The Segal-Bargmann Transform on Classical Matrix Lie Groups

We study the complex-time Segal-Bargmann transform $\mathbf{B}_{s,\tau}^{K_N}$ on a compact type Lie group $K_N$, where $K_N$ is one of the following classical matrix Lie groups: the special orthogonal group $\mathrm{SO}(N,\mathbb{R})$, the special unitary group $\mathrm{SU}(N)$, or the compact symplectic group $\mathrm{Sp}(N)$. Our work complements and extends the results of Driver, Hall, and Kemp on the Segal-Bargman transform for the unitary group $\mathrm{U}(N)$. We provide an effective method of computing the action of the Segal-Bargmann transform on \emph{trace polynomials}, which comprise a subspace of smooth functions on $K_N$ extending the polynomial functional calculus. Using these results, we show that as $N\to\infty$, the finite-dimensional transform $\mathbf{B}_{s,\tau}^{K_N}$ has a meaningful limit $\mathscr{G}_{s,\tau}^{(\beta)}$ (where $\beta$ is a parameter associated with $\mathrm{SO}(N,\mathbb{R})$, $\mathrm{SU}(N)$, or $\mathrm{Sp}(N)$), which can be identified as an operator on the space of complex Laurent polynomials

Abelian Splittings and JSJ-Decompositions of Bestvina--Brady Groups

We give a characterization of Bestvina--Brady groups split over abelian subgroups and describe a JSJ-decomposition of Bestvina--Brady groups.Comment: Fix the proof of Theorem 3.

Proceedings of the biosimilars workshop at the International Symposium on Oncology Pharmacy Practice 2019.

The International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners organized a workshop to create learning opportunities on biosimilars in pharmacy practice on 10 October 2019. The topics that were covered included (i) the development and testing of biosimilars, (ii) the challenges of bringing biosimilars to market, and (iii) real-world data on patient safety and perceptions during biosimilar implementation. The development of biosimilars can take up to eight years and the extensiveness of the process depends on several factors, such as the complexity of the production process and regulatory requirements. Compared to generic products of small-molecule drugs, there is a higher barrier to market entry for biosimilars, explaining the small number of biosimilars in the market. Appraisal of biosimilars for inclusion in hospital formularies is also different from the review process of originator biologics, where the former is usually institution-led and has fewer restrictions on use. When several biosimilar products are available, factors that should be considered besides cost are licensed indications, supply chain confidence, clinical data, and product attributes. Real-world data have shown that biosimilars are well-tolerated and have safety data that are comparable to that of the originator product. Oncology pharmacists from the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Canada also presented their respective experiences with biosimilar use. Different countries at varying stages of biosimilar implementation faced distinct challenges. Nevertheless, resources to assist biosimilar implementation can potentially be shared between different regions. International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners is well-positioned to foster professional cooperation at an international level to drive biosimilar implementation

Effects of force-torque and tactile haptic modalities on classifying the success of robot manipulation tasks

We investigate which haptic sensing modalities, or combination of haptic sensing modalities, best enable a robot to determine whether it successfully completed a manipulation task. In this paper, we consider haptic sensing modalities obtained from a wrist-mounted force-torque sensor and three types of fingertip sensors: a pair of FlexiForce force-sensing resistors, a pair of NumaTac sensors, and a pair of BioTac sensors. For each type of fingertip sensor, we simultaneously record force-torque and fingertip tactile data as the robot attempted to complete two manipulation tasks-a picking task and a scooping task-two-hundred times each. We leverage the resulting dataset to train and test a classification method using forty-one different haptic feature combinations, obtained from exhaustive combinations of individual modalities of the force-torque sensor and fingertip sensors. Our results show that the classification method's ability to distinguish between successful and unsuccessful task attempts depends on both the type of manipulation task and the subset of haptic modalities used to train and test the classification method.Accepted manuscrip

Surveillance in Hogwarts: Dumbledore's balancing act between managerialism and anarchism

This article considers the fictional depiction of surveillance in Harry Potter, and compares the two different models of school leadership represented by Dolores Umbridge and Albus Dumbledore. The Harry Potter books put forward a vision of school leadership that affirms the necessity of surveillance. The optimal degree of surveillance means a fine balance between managerialism and anarchism. Neither a panoptic gaze of discipline and management which aims to control the minutest details of a person’s action, nor the absence of surveillance is desirable. Hogwarts is a surveillance school, and the difference between the two principals, both of whom insist on the maintenance of a hierarchical power structure, lies in the extent to which surveillance is in operation. Whereas Umbridge represents the failure of extreme managerialism which only results in fierce resistance, Dumbledore is portrayed as the desirable model of a temperate leader who, through reducing management and developing trust, succeeds in cultivating in students a version of discipline that is not based on external behaviour but on internal values

Borsuk-Ulam theorems for products of spheres and Stiefel manifolds revisited

We give a different and possibly more accessible proof of a general Borsuk--Ulam theorem for a product of spheres, originally due to Ramos. That is, we show the non-existence of certain $(\mathbb{Z}/2)^k$-equivariant maps from a product of $k$ spheres to the unit sphere in a real $(\mathbb{Z}/2)^k$-representation of the same dimension. Our proof method allows us to derive Borsuk--Ulam theorems for certain equivariant maps from Stiefel manifolds, from the corresponding results about products of spheres, leading to alternative proofs and extensions of some results of Fadell and Husseini.Comment: 8 pages, Topological Methods in Nonlinear Analysis, to appea

QoE Optimization of Video Multicast with Heterogeneous Channels and Playback Requirements

We propose an application-layer forward error correction (AL-FEC) code rate allocation scheme to maximize the quality of experience (QoE) of a video multicast. The allocation dynamically assigns multicast clients to the quality layers of a scalable video bitstream, based on their heterogeneous channel qualities and video playback capabilities. Normalized mean opinion score (NMOS) is employed to value the client's quality of experience across various possible adaptations of a multilayer video, coded using mixed spatial-temporal-amplitude scalability. The scheme provides assurance of reception of the video layers using fountain coding and effectively allocates coding rates across the layers to maximize a multicast utility measure. An advantageous feature of the proposed scheme is that the complexity of the optimization is independent of the number of clients. Additionally, a convex formulation is proposed that attains close to the best performance and offers a reliable alternative when further reduction in computational complexity is desired. The optimization is extended to perform suppression of QoE fluctuations for clients with marginal channel qualities. The scheme offers a means to trade-off service utility for the entire multicast group and clients with the worst channels. According to the simulation results, the proposed optimization framework is robust against source rate variations and limited amount of client feedback.Comment: 29 pages, 5 tables, 11 figures, to appear in EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networkin