title:
Stop-and-Stare: Optimal Sampling Algorithms for Viral Marketing in
  Billion-scale Networks

abstract:
  Influence Maximization (IM), that seeks a small set of key users who spread
the influence widely into the network, is a core problem in multiple domains.
It finds applications in viral marketing, epidemic control, and assessing
cascading failures within complex systems. Despite the huge amount of effort,
IM in billion-scale networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and World Wide Web has
not been satisfactorily solved. Even the state-of-the-art methods such as TIM+
and IMM may take days on those networks.
  In this paper, we propose SSA and D-SSA, two novel sampling frameworks for
IM-based viral marketing problems. SSA and D-SSA are up to 1200 times faster
than the SIGMOD'15 best method, IMM, while providing the same
$(1-1/e-\epsilon)$ approximation guarantee. Underlying our frameworks is an
innovative Stop-and-Stare strategy in which they stop at exponential check
points to verify (stare) if there is adequate statistical evidence on the
solution quality. Theoretically, we prove that SSA and D-SSA are the first
approximation algorithms that use (asymptotically) minimum numbers of samples,
meeting strict theoretical thresholds characterized for IM. The absolute
superiority of SSA and D-SSA are confirmed through extensive experiments on
real network data for IM and another topic-aware viral marketing problem, named
TVM. The source code is available at https://github.com/hungnt55/Stop-and-Stare


title: Efficient Distributed Learning with Sparsity

abstract:
  We propose a novel, efficient approach for distributed sparse learning in
high-dimensions, where observations are randomly partitioned across machines.
Computationally, at each round our method only requires the master machine to
solve a shifted ell_1 regularized M-estimation problem, and other workers to
compute the gradient. In respect of communication, the proposed approach
provably matches the estimation error bound of centralized methods within
constant rounds of communications (ignoring logarithmic factors). We conduct
extensive experiments on both simulated and real world datasets, and
demonstrate encouraging performances on high-dimensional regression and
classification tasks.


title: The Ostrowski Expansions Revealed

abstract:
  We provide algorithms for the absolute and alternating Ostrowski Expansions
of the continuum and provide proofs for their uniqueness.


title:
Quantum Criticality and Inhomogeneous Magnetic Order in Fe-doped
  alpha-YbAlB4

abstract:
  The intermediate-valent polymorphs $\alpha$- and $\beta$-YbAlB$_4$ exhibit
quantum criticality and other novel properties not usually associated with
intermediate valence. Iron doping induces quantum criticality in
$\alpha$-YbAlB$_4$ and magnetic order in both compounds. We report results of
muon spin relaxation ($\mu$SR) experiments in the intermediate-valent alloys
$\alpha$-YbAl$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$B$_4$, $x = 0.014$ and 0.25. For $x = 0.014$ we find
no evidence for magnetic order down to 25 mK\@. The dynamic muon spin
relaxation rate $\lambda_d$ exhibits a power-law temperature dependence
$\lambda_d \propto T^{-a}$, $a = 0.40(4)$, in the temperature range 100 mK--2
K, in disagreement with predictions by theories of antiferromagnetic (AFM) or
valence quantum critical behavior. For $x = 0.25$, where AFM order develops in
the temperature range 7.5--10 K, where we find coexistence of meso- or
macroscopically segregated paramagnetic and AFM phases, with considerable
disorder in the latter down to 2 K.


title: Squeeze expulsion in grain size segregation

abstract:
  Grain segregation occurs under various conditions, such as vibration, shear
and mixing. In the gravity-driven shear flow, size segregation is triggered by
the percolation of small particles through the opened voids (kinetic sieving),
and large particles are accumulated in the upper layer. One hypothesis for the
upward migration of large particles is the squeeze expulsion mechanism, which
remains yet ambiguous due to limited evidences from either physical or
numerical experiments. Here we show statistically how the percolation of small
particles facilitates the upward movement of large particles. We found that in
large particles, the mechanical anisotropy (strong force network) coincides
with the geometric anisotropy (contact network), which indicates squeeze, and
the connectivity of large particles is much higher when they are squeezed
through small particles. The presence of small particles filling the voids
hinders the downward movements and provides dynamic steps for the climbing
large particles. Furthermore, increasing the coefficient of friction promotes
rotation and empowers more large particles to reach the top layer, implying
that the climbing particles tend to rotate relative to their neighbors. Our
findings of the microstructure and movement pattern of individual particles add
new evidences to the mechanism of squeeze expulsion and provide new perspective
for the study of segregation.


title: Elliptic function of level 4

abstract:
  The work is dedicated to the theory of elliptic functions of level $n$. An
elliptic function of level $n$ determines a Hirzebruch genus that is called
elliptic genus of level $n$. Elliptic functions of level $n$ are also
interesting as solutions of Hirzebruch functional equations.
  The elliptic function of level $2$ is the Jacobi elliptic sine. It determines
the famous Ochanine--Witten genus. It is the exponential of the universal
formal group of the form \[
  F(u,v)=\frac{u^2 -v^2}{u B(v) - v B(u)}, \quad B(0) = 1. \] The elliptic
function of level $3$ is the exponential of the universal formal group of the
form \[
  F(u,v)=\frac{u^2 A(v) -v^2 A(u)}{u A(v)^2 - v A(u)^2}, \qquad A(0) = 1, \quad
A"(0) = 0. \] In this work we have obtained that the elliptic function of level
$4$ is the exponential of the universal formal group of the form \[
  F(u,v)=\frac{u^2 A(v) -v^2 A(u)}{u B(v)-v B(u)}, \text{ where } A(0) = B(0) =
1, \] and for $B'(0) = A"(0) = 0, A'(0) = A_1, B"(0) = 2 B_2$ the relation
holds \[ (2 B(u) + 3 A_1 u)^2 = 4 A(u)^3 - (3 A_1^2 - 8 B_2) u^2 A(u)^2. \] To
prove this result we have expressed the elliptic function of level $4$ in terms
of Weierstrass elliptic functions.


title: Towards Assistive Feeding with a General-Purpose Mobile Manipulator

abstract:
  General-purpose mobile manipulators have the potential to serve as a
versatile form of assistive technology. However, their complexity creates
challenges, including the risk of being too difficult to use. We present a
proof-of-concept robotic system for assistive feeding that consists of a Willow
Garage PR2, a high-level web-based interface, and specialized autonomous
behaviors for scooping and feeding yogurt. As a step towards use by people with
disabilities, we evaluated our system with 5 able-bodied participants. All 5
successfully ate yogurt using the system and reported high rates of success for
the system's autonomous behaviors. Also, Henry Evans, a person with severe
quadriplegia, operated the system remotely to feed an able-bodied person. In
general, people who operated the system reported that it was easy to use,
including Henry. The feeding system also incorporates corrective actions
designed to be triggered either autonomously or by the user. In an offline
evaluation using data collected with the feeding system, a new version of our
multimodal anomaly detection system outperformed prior versions.


title:
On the Lengths of Curves Passing through Boundary Points of a Planar
  Convex Shape

abstract:
  We study the lengths of curves passing through a fixed number of points on
the boundary of a convex shape in the plane. We show that for any convex shape
$K$, there exist four points on the boundary of $K$ such that the length of any
curve passing through these points is at least half of the perimeter of $K$. It
is also shown that the same statement does not remain valid with the additional
constraint that the points are extreme points of $K$. Moreover, the factor
$\frac12$ cannot be achieved with any fixed number of extreme points. We
conclude the paper with few other inequalities related to the perimeter of a
convex shape.


title: CaTe: a new topological node-line and Dirac semimetal

abstract:
  Topological semimetals recently stimulate intense research activities.
Combining first-principles calculations and effective model analysis, we
predict that CaTe is topological node-line semimetal when spin-orbit coupling
(SOC) is ignored. We also obtain the nearly flat surface state which has the
drumhead characteristic. When SOC is included, three node lines evolve into a
pair of Dirac points along the $M-R$ line. These Dirac points are robust and
protected by $C_{4}$ rotation symmetry. Once this crystal symmetry is broken,
the Dirac points will be eliminated, and the system becomes a strong
topological insulator.


title:
Toward a general, scaleable framework for Bayesian teaching with
  applications to topic models

abstract:
  Machines, not humans, are the world's dominant knowledge accumulators but
humans remain the dominant decision makers. Interpreting and disseminating the
knowledge accumulated by machines requires expertise, time, and is prone to
failure. The problem of how best to convey accumulated knowledge from computers
to humans is a critical bottleneck in the broader application of machine
learning. We propose an approach based on human teaching where the problem is
formalized as selecting a small subset of the data that will, with high
probability, lead the human user to the correct inference. This approach,
though successful for modeling human learning in simple laboratory experiments,
has failed to achieve broader relevance due to challenges in formulating
general and scalable algorithms. We propose general-purpose teaching via
pseudo-marginal sampling and demonstrate the algorithm by teaching topic
models. Simulation results show our sampling-based approach: effectively
approximates the probability where ground-truth is possible via enumeration,
results in data that are markedly different from those expected by random
sampling, and speeds learning especially for small amounts of data. Application
to movie synopsis data illustrates differences between teaching and random
sampling for teaching distributions and specific topics, and demonstrates gains
in scalability and applicability to real-world problems.


title: Global Saddles for Planar Maps

abstract:
  We study the dynamics of planar diffeomorphisms having a unique fixed point
that is a hyperbolic local saddle. We obtain sufficient conditions under which
the fixed point is a global saddle. We also address the special case of
$D_2$-symmetric maps, for which we obtain a similar result for $C^1$
homeomorphisms. Some applications to differential equations are also given.


title:
Analysis of differential splicing suggests different modes of short-term
  splicing regulation

abstract:
  Motivation: Alternative splicing is an important mechanism in which the
regions of pre-mRNAs are differentially joined in order to form different
transcript isoforms. Alternative splicing is involved in the regulation of
normal physiological functions but also linked to the development of diseases
such as cancer. We analyse differential expression and splicing using RNA-seq
time series in three different settings: overall gene expression levels,
absolute transcript expression levels and relative transcript expression
levels.
  Results: Using estrogen receptor $\alpha$ signalling response as a model
system, our Gaussian process (GP)-based test identifies genes with differential
splicing and/or differentially expressed transcripts. We discover genes with
consistent changes in alternative splicing independent of changes in absolute
expression and genes where some transcripts change while others stay constant
in absolute level. The results suggest classes of genes with different modes of
alternative splicing regulation during the experiment.
  Availability: R and Matlab codes implementing the method are available at
https://github.com/PROBIC/diffsplicing . An interactive browser for viewing all
model fits is available at http://users.ics.aalto.fi/hande/splicingGP/ .


title:
Evaluating Connection Resilience for Self-Organized Distributed
  Cyber-Physical Systems

abstract:
  Self-organizing cyber-physical systems are expected to become increasingly
important in the context of Industry 4.0 automation as well as in everyday
scenarios. Resilient communication is crucial for such systems. In general,
this can be achieved with redundant communication paths. Mathematically, the
amount of redundant paths is expressed with the network connectivity. A high
network connectivity is required for collaboration and system-wide
self-adaptation even when nodes fail or get compromised by an attacker. In this
paper, we analyze the network connectivity of a communication network for large
distributed cyber-physical systems. For this, we simulate the communication
structure of a CPS with different network parameters to determine its
resilience. With our results, we also deduce the required network connectivity
for a given number of failing or compromised nodes.


title: Tight Complexity Bounds for Optimizing Composite Objectives

abstract:
  We provide tight upper and lower bounds on the complexity of minimizing the
average of $m$ convex functions using gradient and prox oracles of the
component functions. We show a significant gap between the complexity of
deterministic vs randomized optimization. For smooth functions, we show that
accelerated gradient descent (AGD) and an accelerated variant of SVRG are
optimal in the deterministic and randomized settings respectively, and that a
gradient oracle is sufficient for the optimal rate. For non-smooth functions,
having access to prox oracles reduces the complexity and we present optimal
methods based on smoothing that improve over methods using just gradient
accesses.


title:
Continuous quantum nondemolition measurement of the transverse component
  of a qubit

abstract:
  Quantum jumps of a qubit are usually observed between its energy eigenstates,
also known as its longitudinal pseudo-spin component. Is it possible, instead,
to observe quantum jumps between the transverse superpositions of these
eigenstates? We answer positively by presenting the first continuous quantum
nondemolition measurement of the transverse component of an individual qubit.
In a circuit QED system irradiated by two pump tones, we engineer an effective
Hamiltonian whose eigenstates are the transverse qubit states, and a dispersive
measurement of the corresponding operator. Such transverse component
measurements are a useful tool in the driven-dissipative operation engineering
toolbox, which is central to quantum simulation and quantum error correction.

categories: quant-ph cond-mat.mes-hall cond-mat.supr-con physics.atom-ph physics.optics


title: Vector bundles give equations of cactus varieties

abstract:
  We prove that vector bundles give equations of cactus varieties. We derive
from it that equations coming from vector bundles are not enough to define
secant varieties of Veronese varieties in general.


title:
Structural, magnetic, dielectric and mechanical properties of
  (Ba,Sr)MnO$_3$ ceramics

abstract:
  Ceramic samples, produced by conventional sintering method in ambient air,
6H-SrMnO$_3$(6H-SMO), 15R-BaMnO$_3$(15R-BMO),
4H-Ba$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$(4H-BSMO) were studied. In the XRD measurements
for SMO the new anomalies of the lattice parameters at 600-800 K range and the
increasing of thermal expansion coefficients with a clear maximum in a vicinity
at 670 K were detected. The N$\acute{e}$el phase transition for BSMO was
observed at $T_N$=250 K in magnetic measurements and its trace was detected in
dielectric, FTIR, DSC, and DMA experiments. The enthalpy and entropy changes of
the phase transition for BSMO at $T_N$ were determined as 17.5 J/mol and 70
mJ/K mol, respectively. The activation energy values and relaxation times
characteristic for relaxation processes were determined from the Arrhenius law.
Results of ab initio simulations showed that the contribution of the exchange
correlation energy to the total energy is about 30%.


title:
Variational Approach to Solving the Spectral Boltzmann Transport
  Equation in Transient Thermal Grating for Thin Films

abstract:
  The phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) is widely utilized to study
non-diffusive thermal transport. We find a solution of the BTE in the thin film
transient thermal grating (TTG) experimental geometry by using a recently
developed variational approach with a trial solution supplied by the Fourier
heat conduction equation. We obtain an analytical expression for the thermal
decay rate that shows excellent agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. We also
obtain a closed form expression for the effective thermal conductivity that
demonstrates the full material property and heat transfer geometry dependence,
and recovers the limits of the one-dimensional TTG expression for very thick
films and the Fuchs-Sondheimer expression for very large grating spacings. The
results demonstrate the utility of the variational technique for analyzing
non-diffusive phonon-mediated heat transport for nanostructures in
multi-dimensional transport geometries, and will assist the probing of the mean
free path (MFP) distribution of materials via transient grating experiments.


title:
Solar neutrinos as background in dark matter searches involving electron
  detection

abstract:
  In the present work we estimate the potential background of solar neutrinos
on electron detectors. These detectors are considered relevant for detecting
light dark matter particles in the MeV region, currently sought by experiments.
We find that the copious low energy pp neutrinos are a dangerous background at
the energies involved in these experiments, in fact close to the anticipated
event rate, while the more energetic Boron neutrinos are harmless


title: Investigating surface loss effects in superconducting transmon qubits

abstract:
  Superconducting qubits are sensitive to a variety of loss mechanisms
including dielectric loss from interfaces. By changing the physical footprint
of the qubit it is possible to modulate sensitivity to surface loss. Here we
show a systematic study of planar superconducting transmons of differing
physical footprints to optimize the qubit design for maximum coherence. We find
that qubits with small footprints are limited by surface loss and that qubits
with large footprints are limited by other loss mechanisms which are currently
not understood.


title: Recursive Construction of Confidence Regions

abstract:
  Assuming that one-step transition kernel of a discrete time, time-homogenous
Markov chain model is parameterized by a parameter $\theta\in \boldsymbol
\Theta$, we derive a recursive (in time) construction of confidence regions for
the unknown parameter of interest, say $\theta^*\in \boldsymbol \Theta$. It is
supposed that the observed data used in construction of the confidence regions
is generated by a Markov chain whose transition kernel corresponds to
$\theta^*$ . The key step in our construction is derivation of a recursive
scheme for an appropriate point estimator of $\theta^*$. To achieve this, we
start by what we call the base recursive point estimator, using which we design
a quasi-asymptotically linear recursive point estimator (a concept introduced
in this paper). For the latter estimator we prove its weak consistency and
asymptotic normality. The recursive construction of confidence regions is
needed not only for the purpose of speeding up the computation of the
successive confidence regions, but, primarily, for the ability to apply the
dynamic programming principle in the context of robust adaptive stochastic
control methodology.


title: Color singlet production at NNLO in MCFM

abstract:
  We present the implementation of several color-singlet final-state processes
at Next-to-Next-to Leading Order (NNLO) accuracy in QCD to the publicly
available parton-level Monte Carlo program MCFM. Specifically we discuss the
processes $pp\rightarrow H$, $pp\rightarrow Z$, $pp\rightarrow W$,
$pp\rightarrow HZ$, $pp\rightarrow HW$ and $pp\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$. Decays
of the unstable bosons are fully included, resulting in a flexible fully
differential Monte Carlo code. The NNLO corrections have been calculated using
the non-local $N$-jettiness subtraction approach. Special attention is given to
the numerical aspects of running MCFM for these processes at this order. We pay
particular attention to the systematic uncertainties due to the power
corrections induced by the $N$-jettiness regularization scheme and the
evaluation time needed to run the hybrid openMP/MPI version of MCFM at NNLO on
multi-processor systems.


title: ManeParse: a Mathematica reader for Parton Distribution Functions

abstract:
  Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) are essential non-perturbative inputs
for calculation of any observable with hadronic initial states. These PDFs are
released by individual groups as discrete grids as a function of the Bjorken-x
and energy scale Q. The LHAPDF project at HepForge maintains a repository of
PDFs from various groups in a new standardized LHAPDF6 format, as well as older
formats such as the CTEQ PDS grid format. ManeParse is a package that provides
PDFs within the Mathematica framework to facilitate calculating and plotting.
The program is self-contained so there are no external links to any Fortran, C
or C++ programs. The package includes the option to use the built-in
Mathematica interpolation or a custom cubic Lagrange interpolation routine
which allows for flexibility in the extrapolation (particularly at small x
values). ManeParse is fast enough to enable simple calculations (involving even
one or two integrations) to be easily computed in the Mathematica framework.


title:
Edge-colorings of graphs avoiding complete graphs with a prescribed
  coloring

abstract:
  Given a graph $F$ and an integer $r \ge 2$, a partition $\widehat{F}$ of the
edge set of $F$ into at most $r$ classes, and a graph $G$, define $c_{r,
\widehat{F}}(G)$ as the number of $r$-colorings of the edges of $G$ that do not
contain a copy of $F$ such that the edge partition induced by the coloring is
isomorphic to the one of $F$. We think of $\widehat{F}$ as the pattern of
coloring that should be avoided. The main question is, for a large enough $n$,
to find the (extremal) graph $G$ on $n$ vertices which maximizes $c_{r,
\widehat{F}}(G)$. This problem generalizes a question of Erd{\H o}s and
Rothschild, who originally asked about the number of colorings not containing a
monochromatic clique (which is equivalent to the case where $F$ is a clique and
the partition $\widehat{F}$ contains a single class). We use H\"{o}lder's
Inequality together with Zykov's Symmetrization to prove that, for any $r \geq
2$, $k \geq 3$ and any pattern $\widehat{K_k}$ of the clique $K_k$, there
exists a complete multipartite graph that is extremal. Furthermore, if the
pattern $\widehat{K_k}$ has at least two classes, with the possible exception
of two very small patterns (on three or four vertices), every extremal graph
must be a complete multipartite graph. In the case that $r=3$ and $\widehat{F}$
is a rainbow triangle (that is, where $F=K_3$ and each part is a singleton), we
show that an extremal graph must be an almost complete graph. Still for $r=3$,
we extend a result about monochromatic patterns of Alon, Balogh, Keevash and
Sudakov to some patterns that use two of the three colors, finding the exact
extremal graph. For the later two results, we use the Regularity and Stability
Method.


title:
A manifestly Hermitian semiclassical expansion for the one-particle
  density matrix of a two-dimensional Fermi gas

abstract:
  The semiclassical $\hbar$-expansion of the one-particle density matrix for a
two-dimensional Fermi gas is calculated within the Wigner transform method of
Grammaticos and Voros, originally developed in the context of nuclear physics.
The method of Grammaticos and Voros has the virture of preserving both the
Hermiticity and idempotency of the density matrix to all orders in the
$\hbar$-expansion. As a topical application, we use our semiclassical expansion
to go beyond the local-density approximation for the construction of the total
dipole-dipole interaction energy functional of a two-dimensional,
spin-polarized dipolar Fermi gas. We find a {\em finite}, second-order gradient
correction to the Hartree-Fock energy, which takes the form $\varepsilon
(\nabla \rho)^2/\sqrt{\rho}$, with $\varepsilon$ being small ($|\varepsilon|
\ll1$) and negative. We test the quality of the corrected energy by comparing
it with the exact results available for harmonic confinement. Even for small
particle numbers, the gradient correction to the dipole-dipole energy provides
a significant improvement over the local-density approximation.


title: Quantum Gravity signatures in the Unruh effect

abstract:
  We study quantum gravity signatures emerging from phenomenologically
motivated multiscale models, spectral actions, and Causal Set Theory within the
detector approach to the Unruh effect. We show that while the Unruh temperature
is unaffected, Lorentz-invariant corrections to the two-point function leave a
characteristic fingerprint in the induced emission rate of the accelerated
detector. Generically, quantum gravity models exhibiting dynamical dimensional
reduction exhibit a suppression of the Unruh rate at high energy while the rate
is enhanced in Kaluza-Klein theories with compact extra dimensions. We quantify
this behavior by introducing the "Unruh dimension" as the effective spacetime
dimension seen by the Unruh effect and show that it is related, though not
identical, to the spectral dimension used to characterize spacetime in quantum
gravity. We comment on the physical origins of these effects and their
relevance for black hole evaporation.


title: Logarithmic corrected $F(R)$ gravity in the light of Planck 2015

abstract:
  In this letter, we consider the theory of $F(R)$ gravity with the lagrangian
density $ \pounds = R+\alpha R^2 + \beta R^2 \ln \beta R $. We obtain the
constant curvature solutions and find the scalar potential of the gravitational
field. We also obtain the mass squared of a scalaron in the Einstein$^,$s
frame. We find cosmological parameters corresponding to the recent Plank 2015
results. Finally, we analyze the critical points and stability of the new
modified theory of gravity and find that logarithmic correction is necessary to
have successful model.


title: Emergent Kink Statistics at Finite Temperature

abstract:
  In this paper we use 1D quantum mechanical systems with Higgs-like
interaction potential to study the emergence of topological objects at finite
temperature. Two different model systems are studied, the standard double-well
potential model and a newly introduced discrete kink model. Using Monte-Carlo
simulations as well as analytic methods, we demonstrate how kinks become
abundant at low temperatures. These results may shed useful insights on how
topological phenomena may occur in QCD.


title: Triangulated Matlis equivalence

abstract:
  This paper is a sequel to arXiv:1503.05523 and arXiv:1605.03934. We extend
the classical Harrison-Matlis module category equivalences to a triangulated
equivalence between the derived categories of the abelian categories of torsion
modules and contramodules over a Matlis domain. This generalizes to the case of
any commutative ring $R$ with a fixed multiplicative system $S$ such that the
$R$-module $S^{-1}R$ has projective dimension $1$. The latter equivalence
connects complexes of $R$-modules with $S$-torsion and $S$-contramodule
cohomology modules. It takes a nicer form of an equivalence between the derived
categories of abelian categories when $S$ consists of nonzero-divisors or the
$S$-torsion in $R$ is bounded.


title: Boltzmann's Entropy and K\"ahler-Ricci Solitons

abstract:
  We study a Boltzmann's type entropy functional (which appeared in existing
literature) defined on K\"ahler metrics of a fixed K\"ahler class. The critical
points of this functional are gradient K\"ahler-Ricci solitons, and the
functional was known to be monotonically increasing along the K\"ahler-Ricci
flow in the canonical class.
  In this article, we derive and analyze the second variation formula for this
entropy functional, and show that all gradient K\"ahler-Ricci solitons are
stable with respect to this entropy functional. Furthermore, using this result,
we give a new proof that gradient shrinking K\"ahler-Ricci solitons are stable
with respect to the Perelman's entropy in a fixed K\"ahler class.


title:
On the images of the Galois representations attached to generic
  automorphic representations of GSp(4)

abstract:
  By making use of Langlands functoriality between GSp(4) and GL(4), we show
that the images of the Galois representations attached to "genuine" globally
generic automorphic representations of GSp(4) are "large" for almost every
prime. Moreover, by using the notion of (n,p)-groups (introduced by Khare,
Larsen and Savin) and generic Langlands functoriality from SO(5) to GL(4) we
construct automorphic representations of GSp(4) such that the compatible system
attached to them has large image for all primes.


title:
Adaptively compressed polarizability operator for accelerating large
  scale \textit{ab initio} phonon calculations

abstract:
  Phonon calculations based on first principle electronic structure theory,
such as the Kohn-Sham density functional theory, have wide applications in
physics, chemistry and material science. The computational cost of first
principle phonon calculations typically scales steeply as $\mathcal{O}(N_e^4)$,
where $N_e$ is the number of electrons in the system. In this work, we develop
a new method to reduce the computational complexity of computing the full
dynamical matrix, and hence the phonon spectrum, to $\mathcal{O}(N_e^3)$. The
key concept for achieving this is to compress the polarizability operator
adaptively with respect to the perturbation of the potential due to the change
of the atomic configuration. Such adaptively compressed polarizability operator
(ACP) allows accurate computation of the phonon spectrum. The reduction of
complexity only weakly depends on the size of the band gap, and our method is
applicable to insulators as well as semiconductors with small band gaps. We
demonstrate the effectiveness of our method using one-dimensional and
two-dimensional model problems.


title: Radiative transfer simulations of magnetar flare beaming

abstract:
  Magnetar giant flares show oscillatory modulations in the tails of their
light curves, which can only be explained via some form of beaming. The
fireball model for magnetar bursts has been used successfully to fit the
phase-averaged light curves of the tails of giant flares, but so far no
attempts have been made to fit the pulsations. We present a relatively simple
numerical model to simulate beaming of magnetar flare emission. In our
simulations, radiation escapes from the base of a fireball trapped in a dipolar
magnetic field, and is scattered through the optically thick magnetosphere of
the magnetar until it escapes. Beaming is provided by the presence of a
relativistic outflow, as well as by the geometry of the system. We find that a
simple picture for the relativistic outflow is enough to create the pulse
fraction and sharp peaks observed in pulse profiles of magnetar flares, while
without a relativistic outflow the beaming is insufficient to explain giant
flare rotational modulations.


title:
Online Placement of Multi-Component Applications in Edge Computing
  Environments

abstract:
  Mobile edge computing is a new cloud computing paradigm which makes use of
small-sized edge-clouds to provide real-time services to users. These mobile
edge-clouds (MECs) are located in close proximity to users, thus enabling users
to seamlessly access applications running on MECs. Due to the co-existence of
the core (centralized) cloud, users, and one or multiple layers of MECs, an
important problem is to decide where (on which computational entity) to place
different components of an application. This problem, known as the application
or workload placement problem, is notoriously hard, and therefore, heuristic
algorithms without performance guarantees are generally employed in common
practice, which may unknowingly suffer from poor performance as compared to the
optimal solution. In this paper, we address the application placement problem
and focus on developing algorithms with provable performance bounds. We model
the user application as an application graph and the physical computing system
as a physical graph, with resource demands/availabilities annotated on these
graphs. We first consider the placement of a linear application graph and
propose an algorithm for finding its optimal solution. Using this result, we
then generalize the formulation and obtain online approximation algorithms with
polynomial-logarithmic (poly-log) competitive ratio for tree application graph
placement. We jointly consider node and link assignment, and incorporate
multiple types of computational resources at nodes.


title:
Sink vs. tilt penetration into shaken dry granular matter: the role of
  foundation

abstract:
  We study the behavior of cylindrical objects as they sink into a dry granular
bed fluidized due to lateral oscillations, in order to shed light on human
constructions and other objects. Somewhat unexpectedly, we have found that,
within a large range of lateral shaking powers, cylinders with flat bottoms
sink vertically, while those with a "foundation" consisting in a shallow ring
attached to their bottom, tilt besides sinking. The latter scenario seems to
dominate independently from the nature of the foundation when strong enough
lateral vibrations are applied. We are able to reproduce the observed behavior
by quasi-2D numerical simulations, and the vertical sink dynamics with the help
of a Newtonian equation of motion for the intruder.


title: Foreign exchange risk premia: from traditional to state-space analyses

abstract:
  This paper examines foreign exchange risk premia from simple univariate
regressions to the state-space method. The adjusted traditional regressions
properly figure out the existence and time-evolving property of the risk
premia. Successively, the state-space estimations overall are quite rationally
competent in examining the essence of time variability of the unobservable risk
premia. To be more precise, the coefficients on the lagged estimated
time-series are significant and the disturbance combined from the observation
and transition equations in the state-space system, rational and premium
errors, respectively, is statistically white noise. Such the two residuals are
discovered to move oppositely with their covariance approaching zero suggested
by the empirics. Besides, foreign exchange risk premia are projected and found
significantly stationary at level and relatively volatile throughout time with
some clustering. This volatility is however not quite dominant in the
deviations of forward prediction errors.


title: Star formation activity in a young galaxy cluster at z=0.866

abstract:
  The galaxy cluster RXJ1257$+$4738 at $z=0.866$ is one of the highest redshift
clusters with a richness of multi-wavelength data, and thus a good target to
study the star formation-density relation at early epochs. Using a sample of
spectroscopically-confirmed cluster members, we derive the star formation rates
of our galaxies using two methods, (I) the relation between SFR and total
infrared luminosity extrapolated from the observed \textit{Spitzer} MIPS
24$\mu$m imaging data, and (II) spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting
using the MAGPHYS code, including eight different bands.
  We show that, for this cluster, the SFR-density relation is very weak and
seems to be dominated by the two central galaxies and the SFR presents a mild
dependence on stellar mass, with more massive galaxies having higher SFR.
However, the specific SFR (SSFR) decreases with stellar mass, meaning that more
massive galaxies are forming less stars per unit of mass, and thus suggesting
that the increase in star-forming members is driven by cluster assembly and
infall.
  If the environment is somehow driving the SF, one would expect a relation
between the SSFR and the cluster centric distance, but that is not the case. A
possible scenario to explain this lack of correlation is the contamination by
infalling galaxies in the inner part of the cluster which may be on their
initial pass through the cluster center. As these galaxies have higher SFRs for
their stellar mass, they enhance the mean SSFR in the center of the cluster.


title: Elliptical orbits in the phase-space quantization

abstract:
  The energy levels of hydrogen-like atoms are obtained from the phase-space
quantization, one of the pillars of the old quantum theory, by three different
methods - (i) direct integration, (ii) Sommerfeld's original method, and (iii)
complex integration. The difficulties come from the imposition of elliptical
orbits to the electron, resulting in a variable radial component of the linear
momentum. Details of the calculation, which constitute a recurrent gap in
textbooks that deal with phase-space quantization, are shown in depth in an
accessible fashion for students of introductory quantum mechanics courses.


title: Color Octet Electron Search Potential of the FCC Based e-p Colliders

abstract:
  Resonant production of color octet electron, e_{8}, at the FCC based ep
colliders has been analyzed. It is shown that e-FCC will cover much a wider
region of e_{8} masses compared to the LHC. Moreover, with highest electron
beam energy, e_{8} search potential of the e-FCC exceeds that of FCC pp
collider. If e_{8} is discovered earlier by the FCC pp collider, e-FCC will
give opportunity to handle very important additional information. For example,
compositeness scale can be probed up to hundreds TeV region.


title:
End-to-End Known-Interference Cancellation (E2E-KIC) with Multi-Hop
  Interference

abstract:
  Recently, end-to-end known-interference cancellation (E2E-KIC) has been
proposed as a promising technique for wireless networks. It sequentially
cancels out the known interferences at each node so that wireless multi-hop
transmission can achieve a similar throughput as single-hop transmission.
Existing work on E2E-KIC assumed that the interference of a transmitter to
those nodes outside the transmitter's communication range is negligible. In
practice, however, this assumption is not always valid. There are many cases
where a transmitter causes notable interference to nodes beyond its
communication distance. From a wireless networking perspective, such
interference is caused by a node to other nodes that are multiple hops away,
thus we call it multi-hop interference. The presence of multi-hop interference
poses fundamental challenges to E2E-KIC, where known procedures cannot be
directly applied. In this paper, we propose an E2E-KIC approach which allows
the existence of multi-hop interference. In particular, we present a method
that iteratively cancels unknown interferences transmitted across multiple
hops. We analyze mathematically why and when this approach works and the
performance of it. The analysis is further supported by numerical results.


title:
Doppler shifts on the spin period of the intermediate polar FO Aqr with
  K2

abstract:
  We analyse the K2 short cadence data of the intermediate polar FO Aqr and
provide accurate and updated orbital and spin periodicities. We additionally
find small spin period changes as a function of orbital phase of ~0.02 seconds
translating to velocities of ~ a few km/s. The obtained orbital-folded velocity
profile displays two clear maxima and minima, and cannot be explained by the
radial velocity of the orbiting white dwarf. Instead we propose that the
observed velocities are the sum of the radial velocities of both the white
dwarf and of the stellar surface facing the white dwarf which reprocesses the
WD spin pulses. This combination can explain the observed low velocities in FO
Aqr. However asymmetries in the orbital configuration are required to explain
the double peaked velocity profile. One possible scenario would invoke binary
eccentricity. We thus developed a simple binary model to explain and fit our
observations, and find a small binary eccentricity of e=0.03. Although small,
persistent eccentricity in a close interacting binary would induce enhanced
mass transfer occurring preferentially at periastron passages. We thus discuss
alternative scenarios where other asymmetries might explain our observations
assuming circular orbits. Since FO Aqr is the first system where the combined
radial velocities of both the WD and secondary surface have been measured, it
is possible that other mass-transferring binaries also display similar velocity
curves when observed with Kepler. These will provide additional valuable tests
to either confirm or rule out small eccentricities in similar systems.


title:
High resolution neural connectivity from incomplete tracing data using
  nonnegative spline regression

abstract:
  Whole-brain neural connectivity data are now available from viral tracing
experiments, which reveal the connections between a source injection site and
elsewhere in the brain. These hold the promise of revealing spatial patterns of
connectivity throughout the mammalian brain. To achieve this goal, we seek to
fit a weighted, nonnegative adjacency matrix among 100 $\mu$m brain "voxels"
using viral tracer data. Despite a multi-year experimental effort, injections
provide incomplete coverage, and the number of voxels in our data is orders of
magnitude larger than the number of injections, making the problem severely
underdetermined. Furthermore, projection data are missing within the injection
site because local connections there are not separable from the injection
signal.
  We use a novel machine-learning algorithm to meet these challenges and
develop a spatially explicit, voxel-scale connectivity map of the mouse visual
system. Our method combines three features: a matrix completion loss for
missing data, a smoothing spline penalty to regularize the problem, and
(optionally) a low rank factorization. We demonstrate the consistency of our
estimator using synthetic data and then apply it to newly available Allen Mouse
Brain Connectivity Atlas data for the visual system. Our algorithm is
significantly more predictive than current state of the art approaches which
assume regions to be homogeneous. We demonstrate the efficacy of a low rank
version on visual cortex data and discuss the possibility of extending this to
a whole-brain connectivity matrix at the voxel scale.


title:
3D radiative hydrodynamic simulations of protostellar collapse with
  H-C-O dynamical chemistry

abstract:
  Combining the co-evolving chemistry, hydrodynamics and radiative transfer is
an important step for star formation studies. It allows both a better link to
observations and a self-consistent monitoring of the magnetic dissipation in
the collapsing core. Our aim is to follow a chemo-dynamical evolution of
collapsing dense cores with a reduced gas-grain chemical network. We present
the results of radiative hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of 1 M$_\odot$ isolated
dense core collapse. The physical setup includes RHD and dynamical evolution of
a chemical network. To perform those simulations, we merged the
multi-dimensional adaptive-mesh-refinement code RAMSES and the thermo-chemistry
Paris-Durham shock code. We simulate the formation of the first hydro-static
core (FHSC) and the co-evolution of 56 species describing mainly H-C-O
chemistry. Accurate benchmarking is performed, testing the reduced chemical
network against a well-establiched complex network. We show that by using a
compact set of reactions, one can match closely the CO abundances with results
of a much more complex network. Our main results are: (a) We find that
gas-grain chemistry post-processing can lead to one order of magnitude lower CO
gas-phase abundances compared to the dynamical chemistry, with strongest effect
during the isothermal phase of collapse. (b) The free-fall time has little
effect on the chemical abundances for our choice of the parameters. (c)
Dynamical chemical evolution is required to describe the CO gas phase abundance
as well as the CO ice formation for the mean grain size larger then 1$\mu{}$m.
(d) Furthermore, dust mean size and size distribution have a strong effect on
chemical abundances and hence on the ionization degree and magnetic
dissipation. We conclude that dust grain growth in the collapse simulations can
be as important as coupling the collapse with chemistry.


title:
A Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on orbital angular momentum for
  improved vortex coronagraph efficiency

abstract:
  The Annular Groove Phase Mask (AGPM) is a vectorial vortex phase mask. It
acts as a half-wave plate with a radial fast axis orientation operating in the
mid infrared domain. When placed at the focus of a telescope element provides a
continuous helical phase ramp for an on axis sources, which creates the orbital
angular momentum. Thanks to that phase, the intensity of the central source is
canceled by a down-stream pupil stop, while the off axis sources are not
affected. However due to experimental conditions the nulling is hardly perfect.
To improve the null, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer containing Dove prisms
differently oriented can be proposed to sort out light based on its orbital
angular momentum (OAM). Thanks to the differential rotation of the beam, a
{\pi} phase shift is achieved for the on axis light affected by a non zero OAM.
Therefore the contrast between the star and its faint companion is enhanced.
Nevertheless, due the Dove prisms birefringence, the performance of the
interferometer is relatively poor. To solve this problem, we propose to add a
birefringent wave-plate in each arm to compensate this birefringence. In this
paper, we will develop the mathematical model of the wave front using the Jones
formalism. The performance of the interferometer is at first computed for the
simple version without the birefringent plate. Then the effect of the
birefringent plate is be mathematically described and the performance is
re-computed.


title:
Generalized phase retrieval : measurement number, matrix recovery and
  beyond

abstract:
  In this paper, we develop a framework of generalized phase retrieval in which
one aims to reconstruct a vector ${\mathbf x}$ in ${\mathbb R}^d$ or ${\mathbb
C}^d$ through quadratic samples ${\mathbf x}^*A_1{\mathbf x}, \dots, {\mathbf
x}^*A_N{\mathbf x}$. The generalized phase retrieval includes as special cases
the standard phase retrieval as well as the phase retrieval by orthogonal
projections. We first explore the connections among generalized phase
retrieval, low-rank matrix recovery and nonsingular bilinear form. Motivated by
the connections, we present results on the minimal measurement number needed
for recovering a matrix that lies in a set $W\in {\mathbb C}^{d\times d}$.
Applying the results to phase retrieval, we show that generic $d \times d$
matrices $A_1,\ldots, A_N$ have the phase retrieval property if $N\geq 2d-1$ in
the real case and $N \geq 4d-4$ in the complex case for very general classes of
$A_1,\ldots,A_N$, e.g. matrices with prescribed ranks or orthogonal
projections. Our method also leads to a novel proof for the classical
Stiefel-Hopf condition on nonsingular bilinear form. We also give lower bounds
on the minimal measurement number required for generalized phase retrieval. For
several classes of dimensions $d$ we obtain the precise values of the minimal
measurement number. Our work unifies and enhances results from the standard
phase retrieval, phase retrieval by projections and low-rank matrix recovery.


title: Notes on Pervasive Virtuality

abstract:
  This paper summarizes current notes about a new mixed-reality paradigm that
we named as "pervasive virtuality". This paradigm has emerged recently in
industry and academia through different initiatives. In this paper we intend to
explore this new area by proposing a set of features that we identified as
important or helpful to realize pervasive virtuality in games and entertainment
applications.


title: Mass entrainment rate of an ideal momentum turbulent round jet

abstract:
  We propose a two-phase-fluid model for a full-cone turbulent round jet that
describes its dynamics in a simple but comprehensive manner with only the apex
angle of the cone being a disposable parameter. The basic assumptions are that
(i) the jet is statistically stationary and that (ii) it can be approximated by
a mixture of two fluids with their phases in dynamic equilibrium. To derive the
model, we impose conservation of the initial volume and total momentum fluxes.
Our model equations admit analytical solutions for the composite density and
velocity of the two-phase fluid, both as functions of the distance from the
nozzle, from which the dynamic pressure and the mass entrainment rate are
calculated. Assuming a far-field approximation, we theoretically derive a
constant entrainment rate coefficient solely in terms of the cone angle.
Moreover, we carry out experiments for a single-phase turbulent air jet and
show that the predictions of our model compare well with this and other
experimental data of atomizing liquid jets.


title:
Interferometric mapping of magnetic fields: The ALMA view of the massive
  star forming clump W43-MM1

abstract:
  Here we present the first results from ALMA observations of 1 mm polarized
dust emission towards the W43-MM1 high mass star forming clump. We have
detected a highly fragmented filament with source masses ranging from 14Msun to
312Msun, where the largest fragment, source A, is believed to be one of the
most massive in our Galaxy. We found a smooth, ordered, and detailed
polarization pattern throughout the filament which we used to derived magnetic
field morphologies and strengths for 12 out of the 15 fragments detected
ranging from 0.2 to 9 mG. The dynamical equilibrium of each fragment was
evaluated finding that all the fragments are in a super-critical state which is
consistent with previously detected infalling motions towards W43-MM1.
Moreover, there are indications suggesting that the field is being dragged by
gravity as the whole filament is collapsing.


title: Factorization for Jet Radius Logarithms in Jet Mass Spectra at the LHC

abstract:
  To predict the jet mass spectrum at a hadron collider it is crucial to
account for the resummation of logarithms between the transverse momentum of
the jet and its invariant mass $m_J$. For small jet areas there are additional
large logarithms of the jet radius $R$, which affect the convergence of the
perturbative series. We present an analytic framework for exclusive jet
production at the LHC which gives a complete description of the jet mass
spectrum including realistic jet algorithms and jet vetoes. It factorizes the
scales associated with $m_J$, $R$, and the jet veto, enabling in addition the
systematic resummation of jet radius logarithms in the jet mass spectrum beyond
leading logarithmic order. We discuss the factorization formulae for the peak
and tail region of the jet mass spectrum and for small and large $R$, and the
relations between the different regimes and how to combine them. Regions of
experimental interest are classified which do not involve large nonglobal
logarithms. We also present universal results for nonperturbative effects and
discuss various jet vetoes.


title:
Boosting invisible searches via $\boldsymbol{ZH}$: From the Higgs Boson
  to Dark Matter Simplified Models

abstract:
  Higgs boson production in association with a $Z$-boson at the LHC is
analysed, both in the Standard Model and in Simplified Model extensions for
Dark Matter. We focus on $H\rightarrow$invisibles searches and show that
loop-induced components for both the signal and background present
phenomenologically relevant contributions to the
$\mathcal{BR}(H\rightarrow\textit{inv})$ limits. In addition, the constraining
power of this channel to Simplified Models for Dark Matter with scalar and
pseudo-scalar mediators $\phi$ and $A$ is discussed and compared with
non-collider constraints. We find that with $100~fb^{-1}$ of LHC data, this
channel provides competitive constraints to the non-collider bounds, for most
of the parameter space we consider, bounding the universal Standard Model
fermion-mediator strength at $g_v < 1$ for moderate masses in the range of
${100~\text{GeV}<m_{\phi/A}<400}$ GeV.


title: Monte Carlo study of real time dynamics

abstract:
  Monte Carlo studies involving real time dynamics are severely restricted by
the sign problem that emerges from highly oscillatory phase of the path
integral. In this letter, we present a new method to compute real time
quantities on the lattice using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism via Monte Carlo
simulations. The key idea is to deform the path integration domain to a complex
manifold where the phase oscillations are mild and the sign problem is
manageable. We use the previously introduced "contraction algorithm" to create
a Markov chain on this alternative manifold. We substantiate our approach by
analyzing the quantum mechanical anharmonic oscillator. Our results are in
agreement with the exact ones obtained by diagonalization of the Hamiltonian.
The method we introduce is generic and in principle applicable to quantum field
theory albeit very slow. We discuss some possible improvements that should
speed up the algorithm.


title:
The weak neutral Fe fluorescence line and long-term X-ray evolution of
  the Compton-thick AGN in NGC 7674

abstract:
  We present $NuSTAR$ X-ray observations of the active galactic nucleus (AGN)
in NGC 7674. The source shows a flat X-ray spectrum, suggesting that it is
obscured by Compton-thick gas columns. Based upon long-term flux dimming,
previous work suggested the alternate possibility that the source is a recently
switched-off AGN with the observed X-rays being the lagged echo from the torus.
Our high-quality data show the source to be reflection-dominated in hard
X-rays, but with a relatively weak neutral Fe K$\alpha$ emission line
(equivalent width [EW] of $\approx$ 0.4 keV) and a strong Fe XXVI ionised line
(EW $\approx$ 0.2 keV). We construct an updated long-term X-ray light curve of
NGC 7674 and find that the observed 2-10 keV flux has remained constant for the
past $\approx$ 20 years, following a high flux state probed by $Ginga$. Light
travel time arguments constrain the minimum radius of the reflector to be
$\sim$ 3.2 pc under the switched-off AGN scenario, $\approx$ 30 times larger
than the expected dust sublimation radius, rendering this possibility unlikely.
A patchy Compton-thick AGN (CTAGN) solution is plausible, requiring a minimum
line-of-sight column density ($N_{\rm H}$) of 3 $\times$ 10$^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$ at
present, and yields an intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity of (3-5) $\times$
10$^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$. Realistic uncertainties span the range of $\approx$
(1-13) $\times$ 10$^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The source has one of the weakest
fluorescence lines amongst {\em bona fide} CTAGN, and is potentially a local
analogue of bolometrically luminous systems showing complex neutral and ionised
Fe emission. It exemplifies the difficulty of identification and proper
characterisation of distant CTAGN based on the strength of the neutral Fe
K$\alpha$ line.


title:
Fractionalizing glide reflections in two-dimensional Z2 topologically
  ordered phases

abstract:
  We study the fractionalization of space group symmetries in two-dimensional
topologically ordered phases. Specifically, we focus on Z2-fractionalized
phases in two dimensions whose deconfined topological excitations transform
trivially under translational symmetries, but projectively under glide
reflections, whose quantum numbers are hence fractionalized. We accomplish this
by generalizing the dichotomy between even and odd gauge theories to
incorporate additional symmetries inherent to non-symmorphic crystals. We show
that the resulting fractionalization of point group quantum numbers can be
detected in numerical studies of ground state wave functions. We illustrate
these ideas using a microscopic model of a system of bosons at integer unit
cell filling on a lattice with space group p4g, that can be mapped to a
half-magnetization plateau for an S =1/2 spin system on the Shastry-Sutherland
lattice.


title: Analysis strategies for general spin-independent WIMP-nucleus scattering

abstract:
  We propose a formalism for the analysis of direct-detection dark-matter
searches that covers all coherent responses for scalar and vector interactions
and incorporates QCD constraints imposed by chiral symmetry, including all one-
and two-body WIMP-nucleon interactions up to third order in chiral effective
field theory. One of the free parameters in the WIMP-nucleus cross section
corresponds to standard spin-independent searches, but in general different
combinations of new-physics couplings are probed. We identify the interference
with the isovector counterpart of the standard spin-independent response and
two-body currents as the dominant corrections to the leading spin-independent
structure factor, and discuss the general consequences for the interpretation
of direct-detection experiments, including minimal extensions of the standard
spin-independent analysis. Fits for all structure factors required for the
scattering off xenon targets are provided based on state-of-the-art nuclear
shell-model calculations.


title:
The Prevalence and Impact of Wolf-Rayet Stars in Emerging Massive Star
  Clusters

abstract:
  We investigate Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars as a source of feedback contributing to
the removal of natal material in the early evolution of massive star clusters.
Despite previous work suggesting that massive star clusters clear out their
natal material before the massive stars evolve into the WR phase, WR stars have
been detected in several emerging massive star clusters. These detections
suggest that the timescale for clusters to emerge can be at least as long as
the time required to produce WR stars (a few million years), and could also
indicate that WR stars may be providing the tipping point in the combined
feedback processes that drive a massive star cluster to emerge. We explore the
potential overlap between the emerging phase and the WR phase with an
observational survey to search for WR stars in emerging massive star clusters
hosting WR stars. We select candidate emerging massive star clusters from known
radio continuum sources with thermal emission and obtain optical spectra with
the 4m Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory and the 6.5m MMT. We
identify 21 sources with significantly detected WR signatures, which we term
"emerging WR clusters." WR features are detected in $\sim$50% of the
radio-selected sample, and thus we find that WR stars are commonly present in
massive star clusters currently emerging. The observed extinctions and ages
suggest that clusters without WR detections remain embedded for longer periods
of time, and may indicate that WR stars can aid, and therefore accelerate, the
emergence process.


title: F-theory and Unpaired Tensors in 6D SCFTs and LSTs

abstract:
  We investigate global symmetries for 6D SCFTs and LSTs having a single
"unpaired" tensor, that is, a tensor with no associated gauge symmetry. We
verify that for every such theory built from F-theory whose tensor has Dirac
self-pairing equal to -1, the global symmetry algebra is a subalgebra of
$\mathfrak{e}_8$. This result is new if the F-theory presentation of the theory
involves a one-parameter family of nodal or cuspidal rational curves (i.e.,
Kodaira types $I_1$ or $II$) rather than elliptic curves (Kodaira type $I_0$).
For such theories, this condition on the global symmetry algebra appears to
fully capture the constraints on coupling these theories to others in the
context of multi-tensor theories. We also study the analogous problem for
theories whose tensor has Dirac self-pairing equal to -2 and find that the
global symmetry algebra is a subalgebra of $\mathfrak{su}(2)$. However, in this
case there are additional constraints on F-theory constructions for coupling
these theories to others.


title: An ultra-dense fast outflow in a quasar at z=2.4

abstract:
  We present Adaptive Optics assisted near-IR integral field spectroscopic
observations of a luminous quasar at $z = 2.4$, previously observed as the
first known example at high redshift of large scale quasar-driven outflow
quenching star formation in its host galaxy. The nuclear spectrum shows broad
and blueshifted H$\beta$ in absorption, which is tracing outflowing gas with
high densities ($>10^8$ - $10^9$ cm$^{-3}$) and velocities in excess of 10,000
km s$^{-1}$. The properties of the outflowing clouds (covering factor, density,
column density and inferred location) indicate that they likely originate from
the Broad Line Region. The energetics of such nuclear regions are consistent
with that observed in the large scale outflow, supporting models in which
quasar driven outflows originate from the nuclear region and are energy
conserving. We note that the asymmetric profile of both the H$\beta$ and
H$\alpha$ emission lines is likely due to absorption by the dense outflowing
gas along the line of sight. This outflow-induced asymmetry has implications on
the estimation of the black hole mass using virial estimators, and warns about
such effects for several other quasars characterized by similar line
asymmetries. More generally, our findings may suggest a broader revision of the
decomposition and interpretation of quasar spectral features, in order to take
into account the presence of potential broad blueshifted Balmer absorption
lines. Our high spatial resolution data also reveals redshifted, dynamically
colder nebular emission lines, likely tracing an inflowing stream.


title: Particle-vortex symmetric liquid

abstract:
  We introduce an effective theory with manifest particle-vortex symmetry for
disordered thin films undergoing a magnetic field-tuned
superconductor-insulator transition. The theory may enable one to access both
the critical properties of the strong-disorder limit, which has recently been
confirmed by Breznay et al. [PNAS 113, 280 (2016)] to exhibit particle-vortex
symmetric electrical response, and the nearby metallic phase discovered earlier
by Mason and Kapitulnik [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 5341 (1999)] in less disordered
samples. Within the effective theory, the Cooper-pair and field-induced vortex
degrees of freedom are simultaneously incorporated into an electrically-neutral
Dirac fermion minimally coupled to an (emergent) Chern-Simons gauge field. A
derivation of the theory follows upon mapping the superconductor-insulator
transition to the integer quantum Hall plateau transition and the subsequent
use of Son's particle-hole symmetric composite Fermi liquid. Remarkably,
particle-vortex symmetric response does not require the introduction of
disorder; rather, it results when the Dirac fermions exhibit vanishing Hall
effect. The theory predicts approximately equal (diagonal) thermopower and
Nernst signal with a deviation parameterized by the measured electrical Hall
response at the symmetric point.


title: Non-Abelian Dark Forces and the Relic Densities of Dark Glueballs

abstract:
  Our understanding of the Universe is known to be incomplete and new gauge
forces beyond those of the Standard Model might be crucial to describing its
observed properties. A minimal and well-motivated possibility is a pure
Yang-Mills non-Abelian dark gauge force with no direct connection to the
Standard Model. We determine here the relic abundances of the glueball bound
states that arise in such theories and investigate their cosmological effects.
Glueballs are first formed in a confining phase transition, and their relic
densities are set by a network of annihilation and transfer reactions. The
lightest glueball has no lighter states to annihilate into, and its yield is
set mainly by 3 to 2 number-changing processes which persistently release
energy into the glueball gas during freeze-out. The abundances of the heavier
glueballs are dominated by 2 to 2 transfer reactions, and tend to be much
smaller than the lightest state. We also investigate potential connectors
between the dark force and the Standard Model that allow some or all of the
dark glueballs to decay. If the connection is weak, the lightest glueball can
be very long-lived or stable and is a viable dark matter candidate. For
stronger connections, the lightest glueball will decay quickly but other
heavier glueball states can remain stable and contribute to the dark matter
density.


title: Indirect searches of dark matter via polynomial spectral features

abstract:
  We derive the spectra arising from non-relativistic dark matter annihilations
or decays into intermediary particles with arbitrary spin, which subsequently
produce neutrinos or photons via two-body decays. Our approach is model
independent and predicts spectral features restricted to a kinematic box. The
overall shape within that box is a polynomial determined by the polarization of
the decaying particle. We illustrate our findings with two examples. First,
with the neutrino spectra arising from dark matter annihilations into the
massive Standard Model gauge bosons. Second, with the gamma-ray and neutrino
spectra generated by dark matter annihilations into hypothetical massive spin-2
particles. Our results are in particular applicable to the 750 GeV diphoton
excess observed at the LHC if interpreted as a spin-0 or spin-2 particle
coupled to dark matter. We also derive limits on the dark matter annihilation
cross section into this resonance from the non-observation of the associated
gamma-ray spectral features by the H.E.S.S. telescope.


title:
X-ray and Optical Correlation of Type I Seyfert NGC 3516 Studied with
  Suzaku and Japanese Ground-Based Telescopes

abstract:
  From 2013 April to 2014 April, we performed an X-ray and optical simultaneous
monitoring of the type 1.5 Seyfert galaxy NGC 3516. It employed Suzaku, and 5
Japanese ground-based telescopes, the Pirka, Kiso Schmidt, Nayuta, MITSuME, and
the Kanata telescopes. The Suzaku observations were conducted seven times with
various intervals ranging from days, weeks, to months, with an exposure of
$\sim50$ ksec each. The optical $B$-band observations not only covered those of
Suzaku almost simultaneously, but also followed the source as frequently as
possible. As a result, NGC 3516 was found in its faint phase with the 2-10 keV
flux of $0.21-2.70 \times 10^{-11}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$. The 2-45 keV X-ray
spectra were composed of a dominant variable hard power-law continuum with a
photon index of $\sim1.7$, and a non-relativistic reflection component with a
prominent Fe-K$\alpha$ emission line. Producing the $B$-band light curve by
differential image photometry, we found that the $B$-band flux changed by
$\sim2.7 \times 10^{-11}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, which is comparable to the
X-ray variation, and detected a significant flux correlation between the hard
power-law component in X-rays and the $B$-band radiation, for the first time in
NGC 3516. By examining their correlation, we found that the X-ray flux preceded
that of $B$ band by $2.0^{+0.7}_{-0.6}$ days ($1\sigma$ error). Although this
result supports the X-ray reprocessing model, the derived lag is too large to
be explained by the standard view which assumes a "lamppost"-type X-ray
illuminator located near a standard accretion disk. Our results are better
explained by assuming a hot accretion flow and a truncated disk.


title: Kinetic AGN Feedback Effects on Cluster Cool Cores Simulated using SPH

abstract:
  We implement novel numerical models of AGN feedback in the SPH code GADGET-3,
where the energy from a supermassive black hole (BH) is coupled to the
surrounding gas in the kinetic form. Gas particles lying inside a bi-conical
volume around the BH are imparted a one-time velocity (10,000 km/s) increment.
We perform hydrodynamical simulations of isolated cluster (total mass 10^14 /h
M_sun), which is initially evolved to form a dense cool core, having central
T<10^6 K. A BH resides at the cluster center, and ejects energy. The
feedback-driven fast wind undergoes shock with the slower-moving gas, which
causes the imparted kinetic energy to be thermalized. Bipolar bubble-like
outflows form propagating radially outward to a distance of a few 100 kpc. The
radial profiles of median gas properties are influenced by BH feedback in the
inner regions (r<20-50 kpc). BH kinetic feedback, with a large value of the
feedback efficiency, depletes the inner cool gas and reduces the hot gas
content, such that the initial cool core of the cluster is heated up within a
time 1.9 Gyr, whereby the core median temperature rises to above 10^7 K, and
the central entropy flattens. Our implementation of BH thermal feedback (using
the same efficiency as kinetic), within the star-formation model, cannot do
this heating, where the cool core remains. The inclusion of cold gas accretion
in the simulations produces naturally a duty cycle of the AGN with a
periodicity of 100 Myr.


title:
Enhanced gauge symmetry in 6D F-theory models and tuned elliptic
  Calabi-Yau threefolds

abstract:
  We systematically analyze the local combinations of gauge groups and matter
that can arise in 6D F-theory models over a fixed base. We compare the
low-energy constraints of anomaly cancellation to explicit F-theory
constructions using Weierstrass and Tate forms, and identify some new local
structures in the "swampland' of 6D supergravity and SCFT models that appear
consistent from low-energy considerations but do not have known F-theory
realizations. In particular, we classify and carry out a local analysis of all
enhancements of the irreducible gauge and matter contributions from
"non-Higgsable clusters," and on isolated curves and pairs of intersecting
rational curves of arbitrary self-intersection. Such enhancements correspond
physically to unHiggsings, and mathematically to tunings of the Weierstrass
model of an elliptic CY threefold. We determine the shift in Hodge numbers of
the elliptic threefold associated with each enhancement. We also consider local
tunings on curves that have higher genus or intersect multiple other curves,
codimension two tunings that give transitions in the F-theory matter content,
tunings of abelian factors in the gauge group, and generalizations of the
"$E_8$" rule to include tunings and curves of self-intersection zero. These
tools can be combined into an algorithm that in principle enables a finite and
systematic classification of all elliptic CY threefolds and corresponding 6D
F-theory SUGRA models over a given compact base (modulo some technical caveats
in various special circumstances), and are also relevant to the classification
of 6D SCFT's. To illustrate the utility of these results, we identify some
large example classes of known CY threefolds in the Kreuzer-Skarke database as
Weierstrass models over complex surface bases with specific simple tunings, and
we survey the range of tunings possible over one specific base.


title: Randomized benchmarking in measurement-based quantum computing

abstract:
  Randomized benchmarking is routinely used as an efficient method for
characterizing the performance of sets of elementary logic gates in small
quantum devices. In the measurement-based model of quantum computation, logic
gates are implemented via single-site measurements on a fixed universal
resource state. Here we adapt the randomized benchmarking protocol for a single
qubit to a linear cluster state computation, which provides partial, yet
efficient characterization of the noise associated with the target gate set.
Applying randomized benchmarking to measurement-based quantum computation
exhibits an interesting interplay between the inherent randomness associated
with logic gates in the measurement-based model and the random gate sequences
used in benchmarking. We consider two different approaches: the first makes use
of the standard single-qubit Clifford group, while the second uses recently
introduced (non-Clifford) measurement-based 2-designs, which harness inherent
randomness to implement gate sequences.


title:
Dark-ages reionization and galaxy-formation simulation - VI. The origins
  and fate of the highest known redshift galaxy

abstract:
  Using Hubble data, including new grism spectra, Oesch et al. recently
identified GN-z11, an $M_\textrm{UV}$=-21.1 galaxy at $z$=11.1 (just 400Myr
after the big bang). With an estimated stellar mass of $\sim$10$^9$M$_{\odot}$,
this galaxy is surprisingly bright and massive, raising questions as to how
such an extreme object could form so early in the Universe. Using \Meraxes{}, a
semi-analytic galaxy-formation model developed as part of the Dark-ages
Reionization And Galaxy-formation Observables from Numerical Simulations
(DRAGONS) programme, we investigate the potential formation mechanisms and
eventual fate of GN-z11. The volume of our simulation is comparable to that of
the discovery observations and possesses two analogue galaxies of similar
luminosity to this remarkably bright system. Existing in the two most massive
subhaloes at $z$=11.1 ($M_\textrm{vir}$=1.4$\times 10^{11}$M$_{\odot}$ and
6.7$\times 10^{10}$M$_{\odot}$), our model analogues show excellent agreement
with all available observationally derived properties of GN-z11. Although they
are relatively rare outliers from the full galaxy population at high-$z$, they
are no longer the most massive or brightest systems by $z$=5. Furthermore, we
find that both objects possess relatively smooth, but extremely rapid mass
growth histories with consistently high star formation rates and UV
luminosities at $z{>}11$, indicating that their brightness is not a transient,
merger-driven feature. Our model results suggest that future wide-field surveys
with the \textit{James Webb Space Telescope} may be able to detect the
progenitors of GN-z11 analogues out to $z{\sim}$13--14, pushing the frontiers
of galaxy-formation observations to the early phases of cosmic reionization and
providing a valuable glimpse of the first galaxies to reionize the Universe on
large scales.


