Lower Bounds on the State Complexity of Geometric Goppa Codes

We reinterpret the state space dimension equations for geometric Goppa codes. An easy consequence is that if deg G less than or equal to n-2/2 or deg G greater than or equal to n-2/2 + 2g then the state complexity of C-L(D, G) is equal to the Wolf bound. For deg G is an element of [n-1/2, n-3/2 + 2g], we use Clifford's theorem to give a simple lower bound on the state complexity of C-L(D, G). We then derive two further lower bounds on the state space dimensions of C-L(D, G) in terms of the gonality sequence of F/F-q. (The gonality sequence is known for many of the function fields of interest for defining geometric Goppa codes.) One of the gonality bounds uses previous results on the generalised weight hierarchy of C-L(D, G) and one follows in a straightforward way from first principles; often they are equal. For Hermitian codes both gonality bounds are equal to the DLP lower bound on state space dimensions. We conclude by using these results to calculate the DLP lower bound on state complexity for Hermitian codes.

Experimental evidence that partner choice is a driving force in the payoff distribution among cooperators or mutualists: the cleaner fish case

Supply and demand largely determine the price of goods on human markets. It has been proposed that in animals, similar forces influence the payoff distribution between trading partners in Sexual selection, intraspecific cooperation and interspecific mutualism. Here we present the first experimental evidence supporting biological market theory in it study on cleaner fish, Labroides dimidiatus. Cleaners interact with two classes of clients: choosy client species with access to several cleaners usually do not queue for service and do not return if ignored, while resident client species with access to only one cleaning station do queue or return. We used plexiglas plates with equal amounts of food to stimulate these behaviours of the two client classes. Cleaners soon inspected 'choosy' plates before 'resident' plates. This supports previous field observations that suggest that client species with access to several cleaners exert choice to receive better(immediate) service.

Habitat requirements for the conservation of arboreal marsupials in dry sclerophyll forests of Southeast Queensland, Australia

The habitat requirements of arboreal marsupials were investigated in the dry sclerophyll forests of southeast Queensland, Australia. Species richness and abundance of arboreal marsupials was correlated to the proportion of total stand basal area occupied by lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora), the height of the tallest trees, and density of hollow-bearing trees. The first two factors suggested that the most productive forests were also the most suitable habitats for arboreal marsupials. Importantly, the number of hollow-bearing trees was a significant factor in determining species richness and abundance of arboreal marsupials in this study, with the maximum number of species reached at sites containing greater than or equal to4 hollow-bearing trees/ha, and maximum abundance occurring at sites with :6 hollow-bearingtrees/ha. The proportion of C. citriodora was significant for the presence of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), greater glider (Petauroides volans), and the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis), while understory Acacia sp. density was important for the presence of the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). The yellow-bellied glider was also affected by two other variables: the density of hollow-bearing trees >50 cm diameter at breast height (dbh), and the time since the last logging. Current Codes of Practice regulating the density of hollow-bearing trees and silvicultural practices in state-owned timber production forests appear to provide adequate protection for arboreal marsupials, but the recently introduced increase in timber extraction rates within state forests may be detrimental to the animals. Also, protective prescriptions do not apply to the privately owned and leasehold estates, which contain the majority of the dry sclerophyll forests in southeast Queensland.

Testicular myxosporidiasis in anurans, with a description of Myxobolus fallax n. sp.

During studies of amphibian sperm cryopreservation, a new species of myxosporidean parasite (Myxozoa, Myxosporae) was observed in the testes of the Australian dwarf green tree frog Litoria fallax (Peters). Myxosporidiasis was found to have no affect on L. fallax body condition or sperm numbers. Myxobolus spores from L. fallax are morphologically distinct from Myxobolus hylae spores (infecting the sympatric Litoria aurea Lesson) and the three previously named (exotic to Australia) Myxobolus species found in anurans. Myxobolus fallax n. sp. is characterised by: pseudocyst white, spherical to ovoid, 141 x74 to 438 x337 mum in diameter (mature); plasmodium with spores loosely arranged within interior. Spores ovoid 13.4 +/- 0.5 (12.6-14.6) mum length, 9.5 +/- 0.4 (8.3-10.6) mum width, 6.8 +/- 0.4 (6.5-7.6) mum depth, 1.4 +/- 0.1 (1.3-1.6) length/width; polar capsules broadly pyriform and equal in size 4.2 +/- 0.3 (3.3-4.7) mum length, 2.4 +/- 0.2 (2.1-2.8) mum width; filament coils 7-8, wound tightly and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the capsule; polar filament 34 +/- 7.0 (18-50) mum length; intercapsular appendix and sutural ridge folds absent; and iodinophilous vacuole and mucous envelope lacking. In addition to this new species, data from archival samples of M. hylae are provided which show two morphologically distinct spore types. Both appeared rarely in the same pseudocysts and we cautiously retain the single species.

Reciprocal relationship between methylation status and loss of heterozygosity at the p14 (ARF) locus in Australian and South African hepatocellular carcinomas

Chromosome 9p21, a locus comprising the tumor suppressor genes (TSG) p16(INK4) (a) and p14(ARF) , is a common region of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). p14(ARF) shares exon 2 with p16 in a different reading frame. p14 binds to MDM2 resulting in a stabilization of functional p53 . This study examined the roles of p14, p16 and p53 in hepatocarcinogenesis, in 37 Australian and 24 South African patients. LOH at 9p21 and 17p13.1, p14 and p16 mutation analysis, p14 and p16 promoter methylation and p14, p16 and p53 protein expression was examined. LOH at 9p21 was detected more frequently in South African HCC (P = 0.04). Comparable rates of p53 LOH were observed in Australian and South African HCC (10/22, 45%vs 13/22, 59%, respectively). Hypermethylation of the p14 promoter was more prevalent in Australian HCC than in South African HCC (17/37, 46%vs 7/24, 29%, respectively). In Australian HCC the prevalence of p14 methylation increased with age (P = 0.03). p16 promoter methylation was observed in 12/37 (32%) and 6/24 (25%) in Australian and South African HCC, respectively. Loss of p16 protein expression was detected in 14/36 Australian HCC whereas p53 protein expression was detected in 9/36. Significantly, a reciprocal relationship between 9p21 LOH and p14 promoter hypermethylation was observed (P less than or equal to0.05 ). No significant association between p14 and p53 was seen in this study. The reciprocal relationship identified indicates different pathways of tumorigenesis and likely reflects different etiologies of HCC in the two countries. (C) 2002 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.

Precursor scavenging of resistive grain-boundary phase in 8 mol % ytterbia-stabilized zirconia

The grain-boundary conduction of 8 mol % ytterbia-stabilized zirconia (8YbSZ) was improved markedly by precursor scavenging via the two-stage sintering process. The most significant increase in the grain-boundary conductivity was found when the sample, whose conductivity was higher than that via Al2O3-derived scavenging, was heat-treated at 1250degreesC for greater than or equal to 20 h. The formation of a stable Si-containing phase such as ZrSiO4 during the first-stage heat-treatment was suggested as one probable scavenging route from the optimal heat-treatment temperature (HTT), long duration time (>20 h) at HTT, and the stability of the formed phase up to sintering temperatures (1500degrees C). (C) 2002 The Electrochemical Society.

High circulating levels of the dengue virus nonstructural protein NS1 early in dengue illness correlate with the development of dengue hemorrhagic fever

Infection with any 1 of 4 dengue viruses produces a spectrum of clinical illness ranging from a mild undifferentiated febrile illness to dengue fever (DF) to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a potentially life-threatening disease. The morbidity and mortality of DHF can be reduced by early hospitalization and careful supportive care. To determine its usefulness as a predictor of DHF, plasma levels of the secreted dengue virus nonstructural protein NS1 (sNS1) were measured daily in 32 children with dengue-2 virus infections participating in a prospective, hospital-based study. Free sNS1 levels in plasma correlated with viremia levels and were higher in patients with DHF than in those with DF. An elevated free sNS1 level (greater than or equal to600 ng/mL) within 72 h of illness onset identified patients at risk for developing DHF.

A conjecture on small embeddings of partial Steiner triple systems

A well-known, and unresolved, conjecture states that every partial Steiner triple system of order u can be embedded in a Steiner triple system of order v for all v equivalent to 1 or 3 (mod 6), v greater than or equal to 2u + 1. However, some partial Steiner triple systems of order u can be embedded in Steiner triple systems of order v < 2u + 1. A more general conjecture that considers these small embeddings is presented and verified for some cases. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Local complexity of Delone sets and crystallinity

This paper characterizes when a Delone set X in R-n is an ideal crystal in terms of restrictions on the number of its local patches of a given size or on the heterogeneity of their distribution. For a Delone set X, let N-X (T) count the number of translation-inequivalent patches of radius T in X and let M-X (T) be the minimum radius such that every closed ball of radius M-X(T) contains the center of a patch of every one of these kinds. We show that for each of these functions there is a gap in the spectrum of possible growth rates between being bounded and having linear growth, and that having sufficiently slow linear growth is equivalent to X being an ideal crystal. Explicitly, for N-X (T), if R is the covering radius of X then either N-X (T) is bounded or N-X (T) greater than or equal to T/2R for all T > 0. The constant 1/2R in this bound is best possible in all dimensions. For M-X(T), either M-X(T) is bounded or M-X(T) greater than or equal to T/3 for all T > 0. Examples show that the constant 1/3 in this bound cannot be replaced by any number exceeding 1/2. We also show that every aperiodic Delone set X has M-X(T) greater than or equal to c(n)T for all T > 0, for a certain constant c(n) which depends on the dimension n of X and is > 1/3 when n > 1.

A new technique for the quantification of peripheral edema with application in both unilateral and bilateral cases

Current noninvasive techniques for the routine and frequent quantification of peripheral lymphedema in patients are total limb volume measurement (by water immersion or by circumferential measurements) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). However both of these techniques require standardizing the measurement using a contralateral measurement from the unaffected limb, Hence these techniques are essentially restricted to unilateral lymphedema. This paper describes the results from a preliminary study to investigate an alternative approach to the analysis of the data from multiple frequency BIA to produce an index of lymphedema without the need for normalization to another body segment. Twenty patients receiving surgical treatment for breast cancer were monitored prior to surgery and again after diagnosis with unilateral lymphedema. The data recorded were total limb volume, by circumferential measurements; and BIA measurements of both limbs. From these measurements total limb volumes and extracellular fluid volumes were calculated and expressed as ratios of the affected limb to that of the unaffected limb. An index of the ratio of the extracellular fluid volume to the intracellular fluid volume was determined. This ECW/ICW index was calculated for both the affected and unaffected limbs at both measurement times. Results confirmed that the established techniques of total limb volume and extracellular fluid volume normalized to the unaffected contralateral limb were accurate in the detection of lymphedema (p < 10(-6)). Comparison of the ECW/ICW index from the affected limb after diagnosis with that from the pre-surgery measurement revealed a significant (p< 10(-6)) and considerable (75%) increase. The results of this pilot study suggest that by using multiple frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, an index of the ECW/ICW ratio can be obtained and this index appears to have an equal, or better, sensitivity, than the other techniques in detecting lymphedema. More importantly, this index does not require normalization to another body segment and can be used to detect all types of peripheral edema including both unilateral and bilateral lymphedema.

Existence of multiple solutions for second-order discrete boundary value problems

We give conditions on f involving pairs of discrete lower and discrete upper solutions which lead to the existence of at least three solutions of the discrete two-point boundary value problem yk+1 - 2yk + yk-1 + f (k, yk, vk) = 0, for k = 1,..., n - 1, y0 = 0 = yn,, where f is continuous and vk = yk - yk-1, for k = 1,..., n. In the special case f (k, t, p) = f (t) greater than or equal to 0, we give growth conditions on f and apply our general result to show the existence of three positive solutions. We give an example showing this latter result is sharp. Our results extend those of Avery and Peterson and are in the spirit of our results for the continuous analogue. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guideline-discordant care in acute myocardial infarction: predictors and outcomes

Objectives: To determine (i) factors which predict whether patients hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) receive care discordant with recommendations of clinical practice guidelines; and (ii) whether such discordant care results in worse outcomes compared with receiving guideline-concordant care. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Two community general hospitals. Participants: 607 consecutive patients admitted with AMI between July 1997 and December 2000. Main outcome measures: Clinical predictors of discordant care; crude and risk-adjusted rates of inhospital mortality and reinfarction, and mean length of hospital stay. Results: At least one treatment recommendation for AMI was applicable for 602 of the 607 patients. Of these patients, 411(68%) received concordant care, and 191 (32%) discordant care. Positive predictors at presentation of discordant care were age > 65 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.5; 95% Cl, 1.7-3.6), silent infarction (OR, 2.7; 95% Cl, 1.6-4.6), anterior infarction (OR, 2.5; 95% Cl, 1.7-3.8), a history of heart failure (OR, 6.3; 95% Cl, 3.7-10.7), chronic atrial fibrillation (OR, 3.2; 95% Cl, 1.5-6.4); and heart rate greater than or equal to 100 beats/min (OR, 2.1; 95% Cl, 1.4-3.1). Death occurred in 12.0% (23/191) of discordant-care patients versus 4.6% (19/411) of concordant-care patients (adjusted OR, 2.42; 95% Cl, 1.22-4.82). Mortality was inversely related to the level of guideline concordance (P = 0.03). Reinfarction rates also tended to be higher in the discordant-care group (4.2% v 1.7%; adjusted OR, 2.5; 95% Cl, 0.90-7.1). Conclusions: Certain clinical features at presentation predict a higher likelihood of guideline-discordant care in patients presenting with AMI Such care appears to increase the risk of inhospital death.

Use of stress echocardiography to predict mortality in patients with diabetes and known or suspected coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE - This study sought to determine whether stress echocardiography using exercise (when feasible) or dobutamine echo could be used to predict mortality in patients with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Stress echo was performed in 937 patients with diabetes (aged 59 +/- 13 years, 529 men) for symptom evaluation (42%) and follow-up of known coronary artery disease (CAD) (58%). Stress echocardiography using exercise was performed in 333 patients able to exercise maximally, and dobutamine echo using a standard dobutamine stress was used in 604 patients. Patients were followed for less than or equal to9 years (mean 3.9 +/- 2.3) for all-cause mortality. RESULTS - Normal studies were obtained in 567 (60%) patients; 29% had resting left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and 25% had ischemia. Abnormalities were confined to one territory in 183 (20%) patients and to multiple territories in 187 (20%) patients. Death (in 275 [29%] patients) was predicted by referral for pharmacologic stress (hazard ratio [HR] 3.94, P < 0.0001), ischemia (1.77, P <0.0001), age (1.02, P = 0.002), and heart failure (1.54, P = 0.01). The risk of death in patients With a normal scan was 4% per year, and this was associated with age and selection for pharmacologic stress testing. In stepwise models replicating the sequence of clinical evaluation, the predictive power of independent clinical predictors (age, selection for pharmacologic stress, previous infarction, and heart failure; model chi(2) = 104.8) was significantly enhanced by addition of stress echo data (model chi(2) = 122.9). CONCLUSIONS - The results of stress echo are independent predictors of death in diabetic patients with known or suspected CAD.. Ischemia adds risk that is incremental to clinical risks and LV dysfunction.

Shear stress and sediment transport calculations for sheet flow under waves

A simple method is provided for calculating transport rates of not too fine (d(50) greater than or equal to 0.20 mm) sand under sheet flow conditions. The method consists of a Meyer-Peter-type transport formula operating on a time-varying Shields parameter, which accounts for both acceleration-asymmetry and boundary layer streaming. While velocity moment formulae, e.g.., = Constant x calibrated against U-tube measurements, fail spectacularly under some real waves (Ribberink, J.S., Dohmen-Janssen, C.M., Hanes, D.M., McLean, S.R., Vincent, C., 2000. Near-bed sand transport mechanisms under waves. Proc. 27th Int. Conf. Coastal Engineering, Sydney, ASCE, New York, pp. 3263-3276, Fig. 12), the new method predicts the real wave observations equally well. The reason that the velocity moment formulae fail under these waves is partly the presence of boundary layer streaming and partly the saw-tooth asymmetry, i.e., the front of the waves being steeper than the back. Waves with saw-tooth asymmetry may generate a net landward sediment transport even if = 0, because of the more abrupt acceleration under the steep front. More abrupt accelerations are associated with thinner boundary layers and greater pressure gradients for a given velocity magnitude. The two real wave effects are incorporated in a model of the form Q(s)(t) = Q(s)[theta(t)] rather than Q(S)(t) = Q(S)[u(infinity)(t)], i.e., by expressing the transport rate in terms of an instantaneous Shields parameter rather than in terms of the free stream velocity, and accounting for both streaming and accelerations in the 0(t) calculations. The instantaneous friction velocities u(*)(t) and subsequently theta(t) are calculated as follows. Firstly, a linear filter incorporating the grain roughness friction factor f(2.5) and a phase angle phi(tau) is applied to u(infinity)(t). This delivers u(*)(t) which is used to calculate an instantaneous grain roughness Shields parameter theta(2.5)(t). Secondly, a constant bed shear stress is added which corresponds to the streaming related bed shear stress -rho ($) over bar((u) over tilde(w) over tilde)(infinity) . The method can be applied to any u(infinity)(t) time series, but further experimental validation is recommended before application to conditions that differ strongly from the ones considered below. The method is not recommended for rippled beds or for sheet flow with typical prototype wave periods and d(50) < 0.20 turn. In such scenarios, time lags related to vertical sediment movement become important, and these are not considered by the present model. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantification and stability of everolimus (SDZ RAD) in human blood by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

We report here a validated method for the quantification of a new immunosuppressant drug, everolimus (SDZ RAD), using HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry. Whole blood samples (500 mul) were prepared by protein precipitation, followed by C-18 solid-phase extraction. Mass spectrometric detection was by selected reaction monitoring with an electrospray interface operating in positive ionization mode. The assay was linear from 0.5 to 100 mug/l (r(2) > 0.996, n = 9). The analytical recovery and inter-day imprecision, determined using whole blood quality control samples (n = 5) at 0.5, 1.2, 20.0, and 75.0 mug/l, was 100.3-105.4% and less than or equal to7.6%, respectively. The assay had a mean relative recovery of 94.8 +/- 3.8%. Extracted samples were stable for up to 24 h. Fortified everolimus blood samples were stable at -80 degreesC for at least 8 months and everolimus was found to be stable in blood when taken through at least three freeze-thaw cycles. The reported method provides accurate, precise and specific measurement of everolimus in blood over a wide analytical range and is currently supporting phase 11 and III clinical trials. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.