bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of community‐based case management by visiting nurses for low‐income patients with hypertension in South Korea
Authors: KIM Gwang Suk , KO Il Sun , LEE Taewha , KIM Eun Jung
Published: October 2012

Aim

To assess the effects of a visiting nurse‐driven community‐based case management program for low‐income adults with hypertension.

Methods

This single group pretest–post‐test study included 22 newly registered low‐income adult patients with hypertension in a public health center in Seoul. Visiting nurses delivered a case management program for 2–8 months. Pretest and post‐test measurements of blood pressure (BP), knowledge level, and self‐management level in terms of diet, lifestyle, physical activity, and medication were obtained.

Results

The visiting nurse‐driven case management was effective in reducing the BP level and improving the knowledge and self‐management level of the low‐income adults with hypertension in the community.

Conclusion

This study serves as a baseline for visiting nurse‐driven case management for low‐income patients with hypertension. Its findings suggest that visiting nurse‐driven case management targeting the self management of BP can foster improved BP control for newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in low‐income populations.
The bridges and barriers to ‘good’ urodynamic practice: a regional perspective
Authors: Ellis‐Jones Julie , Swithinbank Lucy , Abrams Paul
Published: October 2012

The translation of clinical guidelines into practice is a complex process, primarily because it is a ‘top down’ approach to disseminating information. The aim of this study was to determine whether current guidelines and standards have been applied to everyday urodynamic practice, and establish how health care professionals have interpreted the terminology. It was also an ideal opportunity to explore the systems in place that support personal and professional development, and identify factors that can contribute to, or obstruct, ‘good’ urodynamic practice. A descriptive exploratory research design was adopted using a mixed methodological approach. A purposive sample (n = 60) of doctors, nurses and technicians who currently undertake urodynamic investigations within one NHS region were identified. Most of the participants were familiar with the International Continence Society guidelines; with over half routinely using them in their current practice. Although there was a comprehensive uptake of formal urodynamic training courses, there was limited evidence of formal assessment either before or after training/education. This was also reflected in some of the themes that emerged during the semi‐structured interviews; access to supervision, multidisciplinary team meetings, team working, networking, isolation, attitudes and time, were all identified as factors that could have either a positive or negative effect on urodynamic practice. These findings confirm that guidelines, in one NHS region, are reaching their target population. However, the translation of training and assessment into practice is a complex issue to address, as it requires skills in reflective practice, self‐assessment and critical analysis. Although guidelines/recommendations exist, a more robust framework may be required; incorporating structured mentoring and clinical assessment with experienced practitioners, in order to address the barriers that clearly exist.
Discovering the Importance of Mediator Style—An Interdisciplinary Challenge
Authors: McDermott E. Patrick
Published: October 2012

Mediator style research is a continuing interdisciplinary challenge intersecting with professional practice and academic theory. The research discussed herein is drawn from a large database obtained from survey research of mediators, parties, and representatives at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Issues discussed include the importance of researcher background/possible bias in the construction of the methodology; development of effective survey research methodology and survey questions that measure the complex mediation process; the limitations of the use of survey research methodology in addressing the complex issues related to mediator style; the challenge to the identification of an effective mediator style or styles; the interdisciplinary team skills that can contribute to quality research vis‐à‐vis academic institutional barriers; and the ethical and program‐centered contextual challenges to what can be high‐stakes research outcomes.
Ceftobiprole Efficacy
In Vitro
against Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Production and
In Vivo
against Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Osteomyelitis in Rabbits
Authors: Saleh-Mghir Azzam , Dumitrescu Oana , Dinh Aurélien , Boutrad Yassine , Massias Laurent , Martin Émilie , Vandenesch François , Etienne Jérôme , Lina Gérard , Crémieux Anne Claude
Published: October 2012

Community-associated methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(CA-MRSA) can cause osteomyelitis with severe sepsis and/or local complications in which a Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) role is suspected.
In vitro
sub-MIC antibiotic effects on growth and PVL production by 11 PVL
+
MRSA strains, including the major CA-MRSA clones (USA300, including the LAC strain; USA400; and USA1000), and 11 PVL
+
methicillin-susceptible
S. aureus
(MSSA) strains were tested in microplate culture. Time-kill analyses with ceftobiprole at its MIC were also run with LAC. Efficacies of ceftobiprole (40 mg/kg of body weight subcutaneously [s.c.] four times a day [q.i.d.]) or vancomycin (60 mg/kg intramuscularly [i.m.] twice a day [b.i.d.]) alone or combined with rifampin (10 mg/kg b.i.d.) against rabbit CA-MRSA osteomyelitis, induced by tibial injection of 3.4 × 10
7
CFU of LAC, were compared. Treatment, started 14 days postinoculation, lasted 14 days.
In vitro
, 6/11 strains cultured with sub-MICs of ceftobiprole produced 1.6- to 4.8-fold more PVL than did the controls, with no link to specific clones. Rifampin decreased PVL production by all tested strains. In time-kill analyses at the LAC MIC (0.75 mg/liter), PVL production rose transiently at 6 and 8 h and then declined 2-fold at 16 h, concomitant with a 2-log
10
-CFU-count decrease.
In vivo
, the mean log
10
CFU/g of bone for ceftobiprole (1.44 ± 0.40) was significantly lower than that for vancomycin (2.37 ± 1.22) (
P
= 0.034), with 7/10 versus 5/11 bones sterilized, respectively. Combination with rifampin enhanced ceftobiprole (1.16 ± 0.04 CFU/g of bone [
P
= 0.056], 11/11 sterile bones) and vancomycin (1.23 ± 0.06 CFU/g [
P
= 0.011], 11/11 sterile bones) efficacies. Ceftobiprole bactericidal activity and the rifampin anti-PVL effect could play a role in these findings, which should be of interest for treating CA-MRSA osteomyelitis.
ICE
Sp1116
, the Genetic Element Responsible for
erm
(B)-Mediated, Inducible Resistance to Erythromycin in Streptococcus pyogenes
Authors: Brenciani Andrea , Tiberi Erika , Morici Eleonora , Oryaşın Erman , Giovanetti Eleonora , Varaldo Pietro E.
Published: October 2012

