Old chinese and friends: new approaches to historical linguistics of the Sino-Tibetan area

List J-M, Starostin G, Yunfan L. “Old Chinese and Friends”: new approaches to historical linguistics of the Sino-Tibetan area. Journal of Language Relationship. 2019;17(1-2):1-6

Effects of demographic noise on the synchronization of a metapopulation in a fluctuating environment

We use the theory of noise-induced phase synchronization to analyze the effects of demographic noise on the synchronization of a metapopulation of predator-prey systems within a fluctuating environment (Moran effect). Treating each local predator–prey population as a stochastic urn model, we derive a Langevin equation for the stochastic dynamics of the metapopulation. Assuming each local population acts as a limit cycle oscillator in the deterministic limit, we use phase reduction and averaging methods to derive the steady state probability density for pairwise phase differences between oscillators, which is then used to determine the degree of synchronization of\ud the metapopulation

Nonlinear robust controller design for multi-robot systems with unknown payloads

This work is concerned with the control problem of a multi-robot system handling a payload with unknown mass properties. Force constraints at the grasp points are considered. Robust control schemes are proposed that cope with the model uncertainty and achieve asymptotic path tracking. To deal with the force constraints, a strategy for optimally sharing the task is suggested. This strategy basically consists of two steps. The first detects the robots that need help and the second arranges that help. It is shown that the overall system is not only robust to uncertain payload parameters, but also satisfies the force constraints

Asteroseismology of the δ\delta Scuti star HD 50844

Aims. We aim to probe the internal structure and investigate more detailed information of the $\delta$ Scuti star HD 50844 with asteroseismology. Methods. We analyse the observed frequencies of the $\delta$ Scuti star HD 50844 obtained by Balona (2014), and search for possible multiplets based on the rotational splitting law of g-mode. We tried to disentangle the frequency spectra of HD 50844 by means of the rotational splitting only. We then compare them with theoretical pulsation modes, which correspond to stellar evolutionary models with various sets of initial metallicity and stellar mass, to find the best-fitting model. Results. There are three multiplets including two complete triplets and one incomplete quintuplet, in which mode identifications for spherical harmonic degree $l$ and azimuthal number $m$ are unique. The corresponding rotational period of HD 50844 is found to be 2.44$^{+0.13}_{-0.08}$ days. The physical parameters of HD 50844 are well limited in a small region by three modes identified as nonradial ones ($f_{11}$, $f_{22}$, and $f_{29}$) and by the fundamental radial mode ($f_{4}$). Our results show that the three nonradial modes ($f_{11}$, $f_{22}$, and $f_{29}$) are all mixed modes, which mainly represent the property of the helium core. The fundamental radial mode ($f_{4}$) mainly represents the property of the stellar envelope. In order to fit these four pulsation modes, both the helium core and the stellar envelope must be matched to the actual structure of HD 50844. Finally, the mass of the helium core of HD 50844 is estimated to be 0.173 $\pm$ 0.004 $M_{\odot}$ for the first time. The physical parameters of HD 50844 are determined to be $M=$ 1.81 $\pm$ 0.01 $M_{\odot}$, $Z=$ 0.008 $\pm$ 0.001. $T_{\rm eff}=$ 7508 $\pm$ 125 K, log$g=$ 3.658 $\pm$ 0.004, $R=$ 3.300 $\pm$ 0.023 $R_{\odot}$, $L=$ 30.98 $\pm$ 2.39 $L_{\odot}$.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in A&

Impact of edge-removal on the centrality betweenness of the best spreaders

The control of epidemic spreading is essential to avoid potential fatal consequences and also, to lessen unforeseen socio-economic impact. The need for effective control is exemplified during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which has inflicted near to a thousand deaths as well as bankruptcies of airlines and related businesses. In this article, we examine the efficacy of control strategies on the propagation of infectious diseases based on removing connections within real world airline network with the associated economic and social costs taken into account through defining appropriate quantitative measures. We uncover the surprising results that removing less busy connections can be far more effective in hindering the spread of the disease than removing the more popular connections. Since disconnecting the less popular routes tend to incur less socio-economic cost, our finding suggests the possibility of trading minimal reduction in connectivity of an important hub with efficiencies in epidemic control. In particular, we demonstrate the performance of various local epidemic control strategies, and show how our approach can predict their cost effectiveness through the spreading control characteristics.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure