5,914 research outputs found
Solvable Lie algebras are not that hypo
We study a type of left-invariant structure on Lie groups, or equivalently on
Lie algebras. We introduce obstructions to the existence of a hypo structure,
namely the 5-dimensional geometry of hypersurfaces in manifolds with holonomy
SU(3). The choice of a splitting g^*=V_1 + V_2, and the vanishing of certain
associated cohomology groups, determine a first obstruction. We also construct
necessary conditions for the existence of a hypo structure with a fixed
almost-contact form. For non-unimodular Lie algebras, we derive an obstruction
to the existence of a hypo structure, with no choice involved. We apply these
methods to classify solvable Lie algebras that admit a hypo structure.Comment: 21 pages; v2: presentation improved, typos corrected, notational
conflicts eliminated. To appear in Transformation Group
Calabi-Yau cones from contact reduction
We consider a generalization of Einstein-Sasaki manifolds, which we
characterize in terms both of spinors and differential forms, that in the real
analytic case corresponds to contact manifolds whose symplectic cone is
Calabi-Yau. We construct solvable examples in seven dimensions. Then, we
consider circle actions that preserve the structure, and determine conditions
for the contact reduction to carry an induced structure of the same type. We
apply this construction to obtain a new hypo-contact structure on S^2\times
T^3.Comment: 30 pages; v2: typos corrected, presentation improved, one reference
added. To appear in Ann. Glob. Analysis and Geometr
Experimental measurement of photothermal effect in Fabry-Perot cavities
We report the experimental observation of the photothermal effect. The
measurements are performed by modulating the laser power absorbed by the
mirrors of two high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavities. The results are very well
described by a recently proposed theoretical model [M. Cerdonio, L. Conti, A.
Heidmann and M. Pinard, Phys. Rev. D 63 (2001) 082003], confirming the
correctness of such calculations. Our observations and quantitative
characterization of the photothermal effect demonstrate its critical importance
for high sensitivity interferometric displacement measurements, as those
necessary for gravitational wave detection.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Estimation of HIV burden through Bayesian evidence synthesis
Planning, implementation and evaluation of public health policies to control
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic require regular monitoring of
disease burden. This includes the proportion living with HIV, whether diagnosed
or not, and the rate of new infections in the general population and in
specific risk groups and regions. Estimation of these quantities is not
straightforward: data informing them directly are not typically available, but
a wealth of indirect information from surveillance systems and ad hoc studies
can inform functions of these quantities. In this paper we show how the
estimation problem can be successfully solved through a Bayesian evidence
synthesis approach, relaxing the focus on "best available" data to which
classical methods are typically restricted. This more comprehensive and
flexible use of evidence has led to the adoption of our proposed approach as
the official method to estimate HIV prevalence in the United Kingdom since
2005
Relationships within Mcneillia Indicate a Complex Evolutionary History and Reveal a New Species of Minuartiella (Caryophyllaceae, Alsinoideae)
The genus Mcneillia has been recently segregated from Minuartia L. based on molecular results, also supported by morphology. However, to date, a comprehensive study on the phylogenetic relationships within this genus is lacking. In this paper, we provide a multigene phylogeny of all the species and subspecies of Mcneillia employing two nuclear and six chloroplast markers. We documented extensive gene flow between taxa, sometimes separated at specific rank. In addition, Mcneillia as currently circumscribed, is not monophyletic. In fact, Mcneillia graminifolia subsp. brachypetala, strictly endemic to Greece, truly belongs to Minuartiella, a genus otherwise limited to South-West Asia. Moreover, even after removal of this taxon, our results do not support the monophyly of the taxa included in M. graminifolia s.l., the most variable and widespread species of the genus. Further controversial subspecies of Mcneillia graminifolia, i.e., subsp. hungarica and subsp. rosanoi, are shown to deserve taxonomic recognition as separate species, whereas Mc. moraldoi is not distinct at specific rank. In addition, Mc. saxifraga subsp. tmolea is here regarded as a further distinct species. A consistent taxonomic treatment is therefore proposed with six new combinations and nomenclatural notes, providing the necessary typifications
Harmonic damped oscillators with feedback. A Langevin study
We consider a system in direct contact with a thermal reservoir and which, if
