bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE FINAL PHASE?
Authors: Spiegel Gabrielle M.
Published: October 2012

This essay reviews the recent book by Carolyn Dean that seeks to elucidate the ways in which complaints about a “surfeit of memory” and the privileging of Jewish victimization during the Holocaust as unique and as the emblem of radical evil in our times has shaped discussions of victims in general, creating an environment in which groups vie for victim status as a means of validating their grievances and making claims for justice. The hostility to such claims has, Dean argues, created antivictim discourses that end up generating aversion toward victims, primarily by denying the validity of their claims to suffering and, in the case of Jews, projecting them as “perpetrators” in their neglect of the suffering of others. At the same time, Dean argues, the demand that victims narrate their suffering in the aesthetically constrained style of “minimalism” equally undermines the legitimacy of victims' memories by demanding that they be presented in an already mastered form, thereby erasing the very trauma that, in principle, such narratives seek to represent.

At stake in the debates concerning Holocaust memorial consciousness and its proper modes of representation, this article suggests, are larger historiographical and ethical issues about how to integrate the horrors of the past and the traumatic experience of terror into the normal protocols of historical writing, which rely on distance, objectivity, and interpretive critique as governing procedures. To incorporate terror into historical representation will mean acknowledging and accepting as historiographically legitimate the differing status of analytically recuperated “facts” and victim testimony and finding a way to theorize the reality of “voices” from the past without assuming the necessary “truth” of what they convey.
DOES INHUMANITY BREED HUMANITY? INVESTIGATION OF A PARADOX
Authors: De Baets Antoon
Published: October 2012

This essay investigates the thesis that inhumanity breeds humanity. Many questions arise when we try to corroborate it: Can we say anything at all about the inhumanity of human beings? Why did large‐scale inhumanity occurring before 1700 not elicit a human rights regime? Was the human rights take‐off from 1760 to 1800 triggered by instances of inhumanity, and why did the take‐off not last? Why did the human rights idea eclipse after 1800 only to reemerge after 1945? Were war and genocide the sole causes of the human rights revival after 1945 or were there also other factors? Was the breakthrough in 1977 of human rights as a mass movement related to any inhumanity? And, finally, is the contemporary enthusiasm for human rights, with 1998 as its stepping stone, sufficient to make atrocities unthinkable for good? I conclude that, at several moments in history, inhumanity did propel humanity, but also that there are many other instances in which inhumanity only gave birth to more inhumanity. If the inhumanity thesis were necessarily true, we would need more human rights catastrophes to inspire more human rights progress. And that would be a self‐defeating paradox.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH ECONOMIC HISTORY?
Authors: Sewell William H.
Published: October 2012

In this polemical book, Francesco Boldizzoni argues that economic history is so moribund as to require resurrection. He maintains that economic history has been converted into a subfield of economics and has embraced the antihistorical and a priori intellectual style of mainstream economics departments: it has, in effect, ceased to be a form of history. Boldizzoni hopes to force a recognition of contemporary economic history's bankruptcy and to show the way toward a revitalization.

He criticizes both economic history as retrospective econometrics, as in the work of Robert Fogel, and economic history as a branch of the new institutional economics, as in the work of Douglas North. Boldizzoni suggests that economic history should return to the sort of research and models that prevailed earlier in its own history—models based on induction from observed economic life rather than on deduction from the theories of contemporary microeconomics. He particularly singles out the work of Witold Kula, Moses Finley, and the Annales historians for emulation, but also praises the perspectives of economic sociology and economic anthropology.

Boldizzoni's call for a return to a more inductive form of economic history is welcome, and his discussions of his heroes should remind us that economic history was once a vibrant and creative part of the history profession. But the book's advice is more useful for historians working on premodern than on modern economic life. The claim that self‐governing markets and interest‐maximizing individual actors are pure figments of economists' imaginations seems far less certain for recent than for premodern times. And his insistence that each society has its own distinct form of economic life that must be discovered inductively leaves unconceptualized the world‐spanning forces of capitalist development that increasingly shape societies everywhere. Boldizzoni's critique and his positive suggestions are certainly valuable, but he by no means supplies a sufficient recipe for economic history's resurrection as a vibrant field.
CoEnzyme Q10 and Riboflavin: The Mitochondrial Connection
Authors: Markley Herbert G.
Published: October 2012

Objective.— We conducted a short review of relevant literature which contends that migraine is associated with a wide‐spread metabolic abnormality of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, leading to the use of riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 as prophylactic therapy for migraine.

Background.— Riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 supplementation has been recommended widely as safe and effective prophylactic therapy for migraine. The background neurophysiological studies that led to the development of this therapy, which are extremely complex, deserve wider distribution.

Methods.— A brief review of the relevant literature was conducted and summarized.

Results.— Brain energy metabolism in migraine has been found to be abnormal in all types of migraine, making the migrainous brain hyper‐responsive to many stimuli. The metabolic abnormalities are more severe in the more‐severe types of migraine, such as hemiplegic migraine and migrainous stroke, but they are present both during and between attacks. The metabolic abnormality in migraine extends beyond the brain to platelets and muscles, as proven by techniques of biochemistry, muscle morphology, and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy. There are strong similarities between migraine and certain inborn errors of metabolism, the metabolic encephalomyopathies, in which patients suffer genetic abnormalities in mitochondrial energy production to produce lactic acidosis, stroke, and migraine headaches. The theory of migraine as a mitochondrial disorder seems to have abundant evidence. However, aside from the genetic abnormalities discovered for the familial hemiplegic migraines, molecular genetic studies in migraine have been negative until recently, when whole genome sequencing has now reported positive results.

Conclusion.— Arising from these extensive neurophysiological studies, the treatment of metabolic encephalomyopathies with pharmacological doses of riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 has shown positive benefits. The same treatment has now been applied to migraine, adding clinical support to the theory that migraine is a mitochondrial disorder.
Acute Treatment of Migraine: Established and Emerging Therapies
Authors: Rapoport Alan M.
Published: October 2012

Migraine is a chronic, episodic, often disabling, neurological condition that affects more than 12% of the US population, 3 times more in women than men. It has widespread effects on cerebral function and appears to be inherited. There are many types of therapy including behavioral, complementary, acute pharmacologic care, preventive pharmacologic care, and physical techniques. General treatment principles include lifestyle changes and using rapidly acting acute care medications alone or in combination early in the migraine attack. Migraine‐specific medications such as triptans and non steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs should be used when possible. There are several promising medications and devices in the migraine pipeline.
Pain, Emotion, Headache
Authors: Bussone Gennaro , Grazzi Licia , Panerai Alberto E.
Published: October 2012

Pain has been considered as part of a defensive strategy whose specific role is to signal an immediate active danger to the organism. This definition fits well for acute pain. It does not work well, however, for chronic pain that is maintained even in absence of an ongoing, active threat. Currently, acute and chronic pain are considered to be separate conditions.

What follows is a review of the different theories about pain and its history. Different hypotheses regarding pain mechanisms are illustrated. New data emerging from scientific research on chronic pain (migraine in particular) involving innovative imaging techniques are reported and discussed.
Comparative stroke risk of antiepileptic drugs in patients with epilepsy
Authors: Hsieh Cheng‐Yang , Lai Edward Chia‐Cheng , Yang Yea‐Huei Kao , Lin Swu‐Jane
Published: October 2012

Purpose:  Patients with epilepsy have higher stroke‐related morbidity and mortality, leading to the suspicion that the increased stroke events may be associated with antiepileptic drug (AED) exposure. We evaluated the comparative risk of stroke in adult patients with epilepsy receiving phenytoin (PHT), valproic acid (VPA), or carbamazepine (CBZ) to help determine the stroke risk for Asian patients with specific AED exposure.

Methods:  We conducted a population‐based, retrospective cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). The cohort consists of adult patients with epilepsy who were new to PHT, CBZ, or VPA monotherapy and without prior stroke history. Patients were followed for 5 years. The event of interest was a hospitalization or emergency visit due to stroke. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the comparative risk of AEDs. Subanalyses included an evaluation of different subtypes of stroke, the propensity score matched technique, the intention‐to‐treat approach, and stratification analyses.

Key Findings:  Patients receiving PHT had a significantly higher stroke risk (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20–2.47), followed by VPA (adjusted HR 1.27; 95% CI 0.78–2.07), when compared with CBZ. The results of all subanalyses showed a consistent trend of higher stroke risk with PHT use. In addition, there appeared to be a dose–response relationship between stroke risk and PHT prescriptions.

Significance:  The stroke risk was higher in PHT but not significantly different in VPA as compared to CBZ. Physicians should reconsider using PHT for patients with epilepsy who already have a higher risk of stroke.
Perceptual Filtering in L2 Lexical Memory: A Neural Network Approach to Second Language Acquisition
Authors: NELSON ROBERT
Published: October 2012

A number of asymmetries in lexical memory emerge when monolinguals and early bilinguals are compared to (relatively) late second language (L2) learners. Their study promises to provide insight into the internal processes that both support and ultimately limit L2 learner achievement. Generally, theory building in L2 and bilingual lexical memory has relied on ontological models: models that posit that lexical access involves inferences made about representations. This article contrasts ontological models of bilingual and L2 lexical memory with a neural network model, the ART2–IN. Testing an ART2–IN after training it on real language samples shows that asymmetries in lexical access may have roots in the effects that different paths to bilingualism have on perceptual memory systems. The ART2–IN models both early Spanish–English bilingualism and the adult acquisition of English by a native Spanish speaker, and makes direct contact with important characteristics of L2 learning. The ART2–IN is different from ontological models in assigning causation: Ontological models assign the cause of learner asymmetries to internal structures and mechanisms, while the ART2–IN distributes cause over the learner and the learning environment.
The Obama Trigger: Presidential Approval and Tea Party Membership
Authors: Maxwell Angie , Parent T. Wayne
Published: October 2012

Objective

This article utilizes national polling data to identify factors driving Tea Party membership.

Methods

First, in order to clearly define the Tea Party movement, the researchers will report Tea Party demographics drawn from the Blair‐Rockefeller Poll, which includes a national sample of 3,406 respondents. Second, the researchers will create a logit model to predict Tea Party membership.

Results

In addition to party identification and ideology, Tea Party membership (10.6 percent of the sample) is impacted both by fiscally conservative policy preferences and by presidential approval. To a lesser degree, age and a belief in biblical literalism are also significant indicators in the model.

Conclusions

The Tea Party is a distinct entity from the Republican Party and is triggered, not only by current economic attitudes, but, specifically, by opposition to President Obama.
Density‐ and trait‐mediated top–down effects modify bottom–up control of a highly endemic tropical aquatic food web
Authors: Dalton C. M. , Mokiao‐Lee A. , Sakihara T. S. , Weber M. G. , Roco C. A. , Han Z. , Dudley B. , MacKenzie R. A. , Hairston N. G.
Published: October 2012

Benthic invertebrates mediate bottom–up and top–down influences in aquatic food webs, and changes in the abundance or traits of invertebrates can alter the strength of top–down effects. Studies assessing the role of invertebrate abundance and behavior as controls on food web structure are rare at the whole ecosystem scale. Here we use a comparative approach to investigate bottom–up and top–down influences on whole anchialine pond ecosystems in coastal Hawai‘i. In these ponds, a single species of endemic atyid shrimp (Halocaridina rubra) is believed to structure epilithon communities. Many Hawaiian anchialine ponds and their endemic fauna, however, have been greatly altered by bottom–up (increased nutrient enrichment) and top–down (introduced fish predators) disturbances from human development. We present the results of a survey of dissolved nutrient concentrations, epilithon biomass and composition, andH. rubraabundance and behavior in anchialine ponds with and without invasive predatory fish along a nutrient concentration gradient on the North Kona coast of Hawai‘i. We use linear models to assess 1) the effects of nutrient loading and fish introductions on pond food web structure and 2) the role of shrimp density and behavior in effecting that change. We find evidence for bottom–up food web control, in that nutrients were associated with increased epilithon biomass, autotrophy and nutrient content as well as increased abundance and size ofH. rubra. We also find evidence for top–down control, as ponds with invasive predatory fish had higher epilithon biomass, productivity, and nutrient content. Top–down effects were transmitted by both alteredH. rubraabundance, which changed the biomass of epilithon, andH. rubrabehavior, which changed the composition of the epilithon. Our study extends experimental findings on bottom–up and top–down control to the whole ecosystem scale and finds evidence for qualitatively different effects of trait‐ and density‐mediated change in top–down influences.
Two Clinical Isolates of Candida glabrata Exhibiting Reduced Sensitivity to Amphotericin B Both Harbor Mutations in
ERG2
Authors: Hull Claire M. , Bader Oliver , Parker Josie E. , Weig Michael , Gross Uwe , Warrilow Andrew G. S. , Kelly Diane E. , Kelly Steven L.
Published: October 2012

Two novel isolates of
Candida glabrata
exhibiting reduced sensitivity to amphotericin B (MIC, 8 μg ml
−1
) were found to be
ERG2
mutants, wherein Δ
8
-sterol intermediates comprised >90% of the total cellular sterol fraction. Both harbored an alteration at Thr
121
in ERG2; the corresponding residue (Thr
119
) in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
is essential for sterol Δ8-Δ7 isomerization. This constitutes the first report of
C. glabrata
harboring mutations in
ERG2
and exhibiting reduced sensitivity to amphotericin B.
Interplay between the QseC and QseE Bacterial Adrenergic Sensor Kinases in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Pathogenesis
Authors: Moreira Cristiano G. , Sperandio Vanessa
Published: October 2012

The bacterial adrenergic sensor kinases QseC and QseE respond to epinephrine and/or norepinephrine to initiate a complex phosphorelay regulatory cascade that modulates virulence gene expression in several pathogens. We have previously shown that QseC activates virulence gene expression in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium. Here we report the role of QseE in
S
. Typhimurium pathogenesis as well as the interplay between these two histidine sensor kinases in gene regulation. An
S
. Typhimurium
qseE
mutant is hampered in the invasion of epithelial cells and intramacrophage replication. The Δ
qseC
strain is highly attenuated for intramacrophage survival but has only a minor defect in invasion. However, the Δ
qseEC
strain has only a slight attenuation in invasion, mirroring the Δ
qseC
strain, and has an intermediary intramacrophage replication defect in comparison to the Δ
qseE
and Δ
qseC
strains. The expressions of the
sipA
and
sopB
genes, involved in the invasion of epithelial cells, are activated by epinephrine via QseE. The expression levels of these genes are still decreased in the Δ
qseEC
double mutant, albeit to a lesser extent, congruent with the invasion phenotype of this mutant. The expression level of the
sifA
gene, important for intramacrophage replication, is decreased in the
qseE
mutant and the Δ
qseEC
double mutant grown
in vitro
. However, as previously reported by us, the epinephrine-dependent activation of this gene occurs via QseC. In the systemic model of
S
. Typhimurium infection of BALB/c mice, the
qseC
and
qseE
mutants are highly attenuated, while the double mutant has an intermediary phenotype. Altogether, these data suggest that both adrenergic sensors play an important role in modulating several aspects of
S
. Typhimurium pathogenesis.
Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Clostridium perfringens Isolates from Darmbrand Cases in Post-World War II Germany
Authors: Ma Menglin , Li Jihong , McClane Bruce A.
Published: October 2012

Clostridium perfringens
type C strains are the only non-type-A isolates that cause human disease. They are responsible for enteritis necroticans, which was termed Darmbrand when occurring in post-World War II Germany. Darmbrand strains were initially classified as type F because of their exceptional heat resistance but later identified as type C strains. Since only limited information exists regarding Darmbrand strains, this study genetically and phenotypically characterized seven 1940s era Darmbrand-associated strains. Results obtained indicated the following. (i) Five of these Darmbrand isolates belong to type C, carry beta-toxin (
cpb
) and enterotoxin (
cpe
) genes on large plasmids, and express both beta-toxin and enterotoxin. The other two isolates are
cpe
-negative type A. (ii) All seven isolates produce highly heat-resistant spores with
D
100
values (the time that a culture must be kept at 100°C to reduce its viability by 90%) of 7 to 40 min. (iii) All of the isolates surveyed produce the same variant small acid-soluble protein 4 (Ssp4) made by type A food poisoning isolates with a chromosomal
cpe
gene that also produce extremely heat-resistant spores. (iv) The Darmbrand isolates share a genetic background with type A chromosomal-
cpe
-bearing isolates. Finally, it was shown that both the
cpe
and
cpb
genes can be mobilized in Darmbrand isolates. These results suggest that
C. perfringens
type A and C strains that cause human food-borne illness share a spore heat resistance mechanism that likely favors their survival in temperature-abused food. They also suggest possible evolutionary relationships between Darmbrand strains and type A strains carrying a chromosomal
cpe
gene.
EXAMINATIOIN OF THE INFLUENCE OF SEMI-SOLID NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS WITH DIFFERENT GELLING AGENTS ON THE ABSORPTION OF THE TRACE ELEMENTS FROM DIGESTIVE ORGANS
Authors: MIURA YOSHINORI , SERA KOICHIRO , SUWABE AKIRA
Published: October 2012

The present study examined the index of absorption of trace element ( Fe , Cu , and Zn ) in different semi-solid nourishment medicines. Various mineral compositions were administered to 7-week-old male rats and semi-solid nourishment medicine from three companies, each using a different gelling agent, were orally administered for two weeks (5 per group). Five rats that were that were fed the standard diet were used as a control group. The rats' excrement excreted after the administration the nutritional supplement was gathered, and the density of trace elements was measured by the PIXE method. The trace element value of each semi-solid nourishment medicine and the standard diet were measured before the experiment, and the intake of trace elements was calculated based on these values. The amount of gut absorption was subtracted from the amount excreted. The groups were compared by the index of absorption.
3D ANALYSIS OF AN INDUCED ATHEROSCLEROTIC LESION IN A MURINE ARTERY BY PIXE STACKING
Authors: SICKERT ANNEMARIE , BARAPATRE NIRAV , ROTHERMEL MARTIN , TEUPSER DANIEL , REINERT TILO
Published: October 2012

Quantitative three dimensional analysis is possible, in principle, by PIXE tomography. But, the inherent problems in quantitation, restrictions on the sample geometry and preparation, and specimen damage due to high fluences make this method unsuitable for many biological samples. The specimen under investigation, a murine artery, was around a millimeter in diameter and the induced atherosclerotic lesion was spread few hundreds of micrometers across the length of the artery. Since no tomographic experiments were possible, we chose to do the 3D quantitative analysis by means of PIXE Stacking. Herein, thin serial sections of the specimen are prepared and measured by conventional ion beam techniques. The resultant two dimensional quantitative element maps are stacked and aligned to reconstruct a quantitative volume of the specimen. Although the reconstructed dimension has poorer spatial resolution as compared with the measured dimensions, new information can still be gained from it. The three dimensional element distribution of the atherosclerotic lesion shows calcification on the outer surface of the artery, which otherwise would not have been easily visible in the two dimensional analysis.
HIGHER-ORDERS IN SEMILEPTONIC B-DECAYS
Authors: TURCZYK SASCHA
Published: October 2012

In this paper, on a talk given at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, we discuss higher-order non-perturbative corrections in inclusive semileptonic decays of B mesons. First the generic calculation is reviewed and then we identify the relevant hadronic matrix-elements up to [Formula: see text]. For a quantitative analysis of these effects, the value of these new matrix-elements is estimated within an approximation scheme. We investigate the role of so-called "intrinsic-charm" operators in this decay, appearing first at order [Formula: see text] in the heavy-quark expansion. These operators induce an expansion infrared sensitive to the charm quark [Formula: see text]. Parametrically the power corrections complement the estimate of the potential impact of [Formula: see text] contributions, which we will explore. In this context, we draw semiquantitative conclusions for the expected scale of valence weak annihilation contribution in semileptonic B decays. Furthermore the effects on the integrated rate and on kinematic moments are then estimated up to [Formula: see text].
SEARCHES FOR SUPERSYMMETRY WITH THE ATLAS DETECTOR
Authors: REDLINGER G.
Published: October 2012

This is a review of searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) with the ATLAS detector in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The review covers results that have been published, or submitted for publication, up to September 2012, many of which cover the full 7 TeV data-taking period. No evidence for SUSY has been seen; some possibilities for future directions are discussed.
THE GENERALIZED TOTAL GRAPH OF A COMMUTATIVE RING
Authors: ANDERSON DAVID F. , BADAWI AYMAN
Published: October 2012

Let R be a commutative ring with nonzero identity and H be a nonempty proper subset of R such that R\H is a saturated multiplicatively closed subset of R. The generalized total graph of R is the (simple) graph GT H(R) with all elements of R as the vertices, and two distinct vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if x + y ∈ H. In this paper, we investigate the structure of GT H(R).
Application of reductive amination reaction for preparation of ferrocene-modified porphyrins
Authors: Osipova Elena Yu. , Rodionov Alexey N. , Simenel Alexander A. , Belousov Yury A. , Nikitin Oleg M. , Kachala Vadim V.
Published: October 2012

Porphyrin-modified ferrocenes were synthesized via the reductive amination reaction of ferrocenylpyrazolecarboxaldehydes and tetraphenylporphyrinamine. The steric hindrance of ferrocene moiety was found to play the key role in this reaction.
FACILE SYNTHESIS AND MICROWAVE ABSORPTION PROPERTIES OF α-MnO2 NANORODS
Authors: GUAN HONGTAO , CHEN GANG , ZHU JING , WANG YUDE
Published: October 2012

A low-temperature water-bathing chemical precipitation method was developed to synthesize α- MnO2 nanorods. The morphological and crystalline structures were investigated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. The electromagnetic properties and microwave absorption properties were examined in the frequency range 2–18 GHz. The results show that the as-synthesized product is α- MnO2 nanorod with diameters of 30 nm and lengths up to 1–2 μm. The dielectric permittivity has a trend of decreasing its real and increasing its imaginary parts with the frequency. The magnetic permeability is about 1.0–1.2 and 0–0.1 for its real and imaginary parts at the whole frequency. With the increase of sample thickness, the reflection loss peak value shifts to lower frequency band. With a thickness of 3 mm, an absorption peak value of -25 dB was achieved. And its effective absorption bandwidth in which the reflection loss is lower than -10 dB is as high as 5 GHz.
How to meet asynchronously (almost) everywhere
Authors: Czyzowicz Jurek , Pelc Andrzej , Labourel Arnaud
Published: October 2012

Two mobile agents (robots) with distinct labels have to meet in an arbitrary, possibly infinite, unknown connected graph or in an unknown connected terrain in the plane. Agents are modeled as points, and the route of each of them only depends on its label and on the unknown environment. The actual walk of each agent also depends on an asynchronous adversary that may arbitrarily vary the speed of the agent, stop it, or even move it back and forth, as long as the walk of the agent is continuous, does not leave its route and covers all of it. Meeting in a graph means that both agents must be at the same time in some node or in some point inside an edge of the graph, while meeting in a terrain means that both agents must be at the same time in some point of the terrain. Does there exist a deterministic algorithm that allows any two agents to meet in any unknown environment in spite of this very powerful adversary? We give deterministic rendezvous algorithms for agents starting at arbitrary nodes of any anonymous connected graph (finite or infinite) and for agents starting at any interior points with rational coordinates in any closed region of the plane with path-connected interior. In the geometric scenario agents may have different compasses and different units of length. While our algorithms work in a very general setting -- agents can, indeed, meet almost everywhere -- we show that none of these few limitations imposed on the environment can be removed. On the other hand, our algorithm also guarantees the following
approximate rendezvous
for agents starting at
arbitrary
interior points of a terrain as previously stated agents will eventually get to within an arbitrarily small positive distance from each other.
Kernel(s) for problems with no kernel
Authors: Binkele-Raible Daniel , Fernau Henning , Fomin Fedor V. , Lokshtanov Daniel , Saurabh Saket , Villanger Yngve
Published: October 2012

The
k
-Leaf Out-Branching problem is to find an out-branching, that is a rooted oriented spanning tree, with at least
k
leaves in a given digraph. The problem has recently received much attention from the viewpoint of parameterized algorithms. Here, we take a kernelization based approach to the
k
-Leaf-Out-Branching problem. We give the first polynomial kernel for Rooted
k
-Leaf-Out-Branching, a variant of
k
-Leaf-Out-Branching where the root of the tree searched for is also a part of the input. Our kernel with
O
(
k
3
) vertices is obtained using extremal combinatorics.

For the
k
-Leaf-Out-Branching problem, we show that no polynomial-sized kernel is possible unless
coNP
is in
NP/poly
. However, our positive results for Rooted
k
-Leaf-Out-Branching immediately imply that the seemingly intractable
k
-Leaf-Out-Branching problem admits a data reduction to
n
independent polynomial-sized kernels. These two results, tractability and intractability side by side, are the first ones separating
Karp kernelization
from
Turing kernelization
. This answers affirmatively an open problem regarding “cheat kernelization” raised by Mike Fellows and Jiong Guo independently.
Parallel pipelined filter ordering with precedence constraints
Authors: Deshpande Amol , Hellerstein Lisa
Published: October 2012

In the parallel pipelined filter ordering problem, we are given a set of
n
filters that run in parallel. The filters need to be applied to a stream of elements, to determine which elements pass all filters. Each filter has a
rate limit

r
i

on the number of elements it can process per unit time, and a
selectivity

p
i

, which is the probability that a random element will pass the filter. The goal is to maximize throughput. This problem appears naturally in a variety of settings, including parallel query optimization in databases and query processing over Web services.

We present an
O
(
n
3
) algorithm for this problem, given tree-structured precedence constraints on the filters. This extends work of Condon et al. [2009] and Kodialam [2001], who presented algorithms for solving the problem without precedence constraints. Our algorithm is combinatorial and produces a sparse solution. Motivated by join operators in database queries, we also give algorithms for versions of the problem in which “filter” selectivities may be greater than or equal to 1.

We prove a strong connection between the more classical problem of minimizing total work in sequential filter ordering (A), and the parallel pipelined filter ordering problem (B). More precisely, we prove that
A
is solvable in polynomial time for a given class of precedence constraints if and only if
B
is as well. This equivalence allows us to show that
B
is NP-Hard in the presence of arbitrary precedence constraints (since
A
is known to be NP-Hard in that setting).
Randomized Instruction Injection to Counter Power Analysis Attacks
Authors: Ambrose Jude A. , Ragel Roshan G. , Parameswaran Sri
Published: October 2012

Side-channel attacks in general and power analysis attacks in particular are becoming a major security concern in embedded systems. Countermeasures proposed against power analysis attacks are data and table masking, current flattening, dummy instruction insertion and bit-flips balancing. All these techniques are either susceptible to multi-order power analysis attack, not sufficiently generic to cover all encryption algorithms, or burden the system with high area, run-time or energy cost. In this article, we propose a randomized instruction injection technique (
RIJID
) that overcomes the pitfalls of previous countermeasures.
RIJID
scrambles the power profile of a cryptographic application by injecting random instructions at random points of execution and therefore protects the system against power analysis attacks. Two different ways of triggering the instruction injection are also presented: (1)
softRIJID
, a hardware/software approach, where special instructions are used in the code for triggering the injection at runtime; and (2)
autoRIJID
, a hardware approach, where the code injection is triggered by the processor itself via detecting signatures of encryption routines at runtime. A novel signature detection technique is also introduced for identifying encryption routines within application programs at runtime. Further, a simple obfuscation metric (
RIJIDindex
) based on cross-correlation that measures the scrambling provided by any code injection technique is introduced, which coarsely indicates the level of scrambling achieved. Our processor models cost 1.9% additional area in the hardware/software approach and 1.2% in the hardware approach for a
RISC
based processor, and costs on average 29.8% in runtime and 27.1% in energy for the former and 25.0% in runtime and 28.5% in energy for the later, for industry standard cryptographic applications.
Voice-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Hamdan Abdul Latif , Farhat Sahar , Saadeh Rami , El-Dahouk Iyad , Sibai Abla , Yamout Bassem
Published: October 2012

Objective. To investigate the voice-related quality of life in a group of patients with multiple sclerosis.Participants. A total of 87 subjects (59 MS subjects and 28 controls) participated in this study.Main Outcome Measures. Variables included presence or absence of phonatory symptoms, duration of the disease, the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), the severity of fatigue, and depression. All patients were asked to fill the Voice Handicap Index.Results. The average age was 35.47 years + 10.92 with 39% being males. The average duration of the disease was 77.93 months. The EDSS score was 1.94 + 1.84, the FSS score was 4.07 + 2.09, and the HRSD was 7.28 + 7.70. Only 7 subjects out of the 59 had vocal symptoms compared to 3 in the control group. There was no significant difference in the VHI total score between cases (5.9 + 15.5) and controls (5.4 + 8.2). There was a positive correlation between VHI total score, FSS score, and HRSD (Pvalues of 0.011 and <0.01.Conclusion. The voice-related quality of life in MS is within normal with no disability.
Design of RFID Reader Antenna for Exclusively Reading Single One in Tag Assembling Production
Authors: Huang Chi-Fang , Huang Yi-Feng
Published: October 2012

A design of RFID reader antenna including a fixture, which is equipped with a chip-attaching machine producing the RFID tags, is presented. Such an antenna is constrained to read exclusively one tag only for the purpose of functional check of the whole tag when it passes the reader antenna. Namely, the other neighbor tags on the same rolling band are ignored that time. A wideband microstrip antenna is designed and a fixture with shielding material is set up for such a reading constraint. Low efficiency with high return loss is allowed for this constraint, yet wideband is still a must to treat all possible produced tags used in different countries and areas in the world.
Hair Analysis for Determination of Isoniazid Concentrations and Acetylator Phenotype during Antituberculous Treatment
Authors: Eisenhut Michael , Thieme Detlef , Schmid Dagmar , Fieseler Sybille , Sachs Hans
Published: October 2012

Background. Analysis of isoniazid (INH) uptake has been based on measurement of plasma concentrations providing a short-term and potentially biased view.Objectives. To establish hair analysis as a tool to measure long-term uptake of INH and to assess whether acetylator phenotype in hair reflects N-acetyltransferase-2 (NAT2) genotype.Design and Methods. INH and acetyl-INH concentrations in hair were determined in patients on INH treatment forM. tuberculosisinfection using high pressure liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Acetyl-INH/INH ratios were correlated with NAT-2 genotype.Results. Hair concentrations of INH, determined in 40 patients, were not dependent on ethnic group or body mass index and were significantly higher in male compared to female patients (median (range) 2.37 ng/mg (0.76–4.9) versus 1.11 ng/mg (0.02–7.20) (P=0.02). Acetyl-INH/INH ratios were a median of 15.2% (14.5 to 31.7) in homozygous rapid acetylator NAT-2 genotype and 37.3% (1.73 to 51.2) in the heterozygous rapid acetylator NAT-2 genotype and both significantly higher than in the slow acetylator NAT-2 genotype with 5.8% (0.53 to 14.4) (P<0.05).Conclusions. Results of hair analysis for INH showed lower concentrations in females. Acetyl-INH/INH ratios were significantly lower in patients with slow acetylator versus rapid acetylator genotypes.
Risk‐Control Approach for a Bottleneck Spanning Tree Problem with the Total Network Reliability under Uncertainty
Authors: Hasuike Takashi , Katagiri Hideki , Tsuda Hiroshi
Published: October 2012

This paper considers a new risk‐control and management approach for a bottleneck spanning tree problem under the situation where edge costs in a given network include randomness and reliability. Particularly, this paper focuses on the case that only mean value and variance of edge costs are calculated without assuming a specific random distribution. In order to develop the risk control approach, a confidence interval‐based formulation is introduced. Using this interval, as well as minimizing the maximum value of worse edge costs, maximizing the minimum value of robust
parameters to edge costs is introduced as objective functions in the risk‐control. Furthermore, in order to maintain the constructing spanning tree network entirely, the reliability for each edge is introduced, and maximizing the total reliability of spanning tree is assumed as the third objective function. The proposed model is a multiobjective programming problem, and hence, it is difficult to solve it directly without setting some optimal criterion. Therefore, satisfaction functions for each object and the integrated function are introduced, and the exact solution algorithm is developed by performing deterministic equivalent transformations. A numerical example is provided by comparing our proposed model with previous standard models.
Alterations and Chromosomal Variants in the Ecuadorian Population
Authors: Paz-y-Miño César , Cumbal Nadia , Araujo Santiago , Sánchez Ma. Eugenia
Published: October 2012

Medical genetics is a field marked by fast progress. Even though it was at one point confined to a group of relatively rare diseases, today it has become a central component in the understanding of disorders and it is the subject of interest for all medical specialties. This paper, shares data on the chromosomal alterations and variations that have been diagnosed in Ecuadorian patients since 1998. A total of 2,636 individual cases have been analyzed by G-banding technique until February 2012. The present work shows this collection of data and the important findings that have appeared throughout these years in hopes that it can contribute to have a deeper understanding of the incidence of chromosomal aberrations and alterations in the Ecuadorian population.
Layer‐by‐Layer Nanoassembly of Copper Indium Gallium Selenium Nanoparticle Films for Solar Cell Applications
Authors: Hemati A. , Shrestha S. , Agarwal M. , Varahramyan K.
Published: October 2012

Thin films of CIGS nanoparticles interdigited with polymers have been fabricated through a cost‐effective nonvacuum film deposition process called layer‐by‐layer (LbL) nanoassembly. CIGS nanoparticles synthesized by heating copper chloride, indium chloride, gallium chloride, and selenium in oleylamine were dispersed in water, and desired surface charges were obtained through pH regulation and by coating the particles with polystyrene sulfonate (PSS). Raising the pH of the nanoparticle dispersion reduced the zeta‐potential from +61 mV at pH 7 to −51 mV at pH 10.5. Coating the CIGS nanoparticles with PSS (CIGS‐PSS) produced a stable dispersion in water with −56.9 mV zeta‐potential. Thin films of oppositely charged CIGS nanoparticles (CIGS/CIGS), CIGS nanoparticles and PSS (CIGS/PSS), and PSS‐coated CIGS nanoparticles and polyethylenimine (CIGS‐PSS/PEI) were constructed through the LbL nanoassembly. Film thickness and resistivity of each bilayer of the films were measured, and photoelectric properties of the films were studied for solar cell applications. Solar cell devices fabricated with a 219 nm CIGS film, when illuminated by 50 W light‐source, produced 0.7 V open circuit voltage and 0.3 mA/cm2 short circuit current density.
Strategies for Enhancing Vaccine-Induced CTL Antitumor Immune Responses
Authors: Yong Xin , Xiao Yü-Feng , Luo Gang , He Bin , Lü Mu-Han , Hu Chang-Jiang , Guo Hong , Yang Shi-Ming
Published: October 2012

Vaccine-induced cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a critical role in adaptive immunity against cancers. An important goal of current vaccine research is to induce durable and long-lasting functional CTLs that can mediate cytotoxic effects on tumor cells. To attain this goal, there are four distinct steps that must be achieved. To initiate a vaccine-induced CTL antitumor immune response, dendritic cells (DCs) must capture antigens derived from exogenous tumor vaccines in vivo or autologous DCs directly loaded in vitro with tumor antigens must be injected. Next, tumor-antigen-loaded DCs must activate CTLs in lymphoid organs. Subsequently, activated CTLs must enter the tumor microenvironment to perform their functions, at which point a variety of negative regulatory signals suppress the immune response. Finally, CTL-mediated cytotoxic effects must overcome the tolerance induced by tumor cells. Each step is a complex process that may be impeded in many ways. However, if these steps happen under appropriate regulation, the vaccine-induced CTL antitumor immune response will be more successful. For this reason, we should gain a better understanding of the basic mechanisms that govern the immune response. This paper, based on the steps necessary to induce an immune response, discusses current strategies for enhancing vaccine-induced CTL antitumor immune responses.
A Comprehensive Forward Model for Imaging under Irregular Terrain Using RF Tomography
Authors: Lo Monte Lorenzo , Soldovieri Francesco , Erricolo Danilo , Giannopoulos Antonios , Wicks Michael C.
Published: October 2012

Imaging of tunnel networks under irregular terrain using RF tomography is generalized to include the possibility of magnetic dipoles (i.e., electric loops) either as transmitting or receiving devices. Forward scattering models are presented, and a generalized method for computing numerical dyadic Green’s functions is detailed. Explicit formulas for fast numerical implementation are also presented. The paper is corroborated with numerical simulations aimed at validating formulas.
A Unique Common Triple Fixed Point Theorem for Hybrid Pair of Maps
Authors: Rao K. P. R. , Kishore G. N. V. , Tas Kenan
Published: October 2012

We obtain a unique common triple fixed point theorem for hybrid pair of mappings in metric spaces. Our result extends the recent results of B. Samet and C. Vetro (2011). We also introduced a suitable example supporting our result.
The Use of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Monoclonal Antibodies in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
Authors: Russell Jeffery S. , Colevas A. Dimitrios
Published: October 2012

Targeting of the EGF receptor (EGFR) has become a standard of care in several tumor types. In squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, monoclonal antibodies directed against EGFR have become a regular component of therapy for curative as well as palliative treatment strategies. These agents have anti-tumor efficacy as a single modality and have demonstrated synergistic tumor killing when combined with radiation and/or chemotherapy. While cetuximab has been the primary anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody used in the US, variant anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies have been used in several clinical studies and shown benefit with improved toxicity profiles. Next generation anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies may demonstrate multi-target epitope recognition, enhanced immune cell stimulation, or conjugation with radioisotopes in order to improve clinical outcomes. Identification of the specific patient subset that would optimally benefit from anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies remains an elusive goal.
Energy Reduction with Anticontrol of Chaos for Nonholonomic Mobile Robot System
Authors: Yaghoubi Zahra , Zarabadipour Hassan , Aliyari Shoorehdeli Mahdi
Published: October 2012

This paper presents energy reduction with anticontrol of chaos for nonholonomic mobile robot system. Anticontrol of chaos is also called chaotification, meaning to chaotify an originally non‐chaotic system, and in this paper error of mobile robot system has been synchronized with chaotic gyroscope for reducing energy and increasing performance. The benefits of chaos synchronization with mechanical systems have led us to an innovation in this paper. The main purpose is that the control system in the presence of chaos work with lower control cost and control effort has been reduced. For comparison of proposed method, the feedback linearization controller has also been designed for mobile robot with noise. Finally, the efficacies of the proposed method have been illustrated by simulations, energy of control signals has been calculated, and effect of Alpha (α: a constant coefficient is used beside of chaotic system) variations on the energy of control signals has been checked.
Initial Experiences of Simultaneous Laparoscopic Resection of Colorectal Cancer and Liver Metastases
Authors: Hoekstra L. T. , Busch O. R. C. , Bemelman W. A. , van Gulik T. M. , Tanis P. J.
Published: October 2012

Introduction. Simultaneous resection of primary colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and synchronous liver metastases (SLMs) is subject of debate with respect to morbidity in comparison to staged resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate our initial experience with this approach. Methods. Five patients with primary CRC and a clinical diagnosis of SLM underwent combined laparoscopic colorectal and liver surgery. Patient and tumor characteristics, operative variables, and postoperative outcomes were evaluated retrospectively. Results. The primary tumor was located in the colon in two patients and in the rectum in three patients. The SLM was solitary in four patients and multiple in the remaining patient. Surgical approach was total laparoscopic (2 patients) or hand-assisted laparoscopic (3 patients). The midline umbilical or transverse suprapubic incision created for the hand port and/or extraction of the specimen varied between 5 and 10 cm. Median operation time was 303 (range 151–384) minutes with a total blood loss of 700 (range 200–850) mL. Postoperative hospital stay was 5, 5, 9, 14, and 30 days. An R0 resection was achieved in all patients. Conclusions. From this initial single-center experience, simultaneous laparoscopic colorectal and liver resection appears to be feasible in selected patients with CRC and SLM, with satisfying short-term results.