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1. CRDTs, Coalgebraically (Early Ideas)

   https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.CALCO.2023.22  

   Liittschwager, Nathan; Tsampas, Stelios; Castello, Jonathan; Kuper, Lindsey (September 2023, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik)

   Baldan, Paolo; de_Paiva, Valeria (Ed.)

   We describe ongoing work that models conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) from a coalgebraic point of view. CRDTs are data structures designed for replication across multiple physical locations in a distributed system. We show how to model a CRDT at the local replica level using a novel coalgebraic semantics for CRDTs. We believe this is the first step towards presenting a unified theory for specifying and verifying CRDTs and replicated state machines. As a case study, we consider emulation of CRDTs in terms of coalgebra. 

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2. Leveraging Early Algebraic Experiences

   https://doi.org/10.5951/MTLT.2023.0347  

   Walton, Margaret; Walkoe, Janet (May 2025, Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12)

   Understand how to consider your students’ informal algebraic experiences from early childhood to support their formal learning of algebra. 

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3. Thermocoupled early dark energy

   https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.063551  

   Kamionkowski, Marc; Mathur, Anubhav (March 2025, Physical Review D)

   Early dark energy solutions to the Hubble tension introduce an additional scalar field which is frozen at early times but becomes dynamical around matter-radiation equality. In order to alleviate the tension, the scalar’s share of the total energy density must rapidly shrink from $\sim 10\%$at the onset of matter domination to $\ll 1\%$by recombination. This typically requires a steep potential that is imposed rather than emerging from a concrete particle physics model. Here, we point out an alternative possibility: a homogeneous scalar field coupled quadratically to a cosmological background of light thermal relics (such as the Standard Model neutrino) will acquire an effective potential which can reproduce the dynamics necessary to alleviate the tension. We identify the relevant parameter space for this “thermocoupled” scenario and study its unique phenomenology at the background level, including the back-reaction on the neutrino mass. Follow-up numerical work is necessary to determine the constraints placed on the model by early time measurements. Published by the American Physical Society2025 

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4. COMAP Early Science. I. Overview

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac63cc  

   Cleary, Kieran A.; Borowska, Jowita; Breysse, Patrick C.; Catha, Morgan; Chung, Dongwoo T.; Church, Sarah E.; Dickinson, Clive; Eriksen, Hans Kristian; Foss, Marie Kristine; Gundersen, Joshua Ott; et al (July 2022, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract The CO Mapping Array Project (COMAP) aims to use line-intensity mapping of carbon monoxide (CO) to trace the distribution and global properties of galaxies over cosmic time, back to the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). To validate the technologies and techniques needed for this goal, a Pathfinder instrument has been constructed and fielded. Sensitive to CO(1–0) emission from z = 2.4–3.4 and a fainter contribution from CO(2–1) at z = 6–8, the Pathfinder is surveying 12 deg 2 in a 5 yr observing campaign to detect the CO signal from z ∼ 3. Using data from the first 13 months of observing, we estimate P CO ( k ) = −2.7 ± 1.7 × 10 4 μ K 2 Mpc 3 on scales k = 0.051 −0.62 Mpc −1 , the first direct three-dimensional constraint on the clustering component of the CO(1–0) power spectrum. Based on these observations alone, we obtain a constraint on the amplitude of the clustering component (the squared mean CO line temperature bias product) of Tb 2 < 49 μ K 2 , nearly an order-of-magnitude improvement on the previous best measurement. These constraints allow us to rule out two models from the literature. We forecast a detection of the power spectrum after 5 yr with signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) 9–17. Cross-correlation with an overlapping galaxy survey will yield a detection of the CO–galaxy power spectrum with S/N of 19. We are also conducting a 30 GHz survey of the Galactic plane and present a preliminary map. Looking to the future of COMAP, we examine the prospects for future phases of the experiment to detect and characterize the CO signal from the EoR. 

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5. PyRTL in Early Undergraduate Research

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3338698.3338890  

   Mirza, Diba; Dangwal, Deeksha; Sherwood, Timothy (July 2019, Workshop on Computer Architecture Education (WCAE’19))

   Undergraduate research experiences are a promising way to broaden participation in computer architecture research and have been shown to improve student learning, engagement, and retention. These outcomes can be more profound and lasting if students experience research early. However, there are many barriers to early research in computer architecture some of which include the gap between pedagogy and research, the lower emphasis on hardware design compared to software in first-year courses, and the lack of online resources. We propose lowering these barriers through a methodical approach by involving undergraduates in early research and by creating freely available and innovative educational tools for designing hardware. We present the experience of a team of undergraduate students with research over one academic year using a Python hardware description language, PyRTL. PyRTL was developed to enable early entry into digital design. Its overarching goals are simplicity, usabil- ity, clarity, and extensibility, a stark contrast to traditional languages like Verilog and VHDL that have a steep learning curve. Instead of introducing traditional languages early in the undergraduate curriculum, PyRTL takes the opposite approach, which is to build on what students already know well: a popular programming language (Python), software design patterns, and software engineering principles. The students conducted their research in the context of the Early Research Scholars Program (ERSP), a program designed to expand access to research among women and underrepresented minority students in their second year through a well-designed support structure. 

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