On the Links-Gould invariant and the square of the Alexander polynomial

This paper gives a connection between well chosen reductions of the Links-Gould invariants of oriented links and powers of the Alexander-Conway polynomial. We prove these formulas by showing the representations of the braid groups we derive the specialized Links-Gould polynomials from can be seen as exterior powers of copies of Burau representations.Comment: 19 page

A lower bound for the genus of a knot using the Links-Gould invariant

The Links-Gould invariant of links $LG^{2,1}$ is a two-variable generalization of the Alexander-Conway polynomial. Using representation theory of $U_{q}\mathfrak{gl}(2 \vert 1)$, we prove that the degree of the Links-Gould polynomial provides a lower bound on the Seifert genus of any knot, therefore improving the bound known as the Seifert inequality in the case of the Alexander invariant. One practical consequence of this new genus bound is a straightforward proof of the fact that the Kinoshita-Terasaka and Conway knots have genus greater or equal to 2.Comment: 27 page

Neurodevelopmental Impairment in Children After Group B Streptococcal Disease Worldwide: Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.

BACKGROUND: Survivors of infant group B streptococcal (GBS) disease are at risk of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI), a burden not previously systematically quantified. This is the 10th of 11 articles estimating the burden of GBS disease. Here we aimed to estimate NDI in survivors of infant GBS disease. METHODS: We conducted systematic literature reviews (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature [LILACS], World Health Organization Library Information System [WHOLIS], and Scopus) and sought unpublished data on the risk of NDI after invasive GBS disease in infants <90 days of age. We did meta-analyses to derive pooled estimates of the percentage of infants with NDI following GBS meningitis. RESULTS: We identified 6127 studies, of which 18 met eligibility criteria, all from middle- or high-income contexts. All 18 studies followed up survivors of GBS meningitis; only 5 of these studies also followed up survivors of GBS sepsis and were too few to pool in a meta-analysis. Of meningitis survivors, 32% (95% CI, 25%-38%) had NDI at 18 months of follow-up, including 18% (95% CI, 13%-22%) with moderate to severe NDI. CONCLUSIONS: GBS meningitis is an important risk factor for moderate to severe NDI, affecting around 1 in 5 survivors. However, data are limited, and we were unable to estimate NDI after GBS sepsis. Comparability of studies is difficult due to methodological differences including variability in timing of clinical reviews and assessment tools. Follow-up of clinical cases and standardization of methods are essential to fully quantify the total burden of NDI associated with GBS disease, and inform program priorities

Obeticholic acid for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: interim analysis from a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial

Background Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common type of chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis. Obeticholic acid, a farnesoid X receptor agonist, has been shown to improve the histological features of NASH. Here we report results from a planned interim analysis of an ongoing, phase 3 study of obeticholic acid for NASH. Methods In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, adult patients with definite NASH,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score of at least 4, and fibrosis stages F2–F3, or F1 with at least oneaccompanying comorbidity, were randomly assigned using an interactive web response system in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive oral placebo, obeticholic acid 10 mg, or obeticholic acid 25 mg daily. Patients were excluded if cirrhosis, other chronic liver disease, elevated alcohol consumption, or confounding conditions were present. The primary endpointsfor the month-18 interim analysis were fibrosis improvement (≥1 stage) with no worsening of NASH, or NASH resolution with no worsening of fibrosis, with the study considered successful if either primary endpoint was met. Primary analyses were done by intention to treat, in patients with fibrosis stage F2–F3 who received at least one dose of treatment and reached, or would have reached, the month 18 visit by the prespecified interim analysis cutoff date. The study also evaluated other histological and biochemical markers of NASH and fibrosis, and safety. This study is ongoing, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02548351, and EudraCT, 20150-025601-6. Findings Between Dec 9, 2015, and Oct 26, 2018, 1968 patients with stage F1–F3 fibrosis were enrolled and received at least one dose of study treatment; 931 patients with stage F2–F3 fibrosis were included in the primary analysis (311 in the placebo group, 312 in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 308 in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). The fibrosis improvement endpoint was achieved by 37 (12%) patients in the placebo group, 55 (18%) in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group (p=0·045), and 71 (23%) in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group (p=0·0002). The NASH resolution endpoint was not met (25 [8%] patients in the placebo group, 35 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group [p=0·18], and 36 [12%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group [p=0·13]). In the safety population (1968 patients with fibrosis stages F1–F3), the most common adverse event was pruritus (123 [19%] in the placebo group, 183 [28%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 336 [51%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group); incidence was generally mild to moderate in severity. The overall safety profile was similar to that in previous studies, and incidence of serious adverse events was similar across treatment groups (75 [11%] patients in the placebo group, 72 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 93 [14%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). Interpretation Obeticholic acid 25 mg significantly improved fibrosis and key components of NASH disease activity among patients with NASH. The results from this planned interim analysis show clinically significant histological improvement that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. This study is ongoing to assess clinical outcomes

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Les invariants de Links-Gould comme généralisations du polynôme d’Alexander

In this thesis we focus on the connections that exist between two link invariants: first the Alexander-Conway invariant ∆ that was the first polynomial link invariant to be discovered, and one of the most thoroughly studied since alongside with the Jones polynomial, and on the other hand the family of Links-Gould invariants LGn,m that are quantum link invariants derived from super Hopf algebras Uqgl(n|m). We prove a case of the De Wit-Ishii-Links conjecture: in some cases we can recover powers of the Alexander polynomial as evaluations of the Links-Gould invariants. So the LG polynomials are generalizations of the Alexander invariant. Moreover we give evidence that these invariants should still have some of the most remarkable properties of the Alexander polynomial: they seem to offer a lower bound for the genus of links and a criterion for fiberedness of knots.On s’intéresse dans cette thèse aux rapports qui existent entre deux invariants d’entrelacs. D’une part l’invariant d’Alexander ∆ qui est l’invariant de nœuds le plus classique, et le plus étudié avec le polynôme de Jones, et d’autre part la famille des invariants de Links-Gould LGn,m qui sont des invariants quantiques dérivés des super algèbres de Hopf Uqgl(n|m). On démontre en particulier un cas de la conjecture de De Wit-Ishii-Links : certaines spécialisa- tions des polynômes de Links-Gould fournissent des puissances du polynôme d’Alexander. Les polynômes LG sont donc des généralisations du polynôme d’Alexander. On conjecture de plus que ces invariants conservent certaines propriétés homologiques bien connues de ∆ permettant d’évaluer le genre des entrelacs et de tester le caractère fibré des nœuds

The Links–Gould Invariant as a Classical Generalization of the Alexander Polynomial?

International audienceIn this article, we conjecture that the Links–Gould invariant of links, which we know is a generalization of the Alexander–Conway polynomial, shares some of its classical features. In particular, it seems to give a lower bound for the genus of links and to provide a criterion for fibredness of knots. We give some evidence for these two assumptions

The Links-Gould invariants as generalizations of the Alexander polynomial

On s’intéresse dans cette thèse aux rapports qui existent entre deux invariants d’entrelacs. D’une part l’invariant d’Alexander ∆ qui est l’invariant de nœuds le plus classique, et le plus étudié avec le polynôme de Jones, et d’autre part la famille des invariants de Links-Gould LGn,m qui sont des invariants quantiques dérivés des super algèbres de Hopf Uqgl(n|m). On démontre en particulier un cas de la conjecture de De Wit-Ishii-Links : certaines spécialisa- tions des polynômes de Links-Gould fournissent des puissances du polynôme d’Alexander. Les polynômes LG sont donc des généralisations du polynôme d’Alexander. On conjecture de plus que ces invariants conservent certaines propriétés homologiques bien connues de ∆ permettant d’évaluer le genre des entrelacs et de tester le caractère fibré des nœuds.In this thesis we focus on the connections that exist between two link invariants: first the Alexander-Conway invariant ∆ that was the first polynomial link invariant to be discovered, and one of the most thoroughly studied since alongside with the Jones polynomial, and on the other hand the family of Links-Gould invariants LGn,m that are quantum link invariants derived from super Hopf algebras Uqgl(n|m). We prove a case of the De Wit-Ishii-Links conjecture: in some cases we can recover powers of the Alexander polynomial as evaluations of the Links-Gould invariants. So the LG polynomials are generalizations of the Alexander invariant. Moreover we give evidence that these invariants should still have some of the most remarkable properties of the Alexander polynomial: they seem to offer a lower bound for the genus of links and a criterion for fiberedness of knots

Other quantum relatives of the Alexander polynomial through the Links-Gould invariants

International audienceOleg Viro studied in arXiv:math/0204290 two interpretations of the (multivariable) Alexander polynomial as a quantum link invariant: either by considering the quasitriangular Hopf algebra associated to $U_q sl(2)$ at fourth roots of unity, or by considering the super Hopf algebra $U_q gl(1|1)$. In this paper, we show these Hopf algebras share properties with the $-1$ specialization of $U_q gl(n|1)$ leading to the proof of a conjecture of David De Wit, Atsushi Ishii and Jon Links on the Links-Gould invariants