Maximizers for Gagliardo-Nirenberg inequalities and related non-local problems

In this paper we study the existence of maximizers for two families of interpolation inequalities, namely a generalized Gagliardo-Nirenberg inequality and a new inequality involving the Riesz energy. Two basic tools in our argument are a generalization of Lieb's Translation Lemma and a Riesz energy version of the Br\'ezis--Lieb lemma.Comment: 16 page

Lecture Notes on Topological Crystalline Insulators

We give an introduction to topological crystalline insulators, that is, gapped ground states of quantum matter that are not adiabatically connected to an atomic limit without breaking symmetries that include spatial transformations, like mirror or rotational symmetries. To deduce the topological properties, we use non-Abelian Wilson loops. We also discuss in detail higher-order topological insulators with hinge and corner states, and in particular present interacting bosonic models for the latter class of systems.Comment: Lectures given at the San Sebasti\'an Topological Matter School 2017, published in "Topological Matter. Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences, vol 190. Springer, Cham

The development and year one implementation of the Local Justice Reinvestment Pilot

This report focuses on the initial findings from a process evaluation of the Local Justice Reinvestment pilot (commissioned by the Ministry of Justice), which examines the early development and implementation of the pilot in the first test year. The pilot is one of the Ministry of Justice Payment by Results (PbR) schemes. The methodology was primarily qualitative and included: interviews with strategic and operational managers; interviews and focus groups with front line staff; workshops to map partnership and criminal justice system changes and a focus on exemplar interventions at three sites

Variety, economic growth and knowledge intensity of European regions: a spatial panel analysis

Although the theoretical framework on agglomeration externalities and the channels through which they influence the regional economy appear well established, the empirical evidence on their magnitude and impact has been rather ambiguous and inconclusive. Applying the concepts of related and unrelated variety to an interregional European dataset and using spatial panel analysis, this paper provides critical information on the type and functioning of agglomeration externalities in relation to regional heterogeneity in knowledge intensity and innovation. We demonstrate that modeling this regional heterogeneity in a spatial panel setting is a crucial condition for identifying the positive agglomeration effects of (un)related variety on regional growth. The outcomes hav

New Zealand Agribusiness Success: An Approach to exploring the role of strategy, structure and conduct on firm performance

This paper presents a framework to explore agribusiness success in New Zealand. The framework provides the basis for historical analysis. It draws on existing theory based on the structure-conduct-performance paradigm but expanded to take account of firm strategy and the analysis of value chains.Agribusiness, structure, conduct, performance, history, Agribusiness,

Multinational enterprises, industrial relatedness and employment in European regions

This article investigates the link between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and employment in their host regions by cross-fertilising the literature on MNE externalities with the emerging body of research on industrial relatedness. The link between employment and MNE presence in the same and related industries is tested for European regions. The results suggest that cross-sectoral MNE spillovers are mediated through industrial relatedness and that they are positively and significantly associated with higher employment levels, independently of input–output relations. Our results indicate that regions characterised by lower factor prices are likely to benefit the most from the presence of multinationals in terms of employment, but these benefits are concentrated in high knowledge-intensive sectors, potentially fostering inequalities within less-developed economies

Visualizing Impending Cerebral Circulatory Arrest Caused by Intracranial Hypertension Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Intracranial hypertension may represent an important complication during the early phase following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. 1 Timely diagnosis of intracranial hypertension is essential to avoid secondary brain ischemia; however, intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring requires the insertion of catheters either within the brain ventricles or parenchyma, and hence, invasive ICP monitoring is not frequently utilized.2 Transcranial Doppler can be used for noninvasive ICP estimation through calculation of the pulsatility index (PI).3 We describe a case where noninvasive ICP monitoring with transcranial colorcoded Doppler (TCCD) rapidly identified a condition of severe intracranial hypertension, which led to a life-saving treatment

Renal palliative and supportive care in South Africa – a consensus statement

In South Africa, there is a high burden of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). This is due to the burgeoning epidemics of communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases, particularly hypertension and diabetes mellitus. One of the most difficult situations encountered by healthcare professionals dealing with patients with ESKD in South Africa is the management of a conservative or palliative care pathway for the many patients who have no other option. Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high burden of physical and psychosocial symptoms, poor outcomes, and high costs of care. Many patients are managed in primary healthcare settings and either do not have access to palliative care or are not referred appropriately.Renal supportive and palliative care involves a multidisciplinary approach to managing patients with ESKD, to ensure that symptoms are managed optimally and to provide support during advanced disease. It aims to improve quality of life for patients and their families and must be provided alongside curative medical care. This support should include those unable to gain access to life-saving dialysis and it should also provide care for patients where dialysis is not the best option.The aim of this consensus statement is to assist healthcare providers to improve the management of symptoms and biosocial factors of patients with end-stage kidney disease in a South African context. The document was compiled through consensus building among healthcare professionals across South Africa. The professionals that are represented included nephrologists, palliative care physicians, social workers, nurses, paediatricians and hospital managers. We wish to acknowledge the contribution of Dr Frank Brennan, a leading expert in renal palliative and supportive care, who assisted greatly in the compilation of this document

Circling around the uncanny valley: design principles for research Into the relation between human likeness and eeriness

The uncanny valley effect (UVE) is a negative emotional response experienced when encountering entities that appear almost human. Research on the UVE typically investigates individual, or collections of, near human entities but may be prone to methodological circularity unless the properties that give rise to the emotional response are appropriately defined and quantified. In addition, many studies do not sufficiently control the variation in human likeness portrayed in stimulus images, meaning that the nature of stimuli that elicit the UVE is also not well defined or quantified. This article describes design criteria for UVE research to overcome the above problems by measuring three variables (human likeness, eeriness, and emotional response) and by using stimuli spanning the artificial to human continuum. These criteria allow results to be plotted and compared with the hypothesized uncanny valley curve and any effect observed can be quantified. The above criteria were applied to the methods used in a subset of existing UVE studies. Although many studies made use of some of the necessary measurements and controls, few used them all. The UVE is discussed in relation to this result and research methodology more broadly

