Slant products on the Higson-Roe exact sequence

We construct a slant product $/ \colon \mathrm{S}_p(X \times Y) \times \mathrm{K}_{1-q}(\mathfrak{c}^{\mathrm{red}}Y) \to \mathrm{S}_{p-q}(X)$ on the analytic structure group of Higson and Roe and the K-theory of the stable Higson corona of Emerson and Meyer. The latter is the domain of the co-assembly map $\mu^\ast \colon \mathrm{K}_{1-\ast}(\mathfrak{c}^{\mathrm{red}}Y) \to \mathrm{K}^\ast(Y)$. We obtain such products on the entire Higson--Roe sequence. They imply injectivity results for external product maps. Our results apply to products with aspherical manifolds whose fundamental groups admit coarse embeddings into Hilbert space. To conceptualize the class of manifolds where this method applies, we say that a complete $\mathrm{spin}^{\mathrm{c}}$-manifold is Higson-essential if its fundamental class is detected by the co-assembly map. We prove that coarsely hypereuclidean manifolds are Higson-essential. We draw conclusions for positive scalar curvature metrics on product spaces, particularly on non-compact manifolds. We also obtain equivariant versions of our constructions and discuss related problems of exactness and amenability of the stable Higson corona.Comment: 82 pages; v2: Minor improvements. To appear in Ann. Inst. Fourie

Ellipsometric measurements by use of photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion

We present a novel interferometric technique for performing ellipsometric measurements. This technique relies on the use of a non-classical optical source, namely, polarization-entangled twin photons generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion from a nonlinear crystal, in conjunction with a coincidence-detection scheme. Ellipsometric measurements acquired with this scheme are absolute; i.e., they do not require source and detector calibration.Comment: 10 pages, accepted for publication in Optics Letter

Tiling Algebra for Constraint-based Layout Editing

The constraint-based layout model is a very powerful model to describe a wide range of graphical user interface (GUI) layouts, based on linear constraints. However, the advantages of the constraint-based layout model come at a price: layout designers have to ensure layouts are sound, i.e., they are solvable and items in the layout do not overlap each other. Keeping a layout sound is non-trivial since editing one constraint may have undesirable effects on other constraints.In this article, we propose a new formalism for constraint-basedlayouts which we call a tiling algebra. Editing operations on layouts are specified algebraically, which guarantees that these operations keep a layout sound. We propose to model tiling operations with two operators that are isomorphic cancellative semigroup operators with involution if seen as binary operators. While these semigroup operators alone already cover an interesting subset of layouts, called fragments, we show that there are more involved layouts, such as the pinwheel layout, which cannot be modelled with these operators alone. For this reason we introduce a third operator which is isomorphic to a Boolean conjunction.Our approach helps to describe constraint-based layoutscorrectly and to make layout editing robust. We apply the proposed algebra to two real constraint-basedsystems, which illustrate how it can be used to support sound layout creation and modification

Original use of MUSE's laser tomography adaptive optics to directly image young accreting exoplanets

We present recent results obtained with the VLT/MUSE Integral Field Spectrograph fed by the 4LGSF and its laser tomography adaptive optics module GALACSI. While this so-called narrow-field mode of MUSE was not designed to perform directly imaging of exoplanets and outflows, we show that it can be a game changer to detect and characterize young exoplanets with a prominent emission lines (i.e H{\alpha}, tracer of accretion), at moderate contrasts. These performances are achieved thanks to the combo of a near-diffraction limited PSF and a medium resolution spectrograph and a cross-correlation approach in post-processing . We discuss this in the context of ground and space, infrared and visible wavelengths, preparing for missions like JWST and WFIRST in great synergy and as pathfinder for future ELT/GSMT (Extremely Large and/or Giant Segmented Mirror Telescopes) instruments.Comment: AO4ELT6 Conference Proceedings (2019), 12 pages, 6 figures (http://ao4elt6.copl.ulaval.ca/proceedings.html

Argumentation in school science : Breaking the tradition of authoritative exposition through a pedagogy that promotes discussion and reasoning

The value of argumentation in science education has become internationally recognised and has been the subject of many research studies in recent years. Successful introduction of argumentation activities in learning contexts involves extending teaching goals beyond the understanding of facts and concepts, to include an emphasis on cognitive and metacognitive processes, epistemic criteria and reasoning. The authors focus on the difficulties inherent in shifting a tradition of teaching from one dominated by authoritative exposition to one that is more dialogic, involving small-group discussion based on tasks that stimulate argumentation. The paper builds on previous research on enhancing the quality of argument in school science, to focus on how argumentation activities have been designed, with appropriate strategies, resources and modelling, for pedagogical purposes. The paper analyses design frameworks, their contexts and lesson plans, to evaluate their potential for enhancing reasoning through foregrounding the processes of argumentation. Examples of classroom dialogue where teachers adopt the frameworks/plans are analysed to show how argumentation processes are scaffolded. The analysis shows that several layers of interpretation are needed and these layers need to be aligned for successful implementation. The analysis serves to highlight the potential and limitations of the design frameworks

S2k guideline: Diagnosis and treatment of chronic pruritus

Pruritus is a cross-disciplinary leading symptom of numerous diseases and represents an interdisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. In contrast to acute pruritus, chronic pruritus (CP) is a symptom of various diseases that is usually difficult to treat. Scratching and the development of scratch-associated skin lesions can alter the original skin status. In the presence of an itch-scratch-cycle, even secondary diseases such as chronic prurigo can develop. Chronic pruritus leads to considerable subjective suffering of those affected, which can result in restrictions on the health-related quality of life such as sleep disturbances, anxiety, depressiveness, experience of stigmatization and/or social withdrawal up to clinically relevant psychic comorbidities. Medical care of patients should therefore include (a) interdisciplinary diagnosis and therapy of the triggering underlying disease, (b) therapy of the secondary symptoms of pruritus (dermatological therapy, sleep promotion, in the case of an accompanying or underlying psychological or psychosomatic disease an appropriate psychological-psychotherapeutic treatment) and (c) symptomatic antipruritic therapy. The aim of this interdisciplinary guideline is to define and standardize the therapeutic procedure as well as the interdisciplinary diagnosis of CP. This is the short version of the updated S2k-guideline for chronic pruritus. The long version can be found at www.awmf.org

Structure and properties of densified silica glass: characterizing the order within disorder

世界一構造秩序のあるガラスの合成と構造解析に成功 --ガラスの一見無秩序な構造の中に潜む秩序を抽出--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-12-25.The broken symmetry in the atomic-scale ordering of glassy versus crystalline solids leads to a daunting challenge to provide suitable metrics for describing the order within disorder, especially on length scales beyond the nearest neighbor that are characterized by rich structural complexity. Here, we address this challenge for silica, a canonical network-forming glass, by using hot versus cold compression to (i) systematically increase the structural ordering after densification and (ii) prepare two glasses with the same high-density but contrasting structures. The structure was measured by high-energy X-ray and neutron diffraction, and atomistic models were generated that reproduce the experimental results. The vibrational and thermodynamic properties of the glasses were probed by using inelastic neutron scattering and calorimetry, respectively. Traditional measures of amorphous structures show relatively subtle changes upon compacting the glass. The method of persistent homology identifies, however, distinct features in the network topology that change as the initially open structure of the glass is collapsed. The results for the same high-density glasses show that the nature of structural disorder does impact the heat capacity and boson peak in the low-frequency dynamical spectra. Densification is discussed in terms of the loss of locally favored tetrahedral structures comprising oxygen-decorated SiSi4 tetrahedra

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns