title:
Exact Calculation of Noise Maps and g-Factor in GRAPPA using a k-space
  Analysis

abstract:
  Noise characterization in MRI has multiple applications, including quality
assurance and protocol optimization. It is particularly important in the
presence of parallel imaging acceleration, where the noise distribution can
contain severe spatial heterogeneities. If the parallel imaging reconstruction
is a linear process, an exact noise analysis is possible by taking into account
the correlations between all the samples involved. However, for k-space based
techniques like GRAPPA, the exact analysis has been considered computationally
prohibitive due to the very large size of the noise covariance matrices
required to characterize the noise propagation from k-space to image-space.
Previous methods avoid this computational burden by approximating the GRAPPA
reconstruction as a pixel-wise linear operation performed in the image-space.
However, these methods are not exact in the presence of non-uniform k-space
undersampling (e.g.: containing a calibration region). For this reason, in this
work we develop an exact characterization of the noise distribution for
self-calibrated parallel imaging in the presence of arbitrary Cartesian
undersampling patterns. By exploiting the symmetries and separability in the
noise propagation process, the proposed method is computationally efficient and
does not require large matrices. In this manuscript, we present the proposed
noise characterization method and compare it to previous techniques using
Monte-Carlo simulations as well as phantom acquisitions.


title:
Improving historical spelling normalization with bi-directional LSTMs
  and multi-task learning

abstract:
  Natural-language processing of historical documents is complicated by the
abundance of variant spellings and lack of annotated data. A common approach is
to normalize the spelling of historical words to modern forms. We explore the
suitability of a deep neural network architecture for this task, particularly a
deep bi-LSTM network applied on a character level. Our model compares well to
previously established normalization algorithms when evaluated on a diverse set
of texts from Early New High German. We show that multi-task learning with
additional normalization data can improve our model's performance further.


title: On Higgs bundles over Shimura varieties of ball quotient type

abstract:
  We prove the generic exclusion of certain Shimura varieties of unitary and
orthogonal types from the Torelli locus. The proof relies on a slope inequality
on surface fibration due to G. Xiao, and the main result implies that certain
Shimura varieties only meet the Torelli locus in dimension zero.


title: Anisotropy and memory during cage breaking events close to a wall

abstract:
  The slow dynamics in a glassy hard-sphere system is dominated by cage
breaking events, i.e., rearrangements where a particle escapes from the cage
formed by its neighboring particles. We study such events for an overdamped
colloidal system by the means of Brownian dynamics simulations. While it is
difficult to relate cage breaking events to structural mean field results in
bulk, we show that the microscopic dynamics of particles close to a wall can be
related to the anisotropic two-particle density. In particular, we study
cage-breaking trajectories, mean forces on a tracked particle, and the impact
of the history of trajectories. Based on our simulation results, we further
construct two different one-particle random-walk models - one without and one
with memory incorporated - and find the local anisotropy and the
history-dependence of particles as crucial ingredients to describe the escape
from a cage. Finally, our detailed study of a rearrangement event close to a
wall not only reveals the memory effect of cages, but leads to a deeper insight
into the fundamental mechanisms of glassy dynamics.


title:
Unified description of dark energy and dark matter in mimetic matter
  model

abstract:
  The existence of dark matter and dark energy in cosmology is implied by
various observations, however, they are still unclear because they have not
been directly detected. In this Letter, an unified model of dark energy and
dark matter that can explain the evolution history of the Universe later than
inflationary era, the time evolution of the growth rate function of the matter
density contrast, the flat rotation curves of the spiral galaxies, and the
gravitational experiments in the solar system is proposed in mimetic matter
model.


title: Novel electric field effects on Landau levels in multi- Weyl semimetals

abstract:
  Multi-Weyl semimetals(WSMs) have an anisotropic non-linear dispersion along a
2-D plane and a linear dispersion in an orthogonal direction. They have
topological charge $\lq n $' and are created when two or multiple Weyl points
or nodes with nonzero net monopole charge are brought together onto a
high-symmetry point. We study the perturbation corrections up to second order
of such multi-WSMs in crossed electric($\mathcal{E}$) and magnetic (B) fields
in the low electric field approximation. As a result, the first order
correction lifts only n-fold degeneracy of the lowest Landau levels(LLs) while
the higher Landau levels are modified due to the second order perturbation. We
study the signatures of these corrections due to electric fields on the density
of states (DOS) subjected to a magnetic field.


title: Fermionic Matrix Product States and One-Dimensional Topological Phases

abstract:
  We develop the formalism of fermionic matrix product states (fMPS) and show
how irreducible fMPS fall in two different classes, related to the different
types of simple $\mathbb{Z}_2$ graded algebras, which are physically
distinguished by the absence or presence of Majorana edge modes. The local
structure of fMPS with Majorana edge modes also implies that there is always a
two-fold degeneracy in the entanglement spectrum. Using the fMPS formalism we
make explicit the correspondence between the $\mathbb{Z}_8$ classification of
time-reversal invariant spinless superconductors and the modulo 8 periodicity
in the representation theory of real Clifford algebras. Studying fMPS with
general on-site unitary and anti-unitary symmetries allows us to define
invariants that label symmetry-protected phases of interacting fermions. The
behavior of these invariants under stacking of fMPS is derived, which reveals
the group structure of such interacting phases.We also consider spatial
symmetries and show how the invariant phase factor in the partition function of
reflection symmetric phases on an unorientable manifold appears in the fMPS
framework.


title: MuSIC: delivering the world's most intense muon beam

abstract:
  A new muon beamline, muon science innovative channel (MuSIC), was set up at
the Research Centre for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Osaka University, in Osaka,
Japan, using the 392 MeV proton beam impinging on a target. The production of
an intense muon beam relies on the efficient capture of pions, which
subsequently decay to muons, using a novel superconducting solenoid magnet
system. After the pion-capture solenoid the first $36^\circ$ of the curved muon
transport line was commissioned and the muon flux was measured. In order to
detect muons, a target of either copper or magnesium was placed to stop muons
at the end of the muon beamline. Two stations of plastic scintillators located
upstream and downstream from the muon target were used to reconstruct the decay
spectrum of muons. In a complementary method to detect negatively-charged
muons, the X-ray spectrum yielded by muonic atoms in the target were measured
in a germanium detector. Measurements, at a proton beam current of 6 pA,
yielded $(10.4 \pm 2.7) \times 10^5$ muons per Watt of proton beam power
($\mu^+$ and $\mu^-$), far in excess of other facilities. At full beam power
(400 W), this implies a rate of muons of $(4.2 \pm 1.1) \times 10^8$ muons
s$^{-1}$, amongst the highest in the world. The number of $\mu^-$ measured was
about a factor of 10 lower, again by far the most efficient muon beam produced.
The set up is a prototype for future experiments requiring a high-intensity
muon beam, such as a muon collider or neutrino factory, or the search for rare
muon decays which would be a signature for phenomena beyond the Standard Model
of particle physics. Such a muon beam can also be used in other branches of
physics, nuclear and condensed matter, as well as other areas of scientific
research.


title: On a relation between roughening and coarsening

abstract:
  We argue that a strict relation exists between two in principle unrelated
quantities: The size of the growing domains in a coarsening system, and the
kinetic roughening of an interface. This relation is confirmed by extensive
simulations of the Ising model with different forms of quenched disorder, such
as random bonds, random fields and stochastic dilution.


title: Constant Gauss curvature foliations of AdS spacetimes with particles

abstract:
  We prove that for any convex globally hyperbolic maximal (GHM) anti-de Sitter
(AdS) 3-dimensional space-time $N$ with particles (cone singularities of angles
less than $\pi$ along time-like curves), the complement of the convex core in
$N$ admits a unique foliation by constant Gauss curvature surfaces. This
extends, and provides a new proof of, a result of \cite{BBZ2}. We also describe
a parametrization of the space of convex GHM AdS metrics on a given manifold,
with particles of given angles, by the product of two copies of the
Teichm\"uller space of hyperbolic metrics with cone singularities of fixed
angles. Finally, we use the results on $K$-surfaces to extend to hyperbolic
surfaces with cone singularities of angles less than $\pi$ a number of results
concerning landslides, which are smoother analogs of earthquakes sharing some
of their key properties.


title:
Competition of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya and higher-order exchange
  interactions in Rh/Fe atomic bilayers on Ir(111)

abstract:
  Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional
theory we demonstrate the occurrence of a novel type of noncollinear spin
structure in Rh/Fe atomic bilayers on Ir(111). We find that higher-order
exchange interactions depend sensitively on the stacking sequence. For
fcc-Rh/Fe/Ir(111) frustrated exchange interactions are dominant and lead to the
formation of a spin spiral ground state with a period of about 1.5 nm. For
hcp-Rh/Fe/Ir(111) higher-order exchange interactions favor a double-row wise
antiferromagnetic or "uudd" state. However, the Dzyaloshinskii- Moriya
interaction at the Fe/Ir interface leads to a small angle of about 4{\deg}
between adjacent magnetic moments resulting in a canted "uudd" ground state.


title: Complex interpolation of $Z$-spaces

abstract:
  We prove that the $Z$-spaces $Z^{p,q}_s$ form a complex interpolation scale
for all $0 < p,q \leq \infty$ and $s \in \mathbb{R}$, filling a gap in recent
work with Pascal Auscher.


title:
Exact solution of the critical Ising model with special toroidal
  boundary conditions

abstract:
  The Ising model in two dimensions with special toroidal boundary conditions
is analyzed. These boundary condition, which we call duality twisted boundary
conditions, may be interpreted as inserting a specific defect line ("seam") in
the system, along non-contractible circles of the cylinder, before closing it
into a torus. We derive exact expressions for the eigenvalues of the transfer
matrix for the critical ferromagnetic Ising model on the M x N square lattice
wrapped on the torus with a specific defect line. As result we have obtained
analytically the partition function for the Ising model with such boundary
conditions. In the case of infinitely long cylinders of circumference L with
duality twisted boundary conditions we obtain the asymptotic expansion of the
free energy and the inverse correlation lengths. We find that the ratio of
subdominant finite-size correction terms in the asymptotic expansion of the
free energy and the inverse correlation lengths should be universal. We verify
such universal behavior in the framework of perturbating conformal approach by
calculating the universal structure constant Cn1n for descendent states
generated by the operator product expansion (OPE) of the primary fields. For
such states the calculations of the universal structure constants is difficult
task, since its involve the knowledge of the four-point correlation function,
which in general does not fix by conformal invariance except for some
particular cases, including the Ising model.


title:
Bifurcation Analysis in a Continuous-Time Information Model with
  Discrete and Distributed Delays

abstract:
  In this paper, we consider a continuous-time model with discrete and
dis-tributed delays to describe how two pieces of information interact in
online social networks. Sufficient conditions are carried out to illustrate the
stability of each e-quilibrium. Taking time delay as a bifurcation parameter,
the system undergoes a sequence of Hopf bifurcation when this parameter passes
through a critical value. By methods of multiple scales, we prove that the
direction of Hopf bifurcation is depending on the condition which is related to
delay.


title:
Hybrid clustering-classification neural network in the medical
  diagnostics of reactive arthritis

abstract:
  The hybrid clustering-classification neural network is proposed. This network
allows increasing a quality of information processing under the condition of
overlapping classes due to the rational choice of a learning rate parameter and
introducing a special procedure of fuzzy reasoning in the clustering process,
which occurs both with an external learning signal (supervised) and without the
one (unsupervised). As similarity measure neighborhood function or membership
one, cosine structures are used, which allow to provide a high flexibility due
to self-learning-learning process and to provide some new useful properties.
Many realized experiments have confirmed the efficiency of proposed hybrid
clustering-classification neural network; also, this network was used for
solving diagnostics task of reactive arthritis.


title: Bounding Average-energy Games

abstract:
  We consider average-energy games, where the goal is to minimize the long-run
average of the accumulated energy. While several results have been obtained on
these games recently, decidability of average-energy games with a lower-bound
constraint on the energy level (but no upper bound) remained open; in
particular, so far there was no known upper bound on the memory that is
required for winning strategies.
  By reducing average-energy games with lower-bounded energy to infinite-state
mean-payoff games and analyzing the density of low-energy configurations, we
show an almost tight doubly-exponential upper bound on the necessary memory,
and that the winner of average-energy games with lower-bounded energy can be
determined in doubly-exponential time. We also prove EXPSPACE-hardness of this
problem.
  Finally, we consider multi-dimensional extensions of all types of
average-energy games: without bounds, with only a lower bound, and with both a
lower and an upper bound on the energy. We show that the fully-bounded version
is the only case to remain decidable in multiple dimensions.


title: Excess C/O and C/H in outer protoplanetary disk gas

abstract:
  The compositions of nascent planets depend on the compositions of their birth
disks. In particular, the elemental compositions of Gas Giant gaseous envelopes
depend on the elemental composition of the disk gas from which the envelope is
accreted. Previous models demonstrated that sequential freeze-out of O and
C-bearing volatiles in disks will result in an supersolar C/O ratios and
subsolar C/H ratios in the gas between water and CO snowlines. This result does
not take into account, however, the expected grain growth and radial drift of
pebbles in disks, and the accompanying re-distribution of volatiles from the
outer to the inner disk. Using a toy model we demonstrate that when drift is
considered, CO is enhanced between the water and CO snowline, resulting in both
supersolar C/O and C/H ratios in the disk gas in the Gas Giant formation zone.
This result appears robust to the details of the disk model as long as there is
substantial pebble drift across the CO snowline, and the efficiency of CO vapor
diffusion is limited. Gas Giants that accrete their gaseous envelopes exterior
to the water snowline and do not experience substantial core-envelope mixing,
may thus present both superstellar C/O and C/H ratios in their atmospheres.
Pebble drift will also affect the nitrogen and noble gas abundances in the
planet forming zones, which may explain some of Jupiter's peculiar abundance
patterns.


title:
Matter-Wave Fields for Double-Slit Atom Interferometry: Variational
  Versus Exact Solitons

abstract:
  A major challenge in the theoretical modeling of double-slit interferometry
involving matter-wave fields is the appropriate waveform to be assigned to this
field. While all the studies carried out to date on this issue deal with
variational fields, experiments suggest that the optical field is generated by
splitting a single-hump Bose-Einstein condensate into two spatially and
temporally entangled pulses indicating the possibility of fully controlling the
subsequent motion of the two output pulses. To probe the consistency of
variational and exact soliton solutions to the field equation, we solve the
Gross-Pitaevskii equation with an optical potential barrier assumed to act as a
beam splitter, while including gravity. The exact solution is compared with the
two most common variational wavefunctions, namely, the Hermite-Gaussian and
super-sech modes. From numerical simulations, evidence is given of the exact
solution as being the most appropriate matter-wave structure that provides a
coherent description of the generation and spatio-temporal evolution of
matter-wave optical fields in a hypothetical implementation of double-slit atom
interferometry


title:
Renormalization-group theory for cooling first-order phase transitions
  in Potts models

abstract:
  We develop a dynamic field-theoretic renormalization-group (RG) theory for
the cooling first-order phase transitions in the Potts model. It is suggested
that the well-known imaginary fixed points of the $q$-state Potts model for
$q>10/3$ in the RG theory are the origin of the dynamic scaling found recently,
apart from the logarithmic corrections. This indicates that the real and
imaginary fixed points of the Potts model are both physical and control the
scalings of the continuous and discontinuous phase transitions, respectively,
of the model. Our one-loop results for the scaling exponents are already not
far away from the numerical results. Further, the scaling exponents depend on
$q$ slightly only, in consistence with the numerical results. Therefore, the
theory is believed to provide a natural explanation of the dynamic scaling
including the scaling exponents and their scaling laws for various observables
in the Potts model.


title: Intelligence in Artificial Intelligence

abstract:
  The elusive quest for intelligence in artificial intelligence prompts us to
consider that instituting human-level intelligence in systems may be (still) in
the realm of utopia. In about a quarter century, we have witnessed the winter
of AI (1990) being transformed and transported to the zenith of tabloid fodder
about AI (2015). The discussion at hand is about the elements that constitute
the canonical idea of intelligence. The delivery of intelligence as a
pay-per-use-service, popping out of an app or from a shrink-wrapped software
defined point solution, is in contrast to the bio-inspired view of intelligence
as an outcome, perhaps formed from a tapestry of events, cross-pollinated by
instances, each with its own microcosm of experiences and learning, which may
not be discrete all-or-none functions but continuous, over space and time. The
enterprise world may not require, aspire or desire such an engaged solution to
improve its services for enabling digital transformation through the deployment
of digital twins, for example. One might ask whether the "work-flow on
steroids" version of decision support may suffice for intelligence? Are we
harking back to the era of rule based expert systems? The image conjured by the
publicity machines offers deep solutions with human-level AI and preposterous
claims about capturing the "brain in a box" by 2020. Even emulating insects may
be difficult in terms of real progress. Perhaps we can try to focus on worms
(Caenorhabditis elegans) which may be better suited for what business needs to
quench its thirst for so-called intelligence in AI.


title: A hybrid approach for planning and operating active distribution grids

abstract:
  This paper investigates the planning and operational processes of modern
distribution networks (DNs) hosting Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). While
in the past the two aspects have been distinct, a methodology is proposed in
this paper to co-optimize the two phases by considering the operational
flexibility offered by DERs already in the planning phase. By employing AC
Optimal Power Flow (OPF) to analyse the worst-case forecasts for the load and
distributed generator (DG) injection, the optimal set-points for the DERs are
determined such that the network's security is ensured. From these results, the
optimized individual characteristic curves are then extracted for each DER
which are used in the operational phase for the local control of the devices.
The optimized controls use only local measurements to address system-wide
issues and emulate the OPF solution without any communication. Finally, the
proposed methodology is tested on the Cigre LV benchmark grid confirming that
it is successful in mitigating with acceptable violations over- and
under-voltage problems, as well as congestion issues. Its performance is
compared against the OPF-based approach and currently employed local control
schemes.


title:
Second order deformations of associative submanifolds in nearly parallel
  $G_2$-manifolds

abstract:
  Associative submanifolds $A$ in nearly parallel $G_2$-manifolds $Y$ are
minimal 3-submanifolds in spin 7-manifolds with a real Killing spinor. The
Riemannian cone over $Y$ has the holonomy group contained in ${\rm Spin(7)}$
and the Riemannian cone over $A$ is a Cayley submanifold. Infinitesimal
deformations of associative submanifolds were considered by the author. This
paper is a continuation of the work. We give a necessary and sufficient
condition for an infinitesimal associative deformation to be integrable
(unobstructed) to second order explicitly. As an application, we show that the
infinitesimal deformations of a homogeneous associative submanifold in the
7-sphere given by Lotay, which he called $A_3$, are unobstructed to second
order.


title: Linking loop quantum gravity quantization ambiguities with phenomenology

abstract:
  Fundamental quantum gravity theories are known to be notoriously difficult to
extract viable testable predictions out of. In this paper, we aim to
incorporate putative quantum corrections coming from loop quantum gravity in
deriving modified dispersion relations for particles on a deformed Minkowski
spacetime. We show how different choices of the Immirzi parameter can, in some
cases, serendipitously lead to different outcomes for such modifications,
depending on the quantization scheme chosen. This allows one to differentiate
between these quantization choices via testable phenomenological predictions.


title: Topological Semimetals

abstract:
  Topological semimetals and metals have emerged as a new frontier in the field
of quantum materials. Novel macroscopic quantum phenomena they exhibit are not
only of fundamental interest, but may hold some potential for technological
applications.


title:
What is the "x" which occurs in "sin x"? Being an essay towards a
  conceptual Foundations of Mathematics

abstract:
  As Lebesgue implies, measure is the most fundamental concept of science. It
is not accidental that the principal branch of mathematics is that which deals
with measure: recently Analysis, before it Geometry. The transition of the
study of measure from geometry to analysis is a long process which is yet to be
investigated from both the logical and the conceptual points of view.
Trigonometry, thanks to Eudoxus' theory of ratio and proportion, was developed
within geometry. Now it involves analysis too. To analytically deal with the
trigonometric functions, several mathematicians answered Hardy's key question
"The whole difficulty lies in the question, What is the x which occurs in cos x
and sin x ?".
  Building on the works of Eudoxus and Lebesgue, it is shown that (to the best
of my knowledge) all of these answers are logically wrong or conceptually
unsound. In contrast, based on Eudoxus' theory, measure in general and
measuring angles in particular are investigated, and an answer to this
question, which is both logically correct and conceptually sound, is presented.
To comprehend the philosophical and historical background of the subject,
briefly several problems are considered which need further investigation and
several questions are raised which are yet to be answered. In an appendix a
correction of the proof of proposition XII.2 of Euclid's Elements, which
practically defines "pi", is given.


title: Conjugacy growth series of some wreath products

abstract:
  In this paper we consider groups of the form $G\wr L$, where the set of
generators naturally extends the sets of generators of $G$ and $L$, and $L$
admits a Cayley graph that is a tree. We show how one can compute the conjugacy
growth series of such groups in terms of the standard and conjugacy growth
series of $G$. We then provide explicit formulas for groups of the form $G\wr
\mathbb{Z}$ and $G\wr (C_2*C_2)$.
  We also prove that the radius of convergence of the conjugacy growth series
of $G\wr L$, for any $G$ and $L$ as above, is the same as the radius of
convergence of its standard growth series.


title:
Measurements of charge and CP asymmetries in $b$-hadron decays using
  top-quark events collected by the ATLAS detector in $pp$ collisions at
  $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV

abstract:
  Same- and opposite-sign charge asymmetries are measured in lepton+jets
$t\bar{t}$ events in which a $b$-hadron decays semileptonically to a soft muon,
using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ from
proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV
collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The
charge asymmetries are based on the charge of the lepton from the top-quark
decay and the charge of the soft muon from the semileptonic decay of a
$b$-hadron and are measured in a fiducial region corresponding to the
experimental acceptance. Four CP asymmetries (one mixing and three direct) are
measured and are found to be compatible with zero and consistent with the
Standard Model.


title: Spinor quintom cosmology with intrinsic spin

abstract:
  We consider a spinor quintom dark energy model with intrinsic spin, in the
framework of Eintein- Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theory. After constructing the
mathematical formalism of the model, we obtain the spin contributed total
energy-momentum tensor giving the energy density and the pressure of the
quintom model, and then we find the equation of state parameter in terms of the
spinor potential. Choosing suitable potentials leads to the quintom scenario
crossing between quintessence and phantom epochs, or vice versa. Analyzed three
quintom scenarios provides stable expansion phases avoiding Big Rip
singularities, and yielding matter dominated era through the stabilization of
the spinor pressure via spin contribution. The stabilization in spinor pressure
leads to neglecting it as compared to the increasing energy density, and
constituting a matter dominated stable expansion epoch.


title:
Energy spectra of X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations in the
  Lense-Thirring precession model

abstract:
  We model the energy dependence of a quasi periodic oscillation (QPOs)
produced by Lense-Thirring precession of a hot inner flow. We use a fully
3-dimensional Monte-Carlo code to compute the Compton scattered flux produced
by the hot inner flow intercepting seed photons from an outer truncated
standard disc. The changing orientation of the precessing torus relative to the
line of sight produces the observed modulation of the X-ray flux.
  We consider two scenarios of precession. First, we assume that the precession
axis is perpendicular to the plane of the outer disc. In this scenario the
relative geometry of the cold disc and the hot torus does not change during
precession, so the emitted spectrum does not change, and the modulation is
solely due to the changing viewing angle. In the second scenario the precession
axis is tilted with respect to the outer disc plane. This leads to changes in
the relative geometry of the hot flow and cold plasma, possibly resulting in
variations of the plasma temperature and thus generating additional spectral
variability, which combines with the variations due to the viewing angle
changes.


title:
Positivity results for indefinite sublinear elliptic problems via a
  continuity argument

abstract:
  We establish a positivity property for a class of semilinear elliptic
problems involving indefinite sublinear nonlinearities. Namely, we show that
any nontrivial nonnegative solution is positive for a class of problems the
strong maximum principle does not apply to. Our approach is based on a
continuity argument combined with variational techniques, the sub and
supersolutions method and some a priori bounds. Both Dirichlet and Neumann
homogeneous boundary conditions are considered. As a byproduct, we deduce some
existence and uniqueness results. Finally, as an application, we derive some
positivity results for indefinite concave-convex type problems.


title:
The cosmological constant: 2nd order quantum-mechanical correction to
  the Newton gravity

abstract:
  The work shows that the associated Einstein like gravity for the Klein-Gordon
field shows the spontaneous emergence of the cosmological pressure tensor
density (CPTD) that in the classical limit leads to the cosmological constant
(CC). Even if the classical cosmological constant is set to zero, the model
shows that exists a residual theory-derived quantum CPTD. The work shows that
the cosmological constant can be considered as a second order
quantum-mechanical correction to the Newtonian gravity. The outputs of the
theory show that the expectation value of the CPTD is independent by the
zero-point vacuum energy density and that it takes contribution only from the
space where the mass is localized (and the space-time is curvilinear) while
tending to zero as the space-time approaches to the flat vacuum. A developed
model of scalar matter universe shows an overall cosmological effect of the
CPTD on the motion of the galaxies that agrees with the astronomical
observations.


title: Mixing time bounds via bottleneck sequences

abstract:
  We provide new upper bounds for mixing times of general finite Markov chains.
We use these bounds to show that the total variation mixing time is robust
under rough isometry for bounded degree graphs that are roughly isometric to
trees.


title:
Mpc-scale diffuse radio emission in two massive cool-core clusters of
  galaxies

abstract:
  Radio halos are diffuse synchrotron sources on scales of ~1 Mpc that are
found in merging clusters of galaxies, and are believed to be powered by
electrons re-accelerated by the merger-driven turbulence. We present
measurements of extended radio emission on similarly large scales in two
clusters of galaxies hosting cool cores: Abell 2390 and Abell 2261. The
analysis is based on interferometric imaging with the JVLA, VLA and GMRT. We
present detailed radio images of the targets, subtract the compact emission
components, and measure the spectral indices for the diffuse components. The
radio emission in A2390 extends beyond a known sloshing-like brightness
discontinuity, and has a very steep in-band spectral slope at 1.5 GHz that is
similar to some known ultra-steep spectrum radio halos. The diffuse signal in
A2261 is more extended than in A2390 but has lower luminosity. X-ray
morphological indicators, derived from XMM-Newton X-ray data, place these
clusters in the category of relaxed or regular systems, although some
asymmetric features that can indicate past minor mergers are seen in the X-ray
brightness images. If these two Mpc-scale radio sources are categorized as
giant radio halos, they question the common assumption of radio halos occurring
exclusively in clusters undergoing violent merging activity, in addition to
commonly used criteria in distinguishing between radio halos and mini-halos.


title: An elementary argument for the magnetic field outside a solenoid

abstract:
  The evaluation of the magnetic field inside and outside a uniform current
density infinite solenoid of uniform cross-section is an elementary problem in
classical electrodynamics that all undergraduate Physics students study.
Symmetry properties of the cylinder and the judicious use of Ampere's circuital
law leads to correct results; however it does not explain why the field is non
zero for a finite length solenoid, and why it vanishes as the solenoid becomes
infinitely long. An argument is provided in (American Journal of Physics 69,
751 (2001)) by Farley and Price, explaining how the magnetic field behaves
outside the solenoid and not too far from it, as a function of the length of
the solenoid. A calculation is also outlined for obtaining the field just
outside the circular cross section solenoid, in the classic text Classical
Electrodynamics by J.D.Jackson, 3rd ed, (John Wiley and Sons, INC) Problems
5.3, 5.4, 5.5. The purpose of this letter is to provide an elementary argument
for why the field becomes negligible as the length of the solenoid is
increased. An elementary calculation is provided for the field outside the
solenoid, at radial distances large compared to the linear dimension of the
solenoid cross section.


title: Discrete Scalar Quantum Field Theory

abstract:
  We begin with a description of spacetime by a 4-dimensional cubic lattice
$\sscript$. It follows from this framework that the the speed of light is the
only nonzero instantaneous speed for a particle. The dual space $\sscripthat$
corresponds to a cubic lattice of energy-momentum. This description implies
that there is a discrete set of possible particle masses. We then define
discrete scalar quantum fields on $\sscript$. These fields are employed to
define interaction Hamiltonians and scattering operators. Although the
scattering operator $S$ cannot be computed exactly, approximations are
possible. Whether $S$ is unitary is an unsolved problem. Besides the
definitions of these operators, our main assumption is conservation of
energy-momentum for a scattering process. This article concludes with various
examples of perturbation approximations. These include simplified versions of
electron-electron and electron-proton scattering as well as simple decay
processes. We also define scattering cross-sections, decay rates and lifetimes
within this formalism.


title:
Optimized long-range corrected density functionals for electronic and
  optical properties of bare and ligated CdSe quantum dots

abstract:
  The reliable prediction of optical and fundamental gaps of finite size
systems using density functional theory requires to account for the potential
self-interaction error, which is notorious for degrading the description of
charge transfer transitions. One solution is provided by parameterized
long-range corrected functionals such as LC-BLYP, which can be tuned such as to
describe certain properties of the particular system at hand. Here, bare and
3-mercaptoprotionic acid covered \ce{Cd33Se33} quantum dots are investigated
using the optimally tuned LC-BLYP functional. The range separation parameter,
which determines the switching on of the exact exchange contribution is found
to be 0.12 bohr$^{-1}$ and 0.09 bohr$^{-1}$ for the bare and covered quantum
dot, respectively. It is shown that density functional optimization indeed
yields optical and fundamental gaps and thus exciton binding energies,
considerably different compared with standard functionals such as the popular
PBE and B3LYP ones. This holds true, despite the fact that the leading
transitions are localized on the quantum dot and do not show pronounced
long-range charge transfer character.


title: Self-similar solutions to isothermal shock problems

abstract:
  We investigate exact solutions for isothermal shock problems in different
one-dimensional geometries. These solutions are given as analytical expressions
if possible, or are computed using standard numerical methods for solving
ordinary differential equations. We test the numerical solutions against the
analytical expressions to verify the correctness of all numerical algorithms.
We use similarity methods to derive a system of ordinary differential equations
(ODE) yielding exact solutions for power law density distributions as initial
conditions. Further, the system of ODEs accounts for implosion problems (IP) as
well as explosion problems (EP) by changing the initial or boundary conditions,
respectively. Taking genuinely isothermal approximations into account leads to
additional insights of EPs in contrast to earlier models. We neglect a constant
initial energy contribution but introduce a parameter to adjust the initial
mass distribution of the system. Moreover, we show that due to this parameter a
constant initial density is not allowed for isothermal EPs. Reasonable
restrictions for this parameter are given. Both, the (genuinely) isothermal
implosion as well as the explosion problem are solved for the first time.


title:
Magneto-transport and domain wall scattering in epitaxy $L1_{0}$ MnAl
  thin film

abstract:
  This work demonstrated two different kinds of magneto-transport behaviors in
epitaxial $L1_{0}$ MnAl film as a function of temperature. The
magneto-resistance ratio (MR) was negative and exhibited evident enhancement in
the resistivity at coercive fields above 175 K. The MR enhancement was
attributed to the increase of the magnetic domain walls based on the
quantitative correlation between the domain density and the resistivity. Below
175 K, the MR was positive and showed a quadratic dependence on the external
magnetic field, which implied that the MR was dominated by Lorentz effects.


title:
Energy Release Rate in hydraulic fracture: can we neglect an impact of
  the hydraulically induced shear stress?

abstract:
  A novel hydraulic fracture (HF) formulation is introduced which accounts for
the hydraulically induced shear stress at the crack faces. It utilizes a
general form of the elasticity operator alongside a revised fracture
propagation condition based on the critical value of the energy release rate.
It is shown that the revised formulation describes the underlying physics of HF
in a more accurate way and is in agreement with the asymptotic behaviour of the
linear elastic fracture mechanics. A number of numerical simulations by means
of the universal HF algorithm previously developed in Wrobel & Mishuris (2015)
are performed in order to: i) compare the modified HF formulation with its
classic counterpart and ii) investigate the peculiarities of the former.
Computational advantages of the revised HF model are demonstrated. Asymptotic
estimations of the main solution elements are provided for the cases of small
and large toughness. The modified formulation opens new ways to analyse the
physical phenomenon of HF and also improves the reliability and efficiency of
its numerical simulations.


title: Maxmin convolutional neural networks for image classification

abstract:
  Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are widely used in computer vision,
especially in image classification. However, the way in which information and
invariance properties are encoded through in deep CNN architectures is still an
open question. In this paper, we propose to modify the standard convo- lutional
block of CNN in order to transfer more information layer after layer while
keeping some invariance within the net- work. Our main idea is to exploit both
positive and negative high scores obtained in the convolution maps. This behav-
ior is obtained by modifying the traditional activation func- tion step before
pooling. We are doubling the maps with spe- cific activations functions, called
MaxMin strategy, in order to achieve our pipeline. Extensive experiments on two
classical datasets, MNIST and CIFAR-10, show that our deep MaxMin convolutional
net outperforms standard CNN.


title: Generalization Bounds for Weighted Automata

abstract:
  This paper studies the problem of learning weighted automata from a finite
labeled training sample. We consider several general families of weighted
automata defined in terms of three different measures: the norm of an
automaton's weights, the norm of the function computed by an automaton, or the
norm of the corresponding Hankel matrix. We present new data-dependent
generalization guarantees for learning weighted automata expressed in terms of
the Rademacher complexity of these families. We further present upper bounds on
these Rademacher complexities, which reveal key new data-dependent terms
related to the complexity of learning weighted automata.


title: Spatio-temporal features of FocusST

abstract:
  In this technical report we summarise the spatio-temporal features and
present the core operators of FocusST specification framework. We present the
general idea of these operators, using a Steam Boiler System example to
illustrate how the specification framework can be applied.
  FocusST was inspired by Focus, a framework for formal specification and
development of interactive systems. In contrast to Focus, FocusST is devoted to
specify and to analyse spatial (S) and timing (T) aspects of the systems, which
is also reflected in the name of the framework: the extension ST highlights the
spatio-temporal nature of the specifications.


title: Factors Affecting the Geo-effectiveness of Shocks and Sheaths at 1 AU

abstract:
  We identify all fast-mode forward shocks, whose sheath regions resulted in a
moderate (56 cases) or intense (38 cases) geomagnetic storm during 18.5 years
from January 1997 to June 2015. We study their main properties, interplanetary
causes and geo-effects. We find that half (49/94) such shocks are associated
with interacting coronal mass ejections (CMEs), as they are either shocks
propagating into a preceding CME (35 cases) or a shock propagating into the
sheath region of a preceding shock (14 cases). About half (22/45) of the shocks
driven by isolated transients and which have geo-effective sheaths compress
pre-existing southward Bz. Most of the remaining sheaths appear to have planar
structures with southward magnetic fields, including some with planar
structures consistent with field line draping ahead of the magnetic ejecta. A
typical (median) geo-effective shock-sheath structure drives a geomagnetic
storm with peak Dst of -88 nT, pushes the subsolar magnetopause location to 6.3
Re, i.e. below geosynchronous orbit and is associated with substorms with a
peak AL-index of -1350 nT. There are some important differences between sheaths
associated with CME-CME interaction (stronger storms) and those associated with
isolated CMEs (stronger compression of the magnetosphere). We detail six case
studies of different types of geo-effective shock-sheaths, as well as two
events for which there was no geomagnetic storm but other magnetospheric
effects. Finally, we discuss our results in terms of space weather forecasting,
and potential effects on Earth's radiation belts.


title: Paracontrolled quasilinear SPDEs

abstract:
  We introduce a non-linear paracontrolled calculus and use it to renormalise a
class of singular SPDEs including certain quasilinear variants of the periodic
two dimensional parabolic Anderson model.


title: Rho meson decay in presence of magnetic field

abstract:
  We find a general expression for the one-loop self-energy function of neutral
$\rho$-meson due to $\pi^+\pi^-$ intermediate state in a background magnetic
field, valid for arbitrary magnitudes of the field. The pion propagator used in
this expression is given by Schwinger, which depends on a proper-time
parameter. Restricting to weak fields, we calculate the decay rate
$\Gamma(\rho^0 \rightarrow \pi^+ +\pi^-)$, which changes negligibly from the
vacuum value.


title: Some upper bounds for the signless Laplacian spectral radius of digraphs

abstract:
  Let $G=(V(G) ,E(G))$ be a digraph without loops and multiarcs, where
$V(G)=\{v_1,v_2,\ldots,v_n\}$ and $E(G)$ are the vertex set and the arc set of
$G$, respectively. Let $d_i^{+}$ be the outdegree of the vertex $v_i$. Let
$A(G)$ be the adjacency matrix of $G$ and
$D(G)=\textrm{diag}(d_1^{+},d_2^{+},\ldots,d_n^{+})$ be the diagonal matrix
with outdegrees of the vertices of $G$. Then we call $Q(G)=D(G)+A(G)$ the
signless Laplacian matrix of $G$. The spectral radius of $Q(G)$ is called the
signless Laplacian spectral radius of $G$, denoted by $q(G)$. In this paper,
some upper bounds for $q(G)$ are obtained. Furthermore, some upper bounds on
$q(G)$ involving outdegrees and the average 2-outdegrees of the vertices of $G$
are also derived.


title:
Dufour and Soret effects on MHD flow of Williamson fluid over an
  infinite rotating disk with anisotropic slip

abstract:
  This study deals with the investigation of MHD flow of Williamson fluid over
an infinite rotating disk with the effects of Soret, Dufour, and anisotropic
slip. The anisotropic slip and the Soret and Dufour effects are the primary
features of this study, which greatly influence the flow, heat and mass
transport properties. In simultaneous appearance of heat and mass transfer in a
moving fluid, the mass flux generated by temperature gradients is known as the
thermal-diffusion or Soret effect and the energy flux created by a composition
gradient is called the diffusion-thermo or Dufour effect, however, difference
in slip lengths in streamwise and spanwise directions is named as anisotropic
slip. The system of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs), which
governs the flow, heat and mass transfer characteristics, is transformed into
ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with the help of von K\'arm\'an
similarity transformation. A numerical solution of the complicated ODEs is
carried out by a MATLAB routine bvp4c. The obtained results of velocity,
temperature, concentration, and some physical quantities are displayed through
graphs and tables, and their physical discussion is presented.


title: Coherent Coupling of Remote Spin Ensembles via a Cavity Bus

abstract:
  We report coherent coupling between two macroscopically separated
nitrogen-vacancy electron spin ensembles in a cavity quantum electrodynamics
system. The coherent interaction between the distant ensembles is directly
detected in the cavity transmission spectrum by observing bright and dark
collective multiensemble states and an increase of the coupling strength to the
cavity mode. Additionally, in the dispersive limit we show transverse
ensemble-ensemble coupling via virtual photons.


title:
On the distance of stabilizer quantum codes from $J$-affine variety
  codes

abstract:
  Self-orthogonal $J$-affine variety codes have been successfully used to
obtain quantum stabilizer codes with excellent parameters. In a previous paper
we gave formulae for the dimension of this family of quantum codes, but no
bound for the minimum distance was given. In this work, we show how to derive
quantum stabilizer codes with designed minimum distance from $J$-affine variety
codes and their subfield-subcodes. Moreover, this allows us to obtain new
quantum codes, some of them either, with better parameters, or with larger
distances than the previously known codes.


title:
Towards Modelling Pedestrian-Vehicle Interactions: Empirical Study on
  Urban Unsignalized Intersection

abstract:
  The modelling and simulation of the interaction among vehicles and
pedestrians during cross-walking is an open challenge for both research and
practical computational solutions supporting urban/traffic decision makers and
managers. The social cost of pedestrians' risky behaviour pushes the
development of a new generation of computational models integrating analytical
knowledge, data and experience about the complex dynamics occurring in
pedestrian/vehicle interactions, which are not completely understood despite
recent efforts. This paper presents the results of a significant data gathering
campaign realised at an unsignalized zebra crossing. The selected area of the
city of Milan (Italy) is characterised by a significant presence of elderly
inhabitants and pedestrian-vehicle risky interactions, testified by a high
number of accidents involving pedestrians in the past years. The results
concern the analysis of: (i) vehicular and pedestrian traffic volumes; (ii)
level of service; (iii) pedestrian-vehicle interactions, considering the impact
of ageing on crossing behaviour. Results showed that the phenomenon is
characterised by three main phases: approaching, appraising (evaluation of the
distance and speed of oncoming vehicles) and crossing. The final objective of
the research is to support the development of a microscopic agent-based tool
for simulating pedestrian behaviour at unsignalized crosswalks, focusing on the
specific needs of the elderly pedestrians.


