Bifinite Chu Spaces

This paper studies colimits of sequences of finite Chu spaces and their ramifications. Besides generic Chu spaces, we consider extensional and biextensional variants. In the corresponding categories we first characterize the monics and then the existence (or the lack thereof) of the desired colimits. In each case, we provide a characterization of the finite objects in terms of monomorphisms/injections. Bifinite Chu spaces are then expressed with respect to the monics of generic Chu spaces, and universal, homogeneous Chu spaces are shown to exist in this category. Unanticipated results driving this development include the fact that while for generic Chu spaces monics consist of an injective first and a surjective second component, in the extensional and biextensional cases the surjectivity requirement can be dropped. Furthermore, the desired colimits are only guaranteed to exist in the extensional case. Finally, not all finite Chu spaces (considered set-theoretically) are finite objects in their categories. This study opens up opportunities for further investigations into recursively defined Chu spaces, as well as constructive models of linear logic

Outcome of transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children with down syndrome

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106900/1/pbc24918.pd

Outcome of Transplantation for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in Children with Down Syndrome

AbstractData on outcomes of allogeneic transplantation in children with Down syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia (DS-AML) are scarce and conflicting. Early reports stress treatment-related mortality as the main barrier; a recent case series points to posttransplantation relapse. We reviewed outcome data for 28 patients with DS-AML reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research between 2000 and 2009 and performed a first matched-pair analysis of 21 patients with DS-AML and 80 non-DS AML controls. The median age at transplantation for DS-AML was 3 years, and almost half of the cohort was in second remission. The 3-year probability of overall survival was only 19%. In multivariate analysis, adjusting for interval from diagnosis to transplantation, risks of relapse (hazard ratio [HR], 2.84; P < .001; 62% versus 37%) and transplant-related mortality (HR, 2.52; P = .04; 24% versus 15%) were significantly higher for DS-AML compared to non-DS AML. Overall mortality risk (HR, 2.86; P < .001; 21% versus 52%) was significantly higher for DS-AML. Both transplant-related mortality and relapse contribute to higher mortality. Excess mortality in DS-AML patients can only effectively be addressed through an international multicenter effort to pilot strategies aimed at lowering both transplant-related mortality and relapse risks

Cultural and Media Identity Among Latvian Migrants in Germany

This chapter explores how transnational media and culture impacts on the identity formation of recent Latvian migrants in Germany. In the context of the EU, Germany opened its labour market to the new EU countries rather late, when compared to other ‘old’ EU countries. This has had an effect on the composition of the group of Latvian migrants going to Germany, and their identities. In the light of this, this chapter examines how Latvian migrants in Germany feel and experience their belonging to Latvia and its culture. It analyses the social and communicative practices crucial for the development of belonging, including the rootedness in the country where they live and the cultural references that are important for them. The evidence for the analysis in this chapter comes from in-depth interviews, open media diaries and network maps of Latvian migrants in Germany. The chapter situates the description of evidence in the framework of cultural identity concepts and discusses the role of culture and media in the process of building migrant identity. The chapter argues that culture is shaping the transnational self-perception of Latvian migrants in Germany – as it provides collective narratives of imagined common frames of references, and confirms feelings of belonging and distinction

A unified framework for managing provenance information in translational research

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A critical aspect of the NIH <it>Translational Research </it>roadmap, which seeks to accelerate the delivery of "bench-side" discoveries to patient's "bedside," is the management of the <it>provenance </it>metadata that keeps track of the origin and history of data resources as they traverse the path from the bench to the bedside and back. A comprehensive provenance framework is essential for researchers to verify the quality of data, reproduce scientific results published in peer-reviewed literature, validate scientific process, and associate trust value with data and results. Traditional approaches to provenance management have focused on only partial sections of the translational research life cycle and they do not incorporate "domain semantics", which is essential to support domain-specific querying and analysis by scientists.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identify a common set of challenges in managing provenance information across the <it>pre-publication </it>and <it>post-publication </it>phases of data in the translational research lifecycle. We define the semantic provenance framework (SPF), underpinned by the Provenir upper-level provenance ontology, to address these challenges in the four stages of provenance metadata:</p> <p>(a) Provenance <b>collection </b>- during data generation</p> <p>(b) Provenance <b>representation </b>- to support interoperability, reasoning, and incorporate domain semantics</p> <p>(c) Provenance <b>storage </b>and <b>propagation </b>- to allow efficient storage and seamless propagation of provenance as the data is transferred across applications</p> <p>(d) Provenance <b>query </b>- to support queries with increasing complexity over large data size and also support knowledge discovery applications</p> <p>We apply the SPF to two exemplar translational research projects, namely the Semantic Problem Solving Environment for <it>Trypanosoma cruzi </it>(<it>T.cruzi </it>SPSE) and the Biomedical Knowledge Repository (BKR) project, to demonstrate its effectiveness.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The SPF provides a unified framework to effectively manage provenance of translational research data during pre and post-publication phases. This framework is underpinned by an upper-level provenance ontology called Provenir that is extended to create domain-specific provenance ontologies to facilitate provenance interoperability, seamless propagation of provenance, automated querying, and analysis.</p

Gene profiling of the erythro- and megakaryoblastic leukaemias induced by the Graffi murine retrovirus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute erythro- and megakaryoblastic leukaemias are associated with very poor prognoses and the mechanism of blastic transformation is insufficiently elucidated. The murine Graffi leukaemia retrovirus induces erythro- and megakaryoblastic leukaemias when inoculated into NFS mice and represents a good model to study these leukaemias.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To expand our understanding of genes specific to these leukaemias, we compared gene expression profiles, measured by microarray and RT-PCR, of all leukaemia types induced by this virus.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The transcriptome level changes, present between the different leukaemias, led to the identification of specific cancerous signatures. We reported numerous genes that may be potential oncogenes, may have a function related to erythropoiesis or megakaryopoiesis or have a poorly elucidated physiological role. The expression pattern of these genes has been further tested by RT-PCR in different samples, in a Friend erythroleukaemic model and in human leukaemic cell lines.</p> <p>We also screened the megakaryoblastic leukaemias for viral integrations and identified genes targeted by these integrations and potentially implicated in the onset of the disease.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Taken as a whole, the data obtained from this global gene profiling experiment have provided a detailed characterization of Graffi virus induced erythro- and megakaryoblastic leukaemias with many genes reported specific to the transcriptome of these leukaemias for the first time.</p

Progress from ASDEX Upgrade experiments in preparing the physics basis of ITER operation and DEMO scenario development

An overview of recent results obtained at the tokamak ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) is given. A work flow for predictive profile modelling of AUG discharges was established which is able to reproduce experimental H-mode plasma profiles based on engineering parameters only. In the plasma center, theoretical predictions on plasma current redistribution by a dynamo effect were confirmed experimentally. For core transport, the stabilizing effect of fast ion distributions on turbulent transport is shown to be important to explain the core isotope effect and improves the description of hollow low-Z impurity profiles. The L-H power threshold of hydrogen plasmas is not affected by small helium admixtures and it increases continuously from the deuterium to the hydrogen level when the hydrogen concentration is raised from 0 to 100%. One focus of recent campaigns was the search for a fusion relevant integrated plasma scenario without large edge localised modes (ELMs). Results from six different ELM-free confinement regimes are compared with respect to reactor relevance: ELM suppression by magnetic perturbation coils could be attributed to toroidally asymmetric turbulent fluctuations in the vicinity of the separatrix. Stable improved confinement mode plasma phases with a detached inner divertor were obtained using a feedback control of the plasma β. The enhanced D α H-mode regime was extended to higher heating power by feedback controlled radiative cooling with argon. The quasi-coherent exhaust regime was developed into an integrated scenario at high heating power and energy confinement, with a detached divertor and without large ELMs. Small ELMs close to the separatrix lead to peeling-ballooning stability and quasi continuous power exhaust. Helium beam density fluctuation measurements confirm that transport close to the separatrix is important to achieve the different ELM-free regimes. Based on separatrix plasma parameters and interchange-drift-Alfvén turbulence, an analytic model was derived that reproduces the experimentally found important operational boundaries of the density limit and between L- and H-mode confinement. Feedback control for the X-point radiator (XPR) position was established as an important element for divertor detachment control. Stable and detached ELM-free phases with H-mode confinement quality were obtained when the XPR was moved 10 cm above the X-point. Investigations of the plasma in the future flexible snow-flake divertor of AUG by means of first SOLPS-ITER simulations with drifts activated predict beneficial detachment properties and the activation of an additional strike point by the drifts