title:
2D vibrational properties of epitaxial silicene on Ag(111) probed by in
  situ Raman Spectroscopy

abstract:
  The two-dimensional silicon allotrope, silicene, could spur the development
of new and original concepts in Si-based nanotechnology. Up to now silicene can
only be epitaxially synthesized on a supporting substrate such as Ag(111). Even
though the structural and electronic properties of these epitaxial silicene
layers have been intensively studied, very little is known about its
vibrational characteristics. Here, we present a detailed study of epitaxial
silicene on Ag(111) using \textit{in situ} Raman spectroscopy, which is one of
the most extensively employed experimental techniques to characterize 2D
materials, such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, and black
phosphorous. The vibrational fingerprint of epitaxial silicene, in contrast to
all previous interpretations, is characterized by three distinct phonon modes
with A and E symmetries. The temperature dependent spectral evolution of these
modes demonstrates unique thermal properties of epitaxial silicene and a
significant electron-phonon coupling. These results unambiguously support the
purely two-dimensional character of epitaxial silicene up to about
$300^{\circ}C$, whereupon a 2D-to-3D phase transition takes place.


title:
Molecular dynamics simulation of graphene on Cu(111) with different
  Lennard-Jones parameters

abstract:
  The interaction between graphene and copper (111) surface have been
investigated using the molecular dynamics simulations. We have shown that it is
possible to fit Lennard-Jones potential leading to the correct values of the
binding energy and the binding distance and, at the same time, yielding
experimentally observed Moir\'e superstructures. The dependencies of the
binding energy, the binding distance and the graphene thickness on the
parameters of the potential and the rotational angle are presented.


title:
Inexact Arnoldi residual estimates and decay properties for functions of
  non-Hermitian matrices

abstract:
  We derive a priori residual-type bounds for the Arnoldi approximation of a
matrix function and a strategy for setting the iteration accuracies in the
inexact Arnoldi approximation of matrix functions. Such results are based on
the decay behavior of the entries of functions of banded matrices.
Specifically, we will use a priori decay bounds for the entries of functions of
banded non-Hermitian matrices by using Faber polynomial series. Numerical
experiments illustrate the quality of the results.


title: Notes on a model for fuzzy computing

abstract:
  In these notes we propose a setting for fuzzy computing in a framework
similar to that of well-established theories of computation: boolean, and
quantum computing. Our efforts have been directed towards stressing the formal
similarities: there is a common pattern underlying these three theories. We
tried to conform our approach, as much as possible, to this pattern. This work
was part of a project jointly with Professor Vittorio Cafagna. Professor
Cafagna passed away unexpectedly in 2007. His intellectual breadth and
inspiring passion for mathematics is still very well alive.


title: On relationship between canonical momentum and geometric momentum

abstract:
  Decompositing of $N+1$-dimensional gradient operator in terms of Gaussian
normal coordinates $(\xi^{0},\xi^{\mu})$, ($\mu=1,2,3,...,N$) and making the
canonical momentum $P_{0}$ along the normal direction $\mathbf{n}$ to be
hermitian, we obtain $\mathbf{n}P_{0}=-i\hbar\left( \mathbf{n}\partial
_{0}-\mathbf{M}_{0}\right) $ with $\mathbf{M}_{0}$ denoting the mean curvature
vector on the surface $\xi^{0}=const.$ The remaining part of the momentum
operator lies on the surface, which is identical to the geometric one.


title:
Simple trees in complex forests: Growing Take The Best by Approximate
  Bayesian Computation

abstract:
  How can heuristic strategies emerge from smaller building blocks? We propose
Approximate Bayesian Computation as a computational solution to this problem.
As a first proof of concept, we demonstrate how a heuristic decision strategy
such as Take The Best (TTB) can be learned from smaller, probabilistically
updated building blocks. Based on a self-reinforcing sampling scheme, different
building blocks are combined and, over time, tree-like non-compensatory
heuristics emerge. This new algorithm, coined Approximately Bayesian Computed
Take The Best (ABC-TTB), is able to recover a data set that was generated by
TTB, leads to sensible inferences about cue importance and cue directions, can
outperform traditional TTB, and allows to trade-off performance and
computational effort explicitly.


title: Quantization of canonical bases and the quantum symplectic double

abstract:
  We describe a natural $q$-deformation of Fock and Goncharov's canonical basis
for the algebra of regular functions on a cluster variety associated to a
quiver of type $A$. We then describe an extension of this construction
involving a cluster variety called the symplectic double.


title:
AVEC 2016 - Depression, Mood, and Emotion Recognition Workshop and
  Challenge

abstract:
  The Audio/Visual Emotion Challenge and Workshop (AVEC 2016) "Depression, Mood
and Emotion" will be the sixth competition event aimed at comparison of
multimedia processing and machine learning methods for automatic audio, visual
and physiological depression and emotion analysis, with all participants
competing under strictly the same conditions. The goal of the Challenge is to
provide a common benchmark test set for multi-modal information processing and
to bring together the depression and emotion recognition communities, as well
as the audio, video and physiological processing communities, to compare the
relative merits of the various approaches to depression and emotion recognition
under well-defined and strictly comparable conditions and establish to what
extent fusion of the approaches is possible and beneficial. This paper presents
the challenge guidelines, the common data used, and the performance of the
baseline system on the two tasks.


title: Manufacturing and the LLRF Tests of the SANAEM RFQ

abstract:
  The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority has been working on building an
experimental proton beamline using local resources at the Saraykoy Nuclear
Research and Training Center (SANAEM). The radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) was
manufactured after the completion of beam dynamics and 3D electromagnetic
simulation studies. The vanes were machined using a three axis CNC machine. A
CMM was used for both the acceptance tests of the vanes and their assembly.
Production and assembly errors were found acceptable for this cavity, the very
first one developed in Turkey. The aluminum vanes were copper coated by
electroplating. The coated vanes were bolted and bonded with eight screws,
eight pins and two different adhesives. A silver paste was used for RF sealing
and a low vapor pressure epoxy was used for vacuum isolation. First LLRF tests
of the RFQ were performed using the phase shift method with a bead-pull setup,
a VNA, an N-type RF coupler and a pick-up loop. Cavity quality factor was
measured with 3dB method for different RF sealing stages. This study summarizes
the machining, assembling and the first LLRF tests of the SANAEM RFQ.


title:
Agent-Based Model for River-Side Land-living: Portrait of Bandung
  Indonesian Cikapundung Park Case Study

abstract:
  A city park has been built from the organic urban settlement in the
Cikapundung River, Bandung, Indonesia. While the aim for the development is the
revitalization of the river for being unhealthy from the waste coming from the
settlement. A study on how Indonesian people, in general, treating water
source, like river, lake, and ocean is revisited. Throwing waste into the river
has actually become paradox with the collective mental understanding about
water among Indonesians. Two scenarios of agent-based simulation is presented,
to see the dynamics of organic settlement and life of the city park after being
opened for public. The simulation is delivered upon the imagery of landscape
taken from the satellite and drone. While experience for presented problems
gives insights, the computational social laboratory also awaits for further
theoretical explorations and endeavors to sharpen good policymaking.


title: A Neumann Boundary Term for Gravity

abstract:
  The Gibbons-Hawking-York (GHY) boundary term makes the Dirichlet problem for
gravity well defined, but no such general term seems to be known for Neumann
boundary conditions. In this paper, we view Neumann {\em not} as fixing the
normal derivative of the metric ("velocity") at the boundary, but as fixing the
functional derivative of the action with respect to the boundary metric
("momentum"). This leads directly to a new boundary term for gravity: the trace
of the extrinsic curvature with a specific dimension-dependent coefficient. In
three dimensions this boundary term reduces to a "one-half" GHY term noted in
the literature previously, and we observe that our action translates precisely
to the Chern-Simons action with no extra boundary terms. In four dimensions the
boundary term vanishes, giving a natural Neumann interpretation to the standard
Einstein-Hilbert action without boundary terms. We argue that in light of
AdS/CFT, ours is a natural approach for defining a "microcanonical" path
integral for gravity in the spirit of the (pre-AdS/CFT) work of Brown and York.


title:
The first gravitational-wave burst GW150914, as predicted by the
  scenario machine

abstract:
  The Advanced LIGO observatory recently reported (Abbott et al., 2016a) the
first direct detection of gravitational waves predicted by Einstein (1916). The
detection of this event was predicted in 1997 on the basis of the Scenario
Machine population synthesis calculations (Lipunov et al., NewA, 2, 43). Now we
discuss the parameters of binary black holes and event rates predicted by
different scenarios of binary evolution. We give a simple explanation of the
big difference between detected black hole masses and the mean black hole
masses observed in of X-ray Nova systems. The proximity of the masses of the
components of GW150914 is in good agreement with the observed initial mass
ratio distribution in massive binary systems, as is used in Scenario Machine
calculations for massive binaries.


title: Quantum walks and non-Abelian discrete gauge theory

abstract:
  A new family of discrete-time quantum walks (DTQWs) on the line with an exact
discrete $U(N)$ gauge invariance is introduced. It is shown that the continuous
limit of these DTQWs, when it exists, coincides with the dynamics of a Dirac
fermion coupled to usual $U(N)$ gauge fields in $2D$ spacetime. A discrete
generalization of the usual $U(N)$ curvature is also constructed. An alternate
interpretation of these results in terms of superimposed $U(1)$ Maxwell fields
and $SU(N)$ gauge fields is discussed in the Appendix. Numerical simulations
are also presented, which explore the convergence of the DTQWs towards their
continuous limit and which also compare the DTQWs with classical (i.e.
non-quantum) motions in classical $SU(2)$ fields. The results presented in this
article constitute a first step towards quantum simulations of generic
Yang-Mills gauge theories through DTQWs.


title:
Event-Triggered Cooperative Robust Practical Output Regulation for a
  Class of Linear Multi-Agent Systems

abstract:
  In this paper, we consider the event-triggered cooperative robust practical
output regulation problem for a class of linear minimum-phase multi-agent
systems. We first convert our problem into the cooperative robust practical
stabilization problem of a well defined augmented system Based on the
distributed internal model approach. Then, we design a distributed
event-triggered output feedback control law together with a distributed
output-based event-triggered mechanism to stabilize the augmented system, which
leads to the solvability of the cooperative robust practical output regulation
problem of the original plant. Our distributed control law can be directly
implemented in a digital platform provided that the distributed triggering
mechanism can monitor the continuous-time output information from neighboring
agents. Finally, we illustrate our design by an example.


