The maximal energy of classes of integral circulant graphs

The energy of a graph is the sum of the moduli of the eigenvalues of its adjacency matrix. We study the energy of integral circulant graphs, also called gcd graphs, which can be characterized by their vertex count $n$ and a set $\cal D$ of divisors of $n$ in such a way that they have vertex set $\mathbb{Z}_n$ and edge set ${{a,b}: a,b\in\mathbb{Z}_n, \gcd(a-b,n)\in {\cal D}}$. For a fixed prime power $n=p^s$ and a fixed divisor set size $|{\cal D}| =r$, we analyze the maximal energy among all matching integral circulant graphs. Let $p^{a_1} < p^{a_2} < ... < p^{a_r}$ be the elements of ${\cal D}$. It turns out that the differences $d_i=a_{i+1}-a_{i}$ between the exponents of an energy maximal divisor set must satisfy certain balance conditions: (i) either all $d_i$ equal $q:=\frac{s-1}{r-1}$, or at most the two differences $[q]$ and $[q+1]$ may occur; %(for a certain $d$ depending on $r$ and $s$) (ii) there are rules governing the sequence $d_1,...,d_{r-1}$ of consecutive differences. For particular choices of $s$ and $r$ these conditions already guarantee maximal energy and its value can be computed explicitly.Comment: Discrete Applied Mathematics (2012

Integral circulant graphs of prime power order with maximal energy

The energy of a graph is the sum of the moduli of the eigenvalues of its adjacency matrix. We study the energy of integral circulant graphs, also called gcd graphs, which can be characterized by their vertex count n and a set D of divisors of n in such a way that they have vertex set Zn and edge set {{a, b} : a, b in Zn; gcd(a - b, n) in D}. Using tools from convex optimization, we study the maximal energy among all integral circulant graphs of prime power order ps and varying divisor sets D. Our main result states that this maximal energy approximately lies between s(p - 1)p^(s-1) and twice this value. We construct suitable divisor sets for which the energy lies in this interval. We also characterize hyperenergetic integral circulant graphs of prime power order and exhibit an interesting topological property of their divisor sets.Comment: 25 page

Locating Photography

The specter of global dissemination haunted photography from its very beginning. This chapter explains two aspects of photography's “globalization”: its use as a “western” technique to document an increasingly colonized world and its dissemination around the world and its adoption by local practitioners. In rural and small‐town central India, the studio retains a central place in most people's encounters with photography. Martín Chambi would retain a lifelong adherence to the purity of the photographic image but other indigenista photographers, such as Juan Manuel Figueroa Aznar, would increasingly use paint alongside photography. A World System Photography, seen in networks that fold locally articulated practices into trajectories that fuse technics, history, and culture, can help people think in new ways about the “location” of photography. Locations have to be re‐imagined as “Terra Infirma”, unstable and complex positions which may have more of the quality of linking sections of a network than of territories

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

INTRODUCTION The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities. Variations in human cortical surface area and thickness are associated with neurological, psychological, and behavioral traits and can be measured in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Studies in model organisms have identified genes that influence cortical structure, but little is known about common genetic variants that affect human cortical structure. RATIONALE To identify genetic variants associated with human cortical structure at both global and regional levels, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain MRI data from 51,665 individuals across 60 cohorts. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 cortical regions with known functional specializations. RESULTS We identified 306 nominally genome-wide significant loci (P < 5 × 10−8) associated with cortical structure in a discovery sample of 33,992 participants of European ancestry. Of the 299 loci for which replication data were available, 241 loci influencing surface area and 14 influencing thickness remained significant after replication, with 199 loci passing multiple testing correction (P < 8.3 × 10−10; 187 influencing surface area and 12 influencing thickness). Common genetic variants explained 34% (SE = 3%) of the variation in total surface area and 26% (SE = 2%) in average thickness; surface area and thickness showed a negative genetic correlation (rG = −0.32, SE = 0.05, P = 6.5 × 10−12), which suggests that genetic influences have opposing effects on surface area and thickness. Bioinformatic analyses showed that total surface area is influenced by genetic variants that alter gene regulatory activity in neural progenitor cells during fetal development. By contrast, average thickness is influenced by active regulatory elements in adult brain samples, which may reflect processes that occur after mid-fetal development, such as myelination, branching, or pruning. When considered together, these results support the radial unit hypothesis that different developmental mechanisms promote surface area expansion and increases in thickness. To identify specific genetic influences on individual cortical regions, we controlled for global measures (total surface area or average thickness) in the regional analyses. After multiple testing correction, we identified 175 loci that influence regional surface area and 10 that influence regional thickness. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes involved in the Wnt signaling pathway, which is known to influence areal identity. We observed significant positive genetic correlations and evidence of bidirectional causation of total surface area with both general cognitive functioning and educational attainment. We found additional positive genetic correlations between total surface area and Parkinson’s disease but did not find evidence of causation. Negative genetic correlations were evident between total surface area and insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depressive symptoms, major depressive disorder, and neuroticism. CONCLUSION This large-scale collaborative work enhances our understanding of the genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex and its regional patterning. The highly polygenic architecture of the cortex suggests that distinct genes are involved in the development of specific cortical areas. Moreover, we find evidence that brain structure is a key phenotype along the causal pathway that leads from genetic variation to differences in general cognitive function

Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (rg =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness