title:
Communication: Charge-Population Based Dispersion Interactions for
  Molecules and Materials

abstract:
  We introduce a system-independent method to derive effective atomic C$_6$
coefficients and polarizabilities in molecules and materials purely from charge
population analysis. This enables the use of dispersion-correction schemes in
electronic structure calculations without recourse to electron-density
partitioning schemes and expands their applicability to semi-empirical methods
and tight-binding Hamiltonians. We show that the accuracy of our method is en
par with established electron-density partitioning based approaches in
describing intermolecular C$_6$ coefficients as well as dispersion energies of
weakly bound molecular dimers, organic crystals, and supramolecular complexes.
We showcase the utility of our approach by incorporation of the recently
developed many-body dispersion (MBD) method [Tkatchenko et al., Phys. Rev.
Lett. 108, 236402 (2012)] into the semi-empirical Density Functional
Tight-Binding (DFTB) method and propose the latter as a viable technique to
study hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces.


title:
Inexact alternating direction multiplier methods for separable convex
  optimization

abstract:
  Inexact alternating direction multiplier methods (ADMMs) are developed for
solving general separable convex optimization problems with a linear constraint
and with an objective that is the sum of smooth and nonsmooth terms. The
approach involves linearized subproblems, a back substitution step, and either
gradient or accelerated gradient techniques. Global convergence is established.
The methods are particularly useful when the ADMM subproblems do not have
closed form solution or when the solution of the subproblems is expensive.
Numerical experiments based on image reconstruction problems show the
effectiveness of the proposed methods.


title: Multiplexed Single-Mode Wavelength-to-Time Mapping of Multimode Light

abstract:
  We demonstrate that photonic lanterns based on tapered multicore fibres
provide an efficient way to couple multimode states of light to a
two-dimensional array of Single-Photon Avalanche Detectors (SPADs), each of
which has its own Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) for Time-Correlated
Single-Photon-Counting (TCSPC). Exploiting this capability, we demonstrate
multiplexed single-mode wavelength-to-time conversion of multimode states of
light using a multicore-fibre photonic lantern with 121 single-mode cores,
coupled in a one-to-one fashion to 121 SPADS on a 32 $\times$ 32 pixel CMOS
SPAD array. The application of photonic lanterns for coupling multimode light
to SPAD arrays in this manner may find wide-ranging applications in areas such
as Raman spectroscopy, coherent LIDAR and quantum optics.


title:
Anomalous dynamics of intruders in a crowded environment of mobile
  obstacles

abstract:
  Many natural and industrial processes rely on constrained transport, such as
proteins moving through cells, particles confined in nanocomposite materials or
gels, individuals in highly dense collec- tives and vehicular traffic
conditions. These are examples of motion through crowded environments, in which
the host matrix may retain some glass-like dynamics. Here we investigate
constrained transport in a colloidal model system, in which dilute small
spheres move in a slowly rearranging, glassy matrix of large spheres. Using
confocal differential dynamic microscopy and simulations, we discover a
critical size asymmetry at which anomalous collective transport of the small
particles appears, manifested as a logarithmic decay of the density
autocorrelation functions. We demonstrate that the matrix mobility is central
for the observed anomalous behaviour. These results, crucially depending on
size-induced dynamic asymmetry, are of relevance for a wide range of phenomena
ranging from glassy systems to cell biology.


title:
Igusa's Local Zeta Functions and Exponential Sums for Arithmetically Non
  Degenerate Polynomials

abstract:
  We study the twisted local zeta function associated to a polynomial in two
variables with coefficients in a non-Archimedean local field of arbitrary
characteristic. Under the hypothesis that the polynomial is arithmetically non
degenerate, we obtain an explicit list of candidates for the poles in terms of
geometric data obtained from a family of arithmetic Newton polygons attached to
the polynomial. The notion of arithmetical non degeneracy due to Saia and
Z\'u\~niga-Galindo is weaker than the usual notion of non degeneracy due to
Kouchnirenko. As an application we obtain asymptotic expansions for certain
exponential sums attached to these polynomials.


title: Fixing the shadows while moving the gnomon

abstract:
  It is a common practice to fix a vertical gnomon and study the moving shadow
cast by it. This shows our local solar time and gives us a hint regarding the
season in which we perform the observation. The moving shadow can also tell us
our latitude with high precision. In this paper we propose to exchange the
roles and while keeping the shadows fixed on the ground we will move the
gnomon. This lets us understand in a simple way the relevance of the tropical
lines of latitude and the behavior of shadows in different locations. We then
put these ideas into practice using sticks and threads during a solstice on two
sites located on opposite sides of the Tropic of Capricorn.


title:
Pedagogical introduction to equilibrium Green's functions: condensed
  matter examples with numerical implementations

abstract:
  The Green's function method has applications in several fields in Physics,
from classical differential equations to quantum many-body problems. In the
quantum context, Green's functions are correlation functions, from which it is
possible to extract information from the system under study, such as the
density of states, relaxation times and response functions. Despite its power
and versatility, it is known as a laborious and sometimes cumbersome method.
Here we introduce the equilibrium Green's functions and the equation-of-motion
technique, exemplifying the method in discrete lattices of non-interacting
electrons. We start with simple models, such as the two-site molecule, the
infinite and semi-infinite one-dimensional chains, and the two-dimensional
ladder. Numerical implementations are developed via the recursive Green's
function, implemented in Julia, an open-source, efficient and easy-to-learn
scientific language. We also present a new variation of the surface recursive
Green's function method, which can be of interest when simulating
simultaneously the properties of surface and bulk.


title:
Semidefinite representations of gauge functions for structured low-rank
  matrix decomposition

abstract:
  This paper presents generalizations of semidefinite programming formulations
of 1-norm optimization problems over infinite dictionaries of vectors of
complex exponentials, which were recently proposed for superresolution,
gridless compressed sensing, and other applications in signal processing.
Results related to the generalized Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov lemma in linear
system theory provide simple, constructive proofs of the semidefinite
representations of the penalty functions used in these applications. The
connection leads to several extensions to gauge functions and atomic norms for
sets of vectors parameterized via the nullspace of matrix pencils. The
techniques are illustrated with examples of low-rank matrix approximation
problems arising in spectral estimation and array processing.


title: The Evolving Magnetic Topology of $\tau$ Bo\"otis

abstract:
  We present six epochs of spectropolarimetric observations of the
hot-Jupiter-hosting star $\tau$ Bo\"otis that extend the exceptional previous
multi-year data set of its large-scale magnetic field. Our results confirm that
the large-scale magnetic field of $\tau$ Bo\"otis varies cyclicly, with the
observation of two further magnetic reversals; between December 2013 and May
2014 and between January and March 2015. We also show that the field evolves in
a broadly solar-type manner in contrast to other F-type stars. We further
present new results which indicate that the chromospheric activity cycle and
the magnetic activity cycles are related, which would indicate a very rapid
magnetic cycle. As an exemplar of long-term magnetic field evolution, $\tau$
Bo\"otis and this longterm monitoring campaign presents a unique opportunity
for studying stellar magnetic cycles.


title: Arithmetical structures on graphs

abstract:
  Arithmetical structures on a graph were introduced by Lorenzini as some
intersection matrices that arise in the study of degenerating curves in
algebraic geometry. In this article we study these arithmetical structures, in
particular we are interested in the arithmetical structures on complete graphs,
paths, and cycles. We begin by looking at the arithmetical structures on a
multidigraph from the general perspective of $M$-matrices. As an application,
we recover the result of Lorenzini about the finiteness of the number of
arithmetical structures on a graph. We give a description on the arithmetical
structures on the graph obtained by merging and splitting a vertex of a graph
in terms of its arithmetical structures. On the other hand, we give a
description of the arithmetical structures on the clique--star transform of a
graph, which generalizes the subdivision of a graph. As an application of this
result we obtain an explicit description of all the arithmetical structures on
the paths and cycles and we show that the number of the arithmetical structures
on a path is a Catalan number.


title:
Compactness of Riesz transform commutator associated with Bessel
  operators

abstract:
  Let $\lambda>0$ and $\triangle_\lambda:=-\frac{d^2}{dx^2}-\frac{2\lambda}{x}
\frac d{dx}$ be the Bessel operator on $\mathbb R_+:=(0,\infty)$. We first
introduce and obtain an equivalent characterization of ${\rm CMO}(\mathbb
R_+,\, x^{2\lambda}dx)$. By this equivalent characterization and establishing a
new version of the Fr\'{e}chet-Kolmogorov theorem in the Bessel setting, we
further prove that a function $b\in {\rm BMO}(\mathbb R_+,\, x^{2\lambda}dx)$
is in ${\rm CMO}(\mathbb R_+,\, x^{2\lambda}dx)$ if and only if the Riesz
transform commutator $[b, R_{\Delta_\lambda}]$ is compact on $L^p(\mathbb R_+,
x^{2\lambda}dx)$ for any $p\in(1, \infty)$.


title: Fault Tolerant QR Factorization for General Matrices

abstract:
  This paper presents a fault-tolerant algorithm for the QR factorization of
general matrices. It relies on the communication-avoiding algorithm, and uses
the structure of the reduction of each part of the computation to introduce
redundancies that are sufficient to recover the state of a failed process.
After a process has failed, its state can be recovered based on the data held
by one process only. Besides, it does not add any significant operation in the
critical path during failure-free execution.


