pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
FaaSter, better, cheaper : the prospect of serverless scientific computing and HPC

The adoption of cloud computing facilities and programming models differs vastly between different application domains. Scalable web applications, low-latency mobile backends and on-demand provisioned databases are typical cases for which cloud services on the platform or infrastructure level exist and are convincing when considering technical and economical arguments. Applications with specific processing demands, including high-performance computing, high-throughput computing and certain flavours of scientific computing, have historically required special configurations such as compute- or memory-optimised virtual machine instances. With the rise of function-level compute instances through Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) models, the fitness of generic configurations needs to be re-evaluated for these applications. We analyse several demanding computing tasks with regards to how FaaS models compare against conventional monolithic algorithm execution. Beside the comparison, we contribute a refined FaaSification process for legacy software and provide a roadmap for future work
Study of Mechanical Properties of AZ91 Magnesium Alloy Welded by Laser Process Taking into Account the Anisotropy Microhardness and Residual Stresses by X-Ray Diffraction

The objective was to study the mechanical properties of a magnesium alloy welded by a CO2 laser. Residual stresses were measured by X-ray diffraction. They were calculated by the classic sin2Y method in the isotropic zones by using the orientation distribution function (ODF) in the textured zones. The results demonstrated that laser welding results in the formation of a number of different zones with different microstructural and mechanical properties. Welding principally leads to a reduction in grain size and a new distribution of phases. The most remarkable observation was that of a superficial layer on the surface of the welded zone. This layer has the peculiarity of a marked crystallographic texture, a reduction in the level of aluminium as well as an elevated microhardness. These characteristics disappear after a depth of 200μm under the welded zone. These modifications can be explained by the nature of the solidification which occurs under nonequilibrium conditions resulting in an equiaxial columnar transition. This transition is also evident within the profile of residual tensile stresses which are at their maximum at the interface between the superficial layer and the rest of the welded zone. These results are explained by the anisotropic properties of the textured layer in relation to the plasticity
Kinematic analysis of a novel 2-d.o.f. orientation device

This paper presents the development of a new parallel robot designed for helping with bone milling surgeries. The robot is a small modular wrist with 2 active degrees of freedom, and it is proposed to be used as an orientation device located at the end of a robotic arm designed for bone milling processes. A generic  kinematic geometry is proposed for this device. This first article shows the developments on the workspace optimization and the analysis of the force field required to complete a reconstruction of the inferior jawbone. The singularities of the mechanism are analyzed, and the actuator selection is justified with the torque requirements and the study of the force space. The results obtained by the simulations allow building a first prototype using linear motors. Bone milling experiment video is shown as additional material
Bloch-Redfield equations for modeling light-harvesting complexes

We challenge the misconception that Bloch-Redfield equations are a less
powerful tool than phenomenological Lindblad equations for modeling exciton
transport in photosynthetic complexes. This view predominantly originates from
an indiscriminate use of the secular approximation. We provide a detailed
description of how to model both coherent oscillations and several types of
noise, giving explicit examples. All issues with non-positivity are overcome by
a consistent straightforward physical noise model. Herein also lies the
strength of the Bloch-Redfield approach because it facilitates the analysis of
noise-effects by linking them back to physical parameters of the noise
environment. This includes temporal and spatial correlations and the strength
and type of interaction between the noise and the system of interest. Finally
we analyze a prototypical dimer system as well as a 7-site Fenna-Matthews-Olson
(FMO) complex in regards to spatial correlation length of the noise, noise
strength, temperature and their connection to the transfer time and transfer
Maximum of the resolvent over matrices with given spectrum

In numerical analysis it is often necessary to estimate the condition number
$CN(T)=||T||_{} \cdot||T^{-1}||_{}$ and the norm of the resolvent
$||(\zeta-T)^{-1}||_{}$ of a given $n\times n$ matrix $T$. We derive new
spectral estimates for these quantities and compute explicit matrices that
achieve our bounds. We recover the well-known fact that the supremum of $CN(T)$
over all matrices with $||T||_{} \leq1$ and minimal absolute eigenvalue
$r=\min_{i=1,...,n}|\lambda_{i}|>0$ is the Kronecker bound $\frac{1}{r^{n}}$.
This result is subsequently generalized by computing the corresponding supremum
of $||(\zeta-T)^{-1}||_{}$ for any $|\zeta| \leq1$. We find that the supremum
is attained by a triangular Toeplitz matrix. This provides a simple class of
structured matrices on which condition numbers and resolvent norm bounds can be
studied numerically. The occuring Toeplitz matrices are so-called model
matrices, i.e. matrix representations of the compressed backward shift operator
on the Hardy space $H_2$ to a finite-dimensional invariant subspace
An accurate model for simulating energetic behavior of PV grid connected inverters

This paper proposes a new model for characterizing the energetic behavior of grid connected PV inverters. The model has been obtained from a detailed study of main loss processes in small size PV inverters in the market. The main advantage of the used method is to obtain a model that comprises two antagonistic features, since both are simple, easy to compute and apply, and accurate. One of the main features of this model is how it handles the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and the efficiency: in both parts the model uses the same approach and it is achieved by two resistive elements which simulate the losses inherent to each parameter. This makes this model easy to implement, compact and refined. The model presented here also includes other parameters, such as start threshold, standby consumption and islanding behavior. In order to validate the model, the values of all the parameters listed above have been obtained and adjusted using field measurements for several commercial inverters, and the behavior of the model applied to a particular inverter has been compared with real data under different working conditions, taken from a facility located in Madrid. The results show a good fit between the model values and the real data.  As an example, the model has been implemented in PSPICE electronic simulator, and this approach has been used to teach grid-connected PV systems. The use of this model for the maintenance of working PV facilities is also shown
The Causal Structure of Evolutionary Theory

One contentious debate in the philosophy of biology is that between the statisticalists and causalists. The former understand core evolutionary concepts like fitness and selection to be mere statistical summaries of underlying causal processes. In this view, evolutionary changes cannot be causally explained by selection or fitness. The causalist side, on the other hand, holds that populations can change in response to selection—one can cite fitness differences or driftability in causal explanations of evolutionary change. But, on the causalist side, it is often not clear how, precisely, one should understand these causes. Thus, much more could be said about what sort of causes fitness and driftability are. In this paper, I borrow Dretske's distinction between structuring and triggering causes and I suggest that fitness and driftability are structuring causes of evolution
Stringy effects in scrambling

In [1] we gave a precise holographic calculation of chaos at the scrambling time scale. We studied the influence of a small perturbation, long in the past, on a two-sided correlation function in the thermofield double state. A similar analysis applies to squared commutators and other out-of-time-order one-sided correlators [2-6]. The essential bulk physics is a high energy scattering problem near the horizon of an AdS black hole. The above papers used Einstein gravity to study this problem; in the present paper we consider stringy and Planckian corrections. Elastic stringy corrections play an important role, effectively weakening and smearing out the development of chaos. We discuss their signature in the boundary field theory, commenting on the extension to weak coupling. Inelastic effects, although important for the evolution of the state, leave a parametrically small imprint on the correlators that we study. We briefly discuss ways to diagnose these small corrections, and we propose another correlator where inelastic effects are order one
Excess Sensitivity of Consumption to Income Growth: a Model of Loss Aversion

The article provides an empirical test on micro-data of a model of individual behavior based on Loss Aversion: utility is S-shaped, i.e. concave above reference consumption and convex below it. As a consequence individuals do not reduce current consumption in response to an expected income decline as long as uncertainty is high enough. Such a behavior is consistent with excess sensitivity of consumption to income growth, an empirical regularity which is hard to explain within a standard Life Cycle model. Loss Aversion is tested on an Italian dataset (the Bank of Italy's; Survey on Households' Income and Wealth). The conclusion is that excess sensitivity could be explained by a model that do not assume individuals to be expected utility maximizers
Heterogeneity and the formation of risk-sharing coalitions

Fichier de 1ère version avant les corrections ultimesInternational audienceWe study the relationship between the distribution of individuals' attributes over the pop-ulation and the extent of risk sharing in a risky environment. We consider a society where individuals voluntarily form risk-sharing groups in the absence of financial markets. We obtain a partition of society into distinct coalitions leading to partial risk sharing. When individuals differ only with respect to risk, the partition is homophily-based: the less risky agents congreg-ate together and reject more risky ones into other coalitions. The distribution of risk affects the number and size of these coalitions. It turns out that individuals may pay a lower risk premium in more risky societies. We show that a higher heterogeneity in risk leads to a lower degree of partial risk sharing. The case of heterogenous risk aversion generates similar results. The empirical evidence on partial risk sharing can be understood when the endogenous partition of society into risk-sharing coalitions is taken into account
Human 2-Oxoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex E1 Component Forms a Thiamin-derived Radical by Aerobic Oxidation of the Enamine Intermediate.

Herein are reported unique properties of the human 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (OGDHc), a rate-limiting enzyme in the Krebs (citric acid) cycle. (a) Functionally competent 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (E1o-h) and dihydrolipoyl succinyltransferase components have been expressed according to kinetic and spectroscopic evidence. (b) A stable free radical, consistent with the C2-(C2alpha-hydroxy)-gamma-carboxypropylidene thiamin diphosphate (ThDP) cation radical was detected by electron spin resonance upon reaction of the E1o-h with 2-oxoglutarate (OG) by itself or when assembled from individual components into OGDHc. (c) An unusual stability of the E1o-h-bound C2-(2alpha-hydroxy)-gamma-carboxypropylidene thiamin diphosphate (the "ThDP-enamine"/C2alpha-carbanion, the first postdecarboxylation intermediate) was observed, probably stabilized by the 5-carboxyl group of OG, not reported before. (d) The reaction of OG with the E1o-h gave rise to superoxide anion and hydrogen  peroxide (reactive oxygen species (ROS)). (e) The relatively stable enzyme-bound  enamine is the likely substrate for oxidation by O2, leading to the superoxide anion radical (in d) and the radical (in b). (f) The specific activity assessed for ROS formation compared with the NADH (overall complex) activity, as well as the fraction of radical intermediate occupying active centers of E1o-h are consistent with each other and indicate that radical/ROS formation is an "off-pathway" side reaction comprising less than 1% of the "on-pathway" reactivity. However, the nearly ubiquitous presence of OGDHc in human tissues, including the brain, makes these findings of considerable importance in human metabolism and perhaps disease
Variation in clutch size in relation to nest size in birds

Nests are structures built to support and protect eggs and/or offspring from predators, parasites, and adverse weather conditions. Nests are mainly constructed prior to egg laying, meaning that parent birds must make decisions about nest site choice and nest building behavior before the start of egg-laying. Parent birds should be selected to choose nest sites and to build optimally sized nests, yet our current understanding of clutch size-nest size relationships is limited to small-scale studies performed over short time periods. Here, we quantified the relationship between clutch size and nest size, using an exhaustive database of 116 slope estimates based on 17,472 nests of 21 species of hole and non-hole-nesting birds. There was a significant, positive relationship between clutch size and the base area of the nest box or the nest, and this relationship did not differ significantly between open nesting and hole-nesting species. The slope of the relationship showed significant intraspecific and interspecific heterogeneity among four species of secondary hole-nesting species, but also among all 116 slope estimates. The estimated relationship between clutch size and nest box base area in study sites with more than a single size of nest box was not significantly different from the relationship using studies with only a single size of nest box. The slope of the relationship between clutch size and nest base area in different species of birds was significantly negatively related to minimum base area, and less so to maximum base area in a given study. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that bird species have a general reaction norm reflecting the relationship between nest size and clutch size. Further, they suggest that scientists may influence the clutch size decisions of hole-nesting birds through the provisioning of nest boxes of varying sizes
A Concept of Dynamically Reconﬁgurable Real-Time Vision System for Autonomous Mobile Robotics.

International audienceAbstract: In this article, we describe speciﬁc constraints of vision systems that are dedicated to be embedded in mobile robots. If PC based hardware architecture is convenient in this ﬁeld because of its versatility, its ﬂexibility, its performance and its cost, current real-time operating systems are not completely adapted to long processings with varying duration, and it is often necessary to oversize the system to guarantee fail-safe functioning. Also, interactions with other robotic tasks having more priority are diﬃcult to handle. To answer this problem, we have developed a dynamically reconﬁgurable vision processing system, based on the innovative features of Cl´eopatre real-time applicative layer concerning scheduling and fault tolerance. This framework allows to deﬁne emergency and optional tasks to ensure a minimal quality of service for the other subsystems of the robot, while allowing to adapt dynamically vision processing chain to an exceptional overlasting vision process or processor overload. Thus it allows a better cohabitation of several subsystems in a single hardware, and to develop less expensive but safe systems, as they will be designed for the regular case and not rare exceptional ones. At last, it brings a new way to think and develop vision systems, with pairs of complementary operators
The Infrared Solar Spectrum Measured by the SOLSPEC Spectrometer Onboard the International Space Station

International audienceA solar spectrum extending from the extreme ultraviolet to the near-infrared is an important input for solar physics, climate research, and atmospheric physics. Ultraviolet measurements have been conducted since the beginning of the space age, but measurements throughout the contiguous visible and infrared (IR) regions are much more sparse. Ageing is a key problem throughout the entire spectral domain, but most of the effort extended to understand degradation was concentrated on the ultraviolet spectral region, and these mechanisms may not be appropriate in the IR. This problem is further complicated by the scarcity of long-term data sets. Onboard the International Space Station, the SOLSPEC spectrometer measured an IR solar spectral irradiance lower than the one given by ATLAS 3, e.g. by about 7 % at 1 700 nm. We here evaluate the consequences of the lower solar spectral irradiance measurements and present a re-analysis of the on-orbit calibration lamp and solar data trend, which lead to a revised spectrum
The CFHTLS Real Time Analysis System "Optically Selected GRB Afterglows"

11 pages, 10 Figures, 5 TablesInternational audienceWe describe a wide and deep search for optical GRB afterglows on images taken with MegaCAM at the Canada France Hawaii Telescope, within the framework of the CFHT Legacy Survey. This search is performed in near real-time thanks to a Real Time Analysis System called "Optically Selected GRB Afterglows", which has been completely realized and installed on a dedicated computer in Hawaii. This pipeline automatically and quickly analyzes Megacam images and extracts from them a list of astrometrically and photometrically variable objects which are displayed on a web page for validation by a member of the collaboration. In this paper, we comprehensively describe the RTAS process. We also present statistical results based on nearly one full year of operation, showing the quality of the images and the performance of the RTAS. Finally, we compare the efficiency of this study with similar searches, propose an ideal observational strategy using simulations, and discuss general considerations on the searches for GRB afterglows independently of the prompt emission. This is the first of a series of two papers. A second paper will discuss the characterization of variable objects we have found, as well as the GRB afterglow candidates and their nature. We will also estimate or at least constrain the collimation factor of GRB using the totality of the Very Wide Survey observations
Diode-pumped Yb:CaF 2 multipass amplifier producing 50 mJ with dynamic analysis for high repetition rate operation

International audienceThe dynamic thermal issues of the Yb:CaF 2 crystals within a multi-tens-mJ-energy multipass amplifier operating in the 20–100 Hz repetition rate range and pumped in quasi-cw regime have been studied at different timescales. Thermal response times of the system have been precisely investigated and analyzed, for the first time to our best knowledge in such amplifiers. This study includes a dual timescale analysis: in the long-timescale (second) with direct thermography mapping and in the millisecond range with thermal lensing in a pump-probe configuration. Very atypical positive lens behavior with fluorites will also be presented and discussed. This complete analysis is used to demonstrate the capability of Yb:CaF 2 multipass amplifier systems for operating the amplifier at 20 Hz with 57 mJ and 100 Hz with 32-mJ stable regime. Indeed, high repetition rate multipass amplifier has been realized for the first time with Yb:CaF 2 and for this energy. The results have been analyzed precisely to take into account the thermal issues and excellent beam quality, with a M 2 of 1.1. The pointing stability of 20 lrad has been measured documenting the reliability of the high repetition rate mJ amplifier
Coping with production time variability via dynamic lead-time quotation

In this paper, we propose two dynamic lead-time quotation policies in an M/GI/1 type make-to-stock queueing system serving lead-time sensitive customers with a single type of product. Incorporating non-exponential service times in an exact method for make-to-stock queues is usually deemed difficult. Our analysis of the proposed policies is exact and requires the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform of the sojourn time of an order to be placed. The first policy assures that the long-run probability of delivering the product within the quoted lead-time is the same for all backlogged customers. The second policy is a refinement of the first which improves the profitability if customers are oversensitive to even short delays in delivery. Numerical results show that both policies perform close to the optimal policy that was characterized only for exponential service times. The new insight gained is that the worsening impact of the production time variability, which is felt significantly in systems accepting all customers by quoting zero lead times, decreases when dynamic lead-time quotation policies are employed
Spreading Academic Pay over Nine or Twelve Months: Economists Are Supposed to Know Better, but Do They Act Better?

Our paper empirically considers two general hypotheses related to the literature of behavioral economics.  First, we test the null hypothesis that individuals behave, on average, in a manner more consistent with the rational expectations hypothesis than with the idea of self-control in the face of hyperbolic discounting in their saving decisions.  Second, along a variety of dimensions, we examine whether individuals exhibit Herbert Simon’s notion that the goal formation of individuals will differ depending upon their relative levels of experience and knowledge.  Perhaps there are significant differences among groups in their saving decisions that depend upon their apparent levels of intelligence, education, and knowledge.  Finally, using a variety of individual-specific control variables, we test for robustness of the results.
One and two-fiber orientation kinetic theories of fiber suspensions

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnnfm.2012.10.009The morphology influencing rheological properties of suspensions of rigid spheres constitutes the flow induced collective ordering of the spheres characterized by two or more sphere distribution functions. When the rigid spheres are replaced by rigid fibers, the collective order in the position of the spheres is replaced by the flow induced orientation of the fibers that suffices to be characterized by one-fiber orientation distribution function. A flow induced collective ordering of fibers (both in position and orientation), that can only be characterized by two or more fiber distribution functions, can still however constitute an important part of the morphology. We show that two types of interaction among fibers, one being the Onsager-type topological interaction entering the free energy and the other the hydrodynamics interaction entering the dissipative part of the time evolution, give indeed rise to a collective order in the orientation influencing the rheology of fiber suspensions