  [Abridged] We present an updated and improved M_bh-sigma diagram containing
64 galaxies for which M_bh measurements (not just upper limits) are available.
Due to new and increased black hole masses at the high-mass end, and a better
representation of barred galaxies at the low-mass end, the "classical" (all
morphological type) M_bh-sigma relation for predicting black hole masses is
log(M_bh/M_Sun) = (5.13+/-0.34)log[sigma/200] + (8.13+/-0.05), with an rms
scatter of 0.43 dex. Modifying the regression analysis to correct for a
hitherto over-looked sample bias in which black holes with masses <10^6 M_Sun
are not (yet) detectable, the relation steepens further to give log(M_bh/M_Sun)
= (5.95+/-0.44)log[sigma/200] + (8.15+/-0.06). We have also updated the
"barless" and "elliptical-only" M_bh-sigma relations introduced by Graham and
Hu in 2008 due to the offset nature of barred/disc galaxies. These relations
have a total scatter as low as 0.34 dex and currently define the upper envelope
of points in the M_bh-sigma diagram. These relations also have a slope
consistent with the value 5, in agreement with the prediction by Silk & Rees
based on feedback from massive black holes in bulges built by
monolithic-collapse.
  Using updated virial products and velocity dispersions from 28 active
galactic nuclei, we determine that the optimal scaling factor f - which brings
their virial products in line with the 64 directly measured black hole masses -
is 2.8^{+0.7}_{-0.5}. This is roughly half the value reported by Onken et al.
and Woo et al., and consequently halves the mass estimates of most
high-redshift quasars. We have explored the results after separating the
samples into barred and non-barred galaxies, and we have also developed a
preliminary corrective term to the velocity dispersion based on bar dynamics.


  The Bayesian inference is widely used in many scientific and engineering
problems, especially in the linear inverse problems in infinite-dimensional
setting where the unknowns are functions. In such problems, choosing an
appropriate prior distribution is an important task. In particular, when the
function to infer has much detail information, such as many sharp jumps,
corners, and the discontinuous and nonsmooth oscillation, the so-called total
variation-Gaussian (TG) prior is proposed in function space to address it.
However, the TG prior is easy to lead the blocky (staircase) effect in
numerical results. In this work, we present a fractional order-TG (FTG) hybrid
prior to deal with such problems, where the fractional order total variation
(FTV) term is used to capture the detail information of the unknowns and
simultaneously uses the Gaussian measure to ensure that it results in a
well-defined posterior measure. For the numerical implementations of linear
inverse problems in function spaces, we also propose an efficient independence
sampler based on a transport map, which uses a proposal distribution derived
from a diagonal map, and the acceptance probability associated to the proposal
is independent of discretization dimensionality. And in order to take full
advantage of the transport map, the hierarchical Bayesian framework is applied
to flexibly determine the regularization parameter. Finally we provide some
numerical examples to demonstrate the performance of the FTG prior and the
efficiency and robustness of the proposed independence sampler method.


  The observed Higgs boson signals to-date could be due to having two
quasi-degenerate 125 GeV scalar states in Nature. This kind of scenario tallies
well with the predictions from the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard
Model (NMSSM). We have analysed the phenomenological NMSSM Higgs boson
couplings and derived a parameterization of the signal strengths within the two
quasi-degenerate framework. With essentially two parameters, it is shown that
the combined strengths of the two quasi-degenerate Higgs states in the leptonic
(and b-quark) decay channels depart from the Standard Model values in the
opposite direction to those in the vector boson channels. We identify
experimental measurements for distinguishing a single from a double Higgs
scenarios. The proposed parameterization can be used for benchmarking studies
towards establishing the status of quasi-degenerate Higgs scenarios.


  The matching distance is a computationally tractable topological measure to
compare multi-filtered simplicial complexes. We design efficient algorithms for
approximating the matching distance of two bi-filtered complexes to any desired
precision $\epsilon>0$. Our approach is based on a quad-tree refinement
strategy introduced by Biasotti et al., but we recast their approach entirely
in geometric terms. This point of view leads to several novel observations
resulting in a practically faster algorithm. We demonstrate this speed-up by
experimental comparison and provide our code in a public repository which
provides the first efficient publicly available implementation of the matching
distance.


  Optimization problems in design engineering are complex by nature, often
because of the involvement of critical objective functions accompanied by a
number of rigid constraints associated with the products involved. One such
problem is Economic Load Dispatch (ED) problem which focuses on the
optimization of the fuel cost while satisfying some system constraints.
Classical optimization algorithms are not sufficient and also inefficient for
the ED problem involving highly nonlinear, and non-convex functions both in the
objective and in the constraints. This led to the development of metaheuristic
optimization approaches which can solve the ED problem almost efficiently. This
paper presents a novel robust plant intelligence based Adaptive Plant
Propagation Algorithm (APPA) which is used to solve the classical ED problem.
The application of the proposed method to the 3-generator and 6-generator
systems shows the efficiency and robustness of the proposed algorithm. A
comparative study with another state-of-the-art algorithm (APSO) demonstrates
the quality of the solution achieved by the proposed method along with the
convergence characteristics of the proposed approach.


  In the previous paper, it was shown that holes doped into BaBiO3 self-trap as
small polarons and bipolarons. These point defects are energetically favorable
partly because they undo locally the strain in the charge-density-wave (Peierls
insulator) ground state. In this paper the neutral excitations of the same
model are discussed. The lowest electronic excitation is predicted to be a
self-trapped exciton, consisting of an electron and a hole located on adjacent
Bi atoms. This excitation has been seen experimentally (but not identified as
such) via the Urbach tail in optical absorption, and the multi-phonon spectrum
of the ``breathing mode'' seen in Raman scattering. These two phenomena occur
because of the Franck-Condon effect associated with oxygen displacement in the
excited state.


  We propose an integration of possibility theory into non-classical logics. We
obtain many formal results that generalize the case where possibility and
necessity functions are based on classical logic. We show how useful such an
approach is by applying it to reasoning under uncertain and inconsistent
information.


  Opinion summarization focuses on generating summaries that reflect popular
subjective information expressed in multiple online reviews. While generated
summaries offer general and concise information about a particular hotel or
product, the information may be insufficient to help the user compare multiple
different choices. Thus, the user may still struggle with the question "Which
one should I pick?" In this paper, we propose the comparative opinion
summarization task, which aims at generating two contrastive summaries and one
common summary from two different candidate sets of reviews. We develop a
comparative summarization framework CoCoSum, which consists of two base
summarization models that jointly generate contrastive and common summaries.
Experimental results on a newly created benchmark CoCoTrip show that CoCoSum
can produce higher-quality contrastive and common summaries than
state-of-the-art opinion summarization models. The dataset and code are
available at https://github.com/megagonlabs/cocosum


  We explore the effects of random link removal on the photonic band gaps of
honeycomb networks. Missing or incomplete links are expected to be common in
practical realizations of this class of connected network structures due to
unavoidable flaws in the fabrication process. We focus on the collapse of the
photonic band gap due to the defects induced by the link removal. We show that
the photonic band gap is quite robust against this type of random decimation
and survives even when almost 58% of the network links are removed.


  Prototypical network (PN) is a simple yet effective few shot learning
strategy. It is a metric-based meta-learning technique where classification is
performed by computing Euclidean distances to prototypical representations of
each class. Conventional PN attributes equal importance to all samples and
generates prototypes by simply averaging the support sample embeddings
belonging to each class. In this work, we propose a novel version of PN that
attributes weights to support samples corresponding to their influence on the
support sample distribution. Influence weights of samples are calculated based
on maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) between the mean embeddings of sample
distributions including and excluding the sample. Further, the influence factor
of a sample is measured using MMD based on the shift in the distribution in the
absence of that sample.


  Turbulence problem is often considered as "the last unsolved problem of
classical physics". It is due to strong interaction between velocity and/or
velocity gradient fluctuations, a high Reynolds number flow is a fascinating
mixture of purely random, close to Gaussian, fields and coherent structures
where substantial fraction of kinetic energy is dissipated into heat. To
evaluate intensity of fluctuations, one usually studies different moments of
velocity increments and/or dissipation rate, characterized by scaling exponents
$\zeta_{n}$ and $d_{n}$, respectively. In high Reynolds number flows, the
moments of different orders with $n\neq m$ cannot be simply related to each
other, which is the signature of anomalous scaling, making this problem "the
last unsolvable". No perturbative treatment can lead to quantitative
description of this feature. In this work the expressions for the moments of
dissipation rate $e_{n}=\overline{{\cal E}^{n}}\propto Re^{d_{n}}$ and those of
velocity derivatives $M_{2n}=\overline{(\partial_{x}u_{x})^{2n}}\propto
\frac{v_{o}^{2n}}{L^{2n}}Re^{\rho_{2n}}$ are derived for an infinite fluid
stirred by a white-in-time Gaussian random force supported in the vicinity of
the wave number $k_{f}\approx \frac{2\pi}{L}=O(1)$, where $v_{0}$ and $L$ are
characteristic velocity and integral scale, respectively. A novel aspect of
this work is that unlike previous efforts which aimed at seeking solutions
around the infinite Reynolds number limit, we concentrate on the vicinity of
transitional Reynolds numbers $Re^{tr}$ of the first emergence of anomalous
scaling out of Low-Re Gaussian background. The obtained closed expressions for
anomalous scaling exponents $d_{n}$ and $\rho_{n}$ agree well with available in
literature experimental and numerical data and, when $n\gg 1$, $d_{n}\approx
0.3n \ln(n)$.


  Compton scattering is one of the cornerstones of quantum physics, describing
the fundamental interaction of a charged particle with photons. The Compton
effect and its inverse are utilized in experiments driving free electrons by
high intensity lasers to create trains of attosecond X-ray pulses. So far, all
theory and experiments of the Compton effect and its generalizations have
relied on electromagnetic fields that can be described classically. Advances in
the generation of intense squeezed light could enable driving the Compton
effect with non-classical light. This outlook motivates exploring the role of
photon statistics in the Compton effect. We develop a framework to describe the
full non-perturbative interaction of a charged particle with a driving field
ascribed with an arbitrary quantum light state. We obtain analytical results
for the Compton emission spectrum when driven by thermal and squeezed vacuum
states, showing a noticeable broadening of the emission spectrum relative to a
classical (coherent state) drive, thus reaching higher emission frequencies for
the same average intensity. We envision utilizing the quantum properties of
light, including photon statistics, squeezing, and entanglement, as novel
degrees of freedom to control the wide range of radiation phenomena at the
foundations of quantum electrodynamics.