title: Flat $\delta$-vectors and their Ehrhart polynomials

abstract:
  We call the $\delta$-vector of an integral convex polytope of dimension $d$
flat if the $\delta$-vector is of the form
$(1,0,\ldots,0,a,\ldots,a,0,\ldots,0)$, where $a \geq 1$. In this paper, we
give the complete characterization of possible flat $\delta$-vectors. Moreover,
for an integral convex polytope $\mathcal{P} \subset \mathbb{R}^N$ of dimension
$d$, we let $i(\mathcal{P},n)=|n\mathcal{P} \cap \mathbb{Z}^N|$ and $\
i^*(\mathcal{P},n)=|n(\mathcal{P} \setminus \partial \mathcal{P}) \cap
\mathbb{Z}^N|.$ By this characterization, we show that for any $d \geq 1$ and
for any $k,\ell \geq 0$ with $k+\ell \leq d-1$, there exist integral convex
polytopes $\mathcal{P}$ and $\mathcal{Q}$ of dimension $d$ such that (i) For
$t=1,\ldots,k$, we have $i(\mathcal{P},t)=i(\mathcal{Q},t),$ (ii) For
$t=1,\ldots,\ell$, we have $i^*(\mathcal{P},t)=i^*(\mathcal{Q},t)$ and (iii)
$i(\mathcal{P},k+1) \neq i(\mathcal{Q},k+1)$ and $i^*(\mathcal{P},\ell+1)\neq
i^*(\mathcal{Q},\ell+1).$


title:
Word embeddings and recurrent neural networks based on Long-Short Term
  Memory nodes in supervised biomedical word sense disambiguation

abstract:
  Word sense disambiguation helps identifying the proper sense of ambiguous
words in text. With large terminologies such as the UMLS Metathesaurus
ambiguities appear and highly effective disambiguation methods are required.
Supervised learning algorithm methods are used as one of the approaches to
perform disambiguation. Features extracted from the context of an ambiguous
word are used to identify the proper sense of such a word. The type of features
have an impact on machine learning methods, thus affect disambiguation
performance. In this work, we have evaluated several types of features derived
from the context of the ambiguous word and we have explored as well more global
features derived from MEDLINE using word embeddings. Results show that word
embeddings improve the performance of more traditional features and allow as
well using recurrent neural network classifiers based on Long-Short Term Memory
(LSTM) nodes. The combination of unigrams and word embeddings with an SVM sets
a new state of the art performance with a macro accuracy of 95.97 in the MSH
WSD data set.


title: The Quest for Dusty Star-forming Galaxies at High Redshift z>4

abstract:
  We exploit the continuity equation approach and the `main sequence'
star-formation timescales to show that the observed high abundance of galaxies
with stellar masses > a few 10^10 M_sun at redshift z>4 implies the existence
of a galaxy population featuring large star formation rates (SFRs) > 10^2
M_sun/yr in heavily dust-obscured conditions. These galaxies constitute the
high-redshift counterparts of the dusty star-forming population already
surveyed for z<3 in the far-IR band by the Herschel space observatory. We work
out specific predictions for the evolution of the corresponding stellar mass
and SFR functions out to z~10, elucidating that the number density at z<8 for
SFRs >30 M_sun/yr cannot be estimated relying on the UV luminosity function
alone, even when standard corrections for dust extinction based on the UV slope
are applied. We compute the number counts and redshift distributions (including
galaxy-scale gravitational lensing) of this galaxy population, and show that
current data from AzTEC-LABOCA, SCUBA-2 and ALMA-SPT surveys are already
digging into it. We substantiate how an observational strategy based on a color
preselection in the far-IR or (sub-)mm band with Herschel and SCUBA-2,
supplemented by photometric data via on-source observations with ALMA, can
allow to reconstruct the bright end of the SFR functions out to z~8. In
parallel, such a challenging task can be managed by exploiting current UV
surveys in combination with (sub-)mm observations by ALMA and NIKA2 and/or
radio observations by SKA and its precursors.


title:
An introduction to the derivation of surface balance equations without
  the excruciating pain

abstract:
  Analyzing complex fluid flow problems that involve multiple coupled domains,
each with their respective set of governing equations, is not a trivial
undertaking. Even more complicated is the elaborate and tedious task of
specifying the interface and boundary conditions between various domains. This
paper provides an elegant, straightforward and universal method that considers
the nature of those shared boundaries and derives the appropriate conditions at
the interface, irrespective of the governing equations being solved. As a first
example, a well-known interface condition is derived using this method. For a
second example, the set of boundary condi- tions necessary to solve a baseline
aerothermodynamics coupled plain/porous flow problem is derived. Finally, the
method is applied to two more flow configurations, one consisting of an
impermeable adiabatic wall and the other an ablating surface.


title:
Towards an Indexical Model of Situated Language Comprehension for
  Cognitive Agents in Physical Worlds

abstract:
  We propose a computational model of situated language comprehension based on
the Indexical Hypothesis that generates meaning representations by translating
amodal linguistic symbols to modal representations of beliefs, knowledge, and
experience external to the linguistic system. This Indexical Model incorporates
multiple information sources, including perceptions, domain knowledge, and
short-term and long-term experiences during comprehension. We show that
exploiting diverse information sources can alleviate ambiguities that arise
from contextual use of underspecific referring expressions and unexpressed
argument alternations of verbs. The model is being used to support linguistic
interactions in Rosie, an agent implemented in Soar that learns from
instruction.


title: Infinitely many prime knots with the same Alexander invariants

abstract:
  We revisit the issue of the existence of infinitely many distinct prime knots
with the same Alexander invariant. We present infinitely many distinct
families, each family made up of infinitely many distinct knots. Within each
family, the Alexander invariant is the same. Unlike other examples in the
literature, ours are elementary and based on a sub-collection of pretzel knots
with three tassels.


title:
Optimal Design of Compact Receive Array in Industrial Wireless Sensor
  Networks

abstract:
  With the development of wireless communication, industrial wireless sensor
networks (IWSNs) plays an important role in monitoring and control systems. In
this paper, we extend the application of IWSNs into High Frequency Surface-Wave
Radar (HFSWR) system. The traditional antenna is replaced by mobile IWSNs. In
combination of the application precondition of super-directivity in HF band and
circular topology of IWSNs, a super-directivity synthesis method is presented
for designing super-directivity array. In this method, the dominance of
external noise is ensured by constraining the Ratio of External to Internal
Noise (REIN) of the array, and the desired side lobe level is achieved by
implementing linear constraint. By using this method, the highest directivity
will be achieved in certain conditions. Using the designed super directive
circular array as sub-arrays, the compact receive antenna array is constructed,
the purpose of miniaturization is achieved. Simulation verifies that the
proposed method is correct and effective, the validity of the proposed method
has been proved.


title:
COCACOLA: binning metagenomic contigs using sequence COmposition, read
  CoverAge, CO-alignment, and paired-end read LinkAge

abstract:
  The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies enables
researchers to sequence complex microbial communities directly from
environment. Since assembly typically produces only genome fragments, also
known as contigs, instead of entire genome, it is crucial to group them into
operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for further taxonomic profiling and
down-streaming functional analysis. OTU clustering is also referred to as
binning. We present COCACOLA, a general framework automatically bin contigs
into OTUs based upon sequence composition and coverage across multiple samples.
  The effectiveness of COCACOLA is demonstrated in both simulated and real
datasets in comparison to state-of-art binning approaches such as CONCOCT,
GroopM, MaxBin and MetaBAT. The superior performance of COCACOLA relies on two
aspects. One is employing $L_{1}$ distance instead of Euclidean distance for
better taxonomic identification during initialization. More importantly,
COCACOLA takes advantage of both hard clustering and soft clustering by
sparsity regularization.
  In addition, the COCACOLA framework seamlessly embraces customized knowledge
to facilitate binning accuracy. In our study, we have investigated two types of
additional knowledge, the co-alignment to reference genomes and linkage of
contigs provided by paired-end reads, as well as the ensemble of both. We find
that both co-alignment and linkage information further improve binning in the
majority of cases. COCACOLA is scalable and faster than CONCOCT ,GroopM, MaxBin
and MetaBAT.
  The software is available at https://github.com/younglululu/COCACOLA


title: Limits of Astrophysics with Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds

abstract:
  The recent Advanced LIGO detection of gravitational waves from the binary
black hole GW150914 suggests there exists a large population of merging binary
black holes in the Universe. Although most are too distant to be individually
resolved by advanced detectors, the superposition of gravitational waves from
many unresolvable binaries is expected to create an astrophysical stochastic
background. Recent results from the LIGO and Virgo collaborations show that
this astrophysical background is within reach of Advanced LIGO. In principle,
the binary black hole background encodes interesting astrophysical properties,
such as the mass distribution and redshift distribution of distant binaries.
However, we show that this information will be difficult to extract with the
current configuration of advanced detectors (and using current data analysis
tools). Additionally, the binary black hole background also constitutes a
foreground that limits the ability of advanced detectors to observe other
interesting stochastic background signals, for example from cosmic strings or
phase transitions in the early Universe. We quantify this effect.


title:
Relaxation and Purification for Nonconvex Variational Problems in Dual
  Banach Spaces: The Minimization Principle in Saturated Measure Spaces

abstract:
  We formulate bang-bang, purification, and minimization principles in dual
Banach spaces with Gelfand integrals and provide a complete characterization of
the saturation property of finite measure spaces. We also present a new
application of the relaxation technique to large economies with
infinite-dimensional commodity spaces, where the space of agents is modeled as
a finite measure space. We propose a "relaxation" of large economies, which is
regarded as a reasonable convexification of original economies. Under the
saturation hypothesis, the relaxation and purification techniques enable us to
prove the existence of Pareto optimal allocations without convexity
assumptions.


title: Source coding model for repeated snapshot imaging

abstract:
  Imaging based on successive repeated snapshot measurement is modeled as a
source coding process in information theory. The necessary number of
measurement to maintain a certain level of error rate is depicted as the
rate-distortion function of the source coding. Quantitative formula of the
error rate versus measurement number relation is derived, based on the
information capacity of imaging system. Second order fluctuation correlation
imaging (SFCI) experiment with pseudo-thermal light verifies this formula,
which paves the way for introducing information theory into the study of ghost
imaging (GI), both conventional and computational.


title: Global Well-posedness of the Relativistic Boltzmann Equation

abstract:
  In this paper, we prove the global existence and uniqueness of mild solution
to the relativistic Boltzmann equation both in the whole space and in torus for
a class of initial data with bounded velocity-weighted $L^\infty$-norm and some
smallness on $L^1_xL^\infty_p$-norm as well as on defect mass, energy and
entropy. Moreover, the asymptotic stability of the solutions is also
investigated in the case of torus.


title: Throughput Maximization for Mobile Relaying Systems

abstract:
  Relaying is an effective technique to achieve reliable wireless connectivity
in harsh communication environment. However, most of the existing relaying
schemes are based on relays with fixed locations, or \emph{static relaying}. In
this paper, we consider a novel \emph{mobile relaying} technique, where the
relay nodes are assumed to be capable of moving at high speed. Compared to
static relaying, mobile relaying offers a new degree of freedom for performance
enhancement via careful relay trajectory design. We study the throughput
maximization problem in mobile relaying systems by optimizing the source/relay
transmit power along with the relay trajectory, subject to practical mobility
constraints (on the relay speed and initial/final relay locations), as well as
the \emph{information-causality constraint} at the relay owing to its
decode-store-and-forward (DSF) strategy. It is shown that for fixed relay
trajectory, the throughput-optimal source/relay power allocations over time
follow a "staircase" water filling (WF) structure, with \emph{non-increasing}
and \emph{non-decreasing} water levels at the source and relay, respectively.
On the other hand, with given power allocations, the throughput can be further
improved by optimizing the relay trajectory via successive convex optimization.
An iterative algorithm is thus proposed to optimize the power allocations and
relay trajectory alternately. Furthermore, for the special case with free
initial and final relay locations, the jointly optimal power allocation and
relay trajectory are derived. Numerical results show that by optimizing the
trajectory of the relay and power allocations adaptive to its induced channel
variation, mobile relaying is able to achieve significant throughput gains over
the conventional static relaying.


title:
Wirelessly Powered Backscatter Communication Networks: Modeling,
  Coverage and Capacity

abstract:
  Future Internet-of-Things (IoT) will connect billions of small computing
devices embedded in the environment and support their device-to-device (D2D)
communication. Powering this massive number of embedded devices is a key
challenge of designing IoT since batteries increase the devices' form factors
and their recharging/replacement is difficult. To tackle this challenge, we
propose a novel network architecture that integrates wireless power transfer
and backscatter communication, called wirelessly powered backscatter
communication (WP-BC) networks. In this architecture, power beacons (PBs) are
deployed for wirelessly powering devices; their ad-hoc communication relies on
backscattering and modulating incident continuous waves from PBs, which
consumes orders-of-magnitude less power than traditional radios. Thereby, the
dense deployment of low-complexity PBs with high transmission power can power a
large-scale IoT. In this paper, a WP-BC network is modeled as a random Poisson
cluster process in the horizontal plane where PBs are Poisson distributed and
active ad-hoc pairs of backscatter communication nodes with fixed separation
distances form random clusters centered at PBs. Furthermore, by harvesting
energy from and backscattering radio frequency (RF) waves transmitted by PBs,
the transmission power of each node depends on the distance from the associated
PB. Applying stochastic geometry, the network coverage probability and
transmission capacity are derived and optimized as functions of the backscatter
duty cycle and reflection coefficient as well as the PB density. The effects of
the parameters on network performance are characterized.


title: Multiuser Resource Allocation for Mobile-Edge Computation Offloading

abstract:
  Mobile-edge computation offloading (MECO) offloads intensive mobile
computation to clouds located at the edges of cellular networks. Thereby, MECO
is envisioned as a promising technique for prolonging the battery lives and
enhancing the computation capacities of mobiles. In this paper, we consider
resource allocation in a MECO system comprising multiple users that time share
a single edge cloud and have different computation loads. The optimal resource
allocation is formulated as a convex optimization problem for minimizing the
weighted sum mobile energy consumption under constraint on computation latency
and for both the cases of infinite and finite edge cloud computation
capacities. The optimal policy is proved to have a threshold-based structure
with respect to a derived offloading priority function, which yields priorities
for users according to their channel gains and local computing energy
consumption. As a result, users with priorities above and below a given
threshold perform complete and minimum offloading, respectively. Computing the
threshold requires iterative computation. To reduce the complexity, a
sub-optimal resource-allocation algorithm is proposed and shown by simulation
to have close-to-optimal performance.


title:
Differential forms on Dirichlet spaces and Bakry-\'Emery estimates on
  metric graphs

abstract:
  We develop a general framework on Dirichlet spaces to prove a weak form of
the Bakry-\'Emery estimate and study its consequences. This estimate may be
satisfied in situations, like metric graphs, where generalized notions of Ricci
curvature lower bounds are not available.


title: Focal shift of silicon microlens in mid-infrared regime

abstract:
  In this study, rigorous numerical calculation was utilized to characterize
the focal properties of mid-infrared silicon microlens with the size about tens
of micrometers. It is found that the focal shift phenomenon also exists in
mid-infrared regime, which behaves differently from that of visual and
near-infrared wavelength. Focal properties of silicon microlens were also
measured experimentally, showing well coherence with simulation results. Our
results provide systemic understanding of focal shift in mid-infrared regime,
at that wavelength special consideration should be paid in micro-nano optics,
especially with the integration between infrared optical system and other
devices.


title: Understanding Musical Diversity via Online Social Media

abstract:
  Musicologists and sociologists have long been interested in patterns of music
consumption and their relation to socioeconomic status. In particular, the
Omnivore Thesis examines the relationship between these variables and the
diversity of music a person consumes. Using data from social media users of
Last.fm and Twitter, we design and evaluate a measure that reasonably captures
diversity of musical tastes. We use that measure to explore associations
between musical diversity and variables that capture socioeconomic status,
demographics, and personal traits such as openness and degree of interest in
music (into-ness). Our musical diversity measure can provide a useful means for
studies of musical preferences and consumption. Also, our study of the Omnivore
Thesis provides insights that extend previous survey and interview-based
studies.


title:
Differential Evolution for Efficient AUV Path Planning in Time Variant
  Uncertain Underwater Environment

abstract:
  The AUV three-dimension path planning in complex turbulent underwater
environment is investigated in this research, in which static current map data
and uncertain static-moving time variant obstacles are taken into account.
Robustness of AUVs path planning to this strong variability is known as a
complex NP-hard problem and is considered a critical issue to ensure vehicles
safe deployment. Efficient evolutionary techniques have substantial potential
of handling NP hard complexity of path planning problem as more powerful and
fast algorithms among other approaches for mentioned problem. For the purpose
of this research Differential Evolution (DE) technique is conducted to solve
the AUV path planning problem in a realistic underwater environment. The path
planners designed in this paper are capable of extracting feasible areas of a
real map to determine the allowed spaces for deployment, where coastal area,
islands, static/dynamic obstacles and ocean current is taken into account and
provides the efficient path with a small computation time. The results obtained
from analyze of experimental demonstrate the inherent robustness and drastic
efficiency of the proposed scheme in enhancement of the vehicles path planning
capability in coping undesired current, using useful current flow, and avoid
colliding collision boundaries in a real-time manner. The proposed approach is
also flexible and strictly respects to vehicle's kinematic constraints
resisting current instabilities.


title:
A Novel Efficient Task-Assign Route Planning Method for AUV Guidance in
  a Dynamic Cluttered Environment

abstract:
  Promoting the levels of autonomy facilitates the vehicle in performing
long-range operations with minimum supervision. The capability of Autonomous
Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to fulfill the mission objectives is directly
influenced by route planning and task assignment system performance.
  The system fives the error of "Bad character(s) in field Abstract" for no
reason. Please refer to manuscript for the full abstract


title:
First observation of $\gamma \gamma \to p \bar{p} K^+ K^-$ and search
  for exotic baryons in $pK$ systems

abstract:
  The process $\gamma \gamma \to p \bar{p} K^+ K^-$ and its intermediate
processes are measured for the first time using a 980~fb$^{-1}$ data sample
collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^+e^-$
collider. The production of $p \bar{p} K^+ K^-$ and a
$\Lambda(1520)^0~(\bar{\Lambda}(1520)^0)$ signal in the $pK^-$~($\bar{p} K^+$)
invariant mass spectrum are clearly observed. However, no evidence for an
exotic baryon near 1540~MeV/$c^2$, denoted as
$\Theta(1540)^0$~($\bar{\Theta}~(1540)^0$) or
$\Theta(1540)^{++}$~($\Theta(1540)^{--}$), is seen in the $p
K^-$~($\bar{p}K^+$) or $pK^+$~($\bar{p} K^-$) invariant mass spectra. Cross
sections for $\gamma \gamma \to p \bar{p} K^+ K^-$, $\Lambda(1520)^0 \bar{p}
K^+ +c.c.$ and the products $\sigma(\gamma \gamma \to \Theta(1540)^0 \bar{p}
K^+ +c.c.)\BR(\Theta(1540)^0 \to p K^{-})$ and $\sigma(\gamma \gamma \to
\Theta(1540)^{++} \bar{p} K^- +c.c.)\BR(\Theta(1540)^{++}\to p K^{+})$ are
measured. We also determine upper limits on the products of the $\chi_{c0}$ and
$\chi_{c2}$ two-photon decay widths and their branching fractions to $p \bar{p}
K^+ K^-$ at the 90\% credibility level.


title:
Practical Recovery Solution for Information Loss in Real-Time Network
  Environment

abstract:
  Feedback mechanism based algorithms are frequently used to solve network
optimization problems. These schemes involve users and network exchanging
information (e.g. requests for bandwidth allocation and pricing) to achieve
convergence towards an optimal solution. However, in the implementation, these
algorithms do not guarantee that messages will be delivered to the destination
when network congestion occurs. This in turn often results in packet drops,
which may cause information loss, and this condition may lead to algorithm
failing to converge. To prevent this failure, we propose least square (LS)
estimation algorithm to recover the missing information when packets are
dropped from the network. The simulation results involving several scenarios
demonstrate that LS estimation can provide the convergence for feedback
mechanism based algorithm.


title: A Rolling PID Control Approach and its Applications

abstract:
  The canonical proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control approach has
been widely used in industrial application due to their simplicity and ease of
use. However, its corresponding controller parameters are hard to be adjusted,
especially for nonlinear systems. The optimization-based method provides a
general framework to find optimal PID controller parameters; nevertheless,
several disadvantages exist, for example, it is nontrivial to select an
appropriate sample size and it is necessary to obtain the global optimal
solution but the optimization problem is non-convex, making it hard to achieve.
To alleviate the aforementioned limitations, a rolling PID control approach is
proposed in this study, in which, at each rolling period, the PID controller
parameters are updated using observable data, which can be classified to
data-driven control method. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been
validated by experiments.


title:
A Left-Looking Selected Inversion Algorithm and Task Parallelism on
  Shared Memory Systems

abstract:
  Given a sparse matrix $A$, the selected inversion algorithm is an efficient
method for computing certain selected elements of $A^{-1}$. These selected
elements correspond to all or some nonzero elements of the LU factors of $A$.
In many ways, the type of matrix updates performed in the selected inversion
algorithm is similar to that performed in the LU factorization, although the
sequence of operation is different. In the context of LU factorization, it is
known that the left-looking and right-looking algorithms exhibit different
memory access and data communication patterns, and hence different behavior on
shared memory and distributed memory parallel machines. Corresponding to
right-looking and left-looking LU factorization, selected inversion algorithm
can be organized as a left-looking and a right-looking algorithm. The parallel
right-looking version of the algorithm has been developed in [1]. The sequence
of operations performed in this version of the selected inversion algorithm is
similar to those performed in a left-looking LU factorization algorithm. In
this paper, we describe the left-looking variant of the selected inversion
algorithm, and based on task parallel method, present an efficient
implementation of the algorithm for shared memory machines. We demonstrate that
with the task scheduling features provided by OpenMP 4.0, the left-looking
selected inversion algorithm can scale well both on the Intel Haswell multicore
architecture and on the Intel Knights Corner (KNC) manycore architecture.
Compared to the right-looking selected inversion algorithm, the left-looking
formulation facilitates pipelining of work along different branches of the
elimination tree, and can be a promising candidate for future development of
massively parallel selected inversion algorithms on heterogeneous architecture.


title:
The orbit intersection problem for linear spaces and semiabelian
  varieties

abstract:
  Let f_1 and f_2 be affine maps of the N-th dimensional affine space over the
complex numbers, i.e., f_i(x):=A_i x + y_i (where each A_i is an N-by-N matrix
and y_i is a given vector), and let x_1 and x_2 be vectors such that x_i is not
preperiodic under the action of f_i for i=1,2. If none of the eigenvalues of
the matrices A_i is a root of unity, then we prove that the set of pairs
(n_1,n_2) of non-negative integers such that f_1^{n_1}(x_1)=f_2^{n_2}(x_2) is a
finite union of sets of the form (m_1k + \ell_1, m_2k + \ell_2) where m_1, m_2,
\ell_1, \ell_2 are given non-negative integers, and k is varying among all
non-negative integers. Using this result, we prove that for any two self-maps
\Phi_i(x) := \Phi_{i,0}(x)+y_i on a semiabelian variety X defined over the
complex numbers (where \Phi_{i,0} is an endomorphism of X and y_i is a given
point of X), if none of the eigenvalues of the induced linear action
D\Phi_{i,0} on the tangent space at the identity 0 of X is a root of unity (for
i=1,2), then for any two non-preperiodic points x_1,x_2, the set of pairs
(n_1,n_2) of non-negative integers such that \Phi_1^{n_1}(x_1) =
\Phi_2^{n_2}(x_2) is a finite union of sets of the form (m_1k + \ell_1, m_2k +
\ell_2) where m_1,m_2,\ell_1,\ell_2 are given non-negative integers, and k is
varying among all non-negative integers. We give examples to show that the
above condition on eigenvalues is necessary and introduce certain geometric
properties that imply such a condition. Our method involves an analysis of
certain systems of polynomial-exponential equations and the p-adic exponential
map for semiabelian varieties.


title: Lax pairs for additive difference Painlev\'e equations

abstract:
  A Lax pair for the additive difference Painlev\'e equation of type
$E_7^{(1)}$ is explicitly obtained as certain linear difference equations of
scalar form. The compatibility of the Lax pair is proved by using certain
characterization of the coefficients in the Lax equation. Some Lax pairs for
types $E_6^{(1)}$, $D_4^{(1)}$ and $A_3^{(1)}$ are also given by the
degeneration.


title: Person Re-identification in the Wild

abstract:
  We present a novel large-scale dataset and comprehensive baselines for
end-to-end pedestrian detection and person recognition in raw video frames. Our
baselines address three issues: the performance of various combinations of
detectors and recognizers, mechanisms for pedestrian detection to help improve
overall re-identification accuracy and assessing the effectiveness of different
detectors for re-identification. We make three distinct contributions. First, a
new dataset, PRW, is introduced to evaluate Person Re-identification in the
Wild, using videos acquired through six synchronized cameras. It contains 932
identities and 11,816 frames in which pedestrians are annotated with their
bounding box positions and identities. Extensive benchmarking results are
presented on this dataset. Second, we show that pedestrian detection aids
re-identification through two simple yet effective improvements: a
discriminatively trained ID-discriminative Embedding (IDE) in the person
subspace using convolutional neural network (CNN) features and a Confidence
Weighted Similarity (CWS) metric that incorporates detection scores into
similarity measurement. Third, we derive insights in evaluating detector
performance for the particular scenario of accurate person re-identification.


title:
T-CNN: Tubelets with Convolutional Neural Networks for Object Detection
  from Videos

abstract:
  The state-of-the-art performance for object detection has been significantly
improved over the past two years. Besides the introduction of powerful deep
neural networks such as GoogleNet and VGG, novel object detection frameworks
such as R-CNN and its successors, Fast R-CNN and Faster R-CNN, play an
essential role in improving the state-of-the-art. Despite their effectiveness
on still images, those frameworks are not specifically designed for object
detection from videos. Temporal and contextual information of videos are not
fully investigated and utilized. In this work, we propose a deep learning
framework that incorporates temporal and contextual information from tubelets
obtained in videos, which dramatically improves the baseline performance of
existing still-image detection frameworks when they are applied to videos. It
is called T-CNN, i.e. tubelets with convolutional neueral networks. The
proposed framework won the recently introduced object-detection-from-video
(VID) task with provided data in the ImageNet Large-Scale Visual Recognition
Challenge 2015 (ILSVRC2015).


title:
Joint Data Purchasing and Data Placement in a Geo-Distributed Data
  Market

abstract:
  This paper studies two design tasks faced by a geo-distributed cloud data
market: which data to purchase (data purchasing) and where to place/replicate
the data for delivery (data placement). We show that the joint problem of data
purchasing and data placement within a cloud data market can be viewed as a
facility location problem, and is thus NP-hard. However, we give a provably
optimal algorithm for the case of a data market made up of a single data
center, and then generalize the structure from the single data center setting
in order to develop a near-optimal, polynomial-time algorithm for a
geo-distributed data market. The resulting design, Datum, decomposes the joint
purchasing and placement problem into two subproblems, one for data purchasing
and one for data placement, using a transformation of the underlying bandwidth
costs. We show, via a case study, that Datum is near-optimal (within 1.6%) in
practical settings.


title:
Novel solid-phase epitaxy for multi-component materials with extremely
  high vapor pressure elements: An application to KFe2As2

abstract:
  We propose a novel solid-phase epitaxy technique applicable to high annealing
temperatures up to 1000 C without re-vaporization of alkali metal elements with
high vapor pressures. This technique is demonstrated through the successful
growth of high-quality KFe2As2 epitaxial films. The key factors are employing a
custom-designed alumina vessel/cover and sealing it in a stainless tube with a
large amount of atmospheric KFe2As2 powder in tightly closed sample spaces.
This technique can also be effective for other materials composed of elements
with very high vapor pressures, such as alkali metals, and can lead to the
realization of spintronics devices in the future using KFe2As2.


title:
Characterisation of a TES-Based X-ray Microcalorimeter in the Energy
  Range from 150 to 1800 eV Using an Adiabatic Demagnetisation Refrigerator

abstract:
  We characterised a TES-based X-ray microcalorimeter in an adiabatic
demagnetisation refrigerator (ADR) using synchrotron radiation. The detector
response and energy resolution was measured at the beam-line in the PTB
radiometry laboratory at the electron storage ring BESSY II in the range from
200 to 1800 eV. We present and discuss the results of the energy resolution
measurements as a function of energy, beam intensity and detector working
point. The measured energy resolution ranges between 1.5 to 2.1 eV in the
investigated energy range and is weakly dependent on the detector set point. A
first analysis shows a count-rate capability, without considerable loss of
performance, of about 500 counts per second.


title:
Performance of an X-ray single pixel TES microcalorimeter under DC and
  AC biasing

abstract:
  We are developing Frequency Domain Multiplexing (FDM) for the read-out of TES
imaging microcalorimeter arrays for future X-ray missions like IXO. In the
FDMconfiguration the TES is AC voltage biased at a well defined frequencies
(between 0.3 to 10MHz) and acts as an AM modulating element. In this paper we
will present a full comparison of the performance of a TES microcalorimeter
under DC bias and AC bias at a frequency of 370kHz. In both cases we measured
the current-to-voltage characteristics, the complex impedance, the noise, the
X-ray responsivity, and energy resolution. The behaviour is very similar in
both cases, but deviations in performances are observed for detector working
points low in the superconducting transition (R/RN < 0.5). The measured energy
resolution at 5.89keV is 2.7eV for DC bias and 3.7eV for AC bias, while the
baseline resolution is 2.8eV and 3.3eV, respectively.


title:
Do we expect to detect electromagnetic radiation from merging stellar
  mass black binaries like GW150914? No

abstract:
  Context: The LIGO consortium announced the first direct detection of
gravitation wave event GW150914 from two merging black holes; however the
nature of the black holes are still not clear.
  Aims: We study whether electromagnetic radiation can be detected from merging
stellar mass black binaries like GW150914.
  Methods: We briefly investigate the possible growth and merging processes of
the two stellar mass black holes in the merging event of GW150914 detected by
aLIGO, as clocked by a distant external observer.
  Our main results are: (1) The description of the black hole growth using
stationary metric of a pre-existing black hole predicts strong electromagnetic
radiation from merging black holes, which is inconsistent with GW150914; (2)
Only gravitational wave radiation can be produced in the coalescence of two
black holes such as that in the GW150914 event, if the black hole growth is
described using time-dependent metric considering the influence of the
in-falling matter onto a pre-existing black hole, as clocked by a distant
external observer.
  Conclusions: Future high sensitivity detections of gravitational waves from
merging black holes might be used to probe matter distribution and space-time
geometry in the vicinity of the horizon. Perhaps the GW150914-like events can
be identified with traditional astronomy observations only if the black holes
are embedded in extremely dense medium before their final merge, when very
strong electromagnetic radiation is produced and can escape from the system.


title: The Influence of Intermolecular Forces at Critical Point Wedge Filling

abstract:
  We use microscopic density functional theory to study filling transitions in
systems with long-ranged wall-fluid and short-ranged fluid-fluid forces
occurring in a right-angle wedge. By changing the strength of the wall-fluid
interaction we can induce both wetting and filling transitions over a wide
range of temperatures and study the order of these transitions. At low
temperatures we find that both wetting and filling transitions are first-order
in keeping with predictions of simple local effective Hamiltonian models.
However close to the bulk critical point the filling transition is observed to
be continuous even though the wetting transition remains first-order and the
wetting binding potential still exhibits a small activation barrier. The
critical singularities for adsorption for the continuous filling transitions
depend on whether retarded or non-retarded wall-fluid forces are present and
are in excellent agreement with predictions of effective Hamiltonian theory
even though the change in the order of the transition was not anticipated.

categories: cond-mat.stat-mech cond-mat.mes-hall cond-mat.soft physics.chem-ph


title:
Topologically irreducible representations of the Banach *-algebra
  associated with a dynamical system

abstract:
  We describe (infinite-dimensional) irreducible representations of the crossed
product C$^*$-algebra associated with a topological dynamical system (based on
$Z$) and we show that their restrictions to the underling $\ell^1$-Banach
$*$-algebra are not algebraically irreducible under mild conditions on the
dynamical system. The above description of irreducible representations has two
ingredients, ergodic measures on the space and ergodic extensions for the
tensor product with type I factors; the latter which may not have been
explicitly taken up before will be explored by examples. A new class of ergodic
measures is also constructed for irrational rotations on the circle.


title: On partially wrapped Fukaya categories

abstract:
  We define a new class of symplectic objects called "stops", which roughly
speaking are Liouville hypersurfaces in the boundary of a Liouville domain.
Locally, these can be viewed as pages of a compatible open book. To a Liouville
domain with a collection of disjoint stops, we assign an $A_\infty$-category
called its partially wrapped Fukaya category. An exact Landau-Ginzburg model
gives rise to a stop, and the corresponding partially wrapped Fukaya category
is meant to agree with the Fukaya category one is supposed to assign to the
Landau-Ginzburg model. As evidence, we prove a formula that relates these
partially wrapped Fukaya categories to the wrapped Fukaya category of the
underlying Liouville domain. This operation is mirror to removing a divisor.
  In v2, we also construct continuation functors without cascades, which should
be of independent interest.


title:
Squeezing of the mechanical motion and beating 3 dB limit using
  dispersive optomechanical interactions

abstract:
  We study an optomechanical system consisting of an optical cavity and movable
mirror coupled through dispersive linear optomechanical coupling (LOC) and
quadratic optomechanical coupling(QOC). We work in the resolved side band limit
with a high quality factor mechanical oscillator in a strong coupling regime.
We show that the presence of QOC in the conventional optomechanical system
(with LOC alone) modifies the mechanical oscillator's frequency and reduces the
back-action effects on mechanical oscillator. As a result of this the
fluctuations in mechanical oscillator can be suppressed below standard quantum
limit thereby squeeze the mechanical motion of resonator. We also show that
either of the quadratures can be squeezed depending on the sign of the QOC.
With detailed numerical calculations and analytical approximation we show that
in such systems, the 3 dB limit can be beaten.


title: On absolute values of QK functions

abstract:
  In this paper, the effect of absolute values on the behavior of functions $f$
in the spaces $\mathcal{Q}_K$ is investigated. It is clear that $f\in
\mathcal{Q}_K(\partial {\mathbb{D}}) \Rightarrow |f|\in \mathcal{Q}_K(\partial
{\mathbb{D}})$, but the converse is not always true. For $f$ in the Hardy space
$H^2$, we give a condition involving the modulus of the function only, such
that this condition together with $|f|\in \mathcal{Q}_K(\partial {\mathbb{D}})$
is equivalent to $f\in \mathcal{Q}_K$. As an application, a new criterion for
inner-outer factorisation of $\mathcal{Q}_K$ spaces is given. These results are
also new for $\mathcal{Q}_p$ spaces.


title: Effects of variable thermal diffusivity on the structure of convection

abstract:
  The multiscale flow structure in the solar convection zone - the coexistence
of such features as the granules, mesogranules, supergranules and giant cells -
has not yet been properly understood. Here, the possible role of one physical
factor - variations in the thermal diffusivity - in the formation of a
multiscale convection structure is investigated. Thermal convection in a plane
horizontal fluid layer is numerically simulated. The temperature dependence of
thermal diffusivity is chosen so as to produce a sharp kink in the static
temperature profile near the upper layer boundary. As a result, the magnitude
of the (negative) static temperature gradient dTs/dz, being small over the most
part of the layer thickness, reaches large values in a thin boundary sublayer.
To identify the structures on different scales, we apply a smoothing procedure,
computational-homology techniques and spectral processing to the temperature
field. The flow is found to be a superposition of three cellular structures
with three different characteristic scales. The largest (first-scale)
convection cells, with central upflows, fill the whole layer thickness; most of
these cells are divided by bridges, or isthmuses, into a few smaller
(second-scale) ones, which are localised in the upper portion of the layer;
finally, there are numerous tiny (third-scale) features that dot the horizontal
sections of the layer located near its upper boundary and exhibit a tendency of
gathering in the intercellular lanes of the first-scale cells. The third-scale
cellular structures are advected by the first-scale and second-scale convective
flows. The spatial spectrum of the flow does not directly indicate the presence
of the second-scale and third-scale structures; however, they can be selected
by using our processing techniques. On the whole, the simulated flow pattern
qualitatively resembles that observed on the Sun.


title: Quantization of Time in Dynamic Barrier Tunnelling

abstract:
  In the B\"uttiker-Landauer perturbation approach to electron tunnelling,
through a time-modulated rectilinear potential barrier, the Tien-Gordon
identity was invoked, together with its infinite energy spectrum. Here, an
exact treatment is presented which is based on the temporal wave-function
matching procedure, that led to a finite energy spectrum. In seeking the
condition governing the time evolution of the tunnelling process, the Euler
formula provided the crucial ingredient for time quantization, which
discretised the continuous time in the oscillating barrier potential and energy
harmonic equations. As a result, a finite system of inelastic scattering
channels was created. When an electron entered the elastic channel, it was
scattered, instantaneously, into finite neighbouring energy-level scattering
channels, by absorption (emission) of photon energy from (to) the oscillating
field, during the transit period across the dynamic barrier. The absorption and
emission times of barrier traversal, T_+ and T_-, respectively, were derived
for the low and high frequency regimes of the barrier oscillations.
Calculations revealed that in the low (high) frequency situation T_+= T_- (T_+<
T_-).


title:
On causality in nonlinear vacuum electrodynamics of the Pleba\'nski
  class

abstract:
  We investigate the Pleba\'nski class of electrodynamical theories, i.e.,
theories of nonlinear vacuum electrodynamics that derive from a
Lorentz-invariant Lagrangian (or Hamiltonian). In any such theory the light
rays are the lightlike geodesics of two optical metrics that depend on the
electromagnetic background field. A set of necessary and sufficient conditions
is found whose fulfillment secures that the optical metrics are causal in the
sense that the light rays are lightlike or timelike with respect to the
underlying space-time metric. Thereupon we derive conditions on the Lagrangian,
or the Hamiltonian, of the theory such that the causality conditions are
satisfied for all background fields. (The allowed values of the field strength
tensor are those for which the excitation tensor is finite and real.) The
general results are illustrated with several examples.


title:
Scene-driven Retrieval in Edited Videos using Aesthetic and Semantic
  Deep Features

abstract:
  This paper presents a novel retrieval pipeline for video collections, which
aims to retrieve the most significant parts of an edited video for a given
query, and represent them with thumbnails which are at the same time
semantically meaningful and aesthetically remarkable. Videos are first
segmented into coherent and story-telling scenes, then a retrieval algorithm
based on deep learning is proposed to retrieve the most significant scenes for
a textual query. A ranking strategy based on deep features is finally used to
tackle the problem of visualizing the best thumbnail. Qualitative and
quantitative experiments are conducted on a collection of edited videos to
demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.


title: On the group of separable quadratic algebras and stacks

abstract:
  The aim of this paper is to study the group of isomorphism classes of torsors
of finite flat group schemes of rank 2 over a commutative ring $R$. This, in
particular, generalises the group of quadratic algebras (free or projective),
which is especially well studied. Our approach however, yields new results even
in this case.


title:
Interaction Corrections to Spin-Wave Theory in the Large-S Limit of the
  Quantum Heisenberg Ferromagnet

abstract:
  The Quantum Heisenberg Ferromagnet can be naturally reformulated in terms of
interacting bosons (called spin waves or magnons) as an expansion in the
inverse spin size. We calculate the first order interaction correction to the
free energy, as an upper bound in the limit where the spin size $S \to \infty$
and $\beta S$ is fixed ($\beta$ being the inverse temperature). Our result is
valid in two and three spatial dimensions. We extrapolate our result to compare
with Dyson's low-temperature expansion. While our first-order correction has
the expected temperature dependance, in higher orders of the perturbation
theory cancellations are necessary.


title: A finite alternation result for reversible boolean circuits

abstract:
  We say that a reversible boolean function on n bits has alternation depth d
if it can be written as the sequential composition of d reversible boolean
functions, each of which acts only on the top n-1 bits or on the bottom n-1
bits. Moreover, if the functions on n-1 bits are even, we speak of even
alternation depth. We show that every even reversible boolean function of n >=
4 bits has alternation depth at most 9 and even alternation depth at most 13.


title:
L\'evy flights in the infinite potential well as the hypersingular
  Fredholm problem

abstract:
  We study L\'evy flights {{with arbitrary index $0< \mu \leq 2$}} inside a
potential well of infinite depth. Such problem appears in many physical systems
ranging from stochastic interfaces to fracture dynamics and multifractality in
disordered quantum systems. The major technical tool is a transformation of the
eigenvalue problem for initial fractional Schr\"odinger equation into that for
Fredholm integral equation with hypersingular kernel. The latter equation is
then solved by means of expansion over the complete set of orthogonal functions
in the domain $D$, reducing the problem to the spectrum of a matrix of infinite
dimensions. The eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are then obtained numerically
with some analytical results regarding the structure of the spectrum.

categories: quant-ph cond-mat.stat-mech math-ph math.MP math.PR math.SP


title: Low-energy theorems for nucleon-nucleon scattering at $M_{\pi}=450$ MeV

abstract:
  We apply the low-energy theorems to analyze the recent lattice QCD results
for the two-nucleon system at a pion mass of $M_\pi\simeq 450$ MeV obtained by
the NPLQCD collaboration. We find that the binding energies of the deuteron and
dineutron are inconsistent with the low-energy behavior of the corresponding
phase shifts within the quoted uncertainties and vice versa. Using the binding
energies of the deuteron and dineutron as input, we employ the low-energy
theorems to predict the phase shifts and extract the scattering length and the
effective range in the $^3S_1$ and $^1S_0$ channels. Our results for these
quantities are consistent with those obtained by the NPLQCD collaboration from
effective field theory analyses but are in conflict with their determination
based on the effective-range approximation.


title: Computing Longest Increasing Subsequence Over Sequential Data Streams

abstract:
  In this paper, we propose a data structure, a quadruple neighbor list
(QN-list, for short), to support real time queries of all longest increasing
subsequence (LIS) and LIS with constraints over sequential data streams. The
QN-List built by our algorithm requires $O(w)$ space, where $w$ is the time
window size. The running time for building the initial QN-List takes $O(w\log
w)$ time. Applying the QN-List, insertion of the new item takes $O(\log w)$
time and deletion of the first item takes $O(w)$ time. To the best of our
knowledge, this is the first work to support both LIS enumeration and LIS with
constraints computation by using a single uniform data structure for real time
sequential data streams. Our method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in
both time and space cost, not only theoretically, but also empirically.


title: Kinetics and thermodynamics of exonuclease-deficient DNA polymerases

abstract:
  A kinetic theory is developed for exonuclease-deficient DNA polymerases,
based on the experimental observation that the rates depend not only on the
newly incorporated nucleotide, but also on the previous one, leading to the
growth of Markovian DNA sequences from a Bernoullian template. The dependences
on nucleotide concentrations and template sequence are explicitly taken into
account. In this framework, the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of DNA
replication, in particular, the mean growth velocity, the error probability,
and the entropy production in terms of the rate constants and the
concentrations are calculated analytically. Theory is compared with numerical
simulations for the DNA polymerases of T7 viruses and human mitochondria.


title:
Kinetics and thermodynamics of DNA polymerases with exonuclease
  proofreading

abstract:
  Kinetic theory and thermodynamics are applied to DNA polymerases with
exonuclease activity, taking into account the dependence of the rates on the
previously incorportated nucleotide. The replication fidelity is shown to
increase significantly thanks to this dependence at the basis of the mechanism
of exonuclease proofreading. In particular, this dependence can provide up to a
hundred-fold lowering of the error probability under physiological conditions.
Theory is compared with numerical simulations for the DNA polymerases of T7
viruses and human mitochondria.


title: Free locally convex spaces with a small base

abstract:
  The paper studies the free locally convex space $L(X)$ over a Tychonoff space
$X$. Since for infinite $X$ the space $L(X)$ is never metrizable (even not
Fr\'echet-Urysohn), a possible applicable generalized metric property for
$L(X)$ is welcome. We propose a concept (essentially weaker than
first-countability) which is known under the name a $\mathfrak{G}$-base. A
space $X$ has a {\em $\mathfrak{G}$-base} if for every $x\in X$ there is a base
$\{ U_\alpha : \alpha\in\mathbb{N}^\mathbb{N}\}$ of neighborhoods at $x$ such
that $U_\beta \subseteq U_\alpha$ whenever $\alpha\leq\beta$ for all
$\alpha,\beta\in\mathbb{N}^\mathbb{N}$, where
$\alpha=(\alpha(n))_{n\in\mathbb{N}}\leq \beta=(\beta(n))_{n\in\mathbb{N}}$ if
$\alpha(n)\leq\beta(n)$ for all $n\in\mathbb{N}$. We show that if $X$ is an
Ascoli $\sigma$-compact space, then $L(X)$ has a $\mathfrak{G}$-base if and
only if $X$ admits an Ascoli uniformity $\mathcal{U}$ with a
$\mathfrak{G}$-base. We prove that if $X$ is a $\sigma$-compact Ascoli space of
$\mathbb{N}^\mathbb{N}$-uniformly compact type, then $L(X)$ has a
$\mathfrak{G}$-base. As an application we show: (1) if $X$ is a metrizable
space, then $L(X)$ has a $\mathfrak{G}$-base if and only if $X$ is
$\sigma$-compact, and (2) if $X$ is a countable Ascoli space, then $L(X)$ has a
$\mathfrak{G}$-base if and only if $X$ has a $\mathfrak{G}$-base.


title: Plateau Inflation in SUGRA-MSSM

abstract:
  We explored a Higgs inflationary scenario in the SUGRA embedding of the MSSM
in Einstein frame where the inflaton is contained in the $SU(2)$ Higgs doublet.
We include all higher order non-renormalizable terms to the MSSM superpotential
and an appropriate K\"ahler potential which can provide slow-roll inflaton
potential in the $D-$flat direction. In this model, a plateau-like inflation
potential can be obtained if the imaginary part of the neutral Higgs acts as
the inflaton. The inflationary predictions of this model are consistent with
the latest CMB observations. The model represents a successful Higgs inflation
scenario in the context of Supergravity and it is compatible with Minimal
Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model.


title:
The Complexity of Computing (Almost) Unitary Matrices With $\eps$-Copies
  of the Fourier Transform

abstract:
  The complexity of computing the Fourier transform is a longstanding open
problem. Very recently, Ailon (2013, 2014, 2015) showed in a collection of
papers that, roughly speaking, a speedup of the Fourier transform computation
implies numerical ill-condition. The papers also quantify this tradeoff. The
main method for proving these results is via a potential function called
quasi-entropy, reminiscent of Shannon entropy. The quasi-entropy method opens
new doors to understanding the computational complexity of the important
Fourier transformation. However, it suffers from various obvious limitations.
This paper, motivated by one such limitation, partly overcomes it, while at the
same time sheds llight on new interesting, and problems on the intersection of
computational complexity and group theory. The paper also explains why this
research direction, if fruitful, has a chance of solving much bigger questions
about the complexity of the Fourier transform.


title:
Geometric conditions for the positive definiteness of the second
  variation in one-dimensional problems

abstract:
  Given a functional for a one-dimensional physical system, a classical problem
is to minimize it by finding stationary solutions and then checking the
positive definiteness of the second variation. Establishing the positive
definiteness is, in general, analytically untractable. However, we show here
that a global geometric analysis of the phase-plane trajectories associated
with the stationary solutions leads to generic conditions for minimality. These
results provide a straightforward and direct proof of positive definiteness, or
lack thereof, in many important cases. In particular, when applied to
mechanical systems, the stability or instability of entire classes of solutions
can be obtained effortlessly from their geometry in phase-plane, as illustrated
on a problem of a mass hanging from an elastic rod with intrinsic curvature.


title: UAV-Assisted Heterogeneous Networks for Capacity Enhancement

abstract:
  Modern day wireless networks have tremendously evolved driven by a sharp
increase in user demands, continuously requesting more data and services. This
puts significant strain on infrastructure based macro cellular networks due to
the inefficiency in handling these traffic demands, cost effectively. A viable
solution is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as intermediate aerial
nodes between the macro and small cell tiers for improving coverage and
boosting capacity. This letter investigates the problem of user demand based
UAV assignment over geographical areas subject to high traffic demands. A
neural based cost function approach is formulated in which UAVs are matched to
a particular geographical area. It is shown that leveraging multiple UAVs not
only provides long range connectivity but also better load balancing and
traffic offload. Simulation study demonstrate that the proposed approach yields
significant improvements in terms of 5th percentile spectral efficiency up to
38\% and reduced delays up to 37.5\% compared to a ground-based network
baseline without UAVs.


title: Birationally rigid singular double quadrics and double cubics

abstract:
  In this paper a large class of Fano double quadrics and cubics are shown to
be factorial and birationally superrigid, in particular they admit no
non-trivial structure of a fibration with rationally connected fibres and are
therefore non-rational. This is shown using the "Method of maximal
singularities" of Iskovskikh and Manin, expanded upon by Pukhlikov. In
addition, an estimate of the codimension of the set of such varieties is
calculated.


title:
Proposal for the detection of Majorana Fermions in Topological
  Superconductors

abstract:
  One of the goals of modern spectroscopy is to invent techniques which detect
neutral excitations that have been theoretically proposed. For superconductors,
two point transport measurements detect the Andreev crossed reflection which
confirms the existence of the Majorana fermions. Similar information can be
obtained from a measurement using two piezoelectric transducers. One transducer
measures the stress tensor response from the strain field generated by the
second transducer. The ratio between the stress response and strain velocity
determines the dissipative response. We will show that the dissipative stress
response can be used for a Topological Superconductor. We will investigate a
Topological Superconductor in a magnetic field, an Abrikosov vortex lattice
with Majorana dispersive fermions is formed which is used to compute the
dissipative stress response and identify the Majorana fermions and
quasi-particles.


title: Reflected rough differential equations via controlled paths

abstract:
  In [1], we proved the existence of solutions to reflected rough differential
equations based on an idea of Euler approximation of the solutions which is due
to Davie [6]. In this paper, we prove the existence theorem under weaker
assumptions than those in [1] by using the notion of Gubinelli's controlled
path [14].


title:
Bond Order via Light-Induced Synthetic Many-body Interactions of
  Ultracold Atoms in Optical Lattices

abstract:
  We show how bond order emerges due to light mediated synthetic interactions
in ultracold atoms in optical lattices in an optical cavity. This is a
consequence of the competition between both short- and long-range interactions
designed by choosing the optical geometry. Light induces effective many-body
interactions that modify the landscape of quantum phases supported by the
typical Bose-Hubbard model. Using exact diagonalization of small system sizes
in one dimension, we present the many-body quantum phases the system can
support via the interplay between the density and bond (or matter-wave
coherence) interactions. We find numerical evidence to support that dimer
phases due to bond order are analogous to valence bond states. Different
possibilities of light-induced atomic interactions are considered that go
beyond the typical atomic system with dipolar and other intrinsic interactions.
This will broaden the Hamiltonian toolbox available for quantum simulation of
condensed matter physics via atomic systems.

categories: cond-mat.quant-gas cond-mat.other physics.atom-ph physics.optics quant-ph


title:
Strong coupling and high contrast all optical modulation in atomic
  cladding waveguides

abstract:
  In recent years we are witnessing a flourish in research aimed to facilitate
alkali vapors in guided wave configurations. Owing to the significant reduction
in device dimensions, the increase in density of states, the interaction with
surfaces and primarily the high intensities carried along the structure, a rich
world of light vapor interactions can be studied, and new functionalities, e.g.
low power nonlinear light-matter interactions can be achieved. One immense
remaining challenge is to study the effects of quantum coherence and shifts in
such nano-scale waveguides, characterized by ultra-small mode areas and fast
dynamics. Here, we construct a serpentine silicon-nitride wave guide, having
atomic vapor as its cladding. The unprecedented mode volume of 5e-13 m^3
supported over a length of 17 mm is used to demonstrate efficient linear and
non-linear spectroscopy. Fascinating and important phenomena such as van der
Waals shifts, dynamical stark shifts, and coherent effects such as strong
coupling (in the form of Autler Townes splitting) are all observed. The
serpentine atomic cladding is a promising building block for a variety of light
vapor experiments, as it offers a very small footprint, enables operation with
relatively low density of atoms and extremely strong confinement of light and
vapor. As such it may be used for important applications, such as all optical
switching, frequency referencing, and magnetometry to name a few.


title: Phosphorus-bearing molecules in massive dense cores

abstract:
  Phosphorus is a crucial element for the development of life, but so far
P-bearing molecules have been detected only in a few astrophysical objects,
hence its interstellar chemistry is almost totally unknown. Here we show new
detections of phosphorus nitride in a sample of dense cores in different
evolutionary stages of the intermediate- and high-mass star formation process:
starless, with protostellar objects, and with ultracompact HII regions. All
detected PN line widths are smaller than ~5 km/s , and they arise from regions
associated with kinetic temperatures smaller than 100 K. Because the few
previous detections reported in the literature are associated with warmer and
more turbulent sources, the results of this work show that PN can arise from
relatively quiescent and cold gas. This information is challenging for
theoretical models that invoke either high desorption temperatures or grain
sputtering from shocks to release phosphorus into the gas phase. Derived column
densities are of the order of 10^{11-12} cm^{-2}, marginally lower than the
values derived in the few high-mass star forming regions detected so far. New
constraints on the column density upper limit of phosphorus monoxide, the
fundamental unit of biologically relevant molecules, are also given.


title:
Testing Einstein's Equivalence Principle with Supercluster Laniakea's
  Gravitational Field

abstract:
  Comparing the parameterized post-Newtonian parameter $\gamma$ values for
different types of particles, or the same type of particles with different
energies is an important method to test the Einstein Equivalence Principle
(EEP). Assuming that the observed time delays are dominated by the
gravitational potential of the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies, better
results of EEP constraints can be obtained. In this paper, we apply photons
from three kinds of cosmic transients, including TeV blazars, gamma-ray bursts
as well as fast radio bursts to constrain EEP. With a gravitational field far
more stronger than a single galaxy, we obtain 4--5 orders of magnitude more
stringent than the pervious results.


title: Quartic surfaces with icosahedral symmetry

abstract:
  We study quartic surfaces that admit a group of projective automorphisms
isomorphic to icosahedron group.


title: Fast Auxiliary Space Preconditioner for Linear Elasticity in Mixed Form

abstract:
  A block diagonal preconditioner with the minimal residual method and a block
triangular preconditioner with the generalized minimal residual method are
developed for Hu-Zhang mixed finite element methods of linear elasticity. They
are based on a new stability result of the saddle point system in
mesh-dependent norms. The mesh-dependent norm for the stress corresponds to the
mass matrix which is easy to invert while the displacement it is spectral
equivalent to Schur complement. A fast auxiliary space preconditioner based on
the $H^1$ conforming linear element of the linear elasticity problem is then
designed for solving the Schur complement. For both diagonal and triangular
preconditioners, it is proved that the conditioning numbers of the
preconditioned systems are bounded above by a constant independent of both the
crucial Lam\'e constant and the mesh-size. Numerical examples are presented to
support theoretical results. As byproducts, a new stabilized low order mixed
finite element method is proposed and analyzed and superconvergence results of
Hu-Zhang element are obtained.


title: Some Early Ideas on the Metric Geometry of Thermodynamics

abstract:
  It is a pleasure to write for this 90'th anniversary volume of Journal of Low
Temperature Physics dedicated to Horst Meyer at Duke University. I was a PhD
student with Horst in the period 1975-1980, working in experimental low
temperature physics. While in Horst's group, I also did a theoretical physics
project on the side. This project in the metric geometry of thermodynamics was
motivated by my work in Horst's lab, and helped me to understand the theory of
critical phenomena, very much in play in Horst's lab. In this paper, I explain
the essence of my theory project and give a few accounts of its future
development, focussing on topics where I interacted with Horst. I pay
particular attention to the pure fluid critical point.


title: A universal preconditioner for simulating condensed phase materials

abstract:
  We introduce a universal sparse preconditioner that accelerates geometry
optimisation and saddle point search tasks that are common in the atomic scale
simulation of materials. Our preconditioner is based on the neighbourhood
structure and we demonstrate the gain in computational efficiency in a wide
range of materials that include metals, insulators and molecular solids. The
simple structure of the preconditioner means that the gains can be realised in
practice not only when using expensive electronic structure models but also for
fast empirical potentials. Even for relatively small systems of a few hundred
atoms, we observe speedups of a factor of two or more, and the gain grows with
system size. An open source Python implementation within the Atomic Simulation
Environment is available, offering interfaces to a wide range of atomistic
codes.


title: Chiral phase transition and meson spectrum in improved soft-wall AdS/QCD

abstract:
  We investigate in detail the chiral thermal transition of QCD in an improved
soft-wall AdS/QCD model with a simply modified 5D conformal mass of the bulk
scalar field. We also present a calculation in this model for the light meson
spectra and other low-energy characteristic quantities including the pion form
factor, the pi-rho coupling constant and the decay constants of pi, rho, a_1,
which are shown to result in a good agreement with experimental data except for
the pion decay constant. The thermal behavior of chiral condensate is studied.
It is found that such a simply improved soft-wall model incorporates the
crossover behavior of chiral thermal transition indicated by lattice
simulations. The expected chiral transition temperature can be obtained.


title: Anomalous Dimensions of Conformal Baryons

abstract:
  We determine the anomalous dimensions of baryon operators for the three color
theory as function of the number of massless flavours within the conformal
window to the maximum known order in perturbation theory. We show that the
anomalous dimension of the baryon is controllably small, within the
$\delta$-expansion, for a wide range of number of flavours. We also find that
this is always smaller than the anomalous dimension of the fermion mass
operator. These findings challenge the partial compositeness paradigm.


title:
The Empirical Likelihood Approach to Quantifying Uncertainty in Sample
  Average Approximation

abstract:
  We study the empirical likelihood approach to construct confidence intervals
for the optimal value and the optimality gap of a given solution, henceforth
quantify the statistical uncertainty of sample average approximation, for
optimization problems with expected value objectives and constraints where the
underlying probability distributions are observed via limited data. This
approach relies on two distributionally robust optimization problems posited
over the uncertain distribution, with a divergence-based uncertainty set that
is suitably calibrated to provide asymptotic statistical guarantees.


title:
Determination of the compositeness of resonances from decays: the case
  of the $B^0_s\to J/\psi f_1(1285)$

abstract:
  We develop a method to measure the amount of compositeness of a resonance,
mostly made as a bound state of two hadrons, by simultaneously measuring the
rate of production of the resonance and the mass distribution of the two
hadrons close to threshold. By using different methods of analysis we conclude
that the method allows one to extract the value of 1-Z with about $0.1$ of
uncertainty. The method is applied to the case of the $\bar B^0_s \to J/\psi
f_1(1285)$ decay, by looking at the resonance production and the mass
distribution of $K \bar K^*$.


title: Well-posed Bayesian Inverse Problems: Priors with Exponential Tails

abstract:
  We consider the well-posedness of Bayesian inverse problems when the prior
measure has exponential tails. In particular, we consider the class of convex
(log-concave) probability measures which include the Gaussian and Besov
measures as well as certain classes of hierarchical priors. We identify
appropriate conditions on the likelihood distribution and the prior measure
which guarantee existence, uniqueness and stability of the posterior measure
with respect to perturbations of the data. We also consider consistent
approximations of the posterior such as discretization by projection. Finally,
we present a general recipe for construction of convex priors on Banach spaces
which will be of interest in practical applications where one often works with
spaces such as $L^2$ or the continuous functions.


title: Hypothesis Testing via Affine Detectors

abstract:
  In this paper, we further develop the approach, originating in [GJN], to
"computation-friendly" hypothesis testing via Convex Programming. Most of the
existing results on hypothesis testing aim to quantify in a closed analytic
form separation between sets of distributions allowing for reliable decision in
precisely stated observation models. In contrast to this descriptive (and
highly instructive) traditional framework, the approach we promote here can be
qualified as operational -- the testing routines and their risks are yielded by
an efficient computation. All we know in advance is that, under favorable
circumstances, specified in [GJN], the risk of such test, whether high or low,
is provably near-optimal under the circumstances. As a compensation for the
lack of "explanatory power," this approach is applicable to a much wider family
of observation schemes and hypotheses to be tested than those where "closed
form descriptive analysis" is possible.
  In the present paper our primary emphasis is on computation: we make a step
further in extending the principal tool developed in the cited paper -- testing
routines based on affine detectors -- to a large variety of testing problems.
The price of this development is the loss of blanket near-optimality of the
proposed procedures (though it is still preserved in the observation schemes
studied in [GJN], which now become particular cases of the general setting
considered here).
  [GJN]: Goldenshluger, A., Juditsky, A., Nemirovski, A. "Hypothesis testing by
convex optimization," Electronic Journal of Statistics 9(2), 2015


title: Tensor products of Kirillov-Reshetikhin modules and fusion products

abstract:
  We study the classical limit of a tensor product of Kirillov-Reshetikhin
modules over a quantum loop algebra, and show that it is realized from the
classical limits of the tensor factors using the notion of fusion products. In
the process of the proof, we also give defining relations of the fusion product
of the (graded) classical limits of Kirillov-Reshetikhin modules.


title:
Degenerate Kalman filter error covariances and their convergence onto
  the unstable subspace

abstract:
  The characteristics of the model dynamics are critical in the performance of
(ensemble) Kalman filters. In particular, as emphasized in the seminal work of
Anna Trevisan and co-authors, the error covariance matrix is asymptotically
supported by the unstable-neutral subspace only, i.e., it is spanned by the
backward Lyapunov vectors with non-negative exponents. This behavior is at the
core of algorithms known as Assimilation in the Unstable Subspace, although a
formal proof was still missing.
  This paper provides the analytical proof of the convergence of the Kalman
filter covariance matrix onto the unstable-neutral subspace when the dynamics
and the observation operator are linear and when the dynamical model is
error-free, for any, possibly rank-deficient, initial error covariance matrix.
The rate of convergence is provided as well. The derivation is based on an
expression that explicitly relates the error covariances at an arbitrary time
to the initial ones. It is also shown that if the unstable and neutral
directions of the model are sufficiently observed and if the column space of
the initial covariance matrix has a non-zero projection onto all of the forward
Lyapunov vectors associated with the unstable and neutral directions of the
dynamics, the covariance matrix of the Kalman filter collapses onto an
asymptotic sequence which is independent of the initial covariances. Numerical
results are also shown to illustrate and support the theoretical findings.


title:
Classification of M2-brane 2-torus bundles, U-duality invariance and
  type II gauged supergravities

abstract:
  In this paper we obtain the complete classification of the inequivalent
classes of M2-brane symplectic torus bundles with monodromy in $SL(2,Z)$ and
their precise U-duality relations among them. There are eight inequivalent
classes of bundles whose monodromy groups, at low energies, are in
correspondence with the gauging groups of the eight type II gauged
supergravities in nine dimensions. Four of those have been previously found and
they correspond to the 'type IIB side'. In this paper we provide the explicit
realization of the remaining four classes associated to the 'type IIA side'.
The precise M2-brane U-duality relations between the eight inequivalent classes
of bundles have allowed to identified the remaining four ones. We conjecture
that the classes of gaugings -- classifying the eight types of II gauged
supergravity in nine dimensions -- are determined by the inequivalent
coinvariant classes associated to the base and the fiber of the supermembrane
bundles and their duals.


title: On the Composition of Scientific Abstracts

abstract:
  Scientific abstracts contain what is considered by the author(s) as
information that best describe documents' content. They represent a compressed
view of the informational content of a document and allow readers to evaluate
the relevance of the document to a particular information need. However, little
is known on their composition. This paper contributes to the understanding of
the structure of abstracts, by comparing similarity between scientific
abstracts and the text content of research articles. More specifically, using
sentence-based similarity metrics, we quantify the phenomenon of text re-use in
abstracts and examine the positions of the sentences that are similar to
sentences in abstracts in the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results
and Discussion), using a corpus of over 85,000 research articles published in
the seven PLOS journals. We provide evidence that 84% of abstract have at least
one sentence in common with the body of the article. Our results also show that
the sections of the paper from which abstract sentence are taken are invariant
across the PLOS journals, with sentences mainly coming from the beginning of
the introduction and the end of the conclusion.


title:
WIYN Open Cluster Study. LXXI. Spectroscopic Membership and Orbits of
  NGC 6791 Sub-Subgiants

abstract:
  In an optical color-magnitude diagram sub-subgiants (SSGs) lie red of the
main sequence and fainter than the base of the red giant branch in a region not
easily populated by standard stellar-evolution pathways. In this paper, we
present multi-epoch radial velocities for five SSG candidates in the old and
metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791 (8 Gyr, [Fe/H] = +0.30). From these data we
are able to make three-dimensional kinematic membership determinations and
confirm four SSG candidates to be likely cluster members. We also identify
three member SSGs as short-period binary systems and present their orbital
solutions. These are the first SSGs with known three-dimensional kinematic
membership, binary status, and orbital parameters since the two SSGs in M67
studied by Mathieu et al. 2003. We also remark on the other properties of these
stars including photometric variability, H$\alpha$ emission, and X-ray
luminosity. The membership confirmation of these SSGs in NGC 6791 strengthens
the case that SSGs are a new class of nonstandard stellar evolution products,
and that a physical mechanism must be found that explains the evolutionary
paths of these stars.


title: Ordered phases in a bilayer system of dipolar fermions

abstract:
  The liquid-to-ordered phase transition in a bilayer system of fermions is
studied within the context of a recently proposed density-functional theory
[Phys. Rev. A {\bf 92}, 023614 (2015)]. In each two-dimensional layer, the
fermions interact via a repulsive, isotropic dipolar interaction. The presence
of a second layer introduces an attractive {\em interlayer} interaction,
thereby allowing for inhomogeneous density phases which would otherwise be
energetically unfavourable. For any fixed layer separation, we find an
instability to a commensurate one-dimensional stripe phase in each layer, which
always precedes the formation of a triangular Wigner crystal. However, at a
certain {\em fixed} coupling, tuning the separation can lead to the system
favoring a commensurate triangular Wigner crystal, or one-dimensional stripe
phase, completely bypassing the Fermi liquid state. While other crystalline
symmetries, with energies lower than the liquid phase can be found, they are
never allowed to form owing to their high energetic cost relative to the
triangular Wigner crystal and stripe phase.


title:
Room temperature on-wafer ballistic graphene field-effect-transistor
  with oblique double-gate

abstract:
  We have fabricated and measured ballistic graphene transistors with two
oblique gates that can be independently biased. The gate lengths are about 38
nm and are separated by a distance of 30 nm, the tilting angle being of 45o
with respect to source and drain electrodes distanced at 190 nm. Electric
measurements reveal specific properties of ballistic carrier transport, i.e.
nonlinear drain voltage-drain current dependence, showing a saturation region,
and negative differential resistance at certain bias voltages, which cannot be
explained without physical mechanisms related to ballistic transport. Tens of
ballistic transistors, with very large transconductances, were fabricated on a
chip cut from a 4 inch graphene wafer. Such double-gate transistor
configurations can be used also as extremely efficient, state-of-the-art
photodetectors.


title:
Room temperature nanostructured graphene transistors with high on-off
  ratio

abstract:
  We report the batch fabrication of graphene field-effect-transistors (GFETs)
with nanoperforated graphene as channel. The transistors were cut and
encapsulated. The encapsulated GFETs display saturation regions that can be
tuned by modifying the top gate voltage, and have on/off ratios of up to 10^8
at room temperature. In addition, the nanoperforated GFETs display orders of
magnitude higher photoresponses than any room-temperature graphene detector
configurations that do not involve heterostructures with bandgap materials.


title: Notch fracture toughness of glasses: Rate, age and geometry dependence

abstract:
  Understanding the fracture toughness (resistance) of glasses is a fundamental
problem of prime theoretical and practical importance. Here we theoretically
study its dependence on the loading rate, the age (history) of the glass and
the notch radius $\rho$. Reduced-dimensionality analysis suggests that the
notch fracture toughness results from a competition between the initial, age-
and history-dependent, plastic relaxation timescale $\tau^{pl}_0$ and an
effective loading timescale $\tau^{ext}(\dot{K}_I,\rho)$, where $\dot{K}_I$ is
the tensile stress-intensity-factor rate. The toughness is predicted to scale
with $\sqrt{\rho}$ independently of $\xi\!\equiv\!\tau^{ext}\!/\tau^{pl}_0$ for
$\xi\!\ll\! 1$, to scale as $T\sqrt{\rho}\,\log(\xi)$ for $\xi\!\gg\!1$
(related to thermal activation, where $T$ is the temperature) and to feature a
non-monotonic behavior in the crossover region $\xi\!\sim\!{\cal O}(1)$
(related to plastic yielding dynamics). These predictions are verified using
novel 2D computations, providing a unified picture of the notch fracture
toughness of glasses. The theory highlights the importance of timescales
competition and far from steady-state elasto-viscoplastic dynamics for
understanding the toughness, and shows that the latter varies quite
significantly with the glass age (history) and applied loading rate.
Experimental support for bulk metallic glasses is presented.


title: Memristive GaN ultrathin suspended membrane array

abstract:
  In this paper, we show that ultrathin GaN membranes having a thickness of 15
nm and planar dimensions of 12x184 microns act as memristive devices. This fact
is due to the migration of the negatively charged deep traps, which form in the
volume of the membrane during the fabrication process, towards the unoccupied
surface states of the suspended membranes. The time constant of the migration
process is of the order of tens of second and varies with the current or
voltage sweep.


title:
State Orthogonality, Boson Bunching Parameter and Bosonic Enhancement
  Factor

abstract:
  It is emphasized that the bunching parameter $\beta=P_B/P_D$ , i.e. the ratio
between the probability to measure two bosons and two distinguishable particles
at the same state, is a constant of motion and depends only on the overlap
between the initial wavefunctions. This ratio is equal to $\beta=2/(1+I^2)$ ,
where $I$ is the overlap integral between the initial wavefunctions. That is,
only when the initial wavefunctions are orthogonal this ratio is equal to 2,
however, this bunching ratio can be reduced to 1, when the two wavefunctions
are identical. This simple equation explains the experimental evidences of a
beam splitter. A straightforward conclusion is that by measuring the local
bunching parameter $\beta$ (at any point in space and time) it is possible to
evaluate a global parameter$ I$ (the overlap between the initial
wavefunctions). The bunching parameter is then generalized to arbitrary number
of particles, and in an analogy to the two-particles scenario, the well-known
bosonic enhancement appears only when all states are orthogonal.


title:
Yields of Projectile Fragments in Sulphur-Emulsion Interactions at 3.7A
  GeV

abstract:
  This work presents the basic characteristics of singly, doubly and heavily
charged projectile fragments (PFs) emitted in inelastic interactions of 32S
ions with photo-emulsion nuclei at Dubna energy (3.7A GeV). Our experimental
data are compared with the corresponding data for other projectiles at the same
incident energy. The study of mean multiplicities of different charged PFs
against the projectile mass shows a power-law relationship. The multiplicity
distributions of singly and doubly charged PFs have been fitted well with a
Gaussian distribution function. The yields of PFs broken up from the
interactions of 32S projectile nuclei with different target nuclei are studied.
The beam energy dependence in terms of the various order moments is studied as
well.


title: Copenhagen vs Everett, Teleportation, and ER=EPR

abstract:
  Quantum gravity may have as much to tell us about the foundations and
interpretation of quantum mechanics as it does about gravity. The Copenhagen
interpretation of quantum mechanics and Everett's Relative State Formulation
are complementary descriptions which in a sense are dual to one another. My
purpose here is to discuss this duality in the light of the of ER=EPR
conjecture.


title:
First-principles modeling of zincblende AlN layer in Al-AlN-TiN
  multilayers

abstract:
  An unusual growth mechanism of metastable zincblende AlN thin film by
diffusion of nitrogen atoms into Al lattice is established. Using
first-principles density functional theory, we studied the possibility of
thermodynamic stability of AlN as a zincblende phase due to epitaxial strains
and interface effect, which fails to explain the formation of zincblende AlN.
We then compared the formation energetics of rocksalt and zincblende AlN in fcc
Al through direct diffusion of nitrogen atoms to Al octahedral and tetrahedral
interstitials. The formation of zincblende AlN thin film is determined to be a
kinetically driven process, not a thermodynamically driven process.


title: Anisotropy of in-plane hole g-factor in CdTe/ZnTe quantum dots

abstract:
  Optical studies of a bright exciton provide only limited information about
the hole anisotropy in a quantum dot. In this work we present a universal
method to study heavy hole anisotropy using a dark exciton in a moderate
in-plane magnetic field. By analysis of the linear polarization of the dark
exciton photoluminescence we identify both isotropic and anisotropic
contributions to the hole g-factor. We employ this method for a number of
individual self-assembled CdTe/ZnTe quantum dots, demonstrating a variety of
behaviors of in-plane hole g-factor: from almost fully anisotropic to almost
isotropic. We conclude that, in general, both contributions play an important
role and neither contribution can be neglected.