Shedding light on a living lab: the CLEF NEWSREEL open recommendation platform

In the CLEF NEWSREEL lab, participants are invited to evaluate news recommendation techniques in real-time by providing news recommendations to actual users that visit commercial news portals to satisfy their information needs. A central role within this lab is the communication between participants and the users. This is enabled by The Open Recommendation Platform (ORP), a web-based platform which distributes users' impressions of news articles to the participants and returns their recommendations to the readers. In this demo, we illustrate the platform and show how requests are handled to provide relevant news articles in real-time

Spaces of sections of Banach algebra bundles

Suppose that $B$ is a $G$-Banach algebra over $\mathbb{F} = \mathbb{R}$ or $\mathbb{C}$, $X$ is a finite dimensional compact metric space, $\zeta : P \to X$ is a standard principal $G$-bundle, and $A_\zeta = \Gamma (X, P \times_G B)$ is the associated algebra of sections. We produce a spectral sequence which converges to $\pi_*(GL_o A_\zeta)$ with [E^2_{-p,q} \cong \check{H}^p(X ; \pi_q(GL_o B)).] A related spectral sequence converging to \K_{*+1}(A_\zeta) (the real or complex topological $K$-theory) allows us to conclude that if $B$ is Bott-stable, (i.e., if \pi_*(GL_o B) \to \K_{*+1}(B) is an isomorphism for all $*>0$) then so is $A_\zeta$.Comment: 15 pages. Results generalized to include both real and complex K-theory. To appear in J. K-Theor

Using a neural network approach for muon reconstruction and triggering

The extremely high rate of events that will be produced in the future Large Hadron Collider requires the triggering mechanism to take precise decisions in a few nano-seconds. We present a study which used an artificial neural network triggering algorithm and compared it to the performance of a dedicated electronic muon triggering system. Relatively simple architecture was used to solve a complicated inverse problem. A comparison with a realistic example of the ATLAS first level trigger simulation was in favour of the neural network. A similar architecture trained after the simulation of the electronics first trigger stage showed a further background rejection.Comment: A talk given at ACAT03, KEK, Japan, November 2003. Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section

Weak-coupling phase diagrams of bond-aligned and diagonal doped Hubbard ladders

We study, using a perturbative renormalization group technique, the phase diagrams of bond-aligned and diagonal Hubbard ladders defined as sections of a square lattice with nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor hopping. We find that for not too large hole doping and small next-nearest-neighbor hopping the bond-aligned systems exhibit a fully spin-gapped phase while the diagonal systems remain gapless. Increasing the next-nearest-neighbor hopping typically leads to a decrease of the gap in the bond-aligned ladders, and to a transition into a gapped phase in the diagonal ladders. Embedding the ladders in an antiferromagnetic environment can lead to a reduction in the extent of the gapped phases. These findings suggest a relation between the orientation of hole-rich stripes and superconductivity as observed in LSCO.Comment: Published version. The set of RG equations in the presence of magnetization was corrected and two figures were replace

Solitons supported by localized nonlinearities in periodic media

Nonlinear periodic systems, such as photonic crystals and Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) loaded into optical lattices, are often described by the nonlinear Schr\"odinger/Gross-Pitaevskii equation with a sinusoidal potential. Here, we consider a model based on such a periodic potential, with the nonlinearity (attractive or repulsive) concentrated either at a single point or at a symmetric set of two points, which are represented, respectively, by a single {\delta}-function or a combination of two {\delta}-functions. This model gives rise to ordinary solitons or gap solitons (GSs), which reside, respectively, in the semi-infinite or finite gaps of the system's linear spectrum, being pinned to the {\delta}-functions. Physical realizations of these systems are possible in optics and BEC, using diverse variants of the nonlinearity management. First, we demonstrate that the single {\delta}-function multiplying the nonlinear term supports families of stable regular solitons in the self-attractive case, while a family of solitons supported by the attractive {\delta}-function in the absence of the periodic potential is completely unstable. We also show that the {\delta}-function can support stable GSs in the first finite gap in both the self-attractive and repulsive models. The stability analysis for the GSs in the second finite gap is reported too, for both signs of the nonlinearity. Alongside the numerical analysis, analytical approximations are developed for the solitons in the semi-infinite and first two finite gaps, with the single {\delta}-function positioned at a minimum or maximum of the periodic potential. In the model with the symmetric set of two {\delta}-functions, we study the effect of the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the pinned solitons. Two configurations are considered, with the {\delta}-functions set symmetrically with respect to the minimum or maximum of the potential

Enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature in La2-xSrxCuO4 bilayers: Role of pairing and phase stiffness

The superconducting transition temperature, Tc, of bilayers comprising underdoped La2-xSrxCuO4 films capped by a thin heavily overdoped metallic La1.65Sr0.35CuO4 layer, is found to increase with respect to Tc of the bare underdoped films. The highest Tc is achieved for x = 0.12, close to the 'anomalous' 1/8 doping level, and exceeds that of the optimally-doped bare film. Our data suggest that the enhanced superconductivity is confined to the interface between the layers. We attribute the effect to a combination of the high pairing scale in the underdoped layer with an enhanced phase stiffness induced by the overdoped film.Comment: Published versio

Gi- and Gs-coupled GPCRs show different modes of G-protein binding.

More than two decades ago, the activation mechanism for the membrane-bound photoreceptor and prototypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) rhodopsin was uncovered. Upon light-induced changes in ligand-receptor interaction, movement of specific transmembrane helices within the receptor opens a crevice at the cytoplasmic surface, allowing for coupling of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins). The general features of this activation mechanism are conserved across the GPCR superfamily. Nevertheless, GPCRs have selectivity for distinct G-protein family members, but the mechanism of selectivity remains elusive. Structures of GPCRs in complex with the stimulatory G protein, Gs, and an accessory nanobody to stabilize the complex have been reported, providing information on the intermolecular interactions. However, to reveal the structural selectivity filters, it will be necessary to determine GPCR-G protein structures involving other G-protein subtypes. In addition, it is important to obtain structures in the absence of a nanobody that may influence the structure. Here, we present a model for a rhodopsin-G protein complex derived from intermolecular distance constraints between the activated receptor and the inhibitory G protein, Gi, using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and spin-labeling methodologies. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated the overall stability of the modeled complex. In the rhodopsin-Gi complex, Gi engages rhodopsin in a manner distinct from previous GPCR-Gs structures, providing insight into specificity determinants