L^p boundedness of the wave operator for the one dimensional Schroedinger operator

Given a one dimensional perturbed Schroedinger operator H=-(d/dx)^2+V(x) we consider the associated wave operators W_+, W_- defined as the strong L^2 limits as s-> \pm\infty of the operators e^{isH} e^{-isH_0} We prove that the wave operators are bounded operators on L^p for all 1<p<\infty, provided (1+|x|)^2 V(x) is integrable, or else (1+|x|)V(x) is integrable and 0 is not a resonance. For p=\infty we obtain an estimate in terms of the Hilbert transform. Some applications to dispersive estimates for equations with variable rough coefficients are given.Comment: 26 page

Linking the trans-Planckian and the information loss problems in black hole physics

The trans-Planckian and information loss problems are usually discussed in the literature as separate issues concerning the nature of Hawking radiation. Here we instead argue that they are intimately linked, and can be understood as "two sides of the same coin" once it is accepted that general relativity is an effective field theory.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures. Replaced with the version to be published in General Relativity and Gravitatio

Shaping the top asymmetry

We study different profiles of the distribution of the top forward-backward asymmetry, depending on the invariant mass of the t tbar pair. We show that they can be reproduced by one or more light colour octets, while keeping moderate departures of the t tbar cross section and invariant mass distributions with respect to the Standard Model predictions at Tevatron and LHC.Comment: LaTeX 14 pages. Final version to appear in PLB, with an enlarged discussion about dijet constraint

Model-independent measurement of the top quark polarisation

We introduce a new asymmetry in the decay t -> W b -> l nu b, which is shown to be directly proportional to the polarisation of the top quark along a chosen axis, times a sum of W helicity fractions. The latter have already been precisely measured at the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider. Therefore, this new asymmetry can be used to obtain a model-independent measurement of the polarisation of top quarks produced in any process at hadron or lepton colliders.Comment: LaTeX 12 pages. Discussion expanded with a new plot, references added. Final version to appear in PL

Asymptotic Lower Bounds for a class of Schroedinger Equations

We shall study the following initial value problem: \begin{equation}{\bf i}\partial_t u - \Delta u + V(x) u=0, \hbox{} (t, x) \in {\mathbf R} \times {\mathbf R}^n, \end{equation} $$u(0)=f,$$ where $V(x)$ is a real short--range potential, whose radial derivative satisfies some supplementary assumptions. More precisely we shall present a family of identities satisfied by the solutions to the previous Cauchy problem. As a by--product of these identities we deduce some uniqueness results and a lower bound for the so called local smoothing which becomes an identity in a precise asymptotic sense.Comment: 24 pages. to appear on Comm. Math. Phy

Node-weighted measures for complex networks with spatially embedded, sampled, or differently sized nodes

When network and graph theory are used in the study of complex systems, a typically finite set of nodes of the network under consideration is frequently either explicitly or implicitly considered representative of a much larger finite or infinite region or set of objects of interest. The selection procedure, e.g., formation of a subset or some kind of discretization or aggregation, typically results in individual nodes of the studied network representing quite differently sized parts of the domain of interest. This heterogeneity may induce substantial bias and artifacts in derived network statistics. To avoid this bias, we propose an axiomatic scheme based on the idea of node splitting invariance to derive consistently weighted variants of various commonly used statistical network measures. The practical relevance and applicability of our approach is demonstrated for a number of example networks from different fields of research, and is shown to be of fundamental importance in particular in the study of spatially embedded functional networks derived from time series as studied in, e.g., neuroscience and climatology.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figure

Hopf algebras and Markov chains: Two examples and a theory

The operation of squaring (coproduct followed by product) in a combinatorial Hopf algebra is shown to induce a Markov chain in natural bases. Chains constructed in this way include widely studied methods of card shuffling, a natural "rock-breaking" process, and Markov chains on simplicial complexes. Many of these chains can be explictly diagonalized using the primitive elements of the algebra and the combinatorics of the free Lie algebra. For card shuffling, this gives an explicit description of the eigenvectors. For rock-breaking, an explicit description of the quasi-stationary distribution and sharp rates to absorption follow.Comment: 51 pages, 17 figures. (Typographical errors corrected. Further fixes will only appear on the version on Amy Pang's website, the arXiv version will not be updated.

Transitions of cardio-metabolic risk factors in the Americas between 1980 and 2014

Describing the prevalence and trends of cardiometabolic risk factors that are associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is crucial for monitoring progress, planning prevention, and providing evidence to support policy efforts. We aimed to analyse the transition in body-mass index (BMI), obesity, blood pressure, raised blood pressure, and diabetes in the Americas, between 1980 and 2014

A complementary study approach unravels novel players in the pathoetiology of Hirschsprung disease

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR, OMIM 142623) involves congenital intestinal obstruction caused by dysfunction of neural crest cells and their progeny during enteric nervous system (ENS) development. HSCR is a multifactorial disorder; pathogenetic variants accounting for disease phenotype are identified only in a minority of cases, and the identification of novel disease-relevant genes remains challenging. In order to identify and to validate a potential disease-causing relevance of novel HSCR candidate genes, we established a complementary study approach, combining whole exome sequencing (WES) with transcriptome analysis of murine embryonic ENS-related tissues, literature and databas

A century of trends in adult human height

Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5-22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3-19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8-144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries