New Inhomogeneous Einstein Metrics on Sphere Bundles Over Einstein-Kahler Manifolds

We construct new complete, compact, inhomogeneous Einstein metrics on S^{m+2} sphere bundles over 2n-dimensional Einstein-Kahler spaces K_{2n}, for all n \ge 1 and all m \ge 1. We also obtain complete, compact, inhomogeneous Einstein metrics on warped products of S^m with S^2 bundles over K_{2n}, for m>1. Additionally, we construct new complete, non-compact Ricci-flat metrics with topologies S^m times R^2 bundles over K_{2n} that generalise the higher-dimensional Taub-BOLT metrics, and with topologies S^m \times R^{2n+2} that generalise the higher-dimensional Taub-NUT metrics, again for m>1.Comment: Latex, 14 pages. Errors and typos corrected, and related references adde

New Einstein-Sasaki Spaces in Five and Higher Dimensions

We obtain infinite classes of new Einstein-Sasaki metrics on complete and non-singular manifolds. They arise, after Euclideanisation, from BPS limits of the rotating Kerr-de Sitter black hole metrics. The new Einstein-Sasaki spaces L^{p,q,r} in five dimensions have cohomogeneity 2, and U(1) x U(1) x U(1) isometry group. They are topologically S^2 x S^3. Their AdS/CFT duals will describe quiver theories on the four-dimensional boundary of AdS_5. We also obtain new Einstein-Sasaki spaces of cohomogeneity n in all odd dimensions D=2n+1 \ge 5, with U(1)^{n+1} isometry.Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, metric regularity conditions are further refine

Brain amyloid in preclinical Alzheimer\u27s disease is associated with increased driving risk

INTRODUCTION: Postmortem studies suggest that fibrillar brain amyloid places people at higher risk for hazardous driving in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: We administered driving questionnaires to 104 older drivers (19 AD, 24 mild cognitive impairment, and 61 cognitive normal) who had a recent (18)F-florbetapir positron emission tomography scan. We examined associations of amyloid standardized uptake value ratios with driving behaviors: traffic violations or accidents in the past 3 years. RESULTS: The frequency of violations or accidents was curvilinear with respect to standardized uptake value ratios, peaking around a value of 1.1 (model r(2) = 0.10, P = .002); moreover, this relationship was evident for the cognitively normal participants. DISCUSSION: We found that driving risk is strongly related to accumulating amyloid on positron emission tomography, and that this trend is evident in the preclinical stage of AD. Brain amyloid burden may in part explain the increased crash risk reported in older adults

Rotating Black Holes in Higher Dimensions with a Cosmological Constant

We present the metric for a rotating black hole with a cosmological constant and with arbitrary angular momenta in all higher dimensions. The metric is given in both Kerr-Schild and Boyer-Lindquist form. In the Euclidean-signature case, we also obtain smooth compact Einstein spaces on associated S^{D-2} bundles over S^2, infinitely many for each odd D\ge 5. Applications to string theory and M-theory are indicated.Comment: 8 pages, Latex. Short version, with more compact notation, of hep-th/0404008. To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Adaptive Edge-Oriented Shot Boundary Detection

We study the problem of video shot boundary detection using an adaptive edge-oriented framework. Our approach is distinct in its use of multiple multilevel features in the required processing. Adaptation is provided by a careful analysis of these multilevel features, based on shot variability. We consider three levels of adaptation: at the feature extraction stage using locally-adaptive edge maps, at the video sequence level, and at the individual shot level. We show how to provide adaptive parameters for the multilevel edge-based approach, and how to determine adaptive thresholds for the shot boundaries based on the characteristics of the particular shot being indexed. The result is a fast adaptive scheme that provides a slightly better performance in terms of robustness, and a five fold efficiency improvement in shot characterization and classification. The reported work has applications beyond direct video indexing, and could be used in real-time applications, such as in dynamic monitoring and modeling of video data traffic in multimedia communications, and in real-time video surveillance. Experimental results are included

Theory of Distance Relativity of Fractal Dimensions

The velocity of a moving object is different when measured from a stationary frame of reference and on a moving frame of reference (see the famous train experiment and the Michelson-Morley experiment). Because velocity is relative to the frame of reference, so do the concepts of “distance” and “time”. Thus, were born the concepts of relativistic mass, relativistic distance, and the notion of time dilation, which practically revolutionized Newton’s classical Physics (Muller, General Theory of Relativity, 1958). In this paper, we investigate how the fractal dimension of the same natural geometric object changes relative to the distance from which a picture of the object is taken. Keywords: Fractal dimension, Distance, Fracta

Release and Establishment of Megamelus scutellaris (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) on Waterhyacinth in Florida

More than 73,000 Megamelus scutellaris (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) were released in Florida over a 2 to 3 yr period at 10 sites in an attempt to establish sustainable populations on waterhyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes Mart. Solms (Commelinales: Pontederiaceae). Insect populations persisted at most sites including those furthest north and consecutive overwintering was confirmed in as many as three times at some sites. Establishment appeared to be promoted at sites with some cover or shading compared to open areas. Insects readily dispersed over short distances which made detection and monitoring difficultFil: Tipping, Philip W.. Invasive Plant Research Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Sosa, Alejandro Joaquín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; ArgentinaFil: Pokorny, Eileen N.. Invasive Plant Research Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Foley, Jeremiah. Invasive Plant Research Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Schmitz, Don C.. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Estados UnidosFil: Lane, Jon S.. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Estados UnidosFil: Rodgers, Leroy. South Florida Water Management District; Estados UnidosFil: Mccloud, Lori. St. Johns River Water Management District; Estados UnidosFil: Livingston-Way, Pam. St. Johns River Water Management District; Estados UnidosFil: Cole, Matthew S.. St. Johns River Water Management District; Estados UnidosFil: Nichols, Gary. St. Johns River Water Management District; Estados Unido

The Primeval Populations of the Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies

We present new constraints on the star formation histories of the ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies, using deep photometry obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). A galaxy class recently discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the UFDs appear to be an extension of the classical dwarf spheroidals to low luminosities, offering a new front in efforts to understand the missing satellite problem. They are the least luminous, most dark-matter dominated, and least chemically-evolved galaxies known. Our HST survey of six UFDs seeks to determine if these galaxies are true fossils from the early universe. We present here the preliminary analysis of three UFD galaxies: Hercules, Leo IV, and Ursa Major I. Classical dwarf spheroidals of the Local Group exhibit extended star formation histories, but these three Milky Way satellites are at least as old as the ancient globular cluster M92, with no evidence for intermediate-age populations. Their ages also appear to be synchronized to within ~1 Gyr of each other, as might be expected if their star formation was truncated by a global event, such as reionization.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Latex, 5 pages, 2 color figures, 1 tabl

Magnetic Dipole Sum Rules for Odd-Mass Nuclei

Sum rules for the total- and scissors-mode M1 strength in odd-A nuclei are derived within the single-j interacting boson-fermion model. We discuss the physical content and geometric interpretation of these sum rules and apply them to ^{167}Er and ^{161}Dy. We find consistency with the former measurements but not with the latter.Comment: 13 pages, Revtex, 1 figure, Phys. Rev. Lett. in pres