A convex non-convex variational model is proposed for multiphase image segmentation. We consider a specially designed non-convex regularization term which adapts spatially to the image structures for better controlling of the segmentation and easy handling of the intensity inhomogeneities. The nonlinear optimization problem is effciently solved by an Alternating Directions Methods of Multipliers procedure. We provide a convergence analysis and perform numerical experiments on several images, showing the effectiveness of this procedure.

Adult stem cells, which exist throughout the body, multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells or to promote regeneration to repair damaged tissues. To perform these functions during the lifetime of organs or tissues, stem cells need to maintain their populations in a faithful distribution of their epigenetic states, which are suscepti- ble to stochastic fluctuations during each cell division, unexpected injury, and potential genetic mutations that occur during many cell divisions. However, it remains unclear how the three processes of differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis in regulating stem cells collectively manage these challenging tasks. Here, without consid- ering molecular details, we propose a genetic optimal control model for adult stem cell regeneration that includes the three fundamental processes, along with cell division and adaptation based on differ- ential fitnesses of phenotypes. In the model, stem cells with a distri- bution of epigenetic states are required to maximize expected performance after each cell division. We show that heteroge- neous proliferation that depends on the epigenetic states of stem cells can improve the maintenance of stem cell distributions to create balanced populations. A control strategy during each cell division leads to a feedback mechanism involving heterogeneous proliferation that can accelerate regeneration with less fluctuation in the stem cell population. When mutation is allowed, apoptosis evolves to maximize the performance during homeostasis after multiple cell divisions. The overall results highlight the importance of cross-talk between genetic and epigenetic regulation and the performance objectives during homeostasis in shaping a desirable heterogeneous distribution of stem cells in epigenetic states.

We introduce and study the notion of singular hermitian metrics on holomorphic vector bundles, following Berndtsson and Păun. We define what it means for such a metric to be positively and negatively curved in the sense of Griffiths and investigate the assumptions needed in order to locally define the curvature Θ^{$h$}as a matrix of currents. We then proceed to show that such metrics can be regularised in such a way that the corresponding curvature tensors converge weakly to Θ^{$h$}. Finally we define what it means for$h$to be strictly negatively curved in the sense of Nakano and show that it is possible to regularise such metrics with a sequence of smooth, strictly Nakano negative metrics.

This paper investigates infinite-time spreading and finite-time blow-up for the Keller-Segel system. For 0 < m ≤ 2 − 2 / d, the L p space for both dynamic and steady solutions are detected with ${p:=\frac{d(2-m)}{2} }$ . Firstly, the global existence of the weak solution is proved for small initial data in L p . Moreover, when m > 1 − 2 / d, the weak solution preserves mass and satisfies the hyper-contractive estimates in L q for any p < q < ∞. Furthermore, for slow diffusion 1 < m ≤ 2 − 2/d, this weak solution is also a weak entropy solution which blows up at finite time provided by the initial negative free energy. For m > 2 − 2/d, the hyper-contractive estimates are also obtained. Finally, we focus on the L p norm of the steady solutions, it is shown that the energy critical exponent m = 2d/(d + 2) is the critical exponent separating finite L p norm and infinite L p norm for the steady state solutions.

This paper deals with Lp geominimal surface area and its extension to Lp mixed geominimal surface area. We give an integral formula of Lp geominimal surface area by the p-Petty body and introduce the concept of Lp mixed geominimal surface area which is a natural extension of Lp geominimal surface area. Some inequalities, such as, analogues of Alexandrov–Fenchel inequalities, Blaschke–Santaló inequalities, and affine isoperimetric inequalities for Lp mixed geominimal surface areas are obtained.