title:
Combining Spatio-Temporal Appearance Descriptors and Optical Flow for
  Human Action Recognition in Video Data

abstract:
  This paper proposes combining spatio-temporal appearance (STA) descriptors
with optical flow for human action recognition. The STA descriptors are local
histogram-based descriptors of space-time, suitable for building a partial
representation of arbitrary spatio-temporal phenomena. Because of the
possibility of iterative refinement, they are interesting in the context of
online human action recognition. We investigate the use of dense optical flow
as the image function of the STA descriptor for human action recognition, using
two different algorithms for computing the flow: the Farneb\"ack algorithm and
the TVL1 algorithm. We provide a detailed analysis of the influencing optical
flow algorithm parameters on the produced optical flow fields. An extensive
experimental validation of optical flow-based STA descriptors in human action
recognition is performed on the KTH human action dataset. The encouraging
experimental results suggest the potential of our approach in online human
action recognition.


title:
An analogue of Cobham's theorem for graph directed iterated function
  systems

abstract:
  Feng and Wang showed that two homogeneous iterated function systems in
$\mathbb{R}$ with multiplicatively independent contraction ratios necessarily
have different attractors. In this paper, we extend this result to graph
directed iterated function systems in $\mathbb{R}^n$ with contraction ratios
that are of the form $\frac{1}{\beta}$, for integers $\beta$. By using a result
of Boigelot et al., this allows us to give a proof of a conjecture of
Adamczewski and Bell. In doing so, we link the graph directed iterated function
systems to B\"uchi automata. In particular, this link extends to real numbers
$\beta$. We introduce a logical formalism that permits to characterize sets of
$\mathbb{R}^n$ whose representations in base $\beta$ are recognized by some
B\"uchi automata. This result depends on the algebraic properties of the base:
$\beta$ being a Pisot or a Parry number. The main motivation of this work is to
draw a general picture representing the different frameworks where an analogue
of Cobham's theorem is known.


title: A Novel Georeferenced Dataset for Stereo Visual Odometry

abstract:
  In this work, we present a novel dataset for assessing the accuracy of stereo
visual odometry. The dataset has been acquired by a small-baseline stereo rig
mounted on the top of a moving car. The groundtruth is supplied by a consumer
grade GPS device without IMU. Synchronization and alignment between GPS
readings and stereo frames are recovered after the acquisition. We show that
the attained groundtruth accuracy allows to draw useful conclusions in
practice. The presented experiments address influence of camera calibration,
baseline distance and zero-disparity features to the achieved reconstruction
performance.


title: Multiclass Road Sign Detection using Multiplicative Kernel

abstract:
  We consider the problem of multiclass road sign detection using a
classification function with multiplicative kernel comprised from two kernels.
We show that problems of detection and within-foreground classification can be
jointly solved by using one kernel to measure object-background differences and
another one to account for within-class variations. The main idea behind this
approach is that road signs from different foreground variations can share
features that discriminate them from backgrounds. The classification function
training is accomplished using SVM, thus feature sharing is obtained through
support vector sharing. Training yields a family of linear detectors, where
each detector corresponds to a specific foreground training sample. The
redundancy among detectors is alleviated using k-medoids clustering. Finally,
we report detection and classification results on a set of road sign images
obtained from a camera on a moving vehicle.


title: The importance of stimulus noise analysis for self-motion studies

abstract:
  Motion simulators are widely employed in basic and applied research to study
the neural mechanisms of perception and action under inertial stimulations. In
these studies, uncontrolled simulator-introduced noise inevitably leads to a
mismatch between the reproduced motion and the trajectories meticulously
designed by the experimenter, possibly resulting in undesired motion cues to
the investigated system. An understanding of the simulator response to
different motion commands is therefore a crucial yet often underestimated step
towards the interpretation of experimental results. In this work, we developed
analysis methods based on signal processing techniques to quantify the noise in
the actual motion, and its deterministic and stochastic components. Our methods
allow comparisons between commanded and actual motion as well as between
different actual motion profiles. A specific practical example from one of our
studies is used to illustrate the methodologies and their relevance, but this
does not detract from its general applicability. Analyses of the simulator
inertial recordings show direction-dependent noise and nonlinearity related to
the command amplitude. The Signal-to-Noise Ratio is one order of magnitude
higher for the larger motion amplitudes we tested, compared to the smaller
motion amplitudes. Deterministic and stochastic noise components are of similar
magnitude for the weaker motions, whereas for stronger motions the
deterministic component dominates the stochastic component. The effect of
simulator noise on animal/human motion sensitivity is discussed. We conclude
that accurate analyses of a simulator motion are a crucial prerequisite for the
investigation of uncertainty in self-motion perception.


title: GRB 091024A and the nature of ultra-long gamma-ray bursts

abstract:
  We present a broadband study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 091024A within the
context of other ultra-long-duration GRBs. An unusually long burst detected by
Konus-Wind, Swift, and Fermi, GRB 091024A has prompt emission episodes covering
~1300 s, accompanied by bright and highly structured optical emission captured
by various rapid-response facilities, including the 2-m autonomous robotic
Faulkes North and Liverpool Telescopes, KAIT, S-LOTIS, and SRO. We also
observed the burst with 8- and 10-m class telescopes and determine the redshift
to be z = 1.0924 \pm 0.0004. We find no correlation between the optical and
gamma-ray peaks and interpret the optical light curve as being of external
origin, caused by the reverse and forward shock of a highly magnetized jet (R_B
~ 100-200). Low-level emission is detected throughout the near-background
quiescent period between the first two emission episodes of the Konus-Wind
data, suggesting continued central-engine activity; we discuss the implications
of this ongoing emission and its impact on the afterglow evolution and
predictions. We summarize the varied sample of historical GRBs with
exceptionally long durations in gamma-rays (>~ 1000 s) and discuss the
likelihood of these events being from a separate population; we suggest
ultra-long GRBs represent the tail of the duration distribution of the long GRB
population.


title: Global Localization Based on 3D Planar Surface Segments

abstract:
  Global localization of a mobile robot using planar surface segments extracted
from depth images is considered. The robot's environment is represented by a
topological map consisting of local models, each representing a particular
location modeled by a set of planar surface segments. The discussed
localization approach segments a depth image acquired by a 3D camera into
planar surface segments which are then matched to model surface segments. The
robot pose is estimated by the Extended Kalman Filter using surface segment
pairs as measurements. The reliability and accuracy of the considered approach
are experimentally evaluated using a mobile robot equipped by a Microsoft
Kinect sensor.


title: Computer Vision Systems in Road Vehicles: A Review

abstract:
  The number of road vehicles significantly increased in recent decades. This
trend accompanied a build-up of road infrastructure and development of various
control systems to increase road traffic safety, road capacity and travel
comfort. In traffic safety significant development has been made and today's
systems more and more include cameras and computer vision methods. Cameras are
used as part of the road infrastructure or in vehicles. In this paper a review
on computer vision systems in vehicles from the stand point of traffic
engineering is given. Safety problems of road vehicles are presented, current
state of the art in-vehicle vision systems is described and open problems with
future research directions are discussed.


title: Classifying Traffic Scenes Using The GIST Image Descriptor

abstract:
  This paper investigates classification of traffic scenes in a very low
bandwidth scenario, where an image should be coded by a small number of
features. We introduce a novel dataset, called the FM1 dataset, consisting of
5615 images of eight different traffic scenes: open highway, open road,
settlement, tunnel, tunnel exit, toll booth, heavy traffic and the overpass. We
evaluate the suitability of the GIST descriptor as a representation of these
images, first by exploring the descriptor space using PCA and k-means
clustering, and then by using an SVM classifier and recording its 10-fold
cross-validation performance on the introduced FM1 dataset. The obtained
recognition rates are very encouraging, indicating that the use of the GIST
descriptor alone could be sufficiently descriptive even when very high
performance is required.


title:
An Overview and Evaluation of Various Face and Eyes Detection Algorithms
  for Driver Fatigue Monitoring Systems

abstract:
  In this work various methods and algorithms for face and eyes detection are
examined in order to decide which of them are applicable for use in a driver
fatigue monitoring system. In the case of face detection the standard
Viola-Jones face detector has shown best results, while the method of finding
the eye centers by means of gradients has proven to be most appropriate in the
case of eyes detection. The later method has also a potential for retrieving
behavioral parameters needed for estimation of the level of driver fatigue.
This possibility will be examined in future work.


title: A Characterization of Invariant Connections

abstract:
  Given a principal fibre bundle with structure group $S$, and a fibre
transitive Lie group $G$ of automorphisms thereon, Wang's theorem identifies
the invariant connections with certain linear maps $\psi\colon
\mathfrak{g}\rightarrow \mathfrak{s}$. In the present paper, we prove an
extension of this theorem which applies to the general situation where $G$ acts
non-transitively on the base manifold. We consider several special cases of the
general theorem, including the result of Harnad, Shnider and Vinet which
applies to the situation where $G$ admits only one orbit type. Along the way,
we give applications to loop quantum gravity.


title: Second Croatian Computer Vision Workshop (CCVW 2013)

abstract:
  Proceedings of the Second Croatian Computer Vision Workshop (CCVW 2013,
http://www.fer.unizg.hr/crv/ccvw2013) held September 19, 2013, in Zagreb,
Croatia. Workshop was organized by the Center of Excellence for Computer Vision
of the University of Zagreb.


title:
Floating rings in vertical soap films : capillary driven bidimensional
  buoyancy

abstract:
  The present study aims to investigate the motion of buoyant rings in vertical
soap films. Thickness differences and related bi-dimensional densities are
considered as the motor leading to bi-dimensional buoyancy. We show how this
effect can be re-interpreted thanks to surface tension profiles in soap films.
We propose a model involving surface tension profiles in order to describe the
motion of buoyant particles in vertical soap films, and compare it to
experimental data.


title: Representation of Gaussian Isotropic Spin Random Fields

abstract:
  We develop a technique for the construction of random fields on algebraic
structures. We deal with two general situations: random fields on homogeneous
spaces of a compact group and in the spin-line bundles of the 2-sphere. In
particular, every spin Gaussian isotropic field can be obtained with this
construction. Our construction extends P. L\'evy's original idea for the
spherical Brownian Motion.


title: Optical Flow on Evolving Surfaces with Space and Time Regularisation

abstract:
  We extend the concept of optical flow with spatiotemporal regularisation to a
dynamic non-Euclidean setting. Optical flow is traditionally computed from a
sequence of flat images. The purpose of this paper is to introduce variational
motion estimation for images that are defined on an evolving surface.
Volumetric microscopy images depicting a live zebrafish embryo serve as both
biological motivation and test data.


