title: Fast E-sail Uranus entry probe mission

abstract:
  The electric solar wind sail is a novel propellantless space propulsion
concept. According to numerical estimates, the electric solar wind sail can
produce a large total impulse per propulsion system mass. Here we consider
using a 0.5 N electric solar wind sail for boosting a 550 kg spacecraft to
Uranus in less than 6 years. The spacecraft is a stack consisting of the
electric solar wind sail module which is jettisoned roughly at Saturn distance,
a carrier module and a probe for Uranus atmospheric entry. The carrier module
has a chemical propulsion ability for orbital corrections and it uses its
antenna for picking up the probe's data transmission and later relaying it to
Earth. The scientific output of the mission is similar to what the Galileo
Probe did at Jupiter. Measurements of the chemical and isotope composition of
the Uranian atmosphere can give key constraints to different formation theories
of the Solar System. A similar method could also be applied to other giant
planets and Titan by using a fleet of more or less identical probes.


title:
Universal fluctuation-driven eccentricities in proton-proton,
  proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions

abstract:
  We show that the statistics of fluctuation-driven initial-state anisotropies
in proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions is to a large
extent universal. We propose a simple parametrization for the probability
distribution of the Fourier coefficient $\varepsilon_n$ in harmonic $n$, which
is in good agreement with Monte-Carlo simulations. Our results provide a simple
explanation for the 4-particle cumulant of triangular flow measured in Pb-Pb
collisions, and for the 4-particle cumulant of elliptic flow recently measured
in p-Pb collisions. Both arise as natural consequences of the condition that
initial anisotropies are bounded by unity. We argue that the initial rms
anisotropy in harmonic $n$ can be directly extracted from the measured ratio
$v_n\{4\}/v_n\{2\}$: this gives direct access to a property of the initial
density profile from experimental data. We also make quantitative predictions
for the small lifting of degeneracy between $v_n\{4\}$, $v_n\{6\}$ and
$v_n\{8\}$. If confirmed by future experiments, they will support the picture
that long-range correlations observed in p-Pb collisions at the LHC originate
from collective flow proportional to the initial anisotropy.


title: A Thousand Problems in Cosmology: Interaction in the Dark Sector

abstract:
  This is one chapter of the collection of problems in cosmology, in which we
assemble the problems that concern one of the most distinctive features of
modern cosmology---the interaction in the Dark Sector. The evolution of any
broadly applied model is accompanied by multiple generalizations that aim to
resolve conceptual difficulties and to explain the ever-growing pool of
observational data. In the case of Standard Cosmological Model one of the most
promising directions of generalization is replacement of the cosmological
constant with a more complicated, dynamic, form of dark energy and
incorporation of interaction between the dark components---dark energy (DE) and
dark matter (DM). Typically, DE models are based on scalar fields minimally
coupled to gravity, and do not implement explicit coupling of the field to the
background DM. However, there is no fundamental reason for this assumption in
the absence of an underlying symmetry which would suppress the coupling. Given
that we do not know the true nature of either DE or DM, we cannot exclude the
possibility that there is some kind of coupling between them. Whereas
interactions between DE and normal matter particles are heavily constrained by
observations (e.g. in the solar system and gravitational experiments on Earth),
this is not the case for DM particles. In other words, it is possible for the
dark components to interact with each other while not being coupled to standard
model particles. Therefore, the possibility of DE-DM interaction should be
investigated with utmost gravity.
  This version contains only formulations of 117 problems. The full collection,
with solutions included, is available in the form of a wiki-based resource at
universeinproblems.com. The cosmological community is welcome to contribute to
its development.


title: A low-cost mirror mount control system for optics setups

abstract:
  We describe a flexible, simple to build, low-cost, and computer-controlled
optical mirror actuator system we developed for undergraduate research
laboratories. Geared motors for hobby robotics are controlled by an Arduino
microcontroller board in combination with an H bridge to finely position the
mirror mount actuators. We present a graphical user interface based on the free
Python script language. The price of the fully controlled actuator system is
thus only a small fraction of the price of any commercial system; however, it
is quickly implementable due to the use of open hardware electronics. We show
the performance of the system and give an outlook for future expansions and use
in advanced optical setups.


title: Predictive User Modeling with Actionable Attributes

abstract:
  Different machine learning techniques have been proposed and used for
modeling individual and group user needs, interests and preferences. In the
traditional predictive modeling instances are described by observable
variables, called attributes. The goal is to learn a model for predicting the
target variable for unseen instances. For example, for marketing purposes a
company consider profiling a new user based on her observed web browsing
behavior, referral keywords or other relevant information. In many real world
applications the values of some attributes are not only observable, but can be
actively decided by a decision maker. Furthermore, in some of such applications
the decision maker is interested not only to generate accurate predictions, but
to maximize the probability of the desired outcome. For example, a direct
marketing manager can choose which type of a special offer to send to a client
(actionable attribute), hoping that the right choice will result in a positive
response with a higher probability. We study how to learn to choose the value
of an actionable attribute in order to maximize the probability of a desired
outcome in predictive modeling. We emphasize that not all instances are equally
sensitive to changes in actions. Accurate choice of an action is critical for
those instances, which are on the borderline (e.g. users who do not have a
strong opinion one way or the other). We formulate three supervised learning
approaches for learning to select the value of an actionable attribute at an
instance level. We also introduce a focused training procedure which puts more
emphasis on the situations where varying the action is the most likely to take
the effect. The proof of concept experimental validation on two real-world case
studies in web analytics and e-learning domains highlights the potential of the
proposed approaches.


title: Cosmology with non-minimally coupled Yang--Mills field

abstract:
  We discuss cosmological model with homogeneous and isotropic Yang-Mills field
non-minimally coupled to gravity through an effective mass term. In this model
conformal symmetry is violated which leads to possibility of inflationary
expansion. Parameters of non-minimal coupling have relatively ``natural''
values in the regime of sufficiently long acceleration stage.


title: The Auslander bijections and universal extensions

abstract:
  Universal extensions arise naturally in the Auslander bijections. For an
abelian category having Auslander-Reiten duality, we exploit a bijection
triangle, which involves the Auslander bijections, universal extensions and the
Auslander-Reiten duality. Some consequences are given, in particular, a
conjecture by Ringel is verified.


title: Nuclear threads

abstract:
  The internal structure of deuterons weakly influences a motion of their
center of mass (translational motion). The scenario can be different when the
translational wave function has a formal singularity along the line (thread)
connecting the deuteron and another Coulomb center. The singularity is cut off
by fluctuations of nuclear internal degrees of freedom and the wave function
becomes smooth with the narrow peak. The peak is associated with the certain
potential well which is localized on the thread and dominates the Coulomb
barrier. As a result, the deuteron is able to move along the thread with no
classical reflection. Two deuterons can get in contact despite their energy is
low. This is not an underbarrier motion but one along the region which became
classically allowed due to the thread well. In experiments nuclear threads can
be formed by the incident particle flux if to adjust its angular distribution
at large distances.


title: Cell size regulation in microorganisms

abstract:
  Various rod-shaped bacteria such as the canonical gram negative Escherichia
coli or the well-studied gram positive Bacillus subtilis divide symmetrically
after they approximately double their volume. Their size at division is not
constant, but is typically distributed over a narrow range. Here, we propose an
analytically tractable model for cell size control, and calculate the cell size
and inter-division time distributions. We suggest ways of extracting the model
parameters from experimental data. Existing data for E. coli supports partial
size control, and a particular explanation: a cell attempts to add a constant
volume from the time of initiation of DNA replication to the next initiation
event. This hypothesis explains how bacteria control their tight size
distributions and accounts for the experimentally observed correlations between
parents and daughters as well as the exponential dependence of size on growth
rate.


title: Generic elements in isometry groups of Polish ultrametric spaces

abstract:
  This paper presents a study of generic elements in full isometry groups of
Polish ultrametric spaces. We obtain a complete characterization of Polish
ultrametric spaces X whose isometry group Iso(X) contains an open subgroup H
with ample generics. It also gives a characterization of the existence of an
open subgroup in Iso(X) with a comeager conjugacy class.
  We also study the transfinite sequence defined by the projection of a Polish
ultrametric space X on the ultrametric space of orbits of X under the action of
Iso(X).


title: A proposal of a faster variant of known provably secure PRBGs

abstract:
  We make a new proposal about how to use in an effective way a CSPRBG
(Computationally Secure Pseudo Random Bit Generator) for cryptographic
purposes. We introduce the definitions of TCSPRBG (Typical CSPRBG) and SCSPRBG
(Special CSPRBG). In particular the definition of SCSPRBG synthetizes in a
simple way our proposal of how to modify a CSPRBG in order to achieve a higher
throughput rate, while retaining some essential features of its computational
security.
  We then summarize which should be, in our opinion, a "standard way" to use a
CSPRBG for cryptographic purposes. We eventually present as an application, a
particular SCSPRBG for which we can achieve throughput rates greater than $100$
Mbits/sec on current mobile devices.


title: Mobile Multimedia Recommendation in Smart Communities: A Survey

abstract:
  Due to the rapid growth of internet broadband access and proliferation of
modern mobile devices, various types of multimedia (e.g. text, images, audios
and videos) have become ubiquitously available anytime. Mobile device users
usually store and use multimedia contents based on their personal interests and
preferences. Mobile device challenges such as storage limitation have however
introduced the problem of mobile multimedia overload to users. In order to
tackle this problem, researchers have developed various techniques that
recommend multimedia for mobile users. In this survey paper, we examine the
importance of mobile multimedia recommendation systems from the perspective of
three smart communities, namely, mobile social learning, mobile event guide and
context-aware services. A cautious analysis of existing research reveals that
the implementation of proactive, sensor-based and hybrid recommender systems
can improve mobile multimedia recommendations. Nevertheless, there are still
challenges and open issues such as the incorporation of context and social
properties, which need to be tackled in order to generate accurate and
trustworthy mobile multimedia recommendations.


title:
The description of phase transition of Bardeen black hole in the
  Ehrenfest scheme

abstract:
  The phase transition of a Bardeen black hole is studied by considering
Ehrenfest's equations. The thermodynamic variables such as entropy, potential
and heat capacity are calculated from the first law of thermodynamics for black
holes. That no discontinuity in entropy and potential of the black holes means
that the first order phase transition will not generate for the Bardeen black
holes. However, the divergence of heat capacity at constant potential and
satisfaction of the Ehrenfest's equations indicates that the second order phase
transition of Bardeen black hole will appear.


title:
Relation between the dipole polarizabilities of charged and neutral
  pions

abstract:
  Using the fact that the contribution of the states with isospin I=0 in the
difference of the amplitudes of the processes \gamma \gamma->\pi^+\pi^- and
\gamma\gamma->\pi^0\pi^0 is very small, we have analyzed the dispersion sum
rules for the difference between the dipole polarizabilities of the charged and
neutral pions as a function of the \sigma-meson parameters. Then taken into
account the current perturbation value of (\alpha-\beta)_\pi^0=-1.9, we have
found (\alpha-\beta)_\pi^(+-)=9.4--8.2 for values of the \sigma-meson parameter
within the region: M_s=400--550 MeV, \Gamma_s=400--600 MeV,
\Gamma_{\s->\gamma\gamma}= 0--3 keV. It has been shown that the value of the
decay width of the h_1(1170)- meson into \gamma\pi^0 can be found if the
difference (\alpha-\beta)_\pi^(+-) is reliably determined from the experiment.
Estimation of the optimal value of the decay width \sigma->\gamma\gamma has
given \Gamma_{\s->\gamma\gamma}<0.7$keV.


title: Coalgebraic Logic Programming: from Semantics to Implementation

abstract:
  Coinductive definitions, such as that of an infinite stream, may often be
described by elegant logic programs, but ones for which SLD-refutation is of no
value as SLD-derivations fall into infinite loops. Such definitions give rise
to questions of lazy corecursive derivations and parallelism, as execution of
such logic programs can have both recursive and corecursive features at once.
Observational and coalgebraic semantics have been used to study them
abstractly. The programming developments have often occurred separately and
have usually been implementation-led. Here, we give a coherent semantics-led
account of the issues, starting with abstract category theoretic semantics,
developing coalgebra to characterise naturally arising trees, and proceeding
towards implementation of a new dialect, CoALP, of logic programming,
characterised by guarded lazy corecursion and parallelism.


title: Projective Spectrum and Cyclic Cohomolgy

abstract:
  For a tuple $A=(A_1,\ A_2,\ ...,\ A_n)$ of elements in a unital algebra
${\mathcal B}$ over $\mathbb{C}$, its {\em projective spectrum} $P(A)$ or
$p(A)$ is the collection of $z\in \mathbb{C}^n$, or respectively $z\in
\mathbb{P}^{n-1}$ such that the multi-parameter pencil
$A(z)=z_1A_1+z_2A_2+\cdots +z_nA_n$ is not invertible in ${\mathcal B}$.
${\mathcal B}$-valued $1$-form $A^{-1}(z)dA(z)$ contains much topological
information about $P^c(A):=\mathbb{C}^n\setminus P(A)$. In commutative cases,
invariant multi-linear functionals are effective tools to extract that
information. This paper shows that in non-commutative cases, the cyclic
cohomology of ${\mathcal B}$ does a similar job. In fact, a Chen-Weil type map
$\kappa$ from the cyclic cohomology of ${\mathcal B}$ to the de Rham cohomology
$H^*_d(P^c(A),\ \mathbb{C})$ is established. As an example, we prove a closed
high-order form of the classical Jacobi's formula.


title:
Equivalence of two Bochkov-Kuzovlev equalities in quantum two-level
  systems

abstract:
  We present two kinds of Bochkov-Kuzovlev work equalities in a two-level
system that is described by a quantum Markovian master equation. One is based
on multiple time correlation functions and the other is based on the quantum
trajectory viewpoint. We show that these two equalities are indeed equivalent.
Importantly, this equivalence provides us a way to calculate the probability
density function of the quantum work by solving the evolution equation for its
characteristic function. We use a numerical model to verify these results.


title:
Algebras with convergent star products and their representations in
  Hilbert spaces

abstract:
  We study star product algebras of analytic functions for which the power
series defining the products converge absolutely. Such algebras arise naturally
in deformation quantization theory and in noncommutative quantum field theory.
We consider different star products in a unifying way and present results on
the structure and basic properties of these algebras, which are useful for
applications. Special attention is given to the Hilbert space representation of
the algebras and to the exact description of their corresponding operator
algebras.


title: Decoupled gas kinematics in isolated early-type disc galaxies

abstract:
  We have studied a sample of completely isolated galaxies by means of
long-slit spectroscopy at the 6-m telescope. We have found that 7 of 12 (58 +/-
14 %) galaxies have revealed a presence of large-scale ionized-gas component
which angular momentum is mostly differ from stellar one: 5 of 7 (71 +/- 17 %)
show a visible counterrottation. The diagnostic diagram demonstrates a wide
range of gas excitation mechanism. We have estimated the gas oxygen abundance
in the cases where excitation mechanism by young stars dominates and have found
that ionized gas has a subsolar metallicity. We concluded that cold-gas
accretion from primordial cosmological filaments is unlikely for these objects,
while external accretion from dwarf gas-rich satellites is more suitable.


title: Trackability with Imprecise Localization

abstract:
  Imagine a tracking agent $P$ who wants to follow a moving target $Q$ in
$d$-dimensional Euclidean space. The tracker has access to a noisy location
sensor that reports an estimate $\tilde{Q}(t)$ of the target's true location
$Q(t)$ at time $t$, where $||Q(T) - \tilde{Q}(T)||$ represents the sensor's
localization error. We study the limits of tracking performance under this kind
of sensing imprecision. In particular, we investigate (1) what is $P$'s best
strategy to follow $Q$ if both $P$ and $Q$ can move with equal speed, (2) at
what rate does the distance $||Q(t) - P(t)||$ grow under worst-case
localization noise, (3) if $P$ wants to keep $Q$ within a prescribed distance
$L$, how much faster does it need to move, and (4) what is the effect of
obstacles on the tracking performance, etc. Under a relative error model of
noise, we are able to give upper and lower bounds for the worst-case tracking
performance, both with or without obstacles.


title: Stability of the Einstein-Lichnerowicz constraints system

abstract:
  We study the Einstein-Lichnerowicz constraints system, obtained through the
conformal method when addressing the initial data problem for the Einstein
equations in a scalar field theory. We prove that this system is stable with
respect to the physics data when posed on the standard $3$-sphere.


title:
Implications of primordial power spectra with statistical anisotropy on
  CMB temperature fluctuation and polarizations

abstract:
  Both the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and Planck observations
reported the hemispherical asymmetry of the cosmic microwave background (CMB)
temperature fluctuation. The hemispherical asymmetry might be stemmed from the
primordial statistical anisotropy during the inflationary era of the universe.
In this paper, we study possible implications of the primordial power spectra
with dipolar anisotropy on the CMB temperature fluctuation and polarizations.
We explicitly show that the statistical dipolar anisotropy may induce the
off-diagonal (\(\ell'\neq\ell\)) $TT$, $EE$, $BB$, and $TE$ correlations, as
well as the diagonal (\(\ell'=\ell\)) $TB$ and $EB$ spectra. In particular,
these correlation coefficients are expected to be \(m\)-dependent generically.
These signals of statistical anisotropy might be tested by CMB observations in
future.


title:
Collective excitations of hydrodynamically coupled driven colloidal
  particles

abstract:
  Two colloidal particles, driven around an optical vortex trap, have been
recently shown to pair due to an interplay between hydrodynamic interactions
and the curved path they are forced to follow. We demonstrate here, that this
pairing interaction can be tuned experimentally, and study its effect on the
collective excitations of many particles driven around such an optical trap. We
find that even though the system is overdamped, hydrodynamic interactions due
to driving give rise to non-decaying excitations with characteristic dispersion
relations. The collective excitations of the colloidal ring reflect
fluctuations of particle pairs rather than those of single particles.


title:
Matrix Valued Classical Pairs Related to Compact Gelfand Pairs of Rank
  One

abstract:
  We present a method to obtain infinitely many examples of pairs $(W,D)$
consisting of a matrix weight $W$ in one variable and a symmetric second-order
differential operator $D$. The method is based on a uniform construction of
matrix valued polynomials starting from compact Gelfand pairs $(G,K)$ of rank
one and a suitable irreducible $K$-representation. The heart of the
construction is the existence of a suitable base change $\Psi_{0}$. We analyze
the base change and derive several properties. The most important one is that
$\Psi_{0}$ satisfies a first-order differential equation which enables us to
compute the radial part of the Casimir operator of the group $G$ as soon as we
have an explicit expression for $\Psi_{0}$. The weight $W$ is also determined
by $\Psi_{0}$. We provide an algorithm to calculate $\Psi_{0}$ explicitly. For
the pair $(\mathrm{USp}(2n),\mathrm{USp}(2n-2)\times\mathrm{USp}(2))$ we have
implemented the algorithm in GAP so that individual pairs $(W,D)$ can be
calculated explicitly. Finally we classify the Gelfand pairs $(G,K)$ and the
$K$-representations that yield pairs $(W,D)$ of size $2\times2$ and we provide
explicit expressions for most of these cases.


title:
Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities for Wright-convex functions of
  several variables

abstract:
  We present Hermite--Hadamard type inequalities for Wright-convex, strongly
convex and strongly Wright-convex functions of several variables defined on
simplices


title: Constraining the dynamical dark energy parameters: Planck-2013 vs WMAP9

abstract:
  We determine the best-fit values and confidence limits for dynamical dark
energy parameters together with other cosmological parameters on the basis of
different datasets which include WMAP9 or Planck-2013 results on CMB
anisotropy, BAO distance ratios from recent galaxy surveys, magnitude-redshift
relations for distant SNe Ia from SNLS3 and Union2.1 samples and the HST
determination of the Hubble constant. We use a Markov Chain Monte Carlo routine
to map out the likelihood in the multi-dimensional parameter space. We show
that the most precise determination of cosmological parameters with the
narrowest confidence limits is obtained for the Planck{+}HST{+}BAO{+}SNLS3
dataset. The best-fit values and 2$\sigma$ confidence limits for cosmological
parameters in this case are $\Omega_{de}=0.718\pm0.022$,
$w_0=-1.15^{+0.14}_{-0.16}$, $c_a^2=-1.15^{+0.02}_{-0.46}$,
$\Omega_bh^2=0.0220\pm0.0005$, $\Omega_{cdm}h^2=0.121\pm0.004$,
$h=0.713\pm0.027$, $n_s=0.958^{+0.014}_{-0.010}$,
$A_s=(2.215^{+0.093}_{-0.101})\cdot10^{-9}$,
$\tau_{rei}=0.093^{+0.022}_{-0.028}$. For this dataset, the $\Lambda$CDM model
is just outside the 2$\sigma$ confidence region, while for the dataset
WMAP9{+}HST{+}BAO{+}SNLS3 the $\Lambda$CDM model is only 1$\sigma$ away from
the best fit. The tension in the determination of some cosmological parameters
on the basis of two CMB datasets WMAP9 and Planck-2013 is highlighted.


title: AGB stars and presolar grains

abstract:
  Among presolar materials recovered in meteorites, abundant SiC and
Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ grains of AGB origins were found. They showed records of C, N,
O, $^{26}$Al and s-element isotopic ratios that proved invaluable in
constraining the nucleosynthesis models for AGB stars \cite{zin,gal}. In
particular, when these ratios are measured in SiC grains, they clearly reveal
their prevalent origin in cool AGB circumstellar envelopes and provide
information on both the local physics and the conditions at the nucleosynthesis
site (the H- and He-burning layers deep inside the structure). Among the
properties ascertained for the main part of the SiC data (the so-called {\it
mainstream} ones), we mention a large range of $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratios,
extending below the solar value \cite{mar}, and $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C ratios
$\gtrsim$ 30. Other classes of grains, instead, display low carbon isotopic
ratios ($\gtrsim 10$) and a huge dispersion for N isotopes, with cases of large
$^{15}$N excess. In the same grains, isotopes currently feeded by slow neutron
captures reveal the characteristic pattern expected from this process at an
efficiency slightly lower than necessary to explain the solar main s-process
component. Complementary constraints can be found in oxide grains, especially
Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ crystals. Here, the oxygen isotopes and the content in
$^{26}$Al are of a special importance for clarifying the partial mixing
processes that are known to affect evolved low-mass stars. Successes in
modeling the data, as well as problems in explaining some of the mentioned
isotopic ratios through current nucleosynthesis models are briefly outlined.


title: Local boundary conditions for NMR-relaxation in digitized porous media

abstract:
  We narrow the gap between simulations of nuclear magnetic resonance dynamics
on digital domains (such as CT-images) and measurements in D-dimensional porous
media. We point out with two basic domains, the ball and the cube in D
dimensions, that due to a digital uncertainty in representing the real pore
surfaces of dimension D-1, there is a systematic error in simulated dynamics.
We then reduce this error by introducing local Robin boundary conditions.


title: Bounding the equivariant Betti numbers of symmetric semi-algebraic sets

abstract:
  Let $\mathrm{R}$ be a real closed field. The problem of obtaining tight
bounds on the Betti numbers of semi-algebraic subsets of $\mathrm{R}^k$ in
terms of the number and degrees of the defining polynomials has been an
important problem in real algebraic geometry with the first results due to
Ole{\u\i}nik and Petrovski{\u\i}, Thom and Milnor. These bounds are all
exponential in the number of variables $k$. Motivated by several applications
in real algebraic geometry, as well as in theoretical computer science, where
such bounds have found applications, we consider in this paper the problem of
bounding the equivariant Betti numbers of symmetric algebraic and
semi-algebraic subsets of $\mathrm{R}^k$. We obtain several asymptotically
tight upper bounds. In particular, we prove that if $S\subset \mathrm{R}^k$ is
a semi-algebraic subset defined by a finite set of $s$ symmetric polynomials of
degree at most $d$, then the sum of the $\mathfrak{S}_k$-equivariant Betti
numbers of $S$ with coefficients in $\mathbb{Q}$ is bounded by $(skd)^{O(d)}$.
Unlike the classical bounds on the ordinary Betti numbers of real algebraic
varieties and semi-algebraic sets, the above bound is polynomial in $k$ when
the degrees of the defining polynomials are bounded by a constant. As an
application we improve the best known bound on the ordinary Betti numbers of
the projection of a compact algebraic set improving for any fixed degree the
best previously known bound for this problem due to Gabrielov, Vorobjov and
Zell.


title:
Hybrid Topological Quantum Computation with Majorana Fermions: A Cold
  Atom Setup

abstract:
  In this paper we present a hybrid scheme for topological quantum computation
in a system of cold atoms trapped in an atomic lattice. A topological qubit
subspace is defined using Majorana fermions which emerge in a network of atomic
Kitaev one-dimensional wires. We show how braiding can be efficiently
implemented in this setup and propose a direct way to demonstrate the
non-Abelian nature of Majorana fermions via a single parity measurement. We
then introduce a proposal for the efficient, robust and reversible mapping of
the topological qubits to a conventional qubit stored in a single atom. There,
well-controlled standard techniques can be used to implement the missing gates
required for universal computation. Our setup is complemented with an efficient
non-destructive protocol to check for errors in the mapping.


title:
Remarks on Matsumoto and Amano's normal form for single-qubit Clifford+T
  operators

abstract:
  Matsumoto and Amano (2008) showed that every single-qubit Clifford+T operator
can be uniquely written of a particular form, which we call the Matsumoto-Amano
normal form. In this mostly expository paper, we give a detailed and
streamlined presentation of Matsumoto and Amano's results, simplifying some
proofs along the way. We also point out some corollaries to Matsumoto and
Amano's work, including an intrinsic characterization of the Clifford+T
subgroup of SO(3), which also yields an efficient T-optimal exact single-qubit
synthesis algorithm. Interestingly, this also gives an alternative proof of
Kliuchnikov, Maslov, and Mosca's exact synthesis result for the Clifford+T
subgroup of U(2).


title: Explicit linear kernels via dynamic programming

abstract:
  Several algorithmic meta-theorems on kernelization have appeared in the last
years, starting with the result of Bodlaender et al. [FOCS 2009] on graphs of
bounded genus, then generalized by Fomin et al. [SODA 2010] to graphs excluding
a fixed minor, and by Kim et al. [ICALP 2013] to graphs excluding a fixed
topological minor. Typically, these results guarantee the existence of linear
or polynomial kernels on sparse graph classes for problems satisfying some
generic conditions but, mainly due to their generality, it is not clear how to
derive from them constructive kernels with explicit constants. In this paper we
make a step toward a fully constructive meta-kernelization theory on sparse
graphs. Our approach is based on a more explicit protrusion replacement
machinery that, instead of expressibility in CMSO logic, uses dynamic
programming, which allows us to find an explicit upper bound on the size of the
derived kernels. We demonstrate the usefulness of our techniques by providing
the first explicit linear kernels for $r$-Dominating Set and $r$-Scattered Set
on apex-minor-free graphs, and for Planar-\mathcal{F}-Deletion on graphs
excluding a fixed (topological) minor in the case where all the graphs in
\mathcal{F} are connected.


title: Broken SU(4) symmetry in a Kondo-correlated carbon nanotube

abstract:
  Understanding the interplay between many-body phenomena and non-equilibrium
in systems with entangled spin and orbital degrees of freedom is a central
objective in nano-electronics. We demonstrate that the combination of Coulomb
interaction, spin-orbit coupling and valley mixing results in a particular
selection of the inelastic virtual processes contributing to the Kondo
resonance in carbon nanotubes at low temperatures. This effect is dictated by
conjugation properties of the underlying carbon nanotube spectrum at zero and
finite magnetic field. Our measurements on a clean carbon nanotube are
complemented by calculations based on a new approach to the non-equilibrium
Kondo problem which well reproduces the rich experimental observations in Kondo
transport.


title:
Cosmic Neutrino Pevatrons: A Brand New Pathway to Astronomy,
  Astrophysics, and Particle Physics

abstract:
  The announcement by the IceCube Collaboration of the observation of 28 cosmic
neutrino candidates has been greeted with a great deal of justified excitement.
The data reported so far depart by 4.3\sigma from the expected atmospheric
neutrino background, which raises the obvious question: "Where in the Cosmos
are these neutrinos coming from?" We review the many possibilities which have
been explored in the literature to address this question, including origins at
either Galactic or extragalactic celestial objects. For completeness, we also
briefly discuss new physics processes which may either explain or be
constrained by IceCube data.


title: Quantum origins of objectivity

abstract:
  In spite of all of its successes, quantum mechanics leaves us with a central
problem: How does Nature create a "foot-bridge" from fragile quanta to the
objective world of everyday experience? Here we identify within quantum
mechanics a fundamental process leading to the perceived objectivity and called
state information broadcasting. This is the trick that Nature uses instead of a
simple cloning. We uncover it basing on minimal assumptions, without referring
to any dynamical details or a concrete model. More specifically, we show how a
crucial for quantum mechanics notion of non-disturbance due to Bohr and a
natural definition of objectivity lead to a canonical structure of a quantum
system-environment state, reflecting objective information records about the
system stored in the environment.


title:
The linear topology associated with weak convergence of probability
  measures

abstract:
  This expository note aims at illustrating weak convergence of probability
measures from a broader view than a previously published paper. Though the
results are standard for functional analysts, this approach is rarely known by
statisticians and our presentation gives an alternative view than most standard
probability textbooks. In particular, this functional approach clarifies the
underlying topological structure of weak convergence. We hope this short note
is helpful for those who are interested in weak convergence as well as
instructors of measure theoretic probability.


title:
Marangoni spreading due to a localized alcohol supply on a thin water
  film

abstract:
  Bringing the interfaces of two miscible fluids into contact naturally
generates strong gradients in surface tension. Here we investigate such a
Marangoni-driven flow by continuously supplying isopropyl alcohol (IPA) on a
film of water, using micron-sized droplets of IPA-water mixtures. These
droplets create a localized depression in surface tension that leads to the
opening of a circular and thin region in the water film. At the edge of the
thin region, there is a rim growing and collecting the water of the film. We
find that the spreading radius scales as $r \sim t^{1/2}$. This result can be
explained from a balance between Marangoni and viscous stresses, assuming that
the gradients in surface tension are smoothened out over the entire size of the
circular opening. We derive a scaling law that accurately predicts the
influence of the IPA flux as well as the thickness of the thin film at the
interior of the spreading front.


title: Timescales of emulsion formation caused by anisotropic particles

abstract:
  Particle stabilized emulsions have received an enormous interest in the
recent past, but our understanding of the dynamics of emulsion formation is
still limited. For simple spherical particles, the time dependent growth of
fluid domains is dominated by the formation of droplets, particle adsorption
and coalescence of droplets (Ostwald ripening), which eventually can be almost
fully blocked due to the presence of the particles. Ellipsoidal particles are
known to be more efficient stabilizers of fluid interfaces than spherical
particles and their anisotropic shape and the related additional rotational
degrees of freedom have an impact on the dynamics of emulsion formation. In
this paper, we investigate this point by means of simple model systems
consisting of a single ellipsoidal particle or a particle ensemble at a flat
interface as well as a particle ensemble at a spherical interface. By applying
combined multicomponent lattice Boltzmann and molecular dynamics simulations we
demonstrate that the anisotropic shape of ellipsoidal particles causes two
additional timescales to be of relevance in the dynamics of emulsion formation:
a relatively short timescale can be attributed to the adsorption of single
particles and the involved rotation of particles towards the interface. As soon
as the interface is jammed, however, capillary interactions between the
particles cause a local reordering on very long timescales leading to a
continuous change in the interface configuration and increase of interfacial
area. This effect can be utilized to counteract the thermodynamic instability
of particle stabilized emulsions and thus offers the possibility to produce
emulsions with exceptional stability.


title:
A Three-Year Multi-Wavelength Study of the Very High Energy Gamma-ray
  Blazar 1ES 0229+200

abstract:
  The high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object 1ES 0229+200 is a relatively
distant (z = 0.1396), hard-spectrum (Gamma ~ 2.5), very-high-energy-emitting (E
> 100 GeV) gamma-ray blazar. Very-high-energy measurements of this active
galactic nucleus have been used to place constraints on the intensity of the
extragalactic background light and the intergalactic magnetic field. A
multi-wavelength study of this object centered around very-high-energy
observations by VERITAS is presented. This study obtained, over a period of
three years, an 11.7 standard deviation detection and an average integral flux
F(E>300 GeV) = (23.3 +- 2.8_stat +- 5.8_sys) x 10^-9 photons m^-2 s^-1, or 1.7%
of the Crab Nebula's flux (assuming the Crab Nebula spectrum measured by
H.E.S.S). Supporting observations from Swift and RXTE are analyzed. The Swift
observations are combined with previously published Fermi observations and the
very-high-energy measurements to produce an overall spectral energy
distribution which is then modeled assuming one-zone synchrotron-self-Compton
emission. The chi^2 probability of the TeV flux being constant is 1.6%. This,
when considered in combination with measured variability in the X-ray band, and
the demonstrated variability of many TeV blazars, suggests that the use of
blazars such as 1ES 0229+200 for intergalactic magnetic field studies may not
be straightforward and challenges models that attribute hard TeV spectra to
secondary gamma-ray production along the line of sight.


title:
Probing CP violation with the three years ultra-high energy neutrinos
  from IceCube

abstract:
  The IceCube collaboration has recently announced the discovery of ultra-high
energy neutrino events. These neutrinos can be used to probe their production
source, as well as leptonic mixing parameters. In this work, we have used the
first IceCube data to constrain the leptonic CP violating phase $\delta_{cp}$.
For this, we have analyzed the data in the form of flux ratios. We find that
the fit to $\delta_{cp}$ depends on the assumptions made on the production
mechanism of these astrophyscial neutrinos. Consequently, we also use this data
to impose constraints on the sources of the neutrinos.


title:
Sequentially Generated Instance-Dependent Image Representations for
  Classification

abstract:
  In this paper, we investigate a new framework for image classification that
adaptively generates spatial representations. Our strategy is based on a
sequential process that learns to explore the different regions of any image in
order to infer its category. In particular, the choice of regions is specific
to each image, directed by the actual content of previously selected
regions.The capacity of the system to handle incomplete image information as
well as its adaptive region selection allow the system to perform well in
budgeted classification tasks by exploiting a dynamicly generated
representation of each image. We demonstrate the system's abilities in a series
of image-based exploration and classification tasks that highlight its learned
exploration and inference abilities.


title: Surface order scaling in stochastic geometry

abstract:
  Let $\mathcal{P}_{\lambda}:=\mathcal{P}_{\lambda\kappa}$ denote a Poisson
point process of intensity $\lambda\kappa$ on $[0,1]^d,d\geq2$, with $\kappa$ a
bounded density on $[0,1]^d$ and $\lambda\in(0,\infty)$. Given a closed subset
$\mathcal{M}\subset[0,1]^d$ of Hausdorff dimension $(d-1)$, we consider general
statistics $\sum_{x\in\mathcal{P}_{\lambda}}\xi(x,\mathcal{P}
_{\lambda},\mathcal{M})$, where the score function $\xi$ vanishes unless the
input $x$ is close to $\mathcal{M}$ and where $\xi$ satisfies a weak spatial
dependency condition. We give a rate of normal convergence for the rescaled
statistics $\sum_{x\in\mathcal{
P}_{\lambda}}\xi(\lambda^{1/d}x,\lambda^{1/d}\mathcal{P}_{\lambda},\lambda
^{1/d}\mathcal{M})$ as $\lambda\to\infty$. When $\mathcal{M}$ is of class
$C^2$, we obtain weak laws of large numbers and variance asymptotics for these
statistics, showing that growth is surface order, that is, of order
$\mathrm{Vol}(\lambda^{1/d}\mathcal{M})$. We use the general results to deduce
variance asymptotics and central limit theorems for statistics arising in
stochastic geometry, including Poisson-Voronoi volume and surface area
estimators, answering questions in Heveling and Reitzner [Ann. Appl. Probab. 19
(2009) 719-736] and Reitzner, Spodarev and Zaporozhets [Adv. in Appl. Probab.
44 (2012) 938-953]. The general results also yield the limit theory for the
number of maximal points in a sample.


title: Single-impurity Kondo physics at extreme particle-hole asymmetry

abstract:
  We study the fate of the Kondo effect with one-dimensional conduction baths
at very low densities, such that the system explores the bottom of the
conduction band. This can involve either finite low densities, or a small
number of fixed conduction electrons in a large system, i.e., the limit of
large bath sizes can be taken with either fixed small density or with fixed
number. We characterize the Kondo physics for such systems through the energy
gain due to Kondo coupling, which is a general analog of the Kondo temperature
scale, and through real-space profiles of densities and spin-spin correlation
functions.


title: Co-Multistage of Multiple Classifiers for Imbalanced Multiclass Learning

abstract:
  In this work, we propose two stochastic architectural models (CMC and CMC-M)
with two layers of classifiers applicable to datasets with one and multiple
skewed classes. This distinction becomes important when the datasets have a
large number of classes. Therefore, we present a novel solution to imbalanced
multiclass learning with several skewed majority classes, which improves
minority classes identification. This fact is particularly important for text
classification tasks, such as event detection. Our models combined with
pre-processing sampling techniques improved the classification results on six
well-known datasets. Finally, we have also introduced a new metric SG-Mean to
overcome the multiplication by zero limitation of G-Mean.


title:
Regularized combined field integral equations for acoustic transmission
  problems

abstract:
  We present a new class of well conditioned integral equations for the
solution of two and three dimensional scattering problems by homogeneous
penetrable scatterers. Our novel boundary integral equations result from
suitable representations of the fields inside and outside the scatterer as
combinations of single and double layer potentials acting on suitably defined
regularizing operators. The regularizing operators are constructed to be
suitable approximations of the admittance operators that map the transmission
boundary conditions to the exterior and respectively interior Cauchy data on
the interface between the media. The latter operators can be expressed in terms
of Dirichlet-to-Neumann operators. We refer to these regularized boundary
integral equations as Generalized Combined Source Integral Equations (GCSIE).
The ensuing GCSIE are shown to be integral equations of the second kind in the
case when the interface of material discontinuity is a smooth curve in two
dimensions and a smooth surface in three dimensions.


title:
Image Processing based Systems and Techniques for the Recognition of
  Ancient and Modern Coins

abstract:
  Coins are frequently used in everyday life at various places like in banks,
grocery stores, supermarkets, automated weighing machines, vending machines
etc. So, there is a basic need to automate the counting and sorting of coins.
For this machines need to recognize the coins very fast and accurately, as
further transaction processing depends on this recognition. Three types of
systems are available in the market: Mechanical method based systems,
Electromagnetic method based systems and Image processing based systems. This
paper presents an overview of available systems and techniques based on image
processing to recognize ancient and modern coins.


title: On the roots of $a^x+a^{-x}=x$

abstract:
  We provide an analytical closed-form solution of the exponential equation
$a^x+a^{-x}=x$ for a specific value $a$, discuss the number of roots in general
case, and provide bounds on the roots.


title: Diffraction tomography on curved boundaries: A projection-based approach

abstract:
  An approach to diffraction tomography is investigated for two-dimensional
image reconstruction of objects surrounded by an arbitrarily-shaped curve of
sources and receivers. Based on the integral theorem of Helmholtz and
Kirchhoff, the approach relies upon a valid choice of the Green's functions for
selected conditions along the (possibly-irregular) boundary. This allows field
projections from the receivers to an arbitrary external location. When
performed over all source locations, it will be shown that the field caused by
a hypothetical source at this external location is also known along the
boundary. This field can then be projected to new external points that may
serve as a virtual receiver. Under such a reformation, data may be put in a
form suitable for image construction by synthetic aperture methods. Foundations
of the approach are shown, followed by a mapping technique optimized for the
approach. Examples formed from synthetic data are provided.


title: On Double Sequences

abstract:
  A double sequence $\{x_{k,l}\}$ is quasi-Cauchy if given an $\epsilon > 0$
there exists an $N \in {\bf N}$ such that $$\max_{r,s= 1\mbox{ and/or} 0} \left
\{|x_{k,l} - x_{k+r,l+s}|< \epsilon\right \} .$$ We study continuity type
properties of factorable double functions defined on a double subset $A\times
A$ of ${\bf R}^{2}$ into $\textbf{R}$, and obtain interesting results related
to uniform continuity, sequential continuity, continuity, and a newly
introduced type of continuity of factorable double functions defined on a
double subset $A\times A$ of ${\bf R}^{2}$ into $\textbf{R}$.


title:
O-minimality on twisted universal torsors and Manin's conjecture over
  number fields

abstract:
  Manin's conjecture predicts the distribution of rational points on Fano
varieties. Using explicit parameterizations of rational points by integral
points on universal torsors and lattice-point-counting techniques, it was
proved for several specific varieties over $\mathbb{Q}$, in particular del
Pezzo surfaces. We show how this method can be implemented over arbitrary
number fields $K$, by proving Manin's conjecture for a singular quartic del
Pezzo surface of type $\mathbf{A}_3+\mathbf{A}_1$. The parameterization step is
treated in high generality with the help of twisted integral models of
universal torsors. To make the counting step feasible over arbitrary number
fields, we deviate from the usual approach over $\mathbb{Q}$ by placing higher
emphasis on the geometry of numbers in the framework of o-minimal structures.


title: A Laplace-Dunkl equation on $S^2$ and the Bannai-Ito algebra

abstract:
  The analysis of the $\mathbb{Z}_2^{3}$ Laplace-Dunkl equation on the
$2$-sphere is cast in the framework of the Racah problem for the Hopf algebra
$sl_{-1}(2)$. The related Dunkl-Laplace operator is shown to correspond to a
quadratic expression in the total Casimir operator of the tensor product of
three irreducible $sl_{-1}(2)$-modules. The operators commuting with the Dunkl
Laplacian are seen to coincide with the intermediate Casimir operators and to
realize a central extension of the Bannai-Ito (BI) algebra. Functions on $S^2$
spanning irreducible modules of the BI algebra are constructed and given
explicitly in terms of Jacobi polynomials. The BI polynomials occur as
expansion coefficients between two such bases composed of functions separated
in different coordinate systems.


title:
Theoretical aspects of simple and nested Fermi surfaces for
  superconductivity in doped semiconductors and high-$T_C$ cuprates

abstract:
  The density-of-states at the Fermi energy, $N(E_F)$, is low in doped
superconducting semiconductors and high-$T_C$ cuprates. This contrasts with the
common view that superconductivity requires a large electron-boson coupling
$\lambda$ and therefore also a large $N(E_F)$. However, the generic Fermi
surfaces (FS) of these systems are relatively simple.
  Here is presented arguments showing that going from a 3-dimensional
multi-band FS to a 2-dimensional and simple FS is energetically favorable to
superconductivity. Nesting and few excitations of bosons compensate for a low
$N(E_F)$. The typical behavior of the 2-dimensional FS for cuprates, and small
3-dimensional FS pockets in doped semiconductors and diamond, leads to $T_C$
variations as a function of doping in line with what has been observed. Diamond
is predicted to attain higher $T_C$ from electron doping than from hole doping,
while conditions for superconductivity in Si and Ge are less favorable. A
high-$T_C$ material should ideally have few flat and parallel FS sheets with a
reasonably large $N(E_F)$.


title: Structural Vulnerability Assessment of Electric Power Grids

abstract:
  Cascading failures are the typical reasons of black- outs in power grids. The
grid topology plays an important role in determining the dynamics of cascading
failures in power grids. Measures for vulnerability analysis are crucial to
assure a higher level of robustness of power grids. Metrics from Complex
Networks are widely used to investigate the grid vulnerability. Yet, these
purely topological metrics fail to capture the real behaviour of power grids.
This paper proposes a metric, the effective graph resistance, as a
vulnerability measure to de- termine the critical components in a power grid.
Differently than the existing purely topological measures, the effective graph
resistance accounts for the electrical properties of power grids such as power
flow allocation according to Kirchoff laws. To demonstrate the applicability of
the effective graph resistance, a quantitative vulnerability assessment of the
IEEE 118 buses power system is performed. The simulation results verify the
effectiveness of the effective graph resistance to identify the critical
transmission lines in a power grid.


title:
Using Latent Binary Variables for Online Reconstruction of Large Scale
  Systems

abstract:
  We propose a probabilistic graphical model realizing a minimal encoding of
real variables dependencies based on possibly incomplete observation and an
empirical cumulative distribution function per variable. The target application
is a large scale partially observed system, like e.g. a traffic network, where
a small proportion of real valued variables are observed, and the other
variables have to be predicted. Our design objective is therefore to have good
scalability in a real-time setting. Instead of attempting to encode the
dependencies of the system directly in the description space, we propose a way
to encode them in a latent space of binary variables, reflecting a rough
perception of the observable (congested/non-congested for a traffic road). The
method relies in part on message passing algorithms, i.e. belief propagation,
but the core of the work concerns the definition of meaningful latent variables
associated to the variables of interest and their pairwise dependencies.
Numerical experiments demonstrate the applicability of the method in practice.


title:
Measurement of the production cross section for a W boson and two b jets
  in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

abstract:
  The production cross section for a W boson and two b jets is measured using
proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV in a data sample collected with the
CMS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0
inverse femtobarns. The W + b b-bar events are selected in the W to mu nu decay
mode by requiring a muon with transverse momentum pt > 25 GeV and
pseudorapidity abs(eta) < 2.1, and exactly two b-tagged jets with pt > 25 GeV
and abs(eta) < 2.4. The measured W + b b-bar production cross section in the
fiducial region, calculated at the level of final-state particles, is sigma(pp
to W + b b-bar) x B(W to mu nu) = 0.53 +/- 0.05 (stat.) +/- 0.09 (syst.) +/-
0.06 (theo.) +/- 0.01 (lum.) pb, in agreement with the standard model
prediction. In addition, kinematic distributions of the W + b b-bar system are
in agreement with the predictions of a simulation using MADGRAPH and PYTHIA.


title: A comprehensive review of firefly algorithms

abstract:
  The firefly algorithm has become an increasingly important tool of Swarm
Intelligence that has been applied in almost all areas of optimization, as well
as engineering practice. Many problems from various areas have been
successfully solved using the firefly algorithm and its variants. In order to
use the algorithm to solve diverse problems, the original firefly algorithm
needs to be modified or hybridized. This paper carries out a comprehensive
review of this living and evolving discipline of Swarm Intelligence, in order
to show that the firefly algorithm could be applied to every problem arising in
practice. On the other hand, it encourages new researchers and algorithm
developers to use this simple and yet very efficient algorithm for problem
solving. It often guarantees that the obtained results will meet the
expectations.


title: Searching Doubly Charged Leptons at Present and Future Colliders

abstract:
  The production at the LHC of exotic excited leptons of charge $Q = +2e$ is
considered. Such states are predicted in composite models with extended isospin
multiplets ($I_{W}=1$ and $I_{W}=3/2$). The coupling among these doubly charged
leptons and Standard Model fermions may occurs either via gauge or contact
interactions. In the former case the decay channels are more constrained. We
study the production cross section at the LHC of $L^{++}$ ($pp \rightarrow
L^{++} \, \ell^{-}$) and focus on the leptonic signature deriving from the
subsequent decays $L^{++} \rightarrow W^{+} \ell^{+} \rightarrow \ell^{+} \
\ell^{+} \, \nu_l $. The invariant mass distribution of the like-sign dilepton
exhibits a sharp end-point corresponding to excited doubly charged lepton mass
$m^{*}$. A preliminary study for the production of doubly charged leptons at
the future linear colliders, by considering the process $e^{-} e^{-}
\rightarrow L_{e}^{--} \, \nu_{e}$, is carried out. Both the contact and gauge
interaction mechanisms are investigated and compared.


title:
Bayesian Variable Selection on Model Spaces Constrained by Heredity
  Conditions

abstract:
  This paper investigates Bayesian variable selection when there is a
hierarchical dependence structure on the inclusion of predictors in the model.
In particular, we study the type of dependence found in polynomial response
surfaces of orders two and higher, whose model spaces are required to satisfy
weak or strong heredity conditions. These conditions restrict the inclusion of
higher-order terms depending upon the inclusion of lower-order parent terms. We
develop classes of priors on the model space, investigate their theoretical and
finite sample properties, and provide a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for
searching the space of models. The tools proposed allow fast and thorough
exploration of model spaces that account for hierarchical polynomial structure
in the predictors and provide control of the inclusion of false positives in
high posterior probability models.


title: On the Classification of Algebras

abstract:
  We classify (possibly non commutative) algebras of low rank over a domain R.
We first review results for algebras of rank 2 and for finite-dimensional
division algebras over the real numbers. These results motivate us to consider
which algebras possess a standard involution. Our main result is that algebras
of rank 3 are either commutative or possess a standard involution.


title:
Field theoretical formulation of the asymptotic relaxation states of
  two-dimensional ideal fluids

abstract:
  The ideal incompressible fluid in two dimensions (Euler fluid) evolves at
relaxation from turbulent states to highly coherent states of flow. For the
case of double spatial periodicity and zero total vorticity it is known that
the streamfunction verifies the \emph{sinh}-Poisson equation. These exceptional
states can only be identified in a description based on the extremum of an
action functional. Starting from the discrete model of interacting point-like
vortices it was possible to write a Lagrangian in terms of a matter function
and a gauge potential. They provide a dual representation of the same physical
object, the vorticity. This classical field theory identifies the stationary,
coherent, states of the $2D$ Euler fluid as derived from the self-duality. We
first provide a more detailed analysis of this model, including a comparison
with the approach based on the statistical physics of point-like vortices. The
second main objective is the study of the dynamics in close proximity of the
stationary self-dual state, \emph{i.e.} before the system has reached the
absolute extremum of the action functional. Finally, limitations and possible
extensions of this field theoretical model for the $2D$ fluids model are
discussed and some possible applications are mentioned.


title:
Projection method and new formulation of leading-order anisotropic
  hydrodynamics

abstract:
  The introduced earlier projection method for boost-invariant and
cylindrically symmetric systems is used to introduce a new formulation of
anisotropic hydrodynamics that allows for three substantially different values
of pressure acting locally in three different directions. Our considerations
are based on the Boltzmann kinetic equation with the collision term treated in
the relaxation time approximation and the momentum anisotropy is included
explicitly in the leading term of the distribution function. A novel feature of
our work is the complete analysis of the second moment of the Boltzmann
equation, in addition to the zeroth and first moments that have been analyzed
in earlier studies. We define the final equations of anisotropic hydrodynamics
in the leading order as a subset of the analyzed moment equations (and their
linear combinations) which agree with the Israel-Stewart theory in the case of
small pressure anisotropies.


title: Automated Coin Recognition System using ANN

abstract:
  Coins are integral part of our day to day life. We use coins everywhere like
grocery store, banks, buses, trains etc. So it becomes a basic need that coins
can be sorted and counted automatically. For this it is necessary that coins
can be recognized automatically. In this paper we have developed an ANN
(Artificial Neural Network) based Automated Coin Recognition System for the
recognition of Indian Coins of denomination Rs. 1, 2, 5 and 10 with rotation
invariance. We have taken images from both sides of coin. So this system is
capable of recognizing coins from both sides. Features are extracted from
images using techniques of Hough Transformation, Pattern Averaging etc. Then,
the extracted features are passed as input to a trained Neural Network. 97.74%
recognition rate has been achieved during the experiments i.e. only 2.26% miss
recognition, which is quite encouraging.


title:
Classical limit of the Casimir interaction for thin films with
  applications to graphene

abstract:
  The Casimir interaction between two thin material films, between a film and a
thick plate and between two films deposited on substrates is considered at
large separations (high temperatures) which correspond to the classical limit.
It is shown that the free energy of the classical Casimir interaction between
two insulating films with no free charge carriers and between an insulating
film and a material plate depends on film thicknesses and decreases with
separation more rapidly than the classical limit for two thick plates. The free
energy of thin films characterized by the metallic-type dielectric permittivity
decreases as the second power of separation, i.e., demonstrates the standard
classical limit. The obtained results shed light on the possibility to describe
dispersion interaction between two graphene sheets and between a graphene sheet
and a material plate by modeling graphene as a thin film possessing some
dielectric permittivity. It is argued that the most reliable results are
obtained by describing the reflection properties on graphene by means of the
polarization tensor in (2+1)-dimensional space-time.


title:
High Density Circumstellar Interaction in the Luminous Type IIn SN
  2010jl: The first 1100 days

abstract:
  HST and ground based observations of the Type IIn SN 2010jl are analyzed,
including photometry, spectroscopy in the ultraviolet, optical and NIR bands,
26-1128 days after first detection. At maximum the bolometric luminosity was
$\sim 3\times10^{43}$ erg/s and even at 850 days exceeds $10^{42}$ erg/s. A NIR
excess, dominating after 400 days, probably originates in dust in the
circumstellar medium (CSM). The total radiated energy is $> 6.5\times10^{50}$
ergs, excluding the dust component. The spectral lines can be separated into
one broad component due to electron scattering, and one narrow with expansion
velocity $\sim 100$ km/s from the CSM. The broad component is initially
symmetric around zero velocity but becomes blueshifted after $\sim 50$ days,
while remaining symmetric about a shifted centroid velocity. Dust absorption in
the ejecta is unlikely to explain the line shifts, and we attribute the shift
instead to acceleration by the SN radiation. From the optical lines and the
X-ray and dust properties, there is strong evidence for large scale asymmetries
in the CSM. The ultraviolet lines indicate CNO processing in the progenitor,
while the optical shows a number of narrow coronal lines excited by the X-rays.
The bolometric light curve is consistent with a radiative shock in an $r^{-2}$
CSM with a mass loss rate of $\sim 0.1$ M_sun/yr. The total mass lost is $> 3$
M_sun. These properties are consistent with the SN expanding into a CSM
characteristic of an LBV progenitor with a bipolar geometry. The apparent
absence of nuclear processing is attributed to a CSM still opaque to electron
scattering.


title:
ZDC Effective Cross Section for Run 12 Uranium-Uranium Collisions in
  RHIC

abstract:
  An accurate calibration of the luminosity measurement of the 2012
Uranium-Uranium RHIC run at 96 GeV per beam is of the greatest importance in
order to measure the total uranium-uranium cross section with a reasonably
small error bar. During the run, which lasted from April 20th to May 15th 2012,
three vernier scans per experiment were performed. Beam intensities of up to
3.4 10$^{10}$ Uranium ions in one ring were successfully accelerated to flattop
at $\gamma = 103.48$ corresponding to 96 GeV/beam. The desired model $\beta^*$
value was 0.7 m in the two low beta Interaction Points IP6 and IP8. With these
beam parameters interaction rates of up to 15 kHz were achieved. This note
presents the data associated with the vernier scans, and discusses the results
and systematic effects.


title: Torsion points on the cohomology jump loci of compact K\"ahler manifolds

abstract:
  We prove that each irreducible component of the cohomology jump loci of rank
one local systems over a compact K\"ahler manifold contains at least one
torsion point. This generalizes a theorem of Simpson for smooth complex
projective varieties. An immediate consequence is the conjecture of Beauville
and Catanese for compact K\"ahler manifolds. We also provide an example of a
compact K\"ahler manifold, whose cohomology jump loci can not be realized by
any smooth complex projective variety.


title: Reductions of subgroups of the multiplicative group

abstract:
  Let $K$ be a number field, and let $G\subset K^\times$ be a finitely
generated subgroup. Fix some prime number $\ell$, and consider the set of
primes $\mathfrak{p}$ of $K$ satisfying the following property: the reduction
of $G$ modulo $\mathfrak{p}$ is well-defined and has size coprime to $\ell$. We
give a closed--form expression for the density of this set.


title:
Mirage Models Confront the LHC: II. Flux-Stabilized Type IIB String
  Theory

abstract:
  We continue the study of a class of string-motivated effective supergravity
theories in light of current data from the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In
this installment we consider Type IIB string theory compactified on a
Calabi-Yau orientifold in the presence of fluxes, in the manner originally
formulated by Kachru, et al. We allow for a variety of potential uplift
mechanisms and embeddings of the Standard Model field content into D3 and D7
brane configurations. We find that an uplift sector independent of the Kahler
moduli, as is the case with anti-D3 branes, is inconsistent with data unless
the matter and Higgs sectors are localized on D7 branes exclusively, or are
confined to twisted sectors between D3 and D7 branes. We identify regions of
parameter space for all possible D-brane configurations that remain consistent
with PLANCK observations on the dark matter relic density and measurements of
the CP-even Higgs mass at the LHC. Constraints arising from LHC searches at 8
TeV center-of-mass energies, and the LUX dark matter detection experiment, are
discussed. The discovery prospects for the remaining parameter space at dark
matter direct detection experiments are described, and signatures for detection
of superpartners at the LHC, with center-of-mass energy of 14 TeV, are
analyzed.


title:
Itinerant and high-energy localized single-particle spectra in
  large-U$_d$ high-Tc cuprates

abstract:
  A theory of the underlying metallic state of large-U$_d$ high-Tc cuprates is
presented starting from the covalent Cu-2O 3-band model associated with a
sufficiently small copper occupancy. U$_d=\infty$ is dealt by the slave fermion
approach. Diagrammatic low order NCA theory in terms of the Cu-O hopping is
supplemented with two independent slave particle chemical potentials which
implement the U(1) local gauge invariance "at average", thus avoiding the
mean-field approximations. The resulting hole spectra consist of itinerant and
localized states. The itinerant states close to the Fermi level are coherent.
They exhibit dichotomies, the copper/oxygen in real and the nodal/antinodal in
reciprocal space. The localized states, related to random Cu-O "mixed valence"
fluctuations within the CuO$_2$ unit cells, are incoherent and fall well away
from the Fermi level. Consequently, Luttinger's band sum rule for the
conduction band is broken. Comparison with IPES, ARPES and NQR data on NCCO,
LSCO, Bi2201 and Bi2212 - in order of increasing correlations - leads to
remarkable agreements considering that only three bare band parameters are
involved.


title:
On special values of standard L-functions of Siegel cusp eigenforms of
  genus 3

abstract:
  We explicitly compute the special values of the standard $L$-function $L(s,
F_{12}, \mathrm{St})$ at the critical points $s\in\{-8, -6, -4, -2, 0, 1, 3, 5,
7, 9\}$, where $F_{12}$ is the unique (up to a scalar) Siegel cusp form of
degree $3$ and weight $12$, which was constructed by Miyawaki. These values are
proportional to the product of the Petersson norms of symmetric square of
Ramanujan's $\Delta$ and the cusp form of weight $20$ for ${\rm
SL}_2(\mathbb{Z})$ by a rational number and some power of $\pi$. We use the
Rankin-Selberg method and apply the Holomorphic projection to compute these
values. To our knowledge this is the first example of a standard $L$-function
of Siegel cusp form of degree $3$, when the special values can be computed
explicitly.


title: Shape and Content: Incorporating Domain Knowledge into Shape Analysis

abstract:
  The verification community has studied dynamic data structures primarily in a
bottom-up way by analyzing pointers and the shapes induced by them. Recent work
in fields such as separation logic has made significant progress in extracting
shapes from program source code. Many real world programs however manipulate
complex data whose structure and content is most naturally described by
formalisms from object oriented programming and databases. In this paper, we
look at the verification of programs with dynamic data structures from the
perspective of content representation. Our approach is based on description
logic, a widely used knowledge representation paradigm which gives a logical
underpinning for diverse modeling frameworks such as UML and ER. Technically,
we assume that we have separation logic shape invariants obtained from a shape
analysis tool, and requirements on the program data in terms of description
logic. We show that the two-variable fragment of first order logic with
counting and trees %(whose decidability was proved at LICS 2013) can be used as
a joint framework to embed suitable fragments of description logic and
separation logic.


title:
Impact of atmospheric refraction: How deeply can we probe exo-Earth's
  atmospheres during primary eclipse observations?

abstract:
  Most models used to predict or fit exoplanet transmission spectra do not
include all the effects of atmospheric refraction. Namely, the angular size of
the star with respect to the planet can limit the lowest altitude, or highest
density and pressure, probed during primary eclipses, as no rays passing below
this critical altitude can reach the observer. We discuss this geometrical
effect of refraction for all exoplanets, and tabulate the critical altitude,
density and pressure for an exoplanet identical to Earth with a 1 bar N2/O2
atmosphere, as a function of both the incident stellar flux (Venus, Earth, and
Mars-like) at the top of the atmosphere, and the spectral type (O5-M9) of the
host star. We show that such a habitable exo-Earth can be probed to a surface
pressure of 1 bar only around the coolest stars. We present 0.4-5.0 micron
model transmission spectra of Earth's atmosphere viewed as a transiting
exoplanet, and show how atmospheric refraction modifies the transmission
spectrum depending on the spectral type of the host star. We demonstrate that
refraction is another phenomenon that can potentially explain flat transmission
spectra over some spectral regions.


title:
Drops on soft solids: Free energy and double transition of contact
  angles

abstract:
  The equilibrium shape of liquid drops on elastic substrates is determined by
minimising elastic and capillary free energies, focusing on thick
incompressible substrates. The problem is governed by three length scales: the
size of the drop $R$, the molecular size $a$, and the ratio of surface tension
to elastic modulus $\gamma/E$. We show that the contact angles undergo two
transitions upon changing the substrates from rigid to soft. The microscopic
wetting angles deviate from Young's law when $\gamma/Ea \gg 1$, while the
apparent macroscopic angle only changes in the very soft limit $\gamma/ER \gg
1$. The elastic deformations are worked out in the simplifying case where the
solid surface energy is assumed constant. The total free energy turns out lower
on softer substrates, consistent with recent experiments.


title: Minimax Approach to First-Order Mean Field Games

abstract:
  The paper is devoted to the first-order mean field game system in the case
when the distribution of players can contain atoms. The proposed definition of
a generalized solution is based on the minimax approach to the Hamilton-Jacobi
equation. We prove the existence of the generalized (minimax) solution of the
mean filed game system using the Nash equilibrium in the auxiliary differential
game with infinitely many identical players. We show that the minimax solution
of the original system provide the $\varepsilon$-Nash equilibrium in the
differential game with finite number of players.


title: Ferromagnetism in Mn-doped Sb2Te

abstract:
  We report that Sb2Te, a natural superlattice phase consisting of two
elemental Sb2 layers interleaved with single Sb2Te3 layers, becomes
ferromagnetic at low temperatures on doping with small percentages of Mn.
Ferromagnetism appears for Mn concentrations as low as Sb1.98Mn0.02Te, where a
ferromagnetic Tc of ~ 8.6 K is observed. Tc decreases with increasing Mn
content in the stoichiometric materials but increases with increasing Te excess
in materials of the type Sb1.93-yMn0.07Te1+y, starting at ~ 3 K at y = 0 and
reaching a Tc of ~ 8.9 K at y = 0.06.


title: On the structure of Brieskorn lattices, II

abstract:
  We give a simple proof of the uniqueness of extensions of good sections for
formal Brieskorn lattices, which can be used in a paper of C. Li, S. Li, and K.
Saito for the proof of convergence in the non-quasihomogeneous polynomial case.
Our proof uses an exponential operator argument as in their paper, although we
do not use polyvector fields nor smooth differential forms. We also present an
apparently simpler algorithm for an inductive calculation of the coefficients
of primitive forms in the Brieskorn-Pham polynomial case. In a previous paper
on the structure of Brieskorn lattices, there were some points which were not
yet very clear, and we give some explanations about these, e.g. on the
existence and the uniqueness of primitive forms associated with good sections,
where we present some rather interesting examples. In Appendix we prove the
uniqueness up to a nonzero constant multiple of the higher residue pairings in
some formal setting which is different from the one in the main theorem. This
is questioned by D. Shklyarov.


title:
Impact of Quenched Oxygen Disorder on Charge Density Wave Order in
  YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$

abstract:
  The competition between superconductivity and charge density wave (CDW) order
in underdoped cuprates has now been widely reported, but the role of disorder
in this competition has yet to be fully resolved. A central question is whether
disorder sets the length scale of the CDW order, for instance by pinning charge
density fluctuations or disrupting an otherwise long range order. Using
resonant soft x-ray scattering, we investigate the sensitivity of CDW order in
YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ (YBCO) to varying levels of oxygen disorder. We find
that quench cooling YBCO$_{6.67}$ (YBCO$_{6.75}$) crystals to destroy their o-V
and o-VIII (o-III) chains decreases the intensity of the CDW superlattice peak
by a factor of 1.9 (1.3), but has little effect on the CDW correlation length,
incommensurability, and temperature dependence. This reveals that while
quenched oxygen disorder influences the CDW order parameter, the spatial extent
of the CDW order is insensitive to the level of quenched oxygen disorder and
may instead be a consequence of competition with superconductivity.


title:
On the decay of the inverse of matrices that are sum of Kronecker
  products

abstract:
  Decay patterns of matrix inverses have recently attracted considerable
interest, due to their relevance in numerical analysis, and in applications
requiring matrix function approximations. In this paper we analyze the decay
pattern of the inverse of banded matrices in the form $S=M \otimes I_n + I_n
\otimes M$ where $M$ is tridiagonal, symmetric and positive definite, $I_n$ is
the identity matrix, and $\otimes$ stands for the Kronecker product. It is well
known that the inverses of banded matrices exhibit an exponential decay pattern
away from the main diagonal. However, the entries in $S^{-1}$ show a
non-monotonic decay, which is not caught by classical bounds. By using an
alternative expression for $S^{-1}$, we derive computable upper bounds that
closely capture the actual behavior of its entries. We also show that similar
estimates can be obtained when $M$ has a larger bandwidth, or when the sum of
Kronecker products involves two different matrices. Numerical experiments
illustrating the new bounds are also reported.


title:
Neutrino emissivity from Goldstone boson decay in magnetized neutron
  matter

abstract:
  Neutron matter at densities somewhat above nuclear densities is believed to
be superfluid due to the condensation of neutron pairs in the 3 P2 channel.
This condensate breaks rotational symmetry spontaneously and leads to the
existence of Goldstone bosons (angulons). We show that the coupling to magnetic
fields mediated by the magnetic moment of the neutron makes angulons massive
and capable of decaying into a neutrino-antineutrino pair. We compute the rate
for this process and argue they become competitive with other cooling processes
for temperatures around 10^7 K as long as the interior magnetic field of the
star is in the B=10^15 G range or above.


title:
Evolution through time of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids detection and
  quantification

abstract:
  Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PAs) are a group of naturally occurring alkaloids
that are produced by plants as a defense mechanism against insect herbivores.
The analytical methodologies employed for their detection have come a long way
since the first analytical experiment and in the last 30 years had an enormous
development, both technological and experimental. It is notorious that before
the generalization of certain technologies, especially in a post-war
atmosphere, most scientific researches relied on what it is today thin-layer
chromatography. Nevertheless this technique was not sufficient for accurately
measure quantities and unambiguously identify compounds, therefore
spectroscopic techniques arose as well as chromatographic techniques. While the
first never really coped with PAs analysis requirements the latter, either as
gas or liquid chromatography allowed the analysis of complex sample matrices.
Simultaneously, nuclear magnetic resonance also suffered significant
developments while mass spectrometry has become an attractive technique due to
increasingly higher maximum resolutions. The observed tendency in recent years,
in pyrrolizidine detection and quantification, as well as in many other areas,
is that hyphenated techniques are the chosen methods. A large number of papers
report multihyphenated methodologies, and the overwhelming majority relies on
gas or liquid chromatography.


title: Ken Wilson -- The Early Years

abstract: Ken Wilson is remembered.


title:
Topic and Sentiment Analysis on OSNs: a Case Study of Advertising
  Strategies on Twitter

abstract:
  Social media have substantially altered the way brands and businesses
advertise: Online Social Networks provide brands with more versatile and
dynamic channels for advertisement than traditional media (e.g., TV and radio).
Levels of engagement in such media are usually measured in terms of content
adoption (e.g., likes and retweets) and sentiment, around a given topic.
However, sentiment analysis and topic identification are both non-trivial
tasks.
  In this paper, using data collected from Twitter as a case study, we analyze
how engagement and sentiment in promoted content spread over a 10-day period.
We find that promoted tweets lead to higher positive sentiment than promoted
trends; although promoted trends pay off in response volume. We observe that
levels of engagement for the brand and promoted content are highest on the
first day of the campaign, and fall considerably thereafter. However, we show
that these insights depend on the use of robust machine learning and natural
language processing techniques to gather focused, relevant datasets, and to
accurately gauge sentiment, rather than relying on the simple keyword- or
frequency-based metrics sometimes used in social media research.


title: SmB6 Photoemission: Past and Present

abstract:
  Recent renewed interest in the mixed valent insulator SmB6 comes from
topological theory predictions and surface transport measurements of possible
in-gap surface states whose existence is most directly probed by angle-resolved
photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Early photoemission leading up to a recent
flurry of ARPES studies of in-gap states is reviewed. Conflicting
interpretations about the nature of the Sm 4f-5d hybridization gap and observed
X-point bands between the f-states and the Fermi level are critically assessed
using the important tools of photon polarization and spatial dependence which
also provide additional insight into the origin of the more ambiguous
{\Gamma}-point in-gap states.


title:
Temperature Dependence of Linked Gap and Surface State Evolution in the
  Mixed Valent Topological Insulator SmB6

abstract:
  Taken together and viewed holistically, recent theory, low temperature (T)
transport, photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum oscillation experiments have
built a very strong case that the paradigmatic mixed valence insulator SmB6 is
currently unique as a three-dimensional strongly correlated topological
insulator (TI). As such, its many-body T-dependent bulk gap brings an extra
richness to the physics beyond that of the weakly correlated TI materials. How
will the robust, symmetry-protected TI surface states evolve as the gap closes
with increasing T? For SmB6 exploiting this opportunity first requires
resolution of other important gap-related issues, its origin, its magnitude,
its T-dependence and its role in bulk transport. In this paper we report
detailed T-dependent angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES)
measurements that answer all these questions in a unified way.


title: Gauge Non-Invariant Higher-Spin Currents in $4d$ Minkowski Space

abstract:
  Conserved currents of any spin $t>0$ built from symmetric massless gauge
fields of any integer spin $s \geq t$ in {4d} Minkowski space are found. In
particular, stress-energy tensor for a higher-spin field of any spin is
constructed. Analogously to spin-two stress (pseudo)tensor, currents considered
in this paper are not gauge invariant. However, they are shown to generate
gauge invariant conserved charges. Besides expected parity even HS currents, we
found unexpected parity odd currents that generate less symmetries than the
even ones. It is argued that these odd currents unlikely admit a consistent
$AdS$ deformation.


title:
Ancient human genomes suggest three ancestral populations for
  present-day Europeans

abstract:
  We sequenced genomes from a $\sim$7,000 year old early farmer from Stuttgart
in Germany, an $\sim$8,000 year old hunter-gatherer from Luxembourg, and seven
$\sim$8,000 year old hunter-gatherers from southern Sweden. We analyzed these
data together with other ancient genomes and 2,345 contemporary humans to show
that the great majority of present-day Europeans derive from at least three
highly differentiated populations: West European Hunter-Gatherers (WHG), who
contributed ancestry to all Europeans but not to Near Easterners; Ancient North
Eurasians (ANE), who were most closely related to Upper Paleolithic Siberians
and contributed to both Europeans and Near Easterners; and Early European
Farmers (EEF), who were mainly of Near Eastern origin but also harbored
WHG-related ancestry. We model these populations' deep relationships and show
that EEF had $\sim$44% ancestry from a "Basal Eurasian" lineage that split
prior to the diversification of all other non-African lineages.


title: Do Large Number of Parties Enforce Monogamy in All Quantum Correlations?

abstract:
  Monogamy is a non-classical property that restricts the sharability of
quantum correlation among the constituents of a multipartite quantum system.
Quantum correlations may satisfy or violate monogamy for quantum states. Here
we provide evidence that almost all pure quantum states of systems consisting
of a large number of subsystems are monogamous with respect to all quantum
correlation measures of both the entanglement-separability and the
information-theoretic paradigms, indicating that the volume of the monogamous
pure quantum states increases with an increasing number of parties.
Nonetheless, we identify important classes of pure states that remain
non-monogamous with respect to quantum discord and quantum work-deficit,
irrespective of the number of qubits. We find conditions for which a given
quantum correlation measure satisfies vis-\`a-vis violates monogamy.


title: Euclid and Frobenius structures on Weyl algebra

abstract:
  A non-degenerate associative bilinear form and a positive definite symmetric
bilinear form on Weyl algebra are constructed.


title:
Quasiparticle Theory of Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering in
  high-T$_c$ cuprates

abstract:
  We develop a formalism for calculating resonant inelastic x-ray scattering
(RIXS) spectra in systems of itinerant electrons with arbitrary band
structures, accounting for the effect of the positively-charged core hole
exactly. We apply this formalism to the cuprate superconductors and obtain
quantitative agreement with experimental data over a wide range of dopings. We
reproduce the dispersing peaks and non-trivial polarization dependence found in
RIXS experiments on several materials. Thus we demonstrate that features
previously attributed to collective magnetic modes can be explained by band
structure alone.


