Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of ultralight axion self-interactions on the large scale structure of the Universe

Ultralight axions have sparked attention because their tiny mass m∼10-22 eV, which leads to a kiloparsec-scale de Broglie wavelength comparable to the size of a dwarf galaxy, could alleviate the so-called small-scale crisis of massive cold dark matter (CDM) candidates. However, recent analyses of the Lyman-α forest power spectrum set a tight lower bound on their mass of m≳10-21 eV which makes them much less relevant from an astrophysical point of view. An important caveat to these numerical studies is that they do not take into account self-interactions among ultralight axions. Furthermore, for axions which acquired a mass through nonperturbative effects, this self-interaction is attractive and, therefore, could counteract the quantum “pressure” induced by the strong delocalization of the particles. In this work, we show that even a tiny attractive interaction among ultralight axions can have a significant impact on the stability of cosmic structures at low redshift. After a brief review of known results about solitons in the absence of gravity, we discuss the stability of filamentary and pancakelike solutions when quantum pressure, attractive interactions and gravity are present. The analysis based on 1 degree of freedom, namely the breathing mode, reveals that pancakes are stable, while filaments are unstable if the mass per unit length is larger than a critical value. However, we show that pancakes are unstable against transverse perturbations. We expect this to be true for halos and filaments as well. Instabilities driven by the breathing mode will not be seen in the low column density Lyman-α forest unless the axion decay constant is extremely small, f≲1013 GeV. Notwithstanding, axion solitonic cores could leave a detectable signature in the Lyman-α forest if the normalization of the unknown axion core—filament mass relation is ∼100 larger than it is for spherical halos. We hope our work motivates future numerical studies of the impact of axion self-interactions on cosmic structure formation.
Relating the scalar weak gravity conjecture and the swampland distance conjecture for an accelerating universe

For any quasi-de Sitter background, we show that a recently proposed scalar weak gravity conjecture (sWGC) follows from the swampland distance conjecture, together with the covariant entropy bound. While pointing out the limitations of our argument, we suggest how further generalizations of our result might indicate that the shape of the potential of a scalar field in a low-energy effective field theory gets highly constrained due to the distance conjecture alone, going beyond the refined de Sitter conjecture. We also correct some previous comments regarding cosmological implications of the sWGC.
Average reward rates enable motivational transfer across independent reinforcement learning tasks

Outcomes and feedbacks on performance may influence behavior beyond the context in which it was received, yet it remains unclear what neurobehavioral mechanisms may account for such lingering influences on behavior. The average reward rate (ARR) has been suggested to regulate motivated behavior, and was found to interact with dopamine-sensitive cognitive processes, such as vigilance and associative memory encoding. The ARR could therefore provide a bridge between independent tasks when these are performed in temporal proximity, such that the reward rate obtained in one task could influence performance in a second subsequent task. Reinforcement learning depends on the coding of prediction error signals by dopamine neurons and their downstream targets, in particular the nucleus accumbens. Because these brain regions also respond to changes in ARR, reinforcement learning may be vulnerable to changes in ARR. To test this hypothesis, we designed a novel paradigm in which participants (n = 245) performed two probabilistic reinforcement learning tasks presented in interleaved trials. The ARR was controlled by an “induction” task which provided feedback with a low (p = 0.58), a medium (p = 0.75), or a high probability of reward (p = 0.92), while the impact of ARR on reinforcement learning was tested by a second “reference” task with a constant reward probability (p = 0.75). We find that performance was significantly lower in the reference task when the induction task provided low reward probabilities (i.e., during low levels of ARR), as compared to the medium and high ARR conditions. Behavioral modeling further revealed that the influence of ARR is best described by models which accumulates average rewards (rather than average prediction errors), and where the ARR directly modulates the prediction error signal (rather than affecting learning rates or exploration). Our results demonstrate how affective information in one domain may transfer and affect motivated behavior in other domains. These findings are particularly relevant for understanding mood disorders, but may also inform abnormal behaviors attributed to dopamine dysfunction.
Changes in sports gambling behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

