Polarimetric Evidence of Non-Spherical Winds

Polarization observations yield otherwise unobtainable information about the geometrical structure of unresolved objects. In this talk we review the evidences for non-spherically symmetric structures around Luminous Hot Stars from polarimetry and what we can learn with this technique. Polarimetry has added a new dimension to the study of the envelopes of Luminous Blue Variables, Wolf-Rayet stars and B[e] stars, all of which are discussed in some detail.Comment: 8 pages, 2 encapsulated Postscript figures, uses lamuphys.sty. Invited review to appear in IAU Coll. 169, Variable and Non-Spherical Stellar Winds in Luminous Hot Stars, eds. B. Wolf, A.Fullerton and O. Stahl (Springer

Routes towards Anderson-Like localization of Bose-Einstein condensates in disordered optical lattices

We investigate, both experimentally and theoretically, possible routes towards Anderson-like localization of Bose-Einstein condensates in disordered potentials. The dependence of this quantum interference effect on the nonlinear interactions and the shape of the disorder potential is investigated. Experiments with an optical lattice and a superimposed disordered potential reveal the lack of Anderson localization. A theoretical analysis shows that this absence is due to the large length scale of the disorder potential as well as its screening by the nonlinear interactions. Further analysis shows that incommensurable superlattices should allow for the observation of the cross-over from the nonlinear screening regime to the Anderson localized case within realistic experimental parameters.Comment: 4 pages to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy of strongly correlated systems in infinite dimensions

We study the electron-energy loss spectra of strongly correlated electronic systems doped away from half-filling using dynamical mean-field theory ($d=\infty$). The formalism can be used to study the loss spectra in the optical (${\bf q=0}$) limit, where it is simply related to the optical response, and hence can be computed in an approximation-free way in $d=\infty$. We apply the general formalism to the one-band Hubbard model off $n=1$, with inclusion of site-diagonal randomness to simulate effects of doping. The interplay between the coherence induced plasmon feature and the incoherence-induced high energy continuum is explained in terms of the evolution in the local spectral density upon hole doping. Inclusion of static disorder is shown to result in qualitative changes in the low-energy features, in particular, to the overdamping of the plasmon feature, resulting in a completely incoherent response. The calculated EELS lineshapes are compared to experimentally observed EELS spectra for the normal state of the high-$T_{c}$ materials near optimal doping and good qualitative agreement is found.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to J. Phys. - Cond. Mat

A Novel Splice-Site Mutation in VEGFC Is Associated with Congenital Primary Lymphoedema of Gordon.

Lymphedema is characterized by chronic swelling of any body part caused by malfunctioning or obstruction in the lymphatic system. Primary lymphedema is often considered genetic in origin. VEGFC, which is a gene encoding the ligand for the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3/FLT4) and important for lymph vessel development during lymphangiogenesis, has been associated with a specific subtype of primary lymphedema. Through Sanger sequencing of a proband with bilateral congenital pedal edema resembling Milroy disease, we identified a novel mutation (NM_005429.2; c.361+5G>A) in VEGFC. The mutation induced skipping of exon 2 of VEGFC resulting in a frameshift and the introduction of a premature stop codon (p.Ala50ValfsTer18). The mutation leads to a loss of the entire VEGF-homology domain and the C-terminus. Expression of this Vegfc variant in the zebrafish floorplate showed that the splice-site variant significantly reduces the biological activity of the protein. Our findings confirm that the splice-site variant, c.361+5G>A, causes the primary lymphedema phenotype in the proband. We examine the mutations and clinical phenotypes of the previously reported cases to review the current knowledge in this area

The Significance of the CC-Numerical Range and the Local CC-Numerical Range in Quantum Control and Quantum Information

This paper shows how C-numerical-range related new strucures may arise from practical problems in quantum control--and vice versa, how an understanding of these structures helps to tackle hot topics in quantum information. We start out with an overview on the role of C-numerical ranges in current research problems in quantum theory: the quantum mechanical task of maximising the projection of a point on the unitary orbit of an initial state onto a target state C relates to the C-numerical radius of A via maximising the trace function |\tr \{C^\dagger UAU^\dagger\}|. In quantum control of n qubits one may be interested (i) in having U\in SU(2^n) for the entire dynamics, or (ii) in restricting the dynamics to {\em local} operations on each qubit, i.e. to the n-fold tensor product SU(2)\otimes SU(2)\otimes >...\otimes SU(2). Interestingly, the latter then leads to a novel entity, the {\em local} C-numerical range W_{\rm loc}(C,A), whose intricate geometry is neither star-shaped nor simply connected in contrast to the conventional C-numerical range. This is shown in the accompanying paper (math-ph/0702005). We present novel applications of the C-numerical range in quantum control assisted by gradient flows on the local unitary group: (1) they serve as powerful tools for deciding whether a quantum interaction can be inverted in time (in a sense generalising Hahn's famous spin echo); (2) they allow for optimising witnesses of quantum entanglement. We conclude by relating the relative C-numerical range to problems of constrained quantum optimisation, for which we also give Lagrange-type gradient flow algorithms.Comment: update relating to math-ph/070200

Incorporating basic needs to reconcile poverty and ecosystem services

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordConservation managers frequently face the challenge of protecting and sustaining biodiversity without producing detrimental outcomes for (often poor) human populations that depend upon ecosystem services for their wellbeing. However, win-win solutions are often elusive and can mask trade-offs and negative outcomes for the wellbeing of particular groups of people. To deal with such trade-offs, approaches are needed to identify both ecological as well as social thresholds to determine the acceptable 'solution space' for conservation. Although human wellbeing as a concept has recently gained prominence among conservationists, they still lack tools to evaluate how their action affects human wellbeing in a given context. This paper presents the Theory of Human Needs in the context of conservation, building on an extensive historical application of needs approaches in international development. We detail an innovative participatory method, to evaluate how human needs are met, using locally relevant thresholds. We then establish the connections between human needs and ecosystem services. An application of this method in coastal East Africa identifies households who are in serious harm through not meeting different basic needs, and uncovers the role of ecosystem services in meeting these. Drawing from the international development and wellbeing literature, we suggest that this methodological approach, can help conservationists and planners balance poverty alleviation and biodiversity protection, ensure that conservation measures do not, at the very least, push individuals into serious harm and as a basis for monitoring the impacts of conservation on multidimensional poverty. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.This paper results from the project Sustainable Poverty Alleviation from Coastal Ecosystem Services (SPACES) project number NE-K010484-1, funded by the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme. The ESPA programme is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)