The Orevkov invariant of an affine plane curve

We show that although the fundamental group of the complement of an algebraic affine plane curve is not easy to compute, it possesses a more accessible quotient, which we call the Orevkov invariant.

     

Universal nature of particle displacements close to glass and jamming transitions

We examine the structure of the distribution of single particle displacements (van Hove function) in a broad class of materials close to glass and jamming transitions. In a wide time window comprising structural relaxation, van Hove functions reflect the coexistence of slow and fast particles (dynamic heterogeneity). The tails of the distributions exhibit exponential, rather than Gaussian, decay. We argue that this behavior is universal in glassy materials and should be considered the analog, in space, of the stretched exponential decay of time correlation functions. We introduce a dynamical model that describes quantitatively numerical and experimental data in supercooled liquids, colloidal hard spheres, and granular materials. The tails of the distributions directly explain the decoupling between translational diffusion and structural relaxation observed in glassy materials.     

A longitudinal study of MR diffusion changes in normal appearing white matter of patients with early multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The stage at which normal appearing white matter (NAWM) abnormalities first appear in multiple sclerosis (MS) is not clear. The aim of our study was to monitor water diffusion changes over time in NAWM of patients with early MS.METHODS: Out of a consecutive series of patients enrolled in a MR study on clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), we selected 19 subjects who had completed a one year follow-up. The MR scans obtained at baseline and at 12 months were reviewed according to the new criteria on the diagnosis of MS. Lesion load on T2 and T1 weighted images and the trace of the apparent diffusion coefficient in NAWM were measured both at baseline and at 12 months in patients and in 12 healthy controls.RESULTS: In three patients the diagnosis of MS was done at baseline based on MR. Thirteen patients developed MS during the study and in three patients the diagnosis remained "possible MS." TADC in NAWM in patients was significantly higher than in controls at the 12 months' follow-up but not at baseline (controls mean tADC +/- sd = 0.745 +/- 0.02 mm(2)/sec x 10(-3); patients mean tADC(12) +/- sd = 0.767 +/- 0.02 mm(2)/sec x 10(-3); p < 0.02). TADC and T2 lesion load at 12 months were significantly correlated (p < 0.01). Patients exhibiting tADC(12) above a confidence interval had a significantly greater EDSS score at the same time period (EDSS(12) +/- sd = 1.9 +/- 0.5 and = 1.1 +/- 0.4 respectively; p < 0.01).CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that diffusion MR cannot detect alterations in NAWM of patients with a CIS suggestive of MS. After one year, when most patients develop MS, diffusion MR abnormalities in NAWM become apparent. These abnormalities are correlated with T2 lesion load and may contribute to neurological impairment.     

Cumulants and moments

We introduce a ¹-algebra of terminating sequences. The set of normalized linear functionals on this algebra is then equipped with a quasi-multiplication and thus with a multiplication. A state corresponds to a sequence of moments. With it we associate its sequence of cumulants. The quasi-multiplication relates cumulants and moments in a very easy way. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for a sequence to be a sequence of moments and necessary and sufficient conditions for a sequence to be a sequence of cumulants.     

Colloidal Analysis of Particles Extracted from Microalloyed Steels

Different colloidal particle characterization methods are examined for their suitability to determine the particle size distribution of particles extracted from steels. Microalloyed steels are dissolved to extract niobium and titanium carbonitride particles that are important for the mechanical properties of these steels. Such particles have sizes ranging from several nanometers to hundreds of nanometers depending on the precipitation stage during the thermomechanically controlled rolling process. The size distribution of the particles is analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), and hollow fiber flow field-flow fractionation (HF5) and compared to data obtained for reference particles as well as data from electron microscopy, the standard sizing technique used in metallurgy today. AUC and HF5 provide high-quality size distributions, average over large particle numbers that enables statistical analysis, and yield useful insights for alloy design; however, DLS fails due to a lack of resolution. Important aspects in the conversion and comparison of size distributions obtained for broadly distributed particle systems with different measurement principles and the role of surfactants used in sample preparation are discussed.     

Internal electron-positron pair production from electric monopole transitions

The yield curve of the reaction⁵⁶Fe(p,γ)⁵⁷Co has been measured over the energy rangeE _p =1,300–1,900 keV and the decay of nine resonances has been investigated. For twelve of the resonances the strengths have been determined. The angular distributions of the gamma rays have been recorded for resonances atE _p =1,599, 1,623, 1,643 and 1,649 keV, giving spin-parity assignmentsJ ^π=3/2^? for all four resonances. The resonances atE _p =1,623, 1,643 and 1,649 keV have been identified as the split analogue resonances of the 367 (J ^π=3/2^?) states in⁵⁷Fe. TheM1 transition strengths to the corresponding antianalogue states have been measured and compared with theoretical predictions.     

On the growth of meromorphic functions of infinite order

Letf be a meromorphic function of infinite order,T(r, f) its Nevanlinna (or Ahlfors-Shimizu) characteristic, andM(r, f) its maximum modulus. It is proved that $$\mathop {\lim \inf }\limits_{r \to \infty } \frac{{\log M(r,f)}}{{rT'(r,f)}} \leqslant \pi and\mathop {\lim \inf }\limits_{r \to \infty } \frac{{\log M(r,f)}}{{T(r,f)\psi (log T(r,f))}} = 0$$ . if ? (x)/x is non-decreasing, ?′(x)<-√?(x) and ∝^∞ dx/?(x) < ∞.     

Approximate neutrality of large-Z ions

LetN(Z) denote the number of electrons which a nucleus of chargeZ can bind in non-relativistic quantum mechanics (assuming that electrons are fermions). We prove thatN(Z)/Z1 asZ.Research partially supported by the NSERC under Grant NA7901 and by the USNSF under Grants DMS-8416049 and PHY 85-15288-A01