Development of an optical cardio-magnetometer

Diese Arbeit beschreibt die Entwicklung eines neuen Typs von Kardiomagnetometer, d.h. eines Geräts mit dem man das Magnetfeld des schlagenden menschlichen Herzens messen kann. Diese ausserordentlich schwachen Magnetfelder tragen medizinisch relevante Informationen und können nichtinvasiv an der Oberfläche des Körpers gemessen werden. Bisher wurden solche Messungen ausschliesslich mit supraleitenden Magnetometern (SQUID) durchgeführt, welche die notwendige magnetometrische Empfindlichkeit (< 1 pT) haben, um Feldänderungen, die fünfzig Millionen Mal kleiner als das Erdmagnetfeld sind, nachzuweisen. SQUIDs sind allerdings auf eine aufwändige Kühlung mit verflüssigten Gasen angewiesen. Die mit der Kühlung verbundenen Kosten sind einer der Gründe dafür, dass sich die Kardiomagnetometrie bis jetzt nicht in der medizinischen Praxis etablieren konnte, trotz der erwiesenen Vorteile der Methode bei der oft schwierigen Diagnose von Herzkrankheiten. Der neue Typ eines Kardiomagnetometers, der in dieser Arbeit beschrieben wird, basiert auf einer völlig anderen Technik, der optisch detektierten Magnetresonanz (ODMR), welche ohne Kühlung auskommt. Die ODMR kombiniert Laserspektroskopie und Magnetresonanz in einem Dampf von paramagnetischen Atomen — in diesem Fall Cäsium — in einer evakuierten Glaszelle. Der Drehimpuls (Spin) der Valenzelektronen der Atome bestimmt die optischen Eigenschaften des Dampfs. Da der Spin Über das assoziierte magnetische Moment auch mit Magnetfeldern wechselwirkt, kann ein äusseres Magnetfeld die optischen Eigenschaften des Mediums beeinflussen. Somit kann aus einer Messung dieser Eigenschaften, wie z.B. dem Absorptionskoeffizienten, das Magnetfeld bestimmt werden. Die Methode ist seit den sechziger Jahren bekannt und in kommerziellen Geräten verfügbar, die von Archäologen und Geologen eingesetzt werden, um Variationen des Erdmagnetfeldes zu messen. Im Gegensatz zu diesen Geräten, in denen als Lichtquelle Spektrallampen verwendet werden, benutzt unser Magnetometer einen frequenzstabilisierten Diodenlaser als Lichtquelle. Unter optimierten Bedingungen erreicht das Magnetometer eine Auflösung von 63 fT=Hz1=2 und eine Bandbreite von 140 Hz mit einem Zellenvolumen von 6 cm3. Um Störfelder im Labor zu unterdrücken, betrieben wir zwei solcher Sensoren in einer gradiometrischen Anordnung. Dabei misst ein Sensor so nah wie möglich am Herz das Herzmagnetfeld zusammen mit den Störungen. Der zweite Sensor etwas weiter entfernt vom Herz misst nur noch die Störungen, da das Herzmagnetfeld schnell mit wachsender Entfernung abfällt. Im Differenzsignal fallen dann die homogenen Störungen heraus, was es uns ermöglicht hat, Herzmagnetfelder in einer schwach magnetisch abgeschirmten Umgebung zu messen. Durch die Messung des Herzmagnetfeldes an verschiedenen Stellen Über der Brust lassen sich Magnetfeldkarten des Herzen erzeugen. Dank EKG-getriggerter Mittelung gelang es, solche Karten für jeden Zeitpunkt des Herzzyklus zu messen. Die Dynamik der Herzmagnetfeldkarten von vier gesunden Probanden haben wir mit SQUID generierten Referenzdaten verglichen. Ein direkter Vergleich der Magnetfeldkarten von zwei Probanden gemessen mit einem kommerziellen SQUID Magnetometer und unserem optischen Magnetometer wurde an der Universität Rom durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Daten kompatibel sind, was uns zuversichtlich stimmt, dass optische Herzmagnetometrie eines Tages als medizinisches Standardverfahren etabliert werden könnte.This thesis describes the development of a new type of cardiomagnetometer, a device that can measure the magnetic field generated by the beating human heart. Such exceedingly weak magnetic fields carry diagnostically relevant information and can be measured noninvasively at the surface of the body. Cardiomagnetic measurements were previously performed using superconducting magnetometers (SQUID) that have the required sensitivity (< 1 pT) to measure field changes fifty million times smaller than the earth's magnetic field. However, SQUIDs need to be cooled using liquified gases. The cost associated with that cooling is one of the reasons that prevented the widespread use of magnetocardiometry (MCG) in medical practice, despite the fact that MCG measurements have proven to be beneficial in the diagnosis of heart diseases. The new type of cardiomagnetometer described herein is based on a completely different technology, optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), that does not need expensive cooling. ODMR combines laser spectroscopy and magnetic resonance in a vapor of paramagnetic atoms — Cs in our case — sealed in a glass cell. The angular momenta (spins) of the atomic valence electrons determine the optical properties of the medium. Magnetic fields can change those optical properties because of the coupling between the spin and the field mediated by the magnetic moment. This allows us to determine the magnetic field from a measurement of the alteration of optical properties such as the absorption coefficient. The method is known since the 1960's and commercial lamp-based devices are used by archaeologists and geologists to measure variations of the earth's magnetic field. In contrast to those devices our magnetometer uses a frequency-stabilized diode-laser as light source. Under optimal conditions the magnetometer has a resolution of 63 fT/Hz1=2 and a detection bandwidth of 140 Hz using a cell of 6 cm3 volume. We used two such magnetometers in a gradiometric configuration to suppress interfering magnetic fields. One sensor was mounted close to the heart measuring both the heart field and the interfering field. The second sensor, some distance away, measured only the interfering field since the heart field drops rapidly with increasing distance. Homogeneous interfering fields cancel in the differential signal from both sensors. This setup allowed us to measure heart magnetic fields in weakly shielded environments. By measuring the field at different positions in a plane above the chest a map of the heart magnetic field can be obtained. Using ECG-triggered averaging we could measure such maps for all times in the cardiac cycle. The dynamics of the magnetic field maps from four healthy volunteers were compared to SQUID-generated reference data. A direct comparison of magnetic field maps recorded with a commercial SQUID magnetometer and with our optical magnetometer was performed at the University of Rome. The results shows that the data are compatible and makes us confident that optical cardiomagnetometry may be used one day as a standard medical technique