Deciding regular grammar logics with converse through first-order logic

We provide a simple translation of the satisfiability problem for regular grammar logics with converse into GF2, which is the intersection of the guarded fragment and the 2-variable fragment of first-order logic. This translation is theoretically interesting because it translates modal logics with certain frame conditions into first-order logic, without explicitly expressing the frame conditions. A consequence of the translation is that the general satisfiability problem for regular grammar logics with converse is in EXPTIME. This extends a previous result of the first author for grammar logics without converse. Using the same method, we show how some other modal logics can be naturally translated into GF2, including nominal tense logics and intuitionistic logic. In our view, the results in this paper show that the natural first-order fragment corresponding to regular grammar logics is simply GF2 without extra machinery such as fixed point-operators.Comment: 34 page

Decoherence-free creation of atom-atom entanglement in cavity via fractional adiabatic passage

We propose a robust and decoherence insensitive scheme to generate controllable entangled states of two three-level atoms interacting with an optical cavity and a laser beam. Losses due to atomic spontaneous transitions and to cavity decay are efficiently suppressed by employing fractional adiabatic passage and appropriately designed atom-field couplings. In this scheme the two atoms traverse the cavity-mode and the laser beam in opposite directions as opposed to other entanglement schemes in which the atoms are required to have fixed locations inside a cavity. We also show that the coherence of a traveling atom can be transferred to the other one without populating the cavity-mode.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Phys. Re

A Comment on Self-Tuning and Vanishing Cosmological Constant in the Brane World

In this note we elaborate on various five dimensional contributions to the effective 4D cosmological constant in brane systems. In solutions with vanishing 5D cosmological constant we describe a non-local mechanism of cancellation of vacuum energy between the brane and the singularities. We comment on a hidden fine tuning which is implied by this observation.Comment: 7 pages, Latex, final version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Transoral Robotic Surgery Applied to the Skull Base

Skull base surgery has been developed with transsphenoidal approaches to reach the sella and especially the pituitary tumors. Transnasal endoscopic technique has become the gold standard for many years. Indeed, the intraoperative view with specific endoscope is very good, and thus the gross total of pituitary adenomas removal rates have been increased. Nevertheless, why has not this technique been challenged, especially given the potential rhinologic side effects and 2D vision? Robotic surgery with the da Vinci system is now well known all over the world. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is also commonly used in head and neck cancer with satisfying results. In this ENT approach, the da Vinci videoendoscope looks downward; we had the idea to place it behind the hard palate in order to look upward. Therefore, from cadaveric studies to clinical “première mondiale,” we developed an innovative TORS to reach the sella and to remove pituitary tumors

Impact of weak interactions of free nucleons on the r-process in dynamical ejecta from neutron-star mergers

We investigate beta-interactions of free nucleons and their impact on the electron fraction (Y_e) and r-process nucleosynthesis in ejecta characteristic of binary neutron star mergers (BNSMs). For that we employ trajectories from a relativistic BNSM model to represent the density-temperature evolutions in our parametric study. In the high-density environment, positron captures decrease the neutron richness at the high temperatures predicted by the hydrodynamic simulation. Circumventing the complexities of modelling three-dimensional neutrino transport, (anti)neutrino captures are parameterized in terms of prescribed neutrino luminosities and mean energies, guided by published results and assumed as constant in time. Depending sensitively on the adopted neutrino-antineutrino luminosity ratio, neutrino processes increase Y_e to values between 0.25 and 0.40, still allowing for a successful r-process compatible with the observed solar abundance distribution and a significant fraction of the ejecta consisting of r-process nuclei. If the electron neutrino luminosities and mean energies are relatively large compared to the antineutrino properties, the mean Y_e might reach values >0.40 so that neutrino captures seriously compromise the success of the r-process. In this case, the r-abundances remain compatible with the solar distribution, but the total amount of ejected r-material is reduced to a few percent, because the production of iron-peak elements is favored. Proper neutrino physics, in particular also neutrino absorption, have to be included in BNSM simulations before final conclusions can be drawn concerning r-processing in this environment and concerning observational consequences like kilonovae, whose peak brightness and color temperature are sensitive to the composition-dependent opacity of the ejecta.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures; submitted to MNRA

The Likoma Network Study: Context, data collection and initial results

The extent and structure of sexual networks have important consequences for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. However, very few datasets currently exist that allow a detailed investigation of sexual networks in sub-Saharan African settings where HIV epidemics have become generalized. In this paper, we describe the context and methods of the Likoma Network Study (LNS), one of the few studies that have collected extensive information on sexual networks in sub-Saharan Africa. We start by reviewing theoretical arguments and empirical studies emphasizing the importance of network structures in the epidemiology of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). The island setting of this study is described, and we argue that the choice of an island as a research site limited potential biases that may make the collection of sexual network data difficult. We then document our empirical strategy for the collection of sexual network data and the subsequent identification of sexual network partners. A description of the protocol for the collection of biomarker data (HIV infection) is provided. Finally, we present initial results relating to the socioeconomic context of the island, the size and composition of sexual networks, the quality of the sexual network data, the determinants of successful contact tracing during the LNS, and the prevalence of HIV in the study population.HIV risk factors, HIV transmission, Malawi, sexual behavior, sexual networks

Observational evidence of third dredge-up occurrence in S-type stars with initial masses around 1 Msun

Context- S stars are late-type giants with spectra showing characteristic molecular bands of ZrO in addition to the TiO bands typical of M stars. Their overabundance pattern shows the signature of s-process nucleosynthesis. Intrinsic, technetium (Tc)-rich S stars are the first objects, on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB), to undergo third dredge-up (TDU) events. Gaia exquisite parallaxes now allow to precisely locate these stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram. Here we report on a population of low-mass, Tc-rich S stars, previously unaccounted for by stellar evolution models. Aims- Our aim is to derive parameters of a sample of low-mass Tc-rich S stars and then, by comparing their location in the HR diagram with stellar evolution tracks, to derive their masses and to compare their measured s-process abundance profiles with recently derived STAREVOL nucleosynthetic predictions for low-mass AGB stars. Methods- The stellar parameters were obtained using a combination of HERMES high-resolution spectra, accurate Gaia Data Release 2 (Gaia-DR2) parallaxes, stellar-evolution models and newly-designed MARCS model atmospheres for S-type stars. Results- We report on 6 Tc-rich S stars lying close to the 1 Msun (initial mass) tracks of AGB stars of the corresponding metallicity and above the predicted onset of TDU, as expected. This provides direct evidence for TDUs occurring in AGB stars with initial masses as low as ~ 1 Msun and at low luminosity, i.e. at the start of the thermally-pulsing AGB. We present AGB models producing TDU in those stars with [Fe/H] in the range -0.25 to -0.5. There is a reasonable agreement between the measured and predicted s-process abundance profiles. For 2 objects however (CD -29 5912 and BD +34 1698), the predicted C/O ratio and s-process enhancements do not match simultaneously the measured ones.Comment: Recommended for publication in A&A letter

Route Choice Behaviour: Stated Choices and Simulated Experiences

Surveys with stated choice experiments (SCE) are widely used to examine route choice behaviour in hypothetical choice contexts and to derive values of time and reliability for transport project appraisal purposes. In contrast to revealed choices, stated choices do not let participants experience (the consequences of) any attribute, which is one of the reasons why the external validity of SCE outcomes is often questioned. In this paper, we investigate the impact of simulated experiences on behaviour in a route choice context. We recruited 74 people who completed both a typical SCE and an incentive compatible driving simulator experiment (DSE), where the latter required respondents to experience the travel time of their chosen route and actually pay any toll costs associated with the choice of a tolled road. The choices are analysed via a heteroscedastic latent class model. Compared to the SCE, in the DSE, participants selected the tolled road less often, suggesting that having to pay actual money changes stated preferences. Furthermore, we found large variations in sensitivity to toll cost across participants. On the other hand, we found only minor differences in preferences towards travel time and travel time unreliability between SCE and DSE