ICE
Sp1116
, responsible for
erm
(B)-mediated, inducible erythromycin resistance in
Streptococcus pyogenes
, was comprehensively characterized, and its chromosomal integration site was determined. It displayed a unique mosaic organization consisting of a scaffold, related to Tn
Gallo
1 from
Streptococcus gallolyticus
, with two inserted fragments separated by IS
1216
. One fragment, containing
erm
(B), displayed high-level identity to a portion of the
S. pyogenes
plasmid pSM19035; the other, containing a truncated
tet
(M) gene, displayed high-level identity to the right-hand portion of
Clostridium difficile
Tn
5397
.
In Vitro
Synergy between Clofazimine and Amikacin in Treatment of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease
Authors: van Ingen Jakko , Totten Sarah E. , Helstrom Niels K. , Heifets Leonid B. , Boeree Martin J. , Daley Charles L.
Published: October 2012

Disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is increasing in frequency. The outcome of treatment for NTM lung disease is poor, particularly lung disease caused by
Mycobacterium simiae
and
M. abscessus
. Exploring synergy between active available drugs is a sensible way forward given the lack of new active drugs. We tested for synergy between amikacin and clofazimine, using standardized methods, in 564 consecutive clinical isolates identified as 21 species of rapidly growing mycobacteria, 16 clinical
M. avium
complex isolates, and 10
M. simiae
isolates. Clofazimine and amikacin are each active
in vitro
against NTM; 97% (
n
= 548) of the rapid growers revealed MICs of clofazimine of ≤1 μg/ml, and 93% (
n
= 524) proved susceptible to amikacin. The combination showed significant synergistic activity in 56 of 68 (82%) eligible
M. abscessus
isolates, 4 of 5
M. chelonae
isolates, and 1
M. fortuitum
and 1
M. cosmeticum
isolate, with 4- to 8-fold decreases in MICs to both drugs. Significant synergy could also be demonstrated against all
M. avium
complex and
M. simiae
isolates, with fractional inhibitory concentrations of <0.5. Clofazimine and amikacin show significant synergistic activity against both rapidly and slowly growing nontuberculous mycobacteria. The safety and tolerability of adding clofazimine to amikacin-containing regimens should be tested in clinical trials, and the results of susceptibility tests for these two compounds and their combination merit clinical validation. Synergy between clofazimine and other antibiotics with intracellular targets should be explored.
Bacillus anthracis Lethal Toxin Reduces Human Alveolar Epithelial Barrier Function
Authors: Langer Marybeth , Duggan Elizabeth Stewart , Booth John Leland , Patel Vineet Indrajit , Zander Ryan A. , Silasi-Mansat Robert , Ramani Vijay , Veres Tibor Zoltan , Prenzler Frauke , Sewald Katherina , Williams Daniel M. , Coggeshall Kenneth Mark , Awasthi Shanjana , Lupu Florea , Burian Dennis , Ballard Jimmy Dale , Braun Armin , Metcalf Jordan Patrick
Published: October 2012

The lung is the site of entry for
Bacillus anthracis
in inhalation anthrax, the deadliest form of the disease.
Bacillus anthracis
produces virulence toxins required for disease. Alveolar macrophages were considered the primary target of the
Bacillus anthracis
virulence factor lethal toxin because lethal toxin inhibits mouse macrophages through cleavage of MEK signaling pathway components, but we have reported that human alveolar macrophages are not a target of lethal toxin. Our current results suggest that, unlike human alveolar macrophages, the cells lining the respiratory units of the lung, alveolar epithelial cells, are a target of lethal toxin in humans. Alveolar epithelial cells expressed lethal toxin receptor protein, bound the protective antigen component of lethal toxin, and were subject to lethal-toxin-induced cleavage of multiple MEKs. These findings suggest that human alveolar epithelial cells are a target of
Bacillus anthracis
lethal toxin. Further, no reduction in alveolar epithelial cell viability was observed, but lethal toxin caused actin rearrangement and impaired desmosome formation, consistent with impaired barrier function as well as reduced surfactant production. Therefore, by compromising epithelial barrier function, lethal toxin may play a role in the pathogenesis of inhalation anthrax by facilitating the dissemination of
Bacillus anthracis
from the lung in early disease and promoting edema in late stages of the illness.
ON THE AVERAGE SIZE OF GLUSHKOV AND PARTIAL DERIVATIVE AUTOMATA
Authors: BRODA SABINE , MACHIAVELO ANTÓNIO , MOREIRA NELMA , REIS ROGÉRIO
Published: October 2012

In this paper, the relation between the Glushkov automaton [Formula: see text] and the partial derivative automaton [Formula: see text] of a given regular expression, in terms of transition complexity, is studied. The average transition complexity of [Formula: see text] was proved by Nicaud to be linear in the size of the corresponding expression. This result was obtained using an upper bound of the number of transitions of [Formula: see text]. Here we present a new quadratic construction of [Formula: see text] that leads to a more elegant and straightforward implementation, and that allows the exact counting of the number of transitions. Based on that, a better estimation of the average size is presented. Asymptotically, and as the alphabet size grows, the number of transitions per state is on average 2. Broda et al. computed an upper bound for the ratio of the number of states of [Formula: see text] to the number of states of [Formula: see text] which is about ½ for large alphabet sizes. Here we show how to obtain an upper bound for the number of transitions in [Formula: see text], which we then use to get an average case approximation. In conclusion, assymptotically, and for large alphabets, the size of [Formula: see text] is half the size of the [Formula: see text]. This is corroborated by some experiments, even for small alphabets and small regular expressions.
MINIMUM LOCAL DISK COVER SETS FOR BROADCASTING IN HETEROGENEOUS MULTIHOP WIRELESS NETWORKS
Authors: CHEN GUANING , YI CHIH-WEI , SUN MIN-TE , LIU FANG-CHU , LAN WEI-CHI
Published: October 2012

The concept of forwarding sets is widely adopted in many broadcast protocols for wireless multihop networks to alleviate the broadcast storm problem. In these protocols, after receiving a broadcast message, each node that is requested to relay the message instructs a subset of its 1-hop neighbors, a.k.a. the forwarding set, to further relay it. In this paper, we propose to use the Minimum Local Disk Cover Set (MLDCS) as the forwarding set in heterogeneous multihop wireless networks, where nodes may have different transmission ranges.We show that the minimum local disk cover set of a node in heterogeneous networks is equivalent to its skyline set, and then we propose a divide-and-conquer algorithm with the optimal time complexity to compute the skyline set locally and statelessly. Moreover, unlike other forwarding heuristics, the proposed algorithm requires only 1-hop neighbor information. This helps to reduce the forwarding set formation latency and thus will be more suitable for environments with a frequently changed network topology, such as vehicular ad hoc networks.
CONTINUITY OF PLURISUBHARMONIC ENVELOPES IN ℂ2
Authors: GÖĞÜŞ NİHAT GÖKHAN , ŞAHUTOĞLU SÖNMEZ
Published: October 2012

We show that in ℂ2 if the set of strongly regular points are closed in the boundary of a smooth bounded pseudoconvex domain, then the domain is c-regular, that is, the plurisubharmonic upper envelopes of functions continuous up to the boundary are continuous on the closure of the domain. Using this result we prove that smooth bounded pseudoconvex Reinhardt domains in ℂ2 are c-regular.
HIERARCHY OF CORRELATIONS VIA LÜDERS MEASUREMENTS
Authors: LUO SHUNLONG , FU SHUANGSHUANG
Published: October 2012

The classification and quantification of correlations (classical and quantum) in composite quantum systems are of fundamental significance for quantum information processing. While the paradigm of separability versus entanglement has been intensively studied, the scenario of classicality versus quantumness, with focus on the quantum discord, has also attracted many recent interests. In this paper, pursuing further the latter scenario and exploiting the intrinsic structure of bipartite quantum states via local projective measurements, we introduce the notion of coherent dimension of correlations in terms of the Lüders measurements. The coherent dimension can alternatively be regarded as a generalization of the Schmidt number of a pure state. Furthermore, we propose some families of measures for correlations, which extend naturally both the quantum discord and the quantum mutual information (total correlations), and furthermore interpolate between them. These quantities reveal some hierarchial structures, and provide a more complete description, of both classical and quantum correlations in the quantum realm.
INTERPLAY BETWEEN QUANTUM PHASE TRANSITIONS AND THE BEHAVIOR OF QUANTUM CORRELATIONS AT FINITE TEMPERATURES
Authors: WERLANG T. , RIBEIRO G. A. P. , RIGOLIN GUSTAVO
Published: October 2012

We review the main results and ideas showing that quantum correlations at finite temperatures (T), in particular quantum discord, are useful tools in characterizing quantum phase transitions (QPT) that only occur, in principle, at the unattainable absolute zero temperature. We first review some interesting results about the behavior of thermal quantum discord for small spin-1/2 chains and show that they already give us important hints of the infinite chain behavior. We then study in detail and in the thermodynamic limit (infinite chains) the thermal quantum correlations for the XXZ and XY models, where one can clearly appreciate that the behavior of thermal quantum discord at finite T is a useful tool to spotlight the critical point of a QPT.
GENERA OF THE LINKS DERIVED FROM 2-CONNECTED PLANE GRAPHS
Authors: LIU SHUYA , ZHANG HEPING
Published: October 2012

In this paper, we associate a plane graph G with an oriented link by replacing each vertex of G with a special oriented n-tangle diagram. It is shown that such an oriented link has the minimum genus over all orientations of its unoriented version if its associated plane graph G is 2-connected. As a result, the genera of a large family of unoriented links are determined by an explicit formula in terms of their component numbers and the degree sum of their associated plane graphs.
ARITHMETIC PROGRESSIONS IN SUMSETS AND DIFFERENCE SETS
Authors: MEI SHU-YUAN , CHEN YONG-GAO
Published: October 2012

Let s ≥ 1, Ai ⊆ {1,2,…,N} (1 ≤ i ≤ s) and k ≥ 3 be an odd integer. In this paper, one of the main results is: if [Formula: see text], then (a) each of Ai - Aj (1 ≤ i, j ≤ s) contains an arithmetic progression of length k with the same common difference; (b) all sets Ai - Ai (1 ≤ i ≤ s) contain a common arithmetic progression of length k. Finally, we pose several problems for further research.
CYCLIC DEFORMATION BEHAVIOR OF AGED FeNiCoAlTa SINGLE CRYSTALS
Authors: KROOß P. , NIENDORF T. , KARAMAN I. , CHUMLYAKOV Y. , MAIER H. J.
Published: October 2012

The cyclic deformation behavior of [001] oriented Fe-28Ni-17Co-11.5Al-2.5Ta (at.%) shape memory single crystals was investigated under tension. Dog-bone shaped specimens were tested up to 100 cycles after different aging heat treatments in order to characterize the cyclic stress–strain response and functional degradation. The smaller particles formed as a consequence of short aging for 1 h at 700°C, as compared to longer aging for 7 h, resulted in significantly enhanced resistance to cyclic degradation.
ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF CARBON NANOTUBES
Authors: DONG XIULI , TANG YONGAN , LILLY MARQUITA , AFERCHICH KAMAL , YANG LIJU
Published: October 2012

Inactivation of pathogens from environment and inhibition of biofilm formation on various surfaces are important for biosafety, biosecurity and public health. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess antimicrobial effects in addition to their unique optical, electrical, mechanical and thermal properties. This review summarizes the antimicrobial effects of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in suspensions and on CNT contained surfaces. To increase antimicrobial effects, CNT composites containing other antimicrobial reagents are introduced. Also described are the possible antimicrobial mechanisms of CNTs.
Extracting information networks from the blogosphere
Authors: Merhav Yuval , Mesquita Filipe , Barbosa Denilson , Yee Wai Gen , Frieder Ophir
Published: October 2012

We study the problem of automatically extracting information networks formed by recognizable entities as well as relations among them from social media sites. Our approach consists of using state-of-the-art natural language processing tools to identify entities and extract sentences that relate such entities, followed by using text-clustering algorithms to identify the relations within the information network. We propose a new term-weighting scheme that significantly improves on the state-of-the-art in the task of relation extraction, both when used in conjunction with the standard
tf
ċ
idf
scheme and also when used as a pruning filter. We describe an effective method for identifying benchmarks for open information extraction that relies on a curated online database that is comparable to the hand-crafted evaluation datasets in the literature. From this benchmark, we derive a much larger dataset which mimics realistic conditions for the task of open information extraction. We report on extensive experiments on both datasets, which not only shed light on the accuracy levels achieved by state-of-the-art open information extraction tools, but also on how to tune such tools for better results.
Range searching on uncertain data
Authors: Agarwal Pankaj K. , Cheng Siu-Wing , Yi Ke
Published: October 2012

Querying uncertain data has emerged as an important problem in data management due to the imprecise nature of many measurement data. In this article, we study answering range queries over uncertain data. Specifically, we are given a collection
P
of
n
uncertain points in ℝ, each represented by its one-dimensional probability density function (pdf). The goal is to build a data structure on
P
such that, given a query interval
I
and a probability threshold τ, we can quickly report all points of
P
that lie in
I
with probability at least τ. We present various structures with linear or near-linear space and (poly)logarithmic query time. Our structures support pdf's that are either histograms or more complex ones such as Gaussian or piecewise algebraic.
Sensor Node Localization with Uncontrolled Events
Authors: Zhong Ziguo , He Tian
Published: October 2012

Event-driven localization has been proposed as a low-cost solution for node positioning in wireless sensor networks. In order to eliminate the costly requirement for accurate event control in existing methods, we present a practical design using uncontrolled events. The main idea is to estimate both event generation parameters and the location of sensor nodes simultaneously, by processing
node sequences
that can be easily obtained from event detections. Besides the basic design, we proposed two enhancements to further extract information embedded in node orderings for two scenarios: (i) node density is high; and (ii) abundant events are available. To demonstrate the generality of our design, both straight-line scan and circular wave propagation events are addressed in the article, and we evaluated the design with extensive simulation as well as a testbed implementation with 41 MICAz motes. Results show that with only randomly generated events, our design can effectively localize nodes with great flexibility while adding little extra cost at the resource constrained sensor node side. In addition, localization via uncontrolled events provides a potential option of achieving node positioning through long-term ambient events.
Self-organizing synchronization with inhibitory-coupled oscillators
Authors: Klinglmayr Johannes , Bettstetter Christian
Published: October 2012

Solutions for time synchronization based on coupled oscillators operate in a self-organizing and adaptive manner and can be applied to various types of dynamic networks. The basic idea was inspired by swarms of fireflies, whose flashing dynamics shows an emergent behavior. This article introduces such a synchronization technique whose main components are “inhibitory coupling” and “self-adjustment.” Based on this new technique, a number of contributions are made. First, we prove that inhibitory coupling can lead to perfect synchrony independent of initial conditions for delay-free environments and homogeneous oscillators. Second, relaxing the assumptions to systems with delays and different phase rates, we prove that such systems synchronize up to a certain precision bound. We derive this bound assuming inhomogeneous delays and show by simulations that it gives a good estimate in strongly-coupled systems. Third, we show that inhibitory coupling with self-adjustment quickly leads to synchrony with a precision comparable to that of excitatory coupling. Fourth, we analyze the robustness against faulty members performing incorrect coupling. While the specific precision-loss encountered by such disturbances depends on system parameters, the system always regains synchrony for the investigated scenarios.
Design and evaluation of decentralized online clustering
Authors: Quiroz Andres , Parashar Manish , Gnanasambandam Nathan , Sharma Naveen
Published: October 2012

Ensuring the efficient and robust operation of distributed computational infrastructures is critical, given that their scale and overall complexity is growing at an alarming rate and that their management is rapidly exceeding human capability. Clustering analysis can be used to find patterns and trends in system operational data, as well as highlight deviations from these patterns. Such analysis can be essential for verifying the correctness and efficiency of the operation of the system, as well as for discovering specific situations of interest, such as anomalies or faults, that require appropriate management actions.

This work analyzes the automated application of clustering for online system management, from the point of view of the suitability of different clustering approaches for the online analysis of system data in a distributed environment, with minimal prior knowledge and within a timeframe that allows the timely interpretation of and response to clustering results. For this purpose, we evaluate DOC (Decentralized Online Clustering), a clustering algorithm designed to support data analysis for autonomic management, and compare it to existing and widely used clustering algorithms. The comparative evaluations will show that DOC achieves a good balance in the trade-offs inherent in the challenges for this type of online management.
Parameterized Bounded-Depth Frege Is not Optimal
Authors: Beyersdorff Olaf , Galesi Nicola , Lauria Massimo , Razborov Alexander A.
Published: October 2012

A general framework for parameterized proof complexity was introduced by Dantchev et al. [2007]. There, the authors show important results on tree-like Parameterized Resolution---a parameterized version of classical Resolution---and their gap complexity theorem implies lower bounds for that system.

The main result of this article significantly improves upon this by showing optimal lower bounds for a parameterized version of bounded-depth Frege. More precisely, we prove that the pigeonhole principle requires proofs of size
n
Ω(k)
in parameterized bounded-depth Frege, and, as a special case, in dag-like Parameterized Resolution. This answers an open question posed in Dantchev et al. [2007]. In the opposite direction, we interpret a well-known technique for FPT algorithms as a DPLL procedure for Parameterized Resolution. Its generalization leads to a proof search algorithm for Parameterized Resolution that in particular shows that tree-like Parameterized Resolution allows short refutations of all parameterized contradictions given as bounded-width CNFs.
Extendable pattern-oriented optimization directives
Authors: Cui Huimin , Xue Jingling , Wang Lei , Yang Yang , Feng Xiaobing , Fan Dongrui
Published: October 2012

Algorithm-specific, that is, semantic-specific optimizations have been observed to bring significant performance gains, especially for a diverse set of multi/many-core architectures. However, current programming models and compiler technologies for the state-of-the-art architectures do not exploit well these performance opportunities. In this article, we propose a pattern-making methodology that enables algorithm-specific optimizations to be encapsulated into “optimization patterns”. Such optimization patterns are expressed in terms of preprocessor directives so that simple annotations can result in significant performance improvements. To validate this new methodology, a framework, named EPOD, is developed to map these directives into the underlying optimization schemes for a particular architecture.

It is difficult to create an exact performance model to determine an optimal or near-optimal optimization scheme (including which optimizations to apply and in which order) for a specific application, due to the complexity of applications and architectures. However, it is trackable to build individual optimization components and let compiler developers synthesize an optimization scheme from these components. Therefore, our EPOD framework provides an Optimization Programming Interface (OPI) for compiler developers to define new optimization schemes. Thus, new patterns can be integrated into EPOD in a flexible manner.

We have identified and implemented a number of optimization patterns for three representative computer platforms. Our experimental results show that a pattern-guided compiler can outperform the state-of-the-art compilers and even achieve performance as competitive as hand-tuned code. Therefore, such a pattern-making methodology represents an encouraging direction for domain experts' experience and knowledge to be integrated into general-purpose compilers.
Disjoint out-of-order execution processor
Authors: Sharafeddine Mageda , Jothi Komal , Akkary Haitham
Published: October 2012

High-performance superscalar architectures used to exploit instruction level parallelism in single-thread applications have become too complex and power hungry for the multicore processors era. We propose a new architecture that uses multiple small latency-tolerant out-of-order cores to improve single-thread performance. Improving single-thread performance with multiple small out-of-order cores allows designers to place more of these cores on the same die. Consequently, emerging highly parallel applications can take full advantage of the multicore parallel hardware without sacrificing performance of inherently serial and hard to parallelize applications. Our architecture combines speculative multithreading (SpMT) with checkpoint recovery and continual flow pipeline architectures. It splits single-thread program execution into disjoint control and data threads that execute concurrently on multiple cooperating small and latency-tolerant out-of-order cores. Hence we call this style of execution Disjoint Out-of-Order Execution (DOE). DOE uses latency tolerance to overcome performance issues of SpMT caused by interthread data dependences. To evaluate this architecture, we have developed a microarchitecture performance model of DOE based on PTLSim, a simulation infrastructure of the x86 instruction set architecture. We evaluate the potential performance of DOE processor architecture using a simple heuristic to fork control independent threads in hardware at the target addresses of future procedure return instructions. Using applications from SpecInt 2000, we study DOE under ideal as well as realistic architectural constraints. We discuss the performance impact of key DOE architecture and application variables such as number of cores, interthread data dependences, intercore data communication delay, buffers capacity, and branch mispredictions. Without any DOE specific compiler optimizations, our results show that DOE outperforms conventional SpMT architectures by 15%, on average. We also show that DOE with four small cores can perform on average equally well to a large superscalar core, consuming about the same power. Most importantly, DOE improves throughput performance by a significant amount over a large superscalar core, up to 2.5 times, when running multitasking applications.
Expanding home services with advanced gateways
Authors: Whiteaker Jon , Schneider Fabian , Teixeira Renata , Diot Christophe , Soule Augustin , Picconi Fabio , May Martin
Published: October 2012

The success of over-the-top (OTT) services reflects users' demand for personalization of digital services at home. ISPs propose fulfilling this demand with a cloud delivery model, which would simplify the management of the service portfolio and bring them additional revenue streams. We argue that this approach has many limitations that can be fixed by turning the home gateway into a flexible execution platform. We define requirements for such a "service-hosting gateway" and build a proof of concept prototype using a virtualized Intel Groveland system-on-a-chip platform. We discuss remaining challenges such as service distribution, security and privacy, management, and home integration.
Workshop report
Authors: Zseby Tanja , claffy kc
Published: October 2012

On May 14-15, 2012, CAIDA hosted the first international Workshop on Darkspace and Unsolicited Traffic Analysis (DUST 2012) to provide a forum for discussion of the science, engineering, and policy challenges associated with darkspace and unsolicited traffic analysis. This report captures threads discussed at the workshop and lists resulting collaborations.
Generalized Differentiable -Invex Functions and Their Applications in Optimization
Authors: Jaiswal S. , Panda G.
Published: October 2012

The concept of -convex function and its generalizations is studied with differentiability assumption. Generalized differentiable -convexity and generalized differentiable -invexity are used to derive the existence of optimal solution of a general optimization problem.
Logarithmically Improved Regularity Criteria for a Fluid System with the Linear Soret Effect
Authors: Zang Minglei , Guan Xiaoyan
Published: October 2012

We consider the 3D fluid system with the linear Soret effect.
We obtain a logarithmically improved regularity criterion in the BMO space.
Performance Comparison of UWB Pulse Modulation Schemes under White Gaussian Noise Channels
Authors: Abedi O. , Yagoub M. C. E.
Published: October 2012

In this paper, and for the first time, the performance of various ultra wideband pulse modulation schemes are discussed and compared in terms of narrowband interference robustness, symbol error rate, system complexity, data rate, and maximum transmit power with respect to transceiver distance and channel capacity. The channel model is the UWB IEEE 802.15.3a multipath indoor channel model under additive white Gaussian noise. The transmit power was evaluated by integrating the fifth derivative of the power spectrum density of the Gaussian pulse over the whole bandwidth.
Role of HLA in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Park Meerim , Seo Jong Jin
Published: October 2012

The selection of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) donors includes a rigorous assessment of the availability and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match status of donors. HLA plays a critical role in HSCT, but its involvement in HSCT is constantly in flux because of changing technologies and variations in clinical transplantation results. The increased availability of HSCT through the use of HLA-mismatched related and unrelated donors is feasible with a more complete understanding of permissible HLA mismatches and the role of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes in HSCT. The influence of nongenetic factors on the tolerability of HLA mismatching has recently become evident, demonstrating a need for the integration of both genetic and nongenetic variables in donor selection.
In VitroScreening of Medicinal Plants Used in Mexico as Antidiabetics with Glucosidase and Lipase Inhibitory Activities
Authors: Ramírez Guillermo , Zavala Miguel , Pérez Julia , Zamilpa Alejandro
Published: October 2012

This work shows the inhibitory effect on glucosidase and lipase enzymes of 23 medicinal plants described as traditional treatments for diabetes in several Mexican sources. Hydroalcoholic extracts of selected plants were evaluated at 1 mg/mL for glucosidase and 0.25 mg/mL for lipase inhibitory activities, respectively.Camellia sinensis, acarbose, and orlistat were used as positive controls. Dose-response curves were done with the most active species. Sixty percent of all tested extracts inhibited more than 25% ofα-glucosidase activity.C. sinensisdisplayed an inhibition of 85% (IC50 = 299 μg/mL), whileLudwigia octovalvisandIostephane heterophyllashowed the highest inhibition (82.7 %, IC50 = 202 μg/mL and 60.6%, CI50 = 509 μg/mL, resp.). With respect to lipase activity,L. octovalvisandTecoma stanswere the most inhibiting treatments (31.4%, IC50 = 288 μg/mL; 27.2%, IC50 = 320 μg/mL), whileC. sinensisdisplayed 45% inhibition (IC50 = 310 μg/mL). These results indicate that a high proportion of plants used in Mexico as treatment for diabetes displays significant inhibition of these digestive enzymes.
Effect ofAlpinia katsumadaiHayata on House Dust Mite-Induced Atopic Dermatitis in NC/Nga Mice
Authors: Lim Hye-Sun , Seo Chang-Seob , Ha Hyekyung , Lee Hoyoung , Lee Jun Kyung , Lee Mee-Young , Shin HyeunKyoo
Published: October 2012

We evaluated the effects ofAlpinia katsumadaiHayata (AKH, Zingiberaceae) extract on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2(PGE2) in RAW 264.7 cells, thymus- and-activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) in HaCaT cells, and histamine level in HMC-1 cells. In anin vivoexperiment, atopic dermatitis was induced by topical application of house dust mites for 4 weeks, and the protective effects of AKH was investigated by measuring the severity of the skin reaction on the back and ears, and plasma levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and histamine. AKH extract suppressed the production of NO and PGE2in RAW 264.7 cells, TARC in HaCaT cells, and histamine in HMC-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Inin vivoexperiments, the severity of dermatitis, including erythema/hemorrhage, edema, erosion and scaling, and plasma levels of IgE, and histamine were lower in NC/Nga mice with atopic dermatitis, treated with AKH extract than in untreated mice. AKH extract reduced the histological manifestations of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions such as erosion, hyperplasia of the epidermis and dermis, and inflammatory cell infiltration on the skin of the back and ear. These results suggest that AKH inhibits the development of house dust mite-induced atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice.
General LQG Homing Problems in One Dimension
Authors: Lefebvre Mario , Zitouni Foued
Published: October 2012

Optimal control problems for one-dimensional diffusion processes in the interval (d1,d2) are considered. The aim is either to maximize or to minimize the time spent by the controlled processes in (d1,d2). Exact solutions are obtained when the processes are symmetrical with respect to d∗∈(d1,d2). Approximate solutions are derived in the asymmetrical case. The one-barrier cases are also treated. Examples
are presented.
Geminin Functions Downstream of p53 in K-ras–Induced Gene Amplification of Dihydrofolate Reductase
Authors: Shen Ling , Nishioka Takashi , Guo Jinjin , Chen Changyan
Published: October 2012

DNA strand breakage and perturbation of cell-cycle progression contribute to gene amplification events that can drive cancer. In cells lacking p53, DNA damage does not trigger an effective cell-cycle arrest and in this setting promotes gene amplification. This is also increased in cells harboring oncogenic Ras, in which cell-cycle arrest is perturbed and ROS levels that cause DNA single strand breaks are elevated. This study focused on the effects of v-K-ras and p53 on Methotrexate (MTX)-mediated DHFR amplification. Rat lung epithelial cells expressing v-K-ras or murine lung cancer LKR cells harboring active K-ras continued cell-cycle progression when treated with MTX. However, upon loss of p53, amplification of DHFR and formation of MTX-resistant colonies occurred. Expression levels of cyclin A, Geminin, and Cdt1 were increased in v-K-ras transfectants. Geminin was sufficient to prevent the occurrence of multiple replications via interaction with Cdt1 after MTX treatment, and DHFR amplification proceeded in v-K-ras transfectants that possess a functional p53 in the absence of geminin. Taken together, our findings indicate that p53 not only regulates cell-cycle progression, but also functions through geminin to prevent DHFR amplification and protect genomic integrity. Cancer Res; 72(23); 6153–62. ©2012 AACR.
Changing Views on Intergenerational Ties
Authors: Fingerman Karen L. , Sechrist Jori , Birditt Kira
Published: October 2012

Ties to parents or grown children may be the most important social relationships in an adult’s life. Research examining intergenerational relationships has focused on three broader topics: (a) the strength of emotional bonds, (b) exchanges of social support, and (c) the effects of the relationship on individual well-being. This review considers some of the major theoretical developments in the field including solidarity and intergenerational ambivalence theory as well as the newly developed multidimensional model of support. We also consider weaknesses in the research and theories to date and provide suggestions for future research.
Characterization and Genome Organization of a Repetitive Element Associated with the Nucleolus Organizer Region in Leporinuselongatus (Anostomidae: Characiformes)
Authors: da Silva E.L. , Busso A.F. , Parise-Maltempi P.P.
Published: October 2012

Chromosome mapping and studies of the genomic organization of repetitive DNA sequences provide valuable insights that enhance our evolutionary and structural understanding of these sequences, as well as identifying chromosomal rearrangements and sex determination. This study investigated the occurrence and organization of repetitive DNA sequences in Leporinus elongatus using restriction enzyme digestion and the mapping of sequences by chromosomal fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). A 378-bp fragment with a 54.2% GC content was isolated after digestion with the SmaI restriction enzyme. BLASTN search found no similarity with previously described sequences, so this repetitive sequence was named LeSmaI. FISH experiments were conducted using L. elongatus and other Anostomidae species, i.e. L. macrocephalus,L. obtusidens, L. striatus, L. lacustris, L. friderici, Schizodon borellii, S. isognathus, and Abramites hypselonotus which detected signals that were unique to male and female L. elongatus individuals. Double-FISH using LeSmaI and 18S rDNA showed that LeSmaI was located in a nucleolus organizer region (NOR) in the male and female metaphases of L. elongatus. This report also discusses the role of repetitive DNA associated with NORs in the diversification of Anostomidae species karyotypes.
S1P1 expression is controlled by the pro-oxidant activity of p66Shc and is impaired in B-CLL patients with unfavorable prognosis
Authors: Capitani Nagaja , Patrussi Laura , Trentin Livio , Lucherini Orso Maria , Cannizzaro Enrica , Migliaccio Enrica , Frezzato Federica , Gattazzo Cristina , Forconi Francesco , Pelicci Piergiuseppe , Semenzato Gianpietro , Baldari Cosima T.
Published: October 2012

Although intrinsic apoptosis defects are causal to the extended survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells, several lines of evidence support a contribution of the peripheral lymphoid organs and BM microenvironment to the extended lifespan of leukemic B cells. Lymphocyte trafficking is controlled by homing signals provided by stromal cell–derived chemokines and egress signals provided by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). In the present study, we show that expression of S1P1, the S1P receptor responsible for lymphocyte egress, is selectively reduced in CLL B cells with unmutated IGHV. Expression of S1P2, which controls B-cell homeostasis, is also impaired in CLL B cells but independently of the IGHV mutational status. We provide evidence herein that p66Shc, a Shc adaptor family member the deficiency of which is implicated in the apoptosis defects of CLL B cells, controls S1P1 expression through its pro-oxidant activity. p66Shc also controls the expression of the homing receptor CCR7, which opposes S1P1 by promoting lymphocyte retention in peripheral lymphoid organs. The results of the present study provide insights into the regulation of S1P1 expression in B cells and suggest that defective egress caused by impaired S1P1 expression contributes to the extended survival of CLL B cells by prolonging their residency in the prosurvival niche of peripheral lymphoid organs.
Transcriptome analyses of early cucumber fruit growth identifies distinct gene modules associated with phases of development
Authors: Ando Kaori , Carr Kevin M , Grumet Rebecca
Published: October 2012

Background

Early stages of fruit development from initial set through exponential growth are critical determinants of size and yield, however, there has been little detailed analysis of this phase of development. In this study we combined morphological analysis with 454 pyrosequencing to study transcript level changes occurring in young cucumber fruit at five ages from anthesis through the end of exponential growth.

Results

The fruit samples produced 1.13 million ESTs which were assembled into 27,859 contigs with a mean length of 834 base pairs and a mean of 67 reads per contig. All contigs were mapped to the cucumber genome. Principal component analysis separated the fruit ages into three groups corresponding with cell division/pre-exponential growth (0 and 4 days post pollination (dpp)), peak exponential expansion (8dpp), and late/post-exponential expansion stages of growth (12 and 16 dpp). Transcripts predominantly expressed at 0 and 4 dpp included homologs of histones, cyclins, and plastid and photosynthesis related genes. The group of genes with peak transcript levels at 8dpp included cytoskeleton, cell wall, lipid metabolism and phloem related proteins. This group was also dominated by genes with unknown function or without known homologs outside of cucurbits. A second shift in transcript profile was observed at 12-16dpp, which was characterized by abiotic and biotic stress related genes and significant enrichment for transcription factor gene homologs, including many associated with stress response and development.

Conclusions

The transcriptome data coupled with morphological analyses provide an informative picture of early fruit development. Progressive waves of transcript abundance were associated with cell division, development of photosynthetic capacity, cell expansion and fruit growth, phloem activity, protection of the fruit surface, and finally transition away from fruit growth toward a stage of enhanced stress responses. These results suggest that the interval between expansive growth and ripening includes further developmental differentiation with an emphasis on defense. The increased transcript levels of cucurbit-specific genes during the exponential growth stage may indicate unique factors contributing to rapid growth in cucurbits.