Abstract: We construct a general family of exact non-extremal 4-dimensional black holes in AdS gravity with U(1) gauge fields non-minimally coupled to a dilaton and a non-trivial dilaton potential. These black holes can have spherical, toroidal, and hyperbolic horizon topologies. We use the entropy function formalism to obtain the near horizon data in the extremal limit. Due to the non-trivial self-interaction of the scalar field, the zero temperature black holes can have a finite horizon area even if only the electric field is turned on. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: We find broad classes of exact 4-dimensional asymptotically flat black hole solutions in Einstein-Maxwell theories with a non-minimally coupled dilaton and its non-trivial potential. We consider a few interesting limits, in particular, a regular generalization of the dilatonic Reissner-Nordstrom solution and, also, smooth deformations of supersymmetric black holes. Further examples are provided for more general dilaton potentials. We discuss the thermodynamical properties and show that the first law is satisfied. In the non-extremal case the entropy depends, as expected, on the asymptotic value of the dilaton. In the extremal limit, the entropy is determined purely in terms of charges and is independent of the asymptotic value of the dilaton. The attractor mechanism can be used as a criterion for the existence of the regular solutions. Since there is a 'competition' between the effective potential and dilaton potential, we also obtain regular extremal black hole solutions with just one U(1) gauge field turned on.

Abstract: Deterministic Boolean networks are a type of discrete dynamical systems widely used in the modeling of genetic networks. The dynamics of such systems is characterized by the local activation functions and the update schedule, i.e., the order in which the nodes are updated. In this paper, we address the problem of knowing the different dynamics of a Boolean network when the update schedule is changed. We begin by proving that the problem of the existence of a pair of update schedules with different dynamics is NP-complete. However, we show that certain structural properties of the interaction digraph are sufficient for guaranteeing distinct dynamics of a network. In [1] the authors define equivalence classes which have the property that all the update schedules of a given class yield the same dynamics. In order to determine the dynamics associated to a network, we develop an algorithm to efficiently enumerate the above equivalence classes by selecting a representative update schedule for each class with a minimum number of blocks. Finally, we run this algorithm on the well known Arabidopsis thaliana network to determine the full spectrum of its different dynamics. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The aim was to find craniofacial morphology patterns in a multivariate cephalometric database using a clustering technique. Cephalometric analysis was performed in a sample of 100 teleradiographs collected from Chilean orthodontic patients. Thirty cephalometric measurements were taken from commonly used analysis. The computed variables were used to perform a clustering analysis with the k-means algorithm to identify patterns of craniofacial morphology. The J48 decision tree was used to analyze each cluster, and the ANOVA test to determine the statistical differences between the clusters. Four clusters were found that had significant differences (P<0.001) in 24 of the 30 variables studied, suggesting that they represent different patterns of craniofacial form. Using the decision tree, 8 of the 30 variables appeared to be relevant for describing the clusters. The clustering analysis is effective in identifying different craniofacial patterns based on a multivariate database. The distinct clusters appear to be caused by differences in the compensation process of the facial structure responding to a genetically determined cranial and mandible form. The proposed method can be applied to several databases, creating specific classifications for each one of them.

Abstract: The circulating fluidized bed is of increasing importance for gas-solid and gas-catalytic reactions, for drying, and recently its use in solar energy capture and storage has been advocated. In all applications, the supply or withdrawal of heat is a major issue, and the heat transfer coefficient from the gas-solid suspension to the heat transfer surface needs to be determined as design parameter. The present paper investigates the heat transfer coefficient for different operating gas velocity and solids circulation flux, whilst covering the different hydrodynamic solid flow regimes of dilute, core-annulus or dense mode. Measured values of the wall-to-bed heat transfer coefficients are compared with empirical predictions of both Molodstof and Muzyka, and Golriz and Grace. The application of a packet renewal mechanism at the wall is also investigated, and introducing the predicted solid contact time at the wall provides a very fair estimate of the heat transfer coefficient. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Vertex operators in string theory me in two varieties: integrated and unintegrated. Understanding both types is important for the calculation of the string theory amplitudes. The relation between them is a descent procedure typically involving the b-ghost. In the pure spinor formalism vertex operators can be identified as cohomology classes of an infinite-dimensional Lie superalgebra formed by covariant derivatives. We show that in this language the construction of the integrated vertex from an unintegrated vertex is very straightforward, and amounts to the evaluation of the cocycle on the generalized Lax currents.

Abstract: We present a transit equilibrium model in which boarding decisions are stochastic. The model incorporates congestion, reflected in higher waiting times at bus stops and increasing in-vehicle travel time. The stochastic behavior of passengers is introduced through a probability for passengers to choose boarding a specific bus of a certain service. The modeling approach generates a stochastic common-lines problem, in which every line has a chance to be chosen by each passenger. The formulation is a generalization of deterministic transit assignment models where passengers are assumed to travel according to shortest hyperpaths. We prove existence of equilibrium in the simplified case of parallel lines (stochastic common-lines problem) and provide a formulation for a more general network problem (stochastic transit equilibrium). The resulting waiting time and network load expressions are validated through simulation. An algorithm to solve the general stochastic transit equilibrium is proposed and applied to a sample network; the algorithm works well and generates consistent results when considering the stochastic nature of the decisions, which motivates the implementation of the methodology on a real-size network case as the next step of this research. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The bewildering morphological diversity found in cells is one of the starkest illustrations of lifes ability to self-organize. Yet the morphogenetic mechanisms that produce the multifarious shapes of cells are still poorly understood. The shared similarities between the walled cells of prokaryotes, many protists, fungi, and plants make these groups particularly appealing to begin investigating how morphological diversity is generated at the cell level. In this review, I attempt a first classification of the different modes of surface deformation used by walled cells. Five modes of deformation were identified: inextensional bending, equi-area shear, elastic stretching, processive intussusception, and chemorheological growth. The two most restrictive modesuinextensional and equi-area deformationsuare embodied in the exine of pollen grains and the wall-like pellicle of euglenoids, respectively. For these modes, it is possible to express the deformed geometry of the cell explicitly in terms of the undeformed geometry and other easily observable geometrical parameters. The greatest morphogenetic power is reached with the processive intussusception and chemorheological growth mechanisms that underlie the expansive growth of walled cells. A comparison of these two growth mechanisms suggests a possible way to tackle the complexity behind wall growth.

Abstract: The ability of organisms to perform at different temperatures could be described by a continuous nonlinear reaction norm (i.e., thermal performance curve, TPC), in which the phenotypic trait value varies as a function of temperature. Almost any shift in the parameters of this performance curve could highlight the direct effect of temperature on organism fitness, providing a powerful framework for testing thermal adaptation hypotheses. Inter-and intraspecific differences in this performance curve are also reflected in thermal tolerances limits (e. g., critical and lethal limits), influencing the biogeographic patterns of species' distribution. Within this context, here we investigated the intraspecific variation in thermal sensitivities and thermal tolerances in three populations of the invasive snail Cornu aspersum across a geographical gradient, characterized by different climatic conditions. Thus, we examined population differentiation in the TPCs, thermal-coma recovery times, expression of heat-shock proteins and standard metabolic rate (i.e., energetic costs of physiological differentiation). We tested two competing hypotheses regarding thermal adaptation (the “hotter is better” and the generalist-specialist trade-offs). Our results show that the differences in thermal sensitivity among populations of C. aspersum follow a latitudinal pattern, which is likely the result of a combination of thermodynamic constraints (“hotter is better”) and thermal adaptations to their local environments (generalist-specialist trade-offs). This finding is also consistent with some thermal tolerance indices such as the Heat-Shock Protein Response and the recovery time from chill-coma. However, mixed responses in the evaluated traits suggest that thermal adaptation in this species is not complete, as we were not able to detect any differences in neither energetic costs of physiological differentiation among populations, nor in the heat-coma recovery.

Abstract: We study the problem of predicting the state of a vertex in automata networks, where the state at each site is given by the majority function over its neighborhood. We show that for networks with maximum degree greater than 5 the problem is P-Complete, simulating a monotone Boolean circuit. Then, we show that the problem for networks with no vertex with degree greater than 4 is in NC, giving a fast parallel algorithm. Finally, we apply the result to the study of related problems. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.