Graph Isomorphism Parameterized by Elimination Distance to Bounded Degree

A commonly studied means of parameterizing graph problems is the deletion distance from triviality [11], which counts vertices that need to be deleted from a graph to place it in some class for which e cient algorithms are known. In the context of graph isomorphism, we de ne triviality to mean a graph with maximum degree bounded by a constant, as such graph classes admit polynomial-time isomorphism tests. We generalise deletion distance to a measure we call elimination distance to triviality, based on elimination trees or tree-depth decompositions. We establish that graph canonisation, and thus graph isomorphism, is FPT when parameterized by elimination distance to bounded degree, extending results of Bouland et al.The work was supported in part by EPSRC grant EP/H026835, DAAD grant A/13/05456, and DFG project Logik, Struktur und das Graphenisomorphieproblem.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00453-015-0045-

A set of canonical problems in sloshing. Part 2: Influence of tank width on impact pressure statistics in regular forced angular motion

Continuing along the path of previous papers in this series, the present paper addresses, experimentally, sloshing in a rectangular tank under harmonic angular forcing. Since lateral and roof impacts are relevant in sloshing assessment and present distinct dynamics, these have been studied. Water and oil have been used in order to obtain data for high and moderate Reynolds numbers. With the aim of addressing effects induced by the three-dimensionality of the flow, a study of the influence of the tank width on pressure statistics has also been conducted. For this purpose, a tank which can be adjusted to 4 different widths by replacing the side plates was built. For each combination of fluid, tank width and filling level, a total of 120 experiments, each comprising 120 peaks, have been conducted, allowing an analysis in time and ensemble domains to be performed. Impact pressure statistics are presented including mean values, percentiles, and exceedance probability graphs

Improved energy resolution for VHE gamma-ray astronomy with systems of Cherenkov telescopes

We present analysis techniques to improve the energy resolution of stereoscopic systems of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, using the HEGRA telescope system as an example. The techniques include (i) the determination of the height of the shower maximum, which is then taken into account in the energy determination, and (ii) the determination of the location of the shower core with the additional constraint that the direction of the gamma rays is known a priori. This constraint can be applied for gamma-ray point sources, and results in a significant improvement in the localization of the shower core, which translates into better energy resolution. Combining both techniques, the HEGRA telescopes reach an energy resolution between 9% and 12%, over the entire energy range from 1 TeV to almost 100 TeV. Options for further improvements of the energy resolution are discussed.Comment: 13 Pages, 7 figures, Latex. Astroparticle Physics, in pres

Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes bear the 75 kDa tumour necrosis factor receptor.

Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine with a variety of immunological properties. The identification of two receptors for this molecule, i.e. the 75 kDa and the 55 kDa TNF receptors (TNF-R), recently clarified the mechanisms through which this cytokine provides its wide range of immunomodulatory activities. In this study we have investigated the expression and the functional properties of these receptors on tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) recovered from 17 patients with solid cancers (melanoma, colorectal carcinoma and lung cancer). To this end, TIL lines and freshly isolated TILs were evaluated for (a) the expression and the functional role of TNF receptors following culture in the presence of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and (b) the production of TNF-alpha following culture with IL-2 and the role of this cytokine in IL-2-driven TIL proliferation. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that TILs bear the 75 kDa TNF-R. Moreover, TIL lines express detectable messages for TNF-alpha and release this cytokine. Functional in vitro studies have shown that anti-TNF-alpha, as well as anti-75 kDa TNF-R antibodies, are able to inhibit the IL-2-induced TIL proliferation. These data demonstrate that TILs are equipped with a fully functional TNF-R system and suggest a putative role for this receptor and its ligand in the activation and expression of TILs following immunotherapy with IL-2

Phenotypic heterogeneity in IGHV-mutated CLL patients has prognostic impact and identifies a subset with increased sensitivity to BTK and PI3Kδ inhibition

The majority of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients are diagnosed with early-stage disease but the currently used prognostic tools appear to be less informative in this group of patients.1 This is especially problematic for patients with mutated immunoglobulin genes (M-CLL) as they have a more diverse clinical course when compared with patients with unmutated immunoglobulin genes (U-CLL).1, 2, 3, 4 Given the emergence of promising targeted, less toxic, therapeutics in CLL,5, 6 there is an increased need to identify patients who might benefit from early treatment with these new agents

A set of canonical problems in sloshing. Part 0: Experimental setup and data processing

In a series of attempts to research and document relevant sloshing type phenomena, a series of experiments have been conducted. The aim of this paper is to describe the setup and data processing of such experiments. A sloshing tank is subjected to angular motion. As a result pressure registers are obtained at several locations, together with the motion data, torque and a collection of image and video information. The experimental rig and the data acquisition systems are described. Useful information for experimental sloshing research practitioners is provided. This information is related to the liquids used in the experiments, the dying techniques, tank building processes, synchronization of acquisition systems, etc. A new procedure for reconstructing experimental data, that takes into account experimental uncertainties, is presented. This procedure is based on a least squares spline approximation of the data. Based on a deterministic approach to the first sloshing wave impact event in a sloshing experiment, an uncertainty analysis procedure of the associated first pressure peak value is described

CD49d Is the strongest flow cytometry–based predictor of overall survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Purpose Although CD49d is an unfavorable prognostic marker in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), definitive validation evidence is lacking. A worldwide multicenter analysis was performed using published and unpublished CLL series to evaluate the impact of CD49d as an overall (OS) and treatment-free survival (TFS) predictor. Patients and Methods A training/validation strategy was chosen to find the optimal CD49d cutoff. The hazard ratio (HR) for death and treatment imposed by CD49d was estimated by pooled analysis of 2,972 CLLs; Cox analysis stratified by center and stage was used to adjust for confounding variables. The importance of CD49d over other flow cytometry–based prognosticators (eg, CD38, ZAP-70) was ranked by recursive partitioning. Results Patients with ≥ 30% of neoplastic cells expressing CD49d were considered CD49d+. Decrease in OS at 5 and 10 years among CD49d+ patients was 7% and 23% (decrease in TFS, 26% and 25%, respectively). Pooled HR of CD49d for OS was 2.5 (2.3 for TFS) in univariate analysis. This HR remained significant and of similar magnitude (HR, 2.0) in a Cox model adjusted for clinical and biologic prognosticators. Hierarchic trees including all patients or restricted to those with early-stage disease or those age ≤ 65 years always selected CD49d as the most important flow cytometry–based biomarker, with negligible additional prognostic information added by CD38 or ZAP-70. Consistently, by bivariate analysis, CD49d reliably identified patient subsets with poorer outcome independent of CD38 and ZAP-70. Conclusion In this analysis of approximately 3,000 patients, CD49d emerged as the strongest flow cytometry–based predictor of OS and TFS in CLL

A search for TeV gamma-ray emission from SNRs, pulsars and unidentified GeV sources in the Galactic plane in the longitude range between -2 deg and 85 deg

Using the HEGRA system of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, one quarter of the Galactic plane (-2 deg < l < 85 deg) was surveyed for TeV gamma-ray emission from point sources and moderately extended sources (diameter <= 0.8 deg). The region covered includes 86 known pulsars (PSR), 63 known supernova remnants (SNR) and nine GeV sources, representing a significant fraction of the known populations. No evidence for emission of TeV gamma radiation was detected, and upper limits range from 0.15 Crab units up to several Crab units, depending on the observation time and zenith angles covered. The ensemble sums over selected SNR and pulsar subsamples and over the GeV-sources yield no indication for emission from these potential sources. The upper limit for the SNR population is at the level of 6.7% of the Crab flux and for the pulsar ensemble at the level of 3.6% of the Crab flux.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in A&