title:
Non-standard neutrino interactions in the Earth and the flavor of
  astrophysical neutrinos

abstract:
  We study the modification of the detected flavor content of ultra high-energy
astrophysical neutrinos in the presence of non-standard interactions of
neutrinos with the Earth matter. Unlike the case of new physics affecting the
propagation from the source to the Earth, non-standard Earth matter effects
induce a dependence of the flavor content on the arrival direction of the
neutrino. We find that, within the current limits on non-standard neutrino
interaction parameters, large deviations from the standard 3-nu oscillation
predictions can be expected, in particular for fluxes dominated by one flavor
at the source. Conversely they do not give sizable corrections to the
expectation of equalized flavors in the Earth for sources dominated by
production via pion-muon decay-chain.


title:
Hunting for Dark Matter Coannihilation by Mixing Dijet Resonances and
  Missing Transverse Energy

abstract:
  Simplified models of the dark matter (co)annihilation mechanism predict
striking new collider signatures untested by current searches. These models,
which were codified in the coannihilation codex, provide the basis for a dark
matter (DM) discovery program at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) driven by the
measured DM relic density. In this work, we study an exemplary model featuring
$s$-channel DM coannihilation through a scalar diquark mediator as a
representative case study of scenarios with strongly interacting coannihilation
partners. We discuss the full phenomenology of the model, ranging from low
energy flavor constraints, vacuum stability requirements, and precision Higgs
effects to direct detection and indirect detection prospects. Moreover,
motivated by the relic density calculation, we find significant portions of
parameter space are compatible with current collider constraints and can be
probed by future searches, including a proposed analysis for the novel
signature of a dijet resonance accompanied by missing transverse energy (MET).
Our results show that the $13$ TeV LHC with $100~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ luminosity
should be sensitive to mediators as heavy as 1 TeV and dark matter in the
400--500 GeV range. The combination of searches for single and paired dijet
peaks, non-resonant jets + MET excesses, and our novel resonant dijet + MET
signature have strong coverage of the motivated relic density region,
reflecting the tight connections between particles determining the dark matter
abundance and their experimental signatures at the LHC.


title:
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Biases in
  z>1.46 Redshifts due to Quasar Diversity

abstract:
  We use the coadded spectra of 32 epochs of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
Reverberation Mapping Project observations of 482 quasars with z>1.46 to
highlight systematic biases in the SDSS- and BOSS-pipeline redshifts due to the
natural diversity of quasar properties. We investigate the characteristics of
this bias by comparing the BOSS-pipeline redshifts to an estimate from the
centroid of HeII 1640. HeII has a low equivalent width but is often
well-defined in high-S/N spectra, does not suffer from self-absorption, and has
a narrow component that, when present (the case for about half of our sources),
produces a redshift estimate that, on average, is consistent with that
determined from [OII] to within 1-sigma of the quadrature sum of the HeII and
[OII] centroid measurement uncertainties. The large redshift differences of
~1000 km/s, on average, between the BOSS-pipeline and HeII-centroid redshifts
suggest there are significant biases in a portion of BOSS quasar redshift
measurements. Adopting the HeII-based redshifts shows that CIV does not exhibit
a ubiquitous blueshift for all quasars, given the precision probed by our
measurements. Instead, we find a distribution of CIV centroid blueshifts across
our sample, with a dynamic range that (i) is wider than that previously
reported for this line, and (ii) spans CIV centroids from those consistent with
the systemic redshift to those with significant blueshifts of thousands of
kilometers per second. These results have significant implications for
measurement and use of high-redshift quasar properties and redshifts and
studies based thereon.


title:
Optical diagnostics and mass spectrometry on the afterglow of an
  atmospheric pressure Ar/O$_2$ radiofrequency plasma used for polymer surface
  treatment

abstract:
  In the context of polymer surface treatment, the afterglow of an atmospheric
pressure Ar/O$_2$ radiofrequency plasma is characterized by optical emission
spectroscopy, laser induced fluorescence and mass spectrometry. The influence
of the O$_2$ gas flow rate and the source power on the plasma properties (gas
temperature, Ar excitation temperature, relative concentrations of O atoms and
OH radicals) are evaluated. We show that for plasma torch-to-substrate
distances lower than 6 mm, the afterglow creates a protective atmosphere, thus
the plasma gas composition interacting with the substrate is well controlled.
For higher distances, the influence of ambient air can no longer be neglected
and gradients in Ar, O$_2$ and N$_2$ concentrations are measured as a function
of axial and vertical position.


title: Lorentz violation in simple QED processes

abstract:
  We determine the effect of a CPT-even and Lorentz violating non-minimal
coupling on the differential cross sections for some of the most important
tree-level processes in QED, namely, Compton and Bhabha scatterings, as well as
electron-positron annihilation. Experimental limits constraining the allowed
deviation of the differential cross sections relative to pure QED allow us to
place upper bounds on the Lorentz violating parameters. A constraint based on
the decay rate of para-positronium is also obtained.


title: Gravitational Casimir effect at finite temperature

abstract:
  The energy-momentum tensor for the gravitoelectromagnetism (GEM) theory in
the real-time finite temperature field theory formalism is presented.
Expressions for the Casimir energy and pressure at zero and finite temperature
are obtained. An analysis of the Casimir effect for the GEM field is developed.


title: Discontinuity of Straightening in Anti-holomorphic Dynamics: I

abstract:
  It is well known that baby Mandelbrot sets are homeomorphic to the original
one. We study baby Tricorns appearing in the Tricorn, which is the
connectedness locus of quadratic anti-holomorphic polynomials, and show that
the dynamically natural straightening map from a baby Tricorn to the original
Tricorn is discontinuous at infinitely many explicit parameters. This is the
first known example of discontinuity of straightening maps on a real
two-dimensional slice of an analytic family of holomorphic polynomials. The
proof of discontinuity is carried out by showing that all non-real umbilical
cords of the Tricorn wiggle, which settles a conjecture made by various people
including Hubbard, Milnor, and Schleicher.


title: A PAC RL Algorithm for Episodic POMDPs

abstract:
  Many interesting real world domains involve reinforcement learning (RL) in
partially observable environments. Efficient learning in such domains is
important, but existing sample complexity bounds for partially observable RL
are at least exponential in the episode length. We give, to our knowledge, the
first partially observable RL algorithm with a polynomial bound on the number
of episodes on which the algorithm may not achieve near-optimal performance.
Our algorithm is suitable for an important class of episodic POMDPs. Our
approach builds on recent advances in method of moments for latent variable
model estimation.


title:
Arithmetic volumes of indefinite ternary lattices with square free
  discriminant

abstract:
  The main purpose of this paper is to give an explicit formula for the volumes
of indefinite ternary lattices with square free discriminant. We also consider
several examples of lattices, for which the fundamental domain is well-known
and make sure the results obtained by our computation coincide with the known
ones.


title: Standardizing Type Ia supernovae using Near Infrared rebrightening time

abstract:
  Accurate standardisation of Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) is instrumental to the
usage of SNIa as distance indicators. We analyse a homogeneous sample of 22
low-z SNIa, observed by the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP) in the optical and
near infra-red (NIR). We study the time of the second peak in the NIR band due
to re-brightening, t2, as an alternative standardisation parameter of SNIa peak
brightness. We use BAHAMAS, a Bayesian hierarchical model for SNIa cosmology,
to determine the residual scatter in the Hubble diagram. We find that in the
absence of a colour correction, t2 is a better standardisation parameter
compared to stretch: t2 has a 1 sigma posterior interval for the Hubble
residual scatter of [0.250, 0.257] , compared to [0.280, 0.287] when stretch
(x1) alone is used. We demonstrate that when employed together with a colour
correction, t2 and stretch lead to similar residual scatter. Using colour,
stretch and t2 jointly as standardisation parameters does not result in any
further reduction in scatter, suggesting that t2 carries redundant information
with respect to stretch and colour. With a much larger SNIa NIR sample at
higher redshift in the future, t2 could be a useful quantity to perform
robustness checks of the standardisation procedure.


title:
Cryptographic applications of capacity theory: On the optimality of
  Coppersmith's method for univariate polynomials

abstract:
  We draw a new connection between Coppersmith's method for finding small
solutions to polynomial congruences modulo integers and the capacity theory of
adelic subsets of algebraic curves. Coppersmith's method uses lattice basis
reduction to construct an auxiliary polynomial that vanishes at the desired
solutions. Capacity theory provides a toolkit for proving when polynomials with
certain boundedness properties do or do not exist. Using capacity theory, we
prove that Coppersmith's bound for univariate polynomials is optimal in the
sense that there are \emph{no} auxiliary polynomials of the type he used that
would allow finding roots of size $N^{1/d+\epsilon}$ for monic degree-$d$
polynomials modulo $N$. Our results rule out the existence of polynomials of
any degree and do not rely on lattice algorithms, thus eliminating the
possibility of even superpolynomial-time improvements to Coppersmith's bound.
We extend this result to constructions of auxiliary polynomials using binomial
polynomials, and rule out the existence of any auxiliary polynomial of this
form that would find solutions of size $N^{1/d+\epsilon}$ unless $N$ has a very
small prime factor.


title: Edge complexity of geometric graphs on convex independent point sets

abstract:
  In this paper, we focus on a generalised version of Gabriel graphs known as
Locally Gabriel graphs ($LGGs$) and Unit distance graphs ($UDGs$) on convexly
independent point sets. $UDGs$ are sub graphs of $LGGs$. We give a simpler
proof for the claim that $LGGs$ on convex independent point sets have $2n \log
n + O(n)$ edges. Then we prove that unit distance graphs on convex independent
point sets have $O(n)$ edges improving the previous known bound of $O(n \log
n)$.


title: Global properties of rotating neutron stars with QCD equations of state

abstract:
  We numerically investigate global properties of rotating neutron stars using
the allowed band of QCD equations of state derived by Kurkela et al. This band
is constrained by chiral effective theory at low densities and perturbative QCD
at high densities, and is thus, in essence, a controlled constraint from
first-principles physics. Previously, this band of equations of state was used
to investigate non-rotating neutron stars only; in this work, we extend these
results to any rotation frequency below the mass-shedding limit. We investigate
mass--radius curves, allowed mass--frequency regions, radius--frequency curves
for a typical 1.4-solar-mass star, and the values of the moment of inertia of
the double pulsar PSR J0737-3039A, a pulsar whose moment of inertia may be
constrained observationally in a few years. We present limits on observational
data coming from these constraints, and identify values of
observationally-relevant parameters that would further constrain the allowed
region for the QCD equation of state. We also discuss how much this region
would be constrained by a measurement of the moment of inertial of the double
pulsar PSR J0737-3039A.


title: Real-Time Human Motion Capture with Multiple Depth Cameras

abstract:
  Commonly used human motion capture systems require intrusive attachment of
markers that are visually tracked with multiple cameras. In this work we
present an efficient and inexpensive solution to markerless motion capture
using only a few Kinect sensors. Unlike the previous work on 3d pose estimation
using a single depth camera, we relax constraints on the camera location and do
not assume a co-operative user. We apply recent image segmentation techniques
to depth images and use curriculum learning to train our system on purely
synthetic data. Our method accurately localizes body parts without requiring an
explicit shape model. The body joint locations are then recovered by combining
evidence from multiple views in real-time. We also introduce a dataset of ~6
million synthetic depth frames for pose estimation from multiple cameras and
exceed state-of-the-art results on the Berkeley MHAD dataset.


title:
Transmission of Waveforms Determined by 7 Eigenvalues with PSK-Modulated
  Spectral Amplitudes

abstract:
  2-ns waveforms with 7 eigenvalues and their QPSK-modulated spectral
amplitudes were optimized by taking constraints of link, transmitter, and
receiver into account. In experiment these signals were transmitted with a BER
of 3.2E-3 over 1440-km of NZ-DSF fiber spans.


title:
Nonlinear Stochastic Dynamics of Complex Systems, I: A Chemical Reaction
  Kinetic Perspective with Mesoscopic Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics

abstract:
  We distinguish a mechanical representation of the world in terms of point
masses with positions and momenta and the chemical representation of the world
in terms of populations of different individuals, each with intrinsic
stochasticity, but population wise with statistical rate laws in their
syntheses, degradations, spatial diffusion, individual state transitions, and
interactions. Such a formal kinetic system in a small volume $V$, like a single
cell, can be rigorously treated in terms of a Markov process describing its
nonlinear kinetics as well as nonequilibrium thermodynamics at a mesoscopic
scale. We introduce notions such as open, driven chemical systems, entropy
production, free energy dissipation, etc. Then in the macroscopic limit, we
illustrate how two new "laws", in terms of a generalized free energy of the
mesoscopic stochastic dynamics, emerge. Detailed balance and complex balance
are two special classes of "simple" nonlinear kinetics. Phase transition is
intrinsically related to multi-stability and saddle-node bifurcation
phenomenon, in the limits of time $t\rightarrow\infty$ and system's size
$V\rightarrow\infty$. Using this approach, we re-articulate the notion of
inanimate equilibrium branch of a system and nonequilibrium state of a living
matter, as originally proposed by Nicolis and Prigogine, and seek a logic
consistency between this viewpoint and that of P. W. Anderson and J. J.
Hopfield's in which macroscopic law emerges through symmetry breaking.


title:
Nonlinear Stochastic Dynamics of Complex Systems, II: Potential of
  Entropic Force in Markov Systems with Nonequilibrium Steady State,
  Generalized Gibbs Function and Criticality

abstract:
  In this paper we revisit the notion of the "minus logarithm of stationary
probability" as a generalized potential in nonequilibrium systems and attempt
to illustrate its central role in an axiomatic approach to stochastic
nonequilibrium thermodynamics of complex systems. It is demonstrated that this
quantity arises naturally through both monotonicity results of Markov processes
and as the rate function when a stochastic process approaches a deterministic
limit. We then undertake a more detailed mathematical analysis of the
consequences of this quantity, culminating in a necessary and sufficient
condition for the criticality of stochastic systems. This condition is then
discussed in the context of recent results about criticality in biological
systems


title:
Modular Hamiltonians for Deformed Half-Spaces and the Averaged Null
  Energy Condition

abstract:
  We study modular Hamiltonians corresponding to the vacuum state for deformed
half-spaces in relativistic quantum field theories on $\mathbb{R}^{1,d-1}$. We
show that in addition to the usual boost generator, there is a contribution to
the modular Hamiltonian at first order in the shape deformation, proportional
to the integral of the null components of the stress tensor along the Rindler
horizon. We use this fact along with monotonicity of relative entropy to prove
the averaged null energy condition in Minkowski space-time. This subsequently
gives a new proof of the Hofman-Maldacena bounds on the parameters appearing in
CFT three-point functions. Our main technical advance involves adapting newly
developed perturbative methods for calculating entanglement entropy to the
problem at hand. These methods were recently used to prove certain results on
the shape dependence of entanglement in CFTs and here we generalize these
results to excited states and real time dynamics. We also discuss the AdS/CFT
counterpart of this result, making connection with the recently proposed
gravitational dual for modular Hamiltonians in holographic theories.


title:
Controlling near shore nonlinear surging waves through bottom boundary
  conditions

abstract:
  Instead of taking the usual passive view for warning of near shore surging
waves including extreme waves like tsunamis, we aim to study the possibility of
intervening and controlling nonlinear surface waves through the feedback
boundary effect at the bottom. It has been shown through analytic result that
the controlled leakage at the bottom may regulate the surface solitary wave
amplitude opposing the hazardous variable depth effect. The theoretical results
are applied to a real coastal bathymetry in India.


title: Temporal Clustering in Dynamic Networks with Tensor Decomposition

abstract:
  Dynamic networks are increasingly being usedd to model real world datasets. A
challenging task in their analysis is to detect and characterize clusters. It
is useful for analyzing real-world data such as detecting evolving communities
in networks. We propose a temporal clustering framework based on a set of
network generative models to address this problem. We use PARAFAC decomposition
to learn network models from datasets.We then use $K$-means for clustering, the
Silhouette criterion to determine the number of clusters, and a similarity
score to order the clusters and retain the significant ones. In order to
address the time-dependent aspect of these clusters, we propose a segmentation
algorithm to detect their formations, dissolutions and lifetimes. Synthetic
networks with ground truth and real-world datasets are used to test our method
against state-of-the-art, and the results show that our method has better
performance in clustering and lifetime detection than previous methods.


title:
Topological R\'enyi and Entanglement Entropy for a 2d q-deformed $U(N)$
  Yang-Mills theory and its Chern-Simons dual

abstract:
  R\'enyi and entanglement entropies are constructed for 2d q-deformed
topological Yang-Mills theories with gauge group $U(N)$, as well as the dual 3d
Chern-Simons (CS) theory on Seifert manifolds. When $q=\exp[2\pi i/(N+K)]$, and
$K$ is odd, the topological R\'enyi entropy and Wilson line observables of the
CS theory can be expressed in terms of the modular transformation matrices of
the WZW theory, $\rm{\hat{U}(N)}_{K,N(K+N)}$. If both $K$ and $N$ are odd,
there is a level-rank duality of the 2d qYM theory and of the associated CS
theory, as well as that of the R\'enyi and entanglement entropies, and Wilson
line observables.


title:
The optimization for the conceptual design of a 300 MeV proton
  synchrotron

abstract:
  A research complex for aerospace radiation effects research has been proposed
in Harbin Institute of Technology. Its core part is a proton accelerator
complex, which consists of a 10 MeV injector, a 300 MeV synchrotron and beam
transport lines. The proton beam extracted from the synchrotron is utilized for
the radiation effects research. Based on the conceptual design [1], the design
study for optimizing the synchrotron has been done. A new lattice design was
worked out, and the multi-turn injection and slow extraction system were
optimized with the new lattice design. In order to improve the time structure
of the extracted beam, a RF knock-out method is employed. To meet the
requirement of accurate control of dose, the frequency of the RF kicker is well
investigated.


title:
$K^{+}\rightarrow \mu^{+}\nu_{\mu} \nu \bar \nu$ and $K^{+}\rightarrow
  e^{+}\nu_{e} \nu \bar \nu$ decays within the Chiral Perturbation Theory

abstract:
  Decays $K^{+} \rightarrow \mu^{+}\nu_{\mu} \nu \bar \nu$ and
$K^{+}\rightarrow e^{+}\nu_{e} \nu \bar \nu$ are examined to the leading order
in momenta in the framework of Chiral Perturbation Theory. Predictions of the
Standard Model for the muon and electron differential energy spectra and
branching ratios of $K_{\mu 3 \nu}$ and $K_{e 3 \nu}$ are presented.


title:
A baseline-free method to identify responsive customers on dynamic
  time-of-use tariffs

abstract:
  Dynamic time-of-use tariffs incentivise changes in electricity consumption.
This paper presents a non-parametric method to retrospectively analyse
consumption data and quantify the significance of a customer's observed
response to a dynamic price signal without constructing a baseline demand
model. If data from a control group is available, this can be used to infer
customer responsiveness - individually and collectively - on an absolute scale.
The results are illustrated using data from the Low Carbon London project,
which included the UK's first dynamic time-of-use pricing trial.


title:
Gas sensing properties of multiwall carbon nanotubes decorated with Rh
  nanoparticles

abstract:
  In the present work, multiwalled carbon nanotubes were decorated with rhodium
nanoparticles using a colloidal solution in the post-discharge of an RF
atmospheric plasma of argon (Ar) or argon/oxygen (Ar:O$_2$). The properties of
these hybrid materials towards the room temperature detection of NO$_2$,
C$_2$H$_4$, CO, C$_6$H$_6$ and moisture were investigated and discussed in view
of compositional and morphological studies. It was found that the presence of
oxygen in the plasma treatment is essential to significantly enhance the gas
response of Rh-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes and to avoid response
saturation even at low gas/vapor concentrations. These desirable effects are
attributed to the presence of oxygen during the CNT plasma treatment since
oxygenated vacancies act both as active adsorption sites for gases and as
anchoring sites for Rh nanoparticles (the presence of Rh nanoclusters is nearly
doubled in Ar-O$_2$ treated samples as compared to Ar treated samples). The
oxygen treatment also makes easier the charge transfer between Rh nanoparticles
and carbon nanotubes upon gas adsorption. The method for treating and
decorating multiwalled carbon nanotubes used here is simple, fast and scalable
for producing gas sensitive nanohybrid materials with uniform and
well-controlled properties.