@article{22602, abstract = {Contact electrification occurs ubiquitously in nature, but the identity of charge carriers in most situations remains uncertain, with electrons, ions, or nanoscopic material fragments as viable candidates. One material where the species transferred seems more certain is ionomers, i.e., polymers that contain mobile ions balanced by fixed counter‐charges. When ionomers touch a neutral surface, the latter becomes charged in the sign of the mobile ion, strongly suggesting ion transfer. However, the mechanism and governing factors of transfer remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that binding affinity between mobile ion and ionomer controls charge transfer with ionomers. We use ionomers with fixed anions and cations and perform ion exchange to create samples with a series of transferrable ions. We observe a strong binding‐affinity dependence for the anionic ionomer, such that mobile cations with the highest affinity transfers the least charge. Weaker, yet clear dependence was measured for the cationic ionomer, which follows the hydration free energy of the mobile anion. Using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES), we confirm transfer of the mobile ions to the counter sample's surface. Our results confirm the identify and mechanism of charge transfer with ionomeric materials, with potential implications for contact electrification more broadly.}, author = {Hoffman Jr, John R and Freunberger, Stefan Alexander and Waitukaitis, Scott R}, issn = {1521-3773}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Ion transfer during ionomer contact electrification: Binding affinity controls charging}}, doi = {10.1002/anie.5487708}, year = {2026}, } @phdthesis{21393, abstract = {This thesis documents a voyage towards truth and beauty via formal verification of theorems. To this end, we develop libraries in Lean 4 that present definitions and results from diverse areas of MathematiCS (i.e., Mathematics and Computer Science). The aim is to create code that is understandable, believable, useful, and elegant. The code should stand for itself as much as possible without a need for documentation; however, this text redundantly documents our code artifacts and provides additional context that isn’t present in the code. This thesis is written for readers who know Lean 4 but are not familiar with any of the topics presented. We manifest truth and beauty in three formalized areas of MathematiCS. We formalize general grammars in Lean 4 and use grammars to show closure of the class of type-0 languages under four operations; union, reversal, concatenation, and the Kleene star. Our second stop is the theory of optimization. Farkas established that a system of linear inequalities has a solution if and only if we cannot obtain a contradiction by taking a linear combination of the inequalities. We state and formally prove several Farkas-like theorems over linearly ordered fields in Lean 4. Furthermore, we extend duality theory to the case when some coefficients are allowed to take “infinite values”. Additionally, we develop the basics of the theory of optimization in terms of the framework called General-Valued Constraint Satisfaction Problems, and we prove that, if a Rational-Valued Constraint Satisfaction Problem template has symmetric fractional polymorphisms of all arities, then its basic LP relaxation is tight. Our third stop is matroid theory. Seymour’s decomposition theorem is a hallmark result in matroid theory, presenting a structural characterization of the class of regular matroids. We aim to formally verify Seymour’s theorem in Lean 4. First, we build a library for working with totally unimodular matrices. We define binary matroids and their standard representations, and we prove that they form a matroid in the sense how Mathlib defines matroids. We define regular matroids to be matroids for which there exists a full representation rational matrix that is totally unimodular, and we prove that all regular matroids are binary. We define 1-sum, 2-sum, and 3 sum of binary matroids as specific ways to compose their standard representation matrices. We prove that the 1-sum, the 2-sum, and the 3-sum of regular matroids are a regular matroid, which concludes the composition direction of the Seymour’s theorem. The (more difficult) decomposition direction remains unproved. In the pursuit of truth, we focus on identifying the trusted code in each project and presenting it faithfully. We emphasize the readability and believability of definitions rather than choosing definitions that are easier to work with. In search for beauty, we focus on the philosophical framework of Roger Scruton, who emphasizes that beauty is not a mere decoration but, most importantly, beauty is the means for shaping our place in the world and a source of redemption, where it can be viewed as a substitute for religion.}, author = {Dvorak, Martin}, isbn = {978-3-99078-074-9}, issn = {2663-337X}, pages = {160}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{Pursuit of truth and beauty in Lean 4: Formally verified theory of grammars, optimization, matroids}}, doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-21393}, year = {2026}, } @article{19860, abstract = {An eight-partition of a finite set of points (respectively, of a continuous mass distribution) in R^3 consists of three planes that divide the space into 8 octants, such that each open octant contains at most 1/8 of the points (respectively, of the mass). In 1966, Hadwiger showed that any mass distribution in R^3 admits an eight-partition; moreover, one can prescribe the normal direction of one of the three planes. The analogous result for finite point sets follows by a standard limit argument. We prove the following variant of this result: any mass distribution (or point set) in R^3 admits an eight-partition for which the intersection of two of the planes is a line with a prescribed direction. Moreover, we present an efficient algorithm for calculating an eight-partition of a set of n points in R^3 (with prescribed normal direction of one of the planes) in time O(n^7/3). A preliminary version of this work appeared in SoCG’24 (Aronov et al., 40th International Symposium on Computational Geometry, 2024).}, author = {Aronov, Boris and Basit, Abdul and Ramesh, Indu and Tasinato, Gianluca and Wagner, Uli}, issn = {1432-0444}, journal = {Discrete & Computational Geometry}, pages = {1331--1355}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Eight-partitioning points in 3D, and efficiently too}}, doi = {10.1007/s00454-025-00739-0}, volume = {75}, year = {2026}, } @article{22408, abstract = {Solitons—localized wave packets that travel without spreading—play a central role in understanding transport and properties of nonlinear systems. In quantum many-body systems, however, such robust excitations are typically destroyed by thermalization. Here, we theoretically demonstrate the existence of solitonic excitations in high-energy states of Rydberg atom chains in the regime of strong nearest-neighbor Rydberg blockade. These localized wave packets propagate directionally atop a special class of reviving initial states related to quantum many-body scars and are capable of carrying energy. Exhibiting long coherence times, these states constitute a form of non-ergodic quantum dynamics and can be efficiently implemented on Rydberg atom simulators. In this work, in addition to a phenomenological description of solitons, we identify their counterpart in a classical nonlinear dynamical system, demonstrate their potential use in quantum information transfer, and conjecture their relevance for anomalous energy transport reported in numerical studies of Rydberg atom arrays.}, author = {Kerschbaumer, Aron and Desaules, Jean-Yves Marc and Ljubotina, Marko and Serbyn, Maksym}, issn = {2041-1723}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Quasi-solitons in Rydberg atom chains}}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1}, year = {2026}, } @article{22101, abstract = {Evolutionary biology examines how the genetic and phenotypic composition of populations changes over time. An important goal is to determine the fixation probability of a single advantageous mutant that arises in a homogeneous population of N residents. Many real populations experience environmental gradients that cause mutations to be beneficial in some spatial regions but harmful in others. Here, we study the fixation probability of a mutant placed on a simple one-dimensional spatial structure that experiences such a gradient. The mutant’s fitness varies linearly from1 − s to 1 + s, whereas the resident fitness is constant and equal to 1. The existing literature suggests that such heterogeneity in the mutant’s fitness should lead to a decrease in its fixation probability. However, in this work, we find that small, non-negligible gradients (s < 1=√N) substantially increase the fixation probability,while larger gradients (s > (log N)/√N) substantially decrease it.Moreover, we quantify the strength of this phenomenon analytically and we precisely delimit the range of the gradients for which it occurs. Our computer simulations closely match those findings. Altogether, our results indicate that subjecting a simple population structure to natural environmental conditions can produce strong counterintuitive effects.}, author = {Svoboda, Jakub and Nemati, Hossein and Tkadlec, Josef and Kaveh, Kamran and Chatterjee, Krishnendu}, issn = {2041-1723}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{The effect of the fitness gradient on fixation probability}}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-71777-2}, volume = {17}, year = {2026}, } @phdthesis{22399, abstract = {Gaining an understanding of how biological regulation evolves is a fundamental research question in both evolutionary biology and molecular genetics. In order to gain more insight into this topic, we focus on studying the simple gene regulatory system of the lac operon in E. coli. We show that simple population genetic models can shed light on evolution experiments and that this combined approach of modelling the experimental system gives insight to better understand the causes of evolutionary change in the experiment. We also study the natural diversity in the lac operon from 308 publicly available E. coli genomes that come from various host species and different regions of the world. Evidence that selection is generally maintaining the function of the lac operon across the sample regardless of host species is provided and we show that different protein coding genes in the operon are under different selective constraints on protein sequence preservation. A similar frameshift mutation found in experimental evolution studies is shown to be present in the sample we analyzed, indicating that selectively relevant variants in evolution experiments are also present in natural populations. We show that there is no simple phylogenetic relationship between host species, geographical location and the lac operon sequence. Finally, we argue that a combined approach of comparative genomics, experimental evolution and theoretical modelling contributes to a more complete understanding of molecular evolution. }, author = {Spasić, Aleksa}, issn = {2791-4585}, pages = {32}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{Studying the evolutionary systems biology of the lac operon}}, doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-22399}, year = {2026}, } @inproceedings{22617, abstract = {Consider a 4-player version of Matching Pennies where a team of three players competes against the Devil. Each player simultaneously says "Heads" or "Tails". The team wins if all four choices match; otherwise the Devil wins. If all team players randomise independently, they win with probability 1/8; if all players share a common source of randomness, they win with probability 1/2. What happens when each pair of team players shares a source of randomness? Can the team do better than win with probability 1/4? The surprising (and nontrivial) answer is yes! We introduce Dicey Games, a formal framework motivated by the study of distributed systems with shared sources of randomness (of which the above example is a specific instance). We characterise the existence, representation and computational complexity of optimal strategies in Dicey Games, and we study the problem of allocating limited sources of randomness optimally within a team.}, author = {Brice, Leonard J and Henzinger, Thomas A and Thejaswini, K. S.}, booktitle = {41st Annual Symposium on Logic in Computer Science}, isbn = {9783959774345}, issn = {1868-8969}, keywords = {Concurrent games, Shared randomness, Topology, Algebraic Geometry}, location = {Lisbon, Portugal}, publisher = {Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik}, title = {{Dicey games: Shared sources of randomness in distributed systems}}, doi = {10.4230/LIPIcs.LICS.2026.23}, volume = {380}, year = {2026}, } @article{22614, abstract = {This study presents a sustainable and non-destructive recycling strategy for synthetic fibres, specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 66 (PA66), and elastane (EL). Two deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were synthesised, enabling selective dissolution of EL without degrading the surrounding polymer matrices. The dissolved EL phase was subsequently recovered by centrifugation, demonstrating its potential for material reuse. Comprehensive characterisation confirmed that the process preserves fibre integrity. SEM imaging revealed no detectable changes in fibre morphology, while DSC and TGA analyses indicated that the thermal properties of both EL and synthetic polymers were preserved. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy verified the absence of measurable chemical modifications. Mechanical testing showed that solvent treatment did not compromise the tensile performance of PET, PA6, or PA66 fibres, confirming their suitability for fibre-to-fibre recycling. The recovered fibres were successfully re-extruded into continuous filaments, confirming their melt processability and enabling potential applications in textile yarns, technical fibres, nonwovens, and polymer components via melt-spinning or moulding. These results demonstrate that the proposed DES-based method offers a promising approach for the circular recycling of complex fibre blends and provides a viable pathway towards industrial implementation.}, author = {Depope, Nika and Depope, Al and Archodoulaki, Vasiliki Maria and Dabrowska, Alicja and Lendl, Bernhard and Mautner, Andreas and Ipsmiller, Wolfgang and Bartl, Andreas}, issn = {1879-2456}, journal = {Waste Management}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{DES formulation for recycling synthetic fibre textile waste containing elastane}}, doi = {10.1016/j.wasman.2026.115736}, volume = {224}, year = {2026}, } @article{22613, abstract = {A phase plate has long been sought in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to maximize the image contrast of weakly-scattering objects like biomolecules. The laser phase plate (LPP) has recently demonstrated that an amplified, focused laser standing wave reliably phase shifts the electron beam, achieving phase-contrast TEM. Building on the single-beam LPP, here we introduce the crossed laser phase plate (XLPP): two laser standing waves which intersect in the diffraction plane. We present a theoretical model for the XLPP inside the microscope and show that, relative to the original LPP, it increases information transfer at low spatial frequencies while suppressing ghost images formed by Kapitza-Dirac diffraction. We also present a simple acquisition scheme, enabled by the XLPP, which further suppresses ghosts. Finally, we discuss practical considerations of XLPP design and show experimental results from a prototype. The results of this study chart the course for future developments of LPP hardware.}, author = {Petrov, Petar N and Zhang, Jessie T. and Axelrod, Jeremy J. and Olshin, Pavel K. and Müller, Holger}, issn = {2041-1723}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Crossed laser phase plates for transmission electron microscopy}}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-74060-6}, volume = {17}, year = {2026}, } @article{22406, abstract = {It is known that for a uniform morphic sequence 𝒖 =⟨𝑢𝑛⟩∞ 𝑛=0 and an algebraic number 𝛽 such that |𝛽| >1, the number [[𝒖]]𝛽 :=∑∞ 𝑛=0(𝑢𝑛/𝛽𝑛) either lies in ℚ⁡(𝛽) or is transcendental. In this paper, we show a similar rational–transcendental dichotomy for sequences defined by irreducible Pisot morphisms on binary alphabets. Subject to the Pisot conjecture (an irreducible Pisot morphism has pure discrete spectrum), we generalise the latter result to arbitrary finite alphabets. In certain cases, we are able to show transcendence of [[𝒖]]𝛽 outright. In particular, for 𝑘 ≥2, if 𝒖 is the k-Bonacci word, then [[𝒖]]𝛽 is transcendental.}, author = {Kebis, Pavol and LUCA, FLORIAN and OUAKNINE, JOEL and SCOONES, ANDREW and WORRELL, JAMES}, issn = {1469-4417}, journal = {Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems}, keywords = {balanced-pair algorithm, Cobham’s conjecture, k-Bonacci words, Pisot conjecture, subspace theorem}, pages = {1--22}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, title = {{Transcendence for Pisot morphic words over an algebraic base}}, doi = {10.1017/etds.2026.10324}, year = {2026}, } @article{22615, abstract = {Background and Objectives: Anti-immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecule 5 (IgLON5) disease is a novel and poten- tially treatable entity. Therefore, it is important to recognize all clinical symptoms and di- agnostic clues. We specifically investigated neuromuscular signs and symptoms and muscle biopsy pathology, providing a link between IgLON5 and clinical features of myopathy. Methods: All patients diagnosed with anti-IgLON5 disease in the Netherlands between 2016 and 2023 were included. Serum and CSF samples were tested with immunohistochemistry on rat brain and in-house cell-based assay using live cells. Biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle were performed in patients with neuromuscular signs and symptoms and analyzed in Vienna to- gether with 3 biopsies of non-Dutch patients sent to Vienna for second opinion. Results: Twenty patients with anti-IgLON5 disease were included (10 male, 50%). The median age at onset was 61.5 years (range 45–85), and the median time from onset to diagnosis was 30 months (range 3–280). Neuromuscular symptoms were present in over half of the patients (11/20), including proximal limb weakness (n = 11), axial weakness (n = 1), muscle atrophy (n = 6), and fasciculations (n = 5). All 12 muscle biopsies (9 from the Dutch cohort, 3 external) showed mild myopathic alterations, 2 additionally presented target fibers and fiber type grouping (compatible with neu- rogenic myopathy), and 3 patients showed immune cell infiltration. We found a strong upregulation of IgLON5 expression in muscle fibers in all patients and also in different muscle disease controls, while immunoreactivity in healthy control muscle was faint/absent. Discussion: Our data support that IgLON5 might play a role in muscle regeneration, which might result in proximal myopathy as a prominent clinical feature in anti-IgLON5 disease. This finding broadens the clinical phenotype of anti-IgLON5 disease and can be an important clue for earlier diagnosis and start of immunotherapy.}, author = {Crijnen, Yvette S. and Endmayr, Verena and Franken, Suzanne C. and Van Der Beek, Nadine A.M.E. and Louter, Maartje and Ströbel, Thomas and Gelpi, Ellen and Koneczny, Inga and Shigemoto, Ryuichi and Lewerenz, Jan and Högl, Birgit and Wanschitz, Julia V. and Hofstadt-Van Oy, Ulrich He and Van Steenhoven, Robin W. and Nagtzaam, Mariska M.P. and Kerstens, Jeroen and Brenner, Juliette and Bastiaansen, Anna E.M. and Verdijk, Robert M. and Van Den Bosch, Thierry P.P. and Schreurs, Marco and Veenbergen, Sharon and Verbeek, Marcel M. and Roelen, Dave L. and Guasp, Mar and Sillevis Smitt, Peter A.E. and Sabater, Lidia and De Vries, Juna M. and Höftberger, Romana and Titulaer, Maarten J.}, issn = {2332-7812}, journal = {Neurology, Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation}, number = {5}, pages = {e200525}, publisher = {Wolters Kluwer}, title = {{Muscle regeneration failure may lead to clinical features of myopathy in anti-IgLON5 disease}}, doi = {10.1212/NXI.0000000000200525}, volume = {13}, year = {2026}, } @article{22621, abstract = {We present very deep (≈11 hours on-source) JWST/MIRI low-resolution spectroscopy of the rest-frame optical emission of U37126, a UV-bright (MUV ≃ −20) mildly lensed (μ ≃ 2.2) galaxy at z = 10.255. The continuum emission is well detected in the NIRSpec and MIRI spectra, but no nebular recombination or metal emission lines are observed (EW0 (Hβ+[O III]) ≤ 300 Å and EW0 (Hα) ≤ 400 Å at 3σ). Combined with the exceptionally blue UV continuum slope, βUV ≃ −2.9, and flat Balmer break, these constraints indicate a stellar population dominated by very young and massive stars with a strongly suppressed nebular contribution. Comparisons with synthetic stellar population models indicate that U37126 requires a very high ionizing photon production efficiency, log(ξion/Hz erg−1) ≃ 25.75, and a nearly unity Lyman continuum escape fraction, of fesc ≥ 86% (3σ) based on the Hα flux limit and fesc = 0.94 ± 0.06 derived independently from fitting the spectral energy distribution (SED). The best-fit SED yields a (delensed) stellar mass of M★ ≃ 107.8 M⊙ and a star formation rate SFR ≃ 10 M⊙ yr−1 (specific SFR ∼ 160 Gyr−1). Together with its very compact size, reff ≃ 61 pc, this yields a very high stellar mass and SFR surface densities, ΣM★ ≃ 3 × 103 M⊙ pc−2 and ΣSFR ≃ 400 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2. Together with the lack of detectable nebular emission, these properties suggest that U37126 is undergoing a so-called interstellar medium-naked starburst phase, possibly driven by an extremely efficient gas-to-star conversion followed by strong feedback that has cleared the remaining gas from its stellar core, which allowed most Lyman continuum photons to escape. Finally, we show that even a small fraction of galaxies such as U37126 (≃3–6%), with an extreme Lyman continuum production and escape, might contribute disproportionately (≃50–100%) to the ionizing photon budget during cosmic reionization.}, author = {Marques-Chaves, R. and Álvarez-Márquez, J. and Colina, L. and Kendrew, S. and Abdurro’Uf, Unknown and Blanco-Prieto, C. and Boogaard, L. A. and Castellano, M. and Caputi, K. I. and Crespo-Gómez, A. and Fontana, A. and Fudamoto, Y. and Fujimoto, S. and García-Marín, M. and Harikane, Y. and Harish, S. and Hashimoto, T. and Hsiao, T. and Iani, Edoardo and Inoue, A. K. and Langeroodi, D. and Lin, R. and Melinder, J. and Napolitano, L. and Östlin, G. and Pérez-González, P. G. and Prieto-Jiménez, C. and Rinaldi, P. and Rodríguez Del Pino, B. and Santini, P. and Sugahara, Y. and Varo-O’Ferrall, A. and Wright, G. and Zavala, J.}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy and Astrophysics}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{PRISMS: U37126, a very blue ISM-naked starburst at z = 10.255 with a nearly 100% Lyman continuum escape fraction}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202659281}, volume = {711}, year = {2026}, } @article{22616, abstract = {Accretion disks in active galactic nuclei (AGN) are promising sites for mergers of stellar-mass black holes (BHs) detectable via gravitational waves (GWs). These environments facilitate both in situ formation and dynamical capture of compact objects and their subsequent mergers. The uncertain origin of GW events detected by LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA motivates searching for accompanying electromagnetic (EM) signatures. Here, we investigate postmerger EM flares associated with jets launched from merger remnants, as well as from the shocked ambient gas as the jet breaks out of the disk. We find that jet breakout produces luminous gamma-ray emission, detectable with MeV-band telescopes. Cooling emission from a shocked circum-BH minidisk, winds, and background AGN disk peaks in the UV and optical, with durations ranging from about an hour to a month, and can be identified through year-long monitoring of ∼103 AGNs with luminosities ranging from ∼1044 to ∼1045 erg s−1. With a single set of parameters, this postmerger jet model produces gamma-ray, hard X-ray, and optical flares similar to those claimed to be associated with GW events. Furthermore, by incorporating a transition from a high- to low-angular-momentum accretion state after the merger, the model avoids excessive BH growth, alleviating tensions with hyper-Eddington accretion scenarios.}, author = {Tagawa, Hiromichi and Haiman, Zoltán and Kimura, Shigeo S. and Yesuf, Hassen M. and Guo, Hengxiao}, issn = {1538-4357}, journal = {The Astrophysical Journal}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publishing}, title = {{Electromagnetic flares from compact-object mergers in active galactic nucleus disks: Signatures and predictions}}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ae7d29}, volume = {1006}, year = {2026}, } @article{22620, abstract = {Development depends on precise shaping of molecular gradients, but how natural selection acts to establish precision is unknown. Here, we analyze genes that control differences in the gradient of yellow flower color between two varieties of snapdragon (Antirrhinum). We show that these differences depend, in part, on cis-regulatory variation in the pigment biosynthetic gene, FLAVIA (FLA). FLA interacts multiplicatively with three other loci, one of which is a trans-acting regulator of FLA, to further shape the yellow gradient. All the loci exhibit clines at a hybrid zone, with widths that correlate with phenotypic effect, showing how selection can hone gradient shape with remarkable precision by acting on cis and trans variation at multiple loci.}, author = {Bradley, Desmond and Boell, Louis and Richardson, Daniel and Copsey, Lucy and Whibley, Annabel and Xu, Ting and Zhang, Yu’E and Xue, Yongbiao and Field, David and Coen, Enrico}, issn = {2375-2548}, journal = {Science Advances}, number = {29}, pages = {1--11}, publisher = {AAAS}, title = {{Shaping of developmental gradients through selection on multiple loci in Antirrhinum}}, doi = {10.1126/sciadv.adx2011}, volume = {12}, year = {2026}, } @article{22619, abstract = {Planar germanium is currently the only semiconducting platform where high-coherence spin qubits and proximity-induced superconductivity have each been demonstrated. Recent research into spin qubits in Ge/SiGe heterostructures has focused on increasing the thickness of the SiGe capping layer, reporting improvements in the electrostatic noise levels. Meanwhile, heterostructures with thinner capping layers remain rather unexplored, despite the potential advantages for proximity-induced superconductivity. Here, we study a Ge/SiGe heterostructure with a thin SiGe cap d - 4nm and investigate its viability to host low-noise quantum dots. To keep the thermal budget compatible with superconducting layers, low-temperature oxide deposition processes were developed and implemented for the gate dielectrics. The charge noise level of the fabricated devices is estimated to be 1.8  +- 1.0 μeV/ square HZ⁠, comparable to devices fabricated on shallow heterostructures (⁠ d - 20nm⁠) with high-temperature deposited oxides. Low charge noise levels, together with the straightforward integration of superconductors, make this heterostructure an attractive platform for prototyping hybrid semiconducting–superconducting devices.}, author = {Borovkov, Maksim and Schell, Yona A and Sokolova, Dina and Roux, Kevin Etienne Robert and Falthansl-Scheinecker, Paul and Fabris, Giorgio and Shah, Devashish C and Saez Mollejo, Jaime and Previdi, Rodolfo and Taha, Inas and Genç, Aziz and Arbiol, Jordi and Calcaterra, Stefano and Oliveira, Afonso De Cerdeira and Chrastina, Daniel and Isella, Giovanni and Bubis, Anton and Katsaros, Georgios}, issn = {1077-3118}, journal = {Applied Physics Letters}, number = {3}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, title = {{Low-noise quantum dots in ultra-shallow Ge/SiGe heterostructures for prototyping hybrid semiconducting–superconducting devices}}, doi = {10.1063/5.0333142}, volume = {129}, year = {2026}, } @article{22618, abstract = {We use a function field version of the circle method to prove that a positive proportion of elements in 𝔽𝑞⁡[𝑡] are representable as a sum of three cubes of minimal degree from 𝔽𝑞⁡[𝑡], assuming a suitable form of the Ratios Conjecture and that char⁡(𝔽𝑞) >3. The analogue of this conjecture for quadratic Dirichlet L-functions is known for large fixed q, via recent developments in homological stability.}, author = {Browning, Timothy D and Glas, Jakob and Wang, Victor}, issn = {2050-5094}, journal = {Forum of Mathematics Sigma}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, title = {{Sums of three cubes over a function field}}, doi = {10.1017/fms.2026.10259}, volume = {14}, year = {2026}, } @misc{22242, abstract = {This deposit contains the data and analysis code accompanying the publication "Low-Noise Quantum Dots in Ultra-Shallow Ge/SiGe Heterostructures for Prototyping Hybrid Semiconducting–Superconducting Devices" (Borovkov et al.). The deposit includes the raw transport and current-noise measurements of three gate-defined quantum-dot devices as QCodes SQLite databases, the master table of the charge-noise (flank-method) analysis with the pointers linking every analyzed PSD trace to the raw data, the toy-model noise simulation datasets behind the supplementary figures, the archived analysis figures (PSD fits and lever-arm extractions), and the Python code reproducing the full analysis and all figures. The code is also maintained at https://github.com/ISTA-Nanoelectronics/noise_paper_public; instructions are provided in the README files.}, author = {Borovkov, Maksim}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{Low-Noise Quantum Dots in Ultra-Shallow Ge/SiGe Heterostructures for Prototyping Hybrid Semiconducting-Superconducting Devices}}, doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-22242}, year = {2026}, } @article{22449, abstract = {Transpiration (T) connects water, energy, and carbon cycles within ecosystems. While T has often been reported to increase with soil warming, underlying reasons remain poorly understood. Here, using a mechanistic ecohydrological model, T&C‐BG, we simulated T responses to soil warming at 30 sites spanning various biomes and climates. Consistent with observations, the numerical model reproduces negative, insignificant, and predominantly positive T responses under soil warming. Numerical results show that soil warming generally increases T for sites with a small Bowen ratio. The main mechanisms leading to positive T responses to soil warming are complex changes in energy partitioning with modifications of canopy surface temperature and aerodynamic, stomatal, and leaf boundary layer conductance. However, soil warming can also affect phenology, which might result in either increased or decreased T. Our findings shed light on how T changes with warmer soil and help interpret outcomes of warming experiments.}, author = {Luo, Zhaoyang and Ren, Jianning and Zhuang, Qi and Fatichi, Simone}, issn = {1944-8007}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, number = {8}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, title = {{Transpiration changes with soil warming: Insights from a mechanistic model}}, doi = {10.1029/2025gl120046}, volume = {53}, year = {2026}, } @article{22480, abstract = {Background: The spatial distribution of tree canopies influences ecological functions and residents’ exposure to green spaces. Although several studies have examined green space configuration at neighborhood scales, evidence on tree canopy configuration at the municipal scale, an operational unit for urban planning, remains limited. Methods: We conducted a nationwide ecological study of 2,136 Swiss municipalities. Tree canopy coverage (PLAND), aggregation (AI, reflecting how tightly green patches are grouped together), patch density (PD, a measure of fragmentation), and area-weighted mean shape index (SHAPE_AM, a measure of shape complexity) were derived from 1-m canopy maps within municipality-specific populated areas. Natural-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality (2017–2019) were obtained from the Swiss National Cohort. Fully adjusted negative binomial regression models estimated associations between canopy metric and mortality for each IQR increase in the metrics. Results: Holding configuration constant, each IQR increase in canopy coverage (∼18%) was associated with a 3.6% [B: −0.036; 95% CI: −0.078 – 0.005] reduction in cardiovascular mortality. Higher aggregation corresponded to a 4.3% [B: 0.043; 95% CI: 0.026–0.061], an 8.9% [B: 0.089; 95% CI: 0.059–0.119], and a 2.1% [B: 0.021; 95% CI: 0–0.042] higher number of natural-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer deaths respectively. Higher fragmentation was associated with a 3.3% [B: 0.033; 95% CI: 0.016–0.050], a 4.9% [B: 0.049; 95% CI: 0.020–0.078], and a 2.2% [B: 0.022; 95% CI: 0.001–0.043] increase in these causes respectively. No meaningful associations were observed between shape complexity and any mortality outcomes. Associations for aggregation and fragmentation were generally stronger in highly urbanized municipalities. Conclusions: At the municipal scale, mortality was lower where tree canopy was distributed across several moderately sized, spatially balanced patches rather than highly aggregated or highly fragmented structures. These findings suggest that urban greening strategies should optimize its spatial configuration to maximize health benefits.}, author = {Chi, Dengkai and Manoli, Gabriele and Yang, Jun and Richards, Daniel and Hahs, Amy and Lin, Brenda and McDonnell, Mark J. and Zhang, Ye and Zhu, Yue and Qiu, Yeshan and Wang, Jing and Zheng, Xing and Burlando, Paolo and Fatichi, Simone and Tan, Puay Yok}, issn = {1873-6750}, journal = {Environment International}, keywords = {Aggregation, Fragmentation, Green space exposure, Green space morphology, Green space structure, Landscape metrics, Shape complexity}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Tree canopy configuration and Swiss adult mortality at the municipal level: A nationwide ecological study}}, doi = {10.1016/j.envint.2026.110188}, volume = {209}, year = {2026}, } @article{22645, abstract = {Nanocrystal superlattices are commonly formed by changing concentration, solvent conditions, or particle surface chemistry. Although effective, these approaches alter multiple contributions to the interparticle potential simultaneously, making it difficult to isolate the interactions responsible for ordering or to control assembly in chemically complex environments. Here, we show that oligomeric species present in a nanocrystal reaction medium drive superlattice formation through a depletion mechanism. Using PbTe nanocrystals as a model system, we identify Pb–oleate oligomers in the crude reaction mixture, characterize their solution structure, and quantify their contribution to the interparticle potential, establishing depletion as the dominant short-range interaction governing spontaneous body-centered cubic superlattice formation. We then confirm the depletion origin of ordering by showing that varying depletant concentration predictably shifts the order–disorder boundary and produces a thermally reversible transition between dispersed and ordered states ─ behavior that is inconsistent with van der Waals or ligand-mediated mechanisms but is a direct consequence of depletion control. Having established and validated the mechanism, we demonstrate that the same depletion framework can be deliberately activated in purified dispersions and transferred across nanocrystal systems of different composition and shape, including anisotropic and binary assemblies. These results establish precursor-derived depletion as a general and chemically grounded mechanism for nanocrystal superlattice formation, and show that collective ordering can be programmed through the surrounding medium rather than through particle surface modification.}, author = {Lee, Seungho and Balazs, Daniel and Rayaroth Puthiyaveettil, Aiswarya and Horta, Sharona and Goodrich, Carl Peter and Engel, Michael and Cherniukh, Ihor and Ibáñez, Maria}, issn = {1520-5126}, journal = {Journal of the AmericanChemical Society}, number = {29}, pages = {31245--31252}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Reaction medium asan architect of nanocrystal superlattices}}, doi = {10.1021/jacs.6c07859}, volume = {148}, year = {2026}, }