  The rise of digital and mobile communications has recently made the world
more connected and networked, resulting in an unprecedented volume of data
flowing between sources, data centers, or processes. While these data may be
processed in a centralized manner, it is often more suitable to consider
distributed strategies such as diffusion as they are scalable and can handle
large amounts of data by distributing tasks over networked agents. Although it
is relatively simple to implement diffusion strategies over a cluster, it
appears to be challenging to deploy them in an ad-hoc network with limited
energy budget for communication. In this paper, we introduce a diffusion LMS
strategy that significantly reduces communication costs without compromising
the performance. Then, we analyze the proposed algorithm in the mean and
mean-square sense. Next, we conduct numerical experiments to confirm the
theoretical findings. Finally, we perform large scale simulations to test the
algorithm efficiency in a scenario where energy is limited.


  RE J1034+396, a narrow-line Seyfert-1 active galactic nucleus (AGN), is the
first example of AGNs that exhibited a nearly coherent quasi-periodic
oscillation (QPO) for the data collected by XMM-Newton in 2007. The spectral
behaviors and timing properties of the QPO have been studied since its
discovery. We present an analysis of the QPO in RE J1034+396 based on the
Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). Comparing other time-frequency analysis methods,
the Hilbert spectrum reveals the variation of the QPO period in great detail.
Furthermore, the empirical mode decomposition provides band-pass filtered data
that can be used in the O -- C and correlation analysis. We suggest that it is
better to divide the evolution of the QPO in this observation into three epochs
according to their different periodicities. In addition to the periodicities,
the correlations between the QPO periods and corresponding mean count rates are
also different in these three epochs. Further examining the phase lags in these
epochs, we found no significant phase lags between the soft and hard X-ray
bands, which is also confirmed in the QPO phase-resolved spectral analysis.
Finally, we discuss the indications of current models including a spotted
accretion disk, diskoseismology, and oscillation of shock, according to the
observed time-frequency and spectral behaviors.


  Koopman operator theory has served as the basis to extract dynamics for
nonlinear system modeling and control across settings, including non-holonomic
mobile robot control. There is a growing interest in research to derive
robustness (and/or safety) guarantees for systems the dynamics of which are
extracted via the Koopman operator. In this paper, we propose a way to quantify
the prediction error because of noisy measurements when the Koopman operator is
approximated via Extended Dynamic Mode Decomposition. We further develop an
enhanced robot control strategy to endow robustness to a class of data-driven
(robotic) systems that rely on Koopman operator theory, and we show how part of
the strategy can happen offline in an effort to make our algorithm capable of
real-time implementation. We perform a parametric study to evaluate the
(theoretical) performance of the algorithm using a Van der Pol oscillator and
conduct a series of simulated experiments in Gazebo using a non-holonomic
wheeled robot.


  Transport phenomena on a quantum scale appear in a variety of systems,
ranging from photosynthetic complexes to engineered quantum devices. It has
been predicted that the efficiency of quantum transport can be enhanced through
dynamic interaction between the system and a noisy environment. We report the
first experimental demonstration of such environment-assisted quantum
transport, using an engineered network of laser-written waveguides, with
relative energies and inter-waveguide couplings tailored to yield the desired
Hamiltonian. Controllable decoherence is simulated via broadening the bandwidth
of the input illumination, yielding a significant increase in transport
efficiency relative to the narrowband case. We show integrated optics to be
suitable for simulating specific target Hamiltonians as well as open quantum
systems with controllable loss and decoherence.


  We suggest concrete models for self-correcting quantum memory by reporting
examples of local stabilizer codes in 3D that have no string logical operators.
Previously known local stabilizer codes in 3D all have string-like logical
operators, which make the codes non-self-correcting. We introduce a notion of
"logical string segments" to avoid difficulties in defining one dimensional
objects in discrete lattices. We prove that every string-like logical operator
of our code can be deformed to a disjoint union of short segments, and each
segment is in the stabilizer group. The code has surface-like logical operators
whose partial implementation has unsatisfied stabilizers along its boundary.


  The transmission of quantum states through spin chains is an important
element in the implementation of quantum information technologies. Speed and
fidelity of transfer are the main objectives which have to be achieved by the
devices even in the presence of imperfections which are unavoidable in any
manufacturing process. To reach these goals, several kinds of spin chains have
been suggested, which differ in the degree of fine-tuning, or engineering, of
the system parameters. In this work we present a systematic study of two
important classes of such chains. In one class only the spin couplings at the
ends of the chain have to be adjusted to a value different from the bulk
coupling constant, while in the other class every coupling has to have a
specific value. We demonstrate that configurations from the two different
classes may perform similarly when subjected to the same kind of disorder in
spite of the large difference in the engineering effort necessary to prepare
the system. We identify the system features responsible for these similarities
and we perform a detailed study of the transfer fidelity as a function of chain
length and disorder strength, yielding empirical scaling laws for the fidelity
which are similar for all kinds of chain and all disorder models. These results
are helpful in identifying the optimal spin chain for a given quantum
information transfer task. In particular, they help in judging whether it is
worthwhile to engineer all couplings in the chain as compared to adjusting only
the boundary couplings.


  We present measurements of bi-directional motions in the jets of the radio
galaxy 1946+708 at z=0.101. This is a Compact Symmetric Object with striking
S-symmetry. Sensitive 15 GHz observations reveal a compact component at the
center of symmetry with a strongly inverted spectrum, that we identify as the
core. From five 4.9 GHz observations spread over 4 years we have determined the
velocities of four compact jet components. If simple kinematic models can be
applied then the inclination of the source and the bulk jet velocity can be
directly determined for any assumed value of the Hubble constant. Conversely,
the measurements already place constraints on the Hubble constant, and we show
how further observations of 1946+708 can yield an increasingly accurate
determination of H_0.


  While Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have yielded impressive results in
the realm of simulated intelligent behavior, it is important to remember that
they are but sparse approximations of Biological Neural Networks (BNNs). We go
beyond comparison of ANNs and BNNs to introduce principles from BNNs that might
guide the further development of ANNs as embodied neural models. These
principles include representational complexity, complex network
structure/energetics, and robust function. We then consider these principles in
ways that might be implemented in the future development of ANNs. In
conclusion, we consider the utility of this comparison, particularly in terms
of building more robust and dynamic ANNs. This even includes constructing a
morphology and sensory apparatus to create an embodied ANN, which when
complemented with the organizational and functional advantages of BNNs unlocks
the adaptive potential of lifelike networks.


  Using precision electroweak data, we put limits on ``natural'' top-color
assisted technicolor models. Generically the new $U(1)$ gauge bosons in these
models must have masses larger than roughly 2 TeV, although in certain
(seemingly unrealistic) models the bound can be much lower.


  We review current observations of the homogeneous cosmological expansion
which, because they measure only kinematic variables, cannot determine the
dynamics driving the recent accelerated expansion. The minimal fit to the data,
the flat $\Lambda CDM$ model, consisting of cold dark matter and a cosmological
constant, interprets $4\Lambda$ geometrically as a classical spacetime
curvature constant of nature, avoiding any reference to quantum vacuum energy.
(The observed Uehling and Casimir effects measure forces due to QED vacuum
polarization, but not any quantum material vacuum energies.) An Extended
Anthropic Principle, that Dark Energy and Dark Gravity be indistinguishable,
selects out flat $\Lambda CDM$. Prospective cosmic shear and galaxy clustering
observations of the growth of fluctuations are intended to test whether the
'dark energy' driving the recent cosmological acceleration is static or
moderately dynamic. Even if dynamic, observational differences between an
additional negative-pressure material component within general relativity (Dark
Energy) and low-curvature modifications of general relativity (Dark Gravity)
will be extremely small.


  We construct a new realization of type-II seesaw for neutrino masses and
baryon asymmetry by extending the standard model with one light and two heavy
singlet scalars besides one Higgs triplet. The heavy singlets pick up small
vacuum expectation values to give a suppressed trilinear coupling between the
triplet and doublet Higgs bosons after the light singlet drives the spontaneous
breaking of lepton number. The Higgs triplet can thus remain light and be
accessible at the LHC. The lepton number conserving decays of the heavy
singlets can generate a lepton asymmetry stored in the Higgs triplet to account
for the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. We further introduce
stable gauge bosons from a hidden sector, which obtain masses and annihilate
into the Higgs triplet after spontaneous breaking of the associated non-Abelian
gauge symmetry. With Breit-Wigner enhancement, the stable gauge bosons can
simultaneously explain the relic density of dark matter and the cosmic
positron/electron excesses.


  By considering the partition function of the topological 2D gravity, a
conformal field theory on the Airy curve emerges as the mirror theory of
Gromov-Witten theory of a point. In particular, a formula for bosonic n-point
functions in terms of fermionic 2-point function for this theory is derived.


  We investigate structure for pairs of randomizations that do not follow each
other in a chain. These are unrandomized-inclusive, independent, coincident or
double randomizations. This involves taking several structures that satisfy
particular relations and combining them to form the appropriate orthogonal
decomposition of the data space for the experiment. We show how to establish
the decomposition table giving the sources of variation, their relationships
and their degrees of freedom, so that competing designs can be evaluated. This
leads to recommendations for when the different types of multiple randomization
should be used.


