The Astronomical Orientation of Ancient Greek Temples

Despite its appearing to be a simple question to answer, there has been no consensus as to whether or not the alignments of ancient Greek temples reflect astronomical intentions. Here I present the results of a survey of archaic and classical Greek temples in Sicily and compare them with temples in Greece. Using a binomial test I show strong evidence that there is a preference for solar orientations. I then speculate that differences in alignment patterns between Sicily and Greece reflect differing pressures in the expression of ethnic identity

A new method for obtaining sharp compound Poisson approximation error estimates for sums of locally dependent random variables

Let X1, X2,..., Xn be a sequence of independent or locally dependent random variables taking values in ℤ+. In this paper, we derive sharp bounds, via a new probabilistic method, for the total variation distance between the distribution of the sum Σni=1 Xi and an appropriate Poisson or compound Poisson distribution. These bounds include a factor which depends on the smoothness of the approximating Poisson or compound Poisson distribution. This "smoothness factor" is of order O(σ-2), according to a heuristic argument, where σ-2 denotes the variance of the approximating distribution. In this way, we offer sharp error estimates for a large range of values of the parameters. Finally, specific examples concerning appearances of rare runs in sequences of Bernoulli trials are presented by way of illustration. © 2010 ISI/BS

Bone metabolism markers and angiogenic cytokines as regulators of human hematopoietic stem cell mobilization

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilization involves cleavage of ligands between HSC and niche components. However, there are scarce data regarding the role of bone cells in human HSC mobilization. We studied biochemical markers of bone metabolism and angiogenic cytokines during HSC mobilization in 46 patients’ sera with lymphoma and multiple myeloma, by ELISA. Significant changes between pre-mobilization and collection samples were found: (1) Bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) increased, indicating augmentation of bone formation; (2) Receptor activator of Nf-κB ligand/osteoprotegerin ratio (RANKL/OPG) increased, showing osteoclastic differentiation and survival; however, there was no evidence of increased osteoclastic activity; and (3) Angiopoietin-1/Angiopoietin-2 ratio (ANGP-1/ANGP-2) decreased, consistent with vessel destabilization. Poor mobilizers had significantly higher carboxy-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (CTX) and lower ANGP-1 at pre-mobilization samples, compared to good ones. CTX, amino-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (NTX) and ANGP-1 pre-mobilization levels correlated significantly with circulating CD34+ peak cell counts. Our results indicate that bone formation and vessel destabilization are the two major events during human HSC mobilization. Osteoblasts seem to be the orchestrating cells, while osteoclasts are stimulated but not fully active. Moreover, ANGP-1, CTX and NTX may serve as predictors of poor mobilization. © 2017, The Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research and Springer Japan KK

Study of bone metabolism and angiogenesis in patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy/autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Objectives: As the interaction between hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and endosteal and endothelial niches in HSCs homing is essential, we aimed to study bone turnover and angiogenesis in 29 patients with lymphoma/multiple myeloma undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods: Serum samples were collected before high-dose chemotherapy (HDT), at the end of HDT, after HSC infusion, at the nadir of myelotoxicity, and at engraftment. Bone metabolism (CTX, TRACP-5b, bALP, OC, DKK1, RANKL, OPG), and angiogenesis (Ang1, Ang2) markers were measured. These markers were also measured in 21 control patients before and after conventional chemotherapy. Results and Conclusions: Bone resorption declined during HSCT (decrease in TRACP-5b [P <.001] and CTX [P =.006]). Bone formation declined as well (decrease in bALP and OC [P <.001 for both]). RANKL/OPG ratio, an indicator of osteoclastic activation, did not change significantly (P =.5). Ang1/Ang2 ratio, a vessel equilibrium marker, decreased significantly (P <.001) suggesting endothelial destabilization. The changes observed in the control group were similar except of bALP and RANKL/OPG ratio. Moreover, Ang1/Ang2 ratio on the day after HSC infusion strongly correlated with time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment (P <.001 for both). Conclusively, bone turnover and vessel destabilization represent important events during HSCT probably reflecting the effect of chemotherapy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Lt