BRST Analysis of Physical States for 2D (Super) Gravity Coupled to (Super) Conformal Matter

We summarize some recent results on the BRST analysis of physical states of 2D gravity coupled to c<=1 conformal matter and the supersymmetric generalization.Comment: 11 page

Transforming data by calculation

Thispaperaddressesthefoundationsofdata-modeltransformation.A catalog of data mappings is presented which includes abstraction and representa- tion relations and associated constraints. These are justified in an algebraic style via the pointfree-transform, a technique whereby predicates are lifted to binary relation terms (of the algebra of programming) in a two-level style encompassing both data and operations. This approach to data calculation, which also includes transformation of recursive data models into “flat” database schemes, is offered as alternative to standard database design from abstract models. The calculus is also used to establish a link between the proposed transformational style and bidi- rectional lenses developed in the context of the classical view-update problem.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Stable isotope signatures reveal small-scale spatial separation in populations of European sea bass

Scientific information about European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) stocks in NE Atlantic is limited and a more accurate definition of the stock boundaries in the area is required to improve assessment and management advice. Here we study the connectivity and movement patterns of European sea bass in Wales (UK) using the stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) composition of their scales. Analysis of fish scale δ13C and δ15N values in the last growing season was performed on 189 adult sea bass caught at nine coastal feeding grounds. Fish >50 cm total length (TL) caught in estuaries had very low δ13C and this is characteristic of fresh water (organic/soil) input, indicating the primary use of estuaries as feeding areas. A random forest classification model was used to test if there was a difference in δ15N and δ13C values between north, mid and south Wales and whether it was possible to correctly assign the fish to the area where it was caught. This analysis was restricted to fish of a similar size range (40-50 cm TL) caught in open coastal areas (n=156). The random forest classification model showed that about 75% of the fish could be correctly assigned to their collection region based on their isotope composition. The majority of the misclassifications of fish were fish from north Wales classifying to mid Wales and vice versa, while the majority of fish from south Wales were correctly assigned (80%). Our findings suggest that two sub-populations of sea bass in Welsh waters use separate feeding grounds (south vs. mid/north Wales), and may need separate management

Trans-ancestry genome-wide association study identifies 12 genetic loci influencing blood pressure and implicates a role for DNA methylation

We carried out a trans-ancestry genome-wide association and replication study of blood pressure phenotypes among up to 320,251 individuals of East Asian, European and South Asian ancestry. We find genetic variants at 12 new loci to be associated with blood pressure (P = 3.9 &times; 10-11 to 5.0 &times; 10-21). The sentinel blood pressure SNPs are enriched for association with DNA methylation at multiple nearby CpG sites, suggesting that, at some of the loci identified, DNA methylation may lie on the regulatory pathway linking sequence variation to blood pressure. The sentinel SNPs at the 12 new loci point to genes involved in vascular smooth muscle (IGFBP3, KCNK3, PDE3A and PRDM6) and renal (ARHGAP24, OSR1, SLC22A7 and TBX2) function. The new and known genetic variants predict increased left ventricular mass, circulating levels of NT-proBNP, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (P = 0.04 to 8.6 &times; 10-6). Our results provide new evidence for the role of DNA methylation in blood pressure regulation

Dynamic Bioluminescence Imaging: Development of a Physiological Pharmacokinetic Model of Tumor Metabolism

poster abstractBioluminescence (BLI) is a technology which has been studied extensively across multiple genera for more than 90 years. Over this period, BLI has emerged as a powerful noninvasive tool to study tumor localization, growth, and response to therapy due to the relatively recent technological advancements in instrumentation and molecular biology. This technology takes advantage of molecular transfection of the luciferase (LUC) gene from the North American firefly, Photinus pyralis, into human cancer cells, which are then implanted (ectopic or orthotopic) in mice. Oxidation of the exogenously administered substrate D-luciferin by the LUC gene product results in emission of green-yellow photons which are then evaluated in the context of tumor growth and development. Despite the more than 30 years of characterization, there exists a fundamental gap in our knowledge of the underlying PK/PD processes which are at the heart of nearly all BLI interpretation, and has lead to a dogmatic adherence in the literature to numerical methods which are at best simple corollaries of tumor metabolic rate. In an attempt to fill this void, this paper will present a new PK/PD model which takes advantage of the temporal nature of both substrate transport and light evolution. In addition, we will compare these results to traditional non-model based analyses and show how they differ. Lastly we will present OATS (One at A Time) Parameter Sensitivity and Monte Carlo Noise Analysis to characterize the numerical stability and sensitivity of this new model

