Network flow and 2-satisfiability

We present two algorithms for network flow on networks with infinite capacities and finite integer supplies and demands. The first algorithm runs inO(mK) time on networks withm edges, whereK=O(m²/log⁴ m) is the value of the optimal flow, and can also be applied to the capacitated case by lettingK be the sum of thefinite capacities alone. The second algorithm runs inO(wm logK) time for arbitraryK, where w is a new parameter, thewidth of the network. These algorithms as well as other uses of the notion of width lead to results for several questions on the 2-satisfiability problem: minimizing the weight of a solution, finding the transitive closure, recognizing partial solutions, enumerating all solutions. The results have applications to stable matching, wherew corresponds to the number of people andm to the instance size (usuallym w²).     

Developments in proton MR spectroscopic imaging of prostate cancer

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - In this paper, we review the developments of 1H-MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) methods designed to investigate prostate cancer,...     

Adherence rates to ferric citrate as compared to active control in patients with end stage kidney disease on dialysis

Introduction: Oral phosphate binders are the main stay of treatment of hyperphosphatemia. Adherence rates to ferric citrate, a recently approved phosphate binder, are unknown. Methods: We conducted a post‐hoc analysis to evaluate whether adherence rates were different for ferric citrate vs. active control in 412 subjects with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) who were randomized to ferric citrate vs. active control (sevelamer carbonate and/or calcium acetate). Adherence was defined as percent of actual number of pills taken to total number of pills prescribed. Findings: There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics including gender, race/ethnicity, and age between the ferric citrate and active control groups. Baseline phosphorus, calcium, and parathyroid hormone levels were similar. Mean (SD) adherence was 81.4% (17.4) and 81.7% (15.9) in the ferric citrate and active control groups, respectively (P = 0.88). Adherence remained similar between both groups after adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, age, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetic nephropathy (mean [95% CI]: 81.4% [78.2, 84.6] and 81.5% [77.7, 85.2] for ferric citrate and active control, respectively). Gender, race/ethnicity, age, and diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy did not influence adherence to the prescribed phosphate binder. Subjects with CVD had lower adherence rates to phosphate binder; this was significant only in the active control group. Discussion: Adherence rates to the phosphate binder, ferric citrate, were similar to adherence rates to active control. Similar adherence rates to ferric citrate are notable since tolerance to active control was an entry criteria and the study was open label. Gender, race/ethnicity, nor age influenced adherence.     

Application of a hot-melt granulation process to enhance fenofibrate solid dose manufacturing

Evaluation of hot-melt granulation of fenofibrate and croscarmellose sodium and its cooling time for the molten mass in a ratio of 55:45 was conducted to assess the manufacturing process capability to produce an acceptable granulation which flows well on Korsch PH300 tablet compression machine. The formation of the drug-polymer eutectic mixture was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The physical properties of the hot-melt was determined by examining the milled blocks after solidification and milling after cooling periods of 10, 20 and 30 d. The milled material was assessed for the effect of hold time of the blend on the solid dose compression characteristics. The impact of cooling on the processing of the blocks was assessed after 10, 20 and 30 d of cooling. The study suggests that after the hot-melt formed the fenofibrate crystallized independently and a solid solution with croscarmellose sodium was not formed. The age of the blocks determined the hardness of the crystals, changing the processing nature of the granules with respect to compression and powder flow characteristics. The blocks processed after 20 d and beyond produced granules with a characteristic suitable for holding the blend for 14 d in the bin with no impact on flow properties and compressibility of the blend. There was no chipping, capping, sticking or picking observed and a higher compression speed was achieved.     

Perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in patients with Crohn's disease define a clinical subgroup

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) have been consistently detected in a subgroup of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). This study was designed to determine whether serum ANCA expression in patients with CD characterizes an identifiable clinical subgroup. METHODS: The study population consisted of 69 consecutive patients with an established diagnosis of CD as determined by a combination of characteristic clinical, radiographic, endoscopic, and histopathologic criteria. Sera from the patients were analyzed for the presence of ANCAs using the fixed neutrophil enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. Perinuclear ANCA (pANCA)-positive and cytoplasmic ANCA (cANCA)-positive results by ELISA were confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence staining. Clinical profiles of the ANCA-positive patients with CD were compared with those of patients with CD not expressing ANCA (ANCA-negative). RESULTS: pANCA-positive patients with CD have endoscopically and/or histopathologically documented left-sided colitis and symptoms of left-sided colonic inflammation, clinically reflected by rectal bleeding and mucus discharge, urgency, and treatment with topical agents. One hundred percent of patients with CD expressing pANCA had "UC-like" features. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CD, serum pANCA expression characterizes a UC-like clinical phenotype. Stratification of CD by serum pANCA provides evidence of heterogeneity within CD and suggests a common intestinal mucosal inflammatory process among a definable subgroup of patients with CD and UC expressing this marker.     

Taxonomy,technology and applications of smart objects

Deployment of embedded technologies is increasingly being examined in industrial supply chains as a means for improving efficiency through greater control over purchase orders, inventory and product related information. Central to this development has been the advent of technologies such as bar codes, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems, and wireless sensors which when attached to a product, form part of the product’s embedded systems infrastructure. The increasing integration of these technologies dramatically contributes to the evolving notion of a “smart product”, a product which is capable of incorporating itself into both physical and information environments. The future of this revolution in objects equipped with smart embedded technologies is one in which objects can not only identify themselves, but can also sense and store their condition, communicate with other objects and distributed infrastructures, and take decisions related to managing their life cycle. The object can essentially “plug” itself into a compatible systems infrastructure owned by different partners in a supply chain. However, as in any development process that will involve more than one end user, the establishment of a common foundation and understanding is essential for interoperability, efficient communication among involved parties and for developing novel applications. In this paper, we contribute to creating that common ground by providing a characterization to aid the specification and construction of “smart objects” and their underlying technologies. Furthermore, our work provides an extensive set of examples and potential applications of different categories of smart objects.     

Left-forbidding cooperating distributed grammar systems

A left-forbidding grammar, introduced in this paper, is a context-free grammar, where a set of nonterminal symbols is attached to each context-free production. Such a production can rewrite a nonterminal provided that no symbol from the attached set occurs to the left of the rewritten nonterminal in the current sentential form. The present paper discusses cooperating distributed grammar systems with left-forbidding grammars as components and gives some new characterizations of language families of the Chomsky hierarchy. In addition, it also proves that twelve nonterminals are enough for cooperating distributed grammar systems working in the terminal derivation mode with two left-forbidding components (including erasing productions) to characterize the family of recursively enumerable languages.