title:
Non-Markovianity Hierarchy of Gaussian Processes and Quantum
  Amplification

abstract:
  We investigate dynamics of Gaussian states of continuous variable systems
under Gaussianity preserving channels. We introduce a hierarchy of such
evolutions encompassing Markovian, weakly and strongly non-Markovian processes,
and provide simple criteria to distinguish between the classes, based on the
degree of positivity of intermediate Gaussian maps. We classify all single-mode
phase-insensitive Gaussian channels according to their non-Markovianity degree,
and show that weak non-Markovianity has an operational significance as it leads
to temporary amplification of Gaussian inputs beyond the fundamental quantum
limit. Explicit examples and applications are discussed.


title: Counterfactual: An R Package for Counterfactual Analysis

abstract:
  The Counterfactual package implements the estimation and inference methods of
Chernozhukov, Fern\'andez-Val and Melly (2013) for counterfactual analysis. The
counterfactual distributions considered are the result of changing either the
marginal distribution of covariates related to the outcome variable of
interest, or the conditional distribution of the outcome given the covariates.
They can be applied to estimate quantile treatment effects and wage
decompositions. This paper serves as an introduction to the package and
displays basic functionality of the commands contained within.


title:
The MiMeS survey of magnetism in massive stars: Magnetic analysis of the
  O-type stars

abstract:
  We present the analysis performed on spectropolarimetric data of 97 O-type
targets included in the framework of the MiMeS (Magnetism in Massive Stars)
Survey. Mean Least-Squares Deconvolved Stokes I and V line profiles were
extracted for each observation, from which we measured the radial velocity,
rotational and non-rotational broadening velocities, and longitudinal magnetic
field. The investigation of the Stokes I profiles led to the discovery of 2 new
multi-line spectroscopic systems (HD46106, HD204827) and confirmed the presence
of a suspected companion in HD37041. We present a modified strategy of the
Least-Squares Deconvolution technique aimed at optimising the detection of
magnetic signatures while minimising the detection of spurious signatures in
Stokes V. Using this analysis, we confirm the detection of a magnetic field in
6 targets previously reported as magnetic by the MiMeS collaboration (HD108,
HD47129A2, HD57682, HD148937, CPD-28 2561, and NGC 1624-2), as well as report
the presence of signal in Stokes V in 3 new magnetic candidates (HD36486,
HD162978, HD199579). Overall, we find a magnetic incidence rate of 7+/-3%, for
108 individual O stars (including all O-type components part of multi-line
systems), with a median uncertainty of the longitudinal field measurements of
about 50\,G. An inspection of the data reveals no obvious biases affecting the
incidence rate or the preference for detecting magnetic signatures in the
magnetic stars. Similar to A- and B-type stars, we find no link between the
stars' physical properties (e.g. Teff, mass, age) and the presence of a
magnetic field. However, the Of?p stars represent a distinct class of magnetic
O-type stars.


title: Isolated Structures in Two-Dimensional Optical Superlattice

abstract:
  Overlaying commensurate optical lattices with various configurations called
superlattices can lead to exotic lattice topologies and, in turn, a discovery
of novel physics. In this study, by overlapping the maxima of lattices, a new
isolated structure is created, while the interference of minima can generate
various "sublattice" patterns. Three different kinds of primitive lattices are
used to demonstrate isolated square, triangular, and hexagonal "sublattice"
structures in a two-dimensional optical superlattice, the patterns of which can
be manipulated dynamically by tuning the polarization, frequency, and intensity
of laser beams. In addition, we propose the method of altering the relative
phase to adjust the tunneling amplitudes in "sublattices."
  Our configurations provide unique opportunities to study particle
entanglement in "lattices" formed by intersecting wells and to implement
special quantum logic gates in exotic lattice geometries.


title:
Top-quark pair production at next-to-next-to-leading order QCD in
  electron positron collisions

abstract:
  We set up a formalism, within the antenna subtraction framework, for
computing the production of a massive quark-antiquark pair in electron positron
collisions at next-to-next-to-leading order in the coupling $\alpha_s$ of
quantum chromodynamics at the differential level. Our formalism applies to the
calculation of any infrared-safe observable. We apply this set-up to the
production of top-quark top antiquark pairs in the continuum. We compute the
production cross section and several distributions. We determine, in
particular, the top-quark forward-backward asymmetry at order $\alpha_s^2$. Our
result agrees with previous computations of this observable.


title:
The interference effects of multi-channel pion-pion scattering
  contributions to the final states of $\Psi$- and $\Upsilon$-meson family
  decays

abstract:
  It is shown that the basic shape of dipion mass distributions in the two-pion
transitions of both charmonia and bottomonia states are explained by an unified
mechanism based on the contribution of the $\pi\pi$, $K\overline{K}$ and
$\eta\eta$ coupled channels including their interference.


title: A Survey: Embedded Systems Supporting By Different Operating Systems

abstract:
  In these days embedded system have an important role in different Fields and
applications like Network embedded system , Real-time embedded systems which
supports the mission-critical domains, mostly having the time constraints,
Stand-alone systems which includes the network router etc. A great deployment
in the processors made for completing the demanding needs of the users. There
is also a large-scale deployment occurs in sensor networks for providing the
advance facilities, for handled such type of embedded systems a specific
operating system must provide. This paper presents some software
infrastructures that have the ability of supporting such types of embedded
systems.


title:
Isotopic shift of atom-dimer Efimov resonances in K-Rb mixtures:
  Critical effect of multichannel Feshbach physics

abstract:
  The multichannel Efimov physics is investigated in ultracold heteronuclear
admixtures of K and Rb atoms. We observe a shift in the scattering length where
the first atom-dimer resonance appears in the $^{41}$K-$^{87}$Rb system
relative to the position of the previously observed atom-dimer resonance in the
$^{40}$K-$^{87}$Rb system. This shift is well explained by our calculations
with a three-body model including the van der Waals interactions, and, more
importantly, the multichannel spinor physics. With only minor difference in the
atomic masses of the admixtures, the shift in the atom-dimer resonance
positions can be cleanly ascribed to the isolated and overlapping Feshbach
resonances in the $^{40}$K-$^{87}$Rb and $^{41}$K-$^{87}$Rb systems,
respectively. Our study demonstrates the role of the multichannel Feshbach
physics in determining Efimov resonances in heteronuclear three-body systems.


title:
Avoid or Follow? Modelling Route Choice Based on Experimental Empirical
  Evidences

abstract:
  Computer-based simulation of pedestrian dynamics reached meaningful results
in the last decade, thanks to empirical evidences and acquired knowledge
fitting fundamental diagram constraints and space utilization. Moreover,
computational models for pedestrian wayfinding often neglect extensive
empirical evidences supporting the calibration and validation phase of
simulations. The paper presents the results of a set of controlled experiments
(with human volunteers) designed and performed to understand pedestrian's route
choice. The setting offers alternative paths to final destinations, at
different crowding conditions. Results show that the length of paths and level
of congestion influence decisions (negative feedback), as well as imitative
behaviour of "emergent leaders" choosing a new path (positive feedback). A
novel here illustrated model for the simulation of pedestrian route choice
captures such evidences, encompassing both the tendency to avoid congestion and
to follow emerging leaders. The found conflicting tendencies are modelled with
the introduction of a utility function allowing a consistent calibration over
the achieved results. A demonstration of the simulated dynamics on a larger
scenario will be also illustrated in the paper.


title:
A work-efficient parallel sparse matrix-sparse vector multiplication
  algorithm

abstract:
  We design and develop a work-efficient multithreaded algorithm for sparse
matrix-sparse vector multiplication (SpMSpV) where the matrix, the input
vector, and the output vector are all sparse. SpMSpV is an important primitive
in the emerging GraphBLAS standard and is the workhorse of many graph
algorithms including breadth-first search, bipartite graph matching, and
maximal independent set. As thread counts increase, existing multithreaded
SpMSpV algorithms can spend more time accessing the sparse matrix data
structure than doing arithmetic. Our shared-memory parallel SpMSpV algorithm is
work efficient in the sense its total work is proportional to the number of
arithmetic operations required. The key insight is to avoid each thread
individually scan the list of matrix columns.
  Our algorithm is simple to implement and operates on existing column-based
sparse matrix formats. It performs well on diverse matrices and vectors with
heterogeneous sparsity patterns. A high-performance implementation of the
algorithm attains up to 15x speedup on a 24-core Intel Ivy Bridge processor and
up to 49x speedup on a 64-core Intel KNL manycore processor. In contrast to
implementations of existing algorithms, the performance of our algorithm is
sustained on a variety of different input types include matrices representing
scale-free and high-diameter graphs.


title:
Residual $Z_2$ symmetries and leptonic mixing patterns from finite
  discrete subgroups of $U(3)$

abstract:
  We study embedding of non-commuting $Z_2$ and $Z_m$, $m\geq 3$ symmetries in
discrete subgroups (DSG) of $U(3)$ and analytically work out the mixing
patterns implied by the assumption that $Z_2$ and $Z_m$ describe the residual
symmetries of the neutrino and the charged lepton mass matrices respectively.
Both $Z_2$ and $Z_m$ are assumed to be subgroups of a larger discrete symmetry
group $G_f$ possessing three dimensional faithful irreducible representation.
The residual symmetries predict the magnitude of a column of the leptonic
mixing matrix $U_{\rm PMNS}$ which are studied here assuming $G_f$ as the DSG
of $SU(3)$ designated as type C and D and large number of DSG of $U(3)$ which
are not in $SU(3)$. These include the known group series $\Sigma(3n^3)$,
$T_n(m)$, $\Delta(3n^2,m)$, $\Delta(6n^2,m)$ and $\Delta'(6n^2,j,k)$. It is
shown that the predictions for a column of $|U_{\rm PMNS}|$ in these group
series and the C and D types of groups are all contained in the predictions of
the $\Delta(6N^2)$ groups for some integer $N$. The $\Delta(6N^2)$ groups
therefore represent a sufficient set of $G_f$ to obtain predictions of the
residual symmetries $Z_2$ and $Z_m$.


