousands of configurations. We discuss
the performance of different descriptors and models. SHAP (SHapley Additive
exPlanations) analysis of the machine learning models highlights how values of
formation energy are dominated by variations in local crystal structure (single
polyhedral environments), while values of electronic bandgap are dominated by
variations in more extended structural motifs. Finally, we demonstrate the
usefulness of this approach by constructing structure-property maps,
identifying important configurations of GeSn$_2$N$_4$ with extremal properties,
as well as by calculating accurate equilibrium properties using configurational
averaging.


  We analyze the distribution of galaxy HI masses detected in a large, deep HI
survey conducted at the Arecibo observatory, and we find possible evidence of a
faint-end steepening of the mass function similar to what has been found
optically. This is the first HI survey with enough dynamic range to see this
steepening; the results of an earlier survey are found to be consistent when
the detection statistics are re-examined. We demonstrate a technique for
testing and correcting source count completeness in HI surveys based on the
V/V_max test and the large scale structure in the regions surveyed.


  Nanoporous metals with a random, bicontinuous structure of both pores and
ligaments exhibit many unique mechanical properties, but their technical
applications are often limited by their intrinsic brittleness under tensile
strain triggered by fracture of the weakest ligaments. Here, we use molecular
dynamics simulations to study the mechanical behavior and thermal stability of
two different bicontinuous nanoporous high entropy alloys, Al0.1CoCrFeNi and
NbMoTaW. To isolate the properties related to the nanoporous nature of our
samples, we also studied the corresponding bulk and nanocrystalline systems.
The results demonstrate that the specific modulus of nanoporous HEAs are 2 to 3
times greater than that of single element nanoporous materials with specific
strength reaching values 5 to 10 times higher, comparable to bulk metals with
the highest specific strength. Bicontinuous HEAs also displayed excellent
resistance to thermal degradation as evidenced by the absence of coarsening
ligaments up to temperatures of 1273 K which ensures the durability and
reliability in high-temperature applications. The findings uncover
unprecedented mechanical and thermal properties of bicontinuous nanoporous high
entropy alloys, paving the way for their promising utilization in advanced
engineering and structural applications.


  Originally inspired by game-theory, path attribution framework stands out
among the post-hoc model interpretation tools due to its axiomatic nature.
However, recent developments show that this framework can still suffer from
counter-intuitive results. Moreover, specifically for deep visual models, the
existing path-based methods also fall short on conforming to the original
intuitions that are the basis of the claimed axiomatic properties of this
framework. We address these problems with a systematic investigation, and
pinpoint the conditions in which the counter-intuitive results can be avoided
for deep visual model interpretation with the path attribution strategy. We
also devise a scheme to preclude the conditions in which visual model
interpretation can invalidate the axiomatic properties of path attribution.
These insights are combined into a method that enables reliable visual model
interpretation. Our findings are establish empirically with multiple datasets,
models and evaluation metrics. Extensive experiments show a consistent
performance gain of our method over the baselines.


  In order to understand stellar evolution, it is crucial to efficiently
determine stellar surface rotation periods. An efficient tool to automatically
determine reliable rotation periods is needed when dealing with large samples
of stellar photometric datasets. The objective of this work is to develop such
a tool. Random forest learning abilities are exploited to automate the
extraction of rotation periods in Kepler light curves. Rotation periods and
complementary parameters are obtained from three different methods: a wavelet
analysis, the autocorrelation function of the light curve, and the composite
spectrum. We train three different classifiers: one to detect if rotational
modulations are present in the light curve, one to flag close binary or
classical pulsators candidates that can bias our rotation period determination,
and finally one classifier to provide the final rotation period. We test our
machine learning pipeline on 23,431 stars of the Kepler K and M dwarf reference
rotation catalog of Santos et al. (2019) for which 60% of the stars have been
visually inspected. For the sample of 21,707 stars where all the input
parameters are provided to the algorithm, 94.2% of them are correctly
classified (as rotating or not). Among the stars that have a rotation period in
the reference catalog, the machine learning provides a period that agrees
within 10% of the reference value for 95.3% of the stars. Moreover, the yield
of correct rotation periods is raised to 99.5% after visually inspecting 25.2%
of the stars. Over the two main analysis steps, rotation classification and
period selection, the pipeline yields a global agreement with the reference
values of 92.1% and 96.9% before and after visual inspection. Random forest
classifiers are efficient tools to determine reliable rotation periods in large
samples of stars. [abridged]


  We present GazeBaseVR, a large-scale, longitudinal, binocular eye-tracking
(ET) dataset collected at 250 Hz with an ET-enabled virtual-reality (VR)
headset. GazeBaseVR comprises 5,020 binocular recordings from a diverse
population of 407 college-aged participants. Participants were recorded up to
six times each over a 26-month period, each time performing a series of five
different ET tasks: (1) a vergence task, (2) a horizontal smooth pursuit task,
(3) a video-viewing task, (4) a self-paced reading task, and (5) a random
oblique saccade task. Many of these participants have also been recorded for
two previously published datasets with different ET devices, and some
participants were recorded before and after COVID-19 infection and recovery.
GazeBaseVR is suitable for a wide range of research on ET data in VR devices,
especially eye movement biometrics due to its large population and longitudinal
nature. In addition to ET data, additional participant details are provided to
enable further research on topics such as fairness.