title:
Conic approach to quantum graph parameters using linear optimization
  over the completely positive semidefinite cone

abstract:
  We investigate the completely positive semidefinite cone $\mathcal{CS}_+^n$,
a new matrix cone consisting of all $n\times n$ matrices that admit a Gram
representation by positive semidefinite matrices (of any size). In particular
we study relationships between this cone and the completely positive and doubly
nonnegative cones, and between its dual cone and trace positive non-commutative
polynomials.
  We use this new cone to model quantum analogues of the classical independence
and chromatic graph parameters $\alpha(G)$ and $\chi(G)$, which are roughly
obtained by allowing variables to be positive semidefinite matrices instead of
$0/1$ scalars in the programs defining the classical parameters. We can
formulate these quantum parameters as conic linear programs over the cone
$\mathcal{CS}_+^n$. Using this conic approach we can recover the bounds in
terms of the theta number and define further approximations by exploiting the
link to trace positive polynomials.


title: Heat transport through ion crystals

abstract:
  We study the thermodynamical properties of crystals of trapped ions which are
laser cooled to two different temperatures in two separate regions. We show
that these properties strongly depend on the structure of the ion crystal. Such
structure can be changed by varying the trap parameters and undergoes a series
of phase transitions from linear to zig-zag or helicoidal configurations. Thus,
we show that these systems are ideal candidates to observe and control the
transition from anomalous to normal heat transport. All structures behave as
`heat superconductors', with a thermal conductivity increasing linearly with
system size and a vanishing thermal gradient inside the system. However,
zig-zag and helicoidal crystals turn out to be hyper sensitive to disorder
having a linear temperature profile and a length independent conductivity.
Interestingly, disordered 2D ion crystals are heat insulators. Sensitivity to
disorder is much smaller in the 1D case.


title:
Evidence for Gravitational Lensing of the Cosmic Microwave Background
  Polarization from Cross-correlation with the Cosmic Infrared Background

abstract:
  We reconstruct the gravitational lensing convergence signal from Cosmic
Microwave Background (CMB) polarization data taken by the POLARBEAR experiment
and cross-correlate it with Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) maps from the
Herschel satellite. From the cross-spectra, we obtain evidence for
gravitational lensing of the CMB polarization at a statistical significance of
4.0$\sigma$ and evidence for the presence of a lensing $B$-mode signal at a
significance of 2.3$\sigma$. We demonstrate that our results are not biased by
instrumental and astrophysical systematic errors by performing null-tests,
checks with simulated and real data, and analytical calculations. This
measurement of polarization lensing, made via the robust cross-correlation
channel, not only reinforces POLARBEAR auto-correlation measurements, but also
represents one of the early steps towards establishing CMB polarization lensing
as a powerful new probe of cosmology and astrophysics.


title:
Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Lensing
  Power Spectrum with the POLARBEAR experiment

abstract:
  Gravitational lensing due to the large-scale distribution of matter in the
cosmos distorts the primordial Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and thereby
induces new, small-scale $B$-mode polarization. This signal carries detailed
information about the distribution of all the gravitating matter between the
observer and CMB last scattering surface. We report the first direct evidence
for polarization lensing based on purely CMB information, from using the
four-point correlations of even- and odd-parity $E$- and $B$-mode polarization
mapped over $\sim30$ square degrees of the sky measured by the POLARBEAR
experiment. These data were analyzed using a blind analysis framework and
checked for spurious systematic contamination using null tests and simulations.
Evidence for the signal of polarization lensing and lensing $B$-modes is found
at 4.2$\sigma$ (stat.+sys.) significance. The amplitude of matter fluctuations
is measured with a precision of $27\%$, and is found to be consistent with the
Lambda Cold Dark Matter ($\Lambda$CDM) cosmological model. This measurement
demonstrates a new technique, capable of mapping all gravitating matter in the
Universe, sensitive to the sum of neutrino masses, and essential for cleaning
the lensing $B$-mode signal in searches for primordial gravitational waves.


title:
Misiurewicz parameters for Weierstrass elliptic functions based on
  triangle and square lattices

abstract:
  For two families of Weierstrass elliptic functions - based on triangular or
square lattices - we prove that the set of Misiurewicz parameters has the
Lebesgue measure zero in C.


title:
Analysis of Cosmological Generalized Reduced Void Probability Functions
  Constrained by Observations and Numerical Simulations

abstract:
  Using survey data and numerical LCDM modeling we establish an optimized fit
to the generalized Reduced Void Probability Function, RVPF, of Mikjian used to
establish a statistical foundation to any physical process associated with
hierarchical clustering. We use a numerical N-body cosmological simulation
code, GADGET-2, to investigate the sensitivity of the distribution of voids
characterized by the RVPF to a general hierarchical reduced void parameter, a.
The void parameter is related to the Levy stability index of the distribution
and Fischer critical exponent used in clustering models. We numerically
simulate the evolution of the universe from a redshift of z=50 to the current
epoch at z=0 in order to generate RVPFs. GADGET-2 is an N-body/smoothed
particle hydrodynamics, SPH, code that we ran in MPI parallelizable mode on an
HPC Beowulf cluster. The numerical data sets are compared to observational data
from the Sloan digital sky Survey, SDSS, CfA, the Deep2 Galaxy Redshift Survey,
and the 2dF Survey. We find the best value of the parameter a occurs near the
Negative Binomial reduced void probability function but exhibits a departure
from perfect scaling over the z values studied.


title: Study of Two Successive Three-Ribbon Solar Flares on 2012 July 6

abstract:
  This Letter reports two rarely observed three-ribbon flares (M1.9 and C9.2)
on 2012 July 6 in NOAA AR 11515, which we found with Halpha observations of
0.1" resolution from the New Solar Telescope and CaII H images from Hinode. The
flaring site is characterized with an intriguing "fish-bone-like" morphology
evidenced by both Halpha images and a nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF)
extrapolation, where two semi-parallel rows of low-lying, sheared loops connect
an elongated, parasitic negative field with the sandwiching positive fields.
The NLFFF model also shows that the two rows of loops are asymmetric in height
and have opposite twists, and are enveloped by large-scale field lines
including open fields. The two flares occurred in succession in half an hour
and are located at the two ends of the flaring region. The three ribbons of
each flare run parallel to the PIL, with the outer two lying in the positive
field and the central one in the negative field. Both flares show surge-like
flows in Halpha apparently toward the remote region, while the C9.2 flare is
also accompanied by EUV jets possibly along the open field lines.
Interestingly, the 12-25 keV hard X-ray sources of the C9.2 flare first line up
with the central ribbon then shift to concentrate on the top of the higher
branch of loops. These results are discussed in favor of reconnection along the
coronal null-line producing the three flare ribbons and the associated
ejections.


title: Transparent Checkpoint-Restart for Hardware-Accelerated 3D Graphics

abstract:
  Providing fault-tolerance for long-running GPU-intensive jobs requires
application-specific solutions, and often involves saving the state of complex
data structures spread among many graphics libraries. This work describes a
mechanism for transparent GPU-independent checkpoint-restart of 3D graphics.
The approach is based on a record-prune-replay paradigm: all OpenGL calls
relevant to the graphics driver state are recorded; calls not relevant to the
internal driver state as of the last graphics frame prior to checkpoint are
discarded; and the remaining calls are replayed on restart. A previous approach
for OpenGL 1.5, based on a shadow device driver, required more than 78,000
lines of OpenGL-specific code. In contrast, the new approach, based on
record-prune-replay, is used to implement the same case in just 4,500 lines of
code. The speed of this approach varies between 80 per cent and nearly 100 per
cent of the speed of the native hardware acceleration for OpenGL 1.5, as
measured when running the ioquake3 game under Linux. This approach has also
been extended to demonstrate checkpointing of OpenGL 3.0 for the first time,
with a demonstration for PyMol, for molecular visualization.


title: Renormalization of Loop Functions in QCD

abstract:
  We give a short overview of the renormalization properties of rectangular
Wilson loops, the Polyakov loop correlator and the cyclic Wilson loop. We then
discuss how to renormalize loops with more than one intersection, using the
simplest non-trivial case as an illustrative example. Our findings expand on
previous treatments. The generalized exponentiation theorem is applied to the
Polyakov loop correlator and used to renormalize linear divergences in the
cyclic Wilson loop.


title: Rounding Sum-of-Squares Relaxations

abstract:
  We present a general approach to rounding semidefinite programming
relaxations obtained by the Sum-of-Squares method (Lasserre hierarchy). Our
approach is based on using the connection between these relaxations and the
Sum-of-Squares proof system to transform a *combining algorithm* -- an
algorithm that maps a distribution over solutions into a (possibly weaker)
solution -- into a *rounding algorithm* that maps a solution of the relaxation
to a solution of the original problem.
  Using this approach, we obtain algorithms that yield improved results for
natural variants of three well-known problems:
  1) We give a quasipolynomial-time algorithm that approximates the maximum of
a low degree multivariate polynomial with non-negative coefficients over the
Euclidean unit sphere. Beyond being of interest in its own right, this is
related to an open question in quantum information theory, and our techniques
have already led to improved results in this area (Brand\~{a}o and Harrow, STOC
'13).
  2) We give a polynomial-time algorithm that, given a d dimensional subspace
of R^n that (almost) contains the characteristic function of a set of size n/k,
finds a vector $v$ in the subspace satisfying $|v|_4^4 > c(k/d^{1/3}) |v|_2^2$,
where $|v|_p = (E_i v_i^p)^{1/p}$. Aside from being a natural relaxation, this
is also motivated by a connection to the Small Set Expansion problem shown by
Barak et al. (STOC 2012) and our results yield a certain improvement for that
problem.
  3) We use this notion of L_4 vs. L_2 sparsity to obtain a polynomial-time
algorithm with substantially improved guarantees for recovering a planted
$\mu$-sparse vector v in a random d-dimensional subspace of R^n. If v has mu n
nonzero coordinates, we can recover it with high probability whenever $\mu <
O(\min(1,n/d^2))$, improving for $d < n^{2/3}$ prior methods which
intrinsically required $\mu < O(1/\sqrt(d))$.


title: The flow of time in the theory of relativity

abstract:
  Dennis Dieks advanced the view that the idea of flow of time is implemented
in the theory of relativity. The 'flow' results from the successive
happening/becoming of events along the time-like worldline of a material
system. This leads to a view of now as local to each worldline. Each past event
of the worldline has occurred once as a nowpoint, and we take there to be an
ever-changing present now-point 'marking' the unfolding of a physical system.
In Dieks' approach there is no preferred worldline and only along each
worldline is there a Newtonian-like linear order between successive now-points.
We have a flow of time per worldline. Also there is no global temporal order of
the now-points of different worldlines. There is, as much, what Dieks calls a
partial order. However Dieks needs for a consistency reason to impose a
limitation on the assignment of the now-points along different worldlines. In
this work it is made the claim that Dieks' consistency requirement is, in fact,
inbuilt in the theory as a spatial relation between physical systems and
processes. Furthermore, in this work we will consider (very) particular cases
of assignments of now-points restricted by this spatial relation, in which the
now-points taken to be simultaneous are not relative to the adopted inertial
reference frame.