924 research outputs found
Formation of singularities for equivariant 2+1 dimensional wave maps into the two-sphere
In this paper we report on numerical studies of the Cauchy problem for
equivariant wave maps from 2+1 dimensional Minkowski spacetime into the
two-sphere. Our results provide strong evidence for the conjecture that large
energy initial data develop singularities in finite time and that singularity
formation has the universal form of adiabatic shrinking of the degree-one
harmonic map from into .Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, final version to be published in Nonlinearit
Phenotypic characteristics of the p.Asn215Ser (p.N215S) GLA mutation in male and female patients with Fabry disease: A multicenter Fabry Registry study.
BackgroundThe p.Asn215Ser or p.N215S GLA variant has been associated with late-onset cardiac variant of Fabry disease.MethodsTo expand on the scarce phenotype data, we analyzed natural history data from 125 p.N215S patients (66 females, 59 males) enrolled in the Fabry Registry (NCT00196742) and compared it with data from 401 patients (237 females, 164 males) harboring mutations associated with classic Fabry disease. We evaluated interventricular septum thickness (IVST), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), estimated glomerular filtration rate and severe clinical events.ResultsIn p.N215S males, mildly abnormal mean IVST and LVPWT values were observed in patients aged 25-34Â years, and values gradually increased with advancing age. Mean values were similar to those of classic males. In p.N215S females, these abnormalities occurred primarily in patients aged 55-64Â years. Severe clinical events in p.N215S patients were mainly cardiac (males 31%, females 8%) while renal and cerebrovascular events were rare. Renal impairment occurred in 17% of p.N215S males (mostly in patients aged 65-74Â years), and rarely in females (3%).Conclusionp.N215S is a disease-causing mutation with severe clinical manifestations found primarily in the heart. Cardiac involvement may become as severe as in classic Fabry patients, especially in males
Collapse of an Instanton
We construct a two parameter family of collapsing solutions to the 4+1
Yang-Mills equations and derive the dynamical law of the collapse. Our
arguments indicate that this family of solutions is stable. The latter fact is
also supported by numerical simulations.Comment: 17 pages, 1 figur
Quantum lump dynamics on the two-sphere
It is well known that the low-energy classical dynamics of solitons of
Bogomol'nyi type is well approximated by geodesic motion in M_n, the moduli
space of static n-solitons. There is an obvious quantization of this dynamics
wherein the wavefunction evolves according to the Hamiltonian H_0 equal to
(half) the Laplacian on M_n. Born-Oppenheimer reduction of analogous mechanical
systems suggests, however, that this simple Hamiltonian should receive
corrections including k, the scalar curvature of M_n, and C, the n-soliton
Casimir energy, which are usually difficult to compute, and whose effect on the
energy spectrum is unknown. This paper analyzes the spectra of H_0 and two
corrections to it suggested by work of Moss and Shiiki, namely H_1=H_0+k/4 and
H_2=H_1+C, in the simple but nontrivial case of a single CP^1 lump moving on
the two-sphere. Here M_1=TSO(3), a noncompact kaehler 6-manifold invariant
under an SO(3)xSO(3) action, whose geometry is well understood. The symmetry
gives rise to two conserved angular momenta, spin and isospin. A hidden
isometry of M_1 is found which implies that all three energy spectra are
symmetric under spin-isospin interchange. The Casimir energy is found exactly
on the zero section of TSO(3), and approximated numerically on the rest of M_1.
The lowest 19 eigenvalues of H_i are found for i=0,1,2, and their spin-isospin
and parity compared. The curvature corrections in H_1 lead to a qualitatively
unchanged low-level spectrum while the Casimir energy in H_2 leads to
significant changes. The scaling behaviour of the spectra under changes in the
radii of the domain and target spheres is analyzed, and it is found that the
disparity between the spectra of H_1 and H_2 is reduced when the target sphere
is made smaller.Comment: 35 pages, 3 figure
The geodesic approximation for lump dynamics and coercivity of the Hessian for harmonic maps
The most fruitful approach to studying low energy soliton dynamics in field
theories of Bogomol'nyi type is the geodesic approximation of Manton. In the
case of vortices and monopoles, Stuart has obtained rigorous estimates of the
errors in this approximation, and hence proved that it is valid in the low
speed regime. His method employs energy estimates which rely on a key
coercivity property of the Hessian of the energy functional of the theory under
consideration. In this paper we prove an analogous coercivity property for the
Hessian of the energy functional of a general sigma model with compact K\"ahler
domain and target. We go on to prove a continuity property for our result, and
show that, for the CP^1 model on S^2, the Hessian fails to be globally coercive
in the degree 1 sector. We present numerical evidence which suggests that the
Hessian is globally coercive in a certain equivariance class of the degree n
sector for n>1. We also prove that, within the geodesic approximation, a single
CP^1 lump moving on S^2 does not generically travel on a great circle.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figure; typos corrected, references added, expanded
discussion of the main function spac
Optical markers of magnetic phase transition in CrSBr
Here, we investigate the role of the interlayer magnetic ordering of CrSBr in
the framework of calculations and by using optical
spectroscopy techniques. These combined studies allow us to unambiguously
determine the nature of the optical transitions. In particular,
photoreflectance measurements, sensitive to the direct transitions, have been
carried out for the first time. We have demonstrated that optically induced
band-to-band transitions visible in optical measurement are remarkably well
assigned to the band structure by the momentum matrix elements and energy
differences for the magnetic ground state (A-AFM). In addition, our study
reveals significant differences in electronic properties for two different
interlayer magnetic phases. When the magnetic ordering of A-AFM to FM is
changed, the crucial modification of the band structure reflected in the
direct-to-indirect band gap transition and the significant splitting of the
conduction bands along the direction are obtained. In addition,
Raman measurements demonstrate a splitting between the in-plane modes
/, which is temperature dependent and can be assigned to
different interlayer magnetic states, corroborated by the DFT+U study.
Moreover, the mode has not been experimentally observed before.
Finally, our results point out the origin of interlayer magnetism, which can be
attributed to electronic rather than structural properties. Our results reveal
a new approach for tuning the optical and electronic properties of van der
Waals magnets by controlling the interlayer magnetic ordering in adjacent
layers.Comment: 33 pages, 15 figure
Disturbance and Predictability of Flowering Patterns in Bird-Pollinated Cloud Forest Plants
The distribution and flowering patterns of hummingbirdâpollinated plants were compared from July 1981 to June 1983 in three patch types in cloud forest at Monteverde, Costa Rica. Study plots were: (1) four recent, large (1100â2500 m2) disturbances ("cutovers") produced by cutting vegetation, (2) six recent, smaller (200â600 m2) disturbances caused by treefalls, and (3) four plots (1600â1800 m2) of canopied forest. Based on published literature dealing with communities that characterize different regimes of disturbance, we tested one assumption and two hypotheses. Assumption: Plant species composition differs among the three patch types. Hypothesis 1: Phenotypic specialization by plants for coâevolved interactions with hummingbirds will be lowest in large gaps, highest in forest, and intermediate in treefalls. Hypothesis 2: Predictability of flowering phenologies and nectar production will be lowest in large gaps, highest in forest, intermediate in treefalls. Neither the assumption nor the hypotheses were supported by the results. The patch mosaic in this cloud forest was not associated with major differences in species composition of birdâpollinated plants. Most species studied were selfâcompatible. Most abundant in cutovers were species with long corollas, relatively specialized for attracting longâbilled hummingbirds. Species with short corollas, which can be visited by many hummingbird species and some insects, were most abundant in treefalls and forest. Variation in phenological patterns showed no consistent trends among patch types. Predictability of flower and nectar production tended to be greatest in treefalls, which are foci of concentrated flowering activity by all species. Discrepancies between our results and previous studies can be ascribed to two facts. (1) Much of the literature dealing with ecological consequences of disturbance has dealt with largeâscale anthropogenic disturbances such as old fields of the eastern USA, whereas we studied small, natural, or quasiânatural disturbances. (2) Studies of forest disturbance have focused on the tree layer, whereas we studied the understory herbs, shrubs, and epiphytes. Natural disturbance usually involves death and replacement of one or more trees, whereas individuals of other life forms may persist through the disturbance
Cardiac Involvement in Fabry Disease: JACC Review Topic of the Week
Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked inherited lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficient Îą-galactosidase A activity that leads to an accumulation of globotriasylceramide (Gb3) in affected tissues, including the heart. Cardiovascular involvement usually manifests as left ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, heart failure, and arrhythmias, which limit quality of life and represent the most common causes of death. Following the introduction of enzyme replacement therapy, early diagnosis and treatment have become essential to slow disease progression and prevent major cardiac complications. Recent advances in the understanding of FD pathophysiology suggest that in addition to Gb3 accumulation, other mechanisms contribute to the development of Fabry cardiomyopathy. Progress in imaging techniques have improved diagnosis and staging of FD-related cardiac disease, suggesting a central role for myocardial inflammation and setting the stage for further research. In addition, with the recent approval of oral chaperone therapy and new treatment developments, the FD-specific treatment landscape is rapidly evolving
Safety and efficacy of pegunigalsidase alfa in patients with Fabry disease who were previously treated with agalsidase alfa: results from BRIDGE, a phase 3 open-label study
BACKGROUND: Pegunigalsidase alfa is a novel, PEGylated Îą-galactosidase-A enzyme-replacement therapy approved in the EU and US to treat patients with Fabry disease (FD). OBJECTIVE/METHODS: BRIDGE is a phase 3 open-label, switch-over study designed to assess safety and efficacy of 12 months of pegunigalsidase alfa (1 mg/kg every 2 weeks) treatment in adults with FD who had been previously treated with agalsidase alfa (0.2 mg/kg every 2 weeks) forââĽâ2 years. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were screened; 22 met eligibility criteria; and 20 (13 men, 7 women) completed the study. Pegunigalsidase alfa was well-tolerated, with 97% of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) being of mild or moderate severity. The incidence of treatment-related TEAEs was low, with 2 (9%) discontinuations due to TEAEs. Five patients (23%) reported infusion-related reactions. Overall mean (SD; nâ=â22) baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 82.5 (23.4) mL/min/1.73 m2 and plasma lyso-Gb3 level was 38.3 (41.2) nmol/L (men: 49.7 [45.8] nmol/L; women: 13.8 [6.1] nmol/L). Before switching to pegunigalsidase alfa, mean (standard error [SE]) annualized eGFR slope wasâââ5.90 (1.34) mL/min/1.73 m2/year; 12 months post-switch, the mean eGFR slope wasâââ1.19 (1.77) mL/min/1.73 m2/year; and mean plasma lyso-Gb3 reduced by 31%. Seven (35%) out of 20 patients were positive for pegunigalsidase alfa antidrug antibodies (ADAs) atââĽâ1 study timepoint, two of whom had pre-existing ADAs at baseline. Mean (SE) changes in eGFR slope for ADA-positive and ADA-negative patients wereâ+â5.47 (3.03) andâ+â4.29 (3.15) mL/min/1.73 m2/year, respectively, suggesting no negative impact of anti-pegunigalsidase alfa ADAs on eGFR slope. CONCLUSION: Pegunigalsidase alfa may offer a safe and effective treatment option for patients with FD, including those previously treated with agalsidase alfa.
TRN: NCT03018730. Date of registration: January 2017
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