cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Semantic Evaluation for Text-to-SQL with Distilled Test Suites.

We propose test suite accuracy to approximate semantic accuracy for Text-to-SQL models. Our method distills a small test suite of databases that achieves high code coverage for the gold query from a large number of randomly generated databases. At evaluation time, it computes the denotation accuracy of the predicted queries on the distilled test suite, hence calculating a tight upper-bound for semantic accuracy efficiently. We use our proposed method to evaluate 21 models submitted to the Spider leader board and manually verify that our method is always correct on 100 examples. In contrast, the current Spider metric leads to a 2.5% false negative rate on average and 8.1% in the worst case, indicating that test suite accuracy is needed. Our implementation, along with distilled test suites for eleven Text-to-SQL datasets, is publicly available.
Constraints on emergent gravity

In this essay we review the central difficulty in formulating a viable quantum field theory in which gravity is emergent at low energies rather than being mediated by a fundamental gauge field. The Weinberg–Witten theorem forbids spin 2, massless modes from carrying Lorentz-covariant stress–energy. In general relativity the stress–energy is not covariant because it violates a gauge invariance, but a gravitational theory without fundamental spin 2 gauge invariance must either lack a stress–energy operator or have a nonrelativistic graviton. The latter option is incompatible with the principle of equivalence, though such theories are not necessarily ruled out at low energies.
On the late-time behavior of Virasoro blocks and a classification of semiclassical saddles

Recent work has demonstrated that black hole thermodynamics and information loss/restoration in AdS3/CFT2 can be derived almost entirely from the behavior of the Virasoro conformal blocks at large central charge, with relatively little dependence on the precise details of the CFT spectrum or OPE coefficients. Here, we elaborate on the non-perturbative behavior of Virasoro blocks by classifying all ‘saddles’ that can contribute for arbitrary values of external and internal operator dimensions in the semiclassical large central charge limit. The leading saddles, which determine the naive semiclassical behavior of the Virasoro blocks, all decay exponentially at late times, and at a rate that is independent of internal operator dimensions. Consequently, the semiclassical contribution of a finite number of high-energy states cannot resolve a well-known version of the information loss problem in AdS3. However, we identify two infinite classes of sub-leading saddles, and one of these classes does not decay at late times.
The Petrov type of the BMPV metric

We show that the BMPV metric has Petrov type 22. This means that the Breckenridge–Myers–Peet–Vafa (BMPV) metric is less algebraically special than the five-dimensional Schwarzschild metric, which has Petrov type 22.
Piezoelectricity in two-dimensional group-III monochalcogenides

It is found that several layer-phase group-III monochalcogenides, including GaS, GaSe, and InSe, are piezoelectric in their monolayer form. First-principles calculations reveal that the piezoelectric coefficients of monolayer GaS, GaSe, and InSe (2.06, 2.30, and 1.46 pm·V™1) are of the same order of magnitude as previously discovered two-dimensional (2D) piezoelectric materials such as boron nitride (BN) and MoS2 monolayers. This study therefore indicates that a strong piezoelectric response can be obtained in a wide range of two-dimensional materials with broken inversion symmetry. The co-existence of piezoelectricity and superior photo-sensitivity in these monochalcogenide monolayer semiconductors means they have the potential to allow for the integration of electromechanical and optical sensors on the same material platform.
Confidence-Rich Grid Mapping

Representing the environment is a fundamental task in enabling robots to act autonomously in unknown environments. In this work, we present confidence-rich mapping (CRM), a new algorithm for spatia...
Remote Observatory for Variable Object Research (ROVOR)

Observatories constructed solely for photometric monitoring make it possible to understand the temporal nature of objects over time scales that historically have been difficult to achieve. We report on one such observatory, the Remote Observatory for Variable Object Research (ROVOR), which was constructed to enable both long-term and rapid cadence observations of brighter objects. ROVOR is an 0.4 m optical telescope located in central Utah and commissioned for scientific observations in 2008. Principle research has been monitoring blazars, x-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and an occasional gamma-ray burst afterglow. We describe the observatory, its control system, and unique roof.
Tunable electronic properties of multilayer phosphorene and its nanoribbons

We study the effects of a vertical electric field on the electronic band structure and transport in multilayer phosphorene and its nanoribbons. In phosphorene, at a critical value of the vertical electric field ($$E_\mathrm{c}$$Ec), the band gap closes and the band structure undergoes a massive-to-massless Dirac fermion transition along the armchair direction. This transition is observable in quantum Hall measurements, as the power-law dependence of the Landau-level energy on the magnetic field B goes from $${\sim }(n+1/2)B$$~(n+1/2)B below $$E_\mathrm{c}$$Ec, to $${\sim }[(n+1/2)B]^{2/3}$$~[(n+1/2)B]2/3 at $$E_\mathrm{c}$$Ec, to $${\sim }[(n+1/2)B]^{1/2}$$~[(n+1/2)B]1/2 above $$E_\mathrm{c}$$Ec. In multilayer phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs), the vertical electric field can be employed to manipulate the midgap energy bands that are associated with edge states, thereby giving rise to new device functionalities. We propose a dual-edge-gate PNR structure that works as a quantum switch.
LOW-MASS PLANETS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS WITH NET VERTICAL MAGNETIC FIELDS: THE PLANETARY WAKE AND GAP OPENING

Some regions in protoplanetary disks are turbulent, while some regions are quiescent (e.g. the dead zone). In order to study how planets open gaps in both inviscid hydrodynamic disk (e.g. the dead zone) and the disk subject to magnetorotational instability (MRI), we carried out both shearing box two-dimensional inviscid hydrodynamical simulations and three-dimensional unstratified magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations (having net vertical magnetic fields) with a planet at the box center. We found that, due to the nonlinear wave steepening, even a low mass planet can open gaps in both cases, in contradiction to the "thermal criterion" for gap opening. In order to understand if we can represent the MRI turbulent stress with the viscous α prescription for studying gap opening, we compare gap properties in MRI-turbulent disks to those in viscous HD disks having the same stress, and found that the same mass planet opens a significantly deeper and wider gap in net vertical flux MHD disks than in viscous HD disks. This difference arises due to the efficient magnetic field transport into the gap region in MRI disks, leading to a larger effective α within the gap. Thus, across the gap, the Maxwell stress profile is smoother than the gap density profile, and a deeper gap is needed for the Maxwell stress gradient to balance the planetary torque density. Comparison with previous results from net toroidal flux/zero flux MHD simulations indicates that the magnetic field geometry plays an important role in the gap opening process. We also found that long-lived density features (termed zonal flows) produced by the MRI can affect planet migration. Overall, our results suggest that gaps can be commonly produced by low mass planets in realistic protoplanetary disks, and caution the use of a constant α-viscosity to model gaps in protoplanetary disks.
Open Markov Processes: A Compositional Perspective on Non-Equilibrium Steady States in Biology

In recent work, Baez, Fong and the author introduced a framework for describing Markov processes equipped with a detailed balanced equilibrium as open systems of a certain type. These “open Markov processes” serve as the building blocks for more complicated processes. In this paper, we describe the potential application of this framework in the modeling of biological systems as open systems maintained away from equilibrium. We show that non-equilibrium steady states emerge in open systems of this type, even when the rates of the underlying process are such that a detailed balanced equilibrium is permitted. It is shown that these non-equilibrium steady states minimize a quadratic form which we call “dissipation”. In some circumstances, the dissipation is approximately equal to the rate of change of relative entropy plus a correction term. On the other hand, Prigogine’s principle of minimum entropy production generally fails for non-equilibrium steady states. We use a simple model of membrane transport to illustrate these concepts.
Redundant Array Configurations for 21 cm Cosmology

Realizing the potential of 21 cm tomography to statistically probe the intergalactic medium before and during the Epoch of Reionization requires large telescopes and precise control of systematics. Next-generation telescopes are now being designed and built to meet these challenges, drawing lessons from first-generation experiments that showed the benefits of densely packed, highly redundant arrays--in which the same mode on the sky is sampled by many antenna pairs--for achieving high sensitivity, precise calibration, and robust foreground mitigation. In this work, we focus on the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) as an interferometer with a dense, redundant core designed following these lessons to be optimized for 21 cm cosmology. We show how modestly supplementing or modifying a compact design like HERA's can still deliver high sensitivity while enhancing strategies for calibration and foreground mitigation. In particular, we compare the imaging capability of several array configurations, both instantaneously (to address instrumental and ionospheric effects) and with rotation synthesis (for foreground removal). We also examine the effects that configuration has on calibratability using instantaneous redundancy. We find that improved imaging with sub-aperture sampling via "off-grid" antennas and increased angular resolution via far-flung "outrigger" antennas is possible with a redundantly calibratable array configuration.
Review of strongly-coupled composite dark matter models and lattice simulations

We review models of new physics in which dark matter arises as a composite bound state from a confining strongly-coupled non-Abelian gauge theory. We discuss several qualitatively distinct classes of composite candidates, including dark mesons, dark baryons, and dark glueballs. We highlight some of the promising strategies for direct detection, especially through dark moments, using the symmetries and properties of the composite description to identify the operators that dominate the interactions of dark matter with matter, as well as dark matter self-interactions. We briefly discuss the implications of these theories at colliders, especially the (potentially novel) phenomenology of dark mesons in various regimes of the models. Throughout the review, we highlight the use of lattice calculations in the study of these strongly-coupled theories, to obtain precise quantitative predictions and new insights into the dynamics.
Dark mass creation during EWPT via Dark Energy interaction

We add Dark Matter–Dark Energy terms with a quintessence field interacting with a Dark Matter field to a Minimal Supersymmetry Model of the Electroweak (MSSM EW) Lagrangian previously used to calculate the magnetic field created during the Electroweak Phase Transition (EWPT). From the expectation value of the quintessence field, we estimate the Dark Matter mass for parameters used in previous work on Dark Matter–Dark Energy interactions.
Singularities in wavy strings

Extremal six-dimensional black string solutions with some non-trivial momentum distribution along the wave are considered. These solutions were recently shown to contain a singularity at the would-be position of the event horizon. In the black string geometry, all curvature invariants are finite at the horizon. It is shown that if the effects of infalling matter are included, there are curvature invariants which diverge there. This implies that quantum corrections will be important at the would-be horizon. The effect of this singularity on test strings is also considered, and it is shown that it leads to a divergent excitation of the string. The quantum corrections will therefore be important for test objects.
Semiconjugate factorizations of higher order linear difference equations in rings

We use a new nonlinear method to study linear difference equations with variable coefficients in a non-trivial ring R. If the homogeneous part of the linear equation has a solution in the unit group of a ring with identity (a unitary solution), then we show that the equation decomposes into two linear equations of lower orders. This decomposition, known as a semiconjugate factorization in the nonlinear theory, is based on sequences of ratios of consecutive terms of a unitary solution. Such sequences, which may be called eigensequences, are well suited to variable coefficients; for instance, they provide a natural context for the expression of the Poincare–Perron theorem. As applications, we obtain new results for linear difference equations with periodic coefficients and for linear recurrences in rings of functions (e.g. the recurrence for the modified Bessel functions).
Ca II and Na I Quasar Absorption-line Systems in an Emission-selected Sample of SDSS DR7 Galaxy/Quasar Projections. I. Sample Selection

The aim of this project is to identify low-redshift host galaxies of quasar absorption-line systems by selecting galaxies that are seen in projection onto quasar sightlines. To this end, we use the Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to construct a parent sample of 97,489 galaxy/quasar projections at impact parameters of up to 100 kpc to the foreground galaxy. We then search the quasar spectra for absorption-line systems of Ca II and Na I within ±500 km s–1 of the galaxy's velocity. This yields 92 Ca II and 16 Na I absorption systems. We find that most of the Ca II and Na I systems are sightlines through the Galactic disk, through high-velocity cloud complexes in our halo, or Virgo Cluster sightlines. Placing constraints on the absorption line rest equivalent width significance (≥3.0σ), the local standard of rest velocity along the sightline (≥345 km s–1), and the ratio of the impact parameter to the galaxy optical radius (≤5.0), we identify four absorption-line systems that are associated with low-redshift galaxies at high confidence, consisting of two Ca II systems (one of which also shows Na I) and two Na I systems. These four systems arise in blue, ~L* r galaxies. Tables of the 108 absorption systems are provided to facilitate future follow-up.
Evidence for Coupling between the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy and the Milky Way Warp

Using recent determinations of the mass and orbit of Sagittarius, I calculate its orbital angular momentum. From the latest observational data, I also calculate the angular momentum of the Milky Way's warp. I find that both angular momenta are directed toward l ≈ 270°, b = 0° and have magnitude (2-8) × 1012 M☉ kpc km s-1, where the range in both cases reflects uncertainty in the mass. The coincidence of the angular momenta is suggestive of a coupling between these systems. Direct gravitational torque of Sgr on the disk is ruled out as the coupling mechanism. Gravitational torque due to a wake in the halo and the impulsive deposition of momentum by a passage of Sgr through the disk are still both viable mechanisms pending better simulations to test their predictions on the observed Sagittarius-Milky Way system.
Micro-X Sounding Rocket: Transitioning from First Flight to a Dark Matter Configuration

The Micro-X sounding rocket flew for the first time on July 22, 2018, becoming the first program to fly Transition-Edge Sensors and multiplexing SQUID readout electronics in space. While a rocket pointing failure led to no time on-target, the success of the flight systems was demonstrated. The successful flight operation of the instrument puts the program in a position to modify the payload for indirect galactic dark matter searches. The payload modifications are motivated by the science requirements of this observation. Micro-X can achieve world-leading sensitivity in the keV regime with a single flight. Dark matter sensitivity projections have been updated to include recent observations and the expected sensitivity of Micro-X to these observed fluxes. If a signal is seen (as seen in the X-ray satellites), Micro-X can differentiate an atomic line from a dark matter signature.
Looijenga line bundles in complex analytic elliptic cohomology

We present a calculation that shows how the moduli of complex analytic elliptic curves arises naturally from the Borel cohomology of an extended moduli space of U(1)-bundles on a torus. Furthermore, we show how the analogous calculation, applied to a moduli space of principal bundles for a K(ℤ,2) central extension of U(1)d, gives rise to Looijenga line bundles. We then speculate on the relation of these calculations to the construction of complex analytic equivariant elliptic cohomology.
Testable and Untestable Aspects of Dark Energy

It has been suggested that dark energy will lead to a frequency cutoff in an experiment involving a Josephson junction. Here we show that were such a cutoff detected, it would have dramatic consequences including the possible demise of the string landscape.
Photometric Identification of Type Ia Supernovae at Moderate Redshift

Large photometric surveys with the aim of identifying many Type Ia supernovae (SNe) at moderate redshift are challenged in separating these SNe from other SN types. We are motivated to identify Type Ia SNe based only on broadband photometric information, since spectroscopic determination of the SN type, the traditional method, requires significant amounts of time on large telescopes. We consider the possible observables provided by a large synoptic photometry survey. We examine the optical colors and magnitudes of many SN types from z = 0.1 to 1.0, using space-based UV spectra and ground-based optical spectra to simulate the photometry. We also discuss the evolution of colors over the SN outburst and the use of host galaxy characteristics to aid in the identification of Type Ia SNe. We consider magnitudes both in the SDSS photometric system and in a proposed filter system with logarithmically spaced bandpasses. We find that photometric information in four bands covering the entire optical spectrum appears capable of providing identification of Type Ia SNe based on their colors at a single observed epoch soon after maximum light, even without independent estimates of the SN redshift. Very blue filters are extremely helpful, as at moderate redshift they sample the rest-frame UV spectrum where the SN types are very different. We emphasize the need for further observations of SNe in the rest-frame UV to fully characterize, refine, and improve this method of SN type identification.
Killing(-Yano) tensors in string theory

We construct the Killing(-Yano) tensors for a large class of charged black holes in higher dimensions and study general properties of such tensors, in particular, their behavior under string dualities. Killing(-Yano) tensors encode the symmetries beyond isometries, which lead to insights into dynamics of particles and fields on a given geometry by providing a set of conserved quantities. By analyzing the eigenvalues of the Killing tensor, we provide a prescription for constructing several conserved quantities starting from a single object, and we demonstrate that Killing tensors in higher dimensions are always associated with ellipsoidal coordinates. We also determine the transformations of the Killing(-Yano) tensors under string dualities, and find the unique modification of the Killing-Yano equation consistent with these symmetries. These results are used to construct the explicit form of the Killing(-Yano) tensors for the Myers-Perry black hole in arbitrary number of dimensions and for its charged version.
Au/TiO2(110) interfacial reconstruction stability from ab initio

We determine the stability and properties of interfaces of low-index Au surfaces adhered to TiO2(110), using density functional theory energy density calculations. We consider Au(100) and Au(111) epitaxies on rutile TiO2(110) surface, as observed in experiments. For each epitaxy, we consider several different interfaces: Au(111)//TiO2(110) and Au(100)//TiO2(110), with and without bridging oxygen, Au(111) on 1 × 2 added-row TiO2(110) reconstruction, and Au(111) on a proposed 1 × 2 TiO reconstruction. The density functional theory energy density method computes the energy changes on each of the atoms while forming the interface and evaluates the work of adhesion to determine the equilibrium interfacial structure.
Low-loss, silicon integrated, aluminum nitride photonic circuits and their use for electro-optic signal processing.

Photonic miniaturization requires seamless integration of linear and nonlinear optical components to achieve passive and active functions simultaneously. Among the available material systems, silicon photonics holds immense promise for optical signal processing and on-chip optical networks. However, silicon is limited to wavelengths above 1.1 μm and does not provide the desired lowest order optical nonlinearity for active signal processing. Here we report the integration of aluminum nitride (AlN) films on silicon substrates to bring active functionalities to chip-scale photonics. Using CMOS-compatible sputtered thin films we fabricate AlN-on-insulator waveguides that exhibit low propagation loss (0.6 dB/cm). Exploiting AlN’s inherent Pockels effect we demonstrate electro-optic modulation up to 4.5 Gb/s with very low energy consumption (down to 10 fJ/bit). The ultrawide transparency window of AlN devices also enables high speed modulation at visible wavelengths. Our low cost, wideband, carrier-free photoni...
On Shocks Driven by High-mass Planets in Radiatively Inefficient Disks. III. Observational Signatures in Thermal Emission and Scattered Light

Recent observations of the protoplanetary disk around the Herbig Be star HD 100546 show two bright features in infrared (H and L' bands) at about 50 AU, with one so far unexplained. We explore the observational signatures of a high mass planet causing shock heating in order to determine if it could be the source of the unexplained infrared feature in HD 100546. More fundamentally, we identify and characterize planetary shocks as an extra, hitherto ignored, source of luminosity in transition disks. The RADMC-3D code is used to perform dust radiative transfer calculations on the hydrodynamical disk models, including volumetric heating. A stronger shock heating rate by a factor 20 would be necessary to qualitatively reproduce the morphology of the second infrared source. Instead, we find that the outer edge of the gap carved by the planet heats up by about 50% relative to the initial reference temperature, which leads to an increase in the scale height. The bulge is illuminated by the central star, producing a lopsided feature in scattered light, as the outer gap edge shows an asymmetry in density and temperature attributable to a secondary spiral arm launched not from the Lindblad resonances but from the 2:1 resonance. We conclude that high-mass planets lead to shocks in disks that may be directly observed, particularly at wavelengths of 10 mm or longer, but that they are more likely to reveal their presence in scattered light by puffing up their outer gap edges and exciting multiple spiral arms.
Penalized-Likelihood Reconstruction With High-Fidelity Measurement Models for High-Resolution Cone-Beam Imaging

We present a novel reconstruction algorithm based on a general cone-beam CT forward model, which is capable of incorporating the blur and noise correlations that are exhibited in flat-panel CBCT measurement data. Specifically, the proposed model may include scintillator blur, focal-spot blur, and noise correlations due to light spread in the scintillator. The proposed algorithm (GPL-BC) uses a Gaussian Penalized-Likelihood objective function, which incorporates models of blur and correlated noise. In a simulation study, GPL-BC was able to achieve lower bias as compared with deblurring followed by FDK as well as a model-based reconstruction method without integration of measurement blur. In the same study, GPL-BC was able to achieve better line-pair reconstructions (in terms of segmented-image accuracy) as compared with deblurring followed by FDK, a model-based method without blur, and a model-based method with blur but not noise correlations. A prototype extremities quantitative cone-beam CT test-bench was used to image a physical sample of human trabecular bone. These data were used to compare reconstructions using the proposed method and model-based methods without blur and/or correlation to a registered $\mu $ CT image of the same bone sample. The GPL-BC reconstructions resulted in more accurate trabecular bone segmentation. Multiple trabecular bone metrics, including trabecular thickness (Tb.Th.) were computed for each reconstruction approach as well as the $\mu $ CT volume. The GPL-BC reconstruction provided the most accurate Tb.Th. measurement, 0.255 mm, as compared with the $\mu $ CT derived value of 0.193 mm, followed by the GPL-B reconstruction, the GPL-I reconstruction, and then the FDK reconstruction (0.271 mm, 0.309 mm, and 0.335 mm, respectively).
Finite-Larmor-radius equilibrium and currents of the Earth’s flank magnetopause

We consider the one-dimensional equilibrium problem of a shear-flow boundary layer within an ‘extended-fluid model’ of a plasma that includes the Hall and the electron pressure terms in Ohm’s law, as well as dynamic equations for anisotropic pressure for each species and first-order finite-Larmor-radius (FLR) corrections to the ion dynamics. We provide a generalized version of the analytic expressions for the equilibrium configuration given in Cerri et al., (Phys. Plasmas, vol. 20 (11), 2013, 112112), highlighting their intrinsic asymmetry due to the relative orientation of the magnetic field asymmetry’). Finally, we show that FLR effects can modify the Chapman–Ferraro current layer at the flank magnetopause in a way that is consistent with the observed structure reported by Haaland et al., (J. Geophys. Res. (Space Phys.), vol. 119, 2014, pp. 9019–9037). In particular, we are able to qualitatively reproduce the following key features: (i) the dusk–dawn asymmetry of the current layer, (ii) a double-peak feature in the current profiles and (iii) adjacent current sheets having thicknesses of several ion Larmor radii and with different current directions.
Wormholes with a barotropic equation of state admitting a one-parameter group of conformal motions

Abstract The theoretical construction of a traversable wormhole proposed by Morris and Thorne maintains complete control over the geometry by assigning both the shape and redshift functions, thereby leaving open the determination of the stress–energy tensor. This paper examines the effect of introducing the linear barotropic equation of state p r = ω ρ on the theoretical construction. If either the energy density or the closely related shape function is known, then the Einstein field equations do not ordinarily yield a finite redshift function. If, however, the wormhole admits a one-parameter group of conformal motions, then both the redshift and shape functions exist provided that − 3 ω − 1 . In a cosmological setting, the equation of state p = ω ρ , ω − 1 , is associated with phantom dark energy, which is known to support traversable wormholes. The restriction − 3 ω − 1 that arises in the present wormhole setting can be attributed to the assumption of conformal symmetry.
Guided search for desired functional responses via Bayesian optimization of generative model: Hysteresis loop shape engineering in ferroelectrics