  Persistent currents in Bose condensates with a scalar order parameter are
stabilized by the topology of the order parameter manifold. In condensates with
multicomponent order parameters it is topologically possible for supercurrents
to `unwind' without leaving the manifold. We study the energetics of this
process in the case of ferromagnetic condensates using a long wavelength energy
functional that includes both the superfluid and spin stiffnesses. Exploiting
analogies to an elastic rod and rigid body motion, we show that the current
carrying state in a 1D ring geometry transitions between a spin helix in the
energy minima and a soliton-like configuration at the maxima. The relevance to
recent experiments in ultracold atoms is briefly discussed.


  In this paper we present MASCARA-2 b, a hot Jupiter transiting the $m_V=7.6$
A2 star HD 185603. Since early 2015, MASCARA has taken more than 1.6 million
flux measurements of the star, corresponding to a total of almost 3000 hours of
observations, revealing a periodic dimming in the flux with a depth of $1.3\%$.
Photometric follow-up observations were performed with the NITES and IAC80
telescopes and spectroscopic measurements were obtained with the Hertzsprung
SONG telescope. We find MASCARA-2 b orbits HD 185603 with a period of
$3.474119^{+0.000005}_{-0.000006}~\rm{days}$ at a distance of $0.057 \pm
0.006~\rm{AU}$, has a radius of $1.83 \pm 0.07~\rm{R}_{\rm{J}}$ and place a
$99\%$ upper limit on the mass of $< 17~\rm{M}_{\rm{J}}$. HD 185603 is a
rapidly rotating early-type star with an effective temperature of
$8980^{+90}_{-130}~\rm{K}$ and a mass and radius of
$1.89^{+0.06}_{-0.05}~M_\odot$, $1.60 \pm 0.06~R_\odot$, respectively. Contrary
to most other hot Jupiters transiting early-type stars, the projected planet
orbital axis and stellar spin axis are found to be aligned with $\lambda=0.6
\pm 4^\circ$. The brightness of the host star and the high equilibrium
temperature, $2260 \pm 50~\rm{K}$, of MASCARA-2 b make it a suitable target for
atmospheric studies from the ground and space. Of particular interest is the
detection of TiO, which has recently been detected in the similarly hot planets
WASP-33 b and WASP-19 b.


  We study strain relaxation and surface damage of GaN nanopillar arrays
fabricated using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching and post etch wet
chemical treatment. We controlled the shape and surface damage of such
nanopillar structures through selection of etching parameters. We compared
different substrate temperatures and different chlorine-based etch chemistries
to fabricate high quality GaN nanopillars. Room temperature photoluminescence
and Raman scattering measurements were carried to study the presence of surface
defect and strain relaxation on these nanostructures, respectively. We found
that wet KOH etching can remove the side wall damages caused by dry plasma
etching, leading to better quality of GaN nanopillars arrays. The Si material
underneath the GaN pillars was removed by KOH wet etching, leaving behind a
fine Si pillar to support the GaN structure. Substantial strain relaxations
were observed in these structures from room temperature Raman spectroscopy
measurements. Room temperature Photoluminescence spectroscopy shows the
presence of whispering gallery modes from these the nano disks structures.


  We report measurements of in-plane electrical and thermal transport
properties in the limit $T \rightarrow 0$ near the unconventional quantum
critical point in the heavy-fermion metal $\beta$-YbAlB$_4$. The high Kondo
temperature $T_K$ $\simeq$ 200 K in this material allows us to probe transport
extremely close to the critical point, at unusually small values of $T/T_K < 5
\times 10^{-4}$. Here we find that the Wiedemann-Franz law is obeyed at the
lowest temperatures, implying that the Landau quasiparticles remain intact in
the critical region. At finite temperatures we observe a non-Fermi liquid
T-linear dependence of inelastic scattering processes to energies lower than
those previously accessed. These processes have a weaker temperature dependence
than in comparable heavy fermion quantum critical systems, and suggest a new
temperature scale of $T \sim 0.3 K$ which signals a sudden change in character
of the inelastic scattering.


  We study the ground state properties of a quasi one dimensional electron gas,
interacting via an effective potential with a harmonic transversal confinement
and long range Coulomb tail. The exact correlation energy has been calculated
for a wide range of electron densities by using the lattice regularized
diffusion Monte Carlo method, which is a recent development of the standard
projection Monte Carlo technique. In this case it is particularly useful as it
allows to sample the exact ground state of the system, even in the low density
regime when the exchange between electrons is extremely small. For different
values of the width parameter b (0.1 a*_0 <= b <= 4 a*_0), we give a simple
parametrization of the correlation energy, which provides an accurate local
density energy functional for quasi one dimensional systems. Moreover we show
that static correlations are in qualitative agreement with those obtained for
the Luttinger liquid model with long range interactions.


  Murphy's Law is $not$ a law in the formal sense yet popular science often
compares it with the Second Law of Thermodynamics as both the statements point
toward a more disorganized state with time. In this paper, we first construct a
mathematically equivalent statement for Murphy's Law and then disprove it using
the intuitive idea that energy differences will level off along the paths of
steepest descent, or along trajectories of least action.


  Fe and Al are two of the most important rock-forming elements other than Mg,
Si, and O. Their presence in the lower mantle's most abundant minerals, MgSiO_3
bridgmanite, MgSiO_3 post-perovskite and MgO periclase, alters their elastic
properties. However, knowledge on the thermoelasticity of Fe- and Al-bearing
MgSiO_3 bridgmanite, and post-perovskite is scarce. In this study, we perform
ab initio molecular dynamics to calculate the elastic and seismic properties of
pure, Fe^{3+}- and Fe^{2+}-, and Al^{3+}-bearing MgSiO_3 perovskite and
post-perovskite, over a wide range of pressures, temperatures, and Fe/Al
compositions. Our results show that a mineral assemblage resembling pyrolite
fits a 1D seismological model well, down to, at least, a few hundred kilometers
above the core-mantle boundary, i.e. the top of the D'' region. In D'', a
similar composition is still an excellent fit to the average velocities and
fairly approximate to the density. We also implement polycrystal plasticity
with a geodynamic model to predict resulting seismic anisotropy, and find
post-perovskite with predominant (001) slip across all compositions agrees best
with seismic observations in the D''.


  In this paper, we present the static charged solutions of quartic
quasitopological gravity in the presence of a nonlinear electromagnetic field.
Two branches of these solutions present black holes with one or two horizons or
a naked singularity depending on the charge and mass of the black hole. The
entropy of the charged black holes of fourth order quasitopological gravity
through the use of Wald formula is computed and the mass, temperature and the
charge of these black holes are found as well. We show that black holes with
spherical, flat and hyperbolical horizon in quasitopological gravity are stable
for any allowed quasitopological parameters.


  End-to-end analyses of data from high-energy physics experiments using
machine and deep learning techniques have emerged in recent years. These
analyses use deep learning algorithms to go directly from low-level detector
information directly to high-level quantities that classify the interactions.
The most popular class of algorithms for these analyses are convolutional
neural networks that operate on experimental data formatted as images.
End-to-end analyses skip stages of the traditional workflow that includes the
reconstruction of particles produced in the interactions, and as such are not
limited by efficiency losses and sources of inaccuracy throughout the event
reconstruction process. In many cases, deep learning end-to-end analyses have
been shown to have significantly increased performance compared to previous
state-of-the-art methods.


  The extremality of Gaussian states is exploited to show that Gaussian states
are the most robust, among all possible bipartite continuous-variable states at
fixed energy, against disentanglement due to noisy evolutions in Markovian
Gaussian channels involving dissipation and thermal hopping. This proves a
conjecture raised recently in [M. Allegra, P. Giorda, and M. G. A. Paris, Phys.
Rev. Lett. {\bf 105}, 100503 (2010)], providing a rigorous validation of the
conclusions of that work. The problem of identifying continuous variable states
with maximum resilience to entanglement damping in more general bosonic open
system dynamical evolutions, possibly including correlated noise and
non-Markovian effects, remains open.


  We construct a mathematical theory of Witten's Gauged Linear Sigma Model
(GLSM). Our theory applies to a wide range of examples, including many cases
with non-Abelian gauge group. Both the Gromov-Witten theory of a Calabi-Yau
complete intersection X and the Landau-Ginzburg dual (FJRW-theory) of X can be
expressed as gauged linear sigma models. Furthermore, the
Landau-Ginzburg/Calabi-Yau correspondence can be interpreted as a variation of
the moment map or a deformation of GIT in the GLSM. This paper focuses
primarily on the algebraic theory, while a companion article will treat the
analytic theory.


