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During developmental processes such as embryogenesis, how a group of cells fold into specific structures, is a central question in biology that defines how living organisms form. Establishing tissue-level morphology critically relies on how every single cell decides to position itself relative to its neighboring cells. Despite its importance, it remains a major challenge to understand and predict the behavior of every cell within the living tissue over time during such intricate processes. To tackle this question, we propose a geometric deep learning model that can predict multicellular folding and embryogenesis, accurately capturing the highly convoluted spatial interactions among cells. We demonstrate that multicellular data can be represented with both granular and foam-like physical pictures through a unified graph data structure, considering both cellular interactions and cell junction networks. We successfully use our model to achieve two important tasks, interpretable 4-D morphological sequence alignment, and predicting local cell rearrangements before they occur at single-cell resolution. Furthermore, using an activation map and ablation studies, we demonstrate that cell geometries and cell junction networks together regulate local cell rearrangement which is critical for embryo morphogenesis. This approach provides a novel paradigm to study morphogenesis, highlighting a unified data structure and harnessing the power of geometric deep learning to accurately model the mechanisms and behaviors of cells during development. It offers a pathway toward creating a unified dynamic morphological atlas for a variety of developmental processes such as embryogenesis.

This study investigates the excesses observed in the diphoton and $b\bar b$ data around $95\;{\rm GeV}$ within the framework of the $B-L$ supersymmetric model (B-LSSM). Comparing with the minimal supersymmetric standard model, the B-LSSM incorporates two singlet chiral Higgs bosons which mix with the SM-like Higgs boson due to the gauge kinetic mixing effect. The richer Higgs sector indicates that designating the B-LSSM specific CP-even Higgs state as the lightest Higgs boson has great potential to explain the excesses at around $95\;{\rm GeV}$. Considering the two-loop effective potential corrections to the squared Higgs mass matrix, it is found that the signal strengthes $\mu(h_{95})_{\gamma\gamma}$, $\mu(h_{95})_{b b}$ can be described simultaneously in the experimental $1\sigma$ interval. And the B-LSSM specific parameters $\tan\beta'$, $B_\eta$, $g_{YB}$, $M_{Z'}$ affect the theoretical predictions on the light Higgs boson masses and signal strengthes $\mu(h_{95})_{\gamma\gamma}$, $\mu(h_{95})_{bb}$ significantly., Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2405.07243

Multicellular self-assembly into functional structures is a dynamic process that is critical in the development and diseases, including embryo development, organ formation, tumor invasion, and others. Being able to infer collective cell migratory dynamics from their static configuration is valuable for both understanding and predicting these complex processes. However, the identification of structural features that can indicate multicellular motion has been difficult, and existing metrics largely rely on physical instincts. Here we show that using a graph neural network (GNN), the motion of multicellular collectives can be inferred from a static snapshot of cell positions, in both experimental and synthetic datasets., Comment: Accepted for publication at PRX Life

Utilizing Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) assisted wireless communication has been extensively researched. However, existing DRL methods either act as a simple optimizer or only solve problems with concurrent Channel State Information (CSI) represented in the training data set. Consequently, solutions for RIS-assisted wireless communication systems under time-varying environments are relatively unexplored. However, communication problems should be considered with realistic assumptions; for instance, in scenarios where the channel is time-varying, the policy obtained by reinforcement learning should be applicable for situations where CSI is not well represented in the training data set. In this paper, we apply Meta-Reinforcement Learning (MRL) to the joint optimization problem of active beamforming at the Base Station (BS) and phase shift at the RIS, motivated by MRL's ability to extend the DRL concept of solving one Markov Decision Problem (MDP) to multiple MDPs. We provide simulation results to compare the average sum rate of the proposed approach with those of selected forerunners in the literature. Our approach improves the sum rate by more than 60% under time-varying CSI assumption while maintaining the advantages of typical DRL-based solutions. Our study's results emphasize the possibility of utilizing MRL-based designs in RIS-assisted wireless communication systems while considering realistic environment assumptions., Comment: To be published in proceedings of the 2023 IEEE Conference on Global Communications (GLOBECOM)

Under many physiological and pathological conditions such as division and migration, cells undergo dramatic deformations, under which their mechanical integrity is supported by cytoskeletal networks (i.e. intermediate filaments, F-actin, and microtubules). Recent observations of cytoplasmic microstructure indicate interpenetration among different cytoskeletal networks, and micromechanical experiments have shown evidence of complex characteristics in the mechanical response of the interpenetrating cytoplasmic networks of living cells, including viscoelastic, nonlinear stiffening, microdamage, and healing characteristics. However, a theoretical framework describing such a response is missing, and thus it is not clear how different cytoskeletal networks with distinct mechanical properties come together to build the overall complex mechanical features of cytoplasm. In this work, we address this gap by developing a finite-deformation continuum-mechanical theory with a multi-branch visco-hyperelastic constitutive relation coupled with phase-field damage and healing. The proposed interpenetrating-network model elucidates the coupling among interpenetrating cytoskeletal components, and the roles of finite elasticity, viscoelastic relaxation, damage, and healing in the experimentally-observed mechanical response of interpenetrating-network eukaryotic cytoplasm.

As a unique probe, precision measurement of \textit{pp} solar neutrinos is important for studying the Sun's energy mechanism, monitoring thermodynamic equilibrium, and studying neutrino oscillation in the vacuum-dominated region. For a large-scale liquid scintillator detector, one bottleneck for \textit{pp} solar neutrino detection comes from pile-up events of intrinsic $^{14}$C decays. This paper presents a few approaches to discriminate \textit{pp} solar neutrinos and $^{14}$C pile-up events by considering the difference in their time and spatial distributions. In this work, a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation is constructed. Then multivariate analysis and deep learning technology were adopted respectively to investigate the capability of $^{14}$C pile-up reduction. As a result, the BDTG model and VGG network showed good performance in discriminating \textit{pp} solar neutrinos and $^{14}$C double pile-up events. Their signal significance can achieve 10.3 and 15.6 using only one day of statistics. In this case, the signal efficiency is 51.1\% for discrimination using the BDTG model when rejecting 99.18\% $^{14}$C double pile-up events, and the signal efficiency is 42.7\% for the case using the VGG network when rejecting 99.81\% $^{14}$C double pile-up events.

Evaluating safety performance in a resource-efficient way is crucial for the development of autonomous systems. Simulation of parameterized scenarios is a popular testing strategy but parameter sweeps can be prohibitively expensive. To address this, we propose HiddenGems: a sample-efficient method for discovering the boundary between compliant and non-compliant behavior via active learning. Given a parameterized scenario, one or more compliance metrics, and a simulation oracle, HiddenGems maps the compliant and non-compliant domains of the scenario. The methodology enables critical test case identification, comparative analysis of different versions of the system under test, as well as verification of design objectives. We evaluate HiddenGems on a scenario with a jaywalker crossing in front of an autonomous vehicle and obtain compliance boundary estimates for collision, lane keep, and acceleration metrics individually and in combination, with 6 times fewer simulations than a parameter sweep. We also show how HiddenGems can be used to detect and rectify a failure mode for an unprotected turn with 86% fewer simulations., Comment: Published at IROS 2022

Anomaly detection of sequences is a hot topic in data mining. Anomaly Detection using Piecewise Aggregate approximation in the Amplitude Domain (called ADPAAD) is one of the widely used methods in anomaly detection of sequences. The core step in the classical algorithm for performing ADPAAD is to construct an approximate representation of the subsequence, where the elements of each subsequence are divided into several subsections according to the amplitude domain and then the average of the subsections is computed. It is computationally expensive when processing large-scale sequences. In this paper, we propose a quantum algorithm for ADPAAD, which can divide the subsequence elements and compute the average in parallel. Our quantum algorithm can achieve polynomial speedups on the number of subsequences and the length of subsequences over its classical counterpart.

Nonlinear stiffening is a ubiquitous property of major types of biopolymers that make up the extracellular matrices (ECM) including collagen, fibrin and basement membrane. Within the ECM, many types of cells such as fibroblasts and cancer cells are known to mechanically stretch their surroundings that locally stiffens the matrix. Although the bulk nonlinear elastic behaviors of these biopolymer networks are well studied, their local mechanical responses remain poorly characterized. Here, to understand how a living cell feels the nonlinear mechanical resistance from the ECM, we mimic the cell-applied local force using optical tweezers; we report that the local stiffening responses in highly nonlinear ECM are significantly weaker than responses found in bulk rheology, across two orders of magnitude of the locally applied force since the onset of stiffening. With a minimal model, we show that a local point force application can induce a stiffened region in the matrix, which expands with increasing magnitude of the point force. Furthermore, we show that this stiffened region behaves as an effective probe upon local loading. The local nonlinear elastic response can be attributed to the nonlinear growth of this effective probe that linearly deforms an increasing portion of the matrix.

In a diversity of physiological contexts, eukaryotic cells adhere to an extracellular matrix (ECM), a disordered network with complex nonlinear mechanics. Such cells can perform mechanosensation: using local force probing they can measure and respond to their substrate's mechanical properties. It remains unclear, however, how the mechanical complexity of the ECM at the cellular scale impacts mechanosensation. Here, we investigate the physical limits of mechanosensation imposed by the inherent structural disorder and nonlinear elastic response of the ECM. Using a theoretical framework for disordered fiber networks, we find that the extreme mechanical heterogeneity that cells can locally sense with small probing forces is strongly reduced with increasing force. Specifically, we predict that the accuracy of mechanosensation dramatically improves with force, following a universal power law insensitive to constitutive details, which we quantitatively confirm using microrheology experiments in collagen and fibrin gels. We provide conceptual insights into this behavior by introducing a general model for nonlinear mechanosensation, based on the idea of an emergent nonlinear length-scale associated with fiber buckling. This force-dependent length-scale enhances the range over which local mechanical measurements are performed, thereby averaging the response of a disordered network over an enlarged region. We show with an example how a cell can use this nonlinear mechanosensation to infer the macroscopic mechanical properties of a disordered ECM using local measurements. Together, our results demonstrate that cells can take advantage of the inherent nonlinearity of fibrous networks to robustly sense, control, and respond to their mechanical environment.

Sea lice are a threat to the health of both wild and farmed salmon and an economic burden for salmon farms. With a free living larval stage, sea lice can disperse tens of kilometers in the ocean between salmon farms, leading to connected sea lice populations that are difficult to control in isolation. In this paper we develop a simple analytical model for the dispersal of sea lice between two salmon farms. From the model we calculate the arrival time distribution of sea lice dispersing between farms, as well as the level of cross-infection of sea lice. We also use numerical flows from a hydrodynamic model, coupled with a particle tracking model, to directly calculate the arrival time of sea lice dispersing between two farms in the Broughton Archipelago, BC, in order to fit our analytical model and find realistic parameter estimates. Using the parametrized analytical model we show that there is often an intermediate inter-farm spacing that maximizes the level of cross infection between farms, and that increased temperatures will lead to increased levels of cross infection., Comment: 32 pages, 5 figures

Many researches from both the theoretical and experimental sides have been performed to search for a new Higgs Boson lighter than the 125 $GeV$ Higgs boson which was discovered at the LHC in 2012. In this paper we explore the possibility of constraining a lighter neutral custodial fiveplet scalar $H_{5}^{0}$ in the Georgi-Machacek (GM) model by the latest results of the search for a lighter Higgs boson decaying into two photons from LHC data. The custodial-singlet mass eigenstate $h$ or $H$ is considered to be the LHC observed 125 $GeV$ Higgs boson. A new set of constrained parameters that is favoured by low-mass $H_{5}^{0}$, is proposed to generate events efficiently. The production of $H_{5}^{0}$ from the scan based on the constrained parameters is compared to the latest results of the search for a lighter Higgs boson decaying into two photons by CMS Collaboration, after the theoretical constraints from GM model and the constraints from all existing relevant experimental measurements including the recent results of the Higgs boson searches from the LHC. The numerical analyses of the surviving GM parameter space are performed. The tendencies and correlations of the GM input parameters from the phenomenological studies are summarized. In addition the discovery potential of other interesting decay channels of this low-mass neutral custodial fiveplet scalar are discussed., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics C

Rapid and direct monitoring of dissolved gases in liquids under strong electromagnetic interference is very important. Electronic gas sensors that can be placed into liquids are difficult to work reliably under strong electromagnetic fields. The existing optical monitoring techniques for dissolved gases all require gas-liquid separation, and are conducted in gas phase, which have poor timeliness. In this paper, a dissolved gas monitoring probe without liquid-gas separation under strong electromagnetic interference is proposed. We take transformer oil-dissolved acetylene monitoring as an example, an oil-core photonic crystal fiber photothermal interferometry probe is proposed and demonstrates the feasibility of trace oil-dissolved acetylene directly monitoring without oil-gas separation. The minimum detection limit reaches 1.4 ppm, and the response time is about 70 minutes. Due to the good insulation performance and the compact size, the all-fiber probe provides applicability to be placed into transformer oil and perform on-line monitoring under strong electromagnetic interference., Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures

Tumor cells invade individually or in groups, mediated by mechanical interactions between cells and their surrounding matrix. These multicellular dynamics are reminiscent of leader-follower coordination and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) in tissue development, which may occur via dysregulation of associated molecular or physical mechanisms. However, it remains challenging to elucidate such phenotypic heterogeneity and plasticity without precision measurements of single cell behavior. The convergence of technological developments in live cell imaging, biophysical measurements, and 3D biomaterials are highly promising to reveal how tumor cells cooperate in aberrant microenvironments. Here, we highlight new results in collective migration from the perspective of cancer biology and bioengineering. First, we review the biology of collective cell migration. Next, we consider physics-inspired analyses based on order parameters and phase transitions. Further, we examine the interplay of metabolism and heterogeneity in collective migration. We then review the extracellular matrix, and new modalities for mechanical characterization of 3D biomaterials. We also explore epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and implications for tumor progression. Finally, we speculate on future directions for integrating mechanobiology and cancer cell biology to elucidate collective migration.

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a multi-purpose neutrino experiment. One of the main goals is to determine the neutrino mass ordering by precisely measuring the energy spectrum of reactor antineutrinos. For reactor antineutrino detection, cosmogenic backgrounds such as $^9$Li/$^8$He and fast neutrons induced by cosmic muons should be rejected carefully by applying muon veto cuts, which requires good muon track reconstruction. With a 20~kton liquid scintillator detector, simulation shows the proportion of muon bundles to be around 8\% in the JUNO, while its reconstruction is rarely discussed in previous experiments. According to the charge response of the PMT array, this paper proposes an efficient algorithm for muon bundle track reconstruction. This is the first reconstruction of muon bundles in a large volume liquid scintillator detector. Additionally, the algorithm shows good performance and potential in reconstruction for both single muon and double muons. The spatial resolution of single muon reconstruction is 20~cm and the angular resolution is $0.5^\circ$. As for double muon reconstruction, the spatial resolution and angular resolution could be 30~cm and $1.0^\circ$, respectively. Moreover, this paper has also discussed muon classification and veto strategy.

The multicellular organization of diverse systems, such as embryos, intestines and tumours, relies on the coordinated migration of cells in 3D curved environments. In these settings, cells establish supracellular patterns of motion, including collective rotation and invasion. While such collective modes are increasingly well understood in 2D flat systems, the consequences of geometrical and topological constraints on collective cell migration in 3D curved tissues are largely unknown. Here, we study 3D collective migration in mammary cell spheroids, which represent a common and conceptually simple curved geometry. We discover that these rotating spheroids exhibit a collective mode of cell migration in the form of a velocity wave propagating along the equator with a wavelength equal to the spheroid perimeter. This wave is accompanied by a pattern of incompressible cellular flow across the spheroid surface featuring topological defects, as dictated by the closed spherical topology. Using a minimal active particle model, we reveal that this collective mode originates from the active flocking behaviour of a cell layer confined to a curved surface. Our results thus identify curvature-induced velocity waves as a generic mode of collective cell migration, which could impact the dynamical organization of 3D curved tissues., Comment: 45 pages, 16 figures

Anomaly detection plays a critical role in fraud detection, health care, intrusion detection, military surveillance, etc. Anomaly detection algorithm based on density estimation (called ADDE algorithm) is one of widely used algorithms. Liang et al. proposed a quantum version of the ADDE algorithm [Phys. Rev. A 99, 052310 (2019)] and it is believed that the algorithm has exponential speedups on both the number and the dimension of training data point over the classical algorithm. In this paper, we find that Liang et al.'s algorithm doesn't actually execute. Then we propose a new quantum ADDE algorithm based on amplitude estimation. It is shown that our algorithm can achieves exponential speedup on the number $M$ of training data points compared with the classical counterpart. Besides, the idea of our algorithm can be applied to optimize the anomaly detection algorithm based on kernel principal component analysis (called ADKPCA algorithm). Different from the quantum ADKPCA proposed by Liu et al. [Phys. Rev. A 97, 042315 (2018)], compared with the classical counterpart, which offer exponential speedup on the dimension $d$ of data points, our algorithm achieves exponential speedup on $M$.

This paper presents an ultra-low noise L-band radio astronomical cryogenic receiver for FAST telescope. The development of key low noise microwave parts of Coupling-LNA and conical quad-ridge OMT and reasonable system integration achieve outstanding performance of receiver.It covers the frequency range of 1.2 GHz to 1.8 GHz. Novel cryogenic Coupling-LNAs with low noise, large return loss, high dynamic range and the function of coupling calibration signals are developed for the proposed receiver.Amplification and coupling function circuits are integrated as a single Coupling-LNA with full noise temperature of 4 K at the physical temperature of 15 K. And its return loss is more than 18 dB, and output 1 dB compression power is +5 dBm. A cryogenic dewar is fabricated to provide 55 K and 15 K cryogenic environment for OMT and Coupling-LNAs, respectively. The receiver's system noise temperature is below 9 K referred to feed aperture plane. Benefiting from optimal design and precise mechanical treatment, good scattering performance of OMT and equalized radiation patterns of horn are achieved with an antenna efficiency above 75%., Comment: There are 20 pages and 24 figures

Impulsively generated sausage wave trains in coronal structures are important for interpreting a substantial number of observations of quasi-periodic signals with quasi-periods of order seconds. We have previously shown that the Morlet spectra of these wave trains in coronal tubes depend crucially on the dispersive properties of trapped sausage waves, the existence of cutoff axial wavenumbers and the monotonicity of the dependence of the axial group speed on the axial wavenumber in particular. This study examines the difference a slab geometry may introduce, for which purpose we conduct a comprehensive eigenmode analysis, both analytically and numerically, on trapped sausage modes in coronal slabs with a considerable number of density profiles. For the profile descriptions examined, coronal slabs can trap sausage waves with longer axial wavelengths, and the group speed approaches the internal Alfv\'en speed more rapidly at large wavenumbers in the cylindrical case. However, common to both geometries, cutoff wavenumbers exist only when the density profile falls sufficiently rapidly at distances far from coronal structures. Likewise, the monotonicity of the group speed curves depends critically on the profile steepness right at the structure axis. Furthermore, the Morlet spectra of the wave trains are shaped by the group speed curves for coronal slabs and tubes alike. Consequently, we conclude that these spectra have the potential for telling the sub-resolution density structuring inside coronal structures, although their detection requires an instrumental cadence of better than $\sim 1$ second., Comment: 11 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Animal cells in tissues are supported by biopolymer matrices, which typically exhibit highly nonlinear mechanical properties. While the linear elasticity of the matrix can significantly impact cell mechanics and functionality, it remains largely unknown how cells, in turn, affect the nonlinear mechanics of their surrounding matrix. Here we show that living contractile cells are able to generate a massive stiffness gradient in three distinct 3D extracellular matrix model systems: collagen, fibrin, and Matrigel. We decipher this remarkable behavior by introducing Nonlinear Stress Inference Microscopy (NSIM), a novel technique to infer stress fields in a 3D matrix from nonlinear microrheology measurement with optical tweezers. Using NSIM and simulations, we reveal a long-ranged propagation of cell-generated stresses resulting from local filament buckling. This slow decay of stress gives rise to the large spatial extent of the observed cell-induced matrix stiffness gradient, which could form a mechanism for mechanical communication between cells.

The behavior of the axial group speeds of trapped sausage modes plays an important role in determining impulsively generated wave trains, which have often been invoked to account for quasi-periodic signals with quasi-periods of order seconds in a considerable number of coronal structures. We conduct a comprehensive eigenmode analysis, both analytically and numerically, on the dispersive properties of sausage modes in pressureless tubes with three families of continuous radial density profiles. We find a rich variety of the dependence on the axial wavenumber $k$ of the axial group speed $v_{\rm gr}$. Depending on the density contrast and profile steepness as well as on the detailed profile description, the $v_{\rm gr}-k$ curves either possess or do not possess cutoff wavenumbers, and they can behave in either a monotonical or non-monotonical manner. With time-dependent simulations, we further show that this rich variety of the group speed characteristics heavily influences the temporal evolution and Morlet spectra of impulsively generated wave trains. In particular, the Morlet spectra can look substantially different from "crazy tadpoles" found for the much-studied discontinuous density profiles. We conclude that it is necessary to re-examine available high-cadence data to look for the rich set of temporal and spectral features, which can be employed to discriminate between the unknown forms of the density distributions transverse to coronal structures., Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, submitted to ApJ

The frequency dependence of the longitudinal group speeds of trapped sausage waves plays an important role in determining impulsively generated wave trains, which have often been invoked to account for quasi-periodic signals in coronal loops. We examine how the group speeds ($v_{\rm gr}$) depend on angular frequency ($\omega$) for sausage modes in pressureless coronal tubes with continuous transverse density distributions by solving the dispersion relation pertinent to the case where the density inhomogeneity of arbitrary form takes place in a transition layer of arbitrary thickness. We find that in addition to the transverse lengthscale $l$ and density contrast $\rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e}$, the group speed behavior depends also on the detailed form of the density inhomogeneity. For parabolic profiles, $v_{\rm gr}$ always decreases with $\omega$ first before increasing again, as happens for the much studied top-hat profiles. For linear profiles, however, the behavior of the $\omega-v_{\rm gr}$ curves is more complex. When $\rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e} \lesssim 6$, the curves become monotonical for large values of $l$. On the other hand, for higher density contrasts, a local maximum $v_{\rm gr}^{\rm max}$ exists in addition to a local minimum $v_{\rm gr}^{\rm min}$ when coronal tubes are diffuse. With time-dependent computations, we show that the different behavior of group speed curves, the characteristic speeds $v_{\rm gr}^{\rm min}$ and $v_{\rm gr}^{\rm max}$ in particular, is reflected in the temporal evolution and Morlet spectra of impulsively generated wave trains. We conclude that the observed quasi-periodic wave trains not only can be employed to probe such key parameters as density contrasts and profile steepness, but also have the potential to discriminate between the unknown forms of the transverse density distribution., Comment: 35 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

While standing fast sausage modes in flare loops are often invoked to interpret quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar flares, it is unclear as to how they are influenced by the combined effects of a continuous transverse structuring and a finite internal plasma beta ($\beta_{\rm i}$). We derive a generic dispersion relation (DR) governing linear sausage waves in straight magnetic tubes for which plasma pressure is not negligible and the density and temperature inhomogeneities of essentially arbitrary form take place in a layer of arbitrary width. Focusing on fast modes, we find that $\beta_{\rm i}$ only weakly influences $k_{\rm c}$, the critical longitudinal wavenumber separating the leaky from trapped modes. Likewise, for both trapped and leaky modes, the periods $P$ in units of the transverse fast time depend only weakly on $\beta_{\rm i}$, which is compatible with the fact that the effective wavevectors of fast sausage modes are largely perpendicular to the background magnetic field. However, a weak $\beta_{\rm i}$ dependence of the damping times $\tau$ is seen only when the length-to-radius ratio $L/R$ is $\sim 50\%$ larger than some critical value $\pi/(k_{\rm c} R)$, which itself rather sensitively depends on the density contrast, profile steepness as well as on how the transverse structuring is described. In the context of QPPs, we conclude that the much simpler zero-beta theory can be employed for trapped modes, as long as one sees the deduced internal Alfv\'en speed as actually being the fast speed. In contrast, effects due to a finite beta in flare loops should be considered when leaky modes are exploited., Comment: 43 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Standing fast sausage modes in flare loops were suggested to account for a considerable number of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in the light curves of solar flares. This study continues our investigation into the possibility to invert the measured periods $P$ and damping times $\tau$ of sausage modes to deduce the transverse Alfv\'en time $R/v_{\rm Ai}$, density contrast $\rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e}$, and the steepness of the density distribution transverse to flare loops. A generic dispersion relation (DR) governing linear sausage modes is derived for pressureless cylinders where density inhomogeneity of arbitrary form takes place within the cylinder. We show that in general the inversion problem is under-determined for QPP events where only a single sausage mode exists, be the measurements spatially resolved or unresolved. While $R/v_{\rm Ai}$ can be inferred to some extent, the range of possible steepness parameters may be too broad to be useful. However, for spatially resolved measurements where an additional mode is present, it is possible to deduce self-consistently $\rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e}$, the profile steepness, and the internal Alfv\'en speed $v_{\rm Ai}$. We show that at least for a recent QPP event that involves a fundamental kink mode in addition to a sausage one, flare loop parameters are well constrained, even if the specific form of the transverse density distribution remains unknown. We conclude that spatially resolved, multi-mode QPP measurements need to be pursued for inferring flare loop parameters., Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Solar Physics

We examine the influence of a continuous density structuring transverse to coronal slabs on the dispersive properties of fundamental standing kink and sausage modes supported therein. We derive generic dispersion relations (DRs) governing linear fast waves in pressureless straight slabs with general transverse density distributions, and focus on the cases where the density inhomogeneity takes place in a layer of arbitrary width and in arbitrary form. The physical relevance of the solutions to the DRs is demonstrated by the corresponding time-dependent computations. For all profiles examined, the lowest-order kink modes are trapped regardless of longitudinal wavenumber $k$. A continuous density distribution introduces a difference to their periods of $\lesssim 13\%$ when $k$ is the observed range, relative to the case where the density profile takes a step-function form. Sausage modes and other branches of kink modes are leaky at small $k$, and their periods and damping times are heavily influenced by how the transverse density profile is prescribed, the lengthscale in particular. These modes have sufficiently high quality to be observable only for physical parameters representative of flare loops. We conclude that while the simpler DR pertinent to a step-function profile can be used for the lowest-order kink modes, the detailed information on the transverse density structuring needs to be incorporated into studies of sausage modes and higher-order kink modes., Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Standing sausage modes in flare loops are important for interpreting quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar flare lightcurves. We propose an inversion scheme that consistently uses their periods $P$ and damping times $\tau$ to diagnose flare loop parameters. We derive a generic dispersion relation governing linear sausage waves in pressure-less straight tubes, for which the transverse density inhomogeneity takes place in a layer of arbitrary width $l$ and is of arbitrary form. We find that $P$ and $\tau$ depend on the combination of $[R/v_{\rm Ai}, L/R, l/R, \rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e}]$, where $R$ is the loop radius, $L$ is the looplength, $v_{\rm Ai}$ is the internal Alfv\'en speed, and $\rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e}$ is the density contrast. For all the density profiles examined, $P$ and $\tau$ experience saturation when $L/R \gg 1$, yielding an inversion curve in the $[R/v_{\rm Ai}, l/R, \rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e}]$ space with a specific density profile when $L/R$ is sufficiently large. When applied to a spatially unresolved QPP event, the scheme yields that $R/v_{\rm Ai}$ is the best constrained, whereas $l/R$ corresponds to the other extreme. For spatially resolved QPPs, while $L/R \gg 1$ cannot be assumed beforehand, an inversion curve remains possible due to additional geometrical constraints. When a spatially resolved QPP event involves another mode, as is the case for a recent event, the full set of $[v_{\rm Ai}, l, \rho_{\rm i}/\rho_{\rm e}]$ can be inferred. We conclude that the proposed scheme provides a useful tool for magneto-seismologically exploiting QPPs., Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Sausage modes are important in coronal seismology. Spatially damped propagating sausage waves were recently observed in the solar atmosphere. We examine how wave leakage influences the spatial damping of sausage waves propagating along coronal structures modeled by a cylindrical density enhancement embedded in a uniform magnetic field. Working in the framework of cold magnetohydrodynamics, we solve the dispersion relation (DR) governing sausage waves for complex-valued longitudinal wavenumber $k$ at given real angular frequencies $\omega$. For validation purposes, we also provide analytical approximations to the DR in the low-frequency limit and in the vicinity of $\omega_{\rm c}$, the critical angular frequency separating trapped from leaky waves. In contrast to the standing case, propagating sausage waves are allowed for $\omega$ much lower than $\omega_{\rm c}$. However, while able to direct their energy upwards, these low-frequency waves are subject to substantial spatial attenuation. The spatial damping length shows little dependence on the density contrast between the cylinder and its surroundings, and depends only weakly on frequency. This spatial damping length is of the order of the cylinder radius for $\omega \lesssim 1.5 v_{\rm Ai}/a$, where $a$ and $v_{\rm Ai}$ are the cylinder radius and the Alfv\'en speed in the cylinder, respectively. We conclude that if a coronal cylinder is perturbed by symmetric boundary drivers (e.g., granular motions) with a broadband spectrum, wave leakage efficiently filters out the low-frequency components., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The CMS and ATLAS experiments at the LHC have announced the discovery of a Higgs boson with mass at approximately 125 $GeV/c^{2}$ in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson via notably the $\gamma\gamma$ and $ZZ$ to four leptons final states. Considering the recent results on the Higgs boson searches from the LHC, we study the lightest scalar Higgs boson $h_{1}$ in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model by restricting the next-to-lightest scalar Higgs boson $h_{2}$ to be the observed 125 $GeV/c^{2}$ state. We perform a scan over the relevant NMSSM parameter space that is favoured by low fine-tuning considerations. Moreover, we also take the experimental constraints from direct searches, $B$-physics observables, relic density and anomalous magnetic moment of the muon measurements as well as the theoretical considerations into account in our specific scan. We find that the signal rate in the two-photon final state for the NMSSM Higgs boson $h_{1}$ with the mass range from approximately 80 $GeV/c^{2}$ to 122 $GeV/c^{2}$ can be enhanced by a factor up to 3.5, when the Higgs boson $h_{2}$ is required to be compatible with the excess from latest LHC results. This motivates the extension of the search at the LHC for the Higgs boson $h_{1}$ in the diphoton final state down to masses of 80 $GeV/c^{2}$ or lower, in particular with the upcoming proton-proton collision data to be taken at center-of-mass energies of 13-14 $TeV$., Comment: In addition to increasing scan statistics, for this version, after discussion with theorists, we used modified parameter ranges especially a relaxed range for lambda (0.60-0.75) and relaxed HiggsSignals constraints (~2 sigmas)

A new method called Neighbor Cell Deposited Energy Ratio (NCDER) is proposed to reconstruct incidence position in a single layer for a 3-dimensional imaging electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL).This method was applied to reconstruct the ECAL test beam data for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 (AMS-02). The results show that this method can achieve an angular resolution of 7.36\pm 0.08 / \sqrt(E) \oplus 0.28 \pm 0.02 degree in the determination of the photons direction, which is much more precise than that obtained with the commonly-adopted Center of Gravity(COG) method (8.4 \pm 0.1 /sqrt(E) \oplus 0.8\pm0.3 degree). Furthermore, since it uses only the properties of electromagnetic showers, this new method could also be used for other type of fine grain sampling calorimeters., Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures

The present study developed and assessed reliability and validity of a new instrument, the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES). Based on a review of the literature, 76 items important for intercultural effectiveness were generated. A total of 653 college students rate these items in two separate stages and generate a 20-item final version of the instrument which contains six factors. An assessment of concurrent and predictive validity from 246 participants indicates that the IES was significantly correlated with other related scales. Implications and limitations of the study, and the direction for future research are discussed as well. (Contains 4 tables.)

The separation and reconstructions of charged hadron and neutral hadron from their overlapped showers in electromagnetic calorimeter is very important for the reconstructions of some particles with hadronic decays, for example the tau reconstruction in the searches for the Standard Model and supersymmetric Higgs bosons at the LHC. In this paper, a method combining the shower cluster in electromagnetic calorimeter and the parametric formula for hadron showers, was developed to separate the overlapped showers between charged hadron and neutral hadron. Taking the hadronic decay containing one charged pion and one neutral pion in the final status of tau for example, satisfied results of the separation of the overlapped showers, the reconstructions of the energy and positions of the hadrons were obtained. An improved result for the tau reconstruction with this decay model can be also achieved after the application of the proposed method., Comment: 7 pages

We report on a comparison study of the $^{3}$He gas proportional tube and the $^{6}$Li incorporated scintillation glasses on thermal neutron detection efficiency. Both $^{3}$He and $^{6}$Li are used commonly for thermal neutron detection because of their high neutron capture absorption coefficient. By using a neutron source $^{252}$Cf and a paraffin moderator in an alignment system, we can get a small beam of thermal neutrons. A flash ADC is used to measure the thermal neutron spectrum of each detector, and the detected number of events is determined from the spectrum, then we can calculate the detection efficiency of different detectors. Meanwhile, the experiment have been modeled with GEANT4 to validate the results against the Monte Carlo simulation., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures

The AMS-02 collaboration has just released its first result of the cosmic positron fraction $e^+/(e^-+e^+)$ with high precision up to $\sim 350$ GeV. The AMS-02 result shows the same trend with the previous PAMELA result, which requires extra electron/positron sources on top of the conventional cosmic ray background, either from astrophysical sources or from dark matter annihilation/decay. In this paper we try to figure out the nature of the extra sources by fitting to the AMS-02 $e^+/(e^-+e^+)$ data, as well as the electron and proton spectra by PAMELA and the $(e^-+e^+)$ spectrum by Fermi and HESS. We adopt the GALPROP package to calculate the propagation of the Galactic cosmic rays and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler to do the fit. We find that the AMS-02 data have implied essential difference from the PAMELA data. There is {\rm tension} between the AMS-02 $e^+/(e^-+e^+)$ data and the Fermi/HESS $(e^-+e^+)$ spectrum, that the AMS-02 data requires less contribution from the extra sources than Fermi/HESS. Then we redo the fit without including the Fermi/HESS data. In this case both the pulsars and dark matter annihilation/decay can explain the AMS-02 data. The pulsar scenario has a soft inject spectrum with the power-law index $\sim 2$, while the dark matter scenario needs $\tau^+\tau^-$ final state with mass $\sim 600$ GeV and a boost factor $\sim 200$., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics

Monochromatic gamma-rays are thought to be the smoking gun signal for identifying the dark matter annihilation. However, the flux of monochromatic gamma-rays is usually suppressed by the virtual quantum effects since dark matter should be neutral and does not couple with gamma-rays directly. In the work we study the detection strategy of the monochromatic gamma-rays in a future space-based detector. The monochromatic gamma-ray flux is calculated by assuming supersymmetric neutralino as a typical dark matter candidate. We discuss both the detection focusing on the Galactic center and in a scan mode which detects gamma-rays from the whole Galactic halo are compared. The detector performance for the purpose of monochromatic gamma-rays detection, with different energy and angular resolution, field of view, background rejection efficiencies, is carefully studied with both analytical and fast Monte-Carlo method.

In this paper, we demonstrate the LHC discovery potential of new charged vector boson $W_1^{\pm}$ predicted by the Minimal Higgsless model in the process $pp\to W_1^{\pm}qq^{\prime}\to W^{\pm}Z^0qq^\prime\to \ell^{\pm}\ell^+\ell^-\nu qq^{\prime}(\ell=e,\mu)$ by analyzing the generator level events of the signal and backgrounds. The generator for the signal $pp \to {W_1}^{\pm}qq^\prime\to W^{\pm}Z^0qq^\prime$ at tree level is developed with the Minimal Higgsless model and then interfaced with PYTHIA for the parton showers and hadronization. The backgrounds are produced with PYTHIA and ACERMC. We give integrated luminosities required to discover 5$\sigma$ signal as a function of $W_1^{\pm}$ mass., Comment: Version for Nucl.Phys.B (in Press), 12pp

As a main dimension of intercultural communication competence, intercultural sensitivity has increasingly gained attention in research in different disciplines. In the United States, Chen and Starosta (1996) developed an instrument, comprising 5 factors with 24 items, for measuring intercultural sensitivity. In this study, Chen and Starosta's instrument was tested with a sample of German students of business administration by using confirmatory factor analysis. Overall, the results showed that the instrument holds satisfactorily. Although the results also suggested that the operationalization of the concepts in Chen and Starosta's study can be further improved, the instrument as a whole is a valid one through which a culture-free scale for measuring intercultural sensitivity can be developed. (Contains 33 references, and 2 tables and a figure of data. An appendix contains the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale.) (Author/RS)

Chinese have systematically practiced communication for over two thousand years, but from the Western perspective communication education and research in Chinese societies only began to burgeon in recent decades. In addition to summarizing the Western and traditional Chinese communication study and practice, this paper identified four problems faced by the Chinese communication community: incomplete landscape, skill orientation, self-centeredness, and westernization. In order to tackle these problems, the author argued that they must be put under the framework of riding on the wave of globalization by leading the Chinese communication study and education to accomplish four goals: (1) to expand its perspective for a global picture; (2) to cultivate cognitive awareness to balance contradictions caused by the dialectical relationship between globalization and localization; (3) to equip the ability of flexibility to flow with and manage changes due to the impact of globalization; and (4) to acquire communication skills of sensitivity and openness to value diversity for continuous improvement. (Contains 43 references.) (Author/RS)

The present study developed and assessed reliability and validity of a new instrument, the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS). Based on a review of the literature, 44 items thought to be important for intercultural sensitivity were generated. A sample of 414 college students rated these items and generated a 24-item final version of the instrument which contains five factors. An assessment of concurrent validity from 162 participants indicated that the ISS was significantly correlated with other related scales, including interaction attentiveness, impression rewarding, self-esteem, self-monitoring, and perspective taking. In addition, the predicted validity test from 174 participants showed that individuals with high ISS scores also scored high in intercultural effectiveness and intercultural communication attitude scales. Potential limitations of the study were discussed as well. (Author/RS)

