4,241 research outputs found
A Backtracking-Based Algorithm for Computing Hypertree-Decompositions
Hypertree decompositions of hypergraphs are a generalization of tree
decompositions of graphs. The corresponding hypertree-width is a measure for
the cyclicity and therefore tractability of the encoded computation problem.
Many NP-hard decision and computation problems are known to be tractable on
instances whose structure corresponds to hypergraphs of bounded
hypertree-width. Intuitively, the smaller the hypertree-width, the faster the
computation problem can be solved. In this paper, we present the new
backtracking-based algorithm det-k-decomp for computing hypertree
decompositions of small width. Our benchmark evaluations have shown that
det-k-decomp significantly outperforms opt-k-decomp, the only exact hypertree
decomposition algorithm so far. Even compared to the best heuristic algorithm,
we obtained competitive results as long as the hypergraphs are not too large.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, 3 table
A Catchment-Based Land Surface Model for GCMs and the Framework for its Evaluation
A new GCM-scale land surface modeling strategy that explicitly accounts for subgrid soil moisture variability and its effects on evaporation and runoff is now being explored. In a break from traditional modeling strategies, the continental surface is disaggregated into a mosaic of hydrological catchments, with boundaries that are not dictated by a regular grid but by topography. Within each catchment, the variability of soil moisture is deduced from TOP-MODEL equations with a special treatment of the unsaturated zone. This paper gives an overview of this new approach and presents the general framework for its off-line evaluation over North-America
Nuclear Tetrahedral Symmetry: Possibly Present Throughout the Periodic Table
More than half a century after the fundamental, spherical shell structure in
nuclei has been established, theoretical predictions indicate that the
shell-gaps comparable or even stronger than those at spherical shapes may
exist. Group-theoretical analysis supported by realistic mean-field
calculations indicate that the corresponding nuclei are characterized by the
('double-tetrahedral') group of symmetry, exact or approximate. The
corresponding strong shell-gap structure is markedly enhanced by the existence
of the 4-dimensional irreducible representations of the group in question and
consequently it can be seen as a geometrical effect that does not depend on a
particular realization of the mean-field. Possibilities of discovering the
corresponding symmetry in experiment are discussed.Comment: 4 pages in LaTeX and 4 figures in eps forma
In-situ spectroscopy of intrinsic Bi2Te3 topological insulator thin films and impact of extrinsic defects
Combined in-situ x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunnelling
spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy of molecular beam
epitaxy grown Bi2Te3 on lattice mismatched substrates reveal high quality
stoichiometric thin films with topological surface states without a
contribution from the bulk bands at the Fermi energy. The absence of bulk
states at the Fermi energy is achieved without counter doping. We observe that
the surface morphology and electronic band structure of Bi2Te3 are not affected
by in-vacuo storage and exposure to oxygen, whereas major changes are observed
when exposed to ambient conditions. These films help define a pathway towards
intrinsic topological devices.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Tetrahedral Symmetry in Ground- and Low-Lying States of Exotic A ~ 110 Nuclei
Recent theoretical calculations predict a possible existence of nuclei with
tetrahedral symmetry: more precisely, the mean-field hamiltonians of such
nuclei are symmetric with respect to double point-group Td. In this paper, we
focus on the neutron-rich Zirconium isotopes as an example and present
realistic mean-field calculations which predict tetrahedral ground-state
configurations in 108,110Zr and low-lying excited states of tetrahedral
symmetry in a number of N > 66 isotopes. The motivations for focusing on these
nuclei, as well as a discussion of the possible experimental signatures of
tetrahedral symmetry are also presented.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev. C - Rapid Communication
Thickness dependence of the efficiency of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells
We study the thickness dependence of the performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on poly[2-methoxy-5-(3('),7(')-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] as electron donor and [6,6]-phenyl C-61 butyric acid methyl ester as electron acceptor. Typically, these devices have an active layer thickness of 100 nm at which only 60% of the incoming light is absorbed. Increasing device thickness results in a lower overall power conversion efficiency, mainly due to a lowering of the fill factor. We demonstrate that the decrease in fill factor and hence device efficiency is due to a combination of charge recombination and space-charge effects
Developmental nmda receptor dysregulation in the infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis mouse model
Protein palmitoylation and depalmitoylation alter protein function. This post-translational modification is critical for synaptic transmission and plasticity. Mutation of the depalmitoylating enzyme palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) causes infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN1), a pediatric neurodegenerative disease. However, the role of protein depalmitoylation in synaptic maturation is unknown. Therefore, we studied synapse development in Ppt1-/- mouse visual cortex. We demonstrate that the developmental N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit switch from GluN2B to GluN2A is stagnated in Ppt1-/- mice. Correspondingly, Ppt1-/- neurons exhibit immature evoked NMDAR currents and dendritic spine morphology in vivo. Further, dissociated Ppt1-/- cultured neurons show extrasynaptic, diffuse calcium influxes and enhanced vulnerability to NMDA-induced excitotoxicity, reflecting the predominance of GluN2B-containing receptors. Remarkably, Ppt1-/- neurons demonstrate hyperpalmitoylation of GluN2B as well as Fyn kinase, which regulates surface retention of GluN2B. Thus, PPT1 plays a critical role in postsynapse maturation by facilitating the GluN2 subunit switch and proteostasis of palmitoylated proteins
Steady-state spin densities and currents
This article reviews steady-state spin densities and spin currents in
materials with strong spin-orbit interactions. These phenomena are intimately
related to spin precession due to spin-orbit coupling which has no equivalent
in the steady state of charge distributions. The focus will be initially on
effects originating from the band structure. In this case spin densities arise
in an electric field because a component of each spin is conserved during
precession. Spin currents arise because a component of each spin is continually
precessing. These two phenomena are due to independent contributions to the
steady-state density matrix, and scattering between the conserved and
precessing spin distributions has important consequences for spin dynamics and
spin-related effects in general. In the latter part of the article extrinsic
effects such as skew scattering and side jump will be discussed, and it will be
shown that these effects are also modified considerably by spin precession.
Theoretical and experimental progress in all areas will be reviewed
Quasiparticle transport equation with collision delay. II. Microscopic Theory
For a system of non-interacting electrons scattered by neutral impurities, we
derive a modified Boltzmann equation that includes quasiparticle and virial
corrections. We start from quasiclassical transport equation for
non-equilibrium Green's functions and apply limit of small scattering rates.
Resulting transport equation for quasiparticles has gradient corrections to
scattering integrals. These gradient corrections are rearranged into a form
characteristic for virial corrections
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