3,127 research outputs found
Performance and limitations of the QAOA at constant levels on large sparse hypergraphs and spin glass models
The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) is a general purpose
quantum algorithm designed for combinatorial optimization. We analyze its
expected performance and prove concentration properties at any constant level
(number of layers) on ensembles of random combinatorial optimization problems
in the infinite size limit. These ensembles include mixed spin models and
Max--XORSAT on sparse random hypergraphs. To enable our analysis, we prove a
generalization of the multinomial theorem which is a technical result of
independent interest. We then show that the performance of the QAOA at constant
levels for the pure -spin model matches asymptotically the ones for
Max--XORSAT on random sparse Erd\H{o}s-R\'{e}nyi hypergraphs and every
large-girth regular hypergraph. Through this correspondence, we establish that
the average-case value produced by the QAOA at constant levels is bounded away
from optimality for pure -spin models when is even. This limitation
gives a hardness of approximation result for quantum algorithms in a new regime
where the whole graph is seen.Comment: 12+46 page
Structure and Aggregation of a Helix-Forming Polymer
We have studied the competition between helix formation and aggregation for a
simple polymer model. We present simulation results for a system of two such
polymers, examining the potential of mean force, the balance between inter and
intramolecular interactions, and the promotion or disruption of secondary
structure brought on by the proximity of the two molecules. In particular, we
demonstrate that proximity between two such molecules can stabilize secondary
structure. However, for this model, observed secondary structure is not stable
enough to prevent collapse of the system into an unstructured globule.Comment: Accepted to the Journal of Chemical Physic
The entrepreneurial process and online social networks : forecasting survival rate
To launch a new business, entrepreneurs search
for information and resources through their networks. We
are concerned with collaboration among entrepreneurs
with a network, and with the impact this has on new
venture survival. Using entrepreneurs’ network data extracted
from their respective online social networks, our
paper develops a simulation model of the entrepreneurial
process and its outcomes in terms of growth and survival.
Findings from 273 entrepreneurs reveal that initial wealth
at start-up, network density, and time to first collaboration
have an impact on the probability of survival. We show
that using numerical simulation, and based on one’s social
network, the survival time of a start-up can be forecasted
Comparative exergy analysis of direct alcohol fuel cells using fuel mixtures
Within the last years there has been increasing interest in direct liquid fuel cells as power sources for portable devices and, in the future, power plants for electric vehicles and other transport media as ships will join those applications. Methanol is considerably more convenient and easy to use than gaseous hydrogen and a considerable work is devoted to the development of direct methanol fuel cells. But ethanol has much lower toxicity and from an ecological viewpoint ethanol is exceptional among all other types of fuel as is the only chemical fuel in renewable supply. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of using direct alcohol fuel cells fed with alcohol mixtures. For this purpose, a comparative exergy analysis of a direct alcohol fuel cell fed with alcohol mixtures against the same fuel cell fed with single alcohols is performed. The exergetic efficiency and the exergy loss and destruction are calculated and compared in each case. When alcohol mixtures are fed to the fuel cell, the contribution of each fuel
to the fuel cell performance is weighted attending to their relative proportion in the aqueous solution. The optimum alcohol composition for methanol/ethanol mixtures has been determined
Electrolyzer Design for Flexible Decoupled Water Splitting and Organic Upgrading with Electron Reservoirs
The Bigger Picture Electrocatalytic water splitting is a green approach to producing clean H2 fuel, especially when it is driven by renewable energy sources. Conventional water electrolysis always produces H2 and O2 simultaneously under corrosive acidic or alkaline conditions with large voltage inputs, posing safety concerns of H2/O2 mixing. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a new electrolyzer design for decoupled water splitting in an eco-friendly neutral solution with small voltage inputs to enable separated H2 and O2 evolution. Herein, we report (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium chloride and Na4[Fe(CN)6] as proton-independent electron reservoirs for achieving separated H2 and O2 evolution in near-neutral solution driven by electricity or solar cells under sunlight irradiation. Na4[Fe(CN)6] can also integrate H2 evolution with organic oxidation to yield H2 and high-value organic products. This work offers promising economic and safety advantages for sustainable H2 production and organic transformation
TractGeoNet: A geometric deep learning framework for pointwise analysis of tract microstructure to predict language assessment performance
We propose a geometric deep-learning-based framework, TractGeoNet, for
performing regression using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI)
tractography and associated pointwise tissue microstructure measurements. By
employing a point cloud representation, TractGeoNet can directly utilize
pointwise tissue microstructure and positional information from all points
within a fiber tract. To improve regression performance, we propose a novel
loss function, the Paired-Siamese Regression loss, which encourages the model
to focus on accurately predicting the relative differences between regression
label scores rather than just their absolute values. In addition, we propose a
Critical Region Localization algorithm to identify highly predictive anatomical
regions within the white matter fiber tracts for the regression task. We
evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method by predicting individual
performance on two neuropsychological assessments of language using a dataset
of 20 association white matter fiber tracts from 806 subjects from the Human
Connectome Project. The results demonstrate superior prediction performance of
TractGeoNet compared to several popular regression models. Of the twenty tracts
studied, we find that the left arcuate fasciculus tract is the most highly
predictive of the two studied language performance assessments. The localized
critical regions are widespread and distributed across both hemispheres and all
cerebral lobes, including areas of the brain considered important for language
function such as superior and anterior temporal regions, pars opercularis, and
precentral gyrus. Overall, TractGeoNet demonstrates the potential of geometric
deep learning to enhance the study of the brain's white matter fiber tracts and
to relate their structure to human traits such as language performance.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figure
Effect of caponization on muscle, liver and adipose tissue fatty acid composition, lipid peroxidation, and cholesterol in breast muscle of Cobb 500 broilers
Capon is the surgical removal of testes from roosters which promotes the accumulation of intramuscular fat and affects fatty acid composition of poultry meat. We report effect of caponization on muscle, liver and adipose tissue fatty acid composition, lipid peroxidation and cholesterol content in breast muscle of broilers. Groups of 30 male 1-d old commercial Cobb 500 broilers were caponized at 21 days of age. Controls were 30 intact birds. Each treatment group consisted of 6 replicates (cages) with 5 birds in each cage. Broilers were fed commercial feed and slaughtered at 40 days. Major fatty acids in breast muscle and adipose tissue were oleic (C18:1, n-9), palmitic (C16:0) and linoleic (C18:2, n-6) and stearic (C18:0). Caponization did not affect fatty acid composition of muscle, liver or adipose tissues or lipid peroxidation of meat. However, we did find lower (P < 0.018) cholesterol (0.66 ± 0.02mg/ml) in breast muscle from caponized birds (n=9) compared with 9 intact controls (0.77 ± 0.04mg/ml). Our findings suggest that caponization does not affect free fatty acid composition or lipid peroxidation but may reduce cholesterol in tissues of broilers
Linear approaches to intramolecular Förster Resonance Energy Transfer probe measurements for quantitative modeling
Numerous unimolecular, genetically-encoded Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) probes for monitoring biochemical activities in live cells have been developed over the past decade. As these probes allow for collection of high frequency, spatially resolved data on signaling events in live cells and tissues, they are an attractive technology for obtaining data to develop quantitative, mathematical models of spatiotemporal signaling dynamics. However, to be useful for such purposes the observed FRET from such probes should be related to a biological quantity of interest through a defined mathematical relationship, which is straightforward when this relationship is linear, and can be difficult otherwise. First, we show that only in rare circumstances is the observed FRET linearly proportional to a biochemical activity. Therefore in most cases FRET measurements should only be compared either to explicitly modeled probes or to concentrations of products of the biochemical activity, but not to activities themselves. Importantly, we find that FRET measured by standard intensity-based, ratiometric methods is inherently non-linear with respect to the fraction of probes undergoing FRET. Alternatively, we find that quantifying FRET either via (1) fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) or (2) ratiometric methods where the donor emission intensity is divided by the directly-excited acceptor emission intensity (denoted R<sub>alt</sub>) is linear with respect to the fraction of probes undergoing FRET. This linearity property allows one to calculate the fraction of active probes based on the FRET measurement. Thus, our results suggest that either FLIM or ratiometric methods based on R<sub>alt</sub> are the preferred techniques for obtaining quantitative data from FRET probe experiments for mathematical modeling purpose
Training Large-Vocabulary Neural Language Models by Private Federated Learning for Resource-Constrained Devices
Federated Learning (FL) is a technique to train models using data distributed
across devices. Differential Privacy (DP) provides a formal privacy guarantee
for sensitive data. Our goal is to train a large neural network language model
(NNLM) on compute-constrained devices while preserving privacy using FL and DP.
However, the DP-noise introduced to the model increases as the model size
grows, which often prevents convergence. We propose Partial Embedding Updates
(PEU), a novel technique to decrease noise by decreasing payload size.
Furthermore, we adopt Low Rank Adaptation (LoRA) and Noise Contrastive
Estimation (NCE) to reduce the memory demands of large models on
compute-constrained devices. This combination of techniques makes it possible
to train large-vocabulary language models while preserving accuracy and
privacy
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