Algebraic Cycles, Fundamental Group of a Punctured Curve, and Applications in Arithmetic

The results of this paper can be divided into two parts, geometric and arithmetic. Let $X$ be a smooth projective curve over $\mathbb{C}$, and $e,\infty\in X(\mathbb{C})$ be distinct points. Let $L_n$ be the mixed Hodge structure of functions on $\pi_1(X-\{\infty\},e)$ given by iterated integrals of length $\leq n$ (as defined by Hain). In the geometric part, inspired by a work of Darmon, Rotger, and Sols, we express the mixed Hodge extension $\mathbb{E}^\infty_{n,e}$ given by the weight filtration on $\frac{L_n}{L_{n-2}}$ in terms of certain null-homologous algebraic cycles on $X^{2n-1}$. As a corollary, we show that the extension $\mathbb{E}^\infty_{n,e}$ determines the point $\infty\in X-\{e\}$. The arithmetic part of the paper gives some number-theoretic applications of the geometric part. We assume that $X=X_0\otimes_K\mathbb{C}$ and $e,\infty\in X_0(K)$, where $K$ is a subfield of $\mathbb{C}$ and $X_0$ is a projective curve over $K$. Let $Jac$ be the Jacobian of $X_0$. We use the extension $\mathbb{E}^\infty_{n,e}$ to associate to each $Z\in CH_{n-1}(X_0^{2n-2})$ a point $P_Z\in Jac(K)$, which can be described analytically in terms of iterated integrals. The proof of $K$-rationality of $P_Z$ uses that the algebraic cycles constructed in the geometric part of the paper are defined over $K$. Assuming a certain plausible hypothesis on the Hodge filtration on $L_n(X-\{\infty\},e)$ holds, we show that an algebraic cycle $Z$ for which $P_Z$ is torsion, gives rise to relations between periods of $L_2(X-\{\infty\},e)$. Interestingly, these relations are non-trivial even when one takes $Z$ to be the diagonal of $X_0$. The geometric result of the paper in $n=2$ case, and the fact that one can associate to $\mathbb{E}^\infty_{2,e}$ a family of points in $Jac(K)$, are due to Darmon, Rotger, and Sols. Our contribution is in generalizing the picture to higher weights.Comment: 65 pages. A few geometric corollaries and an application to periods have been added (compared to the first version

On the Role of Mechanics in Chronic Lung Disease.

Progressive airflow obstruction is a classical hallmark of chronic lung disease, affecting more than one fourth of the adult population. As the disease progresses, the inner layer of the airway wall grows, folds inwards, and narrows the lumen. The critical failure conditions for airway folding have been studied intensely for idealized circular cross-sections. However, the role of airway branching during this process is unknown. Here, we show that the geometry of the bronchial tree plays a crucial role in chronic airway obstruction and that critical failure conditions vary significantly along a branching airway segment. We perform systematic parametric studies for varying airway cross-sections using a computational model for mucosal thickening based on the theory of finite growth. Our simulations indicate that smaller airways are at a higher risk of narrowing than larger airways and that regions away from a branch narrow more drastically than regions close to a branch. These results agree with clinical observations and could help explain the underlying mechanisms of progressive airway obstruction. Understanding growth-induced instabilities in constrained geometries has immediate biomedical applications beyond asthma and chronic bronchitis in the diagnostics and treatment of chronic gastritis, obstructive sleep apnea and breast cancer