bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Combination of Doripenem and Colistin Is Bactericidal and Synergistic against Colistin-Resistant, Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae
Authors: Jernigan Meredith G. , Press Ellen G. , Nguyen M. Hong , Clancy Cornelius J. , Shields Ryan K.
Published: March 2012

We tested two-drug combinations of doripenem, colistin, gentamicin, and doxycycline against 12 carbapenemase-producing
Klebsiella pneumoniae
(KPC) isolates by time-kill. The combination of doripenem and colistin reduced the starting inocula by 2 logs for each isolate (range, 2.02 to 6.01 log
10
) and was bactericidal and synergistic against 75 and 50%, respectively. Among colistin- and pan-drug-resistant isolates, synergy was identified in 60 and 67%, respectively. All other combinations were inferior. We are currently evaluating the combination of doripenem and colistin as a frontline therapy for KPC infection.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Once-Daily versus Twice-Daily Raltegravir in Treatment-Naïve HIV-Infected Patients
Authors: Rizk Matthew L. , Hang Yaming , Luo Wen-Lin , Su Jing , Zhao Jing , Campbell Havilland , Nguyen Bach-Yen T. , Sklar Peter , Eron Joseph J. , Wenning Larissa
Published: March 2012

QDMRK was a phase III clinical trial of raltegravir given once daily (QD) (800-mg dose) versus twice daily (BID) (400 mg per dose), each in combination with once-daily coformulated tenofovir-emtricitabine, in treatment-naive HIV-infected patients. Pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analyses were conducted using a 2-step approach: individual non-model-based PK parameters from observed sparse concentration data were determined, followed by statistical analysis of potential relationships between PK and efficacy response parameters after 48 weeks of treatment. Sparse PK sampling was performed for all patients (QD,
n
= 380; BID,
n
= 384); selected sites performed an intensive PK evaluation at week 4 (QD,
n
= 22; BID,
n
= 20). In the intensive PK subgroup, daily exposures (area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h [AUC
0–24
]) were similar between the two regimens, but patients on 800 mg QD experienced ∼4-fold-higher maximum drug concentration in plasma (
C
max
) values and ∼6-fold-lower trough drug concentration (
C
trough
) values than those on 400 mg BID. Geometric mean (GM)
C
trough
values were similarly lower in the sparse PK analysis. With BID dosing, there was no indication of any significant PK/PD association over the range of tested PK parameters. With QD dosing,
C
trough
values correlated with the likelihood of virologic response. Failure to achieve an HIV RNA level of <50 copies/ml appeared predominantly at high baseline HIV RNA levels in both treatment arms and was associated with lower values of GM
C
trough
in the 800-mg-QD arm, though other possible drivers of efficacy, such as time above a threshold concentration, could not be evaluated due to the sparse sampling scheme. Together, these findings emphasize the importance of the shape of the plasma concentration-versus-time curve for long-term efficacy.
Regulation of Cytokine and Chemokine Expression by the Ribotoxic Stress Response Elicited by Shiga Toxin Type 1 in Human Macrophage-Like THP-1 Cells
Authors: Leyva-Illades Dinorah , Cherla Rama P. , Lee Moo-Seung , Tesh Vernon L.
Published: March 2012

Shiga toxins (Stxs) are cytotoxins produced by the enteric pathogensShigella dysenteriaeserotype 1 and Shiga toxin-producingEscherichia coli(STEC). Stxs bind to a membrane glycolipid receptor, enter cells, and undergo retrograde transport to ultimately reach the cytosol, where the toxins exert their protein synthesis-inhibitory activity by depurination of a single adenine residue from the 28S rRNA component of eukaryotic ribosomes. The depurination reaction activates the ribotoxic stress response, leading to signaling via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways (Jun N-terminal protein kinase [JNK], p38, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK]) in human epithelial, endothelial, and myeloid cells. We previously showed that treatment of human macrophage-like THP-1 cells with Stxs resulted in increased cytokine and chemokine expression. In the present study, we show that individual inactivation of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPKs using pharmacological inhibitors in the presence of Stx1 resulted in differential regulation of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and chemokines IL-8, growth-regulated protein-β, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), and MIP-1β. THP-1 cells exposed to Stx1 upregulate the expression of select dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs), enzymes that dephosphorylate and inactivate MAPKs in mammalian cells. In this study, we confirmed DUSP1 protein production by THP-1 cells treated with Stx1. DUSP1 inhibition by triptolide showed that ERK and p38 phosphorylation is regulated by DUSP1, while JNK phosphorylation is not. Inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling blocked the ability of Stx1 to induce DUSP1 mRNA expression, suggesting that an autoregulatory signaling loop may be activated by Stxs. Thus, Stxs appear to be capable of eliciting signals which both activate and deactivate signaling for increased cytokine/chemokine production in human macrophage-like cells.
ON-LINE CONSTRUCTION OF A SMALL AUTOMATON FOR A FINITE SET OF WORDS
Authors: CROCHEMORE MAXIME , GIAMBRUNO LAURA , LANGIU ALESSIO
Published: March 2012

In this paper we describe a "light" algorithm for the on-line construction of a small automaton recognising a finite set of words. The algorithm runs in linear time. We carried out good experimental results on real dictionaries, on biological sequences and on the sets of suffixes (resp. factors) of a set of words that shows how our automaton is near to the minimal one. For the suffixes of a text, we propose a modified construction that leads to an even smaller automaton.

