UBVRI photopolarimetry of the long period eclipsing AM Herculis binary V1309

We report simultaneous UBVRI photo-polarimetric observations of the long period (7.98 h) AM Her binary V1309 Ori. The length and shape of the eclipse ingress and egress varies from night to night. We suggest this is due to the variation in the brightness of the accretion stream. By comparing the phases of circular polarization zero-crossovers with previous observations, we confirm that V1309 Ori is well synchronized, and find an upper limit of 0.002 percent for the difference between the spin and orbital periods. We model the polarimetry data using a model consisting of two cyclotron emission regions at almost diametrically opposite locations, and centered at colatitude 35 (deg) and 145 (deg) on the surface of the white dwarf. We also present archive X-ray observations which show that the negatively polarised accretion region is X-ray bright.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures (2 colour), Fig1 and Fig 4 are in lower resolution than in original paper, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

The chaotic behavior of the black hole system GRS 1915+105

A modified non-linear time series analysis technique, which computes the correlation dimension $D_2$, is used to analyze the X-ray light curves of the black hole system GRS 1915+105 in all twelve temporal classes. For four of these temporal classes $D_2$ saturates to $\approx 4-5$ which indicates that the underlying dynamical mechanism is a low dimensional chaotic system. Of the other eight classes, three show stochastic behavior while five show deviation from randomness. The light curves for four classes which depict chaotic behavior have the smallest ratio of the expected Poisson noise to the variability ($< 0.05$) while those for the three classes which depict stochastic behavior is the highest ($> 0.2$). This suggests that the temporal behavior of the black hole system is governed by a low dimensional chaotic system, whose nature is detectable only when the Poisson fluctuations are much smaller than the variability.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa

Marked deterioration in the quality of life of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis during the last two years of life

BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic disease with a high symptom burden and poor survival that influences patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We aimed to evaluate IPF patients' symptoms and HRQOL in a well-documented clinical cohort during their last two years of life.MethodsIn April 2015, we sent the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (MMRC), the modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and a self-rating HRQOL questionnaire (RAND-36) to 300 IPF patients, of which 247 (82%) responded. Thereafter, follow-up questionnaires were sent every six months for two years.ResultsNinety-two patients died by August 2017. Among these patients, HRQOL was found to be considerably low already two years before death. The most prominent declines in HRQOL occurred in physical function, vitality, emotional role and social functioning (pPeer reviewe

Rapid Communication: Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms at the Porcine Transporter Associated with Antigen Processing 1 (TAP1) Locus

Source and Description of Probe. A 2.7-kb human cDNA clone for TAP1 was excised from the XbaI site of the plasmid pRSV.5neo (Spies et al., 1990). Method of Detection. Hybridizations were performed at 65°C for 16 to 20 h (10% dextran sulfate, 7% SDS, .263 M NazHP04, 1% BSA, 1 mM EDTA, 100 pg/mL sonicated denatured salmon sperm DNA). Final washes were done at 65°C in .7x SSC, .5% SDS for 15 to 20 min

Neurochemical Aftermath of Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

IMPORTANCE: Evidence is accumulating that repeated mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) incidents can lead to persistent, long-term debilitating symptoms and in some cases a progressive neurodegenerative condition referred to as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. However, to our knowledge, there are no objective tools to examine to which degree persistent symptoms after mTBI are caused by neuronal injury. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether persistent symptoms after mTBI are associated with brain injury as evaluated by cerebrospinal fluid biochemical markers for axonal damage and other aspects of central nervous system injury. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS: A multicenter cross-sectional study involving professional Swedish ice hockey players who have had repeated mTBI, had postconcussion symptoms for more than 3 months, and fulfilled the criteria for postconcussion syndrome (PCS) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) matched with neurologically healthy control individuals. The participants were enrolled between January 2014 and February 2016. The players were also assessed with Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire and magnetic resonance imaging. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Neurofilament light protein, total tau, glial fibrillary acidic protein, amyloid β, phosphorylated tau, and neurogranin concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid. RESULTS: A total of 31 participants (16 men with PCS; median age, 31 years; range, 22-53 years; and 15 control individuals [11 men and 4 women]; median age, 25 years; range, 21-35 years) were assessed. Of 16 players with PCS, 9 had PCS symptoms for more than 1 year, while the remaining 7 returned to play within a year. Neurofilament light proteins were significantly increased in players with PCS for more than 1 year (median, 410 pg/mL; range, 230-1440 pg/mL) compared with players whose PCS resolved within 1 year (median, 210 pg/mL; range, 140-460 pg/mL) as well as control individuals (median 238 pg/mL, range 128-526 pg/mL; P = .04 and P = .02, respectively). Furthermore, neurofilament light protein concentrations correlated with Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire scores and lifetime concussion events (ρ = 0.58, P = .02 and ρ = 0.52, P = .04, respectively). Overall, players with PCS had significantly lower cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β levels compared with control individuals (median, 1094 pg/mL; range, 845-1305 pg/mL; P = .05). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Increased cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light proteins and reduced amyloid β were observed in patients with PCS, suggestive of axonal white matter injury and amyloid deposition. Measurement of these biomarkers may be an objective tool to assess the degree of central nervous system injury in individuals with PCS and to distinguish individuals who are at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Rigidity of escaping dynamics for transcendental entire functions

We prove an analog of Boettcher's theorem for transcendental entire functions in the Eremenko-Lyubich class B. More precisely, let f and g be entire functions with bounded sets of singular values and suppose that f and g belong to the same parameter space (i.e., are *quasiconformally equivalent* in the sense of Eremenko and Lyubich). Then f and g are conjugate when restricted to the set of points which remain in some sufficiently small neighborhood of infinity under iteration. Furthermore, this conjugacy extends to a quasiconformal self-map of the plane. We also prove that this conjugacy is essentially unique. In particular, we show that an Eremenko-Lyubich class function f has no invariant line fields on its escaping set. Finally, we show that any two hyperbolic Eremenko-Lyubich class functions f and g which belong to the same parameter space are conjugate on their sets of escaping points.Comment: 28 pages; 2 figures. Final version (October 2008). Various modificiations were made, including the introduction of Proposition 3.6, which was not formally stated previously, and the inclusion of a new figure. No major changes otherwis

Conformal Mappings and Dispersionless Toda hierarchy

Let $\mathfrak{D}$ be the space consists of pairs $(f,g)$, where $f$ is a univalent function on the unit disc with $f(0)=0$, $g$ is a univalent function on the exterior of the unit disc with $g(\infty)=\infty$ and $f'(0)g'(\infty)=1$. In this article, we define the time variables $t_n, n\in \Z$, on $\mathfrak{D}$ which are holomorphic with respect to the natural complex structure on $\mathfrak{D}$ and can serve as local complex coordinates for $\mathfrak{D}$. We show that the evolutions of the pair $(f,g)$ with respect to these time coordinates are governed by the dispersionless Toda hierarchy flows. An explicit tau function is constructed for the dispersionless Toda hierarchy. By restricting $\mathfrak{D}$ to the subspace $\Sigma$ consists of pairs where $f(w)=1/\bar{g(1/\bar{w})}$, we obtain the integrable hierarchy of conformal mappings considered by Wiegmann and Zabrodin \cite{WZ}. Since every $C^1$ homeomorphism $\gamma$ of the unit circle corresponds uniquely to an element $(f,g)$ of $\mathfrak{D}$ under the conformal welding $\gamma=g^{-1}\circ f$, the space $\text{Homeo}_{C}(S^1)$ can be naturally identified as a subspace of $\mathfrak{D}$ characterized by $f(S^1)=g(S^1)$. We show that we can naturally define complexified vector fields \pa_n, n\in \Z on $\text{Homeo}_{C}(S^1)$ so that the evolutions of $(f,g)$ on $\text{Homeo}_{C}(S^1)$ with respect to \pa_n satisfy the dispersionless Toda hierarchy. Finally, we show that there is a similar integrable structure for the Riemann mappings $(f^{-1}, g^{-1})$. Moreover, in the latter case, the time variables are Fourier coefficients of $\gamma$ and $1/\gamma^{-1}$.Comment: 23 pages. This is to replace the previous preprint arXiv:0808.072

Measuring Black Hole Spin in OJ287

We model the binary black hole system OJ287 as a spinning primary and a non-spinning secondary. It is assumed that the primary has an accretion disk which is impacted by the secondary at specific times. These times are identified as major outbursts in the light curve of OJ287. This identification allows an exact solution of the orbit, with very tight error limits. Nine outbursts from both the historical photographic records as well as from recent photometric measurements have been used as fixed points of the solution: 1913, 1947, 1957, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2005 and 2007 outbursts. This allows the determination of eight parameters of the orbit. Most interesting of these are the primary mass of $1.84\cdot 10^{10} M_\odot$, the secondary mass $1.46\cdot 10^{8} M_\odot$, major axis precession rate $39^\circ.1$ per period, and the eccentricity of the orbit 0.70. The dimensionless spin parameter is $0.28\:\pm\:0.01$ (1 sigma). The last parameter will be more tightly constrained in 2015 when the next outburst is due. The outburst should begin on 15 December 2015 if the spin value is in the middle of this range, on 3 January 2016 if the spin is 0.25, and on 26 November 2015 if the spin is 0.31. We have also tested the possibility that the quadrupole term in the Post Newtonian equations of motion does not exactly follow Einstein's theory: a parameter $q$ is introduced as one of the 8 parameters. Its value is within 30% (1 sigma) of the Einstein's value $q = 1$. This supports the $no-hair theorem$ of black holes within the achievable precision. We have also measured the loss of orbital energy due to gravitational waves. The loss rate is found to agree with Einstein's value with the accuracy of 2% (1 sigma).Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, IAU26

Tsuji functions with segments of Julia

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46297/1/209_2005_Article_BF01112579.pd