Ex post evaluation of the management and implementation of cohesion policy 2000-06 (ERDF)

This report has been drafted by the European Policies Research Centre (University of Strathclyde) as part of an ex post evaluation of the management and implementation systems for Cohesion policy, 2000-06, which has been commissioned by DG REGIO and which is being managed by EPRC and Metis (Vienna) under European Commission contract no: 2007.CE.16.0.AT.034. The report provides an overview of the main features of management and implementation systems across the EU25 in the 2000-06 period (2004-06 for the EU10) and has been drafted by Professor John Bachtler, Laura Polverari and Frederike Gross, with assistance from Dr Sara Davies and Ruth Downes. The research is based on studies of individual countries undertaken by EPRC together with national experts from each of the EU25 Member States. The authors are grateful for helpful comments from the DG REGIO Evaluation Unit and Geographical Units, in particular Anna Burylo, Veronica Gaffey and Kai Stryczynski. Any errors or omissions remain the responsibility of the authors

Flat connections and resonance varieties: from rank one to higher ranks

Given a finitely-generated group $\pi$ and a linear algebraic group $G$, the representation variety Hom$(\pi,G)$ has a natural filtration by the characteristic varieties associated to a rational representation of $G$. Its algebraic counterpart, the space of $\mathfrak{g}$-valued flat connections on a commutative, differential graded algebra $(A,d)$ admits a filtration by the resonance varieties associated to a representation of $\mathfrak{g}$. We establish here a number of results concerning the structure and qualitative properties of these embedded resonance varieties, with particular attention to the case when the rank 1 resonance variety decomposes as a finite union of linear subspaces. The general theory is illustrated in detail in the case when $\pi$ is either an Artin group, or the fundamental group of a smooth, quasi-projective variety.Comment: 33 pages; accepted for publication in the Transactions of the American Mathematical Societ

The Distance of the First Overtone RR Lyrae Variables in the MACHO LMC Database: A New Method to Correct for the Effects of Crowding

Previous studies have indicated that many of the RR Lyrae variables in the LMC have properties similar to the ones in the Galactic globular cluster M3. Assuming that the M3 RR Lyrae variables follow the same relationships among period, temperature, amplitude and Fourier phase parameter phi31 as their LMC counterparts, we have used the M3 phi31-logP relation to identify the M3-like unevolved first overtone RR Lyrae variables in 16 fields near the LMC bar. The temperatures of these variables were calculated from the M3 logP-logTe relation so that the extinction could be derived for each star separately. Since blended stars have lower amplitudes for a given period, the period amplitude relation should be a useful tool for identifying which stars are affected by crowding. We find that the low amplitude stars are brighter. We remove them from the sample and derive an LMC distance modulus 18.49+/-0.11.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Mission-oriented requirements for updating MIL-H-8501. Volume 1: STI proposed structure

The structure of a new flying and ground handling qualities specification for military rotorcraft is presented. This preliminary specification structure is intended to evolve into a replacement for specification MIL-H-8501A. The new structure is designed to accommodate a variety of rotorcraft types, mission flight phases, flight envelopes, and flight environmental characteristics and to provide criteria for three levels of flying qualities, a systematic treatment of failures and reliability, both conventional and multiaxis controllers, and external vision aids which may also incorporate synthetic display content. Existing and new criteria were incorporated into the new structure wherever they could be substantiated

Soft singularity and the fundamental length

It is shown that some regular solutions in 5D Kaluza-Klein gravity may have interesting properties if one from the parameters is in the Planck region. In this case the Kretschman metric invariant runs up to a maximal reachable value in nature, i.e. practically the metric becomes singular. This observation allows us to suppose that in this situation the problems with such soft singularity will be much easier resolved in the future quantum gravity then by the situation with the ordinary hard singularity (Reissner-Nordstr\"om singularity, for example). It is supposed that the analogous consideration can be applied for the avoiding the hard singularities connected with the gauge charges.Comment: 5 page

Hamiltonian analysis of BHT massive gravity

We study the Hamiltonian structure of the Bergshoeff-Hohm-Townsend (BHT) massive gravity with a cosmological constant. In the space of coupling constants $(\Lambda_0,m^2)$, our canonical analysis reveals the special role of the condition $\Lambda_0/m^2\neq-1$. In this sector, the dimension of the physical phase space is found to be $N^*=4$, which corresponds to two Lagrangian degree of freedom. When applied to the AdS asymptotic region, the canonical approach yields the conserved charges of the BTZ black hole, and central charges of the asymptotic symmetry algebra.Comment: LATEX, 21 pages; v2: minor correction

Inelastic Collapse of Three Particles

A system of three particles undergoing inelastic collisions in arbitrary spatial dimensions is studied with the aim of establishing the domain of ``inelastic collapse''---an infinite number of collisions which take place in a finite time. Analytic and simulation results show that for a sufficiently small restitution coefficient, $0\leq r<7-4\sqrt{3}\approx 0.072$, collapse can occur. In one dimension, such a collapse is stable against small perturbations within this entire range. In higher dimensions, the collapse can be stable against small variations of initial conditions, within a smaller $r$ range, $0\leq r<9-4\sqrt{5}\approx 0.056$.Comment: 6 pages, figures on request, accepted by PR

Neo-Timm staining in the thalamus of chronically epileptic rats

The thalamus is an important modulator of seizures and is severely affected in cholinergic models of epilepsy. In the present study, chronically epileptic rats had their brains processed for neo-Timm and acetylcholinesterase two months after the induction of status epilepticus with pilocarpine. Both controls and pilocarpine-treated animals presented neo-Timm staining in the anterodorsal nucleus, laterodorsal nucleus, reticular nucleus, most intralaminar nuclei, nucleus reuniens, and rhomboid nucleus of the thalamus, as well as in the zona incerta. The intensity of neo-Timm staining was similar in control and pilocarpine-treated rats, except for the nucleus reuniens and the rhomboid nucleus, which had a lower intensity of staining in the epileptic group. In animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy, zinc seems to modulate glutamate release and to decrease seizure activity. In this context, a reduction of neo-Timm-stained terminals in the midline thalamus could ultimately result in an increased excitatory activity, not only within its related nuclei, but also in anatomical structures that receive their efferent connections. This might contribute to the pathological substrate observed in chronic pilocarpine-treated epileptic animals.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de FisiologiaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de FisiologiaSciEL