bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Threats from India's Himalaya Dams
Authors: Grumbine R. Edward , Pandit Maharaj K.
Published: January 2013

Ecosystem damage and population resettlements loom, owing to poor planning and impact assessments.
The End of History Illusion
Authors: Quoidbach Jordi , Gilbert Daniel T. , Wilson Timothy D.
Published: January 2013

Older and Wiser

Do we ever stop growing up?

Quoidbach
et al.

(p.
96
) elicited estimates of people's personality, values, and choices and compared how much, for instance, 33-year-olds believed that they would change in the next 10 years with how much 43-year-olds reported that they had changed in the past 10 years. For groups spanning 18 to 68 years of age, people of all ages described more change in the past 10 years than they would have predicted 10 years ago.
Strategic Redox Relay Enables A Scalable Synthesis of Ouabagenin, A Bioactive Cardenolide
Authors: Renata Hans , Zhou Qianghui , Baran Phil S.
Published: January 2013

Placing the O's in Ouabagenin

Whereas enzymes are remarkably adept at selectively oxidizing saturated carbon centers, these reactions seriously challenge chemists. In a 19-step synthesis of ouabagenin,

Renata
et al.

(p.
59
) showcase a range of creative indirect methods to install the six hydroxyl groups in the steroid's framework. These include a solid-state photochemical transformation, as well as dehydrogenation sequences that place olefins in proper position for oxygenation. The route also yields several intermediates poised for elaboration to distinct analogs for exploratory medicinal chemistry.
Rejecting the Evidence
Failed Evidence
Why Law Enforcement Resists Science

by David A. Harris

New York University Press, New York, 2012. 270 pp. $35. ISBN 9780814790557.
Authors: Thompson William C.
Published: January 2013

Harris explores reasons why police and prosecutors disregard science and presents steps toward law enforcement that does not.
Bioinspired Oxidation Catalysts
Authors: Largeron Martine , Fleury Maurice-Bernard
Published: January 2013

Metalloenzyme-like catalytic systems oxidize amines to imines under environmentally friendly conditions.
Reflecting on Goals for
Science
Authors: Alberts Bruce
Published: January 2013

Since becoming the Editor-in-Chief of Science in 2008, One of My Major Goals has been to explore how our widely read publication can help to improve science education at all levels—from the very first years of schooling through graduate school. Other goals have been the promotion of important standards in the scientific community and publishing new research results of the highest quality. Here, I highlight some efforts designed to promote these aims.
H5N1 Researchers Ready as Moratorium Nears End
Authors: Malakoff David
Published: January 2013

Researchers who study the H5N1 avian influenza virus will soon be able to do some science that's been off-limits for nearly a year.
Budget Crunch to Shrink Science Programs at Chicago's Field Museum
Authors: Morell Virginia
Published: January 2013

Scientists say proposed layoffs at the Field Museum will hurt its ability to do world-class research.
Recombinant Vaccine Displaying the Loop-Neutralizing Determinant from Protective Antigen Completely Protects Rabbits from Experimental Inhalation Anthrax
Authors: Oscherwitz Jon , Yu Fen , Jacobs Jana L. , Cease Kemp B.
Published: January 2013

We previously showed that a multiple antigenic peptide (MAP) vaccine displaying amino acids (aa) 304 to 319 from the 2β2-2β3 loop of protective antigen was capable of protecting rabbits from an aerosolized spore challenge withBacillus anthracisAmes strain. Antibodies to this sequence, referred to as the loop-neutralizing determinant (LND), are highly potent at neutralizing lethal toxin yet are virtually absent in rabbit and human protective antigen (PA) antiserum. While the MAP vaccine was protective against anthrax, it contains a single heterologous helper T cell epitope which may be suboptimal for stimulating an outbred human population. We therefore engineered a recombinant vaccine (Rec-LND) containing two tandemly repeated copies of the LND fused to maltose binding protein, with enhanced immunogenicity resulting from the p38/P4 helper T cell epitope fromSchistosoma mansoni. Rec-LND was found to be highly immunogenic in four major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-diverse strains of mice. All (7/7) rabbits immunized with Rec-LND developed high-titer antibody, 6 out of 7 developed neutralizing antibody, and all rabbits were protected from an aerosolized spore challenge of 193 50% lethal doses (LD50) of theB. anthracisAmes strain. Survivor serum from Rec-LND-immunized rabbits revealed significantly increased neutralization titers and specific activity compared to prechallenge levels yet lacked PA or lethal factor (LF) antigenemia. Control rabbits immunized with PA, which were also completely protected, appeared sterilely immune, exhibiting significant declines in neutralization titer and specific activity compared to prechallenge levels. We conclude that Rec-LND may represent a prototype anthrax vaccine for use alone or potentially combined with PA-containing vaccines.
Molecular Characterization of Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates in the United States, 2004 to 2010
Authors: Miko Benjamin A. , Hafer Cory A. , Lee Caroline J. , Sullivan Sean B. , Hackel Meredith A. M. , Johnson Brian M. , Whittier Susan , Della-Latta Phyllis , Uhlemann Anne-Catrin , Lowy Franklin D.
Published: January 2013

While much is known about the geographic distribution of different clonal types of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA), few studies have assessed the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-susceptible
S. aureus
(MSSA), despite its continued clinical importance. In each U.S. Census region, reference laboratories collected successive MSSA isolates from patients with invasive or superficial staphylococcal infections for use in the Tigecycline Evaluation and Surveillance Trial. All isolates from the periods of 2004 to 2005 and 2009 to 2010 underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing and characterization of their staphylococcal protein A (
spa
) type. Of the 708 isolates analyzed, 274
spa
types were identified and divided into 15 genetic clusters. The most common clones were
spa
t002 (
n
= 63, 8.9%) and t008 (
n
= 56, 7.9%). While the distribution of the predominant
spa
types did not differ by U.S. Census region or time period,
spa
t008 was nearly twice as common in community skin and soft tissue infections than in nosocomial bloodstream infections (11.1% versus 5.6%, respectively;
P
= 0.008). Despite such differences, both community and nosocomial settings had diverse staphylococcal clonal types representing all major
spa
clusters. In contrast to those of MRSA, MSSA infectious isolates show wide genetic diversity without clear geographical or temporal clustering. Notably, the prevalent MSSA strains (
spa
t002 and
spa
t008) are analogous to the predominant MRSA clones, further demonstrating the importance of both lineages.
Prototype Foamy Virus Protease Activity Is Essential for Intraparticle Reverse Transcription Initiation but Not Absolutely Required for Uncoating upon Host Cell Entry
Authors: Hütter Sylvia , Müllers Erik , Stanke Nicole , Reh Juliane , Lindemann Dirk
Published: January 2013

Foamy viruses (FVs) are unique among retroviruses in performing genome reverse transcription (RTr) late in replication, resulting in an infectious DNA genome, and also in their unusual Pol biosynthesis and encapsidation strategy. In addition, FVs display only very limited Gag and Pol processing by the viral protease (PR) during particle morphogenesis and disassembly, both thought to be crucial for viral infectivity. Here, we report the generation of functional prototype FV (PFV) particles from mature or partially processed viral capsid and enzymatic proteins with infectivity levels of up to 20% of the wild type. Analysis of protein and nucleic acid composition, as well as infectivity, of virions generated from different Gag and Pol combinations (including both expression-optimized and authentic PFV open reading frames [ORFs]) revealed that precursor processing of Gag, but not Pol, during particle assembly is essential for production of infectious virions. Surprisingly, when processed Gag (instead of Gag precursor) was provided together with PR-deficient Pol precursor during virus production, infectious, viral DNA-containing particles were obtained, even when different vector or proviral expression systems were used. Although virion infectivity was reduced to 0.5 to 2% relative to that of the respective parental constructs, this finding overturns the current dogma in the FV literature that viral PR activity is absolutely essential at some point during target cell entry. Furthermore, it demonstrates that viral PR-mediated Gag precursor processing during particle assembly initiates intraparticle RTr. Finally, it shows that reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase are enzymatically active in the Pol precursor within the viral capsid, thus enabling productive host cell infection.
Identification of the N-Terminal Domain of the Influenza Virus PA Responsible for the Suppression of Host Protein Synthesis
Authors: Desmet Emily A. , Bussey Kendra A. , Stone Raychel , Takimoto Toru
Published: January 2013

Cellular protein synthesis is suppressed during influenza virus infection, allowing for preferential production of viral proteins. To explore the impact of polymerase subunits on protein synthesis, we coexpressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) or luciferase together with each polymerase component or NS1 of A/California/04/2009 (Cal) and found that PA has a significant impact on the expression of eGFP and luciferase. Comparison of the suppressive activity on coexpressed proteins between various strains revealed that avian virus or avian-origin PAs have much stronger activity than human-origin PAs, such as the one from A/WSN/33 (WSN). Protein synthesis data suggested that reduced expression of coexpressed proteins is not due to PA's reported proteolytic activity. A recombinant WSN containing Cal PA showed enhanced host protein synthesis shutoff and induction of apoptosis. Further characterization of the PA fragment indicated that the N-terminal domain (PANt), which includes the endonuclease active site, is sufficient to suppress cotransfected gene expression. By characterizing various chimeric PANts, we found that multiple regions of PA, mainly the helix α4 and the flexible loop of amino acids 51 to 74, affect the activity. The suppressive effect of PANt cDNA was mainly due to PA-X, which was expressed by ribosomal frameshifting. In both Cal and WSN viruses, PA-X showed a stronger effect than the corresponding PANt, suggesting that the unique C-terminal sequences of PA-X also play a role in suppressing cotransfected gene expression. Our data indicate strain variations in PA gene products, which play a major role in suppression of host protein synthesis.
DNA Sensing-Independent Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Replication by DAI/ZBP1
Authors: Pham Thanh H. , Kwon Ki Mun , Kim Young-Eui , Kim Kyeong Kyu , Ahn Jin-Hyun
Published: January 2013

DNA-dependent activator of interferon regulatory factor (DAI) acts as a cytosolic B-form DNA sensor that induces type I interferons. However, DAI is not required for DNA sensing in certain cell types due to redundancy of the DNA sensing system. Here, we investigated the effect of DAI on herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection in HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. DAI transcription was induced after gamma interferon (IFN-γ) treatment or HSV-1 infection. HSV-1 replication was enhanced by DAI knockdown, and ectopic DAI expression repressed viral replication in a manner requiring the Zβ and D3 domains, but not the Zα domain. This activity of DAI was more prominent at low multiplicity of infection (MOI) and correlated with the reduced expression of viral immediate-early genes. Consistently, DAI repressed the activation of ICP0 promoter in reporter gene assays. DAI knockdown did not affect the B-DNA-mediated IFN-β transcription and IRF3 activation, and overexpression of DAI and RIP1 did not enhance NF-κB activation by B-DNA treatment, demonstrating that DAI is not essential for the B-DNA-mediated IFN production in HepG2 cells. DAI colocalized with ICP0 in a subset of nuclear and cytoplasmic foci in infected cells and interacted with ICP0 in coimmunoprecipitation assays. The anti-HSV-1 effect of DAI was not observed in ICP0-deleted mutant virus infection at a high MOI in HepG2 cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Degradation of IFI16 and PML by ICP0 was enhanced in infection of DAI-knockdown cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate that DAI can suppress HSV-1 growth independent of DNA sensing through mechanisms involving suppression of viral genomes and regulation of ICP0.
Influenza A Virus NS1 Induces G0/G1Cell Cycle Arrest by Inhibiting the Expression and Activity of RhoA Protein
Authors: Jiang Wei , Wang Qingtao , Chen Shuai , Gao Shijuan , Song Liping , Liu Pengyu , Huang Wenlin
Published: January 2013

Influenza A virus is an important pathogenic virus known to induce host cell cycle arrest in G0/G1phase and create beneficial conditions for viral replication. However, how the virus achieves arrest remains unclear. We investigated the mechanisms underlying this process and found that the nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is required. Based on this finding, we generated a viable influenza A virus (H1N1) lacking the entire NS1 gene to study the function of this protein in cell cycle regulation. In addition to some cell cycle regulators that were changed, the concentration and activity of RhoA protein, which is thought to be pivotal for G1/S phase transition, were also decreased with overexpressing NS1. And in the meantime, the phosphorylation level of cell cycle regulator pRb, downstream of RhoA kinase, was decreased in an NS1-dependent manner. These findings indicate that the NS1 protein induces G0/G1cell cycle arrest mainly through interfering with the RhoA/pRb signaling cascade, thus providing favorable conditions for viral protein accumulation and replication. We further investigated the NS1 protein of avian influenza virus (H5N1) and found that it can also decrease the expression and activity of RhoA, suggesting that the H5N1 virus may affect the cell cycle through the same mechanism. The NS1/RhoA/pRb cascade, which can induce the G0/G1cell cycle arrest identified here, provides a unified explanation for the seemingly different NS1 functions involved in viral replication events. Our findings shed light on the mechanism of influenza virus replication and open new avenues for understanding the interaction between pathogens and hosts.
Human Cytomegalovirus UL34 Binds to Multiple Sites within the Viral Genome
Authors: Liu Ziqi , Biegalke Bonita J.
Published: January 2013

The human cytomegalovirus UL34 gene encodes a sequence-specific DNA binding protein that downregulates expression of the viral immune evasion gene US3. Analysis of the viral genome identified 14 potential UL34 binding sites. Using mobility shift experiments, UL34 bound to all predicted sites that were assayed (7 of 14). Furthermore, the UL34 binding site present within the regulatory region of the US9 gene downregulates expression in a manner similar to that seen for the US3 gene.
Three cases of severely disseminatedStaphylococcus aureusinfection in patients treated with tocilizumab
Authors: Nguyen Mai TT , Pødenphant Jan , Ravn Pernille
Published: January 2013

We report three cases of severe disseminatedStaphylococcus aureusinfection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tocilizumab. Tocilizumab is a new drug, unknown to most internists, and injections given weeks before admission may not be considered by the patient as part of their ‘current medical treatment’, and the physician may not be aware that the patient is severely immunosuppressed. Severe infections in RA patients treated with tocilizumab may present with mild symptoms despite severe and disseminated infection and, as these patients are severely immunodeficient-intensive diagnostic work-up and early treatment should be performed. Systematic postmarketing studies are needed to clarify if there is a true increased risk of disseminatedS aureusinfections. We suggest caution when prescribing tocilizumab to patients with prosthetic joints and/or prior invasiveS aureusinfections and that patients are taught to inform health staff about their medication history and their increased risk of infection.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia presenting with galactorrhoea
Authors: See Wing Shan Queenie , Cheuk Daniel Ka Leung , Fung Kong Lam Marcus , Chan Godfrey Chi Fung
Published: January 2013

A teenage girl presented with galactorrhoea and moderate hyperprolactinaemia. She was subsequently diagnosed to have acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Further investigations supported the presence of ectopic prolactin production as suggested by the presence of prolactin mRNA in the patient's marrow at diagnosis. Both the ectopic prolactin mRNA and galactorrhoea eventually resolved upon disease remission after treatment.
Gingival pain: an unusual side effect of ziprasidone
Authors: Raghunath Ashwati
Published: January 2013

The patient is a 52-year-old man with schizophrenia who developed severe, unremitting gingival pain after his ziprasidone dosage was increased from 80 to 120 mg. His physical examination and laboratory findings were unremarkable. He did not have any extra-pyramidal side effects. His pain did not ameliorate after taking acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. As a last resort, the patient took benztropine and his pain subsided within half an hour. His ziprasidone dosage was decreased and the patient is currently doing well. He has not experienced gingival pain since his medication was adjusted.
Aluminum accumulation and nutrients in Pterolepis glomerata, Desmoscelis villosa, and Rhynchanthera grandiflora in palm swamp communities
Authors: Olivares Elizabeth , Benítez Malfy , Peña Eder , Colonnello Giuseppe
Published: January 2013

The purpose of the study was to investigate if the herbaceous species Pterolepis glomerata (Rottb.) Miq. (Melastomataceae) is an aluminum (Al) accumulating species and compare its nutrition with other Al accumulators from the same family in palm swamp communities as follows: Desmoscelis villosa (Aubl.) (herb), and Rhynchanthera grandiflora (Aubl.) DC. (shrub or subshrub). This is important because P. glomerata belongs to the tribe Melastomeae and generally Al accumulators are perennial lignified species belonging to more basal tribes in the phylogenetic tree. Heterogeneity was observed in the soil characteristics of six sites in the palm swamp communities under study. However, in all the cases, the foliar concentrations of Al > 3 g·kg−1, the Al transfer factors (TF) (leaves:roots) > 1, and the stoiquiometric ratios Al:Ca > 1 indicated that the three species behaved as Al accumulators. A principal component analysis (PCA) of 11 chemical elements separated D. villosa from the other two species and associated it to Al. In this work, Al accumulation was reported for the first time in P. glomerata and was quantified in D. villosa, previously reported positive using the aluminon colorimetric method in herbarium samples. The Al tolerance in P. glomerata is a trait that possibly contributes to its wide distribution in acid soils throughout the neotropics and its introduction and naturalization in localities far from its site of origin.
Glycosyl fluorides from n-pentenyl-related glycosyl donors — Application to glycosylation strategies
Authors: Fraser-Reid Bert , Lopez J. Cristobal , Bernal-Albert Paloma , Gomez Ana M. , Uriel Clara , Ventura Juan
Published: January 2013

n-Pentenyl glycosides (NPGs) and n-pentenyl orthoesters (NPOEs) have been transformed into glycosyl fluorides by a variety of methods. In the case of NPGs, Barluenga’s reagent, bis(pyridinium)iodonium(I)tetrafluoroborate (IPy2BF4), gives good yields of glycosyl fluorides when HF–pyridine complex is used as an additional fluoride source. NPOEs can be activated either by a combination of electrophilic iodonium (Barluenga’s reagent) and HBF4 or by the action of HF–pyridine complex. The ensuing glycosyl fluorides form a semiorthogonal pair of glycosyl donors when confronted with NPGs.
Catchability model selection for estimating the composition of fishes and invertebrates within dynamic aquatic ecosystems
Authors: Lauretta Matthew Vincent , Camp Edward Vincent , Pine William Earl , Frazer Thomas Kerry
Published: January 2013

We evaluated alternative catchability models for estimating the composition of fishes and decapods in two coastal rivers sampled via capture–recapture boat electrofishing, seine removal sampling, and throw trap removal sampling. Information criteria were used to select between linear and nonlinear catchability models and assess heterogeneity in catchability coefficients across populations, sampling reaches, and sampling events. The selected electrofishing catchability model assumed linearity between catch per unit effort and population density, with heterogeneity in catchability coefficients among taxa and between rivers. Linear models were selected for seine and throw trap samples, with heterogeneity in catchability coefficients among taxa, sampling reaches, and sampling events. We emphasize the importance of estimating population density, rather than abundance exclusively, when accurate community composition estimates are needed. The analytical techniques employed have broad-scale application in quantifying key components of ecosystems by integrating information from multiple sampling gears targeting different taxa or trophic guilds and in accounting for variable sampling intensity and catchability heterogeneity in the estimation of community composition.
Mouse aortic muscle cells respond to oxygen following cytochrome P450 3A13 gene transfer
Authors: Ciofini Enrica , Scebba Francesca , Luin Stefano , Sodini Daria , Angeloni Debora , Coceani Flavio
Published: January 2013

We have previously shown that a cytochrome P450 (CYP450) hemoprotein from the 3A subfamily CYP3A13 for the mouse, serves as the sensor in the contraction of the ductus arteriosus in response to increased oxygen tension. In addition, we have identified endothelin-1 (ET-1) as the effector for this response. Here, we examined whether Cyp3a13 gene transfer confers oxygen sensitivity to cultured muscle cells from mouse aorta. Coincidentally, we determined whether the same hemoprotein is normally present in the vessel. Cyp3a13-transfected aortic cells responded to oxygen, whereas no significant response was seen in native cells or in cells transfected with an empty vector. Furthermore, this oxygen effect was curtailed by the ET-1/ETAreceptor antagonist BQ-123. We also found that CYP3A13 occurs naturally in aortic tissue and its isolated muscle cells in culture. We conclude that CYP3A13 is involved in oxygen sensing, and its action in the transfected muscle cells of the aorta, as in the native cells of the ductus, takes place through a linkage to ET-1. However, the response of aortic muscle to oxygen, conceivably entailing the presence of CYP3A13 at some special site, is not seen in the native situation, and may instead unfold upon transfection of the parent gene.
REMARKS ON ADAPTIVE FOURIER DECOMPOSITION
Authors: QIAN TAO , WANG YANBO
Published: January 2013

This is a continuation of the study of adaptive Fourier decomposition (AFD).15 Under a mild condition not in terms of smoothness, a convergence rate is provided. We prove that the selection of the parameters corresponding to Fourier series in the average sense is optimal. We also present the transformation matrices between the adaptive rational orthogonal system and the related sequence of the shifted Cauchy kernels and their derivatives.
MICROWAVE-ASSISTED HYDROTHERMAL SYNTHESIS, OPTICAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF AgBi(MoO4)2 NANOSPHERES
Authors: ZHANG LEI , DAI JUN-SEN , LIAN LIN , LIU YIN
Published: January 2013

In this paper, we report the successful synthesis of novel AgBi(MoO4)2 nanospheres via a simple, rapid and reliable microwave-assisted hydrothermal approach, employing AgNO3 , Bi(NO3)3 ⋅ 5H2O and Na2MoO4 ⋅ 2H2O as starting materials. The phases and morphologies of the products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical property of the product gives the value of optical absorption edge energy to be 2.88 eV. Moreover, experimental result showed that obvious increase of the reduction peak was observed employing AgBi(MoO4)2 /GCE as working electrode in the presence of H2O2 molecule, which indicated that the as-prepared AgBi(MoO4)2 nanospheres exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity to H2O2 .
MANUFACTURING DNA NANOWIRES WITH AIR BLOWING ASSEMBLY ON MICROPATTERNED SURFACE
Authors: RAJAGOPALAN KARTIK KUMAR , CHEN JUAN , LU BAIYANG , WANG SHENGNIAN
Published: January 2013

Herein, we present a new flow-guided assembly approach to align and position DNA nanowires. Single or multiple drops of a λ-DNA solution were loaded from one side of template with micropad array and blown off by air flow. DNA molecules were aligned along the flow direction and well positioned under the guiding of pre-defined micropatterns. Different from other pioneering work, we focused on investigating the assembly quality, reliability and appropriateness for large-scale manufacturing. We correlated the assembly quality (alignment, patterning and the surface coverage) with the concentration of DNA in droplets and droplet evaporation and suggested appropriate process windows. With this new approach, the synthesis, alignment and patterning of nanowires may be done in a reliable and efficient manner and with high throughput.
On Provenance Minimization
Authors: Amsterdamer Yael , Deutch Daniel , Milo Tova , Tannen Val
Published: January 2013

Provenance information has been proved to be very effective in capturing the computational process performed by queries, and has been used extensively as the input to many advanced data management tools (e.g., view maintenance, trust assessment, or query answering in probabilistic databases).

We observe here that while different (set-)equivalent queries may admit different provenance expressions when evaluated on the same database, there is always some part of these expressions that is common to all. We refer to this part as the
core
provenance. In addition to being informative, the core provenance is also useful as a compact input to the aforementioned data management tools. We formally define the notion of core provenance. We study algorithms that, given a query, compute an equivalent (called p-minimal) query that for every input database, the provenance of every result tuple is the core provenance. We study such algorithms for queries of varying expressive power (namely conjunctive queries with disequalities and unions thereof). Finally, we observe that, in general, one would not want to require database systems to execute a specific p-minimal query, but instead to be able to find, possibly off-line, the core provenance of a given tuple in the output (computed by an arbitrary equivalent query), without reevaluating the query. We provide algorithms for such direct computation of the core provenance.
Partial Evaluation for Distributed XPath Query Processing and Beyond
Authors: Cong Gao , Fan Wenfei , Kementsietsidis Anastasios , Li Jianzhong , Liu Xianmin
Published: January 2013

