372 research outputs found
An Inverse Method for Policy-Iteration Based Algorithms
We present an extension of two policy-iteration based algorithms on weighted
graphs (viz., Markov Decision Problems and Max-Plus Algebras). This extension
allows us to solve the following inverse problem: considering the weights of
the graph to be unknown constants or parameters, we suppose that a reference
instantiation of those weights is given, and we aim at computing a constraint
on the parameters under which an optimal policy for the reference instantiation
is still optimal. The original algorithm is thus guaranteed to behave well
around the reference instantiation, which provides us with some criteria of
robustness. We present an application of both methods to simple examples. A
prototype implementation has been done
A new classification of Cyperaceae (Poales) supported by phylogenomic data
Cyperaceae (sedges) are the third largest monocot family and are of considerable economic and ecological importance. Sedges represent an ideal model family to study evolutionary biology due to their species richness, global distribution, large discrepancies in lineage diversity, broad range of ecological preferences, and adaptations including multiple origins of C4 photosynthesis and holocentric chromosomes. Goetghebeur′s seminal work on Cyperaceae published in 1998 provided the most recent complete classification at tribal and generic level, based on a morphological study of Cyperaceae inflorescence, spikelet, flower, and embryo characters, plus anatomical and other information. Since then, several family-level molecular phylogenetic studies using Sanger sequence data have been published. Here, more than 20 years after the last comprehensive classification of the family, we present the first family-wide phylogenomic study of Cyperaceae based on targeted sequencing using the Angiosperms353 probe kit sampling 311 accessions. In addition, 62 accessions available from GenBank were mined for overlapping reads and included in the phylogenomic analyses. Informed by this backbone phylogeny, a new classification for the family at the tribal, subtribal, and generic levels is proposed. The majority of previously recognized suprageneric groups are supported, and for the first time, we establish support for tribe Cryptangieae as a clade including the genus Koyamaea. We provide a taxonomic treatment including identification keys and diagnoses for the 2 subfamilies, 24 tribes, and 10 subtribes, and basic information on the 95 genera. The classification includes five new subtribes in tribe Schoeneae: Anthelepidinae, Caustiinae, Gymnoschoeninae, Lepidospermatinae, and Oreobolinae
North America’s oldest boreal trees are more efficient water users due to increased [CO2], but do not grow faster
Due to anthropogenic emissions and changes in land use, trees are now exposed to atmospheric levels of [CO2] that are unprecedented for 650,000 y [Lüthi et al. (2008) Nature 453:379–382] (thousands of tree generations). Trees are expected to acclimate by modulating leaf–gas exchanges and alter water use efficiency which may result in forest productivity changes. Here, we present evidence of one of the strongest, nonlinear, and unequivocal postindustrial increases in intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) ever documented (+59%). A dual-isotope tree-ring analysis (δ13C and δ18O) covering 715 y of growth of North America’s oldest boreal trees (Thuja occidentalis L.) revealed an unprecedented increase in iWUE that was directly linked to elevated assimilation rates of CO2 (A). However, limited nutrient availability, changes in carbon allocation strategies, and changes in stomatal density may have offset stem growth benefits awarded by the increased iWUE. Our results demonstrate that even in scenarios where a positive CO2 fertilization effect is observed, other mechanisms may prevent trees from assimilating and storing supplementary anthropogenic emissions as above-ground biomass. In such cases, the sink capacity of forests in response to changing atmospheric conditions might be overestimated
Whole-genome analyses disentangle reticulate evolution of primroses in a biodiversity hotspot
Biodiversity hotspots, such as the Caucasus mountains, provide unprecedented opportunities for understanding the evolutionary processes that shape species diversity and richness. Therefore, we investigated the evolution of Primula sect. Primula, a clade with a high degree of endemism in the Caucasus. We performed phylogenetic and network analyses of whole-genome resequencing data from the entire nuclear genome, the entire chloroplast genome, and the entire heterostyly supergene. The different characteristics of the genomic partitions and the resulting phylogenetic incongruences enabled us to disentangle evolutionary histories resulting from tokogenetic vs cladogenetic processes. We provide the first phylogeny inferred from the heterostyly supergene that includes all species of Primula sect. Primula. Our results identified recurrent admixture at deep nodes between lineages in the Caucasus as the cause of non-monophyly in Primula. Biogeographic analyses support the 'out-of-the-Caucasus' hypothesis, emphasizing the importance of this hotspot as a cradle for biodiversity. Our findings provide novel insights into causal processes of phylogenetic discordance, demonstrating that genome-wide analyses from partitions with contrasting genetic characteristics and broad geographic sampling are crucial for disentangling the diversification of species-rich clades in biodiversity hotspots
Quantum erasure using entangled surface acoustic phonons
Using the deterministic, on-demand generation of two entangled phonons, we
demonstrate a quantum eraser protocol in a phononic interferometer where the
which-path information can be heralded during the interference process.
Omitting the heralding step yields a clear interference pattern in the
interfering half-quanta pathways; including the heralding step suppresses this
pattern. If we erase the heralded information after the interference has been
measured, the interference pattern is recovered, thereby implementing a
delayed-choice quantum erasure. The test is implemented using a closed
surface-acoustic-wave communication channel into which one superconducting
qubit can emit itinerant phonons that the same or a second qubit can later
re-capture. If the first qubit releases only half of a phonon, the system
follows a superposition of paths during the phonon propagation: either an
itinerant phonon is in the channel, or the first qubit remains in its excited
state. These two paths are made to constructively or destructively interfere by
changing the relative phase of the two intermediate states, resulting in a
phase-dependent modulation of the first qubit's final state, following
interaction with the half-phonon. A heralding mechanism is added to this
construct, entangling a heralding phonon with the signalling phonon. The first
qubit emits a phonon herald conditioned on the qubit being in its excited
state, with no signaling phonon, and the second qubit catches this heralding
phonon, storing which-path information which can either be read out, destroying
the signaling phonon's self-interference, or erased.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure
Discovery of a Wide Planetary-mass Companion to the Young M3 Star GU Psc
We present the discovery of a comoving planetary-mass companion ~42" (~2000 AU) from a young M3 star, GU Psc, a likely member of the young AB Doradus Moving Group (ABDMG). The companion was first identified via its distinctively red i − z color (>3.5) through a survey made with Gemini-S/GMOS. Follow-up Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope/WIRCam near-infrared (NIR) imaging, Gemini-N/GNIRS NIR spectroscopy and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer photometry indicate a spectral type of T3.5 ± 1 and reveal signs of low gravity which we attribute to youth. Keck/Adaptive Optics NIR observations did not resolve the companion as a binary. A comparison with atmosphere models indicates T_eff = 1000–1100 K and log g = 4.5–5.0. Based on evolution models, this temperature corresponds to a mass of 9–13  M_Jup for the age of ABDMG (70–130 Myr). The relatively well-constrained age of this companion and its very large angular separation to its host star will allow its thorough characterization and will make it a valuable comparison for planetary-mass companions that will be uncovered by forthcoming planet-finder instruments such as Gemini Planet Imager and SPHERE
Spectroscopy, MOST Photometry, and Interferometry of MWC 314: Is it an LBV or an interacting binary?
MWC 314 is a bright candidate luminous blue variable that resides in a fairly
close binary system, with an orbital period of 60.7530.003 d. We observed
MWC 314 with a combination of optical spectroscopy, broad-band ground- and
space-based photometry, as well as with long baseline, near-infrared
interferometry. We have revised the single-lined spectroscopic orbit and
explored the photometric variability. The orbital light curve displays two
minima each orbit that can be partially explained in terms of the tidal
distortion of the primary that occurs around the time of periastron. The
emission lines in the system are often double-peaked and stationary in their
kinematics, indicative of a circumbinary disc. We find that the stellar wind or
circumbinary disc is partially resolved in the K\prime-band with the longest
baselines of the CHARA Array. From this analysis, we provide a simple,
qualitative model in an attempt to explain the observations. From the
assumption of Roche Lobe overflow and tidal synchronisation at periastron, we
estimate the component masses to be M1 M and M2
M, which indicates a mass of the LBV that is extremely low. In addition
to the orbital modulation, we discovered two pulsational modes with the MOST
satellite. These modes are easily supported by a low-mass hydrogen-poor star,
but cannot be easily supported by a star with the parameters of an LBV. The
combination of these results provides evidence that the primary star was likely
never a normal LBV, but rather is the product of binary interactions. As such,
this system presents opportunities for studying mass-transfer and binary
evolution with many observational techniques.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables, 2 appendices with 7 additional tables
and 2 additional figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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