Indecomposable polynomials and their spectrum

We address some questions concerning indecomposable polynomials and their spectrum. How does the spectrum behave via reduction or specialization, or via a more general ring morphism? Are the indecomposability properties equivalent over a field and over its algebraic closure? How many polynomials are decomposable over a finite field?Comment: 22 page

Specializations of indecomposable polynomials

We address some questions concerning indecomposable polynomials and their behaviour under specialization. For instance we give a bound on a prime $p$ for the reduction modulo $p$ of an indecomposable polynomial P(x)\in \Zz[x] to remain indecomposable. We also obtain a Hilbert like result for indecomposability: if $f(t_1,...,t_r,x)$ is an indecomposable polynomial in several variables with coefficients in a field of characteristic $p=0$ or $p>\deg(f)$, then the one variable specialized polynomial $f(t_1^\ast+\alpha_1^\ast x,...,t_r^\ast+\alpha_r^\ast x,x)$ is indecomposable for all $(t_1^\ast, ..., t_r^\ast, \alpha_1^\ast, ...,\alpha_r^\ast)\in \bar k^{2r}$ off a proper Zariski closed subset

The Schinzel Hypothesis for Polynomials

The Schinzel hypothesis is a famous conjectural statement about primes in value sets of polynomials, which generalizes the Dirichlet theorem about primes in an arithmetic progression. We consider the situation that the ring of integers is replaced by a polynomial ring and prove the Schinzel hypothesis for a wide class of them: polynomials in at least one variable over the integers, polynomials in several variables over an arbitrary field, etc. We achieve this goal by developing a version over rings of the Hilbert specialization property. A polynomial Goldbach conjecture is deduced, along with a result on spectra of rational functions.Comment: 26 page

The Schinzel Hypothesis for Polynomials

The Schinzel hypothesis is a famous conjectural statement about primes in value sets of polynomials, which generalizes the Dirichlet theorem about primes in an arithmetic progression. We consider the situation that the ring of integers is replaced by a polynomial ring and prove the Schinzel hypothesis for a wide class of them: polynomials in at least one variable over the integers, polynomials in several variables over an arbitrary field, etc. We achieve this goal by developing a version over rings of the Hilbert specialization property. A polynomial Goldbach conjecture is deduced, along with a result on spectra of rational functions.Comment: 26 page

Transdimensional inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion

We present a novel method for joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion data, using a transdimensional Bayesian formulation. This class of algorithm treats the number of model parameters (e.g. number of layers) as an unknown in the problem. The dimension of the model space is variable and a Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC) scheme is used to provide a parsimonious solution that fully quantifies the degree of knowledge one has about seismic structure (i.e constraints on the model, resolution, and trade-offs). The level of data noise (i.e. the covariance matrix of data errors) effectively controls the information recoverable from the data and here it naturally determines the complexity of the model (i.e. the number of model parameters). However, it is often difficult to quantify the data noise appropriately, particularly in the case of seismic waveform inversion where data errors are correlated. Here we address the issue of noise estimation using an extended Hierarchical Bayesian formulation, which allows both the variance and covariance of data noise to be treated as unknowns in the inversion. In this way it is possible to let the data infer the appropriate level of data fit. In the context of joint inversions, assessment of uncertainty for different data types becomes crucial in the evaluation of the misfit function. We show that the Hierarchical Bayes procedure is a powerful tool in this situation, because it is able to evaluate the level of information brought by different data types in the misfit, thus removing the arbitrary choice of weighting factors. After illustrating the method with synthetic tests, a real data application is shown where teleseismic receiver functions and ambient noise surface wave dispersion measurements from the WOMBAT array (South-East Australia) are jointly inverted to provide a probabilistic 1D model of shear-wave velocity beneath a given station

Thoracic Duct Fistula after Thyroid Cancer Surgery: Towards a New Treatment?

The use of somatostatin analogs is a new conservative therapeutic approach for the treatment of chyle fistulas developing after thyroid cancer surgery. The combination therapy with a total parenteral nutrition should avoid the high morbidity of a re-intervention with an uncertain outcome. This promising trend is supported by the present case report of a chyle leak occurring after total thyroidectomy with central and lateral neck dissection for a papillary carcinoma, which was treated successfully without immediate or distant sequelae

PRISM3D: a 3-D reference seismic model for Iberia and adjacent areas

We present PRISM3D, a 3-D reference seismic model of P- and S-wave velocities for Iberia and adjacent areas. PRISM3D results from the combination of the most up-to-date earth models available for the region. It extends horizontally from 15°W to 5°E in longitude, 34°N to 46°N in latitude and vertically from 3.5 km above to 200 km below sea level, and is modelled on a regular grid with 10 and 0.5 km of grid node spacing in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. It was designed using models inferred from local and teleseismic body-wave tomography, earthquake and ambient noise surface wave tomography, receiver function analysis and active source experiments. It includes two interfaces, namely the topography/bathymetry and the Mohorovičić (Moho) discontinuity. The Moho was modelled from previously published receiver function analysis and deep seismic sounding results. To that end we used a probabilistic surface reconstruction algorithm that allowed to extract the mean of the Moho depth surface along with its associated standard deviation, which provides a depth uncertainty estimate. The Moho depth model is in good agreement with previously published models, although it presents slightly sharper gardients in orogenic areas such as the Pyrenees or the Betic-Rif system. Crustal and mantle P- and S-wave wave speed grids were built separately on each side of the Moho depth surface by weighted average of existing models, thus allowing to realistically render the speed gradients across that interface. The associated weighted standard deviation was also calculated, which provides an uncertainty estimation on the average wave speed values at any point of the grid. At shallow depths (<10 km), low P and S wave speeds and high VP/VS are observed in offshore basins, while the Iberian Massif, which covers a large part of western Iberia, appears characterized by a rather flat Moho, higher than average VP and VS and low VP/VS. Conversely, the Betic-Rif system seems to be associated with low VP and VS, combined with high VP/VS in comparison to the rest of the study area. The most prominent feature of the mantle is the well known high wave speed anomaly related to the Alboran slab imaged in various mantle tomography studies. The consistency of PRISM3D with previous work is verified by comparing it with two recent studies, with which it shows a good general agreement.The impact of the new 3-D model is illustrated through a simple synthetic experiment, which shows that the lateral variations of the wave speed can produce traveltime differences ranging from –1.5 and 1.5 s for P waves and from –2.5 and 2.5 s for S waves at local to regional distances. Such values are far larger than phase picking uncertainties and would likely affect earthquake hypocentral parameter estimations. The new 3-D model thus provides a basis for regional studies including earthquake source studies, Earth structure investigations and geodynamic modelling of Iberia and its surroundings

Regulation of ovulation rate in mammals: contribution of sheep genetic models

Ovarian folliculogenesis in mammals from the constitution of primordial follicles up to ovulation is a reasonably well understood mechanism. Nevertheless, underlying mechanisms that determine the number of ovulating follicles were enigmatic until the identification of the fecundity genes affecting ovulation rate in sheep, bone morphogenetic protein-15 (BMP-15), growth and differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9) and BMP receptor-1B (BMPR-1B). In this review, we focus on the use of these sheep genetic models for understanding the role of the BMP system as an intra-ovarian regulator of follicular growth and maturation, and finally, ovulation rate