42,932 research outputs found
Casimir Effects in Renormalizable Quantum Field Theories
We review the framework we and our collaborators have developed for the study
of one-loop quantum corrections to extended field configurations in
renormalizable quantum field theories. We work in the continuum, transforming
the standard Casimir sum over modes into a sum over bound states and an
integral over scattering states weighted by the density of states. We express
the density of states in terms of phase shifts, allowing us to extract
divergences by identifying Born approximations to the phase shifts with low
order Feynman diagrams. Once isolated in Feynman diagrams, the divergences are
canceled against standard counterterms. Thus regulated, the Casimir sum is
highly convergent and amenable to numerical computation. Our methods have
numerous applications to the theory of solitons, membranes, and quantum field
theories in strong external fields or subject to boundary conditions.Comment: 27 pp., 11 EPS figures, LaTeX using ijmpa1.sty; email correspondence
to R.L. Jaffe ; based on talks presented by the authors at
the 5th workshop `QFTEX', Leipzig, September 200
Optimizing egalitarian performance in the side-effects model of colocation for data center resource management
In data centers, up to dozens of tasks are colocated on a single physical
machine. Machines are used more efficiently, but tasks' performance
deteriorates, as colocated tasks compete for shared resources. As tasks are
heterogeneous, the resulting performance dependencies are complex. In our
previous work [18] we proposed a new combinatorial optimization model that uses
two parameters of a task - its size and its type - to characterize how a task
influences the performance of other tasks allocated to the same machine.
In this paper, we study the egalitarian optimization goal: maximizing the
worst-off performance. This problem generalizes the classic makespan
minimization on multiple processors (P||Cmax). We prove that
polynomially-solvable variants of multiprocessor scheduling are NP-hard and
hard to approximate when the number of types is not constant. For a constant
number of types, we propose a PTAS, a fast approximation algorithm, and a
series of heuristics. We simulate the algorithms on instances derived from a
trace of one of Google clusters. Algorithms aware of jobs' types lead to better
performance compared with algorithms solving P||Cmax.
The notion of type enables us to model degeneration of performance caused by
using standard combinatorial optimization methods. Types add a layer of
additional complexity. However, our results - approximation algorithms and good
average-case performance - show that types can be handled efficiently.Comment: Author's version of a paper published in Euro-Par 2017 Proceedings,
extends the published paper with addtional results and proof
Finding the way forward for forensic science in the US:a commentary on the PCAST report
A recent report by the US Presidentâs Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) [1] has made a number of recommendations for the future development of forensic science. Whereas we all agree that there is much need for change, we find that the PCAST report recommendations are founded on serious misunderstandings. We explain the traditional forensic paradigms of match and identification and the more recent foundation of the logical approach to evidence evaluation. This forms the groundwork for exposing many sources of confusion in the PCAST report. We explain how the notion of treating the scientist as a black box and the assignment of evidential weight through error rates is overly restrictive and misconceived. Our own view sees inferential logic, the development of calibrated knowledge and understanding of scientists as the core of the advance of the profession
Reduction in jejunal fluid absorption in vivo through distension and cholinergic stimulation not attributable to enterocyte secretion
Jejunal fluid absorption in vivo was reduced by distension and by hydrostatic pressure and further declined on adding E. coli STa enterotoxin but no net fluid secretion was detected. Luminal atropine reduced pressure mediated reductions in fluid absorption to normal values but intravenous hexamethonium was without effect. A neural component to inhibition of absorption by pressure (though not stretch) may be mediated by axon reflexes within cholinergic neurons.Perfusion of cholinergic compounds also reduced net fluid absorption but did not cause secretion. In order to show that these actions were not secretory processes stimulated by cholinergic compounds that offset normal rates of absorption, these compounds were tested for their ability to cause net secretion in loops that were perfused with solutions in which choline substituted for sodium ion. In addition, these perfusates additionally contained E. coli STa enterotoxin or EIPA (ethyl-isopropyl-amiloride) to minimize absorption.In these circumstances, where it might be expected to do so if it were acting through a secretory rather than an absorptive mechanism, carbachol did not cause net fluid secretion. Cholinergic stimulation and pressure induced distension are thought to reduce net fluid absorption through inducing secretion but are found only to reduce fluid absorption.In conclusion, distension and cholinergic stimulation of the small intestine are two further circumstances in which fluid secretion is assumed to explain their action on fluid movement, as required by the enterocyte secretion model of secretion but, which like STa enterotoxin, instead are only able to reduce fluid absorption. This casts further doubt on the widespread validity of the enterocyte secretion model for fluid appearance in the lumen in diarrhoeal diseases
Quantum Energies of Interfaces
We present a method for computing the one-loop, renormalized quantum energies
of symmetrical interfaces of arbitrary dimension and codimension using
elementary scattering data. Internal consistency requires finite-energy sum
rules relating phase shifts to bound state energies.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, minor changes, Phys. Rev. Lett., in prin
Some Pattern Recognition Challenges in Data-Intensive Astronomy
We review some of the recent developments and challenges posed by the data
analysis in modern digital sky surveys, which are representative of the
information-rich astronomy in the context of Virtual Observatory. Illustrative
examples include the problems of an automated star-galaxy classification in
complex and heterogeneous panoramic imaging data sets, and an automated,
iterative, dynamical classification of transient events detected in synoptic
sky surveys. These problems offer good opportunities for productive
collaborations between astronomers and applied computer scientists and
statisticians, and are representative of the kind of challenges now present in
all data-intensive fields. We discuss briefly some emergent types of scalable
scientific data analysis systems with a broad applicability.Comment: 8 pages, compressed pdf file, figures downgraded in quality in order
to match the arXiv size limi
Diagnosis and Management of COVID-19 Disease
SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that was identified in late 2019 as the causative agent of COVID-19 (aka coronavirus disease 2019). On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the world-wide outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic. This document summarizes the most recent knowledge regarding the biology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of COVID-19
Scaling function for the noisy Burgers equation in the soliton approximation
We derive the scaling function for the one dimensional noisy Burgers equation
in the two-soliton approximation within the weak noise canonical phase space
approach. The result is in agreement with an earlier heuristic expression and
exhibits the correct scaling properties. The calculation presents the first
step in a many body treatment of the correlations in the Burgers equation.Comment: Replacement: Several corrections, 4 pages, Revtex file, 3 figures. To
appear in Europhysics Letter
- âŠ