Slopes of trigonal fibred surfaces and of higher dimensional fibrations

We give lower bounds for the slope of higher dimensional fibrations f : X \u2192 B over curves under conditions of GIT-semistability of the fibres, using a generalization of a method of Cornalba and Harris. With the same method we establish a sharp lower bound for the slope of trigonal fibrations of even genus and general Maroni invariant; in particular this result proves a conjecture due to Harris and Stankova-Frenkel

On the topological index of irregular surfaces

We study the topological index of some irregular surfaces that we call generalized Lagrangian. We show that under certain hypotheses on the base locus of the Lagrangian system the topological index is non-negative. For the minimal surfaces of general type with $q=4$ and $p_g=5$ we prove the same statement without any hypothesis

Stability conditions and positivity of invariants of fibrations

We study three methods that prove the positivity of a natural numerical invariant associated to $1-$parameter families of polarized varieties. All these methods involve different stability conditions. In dimension 2 we prove that there is a natural connection between them, related to a yet another stability condition, the linear stability. Finally we make some speculations and prove new results in higher dimension.Comment: Final version, to appear in the Springer volume dedicated to Klaus Hulek on the occasion of his 60-th birthda

Heme modulates smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration via NADPH oxidase: A counter-regulatory role for heme oxygenase system

AbstractAccumulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in response to inflammatory stimuli is a key event in atherogenesis, which commonly occurs in sinuous vessels with turbulent blood flow what leads to hemolysis and consequent free heme accumulation, a known pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory molecule.In this work, we investigated the effects of free heme on VSMC, and the molecular mechanisms underlying this process.Free heme induces a concentration-dependent migration and proliferation of VSMC which depends on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from NADPH oxidase (NADPHox) activity. Additionally, heme activates redox-sensitive proliferation-related signaling routes, such as Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) and NF-κB, and induces Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. NADPHox-dependent proliferative effect of heme seems to be endogenously modulated by HO since the pretreatment of VSMC with HO inhibitors potentiates heme-induced proliferation and, in parallel, increases ROS production. These effects were no longer observed in the presence of heme metabolites, carbon monoxide and biliverdin.The data indicate that VSMC proliferation induced by heme is endogenously modulated by a critical counter-regulatory crosstalk between NADPHox and HO systems

Finite Hilbert stability of (bi)canonical curves

We prove that a generic canonically or bicanonically embedded smooth curve has semistable m-th Hilbert points for all m. We also prove that a generic bicanonically embedded smooth curve has stable m-th Hilbert points for all m \geq 3. In the canonical case, this is accomplished by proving finite Hilbert semistability of special singular curves with G_m-action, namely the canonically embedded balanced ribbon and the canonically embedded balanced double A_{2k+1}-curve. In the bicanonical case, we prove finite Hilbert stability of special hyperelliptic curves, namely Wiman curves. Finally, we give examples of canonically embedded smooth curves whose m-th Hilbert points are non-semistable for low values of m, but become semistable past a definite threshold. (This paper subsumes the previous submission and arXiv:1110.5960).Comment: To appear in Inventiones Mathematicae, 2012. The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

DL5o da bactéria Aeromonas hydrophila para o matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus

In order to determine the lethal dose (96-h LD50) of the bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila to matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus, to be applied in challenge tests, 90 fish (63.23 ± 6.39 g) were divided into five treatments, with different bacterial solutionsT1 - Control (0.9% NaCl saline solution); T2 (4 x 10(11) cells/ mL); T3 (5 x 10(11) cells/ mL); T4 (1.36 x 10(12) cells/ mL) and T5 (3.06 x 10(12) cells/ mL). Fish were previously anesthetized with benzocaine (60 mg L-1), inoculated in the peritoneal cavity with the bacterial suspensions and then distributed into fifteen 80-L test chambers, where the water variables were monitored and fish mortality was observed. The experiment was randomly designed in three replicates and the 96-h LD50 was estimated according to the trimmed Spearman-Karber method. Water quality variables remained within adequate ranges for fish health and performance. Fish mortality rate increased with the bacterial concentrations of A. hydrophila (T1 = 0%; T2 = 16.66%; T3 = 44.44%; T4 = 72.22% and T5 = 100%), and the first mortalities were observed after 57 h, although the signs of the bacterial infection were already observed 24 h after the inoculation. The results indicate that the 96-h LD50 value of A. hydrophila to matrinxã is 6.66 x 10(11) cells/ mL.Para determinar a dose letal (DL50 96-h) da bactéria Aeromonas hydrophila para o matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus, com aplicabilidade para testes de desafio, foram utilizados 90 peixes (63,23 ± 6,39 g), divididos em cinco tratamentos, com diferentes soluções bacterianas: T1 - Controle (solução salina 0,9% NaCl); T2 (4 x 10(11) células/ mL); T3 (5 x 10(11) células/ mL-1); T4 (1,36 x 10(12) células/mL-1) e T5 (3,06 x 10(12) células/ mL-1). Os peixes foram previamente anestesiados com benzocaína (60 mg L-1), inoculados na cavidade peritoneal com as suspensões bacterianas e distribuídos em 15 aquários de vidro de 80 L de capacidade, com aeração constante. O experimento teve duração de 96 h, no qual foram monitoradas a mortalidade e a qualidade da água. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualisado com três réplicas e a DL50 96-h foi estimada de acordo com o método Spearman-Karber. Durante o experimento os parâmetros físico-químicos da água permaneceram dentro das condições consideradas adequadas para o desenvolvimento e saúde dos organismos aquáticos. A mortalidade dos peixes aumentou nas concentrações crescentes de A. hydrophila (T1 = 0%; T2 = 16,66%; T3 = 44,44%; T4 = 72,22% e T5 = 100%), contudo, as primeiras mortalidades ocorreram em 57 h após a inoculação das concentrações bacterianas, sendo observados os primeiros sinais de infecção em 24 h após a inoculação. Os resultados indicam que o valor da DL50 96-h da bactéria A. hydrophila para o matrinxã foi igual a 6,66 x 10(11) células/mL de solução salina

On the topological index of irregular surfaces

We study the topological index of some irregular surfaces that we call generalized Lagrangian. We show that under certain hypotheses on the base locus of the Lagrangian system the topological index is non-negative. For the minimal surfaces of general type with q=4 and p_g=5 we prove the same statement without any hypotheses. Some similar results for higher dimensional varieties are given