We moreover construct linear algorithms for the insertion and deletion of a word in a finite set, directly from the constructed automaton.
PATTERN MATCHING WITH SWAPS IN PRACTICE
Authors: CAMPANELLI MATTEO , CANTONE DOMENICO , FARO SIMONE , GIAQUINTA EMANUELE
Published: March 2012

The Pattern Matching problem with Swaps consists in finding all occurrences of a pattern P in a text T, when disjoint local swaps in the pattern are allowed. In the Approximate Pattern Matching problem with Swaps one seeks, for every text location with a swapped match of P, the number of swaps necessary to obtain a match at the location.

In this paper we devise two general algorithms for both Standard and Approximate Pattern Matching with Swaps, named CROSS-SAMPLING and BACKWARD-CROSS-SAMPLING, with a [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] worst-case time complexity, respectively. Then we provide efficient implementations of them, based on bit-parallelism, which achieve [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] worst-case time complexity, with patterns whose length is comparable to the word-size of the target machine.

From an extensive comparison with some of the most effective algorithms for the swap matching problem, it turns out that our algorithms are very flexible and achieve very good results inpractice.
ADAPTING BOYER-MOORE-LIKE ALGORITHMS FOR SEARCHING HUFFMAN ENCODED TEXTS
Authors: CANTONE DOMENICO , FARO SIMONE , GIAQUINTA EMANUELE
Published: March 2012

In this paper we propose an efficient approach to the compressed string matching problem on Huffman encoded texts, based on the BOYER-MOORE strategy. Once a candidate valid shift has been located, a subsequent verification phase checks whether the shift is codeword aligned by taking advantage of the skeleton tree data structure. Our approach leads to algorithms that exhibit a sublinear behavior on the average, as shown by extensive experimentation.
ALGORITHMS FOR JUMBLED PATTERN MATCHING IN STRINGS
Authors: BURCSI PÉTER , CICALESE FERDINANDO , FICI GABRIELE , LIPTÁK ZSUZSANNA
Published: March 2012

The Parikh vector p(s) of a string s over a finite ordered alphabet Σ = {a1, …, aσ} is defined as the vector of multiplicities of the characters, p(s) = (p1, …, pσ), where pi = |{j | sj = ai}|. Parikh vector q occurs in s if s has a substring t with p(t) = q. The problem of searching for a query q in a text s of length n can be solved simply and worst-case optimally with a sliding window approach in O(n) time. We present two novel algorithms for the case where the text is fixed and many queries arrive over time.

The first algorithm only decides whether a given Parikh vector appears in a binary text. It uses a linear size data structure and decides each query in O(1) time. The preprocessing can be done trivially in Θ(n2) time.

The second algorithm finds all occurrences of a given Parikh vector in a text over an arbitrary alphabet of size σ ≥ 2 and has sub-linear expected time complexity. More precisely, we present two variants of the algorithm, both using an O(n) size data structure, each of which can be constructed in O(n) time. The first solution is very simple and easy to implement and leads to an expected query time of [Formula: see text], where m = ∑i qi is the length of a string with Parikh vector q. The second uses wavelet trees and improves the expected runtime to [Formula: see text], i.e., by a factor of log m.
PARALLEL HYBRID GENETIC ALGORITHMS FOR SOLVING Q3AP ON COMPUTATIONAL GRID
Authors: LOUKIL LAKHDAR , MEHDI MALIKA , MELAB NOUREDINE , TALBI EL-GHAZALI , BOUVRY PASCAL
Published: March 2012

This paper deals with the resolution of the Quadratic 3-dimensional Assignment Problem hereafter referred to as Q3AP. Q3AP is an extension of the well-known Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) and of the Axial 3-Assignment Problem (A3AP). It finds its application amongst others in Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) error-control mechanism used in wireless communication systems. This problem is computationally NP-hard. As far as we know, the largest Q3AP instance size solved to optimality is 13 whereas practical Q3AP instance size can be of 8, 16, 32 or 64. Sequential exact methods such branch-and-bound or sequential metaheuristics are therefore not suited to solve large size instances for the excessive needed computation time. In this paper, we propose parallel hybrid genetic-based metaheuristics for solving the Q3AP. The parallelism in our methods is of two hierarchical levels. The first level is an insular model where a fixed number of genetic algorithms (GA) evolve independently on separate islands and periodically exchange genetic material. The second level is a parallel transformation of individuals in each GA. Implementation has been done using ParadisEO framework, and the experiments have been performed on GRID5000, the French nation-wide computational grid. The experimental results produced by our method were confronted with those reported in the literature. The optimum or the best so far known solutions have been reached in a reasonable computation time.
METAHEURISTIC TRACEABILITY ATTACK AGAINST SLMAP, AN RFID LIGHTWEIGHT AUTHENTICATION PROTOCOL
Authors: HERNANDEZ-CASTRO JULIO CESAR , ESTEVEZ-TAPIADOR JUAN MANUEL , PERIS-LOPEZ PEDRO , CLARK JOHN A. , TALBI EL-GHAZALI
Published: March 2012

We present a metaheuristic-based attack against the traceability of an ultra-lightweight authentication protocol for RFID environments called SLMAP, and analyze its implications. The main interest of our approach is that it constitutes a complete black-box technique that does not make any assumptions on the components of the underlying protocol and can thus be easily generalized to analyze many other proposals.
NON-DISCRETIZED APPROACH TO VISIBILITY ANALYSIS FOR AUTOMATIC MOLD FEATURE RECOGNITION USING STEP PART MODEL
Authors: SURTI ANKIT , REDDY N. V.
Published: March 2012

Undercut feature recognition in automatic mold design requires analyzing the visibility/accessibility of the part along a known parting direction, the existing approaches for which are mostly restricted to polyhedral parts or a particular CAD platform or cannot handle partially accessible faces very well. The present work proposes a projection-based methodology to analyze the visibility of a part from a given parting direction without discretizing the part. An approach to further extract undercut features and generate corresponding side-cores is also presented. The implemented system uses STEP AP214/AP203 part files for input and output and has been successfully validated using parts geometrically similar to those used in literature as well as on a number of industrial parts of greater complexity.
GENERATION OF OPTIMAL SEQUENCE OF MACHINING OPERATIONS IN SETUP PLANNING BY GENETIC ALGORITHMS
Authors: KUMAR CHANDAN , DEB SANKHA
Published: March 2012

This paper aims at automatic generation of optimal sequence of machining operations in setup planning by Genetic Algorithm (GA) based on minimizing the number of setup changes and tool changes, subject to various machining precedence constraints. The GA has been reconstructed as the method of representing an operation is not as simple as assigning it a binary digit as in case of a chromosome in traditional GA but it has to be a distinct real number. Accordingly, the GA operators had to be modified. At the end of each GA cycle, there might be chromosomes having high fitness values but not conforming to constraints. Moreover, due to randomness of GA, the conformable chromosomes might tend to get lost. In order to minimize such losses, the elitist model is used for selection of chromosomes. Furthermore, a special subroutine has been developed to check the chromosomes for conformability and modify/repair those that violate the constraints.
CHLORINE-DOPED Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ AS AN OXYGEN-PERMEABLE MEMBRANE AT INTERMEDIATE TEMPERATURE
Authors: LIU HONGFEI , WEI YANYING , HUANG LIU , WANG HAIHUI
Published: March 2012

A novel chlorine-doped oxygen permeable membrane based on Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) is developed and shows an improved oxygen permeation flux at intermediate temperature compared to un-doped BSCF. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the introduction of chlorine element weakened the metal-oxygen bond and increased the mobility of lattice oxygen in BSCF.
UNUSUAL MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF NANOCRYSTALLINE GdFeO3 PREPARED BY SOLID STATE REACTION ROUTE AT LOWER TEMPERATURE
Authors: MONDAL O. , HOSSAIN SK. M. , ROY B. , PAL M.
Published: March 2012

Unusual magnetic properties of nanocrystalline orthoferrite, GdFeO3 , synthesize by conventional solid state reaction (SSR) route based on stoichiometric mixing of Fe2O3 and Gd2O3 is reported here. The structural characterization of these nanoparticles was carried out by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. We observe that the GdFeO3 phase start to precipitate at 1173 K which is rather lower for a SSR route. XRD and HRTEM studies confirm the growth of highly crystalline single phase GdFeO3 nanoparticles. Magnetic behavior shows the coexistence of weak ferromagnetism along with antiferromagnetic interaction. The field dependence magnetization delineates hysteresis loop at room temperature which is better at lower temperature.
BLUE EMISSION AND BANDGAP MODIFICATION IN N:ZnO NANORODS
Authors: YOGAMALAR N. RAJESWARI , ASHOK M. , BOSE A. CHANDRA
Published: March 2012

Nanorods of nitrogen-doped ZnO (N:ZnO) are grown by hydrothermal chemical precipitation method. The average crystallite size, surface morphology, and particle size distribution are estimated and characterized from powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The characteristic vibration mode of metal-oxide is confirmed from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) study. The absorption spectra of N:ZnO in the ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) region and their variations are recorded as a function of dopant concentration. The Tauc plot elucidates that the bandgap of N:ZnO increases up to 6 atomic percent (at.%) of dopant concentration and then decreases for heavy doping. The widening and narrowing in bandgap is interpreted in terms of impurity induced absorption edge shift due to N doping. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra revealed the existence of visible band, arising from impurity related defects.
SYNTHESIS AND ELECTROCATALYSIS APPLICATION OF HYBRID PLATINUM/CERIUM OXIDE/MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES
Authors: CHEN CHENG HAN , CHIOU YUH-JING , LIOU WEI JEN , LIN WEI SYUAN , LIN HONG MING , WU SHE HUANG , BORODZIŃSKI ANDRZEJ , KEDZIERZAWSKI PIOTR , STOBINSKI LESZEK , CHIEN SHU HUA
Published: March 2012

The hybrid nanomaterials of platinum/cerium oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes ( Pt/CeO2 /MWCNTs) are synthesized successfully via impregnation and polyol processes. MWCNTs serve as an excellent supporter where CeO2 nanoparticles are decorated with well-distributed Pt nanoparticles. Images show the average particle size of crystalline Pt and CeO2 on MWCNTs are 3–7 and 20–30 nm, respectively. In electrochemical reaction, the redox peak of Pt/CeO2 -700°C/MWCNTs reveals lower potential and higher current density in methanol electro-oxidation than those of other Pt -based ones. The study indicates that the cerium oxide in Pt/CeO2 -700°C/MWCNTs catalyst will enhance significantly the oxygen ions transportation between the interface of Pt and MWCNTs to eliminate the CO poison effect on Pt catalyst.
A NOVEL GREEN LONG-LASTING PHOSPHOR Ca2ZnSi2O7:Eu2+
Authors: ZENG WEI , WANG YUHUA , XU XUHUI , GONG YU
Published: March 2012

A new green emitting long-lasting phosphor Ca2ZnSi2O7:Eu2+ has been synthesized through the high temperature solid-state method. The excitation spectrum of [Formula: see text] shows a broadband attributed to 8S7/2–4f65d1 transition of Eu2+ ions. Both of the fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra showed a broadband centered at 528 nm, corresponding the only one Ca2+ site in Ca2ZnSi2O7 . The relationship of emission wavelength and Eu–O distance is investigated. Its afterglow can be seen with the naked eye in the dark clearly for 2 h after removal of the excitation source. Oxygen vacancy [Formula: see text] and zinc vacancy [Formula: see text], two different kinds of traps are proposed and their contrary influence on afterglow is discussed.
BAND GAP PREDICTION OF ALLOYED SEMICONDUCTORS
Authors: LI KEYAN , LI YANJU , XUE DONGFENG
Published: March 2012

We have proposed an efficient method to quantitatively calculate the band gap values of ternary A x B 1-x C and AB x C 1-x alloyed semiconductors in terms of the dopant concentration x and some fundamental atom parameters such as electronegativity. The calculated band gap values of some typical alloyed semiconductors can agree well with the available experimental data. Taking Mg x Zn 1-x O and Cd x Zn 1-x O as examples, the composition dependent band gap values of alloys with both wurtzite and rocksalt structures were quantitatively predicted. This work provides a guideline in compositionally tuning the band gap of alloyed semiconductors, which will greatly facilitate the band gap engineering of semiconductors.
Origin of the Rio Grande Rise–Walvis Ridge reviewed integrating palaeogeographic reconstruction, isotope geochemistry and flexural modelling
Authors: Ussami Naomi , Chaves Carlos Alberto Moreno , Marques Leila Soares , Ernesto Marcia
Published: March 2012

A palaeogeographical reconstruction of the South American and African continents back to anomaly C34 (84 Ma) brings together the Rio Grande Rise (RGR) and the central portion of the Walvis Ridge (WR), thus the RGR–WR aseismic ridges may have a common origin. If the construction of the RGR–WR basaltic plateau took place mainly between 89 and 78 Ma, as indicated by the ages of the basalts sampled by DSDP wells, then the basaltic magmas are the result of an ‘on-ridge’ volcanism. Once separated, the normal sea-floor spreading and thermal subsidence of the RGR and WR ridges continued until approximately 47 Ma when an Eocene magmatism took place in the RGR. In the WR, a younger volcanism is observed in the Guyot Province. The available geochemical and isotope data of the WR–RGR basalts do not indicate the participation of the continental crust melting component. Incompatible trace element ratios and isotope signatures of the basalts from the RGR–WR ridges are distinct from the present-day Tristan da Cunha alkaline rocks, and are nearly identical to the high-Ti Paraná Magmatic Province (PMP) tholeiites (133–132 Ma). Both the high-Ti PMP and the WR–RGR basalts are characterized by moderate initial
87
Sr/
86
Sr and low
206
Pb/
204
Pb isotope ratios [Enriched Mantle I (EMI) mantle component], suggesting melting from a common source, with significant participation of sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). A three-dimensional (3D) flexural modelling of the RGR and WR was conducted using ETOPO1 digital topography/bathymetry and EGM2008-derived free-air anomalies as a constraint. The best fit between the observed and calculated free-air anomalies was obtained for an elastic plate with elastic plate thickness (
T
e
) of less than 5 km, consistent with an ‘on-ridge’ initial construction of the RGR–WR. The modelling of the crust–mantle interface depths indicates a total crustal thickness of up to 30 km in the RGR–WR. Flexural analysis reinforces the geological evidence that RGR was constructed during two main magmatic episodes, the tholeiitic basalts in the Santonian–Conician times and the alkaline magmatism in the Eocene. Geochemical and geophysical evidence, which rules out the classical deep-mantle plume model in explaining the generation of basalts of these volcanic provinces, is presented. Finally, three models to explain the geochemical and isotope signatures of RGR–WR basalts are reviewed: (1) thermal erosion of SCLM owing to edge-driven convection; (2) melting of fragmented or detached SCLM and lower crust; and (3) thermal erosion at the base of the SCLM with lateral transport of enriched components by mantle flow.
Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic sediment and turbidite reservoir supply to South Atlantic margins
Authors: Macgregor Duncan S.
Published: March 2012

Maps have been compiled of indicators of uplift, denudation, sedimentation rates, igneous activity and climate over South Atlantic margins in order to develop the most consistent interpretation of the development of topography, climate and sediment supply through time. Continental margin uplifts and associated topography are concentrated in the Late Cretaceous and Oligocene–Recent periods, with the rates of sediment supply from these dependent on the occurrence of wet or rapidly changing climate. An irregular bimodality is seen on several aspects of African and Brazilian margin geology through time, particularly on periods of sediment progradation, high sedimentation rates and turbidite reservoir development, with peaks of "each centred on the Santonian and Miocene. Some regions show only one of these sedimentation rate peaks and the bimodal pattern, in general, is weaker for the Brazil margin, attributed to continuing uplift of southern Brazilian margins in the early Palaeogene.

A crude relationship is observed between sedimentation rate and reserves in turbidite reservoirs. Sedimentary rate mapping can thus be used to identify turbidite fairways of different ages, tied in turn to drainage catchments containing a combination of high topography and wet climate. Additional implications for source rock development and burial history are also explored.

Supplementary material:

The published papers and electronic sources used for the construction of sedimentation rate profiles (Excel and ArcGIS files of calculated sedimentation rates) are available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/SUP18520
.
A Generative Programming Framework for Context-Aware CSCW Applications
Authors: Kulkarni Devdatta , Ahmed Tanvir , Tripathi Anand
Published: March 2012

We present a programming framework based on the paradigm of generative application development for building context-aware collaborative applications. In this approach, context-aware applications are implemented using a domain-specific design model, and their execution environment is generated and maintained by the middleware. The key features of this design model include support for context-based service discovery and binding, context-based access control, context-based multiuser coordination, and context-triggered automated task executions. The middleware uses the technique of
policy-based specialization
for generating application-specific middleware components from the generic middleware components. Through a case-study example, we demonstrate this approach and present the evaluations of the design model and the middleware.
A framework for personalizing web search with concept-based user profiles
Authors: Leung Kenneth Wai-Ting , Lee Dik Lun , Ng Wilfred , Fung Hing Yuet
Published: March 2012

Personalized search is an important means to improve the performance of a search engine. In this article, we propose a framework that supports mining a user's conceptual preferences from users' clickthrough data resulting from Web search. The discovered preferences are utilized to adapt a search engine's ranking function. In this framework, an extended set of conceptual preferences was derived for a user based on the concepts extracted from the search results and the clickthrough data. Then, a concept-based user profile (CUP) representing the user profile as a concept ontology tree is generated. Finally, the CUP is input to a support vector machine (SVM) to learn a concept preference vector for adapting a personalized ranking function that reranks the search results. In order to achieve more flexible personalization, the framework allows a user to control the amount of specific CUP ontology information to be exposed to the personalized search engine. We study various parameters, such as conceptual relationships and concept features, arising from CUP that affect the ranking quality. Experiments confirm that our approach is able to significantly improve the retrieval effectiveness for the user. Further, our proposed control parameters of CUP information can adjust the exposed user information more smoothly and maintain better ranking quality than the existing methods.
Reconfigurable architecture for VBSME with variable pixel precision
Authors: Olivares Joaquín
Published: March 2012

Current video coding standards, e.g. MPEG-4 H.264/AVC, include Variable Block Size Motion Estimation, in this paper, this process is implemented by a reconfigurable architecture based on Signed Digit arithmetic. Bit serial computation is applied to reconfigure pixel precision. The reconfigurable architectural model is extremely simple to reconfigure. Pixel truncation is used to speed up computation saving up 23.5% of clock cycles for 4-bit precision. This design allows to process all motion vectors of a block in just one iteration. This system has been implemented in FPGA, and HDTVp results are presented. Main characteristics, of this architecture are: very reduced cost, high performance, and reconfigurable pixel precision, these features could be useful in mobile devices.
Portable and scalable FPGA-based acceleration of a direct linear system solver
Authors: Zhang Wei , Betz Vaughn , Rose Jonathan
Published: March 2012

FPGAs have the potential to serve as a platform for accelerating many computations including scientific applications. However, the large development cost and short life span for FPGA designs have limited their adoption by the scientific computing community. FPGA-based scientific computing and many kinds of embedded computing could become more practical if there were hardware libraries that were portable to any FPGA-based system with performance that scaled with the size of the FPGA. To illustrate this idea we have implemented one common super-computing library function: the LU factorization method for solving systems of linear equations. This paper describes a method for making the design both portable and scalable that should be illustrative if such libraries are to be built in the future. The design is a software-based generator that leverages both the flexibility of a software programming language and the parameters inherent in an hardware description language. The generator accepts parameters that describe the FPGA capacity and external memory capabilities. We compare the performance of our engine executing on the largest FPGA available at the time of this work (an Altera Stratix III 3S340) to a single processor core fabricated in the same 65nm IC process running a highly optimized software implementation from the processor vendor. For single precision matrices on the order of 10,000 × 10,000 elements, the FPGA implementation is 2.2 times faster and the energy dissipated per useful GFLOP operation is a factor of 5 times less. For double precision, the FPGA implementation is 1.7 times faster and 3.5 times more energy efficient.
Future Challenges to Protecting Public Health from Drinking-Water Contaminants
Authors: Murphy Eileen A. , Post Gloria B. , Buckley Brian T. , Lippincott Robert L. , Robson Mark G.
Published: March 2012

Over the past several decades, human health protection for chemical contaminants in drinking water has been accomplished by development of chemical-specific standards. This approach alone is not feasible to address current issues of the occurrence of multiple contaminants in drinking water, some of which have little health effects information, and water scarcity. In this article, we describe the current chemical-specific paradigm for regulating chemicals in drinking water and discuss some potential additional approaches currently being explored to focus more on sustaining quality water for specific purposes. Also discussed are strategies being explored by the federal government to screen more efficiently the toxicity of large numbers of chemicals to prioritize further intensive testing. Water reuse and water treatment are described as sustainable measures for managing water resources for potable uses as well as other uses such as irrigation.
Community-Based Approaches to Controlling Childhood Asthma
Authors: Clark Noreen M.
Published: March 2012

The prevalence and burden of childhood asthma remain high and are increasing. Asthma hot spot neighborhoods around the country face particular challenges in controlling the effects of the condition. Increasing attention is being paid to developing interventions that recognize the child and family as the primary managers of disease and to introducing assistance that reaches beyond the clinical care setting into the places where families live and work. A range of types of community-focused interventions has been assessed in the past decade in schools, homes, and community health clinics, and programs using electronic media and phone links have been evaluated. Stronger evidence for all these approaches is needed. However, school-based programs and community coalitions designed to bring about policy and systems changes show particular promise for achieving sustainable improvements in asthma control. Research is needed that emphasizes comparisons among proven asthma control interventions, translation of effective approaches to new settings and communities, and institutionalization of effective strategies.
Economic Evaluation of Pharmaco- and Behavioral Therapies for Smoking Cessation: A Critical and Systematic Review of Empirical Research
Authors: Ruger Jennifer Prah , Lazar Christina M.
Published: March 2012

Economic evaluations are an important tool to improve our understanding of the costs and effects of health care services and to create sustainable health care systems. This article critically assesses empirical evidence from economic evaluations of pharmaco- and behavioral therapies for smoking cessation. A comprehensive literature review of PubMed and the British National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database was conducted. The search identified 15 articles on nicotine-based pharmacotherapies, 12 articles on nonnicotine based pharmacotherapies, no articles on selegiline, and 10 articles on brief counseling for smoking cessation treatment. Results show that both pharmaco- and behavioral therapies for smoking cessation are cost-effective or even cost-saving. The review highlights several shortcomings in methodology and a lack of standardization of current economic evaluations. Efforts to improve methodology will help make future studies more comparable and increase the evidence base so that such evaluations can be more useful to public health practitioners and policy makers.
Policies for Healthier Communities: Historical, Legal, and Practical Elements of the Obesity Prevention Movement
Authors: Graff Samantha K. , Kappagoda Manel , Wooten Heather M. , McGowan Angela K. , Ashe Marice
Published: March 2012

The U.S. population is facing an obesity crisis wrought with severe health and economic costs. Because social and environmental factors have a powerful influence over lifestyle choices, a national obesity prevention strategy must involve population-based interventions targeted at the places where people live, study, work, shop, and play. This means that policy, in addition to personal responsibility, must be part of the solution. This article first describes the emergence of and theory behind the obesity prevention movement. It then explains how government at all levels is empowered to develop obesity prevention policy. Finally, it explores eight attributes of a promising state or local obesity prevention policy and sets the obesity prevention movement in the context of a larger movement to promote healthy communities and prevent chronic disease.
A Review of Spatial Methods in Epidemiology, 2000–2010
Authors: Auchincloss Amy H. , Gebreab Samson Y. , Mair Christina , Diez Roux Ana V.
Published: March 2012

Understanding the impact of place on health is a key element of epidemiologic investigation, and numerous tools are being employed for analysis of spatial health-related data. This review documents the huge growth in spatial epidemiology, summarizes the tools that have been employed, and provides in-depth discussion of several methods. Relevant research articles for 2000–2010 from seven epidemiology journals were included if the study utilized a spatial analysis method in primary analysis (n = 207). Results summarized frequency of spatial methods and substantive focus; graphs explored trends over time. The most common spatial methods were distance calculations, spatial aggregation, clustering, spatial smoothing and interpolation, and spatial regression. Proximity measures were predominant and were applied primarily to air quality and climate science and resource access studies. The review concludes by noting emerging areas that are likely to be important to future spatial analysis in public health.
From Small Area Variations to Accountable Care Organizations: How Health Services Research Can Inform Policy
Authors: Luft Harold S.
Published: March 2012

Much of health services research seeks to inform particular policy choices and is best characterized as policy-driven research. The reverse, research-driven policy, occurs when studies alter how people perceive reality, which eventually leads to new policy. An example of the latter is nearly four decades of work by John Wennberg and colleagues. Observing variations in practice across small geographic areas led to the notion that some care is preference sensitive, whereas other care is supply constrained. For the former, patient, rather than physician, preferences should be honored, after acquiring and effectively communicating the best available information on the benefits and risks of treatment options. Finding that areas with high use of services have no better quality or outcomes than do areas with lower use led to the notion of accountable care organizations (ACOs). Eventually, both patient engagement and ACOs were written into the Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Parkin Pathway Activation Mitigates Glioma Cell Proliferation and Predicts Patient Survival
Authors: Yeo Calvin W.S. , Ng Felicia S.L. , Chai Chou , Tan Jeanne M.M. , Koh Geraldene R.H. , Chong Yuk Kien , Koh Lynnette W.H. , Foong Charlene S.F. , Sandanaraj Edwin , Holbrook Joanna D. , Ang Beng-Ti , Takahashi Ryosuke , Tang Carol , Lim Kah-Leong
Published: March 2012

Mutations in the parkin gene, which encodes a ubiquitin ligase, are a major genetic cause of parkinsonism. Interestingly, parkin also plays a role in cancer as a putative tumor suppressor, and the gene is frequently targeted by deletion and inactivation in human malignant tumors. Here, we investigated a potential tumor suppressor role for parkin in gliomas. We found that parkin expression was dramatically reduced in glioma cells. Restoration of parkin expression promoted G1 phase cell-cycle arrest and mitigated the proliferation rate of glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. Notably, parkin-expressing glioma cells showed a reduction in levels of cyclin D1, but not cyclin E, and a selective downregulation of Akt serine-473 phosphorylation and VEGF receptor levels. In accordance, cells derived from a parkin-null mouse model exhibited increased levels of cyclin D1, VEGF receptor, and Akt phosphorylation, and divided significantly faster when compared with wild-type cells, with suppression of these changes following parkin reintroduction. Clinically, analysis of parkin pathway activation was predictive for the survival outcome of patients with glioma. Taken together, our study provides mechanistic insight into the tumor suppressor function of parkin in brain tumors and suggests that measurement of parkin pathway activation may be used clinically as a prognostic tool in patients with brain tumor. Cancer Res; 72(10); 2543–53. ©2012 AACR.
Long-Term Recurrence Rate of Large and Difficult to Treat Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas after Superficial Radiotherapy
Authors: Barysch Marjam J. , Eggmann Nina , Beyeler Mirjam , Panizzon Renato G. , Seifert Burkhardt , Dummer Reinhard
Published: March 2012

Background: Surgical excision is the gold standard for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), however its application is limited in specific cases. Superficial radiotherapy (RTx) is an alternative treatment option, but long-term follow-up data are limited. Objective: To determine the outcome of superficial RTx of cSCC in correlation to histological differentiation grade and tumor localization. Methods: The outcome of 180 large cSCCs after superficial RTx between 1960 and 2004 was retrospectively reviewed. Results: Mean tumor size was 3.5 cm2 (SD 7.5) and mean follow-up period was 4.9 years (SD 4.7). Relapse-free survival was 95.8 and 80.4% after 1 and 10 years. Two-year relapse-free survival was 94.8% for good, 88.9% for moderate and 85.7% for poor differentiated tumors. Five-year relapse-free survival was highest in cSCCs located around the eyes (100%) and cheeks (90.9%). Conclusion: Superficial RTx is an effective alternative for cSCC if surgery is difficult due to localization or concomitant disease.
Chronic Inflammation and Coronary Atherosclerosis in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Nusair Maen B. , Rajpurohit Naveen , Alpert Martin A.
Published: March 2012

The key role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has become increasingly apparent in recent years based on the results of experimental, epidemiologic and clinical studies. Coronary artery disease and its complications occur with disproportionately high frequency in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and contribute substantially to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors occur commonly in patients with ESRD. In addition, a variety of patient-related and dialysis-related factors unique to ESRD predispose to chronic inflammation and by doing so are thought to contribute to coronary atherosclerosis and its complications. These risk factors may serve as therapeutic targets and as such may offer the potential for altering the natural history of coronary atherosclerosis in ESRD.
A Randomized and Clinical Effectiveness Trial Comparing Two Pharmacogenetic Algorithms and Standard Care for Individualizing Warfarin Dosing (CoumaGen-II)
Authors: Anderson Jeffrey L. , Horne Benjamin D. , Stevens Scott M. , Woller Scott C. , Samuelson Kent M. , Mansfield Justin W. , Robinson Michelle , Barton Stephanie , Brunisholz Kim , Mower Chrissa P. , Huntinghouse John A. , Rollo Jeffrey S. , Siler Dustin , Bair Tami L. , Knight Stacey , Muhlestein Joseph B. , Carlquist John F.
Published: March 2012

Background—

Warfarin is characterized by marked variations in individual dose requirements and a narrow therapeutic window. Pharmacogenetics (PG) could improve dosing efficiency and safety, but clinical trials evidence is meager.

Methods and Results—

A Randomized and Clinical Effectiveness Trial Comparing Two Pharmacogenetic Algorithms and Standard Care for Individualizing Warfarin Dosing (CoumaGen-II) comprised 2 comparisons: (1) a blinded, randomized comparison of a modified 1-step (PG-1) with a 3-step algorithm (PG-2) (N=504), and (2) a clinical effectiveness comparison of PG guidance with use of either algorithm with standard dosing in a parallel control group (N=1866). A rapid method provided same-day
CYP2C9
and
VKORC1
genotyping. Primary outcomes were percentage of out-of-range international normalized ratios at 1 and 3 months and percentage of time in therapeutic range. Primary analysis was modified intention to treat. In the randomized comparison, PG-2 was noninferior but not superior to PG-1 for percentage of out-of-range international normalized ratios at 1 month and 3 months and for percentage of time in therapeutic range at 3 months. However, the combined PG cohort was superior to the parallel controls (percentage of out-of-range international normalized ratios 31% versus 42% at 1 month; 30% versus 42% at 3 months; percentage of time in therapeutic range 69% versus 58%, 71% versus 59%, respectively, all
P
<0.001). Differences persisted after adjustment for age, sex, and clinical indication. There were fewer percentage international normalized ratios ≥4 and ≤1.5 and serious adverse events at 3 months (4.5% versus 9.4% of patients,
P
<0.001) with PG guidance.

Conclusions—

These findings suggest that PG dosing should be considered for broader clinical application, a proposal that is being tested further in 3 major randomized trials. The simpler 1-step PG algorithm provided equivalent results and may be preferable for clinical application.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00927862.
Blood Pressure Response to Controlled Diesel Exhaust Exposure in Human Subjects
Authors: Cosselman Kristen E. , M. Krishnan Ranjini , Oron Assaf P. , Jansen Karen , Peretz Alon , Sullivan Jeffrey H. , Larson Timothy V. , Kaufman Joel D.
Published: March 2012

Exposure to traffic-related air pollution is associated with risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. We examined whether exposure to diesel exhaust increased blood pressure (BP) in human subjects. We analyzed data from 45 nonsmoking subjects, 18 to 49 years of age in double-blinded, crossover exposure studies, randomized to order. Each subject was exposed to diesel exhaust, maintained at 200 μg/m
3
of fine particulate matter, and filtered air for 120 minutes on days separated by ≥2 weeks. We measured BP pre-exposure, at 30-minute intervals during exposure, and 3, 5, 7, and 24 hours from exposure initiation and analyzed changes from pre-exposure values. Compared with filtered air, systolic BP increased at all of the points measured during and after diesel exhaust exposure; the mean effect peaked between 30 and 60 minutes after exposure initiation (3.8 mm Hg [95% CI: −0.4 to 8.0 mm Hg] and 5.1 mm Hg [95% CI: 0.7–9.5 mm Hg], respectively). Sex and metabolic syndrome did not modify this effect. Combining readings between 30 and 90 minutes, diesel exhaust exposure resulted in a 4.4-mm Hg increase in systolic BP, adjusted for participant characteristics and exposure perception (95% CI: 1.1–7.7 mm Hg;
P
=0.0009). There was no significant effect on heart rate or diastolic pressure. Diesel exhaust inhalation was associated with a rapid, measurable increase in systolic but not diastolic BP in young nonsmokers, independent of perception of exposure. This controlled trial in humans confirms findings from observational studies. The effect may be important on a population basis given the worldwide prevalence of exposure to traffic-related air pollution.
Reading Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts
Authors: Lam Joseph
Published: March 2012

Numerous late Ming writings describe eroticism of that time with references to contemporary music. Reading these musical-erotic texts, one asks why and how late Ming words, music, and eroticism became interrelated, and what do their interrelationships inform us about their culture and society? One may also ask how did late Ming music express and catalyze erotic negotiations of the time. To stimulate discussions about the issues, this essay postulates that late Ming contemporaries manipulated music as objects, sites, and processes to advance their erotic agendas. This essay unfolds in two parts. The first part introduces cultural and historical features of late Ming musical-erotic discourse; the second part analyzes a number of its revealing texts.
'It Was I Who Lured the Boy': Commoner Women, Intimacy and the Sensual Body in the Song Collections of Feng Menglong (1574-1646)
Authors: Cuncun Wu
Published: March 2012

This paper surveys bodily imagery and eroticism in Feng Menglong's Shan'ge (Mountain songs) and Guazhi'er (Hanging branch) collections. The direct simplicity and natural expression of desire in folksongs originating among commoners and courtesans caught the imagination of Feng Menglong and other members of the late Ming literati seeking to challenge orthodox strictures on life and imagination. This study argues that the contrasts between the contents of the songs and the signature of women in official forms of discourse cannot be dismissed as a simple reflection of differing rank or status but should persuade us to acknowledge an awareness of a doubled experience of female embodiment that separated marriage and passion.
Gender and Burial in Imperial China: An Investigation of Women's Space in Fujian Tombs of the Song Era (960-1279)
Authors: Xu Man
Published: March 2012

This paper examines how Song dynasty (960-1279) contemporaries viewed women's place in the afterlife. It analyzes archaeological reports on women's and men's tombs in Song Fujian as well as relevant writings by Song era Neo-Confucian scholars. Despite Neo-Confucians' strong emphasis on gender segregation among the living, both textual and material evidence show that the increasingly hardened gender hierarchy did not carry over into the afterlife. Prescription of gender distinctions in burial practices is virtually absent from neo-Confucians' writings. The structure of tombs implies that communication between women and men after death was expected, not suppressed. Similarities overwhelm differences among women's and men's grave goods, which resemble each other in both object categories and decorative motifs. Women's place in the afterlife was not a reflection of the hierarchies on earth but a new construction.
Woman Writing about Women: Li Shuyi's (1817-?) Project on One Hundred Beauties in Chinese History
Authors: Li Xiaorong
Published: March 2012

This article examines the woman poet Li Shuyi's (1817-?) poetry collection Shuyinglou mingshu baiyong (One hundred poems on famous women from Shying Tower). Through a reconstruction of Li Shuyi's life, a reading of her self-preface, and an analysis of her poems, this study aims to demonstrate how a woman author's perception of her own ill fate leads to her becoming a conscious writing subject, and how this self-realization motivates her to produce a gendered writing project. It argues that Li Shuyi articulates in her project her intervention into representations of women's images from her individual perspective on women's history, and her aims for immortality through writing.