  We analyze the localization properties of two-body correlations induced by
pairing in the framework of relativistic mean field (RMF) models. The spatial
properties of two-body correlations are studied for the pairing tensor in
coordinate space and for the Cooper pair wave function. The calculations are
performed both with Relativistic-Hatree-Bogoliubov (RHB) and RMF+Projected-BCS
(PBCS) models and taking as examples the nuclei $^{66}$Ni, $^{124}$Sn and
$^{200}$Pb. It is shown that the coherence length have the same pattern as in
previous non-relativistic HFB calculations, i.e., it is maximum in the interior
of the nucleus and drops to a minimum in the surface region. In the framework
of RMF+PBCS we have also analysed, for the particular case of $^{120}$Sn, the
dependence of the coherence length on the intensity of the pairing force. This
analysis indicates that pairing is reducing the coherence length by about 25-30
$\%$ compared to the RMF limit.


  In order to study the phenomenon of regional economic development and urban
expansion from the perspective of night-light remote sensing images,
researchers use NOAA-provided night-light remote sensing image data (data from
1992 to 2013) along with ArcGIS software to process image information, obtain
the basic pixel information data of specific areas of the image, and analyze
these data from the space-time domain for presentation of the trend of regional
economic development in China in recent years, and tries to explore the
urbanization effect brought by the rapid development of China's economy.
Through the analysis and study of the data, the results show that the
urbanization development speed in China is still at its peak, and has great
development potential and space. But at the same time, people also need to pay
attention to the imbalance of regional development.


  Let $\mathfrak g$ be a finite-dimensional simple Lie algebra of type $D$ or
$E$ and $\lambda$ be a dominant integral weight whose support bounds the
subdiagram of type $D_4$. We study certain quantum affinizations of the simple
$\mathfrak g$-module of highest weight $\lambda$ which we term preminimal
affinizations of order two (this is the maximal order for such $\lambda$). This
class can be split in two: the coherent and the incoherent affinizations. If
$\lambda$ is regular, Chari and Pressley proved that the associated minimal
affinizations belong to one of the three equivalent classes of coherent
preminimal affinizations. In this paper we show that, if $\lambda$ is
irregular, the coherent preminimal affinizations are not minimal under certain
hypotheses. Since these hypotheses are always satisfied if $\mathfrak g$ is of
type $D_4$, this completes the classification of minimal affinizations for type
$D_4$ by giving a negative answer to a conjecture of Chari-Pressley stating
that the coherent and the incoherent affinizations were equivalent in type
$D_4$ (this corrects the opposite claim made by the first author in a previous
publication).


  Recent progress in empirical and certified robustness promises to deliver
reliable and deployable Deep Neural Networks (DNNs). Despite that success, most
existing evaluations of DNN robustness have been done on images sampled from
the same distribution on which the model was trained. However, in the real
world, DNNs may be deployed in dynamic environments that exhibit significant
distribution shifts. In this work, we take a first step towards thoroughly
investigating the interplay between empirical and certified adversarial
robustness on one hand and domain generalization on another. To do so, we train
robust models on multiple domains and evaluate their accuracy and robustness on
an unseen domain. We observe that: (1) both empirical and certified robustness
generalize to unseen domains, and (2) the level of generalizability does not
correlate well with input visual similarity, measured by the FID between source
and target domains. We also extend our study to cover a real-world medical
application, in which adversarial augmentation significantly boosts the
generalization of robustness with minimal effect on clean data accuracy.


  The center bundle of a conservative partially hyperbolic diffeomorphism $f$
is called robustly non-hyperbolic if any conservative diffeomorphism which is
$C^1$-close to $f$ has non-hyperbolic center bundle. In this paper, we prove
that stable ergodicity is $C^1$-dense among conservative partially hyperbolic
systems with robust non-hyperbolic center.


  Using a large scale molecular dynamics computer simulation we investigate the
dynamics of a supercooled melt of SiO_2. We find that with increasing
temperature the temperature dependence of the diffusion constants crosses over
from an Arrhenius-law, with activation energies close to the experimental
values, to a power-law dependence. We show that this crossover is related to
the fact that at low temperatures the dynamics of the ions is dominated by
hopping processes, whereas at high temperatures it shows the continuous
flow-like motion proposed by the ideal version of mode-coupling theory (MCT).
Finally we show that at low temperatures the dynamics of the system in the
beta-relaxation regime obeys the factorization property, in agreement with MCT.


  We review an approach, developed over the past few years, to describe
hadronic matter at finite density and temperature, whose underlying theoretical
framework is the Skyrme model, an effective low energy theory rooted in large
$N_c$ QCD. In this approach matter is described by various crystal structures
of skyrmions, classical topological solitons carrying baryon number, from which
conventional baryons appear by quantization. Chiral and scale symmetries play a
crucial role in the dynamics as described by pion, dilaton and vector meson
degrees of freedom. When compressed or heated skyrmion matter describes a rich
phase diagram which has strong connections with the confinement/deconfinement
phase transition.


  We show that the Abraham-Rubin-Shelah Open Coloring Axiom is consistent with
a large continuum, in particular, consistent with $2^{\aleph_0}=\aleph_3$. This
answers one of the main open questions from the 1985 paper of
Abraham-Rubin-Shelah. As in their paper, we need to construct names for
so-called preassignments of colors in order to add the necessary homogeneous
sets. However, these names are constructed over models satisfying the CH. In
order to address this difficulty, we show how to construct such names with very
strong symmetry conditions. This symmetry allows us to combine them in many
different ways, using a new type of poset called a Partition Product, and
thereby obtain a model of this axiom in which $2^{\aleph_0}=\aleph_3$.


  The first optical spectrum of an isolated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
large enough to survive the photophysical conditions of the interstellar medium
is reported. Vibronic bands of the first electronic transition of the all
benzenoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene were
observed in the 4080-4530 Angstrom range by resonant 2-color 2-photon
ionization spectroscopy. The strongest feature at 4264 Angstrom is estimated to
have an oscillator strength of f=1.4x10^-3, placing an upper limit on the
interstellar abundance of this polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon at 4x10^12
cm^-2, accounting for a maximum of ~0.02% of interstellar carbon. This study
opens up the possibility to rigorously test neutral polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons as carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands in the near future.


  We use a sample of galaxy groups selected from the SDSS DR 4 with an adaptive
halo-based group finder to probe how the clustering strength of groups depends
on their masses and colors. In particular, we determine the relative biases of
groups of different masses, as well as that of groups with the same mass but
with different colors. In agreement with previous studies, we find that more
massive groups are more strongly clustered, and the inferred mass dependence of
the halo bias is in good agreement with predictions for the $\Lambda$CDM
cosmology. Regarding the color dependence, we find that groups with red
centrals are more strongly clustered than groups of the same mass but with blue
centrals. Similar results are obtained when the color of a group is defined to
be the total color of its member galaxies. The color dependence is more
prominent in less massive groups and becomes insignificant in groups with
masses $\gta 10^{14}\msunh$. We construct a mock galaxy redshift survey
constructed from the large Millenium simulation that is populated with galaxies
according to the semi-analytical model of Croton et al. Applying our group
finder to this mock survey, and analyzing the mock data in exactly the same way
as the true data, we are able to accurately recover the intrinsic mass and
color dependencies of the halo bias in the model. This suggests that our group
finding algorithm and our method of assigning group masses do not induce
spurious mass and/or color dependencies in the group-galaxy correlation
function. The semi-analytical model reveals the same color dependence of the
halo bias as we find in our group catalogue. In halos with $M\sim
10^{12}\msunh$, though, the strength of the color dependence is much stronger
in the model than in the data.


  (Abridged) We present a search for the progenitor star of the Type Ic
Supernova 2002ap in deep, high quality pre-explosion observations taken with
the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Aligning high-resolution Hubble
Space Telescope (HST) observations of the supernova itself with the archival
CFHT images allowed us to pinpoint the location of the progenitor site on the
ground based observations. We find that a source visible in the B and R band
pre-explosion images close to the position of the SN is (1) not coincident with
the SN position within the uncertainties of our relative astrometry, and (2) is
still visible ~ 4.7 yrs post-explosion in late-time observations taken with the
William Herschel Telescope. We therefore conclude that it is not the progenitor
of SN 2002ap. Comparing our luminosity limits with stellar models of single
stars at appropriate metallicity (Z=0.008) we conclude that any single star
progenitor must have experienced at least twice the standard mass loss rates
during pre-Wolf-Rayet evolution, been initially > 30-40M(Sun) and exploded as a
Wolf-Rayet star of final mass 10-12M(Sun). Alternatively an initially less
massive progenitor may have evolved in an interacting binary system. We
constrain any possible binary companion to a main sequence star of < 20M(Sun),
a neutron star or a black hole. By combining the pre-explosion limits with the
ejecta mass estimates and constraints from X-ray and radio observations we
conclude that any binary interaction most likely occurred as Case B mass
transfer, either with or without a subsequent common envelope evolution phase.


  We formulate the equivalence between the longitudinal weak-boson and the
Goldstone boson as a criterion for sensitively probing the electroweak symmetry
breaking mechanism and develop a precise power counting rule for chiral
Lagrangian formulated electroweak theories. With these we semi-quatitatively
analyze the sensitivities to various effective operators related to
electrowaeak symmetry breaking via weak-boson scatterings at the CERN Large
Hadron Collider (LHC).


  We demonstrate that ultracold interacting bosonic atoms in an optical lattice
show sub-Poissonian on-site and inter-site atom number fluctuations. The
experimental observations agree with numerical predictions of the truncated
Wigner approximation. The correlations persist in the presence of multi-mode
atom dynamics and even over large spatially extended samples involving several
sites and large populations.


  We relate the frequency of the plasma resonance in layered superconductors
with the frequency dependent superconducting response along the c-direction. We
demonstrate that the sharp resonance can persist even when the global
superconducting coherence in this direction is absent provided the resonance
frequency is larger than the typical frequency of interlayer phase slips. In
this situation the plasma frequency is determined by the average Josephson
energy, which can be calculated using the high temperature expansion. We also
find the temperature dependence of the average Josephson energy from the Monte
Carlo simulations of the uniformly frustrated XY model and determine the
applicability region of the high temperature expansion. The field and
temperature scaling of the plasma frequency suggested by the high temperature
expansion is consistent with experiment.


  We consider the mass critical fractional (NLS). We show the existence of
travelling waves for all mass below the ground state mass, and give a complete
description of the associated profiles in the small mass limit. We therefore
recover a situation similar to the one discovered in [Gerard P.; Lenzmann E.;
Pocovnicu O.; Rapha\"el, P., A two soliton with transient turbulent regime for
the one dimensional cubic half wave, submitted] for the critical case s = 1,
but with a completely different asymptotic profile when the mass vanishes.


  This paper proposes a hierarchical modeling approach to perform stochastic
model specification in Markov switching vector error correction models. We
assume that a common distribution gives rise to the regime-specific regression
coefficients. The mean as well as the variances of this distribution are
treated as fully stochastic and suitable shrinkage priors are used. These
shrinkage priors enable to assess which coefficients differ across regimes in a
flexible manner. In the case of similar coefficients, our model pushes the
respective regions of the parameter space towards the common distribution. This
allows for selecting a parsimonious model while still maintaining sufficient
flexibility to control for sudden shifts in the parameters, if necessary. We
apply our modeling approach to real-time Euro area data and assume transition
probabilities between expansionary and recessionary regimes to be driven by the
cointegration errors. The results suggest that the regime allocation is
governed by a subset of short-run adjustment coefficients and regime-specific
variance-covariance matrices. These findings are complemented by an
out-of-sample forecast exercise, illustrating the advantages of the model for
predicting Euro area inflation in real time.


  Composite fermions (CFs) of the fractional quantum Hall effect are described
as spherical products of electron and vortex spinors, built from underlying
L=1/2 ladder operators aligned so that the spinor angular momenta Le and Lv are
maximal. We identify the CF's quantum numbers as the angular momentum L in (L_e
L_v)L, its magnetic projection m_L, the electron number N, with L_v={N-1)/2,
and magnetic \nu-spin, m_\nu=L_e-L_v. Translationally invariant FQHE states are
formed by filling p subshells with their respective CFs, in order of ascending
L for fixed L_e and L_v, beginning with the lowest allowed value, L=|m_\nu|. We
show that this wave function has an exactly equivalent hierarchical form.
  FQHE states can be grouped into \nu-spin multiplets mirror symmetric around
m_\nu=0, with N held constant. Electron particle-hole conjugation with respect
to this vacuum is identified as the mirror symmetry relating FQHE states of the
same N but distinct fillings \nu = p/(2p+1} and p/( 2p-1).
  Alternatively, mirror symmetric \nu-spin multiplets can be constructed in
which the magnetic field strength is held fixed: the valence states are
electron particle-vortex hole excitations. Particle-hole symmetry -- relating
the N-particle FQHE state of filling \nu=p/(2p+1} to the $\bar{N}$-particle
state of filling {p+1)/(2p+1} -- is shown to be equivalent to electron-vortex
exchange.
  In this construction $\bar{N}$-N CFs of the higher density state occupy an
extra zero-mode subshell. We link this structure, familiar from supersymmetric
quantum mechanics, to the CF Pauli Hamiltonian, which we show is isospectral,
quadratic in the \nu-spin raising and lowering operators, and four-fold
degenerate. On linearization, it takes a Dirac form similar to that found in
the integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE).


  Trace formulas for the contributions of degenerate periodic-orbit families to
the semiclassical level density in truncated spherical hard-wall potentials are
derived. In addition to the portion of the continuous periodic-orbit family
contribution which persists after truncation, end-point corrections to the
truncated family should be taken into account. I propose a formula to evaluate
these end-point corrections as separate contributions of what I call marginal
orbits. Applications to the two-dimensional billiard and three-dimensional
cavity systems with the three-quadratic-surfaces shape parametrization,
initiated to describe the nuclear fission processes, reveal unexpectedly large
effects of the marginal orbits.


  Kikyo and Shelah showed that if $T$ is a theory with the Strict Order
Property in some first-order language $\mathcal{L}$, then in the expanded
language $\mathcal{L}_\sigma := \mathcal{L}\cup\{\sigma\}$ with a new unary
function symbol $\sigma$, the bigger theory $T_\sigma := T\cup\{``\sigma
\mbox{is an} \mathcal{L}\mbox{-automorphism''}\}$ does not have a model
companion. We show in this paper that if, however, we restrict the automorphism
and consider the theory $T_\sigma$ as the base theory $T$ together with a
``restricted'' class of automorphisms, then $T_\sigma$ can have a model
companion in $\mathcal{L}_\sigma$. We show this in the context of linear orders
and ordered abelian groups.


  We construct all possible noncommutative deformations of a Kleinian
singularity ${\mathbb C}^2/\Gamma$ of type $D_n$ in terms of generators and
relations, and solve the problem of when two deformations are isomorphic. We
prove that all isomorphisms arise naturally from the action of the normalizer
$N_{\SL(2)}(\Gamma)$ on ${\mathbb C}/\Gamma$. We deduce that the moduli space
of isomorphism classes of noncommutative deformations in type $D_n$ is
isomorphic to a vector space of dimension $n$.


  This note demonstrates that the cold segments of the LCLS2 linac will
cryopump hydrogen for long periods of time, mitigating concerns for
beam-residual gas interactions.


  In this paper, a cooperative spectrum sensing scheme based on compressive
sensing is proposed. In this scheme, secondary users (SUs) are organized in
clusters. In each cluster, SUs forward their compressed signals to the cluster
head. Then, the cluster heads report the local sensing data to the fusion
center to make the final decision. Analog to information converter is adopted
to acquire the received SUs signals. The proposed scheme is evaluated using
several metrics, including probability of detection, compression ratio,
probability of error, and processing time. The simulation results are compared
with those of other cooperative sensing schemes. With our proposed scheme,
cooperative spectrum sensing achieves a high probability of detection of 97%, a
processing time of 2ms, a low compression ratio of 10%, and low error rate of
35 %. These results show that our proposed method outperforms the spectrum
sensing without compressive sensing.


  We are interested in easy geometric transformations which regularize
n-polygons in the non-euclidean plane. A transformation is called easy if it
can be easily implemented into an algorithm. This article is motivated by
preceding work on geometric transformations on euclidean polygons and possible
applications for non-euclidean meshes.


  We consider the self-similar phase space with reduced fractal dimension $d$
being distributed within domain $0<d<1$ with spectrum $f(d)$. Related
thermostatistics is shown to be governed by the Tsallis' formalism of the
non-extensive statistics, where role of the non-additivity parameter plays
inverted value ${\bar\tau}(q)\equiv 1/\tau(q)>1$ of the multifractal function
$\tau(q)= qd(q)-f(d(q))$, being the specific heat, $q\in(1,\infty)$ is
multifractal parameter. In this way, the equipartition law is shown to take
place. Optimization of the multifractal spectrum $f(d)$ derives the relation
between the statistical weight and the system complexity.


  We consider the known effective field theory of the Calogero-Sutherland model
in the thermodynamic limit of large number of particles, obtained from the
standard procedure in conformal field theory: the Hilbert space is constructed
a priori in terms of irreducible representations of the symmetry algebra, and
not by diagonalization of the hamiltonian, which is given in terms of fields
that carry representations of the W-infinity algebra (representing the
incompressibility of the Fermi sea). Nevertheless, the role of the effective
hamiltonian of the theory is to establish a specific dynamics, which deserves
further consideration. We show that the time evolution of the (chiral or
antichiral) density field is given by the quantum Benjamin-Ono equation, in
agreement with previous results obtained from the alternative description of
the continuous limit of the model, based on quantum hydrodynamics. In this
study, all calculations are performed at the quantum operator level, without
making any assumption on the semiclassical limit of the fields and their
equations of motion. This result may be considered as a reliable indication of
the equivalence between the quantum field theoretic and quantum hydrodynamical
formulations of the effective theories of the model. A one-dimensional quantum
compressible fluid that includes both chiralities is the physical picture that
emerges for the continuous limit of the Calogero-Sutherland model.


  The purpose of this work is to image solar far-side active regions using
acoustic signals with three skips and improve the quality of existing images.
The mapping of far-side active regions was first made possible using the
helioseismic holography technique by use of four-skip acoustic signals. The
quality of far-side images was later improved with the combination of four- and
five-skip signals using the time-distance helioseismology technique. In this
work, we explore the possibility of making three-skip far-side images of active
regions, and improving the image quality by combining the three-skip images
with the images obtained from existing techniques. A new method of combining
images is proposed that increases the signal-to-noise ratio and reduces the
appearance of spurious features.


  Cyanopolyyne anions were among the first anions discovered in the
interstellar medium. The discovery have raised questions about routes of
formation of these anions in space. Some of the proposed mechanisms assumed
that anionic excited electronic states, either metastable or weakly bound, play
a key role in the formation process. Verification of this hypothesis requires
detailed knowledge of the electronic states of the anions. Here we investigate
bound and continuum states of four cyanopolyyne anions, CN$^-$, C$_3$N$^-$,
C$_5$N$^-$, and C$_7$N$^-$, by means of ab initio calculations. We employ the
equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method augmented with complex absorbing
potential. We predict that already in CN$^-$, the smallest anion in the family,
there are several low-lying metastable states of both singlet and triplet spin
symmetry. These states, identified as shape resonances, are located between
6.3-8.5 eV above the ground state of the anion (or 2.3-4.5 eV above the ground
state of the parent radical) and have widths of a few tenths of eV up to 1 eV.
We analyze the identified resonances in terms of leading molecular orbital
contributions and Dyson orbitals. As the carbon chain length increases in the
C$_{2n+1}$N$^-$ series, these resonances gradually become stabilized and
eventually turn into stable valence bound states. The trends in energies of the
transitions leading to both resonance and bound excited states can be
rationalized by means of the H\"{u}ckel model. Apart from valence excited
states, some of the cyanopolyynes can also support dipole bound states and
dipole stabilized resonances, owing to a large dipole moment of the parent
radicals in the lowest $^2\Sigma^+$ state. We discuss the consequences of
open-shell character of the neutral radicals on the dipole-stabilized states of
the respective anions.


  We study the question of when the space of embeddings of a separable Banach
space $E$ into the separable Gurarij space $\mathbf G$ admits a generic orbit
under the action of the linear isometry group of $\mathbf G$. The question is
recast in model-theoretic terms, namely type isolation and the existence of
prime models. We characterise isolated types over $E$ using tools from convex
analysis. We show that if the set of isolated types over $E$ is dense, then a
dense $G\_\delta$ orbit exists, and otherwise all orbits are meagre. We then
study some (families of) examples with respect to this dichotomy. We also point
out that the class of Gurarij spaces is the class of models of an
$\aleph\_0$-categorical theory with quantifier elimination, and calculate the
density character of the space of types over $E$, answering a question of
Avil{\'e}s et al.


  For the first time we introduce the Husimi operator
Delta_h(gamma,varepsilon;kappa) for studying Husimi distribution in phase
space(gamma,varepsilon) for electron's states in uniform magnetic field, where
kappa is the Gaussian spatial width parameter. Using the Wigner operator in the
entangled state |lambda> representation [Hong-Yi Fan, Phys. Lett. A 301
(2002)153; A 126 (1987) 145) we find that Delta_h(gamma,varepsilon;kappa) is
just a pure squeezed coherent state density operator |gamma,varepsilon>_kappa
kappa<gamma,varepsilon|, which brings convenience for studying and calculating
the Husimi distribution. We in many ways demonstrate that the Husimi
distributions are Gaussian-broadened version of the Wigner distributions.
Throughout our calculation we have fully employed the technique of integration
within an ordered product of operators.


  This work investigates the migration of spherical particles of different
sizes in a centrifuge-driven deterministic lateral displacement (c-DLD) device.
Specifically, we use a scaled-up model to study the motion of suspended
particles through a square array of cylindrical posts under the action of
centrifugation. Experiments show that separation of particles by size is
possible depending on the orientation of the driving acceleration with respect
to the array of posts (forcing angle). We focus on the fractionation of binary
suspensions and measure the separation resolution at the outlet of the device
for different forcing angles. We found excellent resolution at intermediate
forcing angles, when large particles are locked to move at small migration
angles but smaller particles follow the forcing angle more closely. Finally, we
show that reducing the initial concentration (number) of particles, approaching
the dilute limit of single particles, leads to increased resolution in the
separation.


  We numerically investigate non-Gaussianities in the late-time cosmological
density field in Fourier space. We explore various statistics, including the
two-point and three-point probability distribution function (PDF) of phase and
modulus, and two \& three-point correlation function of of phase and modulus.
We detect significant non-Gaussianity for certain configurations. We compare
the simulation results with the theoretical expansion series of
\citet{2007ApJS..170....1M}. We find that the $\mathcal{O}(V^{-1/2})$ order
term alone is sufficiently accurate to describe all the measured
non-Gaussianities in not only the PDFs, but also the correlations. We also
numerically find that the phase-modulus cross-correlation contributes $\sim
50\%$ to the bispectrum, further verifying the accuracy of the
$\mathcal{O}(V^{-1/2})$ order prediction. This work demonstrates that
non-Gaussianity of the cosmic density field is simpler in Fourier space, and
may facilitate the data analysis in the era of precision cosmology.


  We investigate the relation between Bell inequalities and nonlocal games by
presenting a systematic method for their bilateral conversion. In particular,
we show that while to any nonlocal game there naturally corresponds a unique
Bell inequality, the converse is not true. As an illustration of the method we
present a number of nonlocal games that admit better odds when played using
quantum resources


  In this paper, a novel and innovative methodology for feasible motion
planning in the multi-agent system is developed. On the basis of velocity
obstacles characteristics, the chance constraints are formulated in the
receding horizon control (RHC) problem, and geometric information of collision
cones is used to generate the feasible regions of velocities for the host
agent. By this approach, the motion planning is conducted at the velocity level
instead of the position level. Thus, it guarantees a safer collision-free
trajectory for the multi-agent system, especially for the systems with
high-speed moving agents. Moreover, a probability threshold of potential
collisions can be satisfied during the motion planning process. In order to
validate the effectiveness of the methodology, different scenarios for multiple
agents are investigated, and the simulation results clearly show that the
proposed approach can effectively avoid potential collisions with a collision
probability less than a specific threshold.


  In this paper, new implicit methods with reduced memory are developed for
solving the time-dependent Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). One-group
transport problems in 1D slab geometry are considered. The reduced-memory
methods are formulated for the BTE discretized with the linear-discontinuous
scheme in space and backward-Euler time integration method. Numerical results
are presented to demonstrate performance of the proposed numerical methods.


  It is proved that Special Relativity imposes constraints on the structure of
fundamental forces. The orthogonality of the 4-force exerted on an elementary
particle and its 4-velocity is discussed. The significance of the
energy-momentum tensor associated with the field is analyzed. Relying on these
issues, it is proved that the Lorentz force is consistent with all constraints
whereas a force derived from a scalar potential does not satisfy all
requirements. This analysis explains a general discussion of Goldstein, Poole
and Safko.


  On the basis of a recently introduced generalization of the negative binomial
distribution the influence of higher-order perturbative QCD effects on
multiplicity fluctuations are studied for deep inelastic e^+p scattering at
HERA energies. It is found that the multiplicity distributions measured by the
H1 Collaboration indicate violation of infinite divisibility in agreement with
pQCD calculations. Attention is called to future experimental analysis of
combinants whose nontrivial sign-changing oscillations are predicted using the
generalized negative binomial law.


  Developing a general information processing model in uncertain environments
is fundamental for the advancement of explainable artificial intelligence.
Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence is a well-known and effective reasoning
method for representing epistemic uncertainty, which is closely related to
subjective probability theory and possibility theory. Although they can be
transformed to each other under some particular belief structures, there
remains a lack of a clear and interpretable transformation process, as well as
a unified approach for information processing. In this paper, we aim to address
these issues from the perspectives of isopignistic belief functions and the
hyper-cautious transferable belief model. Firstly, we propose an isopignistic
transformation based on the belief evolution network. This transformation
allows for the adjustment of the information granule while retaining the
potential decision outcome. The isopignistic transformation is integrated with
a hyper-cautious transferable belief model to establish a new canonical
decomposition. This decomposition offers a reverse path between the possibility
distribution and its isopignistic mass functions. The result of the canonical
decomposition, called isopignistic function, is an identical information
content distribution to reflect the propensity and relative commitment degree
of the BPA. Furthermore, this paper introduces a method to reconstruct the
basic belief assignment by adjusting the isopignistic function. It explores the
advantages of this approach in modeling and handling uncertainty within the
hyper-cautious transferable belief model. More general, this paper establishes
a theoretical basis for building general models of artificial intelligence
based on probability theory, Dempster-Shafer theory, and possibility theory.


  We analyse an extremal question on the degrees of the link graphs of a finite
regular graph, that is, the subgraphs induced by non-trivial spheres. We show
that if $G$ is $d$-regular and connected but not complete then some link graph
of $G$ has minimum degree at most $\lfloor 2d/3\rfloor-1$, and if $G$ is
sufficiently large in terms of $d$ then some link graph has minimum degree at
most $\lfloor d/2\rfloor-1$; both bounds are best possible. We also give the
corresponding best-possible result for the corresponding problem where
subgraphs induced by balls, rather than spheres, are considered.
  We motivate these questions by posing a conjecture concerning expansion of
link graphs in large bounded-degree graphs, together with a heuristic
justification thereof.


  In our previous papers we used the Hilbert scheme of points on $C^2$ in order
to construct a triply graded link homology and its $gl(m)$ version. Here we
extend the $gl(m)$ construction to super-algebras $gl(m|k)$.


  Visible Light Positioning (VLP) has emerged as a promising technology capable
of delivering indoor localization with high accuracy. In VLP systems that use
Photodiodes (PDs) as light receivers, the Received Signal Strength (RSS) is
affected by the incidence angle of light, making the inclination of PDs a
critical parameter in the positioning model. Currently, most studies assume the
inclination to be constant, limiting the applications and positioning accuracy.
Additionally, light blockages may severely interfere with the RSS measurements
but the literature has not explored blockage detection in real-world
experiments. To address these problems, we propose a tightly coupled VLP/INS
(Inertial Navigation System) integrated navigation system that uses graph
optimization to account for varying PD inclinations and VLP blockages. We also
discussed the possibility of simultaneously estimating the robot's pose and the
locations of some unknown LEDs. Simulations and two groups of real-world
experiments demonstrate the efficiency of our approach, achieving an average
positioning accuracy of 10 cm during movement and inclination accuracy within 1
degree despite inclination changes and blockages.


  A method for obtaining a smooth, single crystal diamond surface is presented,
whereby a sacrificial defective layer is created by implantation and
graphitized by annealing before being selectively etched. We have used O+ at
240 keV, the main process variables being the ion fluence (ranging from 3x10^15
cm^-2 to 3x10^17 cm^-2) and the final etching process (wet etch, H2 plasma and
annealing in air). The substrates were characterized by atomic force
microscopy, optical profilometry and white beam X-ray topography. The influence
of the various process parameters on the resulting lift-off efficiency and
final surface roughness is discussed. An O+ fluence of 2x10^17 cm^-2 was found
to result in sub-nanometre roughness over tens of um^2.


  In this paper we first prove a characterization formula for biharmonic maps
in Euclidean spheres and, as an application, we construct a family of
biharmonic maps from a flat $2$-dimensional torus $\mathbb{T}$ into the
$3$-dimensional unit Euclidean sphere $\mathbb{S}^3$. Then, for the special
case of maps between spheres whose components are given by homogeneous
polynomials of the same degree, we find a more specific form for their
bitension field. Further, we apply this formula to the case when the degree is
$2$, and we obtain the classification of all proper biharmonic quadratic forms
from $\mathbb{S}^1$ to $\mathbb{S}^n$, $n \geq 2$, from $\mathbb{S}^m$ to
$\mathbb{S}^2$, $m \geq 2$, and from $\mathbb{S}^m$ to $\mathbb{S}^3$, $m \geq
2$.


  Since its emergence from the communication engineering community around one
and a half decades ago, the field of Synthetic Molecular Communication (SMC)
has experienced continued growth, both in the number of technical contributions
from a vibrant community and in terms of research funding. Throughout this
process, the vision of SMC as a novel, revolutionary communication paradigm has
constantly evolved, driven by feedback from theoretical and experimental
studies, respectively. It is believed that especially the latter ones will be
crucial for the transition of SMC towards a higher technology readiness level
in the near future. In this spirit, we present here a comprehensive survey of
experimental research in SMC. In particular, this survey focuses on
highlighting the major drivers behind different lines of experimental research
in terms of the respective envisioned applications. This approach allows us to
categorize existing works and identify current research gaps that still hinder
the development of practical SMC-based applications. Our survey consists of two
parts; this paper and a companion paper. While the companion paper focuses on
SMC with relatively long communication ranges, this paper covers SMC over short
distances of typically not more than a few millimeters.


  General relativistic corrections to the galaxy power spectrum appearing at
the horizon scale, if neglected, may induce biases on the measured values of
the cosmological parameters. In this paper, we study the impact of general
relativistic effects on non standard cosmologies such as scenarios with a time
dependent dark energy equation of state, with a coupling between the dark
energy and the dark matter fluids or with non-Gaussianities. We then explore
whether general relativistic corrections affect future constraints on
cosmological parameters in the case of a constant dark energy equation of state
and of non-Gaussianities. We find that relativistic corrections on the power
spectrum are not expected to affect the foreseen errors on the cosmological
parameters nor to induce large biases on them.


  A search for invisible decays of the Higgs boson as well as searches for dark
matter candidates, produced together with a leptonically decaying $Z$ boson,
are presented. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collisions at a
centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, delivered by the LHC, corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ and recorded by the ATLAS experiment.
Assuming Standard Model cross-sections for $ZH$ production, the observed
(expected) upper limit on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson to invisible
particles is found to be 19% (19%) at the 95% confidence level. Exclusion
limits are also set for simplified dark matter models and two-Higgs-doublet
models with an additional pseudoscalar mediator.


  The construction of biologically plausible models of neural circuits is
crucial for understanding the computational properties of the nervous system.
Constructing functional networks composed of separate excitatory and inhibitory
neurons obeying Dale's law presents a number of challenges. We show how a
target-based approach, when combined with a fast online constrained
optimization technique, is capable of building functional models of rate and
spiking recurrent neural networks in which excitation and inhibition are
balanced. Balanced networks can be trained to produce complicated temporal
patterns and to solve input-output tasks while retaining biologically desirable
features such as Dale's law and response variability.


  A compact and robust laser system for atom interferometry based on a
frequency-doubled telecom laser is presented. Thanks to an original
stabilization architecture on a saturated absorption setup, we obtain a
frequency-agile laser system allowing fast tuning of the laser frequency over 1
GHz in few ms using a single laser source. The different laser frequencies used
for atom interferometry are generated by changing dynamically the frequency of
the laser and by creating sidebands using a phase modulator. A laser system for
Rubidium 87 atom interferometry using only one laser source based on a
frequency doubled telecom fiber bench is then built. We take advantage of the
maturity of fiber telecom technology to reduce the number of free-space optical
components (which are intrinsically less stable) and to make the setup compact
and much less sensitive to vibrations and thermal fluctuations. This source
provides spectral linewidth below 2.5 kHz, which is required for precision atom
interferometry, and particularly for a high performance atomic inertial sensor.


  We show that the Fr\'echet distance of two-dimensional parametrised surfaces
in a metric space is computable in the bit-model of real computation. An
analogous result in the real RAM model for piecewise-linear surfaces has
recently been obtained by Nayyeri and Xu (2016).


  We apply local orbital basis density functional theory (using SIESTA) coupled
with a mapping to the Anderson impurity model to estimate the Coulomb assisted
or correlated hybridization between transition metal d-orbitals and ligand
sp-orbitals for a number of molecular complexes. We find remarkably high values
which can have several physical implications including: (i) renormalization of
effective single band or multiband Hubbard model parameters for the cuprates
and, potentially, elemental iron, and (ii) spin polarizing molecular
transistors.


  We investigate the relationship between 8.44\,GHz brightness temperatures and
1.4 to 8.44\,GHz radio spectral indices with 6.2\,$\mu$m polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAH) emission and 9.7\,$\mu$m silicate absorption features for a
sample of 36 local luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. We find that
galaxies having small 6.2\,$\mu$m PAH equivalent widths (EQWs), which signal
the presence of weak PAH emission and/or an excess of very hot dust, also have
flat spectral indices. The three active galactic nuclei (AGN) identified
through their excessively large 8.44\,GHz brightness temperatures are also
identified as AGN via their small 6.2\,$\mu$m PAH EQWs. We also find that the
flattening of the radio spectrum increases with increasing silicate optical
depth, 8.44\,GHz brightness temperature, and decreasing size of the radio
source even after removing potential AGN, supporting the idea that compact
starbursts show spectral flattening as the result of increased free-free
absorption. These correlations additionally suggest that the dust obscuration
in these galaxies must largely be coming from the vicinity of the compact
starburst itself, and is not distributed throughout the (foreground) disk of
the galaxy. Finally, we investigate the location of these infrared-bright
systems relative to the main sequence (star formation rate vs. stellar mass) of
star-forming galaxies in the local universe. We find that the radio spectral
indices of galaxies flattens with increasing distance above the main sequence,
or in other words, with increasing specific star formation rate. This indicates
that galaxies located above the main sequence, having high specific star
formation rates, are typically compact starbursts hosting deeply embedded star
formation that becomes more optically thick in the radio and infrared with
increased distance above the main sequence.


  We report the first experimental observation of dissipation-driven coherent
quantum many-body oscillation, and this oscillation is manifested as the
coherent exchange of atoms between the thermal and the condensate components in
a three-dimensional partially condensed Bose gas. Firstly, we observe that the
dissipation leads to two different atom loss rates between the thermal and the
condensate components, such that the thermal fraction increases as dissipation
time increases. Therefore, this dissipation process serves as a tool to
uniformly ramp up the system's temperature without introducing extra density
excitation. Subsequently, a coherent pair exchange of atoms between the thermal
and the condensate components occurs, resulting in coherent oscillation of atom
numbers in both components. This oscillation, permanently embedded in the atom
loss process, is revealed clearly when we inset a duration of dissipation-free
evolution into the entire dynamics, manifested as an oscillation of total atom
number at the end. Finally, we also present a theoretical calculation to
support this physical mechanism, which simultaneously includes dissipation,
interaction, finite temperature, and harmonic trap effects. Our work introduces
a highly controllable dissipation as a new tool to control quantum many-body
dynamics.


  The goal of this paper is to introduce pooling strategies for simplicial
convolutional neural networks. Inspired by graph pooling methods, we introduce
a general formulation for a simplicial pooling layer that performs: i) local
aggregation of simplicial signals; ii) principled selection of sampling sets;
iii) downsampling and simplicial topology adaptation. The general layer is then
customized to design four different pooling strategies (i.e., max, top-k,
self-attention, and separated top-k) grounded in the theory of topological
signal processing. Also, we leverage the proposed layers in a hierarchical
architecture that reduce complexity while representing data at different
resolutions. Numerical results on real data benchmarks (i.e., flow and graph
classification) illustrate the advantage of the proposed methods with respect
to the state of the art.


  We perform an analysis of the topological and chiral vacuum structure of
four-dimensional QCD on the lattice at finite temperature. From correlation
functions we show the existence of local correlations between the topological
charge density and the quark condensate on gauge average. We comment on sizes
of clusters of nontrivial chiral condensate and of instantons in full QCD. By
analysis of individual gauge configurations, we demonstrate that at the places
in Euclidian space-time, where instantons are present, amplified production of
quark condensate occurs.


  Context: The Sun's polar fields and open flux around the time of activity
minima have been considered to be strongly correlated with the strength of the
subsequent maximum of solar activity. Aims: We aim to investigate the behavior
of a Babcock-Leighton dynamo with a source poloidal term that is based on the
observed sunspot areas and tilts. In particular, we investigate whether the
toroidal fields at the base of convection zone from the model are correlated
with the observed solar cycle activity maxima. Methods: We used a flux
transport dynamo model that includes convective pumping and a poloidal source
term based on the historical record of sunspot group areas, locations, and tilt
angles to simulate solar cycles 15 to 21. Results: We find that the polar
fields near minima and the toroidal flux at the base of the convection zone are
both highly correlated with the subsequent maxima of solar activity levels (r =
0.85 and r = 0.93, respectively). Conclusions: The Babcock-Leighton dynamo is
consistent with the observationally inferred correlations.


  Answering a question of Lindholm, we prove strict density inequalities for
sampling and interpolation in Fock spaces of entire functions in several
complex variables defined by a plurisubharmonic weight. In particular, these
spaces do not admit a set that is simultaneously sampling and interpolating. To
prove optimality of the density conditions, we construct sampling sets with a
density arbitrarily close to the critical density. The techniques combine
methods from several complex variables (estimates for $\bar \partial$) and the
theory of localized frames in general reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (with
no analyticity assumed). The abstract results on Fekete points and deformation
of frames may be of independent interest.


  Motivated by COVID-19, we develop and analyze a simple stochastic model for a
disease spread in human population. We track how the number of infected and
critically ill people develops over time in order to estimate the demand that
is imposed on the hospital system. To keep this demand under control, we
consider a class of simple policies for slowing down and reopening the society
and we compare their efficiency in mitigating the spread of the virus from
several different points of view. We find that in order to avoid overwhelming
of the hospital system, a policy must impose a harsh lockdown or it must react
swiftly (or both). While reacting swiftly is universally beneficial, being
harsh pays off only when the country is patient about reopening and when the
neighboring countries coordinate their mitigation efforts. Our work highlights
the importance of acting decisively when closing down and the importance of
patience and coordination between neighboring countries when reopening.


  The neutral kaon meson mixing plays an important role in test of the Standard
Model (SM) and new physics beyond it. Scale invariant unparticle physics
induces a flavor changing neutral current (FCNC) transition of $K^0-\bar K^0$
oscillation at the tree level. In this study, we investigate the scale
invariant unparticle physics effects on the $K^0-\bar K^0$ mixing. Based on the
current experimental data, we give constraints of $K^0-\bar K^0$ mixing on the
unparticle parameters.


  We describe several new ways of specifying the behaviour of Lemaitre-Tolman
(LT) models, in each case presenting the method for obtaining the LT arbitrary
functions from the given data, and the conditions for existence of such
solutions. In addition to our previously considered `boundary conditions', the
new ones include: a simultaneous big bang, a homogeneous density or velocity
distribution in the asymptotic future, a simultaneous big crunch, a
simultaneous time of maximal expansion, a chosen density or velocity
distribution in the asymptotic future, only growing or only decaying
fluctuations. Since these conditions are combined in pairs to specify a
particular model, this considerably increases the possible ways of designing LT
models with desired properties.


  It has long been known that dissipation is a crucial ingredient in the
superradiant amplification of wavepackets off rotating objects. We show that,
once appropriate dissipation mechanisms are included, stars are also prone to
superradiance and superradiant instabilities. In particular, ultra-light dark
matter with small interaction cross section with the star material or
self-annihilation can trigger a superradiant instability. On long timescales,
the instability strips the star of most of its angular momentum. Whether or not
new stationary configurations surrounded by scalar condensates exist, remains
to be seen.


  We discuss the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) quantum key distribution protocol
in the light of quantum algorithmic information. While Shannon's information
theory needs a probability to define a notion of information, algorithmic
information theory does not need it and can assign a notion of information to
an individual object. The program length necessary to describe an object,
Kolmogorov complexity, plays the most fundamental role in the theory. In the
context of algorithmic information theory, we formulate a security criterion
for the quantum key distribution by using the quantum Kolmogorov complexity
that was recently defined by Vit\'anyi. We show that a simple BB84 protocol
indeed distribute a binary sequence between Alice and Bob that looks almost
random for Eve with a probability exponentially close to 1.


  Grain boundaries play a major role for electron transport in graphene sheets
grown by chemical vapor deposition. Here we investigate the electronic
structure and transport properties of idealized graphene grain boundaries (GBs)
in bi-crystals using first principles density functional theory (DFT) and
non-equilibrium Greens functions (NEGF). We generated 150 different grain
boundaries using an automated workflow where their geometry is relaxed with
DFT. We find that the GBs generally show a quasi-1D bandstructure along the GB.
We group the GBs in four classes based on their conductive properties:
transparent, opaque, insulating, and spin-polarizing and show how this is
related to angular mismatch, quantum mechanical interference, and out-of-plane
buckling. Especially, we find that spin-polarization in the GB correlates with
out-of-plane buckling. We further investigate the characteristics of these
classes in simulated scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and diffusive transport
along the GB which demonstrate how current can be guided along the GB.


  We introduce in the paper a novel observability problem for a continuum
ensemble of nonholonomic control systems with unknown population density. We
address the problem by focussing on a prototype of such ensemble system,
namely, the ensemble of Bloch equations. The dynamics of the equations are
structurally identical, but show variations in Larmor dispersion and radio
frequency (rf) inhomogeneity. We assume that the initial state of every
individual system is unknown and, moreover, the population density of these
individual systems is also unknown. Furthermore, we assume that at any time,
there is only one scalar measurement output at our disposal. The measurement
output integrates a certain observation function, common to all individual
systems, over the continuum ensemble. The observability problem we pose in the
paper is thus the following: Whether one is able to use the common control
input (i.e., the rf field) and the single measurement output to estimate the
initial states of the individual systems and, moreover, to identify the
population density? Amongst other things, we establish a sufficient condition
for the ensemble system to be observable: We show that if the common
observation function is any harmonic homogeneous polynomial of positive degree,
then the ensemble system is observable. The main focus of the paper is to
demonstrate how to leverage tools from representation theory of Lie algebras to
address the observability problem. Although the results we establish in the
paper are for the specific ensemble of Bloch equations, the approach we develop
along the analysis can be generalized to investigate observability of other
general ensembles of nonholonomic control systems with a single, integrated
measurement output.


  We consider the influence of breakup channels on the complete fusion of
weakly bound systems in terms of dynamic polarization potentials. It is argued
that the enhancement of the cross section at sub-barrier energies may be
consistent with recent experimental observations that nucleon transfer, often
leading to breakup, is dominant compared to direct breakup. The main trends of
the experimental complete fusion cross section for $^{6,7}$Li + $^{209}$Bi are
analyzed in the framework of the DPP approach.


  Estimation of patient-specific model parameters is important for personalized
modeling, although sparse and noisy clinical data can introduce significant
uncertainty in the estimated parameter values. This importance source of
uncertainty, if left unquantified, will lead to unknown variability in model
outputs that hinder their reliable adoptions. Probabilistic estimation model
parameters, however, remains an unresolved challenge because standard Markov
Chain Monte Carlo sampling requires repeated model simulations that are
computationally infeasible. A common solution is to replace the simulation
model with a computationally-efficient surrogate for a faster sampling.
However, by sampling from an approximation of the exact posterior probability
density function (pdf) of the parameters, the efficiency is gained at the
expense of sampling accuracy. In this paper, we address this issue by
integrating surrogate modeling into Metropolis Hasting (MH) sampling of the
exact posterior pdfs to improve its acceptance rate. It is done by first
quickly constructing a Gaussian process (GP) surrogate of the exact posterior
pdfs using deterministic optimization. This efficient surrogate is then used to
modify commonly-used proposal distributions in MH sampling such that only
proposals accepted by the surrogate will be tested by the exact posterior pdf
for acceptance/rejection, reducing unnecessary model simulations at unlikely
candidates. Synthetic and real-data experiments using the presented method show
a significant gain in computational efficiency without compromising the
accuracy. In addition, insights into the non-identifiability and heterogeneity
of tissue properties can be gained from the obtained posterior distributions.


  We demonstrate a novel route to prepare thin films of the ferromagnetic
insulator Europium monoxide. Key is a redox-controlled interface reaction
between metallic Eu and the substrate SrTiO$_3$ as the supplier of oxygen. The
process allows tuning the electronic, magnetic and structural properties of the
EuO films. Furthermore, we apply this technique to various oxidic substrates
and demonstrate the universality and limits of a redox-controlled EuO film
synthesis.


  Opticcal conductivity spectra $\sigma_1(\omega)$ of Nd2-xCexCuO4 thin films,
measured by the reflectance-transmittance method (R-T method) which has been
proposed to investigate far-infrared spectroscopy, are investigated based on
the anisotropic pairing model. Precise measurements of the frequency-dependent
conductivity enable us to examine quantitatively the nature of the
superconducting gap through infrared properties in the electron-doped high-Tc
superconductors. We show that the behavior of optical conductivity $\sigma_1$
is consistent with the anisotropic superconducting gap and is well explained by
the formula for d-wave pairing in the low-energy regime of the far-infrared
region. Our results suggest that the electron-doped cuprate superconductors
Nd2-xCexCuO4 have nodes in the superconducting gap.


  The existence of vacancy--impurity clusters due to quantum properties of
vacancies in phase separated solid solutions of 4He in 3He is analyzed and
discussed. Additional mechanism called vacancy assisted nucleation is proposed.
According to this assumption the vacancy-impurity clusters should have b.c.c.
structure.


  Realizing a quantum transistor built of molecules or quantum dots has been
one of the most ambitious challenges in nanotechnology. Even though remarkable
progress has been made, being able to gate and control nanometer scale objects,
as well to interconnect them to achieve scalability remains extremely
difficult. Most experiments concern a single quantum dot or molecule, and they
are made at ultra low temperature to avoid decoherence and tunneling. We
propose to use canonical transformations to design quantum devices that are
protected by symmetry, and therefore, may be operational at high temperatures.
We illustrate the idea with examples of quantum transistor architectures that
can be connected both in series and parallel.


  In the context of the tremendous progress achieved at HERA in diffraction and
the need for a new level of statistical and systematic precision, the new very
large acceptance forward spectrometer planned by H1 (VFPS) is presented and the
physics issues are stressed.


  We treat in this paper non-linear sigma models such as $CP^1$-model,
$QP^1$-model and etc, in 1+2 dimensions. For submodels of such ones we
definitely construct an infinite number of nontrivial conserved currents. Our
result is a generalization of that of authors (Alvarez, Ferreira and Guillen).


  We report on current induced domain wall propagation in a patterned GaMnAs
microwire with perpendicular magnetization. An unexpected slowing down of the
propagation velocity has been found when the moving domain wall extends over
only half of the width of the wire. This slowing down is related to the
elongation of a longitudinal wall along the axis of the wire. By using an
energy balance argument, the expected theoretical dependence of the velocity
change has been calculated and compared with the experimental results.
According to this, the energy associated to the longitudinal domain wall should
change when a current passes through the wire. These results provide possible
evidence of transverse spin diffusion along a longitudinal domain wall.


  We consider multi-terminal mesoscopic transport through a well-conducting
chaotic quantum cavity using random matrix theory. Four-probe resistance
vanishes on the average and is not affected by weak localization. Its
fluctuations are given by a single expression valid for arbitrary temperature,
ac frequency, non-ideal coupling of the contacts, and in the presence of
floating probes; surprisingly, they are governed by the dwell time only. In
contrast, the two-probe transport additionally depends on the RC-time, which is
interpreted as a property of the measurement scheme. We also predict a
universal mesoscopic distribution of the phase of transmitted voltage in an ac
experiment.


  Using the updated form factors within the light-cone QCD sum rule approach,
we calculate the new physics contributions to rare semileptonic $\bar{B}_s \to
\phi\mu^+\mu^-, \phi \tau^+\tau^-$ decays from the new particles appearing in
the topcolor-assisted technicolor (TC2) model. In our evaluations, we find
that: (i) the branching ratio, normalized forward-backward asymmetry and lepton
polarization show highly sensitivity to charged top-pions contributions and
little sensitivity to $Z'$ contributions. The TC2 enhancements to the branching
ratios of these decays can reach a factor of $2 \sim 4$; (ii) the NP
enhancement to the forward-backward asymmetry of the decay $B_s\to \phi
\mu^+\mu^-$ is in the range -9% to 22%, but -10% to 0% for decay $B_s\to \phi
\tau^+\tau^-$ compared to the SM predictions; (iii) the TC2 model provide an
enhancement of more than 30% to the longitudinal polarization asymmetry $P_L$
for decay $B_s\to \phi \mu^+\mu^-$, but a decrease of about 20% to the
transverse polarization asymmetry $P_T$ for the decay $B_s\to \phi
\tau^+\tau^-$.


  Large language models (LLMs) are currently at the forefront of intertwining
AI systems with human communication and everyday life. Therefore, it is of
great importance to evaluate their emerging abilities. In this study, we show
that LLMs, most notably GPT-3, exhibit behavior that strikingly resembles
human-like intuition -- and the cognitive errors that come with it. However,
LLMs with higher cognitive capabilities, in particular ChatGPT and GPT-4,
learned to avoid succumbing to these errors and perform in a hyperrational
manner. For our experiments, we probe LLMs with the Cognitive Reflection Test
(CRT) as well as semantic illusions that were originally designed to
investigate intuitive decision-making in humans. Moreover, we probe how sturdy
the inclination for intuitive-like decision-making is. Our study demonstrates
that investigating LLMs with methods from psychology has the potential to
reveal otherwise unknown emergent traits.


  Temporally causal representation learning aims to identify the latent causal
process from time series observations, but most methods require the assumption
that the latent causal processes do not have instantaneous relations. Although
some recent methods achieve identifiability in the instantaneous causality
case, they require either interventions on the latent variables or grouping of
the observations, which are in general difficult to obtain in real-world
scenarios. To fill this gap, we propose an \textbf{ID}entification framework
for instantane\textbf{O}us \textbf{L}atent dynamics (\textbf{IDOL}) by imposing
a sparse influence constraint that the latent causal processes have sparse
time-delayed and instantaneous relations. Specifically, we establish
identifiability results of the latent causal process based on sufficient
variability and the sparse influence constraint by employing contextual
information of time series data. Based on these theories, we incorporate a
temporally variational inference architecture to estimate the latent variables
and a gradient-based sparsity regularization to identify the latent causal
process. Experimental results on simulation datasets illustrate that our method
can identify the latent causal process. Furthermore, evaluations on multiple
human motion forecasting benchmarks with instantaneous dependencies indicate
the effectiveness of our method in real-world settings.


  A simple method is presented for the rapid simulation of
statistically-isotropic non-Gaussian maps of CMB temperature fluctuations with
a given power spectrum and analytically-calculable bispectrum and higher-order
polyspectra. The $n$th-order correlators of the pixel values may also be
calculated analytically. The cumulants of the simulated map may be used to
obtain an expression for the probability density function of the pixel
temperatures. The statistical properties of the simulated map are determined by
the univariate non-Gaussian distribution from which pixel values are drawn
independently in the first stage of the simulation process. We illustrate the
method using a non-Gaussian distribution derived from the wavefunctions of the
harmonic oscillator. The basic simulation method is easily extended to produce
non-Gaussian maps with a given power spectrum and diagonal bispectrum.


  Measurements of the plasma parameters of coronal mass ejections (CMEs),
particularly the magnetic field and nonthermal electron population entrained in
the CME plasma, are crucial to understand their propagation, evolution, and
geo-effectiveness. Spectral modeling of gyrosynchrotron (GS) emission from CME
plasma has been regarded as one of the most promising remote-sensing techniques
for estimating spatially resolved CME plasma parameters. Imaging the very low
flux density CME GS emission in close proximity to the Sun with orders of
magnitude higher flux density has, however, proven to be rather challenging.
This challenge has only recently been met using the high dynamic range imaging
capability of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). Although routine detection
of GS is now within reach, the challenge has shifted to constraining the large
number of free parameters in GS models, a few of which are degenerate, using
the limited number of spectral points at which the observations are typically
available. These degeneracies can be broken using polarimetric imaging. For the
first time, we demonstrate this using our recently developed capability of
high-fidelity polarimetric imaging on the data from the MWA. We show that
spectropolarimetric imaging, even when only sensitive upper limits on
circularly polarization flux density are available, is not only able to break
the degeneracies but also yields tighter constraints on the plasma parameters
of key interest than possible with total intensity spectroscopic imaging alone.


  Our purpose is to focus attention on a new criterion for quantum schemes by
bringing together the notions of quantum game and game isomorphism. A quantum
game scheme is required to generate the classical game as a special case. Now,
given a quantum game scheme and two isomorphic classical games, we additionally
require the resulting quantum games to be isomorphic as well. We show how this
isomorphism condition influences the players' strategy sets. We are concerned
with the Marinatto-Weber type quantum game scheme and the strong isomorphism
between games in strategic form.


  Quantum interference of "clocks", namely of particles with time-evolving
internal degrees of freedom (DOFs), is a promising avenue to test genuine
general relativistic effects in quantum systems. The clock acquires which path
information while experiencing different proper times on traversing the arms of
the interferometer, leading to a drop in its path visibility. We consider
scenarios where the clock is subject to environmental noise as it transits
through the interferometer. In particular, we develop a generalized formulation
of interferometric visibility affected by noise on the clock. We find that, for
small noise and small proper time difference between the arms, the noise
further reduces the visibility, while in more general situations it can either
increase or reduce the visibility. As an example, we investigate the effect of
a thermal environment constituted by a single field mode and show that the
visibility drops further as the temperature is increased. Additionally, by
considering noise models based on standard quantum channels, we show that
interferometric visibility can increase or decrease depending on the type of
noise and also the time scale and transition probabilities. The quantification
of the effect of noise on the visibility -- particularly in the case of a
thermal environment paves the way for a better estimate on the expected outcome
in an actual experiment.


  We present a framework to generate watertight mesh representations in an
unsupervised manner from noisy point clouds of complex, heterogeneous objects
with free-form surfaces. The resulting meshes are ready to use in applications
like kinematics and dynamics simulation where watertightness and fast
processing are the main quality criteria. This works with no necessity of user
interaction, mainly by utilizing a modified Growing Neural Gas technique for
surface reconstruction combined with several post-processing steps. In contrast
to existing methods, the proposed framework is able to cope with input point
clouds generated by consumer-grade RGBD sensors and works even if the input
data features large holes, e.g. a missing bottom which was not covered by the
sensor. Additionally, we explain a method to unsupervisedly optimize the
parameters of our framework in order to improve generalization quality and, at
the same time, keep the resulting meshes as coherent as possible to the
original object regarding visual and geometric properties.


  Weight pruning is among the most popular approaches for compressing deep
convolutional neural networks. Recent work suggests that in a randomly
initialized deep neural network, there exist sparse subnetworks that achieve
performance comparable to the original network. Unfortunately, finding these
subnetworks involves iterative stages of training and pruning, which can be
computationally expensive. We propose Structured Sparse Convolution (SSC),
which leverages the inherent structure in images to reduce the parameters in
the convolutional filter. This leads to improved efficiency of convolutional
architectures compared to existing methods that perform pruning at
initialization. We show that SSC is a generalization of commonly used layers
(depthwise, groupwise and pointwise convolution) in ``efficient
architectures.'' Extensive experiments on well-known CNN models and datasets
show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Architectures based on SSC
achieve state-of-the-art performance compared to baselines on CIFAR-10,
CIFAR-100, Tiny-ImageNet, and ImageNet classification benchmarks.


  A 3-dimensional homotopy quantum field theory (HQFT) can be described as a
TQFT for surfaces and 3-cobordisms endowed with homotopy classes of maps into a
given space. For a group $\pi$, we introduce a notion of a modular crossed
$\pi$-category and show that such a category gives rise to a 3-dimensional HQFT
with target space $K(\pi,1)$. This includes numerical invariants of
3-dimensional $\pi$-manifolds and a 2-dimensional homotopy modular functor. We
also introduce and discuss a parallel notion of a quasitriangular crossed Hopf
$\pi$-coalgebra.


  We propose a new method of discovering causal relationships in temporal data
based on the notion of causal compression. To this end, we adopt the Pearlian
graph setting and the directed information as an information theoretic tool for
quantifying causality. We introduce chain rule for directed information and use
it to motivate causal sparsity. We show two applications of the proposed
method: causal time series segmentation which selects time points capturing the
incoming and outgoing causal flow between time points belonging to different
signals, and causal bipartite graph recovery. We prove that modelling of
causality in the adopted set-up only requires estimating the copula density of
the data distribution and thus does not depend on its marginals. We evaluate
the method on time resolved gene expression data.


  We report recent Upsilon measurements in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at
$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 GeV, and detail the analysis in U+U collisions at
$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=193 GeV. Results on Upsilon production versus rapidity are
consistent with pQCD predictions in p+p collisions. However, Upsilon production
in mid-rapidity (|y|<0.5) d+Au collisions is suppressed with respect to p+p
collisions beyond model predictions that take into account modification of
parton distribution functions and initial parton energy loss inside nuclei. The
nuclear modification factor R_AA shows a significant suppression in central
Au+Au and U+U collisions, consistent with model calculations including color
screening effects in a deconfined medium.


  Nagell proved that for each prime $p\equiv 1\pmod{3}$, $p > 7$, there is a
prime $q<2p^{1/2}$ that is a cubic residue modulo $p$. Here we show that for
each fixed $\epsilon > 0$, and each prime $p\equiv 1\pmod{3}$ with $p >
p_0(\epsilon)$, the number of prime cubic residues $q < p^{1/2+\epsilon}$
exceeds $p^{\epsilon/30}$. Our argument, like Nagell's, is rooted in the law of
cubic reciprocity; somewhat surprisingly, character sum estimates play no role.
We use the same method to establish related results about prime quadratic and
biquadratic residues. For example, for all large primes $p$, there are more
than $p^{1/9}$ prime quadratic residues $q<p$.