bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Instrumentation and sampling strategies for cooperative concurrency bug isolation
Authors: Jin Guoliang , Thakur Aditya , Liblit Ben , Lu Shan
Published: February 2011

Fixing concurrency bugs (or "crugs") is critical in modern software systems. Static analyses to find crugs such as data races and atomicity violations scale poorly, while dynamic approaches incur high run-time overheads. Crugs manifest only under specific execution interleavings that may not arise during in-house testing, thereby demanding a lightweight program monitoring technique that can be used post-deployment.

We present Cooperative Crug Isolation (CCI), a low-overhead instrumentation framework to diagnose production-run failures caused by crugs. CCI tracks specific thread interleavings at run-time, and uses statistical models to identify strong failure predictors among these. We offer a varied suite of predicates that represent different trade-offs between complexity and fault isolation capability. We also develop variant random sampling strategies that suit different types of predicates and help keep the run-time overhead low. Experiments with 9 real-world bugs in 6 non-trivial C applications show that these schemes span a wide spectrum of performance and diagnosis capabilities, each suitable for different usage scenarios.
Dynamic parallelization of recursive code
Authors: Herzeel Charlotte , Costanza Pascal
Published: February 2011

While most approaches to automatic parallelization focus on compilation approaches for parallelizing loop iterations, we advocate the need for new virtual machines that can parallelize the execution of recursive programs. In this paper, we show that recursive programs can be effectively parallelized when arguments to procedures are evaluated concurrently and branches of conditional statements are speculatively executed in parallel. We introduce the
continuator
concept, a runtime structure that tracks and manages the control dependences between such concurrently spawned tasks, ensuring adherence to the sequential semantics of the parallelized program. As a proof of concept, we discuss the details of a parallel interpreter for Scheme (implemented in Common Lisp) based on these ideas, and show the results from executing the Clinger benchmark suite for Scheme.
Symbolic heap abstraction with demand-driven axiomatization of memory invariants
Authors: Dillig Isil , Dillig Thomas , Aiken Alex
Published: February 2011

Many relational static analysis techniques for precise reasoning about heap contents perform an explicit case analysis of all possible heaps that can arise. We argue that such precise relational reasoning can be obtained in a more scalable and economical way by enforcing the memory invariant that every concrete memory location stores one unique value directly on the heap abstraction. Our technique combines the strengths of analyses for precise reasoning about heap contents with approaches that prioritize axiomatization of memory invariants, such as the theory of arrays. Furthermore, by avoiding an explicit case analysis, our technique is scalable and powerful enough to analyze real-world programs with intricate use of arrays and pointers; in particular, we verify the absence of buffer overruns, incorrect casts, and null pointer dereferences in OpenSSH (over 26,000 lines of code) after fixing 4 previously undiscovered bugs found by our system. Our experiments also show that the combination of reasoning about heap contents and enforcing existence and uniqueness invariants is crucial for this level of precision.
A dynamic evaluation of the precision of static heap abstractions
Authors: Liang Percy , Tripp Omer , Naik Mayur , Sagiv Mooly
Published: February 2011

The quality of a static analysis of heap-manipulating programs is largely determined by its
heap abstraction
. Object allocation sites are a commonly-used abstraction, but are too coarse for some clients. The goal of this paper is to investigate how various refinements of allocation sites can improve precision. In particular, we consider abstractions that use call stack, object recency, and heap connectivity information. We measure the precision of these abstractions dynamically for four different clients motivated by concurrency and on nine Java programs chosen from the DaCapo benchmark suite. Our dynamic results shed new light on aspects of heap abstractions that matter for precision, which allows us to more effectively navigate the large space of possible heap abstractions
Modular logic metaprogramming
Authors: Klose Karl , Ostermann Klaus
Published: February 2011

In logic metaprogramming, programs are not stored as plain textfiles but rather derived from a deductive database. While the benefits of this approach for metaprogramming are obvious, its incompatibility with separate checking limits its applicability to large-scale projects. We analyze the problems inhibiting separate checking and propose a class of logics that reconcile logic metaprogramming and separate checking. We have formalized the resulting module system and have proven the soundness of separate checking. We validate its feasibility by presenting the design and implementation of a specific logic that is able to express many metaprogramming examples from the literature.
Homogeneous family sharing
Authors: Qi Xin , Myers Andrew C.
Published: February 2011

Recent work has introduced class sharing as a mechanism for adapting a family of related classes with new functionality. This paper introduces homogeneous family sharing, implemented in the J&
h
language, in which the sharing mechanism is lifted from class-level sharing to true family-level sharing. Compared to the original (heterogeneous) class sharing mechanism, homogeneous family sharing provides useful new functionality and substantially reduces the annotation burden on programmers by eliminating the need for masked types and sharing declarations. This is achieved through a new mechanism, shadow classes, which permit homogeneous sharing of all related classes in shared families. The new sharing mechanism has a straightforward semantics, which is formalized in the J&
h
calculus. The soundness of the J&
h
type system is proved. The J&
h
language is implemented as an extension to the J& language. To demonstrate the effectiveness of family sharing, the Polyglot compiler framework is ported to J&
h
.
The two-state solution
Authors: McCarthy Jay A.
Published: February 2011

Continuation-based Web servers provide advantages over traditional Web application development through the increase of expressive power they allow. This leads to fewer errors and more productivity for the programmers that adopt them. Unfortunately, existing implementation techniques force a hard choice between scalability and expressiveness.

Our technique allows a smoother path to scalable, continuation-based Web programs. We present a modular program transformation that allows scalable Web applications to use third-party, higher-order libraries with higher-order arguments that cause Web interaction. Consequently, our system provides existing Web applications with more scalability through significantly less memory use than the traditional technique.
Back to the futures
Authors: Swaine James , Tew Kevin , Dinda Peter , Findler Robert Bruce , Flatt Matthew
Published: February 2011

Many language implementations, particularly for high-level and scripting languages, are based on carefully honed runtime systems that have an internally sequential execution model. Adding support for parallelism in the usual form -- as threads that run arbitrary code in parallel -- would require a major revision or even a rewrite to add safe and efficient locking and communication. We describe an alternative approach to incremental parallelization of runtime systems. This approach can be applied inexpensively to many sequential runtime systems, and we demonstrate its effectiveness in the Racket runtime system and Parrot virtual machine. Our evaluation assesses both the performance benefits and the developer effort needed to implement our approach. We find that incremental parallelization can provide useful, scalable parallelism on commodity multicore processors at a fraction of the effort required to implement conventional parallel threads.
Ownership and immutability in generic Java
Authors: Zibin Yoav , Potanin Alex , Li Paley , Ali Mahmood , Ernst Michael D.
Published: February 2011

The Java language lacks the important notions of
ownership
(an object owns its representation to prevent unwanted aliasing) and
immutability
(the division into mutable, immutable, and readonly data and references). Programmers are prone to design errors, such as representation exposure or violation of immutability contracts. This paper presents
Ownership Immutability Generic Java
(OIGJ), a backward-compatible purely-static language extension supporting ownership and immutability. We formally defined a core calculus for OIGJ, based on Featherweight Java, and proved it sound. We also implemented OIGJ and performed case studies on 33,000 lines of code.

Creation of immutable cyclic structures requires a
"cooking phase"
in which the structure is mutated but the outside world cannot observe this mutation. OIGJ uses
ownership
information to facilitate creation of
immutable
cyclic structures, by safely prolonging the cooking phase even after the constructor finishes.

OIGJ is easy for a programmer to use, and it is easy to implement (flow-insensitive, adding only 14 rules to those of Java). Yet, OIGJ is more expressive than previous ownership languages, in the sense that it can type-check more good code. OIGJ can express the factory and visitor patterns, and OIGJ can type-check Sun's java.util collections (except for the clone method) without refactoring and with only a small number of annotations. Previous work required major refactoring of existing code in order to fit its ownership restrictions. Forcing refactoring of well-designed code is undesirable because it costs programmer effort, degrades the design, and hinders adoption in the mainstream community.
Performance analysis of idle programs
Authors: Altman Erik , Arnold Matthew , Fink Stephen , Mitchell Nick
Published: February 2011

This paper presents an approach for performance analysis of modern enterprise-class server applications. In our experience, performance bottlenecks in these applications differ qualitatively from bottlenecks in smaller, stand-alone systems. Small applications and benchmarks often suffer from CPU-intensive hot spots. In contrast, enterprise-class multi-tier applications often suffer from problems that manifest not as hot spots, but as
idle time
, indicating a lack of forward motion. Many factors can contribute to undesirable idle time, including locking problems, excessive system-level activities like garbage collection, various resource constraints, and problems driving load.

We present the design and methodology for WAIT, a tool to diagnosis the root cause of idle time in server applications. Given lightweight samples of Java activity on a single tier, the tool can often pinpoint the primary bottleneck on a multi-tier system. The methodology centers on an informative abstraction of the states of idleness observed in a running program. This abstraction allows the tool to distinguish, for example, between hold-ups on a database machine, insufficient load, lock contention in application code, and a conventional bottleneck due to a hot method. To compute the abstraction, we present a simple expert system based on an extensible set of declarative rules.

WAIT can be deployed on the fly, without modifying or even restarting the application. Many groups in IBM have applied the tool to diagnosis performance problems in commercial systems, and we present a number of examples as case studies.
Registration-based language abstractions
Authors: Davis Samuel , Kiczales Gregor
Published: February 2011

Programming language innovation has been hindered by the difficulty of making changes to existing languages. A key source of difficulty is the tyrannical nature of existing approaches to realizing languages -- adding a new language construct means that any tool, document or programmer that works with the language must be prepared to deal with that construct.

A registration-based approach makes it possible to define language constructs that are not tyrannical. They are instead transient -- the program appears to be written using the constructs only so long as a given programmer wants to see it that way. This approach may have the potential to greatly facilitate programming language innovation.
Pinocchio
Authors: Verwaest Toon , Bruni Camillo , Gurtner David , Lienhard Adrian , Niestrasz Oscar
Published: February 2011

To support development tools like debuggers, runtime systems need to provide a meta-programming interface to alter their semantics and access internal data. Reflective capabilities are typically fixed by the Virtual Machine (VM). Unanticipated reflective features must either be simulated by complex program transformations, or they require the development of a specially tailored VM. We propose a novel approach to behavioral reflection that eliminates the barrier between applications and the VM by manipulating an explicit tower of first-class interpreters. Pinocchio is a proof-of-concept implementation of our approach which enables radical changes to the interpretation of programs by explicitly instantiating subclasses of the base interpreter. We illustrate the design of Pinocchio through non-trivial examples that extend runtime semantics to support debugging, parallel debugging, and back-in-time object-flow debugging. Although performance is not yet addressed, we also discuss numerous opportunities for optimization, which we believe will lead to a practical approach to behavioral reflection.
Concurrency by modularity
Authors: Rajan Hridesh , Kautz Steven M. , Rowcliffe Wayne
Published: February 2011

General purpose object-oriented programs typically aren't embarrassingly parallel. For these applications, finding enough concurrency remains a challenge in program design. To address this challenge, in the Panini project we are looking at reconciling concurrent program design goals with modular program design goals. The main idea is that if programmers improve the modularity of their programs they should get concurrency for free. In this work we describe one of our directions to reconcile these two goals by enhancing Gang-of-Four (GOF) object-oriented design patterns. GOF patterns are commonly used to improve the modularity of object-oriented software. These patterns describe strategies to decouple components in design space and specify how these components should interact. Our hypothesis is that if these patterns are enhanced to also decouple components in execution space applying them will concomitantly improve the design and potentially available concurrency in software systems. To evaluate our hypothesis we have studied all 23 GOF patterns. For 18 patterns out of 23, our hypothesis has held true. Another interesting preliminary result reported here is that for 17 out of these 18 studied patterns, concurrency and synchronization concerns were completely encapsulated in our concurrent design pattern framework.
To upgrade or not to upgrade
Authors: Dumitraş Tudor , Narasimhan Priya , Tilevich Eli
Published: February 2011

Online software upgrades are often plagued by runtime behaviors that are poorly understood and difficult to ascertain. For example, the interactions among multiple versions of the software expose the system to race conditions that can introduce latent errors or data corruption. Moreover, industry trends suggest that online upgrades are currently needed in large-scale enterprise systems, which often span multiple administrative domains (e.g., Web 2.0 applications that rely on AJAX client-side code or systems that lease cloud-computing resources). In such systems, the enterprise does not control all the tiers of the system and cannot coordinate the upgrade process, making existing techniques inadequate to prevent mixed-version races. In this paper, we present an analytical framework for impact assessment, which allows system administrators to directly compare the risk of following an online-upgrade plan with the risk of delaying or canceling the upgrade. We also describe an executable model that implements our formal impact assessment and enables a systematic approach for deciding whether an online upgrade is appropriate. Our model provides a method of last resort for avoiding undesirable program behaviors, in situations where mixed-version races cannot be avoided through other technical means.
Better science through art
Authors: Gabriel Richard P. , Sullivan Kevin J.
Published: February 2011

How do artists and scientists work? The same.
Rubber ducks, nightmares, and unsaturated predicates
Authors: Quillien Jenny , West Dave
Published: February 2011

Fine-grain case studies of scientific inquiry, lessons from linguistics on metaphoric thinking, the epistemology of Charles Sanders Peirce, recent work on architectural image-schemata, along with the computer world's own theorist, Peter Naur, all suggest that software developers (frequently dulled and desiccated from overdosing on 'Cartesian' methodologies) could benefit from imbibing a little 'mysticism' not the wave-your-hands woo-woo kind but the more ineffable hunch and gut side of human cognition. Scholarly publications in their final polished forms rarely admit that stories, jokes, eroticism, and dreams were the fertile seeds that germinated into 'serious' results. This essay looks to these 'closet' sources, non-reductionist, non-self conscious, metaphorical, aformal modes of thought as the salvation of a profession gone awry. It is notably proto-scientific image-schemata that retain our attention as a pragmatic tool for improving the fecundity of Agile methodology, at its roots, so to speak. The necessary context is provided by Peter Naur's fundamental insights about software development as 'theory building' coupled with an elaboration of the Agile concept of storytelling.
Anti-IL-23 Monoclonal Antibody Synergizes in Combination with Targeted Therapies or IL-2 to Suppress Tumor Growth and Metastases
Authors: Teng Michele W.L. , von Scheidt Bianca , Duret Helene , Towne Jennifer E. , Smyth Mark J.
Published: February 2011

Immunosuppressive barricades erected by tumors during the evolution of immune escape represent a major obstacle to many potentially effective cancer therapies and vaccines. We have shown that host interleukin (IL)-23 suppresses the innate immune response during carcinogenesis and metastasis, independently of effects on the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17A. Based on these findings, we envisioned that IL-23 neutralization might offer a promising strategy to modulate immunosuppression, particularly in combination with immunostimulatory agents. Here we show that by itself a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) to IL-23 suppressed early experimental lung metastases in the B16F10 mouse model of melanoma and also modestly inhibited the subcutaneous growth of primary tumors. These antitumor effects were respectively mediated by natural killer cells or CD8+ T cells. More notably, combinatorial treatments of anti-IL-23 mAb with IL-2 or anti-erbB2 mAb significantly inhibited subcutaneous growth of established mammary carcinomas and suppressed established experimental and spontaneous lung metastases. Overall, our results suggest the potential of anti-human IL-23 mAbs to improve the immunostimulatory effects of IL-2 and trastuzumab in the current management of some advanced human cancers. Cancer Res; 71(6); 2077–86. ©2011 AACR.
Radiosensitization of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma by a SMAC-Mimetic Compound, SM-164, Requires Activation of Caspases
Authors: Yang Jie , McEachern Donna , Li Wenyan , Davis Mary A. , Li Hua , Morgan Meredith A. , Bai Longchuan , Sebolt Jonathan T. , Sun Haiying , Lawrence Theodore S. , Wang Shaomeng , Sun Yi
Published: February 2011

Chemoradiation is the treatment of choice for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, radioresistance, which contributes to local recurrence, remains a significant therapeutic problem. In this study, we characterized SM-164, a small second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase -mimetic compound that promotes degradation of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis-1(cIAP-1; also known as baculoviral IAP repeat–containing protein 2, BIRC2) and releases active caspases from the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis inhibitory binding as a radiosensitizing agent in HNSCC cells. We found that SM-164 at nanomolar concentrations induced radiosensitization in some HNSCC cell lines in a manner dependent on intrinsic sensitivity to caspase activation and apoptosis induction. Blockage of caspase activation via short interfering RNA knockdown or a pan-caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk, largely abrogated SM-164 radiosensitization. On the other hand, the resistant lines with a high level of Bcl-2 that blocks caspase activation and apoptosis induction became sensitive to radiation on Bcl-2 knockdown. Mechanistic studies revealed that SM-164 radiosensitization in sensitive cells was associated with NF-κB activation and TNFα secretion, followed by activation of caspase-8 and -9, leading to enhanced apoptosis. Finally, SM-164 also radiosensitized human tumor xenograft while causing minimal toxicity. Thus, SM-164 is a potent radiosensitizer via a mechanism involving caspase activation and holds promise for future clinical development as a novel class of radiosensitizer for the treatment of a subset of head and neck cancer patients. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(4); 658–69. ©2011 AACR.
Cancer-Targeted BikDD Gene Therapy Elicits Protective Antitumor Immunity against Lung Cancer
Authors: Sher Yuh-Pyng , Liu Shih-Jen , Chang Chun-Mien , Lien Shu-Pei , Chen Chien-Hua , Han Zhenbo , Li Long-Yuan , Chen Jin-Shing , Wu Cheng-Wen , Hung Mien-Chie
Published: February 2011

Targeted cancer-specific gene therapy is a promising strategy for treating metastatic lung cancer, which is a leading cause of lung cancer–related deaths. Previously, we developed a cancer-targeted gene therapy expression system with high tumor specificity and strong activity that selectively induced lung cancer cell killing without affecting normal cells in immunocompromised mice. Here, we found this cancer-targeted gene therapy, SV-BikDD, composed of the survivin promoter in the VP16-GAL4-WPRE integrated systemic amplifier system to drive the apoptotic gene BikDD, not only caused cytotoxic effects in cancer cells but also elicited a cancer-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte response to synergistically increase the therapeutic effect and further develop an effective systemic antitumoral immunity against rechallenges of tumorigenic dose of parental tumor cells inoculated at distant sites in immunocompetent mice. In addition, this cancer-targeted gene therapy does not elicit an immune response against normal tissues, but CMV-BikDD treatment does. The therapeutic vector could also induce proinflammatory cytokines to activate innate immunity and provide some benefits in antitumor gene therapy. Thus, this study provides a promising strategy with benefit of antitumoral immune response worthy of further development in clinical trials for treating lung cancer via cancer-targeted gene therapy. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(4); 637–47. ©2011 AACR.
Rapamycin Reverses Splenomegaly and Inhibits Tumor Development in a Transgenic Model of Epstein-Barr Virus–Related Burkitt's Lymphoma
Authors: Cen Osman , Longnecker Richard
Published: February 2011

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and latency has been associated with malignancies, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Burkitt's lymphoma. EBV encoded latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) is expressed in most EBV-associated malignancies and as such provides a therapeutic target. Burkitt's lymphoma is a hematopoietic cancer associated with the translocation of c-MYC to one of the immunoglobulin gene promoters leading to abnormally high expression of MYC and development of lymphoma. Our laboratory has developed a murine model of EBV-associated Burkitt's lymphoma by crossing LMP2A transgenic mice with MYC transgenic mice. Since LMP2A has been shown to activate the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, we tested the therapeutic efficacy of mTOR inhibitor rapamycin on the tumors and splenomegaly in these double transgenic mice (Tg6/λ-MYC). We found that rapamycin reversed splenomegaly in Tg6/λ-MYC mice prior to tumor formation by targeting B cells. In a tumor transfer model, we also found that rapamycin significantly decreased tumor growth, splenomegaly, and metastasis of tumor cells in the bone marrow of tumor recipients. Our data show that rapamycin may be a valuable candidate for the development of a treatment modality for EBV-positive lymphomas, such as Burkitt's lymphoma, and more importantly, provides a basis to develop inhibitors that specifically target viral gene function in tumor cells that depend on LMP2A signaling for survival and/or growth. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(4); 679–86. ©2011 AACR.
Perceptions of Addictions as Societal Problems in Canada, Sweden, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia
Authors: Holma Kari , Koski-Jännes Anja , Raitasalo Kirsimarja , Blomqvist Jan , Pervova Irina , Cunningham John A.
Published: February 2011

Aims: This study reports on the relative gravity people attribute to various addictive behaviors with respect to other societal concerns in four northern populations with different history, social policy and treatment alternatives for addicted individuals. Methods: Random population surveys were conducted in Canada, Sweden, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia. In Finland and Sweden, the survey was conducted by mail, in Canada and St. Petersburg by phone. As a part of this survey, the respondents were asked to assess the gravity of various societal problems, some of which involved various addictive behaviors. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods, factor analysis, contextual analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results: Hard drugs, criminality and environmental issues belonged to the topmost problems in all data samples. Overall, Finns and Canadians appeared the least worried about various societal problems, Swedes seemed the most worried and St. Petersburgian views were the most polarized. Two factors were extracted from the combined data. Factor 1 covered criminal behavior and various addictions; it was named Threats to Safety factor. Factor 2 comprised social equality issues. The country context explained 12.5% of the variance of the safety factor and 7.9% of the equality factor. Conclusions: Despite some cultural variation in the gravity assessments, the central core of the social representation of addictive behaviors tends still to be linked with ‘badness’ since they were mainly grouped with various forms of criminal behavior in all these countries.
PITX2c Is Expressed in the Adult Left Atrium, and Reducing Pitx2c Expression Promotes Atrial Fibrillation Inducibility and Complex Changes in Gene Expression
Authors: Kirchhof Paulus , Kahr Peter C. , Kaese Sven , Piccini Ilaria , Vokshi Ismail , Scheld Hans-Heinrich , Rotering Heinrich , Fortmueller Lisa , Laakmann Sandra , Verheule Sander , Schotten Ulrich , Fabritz Larissa , Brown Nigel A.
Published: February 2011

Background—

Intergenic variations on chromosome 4q25, close to the PITX2 transcription factor gene, are associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). We therefore tested whether adult hearts express PITX2 and whether variation in expression affects cardiac function.

Methods and Results—

mRNA for PITX2 isoform c was expressed in left atria of human and mouse, with levels in right atrium and left and right ventricles being 100-fold lower. In mice heterozygous for
Pitx2c
(
Pitx2c
+/−
), left atrial Pitx2c expression was 60% of wild-type and cardiac morphology and function were not altered, except for slightly elevated pulmonary flow velocity. Isolated
Pitx2
c
+/−
hearts were susceptible to AF during programmed stimulation. At short paced cycle lengths, atrial action potential durations were shorter in
Pitx2c
+/−
than in wild-type. Perfusion with the β-receptor agonist orciprenaline abolished inducibility of AF and reduced the effect on action potential duration. Spontaneous heart rates, atrial conduction velocities, and activation patterns were not affected in
Pitx2c
+/−
hearts, suggesting that action potential duration shortening caused wave length reduction and inducibility of AF. Expression array analyses comparing
Pitx2c
+/−
with wild-type, for left atrial and right atrial tissue separately, identified genes related to calcium ion binding, gap and tight junctions, ion channels, and melanogenesis as being affected by the reduced expression of Pitx2c.

Conclusions—

These findings demonstrate a physiological role for PITX2 in the adult heart and support the hypothesis that dysregulation of PITX2 expression can be responsible for susceptibility to AF.
Proteomic Analysis of Coronary Sinus Serum Reveals Leucine-Rich α2-Glycoprotein as a Novel Biomarker of Ventricular Dysfunction and Heart Failure
Authors: Watson Chris J. , Ledwidge Mark T. , Phelan Dermot , Collier Patrick , Byrne Jennifer C. , Dunn Michael J. , McDonald Kenneth M. , Baugh John A.
Published: February 2011

Background—

Heart failure (HF) prevention strategies require biomarkers that identify disease manifestation. Increases in B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) correlate with increased risk of cardiovascular events and HF development. We hypothesize that coronary sinus serum from a high BNP hypertensive population reflects an active pathological process and can be used for biomarker exploration. Our aim was to discover differentially expressed disease-associated proteins that identify patients with ventricular dysfunction and HF.

Methods and Results—

Coronary sinus serum from 11 asymptomatic, hypertensive patients underwent quantitative differential protein expression analysis by 2-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis. Proteins were identified using mass spectrometry and then studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in sera from 40 asymptomatic, hypertensive patients and 105 patients across the spectrum of ventricular dysfunction (32 asymptomatic left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, 26 diastolic HF, and 47 systolic HF patients). Leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein (LRG) was consistently overexpressed in high BNP serum. LRG levels correlate significantly with BNP in hypertensive, asymptomatic left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, diastolic HF, and systolic HF patient groups (
P
≤0.05). LRG levels were able to identify HF independent of BNP. LRG correlates with coronary sinus serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (
P
=0.009) and interleukin-6 (
P
=0.021). LRG is expressed in myocardial tissue and correlates with transforming growth factor-βR1 (
P
<0.001) and α-smooth muscle actin (
P
=0.025) expression.

Conclusions—

LRG was identified as a serum biomarker that accurately identifies patients with HF. Multivariable modeling confirmed that LRG is a stronger identifier of HF than BNP and this is independent of age, sex, creatinine, ischemia, β-blocker therapy, and BNP.
Angiotensin II Stimulates Renin in Inner Medullary Collecting Duct Cells via Protein Kinase C and Independent of Epithelial Sodium Channel and Mineralocorticoid Receptor Activity
Authors: Gonzalez Alexis A. , Liu Liu , Lara Lucienne S. , Seth Dale M. , Navar L. Gabriel , Prieto Minolfa C.
Published: February 2011

Collecting duct (CD) renin is stimulated by angiotensin (Ang) II, providing a pathway for Ang I generation and further conversion to Ang II. Ang II stimulates the epithelial sodium channel via the Ang II type 1 receptor and increases mineralocorticoid receptor activity attributed to increased aldosterone release. Our objective was to determine whether CD renin augmentation is mediated directly by Ang II type 1 receptor or via the epithelial sodium channel and mineralocorticoid receptor. In vivo studies examined the effects of epithelial sodium channel blockade (amiloride; 5 mg/kg per day) on CD renin expression and urinary renin content in Ang II–infused rats (80 ng/min, 2 weeks). Ang II infusion increased systolic blood pressure, medullary renin mRNA, urinary renin content, and intrarenal Ang II levels. Amiloride cotreatment did not alter these responses despite a reduction in the rate of progression of systolic blood pressure. In primary cultures of inner medullary CD cells, renin mRNA and (pro)renin protein levels increased with Ang II (100 nmol/L), and candesartan (Ang II type 1 receptor antagonist) prevented this effect. Aldosterone (10
−10
to 10
−7
mol/L) with or without amiloride did not modify the upregulation of renin mRNA in Ang II–treated cells. However, inhibition of protein kinase C with calphostin C prevented the Ang II–mediated increases in renin mRNA and (pro)renin protein levels. Furthermore, protein kinase C activation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate increased renin expression to the same extent as Ang II. These data indicate that an Ang II type 1 receptor–mediated increase in CD renin is induced directly by Ang II via the protein kinase C pathway and that this regulation is independent of mineralocorticoid receptor activation or epithelial sodium channel activity.
Monetary Policy, Output Growth and Oil Prices
Authors: Barrell Ray , Delannoy Aurélie , Holland Dawn
Published: February 2011

As the global recovery strengthens, attention has to focus once again on the price of oil. The sharp increase seen in the last quarter of 2010 has raised serious concerns for the economic outlook. Oil prices have risen significantly since the beginning of 2009, and the rate of increase suddenly accelerated in the last months of 2010. Between September and December 2010 alone, oil prices rose by about $20, to reach $95 per barrel. Figure 1 compares the expected path of the oil price used in our forecast in October 2010 to that in January 2011, based on information from forward markets as well as an evaluation of supply conditions.
Prospects for the UK Economy
Authors: Kirby Simon , Barrell Ray , Whitworth Rachel
Published: February 2011

The performance of the UK economy was surprisingly weak in the final three months of 2010. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) preliminary estimate of GDP suggests the economy contracted by 0.5 per cent in the quarter. Much of this can be attributed to the exceptionally bad weather in the weeks before the Christmas holidays. But even when this effect is excluded UK economic growth is estimated to have stalled. It is important to gauge the signal in this slowdown, because if it is continued it will affect Bank of England decision making and strengthen the case for restructuring and retiming the fiscal consolidation that is underway. The composition of growth is important in this re-evaluation of prospects. While one would expect the construction sector to be hampered by adverse weather, the contraction in services output was more surprising.
Trend Output and the Output Gap in the UK
Authors: Barrell Ray , Kirby Simon
Published: February 2011

This note looks at estimates of the current scale of the output gap in the UK and at the factors that affect estimates of the trend rate of growth. These issues are central to the debate on macroeconomic policy, both in the short and the long run. The speed at which the economy returns to full capacity, along with the scale of the output gap, will be important factors affecting average growth over the next five years. In the longer term, trend growth at full capacity is not immutable, but rather depends upon the rate of labour augmenting technical progress and the growth of the labour force. In the medium term these factors can be added to by temporary bursts of capital augmenting technical progress and by changes in the user cost of capital that may change the optimal capital-output ratio. Other factors, such as the cost of materials, also affect potential output. Over the past few months there has also been a significant rise in oil prices, and we judge this to have a strong permanent component which will reduce trend growth in the short term and trend output in the longer term. Its implications are more fully discussed in Barrell, Delannoy and Holland in this Review.
Education and Inequality: Introduction
Authors: Green Andy , Mason Geoff , Unwin Lorna
Published: February 2011

Disparities in educational opportunities and attainments contribute a great deal to social and economic inequalities in the UK and other developed countries. First, it is well known that educational attainments are strongly positively related to employment rates and to pay. For example, among persons aged 25–59 in the UK, about 89 per cent of university graduates were employed in 2009 compared to 78 per cent of those whose highest qualifications were classified to Level 2 of the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) framework. At the same time average gross hourly earnings for 25–59 year old graduates in employment were roughly 80 per cent higher than for people in the same age group with NVQ Level 2 qualifications.
Family and Residential Instability in the Context of Paternal and Maternal Incarceration
Authors: Tasca Melinda , Rodriguez Nancy , Zatz Marjorie S.
Published: February 2011

This study contributes to research on the effects of parental incarceration on youth, using quantitative and qualitative social file data among a sample of youth referred to an urban juvenile court. The authors expand on prior research by highlighting the role of the “unstable family” before and after parental incarceration, looking specifically at changes in guardianship status and residential instability. Maternal incarceration was significantly related to rearrest among youth, and residential instability that occurred following both maternal and paternal incarceration was significantly associated with rearrest. Results underscore the need for more nuanced research on the dynamic relation among family situational factors, paternal and maternal incarceration, and continued involvement of youth in the juvenile justice system.
Evidence‐Based Medicine in Otolaryngology, Part 2
Authors: Shin Jennifer J. , Rauch Steven D. , Wasserman Jared , Coblens Orly , Randolph Gregory W.
Published: February 2011

What is the current state of evidence‐based medicine in otolaryngology? This question inquires about the state of our literature, our attitudes and capabilities, and our patients’ desires. Thus, this installment of “Evidence‐Based Medicine in Otolaryngology” focuses on these 3 topics. First, the authors consider the literature relative to benchmarks for study design. Second, the data regarding otolaryngologists’ and other surgical specialists’ attitudes and understanding of clinical data are discussed. Third, patient‐based efforts to promote and participate in evidence‐based practice are explored. In addition, a discussion of the relevant supportive efforts made by our professional organizations is included.
Pathologic Evaluation of Routine Pediatric Tonsillectomy Specimens
Authors: Nelson Marc E. , Gernon T. J. , Taylor Joseph C. , McHugh Jonathan B. , Thorne Marc C.
Published: February 2011

Objective

Evaluate the utility and explore the cost‐effectiveness of mandatory gross or pathologic analysis of routine tonsillectomy specimens in children.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary care children’s hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Retrospective case series of results of pathologic analysis of tonsillectomy specimens from all pediatric patients who underwent tonsillectomy between 1996 and 2008 (n = 5235). The results of pathologic evaluation of routine and nonroutine specimens were evaluated, and an economic analysis of alternative methods of specimen handling was performed.

Results

Zero cases of unsuspected pathology were identified on planned gross specimen evaluation (n = 4186), resulting in an estimated prevalence of 0 to 0.00088 (95% confidence interval [CI]). Positive pathologic findings on microscopic analysis (n = 1066) were only identified in posttransplant patients (10/63; 95% CI, 0.079‐0.27) and cases of surgeon suspicion (8/78; 0.045‐0.19). No cases were identified among the 17 undergoing microscopic pathologic analysis on the basis of pathologist suspicion on gross evaluation (95% CI, 0‐0.20). From an economic standpoint, microscopic evaluation of routine pediatric tonsillectomy specimens appears to be superior to gross evaluation but with an estimated cost of $766 500 per case of unsuspected lymphoma identified.

