Galois theory and commutators

We prove that the relative commutator with respect to a subvariety of a variety of Omega-groups introduced by the first author can be described in terms of categorical Galois theory. This extends the known correspondence between the Froehlich-Lue and the Janelidze-Kelly notions of central extension. As an example outside the context of Omega-groups we study the reflection of the category of loops to the category of groups where we obtain an interpretation of the associator as a relative commutator.Comment: 14 page

Molecular cloning, expression analysis and assignment of the porcine tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 10 gene (TNFSF10) to SSC13q34 -> q36 by fluorescence in situ hybridization and radiation hybrid mapping

We have cloned the complete coding region of the porcine TNFSF10 gene. The porcine TNFSF10 cDNA has an ORF of 870 nucleotides and shares 85 % identity with human TNFSF10, and 75% and 72% identity with rat and mouse Tnfsf10 coding sequences, respectively. The deduced porcine TNFSF10 protein consists of 289 amino acids with the calculated molecular mass of 33.5 kDa and a predicted pI of 8.15. The amino acid sequence similarities correspond to 86, 72 and 70% when compared with human, rat and mouse sequences, respectively. Nor-them blot analysis detected TNFSF10-specific transcripts (similar to 1.7 kb) in various organs of a 10-week-old pig, suggesting ubiquitous expression. Real-time RT-PCR studies of various organs from fetal (days 73 and 98) and postnatal stages (two weeks, eight months) demonstrated developmental and tissue-specific regulation of TNFSF10 mRNA abundance. The chromosomal location of the porcine TNFSF10 gene was determined by FISH of a specific BAC clone to metaphase chromosomes. This TNFSF10 BAC clone has been assigned to SSC13q34 -> q36. Additionally, the localization of the TNFSF10 gene was verified by RH mapping on the porcine IMpRH panel. Copyright (c) 2005S. KargerAG, Basel

Complete Healing of a Giant Wart in a Severely Immune-Compromised Patient with HIV Infection Treated with Acupuncture

Giant warts are infrequent dermatological viral infections caused by Papillomavirus (HPV) in immune-compromised patients. Treatment may often be difficult and unsatisfactory, either by surgery or cytotoxic agents, because of poor immune control of viral activity in such hosts. Here we report on the case of a patient with advanced and persistent immune suppression caused by HIV disease, who developed a monstrous wart covering the entirety of the radial district of his right hand. He was completely healed after a long treatment with traditional Chinese acupuncture, in spite of minimal immune recovery induced by efficacious antiretroviral therapy. To the best of our knowledge, therefore, the present report may be the first direct clinical evidence that acupuncture may be effective in the treatment of cutaneous warts also in HIV-infected patients

A discovery of young radio sources in the cores of giant radio galaxies selected at hard X-rays

Giant Radio Galaxies (GRG) are the largest single entities in the Universe, having a projected linear size exceeding 0.7 Mpc, which implies that they are also quite old objects. They are not common, representing a fraction of only about 6% in samples of bright radio galaxies. While a census of about 300 of these objects has been built in the past years, still no light has been shed on the conditions necessary to allow such an exceptional growth, whether of environmental nature or linked to the inner accretion properties. Recent studies found that samples of radio galaxies selected from hard X-ray AGN catalogs selected from INTEGRAL/IBIS and Swift/BAT (thus at energies >20 keV) present a fraction of GRG four times larger than what found in radio-selected samples. We present radio observations of 15 nuclei of hard X-ray selected GRG, finding for the first time a large fraction (61%) of young radio sources at the center of Mpc-scale structures. Being at the center of GRG, these young nuclei may be undergoing a restarting activity episode, suggesting a link between the detected hard X-ray emission - due to the ongoing accretion - and the reactivation of the jets.Comment: Accepted for publication on Ap

Aging in humid granular media

Aging behavior is an important effect in the friction properties of solid surfaces. In this paper we investigate the temporal evolution of the static properties of a granular medium by studying the aging over time of the maximum stability angle of submillimetric glass beads. We report the effect of several parameters on these aging properties, such as the wear on the beads, the stress during the resting period, and the humidity content of the atmosphere. Aging effects in an ethanol atmosphere are also studied. These experimental results are discussed at the end of the paper.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure

Probing restarting activity in hard X-ray selected giant radio galaxies

With their sizes larger than 0.7 Mpc, Giant Radio Galaxies (GRGs) are the largest individual objects in the Universe. To date, the reason why they reach such enormous extensions is still unclear. One of the proposed scenarios suggests that they are the result of multiple episodes of jet activity. Cross-correlating the INTEGRAL+Swift AGN population with radio catalogues (NVSS, FIRST, SUMSS), we found that 22% of the sources are GRG (a factor four higher than those selected from radio catalogues). Remarkably, 80% of the sample shows signs of restarting radio activity. The X-ray properties are consistent with this scenario, the sources being in a high-accretion, high-luminosity state with respect to the previous activity responsible for the radio lobes.Comment: To appear soon as a proceeding of the XXXth IAU General Assembly, Focus Meeting 3 "Radio Galaxies: Resolving the AGN phenomenon

Hard X-ray selected giant radio galaxies -- III. The LOFAR view

Giant radio galaxies (GRGs), with extended structures reaching hundreds of kpc, are among the most spectacular examples of ejection of relativistic plasma from super-massive black holes. In this work, third of a series, we present LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) images at 144 MHz, collected in the framework of the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey Data Release 2 (LoTSS DR2), for nine sources extracted from our sample of hard X-ray selected GRGs (HXGRG, i.e. from INTEGRAL/IBIS and Swift/BAT catalogues at >20 keV). Thanks to the resolution and sensitivity of LoTSS, we could probe the complex morphology of these GRGs, unveiling cases with diffuse (Mpc-scale) remnant emission, presence of faint off-axis wings, or a misaligned inner jet. In particular, for one source (B21144+35B), we could clearly detect a $\sim$300 kpc wide off-axis emission, in addition to an inner jet which orientation is not aligned with the lobes axis. For another source (J1153.9+5848) a structure consistent with jet precession was revealed, appearing as an X-shaped morphology with relic lobes having an extension larger than the present ones, and with a different axis orientation. From an environment analysis, we found 2 sources showing an overdensity of cosmological neighbours, and a correspondent association with a galaxy cluster from catalogues. Finally, a comparison with radio-selected GRGs from LoTSS DR1 suggested that, on average, HXGRG can grow to larger extents. These results highlight the importance of deep low-frequency observations to probe the evolution of radio galaxies, and ultimately estimate the duty cycle of their jets.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Tinnitus and equilibrium disorders in COVID-19 patients: preliminary results

Purpose: Tinnitus and equilibrium disorders such as dizziness and vertigo have been reported by patients with COVID-19; however, they have been rarely investigated. The aim of this study was to study the prevalence of subjective tinnitus and dizziness in a sample of COVID-19 patients using an online 10-item close-ended questionnaire. Methods: A multicentric study that included 15 Italian hospitals in different regions was conducted using an online 10-item close-ended questionnaire developed to identify the presence of tinnitus and balance disorders in patients with COVID-19 between May 5 and June 10, 2020. The questionnaire was administered to 185 patients in a period of > 30 – < 60 days after diagnosis of COVID-19; responses were recorded in an online Excel spreadsheet. The questionnaire was composed of three sections: (1) demographic information; (2) presence and characteristics of tinnitus and dizziness after COVID-19 diagnosis; (3) possible association with migraine. Results: Thirty-four patients (18.4%) reported equilibrium disorders after COVID-19 diagnosis. Of these, 32 patients reported dizziness (94.1%) and 2 (5.9%) reported acute vertigo attacks. Forty-three patients (23.2%) reported tinnitus; 14 (7.6%) reported both tinnitus and equilibrium disorders. Conclusion: This study suggests that the presence of subjective otoneurological symptoms such as tinnitus and balance disorders can affect COVID-19 patients; further studies are necessary to investigate the prevalence and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these subjective symptoms in COVID-19 patients