Exceptional points and quantum dynamics in a non-Hermitian two-qubit system

We study the exceptional-point(EP) structure and the associated quantum dynamics in a system consisting of a non-Hermitian qubit and a Hermitian qubit. We find that the system possesses two sets of EPs, which divide the systemparameter space into PT-symmetry unbroken, partially broken and fully broken regimes, each with distinct quantumdynamics characteristics. Particularly, in the partially broken regime, while the PT-symmetry is generally broken in the whole four-dimensional Hilbert space, it is preserved in a two-dimensional subspace such that the quantum dynamics in the subspace are similar to those in the PT-symmetry unbroken regime. In addition, we reveal that the competition between the inter-qubit coupling and the intra-qubit driving gives rise to a complex pattern in the EP variation with system parameters.

Quantitative determination of the critical points of Mott metal–insulator transition in strongly correlated systems

Mottness is at the heart of the essential physics in a strongly correlated system as many novel quantum phenomena occur in the metallic phase near the Mott metal–insulator transition. We investigate the Mott transition in a Hubbard model by using the dynamical mean-field theory and introduce the local quantum state fidelity to depict the Mott metal–insulator transition. The local quantum state fidelity provides a convenient approach to determining the critical point of the Mott transition. Additionally, it presents a consistent description of the two distinct forms of the Mott transition points.

Singular Points, Closed Orbits, Stable Manifolds and Unstable Manifolds of Second Order Autonomous Birkhoff Systems

Aim To study singular points, closed orbits, stable manifolds and unstable manifolds of a second order autonomous Birkhoff system. Methods Qualitative methods of ordinary differential equation were used. Results and Conclusion The criteria for singular points, closed orbits and hyperbolic equilibrium points of a second order autonomous Birkhoff system are given. Moreover the stability of equilibria, stable manifolds and unstable manifolds are obtained.

Microstructures and Phase Transition Points of As-Cast Mg-Zn-Y System Alloys

As-east mierostruetures and their distribution of Mg-Zn-Y ternary alloy with high magnesium, low zinc and yttrium were examined using Nikon Epiphot optical microscopy （OM）, RigakuD/max-3C X- ray diffraetion （XRD）, and JEOL JSM-6700F scanning electron microscopy （SEM） equipped with an energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）. In the as-east mierostructures, Yttrium and zinc tend to segregate at grain boundaries,

EXTENDED SYSTEMS FOR MULTIPLE S-BREAKING TURNING POINTS IN Z_2×Z_2-SYMMETRIC NONLINEAR PROBLEMS

Making use of the Z2×Z2 symmetry,we could study the structure near multiple S-treaking turning points.In particular,we show that there exist two kinds of singular point path through double S breaking turning points and triple S bieaking turning points,one ts quadratic turning pornt path and one is quadratic pitch fork bifurcation point path.Some simple regular extended systems to corn pute double and triple S-breaking turning points are proposed.Numerical examples are also

Local evolutions of nodal points in two-dimensional systems with chiral symmetry

Two-dimensional systems with chiral symmetry allow stable discrete band crossings(nodal points) in Brillouin zones.Here we study the local evolutions of these nodal points under chiral symmetry preserving perturbations.We find that these evolutions can be classified by different types of local k·p models around the nodal points.Several concrete examples are calculated to illustrate our results.

Limit Cycle Containing Nine Critical Points in its Interior for a Class of Cubic Systems

Discuss a class of real planar cubic systems with a critical point O (0,0) of nine orders and obtain the conditions for its limit cycle surrounding the origin, and prove that when small pertubations of coefficients are made, the critical point O (0,0) of nine orders is split into nine real simple critical points and the limit cycle surrounding the origin becomes the limit cycle containing nine critical points in its interior.

The Relative Ordering of Optimal Hedging Points in a Class of Failure Prone Manufacturing Systems

For a class of manufacturing systems with homogeneous Markov machine failure rates,the stationary probability distribution of the part surplus can be calculated for given tentative values of hedging points. Some properties on the ordering of optimal hedging points are obtained.

STUDY ON STRUCTURE OF SINGULARPOINTS OF LAMINAR FLAME SYSTEM

Under some certain assumptions, the physical model of the air combustion system was simplified to a laminar flame system. The mathematical model of the laminar flame system, which was built according to thermodynamics theory and the corresponding conservative laws, was studied. With the aid of qualitative theory and method of ordinary differential equations, the location of singular points on the Rayleigh curves is determined, the qualitative structure and the stability of the singular points of the laminar flame system, which are located in the areas of deflagration and detonation, are given for different parameter values and uses of combustion. The phase portraits of the laminar flame system in the reaction-stagnation enthalpy and combustion velocity-stagnation enthalpy planes are shown in the corresponding figures.

BIFURCATION PROBLEM OF CRITICAL POINTSFOR QUADRATIC DIFFERENTIAL SYSTEMS

In this paper foe bifurcation of critical points for the quadratic systems of type(II)and (III) is investigated. and an answer to the problem given in[1] is given.

EXISTENCE AND STABILITY OF COMMON FIXED POINTS F0R SYSTEMS OF MAPPINGS

In this paper,we establish some common fixed point theorems and stability theorems of the sets of common fixed points for the systems of set-valued and single-valued nonlinear contractive type mappings in a finite Cartesian product of metric spaces.

On the Singular Perturbation of Nonlinear Systems with Turning Points

In this paper we consider the asymptotic behavior of boundary value problems of nonliner systems εy″= F(t,y,y′,ε) , -1<t<1, y(-1,ε)=A, y(1,ε)=B when F possesses a generalized turning point at t=0. The interior layer phenomenon of the problem is discussed.

End points of clinical trials in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer:A systematic review

AIM： To review the defnition and performance of the commonly used end points in trials of systemic thera-pies in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. METHODS： A literature search was undertaken on PubMed database to identify studies meeting estab-lished criteria, with the aim of selecting randomized clinical trials and study definition and performance of their end points. The end points were grouped into three categories： overall survival （OS）, time-to-event end points, and response end points. A special analysis was performed for secondary end points of the studies which documented a beneft in OS in the experimental arm. Finally, publishes analyses for surrogacy of the in-cluded end points were also reported. RESULTS： OS, time-to-event and response end points in 31 selected trials were analyzed. OS was the pri-mary end point in 14 trials, and the secondary end point in 17. A time-to-event end point was the primaryend point in 8 studies, and the secondary end point in 22; the most reported time-to-event end points were composite end points, and the events changed among trials. A response end point was the primary end point in 9 studies, in 3 it was prostate-specifc antigen （PSA）-related, in 3 pain-related and in 3 mixed. A response end point was the secondary end point in 19 studies： PSA response and radiologic response were the most frequently used secondary end points in 19 and 11 tri-als, respectively, while pain response was used in 5 studies.CONCLUSION： A homogeneous defnition of progres-sion in future trials is mandatory. Among response end points, pain-response and PSA-response appear to be the most reliable.

Prediction of collapse process and tipping points for mutualistic and competitive networks with k-core method

Ecosystems generally have the self-adapting ability to resist various external pressures or disturbances,which is always called resilience.However,once the external disturbances exceed the tipping points of the system resilience,the consequences would be catastrophic,and eventually lead the ecosystem to complete collapse.We capture the collapse process of ecosystems represented by plant-pollinator networks with the k-core nested structural method,and find that a sufficiently weak interaction strength or a sufficiently large competition weight can cause the structure of the ecosystem to collapse from its smallest k-core towards its largest k-core.Then we give the tipping points of structure and dynamic collapse of the entire system from the one-dimensional dynamic function of the ecosystem.Our work provides an intuitive and precise description of the dynamic process of ecosystem collapse under multiple interactions,and provides theoretical insights into further avoiding the occurrence of ecosystem collapse.

Analysis of the inflection points of height-diameter models

The inflection point is an important feature of sigmoidal height-diameter(H-D)models.It is often cited as one of the properties favoring sigmoidal model forms.However,there are very few studies analyzing the inflection points of H-D models.The goals of this study were to theoretically and empirically examine the behaviors of inflection points of six common H-D models with a regional dataset.The six models were the Wykoff(WYK),Schumacher(SCH),Curtis(CUR),HossfeldⅣ(HOS),von Bertalanffy-Richards(VBR),and Gompertz(GPZ)models.The models were first fitted in their base forms with tree species as random effects and were then expanded to include functional traits and spatial distribution.The distributions of the estimated inflection points were similar between the two-parameter models WYK,SCH,and CUR,but were different between the threeparameter models HOS,VBR,and GPZ.GPZ produced some of the largest inflection points.HOS and VBR produced concave H-D curves without inflection points for 12.7%and 39.7%of the tree species.Evergreen species or decreasing shade tolerance resulted in larger inflection points.The trends in the estimated inflection points of HOS and VBR were entirely opposite across the landscape.Furthermore,HOS could produce concave H-D curves for portions of the landscape.Based on the studied behaviors,the choice between two-parameter models may not matter.We recommend comparing seve ral three-parameter model forms for consistency in estimated inflection points before deciding on one.Believing sigmoidal models to have inflection points does not necessarily mean that they will produce fitted curves with one.Our study highlights the need to integrate analysis of inflection points into modeling H-D relationships.

Coexistence of Dirac and Weyl points in non-centrosymmetric semimetal NbIrTe_(4)

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations methods,we investigate the electronic structures and topological properties of ternary tellurides NbIrTe_(4),a candidate for type-II Weyl semimetal.We demonstrate the presence of several Fermi arcs connecting their corresponding Weyl points on both termination surfaces of the topological material.Our analysis reveals the existence of Dirac points,in addition to Weyl points,giving both theoretical and experimental evidences of the coexistence of Dirac and Weyl points in a single material.These findings not only confirm NbIrTe_(4) as a unique topological semimetal but also open avenues for exploring novel electronic devices based on its coexisting Dirac and Weyl fermions.

IDENTIFYING LEVERAGE POINTS IN U.S.RESIDENTIAL WATER HEATER STAKEHOLDER SYSTEM AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS:AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

The system of stakeholders impacting water heater selection decisions in the U.S.is complex,with numerous actors and key players engaging with varying degrees of information asymmetry.The limited availability of decision-making tools could lead to unintended consequences of water and energy saving decisions on public health,such as the growth of opportunistic pathogens in water systems.We use a qualitative meta-synthesis to identify key stakeholders,map interactions among these stakeholders,identify decisions,roles,and influences,and inventory potential interventions.This study identifies and characterizes the important attributes of the residential water heater stakeholder system(leverage points)that influence the selec-tion of water heating technologies.The ultimate desired outcome of the work is to facilitate the selection of water heating components and design configurations that meet occupant objectives and constraints while limiting the potential for health and safety risks due to scalding or opportunistic pathogens.This effort identifies a clear need for decision-making support tools for selecting residential water heaters,one that takes a whole-systems perspective in the water heater stakeholder system and takes advantage of key leverage points for effective intervention.

Joint Beam Scheduling and Power Optimization for Beam Hopping LEO Satellite Systems

Low earth orbit(LEO) satellite communications can provide ubiquitous and reliable services,making it an essential part of the Internet of Everything network. Beam hopping(BH) is an emerging technology for effectively addressing the issue of low resource utilization caused by the non-uniform spatio-temporal distribution of traffic demands. However, how to allocate multi-dimensional resources in a timely and efficient way for the highly dynamic LEO satellite systems remains a challenge. This paper proposes a joint beam scheduling and power optimization beam hopping(JBSPO-BH) algorithm considering the differences in the geographic distribution of sink nodes. The JBSPO-BH algorithm decouples the original problem into two sub-problems. The beam scheduling problem is modelled as a potential game,and the Nash equilibrium(NE) point is obtained as the beam scheduling strategy. Moreover, the penalty function interior point method is applied to optimize the power allocation. Simulation results show that the JBSPO-BH algorithm has low time complexity and fast convergence and achieves better performance both in throughput and fairness. Compared with greedybased BH, greedy-based BH with the power optimization, round-robin BH, Max-SINR BH and satellite resource allocation algorithm, the throughput of the proposed algorithm is improved by 44.99%, 20.79%,156.06%, 15.39% and 8.17%, respectively.

Triple points and phase transitions of D-dimensional dyonic Ad S black holes with quasitopological electromagnetism in Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity

By considering the negative cosmological constant Λ as a thermodynamic pressure, we study the thermodynamics and phase transitions of the D-dimensional dyonic Ad S black holes(BHs) with quasitopological electromagnetism in Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet(EGB) gravity. The results indicate that the small/large BH phase transition that is similar to the van der Waals(vdW) liquid/gas phase transition always exists for any spacetime dimensions. Interestingly, we then find that this BH system exhibits a more complex phase structure in 6-dimensional case that is missed in other dimensions.Specifically, it shows for D = 6 that we observed the small/intermediate/large BH phase transitions in a specific parameter region with the triple point naturally appeared. Moreover, when the magnetic charge turned off, we still observed the small/intermediate/large BH phase transitions and triple point only in 6-dimensional spacetime, which is consistent with the previous results. However, for the dyonic Ad S BHs with quasitopological electromagnetism in Einstein–Born–Infeld(EBI) gravity, the novel phase structure composed of two separate coexistence curves observed by Li et al. [Phys. Rev. D105 104048(2022)] disappeared in EGB gravity. This implies that this novel phase structure is closely related to gravity theories, and seems to have nothing to do with the effect of quasitopological electromagnetism. In addition, it is also true that the critical exponents calculated near the critical points possess identical values as mean field theory. Finally, we conclude that these findings shall provide some deep insights into the intriguing thermodynamic properties of the dyonic Ad S BHs with quasitopological electromagnetism in EGB gravity.

Control system design for a pressure-tube-type supercritical water-cooled nuclear reactor via a higher order sliding mode method

Nuclear power plants exhibit non-linear and time-variable dynamics.Therefore,designing a control system that sets the reactor power and forces it to follow the desired load is complicated.A supercritical water reactor(SCWR)is a fourth-generation conceptual reactor.In an SCWR,the non-linear dynamics of the reactor require a controller capable of control-ling the nonlinearities.In this study,a pressure-tube-type SCWR was controlled during reactor power maneuvering with a higher order sliding mode,and the reactor outgoing steam temperature and pressure were controlled simultaneously.In an SCWR,the temperature,pressure,and power must be maintained at a setpoint(desired value)during power maneuvering.Reactor point kinetics equations with three groups of delayed neutrons were used in the simulation.Higher-order and classic sliding mode controllers were separately manufactured to control the plant and were compared with the PI controllers speci-fied in previous studies.The controlled parameters were reactor power,steam temperature,and pressure.Notably,for these parameters,the PI controller had certain instabilities in the presence of disturbances.The classic sliding mode controller had a higher accuracy and stability;however its main drawback was the chattering phenomenon.HOSMC was highly accurate and stable and had a small computational cost.In reality,it followed the desired values without oscillations and chattering.