On Constructing Constrained Tree Automata Recognizing Ground Instances of Constrained Terms

An inductive theorem proving method for constrained term rewriting systems, which is based on rewriting induction, needs a decision procedure for reduction-completeness of constrained terms. In addition, the sufficient complete property of constrained term rewriting systems enables us to relax the side conditions of some inference rules in the proving method. These two properties can be reduced to intersection emptiness problems related to sets of ground instances for constrained terms. This paper proposes a method to construct deterministic, complete, and constraint-complete constrained tree automata recognizing ground instances of constrained terms.Comment: In Proceedings TTATT 2013, arXiv:1311.505

A new species of Cybaeus with short genitalia from central Honshu, Japan (Araneae: Cybaeidae)

Spiders of the genus Cybaeus are diverse in Japan and exhibit extensive morphological variation of their genitalia among species. Among Japanese Cybaeus, several species possess an elongated embolus in males and elongated spermathecae in females. Here, we describe Cybaeus iharai sp. nov. from Nagano Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, which possesses a short embolus in males and short copulatory ducts in females. In addition, DNA sequences of the new species were obtained for future phylogenetic analyses

Integrative taxonomy reveals multiple lineages of the spider genus Cybaeus endemic to the Ryukyu Islands, Japan (Arachnida : Araneae : Cybaeidae)

The epigean spiders of the genus Cybaeus L. Koch, 1868 are known to have diversified in western North America and the Japanese Archipelago. To date, ~80 species of Cybaeus are known from Japan, but they have not previously been recorded from the Ryukyu Islands that harbour a diversity of endemic species. Here we describe eight new species of Cybaeus from the Ryukyu Islands, extending the range of Cybaeus southward to the central Ryukyus. Both sexes of each of the new species are described, and their phylogenetic relationships are estimated using nuclear and mitochondrial gene markers. Although Cybaeus okumurai, sp. nov. and C. kumadori, sp. nov. possess genital features that are common in the other Japanese congeners, the other six species (C. yakushimensis, sp. nov., C. kodama, sp. nov., C. amamiensis, sp. nov., C. aikana, sp. nov., C. tokunoshimensis, sp. nov., and C. hikidai, sp. nov.) are characterised by an elongated embolus and tubular spermathecae. These unique genital characteristics and the phylogeny recovered here suggest that these features evolved independently among the Japanese and Ryukyu Cybaeus species. Phylogenetic analyses highlight an unusual biogeographical pattern in which C. yakushimensis and C. kodama endemic to Yakushima Island in the northern Ryukyus are related to species distributed in the central Ryukyus. In contrast, our phylogeny suggests that C. okumurai from Tanegashima Island in the northern Ryukyus is sister to C. ashikitaensis (Komatsu, 1968), distributed in Kyushu of the Japanese Archipelago. The retreat constructs and sympatric distribution of Cybaeus found among the Ryukyus are also briefly discussed

Treatment strategies for ischiofemoral impingement: a systematic review

Abstract: Purpose: There has been relatively little information about the treatment for ischiofemoral impingement (IFI) because of its rarity as well as the uncertainty of diagnosis. The aim of this study was to provide the reader with the available treatment strategies and their related outcomes for IFI based on the best available evidence, whilst highlighting classically accepted ways of treatment as well as relatively new surgical and non-surgical techniques. Methods: A systematic review of the literature from Medline, Embase, AMED, Cochrane and Google Scholar was undertaken since inception to December 2017 following the PRISMA guidelines. Clinical outcome studies, prospective/retrospective case series and case reports that described the treatment outcome for IFI were included. Animal or cadaveric studies, trial protocols, diagnostic studies without any description of treatments, technical notes without any results, and review articles were excluded. Results: This systematic review found 17 relevant papers. No comparative studies were included in the final records for qualitative assessment, which means all the studies were case series and case reports. Eight studies (47.1%) utilised non-surgical treatment including injection and prolotherapy, followed by endoscopic surgery (5 studies, 29.4%) then open surgery (4 studies, 23.5%). Mean age of the participants was 41 years (11–72 years). The mean follow-up was 8.4 months distributed from 2 weeks to 2.3 years. No complications or adverse effects were found from the systematic review. Conclusion: Several treatment strategies have been reported for IFI, and most of them have good short- to medium-term outcomes with a low rate of complications. However, there are no comparative studies to assess the superiority of one technique over another, thus further research with randomised controlled trials is required in this arena. This study explores the wide variety and categories of different treatments used for IFI to guide physicians and shed light on what can be done for this challenging cohort of patients. Level of evidence: III

Is restricted hip movement a risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament injury?

Restricted hip movement along with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has been reported to be an important risk factor in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. We performed a literature review assessing the evidence that FAI, or restricted hip movement, contributes to the likelihood of sustaining an ACL injury to provide an evidence-based and comprehensive update on the relationship between these pathologies. Studies were divided into three categories: clinical studies, radiological studies and cadaveric studies. Clinical studies primarily assessed the limitations to hip movement in patients with ACL injury, and numerous studies of this kind have demonstrated a relationship between restricted movement and ACL injury. Radiological studies have been able to demonstrate a higher number of bony hip abnormalities in patients with ACL injury. However, due to variable results within these studies, it is unclear which kinds of bony abnormality are specifically associated with an increased risk of ACL injury. Cadaveric studies have demonstrated that peak ACL relative strain was inversely related to the range of internal rotation of the femur, thus providing a potential mechanism for this relationship. In conclusion, clinical and radiological studies have established a correlation between restricted hip and ACL injury, but have been unable to demonstrate an increased risk of future ACL injury in individuals with restricted hip movement. Future prospective cohort studies are necessary to confirm this. Additionally, these findings highlight the need for a thorough clinical assessment of the hip when assessing patients with an ACL injury

Arthroscopic excision of heterotopic ossification in the rectus femoris muscle causing extra-articular anterior hip impingement.

Subspine impingement is an extra-articular hip impingement syndrome that usually occurs when there is abnormal contact between an enlarged or malorientated anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS) and the distal anterior femoral neck in straight flexion of the hip. We present the case of a 13-year-old boy with a history of left groin pain and loss of range of movement of the hip for over six months following an avulsion fracture of the AIIS during a game of rugby. He was diagnosed with subspine impingement secondary to a large lesion of heterotopic ossification in the rectus femoris; this was dissected and extracted from the muscle in toto arthroscopically. This case highlights the importance of heterotopic ossification after injury as an important cause for subspine impingement in the young adult hip. This is the first report and describes subspine impingement secondary to a large lesion of heterotopic ossification

Use of Nucleic Acid Analogs for the Study of Nucleic Acid Interactions

Unnatural nucleosides have been explored to expand the properties and the applications of oligonucleotides. This paper briefly summarizes nucleic acid analogs in which the base is modified or replaced by an unnatural stacking group for the study of nucleic acid interactions. We also describe the nucleoside analogs of a base pair-mimic structure that we have examined. Although the base pair-mimic nucleosides possess a simplified stacking moiety of a phenyl or naphthyl group, they can be used as a structural analog of Watson-Crick base pairs. Remarkably, they can adopt two different conformations responding to their interaction energies, and one of them is the stacking conformation of the nonpolar aromatic group causing the site-selective flipping of the opposite base in a DNA double helix. The base pair-mimic nucleosides can be used to study the mechanism responsible for the base stacking and the flipping of bases out of a nucleic acid duplex

User-Adaptive A Posteriori Restoration for Incorrectly Segmented Utterances in Spoken Dialogue Systems

Ideally, the users of spoken dialogue systems should be able to speak at their own tempo. Thus, the systems needs to interpret utterances from various users correctly, even when the utterances contain pauses. In response to this issue, we propose an approach based on a posteriori restoration for incorrectly segmented utterances. A crucial part of this approach is to determine whether restoration is required. We use a classification-based approach, adapted to each user. We focus on each user’s dialogue tempo, which can be obtained during the dialogue, and determine the correlation between each user’s tempo and the appropriate thresholds for classification. A linear regression function used to convert the tempos into thresholds is also derived. Experimental results show that the proposed user adaptation approach applied to two restoration classification methods, thresholding and decision trees, improves classification accuracies by 3.0% and 7.4%, respectively, in cross validation

Computed Three-Dimensional Atlas of Subthalamic Nucleus and Its Adjacent Structures for Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

Background. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is one of the standard surgical treatments for advanced Parkinson's disease. However, it has been difficult to accurately localize the stimulated contact area of the electrode in the subthalamic nucleus and its adjacent structures using a two-dimensional atlas. The goal of this study is to verify the real and detailed localization of stimulated contact of the DBS electrode therapeutically inserted into the STN and its adjacent structures using a novel computed three-dimensional atlas built by a personal computer. Method. A three-dimensional atlas of the STN and its adjacent structures (3D-Subthalamus atlas) was elaborated on the basis of sagittal slices from the Schaltenbrand and Wahren stereotactic atlas on a personal computer utilizing a commercial software. The electrode inserted into the STN and its adjacent structures was superimposed on our 3D-Subthalamus atlas based on intraoperative third ventriculography in 11 cases. Findings. Accurate localization of the DBS electrode was identified using the 3D-Subthalamus atlas, and its clinical efficacy of the electrode stimulation was investigated in all 11 cases. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that the 3D-Subthalamus atlas is a useful tool for understanding the morphology of deep brain structures and for the precise anatomical position findings of the stimulated contact of a DBS electrode. The clinical analysis using the 3D atlas supports the contention that the stimulation of structures adjacent to the STN, particularly the zona incerta or the field of Forel H, is as effective as the stimulation of the STN itself for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease