Statistical transmutation of quantum bosonic strings coupled to general four-dimensional Chern-Simons theory

A bosonic string coupled to the generalized Chern-Simons theory in 3+1D acquires a magnetic field along itself, when it is closed, and a topological charge at its extremity, when it is open. We construct the creation operators for the full quantum field states associated to these strings and determine the dual algebra satisfied by them. We show that the creation operator fo the composite state of a quantum closed bosonic string, bearing a magnetic flux, and a topologically charged open bosonic string, possesses generalized statistics. The relation of our results with previous approaches to the problem is also established.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex

Analyticity of the Free Energy of a Closed 3-Manifold

The free energy of a closed 3-manifold is a 2-parameter formal power series which encodes the perturbative Chern-Simons invariant (also known as the LMO invariant) of a closed 3-manifold with gauge group U(N) for arbitrary $N$. We prove that the free energy of an arbitrary closed 3-manifold is uniformly Gevrey-1. As a corollary, it follows that the genus $g$ part of the free energy is convergent in a neighborhood of zero, independent of the genus. Our results follow from an estimate of the LMO invariant, in a particular gauge, and from recent results of Bender-Gao-Richmond on the asymptotics of the number of rooted maps for arbitrary genus. We illustrate our results with an explicit formula for the free energy of a Lens space. In addition, using the Painlev\'e differential equation, we obtain an asymptotic expansion for the number of cubic graphs to all orders, stengthening the results of Bender-Gao-Richmond.Comment: This is a contribution to the Special Issue on Deformation Quantization, published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA

Vortex Correlation Functions in Maxwell-Chern-Simons Models

Maxwell-Chern-Simons models in the presence of an instanton anti-instanton background are studied. The saddle-point configuration corresponds to the creation and annihilation of a vortex localized around the Dirac string needed to support the nontrivial background. This configuration is generalized to the case in which a nonlocal Maxwell term is allowed in order to fulfill the finite action requirement. Following 't Hooft procedure, we compute the vortex correlation functions and we study the possibility of obtaining spin 1/2 excitations. A possible connection with the bosonization of interacting three-dimensional massive fermionic systems is also discussed.Comment: 1+10 pages, LaTeX2

Toward the valorization of olive (Olea europaea var. europaea L.) biodiversity: horticultural performance of seven Sicilian cultivars in a hedgerow planting system

An intense survey of the Sicilian's olive growing areas for autochthonous germplasm, mainly represented by centennials olive trees (Olea europaea var. europaea L.) apparently older then III centuries, started at the beginning of the 1980s and resulted in the selection of more than 150 cultivars and accessions. This germplasm was propagated in a nursery, by grafting onto seedlings of Olea europaea L., and planted in an experimental orchard, in an olive district located in the South-west of the Island, where they were evaluated for over 30 years and selected for their early bearing, high and constant productivity, as well as high oil content of the fruits and excellent chemical (oleic acid and phenol content) and organoleptic profile of the oil. This paper reports data on the horticultural performances (production, vigor, crop efficiency and oil quality) of four cultivars (\u2018Kalat\u2019, \u2018Olivo di Mandanici\u2019, \u2018Abunara\u2019 and \u2018Minuta\u2019), selected within the Sicilian's autochthonous germplasm trained as 'Free Palmetta' and tested in a hedgerow planting system at three different planting densities: 500, 666 and 1000 trees ha-1. The cultivar \u2018Nocellara del Belice\u2019, \u2018Cerasuola, and \u2018Biancolilla\u2019, widely cultivated in the area where the trial was carried out, were used as references. The outstanding performance of the cultivar \u2018Kalat\u2019 at planting density of 1000 trees ha 121, suggests that this cultivar can be a promising choice for the super high density orchards (SHD). The other cultivars tested did not performed as \u2018Kalat\u2019 and seem not suitable for SHD planting system due to their high vigor. The hedgerow planting system tested, in the first 6 years of planting, increaseed productivity of all cultivars compared to traditional olive orchard typical of the area where the trial was conducted. This hedgerow olive orchard may represent a valid solution to increase orchard productivity and to reduce harvest costs by mechanization, depending on tree high, with straddle or side by side canopy contact machines. Achieve higher yield and reducing management costs using autochthonous, resilient cultivars, could be a new strategy to counteract climate changes. The unique organoleptic profiles of the oils obtained from the cultivars tested, could improve the offer of tasty, flavored and nutraceutical extra virgin olive oils in the international markets. Results highlight the importance of preserving and valorizing biodiversity to increase productivity and resiliency of agricultural systems, facing continuous, fast and deep social and environmental changes

Intraoperative blood transfusions in highly alloimmunized patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation.

Intraoperative blood requirements were analyzed in patients undergoing primary orthotopic liver transplantation and divided into two groups on the basis of panel reactive antibody of pretransplant serum measured by lymphocytotoxicity testing. One group of highly sensitized patients (n = 25) had PRA values of over 70% and the second group of patients (n = 26) had 0% PRA values and were considered nonsensitized. During the transplant procedure, the 70% PRA group received considerably greater quantities of blood products than the 0% PRA group--namely, red blood cells: 21.1 +/- 3.7 vs. 9.8 +/- 0.8 units (P = 0.002), and platelets: 17.7 +/- 3.2 vs. 7.5 +/- 1.5 units (P = 0.003). Similar differences were observed for fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate. Despite the larger infusion of platelets, the blood platelet counts in the 70% PRA group were lower postoperatively than preoperatively. Twenty patients in the 70% PRA group received platelet transfusions, and their mean platelet count dropped from 95,050 +/- 11,537 preoperatively to 67,750 +/- 8,228 postoperatively (P = 0.028). In contrast, nearly identical preoperative (84,058 +/- 17,297) and postoperative (85,647 +/- 12,445) platelet counts were observed in the 17 0% PRA patients who were transfused intraoperatively with platelets. Prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and fibrinogen levels showed no significant differences between both groups. These data demonstrate that lymphocytotoxic antibody screening of liver transplant candidates is useful in identifying patients with increased risk of bleeding problems and who will require large quantities of blood during the transplant operation