This article proposes algorithms for evaluating XPath queries over an XML tree that is partitioned horizontally and vertically, and is distributed across a number of sites. The key idea is based on partial evaluation: it is to send the whole query to each site that partially evaluates the query, in parallel, and sends the results as compact (Boolean) functions to a coordinator that combines these to obtain the result. This approach possesses the following performance guarantees. First, each site is visited at most twice for data-selecting XPath queries, and only once for Boolean XPath queries. Second, the network traffic is determined by the answer to the query, rather than the size of the tree. Third, the total computation is comparable to that of centralized algorithms on the tree stored in a single site, regardless of how the tree is fragmented and distributed. We also present a MapReduce algorithm for evaluating Boolean XPath queries, based on partial evaluation. In addition, we provide algorithms to evaluate XPath queries on very large XML trees, in a centralized setting. We show both analytically and empirically that our techniques are scalable with large trees and complex XPath queries. These results, we believe, illustrate the usefulness and potential of partial evaluation in distributed systems as well as centralized XML stores for evaluating XPath queries and beyond.
Stopping the leaks
Authors: Savage Neil
Published: January 2013

Side channels give out information that can be used to crack secrets, but researchers are identifying the holes and trying to close them.
Beyond Hadoop
Authors: Mone Gregory
Published: January 2013

The leading open source system for processing big data continues to evolve, but new approaches with added features are on the rise.
Just the facts
Authors: Krakovsky Marina
Published: January 2013

In repackaging other companies' news, some news aggregators are diverting readers and ad dollars, and, critics argue, undercutting the incentive to spend money on original reporting. It is an economic and ethical problem without a clear legal fix.
Computer security and the modern home
Authors: Denning Tamara , Kohno Tadayoshi , Levy Henry M.
Published: January 2013

A framework for evaluating security risks associated with technologies used at home.
Family health heritage
Authors: Reeder Sarah , Forlizzi Jodi , Dow Steven
Published: January 2013

On Heritage aims to offer and promote a rich discussion at the intersection of art, performance, and culture that expands the boundaries of HCI while broadening our understanding of how things of the past come to matter in the present.

Elisa Giaccardi, Editor
Ergonomics and U.S. public policy
Authors: Hedge Alan
Published: January 2013

Public policy increasingly plays a role in influencing the work that we do as HCI researchers, interaction designers, and practitioners. "Public policy" is a broad term that includes both government policy and policy within non-governmental organizations, such as standards bodies. The Interacting with Public Policy forum focuses on topics at the intersection of human-computer interaction and public policy.

Jonathan Lazar, Editor
The problem with transparency is it's not conspicuous enough
Authors: Wilcox Stephen B.
Published: January 2013

Models help bridge the gap between observing and making---especially when systems are involved (as in designing for interaction, service, and evolution). This forum introduces new models, links them to existing models, and describes their histories and why they matter.

Hugh Dubberly, Editor
SIGACT news online algorithms column 21
Authors: van Stee Rob
Published: January 2013

For this column, I would like to report on some conferences that I attended recently, with special attention given (of course) to results in online algorithms. Most of the papers discussed below consider online scheduling, another favorite problem area of mine. Generally, for a job
j
we will denote its processing time by
pj
, its weight by
wj
(if applicable), its release time by
rj
, and its deadline by
dj
. In the discussion below, I have tried to point out interesting open problems wherever possible. Enjoy.
Glitz
Authors: Ellard Daniel , Everhart Craig , Raj Theresa
Published: January 2013

We propose Glitz, a system to integrate multiple file server federation regimes. NFS version 4 is a significant advance over prior versions of NFS, in particular specifying how NFS clients can navigate a large, multi-server namespace whose constituent parts may be replicated or moved while in use, as specified by NFS servers. This capability is essentially the same as that of previous distributed file systems such as AFS [7]. Sophisticated as this NFS capability is, it does not address the larger problem of building a usable system atop this basic capability. Multiple single-architecture solutions have been proposed, but each of these is based on an architecture for server federation that does not easily admit other members [3, 16, 18]. Glitz allows those multiple-server federations to interoperate and collaborate in a vendor-independent fashion. We give a history of file system federation efforts as well as a detailed tour of Glitz and its benefits for vendors.
Designing a fast file system crawler with incremental differencing
Authors: Bisson Tim , Patel Yuvraj , Pasupathy Shankar
Published: January 2013

Search engines for storage systems rely on crawlers to gather the list of files that need to be indexed. The recency of an index is determined by the speed at which this list can be gathered. While there has been a substantial amount of literature on building efficient web crawlers, there is very little literature on file system crawlers. In this paper we discuss the challenges in building a file system crawler. We then present the design of two file system crawlers: the first uses the standard POSIX file system API but carefully controls the amount of memory and CPU that it uses. The second leverages modifications to the file systems's internals, and a new API called SnapDiff, to detect modified files rapidly. For both crawlers we describe the incremental differencing design; the method to produce a list of changes between a previous crawl and the current point in time.
Responding rapidly to service level violations using virtual appliances
Authors: Bairavasundaram Lakshmi N. , Soundararajan Gokul , Mathur Vipul , Voruganti Kaladhar , Srinivasan Kiran
Published: January 2013

One of the key goals in the data center today is providing storage services with service-level objectives (SLOs) for performance metrics such as latency and throughput. Meeting such SLOs is challenging due to the dynamism observed in these environments. In this position paper, we propose dynamic instantiation of virtual appliances, that is, virtual machines with storage functionality, as a mechanism to meet storage SLOs efficiently.

In order for dynamic instantiation to be realistic for rapidlychanging environments, it should be automated. Therefore, an important goal of this paper is to show that such automation is feasible. We do so through a caching case study. Specifically, we build the automation framework for dynamically instantiating virtual caching appliances. This framework identifies sets of interfering workloads that can benefit from caching, determines the cache-size requirements of workloads, non-disruptively migrates the application to use the cache, and warms the cache to quickly return to acceptable service levels. We show through an experiment that this approach addresses SLO violations while using resources efficiently.
HCIR 2012
Authors: Capra Robert , Golovchinsky Gene , Kules Bill , Smith Catherine L. , Tunkelang Daniel , White Ryen W.
Published: January 2013

This report describes the 2012 Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction and Information Retrieval. Now in its sixth year, the two-day symposium (formerly a one-day workshop) was held in October in Cambridge, MA. The event brought together researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, and government and a range of disciplines for in-depth discussions in an informal atmosphere. The symposium attracted 75 attendees, over a third of which were from industry. New for this year, we accepted full papers that will be archived and published in the ACM Digital Library. We continued the HCIR Challenge, this year focusing on the problem of people and expertise finding, five in-depth system demonstrations, and audience selection of a challenge winner.
Report on the WebQuality 2012 workshop
Authors: Castillo Carlos , Gyongyi Zoltan , Jatowt Adam , Tanaka Katsumi
Published: January 2013

The 2nd Joint WICOW/AIRWeb Workshop on Web Quality (WebQuality 2012) was held in conjunction with the 21st International World Wide Web Conference in Lyon, France on the 16th April 2012. Seven full and three short paper presentations were delivered in three sessions. This report briefly summarizes the workshop.
Bridging cultural differences in teaching computer ethics
Authors: Class Christina B.
Published: January 2013

When a professor from Middle Europe teaches Computer Ethics in the Middle East using a textbook from the US, cultural differences become apparent. A main challenge lies in avoiding cultural imperialism during teaching. In order to meet this challenge, personal portfolios have been used for course work. The course design as well as portfolio tasks are presented and experiences are discussed. Based on our experiences we recommend applying this approach to equally overcome effects of group dynamics in similar courses as well as to bridge the generational gap that normally exists between students and professors.
Moral responsibility for computing artifacts
Authors: Grodzinsky F. S. , Miller K. , Wolf M. J.
Published: January 2013

"The Rules" are found in a collaborative document (started in March 2010) that states principles for responsibility when a computer artifact is designed, developed and deployed into a sociotechnical system. At this writing, over 50 people from nine countries have signed onto The Rules (Ad Hoc Committee, 2010). Unlike codes of ethics, The Rules are not tied to any organization, and computer users as well as computing professionals are invited to sign onto The Rules. The emphasis in The Rules is that both users and professionals have responsibilities in the
production and use
of computing artifacts. In this paper, we use The Rules to examine issues of trust.
Social Network Analysis: Foundations and Frontiers on Advantage
Authors: Burt Ronald S. , Kilduff Martin , Tasselli Stefano
Published: January 2013

We provide an overview of social network analysis focusing on network advantage as a lens that touches on much of the area. For reasons of good data and abundant research, we draw heavily on studies of people in organizations. Advantage is traced to network structure as a proxy for the distribution of variably sticky information in a population. The network around a person indicates the person's access and control in the distribution. Advantage is a function of information breadth, timing, and arbitrage. Advantage is manifest in higher odds of proposing good ideas, more positive evaluations and recognition, higher compensation, and faster promotions. We discuss frontiers of advantage contingent on personality, cognition, embeddedness, and dynamics.
TRPM4 channel: a new player in urinary bladder smooth muscle function in rats
Authors: Smith Amy C. , Parajuli Shankar P. , Hristov Kiril L. , Cheng Qiuping , Soder Rupal P. , Afeli Serge A. Y. , Earley Scott , Xin Wenkuan , Malysz John , Petkov Georgi V.
Published: January 2013

The TRPM4 channel is a Ca2+-activated, monovalent cation-selective channel of the melastatin transient receptor potential (TRPM) family. The TRPM4 channel is implicated in the regulation of many cellular processes including the immune response, insulin secretion, and pressure-induced vasoconstriction of cerebral arteries. However, the expression and function of the TRPM4 channels in detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) have not yet been explored. Here, we provide the first molecular, electrophysiological, and functional evidence for the presence of TRPM4 channels in rat DSM. We detected the expression of TRPM4 channels at mRNA and protein levels in freshly isolated DSM single cells and DSM tissue using RT-PCR, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunocytochemistry. 9-Hydroxyphenanthrene (9-phenanthrol), a novel selective inhibitor of TRPM4 channels, was used to examine their role in DSM function. In perforated patch-clamp recordings using freshly isolated rat DSM cells, 9-phenanthrol (30 μM) decreased the spontaneous inward current activity at −70 mV. Real-time DSM live-cell Ca2+ imaging showed that selective inhibition of TRPM4 channels with 9-phenanthrol (30 μM) significantly reduced the intracellular Ca2+ levels. Isometric DSM tension recordings revealed that 9-phenanthrol (0.1–30 μM) significantly inhibited the amplitude, muscle force integral, and frequency of the spontaneous phasic and pharmacologically induced contractions of rat DSM isolated strips. 9-Phenanthrol also decreased the amplitude and muscle force integral of electrical field stimulation-induced contractions. In conclusion, this is the first study to examine the expression and provide evidence for TRPM4 channels as critical regulators of rat DSM excitability and contractility.
TNF-α mediates increased susceptibility to ischemic AKI in diabetes
Authors: Gao Guofeng , Zhang Binzhi , Ramesh Ganesan , Betterly Daniel , Tadagavadi Raghu K. , Wang Weiwei , Reeves W. Brian
Published: January 2013

Diabetes is a risk factor for the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in humans and rodents. However, the mechanistic basis for this observation is unknown. The present studies evaluated the role of inflammation and TNF-α in ischemic AKI in a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Diabetic ( db/ db) and nondiabetic ( db/+) littermates were subjected to 20 min of bilateral renal ischemia. The nondiabetic mice developed only mild and transient renal dysfunction. In contrast, the equivalent ischemic insult provoked severe and sustained renal dysfunction in the db/ db mice. The expression of TNF-α and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA was measured in the kidneys of diabetic mice before and after renal ischemia; db/ db mice exhibited greater increases in TNF-α and TLR4 mRNA expression following ischemia than did db/+. In addition, urinary excretion of TNF-α after ischemia was higher in db/ db mice than in db/+ mice. To determine the possible role of TNF-α in mediating the enhanced susceptibility of diabetic mice to ischemic injury, db/ db mice were injected with either a neutralizing anti-mouse TNF-α antibody or nonimmune globulin and then subjected to 20 min of bilateral renal ischemia. Treatment of the db/ db mice with the TNF-α antibody provided significant protection against the ischemic injury. These data support the view that diabetes increases the susceptibility to ischemia-induced renal dysfunction. This increased susceptibility derives from a heightened inflammatory response involving TNF-α and perhaps TLR4 signaling.
Collaborative Decision-Making in Product Design: An Interactive Multiobjective Approach
Authors: Baril Chantal , Yacout Soumaya , Clément Bernard
Published: January 2013

This paper presents a new procedure to solve multiobjective problems, where the objectives are distributed to various working groups and the decision process is centralized. The approach is interactive and considers the preferences of the working groups. It is based on two techniques: an interactive technique that solves multi-objective problems based on goal programming, and a technique called “linear physical programming” which considers the preferences of the working groups. The approach generates Pareto-optimal solutions. It guides the director in the determination of target values for the objective functions. The approach was tested on two problems that present its capacity to generate Pareto-optimal solutions and to show the convergence to compromise solutions for all the working groups.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy due to Mitochondrial Disease: Prenatal Diagnosis, Management, and Outcome
Authors: García-Díaz Lutgardo , Coserria Félix , Antiñolo Guillermo
Published: January 2013

A case of prenatally diagnosed fetal hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is reported. The mother was referred to our department at 37 weeks' gestation because of suspected congenital heart disease. Prenatal echocardiography showed biventricular hypertrophy and pericardial effusion, without additional abnormalities. Postnatal echocardiography confirmed prenatal diagnosis. Neonatal EKG showed biventricular hypertrophy and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Skeletal muscle biopsy was consistent with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation defect involving a combined defect of respiratory complexes I and IV. Echocardiographic followup during the first year of life showed progressive regression of hypertrophy and evolution to left ventricular myocardial noncompaction.
Recycling of Aircraft: State of the Art in 2011
Authors: Asmatulu Eylem , Overcash Michael , Twomey Janet
Published: January 2013

Recently, the end-of-service life for aging aircraft and related parts has become a key subject in recycling industries worldwide. Over the next 20 years, approximately 12,000 aircraft currently utilized for different purposes will be at the end of service. Thus, reclaiming retired aircraft by environmentally responsible methods while retaining some of the value becomes a significant need. Recycling aircraft components and using these in different applications will reduce the consumption of natural resources as well as landfill allocations. Compared to the production of virgin materials, recycling aircraft will also reduce air, water, and soil contaminations, as well as energy demand. In the present study, we have investigated the environmental benefits of recycling and reusing aircraft components in the same or similar applications as low-energy input materials. During the aircraft recycling, most of the aircraft components can be recycled and reused after reasonable modifications and investments.
Historical Lessons in Translational Medicine
Authors: Fitzgerald Desmond J. , FitzGerald Garret A.
Published: January 2013

The development of drugs that inhibit platelets has been driven by a combination of clinical insights, fundamental science, and sheer luck. The process has evolved as the days of stumbling on therapeutic gems, such as aspirin, have long passed and have been replaced by an arduous process in which a drug is designed to target a specific protein implicated in a well-characterized pathophysiological process, or so we would like to believe. The development of antiplatelet therapy illustrates the importance of understanding the mechanisms of disease and the pharmacology of the compounds we develop, coupled with careful clinical experimentation and observation and, yes, still, a fair bit of luck.