A Computation of the Maximal Order Type of the Term Ordering on Finite Multisets

We give a sharpening of a recent result of Aschenbrenner and Pong about the maximal order type of the term ordering on the finite multisets over a wpo. Moreover we discuss an approach to compute maximal order types of well-partial orders which are related to tree embeddings

A polynomial oracle-time algorithm for convex integer minimization

In this paper we consider the solution of certain convex integer minimization problems via greedy augmentation procedures. We show that a greedy augmentation procedure that employs only directions from certain Graver bases needs only polynomially many augmentation steps to solve the given problem. We extend these results to convex $N$-fold integer minimization problems and to convex 2-stage stochastic integer minimization problems. Finally, we present some applications of convex $N$-fold integer minimization problems for which our approach provides polynomial time solution algorithms.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figur

A polynomial-time algorithm for optimizing over N-fold 4-block decomposable integer programs

In this paper we generalize N-fold integer programs and two-stage integer programs with N scenarios to N-fold 4-block decomposable integer programs. We show that for fixed blocks but variable N, these integer programs are polynomial-time solvable for any linear objective. Moreover, we present a polynomial-time computable optimality certificate for the case of fixed blocks, variable N and any convex separable objective function. We conclude with two sample applications, stochastic integer programs with second-order dominance constraints and stochastic integer multi-commodity flows, which (for fixed blocks) can be solved in polynomial time in the number of scenarios and commodities and in the binary encoding length of the input data. In the proof of our main theorem we combine several non-trivial constructions from the theory of Graver bases. We are confident that our approach paves the way for further extensions

Utility of an attention-based performance validity test for the detection of feigned cognitive dysfunction after acquired brain injury

Introduction: The Groningen Effort Test (GET) is a recently developed performance validity test (PVT) for the identification of noncredible performance in a neuropsychological assessment of attention abilities. Because the majority of already established PVTs are based on memory functions, the GET has the potential to make a valuable contribution to validity testing.Method: The current study examined the utility of the GET in the detection of feigned cognitive dysfunction after acquired brain injury (ABI) and its incremental validity over already established PVTs, namely the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), the Dot Counting Test (DCT), and the b Test. Three hundred and forty-eight participants took part in this study, including 58 patients with ABI (stroke or traumatic brain injury), 43 healthy individuals instructed to show normal behavior, and 247 healthy individuals instructed to feign cognitive dysfunction after ABI.Results: With excellent overall classification accuracy, the GET performed close to the level of the TOMM, and superior to the b Test and DCT. Data analyses further revealed that the GET provides additional diagnostic accuracy compared to the b Test and the DCT in the detection of feigned cognitive dysfunction, but has no incremental validity over the TOMM. For each of the four PVTs in this study, diagnostic sensitivity was independent of the simulation strategy used.Conclusions: It is concluded that the GET is an attention-based PVT with promising test characteristics and high diagnostic accuracy in the detection of noncredible cognitive performance using a simulation design. Given the results can be replicated in studies using known-groups methodology, it may be a useful tool for clinical practice to complement neuropsychological assessments of patients with ABI

Adaptive Evolution of the Myo6 Gene in Old World Fruit Bats (Family: Pteropodidae)

PMCID: PMC3631194This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

A Myo6 Mutation Destroys Coordination between the Myosin Heads, Revealing New Functions of Myosin VI in the Stereocilia of Mammalian Inner Ear Hair Cells

Myosin VI, found in organisms from Caenorhabditis elegans to humans, is essential for auditory and vestibular function in mammals, since genetic mutations lead to hearing impairment and vestibular dysfunction in both humans and mice. Here, we show that a missense mutation in this molecular motor in an ENU-generated mouse model, Tailchaser, disrupts myosin VI function. Structural changes in the Tailchaser hair bundles include mislocalization of the kinocilia and branching of stereocilia. Transfection of GFP-labeled myosin VI into epithelial cells and delivery of endocytic vesicles to the early endosome revealed that the mutant phenotype displays disrupted motor function. The actin-activated ATPase rates measured for the D179Y mutation are decreased, and indicate loss of coordination of the myosin VI heads or ‘gating’ in the dimer form. Proper coordination is required for walking processively along, or anchoring to, actin filaments, and is apparently destroyed by the proximity of the mutation to the nucleotide-binding pocket. This loss of myosin VI function may not allow myosin VI to transport its cargoes appropriately at the base and within the stereocilia, or to anchor the membrane of stereocilia to actin filaments via its cargos, both of which lead to structural changes in the stereocilia of myosin VI–impaired hair cells, and ultimately leading to deafness

Neuropsychological Sequelae of Carotid Angioplasty with Stent Placement: Correlation with Ischemic Lesions in Diffusion Weighted Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Few studies investigated the neuropsychological outcome after carotid angioplasty with stent placement (CAS), yielding partially inconsistent results. The present investigation evaluated the effect of CAS in patients with high-grade stenosis and assessed the predictive value of ischemic lesion number for postinterventional cognitive deterioration. METHODS: 22 patients were tested neuropsychologically before and six weeks after CAS. Cerebral ischemic changes were assessed with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) prior to and after angioplasty. RESULTS: Pre- to postinterventional cognitive performance improved significantly in terms of verbal memory (t = -2.30; p<0.05), whereas significant deterioration was noted regarding verbal memory span (t = 2.31; p<0.05). 8 (36%) persons conformed to the criteria of cognitive improvement. 6 patients (27%) were postinterventionally classified as having deficits. Analysis yielded no statistically significant correlations between lesion quantity and cognitive change. CONCLUSION: Both improvement and deterioration of cognitive functioning was observed in our collective of patients, leaving the neuropsychological outcome after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty unpredictable in individual cases. The presence of acute ischemic lesions on DWI was found to be not tightly associated with cognitive dysfunction after CAS

Differential Patterns of Food Appreciation during Consumption of a Simple Food in Congenitally Anosmic Individuals: An Explorative Study

Food is evaluated for various attributes. One of the key food evaluation domains is hedonicity. As food is consumed, its hedonic valence decreases (due to prolonged sensory stimulation) and hedonic habituation results. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in food pleasantness ratings during consumption of a simple food by individuals without olfactory experience with food as compared to normosmics. 15 congenital anosmics and 15 normosmic controls were each presented with ten 10 g banana slices. Each was visually inspected, then smelled and chewed for ten seconds and subsequently rated for hedonicity on a 21-point scale. There was a significant difference in pleasantness ratings between congenital anosmics and controls (F(1, 26) = 6.71, p = .02) with the anosmics exhibiting higher ratings than the controls, a significant main repeated-measures effect on the ratings (F(1.85, 48) = 12.15, p<.001), which showed a decreasing trend over the course of consumption, as well as a significant portion*group interaction (F(1.85, 48) = 3.54, p = .04), with the anosmic participants experiencing a less pronounced decline. The results of the present explorative study suggest that over the course of consumption of a simple food, congenitally anosmic individuals experience differential patterns of appreciation of food as compared to normosmics. In this particular case, the decrease of hedonic valence was less pronounced in congenital anosmics

Single-cell RNA-sequencing resolves self-antigen expression during mTEC development

The crucial capability of T cells for discrimination between self and non-self peptides is based on negative selection of developing thymocytes by medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). The mTECs purge autoreactive T cells by expression of cell-type specific genes referred to as tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs). Although the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein is known to promote the expression of a subset of TRAs, its mechanism of action is still not fully understood. The expression of TRAs that are not under the control of AIRE also needs further characterization. Furthermore, expression patterns of TRA genes have been suggested to change over the course of mTEC development. Herein we have used single-cell RNA-sequencing to resolve patterns of TRA expression during mTEC development. Our data indicated that mTEC development consists of three distinct stages, correlating with previously described jTEC, mTEChi and mTEClo phenotypes. For each subpopulation, we have identified marker genes useful in future studies. Aire-induced TRAs were switched on during jTEC-mTEC transition and were expressed in genomic clusters, while otherwise the subsets expressed largely overlapping sets of TRAs. Moreover, population-level analysis of TRA expression frequencies suggested that such differences might not be necessary to achieve efficient thymocyte selection.RM is supported by a PhD Fellowship from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (SFRH/ BD/51950/2012). XZ is supported by an Advanced Postdoc Mobility Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, grant number P300P2_151352). Part of the work was performed during XZ’s visit to the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing. TL is supported by the Academy of Finland (Decision 311081). The authors would like to thank Bee Ling Ng and the staff of the Cytometry Core Facility, and Stephan Lorenz and the staff of the Single Cell Genomics Core Facility for their contribution. Mark Lynch is acknowledged for technical assistance with the Fluidigm C1 platform. Mike Stubbington and Kylie James are acknowledged for revising the language of the manuscript. We thank Sarah Teichmann for help and discussions regarding the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio