bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Persistent Use of Against‐Label Statin‐Fibrate Combinations from 2003–2009 Despite United States Food and Drug Administration Dose Restrictions
Authors: Alford Julie C. , Saseen Joseph J. , Allen Richard R. , Nair Kavita V.
Published: September 2012

Study Objective

To describe the prevalence of prescribing against‐label statin‐fibrate combination therapy.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Data Source

Medstat MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounter database.

Patients

Adults (aged 18–89 yrs) who were prescribed statin‐fibrate combination therapy between January 1, 2003, and June 30, 2009, had pharmacy claims demonstrating two or more concurrently filled prescriptions for a statin and a fibrate, and had continuous insurance enrollment for at least 12 months.

Measurements and Main Results

Claims data were used to identify patients with dyslipidemia based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes. National Drug Codes were used to describe concurrent statin‐fibrate combination therapy. The primary outcome was recent use of against‐label statin‐fibrate combination therapy, defined as use during the last 18 months (January 1, 2008–June 30, 2009) of the study period. Patients were stratified according to statin and dosage to identify against‐label combination use (e.g., simvastatin > 10 mg/day with gemfibrozil). Within the recent‐use period, 131,394 patients were prescribed concurrent statin‐fibrate combination therapy; of these patients, 13,420 (10.2%) had against‐label therapy. Simvastatin‐gemfibrozil accounted for 8978 (66.9%) of all against‐label combinations. Of all 9877 simvastatin‐gemfibrozil combinations prescribed in the recent‐use period (both on‐label and against‐label use), 8978 (90.9%) were against label. The secondary outcome was prevalence of against‐label statin‐fibrate combination therapy on an annual basis: 15.5% in 2003, 18.7% in 2004, 9.1% in 2005, 8.3% in 2006, 9.2% in 2007, and 9.8% in 2008.

Conclusion

Against‐label statin‐fibrate combination therapy continues to be prescribed despite established United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dose restrictions. Nearly every time the simvastatin‐gemfibrozil combination was prescribed, it was against label because simvastatin exceeded the maximum dose restriction. Updated simvastatin labeling in June 2011 includes additional maximum dose restrictions and new contraindications, which include gemfibrozil. Different approaches in clinical practice are needed to ensure adherence with the revised FDA labeling.
Plasma Renin Activity–Guided Strategy for the Management of Hypertension
Authors: Olson Nicole , DeJongh Beth , Hough Augustus , Parra David
Published: September 2012

Despite the wide array of antihypertensive agents and the availability of national guidelines regarding treatment for hypertension, the disease remains uncontrolled in nearly 50% of affected patients. Furthermore, the number of patients with resistant hypertension continues to increase. For patients with resistant hypertension, the American Heart Association has advocated for clinical studies to determine appropriate pharmacologic treatment strategies. One proposed strategy involves ambulatory measurement of plasma renin activity (PRA) to guide the selection of antihypertensive therapy. Patients with low PRA would be prescribed natriuretic volume‐mediated therapies (e.g., diuretics and calcium channel blockers), whereas those with high PRA would receive antirenin system therapies (e.g., β‐blockers, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, and angiotensin II receptor blockers). This review focuses on the principles of PRA‐guided therapy, its historical development, alternative approaches to classifying patients into categories of response to antihypertensive agents, and recent data supporting the use of plasma renin activity–guided hypertension management.
Effect of a Single Supratherapeutic Dose of Dolutegravir on Cardiac Repolarization
Authors: Chen Shuguang , Min Sherene S. , Peppercorn Amanda , Borland Julie , Lou Yu , Song Ivy , Fujiwara Tamio , Piscitelli Stephen C.
Published: September 2012

Study Objective

To assess the effect of a supratherapeutic dose of the integrase inhibitor dolutegravir on the QT and corrected QT (QTc) interval.

Design

Randomized, partial‐blind, placebo‐controlled, single‐dose, 3‐period, balanced crossover study.

Setting

Clinical research unit.

Subjects

Forty‐two healthy subjects were randomized; of these subjects, 38 completed the study, three withdrew early because of protocol violations, and one was lost to follow‐up.

Intervention

Subjects were randomized to receive three single doses of the following treatments: dolutegravir 250‐mg suspension, moxifloxacin 400‐mg tablet, and placebo suspension; each treatment was separated by a 14‐day washout period. Treatment with the dolutegravir and placebo suspension was blinded, whereas treatment with moxifloxacin was open label.

Measurements and Main Results

The pharmacokinetic exposure at a supratherapeutic dose of dolutegravir 250 mg was 2–4 times higher than the pharmacokinetic exposure at clinically relevant dosages (50 mg once or twice/day). The upper limit of the 90% confidence interval (CI) for the placebo‐adjusted mean change from baseline of the QTc interval (ΔΔQTcF) using Fridericia's formula was less than 10 msec at all time points. The sensitivity of the study to detect modest increases in QT interval was established with moxifloxacin, a positive control for QT‐interval prolongation. The maximum ΔΔQTcF values for dolutegravir and moxifloxacin were observed at 4 hours: 1.99 msec (90% CI −0.55–4.53 msec) and 9.58 msec (90% CI 7.05–12.11 msec), respectively.

Conclusion

This pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic model demonstrates no relationship between dolutegravir plasma concentration and ΔΔQTcF. Furthermore, a supratherapeutic dose of dolutegravir was generally well tolerated without any serious or severe adverse events. As such, dolutegravir does not affect cardiac repolarization.
Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemases in Enterobacteriaceae: History, Evolution, and Microbiology Concerns
Authors: Rapp Robert P. , Urban Carl
Published: September 2012

Since the discovery of penicillin 80 years ago, gram‐negative bacteria have become proficient at evading the lethal activity of β‐lactam antibiotics, principally through the production of β‐lactamases. The rapid emergence of penicillinases in both gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria led to the development of cephalosporin β‐lactam antibiotics, but production of plasmid‐mediated extended‐spectrum cephalosporinases (or extended‐spectrum β‐lactamases) and AmpC enzymes resulted in resistance to this drug class. Because carbapenems were the only β‐lactam agents active against such extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase–producing strains, appropriate and inappropriate use soon resulted in Enterobacteriaceae resistance. As a result, two distinct types of carbapenemases—the metallo‐β‐lactamases and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPCs)—were soon identified. The KPCs comprise 10 variants that differ from one another by one to three amino acid substitutions (KPC‐2 to KPC‐11). The KPC‐producing Enterobacteriaceae are not only multidrug resistant but are also difficult to detect routinely in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Tigecycline, polymyxins (colistin and polymyxin B), and aminoglycosides are possible candidate therapies for infections caused by KPC‐producing organisms, although well‐conducted clinical trials are required to fully define their roles in patient management. The shortage of new antimicrobial agents on the immediate horizon suggests that enhanced adherence with infection prevention procedures and antimicrobial stewardship programs are needed to curb patient‐to‐patient transmission and to reduce the selection of multidrug‐resistant bacteria.
iPhones, iPads, and Medical Applications for Antimicrobial Stewardship
Authors: Goff Debra A.
Published: September 2012

One of the most important antimicrobial stewardship activities of the infectious diseases pharmacist and physician is to provide education and clinical information about antimicrobials to health care professionals and patients; however, clinician training and continuing education in appropriate antimicrobial use in the United States are highly variable and nonstandardized. The iPhone, iPad, and the availability of more than 12,000 medical applications (referred to as “apps”) allow stewardship programs the ability to integrate novel technology with point‐of‐care education. This article reviews medical apps for antimicrobial stewardship programs to use on the iPhone or iPad.
Incremental Costs Associated with Physician and Pharmacist Collaboration to Improve Blood Pressure Control
Authors: Kulchaitanaroaj Puttarin , Brooks John M. , Ardery Gail , Newman Dana , Carter Barry L.
Published: September 2012

Study Objective

To compare costs associated with a physician‐pharmacist collaborative intervention with costs of usual care.

Design

Cost analysis using health care utilization and outcome data from two prospective, cluster‐randomized, controlled clinical trials.

Setting

Eleven community‐based medical offices.

Patients

A total of 496 patients with hypertension; 244 were in the usual care (control) group and 252 were in the intervention group.

Measurements and Main Results

To compare the costs, we combined cost data from the two trials. Total costs included costs of provider time, laboratory tests, and antihypertensive drugs. Provider time was calculated based on an online survey of intervention pharmacists and the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Cost parameters were taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for average wage rates, the Medicare laboratory fee schedule, and a publicly available Web site for drug prices. Total costs were adjusted for patient characteristics. Adjusted total costs were $774.90 in the intervention group and $445.75 in the control group (difference $329.16, p<0.001). In a sensitivity analysis, the difference in adjusted total costs between the two groups ranged from $224.27–515.56. The intervention cost required to have one additional patient achieve blood pressure control within 6 months was $1338.05, determined by the difference in costs divided by the difference in hypertension control rates between the groups ($329.16/24.6%). The cost over 6 months to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure 1 mm Hg was $36.25 and $94.32, respectively.

Conclusion

The physician‐pharmacist collaborative intervention increased not only blood pressure control but also the cost of care. Additional research, such as a cost‐benefit or a cost‐minimization analysis, is needed to assess whether financial savings related to reduced morbidity and mortality achieved from better blood pressure control outweigh the cost of the intervention.
Pseudopotentials for hybridized carbon atoms
Authors: Drujon J. , Carissan Y.
Published: September 2012

Pseudopotentials for hybridized atoms are extracted and combined. The study focuses on sp2 carbon atoms and their combination to give rise to a π electronic system. As electrons of interest are treated explicitly, any ab initio method can be used, thus, configuration interaction methods and time‐dependent density functional theory are used and compared. All electron and pseudopotential calculations are in good agreement for electronic transition spectroscopy (0.2 eV difference), geometrical parameters (error of 0.8 pm), and reaction energies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Very efficient search for nucleotide alignments
Authors: Randić Milan
Published: September 2012

We describe a very efficient search for nucleotide alignments, which is analogous to the novel very efficient search for protein alignment. Just as it has been the case with the alignment of proteins, based on 20 × 20 adjacency matrices for amino acids, obtained from a superposition of labeled amino acids adjacency matrices for the proteins considered, one can construct labeled matrices of size 4 × 4, listing adjacencies of nucleotides in DNA sequence. The matrix elements correspond to 16 pairs of adjacent nucleotides. To obtain DNA alignments, one combines information in the corresponding matrices for a pair of DNA nucleotides. Matrices are obtained by insertion of the sequential labels for pairs of nucleotides in the corresponding cells of the 4 × 4 tables. When two such matrices are superimposed, one can identify all segments in two DNA sequences, which are shifted relative to one another by the same amount in either direction, without using trial‐and‐error displacements of the two sequences one relative to the other to find local nucleotide alignments. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS FOOD SAFETY IN DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION: A CASE STUDY FROM INDIA
Authors: Chakrabarti Anindita
Published: September 2012

Ability to ensure ‘safe food’ for its populace is a key issue for developing countries from the public health perspectives. In recent years, there has seen some efforts towards generation of ‘consumer awareness’ through actions by non‐governmental organizations and other research institutions. Using a primary survey data from India, this paper examines the link between consumer awareness and household and village level characteristics. We show that number of years of education of the household members, wealth status of the household along with village level infrastructural facility play a role in raising consumer awareness about food adulteration in domestic market. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heterogeneity of tibial plateau cartilage in response to a physiological compressive strain rate
Authors: Deneweth Jessica M. , Newman Kelly E. , Sylvia Stephen M. , McLean Scott G. , Arruda Ellen M.
Published: September 2012

Knowledge of the extent to which tibial plateau cartilage displays non‐uniform mechanical topography under physiologically relevant loading conditions is critical to evaluating the role of biomechanics in knee osteoarthritis. Cartilage explants from 21 tibial plateau sites of eight non‐osteoarthritic female cadaveric knees (age: 41–54; BMI: 14–20) were tested in unconfined compression at 100% strain/s. The elastic tangent modulus at 10% strain (E10%) was calculated for each site and averaged over four geographic regions: not covered by meniscus (I); covered by meniscus—anterior (II); covered by meniscus—exterior (III); and covered by meniscus—posterior (IV). A repeated‐measures mixed model analysis of variance was used to test for effects of plateau, region, and their interaction on E10%. Effect sizes were calculated for each region pair. E10% was significantly different (p < 0.05) for all regional comparisons, except I–II and III–IV. The regional pattern of variation was consistent across individuals. Moderate to strong effect sizes were evident for regional comparisons other than I–II on the lateral side and III–IV on both sides. Healthy tibial cartilage exhibits significant mechanical heterogeneity that manifests in a common regional pattern across individuals. These findings provide a foundation for evaluating the biomechanical mechanisms of knee osteoarthritis. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31: 370–375, 2013
Rapid screening and determination of designer drugs in saliva by a nib‐assisted paper spray‐mass spectrometry and separation technique
Authors: Lee Hsun , Jhang Chih‐Sheng , Liu Ju‐Tsung , Lin Cheng‐Huang
Published: September 2012

A method for the rapid screening and determination of amphetamine‐type designer drugs in saliva by a novel nib‐assisted paper spray‐mass spectrometry procedure is described. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detections for amphetamine derivatives (model samples: o‐, m‐, p‐chloroamphetamine and o‐, m‐, p‐fluoroamphetamine, respectively) were determined to 0.1 μg/mL by the nib‐assisted paper spray‐mass spectrometry method. This method is easier and has a higher sensitivity than similar methodologies, including atmospheric pressure/matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and electrospray‐assisted laser desorption ionization/mass spectrometry. Data obtained using more classical separation methods, including liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, are also reported.
The effectiveness of tonsillectomy and partial adenoidectomy on obstructive sleep apnea in cleft palate patients
Authors: Abdel‐Aziz Mosaad
Published: September 2012

Objectives/Hypothesis:

The most common cause of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH). In cleft palate patients, however, the obstructive effects of ATH are more severe due to narrow airways. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of tonsillectomy and/or partial adenoidectomy on OSA in cleft palate patients.

Study design:

Case series.

Methods:

Tonsillectomy and/or partial adenoidectomy was performed in 17 repaired cleft palate patients with tonsillar and/or adenoid hypertrophy and OSA. Apnea/hypopnea (A/H) index and minimum O2 saturation were measured before and after surgery. In addition, because these patients are vulnerable to speech impairment after pharyngeal surgery, auditory perceptual assessment (APA) and nasometric assessment of speech were performed.

Results:

The mean preoperative A/H index was 17.6 ± 3.9, and the mean preoperative minimum O2 saturation was 88.7 ± 1.5%. Both parameters improved postoperatively, to 1.9 ± 2.3 and 93.7 ± 1.5% respectively, and the changes were significant (P < 0.001). In 12 cases (70.6%), A/H indexes were normalized following surgery. Associated comorbidities such as retrognathia and narrow pharyngeal airways may underlie incomplete recovery in some cases. There were no significant postoperative changes in APA and nasalance scores.

Conclusions:

In most cases, tonsillectomy and/or partial adenoidectomy is an effective method for treatment of OSA in repaired cleft palate patients presenting with tonsillar and/or adenoid hypertrophy. However, some cases may need further procedures to relieve airway obstruction due to associated comorbidities.
Ein glasklares Modell
Authors: Büchner Christin , Lichtenstein Leonid , Heyde Markus
Published: September 2012

Amorphe Materialien strukturell aufzuklären — dieses Vorhaben scheiterte bisher an der Komplexität der Stoffklasse. Rastertunnelmikroskopie in Verbindung mit modernen Präparationsmethoden gelingt die Entschlüsselung des Alltagswerkstoffs Glas.
Laborakkreditierung — Brennpunkte bleiben
Authors: Klinkner Roman
Published: September 2012

Die Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle verspricht zwar keine Kostensenkung, aber mehr Transparenz und mehr Flexibilität bei der Akkreditierung. Zudem müssen sich Laboratorien auf neue und überarbeitete Normen einstellen. Ergebnisse des diesjährigen Akkreditierungsforums in Berlin.
Topology optimization by a time‐dependent diffusion equation
Authors: Kawamoto A. , Matsumori T. , Nomura T. , Kondoh T. , Yamasaki S. , Nishiwaki S.
Published: September 2012

Most topology optimization problems are formulated as constrained optimization problems; thus, mathematical programming has been the mainstream. On the other hand, solving topology optimization problems using time evolution equations, seen in the level set‐based and the phase field‐based methods, is yet another approach. One issue is the treatment of multiple constraints, which is difficult to incorporate within time evolution equations. Another issue is the extra re‐initialization steps that interrupt the time integration from time to time. This paper proposes a way to describe, using a Heaviside projection‐based representation, a time‐dependent diffusion equation that addresses these two issues. The constraints are treated using a modified augmented Lagrangian approach in which the Lagrange multipliers are updated by simple ordinary differential equations. The proposed method is easy to implement using a high‐level finite element code. Also, it is very practical in the sense that one can fully utilize the existing framework of the code: GUI, parallelized solvers, animations, data imports/exports, and so on. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical examples in both the planar and spatial cases. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hydroxyurea treatment of children with hemoglobin SC disease
Authors: Yates Amber M. , Dedeken Laurence , Smeltzer Matthew P. , Lebensburger Jeffrey D. , Wang Winfred C. , Robitaille Nancy
Published: September 2012

The efficacy of hydroxyurea in hemoglobin SC (HbSC) patients is not well documented. We describe the long‐term response to hydroxyurea in children with clinically severe HbSC. In 15 patients, hydroxyurea resulted in a significant increase in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and a significant decrease in episodes of acute chest syndrome and hospitalization for pain; there was no effect on hemoglobin level. The most significant side effect was thrombocytopenia, which led to discontinuation of treatment in one patient. This study suggests that hydroxyurea has efficacy and is safe for long‐term therapy in patients with HbSC. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013;60:323–325. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Medical Management of Adult Transsexual Persons
Authors: Knezevich Emily L. , Viereck Laura K. , Drincic Andjela T.
Published: September 2012

Gender identity disorder (GID), or transsexualism, is an increasingly recognized medical condition with an expanding body of medical literature to support the use of established therapeutic guidelines. Transsexualism can be effectively managed through exogenous cross‐sex hormone administration used to induce development of desired sex characteristics, as well as use of other agents, such as aldosterone antagonists, aimed at decreasing physical characteristics of the undesired sex. Many complications can arise with the use of the available therapies, and these must be considered before determining the appropriate course of action. This review describes methods, including both pharmacotherapy and surgical interventions, for effective medical management of both male and female adults with GID. In addition, specific goals of therapy as well as safety aspects with long‐term use of pharmacotherapeutic agents are discussed. This review also discusses some special considerations for treating patients with significant, yet common, comorbid diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and viral hepatitis, as these conditions may complicate the clinical course and preclude some patients from using certain therapies. Pharmacist involvement in the management of transsexualism can be extremely beneficial to patients and other health care providers. Pharmacists can help determine the appropriate therapy, optimize dosages, monitor for adverse effects, and educate patients on what to expect during their therapy. Pharmacists should become knowledgeable about guidelines and current literature on transsexualism, understand the monitoring parameters for safe and effective therapy, and establish themselves as partners in the collaborative management of this disorder.
Palpable Purpura Complicated by Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome Resulting in Limb Necrosis and Amputation: A Case of Levamisole and Cocaine Coingestion
Authors: Freyer Craig W. , Peters Michael
Published: September 2012

Palpable purpura resulting from cocaine and levamisole coingestion has been reported with increasing frequency over the last several years as distribution of this drug combination becomes more universal. Toxicity from ingestion of this dangerous combination is difficult to diagnose due to the multitude of possible clinical presentations, variety of possible adulterants, and elusive nature of levamisole given its short half‐life and limited availability of detection methods. Levamisole is a chemotherapeutic and immunomodulatory agent currently marketed as a veterinary anthelmintic. We describe the case of a 48‐year‐old woman admitted to our intensive care unit with a diagnosis of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), confirmed from fluid taken from an elbow lesion that grew Streptococcus pyogenes. She was noted to have bullae of the elbow and diffuse purpura with necrotic centers covering a large portion of her body (trunk, legs, arms, back, toes, fingers, and tip of nose). On further evaluation, she was found to have ingested levamisole‐tainted cocaine. The patient's complications related to either cocaine and levamisole coingestion or STSS included thrombocytopenia, acute renal failure, and limb necrosis. Thrombocytopenia gradually improved upon treatment with prednisone, and acute renal failure improved with intravenous fluid resuscitation; however, she subsequently required several appendage amputations due to severe gangrene. Clinicians must have high suspicion for ingestion of this drug combination and request prompt testing of urine samples for levamisole if a patient who admits to illicit drug use presents with purpuric or necrotic skin lesions.
Clinical Controversies in Thrombolytic Therapy for the Management of Acute Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Daley Mitchell J. , Lat Ishaq
Published: September 2012

Acute pulmonary embolism is a common complication in hospitalized patients, spanning multiple patient populations and crossing various therapeutic disciplines. Due to the heterogeneous clinical manifestations, the selection of management strategies for patients with acute pulmonary embolism is a challenge for clinicians, and a nuanced understanding of the relevant literature is required. Previous studies that evaluated thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute pulmonary embolism are limited and controversial. Thus, we sought to identify the clinical controversies related to thrombolytic therapy in acute pulmonary embolism and reviewed the recent literature that impacts clinical practice. To apply these controversies into daily clinical practice and decision making, we provide an overview of risk stratification and assessment of pulmonary embolism. Specific areas of controversies that are discussed relate to the impact of thrombolytic therapy on outcomes, specifically in submassive pulmonary embolism, including mortality, composite primary end points, and intensive care unit length of stay. Other controversies relate to the impact of the patient's sex on outcomes, the most safe and effective thrombolytic dose, optimal administration techniques including infusion duration or concurrent anticoagulation, and therapeutic strategies when thrombolytic therapy is unsuccessful. Despite published guidelines and review articles, select aspects of thrombolytic therapy for the management of pulmonary embolism remain controversial; therefore, clinical practice varies from institution to institution and from practitioner to practitioner. When making decisions about the role of thrombolytic therapy in patients with pulmonary embolism, clinicians must be knowledgeable about areas with limited evidence and the therapy's associated risks. In every situation, practitioners must consider the trajectory of the patient's status and the ability to intervene in an appropriate time frame.
A Curtin–Hammett pentamethylene chain symmetrization process in the Bergman cyclization of an 11‐membered ring enediyne
Authors: Greer Edyta M. , Cosgriff Christopher V. , Lavinda Olga
Published: September 2012

Pentamethylene chain conformational effects for the Bergman cyclization of the 11‐membered ring enediyne, (3Z)‐3‐cycloundecene‐1,5‐diyne, 2, are examined theoretically with unrestricted Becke, three‐parameter, Lee–Yang–Parr/6‐31 G(d,p) calculations. A C1 symmetric enediyne conformation was found to be the global minimum, where its nonsymmetric pentamethylene chain prevented π‐orbital alignment of the acetylene groups for C–C σ bond product formation. The Bergman cyclization of 2 was found to be conformationally dependent. In a Curtin–Hammett type process, the C1 symmetric 2 inverts to one of the CS or C2 symmetric conformers required for the Bergman cyclization, which produced a CS or C2 symmetric 1,4‐diradical intermediate. The activation energy for the cyclization is slightly higher to reach the C2 symmetry diradical compared with the CS symmetry diradical. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analytische Lösungen für Kreis‐ und Kreisringplatten unter symmetrischer und antimetrischer Einwirkung –
Authors: Seel Matthias , Siebert Geralt
Published: September 2012

Die realitätsnahe Bemessung von Detailpunkten (u. a. Bohrungen im Glas, Punktlagerung) ist eine fordernde Aufgabe im Ingenieurwesen. Vor allem im Konstruktiven Glasbau treten durch Punktstützungen u. a. in Kombination mit Bohrungen hohe Spannungen im Glas auf, die nicht wie beim Werkstoff Stahl durch Plastifizieren umgelagert werden können. Bei der Dimensionierung gilt es, diese Spannungen in den Detailpunkten realistisch zu erfassen. Die Bemessung solcher Details erfolgt vorwiegend unter Einsatz der Finiten‐Element‐Methode (FEM). Die Qualität der FE‐Ergebnisse ist dabei sehr stark von der Art der Modellierung durch das Programm sowie den Nutzer abhängig. Demzufolge sind die produzierten Ergebnisse mit bekannten Lösungen zu kontrollieren, damit eine wirklichkeitsnahe und auf der sicheren Seite liegende Dimensionierung gewährleistet ist. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrages werden analytische Lösungen für bereichsweise belastete Kreis‐ sowie Kreisringplatten unter veränderlichen Einwirkungen vorgestellt und mit FE‐Berechnungen verglichen. Diese analytischen Lösungen können u. a. zur Qualitätssicherung von FE‐Ergebnissen bei punktgestützten Systemen (mechanisch oder geklebt) angewendet werden.

Analytical solutions for circular plates with hole and without hole under symmetric and antisymmetric load – Application in the field of structural glazing. The realistic calculation of detail parts (e. g. glass panes with holes, punctual support) is a challenge. Such details play a crucial role in the field of structural glazing, because glass cannot plasticise. In general the analysis is done by using the finite element analysis (FEA). But the quality of the FEA results scatters. The results depend both on the used FEM software and on the modeling performed by the user. Therefore, it is necessary to exclude inadequate FEA models and their results. Analytical solutions of comparable problems can be used for excluding inadequate FEA models. In this article, several analytical solutions for detail problems of structural glazing are derived and presented. The analytical solutions can be applied to control the quality of FE results (e. g. mechanical or glued point fixings).
Mito-Selbsthilfe
Authors: Gamroth C.
Published: September 2012

Der Autor weist auf die Wichtigkeit von Patientenselbsthilfe allgemein und speziell der Mito-Selbsthilfe hin. Anhand verschiedener wissenschaftlicher Forschungsrichtungen, besonders der verhaltensorientierten Gesundheitspsychologie, weist er nach, wie wichtig es für Patienten mit chronischen Erkrankungen ist, diese aktiv zu bewältigen („Selbstmanagement“), sich zu informieren, soziale Unterstützung zu bekommen und sowohl ein Kohärenzgefühl als auch Strategien zur Krankheitsbewältigung zu entwickeln. Erste Studien zur Wirksamkeit von Selbsthilfegruppen geben Hinweise, dass diese eine positive Krankheitsbewältigung unterstützen können. Das biopsychosoziale Modell der WHO sieht der Autor als Basis für die Arbeit der Selbsthilfe. Es folgt ein Überblick über Aktivitäten und Ziele der Mito-Selbsthilfegruppe. Diese beinhalten die Unterstützung der Forschung, Patientenedukation, Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen Patienten, Kommunikation zwischen Patienten und Medizinern sowie grundsätzlich die Verbesserung der Lebensqualität.
D-FLAT: Declarative problem solving using tree decompositions and answer-set programming
Authors: BLIEM BERNHARD , MORAK MICHAEL , WOLTRAN STEFAN
Published: September 2012

In this work, we propose Answer-Set Programming (ASP) as a tool for rapid prototyping of dynamic programming algorithms based on tree decompositions. In fact, many such algorithms have been designed, but only a few of them found their way into implementation. The main obstacle is the lack of easy-to-use systems which (i) take care of building a tree decomposition and (ii) provide an interface for declarative specifications of dynamic programming algorithms. In this paper, we present D-FLAT, a novel tool that relieves the user of having to handle all the technical details concerned with parsing, tree decomposition, the handling of data structures, etc. Instead, it is only the dynamic programming algorithm itself which has to be specified in the ASP language. D-FLAT employs an ASP solver in order to compute the local solutions in the dynamic programming algorithm. In the paper, we give a few examples illustrating the use of D-FLAT and describe the main features of the system. Moreover, we report experiments which show that ASP-based D-FLAT encodings for some problems outperform monolithic ASP encodings on instances of small treewidth.
Introduction to the 28th international conference on logic programming special issue
Authors: DOVIER AGOSTINO , SANTOS COSTA VÍTOR
Published: September 2012

We are proud to introduce this special issue of the Journal of Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP), dedicated to the full papers accepted for the 28th International Conference on Logic Programming (ICLP). The ICLP meetings started in Marseille in 1982 and since then constitute the main venue for presenting and discussing work in the area of logic programming.
Microscopy Today Innovation Awards
Authors: Lyman Charles
Published: September 2012

This issue showcases the winners of the third annual Microscopy Today Innovation Awards competition. These awards were established to honor innovative microscopy-related products and methods that appeared in the previous year.
Microscopic Architecture Protects Against Piranhas
Authors: Carmichael Stephen W.
Published: September 2012

One of the largest freshwater fish (2 to 2.5 meters long, over 150 kg) lives in the Amazonian rivers and lakes. It is well known that these waters are populated with piranhas that swarm and devour almost anything that moves. The lungfish Arapaima gigas coexists with piranhas by virtue of an armor-like plating of scales. Y.S. Lin, C.T. Wei, E.A. Olevsky, and Marc Meyers examined the microscopic structure and mechanical properties of these scales to discover what provided this protection.
Pioneers in Optics: Marvin Lee Minsky and Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt)
Authors: Davidson Michael W.
Published: September 2012

On August 9, 1927, in New York City, Marvin Lee Minsky was born to Dr. Henry Minsky, an eye surgeon, and Fannie Resier, an active participant in the Zionist movement. At an early age he developed an interest in science, a characteristic that was encouraged at the private schools he attended as a child. Nevertheless, after high school he joined the United States Navy. Following his two years of service, Minsky entered Harvard University, where he pursued a variety of subjects, including psychology, physics, neurophysiology, and mathematics. After graduation in 1950, he transferred to Princeton University to pursue his doctorate in mathematics, and during his first year there he constructed the first neural network simulator. Subsequent to receiving his PhD in 1954, he revisited Harvard, but this time as part of the renowned group of scholars known as the Society of Fellows.

Lord Rayleigh was a British physicist and mathematician who worked in many disciplines including electromagnetics, physical optics, and sound wave theory. The criteria he defined still act as the limits of resolution of a diffraction-limited optical instrument. Rayleigh wrote over 446 scientific papers but is perhaps best known for his discovery of the inert gas argon, which earned him a Nobel Prize.
Calendar
Authors: Webster Paul
Published: September 2012

Following is a list of microscopy related meetings and courses. The editors would greatly appreciate input to this list via the electronic submission form under “events/other microscopy events” at the MSA webpage: www.microscopy.org. We will gladly add hypertext links to the notice on the web and insert a listing of the meeting in the next issue.
Equipment Funding Opportunities and Strategies for Success (Part 2)
Authors: Shahbazian-Yassar Reza
Published: September 2012

My name is Reza Shabhazian-Yassar, and I am currently an assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech. I am a junior faculty member and have gained some experience with MRI NSF proposals. Fortunately, I have been funded in one of these grants, and also I have served as the reviewer in MRI panels. When Debby was talking about the reviewers' comments for the previous proposal, fortunately, I was not among those who provided those kinds of comments. I am going to share a little of my experience. I see a number of young faces and newer junior faculty who may benefit from what I am about to say. When I started at Michigan Tech, I didn't have much experience with proposal writing, so it was very difficult for me to figure out what sort of discussions I should include in my proposal. I read the solicitation and program description, but some of the details you gain by actually writing the proposal. It's something like writing a paper, you just need to practice writing, and you will be good at it. Please note that following my recommendations does not mean that 100 percent of you are going to get funded (I am not a Superman!). Rather, I intend to help you write a more efficient proposal. What I report complements Debby's point of view. Debby mentioned a general overview of the review process. Here, I will give you steps on how proposals are reviewed and how to write a more competitive proposal. Since I will talk about NSF, I will cover the MRI goals. In NIH or other agencies, there may be different goals.
A supergiant progenitor for SN 2011dh
Authors: Bersten Melina C. , Benvenuto Omar , Nomoto Ken
Published: September 2012

A set of hydrodynamical models based on stellar evolutionary progenitors is used to study the nature of SN 2011dh. Our modeling suggests that a large progenitor star — with R ~ 200 R⊙— is needed to reproduce the early light curve (LC) of SN 2011dh. This is consistent with the suggestion that the progenitor is a yellow super-giant star detected at the location of the SN in deep pre-explosion images. From the main peak of the bolometric light curve (LC) and expansion velocities we constrain the mass of the ejecta to be ≈2 M⊙, the explosion energy to be E = 8 × 1050 erg, and the 56Ni mass to be 0.063 M⊙. The progenitor star is composed of a helium core of ≈4 M⊙ and a thin hydrogen envelope, and it had a main-sequence mass of ≈13 M⊙. Our models rule out progenitors with helium-core masses larger than 8 M⊙, which correspond to MZAMS ≳ 25 M⊙. This suggests that a single evolutionary scenario for SN 2011dh is highly unlikely.
Optical and near-infrared flares in GRB afterglows
Authors: Krühler Thomas
Published: September 2012

Among the diversities in the very early evolution of GRB afterglows are bright optical/near-infrared flares before or superimposed onto an otherwise smoothly decaying afterglow light curve. A lot has been learned about GRBs by using an optical flare or lack thereof as a diagnostic of the emission mechanisms and outflow conditions. In this contribution I will review the observational properties of rising and decaying light-curves in GRB afterglows, discuss their possible physical origins, and highlight in which way they help in understanding GRB and afterglows physics.
Searching for Wolf-Rayet Stars in M101
Authors: Bibby J. L. , Crowther P. A. , Moffat A. F. J. , Shara M. M. , Zurek D. , Drissen L.
Published: September 2012

Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are the evolved descendants of massive O-type stars and are considered to be progenitor candidates for Type Ib/c core-collapse supernovae (SNe). Recent results of our HST/WFC3 survey of Wolf-Rayet stars in M101 are summarised based on the detection efficiency of narrow-band optical imaging compared to broad-band methods. We show that on average 42% of WR stars, increasing to ~85% in central regions, are only detected in the narrow-band imaging. Hence, the non-detection of a WR star at the location of ~10 Type Ib/c SNe in broad-band imaging is no longer strong evidence for a non-WR progenitor channel.
H and He in stripped-envelope SNe – how much can be hidden?
Authors: Hachinger S. , Mazzali P. A. , Taubenberger S. , Hillebrandt W. , Nomoto K. , Sauer D. N.
Published: September 2012

H and He features in photospheric spectra have rarely been used to constrain the structure of Type IIb/Ib/Ic supernovae (SNe IIb/Ib/Ic). The lines have to be modelled with a detailed non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium (NLTE) treatment, including effects uncommon in stars. Once this is done, however, one obtains valuable hints on the characteristics of progenitors and explosions (composition, explosion energy, . . .). We have extended a radiative transfer code to compute synthetic spectra of SNe IIb, Ib and Ic. Here, we discuss our first larger set of models, focusing on the question: How much H/He can be hidden (i.e. remain undetected in photospheric spectra) in SNe Ib/Ic? For the SNe studied (relatively low Mej = 1. . .3 M⊙), we find a limit of MHe ≲ 0.1 M⊙ in SNe Ic (no unambiguous He lines). Stellar evolution models for single stars normally always yield higher masses. We suggest that low- or moderate-mass SNe Ic result from efficient envelope stripping in binaries. We propose similar studies on H/He in high-mass and extremely aspherical SNe, and observations covering the region of He I λ 20581.
Cutting-edge issues in core-collapse supernova theory
Authors: Kotake Kei
Published: September 2012

Based on our multi-dimensional neutrino-radiation hydrodynamic simulations, we report several cutting-edge issues about the long-veiled explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). In this contribution, we pay particular attention to whether three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamics and/or general relativity (GR) would or would not help the onset of explosions. Our results from the first generation of full GR 3D simulations including approximate neutrino transport are quite optimistic, indicating that both of the two ingredients can foster neutrino-driven explosions. We give an outlook with a summary of the most urgent tasks to draw a robust conclusion to our findings.
Star Formation in the Early Universe
Authors: Omukai Kazuyuki
Published: September 2012

In low-metallicity environments, massive stars are more easily formed than in the solar neighborhood. In this article, we see the following examples of low-mass star formation. We first describe the first star formation in the universe and argue that they are typically ordinary-sized massive stars, rather than very massive (> 100M⊙) ones. Next, we see how the metal-enrichment changes the thermal evolution of gas, thereby causing the shift of characteristic stellar mass towards lower mass. Finally, we discuss the possibility of forming supermassive stars in some special conditions in young galaxies.
Pair-Instability Explosions: observational evidence
Authors: Gal-Yam Avishay
Published: September 2012

It has been theoretically predicted many decades ago that extremely massive stars that develop large oxygen cores will become dynamically unstable, due to electron-positron pair production. The collapse of such oxygen cores leads to powerful thermonuclear explosions that unbind the star and can produce, in some cases, many solar masses of radioactive 56Ni. For many years, no examples of this process were observed in nature. Here, I briefly review recent observations of luminous supernovae that likely result from pair-instability explosions, in the nearby and distant Universe.
Asymmetry in Supernovae
Authors: Maeda Keiichi
Published: September 2012

Asymmetry in the innermost part of the supernova (SN) ejecta is a key to understanding their explosion mechanisms. Late-time spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate the issue. We show what kind of geometry is inferred for different types of SNe – core-collapse SNe Ib/c, those associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), and thermonuclear SNe Ia –, and discuss implications for the explosion mechanisms, observational diversities, and cosmological applications. For SNe Ib/c, the data show the clear deviation from spherical symmetry, and they are most consistent with the bipolar-type explosion as the characteristic geometry. Detailed modeling of optical emissions from SN 1998bw associated with GRB980425 indicates that this SN was in the extreme end of the bipolar explosion, suggesting that the explosion mechanisms of canonical SNe Ib/c and GRB-SNe are different. The situation is different for SNe Ia. Late-time spectra indicate the deviation from spherical symmetry, but for SNe Ia the explosion is asymmetric between two hemispheres, i.e., one-sided explosions. The diversities arising from different viewing directions can nicely explain (a part of) observational diversities of SNe Ia, and correcting this effect may improve the standard-candle calibration of SNe Ia for cosmology.
Formation and evolution of black hole and accretion disk in collapse of massive stellar cores
Authors: Sekiguchi Yuichiro
Published: September 2012

We describe the results of our numerical simulations of the collapse of a massive stellar core to a BH, performed in the framework of full general relativity incorporating finite-temperature equation of state and neutrino cooling. We adopt a 100 M⊙ presupernova model calculated by Umeda & Nomoto (2008), which has a massive core with a high value of entropy per baryon. Changing the degree of rotation for the initial condition, we clarify the dependence of the outcome on this. When the rotation is rapid enough, the shock wave formed at the core bounce is deformed to be a torus-like shape. Then, the infalling matter is accumulated in the central region due to the oblique shock at the torus surface, hitting the hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) and dissipating the kinetic energy there. As a result, outflows can be launched. The HMNS eventually collapses to a BH and an accretion torus is formed around it. We also found that the evolution of the BH and torus depends strongly on the rotation initially given.
Temporal Evolution of GRB Spectra: Leptonic and Hadronic
Authors: Asano Katsuaki , Mészáros Peter
Published: September 2012

As the Fermi observatory has revealed, the GRB light curves show variant behaviours in different energy bands. Especially, the onset of GeV emission tend to lag that at lower energy. Various models to explain the GeV-delay, including early afterglow models or hadronic models, have been proposed. We have developed a time-dependent code for emission processes with one-zone approximation. The temporal evolution of GRB spectra is discussed based on leptonic inverse Compton and hadronic cascade models. This offers important predictions for future observations such as CTA.
Mass and metallicity constraints on supernova progenitors derived from integral field spectroscopy of the environment
Authors: Kuncarayakti Hanindyo , Doi Mamoru , Aldering Greg , Arimoto Nobuo , Maeda Keiichi , Morokuma Tomoki , Pereira Rui , Usuda Tomonori , Hashiba Yasuhito
Published: September 2012

We have obtained optical integral field spectroscopy of the explosion sites of more than 25 nearby type-IIP/IIL/Ib/Ic supernovae using UH88/SNIFS, and additionally Gemini/GMOS IFU. This technique enables us to obtain both spatial and spectral information of the immediate environment of the supernovae. Using strong line method we measured the metallicity of the star cluster present at the explosion site, presumably the coeval parent stellar population of the supernova progenitor, and comparison with simple stellar population models gives age estimate of the cluster. With this method we were able to put constraints on the metallicity and age of the progenitor star. The age, i.e. lifetime, of the progenitor corresponds to the initial mass of the star. By far this is the most direct measurement of supernova progenitor metallicity and, if the cluster-progenitor association is confirmed, provides reliable determination of the initial mass of supernova progenitor stars.