Functional Liftings of Vectorial Variational Problems with Laplacian Regularization

We propose a functional lifting-based convex relaxation of variational problems with Laplacian-based second-order regularization. The approach rests on ideas from the calibration method as well as from sublabel-accurate continuous multilabeling approaches, and makes these approaches amenable for variational problems with vectorial data and higher-order regularization, as is common in image processing applications. We motivate the approach in the function space setting and prove that, in the special case of absolute Laplacian regularization, it encompasses the discretization-first sublabel-accurate continuous multilabeling approach as a special case. We present a mathematical connection between the lifted and original functional and discuss possible interpretations of minimizers in the lifted function space. Finally, we exemplarily apply the proposed approach to 2D image registration problems.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; accepted at the conference "Scale Space and Variational Methods" in Hofgeismar, Germany 201

The ellipse law: Kirchhoff meets dislocations

In this paper we consider a nonlocal energyIαwhose kernel is obtained by addingto the Coulomb potential an anisotropic term weighted by a parameterα∈R. The caseα= 0corresponds to purely logarithmic interactions, minimised by the circle law;α= 1 correspondsto the energy of interacting dislocations, minimised by the semi-circle law. We show that forα∈(0,1) the minimiser is the normalised characteristic function of the domain enclosed bytheellipseof semi-axes√1−αand√1 +α. This result is one of the very few examples wherethe minimiser of a nonlocal anisotropic energy is explicitly computed. For the proof we borrowtechniques from fluid dynamics, in particular those related to Kirchhoff’s celebrated result thatdomains enclosed by ellipses are rotating vortex patches, calledKirchhoff ellipses

The pre-main sequence binary HK Ori : Spectro-astrometry and EXPORT data

In this paper we present multi-epoch observations of the pre-main sequence binary HK Ori. These data have been drawn from the EXPORT database and are complemented by high quality spectro-astrometric data of the system. The spectroscopic data appear to be very well represented by a combination of an A dwarf star spectrum superposed on a (sub-)giant G-type spectrum. The radial velocity of the system is consistent with previous determinations, and does not reveal binary motion, as expected for a wide binary. The spectral, photometric and polarimetric properties and variability of the system indicate that the active object in the system is a T Tauri star with UX Ori characteristics. The spectro-astrometry of HK Ori is sensitive down to milli-arcsecond scales and confirms the speckle interferometric results from Leinert et al. The spectro-astrometry allows with fair certainty the identification of the active star within the binary, which we suggest to be a G-type T Tauri star based on its spectral characteristics.Comment: MNRAS in press 8 pages 7 figure

Effectiveness of individualized inhaler technique training on low adherence (LowAd) in ambulatory patients with COPD and asthma

© 2022. This document is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by /4.0/ This document is the published version of a published work that appeared in final form in npj primary care respiratory medicineTo analyze whether there is improvement in adherence to inhaled treatment in patients with COPD and asthma after an educational intervention based on the teach-to-goal method. This is a prospective, non-randomized, single-group study, with intervention and before-after evaluation. The study population included 120 patients (67 females and 53 males) diagnosed with asthma (70.8%) and COPD (29.1%). The level of adherence (low and optimal) and the noncompliance behavior pattern (erratic, deliberate and unwitting) were determined by the Test of the adherence to Inhalers (TAI). This questionnaire allows you to determine the level of adherence and the types of noncompliance. Low Adherence (LowAd) was defined as a score less than 49 points. All patients received individualized educational inhaler technique intervention (IEITI). Before the IEITI, 67.5% of the patients had LowAd. Following IEITI, on week 24, LowAd was 55% (p = 0.024). Each patient can present one or more types of noncompliance. The most frequent type was forgetting to use the inhaler (erratic), 65.8%. The other types were deliberate: 43.3%, and unwitting: 57.5%. All of them had decreased on the final visit: 51.7% (p = 0.009), 25.8% (p = 0.002), 39.2% (p = 0.002). There were no significant differences in adherence between asthma and COPD patients at the start of the study. The only predicting factor of LowAd was the female gender. An individualized educational intervention, in ambulatory patients with COPD and asthma, in real-world clinical practice conditions, improves adherence to the inhaled treatment

Asymptotically Lifshitz wormholes and black holes for Lovelock gravity in vacuum

Static asymptotically Lifshitz wormholes and black holes in vacuum are shown to exist for a class of Lovelock theories in d=2n+1>7 dimensions, selected by requiring that all but one of their n maximally symmetric vacua are AdS of radius l and degenerate. The wormhole geometry is regular everywhere and connects two Lifshitz spacetimes with a nontrivial geometry at the boundary. The dynamical exponent z is determined by the quotient of the curvature radii of the maximally symmetric vacua according to n(z^2-1)+1=(l/L)^2, where L corresponds to the curvature radius of the nondegenerate vacuum. Light signals are able to connect both asymptotic regions in finite time, and the gravitational field pulls towards a fixed surface located at some arbitrary proper distance to the neck. The asymptotically Lifshitz black hole possesses the same dynamical exponent and a fixed Hawking temperature given by T=z/(2^z pi l). Further analytic solutions, including pure Lifshitz spacetimes with a nontrivial geometry at the spacelike boundary, and wormholes that interpolate between asymptotically Lifshitz spacetimes with different dynamical exponents are also found.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figur

Downregulation of miR-99a/let-7c/miR-125b miRNA cluster predicts clinical outcome in patients with unresected malignant pleural mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor with a dismal overall survival (OS) and to date no molecular markers are available to guide patient management. This study aimed to identify a prognostic miRNA signature in MPM patients who did not undergo tumor resection. Whole miRNA profiling using a microarray platform was performed using biopsies on 27 unresected MPM patients with distinct clinical outcome: 15 patients had short survival (OS < 12 months) and 12 patients had long survival (OS > 36 months). Three prognostic miRNAs (mir- 99a, let-7c, and miR-125b) encoded at the same cluster (21q21) were selected for further validation and tested on publicly available miRNA sequencing data from 72 MPM patients with survival data. A risk model was built based on these 3 miRNAs that was validated by quantitative PCR in an independent set of 30 MPM patients. High-risk patients had shorter median OS (7.6 months) as compared with low-risk patients (median not reached). In the multivariate Cox model, a high-risk score was independently associated with shorter OS (HR=3.14; 95% CI, 1.18-8.34; P=0.022). Our study identified that the downregulation of the miR-99a/let-7/miR-125b miRNA cluster predicts poor outcome in unresected MPM

Multi-level evidence of an allelic hierarchy of USH2A variants in hearing, auditory processing and speech/language outcomes.

Language development builds upon a complex network of interacting subservient systems. It therefore follows that variations in, and subclinical disruptions of, these systems may have secondary effects on emergent language. In this paper, we consider the relationship between genetic variants, hearing, auditory processing and language development. We employ whole genome sequencing in a discovery family to target association and gene x environment interaction analyses in two large population cohorts; the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and UK10K. These investigations indicate that USH2A variants are associated with altered low-frequency sound perception which, in turn, increases the risk of developmental language disorder. We further show that Ush2a heterozygote mice have low-level hearing impairments, persistent higher-order acoustic processing deficits and altered vocalizations. These findings provide new insights into the complexity of genetic mechanisms serving language development and disorders and the relationships between developmental auditory and neural systems

Rare variants in SQSTM1 and VCP genes and risk of sporadic inclusion body myositis

Genetic factors have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM). SQSTM1 and VCP are two key genes associated with several neurodegenerative disorders but have yet to be thoroughly investigated in sIBM. A candidate gene analysis was conducted using whole-exome sequencing data from 181 sIBM patients, and whole-transcriptome expression analysis was performed in patients with genetic variants of interest. We identified six rare missense variants in the SQSTM1 and VCP in seven sIBM patients (4.0%). Two variants SQSTM1 p.G194R and the VCP p.R159C were significantly overrepresented in this sIBM cohort compared with controls. Five of these variants had been previously reported in patients with degenerative diseases. The mRNA levels of MHC genes were up-regulated, this elevation being more pronounced in SQSTM1 patient group. We report for the first time potentially pathogenic SQSTM1 variants and expand the spectrum of VCP variants in sIBM. These data suggests that defects in neurodegenerative pathways may confer genetic susceptibility to sIBM and reinforce the mechanistic overlap in these neurodegenerative disorders

Directed Non-targeted Mass Spectrometry and Chemical Networking for Discovery of Eicosanoids and Related Oxylipins

Eicosanoids and related oxylipins are critical, small bioactive mediators of human physiology and inflammation. While similar to 1,100 distinct species have been predicted to exist, to date, less than 150 of these molecules have been measured in humans, limiting our understanding of their role in human biology. Using a directed non-targeted mass spectrometry approach in conjunction with chemical networking of spectral fragmentation patterns, we find over 500 discrete chemical signals highly consistent with known and putative eicosanoids and related oxylipins in human plasma including 46 putative molecules not previously described. In plasma samples from 1,500 individuals, we find members of this expanded oxylipin library hold close association with markers of inflammation, as well as clinical characteristics linked with inflammation, including advancing age and obesity. These experimental and computational approaches enable discovery of new chemical entities and will shed important insight into the role of bioactive molecules in human health and disease

Rapidity and Centrality Dependence of Proton and Anti-proton Production from Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 130GeV

We report on the rapidity and centrality dependence of proton and anti-proton transverse mass distributions from Au+Au collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 130GeV as measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. Our results are from the rapidity and transverse momentum range of |y|<0.5 and 0.35 <p_t<1.00GeV/c. For both protons and anti-protons, transverse mass distributions become more convex from peripheral to central collisions demonstrating characteristics of collective expansion. The measured rapidity distributions and the mean transverse momenta versus rapidity are flat within |y|<0.5. Comparisons of our data with results from model calculations indicate that in order to obtain a consistent picture of the proton(anti-proton) yields and transverse mass distributions the possibility of pre-hadronic collective expansion may have to be taken into account.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, submitted to PR