4,321 research outputs found
Congruences of lines in , quadratic normality, and completely exceptional Monge-Amp\`ere equations
The existence is proved of two new families of locally Cohen-Macaulay sextic
threefolds in , which are not quadratically normal. These
threefolds arise naturally in the realm of first order congruences of lines as
focal loci and in the study of the completely exceptional Monge-Amp\`ere
equations. One of these families comes from a smooth congruence of multidegree
which is a smooth Fano fourfold of index two and genus 9.Comment: 16 page
N=2 supergravity models with stable de Sitter vacua
In the present talk I shall review the construction of N=2 supergravity
models exhibiting stable de Sitter vacua. These solutions represent the first
instance of stable backgrounds with positive cosmological constant in the
framework of extended supergravities (N >=2). After briefly reviewing the role
of de Sitter space--times in inflationary cosmology, I shall describe the main
ingredients which were necessary for the construction of gauged N=2
supergravity models admitting stable solutions of this kind.Comment: Prepared for Workshop on the Quantum Structure of Spacetime and the
Geometric Nature of Fundamental Interactions, Leuven, Belgium, September
13-19 200
A spatial model of autocatalytic reactions
Biological cells with all of their surface structure and complex interior
stripped away are essentially vesicles - membranes composed of lipid bilayers
which form closed sacs. Vesicles are thought to be relevant as models of
primitive protocells, and they could have provided the ideal environment for
pre-biotic reactions to occur. In this paper, we investigate the stochastic
dynamics of a set of autocatalytic reactions, within a spatially bounded
domain, so as to mimic a primordial cell. The discreteness of the constituents
of the autocatalytic reactions gives rise to large sustained oscillations, even
when the number of constituents is quite large. These oscillations are
spatio-temporal in nature, unlike those found in previous studies, which
consisted only of temporal oscillations. We speculate that these oscillations
may have a role in seeding membrane instabilities which lead to vesicle
division. In this way synchronization could be achieved between protocell
growth and the reproduction rate of the constituents (the protogenetic
material) in simple protocells.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Pain associated with COVID-19 vaccination is unrelated to skin biopsy abnormalities
Previous clinical observations raised the possibility that COVID-19 vaccination might trigger a small-fibre neuropathy.Objectives:In this uncontrolled observational study, we aimed to identify small fibre damage in patients complaining of generalized sensory symptoms and pain after COVID-19 vaccination.Methods:We collected clinical data, including a questionnaire for assessing autonomic symptoms (Composite Autonomic Symptom Score-31), and investigated quantitative sensory testing (QST) and skin biopsy in 15 prospectively enrolled patients with generalized sensory symptoms and pain after COVID-19 vaccination. Nine patients complaining of orthostatic intolerance also underwent cardiovascular autonomic tests.Results:We found that all patients experienced widespread pain, and most of them (11 of 15) had a fibromyalgia syndrome. All patients had normal skin biopsy findings, and in the 9 patients with orthostatic intolerance, cardiovascular autonomic tests showed normal findings. Nevertheless, 5 patients had cold and warm detection abnormalities at the QST investigation.Conclusions:In our study, most patients complaining of generalized sensory symptoms and pain after COVID-19 vaccination had clinical and diagnostic test findings compatible with a fibromyalgia syndrome. Although the abnormal QST findings we found in 5 patients might be compatible with a small-fibre neuropathy, they should be cautiously interpreted given the psychophysical characteristics of this diagnostic test. Further larger controlled studies are needed to define precisely the association between small fibre damage and COVID-19 vaccination
Quintessential Inflation with Dissipative fluid
We have investigated cosmological models with a self-interacting scalar field
and a dissipative matter fluid as the sources of matter. Different variables
are expressed in terms of a {\it generating function}. Exact solutions are
obtained for one particular choice of the {\it generating function} The
potential corresponding to this generating function is a standard tree-level
potential arising in the perturbative regime in quantum field theory. With
suitable choice of parameters, the scale factor in our model exhibits both
inflationary behaviour in the early universe as well as an accelerating phase
at late times with a decelerating period in between. It also satisfies the
constraints for primeval nucleosynthesis and structure formation and seems to
solve the cosmic coincidence problem. The solution exhibits a attractor nature
towards a asymptotic de-sitter universe.Comment: 8 pages, Revtex. The title has been changed. Some new features have
been include
Extremal Multicenter Black Holes: Nilpotent Orbits and Tits Satake Universality Classes
Four dimensional supergravity theories whose scalar manifold is a symmetric
coset manifold U[D=4]/Hc are arranged into a finite list of Tits Satake
universality classes. Stationary solutions of these theories, spherically
symmetric or not, are identified with those of an euclidian three-dimensional
sigma-model, whose target manifold is a Lorentzian coset U[D=3]/H* and the
extremal ones are associated with H* nilpotent orbits in the K* representation
emerging from the orthogonal decomposition of the algebra U[D=3] with respect
to H*. It is shown that the classification of such orbits can always be reduced
to the Tits-Satake projection and it is a class property of the Tits Satake
universality classes. The construction procedure of Bossard et al of extremal
multicenter solutions by means of a triangular hierarchy of integrable
equations is completed and converted into a closed algorithm by means of a
general formula that provides the transition from the symmetric to the solvable
gauge. The question of the relation between H* orbits and charge orbits W of
the corresponding black holes is addressed and also reduced to the
corresponding question within the Tits Satake projection. It is conjectured
that on the vanishing locus of the Taub-NUT current the relation between
H*-orbit and W-orbit is rigid and one-to-one. All black holes emerging from
multicenter solutions associated with a given H* orbit have the same W-type.
For the S^3 model we provide a complete survey of its multicenter solutions
associated with all of the previously classified nilpotent orbits of sl(2) x
sl(2) within g[2,2]. We find a new intrinsic classification of the W-orbits of
this model that might provide a paradigm for the analogous classification in
all the other Tits Satake universality classes.Comment: 83 pages, LaTeX; v2: few misprints corrected and references adde
HDAC6 mediates the acetylation of TRIM50
The E3 Ubiquitin ligase TRIM50 promotes the formation and clearance of aggresome-associated polyubiquitinated proteins through HDAC6 interaction, a tubulin specific deacetylase that regulates microtubule-dependent aggresome formation. In this report we showed that TRIM50 is a target of HDAC6 with Lys-372 as a critical residue for acetylation. We identified p300 and PCAF as two TRIM50 acetyltransferases and we further showed that a balance between ubiquitination and acetylation regulates TRIM50 degradatio
Virtual reality for the assessment of everyday cognitive functions in older adults: an evaluation of the virtual reality action test and two interaction devices in a 91-year-old woman
Performance-based functional tests for the evaluation of daily living activities demonstrate strong psychometric properties and solve many of the limitations associated with self- and informant-report questionnaires. Virtual reality (VR) technology, which has gained interest as an effective medium for administering interventions in the context of healthcare, has the potential to minimize the time-demands associated with the administration and scoring of performance-based assessments. To date, efforts to develop VR systems for assessment of everyday function in older adults generally have relied on non-immersive systems. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of an immersive VR environment for the assessment of everyday function in older adults. We present a detailed case report of an elderly woman who performed an everyday activity in an immersive VR context (Virtual Reality Action Test) with two different types of interaction devices (controller vs. sensor). VR performance was compared to performance of the same task with real objects outside of the VR system (Real Action Test). Comparisons were made on several dimensions, including (1) quality of task performance (e.g., order of task steps, errors, use and speed of hand movements); (2) subjective impression (e.g., attitudes), and (3) physiological markers of stress. Subjective impressions of performance with the different controllers also were compared for presence, cybersickness, and usability. Results showed that the participant was capable of using controllers and sensors to manipulate objects in a purposeful and goal-directed manner in the immersive VR paradigm. She performed the everyday task similarly across all conditions. She reported no cybersickness and even indicated that interactions in the VR environment were pleasant and relaxing. Thus, immersive VR is a feasible approach for function assessment even with older adults who might have very limited computer experience, no prior VR exposure, average educational experiences, and mild cognitive difficulties. Because of inherent limitations of single case reports (e.g., unknown generalizability, potential practice effects, etc.), group studies are needed to establish the full psychometric properties of the Virtual Reality Action Test
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