Strong impact of light induced conical intersections on the spectrum of diatomic molecules

We show that dressing of diatomic molecules by running laser waves gives rise to conical intersections (CIs). Due to presence of such CIs, the rovibronic molecular motions are strongly coupled. A pronounced impact of the CI on the spectrum of $Na_2$ molecule is demonstrated via numerical calculation for weak and moderate laser intensity, and an experiment is suggested on this basis. The position of the light induced CI and the strength of its non-adiabatic couplings can be chosen by changing the frequency and intensity of the used running laser wave. This offers new possibilities to control the photo-induced rovibronic molecular dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure

Depressive Deficits in Recognition: Dissociation of Recollection and Familiarity

Dysphoric and nondysphoric students (48 women and 24 men) participated in an experiment that was designed to separate automatic and controlled uses of memory in a modified recognition paradigm. First, they judged the relation of target words to paired words. Later they made recognition decisions on target items alone or in the context of the original paired item. The use of L.L. Jacoby\u27s (1991) process dissociation procedure revealed depressive deficits in estimates of recollection but not in estimates of familiarity. The paired test improved recollection for all subjects and showed a trend in the direction of increased familiarity. These outcomes support approaches to depressive cognition that emphasize impaired cognitive control

Spatial data modeling by means of Gibbs Markov random fields based on a generalized planar rotator model

We introduce a Gibbs Markov random field for spatial data on Cartesian grids which is based on the generalized planar rotator (GPR) model. The GPR model generalizes the recently proposed modified planar rotator (MPR) model by including in the Hamiltonian additional terms that better capture realistic features of spatial data, such as smoothness, non-Gaussianity, and geometric anisotropy. In particular, the GPR model includes up to infinite number of higher-order harmonics with exponentially vanishing interaction strength, directional dependence of the bilinear interaction term between nearest grid neighbors, longer-distance neighbor interactions, and two types of an external bias field. Hence, in contrast with the single-parameter MPR model, the GPR model features five additional parameters: the number $n$ of higher-order terms and the parameter $\alpha$ controlling their decay rate, the exchange anisotropy parameter $J^{nn}$, the further-neighbor interaction coupling $J^{fn}$, and the external field (bias) parameters $K$ (or $K'$). We present numerical tests on various synthetic data which demonstrate the effects of the respective terms on the model's prediction performance and we discuss these results in connection with the data properties.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figure

A parsimonious, computationally efficient machine learning method for spatial regression

We introduce the modified planar rotator method (MPRS), a physically inspired machine learning method for spatial/temporal regression. MPRS is a non-parametric model which incorporates spatial or temporal correlations via short-range, distance-dependent ``interactions'' without assuming a specific form for the underlying probability distribution. Predictions are obtained by means of a fully autonomous learning algorithm which employs equilibrium conditional Monte Carlo simulations. MPRS is able to handle scattered data and arbitrary spatial dimensions. We report tests on various synthetic and real-word data in one, two and three dimensions which demonstrate that the MPRS prediction performance (without parameter tuning) is competitive with standard interpolation methods such as ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting. In particular, MPRS is a particularly effective gap-filling method for rough and non-Gaussian data (e.g., daily precipitation time series). MPRS shows superior computational efficiency and scalability for large samples. Massive data sets involving millions of nodes can be processed in a few seconds on a standard personal computer.Comment: 42 pages, 15 figure

The Plight of Sociology at the University

U tekstu se izveštava o rezultatima socio-empirijskog istraživanja tzv. marksističkog obrazovanja na Univerzitetu u Nišu. Iz obimnog materijala proučavanja ovde se interpretiraju neki podaci vezani za sociologiju, a zanemaruju oni o marksističkoj filozofiji, političkoj ekonomiji i političkom sistemu SFRJ. Sociološka zajednica poseduje institucije za edukaciju svojih pripadnika, ali kao ni jedna druga zajednica dozvoljava prevelik profesionalni nered u svom sektoru. Pravo da se krsti sociologom podjednako ima onaj čija se edukacija odvijala na matičnim fakultetima kao i onaj ko se našao u sociologiji igrom slučaja. Istraživanje je potvrdilo da se na Univerzitetu u Nišu upravo tako nešto zbiva. Ako se za jugoslavensku sociologiju postavlja pitanje koliko je zrela kao nauka nalazi istraživanja pokazuju da je u njoj mnogo opštih mesta, sterilnog pozivanja na autoritete, teorijske poze, kompilacije, ali veoma malo materijala o bazičnim problemima s kojima se sociolozi suočavaju svakodnevno. Sociologija se na Univerzitetu u Nišu predaje i u kombinovanim predmetima sa naslovima »Marksizam i sociologija«, »Marksistička filozofija i sociologija«, »Sociologija i teorija i praksa samoupravljanja«, »Sociologija i filozofija prirodnih nauka«. Pitanje je: ko to treba i da li iko može uspešno da predaje kombinovane predmete? Može li se nastava na kombinovanim predmetima zasnivati na rezultatima naučnoistraživačkog rada? Nisu li zapravo sociolozi kao nastavnici ovih kombinovanih predmeta primorani da kao »univerzalni neznalice« predaju ono za što su nestručni, bitno doprineli udesu sociologije na Univerzitetu u Nišu. Ideološki, eksterni razlog nepovoljnog položaja sociologije je u tezi o neprimerenosti socioloških disciplina koncepciji tzv. integralnog marksističkog obrazovanja. Tako je i sociologija na Univerzitetu u Nišu ustuknula od opšteobrazovnog predmeta koji je bio zastupljen na svim fakultetima i bio tretiran kao matematika na tehničkim fakultetima, do situacije da se bori za svoj dignitet u bezličnom marksističkom obrazovanju i svakojakim veštačkim kombinacijama.The article reports on the results of a socio-empirical research project concerning so-called Marxist education at the University of Niš. From an abundance of data, those referring to sociology are interpreted in this article, and those referring to Marxist philosophy, political economy and the political system of the SFR Yugoslavia are put aside. The sociological community has institutions for educating its members, but as any other community, it does not allow to big a professional disorder within its sector. The right to be christened a sociologist is equally given to both those whose education took place on »parent« faculties, and those who found themselves »in« sociology by chance. This research project confirms that precisely such a process in under way at the University of Niš. If asking ourselves how mature a science Yugoslav sociology is, the results of our research point out that it embodies too many generalities, a sterile reference to authority, theoretical pose, compilation, but very little material concerning fundamental issues sociologists are confronted with daily. At the University of Niš, sociology is also lectured as part of the following composite subjects titled: »Marxism and Sociology«, »Marxist Philosophy and Sociology«, »Sociology and the Theory and Practice of Self-Management«, »Sociology and the Philosophy of Natural Sciences«. The question is: who should and can any one successfully lecture on composite subjects? Can such lecturing be based on research? Haven\u27t sociologists, in fact, as lecturers of these composite subjects, having been compelled, as »universal ignoramuses«, to teach what they have no qualification for, sufficiently contributed to the plight of sociology at the University of Niš? Ideologically, the external reason for such an unpropitious position of sociology can be found in the thesis of the unsuitability of sociological disciplines when the concept of the so-called integral Marxist education is concerned. Thus, at the University of Niš, sociology has also yielded to the »general-education« subject represented at all the faculties, and treated as mathematics at the faculties of technical sciences, and has reached a stage in which it is fighting for dignity surrounded by a nondescript Marxist education and all sorts of artificial combinations