  We consider multidimensional gravitational models with a nonlinear scalar
curvature term and form fields in the action functional. In our scenario it is
assumed that the higher dimensional spacetime undergoes a spontaneous
compactification to a warped product manifold. Particular attention is paid to
models with quadratic scalar curvature terms and a Freund-Rubin-like ansatz for
solitonic form fields. It is shown that for certain parameter ranges the extra
dimensions are stabilized. In particular, stabilization is possible for any
sign of the internal space curvature, the bulk cosmological constant and of the
effective four-dimensional cosmological constant. Moreover, the effective
cosmological constant can satisfy the observable limit on the dark energy
density. Finally, we discuss the restrictions on the parameters of the
considered nonlinear models and how they follow from the connection between the
D-dimensional and the four-dimensional fundamental mass scales.


  Attenuation of short, strongly nonlinear stress pulses in chains of spheres
and cylinders was investigated experimentally and numerically for two ratios of
their masses keeping their contacts identical. The chain with mass ratio 0.98
supports solitary waves and another one (with mass ratio 0.55) supports
nonstationary pulses which preserve their identity only on relatively short
distances, but attenuate on longer distances because of radiation of small
amplitude tails generated by oscillating small mass particles. Pulse
attenuation in experiments in the chain with mass ratio 0.55 was faster at the
same number of the particles from the entrance than in the chain with mass
ratio 0.98. It is in quantitative agreement with results of numerical
calculations with effective damping coefficient 6 kg/s. This level of damping
was critical for eliminating the gap openings between particles in the system
with mass ratio 0.55 present at lower or no damping. However with increase of
dissipation numerical results show that the chain with mass ratio 0.98 provides
faster attenuation than chain with mass ratio 0.55 due to the fact that the
former system supports the narrower pulse with the larger difference between
velocities of neighboring particles. The investigated chains demonstrated
different wave structure at zero dissipation and at intermediate damping
coefficients and the similar behavior at large damping.


  The recently suggested interpretation of the universal hadronic freeze-out
temperature T_f ~ 170 Mev - found for all high energy scattering processes that
produce hadrons: e+ e-, p p, p anti-p, pi p, etc. and N N' (heavy-ion
collisions) - as a Unruh temperature triggers here the search for the
gravitational black-hole that in its near-horizon approximation better
simulates this hadronic phenomenon. To identify such a black-hole we begin our
gravity-gauge theory phenomenologies matching by asking the question: which
black-hole behind that Rindler horizon could reproduce the experimental
behavior of T_f (\sqrt{s}) in N N', where \sqrt{s} is the collision energy.
Provided certain natural assumptions hold, we show that the exact string
black-hole turns out to be the best candidate (as it fits the available data on
T_f (\sqrt{s})) and that its limiting case, the Witten black-hole, is the
unique candidate to explain the constant T_f for all elementary scattering
processes at large energy. We also are able to propose an effective description
of the screening of the hadronic string tension sigma(mu_b) due to the baryon
density effects on T_f.


  Graphene has remarkable opportunities for spintronics due to its high
mobility and long spin diffusion length, especially when encapsulated in
hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Here, for the first time, we demonstrate
gate-tunable spin transport in such encapsulated graphene-based spin valves
with one-dimensional (1D) ferromagnetic edge contacts. An electrostatic
backgate tunes the Fermi level of graphene to probe different energy levels of
the spin-polarized density of states (DOS) of the 1D ferromagnetic contact,
which interact through a magnetic proximity effect (MPE) that induces
ferromagnetism in graphene. In contrast to conventional spin valves, where
switching between high- and low-resistance configuration requires magnetization
reversal by an applied magnetic field or a high-density spin-polarized current,
we provide an alternative path with the gate-controlled spin inversion in
graphene. The resulting tunable MPE employing a simple ferromagnetic metal
holds promise for spintronic devices and to realize exotic topological states,
from quantum spin Hall and quantum anomalous Hall effects, to Majorana fermions
and skyrmions.


  The ever-increasing gap between compute and I/O performance in HPC platforms,
together with the development of novel NVMe storage devices (NVRAM), led to the
emergence of the burst buffer concept - an intermediate persistent storage
layer logically positioned between random-access main memory and a parallel
file system. Despite the development of real-world architectures as well as
research concepts, resource and job management systems, such as Slurm, provide
only marginal support for scheduling jobs with burst buffer requirements, in
particular ignoring burst buffers when backfilling. We investigate the impact
of burst buffer reservations on the overall efficiency of online job scheduling
for common algorithms: First-Come-First-Served (FCFS) and Shortest-Job-First
(SJF) EASY-backfilling. We evaluate the algorithms in a detailed simulation
with I/O side effects. Our results indicate that the lack of burst buffer
reservations in backfilling may significantly deteriorate scheduling. We also
show that these algorithms can be easily extended to support burst buffers.
Finally, we propose a burst-buffer-aware plan-based scheduling algorithm with
simulated annealing optimisation, which improves the mean waiting time by over
20% and mean bounded slowdown by 27% compared to the burst-buffer-aware
SJF-EASY-backfilling.


  We develop a Thermodynamic Formalism for bounded continuous potentials
defined on the sequence space $X\equiv E^{\mathbb{N}}$, where $E$ is a general
Borel standard space. In particular, we introduce meaningful concepts of
entropy and pressure for shifts acting on $X$ and obtain the existence of
equilibrium states as additive probability measures for any bounded continuous
potential. Furthermore, we establish convexity and other structural properties
of the set of equilibrium states, prove a version of the
Perron-Frobenius-Ruelle theorem under additional assumptions on the regularity
of the potential and show that the Yosida-Hewitt decomposition of these
equilibrium states do not have a purely additive part.
  We then apply our results to the construction of invariant measures of
time-homogeneous Markov chains taking values on a general Borel standard space
and obtain exponential asymptotic stability for a class of Markov operators. We
also construct conformal measures for an infinite collection of interacting
random paths which are associated to a potential depending on infinitely many
coordinates. Under an additional differentiability hypothesis, we show how this
process is related after a proper scaling limit to a certain infinite
dimensional diffusion.


  In this article, we propose an index modulation system suitable for optical
communications, where the intensity of the light is modulated along the time,
space and frequency dimensions, building a Frequency-Hopping Spatial
Multi-Pulse Position Modulation (FH-SMPPM). We analyze its performance from the
point of view of its efficiency in power and spectrum, and its implementation
complexity and required receiver latency. We analyze its error probability in
the case of the non-turbulent free-space optical (FSO) channel. We derive
formulas for the average symbol and bit error probabilities, and the simulation
results show that they are tight enough for a wide range of signal-to-noise
ratios and system parameters. We compare FH-SMPPM with other proposed index
modulated systems of the same nature, and we highlight its distinctive
advantages, like the flexibility to build an appropriate waveform under
different constraints and objectives. Moreover, FH-SMPPM shows to be better
performing in BER/SER and/or offer advantages in efficiency with respect to
those alternatives, thus offering the possibility to be adopted for a variety
of contexts.


  Controlling molecular reactivity by shaped laser pulses is a long-standing
goal in chemistry. Here we suggest a direct optimal control approach which
combines external pulse optimization with other control parameters arising in
the upcoming field of vibro-polaritonic chemistry, for enhanced controllability
The direct optimal control approach is characterized by a simultaneous
simulation and optimization paradigm, meaning that the equations of motion are
discretized and converted into a set of holonomic constraints for a nonlinear
optimization problem given by the control functional. Compared with indirect
optimal control this procedure offers great flexibility such as final time or
Hamiltonian parameter optimization. Simultaneous direct optimal control
(SimDOC) theory will be applied to a model system describing H-atom transfer in
a lossy Fabry-P\'erot cavity under vibrational strong coupling conditions.
Specifically, optimization of the cavity coupling strength and thus of the
control landscape will be demonstrated.


  Let $(\mathcal{C},\mathbb{E},\mathfrak{s})$ be an extriangulated category
with a proper class $\xi$ of $\mathbb{E}$-triangles. In this paper, we study
the balance of complete cohomology in $(\mathcal{C},\mathbb{E},\mathfrak{s})$,
which is motivated by a result of Nucinkis that complete cohomology of modules
is not balanced in the way the absolute cohomology Ext is balanced. As an
application, we give some criteria for identifying a triangulated catgory to be
Gorenstein and an artin algebra to be $F$-Gorenstein.


  We show that Hilbert schemes of planar curve singularities and their
parabolic variants can be interpreted as certain generalized affine Springer
fibers for $GL_n$, as defined by Goresky-Kottwitz-MacPherson. Using a
generalization of affine Springer theory for Braverman-Finkelberg-Nakajima's
Coulomb branch algebras, we construct a rational Cherednik algebra action on
the homology of the Hilbert schemes, and compute it in examples. Along the way,
we generalize to the parahoric setting the recent construction of
Hilburn-Kamnitzer-Weekes, which may be of independent interest. In the
spherical case, we make our computations explicit through a new general
localization formula for Coulomb branches. Via results of Hogancamp-Mellit, we
also show the rational Cherednik algebra acts on the HOMFLY homologies of torus
knots. This work was inspired in part by a construction in three-dimensional
$\mathcal{N}=4$ gauge theory.


  We utilize a multiscale modeling framework to study the effect of shape, size
and ligand composition on the efficacy of binding of a ligand-coated-particle
to a substrate functionalized with the target receptors. First, we show how
molecular dynamics (MD) along with Steered MD calculations can be used to
accurately parameterize the molecular binding free energy and the effective
spring constant for a receptor-ligand pair. We demonstrate this for two ligands
that bind to the $\alpha_5\beta_1$-domain of integrin. Next, we show how these
effective potentials can be used to build computational models at the meso- and
continuum- scales. These models incorporate the molecular nature of the
receptor-ligand interactions and yet provide an inexpensive route to study the
multivalent interaction of receptors and ligands through the construction of
Bell potentials customized to the molecular identities. We quantify the binding
efficacy of the ligand-coated-particle in terms of its multivalency, binding
free energy landscape and the losses in the configurational entropies. We show
that (i) the binding avidity for particle sizes less than $350$ nm is set by
the competition between the enthalpic and entropic contributions while that for
sizes above $350$ nm is dominated by the enthalpy of binding, (ii) anisotropic
particles display higher multivalent binding compared to spherical particles
and (iii) variations in ligand composition can alter binding avidity without
altering the average multivalency. The methods and results presented here have
wide applications in the rational design of functionalized carriers and also in
understanding cell adhesion.


  We show that if an expanding Thurston map is the quotient of a torus
endomorphism, then it has a parabolic orbifold and is a Latt\`es-type map.


  We design a quantum algorithm for ground state preparation in the early fault
tolerant regime. As a Monte Carlo-style quantum algorithm, our method features
a Lindbladian where the target state is stationary. The construction of this
Lindbladian is algorithmic and should not be seen as a specific approximation
to some weakly coupled system-bath dynamics in nature. Our algorithm can be
implemented using just one ancilla qubit and efficiently simulated on a quantum
computer. It can prepare the ground state even when the initial state has zero
overlap with the ground state, bypassing the most significant limitation of
methods like quantum phase estimation. As a variant, we also propose a
discrete-time algorithm, demonstrating even better efficiency and providing a
near-optimal simulation cost depending on the desired evolution time and
precision. Numerical simulation using Ising and Hubbard models demonstrates the
efficacy and applicability of our method.


  An inhomogeneous first--order integer--valued autoregressive (INAR(1))
process is investigated, where the autoregressive type coefficient slowly
converges to one. It is shown that the process converges weakly to a Poisson or
a compound Poisson distribution.


  We prove that the Drinfeld center $Z(\mathcal{C})$ of a pivotal finite tensor
category $\mathcal{C}$ comes with the structure of a ribbon
Grothendieck-Verdier category in the sense of Boyarchenko-Drinfeld. Phrased
operadically, this makes $Z(\mathcal{C})$ into a cyclic algebra over the framed
$E_2$-operad. The underlying object of the dualizing object is the
distinguished invertible object of $\mathcal{C}$ appearing in the well-known
Radford isomorphism of Etingof-Nikshych-Ostrik. Up to equivalence, this is the
unique ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier structure on $Z(\mathcal{C})$ extending the
canonical balanced braided structure that $Z(\mathcal{C})$ already comes
equipped with. The duality functor of this ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier
structure coincides with the rigid duality if and only if $\mathcal{C}$ is
spherical in the sense of Douglas-Schommer-Pries-Snyder. The main topological
consequence of our algebraic result is that $Z(\mathcal{C})$ gives rise to an
ansular functor, in fact even a modular functor regardless of whether
$\mathcal{C}$ is spherical or not. In order to prove the aforementioned
uniqueness statement for the ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier structure, we derive a
seven-term exact sequence characterizing the space of ribbon
Grothendieck-Verdier structures on a balanced braided category. This sequence
features the Picard group of the balanced version of the M\"uger center of the
balanced braided category.


  We consider a particle diffusing in the y-direction, dy/dt=\eta(t) where
\eta(t) is Gaussian white noise, and subject to a transverse flow field in the
x-direction, dx/dt=f(y), where x \ge 0 and x=0 is an absorbing boundary. We
discuss the time-dependence of the survival probability of the particle for a
class of functions f(y) that are positive in some regions of space and negative
in others.


  The NGC 2024 FIR 6 region was observed in the water maser line at 22 GHz and
the methanol class I maser lines at 44, 95, and 133 GHz. The water maser
spectra displayed several velocity components and month-scale time
variabilities. Most of the velocity components may be associated with FIR 6n,
while one component was associated with FIR 4. A typical life time of the
water-maser velocity-components is about 8 months. The components showed
velocity fluctuations with a typical drift rate of about 0.01 km/s/day. The
methanol class I masers were detected toward FIR 6. The methanol emission is
confined within a narrow range around the systemic velocity of the FIR 6 cloud
core. The methanol masers suggest the existence of shocks driven by either the
expanding H II region of FIR 6c or the outflow of FIR 6n.


  We present a multi-edge-length aperiodic tiling which exhibits 6--fold
rotational symmetry. The edge lengths of the tiling are proportional to
1:$\tau$, where $\tau$ is the golden mean $\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}$. We show how
the tiling can be generated using simple substitution rules for its three
constituent tiles, which we then use to demonstrate the bipartite nature of the
tiling vertices. As such, we show that there is a relatively large sublattice
imbalance of $1/[2\tau^2]$. Similarly, we define allowed vertex configurations
before analysing the tiling structure in 4-dimensional hyperspace.


  Recent advances in machine learning for medical imaging have led to
impressive increases in model complexity and overall capabilities. However, the
ability to discern the precise information a machine learning method is using
to make decisions has lagged behind and it is often unclear how these
performances are in fact achieved. Conventional evaluation metrics that reduce
method performance to a single number or a curve only provide limited insights.
Yet, systems used in clinical practice demand thorough validation that such
crude characterizations miss. To this end, we present a framework to evaluate
classification methods based on a number of interpretable concepts that are
crucial for a clinical task. Our approach is inspired by the Turing Test
concept and how to devise a test that adaptively questions a method for its
ability to interpret medical images. To do this, we make use of a Twenty
Questions paradigm whereby we use a probabilistic model to characterize the
method's capacity to grasp task-specific concepts, and we introduce a strategy
to sequentially query the method according to its previous answers. The results
show that the probabilistic model is able to expose both the dataset's and the
method's biases, and can be used to reduced the number of queries needed for
confident performance evaluation.


  Aptamers, short synthetic RNA/DNA molecules binding specific targets with
high affinity and specificity, are utilized in an increasing spectrum of
bio-medical applications. Aptamers are identified in vitro via the Systematic
Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) protocol. SELEX selects
binders through an iterative process that, starting from a pool of random
ssDNA/RNA sequences, amplifies target-affine species through a series of
selection cycles. HT-SELEX, which combines SELEX with high throughput
sequencing, has recently transformed aptamer development and has opened the
field to even more applications. HT-SELEX is capable of generating over half a
billion data points, challenging computational scientists with the task of
identifying aptamer properties such as sequence structure motifs that determine
binding. While currently available motif finding approaches suggest partial
solutions to this question, none possess the generality or scalability required
for HT-SELEX data, and they do not take advantage of important properties of
the experimental procedure.
  We present AptaTRACE, a novel approach for the identification of
sequence-structure binding motifs in HT-SELEX derived aptamers. Our approach
leverages the experimental design of the SELEX protocol and identifies
sequence-structure motifs that show a signature of selection. Because of its
unique approach, AptaTRACE can uncover motifs even when these are present in
only a minuscule fraction of the pool. Due to these features, our method can
help to reduce the number of selection cycles required to produce aptamers with
the desired properties, thus reducing cost and time of this rather expensive
procedure. The performance of the method on simulated and real data indicates
that AptaTRACE can detect sequence-structure motifs even in highly challenging
data.


  We investigate the asymptotic behavior of the polynomials p, q, r of degrees
n in type I Hermite-Pade approximation to the exponential function, defined by
p(z)e^{-z}+q(z)+r(z)e^{z} = O(z^{3n+2}) as z -> 0. These polynomials are
characterized by a Riemann-Hilbert problem for a 3x3 matrix valued function. We
use the Deift-Zhou steepest descent method for Riemann-Hilbert problems to
obtain strong uniform asymptotics for the scaled polynomials p(3nz), q(3nz),
and r(3nz) in every domain in the complex plane. An important role is played by
a three-sheeted Riemann surface and certain measures and functions derived from
it. Our work complements recent results of Herbert Stahl.


  We study a mechanistic mathematical model of extinction and coexistence in a
generic hunter-prey ecosystem. The model represents typical scenarios of human
invasion and environmental change, characteristic of the late Pleistocene,
concomitant with the extinction of fauna in many regions of the world. As a
first approach we focus on a small trophic web of three species, including two
herbivores in asymmetric competition, in order to characterize the generic
behaviors. Specifically, we use a stochastic dynamical system, allowing the
study of the role of fluctuations and spatial correlations. We show that the
presence of hunters drives the superior herbivore to extinction even in
habitats that would allow coexistence, and even when the pressure of hunting is
lower than on the inferior one. The role of system size and fluctuating
populations is addressed, showing an ecological meltdown in small systems in
the presence of humans. The time to extinction as a function of the system
size, as calculated with the model, shows a good agreement with paleontological
data. Other findings show the intricate play of the anthropic and environmental
factors that may have caused the extinction of megafauna.


  Exact propagator of density matrix of particle (electron) under influence of
thermal vibrations of its medium (phonons) is treated in simplest approximation
beyond the Fermi's golden rule. It is shown that uncertainties \,$\sim\h/t$\,
in energy exchanges with the medium give rise to flicker fluctuations in rate
of diffusion (diffusivity) of the particle


  Organismal phenotypes emerge from a complex set of genotypic interactions.
While technological advances in sequencing provide a quantitative description
of an organism's genotype, characterization of an organism's physical phenotype
lags far behind. Here, we relate genotype to the complex and multi-dimensional
phenotype of an anatomical structure using the Drosophila wing as a model
system. We develop a mathematical approach that enables a robust description of
biologically salient phenotypic variation. Analysing natural phenotypic
variation, and variation generated by weak perturbations in genetic and
environmental conditions during development, we observe a highly constrained
set of wing phenotypes. In a striking ex-ample of dimensionality reduction, the
nature of varieties produced by the Drosophila developmental pro-gram is
constrained to a single integrated mode of variation in the wing. Our strategy
demonstrates the emergent simplicity manifest in the genotype-to-phenotype map
in the Drosophila wing and may represent a general approach for interrogating a
variety of genotype-phenotype relationships.


  Digitalization is conquering and stressing out the federal administration.
Using selected large-scale ICT projects, we show how complex and
interdisciplinary the tasks are. The federal administration's IT strategy
requires well-trained specialists for all defined fields of action. This scarce
resource is increasingly being trained academically in separate, tailor-made
degree courses that are developed specifically for the needs of the German
ministries and authorities. We use the example of administrative informatics
courses to explain their necessity and success story. Using a
Bachelor's/Master's program developed by the authors for the ITZBund and the
Federal Ministry of Finance, we look at a concrete implementation and justify
two of our design decisions in the development of the course, namely
transdisciplinarity and design thinking. We adopt a German perspective
throughout the paper. However, the conclusions also apply to other countries.


  Inspired by the five newly observed $\Omega^{0}_{c}$ states by the LHCb
detector, we study the $\Omega_{c}^{0}$ states as the $S-$wave molecular
pentaquarks with $I=0$, $J^{P}=\frac{1}{2}^{-}$, $\frac{3}{2}^{-}$, and
$\frac{5}{2}^{-}$ by solving the RGM equation in the framework of chiral quark
model. Both the energies and the decay widths are obtained in this work. Our
results suggest that $\Omega_{c}(3119)^{0}$ can be explained as an $S-$wave
resonance state of $\Xi D$ with $J^{P}=\frac{1}{2}^{-}$, and the decay channels
are the $S-$wave $\Xi_{c} K$ and $\Xi^{'}_{c}K$ . Other reported
$\Omega^{0}_{c}$ states cannot be obtained in our present calculation. Another
$\Omega_{c}^{0}$ state with much higher mass 3533 MeV with
$J^{P}=\frac{5}{2}^{-}$ is also obtained. In addition, the calculation is
extended to the $\Omega_{b}^{0}$ states, similar results as that of
$\Omega^{0}_{c}$ are obtained.


  First attempts of prediction of the facial growth (FG) direction were made
over half of a century ago. Despite numerous attempts and elapsed time, a
satisfactory method has not been established yet and the problem still poses a
challenge for medical experts. To our knowledge, this paper is the first
Machine Learning approach to the prediction of FG direction. Conducted data
analysis reveals the inherent complexity of the problem and explains the
reasons of difficulty in FG direction prediction based on 2D X-ray images. To
perform growth forecasting, we employ a wide range of algorithms, from logistic
regression, through tree ensembles to neural networks and consider three,
slightly different, problem formulations. The resulting classification accuracy
varies between 71% and 75%.


  Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE) is a promising technology that can aid in
the cost reduction of III-V materials and devices manufacturing, particularly
high-efficiency solar cells for space and terrestrial applications. However,
recent demonstrations of ultra fast growth rates ($\sim$ 500 $\mu$m/h) via
uncracked hydrides are not well described by present models for the growth.
Therefore, it is necessary to understand the kinetics of the growth process and
its coupling with transport phenomena, so as to enable fast and uniform
epitaxial growth. In this work, we derive a kinetic model using experimental
data and integrate it into a computational fluid dynamics simulation of an HVPE
growth reactor. We also modify an existing hydride cracking model that we
validate against numerical simulations and experimental data. We show that the
developed growth model and the improved cracking model are able to reproduce
experimental growth measurements of \ce{GaAs} in an existing HVPE system.


  We consider the role of the charm mass in PDF fits, and in particular the
reliability of recent determinations of the MSbar running mass from fits to
inclusive charm production data. We explain how the use of the pole mass, with
a charm PDF determined empirically, can reduce PDF uncertainties from charm
mass effects, and thereby lead to more reliable predictions for hard processes
at the LHC.