Advances in theoretical modeling across multiple disciplines have yielded generative models capable of high veracity in predicting macroscopic functional responses of materials emerging as a result of complex non-local interactions. Correspondingly, of interest is the inverse problem of finding the model parameter that will yield desired macroscopic responses, such as stress–strain curves, ferroelectric hysteresis loops, etc. Here, we suggest and implement Gaussian process based methods that allow to effectively sample the degenerate parameter space of a complex non-local model to output regions of parameter space which yield desired functionalities. We discuss the specific adaptation of the acquisition function and sampling function to make the process efficient and balance the efficient exploration of parameter space for multiple possible minima and exploitation to densely sample the regions of interest where target behaviors are optimized. This approach is illustrated via the hysteresis loop engineering in ferroelectric materials but can be adapted to other functionalities and generative models.
Strongly tunable anisotropic thermal transport in MoS2 by strain and lithium intercalation: first-principles calculations

Author(s): Chen, S; Sood, A; Pop, E; Goodson, KE; Donadio, D | Abstract: The possibility of tuning the vibrational properties and the thermal conductivity of layered van der Waals materials either chemically or mechanically paves the way to significant advances in nanoscale heat management. Using first-principles calculations we investigate the modulation of heat transport in MoS2 by lithium intercalation and cross-plane strain. We find that both the in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity (, ) of MoS2 are extremely sensitive to both strain and electrochemical intercalation. Combining lithium intercalation and strain, the in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity can be tuned over one and two orders of magnitude, respectively. Furthermore, since and respond in different ways to intercalation and strain, the thermal conductivity anisotropy can be modulated by two orders of magnitude. The underlying mechanisms for such large tunability of the anisotropic thermal conductivity of MoS2 are explored by computing and analyzing the dispersion relations, group velocities, relaxation times and mean free paths of phonons. Since both intercalation and strain can be applied reversibly, their stark effect on thermal conductivity can be exploited to design novel phononic devices, as well as for thermal management in MoS2-based electronic and optoelectronic systems.
GRMHD Prediction of Coronal Variability in Accreting Black Holes

On the basis of data from an energy-conserving three-dimensional general relativistic MHD simulation, we predict the statistical character of variability in the coronal luminosity from accreting black holes. When the inner boundary of the corona is defined to be the electron scattering photosphere, its location depends only on the mass accretion rate in Eddington units . Nearly independent of viewing angle and , the power spectrum over the range of frequencies from approximately the orbital frequency at the ISCO to ~100 times lower is well approximated by a power law with index –2, crudely consistent with the observed power spectra of hard X-ray fluctuations in active galactic nuclei and the hard states of Galactic black hole binaries. The underlying physical driver for variability in the light curve is variations in the accretion rate caused by the chaotic character of MHD turbulence, but the power spectrum of the coronal light output is significantly steeper. Part of this contrast is due to the fact that the mass accretion rate can be significantly modulated by radial epicyclic motions that do not result in dissipation, and therefore do not drive luminosity fluctuations. The other part of this contrast is due to the inward decrease of the characteristic inflow time, which leads to decreasing radial coherence length with increasing fluctuation frequency.
Precise and diffraction-limited waveguide-to-free-space focusing gratings.

We present the design and characterization of waveguide grating devices that couple visible-wavelength light at λ = 674 nm from single-mode, high index-contrast dielectric waveguides to free-space beams forming micron-scale diffraction-limited spots a designed distance and angle from the grating. With a view to application in spatially-selective optical addressing, and in contrast to previous work on similar devices, deviations from the main Gaussian lobe up to 25 microns from the focus and down to the 5 × 10−6 level in relative intensity are characterized as well; we show that along one dimension the intensity of these weak sidelobes approaches the limit imposed by diffraction from the finite field extent in the grating region. Additionally, we characterize the polarization purity in the focal region, observing at the center of the focus a low impurity <3 × 10−4 in relative intensity. Our approach allows quick, intuitive design of devices with such performance, which may be applied in trapped-ion quantum information processing and generally in any systems requiring optical routing to or from objects 10 s–100 s of microns from a chip surface, but benefitting from the parallelism and density of planar-fabricated dielectric integrated optics.
Know the Planet, Know the Star: Precise Stellar Densities from Kepler Transit Light Curves

The properties of a transiting planet's host star are written in its transit light curve. The light curve can reveal the stellar density and the limb darkening profile in addition to the characteristics of the planet and its orbit. For planets with strong prior constraints on orbital eccentricity, we may measure these stellar properties directly from the light curve; this method promises to aid greatly in the characterization of transiting planet host stars targeted by the upcoming NASA TESS mission and any long-period, singly-transiting planets discovered in the same systems. Using Bayesian inference, we fit a transit model, including a nonlinear limb darkening law, to 66 Kepler transiting planet hosts to measure their stellar properties. We present posterior distributions of stellar density, limb-darkening coefficients, and other system parameters for these stars. We measure densities to within 5% for the majority of our target stars, with the dominant precision-limiting factor being the signal-to-noise ratio of the transits. 95 % of our measured stellar densities are in 3-sigma or better agreement with previously published literature values. We make posterior distributions for all of our target KOIs available for online download.
Wandering Massive Black Holes or Analogs of the First Repeating Fast Radio Burst

The discovery of a persistent radio source coincident with the first repeating fast radio burst, FRB 121102, and offset from the center of its dwarf host galaxy has been used as evidence for a link with young millisecond magnetars born in superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) or long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs). A prediction of this scenario is that compact radio sources offset from the centers of dwarf galaxies may serve as signposts for at least some FRBs. Recently, Reines et al. 2019 presented the discovery of 20 such radio sources in nearby ($z\lesssim 0.055$) dwarf galaxies, and argued that these cannot be explained by emission from HII regions, normal supernova remnants, or normal radio supernovae. Instead, they attribute the emission to accreting wandering massive black holes. Here, we explore the alternative possibility that these sources are analogs of FRB 121102. We compare their properties -- radio luminosities, spectral energy distributions, light curves, ratios of radio-to-optical flux, and spatial offsets -- to FRB 121102, a few other well-localized FRBs, and potentially related systems, and find that these are all consistent as arising from the same population. We further compare their properties to the magnetar nebula model used to explain FRB 121102, as well as to theoretical off-axis LGRB light curves, and find overall consistency. Finally, we find a consistent occurrence rate relative to repeating FRBs and LGRBs. We outline key follow-up observations to further test these possible connections.
On the hubble space telescope trigonometric parallax of the dwarf nova SS CYGNI

SS Cygni is one of the brightest dwarf novae (DNe), and one of the best studied prototypes of the cataclysmic variables. Astrometric observations with the Fine Guidance Sensors (FGSs) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), published in 2004, gave an absolute trigonometric parallax of 6.06 {+-} 0.44 mas. However, recent very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), obtained during radio outbursts of SS Cyg, has yielded a significantly larger absolute parallax of 8.80 {+-} 0.12 mas, as well as a large difference in the direction of the proper motion (PM) compared to the HST result. The VLBI distance reduces the implied luminosity of SS Cyg by about a factor of two, giving good agreement with predictions based on accretion-disk theory in order to explain the observed DN outburst behavior. This discrepancy raises the possibility of significant systematic errors in FGS parallaxes and PMs. We have reanalyzed the archival HST/FGS data, including (1) a critical redetermination of the parallaxes of the background astrometric reference stars, (2) updated input values of the reference-star PMs, and (3) correction of the position measurements for color-dependent shifts. Our new analysis yields a PM of SS Cyg that agrees well with the VLBI motion, and an absolute parallaxmore » of 8.30 {+-} 0.41 mas, also statistically concordant with the VLBI result at the {approx}1.2 {sigma} level. Our results suggest that HST/FGS parallaxes are free of large systematic errors, when the data are reduced using high-quality input values for the astrometry of the reference stars, and when instrumental signatures are properly removed.« less
The Jeffreys–Lindley paradox and discovery criteria in high energy physics

The Jeffreys–Lindley paradox displays how the use of a $$p$$ value (or number of standard deviations $$z$$ ) in a frequentist hypothesis test can lead to an inference that is radically different from that of a Bayesian hypothesis test in the form advocated by Harold Jeffreys in the 1930s and common today. The setting is the test of a well-specified null hypothesis (such as the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, possibly with “nuisance parameters”) versus a composite alternative (such as the Standard Model plus a new force of nature of unknown strength). The $$p$$ value, as well as the ratio of the likelihood under the null hypothesis to the maximized likelihood under the alternative, can strongly disfavor the null hypothesis, while the Bayesian posterior probability for the null hypothesis can be arbitrarily large. The academic statistics literature contains many impassioned comments on this paradox, yet there is no consensus either on its relevance to scientific communication or on its correct resolution. The paradox is quite relevant to frontier research in high energy physics. This paper is an attempt to explain the situation to both physicists and statisticians, in the hope that further progress can be made.
Bounds on the radius of the p-adic Mandelbrot set

Let f be a degree d polynomial defined over the nonarchimedean field C_p, normalized so f is monic and f(0)=0. We say f is post-critically bounded, or PCB, if all of its critical points have bounded orbit under iteration of f. It is known that if p is greater than or equal to d and f is PCB, then all critical points of f have p-adic absolute value less than or equal to 1. We give a similar result for primes between d/2 and d. We also explore a one-parameter family of cubic polynomials over the 2-adic numbers to illustrate that the p-adic Mandelbrot set can be quite complicated when p is less than d, in contrast with the simple and well-understood p > d case.
Compensation of physiological motion enables high-yield whole-cell recording in vivo.

Abstract Background Whole-cell patch-clamp recording in vivo is the gold-standard method for measuring subthreshold electrophysiology from single cells during behavioural tasks, sensory stimulations, and optogenetic manipulation. However, these recordings require a tight, gigaohm resistance, seal between a glass pipette electrode's aperture and a cell's membrane. These seals are difficult to form, especially in vivo, in part because of a strong dependence on the distance between the pipette aperture and cell membrane. New Method We elucidate and utilize this dependency to develop an autonomous method for placement and synchronization of pipette's tip aperture to the membrane of a nearby, moving neuron, which enables high-yield seal formation and subsequent recordings deep in the brain of the living mouse. Results This synchronization procedure nearly doubles the reported gigaseal yield in the thalamus (>3 mm below the pial surface) from 26 % (n = 17/64) to 48 % (n = 32/66). Whole-cell recording yield improved from 10 % (n = 9/88) to 24 % (n = 18/76) when motion compensation was used during the gigaseal formation. As an example of its application, we utilized this system to investigate the role of the sensory environment and ventral posterior medial region (VPM) projection synchrony on intracellular dynamics in the barrel cortex. Comparison with Existing Method(s) Current methods of in vivo whole-cell patch clamping do not synchronize the position of the pipette to motion of the cell. Conclusions This method results in substantially greater subcortical whole-cell recording yield than previously reported and thus makes pan-brain whole-cell electrophysiology practical in the living mouse brain.
RoadNet-RT: High Throughput CNN Architecture and SoC Design for Real-Time Road Segmentation

In recent years, convolutional neural network (CNN) has gained popularity in many engineering applications especially for computer vision. In order to achieve better performance, more complex structures and advanced operations are incorporated into neural networks, which results in very long inference time. For time-critical tasks such as autonomous driving and virtual reality, real-time processing is fundamental. In order to reach real-time processing speed, a lightweight, high-throughput CNN architecture namely RoadNet-RT is proposed for road segmentation in this article. It achieves 92.55% MaxF score on KITTI road segmentation dataset. The inference time is about 9 ms per frame when running on GTX 1080 GPU. Comparing to the state-of-the-art network, RoadNet-RT speeds up the inference time by a factor of 17.8 at the cost of only 3.75% loss in accuracy. What is more, on CamVid dataset its accuracy is 92.98%. Several techniques such as depthwise separable convolution and non-uniformed kernel size convolution are optimized in the hardware accelerator design. The proposed CNN architecture has been successfully implemented on a ZCU102 MPSoC FPGA that achieves the computation capability of 331 GOPS using INT8 quantization. The system throughput reaches 196.7 frames per second with input image size of $280\times 960$ . The source code is published at https://github.com/linbaiwpi/RoadNet-RT .
Dynamic modeling and sensitivity analysis of solar thermal energy conversion systems

Since the energy input to solar thermal conversion systems is both time variant and probabilistic, it is unlikely that simple steady-state methods for estimating lifetime performance will provide satisfactory results. The work described here uses dynamic modeling to begin identifying what must be known about input radiation and system dynamic characteristics to estimate performance reliably. Daily operation of two conceptual solar energy systems was simulated under varying operating strategies with time-dependent radiation intensity ranging from smooth input of several magnitudes to input of constant total energy whose intensity oscillated with periods from 1/4 hour to 6 hours. Integrated daily system output and efficiency were functions of both level and dynamic characteristics of insolation. Sensitivity of output to changes in total input was greater than one.
Estimation of Parental Effects Using Polygenic Scores

Offspring resemble their parents for both genetic and environmental reasons. Understanding the relative magnitude of these alternatives has long been a core interest in behavioral genetics research, but traditional designs, which compare phenotypic covariances to make inferences about unmeasured genetic and environmental factors, have struggled to disentangle them. Recently, Kong et al. (2018) showed that by correlating offspring phenotypic values with the measured polygenic score of parents’ nontransmitted alleles, one can estimate the effect of “genetic nurture”—a type of passive gene–environment covariation that arises when heritable parental traits directly influence offspring traits. Here, we instantiate this basic idea in a set of causal models that provide novel insights into the estimation of parental influences on offspring. Most importantly, we show how jointly modeling the parental polygenic scores and the offspring phenotypes can provide an unbiased estimate of the variation attributable to the environmental influence of parents on offspring, even when the polygenic score accounts for a small fraction of trait heritability. This model can be further extended to (a) account for the influence of different types of assortative mating, (b) estimate the total variation due to additive genetic effects and their covariance with the familial environment (i.e., the full genetic nurture effect), and (c) model situations where a parental trait influences a different offspring trait. By utilizing structural equation modeling techniques developed for extended twin family designs, our approach provides a general framework for modeling polygenic scores in family studies and allows for various model extensions that can be used to answer old questions about familial influences in new ways.