Additive Hermitian idempotent preservers between operator algebras

Let L be an additive map between (real or complex) matrix algebras sending $n\times n$ Hermitian idempotent matrices to $m\times m$ Hermitian idempotent matrices. We show that there are nonnegative integers $p,q$ with $n(p+q)=r\le m$ and an $m\times m$ unitary matrix U such that$L(A)=U[(I_p?A)\oplus (I_q?A^t)\oplus 0_{m?r}]U^{?},\text{for any}n\times n\text{Hermitian}A\text{with rational trace}.$ We also extend this result to the (complex) von Neumann algebra setting, and provide a supplement to the Dye-Bunce-Wright Theorem asserting that every additive map of Hermitian idempotents extends to a Jordan ?-homomorphism.     

Coupled intervals in the discrete calculus of variations: necessity and sufficiency

In this work we study nonnegativity and positivity of a discrete quadratic functional with separately varying endpoints. We introduce a notion of an interval coupled with 0, and hence, extend the notion of conjugate interval to 0 from the case of fixed to variable endpoint(s). We show that the nonnegativity of the discrete quadratic functional is equivalent to each of the following conditions: The nonexistence of intervals coupled with 0, the existence of a solution to Riccati matrix equation and its boundary conditions. Natural strengthening of each of these conditions yields a characterization of the positivity of the discrete quadratic functional. Since the quadratic functional under consideration could be a second variation of a discrete calculus of variations problem with varying endpoints, we apply our results to obtain necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for such problems. This paper generalizes our recent work in [R. Hilscher, V. Zeidan, Comput. Math. Appl., to appear], where the right endpoint is fixed.     

Patterns and Symmetries in the Visual Cortex and in Natural Images

As borders between different entities, lines are an important element of natural images. Indeed, the neurons of the mammalian visual cortex are tuned to respond best to lines of a given orientation. This preferred orientation varies continuously across most of the cortex, but also has vortex-like singularities known as pinwheels. In attempting to describe such patterns of orientation preference, we are led to consider underlying rotation symmetries: Oriented segments in natural images tend to be collinear; neurons are more likely to be connected if their preferred orientations are aligned to their topographic separation. These are indications of a reduced symmetry requiring joint rotations of both orientation preference and the underlying topography. This is verified by direct statistical tests in both natural images and in cortical maps. Using the statistics of natural scenes we construct filters that are best suited to extracting information from such images, and find qualitative similarities to mammalian vision. PACS84.35+i 89.70.+c 87.57.Nk     

Conjugate addition of pyrroles to α,β-unsaturated ketones using copper bromide as a catalyst

Copper bromide was used as a catalyst for the addition of pyrroles to enones. When both the reactants were used in equimolar amounts, mono and dialkylated products were obtained. However, the use of excess enone furnished only dialkylated products. Thus, copper bromide was shown to be an efficient catalyst for the dialkylation of pyrroles.     

强流脉冲高斯分布束在磁四极透镜中的非线性传输

用李代数方法分析了高斯分布下强流脉冲束在磁四极透镜中的非线性传输.在高斯分布下,束流的空间电荷势可利用Green函数算出,进而可以得到包含束流自场的粒子运动的Hamilton函数.再施加李变换,就可以得到粒子运动的各级近似解.本文给出二级近似下的结果,根据需要,还可以扩展到更高级近似.计算过程需要进行迭代,即根据每次算出的轨迹值,确定束团在三维实空间中的大小,然后再进行迭代,直到满足精度要求为止.     

Cyclic permutations and evolutionary trees

Given a tree with leaf set X, there are certain ways of arranging the elements of X in a circular order so that can be embedded in the plane and ‘preserve’ this ordering. We investigate some new combinatorial properties of these ‘circular orderings.’ We then use these properties to establish two results concerning dissimilarity maps on X that are induced by edge-weighted trees with leaf set X.     

Regular Balanced Cayley Maps for Cyclic, Dihedral and Generalized Quaternion Groups

A Cayley map is a Cayley graph embedded in an orientable surface such that. the local rotations at every vertex are identical. In this paper, balanced regular Cayley maps for cyclic groups, dihedral groups, and generalized quaternion groups are classified.     

Dynamics of the periodic type-K competitive Kolmogorov systems

For time-periodic dissipative and irreducible type-K competitive Kolmogorov systems, it is proved that there is a canonically defined countable family F of unordered, disjoint invariant sets with the property that, for every persistent trajectory whose ω-limit set is not a cycle, there exists a unique trajectory in some element of F such that these two trajectories are asymptotic and the corresponding points in these two trajectories are K-related.