Schur elements for the Ariki-Koike algebra and applications

We study the Schur elements associated to the simple modules of the Ariki-Koike algebra. We first give a cancellation-free formula for them so that their factors can be easily read and programmed. We then study direct applications of this result. We also complete the determination of the canonical basic sets for cyclotomic Hecke algebras of type $G(l,p,n)$ in characteristic 0.Comment: The paper contains the results of arXiv:1101.146

Crystal isomorphisms in Fock spaces and Schensted correspondence in affine type A

We are interested in the structure of the crystal graph of level $l$ Fock spaces representations of $\mathcal{U}_q (\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}_e})$. Since the work of Shan [26], we know that this graph encodes the modular branching rule for a corresponding cyclotomic rational Cherednik algebra. Besides, it appears to be closely related to the Harish-Chandra branching graph for the appropriate finite unitary group, according to [8]. In this paper, we make explicit a particular isomorphism between connected components of the crystal graphs of Fock spaces. This so-called "canonical" crystal isomorphism turns out to be expressible only in terms of: - Schensted's classic bumping procedure, - the cyclage isomorphism defined in [13], - a new crystal isomorphism, easy to describe, acting on cylindric multipartitions. We explain how this can be seen as an analogue of the bumping algorithm for affine type $A$. Moreover, it yields a combinatorial characterisation of the vertices of any connected component of the crystal of the Fock space

CHEST WALL KINEMATICS OF ATHLETES WITH TETRAPLEGIA

The purpose of this study was to analyze the 3D dimensional kinematics of the chest wall to describe the respiratory movement of tetraplegic athletes. Wheelchair rugby players were filmed during respiratory maneuvers. Markers were affixed to the trunk of the volunteers. From the 3D coordinates of markers, four compartmental volumes of the trunk were calculated. We analyzed the coefficient of variation of volumes in different compartments of the trunk for each subject, and the results were compared among the compartments. It was possible to verify the contribution of each compartment during respiration. The lower abdomen compartment had the highest average coefficient of variation. The methodology was able to identify the volume variations of chest wall and can be efficient to evaluate the effects of sports on ventilatory mechanics of tetrapelgic

Hecke algebras of finite type are cellular

Let \cH be the one-parameter Hecke algebra associated to a finite Weyl group $W$, defined over a ground ring in which ``bad'' primes for $W$ are invertible. Using deep properties of the Kazhdan--Lusztig basis of \cH and Lusztig's \ba-function, we show that \cH has a natural cellular structure in the sense of Graham and Lehrer. Thus, we obtain a general theory of ``Specht modules'' for Hecke algebras of finite type. Previously, a general cellular structure was only known to exist in types $A_n$ and $B_n$.Comment: 14 pages; added reference

Expression of alternansucrase in potato plants

Alternan, which consists of alternating α-(1→3)/α-(1→6)-linked glucosyl residues, was produced in potato tubers by expressing a mature alternansucrase (Asr) gene from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1355 in potato. Detection of alternan was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in tuber juices, revealing a concentration between 0.3 and 1.2 mg g-1 fresh wt. The Asr transcript levels correlated well with alternan accumulation in tuber juices. It appeared that the expression of sucrose-regulated starch-synthesizing genes (ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase subunit S and granule-bound starch synthase I) was down-regulated. Despite this, the physico-chemical properties of the transgenic starches were unaltered. These results are compared to those obtained with other transgenic potato plants producing mutan [α-(1→3)-linked glucosyl residues] and dextran [α-(1→6)-linked glucosyl residues]

First bounds on the very high energy gamma-ray emission from Arp 220

Using the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope (MAGIC), we have observed the nearest ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 for about 15 hours. No significant signal was detected within the dedicated amount of observation time. The first upper limits to the very high energy $\gamma$-ray flux of Arp 220 are herein reported and compared with theoretical expectations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Constraints on the steady and pulsed very high energy gamma-ray emission from observations of PSR B1951+32/CTB 80 with the MAGIC Telescope

We report on very high energy gamma-observations with the MAGIC Telescope of the pulsar PSR B1951+32 and its associated nebula, CTB 80. Our data constrain the cutoff energy of the pulsar to be less than 32 GeV, assuming the pulsed gamma-ray emission to be exponentially cut off. The upper limit on the flux of pulsed gamma-ray emission above 75 GeV is 4.3*10^-11 photons cm^-2 sec^-1, and the upper limit on the flux of steady emission above 140 GeV is 1.5*10^-11 photons cm^-2 sec^-1. We discuss our results in the framework of recent model predictions and other studies.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, replaced with published versio

Upper limit for gamma-ray emission above 140 GeV from the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Draco

The nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxy Draco with its high mass to light ratio is one of the most auspicious targets for indirect dark matter searches. Annihilation of hypothetical DM particles can result in high-energy gamma-rays, e.g. from neutralino annihilation in the supersymmetric framework. With the MAGIC telescope a search for a possible DM signal originating from Draco was performed during 2007. The analysis of the data results in a flux upper limit of 1.1x10^-11 photons cm^-2 sec^-1 for photon energies above 140 GeV, assuming a point like source. Furthermore, a comparison with predictions from supersymmetric models is given. While our results do not constrain the mSUGRA phase parameter space, a very high flux enhancement can be ruled out.Comment: Accepted for publication by Astrophysical Journa

MAGIC upper limits on the very high energy emission from GRBs

The fast repositioning system of the MAGIC Telescope has allowed during its first data cycle, between 2005 and the beginning of year 2006, observing nine different GRBs as possible sources of very high energy gammas. These observations were triggered by alerts from Swift, HETE-II, and Integral; they started as fast as possible after the alerts and lasted for several minutes, with an energy threshold varying between 80 and 200 GeV, depending upon the zenith angle of the burst. No evidence for gamma signals was found, and upper limits for the flux were derived for all events, using the standard analysis chain of MAGIC. For the bursts with measured redshift, the upper limits are compatible with a power law extrapolation, when the intrinsic fluxes are evaluated taking into account the attenuation due to the scattering in the Metagalactic Radiation Field (MRF).Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, final version accepted by ApJ. Changet title to "MAGIC upped limits on the VERY high energy emission from GRBs", re-organized chapter with description of observation, removed non necessaries figures, added plot of effective area depending on zenith angle, added an appendix explaining the upper limit calculation, added some reference

Systematic search for VHE gamma-ray emission from X-ray bright high-frequency BL Lac objects

All but three (M87, BL Lac and 3C 279) extragalactic sources detected so far at very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays belong to the class of high-frequency peaked BL Lac (HBL) objects. This suggested to us a systematic scan of candidate sources with the MAGIC telescope, based on the compilation of X-ray blazars by Donato et al. (2001). The observations took place from December 2004 to March 2006 and cover sources on the northern sky visible under small zenith distances zd < 30 degrees at culmination. The sensitivity of the search was planned for detecting X-ray bright F(1 keV) > 2 uJy) sources emitting at least the same energy flux at 200 GeV as at 1 keV. In order to avoid strong gamma-ray attenuation close to the energy threshold, the redshift of the sources was constrained to values z<0.3. Of the fourteen sources observed, 1ES 1218+304 and 1ES 2344+514 have been detected in addition to the known bright TeV blazars Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. A marginal excess of 3.5 sigma from the position of 1ES 1011+496 was observed and has been confirmed as a source of VHE gamma-rays by a second MAGIC observation triggered by a high optical state (Albert et al. 2007). For the remaining sources, we present here the 99% confidence level upper limits on the integral flux above ~200 GeV. We characterize the sample of HBLs (including all HBLs detected at VHE so far) by looking for correlations between their multi-frequency spectral indices determined from simultaneous optical, archival X-ray, and radio luminosities, finding that the VHE emitting HBLs do not seem to constitute a unique subclass. The absorption corrected gamma-ray luminosities at 200 GeV of the HBLs are generally not higher than their X-ray luminosities at 1 keV.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables, submitted to ApJ (revised version