title:
Enhancement of Chiral Symmetry Breaking from the Pion condensation at
  finite isospin chemical potential in a holographic QCD model

abstract:
  We study the pion condensation at finite isospin chemical potential using a
holographic QCD model. By solving the equations of motion for the pion fields
together with those for the iso-singlet scalar and iso-triplet vector meson
fields, we show that the phase transition from the normal phase to the pion
condensation phase is second order with the mean field exponent, and that the
critical value of the isospin chemical potential $\mu_I$ is equal to the pion
mass, consistently with the result obtained by the chiral effective Lagrangian
at $O(p^2)$. For higher chemical potential, we find a deviation, which can be
understood as a higher order effect in the chiral effective Lagrangian. We
investigate the $\mu_I$-dependence of the chiral condensate defined by
$\tilde{\sigma} \equiv \sqrt{ \langle \sigma \rangle^2 + \langle \pi^a
\rangle^2 }$. We find that $\tilde{\sigma}$ is almost constant in the small
$\mu_I$ region, while it grows with $\mu_I$ in the large $\mu_I$ region. This
implies that the strength of the chiral symmetry breaking is not changed for
small $\mu_I$: The isospin chemical potential plays a role to rotate the
"vacuum angle" of the chiral circle $\tan^{-1} \sqrt{ \langle \pi^a \rangle^2 /
\langle \sigma \rangle^2 } $ with keeping the "radius" $\tilde{\sigma}$
unchanged for small $\mu_I$. For large $\mu_I$ region, on the other hand, the
chiral symmetry breaking is enhanced by the existence of $\mu_I$.


title: Interactive Proofs with Quantum Finite Automata

abstract:
  Following an early work of Dwork and Stockmeyer on interactive proof systems
whose verifiers are two-way probabilistic finite automata, the authors
initiated in 2004 a study on the computational power of quantum interactive
proof systems whose verifiers are particularly limited to quantum finite
automata. As a follow-up to the authors' early journal publication [J. Comput.
System Sci., vol.75, pp.255-269, 2009], we further investigate the quantum
nature of interactions between provers and verifiers by studying how various
restrictions on quantum interactive proof systems affect the language
recognition power of the proof systems. In particular, we examine three
intriguing restrictions that (i) provers always behave in a classical fashion,
(ii) verifiers always reveal to provers the information on next moves, and
(iii) the number of interactions between provers and verifiers is bounded.


title: On the thermalization of quarkonia at the LHC

abstract:
  We argue that the relative yields of $\Upsilon$ states observed at the LHC
can be understood as bottomonium states coming to early thermal equilibrium and
then freezing out. The bottomonium freezeout temperature is approximately 250
MeV. We examine its systematics as a function of centrality. We remark on the
interesting differences seen by the CMS and ALICE experiments in the charmonium
sector.


title: Distribution of Electric Currents in Solar Active Regions

abstract:
  There has been a long-lasting debate on the question of whether or not
electric currents in solar active regions are neutralized. That is, whether or
not the main (or direct) coronal currents connecting the active region
polarities are surrounded by shielding (or return) currents of equal total
value and opposite direction. Both theory and observations are not yet fully
conclusive regarding this question, and numerical simulations have,
surprisingly, barely been used to address it. Here we quantify the evolution of
electric currents during the formation of a bipolar active region by
considering a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the emergence
of a sub-photospheric, current-neutralized magnetic flux rope into the solar
atmosphere. We find that a strong deviation from current neutralization
develops simultaneously with the onset of significant flux emergence into the
corona, accompanied by the development of substantial magnetic shear along the
active region's polarity inversion line. After the region has formed and flux
emergence has ceased, the strong magnetic fields in the region's center are
connected solely by direct currents, and the total direct current is several
times larger than the total return current. These results suggest that active
regions, the main sources of coronal mass ejections and flares, are born with
substantial net currents, in agreement with recent observations. Furthermore,
they support eruption models that employ pre-eruption magnetic fields
containing such currents.


title: Approximating the main conjecture in Vinogradov's mean value theorem

abstract:
  We apply multigrade efficient congruencing to estimate Vinogradov's integral
of degree $k$ for moments of order $2s$, establishing strongly diagonal
behaviour for $1\le s\le \frac{1}{2}k(k+1)-\frac{1}{3}k+o(k)$. In particular,
as $k\rightarrow \infty$, we confirm the main conjecture in Vinogradov's mean
value theorem for 100% of the critical interval $1\le s\le \frac{1}{2}k(k+1)$.


title:
First-passage dynamics of obstructed tracer particle diffusion in
  one-dimensional systems

abstract:
  The standard setup for single-file diffusion is diffusing particles in one
dimension which cannot overtake each other, where the dynamics of a tracer
(tagged) particle is of main interest. In this article we generalise this
system and investigate first-passage properties of a tracer particle when
flanked by crowder particles which may, besides diffuse, unbind (rebind) from
(to) the one-dimensional lattice with rates $k_{\rm off}$ ($k_{\rm on}$). The
tracer particle is restricted to diffuse with rate $k_D$ on the lattice. Such a
model is relevant for the understanding of gene regulation where regulatory
proteins are searching for specific binding sites ona crowded DNA. We quantify
the first-passage time distribution, $f(t)$ ($t$ is time), numerically using
the Gillespie algorithm, and estimate it analytically. In terms of our key
parameter, the unbinding rate $k_{\rm off}$, we study the bridging of two known
regimes: (i) when unbinding is frequent the particles may effectively pass each
other and we recover the standard single particle result $f(t)\sim t^{-3/2}$
with a renormalized diffusion constant, (ii) when unbinding is rare we recover
well-known single-file diffusion result $f(t)\sim t^{-7/4}$. The intermediate
cases display rich dynamics, with the characteristic $f(t)$-peak and the
long-time power-law slope both being sensitive to $k_{\rm off}$.


title:
Determination of the maximum Global Quantum Discord via measurements of
  excitations in a cavity QED network

abstract:
  Multipartite Quantum Correlations is one of the most relevant indicator of
the quantumness of a system in many body systems. This remarkable feature is in
general difficult to characterize and the known definitions are hard to
measure. Besides the efforts dedicated to solve this problem, the question of
which is the best approach remains open. In this work, we study the Global
Quantum Discord, GQD, as a bipartite and multipartite measure. We also check
the limits of this definitions and present an experimental scheme to determine
the maximum of the GQD via the measurements of the system's excitations, during
the time evolution of the present system.


title: Tunnel effect for semiclassical random walk

abstract:
  We study a semiclassical random walk with respect to a probability measure
with a finite number n_0 of wells. We show that the associated operator has
exactly n_0 exponentially close to 1 eigenvalues (in the semiclassical sense),
and that the other are O(h) away from 1. We also give an asymptotic of these
small eigenvalues. The key ingredient in our approach is a general
factorization result of pseudodifferential operators, which allows us to use
recent results on the Witten Laplacian.


title: Torque reversals and pulse profile of the pulsar 4U 1626-67

abstract:
  We review the pulse profile evolution of the unique accretion powered X-ray
pulsar 4U 1626-67 over the last 40 years since its discovery. This pulsar
showed two distinct eras of steady spin-up separated by a steady spin-down
episode for about 18 years. In the present work, using data from different
observatories active during each phase of spin-up and spin-down we establish a
clear correlation between the accretion torque acting on this pulsar and its
pulse profile. The energy resolved pulse profiles are identical in both the
spin-up eras and quite different in the spin-down era, especially in the low
energy band. This correlation, along with the already known feature of strong
Quasi Periodic Oscillations (QPO) that was present only in the spin-down era,
clearly establish two different accretion modes onto the neutron star which
produce different pulse profiles and only one of which produces the QPOs.


title:
A survey of methods to ease the development of highly multilingual text
  mining applications

abstract:
  Multilingual text processing is useful because the information content found
in different languages is complementary, both regarding facts and opinions.
While Information Extraction and other text mining software can, in principle,
be developed for many languages, most text analysis tools have only been
applied to small sets of languages because the development effort per language
is large. Self-training tools obviously alleviate the problem, but even the
effort of providing training data and of manually tuning the results is usually
considerable. In this paper, we gather insights by various multilingual system
developers on how to minimise the effort of developing natural language
processing applications for many languages. We also explain the main guidelines
underlying our own effort to develop complex text mining software for tens of
languages. While these guidelines - most of all: extreme simplicity - can be
very restrictive and limiting, we believe to have shown the feasibility of the
approach through the development of the Europe Media Monitor (EMM) family of
applications (http://emm.newsbrief.eu/overview.html). EMM is a set of complex
media monitoring tools that process and analyse up to 100,000 online news
articles per day in between twenty and fifty languages. We will also touch upon
the kind of language resources that would make it easier for all to develop
highly multilingual text mining applications. We will argue that - to achieve
this - the most needed resources would be freely available, simple, parallel
and uniform multilingual dictionaries, corpora and software tools.


title: A local-time-induced unique pointer basis

abstract:
  There is a solution to the problem of asymptotic completeness in many body
scattering theory that offers a specific view of the quantum unitary dynamics
which allows for the straightforward introduction of local time for every, at
least approximately closed, many-particle system. In this approach, Time
appears as a hidden classical parameter of the unitary dynamics of a
many-particle system. We show that a closed many-particle system can exhibit
behavior that is characteristic for open quantum systems and there is no need
for the "state collapse" or environmental influence. On the other hand, closed
few-particle systems bear high quantum coherence. This local time scheme
encompasses concepts including "emergent time", "relational time" as well as
the "hybrid system" models with possibly induced gravitational uncertainty of
time.


title:
Non-parametric study of the evolution of the cosmological equation of
  state with SNeIa, BAO and high redshift GRBs

abstract:
  We study the dark energy equation of state as a function of redshift in a
non-parametric way, without imposing any {\it a priori} $w(z)$ (ratio of
pressure over energy density) functional form. As a check of the method, we
test our scheme through the use of synthetic data sets produced from different
input cosmological models which have the same relative errors and redshift
distribution as the real data. Using the luminosity-time $L_{X}-T_{a}$
correlation for GRB X-ray afterglows (the Dainotti et al. correlation), we are
able to utilize GRB sample from the {\it Swift} satellite as probes of the
expansion history of the Universe out to $z \approx 10$. Within the assumption
of a flat FLRW universe and combining SNeIa data with BAO constraints, the
resulting maximum likelihood solutions are close to a constant $w=-1$. If one
imposes the restriction of a constant $w$, we obtain $w=-0.99 \pm 0.06$
(consistent with a cosmological constant) with the present day Hubble constant
as $H_{0}=70.0 \pm 0.6$ ${\rm km} \, {\rm s}^{-1} {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$ and density
parameter as $\Omega_{\Lambda 0}=0.723 \pm 0.025$, while non-parametric $w(z)$
solutions give us a probability map which is centred at $H_{0}=70.04 \pm 1$
${\rm km} \, {\rm s}^{-1} {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$ and $\Omega_{\Lambda 0}=0.724 \pm
0.03$. Our chosen GRB data sample with full correlation matrix allows us to
estimate the amount, as well as quality (errors) of data, needed to constrain
$w(z)$ in the redshift range extending an order of magnitude in beyond the
farthest SNeIa measured.


