Tilting mutation of weakly symmetric algebras and stable equivalence

We consider tilting mutations of a weakly symmetric algebra at a subset of simple modules, as recently introduced by T. Aihara. These mutations are defined as the endomorphism rings of certain tilting complexes of length 1. Starting from a weakly symmetric algebra A, presented by a quiver with relations, we give a detailed description of the quiver and relations of the algebra obtained by mutating at a single loopless vertex of the quiver of A. In this form the mutation procedure appears similar to, although significantly more complicated than, the mutation procedure of Derksen, Weyman and Zelevinsky for quivers with potentials. By definition, weakly symmetric algebras connected by a sequence of tilting mutations are derived equivalent, and hence stably equivalent. The second aim of this article is to study these stable equivalences via a result of Okuyama describing the images of the simple modules. As an application we answer a question of Asashiba on the derived Picard groups of a class of self-injective algebras of finite representation type. We conclude by introducing a mutation procedure for maximal systems of orthogonal bricks in a triangulated category, which is motivated by the effect that a tilting mutation has on the set of simple modules in the stable category.Comment: Description and proof of mutated algebra made more rigorous (Prop. 3.1 and 4.2). Okuyama's Lemma incorporated: Theorem 4.1 is now Corollary 5.1, and proof is omitted. To appear in Algebras and Representation Theor

Lorentz and CPT symmetries in commutative and noncommutative spacetime

We investigate the fermionic sector of a given theory, in which massive and charged Dirac fermions interact with an Abelian gauge field, including a non standard contribution that violates both Lorentz and CPT symmetries. We offer an explicit calculation in which the radiative corrections due to the fermions seem to generate a Chern-Simons-like effective action. Our results are obtained under the general guidance of dimensional regularization, and they show that there is no room for Lorentz and CPT violation in both commutative and noncommutative spacetime.Comment: RevTex4, 7 pages, to be published in J. Phys.

SEARCHING LOST PEOPLE WITH UAVS: THE SYSTEM AND RESULTS OF THE CLOSE-SEARCH PROJECT

This paper will introduce the goals, concept and results of the project named CLOSE-SEARCH, which stands for ’Accurate and safe EGNOS-SoL Navigation for UAV-based low-cost Search-And-Rescue (SAR) operations’. The main goal is to integrate a medium-size, helicopter-type Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a thermal imaging sensor and an EGNOS-based multi-sensor navigation system, including an Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (AIM) capability, to support search operations in difficult-to-access areas and/or night operations. The focus of the paper is three-fold. Firstly, the operational and technical challenges of the proposed approach are discussed, such as ultra-safe multi-sensor navigation system, the use of combined thermal and optical vision (infrared plus visible) for person recognition and Beyond-Line-Of-Sight communications among others. Secondly, the implementation of the integrity concept for UAV platforms is discussed herein through the AIM approach. Based on the potential of the geodetic quality analysis and on the use of the European EGNOS system as a navigation performance starting point, AIM approaches integrity from the precision standpoint; that is, the derivation of Horizontal and Vertical Protection Levels (HPLs, VPLs) from a realistic precision estimation of the position parameters is performed and compared to predefined Alert Limits (ALs). Finally, some results from the project test campaigns are described to report on particular project achievements. Together with actual Search-and-Rescue teams, the system was operated in realistic, user-chosen test scenarios. In this context, and specially focusing on the EGNOS-based UAV navigation, the AIM capability and also the RGB/thermal imaging subsystem, a summary of the 1 INTRODUCTION The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) —more in gen- eral, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs)— for SAR operations is not new and has been traditionally fed by developments made in other fields. The main driver of UAV technology has been (and still is) the military field and this is because the nature of military developments is fairly overlapping SAR needs. As a example of that, we recall the UAVs used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were deployed to find people trapped in New Orleans buildings devastated by Hurricane Katrinas flood waters. Those platforms were equipped with thermal imaging systems to detect the body heat of storm survivors. A second example was the use of rotary- wing UAV platforms providing on-site imagery from the nuclear incident in Fukushima. More recently, a field that is increasingly putting effort on UAV development is Geomatics: the potential of those light-weight, easy-deployable platforms to quickly provide aerial and/or ground, good quality imagery is huge. A clear ex- ample of this interest raised within the geomatic community is the recent acquisition of Gateway, a provider of lightweight UAVs for photogrammetry and rapid terrain mapping applications, by Trimble. Indeed, the multi-application of the UAV potential to other fields, such as SAR, shall not be neglected. And even if [the lack of] regulations have been the stopper of the final jump to commercial applications, the willingness of regulators seems finally positive on pulling the trigger. As stated in the Institute of Navigation newsletter in winter 2011, ”the United States trans- portation secretary must develop a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate the integration of civil UAS into the national airspace system as soon as practicable, but not later than September 30th, 2015.” results is presented

Estudos preliminares sobre a fertilidade dos solos de sequeiros em algumas zonas de Santiago.

A b s t r a c t : D r y l a n d f a r m i n g o n t h e s t e e p s l o p e s o f S a n t i a g o i s c a r a c t e r i z e d a s l o w i n p u t f a r m i n g . E v e r y y e a r t h e f a r m e r s p r e p a r e a n d c u l t i v a t e t h e i r l a n d s , b u t t h e r e h a s n o t b e e n a n y s t u d y t o i d e n t i f y a n d q u a n t i f y t h e l i m i t i n g f a c t o r e s c a u s i n g t h e d e c l i n e i n p r o d u c t i o n e v e n i n y e a r s o f g o o d r a i n f a l l . I n 1 9 8 7 , a y e a r o f g o o d r a i n f a l l , o n e c o u l d i d e n t i f y s m a l l áreas a r o u n d t h e f a r m e r ' s h o u s e s , w h e r e t h e c o r n a n d b e a n s d i d n o t s h o w a n y s i g n o f m i n e - r a l d i f i c i e n c y O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e d i f i c i e n c y s y m p t o m s b e c a m e m o r e s e v e r e w i t h t h e d i s t a n c e f r o m t h e h o u - s e s . T h e o b j e c t i v e s o f t h i s s t u d y w e r e t o d e t e r m i n e n u t r i e n t l e v e i s i n t h e s o i l s a n d p l a n t s , a n d t o i d e n t i f y p o s s i b l e l i m i t i n g f a c t o r s i n t h e d r y l a n d a g r i c u l t u r a T h u s , f i v e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e áreas w e r e c h o s e n i n Ribeira de Faveta a n d Assomada w i t h d i f f e r e n c e s i n c o r n p l a n t v i g o r a n d s t a n d . S o i l a n d p l a n t s a m p l e s w e r e t a k e n a n d a n a l y s e d f o r m a c r o e l e m e n t s a n d m i c r o e l e m e n t s i n t h e l a b o r a t o r y . A l s o , p l a n t h e i g h t , p l a n t d e n s i t y , s l o p e , a s p e c t , a n d t h e d i s - t a n c e a w a y f r o m t h e h o u s e s w e r e m e a s u r e d . R e s u l t s o f s o i l a n d p l a n t a n a l y s i s i d e n t i f i e d P o t a s s i u m a n d P h o s p h o - r o u s t o b e r e l a t e d w i t h p l a n t h e i g h t

Cluster mutation-periodic quivers and associated Laurent sequences

We consider quivers/skew-symmetric matrices under the action of mutation (in the cluster algebra sense). We classify those which are isomorphic to their own mutation via a cycle permuting all the vertices, and give families of quivers which have higher periodicity. The periodicity means that sequences given by recurrence relations arise in a natural way from the associated cluster algebras. We present a number of interesting new families of non-linear recurrences, necessarily with the Laurent property, of both the real line and the plane, containing integrable maps as special cases. In particular, we show that some of these recurrences can be linearised and, with certain initial conditions, give integer sequences which contain all solutions of some particular Pell equations. We extend our construction to include recurrences with parameters, giving an explanation of some observations made by Gale. Finally, we point out a connection between quivers which arise in our classification and those arising in the context of quiver gauge theories.Comment: The final publication is available at www.springerlink.com. 42 pages, 35 figure

Mycobacterium leprae diversity and population dynamics in medieval Europe from novel ancient genomes

Background: Hansen’s disease (leprosy), widespread in medieval Europe, is today mainly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions with around 200,000 new cases reported annually. Despite its long history and appearance in historical records, its origins and past dissemination patterns are still widely unknown. Applying ancient DNA approaches to its major causative agent, Mycobacterium leprae, can significantly improve our understanding of the disease’s complex history. Previous studies have identified a high genetic continuity of the pathogen over the last 1500 years and the existence of at least four M. leprae lineages in some parts of Europe since the Early Medieval period. Results: Here, we reconstructed 19 ancient M. leprae genomes to further investigate M. leprae’s genetic variation in Europe, with a dedicated focus on bacterial genomes from previously unstudied regions (Belarus, Iberia, Russia, Scotland), from multiple sites in a single region (Cambridgeshire, England), and from two Iberian leprosaria. Overall, our data confirm the existence of similar phylogeographic patterns across Europe, including high diversity in leprosaria. Further, we identified a new genotype in Belarus. By doubling the number of complete ancient M. leprae genomes, our results improve our knowledge of the past phylogeography of M. leprae and reveal a particularly high M. leprae diversity in European medieval leprosaria. Conclusions: Our findings allow us to detect similar patterns of strain diversity across Europe with branch 3 as the most common branch and the leprosaria as centers for high diversity. The higher resolution of our phylogeny tree also refined our understanding of the interspecies transfer between red squirrels and humans pointing to a late antique/early medieval transmission. Furthermore, with our new estimates on the past population diversity of M. leprae, we gained first insights into the disease’s global history in relation to major historic events such as the Roman expansion or the beginning of the regular transatlantic long distance trade. In summary, our findings highlight how studying ancient M. leprae genomes worldwide improves our understanding of leprosy’s global history and can contribute to current models of M. leprae’s worldwide dissemination, including interspecies transmissions

Toward a Consensus on Guiding Principles for Health Systems Strengthening

Based upon a review of the literature, Robert Chad Swanson and colleagues present a set of guiding principles for health systems strengthening