cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Hypothalamic dopamine neurons project to brainstem regions related to movement
Creators: name: Grams, Joseph R
Publisher: name: Cumming School of Medicine
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Dopamine
subject: Brainstem
subject: Locomotion
subject: Biology--Neuroscience

description: Locomotion is a complex behaviour resulting from interactions between the brain and spinal cord. Dopamine modulates locomotion via ascending projections to the basal ganglia and descending projections to the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR). The MLR is a region in the brainstem known to initiate and control locomotion. Motor commands from supraspinal structures are relayed to the spinal cord via the medullary reticular formation (MRF). However, it remains uncertain if dopamine neurons also innervate regions of the MRF known to influence locomotor activity. Using a retrograde viral tracing approach, I identified a discrete dopaminergic pathway that extends from the A11 region of the posterior hypothalamus to locomotor regions of the MRF. Furthermore, using an anterograde viral tracing technique, I found that dopamine neurons of the A11 region project throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the MRF and terminate predominantly ipsilaterally. Contrastingly, using immunohistochemistry, I show that neurons in the MRF are devoid of D1 receptors. Lastly, using the genetically encoded dopamine sensor dLight1.2 and fibre photometry, I provide evidence of altered dopamine transients during locomotor activity. Together, these results suggest that dopaminergic innervation of the MRF is sparse and originates primarily from the A11 region of the posterior hypothalamus. Further investigation is required to determine the functional contributions to neural circuits in the MRF.
title: Whole body MR imaging (WBMRI) as a first level diagnostic tool for detection and staging of malignant lymphoma in an adult population
Creators: name: Liguori, Carlo
Publisher: name: European Congress of Radiology
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Lymphoma
subject: Haematologic diseases
subject: Cancer
subject: Imaging sequences
subject: Diagnostic procedure
subject: Decision analysis
subject: MR-Functional imaging
subject: MR-Diffusion/Perfusion
subject: MR
subject: Lymph nodes
subject: Haematologic
subject: Abdomen

description: Aims and objectives Methods and materials Results Conclusion Personal information References
description: Aims and objectives: In recent years, DWI imaging has been extensively studied in oncology for differentiating between benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes or nodal staging, tumor detection and staging, tumor characterization, monitoring treatment response and...
Hans J. Nissen, Grundzüge einer Geschichte der Frühzeit des Vorderen Orients
Creators: name: Strommenger, Eva
Publisher: name: Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica
Year: 2021

description: Rezension zu: Hans J. Nissen, Grundzüge einer Geschichte der Frühzeit des Vorderen Orients. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1983. XIV. 220 S., 36 Abb. im Text, 1 Faltkarte
description: Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica, Bd. 16/17 1984/1985(1984)
4. L'analogia entis
Creators: name: Eco, Umberto
Publisher: name: Università degli Studi di Milano
Year: 2008

description: Univocità o equivocità del linguaggio umano applicato alle realtà divine. Analogia di attribuzione e analogia di proporzionalità: fondamento metafisico e valore conoscitivo.
description: Doctor Virtualis, No 3 (2004): La metafora nel Medioevo
Noch einmal: Neue Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Bernsteins
Creators: name: Rottländer, Rolf C. A.
Publisher: name: Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica
Year: 2021

description: Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica, Bd. 16/17 1984/1985(1984)
Quasars with Anomalous Hβ Profiles I: Demographics
Creators: name: Steinhardt, Charles L.
name: Silverman, John D.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The Hβ emission line in a typical Type I quasar is composed of a broad base and a narrow core, with the core velocity typical of narrow-line region emission, and line-fitting routines typically assume this picture. We test the effects of removing this constraint, and find a substantial group of Type I quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey catalog with Hβ emission line cores broader than 1200 km/s, above the velocity believed possible for gas in the quasar narrow-line region. We identify this group of "anomalous Hβ quasars" (AHQs) as a distinct population because of a variety of spectral and photometric signatures common to these AHQs but atypical of other quasars. These features are similar to some aspects of narrow-line Seyfert 1s and correlations identified by Eigenvector 1, but also contain distinct features that make AHQs difficult to classify. We demonstrate that AHQs comprise at least 11% and most likely approximately one quarter of the SDSS Type I quasar population at 0.2 < z < 0.8. For AHQs, the [O III]λ4959,5007 profile is often better fit by de-linking it from the Hβ core, while a more standard linked fit produces a tight correlation between narrow- and broad-line velocities. We find that [O III] in AHQs sometimes has a standard narrow-line profile and other times matches the Hβcore, but is rarely in between the two, implying that the broadened core emission arises from a distinct physical region. Another feature of AHQs is a diminished [O II] line, which might indicate a connection between AHQs and the interstellar mediums of their host galaxies, through reduced photoionization or star formation. We find that it is difficult to produce AHQs using the current quasar standard model.
description: 12 pages, accepted to PASJ
title: Neoplastic process verification in the structure of cortical substrates of unclear etiology in children with pharmaco-resistant epilepsy
Creators: name: Makejeva, Karina
Publisher: name: European Congress of Radiology
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Seizure disorders
subject: Neoplasia
subject: Image verification
subject: Experimental investigations
subject: Diagnostic procedure
subject: Biopsy
subject: PET-CT
subject: MR-Diffusion/Perfusion
subject: MR
subject: Paediatric
subject: Neuroradiology brain
subject: CNS

description: Aims and objectives Methods and materials Results Conclusion Personal information References
description: Aims and objectives: Prospective analysis of an images withcortical substrates that hasblurred radiological picture to identify specific criteria for MRI-negative cases of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs) and gangliogliomas...
5. Conclusione
Creators: name: Eco, Umberto
Publisher: name: Università degli Studi di Milano
Year: 2008

description: L'albero di Porfirio e la difficoltà di costruire una teoria dell'invenzione metaforica. Mancanza di un modello agile delle proprietà e impossibilità di conservare valore conoscitivo alla metafora.
description: Doctor Virtualis, No 3 (2004): La metafora nel Medioevo
title: The role of imaging in assessment of the brain hemodynamics after a direct transtemporal external-to-internal carotid artery bypass surgery
Creators: name: Guzgunov, George
Publisher: name: European Congress of Radiology
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Outcomes
subject: Haemodynamics / Flow dynamics
subject: Education and training
subject: Treatment effects
subject: Ultrasound
subject: MR
subject: CT-Angiography
subject: Vascular
subject: Neuroradiology brain

description: Learning objectives Background Findings and procedure details Conclusion Personal information References
description: Learning objectives: To evaluate different imaging techniques for immediate assessment of the surgical results and for long term follow-up of the patients undergoing a direct transtemporal external-to-internal carotid artery bypass surgery To propose an algorithm for...
Isotropy theorem for cosmological vector fields
Creators: name: Cembranos, J. A. R.
name: Hallabrin, C.
name: Maroto, A. L.
name: Jareño, S. J. Núñez
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We consider homogeneous abelian vector fields in an expanding universe. We find a mechanical analogy in which the system behaves as a particle moving in three dimensions under the action of a central potential. In the case of bounded and rapid evolution compared to the rate of expansion, we show by making use of the virial theorem that for arbitrary potential and polarization pattern, the average energy-momentum tensor is always diagonal and isotropic despite the intrinsic anisotropic evolution of the vector field. For simple power-law potentials of the form V=λ(A^μA_μ)^n, the average equation of state is found to be w=(n-1)/(n+1). This implies that vector coherent oscillations could act as natural dark matter or dark energy candidates. Finally, we show that under very general conditions, the average energy-momentum tensor of a rapidly evolving bounded vector field in any background geometry is always isotropic and has the perfect fluid form for any locally inertial observer.
description: 5 pages, 1 figure. Final version to appear as Rapid Communication in Phys. Rev. D
Optimizing Return to School for Adolescents Following a Concussion: Informing the Development of a Multifaceted Return to School Framework
Creators: name: Shepherd, Heather A.
Publisher: name: Kinesiology
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Concussion
subject: Adolescent
subject: Return to School
subject: Return to Learn
subject: Program Development
subject: Qualitative
subject: Mixed Methods
subject: Health Sciences--Rehabilitation and Therapy
subject: Health Sciences--Public Health
subject: Education--Secondary
subject: Health Sciences--Mental Health
subject: Education--Health

description: Concussions are a public health concern for adolescents. Concussions may affect adolescents’ engagement in the learning environment and in learning tasks. Formalized return to school processes are recommended to support adolescents returning to school following a concussion. However, understanding return to school from the perspectives of stakeholders is essential to determine what supports are needed to facilitate adolescents’ return to school. This doctoral thesis contains two research phases. The first phase aimed to understand the current standard of care for students returning to school following a concussion. The first phase included three sub-studies: 1) a cross-sectional survey study describing school resources and the prevalence and feasibility of academic accommodations from the perspectives of grades 7-12 educators; 2) a qualitative study describing educators’ perspectives supporting grades 7-12 students returning to school following a concussion; and 3) a qualitative study describing adolescents’ experiences returning to school following a concussion. Phase I studies found that academic accommodations are important for adolescents returning to school following a concussion; however, access to resources to support adolescents may affect the implementation of accommodations. Poor communication negatively affected adolescents’ return to school experiences; clear communication and return to school protocols and processes within schools were recommended. The second phase of this dissertation was informed by Phase I study findings. The second phase aimed to describe 1) what adolescents preferred for a peer support program for high school students following a concussion; and 2) what school stakeholders preferred for a return to school framework for adolescents following a concussion. Adolescents preferred a one-on-one peer support program that fostered trust and confidentiality and was flexible with what supports could be provided. School stakeholders indicated that a return to school framework should be multifaceted with a consistent return to school protocol, clear communication between the student, parents/guardians, and educators, and concussion education. Return to school frameworks, which include return to school policies and protocols, should be developed in partnership with school stakeholders and should consider factors including the student’s symptoms and course load, socio-economic context, home life, culture, environmental constraints, school resources, and systems-level supports.
Metafora e relazione
Creators: name: Ferrara, Alfio
Publisher: name: Università degli Studi di Milano
Year: 2008

description: Il significato della metafora sta nelle nuove relazioni che si instaurano fra i termini, dunque essa fa esplodere il carattere puramente estensionale della classificazione porfiriana.
description: Doctor Virtualis, No 3 (2004): La metafora nel Medioevo
De (Baby) Sitter Overlaps
Creators: name: Benna, Marcus K.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In this note we employ methods borrowed from spin glass theory to study the phase space structure of fields in an inflating universe. In particular, we compute the overlap distribution of a suitably coarse-grained, massless scalar on a 1+1 dimensional (hence baby) de Sitter background, and find that (after an appropriate shift and rescaling) it is given by a Gumbel distribution. We also calculate the triple overlap distribution of this system, whose characteristic function turns out to be a product of two Gumbel factors.
description: 1+29 pages, 3 figures
La metafora laica dei poeti
Creators: name: Raimondi, Stefano
Publisher: name: Università degli Studi di Milano
Year: 2008

description: La metafora poetica: un andar a tentoni capace di conoscere empaticamente le cose trasportandole in un Altro senso.
description: Doctor Virtualis, No 3 (2004): La metafora nel Medioevo
Vortex-assisted photon counts and their magnetic field dependence in single-photon detectors
Creators: name: Bulaevskii, Lev N.
name: Graf, Matthias J.
name: Kogan, Vladimir G.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
subject: Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We argue that photon counts in a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) are caused by the transition from a current-biased metastable superconducting state to the normal state. Such a transition is triggered by vortices crossing the thin film superconducting strip from one edge to another due to the Lorentz force. Detector counts in SNSPDs may be caused by three processes: (a) a single incident photon with energy sufficient to break enough Cooper pairs to create a normal-state belt across the entire width of the strip (direct photon count), (b) thermally induced single-vortex crossing in the absence of photons (dark count), which at high bias currents releases the energy sufficient to trigger the transition to the normal state in a belt across the whole width of the strip, and (c) a single incident photon with insufficient energy to create a normal-state belt but initiating a subsequent single-vortex crossing, which provides the rest of the energy needed to create the normal-state belt (vortex-assisted single photon count). We derive the current dependence of the rate of vortex-assisted photon counts. The resulting photon count rate has a plateau at high currents close to the critical current and drops as a power-law with high exponent at lower currents. While the magnetic field perpendicular to the film plane does not affect the formation of hot spots by photons, it causes the rate of vortex crossings (with or without photons) to increase. We show that by applying a magnetic field one may characterize the energy barrier for vortex crossings and identify the origin of dark counts and vortex-assisted photon counts.
description: 9 pages, 8 figures [v3: added extensive discussion of boundary condition of Fokker-Planck equation and magnitude of vortex crossing rate]
Learning our histories at Kits House - a search for decolonizing place-based pedagogies
Creators: name: Henry, Elizabeth
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2013

description: This study investigates a set of decolonizing place-based pedagogies and their potential to facilitate learning among non-Indigenous learners in Kitsilano, Vancouver. I explore using neighbourhood history as a way to open dialogue about the present-day implications of colonization. In this action research project, I facilitated a series of three workshops with seven adults at Kitsilano Neighbourhood House (Kits House). I invited participants to research forgotten Indigenous, immigrant and settler histories and to share photos of what they had learned about the Westside of Vancouver. In the workshops I discussed how Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations lived, sometimes seasonally, in what is now a city park (Vanier Park), and how colonization operated to displace these Nations. As well, participants were invited to envision how to acknowledge forgotten histories in their soon-to-be redeveloped neighbourhood house. Through participant observations at the workshops and subsequent semi-structured interviews, I recorded participants’ views and what they had learned about (de)-colonization, as well as, their suggestions for acknowledging histories in their new neighbourhood house. Research findings highlight the challenges of facilitating decolonizing place-based pedagogies as a non-Indigenous facilitator, with predominately non-Indigenous learners. In the first workshop, the invitation to learn about local histories was too open-ended and allowed participants to research visitor-settler histories without understanding these histories in the context of colonization. In future workshops more attention needs to be paid to the questions posed by the facilitator to re-focus learning on the colonial relationships between Indigenous, immigrant and visitor-settlers. Although sharing stories about the colonization of Snauq / Kits Indian Reserve / Vanier Park did spark dialogue about colonization and reconciliation, these discussions did not lead to an articulated understanding of decolonization among participants. In the action-planning phase of the project, participants offered specific ideas for representing histories at Kits House, but they did not explicitly discuss decolonizing these historical narratives. Although I set out to facilitate decolonizing place-based learning, I facilitated a smaller first step in the participants’ and my own learning journey. Based on my research findings, recommendations for refining decolonizing place-based pedagogies and suggestions for decolonizing histories at Kits House are offered.
title: Adrenal mass: the role of radiology in diagnosis and management
Creators: name: Costa, Marta
Publisher: name: European Congress of Radiology
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Neoplasia
subject: Imaging sequences
subject: History
subject: Diagnostic procedure
subject: MR
subject: CT
subject: Oncology
subject: Management
subject: Abdomen

description: Learning objectives Background Findings and procedure details Conclusion Personal information References
description: Learning objectives: - Provide an overview of various adrenal neoplasms, with special focus on their radiological characteristics; - Present valid recommendations for appropriate management of adrenal incidental mass, based on patient characteristics and imaging...
Influence of the Coriolis force in atom interferometry
Creators: name: Lan, Shau-Yu
name: Kuan, Pei-Chen
name: Estey, Brian
name: Haslinger, Philipp
name: Mueller, Holger
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In a light-pulse atom interferometer, we use a tip-tilt mirror to remove the influence of the Coriolis force from Earth's rotation and to characterize configuration space wave packets. For interferometers with large momentum transfer and large pulse separation time, we improve the contrast by up to 350% and suppress systematic effects. We also reach what is to our knowledge the largest spacetime area enclosed in any atom interferometer to date. We discuss implications for future high performance instruments.
description: 4 pages, 5 figures, 1 table
High-yield Extraction Method of Humic Acids from Lignite using Ultrasonic Processing
Creators: name: Al-Akbari, Redhwan
Publisher: name: Schulich School of Engineering
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: ultrasonic
subject: lignite
subject: humic acids
subject: fulvic acids
subject: fertilizers
subject: Chemistry--Agricultural
subject: Chemistry--Organic

description: More coal power plants are retiring yearly, and more countries are phasing out these plants in hope for more sustainable future. This will free up large amounts of coals specifically low-rank coals (like lignite and subbituminous) for utilization in non-combustion routes. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that alternative, cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable routes are developed and investigated. In this study, the conversion of lignite to humic acids is investigated. Humic acids are organic fertilizers and soil conditioners that help deliver nutrients to plant, improve soil structure and help retaining water in the soil. Humic acids have a potential market growth of 14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next decade. The growth is driven by the need for more organic fertilizer and the deterioration of soil health due to climate change. Current commercial technologies for humic acids production suffer from longer extraction time and low yields. Therefore, ultrasonic processing is being introduced in this study as a novel and new technology to improve the yield and reduce the time required for the production of humic acids from lignite. Ultrasonic processing is based on cavitation phenomena where ultrasound goes through the solution to generate microbubbles that grow and eventually collapse causing high localize pressure and temperature. Chemical and physical effects happen during ultrasonic processing leading to higher rates of reactions. During the reaction, oxygen is being incorporated creating more humic substance and the alkaline media allows for higher solubilization in the solution. Several parameters have been investigated including amplitude, reaction time, initial lignite concentration, KOH amount, and the concentration of H2O2. The international standard ISO19822 method was employed for product characterization. Product characterization also includes the use of FTIR, TOC, CHN analysis and TGA. The characterization confirmed the conversion of lignite to humic acids, allowed for the quantification of humic acids and gave a picture of the chemical and physical characteristics of the products. A lump kinetics model based on power law and Arrhenius equation was built to calculate the kinetics triplets, rate constant, activation energy and pre-exponential factor.
Zwei Kupfermodelle eines Kultwagens mit Rinderzweigespann vom zweiachsigen Gatterkanzeltyp aus der Alacahüyük-Kultur im Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte Berlin
Creators: name: Nagel, Wolfram
Publisher: name: Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica
Year: 2021

description: Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica, Bd. 16/17 1984/1985(1984)
title: Usefulness of CT in the diagnosis and management of complications related to Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Creators: name: AVILA VENEGAS, ANA
Publisher: name: European Congress of Radiology
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Education and training
subject: Complications
subject: CT
subject: Biliary Tract / Gallbladder
subject: Abdomen

description: Learning objectives Background Findings and procedure details Conclusion Personal information References
description: Learning objectives: To review the main post-ERCP complications, and learn to recognize their findings on CT. To learn the role of CT in diagnosis, follow-up and management of post-ERCP complications. To provide radiologists with a proper knowledge to perform an...
Charting the Real Four-Qubit Pauli Group via Ovoids of a Hyperbolic Quadric of PG(7,2)
Creators: name: Saniga, Metod
name: Levay, Peter
name: Pracna, Petr
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: Combinatorics (math.CO)
subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: The geometry of the real four-qubit Pauli group, being embodied in the structure of the symplectic polar space W(7,2), is analyzed in terms of ovoids of a hyperbolic quadric of PG(7,2), the seven-dimensional projective space of order two. The quadric is selected in such a way that it contains all 135 symmetric elements of the group. Under such circumstances, the third element on the line defined by any two points of an ovoid is skew-symmetric, as is the nucleus of the conic defined by any three points of an ovoid. Each ovoid thus yields 36/84 elements of the former/latter type, accounting for all 120 skew-symmetric elements of the group. There are a number of notable types of ovoid-associated subgeometries of the group, of which we mention the following: a subset of 12 skew-symmetric elements lying on four mutually skew lines that span the whole ambient space, a subset of 15 symmetric elements that corresponds to two ovoids sharing three points, a subset of 19 symmetric elements generated by two ovoids on a common point, a subset of 27 symmetric elements that can be partitioned into three ovoids in two unique ways, a subset of 27 skew-symmetric elements that exhibits a 15 + 2 x 6 split reminding that exhibited by an elliptic quadric of PG(5,2), and a subset of seven skew-symmetric elements formed by the nuclei of seven conics having two points in common, which is an analogue of a Conwell heptad of PG(5,2). The strategy we employed is completely novel and unique in its nature, as are the results obtained. Such a detailed dissection of the geometry of the group in question may, for example, be crucial in getting further insights into the still-puzzling black-hole-qubit correspondence/analogy.
description: 18 pages, 13 figures; Version 2 - version accepted in J. Phys A: Math. Theor
Understanding the role of ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE-3 (ABI3) during Brassicaceae silique development
Creators: name: Skori, Logan A
Publisher: name: Science
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Biology--Molecular

description: Many angiosperms, over the course of evolution have developed a mechanism for effective seed dispersal known as dehiscence. Although spontaneous seed dispersal was essential for early land colonization, during crop domestication this was an unfavorable trait that caused yield losses. During domestication, plants that lacked spontaneous silique shattering were selected to establish the crops we have now. My thesis investigates the function of the well-known ABA responsive transcription factor ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE-3 (ABI3) in valve lignification during silique development in Brassica napus (canola) and Arabidopsis thaliana. Through studying the function of ABI3 in valve margin lignification, I have been able to develop new strategies to mitigate silique shattering in canola.To date, function of ABI3 has been thought to be largely restricted to seeds where it is essential for controlling seed dormancy, desiccation tolerance and seed degreening. In Arabidopsis and canola, ABI3 expression could be observed in non-seed tissue such as the valve layer which is the closest layer to the developing seed. When assessed for a functional role in the valve through overexpression of ABI3 in canola, I observed that ABI3 overexpression led to ectopic lignification throughout mesocarp cells in the silique valve tissue that resulted in enhanced shatter tolerance of the siliques. In Arabidopsis, ABI3 overexpression increased the secondary cell wall lignification of endocarp b (enb) cells, while lack of ABI3 in the abi3-6 allele resulted in reduced enb lignification. Upon further investigation, I was able to demonstrate that NAC-domain transcription factors NST1 and NST3 functioned downstream of ABI3 to exclusively regulate valve margin lignification. This work has expanded the functional domain of ABI3 to a new tissue layer (valve) other than the seed tissue, where it is crucial for controlling enb lignification. This study also identified that the abundance and spatial distribution of lignin in the valve tissue of siliques as one of the key determinants for silique shattering. This aspect of silique shattering will be a new avenue that can be exploited to develop shatter tolerant crop plants.
Fourier inversion algorithms for generalized CreditRisk+ models and an extension to incorporate market risk
Creators: name: Reiß, Oliver
Publisher: name: Weierstrass Institute
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: Credit Risk
subject: Generalization of CreditRisk+
subject: Market Risk
subject: Fourier inversion
subject: Characteristic function
subject: 91B28
subject: 91B30
subject: 60E10

description: A popular model to describe credit risk in practice is CreditRisk+ and in this paper a Fourier inversion to obtain the distribution of the credit loss is proposed. A deeper analysis of the Fourier transformation showed that there are at least two methods to obtain the distribution although the corresponding characteristic function is not integrable.  The CreditRisk+ model will be extended such, that general dependent sector variables can be taken into consideration, for example dependent lognormal sector variables. Then the transfer to a continuous time model will be performed and the sector variables become processes, more precisely geometric Brownian motions.  To have a time continuous credit risk model is an important  step to combine this model with market risk. Additionally a portfolio model will be presented where the changes of the spreads are driven by the sector variables. Using a linear expansion of the market risk, the distribution of this portfolio can be determined. In the special case that there is no credit risk, this model yields the well known Delta normal approach for market risk, hence a link between credit risk and market risk has been established.
Feasibility of Non-Invasive Brain Temperature Measurement in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Pilot Study Comparing MR Thermometry to Zero-Heat-Flux Sensors
Creators: name: Horn, MacKenzie D
Publisher: name: Cumming School of Medicine
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: stroke
subject: hypothermia
subject: imaging
subject: Health And Environmental Sciences

description: Stroke continues to be a major cause of adult disability and death. Therapeutic, brain- selective hypothermia is a promising neuroprotectant that can be used for acute ischemic stroke (AIS); however, a non-invasive means to monitor brain temperature during selective brain cooling is lacking. Two proposed modalities are magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI), which has been validated in the literature, and zero-heat-flux thermometry. The primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of non-invasively measuring brain temperature changes in patients with AIS due to large/medium vessel occlusion. Our secondary objective was to assess the relationship between brain temperature measured by MRI and by a thermometry sensor system (3MTM Bair HuggerTM ) placed on the forehead. Twenty patients with large/medium vessel occlusion stroke were recruited for this study. These patients underwent MRSI and temperature sensor measurements before and after an MRI scan done within 12-72 hours from stroke onset. For both MRSI and sensors, we found no significant difference in brain temperature between the stroke and contralateral sides of the brain. There was a statistically significant difference between the brain hemisphere temperature measured using MRSI and the pre- and post-MRI measurement with the sensors for the corresponding hemisphere. However, there was an indication of higher temperature measurements seen using the 3MTM Bair HuggerTM. Our study suggests that it may be necessary to calibrate the zero-heat-flux sensors before use when measuring brain temperature. More studies are needed to validate the use of zero-heat-flux thermometry in the AIS population. This should include studies of hypothermia in AIS using the 3MTM Bair HuggerTM when compared to a reference standard, to determine if monitoring while inducing much larger differences in brain temperature is possible.
(±)-Equol interferes with the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and the expression of neuromodulators in murine neurons
Creators: name: Xiong, Jingyuan
name: Wang, Minghui
name: Tian, Ye
name: Ling, Aru
name: Shan, Shufang
name: Zhao, Li
name: Cheng, Guo
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Physiology
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Inorganic Chemistry
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: S-Equol is an intestinal bacterial metabolite of the isoflavone daidzein. Racemic (±)-equol is used as a dietary estrogen supplement in menopausal women and is suggested to affect the female reproductive function and development, primarily controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and gonadotropin-releasing hormone release. In this study, murine neurons were utilized to evaluate the effect and mechanism of (±)-equol on the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. The cells were treated with up to 20 µmol/L of (±)-equol to determine the influence on cell viability. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western-blotting analysis were used to investigate the impacts of (±)-equol on the secretion and transcription of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and the transcription and translation of key neuromodulators. This study showed that (±)-equol could decrease cell viability, increase the ability to secrete gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and interfere with the expression of neurokinin B receptor, makorin ring finger protein 3, and silent information regulator 1.
The Approximate Sum Capacity of the Symmetric Gaussian K-User Interference Channel
Creators: name: Ordentlich, Or
name: Erez, Uri
name: Nazer, Bobak
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Information Theory (cs.IT)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Interference alignment has emerged as a powerful tool in the analysis of multi-user networks. Despite considerable recent progress, the capacity region of the Gaussian K-user interference channel is still unknown in general, in part due to the challenges associated with alignment on the signal scale using lattice codes. This paper develops a new framework for lattice interference alignment, based on the compute-and-forward approach. Within this framework, each receiver decodes by first recovering two or more linear combinations of the transmitted codewords with integer-valued coefficients and then solving these equations for its desired codeword. For the special case of symmetric channel gains, this framework is used to derive the approximate sum capacity of the Gaussian interference channel, up to an explicitly defined outage set of the channel gains. The key contributions are the capacity lower bounds for the weak through strong interference regimes, where each receiver should jointly decode its own codeword along with part of the interfering codewords. As part of the analysis, it is shown that decoding K linear combinations of the codewords can approach the sum capacity of the K-user Gaussian multiple-access channel up to a gap of no more than K log(K)/2 bits.
description: Accepted for publication in the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory
Investigating the Mitochondrial Signaling Role of Shewanella-like Protein Phosphatase 2 in Arabidopsis thaliana
Creators: name: Mattice, Jordan F
Publisher: name: Science
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Protein phosphorylation
subject: Protein phosphatase
subject: Arabidopsis thaliana
subject: Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space
subject: Seed germination
subject: Biology--Molecular
subject: Biology--Plant Physiology

description: Reversible protein phosphorylation catalyzed by protein kinases and phosphatases is a well- established post-translational modification that plays a prominent role in controlling protein function and mediating cellular signals. In Arabidopsis thaliana, Shewanella-like protein phosphatase 2 (AtSLP2) is a novel bacteria-like protein phosphatase that is targeted to the mitochondrial intermembrane space (IMS) where it interacts with the mitochondrial oxidoreductase import and assembly protein 40 (MIA40). This interaction with MIA40 results in intramolecular disulfide bonds on AtSLP2 that activate its phosphatase activity. A quantitative phosphoproteomics study using AtSLP2 knockout and protein over-expression plant lines was previously able to identify TOM9 (translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane) and PHB2 (prohibitin 2) as putative substrates of AtSLP2. The focus of the research presented here was to characterize AtSLP2’s relationship with its putative substrates in regulating mitochondrial processes from the IMS. Here, initial steps were taken in employing phosphospecific antibodies against AtSLP2’s putative substrates with immunoblots aligning with previous phosphoproteomics results that PHB2 is hyperphosphorylated in the absence of AtSLP2 and conversely hypophosphorylated in its over-expression. Additionally, activity assays using phosphorylated peptides revealed that AtSLP2 has a clear preference towards substrates with more acidic motifs. To explore the influence of AtSLP2’s activity on different mitochondrial functions, a quantitative proteomics study was undertaken to compare perturbations in protein abundance from wild type, AtSLP2 knockout and protein over-expression plant lines. The findings from this study suggests that AtSLP2 plays an important role in regulating mitochondrial energy metabolism and branched-chain amino acid metabolism. Lastly, we tested the AtSLP2 model generated by AlphaFold to review the predicted disulfide bonds catalyzed by MIA40. Using site-directediimutagenesis and subsequent phosphatase assays, we substituted multiple highly conserved cysteine residues within AtSLP2, but were unable to confirm which cysteines are involved in disulfide bond formation. In summary, the results presented here provide a biochemical, structural, and functional characterization of a novel mitochondrial protein phosphatase in plants.
Guided by the Constellations: A Configurational Approach to Investors’ Evaluations of Unproven Ventures
Creators: name: Bokhari, Kanwal
Publisher: name: Haskayne School of Business
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Signals
subject: Evaluation
subject: Judgment
subject: Decision-making
subject: Qualitative comparative analysis
subject: Business Administration--Management
subject: Business Administration--General

description: I examine how investors discussed signals from 50 promising yet unproven ventures in a mentorship program in North America. These signals are proof of customer interest, expert opinions, partners' presence, and mentors' testimonies and convey information about ventures’ products, markets, partnerships, and entrepreneurs, respectively. In contrast with econometric studies that examine one best signaling combination, I employ qualitative comparative analysis to study how investors combine multiple signals to evaluate and select ventures. I show that signals about markets and partnerships are the key to unlocking the potential of signals about products or entrepreneurs. Investors anchor their evaluations of unproven ventures in signals such as expert opinions on markets and the presence of partners outside an entrepreneur's family and friends. By showing how investors evaluate unproven ventures as configurations of multiple signals, findings in the study refine our understanding of investor judgment and illuminate entrepreneurs on positioning their ventures for favorable evaluations.
The Curtin site : the historical archaeology of a rural farmstead in Ops Township, Ontario
Creators: name: Torrie, Alison Pauline
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2013

description: This thesis is an analysis of the economic context of the occupation of the Curtin site (BbGq-22), a rural farmstead in Ops Township, in the former Victoria County, Ontario. In addition to subsistence farming, the occupants of this rural site were engaging in non-agricultural cottage industries and exploiting the resources of the natural environment they inhabited. The Curtin site is an example of a rural farmstead that was increasingly oriented towards a regional economy throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century. Current literature on the subject of farmstead archaeology emphasizes the importance of constructing regional models of agricultural production and material culture. This thesis aims to contribute to the development of such models in order to facilitate the interpretation of historical archaeological sites in southern Ontario, and specifically in the former Victoria County. To accurately assess the significance of a historical farmstead site in rural Ontario, it must be considered within the context of the socioeconomic systems and physical environments that have influenced its occupational history. As such, this thesis includes a comprehensive review of archival, historical, and geographical information that provides context for the interpretation of the sample artifact assemblage yielded by the archaeological excavation of the Curtin site. I infer that, in addition to being a self-contained unit of production and consumption, the occupants of the Curtin site participated in non-agricultural industrial activities including blacksmithing, pottery and brick-making, which engaged them with a regional economy. [An errata to this thesis/dissertation was made available on 2013-10-25.]
Treating Anxiety in Older Adults Living in Long-Term Care
Creators: name: Atchison, Kayla
Publisher: name: Cumming School of Medicine
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Long-term care
subject: Anxiety
subject: Treatment
subject: Health Sciences--General

description: Background: We do not know which treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders are most effective for residents of long-term care (LTC). There is a need to identify evidence-based treatment strategies for anxiety symptoms and disorders, specific to long-term care residents, to reduce additional suffering and improve care for this complex and vulnerable population. Objectives: The research objectives were first to identify which therapies for anxiety symptoms and disorders are efficacious in older adults living in LTC and second to understand what the common barriers and facilitators may be to the detection, diagnosis, and management of anxiety symptoms and disorders in LTC. Methods: First, a systematic review and meta-analysis was completed to identify and evaluate existing treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders used in the LTC setting. Second, interviews with care providers were completed to explore the perceived barriers and facilitators to detecting, diagnosing, and treating anxiety symptoms and disorders in residents of LTC. Framework analysis methods were used to code the interview data, label each code as a barrier or facilitator, and classify each code within the Theoretical Domains Framework.Results: Various low-risk, readily implemented non-pharmacological treatments, such as therapeutic touch and music therapy, with evidence of benefit for anxiety symptoms in residents of LTC were identified. There was limited evidence supporting the use of pharmacological treatment options for anxiety symptoms and disorders in LTC. Perceived barriers to anxiety symptom and disorder detection, diagnosis, and/or treatment included a lack of available treatments, limited access to mental health professionals, and resident comorbidities. Facilitators such as teamwork, family involvement, and specialized training were also identified.Conclusions: The present research is critical to advancing knowledge on how to best treat anxiety symptoms and disorders in LTC. Treatment options for anxiety symptoms in residents of LTC exist but there is a need to better recognize anxiety symptoms and disorders in residents, provide tailored non-pharmacological treatments to residents, and create an environment within LTC that supports anxiety management.
Estimating a Signal In the Presence of an Unknown Background
Creators: name: Rolke, Wolfgang A.
name: López, Angel M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability (physics.data-an)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We describe a method for fitting distributions to data which only requires knowledge of the parametric form of either the signal or the background but not both. The unknown distribution is fit using a non-parametric kernel density estimator. The method returns parameter estimates as well as errors on those estimates. Simulation studies show that these estimates are unbiased and that the errors are correct.
Rapid Feedback Responses to Proprioceptive Perturbation in Idiopathic Dystonia
Creators: name: Campbell, Eleanor G.
Publisher: name: Cumming School of Medicine
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: dystonia
subject: KINARM
subject: robotics
subject: motor control
subject: movement disorder
subject: long-latency responses
subject: reflexes
subject: Health Sciences--General
subject: Health Sciences--Education
subject: Biological Sciences
subject: Biology--General
subject: Biology--Neuroscience

description: Adult-onset dystonia is the third most common movement disorder behind Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, characterized by painful involuntary muscle contractions that cause abnormal posturing and movement. The pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to idiopathic dystonia are poorly understood, however abnormal connectivity is thought to exist at various nodes of an interconnected motor network, such as the cerebellum and the basal ganglia. Possible neurophysiological processes involved include reduced inhibition of the central nervous system, maladaptive cortical plasticity, and abnormal sensorimotor integration. An abnormally increased gain in sensorimotor feedback has previously been hypothesized as a characteristic of dystonia, however, this idea is poorly tested in adult-onset dystonia populations. The aim of this thesis was to characterize abnormal sensorimotor feedback gain in adult-onset cervical dystonia (CD), by examining the magnitude of long-latency motor reflex responses (LLRs) to perturbations applied to the upper limb by an exoskeleton robot. Our results revealed that in response to elbow extension perturbing torques, the magnitude of LLRs were significantly greater in biceps brachii and triceps brachii in CD patients in comparison to healthy controls. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the regular temporal pattern of rapid motor feedback response is conserved in CD. Shoulder muscles of CD patients appropriately incorporate an internal model of limb dynamics and elbow motion in to their LLR responses. Overall, this thesis supports the view that sensorimotor feedback gain is abnormally increased in a subgroup of patients with CD, and that LLRs can serve as a physiological marker of abnormal sensorimotor feedback gain.