272 research outputs found
Superposition Formulas for Darboux Integrable Exterior Differential Systems
In this paper we present a far-reaching generalization of E. Vessiot's
analysis of the Darboux integrable partial differential equations in one
dependent and two independent variables. Our approach provides new insights
into this classical method, uncovers the fundamental geometric invariants of
Darboux integrable systems, and provides for systematic, algorithmic
integration of such systems. This work is formulated within the general
framework of Pfaffian exterior differential systems and, as such, has
applications well beyond those currently found in the literature. In
particular, our integration method is applicable to systems of hyperbolic PDE
such as the Toda lattice equations, 2 dimensional wave maps and systems of
overdetermined PDE.Comment: 80 page report. Updated version with some new sections, and major
improvements to other
Invariants of Artinian Gorenstein Algebras and Isolated Hypersurface Singularities
We survey our recently proposed method for constructing biholomorphic
invariants of quasihomogeneous isolated hypersurface singularities and, more
generally, invariants of graded Artinian Gorenstein algebras. The method
utilizes certain polynomials associated to such algebras, called
nil-polynomials, and we compare them with two other classes of polynomials that
have also been used to produce invariants.Comment: 13 page
Cosmology, cohomology, and compactification
Ashtekar and Samuel have shown that Bianchi cosmological models with compact
spatial sections must be of Bianchi class A. Motivated by general results on
the symmetry reduction of variational principles, we show how to extend the
Ashtekar-Samuel results to the setting of weakly locally homogeneous spaces as
defined, e.g., by Singer and Thurston. In particular, it is shown that any
m-dimensional homogeneous space G/K admitting a G-invariant volume form will
allow a compact discrete quotient only if the Lie algebra cohomology of G
relative to K is non-vanishing at degree m.Comment: 6 pages, LaTe
Gravitational Waves: Just Plane Symmetry
We present some remarkable properties of the symmetry group for gravitational
plane waves. Our main observation is that metrics with plane wave symmetry
satisfy every system of generally covariant vacuum field equations except the
Einstein equations. The proof uses the homothety admitted by metrics with plane
wave symmetry and the scaling behavior of generally covariant field equations.
We also discuss a mini-superspace description of spacetimes with plane wave
symmetry.Comment: 10 pages, TeX, uses IOP style file
Covariants,joint invariants and the problem of equivalence in the invariant theory of Killing tensors defined in pseudo-Riemannian spaces of constant curvature
The invariant theory of Killing tensors (ITKT) is extended by introducing the
new concepts of covariants and joint invariants of (product) vector spaces of
Killing tensors defined in pseudo-Riemannian spaces of constant curvature. The
covariants are employed to solve the problem of classification of the
orthogonal coordinate webs generated by non-trivial Killing tensors of valence
two defined in the Euclidean and Minkowski planes. Illustrative examples are
provided.Comment: 60 pages. to appear in J. Math. Phy
Differential effects of long-term aerobic versus cognitively-engaging physical activity on children's visuospatial working memory related brain activation:A cluster RCT
Different types of physical activity are thought to differentially affect children's brain activation, via physiological mechanisms, or by activating similar brain areas during physical and cognitive tasks. Despite many behavioral studies relying on these mechanisms, they have been rarely studied. This study looks at both mechanisms simultaneously, by examining effects of two physical activity interventions (aerobic vs. cognitively-engaging) on children's brain activation. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data of 62 children (48.4% boys, mean age 9.2 years) was analyzed. Children's visuospatial working memory related brain activity patterns were tested using a Spatial Span Task before and after the 14-week interventions consisting of four physical education lessons per week. The control group followed their regular program of two lessons per week. Analyses of activation patterns in SPM 12.0 revealed no activation changes between pretest and posttest (p > .05), and no differences between the three conditions in pretest-posttest changes in brain activation (p > .05). Large inter-individual differences were found, suggesting that not every child benefited from the interventions in the same way. To get more insight into the assumed mechanisms, further research is needed to understand whether, when, for whom, and how physical activity results in changed brain activation patterns
Semiclassical States in Quantum Cosmology: Bianchi I Coherent States
We study coherent states for Bianchi type I cosmological models, as examples
of semiclassical states for time-reparametrization invariant systems. This
simple model allows us to study explicitly the relationship between exact
semiclassical states in the kinematical Hilbert space and corresponding ones in
the physical Hilbert space, which we construct here using the group averaging
technique. We find that it is possible to construct good semiclassical physical
states by such a procedure in this model; we also discuss the sense in which
the original kinematical states may be a good approximation to the physical
ones, and the situations in which this is the case. In addition, these models
can be deparametrized in a natural way, and we study the effect of time
evolution on an "intrinsic" coherent state in the reduced phase space, in order
to estimate the time for this state to spread significantly.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure; Version to be published in CQG; The discussion
has been slightly reorganized, two references added, and some typos correcte
Cardiovascular Fitness and Executive Functioning in Primary School-aged Children
Previous research in children has shown that higher cardiovascular fitness is related to better executive functioning. However, the available literature is hampered by methodological limitations. The present study investigates the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and executive functioning in a large sample of healthy children (NÂ =Â 814). Cardiovascular fitness was assessed with estimated VO2Max from 20Â m Shuttle Run Test performance. Executive functioning was assessed using a set of computerized neurocognitive tasks aimed at executive functions (working memory, motor inhibition, interference control) and lower-level neurocognitive functions (information processing and attention). Dependent measures derived from the neurocognitive tests were subjected to principal component analysis. Mixed model analyses tested the relation between cardiovascular fitness and neurocognitive functioning components. Results showed that children with higher cardiovascular fitness performed better on the neurocognitive function components Information Processing and Control, Visuospatial Working Memory and Attention Efficiency. The following measures contained in these components contributed to the observed relations: information processing measures, visuospatial working memory, and speed of alerting attention. No relationship was found between cardiovascular fitness and the other components: Verbal Working Memory, Attention Accuracy, and Interference Control. The present study suggests that there is a relationship between cardiovascular fitness and a specific set of executive functions and lower level neurocognitive functions. These findings highlight the importance of cardiovascular fitness for the overall health of school-aged children
Quantization of Midisuperspace Models
We give a comprehensive review of the quantization of midisuperspace models.
Though the main focus of the paper is on quantum aspects, we also provide an
introduction to several classical points related to the definition of these
models. We cover some important issues, in particular, the use of the principle
of symmetric criticality as a very useful tool to obtain the required
Hamiltonian formulations. Two main types of reductions are discussed: those
involving metrics with two Killing vector fields and spherically symmetric
models. We also review the more general models obtained by coupling matter
fields to these systems. Throughout the paper we give separate discussions for
standard quantizations using geometrodynamical variables and those relying on
loop quantum gravity inspired methods.Comment: To appear in Living Review in Relativit
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