title: Results of the simulations of the petal/lens as part of the LAUE project

abstract:
  In the context of the LAUE project for focusing hard X-/gamma rays, a petal
of the complete lens is being assembled at the LARIX facility in the Department
of Physics and Earth Science of the University of Ferrara. The lens petal
structure is composed of bent Germanium and Gallium Arsenide crystals in
transmission geometry. We present the expectations derived from a mathematical
model of the lens petal. The extension of the model for the complete LAUE
project in the 90 -- 600 keV energy range will be discussed as well. A
quantitative analysis of the results of these simulations is also presented.


title:
A classification of the symmetries of uniform discrete defective
  crystals

abstract:
  Crystals which have a uniform distribution of defects are endowed with a Lie
group description which allows one to construct an associated discrete
structure. These structures are in fact the discrete subgroups of the ambient
Lie group. The geometrical symmetries of these structures can be computed in
terms of the changes of generators of the discrete subgroup which preserve the
discrete set of points. Here a classification of the symmetries for the
discrete subgroups of a particular class of three-dimensional solvable Lie
group is presented. It is a fact that there are only three mathematically
distinct types of Lie groups which model uniform defective crystals, and the
calculations given here complete the discussion of the symmetries of the
corresponding discrete structures. We show that those symmetries corresponding
to automorphisms of the discrete subgroups extend uniquely to symmetries of the
ambient Lie group and we regard these symmetries as (restrictions of) elastic
deformations of the continuous defective crystal. Other symmetries of the
discrete structures are classified as `inelastic' symmetries.


title: High-Energy Cosmic Rays and the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin Effect

abstract:
  Although cosmic rays were discovered over 100 years ago their origin remains
uncertain. They have an energy spectrum that extends from 1 GeV to beyond 1020
eV, where the rate is less than 1 particle per km2 per century. Shortly after
the discovery of the cosmic microwave background in 1965, it was pointed out
that the spectrum of cosmic rays should steepen fairly abruptly above about 4 x
1019 eV, provided the sources are distributed uniformly throughout the
Universe. This prediction, by Greisen and by Zatsepin and Kuzmin, has become
known as the GZK-effect and in this article I discuss the current position with
regard to experimental data on the energy spectrum of the highest cosmic-ray
energies that have been accumulated in a search that has lasted nearly 50
years. Although there is now little doubt that a suppression of the spectrum
exists near the energy predicted, it is by no means certain that this is a
manifestation of the GZK-effect as it might be that this energy is also close
to the maximum to which sources can accelerate particles, with the
highest-energy beam containing a large fraction of nuclei heavier than protons.
The way forward is briefly mentioned.


title: Spherical Thin-Shell Wormholes and Modified Chaplygin Gas

abstract:
  The purpose of this paper is to construct spherical thin-shell wormhole
solutions through cut and paste technique and investigate the stability of
these solutions in the vicinity of modified Chaplygin gas. The Darmois-Israel
formalism is used to formulate the stresses of the surface concentrating the
exotic matter. We explore the stability of the wormhole solutions by using the
standard potential method. We conclude that there exist more stable as well as
unstable solutions than the previous study with generalized Chaplygin gas
\cite{15}.


title: Putting the A-stars into context: concluding remarks

abstract:
  Concluding remarks following the international conference "Putting A Stars
into Context," 3-7 June 2013 in Moscow. We argue that it is time for
theoretical efforts to consider exogenous processes such as mass transfer or
circumstellar infall as well as the standard endogenous processes of radiative
levitation, gravitational settling, and mass-dependent separation in winds.


title: Power-law distributions for the free path length in Lorentz gases

abstract:
  It is well known that, in the Boltzmann-Grad limit, the distribution of the
free path length in the Lorentz gas with disordered scatterer configuration has
an exponential density. If, on the other hand, the scatterers are located at
the vertices of a Euclidean lattice, the density has a power-law tail
proportional to xi^{-3}. In the present paper we construct scatterer
configurations whose free path lengths have a distribution with tail xi^{-N-2}
for any positive integer N. We also discuss the properties of the random flight
process that describes the Lorentz gas in the Boltzmann-Grad limit. The
convergence of the distribution of the free path length follows from
equidistribution of large spheres in products of certain homogeneous spaces,
which in turn is a consequence of Ratner's measure classification theorem.


title:
Elasto-capillary collapse of floating structures - Non-linear response
  of elastic structures under capillary forces

abstract:
  Flexible rings and rectangle structures floating at the surface of water are
prone to deflect under the action of surface pressure induced by the addition
of surfactant molecules on the bath. While the frames of rectangles bend inward
or outward for any surface pressure difference, circles are only deformed by
compression beyond a critical buckling load. However, compressed frames also
undergo a secondary buckling instability leading to a rhoboidal shape.
Following the pioneering works of \cite{Hu} and \cite{Zell}, we describe both
experimentally and theoretically the different elasto-capillary deflection and
buckling modes as a function of the material parameters. In particular we show
how this original fluid structure interaction may be used to probe the
adsorption of surfactant molecules at liquid interfaces.


title:
On the methods to determine signal attenuation curve for different
  surface arrays

abstract:
  Large surface arrays of current cosmic ray experiments measure the signals of
electromagnetic or muonic components or their combination. The correction to
the zenith angle (the attenuation curve) has to be taken into account before
the signal is converted to the shower energy. Either Monte Carlo simulations or
indirect estimation using collected data (Constant Intensity Cut method) can be
used. However, the assumptions of composition or isotropy used for the
determination of the attenuation curve can still influence the final physics
results such as the energy spectrum, or modify anisotropy searches and
composition analysis. Using simplified Toy Monte Carlo with an output from
CORSIKA simulations we try to find several examples of what kind of effects can
be caused by the methods of inferring the attenuation curve. Surface arrays of
different sensitivities to electromagnetic and muonic components were
considered.


title: Statistics of Two Kinds of Entangled Quantum Many-body Systems

abstract:
  In this paper, we show two kinds of entangled many body systems with special
statistic properties. Firstly, an entangled fermions system with a pairwise
entanglement between every two particles in the lowest energy energy level
obeys the fractional statistics. As a check, for particle number N=2, N=3 and
N=4, considering that any two fermions in the lowest Landau level are entangled
in a proper way, the Laughlin wave function can be derived. The results reveals
the explicit entanglement pattern of the Laughlin states. Secondly, we noticed
that both Bose-Einstein statistics and Fermi-Dirac distributions are derived
from computing the partial function of a free quantum many body system in a
certain ensemble without considering entanglement. We extend the computation of
the partial function to an entangled quantum many body system without
interaction, in this system we assume that every particle in energy level
$\epsilon_i$ is entangled with a particle in the energy level $\epsilon_{i+1}$
($i=1,3,5,...$) and also every particle in energy level $\epsilon_i+1$ is
entangled with a particle in the energy level $\epsilon_{i}$ ($i=1,3,5,...$),
which indicates that the two energy level have the same number of particles. In
the entangled system, we find that the partial function will be changed. As a
results, both the Bose-Einstein Statics and the Fermi-Dirac distributions will
be modified at finite temperature.


title:
The role of electrostriction on the stability of dielectric elastomer
  actuators

abstract:
  In the field of soft dielectric elastomers, the notion electrostriction
indicates the dependency of the permittivity on strain. The present paper is
aimed at investigating the effects of electrostriction onto the stability
behaviour of homogeneous electrically activated dielectric elastomer actuators.
In particular, three objectives are pursued and achieved: i) the description of
the phenomenon within the general nonlinear theory of electroelasticity; ii)
the application of the recently proposed theory of bifurcation for
electroelastic bodies in order to determine its role on the onset of
electromechanical and diffuse-mode instabilities in prestressed or prestretched
dielectric layers; iii) the analysis of band-localization instability in
homogeneous dielectric elastomers. Results for a typical soft acrylic elastomer
show that electrostriction is responsible for an enhancement towards
diffuse-mode instability, while it represents a crucial property - necessarily
to be taken into account - in order to provide a solution to the problem of
electromechanical band-localization, that can be interpreted as a possible
reason of electric breakdown. A comparison between the buckling stresses of a
mechanical compressed slab and the electrically activated counterpart concludes
the paper.


title:
Asymptotic Properties of the Partition Function and Applications in Tail
  Index Inference of Heavy-Tailed Data

abstract:
  The so-called partition function is a sample moment statistic based on blocks
of data and it is often used in the context of multifractal processes.
  It will be shown that its behaviour is strongly influenced by the tail of the
distribution underlying the data either in i.i.d. and weakly dependent cases.
  These results will be exploited to develop graphical and estimation methods
for the tail index of a distribution. The performance of the tools proposed is
analyzed and compared with other methods by means of simulations and examples.


title: Measurement of $B$ Baryon Properties at CDF

abstract:
  We report on mass and mean life measurements of several ground state
$b-$baryons, using 9.6 $\textrm{fb}^{-1}$ of data from $p\bar p$ collisions at
$\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV, and recorded with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. Data
collected with triggers designed to collect events with $J/\psi \rightarrow
\mu^+ \, \mu^-$ candidates and events with hadrons displaced from the beamline
are used to measure the masses and lifetimes of $\Lambda_b, \Xi_b^-, \Xi_b^0$,
and $\Omega_b^-$. The first evidence for the process $\Omega_b^- \rightarrow
\Omega_c^0 \, \pi^-$ is also shown. The results supersede our previous
measurements of these quantities.


title: On rotating doubly connected vortices

abstract:
  In this paper we consider rotating doubly connected vortex patches for the
Euler equations in the plane. When the inner interface is an ellipse we show
that the exterior interface must be a confocal ellipse. We then discuss some
relations, first found by Flierl and Polvani, between the parameters of the
ellipses, the velocity of rotation and the magnitude of the vorticity in the
domain enclosed by the inner ellipse.


title: Exponential law for random subshifts of finite type

abstract:
  In this paper we study the distribution of hitting times for a class of
random dynamical systems. We prove that for invariant measures with
super-polynomial decay of correlations hitting times to dynamically defined
cylinders satisfy exponential distribution. Similar results are obtained for
random expanding maps. We emphasize that what we establish is a quenched
exponential law for hitting times.


title: A Class of Binomial Permutation Polynomials

abstract:
  In this note, a criterion for a class of binomials to be permutation
polynomials is proposed. As a consequence, many classes of binomial permutation
polynomials and monomial complete permutation polynomials are obtained. The
exponents in these monomials are of Niho type.


title:
Applications of hypercomplex automorphic forms in Yang-Mills gauge
  theories

abstract:
  In this paper we show how hypercomplex function theoretical objects can be
used to construct explicitly self-dual SU(2)-Yang-Mills instanton solutions on
certain classes of conformally flat 4-manifolds. We use a hypercomplex argument
principle to establish a natural link between the fundamental solutions of $D
\Delta f = 0$ and the second Chern class of the SU(2) principal bundles over
these manifolds. The considered base manifolds of the bundles are not
simply-connected, in general. Actually, this paper summarizes an extension of
the corresponding results of G\"ursey and Tze on a hyper-complex analytical
description of SU(2) instantons. Furthermore, it provides an application of the
recently introduced new classes of hypercomplex-analytic automorphic forms.


title: Stationary solutions and asymptotic flatness II

abstract:
  This is the second part of the investigation started in [Stationary solutions
and asymptotic flatness I]. We prove here that Strongly Stationary ends having
cubic volume growth are Weakly Asymptotically Flat. Combined with the results
of the previous paper this shows that Strongly Stationary ends are
Asymptotically Flat with Schwarzschidian fall off.


title: Complexity of Coloring Graphs without Paths and Cycles

abstract:
  Let $P_t$ and $C_\ell$ denote a path on $t$ vertices and a cycle on $\ell$
vertices, respectively. In this paper we study the $k$-coloring problem for
$(P_t,C_\ell)$-free graphs. Maffray and Morel, and Bruce, Hoang and Sawada,
have proved that 3-colorability of $P_5$-free graphs has a finite forbidden
induced subgraphs characterization, while Hoang, Moore, Recoskie, Sawada, and
Vatshelle have shown that $k$-colorability of $P_5$-free graphs for $k \geq 4$
does not. These authors have also shown, aided by a computer search, that
4-colorability of $(P_5,C_5)$-free graphs does have a finite forbidden induced
subgraph characterization. We prove that for any $k$, the $k$-colorability of
$(P_6,C_4)$-free graphs has a finite forbidden induced subgraph
characterization. We provide the full lists of forbidden induced subgraphs for
$k=3$ and $k=4$. As an application, we obtain certifying polynomial time
algorithms for 3-coloring and 4-coloring $(P_6,C_4)$-free graphs. (Polynomial
time algorithms have been previously obtained by Golovach, Paulusma, and Song,
but those algorithms are not certifying); To complement these results we show
that in most other cases the $k$-coloring problem for $(P_t,C_\ell)$-free
graphs is NP-complete. Specifically, for $\ell=5$ we show that $k$-coloring is
NP-complete for $(P_t,C_5)$-free graphs when $k \ge 4$ and $t \ge 7$; for $\ell
\ge 6$ we show that $k$-coloring is NP-complete for $(P_t,C_\ell)$-free graphs
when $k \ge 5$, $t \ge 6$; and additionally, for $\ell=7$, we show that
$k$-coloring is also NP-complete for $(P_t,C_7)$-free graphs if $k = 4$ and
$t\ge 9$. This is the first systematic study of the complexity of the
$k$-coloring problem for $(P_t,C_\ell)$-free graphs. We almost completely
classify the complexity for the cases when $k \geq 4, \ell \geq 4$, and
identify the last three open cases.


title:
An analogue of the Robinson-Schensted-Knuth correspondence and
  non-symmetric Cauchy kernels for truncated staircases

abstract:
  We prove a restriction of an analogue of the Robinson--Schensted--Knuth
correspondence for semi-skyline augmented fillings, due to Mason, to multisets
of cells of a staircase possibly truncated by a smaller staircase at the upper
left end corner, or at the bottom right end corner.
  The restriction to be imposed on the pairs of semi-skyline augmented fillings
is that the pair of shapes, rearrangements of each other, satisfies an
inequality in the Bruhat order, w.r.t. the symmetric group, where one shape is
bounded by the reverse of the other. For semi-standard Young tableaux the
inequality means that the pair of their right keys is such that one key is
bounded by the Sch\"utzenberger evacuation of the other. This bijection is then
used to obtain %recover an expansion formula of the non-symmetric Cauchy
kernel, over staircases or truncated staircases, in the basis of Demazure
characters of type $A$, and the basis of Demazure atoms. The expansion implies
Lascoux expansion formula, when specialised to staircases or truncated
staircases, and make explicit, in the latter, the Young tableaux in the
Demazure crystal by interpreting Demazure operators via elementary bubble
sorting operators acting on weak compositions.


title:
A new dimension for piezo actuators: Free-form out-of-plane displacement
  of single piezo layers

abstract:
  We present a controlled mode of "topological" displacement of homogeneous
piezo films that arises solely from an inhomogeneous in-plane strain due to an
inhomogeneous polarization. For the rotationally symmetric case, we develop a
theoretical model that analytically relates the shape of the displacement to
the polarization for the cases of in-plane and out-of-plane polarization. This
is verified for several examples, and we further demonstrate controlled
asymmetric deformations.


title: Brieskorn manifolds in contact topology

abstract:
  In this survey, we give an overview of Brieskorn manifolds and varieties, and
their role in contact topology. We discuss open books, fillings and invariants
such as contact and symplectic homology. We also present some new results
involving exotic contact structures, invariants and orderability. The main tool
for the required computations is a version of the Morse-Bott spectral sequence.
We provide a proof for the particular version that is useful for us.


title: Intermittent flow in yield-stress fluids slows down chaotic mixing

abstract:
  In this article, we present experimental results of chaotic mixing of
Newtonian uids and yield stress fluids using rod-stirring protocol with
rotating vessel. We show how the mixing of yield stress fluids by chaotic
advection is reduced compared to the mixing of Newtonian fluids and explain our
results bringing to light the relevant mechanisms: the presence of fluid that
only flows intermittently, a phenomenon enhanced by the yield stress, and the
importance of the peripheral region. This finding is confirmed via numerical
simulations. Anomalously slow mixing is observed when the synchronization of
different stirring elements leads to the repetition of slow stretching for the
same fluid particles.


title:
Generalized integral fluctuation relation with feedback control for
  diffusion processes

abstract:
  We extend a generalized integral fluctuation relation in diffusion processes
that we obtained previously to the situation with feedback control. The general
relation not only covers existing results but also predicts other unnoticed
fluctuation relations. In addition, we find that its explanation of
time-reversal automatically emerges in the derivation. This interesting
observation leads into an alternative inequality about the entropy-like
quantity with an improved lower bound. Two feedback-controlled Brownian models
are used to verify the result.


title:
The Constrained Virtual Steiner Arborescence Problem: Formal Definition,
  Single-Commodity Integer Programming Formulation and Computational Evaluation

abstract:
  As the Internet becomes more virtualized and software-defined, new
functionality is introduced in the network core: the distributed resources
available in ISP central offices, universal nodes, or datacenter middleboxes
can be used to process (e.g., filter, aggregate or duplicate) data. Based on
this new networking paradigm, we formulate the Constrained Virtual Steiner
Arborescence Problem (CVSAP) which asks for optimal locations to perform
In-network processing, in order to jointly minimize processing costs and
network traffic while respecting link and node capacities.
  We prove that CVSAP cannot be approximated (unless P = NP), and accordingly,
develop the exact algorithm VirtuCast to compute (near) optimal solutions.
VirtuCast consists of: (1) a compact single-commodity flow Integer Programming
(IP) formulation; (2) a flow decomposition algorithm to reconstruct individual
routes from the IP solution. The compactness of the IP formulation allows for
computing lower bounds even on large instances quickly, speeding up the
algorithm. We rigorously prove VirtuCast's correctness.
  To complement our theoretical findings, we have implemented VirtuCast and
present an extensive computational evaluation, showing that using VirtuCast
realistically sized instances can be solved (close to) optimality. We show that
VirtuCast significantly improves upon naive multi-commodity formulations and
also initiate the study of primal heuristics to generate feasible solutions
during the branch-and-bound process.


title: Dynamical freeze-out criterion in event-by-event hydrodynamics

abstract:
  In hydrodynamical modelling of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions the
freeze-out is typically assumed to take place on a surface of constant
temperature or energy density. In this work we apply a dynamical freeze-out
criterion, which compares the hydrodynamical expansion rate with the pion
scattering rate, to an event-by-event ideal hydrodynamics at the full RHIC
collision energy. We present hadron spectra and elliptic flow calculated using
(2+1)-dimensional ideal hydrodynamics, and show the differences between
constant temperature and dynamical freeze-out criteria. We find that when the
freeze-out ratio is fixed to one, the different freeze-out criteria lead to
slightly different spectra and v_2(p_T) in the event-by-event calculations.


title: Charming Baryons

abstract:
  We study odd-parity baryonic resonances with one heavy and three light
flavors, dynamically generated by meson-baryon interactions. Special attention
is paid to Heavy Quark Spin Symmetry (HQSS), hence pseudoscalar and vector
mesons and baryons with J^P = 1/2+ and 3/2+ are considered as constituent
hadrons. For the hidden-charm sector (N-c-quarks = N-c-antiquarks = 1), the
meson-baryon Lagrangian with Heavy Flavor Symmetry is constructed by a minimal
extension of the SU(3) Weinberg-Tomozawa (WT) Lagrangian to fulfill HQSS, such
that not new parameters are needed. This interaction can be presented in
different formal ways: as a Field Lagrangian, as Hadron creation-annihilation
operators, as SU(6)xHQSS group projectors and as multichannel matrices. The
multichannel Bethe-Salpeter equation is solved for odd-parity light baryons,
hidden-charm N and Delta and Beauty Baryons (Lambda-b). Results of calculations
with this model are shown in comparison with other models and experimental
values for baryonic resonances.


title:
Tensor product categorifications and the super Kazhdan-Lusztig
  conjecture

abstract:
  We give a new proof of the "super Kazhdan-Lusztig conjecture" for the Lie
super algebra $\mathfrak{gl}_{n|m}(\mathbb{C})$ as formulated originally by the
first author. We also prove for the first time that any integral block of
category O for $\mathfrak{gl}_{n|m}(\mathbb{C})$ (and also all of its parabolic
analogs) possesses a graded version which is Koszul. Our approach depends
crucially on an application of the uniqueness of tensor product
categorifications established recently by the second two authors.


title: Sunset integrals at finite volume

abstract:
  Chiral Perturbation Theory is a useful tool to aid in performing the various
extrapolations needed in lattice QCD calculations of physical quantities. These
include extrapolations in quark mass, finite lattice spacing and finite size of
the lattice. Especially the latter will become more important when the quark
masses on the lattice become smaller.
  Here we develop the needed two-loop integrals at finite volume to do the
calculations for masses and decay constants for all general mass cases.
  I will present results based on an expansion in Bessel functions as well as
on a version using theta functions and compare their efficiency. Work is in
progress to combine these results with two-loop ChPT calculations.