title: The critical height is a moduli height

abstract:
  The critical height of a rational function (with algebraic coefficients) is a
natural measure of dynamical complexity, essentially an adelic analogue of the
Lyapunov exponent. Coordinate-free, it is well-defined on moduli space, but
bears no obvious relation to the arithmetic geometry of that space as a
variety. At a conference in 2010, Silverman conjectured that this disconnect is
superficial, and that in fact the critical height should be at least
commensurate to any ample Weil height on the moduli space, except on the Lattes
locus (where that has no hope of being true). Here, we prove that conjecture.


title: On Yomdin's version of a Lipschitz Implicit Function Theorem

abstract:
  In his beautiful paper on the central set from 1981, Y. Yomdin makes use of a
Lipschitz Inverse Function Theorem that unfortunately up to this day remains
unproved. Herein we show that this Theorem in Yomdin's version holds true for a
scalar function and we give a possible correct version of it in the general
case. From this we obtain a weaker, but complete Generic Structure Theorem
concerning the medial axis (central set) of a subset of ${\Rz}^3$.


title:
The Mid-Infrared Polarization of the Herbig Ae Star WL 16: An
  Interstellar Origin?

abstract:
  We present high-resolution (0".4) mid-infrared (mid-IR) polarimetric images
and spectra of WL 16, a Herbig Ae star at a distance of 125 pc. WL 16 is
surrounded by a protoplanetary disk of $\sim$ 900 AU in diameter, making it one
of the most extended Herbig Ae/Be disks as seen in the mid-IR. The star is
behind, or embedded in, the $\rho$ Ophiuchus molecular cloud, and obscured by
28 magnitudes of extinction at optical wavelengths by the foreground cloud.
Mid-IR polarization of WL 16, mainly arises from aligned elongated dust grains
present along the line of sight, suggesting a uniform morphology of
polarization vectors with an orientation of 33\degr (East from North) and a
polarization fraction of $\sim$ 2.0\%. This orientation is consistent with
previous polarimetric surveys in the optical and near-IR bands to probe
large-scale magnetic fields in the Ophiuchus star formation region, indicating
that the observed mid-IR polarization toward WL 16 is produced by the dichroic
absorption of magnetically aligned foreground dust grains by a uniform magnetic
field. Using polarizations of WL 16 and Elias 29, a nearby polarization
standard star, we constrain the polarization efficiency,
\textit{$p_{10.3}/A_{10.3}$}, for the dust grains in the $\rho$ Ophiuchus
molecular cloud to be $\sim$ 1.0\% mag$^{-1}$. WL 16 has polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features detected at 8.6, 11.2, 12.0, and 12.7
$\mu$m by our spectroscopic data, and we find an anti-correlation between the
PAH surface brightness and the PAH ionization fraction between the NW and SW
sides of the disk.


title: Two remarks on even and oddtown problems

abstract:
  A family $\mathcal A$ of subsets of an $n$-element set is called an eventown
(resp. oddtown) if all its sets have even (resp. odd) size and all pairwise
intersections have even size. Using tools from linear algebra, it was shown by
Berlekamp and Graver that the maximum size of an eventown is $2^{\left\lfloor
n/2\right\rfloor}$. On the other hand (somewhat surprisingly), it was proven by
Berlekamp, that oddtowns have size at most $n$. Over the last four decades,
many extensions of this even/oddtown problem have been studied. In this paper
we present new results on two such extensions. First, extending a result of Vu,
we show that a $k$-wise eventown (i.e., intersections of $k$ sets are even) has
for $k \geq 3$ a unique extremal configuration and obtain a stability result
for this problem. Next we improve some known bounds for the defect version of
an $\ell$-oddtown problem. In this problem we consider sets of size $\not\equiv
0 \pmod \ell$ where $\ell$ is a prime number $\ell$ (not necessarily $2$) and
allow a few pairwise intersections to also have size $\not\equiv 0 \pmod \ell$.


title: A pumping lemma for non-cooperative self-assembly

abstract:
  We prove a result which strongly hints at the computational weakness of a
model of tile assembly that has so far resisted many attempts of formal
analysis or positive constructions. Specifically, we prove that, in Winfree's
abstract Tile Assembly Model, when restricted to use only noncooperative
bindings, any long enough path starting from the seed that can grow in all
terminal assemblies is pumpable, meaning that this path can be extended into an
infinite, ultimately periodic path. This result can be seen as a geometric
generalization of the pumping lemma of finite state automata, and closes the
question of what can be computed deterministically in this model. Moreover,
this question has motivated the development of a new method called visible
glues. We believe that this method can also be used to tackle other
long-standing problems in computational geometry, in relation for instance with
self-avoiding paths. Tile assembly (including non-cooperative tile assembly)
was originally introduced by Winfree and Rothemund in STOC 2000 to understand
how to program shapes. The non-cooperative variant, also known as temperature 1
tile assembly, is the model where tiles are allowed to bind as soon as they
match on one side, whereas in cooperative tile assembly, some tiles need to
match on several sides in order to bind. Previously, exactly one known result
(SODA 2014) showed a restriction on the assemblies general non-cooperative
self-assembly could achieve, without any implication on its computational
expressiveness. With non-square tiles (like polyominos, SODA 2015), other
recent works have shown that the model quickly becomes computationally
powerful.


title:
Colloidal Synthesis of Strongly Fluorescent CsPbBr3 Nanowires with Width
  Tunable down to the Quantum Confinement Regime

abstract:
  We report the colloidal synthesis of strongly fluorescent CsPbBr3 perovskite
nanowires (NWs) with rectangular section and with tuneable width, from 20 nm
(exhibiting no quantum confinement, hence emitting in the green) down to around
3 nm (in the strong quan-tum-confinement regime, emitting in the blue), by
introducing in the synthesis a short acid (octanoic acid or hexanoic acid)
together with alkyl amines (octylamine and oleylamine). Temperatures below 70
{\deg}C promoted the formation of monodisperse, few unit cell thick NWs that
were free from byproducts. The photoluminescence quantum yield of the NW
samples went from 12% for non-confined NWs emitting at 524 nm to a maximum of
77% for the 5 nm diameter NWs emitting at 497 nm, down to 30% for the thinnest
NWs (diameter ~ 3nm), in the latter sample most likely due to aggregation
occurring in solution.


title: A model free energy for glasses

abstract:
  We develop a model free energy from an expansion that basically includes
graphs without loops. From this calculation, we derive the temperature
dependence of the density (or specific volume), the typical time scale of the
$\alpha$-relaxation, and the heat capacity. From this, we argue that the glass
transition is dominated by the vicinity of a first order phase transition. The
fluctuations, observable in principle as scattering, would support the findings
and would increase in terms of amplitude close to the phase boundary (while the
size stays constant). This amplitude is connected to the cluster size, also
introduced in the cooperativity argument. Minor arguments about corrections
from loops are discussed where we also might have found an argument for the
"Boson Peak". The whole concept then bases on equilibrium arguments that are
inhibited by -- to our view -- the fluctuations (high susceptibility) plus the
high density that results in the strong growing of the cluster size.


title: The typical irregularity of virtual convex bodies

abstract:
  The semigroup of convex bodies in ${\mathbb R}^n$ with Minkowski addition has
a canonical embedding into an abelian group; its elements have been called
virtual convex bodies. Geometric interpretations of such virtual convex bodies
have been particularly fruitful under the restriction to polytopes. For general
convex bodies, mainly the planar case has been studied, as a part of the more
general investigation of hedgehogs. Here we restrict ourselves to strictly
convex bodies in ${\mathbb R}^n$. A particularly natural geometric
interpretation of virtual convex bodies can then be seen in the set of
differences of boundary points of two convex bodies with the same outer normal
vector. We describe how in the typical case (in the sense of Baire category)
this leads to a highly singular object.


title: Unstable splittings in Hodge filtered Brown-Peterson cohomology

abstract:
  We construct Hodge filtered function spaces associated to infinite loop
spaces. For Brown-Peterson cohomology, we show that the corresponding Hodge
filtered spaces satisfy an analog of Wilson's unstable splitting. As a
consequence, we obtain an analog of Quillen's theorem for Hodge filtered
Brown-Peterson cohomology for complex manifolds.


title: Photon-Induced Selenium Vacancies in TiSe2

abstract:
  TiSe2 is a member of transition metal dichalcogenide family of layered
van-der-Waals materials that exhibits some distinctive electronic and optical
properties. Here, we perform Raman spectroscopy studies on single crystal TiSe2
to investigate photon-induced defects associated with formation of selenium
vacancies. Two additional Eg phonon peaks are observed in the laser-irradiated
regions, consistent with Raman spectra of selenium deficient TiSe2. Temperature
dependent studies of the threshold laser intensity necessary to form selenium
vacancies show that there is a linear dependence. We extract the relevant
activation energy for selenium vacancy nucleation. The impact of these results
on the properties of strongly correlated electron states in TiSe2 are
discussed.


title:
The ACPATH Metric: Precise Estimation of the Number of Acyclic Paths in
  C-like Languages

abstract:
  NPATH is a metric introduced by Brian A. Nejmeh in [13] that is aimed at
overcoming some important limitations of McCabe's cyclomatic complexity.
Despite the fact that the declared NPATH objective is to count the number of
acyclic execution paths through a function, the definition given for the C
language in [13] fails to do so even for very simple programs. We show that
counting the number of acyclic paths in CFG is unfeasible in general. Then we
define a new metric for C-like languages, called ACPATH, that allows to quickly
compute a very good estimation of the number of acyclic execution paths through
the given function. We show that, if the function body does not contain
backward gotos and does not contain jumps into a loop from outside the loop,
then such estimation is actually exact.


title:
Implementation of pairwise longitudinal coupling in a three-qubit
  superconducting circuit

abstract:
  We present the "trimon", a multi-mode superconducting circuit implementing
three qubits with all-to-all longitudinal coupling. This always-on interaction
enables simple implementation of generalized controlled-NOT gates which form a
universal set. Further, two of the three qubits are protected against Purcell
decay while retaining measurability. We demonstrate high-fidelity state
swapping operations between two qubits and characterize the coupling of all
three qubits to a neighbouring transmon qubit. Our results offer a new paradigm
for multi-qubit architecture with applications in quantum error correction,
quantum simulations and quantum annealing.


