Semantic spaces

Any natural language can be considered as a tool for producing large databases (consisting of texts, written, or discursive). This tool for its description in turn requires other large databases (dictionaries, grammars etc.). Nowadays, the notion of database is associated with computer processing and computer memory. However, a natural language resides also in human brains and functions in human communication, from interpersonal to intergenerational one. We discuss in this survey/research paper mathematical, in particular geometric, constructions, which help to bridge these two worlds. In particular, in this paper we consider the Vector Space Model of semantics based on frequency matrices, as used in Natural Language Processing. We investigate underlying geometries, formulated in terms of Grassmannians, projective spaces, and flag varieties. We formulate the relation between vector space models and semantic spaces based on semic axes in terms of projectability of subvarieties in Grassmannians and projective spaces. We interpret Latent Semantics as a geometric flow on Grassmannians. We also discuss how to formulate G\"ardenfors' notion of "meeting of minds" in our geometric setting.Comment: 32 pages, TeX, 1 eps figur

Problems on q-Analogs in Coding Theory

The interest in $q$-analogs of codes and designs has been increased in the last few years as a consequence of their new application in error-correction for random network coding. There are many interesting theoretical, algebraic, and combinatorial coding problems concerning these q-analogs which remained unsolved. The first goal of this paper is to make a short summary of the large amount of research which was done in the area mainly in the last few years and to provide most of the relevant references. The second goal of this paper is to present one hundred open questions and problems for future research, whose solution will advance the knowledge in this area. The third goal of this paper is to present and start some directions in solving some of these problems.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0805.3528 by other author

Anyons in Geometric Models of Matter

We show that the "geometric models of matter" approach proposed by the first author can be used to construct models of anyon quasiparticles with fractional quantum numbers, using 4-dimensional edge-cone orbifold geometries with orbifold singularities along embedded 2-dimensional surfaces. The anyon states arise through the braid representation of surface braids wrapped around the orbifold singularities, coming from multisections of the orbifold normal bundle of the embedded surface. We show that the resulting braid representations can give rise to a universal quantum computer.Comment: 22 pages LaTe

Bounds on data limits for all-to-all comparison from combinatorial designs

In situations where every item in a data set must be compared with every other item in the set, it may be desirable to store the data across a number of machines in such a way that any two data items are stored together on at least one machine. One way to evaluate the efficiency of such a distribution is by the largest fraction of the data it requires to be allocated to any one machine. The all-to-all comparison (ATAC) data limit for $m$ machines is a measure of the minimum of this value across all possible such distributions. In this paper we further the study of ATAC data limits. We observe relationships between them and the previously studied combinatorial parameters of fractional matching numbers and covering numbers. We also prove a lower bound on the ATAC data limit that improves on one of Hall, Kelly and Tian, and examine the special cases where equality in this bound is possible. Finally, we investigate the data limits achievable using various classes of combinatorial designs. In particular, we examine the cases of transversal designs and projective Hjelmslev planes.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

An extensive English language bibliography on graph theory and its applications, supplement 1

Graph theory and its applications - bibliography, supplement

Dissolving four-manifolds and positive scalar curvature

We prove that many simply connected symplectic four-manifolds dissolve after connected sum with only one copy of $S^{2}\times S^{2}$. For any finite group G that acts freely on the three-sphere we construct closed smooth four-manifolds with fundamental group G which do not admit metrics of positive scalar curvature, but whose universal covers do admit such metrics.Comment: 13 pages; to appear in Mathematische Zeitschrif