left unperturbed, is well described by a memory-less equilibrium Langevin
equation of the second order in the time coordinate. In such conditions, the
strength of the noise fluctuations is set by the damping factor, in accordance
with the Fluctuation and Dissipation theorem. We study the system when it is
subject to a feedback mechanism, by modifying the Langevin equation
accordingly. Memory terms now arise in the time evolution, which we study in a
non-equilibrium steady state. Two types of feedback schemes are considered, one
focusing on time shifts and one on phase shifts, and for both cases we evaluate
the power spectrum of the system's fluctuations. Our analysis finds application
in feedback cooled oscillators, such as the Gravitational Wave detector AURIGA.Comment: 17 page
GLT-1 promoter activity in astrocytes and neurons of mouse hippocampus and somatic sensory cortex
GLT-1 eGFP BAC reporter transgenic adult mice were used to detect GLT-1 gene expression in individual cells of CA1, CA3 and SI, and eGFP fl uorescence was measured to analyze quantitatively GLT-1 promoter activity in different cells of neocortex and hippocampus. Virtually all GFAP+ astrocytes were eGFP+; we also found that about 80% of neurons in CA3 pyramidal layer, 10-70% of neurons in I-VI layers of SI and rare neurons in all strata of CA1 and in strata oriens and radiatum of CA3 were eGFP+. Analysis of eGFP intensity showed that astrocytes had a higher GLT-1 promoter activity in SI than in CA1 and CA3, and that neurons had the highest levels of GLT-1 promoter activity in CA3 stratum pyramidale and in layer VI of SI. Finally, we observed that the intensity of GLT-1 promoter activity in neurons is 1-20% of that measured in astrocytes. These results showed that in the hippocampus and neocortex GLT-1 promoter activity is observed in astrocytes and neurons, detailed the distribution of GLT-1 expressing neurons, and indicated that GLT-1 promoter activity in both astrocytes and neurons varies in different brain regions. © 2010 de Vivo, Melone, Rothstein and Conti
SLFS: Semi-supervised light-field foreground-background segmentation
Efficient segmentation is a fundamental problem in computer vision and image processing. Achieving accurate segmentation for 4D light field images is a challenging task due to the huge amount of data involved and the intrinsic redundancy in this type of images. While automatic image segmentation is usually challenging, and because regions of interest are different for different users or tasks, this paper proposes an improved semi-supervised segmentation approach for 4D light field images based on an efficient graph structure and user's scribbles. The recent view-consistent 4D light field superpixels algorithm proposed by Khan et al. is used as an automatic pre-processing step to ensure spatio-angular consistency and to represent the image graph efficiently. Then, segmentation is achieved via graph-cut optimization. Experimental results for synthetic and real light field images indicate that the proposed approach can extract objects consistently across views, and thus it can be used in applications such as augmented reality applications or object-based coding with few user interactions.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Endoscopic stapedotomy: safety and audiological results in 150 patients
Objective: The most widely accepted treatment for otosclerosis is currently microscopic stapes surgery under either local or general anesthesia. The aim of the study is to describe the surgical steps in endoscopic stapes surgery and to evaluate the audiologic and surgical outcomes. Materials and methods: All patients who underwent exclusive endoscopic stapes surgery or revision surgery for previous stapedotomy between November 2014 and September 2018 were enrolled in this study. Demographic data, surgical information, preoperative and postoperative pure tone averages and air bone gaps, intraoperative and postoperative complications and follow-up data were summarized and gathered in a database for further consideration and analysis. Results: In the period examined, 181 stapes surgical procedures were performed and out of these 150 met the inclusion criteria. There were no cases of major intraoperative complications. Sensorineural hearing loss was observed in one case. In one patient a gusher effect occurred during surgery. The postoperative air-bone gap improved significantly compared to the preoperative gap (8 vs 29 dB HL, respectively), and the mean air-bone gap closure was 20 dB HL. In 78.7% of cases, the observed postoperative air-bone gap was less than 10 dB HL and in 14% it was between 11 dB HL and 20 dB HL. An ABG closure lower than 20 dB HL was achieved in a total of 92.7% of patients. Conclusions: Endoscopic stapes surgery is a safe procedure with a low risk of peri- or postoperative complications and is a possible alternative to the traditional microscopic surgical procedure in the treatment of otosclerosis
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