Collars and partitions of hyperbolic cone-surfaces

For compact Riemann surfaces, the collar theorem and Bers' partition theorem are major tools for working with simple closed geodesics. The main goal of this paper is to prove similar theorems for hyperbolic cone-surfaces. Hyperbolic two-dimensional orbifolds are a particular case of such surfaces. We consider all cone angles to be strictly less than $\pi$ to be able to consider partitions.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures; v2: minor changes, to appear in Geometriae Dedicat

Long-term Outcome after Surgical Closure of Atrial Septal Defect in Childhood with Extensive Assessment Including MRI Measurement of the Ventricles

Surgical closure of the secundum type of atrial septal defect (ASD) in childhood leads to excellent survival. However, relevant morbidity has been reported. Transcatheter closure of these defects has now become an alternative approach. To compare the results of the two different interventions, reliable data are needed on the long-term morbidity after defect closure with both methods. Patients were evaluated after a minimum of 10 years after surgical closure of an ASD in childhood. Assessment included analysis of perioperative data, interview, clinical examination, electrocardiogram, (ECG), 24-hour ECG, ergometry, chest radiograph, echocardiography, and MRI. A total of 66 patients underwent operation between 1971 and 1986 at our institution. Forty-eight of them (73%) were interviewed and 38 (58%) participated fully in the study program. Eighteen (27%) either refused to participate or were lost to follow-up. There were no substantial residual disorders, such as arrhythmias, right-sided heart dilatation, pulmonary hypertension, or reduced work capacity. Surgical closure of an ASD in childhood has an excellent long-term outcome. Surgical closure is thus the standard against which transcatheter closure needs to be measure

Protein sorting from endosomes to the TGN

Retrograde transport from endosomes to the trans-Golgi network is essential for recycling of protein and lipid cargoes to counterbalance anterograde membrane traffic. Protein cargo subjected to retrograde traffic include lysosomal acid-hydrolase receptors, SNARE proteins, processing enzymes, nutrient transporters, a variety of other transmembrane proteins, and some extracellular non-host proteins such as viral, plant, and bacterial toxins. Efficient delivery of these protein cargo molecules depends on sorting machineries selectively recognizing and concentrating them for their directed retrograde transport from endosomal compartments. In this review, we outline the different retrograde transport pathways governed by various sorting machineries involved in endosome-to-TGN transport. In addition, we discuss how this transport route can be analyzed experimentally

Placement of a temporary pacemaker electrode through a persistent left superior vena cava

Perioperative temporary pacing was needed in a patient with congenital skeletal malformations and a cardiac conduction disturbance with incomplete trifascicular block. We report the successful placement of the pacemaker electrode through a persistent left superior vena cava (SVC

Gas and stellar metallicities in H ii galaxies

We examine the gas and stellar metallicities in a sample of H ii galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which possibly contains the largest homogeneous sample of H ii galaxy spectra to date. We eliminated all spectra with an insufficient signal-to-noise ratio, without strong emission lines and without the [O ii] λ3727 Å line, which is necessary for the determination of the gas metallicity. This excludes galaxies with redshift ≲ 0.033. Our final sample contains ∼700 spectra of H ii galaxies. Through emission line strength calibrations and a detailed stellar population analysis employing evolutionary stellar synthesis methods, which we already used in previous works, we determined the metallicities of both the gas and the stellar content of these galaxies. We find that in H ii galaxies up to stellar masses of 5 × 109 M⊙, enrichment mechanisms do not vary with galactic mass, being the same for low- and high-mass galaxies on average. They do seem to present a greater variety at the high-mass end, though, indicating a more complex assembly history for high-mass galaxies. In around 23 per cent of our H ii galaxies, we find a metallicity decrease over the last few Gyr. Our results favour galaxy evolution models featuring constantly infalling low-metallicity clouds that retain part of the galactic winds. Above 5 × 109 M⊙ stellar mass, the retention of high-metallicity gas by the galaxies' gravitational potential dominate