arXiv subjects

Bo Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Bo Zhang.

At least 865 records · Page 48Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Study of Neutron-Capture Element Abundances in Metal-Poor Stars

This work describes a study of elemental abundances for 30 metal-poor stars whose chemical abundances provide excellent information for setting constraints on models of neutron-capture processes. Based on the abundances of main r- and weak r-process stars, the abundance patterns of main r-process and weak r-process are obtained. The two r-process component coefficients are defined to determine the relative contributions from individual neutron-capture process to abundances of metal-poor stars. Based on the component coefficients, we find that metal-poor stars BD+4 2621 and HD 4306 are also weak r-process stars, which means that the abundance pattern produced by weak r-process is stable. All metal-poor star abundances contain the contributions of both main r-process and weak r-process. The elements produced by weak r-process have increased along with Fe over the polluted history. Most of the metal-poor star abundances do not follow the pattern observed in solar system, but there is a small fraction that do. For the low-[Sr/Fe] star BD-18 5550 ([Sr/Fe]$\lesssim-1$), neutron-capture element abundances can be explained by the mixture of two r-process components. Since lighter elements in this star cannot be fitted by the two components, the abundance pattern of P-component is estimated from those abundances.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Planning and Acting under Uncertainty: A New Model for Spoken Dialogue Systems

Uncertainty plays a central role in spoken dialogue systems. Some stochastic models like Markov decision process (MDP) are used to model the dialogue manager. But the partially observable system state and user intention hinder the natural representation of the dialogue state. MDP-based system degrades fast when uncertainty about a user's intention increases. We propose a novel dialogue model based on the partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). We use hidden system states and user intentions as the state set, parser results and low-level information as the observation set, domain actions and dialogue repair actions as the action set. Here the low-level information is extracted from different input modals, including speech, keyboard, mouse, etc., using Bayesian networks. Because of the limitation of the exact algorithms, we focus on heuristic approximation algorithms and their applicability in POMDP for dialogue management. We also propose two methods for grid point selection in grid-based approximation algorithms.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2012

A Newton method for simultaneous reconstruction of an interface and a buried obstacle from far-field data

This paper is concerned with the inverse problem of scattering of time-harmonic acoustic waves from a penetrable and buried obstacles. By introducing a related transmission scattering problem, a Newton iteration method is proposed to simultaneously reconstruct both the penetrable interface and the buried obstacle inside from far-field data. A main feature of our method is that we do not need to know the type of boundary conditions on the buried obstacle. In particular, the boundary condition on the buried obstacle can also be determined simultaneously by the method. Finally, numerical examples using multi-frequency data are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of our method.

math.NA↗

arXiv2012

Urban Freight Transportation Planning: A Dynamic Stackelberg Game-Theoretic Approach

In this paper we propose a dynamic Stackelberg game-theoretic model for urban freight transportation planning which is able to characterize the interaction between freight and personal transportation in an urban area. The problem is formulated as a bi-level dynamic mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) which belongs to a class of computationally challenging problems. The lower level is dynamic user equilibrium (DUE) with inhomogeneous traffic that characterizes traffic system optimum (SO) freight transportation planning problem which aims at minimizing the total cost to a truck company. A mathematical program with complementarity constraints (MPCC) reformulation is derived and a projected gradient algorithm is designed to solve this computationally challenging problem. Numerical experiments are conducted to show that when planning freight transportation the background traffic is nonnegligible, even though the amount of trucks compared to other vehicles traveling on the same network is relatively small. What's more, in our proposed bi-level model for urban freight transportation planning, we find a dynamic case of a Braess-like Paradox which can provide managerial insights to a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in increasing social welfare by restricting freight movement.

math.OC↗

arXiv2012

Study of The Abundance Patterns in The Metal-Poor Stellar Stream

The chemical abundances of the metal-poor stars in the stellar stream provide important information for setting constraints on models of neutron-capture processes. The study of these stars could give us a better understanding of r-process nucleosynthesis and chemical composition of the early Galaxy. Using the updated main r-process and weak r-process patterns, we fit abundances in the stellar stream stars. The weak r-process component coefficients are almost constant for the sample stars, including r-rich stars, which means that both weak r-process and Fe are produced as primary elements from SNeII and their yields have nearly a constant mass fraction. The difference between the stream stars and r-rich stars is obvious. For the stream stars, that the increase trend in the main r-process component coefficients as metallicity increases means the gradual increase in the production of main r-process elements relative to iron. This behavior implies that the masses of progenitors for the main r-process are smaller than those of the weak r-process. Furthermore, we find metal-poor stream star HD 237846 is a weak r-process star.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Nonparametric ROC Summary Statistics for Correlated Diagnostic Marker Data

We propose efficient nonparametric statistics to compare medical imaging modalities in multi-reader multi-test data and to compare markers in longitudinal ROC data. The proposed methods are based on the weighted area under the ROC curve which includes the area under the curve and the partial area under the curve as special cases. The methods maximize the local power for detecting the difference between imaging modalities. The asymptotic results of the proposed methods are developed under a complex correlation structure. Our simulation studies show that the proposed statistics result in much better powers than existing statistics. We applied the proposed statistics to an endometriosis diagnosis study.

stat.AP↗

arXiv2012

Three-dimensional imaging of single nanotube molecule endocytosis on plasmonic substrates

Investigating the cellular internalization pathways of single molecules or single nano-objects is important to understanding cell-matter interactions and to applications in drug delivery and discovery. Imaging and tracking the motion of single molecules on cell plasma membrane require high spatial resolution in three dimensions (3D). Fluorescence imaging along the axial dimension with nanometer resolution has been highly challenging but critical to revealing displacements in trans-membrane events. Here, utilizing a plasmonic ruler based on the sensitive distance dependence of near-infrared fluorescence enhancement (NIR-FE) of carbon nanotubes on a gold plasmonic substrate, we probe ~10 nm scale trans-membrane displacements through changes in nanotube fluorescence intensity, enabling observations of single nanotube endocytosis in 3D. Cellular uptake and trans-membrane displacements show clear dependences to temperature and clathrin assembly on cell membrane, suggesting that the cellular entry mechanism for a nanotube molecule is via clathrin-dependent endocytosis through the formation of clathrin-coated pits on cell membrane.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2011

A new embedding quality assessment method for manifold learning

Manifold learning is a hot research topic in the field of computer science. A crucial issue with current manifold learning methods is that they lack a natural quantitative measure to assess the quality of learned embeddings, which greatly limits their applications to real-world problems. In this paper, a new embedding quality assessment method for manifold learning, named as Normalization Independent Embedding Quality Assessment (NIEQA), is proposed. Compared with current assessment methods which are limited to isometric embeddings, the NIEQA method has a much larger application range due to two features. First, it is based on a new measure which can effectively evaluate how well local neighborhood geometry is preserved under normalization, hence it can be applied to both isometric and normalized embeddings. Second, it can provide both local and global evaluations to output an overall assessment. Therefore, NIEQA can serve as a natural tool in model selection and evaluation tasks for manifold learning. Experimental results on benchmark data sets validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2011

A unitary quantum lattice gas algorithm for two dimensional quantum turbulence

Quantum vortex structures and energy cascades are examined for two dimensional quantum turbulence (2D QT) at zero temperature. A special unitary evolution algorithm, the quantum lattice gas (QLG) algorithm, is employed to simulate the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) governed by the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. A parameter regime is uncovered in which, as in 3D QT, there is a short Poincaré recurrence time. It is demonstrated that such short recurrence times are destroyed as the nonlinear interaction is strengthened. The similar loss of Poincaré recurrence is also reported in 3D QT [1] Energy cascades for 2D QT are considered to examine whether 2D QT exhibits inverse cascades as in 2D classical turbulence. In the parameter regime considered, the spectra analysis reveals no such dual cascades-dual cascades being a hallmark of 2D classical turbulence.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Poincare recurrence and intermittent loss of quantum Kelvin wave cascades in quantum turbulence

The evolution of the ground state wave function of a zero-temperature Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is well described by the Hamiltonian Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. Using a set of appropriately interleaved unitary collision-streaming operators, a quantum lattice gas algorithm is devised which on taking moments recovers the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation in diffusion ordering (time scales as square of length). Unexpectedly, there is a class of initial conditions in which their Poincare recurrence is extremely short. Further it is shown that the Poincare recurrence time scales with diffusion ordering as the the grid is increased. The spectral results of Yepez et.al. [1] for quantum turbulence are corrected and it is found that it is the compressible kinetic energy spectrum that exhibits the 3 cascade regions: a small k classical Kolmogorov k^(-5/3) spectrum, a steep semi-classical cascade region, and a large k quantum Kelvin wave cascade k^(-3) spectrum. The incompressible kinetic energy spectrum exhibits basically a single cascade power law of k^(-3). For winding number 1 linear vortices it is also shown that there is an intermittent loss of Kelvin wave cascade with its signature seen in the time evolution of the kinetic energy, the loss of the k^(-3) spectrum in the incompressible kinetic energy spectrum as well as the minimization of the vortex core isosurfaces that inhibits the Kelvin wave cascade.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Optimal error estimates and energy conservation identities of the ADI-FDTD scheme on staggered grids for 3D Maxwell's equations

This paper is concerned with the optimal error estimates and energy conservation properties of the alternating direction implicit finite-difference time-domain (ADI-FDTD) method which is a popular scheme for solving the 3D Maxwell equations. Precisely, for the case with a perfectly electric conducting (PEC) boundary condition we establish the optimal second-order error estimates in both space and time in the discrete $H^1$-norm for the ADI-FDTD scheme and prove the approximate divergence preserving property that if the divergence of the initial electric and magnetic fields are zero then the discrete $L^2$-norm of the discrete divergence of the ADI-FDTD solution is approximately zero with the second-order accuracy in both space and time. A key ingredient is two new discrete energy norms which are second-order in time perturbations of two new energy conservation laws for the Maxwell equations introduced in this paper. Furthermore, we prove that, in addition to two known discrete energy identities which are second-order in time perturbations of two known energy conservation laws, the ADI-FDTD scheme also satisfies two new discrete energy identities which are second-order in time perturbations of the two new energy conservation laws. This means that the ADI-FDTD scheme is unconditionally stable under the four discrete energy norms. Experimental results are presented which confirm the theoretical results.

math.NA↗

arXiv2011

Near-Infrared Fluorescence Enhanced (NIR-FE) Molecular Imaging of Live Cells on Gold Substrates

Low quantum yields of near infrared (NIR) fluorophores have limited their capabilities as imaging probes in a transparent, low background imaging window. Here for the first time we reported near-infrared fluorescence enhance (NIR-FE) cell imaging using nanostructured Au substrate, which was employed as a general platform for both single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and organic fluorescent labels in the NIR region. Fluorescence intensity, as well as cell targeting specificity, was greatly improved by this novel imaging technique. With NIR-FE imaging, we were able to image SWNT-stained cells at short exposure time of 300ms, and push the detectable limit of SWNT staining of cells down to an ultralow concentration of ~50 pM. Further, different degrees of fluorescence enhancement for endocytosed, intracellular SWNTs vs. nanotubes on the cell membrane at the cell/gold interface were observed, suggesting the possibility of using this technique to track the transmembrane behavior of NIR fluorophores.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2011

The Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy (BeSSeL) Survey: Mapping the Milky Way with VLBI Astrometry

Astrometric Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of maser sources in the Milky Way are used to map the spiral structure of our Galaxy and to determine fundamental parameters such as the rotation velocity ($Θ_0$) and curve and the distance to the Galactic center (R$_0$). Here, we present an update on our first results, implementing a recent change in the knowledge about the Solar motion. It seems unavoidable that the IAU recommended values for R$_0$ and $Θ_0$ need a substantial revision. In particular the combination of 8.5 kpc and 220 \kms\, can be ruled out with high confidence. Combining the maser data with the distance to the Galactic center from stellar orbits and the proper motion of Sgr\,A* gives best values of R$_0$ = 8.3 $\pm$ 0.23 kpc and $Θ_0$ = 239 or 246 $\pm$ 7 \kms, for Solar motions of V$_ \odot$ = 12.23 and 5.25 \kms, respectively. Finally, we give an outlook to future observations in the Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy (BeSSeL) Survey.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

Synchro-Curvature Self-Compton Radiation of Electrons in Curved Magnetic Fields

In this paper we present the spectrum of synchro-curvature self-Compton (SCSC) radiation of relativistic electrons with a power-law distribution of Lorentz factors. We find that the resulting spectrum is significantly different from that of either synchrotron self-Compton or curvature self-Compton radiation if both the curvature radius of the magnetic field and the cyclotron radius of the electrons are within some proper ranges. The effects of electrons' cooling and drifting, the low-energy self absorption in seed spectra, and the Klein-Nishina cutoff are also discussed, in order to get an accurate picture. We take gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) as our example environment for discussions. The results would be considered as a universal approach of the self-Compton emission of relativistic electrons moving in curved magnetic fields, and thus could be applied to many astrophysical phenomena, including GRBs, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and pulsars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

Dual condensate and QCD phase transition

The dual condensate is a new QCD phase transition order parameter, which connnects confinement and chiral symmetry breaking as different mass limits. We discuss the relation between the fermion spectrum at general boundary conditions and the dual condensate and show numerical results for the latter from unquenched SU(3) lattice configurations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2010

Vortex content of calorons and deconfinement mechanism

We reveal the center vortex content of SU(2) calorons and ensembles of them. While one part of the vortex connects the constituent dyons of a single caloron, another part is predominantly spatial and can be related to the twist that exists in the caloron gauge field. The latter part depends strongly on the caloron holonomy and degenerates to a plane between the dyons when the asymptotic Polyakov loop is traceless. Correspondingly, the spatial vortex in caloron ensembles is percolating in this case. This finding fits perfectly in the confinement scenario of vortices and shows that calorons are suitable to facilitate the vortex (de)confinement mechanism.

hep-th↗

arXiv2010

Study of isotopic fractions and abundances of the neutron-capture elements in HD 175305

The chemical abundances of metal-poor stars are excellent sources of information for setting new constraints on models of Galactic chemical evolution at low metallicities. In this paper we present an attempt to fit the elemental abundances observed in the bright, metal-poor giant HD 175305, and derive isotopic fractions using a parametric model. The observed abundances can be wellmatched by the combined contributions froms- and r-processmaterial. The component coefficients of the r- and s-processes are C1 = 3.220 and C3 = 1.134, respectively. The Smisotopic fraction in this star where the observed neutron-capture elements are produced is predicted to be f 152+154 =0.582,which suggests that, even though the r-process is predominantly responsible for the synthesis of the neutron-capture elements in the early Galaxy, the onset of the s-process had already occurred at this metallicity of [Fe/H] = -1.6.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2010

A holistic abundance analysis of r-rich stars

The chemical abundances of metal-poor stars are an excellent test bed by which to set new constraints on models of neutron-capture processes at low metallicity. Some r-process-rich (hereafter r-rich) metal-poor stars, such as HD221170, show an overabundance of the heavier neutron-capture elements and excesses of lighter neutron-capture elements. The study of these r-rich stars could give us a better understanding of weak and main r-process nucleosynthesis at low metallicity. Based on conclusions from the observation of metal-poor stars and neutron-capture element nucleosynthesis theory, we set up a model to determine the relative contributions from weak and main r-processes to the heavy-element abundances in metal-poor stars. Using this model, we find that the abundance patterns of light elements for most sample stars are close to the pattern of weak r-process stars, and those of heavier neutron-capture elements very similar to the pattern of main r-process stars, while the lighter neutron-capture elements can be fitted by the mixing of weak and main r-process material. The production of weak r-process elements appears to be associated with the light elements, while the production of main r-process elements is almost decoupled from that of the light elements. We compare our results with the observed data at low metallicities, showing that the predicted trends are in good agreement with the observed trends, at least for the metallicity range [Fe/H] < -2.1. For most sample stars, the abundance patterns of both neutron-capture elements and light elements could be best explained by a star formed in a molecular cloud that has been polluted by both weak and main r-process material.

astro-ph.SR↗