title: On the corotation torque for low-mass eccentric planets

abstract:
  We present the results of high resolution 2D simulations of low mass planets
on fixed eccentric orbits embedded in protoplanetary discs. The aim of this
study is to determine how the strength of the sustained, non-linear corotation
torque experienced by embedded planets varies as a function of orbital
eccentricity, disc parameters, and planetary mass. In agreement with previous
work we find that the corotation torque diminishes as orbital eccentricity,
$e$, increases. Analysis of the time-averaged streamlines in the disc
demonstrates that the width of the horseshoe region narrows as the eccentricity
increases, and we suggest that this narrowing largely explains the observed
decrease in the corotation torque. We employ three distinct methods for
estimating the strength of the unsaturated corotation torque from our
simulations, and provide an empirical fit to these results. We find that a
simple model where the corotation torque, $\Gamma_C$, decreases exponentially
with increasing eccentricity (i.e. $\Gamma_C \propto \exp{(-e/e_f)}$) provides
a good global fit to the data with an e-folding eccentricity, $e_f$, that
scales linearly with the disc scale height at the planet location. We confirm
that this model provides a good fit for planet masses of 5 and 10 $\Me$ in our
simulations. The formation of planetary systems is likely to involve
significant planet-planet interactions that will excite eccentric orbits, and
this is likely to influence disc-driven planetary migration through
modification of the corotation torque. Our results suggest that high fidelity
models of planetary formation should account for these effects.


title: Detecting radiation reaction at moderate laser intensities

abstract:
  We propose a new method of detecting radiation reaction effects in the motion
of particles subjected to laser pulses of moderate intensity and long duration.
The effect becomes sizeable for particles that gain almost no energy through
the interaction with the laser pulse.


title: Inequalities for binomial coefficients

abstract:
  In this paper we prove several inequalities for binomial coefficients. For
instance, if $ k$ and $n$ are positive integers such that $n\ge 400$ and
$[\frac n5]\le k\le [\frac n2]$, where $[x]$ is the greatest integer not
exceeding $x$, then $$\binom nk<\Big(1-\frac{5(k-[\f n5])}{6n^2}\Big)
\frac{n^{n-\f 12}}{k^k(n-k)^{n-k}}.$$


title: Deep and Wide Multiscale Recursive Networks for Robust Image Labeling

abstract:
  Feedforward multilayer networks trained by supervised learning have recently
demonstrated state of the art performance on image labeling problems such as
boundary prediction and scene parsing. As even very low error rates can limit
practical usage of such systems, methods that perform closer to human accuracy
remain desirable. In this work, we propose a new type of network with the
following properties that address what we hypothesize to be limiting aspects of
existing methods: (1) a `wide' structure with thousands of features, (2) a
large field of view, (3) recursive iterations that exploit statistical
dependencies in label space, and (4) a parallelizable architecture that can be
trained in a fraction of the time compared to benchmark multilayer
convolutional networks. For the specific image labeling problem of boundary
prediction, we also introduce a novel example weighting algorithm that improves
segmentation accuracy. Experiments in the challenging domain of connectomic
reconstruction of neural circuity from 3d electron microscopy data show that
these "Deep And Wide Multiscale Recursive" (DAWMR) networks lead to new levels
of image labeling performance. The highest performing architecture has twelve
layers, interwoven supervised and unsupervised stages, and uses an input field
of view of 157,464 voxels ($54^3$) to make a prediction at each image location.
We present an associated open source software package that enables the simple
and flexible creation of DAWMR networks.


title: A charge parity ammeter

abstract:
  A metallic double-dot is measured with radio frequency reflectometry. Changes
in the total electron number of the double-dot are determined via single
electron tunnelling contributions to the complex electrical impedance. Electron
counting experiments are performed by monitoring the impedance, demonstrating
operation of a single electron ammeter without the need for external charge
detection.


title: Stealth Stops and Spin Correlation: A Snowmass White Paper

abstract:
  Stops with the mass nearly degenerate with the top mass, decaying into tops
and soft neutralinos, are usually dubbed "stealth stops". Their kinematics
looks very similar to that of the standard tops events, which leads to events
with little or no excess of missing transverse energy. This complicates the
probing of this region of the stop parameter space by hadron colliders,
rendering the application of standard searching techniques challenging. In this
Snowmass white paper we reanalyze the spin correlation approach to the search
of stealth stops, focusing on the feasibility of this search at the 14 TeV LHC.
We find, while the statistical limitations significantly shrink compared to the
low-luminosity 8 TeV run, the systematic PDF uncertainties pose the main
obstacle. We show that the current understanding of PDFs probably does not
allow us to talk about top and stop discrimination via spin correlation in the
inclusive sample. On the other hand the systematic uncertainties significantly
shrink if only events with low center of mass energy are considered, rendering
the search in this region feasible.


title:
Real hypersurfaces with two principal curvatures in complex projective
  and hyperbolic planes

abstract:
  We find the first examples of real hypersurfaces with two nonconstant
principal curvatures in complex projective and hyperbolic planes, and we
classify them. It turns out that each such hypersurface is foliated by
equidistant Lagrangian flat surfaces with parallel mean curvature or,
equivalently, by principal orbits of a cohomogeneity two polar action.


title:
An Updated Analysis of Inert Higgs Doublet Model in light of the Recent
  Results from LUX, PLANCK, AMS-02 and LHC

abstract:
  In light of the recent discovery by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) of a Higgs-like particle with a narrow mass range
of 125-126 GeV, we perform an updated analysis on one of the popular scalar
dark matter models, the Inert Higgs Doublet Model (IHDM). We take into account
in our likelihood analysis of various experimental constraints, including
recent relic density measurement, dark matter direct and indirect detection
constraints as well as the latest collider constraints on the invisible decay
width of the Higgs boson and monojet search at the LHC. It is shown that if the
invisible decay of the standard model Higgs boson is open, LHC as well as
direct detection experiments like LUX and XENON100 could put stringent limits
on the Higgs boson couplings to dark matter. We find that the most favoured
parameter space for IHDM corresponds to dark matter with a mass less than 100
GeV or so. In particular, the best-fit points are at the dark matter mass
around 70 GeV where the invisible Higgs decay to dark matter is closed. Scalar
dark matter in the higher mass range of 0.5-4 TeV is also explored in our
study. Projected sensitivities for the future experiments of monojet at LHC-14,
XENON1T and AMS-02 one year antiproton flux are shown to put further
constraints on the existing parameter space of IHDM.


title: $\cal D$ pseudo-bosons in quantum models

abstract:
  We show how some recent models of PT-quantum mechanics perfectly fit into the
settings of $\cal D$ pseudo-bosons, as introduced by one of us. Among the
others, we also consider a model of non-commutative quantum mechanics, and we
show that this model too can be described in terms of $\cal D$ pseudo-bosons.


title: Loaded magnetohydrodynamic flows in Kerr spacetime

abstract:
  The effect of mass and energy loading on the efficiency at which energy can
be extracted magnetically from a Kerr black hole is explored, using a
semi-analytic, ideal MHD model that incorporates plasma injection on magnetic
field lines. We find a critical load below which the specific energy of the
plasma inflowing into the black hole is negative, and above which it is
positive, and identify two types of flows with distinct properties; at
sub-critical loads a magnetic outflow is launched from the ergosphere, owing to
extraction of the black hole spin energy, as originally proposed by Blandford
and Znajek. At super-critical loads the structure of the flow depends on the
details of the injection process. In cases where the injected plasma is
relativistically hot, a pressure driven, double trans-magnetosonic flow is
launched from a stagnation point located outside the ergosphere, between the
inner and outer light cylinders. Some fraction of the energy deposited in the
magnetosphere is then absorbed by the black hole and the rest emerges at
infinity in the form of a relativistic outflow. When the injected plasma is
cold an outflow may not form at all. We discuss the implications of our results
to gamma ray bursts and active galactic nuclei.


title: Exact Site and Bond Percolation Probability on Lattice-like Graphs

abstract:
  I calculated the exact site and bond percolation probability on lattice-like
graphs for given dimension d: site percolation probability is 1/d and bond
percolation probability is 0.5(d-1)^{-1/2}


title:
On a class of fully nonlinear elliptic equations on closed Hermitian
  manifolds

abstract:
  We study a class of fully nonlinear elliptic equations on closed Hermitian
manifolds. We derive $C^\infty$ {\em a priori} estimates, and then prove the
existence of admissible solutions. In the approach, a new Hermitian metic is
constructed to launch the method of continuity.


title: FCNC Top Quark Production via Anomalous Couplings

abstract:
  We calculate flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) processes with top-quark
production via anomalous couplings at LHC energies. We report on progress on
the FCNC processes gu -> tZ, gu -> t gamma and gu -> tg. We go beyond leading
order and include soft-gluon corrections through next-to-next-to-leading order.


title: Segregation Indices for Disease Clustering

abstract:
  Spatial clustering has important implications in various fields. In
particular, disease clustering is of major public concern in epidemiology. In
this article, we propose the use of two distance-based segregation indices to
test the significance of disease clustering among subjects whose locations are
from a homogeneous or an inhomogeneous population. We derive their asymptotic
distributions and compare them with other distance-based disease clustering
tests in terms of empirical size and power by extensive Monte Carlo
simulations. The null pattern we consider is the random labeling (RL) of cases
and controls to the given locations. Along this line, we investigate the
sensitivity of the size of these tests to the underlying background pattern
(e.g., clustered or homogenous) on which the RL is applied, the level of
clustering and number of clusters, or differences in relative abundances of the
classes. We demonstrate that differences in relative abundance has the highest
impact on the empirical sizes of the tests. We also propose various non-RL
patterns as alternatives to the RL pattern and assess the empirical power
performance of the tests under these alternatives. We illustrate the methods on
two real-life examples from epidemiology.


title: The complex-valued encoding for dicision-making based on aliasing data

abstract:
  It is proposed a complex valued channel encoding for multidimensional data.
The basic approach contains overlapping of complex nonlinear mappings. Its
development leads to sparse representation of multi-channel data, increasing
their dimensions and the distance between the images.


title: Crystallization mechanism in melts of short n-alkane chains

abstract:
  We study crystallization in a model system for eicosane (C20) by means of
molecular dynamics simulation and we identify the microscopic mechanisms of
homogeneous crystal nucleation and growth. For the nucleation process, we
observe that chains first align and then straighten. Then the local density
increases and finally the monomer units become ordered positionally. The
subsequent crystal growth process is characterized by a sliding-in motion of
the chains. Chains preferably attach to the crystalline cluster with one end
and then move along the stems of already crystallized chains towards their
final position. This process is cooperative, i.e. neighboring chains tend to
get attached in clusters rather than independently


title:
Infrared Correlations in de Sitter Space: Field Theoretic vs. Stochastic
  Approach

abstract:
  We consider massive \lambda\phi^4 theory in de Sitter background. The mass of
the scalar field \phi is chosen small enough, such that the amplification of
superhorizon momentum modes leads to a significant enhancement of infrared
correlations, but large enough such that perturbation theory remains valid.
Using the Closed-Time-Path approach, we calculate the infrared corrections to
the two-point function of \phi to 2-loop order. To this approximation, we find
agreement with the correlation found using stochastic methods. When breaking
the results down to individual Feynman diagrams obtained by the two different
methods, we observe that these agree as well.


title:
Active galactic nucleus torus models and the puzzling infrared spectrum
  of IRAS F10214+4724

abstract:
  We present a revised model for the infrared emission of the hyperluminous
infrared galaxy IRAS F10214+4724 which takes into account recent photometric
data from Spitzer and Herschel that sample the peak of its spectral energy
distribution. We first present and discuss a grid of smooth active galactic
nucleus (AGN) torus models computed with the method of Efstathiou &
Rowan-Robinson and demonstrate that the combination of these models and the
starburst models of Efstathiou and coworkers, while able to give an excellent
fit to the average spectrum of Seyfert 2s and spectra of individual type 2
quasars measured by Spitzer, fails to match the spectral energy distribution of
IRAS F10214+4724. This is mainly due to the fact that the nuSnu distribution of
the galaxy falls very steeply with increasing frequency (a characteristic that
is usually indicative of heavy absorption by dust) but shows a silicate feature
in emission. Such emission features are not expected in sources with
optical/near-infrared type 2 AGN spectral signatures. The Herschel data show
that there is more power emitted in the rest-frame 20-50um wavelength range
compared with the model presented by Efstathiou which assumes three components
of emission: an edge-on torus, clouds (at a temperature of 610 and 200K) that
are associated with the narrow-line region (NLR) and a highly obscured
starburst that dominates in the submillimetre. We present a revised version of
that model that assumes an additional component of emission which we associate
with NLR clouds at a temperature of 100K. The 100K dust component could also be
explained by a highly obscured hot starburst. The model suggests that the NLR
of IRAS F10214+4724 has an unusually high covering factor (>= 17%) or more
likely the magnification of the emission from the NLR clouds is significantly
higher than that of the emission from the torus.


title:
Small and nearly isotropic hole-like Fermi surfaces in LiFeAs detected
  through de Haas van Alphen-effect

abstract:
  LiFeAs is unique among the arsenic based Fe-pnictide superconductors because
it is the only nearly stoichiometric compound which does not exhibit magnetic
order. This is at odds with electronic structure calculations which and a very
stable magnetic state and predict cylindrical hole- and electron-like Fermi
surface sheets whose geometry suggests spin uctuations and a possible
instability toward long-range ordering at the nesting vector. In fact, a
complex magnetic phase-diagram is indeed observed in the isostructural NaFeAs
compound. Previous angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments revealed
the existence of both hole and electron-like surfaces, but with rather distinct
cross-sectional areas and an absence of the nesting that is thought to underpin
both magnetic order and superconductivity in the pnictide family of
superconductors. These ARPES observations were challenged by subsequent de Haas
van Alphen (dHvA) measurements which detected a few, electron like Fermi
surface sheets in rough agreement with the original band calculations. Here, we
show a detailed dHvA study unveiling additional, small and nearly isotropic
Fermi surface sheets in LiFeAs single crystals, which ought to correspond to
hole-like orbits, as previously observed by ARPES. Therefore, our results
conciliate the apparent discrepancy between ARPES and the previous dHvA
results5. The small size of these Fermi surface pockets suggests a prominent
role for the electronic correlations in LiFeAs. The absence of gap nodes, in
combination with the coexistence of quasi-two-dimensional and three-dimensional
Fermi surfaces, favor a s-wave pairing symmetry for LiFeAs. But similar
electron-like Fermi surfaces combined with very different hole pockets between
LiFeAs and LiFeP, suggest that the nodes in the gap function of LiFeP might be
located on the hole-pockets.


title:
The Invariant Ring Of m Matrices Under The Adjoint Action By a Product
  Of General Linear Groups

abstract:
  Let $V=V_1 \otimes \cdots \otimes V_n$ be a vector space over an
algebraically closed field $K$ of characteristic zero with $\dim(V_i)=d_i$. We
study the ring of polynomial invariants $K[\operatorname{End}(V)^{\oplus
m}]^{\operatorname{GL}_{\mathbf{d}}}$ of $m$ endomorphisms of $V$ under the
adjoint action of $\operatorname{GL}_{\mathbf{d}}:=\operatorname{GL}(V_1)
\times \cdots \times \operatorname{GL}(V_n)$. We find that the ring is
generated by certain generalized trace monomials $\operatorname{Tr}^M_{\sigma}$
where $M$ is a multiset with entries in $[m]=\{1,\dots, m\}$ and $\sigma \in
\mathcal{S}_m^n$ is a choice of $n$ permutations of $[m]$. We find that
$K[\operatorname{End}(V)^{\oplus m}]^{\operatorname{GL}_{\mathbf{d}}}$ is
generated by the $\operatorname{Tr}^M_\sigma$ of degree at most
$\frac{3}{8}m\dim(V)^6$.


title:
Decentralized formation control with connectivity maintenance and
  collision avoidance under limited and intermittent sensing

abstract:
  A decentralized switched controller is developed for dynamic agents to
perform global formation configuration convergence while maintaining network
connectivity and avoiding collision within agents and between stationary
obstacles, using only local feedback under limited and intermittent sensing.
Due to the intermittent sensing, constant position feedback may not be
available for agents all the time. Intermittent sensing can also lead to a
disconnected network or collisions between agents. Using a navigation function
framework, a decentralized switched controller is developed to navigate the
agents to the desired positions while ensuring network maintenance and
collision avoidance.


title: Finite f-Electron Bandwidth in a Heavy Fermion Model

abstract:
  Determinant Quantum Monte Carlo (DQMC) is used to study the effect of
non-zero hopping t_f in the localized f-band of the periodic Anderson model
(PAM) in two dimensions. The low temperature properties are determined in the
plane of interband hybridization V and t_f at fixed U_f and half-filling,
including the case when the sign of t_f is opposite to that of the conduction
band t_d. For t_f and t_d of the same sign, and when t_f=t_d > (V =4_td)^2, the
non-interacting system is metallic. We show that a remnant of the band
insulator to metal line at U_f = 0 persists in the interacting system,
manifesting itself as a maximal tendency toward antiferromagnetic correlations
at low temperature. In this optimal t_f region, short range (e.g.
near-neighbor) and long-range spin correlations develop at similar temperatures
and have comparable magnitude. Both observations are in stark contrast with the
situation in the widely studied PAM (t_f = 0) and single band Hubbard model,
where short range correlations are stronger and develop at higher temperature.
The effect that finite t_f has on Kondo screening is investigated by
considering the evolution of the local density of states for selected t_f as a
function of V . We use mean field theory as a tool to discriminate those
aspects of the physics that are genuinely many-body in character.


title: Measures of entanglement in non-Abelian anyonic systems

abstract:
  Bipartite entanglement entropies, calculated from the reduced density matrix
of a subsystem, provide a description of the resources available within a
system for performing quantum information processing. However, these quantities
are not uniquely defined on a system of non-Abelian anyons. This paper
describes how reduced density matrices and bipartite entanglement entropies
(such as the von Neumann and Renyi entropies) may be constructed for
non-Abelian anyonic systems, in ways which reduce to the conventional
definitions for systems with only local degrees of freedom.


title:
Search for $C=+$ charmonium and XYZ states in $e^+e^-\to \gamma+ H$ at
  BESIII

abstract:
  Within the framework of nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics, we study the
production of $C=+$ charmonium states $H$ in $e^+e^-\to \gamma~+~H$ at BESIII
with $H=\eta_c(nS)$ (n=1, 2, 3, and 4), $\chi_{cJ}(nP)$ (n=1, 2, and 3), and
$^1D_2(nD)$ (n=1 and 2). The radiative and relativistic corrections are
calculated to next-to-leading order for $S$ and $P$ wave states. We then argue
that the search for $C=+$ $XYZ$ states such as $X(3872)$, $X(3940)$, $X(4160)$,
and $X(4350)$ in $e^+e^-\to \gamma~+~H$ at BESIII may help clarify the nature
of these states. BESIII can search $XYZ$ states through two body process
$e^+e^-\to \gamma H$, where $H$ decay to $J/\psi \pi^+\pi^-$, $J/\psi \phi$, or
$D \bar D$. This result may be useful in identifying the nature of $C=+$ $XYZ$
states. For completeness, the production of $C=+$ charmonium in $e^+e^-\to
\gamma +~H$ at B factories is also discussed.


title: Network Reconstruction from Intrinsic Noise

abstract:
  This paper considers the problem of inferring an unknown network of dynamical
systems driven by unknown, intrinsic, noise inputs. Equivalently we seek to
identify direct causal dependencies among manifest variables only from
observations of these variables. For linear, time-invariant systems of minimal
order, we characterise under what conditions this problem is well posed. We
first show that if the transfer matrix from the inputs to manifest states is
minimum phase, this problem has a unique solution irrespective of the network
topology. This is equivalent to there being only one valid spectral factor (up
to a choice of signs of the inputs) of the output spectral density.
  If the assumption of phase-minimality is relaxed, we show that the problem is
characterised by a single Algebraic Riccati Equation (ARE), of dimension
determined by the number of latent states. The number of solutions to this ARE
is an upper bound on the number of solutions for the network. We give necessary
and sufficient conditions for any two dynamical networks to have equal output
spectral density, which can be used to construct all equivalent networks.
Extensive simulations quantify the number of solutions for a range of problem
sizes. For a slightly simpler case, we also provide an algorithm to construct
all equivalent networks from the output spectral density.


title: Joint Bayesian estimation of close subspaces from noisy measurements

abstract:
  In this letter, we consider two sets of observations defined as subspace
signals embedded in noise and we wish to analyze the distance between these two
subspaces. The latter entails evaluating the angles between the subspaces, an
issue reminiscent of the well-known Procrustes problem. A Bayesian approach is
investigated where the subspaces of interest are considered as random with a
joint prior distribution (namely a Bingham distribution), which allows the
closeness of the two subspaces to be adjusted. Within this framework, the
minimum mean-square distance estimator of both subspaces is formulated and
implemented via a Gibbs sampler. A simpler scheme based on alternative maximum
a posteriori estimation is also presented. The new schemes are shown to provide
more accurate estimates of the angles between the subspaces, compared to
singular value decomposition based independent estimation of the two subspaces.


title:
Unexpected Giant Superconducting Fluctuation and Anomalous
  Semiconducting Normal State in NdO1-xFxBi1-yS2 Single Crystals

abstract:
  The BiS2-based superconductors were discovered recently. The
superconductivity has been proved by many other groups. Since the previous
experiments were all done on polycrystalline samples, therefore there remains a
concern whether the superconductivity is really derived from the materials
intrinsically or from some secondary phases. Experiments on single crystals are
highly desired. In this paper, we report the successful growth of the
NdO1-xFxBi1-yS2 single crystals. Resistive and magnetic measurements reveal
that the bulk superconducting transition occurs at about 5 K, while an
unexpected giant superconducting fluctuation appears at temperatures as high as
2-4 kBTC. Analysis based on the anisotropic Ginzbaug-Landau theory gives an
anisotropy of 30-45. Two gap features with magnitudes of about 3.5+-0.3 meV and
7.5+-1 meV were observed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The smaller gap is
associated with the bulk superconducting transition at about 5 K yielding a
huge ratio 2Delta_s/kBTc =16.8, the larger gap remains up to about 26 K. The
normal state recovered by applying a high magnetic field shows an anomalous
semiconducting behavior. All these suggest that the superconductivity in this
newly discovered superconductor cannot be formatted into the BCS theory.


title:
Jalilian-Marian, Iancu, McLerran, Weigert, Leonidov, Kovner evolution at
  next to leading order

abstract:
  The Jalilian-Marian,Iancu, McLerran, Weigert, Leonidov, Kovner (JIMWLK)
Hamiltonian for high energy evolution of QCD amplitudes is presented at the
next-to-leading order accuracy in $\alpha_s$. The form of the Hamiltonian is
deduced from the symmetries and the structure of the hadronic light cone
wavefunction and by comparing the rapidity evolution of the quark dipole and
the three-quark singlet states with results available in the literature. The
next-to-leading corrections should allow for more robust phenomenological
applications of perturbative saturation approach.


title:
A penalized likelihood approach for robust estimation of isoform
  expression

abstract:
  Ultra high-throughput sequencing of transcriptomes (RNA-Seq) has enabled the
accurate estimation of gene expression at individual isoform level. However,
systematic biases introduced during the sequencing and mapping processes as
well as incompleteness of the transcript annotation databases may cause the
estimates of isoform abundances to be unreliable, and in some cases, highly
inaccurate. This paper introduces a penalized likelihood approach to detect and
correct for such biases in a robust manner. Our model extends those previously
proposed by introducing bias parameters for reads. An L1 penalty is used for
the selection of non-zero bias parameters. We introduce an efficient algorithm
for model fitting and analyze the statistical properties of the proposed model.
Our experimental studies on both simulated and real datasets suggest that the
model has the potential to improve isoform-specific gene expression estimates
and identify incompletely annotated gene models.


title: Rademacher-Carlitz Polynomials

abstract:
  We introduce and study the \emph{Rademacher-Carlitz polynomial} \[
  \RC(u, v, s, t, a, b) := \sum_{k = \lceil s \rceil}^{\lceil s \rceil + b - 1}
u^{\fl{\frac{ka + t}{b}}} v^k \] where $a, b \in \Z_{>0}$, $s, t \in \R$, and
$u$ and $v$ are variables. These polynomials generalize and unify various
Dedekind-like sums and polynomials; most naturally, one may view $\RC(u, v, s,
t, a, b)$ as a polynomial analogue (in the sense of Carlitz) of the
\emph{Dedekind-Rademacher sum} \[
  \r_t(a,b) := \sum_{k=0}^{b-1}\left(\left(\frac{ka+t}{b} \right)\right)
\left(\left(\frac{k}{b} \right)\right), \] which appears in various
number-theoretic, combinatorial, geometric, and computational contexts. Our
results come in three flavors: we prove a reciprocity theorem for
Rademacher-Carlitz polynomials, we show how they are the only nontrivial
ingredients of integer-point transforms \[
  \sigma(x,y):=\sum_{(j,k) \in \mathcal{P}\cap \Z^2} x^j y^k \] of any rational
polyhedron $\mathcal{P}$, and we derive a novel reciprocity theorem for
Dedekind-Rademacher sums, which follows naturally from our setup.


title: The homotopy bicategory of $(\infty, 1)$-categories

abstract:
  Evidence is given for the correctness of the Joyal-Riehl-Verity construction
of the homotopy bicategory of the $(\infty, 2)$-category of $(\infty,
1)$-categories; in particular, it is shown that the analogous construction
using complete Segal spaces instead of quasicategories yields a bicategorically
equivalent 2-category.


title:
Optimal Persistent Currents for Interacting Bosons on a Ring with a
  Gauge Field

abstract:
  We study persistent currents for interacting one-dimensional bosons on a
tight ring trap, subjected to a rotating barrier potential, which induces an
artificial U(1) gauge field. We show that, at intermediate interactions, the
persistent current response is maximal, due to a subtle interplay of effects
due to the barrier, the interaction and quantum fluctuations. These results are
relevant for ongoing experiments with ultracold atomic gases on mesoscopic
rings.


title:
Enhancing the sensitivity of the LIGO gravitational wave detector by
  using squeezed states of light

abstract:
  Nearly a century after Einstein first predicted the existence of
gravitational waves, a global network of earth-based gravitational wave
observatories is seeking to directly detect this faint radiation using
precision laser interferometry. Photon shot noise, due to the quantum nature of
light, imposes a fundamental limit on the attometer level sensitivity of the
kilometer-scale Michelson interferometers deployed for this task. Here we
inject squeezed states to improve the performance of one of the detectors of
the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) beyond the
quantum noise limit, most notably in the frequency region down to 150 Hz,
critically important for several astrophysical sources, with no deterioration
of performance observed at any frequency. With the injection of squeezed
states, this LIGO detector demonstrated the best broadband sensitivity to
gravitational waves ever achieved, with important implications for observing
the gravitational wave Uni- verse with unprecedented sensitivity.


title: Bent crystal selection and assembling for the LAUE project

abstract:
  For the first time, with the Laue project, bent crystals are being used for
focusing photons in the 80-300 keV energy range. The advantage is their high
reflectivity and better Point Spread Function with respect to the mosaic flat
crystals. Simulations have already shown their excellent focusing capability
which makes them the best candidates for a Laue lens whose sensitivity is also
driven by the size of the focused spot. Selected crystals are Germanium
(perfect, (111)) and Gallium Arsenide (mosaic, (220)) with 40 m curvature
radius to get a spherical lens with 20 m long focal length. A lens petal is
being built. We report the measurement technique by which we are able to
estimate the exact curvature of each tile within a few percent of uncertainty
and their diffraction efficiency. We also discuss some results.


title: Timescales in creep and yielding of attractive gels

abstract:
  The stress-induced yielding scenario of colloidal gels is investigated under
rough boundary conditions by means of rheometry coupled to local velocity
measurements. Under an applied shear stress, the fluidization of gels made of
attractive carbon black particles suspended in a mineral oil is shown to
involve a previously unreported shear rate response $\dot \gamma (t)$
characterized by two well-defined and separated timescales $\tau_c$ and
$\tau_f$. First $\dot \gamma(t)$ decreases as a weak power law strongly
reminiscent of the primary creep observed in numerous crystalline and amorphous
solids, coined the "Andrade creep." We show that the bulk deformation remains
homogeneous at the micron scale, which demonstrates that if plastic events take
place or if any shear transformation zone exists, such phenomena occur at a
smaller scale. As a key result of this paper, the duration $\tau_c$ of this
creep regime decreases as a power law of the viscous stress, defined as the
difference between the applied stress and the yield stress with an exponent
ranging between 2 and 3 depending on the gel concentration. The end of this
first regime is marked by a jump of the shear rate by several orders of
magnitude, while the gel slowly slides as a solid block experiencing strong
wall slip at both walls, despite rough boundary conditions. Finally, a second
sudden increase of the shear rate is concomitant to the full fluidization of
the material which ends up being homogeneously sheared. The corresponding
fluidization time $\tau_f$ robustly follows an exponential decay with the
applied shear stress as already reported for smooth boundary conditions.
Finally, we highlight a few features that are common to attractive colloidal
gels and to solid materials by discussing our results in the framework of
theoretical approaches of solid rupture (kinetic, fiber bundle, and transient
network models).


title: Universal and ultrahomogeneous abelian Polish metric group

abstract:
  We use Fra\" iss\' e theoretic methods to construct a universal and
ultrahomogeneous abelian separable metric group. We show that such a group is a
universal abelian Polish group, thus we provide another proof of a result
already discovered by Shkarin. We then construct universal and ultrahomogeneous
abelian periodic metric groups with bounded exponents; it follows that these
groups are also universal objects for the corresponding classes of abelian
Polish groups.


title: Quantitative analysis of spirality in elliptical galaxies

abstract:
  We use an automated galaxy morphology analysis method to quantitatively
measure the spirality of galaxies classified manually as elliptical. The data
set used for the analysis consists of 60,518 galaxy images with redshift
obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and classified manually by
Galaxy Zoo, as well as the RC3 and NA10 catalogues. We measure the spirality of
the galaxies by using the Ganalyzer method, which transforms the galaxy image
to its radial intensity plot to detect galaxy spirality that is in many cases
difficult to notice by manual observation of the raw galaxy image. Experimental
results using manually classified elliptical and S0 galaxies with redshift <0.3
suggest that galaxies classified manually as elliptical and S0 exhibit a
nonzero signal for the spirality. These results suggest that the human eye
observing the raw galaxy image might not always be the most effective way of
detecting spirality and curves in the arms of galaxies.


title:
A pre-explosion optical transient event from a white dwarf merger with a
  giant supernova progenitor

abstract:
  We examine rare evolutionary routes of binary systems where the initially
more massive primary star of ~5.5-8.5Mo, forms a white dwarf (WD), while the
secondary star of 4Mo < M_2,0 < M_1,0 accretes mass from the evolved primary
and later terminates as a core collapse supernova (CCSN). In such a WD-NS
reverse evolution a neutron star (NS) or a potential NS-progenitor massive core
is formed after the WD. These SN explosions are likely to be preceded by strong
interaction of the WD with the giant secondary's core, leading to an
Intermediate-Luminosity Optical Transient (ILOT; Red Transient; Red Nova)
event, weeks to years before the explosion. The common envelope phase of the WD
and the giant ends with a merger that forms an ILOT, or an envelope ejection
that leads, after a CCSN of the giant's core, to a NS-NS or WD-NS surviving
binary. The WD could suffer a thermonuclear explosion, that might be observed
as a Type Ia SN. Most of these CCSN and thermonuclear explosions will be
peculiar. We calculate the stellar evolution of representative cases using
Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA). The occurrence rate of
these systems is ~3-5 percent of that of CCSNe.


title:
An application of the almost purity theorem to the homological
  conjectures

abstract:
  The aim of this article is to establish the existence of big Cohen-Macaulay
algebras in mixed characteristic in some special situation. The main result
follows from the so-called almost purity theorem proved by Davis and Kedlaya.


title: Irreducible factors of Weil representations and TQFT

abstract:
  We give the decomposition into irreducible factors of Weil representations of
the symplectic groups at even levels, generalizing previous decompositions at
odd levels. We then derive the decomposition of the quantum representations of
SL2(Z) arising in the SU(2) and SO(3) TQFTs. As application we show that, when
the level indexing the TQFT is not a multiple of 4, the universal construction
applied to a cobordism category without framed links leads to the same TQFT.


title: Discovery of a Three-dimensional Topological Dirac Semimetal, Na3Bi

abstract:
  Three-dimensional (3D) topological Dirac semimetals (TDSs) represent a novel
state of quantum matter that can be viewed as '3D graphene'. In contrast to
two-dimensional (2D) Dirac fermions in graphene or on the surface of 3D
topological insulators, TDSs possess 3D Dirac fermions in the bulk. The TDS is
also an important boundary state mediating numerous novel quantum states, such
as topological insulators, Weyl semi-metals, Axion insulators and topological
superconductors. By investigating the electronic structure of Na3Bi with angle
resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we discovered 3D Dirac fermions with
linear dispersions along all momentum directions for the first time.
Furthermore, we demonstrated that the 3D Dirac fermions in Na3Bi were protected
by the bulk crystal symmetry. Our results establish that Na3Bi is the first
model system of 3D TDSs, which can also serve as an ideal platform for the
systematic study of quantum phase transitions between rich novel topological
quantum states.


title:
Strong Error Analysis of the $\Theta$-Method for Stochastic Hybrid
  Systems

abstract:
  We discuss numerical approximation methods for Random Time Change equations
which possess a deterministic drift part and jump with state-dependent rates.
It is first established that solutions to such equations are versions of
certain Piecewise Deterministic Markov Processes. Then we present a convergence
theorem establishing strong convergence (convergence in the mean) for
semi-implicit Maruyama-type one step methods based on a local error analysis.
The family of $\Theta$--Maruyama methods is analysed in detail where the local
error is analysed in terms of It{\^o}-Taylor expansions of the exact solution
and the approximation process. The study is concluded with numerical
experiments that illustrate the theoretical findings.


title:
The spectrum of low spin mesons at finite temperature in holographic
  noncommutative QCD

abstract:
  We have constructed a noncommutative deformation of the holographic QCD
(Sakai-Sugimoto) model and evaluated the mass spectrum of low spin vector
mesons at finite temperature. The masses of light vector- and
pseudovector-meson in the noncommutative holographic QCD model reduces over the
whole area in the intermediate-temperature regime compared to the commutative
case. However, the space noncommutativity does not change the properties of
temperature dependence for the mass spectrum of low spin mesons. The masses of
meson also decrease with increasing temperature in noncommutative case.


title:
Life after eruption - III. Orbital periods of the old novae V365 Car, AR
  Cir, V972 Oph, HS Pup, V909 Sgr, V373 Sct and CN Vel

abstract:
  We present time-series photometric and spectroscopic data for seven old
novae. They are used to derive the orbital period for the systems V365 Car
(5.35 h), AR Cir (5.14 h), V972 Oph (6.75 h), HS Pup (6.41 h), V373 Sct (3.69
h), V909 Sgr (3.43 h) and CN Vel (5.29 h). Their addition increases the number
of orbital periods for novae by ~10 per cent. The eclipsing nature of V909 Sgr
is confirmed, and in three other cases (V365 Car, Ar Cir and V373 Sct) we
detect significant photometric orbital variability with amplitudes >=0.2 mag in
R. The resulting period distribution is briefly discussed. We furthermore
provide new measurements for the previously ambiguous coordinates for AR Cir
and CN Vel and the identification of a new probable W UMa variable in the field
of V909 Sgr. The spectrum of V972 Oph presents an emission feature redward of
Halpha which we tentatively identify with the CII 6578/6583 doublet. It is
shown that this line originates in the binary and not in a shell, and to our
knowledge this is the first time that it has been detected in such quality in a
cataclysmic variable (CV). We argue that this line could be more common in CVs,
but that it can be easily masked by the broad Halpha emission that is typical
for these systems. A closer inspection of the line profiles of the other novae
indeed reveals an extended red wing in V365 Car, CN Vel and AR Cir. In the
latter system additionally an absorption counterpart blueward of Halpha is
detected and thus in this case a bipolar outflow appears as a more likely
scenario rather than CII emission.


title: Protein Threading Based on Nonlinear Integer Programming

abstract:
  Protein threading is a method of computational protein structure prediction
used for protein sequences which have the same fold as proteins of known
structures but do not have homologous proteins with known structure. The most
popular algorithm is based on linear integer programming. In this paper, we
consider methods based on nonlinear integer programming. Actually, the existing
linear integer programming is directly linearized from the original quadratic
integer programming. We then develop corresponding efficient algorithms.


title: Tychonoff-like Product Theorems for Local Topological Properties

abstract:
  We consider classes T of topological spaces (referred to as T-spaces) that
are stable under continuous images and frequently under arbitrary products. A
local T-space has for each point a neighborhood base consisting of subsets that
are T-spaces in the induced topology. A general necessary and sufficient
criterion for a product of topological spaces to be a local T-space in terms of
conditions on the factors enables one to establish a broad variety of theorems
saying that a product of spaces has a certain local property (like local
compactness, local sequential compactness, local \sigma-compactness, local
connectedness etc.) if and only if each factor has that local property, almost
all have the corresponding global property, and not too many factors fail a
suitable additional condition. Many of the results admit a point-free
formulation; a look at sum decompositions into components of spaces with local
properties yields product decompositions into indecomposable factors for
certain classes of frames like completely distributive lattices or
hypercontinuous frames.


title: Project 8: Using Radio-Frequency Techniques to Measure Neutrino Mass

abstract:
  The Project 8 experiment aims to measure the neutrino mass using tritium beta
decays. Beta-decay electron energies will be measured with a novel technique:
as the electrons travel in a uniform magnetic field their cyclotron radiation
will be detected. The frequency of each electron's cyclotron radiation is
inversely proportional to its total relativistic energy; therefore, by
observing the cyclotron radiation we can make a precise measurement of the
electron energies. The advantages of this technique include scalability,
excellent energy resolution, and low backgrounds. The collaboration is using a
prototype experiment to study the feasibility of the technique with a
$^{83m}$Kr source. Demonstrating the ability to see the 17.8 keV and 30.2 keV
conversion electrons from $^{83m}$Kr will show that it may be possible to
measure tritium beta-decay electron energies ($Q \approx 18.6$ keV) with their
cyclotron radiation. Progress on the prototype, analysis and signal-extraction
techniques, and an estimate of the potential future of the experiment will be
discussed.


title:
On the optimality of approximation schemes for the classical scheduling
  problem

abstract:
  We consider the classical scheduling problem on parallel identical machines
to minimize the makespan, and achieve the following results under the
Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH)
  1. The scheduling problem on a constant number $m$ of identical machines,
which is denoted as $Pm||C_{max}$, is known to admit a fully polynomial time
approximation scheme (FPTAS) of running time $O(n) + (1/\epsilon)^{O(m)}$
(indeed, the algorithm works for an even more general problem where machines
are unrelated). We prove this algorithm is essentially the best possible in the
sense that a $(1/\epsilon)^{O(m^{1-\delta})}+n^{O(1)}$ time FPTAS for any
$\delta>0$ implies that ETH fails.
  2. The scheduling problem on an arbitrary number of identical machines, which
is denoted as $P||C_{max}$, is known to admit a polynomial time approximation
scheme (PTAS) of running time $2^{O(1/\epsilon^2\log^3(1/\epsilon))}+n^{O(1)}$.
We prove this algorithm is nearly optimal in the sense that a
$2^{O((1/\epsilon)^{1-\delta})}+n^{O(1)}$ time PTAS for any $\delta>0$ implies
that ETH fails, leaving a small room for improvement.
  To obtain these results we will provide two new reductions from 3SAT, one for
$Pm||C_{max}$ and another for $P||C_{max}$. Indeed, the new reductions explore
the structure of scheduling problems and can also lead to other interesting
results. For example, using the framework of our reduction for $P||C_{max}$,
Chen et al. (arXiv:1306.3727) is able to prove the APX-hardness of the
scheduling problem in which the matrix of job processing times
$P=(p_{ij})_{m\times n}$ is of rank 3, solving the open problem mentioned by
Bhaskara et al. (SODA 2013).


title: Vacuum structure in a chiral R+R^n modification of pure supergravity

abstract:
  We discuss an ${\cal R}+{\cal R}^n$ class of modified ${\cal N}=1$, D=4
supergravity models where the deformation is a monomial ${\cal R}^n\big|_F$ in
the chiral scalar curvature multiplet ${\cal R}$ of the "old minimal" auxiliary
field formulation. The scalaron and goldstino multiplets are dual to each other
in this theory. Since one of them is not dynamical, this theory, as recently
shown, cannot be used as the supersymmetric completion of $R+R^n$ gravity. This
is confirmed by investigating the scalar potential and its critical points in
the dual standard supergravity formulation with a single chiral multiplet with
specific K\"ahler potential and superpotential. We study the vacuum structure
of this dual theory and we find that there is always a supersymmetric Minkowski
critical point which however is pathological for $n\geq 3$ as it corresponds to
a corner ($n=3$) and a cusp ($n>3$) point of the potential. For $n>3$ an
anti-de Sitter regular supersymmetric vacuum emerges. As a result, this class
of models are not appropriate to describe inflation. We also find the mass
spectrum and we provide a general formula for the masses of the scalars of a
chiral multiplet around the anti-de Sitter critical point and their relation to
$osp(1,4)$ unitary representations.


title: Persistent currents in two-component condensates in a toroidal trap

abstract:
  The stability of persistent currents in a two-component Bose-Einstein
condensate in a toroidal trap is studied both in the miscible and immiscible
regimes. In the miscible regime we show that superflow decay is related to
linear instabilities of the spin-density Bogoliubov mode. We find a region of
partial stability, where the flow is stable in the majority component while it
decays in the minority component. We also characterize the dynamical
instability appearing for a large relative velocity between the two components.
In the immiscible regime the stability criterion is modified and depends on the
specific density distribution of the two components. The effect of a coherent
coupling between the two components is also discussed.


title:
Fluctuation versus fixation in the one-dimensional constrained voter
  model

abstract:
  The constrained voter model describes the dynamics of opinions in a
population of individuals located on a connected graph. Each agent is
characterized by her opinion, where the set of opinions is represented by a
finite sequence of consecutive integers, and each pair of neighbors, as defined
by the edge set of the graph, interact at a constant rate. The dynamics depends
on two parameters: the number of opinions denoted by $F$ and a so-called
confidence threshold denoted by $\theta$. If the opinion distance between two
interacting agents exceeds the confidence threshold then nothing happens,
otherwise one of the two agents mimics the other one just as in the classical
voter model. Our main result shows that the one-dimensional system starting
from any product measures with a positive density of each opinion fluctuates
and clusters if and only if $F \leq 2 \theta + 1$. Sufficient conditions for
fixation in one dimension when the initial distribution is uniform and lower
bounds for the probability of consensus for the process on finite connected
graphs are also proved.


title: Incentive Design for Direct Load Control Programs

abstract:
  We study the problem of optimal incentive design for voluntary participation
of electricity customers in a Direct Load Scheduling (DLS) program, a new form
of Direct Load Control (DLC) based on a three way communication protocol
between customers, embedded controls in flexible appliances, and the central
entity in charge of the program. Participation decisions are made in real-time
on an event-based basis, with every customer that needs to use a flexible
appliance considering whether to join the program given current incentives.
Customers have different interpretations of the level of risk associated with
committing to pass over the control over the consumption schedule of their
devices to an operator, and these risk levels are only privately known. The
operator maximizes his expected profit of operating the DLS program by posting
the right participation incentives for different appliance types, in a publicly
available and dynamically updated table. Customers are then faced with the
dynamic decision making problem of whether to take the incentives and
participate or not. We define an optimization framework to determine the
profit-maximizing incentives for the operator. In doing so, we also investigate
the utility that the operator expects to gain from recruiting different types
of devices. These utilities also provide an upper-bound on the benefits that
can be attained from any type of demand response program.


title: Secular Evolution in Disk Galaxies

abstract:
  Disk galaxies evolve over time through processes that may rearrange both the
radial mass profile and the metallicity distribution within the disk. This
review of such slow changes is largely, though not entirely, restricted to
internally-driven processes that can be distinguished from evolution driven by
galaxy interactions. It both describes our current understanding of disk
evolution, and identifies areas where more work is needed. Stellar disks are
heated through spiral scattering, which increases random motion components in
the plane, while molecular clouds redirect some fraction of the random energy
into vertical motion. The recently discovered process of radial migration at
the corotation resonance of a transient spiral mode does not alter the
underlying structure of the disk, since it neither heats the disk nor causes it
to spread, but it does have a profound effect on the expected distribution of
metallicities among the disk stars. Bars in disks are believed to be major
drivers of secular evolution through interactions with the outer disk and with
the halo. Once the material that makes up galaxy disks is converted into stars,
their overall angular momentum distribution cannot change by much, but that of
the gas is generally far more liable to rearrangement, allowing rings and
pseudo-bulges to form. While simulations are powerful tools from which we have
learned a great deal, those of disks may suffer from collisional relaxation
that requires some results to be interpreted with caution.


title: On the small-time behaviour of L\'evy-type processes

abstract:
  We show some Chung-type $\liminf$ law of the iterated logarithm results at
zero for a class of (pure-jump) Feller or L\'evy-type processes. This class
includes all L\'evy processes. The norming function is given in terms of the
symbol of the infinitesimal generator of the process. In the L\'evy case, the
symbol coincides with the characteristic exponent.


title:
Ionized Plasma and Neutral Gas Coupling in the Sun's Chromosphere and
  Earth's Ionosphere/Thermosphere

abstract:
  We review our understanding of ionized plasma and neutral gas coupling in the
weakly ionized, stratified, electromagnetically-permeated regions of the Sun's
chromosphere and Earth's ionosphere/thermosphere. Using representative models
for each environment we derive fundamental descriptions of the coupling of the
constituent parts to each other and to the electric and magnetic fields, and we
examine the variation in magnetization of the ionized component. Using these
descriptions we compare related phenomena in the two environments, and discuss
electric currents, energy transfer and dissipation. We present a coupled
theoretical and numerical study of plasma instabilities in the two environments
that serves as an example of how the chromospheric and ionospheric communities
can further collaborate. We also suggest future collaborative studies that will
help improve our understanding of these two different atmospheres which share
many similarities, but have large disparities in key quantities.

categories: astro-ph.SR astro-ph.EP physics.plasm-ph physics.space-ph


title:
Hilbert's 6th Problem: Exact and Approximate Hydrodynamic Manifolds for
  Kinetic Equations

abstract:
  The problem of the derivation of hydrodynamics from the Boltzmann equation
and related dissipative systems is formulated as the problem of slow invariant
manifold in the space of distributions. We review a few instances where such
hydrodynamic manifolds were found analytically both as the result of summation
of the Chapman--Enskog asymptotic expansion and by the direct solution of the
invariance equation. These model cases, comprising Grad's moment systems, both
linear and nonlinear, are studied in depth in order to gain understanding of
what can be expected for the Boltzmann equation. Particularly, the dispersive
dominance and saturation of dissipation rate of the exact hydrodynamics in the
short-wave limit and the viscosity modification at high divergence of the flow
velocity are indicated as severe obstacles to the resolution of Hilbert's 6th
Problem. Furthermore, we review the derivation of the approximate hydrodynamic
manifold for the Boltzmann equation using Newton's iteration and avoiding
smallness parameters, and compare this to the exact solutions. Additionally, we
discuss the problem of projection of the Boltzmann equation onto the
approximate hydrodynamic invariant manifold using entropy concepts. Finally, a
set of hypotheses is put forward where we describe open questions and set a
horizon for what can be derived exactly or proven about the hydrodynamic
manifolds for the Boltzmann equation in the future.


title:
Orthogonally additive, orthogonality preserving, holomorphic mappings
  between C*-algebras

abstract:
  We study holomorphic maps between C$^*$-algebras $A$ and $B$. When $f:B_A
(0,\varrho) \longrightarrow B$ is a holomorphic mapping whose Taylor series at
zero is uniformly converging in some open unit ball $U=B_{A}(0,\delta)$ and we
assume that $f$ is orthogonality preserving on $A_{sa}\cap U$, orthogonally
additive on $U$ and $f(U)$ contains an invertible element in $B$, then there
exist a sequence $(h_n)$ in $B^{**}$ and Jordan $^*$-homomorphisms $\Theta,
\widetilde{\Theta} : M(A) \to B^{**}$ such that $$ f(x) = \sum_{n=1}^\infty h_n
\widetilde{\Theta} (a^n)= \sum_{n=1}^\infty {\Theta} (a^n) h_n,$$ uniformly in
$a\in U$. When $B$ is abelian the hypothesis of $B$ being unital and $f(U)\cap
\hbox{inv} (B) \neq \emptyset$ can be relaxed to get the same statement.


title:
Improved isolation of the p-p underlying event based on minimum-bias
  trigger-associated hadron correlations

abstract:
  Some aspects of hadron production in p-p collisions remain unresolved,
including the low-hadron-momentum structure of high-parton-energy dijets,
separation of triggered dijets from the underlying event (UE), the systematics
of multiple parton interactions and possible systematic underestimation of
dijet contributions to high-energy nuclear collisions. In this study we apply a
minimum-bias trigger-associated (TA) correlation analysis to p-p collisions. We
extract a hard component from TA correlations that can be compared with
measured jet fragment systematics derived from e-e collisions. The kinematic
limits on jet fragment production may be determined. The same method may be
extended to A-A collisions where the role of minimum-bias jets in spectra and
correlations is strongly contested.


title: On a game theoretic cardinality bound

abstract:
  The main purpose of the paper is the proof of a cardinal inequality for a
space with points $G_\delta$, obtained with the help of a long version of the
Menger game. This result improves a similar one of Scheepers and Tall.


title:
Analytic solution of the algebraic equation associated to the Ricci
  tensor in extended Palatini gravity

abstract:
  In this work we discuss the exact solution to the algebraic equation
associated to the Ricci tensor in the quadratic $f(R,Q)$ extension of Palatini
gravity. We show that an exact solution always exists, and in the general case
it can be found by a simple matrix diagonalization. Furthermore, the general
implications of the solution are analysed in detail, including the generation
of an effective cosmological constant, and the recovery of the $f(R)$ and
$f(Q)$ theories as particular cases in their corresponding limit. In addition,
it is proposed a power series expansion of the solution which is successfully
applied to the case of the electromagnetic field. We show that this power
series expansion may be useful to deal perturbatively with some problems in the
context of Palatini gravity.


title:
Path probability distribution of stochastic motion of non dissipative
  systems: a classical analog of Feynman factor of path integral

abstract:
  We investigate, by numerical simulation, the path probability of non
dissipative mechanical systems undergoing stochastic motion. The aim is to
search for the relationship between this probability and the usual mechanical
action. The model of simulation is a one-dimensional particle subject to
conservative force and Gaussian random displacement. The probability that a
sample path between two fixed points is taken is computed from the number of
particles moving along this path, an output of the simulation, devided by the
total number of particles arriving at the final point. It is found that the
path probability decays exponentially with increasing action of the sample
paths. The decay rate increases with decreasing randomness. This result
supports the existence of a classical analog of the Feynman factor in the path
integral formulation of quantum mechanics for Hamiltonian systems.


title:
Magnetic fields of Ap stars from full Stokes vector spectropolarimetric
  observations

abstract:
  Our current knowledge about the stellar magnetic fields relies almost
entirely on the circular polarization observations. Very few objects have been
observed so far in all four Stokes parameters. The magnetic Ap star HD24712 (DO
Eri, HR1217) was recently observed in the Stokes IQUV parameters with the
HARPSpol instrument at the 3.6-m ESO telescope. The resulting spectra have
dense rotational phase coverage, resolving power > 10^5, and a S/N ratio of
300-600. These are the highest quality full Stokes observations obtained for
any star other than the Sun.
  Here we present preliminary results of the magnetic Doppler imaging of
HD24712 using HARPSpol spectra. This analysis is the first step towards
obtaining detailed 3-D maps of magnetic fields abundance structures for HD24712
and in other Ap stars that we currently observe with HARPSpol.