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Contact binaries challenge contemporary stellar astrophysics with respect to their incidence, structure and evolution. We explore these issues through a detailed study of two bright examples: S Ant and Eps CrA, that permit high-resolution spectroscopy at a relatively good S/N ratio. The availability of high-quality photometry, including data from the TESS satellite as well as Gaia parallaxes, allows us to apply the Russell paradigm to produce reliable up-to-date information on the physical properties of these binaries. As a result, models of their interactive evolution, such as the thermal relaxation oscillator scenario, can be examined. Mass transfer between the components is clearly evidenced, but the variability of the O'Connell effect over relatively short time scales points to irregularities in the mass transfer or accretion processes. Our findings indicate that S Ant may evolve into an R CMa type Algol, while the low mass ratio of Eps CrA suggests a likely merger of its components in the not-too-distant future., Comment: This paper has been accepted for publication in PASA. 28 pages, 13 figures, 16 tables

This study outlines a detailed investigation using CCD {\it UBV} and {\it Gaia} DR3 data sets of the two open clusters Ruprecht 1 (Rup-1) and Ruprecht 171 (Rup-171). Fundamental astrophysical parameters such as color excesses, photometric metallicities, ages, and isochrone distances were based on {\it UBV}-data analyses, whereas membership probability calculations, structural and astrophysical parameters, as well as the kinematic analyses were based on {\it Gaia} DR3-data. We identified 74 and 596 stars as the most probable cluster members with membership probabilities over 50\% for Rup-1 and Rup-171, respectively. The color excesses $E(B-V)$ were obtained as $0.166\pm0.022$ and $0.301\pm0.027$ mag for Rup-1 and Rup-171, respectively. Photometric metallicity analyses were performed by considering F-G type main-sequence member stars and found to be [Fe/H]=$-0.09\pm 0.16$ and [Fe/H]=$-0.20\pm 0.20$ dex for Rup-1 and Rup-171, respectively. Ages and distances were based on both {\it UBV} and {\it Gaia}-data analyses; according to isochrone-fitting these values were estimated to be $t=580\pm60$ Myr, $d=1469\pm57$ pc for Rup-1 and $t=2700\pm200$ Myr, $d=1509\pm69$ pc for Rup-171. The present-day mass function slope of Rup-1 was estimated as $1.26\pm0.32$ and Rup-171 as $1.53\pm1.49$. Galactic orbit integration analyses showed that both of the clusters might be formed outside the solar circle., Comment: 14 figures and 4 tables, article accepted for publication in Astronomische Nachrichten

We study the reachability problem for one-counter automata in which transitions can carry disequality tests. A disequality test is a guard that prohibits a specified counter value. This reachability problem has been known to be NP-hard and in PSPACE, and characterising its computational complexity has been left as a challenging open question by Almagor, Cohen, P\'erez, Shirmohammadi, and Worrell (2020). We reduce the complexity gap, placing the problem into the second level of the polynomial hierarchy, namely into the class $\mathsf{coNP}^{\mathsf{NP}}$. In the presence of both equality and disequality tests, our upper bound is at the third level, $\mathsf{P}^{\mathsf{NP}^{\mathsf{NP}}}$. To prove this result, we show that non-reachability can be witnessed by a pair of invariants (forward and backward). These invariants are almost inductive. They aim to over-approximate only a "core" of the reachability set instead of the entire set. The invariants are also leaky: it is possible to escape the set. We complement this with separate checks as the leaks can only occur in a controlled way., Comment: Extended version of CONCUR 2024 paper

Motor-driven cytoskeletal remodeling in cellular systems can often be accompanied by a diffusive-like effect at local scales, but distinguishing the contributions of the ordering process, such as active contraction of a network, from this active diffusion is difficult to achieve. Using light-dimerizable kinesin motors to spatially control the formation and contraction of a microtubule network, we deliberately photobleach a grid pattern onto the filament network serving as a transient and dynamic coordinate system to observe the deformation and translation of the remaining fluorescent squares of microtubules. We find that the network contracts at a rate set by motor speed but is accompanied by a diffusive-like spread throughout the bulk of the contracting network with effective diffusion constant two orders of magnitude lower than that for a freely-diffusing microtubule. We further find that on micron scales, the diffusive timescale is only a factor of approximately 3 slower than that of advection regardless of conditions, showing that the global contraction and long-time relaxation from this diffusive behavior are both motor-driven but exhibit local competition within the network bulk., Comment: 8 page manuscript, 6 figures, 43 page SI

In this work, we introduce Gemma 2, a new addition to the Gemma family of lightweight, state-of-the-art open models, ranging in scale from 2 billion to 27 billion parameters. In this new version, we apply several known technical modifications to the Transformer architecture, such as interleaving local-global attentions (Beltagy et al., 2020a) and group-query attention (Ainslie et al., 2023). We also train the 2B and 9B models with knowledge distillation (Hinton et al., 2015) instead of next token prediction. The resulting models deliver the best performance for their size, and even offer competitive alternatives to models that are 2-3 times bigger. We release all our models to the community.

We report the detection of 239 trans-Neptunian Objects discovered through the on-going New Horizons survey for distant minor bodies being performed with the Hyper Suprime-Cam mosaic imager on the Subaru Telescope. These objects were discovered in images acquired with either the r2 or the recently commissioned EB-gri filter using shift and stack routines. Due to the extremely high stellar density of the search region down stream of the spacecraft, new machine learning techniques had to be developed to manage the extremely high false positive rate of bogus candidates produced from the shift and stack routines. We report discoveries as faint as r2$\sim26.5$. We highlight an overabundance of objects found at heliocentric distances $R\gtrsim70$~au compared to expectations from modelling of the known outer Solar System. If confirmed, these objects betray the presence of a heretofore unrecognized abundance of distant objects that can help explain a number of other observations that otherwise remain at odds with the known Kuiper Belt, including detections of serendipitous stellar occultations, and recent results from the Student Dust Counter on-board the New Horizons spacecraft., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Planetary Science Journal, 28 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables

We propose the nuclear interferometer - a single-photon interferometry experiment based upon the thorium-229 nuclear clock transition - as a novel detector for ultra-light dark matter (ULDM). Thanks to the enhanced sensitivity of this transition to the variation of fundamental constants, we find that possible realisations of such an experiment deploying either single ions or clouds of atoms have the potential to be complementary to advanced very-long-baseline terrestrial clock atom interferometers in the search for ultra-light dark matter with scalar couplings to photons. Nuclear interferometry may also offer an unparalleled window to new physics coupling to the QCD sector via quarks or gluons, with a discovery reach that could enhance existing and proposed experiments over a range of frequencies in the direction of well-motivated parameter space., Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures

Occlusal contacts are the locations at which the occluding surfaces of the maxilla and the mandible posterior teeth meet. Occlusal contact detection is a vital tool for restoring the loss of masticatory function and is a mandatory assessment in the field of dentistry, with particular importance in prosthodontics and restorative dentistry. The most common method for occlusal contact detection is articulating paper. However, this method can indicate significant medically false positive and medically false negative contact areas, leaving the identification of true occlusal indications to clinicians. To address this, we propose a multiclass Vision Transformer and Fully Convolutional Network ensemble semantic segmentation model with a combination hierarchical loss function, which we name as Hierarchical Fully Convolutional Branch Transformer (H-FCBFormer). We also propose a method of generating medically true positive semantic segmentation masks derived from expert annotated articulating paper masks and gold standard masks. The proposed model outperforms other machine learning methods evaluated at detecting medically true positive contacts and performs better than dentists in terms of accurately identifying object-wise occlusal contact areas while taking significantly less time to identify them. Code is available at https://github.com/Banksylel/H-FCBFormer., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, 5 equations, peer reviewed and accepted to Medical Imaging Understanding and Analysis (MIUA 2024)

Continuous-time quantum algorithms for combinatorial optimisation problems, such as quantum annealing, have previously been motivated by the adiabatic principle. A number of continuous-time approaches exploit dynamics, however, and therefore are no longer physically motivated by the adiabatic principle. In this work we take Planck's principle as the underlying physical motivation for continuous-time quantum algorithms. Planck's principle states that the energy of an isolated system cannot decrease as the result of a cyclic process. We use this principle to justify monotonic schedules in quantum annealing which are not adiabatic. This approach also highlights the limitations of reverse quantum annealing in an isolated system., Comment: 15 + 12 pages, 16 + 26 figures