title: Semiregular automorphisms of cubic vertex-transitive graphs

abstract:
  We characterise connected cubic graphs admitting a vertex- transitive group
of automorphisms with an abelian normal subgroup that is not semiregular. We
illustrate the utility of this result by using it to prove that the order of a
semiregular subgroup of maximum order in a vertex-transitive group of
automorphisms of a connected cubic graph grows with the order of the graph.


title:
Unimodular gravity and general relativity from graviton
  self-interactions

abstract:
  It is commonly accepted that general relativity is the only solution to the
consistency problem that appears when trying to build a theory of interacting
gravitons (massless spin-2 particles). Padmanabhan's 2008 thought-provoking
analysis raised some concerns that are having resonance in the community. In
this work we present the self-coupling problem in detail and explicitly solve
the infinite-iterations scheme associated with it for the simplest theory of a
graviton field, which corresponds to an irreducible spin-2 representation of
the Poincar\'e group. We make explicit the non-uniqueness problem by finding an
entire family of solutions to the self-coupling problem. Then we show that the
only resulting theory which implements a deformation of the original gauge
symmetry happens to have essentially the structure of unimodular gravity. This
makes plausible the possibility of a natural solution to the first cosmological
constant problem in theories of emergent gravity. Later on we change for the
sake of completeness the starting free-field theory to Fierz-Pauli theory, an
equivalent theory but with a larger gauge symmetry. We indicate how to carry
out the infinite summation procedure in a similar way. Overall, we conclude
that as long as one requires the (deformed) preservation of internal gauge
invariance, one naturally recovers the structure of unimodular gravity or
general relativity but in a version that explicitly shows the underlying
Minkowski spacetime, in the spirit of Rosen's flat-background bimetric theory.


title:
Observation of the associated production of a single top quark and a W
  boson in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV

abstract:
  The first observation of the associated production of a single top quark and
a W boson is presented. The analysis is based on a data set corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 12.2 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collisions at
sqrt(s) = 8 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Events with two
leptons and a jet originating from a b quark are selected. A multivariate
analysis based on kinematic and topological properties is used to separate the
signal from the dominant t t-bar background. An excess consistent with the
signal hypothesis is observed, with a significance which corresponds to 6.1
standard deviations above a background-only hypothesis. The measured production
cross section is 23.4 +- 5.4 pb, in agreement with the standard model
prediction.


title: ONTS: "Optima" News Translation System

abstract:
  We propose a real-time machine translation system that allows users to select
a news category and to translate the related live news articles from Arabic,
Czech, Danish, Farsi, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and
Turkish into English. The Moses-based system was optimised for the news domain
and differs from other available systems in four ways: (1) News items are
automatically categorised on the source side, before translation; (2) Named
entity translation is optimised by recognising and extracting them on the
source side and by re-inserting their translation in the target language,
making use of a separate entity repository; (3) News titles are translated with
a separate translation system which is optimised for the specific style of news
titles; (4) The system was optimised for speed in order to cope with the large
volume of daily news articles.


title: Reaching NNLOPS accuracy with POWHEG and MiNLO

abstract:
  We describe how a simulation of Higgs boson production accurate at
next-to-next-to-leading order and matched to a parton shower can be built by
combining the POWHEG and MiNLO methods and using HNNLO results as input.


title: Feshbach resonances in ultracold gases

abstract:
  In this chapter, we describe scattering resonance phenomena in general, and
focus on the mechanism of Feshbach resonances, for which a multi-channel
treatment is required. We derive the dependence of the scattering phase shift
on magnetic field and collision energy. From this, the scattering length and
effective range coefficient can be extracted, expressions which are
particularly useful for ultracold gases.


title:
On generalization of different type inequalities for harmonically
  quasi-convex functions via fractional integrals

abstract:
  In this paper, we obtained some new estimates on generalization of Hadamard,
Ostrowski and Simpson-like type inequalities for harmonically quasi-convex
functions via Riemann Liouville fractional integral.


title: Enhancing narrowband high order harmonic generation by Fano resonances

abstract:
  Resonances in the photo-absorption spectrum of the generating medium can
modify the spectrum of high order harmonics. In particular, window-type Fano
resonances can reduce photo-absorption within a narrow spectral region and,
consequently, lead to an enhanced emission of high-order harmonics in
absorption-limited generation conditions. For high harmonic generation in argon
it is shown that the 3s3p6 np 1P1 window resonances (n=4,5,6) give rise to
enhanced photon yield. In particular, the 3s3p6 4p 1P1 resonance at 26.6 eV
allows a relative enhancement up to a factor of 30 compared to the
characteristic photon emission of the neighboring harmonic order. This
enhanced, spectrally isolated and coherent photon emission line has a relative
energy bandwidth of only {\Delta}E/E=3*10-3. Therefore, it might be directly
applied for precision spectroscopy or coherent diffractive imaging without the
need of additional spectral filtering. The presented mechanism can be employed
for tailoring and controlling the high harmonic emission of manifold target
materials.


title: Antilocalization of Coulomb Blockade in a Ge-Si Nanowire

abstract:
  The distribution of Coulomb blockade peak heights as a function of magnetic
field is investigated experimentally in a Ge-Si nanowire quantum dot. Strong
spin-orbit coupling in this hole-gas system leads to antilocalization of
Coulomb blockade peaks, consistent with theory. In particular, the peak height
distribution has its maximum away from zero at zero magnetic field, with an
average that decreases with increasing field. Magnetoconductance in the
open-wire regime places a bound on the spin-orbit length ($l_{so}$ < 20 nm),
consistent with values extracted in the Coulomb blockade regime ($l_{so}$ < 25
nm).


title:
Exploiting generalisation symmetries in accuracy-based learning
  classifier systems: An initial study

abstract:
  Modern learning classifier systems typically exploit a niched genetic
algorithm to facilitate rule discovery. When used for reinforcement learning,
such rules represent generalisations over the state-action-reward space. Whilst
encouraging maximal generality, the niching can potentially hinder the
formation of generalisations in the state space which are symmetrical, or very
similar, over different actions. This paper introduces the use of rules which
contain multiple actions, maintaining accuracy and reward metrics for each
action. It is shown that problem symmetries can be exploited, improving
performance, whilst not degrading performance when symmetries are reduced.


title: On a Problem of A. Nagy

abstract:
  If the congruences of a semigroup are commutative, we say that the semigroup
is permutable. In a previous paper, A. Nagy showed that every permutable
semigroup satisfying an arbitrary non-trivial permutation identity is medial or
an ideal extension of a rectangular band by a non-trivial commutative nil
semigroup. The author raised the following problem: Is every permutable
semigroup satisfying a non-trivial permutation identity medial? In present
paper we give a positive answer for this problem.


title: The Visible and Near Infrared module of EChO

abstract:
  The Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) is one of the modules of EChO, the
Exoplanets Characterization Observatory proposed to ESA for an M-class mission.
EChO is aimed to observe planets while transiting by their suns. Then the
instrument had to be designed to assure a high efficiency over the whole
spectral range. In fact, it has to be able to observe stars with an apparent
magnitude Mv= 9-12 and to see contrasts of the order of 10-4 - 10-5 necessary
to reveal the characteristics of the atmospheres of the exoplanets under
investigation. VNIR is a spectrometer in a cross-dispersed configuration,
covering the 0.4-2.5 micron spectral range with a resolving power of about 330
and a field of view of 2 arcsec. It is functionally split into two channels
respectively working in the 0.4-1 and 1.0-2.5 micron spectral ranges. Such a
solution is imposed by the fact the light at short wavelengths has to be shared
with the EChO Fine Guiding System (FGS) devoted to the pointing of the stars
under observation. The spectrometer makes use of a HgCdTe detector of 512 by
512 pixels, 18 micron pitch and working at a temperature of 45K as the entire
VNIR optical bench. The instrument has been interfaced to the telescope optics
by two optical fibers, one per channel, to assure an easier coupling and an
easier colocation of the instrument inside the EChO optical bench.


title:
Kronecker Product Correlation Model and Limited Feedback Codebook Design
  in a 3D Channel Model

abstract:
  A 2D antenna array introduces a new level of control and additional degrees
of freedom in multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems particularly for
the so-called "massive MIMO" systems. To accurately assess the performance
gains of these large arrays, existing azimuth-only channel models have been
extended to handle 3D channels by modeling both the elevation and azimuth
dimensions. In this paper, we study the channel correlation matrix of a generic
ray-based 3D channel model, and our analysis and simulation results demonstrate
that the 3D correlation matrix can be well approximated by a Kronecker
production of azimuth and elevation correlations. This finding lays the
theoretical support for the usage of a product codebook for reduced complexity
feedback from the receiver to the transmitter. We also present the design of a
product codebook based on Grassmannian line packing.


title:
Microkelvin thermometry with Bose-Einstein condensates of magnons and
  applications to studies of the AB interface in superfluid $^3$He

abstract:
  Coherent precession of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates of magnons is a
sensitive probe for magnetic relaxation processes in superfluid 3He-B down to
the lowest achievable temperatures. We use the dependence of the relaxation
rate on the density of thermal quasiparticles to implement thermometry in 3He-B
at temperatures below 300 $\mu$K. Unlike popular vibrating wire or quartz
tuning fork based thermometers, magnon condensates allow for contactless
temperature measurement and make possible an independent in situ determination
of the residual zero-temperature relaxation provided by the radiation damping.
We use this magnon-condensate-based thermometry to study the thermal impedance
of the interface between A and B phases of superfluid 3He. The magnon
condensate is also a sensitive probe of the orbital order-parameter texture.
This has allowed us to observe for the first time the non-thermal signature of
the annihilation of two AB interfaces.


