1,282 research outputs found
Projective quantum spaces
Associated to the standard R-matrices, we introduce quantum
spheres , projective quantum spaces , and quantum
Grassmann manifolds . These algebras are shown to be
homogeneous quantum spaces of standard quantum groups and are also quantum
principle bundles in the sense of T Brzezinski and S. Majid (Comm. Math. Phys.
157,591 (1993)).Comment: 8 page
Development and validation of the brief esophageal dysphagia questionnaire
BackgroundEsophageal dysphagia is common in gastroenterology practice and has multiple etiologies. A complication for some patients with dysphagia is food impaction. A valid and reliable questionnaire to rapidly evaluate esophageal dysphagia and impaction symptoms can aid the gastroenterologist in gathering information to inform treatment approach and further evaluation, including endoscopy.Methods1638 patients participated over two study phases. 744 participants completed the Brief Esophageal Dysphagia Questionnaire (BEDQ) for phase 1; 869 completed the BEDQ, Visceral Sensitivity Index, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for phase 2. Demographic and clinical data were obtained via the electronic medical record. The BEDQ was evaluated for internal consistency, split‐half reliability, ceiling and floor effects, and construct validity.Key ResultsThe BEDQ demonstrated excellent internal consistency, reliability, and construct validity. The symptom frequency and severity scales scored above the standard acceptable cutoffs for reliability while the impaction subscale yielded poor internal consistency and split‐half reliability; thus the impaction items were deemed qualifiers only and removed from the total score. No significant ceiling or floor effects were found with the exception of 1 item, and inter‐item correlations fell within accepted ranges. Construct validity was supported by moderate yet significant correlations with other measures. The predictive ability of the BEDQ was small but significant.Conclusions & InferencesThe BEDQ represents a rapid, reliable, and valid assessment tool for esophageal dysphagia with food impaction for clinical practice that differentiates between patients with major motor dysfunction and mechanical obstruction.Validated, rapid clinical assessment tools for esophageal dysphagia are lacking. The brief esophageal dysphagia questionnaire aims to gauge the severity and frequency of dysphagia with additional items to gauge food impaction. The BEDQ is a reliable and valid tool to assess esophageal dysphagia.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135130/1/nmo12889.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135130/2/nmo12889_am.pd
Gut-directed hypnotherapy significantly augments clinical remission in quiescent ulcerative colitis
Psychotherapy is not routinely recommended for in ulcerative colitis (UC). Gut-directed hypnotherapy (HYP) has been linked to improved function in the gastrointestinal tract and may operate through immune-mediated pathways in chronic diseases
Ferromagnetic coupling and magnetic anisotropy in molecular Ni(II) squares
We investigated the magnetic properties of two isostructural Ni(II) metal
complexes [Ni4Lb8] and [Ni4Lc8]. In each molecule the four Ni(II) centers form
almost perfect regular squares. Magnetic coupling and anisotropy of single
crystals were examined by magnetization measurements and in particular by
high-field torque magnetometry at low temperatures. The data were analyzed in
terms of an effective spin Hamiltonian appropriate for Ni(II) centers. For both
compounds, we found a weak intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling of the four
Ni(II) spins and sizable single-ion anisotropies of the easy-axis type. The
coupling strengths are roughly identical for both compounds, whereas the
zero-field-splitting parameters are significantly different. Possible reasons
for this observation are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Predicting a Gapless Spin-1 Neutral Collective Mode branch for Graphite
Using the standard tight binding model of 2d graphite with short range
electron repulsion, we find a gapless spin-1, neutral collective mode branch
{\em below the particle-hole continuum} with energy vanishing linearly with
momenta at the and points in the BZ. This spin-1 mode has a wide
energy dispersion, 0 to and is not Landau damped. The `Dirac cone
spectrum' of electrons at the chemical potential of graphite generates our
collective mode; so we call this `spin-1 zero sound' of the `Dirac sea'.