title:
First Gravitational-Wave Burst GW150914: Part II. MASTER Optical
  Follow-Up Observations

abstract:
  The Advanced LIGO observatory recently reported the first direct detection of
gravitational waves predicted by Einstein (1916). We report on the first
optical observations of the Gravitational Wave (GW) source GW150914 error
region with the Global MASTER Robotic Net. We detected several optical
transients, which proved to be unconnected with the GW event. Our result is
consistent with the assumption that gravitational waves were produced by a
binary black hole merger. The detection of the event confirmed the main
prediction of the population synthesis performed with the "Scenario Machine"
formulated in Lipunov1997b.


title:
Optimal control of PDEs in a complex space setting; application to the
  Schr\"odinger equation

abstract:
  In this paper we discuss optimality conditions for abstract optimization
problems over complex spaces. We then apply these results to optimal control
problems with a semigroup structure. As an application we detail the case when
the state equation is the Schr\"{o}dinger one, with pointwise constraints on
the "bilinear" control. We derive first and second order optimality conditions
and address in particular the case that the control enters the state equation
and cost function linearly.


title:
On the non-convergence of the Wang-Landau algorithms with multiple
  random walkers

abstract:
  This paper discusses some convergence properties in the entropic sampling
Monte Carlo methods with multiple random walkers, particularly in the
Wang-Landau (WL) and $1/t$ algorithms. The classical algorithms are modified by
the use of $m$ independent random walkers in the energy landscape to calculate
the density of states (DOS). The Ising model is used to show the convergence
properties in the calculation of the DOS, as well as the critical temperature,
while the calculation of the number $\pi$ by multiple dimensional integration
is used in the continuum approximation. In each case, the error is obtained
separately for each walker at a fixed time, $t$; then, the average over $m$
walkers is performed. It is observed that the error goes as $1/\sqrt{m}$.
However, if the number of walkers increases above a certain critical value
$m>m_x$, the error reaches a constant value (i.e. it saturates). This occurs
for both algorithms; however, it is shown that for a given system, the $1/t$
algorithm is more efficient and accurate than the similar version of the WL
algorithm. It follows that it makes no sense to increase the number of walkers
above a critical value $m_x$, since it does not reduces the error in the
calculation. Therefore, the number of walkers does not guarantee convergence.


title:
Simultaneous diffusion and homogenization asymptotic for the linear
  Boltzmann equation

abstract:
  This article is on the simultaneous diffusion approximation and
homogenization of the linear Boltzmann equation when both the mean free path
$\varepsilon$ and the heterogeneity length scale $\eta$ vanish. No periodicity
assumption is made on the scattering coefficient of the background material.
There is an assumption made on the heterogeneity length scale $\eta$ that it
scales as $\varepsilon^\beta$ for $\beta\in(0,\infty)$. In one space dimension,
we prove that the solutions to the kinetic model converge to the solutions of
an effective diffusion equation for any $\beta\le2$ in the $\varepsilon\to0$
limit. In any arbitrary phase space dimension, under a smallness assumption of
a certain quotient involving the scattering coefficient in the
$H^{-\frac{1}{2}}$ norm, we again prove that the solutions to the kinetic model
converge to the solutions of an effective diffusion equation in the
$\varepsilon\to0$ limit.


title:
Membrane Matrix models and non-perturbative checks of gauge/gravity
  duality

abstract:
  We compare the bosonic and maximally supersymmetric membrane models. We find
that in Hoppe regulated form the bosonic membrane is well approximated by
massive Gaussian quantum matrix models. In contrast the similarly regulated
supersymmetric membrane, which is equivalent to the BFSS model, has a gravity
dual description. We sketch recent progress in checking gauge/gravity duality
in this context.


title: CHAOS III: Gas-Phase Abundances in NGC5457

abstract:
  The CHemical Abundances of Spirals (CHAOS) project leverages the combined
power of the Large Binocular Telescope with the broad spectral range and
sensitivity of the Multi Object Double Spectrograph (MODS) to measure direct
abundances in large samples of HII regions in spiral galaxies. We present LBT
MODS observations of 109 Hii regions in NGC5457, of which 74 have robust
measurements of key auroral lines, a factor of 3 larger than all previous
published detections of auroral lines in the HII regions of NGC5457. Comparing
the temperatures derived from the different ionic species we find: (1) strong
correlations of T[NII] with T[SIII] and T[OIII], consistent with little or no
intrinsic scatter; (2) a correlation of T[SIII] with T[OIII], but with
significant intrinsic dispersion; (3) overall agreement between T[NII], T[SII],
and T[OII], as expected, but with significant outliers; (4) the correlations of
T[NII] with T[SIII] and T[OIII] match the predictions of photoionization
modeling while the correlation of T[SIII] with T[OIII] is offset from the
prediction of photoionization modeling. Based on these observations, which
include significantly more observations of lower excitation HII regions,
missing in many analyses, we inspect the commonly used ionization correction
factors (ICFs) for unobserved ionic species and propose new empirical ICFs for
S and Ar. We have discovered an unexpected population of HII regions with a
significant offset to low values in Ne/O, which defies explanation. We derive
radial gradients in O/H and N/O which agree with previous studies. Our large
observational database allows us to examine the dispersion in abundances, and
we find intrinsic dispersions of 0.074 in O/H and 0.095 in N/O (at a given
radius). We stress that this measurement of the intrinsic dispersion comes
exclusively from direct measurements of HII regions in NGC5457.


title:
Emergence of a weak topological insulator from the Bi$_x$Se$_y$ family
  and the observation of weak anti-localization

abstract:
  The discovery of strong topological insulators led to enormous activity in
condensed matter physics and the discovery of new types of topological
materials. Bisumth based chalcogenides are exemplary strong three dimensional
topological insulators that host an odd number of massless Dirac fermionic
states on all surfaces. A departure from this notion is the idea of a weak
topological insulator, wherein only certain surface terminations host surface
states characterized by an even number of Dirac cones leading to exciting new
physics. Experimentally however, weak topological insulators have proven to be
elusive. Here, we report a discovery of a weak topological insulator (WTI),
BiSe, of the Bi-chalcogenide family with an indirect band gap of 42 meV. Its
structural unit consists of bismuth bilayer (Bi$_2$), a known quantum spin hall
insulator sandwiched between two units of Bi$_2$Se$_3$ which are three
dimensional strong topological insulators. Angle resolved photo-emission
spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements on cleaved single crystal flakes along with
density fucntional theory (DFT) calculations confirm the existence of weak
topological insulating state of BiSe. Additionally, we have carried out
magneto-transport measurements on single crystal flakes as well as thin films
of BiSe, which exhibit clear signatures of weak anti-localization at low
temperatures, consistent with the properties of topological insulators.


title:
Boundary regularity and sufficient conditions for strong local
  minimizers

abstract:
  In this paper we present a new proof of the sufficiency theorem for strong
local minimizers concerning $C^1$-extremals at which the second variation is
strictly positive. The results are presented in the quasiconvex setting, in
accordance with the original statement by Grabovsky and Mengesha (2009). The
strategy that we follow relies on a decomposition theorem that allows to split
a sequence of variations into its oscillating and its concentrating parts, as
well as on a sufficiency result according to which smooth extremals are
spatially-local minimizers. Furthermore, we prove partial regularity up to the
boundary for strong local minimizers in the non-homogeneous case and a full
regularity result for Lipschitz extremals with gradient of vanishing mean
oscillation. As a consequence, we also establish a sufficiency result for this
class of extremals. The regularity results are established via a blow-up
argument.


title: Gravitational waves from inflation

abstract:
  The production of a stochastic background of gravitational waves is a
fundamental prediction of any cosmological inflationary model. The features of
such a signal encode unique information about the physics of the Early Universe
and beyond, thus representing an exciting, powerful window on the origin and
evolution of the Universe. We review the main mechanisms of gravitational-wave
production, ranging from quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field to
other mechanisms that can take place during or after inflation. These include
e.g. gravitational waves generated as a consequence of extra particle
production during inflation, or during the (p)reheating phase. Gravitational
waves produced in inflation scenarios based on modified gravity theories and
second-order gravitational waves are also considered. For each analyzed case,
the expected power-spectrum is given. We discuss the discriminating power among
different models, associated with the validity/violation of the standard
consistency relation between tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ and tensor spectral
index $n_{\rm T}$. In light of the prospects for (directly/indirectly)
detecting primordial gravitational waves, we give the expected present-day
gravitational radiation spectral energy-density, highlighting the main
characteristics imprinted by the cosmic thermal history, and we outline the
signatures left by gravitational waves on the Cosmic Microwave Background and
some imprints in the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe. Finally, current
bounds and prospects of detection for inflationary gravitational waves are
summarized.


title: Flat Bunches with a Hollow Distribution for Space Charge Mitigation

abstract:
  Longitudinally hollow bunches provide one means to mitigate the impact of
transverse space charge. The hollow distributions are created via dipolar
parametric excitation during acceleration in CERN's Proton Synchrotron Booster.
We present simulation work and beam measurements. Particular emphasis is given
to the alleviation of space charge effects on the long injection plateau of the
downstream Proton Synchrotron machine, which is the main goal of this study.


title: Families of solution curves for some non-autonomous problems

abstract:
  The paper studies families of positive solution curves for non-autonomous
two-point problems \[ u"+\lambda f(u)-\mu g(x)=0, \;\; -1<x<1, \;\;
u(-1)=u(1)=0 \] depending on two positive parameters $\lambda$ and $\mu$. We
regard $\lambda$ as a primary parameter, giving us the solution curves, while
the secondary parameter $\mu$ allows for evolution of these curves. We give
conditions under which the solution curves do not intersect, and the maximum
value of solutions provides a global parameter. Our primary application is to
constant yield harvesting for diffusive logistic equation. We implement
numerical computations of the solution curves, using continuation in a global
parameter, a technique that we developed in [11].


title:
Long-term and large-scale hydrodynamical simulations of migrating
  planets

abstract:
  We present a new method that allows long-term and large-scale hydrodynamical
simulations of migrating planets over a grid-based Eulerian code. This
technique, which consists in a remapping of the disk by tracking the planetary
migration, enables runs of migrating planets over a time comparable to the age
of protoplanetary disks. This method also has the potential to address
efficiently problems related with migration of multi-planet systems in gaseous
disks, and to improve current results of migration of massive planets by
including global viscous evolution as well as detailed studies of the
co-orbital region during migration. We perform different tests using the public
code FARGO3D to validate this method and compare its results with those
obtained using a classical fixed grid.


title:
A Proposed Method for Measurement of Absolute Air Fluorescence Yield
  based on High Resolution Optical Emission Spectroscopy

abstract:
  In this work, we present a method for absolute measurement of air
fluorescence yield based on high resolution optical emission spectroscopy. The
absolute measurement of the air fluorescence yield is feasible using the
Cherenkov light, emitted by an electron beam simultaneously with the
fluorescence light, as a "standard candle". The separation of these two
radiations can be accomplished exploiting the "dark" spectral regions of the
emission band systems of the molecular spectrum of nitrogen. In these "dark"
regions the net Cherenkov light can be recorded experimentally and be compared
with the calculated one. The instrumentation for obtaining the nitrogen
molecular spectra in high resolution and the noninvasive method for monitoring
the rotational temperature of the emission process are also described. For the
experimental evaluation of the molecular spectra analysis we used DC normal
glow discharges in air performed in an appropriate spectral lamp considered as
an air-fluorescence light emulator. The proposed method and the associated
instrumentation could be tested and used in thin or thick target experiments in
electron beam accelerators as a candidate optical system for this purpose.


title: Tritium $\beta$-decay in chiral effective field theory

abstract:
  We evaluate the Fermi and Gamow-Teller (GT) matrix elements in tritium
$\beta$-decay by including in the charge-changing weak current the corrections
up to one loop recently derived in nuclear chiral effective field theory
($\chi$ EFT). The trinucleon wave functions are obtained from
hyperspherical-harmonics solutions of the Schrodinger equation with two- and
three-nucleon potentials corresponding to either $\chi$ EFT (the N3LO/N2LO
combination) or meson-exchange phenomenology (the AV18/UIX combination). We
find that contributions due to loop corrections in the axial current are, in
relative terms, as large as (and in some cases, dominate) those from one-pion
exchange, which nominally occur at lower order in the power counting. We also
provide values for the low-energy constants multiplying the contact axial
current and three-nucleon potential, required to reproduce the experimental GT
matrix element and trinucleon binding energies in the N3LO/N2LO and AV18/UIX
calculations.


title: Immersed Boundary Simulations of Active Fluid Droplets

abstract:
  We present numerical simulations of active fluid droplets immersed in an
external fluid in 2-dimensions { using} an Immersed Boundary method to simulate
the fluid droplet interface as a Lagrangian mesh. We present results from two
example systems, firstly an active isotropic fluid boundary consisting of
particles that can bind and unbind from the interface and generate surface
tension gradients through active contractility. Secondly, a droplet filled with
an active polar fluid with { homeotropic} anchoring at the droplet interface.
These two systems demonstrate spontaneous symmetry breaking and steady state
dynamics resembling cell motility and division and show complex feedback
mechanisms with minimal degrees of freedom. The simulations outlined here will
be useful for quantifying the wide range of dynamics observable in these active
systems and modelling the effects of confinement in a consistent and adaptable
way.


title:
Improving abcdSAT by At-Least-One Recently Used Clause Management
  Strategy

abstract:
  We improve further the 2015 version of abcdSAT by various heuristics such as
at-least-one recently used strategy, learnt clause database approximation
reduction etc. Based on the requirement of different tracks at the SAT
Competition 2016, we develop three versions of abcdSAT: drup, inc and lim,
which participate in the competition of main (agile), incremental library and
no-limit track, respectively.


title:
On the Convergence of A Family of Robust Losses for Stochastic Gradient
  Descent

abstract:
  The convergence of Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) using convex loss
functions has been widely studied. However, vanilla SGD methods using convex
losses cannot perform well with noisy labels, which adversely affect the update
of the primal variable in SGD methods. Unfortunately, noisy labels are
ubiquitous in real world applications such as crowdsourcing. To handle noisy
labels, in this paper, we present a family of robust losses for SGD methods. By
employing our robust losses, SGD methods successfully reduce negative effects
caused by noisy labels on each update of the primal variable. We not only
reveal that the convergence rate is O(1/T) for SGD methods using robust losses,
but also provide the robustness analysis on two representative robust losses.
Comprehensive experimental results on six real-world datasets show that SGD
methods using robust losses are obviously more robust than other baseline
methods in most situations with fast convergence.


title:
Complete integrability of information processing by biochemical
  reactions

abstract:
  Statistical mechanics provides an effective framework to investigate
information processing in biochemical reactions. Within such framework
far-reaching analogies are established among (anti-) cooperative collective
behaviors in chemical kinetics, (anti-)ferromagnetic spin models in statistical
mechanics and operational amplifiers/flip-flops in cybernetics. The underlying
modeling -- based on spin systems -- has been proved to be accurate for a wide
class of systems matching classical (e.g. Michaelis--Menten, Hill, Adair)
scenarios in the infinite-size approximation. However, the current research in
biochemical information processing has been focusing on systems involving a
relatively small number of units, where this approximation is no longer valid.
Here we show that the whole statistical mechanical description of reaction
kinetics can be re-formulated via a mechanical analogy -- based on completely
integrable hydrodynamic-type systems of PDEs -- which provides explicit
finite-size solutions, matching recently investigated phenomena (e.g.
noise-induced cooperativity, stochastic bi-stability, quorum sensing). The
resulting picture, successfully tested against a broad spectrum of data,
constitutes a neat rationale for a numerically effective and theoretically
consistent description of collective behaviors in biochemical reactions.


title:
Prototype muon detectors for the AMIGA component of the Pierre Auger
  Observatory

abstract:
  Auger Muons and Infill for the Ground Array) is an upgrade of the Pierre
Auger Observatory to extend its range of detection and to directly measure the
muon content of the particle showers. It consists of an infill of surface
water-Cherenkov detectors accompanied by buried scintillator detectors used for
muon counting. The main objectives of the AMIGA engineering array, referred to
as the Unitary Cell, are to identify and resolve all engineering issues as well
as to understand the muon-number counting uncertainties related to the design
of the detector. The mechanical design, fabrication and deployment processes of
the muon counters of the Unitary Cell are described in this document. These
muon counters modules comprise sealed PVC casings containing plastic
scintillation bars, wavelength-shifter optical fibers, 64 pixel photomultiplier
tubes, and acquisition electronics. The modules are buried approximately 2.25 m
below ground level in order to minimize contamination from electromagnetic
shower particles. The mechanical setup, which allows access to the electronics
for maintenance, is also described in addition to tests of the modules'
response and integrity. The completed Unitary Cell has measured a number of air
showers of which a first analysis of a sample event is included here.


title: First Antineutrino Oscillation Results from T2K

abstract:
  As limits improve on the neutrino mixing angles and mass-squared differences,
the focus of T2K has shifted towards studying antineutrino oscillation. This
will give an insight into CP violation (if P($\bar{\nu}_{\mu} \rightarrow
\bar{\nu}_{e}) \neq \mbox{P}(\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_e)$) and CPT violation
(if P($\bar{\nu}_{\mu} \rightarrow \bar{\nu}_{\mu}) \neq \mbox{P}(\nu_{\mu}
\rightarrow \nu_{\mu})$) in the lepton sector. This poster summarises the most
recent T2K antineutrino oscillation results, from data collected using a
$\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$-enhanced neutrino beam corresponding to $4.01 \times 10^{20}$
protons on target (roughly $1/3$ of the total protons on target collected by
T2K). We present world-leading measurements of $\Delta \bar{m}^2_{32}$ and
$\sin^2\bar{\theta}_{23}$ and the first analysis of $\bar{\nu}_e$ appearance
from T2K. Both results use a Bayesian oscillation analysis based on a Markov
Chain Monte Carlo method in which data from the near detector and far detector
are fit simultaneously.


title:
A Sensing Contribution-based Two-layer Game for Channel Selection and
  Spectrum Access in Cognitive Radio Ad-hoc Networks

abstract:
  In cognitive radio (CR) networks, the secondary users (SUs) sense the
spectrum licensed to the primary users (PUs) to identify and possibly transmit
over temporarily unoccupied channels. Cooperative sensing was proposed to
improve the sensing accuracy, but in heterogeneous scenarios SUs do not
contribute equally to the cooperative sensing result because they experience
different received PU signal quality at their sensors. In this paper, a
two-layer coalitional game is developed for distributed sensing and access in
multichannel CR ad hoc networks where the SUs' transmission opportunities are
commensurate with their sensing contributions, thus fostering cooperation and
eliminating free-riders. Numerical results show that the proposed two-layer
game is computationally efficient and outperforms previously investigated
collaborative sensing and spectrum access approaches for heterogeneous
multichannel CR networks in terms of energy efficiency, throughput, SU
fairness, and complexity. Moreover, it is demonstrated that this game is robust
to changes in the network topology and the number of SUs in low-mobility
scenarios. Finally, we propose a new physical-layer approach to distributing
the network-level miss-detection (MD) constraints fairly among the interfering
SUs for guaranteed PU protection and demonstrate the performance advantages of
the AND-rule combining of spectrum sensing results for heterogeneous SUs.


title: The Structure of Halo Gas Around M33

abstract:
  Understanding the distribution of gas in and around galaxies is vital for our
interpretation of galaxy formation and evolution. As part of the Arecibo Galaxy
Environment Survey (AGES) we have observed the neutral hydrogen (HI) gas in and
around the nearby Local Group galaxy M33 to a greater depth than previous
observations. As part of this project we investigated the absence of optically
detected dwarf galaxies in its neighbourhood, which is contrary to predictions
of galaxy formation models. We observed 22 discrete clouds, 11 of which were
previously undetected and none of which have optically detected counterparts.
We find one particularly interesting hydrogen cloud, which has many similar
characteristics to hydrogen distributed in the disk of a galaxy. This cloud, if
it is at the distance of M33, has a HI mass of around 10^7 Msun and a diameter
of 18 kpc, making it larger in size than M33 itself.


title:
Study of nonleptonic $B_{q}^{\ast}$ ${\to}$ $D_{q}V$ and $P_{q} D^*$
  weak decays

abstract:
  Motivated by the powerful capability of measurement for the $b$-flavored
hadron rare decays at LHC and SuperKEKB/Belle-II, the nonleptonic
$\bar{B}^{\ast}$ ${\to}$ $D\bar{D}^{\ast}$, $D{\rho^-}$, $DK^{\ast-}$,
${\pi}D^{\ast}$ and $KD^{\ast}$ weak decays are studied in detail. With the
amplitudes calculated with factorization approach and the form factors of
$B^{\ast}$ transition into pseudoscalar meson evaluated with the BSW model,
branching fractions and polarization fractions are firstly presented.
Numerically, the CKM-favored $\bar{B}_{q}^{\ast}$ ${\to}$
$D_{q}D_{s}^{{\ast}-}$ and $D_{q}{\rho}^{-}$ decays have large branching
fractions, $\sim$ $10^{-8}$, which should be sought for with priority and
firstly observed by LHC and Belle-II experiments. The $\bar{B}^{\ast}_q$
${\to}$ $D_qK^{\ast}$ and $D_q{\rho}$ decays are dominated by the longitudinal
polarization states. While, the parallel polarization fractions of
$\bar{B}^{\ast}_q$ ${\to}$ $D_q\bar{D}^{\ast}$ decays are comparable with the
longitudinal ones, numerically, $f_{\parallel}$ $+$ $f_{L}$ ${\simeq}$ 95\% and
$f_{L}:f_{\parallel}$ $\simeq$ $5:4$. Some comparisons between $\bar{B}^{*0}_q$
$\to$ $D_q V$ and their corresponding $\bar{B}^{0}_q$ $\to$ $D^*_q V$ decays
are performed, and the relation $ f_{L,\parallel}(\bar{B}^{\ast 0}\to D
V)\simeq f_{L,\parallel}(\bar{B}^0\to D^{\ast +} V^-) $ is presented. Besides,
with the implication of $SU(3)$ flavor symmetry, some useful ratios $ R_{\rm
du}$ and $ R_{\rm ds}$ are discussed in detail, and suggested to be verified
experimentally.


title:
Study of Nonleptonic $B^{\ast}_{(s)}\to M_1 M_2$ $(M=D$, $D_s$, $\pi$,
  $K)$ Weak Decays with Factorization Approach

abstract:
  Motivated by the experiments of heavy flavor physics at running LHC and
upgrading SuperKEKB/Belle-II in the future, the nonleptonic $B^{\ast}_{(s)}\to
M_1 M_2$ $(M=D$, $D_s$, $\pi$, $K)$ weak decays are studied in this paper. The
amplitudes are calculated with factorization approach, and the transition form
factors $A_0^{B^{\ast}_{(s)}\to M_1}(0)$ are evaluated within BSW model. With
the reasonable approximation $\Gamma_{tot}(B^*_{(s)})\simeq \Gamma(B^*_{(s)}\to
B_{(s)}\gamma)$, our predictions of branching fractions are presented.
Numerically, the CKM-favored tree-dominated $\bar{B}^{*0} \to D^+D^-_s$ and
$\bar{B}^{*0}_s \to D^+_sD^-_s$ decays have the largest branching fractions of
the order $\sim{\cal O}(10^{-8})$, and hence will be firstly observed by
forthcoming Belle-II experiment. However, most of the other decay modes have
the branching fractions~$<{\cal O}(10^{-9})$ and thus are hardly to be observed
soon. Besides, for the possible detectable $B^{\ast}_{(s)}$ decays with
branching fractions $\gtrsim{\cal O}(10^{-9})$, some useful ratios, such as
$R_D$ {\it et al.,} are presented and discussed in detail.


title:
$\bar{B}_{d,s} \to D^{*}_{d,s} V$ and $\bar{B}_{d,s}^* \to D_{d,s} V$
  decays within QCD Factorization and Possible Puzzles

abstract:
  Motivated by the rapid development of heavy-flavor experiments,
phenomenological studies of nonleptonic $\bar{B}_{d,s} \to D^{*}_{d,s} V$ and
$\bar{B}_{d,s}^* \to D_{d,s} V$~($V=\rho\,,K^*$) decays are performed within
the framework of QCD Factorization. Relative to previous works, the QCD
corrections to the transverse amplitudes are evaluated at next-to-leading
order. The theoretical predictions of the observables are updated. For the
measured $\bar{B}_{d,s} \to D^{*}_{d,s} V$ decays, two tensions between
theoretical results and experimental measurements, {\it i.e.} "$R_{ds}^{V}$
puzzle" and "$D^{*} V$~(or $R_{V/\ell\bar{\nu}_\ell}$) puzzle", are presented
after detailed analyses. For the $\bar{B}_{d,s}^* \to D_{d,s} V$ decays, they
have relatively large branching fractions of the order $\gtrsim{\cal
O}(10^{-9})$ and are in the scope of Belle-II and LHCb experiments. Moreover,
they also provide a way to crosscheck the above-mentioned possible puzzles
through the similar ratios $R_{ds}^{\prime V}$ and
$R_{V/\ell\bar{\nu}_\ell}^{\prime}$. More refined experimental measurements and
theoretical efforts are required to confirm or refute such two anomalies.


title: The complete one-loop BMN S-matrix in AdS(3) x S(3) x T(4)

abstract:
  We compute the full one-loop 2-particle S-matrix for excitations of the type
IIB AdS(3) x S(3) x T(4) BMN string. The S-matrix is found to respect the
expected symmetries and the phases are consistent with the crossing equations.
By analyzing how the relevant integrals scale with the IR regulator we show
that scattering of massless bosons is trivial at two loops. Based on our
results we argue that the additional su(2) S-matrix appearing in the massless
sector in the exact solution should trivialize.


title: Quantum revivals in free field CFT

abstract:
  A commentary is made on the recent work by Cardy, ArXiv:1603. 08267, on
quantum revivals and higher dimensional CFT. The actual expressions used here
are those derived some time ago. The calculation is extended to fermion fields
for which the power spectrum involves the odd divisor function. Comments are
made on the equivalence of operator counting and eigenvalue methods, which is
quickly verified. An explanation of the rational revivals for odd spheres is
given in terms of wrongly quantised fields.


title: Heat transport in nonuniform superconductors

abstract:
  We calculate electronic energy transport in inhomogeneous superconductors
using a fully self-consistent non-equilibrium quasiclassical Keldysh approach.
We develop a general theory and apply it a superconductor with an order
parameter that forms domain walls, of the type encountered in
Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state. The heat transport in the presence of a
domain wall is inherently anisotropic and non-local. Bound states in the
nonuniform region play a crucial role and control heat transport in several
ways: (i) they modify the spectrum of quasiparticle states and result in
Andreev reflection processes, and (ii) they hybridize with impurity band and
produce local transport environment with properties very different from those
in uniform superconductor. As a result of this interplay, heat transport
becomes highly sensitive to temperature, magnetic field and disorder. For
strongly scattering impurities we find that the transport across domain walls
at low temperatures is considerably more efficient than in the uniform
superconducting state.


title: The IBM Speaker Recognition System: Recent Advances and Error Analysis

abstract:
  We present the recent advances along with an error analysis of the IBM
speaker recognition system for conversational speech. Some of the key
advancements that contribute to our system include: a nearest-neighbor
discriminant analysis (NDA) approach (as opposed to LDA) for intersession
variability compensation in the i-vector space, the application of speaker and
channel-adapted features derived from an automatic speech recognition (ASR)
system for speaker recognition, and the use of a DNN acoustic model with a very
large number of output units (~10k senones) to compute the frame-level soft
alignments required in the i-vector estimation process. We evaluate these
techniques on the NIST 2010 SRE extended core conditions (C1-C9), as well as
the 10sec-10sec condition. To our knowledge, results achieved by our system
represent the best performances published to date on these conditions. For
example, on the extended tel-tel condition (C5) the system achieves an EER of
0.59%. To garner further understanding of the remaining errors (on C5), we
examine the recordings associated with the low scoring target trials, where
various issues are identified for the problematic recordings/trials.
Interestingly, it is observed that correcting the pathological recordings not
only improves the scores for the target trials but also for the nontarget
trials.


title: Maximal Sparsity with Deep Networks?

abstract:
  The iterations of many sparse estimation algorithms are comprised of a fixed
linear filter cascaded with a thresholding nonlinearity, which collectively
resemble a typical neural network layer. Consequently, a lengthy sequence of
algorithm iterations can be viewed as a deep network with shared, hand-crafted
layer weights. It is therefore quite natural to examine the degree to which a
learned network model might act as a viable surrogate for traditional sparse
estimation in domains where ample training data is available. While the
possibility of a reduced computational budget is readily apparent when a
ceiling is imposed on the number of layers, our work primarily focuses on
estimation accuracy. In particular, it is well-known that when a signal
dictionary has coherent columns, as quantified by a large RIP constant, then
most tractable iterative algorithms are unable to find maximally sparse
representations. In contrast, we demonstrate both theoretically and empirically
the potential for a trained deep network to recover minimal $\ell_0$-norm
representations in regimes where existing methods fail. The resulting system is
deployed on a practical photometric stereo estimation problem, where the goal
is to remove sparse outliers that can disrupt the estimation of surface normals
from a 3D scene.


title:
Frustrated ground states of a generalized XY model and their mapping to
  non-magnetic structural analogues

abstract:
  Ground state phases of a generalized XY model with magnetic and generalized
nematic couplings on a non-bipartite triangular lattice are investigated in the
exchange interactions parameter space. We demonstrate that the model displays a
number of ordered and quasi-ordered phases as a result of geometrical
frustration and/or competition between the magnetic and generalized nematic
interactions. The nature and the extent of the respective phases depend on the
parameter $q$, characterizing the higher-order harmonics term in the
Hamiltonian. Motivated by the recent discovery of the experimental realization
of the model with $q=2$ in the seemingly unrelated field of the systems
chemistry [A.B. Cairns et al., Nature Chemistry 8, 442 (2016)], the model for
$q>2$ is discussed in the context of the prediction of structural phases of a
class of bimetalic cyanides based on a mapping between the two systems.


title:
Baryonic Distributions in Galaxy Dark Matter Haloes I: New Observations
  of Neutral and Ionized Gas Kinematics

abstract:
  We present a combination of new and archival neutral hydrogen (HI)
observations and new ionized gas spectroscopic observations for sixteen
galaxies in the statistically representative EDGES kinematic sample. HI
rotation curves are derived from new and archival radio synthesis observations
from the Very Large Array (VLA) as well as processed data products from the
Westerbork Radio Synthesis Telescope (WSRT). The HI rotation curves are
supplemented with optical spectroscopic integral field unit (IFU) observations
using SparsePak on the WIYN 3.5 m telescope to constrain the central ionized
gas kinematics in twelve galaxies. The full rotation curves of each galaxy are
decomposed into baryonic and dark matter halo components using 3.6$\mu$m images
from the Spitzer Space Telescope for the stellar content, the neutral hydrogen
data for the atomic gas component, and, when available, CO data from the
literature for the molecular gas component. Differences in the inferred
distribution of mass are illustrated under fixed stellar mass-to-light ratio
(M/L) and maximum disc/bulge assumptions in the rotation curve decomposition.


title: Flux-dependent graphs for metabolic networks

abstract:
  Cells adapt their metabolic fluxes in response to changes in the environment.
We present a framework for the systematic construction of flux-based graphs
derived from organism-wide metabolic networks. Our graphs encode the
directionality of metabolic fluxes via edges that represent the flow of
metabolites from source to target reactions. The methodology can be applied in
the absence of a specific biological context by modelling fluxes
probabilistically, or can be tailored to different environmental conditions by
incorporating flux distributions computed through constraint-based approaches
such as Flux Balance Analysis. We illustrate our approach on the central carbon
metabolism of Escherichia coli and on a metabolic model of human hepatocytes.
The flux-dependent graphs under various environmental conditions and genetic
perturbations exhibit systemic changes in their topological and community
structure, which capture the re-routing of metabolic fluxes and the varying
importance of specific reactions and pathways. By integrating constraint-based
models and tools from network science, our framework allows the study of
context-specific metabolic responses at a system level beyond standard pathway
descriptions.


title:
State sum constructions of spin-TFTs and string net constructions of
  fermionic phases of matter

abstract:
  It is possible to describe fermionic phases of matter and spin-topological
field theories in 2+1d in terms of bosonic "shadow" theories, which are
obtained from the original theory by "gauging fermionic parity". The
fermionic/spin theories are recovered from their shadow by a process of
fermionic anyon condensation: gauging a one-form symmetry generated by
quasi-particles with fermionic statistics. We apply the formalism to theories
which admit gapped boundary conditions. We obtain Turaev-Viro-like and
Levin-Wen-like constructions of fermionic phases of matter. We describe the
group structure of fermionic SPT phases protected by the product of fermion
parity and internal symmetry G. The quaternion group makes a surprise
appearance.


title:
Achievable Sum DoF of the K-User MIMO Interference Channel with Delayed
  CSIT

abstract:
  This paper considers a $K$-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)
interference channel (IC) where 1) the channel state information obtained by
the transmitters (CSIT) is completely outdated, and 2) the number of transmit
antennas at each transmitter, i.e., $M$, is greater than the number of receive
antennas at each user, i.e., $N$. The usefulness of the delayed CSIT was
firstly identified in a $K$-phase Retrospective Interference Alignment (RIA)
scheme proposed by Maddah-Ali et al for the Multiple-Input-Single-Output
Broadcast Channel, but the extension to the MIMO IC is a non-trivial step as
each transmitter only has the message intended for the corresponding user.
Recently, Abdoli et al focused on a Single-Input-Single-Output IC and solved
such bottleneck by inventing a $K$-phase RIA with distributed overheard
interference retransmission. In this paper, we propose two $K$-phase RIA
schemes suitable for the MIMO IC by generalizing and integrating some key
features of both Abdoli's and Maddah-Ali's works. The two schemes jointly yield
the best known sum Degrees-of-Freedom (DoF) performance so far. For the case
$\frac{M}{N}{\geq}K$, the achieved sum DoF is asymptotically given by
$\frac{64}{15}N$ when $K{\to}\infty$.


title:
Relaxation of Ferroelectric States in 2D Distributions of quantum
  Dots:EELS Simulation

abstract:
  The relaxation time of collective electronic states in a 2D distribution of
quantum dots is investigated theoretically by simulating EELS experiments. From
the numerical calculation of the probability of energy loss of an electron
beam, traveling parallel to the distribution, it is possible to estimate the
damping time of ferroelectric-like states. We generate this collective response
of the distribution by introducing a mean field interaction among the quantum
dots, and then, the model is extended incorporating effects of long-range
correlations through a Bragg-Williams approximation. The behavior of the
dielectric function, the energy loss function, and the relaxation time of
ferroelectric-like states is then investigated as a function of the temperature
of the distribution and the damping constant of the electronic states in the
single quantum dots. The robustness of the trends and tendencies of our results
indicate that this scheme of analysis can guide experimentalists to develop
tailored quantum dots distributions for specific applications.


title: The embedding dimension of Laplacian eigenfunction maps

abstract:
  Any closed, connected Riemannian manifold $M$ can be smoothly embedded by its
Laplacian eigenfunction maps into $\mathbb{R}^m$ for some $m$. We call the
smallest such $m$ the maximal embedding dimension of $M$. We show that the
maximal embedding dimension of $M$ is bounded from above by a constant
depending only on the dimension of $M$, a lower bound for injectivity radius, a
lower bound for Ricci curvature, and a volume bound. We interpret this result
for the case of surfaces isometrically immersed in $\mathbb{R}^3$, showing that
the maximal embedding dimension only depends on bounds for the Gaussian
curvature, mean curvature, and surface area. Furthermore, we consider the
relevance of these results for shape registration.


title:
Constraints from growth-rate data on some coupled dark energy models
  mimicking a $\Lambda CDM$ expansion

abstract:
  The $\Lambda CDM$ expansion could be mimicked by a dark energy coupled to
matter. Then, the equation of state $\bar w$ and coupling $\bar Q$ of this
coupled dark energy could not be constrained by observations of the Hubble
function alone. Also, in this paper, we determine the constraints on two such
coupled dark energy models considering some current and forecast Euclid-like
growth-rate data and assuming the prior on the $\Lambda CDM$ dark matter
density parameter today $\Omega_{m0}=0.295\pm 0.04$. The first model is defined
by a constant equation of state. We find that at $2\sigma$, $\bar
w=-1.02_{-0.22}^{+0.06}$ and the coupling function $\bar Q_0$ today is $\bar
Q_0H_0^{-3}=0.057_{-0.148}^{+0.353}$ with $H_0$ the Hubble constant. The second
model is defined by a varying equation of state $\bar w=\bar w_a-\bar
w_b\ln(1+z)$, with $z$ the redshift and $(\bar w_a,\bar w_b)$, two constants.
We find that at $2\sigma$, $\bar w_a=-0.99_{-0.90}^{+0.17}$, $\bar
w_b=-0.04_{-1.17}^{+0.31}$ and $\bar Q_0H_0^{-3}=0.0002_{-0.18}^{+1.35}$. These
constraints on coupled dark energy agreed with a $\Lambda CDM$ model but are
too poor to discard confidently a coupled dark energy different from vacuum but
mimicking a $\Lambda CDM$ expansion.


title: Slice regular semigroups

abstract:
  In this paper we introduce the notion of slice regular right linear semigroup
in a quaternionic Banach space. It is an operatorial function which is slice
regular (a noncommutative counterpart of analyticity) and which satisfies a
noncommutative semigroup law characterizing the exponential function in an
infinite dimensional noncommutative setting. We prove that a right linear
operator semigroup in a quaternionic Banach space is slice regular if and only
if its generator is spherical sectorial. This result provides a connection
between the slice regularity and the noncommutative semigroups theory, and
characterizes those semigroups which can be represented by a noncommutative
Cauchy integral formula. All our results are generalized to Banach two-sided
modules having as a set of scalar any real associative *-algebra, Clifford R_n
algebras included.


title: Improving estimates of msini by expanding RV datasets

abstract:
  We develop new techniques for estimating the fractional uncertainty (F) in
the projected planetary mass (msini) resulting from Keplerian fits to
radial-velocity (RV) datasets of known Jupiter-class exoplanets. The techniques
include (1) estimating the distribution of msini using Monte Carlo projection,
(2) detecting and mitigating chimeras, a source of systematic error, and (3)
estimating the reduction in the uncertainty in msini if hypothetical
observations were made in the future. We demonstrate the techniques on a
representative set of RV exoplanets, known as the Gang of 27, which are
candidates for detection and characterization by a future astrometric direct
imaging (ADI) mission. We estimate the improvements (reductions) in F due to
additional, hypothetical RV measurements (RVMs) obtained in the future. We
encounter and address a source of systematic error, chimeras, which can appear
when multiple types of Keplerian solutions are compatible with a single
dataset. We find that for n = 10 new, hypothetical RVMs obtained in the last
planetary year before 2025, with the same accuracy as the current available
RVMs, F is reduced by ~18%. From there, each plus-one increase in 2 log n - log
q , where q is the factor by which RVM measurement uncertainty is reduced,
further reduces F by factor 0.18.


title: Hunting for exotic doubly hidden-charm/bottom tetraquark states

abstract:
  We develop a moment QCD sum rule method augmented by fundamental inequalities
to study the existence of exotic doubly hidden-charm/bottom tetraquark states
made of four heavy quarks. Using the compact diquark-antidiquark configuration,
we calculate the mass spectra of these tetraquark states. There are 18
hidden-charm $cc\bar c\bar c$ tetraquark currents with $J^{PC} = 0^{++}$,
$0^{-+}$, $0^{--}$, $1^{++}$, $1^{+-}$, $1^{-+}$, $1^{--}$, and $2^{++}$. We
use them to perform QCD sum rule analyses, and the obtained masses are all
higher than the spontaneous dissociation thresholds of two charmonium mesons,
which are thus their dominant decay modes. The masses of the corresponding
hidden-bottom $bb\bar b\bar b$ tetraquarks are all below or very close to the
thresholds of the $\Upsilon(1S)\Upsilon(1S)$ and $\eta_b(1S)\eta_b(1S)$, except
one current of $J^{PC}=0^{++}$. Hence, we suggest to search for the doubly
hidden-charm states in the $J/\psi J/\psi$ and $\eta_c(1S)\eta_c(1S)$ channels.


title:
A Joint Chandra and Swift View of the 2015 X-Ray Dust Scattering Echo of
  V404 Cygni

abstract:
  We present a combined analysis of the Chandra and Swift observations of the
2015 X-ray echo of V404 Cygni. Using stacking analysis, we identify eight
separate rings in the echo. We reconstruct the soft X-ray lightcurve of the
June 2015 outburst using the high-resolution Chandra images and
cross-correlations of the radial intensity profiles, indicating that about 70%
of the outburst fluence occurred during the bright flare at the end of the
outburst on MJD 57199.8.By deconvolving the intensity profiles with the
reconstructed outburst lightcurve, we show that the rings correspond to eight
separate dust concentrations with precise distance determinations. We further
show that the column density of the clouds varies significantly across the
field of view, with the centroid of most of the clouds shifted toward the
Galactic plane, relative to the position of V404 Cyg, invalidating the
assumption of uniform cloud column typically made in attempts to constrain dust
properties from light echoes. We present a new XSPEC spectral dust scattering
model that calculates the differential dust scattering cross section for a
range of commonly used dust distributions and compositions and use it to
jointly fit the entire set of Swift echo data. We find that a standard
Mathis-Rumpl-Nordsieck model provides an adequate fit to the ensemble of echo
data. The fit is improved by allowing steeper dust distributions, and models
with simple silicate and graphite grains are preferred over models with more
complex composition.


title:
Nonradial and radial period changes in the Delta Scuti star 4 CVn I.
  700+ nights of photometry

abstract:
  The nature of period and amplitude changes in nonradial pulsators is
presently unknown. It is therefore important to examine the correlations
between these changes in stars with a large number of simultaneously excited
pulsation modes. However, the small amplitudes require extensive high-precision
photometry covering many years. We present 702 nights of high-precision
photometry of the evolved Delta Scuti variable 4 CVn obtained from 2005 - 2012
with a dedicated telescope. We detected 64 frequencies, of which 38 can be
identified as combinations and harmonics. The relative amplitudes of the
combination frequencies are similar to those found in 44 Tau and show no
evidence for resonant mode coupling. Significant period and amplitude changes
are detected for the dominant modes. The known prograde and retrograde modes
show period changes with opposite signs, while the radial mode exhibits only
small, cyclical period changes. For each mode, the period changes are constant
over the eight years and range from (1/P)dP/dt = -16 to +13 parts per million.
On the other hand, the amplitude variations show no systematic behavior between
different pulsation modes. The behavior of the prograde, axisymmetric, and
retrograde modes indicates a constant decrease in the rotational splitting over
the eight years.


title:
Small-angle neutron scattering and Molecular Dynamics structural study
  of gelling DNA nanostars

abstract:
  DNA oligomers with properly designed sequences self-assemble into well
defined constructs. Here, we exploit this methodology to produce bulk
quantities of tetravalent DNA nanostars (each one composed by 196 nucleotides)
and to explore the structural signatures of their aggregation process. We
report small-angle neutron scattering experiments focused on the evaluation of
both the form factor and the temperature evolution of the scattered intensity
at a nano star concentration where the system forms a tetravalent equilibrium
gel. We also perform molecular dynamics simulations of one isolated tetramer to
evaluate the form factor theoretically, without resorting to any approximate
shape. The numerical form factor is found to be in very good agreement with the
experimental one. Simulations predict an essentially temperature independent
form factor, offering the possibility to extract the effective structure factor
and its evolution during the equilibrium gelation.


title: Subgroup dynamics and $C^\ast$-simplicity of groups of homeomorphisms

abstract:
  We study the uniformly recurrent subgroups of groups acting by homeomorphisms
on a topological space. We prove a general result relating uniformly recurrent
subgroups to rigid stabilizers of the action, and deduce a $C^*$-simplicity
criterion based on the non-amenability of rigid stabilizers. As an application,
we show that Thompson's group $V$ is $C^\ast$-simple, as well as groups of
piecewise projective homeomorphisms of the real line. This provides examples of
finitely presented $C^\ast$-simple groups without free subgroups. We prove that
a branch group is either amenable or $C^\ast$-simple. We also prove the
converse of a result of Haagerup and Olesen: if Thompson's group $F$ is
non-amenable, then Thompson's group $T$ must be $C^\ast$-simple. Our results
further provide sufficient conditions on a group of homeomorphisms under which
uniformly recurrent subgroups can be completely classified. This applies to
Thompson's groups $F$, $T$ and $V$, for which we also deduce rigidity results
for their minimal actions on compact spaces.


title: LSTM-based Mixture-of-Experts for Knowledge-Aware Dialogues

abstract:
  We introduce an LSTM-based method for dynamically integrating several
word-prediction experts to obtain a conditional language model which can be
good simultaneously at several subtasks. We illustrate this general approach
with an application to dialogue where we integrate a neural chat model, good at
conversational aspects, with a neural question-answering model, good at
retrieving precise information from a knowledge-base, and show how the
integration combines the strengths of the independent components. We hope that
this focused contribution will attract attention on the benefits of using such
mixtures of experts in NLP.


title:
$W_\infty$ Algebras, Hawking Radiation and Information Retention by
  Stringy Black Holes

abstract:
  We have argued previously, based on the analysis of two-dimensional stringy
black holes, that information in stringy versions of four-dimensional
Schwarzschild black holes (whose singular regions are represented by
appropriate Wess-Zumino-Witten models) is retained by quantum $W$-symmetries
when the horizon area is not preserved due to Hawking radiation. It is key that
the exactly-marginal conformal world-sheet operator representing a massless
stringy particle interacting with the black hole requires a contribution from
$W_\infty$ generators in its vertex function. The latter correspond to
delocalised, non-propagating, string excitations that guarantee the transfer of
information between the string black hole and external particles. When
infalling matter crosses the horizon, these topological states are excited via
a process: (Stringy black hole) + infalling matter $\rightarrow $ (Stringy
black hole)$^\star$, where the black hole is viewed as a stringy state with a
specific configuration of $W_\infty$ charges that are conserved. Hawking
radiation is then the reverse process, with conservation of the $W_\infty$
charges retaining information. The Hawking radiation spectrum near the horizon
of a Schwarzschild or Kerr black hole is specified by matrix elements of
higher-order currents that form a phase-space $W_{1+\infty}$ algebra. We show
that an appropriate gauging of this algebra preserves the horizon
two-dimensional area classically, as expected because the latter is a conserved
Noether charge.


title: Geometric integrator for simulations in the canonical ensemble

abstract:
  In this work we introduce a geometric integrator for molecular dynamics
simulations of physical systems in the canonical ensemble. In particular, we
consider the equations arising from the so-called density dynamics algorithm
with any possible type of thermostat and provide an integrator that preserves
the invariant distribution. Our integrator thus constitutes a unified framework
that allows the study and comparison of different thermostats and of their
influence on the equilibrium and non-equilibrium (thermo-)dynamic properties of
the system. To show the validity and the generality of the integrator, we
implement it with a second-order, time-reversible method and apply it to the
simulation of a Lennard-Jones system with three different thermostats,
obtaining good conservation of the geometrical properties and recovering the
expected thermodynamic results.


title: Stance and Sentiment in Tweets

abstract:
  We can often detect from a person's utterances whether he/she is in favor of
or against a given target entity -- their stance towards the target. However, a
person may express the same stance towards a target by using negative or
positive language. Here for the first time we present a dataset of
tweet--target pairs annotated for both stance and sentiment. The targets may or
may not be referred to in the tweets, and they may or may not be the target of
opinion in the tweets. Partitions of this dataset were used as training and
test sets in a SemEval-2016 shared task competition. We propose a simple stance
detection system that outperforms submissions from all 19 teams that
participated in the shared task. Additionally, access to both stance and
sentiment annotations allows us to explore several research questions. We show
that while knowing the sentiment expressed by a tweet is beneficial for stance
classification, it alone is not sufficient. Finally, we use additional
unlabeled data through distant supervision techniques and word embeddings to
further improve stance classification.


title: A Tight Bound of Hard Thresholding

abstract:
  This paper is concerned with the hard thresholding operator which sets all
but the $k$ largest absolute elements of a vector to zero. We establish a {\em
tight} bound to quantitatively characterize the deviation of the thresholded
solution from a given signal. Our theoretical result is universal in the sense
that it holds for all choices of parameters, and the underlying analysis
depends only on fundamental arguments in mathematical optimization. We discuss
the implications for two domains:
  Compressed Sensing. On account of the crucial estimate, we bridge the
connection between the restricted isometry property (RIP) and the sparsity
parameter for a vast volume of hard thresholding based algorithms, which
renders an improvement on the RIP condition especially when the true sparsity
is unknown. This suggests that in essence, many more kinds of sensing matrices
or fewer measurements are admissible for the data acquisition procedure.
  Machine Learning. In terms of large-scale machine learning, a significant yet
challenging problem is learning accurate sparse models in an efficient manner.
In stark contrast to prior work that attempted the $\ell_1$-relaxation for
promoting sparsity, we present a novel stochastic algorithm which performs hard
thresholding in each iteration, hence ensuring such parsimonious solutions.
Equipped with the developed bound, we prove the {\em global linear convergence}
for a number of prevalent statistical models under mild assumptions, even
though the problem turns out to be non-convex.

categories: stat.ML cs.IT cs.LG cs.NA math.IT math.NA math.OC


title: Sinai Diffusion at Quasi-1D Topological Phase Transitions

abstract:
  We consider critical quantum transport in disordered topological quantum
wires at the transition between phases with different topological indexes.
Focusing on the example of thermal transport in class D (`Majorana') quantum
wires, we identify a transport universality class distinguished for anomalous
retardation in the propagation of excitations -- a quantum generalization of
Sinai diffusion. We discuss the expected manifestations of this transport
mechanism for heat propagation in topological superconductors near criticality
and provide a microscopic theory explaining the phenomenon.


title: Testing Equality in Communication Graphs

abstract:
  Let $G=(V,E)$ be a connected undirected graph with $k$ vertices. Suppose that
on each vertex of the graph there is a player having an $n$-bit string. Each
player is allowed to communicate with its neighbors according to an agreed
communication protocol, and the players must decide, deterministically, if
their inputs are all equal. What is the minimum possible total number of bits
transmitted in a protocol solving this problem ? We determine this minimum up
to a lower order additive term in many cases (but not for all graphs). In
particular, we show that it is $kn/2+o(n)$ for any Hamiltonian $k$-vertex
graph, and that for any $2$-edge connected graph with $m$ edges containing no
two adjacent vertices of degree exceeding $2$ it is $mn/2+o(n)$. The proofs
combine graph theoretic ideas with tools from additive number theory.


title: Quantum Gravity and a Time Operator in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

abstract:
  The problem of time in the quantization of gravity arises from the fact that
time in Schroedinger's equation is a parameter. This sets time apart from the
spatial coordinates, represented by operators in quantum mechanics (QM). Thus
"time" in QM and "time" in General Relativity (GR) are seen as mutually
incompatible notions. The introduction of a dy- namical time operator in
relativistic quantum mechanics (RQM), that in the Heisenberg representation is
also a function of the parameter t (iden- tifed as the laboratory time),
prompts to examine whether it can help to solve the disfunction referred to
above. In particular, its application to the conditional interpretation of the
canonical quantization approach toquantum gravity is developed. 1


title:
Quasi-isometries need not induce homeomorphisms of contracting
  boundaries with the Gromov product topology

abstract:
  We consider a `contracting boundary' of a proper geodesic metric space
consisting of equivalence classes of geodesic rays that behave like geodesics
in a hyperbolic space. We topologize this set via the Gromov product, in
analogy to the topology of the boundary of a hyperbolic space. We show that
when the space is not hyperbolic, quasi-isometries do not necessarily give
homeomorphisms of this boundary. Continuity can fail even when the spaces are
required to be CAT(0). We show this by constructing an explicit example.


title: Parallels of human language in the behavior of bottlenose dolphins

abstract:
  A short review of similarities between dolphins and humans with the help of
quantitative linguistics and information theory.


title: Algebraic treatment of non-Hermitian quadratic Hamiltonians

abstract:
  We generalize a recently proposed algebraic method in order to treat
non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. The approach is applied to several quadratic
Hamiltonians studied earlier by other authors. Instead of solving the
Schr\"odinger equation we simply obtain the eigenvalues of a suitable matrix
representation of the operator. We take into account the existence of unitary
and antiunitary symmetries in the quantum-mechanical problem.


title: Usability of AutoProof: a case study of software verification

abstract:
  Many verification tools come out of academic projects, whose natural
constraints do not typically lead to a strong focus on usability. For
widespread use, however, usability is essential. Using a well-known benchmark,
the Tokeneer problem, we evaluate the usability of a recent and promising
verification tool: AutoProof. The results show the efficacy of the tool in
verifying a real piece of software and automatically discharging nearly two
thirds of verification conditions. At the same time, the case study shows the
demand for improved documentation and emphasizes the need for improvement in
the tool itself and in the Eiffel IDE.


title: PipeGen: Data Pipe Generator for Hybrid Analytics

abstract:
  We develop a tool called PipeGen for efficient data transfer between database
management systems (DBMSs). PipeGen targets data analytics workloads on
shared-nothing engines. It supports scenarios where users seek to perform
different parts of an analysis in different DBMSs or want to combine and
analyze data stored in different systems. The systems may be colocated in the
same cluster or may be in different clusters. To achieve high performance,
PipeGen leverages the ability of all DBMSs to export, possibly in parallel,
data into a common data format, such as CSV or JSON. It automatically extends
these import and export functions with efficient binary data transfer
capabilities that avoid materializing the transmitted data on the file system.
We implement a prototype of PipeGen and evaluate it by automatically generating
data pipes between five different DBMSs. Our experiments show that PipeGen
delivers speedups up to 3.8x compared with manually exporting and importing
data across systems using CSV.


title:
The millisecond pulsar mass distribution: Evidence for bimodality and
  constraints on the maximum neutron star mass

abstract:
  The mass function of neutron stars (NSs) contains information about the late
evolution of massive stars, the supernova explosion mechanism, and the
equation-of-state of cold, nuclear matter beyond the nuclear saturation
density. A number of recent NS mass measurements in binary millisecond pulsar
(MSP) systems increase the fraction of massive NSs (with $M > 1.8$ M$_{\odot}$)
to $\sim 20\% $ of the observed population. In light of these results, we
employ a Bayesian framework to revisit the MSP mass distribution. We find that
a single Gaussian model does not sufficiently describe the observed population.
We test alternative empirical models and infer that the MSP mass distribution
is strongly asymmetric. The diversity in spin and orbital properties of
high-mass NSs suggests that this is most likely not a result of the recycling
process, but rather reflects differences in the NS birth masses. The asymmetry
is best accounted for by a bimodal distribution with a low mass component
centred at $1.393_{-0.029}^{+0.031}$ M$_{\odot}$ and dispersed by
$0.064_{-0.025}^{+0.064}$ M$_{\odot}$, and a high-mass component with a mean of
$1.807_{-0.132}^{+0.081}$ and a dispersion of $0.177_{-0.072}^{+0.115}$
M$_{\odot}$. We also establish a lower limit of $M_{max} \ge 2.018$ M$_{\odot}$
at 98% C.L. for the maximum NS mass, from the absence of a high-mass truncation
in the observed masses. Using our inferred model, we find that the measurement
of 350 MSP masses, expected after the conclusion of pulsar surveys with the
Square-Kilometre Array, can result in a precise localization of a maximum mass
up to 2.15 M$_{\odot}$, with a 5% accuracy. Finally, we identify possible
massive NSs within the known pulsar population and discuss birth masses of
MSPs.


title:
Peng's Maximum Principle for a Stochastic Control Problem Driven by a
  Fractional and a Standard Brownian Motion

abstract:
  We study a stochastic control system involving both a standard and a
fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter less than 1/2. We apply an
anticipative Girsanov transformation to transform the system into another one,
driven only by the standard Brownian motion with coefficients depending on both
the fractional Brownian motion and the standard Brownian motion. We derive a
maximum principle and the associated stochastic variational inequality, which
both are generalizations of the classical case.


title:
Constraints on parity violation from ACTpol and forecasts for
  forthcoming CMB experiments

abstract:
  We use the ACTpol published cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization
data to constrain cosmological birefringence, a tracer of parity violation
beyond the standard model of particle physics. To this purpose, we employ all
the polarized ACTpol spectra, including the cross-correlations between
temperature anisotropy and B mode polarization (TB) and between E mode and B
mode (EB), which are most sensitive to the effect. We build specific, so-called
D-estimators for birefringence and assess their performances and error budgets
by using realistic Monte Carlo simulations based on the experimental
characteristics provided by the ACTpol collaboration. We determine the optimal
multipole range for our analysis to be $250 < \ell < 3025$ over which we find a
null result for the uniform birefringence angle $\alpha = 0.29^\circ \pm
0.28^\circ$ (stat.) $\pm 0.5^\circ$ (syst.), the latter uncertainty being the
estimate published by the ACTpol team on their global systematic error budget.
We show that this result holds consistently when other multipole ranges are
considered. Finally, we forecast the capability of several forthcoming ground
based, balloon and space borne CMB experiments to constrain the birefringence
angle, showing, e.g., that the proposed post-Planck COrE satellite mission
could in principle constrain $\alpha$ at a level of 10 arcsec, provided that
all systematics are under control. Under the same circumstances, we find the
COrE constraints to be at least 2 or 3 times better than what could ideally be
achieved by the other experiments considered.


title: A Layered Caching Architecture for the Interference Channel

abstract:
  Recent work has studied the benefits of caching in the interference channel,
particularly by placing caches at the transmitters. In this paper, we study the
two-user Gaussian interference channel in which caches are placed at both the
transmitters and the receivers. We propose a separation strategy that divides
the physical and network layers. While a natural separation approach might be
to abstract the physical layer into several independent bit pipes at the
network layer, we argue that this is inefficient. Instead, the separation
approach we propose exposes interacting bit pipes at the network layer, so that
the receivers observe related (yet not identical) quantities. We find the
optimal strategy within this layered architecture, and we compute the
degrees-of-freedom it achieves. Finally, we show that separation is optimal in
regimes where the receiver caches are large.


title: A simple method of constructing binary black hole initial data

abstract:
  By applying a parabolic-hyperbolic formulation of the constraints and
superposing Kerr-Schild black holes, a simple method is introduced to
initialize time evolution of binary systems. As the input parameters are
essentially the same as those used in the post-Newtonian (PN) setup the
proposed method interrelates various physical expressions applied in PN and in
fully relativistic formulations. The global ADM charges are also determined by
the input parameters, and no use of boundary conditions in the strong field
regime is made.


title:
Measuring the Leptonic CP Phase in Neutrino Oscillations with
  Non-Unitary Mixing

abstract:
  Non-unitary neutrino mixing implies an extra CP violating phase that can fake
the leptonic Dirac CP phase $\delta_{CP}$ of the simplest three-neutrino mixing
benchmark scheme. This would hinder the possibility of probing for CP violation
in accelerator-type experiments. We take T2K and T2HK as examples to
demonstrate the degeneracy between the "standard" (or "unitary") and
"non-unitary" CP phases. We find, under the assumption of non-unitary mixing,
that their CP sensitivities severely deteriorate. Fortunately, the TNT2K
proposal of supplementing T2(H)K with a $\mu$DAR source for better measurement
of $\delta_{CP}$ can partially break the CP degeneracy by probing both $\cos
\delta_{CP}$ and $\sin \delta_{CP}$ dependences in the wide spectrum of the
$\mu$DAR flux. We also show that the further addition of a near detector to the
$\mu$DAR setup can eliminate the degeneracy completely.


title: Intracycle Angular Velocity Control of Cross-Flow Turbines

abstract:
  Cross-flow turbines, also known as vertical-axis turbines, have numerous
features that make them attractive for wind and marine renewable energy. To
maximize power output, the turbine blade kinematics may be controlled during
the course of the blade revolution, thus optimizing the unsteady fluid dynamic
forces. Dynamically pitching the blades, similar to blade control in a
helicopter, is an established method. However, this technique adds undesirable
mechanical complexity to the turbine, increasing cost and reducing durability.
Here we introduce a novel alternative requiring no additional moving parts: we
optimize the turbine rotation rate as a function of blade position resulting in
motion (including changes in the effective angle of attack) that is precisely
timed to exploit unsteady fluid effects. We demonstrate experimentally that
this approach results in a 79% increase in power output over industry standard
control methods. Analysis of the fluid forcing and blade kinematics show that
maximal power is achieved through alignment of fluid force and rotation rate
extrema. In addition, the optimized controller excites a well-timed dynamic
stall vortex, as is found in many examples of biological propulsion. This
control strategy allows a structurally robust turbine operating at relatively
low angular velocity to achieve high efficiency and could enable a new
generation of environmentally-benign turbines for wind and water current power
generation.


title:
The BCS-BEC crossover induced by a shallow band: Pushing standard
  superconductivity types apart

abstract:
  It is well-known that the appearance of almost-empty (shallow) conduction
bands in solids strongly affects their superconducting properties. In a shallow
band charge carriers are depleted and have nearly zero velocities so that the
crossover from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluidity to
Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) is approached. Based on a two-band prototype
system with one shallow and one deep band, we demonstrate that the fundamental
phase diagram of the superconducting magnetic response changes qualitatively as
compared to standard superconductors with only deep bands. The so-called
intertype (IT) domain between superconductivity types I and II systematically
expands in the phase diagram when passing from the BCS to BEC side: its width
is inversely proportional to the squared Cooper-pair radius that shrinks
several orders of magnitude through the crossover. We also show that the
coupling to a stable condensate of the deep band makes the system rather robust
against the otherwise strong superconducting fluctuations. Thus, the BCS-BEC
crossover induced by a shallow band pushes standard superconductivity types
wide apart so that the IT domain tends to dominate the phase diagram and
therefore the magnetic properties of shallow-band superconductors.


title: Information Mechanics

abstract:
  Despite the wide usage of information as a concept in science, we have yet to
develop a clear & concise scientific definition. This paper is aimed at laying
the foundations for a new theory concerning the mechanics of information
alongside its intimate relationship with working processes. Principally it aims
to provide a better understanding of what information is. We find that like
entropy, information is also a state variable, and both their values are
surprisingly contextual. Conversely, contrary to popular belief, we find that
information is not negative entropy. However, unlike entropy, information can
be both positive and negative. We further find that it is possible to consider
a communications process as a working process and that Shannon's entropy is
only applicable to the modelling of statistical distributions. In extension, it
appears that information could exist within any system, even thermodynamic
systems at equilibrium. Surprisingly, the amount of mechanical work a
thermodynamic system can do directly relates to the appropriate corresponding
information available. If the system does not have corresponding information,
it can do no work irrespective of how much energy it may contain. Following the
theory we present, it will become evident to the reader that information is an
intrinsic property which exists naturally within our universe, and not an
abstract human notion.


title:
Linear-scaling generation of potential energy surfaces using a double
  incremental expansion

abstract:
  We present a combination of the incremental expansion of potential energy
surfaces (PESs), known as n-mode expansion, with the incremental evaluation of
the electronic energy in a many-body approach. The application of semi-local
coordinates in this context allows the generation of PESs in a very
cost-efficient way. For this, we employ the recently introduced flexible
adaptation of local coordinates of nuclei (FALCON) coordinates. By introducing
an additional transformation step, concerning only a fraction of the
vibrational degrees of freedom, we can achieve linear scaling of the
accumulated cost of the single point calculations required in the PES
generation. Numerical examples of these double incremental approaches for
oligo-phenyl examples show fast convergence with respect to the maximum number
of simultaneously treated fragments and only a modest error introduced by the
additional transformation step. The approach, presented here, represents a
major step towards the applicability of vibrational wave function methods to
sizable, covalently bound systems.


title: Dilations of Semigroups of Contractions through Vessels

abstract:
  Let $A_1,\ldots,A_d$ be a $d$-tuple of commuting dissipative operators on a
separable Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$. Using the theory of operator vessels and
their associated systems, we give a construction of a dilation of the
multi-parameter semigroup of contractions on $\mathcal{H}$ given by $e^{i
\sum_{j=1}^d t_j A_j}$.


title: A completely integrable system on $G_2$ coadjoint orbits

abstract:
  We construct a Gelfand-Zeitlin system on a one-parameter family of $G_2$
coadjoint orbits that are multiplicity-free Hamiltonian $SU(3)$-spaces. Using
this system we prove a lower bound for the Gromov width of these orbits. This
lower bound agrees with the known upper bound.


title:
Copeland Dueling Bandit Problem: Regret Lower Bound, Optimal Algorithm,
  and Computationally Efficient Algorithm

abstract:
  We study the K-armed dueling bandit problem, a variation of the standard
stochastic bandit problem where the feedback is limited to relative comparisons
of a pair of arms. The hardness of recommending Copeland winners, the arms that
beat the greatest number of other arms, is characterized by deriving an
asymptotic regret bound. We propose Copeland Winners Relative Minimum Empirical
Divergence (CW-RMED) and derive an asymptotically optimal regret bound for it.
However, it is not known whether the algorithm can be efficiently computed or
not. To address this issue, we devise an efficient version (ECW-RMED) and
derive its asymptotic regret bound. Experimental comparisons of dueling bandit
algorithms show that ECW-RMED significantly outperforms existing ones.


title: The geometry of rank-one tensor completion

abstract:
  The geometry of the set of restrictions of rank-one tensors to some of their
coordinates is studied. This gives insight into the problem of rank-one
completion of partial tensors. Particular emphasis is put on the semialgebraic
nature of the problem, which arises for real tensors with constraints on the
parameters. The algebraic boundary of the completable region is described for
tensors parametrized by probability distributions and where the number of
observed entries equals the number of parameters. If the observations are on
the diagonal of a tensor of format $d\times\dots\times d$, the complete
semialgebraic description of the completable region is found.


title: Learning Action Maps of Large Environments via First-Person Vision

abstract:
  When people observe and interact with physical spaces, they are able to
associate functionality to regions in the environment. Our goal is to automate
dense functional understanding of large spaces by leveraging sparse activity
demonstrations recorded from an ego-centric viewpoint. The method we describe
enables functionality estimation in large scenes where people have behaved, as
well as novel scenes where no behaviors are observed. Our method learns and
predicts "Action Maps", which encode the ability for a user to perform
activities at various locations. With the usage of an egocentric camera to
observe human activities, our method scales with the size of the scene without
the need for mounting multiple static surveillance cameras and is well-suited
to the task of observing activities up-close. We demonstrate that by capturing
appearance-based attributes of the environment and associating these attributes
with activity demonstrations, our proposed mathematical framework allows for
the prediction of Action Maps in new environments. Additionally, we offer a
preliminary glance of the applicability of Action Maps by demonstrating a
proof-of-concept application in which they are used in concert with activity
detections to perform localization.


title:
Large Electron Concentration Modulation using Capacitance Enhancement in
  SrTiO3/SmTiO3 FinFETs

abstract:
  Solid-state modulation of 2-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) with extreme
(~3.3 x 1014 cm-2) densities corresponding to 1/2 electron per interface unit
cell at complex oxide heterointerfaces (such as SrTiO3/GdTiO3 or SrTiO3/SmTiO3)
is challenging because it requires enormous gate capacitances. One way to
achieve large gate capacitances is by geometrical capacitance enhancement in
fin structures. In this work, we fabricate both Au-gated planar field effect
transistors (FETs) and Fin-FETs with varying fin-widths on 60nm SrTiO3/5nm
SmTiO3 thin films grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy (hMBE). We find that
the FinFETs exhibit higher gate capacitance compared to planar FETs. By scaling
down the SrTiO3/SmTiO3 fin widths, we demonstrate further gate capacitance
enhancement, almost twice compared to the planar FETs. In the FinFETs with
narrowest fin-widths, we demonstrate a record 2DEG electron concentration
modulation of ~2.4 x 1014 cm-2.


title:
Brain Emotional Learning-Based Prediction Model (For Long-Term Chaotic
  Prediction Applications)

abstract:
  This study suggests a new prediction model for chaotic time series inspired
by the brain emotional learning of mammals. We describe the structure and
function of this model, which is referred to as BELPM (Brain Emotional
Learning-Based Prediction Model). Structurally, the model mimics the connection
between the regions of the limbic system, and functionally it uses weighted k
nearest neighbors to imitate the roles of those regions. The learning algorithm
of BELPM is defined using steepest descent (SD) and the least square estimator
(LSE). Two benchmark chaotic time series, Lorenz and Henon, have been used to
evaluate the performance of BELPM. The obtained results have been compared with
those of other prediction methods. The results show that BELPM has the
capability to achieve a reasonable accuracy for long-term prediction of chaotic
time series, using a limited amount of training data and a reasonably low
computational time.


title:
Maps of Evolving Cloud Structures in Luhman 16AB from HST Time-Resolved
  Spectroscopy

abstract:
  WISE J104915.57-531906.1 is the nearest brown dwarf binary to our Solar
system, consisting of two brown dwarfs in the L/T transition: Luhman 16A & B.
In this paper we present the first map of Luhman 16A, and maps of Luhman 16B
for two epochs. Our maps were created by applying Aeolus, a Markov-Chain Monte
Carlo code that maps the top-of-the-atmosphere structure of brown dwarf and
other ultracool atmospheres, to light curves of Luhman 16A & B using the Hubble
Space Telescope's G141 and G102 grisms. Aeolus retrieved three or four spots in
the top-of-the-atmosphere of Luhman 16A & B, with a surface coverage of 19%-32%
(depending on an assumed rotational period of 5 hr or 8 hr) or 21%-38.5%
(depending on the observational epoch) respectively. The brightness temperature
of the spots of the best-fit models was ~200 K hotter than the background
top-of-the-atmosphere. We compared our Luhman 16B map with the only previously
published map. Interestingly, our map contained a large, cooler (DT~51 K) than
the background top-of-the-atmosphere spot that lay at low latitudes, in
agreement with the previous Luhman 16B map. Finally, we report the detection of
a feature reappearing in Luhman 16B light curves that are separated by tens of
hundreds of rotations from each other. We speculate this feature is related to
top-of-the-atmosphere structures of Luhman 16B.


title:
Direct and Semi-Direct Approaches to Lepton Mixing with a Massless
  Neutrino

abstract:
  We discuss the possibility of enforcing a massless Majorana neutrino in the
direct and semi-direct approaches to lepton mixing, in which the PMNS matrix is
partly predicted by subgroups of a discrete family symmetry, extending previous
group searches up to order 1535. We find a phenomenologically viable scheme for
the semi-direct approach based on $Q(648)$ which contains $\Delta(27)$ and the
quaternion group as subgroups. This leads to novel predictions for the first
column of the PMNS matrix corresponding to a normal neutrino mass hierarchy
with $m_1=0$, and sum rules for the mixing angles and phase which are
characterised by the solar angle being on the low side $\theta_{12}\sim
31^{\circ}$ and the Dirac (oscillation) CP phase $\delta$ being either about
$\pm 45^\circ$ or $\pm \pi$.


title:
Fractional Brownian motion, the Matern process, and stochastic modeling
  of turbulent dispersion

abstract:
  Stochastic process exhibiting power-law slopes in the frequency domain are
frequently well modeled by fractional Brownian motion (fBm). In particular, the
spectral slope at high frequencies is associated with the degree of small-scale
roughness or fractal dimension. However, a broad class of real-world signals
have a high-frequency slope, like fBm, but a plateau in the vicinity of zero
frequency. This low-frequency plateau, it is shown, implies that the temporal
integral of the process exhibits diffusive behavior, dispersing from its
initial location at a constant rate. Such processes are not well modeled by
fBm, which has a singularity at zero frequency corresponding to an unbounded
rate of dispersion. A more appropriate stochastic model is a much lesser-known
random process called the Matern process, which is shown herein to be a damped
version of fractional Brownian motion. This article first provides a thorough
introduction to fractional Brownian motion, then examines the details of the
Matern process and its relationship to fBm. An algorithm for the simulation of
the Matern process in O(N log N) operations is given. Unlike fBm, the Matern
process is found to provide an excellent match to modeling velocities from
particle trajectories in an application to two-dimensional fluid turbulence.


title: Partial flag incidence algebras

abstract:
  The $n^{th}$ partial flag incidence algebra of a poset $P$ is the set of
functions from $P^n$ to some ring which are zero on non-partial flag vectors.
These partial flag incidence algebras for $n>2$ are not commutative, not
unitary, and not associative. However, partial flag incidence algebras contain
generalized zeta, delta, and M\"obius functions which are finer and more
delicate invariants than their classical analogues. We also study some
generalized characteristic polynomials of posets which are not evaluations of
Tutte polynomials and compute them for Boolean lattices. Motivation for this
work came from studying the matroid Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials where partial
flag Whitney numbers play a central role.


title: The Expressive Power of k-ary Exclusion Logic

abstract:
  In this paper we study the expressive power of k-ary exclusion logic, EXC[k],
that is obtained by extending first order logic with k-ary exclusion atoms. It
is known that without arity bounds exclusion logic is equivalent with
dependence logic. By observing the translations, we see that the expressive
power of EXC[k] lies in between k-ary and (k+1)-ary dependence logics. We will
show that, at least in the case of k=1, the both of these inclusions are
proper.
  In a recent work by the author it was shown that k-ary inclusion-exclusion
logic is equivalent with k-ary existential second order logic, ESO[k]. We will
show that, on the level of sentences, it is possible to simulate inclusion
atoms with exclusion atoms, and this way express ESO[k]-sentences by using only
k-ary exclusion atoms. For this translation we also need to introduce a novel
method for "unifying" the values of certain variables in a team. As a
consequence, EXC[k] captures ESO[k] on the level of sentences, and we get a
strict arity hierarchy for exclusion logic. It also follows that k-ary
inclusion logic is strictly weaker than EXC[k].
  Finally we will use similar techniques to formulate a translation from ESO[k]
to k-ary inclusion logic with strict semantics. Consequently, for any arity
fragment of inclusion logic, strict semantics is more expressive than lax
semantics.