@article{14400,
  abstract     = {We consider the problem of computing the maximal probability of satisfying an 
-regular specification for stochastic, continuous-state, nonlinear systems evolving in discrete time. The problem reduces, after automata-theoretic constructions, to finding the maximal probability of satisfying a parity condition on a (possibly hybrid) state space. While characterizing the exact satisfaction probability is open, we show that a lower bound on this probability can be obtained by (I) computing an under-approximation of the qualitative winning region, i.e., states from which the parity condition can be enforced almost surely, and (II) computing the maximal probability of reaching this qualitative winning region.
The heart of our approach is a technique to symbolically compute the under-approximation of the qualitative winning region in step (I) via a finite-state abstraction of the original system as a 
-player parity game. Our abstraction procedure uses only the support of the probabilistic evolution; it does not use precise numerical transition probabilities. We prove that the winning set in the abstract -player game induces an under-approximation of the qualitative winning region in the original synthesis problem, along with a policy to solve it. By combining these contributions with (a) a symbolic fixpoint algorithm to solve 
-player games and (b) existing techniques for reachability policy synthesis in stochastic nonlinear systems, we get an abstraction-based algorithm for finding a lower bound on the maximal satisfaction probability.
We have implemented the abstraction-based algorithm in Mascot-SDS, where we combined the outlined abstraction step with our tool Genie (Majumdar et al., 2023) that solves 
-player parity games (through a reduction to Rabin games) more efficiently than existing algorithms. We evaluated our implementation on the nonlinear model of a perturbed bistable switch from the literature. We show empirically that the lower bound on the winning region computed by our approach is precise, by comparing against an over-approximation of the qualitative winning region. Moreover, our implementation outperforms a recently proposed tool for solving this problem by a large margin.},
  author       = {Majumdar, Rupak and Mallik, Kaushik and Schmuck, Anne Kathrin and Soudjani, Sadegh},
  issn         = {1751-570X},
  journal      = {Nonlinear Analysis: Hybrid Systems},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{Symbolic control for stochastic systems via finite parity games}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.nahs.2023.101430},
  volume       = {51},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14401,
  abstract     = {Background: 
Pro-apoptotic BAX is a central mediator of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death after optic nerve damage. BAX activation occurs in two stages including translocation of latent BAX to the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) and then permeabilization of the MOM to facilitate the release of apoptotic signaling molecules. As a critical component of RGC death, BAX is an attractive target for neuroprotective therapies and an understanding of the kinetics of BAX activation and the mechanisms controlling the two stages of this process in RGCs is potentially valuable in informing the development of a neuroprotective strategy.
Methods:
The kinetics of BAX translocation were assessed by both static and live-cell imaging of a GFP-BAX fusion protein introduced into RGCs using AAV2-mediated gene transfer in mice. Activation of BAX was achieved using an acute optic nerve crush (ONC) protocol. Live-cell imaging of GFP-BAX was achieved using explants of mouse retina harvested 7 days after ONC. Kinetics of translocation in RGCs were compared to GFP-BAX translocation in 661W tissue culture cells. Permeabilization of GFP-BAX was assessed by staining with the 6A7 monoclonal antibody, which recognizes a conformational change in this protein after MOM insertion. Assessment of individual kinases associated with both stages of activation was made using small molecule inhibitors injected into the vitreous either independently or in concert with ONC surgery. The contribution of the Dual Leucine Zipper-JUN-N-Terminal Kinase cascade was evaluated using mice with a double conditional knock-out of both Mkk4 and Mkk7.
Results:
ONC induces the translocation of GFP-BAX in RGCs at a slower rate and with less intracellular synchronicity than 661W cells, but exhibits less variability among mitochondrial foci within a single cell. GFP-BAX was also found to translocate in all compartments of an RGC including the dendritic arbor and axon. Approximately 6% of translocating RGCs exhibited retrotranslocation of BAX immediately following translocation. Unlike tissue culture cells, which exhibit simultaneous translocation and permeabilization, RGCs exhibited a significant delay between these two stages, similar to detached cells undergoing anoikis. Translocation, with minimal permeabilization could be induced in a subset of RGCs using an inhibitor of Focal Adhesion Kinase (PF573228). Permeabilization after ONC, in a majority of RGCs, could be inhibited with a broad spectrum kinase inhibitor (sunitinib) or a selective inhibitor for p38/MAPK14 (SB203580). Intervention of DLK-JNK axis signaling abrogated GFP-BAX translocation after ONC.
Conclusions:
A comparison between BAX activation kinetics in tissue culture cells and in cells of a complex tissue environment shows distinct differences indicating that caution should be used when translating findings from one condition to the other. RGCs exhibit both a delay between translocation and permeabilization and the ability for translocated BAX to be retrotranslocated, suggesting several stages at which intervention of the activation process could be exploited in the design of a therapeutic strategy.},
  author       = {Maes, Margaret E and Donahue, Ryan J. and Schlamp, Cassandra L. and Marola, Olivia J. and Libby, Richard T. and Nickells, Robert W.},
  issn         = {1750-1326},
  journal      = {Molecular Neurodegeneration},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{BAX activation in mouse retinal ganglion cells occurs in two temporally and mechanistically distinct steps}},
  doi          = {10.1186/s13024-023-00659-8},
  volume       = {18},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14402,
  abstract     = {Alpha oscillations are a distinctive feature of the awake resting state of the human brain. However, their functional role in resting-state neuronal dynamics remains poorly understood. Here we show that, during resting wakefulness, alpha oscillations drive an alternation of attenuation and amplification bouts in neural activity. Our analysis indicates that inhibition is activated in pulses that last for a single alpha cycle and gradually suppress neural activity, while excitation is successively enhanced over a few alpha cycles to amplify neural activity. Furthermore, we show that long-term alpha amplitude fluctuations—the “waxing and waning” phenomenon—are an attenuation-amplification mechanism described by a power-law decay of the activity rate in the “waning” phase. Importantly, we do not observe such dynamics during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep with marginal alpha oscillations. The results suggest that alpha oscillations modulate neural activity not only through pulses of inhibition (pulsed inhibition hypothesis) but also by timely enhancement of excitation (or disinhibition).},
  author       = {Lombardi, Fabrizio and Herrmann, Hans J. and Parrino, Liborio and Plenz, Dietmar and Scarpetta, Silvia and Vaudano, Anna Elisabetta and De Arcangelis, Lucilla and Shriki, Oren},
  issn         = {2211-1247},
  journal      = {Cell Reports},
  number       = {10},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{Beyond pulsed inhibition: Alpha oscillations modulate attenuation and amplification of neural activity in the awake resting state}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113162},
  volume       = {42},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14404,
  abstract     = {A light-triggered fabrication method extends the functionality of printable nanomaterials},
  author       = {Balazs, Daniel and Ibáñez, Maria},
  issn         = {1095-9203},
  journal      = {Science},
  number       = {6665},
  pages        = {1413--1414},
  publisher    = {AAAS},
  title        = {{Widening the use of 3D printing}},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.adk3070},
  volume       = {381},
  year         = {2023},
}

@inproceedings{14405,
  abstract     = {We introduce hypernode automata as a new specification formalism for hyperproperties of concurrent systems. They are finite automata with nodes labeled with hypernode logic formulas and transitions labeled with actions. A hypernode logic formula specifies relations between sequences of variable values in different system executions. Unlike HyperLTL, hypernode logic takes an asynchronous view on execution traces by constraining the values and the order of value changes of each variable without correlating the timing of the changes. Different execution traces are synchronized solely through the transitions of hypernode automata. Hypernode automata naturally combine asynchronicity at the node level with synchronicity at the transition level. We show that the model-checking problem for hypernode automata is decidable over action-labeled Kripke structures, whose actions induce transitions of the specification automata. For this reason, hypernode automaton is a suitable formalism for specifying and verifying asynchronous hyperproperties, such as declassifying observational determinism in multi-threaded programs.},
  author       = {Bartocci, Ezio and Henzinger, Thomas A and Nickovic, Dejan and Oliveira da Costa, Ana},
  booktitle    = {34th International Conference on Concurrency Theory},
  isbn         = {9783959772990},
  issn         = {18688969},
  location     = {Antwerp, Belgium},
  publisher    = {Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik},
  title        = {{Hypernode automata}},
  doi          = {10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.21},
  volume       = {279},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14406,
  abstract     = {Recently, a concept of generalized multifractality, which characterizes fluctuations and correlations of critical eigenstates, was introduced and explored for all 10 symmetry classes of disordered systems. Here, by using the nonlinear sigma-model (
NL
σ
M
