Adiabatically coupled systems and fractional monodromy

We present a 1-parameter family of systems with fractional monodromy and adiabatic separation of motion. We relate the presence of monodromy to a redistribution of states both in the quantum and semi-quantum spectrum. We show how the fractional monodromy arises from the non diagonal action of the dynamical symmetry of the system and manifests itself as a generic property of an important subclass of adiabatically coupled systems

Evaluation of the MP Rapid 2019-NCOV IgM/IgG combo POCT test vs. an established platform-based method.

BACKGROUND: Accurate and rapid testing for SARS-COV-2 antibodies could improve the diagnosis and management of COVID-19. In this study, we aim to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a commercially available point-of-care lateral flow kit independently and in comparison to an established platform-based system. METHOD: Samples from 144 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases and 130 pre-pandemic negative controls were tested in parallel by MP Rapid 2019-NCOV IgM/IgG Combo test and Roche Elecsys. Comparison of results based on serum and capillary blood testing was undertaken. RESULTS: Sensitivity at day 15 onwards was 100% for both methods. Between days 1 and 7 post admission, the IgM/IgG Combo test and Roche Elecsys shown sensitivity of 74% (95%CI: 62%-85%) vs. 67% (95% CI: 55%-79%, P = 0.3947). Combo test specificities were 100% for IgG, 98.5% for IgM vs. Roche Elecsys specificity of 100%. Concordance analysis showed 98.5% agreement to the Roche Elecsys method (Cohen's Kappa 0.96 95% CI [0.92-0.99]). Capillary blood results showed complete agreement with serum samples using the Combo test. CONCLUSION: In comparison to Roche Elecsys, our data show that the MP Rapid 2019-NCOV IgM/IgG Combo test provides a high-confidence assay system for the detection of previous exposure to SARS-COV-2 infection with advantage of affording near-patient testing

WTO accession, the changing competitiveness of foreign-financed firms and regional development in Guangdong of southern China

This paper investigates the changing competitiveness of foreign-financed manufacturing firms and its implications for regional development in Guangdong province of southern China in the run-up to World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. It is argued that transnational corporations (TNCs) and some competitive, large-scale, locally-funded firms in Guangdong will triumph after WTO accession. The crowding-out process of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Guangdong will be accelerated in the near future, as they are competing directly with TNCs, and as their competitive advantages are diminishing, due to bureaucratic red tape and the rigorous enforcement of new government policies. Due to close business linkages with local privately-funded firms, the competitiveness and vitality of foreign-financed enterprises will have profound long term effects on the economic development of Guangdong, before and after WTO accession

Multi-label classification using ensembles of pruned sets

This paper presents a Pruned Sets method (PS) for multi-label classification. It is centred on the concept of treating sets of labels as single labels. This allows the classification process to inherently take into account correlations between labels. By pruning these sets, PS focuses only on the most important correlations, which reduces complexity and improves accuracy. By combining pruned sets in an ensemble scheme (EPS), new label sets can be formed to adapt to irregular or complex data. The results from experimental evaluation on a variety of multi-label datasets show that [E]PS can achieve better performance and train much faster than other multi-label methods

Elastic Scattering by Deterministic and Random Fractals: Self-Affinity of the Diffraction Spectrum

The diffraction spectrum of coherent waves scattered from fractal supports is calculated exactly. The fractals considered are of the class generated iteratively by successive dilations and translations, and include generalizations of the Cantor set and Sierpinski carpet as special cases. Also randomized versions of these fractals are treated. The general result is that the diffraction intensities obey a strict recursion relation, and become self-affine in the limit of large iteration number, with a self-affinity exponent related directly to the fractal dimension of the scattering object. Applications include neutron scattering, x-rays, optical diffraction, magnetic resonance imaging, electron diffraction, and He scattering, which all display the same universal scaling.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures. Phys. Rev. E, in press. More info available at http://www.fh.huji.ac.il/~dani

Entanglement and Timing-Based Mechanisms in the Coherent Control of Scattering Processes

The coherent control of scattering processes is considered, with electron impact dissociation of H$_2^+$ used as an example. The physical mechanism underlying coherently controlled stationary state scattering is exposed by analyzing a control scenario that relies on previously established entanglement requirements between the scattering partners. Specifically, initial state entanglement assures that all collisions in the scattering volume yield the desirable scattering configuration. Scattering is controlled by preparing the particular internal state wave function that leads to the favored collisional configuration in the collision volume. This insight allows coherent control to be extended to the case of time-dependent scattering. Specifically, we identify reactive scattering scenarios using incident wave packets of translational motion where coherent control is operational and initial state entanglement is unnecessary. Both the stationary and time-dependent scenarios incorporate extended coherence features, making them physically distinct. From a theoretical point of view, this work represents a large step forward in the qualitative understanding of coherently controlled reactive scattering. From an experimental viewpoint, it offers an alternative to entanglement-based control schemes. However, both methods present significant challenges to existing experimental technologies