title: Information theoretic approach for accounting classification

abstract:
  In this paper we consider an information theoretic approach for the
accounting classification process. We propose a matrix formalism and an
algorithm for calculations of information theoretic measures associated to
accounting classification. The formalism may be useful for further
generalizations and computer-based implementation. Information theoretic
measures, mutual information and symmetric uncertainty, were evaluated for
daily transactions recorded in the chart of accounts of a small company during
two years. Variation in the information measures due the aggregation of data in
the process of accounting classification is observed. In particular, the
symmetric uncertainty seems to be a useful parameter for comparing companies
over time or in different sectors or different accounting choices and
standards.


title: Binary Classifier Calibration: Bayesian Non-Parametric Approach

abstract:
  A set of probabilistic predictions is well calibrated if the events that are
predicted to occur with probability p do in fact occur about p fraction of the
time. Well calibrated predictions are particularly important when machine
learning models are used in decision analysis. This paper presents two new
non-parametric methods for calibrating outputs of binary classification models:
a method based on the Bayes optimal selection and a method based on the
Bayesian model averaging. The advantage of these methods is that they are
independent of the algorithm used to learn a predictive model, and they can be
applied in a post-processing step, after the model is learned. This makes them
applicable to a wide variety of machine learning models and methods. These
calibration methods, as well as other methods, are tested on a variety of
datasets in terms of both discrimination and calibration performance. The
results show the methods either outperform or are comparable in performance to
the state-of-the-art calibration methods.


title:
Connection between in-plane upper critical field $H_{c2}$ and gap
  symmetry in layered $d$-wave superconductors revisited

abstract:
  Angle-resolved upper critical field $H_{c2}$ provides an efficient tool to
probe the gap symmetry of unconventional superconductors. We revisit the
behavior of in-plane $H_{c2}$ in $d$-wave superconductors by considering both
the orbital effect and Pauli paramagnetic effect. After carrying out systematic
analysis, we show that the maxima of $H_{c2}$ could be along either nodal or
antinodal directions of a $d$-wave superconducting gap, depending on the
specific values of a number of tuning parameters. This behavior is in contrast
to the common belief that the maxima of in-plane $H_{c2}$ are along the
direction where the superconducting gap takes its maximal value. Therefore,
identifying the precise $d$-wave gap symmetry through fitting experiments
results of angle-resolved $H_{c2}$ with model calculations at a fixed
temperature, as widely used in previous studies, is difficult and practically
unreliable. However, our extensive analysis of angle-resolved $H_{c2}$ show
that there is a critical temperature $T^{*}$: in-plane $H_{c2}$ exhibits its
maxima along nodal directions at $T < T^{*}$ and along antinodal directions at
$T^{*} < T < T_c$. The concrete value of $T^{*}$ may change as other parameters
vary, but the existence of $\pi/4$ shift of $H_{c2}$ at $T^{\ast}$ appears to
be a general feature. Thus a better method to identify the precise $d$-wave gap
symmetry is to measure $H_{c2}$ at a number of different temperatures, and
examine whether there is a $\pi/4$ shift in its angular dependence at certain
$T^{*}$. We further show that Landau level mixing does not change this general
feature. However, in the presence of Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state,
the angular dependence of $H_{c2}$ becomes quite complicated, which makes it
more difficult to determine the gap symmetry by measuring $H_{c2}$.


title: Bayesian analysis for a class of beta mixed models

abstract:
  Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) encompass large class of statistical
models, with a vast range of applications areas. GLMM extends the linear mixed
models allowing for different types of response variable. Three most common
data types are continuous, counts and binary and standard distributions for
these types of response variables are Gaussian, Poisson and Binomial,
respectively. Despite that flexibility, there are situations where the response
variable is continuous, but bounded, such as rates, percentages, indexes and
proportions. In such situations the usual GLMM's are not adequate because
bounds are ignored and the beta distribution can be used. Likelihood and
Bayesian inference for beta mixed models are not straightforward demanding a
computational overhead. Recently, a new algorithm for Bayesian inference called
INLA (Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation) was proposed.INLA allows
computation of many Bayesian GLMMs in a reasonable amount time allowing
extensive comparison among models. We explore Bayesian inference for beta mixed
models by INLA. We discuss the choice of prior distributions, sensitivity
analysis and model selection measures through a real data set. The results
obtained from INLA are compared with those obtained by an MCMC algorithm and
likelihood analysis. We analyze data from an study on a life quality index of
industry workers collected according to a hierarchical sampling scheme. Results
show that the INLA approach is suitable and faster to fit the proposed beta
mixed models producing results similar to alternative algorithms and with
easier handling of modeling alternatives. Sensitivity analysis, measures of
goodness of fit and model choice are discussed.


title: Wellposedness results for the short pulse equation

abstract:
  The short pulse equation provides a model for the propagation of ultra-short
light pulses in silica optical fibers. It is a nonlinear evolution equation. In
this paper the wellposedness of bounded solutions for the homogeneous initial
boundary value problem and the Cauchy problem associated to this equation are
studied.


title:
A new event generator for the elastic scattering of charged leptons on
  protons

abstract:
  This paper describes a new multipurpose event generator, ESEPP, which has
been developed for the Monte Carlo simulation of unpolarized elastic scattering
of charged leptons on protons. The generator takes into account the
lowest-order QED radiative corrections to the Rosenbluth cross section
including first-order bremsstrahlung without using the soft-photon or
ultrarelativistic approximations. ESEPP can be useful for several significant
ongoing and planned experiments.


title: A Leapfrog Strategy for Pursuit-Evasion in a Polygonal Environment

abstract:
  We study pursuit-evasion in a polygonal environment with polygonal obstacles.
In this turn based game, an evader $e$ is chased by pursuers $p_1, p_2, ...,
p_{\ell}$. The players have full information about the environment and the
location of the other players. The pursuers are allowed to coordinate their
actions. On the pursuer turn, each $p_i$ can move to any point at distance at
most 1 from his current location. On the evader turn, he moves similarly. The
pursuers win if some pursuer becomes co-located with the evader in finite time.
The evader wins if he can evade capture forever.
  It is known that one pursuer can capture the evader in any simply-connected
polygonal environment, and that three pursuers are always sufficient in any
polygonal environment (possibly with polygonal obstacles). We contribute two
new results to this field. First, we fully characterize when an environment
with a single obstacles is one-pursuer-win or two-pursuer-win. Second, we give
sufficient (but not necessary) conditions for an environment to have a winning
strategy for two pursuers. Such environments can be swept by a \emph{leapfrog
strategy} in which the two cops alternately guard/increase the currently
controlled area. The running time of this algorithm is $O(n \cdot h \cdot
{diam}(P))$ where $n$ is the number of vertices, $h$ is the number of obstacles
and ${diam}(P)$ is the diameter of $P$.
  More concretely, for an environment with $n$ vertices, we describe an
$O(n^2)$ algorithm that (1) determines whether the obstacles are
well-separated, and if so, (2) constructs the required partition for a leapfrog
strategy.


title: Polarons in a Dipolar Condensate

abstract:
  We consider a polaronic model in which impurity fermions interact with
background bosons in a dipolar condensate. The polaron in this model emerges as
an impurity dressed with a cloud of phonons of the dipolar condensate, which,
due to the competition between the attractive and repulsive part of the
dipole-dipole interaction, obey an anisotropic dispersion spectrum. We study
how this anisotropy affects the Cerenkov-like emission of Bogoliubov phonon
modes, which can be directly verified by experiments in which a dipolar BEC
moves against an obstacle. We also study the spectral function of impurity
fermions, which is directly accessible to the momentum resolved rf spectroscopy
in cold atoms.


title:
Exact exponential solutions in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet flat anisotropic
  cosmology

abstract:
  In this paper we are looking for the exponential solutions (i.e. the
solutions with the scale factors change exponentially over time) in the
Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We argue that we found all possible
non-constant-volume solutions (up to permutations) in lower dimensions ((4+1)
and (5+1)) and developed a scheme which allows one to find necessary conditions
in arbitrary dimension.


title:
Cartan equivalences for Levi-nondegenerate hypersurfaces M^3 in C^2
  belonging to General Class I

abstract:
  We develope in great computational details the classical Cartan equivalence
problem for Levi-nondegenerate C^6-smooth real hypersurfaces M^3 in C^2,
performing all calculations effectively in terms of a (local) graphing function
\varphi. In particular, we present explicitly the unique (complex) essential
invariant J of the problem. Its expansion in terms of the 3-variables function
\varphi incorporates millions of differential monomials, while, when \varphi is
assumed to depend only on 2 variables (rigid case), J writes out in two lines
(7 monomials).


title:
On the use of energy loss mechanisms to constrain Lorentz invariance
  violations

abstract:
  In light of recent and probably upcoming observations of very high energy
astroparticles, such as those reported by the IceCube collaboration, we
readdress the energy loss mechanism by Lorentz violating particles. We
analytically show that Cohen-Glashow's formula for energy loss is connected
with a Poisson distribution for the number of decays, whose large fluctuations
prevent placing bounds on Lorentz invariance violations. However, this model
ignores the sharp change in the decay width after each process. We propose
replacing Poisson statistics with a new distribution that takes this into
account. We study the average final energy and its fluctuations according to
the new statistics, contrasting it with Cohen-Glashow's result, and discussing
the reliability of energy loss mechanisms to constrain violations of Lorentz
invariance.


title:
A Hypermedia Distributed Application for Monitoring and Fault-Injection
  in Embedded Fault-tolerant Parallel Programs

abstract:
  We describe a distributed, multimedia application which is being developed in
the framework of the ESPRIT-IV Project 21012 EFTOS (Embedded Fault-Tolerant
Supercomputing). The application dynamically sets up a hierarchy of HTML pages
reflecting the current status of an EFTOS-compliant dependable application
running on a Parsytec CC system. These pages are fed to a World-Wide Web
browser playing the role of a hypermedia monitor. The adopted approach allows
the user to concentrate on the high-level aspects of his/her application so to
quickly assess the quality of its current fault-tolerance design. This view of
the system lends itself well for being coupled with a tool to interactively
inject software faults in the user application; this tool is currently under
development.


title: Discovery of a young asteroid cluster associated with P/2012~F5 (Gibbs)

abstract:
  We present the results of our search for a dynamical family around the active
asteroid P/2012F5 (Gibbs). By applying the hierarchical clustering method, we
discover an extremely compact 9-body cluster associated with P/2012F5. The
statistical significance of this newly discovered Gibbs cluster is estimated to
be >99.9%, strongly suggesting that its members share a common origin. The
cluster is located in a dynamically cold region of the outer main-belt at a
proper semi-major axis of about 3.005 AU, and all members are found to be
dynamically stable over very long time-scales. Backward numerical orbital
integrations show that the age of the cluster is only 1.5 $\pm$ 0.1 Myr.
Taxonomic classifications are unavailable for most of the cluster members, but
SDSS spectrophotometry available for two cluster members indicate that both
appear to be $Q$-type objects. We also estimate a lower limit of the size of
the parent body to be about 10 km, and find that the impact event which
produced the Gibbs cluster is intermediate between a cratering and a
catastrophic collision. In addition, we search for new main-belt comets in the
region of the Gibbs cluster by observing seven asteroids either belonging to
the cluster, or being very close in the space of orbital proper elements.
However, we do not detect any convincing evidence of the presence of a tail or
coma in any our targets. Finally, we obtain optical images of P/2012F5, and
find absolute R-band and V-band magnitudes of $H_R$ = 17.0 $\pm$ 0.1 mag and
$H_V$ = 17.4 $\pm$ 0.1 mag, respectively, corresponding to an upper limit on
the diameter of the P/2012F5 nucleus of about 2 km.


title: BF Theory Explanation of the Entropy for Non-rotating Isolated Horizons

abstract:
  We consider the nonrotating isolated horizon as an inner boundary of a
four-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetime region. Due to the symmetry of
the isolated horizon, it turns out that the boundary degrees of freedom can be
described by a SO(1,1) BF theory with sources. This provides a new alternative
approach to the usual one using Chern-Simons theory to study the black hole
entropy. To count the microscopical degrees of freedom with the boundary BF
theory, the entropy of the isolated horizon can also be calculated in the
framework of loop quantum gravity. The leading-order contribution to the
entropy coincides with the Bekenstein-Hawking area law only for a particular
choice of the Barbero-Immirzi parameter, which is different from its value in
the usual approach using Chern-Simons theory. Moreover, the quantum correction
to the entropy formula is a constant term rather than a logarithmic term.


title: Multimode optomechanical dynamics in a cavity with avoided crossings

abstract:
  Cavity optomechanics offers powerful methods for controlling optical fields
and mechanical motion. A number of proposals have predicted that this control
can be extended considerably in devices where multiple cavity modes couple to
each other via the motion of a single mechanical oscillator. Here we study the
dynamical properties of such a multimode optomechanical device, in which the
coupling between cavity modes results from mechanically-induced avoided
crossings in the cavity's spectrum. Near the avoided crossings we find that the
optical spring shows distinct features that arise from the interaction between
cavity modes. Precisely at an avoided crossing, we show that the particular
form of the optical spring provides a classical analog of a
quantum-nondemolition measurement of the intracavity photon number. The
mechanical oscillator's Brownian motion, an important source of noise in these
measurements, is minimized by operating the device at cryogenic temperature
(500 mK).


title: Latest news on the Physics of Brown dwarfs

abstract:
  The physics of brown dwarfs has continuously improved since the discovery of
these astrophysical bodies. The first important developments were devoted to
the description of their mechanical structure, with the derivation of an
appropriate equation of state, and the modelling of their atmosphere
characterised by strong molecular absorption. New challenges are arising with
progress in observational techniques which provide data of unprecedented
accuracy. The goal of this chapter is to describe some of the current
challenges for the theory of brown dwarfs. Those challenges concerns
atmospheric dust and cloud, non-equilibrium atmospheric chemistry, the effect
of rotation and magnetic fields on internal structure and the very early phases
of evolution characterised by accretion processes. The field remains lively as
more and more high quality observational data become available and because of
increasing discoveries of exoplanets. Indeed, many physical properties of giant
exoplanets can be described by the same theory as brown dwarfs, as described in
this chapter.


title: New Convolution Identities for Hypergeometric Bernoulli Polynomials

abstract:
  New convolution identities of hypergeometric Bernoulli polynomials are
presented. Two different approaches to proving these identities are discussed,
corresponding to the two equivalent definitions of hypergeometric Bernoulli
polynomials as Appell sequences.


title:
Heat content and small time asymptotics for Schr\"odinger operators on
  $R^d$

abstract:
  This paper studies the heat content} for Schr\"odinger operators of the
fractional Laplacian $(-\Delta)^{\alpha/2}$, $0<\alpha\leq 2$ in $R^d$, $d\geq
1$. Employing probabilistic and analytic techniques, a small time asymptotic
expansion formula is given and the "heat content invariants" are identified.
These results are new even in the case of the Laplacian, $\alpha=2$.


title:
Experimental observation of the spontaneous breaking of the
  time-reversal symmetry in a synchronously-pumped passive Kerr resonator

abstract:
  We experimentally observe a spontaneous temporal symmetry breaking
instability in a coherently-driven passive optical Kerr resonator. The cavity
is synchronously pumped by time-symmetric pulses yet we report output pulses
with strongly asymmetric temporal and spectral intensity profiles, with up to
71% of the energy on the same side of the pump center frequency. The
instability occurs above a certain pump power threshold but remarkably vanishes
above a second threshold, in excellent agreement with theory. We also observe a
generalized bistability in which an asymmetric output state coexists with a
symmetric one in the same pumping conditions.


title: Non-Embeddable Extensions of Embedded Minors

abstract:
  A graph G is weakly 4-connected if it is 3-connected, has at least five
vertices, and for every pair of sets (A,B) with union V(G) and intersection of
size three such that no edge has one end in A-B and the other in B-A, one of
the induced subgraphs G[A], G[B] has at most four edges. We describe a set of
constructions that starting from a weakly 4-connected planar graph G produce a
finite list of non-planar weakly 4-connected graphs, each having a minor
isomorphic to G, such that every non-planar weakly 4-connected graph H that has
a minor isomorphic to G has a minor isomorphic to one of the graphs in the
list. Our main result is more general and applies in particular to polyhedral
embeddings in any surface.


title:
Software Tool Combining Fault Masking with User-Defined Recovery
  Strategies

abstract:
  We describe the voting farm, a tool which implements a distributed software
voting mechanism for a number of parallel message passing systems. The tool,
developed in the framework of EFTOS (Embedded Fault-Tolerant Supercomputing),
can be used in stand-alone mode or in conjunction with other EFTOS fault
tolerance tools. In the former case, we describe how the mechanism can be
exploited, e.g., to implement restoring organs ($N\!$-modular redundancy
systems with $N\!$-replicated voters); in the latter case, we show how it is
possible for the user to implement in an easy and effective way a number of
different recovery strategies via a custom, high-level language. Combining such
strategies with the basic fault masking capabilities of the voting tool makes
it possible to set up complex fault-tolerant systems such as, for instance,
$N$-and-$M$-spare systems or gracefully degrading voting farms. We also report
about the impact that our tool can have on reliability, and we show how,
besides structural design goals like fault transparency, our tool achieves
replication transparency, a high degree of flexibility and ease-of-use, and
good performance.


title: Elements of Vasiliev theory

abstract:
  We propose a self-contained description of Vasiliev higher-spin theories with
the emphasis on nonlinear equations. The main sections are supplemented with
some additional material, including introduction to gravity as a gauge theory;
the review of the Fronsdal formulation of free higher-spin fields; Young
diagrams and tensors as well as sections with advanced topics. The shortest
route to Vasiliev equations covers 40 pages.
  The general discussion is dimension independent, while the essence of the
Vasiliev formulation is discussed on the base of the four-dimensional
higher-spin theory. Three-dimensional and $d$-dimensional higher-spin theories
follow the same logic.


title: Additive relative invariants and the components of a linear free divisor

abstract:
  A 'prehomogeneous vector space' is a rational representation
$\rho:G\to\mathrm{GL}(V)$ of a connected complex linear algebraic group $G$
that has a Zariski open orbit $\Omega\subset V$. Mikio Sato showed that the
hypersurface components of $D:=V\setminus \Omega$ are related to the rational
characters $H\to\mathrm{GL}(\mathbb{C})$ of $H$, an algebraic abelian quotient
of $G$. Mimicking this work, we investigate the 'additive functions' of $H$,
the homomorphisms $\Phi:H\to (\mathbb{C},+)$. Each such $\Phi$ is related to an
'additive relative invariant', a rational function $h$ on $V$ such that $h\circ
\rho(g)-h=\Phi(g)$ on $\Omega$ for all $g\in G$. Such an $h$ is homogeneous of
degree $0$, and helps describe the behavior of certain subsets of $D$ under the
$G$--action.
  For those prehomogeneous vector spaces with $D$ a type of hypersurface called
a linear free divisor, we prove there are no nontrivial additive functions of
$H$, and hence $H$ is an algebraic torus. From this we gain insight into the
structure of such representations and prove that the number of irreducible
components of $D$ equals the dimension of the abelianization of $G$. For some
special cases ($G$ abelian, reductive, or solvable, or $D$ irreducible) we
simplify proofs of existing results. We also examine the homotopy groups of
$V\setminus D$.


title: EChO Payload electronics architecture and SW design

abstract:
  EChO is a three-modules (VNIR, SWIR, MWIR), highly integrated spectrometer,
covering the wavelength range from 0.55 $\mu$m, to 11.0 $\mu$m. The baseline
design includes the goal wavelength extension to 0.4 $\mu$m while an optional
LWIR module extends the range to the goal wavelength of 16.0 $\mu$m.
  An Instrument Control Unit (ICU) is foreseen as the main electronic subsystem
interfacing the spacecraft and collecting data from all the payload
spectrometers modules. ICU is in charge of two main tasks: the overall payload
control (Instrument Control Function) and the housekeepings and scientific data
digital processing (Data Processing Function), including the lossless
compression prior to store the science data to the Solid State Mass Memory of
the Spacecraft. These two main tasks are accomplished thanks to the Payload On
Board Software (P-OBSW) running on the ICU CPUs.


title: Scheduling Problems

abstract:
  We introduce the notion of a scheduling problem which is a boolean function
$S$ over atomic formulas of the form $x_i \leq x_j$. Considering the $x_i$ as
jobs to be performed, an integer assignment satisfying $S$ schedules the jobs
subject to the constraints of the atomic formulas. The scheduling counting
function counts the number of solutions to $S$. We prove that this counting
function is a polynomial in the number of time slots allowed. Scheduling
polynomials include the chromatic polynomial of a graph, the zeta polynomial of
a lattice, the Billera-Jia-Reiner polynomial of a matroid.
  To any scheduling problem, we associate not only a counting function for
solutions, but also a quasisymmetric function and a quasisymmetric function in
non-commuting variables. These scheduling functions include the chromatic
symmetric functions of Sagan, Gebhard, and Stanley, and a close variant of
Ehrenborg's quasisymmetric function for posets.
  Geometrically, we consider the space of all solutions to a given scheduling
problem. We extend a result of Steingr\'immson by proving that the $h$-vector
of the space of solutions is given by a shift of the scheduling polynomial.
Furthermore, under certain niceness conditions on the defining boolean
function, we prove partitionability of the space of solutions and positivity of
fundamental expansions of the scheduling quasisymmetric functions and of the
$h$-vector of the scheduling polynomial.


title: Magnus and Dyson Series for Master Integrals

abstract:
  We elaborate on the method of differential equations for evaluating Feynman
integrals. We focus on systems of equations for master integrals having a
linear dependence on the dimensional parameter. For these systems we identify
the criteria to bring them in a canonical form, recently identified by Henn,
where the dependence of the dimensional parameter is disentangled from the
kinematics. The determination of the transformation and the computation of the
solution are obtained by using Magnus and Dyson series expansion. We apply the
method to planar and non-planar two-loop QED vertex diagrams for massive
fermions, and to non-planar two-loop integrals contributing to 2 -> 2
scattering of massless particles. The extension to systems which are polynomial
in the dimensional parameter is discussed as well.


title:
The local-global principle for integral bends in orthoplicial Apollonian
  sphere packings

abstract:
  We introduce an orthoplicial Apollonian sphere packing, which is a sphere
packing obtained by successively inverting a configuration of 8 spheres with
4-orthplicial tangency graph. We will show that there are such packings in
which the bends of all constituent spheres are integral, and establish the
asymptotic local-global principle for the set of bends in these packings.


title: Confirmation of bistable stellar differential rotation profiles

abstract:
  (abridged) Context: Solar-like differential rotation is characterized by a
rapidly rotating equator and slower poles. However, theoretical models and
numerical simulations can result in a slower equator and faster poles when the
rotation is slow. Aims: We study the critical rotational influence under which
differential rotation flips from solar-like (fast equator, slow poles) to an
anti-solar one (slow equator, fast poles). We estimate the non-diffusive
($\Lambda$ effect) and diffusive (turbulent viscosity) contributions to the
Reynolds stress. Methods: We present the results of three-dimensional numerical
simulations of mildly turbulent convection in spherical wedge geometry. Here we
apply a fully compressible setup which would suffer from a prohibitive time
step constraint if the real solar luminosity was used. We regulate the
convective velocities by varying the amount of heat transported by thermal
conduction, turbulent diffusion, and resolved convection. Results: Increasing
the efficiency of resolved convection leads to a reduction of the rotational
influence on the flow and a sharp transition from solar-like to anti-solar
differential rotation for Coriolis numbers around 1.3. We confirm the recent
finding of a large-scale flow bistability: contrasted with running the models
from an initial condition with unprescribed differential rotation, the
initialization of the model with certain kind of rotation profile sustains the
solution over a wider parameter range. Conclusions: Our results may have
implications for real stars that start their lives as rapid rotators implying
solar-like rotation in the early main-sequence evolution. As they slow down,
they might be able to retain solar-like rotation for lower Coriolis numbers
before switching to anti-solar rotation. This could partially explain the
puzzling findings of anti-solar rotation profiles for models in the solar
parameter regime.


title:
When Finance Meets Physics: The Impact of the Speed of Light on
  Financial Markets and their Regulation

abstract:
  Modern physics has demonstrated that matter behaves very differently as it
approaches the speed of light. This paper explores the implications of modern
physics to the operation and regulation of financial markets. Information
cannot move faster than the speed of light. The geographic separation of market
centers means that relativistic considerations need to be taken into account in
the regulation of markets. Observers in different locations may simultaneously
observe different best prices. Regulators may not be able to determine which
transactions occurred first, leading to problems with best execution and
trade-through rules. Catastrophic software glitches can quantum tunnel through
seemingly impregnable quality control procedures.


title: Sensitivity of the Heat Transfer Coefficient Calculation

abstract:
  The purpose of the Liscic/Petrofer probe is to determine the cooling
intensity during liquid quenching in laboratory and workshop environments. The
surface heat transfer coefficient is calculated by the one-dimensional finite
volume method from the smoothed temperature curve, measured at a near-surface
point in the probe. Smoothed reference temperature curves for oil and water,
based on measurements made by the probe, are used in a series of numerical
experiments to investigate the sensitivity of the calculation with respect to
various input parameters of the problem, such as: thermal properties of the
material, the near-surface thermocouple position, and the diameter of the
probe. These results are relevant for other liquid quenchants, at least
qualitatively, if not quantitatively. A similar type of analysis is conducted
with respect to the variation of numerical simulation parameters in the finite
volume method---the choice of space and time steps for problem discretization.
When the input curves are sufficiently smooth, the method itself is very
reliable.


title:
Observations of environmental quenching in groups in the 11 Gyr since
  z=2.5: different quenching for central and satellite galaxies

abstract:
  We present direct observational evidence for star formation quenching in
galaxy groups in the redshift range 0<z<2.5. We utilize a large sample of
nearly 6000 groups, selected by fixed cumulative number density from three
photometric catalogs, to follow the evolving quiescent fractions of central and
satellite galaxies over roughly 11 Gyr. At z~0, central galaxies in our sample
range in stellar mass from Milky Way/M31 analogs (M=6.5x10^10 M\solar) to
nearby massive ellipticals (M=1.5x10^11 M\solar). Satellite galaxies in the
same groups reach masses as low as twice that of the Large Magellanic Cloud
(M=6.5x10^9 M\solar). Using statistical background subtraction, we measure the
average rest-frame colors of galaxies in our groups and calculate the evolving
quiescent fractions of centrals and satellites over seven redshift bins. Our
analysis shows clear evidence for star formation quenching in group halos, with
a different quenching onset for centrals and their satellite galaxies. Using
halo mass estimates for our central galaxies, we find that star formation shuts
off in centrals when typical halo masses reach between 10^12 and 10^13 M\solar,
consistent with predictions from the halo quenching model. In contrast,
satellite galaxies in the same groups most likely undergo quenching by
environmental processes, whose onset is delayed with respect to their central
galaxy. Although star formation is suppressed in all galaxies over time, the
processes that govern quenching are different for centrals and satellites.
While mass plays an important role in determining the star formation activity
of central galaxies, quenching in satellite galaxies is dominated by the
environment in which they reside.


title: Dynamical modeling of tidal streams

abstract:
  I present a new framework for modeling the dynamics of tidal streams. The
framework consists of simple models for the initial action-angle distribution
of tidal debris, which can be straightforwardly evolved forward in time. Taking
advantage of the essentially one-dimensional nature of tidal streams, the
transformation to position-velocity coordinates can be linearized and
interpolated near a small number of points along the stream, thus allowing for
efficient computations of a stream's properties in observable quantities. I
illustrate how to calculate the stream's average location (its "track"') in
different coordinate systems, how to quickly estimate the dispersion around its
track, and how to draw mock stream data. As a generative model, this framework
allows one to compute the full probability distribution function and
marginalize over or condition it on certain phase-space dimensions as well as
convolve it with observational uncertainties. This will be instrumental in
proper data analysis of stream data. In addition to providing a
computationally-efficient practical tool for modeling the dynamics of tidal
streams, the action-angle nature of the framework helps elucidate how the
observed width of the stream relates to the velocity dispersion or mass of the
progenitor, and how the progenitors of "orphan"' streams could be located.
  The practical usefulness of the proposed framework crucially depends on the
ability to calculate action-angle variables for any orbit in any gravitational
potential. A novel method for calculating actions, frequencies, and angles in
any static potential using a single orbit integration is described in an
Appendix.


title:
A sequence of nitrogen-rich very red giants in the globular cluster NGC
  1851

abstract:
  We present the abundances of N in a sample of 62 stars on the red giant
branch (RGB) in the peculiar globular cluster NGC 1851. The values of [N/Fe]
ratio were obtained by comparing the flux measured in the observed spectra with
that from synthetic spectra for up to about 15 features of CN. This is the
first time that N abundances are obtained for such a large sample of RGB stars
from medium-resolution spectroscopy in this cluster. With these abundances we
provide a chemical tagging of the split red giant branch found from several
studies in NGC 1851. The secondary, reddest sequence on the RGB is populated
almost exclusively by N-rich stars, confirming our previous suggestion based on
Stromgren magnitudes and colours. These giants are also, on average, enriched
in s-process elements such as Ba, and are likely the results of pollution from
low mass stars that experienced episodes of third dredge-up in the asymptotic
giant branch phase.


title:
The Evolution of ISM Mass Probed by Dust Emission -- ALMA Observations
  at z = 0.3 to 2

abstract:
  The use of submm dust continuum emission to probe the mass of interstellar
dust and gas in galaxies is empirically calibrated using samples of local star
forming galaxies, Planck observations of the Milky Way and high redshift submm
galaxies (SMGs). All of these objects suggest a similar calibration, strongly
supporting the view that the Rayleigh-Jeans (RJ) tail of the dust emission can
be used as an accurate and very fast probe of the ISM in galaxies. We present
ALMA Cycle 0 observations of the Band 7 (350 GHz) dust emission in 107 galaxies
from z = 0.2 to 2.5. Three samples of galaxies with a total of 101 galaxies
were stellar mass-selected from COSMOS to have $M_* \simeq10^{11}$\msun: 37 at
z$\sim0.4$, 33 at z$\sim0.9$ and 31 at z$=2$. A fourth sample with 6 IR
luminous galaxies at z = 2 was observed for comparison with the purely
mass-selected samples. From the fluxes detected in the stacked images for each
sample, we find that the ISM content has decreased a factor $\sim 6$ from $1 -
2 \times 10^{10}$\msun at both z = 2 and 0.9 down to $\sim 2 \times 10^9$\msun
at z = 0.4. The IR luminous sample at z = 2 shows a further $\sim 4$ times
increase in M$_{ISM}$ compared to the equivalent non-IR bright sample at the
same redshift. The gas mass fractions are $\sim 2\pm0.5, 12\pm3, 14\pm2
~\rm{and} ~53\pm3$ $%$ for the four subsamples (z = 0.4, 0.9, 2 and IR bright
galaxies).


title: On the Formation of Warped Gas Disks in Galaxies

abstract:
  We consider the most commonly occurring circumstances which apply to
galaxies, namely membership in galaxy groups of about $10^{13}h^{-1} M_\odot$
total mass, and estimate the accompanying physical conditions of intergalactic
medium (IGM) density and the relative galaxy-IGM space velocity. We then
investigate the dynamical consequences of such a typical galaxy-IGM interaction
on a rotating gaseous disk within the galaxy potential. We find that the
rotating outer disk is systematically distorted into a characteristic "warp"
morphology, of the type that has been well-documented in the majority of
well-studied nearby systems. The distortion is established rapidly, within two
rotation periods, and is long-lived, surviving for at least ten. A second
consequence of the interaction is the formation of a one arm retrograde spiral
wave pattern that propagates in the disk. We suggest that the ubiquity of the
warp phenomenon might be used to reconstruct both the IGM density profile and
individual member orbits within galaxy groups.


title: M31 Pixel Lensing PLAN Campaign: MACHO Lensing and Self Lensing Signals

abstract:
  We present the final analysis of the observational campaign carried out by
the PLAN (Pixel Lensing Andromeda) collaboration to detect a dark matter signal
in form of MACHOs through the microlensing effect. The campaign consists of
about 1 month/year observations carried out during 4 years (2007-2010) at the
1.5m Cassini telescope in Loiano ("Astronomical Observatory of BOLOGNA", OAB)
plus 10 days of data taken in 2010 at the 2m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT)
monitoring the central part of M31 (two fields of about 13'x12.6'). We
establish a fully automated pipeline for the search and the characterization of
microlensing flux variations: as a result we detect 3 microlensing candidates.
We evaluate the expected signal through a full Monte Carlo simulation of the
experiment completed by an analysis of the detection efficiency of our
pipeline. We consider both "self lensing" and "MACHO lensing" lens populations,
given by M31 stars and dark matter halo MACHOs, in the M31 and the Milky Way
(MW), respectively. The total number of events is compatible with the expected
self-lensing rate. Specifically, we evaluate an expected signal of about 2
self-lensing events. As for MACHO lensing, for full 0.5 (0.01) solar mass MACHO
halos, our prediction is for about 4 (7) events. The comparatively small number
of expected MACHO versus self lensing events, together with the small number
statistics at disposal, do not enable us to put strong constraints on that
population. Rather, the hypothesis, suggested by a previous analysis, on the
MACHO nature of OAB-07-N2, one of the microlensing candidates, translates into
a sizeable lower limit for the halo mass fraction in form of the would be MACHO
population, f, of about 15% for 0.5 solar mass MACHOs.


title:
Possible Origin of the G2 Cloud from the Tidal Disruption of a Known
  Giant Star by Sgr A*

abstract:
  The discovery of the gas cloud G2 on a near-radial orbit about Sgr A* has
prompted much speculation on its origin. In this Letter, we propose that G2
formed out of the debris stream produced by the removal of mass from the outer
envelope of a nearby giant star. We perform hydrodynamical simulations of the
returning tidal debris stream with cooling, and find that the stream condenses
into clumps that fall periodically onto Sgr A*. We propose that one of these
clumps is the observed G2 cloud, with the rest of the stream being detectable
at lower Br-$\gamma$ emissivity along a trajectory that would trace from G2 to
the star that was partially disrupted. By simultaneously fitting the orbits of
S2, G2, and $\sim$ 2,000 candidate stars, and by fixing the orbital plane of
each candidate star to G2 (as is expected for a tidal disruption), we find that
several stars have orbits that are compatible with the notion that one of them
was tidally disrupted to produce G2. If one of these stars were indeed
disrupted, it last encountered Sgr A* hundreds of years ago, and has likely
encountered Sgr A* repeatedly. However, while these stars are compatible with
the giant disruption scenario given their measured positions and proper
motions, their radial velocities are currently unknown. If one of these stars'
radial velocity is measured to be compatible with a disruptive orbit, it would
strongly suggest its disruption produced G2.


title:
Interaction Between The Broad-lined Type Ic Supernova 2012ap and
  Carriers of Diffuse Interstellar Bands

abstract:
  The diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are absorption features observed in
optical and near-infrared spectra that are thought to be associated with
carbon-rich polyatomic molecules in interstellar gas. However, because the
central wavelengths of these bands do not correspond with electronic
transitions of any known atomic or molecular species, their nature has remained
uncertain since their discovery almost a century ago. Here we report on
unusually strong DIBs in optical spectra of the broad-lined Type Ic supernova
SN 2012ap that exhibit changes in equivalent width over short (~30 days)
timescales. The 4428 and 6283 Angstrom DIB features get weaker with time,
whereas the 5780 Angstrom feature shows a marginal increase. These nonuniform
changes suggest that the supernova is interacting with a nearby source of the
DIBs and that the DIB carriers possess high ionization potentials, such as
small cations or charged fullerenes. We conclude that moderate-resolution
spectra of supernovae with DIB absorptions obtained within weeks of outburst
could reveal unique information about the mass-loss environment of their
progenitor systems and provide new constraints on the properties of DIB
carriers.


title:
The MUSIC of Galaxy Clusters II: X-ray global properties and scaling
  relations

abstract:
  We present the X-ray properties and scaling relations of a large sample of
clusters extracted from the Marenostrum MUltidark SImulations of galaxy
Clusters (MUSIC) dataset. We focus on a sub-sample of 179 clusters at redshift
z~0.11, with 3.2e14M_sun/h<M_vir<2e15Msun/h, complete in mass. We employed the
X-ray photon simulator PHOX to obtain synthetic Chandra Observations and derive
observable-like global properties of the intracluster medium (ICM), as X-ray
temperature (T_X) and luminosity (L_X). T_X is found to slightly under-estimate
the true mass-weighted temperature, although tracing fairly well the cluster
total mass. We also study the effects of T_X on scaling relations with cluster
intrinsic properties: total (M_500) and gas (M_g500) mass; integrated Compton
parameter (Y_SZ) of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) thermal effect; Y_X=M_g500 T_X.
We confirm that Y_X is a very good mass proxy, with a scatter on M_500-Y_X and
Y_SZ-Y_X lower than 5%. The study of scaling relations among X-ray, intrinsic
and SZ properties indicates that MUSIC clusters reasonably resemble the
self-similar prediction, especially for correlations involving T_X. The
observational approach also allows for a more direct comparison with real
clusters, from which we find deviations mainly due to the physical description
of the ICM, affecting T_X and, particularly, L_X.


title: Gravitational instability in protostellar disks at low metallicities

abstract:
  Fragmentation of protostellar disks controls the growth of protostars and
plays a key role in determining the final mass of newborn stars. In this paper,
we investigate the structure and gravitational stability of the protostellar
disks in the full metallicity range between zero and the solar value. Using the
mass-accretion rates evaluated from the thermal evolution in the preceding
collapse phase of the pre-stellar cores, we calculate disk structures and their
evolution in the framework of the standard steady disks. Overall, with higher
metallicity, more efficient cooling results in the lower accretion rate and
lower temperature inside the disk: at zero metallicity, the accretion rate is ~
1e-3Msun/yr and the disk temperature is ~ 1000 K, while at solar metallicity, ~
1e-6Msun/yr and 10 K. Despite the large difference in these values, the zero-
and solar-metallicity disks have similar stability properties: the Toomre
parameter for the gravitational stability, which can be written using the ratio
of temperatures in the disk and in the envelope as Q ~ (T_disk/T_env)^3/2, is >
1, i.e., marginally stable. At intermediate metallicities of 1e-5--1e-3Zsun,
however, the disks are found to be strongly unstable with Q ~ 0.1--1 since dust
cooling, which is effective only in the disks due to their high density (> 1e10
cm^-3), makes the temperature in the disks lower than that in the envelopes.
This indicates that masses of the individual stars formed as a result of the
protostellar disk fragmentation can be significantly smaller than their parent
core in this metallicity range. The typical stellar mass in this case would be
a few Msun, which is consistent with the observationally suggested mass-scale
of extremely metal-poor stars.


title:
The Two-Dimensional Spatial Distributions of the Globular Clusters and
  Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries of NGC4649

abstract:
  We report significant anisotropies in the projected two-dimensional (2D)
spatial distributions of Globular Clusters (GCs) of the giant Virgo elliptical
galaxy NGC4649 (M60). Similar features are found in the 2D distribution of
low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), both associated with GCs and in the stellar
field. Deviations from azimuthal symmetry suggest an arc-like excess of GCs
extending north at 4-15 kpc galactocentric radii in the eastern side of major
axis of NGC4649. This feature is more prominent for red GCs, but still persists
in the 2D distribution of blue GCs. High and low luminosity GCs also show some
segregation along this arc, with high-luminosity GCs preferentially located in
the southern end and low-luminosity GCs in the northern section of the arc.
GC-LMXBs follow the anisotropy of red-GCs, where most of them reside; however,
a significant overdensity of (high-luminosity) field LMXBs is present to the
south of the GC arc. These results suggest that NGC4649 has experienced mergers
and/or multiple accretions of less massive satellite galaxies during its
evolution, of which the GCs in the arc may be the fossil remnant. We speculate
that the observed anisotropy in the field LMXB spatial distribution indicates
that these X-ray binaries may be the remnants of a star formation event
connected with the merger, or maybe be ejected from the parent red GCs, if the
bulk motion of these clusters is significantly affected by dynamical friction.
We also detect a luminosity enhancement in the X-ray source population of the
companion spiral galaxy NGC4647. We suggest that these may be younger high mass
X-ray binaries formed as a result of the tidal interaction of this galaxy with
NGC4649.


title: Probing the stellar initial mass function with high-$z$ supernovae

abstract:
  The first supernovae will soon be visible at the edge of the observable
universe, revealing the birthplaces of Population III stars. With upcoming
near-infrared missions, a broad analysis of the detectability of high-$z$
supernovae is paramount. We combine cosmological and radiation transport
simulations, instrument specifications, and survey strategies to create
synthetic observations of primeval core-collapse, Type IIn and pair-instability
supernovae with the James Webb Space Telescope ($JWST$). We show that a
dedicated observational campaign with the $JWST$ can detect up to $\sim 15$
pair-instability explosions, $\sim 300$ core-collapse supernovae, but less than
one Type IIn explosion per year, depending on the Population III star formation
history. Our synthetic survey also shows that $\approx 1-2 \times10^2$
supernovae detections, depending on the accuracy of the classification, are
sufficient to discriminate between a Salpeter and flat mass distribution for
high redshift stars with a confidence level greater than 99.5 per cent. We
discuss how the purity of the sample affects our results and how supervised
learning methods may help to discriminate between CC and PI SNe.


title: Are high velocity peaks in the Milky Way bulge due to the bar?

abstract:
  Recently the commissioning APOGEE observations of the Galactic bulge reported
that a significant fraction of stars ($\sim10%$) are in a cold ($\sigma_{\rm V}
\approx 30$ km/s) high velocity peak (Galactocentric radial velocity $\approx
200$ km/s). These stars are speculated to reflect the stellar orbits in the
Galactic bar. In this study, we use two $N$-body models of the Milky Way-like
disk galaxy with different bar strengths to critically examine this
possibility. The general trends of the Galactocentric radial velocity
distribution in observations and simulations are similar, but neither our
models nor the BRAVA data reveal a statistically significant cold high velocity
peak. A Monte Carlo test further suggests that it is possible for a spurious
high velocity peak to appear if there are only a limited number of stars
observed. Thus, the reported cold high velocity peak, even if it is real, is
unlikely due to stars on the bar-supporting orbits. Our models do predict an
excess of stars with high radial velocity, but not in a distinct peak. In the
distance--velocity diagram, the high velocity particles in different fields
exist at a similar distance $\sim8.5 \pm 1$ kpc away from the Sun. This result
may be explained with geometric intersections between the line-of-sight and the
particle orbits; high velocity stars naturally exist approximately at the
tangent point, without constituting a distinct peak. We further demonstrate
that even without the presence of a bar structure, particle motions in an
axisymmetric disk can also exhibit an excess of high velocity stars.


title: The clustering of baryonic matter. I: a halo-model approach

abstract:
  In this paper I generalize the halo model for the clustering of dark matter
in order to produce the power spectra of the two main baryonic matter
components in the Universe: stars and hot gas. As a natural extension, this can
be also used to describe the clustering of all mass. According to the design of
the halo model, the large-scale power spectra of the various matter components
are physically connected with the distribution of each component within bound
structures and thus, ultimately, with the complete set of physical processes
that drive the formation of galaxies and galaxy clusters. Besides being
practical for cosmological and parametric studies, the semi-analytic model
presented here has also other advantages. Most importantly, it allows one to
understand on physical ground what is the relative contribution of each matter
component to the total clustering of mass as a function of scale, and thus it
opens an interesting new window to infer the distribution of baryons through
high precision cosmic shear measurements. This is particularly relevant for
future wide-field photometric surveys such as Euclid. In this work the concept
of the model and its uncertainties are illustrated in detail, while in a
companion paper we use a set of numerical hydrodynamic simulations to show a
practical application and to investigate where the model itself needs to be
improved.


title: A Theory for the Excitation of CO in Star Forming Galaxies

abstract:
  Observations of molecular gas in high-z star-forming galaxies typically rely
on emission from CO lines arising from states with rotational quantum numbers J
> 1. Converting these observations to an estimate of the CO J=1-0 intensity,
and thus inferring H2 gas masses, requires knowledge of the CO excitation
ladder, or spectral line energy distribution (SLED). The few available multi-J
CO observations of galaxies show a very broad range of SLEDs, even at fixed
galaxy mass and star formation rate, making the conversion to J=1-0 emission
and hence molecular gas mass highly uncertain. Here, we combine numerical
simulations of disk galaxies and galaxy mergers with molecular line radiative
transfer calculations to develop a model for the physical parameters that drive
variations in CO SLEDs in galaxies. An essential feature of our model is a
fully self-consistent computation of the molecular gas temperature and
excitation structure. We find that, while the shape of the SLED is ultimately
determined by difficult-to-observe quantities such as the gas density,
temperature, and optical depth distributions, all of these quantities are
well-correlated with the galaxy's mean star formation rate surface density
(Sigma_SFR), which is observable. We use this result to develop a model for the
CO SLED in terms of Sigma_SFR, and show that this model quantitatively
reproduces the SLEDs of galaxies over a dynamic range of ~200 in SFR surface
density, at redshifts from z=0-6. This model should make it possible to
significantly reduce the uncertainty in deducing molecular gas masses from
observations of high-J CO emission.


title:
Dust reverberation mapping in the era of big optical surveys and its
  cosmological application

abstract:
  The time lag between optical and near-infrared (IR) flux variability can be
taken as a means to determine the sublimation radius of the dusty "torus"
around supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN). I will show
that data from big optical survey telescopes, e.g. the Large Synoptic Survey
Telescope (LSST), can be used to measure dust sublimation radii as well. The
method makes use of the fact that the Wien tail of the hot dust emission
reaches into the optical and can be reliably recovered with high-quality
photometry. Simulations show that dust sublimation radii for a large sample of
AGN can be reliably established out to redshift z ~ 0.1-0.2 with the LSST.
Owing to the ubiquitous presence of AGN up to high redshifts, they have been
studies as cosmological probes. Here, I discuss how optically-determined dust
time lags fit into the suggestion of using the dust sublimation radius as a
"standard candle" and propose and extension of the dust time lags as "standard
rulers" in combination with IR interferometry.


title:
Noncommutative (crepant) desingularizations and the global spectrum of
  commutative rings

abstract:
  In this paper we study endomorphism rings of finite global dimension over not
necessarily normal commutative rings. These objects have recently attracted
attention as noncommutative (crepant) resolutions, or NC(C)Rs, of
singularities. We propose a notion of a NCCR over any commutative ring that
appears weaker but subsumes all previous notions. Our results yield strong
necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such objects in many
cases of interest. We also give new examples of NCRs of curve singularities,
regular local rings and normal crossing singularities. Moreover, we introduce
and study the global spectrum of a ring $R$, that is, the set of all possible
finite global dimensions of endomorphism rings of MCM $R$-modules. Finally, we
use a variety of methods to compute global dimension for many endomorphism
rings.


title: Optical Galaxy Clusters in the Deep Lens Survey

abstract:
  We present the first sample of 882 optically selected galaxy clusters in the
Deep Lens Survey (DLS), selected with the Bayesian Cluster Finder. We create
mock DLS data to assess completeness and purity rates, and find that both are
at least $70\%$ within 0.1$\le z \le$ 1.2 for clusters with $M_{200}\ge
1.2\times 10^{14}M_{\odot}$. We verified the integrity of the sample by
performing several comparisons with other optical, weak lensing, X-ray and
spectroscopic surveys which overlap the DLS footprint: the estimated redshifts
are consistent with the spectroscopic redshifts of known clusters (for $z>0.25$
where saturation in the DLS is not an issue); our richness estimates in
combination with a previously calibrated richness-mass relation yields
individual cluster mass estimates consistent with available SHeLS dynamical
mass estimates; synthetic mass maps made from the optical mass estimates are
correlated ($>3\sigma$ significance) with the weak lensing mass maps; and the
mass function thus derived is consistent with theoretical predictions for the
CDM scenario. With the verified sample we investigated correlations between the
brightest cluster galaxies (BCG) properties and the host cluster properties
within a broader range in redshift (0.25 $\le z \le$ 0.8) and mass
($\ge2.4\times 10^{14}M_{\odot}$) than in previous work. We find that the slope
of the BCG magnitude-redshift relation throughout this redshift range is
consistent with that found at lower redshifts. This result supports an
extrapolation to higher redshift of passive evolution of the BCG within the
hierarchical scenario.


title:
The Inner Dynamical Mass Across Galaxy Morphology: A Weak Scaling with
  Total Stellar Mass

abstract:
  We compile a sample of dispersion-supported and rotation-supported galaxies
for which the dynamical mass enclosed at 500 pc can be measured. We find that
this dynamical quantity increases only slowly with stellar mass
(M$_{total}$(<500pc) $\propto$ M$_{stars}$$^{0.16}$) over ~9 decades in
baryonic mass and ~3 in length scale, with a sudden upturn at the highest
masses (M$_{stars}$ > 10$^{10}$M$_{sun}$). This upturn occurs for the earliest
type (S0 and Sa) disk galaxies, and is consistent with the "extra" mass within
500 pc being predominantly stellar. This sudden change may be indicative of
different bulge formation mechanisms between early and late type disks. We also
compare the data to the results of recent galaxy formation simulations. These
broadly track the observed trend, with some tendency to put too much mass in
the inner 500 pc, depending on the details of each simulation.


title:
The High Time Resolution Universe Pulsar Survey X: Discovery of four
  millisecond pulsars and updated timing solutions of a further 12

abstract:
  We report on the discovery of four millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the High
Time Resolution Universe (HTRU) pulsar survey being conducted at the Parkes
64-m radio telescope. All four MSPs are in binary systems and are likely to
have white dwarf companions. In addition, we present updated timing solutions
for 12 previously published HTRU MSPs, revealing new observational parameters
such as five proper motion measurements and significant temporal dispersion
measure variations in PSR J1017-7156. We discuss the case of PSR J1801-3210,
which shows no significant period derivative after four years of timing data.
Our best-fit solution shows a period derivative of the order of $10^{-23}$, an
extremely small number compared to that of a typical MSP. However, it is likely
that the pulsar lies beyond the Galactic Centre, and an unremarkable intrinsic
period derivative is reduced to close to zero by the Galactic potential
acceleration. Furthermore, we highlight the potential to employ PSR J1801-3210
in the strong equivalence principle test due to its wide and circular orbit. In
a broader comparison with the known MSP population, we suggest a correlation
between higher mass functions and the presence of eclipses in `very low-mass
binary pulsars', implying that eclipses are observed in systems with high
orbital inclinations. We also suggest that the distribution of the total mass
of binary systems is inversely-related to the Galactic height distribution.
Finally, we report on the first detection of PSRs J1543-5149 and J1811-2404 as
gamma-ray pulsars.


title: Three-loop matching of the vector current

abstract:
  We evaluate the three-loop corrections to the matching coefficient of the
vector current between Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and non-relativistic QCD.
The result is presented in the MSbar scheme where large perturbative
corrections are observed. The implications on the threshold production of top
quark pairs are briefly discussed.


title: Leptonic decay of the Upsilon(1S) meson at third order in QCD

abstract:
  We present the complete next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order short-distance
and bound-state QCD correction to the leptonic decay rate
Gamma(Upsilon(1S)->l+l-) of the lowest-lying spin-1 bottomonium state. The
perturbative QCD prediction is compared to the measurement
Gamma(Upsilon(1S)->e+e-)=1.340(18) keV.


title: Formation of galactic disks through gas-rich mergers

abstract:
  To probe the progenitors of the numerous massive spirals requires to dissect
distant galaxy properties through spatially-resolved kinematics, detailed
morphologies and photometry from UV to mid-IR. So far IMAGES is the only
representative sample studied that way. Six billion years ago, 50% of spiral
progenitors were experiencing major mergers, evidenced by the combination of
their peculiar kinematics and morphology. IMAGES provides the observational
point of the spiral rebuilding scenario, which agrees with predictions from the
LCDM. It reconciles the disk formation or survival with the observed merger
rate and allows to reproduce realistic galactic disks with sufficient angular
momentum. Several consequences are expected in the Local Universe, because
ancient major mergers had let imprints in galaxy haloes, including the most
spectacular cases of NGC5907 and M31. An ancient merger in the later galaxy may
have left many debris within the Local Group.


title:
Broad-band transmission spectrum and K-band thermal emission of WASP-43b
  as observed from the ground

abstract:
  (Abridged) We observed one transit and one occultation of the hot Jupiter
WASP-43b simultaneously in the g'r'i'z'JHK bands using the GROND instrument on
the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope. From the transit event, we have independently
derived WASP-43's system parameters with high precision, and improved the
period to be 0.81347437(13) days. No significant variation in transit depths is
detected, with the largest deviations coming from the i', H, and K bands. Given
the observational uncertainties, the broad-band transmission spectrum can be
explained by either a flat featureless straight line that indicates thick
clouds, synthetic spectra with absorption signatures of atomic Na/K or
molecular TiO/VO that indicate cloud-free atmosphere, or a Rayleigh scattering
profile that indicates high-altitude hazes. From the occultation event, we have
detected planetary dayside thermal emission in the K-band with a flux ratio of
0.197 +/- 0.042%, which confirms previous detections obtained in the 2.09
micron narrow band and Ks-band. The K-band brightness temperature 1878
+108/-116 K favors an atmosphere with poor day- to night-side heat
redistribution. We also have a marginal detection in the i'-band (0.037
+0.023/-0.021%), which is either a false positive, a signature of non-blackbody
radiation at this wavelength, or an indication of reflective hazes at high
altitude.


title:
A Comparison between the Zero Forcing Number and the Strong Metric
  Dimension of Graphs

abstract:
  The \emph{zero forcing number}, $Z(G)$, of a graph $G$ is the minimum
cardinality of a set $S$ of black vertices (whereas vertices in $V(G)-S$ are
colored white) such that $V(G)$ is turned black after finitely many
applications of "the color-change rule": a white vertex is converted black if
it is the only white neighbor of a black vertex. The \emph{strong metric
dimension}, $sdim(G)$, of a graph $G$ is the minimum among cardinalities of all
strong resolving sets: $W \subseteq V(G)$ is a \emph{strong resolving set} of
$G$ if for any $u, v \in V(G)$, there exists an $x \in W$ such that either $u$
lies on an $x-v$ geodesic or $v$ lies on an $x-u$ geodesic. In this paper, we
prove that $Z(G) \le sdim(G)+3r(G)$ for a connected graph $G$, where $r(G)$ is
the cycle rank of $G$. Further, we prove the sharp bound $Z(G) \leq sdim(G)$
when $G$ is a tree or a unicyclic graph, and we characterize trees $T$
attaining $Z(T)=sdim(T)$. It is easy to see that $sdim(T+e)-sdim(T)$ can be
arbitrarily large for a tree $T$; we prove that $sdim(T+e) \ge sdim(T)-2$ and
show that the bound is sharp.


title:
The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation
  Spectroscopic Survey: modeling of the luminosity and colour dependence in the
  Data Release 10

abstract:
  We investigate the luminosity and colour dependence of clustering of CMASS
galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic
Survey Tenth Data Release. The halo occupation distribution framework is
adopted to model the projected two-point correlation function measurements on
small and intermediate scales (from $0.02$ to $60\,h^{-1}{\rm {Mpc}}$) and to
interpret the observed trends and infer the connection of galaxies to dark
matter halos. We find that luminous red galaxies reside in massive halos of
mass $M{\sim}10^{13}$--$10^{14}\,h^{-1}{\rm M_\odot}$ and more luminous
galaxies are more clustered and hosted by more massive halos. The strong
small-scale clustering requires a fraction of these galaxies to be satellites
in massive halos, with the fraction at the level of 5--8 per cent and
decreasing with luminosity. The characteristic mass of a halo hosting on
average one satellite galaxy above a luminosity threshold is about a factor
$8.7$ larger than that of a halo hosting a central galaxy above the same
threshold. At a fixed luminosity, progressively redder galaxies are more
strongly clustered on small scales, which can be explained by having a larger
fraction of these galaxies in the form of satellites in massive halos. Our
clustering measurements on scales below $0.4\,h^{-1}{\rm {Mpc}}$ allow us to
study the small-scale spatial distribution of satellites inside halos. While
the clustering of luminosity-threshold samples can be well described by a
Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile, that of the reddest galaxies prefers a
steeper or more concentrated profile. Finally, we also use galaxy samples of
constant number density at different redshifts to study the evolution of
luminous galaxies, and find the clustering to be consistent with passive
evolution in the redshift range of $0.5 \lesssim z \lesssim 0.6$.


title:
Disorder-induced subgap states and Majorana zero-energy edge modes in
  two-dimensional topological insulator-superconductor hybrid structures

abstract:
  Contrary to the widespread belief that Majorana zero-energy modes, existing
as bound edge states in 2D topological insulator (TI)-superconductor (SC)
hybrid structures, are unaffected by non-magnetic static disorder by virtue of
Anderson's theorem, we show that such a protection against disorder does not
exist in realistic multi-channel TI/SC/ferromagnetic insulator (FI) sandwich
structures of experimental relevance since the time-reversal symmetry is
explicitly broken locally at the SC/FI interface where the end Majorana mode
(MM) resides. We find that although the MM itself and the \emph{bulk}
topological superconducting phase inside the TI are indeed universally
protected against disorder, disorder-induced subgap states are generically
introduced at the TI edge due to the presence of the FI/SC interface as long as
multiple edge channels are occupied. We discuss the implications of the finding
for the detection and manipulation of the edge MM in realistic TI/SC/FI
experimental systems of current interest.


title:
Descent sets on 321-avoiding involutions and hook decompositions of
  partitions

abstract:
  We show that the distribution of the major index over the set of involutions
in S_n that avoid the pattern 321 is given by the q-analogue of the n-th
central binomial coefficient. The proof consists of a composition of three
non-trivial bijections, one being the Robinson-Schensted correspondence,
ultimately mapping those involutions with major index m into partitions of m
whose Young diagram fits inside an n/2 by n/2 box. We also obtain a refinement
that keeps track of the descent set, and we deduce an analogous result for the
comajor index of 123-avoiding involutions.


title: Gamma-Ray Bursts

abstract:
  Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the Universe. They
appear connected to supernova remnants from massive stars or the merger of
their remnants, and their brightness makes them temporarily detectable out to
the larges distances yet explored in the Universe. After pioneering
breakthroughs from space and ground experiments, their study is entering a new
phase with observations from recently launched satellites, as well as the
prospect of detections or limits from large neutrino and gravitational wave
detectors. The interplay between such observations and theoretical models of
gamma-ray bursts and related objects is reviewed.


title:
Resilience in Numerical Methods: A Position on Fault Models and
  Methodologies

abstract:
  Future extreme-scale computer systems may expose silent data corruption (SDC)
to applications, in order to save energy or increase performance. However,
resilience research struggles to come up with useful abstract programming
models for reasoning about SDC. Existing work randomly flips bits in running
applications, but this only shows average-case behavior for a low-level,
artificial hardware model. Algorithm developers need to understand worst-case
behavior with the higher-level data types they actually use, in order to make
their algorithms more resilient. Also, we know so little about how SDC may
manifest in future hardware, that it seems premature to draw conclusions about
the average case. We argue instead that numerical algorithms can benefit from a
numerical unreliability fault model, where faults manifest as unbounded
perturbations to floating-point data. Algorithms can use inexpensive "sanity"
checks that bound or exclude error in the results of computations. Given a
selective reliability programming model that requires reliability only when and
where needed, such checks can make algorithms reliable despite unbounded
faults. Sanity checks, and in general a healthy skepticism about the
correctness of subroutines, are wise even if hardware is perfectly reliable.


title: Introduction to Regularity Structures

abstract:
  These are short notes from a series of lectures given at the University of
Rennes in June 2013, at the University of Bonn in July 2013, at the XVIIth
Brazilian School of Probability in Mambucaba in August 2013, and at ETH Zurich
in September 2013. We give a concise overview of the theory of regularity
structures as exposed in Hairer (2014). In order to allow to focus on the
conceptual aspects of the theory, many proofs are omitted and statements are
simplified. We focus on applying the theory to the problem of giving a solution
theory to the stochastic quantisation equations for the Euclidean $\Phi^4_3$
quantum field theory.


title:
Geometric Proof of Strong Stable/Unstable Manifolds, with Application to
  the Restricted Three Body Problem

abstract:
  We present a method for establishing invariant manifolds for saddle--center
fixed points. The method is based on cone conditions, suitably formulated to
allow for application in computer assisted proofs, and does not require
rigorous integration of the vector field in order to prove the existence of the
invariant manifolds. We apply our method to the restricted three body problem
and show that for a given choice of the mass parameter, there exists a
homoclinic orbit to one of the libration points.


title:
Gamma-ray flares in the Crab Nebula: A case of relativistic
  reconnection?

abstract:
  The Crab Nebula was formed after the collapse of a massive star about a
thousand years ago, leaving behind a pulsar that inflates a bubble of
ultra-relativistic electron-positron pairs permeated with magnetic field. The
observation of brief but bright flares of energetic gamma rays suggests that
pairs are accelerated to PeV energies within a few days; such rapid
acceleration cannot be driven by shocks. Here, it is argued that the flares may
be the smoking gun of magnetic dissipation in the Nebula. Using 2D and 3D
particle-in-cell simulations, it is shown that the observations are consistent
with relativistic magnetic reconnection, where pairs are subject to strong
radiative cooling. The Crab flares may highlight the importance of relativistic
magnetic reconnection in astrophysical sources.


title:
Chiral spin liquid and emergent anyons in a Kagome lattice Mott
  insulator

abstract:
  Topological phases in frustrated quantum spin systems have fascinated
researchers for decades. One of the earliest proposals for such a phase was the
chiral spin liquid put forward by Kalmeyer and Laughlin in 1987 as the bosonic
analogue of the fractional quantum Hall effect. Elusive for many years, recent
times have finally seen a number of models that realize this phase. However,
these models are somewhat artificial and unlikely to be found in realistic
materials. Here, we take an important step towards the goal of finding a chiral
spin liquid in nature by examining a physically motivated model for a Mott
insulator on the Kagome lattice with broken time-reversal symmetry. We first
provide a theoretical justification for the emergent chiral spin liquid phase
in terms of a network model perspective. We then present an unambiguous
numerical identification and characterization of the universal topological
properties of the phase, including ground state degeneracy, edge physics, and
anyonic bulk excitations, by using a variety of powerful numerical probes,
including the entanglement spectrum and modular transformations.