Overview Talks Research Articles

Clinical biostatistics in the 2020s

Clinical biostatistics in the 2020s

A Short Overview on Low Mass Scalars at Future Lepton Colliders

In this manuscript, I give a short summary on scenarios with new physics scalars that could be investigated at future e+e− colliders. I concentrate on cases where at least one of the additional scalars has a mass below 125 GeV, and discuss both models where this could be realized, as well as studies which focus on such scenarios. This work is based on several overview talks I recently gave at the CEPC workshop, FCC week and ECFA future collider workshop, as well as a Snowmass White Paper.

Multi-Level Graph Representation for Big Data Arising in Science Mapping (Dagstuhl Seminar 21152)

This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 21152 Multi-Level Graph Representation for Big Data Arising in Science Mapping. The seminar brought together researchers coming from information visualization, psychology, cognitive science, human-computer interaction, graph drawing, computational geometry, and cartography with interests in the of to discuss novel graph mining and layout algorithms and their application to the development of science mapping standards and services. Due to the pandemic, this was a hybrid event with only 5 in-person participants and 25 by-zoom participants from over ten different countries and at least five different time-zones. There were three overview talks and four special presentations (evening webinars) from different communities represented in the seminar. Abstracts of these talks and presentations are collected in this report. Three working groups formed around open research problems related to the seminar topic and we report about their findings.

Radiation-Drug Combinations to Improve Clinical Outcomes and Reduce Normal Tissue Toxicities: Current Challenges and New Approaches: Report of the Symposium Held at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Radiation Research Society, 15-18 October 2017; Cancun, Mexico.

The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Radiation Research Program (RRP) is endeavoring to increase the relevance of preclinical research to improve outcomes of radiation therapy for cancer patients. These efforts include conducting symposia, workshops and educational sessions at annual meetings of professional societies, including the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, American Society of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Research Society (RRS), Radiosurgery Society, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer and the American Association of Immunology. A symposium entitled "Radiation-Drug Combinations to Improve Clinical Outcomes and Reduce Normal Tissue Toxicities" was conducted by the NCI's RRP during the 63rd Annual Meeting of the RRS on October 16, 2017 in Cancun, Mexico. In this symposium, discussions were held to address the challenges in developing radiation-drug combinations, optimal approaches with scientific evidence to replace standard-of-care, approaches to reduce normal tissue toxicities and enhance post-treatment quality-of-life and recent advances in antibody-drug conjugates. The symposium included two broad overview talks followed by two talks illustrating examples of radiation-drug combinations under development. The overview talks identified the essential preclinical infrastructure necessary to accelerate progress in the development of evidence and important challenges in the translation of drug combinations to the clinic from the laboratory. Also addressed, in the example talks (in light of the suggested guidelines and identified challenges), were the development and translation of novel antibody drug conjugates as well as repurposing of drugs to improve efficacy and reduce normal tissue toxicities. Participation among a cross section of clinicians, scientists and scholars-in-training alike who work in this focused area highlighted the importance of continued discussions to identify and address complex challenges in this emerging area in radiation oncology.

Arctic vegetation archive and Classification Workshop, Prague, 30–31 March 2017

The two-day Arctic Vegetation Archive and Classification Workshop, in which twenty-nine individuals (two in absentia) from 9 countries (EU: Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, The Netherlands; Russia, USA, Canada) participated, took place at the Czech Academy of Science Building, Prague, Czech Republic, on 30–31 April 2017. An Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA) is essential for deve­loping an Arctic Vegetation Classification (AVC) and is needed for a variety of international Arctic initiatives that involve Arctic vegetation information. The AVA will gather vegetation and environmental data from approximately 31 000 legacy vegetation plots into a standardized format for vegetation classification and analysis. The primary goal is to develop a stra­tegy for each country to assemble its own archive with common protocols that will later allow the databases to be united into a single AVA using TurboVeg v3 and then use JUICE software to create a Pan Arctic vegetation classification. Several overview and keynote talks set the stage. We reviewed the datasets and plots that are available for each of the floristic provinces in each circumpolar country. Discussions focused on the exchange of data between different database approaches, reflections on the realization of a pan-Arctic vegetation classification, steps still needed to achieve the AVC. At the end of the meeting, the assembled members resolved to accomplish the following within 5 years: – develop a checklist of existing described Arctic vegetation habitat and vegetation types (an Arctic prodromus) according the European Vegetation Classification approach. – develop and use standardized plot-data collection and archiving methods modeled after the European Vegetation Archive and the Alaska Arctic Vegetation Archive. – modify the existing vector-based Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map to a raster-based format with 12.5-km resolution, and incorporate modifications based on new knowledge. – work with the Arctic Data Center (ADC) to develop data-sharing methods and rules for Arctic ve­getation data. – contribute to training a new generation of young professional Arctic botanists and vegetation scientists through international field courses at the University of the Arctic and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). There was understanding of the necessity to deve­lop a funding strategy to secure funds for completing the AVA and AVC. Finally we resolved to meet again at Arctic Science Summit Week 2019 in Arkhangelsk, Russia.

Progress and challenges in advanced ground-based gravitational-wave detectors

The Amaldi 10 Parallel Session C3 on Advanced Gravitational Wave detectors gave an overview of the status and several specific challenges and solutions relevant to the instruments planned for a mid-decade start of observation. Invited overview talks for the Virgo, LIGO, and KAGRA instruments were complemented by more detailed discussions in presentations and posters of some instrument features and designs.

Affine Algebraic Geometry

Affine geometry deals with algebro-geometric questions of affine varieties. In the last decades this area has developed into a systematic discipline with a sizeable international group of researchers, and with methods coming from commutative and non-commutative algebra, algebraic, complex analytic and differential geometry, singularity theory and topology. The meeting was attended by 48 participants, among them the most important senior researchers in this field and many promising young mathematicians. Especially helpful were the programs for young researchers: the NSF Oberwolfach program, the EU grant and JAMS grant. They allowed to increase the number of young participants considerably. The conference took place in a very lively atmosphere, made possible by the excellent facilities of the institute. There were 24 talks with a considerable number of lectures given by young researchers at the beginning of their careers. Moreover there were 4 invited lectures that gave an overview over some of the most vivid subfields of Affine Geometry. The program left plenty of time for cooperation and discussion among the participants. We highlight the areas in which new results were presented by the lecturers: In the first 4 areas there were overview talks given by D. Wright, M. Miyanishi, D. Daigle and Sh. Kaliman. Finally, in a problem session there were presented a number of open questions and problems, which are listed in at the end of this report.

Analysis and Topology in Interaction

The MFO workshop “Analysis and Topology in Interaction”, organised by Ulrich Bunke (Göttingen), Sebastian Goette (Regensburg), Kyoshi Igusa (Brandeis) and Thomas Schick (Göttingen), was held from March 12th through March 18th, 2006. The aim of this meeting was to reflect on the current state of the interaction between mathematical fields of analysis and topology. It brought together representatives of various mathematical communities ranging from homotopy theory, index theory, global analysis up to mathematical physics. The program of the conference has been a mixture of research and overview talks, sometimes with introductory elements. Topics of the latter kind were the connection of Quantum field theory constructions with twisted K-theory, and motivic groups. There were two more informal introductory lectures on stacks in topological and smooth categories, and the insights given by the study of the Brownian motions into Hodge theory. The research talks reflected recent developments in the corresponding fields and covered a broad area between topology, geometry, and analysis. The intention of the program was to communicate these developments across the borders of mathematical communities. They stimulated discussions and hopefully future collaborations. More specifically, the subjects covered by research talks included in particular Altogether, there were 23 “official” talks and a number of informal presentations (partly extended discussions), and ample free interaction between the participants. One of the evenings was devoted to a problem session; the open problems presented are included in this report. The conference was attended by 52 participants coming mainly from all over Europe, Northern America and East Asia. Among them, a couple of very young pre-doctoral mathematicians, supported by the EU, had the unique opportunity to participate in such a stimulating event at a very early stage of their career. It is a pleasure to thank the institute for providing a pleasant and stimulating atmosphere.

Eighth International Conference on Paleoceanography

Every three years since 1983, the paleoceanographic community has come together at a different venue to share new data and discoveries at the International Conference on Paleoceanography (ICP). For the recent ICP‐8, France was the host country for a conference focused on the theme of “An Ocean View of Global Change.” The Environnements et Paleoenvironnement Oceanique (EPOC) paleoceanography group of the University Bordeaux I acted as the local organizing committee.Scientific presentations at ICP‐8 addressed the latest discoveries in paleoceanography and highlighted both emerging and as‐yet‐unsolved questions on global climate change. Thirty‐five speakers, invited by the ICP‐8 Science Committee, gave overview talks during morning sessions organized around five major scientific themes. These themes were Cenozoic‐Mesozoic Oceans; Carbonate and Silica Systems of the Pleistocene Ocean; Biogeochemical Cycles of the Past; High‐Frequency Climate Variability; and Interhemispheric Ocean‐Continent‐Climate Linkages.

MATERIALS RESEARCH AND THERMOPHYSICS IN EXTREME CASES, SYMPOSIUM Z IN THE FIFTH INTERNATIONAL UNION OF MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETIES' (IUMRS) INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCED MATERIALS (ICAM '99), AND THE 117TH XIANGSHAN SCIENCE CONFERENCE

The goal of these two conferences was to provide cross-discipline forums for materials science and thermophysics researchers to discuss the latest developments of mutual interest in materials science related to thermophysics. The Fifth IUMRS, which was held on 13-18 June, was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Science, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Symposium Z, held 16-18 June, was organized by Prof. Chang-Lin Tien from the University of California at Berkeley, Prof. Zeng-Yuan Guo from Tsinghua University in Beijing, and Prof. Gang Chen from the University of California at Los Angeles. There were 31 presentations (see Appendix A), which covered topics of thermal properties and heat transport in nanostructures, nonequilibrium phase change in rapid solidification, non-Fourier conduction phenomena, and measurement of thermal properties in extreme cases. The Xiangshan Conference was sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Following the IUMRS Conference, the Xiangshan Conference was held for three days at the Fragrant Hill Hotel, which is located in the Beautiful Fragrant Park in the northwest of Beijing. The conference featured overviews of recent results, future prospects, and open discussions and was organized by Xiangshan Science Conference and Tsinghua University. Four overview talks and 15 special talks were scheduled (see Appendix B). The discussions focused on the frontiers of engineering thermophysics and recent development of microscale thermophysical engineering. More than 40 participants from China, Japan, and the United States attended the two conferences. (Brief highlights of the conferences are provided here.)