Cyclic cosmology from Lagrange-multiplier modified gravity

We investigate cyclic and singularity-free evolutions in a universe governed by Lagrange-multiplier modified gravity, either in scalar-field cosmology, as well as in $f(R)$ one. In the scalar case, cyclicity can be induced by a suitably reconstructed simple potential, and the matter content of the universe can be successfully incorporated. In the case of $f(R)$-gravity, cyclicity can be induced by a suitable reconstructed second function $f_2(R)$ of a very simple form, however the matter evolution cannot be analytically handled. Furthermore, we study the evolution of cosmological perturbations for the two scenarios. For the scalar case the system possesses no wavelike modes due to a dust-like sound speed, while for the $f(R)$ case there exist an oscillation mode of perturbations which indicates a dynamical degree of freedom. Both scenarios allow for stable parameter spaces of cosmological perturbations through the bouncing point.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, references added, accepted for publicatio

Cyclic Universe with Quintom matter in Loop Quantum Cosmology

In this paper, we study the possibility of model building of cyclic universe with Quintom matter in the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology. After a general demonstration, we provide two examples, one with double-fluid and another double-scalar field, to show how such a scenario is obtained. Analytical and numerical calculations are both presented in the paper.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

The effect of different baryons impurities

We demonstrate the different effect of different baryons impurities on the static properties of nuclei within the framework of the relativistic mean-field model. Systematic calculations show that $\Lambda_c^+$ and $\Lambda_b$ has the same attracting role as $\Lambda$ hyperon does in lighter hypernuclei. $\Xi^-$ and $\Xi_c^0$ hyperon has the attracting role only for the protons distribution, and has a repulsive role for the neutrons distribution. On the contrary, $\Xi^0$ and $\Xi^+_c$ hyperon attracts surrounding neutrons and reveals a repulsive force to the protons. We find that the different effect of different baryons impurities on the nuclear core is due to the different third component of their isospin.Comment: 9 page

Stochastic resonance in Gaussian quantum channels

We determine conditions for the presence of stochastic resonance in a lossy bosonic channel with a nonlinear, threshold decoding. The stochastic resonance effect occurs if and only if the detection threshold is outside of a "forbidden interval". We show that it takes place in different settings: when transmitting classical messages through a lossy bosonic channel, when transmitting over an entanglement-assisted lossy bosonic channel, and when discriminating channels with different loss parameters. Moreover, we consider a setting in which stochastic resonance occurs in the transmission of a qubit over a lossy bosonic channel with a particular encoding and decoding. In all cases, we assume the addition of Gaussian noise to the signal and show that it does not matter who, between sender and receiver, introduces such a noise. Remarkably, different results are obtained when considering a setting for private communication. In this case the symmetry between sender and receiver is broken and the "forbidden interval" may vanish, leading to the occurrence of stochastic resonance effects for any value of the detection threshold.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. Manuscript improved in many ways. New results on private communication adde

Guide them through: an automatic crowd control framework using multi-objective genetic programming

We propose an automatic crowd control framework based on multi-objective optimisa- tion of strategy space using genetic programming. In particular, based on the sensed local crowd densities at different segments, our framework is capable of generating control strategies that guide the individuals on when and where to slow down for opti- mal overall crowd flow in realtime, quantitatively measured by multiple objectives such as shorter travel time and less congestion along the path. The resulting Pareto-front al- lows selection of resilient and efficient crowd control strategies in different situations. We first chose a benchmark scenario as used in [1] to test the proposed method. Results show that our method is capable of finding control strategies that are not only quanti- tatively measured better, but also well aligned with domain experts’ recommendations on effective crowd control such as “slower is faster” and “asymmetric control”. We further applied the proposed framework in actual event planning with approximately 400 participants navigating through a multi-story building. In comparison with the baseline crowd models that do no employ control strategies or just use some hard-coded rules, the proposed framework achieves a shorter travel time and a significantly lower (20%) congestion along critical segments of the path

Application of a New Inoculant “Chikuso-1” for Silage Preparation of Forage Paddy Rice

Forage paddy rice is currently one of the most important silage crops in Japan. In fact, the use of paddy rice culture for silage production has been steadily increasing in recent years, not only because this represents a new way towards achieving self-sufficiency in animal feed, but also because of the interest of combining crop cultivation and livestock farming as a more effective use of idle paddy fields that often remain unused. However, the preparation of quality silage from paddy rice and its long-term storage are often challenging (Cai et al., 1999, 2003). In this study, a new bacterial inoculant was developed and its application for silage preparation of forage paddy rice was examined

FoxK1 and FoxK2 in insulin regulation of cellular and mitochondrial metabolism

A major target of insulin signaling is the FoxO family of Forkhead transcription factors, which translocate from the nucleus to the cytoplasm following insulin-stimulated phosphorylation. Here we show that the Forkhead transcription factors FoxK1 and FoxK2 are also downstream targets of insulin action, but that following insulin stimulation, they translocate from the cytoplasm to nucleus, reciprocal to the translocation of FoxO1. FoxK1/FoxK2 translocation to the nucleus is dependent on the Akt-mTOR pathway, while its localization to the cytoplasm in the basal state is dependent on GSK3. Knockdown of FoxK1 and FoxK2 in liver cells results in upregulation of genes related to apoptosis and down-regulation of genes involved in cell cycle and lipid metabolism. This is associated with decreased cell proliferation and altered mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism. Thus, FoxK1/K2 are reciprocally regulated to FoxO1 following insulin stimulation and play a critical role in the control of apoptosis, metabolism and mitochondrial function