The current global food system produces substantial waste and carbon emissions while exacerbating the effects of global hunger and protein deficiency. This study aims to address these challenges by exploring the use of lignocellulosic agricultural residues as feedstocks for microbial protein fermentation, focusing on Fusarium venenatum A3/5, a mycelial strain known for its high protein yield and quality. We propose a high throughput microlitre batch fermentation system paired with analytical chemistry to generate time-series data of microbial growth and substrate utilisation. An unstructured biokinetic model was developed using a bootstrap sampling approach to quantify uncertainty in the parameter estimates. The model was validated against an independent dataset of a different glucose-xylose composition to assess the predictive performance. Our results indicate a robust model fit with high coefficients of determination and low root mean squared errors for biomass, glucose, and xylose concentrations. Estimated parameter values provided insights into the resource utilisation strategies of Fusarium venenatum A3/5 in mixed substrate cultures, aligning well with previous research findings. Significant correlations between estimated parameters were observed, highlighting challenges in parameter identifiability. This work provides a foundational model for optimising the production of microbial protein from lignocellulosic waste, contributing to a more sustainable global food system., Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Supplementary Materials available on request. Submitted to Current Research in Food Science. See CRediT statement on page 19 for author contributions

We present an updated ephemeris and physical parameters for the exoplanet WASP-77 A b. In this effort, we combine 64 ground- and space-based transit observations, 6 space-based eclipse observations, and 32 radial velocity observations to produce the most precise orbital solution to date for this target, aiding in the planning of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Ariel observations and atmospheric studies. We report a new orbital period of 1.360029395 +- 5.7e-8 days, a new mid-transit time of 2459957.337860 +- 4.3e-5 BJDTDB (Barycentric Julian Date in the Barycentric Dynamical Time scale; arXiv:1005.4415) and a new mid-eclipse time of 2459956.658192 +- 6.7e-5 BJDTDB. Furthermore, the methods presented in this study reduce the uncertainties in the planet mass to 1.6654 +- 4.5e-3 Mjup and orbital period to 1.360029395 +- 5.7e-8 days by factors of 15.1 and 10.9, respectively. Through a joint fit analysis comparison of transit data taken by space-based and citizen science-led initiatives, our study demonstrates the power of including data collected by citizen scientists compared to a fit of the space-based data alone. Additionally, by including a vast array of citizen science data from ExoClock, Exoplanet Transit Database (ETD), and Exoplanet Watch, we can increase our observational baseline and thus acquire better constraints on the forward propagation of our ephemeris than what is achievable with TESS data alone., Comment: Updated a co-author name. Added a co-author. Added an acknowledgement

Let $y\ne 0$ and $C>0$. Under the Riemann Hypothesis, there is a number $T_*>0$ $($depending on $y$ and $C)$ such that for every $T\ge T_*$, both \[ \zeta(\tfrac12+i\gamma)=0 \quad\text{and}\quad\zeta(\tfrac12+i(\gamma+y))\ne 0 \] hold for at least one $\gamma$ in the interval $[T,T(1+\epsilon)]$, where $\epsilon:=T^{-C/\log\log T}$., Comment: 14 pages; comments are welcome

One of the challenges of human-swarm interaction (HSI) is how to manage the operator's workload. In order to do this, we propose a novel neurofeedback technique for the real-time measurement of workload using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The objective is to develop a baseline for workload measurement in human-swarm interaction using fNIRS and to develop an interface that dynamically adapts to the operator's workload. The proposed method consists of using fNIRS device to measure brain activity, process this through a machine learning algorithm, and pass it on to the HSI interface. By dynamically adapting the HSI interface, the swarm operator's workload could be reduced and the performance improved., Comment: This paper consist of 3 pages and contains 2 figures. This abstract paper was presented at the "Breaking Swarm Stereotypes" workshop of the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in PACIFICO Yokohama, Japan, held from May 13th to 17th, 2024. https://hauertlab.com/breaking-swarm-stereotypes-workshop-icra-2024/

A review of some errors made by the author and others in their search for quantum models of gravity in cosmological space-times that asymptote to de Sitter (dS) space in the future. The "static de Sitter Hamiltonian", which measures the energy of localized objects in a static patch, is not a conserved quantity. The static time translation diffeomorphism of eternal dS space is a gauge symmetry, and the static energy is an approximate property of meta-stable constrained states. It's not clear whether a theoretical model has to have a time independent Hamiltonian at all, but if it does, its eigenvalues are, {\it in principle}, not accessible to measurement by local detectors., Comment: LaTeX, 2 Figures, 15 pages

New implicit and implicit-explicit time-stepping methods for the wave equation in second-order form are described with application to two and three-dimensional problems discretized on overset grids. The implicit schemes are single step, three levels in time, and based on the modified equation approach. Second and fourth-order accurate schemes are developed and they incorporate upwind dissipation for stability on overset grids. The fully implicit schemes are useful for certain applications such as the WaveHoltz algorithm for solving Helmholtz problems where very large time-steps are desired. Some wave propagation problems are geometrically stiff due to localized regions of small grid cells, such as grids needed to resolve fine geometric features, and for these situations the implicit time-stepping scheme is combined with an explicit scheme: the implicit scheme is used for component grids containing small cells while the explicit scheme is used on the other grids such as background Cartesian grids. The resulting partitioned implicit-explicit scheme can be many times faster than using an explicit scheme everywhere. The accuracy and stability of the schemes are studied through analysis and numerical computations.

We use the Kantor-Susskind\cite{kantsuss} model of fermions as "dumbbells" connecting points on a cubic lattice to points on its dual, to define a duality between local fermionic models invariant under a $Z_2$ gauge symmetry and models of bosonic variables (generalizations of Pauli matrices) defined on the lattice., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, V2. Reference added

Near horizons, quantum fields of low spin exhibit densities of states that behave asymptotically like 1+1 dimensional conformal field theories. In effective field theory, imposing some short-distance cutoff, one can compute thermodynamic quantities associated with the horizon, and the leading cutoff sensitivity of the heat capacity is found to equal to the leading cutoff sensitivity of the entropy. One can also compute contributions to the thermodynamic quantities from the gravitational path integral. For the cosmological horizon of the static patch of de Sitter space, a natural conjecture for the relevant heat capacity is shown to equal the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. These observations allow us to extend the well-known notion of the generalized entropy to a generalized heat capacity for the static patch of dS. The finiteness of the entropy and the nonvanishing of the generalized heat capacity suggests it is useful to think about dS as a state in a finite dimensional quantum gravity model that is not maximally uncertain., Comment: 10 pages. v3: refs added; v2: refs added, minor corrections

Diagnostic tests which can detect pre-clinical or sub-clinical infection, are one of the most powerful tools in our armoury of weapons to control infectious diseases. Considerable effort has been therefore paid to improving diagnostic testing for human, plant and animal diseases, including strategies for targeting the use of diagnostic tests towards individuals who are more likely to be infected. Here, we follow other recent proposals to further refine this concept, by using machine learning to assess the situational risk under which a diagnostic test is applied to augment its interpretation . We develop this to predict the occurrence of breakdowns of cattle herds due to bovine tuberculosis, exploiting the availability of exceptionally detailed testing records. We show that, without compromising test specificity, test sensitivity can be improved so that the proportion of infected herds detected by the skin test, improves by over 16 percentage points. While many risk factors are associated with increased risk of becoming infected, of note are several factors which suggest that, in some herds there is a higher risk of infection going undetected, including effects that are correlated to the veterinary practice conducting the test, and number of livestock moved off the herd.

For an infinite set M of natural numbers, let FS(M) be the set of all nonzero finite sums of distinct numbers in M. An IP set is any set of the form FS(M). Let p_n denote the n-th prime number for each $n \ge 1$. A de Polignac number is any number m such that $p_{n+1}-p_n=m$ for infinitely many n. In this note, we show that every IP set of even natural numbers contains infinitely many de Polignac numbers., Comment: 5 pages

Using a 3D General Circulation Model, the Unified Model, we present results from simulations of a tidally-locked TRAPPIST-1e with varying carbon dioxide CO2 and methane CH4 gas concentrations, and their corresponding prescribed spherical haze profiles. Our results show that the presence of CO2 leads to a warmer atmosphere globally due to its greenhouse effect, with the increase of surface temperature on the dayside surface reaching up to ~14.1 K, and on the nightside up to ~21.2 K. Increasing presence of CH4 first elevates the surface temperature on the dayside, followed by a decrease due to the balance of tropospheric warming and stratospheric cooling. A thin layer of haze, formed when the partial pressures of CH4 to CO2 (pCH4/pCO2) = 0.1, leads to a dayside warming of ~4.9K due to a change in the water vapour H2O distribution. The presence of a haze layer that formed beyond the ratio of 0.1 leads to dayside cooling. The haze reaches an optical threshold thickness when pCH4/pCO2 ~0.4 beyond which the dayside mean surface temperature does not vary much. The planet is more favourable to maintaining liquid water on the surface (mean surface temperature above 273.15 K) when pCO2 is high, pCH4 is low and the haze layer is thin. The effect of CO2, CH4 and haze on the dayside is similar to that for a rapidly-rotating planet. On the contrary, their effect on the nightside depends on the wind structure and the wind speed in the simulation., Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, 2 tables

We give an overview of a Macaulay2 package for computing with the multigraded BGG correspondence. This software builds on the package BGG due to Abo-Decker-Eisenbud-Schreyer-Smith-Stillman, which concerns the standard graded BGG correspondence. In addition to implementing the multigraded BGG functors, this package includes an implementation of differential modules and their minimal free resolutions, and it contains a method for computing strongly linear strands of multigraded free resolutions., Comment: Package available at https://github.com/mkbrown5/MultigradedBGG/tree/main

Evidence has accumulated that there are supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the centers of most galaxies, and that these were formed in the very early universe by some as yet unknown process. In particular, there is evidence [15] that at least some galaxies formed as early as $10^8$ to $10^9$ years after the Big Bang host SMBHs. We suggest that the holographic model of inflation, whose dark matter candidates are primordial black holes carrying a discrete gauge charge, which originated as a small subset of the inflationary horizon volumes in the very early universe, can provide the seeds for this early structure formation. Aspects of the model pointed out long ago suggested an early era of structure formation, with structures dominated by dark matter. The additional assumption that the dark matter consists of discretely charged black holes implies black hole dominance of early structures, which seems to be implied by JWST data., Comment: 10 pages, no figures. Submitted to 2024 Gravitation Research Foundation Essay Contest May 13, 2024

Large language models (LLMs) are becoming more prevalent and have found a ubiquitous use in providing different forms of writing assistance. However, LLM-powered writing systems can frustrate users due to their limited personalization and control, which can be exacerbated when users lack experience with prompt engineering. We see design as one way to address these challenges and introduce GhostWriter, an AI-enhanced writing design probe where users can exercise enhanced agency and personalization. GhostWriter leverages LLMs to learn the user's intended writing style implicitly as they write, while allowing explicit teaching moments through manual style edits and annotations. We study 18 participants who use GhostWriter on two different writing tasks, observing that it helps users craft personalized text generations and empowers them by providing multiple ways to control the system's writing style. From this study, we present insights regarding people's relationship with AI-assisted writing and offer design recommendations for future work., Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures

Motivated by conjectures about near-horizon dynamics in quantum gravity, we search for lines of perturbatively accessible fixed points emanating from models of $N$ free fermions. Through two loops we find a new class of models, apart from the well-known Abelian Thirring models. Further study is needed to see whether these can lead to true conformal manifolds, or perhaps a new class of large N fixed points., Comment: 25 pages, 22 figures, minor modifications were made in the introduction

Although red clump stars function as reliable standard candles, their surface characteristics (i.e. $T_\text{eff}$, $\log g$, and [Fe/H]) overlap with those of red giant branch stars, which are not standard candles. Recent results have revealed that spectral features containing carbon (e.g. CN molecular bands) carry information correlating with the "gold-standard" asteroseismic classifiers that distinguish red clump from red giant branch stars. However, the underlying astrophysical processes driving the correlation between these spectroscopic and asteroseismic quantities in red giants remain inadequately explored. This study aims to enhance our understanding of this "spectro-seismic" effect, by refining the list of key spectral features predicting red giant evolutionary state. In addition, we conduct further investigation into those key spectral features to probe the astrophysical processes driving this connection. We employ the data-driven The Cannon algorithm to analyse high-resolution ($R\sim80,000$) Veloce Rosso spectra from the Anglo-Australian Telescope for 301 red giant stars (where asteroseismic classifications from the TESS mission are known for 123 of the stars). The results highlight molecular spectroscopic features, particularly those containing carbon (e.g. CN), as the primary indicators of the evolutionary states of red giant stars. Furthermore, by investigating CN isotopic pairs (that is, $^{12}$C$^{14}$N and $^{13}$C$^{14}$N) we find suggestions of statistically significant differences in the reduced equivalent widths of such lines, suggesting that physical processes that change the surface abundances and isotopic ratios in red giant stars, such as deep mixing, are the driving forces of the "spectro-seismic" connection of red giants., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted to MNRAS

We examine ProcessGPT, an AI model designed to automate, augment, and improve business processes, to study the challenges of managing business processes within the cognitive limitations of the human workforce, particularly individuals with cognitive disabilities. ProcessGPT provides a blueprint for designing efficient business processes that take into account human cognitive limitations. By viewing this through the lens of cognitive disabilities, we show that ProcessGPT improves process usability for individuals with and without cognitive disabilities. We also demonstrate that organizations implementing ProcessGPT-like capabilities will realize increased productivity, morale, and inclusion., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures

We discuss back-reaction in the semiclassical treatment of quantum fields near a black hole. When the state deviates significantly from Hartle-Hawking, simple energetic considerations of back-reaction give rise to a characteristic radial distance scale $\sim (r_s^{2}G_N)^{1/D}$, below which some breakdown of effective field theory may occur., Comment: 13 pages. v3: refs added. v2: minor clarifications