685 research outputs found
Parallel Metric Tree Embedding based on an Algebraic View on Moore-Bellman-Ford
A \emph{metric tree embedding} of expected \emph{stretch~}
maps a weighted -node graph to a weighted tree with such that, for all ,
and
. Such embeddings are highly useful for designing
fast approximation algorithms, as many hard problems are easy to solve on tree
instances. However, to date the best parallel -depth algorithm that achieves an asymptotically optimal expected stretch of
requires
work and a metric as input.
In this paper, we show how to achieve the same guarantees using
depth and
work, where and is an arbitrarily small constant.
Moreover, one may further reduce the work to at the expense of increasing the expected stretch to
.
Our main tool in deriving these parallel algorithms is an algebraic
characterization of a generalization of the classic Moore-Bellman-Ford
algorithm. We consider this framework, which subsumes a variety of previous
"Moore-Bellman-Ford-like" algorithms, to be of independent interest and discuss
it in depth. In our tree embedding algorithm, we leverage it for providing
efficient query access to an approximate metric that allows sampling the tree
using depth and work.
We illustrate the generality and versatility of our techniques by various
examples and a number of additional results
Residues and Topological Yang-Mills Theory in Two Dimensions
A residue formula which evaluates any correlation function of topological
Yang-Mills theory with arbitrary magnetic flux insertion in two
dimensions are obtained. Deformations of the system by two form operators are
investigated in some detail. The method of the diagonalization of a matrix
valued field turns out to be useful to compute various physical quantities. As
an application we find the operator that contracts a handle of a Riemann
surface and a genus recursion relation.Comment: 23 pages, some references added, to appear in Rev.Math.Phy
Hybrid expansions for local structural relaxations
A model is constructed in which pair potentials are combined with the cluster
expansion method in order to better describe the energetics of structurally
relaxed substitutional alloys. The effect of structural relaxations away from
the ideal crystal positions, and the effect of ordering is described by
interatomic-distance dependent pair potentials, while more subtle
configurational aspects associated with correlations of three- and more sites
are described purely within the cluster expansion formalism. Implementation of
such a hybrid expansion in the context of the cluster variation method or Monte
Carlo method gives improved ability to model phase stability in alloys from
first-principles.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
High frequency magnetic behavior through the magnetoimpedance effect in CoFeB/(Ta, Ag, Cu) multilayered ferromagnetic thin films
We studied the dynamics of magnetization through an investigation of the
magnetoimpedance effect in CoFeB/(Ta, Ag, Cu) multilayered thin films grown by
magnetron sputtering. Impedance measurements were analyzed in terms of the
mechanisms responsible for their variations at different frequency intervals
and the magnetic and structural properties of the multilayers. Analysis of the
mechanisms responsible for magnetoimpedance according to frequency and external
magnetic field showed that for the CoFeB/Cu multilayer, ferromagnetic resonance
(FMR) contributes significantly to the magnetoimpedance effect at frequencies
close to 470 MHz. This frequency is low when compared to the results obtained
for CoFeB/Ta and CoFeB/Ag multilayers and is a result of the anisotropy
distribution and non-formation of regular bilayers in this sample. The MImax
values occurred at different frequencies according to the used non-magnetic
metal. Variations between 25% and 30% were seen for a localized frequency band,
as in the case of CoFeB/Ta and CoFeB/Ag, as well as for a wide frequency range,
in the case of CoFeB/Cu.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Reachability problems for products of matrices in semirings
We consider the following matrix reachability problem: given square
matrices with entries in a semiring, is there a product of these matrices which
attains a prescribed matrix? We define similarly the vector (resp. scalar)
reachability problem, by requiring that the matrix product, acting by right
multiplication on a prescribed row vector, gives another prescribed row vector
(resp. when multiplied at left and right by prescribed row and column vectors,
gives a prescribed scalar). We show that over any semiring, scalar reachability
reduces to vector reachability which is equivalent to matrix reachability, and
that for any of these problems, the specialization to any is
equivalent to the specialization to . As an application of this result and
of a theorem of Krob, we show that when , the vector and matrix
reachability problems are undecidable over the max-plus semiring
. We also show that the matrix, vector, and scalar
reachability problems are decidable over semirings whose elements are
``positive'', like the tropical semiring .Comment: 21 page
Vibration and buckling of thin-walled composite I-beams with arbitrary lay-ups under axial loads and end moments
A finite element model with seven degrees of freedom per node is developed to study vibration and buckling of thin-walled composite I-beams with arbitrary lay-ups under constant axial loads and equal end moments. This model is based on the classical lamination theory, and accounts for all the structural coupling coming from material anisotropy. The governing differential equations are derived from the Hamilton’s principle. Numerical results are obtained for thin-walled composite I-beams to investigate the effects of axial force, bending moment and fiber orientation on the buckling moments, natural frequencies, and corresponding vibration mode shapes as well as axial-moment-frequency interaction curves
Discounting in LTL
In recent years, there is growing need and interest in formalizing and
reasoning about the quality of software and hardware systems. As opposed to
traditional verification, where one handles the question of whether a system
satisfies, or not, a given specification, reasoning about quality addresses the
question of \emph{how well} the system satisfies the specification. One
direction in this effort is to refine the "eventually" operators of temporal
logic to {\em discounting operators}: the satisfaction value of a specification
is a value in , where the longer it takes to fulfill eventuality
requirements, the smaller the satisfaction value is.
