Counting matrices over finite fields with support on skew Young diagrams and complements of Rothe diagrams

We consider the problem of finding the number of matrices over a finite field with a certain rank and with support that avoids a subset of the entries. These matrices are a q-analogue of permutations with restricted positions (i.e., rook placements). For general sets of entries these numbers of matrices are not polynomials in q (Stembridge 98); however, when the set of entries is a Young diagram, the numbers, up to a power of q-1, are polynomials with nonnegative coefficients (Haglund 98). In this paper, we give a number of conditions under which these numbers are polynomials in q, or even polynomials with nonnegative integer coefficients. We extend Haglund's result to complements of skew Young diagrams, and we apply this result to the case when the set of entries is the Rothe diagram of a permutation. In particular, we give a necessary and sufficient condition on the permutation for its Rothe diagram to be the complement of a skew Young diagram up to rearrangement of rows and columns. We end by giving conjectures connecting invertible matrices whose support avoids a Rothe diagram and Poincar\'e polynomials of the strong Bruhat order.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Interferon-λ restricts West Nile virus neuroinvasion by tightening the blood-brain barrier

Although interferon-λ [also known as type III interferon or interleukin-28 (IL-28)/IL-29] restricts infection by several viruses, its inhibitory mechanism has remained uncertain. We used recombinant interferon-λ and mice lacking the interferon-λ receptor (IFNLR1) to evaluate the effect of interferon-λ on infection with West Nile virus, an encephalitic flavivirus. Cell culture studies in mouse keratinocytes and dendritic cells showed no direct antiviral effect of exogenous interferon-λ, even though expression of interferon-stimulated genes was induced. We observed no differences in West Nile virus burden between wild-type and Ifnlr1-/- mice in the draining lymph nodes, spleen, or blood. We detected increased West Nile virus infection in the brain and spinal cord of Ifnlr1-/- mice, yet this was not associated with a direct antiviral effect in mouse neurons. Instead, we observed an increase in blood-brain barrier permeability in Ifnlr1-/- mice. Treatment of mice with pegylated interferon-λ2 resulted in decreased blood-brain barrier permeability, reduced West Nile virus infection in the brain without affecting viremia, and improved survival against lethal virus challenge. An in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier showed that interferon-λ signaling in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells increased transendothelial electrical resistance, decreased virus movement across the barrier, and modulated tight junction protein localization in a protein synthesis- and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)-independent manner. Our data establish an indirect antiviral function of interferon-λ in which noncanonical signaling through IFNLR1 tightens the blood-brain barrier and restricts viral neuroinvasion and pathogenesis

The hodograph method applicability in the problem of long-scale nonlinear dynamics of a thin vortex filament near a flat boundary

Hamiltonian dynamics of a thin vortex filament in ideal incompressible fluid near a flat fixed boundary is considered at the conditions that at any point of the curve determining shape of the filament the angle between tangent vector and the boundary plane is small, also the distance from a point on the curve to the plane is small in comparison with the curvature radius. The dynamics is shown to be effectively described by a nonlinear system of two (1+1)-dimensional partial differential equations. The hodograph transformation reduces that system to a single linear differential equation of the second order with separable variables. Simple solutions of the linear equation are investigated at real values of spectral parameter $\lambda$ when the filament projection on the boundary plane has shape of a two-branch spiral or a smoothed angle, depending on the sign of $\lambda$.Comment: 9 pages, revtex4, 6 eps-figure

Gas-liquid simulation of an airlift bubble column reactor

The simulation of two-phase flow for an experimental airlift reactor (32-l volume) using commercially available software from Fluent Incorporated is presented here (http://www.fluent.co.uk). Data from the simulation is compared with the experimental data obtained by the tracking of a magnetic particle and analysis of the pressure drop to determine the gas hold-up. Comparisons between vertical velocity and gas hold-up were made for a series of experiments where the superficial gas velocity in the riser was adjusted between 0.01 and 0.075 m s-1. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Analysis of mangrove forest succession, using sediment cores: A case study in the cananéia -iguape coastal system, São Paulo-Brazil

Sediment cores are an essential tool for the analysis of the dynamics of mangrove succession. Coring was used to correlate changes in depositional environments and lateral sedimentary facies with discrete stages of forest succession at the Cananeia-Iguape Coastal System in southeastern Brazil. A local level successional pattern was examined based on four core series T1) a sediment bank; T2) a smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora bank; T3) an active mangrove progradation fringe dominated by Laguncularia racemosa, and; T4) a mature mangrove forest dominated by Avicennia schaueriana. Cores were macroscopically described in terms of color, texture, sedimentary structure and organic components. The base of all cores exhibited a similar pattern suggesting common vertical progressive changes in depositional conditions and subsequent successional colonization pattern throughout the forest. The progradation zone is an exposed bank, colonized by S. alterniflora. L. racemosa, replaces S. alterniflora as progradation takes place. As the substrate consolidates A. schaueriana replaces L. racemosa and attains the greatest structural development in the mature forest. Cores collected within the A. schaueriana dominated stand contained S. alterniflora fragments near the base, confirming that a smooth cordgrass habitat characterized the establishment and early seral stages. Cores provide a reliable approach to describe local-level successional sequences in dynamic settings subject to drivers operating on multiple temporal and spatial scales where spatial heterogeneity can lead to multiple equilibria and where similar successional end-points may be reached through convergent paths

Theory of Coexistence of Superconductivity and Ferroelectricity : A Dynamical Symmetry Model

We propose and investigate a model for the coexistence of Superconductivity (SC) and Ferroelectricity (FE) based on the dynamical symmetries $su(2)$ for the pseudo-spin SC sector, $h(4)$ for the displaced oscillator FE sector, and $su(2) \otimes h(4)$ for the composite system. We assume a minimal symmetry-allowed coupling, and simplify the hamiltonian using a double mean field approximation (DMFA). A variational coherent state (VCS) trial wave-function is used for the ground state: the energy, and the relevant order parameters for SC and FE are obtained. For positive sign of the SC-FE coupling coefficient, a non-zero value of either order parameter can suppress the other (FE polarization suppresses SC and vice versa). This gives some support to "Matthias' Conjecture" [1964], that SC and FE tend to be mutually exclusive. For such a Ferroelectric Superconductor we predict: a) the SC gap $\Delta$ (and $T_c$) will increase with increasing applied pressure when pressure quenches FE as in many ferroelectrics, and b) the FE polarization will increase with increaesing magnetic field up to $H_c$. The last result is equivalent to the prediction of a new type of Magneto-Electric Effect in a coexistent SC-FE material. Some discussion will be given of the relation of these results to the cuprate superconductors.Comment: 46 page

The global carbon budget 1959-2011

Accurate assessments of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere is important to better understand the global carbon cycle, support the climate policy process, and project future climate change. Present-day analysis requires the combination of a range of data, algorithms, statistics and model estimates and their interpretation by a broad scientific community. Here we describe datasets and a methodology developed by the global carbon cycle science community to quantify all major components of the global carbon budget, including their uncertainties. We discuss changes compared to previous estimates, consistency within and among components, and methodology and data limitations. CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production (EFF) are based on energy statistics, while emissions from Land-Use Change (ELUC), including deforestation, are based on combined evidence from land cover change data, fire activity in regions undergoing deforestation, and models. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration is measured directly and its rate of growth (GATM) is computed from the concentration. The mean ocean CO2 sink (SOCEAN) is based on observations from the 1990s, while the annual anomalies and trends are estimated with ocean models. Finally, the global residual terrestrial CO2 sink (SLAND) is estimated by the difference of the other terms. For the last decade available (2002–2011), EFF was 8.3 ± 0.4 PgC yr−1, ELUC 1.0 ± 0.5 PgC yr−1, GATM 4.3 ± 0.1PgC yr−1, SOCEAN 2.5 ± 0.5 PgC yr−1, and SLAND 2.6 ± 0.8 PgC yr−1. For year 2011 alone, EFF was 9.5 ± 0.5 PgC yr−1, 3.0 percent above 2010, reflecting a continued trend in these emissions; ELUC was 0.9 ± 0.5 PgC yr−1, approximately constant throughout the decade; GATM was 3.6 ± 0.2 PgC yr−1, SOCEAN was 2.7 ± 0.5 PgC yr−1, and SLAND was 4.1 ± 0.9 PgC yr−1. GATM was low in 2011 compared to the 2002–2011 average because of a high uptake by the land probably in response to natural climate variability associated to La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration reached 391.31 ± 0.13 ppm at the end of year 2011. We estimate that EFF will have increased by 2.6% (1.9–3.5%) in 2012 based on projections of gross world product and recent changes in the carbon intensity of the economy. All uncertainties are reported as ±1 sigma (68% confidence assuming Gaussian error distributions that the real value lies within the given interval), reflecting the current capacity to characterise the annual estimates of each component of the global carbon budget. This paper is intended to provide a baseline to keep track of annual carbon budgets in the future

Soft two-meson-exchange nucleon-nucleon potentials. I. Planar and crossed-box diagrams

Pion-meson-exchange nucleon-nucleon potentials are derived for two nucleons in the intermediate states. The mesons we include are (i) pseudoscalar mesons: $\pi, \eta, \eta'$; (ii) vector mesons: $\rho, \omega, \phi$; (iii) scalar mesons: $a_{0}(980), \varepsilon(760), f_{0}(975)$; and (iv) the $J=0$ contribution from the Pomeron. Strong dynamical pair suppression is assumed, and at the nucleon-nucleon-meson vertices Gaussian form factors are incorporated into the relativistic two-body framework using a dispersion representation for the pion- and meson-exchange amplitudes. The Fourier transformations are performed using factorization techniques for the energy denominators. The potentials are first calculated in the adiabatic approximation to all planar and crossed three-dimensional momentum-space $\pi$-meson diagrams. Next, we calculate the $1/M$ corrections.Comment: 28 pages RevTeX, 8 postscript figures; revised version as to appear in Phys. Rev.

Impact of the hepatoselective glucokinase activator TTP399 on ketoacidosis during insulin withdrawal in people with type 1 diabetes

Aims: To determine the effect of TTP399, a hepatoselective glucokinase activator, on the risk of ketoacidosis during insulin withdrawal in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Materials and methods: Twenty-three participants with T1D using insulin pump therapy were randomized to 800 mg TTP399 (n = 12) or placebo (n = 11) for 7 to 10 days. After the treatment period, an insulin withdrawal test (IWT) was performed, during which insulin pumps were removed to induce ketogenesis. The IWT was stopped after 10 hours or if blood glucose reached >399 mg/dL [22.1 mmol/L], if beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) was >3.0 mmol/L, or for patient discomfort. The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants who reached BHB concentrations of 1 mmol/L or greater. Results: During the 7- to 10-day treatment period, mean fasting plasma glucose was significantly reduced (−27.6 vs. −4.4 mg/dL [−1.5 vs. −0.2 mmol/L]; P = 0.03) and there were fewer adverse events, including hypoglycaemia, in the TTP399-treated arm. During the IWT, no differences were observed between TTP399 and placebo in mean serum BHB concentration, mean duration of IWT, or BHB at termination of IWT. However, serum bicarbonate was numerically higher and urine acetoacetate was quantitatively lower in the TTP399-treated participants. As a result of higher bicarbonate values, none of the TTP399-treated participants met the prespecified criteria for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), defined as BHB >3 mmol/L and serum bicarbonate <18 mEq/L, compared to 42% of placebo-treated participants. Conclusions: When used as an adjunctive therapy to insulin, TTP399 improves glycaemia without increasing hypoglycaemia in individuals with T1D. During acute insulin withdrawal, TTP399 did not increase BHB concentrations and decreased the incidence of DKA

A virtual water network of the Roman world

The Romans were perhaps the most impressive exponents of water resource management in preindustrial times with irrigation and virtual water trade facilitating unprecedented urbanisation and socioeconomic stability for hundreds of years in a region of highly variable climate. To understand Roman water resource management in response to urbanisation and climate variability, a Virtual Water Network of the Roman World was developed. Using this network we find that irrigation and virtual water trade increased Roman resilience to climate variability in the short term. However, urbanisation arising from virtual water trade likely pushed the Empire closer to the boundary of its water resources, led to an increase in import costs, and reduced its resilience to climate variability in the long-term. In addition to improving our understanding of Roman water resource management, our cost-distance based analysis illuminates how increases in import costs arising from climatic and population pressures are likely to be distributed in the future global virtual water network