Decay of geodesic acoustic modes due to the combined action of phase mixing and Landau damping

Geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) are oscillations of the electric field whose importance in tokamak plasmas is due to their role in the regulation of turbulence. The linear collisionless damping of GAMs is investigated here by means of analytical theory and numerical simulations with the global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code ORB5. The combined effect of the phase mixing and Landau damping is found to quickly redistribute the GAM energy in phase-space, due to the synergy of the finite orbit width of the passing ions and the cascade in wave number given by the phase mixing. When plasma parameters characteristic of realistic tokamak profiles are considered, the GAM decay time is found to be an order of magnitude lower than the decay due to the Landau damping alone, and in some cases of the same order of magnitude of the characteristic GAM drive time due to the nonlinear interaction with an ITG mode. In particular, the radial mode structure evolution in time is investigated here and reproduced quantitatively by means of a dedicated initial value code and diagnostics.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Plasma

A New 3D Tool for Planning Plastic Surgery

Face plastic surgery (PS) plays a major role in today medicine. Both for reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, achieving harmony of facial features is an important, if not the major goal. Several systems have been proposed for presenting to patient and surgeon possible outcomes of the surgical procedure. In this paper, we present a new 3D system able to automatically suggest, for selected facial features as nose, chin, etc, shapes that aesthetically match the patient's face. The basic idea is suggesting shape changes aimed to approach similar but more harmonious faces. To this goal, our system compares the 3D scan of the patient with a database of scans of harmonious faces, excluding the feature to be corrected. Then, the corresponding features of the k most similar harmonious faces, as well as their average, are suitably pasted onto the patient's face, producing k+1 aesthetically effective surgery simulations. The system has been fully implemented and tested. To demonstrate the system, a 3D database of harmonious faces has been collected and a number of PS treatments have been simulated. The ratings of the outcomes of the simulations, provided by panels of human judges, show that the system and the underlying idea are effectiv

Recent Advances in Adhesive Bonding - The Role of Biomolecules, Nanocompounds, and Bonding Strategies in Enhancing Resin Bonding to Dental Substrates

Purpose of review: To present an overview on the main agents (i.e., biomolecules and nanocompounds) and/or strategies currently available to amplify or stabilize resin-dentin bonding. Recent findings: According to studies retrieved for full text reading (2014-2017), there are currently six major strategies available to overcome resin-dentin bond degradation: (i) use of collagen crosslinking agents, which may form stable covalent bonds with collagen fibrils, thus strengthening the hybrid layer; (ii) use of antioxidants, which may allow further polymerization reactions over time; (iii) use of protease inhibitors, which may inhibit or inactivate metalloproteinases; (iv) modification of the bonding procedure, which may be performed by using the ethanol wet-bonding technique or by applying an additional adhesive (hydrophobic) coating, thereby strengthening the hybrid layer; (v) laser treatment of the substrate prior to bonding, which may cause specific topographic changes in the surface of dental substrates, increasing bonding efficacy; and (vi) reinforcement of the resin matrix with inorganic fillers and/or remineralizing agents, which may positively enhance physico-mechanical properties of the hybrid layer. Summary: With the present review, we contributed to the better understanding of adhesion concepts and mechanisms of resin-dentin bond degradation, showing the current prospects available to solve that problematic. Also, adhesively-bonded restorations may be benefited by the use of some biomolecules, nanocompounds or alternative bonding strategies in order to minimize bond strength degradation

Extending the DAMA annual-modulation region by inclusion of the uncertainties in the astrophysical velocities

The original annual-modulation region, singled out by the DAMA/NaI experiment for direct detection of WIMPs, is extended by taking into account the uncertainties in the galactic astrophysical velocities. Also the effect due to a possible bulk rotation for the dark matter halo is considered. We find that the range for the WIMP mass becomes 30 GeV < m_chi < 130 GeV at 1-sigma C.L. with a further extension in the upper bound, when a possible bulk rotation of the dark matter halo is taken into account. We show that the DAMA results, when interpreted in the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, are consistent with a relic neutralino as a dominant component of cold dark matter (on the average in our universe and in our galactic halo). It is also discussed the discovery potential for the relevant supersymmetric configurations at accelerators of present generation.Comment: ReVTeX, 12 pages, 1 table, 7 figure

Detection Rates for Kaluza-Klein Dark Matter

We consider the lightest Kaluza-Klein particle at N=1 mode (LKP) of universal extra dimension to be the candidate for Dark Matter and predict the detection rates for such particles for Germenium and NaI detectors. We have also calculated the nature of annual modulation for the signals in these two types of detectors for LKP Dark Matter. The rates with different values of speed of solar system in the Galactic rest frame are also evaluated.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

SMYD3: An Oncogenic Driver Targeting Epigenetic Regulation and Signaling Pathways

SMYD3 is a member of the SMYD lysine methylase family and plays an important role in the methylation of various histone and non-histone targets. Aberrant SMYD3 expression contributes to carcinogenesis and SMYD3 upregulation was proposed as a prognostic marker in various solid cancers. Here we summarize SMYD3-mediated regulatory mechanisms, which are implicated in the pathophysiology of cancer, as drivers of distinct oncogenic pathways. We describe SMYD3-dependent mechanisms affecting cancer progression, highlighting SMYD3 interplay with proteins and RNAs involved in the regulation of cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. We also address the effectiveness and mechanisms of action for the currently available SMYD3 inhibitors. The findings analyzed herein demonstrate that a complex network of SMYD3-mediated cytoplasmic and nuclear interactions promote oncogenesis across different cancer types. These evidences depict SMYD3 as a modulator of the transcriptional response and of key signaling pathways, orchestrating multiple oncogenic inputs and ultimately, promoting transcriptional reprogramming and tumor transformation. Further insights into the oncogenic role of SMYD3 and its targeting of different synergistic oncogenic signals may be beneficial for effective cancer treatment

What is a fair wage? Reference points, entitlements and gift exchange

We look at the effect of endogenous and exogenous wage setting institutions on wage offers and effort in the classic gift exchange experiments (Fehr, Kirchsteiger and Riedl, 1993). An exogenously imposed minimum wage at the competitive outcome lowers average wage offers. Workers do not negatively reciprocate and continue to offer high effort. In the endogenous wage setting institution, where workers first make wage proposals, wage offers increase marginally and average effort decreases relative to the baseline when wage proposals are not matched. Relative to the baseline, efficiency decreases in the minimum wage treatment while it marginally increases in the endogenous treatment. We find evidence that the institutional structure has important implications towards wage offers, effort and efficiency

Nonlinear interplay of Alfven instabilities and energetic particles in tokamaks

The confinement of energetic particles (EP) is crucial for an efficient heating of tokamak plasmas. Plasma instabilities such as Alfven Eigenmodes (AE) can redistribute the EP population making the plasma heating less effective, and leading to additional loads on the walls. The nonlinear dynamics of toroidicity induced AE (TAE) is investigated by means of the global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code ORB5, within the NEMORB project. The nonperturbative nonlinear interplay of TAEs and EP due to the wave-particle nonlinearity is studied. In particular, we focus on the nonlinear modification of the frequency, growth rate and radial structure of the TAE, depending on the evolution of the EP distribution in phase space. For the ITPA benchmark case, we find that the frequency increases when the growth rate decreases, and the mode shrinks radially. This nonlinear evolution is found to be correctly reproduced by means of a quasilinear model, namely a model where the linear effects of the nonlinearly modified EP distribution function are retained.Comment: Submitted to Plasma Phys. Control. Fusio