Conclusions

This study identifies a very low prevalence of unsuspected pathology on gross pathologic analysis of routine tonsillectomy specimens in children. Exploration of the cost implications suggests that such a practice is not a cost‐effective use of limited health care resources. Microscopic examination is appropriate for posttransplantation patients and in cases of surgeon suspicion.
Teachers’ Assessment of Physical Aggression With the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire: A Multitrait-Multimethod Evaluation of Convergent and Discriminant Validity
Authors: Spilt Jantine L. , Koomen Helma M.Y. , Stoel Reinoud D. , Thijs Jochem T. , van der Leij Aryan
Published: February 2011

The distinctiveness of physical aggression from other antisocial behavior is widely accepted but little research has explicitly focused on young children to empirically test this assumption. A Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix (MTMM) approach was employed to confirm the distinctiveness of physical aggression from nonaggressive antisocial behavior in early childhood. In addition, the convergent validity of teacher reports of physical aggression was investigated on a measure that contained age-appropriate behavior items selected from the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ). Assessments of physical aggression versus nonaggressive antisocial behavior of 117 kindergartners with different behavior profiles were obtained using three measures varying in source and/or method: (a) teacher reports on the PBQ, (b) short interviews with teachers, and (c) classroom observations. The MTMM matrix was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results provided reasonable support for the discrimination between physical aggression and nonaggressive antisocial behavior. In addition, strong support was found for the convergent validity of teacher-reported physical aggression using PBQ items.
Domestic Violence During Pregnancy in India
Authors: Mahapatro Meerambika , Gupta R.N. , Gupta Vinay , Kundu A.S.
Published: February 2011

Domestic violence can result in many negative health consequences for women’s health and well-being. Studies on domestic violence illustrate that abused women in various settings had increased health problems such as injury, chronic pain, gastrointestinal, and gynecological signs including sexually transmitted diseases, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. This article tries to understand the association between domestic violence and pregnancy outcomes and other health consequences. The study was carried out in all the six zones of India that is, northern, southern, eastern, western, central, and northeast zones. The study design was conceived as an analytical cross sectional study with multicenter approach. Multistage sampling and then probability proportion to size (PPS) sampling were done. A total of 18 states were taken for the study with a total sample of 14,507 married women and 14,108 married men. Married men were considered from the neighboring villages to understand men’s perspective. To understand the situation, women were interviewed using semistructured questionnaire as well as qualitative data like FGD and case studies. The result shows that domestic violence occurs during pregnancy across six zones. The situations become worse for women if her husband or family perceived the pregnancy to be a female child and there is a demand for male child. It has major health implications in accessing and utilizing antenatal care and immunization.
An Examination of Intimate Partner Violence and Psychological Stressors in Adult Abortion Patients
Authors: Ely Gretchen E. , Otis Melanie D.
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this article is to describe an exploratory study examining the relationship between intimate partner violence and psychological stressors in a sample of 188 adult abortion patients. Results indicate the almost 15% of respondents report a history of abuse by the coconceiving partner. In addition, women who reported having had one or more past abortions were more likely to also report that the person involved in the current pregnancy had also emotionally abused them. Women reporting one type of partner abuse were significantly more likely to also report other types of abuse. Women reporting abuse were less likely to report informing their coconceiving partner of their appointment at the clinic, less likely to report that their partner contributed financially to the abortion cost, and more likely to report partner refusal to wear a condom. Women who reported emotional abuse were more likely to score higher on all but one of the psychological stressor scales. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Parkour and the Multitude: Politics of a Dangerous Art
Authors: Guss Nathan
Published: February 2011

This article examines the politics of le parkour’ a new global art developed in the Paris suburbs. The practitioners' creative and dangerous movements, as a form of spatial appropriation and as a collectively developed art-form, claim new commons. Their collaborative creation of these commons forges a group identity that allows each member to retain their individuality, forging an integrated but heterogeneous collectivity. This group dynamic, combining singularity and collectivity, suggests a connection to Hardt and Negri's concept of the multitude, a potential, emerging democratic political force in the global information economy. In parkour, the centrality of embracing fear as an aesthetic experience is significant because it is precisely fear that prevents the multitude from forming and reaching its full political power by maintaining the separation of different segments of workers. An art of the multitude, parkour is its microcosm, artistic manifestation, or even harbinger.
Baguettes, Berets and Burning Cars: The 2005 Riots and the Question of Race in Contemporary France
Authors: Murphy John P.
Published: February 2011

Following the unprecedented destruction witnessed during the 2005 youth riots in France, some social commentators have suggested that the young offenders, many of whom were of immigrant descent, were tired of France's colour-blind rhetoric and were now demanding recognition of their minority status, much like some groups in the United States. However, little scholarly work has captured in any systematic way the perception of such young people. In an effort to illuminate their views, this paper draws on 12 months of ethnographic field research, beginning in September 2005, among young people, both of immigrant ancestry and ‘Franco-French’, living in the housing projects of a medium-sized French city. Noting that markers associated with class distinctions were accepted by youth as a valid form of diversity but ones having to do with race were not, I argue that these young people are just as committed to republican values as anyone else in France. Facile comparison between the American and French contexts is apt to be more misleading than helpful.