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AbstractProblems in the area of text and document processing can often be described as text rewriting tasks: given an input text, produce a new text by applying some fixed set of rewriting rules. In its simplest form, a rewriting rule is given by a pair of strings, representing a source string (the ?original?) and its substitute. By a rewriting dictionary, we mean a finite list of such pairs; dictionary-based text rewriting means to replace in an input text occurrences of originals by their substitutes. We present an efficient method for constructing, given a rewriting dictionary D, a subsequential transducer that accepts any text tas input and outputs the intended rewriting result under the so-called ?leftmost-longest match? replacement with skips, t'. The time needed to compute the transducer is linear in the size of the input dictionary. Given the transducer, any text tof length |t| is rewritten in a deterministic manner in time O(|t|+|t'|), where t' denotes the resulting output text. Hence the resulting rewriting mechanism is very efficient. As a second advantage, using standard tools, the transducer can be directly composed with other transducers to efficiently solve more complex rewriting tasks in a single processing step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wachkraniotomien in der Tumor- und Epilepsiechirurgie oder bei der stereotaktischen Elektrodenimplantation für die tiefe Hirnstimulation erfordern spezifische anästhesiologische Strategien. Mit Propofol werden kurze Aufwachzeiten sichergestellt, und die respiratorische Funktion des üblicherweise spontan atmenden Patienten wird nur wenig beeinträchtigt. Die Schmerzausschaltung sollte primär durch einen Hemiskalpblock bei großflächiger Trepanation oder eine lokale Anästhetikainfiltration bei der Tiefenelektrodenimplantation erfolgen. Zusätzlich kann bei einer Trepanation (Tumor- oder Epilepsiechirurgie) Remifentanil in niedriger Dosierung empfohlen werden. Durch einen transnasal eingeführten Tubus, dessen Spitze unter der Epiglottis platziert wird, kann der Atemweg frei gehalten werden. Zum Schutz vor Erbrechen ist eine ausreichende antiemetische Prophylaxe erforderlich. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coracoacromial arch is a static anterior-superior stabilizer of the humeral head. Thus coracoacromial arch inclination, which varies depending on coracoid tip position, may be related to shoulder pathologies. Therefore, we retrospectively analysed coracoid tip positions in the true anterior posterior view of different shoulder pathologies: reference shoulders (n=27), shoulders with rotator cuff tear (supraspinatus tear n=29; subscapularis tear n=21) and shoulders with anterior glenohumeral instability (traumatic n=17; atraumatic n=14). In supraspinatus tear shoulders, the coracoid tip projected onto inferior glenoid half in 86% of cases (type I coracoid), extending more inferiorly compared with reference group (p=0.0002) or subscapularis tear shoulders (p<0.0001). In contrast, 78% of cases with subscapularis tear show the coracoid tip projected onto the superior glenoid half (type II coracoid). Atraumatic glenohumeral instabilities had a more superior coracoid tip position than traumatic instabilities (p=0.04), but no differences were observed on basis of coracoid type or in comparison with normal controls. We conclude that coracoid tip position is highly variable. Since type I coracoids are predominant in shoulders with supraspinatus tears and type II coracoids in shoulders with subscapularis tears, coracoid tip position may thus provide a simple diagnostic complement for a probable site of rotator cuff tears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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INTRODUCTION: The explanation for the prognostic value of the ABCD2-score remains uncertain. If it genuinely measures cerebral susceptibility to ischaemia, it should correlate with other markers of susceptibility, such as leukoaraiosis (LA). We studied the association of the ABCD2-score with the severity of LA in a large cohort of patients with TIA or minor stroke. METHODS: Consecutive patients attending a TIA-clinic were recruited and underwent routine MR-imaging (T2/DWI). Detailed clinical data were obtained and the ABCD2 score calculated. Two independent observers assessed the presence and severity of LA with standard rating scales. RESULTS: 671 patients (56% men; mean age=71 (SD=11) years) with TIA (45%) or minor stroke attended the clinic. LA was more prevalent (p=0.015) and more severe (p=0.007) in patients with stroke vs TIA. LA was associated with lesion presence on DWI (p<0.0001) and history of prior stroke (p=0.026). LA and the ABCD2-score were strongly associated (p<0.0001), due mainly to association of LA with age (p<0.0001), with motor symptoms at presentation (p<0.0001) and with hypertension (p=0.001). Associations were similar in analyses stratified by diagnosis and adjusted for age. CONCLUSION: The associations of LA with prior stroke, presenting stroke and with lesion presence on DWI confirm it as a marker of cerebral susceptibility to ischaemia. The strong association of the ABCD2-score with LA may therefore at least partly explain its prognostic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Leukoaraiosis (LA) may reflect chronic small vessel ischaemia, but its underlying aetiology is uncertain. Possibilities include atheroma more proximally in the small cerebral vessels. In this case, LA would be expected to be associated with other risk factors for, and markers of, atherosclerosis. In light of conflicting results from previous studies, we investigated this association in a large cohort of well phenotyped patients with transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke. METHODS: Consecutive patients with TIA or minor stroke attending a TIA clinic were recruited and underwent routine MR-imaging and MR-angiography. LA was assessed by two independent observers using standard rating scales. A standardised clinical questionnaire was used to record data on major vascular risk factors. RESULTS: 671 patients (mean (SD) age 71 (11), 56% men) with TIA (N=301) or minor stroke (N=370) attended the clinic. LA was independently associated with older age (p<0.0001), hypertension (p=0.001) and female sex (p<0.0001). The latter associations were still present after adjusting the analysis for age. However, LA was not associated with smoking, hypercholesterolaemia, ischaemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease or diabetes, and it was unrelated to the severity of carotid disease. CONCLUSION: Leukoaraiosis was not associated with either carotid stenosis or risk factors for atherosclerosis, suggesting that its aetiology is independent of atherosclerotic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]