This paper analyzes the impact of harmony on Chinese conflict management and resolution. It explicates the philosophical foundation of harmony based on Chinese culture, and offers guidelines for Chinese conflict behaviors. Differences between Chinese conflict resolution styles and those of Western societies are also discussed. The paper then delineates some compliance-gaining strategies employed by the Chinese in conflict situations, and argues that more research in this area is necessary for people to better understand Chinese conflict behaviors. (Contains 82 references.) (Author/RS)

The current rapid economic development in mainland China strongly demands that the world understand the People's Republic of China's (PRC) negotiating behaviors to ensure a successful business transaction. This study examined the PRC business negotiating behaviors by interviewing 16 Hong Kong businesspersons who have experiences in doing business with the PRC Chinese. Questions regarding the most important cultural factors that affect the PRC business negotiations, problems encountered, and guidelines for reaching a successful business negotiation with the PRC Chinese were asked. Overall, participants identified face, relation, harmony, reciprocity, and credibility as the five most important cultural factors that affect PRC business negotiations. Guiding principles based on Confucianism and strategic applications from other schools of thought form the two faces of the PRC Chinese business negotiations. The interaction and integration of the two forces complicate the process and understanding of Chinese social behaviors. The guidelines for a successful business negotiation with PRC businesspersons include: (1) build a relationship before the negotiation; (2) remember courtesy requires reciprocity; (3) be patient and polite; and (4) develop a long-term relationship. Most existing studies tend to focus on the impact of Confucian traditions, which leaves an unexplored space for research. To understand business negotiating behaviors of the PRC Chinese, future research should explore the strategic aspect that originates from non-Confucian traditions. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures, and 36 references.) (NKA)

Employing participant observation methodology, this paper analyzes a 4-hour meeting held among the representatives of a large religious organization in Taiwan. The analysis focuses on the influence of seniority on the Chinese decision making process. Five components of decision making proposed by Stewart (1985) and Kume (1985) were used for the purpose of analysis. The findings extend the Chen and Starosta (1997) argument that although seniority, as the locus of power and authority in Chinese society, is normally used to reinforce and perpetuate Chinese cultural values, it may be abused for gaining personal interests. The abuse of senior power, as this case shows, leads to paralysis of the decision making process. Findings demonstrate the dynamic and complex nature of decision making in terms of its dialectic relationship with culture. A person's behavior is the mirror of his/her culture. Culture provides a set of thinking patterns that leads to a specific way of action. Intercultural communication scholars should undertake research on deviations from cultural value orientations. Chung (1996) proposed a model of multilevel cultures for Chinese decision making; Hwang (1997) proposed a model of conflict resolution in Chinese society. The two models deserve a further examination for future research. (Contains 27 references.) (Author/CR)

A study examined the impact of TV viewing motivations on 126 Asian students' psychological and sociocultural adjustment. Subjects were enrolled in a midsize university in the New England area. TV viewing motivation was measured by A. M. Rubin's TV Viewing Motivations Scale. Psychological adjustment was measured by W. Zung's Self Rating Depression Scale, D. Russell, L. Replau, and C. Cutrona's Loneliness Scale, and B. Rohrlich and J. Martin's Satisfaction Scale. Sociocultural adjustment was measured by A. Furnham and S. Bochner's Social Difficulty Scale. Results from Pearson product-moment correlations and stepwise multiple regression analyses showed relationships between TV viewing motivations and psychological and sociocultural adjustment. For future research on cross-cultural adjustment, participants should not be limited to students but extend to other samples such as business people, diplomats, volunteers, and their spouses. (Contains 46 references and 2 tables of data.) (Author/RS)

A study examined the difficulties Mainland Chinese students encountered in the process of adjusting to American culture. Subjects were 10 Mainland Chinese students enrolling in a mid-size public university, 8 females and 2 males. The length of time in America was from 10 months to 3 years, the average age was 27.9, and 6 were married. In-depth interviews were conducted and information was collected using a questionnaire containing 13 open-ended questions focusing on significant events during subjects' cultural adaptation. From the recurring themes of answers, results indicated that 3 dimensions of difficulties subjects encountered were: lack of language proficiency; a deficiency in cultural awareness; and academic achievements. Findings suggest that, for the latter, differences in Chinese teaching and learning styles, with which they were accustomed, and American ones produced difficulties. Also the lack of experience in handling the American University environment was a problem. Suggestions for future research include finding the relationship between these 3 dimensions and examining the strategies Mainland Chinese students use to cope with problems in intercultural adjustment. (Contains 29 references.) (Author/CR)

The development of a "global village" strongly demands the ability of intercultural sensitivity between people for survival in the 21st century. Due to current lack of study on the subject, this paper aims to: (1) provide a conceptualization of intercultural sensitivity; (2) specify the role intercultural sensitivity plays in intercultural training programs; (3) delineate the components of intercultural sensitivity; and (4) critique and suggest directions for future study in this line of research. As a result, a working definition of intercultural sensitivity is generated. The components of intercultural sensitivity examined include: self-esteem, self-monitoring, open-mindedness, empathy, interaction involvement, and non-judgment. In addition, the paper discusses confusion among intercultural awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and intercultural competence and suggests future directions for research in intercultural sensitivity. Contains 72 references. (Author)

The paper has heen withdrawn., Comment: 3 pages, 4 eps figures