title:
A W-test collapsing method for rare variant testing with applications to
  exome sequencing data of hypertensive disorder

abstract:
  Advancement in sequencing technology enables the study of association between
complex disorders and rare variants with low minor allele frequencies. One of
the major challenges in rare variant testing is lack of statistical power of
traditional testing methods due to extremely low variances of single nucleotide
polymorphisms. In this paper, we introduce a W-test collapsing method that
evaluates the distributional differences in cases and controls using a combined
log of odds ratio. The proposed method is compared with the Weighted-Sum
Statistic and Sequence Kernel Association Test using simulation data sets and
showed better performances and faster computing speed. In the study of real
next generation sequencing data set of hypertensive disorder, we identified
genes of interesting biological functions that are associated to metabolism
disorder and inflammation, which include the MACROD1, NLRP7, AGK, PAK6 and
APBB1. The W-test collapsing method offers a fast, effective and alternative
way for rare variants association analysis.


title: Asymptotic Methods in Non Linear Dynamics

abstract:
  This paper features and elaborates recent developments and modifications in
asymptotic techniques in solving differential equation in non linear dynamics.
These methods are proved to be powerful to solve weakly as well as strongly non
linear cases. Obtained approximate analytical solutions are valid for the whole
solution domain. In this paper, limitations of traditional perturbation methods
are illustrated with various modified techniques. Mathematical tools such as
variational approach, homotopy and iteration technique are discussed to solve
various problems efficiently. Asymptotic methods such as Variational Method,
modified Lindstedt-Poincare method, Linearized perturbation method, Parameter
Expansion method, Homotopy Perturbation method and Perturbation-Iteration
methods(singular and non singular cases) have been discussed in various
situations. Main emphasis is given on Singular perturbation method and WKB
method in various numerical problems.


title:
Manifestations of Isospin in Nearest Neighbor Spacing Distributions for
  the f-p Model Space

abstract:
  The strong interactions are charge independent. If we limit ourselves to the
strong interactions, we have the isospin $T$ as a good quantum number. Here we
consider the lack of level repulsion of states of different isospin and how
this effect manifests in nearest neighbor spacing (NNS) histograms, which
provide a visual and statistical context in which to study distributions of
energy level spacings. In particular, we study nucleons in the f-p model space
for the nucleus $^{44}$Ti. We also study the effect of the Coulomb interaction
on the level spacing distribution.


title:
First Efficient Convergence for Streaming k-PCA: a Global, Gap-Free, and
  Near-Optimal Rate

abstract:
  We study streaming principal component analysis (PCA), that is to find, in
$O(dk)$ space, the top $k$ eigenvectors of a $d\times d$ hidden matrix $\bf
\Sigma$ with online vectors drawn from covariance matrix $\bf \Sigma$.
  We provide $\textit{global}$ convergence for Oja's algorithm which is
popularly used in practice but lacks theoretical understanding for $k>1$. We
also provide a modified variant $\mathsf{Oja}^{++}$ that runs $\textit{even
faster}$ than Oja's. Our results match the information theoretic lower bound in
terms of dependency on error, on eigengap, on rank $k$, and on dimension $d$,
up to poly-log factors. In addition, our convergence rate can be made gap-free,
that is proportional to the approximation error and independent of the
eigengap.
  In contrast, for general rank $k$, before our work (1) it was open to design
any algorithm with efficient global convergence rate; and (2) it was open to
design any algorithm with (even local) gap-free convergence rate in $O(dk)$
space.


title: Two-phase flow of ferrofluids

abstract:
  Ferrofluids currently are the only type of magnetic liquid materials with
wide practical use. The theory on ferrofluids is an example of success to apply
statistics to science. Ferrofluids are two-phase liquids consisting of
dispersed nanoscale ferromagnetic particles suspended in a carrier fluid. Due
to their tiny size, individual ferromagnetic particles clearly exhibit Brownian
motions. Only when a large number of randomly-moving particles are subject to
an external magnetic field, can they collectively exhibit magnetization at a
macroscale. Using statistical theory, the magnetization of a ferrofluid can be
characterized by the celebrated Langevin equation. The monograph combines
statistical theory and the method of Dirac function to establish equations for
ferrofluids under several conditions, including magnetization relaxation,
magnetization equilibrium, and magnetization freezing. It thus provides a quite
complete account of the theory of ferrofluid dynamics.


title: Photocurrents in Weyl semimetals

abstract:
  The generation of photocurrent in an ideal two-dimensional Dirac spectrum is
symmetry-forbidden. In sharp contrast, we show that three-dimensional Weyl
semimetals can generically support significant photocurrent generations due to
the combination of inversion symmetry breaking and finite tilts of the Weyl
spectra. Symmetry properties, chirality relations and various dependences on
the system and light sources are explored in details. Our results suggest that
noncentrosymmetric Weyl materials can be advantageously applied to room
temperature detections of mid- and far-infrared radiations.


title:
Determining stationary-state quantum properties directly from
  system-environment interactions

abstract:
  Considering stationary states of continuous-variable systems undergoing an
open dynamics, we unveil the connection between properties and symmetries of
the latter and the dynamical parameters. In particular, we explore the relation
between the Lyapunov equation for dynamical systems and the steady-state
solutions of a time-independent Lindblad master equation for bosonic modes.
Exploiting bona-fide relations that characterize some genuine quantum
properties (entanglement, classicality, and steerability), we obtain conditions
on the dynamical parameters for which the system is driven to a steady-state
possessing such properties. We also develop a method to capture the symmetries
of a steady state based on symmetries of the Lyapunov equation. All the results
and examples can be useful for steady-state engineering process.


title: Multi-Variant Execution of Parallel Programs

abstract:
  Multi-Variant Execution Environments (MVEEs) are a promising technique to
protect software against memory corruption attacks. They transparently execute
multiple, diversified variants (often referred to as replicae) of the software
receiving the same inputs. By enforcing and monitoring the lock-step execution
of the replicae's system calls, and by deploying diversity techniques that
prevent an attacker from simultaneously compromising multiple replicae, MVEEs
can block attacks before they succeed.
  Existing MVEEs cannot handle non-trivial multi-threaded programs because
their undeterministic behavior introduces benign system call inconsistencies in
the replicae, which trigger false positive detections and deadlocks in the
MVEEs. This paper for the first time extends the generality of MVEEs to protect
multi-threaded software by means of secure and efficient synchronization
replication agents. On the PARSEC 2.1 parallel benchmarks running with four
worker threads, our prototype MVEE incurs a run-time overhead of only 1.32x.


title:
Topological fractional pumping with alkaline-earth(-like) ultracold
  atoms

abstract:
  Alkaline-earth(-like) ultracold atoms, trapped in optical lattices and in the
presence of an external gauge field, can stabilise Mott insulating phases
characterised by density and magnetic order. We show that this property can be
used to realise a topological fractional pump. Our analysis is based on a
many-body adiabatic expansion and on time-dependent matrix-product-states
numerical simulations. We characterise the pumping protocol by including both
finite-size and non-adiabatic corrections. For a specific form of atom-atom
interaction, we present an exactly-solvable model of a fractional pump.
Finally, the numerical simulations allow us to thoroughly study a realistic
setup amenable of an experimental realisation.


title:
Enlarged mixed Shimura varieties, bi-algebraic system and some Ax type
  transcendental results

abstract:
  We develop a theory of enlarged mixed Shimura varieties, putting the
universal vectorial bi-extension defined by Coleman into this framework to
study some functional transcendental results of Ax type. We study their
bi-algebraic systems, formulate the Ax-Schanuel conjecture and explain its
relation with the Ax logarithmique theorem and the Ax-Lindemann theorem which
we shall prove. We also prove the whole Ax-Schanuel conjecture for the
unipotent part. All these bi-algebraic and transcendental results generalize
their counterparts for mixed Shimura varieties. In the end we briefly discuss
about the Andre-Oort and Zilber-Pink type problems for enlarged mixed Shimura
varieties.


title: Uniform limit theorems under random truncation

abstract:
  In this paper we study uniform versions of two limit theorems in random left
truncation model (RLTM). The law of large numbers (LLN) and the central limit
theorem (CLT) have been obtained under the bracketing entropy conditions in
this setting. The uniform LLN and the uniform CLT of the present paper extend
the one dimensional LLN and the one dimensional CLT under RLTM respectively.


title:
Spectroscopic analysis of stellar mass black-hole mergers in our local
  universe with ground-based gravitational wave detectors

abstract:
  Motivated by the recent discoveries of binary black-hole mergers by the
Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (Advanced LIGO),
we investigate the prospects of ground-based detectors to perform a
spectroscopic analysis of signals emitted during the ringdown of the final Kerr
black-hole formed by a stellar mass binary black-hole merger. If we assume an
optimistic rate of 240 Gpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$, about 3 events per year can be
measured by Advanced LIGO. Further, upgrades to the existing LIGO detectors
will increase the odds of measuring multiple ringdown modes significantly. New
ground-based facilities such as Einstein Telescope or Cosmic Explorer could
measure multiple ringdown modes in about thousand events per year. We perform
Monte-Carlo injections of $10^{6}$ binary black-hole mergers in a search volume
defined by a sphere of radius 1500 Mpc centered at the detector, for various
proposed ground-based detector models. We assume a uniform random distribution
in component masses of the progenitor binaries, sky positions and orientations
to investigate the fraction of the population that satisfy our criteria for
detectability and resolvability of multiple ringdown modes. We investigate the
detectability and resolvability of the sub-dominant modes $l=m=3$, $l=m=4$ and
$l=2, m=1$. Our results indicate that the modes with $l=m=3$ and $l=2, m=1$ are
the most promising candidates for sub-dominant mode measurability. We find that
for stellar mass black-hole mergers, resolvability is not a limiting criteria
for these modes. We emphasize that the measurability of the $l=2, m=1$ mode is
not impeded by the resolvability criterion.


title:
Exploiting Workload Cycles for Orchestration of Virtual Machine Live
  Migrations in Clouds

abstract:
  Virtual machine live migration in cloud environments aims at reducing energy
costs and increasing resource utilization. However, its potential has not been
fully explored because of simultaneous migrations that may cause user
application performance degradation and network congestion. Research efforts on
live migration orchestration policies still mostly rely on system level
metrics. This work introduces an Application-aware Live Migration Architecture
(ALMA) that selects suitable moments for migrations using application
characterization data. This characterization consists in recognizing resource
usage cycles via Fast Fourier Transform. From our experiments, live migration
times were reduced by up to 74% for benchmarks and by up to 67% for real
applications, when compared to migration policies with no application workload
analysis. Network data transfer during the live migration was reduced by up to
62%.


title:
Technical Report: Giving Hints for Logic Programming Examples without
  Revealing Solutions

abstract:
  We introduce a framework for supporting learning to program in the paradigm
of Answer Set Programming (ASP), which is a declarative logic programming
formalism. Based on the idea of teaching by asking the student to complete
small example ASP programs, we introduce a three-stage method for giving hints
to the student without revealing the correct solution of an example. We
categorize mistakes into (i) syntactic mistakes, (ii) unexpected but
syntactically correct input, and (iii) semantic mistakes, describe mathematical
definitions of these mistakes, and show how to compute hints from these
definitions.


title:
Towards Controllability of Wireless Network Quality using Mobile Robotic
  Routers

abstract:
  We consider a problem of robotic router placement and mobility control with
the objective of formation and maintenance of an optimal communication network
between a set of transmitter-receiver pairs. In this scenario, the
communication path between any transmitter-receiver pair contains a
predetermined set of mobile robotic routers nodes. The goal of this work is to
design an algorithm to optimize the positions of the robotic nodes to improve
the overall performance of the network. We define the optimization metric to be
the minimum of the Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratios (SINR) over all the
links. In this manuscript, we propose two optimization algorithms to solve this
problem in a centralized and a decentralized manner, respectively.We also
demonstrate the performances of both algorithms based on a set of simulation
experiments.


title: Facing ADAS validation complexity with usage oriented testing

abstract:
  Validating Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a strategic issue,
since such systems are becoming increasingly widespread in the automotive
field. ADAS bring extra comfort to drivers, and this has become a selling
point. But these functions, while useful, must not affect the general safety of
the vehicle which is the manufacturer's responsibility. A significant number of
current ADAS are based on vision systems, and applications such as obstacle
detection and detection of pedestrians have become essential components of
functions such as automatic emergency braking. These systems that preserve and
protect road users take on even more importance with the arrival of the new
Euro NCAP protocols. Therefore the robustness and reliability of ADAS functions
cannot be neglected and car manufacturers need to have tools to ensure that the
ADAS functions running on their vehicles operate with the utmost safety.
Furthermore, the complexity of these systems in conjunction with the nearly
infinite number of parameter combinations related to the usage profile of
functions based on image sensors push us to think about testing optimization
methods and tool standards to support the design and validation phases of ADAS
systems. The resources required for the validation using current methods make
them actually less and less adapted to new active safety features, which induce
very strong dependability requirements. Today, to test the camera-based ADAS,
test vehicles are equipped with these systems and are performing long hours of
driving that can last for years. These tests are used to validate the use of
the function and to verify its response to the requirements described in the
specifications without considering the functional safety standard ISO26262.


title:
GW150914: First search for the electromagnetic counterpart of a
  gravitational-wave event by the TOROS collaboration

abstract:
  We present the results of the optical follow-up conducted by the TOROS
collaboration of the first gravitational-wave event GW150914. We conducted
unfiltered CCD observations (0.35-1 micron) with the 1.5-m telescope at Bosque
Alegre starting ~2.5 days after the alarm. Given our limited field of view
(~100 square arcmin), we targeted 14 nearby galaxies that were observable from
the site and were located within the area of higher localization probability.
  We analyzed the observations using two independent implementations of
difference-imaging algorithms, followed by a Random-Forest-based algorithm to
discriminate between real and bogus transients. We did not find any bona fide
transient event in the surveyed area down to a 5-sigma limiting magnitude of
r=21.7 mag (AB). Our result is consistent with the LIGO detection of a binary
black hole merger, for which no electromagnetic counterparts are expected, and
with the expected rates of other astrophysical transients.


title:
The structure and early evolution of massive star forming regions -
  Substructure in the infrared dark cloud SDC13

abstract:
  Investigations into the substructure of massive star forming regions are
essential for understanding the observed relationships between core mass
distributions and mass distributions in stellar clusters, differentiating
between proposed mechanisms of massive star formation. We study the
substructure in the two largest fragments (i.e. cores) MM1 and MM2, in the
infrared dark cloud complex SDC13. As MM1 appears to be in a later stage of
evolution than MM2, comparing their substructure provides an insight in to the
early evolution of massive clumps. We report the results of high resolution SMA
dust continuum observations towards MM1 and MM2. Combining these data with
Herschel observations, we carry out RADMC-3D radiative transfer modelling to
characterise the observed substructure.
  SMA continuum data indicates 4 sub-fragments in the SDC13 region. The nature
of the second brightest sub-fragment (B) is uncertain as it does not appear as
prominent at the lower MAMBO resolution or at radio wavelengths. Statistical
analysis indicates that it is unlikely to be a background source, an AGB star,
or the free-free emission of a HII region. It is plausible that B is a runaway
object ejected from MM1. MM1, which is actively forming stars, consists of two
sub-fragments A and C. This is confirmed by 70 micron Herschel data. While MM1
and MM2 appear quite similar in previous low resolution observations, at high
resolution, the sub-fragment at the centre of MM2 (D) is much fainter than
sub-fragment at the centre of MM1 (A). RADMC-3D models of MM1 and MM2 are able
to reproduce these results, modelling MM2 with a steeper density profile and
higher mass than is required for MM1. The relatively steep density profile of
MM2 depends on a significant temperature decrease in its centre, justified by
the lack of star formation in MM2. A final stellar population for MM1 was
extrapolated, indicating a ...


title:
Spin-orbit signatures in the dynamics of singlet-triplet qubits in
  double quantum dots

abstract:
  We characterize numerically and analytically the signatures of the spin-orbit
interaction in a two-electron GaAs double quantum dot in the presence of an
external magnetic field. In particular, we obtain the return probability of the
singlet state by simulating Landau-Zener voltage detuning sweeps which traverse
the singlet-triplet ($S-T_+$) resonance. Our results indicate that
non-spin-conserving interdot tunneling processes arising from the spin-orbit
interaction have well defined signatures. These allow direct access to the
spin-orbit interaction scales and are characterized by a frequency shift and
Fourier amplitude modulation of the Rabi flopping dynamics of the
singlet-triplet qubits $S-T_0$ and $S-T_+$. By applying the Bloch-Feshbach
projection formalism, we demonstrate analytically that the aforementioned
effects originate from the interplay between spin-orbit interaction and
processes driven by the hyperfine interaction between the electron spins and
those of the GaAs nuclei.


title:
A Problem-Solving Framework to Assist Students and Teachers in STEM
  Courses

abstract:
  Well-developed problem-solving skills are essential for any student enrolled
in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) course as well as
for graduates in the workforce. One of the most essential skills is the ability
to monitor one's own progress and understanding while solving a problem.
Successful monitoring during the entire solution allows a solver to identify
errors within a solution and make adjustments as necessary. To highlight this
aspect of problem-solving, we have developed a framework and associated
classroom activities that introduce students to monitoring (M) alongside the
more traditional aspects of problem-solving models: analyzing the task (A),
creating a plan (C), and executing the plan (E). This ACE-M framework has been
successfully implemented in lower-division chemistry, mathematics and physics
courses. Students enrolled in courses where ACE-M was used as the foundation
for problem-solving instruction reported improved problem-solving
self-efficacy, more monitoring while solving problems, and in many cases
improved course grades. With this explicit instruction on self-monitoring,
students are now introduced to expert problem-solving skills that will benefit
them in their STEM careers.


title:
Characteristics of superconducting tungsten silicide WxSi1-x for single
  photon detection

abstract:
  Superconducting properties of three series of amorphous WxSi1-x films with
different thickness and stoichiometry were investigated by dc transport
measurements in a magnetic field up to 9 T. These amorphous WxSi1-x films were
deposited by magnetron co-sputtering of the elemental source targets onto
silicon substrates at room temperature and patterned in form of bridges by
optical lithography and reactive ion etching. Analysis of the data on
magnetoconductivity allowed us to extract the critical temperature,
superconducting coherence length, magnetic penetration depth, and diffusion
coefficient of electrons in the normal state as a function of film thickness
for each stoichiometry. Two basic time constants were derived from transport
and time-resolving measurements. A dynamic process of the formation of a
hot-spot was analyzed in the framework of a diffusion-based vortex-entry model.
We used the two stage diffusion approach and defined a hotspot size by assuming
that the quasi-particles and normal-state electrons have the equal diffusion
constant. Our findings are consistent with the most recent results on a
hot-spot relaxation time in the WxSi1-x superconducting nanowire single-photon
detector. In the 5 nm thick W0.85Si0.15 film the hot-spot has a diameter of 105
nm at the peak of the number of non-equilibrium quasi-particles.


title: Distinct Electronic Structure for the Extreme Magnetoresistance in YSb

abstract:
  An extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) has recently been observed in several
non-magnetic semimetals. Increasing experimental and theoretical evidence
indicates that the XMR can be driven by either topological protection or
electron-hole compensation. Here, by investigating the electronic structure of
a XMR material, YSb, we present spectroscopic evidence for a special case which
lacks topological protection and perfect electron-hole compensation. Further
investigations reveal that a cooperative action of a substantial difference
between electron and hole mobility and a moderate carrier compensation might
contribute to the XMR in YSb.


title:
Metacognitive Training in Professional Development Can Improve and
  Sustain Student Achievement

abstract:
  Secondary school students in the United States continue to underachieve in
mathematics and science. Improving teacher quality is a core component of
improving student achievement. Here we report on a professional development
program, the MAST System, that develops the knowledge and skills for teaching
mathematics, including metacognitive knowledge and regulation. In this
cognitive apprenticeship program, teachers learn to plan, evaluate and adjust
to improve student engagement and achievement. Central is the metacognitive
practice of defense of instruction. By practicing this reflective approach,
teachers become adaptive experts, able to innovate in the classroom. During the
two-year intervention, the MAST System resulted in large increases in the
California Standards Test mathematics scores, compared to both the district and
the state. In addition, improvement continued for several years after the
intervention was completed. This continued improvement in student scores
indicated that the teachers and schools changed in a sustainable way.


title: Liftings of Nichols algebras of diagonal type III. Cartan type $G_2$

abstract:
  We complete the classification of Hopf algebras whose infinitesimal braiding
is a principal Yetter-Drinfeld realization of a braided vector space of Cartan
type $G_2$ over a cosemisimple Hopf algebra. We develop a general formula for a
class of liftings in which the quantum Serre relations hold. We give a detailed
explanation of the procedure for finding the relations, based on the recent
work of Andruskiewitsch, Angiono and Rossi Bertone.


title:
Composite Fermion States around 2D Hole Landau Level Filling Factor 3/2
  in Tilted Magnetic Fields

abstract:
  Transport measurements under a tilted magnetic field were performed on a
series of C-doped (001) AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional hole samples. Due to
a large g-factor, Zeeman energy is large and comparable to the cyclotron energy
in these samples. On the other hand, it was found that the in-plane component
g// is small, and the effect of tilted magnetic field is mainly to increase the
effective mass of holes. We investigate the spin transition of composite
fermion states around Landau level (LL) filling factor 3/2. We found that the
{\nu} = 4/3 state encounters a partial to full spin polarization transition,
conforming to the same pattern as that of electron samples. In addition,
high-resistance phase emerges at {\nu} = 3/2 under very high tilt angles. We
interpret both of these phenomena as a consequence of LL crossings that are
mainly driven by the orbital effects. The roles that the spin degrees of
freedom play in FQH states around {\nu} = 3/2 in these systems will be
discussed.


title:
From dense hot Jupiter to low-density Neptune: The discovery of
  WASP-127b, WASP-136b and WASP-138b

abstract:
  We report three newly discovered exoplanets from the SuperWASP survey.
WASP-127b is a heavily inflated super-Neptune of mass 0.18 +/- 0.02 M_J and
radius 1.37 +/- 0.04 R_J. This is one of the least massive planets discovered
by the WASP project. It orbits a bright host star (Vmag = 10.16) of spectral
type G5 with a period of 4.17 days. WASP-127b is a low-density planet that has
an extended atmosphere with a scale height of 2500 +/- 400 km, making it an
ideal candidate for transmission spectroscopy. WASP-136b and WASP-138b are both
hot Jupiters with mass and radii of 1.51 +/- 0.08 M_J and 1.38 +/- 0.16 R_J,
and 1.22 +/- 0.08 M_J and 1.09 +/- 0.05 R_J, respectively. WASP-136b is in a
5.22-day orbit around an F9 subgiant star with a mass of 1.41 +/- 0.07 M_sun
and a radius of 2.21 +/- 0.22 R_sun. The discovery of WASP-136b could help
constrain the characteristics of the giant planet population around evolved
stars. WASP-138b orbits an F7 star with a period of 3.63 days. Its radius
agrees with theoretical values from standard models, suggesting the presence of
a heavy element core with a mass of ~10 M_earth. The discovery of these new
planets helps in exploring the diverse compositional range of short-period
planets, and will aid our understanding of the physical characteristics of both
gas giants and low-density planets.


title: Governing fields and statistics for 4-Selmer groups and 8-class groups

abstract:
  Taking A to be an abelian variety with full 2-torsion over a number field k,
we investigate how the 4-Selmer rank of the quadratic twist A^d changes with d.
We show that this rank depends on the splitting behavior of the primes dividing
d in a certain number field L/k.
  Assuming the grand Riemann hypothesis, we then prove that, given an elliptic
curve E/Q with full rational 2-torsion, the quadratic twist family of E usually
has the distribution of $4$-Selmer groups predicted by Delaunay's heuristic.
Analogously, and still subject to the grand Riemann hypothesis, we prove that
the set of quadratic imaginary fields has the distribution of 8-class groups
predicted by the Cohen-Lenstra heuristic.


title: Cometary ices in forming protoplanetary disc midplanes

abstract:
  Low-mass protostars are the extrasolar analogues of the natal Solar System.
Sophisticated physicochemical models are used to simulate the formation of two
protoplanetary discs from the initial prestellar phase, one dominated by
viscous spreading and the other by pure infall. The results show that the
volatile prestellar fingerprint is modified by the chemistry en route into the
disc. This holds relatively independent of initial abundances and chemical
parameters: physical conditions are more important. The amount of CO2 increases
via the grain-surface reaction of OH with CO, which is enhanced by
photodissociation of H2O ice. Complex organic molecules are produced during
transport through the envelope at the expense of CH3OH ice. Their abundances
can be comparable to that of methanol ice (few % of water ice) at large disc
radii (R > 30 AU). Current Class II disc models may be underestimating the
complex organic content. Planet population synthesis models may underestimate
the amount of CO2 and overestimate CH3OH ices in planetesimals by disregarding
chemical processing between the cloud and disc phases. The overall C/O and C/N
ratios differ between the gas and solid phases. The two ice ratios show little
variation beyond the inner 10 AU and both are nearly solar in the case of pure
infall, but both are sub-solar when viscous spreading dominates. Chemistry in
the protostellar envelope en route to the protoplanetary disc sets the initial
volatile and prebiotically-significant content of icy planetesimals and
cometary bodies. Comets are thus potentially reflecting the provenances of the
midplane ices in the Solar Nebula.


title:
Representations and isomorphism identities for infinitely divisible
  processes

abstract:
  We propose isomorphism type identities for nonlinear functionals of general
infinitely divisible processes. Such identities can be viewed as an analogy of
the Cameron-Martin formula for Poissonian infinitely divisible processes but
with random translations. The applicability of these tools relies on a precise
understanding of L\'evy measures of infinitely divisible processes and their
representations, which are developed here in full generality. We illustrate
this approach on examples of squared Bessel processes, Feller diffusions,
permanental processes, as well as L\'evy processes.


title: Constraining f(R) Gravity with Planck Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Clusters

abstract:
  Clusters of galaxies have the potential of providing powerful constraints on
possible deviations from General Relativity. We use the catalogue of
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich sources detected by Planck and consider a correction to the
halo mass function for a f(R) class of modified gravity models, which has been
recently found to reproduce well results from N-body simulations, to place
constraints on the scalaron field amplitude at the present time, $f_{R}^0$. We
find that applying this correction to different calibrations of the halo mass
function produces upper bounds on $f_{R}^0$ tighter by more than an order of
magnitude, ranging from $\log_{10}(-f_{R}^0) < -5.81$ to $\log_{10}(-f_{R}^0) <
-4.40$ (95 % confidence level). This sensitivity is due to the different shape
of the halo mass function, which is degenerate with the parameters used to
calibrate the scaling relations between SZ observables and cluster masses. Any
claim of constraints more stringent that the weaker limit above, based on
cluster number counts, appear to be premature and must be supported by a
careful calibration of the halo mass function and by a robust calibration of
the mass scaling relations.


title: Self embeddings of Bedford-McMullen carpets

abstract:
  Let $F \subseteq \mathbb{R}^2$ be a Bedford-McMullen carpet defined by
multiplicatively independent exponents, and suppose that either $F$ is not a
product set, or it is a product set with marginals of dimension strictly
between $0$ and $1$. We prove that any similarity $g$ such that $g(F) \subseteq
F$ is an isometry composed of reflections about lines parallel to the axes. Our
approach utilizes the structure of tangent sets of $F$, obtained by "zooming
in" on points of $F$, projection theorems for products of self-similar sets,
and logarithmic commensurability type results for self similar sets in the
line.


title: Challenges for models with composite states

abstract:
  Composite states of electrically charged and QCD-colored hyperquarks (HQs) in
a confining SU(N_HC) hypercolor gauge sector are a plausible extension of the
standard model at the TeV scale, and have been widely considered as an
explanation for the tentative LHC diphoton excess. Additional new physics is
required to avoid a stable charged hyperbaryon in such theories. We classify
renormalizable models allowing the decay of this unwanted relic directly into
standard model states, showing that they are significantly restricted if the
new scalar states needed for UV completion are at the TeV scale. Alternatively,
if hyperbaryon number is conserved, the charged relic can decay into a neutral
hyperbaryon. Such theories are strongly constrained by direct detection, if the
neutral constituent hyperquark carries color or weak isospin, and by LHC
searches for leptoquarks if it is a color singlet. We show that the neutral
hyperbaryon can have the observed relic abundance if the confinement scale and
the hyperquark mass are above TeV scale, even in the absence of any hyperbaryon
asymmetry.


title: Metastable distributions of Markov chains with rare transitions

abstract:
  In this paper we consider Markov chains with transition rates that depend on
a small parameter $\varepsilon$. Under a mild assumption on the asymptotics of
these transition rates, we describe the behavior of the chain at various
$\varepsilon$-dependent time scales, i.e., we calculate the metastable
distributions.


title:
Interacting line-node semimetal: Proximity effect and spontaneous
  symmetry breaking

abstract:
  Effects of short-range electronic interactions in a three-dimensional
line-node semimetal that supports linearly dispersing quasiparticles around an
isolated loop in the Brillouin zone are discussed. Due to vanishing density of
states ($\varrho(E) \sim |E|$) various orderings in the bulk of the system,
such as the antiferromagnet and charge-density-wave, set in for sufficiently
strong onsite ($U$) and nearest-neighbor ($V$) repulsions, respectively. While
onset of these two orderings from the semimetallic phase takes place through
continuous quantum phase transitions, a first-order transition separates two
ordered phases. By contrast, topologically protected drumhead shaped surface
states can undergo charge or spin orderings, depending on relative strength of
$U$ and $V$, even when they are sufficiently weak. Such surface orderings as
well as weak long-range Coulomb interaction can be conducive to spontaneous
symmetry breaking in the bulk for weaker interactions. We numerically establish
such proximity effect driven spontaneous symmetry breaking in the bulk for
subcritical strength of interactions due to flat surface band and also discuss
possible superconducting orders in this system.

categories: cond-mat.mes-hall cond-mat.mtrl-sci cond-mat.str-el hep-th


title: Periodically Driving a Many-Body Localized Quantum System

abstract:
  We experimentally study a periodically driven many-body localized system
realized by interacting fermions in a one-dimensional quasi-disordered optical
lattice. By preparing the system in a far-from-equilibrium state and monitoring
the remains of an imprinted density pattern, we identify a localized phase at
high drive frequencies and an ergodic phase at low ones. These two distinct
phases are separated by a dynamical phase transition which depends on both the
drive frequency and the drive strength. Our observations are quantitatively
supported by numerical simulations and are directly connected to the change in
the statistical properties of the effective Floquet Hamiltonian.

categories: cond-mat.quant-gas cond-mat.dis-nn cond-mat.stat-mech cond-mat.str-el quant-ph


title: On the Proper Use of the Reduced Speed of Light Approximation

abstract:
  I show that the Reduced Speed of Light (RSL) approximation, when used
properly (i.e. as originally designed - only for the local sources but not for
the cosmic background), remains a highly accurate numerical method for modeling
cosmic reionization. Simulated ionization and star formation histories from the
"Cosmic Reionization On Computers" (CROC) project are insensitive to the
adopted value of the reduced speed of light for as long as that value does not
fall below about 10% of the true speed of light. A recent claim of the failure
of the RSL approximation in the Illustris reionization model appears to be due
to the effective speed of light being reduced in the equation for the cosmic
background too, and, hence, illustrates the importance of maintaining the
correct speed of light in modeling the cosmic background.


title:
Solar-type dynamo behaviour in fully convective stars without a
  tachocline

abstract:
  In solar-type stars (with radiative cores and convective envelopes), the
magnetic field powers star spots, flares and other solar phenomena, as well as
chromospheric and coronal emission at ultraviolet to X-ray wavelengths. The
dynamo responsible for generating the field depends on the shearing of internal
magnetic fields by differential rotation. The shearing has long been thought to
take place in a boundary layer known as the tachocline between the radiative
core and the convective envelope. Fully convective stars do not have a
tachocline and their dynamo mechanism is expected to be very different,
although its exact form and physical dependencies are not known. Here we report
observations of four fully convective stars whose X-ray emission correlates
with their rotation periods in the same way as in Sun-like stars. As the X-ray
activity - rotation relationship is a well-established proxy for the behaviour
of the magnetic dynamo, these results imply that fully convective stars also
operate a solar-type dynamo. The lack of a tachocline in fully convective stars
therefore suggests that this is not a critical ingredient in the solar dynamo
and supports models in which the dynamo originates throughout the convection
zone.


title:
Is a time symmetric interpretation of quantum theory possible without
  retrocausality?

abstract:
  Huw Price has proposed an argument that suggests a time-symmetric ontology
for quantum theory must necessarily be retrocausal, i.e. it must involve
influences that travel backwards in time. One of Price's assumptions is that
the quantum state is a state of reality. However, one of the reasons for
exploring retrocausality is that it offers the potential for evading the
consequences of no-go theorems, including recent proofs of the reality of the
quantum state. Here, we show that this assumption can be replaced by a
different assumption, called $\lambda$-mediation, that plausibly holds
independently of the status of the quantum state. We also reformulate the other
assumptions behind the argument to place them in a more general framework and
pin down the notion of time symmetry involved more precisely. We show that our
assumptions imply a timelike analogue of Bell's local causality criterion and,
in doing so, give a new interpretation of timelike violations of Bell
inequalities. Namely, they show the impossibility of a (non-retrocausal)
time-symmetric ontology.


title: Features from the non-attractor beginning of inflation

abstract:
  We study the effects of the non-attractor initial conditions for the
canonical single-field inflation. The non-attractor stage can last only several
$e$-folding numbers, and should be followed by hilltop inflation. This
two-stage evolution leads to large scale suppression in the primordial power
spectrum, which is favored by recent observations. Moreover we give a detailed
calculation of primordial non-Guassianity due to the "from non-attractor to
slow-roll" transition, and find step features in the local and equilateral
shapes. We conclude that a plateau-like inflaton potential with an initial
non-attractor phase yields interesting features in both power spectrum and
bispectrum.


title: M-strings in thermodynamic limit: Seiberg-Witten geometry

abstract:
  We initiate the study of M-strings in the thermodynamic limit. In this limit
the BPS partition function of M5 branes localizes on configurations with a
large number of strings which leads to a reformulation of the partition
function in terms of a matrix model. We solve this matrix model and obtain its
spectral curve which can be interpreted as the Seiberg-Witten curve associated
to the compactified M5 brane theory.


title:
Resistive Tearing Instability in Electron-MHD: Application to Neutron
  Star Crusts

abstract:
  We study a resistive tearing instability developing in a system evolving
through the combined effect of Hall drift in the Electron-MHD limit and Ohmic
dissipation. We explore first the exponential growth of the instability in the
linear case and we find the fastest growing mode, the corresponding eigenvalues
and dispersion relation. The instability growth rate scales as $\gamma \propto
B^{2/3} \sigma^{-1/3}$ where $B$ is the magnetic field and $\sigma$ the
electrical conductivity. We confirm the development of the tearing resistive
instability in the fully non-linear case, in a plane parallel configuration
where the magnetic field polarity reverses, through simulations of systems
initiating in Hall equilibrium with some superimposed perturbation. Following a
transient phase, during which there is some minor rearrangement of the magnetic
field, the perturbation grows exponentially. Once the instability is fully
developed the magnetic field forms the characteristic islands and X-type
reconnection points, where Ohmic decay is enhanced. We discuss the implications
of this instability for the local magnetic field evolution in neutron stars'
crusts, proposing that it can contribute to heating near the surface of the
star, as suggested by models of magnetar post-burst cooling. In particular, we
find that a current sheet a few meters thick, covering as little as $1\%$ of
the total surface can provide $10^{42}~$erg in thermal energy within a few
days. We briefly discuss applications of this instability in other systems
where the Hall effect operates such as protoplanetary discs and space plasmas.


title: Short GRBs at the dawn of the gravitational wave era

abstract:
  We derive the luminosity function and redshift distribution of short Gamma
Ray Bursts (SGRBs) using (i) all the available observer-frame constraints (i.e.
peak flux, fluence, peak energy and duration distributions) of the large
population of Fermi SGRBs and (ii) the rest-frame properties of a complete
sample of Swift SGRBs. We show that a steep $\phi(L)\propto L^{-a}$ with a>2.0
is excluded if the full set of constraints is considered. We implement a Monte
Carlo Markov Chain method to derive the $\phi(L)$ and $\psi(z)$ functions
assuming intrinsic Ep-Liso and Ep-Eiso correlations or independent
distributions of intrinsic peak energy, luminosity and duration. To make our
results independent from assumptions on the progenitor (NS-NS binary mergers or
other channels) and from uncertainties on the star formation history, we assume
a parametric form for the redshift distribution of SGRBs. We find that a
relatively flat luminosity function with slope ~0.5 below a characteristic
break luminosity ~3$\times10^{52}$ erg/s and a redshift distribution of SGRBs
peaking at z~1.5-2 satisfy all our constraints. These results hold also if no
Ep-Liso and Ep-Eiso correlations are assumed. We estimate that, within ~200 Mpc
(i.e. the design aLIGO range for the detection of GW produced by NS-NS merger
events), 0.007-0.03 SGRBs yr$^{-1}$ should be detectable as gamma-ray events.
Assuming current estimates of NS-NS merger rates and that all NS-NS mergers
lead to a SGRB event, we derive a conservative estimate of the average opening
angle of SGRBs: $\theta_{jet}$~3-6 deg. Our luminosity function implies an
average luminosity L~1.5$\times 10^{52}$ erg/s, nearly two orders of magnitude
higher than previous findings, which greatly enhances the chance of observing
SGRB "orphan" afterglows. Efforts should go in the direction of finding and
identifying such orphan afterglows as counterparts of GW events.


title:
Constraining wrong-sign $hbb$ couplings with $h \rightarrow \Upsilon
  \gamma$

abstract:
  The rare decay $h \rightarrow \Upsilon \gamma$ has a very small rate in the
Standard Model, due to a strong cancellation between the direct and indirect
diagrams. Models with a changed $hbb$ coupling can thus lead to a great
increase in this decay. Current limits on two Higgs doublet models still allow
for the possibility that the $hbb$ coupling might have a sign opposite to the
Standard Model; the so-called "wrong-sign". We show how $h \rightarrow \Upsilon
\gamma$ can be used to put limits on the wrong-sign solutions.


title: Quartic Chameleons: Safely Scale-Free in the Early Universe

abstract:
  In chameleon gravity, there exists a light scalar field that couples to the
trace of the stress-energy tensor in such a way that its mass depends on the
ambient matter density, and the field is screened in local, high-density
environments. Recently it was shown that, for the runaway potentials commonly
considered in chameleon theories, the field's coupling to matter and the
hierarchy of scales between Standard Model particles and the energy scale of
such potentials result in catastrophic effects in the early Universe when these
particles become nonrelativistic. Perturbations with trans-Planckian energies
are excited, and the theory suffers a breakdown in calculability at the
relatively low temperatures of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We consider a
chameleon field in a quartic potential and show that the scale-free nature of
this potential allows the chameleon to avoid many of the problems encountered
by runaway potentials. Following inflation, the chameleon field oscillates
around the minimum of its effective potential, and rapid changes in its
effective mass excite perturbations via quantum particle production. The
quartic model, however, only generates high-energy perturbations at comparably
high temperatures and is able remain a well-behaved effective field theory at
nucleosynthesis.


title:
Operator Mixing in Large $N$ Superconformal Field Theories on
  $\mathbb{S}^4$ and Correlators with Wilson loops

abstract:
  We find a general formula for the operator mixing on the $\mathbb{S}^4$ of
chiral primary operators (CPO) for the ${\cal N}=4$ theory at large $N$ in
terms of Chebyshev polynomials. As an application, we compute the correlator of
a CPO and a Wilson loop, reproducing an earlier result by Giombi and Pestun
obtained from a two-matrix model proposal. Finally, we discuss a simple method
to obtain correlators in general ${\cal N}=2$ superconformal field theories in
perturbation theory in terms of correlators of the ${\cal N}=4$ theory.


title:
Finding binaries from phase modulation of pulsating stars with Kepler.
  IV. Detection limits and radial velocity verification

abstract:
  We explore the detection limits of the phase modulation (PM) method of
finding binary systems among multi-periodic pulsating stars. The method is an
attractive way of finding non-transiting planets in the habitable zones of
intermediate mass stars, whose rapid rotation inhibits detections via the
radial velocity (RV) method. While oscillation amplitudes of a few mmag are
required to find planets, many $\delta$ Scuti stars have these amplitudes. In
sub-optimal cases where the signal-to-noise of the oscillations is lower,
low-mass brown dwarfs ($\sim$13 M$_{\rm Jup}$) are detectable at orbital
periods longer than about 1 yr, and the lowest mass main-sequence stars
(0.1-0.2 M$_{\odot}$) are detectable at all orbital periods where the PM method
can be applied. We use purpose-written Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) software
for the calculation of the PM orbits, which offers robust uncertainties for
comparison with RV solutions. Using Kepler data and ground-based RVs, we verify
that these two methods are in agreement, even at short orbital periods where
the PM method undersamples the orbit. We develop new theory to account for the
undersampling of the time delays, which is also necessary for the inclusion of
RVs as observational data in the MCMC software. We show that combining RVs with
time delays substantially refines the orbits because of the complementarity of
working in both the spatial (PM) and velocity (RV) domains simultaneously.
Software outputs were tested through an extensive hare and hounds exercise,
covering a wide range of orbital configurations including binaries containing
two pulsators.


title:
Perspectives for tests of neutrino mass generation at the GeV scale:
  Experimental reach versus theoretical predictions

abstract:
  We discuss the parameter space reach of future experiments searching for
heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) at the GeV scale in terms of neutrino mass models
with three HNL generations. We focus on two classes of models: Generic
assumptions (such as random mass matrices or the Casas-Ibarra parameterization)
and flavor symmetry-generated models. We demonstrate that the generic
approaches lead to comparable parameter space predictions, which tend to be at
least partially within the reach of future experiments. On the other hand,
specific flavor symmetry models yield more refined predictions, some of these
can be more clearly excluded. We also highlight the importance to measure the
flavor-dependent couplings of the HNLs as a model discriminator, and we clarify
the impact of assumptions frequently used in the literature to show the
parameter space reach for the active-sterile mixings.


title: Galaxy Quenching from Cosmic Web Detachment

abstract:
  We propose the Cosmic Web Detachment (CWD) model, a framework to interpret
the star-formation history of galaxies in a cosmological context. The CWD model
unifies several starvation mechanisms known to disrupt or stop star formation
into one single physical framework. Galaxies begin accreting star-forming gas
at early times via a network of primordial filaments, simply related to the
pattern of density fluctuations in the initial conditions. But when
shell-crossing occurs on intergalactic scales, this pattern is disrupted, and
the galaxy detaches from its primordial filaments, ending the accretion of cold
gas. We argue that CWD encompasses known external processes halting star
formation, such as harassment, strangulation and starvation. On top of these
external processes, internal feedback processes such as AGN contribute to stop
in star formation as well.
  By explicitly pointing out the non-linear nature of CWD events we introduce a
simple formalism to identify CWD events in N-body simulations. With it we
reproduce and explain, in the context of CWD, several observations including
downsizing, the cosmic star formation rate history, the galaxy mass-color
diagram and the dependence of the fraction of red galaxies with mass and local
density.


title:
Modeling the Nearly Isotropic Comet Population in Anticipation of LSST
  Observations

abstract:
  We run simulations to determine the expected distribution of orbital elements
of nearly isotropic comets (NICs) in the outer solar system, assuming that
these comets originate in the Oort Cloud at thousands of AU and are perturbed
into the planetary region by the Galactic tide. We show that the Large Synoptic
Survey Telescope (LSST) should detect and characterize the orbits of hundreds
to thousands of NICs with perihelion distance outside 5 AU. Observing NICs in
the outer solar system is our only way of directly detecting comets from the
inner Oort Cloud, as these comets are dynamically excluded from the inner solar
system by the giant planets. Thus the distribution of orbital elements
constrains the spatial distribution of comets in the Oort cloud and the
environment in which the solar system formed. Additionally, comet orbits can be
characterized more precisely when they are seen far from the Sun as they have
not been affected by non-gravitational forces.


title: Thermodynamic Stability of Wormholes

abstract:
  In the context of GR, we study the thermodynamic stability of evolving
Lorentzian wormholes at the apparent horizon. The average pressure of the
anisotrropic components is considered as the pressure of the wormhole.
According to the requirements of stable equilibrium in conventional
thermodynamics, we calculate the heat capacity at constant pressure and Gibbs
free energy and analyze the local and global thermodynamic stability of the
wormhole.


title: Fixed points of Wegner-Wilson flows and many-body localization

abstract:
  Many-body localization (MBL) is a phase of matter that is characterized by
the absence of thermalization. Dynamical generation of a large number of local
quantum numbers has been identified as one key characteristic of this phase,
quite possibly the microscopic mechanism of breakdown of thermalization and the
phase transition itself. We formulate a robust algorithm, based on Wegner
Wilson flow (WWF) renormalization, for computing these conserved quantities and
their interactions. We present evidence for the existence of distinct fixed
point distributions of the latter: a flat "white noise" distribution in the
ergodic phase, a "1/f" law inside the MBL phase, and scale-free distributions
in the transition regime.


title: The Black Hole S-Matrix from Quantum Mechanics

abstract:
  We revisit the old black hole S-Matrix construction and its new partial wave
expansion of 't Hooft. Inspired by old ideas from non-critical string theory &
$c=1$ Matrix Quantum Mechanics, we reformulate the scattering in terms of a
quantum mechanical model\textemdash of waves scattering off inverted harmonic
oscillator potentials\textemdash that exactly reproduces the unitary black hole
S-Matrix for all spherical harmonics; each partial wave corresponds to an
inverted harmonic oscillator with ground state energy that is shifted relative
to the s-wave oscillator. Identifying a connection to 2d string theory allows
us to show that there is an exponential degeneracy in how a given total initial
energy may be distributed among many partial waves of the 4d black hole.


title:
Cosmic-ray propagation with DRAGON2: I. numerical solver and
  astrophysical ingredients

abstract:
  We present version 2 of the DRAGON code designed for computing realistic
predictions of the CR densities in the Galaxy. The code numerically solves the
interstellar CR transport equation (including inhomogeneous and anisotropic
diffusion, either in space and momentum, advective transport and energy
losses), under realistic conditions. The new version includes an updated
numerical solver and several models for the astrophysical ingredients involved
in the transport equation. Improvements in the accuracy of the numerical
solution are proved against analytical solutions and in reference diffusion
scenarios. The novel features implemented in the code allow to simulate the
diverse scenarios proposed to reproduce the most recent measurements of local
and diffuse CR fluxes, going beyond the limitations of the homogeneous galactic
transport paradigm. To this end, several applications using DRAGON2 are
presented as well. The new version facilitates the users to include their own
physical models by means of a modular C++ structure.


title: QuDot Nets: Quantum Computers and Bayesian Networks

abstract:
  We present a new implementation of quantum computation that treats quantum
computers as a special type of Bayesian Network called a QuDot Net. QuDot Nets
allow for the efficient representation of some qubit systems. Single qubit
quantum gates can be implemented as edge transformations on QuDot Nets. The X,
H, R(k), M and SWAP gates are discussed in detail and results show linear
scaling as the number of qubits are increased. We show that measurement and
semi-quantum control gates can be efficiently implemented using QuDot Nets and
present results from a QuDot Net implementation of the terminal Quantum Fourier
Transform. We show how QuDot Nets can implement coherent control gates using
multi-digraphs by labelling parallel edges. Lastly, we discuss implications to
quantum foundations if a classical implementation of quantum computation is
realized.


title:
Observed Variability at 1um and 4um in the Y0 Brown Dwarf WISEP
  J173835.52+273258.9

abstract:
  We have monitored photometrically the Y0 brown dwarf WISEP
J173835.52+273258.9 (W1738) at both near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. This ~1
Gyr-old 400K dwarf is at a distance of 8pc and has a mass around 5 M_Jupiter.
We observed W1738 using two near-infrared filters at lambda~1um, Y and J, on
Gemini observatory, and two mid-infrared filters at lambda~4um, [3.6] and
[4.5], on the Spitzer observatory. Twenty-four hours were spent on the source
by Spitzer on each of June 30 and October 30 2013 UT. Between these
observations, around 5 hours were spent on the source by Gemini on each of July
17 and August 23 2013 UT. The mid-infrared light curves show significant
evolution between the two observations separated by four months. We find that a
double sinusoid can be fit to the [4.5] data, where one sinusoid has a period
of 6.0 +/- 0.1 hours and the other a period of 3.0 +/- 0.1 hours. The
near-infrared observations suggest variability with a ~3.0 hour period,
although only at a <~2 sigma confidence level. We interpret our results as
showing that the Y dwarf has a 6.0 +/- 0.1 hour rotation period, with one or
more large-scale surface features being the source of variability. The
peak-to-peak amplitude of the light curve at [4.5] is 3%. The amplitude of the
near-infrared variability, if real, may be as high as 5 to 30%. Intriguingly,
this size of variability and the wavelength dependence can be reproduced by
atmospheric models that include patchy KCl and Na_2S clouds and associated
small changes in surface temperature. The small number of large features, and
the timescale for evolution of the features, is very similar to what is seen in
the atmospheres of the solar system gas giants.


title:
A Method for stability analysis of magnetic bearings : Basic stability
  criteria

abstract:
  In this work I outline a general procedure for dynamic modeling and stability
analysis of a magnetic bearing, which is a rotating shaft confined inside a
chamber through electromagnetic forces alone. I consider the simplest type of
self-propelled bearing, namely a permanent magnet synchronous motor and an
induction motor rotor freely suspended inside the corresponding stator, and
having no eccentricity-fedback control algorithm. Writing Euler's equations for
the rotor mechanics and Maxwell's equations for the electromagnetic field leads
to a systematic technique for analysing the dynamics of the complete system.
Physical arguments indicate that that two essential components for rotor
confinement are a spatial gradient in the stator magnetic field and a torque
angle lying in the second quadrant. These predictions are confirmed through the
linear stability analysis. The direct practical utility of the results is
mitigated by the presence of a repeated eigenvalue in the linearized equations.
Despite this limitation, the analysis presented can act as a good starting
point for more accurate treatments of other magnetic bearing configurations.


title: Plausible inference from the idea of estimation

abstract:
  The probability axioms by R. T. Cox can be regarded as the modern foundations
of Bayesian inference, the idea of assigning degrees of belief to logical
propositions in a manner consistent with Boolean logic. In this work it is
shown that one can start from an alternative point of view, postulating the
existence of an operation for \textit{estimating magnitudes given a state of
knowledge}. The properties of this operation can be established through basic
consistency requirements. Application of this estimation operation to the truth
values of propositions in an integer representation directly yields
non-negative, normalized quantities following the sum and product rules of
probability.


title: On the reverse Loomis-Whitney inequality

abstract:
  The present paper deals with the problem of computing (or at least
estimating) the LW-number $\lambda(n)$, i.e., the supremum of all $\gamma$ such
that for each convex body $K$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$ there exists an orthonormal
basis $\{u_1,\ldots,u_n\}$ such that $$ vol_n(K)^{n-1} \geq \gamma
\prod_{i=1}^n vol_{n-1} (K|u_i^{\perp}) , $$ where $K|u_i^{\perp}$ denotes the
orthogonal projection of $K$ onto the hyperplane $u_i^{\perp}$ perpendicular to
$u_i$. Any such inequality can be regarded as a reverse to the well-known
classical Loomis--Whitney inequality. We present various results on such
reverse Loomis--Whitney inequalities. In particular, we prove some structural
results, give bounds on $\lambda(n)$ and deal with the problem of actually
computing the LW-constant of a rational polytope.


title: Forward-Mode Automatic Differentiation in Julia

abstract:
  We present ForwardDiff, a Julia package for forward-mode automatic
differentiation (AD) featuring performance competitive with low-level languages
like C++. Unlike recently developed AD tools in other popular high-level
languages such as Python and MATLAB, ForwardDiff takes advantage of
just-in-time (JIT) compilation to transparently recompile AD-unaware user code,
enabling efficient support for higher-order differentiation and differentiation
using custom number types (including complex numbers). For gradient and
Jacobian calculations, ForwardDiff provides a variant of vector-forward mode
that avoids expensive heap allocation and makes better use of memory bandwidth
than traditional vector mode. In our numerical experiments, we demonstrate that
for nontrivially large dimensions, ForwardDiff's gradient computations can be
faster than a reverse-mode implementation from the Python-based autograd
package. We also illustrate how ForwardDiff is used effectively within JuMP, a
modeling language for optimization. According to our usage statistics, 41
unique repositories on GitHub depend on ForwardDiff, with users from diverse
fields such as astronomy, optimization, finite element analysis, and
statistics.
  This document is an extended abstract that has been accepted for presentation
at the AD2016 7th International Conference on Algorithmic Differentiation.


title:
Generation of unipolar pulses in a circular Raman-active medium excited
  by few-cycle optical pulses

abstract:
  We study theoretically a new possibility of unipolar pulses generation in
Raman-active medium excited by a series of few-cycle optical pulses. We
consider the case when the Raman-active particles are uniformly distributed
along the circle, and demonstrate a possibility to obtain a unipolar
rectangular video pulses with an arbitrarily long duration, ranging from a
minimum value equal to the natural period of the low frequency vibrations in
the Raman-active medium.


title: The search for IR excess in low signal to noise sources

abstract:
  We present sources selected from their Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
(WISE) colors that merit future observations to image for disks and possible
exoplanet companions. Introducing a weighted detection method, we eliminated
the enormous number of specious excess seen in low signal to noise objects by
requiring greater excess for fainter stars. This is achieved by sorting through
the 747 million sources of the ALLWISE database. In examining these dim stars,
it can be shown that a non-Gaussian distribution best describes the spread
around the main-sequence polynomial fit function. Using a gamma Probability
Density Function (PDF), we can best mimic the main sequence distribution and
exclude natural fluctuations in IR excess. With this new methodology we
re-discover 25 IR excesses and present 14 new candidates. One source
(J053010.20-010140.9), suggests a 8.40 $\pm$ 0.73 AU disk, a likely candidate
for possible direct imagining of planets that are likely fully formed. Although
all of these sources are well within the current flux ratio limit of
$\sim$10$^{-6}$ (Wyatt 2008), J223423.85+403515.8 shows the highest bolometric
flux ratio ($f_d$=0.0694) between disk and host star, providing a very good
candidate for direct imaging of the circumstellar disk itself. In re-examining
the Kepler candidate catalog (original study preformed by Kennedy and Wyatt
2012), we found one new candidate that indicates disk like characteristics (TYC
3143-322-1).


title:
Isoperimetric inequalities and monotonicity formulas for submanifolds in
  warped product manifolds

abstract:
  In this paper we first prove some linear isoperimetric inequalities for
submanifolds in the de Sitter-Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordstrom manifolds.
Moreover, the equality is attained. Next, we prove some monotonicity formulas
for submanifolds with bounded mean curvature vector in warped product manifolds
and, as consequences, we give lower bound estimates for the volume of these
submanifolds in terms of the warping function. We conclude the paper with an
isoperimetric inequality for minimal surfaces.


title:
Polling-systems-based Autonomous Vehicle Coordination in Traffic
  Intersections with No Traffic Signals

abstract:
  The rapid development of autonomous vehicles spurred a careful investigation
of the potential benefits of all-autonomous transportation networks. Most
studies conclude that autonomous systems can enable drastic improvements in
performance. A widely studied concept is all-autonomous, collision-free
intersections, where vehicles arriving in a traffic intersection with no
traffic light adjust their speeds to cross safely through the intersection as
quickly as possible. In this paper, we propose a coordination control algorithm
for this problem, assuming stochastic models for the arrival times of the
vehicles. The proposed algorithm provides provable guarantees on safety and
performance. More precisely, it is shown that no collisions occur surely, and
moreover a rigorous upper bound is provided for the expected wait time. The
algorithm is also demonstrated in simulations. The proposed algorithms are
inspired by polling systems. In fact, the problem studied in this paper leads
to a new polling system where customers are subject to differential
constraints, which may be interesting in its own right.


title:
Mechanics from Calorimetry: A New Probe of Elasticity for Responsive
  Hydrogels

abstract:
  Temperature-sensitive hydrogels based on polymers such as
poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) undergo a volume phase transition in
response to changes in temperature. During this transition, distinct changes in
both thermal and mechanical properties are observed. Here, we illustrate and
exploit the inherent thermodynamic link between thermal and mechanical
properties by showing that the compressive elastic modulus of PNIPAM hydrogels
can be probed using differential scanning calorimetry. We validate our approach
by using conventional osmotic compression tests. Our method could be
particularly valuable for determining the mechanical response of
thermosensitive submicron-sized and/or oddly shaped particles, to which
standard methods are not readily applicable.


title: A principle for the Yukawa couplings

abstract:
  Yukawa couplings in the Standard Model are introduced in its most general
form, that is, completely arbitrary complex numbers. Here we show that their
origin could not be general but dictated by a principle.


title: Scale vs Conformal invariance from Entanglement Entropy

abstract:
  For a generic conformal field theory (CFT) in four dimensions, the scale
anomaly dictates that the universal part of entanglement entropy across a
sphere ($\mathcal{C}_{\text{univ}}(S^{2})$) is positive. Based on this fact, we
explore the consequences of assuming positive sign for
$\mathcal{C}_{\text{univ}}(S^{2})$ in a four dimensional scale invariant theory
(SFT). In absence of a dimension two scalar operator $\mathcal{O}_{2}$ in the
spectrum of a SFT, we show that this assumption suggests that SFT is a CFT. In
presence of $\mathcal{O}_{2}$, we show that this assumption can fix the
coefficient of the nonlinear coupling term $\int\hspace{-.5mm} d^{4}x\sqrt{g}
R\mathcal{O}_{2}$ to a conformal value.


title: Casimir Self-Entropy of an Electromagnetic Thin Sheet

abstract:
  Casimir entropies due to quantum fluctuations in the interaction between
electrical bodies can often be negative, either caused by dissipation or by
geometry. Although generally such entropies vanish at zero temperature,
consistent with the third law of thermodynamics (the Nernst heat theorem),
there is a region in the space of temperature and separation between the bodies
where negative entropy occurs, while positive interaction entropies arise for
large distances or temperatures. Systematic studies on this phenomenon in the
Casimir-Polder interaction between a polarizable nanoparticle or atom and a
conducting plate in the dipole approximation have been given recently. Since
the total entropy should be positive according to the second law of
thermodynamics, we expect that the self-entropy of the bodies would be
sufficiently positive as to overwhelm the negative interaction entropy. This
expectation, however, has not been explicitly verified. Here we compute the
self-entropy of an electromagnetic $\delta$-function plate, which corresponds
to a perfectly conducting sheet in the strong coupling limit. The transverse
electric contribution to the self-entropy is negative, while the transverse
magnetic contribution is larger and positive, so the total self-entropy is
positive. However, this self-entropy vanishes in the strong-coupling limit. In
that case, it is the self-entropy of the nanoparticle that is just sufficient
to result in a nonnegative total entropy.


title: Vector boson (W,Z) Studies with CMS

abstract:
  We report on recent measurements of W and Z boson production at CMS. These
include measurements of inclusive and differential W and Z boson production
cross sections at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 and 13 TeV, measurements of the angular
coefficients of Z boson production, forward-backward asymmetry of
Z/$\gamma^{*}$ events, and W charge asymmetry at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV. These
measurements can be used to improve PDFs and refine QCD calculations of weak
boson production processes. In addition, a W-like mass measurement using Z
boson events has been performed to probe the experimental uncertainties
expected for a W mass measurement at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV.


title: Ultra-high Q Acoustic Resonance in Superfluid 4He

abstract:
  We report the measurement of the acoustic quality factor of a gram-scale,
kilo-hertz frequency superfluid resonator, detected through the parametric
coupling to a superconducting niobium microwave cavity. For temperature between
400mK and 50mK, we observe a $T^{-4}$ temperature dependence of the quality
factor, consistent with a 3-phonon dissipation mechanism. We observe Q factors
up to $1.4\cdot10^8$, consistent with the dissipation due to dilute $^3$He
impurities, and expect that significant further improvements are possible.
These experiments are relevant to exploring quantum behavior and decoherence of
massive macroscopic objects, the laboratory detection of continuous wave
gravitational waves from pulsars, and the probing of possible limits to
physical length scales.


title: Product Offerings in Malicious Hacker Markets

abstract:
  Marketplaces specializing in malicious hacking products - including malware
and exploits - have recently become more prominent on the darkweb and deepweb.
We scrape 17 such sites and collect information about such products in a
unified database schema. Using a combination of manual labeling and
unsupervised clustering, we examine a corpus of products in order to understand
their various categories and how they become specialized with respect to vendor
and marketplace. This initial study presents how we effectively employed
unsupervised techniques to this data as well as the types of insights we gained
on various categories of malicious hacking products.


title:
Beyond Movie Recommendations: Solving the Continuous Cold Start Problem
  in E-commerceRecommendations

abstract:
  Many e-commerce websites use recommender systems or personalized rankers to
personalize search results based on their previous interactions. However, a
large fraction of users has no prior inter-actions, making it impossible to use
collaborative filtering or rely on user history for personalization. Even the
most active users mayvisit only a few times a year and may have volatile needs
or different personas, making their personal history a sparse and noisy signal
at best. This paper investigates how, when we cannot rely on the user history,
the large scale availability of other user interactions still allows us to
build meaningful profiles from the contextual data and whether such contextual
profiles are useful to customize the ranking, exemplified by data from a major
online travel agentBooking.com.Our main findings are threefold: First, we
characterize the Continuous Cold Start Problem(CoCoS) from the viewpoint of
typical e-commerce applications. Second, as explicit situational con-text is
not available in typical real world applications, implicit cues from
transaction logs used at scale can capture essential features of situational
context. Third, contextual user profiles can be created offline, resulting in a
set of smaller models compared to a single huge non-contextual model, making
contextual ranking available with negligible CPU and memory footprint. Finally
we conclude that, in an online A/B test on live users, our contextual ranker
in-creased user engagement substantially over a non-contextual base-line, with
click-through-rate (CTR) increased by 20%. This clearly demonstrates the value
of contextual user profiles in a real world application.


title: Modeling of a Single Multimode Fiber Imaging System

abstract:
  We present a detailed theoretical analysis on image transmission via a single
multimode fiber (MMF). A single MMF imaging model is developed to study the
light wave propagation from the light source to the camera, by using free-space
Fourier optics theory and mode-coupling theory. A mathematical expression is
obtained for the complete single MMF imaging system, which is further validated
by image-transmission simulations. Our model is believed to be the first
theoretical model to describe the complete MMF imaging system based on the
transmission of individual modes. Therefore, this model is robust and capable
of analyzing MMF image transmission under specific mode-coupling conditions. We
use our model to study bending-induced image blur in single-MMF image
transmission, and the result has found a good agreement with that of existing
experimental studies. These should provide important insights into future MMF
imaging system developments.


title: Approximation and Parameterized Complexity of Minimax Approval Voting

abstract:
  We present three results on the complexity of Minimax Approval Voting. First,
we study Minimax Approval Voting parameterized by the Hamming distance $d$ from
the solution to the votes. We show Minimax Approval Voting admits no algorithm
running in time $\mathcal{O}^\star(2^{o(d\log d)})$, unless the Exponential
Time Hypothesis (ETH) fails. This means that the $\mathcal{O}^\star(d^{2d})$
algorithm of Misra et al. [AAMAS 2015] is essentially optimal. Motivated by
this, we then show a parameterized approximation scheme, running in time
$\mathcal{O}^\star(\left({3}/{\epsilon}\right)^{2d})$, which is essentially
tight assuming ETH. Finally, we get a new polynomial-time randomized
approximation scheme for Minimax Approval Voting, which runs in time
$n^{\mathcal{O}(1/\epsilon^2 \cdot \log(1/\epsilon))} \cdot \mathrm{poly}(m)$,
almost matching the running time of the fastest known PTAS for Closest String
due to Ma and Sun [SIAM J. Comp. 2009].


title:
Simple Mass Estimate for Resonance(s) being 6 Top plus 6 Anti top Bound
  states and Combinations thereof

abstract:
  We have long speculated \cite{1nbs,2nbs,3nbs,4nbs,5nbs,
6nbs,7nbs,8nbs,9nbs,10nbs,11nbs,12nbs, 13nbs,14nbs,LNvacuumstability} , that 6
top + 6 anti-top quarks due to the realtively large size of the top-yukawa
coupling would bind exceptionaly strongly by mainly Higgs exchange. Here we
present a surprisingly simple "calculation" of the mass of this speculated
bound state. Even a possible resonance in scattering of two such bound states
is speculated. For the "calculation" of the masses it is crucial to assume,
that our since long speculated principle "Multiple Point
Principle"\cite{5mp,6mp,7mp,8mp,9mp,10mp, 11mp,12mp,13mp,14mp,15mp,16mp,17mp,
deriving}, is true. This principle says: {\em there are several vacua all
having almost zero energy density}. Further we make an approximation of the
Higgs Yukawa potential essentially replacing the exponential in it by a
step-function. The new result means that there are now two independent calls
for our bound state having the mass around 750 GeV required by our "new law of
nature" the Multiple Point Principle. It should be remarked that in our picture
there is {\em no new physics} in the sense of new fundamental particles, but
the "Multiple Point Principle" is new in the sense of being not yet accepted.
Further we get the {\em same} mass within uncertainties as
earlier\cite{LNvacuumstability} but now from a completly different assumption,
except for being from our "multiple point principle". But the two masses are
gotten from using
  {\em different} (speculative) vacua occuring in the pure Standard Model.


title:
Squeezing and quantum state engineering with Josephson traveling wave
  amplifiers

abstract:
  We develop a quantum theory describing the input-output properties of
Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifiers. This allows us to show how such
a device can be used as a source of nonclassical radiation, and how dispersion
engineering can be used to tailor gain profiles and squeezing spectra with
attractive properties, ranging from genuinely broadband spectra to "squeezing
combs" consisting of a number of discrete entangled quasimodes. The device's
output field can be used to generate a multi-mode squeezed bath--a powerful
resource for dissipative quantum state preparation. In particular, we show how
it can be used to generate continuous variable cluster states that are
universal for measurement based quantum computing. The favourable scaling
properties of the preparation scheme makes it a promising path towards
continuous variable quantum computing in the microwave regime.


title:
Pseudospin anisotropy of trilayer semiconductor quantum Hall
  ferromagnets

abstract:
  When two Landau levels are brought to a close coincidence between them and
with the chemical potential in the Integer Quantum Hall regime, the two Landau
levels can just cross or collapse while the external or pseudospin field that
induces the alignment changes. In this work, all possible crossings are
analyzed theoretically for the particular case of semiconductor trilayer
systems, using a variational Hartree-Fock approximation. The model includes
tunneling between neighboring layers, bias, intra-layer and inter-layer Coulomb
interaction among the electrons. We have found that the general pseudospin
anisotropy classification scheme used in bilayers applies also to the trilayer
situation, with the simple crossing corresponding to an easy-axis ferromagnetic
anisotropy analogy, and the collapse case corresponding to an easy-plane
ferromagnetic analogy. An isotropic case is also possible, with the levels just
crossing or collapsing depending on the filling factor and the quantum numbers
of the two nearby levels. While our results are valid for any integer filling
factor $\nu$ (=1,2,3,...), we have analyzed in detail the crossings at $\nu=3$
and $4$, and we have given clear predictions that will help in their
experimental search. In particular, the present calculations suggest that by
increasing the bias, the trilayer system at these two filling factors can be
driven from an easy-plane anisotropy regime to an easy-axis regime, and then
can be driven back to the easy-plane regime. This kind of reentrant behavior is
an unique feature of the trilayers, compared with the bilayers.


title:
Simultaneous Constraints on Cosmology and Photometric Redshift Bias from
  Weak Lensing and Galaxy Clustering

abstract:
  We investigate the expected cosmological constraints from a combination of
weak lensing and large-scale galaxy clustering using realistic redshift
distributions. Introducing a systematic bias in the weak lensing redshift
distributions (of 0.05 in redshift) produces a $>2\sigma$ bias in the recovered
matter power spectrum amplitude and dark energy equation of state, for
preliminary Stage III surveys. We demonstrate that these cosmological errors
can be largely removed by marginalising over unknown biases in the assumed weak
lensing redshift distributions, if we assume high quality redshift information
for the galaxy clustering sample. Furthermore the cosmological constraining
power is mostly retained despite removing much of the information on the weak
lensing redshift distribution biases. We show that this comes from
complementary degeneracy directions between cosmic shear and the combination of
galaxy clustering with cross-correlation between shear and galaxy number
density. Finally we examine how the self-calibration performs when the assumed
distributions differ from the true distributions by more than a simple uniform
bias. We find that the effectiveness of this self-calibration method will
depend on the details of a given experiment and the nature of the uncertainties
on the estimated redshift distributions.


title: $H$-supermagic labelings for firecrackers, banana trees and flowers

abstract:
  A simple graph $G=(V,E)$ admits an $H$-covering if every edge in $E$ is
contained in a subgraph $H'=(V',E')$ of $G$ which is isomorphic to $H$. In this
case we say that $G$ is $H$-supermagic if there is a bijection $f:V\cup
E\to\{1,\ldots\lvert V\rvert+\lvert E\rvert\}$ such that
$f(V)=\{1,\ldots,\lvert V\rvert\}$ and $\sum_{v\in V(H')}f(v)+\sum_{e\in
E(H')}f(e)$ is constant over all subgraphs $H'$ of $G$ which are isomorphic to
$H$. In this paper, we show that for odd $n$ and arbitrary $k$, the firecracker
$F_{k,n}$ is $F_{2,n}$-supermagic, the banana tree $B_{k,n}$ is
$B_{1,n}$-supermagic and the flower $F_n$ is $C_3$-supermagic.


title:
Aspects of the refined Gribov-Zwanziger action in linear covariant
  gauges

abstract:
  We prove the renormalizability to all orders of a refined Gribov-Zwanziger
type action in linear covariant gauges in four-dimensional Euclidean space. In
this model, the Gribov copies are taken into account by requiring that the
Faddeev-Popov operator is positive definite with respect to the transverse
component of the gauge field, a procedure which turns out to be analogous to
the restriction to the Gribov region in the Landau gauge. The model studied
here can be regarded as the first approximation of a more general
nonperturbative BRST invariant formulation of the refined Gribov-Zwanziger
action in linear covariant gauges obtained recently in [Phys. Rev. D 92, no. 4,
045039 (2015) and arXiv:1605.02610 [hep-th]]. A key ingredient of the set up
worked out in [Phys. Rev. D 92, no. 4, 045039 (2015) and arXiv:1605.02610
[hep-th]] is the introduction of a gauge invariant field configuration
$\mathbf{A}_{\mu}$ which can be expressed as an infinite non-local series in
the starting gauge field $A_\mu$. In the present case, we consider the
approximation in which only the first term of the series representing
$\mathbf{A}_{\mu}$ is considered, corresponding to a pure transverse gauge
field. The all order renormalizability of the resulting action gives thus a
strong evidence of the renormalizability of the aforementioned more general
nonperturbative BRST invariant formulation of the Gribov horizon in linear
covariant gauges.


title: n-Lie bialgebras

abstract:
  The $n$-Lie bialgebras are studied. In Section 2, the $n$-Lie coalgebra with
rank $r$ is defined, and the structure of it is discussed. In Section 3, the
$n$-Lie bialgebra is introduced. A triple $(L, \mu, \Delta)$ is an $n$-Lie
bialgebra if and only if $\Delta$ is a conformal $1$-cocycle on the $n$-Lie
algebra $L$ associated to $L$-modules $(L^{\otimes n}, \rho_s^{\mu})$, $1\leq
s\leq n$, and the structure of $n$-Lie bialgebras is investigated by the
structural constants. In Section 4, two-dimensional extension of finite
dimensional $n$-Lie bialgebras are studied. For an $m$ dimensional $n$-Lie
bialgebra $(L, \mu, \Delta)$, and an $ad_{\mu}$-invariant symmetric bilinear
form on $L$, the $m+2$ dimensional $(n+1)$-Lie bialgebra is constructed. In the
last section, the bialgebra structure on the finite dimensional simple $n$-Lie
algebra $A_n$ is discussed. It is proved that only bialgebra structures on the
simple $n$-Lie algebra $A_n$ are rank zero, and rank two.


title: The critical density for the frog model is the degree of the tree

abstract:
  The frog model on the rooted d-ary tree changes from transient to recurrent
as the number of frogs per site is increased. We prove that the location of
this transition is on the same order as the degree of the tree.


title: An analytical framework for understanding tropical Meridional Modes

abstract:
  A theoretical framework is developed for understanding the transient growth
and propagation characteristics of thermodynamically coupled, meridional
mode-like structures in the tropics. The model consists of a Gill-Matsuno type
steady atmosphere under the longwave approximation coupled via a
wind-evaporation-sea surface temperature (WES) feedback to a "slab" ocean
model. When projected onto basis functions for the atmosphere the system
simplifies to a non-normal set of equations that describes the evolution of
individual sea surface temperature (SST) modes, with clean separation between
symmetric and anti-symmetric modes. The following major findings result from
analysis of the system: (i) a transient growth process exists whereby specific
SST modes propagate toward lower order modes at the expense of the higher-order
modes; (ii) the same dynamical mechanisms govern the evolution of symmetric and
anti-symmetric SST modes except for the lowest-order wave number, where for
symmetric structures the atmospheric Kelvin wave plays a critically different
role in enhancing decay; and (iii) the WES feedback is positive for all modes
(with a maximum for the most equatorially confined antisymmetric structure)
except for the most equatorially confined symmetric mode where the Kelvin wave
generates a negative WES feedback. Taken together, these findings explain why
equatorially anti-symmetric "dipole"-like structures may dominate
thermodynamically coupled ocean / atmosphere variability in the tropics. The
role of non-normality as well as the role of realistic mean states in
meridional mode variability are discussed.


title:
$\mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z}$-graded Lie algebras and perverse sheaves, III:
  graded double affine Hecke algebra

abstract:
  In this paper we construct representations of certain graded double affine
Hecke algebras (DAHA) with possibly unequal parameters from geometry. More
precisely, starting with a simple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ together with a
$\mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z}$-grading $\oplus_{i}\mathfrak{g}_{i}$ and a block of
$G_{\underline{0}}$-equivariant complexes on the nilpotent cone of
$\mathfrak{g}_{\underline{1}}$ as introduced in \cite{LY1}, we attach a graded
DAHA and construct its action on the direct sum of spiral inductions in that
block. This generalizes results of Vasserot \cite{V} and Oblomkov-Yun \cite{OY}
which correspond to the case of the principal block.


title: Cosmological simulations of Milky Way-sized galaxies

abstract:
  We introduce a new set of eight Milky Way-sized cosmological simulations
performed using the AMR code ART + Hydrodynamics in a LCDM cosmology. The set
of zoom-in simulations covers present-day virial masses in the 0.83-1.56 x
10^12 msun range and is carried out with our simple but effective deterministic
star formation (SF) and ``explosive' stellar feedback prescriptions. The work
is focused on showing the goodness of the simulated set of ``field' Milky
Way-sized galaxies. Our results are as follows. (a) The circular velocity
curves of our simulated galaxies are nearly flat. (b) Runs ending with a
significant disk component, for their stellar masses, have V_max, radius, SF
rate, gas fraction, and specific angular momentum values consistent with
observations of late-type galaxies. (C) The two most spheroid-dominated
galaxies formed in halos with late active merger histories, but other run that
ends also as spheroid-dominated, never had major mergers. (d) Our simulations
are consistent with the empirical stellar-to-halo mass correlation, and those
that end as disk-dominated, evolve mostly along the low-mass branch of this
correlation. (e) Moreover, since the last 6.5-10 Gyr, the baryonic/stellar and
halo mass growth histories are proportional. (f) Within Rvir ~ 25-50% of the
baryons are missed. (g) The z ~ 0 gas velocity dispersion profiles, sigma_z(r),
are nearly flat and can be mostly explained by the kinetic energy injected by
stars. (h) The average values of sigma_z increase at higher redshifts,
following roughly the shape of the SF history.


title:
Investigating the dusty torus of Seyfert galaxies using SOFIA/FORCAST
  photometry

abstract:
  We present 31.5 micron imaging photometry of 11 nearby Seyfert galaxies
observed from the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
using the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST). We
tentatively detect extended 31 micron emission for the first time in our
sample. In combination with this new data set, subarcsecond resolution 1-18
micron imaging and 7.5-13 micron spectroscopic observations were used to
compute the nuclear spectral energy distribution (SED) of each galaxy. We found
that the turnover of the torus emission does not occur at wavelengths <31.5
micron, which we interpret as a lower-limit for the wavelength of peak
emission. We used CLUMPY torus models to fit the nuclear infrared (IR) SED and
infer trends in the physical parameters of the AGN torus for the galaxies in
the sample. Including the 31.5 micron nuclear flux in the SED 1) reduces the
number of clumpy torus models compatible with the data, and 2) modifies the
model output for the outer radial extent of the torus for 10 of the 11 objects.
Specifically, six (60%) objects show a decrease in radial extent while four
(40%) show an increase. We find torus outer radii ranging from <1pc to 8.4 pc


title: The two central stars of NGC 1514: can they actually be related?

abstract:
  The central star of the planetary nebula NGC 1514 is among the visually
brightest central stars in the sky (V=9.5). It has long been known to show a
composite spectrum, consisting of an A-type star and a much hotter star
responsible for the ionization of the surrounding nebula. These two stars have
always been assumed to form a binary system. High-resolution spectrograms
obtained with Espadons at the CFHT on Mauna Kea have allowed to measure good
radial velocities for both stars. They differ by 13 $\pm$ 2 km s$^{-1}$. The
stellar velocities have not changed after 500 days. We have also estimated the
metallicity of the cooler star. Combining these data with other information
available in the literature, we conclude that, unless all the published nebular
radial velocities are systematically wrong, the cooler star is just a chance
alignment, and the two stars are not orbiting each other. The cooler star
cannot have played any role in the formation of NGC 1514.


title: Coded Caching with Low Subpacketization Levels

abstract:
  Caching is popular technique in content delivery networks that allows for
reductions in transmission rates from the content-hosting server to the end
users. Coded caching is a generalization of conventional caching that considers
the possibility of coding in the caches and transmitting coded signals from the
server. Prior results in this area demonstrate that huge reductions in
transmission rates are possible and this makes coded caching an attractive
option for the next generation of content-delivery networks. However, these
results require that each file hosted in the server be partitioned into a large
number (i.e., the subpacketization level) of non-overlapping subfiles. From a
practical perspective, this is problematic as it means that prior schemes are
only applicable when the size of the files is extremely large. In this work, we
propose a novel coded caching scheme that enjoys a significantly lower
subpacketization level than prior schemes, while only suffering a marginal
increase in the transmission rate. In particular, for a fixed cache size, the
scaling with the number of users is such that the increase in transmission rate
is negligible, but the decrease in subpacketization level is exponential.


title: Role of Optical Density of States in Two-mode Optomechanical Cooling

abstract:
  Dynamical back-action cooling of phonons in optomechanical systems having one
optical mode is well studied. Systems with two optical modes have the potential
to reach significantly higher cooling rate through resonant enhancement of both
pump and scattered light. Here we experimentally investigate the role of dual
optical densities of states on optomechanical cooling, and the deviation from
theory caused by thermal locking to the pump laser. Using this, we demonstrate
a room temperature system operating very close to the strong coupling regime,
where saturation of cooling is anticipated.


title: Relation between Brown Dwarfs and Exoplanets

abstract:
  One of the most debated subjects in Astronomy since the discovery of
exoplanets is how can we distinguish the most massive of such objects from
very-low mass stars like Brown Dwarfs (BDs)? We have been looking for evidences
of a difference in physical characteristics that could be related to different
formation processes. Using a new diagnostic diagram that compares the baryonic
gravitational potential (BGP) with the distances from their host stars, we have
classified a sample of 355 well-studied exoplanets according to their possible
structures. We have then compared the exoplanets to a sample of 87 confirmed
BDs, identifying a range in BGP that could be common to both objects. By
analyzing the mass-radius relations (MRR) of the exoplanets and BDs in those
different BGP ranges, we were able to distinguish different characteristic
behaviors. By comparing with models in the literature, our results suggest that
BDs and massive exoplanets might have similar structures dominated by liquid
metallic hydrogen (LMH).


title:
Measurement of the branching ratio of $\bar{B}^0 \rightarrow D^{*+}
  \tau^- \bar{\nu}_{\tau}$ relative to $\bar{B}^0 \rightarrow D^{*+} \ell^-
  \bar{\nu}_{\ell}$ decays with a semileptonic tagging method

abstract:
  We report a measurement of the ratio ${\cal R}(D^*) = {\cal B}(\bar{B}^0
\rightarrow D^{*+} \tau^- \bar{\nu}_{\tau})/{\cal B}(\bar{B}^0 \rightarrow
D^{*+} \ell^- \bar{\nu}_{\ell})$, where $\ell$ denotes an electron or a muon.
The results are based on a data sample containing $772\times10^6$ $B\bar{B}$
pairs recorded at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector at the
KEKB $e^+ e^-$ collider. We select a sample of $B^0 \bar{B}^0$ pairs by
reconstructing both $B$ mesons in semileptonic decays to $D^{*\mp} \ell^{\pm}$.
We measure ${\cal R}(D^*)= 0.302 \pm 0.030({\rm stat)} \pm 0.011({\rm syst)}$,
which is within $1.6 \sigma$ of the Standard Model theoretical expectation,
where the standard deviation $\sigma$ includes systematic uncertainties. We use
this measurement to constrain several scenarios of new physics in a
model-independent approach.


title: SS-Injective Modules and Rings

abstract:
  We introduce and investigate ss-injectivity as a generalization of both
soc-injectivity and small injectivity. A module M is said to be ss-N-injective
(where N is a module) if every R-homomorphism from a semisimple small submodule
of N into M extends to N. A module M is said to be ss-injective (resp. strongly
ss-injective), if M is ss-R-injective (resp. ss-N-injective for every right
R-module N). Some characterizations and properties of (strongly) ss-injective
modules and rings are given. Some results of Amin, Yuosif and Zeyada on
soc-injectivity are extended to ss-injectivity. Also, we provide some new
characterizations of universally mininjective rings, quasi-Frobenius rings,
Artinian rings and semisimple rings.


title:
Asymptotic adjustments of Pearson residuals in exponential family
  nonlinear models

abstract:
  In this work we define a set of corrected Pearson residuals for continuous
exponential family nonlinear models that have the same distribution as the true
Pearson residuals up to order $\mathcal{O}(n^{-1})$, where $n$ is the sample
size. Furthermore, we also introduce a new modification of the Pearson
residuals, which we call PCA Pearson residuals, that are approximately
uncorrelated. These PCA residuals are new even for the generalized linear
models. The numerical results show that the PCA residuals are approximately
normally distributed, thus improving previous results by Simas and Cordeiro
(2009). These numerical results also show that the corrected Pearson residuals
approximately follow the same distribution as the true residuals, which is a
considerable improvement with respect to the Pearson residuals and also extends
the previous work by Cordeiro and Simas (2009).