100 research outputs found
Dense packing on uniform lattices
We study the Hard Core Model on the graphs
obtained from Archimedean tilings i.e. configurations in with the nearest neighbor 1's forbidden. Our
particular aim in choosing these graphs is to obtain insight to the geometry of
the densest packings in a uniform discrete set-up. We establish density bounds,
optimal configurations reaching them in all cases, and introduce a
probabilistic cellular automaton that generates the legal configurations. Its
rule involves a parameter which can be naturally characterized as packing
pressure. It can have a critical value but from packing point of view just as
interesting are the noncritical cases. These phenomena are related to the
exponential size of the set of densest packings and more specifically whether
these packings are maximally symmetric, simple laminated or essentially random
packings.Comment: 18 page
The moduli space of isometry classes of globally hyperbolic spacetimes
This is the last article in a series of three initiated by the second author.
We elaborate on the concepts and theorems constructed in the previous articles.
In particular, we prove that the GH and the GGH uniformities previously
introduced on the moduli space of isometry classes of globally hyperbolic
spacetimes are different, but the Cauchy sequences which give rise to
well-defined limit spaces coincide. We then examine properties of the strong
metric introduced earlier on each spacetime, and answer some questions
concerning causality of limit spaces. Progress is made towards a general
definition of causality, and it is proven that the GGH limit of a Cauchy
sequence of , path metric Lorentz spaces is again a
, path metric Lorentz space. Finally, we give a
necessary and sufficient condition, similar to the one of Gromov for the
Riemannian case, for a class of Lorentz spaces to be precompact.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Class. Quant. Gra
An update on the Hirsch conjecture
The Hirsch conjecture was posed in 1957 in a letter from Warren M. Hirsch to
George Dantzig. It states that the graph of a d-dimensional polytope with n
facets cannot have diameter greater than n - d.
Despite being one of the most fundamental, basic and old problems in polytope
theory, what we know is quite scarce. Most notably, no polynomial upper bound
is known for the diameters that are conjectured to be linear. In contrast, very
few polytopes are known where the bound is attained. This paper collects
known results and remarks both on the positive and on the negative side of the
conjecture. Some proofs are included, but only those that we hope are
accessible to a general mathematical audience without introducing too many
technicalities.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures. Many proofs have been taken out from version 2
and put into the appendix arXiv:0912.423
Causal structures and causal boundaries
We give an up-to-date perspective with a general overview of the theory of
causal properties, the derived causal structures, their classification and
applications, and the definition and construction of causal boundaries and of
causal symmetries, mostly for Lorentzian manifolds but also in more abstract
settings.Comment: Final version. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit
The repulsive lattice gas, the independent-set polynomial, and the Lov\'asz local lemma
We elucidate the close connection between the repulsive lattice gas in
equilibrium statistical mechanics and the Lovasz local lemma in probabilistic
combinatorics. We show that the conclusion of the Lovasz local lemma holds for
dependency graph G and probabilities {p_x} if and only if the independent-set
polynomial for G is nonvanishing in the polydisc of radii {p_x}. Furthermore,
we show that the usual proof of the Lovasz local lemma -- which provides a
sufficient condition for this to occur -- corresponds to a simple inductive
argument for the nonvanishing of the independent-set polynomial in a polydisc,
which was discovered implicitly by Shearer and explicitly by Dobrushin. We also
present some refinements and extensions of both arguments, including a
generalization of the Lovasz local lemma that allows for "soft" dependencies.
In addition, we prove some general properties of the partition function of a
repulsive lattice gas, most of which are consequences of the alternating-sign
property for the Mayer coefficients. We conclude with a brief discussion of the
repulsive lattice gas on countably infinite graphs.Comment: LaTex2e, 97 pages. Version 2 makes slight changes to improve clarity.
To be published in J. Stat. Phy
Discusión taxonómica de algunas especies interesantes de los géneros Biddulphia Gray y Triceratium Ehrenberg (Bacillariophyceae)
Inducible cAMP Early Repressor (ICER) and Brain Functions
The inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) is an endogenous repressor of cAMP-responsive element (CRE)-mediated gene transcription and belongs to the CRE-binding protein (CREB)/CRE modulator (CREM)/activating transcription factor 1 (ATF-1) gene family. ICER plays an important role in regulating the neuroendocrine system and the circadian rhythm. Other aspects of ICER function have recently attracted heightened attention. Being a natural inducible CREB antagonist, and more broadly, an inducible repressor of CRE-mediated gene transcription, ICER regulates long-lasting plastic changes that occur in the brain in response to incoming stimulation. This review will bring together data on ICER and its functions in the brain, with a special emphasis on recent findings highlighting the involvement of ICER in the regulation of long-term plasticity underlying learning and memory
Successful Cognitive Aging in Rats: A Role for mGluR5 Glutamate Receptors, Homer 1 Proteins and Downstream Signaling Pathways
Normal aging is associated with impairments in cognition, especially learning and memory. However, major individual differences are known to exist. Using the classical Morris Water Maze (MWM) task, we discriminated a population of 24-months old Long Evans aged rats in two groups - memory-impaired (AI) and memory-unimpaired (AU) in comparison with 6-months old adult animals. AI rats presented deficits in learning, reverse memory and retention. At the molecular level, an increase in metabotropic glutamate receptors 5 (mGluR5) was observed in post-synaptic densities (PSD) in the hippocampus of AU rats after training. Scaffolding Homer 1b/c proteins binding to group 1 mGluR facilitate coupling with its signaling effectors while Homer 1a reduces it. Both Homer 1a and 1b/c levels were up-regulated in the hippocampus PSD of AU animals following MWM task. Using immunohistochemistry we further demonstrated that mGluR5 as well as Homer 1b/c stainings were enhanced in the CA1 hippocampus sub-field of AU animals. In fact mGluR5 and Homer 1 isoforms were more abundant and co-localized in the hippocampal dendrites in AU rats. However, the ratio of Homer 1a/Homer 1b/c bound to mGluR5 in the PSD was four times lower for AU animals compared to AI rats. Consequently, AU animals presented higher PKCγ, ERK, p70S6K, mTOR and CREB activation. Finally the expression of immediate early gene Arc/Arg3.1 was shown to be higher in AU rats in accordance with its role in spatial memory consolidation. On the basis of these results, a model of successful cognitive aging with a critical role for mGluR5, Homer 1 proteins and downstream signalling pathways is proposed here
Risk assessment of diesel exhaust and lung cancer: combining human and animal studies after adjustment for biases in epidemiological studies
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