title: Dual Little Strings from F-Theory and Flop Transitions

abstract:
  A particular two-parameter class of little string theories can be described
by $M$ parallel M5-branes probing a transverse affine $A_{N-1}$ singularity. We
previously discussed the duality between the theories labelled by $(N,M)$ and
$(M,N)$. In this work, we propose that these two are in fact only part of a
larger web of dual theories. We provide evidence that the theories labelled by
$(N,M)$ and $(\tfrac{NM}{k},k)$ are dual to each other, where
$k=\text{gcd}(N,M)$. To argue for this duality, we use a geometric realization
of these little string theories in terms of F-theory compactifications on
toric, non-compact Calabi-Yau threefolds $X_{N,M}$ which have a double elliptic
fibration structure. We show explicitly for a number of examples that
$X_{NM/k,k}$ is part of the extended moduli space of $X_{N,M}$, i.e. the two
are related through symmetry transformations and flop transitions. By working
out the full duality map, we provide a simple check at the level of the free
energy of the little string theories.


title: Stabilization of the water-wave equations with surface tension

abstract:
  This paper is devoted to the stabilization of the water-wave equations with
surface tension through of an external pressure acting on a small part of the
free surface. It is proved that the energy decays to zero exponentially in
time, provided that the external pressure is given by the normal component of
the velocity at the free surface multiplied by an appropriate cut-off function.


title: Sequence Segmentation Using Joint RNN and Structured Prediction Models

abstract:
  We describe and analyze a simple and effective algorithm for sequence
segmentation applied to speech processing tasks. We propose a neural
architecture that is composed of two modules trained jointly: a recurrent
neural network (RNN) module and a structured prediction model. The RNN outputs
are considered as feature functions to the structured model. The overall model
is trained with a structured loss function which can be designed to the given
segmentation task. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by applying
it to two simple tasks commonly used in phonetic studies: word segmentation and
voice onset time segmentation. Results sug- gest the proposed model is superior
to previous methods, ob- taining state-of-the-art results on the tested
datasets.


title: On subcritically Stein fillable 5-manifolds

abstract:
  We make some elementary observations concerning subcritically Stein fillable
contact structures on 5-manifolds. Specifically, we determine the
diffeomorphism type of such contact manifolds in the case the fundamental group
is finite cyclic, and we show that on the 5-sphere the standard contact
structure is the unique subcritically fillable one. More generally, it is shown
that subcritically fillable contact structures on simply connected 5-manifolds
are determined by their underlying almost contact structure. Along the way, we
discuss the homotopy classification of almost contact structures.


title:
Evolution of density and velocity profiles of dark matter and dark
  energy in spherical voids

abstract:
  We analyse the evolution of cosmological perturbations which leads to the
formation of large isolated voids in the Universe. We assume that initial
perturbations are spherical and all components of the Universe (radiation,
matter and dark energy) are continuous media with perfect fluid
energy--momentum tensors, which interact only gravitationally. Equations of the
evolution of perturbations for every component in the comoving to cosmological
background reference frame are obtained from equations of energy and momentum
conservation and Einstein's ones and are integrated numerically. Initial
conditions are set at the early stage of evolution in the radiation-dominated
epoch, when the scale of perturbation is much larger than the particle horizon.
Results show how the profiles of density and velocity of matter and dark energy
are formed and how they depend on parameters of dark energy and initial
conditions. In particular, it is shown that final matter density and velocity
amplitudes change within range $\sim$4-7\% when the value of equation-of-state
parameter of dark energy $w$ vary in the range from --0.8 to --1.2, and change
within $\sim$1\% only when the value of effective sound speed of dark energy
vary over all allowable range of its values.


title:
Formulas for Counting the Sizes of Markov Equivalence Classes of
  Directed Acyclic Graphs

abstract:
  The sizes of Markov equivalence classes of directed acyclic graphs play
important roles in measuring the uncertainty and complexity in causal learning.
A Markov equivalence class can be represented by an essential graph and its
undirected subgraphs determine the size of the class. In this paper, we develop
a method to derive the formulas for counting the sizes of Markov equivalence
classes. We first introduce a new concept of core graph. The size of a Markov
equivalence class of interest is a polynomial of the number of vertices given
its core graph. Then, we discuss the recursive and explicit formula of the
polynomial, and provide an algorithm to derive the size formula via symbolic
computation for any given core graph. The proposed size formula derivation
sheds light on the relationships between the size of a Markov equivalence class
and its representation graph, and makes size counting efficient, even when the
essential graphs contain non-sparse undirected subgraphs.


title:
Handbook of LHC Higgs Cross Sections: 4. Deciphering the Nature of the
  Higgs Sector

abstract:
  This Report summarizes the results of the activities of the LHC Higgs Cross
Section Working Group in the period 2014-2016. The main goal of the working
group was to present the state-of-the-art of Higgs physics at the LHC,
integrating all new results that have appeared in the last few years. The first
part compiles the most up-to-date predictions of Higgs boson production cross
sections and decay branching ratios, parton distribution functions, and
off-shell Higgs boson production and interference effects. The second part
discusses the recent progress in Higgs effective field theory predictions,
followed by the third part on pseudo-observables, simplified template cross
section and fiducial cross section measurements, which give the baseline
framework for Higgs boson property measurements. The fourth part deals with the
beyond the Standard Model predictions of various benchmark scenarios of Minimal
Supersymmetric Standard Model, extended scalar sector, Next-to-Minimal
Supersymmetric Standard Model and exotic Higgs boson decays. This report
follows three previous working-group reports: Handbook of LHC Higgs Cross
Sections: 1. Inclusive Observables (CERN-2011-002), Handbook of LHC Higgs Cross
Sections: 2. Differential Distributions (CERN-2012-002), and Handbook of LHC
Higgs Cross Sections: 3. Higgs properties (CERN-2013-004). The current report
serves as the baseline reference for Higgs physics in LHC Run 2 and beyond.


title: The spacetime of a shift endomorphism

abstract:
  The automorphism group of a one dimensional shift space over a finite
alphabet exhibits different types of behavior: for a large class with positive
entropy, it contains a rich collection of subgroups, while for many shifts of
zero entropy, there are strong constraints on the automorphism group. We view
this from a different perspective, considering a single automorphism (and
sometimes endomorphism) and studying the naturally associated two dimensional
shift system. In particular, we describe the relation between nonexpansive
subspaces in this two dimensional system and dynamical properties of an
automorphism of the shift.


title: Edge conduction in monolayer WTe2

abstract:
  A two-dimensional topological insulator (2DTI) is guaranteed to have a
helical 1D edge mode in which spin is locked to momentum, producing the quantum
spin Hall effect and prohibiting elastic backscattering at zero magnetic field.
No monolayer material has yet been shown to be a 2DTI, but recently the Weyl
semimetal WTe2 was predicted to become a 2DTI in monolayer form if a bulk gap
opens. Here, we report that at temperatures below about 100 K monolayer WTe2
does become insulating in its interior, while the edges still conduct. The edge
conduction is strongly suppressed by in-plane magnetic field and is independent
of gate voltage, save for mesoscopic fluctuations that grow on cooling due to a
zero-bias anomaly which reduces the linear-response conductance. Bilayer WTe2
also becomes insulating at low temperatures but does not show edge conduction.
Many of these observations are consistent with monolayer WTe2 being a 2DTI.
However, the low temperature edge conductance, for contacts spacings down to
150 nm, is below the quantized value,


title: Gini Covariance Matrix and its Affine Equivariant Version

abstract:
  We propose a new covariance matrix called Gini covariance matrix (GCM), which
is a natural generalization of univariate Gini mean difference (GMD) to the
multivariate case. The extension is based on the covariance representation of
GMD by applying the multivariate spatial rank function. We study properties of
GCM, especially in the elliptical distribution family. In order to gain the
affine equivariance property for GCM, we utilize the
transformation-retransformation (TR) technique and obtain an affine equivariant
version GCM that turns out to be a symmetrized M-functional. The influence
function of those two GCM's are obtained and their estimation has been
presented. Asymptotic results of estimators have been established. A closely
related scatter Kotz functional and its estimator are also explored. Finally,
asymptotical efficiency and finite sample efficiency of the TR version GCM are
compared with those of sample covariance matrix, Tyler-M estimator and other
scatter estimators under different distributions.


title: Minimal Twin Surfaces

abstract:
  We report some minimal surfaces that can be seen as copies of a triply
periodic minimal surface (TPMS) related by reflections in parallel mirrors. We
call them minimal twin surfaces for the resemblance with twin crystal. Brakke's
Surface Evolver is employed to construct twinnings of various classical TPMS,
including Schwarz' Primitive (P) and Diamond (D) surfaces, their rhombohedral
deformations (rPD), and Schoen's Gyroid (G) surface. Our numerical results
provide strong evidences for the mathematical existence of D twins and G twins,
which are recently observed in experiment by material scientists. For rPD
twins, we develop a good understanding, by noticing examples previously
constructed by Traizet (2008) and Fujimori and Weber (2009). Our knowledge on G
twins is, by contrast, very limited. Nevertheless, our experiments lead to new
cubic polyhedral models for the D and G surfaces, inspired by which we
speculate new TPMS deformations in the framework of Traizet.


title: Maxwell meets Reeh-Schlieder: the quantum mechanics of neutral bosons

abstract:
  We find that biorthogonal quantum mechanics with a scalar product that counts
both absorbed and emitted particles leads to covariant position operators with
localized eigenvectors. In this manifestly covariant formulation the
probability for a transition from a one-photon state to a position eigenvector
is the first order Glauber correlation function, bridging the gap between
photon counting and the sensitivity of light detectors to electromagnetic
energy density. The position eigenvalues are identified as the spatial
parameters in the canonical quantum field operators and the position basis
describes an array of localized devices that instantaneously absorb and re-emit
bosons.


title:
Attosecond pulse production using resonantly-enhanced high-order
  harmonics

abstract:
  We study theoretically the effect of the giant resonance in Xe on the phase
difference between the consecutive high order resonantly-enhanced harmonics and
calculate the duration of the attosecond pulses produced by these harmonics.
For certain conditions resonantly-induced dephasing compensates the phase
difference which is intrinsic for the off-resonance harmonics. We find these
conditions analytically and compare them with the numerical results. This
harmonic synchronization allows attosecond pulse shortening in conjunction with
the resonance-induced intensity increase by more than an order of magnitude;
the latter enhancement relaxes the requirements for the UV filtering needed for
the attosecond pulse production. Using a two-color driving field allows further
increase of the intensity. In particular, a caustic-like feature in the
harmonic spectrum leads to the generation efficiency growth up to two orders of
magnitude, however accompanied by an elongation of the XUV pulse.


title:
Impact of new data for neutron-rich heavy nuclei on theoretical models
  for $r$-process nucleosynthesis

abstract:
  Current models for the $r$ process are summarized with an emphasis on the key
constraints from both nuclear physics measurements and astronomical
observations. In particular, we analyze the importance of nuclear physics input
such as beta-decay rates; nuclear masses; neutron-capture cross sections;
beta-delayed neutron emission; probability of spontaneous fission, beta- and
neutron-induced fission, fission fragment mass distributions; neutrino-induced
reaction cross sections, etc. We highlight the effects on models for
$r$-process nucleosynthesis of newly measured $\beta$-decay half-lives, masses,
and spectroscopy of neutron-rich nuclei near the $r$-process path. We overview
r-process nucleosynthesis in the neutrino driven wind above the proto-neutron
star in core collapse supernovae along with the possibility of
magneto-hydrodynamic jets from rotating supernova explosion models. We also
consider the possibility of neutron star mergers as an r-process environment. A
key outcome of newly measured nuclear properties far from stability is the
degree of shell quenching for neutron rich isotopes near the closed neutron
shells. This leads to important constraints on the sites for $r$-process
nucleosynthesis in which freezeout occurs on a rapid timescale.


title:
Active User Authentication for Smartphones: A Challenge Data Set and
  Benchmark Results

abstract:
  In this paper, automated user verification techniques for smartphones are
investigated. A unique non-commercial dataset, the University of Maryland
Active Authentication Dataset 02 (UMDAA-02) for multi-modal user authentication
research is introduced. This paper focuses on three sensors - front camera,
touch sensor and location service while providing a general description for
other modalities. Benchmark results for face detection, face verification,
touch-based user identification and location-based next-place prediction are
presented, which indicate that more robust methods fine-tuned to the mobile
platform are needed to achieve satisfactory verification accuracy. The dataset
will be made available to the research community for promoting additional
research.


title: Anatomically Constrained Video-CT Registration via the V-IMLOP Algorithm

abstract:
  Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a surgical procedure used to
treat acute cases of sinusitis and other sinus diseases. FESS is fast becoming
the preferred choice of treatment due to its minimally invasive nature.
However, due to the limited field of view of the endoscope, surgeons rely on
navigation systems to guide them within the nasal cavity. State of the art
navigation systems report registration accuracy of over 1mm, which is large
compared to the size of the nasal airways. We present an anatomically
constrained video-CT registration algorithm that incorporates multiple video
features. Our algorithm is robust in the presence of outliers. We also test our
algorithm on simulated and in-vivo data, and test its accuracy against
degrading initializations.


title:
Zeros of Lattice Sums: 3. Reduction of the Generalised Riemann
  Hypothesis to Specific Geometries

abstract:
  The location of zeros of the basic double sum over the square lattice is
studied. This sum can be represented in terms of the product of the Riemann
zeta function and the Dirichlet beta function, so that the assertion that all
its non-trivial zeros lie on the critical line is a particular case of the
Generalised Riemann Hypothesis (GRH). The treatment given here is an extension
of that in two previous papers (arxiv:1601.01724, 1602.06330), where it was
shown that non trivial zeros of the double sum either lie on the critical line
or on lines of unit modulus of an analytic function intersecting the critical
line. The extension enables more specific conclusions to be drawn about the
arrangement of zeros of the double sum on the critical line, which are
interleaved with zeros of analytic functions, all of which lie on the critical
line. Possible arrangements of zeros are studied, and it is shown that in all
identified cases the GRH holds.


title: A preliminary study on dispersions of fatigue properties of materials

abstract:
  Static mechanical properties (e.g. elastic modulus) and fatigue properties of
a material all have dispersions. Material inhomogeneity (it can be
characterized well by the dispersion of elastic modulus) is the internal factor
of dispersions of fatigue properties and the dispersion of the load is the
external factor. In this paper, according to theoretical derivation and
preliminary experiments verification, the following relationships between
dispersions of fatigue properties and dispersions of static mechanical
properties of a material are obtained: the dispersion of fatigue life is n (the
fatigue index) times of the sum of the dispersion of elastic modulus and the
dispersion of the load. The corresponding dispersion of fatigue life is a
decreasing function of the given fatigue strength in the stage of high cycle
fatigue; P-S curve (the probability statistical distribution of fatigue
strength) under the given fatigue life cannot be directly by test, but P-S
curve can be obtained on the bias of P-N curve (the probability statistical
distribution of fatigue life), and the corresponding dispersion of fatigue
strength is a decreasing function of the given fatigue life. On bias of
conclusions above, not only the inhomogeneity of material but also the
dispersion of the load needs to be considered in the fatigue design, especially
in high cycle fatigue design.


title:
Energy and periastron advance of compact binaries on circular orbits at
  the fourth post-Newtonian order

abstract:
  In this paper, we revisit and complete our preceding work on the Fokker
Lagrangian describing the dynamics of compact binary systems at the fourth
post-Newtonian (4PN) order in harmonic coordinates. We clarify the impact of
the non-local character of the Fokker Lagrangian or the associated Hamiltonian
on both the conserved energy and the relativistic periastron precession for
circular orbits. We show that the non-locality of the action, due to the
presence of the tail effect at the 4PN order, gives rise to an extra
contribution to the conserved integral of energy with respect to the
Hamiltonian computed on shell, which was not taken into account in our previous
work. We also provide a direct derivation of the periastron advance by taking
carefully into account this non-locality. We then argue that the infra-red (IR)
divergences in the calculation of the gravitational part of the action are
problematic, which motivates us to introduce a second ambiguity parameter, in
addition to the one already assumed previously. After fixing these two
ambiguity parameters by requiring that the conserved energy and the
relativistic periastron precession for circular orbits are in agreement with
numerical and analytical gravitational self-force calculations, valid in the
limiting case of small mass ratio, we find that our resulting Lagrangian is
physically equivalent to the one obtained in the ADM Hamiltonian approach.


title: PATH: Person Authentication using Trace Histories

abstract:
  In this paper, a solution to the problem of Active Authentication using trace
histories is addressed. Specifically, the task is to perform user verification
on mobile devices using historical location traces of the user as a function of
time. Considering the movement of a human as a Markovian motion, a modified
Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based solution is proposed. The proposed method,
namely the Marginally Smoothed HMM (MSHMM), utilizes the marginal probabilities
of location and timing information of the observations to smooth-out the
emission probabilities while training. Hence, it can efficiently handle
unforeseen observations during the test phase. The verification performance of
this method is compared to a sequence matching (SM) method , a Markov
Chain-based method (MC) and an HMM with basic Laplace Smoothing (HMM-lap).
Experimental results using the location information of the UMD Active
Authentication Dataset-02 (UMDAA02) and the GeoLife dataset are presented. The
proposed MSHMM method outperforms the compared methods in terms of equal error
rate (EER). Additionally, the effects of different parameters on the proposed
method are discussed.


title: Dirac reduced radial equations and the problem of additional solutions

abstract:
  We show that additional solutions must be ignored (in differences of the
Schrodinger and Klein-Gordon equations) in the Dirac equation, where usually
passed the second order radial equation, called the reduced equation, instead
of a system. Analogously to the Schrodinger equation, in this process the Dirac
delta function appears, which was unnoted during the full history of quantum
mechanics. This unphysical term we remove by a boundary condition at the
origin. However, the distribution theory imposes on the radial function strong
restriction and by this reason practically for all potentials, even regular,
use of these reduced equations is not permissible. At the end we include
consideration in the framework of two-dimensional Dirac equation. We show that
even here the additional solution does not survives as a result of usual
physical requirements.


title: Unexpected properties of interactions of high energy protons

abstract:
  Experimental data on proton-proton interactions in high energy collisions
show quite a special and unexpected behaviour of the proportion of elastic
scattering compared to inelastic processes with increasing energy. It decreases
at the beginning (at comparatively low energies) but then starts increasing.
From Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR) energies of 23.5 - 62.5 GeV up to higher
energies 7 - 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) it increases by a factor
more than 1.5! According to intuitive classical ideas we would expect a stable
tendency with increasing proportion of the break-down of protons compared to
their survival probability. One can assume that either the asymptotic freedom
or the extremely short time of flight of high energy protons through each other
are in charge of such a surprising effect. The unquestionable principle of
unitarity combined with the available experimental data on elastic scattering
is used to get new conclusions about the shape of the interaction region of
colliding protons. Its evolution at present energies is considered. Some
predictions about its behaviour at even higher energies are described with
different assumptions on relative roles of elastic scattering and inelastic
processes. The shape can transform rather drastically if the proportion of
elastic processes keeps rising. This unexpected property leads to an unexpected
corollary. The possible origin of the effect and its interrelation to the
strong interaction dynamics are speculated.


title: Commuting involution graphs of linear groups

abstract:
  In this paper, we determine the diameter of the commuting involution graphs
of special and general linear groups over an arbitrary field. It turns out that
our results also determine the diameter for certain projective special linear
groups over finite fields. Moreover, we find the diameter of the commuting
graphs of general linear groups on the set of all involutions over a field of
characteristic 2, which completes the diameter of general linear groups on the
set of all involutions. As an application, we classify the structure of the
four-dimensional linear groups over finite fields according to the distance
from a fixed involution.


title:
Streamline integration as a method for two-dimensional elliptic grid
  generation

abstract:
  We propose a new numerical algorithm to construct a structured numerical
elliptic grid of a doubly connected domain. Our method is applicable to domains
with boundaries defined by two contour lines of a two-dimensional function. The
resulting grids are orthogonal to the boundary. Grid points as well as the
elements of the Jacobian matrix can be computed efficiently and up to machine
precision. In the simplest case we construct conformal grids, yet with the help
of weight functions and monitor metrics we can control the distribution of
cells across the domain. Our algorithm is parallelizable and easy to implement
with elementary numerical methods. We assess the quality of grids by
considering both the distribution of cell sizes and the accuracy of the
solution to elliptic problems. Among the tested grids these key properties are
best fulfilled by the grid constructed with the monitor metric approach.