bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tolerability of Cefazolin after Immune-Mediated Hypersensitivity Reactions to Nafcillin in the Outpatient Setting
Authors: Blumenthal Kimberly G. , Youngster Ilan , Shenoy Erica S. , Banerji Aleena , Nelson Sandra B.
Published: March 2014

The objective of the present study was to assess the safety and tolerability of cefazolin therapy among patients with methicillin-sensitive Gram-positive bacterial infections who develop non-IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to nafcillin. In this retrospective cohort analysis of the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy program at the Massachusetts General Hospital from 2007 through 2013, we identified patients switched from nafcillin to cefazolin after an immune-mediated HSR. We reviewed patient demographics, details about the original HSR, and outcomes after the switch to cefazolin therapy. HSRs were classified by reaction type and likely mechanism. There were 467 patients treated with nafcillin, of which 60 (12.8%) were switched to cefazolin during their prescribed course. Of the 60 patients who transitioned to cefazolin, 17 (28.3%) were switched because of non-IgE-mediated HSRs. HSRs included maculopapular rash (
n
= 10), immune-mediated nephritis (
n
= 3), isolated eosinophilia (
n
= 2), immune-mediated hepatitis (
n
= 1), and a serum sickness-like reaction (
n
= 1). All but one patient (94.1%) who switched to cefazolin tolerated the drug with resolution of the HSR and completed their therapy with cefazolin. No patient experienced worsening of their rash or progressive organ dysfunction. With appropriate monitoring, therapy with cefazolin after non-IgE-mediated HSRs to nafcillin appears to be safe.
Liposome Encapsulation of Ciprofloxacin Improves Protection against Highly Virulent Francisella tularensis Strain Schu S4
Authors: Hamblin Karleigh A. , Armstrong Stuart J. , Barnes Kay B. , Davies Carwyn , Wong Jonathan P. , Blanchard James D. , Harding Sarah V. , Simpson Andrew J. H. , Atkins Helen S.
Published: March 2014

Liposome-encapsulated ciprofloxacin for inhalation (CFI) was investigated as a putative postexposure therapeutic for two strains ofFrancisella tularensis. The efficacies of oral ciprofloxacin and intranasally instilled CFI could not be distinguished in a mouse model of infection with theF. tularensislive vaccine strain (LVS), where a single dose of either formulation offered full protection against a lethal challenge. However, mouse studies with the more virulent Schu S4 strain ofF. tularensisdemonstrated that a higher level of protection against a lethal aerosol infection is provided by CFI than by oral ciprofloxacin. In addition, using this infection model, it was possible to discriminate the efficacy of intranasally instilled CFI from that of aerosolized CFI, with aerosolized CFI providing full protection after just a single dose. The improved efficacy of CFI compared to oral ciprofloxacin is likely due to the high sustained concentrations of ciprofloxacin in the lung. In summary, CFI may be a promising therapy, perhaps enabling the prophylactic regimen to be shortened, for use in the event of a deliberate release ofF. tularensis. The prophylactic efficacy of CFI against other biological warfare (BW) threat agents also warrants investigation.
Nonnucleoside Inhibitors of Norovirus RNA Polymerase: Scaffolds for Rational Drug Design
Authors: Eltahla Auda A. , Lim Kun Lee , Eden John-Sebastian , Kelly Andrew G. , Mackenzie Jason M. , White Peter A.
Published: March 2014

Norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, causing over 200,000 deaths a year. NoV is nonenveloped, with a single-stranded RNA genome, and is primarily transmitted person to person. The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is critical for the production of genomic and subgenomic RNA and is therefore a prime target for antiviral therapies. Using high-throughput screening, nearly 20,000 “lead-like” compounds were tested for inhibitory activity against the NoV genogroup II, genotype 4 (GII.4) RdRp. The four most potent hits demonstrated half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC
50
s) between 5.0 μM and 9.8 μM against the target RdRp. Compounds NIC02 and NIC04 revealed a mixed mode of inhibition, while NIC10 and NIC12 were uncompetitive RdRp inhibitors. When examined using enzymes from related viruses, NIC02 demonstrated broad inhibitory activity while NIC04 was the most specific GII.4 RdRp inhibitor. The antiviral activity was examined using available NoV cell culture models; the GI.1 replicon and the infectious GV.1 murine norovirus (MNV). NIC02 and NIC04 inhibited the replication of the GI.1 replicon, with 50% effective concentrations (EC
50
s) of 30.1 μM and 71.1 μM, respectively, while NIC10 and NIC12 had no observable effect on the NoV GI.1 replicon. In the MNV model, NIC02 reduced plaque numbers, size, and viral RNA levels in a dose-dependent manner (EC
50
s between 2.3 μM and 4.8 μM). The remaining three compounds also reduced MNV replication, although with higher EC
50
s, ranging from 32 μM to 38 μM. In summary, we have identified novel nonnucleoside inhibitor scaffolds that will provide a starting framework for the development and future optimization of targeted antivirals against NoV.
Utility of faecal calprotectin in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): what cut-offs should we apply?
Authors: Dhaliwal A , Zeino Z , Tomkins C , Cheung M , Nwokolo C , Smith S , Harmston C , Arasaradnam R P
Published: March 2014

Background

Faecal calprotectin (FC), a cytosolic protein released by neutrophils (S100 family) in response to inflammation, is a simple, non-invasive test that can be used to differentiate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), where there can be considerable symptom overlap.

Aims and methods

The aims of the study were (1) to be able to predict the ability of FC to exclude IBD and determine cut-offs when in remission, (2) to investigate the effects of time and temperature on stability of FC and (3) compare three ELISA kits to measure FC: Buhlmann, PhiCal v1 and PhiCal v2. A total of 311 patients with altered bowel habit were tested for FC; 144 with IBS, 148 with IBD and 19 with other organic causes.

Results

Sensitivity and specificity of FC (with PhiCal v2 kit) to distinguish between functional disorder (IBS) and IBD using cut-off 50 μg/g were 88% and 78%, respectively, with a negative predictive value of 87%. Area under the receiver operating curve was 0.84 (CI 0.78 to 0.90). For those with IBD, FC values below 250 μg/g corresponded with remission of disease with a sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 76%, respectively. Area under the receiver operating curve was 0.93 (CI 0.89 to 0.97). FC was stable once extracted and frozen for up to 2.5 months. Pearson correlation was good between Buhlmann assay and PhiCal v2 (r2 = 0.95).

Conclusions

FC has up to 87% negative predictive value to exclude IBD, and cut-offs less than 250 μg/g had 90% sensitivity to determine remission in IBD. Once frozen, FC is stable and the ELISA monoclonal plates were broadly comparable.
Downgrading of biopsy based Gleason score in prostatectomy specimens
Authors: Treurniet Kilian M , Trudel Dominique , Sykes Jenna , Evans Andrew J , Finelli Antonio , Van der Kwast Theodorus H
Published: March 2014

Aims

To assess the frequency and possible causes of downgrading from a Gleason score (GS) 7 at biopsy to a GS ≤6 at radical prostatectomy (RP) in a Canadian referral centre.

Methods

Data were extracted from diagnostic reports of inhouse biopsies and matching prostatectomy specimens from 2008 to 2011 with a GS 7 at biopsy. Biopsies and corresponding prostatectomy specimens of downgraded cases were reviewed. Pathological features were assessed and possible predictors for downgrading were identified.

Results

Based on pathology reports, 29 (8.9%, 95% CI 5.8% to 11.9%) of the 327 eligible cases were downgraded from biopsy GS 7 to RP GS 6, 72% of them representing a GS ≤6 with tertiary grade 4 at RP. Agreement at review of downgraded RP specimens for Gleason grading was fair and of borderline significance (κ=0.34, 95% CI −0.01 to 0.68, p=0.055) with 65% agreement for tertiary grade. The predominant Gleason grade 4 pattern found in the downgraded biopsies was ill-formed glands. The number of cores with Gleason grade 4 component was found to be the strongest negative predictor of downgrading (prereview OR=0.56 (95% CI 0.39 to 0.80, p=0.002), postreview OR=0.19 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.52, p=0.001)).

Conclusions

The frequency of GS 7 in biopsies subsequently downgraded in RP is low and is associated with International Society of Urological Pathology modified Gleason grade 4 patterns. Downgrading could be attributed in most cases to the presence of a tertiary Gleason grade 4 pattern in the RP specimen. Inter-observer agreement for the presence of tertiary grade 4 in RP specimens is moderate.
Complex dielectric permittivity of organically modified bentonite suspensions (0.2–1.3 GHz)
Authors: Bate B. , Burns S.E.
Published: March 2014

To quantify the impact of organic carbon on the complex dielectric permittivity of organoclays, nine organically modified clays were synthesized with controlled organic carbon structure and density of loading. Resonance polarization responses were observed for six of the organoclays at resonant frequencies from 0.74 to 1.37 GHz; however, organoclays synthesized with the smallest organic cations did not exhibit resonant frequency. A structural model of water molecules near the surface of organoclay and in the diffuse layer was proposed, which consists of a surface-bound water layer, an organic cation-interactive zone, and bulk water. The Cole–Cole equation was used to fit the resonance response. Increasing the density of loading (30% to 100% of the cation exchange capacity of the base clay) on the clay surface led to a reduction in the resonance time of the clay, while increasing the size of the organic cation led to a longer dielectric resonance time for the clay, which indicates that altering the structure and density of the organic carbon phase changed the degree of constraint of water molecules within the clay’s interlayer. However, the impact of organic carbon content on real permittivity was not significant. Water content had no obvious effect on the resonant frequency of the organoclays at high water content (porosity ranging from 0.7 to 1.0) in this study. In addition, it was shown that a linear approximation was sufficient in relating real permittivity of organoclay suspensions to porosity, and the effective conductivity decreased linearly proportional to porosity. That is, the real permittivity and effective conductivity were dominated by that of the aqueous phase until the inception of resonance polarization.
Evaluating the effect of pelagic zooplankton community composition and density on larval walleye (Sander vitreus) growth with a bioenergetic-based foraging model
Authors: McDonnell Kevin N. , Roth Brian M.
Published: March 2014

We developed a bioenergetic-based foraging model to evaluate how the composition of the pelagic zooplankton community influences the growth of zooplanktivorous larval walleye (Sander vitreus). Our model incorporates field observations of pelagic zooplankton composition and density as well as size-specific prey preferences of larval walleye to simulate both foraging and consumption rates. The model was evaluated in four lakes in northern Wisconsin: two with invasive populations of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and two without populations of rainbow smelt. Invasive rainbow smelt are known to alter the composition of pelagic zooplankton communities as well as cause declines in walleye recruitment, thus providing a unique opportunity to evaluate our model. The results suggest that larval walleye growth is slowed in systems that lack high densities of large-bodied Daphnia. Such conditions may create an energetic bottleneck for larval walleye. This approach could easily be applied to other species that are also affected by rainbow smelt or more generally where success of larval foraging is suspected to have a large influence on year-class strength.
Comodules over weak multiplier bialgebras
Authors: Böhm Gabriella
Published: March 2014

This is a sequel paper of [Weak multiplier bialgebras, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., in press] in which we study the comodules over a regular weak multiplier bialgebra over a field, with a full comultiplication. Replacing the usual notion of coassociative coaction over a (weak) bialgebra, a comodule is defined via a pair of compatible linear maps. Both the total algebra and the base (co)algebra of a regular weak multiplier bialgebra with a full comultiplication are shown to carry comodule structures. Kahng and Van Daele's integrals [The Larson–Sweedler theorem for weak multiplier Hopf algebras, in preparation] are interpreted as comodule maps from the total to the base algebra. Generalizing the counitality of a comodule to the multiplier setting, we consider the particular class of so-called full comodules. They are shown to carry bi(co)module structures over the base (co)algebra and constitute a monoidal category via the (co)module tensor product over the base (co)algebra. If a regular weak multiplier bialgebra with a full comultiplication possesses an antipode, then finite-dimensional full comodules are shown to possess duals in the monoidal category of full comodules. Hopf modules are introduced over regular weak multiplier bialgebras with a full comultiplication. Whenever there is an antipode, the Fundamental Theorem of Hopf Modules is proven. It asserts that the category of Hopf modules is equivalent to the category of firm modules over the base algebra.
Generalized fermion algebra
Authors: Chung Won Sang , Daoud Mohammed
Published: March 2014

A one-parameter generalized fermion algebra ℬκ(1) is introduced. The Fock representation is studied. The associated coherent states are constructed and the polynomial representation, in the Bargmann sense, is derived. A special attention is devoted to the limiting case κ → 0, where the fermionic coherent states, labeled by Grassmann variables, are obtained. The physical relevance of the algebra is illustrated throughout Calogero–Sutherland system.
Investigating dirty crossover through fidelity susceptibility and density of states
Authors: Khan Ayan , Basu Saurabh , Tanatar B.
Published: March 2014

We investigate the BCS–BEC crossover in an ultracold atomic gas in the presence of disorder. The disorder is incorporated in the mean-field formalism through Gaussian fluctuations. We observe evolution to an asymmetric line-shape of fidelity susceptibility (FS) as a function of interaction coupling with increasing disorder strength which may point to an impending quantum phase transition (QPT). The asymmetric line-shape is further analyzed using the statistical tools of skewness and kurtosis. We extend our analysis to density of states (DOS) for a better understanding of the crossover in the disordered environment.
Modeling of Parkinson's Disease Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps and Non-Linear Hebbian Learning
Authors: Anninou Antigoni P. , Groumpos Peter P.
Published: March 2014

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive, age-related, neurodegenerative disorder that affects a large population around the world. A mathematical model for Parkinson's disease is presented using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs). Basic theories of FCMs are reviewed and presented. Decision Support Systems (DSS) for medical problems are reviewed. Non-linear Hebbian learning techniques are considered in studying Medical problems and a generic algorithm is presented. The proposed method used the knowledge of a number of experts and simulations were performed obtaining interesting results. Comparisons of the results of the proposed method, both by making use and not making use of learning algorithms, are presented. Some interesting future research directions are mentioned.
CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
Authors: Sonohata Motoki , Tsuruta Toshiyuki , Mine Hiroko , Asami Akihiko , Ishii Hideki , Tsunoda Kenji , Morimoto Tadatsugu , Mawatari Masaaki
Published: March 2014

The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics of neuropathic pain in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. We retrospectively reviewed 143 hands in 127 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. The neuropathic pain was determined by using the painDETECT as a self-administered psychometric questionnaire to distinguish neuropathic pain. There were no significant differences in the characteristics of the patients with and without neuropathic pain. However, there were significant differences in the pain scores between those with and without neuropathic pain (p < 0.01). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the existence of night pain in these patients (p < 0.01). Based on the results of the current study, we conclude that it is important to be aware of, and consider the existence of neuropathic pain during the treatment of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome with night pain or a high score on the numerical rating scales of pain.
OSTEOLYSIS WITH SECONDARY ARTHRITIS OF THE SCAPHOTRAPEZIOTRAPEZOID JOINT IN HAJDU-CHENEY SYNDROME: A CASE REPORT
Authors: Flannery Olivia , Smith Karen
Published: March 2014

We describe a case of Hajdu-Cheney syndrome affecting the scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joint presently being treated non-operatively. This syndrome poses the problem of non-union when surgical intervention is required.
On Gumbel limit for the length of reactive paths
Authors: Bakhtin Yuri
Published: March 2014

We give a new proof of the vanishing noise limit theorem for exit times of one-dimensional diffusions conditioned on exiting through a point separated from the starting point by a potential wall. We also prove a scaling limit for exit location in a model two-dimensional situation.
Nilpotent and perfect groups with the same set of character degrees
Authors: Navarro Gabriel , Rizo Noelia
Published: March 2014

We find a pair of finite groups, one nilpotent and the other perfect, with the same set of character degrees.
Rational maps of ℙn with prescribed fixed points and the smooth conic case
Authors: Vargas J. A. , Argáez A. S.
Published: March 2014

We construct rational maps of ℙn which have a prescribed variety as a component of their fixed point set. The resulting maps fix a pencil of lines for the case of hypersurfaces; thus including the cases of plane curves. We also determine the Cremona maps among the constructed ones for quadratic hypersurfaces. Our methods are based on associated matrices of forms of constant degree and the "triple action" of G = PGL n+1 on them. We include a complete classification of these maps and matrices for the case of the smooth conic curve in ℙ2. We obtain invariants and canonical forms for the orbits of our matrices under the triple action of G, modulo syzygies of a row vector. We obtain invariants and canonical forms for the orbits of the constructed rational maps under conjugation by G.
Powers of irreducible characters and conjugacy classes in finite groups
Authors: Darafsheh M. R. , Robati S. M.
Published: March 2014

Let G be a finite group. We define the derived covering number and the derived character covering number of G, denoted respectively by dcn (G) and dccn (G), as the smallest positive integer n such that Cn = G′ for all non-central conjugacy classes C of G and Irr ((χn)G′) = Irr (G′) for all nonlinear irreducible characters χ of G, respectively. In this paper, we obtain some results on dcn and dccn for a finite group G, such as the existence of these numbers and upper bounds on them.
Stability for a nonlinear coupled system of elasticity and thermoelasticity with second sound
Authors: Meng Yi-Ping , Wang Ya-Guang
Published: March 2014

In this paper, we study the qualitative properties of solutions to a nonlinear system describing the motion of a bar in which the middle part is sensitive to the thermal change, while the outer parts are insensible. By the energy method, we show that the initial boundary value problem for this coupled system of wave equations and thermoelastic equations with second sound in one space variable is well-posed globally in time, and it is also stable exponentially as the time goes to infinity when the wave speed of the outer parts is properly large, under certain restrictions on the initial data and the growth rate of the nonlinear terms.
Generalized sampling: From shift-invariant to U-invariant spaces
Authors: Fernández-Morales H. R. , García A. G. , Hernández-Medina M. A. , Muñoz-Bouzo M. J.
Published: March 2014

The aim of this article is to derive a sampling theory in U-invariant subspaces of a separable Hilbert space ℋ where U denotes a unitary operator defined on ℋ. To this end, we use some special dual frames for L2(0, 1), and the fact that any U-invariant subspace with stable generator is the image of L2(0, 1) by means of a bounded invertible operator. The used mathematical technique mimics some previous sampling work for shift-invariant subspaces of L2(ℝ). Thus, sampling frame expansions in U-invariant spaces are obtained. In order to generalize convolution systems and deal with the time-jitter error in this new setting we consider a continuous group of unitary operators which includes the operator U.
Realizations of homogeneous Besov and Triebel–Lizorkin spaces and an application to pointwise multipliers
Authors: Moussai Madani
Published: March 2014

We study the dilation commuting realizations of the homogeneous Besov spaces [Formula: see text] or the homogeneous Triebel–Lizorkin spaces [Formula: see text] in the case p, q > 0, and either s - (n/p) ∉ ℕ0or s - (n/p) ∈ ℕ0and 0 < q ≤ 1 (0 < p ≤ 1 in the [Formula: see text]-case). We present an application to pointwise multiplication if s ≤ n/p.
Theoretical study on the formation of carbon disulfide and ammonia from thermal decomposition products of thiourea
Authors: Wang Zerong Daniel , Hysmith Meagan , Quintana Perla Cristina
Published: March 2014

The formation of carbon disulfide ( CS 2) and ammonia ( NH 3) from the thermal decomposition products of thiourea has been studied with MP2, and hybrid module-based density functional theory methods (B3LYP, MPW1PW91 and PBE1PBE), each in conjunction with five different basis sets (6-31+G(2d,2p), 6-311++G(2d,2p), DGDZVP, DGDZVP2 and DGTZVP). The free energy changes and activation energies for all the five primitive reactions involved in the formation of CS 2 and NH 3 have been compared and discussed. The results indicate that CS 2 is most likely formed in a consecutive reaction path that consists of the addition of hydrogen sulfide ( H 2 S ) to isothiocyanic acid (HNCS) to generate carbamodithioic acid and subsequent decomposition of carbamodithioic acid. By contrast, thiocyanic acid (HSCN) as the structural isomer of isothiocyanic acid is not likely the source of CS 2.
Citation analysis of the scientific publications of Britton Chance in ISI citation indexes
Authors: Li Lin Z. , Leydesdorff Loet , Nioka Shoko , Sun Nannan , Garfield Eugene
Published: March 2014

Britton Chance was a pioneer in many scientific fields such as enzymatic reaction kinetics, bioenergetics, metabolism, in vivo NMR, and biophotonics. As an engineer, physical chemist, physicist, physiologist, biophysicist, biochemist, innovator and educator, he had worked in diversified fields over extended periods between 1926 until his death in 2010, at the age of 97. In order to illustrate his scientific career and great impact on research from a new perspective, we employ scientometric analysis tools to analyze the publications of Britton Chance with data downloaded from the ISI Citation Indexes in April 2013. We included articles, reviews and proceeding papers but excluded meeting abstracts. In total, we obtained 1023 publication records with 1236 authors in 266 journals with 17,114 citations from 1945 to 2013. We show the annual publications and citations that Britton Chance received from 1945 to 2013, and generate HistCite maps on the basis of the global citations (GCS) and local (self) citations (LCS) to show the citation relationships among the top-30 publications of Britton Chance. Metabolism and the development of physical methods to probe it appear to be the connecting thread of the lifelong research of Britton Chance. Furthermore, we generate the journal map and co-authorship map to show the broad scope of research topics and collaborators and the high impacts of the scientific oeuvre of Britton Chance ranging from physics, engineering, chemistry and biology to medicine.
Relief variation and erosion of the Variscan belt: detrital geochronology of the Palaeozoic sediments from the Mauges Unit (Armorican Massif, France)
Authors: Ducassou Céline , Poujol Marc , Ruffet Gilles , Bruguier Olivier , Ballèvre Michel
Published: March 2014

The sediments of the Mauges Unit located in the internal zone provide an opportunity of studying the evolution of relief during Palaeozoic time. U–Pb dating on zircon and
39
Ar/
40
Ar on white mica are used to constrain the age and nature of the sources. The first relief identified is marked by an Early Devonian unconformity interpreted as the opening of a northern back-arc basin. Detrital minerals are first reworked from underlying layers indicating a local supply. Magmatic zircons at
c.
400 Ma then record the emergence of a magmatic arc. During the Middle Devonian, the gap in the sedimentary record is attributed to an emersion followed by the disappearance of the relief during the Late Devonian. At the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary, the main collision is followed by the onset of a relief. The continental sedimentation in the Ancenis Basin (late Tournaisian–Viséan) is a coarsening-upwards megasequence indicating an increasing and/or approaching relief. The detrital minerals record the progressive exhumation of Variscan metamorphic (mica at
c.
350 Ma) and magmatic rocks (zircons at
c.
390–340 Ma). The Serpukhovian–Bashkirian sedimentation records the erosion of a proximal metamorphic source (Champtoceaux with micas at
c.
350–340 Ma) showing a much shorter drainage system.

Supplementary material:

Sample coordinates and U–Pb on zircon and
39
Ar/
40
Ar on white mica analyses are available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18730
.
Palaeozoic evolution of the Variscan Vosges Mountains
Authors: Skrzypek Etienne , Schulmann Karel , Tabaud Anne-Sophie , Edel Jean-Bernard
Published: March 2014

A geological synthesis of the Palaeozoic Vosges Mountains (NE France) is presented using existing observations and new data. The geodynamic evolution involves: (1) Early Palaeozoic sedimentation and magmatism; (2) Late Devonian subduction triggering back-arc spreading; (3) early Lower Carboniferous continental subduction, continent–continent collision and polyphase deformation and metamorphism of the orogenic root; and (4) late Lower Carboniferous orogenic collapse driven by thermal weakening of the middle crust. The evolution is integrated within the framework of the European Variscan Belt. The Northern Vosges comprise sediments of Rhenohercynian affinity separated from Teplá-Barrandian metasediments by a Lower Carboniferous magmatic arc. The latter is correlated with the Mid-German Crystalline Rise, and is ascribed to the south-directed subduction of the Rhenohercynian Basin. The Saxothuringian–Moldanubian suture is thought to be obliterated by the magmatic arc, while the Lalaye–Lubine Fault is interpreted as the Teplá-Barrandian–Moldanubian boundary. The Central Vosges are paralleled with the Moldanubian domain of the Bohemian Massif where identical lithologies record the Devonian–Carboniferous SE-directed subduction of the Saxothuringian passive margin below the Moldanubian upper plate. The Southern Vosges represent the upper Moldanubian crust and are linked to the southern Black Forest. The presence of an oceanic domain to the south of the Vosges–Black Forest remains unclear.

Supplementary material:

List of radiometric ages used for probability plots is available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18734
.
A plate-kinematic model for the assembly of the Bohemian Massif constrained by structural relationships around granitoid plutons
Authors: Žák Jiří , Verner Kryštof , Janoušek Vojtěch , Holub František V. , Kachlík Václav , Finger Fritz , Hajná Jaroslava , Tomek Filip , Vondrovic Lukáš , Trubač Jakub
Published: March 2014

This paper summarizes the current knowledge on the nature, kinematics and timing of movement along major tectonic boundaries in the Bohemian Massif and demonstrates how the Variscan plutonism and deformation evolved in space and time. Four main episodes are recognized: (1) Late Devonian–early Carboniferous subduction and continental underthrusting of the Saxothuringian Unit beneath the Teplá–Barrandian Unit resulted in the orogen-perpendicular shortening and growth of an inboard magmatic arc during
c.
354–346 Ma; (2) the subduction-driven shortening was replaced by collapse of the Teplá–Barrandian upper crust, exhumation of the high-grade (Moldanubian) core of the orogen at
c.
346–337 Ma and by dextral strike-slip along orogen-perpendicular NW–SE shear zones; (3) following closure of a Rhenohercynian Ocean basin, the Brunia microplate was underthrust beneath the eastern flank of the Saxothuringian/Teplá–Barrandian/Moldanubian ‘assemblage’; this process commenced at
c.
346 Ma in the NE and ceased at
c.
335 Ma in the SW; and (4) late readjustments within the amalgamated Bohemian Massif included crustal exhumation and mainly S-type granite plutonism along the edge of the Brunia indentor at
c.
330–327 Ma, and peripheral tectonothermal activity driven by strike-slip faulting and possibly mantle delamination around the consolidated Bohemian Massif's interior until late Carboniferous–earliest Permian times.
Towards scalable arithmetic units with graceful degradation
Authors: Riemens Danny P. , Gaydadjiev Georgi N. , Zeeuw Chris I. de , Strydis Christos
Published: March 2014

This article presents a new family of scalable arithmetic units (ScAUs) targeting resource-constrained, embedded devices. We, first, study the performance, power, area and scalability properties of general adders. Next, suitable error-detection schemes for low-power embedded systems are discussed. As a result, our ScAUs are enhanced with a suitable error-detection scheme, resulting in a Parity-Checked ScAU (PCScAU) design. The PCScAU strikes a flexible trade-off between space and time redundancy, offering dependability similar to high-end techniques for the area and power cost of low-end approaches. An alternative design, the Precision-Scalable Arithmetic Unit (PScAU) maintains throughput with degraded precision in case of hardware failures. The PScAU is targeting dependable applications where latency rather than numerical accuracy is more important. The PScAU's downscaled mode is also interesting for runtime thermal management due to its advantageous power consumption. We implemented and synthesized the PCScAU, PScAU and a few important reference designs (double-, triple- and quadruple-modular-redundancy adders with/without input gating) in 90-
nm
UMC technology. Overall, the PC-ScAU ranks first in 9 out of 10 power-delay-area (PDA)-product variants. It exhibits 16% area savings and 12% performance speedup for 7% increase in total power consumption, compared to the cheapest form of conventional hardware replication with the same fault coverage. The PDA product of the PCScAU is, thus, reduced by 21%. It is interesting that, while total power slightly increases, the PCScAU static power in fact decreases by 14%. Therefore, for newer technology nodes where the static power component is significant, the PCScAU can also achieve—next to performance and area -- significant power improvements.
Simultaneous hardware and time redundancy with online task scheduling for low energy highly reliable standby-sparing system
Authors: Tavana Mohammad Khavari , Teimouri Nasibeh , Abdollahi Meisam , Goudarzi Maziar
Published: March 2014

Standby-sparing is one of the common techniques in order to design fault-tolerant safety-critical systems where the high level of reliability is needed. Recently, the minimization of energy consumption in embedded systems has attracted a lot of concerns. Simultaneous considering of high reliability and low energy consumption by DVS is a challenging problem in designing such a system, since using DVS has been shown to reduce the reliability profoundly. In this article, we have studied different schemes of standby-sparing systems from the energy consumption and reliability point of view. Moreover, we propose a new standby-sparing scheme which addresses both reliability and energy consumption jointly together. This scheme uses a simple energy management coupled with an online task scheduler which tries to dispatch those ready tasks which are expected to lead to high reliability and low energy consumption in the system. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme has been shown on TGFF under stochastic workloads. The results show 52% improvement on energy saving compared to the conventional hot standby-sparing system. Moreover, two orders of magnitude higher reliability is obtained on average, while preserving the same level of energy saving as compared to the state-of-the-art
low-energy standby-sparing
system (LESS).
Elon
Authors: Dong Wei , Liu Yunhao , Chen Chun , Gu Lin , Wu Xiaofan
Published: March 2014

We present a new mechanism called Elon for enabling efficient and long-term reprogramming in wireless sensor networks. Elon reduces the transferred code size significantly by introducing the concept of
replaceable
component. It avoids the cost of hardware reboot with a novel software reboot mechanism. Moreover, it significantly prolongs the reprogrammable lifetime (i.e., the time period during which the sensor nodes can be reprogrammed) by avoiding flash writes for TelosB nodes. Experimental results show that Elon transfers up to 120--389 times less information than Deluge, and 18--42 times less information than Stream. The software reboot mechanism that Elon applies reduces the rebooting cost by 50.4%--53.87% in terms of beacon packets, and 56.83% in terms of unsynchronized nodes. In addition, Elon prolongs the reprogrammable lifetime by a factor of 3.3.
Management and optimization for nonvolatile memory-based hybrid scratchpad memory on multicore embedded processors
Authors: Hu Jingtong , Zhuge Qingfeng , Xue Chun Jason , Tseng Wei-Che , Sha Edwin H.-M.
Published: March 2014

The recent emergence of various Non-Volatile Memories (NVMs), with many attractive characteristics such as low leakage power and high-density, provides us with a new way of addressing the memory power consumption problem. In this article, we target embedded CMPs, and propose a novel Hybrid Scratch Pad Memory (HSPM) architecture which consists of SRAM and NVM to take advantage of the ultra-low leakage power, high density of NVM, and fast access of SRAM. A novel data allocation algorithm as well as an algorithm to determine the NVM/SRAM ratio for the novel HSPM architecture are proposed. The experimental results show that the data allocation algorithm can reduce the memory access time by 33.51% and the dynamic energy consumption by 16.81% on average for the HSPM architecture when compared with a greedy algorithm. The NVM/SRAM size determination algorithm can further reduce the memory access time by 14.7% and energy consumption by 20.1% on average.
A Multiple-FPGA parallel computing architecture for real-time simulation of soft-object deformation
Authors: Mahdavikhah Behzad , Mafi Ramin , Sirouspour Shahin , Nicolici Nicola
Published: March 2014

Hardware-based parallel computing is proposed for acceleration of finite-element (FE) analysis of linear elastic deformation models. An implementation of the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient algorithm on
N
Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices solves the large linear system of equations arising from the FE discretization. The system employs a large number of customized fixed-point computing units with a high-throughput memory architecture. An implementation of this scalable architecture on four Altera EP3SE110 FPGA devices yields a peak performance of 604 Giga Operations per second. This enables haptic simulation of a 3-dimensional deformable object of 21000 elements at an update rate of 400Hz.
Python to accelerate embedded SoC design
Authors: Logaras Evangelos , Hazapis Orsalia G. , Manolakos Elias S.
Published: March 2014

We present
SysPy
(System Python) a tool which exploits the strengths of the popular Python scripting language to boost design productivity of embedded System on Chips for FPGAs.
SysPy
acts as a “glue” software between mature HDLs, ready-to-use VHDL components and programmable processor soft IP cores.
SysPy
can be used to: (i) automatically translate hardware components described in Python into synthesizable VHDL, (ii) capture top-level structural descriptions of processor-centric SoCs in Python, (iii) implement all the steps necessary to compile the user's C code for an instruction set processor core and generate processor specific Tcl scripts that import to the design project all the necessary HDL files of the processor's description and instantiate/connect the core to other blocks in a synthesizable top-level Python description. Moreover, we have developed a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) in Python which allows user applications running in a host PC to utilize effortlessly the SoC's resources in the FPGA.
SysPy's
design capabilities, when complemented with the developed HAL software API, provide all the necessary tools for hw/sw partitioning and iterative design for efficient SoC's performance tuning. We demonstrate how
SysPy's
design flow and functionalities can be used by building a processor-centric embedded SoC for computational systems biology. The designed SoC, implemented using a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA, combines the flexibility of a programmable soft processor core (Leon3) with the high performance of an application specific core to simulate flexibly and efficiently the stochastic behavior of large size biomolecular reaction networks. Such networks are essential for studying the dynamics of complex biological systems consisting of multiple interacting pathways.
An asymmetric dual-processor architecture for low-power information appliances
Authors: Guimbretiére François , Liu Shenwei , Wang Han , Manohar Rajit
Published: March 2014

As users become increasingly conscious of their energy footprint—either to improve battery life or to respect the environment—improved energy efficiency of systems has gained in importance. This is especially important in the context of information appliances such as e-book readers that are meant to replace books, since their energy efficiency impacts how long the appliance can be used on a single charge of the battery.

In this article, we present a new software and hardware architecture for information appliances that provides significant advantages in terms of device lifetime. The architecture combines a low-power microcontroller with a high-performance application processor, where the low-power microcontroller is used to handle simple user interactions (e.g., turning pages, inking, entering text) without waking up the main application processor. We demonstrate how this architecture is easily adapted to the traditional way of building user interfaces using a user interface markup language. We report on our initial measurements using an E Ink-based prototype. When comparing our hybrid architecture to a simpler solution we found that we can increase the battery life by a factor of 1.72 for a reading task and by a factor of 3.23 for a writing task. We conclude by presenting design guidelines aimed at optimizing the overall energy signature of information appliances.
Efficient simulations for the exponential integrals of Hölder continuous gaussian random fields
Authors: Liu Jingchen , Xu Gongjun
Published: March 2014

In this article, we consider a Gaussian random field
f
(
t
) living on a compact set
T
⊂
R
d
and the computation of the tail probabilities
P
(∫

T

e

f
(
t
)

dt
>
e

b

) as
b
→ ∞. We design asymptotically efficient importance sampling estimators for a general class of Hölder continuous Gaussian random fields. In addition to the variance control, we also analyze the bias (relative to the interesting tail probabilities) caused by the discretization.
Variance estimation and sequential stopping in steady-state simulations using linear regression
Authors: Gupta Vivek , Andradóttir Sigrún , Goldsman David
Published: March 2014

We propose a method for estimating the variance parameter of a discrete, stationary stochastic process that involves combining variance estimators at different run lengths using linear regression. We show that the estimator thus obtained is first-order unbiased and consistent under two distinct asymptotic regimes. In the first regime, the number of constituent estimators used in the regression is fixed and the numbers of observations corresponding to the component estimators grow in a proportional manner. In the second regime, the number of constituent estimators grows while the numbers of observations corresponding to each estimator remain fixed. We also show that for
m
-dependent stochastic processes, one can use regression to obtain asymptotically normally distributed variance estimators in the second regime. Analytical and numerical examples indicate that the new regression-based estimators give good mean-squared-error performance in steady-state simulations.

The regression methodology presented in this article can also be applied to estimate the bias of variance estimators. As an example application, we present a new sequential-stopping rule that uses the estimate for bias to determine appropriate run lengths. Monte Carlo experiments indicate that this “bias-controlling” sequential-stopping method has the potential to work well in practice.
Research issues in outlier detection for data streams
Authors: Sadik Shiblee , Gruenwald Le
Published: March 2014

In applications, such as sensor networks and power usage monitoring, data are in the form of streams, each of which is an infinite sequence of data points with explicit or implicit timestamps and has special characteristics, such as transiency, uncertainty, dynamic data distribution, multidimensionality, and dynamic relationship. These characteristics introduce new research issues that make outlier detection for stream data more challenging than that for regular (non-stream) data. This paper discusses those research issues for applications where data come from a single stream as well as multiple streams.
Can We Say What Diet Is Best for Health?
Authors: Katz D.L. , Meller S.
Published: March 2014

Diet is established among the most important influences on health in modern societies. Injudicious diet figures among the leading causes of premature death and chronic disease. Optimal eating is associated with increased life expectancy, dramatic reduction in lifetime risk of all chronic disease, and amelioration of gene expression. In this context, claims abound for the competitive merits of various diets relative to one another. Whereas such claims, particularly when attached to commercial interests, emphasize distinctions, the fundamentals of virtually all eating patterns associated with meaningful evidence of health benefit overlap substantially. There have been no rigorous, long-term studies comparing contenders for best diet laurels using methodology that precludes bias and confounding, and for many reasons such studies are unlikely. In the absence of such direct comparisons, claims for the established superiority of any one specific diet over others are exaggerated. The weight of evidence strongly supports a theme of healthful eating while allowing for variations on that theme. A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention and is consistent with the salient components of seemingly distinct dietary approaches. Efforts to improve public health through diet are forestalled not for want of knowledge about the optimal feeding of Homo sapiens but for distractions associated with exaggerated claims, and our failure to convert what we reliably know into what we routinely do. Knowledge in this case is not, as of yet, power; would that it were so.
Millions Dead: How Do We Know and What Does It Mean? Methods Used in the Comparative Risk Assessment of Household Air Pollution
Authors: Smith Kirk R. , Bruce Nigel , Balakrishnan Kalpana , Adair-Rohani Heather , Balmes John , Chafe Zoë , Dherani Mukesh , Hosgood H. Dean , Mehta Sumi , Pope Daniel , Rehfuess Eva
Published: March 2014

In the Comparative Risk Assessment (CRA) done as part of the Global Burden of Disease project (GBD-2010), the global and regional burdens of household air pollution (HAP) due to the use of solid cookfuels, were estimated along with 60+ other risk factors. This article describes how the HAP CRA was framed; how global HAP exposures were modeled; how diseases were judged to have sufficient evidence for inclusion; and how meta-analyses and exposure-response modeling were done to estimate relative risks. We explore relationships with the other air pollution risk factors: ambient air pollution, smoking, and secondhand smoke. We conclude with sensitivity analyses to illustrate some of the major uncertainties and recommendations for future work. We estimate that in 2010 HAP was responsible for 3.9 million premature deaths and ∼4.8% of lost healthy life years (DALYs), ranking it highest among environmental risk factors examined and one of the major risk factors of any type globally.
The Growth of Palliative Care in the United States
Authors: Hughes Mark T. , Smith Thomas J.
Published: March 2014

Palliative care has been one of the most rapidly growing fields of health care in the United States in the past decade. The benefits of palliative care have now been shown in multiple clinical trials, with increased patient and provider satisfaction, equal or better symptom control, more discernment of and honoring choices about place of death, fewer and less intensive hospital admissions in the last month of life, less anxiety and depression, less caregiver distress, and cost savings. The cost savings come from cost avoidance, or movement of a patient from a high cost setting to a lower cost setting. Barriers to expanded use include physician resistance, unrealistic expectations of patients and families, and lack of workforce. The future of palliative care includes more penetration into other fields such as nephrology, neurology, and surgery; further discernment of the most effective and cost-effective models; and establishment of more outpatient services.
Aligning Leadership Across Systems and Organizations to Develop a Strategic Climate for Evidence-Based Practice Implementation
Authors: Aarons Gregory A. , Ehrhart Mark G. , Farahnak Lauren R. , Sklar Marisa
Published: March 2014

There has been a growing impetus to bridge the gap between basic science discovery, development of evidence-based practices (EBPs), and the availability and delivery of EBPs in order to improve the public health impact of such practices. To capitalize on factors that support implementation and sustainment of EBPs, it is important to consider that health care is delivered within the outer context of public health systems and the inner context of health care organizations and work groups. Leaders play a key role in determining the nature of system and organizational contexts. This article addresses the role of leadership and actions that leaders can take at and across levels in developing a strategic climate for EBP implementation within the outer (i.e., system) and inner (i.e., organization, work group) contexts of health care. Within the framework of Edgar Schein's “climate embedding mechanisms,” we describe strategies that leaders at the system, organization, and work group levels can consider and apply to develop strategic climates that support the implementation and sustainment of EBP in health care and allied health care settings.