Epithermal neutron scattering experiments, where graphite single crystals are
often used as analyzers (an opportunity for `self-analysis'!), and spin
polarized electron energy loss spectroscopy (SPEELS) can be used to confirm and
study our collective mode.Comment: 4 pages of LaTex file, 3 eps figure file
Law of Genome Evolution Direction : Coding Information Quantity Grows
The problem of the directionality of genome evolution is studied. Based on
the analysis of C-value paradox and the evolution of genome size we propose
that the function-coding information quantity of a genome always grows in the
course of evolution through sequence duplication, expansion of code, and gene
transfer from outside. The function-coding information quantity of a genome
consists of two parts, p-coding information quantity which encodes functional
protein and n-coding information quantity which encodes other functional
elements except amino acid sequence. The evidences on the evolutionary law
about the function-coding information quantity are listed. The needs of
function is the motive force for the expansion of coding information quantity
and the information quantity expansion is the way to make functional innovation
and extension for a species. So, the increase of coding information quantity of
a genome is a measure of the acquired new function and it determines the
directionality of genome evolution.Comment: 16 page
Identifiability of flow distributions from link measurements with applications to computer networks
We study the problem of identifiability of distributions of flows on a graph from aggregate measurements collected on its edges. This is a canonical example of a statistical inverse problem motivated by recent developments in computer networks. In this paper (i) we introduce a number of models for multi-modal data that capture their spatio-temporal correlation, (ii) provide sufficient conditions for the identifiability of nth order cumulants and also for a special class of heavy tailed distributions. Further, we investigate conditions on network routing for the flows that prove sufficient for identifiability of their distributions (up to mean). Finally, we extend our results to directed acyclic graphs and discuss some open problems.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58107/2/ip7_5_004.pd
The Wicked Machinery of Government: Malta and the Problems of Continuity under the New Model Administration
This is a study focused on the early years of British rule in Malta (1800-1813). It explores the application to the island of the “new model” of colonial government, one based on direct rule from London mediated by the continuation of existing laws and institutions. Systemic deficiencies are identified. These tended to undermine the effectiveness of direct British rule. This study also reveals, in the context of legal and constitutional continuity, unresolved tensions between modernity and tradition. The political stability of the island was damaged and the possibility of continued British possession was threatened
Neutral forces acting on intragenomic variability shape the Escherichia coli regulatory network topology
Cis-regulatory networks (CRNs) play a central role in cellular decision
making. Like every other biological system, CRNs undergo evolution,
which shapes their properties by a combination of adaptive
and nonadaptive evolutionary forces. Teasing apart these forces is
an important step toward functional analyses of the different components
of CRNs, designing regulatory perturbation experiments,
and constructing synthetic networks. Although tests of neutrality
and selection based on molecular sequence data exist, no such tests
are currently available based on CRNs. In this work, we present
a unique genotype model of CRNs that is grounded in a genomic
context and demonstrate its use in identifying portions of the
CRN with properties explainable by neutral evolutionary forces
at the system, subsystem, and operon levels.We leverage our model
against experimentally derived data from Escherichia coli. The
results of this analysis show statistically significant and substantial
neutral trends in properties previously identified as adaptive
in originラdegree distribution, clustering coefficient, and motifsラ
within the E. coli CRN. Our model captures the tightly coupled genomeヨ
interactome of an organism and enables analyses of how
evolutionary events acting at the genome level, such as mutation,
and at the population level, such as genetic drift, give rise to neutral
patterns that we can quantify in CRNs
Francisella tularensis RipA Protein Topology and Identification of Functional Domains
Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative coccobacillus and is the etiological agent of the disease tularemia. Expression of the cytoplasmic membrane protein RipA is required for Francisella replication within macrophages and other cell types; however, the function of this protein remains unknown. RipA is conserved among all sequenced Francisella species, and RipA-like proteins are present in a number of individual strains of a wide variety of species scattered throughout the prokaryotic kingdom. Cross-linking studies revealed that RipA forms homoligomers. Using a panel of RipA-green fluorescent protein and RipA-PhoA fusion constructs, we determined that RipA has a unique topology within the cytoplasmic membrane, with the N and C termini in the cytoplasm and periplasm, respectively. RipA has two significant cytoplasmic domains, one composed roughly of amino acids 1 to 50 and the second flanked by the second and third transmembrane domains and comprising amino acids 104 to 152. RipA functional domains were identified by measuring the effects of deletion mutations, amino acid substitution mutations, and spontaneously arising intragenic suppressor mutations on intracellular replication, induction of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) secretion by infected macrophages, and oligomer formation. Results from these experiments demonstrated that each of the cytoplasmic domains and specific amino acids within these domains are required for RipA function
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