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Background: Early intervention for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder has been identified as a priority, but little is known about how existing early intervention services are experienced by this group or could be tailored to their needs. Aims: This study examined the experience of early intervention in psychosis (EIP) services for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, following first episode psychotic mania. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 adults in EIP services and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: One superordinate theme was formed, Rebuilding within EIP service, consisting of five subthemes: (i) Piecing together episode through talking to staff; (ii) Exploring other perspectives during CBT; (iii) Empowered through shared decision-making; (iv) Reconsidering future and purpose; (v) Service as safety-net. EIP provision was pivotal in helping participants understand their episode, adjust their perspective, build confidence and progress. Conclusions: Aspects of the service that were valued, including person-centred relationships with staff, shared decision-making and the development of motivation and opportunities, reflect key principles of mental health care for young people following first episode psychosis. Furthermore, findings point to elements that may be particularly relevant to early intervention following first episode psychotic mania including managing mood escalation and individualised approaches to goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal intervention for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) is seen as a priority within early intervention psychosis services. This is the first study to explore the experience of first-episode psychotic mania and its aftermath for people diagnosed with BD, and the potential implications for treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 young adults following first-episode psychotic mania and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Two overarching themes were identified: (i) "Changing states of self during first episode"; (ii) "Struggling with loss of self during episode aftermath". Participants experienced exceptional, persecutory and angry states during psychotic mania, leading to identity disruption and low feelings or depression post-episode. Some mourned the loss of their exceptional manic self, and attempted to relapse into mania, while others struggled with the loss of who they had been prior to their episode. Results emphasise the importance of understanding identity change during first-episode psychotic mania and how that might be used to address identity disruption and low feelings during recovery. This process is likely to be pertinent to early intervention and prevention of manic relapse following first-episode BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Early intervention for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder is a priority, but little is known about how recovery from first episode psychotic mania is experienced by this group. This study aimed to explore the experience of recovery from first episode psychotic mania for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 11 young adults during recovery from first episode psychotic mania and were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Three themes were identified: (i) 'Possession of purpose and staying well', (ii) 'Coping with compromise' and (iii) 'Manic relapse: pressure and proving self'. On becoming well, the participants experienced a sense of purpose through engaging with activities and goals that also drove their efforts to engage in strategies to stay well. However, these strategies created feelings of compromise that not all were prepared to accept. Though having purpose and goals created a positive sense of direction, for a minority of the participants they also created additional pressure, contributing to manic relapse. Conclusions: The purpose created by engaging with aspirations and career‐related activities during early intervention was found to be important for a meaningful recovery from first episode bipolar disorder. This instilled positivity and purpose, motivating efforts to maintain wellness. The feelings of compromise that some participants experienced point to the need for individually tailored interventions. Findings suggest a delicate relationship between the positivity of engaging in goals and the risk of manic relapse during recovery from first episode psychotic mania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay considers Bersani and Dutoit's alignment of passivity and the aesthetic in "Merde Alors," their essay on Pier Paolo Pasolini's film Salò. Passivity is a key strategy for the production of works of art and is key to understanding the mode of the aesthetic itself. The question of passivity appears elsewhere in Bersani's work, and "Merde Alors"—in whole or in part—was republished at key moments in Bersani's career. This essay gestures toward why "Merde Alors" has had such an interesting and prolific afterlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we give a number of illuminating examples of transformation semigroups of degree 2 acting on graphs by functions that preserve vertices and edges by inverse image. It is known that the complexity of such a transformation semigroup is at most 2. We give examples that use sophisticated lower bounds to complexity to distinguish between complexity 1 and complexity 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a general framework for computing mixing times of finite Markov chains whose semigroup's minimal ideal is left zero. Our analysis is based on combining results by Brown and Diaconis with our previous work on stationary distributions of finite Markov chains. Stationary distributions can be computed from the Karnofsky--Rhodes and McCammond expansion of the right Cayley graph of the finite semigroup underlying the Markov chain. Using loop graphs, which are planar graphs consisting of a straight line with attached loops, there are rational expressions for the stationary distribution in the probabilities. From these we obtain bounds on the mixing time. In addition, we provide a new Markov chain on linear extension of a poset with n vertices, inspired by but different from the promotion Markov chain of Ayyer, Klee, and the last author. The mixing time of this Markov chain is O(n log n). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we provide a simple proof of the Holonomy theorem using a new Lyndon–Chiswell length function on the Karnofsky–Rhodes expansion of a semigroup. Unexpectedly, we have both a left and a right action on the Chiswell tree by elliptic maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop the theory of transformation semigroups that have degree 2, that is, act by partial functions on a finite set such that the inverse image of points have at most two elements. We show that the graph of fibers of such an action gives a deep connection between semigroup theory and graph theory. It is known that the Krohn–Rhodes complexity of a degree 2 action is at most 2. We show that the monoid of continuous maps on a graph is the translational hull of an appropriate 0-simple semigroup. We show how group mapping semigroups can be considered as regular covers of their right letter mapping image and relate this to their graph of fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dowling and Rhodes defined different lattices on the set of triples (Subset, Partition, Cross Section) over a fixed finite group G. Although the Rhodes lattice is not a geometric lattice, it defines a matroid in the sense of the theory of boolean representable simplicial complexes. This turns out to be the direct sum of a uniform matroid with the lift matroid of the complete gain link graph over G. As is well known, the Dowling lattice defines the frame matroid over a similar gain graph. This gives a new perspective on both matroids and also an application of matroid theory to the theory of finite semigroups. We also make progress on an important question for these classical matroids: what are the minimal boolean representations and the minimum degree of a boolean matrix representation? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We extend, in significant ways, the theory of truncated boolean representable simplicial complexes introduced in 2015. This theory, which includes all matroids, represents the largest class of finite simplicial complexes for which combinatorial geometry can be meaningfully applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metric phylogenetic tree relating a collection of taxa induces weighted rooted triples and weighted quartets for all subsets of three and four taxa, respectively. New intertaxon distances are defined that can be calculated from these weights, and shown to exactly fit the same tree topology, but with edge weights rescaled by certain factors dependent on the associated split size. These distances are analogs for metric trees of similar ones recently introduced for topological trees that are based on induced unweighted rooted triples and quartets. The distances introduced here lead to new statistically consistent methods of inferring a metric species tree from a collection of topological gene trees generated under the multispecies coalescent model of incomplete lineage sorting. Simulations provide insight into their potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living with episodes of mania and depression is recognised to instil profound instability in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but little is known about how these mood changes arise through a person’s trajectory over time. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the experience of mood change within and between bipolar disorder episodes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three women at two time points and were analysed using longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis to form idiographic trajectories. Three longitudinal themes illustrated the changing experiences of participants during periods of depression, euthymia (stability) and mania: (i) Extreme changes in activity and agency, (ii) Changes in feelings and connectivity, (iii) Shifting sense of the future disrupts momentum. The findings highlighted trajectories of change in key areas of the participants’ lives including activity levels, routine and agency, intensity of feelings and connectivity, and their sense of the future and progression. Changes experienced during episodes were cumulative, impacting participants’ ability to reconnect, take control and move forward during euthymia. The clinical value of mapping a client’s sense of change across BD phases is indicated, along with the need to build agency, progression and connectivity during euthymic periods. Suggestions for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that the stationary distribution of a finite Markov chain can be expressed as the sum of certain normal distributions. These normal distributions are associated to planar graphs consisting of a straight line with attached loops. The loops touch only at one vertex either of the straight line or of another attached loop. Our analysis is based on our previous work, which derives the stationary distribution of a finite Markov chain using semaphore codes on the Karnofsky–Rhodes and McCammond expansion of the right Cayley graph of the finite semigroup underlying the Markov chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We begin a systematic study of finite semigroups that generate join irreducible members of the lattice of pseudovarieties of finite semigroups, which are important for the spectral theory of this lattice. Finite semigroups S that generate join irreducible pseudovarieties are characterized as follows: whenever S divides a direct product A × B of finite semigroups, then S divides either A n or B n for some n ≥ 1. We present a new operator V ↦ V b a r that preserves the property of join irreducibility, as does the dual operator, and show that iteration of these operators on any nontrivial join irreducible pseudovariety leads to an infinite hierarchy of join irreducible pseudovarieties. We also describe all join irreducible pseudovarieties generated by a semigroup of order up to five. It turns out that there are 3 0 such pseudovarieties, and there is a relatively easy way to remember them. In addition, we survey most results known about join irreducible pseudovarieties to date and generalize a number of results in Sec. 7.3 of [The q -theory of Finite Semigroups, Springer Monographs in Mathematics (Springer, Berlin, 2009)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores participants' experience of what it is like to suffer depression, endured for years. Four women and three men, who each reported a minimum of four years' of depression, were interviewed and themes were generated using interpretative phenomenological analysis. A first complex theme is depths of emptiness, which encompasses decline of will, disconnection from others, empty future, and numbing of the self. A second theme, episodic despairing engulfment, describes agonizing feelings and thoughts, a sense and conviction that one's world and self are being destroyed, a growing belief that there is no escape, and sometimes ideas of suicide. The third theme, the struggle of unending life problems, describes a perceived timeline of struggle and difficulties, and terrible feelings and emotions. Five of the participants engaged in extreme negative thoughts and narrations about themselves, whereas two focused specifically on loss and threatening present situations. We conclude that chronic depression involves the experience of emptiness, but also a repeated experience of the destruction of self, connection to the world, and deepest hopes. In chronic depression there are negative thoughts and feelings, yet crucially, it also involves alterations in motivation, in particular a process in which aims, cares, and concerns that form important parts of the person's life are repeatedly thwarted or destroyed. In extreme occurrences, the phenomenological self seems to be passing out of existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We provide a unified framework to compute the stationary distribution of any finite irreducible Markov chain or equivalently of any irreducible random walk on a finite semigroup S. Our methods use geometric finite semigroup theory via the Karnofsky–Rhodes and the McCammond expansions of finite semigroups with specified generators; this does not involve any linear algebra. The original Tsetlin library is obtained by applying the expansions to P (n) , the set of all subsets of an n element set. Our set-up generalizes previous groundbreaking work involving left-regular bands (or R -trivial bands) by Brown and Diaconis, extensions to R -trivial semigroups by Ayyer, Steinberg, Thiéry and the second author, and important recent work by Chung and Graham. The Karnofsky–Rhodes expansion of the right Cayley graph of S in terms of generators yields again a right Cayley graph. The McCammond expansion provides normal forms for elements in the expanded S. Using our previous results with Silva based on work by Berstel, Perrin, Reutenauer, we construct (infinite) semaphore codes on which we can define Markov chains. These semaphore codes can be lumped using geometric semigroup theory. Using normal forms and associated Kleene expressions, they yield formulas for the stationary distribution of the finite Markov chain of the expanded S and the original S. Analyzing the normal forms also provides an estimate on the mixing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary MSCquartets is an R package for species tree hypothesis testing, inference of species trees and inference of species networks under the Multispecies Coalescent model of incomplete lineage sorting and its network analog. Input for these analyses are collections of metric or topological locus trees which are then summarized by the quartets displayed on them. Results of hypothesis tests at user-supplied levels are displayed in a simplex plot by color-coded points. The package implements the QDC and WQDC algorithms for topological and metric species tree inference, and the NANUQ algorithm for level-1 topological species network inference, all of which give statistically consistent estimators under the model. Availability and implementation MSCquartets is available through the Comprehensive R Archive Network: https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=MSCquartets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown that the lattices of flats of boolean representable simplicial complexes are always atomistic, but semimodular if and only if the complex is a matroid. A canonical construction is introduced for arbitrary finite atomistic lattices, providing a characterization of the lattices of flats of boolean representable simplicial complexes and a decidability condition. We remark that every finite lattice occurs as the lattice of flats of some simplicial complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art cinema has often been understood as requiring a certain type of work on the part of its spectators. The art cinema spectator must entertain a variety of possible interpretive strategies in order to understand the complexity and ambiguity of the film's textuality or the psychological opacity of its fictional characters. In their hermeneutic flexibility and engaged, serial questioning of the film, the art cinema spectator's activity resembles that of the immaterial laborer. Art cinema itself could be seen as an unacknowledged training ground of the immaterial laborer. Two films are analyzed in order to pursue this line of inquiry. Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert (1964) exemplifies the art cinema's ambiguity and the spectatorial labor entailed by the same. Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) translates the immaterial labor of the art cinema spectator into something resembling the reproductive labors represented in the film, but it does so in a manner that challenges the valorization of labor itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce the subsemigroup complex of a finite semigroup S as a (boolean representable) simplicial complex defined through chains in the lattice of subsemigroups of S. We present a research program for such complexes, illustrated through the particular case of combinatorial Brandt semigroups. The results include alternative characterizations of faces and facets, asymptotical estimates on the number of facets, or establishing when the complex is pure or a matroid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequencies of k-mers in sequences are sometimes used as a basis for inferring phylogenetic trees without first obtaining a multiple sequence alignment. We show that a standard approach of using the squared Euclidean distance between k-mer vectors to approximate a tree metric can be statistically inconsistent. To remedy this, we derive model-based distance corrections for orthologous sequences without gaps, which lead to consistent tree inference. The identifiability of model parameters from k-mer frequencies is also studied. Finally, we report simulations showing that the corrected distance outperforms many other k-mer methods, even when sequences are generated with an insertion and deletion process. These results have implications for multiple sequence alignment as well since k-mer methods are usually the first step in constructing a guide tree for such algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is proved that the fundamental groups of boolean representable simplicial complexes (BRSC) are free and the rank is determined by the number and nature of the connected components of their graph of flats for dimension . In the case of dimension 2, it is shown that BRSC have the homotopy type of a wedge of spheres of dimensions 1 and 2. Also, in the case of dimension 2, necessary and sufficient conditions for shellability and being sequentially Cohen-Macaulay are determined. Complexity bounds are provided for all the algorithms involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was recently observed by de Vienne et al. (Syst Biol 60(6):826-832, 2011) that a simple square root transformation of distances between taxa on a phylogenetic tree allowed for an embedding of the taxa into Euclidean space. While the justification for this was based on a diffusion model of continuous character evolution along the tree, here we give a direct and elementary explanation for it that provides substantial additional insight. We use this embedding to reinterpret the differences between the NJ and BIONJ tree building algorithms, providing one illustration of how this embedding reflects tree structures in data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce semaphore codes associated to a Turing machine via resets. Semaphore codes provide an approximation theory for resets. In this paper, we generalize the set-up of our previous paper 'Random walks on semaphore codes and delay de Bruijn semigroups' to the infinite case by taking the profinite limit of -resets to obtain -resets. We mention how this opens new avenues to attack the vs. NP problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a new approach to random walks on de Bruijn graphs over the alphabet through right congruences on , defined using the natural right action of . A major role is played by special right congruences, which correspond to semaphore codes and allow an easier computation of the hitting time. We show how right congruences can be approximated by special right congruences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suitability of tryptone soya agar, Sabouraud dextrose agar and tryptone soya agar with 1% glucose plates for general environmental monitoring was compared. Plates were incubated at three different temperatures to assess an optimal temperature for growth. Results indicated that there are benefits from using tryptone soya agar with 1% glucose incubated at 25°C as an all-purpose medium for environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally studies have neglected emotion in psychosis, possibly as a consequence of psychiatry’s emphasis on psychotic symptoms rather than individuals’ lived experience of emotions before, during and after psychotic episodes. This study sought to investigate how individuals experienced their emotions and delusions in the context of psychosis. A qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) research methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposively sampled group of eight participants recruited from a local Early Intervention in Psychosis service. Four themes were generated by the analysis. The first highlighted emotional experiences prior to the onset of psychosis: ‘struggling with life distress’. The second highlighted the intense emotional experience within psychotic experiences: ‘transformed world and intense emotion’. The third theme highlighted self-critical tendencies in the post-onset phase of psychosis: ‘blame and guilt after the breakdown’. The final theme highlighted a mixture of emotions in the post-onset phase: ‘confusion, despair and hope’. There were many clinical implications highlighted in the study including the value of normalizing participants’ emotional experiences in order to promote engagement in services and of assessing for self-criticism, despair and hope following the psychotic experience, alongside therapeutically addressing the varying levels of emotional experiences before, during and after a psychotic breakdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species trees represent the historical divergences of populations or species, while gene trees trace the ancestry of individual gene copies sampled within those populations. In cases involving rapid speciation, gene trees with topologies that differ from that of the species tree can be most probable under the standard multispecies coalescent model, making species tree inference more difficult. Such anomalous gene trees are not well understood except for some small cases. In this work, we establish one constraint that applies to trees of any size: gene trees with “caterpillar” topologies cannot be anomalous. The proof of this involves a new combinatorial object, called a population history , which keeps track of the number of coalescent events in each ancestral population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This article presents a detailed idiographic analysis of patients' experience of first-episode depression. Design This is a qualitative interview study using interpretative phenomenological analysis ( IPA). Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of seven patients presenting to a mental health service in London, UK with symptoms of first-episode major depression. There were four males and three females; mean age was 44 years. Interviews were audio-recorded and subjected to IPA. Results Participants described a significant loss event prior to onset of depression. The depression involved a major diminishing of the life-world with relational, corporeal, and temporal depletion. This depletion was accompanied in each case by occasional extreme emotions, frenzied thoughts, confused sense of self. Conclusions Depression can represent a major existential threat to the sufferer. We discuss how our findings can illuminate the extant literature. The study suggests the value of exploring these existential features in early therapy. Practitioner points Offers a detailed phenomenological analysis of core experiential features of first episode depression: being alone, being empty, life is over., Also reveals an unstable dynamic of major psychological depletion interrupted by emotional and cognitive agitation involving confusion, lack of confidence, and/or trust., Provides rationale and material for intensive exploration of these features in therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonnegative tensor has nonnegative rank at most 2 if and only if it is supermodular and has flattening rank at most 2. We prove this result, then explore the semialgebraic geometry of the general Markov model on phylogenetic trees with binary states, and comment on possible extensions to tensors of higher rank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new notion of vertex independence and rank for a finite graph G is introduced. The independence of vertices is based on the boolean independence of columns of a natural boolean matrix associated to G. Rank is the cardinality of the largest set of independent columns. Some basic properties and some more advanced theorems are proved. Geometric properties of the graph are related to its rank and independent sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented in which the author examines motion pictures from the philosophical concept of agency, focusing on regarding film. Particular attention is given to the theories of philosophers Immanuel Kant, Hannah Arrendt, and Linda Zerilli on the similarities between acting and judgment. The author goes on to cite the work of motion picture director Barbara Hammer.

Many of the stochastic models used in inference of phylogenetic trees from biological sequence data have polynomial parameterization maps. The image of such a map--the collection of joint distributions for all parameter choices--forms the model space. Since the parameterization is polynomial, the Zariski closure of the model space is an algebraic variety which is typically much larger than the model space but amenable to study with algebraic methods. Of practical interest, however, is not the full variety but the subset formed by the model space. Here we develop complete semialgebraic descriptions of the model space arising from the k-state general Markov model on a tree, with slightly restricted parameters. Our approach depends upon both recently formulated analogues of Cayley's hyperdeterminant and on the construction of certain quadratic forms from the joint distribution whose positive (semi)definiteness encodes information about parameter values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports the protection of free exercise and establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment through introduction of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA). Topics discussed include the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the case Employment Division v. Smith; findings and purposes of the RFRA; and several federal prosecutions on the issues such as Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita.

The article reports the protection of free exercise and establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment through introduction of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA). Topics discussed include the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the case Employment Division v. Smith; findings and purposes of the RFRA; and several federal prosecutions on the issues such as Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita.

Background: Recoarctation after the Norwood procedure increases risk for mortality. The Single Ventricle Reconstruction (SVR) trial randomized subjects with a single right ventricle undergoing a Norwood procedure to a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt or a right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt. We sought to determine the incidence of recoarctation, risk factors, and outcomes in the SVR trial.Methods and Results: Recoarctation was defined by intervention, either catheter based or surgical. Univariate analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were performed with adjustment for center. Of the 549 SVR subjects, 97 (18%) underwent 131 interventions (92 balloon aortoplasty, 39 surgical) for recoarctation at a median age of 4.9 months (range, 1.1-10.5 months). Intervention typically occurred at pre-stage II catheterization (n=71, 54%) or at stage II surgery (n=38, 29%). In multivariable analysis, recoarctation was associated with the shunt type in place at the end of the Norwood procedure (hazard ratio, 2.0 for right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt versus modified Blalock-Taussig shunt; P=0.02), and Norwood discharge peak echo-Doppler arch gradient (hazard ratio, 1.07 per 1 mm Hg; P<0.01). Subjects with recoarctation demonstrated comorbidities at pre-stage II evaluation, including higher pulmonary arterial pressures (15.4±3.0 versus 14.5±3.5 mm Hg; P=0.05), higher pulmonary vascular resistance (2.6±1.6 versus 2.0±1.0 Wood units·m(2); P=0.04), and increased echocardiographic volumes (end-diastolic volume, 126±39 versus 112±33 mL/BSA(1.3), where BSA is body surface area; P=0.02). There was no difference in 12-month postrandomization transplantation-free survival between those with and without recoarctation (P=0.14).Conclusions: Recoarctation is common after Norwood and contributes to pre-stage II comorbidities. Although with intervention there is no associated increase in 1-year transplantation/mortality, further evaluation is warranted to evaluate the effects of associated morbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background--Recoarctation after the Norwood procedure increases risk for mortality. The Single Ventricle Reconstruction (SVR) trial randomized subjects with a single right ventricle undergoing a Norwood procedure to a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt or a right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt. We sought to determine the incidence of recoarctation, risk factors, and outcomes in the SVR trial. Methods and Results--Recoarctation was defined by intervention, either catheter based or surgical. Univariate analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were performed with adjustment for center. Of the 549 SVR subjects, 97 (18%) underwent 131 interventions (92 balloon aortoplasty, 39 surgical) for recoarctation at a median age of 4.9 months (range, 1.1-10.5 months). Intervention typically occurred at pre-stage II catheterization (n=71, 54%) or at stage II surgery (n=38, 29%). In multivariable analysis, recoarctation was associated with the shunt type in place at the end of the Norwood procedure (hazard ratio, 2.0 for right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt versus modified Blalock-Taussig shunt; P=0.02), and Norwood discharge peak echo-Doppler arch gradient (hazard ratio, 1.07 per 1 mm Hg; P<0.01). Subjects with recoarctation demonstrated comorbidities at pre-stage II evaluation, including higher pulmonary arterial pressures (15.4±3.0 versus 14.5±3.5 mm Hg; P=0.05), higher pulmonary vascular resistance (2.6±1.6 versus 2.0±1.0 Wood units·m²; P=0.04), and increased echocardiographic volumes (end-diastolic volume, 126±39 versus 112±33 mL/BSA1.3, where BSA is body surface area; P=0.02). There was no difference in 12-month postrandomization transplantation-free survival between those with and without recoarctation (P=0.14). Conclusions--Recoarctation is common after Norwood and contributes to pre-stage II comorbidities. Although with intervention there is no associated increase in 1-year transplantation/mortality, further evaluation is warranted to evaluate the effects of associated morbidities. Clinical Trial Registration--URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00115934. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve NHS aseptic suite projects across the North East and Yorkshire were critically evaluated. Of these, only two were delivered on time and to budget. The analysis was used to develop a successful plan for a new Aseptic Dispensing Unit. Recommendations are made using experience gained to illustrate how diligent planning and design can deliver a successful and satisfactory cleanroom suite avoiding unnecessary confrontation, unanticipated outcomes and subsequent costly delays. A sevenstage plan was developed that can be adopted for any similar future project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic mixture models, in which the sites in sequences undergo different substitution processes along the same or different trees, allow the description of heterogeneous evolutionary processes. As data sets consisting of longer sequences become available, it is important to understand such models, for both theoretical insights and use in statistical analyses. Some recent articles have highlighted disturbing “mimicking” behavior in which a distribution from a mixture model is identical to one arising on a different tree or trees. Other works have indicated such problems are unlikely to occur in practice, as they require very special parameter choices. After surveying some of these works on mixture models, we give several new results. In general, if the number of components in a generating mixture is not too large and we disallow zero or infinite branch lengths, then it cannot mimic the behavior of a nonmixture on a different tree. On the other hand, if the mixture model is locally overparameterized, it is possible for a phylogenetic mixture model to mimic distributions of another tree model. Although theoretical questions remain, these sorts of results can serve as a guide to when the use of mixture models in either maximum likelihood or Bayesian frameworks is likely to lead to statistically consistent inference, and when mimicking due to heterogeneity should be considered a realistic possibility. [Phylogenetic mixture models; parameter identifiability; heterogeneous sequence evolution.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper further develops the theory of arbitrary semigroups acting on trees via elliptic mappings. A key tool is the Lyndon-Chiswell length function L for the semigroup S which allows one to construct a tree T and an action of S on T via elliptic maps. Improving on previous results, the length function of the action will also be L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of computing the group complexity of finite semigroups and automata was first posed in K. Krohn and J. Rhodes, Complexity of finite semigroups, Annals of Mathematics (2) 88 (1968), 128-160, motivated by the Prime Decomposition Theorem of K. Krohn and J. Rhodes, Algebraic theory of machines, I: Prime decomposition theorem for finite semigroups and machines, Transactions of the American Mathematical Society 116 (1965), 450-464. Here we provide an effective lower bound for group complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic mixture models are statistical models of character evolution allowing for heterogeneity. Each of the classes in some unknown partition of the characters may evolve by different processes, or even along different trees. Such models are of increasing interest for data analysis, as they can capture the variety of evolutionary processes that may be occurring across long sequences of DNA or proteins. The fundamental question of whether parameters of such a model are identifiable is difficult to address, due to the complexity of the parameterization. Identifiability is, however, essential to their use for statistical inference. We analyze mixture models on large trees, with many mixture components, showing that both numerical and tree parameters are indeed identifiable in these models when all trees are the same. This provides a theoretical justification for some current empirical studies, and indicates that extensions to even more mixture components should be theoretically well behaved. We also extend our results to certain mixtures on different trees, using the same algebraic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We develop the representation theory of a finite semigroup over an arbitrary commutative semiring with unit, in particular classifying the irreducible and minimal representations. The results for an arbitrary semiring are as good as the results for a field. Special attention is paid to the boolean semiring, where we also characterize the simple representations and introduce the beginnings of a character theory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a reprint of a speech delivered by John F. Rhodes, president of the Missouri Bar Association, which appeared in the May 1942 issue of the periodical. The speech was delivered by Rhodes on the U.S. Law Day at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. In this speech Rhodes discussed the history of the University of Missouri's Law School, role of American lawyers to maintain democracy in the multicultural population of the U.S., and social responsibilities of lawyers.

The authors comment on the articles "Shaking the Bedrock," by L. Bortolotti and "On Certainty," by L. Wittgenstein. According to the authors, Bortolotti provided insights into the bedrock or background theory of delusion by focusing on the delusionality of delusions. They add that Wittgenstein discussed the non-representational foundation of belief before elaborating on the background theory of delusion. They also explain the nature of bedrock and delusion and the clinical rationale for the use of background theory.

This study explored what it is actually like to be depressed, that is, to capture the content and complexity of this experience from the view point of the sufferer. We present a case study using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of one man diagnosed with reactive depression. A semi-structured interview explored the experience of depression. The interview was transcribed and analysed using IPA. We describe how his depression occurred in the context of work and financial difficulties and note how a sense of vulnerability emerged and contrast with his reported experience of conventional masculinity. The process of becoming depressed involved the eruption of old negative memories and a catastrophic view of the present and future involving failure and death. We present a detailed analysis of two metaphorical constructions of depression. The features of depression form an interconnected whole. The experience of depression is so extreme that it is reported as if the person or self is dying. Onset appears to involve the destruction of highly valued life projects of the person. For some individuals, metaphors and images may be an actual part of the experience itself and contribute to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]