Weighted integral formulas on manifolds

We present a method of finding weighted Koppelman formulas for $(p,q)$-forms on $n$-dimensional complex manifolds $X$ which admit a vector bundle of rank $n$ over $X \times X$, such that the diagonal of $X \times X$ has a defining section. We apply the method to \Pn and find weighted Koppelman formulas for $(p,q)$-forms with values in a line bundle over \Pn. As an application, we look at the cohomology groups of $(p,q)$-forms over \Pn with values in various line bundles, and find explicit solutions to the \dbar-equation in some of the trivial groups. We also look at cohomology groups of $(0,q)$-forms over \Pn \times \Pm with values in various line bundles. Finally, we apply our method to developing weighted Koppelman formulas on Stein manifolds.Comment: 25 page

In vitro profiling of the endocrine-disrupting potency of brominated flame retardants

Over the last years, increasing evidence has become available that some brominated flame retardants (BFRs) may have endocrine disrupting (ED) potencies. The goal of the current study was to perform a systematic in vitro screening of the ED potencies of BFRs (1) to elucidate possible modes of action of BFRs in man and wildlife, and (2) to classify BFRs with similar profiles of ED potencies. A test set of twenty-seven individual BFRs was selected, consisting of nineteen polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDE) congeners, tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), 2,4,6-tribromophenol (246-TBP), ortho-hydroxylated BDE-47 (6OH-BDE-47), and TBBPA-bis(2,3)dibromopropylether (TBBPA-DBPE). All BFRs were tested for their potency to interact with the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR), androgen receptor (AR), progesterone receptor (PR), and estrogen receptor (ER). In addition, all BFRs were tested for their potency to inhibit estradiol (E2) sulfation by E2-sulfotransferase (E2SULT), to interfere with thyroid hormone 3,3`,5-triiodothyronine (T3) mediated cell proliferation, and to compete with T3-precursor thyroxine (T4) for binding to the plasma transport protein transthyretin (TTR). The results of the in vitro screening indicated that BFRs have ED potencies, some of which had not or only marginally been described before (AR-antagonism, PR-antagonism, E2SULT inhibition, and potentiation of T3-mediated effects). For some BFRs, the potency to induce AR-antagonism, E2SULT inhibition and TTR competition was higher than for natural ligands or clinical drugs used as positive controls. Based on their similarity in ED profiles, BFRs were classified into five different clusters. These findings support further investigation of the potential endocrine disrupting effects of these environmentally relevant BFRs in man and wildlife

Ferromagnetism in Oriented Graphite Samples

We have studied the magnetization of various, well characterized samples of highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG), Kish graphite and natural graphite to investigate the recently reported ferromagnetic-like signal and its possible relation to ferromagnetic impurities. The magnetization results obtained for HOPG samples for applied fields parallel to the graphene layers - to minimize the diamagnetic background - show no correlation with the magnetic impurity concentration. Our overall results suggest an intrinsic origin for the ferromagnetism found in graphite. We discuss possible origins of the ferromagnetic signal.Comment: 11 figure

Three-dimensional general relativistic hydrodynamics II: long-term dynamics of single relativistic stars

This is the second in a series of papers on the construction and validation of a three-dimensional code for the solution of the coupled system of the Einstein equations and of the general relativistic hydrodynamic equations, and on the application of this code to problems in general relativistic astrophysics. In particular, we report on the accuracy of our code in the long-term dynamical evolution of relativistic stars and on some new physics results obtained in the process of code testing. The tests involve single non-rotating stars in stable equilibrium, non-rotating stars undergoing radial and quadrupolar oscillations, non-rotating stars on the unstable branch of the equilibrium configurations migrating to the stable branch, non-rotating stars undergoing gravitational collapse to a black hole, and rapidly rotating stars in stable equilibrium and undergoing quasi-radial oscillations. The numerical evolutions have been carried out in full general relativity using different types of polytropic equations of state using either the rest-mass density only, or the rest-mass density and the internal energy as independent variables. New variants of the spacetime evolution and new high resolution shock capturing (HRSC) treatments based on Riemann solvers and slope limiters have been implemented and the results compared with those obtained from previous methods. Finally, we have obtained the first eigenfrequencies of rotating stars in full general relativity and rapid rotation. A long standing problem, such frequencies have not been obtained by other methods. Overall, and to the best of our knowledge, the results presented in this paper represent the most accurate long-term three-dimensional evolutions of relativistic stars available to date.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figure

Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (rg =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness

Dijet production in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with large rapidity gaps at the ATLAS experiment

A 6.8 nb−¹ sample of pp collision data collected under low-luminosity conditions at √s = 7 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is used to study diffractive dijet production. Events containing at least two jets with pT > 20 GeV are selected and analysed in terms of variables which discriminate between diffractive and non-diffractive processes. Cross sections are measured differentially in ΔηF, the size of the observable forward region of pseudorapidity which is devoid of hadronic activity, and in an estimator, ξ˜, of the fractional momentum loss of the proton assuming single diffractive dissociation (pp → p X). Model comparisons indicate a dominant non-diffractive contribution up to moderately large ηF and small ξ˜, with a diffractive contribution which is significant at the highest ΔηF and the lowest ξ˜. The rapidity-gap survival probability is estimated from comparisons of the data in this latter region with predictions based on diffractive parton distribution functions

Measurement of D*±, D± and Ds± meson production cross sections in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of D∗±, D± and D±s charmed mesons has been measured with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at √s= 7 TeV at the LHC, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 280 nb−1. The charmed mesons have been reconstructed in the range of transverse momentum 3.5 <pT(D) <100 GeV and pseudorapidity |η(D)| <2.1. The differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity were measured for D∗± and D± production. The next-to-leading-order QCD predictions are consistent with the data in the visible kinematic region within the large theoretical uncertainties. Using the visible D cross sections and an extrapolation to the full kinematic phase space, the strangeness-suppression factor in charm fragmentation, the fraction of charged non-strange D mesons produced in a vector state, and the total cross section of charm production at √s= 7 TeV were derived