Mycobacterium ulcerans disease (Buruli ulcer) in Mali, a new potential African endemic country

International audienc

An exploratory social network analysis of academic research networks

For several decades, academics around the world have been collaborating with the view to support the development of their research domain. Having said that, the majority of scientific and technological policies try to encourage the creation of strong inter-related research groups in order to improve the efficiency of research outcomes and subsequently research funding allocation. In this paper, we attempt to highlight and thus, to demonstrate how these collaborative networks are developing in practice. To achieve this, we have developed an automated tool for extracting data about joint article publications and analyzing them from the perspective of social network analysis. In this case study, we have limited data from works published in 2010 by England academic and research institutions. The outcomes of this work can help policy makers in realising the current status of research collaborative networks in England

Universal analytic properties of noise. Introducing the J-Matrix formalism

We propose a new method in the spectral analysis of noisy time-series data for damped oscillators. From the Jacobi three terms recursive relation for the denominators of the Pad\'e Approximations built on the well-known Z-transform of an infinite time-series, we build an Hilbert space operator, a J-Operator, where each bound state (inside the unit circle in the complex plane) is simply associated to one damped oscillator while the continuous spectrum of the J-Operator, which lies on the unit circle itself, is shown to represent the noise. Signal and noise are thus clearly separated in the complex plane. For a finite time series of length 2N, the J-operator is replaced by a finite order J-Matrix J_N, having N eigenvalues which are time reversal covariant. Different classes of input noise, such as blank (white and uniform), Gaussian and pink, are discussed in detail, the J-Matrix formalism allowing us to efficiently calculate hundreds of poles of the Z-transform. Evidence of a universal behaviour in the final statistical distribution of the associated poles and zeros of the Z-transform is shown. In particular the poles and zeros tend, when the length of the time series goes to infinity, to a uniform angular distribution on the unit circle. Therefore at finite order, the roots of unity in the complex plane appear to be noise attractors. We show that the Z-transform presents the exceptional feature of allowing lossless undersampling and how to make use of this property. A few basic examples are given to suggest the power of the proposed method.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

In vitro morphogenesis of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) originated from anticipated or latent buds

While in outdoor-grown vines shoots originate from latent buds, grapevine shoots from microcuttings cultured in vitro are produced by the anticipated bud. The latter shoots show physiological and morphological features of juvenility. This study was carried out to obtain more conform in vitro grapevine shoots. Latent buds were induced to develop in vitro. Shoots produced by latent buds had more juvenile features than those produced by anticipated buds. New information on the control of juvenility of grapevines in vitro is presented

Lectures on the Asymptotic Expansion of a Hermitian Matrix Integral

In these lectures three different methods of computing the asymptotic expansion of a Hermitian matrix integral is presented. The first one is a combinatorial method using Feynman diagrams. This leads us to the generating function of the reciprocal of the order of the automorphism group of a tiling of a Riemann surface. The second method is based on the classical analysis of orthogonal polynomials. A rigorous asymptotic method is established, and a special case of the matrix integral is computed in terms of the Riemann $\zeta$-function. The third method is derived from a formula for the $\tau$-function solution to the KP equations. This method leads us to a new class of solutions of the KP equations that are \emph{transcendental}, in the sense that they cannot be obtained by the celebrated Krichever construction and its generalizations based on algebraic geometry of vector bundles on Riemann surfaces. In each case a mathematically rigorous way of dealing with asymptotic series in an infinite number of variables is established

The potential relationship of stilbene (resveratrol) synthesis to anthocyanin content in grape berry skins

The relationship between the production of resveratrol, a phytoalexin related to grape disease resistance, and the anthocyanin content of grape berries in diverse Vitis species has been investigated. Previous studies have reported that the phytoalexin production potential of grapes suddenly declines at veraison. The results obtained here from assaying resveratrol and anthocyanins from grape berries in different developmental stages suggest that chalcone synthase (EC 2.3.1.74), the key enzyme involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis, may compete with stilbene (resveratrol) synthase (EC 2.3.1.-), such that the decrease of the ability of grapes to synthesize resveratrol in response to UV-irradiation observed after the onset of fruit ripening may be a consequence of the concomitant rise of anthocyanin accumulation in fruits

Quantum toboggans: models exhibiting a multisheeted PT symmetry

A generalization of the concept of PT-symmetric Hamiltonians H=p^2+V(x) is described. It uses analytic potentials V(x) (with singularities) and a generalized concept of PT-symmetric asymptotic boundary conditions. Nontrivial toboggans are defined as integrated along topologically nontrivial paths of coordinates running over several Riemann sheets of wave functions.Comment: 16 pp, 5 figs. Written version of the talk given during 5th International Symposium on Quantum Theory and Symmetries, University of Valladolid, Spain, July 22 - 28 2007, webpage http://tristan.fam.uva.es/~qts

Numerical observation of non-axisymmetric vesicles in fluid membranes

By means of Surface Evolver (Exp. Math,1,141 1992), a software package of brute-force energy minimization over a triangulated surface developed by the geometry center of University of Minnesota, we have numerically searched the non-axisymmetric shapes under the Helfrich spontaneous curvature (SC) energy model. We show for the first time there are abundant mechanically stable non-axisymmetric vesicles in SC model, including regular ones with intrinsic geometric symmetry and complex irregular ones. We report in this paper several interesting shapes including a corniculate shape with six corns, a quadri-concave shape, a shape resembling sickle cells, and a shape resembling acanthocytes. As far as we know, these shapes have not been theoretically obtained by any curvature model before. In addition, the role of the spontaneous curvature in the formation of irregular crenated vesicles has been studied. The results shows a positive spontaneous curvature may be a necessary condition to keep an irregular crenated shape being mechanically stable.Comment: RevTex, 14 pages. A hard copy of 8 figures is available on reques

On the uniqueness of the surface sources of evoked potentials

The uniqueness of a surface density of sources localized inside a spatial region $R$ and producing a given electric potential distribution in its boundary $B_0$ is revisited. The situation in which $R$ is filled with various metallic subregions, each one having a definite constant value for the electric conductivity is considered. It is argued that the knowledge of the potential in all $B_0$ fully determines the surface density of sources over a wide class of surfaces supporting them. The class can be defined as a union of an arbitrary but finite number of open or closed surfaces. The only restriction upon them is that no one of the closed surfaces contains inside it another (nesting) of the closed or open surfaces.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure