Abel's Theorem in the Noncommutative Case

We define noncommutative binary forms. Using the typical representation of Hermite we prove the fundamental theorem of algebra and we derive a noncommutative Cardano formula for cubic forms. We define quantized elliptic and hyperelliptic differentials of the first kind. Following Abel we prove Abel's Theorem.Comment: 30 page

The Light Drum: Adaptive Technologies for Robotic Rehabilitation

The purpose of this research is to develop various types of interfaces that will support real-time music making for people with physical limitations. Technologies employed include: light sensors, motion sensors, and programmable devices

Holocene climate variability in the Western Mediterranean region from a deep water sediment record

The detailed analysis of the International Marine Past Global Changes Study core MD99-2343 recovered from a sediment drift at 2391 m water depth north of the island of Minorca illustrates the effects of climate variability on thermohaline circulation in the western Mediterranean during the last 12 kyr. Geochemical ratios associated with terrigenous input resulted in the identification of four phases representing different climatic and deepwater overturning conditions in the Western Mediterranean Basin during the Holocene. Superimposed on the general trend, eight centennial- to millennial-scale abrupt events appear consistently in both grain size and geochemical records, which supports the occurrence of episodes of deepwater overturning reinforcement in the Western Mediterranean Basin. The observed periodicity for these abrupt events is in agreement with the previously defined Holocene cooling events of the North Atlantic region, thus supporting a strong Atlantic-Mediterranean climatic link at high-frequency time intervals during the last 12 kyr. The rapid response of the Mediterranean thermohaline circulation to climate change in the North Atlantic stresses the importance of atmospheric teleconnections in transferring climate variability from high latitudes to midlatitudes

Stringy origin of non-Abelian discrete flavor symmetries

We study the origin of non-Abelian discrete flavor symmetries in superstring theory. We classify all possible non-Abelian discrete flavor symmetries which can appear in heterotic orbifold models. These symmetries include D_4 and Delta(54). We find that the symmetries of the couplings are always larger than the symmetries of the compact space. This is because they are a consequence of the geometry of the orbifold combined with the space group selection rules of the string. We also study possible breaking patterns. Our analysis yields a simple geometric understanding of the realization of non-Abelian flavor symmetries.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures, v2: matches version published in Nuclear Physics

Impact of iceberg melting on Mediterranean thermohaline circulation during Heinrich events

Down-core samples of planktonic and benthic foraminifera were analyzed for oxygen and carbon isotopes in International Marine Past Global Changes Study (IMAGES) core MD99-2343 in order to study the interactions between climate change in the Northern Hemisphere and the western Mediterranean thermohaline circulation at times of Heinrich events (HE). Our results confirm the antiphase correlation between enhanced North Atlantic Deep Water formation and low ventilation in the Mediterranean. However, this study reveals that this antiphase relationship in deepwater formation between the North Atlantic and Mediterranean was interrupted during times of HE when the injection of large volumes of water from melting icebergs reached the entrance to the Mediterranean. These events, which lasted less than 1000 years, are represented by pronounced decreases in both planktonic d18O and benthic d13C signals. Lower salinities of Mediterranean surface water resulted in a slowdown of western Mediterranean deepwater overturn even though cold sea surface temperatures and drier climate should have resulted in enhanced deepwater formation

Reduction of pyramidal and immature hippocampal neurons in pediatric simian immunodeficiency virus infection

Pediatric HIV infection remains a global health crisis with a worldwide infection rate of 2.5 million (WHO, Geneva Switzerland, 2009). Children are much more susceptible to HIV-1 neurological impairments than adults, which is exacerbated by co-infections. A major obstacle in pediatric HIV research is sample access. The proposed studies take advantage of ongoing pediatric SIV pathogenesis and vaccine studies to test the hypothesis that pediatric SIV infection diminishes neuronal populations and neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Newborn rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) that received intravenous inoculation of highly virulent SIVmac251 (n=3) or vehicle (control n=4) were used in this study. After a 6–18 week survival time, the animals were sacrificed and the brains prepared for quantitative histopathological analysis. Systematic sections through the hippocampus were either Nissl stained or immunostained for doublecortin (DCX+), a putative marker of neurogenesis. Using design-based stereology, we report a 42% reduction in the pyramidal neuron population of the CA1, CA2, and CA3 fields of the hippocampus (p < 0.05) in SIV-infected infants. The DCX+ neuronal population was also significantly reduced within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The loss of hippocampal neurons and neurogenic capacity may contribute to the rapid neurocognitive decline associated with pediatric HIV infection. These data suggest that pediatric SIV infection, which leads to significant neuronal loss in the hippocampus within 3 months, closely models a subset of pediatric HIV infections with rapid progression

The endorsement of cognitive distortions: comparing child pornography offenders and contact sex offenders

This study examined the endorsement of cognitive distortions in child pornography offenders (CPOs), using an established assessment tool, the Abel and Becker Cognition Scale. The scale was expanded to include cognitions specific to child pornography offending, extracted from Howitt and Sheldon’s Children and Sexual Activities Inventory (C&SA). Three samples of CPOs, child sex offenders and offenders with both offence types responded to the cognition items. An exploratory Principal Component Analysis suggested six main components of the scale. CPOs were significantly less likely to endorse these statements in general, and this was more pronounced on items that project blame onto the child or other people, describe a need for power and consider children as sexually active. The statements extracted from C&SA did not differentiate between the groups. These findings are discussed under consideration of the relationship between cognitive distortions and contact sex offending, and in reference to the general criticism concerning the definition and appropriate measurement of cognitive distortion