Collineations of a symmetric 2-covariant tensor: Ricci collineations

The infinitesimal transformations that leave invariant a two-covariant symmetric tensor are studied. The interest of these symmetry transformations lays in the fact that this class of tensors includes the energy-momentum and Ricci tensors. We find that in most cases the class of infinitesimal generators of these transformations is a finite dimensional Lie algebra, but in some cases exhibiting a higher degree of degeneracy, this class is infinite dimensional and may fail to be a Lie algebra. As an application, we study the Ricci collineations of a type B warped spacetime.

El exilio de la razón: Isabel de Bohemia y Simone Weil ante la ciencia cartesiana

Casi 300 años distancian la correspondencia de Isabel de Bohemia con Descartes de la lectura que del autor hace Simone Weil. Las dos, sin embargo, muestran una sutil comprensión de la aportación cartesiana y un empeño por hacerse cargo del significado de la misma en la constitución de la ciencia moderna, considerando las implicaciones de la sustitución de la geometría por el álgebra. Las dos subrayan también las dificultades queencuentran en el cartesianismo a la hora de enfocar la relación entre autoconocimiento einvestigación del mundo natural, un problema cuyas consecuencias centrarán buena partedel debate teórico del siglo XX.La investigación de las posibles coincidencias entre estas lecturas pretende aportar una perspectiva en la que se clarifican aspectos decisivos tanto del interés de estas autoras por la fundarnentación de la ciencia, como de los términos en los que, desde su origen, seplantean problemas que continúan abiertos.Casi 300 años distancian la correspondencia de Isabel de Bohemia con Descartes de la lectura que del autor hace Simone Weil. Las dos, sin embargo, muestran una sutil comprensión de la aportación cartesiana y un empeño por hacerse cargo del significado de la misma en la constitución de la ciencia moderna, considerando las implicaciones de la sustitución de la geometría por el álgebra. Las dos subrayan también las dificultades que encuentran en el cartesianismo a la hora de enfocar la relación entre autoconocimiento einvestigación del mundo natural, un problema cuyas consecuencias centrarán buena partedel debate teórico del siglo XX.La investigación de las posibles coincidencias entre estas lecturas pretende aportar una perspectiva en la que se clarifican aspectos decisivos tanto del interés de estas autoras por la fundarnentación de la ciencia, como de los términos en los que, desde su origen, seplantean problemas que continúan abiertos.

Finite-temperature QED effects in atoms

We argue that low-temperature effects in QED can, if anywhere, only be quantitatively interesting for bound electrons. Unluckily the dominant thermal contribution turns out to be level independent, so that it does not affect the frequency of the transition radiation.

Strange nonchaotic attractors in Harper maps

We study the existence of strange nonchaotic attractors (SNA) in the family of Harper maps. We prove that for a set of parameters of positive measure, the map possesses a SNA. However, the set is nowhere dense. By changing the parameter arbitrarily small amounts, the attractor is a smooth curve and not a SNA.

On the coincidence between the Shimomura's bargaining sets and the core

[cat] En l'article es dona una condició necessària per a que els conjunts de negociació definits per Shimomura (1997) i el nucli d'un joc cooperatiu amb utilitat transferible coincideixin. A tal efecte, s'introdueix el concepte de vectors de màxim pagament. La condició necessària consiteix a verificar que aquests vectors pertanyen al nucli del joc.

Controvérsias sobre educação matemática no Brasil: Malba Tahan versus Jacomo Stávale

Este texto tem por objetivo analisar historicamente debate entre dois professores brasileiros de matemática no início dos anos de 1930. Nessa época, foi criada a primeira lei nacional de ensino - Reforma Francisco Campos - com um currículo nacional que caracterizava, pela primeira vez no país, a disciplina denominada "Matemática", resultado da integração dos ramos independentes aritmética, álgebra e geometria. Os protagonistas da discussão foram os professores Júlio César de Mello e Souza (1895-1974) e Jacomo Stávale (1881-1956). Com a análise da controvérsia, busca-se compreender como o cotidiano escolar brasileiro apropriou-se da primeira proposta de internacionalização do ensino de Matemática, surgida há mais de vinte anos antes da polêmica.

Estimating biophysical variable dependences with kernels

This paper introduces a nonlinear measure of dependence between random variables in the context of remote sensing data analysis. The Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion (HSIC) is a kernel method for evaluating statistical dependence. HSIC is based on computing the Hilbert-Schmidt norm of the cross-covariance operator of mapped samples in the corresponding Hilbert spaces. The HSIC empirical estimator is very easy to compute and has good theoretical and practical properties. We exploit the capabilities of HSIC to explain nonlinear dependences in two remote sensing problems: temperature estimation and chlorophyll concentration prediction from spectra. Results show that, when the relationship between random variables is nonlinear or when few data are available, the HSIC criterion outperforms other standard methods, such as the linear correlation or mutual information.

Front propagation in spatially modulated media

A two-dimensional reaction-diffusion front which propagates in a modulated medium is studied. The modulation consists of a spatial variation of the local front velocity in the transverse direction to that of the front propagation. We study analytically and numerically the final steady-state velocity and shape of the front, resulting from a nontrivial interplay between the local curvature effects and the global competition process between different maxima of the control parameter. The transient dynamics of the process is also studied numerically and analytically by means of singular perturbation techniques.

Wave competition in excitable modulated media.

The propagation of an initially planar front is studied within the framework of the photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction modulated by a smooth spatial variation of the local front velocity in the direction perpendicular to front propagation. Under this modulation, the wave front develops several fingers corresponding to the local maxima of the modulation function. After a transient, the wave front achieves a stationary shape that does not necessarily coincide with the one externally imposed by the modulation. Theoretical predictions for the selection criteria of fingers and steady-state velocity are experimentally validated.

Percolation thresholds in chemical disordered excitable media

The behavior of chemical waves advancing through a disordered excitable medium is investigated in terms of percolation theory and autowave properties in the framework of the light-sensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. By controlling the number of sites with a given illumination, different percolation thresholds for propagation are observed, which depend on the relative wave transmittances of the two-state medium considered.

Reaction-diffusion fronts under stochastic advection

We study front propagation in stirred media using a simplified modelization of the turbulent flow. Computer simulations reveal the existence of the two limiting propagation modes observed in recent experiments with liquid phase isothermal reactions. These two modes respectively correspond to a wrinkled although sharp propagating interface and to a broadened one. Specific laws relative to the enhancement of the front velocity in each regime are confirmed by our simulations.