) field theory, we extend the theory of generalized multifractality to boundaries of systems at criticality. Our numerical simulations on two-dimensional systems of symmetry classes A, C, and AII fully confirm the analytical predictions of pure-scaling observables and Weyl symmetry relations between critical exponents of surface generalized multifractality. This demonstrates the validity of the 
NL
σ
M
 for the description of Anderson-localization critical phenomena, not only in the bulk but also on the boundary. The critical exponents strongly violate generalized parabolicity, in analogy with earlier results for the bulk, corroborating the conclusion that the considered Anderson-localization critical points are not described by conformal field theories. We further derive relations between generalized surface multifractal spectra and linear combinations of Lyapunov exponents of a strip in quasi-one-dimensional geometry, which hold under the assumption of invariance with respect to a logarithmic conformal map. Our numerics demonstrate that these relations hold with an excellent accuracy. Taken together, our results indicate an intriguing situation: the conformal invariance is broken but holds partially at critical points of Anderson localization.},
  author       = {Babkin, Serafim and Karcher, Jonas F. and Burmistrov, Igor S. and Mirlin, Alexander D.},
  issn         = {2469-9969},
  journal      = {Physical Review B},
  number       = {10},
  publisher    = {American Physical Society},
  title        = {{Generalized surface multifractality in two-dimensional disordered systems}},
  doi          = {10.1103/PhysRevB.108.104205},
  volume       = {108},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14408,
  abstract     = {We prove that the mesoscopic linear statistics ∑if(na(σi−z0)) of the eigenvalues {σi}i of large n×n non-Hermitian random matrices with complex centred i.i.d. entries are asymptotically Gaussian for any H20-functions f around any point z0 in the bulk of the spectrum on any mesoscopic scale 0<a<1/2. This extends our previous result (Cipolloni et al. in Commun Pure Appl Math, 2019. arXiv:1912.04100), that was valid on the macroscopic scale, a=0
, to cover the entire mesoscopic regime. The main novelty is a local law for the product of resolvents for the Hermitization of X at spectral parameters z1,z2 with an improved error term in the entire mesoscopic regime |z1−z2|≫n−1/2. The proof is dynamical; it relies on a recursive tandem of the characteristic flow method and the Green function comparison idea combined with a separation of the unstable mode of the underlying stability operator.},
  author       = {Cipolloni, Giorgio and Erdös, László and Schröder, Dominik J},
  issn         = {1432-2064},
  journal      = {Probability Theory and Related Fields},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Mesoscopic central limit theorem for non-Hermitian random matrices}},
  doi          = {10.1007/s00440-023-01229-1},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14409,
  abstract     = {We present a photon- and metal-free approach for the radical fluorination of aliphatic oxalate-activated alcohols. The method relies on the spontaneous generation of the N-(chloromethyl)triethylenediamine radical dication, a potent single electron oxidant, from Selectfluor and 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine. The protocol is easily scalable and provides the desired fluorinated products within only a few minutes reaction time.},
  author       = {Baunis, Haralds and Pieber, Bartholomäus},
  issn         = {1099-0690},
  journal      = {European Journal of Organic Chemistry},
  number       = {42},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{Formal radical deoxyfluorination of oxalate-activated alcohols triggered by the selectfluor-DMAP charge-transfer complex}},
  doi          = {10.1002/ejoc.202300769},
  volume       = {26},
  year         = {2023},
}

@inproceedings{14410,
  abstract     = {This paper focuses on the implementation details of the baseline methods and a recent lightweight conditional model extrapolation algorithm LIMES [5] for streaming data under class-prior shift. LIMES achieves superior performance over the baseline methods, especially concerning the minimum-across-day accuracy, which is important for the users of the system. In this work, the key measures to facilitate reproducibility and enhance the credibility of the results are described.},
  author       = {Tomaszewska, Paulina and Lampert, Christoph},
  booktitle    = {International Workshop on Reproducible Research in Pattern Recognition},
  isbn         = {9783031407727},
  issn         = {1611-3349},
  location     = {Montreal, Canada},
  pages        = {67--73},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{On the implementation of baselines and lightweight conditional model extrapolation (LIMES) under class-prior shift}},
  doi          = {10.1007/978-3-031-40773-4_6},
  volume       = {14068},
  year         = {2023},
}

@inproceedings{14411,
  abstract     = {Partially specified Boolean networks (PSBNs) represent a promising framework for the qualitative modelling of biological systems in which the logic of interactions is not completely known. Phenotype control aims to stabilise the network in states exhibiting specific traits.
In this paper, we define the phenotype control problem in the context of asynchronous PSBNs and propose a novel semi-symbolic algorithm for solving this problem with permanent variable perturbations.},
  author       = {Beneš, Nikola and Brim, Luboš and Pastva, Samuel and Šafránek, David and Šmijáková, Eva},
  booktitle    = {21st International Conference on Computational Methods in Systems Biology},
  isbn         = {9783031426964},
  issn         = {1611-3349},
  location     = {Luxembourg City, Luxembourg},
  pages        = {18--35},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Phenotype control of partially specified boolean networks}},
  doi          = {10.1007/978-3-031-42697-1_2},
  volume       = {14137},
  year         = {2023},
}

@inproceedings{14417,
  abstract     = {Entropic risk (ERisk) is an established risk measure in finance, quantifying risk by an exponential re-weighting of rewards. We study ERisk for the first time in the context of turn-based stochastic games with the total reward objective. This gives rise to an objective function that demands the control of systems in a risk-averse manner. We show that the resulting games are determined and, in particular, admit optimal memoryless deterministic strategies. This contrasts risk measures that previously have been considered in the special case of Markov decision processes and that require randomization and/or memory. We provide several results on the decidability and the computational complexity of the threshold problem, i.e. whether the optimal value of ERisk exceeds a given threshold. In the most general case, the problem is decidable subject to Shanuel’s conjecture. If all inputs are rational, the resulting threshold problem can be solved using algebraic numbers, leading to decidability via a polynomial-time reduction to the existential theory of the reals. Further restrictions on the encoding of the input allow the solution of the threshold problem in NP∩coNP. Finally, an approximation algorithm for the optimal value of ERisk is provided.},
  author       = {Baier, Christel and Chatterjee, Krishnendu and Meggendorfer, Tobias and Piribauer, Jakob},
  booktitle    = {48th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science},
  isbn         = {9783959772921},
  issn         = {1868-8969},
  location     = {Bordeaux, France},
  publisher    = {Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik},
  title        = {{Entropic risk for turn-based stochastic games}},
  doi          = {10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2023.15},
  volume       = {272},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14421,
  abstract     = {Only recently has it been possible to construct a self-adjoint Hamiltonian that involves the creation of Dirac particles at a point source in 3d space. Its definition makes use of an interior-boundary condition. Here, we develop for this Hamiltonian a corresponding theory of the Bohmian configuration. That is, we (non-rigorously) construct a Markov jump process $(Q_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ in the configuration space of a variable number of particles that is $|\psi_t|^2$-distributed at every time t and follows Bohmian trajectories between the jumps. The jumps correspond to particle creation or annihilation events and occur either to or from a configuration with a particle located at the source. The process is the natural analog of Bell's jump process, and a central piece in its construction is the determination of the rate of particle creation. The construction requires an analysis of the asymptotic behavior of the Bohmian trajectories near the source. We find that the particle reaches the source with radial speed 0, but orbits around the source infinitely many times in finite time before absorption (or after emission).},
  author       = {Henheik, Sven Joscha and Tumulka, Roderich},
  issn         = {1751-8121},
  journal      = {Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical},
  number       = {44},
  publisher    = {IOP Publishing},
  title        = {{Creation rate of Dirac particles at a point source}},
  doi          = {10.1088/1751-8121/acfe62},
  volume       = {56},
  year         = {2023},
}

@phdthesis{14422,
  abstract     = {Animals exhibit a remarkable ability to learn and remember new behaviors, skills, and associations throughout their lifetime. These capabilities are made possible thanks to a variety of
changes in the brain throughout adulthood, regrouped under the term "plasticity". Some cells
in the brain —neurons— and specifically changes in the connections between neurons, the
synapses, were shown to be crucial for the formation, selection, and consolidation of memories
from past experiences. These ongoing changes of synapses across time are called synaptic
plasticity. Understanding how a myriad of biochemical processes operating at individual
synapses can somehow work in concert to give rise to meaningful changes in behavior is a
fascinating problem and an active area of research.
However, the experimental search for the precise plasticity mechanisms at play in the brain
is daunting, as it is difficult to control and observe synapses during learning. Theoretical
approaches have thus been the default method to probe the plasticity-behavior connection. Such
studies attempt to extract unifying principles across synapses and model all observed synaptic
changes using plasticity rules: equations that govern the evolution of synaptic strengths across
time in neuronal network models. These rules can use many relevant quantities to determine
the magnitude of synaptic changes, such as the precise timings of pre- and postsynaptic
action potentials, the recent neuronal activity levels, the state of neighboring synapses, etc.
However, analytical studies rely heavily on human intuition and are forced to make simplifying
assumptions about plasticity rules.
In this thesis, we aim to assist and augment human intuition in this search for plasticity rules.
We explore whether a numerical approach could automatically discover the plasticity rules
that elicit desired behaviors in large networks of interconnected neurons. This approach is
dubbed meta-learning synaptic plasticity: learning plasticity rules which themselves will make
neuronal networks learn how to solve a desired task. We first write all the potential plasticity
mechanisms to consider using a single expression with adjustable parameters. We then optimize
these plasticity parameters using evolutionary strategies or Bayesian inference on tasks known
to involve synaptic plasticity, such as familiarity detection and network stabilization.
We show that these automated approaches are powerful tools, able to complement established
analytical methods. By comprehensively screening plasticity rules at all synapse types in
realistic, spiking neuronal network models, we discover entire sets of degenerate plausible
plasticity rules that reliably elicit memory-related behaviors. Our approaches allow for more
robust experimental predictions, by abstracting out the idiosyncrasies of individual plasticity
rules, and provide fresh insights on synaptic plasticity in spiking network models.
},
  author       = {Confavreux, Basile J},
  issn         = {2663 - 337X},
  pages        = {148},
  publisher    = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
  title        = {{Synapseek: Meta-learning synaptic plasticity rules}},
  doi          = {10.15479/at:ista:14422},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14425,
  abstract     = {Water adsorption and dissociation processes on pristine low-index TiO2 interfaces are important but poorly understood outside the well-studied anatase (101) and rutile (110). To understand these, we construct three sets of machine learning potentials that are simultaneously applicable to various TiO2 surfaces, based on three density-functional-theory approximations. Here we show the water dissociation free energies on seven pristine TiO2 surfaces, and predict that anatase (100), anatase (110), rutile (001), and rutile (011) favor water dissociation, anatase (101) and rutile (100) have mostly molecular adsorption, while the simulations of rutile (110) sensitively depend on the slab thickness and molecular adsorption is preferred with thick slabs. Moreover, using an automated algorithm, we reveal that these surfaces follow different types of atomistic mechanisms for proton transfer and water dissociation: one-step, two-step, or both. These mechanisms can be rationalized based on the arrangements of water molecules on the different surfaces. Our finding thus demonstrates that the different pristine TiO2 surfaces react with water in distinct ways, and cannot be represented using just the low-energy anatase (101) and rutile (110) surfaces.},
  author       = {Zeng, Zezhu and Wodaczek, Felix and Liu, Keyang and Stein, Frederick and Hutter, Jürg and Chen, Ji and Cheng, Bingqing},
  issn         = {2041-1723},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Mechanistic insight on water dissociation on pristine low-index TiO2 surfaces from machine learning molecular dynamics simulations}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-023-41865-8},
  volume       = {14},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14426,
  abstract     = {To meet the physiological demands of the body, organs need to establish a functional tissue architecture and adequate size as the embryo develops to adulthood. In the liver, uni- and bipotent progenitor differentiation into hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells (BECs), and their relative proportions, comprise the functional architecture. Yet, the contribution of individual liver progenitors at the organ level to both fates, and their specific proportion, is unresolved. Combining mathematical modelling with organ-wide, multispectral FRaeppli-NLS lineage tracing in zebrafish, we demonstrate that a precise BEC-to-hepatocyte ratio is established (i) fast, (ii) solely by heterogeneous lineage decisions from uni- and bipotent progenitors, and (iii) independent of subsequent cell type–specific proliferation. Extending lineage tracing to adulthood determined that embryonic cells undergo spatially heterogeneous three-dimensional growth associated with distinct environments. Strikingly, giant clusters comprising almost half a ventral lobe suggest lobe-specific dominant-like growth behaviours. We show substantial hepatocyte polyploidy in juveniles representing another hallmark of postembryonic liver growth. Our findings uncover heterogeneous progenitor contributions to tissue architecture-defining cell type proportions and postembryonic organ growth as key mechanisms forming the adult liver.},
  author       = {Unterweger, Iris A. and Klepstad, Julie and Hannezo, Edouard B and Lundegaard, Pia R. and Trusina, Ala and Ober, Elke A.},
  issn         = {1545-7885},
  journal      = {PLoS Biology},
  number       = {10},
  publisher    = {Public Library of Science},
  title        = {{Lineage tracing identifies heterogeneous hepatoblast contribution to cell lineages and postembryonic organ growth dynamics}},
  doi          = {10.1371/journal.pbio.3002315},
  volume       = {21},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14427,
  abstract     = {In the paper, we establish Squash Rigidity Theorem—the dynamical spectral rigidity for piecewise analytic Bunimovich squash-type stadia whose convex arcs are homothetic. We also establish Stadium Rigidity Theorem—the dynamical spectral rigidity for piecewise analytic Bunimovich stadia whose flat boundaries are a priori fixed. In addition, for smooth Bunimovich squash-type stadia we compute the Lyapunov exponents along the maximal period two orbit, as well as the value of the Peierls’ Barrier function from the maximal marked length spectrum associated to the rotation number 2n/4n+1.},
  author       = {Chen, Jianyu and Kaloshin, Vadim and Zhang, Hong Kun},
  issn         = {1432-0916},
  journal      = {Communications in Mathematical Physics},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Length spectrum rigidity for piecewise analytic Bunimovich billiards}},
  doi          = {10.1007/s00220-023-04837-z},
  year         = {2023},
}

@inproceedings{14428,
  abstract     = {Suppose we have two hash functions h1 and h2, but we trust the security of only one of them. To mitigate this worry, we wish to build a hash combiner Ch1,h2 which is secure so long as one of the underlying hash functions is. This question has been well-studied in the regime of collision resistance. In this case, concatenating the two hash function outputs clearly works. Unfortunately, a long series of works (Boneh and Boyen, CRYPTO’06; Pietrzak, Eurocrypt’07; Pietrzak, CRYPTO’08) showed no (noticeably) shorter combiner for collision resistance is possible.
In this work, we revisit this pessimistic state of affairs, motivated by the observation that collision-resistance is insufficient for many interesting applications of cryptographic hash functions anyway. We argue the right formulation of the “hash combiner” is to build what we call random oracle (RO) combiners, utilizing stronger assumptions for stronger constructions.
Indeed, we circumvent the previous lower bounds for collision resistance by constructing a simple length-preserving RO combiner C˜h1,h2Z1,Z2(M)=h1(M,Z1)⊕h2(M,Z2),where Z1,Z2
 are random salts of appropriate length. We show that this extra randomness is necessary for RO combiners, and indeed our construction is somewhat tight with this lower bound.
On the negative side, we show that one cannot generically apply the composition theorem to further replace “monolithic” hash functions h1 and h2 by some simpler indifferentiable construction (such as the Merkle-Damgård transformation) from smaller components, such as fixed-length compression functions. Finally, despite this issue, we directly prove collision resistance of the Merkle-Damgård variant of our combiner, where h1 and h2 are replaced by iterative Merkle-Damgård hashes applied to a fixed-length compression function. Thus, we can still subvert the concatenation barrier for collision-resistance combiners while utilizing practically small fixed-length components underneath.},
  author       = {Dodis, Yevgeniy and Ferguson, Niels and Goldin, Eli and Hall, Peter and Pietrzak, Krzysztof Z},
  booktitle    = {43rd Annual International Cryptology Conference},
  isbn         = {9783031385445},
  issn         = {1611-3349},
  location     = {Santa Barbara, CA, United States},
  pages        = {514--546},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Random oracle combiners: Breaking the concatenation barrier for collision-resistance}},
  doi          = {10.1007/978-3-031-38545-2_17},
  volume       = {14082},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14434,
  abstract     = {High entropy alloys (HEAs) are highly suitable candidate catalysts for oxygen evolution and reduction reactions (OER/ORR) as they offer numerous parameters for optimizing the electronic structure and catalytic sites. Herein, FeCoNiMoW HEA nanoparticles are synthesized using a solution‐based low‐temperature approach. Such FeCoNiMoW nanoparticles show high entropy properties, subtle lattice distortions, and modulated electronic structure, leading to superior OER performance with an overpotential of 233 mV at 10 mA cm<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup> and 276 mV at 100 mA cm<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup>. Density functional theory calculations reveal the electronic structures of the FeCoNiMoW active sites with an optimized d‐band center position that enables suitable adsorption of OOH* intermediates and reduces the Gibbs free energy barrier in the OER process. Aqueous zinc–air batteries (ZABs) based on this HEA demonstrate a high open circuit potential of 1.59 V, a peak power density of 116.9 mW cm<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup>, a specific capacity of 857 mAh g<jats:sub>Zn</jats:sub><jats:sup>−1</jats:sup><jats:sub>,</jats:sub> and excellent stability for over 660 h of continuous charge–discharge cycles. Flexible and solid ZABs are also assembled and tested, displaying excellent charge–discharge performance at different bending angles. This work shows the significance of 4d/5d metal‐modulated electronic structure and optimized adsorption ability to improve the performance of OER/ORR, ZABs, and beyond.},
  author       = {He, Ren and Yang, Linlin and Zhang, Yu and Jiang, Daochuan and Lee, Seungho and Horta, Sharona and Liang, Zhifu and Lu, Xuan and Ostovari Moghaddam, Ahmad and Li, Junshan and Ibáñez, Maria and Xu, Ying and Zhou, Yingtang and Cabot, Andreu},
  issn         = {0935-9648},
  journal      = {Advanced Materials},
  keywords     = {Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics of Materials, General Materials Science},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{A 3d‐4d‐5d high entropy alloy as a bifunctional oxygen catalyst for robust aqueous zinc–air batteries}},
  doi          = {10.1002/adma.202303719},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14435,
  abstract     = {Low‐cost, safe, and environmental‐friendly rechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising as next‐generation energy storage devices for wearable electronics among other applications. However, sluggish ionic transport kinetics and the unstable electrode structure during ionic insertion/extraction hampers their deployment. Herein,  we propose a new cathode material based on a layered metal chalcogenide (LMC), bismuth telluride (Bi<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>Te<jats:sub>3</jats:sub>), coated with polypyrrole (PPy). Taking advantage of the PPy coating, the Bi<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>Te<jats:sub>3</jats:sub>@PPy composite presents strong ionic absorption affinity, high oxidation resistance, and high structural stability. The ZIBs based on Bi<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>Te<jats:sub>3</jats:sub>@PPy cathodes exhibit high capacities and ultra‐long lifespans of over 5000 cycles. They also present outstanding stability even under bending. In addition,  we analyze here the reaction mechanism using in situ X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and computational tools and demonstrate that, in the aqueous system, Zn<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> is not inserted into the cathode as previously assumed. In contrast, proton charge storage dominates the process. Overall, this work not only shows the great potential of LMCs as ZIBs cathode materials and the advantages of PPy coating, but also clarifies the charge/discharge mechanism in rechargeable ZIBs based on LMCs.},
  author       = {Zeng, Guifang and Sun, Qing and Horta, Sharona and Wang, Shang and Lu, Xuan and Zhang, Chaoyue and Li, Jing and Li, Junshan and Ci, Lijie and Tian, Yanhong and Ibáñez, Maria and Cabot, Andreu},
  issn         = {1521-4095},
  journal      = {Advanced Materials},
  keywords     = {Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics of Materials, General Materials Science},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{A layered Bi2Te3@PPy cathode for aqueous zinc ion batteries: Mechanism and application in printed flexible batteries}},
  doi          = {10.1002/adma.202305128},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14441,
  abstract     = {We study the Fröhlich polaron model in R3, and establish the subleading term in the strong coupling asymptotics of its ground state energy, corresponding to the quantum corrections to the classical energy determined by the Pekar approximation.},
  author       = {Brooks, Morris and Seiringer, Robert},
  issn         = {1432-0916},
  journal      = {Communications in Mathematical Physics},
  pages        = {287--337},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{The Fröhlich Polaron at strong coupling: Part I - The quantum correction to the classical energy}},
  doi          = {10.1007/s00220-023-04841-3},
  volume       = {404},
  year         = {2023},
}