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Observations in space plasmas reveal particle velocity distributions out of thermal equilibrium, with anisotropies (e.g. parallel drifts and/or different temperatures, T ∥ – parallel and T ⊥ – perpendicular, with respect to the background magnetic field), and multiple quasi-thermal and suprathermal populations with different properties. The recently introduced (isotropic) κ-cookbook is generalized in this paper to cover all these cases of anisotropic and multicomponent distributions reported by the observations. We derive general analytical expressions for the velocity moments and show that the common (bi-)Maxwellian and (bi-)κ-distributions are obtained as limiting cases of the generalized anisotropic κ-cookbook (or recipes). Based on this generalization, a new two-dimensional fitting procedure is introduced, with an improved level of confidence compared to the 1D fitting methods widely used to quantify the main properties of the observed distributions. The non-linear least-squares fit is applied to electron data sets measured by the Ulysses spacecraft confirming the existence of three different populations, a quasi-thermal core and two suprathermal (halo and strahl) components. In general, the best overall fit is given by the sum of a Maxwellian distribution and two generalized κ-distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interpretation of recent observations of bow shocks around O-stars and the creation of corresponding models require a detailed understanding of the associated (magneto-)hydrodynamic structures. We base our study on 3D numerical (magneto-)hydrodynamical models, which are analysed using the dynamically relevant parameters, in particular, the (magneto)sonic Mach numbers. The analytic Rankine–Hugoniot relation for HD and MHD are compared with those obtained by the numerical model. In that context, we also show that the only distance which can be approximately determined is that of the termination shock, if it is an HD shock. For MHD shocks, the stagnation point does not, in general, lie on the inflow line, which is the line parallel to the inflow vector and passing through the star. Thus an estimate via the Bernoulli equation as in the HD case is, in general, not possible. We also show that in O-star astrospheres, distinct regions exist in which the fast, slow, Alfvénic, and sonic Mach numbers become lower than one, implying subslow magnetosonic as well as subfast and subsonic flows. Nevertheless, the analytic MHD Rankine–Hugoniot relations can be used for further studies of turbulence and cosmic ray modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huge astrospheres or stellar wind bubbles influence the propagation of cosmic rays at energies up to the TeV range and can act as small-scale sinks decreasing the cosmic ray flux. We model such a sink (in 2D) by a sphere of radius 10 pc embedded within a sphere of a radius of 1 kpc. The cosmic ray flux is calculated by means of backward stochastic differential equations from an observer, which is located at r 0 , to the outer boundary. It turns out that such small-scale sinks can influence the cosmic ray flux at the observer’s location by a few permille (i.e. a few 0.1%), which is in the range of the observations by IceCube, Milagro and other large area telescopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We established a flow cytometric lymphocyte proliferation test (LPT) for the detection of nickel (Ni) and palladium (Pd) sensitization. Eighty-one consecutive patients with an indication for patch test (PT) were tested by LPT with Ni (NiSO4) and Pd (Na2PdCl4 and PdCl2) salts. The imprecision of the LPT was low (coefficient of variation 7.2%). Using PT as a diagnostic reference, the sensitivity and specificity of LPT were 74.4% and 80% for NiSO4, 74.4% and 78.3% for Na2PdCl4, and 57.2% and 85.4% for PdCl2, respectively. For both Ni and Pd, the likelihood ratio for a positive PT markedly increased with increasing LPT value. With medical history as a reference, the sensitivity and specificity were 40.6% and 82.1% for LPT and 59.4% and 89.7% for PT, respectively. Combination of LPT and PT resulted in a higher specificity of 95%, albeit lower sensitivity of 34.4%. In conclusion, flow cytometric LPT represents a reliable and useful method for the detection of Ni and Pd sensitization. LPT values correlate with PT results and, when used in combination with PT, increase test specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. In the heliosphere, especially in the inner heliosheath, mass-, momentum-, and energy-loading induced by the ionization of neutral interstellar species plays an important, but for some species, especially helium, an underestimated role. Aims. We discuss the implementation of charge exchange and electron impact processes for interstellar neutral hydrogen and helium and their implications for the subsequent modeling. We especially emphasize the importance of electron impact and a more sophisticated numerical treatment of the charge exchange reactions. Moreover, we discuss the nonresonant charge exchange effects. Methods. We discuss rate coefficients and revise the influence of the cross-sections in the (magneto-)hydrodynamic equations for different reactions and also their representation in the collision integrals. Results. Electron impact is in some regions of the heliosphere, particularly in the heliotail, more effective than charge exchange, and the ionization of neutral interstellar helium contributes about 40% to the mass- and momentum-loading in the heliosheath. The charge exchange cross-sections need to be modeled with higher accuracy, especially in view of the latest developments made in describing them. Conclusions. The ionization of helium and the electron impact ionization of hydrogen need to be taken into account in modeling the heliosheath and, in general, astrosheaths. Moreover, the charge exchange cross-sections need to be handled in a more sophisticated way, either by developing better analytic approximations or by numerically solving the collision integrals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, whether a bow shock ahead of the heliospheric stagnation region exists or not has been a topic of discussion. This was triggered by measurements indicating that the Alfvén speed and the speed of fast magnetosonic waves are higher than the flow speed of the local interstellar medium (LISM) relative to the heliosphere and resulted in the conclusion that either a bow wave or a slow magnetosonic shock might exist. We demonstrate here that including the He+ component of the LISM yields both an Alfvén and fast magnetosonic wave speed lower than the LISM flow speed. Consequently, the scenario of a bow shock in front of the heliosphere, as modeled in numerous simulations of the interaction of the solar wind with the LISM, remains valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug hypersensitivity may deprive patients of drug therapy, and occasionally no effective alternative treatment is available. Successful desensitization has been well documented in delayed drug hypersensitivity reactions. In certain situations, such as sulfonamide hypersensitivity in HIV-positive patients or hypersensitivity to antibiotics in patients with cystic fibrosis, published success rates reach 80%, and this procedure appears helpful for the patient management. A state of clinical tolerance may be achieved by the administration of increasing doses of the previously offending drug. However, in most cases, a pre-existent sensitization has not been proven by positive skin tests. Successful re-administration may have occurred in nonsensitized patients. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of desensitization is needed. Currently, desensitization in delayed hypersensitivity reactions is restricted to mild, uncomplicated exanthems and fixed drug eruptions. The published success rates vary depending on clinical manifestations, drugs, and applied protocols. Slower protocols tend to be more effective than rush protocols; however, underreporting of unsuccessful procedures is very probable. The decision to desensitize a patient must always be made on an individual basis, balancing risks and benefits. This paper reviews the literature and presents the expert experience of the Drug Hypersensitivity Interest Group of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the energy range of the so called 'knee' between 100 TeV and 1 EeV one expects to identify the end of the galactic origin of cosmic rays. Only for the lowest energies a direct detection with instruments on high-altitude, long-flying balloons are possible. Measurements of the high-energy particles are performed indirectly via the detection of extensive air showers by extended arrays of particle or Cherenkov light sensitive detectors. Multidimensional analyses of the air shower data indicate a distinct knee in the energy spectra of light primary cosmic rays at few PeV and an increasing dominance of heavy ones towards higher energies. This provides implications for discriminating astrophysical models of the origin of the knee and of the physics of the transition from galactic to extragalactic cosmic ray origin. Where around 1 PeV many experiments were in operation and have given valuable results in the last decade, at higher energies there was a lack of experimental efforts. To improve the reconstruction quality and statistics at energies from 10 to 1000 PeV, where the transition can be expected, presently several experiments are in operation or going to be in operation. First results of these experiments, as well as perspectives of future efforts in this energy range will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two of the paradigms in modeling the transport of galactic cosmic rays are that the modulation boundary is the heliopause and that the local interstellar spectra are identical to the galactic cosmic ray spectra. Here we demonstrate that the proton spectrum is already modulated due to an altered interstellar diffusion in the outer heliosheath as a consequence of the heliospheric "obstacle" in the interstellar flow. The main modulation effect however is adiabatic energy losses during a "confinement time" of cosmic rays inside the heliosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated radio contrast media (RCM) are either immediate-type (IT) or delayed reactions (DT). In IT, the pathomechanism is unclear. In DT, delayed positive patch (PT) and intradermal tests (IDT) and RCM-specific T cells suggest a T cell-mediated mechanism. In both, the role of iodine has not been clarified; however, patients are often labelled as ‘iodine allergic’. Occasionally, positive skin tests to iodine-containing drugs are observed. Objective We investigated the presence of hypersensitivity to iodine in patients with a history of hypersensitivity reactions to RCM. Methods Nineteen patients with a history of IT ( n=9) or DT ( n=10) to RCM were investigated. Skin prick tests, IDT and PT with several RCM and iodine formulations were carried out. All underwent oral provocation with Lugol's solution (LS). Two patients each with iodine mumps, contact dermatitis to iodized antiseptics and chronic idiopathic urticaria served as control or proof of concept. Results In the IT group, skin tests were positive in three out of nine patients to one RCM. One patient with negative skin tests reacted twice to oral iodine with urticaria. In the DT group, sensitization to one or several RCM was identified in 10 out of 10 patients. In seven out of 10 patients, additional sensitizations to the iodine formulations were found. Two patients developed a mild exanthema after oral provocation with LS. Conclusion We have previously demonstrated in patients with iodine mumps that an oral challenge with LS is a valid means to elicit hypersensitivity reactions to iodine. In 19 patients, we showed that iodine is rarely the eliciting agent in hypersensitivity reactions to RCM. Only one patient with a late urticaria to an RCM with a late urticaria to LS and two patients with DT and broad sensitization to all RCM tested reacted to LS with an exanthema. In most cases, more likely the RCM molecules and not iodine are the eliciting compounds. Cite this as: K. Scherer, T. Harr, S. Bach and A. J. Bircher, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 468–475. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current diagnostic procedures of anaphylactic reactions to hymenoptera stings include intradermal tests, venom-specific IgE (sIgE) and possibly sting challenge tests. Sometimes, the culprit insect remains unidentified. The usefulness of the cellular assays CAST®-ELISA and Flow-CAST® in the management of hymenoptera venom allergy was investigated. Methods: 134 patients with systemic reactions after a yellow jacket wasp and/or honey bee sting and 44 healthy controls underwent skin tests, as well as determination of sIgE (CAP-FEIA), leukocyte sulfidoleukotriene release (CAST-ELISA) and basophil CD63 expression (Flow-CAST) upon insect venom stimulation. The clinical diagnosis based on the history alone served as reference. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of all methods were compared. Concordance and correlations among methods were calculated. Results: Sensitivity and specificity of all in vitro tests were consistently high. The combination of all tests (skin tests, sIgE, combined cellular assays) yielded a positive predictive value of 100% for both venoms, if all 3 were positive, and a negative predictive value of 100%, if at least 1 test was positive. Relative specificities were considerably higher for the cellular assays (honey bee: CAST 91.1%, Flow-CAST 85.7%; yellow jacket wasp: CAST 98.4%, Flow-CAST 92.1%) and allow the detection of the culprit insect in patients with reactivity to both insects. The concordance between methods was good. There is no correlation between severity of clinical reaction and cellular assays. Conclusion: CAST-ELISA and Flow-CAST are valuable additional diagnostic tools for establishing the true culprit insect in patients with unclear clinical history or sensitization to both insects. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The most frequently isolated Salmonella serotype from pork in Germany is S. typhimurium, especially phagetype DT 104. The monitoring programs on Salmonella in swine are based on enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) detecting antibodies in serum or meat juice. These serological results are used to classify swine herds in three categories to assess the hygienic status of farm regarding Salmonella infection in pigs. The object of this study was the comparative evaluation of four indirect Salmonella ELISA tests approved in Germany to detect Salmonella typhimurium infection of swine. Three tests (A–C) are based on LPS-antigen and directed against specific IgG-antibodies. The fourth test (D) bases on a whole-cell-lysate antigen and discriminates between Salmonella specific IgA-, IgM- and IgG-antibodies. In a longitudinal study sixteen 6 weeks old weaning pigs were orally infected with S. typhimurium DT 104. During an observation period of 138d clinical and bacteriological parameters were monitored and serum samples obtained at regular intervals as well as meat juice samples taken at slaughter were examined by the respective ELISA systems. Study results reveal that all tested ELISA systems are able to detect S. typhimurium infection in pigs in both sample matrices, blood serum and meat juice whereas test D showed the highest sensitivity to detect Salmonella antibodies in pigs. The sensitivity to detect Salmonella antibodies varied between tests A and C according to the used cut-off (test specific cut-off vs. recommended surveillance cut-off) resulting in a change of seroprevalence and hence may influence the Salmonella status of the farm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In recent years the variability of the cosmic ray flux has become one of the main issues not only for the interpretation of the abundances of cosmogenic isotopes in cosmochronic archives like, e.g., ice cores, but also for its potential impact on the terrestrial climate. It has been re-emphasized that the cosmic ray flux is not only varying due to the solar activity-induced changes of the solar wind but also in response to the changing state of the interstellar medium surrounding the heliosphere. We demonstrate the significance of these external boundary condition changes along the galactic orbit of the Sun for the flux as well as spectra of cosmic rays. Such interstellar–terrestrial relations are a major topic of the International Heliophysical Year 2007. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cosmic ray modulation in the outer heliosphere is discussed from a modeling perspective. Emphasis is on the transport and acceleration of these particles at and beyond the solar wind termination shock in the inner heliosheath region and how this changes over a solar cycle. We will show that by using numerical models, and by comparing results to spacecraft observations, much can be learned about the dependence of cosmic ray modulation on solar cycle changes in the solar wind and heliospheric magnetic field. While the first determines the heliospheric geometry and shock structure, the latter results in a time-dependence of the transport coefficients. Depending on energy, both these effects contribute to cosmic ray intensities in the inner heliosheath changing over a solar cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Skin prick and intradermal skin tests (IDT) are useful tools in evaluating IgE-mediated allergic disorders. In the literature, many variations of the techniques used are described. No general agreement exists on test procedures and reading of test results. Objective To analyse test conditions for IDT to facilitate comparability between different study protocols. Methods We tested 24 healthy volunteers with three concentrations of histamine and codeine each on the upper back, lateral upper arm and volar forearm, with/without addition of ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid. Reading of the resulting weal was performed by taking a digital image of the weal, later outlining the weal perimeter in triplicate and calculating the weal area using the NIH Image J software version 1.3. Results Weal size was dose dependent for both substances, generally larger on the upper back than on the forearm and upper arm, and larger after codeine than after histamine. Addition of the Ca2+-chelator ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid did not significantly affect weal size. Weal size induced by histamine showed better consistency than that induced by codeine. Conclusions The results and our technique provide valuable tools for the daily routine as well as for the ability to compare information of intradermal tests from different studies or clinical reports. When assessing skin reactivity, we recommend the use of 1 mg/mL codeine as well as 0.1 mg/mL histamine to reflect aspects of mast-cell releasability and of vascular reactivity. The involvement of local factors influencing the vascular reactivity or differences in opiate receptor density on mast cells surfaces needs to be addressed in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many temperate countries Campylobacter spp. are the most common bacterial causes of human infectious intestinal disease. Yet the aetiology of this infection has only partly been described. A majority of human campylobacteriosis cases are associated with food of animal origin. Despite being very sensitive to environmental stressors Campylobacter spp. are able to persist in the food chain and can pose a threat to the consumer. In this review, the survival potential and stress response of Campylobacter spp. in food will be summarized and the importance of food preservation technologies will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two objectives of this article are: a) to describe the German School Injury Surveillance System and b) to determine major trends and patterns of different school-associated injury indicators. The database covers all children and adolescents from nursery school through university during their time at school and day care, including their way to and from school. Presently, this results in 17.5 million insured young persons, or 21.2% of the German general population. The surveillance system includes two main informational sources: school accident and medical accident reports. In 2003 over 1.5 million school-related injuries received medical attention in Germany. This is an incidence rate of about 86 injuries per 1000 students. Between 1975 and 2003, the mortality rate declined from 23.4 to 7.7 per million. This is a drop of 67% in about 30 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the variability of the cosmic ray flux has become one of the main issues interpreting cosmogenic elements and especially their connection with climate. In this review, an interdisciplinary team of scientists brings together our knowledge of the evolution and modulation of the cosmic ray flux from its origin in the Milky Way, during its propagation through the heliosphere, up to its interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere, resulting, finally, in the production of cosmogenic isotopes in the Earth’ atmosphere. The interpretation of the cosmogenic isotopes and the cosmic ray – cloud connection are also intensively discussed. Finally, we discuss some open questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Comparable quantitative data of Campylobacter spp. on chicken products are a major data lack for quantitative risk assessment approaches. The objective of this study was to compare two different sampling techniques for the isolation and enumeration of Campylobacter spp. in chicken and to evaluate a suitable enumeration method comparing the most probable number (MPN) technique to the direct plating method. For this, 90 packages containing at least two raw chicken legs were examined for the comparison of sampling techniques, rinsing one leg and homogenizing 25 g of skin of the other leg of each package; both sample preparation types were examined by direct plating method and MPN technique in 40 out of 90 packages. Of the skin samples, 70% (63/90), and of the rinse samples, 77% (69/90), were Campylobacter-positive. Enumeration of Campylobacter spp. by direct plating revealed a median of log 4 cfu/leg surface in skin samples (S.D.=0.6) and a median of log 4.3 cfu/leg surface in rinse samples (S.D.=0.9) of the rinse samples; 73% (37/51) had higher numbers of Campylobacter spp. than the skin samples although the difference was not significant (p =0.08). The correlation coefficient of Campylobacter counts in skin and rinse samples was 0.43. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in rinse samples was 58% (23/40). In 5% (2/40) of the rinse samples, numbers of Campylobacter spp. could be detected only by the MPN technique due to the lower detection limit compared to the direct plating method. The MPN technique turned out to be unsuitable for the enumeration of Campylobacter spp. in skin samples because a layer formation on the top of the incubated MPN-tubes leads to irregular MPN results. Out of 80% (16/20) of the compared rinse samples, the direct plating detected higher numbers of Campylobacter spp., with a median count of log 4.2 cfu/leg surface (S.D.=1) compared the MPN technique where a median of log 4 cfu/leg surface (S.D.=1.1) was obtained. The difference was not significant (p =0.05). A highly positive correlation coefficient of 0.9 was observed between the direct plating and the MPN technique. Both sampling methods, rinsing the chicken leg and homogenizing the skin, are suitable for the detection and quantification of Campylobacter spp.; the direct plating method was superior to the MPN technique for enumerating Campylobacter spp. in raw chicken legs at retail level because enumeration is more rapid and less laborious. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper we present a new five particle species hybrid model for calculating cosmic ray particle transport and acceleration in a dynamic heliospheric environment. In particular the effects of solar cycle related changes in the solar wind speed on the heliospheric geometry, solar wind flow and cosmic ray distribution are discussed, when a polar-ecliptic asymmetry at the inner boundary is modeled. It is shown that the disappearance of the fast solar wind over the solar poles toward solar maximum influences the geometry of the termination shock which is an important structure for cosmic ray acceleration. For solar maximum conditions, the shock radius is smaller in the polar regions and in the heliospheric tail compared to solar minimum. These changes influence cosmic ray transport and acceleration in these regions, especially for the polarity cycle where positive particles drift in along the heliospheric current sheet. For this polarity cycle, and for both the anomalous and galactic cosmic ray protons, an increase in particle intensities at the shock in the heliospheric tail is computed as the shock moves inward toward the Sun. For the heliospheric nose, it is also shown that both the plasma speed and cosmic ray intensities are relative insensitive to changes in the latitudinal profile of the solar wind speed. Therefore toward solar maximum conditions there is a decrease in the nose-tail asymmetry of the computed cosmic ray distribution compared to solar minimum conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energetic neutral atoms (ENA's) which are produced in the heliospheric interface can be used to remotely investigate this highly interesting, but poorly known region acting as buffer against the interstellar plasma. To optimally take advantage from this very promising observational technique, based on ENA flux measurements, one needs to know the spectral production rate of the ENA's in the heliosheath and about the foreground ENA contaminations originating in the inner heliosphere, e.g. inside the termination shock. Heliosheath ENA's with energies of about a few KeV originate from charge exchange reactions of H-atoms both with the shocked solar wind protons and with pick-up protons downstream of the termination shock. Inner heliospheric ENA's detectable at the Earth can only originate from H charge exchange reactions with pick-up protons. In this article we calculate on the basis of the five-fluid Bonn model the time-dependent ENA fluxes that are connected with these three sources and compare them. It will be demonstrated that the heliosheath ENA fluxes dominate from nearly all directions over the inner heliospheric ENA fluxes, though the best chances to disentangle the contributions appear in upwind and downwind direction at specific periods of the solar activity cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energetic neutral atoms (ENA's) which are produced in the heliospheric interface can be used to remotely investigate this highly interesting, but poorly known region acting as buffer against the interstellar plasma. To optimally take advantage from this very promising observational technique, based on ENA flux measurements, one needs to know the spectral production rate of the ENA's in the heliosheath and about the foreground ENA contaminations originating in the inner heliosphere, e.g. inside the termination shock. Heliosheath ENA's with energies of about a few KeV originate from charge exchange reactions of H-atoms both with the shocked solar wind protons and with pick-up protons downstream of the termination shock. Inner heliospheric ENA's detectable at the Earth can only originate from H charge exchange reactions with pick-up protons. In this article we calculate on the basis of the five-fluid Bonn model the time-dependent ENA fluxes that are connected with these three sources and compare them. It will be demonstrated that the heliosheath ENA fluxes dominate from nearly all directions over the inner heliospheric ENA fluxes, though the best chances to disentangle the contributions appear in upwind and downwind direction at specific periods of the solar activity cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present a new five particle species hybrid model for calculating cosmic ray particle transport and acceleration in a dynamic heliospheric environment. In particular the effects of solar cycle related changes in the solar wind speed on the heliospheric geometry, solar wind flow and cosmic ray distribution are discussed, when a polar-ecliptic asymmetry at the inner boundary is modeled. It is shown that the disappearance of the fast solar wind over the solar poles toward solar maximum influences the geometry of the termination shock which is an important structure for cosmic ray acceleration. For solar maximum conditions, the shock radius is smaller in the polar regions and in the heliospheric tail compared to solar minimum. These changes influence cosmic ray transport and acceleration in these regions, especially for the polarity cycle where positive particles drift in along the heliospheric current sheet. For this polarity cycle, and for both the anomalous and galactic cosmic ray protons, an increase in particle intensities at the shock in the heliospheric tail is computed as the shock moves inward toward the Sun. For the heliospheric nose, it is also shown that both the plasma speed and cosmic ray intensities are relative insensitive to changes in the latitudinal profile of the solar wind speed. Therefore toward solar maximum conditions there is a decrease in the nose-tail asymmetry of the computed cosmic ray distribution compared to solar minimum conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal variation of the cosmic-ray flux at Earth directly influences the production rate of cosmogenic isotopes in the Earth’s atmosphere. Here we put the emphasis on problems of the modulation of cosmic rays in the heliosphere. The physics of the modulation region, e.g., the heliosphere, is described and also the transport theory of the cosmic rays through the heliosphere is presented. The discussion includes more recent ideas of the modulation in the heliosheath. In the light of these ideas the cosmic-ray fluxes during the Maunder minimum are discussed. It is also discussed, that the 22-year cycle observed in the cosmogenic isotopes is a modulation effect of the cosmic rays, and hence directly connected with the physics of the outer heliosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the recent studies on the long-term influence of cosmic rays on the Earth''s environment. While on short time-scales solar activity is the driver for atmospheric changes suspected to be due to cosmic rays, for long time-scales the heliosphere, i.e. the circumsolar region occupied by the expanding part of the Sun''s atmosphere, has to be considered. The heliosphere is identified as an important shield against interstellar influences and hazards. It has been demonstrated by quantitative modelling that a change of the interstellar medium surrounding the heliosphere as a result of the Sun''s quasi-Keplerian motion around the galactic center triggers significant changes of planetary environments caused by enhanced fluxes of neutral atoms as well as by the increased cosmic ray fluxes. We give a compilation of recent space science results of interest to the atmospheric science community. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background At present, laser therapy of port-wine stains (PWS) using the flashlamp-pumped dye laser (FPDL) at 450 µs is accepted as the optimal approach. A few years ago, a new long-pulsed tunable dye laser (LPTDL, 1·5 ms) was introduced for the treatment of leg veins. Objectives To investigate the efficacy and side-effects of FPDL vs. LPTDL therapy of PWS. Methods Sixty-two patients with untreated PWS underwent test treatments with the FPDL (585 nm; 7-mm spot size; 5·75–7·0 J cm-2 fluence) and LPTDL (585, 590, 595, 600 nm; 5-mm spot size; 11–20 J cm-2 fluence). With the LPTDL, the epidermis was additionally cooled (Spray cooling device). The fading was evaluated clinically 6 weeks after the test treatments. Results Optimal fading was achieved by the LPTDL (≥ 585 nm) in 30 patients and by the FPDL in 12 patients. No difference was found in 20 patients. At 585 nm, the lasers worked equally well in 12 (FPDL) and 13 (LPTDL) patients, respectively. Results were independent of the localization of the PWS and of the patient's age. In spite of the longer pulse duration, the LPTDL treatment did not result in more side-effects as long as sufficient cooling was provided. Conclusions The results provide evidence that wavelengths longer than 585 nm can increase the efficacy of treatment in some PWS. Owing to the reduced light absorption by haemoglobin at longer wavelengths and consequently increased depth of the vascular injury, larger vessels can be damaged more adequately using an increased fluence. The LPTDL at 585 nm seemed to be slightly superior to the FPDL, while accepting that due to technical reasons the laser parameters were not directly comparable. Availability of both lasers increases the therapeutic possibilities in PWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Best parametric spline interpolation extends and refines the classical spline problem of best interpolation to (*) inf[sub t] inf[sub f] {∫[sup 1, sub 0] f[sup (k)] (t)² dt: f(t[sub i]) = y[sub i], 1 ≤ i ≤ n}. Here t: 0 = t[sub 1] < ··· < t[sub n] = 1 denotes a sequence of nodes and y[sub i] data in R[sup d] with y[sub i] ≠ y[sub i +1]. The R[sup d]-valued functions f(t) lie componentwise in the Sobolev space L[sup k, sub 2](0, 1) and denotes the Euclidean norm in R[sup d]. This problem has been posed by H. J. Toepfer (1981) and independently by S. Marin (1984) who showed existence and uniqueness of the solution for d = 1 and k = 2. Here we extend this result to the general parametric case d ≥ 1. To this end, the problem is rewritten as a (nonclassical) saddle-point problem. It is concave for a part of the variables but not convex for the other one. Nevertheless, we can prove the existence of the unique solution of it and hence of (*). By an alternative approach via degree theory we prove further that there is at most one local strict minimum of (*). Finally, we discuss the relation to other problems of best interpolation where the minimization is performed with respect to the curvature or a certain class of β-splines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe hypersensitivity reactions to red meat with delay of several hours in patients with Ig E to alpha-gal (galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose) have been reported. The diagnosis of meat allergy is difficult, because of the limited sensitivity of skin prick tests and specific Ig E tests to meat extracts. These circumstances have been explained by the delayed expression of alpha-gal due to digestive processes. Because of the low sensitivity of skin prick tests to meat, we studied the possibility to perform skin prick tests with cetuximab, which carries the alpha-gal epitope. Skin prick and intradermal tests with cetuximab were clearly positive in 2 of 2 patients. As a further diagnostic step, we performed basophil activation tests with cetuximab. Skin prick tests and basophil activation test using cetuximab may be a more sensitive alternative in patients with an assumed allergy to meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In classical thermodynamics the entropy is an extensive quantity, i.e., the sum of the entropies of two subsystems in equilibrium with each other is equal to the entropy of the full system consisting of the two subsystems. The extensitivity of entropy has been questioned in the context of a theoretical foundation for the so-called κ distributions, which describe plasma constituents with power-law velocity distributions. We demonstrate here, by employing the recently introduced regularized κ distributions, that entropy can be defined as an extensive quantity even for such power-law-like distributions that truncate exponentially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a woman who was referred with the diagnosis of angioedema for further investigation of its causes. She reported recurrent swelling of the cheeks with intermittent pain and burning sensations which are symptoms of allergic contact stomatitis. Skin prick tests were performed with an atopy screen and food series which revealed that her intensive consumption of cinnamon flavored chewing gums led to the symptoms.

The article presents a case study of a patient who is an immediate type hypersensitive to heparins. The 30-year-old female patient suffers from Muckle-Wells syndrome, an autosomal disease with cold urticaria and sensorineural deafness, and factor V Leiden thrombophilia. She repeatedly used dalteparin, a drug, over the past 10 years. An initial diagnostic work up with skin prick and intracutaneous tests was performed. It will enable to test hypothesis of an immediate-type reaction to dalteparin.

Presents information on the "Astrophysics and Space Sciences Transactions" (ASTRA) journal. Availability of the journal; Information on how submitted manuscripts as well as correspondence are processed; Features of the journal.

Compares "Astrophysics and Space Sciences Transactions (ASTRA)" to other regular scientific print journals. Advantages of ASTRA compared to regular print journals; Guidelines for manuscript submissions; Plans for the journal in the near future.

Luminous blue variable-type stars are massive O-type stars that show variable outflow parameters. These stars can also undergo eruptions where a large amount of mass is ejected in a very short duration. The astrospheres of these stars are modelled using a magnetohydrodynamic model including the effect of radiative cooling. The variation in outflow parameters is demonstrated to lead to a variation in number density up to the termination shock, after which there is no effect in the post-shocked regions. On the other hand, eruptions increase the size of the astrosphere and cause the termination shock to oscillate between the inner boundary and the astropause. Galactic cosmic ray modulation within these types of astrospheres is also studied using a 1D stochastic differential equation model. It is shown that, even though these astrospheres are considerably larger than the heliosphere, calculated cosmic ray differential intensities remain larger than what is observed in the heliosphere at Earth, implying lower levels of modulation related to larger cosmic ray diffusion coefficients. During eruptive events, modelled cosmic ray intensities fluctuate due to the oscillating termination shock, and varying plasma parameters. It is also shown that such behaviour, can in principle, lead to the acceleration of these particles, but the results of this study, due to the 1D approach taken to solving the Parker transport equation, are argued to represent an upper limit to this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Occurrence, elicitors and treatment of severe allergic reactions are recognized and reported differently between countries. We aimed to collect standardized data throughout Europe on anaphylaxis referred for diagnosis and counselling. Methods Tertiary allergy, dermatology and paediatric units in 10 European countries took part in this pilot phase of the first European Anaphylaxis Registry, from June 2011 to March 2014. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on severe allergic reactions based on the medical history and diagnostics. Results Fifty-nine centres reported 3333 cases of anaphylaxis, with 26.7% below 18 years of age. Allergic reactions were mainly caused by food (children and adults 64.9% and 20.2%, respectively) and insect venom (20.2% and 48.2%) and less often by drugs (4.8% and 22.4%). Most reactions occurred within 30 min of exposure (80.5%); a delay of 4+ hours was mainly seen in drug anaphylaxis (6.7%). Symptom patterns differed by elicitor, with the skin being affected most often (84.1%). A previous, usually milder reaction to the same allergen was reported by 34.2%. The mainstay of first-line treatment by professionals included corticoids (60.4%) and antihistamines (52.8%). Only 13.7% of lay- or self-treated reactions to food and 27.6% of insect anaphylaxis received on-site adrenaline. Conclusion This pilot phase of a pan-European registry for severe allergic reactions provides for the first time data on anaphylaxis throughout Europe, demonstrates its potential functionality and allows a comparison of symptom patterns, elicitors and treatment habits between referral centres and countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significative fraction of all massive stars in the Milky Way move supersonically through their local interstellar medium (ISM), producing bow shock nebulae by wind-ISM interaction. The stability of these observed astrospheres around cool massive stars challenges precedent 2D (magneto-)hydrodynamical (MHD) simulations of their surroundings. We present 3D MHD simulations of the circumstellar medium of runaway M-type red supergiant stars moving with velocity |$v_{\star }=50\, \rm km\, \rm s^{-1}$|⁠. We treat the stellar wind with a Parker spiral and assume a |$7\, \rm \mu G$| magnetization of the ISM. Our free parameter is the angle θmag between ISM flow and magnetization, taken to 0°, 45°, and 90°. It is found that simulation dimension, coordinate systems, and grid effects can greatly affect the development of the modelled astrospheres. Nevertheless, as soon as the ISM flow and magnetization directions differs by more than a few degrees (θmag ≥ 5°), the bow shock is stabilized, most clumpiness and ragged structures vanishing. The complex shape of the bow shocks induce important projection effects, e.g. at optical H α line, producing complex of astrospheric morphologies. We speculate that those effects are also at work around earlier-type massive stars, which would explain their diversity of their observed arc-like nebula around runaway OB stars. Our 3D MHD models are fitting well observations of the astrospheres of several runaway red supergiant stars. The results interpret the smoothed astrosphere of IRC-10414 and Betelgeuse (αOri) are stabilized by an organized non-parallel ambient magnetic field. Our findings suggest that IRC-10414 is currently in a steady state of its evolution, and that Betelgeuse's bar is of interstellar origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent judgment studies have shown that people are able to fairly correctly attribute emotional states to others’ bodily expressions. It is, however, not clear which movement qualities are salient, and how this applies to emotional gesture during speech-based interaction. In this study we investigated how the expression of emotions that vary on three major emotion dimensions--that is, arousal, valence, and potency--affects the perception of dynamic arm gestures. Ten professional actors enacted 12 emotions in a scenario-based social interaction setting. Participants (N = 43) rated all emotional expressions with muted sound and blurred faces on six spatiotemporal characteristics of gestural arm movement that were found to be related to emotion in previous research (amount of movement, movement speed, force, fluency, size, and height/vertical position). Arousal and potency were found to be strong determinants of the perception of gestural dynamics, whereas the differences between positive or negative emotions were less pronounced. These results confirm the importance of arm movement in communicating major emotion dimensions and show that gesture forms an integrated part of multimodal nonverbal emotion communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial diffusion of cosmic rays in turbulent magnetic fields can, in the most general case, be fully anisotropic, i.e., one has to distinguish three diffusion axes in a local, field-aligned frame. We reexamine the transformation for the diffusion tensor from this local to a global frame, in which the Parker transport equation for energetic particles is usually formulated and solved. Particularly, we generalize the transformation formulae to allow for an explicit choice of two principal local perpendicular diffusion axes. This generalization includes the "traditional" diffusion tensor in the special case of isotropic perpendicular diffusion. For the local frame, we describe the motivation for the choice of the Frenet--Serret trihedron, which is related to the intrinsic magnetic field geometry. We directly compare the old and the new tensor elements for two heliospheric magnetic field configurations, namely the hybrid Fisk and Parker fields. Subsequently, we examine the significance of the different formulations for the diffusion tensor in a standard three-dimensional model for the modulation of galactic protons. For this, we utilize a numerical code to evaluate a system of stochastic differential equations equivalent to the Parker transport equation and present the resulting modulated spectra. The computed differential fluxes based on the new tensor formulation deviate from those obtained with the "traditional" one (only valid for isotropic perpendicular diffusion) by up to 60% for energies below a few hundred MeV depending on heliocentric distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of external influences on the environment of Earth and its atmosphere has become evident during recent years. Especially, on time scales of several hundred years, the cosmogenic isotope concentration during the Wolf-, Spoerer-, Maunder- and Dalton-Minimum indicates an increased cosmic ray flux. Because these grand minima of solar activity coincide with cold periods, a correlation of the Earth climate with the cosmic ray intensities is plausible. Any quantitative study of the effects of energetic particles on the atmosphere and environment of the Earth must address their transport to Earth and their interactions with the Earth’s atmosphere including their filtering by the terrestrial magnetosphere. The first problem is one of the fundamental problems in modern cosmic ray astrophysics, and corresponding studies began in the 1960s based on Parker’s cosmic ray modulation theory taking into account diffusion, convection, adiabatic deceleration, and (later) the drift of energetic particles in the global heliospheric magnetic field. It is well established that all of these processes determining the modulation of cosmic rays are depending on parameters that are varying with the solar magnetic cycle. Therefore, the galactic cosmic ray intensities close to Earth is the result of a complex modulation of the interstellar galactic spectrum within the heliosphere. The modern view of this cosmic ray modulation is summarized in our contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of a Disability Awareness Merit Badge Clinic on boy scouts' attitudes toward peers with disabilities. The clinic was created and facilitated by two faculty members and 18 undergraduate students at a Midwest public regional university. Boy scouts (ages 10-17) attended the clinic and participated in various educational activities across campus throughout the day which were designed to promote disability awareness. A pretest/post-test method was used to assess whether the clinic had a measurable effect on the scouts' (N = 58) disability-related attitudes. It was hypothesized that participation in the merit badge clinic would increase the boy scouts' positive attitudes toward peers with disabilities. The results show a modest but significant increase in positive attitudes among participants, with the highest increase among younger scouts. Findings support the need for disability awareness interventions for individuals at early stages of social development. Future research should address whether incorporation of experiential learning activities to the clinic curriculum would enhance its effectiveness in improving disability-related attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]