Geometric representations for minimalist grammars

We reformulate minimalist grammars as partial functions on term algebras for strings and trees. Using filler/role bindings and tensor product representations, we construct homomorphisms for these data structures into geometric vector spaces. We prove that the structure-building functions as well as simple processors for minimalist languages can be realized by piecewise linear operators in representation space. We also propose harmony, i.e. the distance of an intermediate processing step from the final well-formed state in representation space, as a measure of processing complexity. Finally, we illustrate our findings by means of two particular arithmetic and fractal representations.Comment: 43 pages, 4 figure

Genomic and phenotypic analyses of recent Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from tertiary care hospitals in Thailand

Antibiotic resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are responsible for a large and increasing burden of nosocomial infections in Thailand and other countries of Southeast Asia. New approaches to their control and treatment are urgently needed and we are actively seeking biological agents that remove the polysaccharide capsules that protect these pathogens from the host’s immune system. To examine phylogenetic relationships, distribution of capsule chemotypes, acquired antibiotic resistance determinants, susceptibility to complement and other traits associated with systemic infection, we sequenced 191 recent isolates from three tertiary referral hospitals in Thailand and used phenotypic assays to characterise key aspects of infectivity. Several distinct lineages were circulating in three hospitals and the majority belonged to global clonal group 2 (GC2). Very high levels of resistance to carbapenems and other front-line antibiotics were found, as were a number of widespread plasmid replicons. A high diversity of capsule genotypes were encountered with only three (KL6, KL10 and KL47) above 10% frequency. Almost 90% of GC2 isolates belonged to the most common capsule genotypes and were fully resistant to the bactericidal action of human serum complement; we attribute this trait to the presence of a substantial protective capsule and for this to represent a key determinant of virulence for systemic infection. We conclude that current Thai nosocomial isolates represent potential targets for therapeutic strategies designed to remove the polysaccharide capsule from extensively drug-resistant A. baumanii during the course of systemic infection

Separated at Birth? Microarray Analysis of Two Strikingly Similar Yersinia Species

This is the final version of the article. Available from [publisher] via the DOI in this record.--We acknowledge financial support for this project from DSTL and The Wellcome Trust. We also acknowledge BµG@S (the Bacterial Microarray Group at St George’s) and The Wellcome Trust for funding their work; Keith Vass from the University of Glasgow; and Mike Prentice from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital for his advice and expertise in all things Yersinia

MRI in multiple myeloma : a pictorial review of diagnostic and post-treatment findings

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly being used in the diagnostic work-up of patients with multiple myeloma. Since 2014, MRI findings are included in the new diagnostic criteria proposed by the International Myeloma Working Group. Patients with smouldering myeloma presenting with more than one unequivocal focal lesion in the bone marrow on MRI are considered having symptomatic myeloma requiring treatment, regardless of the presence of lytic bone lesions. However, bone marrow evaluation with MRI offers more than only morphological information regarding the detection of focal lesions in patients with MM. The overall performance of MRI is enhanced by applying dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and diffusion weighted imaging sequences, providing additional functional information on bone marrow vascularization and cellularity. This pictorial review provides an overview of the most important imaging findings in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smouldering myeloma and multiple myeloma, by performing a 'total' MRI investigation with implications for the diagnosis, staging and response assessment. Main message aEuro cent Conventional MRI diagnoses multiple myeloma by assessing the infiltration pattern. aEuro cent Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI diagnoses multiple myeloma by assessing vascularization and perfusion. aEuro cent Diffusion weighted imaging evaluates bone marrow composition and cellularity in multiple myeloma. aEuro cent Combined morphological and functional MRI provides optimal bone marrow assessment for staging. aEuro cent Combined morphological and functional MRI is of considerable value in treatment follow-up

New Development in Chip Control Research: Moving Towards Chip Breakability Predictions for Un-manned Manufacture

In the over-broken and effectively broken ranges, as the ratio increases, the radius of the chip also increases. However, in the region where tangled chips are produced the trend reverses itself. In this region, the chip radius decreases as the ratio increases. The results regarding the chip radius are interesting, but they do not provide much useful information for the machine operator who needs to know where to place a chip breaker to effectively control chips in a turning operation. In order to make the graph useful for this purpose, it has been broken down into three distinct regions by two vertical dashed line. The first line is located at the point where the ratio of breaker location to feed equals 13.5. To the left of this line the chips are over-broken. The second line is located at the point where the ratio is 29.5. To the right of this line the chips are all underbroken. Between these lines lies the region where effective breakage was noted. The transitions from one type of chip to another are very distinct. This indicates that the ratio of breaker location to feed is a good measure for predicting and adjusting breaker location for proper chip control when turning 4150 steel. Conclusions The data collected for this investigation indicates that it is possible to provide a practical means for a machine operator to predict where an obstruction type chip breaker should be placed for effective chip control when working with 4150 steel. The location of the breaker can be calculated using a ratio of breaker location to the feed which results in well-broken chips. Since the feed will have been set and is known to the operator, the proper breaker location can be calculated by multiplying the feed by the proper ratio. A good value of this ratio appears to be about 20, so for effective chip breaking with 4150 steel, the breaker should be located back from the primary cutting edge by a distance 20 times the feed. The beauty of this method is that the main cutting parameters need not be changed to get good chips. This means chip control is possible without decreasing the efficiency of the process significantly. These experimental results also agree with the analysis in the sense that the ratio of the feed to the location of the chip breaker is indeed the most important parameter. The optimal ratio of chip breaker location to feed may also depend on other parameters such as tool geometry and materials as these variables affect the cutting process. However, for a given tool geometry and materials, properly broken chips can be obtained over various machining conditions by maintaining the ratio at a constant value

Safety and immunogenicity of radiation-attenuated PfSPZ vaccine in equatoguinean infants, children, and adults

The radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites (PfSPZ) Vaccine has demonstrated safety and immunogenicity in 5-month-old to 50-year-old Africans in multiple trials. Except for one, each trial has restricted enrollment to either infants and children or adults /= 0.17). There were no significant differences between vaccinees and controls with respect to the rates or severity of unsolicited AEs or laboratory abnormalities. Development of antibodies to P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein occurred in 67/69 vaccinees (97%) and 0/15 controls. Median antibody levels were highest in infants and 1-5-year-olds and declined progressively with age. Antibody responses in children were greater than in adults protected against controlled human malaria infection. Robust immunogenicity, combined with a benign AE profile, indicates children are an ideal target for immunization with PfSPZ Vaccine

A primary care, multi-disciplinary disease management program for opioid-treated patients with chronic non-cancer pain and a high burden of psychiatric comorbidity

BACKGROUND: Chronic non-cancer pain is a common problem that is often accompanied by psychiatric comorbidity and disability. The effectiveness of a multi-disciplinary pain management program was tested in a 3 month before and after trial. METHODS: Providers in an academic general medicine clinic referred patients with chronic non-cancer pain for participation in a program that combined the skills of internists, clinical pharmacists, and a psychiatrist. Patients were either receiving opioids or being considered for opioid therapy. The intervention consisted of structured clinical assessments, monthly follow-up, pain contracts, medication titration, and psychiatric consultation. Pain, mood, and function were assessed at baseline and 3 months using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale scale (CESD) and the Pain Disability Index (PDI). Patients were monitored for substance misuse. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients were enrolled. Mean age was 51 years, 60% were male, 78% were Caucasian, and 93% were receiving opioids. Baseline average pain was 6.5 on an 11 point scale. The average CESD score was 24.0, and the mean PDI score was 47.0. Sixty-three patients (73%) completed 3 month follow-up. Fifteen withdrew from the program after identification of substance misuse. Among those completing 3 month follow-up, the average pain score improved to 5.5 (p = 0.003). The mean PDI score improved to 39.3 (p < 0.001). Mean CESD score was reduced to 18.0 (p < 0.001), and the proportion of depressed patients fell from 79% to 54% (p = 0.003). Substance misuse was identified in 27 patients (32%). CONCLUSIONS: A primary care disease management program improved pain, depression, and disability scores over three months in a cohort of opioid-treated patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Substance misuse and depression were common, and many patients who had substance misuse identified left the program when they were no longer prescribed opioids. Effective care of patients with chronic pain should include rigorous assessment and treatment of these comorbid disorders and intensive efforts to insure follow up

Diverse Temperate Bacteriophage Carriage in Clostridium difficile 027 Strains

The hypervirulent Clostridium difficile ribotype 027 can be classified into subtypes, but it unknown if these differ in terms of severity of C. difficile infection (CDI). Genomic studies of C. difficile 027 strains have established that they are rich in mobile genetic elements including prophages. This study combined physiological studies, electron microscopy analysis and molecular biology to determine the potential role of temperate bacteriophages in disease and diversity of C. difficile 027.We induced prophages from 91 clinical C. difficile 027 isolates and used transmission electron microscopy and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to characterise the bacteriophages present. We established a correlation between phage morphology and subtype. Morphologically distinct tailed bacteriophages belonging to Myoviridae and Siphoviridae were identified in 63 and three isolates, respectively. Dual phage carriage was observed in four isolates. In addition, there were inducible phage tail-like particles (PT-LPs) in all isolates. The capacity of two antibiotics mitomycin C and norfloxacin to induce prophages was compared and it was shown that they induced specific prophages from C. difficile isolates. A PCR assay targeting the capsid gene of the myoviruses was designed to examine molecular diversity of C. difficile myoviruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the capsid gene sequences from eight ribotypes showed that all sequences found in the ribotype 027 isolates were identical and distinct from other C. difficile ribotypes and other bacteria species.A diverse set of temperate bacteriophages are associated with C. difficile 027. The observed correlation between phage carriage and the subtypes suggests that temperate bacteriophages contribute to the diversity of C. difficile 027 and may play a role in severity of disease associated with this ribotype. The capsid gene can be used as a tool to identify C. difficile myoviruses present within bacterial genomes