arXiv subjects

Alexander Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Smith.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Data Analysis using Riemannian Geometry and Applications to Chemical Engineering

We explore the use of tools from Riemannian geometry for the analysis of symmetric positive definite matrices (SPD). An SPD matrix is a versatile data representation that is commonly used in chemical engineering (e.g., covariance/correlation/Hessian matrices and images) and powerful techniques are available for its analysis (e.g., principal component analysis). A key observation that motivates this work is that SPD matrices live on a Riemannian manifold and that implementing techniques that exploit this basic property can yield significant benefits in data-centric tasks such classification and dimensionality reduction. We demonstrate this via a couple of case studies that conduct anomaly detection in the context of process monitoring and image analysis.

stat.AP↗

arXiv2022

Automated Heart and Lung Auscultation in Robotic Physical Examinations

This paper presents the first implementation of autonomous robotic auscultation of heart and lung sounds. To select auscultation locations that generate high-quality sounds, a Bayesian Optimization (BO) formulation leverages visual anatomical cues to predict where high-quality sounds might be located, while using auditory feedback to adapt to patient-specific anatomical qualities. Sound quality is estimated online using machine learning models trained on a database of heart and lung stethoscope recordings. Experiments on 4 human subjects show that our system autonomously captures heart and lung sounds of similar quality compared to tele-operation by a human trained in clinical auscultation. Surprisingly, one of the subjects exhibited a previously unknown cardiac pathology that was first identified using our robot, which demonstrates the potential utility of autonomous robotic auscultation for health screening.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2021

The Euler Characteristic: A General Topological Descriptor for Complex Data

Datasets are mathematical objects (e.g., point clouds, matrices, graphs, images, fields/functions) that have shape. This shape encodes important knowledge about the system under study. Topology is an area of mathematics that provides diverse tools to characterize the shape of data objects. In this work, we study a specific tool known as the Euler characteristic (EC). The EC is a general, low-dimensional, and interpretable descriptor of topological spaces defined by data objects. We revise the mathematical foundations of the EC and highlight its connections with statistics, linear algebra, field theory, and graph theory. We discuss advantages offered by the use of the EC in the characterization of complex datasets; to do so, we illustrate its use in different applications of interest in chemical engineering such as process monitoring, flow cytometry, and microscopy. We show that the EC provides a descriptor that effectively reduces complex datasets and that this reduction facilitates tasks such as visualization, regression, classification, and clustering.

math.AT↗

arXiv2021

Abelian varieties of prescribed order over finite fields

Given a prime power $q$ and $n \gg 1$, we prove that every integer in a large subinterval of the Hasse--Weil interval $[(\sqrt{q}-1)^{2n},(\sqrt{q}+1)^{2n}]$ is $#A(\mathbb{F}_q)$ for some geometrically simple ordinary principally polarized abelian variety $A$ of dimension $n$ over $\mathbb{F}_q$. As a consequence, we generalize a result of Howe and Kedlaya for $\mathbb{F}_2$ to show that for each prime power $q$, every sufficiently large positive integer is realizable, i.e., $#A(\mathbb{F}_q)$ for some abelian variety $A$ over $\mathbb{F}_q$. Our result also improves upon the best known constructions of sequences of simple abelian varieties with point counts towards the extremes of the Hasse--Weil interval. A separate argument determines, for fixed $n$, the largest subinterval of the Hasse--Weil interval consisting of realizable integers, asymptotically as $q \to \infty$; this gives an asymptotically optimal improvement of a 1998 theorem of DiPippo and Howe. Our methods are effective: We prove that if $q \le 5$, then every positive integer is realizable, and for arbitrary $q$, every positive integer $\ge q^{3 \sqrt{q} \log q}$ is realizable.

math.NT↗

arXiv2021

Reviews: Topological Distances and Losses for Brain Networks

Almost all statistical and machine learning methods in analyzing brain networks rely on distances and loss functions, which are mostly Euclidean or matrix norms. The Euclidean or matrix distances may fail to capture underlying subtle topological differences in brain networks. Further, Euclidean distances are sensitive to outliers. A few extreme edge weights may severely affect the distance. Thus it is necessary to use distances and loss functions that recognize topology of data. In this review paper, we survey various topological distance and loss functions from topological data analysis (TDA) and persistent homology that can be used in brain network analysis more effectively. Although there are many recent brain imaging studies that are based on TDA methods, possibly due to the lack of method awareness, TDA has not taken as the mainstream tool in brain imaging field yet. The main purpose of this paper is provide the relevant technical survey of these powerful tools that are immediately applicable to brain network data.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2020

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog: Sixteenth Data Release

We present the final Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV) quasar catalog from Data Release 16 of the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS). This catalog comprises the largest selection of spectroscopically confirmed quasars to date. The full catalog includes two sub-catalogs: a "superset" of all SDSS-IV/eBOSS objects targeted as quasars containing 1,440,615 observations and a quasar-only catalog containing 750,414 quasars, including 225,082 new quasars appearing in an SDSS data release for the first time, as well as known quasars from SDSS-I/II/III. We present automated identification and redshift information for these quasars alongside data from visual inspections for 320,161 spectra. The quasar-only catalog is estimated to be 99.8% complete with 0.3% to 1.3% contamination. Automated and visual inspection redshifts are supplemented by redshifts derived via principal component analysis and emission lines. We include emission line redshifts for H$α$, H$β$, Mg II, C III], C IV, and Ly$α$. Identification and key characteristics generated by automated algorithms are presented for 99,856 Broad Absorption Line quasars and 35,686 Damped Lyman Alpha quasars. In addition to SDSS photometric data, we also present multi-wavelength data for quasars from GALEX, UKIDSS, WISE, FIRST, ROSAT/2RXS, XMM-Newton, and Gaia. Calibrated digital optical spectra for these quasars can be obtained from the SDSS Science Archive Server.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

$2^\infty$-Selmer groups, $2^\infty$-class groups, and Goldfeld's conjecture

We prove that the $2^\infty$-class groups of the imaginary quadratic fields have the distribution predicted by the Cohen-Lenstra heuristic. Given an elliptic curve E/Q with full rational 2-torsion and no rational cyclic subgroup of order four, we analogously prove that the $2^\infty$-Selmer groups of the quadratic twists of E have distribution as predicted by Delaunay's heuristic. In particular, among the twists E^d with |d| < N, the number of curves with rank at least two is $o(N)$.

math.NT↗

arXiv2017

Switching the structural force in ionic liquid-solvent mixtures by varying composition

The structure and interactions in electrolytes at high concentration have implications from energy storage to biomolecular interactions. However many experimental observations are yet to be explained in these mixtures, which are far beyond the regime of validity of mean field models. Here, we study the structural forces in a mixture of ionic liquid and solvent that is miscible in all proportions at room temperature. Using the surface force balance to measure the force between macroscopic smooth surfaces across the liquid mixtures, we uncover an abrupt increase in the wavelength above a threshold ion concentration. Below the threshold concentration the wavelength is determined by the size of the solvent molecule, whereas above the threshold it is the diameter of a cation-anion pair that determines the wavelength.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Governing fields and statistics for 4-Selmer groups and 8-class groups

Taking A to be an abelian variety with full 2-torsion over a number field k, we investigate how the 4-Selmer rank of the quadratic twist A^d changes with d. We show that this rank depends on the splitting behavior of the primes dividing d in a certain number field L/k. Assuming the grand Riemann hypothesis, we then prove that, given an elliptic curve E/Q with full rational 2-torsion, the quadratic twist family of E usually has the distribution of $4$-Selmer groups predicted by Delaunay's heuristic. Analogously, and still subject to the grand Riemann hypothesis, we prove that the set of quadratic imaginary fields has the distribution of 8-class groups predicted by the Cohen-Lenstra heuristic.

math.NT↗

arXiv2016

The congruent numbers have positive natural density

We prove that the rational elliptic curve y^2 = x^3 - n^2x satisfies the full Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for at least 41.9% of positive squarefree integers n equal to 1, 2, or 3 mod 8, and that it satisfies the regular BSD conjecture for at least 55.9% of positive squarefree integers n equal to 5, 6, or 7 mod 8. In particular, at least 55.9% of positive squarefree integers equal to 5, 6, or 7 mod 8 are congruent numbers. These proofs complete an argument started by Tian, Yuan, and Zhang.

math.NT↗

arXiv2014

Irreducible Canonical Representations in Positive Characteristic

For $X$ a curve over a field of positive characteristic, we investigate when the canonical representation of $\text{Aut}(X)$ on $H^0(X, Ω_X)$ is irreducible. Any curve with an irreducible canonical representation must either be superspecial or ordinary. Having a small automorphism group is an obstruction to having irreducible canonical representation; with this motivation, the bulk of the paper is spent bounding the size of automorphism groups of superspecial and ordinary curves. After proving that all automorphisms of an $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$-maximal curve are defined over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$, we find all superspecial curves with $g > 82$ having an irreducible representation. In the ordinary case, we provide a bound on the size of the automorphism group of an ordinary curve that improves on a result of Nakajima.

math.AG↗

arXiv2011

Persistence of Tripartite Nonlocality for Non-inertial Observers

We consider the behaviour of bipartite and tripartite non-locality between fermionic entangled states shared by observers, one of whom uniformly accelerates. We find that while fermionic entanglement persists for arbitrarily large acceleration, the Bell/CHSH inequalities cannot be violated for sufficiently large but finite acceleration. However the Svetlichny inequality, which is a measure of genuine tripartite non-locality, can be violated for any finite value of the acceleration.

quant-ph↗