2,095 research outputs found
Functional maps representation on product manifolds
We consider the tasks of representing, analysing and manipulating maps between shapes. We model maps as densities over the product manifold of the input shapes; these densities can be treated as scalar functions and therefore are manipulable using the language of signal processing on manifolds. Being a manifold itself, the product space endows the set of maps with a geometry of its own, which we exploit to define map operations in the spectral domain; we also derive relationships with other existing representations (soft maps and functional maps). To apply these ideas in practice, we discretize product manifolds and their Laplace–Beltrami operators, and we introduce localized spectral analysis of the product manifold as a novel tool for map processing. Our framework applies to maps defined between and across 2D and 3D shapes without requiring special adjustment, and it can be implemented efficiently with simple operations on sparse matrices
Cheating and the evolutionary stability of mutualisms
Interspecific mutualisms have been playing a central role in the functioning of all ecosystems since the early history of life. Yet the theory of coevolution of mutualists is virtually nonexistent, by contrast with well-developed coevolutionary theories of competition, predator–prey and host–parasite interactions. This has prevented resolution of a basic puzzle posed by mutualisms: their persistence in spite of apparent evolutionary instability. The selective advantage of 'cheating', that is, reaping mutualistic benefits while providing fewer commodities to the partner species, is commonly believed to erode a mutualistic interaction, leading to its dissolution or reciprocal extinction. However, recent empirical findings indicate that stable associations of mutualists and cheaters have existed over long evolutionary periods. Here, we show that asymmetrical competition within species for the commodities offered by mutualistic partners provides a simple and testable ecological mechanism that can account for the long-term persistence of mutualisms. Cheating, in effect, establishes a background against which better mutualists can display any competitive superiority. This can lead to the coexistence and divergence of mutualist and cheater phenotypes, as well as to the coexistence of ecologically similar, but unrelated mutualists and cheaters
The “broken escalator” phenomenon: Vestibular dizziness interferes with locomotor adaptation
BACKGROUND: Although vestibular lesions degrade postural control we do not know the relative contributions of the magnitude of the vestibular loss and subjective vestibular symptoms to locomotor adaptation. OBJECTIVE: To study how dizzy symptoms interfere with adaptive locomotor learning. METHODS: We examined patients with contrasting peripheral vestibular deficits, vestibular neuritis in the chronic stable phase (n = 20) and strongly symptomatic unilateral Meniere’s disease (n = 15), compared to age-matched healthy controls (n = 15). We measured locomotor adaptive learning using the “broken escalator” aftereffect, simulated on a motorised moving sled. RESULTS: Patients with Meniere’s disease had an enhanced “broken escalator” postural aftereffect. More generally, the size of the locomotor aftereffect was related to how symptomatic patients were across both groups. Contrastingly, the degree of peripheral vestibular loss was not correlated with symptom load or locomotor aftereffect size. During the MOVING trials, both patient groups had larger levels of instability (trunk sway) and reduced adaptation than normal controls. CONCLUSION: Dizziness symptoms influence locomotor adaptation and its subsequent expression through motor aftereffects. Given that the unsteadiness experienced during the “broken escalator” paradigm is internally driven, the enhanced aftereffect found represents a new type of self-generated postural challenge for vestibular/unsteady patients
Integral D-Finite Functions
We propose a differential analog of the notion of integral closure of
algebraic function fields. We present an algorithm for computing the integral
closure of the algebra defined by a linear differential operator. Our algorithm
is a direct analog of van Hoeij's algorithm for computing integral bases of
algebraic function fields
Palladium nanoparticles by electrospinning from poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid)-PdCl2 solutions. Relations between preparation conditions, particle size, and catalytic activity
Catalytic palladium (Pd) nanoparticles on electrospun copolymers of acrylonitrile and acrylic acid (PAN-AA) mats were produced via reduction of PdCl2 with hydrazine. Fiber mats were electrospun from homogeneous solutions of PAN-AA and PdCl2 in dimethylformamide (DMF). Pd cations were reduced to Pd metals when fiber mats were treated in an aqueous hydrazine solution at room temperature. Pd atoms nucleate and form small crystallites whose sizes were estimated from the peak broadening of X-ray diffraction peaks. Two to four crystallites adhere together and form agglomerates. Agglomerate sizes and fiber diameters were determined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Spherical Pd nanoparticles were dispersed homogeneously on the electrospun nanofibers. The effects of copolymer composition and amount of PdCl2 on particle size were investigated. Pd particle size mainly depends on the amount of acrylic acid functional groups and PdCl2 concentration in the spinning solution. Increasing acrylic acid concentration on polymer chains leads to larger Pd nanoparticles. In addition, Pd particle size becomes larger with increasing PdCl2 concentration in the spinning solution. Hence, it is possible to tune the number density and the size of metal nanoparticles. The catalytic activity of the Pd nanoparticles in electrospun mats was determined by selective hydrogenation of dehydrolinalool (3,7-dimethyloct-6- ene-1-yne-3-ol, DHL) in toluene at 90 °C. Electrospun fibers with Pd particles have 4.5 times higher catalytic activity than the current Pd/Al2O3 catalyst
Towards Loop Quantization of Plane Gravitational Waves
The polarized Gowdy model in terms of Ashtekar-Barbero variables is further
reduced by including the Killing equations for plane-fronted parallel
gravitational waves with parallel rays. The resulting constraint algebra,
including one constraint derived from the Killing equations in addition to the
standard ones of General Relativity, are shown to form a set of first-class
constraints. Using earlier work by Banerjee and Date the constraints are
expressed in terms of classical quantities that have an operator equivalent in
Loop Quantum Gravity, making space-times with pp-waves accessible to loop
quantization techniques.Comment: 14 page
Interacting dark energy in gravity
The field equations in gravity derived from the Palatini variational
principle and formulated in the Einstein conformal frame yield a cosmological
term which varies with time. Moreover, they break the conservation of the
energy--momentum tensor for matter, generating the interaction between matter
and dark energy. Unlike phenomenological models of interacting dark energy,
gravity derives such an interaction from a covariant Lagrangian which is
a function of a relativistically invariant quantity (the curvature scalar ).
We derive the expressions for the quantities describing this interaction in
terms of an arbitrary function , and examine how the simplest
phenomenological models of a variable cosmological constant are related to
gravity. Particularly, we show that for a flat,
homogeneous and isotropic, pressureless universe. For the Lagrangian of form
, which is the simplest way of introducing current cosmic acceleration
in gravity, the predicted matter--dark energy interaction rate changes
significantly in time, and its current value is relatively weak (on the order
of 1% of ), in agreement with astronomical observations.Comment: 8 pages; published versio
Constructive factorization of LPDO in two variables
We study conditions under which a partial differential operator of arbitrary
order in two variables or ordinary linear differential operator admits a
factorization with a first-order factor on the left. The factorization process
consists of solving, recursively, systems of linear equations, subject to
certain differential compatibility conditions. In the generic case of partial
differential operators one does not have to solve a differential equation. In
special degenerate cases, such as ordinary differential, the problem is finally
reduced to the solution of some Riccati equation(s). The conditions of
factorization are given explicitly for second- and, and an outline is given for
the higher-order case.Comment: 16 pages, to be published in Journal "Theor. Math. Phys." (2005
The Revival of the Unified Dark Energy-Dark Matter Model ?
We consider the generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG) proposal for unification of
dark energy and dark matter and show that it admits an unique decomposition
into dark energy and dark matter components once phantom-like dark energy is
excluded. Within this framework, we study structure formation and show that
difficulties associated to unphysical oscillations or blow-up in the matter
power spectrum can be circumvented. Furthermore, we show that the dominance of
dark energy is related to the time when energy density fluctuations start
deviating from the linear behaviour.Comment: 6 pages, 4 eps figures, Revtex4 style. New References are added. Some
typos are corrected. Conclusions remain the sam
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