Regularity of higher codimension area minimizing integral currents

This lecture notes are an expanded version of the course given at the ERC-School on Geometric Measure Theory and Real Analysis, held in Pisa, September 30th - October 30th 2013. The lectures aim to explain the main steps of a new proof of the partial regularity of area minimizing integer rectifiable currents in higher codimension, due originally to F. Almgren, which is contained in a series of papers in collaboration with C. De Lellis (University of Zurich).Comment: This text will appear in "Geometric Measure Theory and Real Analysis", pp. 131--192, Proceedings of the ERC school in Pisa (2013), L. Ambrosio Ed., Edizioni SNS (CRM Series

Experimental Bounds on Masses and Fluxes of Nontopological Solitons

We have re-analyzed the results of various experiments which were not originally interested as searches for the Q-ball or the Fermi-ball. Based on these analyses, in addition to the available data on Q-balls, we obtained rather stringent bounds on flux, mass and typical energy scale of Q-balls as well as Fermi-balls. In case these nontopological solitons are the main component of the dark matter of the Galaxy, we found that only such solitons with very large quantum numbers are allowed. We also estimate how sensitive future experiments will be in the search for Q-balls and Fermi-balls.Comment: 19 pages, 7 eps figures, RevTeX, psfig.st

Visualization and 3D Reconstruction of Flame Cells of Taenia solium (Cestoda)

BACKGROUND: Flame cells are the terminal cells of protonephridial systems, which are part of the excretory systems of invertebrates. Although the knowledge of their biological role is incomplete, there is a consensus that these cells perform excretion/secretion activities. It has been suggested that the flame cells participate in the maintenance of the osmotic environment that the cestodes require to live inside their hosts. In live Platyhelminthes, by light microscopy, the cells appear beating their flames rapidly and, at the ultrastructural, the cells have a large body enclosing a tuft of cilia. Few studies have been performed to define the localization of the cytoskeletal proteins of these cells, and it is unclear how these proteins are involved in cell function. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Parasites of two different developmental stages of T. solium were used: cysticerci recovered from naturally infected pigs and intestinal adults obtained from immunosuppressed and experimentally infected golden hamsters. Hamsters were fed viable cysticerci to recover adult parasites after one month of infection. In the present studies focusing on flame cells of cysticerci tissues was performed. Using several methods such as video, confocal and electron microscopy, in addition to computational analysis for reconstruction and modeling, we have provided a 3D visual rendition of the cytoskeletal architecture of Taenia solium flame cells. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We consider that visual representations of cells open a new way for understanding the role of these cells in the excretory systems of Platyhelminths. After reconstruction, the observation of high resolution 3D images allowed for virtual observation of the interior composition of cells. A combination of microscopic images, computational reconstructions and 3D modeling of cells appears to be useful for inferring the cellular dynamics of the flame cell cytoskeleton

Radiative contribution to neutrino masses and mixing in μν\mu\nuSSM

In an extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (popularly known as the $\mu\nu$SSM), three right handed neutrino superfields are introduced to solve the $\mu$-problem and to accommodate the non-vanishing neutrino masses and mixing. Neutrino masses at the tree level are generated through $R-$parity violation and seesaw mechanism. We have analyzed the full effect of one-loop contributions to the neutrino mass matrix. We show that the current three flavour global neutrino data can be accommodated in the $\mu\nu$SSM, for both the tree level and one-loop corrected analyses. We find that it is relatively easier to accommodate the normal hierarchical mass pattern compared to the inverted hierarchical or quasi-degenerate case, when one-loop corrections are included.Comment: 51 pages, 14 figures (58 .eps files), expanded introduction, other minor changes, references adde

Intramyocardial hemorrhage and microvascular obstruction after primary percutaneous coronary intervention

Reperfusion may cause intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) by extravasation of erythrocytes through severely damaged endothelial walls. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the clinical significance of IMH in relation to infarct size, microvascular obstruction (MVO) and function in patients after primary percutaneous intervention. Forty-five patients underwent cardiovascular MR imaging (CMR) 1 week and 4 months after primary stenting for a first acute myocardial infarction. T2-weighted spin-echo imaging (T2W) was used to assess infarct related edema and IMH, and delayed enhancement (DE) was used to assess infarct size and MVO. Cine CMR was used to assess left ventricular volumes and function at baseline and at 4 months follow-up. In 22 (49%) patients, IMH was detected as areas of attenuated signal in the core of the high signal intensity region on T2W images. Patients with IMH had larger infarcts, higher left ventricular volumes and lower ejection fraction. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between hyperintense periphery and the hypo-intense core of the T2W ischemic area correlated to peak CKMB, total infarct size and MVO size. Using univariable analysis, CNR predicted ejection fraction at baseline (β = −0.62, P = 0.003) and follow-up (β = −0.84, P < 0.001). However, after multivariable analysis, baseline ejection fraction and presence of MVO were the only parameters that predicted functional changes at follow-up. IMH was found in the majority of patients with MVO after reperfused myocardial infarction. It was closely related to markers of infarct size, MVO and function, but did not have prognostic significance beyond MVO

Detection of subclinical keratoconus using biometric parameters

The validation of innovative methodologies for diagnosing keratoconus in its earliest stages is of major interest in ophthalmology. So far, subclinical keratoconus diagnosis has been made by combining several clinical criteria that allowed the definition of indices and decision trees, which proved to be valuable diagnostic tools. However, further improvements need to be made in order to reduce the risk of ectasia in patients who undergo corneal refractive surgery. The purpose of this work is to report a new subclinical keratoconus detection method based in the analysis of certain biometric parameters extracted from a custom 3D corneal model. This retrospective study includes two groups: the first composed of 67 patients with healthy eyes and normal vision, and the second composed of 24 patients with subclinical keratoconus and normal vision as well. The proposed detection method generates a 3D custom corneal model using computer-aided graphic design (CAGD) tools and corneal surfaces’ data provided by a corneal tomographer. Defined bio-geometric parameters are then derived from the model, and statistically analysed to detect any minimal corneal deformation. The metric which showed the highest area under the receiver-operator curve (ROC) was the posterior apex deviation. This new method detected differences between healthy and sub-clinical keratoconus corneas by using abnormal corneal topography and normal spectacle corrected vision, enabling an integrated tool that facilitates an easier diagnosis and follow-up of keratoconus.This publication has been carried out in the framework of the Thematic Network for Co-Operative Research in Health (RETICS) reference number RD16/0008/0012 financed by the Carlos III Health Institute-General Subdirection of Networks and Cooperative Investigation Centers (R&D&I National Plan 2013–2016) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)

Cardiac metastases

We report a case of esophageal cancer with symptomatic metastases to the heart; the patient was treated with short-course radiotherapy with good symptomatic relief. We reviewed the current literature regarding the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, treatment modalities, and the prognosis of cardiac metastases. In this report we summarize the most recent autopsy studies (published between 1975 and 2007), in which we found an autopsy incidence of cardiac metastases of 2.3% among the general population, while the incidence among autopsies of cancer patients was 7.1%. Therefore, we share the opinion with others that there has been an increase in the incidence of cardiac metastases among cancer patients diagnosed after 1970, in comparison with the reported incidences in older series before 1970 (7.1% vs 3.8%; Kruskal-Wallis rank test; P = 0.039). Special attention was given to the role of radiotherapy in the management of cardiac metastases

Neutrino Masses and Mixing: Evidence and Implications

Measurements of various features of the fluxes of atmospheric and solar neutrinos have provided evidence for neutrino oscillations and therefore for neutrino masses and mixing. We review the phenomenology of neutrino oscillations in vacuum and in matter. We present the existing evidence from solar and atmospheric neutrinos as well as the results from laboratory searches, including the final status of the LSND experiment. We describe the theoretical inputs that are used to interpret the experimental results in terms of neutrino oscillations. We derive the allowed ranges for the mass and mixing parameters in three frameworks: First, each set of observations is analyzed separately in a two-neutrino framework; Second, the data from solar and atmospheric neutrinos are analyzed in a three active neutrino framework; Third, the LSND results are added, and the status of accommodating all three signals in the framework of three active and one sterile light neutrinos is presented. We review the theoretical implications of these results: the existence of new physics, the estimate of the scale of this new physics and the lessons for grand unified theories, for supersymmetric models with R-parity violation, for models of extra dimensions and singlet fermions in the bulk, and for flavor models.Comment: Added note on the effects of KamLAND results. Two new figure

Characterization of Generalized Young Measures Generated by Symmetric Gradients

This work establishes a characterization theorem for (generalized) Young measures generated by symmetric derivatives of functions of bounded deformation (BD) in the spirit of the classical Kinderlehrer\ue2\u80\u93Pedregal theorem. Our result places such Young measures in duality with symmetric-quasiconvex functions with linear growth. The \ue2\u80\u9clocal\ue2\u80\u9d proof strategy combines blow-up arguments with the singular structure theorem in BD (the analogue of Alberti\ue2\u80\u99s rank-one theorem in BV), which was recently proved by the authors. As an application of our characterization theorem we show how an atomic part in a BD-Young measure can be split off in generating sequences