Semi-supervised stochastic blockmodel for structure analysis of signed networks

© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Finding hidden structural patterns is a critical problem for all types of networks, including signed networks. Among all of the methods for structural analysis of complex network, stochastic blockmodel (SBM) is an important research tool because it is flexible and can generate networks with many different types of structures. However, most existing SBM learning methods for signed networks are unsupervised, leading to poor performance in terms of finding hidden structural patterns, especially when handling noisy and sparse networks. Learning SBM in a semi-supervised way is a promising avenue for overcoming the above difficulty. In this type of model, a small number of labelled nodes and a large number of unlabelled nodes, coupled with their network structures, are simultaneously used to train SBM. We propose a novel semi-supervised signed stochastic blockmodel and its learning algorithm based on variational Bayesian inference, with the goal of discovering both assortative (the nodes connect more densely in same clusters than that in different clusters) and disassortative (the nodes link more sparsely in same clusters than that in different clusters) structures from signed networks. The proposed model is validated through a number of experiments wherein it compared with the state-of-the-art methods using both synthetic and real-world data. The carefully designed tests, allowing to account for different scenarios, show our method outperforms other approaches existing in this space. It is especially relevant in the case of noisy and sparse networks as they constitute the majority of the real-world networks

Long range rapidity correlations and jet production in high energy nuclear collisions

The STAR Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider presents a systematic study of high-transverse-momentum charged-di-hadron correlations at small azimuthal pair separation Δϕ in d+Au and central Au+Au collisions at √sNN=200 GeV. Significant correlated yield for pairs with large longitudinal separation Δη is observed in central Au+Au collisions, in contrast to d+Au collisions. The associated yield distribution in Δη×Δϕ can be decomposed into a narrow jet-like peak at small angular separation which has a similar shape to that found in d+Au collisions, and a component that is narrow in Δϕ and depends only weakly on Δη, the “ridge.” Using two systematically independent determinations of the background normalization and shape, finite ridge yield is found to persist for trigger pt>6 GeV/c, indicating that it is correlated with jet production. The transverse-momentum spectrum of hadrons comprising the ridge is found to be similar to that of bulk particle production in the measured range (2<pt<4 GeV/c)

Forward Λ production and nuclear stopping power in d+Au collisions at √sNN=200 GeV

We report the measurement of Λ and Λ¯ yields and inverse slope parameters in d+Au collisions at √sNN=200 GeV at forward and backward rapidities (y=±2.75), using data from the STAR forward time projection chambers. The contributions of different processes to baryon transport and particle production are probed exploiting the inherent asymmetry of the d+Au system. Comparisons to model calculations show that baryon transport on the deuteron side is consistent with multiple collisions of the deuteron nucleons with gold participants. On the gold side, HIJING-based models without a hadronic rescattering phase do not describe the measured particle yields, while models that include target remnants or hadronic rescattering do. The multichain model can provide a good description of the net baryon density in d+Au collisions at energies currently available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and the derived parameters of the model agree with those from nuclear collisions at lower energies

Transverse Momentum and Centrality Dependence of High-pT Nonphotonic Electron Suppression in Au+Au Collisions at √sNN=200 GeV.

The STAR collaboration at the BNL Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) reports measurements of the inclusive yield of nonphotonic electrons, which arise dominantly from semileptonic decays of heavy flavor mesons, over a broad range of transverse momenta (1.2<pT<10  GeV/c) in p+p, d+Au, and Au+Au collisions at √sNN=200  GeV. The nonphotonic electron yield exhibits an unexpectedly large suppression in central Au+Au collisions at high pT, suggesting substantial heavy-quark energy loss at RHIC. The centrality and pT dependences of the suppression provide constraints on theoretical models of suppression

Stem cell highways: signalling beats trafficking?

status: publishe

Beam-energy and system-size dependence of dynamical net charge fluctuations

We present measurements of net charge fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at √sNN=19.6, 62.4, 130, and 200 GeV, Cu+Cu collisions at √sNN=62.4 and 200 GeV, and p+p collisions at √s=200 GeV using the dynamical net charge fluctuations measure ν+−,dyn. We observe that the dynamical fluctuations are nonzero at all energies and exhibit a modest dependence on beam energy. A weak system size dependence is also observed. We examine the collision centrality dependence of the net charge fluctuations and find that dynamical net charge fluctuations violate 1/Nch scaling but display approximate 1/Npart scaling. We also study the azimuthal and rapidity dependence of the net charge correlation strength and observe strong dependence on the azimuthal angular range and pseudorapidity widths integrated to measure the correlation

Global polarization of QGP in non-central heavy ion collisions at high energies

Due to the presence of a large orbital angular momentum of the parton system produced at the early stage of non-central heavy-ion collisions, quarks and anti-quarks are shown to be polarized in the direction opposite to the reaction plane which is determined by the impact-parameter and the beam momentum. The global quark polarization via elastic scattering was first calculated in an effective static potential model, then using QCD at finite temperature with the hard-thermal-loop re-summed gluon propagator. The measurable consequences are discussed. Global hyperon polarization from the hadronization of polarized quarks are predicted independent of the hadronization scenarios. It has also been shown that the global polarization of quarks and anti-quarks leads also to spin alignment of vector mesons. Dedicated measurements at RHIC are underway and some of the preliminary results are obtained. In this presentation, the basic idea and main results of global quark polarization are presented. The direct consequences such as global hyperon polarization and spin alignment are summarized.Comment: plenary talk at the 19th International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (QM2006), Shanghai, China, November 14-20, 200

Heavy-to-light transition form factors and their relations in light-cone QCD sum rules

The improved light-cone QCD sum rules by using chiral current correlator is systematically reviewed and applied to the calculation of all the heavy-to-light form factors, including all the semileptonic and penguin ones. By choosing suitable chiral currents, the light-cone sum rules for all the form factors are greatly simplified and depend mainly on one leading twist distribution amplitude of the light meson. As a result, relations between these form factors arise naturally. At the considered accuracy these relations reproduce the results obtained in the literature. Moreover, since the explicit dependence on the leading twist distribution amplitudes is preserved, these relations may be more useful to simulate the experimental data and extract the information on the distribution amplitude.Comment: 1+16 pages, no figure