492 research outputs found
Critical connectedness of thin arithmetical discrete planes
An arithmetical discrete plane is said to have critical connecting thickness
if its thickness is equal to the infimum of the set of values that preserve its
-connectedness. This infimum thickness can be computed thanks to the fully
subtractive algorithm. This multidimensional continued fraction algorithm
consists, in its linear form, in subtracting the smallest entry to the other
ones. We provide a characterization of the discrete planes with critical
thickness that have zero intercept and that are -connected. Our tools rely
on the notion of dual substitution which is a geometric version of the usual
notion of substitution acting on words. We associate with the fully subtractive
algorithm a set of substitutions whose incidence matrix is provided by the
matrices of the algorithm, and prove that their geometric counterparts generate
arithmetic discrete planes.Comment: 18 pages, v2 includes several corrections and is a long version of
the DGCI extended abstrac
Archéologie végétale des simples : d'après Dodonée, Mathioli, C. Clusius etc. plantes identifiées suivant les principes de Linnéeet autres botanistes modernes
Assembling anisotropic colloidal building blocks
This PhD-thesis presents a study on micron-sized
particles, so-called colloids. By controlling the chemical and physical
properties of these particles, such as the interparticle interaction and the
particles’ shape, colloids can act as building blocks that self-assembly into
larger structures. This could lead to the development of materials with novel
properties such as ‘smart’ materials with the ability to adapt their
structure to the environment. In this thesis spherical colloids are used as a
starting point to make complex colloidal building blocks and larger
microstructures. Anisotropic particles were formed by introducing surface
roughness, dents, protrusions and chemical functionalization on the particle
surface. Complex structures were obtained by assembling and reconfiguring
clusters of spheres. Here, a balance of several phenomena including, the
interfacial and potential energy, entropy and geometric constraints,
determined the final geometry of the assembled structure. The work also shows
how anisotropic elongated particles distorted the hexagonal order in crystals
of spheres, either locally or over long distances. These distortions are
known to influence the optical, mechanical and electronic properties of
colloidal crystals. The complex particles and assemblies made in this study
are therefore an important step towards the development of materials with
novel and adaptable properties.
NWOBiological and Soft Matter Physic
Colloidal joints with designed motion range and tunable joint flexibility
Biological and Soft Matter Physic
Colloidal joints with designed motion range and tunable joint flexibility
Biological and Soft Matter Physic
The Mediational Role of Motivation in the Model of Motor Development in Childhood: A Longitudinal Study
The aim of this study was twofold: first, to examine the stability of the hypothesized conceptual model of motor development (without and with including various types of motivation) when children are followed up one-year later, and second to examine longitudinally whether changes in one model variable predict changes in other variables, according to the hypothesized pathways in the model. A sample of 361 Spanish students (50.7% girls, 8–11 years old) voluntarily participated in this study. In relation to the first aim, structural equation modeling revealed the expected positive relationship between the model variables in both measurement times. That is: actual motor competence (MC) predicted physical activity (PA) (p \u3c .001), perceived MC mediated the relationship between actual MC and PA (p \u3c .001), and autonomous motivation mediated the relationship between perceived MC and PA (p \u3c .05). Moreover, the comparison of the invariance analysis showed non-practical differences between the unconstrained model and the constrained model, supporting the stability of the model over time. In relation to the second aim, the hypothesized model in Time 2 controlling for Time 1 values showed that changes in children’s actual MC positively predicted changes in their perceived MC (p \u3c .001), which in turn, predicted changes in their autonomous motivation (p \u3c .001), and PA (p \u3c .001) at Time 2. Based on these findings Physical Education teachers are recommended to foster children’s actual and perceived MC as well as their autonomous motivation over time in order to promote PA strategies for lifelong health
The Naming Game in Social Networks: Community Formation and Consensus Engineering
We study the dynamics of the Naming Game [Baronchelli et al., (2006) J. Stat.
Mech.: Theory Exp. P06014] in empirical social networks. This stylized
agent-based model captures essential features of agreement dynamics in a
network of autonomous agents, corresponding to the development of shared
classification schemes in a network of artificial agents or opinion spreading
and social dynamics in social networks. Our study focuses on the impact that
communities in the underlying social graphs have on the outcome of the
agreement process. We find that networks with strong community structure hinder
the system from reaching global agreement; the evolution of the Naming Game in
these networks maintains clusters of coexisting opinions indefinitely. Further,
we investigate agent-based network strategies to facilitate convergence to
global consensus.Comment: The original publication is available at
http://www.springerlink.com/content/70370l311m1u0ng3
The Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) on the Herschel Space Observatory
The Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) is one of the three
science instruments on ESA's far infrared and submillimetre observatory. It
employs two Ge:Ga photoconductor arrays (stressed and unstressed) with 16x25
pixels, each, and two filled silicon bolometer arrays with 16x32 and 32x64
pixels, respectively, to perform integral-field spectroscopy and imaging
photometry in the 60-210\mu\ m wavelength regime. In photometry mode, it
simultaneously images two bands, 60-85\mu\ m or 85-125\mu\m and 125-210\mu\ m,
over a field of view of ~1.75'x3.5', with close to Nyquist beam sampling in
each band. In spectroscopy mode, it images a field of 47"x47", resolved into
5x5 pixels, with an instantaneous spectral coverage of ~1500km/s and a spectral
resolution of ~175km/s. We summarise the design of the instrument, describe
observing modes, calibration, and data analysis methods, and present our
current assessment of the in-orbit performance of the instrument based on the
Performance Verification tests. PACS is fully operational, and the achieved
performance is close to or better than the pre-launch predictions
Towards ensemble asteroseismology of the young open clusters Chi Persei and NGC 6910
As a result of the variability survey in Chi Persei and NGC6910, the number
of Beta Cep stars that are members of these two open clusters is increased to
twenty stars, nine in NGC6910 and eleven in Chi Persei. We compare pulsational
properties, in particular the frequency spectra, of Beta Cep stars in both
clusters and explain the differences in terms of the global parameters of the
clusters. We also indicate that the more complicated pattern of the variability
among B type stars in Chi Persei is very likely caused by higher rotational
velocities of stars in this cluster. We conclude that the sample of pulsating
stars in the two open clusters constitutes a very good starting point for the
ensemble asteroseismology of Beta Cep-type stars and maybe also for other
B-type pulsators.Comment: 4 pages, Astronomische Nachrichten, HELAS IV Conference, Arecife,
Lanzarote, Feb 2010, submitte
The ETS Family Member TEL Binds to Nuclear Receptors RAR and RXR and Represses Gene Activation
Retinoic acid receptor (RAR) signaling is important for regulating transcriptional activity of genes involved in growth, differentiation, metabolism and reproduction. Defects in RAR signaling have been implicated in cancer. TEL, a member of the ETS family of transcription factors, is a DNA-binding transcriptional repressor. Here, we identify TEL as a transcriptional repressor of RAR signaling by its direct binding to both RAR and its dimerisation partner, the retinoid x receptor (RXR) in a ligand-independent fashion. TEL is found in two isoforms, created by the use of an alternative startcodon at amino acid 43. Although both isoforms bind to RAR and RXR in vitro and in vivo, the shorter form of TEL represses RAR signaling much more efficiently. Binding studies revealed that TEL binds closely to the DNA binding domain of RAR and that both Helix Loop Helix (HLH) and DNA binding domains of TEL are mandatory for interaction. We have shown that repression by TEL does not involve recruitment of histone deacetylases and suggest that polycomb group proteins participate in the process
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