Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does the visual word form area split in bilingual readers? A millimeter-scale 7-T fMRI study

In expert readers, a brain region known as the visual word form area (VWFA) is highly sensitive to written words, exhibiting a posterior-to-anterior gradient of increasing sensitivity to orthographic stimuli whose statistics match those of real words. Using high-resolution 7-tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we ask whether, in bilingual readers, distinct cortical patches specialize for different languages. In 21 English-French bilinguals, unsmoothed 1.2-millimeters fMRI revealed that the VWFA is actually composed of several small cortical patches highly selective for reading, with a posterior-to-anterior word-similarity gradient, but with near-complete overlap between the two languages. In 10 English-Chinese bilinguals, however, while most word-specific patches exhibited similar reading specificity and word-similarity gradients for reading in Chinese and English, additional patches responded specifically to Chinese writing and, unexpectedly, to faces. Our results show that the acquisition of multiple writing systems can indeed tune the visual cortex differently in bilinguals, sometimes leading to the emergence of cortical patches specialized for a single language.
Generating interacting protein sequences using domain-to-domain translation

Motivation Being able to artificially design novel proteins of desired function is pivotal in many biological and biomedical applications. Generative statistical modeling has recently emerged as a new paradigm for designing amino acid sequences, including in particular models and embedding methods borrowed from Natural Language Processing (NLP). However, most approaches target single proteins or protein domains, and do not take into account any functional specificity or interaction with the context. To extend beyond current computational strategies, we develop a method for generating protein domain sequences intended to interact with another protein domain. Using data from natural multi-domain proteins, we cast the problem as a translation problem from a given interactor domain to the new domain to be generated, i.e. we generate artificial partner sequences conditional on an input sequence. Results Evaluating our model’s quality using diverse metrics, in part related to distinct biological questions, we show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art shallow auto-regressive strategies. We also explore the possibility of fine-tuning pre-trained large language models for the same task and of using Alphafold 2 for assessing the quality of sampled sequences.
Infinite Randomness Expansion and Amplification with a Constant Number of Devices

We present a device-independent randomness expansion protocol, involving only a constant number of non-signaling quantum devices, that achieves \emph{infinite expansion}: starting with $m$ bits of uniform private randomness, the protocol can produce an unbounded amount of certified randomness that is $\exp(-\Omega(m^{1/3}))$-close to uniform and secure against a quantum adversary. The only parameters which depend on the size of the input are the soundness of the protocol and the security of the output (both are inverse exponential in $m$). This settles a long-standing open problem in the area of randomness expansion and device-independence. The analysis of our protocols involves overcoming fundamental challenges in the study of \emph{adaptive} device-independent protocols. Our primary technical contribution is the design and analysis of device-independent protocols which are \emph{Input Secure}; that is, their output is guaranteed to be secure against a quantum eavesdropper, \emph{even if the input randomness was generated by that same eavesdropper}! The notion of Input Security may be of independent interest to other areas such as device-independent quantum key distribution.
WATER FORMATION THROUGH A QUANTUM TUNNELING SURFACE REACTION, OH + H2, AT 10 K

The present study experimentally demonstrated that solid H2O is formed through the surface reaction OH + H2 at 10 K. This is the first experimental evidence of solid H2O formation using hydrogen in its molecular form at temperatures as low as 10 K. We further found that H2O formation through the reaction OH + H2 is about one order of magnitude more effective than HDO formation through the reaction OH + D2. This significant isotope effect results from differences in the effective mass of each reaction, indicating that the reactions proceed through quantum tunneling.
Interrogating the Level of Unemployment, Insecurity and Its Implication on Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria: ARDL and Granger Causality Approach

: This study interrogates the level of unemployment, insecurity and its implication on foreign direct investment in Nigeria (1999 to 2019) using quarterly time-series data sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and World Bank’s Development Indicator. The specific objectives are to investigate the effect of insecurity on foreign direct investment and to determine the causation between unemployment and insecurity. The first preliminary test employed are the Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Dickey-Fuller Generalised Least Square (GLS) unit root tests while Autoregressive Distributed Lag model, Johansen Co integration and Granger Causality test is used for the analysis. For objective one, the bounds test shows that there is a long-run connection between the dependent and independent variables. For the variables used to capture insecurity, the ARDL coefficients for both long-run and short-run revealed that the NTI and DFE exhibit a negative relationship while ISE exerts a positive relationship with FDI and are statistically significant at 1% and 5% respectively. Furthermore, it takes 21% for the model to adjust to equilibrium in the long-term. For the second objective, Johansen Co integration test further shows that there is long-run association between the regressand and regressors. The granger causality result indicates that NTI granger causes UER and DFE. From the findings above, this study recommends total overhauling and restructuring of security architecture for both military and paramilitary through the strengthening of existing laws, budgeting of substantial amount for the purchase of modern security equipment and enhancing the welfare of security personnel. If these are in place, it stands to guarantee security of life and property thereby inducing foreign investment that can create more job opportunities for teeming youths.
Disorder by disorder and flat bands in the kagome transverse field Ising model

We study the transverse field Ising model on a kagome and a triangular lattice using high-order series expansions about the high-field limit. For the triangular lattice our results confirm a second-order quantum phase transition in the 3d XY universality class. Our findings for the kagome lattice indicate a notable instance of a disorder by disorder scenario in two dimensions. The latter follows from a combined analysis of the elementary gap in the high- and low-field limit which is shown to stay finite for all fields h. Furthermore, the lowest one-particle dispersion for the kagome lattice is extremely flat acquiring a dispersion only from order eight in the 1/h limit. This behaviour can be traced back to the existence of local modes and their breakdown which is understood intuitively via the linked cluster expansion.
SYNTHESIZING EXOPLANET DEMOGRAPHICS FROM RADIAL VELOCITY AND MICROLENSING SURVEYS. I. METHODOLOGY

Motivated by the order of magnitude difference in the frequency of giant planets orbiting M dwarfs inferred by microlensing and radial velocity (RV) surveys, we present a method for comparing the statistical constraints on exoplanet demographics inferred from these methods. We first derive the mapping from the observable parameters of a microlensing-detected planet to those of an analogous planet orbiting an RV-monitored star. Using this mapping, we predict the distribution of RV observables for the planet population inferred from microlensing surveys, taking care to adopt reasonable priors for, and properly marginalize over, the unknown physical parameters of microlensing-detected systems. Finally, we use simple estimates of the detection limits for a fiducial RV survey to predict the number and properties of analogs of the microlensing planet population such an RV survey should detect. We find that RV and microlensing surveys have some overlap, specifically for super-Jupiter mass planets (mp ≳ 1 MJup) with periods between ∼3–10 yr. However, the steeply falling planetary mass function inferred from microlensing implies that, in this region of overlap, RV surveys should infer a much smaller frequency than the overall giant planet frequency (mp ≳ 0.1 MJup) inferred by microlensing. Our analysis demonstrates that it is possible to statistically compare and synthesize data sets from multiple exoplanet detection techniques in order to infer exoplanet demographics over wider regions of parameter space than are accessible to individual methods. In a companion paper, we apply our methodology to several representative microlensing and RV surveys to derive the frequency of planets around M dwarfs with orbits of ≲ 30 yr.
TWO MASSIVE WHITE DWARFS FROM NGC 2323 AND THE INITIAL–FINAL MASS RELATION FOR PROGENITORS OF 4–6.5 M⊙

We observed a sample of 10 white dwarf candidates in the rich open cluster NGC 2323 (M50) with the Keck Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. The spectroscopy shows eight to be DA white dwarfs, with six of these having high signal-to-noise ratio appropriate for our analysis. Two of these white dwarfs are consistent with singly evolved cluster membership, and both are high mass ∼1.07 M⊙, and give equivalent progenitor masses of 4.69 M⊙. To supplement these new high-mass white dwarfs and analyze the initial–final mass relation (IFMR), we also looked at 30 white dwarfs from publicly available data that are mostly all high-mass ( ≳ 0.9 ? > M⊙). These original published data exhibited significant scatter, and to test if this scatter is true or simply the result of systematics, we have uniformly analyzed the white dwarf spectra and have adopted thorough photometric techniques to derive uniform cluster parameters for their parent clusters. The resulting IFMR scatter is significantly reduced, arguing that mass-loss rates are not stochastic in nature and that within the ranges of metallicity and mass analyzed in this work mass loss is not highly sensitive to variations in metallicity. Lastly, when adopting cluster ages based on Y2 isochrones, the slope of the high-mass IFMR remains steep and consistent with that found from intermediate-mass white dwarfs, giving a linear IFMR from progenitor masses between 3 and 6.5 M⊙. In contrast, when adopting the slightly younger cluster ages based on PARSEC isochrones, the high-mass IFMR has a moderate turnover near an initial mass of 4 M⊙.
COUNTER-ROTATION IN RELATIVISTIC MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC JETS

Young stellar object observations suggest that some jets rotate in the opposite direction with respect to their disk. In a recent study, Sauty et al. showed that this does not contradict the magnetocentrifugal mechanism that is believed to launch such outflows. Motion signatures that are transverse to the jet axis, in two opposite directions, have recently been measured in M87. One possible interpretation of this motion is that of counter-rotating knots. Here, we extend our previous analytical derivation of counter-rotation to relativistic jets, demonstrating that counter-rotation can indeed take place under rather general conditions. We show that both the magnetic field and a non-negligible enthalpy are necessary at the origin of counter-rotating outflows, and that the effect is associated with a transfer of energy flux from the matter to the electromagnetic field. This can be realized in three cases: if a decreasing enthalpy causes an increase of the Poynting flux, if the flow decelerates, or if strong gradients of the magnetic field are present. An illustration of the involved mechanism is given by an example of a relativistic magnetohydrodynamic jet simulation.
The contribution of high-redshift galaxies to the near-infrared background

Several independent measurements have confirmed the existence of fluctuations (δFobs ≈ 0.1 nW/m 2 /sr at 3.6 �m) up to degree angular scales in the source-subtracted Near InfraRed Background (NIRB) whose origin is unknown. By combining high resolution cosmological N-body/hydrodynamical simulations with an analytical model, and by matching galaxy Luminosity Functions (LFs) and the constraints on reionization simultaneously, we predict the NIRB absolute flux and fluctuation amplitude produced by high-z (z > 5) galaxies (some of which harboring Pop III stars, shown to provide a negligible contribution). This strategy also allows us to make an empirical determination of the evolution of ionizing photon escape fraction: we find fesc = 1 at z ≥ 11, decreasing to ≈ 0.05 at z = 5. In the wavelength range 1.0 − 4.5 �m, the predicted cumulative flux is F = 0.2−0.04 nW/m 2 /sr. However, we find that the radiation from high-z galaxies (including those undetected by current surveys) is insufficient to explain the amplitude of the observed fluctuations: at l = 2000, the fluctuation level due to z > 5 galaxies is δF = 0.01 −0.002 nW/m 2 /sr, with a relative wavelength-independent amplitude δF/F = 4%. The source of the missing power remains unknown. This might indicate that an unknown component/foreground, with a clustering signal very similar to that of high-z galaxies, dominates the source-subtracted NIRB fluctuation signal. osmology: diffuse radiation–galaxies: high redshift–methods: numerical.
Luminosity-dependent change of the emission diagram in the X-ray pulsar 4U 1626−67

We detect variability of the Fe Ka emission line in the spectrum of X-ray pulsar 4U 1626-67, correlated with changes in its luminosity and in the shape of its pulse profile. Analysis of archival Chandra and RXTE observations revealed the presence of an intrinsically narrow Fe Ka emission line in the spectrum obtained during the source's current high luminosity period. However, the line was not present during an XMM-Newton observation seven years earlier, when the source was ~three times fainter. The line is resolved by the high energy grating of Chandra at the 98% confidence level, and its small intrinsic width, sigma=36.4 (-/+ 11.3,15.3)eV, suggests reflection off an accretion disk at the radius R~7.5(-/+ 3.8,8.2)x10^8cm assuming a Keplerian disk, viewed at an inclination angle of 20deg. This value is consistent with the radius of the magnetosphere of the pulsar, suggesting that the line originates near the inner edge of a disk that is truncated by the magnetic field of the neutron star. Timing analysis of the XMM-Newton and RXTE data revealed a major change in the pulse profile of the source from a distinct double peaked shape during the high luminosity state when the line was present, to a much more complex multi-peak structure during the low luminosity state. We argue that the appearance of the line and the change in the shape of the pulse profile are correlated and are the result of a major change in the emission diagram of the accretion column, from a pencil-beam pattern at low luminosity, to a fan-beam pattern at high luminosity.
Wick rotation in the tangent space

Wick rotation is usually performed by rotating the time coordinate to imaginary values. In a general curved spacetime, the notion of a time coordinate is ambiguous. We note here, that within the tetrad formalism of general relativity, it is possible to perform a Wick rotation directly in the tangent space using considerably less structure: a timelike, future pointing vector field, which need not be killing or hypersurface orthogonal. This method has the advantage of yielding real Euclidean metrics, even in spacetimes which are not static. When applied to a black hole exterior, the null generators of the event horizon reduce to points in the Euclidean spacetime. Requiring that the Wick rotated holonomy of the null generators be trivial ensures the absence of a ‘conical singularity’ in the Euclidean space. To illustrate the basic idea, we use the tangent space Wick rotation to compute the Hawking temperature by Euclidean methods in a few spacetimes including the Kerr black hole.
On the correctness of various approaches in the extraction of the nucleus parameters on example of analysis of the two-step gamma-cascades in 163Dy compound nucleus

The model-free analysis of experimental data in the intensities of two-step cascades into 163Dy shows, that the basically special features of the cascade gamma-decay of its compound-state completely correspond to those observed in other nuclei. Thus, the density of the levels in this nucleus with good precision it is reproduced as sum of three, five, seven-quasiparticle excitations with the tenfold, as the minimum, by an increase due to vibration type excitations. The greatest changes in the sum of the radiation strength functions of dipole primary gamma-transitions correlate with a change in the number of excitable quasi-particles. Accordingly, model presentations about the radiation strength functions of larger, than for those existing, accuracy must consider as a quantity of excited quasi-particles, so the presence of the vibration type excitations of all possible types. Moreover, the reliable picture of the studied process can be obtained only from the approximation of the distributions of the intensities of cascades in the function of energies of their primary gamma-transitions.
A general theory for irreversible thermodynamics

We demonstrate that irreversibility arises from the principle of microscopic reversibility and the presence of memory in the time evolution of a single copy of a system driven by a protocol. We introduce microscopic reversibility by using the concept of protocol- and pathway-dependent thermodynamic function, as defined in J.R. Arias-Gonzalez, arXiv:1511.08017 [cond-mat.stat-mech], and memory by using the concept of non-Markovianity, as in J.R. Arias-Gonzalez, arXiv:1511.06139 [cond-mat.stat-mech]. We define work as the change in free energy and heat as the change in entropy for micoscopic, individual pathways of a system subject to a protocol. We find that all non-equilibrium statistics emerge naturally. In particular, we derive most known fluctuation theorems and formulate two others. While the conservation of energy is invoked both at the level of the individual pathway and in ensemble-average processes, the second law of thermodynamics and the time arrow, which are only fulfilled in ensemble-average processes, are shown to be consequences of microscopic reversibility and non-Markovianity.
Evolution of galaxy shapes from prolate to oblate through compaction events

We study the evolution of global shapes of galaxies using cosmological simulations. The shapes refer to the components of dark matter (DM), stars and gas at the stellar half-mass radius. Most galaxies undergo a characteristic compaction event into a blue nugget at $z\sim2-4$, which marks the transition from a DM-dominated central body to a self-gravitating baryonic core. We find that in the high-$z$, DM-dominated phase, the stellar and DM systems tend to be triaxial, preferentially prolate and mutually aligned. The elongation is supported by an anisotropic velocity dispersion that originates from the assembly of the galaxy along a dominant large-scale filament. We estimate that torques by the dominant halo are capable of inducing the elongation of the stellar system and its alignment with the halo. Then, in association with the transition to self-gravity, small-pericenter orbits puff up and the DM and stellar systems evolve into a more spherical and oblate configuration, aligned with the gas disc and associated with rotation. This transition typically occurs when the stellar mass is $\sim 10^9$ M$_\odot$ and the escape velocity in the core is $\sim 100$ km s$^{-1}$, indicating that supernova feedback may be effective in keeping the core DM-dominated and the system prolate. The early elongated phase itself may be responsible for the compaction event, and the transition to the oblate phase may be associated with the subsequent quenching in the core.
Evaluating the Gamma-Ray Evidence for Self-Annihilating Dark Matter from the Virgo Cluster

Based on three years of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray data of the Virgo cluster, evidence for an extended emission associated with dark matter pair annihilation in the b b-bar channel has been reported by Han et al. [1]. After an in depth spatial and temporal analysis, we argue that the tentative evidence for a gamma-ray excess from the Virgo cluster is mainly due to the appearance of a population of previously unresolved gamma-ray point sources in the region of interest. These point sources are not part of the LAT second source catalogue (2FGL), but are found to be above the standard detection significance threshold when three or more years of LAT data is included.
UBVRIz LIGHT CURVES OF 51 TYPE II SUPERNOVAE

We present a compilation of UBVRIz light curves of 51 type II supernovae discovered during the course of four different surveys during 1986–2003: the Cerro Tololo Supernova Survey, the Calán/Tololo Supernova Program (C&T), the Supernova Optical and Infrared Survey (SOIRS), and the Carnegie Type II Supernova Survey (CATS). The photometry is based on template-subtracted images to eliminate any potential host galaxy light contamination, and calibrated from foreground stars. This work presents these photometric data, studies the color evolution using different bands, and explores the relation between the magnitude at maximum brightness and the brightness decline parameter (s) from maximum light through the end of the recombination phase. This parameter is found to be shallower for redder bands and appears to have the best correlation in the B band. In addition, it also correlates with the plateau duration, being shorter (longer) for larger (smaller) s values.
Transition in the asymptotic suction boundary layer over a heated plate

The asymptotic suction boundary layer (ASBL) is a parallel shear flow that becomes turbulent in a bypass transition in parameter regions where the laminar profile is stable. We here add a temperature gradient perpendicular to the plate and explore the interaction between convection and shear in determining the transition. We find that the laminar state becomes unstable in a subcritical bifurcation and that the critical Rayleigh number and wavenumber depend strongly on the Prandtl number. We also track several secondary bifurcations and identify states that are localized in two directions, showing different symmetries. In the subcritical regime, transient turbulent states which are connected to exact coherent states and follow the same transition scenario as found in linearly stable shear flows are identified and analysed. The study extends the bypass transition scenario from shear flows to thermal boundary layers and highlights the intricate interactions between thermal and shear forces.