Wettability Switching Techniques on Superhydrophobic Surfaces

The wetting properties of superhydrophobic surfaces have generated worldwide research interest. A water drop on these surfaces forms a nearly perfect spherical pearl. Superhydrophobic materials hold considerable promise for potential applications ranging from self cleaning surfaces, completely water impermeable textiles to low cost energy displacement of liquids in lab-on-chip devices. However, the dynamic modification of the liquid droplets behavior and in particular of their wetting properties on these surfaces is still a challenging issue. In this review, after a brief overview on superhydrophobic states definition, the techniques leading to the modification of wettability behavior on superhydrophobic surfaces under specific conditions: optical, magnetic, mechanical, chemical, thermal are discussed. Finally, a focus on electrowetting is made from historical phenomenon pointed out some decades ago on classical planar hydrophobic surfaces to recent breakthrough obtained on superhydrophobic surfaces

Reproducibility in the absence of selective reporting : An illustration from large-scale brain asymmetry research

Altres ajuts: Max Planck Society (Germany).The problem of poor reproducibility of scientific findings has received much attention over recent years, in a variety of fields including psychology and neuroscience. The problem has been partly attributed to publication bias and unwanted practices such as p-hacking. Low statistical power in individual studies is also understood to be an important factor. In a recent multisite collaborative study, we mapped brain anatomical left-right asymmetries for regional measures of surface area and cortical thickness, in 99 MRI datasets from around the world, for a total of over 17,000 participants. In the present study, we revisited these hemispheric effects from the perspective of reproducibility. Within each dataset, we considered that an effect had been reproduced when it matched the meta-analytic effect from the 98 other datasets, in terms of effect direction and significance threshold. In this sense, the results within each dataset were viewed as coming from separate studies in an "ideal publishing environment," that is, free from selective reporting and p hacking. We found an average reproducibility rate of 63.2% (SD = 22.9%, min = 22.2%, max = 97.0%). As expected, reproducibility was higher for larger effects and in larger datasets. Reproducibility was not obviously related to the age of participants, scanner field strength, FreeSurfer software version, cortical regional measurement reliability, or regional size. These findings constitute an empirical illustration of reproducibility in the absence of publication bias or p hacking, when assessing realistic biological effects in heterogeneous neuroscience data, and given typically-used sample sizes

Search of the Orion spur for continuous gravitational waves using a loosely coherent algorithm on data from LIGO interferometers

We report results of a wideband search for periodic gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars within the Orion spur towards both the inner and outer regions of our Galaxy. As gravitational waves interact very weakly with matter, the search is unimpeded by dust and concentrations of stars. One search disk (A) is 6.87° in diameter and centered on 20h10m54.71s+33°33′25.29′′, and the other (B) is 7.45° in diameter and centered on 8h35m20.61s-46°49′25.151′′. We explored the frequency range of 50-1500 Hz and frequency derivative from 0 to -5×10-9 Hz/s. A multistage, loosely coherent search program allowed probing more deeply than before in these two regions, while increasing coherence length with every stage. Rigorous follow-up parameters have winnowed the initial coincidence set to only 70 candidates, to be examined manually. None of those 70 candidates proved to be consistent with an isolated gravitational-wave emitter, and 95% confidence level upper limits were placed on continuous-wave strain amplitudes. Near 169 Hz we achieve our lowest 95% C.L. upper limit on the worst-case linearly polarized strain amplitude h0 of 6.3×10-25, while at the high end of our frequency range we achieve a worst-case upper limit of 3.4×10-24 for all polarizations and sky locations. © 2016 American Physical Society