Sports betting is one of the most popular forms of gambling in Canada; recent prevalence estimates indicate that 7.9% of Canadian adults endorsed gambling on sports in the past year. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to the temporary closure of most major sports leagues worldwide beginning in March of 2020. These sudden closures created a dramatic decrease in the availability of sports betting opportunities in the early stages of the pandemic, followed by a subsequent increase in availability as most sport leagues returned during the summer of 2020. Using a retrospective self-report measure of gambling participation, the present study investigated how the gambling behaviors of N = 85 past-year sports gamblers changed over the course of the pandemic. It was hypothesized that sports gamblers would report an initial decrease in gambling behaviors from pre-pandemic baseline levels to the early stages of the pandemic in May of 2020 when the availability of sports gambling was heavily restricted, followed by an increase in gambling behaviors from May to August, in accordance with the re-emergence of live sporting events. The general pattern of results supported the hypotheses, though gambling behaviors did not completely return to baseline levels. Beyond quantifying the changes in gambling behaviors over the early stages of the pandemic in Canada, results may have implications regarding the utility of voluntary gambling exclusion programs as well as legislation concerning gambling access.
Structure and evolution of the squamate major histocompatibility complex as revealed by two Anolis lizard genomes

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is an important genomic region for adaptive immunity and has long been studied in ecological and evolutionary contexts, such as disease resistance and mate and kin selection. The MHC has been investigated extensively in mammals and birds but far less so in squamate reptiles, the third major radiation of amniotes. We localized the core MHC genomic region in two squamate species, the green anole (Anolis carolinensis) and brown anole (A. sagrei), and provide the first detailed characterization of the squamate MHC, including the presence and ordering of known MHC genes in these species and comparative assessments of genomic structure and composition in MHC regions. We find that the Anolis MHC, located on chromosome 2 in both species, contains homologs of many previously-identified mammalian MHC genes in a single core MHC region. The repetitive element composition in anole MHC regions was similar to those observed in mammals but had important distinctions, such as higher proportions of DNA transposons. Moreover, longer introns and intergenic regions result in a much larger squamate MHC region (11.7 Mb and 24.6 Mb in the green and brown anole, respectively). Evolutionary analyses of MHC homologs of anoles and other representative amniotes uncovered generally monophyletic relationships between species-specific homologs and a loss of the peptide-binding domain exon 2 in one of two mhc2β gene homologs of each anole species. Signals of diversifying selection in each anole species was evident across codons of mhc1, many of which appear functionally relevant given known structures of this protein from the green anole, chicken, and human. Altogether, our investigation fills a major gap in understanding of amniote MHC diversity and evolution and provides an important foundation for future squamate-specific or vertebrate-wide investigations of the MHC.
MONITORING THE DUSTY S-CLUSTER OBJECT (DSO/G2) ON ITS ORBIT TOWARD THE GALACTIC CENTER BLACK HOLE

We analyze and report in detail new near-infrared (1.45–2.45 μm) observations of the Dusty S-cluster Object (DSO/G2) during its approach to the black hole at the center of the Galaxy that were carried out with the ESO Very Large Telescope/SINFONI between 2014 February and September. Before 2014 May we detect spatially compact Brγ and Paα line emission from the DSO at about 40 mas east of Sgr A*. The velocity of the source, measured from the redshifted emission, is 2700 ± 60 km s−1. No blueshifted emission above the noise level is detected at the position of Sgr A* or upstream of the presumed orbit. After May we find spatially compact Brγ blueshifted line emission from the DSO at about 30 mas west of Sgr A* at a velocity of −3320 ± 60 km s−1 and no indication for significant redshifted emission. We do not detect any significant extension of the velocity gradient across the source. We find a Brγ line FWHM of 50 ± 10 Å before and 15 ± 10 Å after the peribothron transit, i.e., no significant line broadening with respect to last year is observed. Brγ line maps show that the bulk of the line emission originates from a region of less than 20 mas diameter. This is consistent with a very compact source on an elliptical orbit with a peribothron time passage in 2014.39 ± 0.14. For the moment, the flaring activity of the black hole in the near-infrared regime has not shown any statistically significant increment. Increased accretion activity of Sgr A* may still be upcoming. We discuss details of a source model according to which the DSO is a young accreting star rather than a coreless gas and dust cloud.
Faint satellite population of the NGC-3175 Group – a Local Group analogue

In this paper we identify and study the properties of low mass dwarf satellites of a nearby Local Group analogue - the NGC-3175 galaxy group with the goal of investigating the nature of the lowest mass galaxies and the `Missing Satellites' problem. Deep imaging of nearby groups such as NGC-3175 are one of the only ways to probe these low mass galaxies which are important for problems in cosmology, dark matter and galaxy formation. We discover 553 candidate dwarf galaxies in the group, the vast majority of which have never been studied before. We obtained R and B band imaging, with the ESO 2.2m, around the central $\sim$500kpc region of NGC-3175, allowing us to detect galaxies down to $\sim$23 mag (M$_{B} \sim$-7.7 mag) in the B band. In the absence of spectroscopic information, dwarf members and likely background galaxies are separated using colour, morphology and surface brightness criteria. We compare the observed size, surface brightness and mass scaling relations to literature data. The luminosity function with a faint end slope of $\alpha$ = -1.31, is steeper than that observed in the Local Group. In comparison with simulations, we find that our observations are between a pure $\Lambda$CDM model and one involving baryonic effects, removing the apparent problem of finding too few satellites as seen around the Milky Way.
The star formation history of the Large Magellanic Cloud star clusters NGC 1846 and NGC 1783

NGC 1846 and NGC 1783 are two massive star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud, hosting both an extended main sequence turn-off and a dual clump of red giants. They present similar masses but differ mainly in angular size. Starting from their high-quality ACS data in the F435W, F555W and F814W filters, and updated sets of stellar evolutionary tracks, we derive their star formation rates as a function of age, SFR(t), by means of the classical method of CMD reconstruction which is usually applied to nearby galaxies. The method confirms the extended periods of star formation derived from previous analysis of the same data. When the analysis is performed for a finer resolution in age, we find clear evidence for a � 50-Myr long hiatus between the oldest peak in the SFR(t), and a second prolonged period of star formation, in both clusters. For the more compact cluster NGC 1846, there seems to be no significant difference between the SFR(t) in the cluster centre and in an annulus with radii between 20 and 60 ′′ (from 4.8 to 15.4 pc). The same does not occur in the more extended NGC 1783 cluster, where the outer ring (between 33 and 107 ′′ , from 8.0 to 25.9 pc) is found to be slightly younger than the centre. We also explore the best-fitting slope of the present-day mass function and binary fraction for the different cluster regions, finding hints of a varying mass function between centre and outer ring in NGC 1783. These findings are discussed within the present scenarios for the formation of clusters with multiple turn-offs.
Profile of the genomic characteristics and comparative studies of five Trichiuridae species by genome survey sequencing

Trichiuridae fish are economically important species and are widely distributed across the nearshore to the open ocean. In the present study, the genomic survey sequencing method was used to analyze the genomic characteristics of five Trichiuridae fish. The calculated genome size was 913 Mb, 868 Mb, 871 Mb, 747 Mb, and 670 Mb for Trichiurus japonicus, Trichiurus nanhaiensis, Trichiurus brevis, Lepturacanthus savala, and Eupleurogrammus muticus, respectively. The average GC content of the five Trichiuridae fish ranged from 39.59% to 42.05%, and the repeat sequence content ranged from 33.21% to 45.87%. The heterozygous ratio of E. muticus was the highest, and that of L. savala was the smallest. The proportion of microsatellite motifs showed a decreasing trend with the increase in repeat numbers: the dinucleotide repeats were dominant, followed by the trinucleotide repeats, tetranucleotide repeats, pentanucleotide repeats, and hexanucleotide repeats. The mitochondrial genomes of five Trichiuridae species were excavated from the genome data, and the ML tree revealed that T. japonicus, T. nanhaiensis, T. brevis, L. savala, and E. muticus formed into one clade. E. muticus showed earlier expansion than the other four species and had a significant population decline at the Last Glacial period by pairwise sequentially Markovian coalescent (PSMC) analysis. This is the first report to sequence and characterize the whole genomes of five Trichiuridae species.
Recent selected theory developments for NICA

In this contribution I present a few selected topics of recent theoretical developments of relevance for the NICA facility under construction. In a first part, I discuss new aspects of the QCD phase diagram like the possible existence of a critical endpoint of first-order phase transitions from the perspective of generalizations of the 3-flavor PNJL model including the conjecture of a universal pressure for the onset of deconfinement in heavy-ion collisions and astrophysics. A second part is devoted to first results of the newly constructed event simulator (THESEUS) which is based on the particlization of the former three-fluid hydrodynamics code by Ivanov, Russkikh and Toneev that allows also to study the role of hadronic final state interactions. Possible signals of the mixed phase accessible at NICA are considered. In particular, the robustness of the baryon-stopping signal of deconfinement and the occurrence of antiflow for protons have been investigated for Au+Au collisions in the range of the NICA-MPD energy scan for $\sqrt{s} \sim 6 \dots 8$ GeV. This signal is reflected also in the flow pattern of light nuclear clusters, in particular deuterons. The sharp peak for the $K^+/\pi^+$ ratio at $\sqrt{s} \sim 8$ GeV (the "horn" effect) is not obtained in the present version of THESEUS and calls for improvement of the equation of state input. I report the recent progress in developing a generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck approach to a unified description of quark-hadron matter which includes now strangeness and reveals a new mechanism for explaining the $K^+/\pi^+$ ratio due to the pronounced occurrence of an anomalous mode in the $K^+$ at finite baryochemical potentials.
The 'universal' radio/X-ray flux correlation : the case study of the black hole GX 339-4

The existing radio and X-ray flux correlation for Galactic black holes in the hard and quiescent states relies on a sample which is mostly dominated by two sources (GX 339-4 and V404 Cyg) observed in a single outburst. In this paper, we report on a series of radio and X-ray observations of the recurrent black hole GX 339-4 with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and the Swift satellites. With our new long term campaign, we now have a total of 88 quasi-simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of GX 339-4 during its hard state, covering a total of seven outbursts over a 15--year period. Our new measurements represent the largest sample for a stellar mass black hole, without any bias from distance uncertainties, over the largest flux variations and down to a level that could be close to quiescence, making GX 339-4 the reference source for comparison with other accreting sources (black holes, neutrons stars, white dwarfs and active galactic nuclei). Our results demonstrate a very strong and stable coupling between radio and X-ray emission, despite several outbursts of different nature and separated by a period of quiescence. The radio and X-ray luminosity correlation of the form L_X ~L_Rad^0.62 +/-0.01 confirms the non-linear coupling between the jet and the inner accretion flow powers and better defines the standard correlation track in the radio-X-ray diagram for stellar mass black holes. We further note epochs of deviations from the fit that significantly exceed the measurement uncertainties, especially during the formation and destruction of the compact jets . [abridged]. We incorporated our new data in a more global study of black hole candidates strongly supporting a scale invariance in the jet-accretion coupling of accreting black holes, and confirms the existence of two populations of sources in the radio/X-ray diagram.
A relationship between halo mass, cooling, active galactic nuclei heating and the co-evolution of massive black holes

We derive X-ray mass, luminosity, and temperature profiles for 45 galaxy clusters to explore relationships between halo mass, AGN feedback, and central cooling time. We find that radio--mechanical feedback power (referred to here as "AGN power") in central cluster galaxies correlates with halo mass as P$_{\rm mech}$ $\propto$ M$^{1.55\pm0.26}$, but only in halos with central atmospheric cooling times shorter than 1 Gyr. The trend of AGN power with halo mass is consistent with the scaling expected from a self-regulating AGN feedback loop, as well as with galaxy and central black hole co-evolution along the $M_{\rm BH} - \sigma$ relation. AGN power in clusters with central atmospheric cooling times longer than $\sim 1$ Gyr typically lies two orders of magnitude below those with shorter central cooling times. Galaxies centred in clusters with long central cooling times nevertheless experience ongoing and occasionally powerful AGN outbursts. We further investigate the impact of feedback on cluster scaling relations. We find $L-T$, and $M-T$ relations in clusters with direct evidence of feedback which are steeper than self-similar, but not atypical compared to previous studies of the full cluster population. While the gas mass rises, the stellar mass remains nearly constant with rising total mass, consistent with earlier studies. This trend is found regardless of central cooling time, implying tight regulation of star formation in central galaxies as their halos grew, and long-term balance between AGN heating and atmospheric cooling. Our scaling relations are presented in forms that can be incorporated easily into galaxy evolution models.
Spontaneous supersymmetry breaking in matrix models from the viewpoints of localization and Nicolai mapping

We consider supersymmetric matrix models of the type of the Wess-Zumino model, whose supersymmetry (SUSY) may be spontaneously broken. When SUSY is broken, the partition function vanishes since it is equivalent to the Witten index. We need some regularization to give a small value to the partition function in computing expectation values of observables in a well-defined way. Here, we employ twisted boundary condition to fermionic variables with a small angle α, and use this as the above regularization. Interestingly, the twist can be interpreted as an external field to detect spontaneous SUSY breaking, which is analogous to the magnetic field in Ising model whose Z2 symmetry is spontaneously broken. Also, we discuss the SUSY breaking from the viewpoints of localization and Nicolai mapping, and find interesting localization phenomena specific to matrix models.
Information under Lorentz Transformation

In the context of quantum information, we investigate extensively some important classes of a general form of a two-qubit system under Lorentz transformation. It is shown Lorentz transformation causes a decay of entanglement and consequently information loses. On the other hand, it generates entangled states between systems prepared initially in a separable states. The partial entangled states are more robust under Lorentz transformation than maximally entangled states. Therefore the rate of information lose is larger for maximum entangled states compared with that for partially entangled states.
COSMOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS FROM THE REDSHIFT DEPENDENCE OF THE ALCOCK–PACZYNSKI TEST: GALAXY DENSITY GRADIENT FIELD

We propose a method based on the redshift dependence of the Alcock–Paczynski (AP) test to measure the expansion history of the universe. It uses the isotropy of the galaxy density gradient field to constrain cosmological parameters. If the density parameter Ωm or the dark energy equation of state w are incorrectly chosen, the gradient field appears to be anisotropic with the degree of anisotropy varying with redshift. We use this effect to constrain the cosmological parameters governing the expansion history of the universe. Although redshift-space distortions (RSD) induced by galaxy peculiar velocities also produce anisotropies in the gradient field, these effects are close to uniform in magnitude over a large range of redshift. This makes the redshift variation of the gradient field anisotropy relatively insensitive to the RSD. By testing the method on mock surveys drawn from the Horizon Run 3 cosmological N-body simulations, we demonstrate that the cosmological parameters can be estimated without bias. Our method is complementary to the baryon acoustic oscillation or topology methods as it depends on DAH, the product of the angular diameter distance and the Hubble parameter.
Quantum Monte Carlo calculation of entanglement Rényi entropies for generic quantum systems

We present a general scheme for the calculation of the Renyi entropy of a subsystem in quantum many-body models that can be efficiently simulated via quantum Monte Carlo. When the simulation is performed at very low temperature, the above approach delivers the entanglement Renyi entropy of the subsystem, and it allows to explore the crossover to the thermal Renyi entropy as the temperature is increased. We implement this scheme explicitly within the Stochastic Series expansion as well as within path-integral Monte Carlo, and apply it to quantum spin and quantum rotor models. In the case of quantum spins, we show that relevant models in two dimensions with reduced symmetry (XX model or hardcore bosons, transverse-field Ising model at the quantum critical point) exhibit an area law for the scaling of the entanglement entropy.