In this paper, we observe that the brane functional studied in hep-th/9910245 can be used to generalize some of the works that Schoen and I [4] did many years ago. The key idea is that if a three dimensional manifold M has a boundary with strongly positive mean curvature, the effect of this mean curvature can influence the internal geometry of M. For example, if the scalar curvature of M is greater than certain constant related to this boundary effect, no incompressible surface of higher genus can exist.

In brain mapping research, parameterized 3-D surface models are of great interest for statistical comparisons of anatomy, surface-based registration, and signal processing. Here, we introduce the theories of continuous and discrete surface Ricci flow, which can create Riemannian metrics on surfaces with arbitrary topologies with user-defined Gaussian curvatures. The resulting conformal parameterizations have no singularities and they are intrinsic and stable. First, we convert a cortical surface model into a multiple boundary surface by cutting along selected anatomical landmark curves. Secondly, we conformally parameterize each cortical surface to a parameter domain with a user-designed Gaussian curvature arrangement. In the parameter domain, a shape index based on conformal invariants is computed, and inter-subject cortical surface matching is performed by solving a constrained harmonic map. We

We construct balanced metrics on the family of non-Khler Calabi-Yau threefolds that are obtained by smoothing after contracting ( 1, 1) -rational curves on a Khler Calabi-Yau threefold. As an application, we construct balanced metrics on complex manifolds diffeomorphic to the connected sum of ( 1, 1) copies of ( 1, 1) .

Eigenvalues and capacitors. Let X be a Riemannian manifold and be the Laplace operator on X. It is well-known that if X is compact then the spectrum of is discrete and consists of an increasing sequence {k} k= 1 of the eigenvalues (counted with the multiplicities) where 1= 0 and k as k. Moreover, if n= dim X then Weyls asymptotic formula says that (1.1) k cn

1. Statement of results Let Mn be a compact manifold of dimension n endowed with a Riemannian metric. The spectrum of the Laplacian,, acting on functions form a discrete set of the form {0< 1 2 k}. In 1970, Joseph Hersch [5] gave a sharp upper bound for the first non-zero eigenvalue 1 for any Riemannian metric on the 2-sphere in terms of its volume alone. Similar estimates for 1 on any compact oriented surfaces were derived by Yang-Yau [7]. The second and the third authors [6] studied the nonorientable surfaces and pointed out the relationship of 1 and the conformal class of the surface. In fact, their estimates were applied to study the Willmore problem. Another application of these types of upper bounds was found by Choi-Schoen [3] in relation to the set of all minimal surfaces in a compact 3-manifold of positive Ricci curvature. The purpose of this paper is to prove a higher dimensional generalization of the above results. It was pointed out by Marcel Berger [1] that Herschs theorem fails in higher dimensional spheres. In view of the relationship between 1 and the conformal