In this paper we introduce an augmentation by discounting of Linear Temporal
Logic (LTL), and study it, as well as its combination with propositional
quality operators. We show that one can augment LTL with an arbitrary set of
discounting functions, while preserving the decidability of the model-checking
problem. Further augmenting the logic with unary propositional quality
operators preserves decidability, whereas adding an average-operator makes some
problems undecidable. We also discuss the complexity of the problem, as well as
various extensions
Mixed valency in cerium oxide crystallographic phases: Determination of valence of the different cerium sites by the bond valence method
We have applied the bond valence method to cerium oxides to determine the
oxidation states of the Ce ion at the various site symmetries of the crystals.
The crystals studied include cerium dioxide and the two sesquioxides along with
some selected intermediate phases which are crystallographically well
characterized. Our results indicate that cerium dioxide has a mixed-valence
ground state with an f-electron population on the Ce site of 0.27 while both
the A- and C-sesquioxides have a nearly pure f^1 configuration. The Ce sites in
most of the intermediate oxides have non-integral valences. Furthermore, many
of these valences are different from the values predicted from a naive
consideration of the stoichiometric valence of the compound
Quiver Theories from D6-branes via Mirror Symmetry
We study N=1 four dimensional quiver theories arising on the worldvolume of
D3-branes at del Pezzo singularities of Calabi-Yau threefolds. We argue that
under local mirror symmetry D3-branes become D6-branes wrapped on a three torus
in the mirror manifold. The type IIB (p,q) 5-brane web description of the local
del Pezzo, being closely related to the geometry of its mirror manifold,
encodes the geometry of 3-cycles and is used to obtain gauge groups, quiver
diagrams and the charges of the fractional branes.Comment: 30 pages, citations adde
Evidence of a high incidence of subclinically affected calves in a herd of cattle with fatal cases of Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP).
BACKGROUND: Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP) is a disease of calves characterised by bone marrow trilineage hypoplasia, mediated by ingestion of alloantibodies in colostrum. Suspected subclinical forms of BNP have been reported, suggesting that observed clinical cases may not represent the full extent of the disease. However to date there are no objective data available on the incidence of subclinical disease or its temporal distribution. This study aimed to 1) ascertain whether subclinical BNP occurs and, if so, to determine the incidence on an affected farm and 2) determine whether there is evidence of temporal clustering of BNP cases on this farm. To achieve these aims, haematological screening of calves born on the farm during one calving season was carried out, utilising blood samples collected at defined ages. These data were then analysed in comparison to data from both known BNP-free control animals and histopathologically confirmed BNP cases. An ordinal logistic regression model was used to create a composite haematology score to predict the probabilities of calves being normal, based on their haematology measurements at 10–14 days old. RESULTS: This study revealed that 15% (21 of 139) of the clinically normal calves on this farm had profoundly abnormal haematology (<5% chance of being normal) and could be defined as affected by subclinical BNP. Together with clinical BNP cases, this gave the study farm a BNP incidence of 18%. Calves with BNP were found to be distributed throughout the calving period, with no clustering, and no significant differences in the date of birth of cases or subclinical cases were found compared to the rest of the calves. This study did not find any evidence of increased mortality or increased time from birth to sale in subclinical BNP calves but, as the study only involved a single farm and adverse effects may be determined by other inter-current diseases it remains possible that subclinical BNP has a detrimental impact on the health and productivity of calves under certain circumstances. CONCLUSIONS: Subclinical BNP was found to occur at a high incidence in a herd of cattle with fatal cases of BNP
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