bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phase 1/2 Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Dose Escalation, Safety, and Pharmacokinetic Study of Pagibaximab (BSYX-A110), an Antistaphylococcal Monoclonal Antibody for the Prevention of Staphylococcal Bloodstream Infections, in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Neonates
Authors: Weisman Leonard E. , Thackray Helen M. , Garcia-Prats Joseph A. , Nesin Mirjana , Schneider Joseph H. , Fretz Jennifer , Kokai-Kun John F. , Mond James J. , Kramer William G. , Fischer Gerald W.
Published: April 2009

Staphylococcal sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. A human chimeric monoclonal antibody, pagibaximab, was developed against staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid. We evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of pagibaximab in VLBW neonates. A phase 1/2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose escalation study was conducted in VLBW infants (700 to 1,300 g) 3 to 7 days old. Patients received two doses 14 days apart of intravenous pagibaximab (10, 30, 60, or 90 mg/kg of body weight) or placebo in a 2:1 ratio. Blood and urine samples were obtained pre- and postinfusion for analysis of safety and pharmacokinetics, and data on adverse events were gathered. Staphylococcal organisms causing sepsis were collected and evaluated. Fifty-three patients received at least one dose of pagibaximab or placebo. The average gestational age was 27.6 weeks; the average birth weight was 1,003 g. All serious adverse events were deemed unrelated or probably not drug related. Morbidity and mortality were similar across treatment groups. No evidence of immunogenicity of pagibaximab was detected. Pagibaximab pharmacokinetics was linear. The mean clearance (CL), volume of distribution, and elimination half-life of pagibaximab were independent of dose. The serum half-life was 20.5 ± 6.8 days. Pagibaximab enhanced serum opsonophagocytic activity. All staphylococci causing sepsis were opsonizable by pagibaximab. Two infusions of pagibaximab, administered 2 weeks apart to high-risk neonates appeared safe and tolerable, and pharmacokinetics were linear. Evaluation of more frequent doses, at the highest doses tested, in neonates at high-risk of staphylococcal sepsis, is warranted.
Comparison of the Pharmacodynamics of Biapenem in Bronchial Epithelial Lining Fluid in Healthy Volunteers Given Half-Hour and Three-Hour Intravenous Infusions
Authors: Kikuchi Eiki , Kikuchi Junko , Nasuhara Yasuyuki , Oizumi Satoshi , Ishizaka Akitoshi , Nishimura Masaharu
Published: April 2009

The time above the MIC (
T
>MIC) is the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) parameter that correlates with the therapeutic efficacy of beta-lactam antibiotics. A prolonged infusion can provide plasma drug concentrations that remain above the MIC for a long period. The objective of this study was to compare the PK/PD parameters in bronchial epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of biapenem given as 0.5-h and 3-h infusions by using bronchoscopic microsampling (BMS). Six healthy adult volunteers received 0.5-h and 3-h infusions of 0.3 g of biapenem with a washout interval. BMS was performed repeatedly from 0.5 to 24 h after biapenem administration in order to determine the pharmacokinetics in bronchial ELF. The subjects received intravenous biapenem with the same regimens again and then underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) at the end of infusion in order to determine the concentration of the drug in alveolar ELF. The percentages (means ± standard deviations) of
T
>MIC in bronchial ELF at MICs from 0.25 to 4 μg/ml ranged from zero to 34.6% ± 5.2% after the 0.5-h infusion and from 5.1% ± 5.6% to 52.2% ± 17.0% after the 3-h infusion. The percentage of
T
>MIC in bronchial ELF after the 3-h infusion tended to be higher than that after the 0.5-h infusion. The concentrations of the drug in alveolar ELF after 0.5-h and 3-h infusions were 3.5 ± 1.2 μg/ml and 1.3 ± 0.3 μg/ml, respectively. The present results support the use of prolonged infusions of beta-lactam antibiotics and may provide critical information for successful treatment of lower respiratory tract infections based on PK/PD parameters in bronchial ELF.
The K5 Capsule of
Escherichia coli
Strain Nissle 1917 Is Important in Mediating Interactions with Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Chemokine Induction
Authors: Hafez Mohamed , Hayes Kelly , Goldrick Marie , Warhurst Geoff , Grencis Richard , Roberts Ian S.
Published: April 2009

Escherichia coli
strain Nissle 1917 has been widely used as a probiotic for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disorders and shown to have immunomodulatory effects. Nissle 1917 expresses a K5 capsule, the expression of which often is associated with extraintestinal and urinary tract isolates of
E. coli
. In this paper, we investigate the role of the K5 capsule in mediating interactions between Nissle 1917 and intestinal epithelial cells. We show that the loss of capsule significantly reduced the level of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein 2α (MIP-2α), MIP-2β, interleukin-8, and gamma interferon-inducible protein 10 induction by Nissle 1917 in both Caco-2 cells and MCP-1 induction in ex vivo mouse small intestine. The complementation of the capsule-minus mutation confirmed that the effects on chemokine induction were capsule specific. The addition of purified K5, but not K1, capsular polysaccharide to the capsule-minus Nissle 1917 at least in part restored chemokine induction to wild-type levels. The purified K5 capsular polysaccharide alone was unable to stimulate chemokine production, indicating that the K5 polysaccharide was acting to mediate interactions between Nissle 1917 and intestinal epithelial cells. The induction of chemokine by Nissle 1917 was generated predominantly by interaction with the basolateral surface of Caco-2 cells, suggesting that Nissle 1917 will be most effective in inducing chemokine expression where the epithelial barrier is disrupted.
Glucose and Glycolysis Are Required for the Successful Infection of Macrophages and Mice by
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Typhimurium
Authors: Bowden Steven D. , Rowley Gary , Hinton Jay C. D. , Thompson Arthur
Published: April 2009

Salmonella
is a widespread zoonotic enteropathogen that causes gastroenteritis and fatal typhoidal disease in mammals. During systemic infection of mice,
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium resides and replicates in macrophages within the “
Salmonella
-containing vacuole” (SCV). It is surprising that the substrates and metabolic pathways necessary for growth of
S
. Typhimurium within the SCV of macrophages have not been identified yet. To determine whether
S
. Typhimurium utilized sugars within the SCV, we constructed a series of
S
. Typhimurium mutants that lacked genes involved in sugar transport and catabolism and tested them for replication in mice and macrophages. These mutants included a mutant with a mutation in the
pfkAB
-encoded phosphofructokinase, which catalyzes a key committing step in glycolysis. We discovered that a
pfkAB
mutant is severely attenuated for replication and survival within RAW 264.7 macrophages. We also show that disruption of the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system by deletion of the
ptsHI
and
crr
genes reduces
S
. Typhimurium replication within RAW 264.7 macrophages. We discovered that mutants unable to catabolize glucose due to deletion of
ptsHI
,
crr
, and
glk
or deletion of
ptsG
,
manXYZ
, and
glk
showed reduced replication within RAW 264.7 macrophages. This study proves that
S
. Typhimurium requires glycolysis for infection of mice and macrophages and that transport of glucose is required for replication within macrophages.
Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Is a Surface-Associated, Fibronectin-Binding Protein of
Trichomonas vaginalis
Authors: Lama A. , Kucknoor A. , Mundodi V. , Alderete J. F.
Published: April 2009

Trichomonas vaginalis
colonizes the urogenital tract of humans and causes trichomonosis, the most prevalent nonviral sexually transmitted disease. We have shown an association of
T. vaginalis
with basement membrane extracellular matrix components, a property which we hypothesize is important for colonization and persistence. In this study, we identify a fibronectin (FN)-binding protein of
T. vaginalis
. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) from a library of hybridomas that inhibited the binding of
T. vaginalis
organisms to immobilized FN was identified. The MAb (called ws1) recognized a 39-kDa protein and was used to screen a cDNA expression library of
T. vaginalis
. A 1,086-bp reactive cDNA clone that encoded a protein of 362 amino acids with identity to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was obtained. The
gapdh
gene was cloned, and recombinant GAPDH (rGAPDH) was expressed in
Escherichia coli
cells. Natural GAPDH and rGAPDH bound to immobilized FN and to plasminogen and collagen but not to laminin. MAb ws1 inhibited binding to FN. GAPDH was detected on the surface of trichomonads and was upregulated in synthesis and surface expression by iron. Higher levels of binding to FN were seen for organisms grown in iron-replete medium than for organisms grown in iron-depleted medium. In addition, decreased synthesis of GAPDH by antisense transfection of
T. vaginalis
gave lower levels of organisms bound to FN and had no adverse effect on growth kinetics. Finally, GAPDH did not associate with immortalized vaginal epithelial cells (VECs), and neither GAPDH nor MAb ws1 inhibited the adherence of trichomonads to VECs. These results indicate that GAPDH is a surface-associated protein of
T. vaginalis
with alternative functions.
TheStaphylococcus aureusGGDEF Domain-Containing Protein, GdpS, Influences Protein A Gene Expression in a Cyclic Diguanylic Acid-Independent Manner
Authors: Shang Fei , Xue Ting , Sun Haipeng , Xing Lei , Zhang Shuo , Yang Zhenjun , Zhang Lihe , Sun Baolin
Published: April 2009

Staphylococcus aureusis an important human pathogen that is the principal cause of a variety of diseases, ranging from localized skin infections to life-threatening systemic infections. The success of the organism as a pathogen and its ability to cause such a wide range of infections are due to its extensive virulence factors. In this study, we identified the role of the only GGDEF domain protein (GdpS [GGDEFdomainprotein fromStaphylococcus]) in the virulence ofS. aureusNCTC8325. Inactivation ofgdpSresults in an alteration in the production of a range of virulence factors, such as serine and cysteine proteases, fibrinogen-binding proteins, and, specifically, protein A (Spa), a major surface protein ofS. aureus. The transcript level ofspadecreases eightfold in thegdpSmutant compared with the parental NCTC8325 strain. Furthermore, the transcript level ofsarS, which encodes a direct positive regulator ofspa, also decreases in thegdpSmutant compared with the wild type, while the transcript levels ofagr,sarA,sarT, androtdisplay no apparent changes in thegdpSmutant, suggesting that GdpS affects the expression ofspathrough interaction with SarS by unknown mechanisms. Furthermore, the complementation assays show that the influences of GdpS onspaandsarSdepend on its N-terminal domain, which is predicted to be the sensor of a two-component system, rather than its C-terminal GGDEF domain with conserved GGDEF, suggesting that GdpS functions inS. aureusby an unknown mechanism independent of 3′,5′-cyclic diguanylic acid signaling.
Novel Subtilase Cytotoxin Produced by Shiga-Toxigenic
Escherichia coli
Induces Apoptosis in Vero Cells via Mitochondrial Membrane Damage
Authors: Matsuura Gen , Morinaga Naoko , Yahiro Kinnosuke , Komine Reiko , Moss Joel , Yoshida Hideo , Noda Masatoshi
Published: April 2009

Subtilase cytotoxin (SubAB) is an AB
5
cytotoxin produced by some strains of Shiga-toxigenic
Escherichia coli
. The A subunit is a subtilase-like serine protease and cleaves an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, BiP, leading to transient inhibition of protein synthesis and cell cycle arrest at G
1
phase. Here we show that SubAB, but not the catalytically inactive mutant SubAB(S272A), induced apoptosis in Vero cells, as detected by DNA fragmentation and annexin V binding. SubAB induced activation of caspase-3, -7, and -8. Caspase-3 appeared earlier than caspase-8, and by use of specific caspase inhibitors, it was determined that caspase-3 may be upstream of caspase-8. A general caspase inhibitor blocked SubAB-induced apoptosis, detected by annexin V binding. SubAB also stimulated cytochrome
c
release from mitochondria, which was not suppressed by caspase inhibitors. In HeLa cells, Apaf-1 small interfering RNA inhibited caspase-3 activation, suggesting that cytochrome
c
might form an apoptosome, leading to activation of caspase-3. These data suggested that SubAB induced caspase-dependent apoptosis in Vero cells through mitochondrial membrane damage.
M-Cell Targeting of Whole Killed Bacteria Induces Protective Immunity against Gastrointestinal Pathogens
Authors: Chionh Yok-Teng , Wee Janet L. K. , Every Alison L. , Ng Garrett Z. , Sutton Philip
Published: April 2009

As the majority of human pathogens infect via a mucosal surface, delivery of killed vaccines by mucosal routes could potentially improve protection against many such organisms. Our ability to develop effective killed mucosal vaccines is inhibited by a lack of adjuvants that are safe and effective in humans. The
Ulex europaeus
agglutinin I (UEA-I) lectin specifically binds M cells lining the murine gastrointestinal tract. We explored the potential for M-cell-targeted vaccination of whole, killed
Helicobacter pylori
, the main causative agent of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer, and
Campylobacter jejuni
, the most common cause of diarrhea. Oral delivery of UEA-I-agglutinated
H. pylori
or
C. jejuni
induced a significant increase in both serum and intestinal antibody levels. This elevated response (i) required the use of whole bacteria, as it did not occur with lysate; (ii) was not mediated by formation of particulate clumps, as agglutination with a lectin with a different glycan specificity had no effect; and (iii) was not due to lectin-mediated, nonspecific immunostimulatory activity, as UEA-I codelivery with nonagglutinated bacteria did not enhance the response. Vaccination with UEA-I-agglutinated, killed whole
H. pylori
induced a protective response against subsequent live challenge that was as effective as that induced by cholera toxin adjuvant. Moreover, vaccination against
C. jejuni
by this approach resulted in complete protection against challenge in almost all animals. We believe that this is the first demonstration that targeting of whole killed bacteria to mucosal M cells can induce protective immunity without the addition of an immunostimulatory adjuvant.
Preparation and rearrangement study of novel thiophenium- and selenophenium-ylides
Authors: Machara Aleš , Kozmík Václav , Pojarová Michaela , Dvořáková Hana , Svoboda Jiří
Published: April 2009

A series of the title ylides was prepared by reaction of fused thiophene and selenophene derivatives with di-tert-butyl diazomalonate. Their thermal stability depended highly on their structure. While the terminal thiophenium- and selenophenium-ylides smoothly rearranged to the corresponding thiopyran and selenopyran derivatives, the internal thiophene ylides showed remarkable stability. The latter also exhibited hindered rotation around the S–C ylide bond and a high rotational barrier could be established in an NMR study.
Pile design in permafrost
Authors: Weaver J. S. , Morgenstern N. R.
Published: April 2009

Principles for designing piles in permafrost on the basis of both ultimate capacity and limiting deformations are reviewed. Procedures developed previously for predicting settlement of piles in ice-rich soils are extended to ice-poor materials and shown to be in reasonable agreement with the modest amount of field data currently available. A compilation of data on allowable adfreeze strength data, frozen soil creep data, and pile design procedures has been undertaken to facilitate selecting allowable loads on piles in a broad range of permafrost soils. Illustrative examples are given in an Appendix.
Dynamic properties of some cohesive soils of Ontario
Authors: Kim T. C. , Novak M.
Published: April 2009

The dynamic behaviour of some cohesive soils of southwestern Ontario is experimentally investigated using a resonant column apparatus. Attention is concentrated particularly on the dynamic shear modulus, Young's modulus, and damping ratio. The variation of these characteristics with void ratio, confining pressure, strain, and stress history is studied. Data are presented that can be utilized in the design of foundations and structures exposed to dynamic loads.
Landslide problems in Winnipeg
Authors: Baracos A. , Graham J.
Published: April 2009

Winnipeg is built on lacustrine, swelling, plastic clays, and is intersected by two major rivers, and other smaller rivers. The riverbanks are used for commercial, residential, and public utility purposes, and many are unstable. This paper reviews the conditions of topography, river flooding, and soil properties which have produced sliding in the riverbanks. The framework of legislation which governs riverbank development is reviewed, and procedures for stability analyses are outlined. The paper concludes by discussing current design practices, and their application to stabilising measures for common practical problems in the city.
Comparison of results from air-acceptance and hydrogeological tests associated with underground coal gasification
Authors: Edwards W. C. , Vogwill R. I. J.
Published: April 2009

Air-acceptance testing of a coal aquifer was conducted prior to a field test of underground coal gasification to investigate the characteristic flow parameters of the aquifer and the flow patterns developed in the vicinity of the injection well. Pressure distributions developed during air injection were found to be similar to those developed during prior hydrogeological testing, but gave a more local indication of permeability anisotropy. Values of kL/μ from the initial pressure build up during the air-acceptance tests were 4.8–9.5 times those from the hydrogeological tests, indicating that significant differences between the permeability, pumping well height, and viscosity exist for the two flow situations.
Resonant column technique for dynamic testing of cohesive soils
Authors: Novak M. , Kim T. C.
Published: April 2009

A resonant column apparatus was modified to facilitate dynamic testing of cohesive soils. To alleviate the difficulties caused by air penetration into the confining medium and the sample, a small telescopic plexiglass cell is placed in the main large cell. In this inner cell, mercury is used as a substitute confining medium for long term and high pressure tests. The apparatus was used to study the behaviour of cohesive soils of Ontario. The results are described in a companion paper.
WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR REDUCING CROWDING EFFECT DAMAGES IN MARINE PARKS IN MALAYSIA
Authors: AHMAD SITI AZNOR , HANLEY NICK
Published: April 2009

Marine Parks are established to protect an area of the sea zoned as a sanctuary for the protection of its marine eco-systems, especially coral reef and its associated fauna and flora, like sea grass bed, mangrove and the sea shore. In Malaysia, there are 6 marine parks to-date. The establishment of marine parks also attracts more tourists to the areas. For example, the number of visitors to Payar Marine Park increased tremendously from 3,668 visitors in 1990 to 133,775 visitors in 2002. However, too many tourists are thought by scientists to have damaged the coral reefs. This paper will estimate how much visitors are willing to pay to reduce damages to three marine parks in Malaysia; Payar, Redang and Tioman Marine Park. Willingness to pay estimates were obtained from the visitors using a double-bounded dichotomous choice version of the Contingent Valuation method.
REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND INTRA-INDUSTRY TRADE IN MANUFACTURES BETWEEN THAILAND AND OTHER APEC COUNTRIES
Authors: CHEMSRIPONG SUJINDA , AGBOLA FRANK W. , LEE JULIE E.
Published: April 2009

This article investigates the impact of regional integration on intra-industry trade in manufactures between Thailand and other APEC countries. The study uses pooled cross-sectional and time-series data spanning the period 1980–1999 at a 3-digit Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) level. After accounting for trade imbalance and following Thailand's entry into APEC, intra-industry trade in manufactures between Thailand and countries in Oceania and America decreased, while trade with other Asian countries grew marginally. Results indicate that, in the post APEC era, trade openness stimulated increased intra-industry trade levels with countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia, but decreased trade with countries in America.
OPTIMAL INVESTMENT, EDUCATION, AND CONSUMPTION UNDER DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES FOR A SMALL-OPEN ECONOMY
Authors: PHAM HOAN XUAN
Published: April 2009

It is shown, using a vintage model of education which is developed in this paper, that given the assumptions of the model, the optimal path of investment in education is to keep the level of investment per student constant and the optimal path of investment in physical capital is to keep the capital-labor ratio constant over time. The pressure to reduce current consumption caused by population ageing is partly mitigated by the fact that a younger population, in the current time, is relatively more efficient in producing utility than an older one, in the future.
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE FISHER EFFECT AND THE DYNAMIC RELATION BETWEEN NOMINAL INTEREST RATE AND INFLATION IN SINGAPORE
Authors: LEE KING FUEI
Published: April 2009

The Fisher Effect postulated that real interest rate is constant, and that nominal interest rate and expected inflation move one-for-one together. This paper employs Johansen's method to investigate for the existence of a long-run Fisher effect in the Singapore economy over the period 1976 to 2006, and finds evidence of a positive relationship between nominal interest rate and inflation rate while rejecting the notion of a full Fisher Effect. The dynamic relationship between nominal interest rate and inflation rate is also examined from the error-correction models derived, and the analysis is extended to investigate the impulse response functions of inflation and nominal interest rates where we discover the presence of the Price Puzzle in the Singapore market.
JUMP, NON-NORMAL ERROR DISTRIBUTION AND STOCK PRICE VOLATILITY — A NONPARAMETRIC SPECIFICATION TEST
Authors: RAHMAN MOHAMMAD MASUDUR , ARA LAILA ARJUMAN , ZHENG ZHENLONG
Published: April 2009

This paper examines a wide variety of popular volatility models for stock index return, including Random Walk model, Autoregressive model, Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model, and extensive GARCH model, GARCH-jump model with Normal, and Student t-distribution assumption as well as nonparametric specification test of these models. We fit these models to Dhaka stock return index from 20 November 1999 to 9 October 2004. There has been empirical evidence of volatility clustering, alike to findings in previous studies. Each market contains different GARCH models, which fit well. From the estimation, we find that the volatility of the return and the jump probability were significantly higher after 27 November 2001. The model introducing GARCH jump effect with normal and Student t-distribution assumption can better fit the volatility characteristics. We find that RW-GARCH-t, RW-AGARCH-t RW-IGARCH-t and RW-GARCH-M-t can pass the nonparametric specification test at 5% significance level. It is suggested that these four models can capture the main characteristics of Dhaka stock return index.
ASYMMETRIC INTERNATIONAL TRANSMISSION IN THE CONDITIONAL MEAN AND VOLATILITY TO THE JAPANESE MARKET FROM THE US: EGARCH VERSUS SV MODELS
Authors: SHIMADA JUNJI , TSUKUDA YOSHIHIKO , MIYAKOSHI TATSUYOSHI
Published: April 2009

This paper investigates whether the upturns and downturns of the US market exert asymmetric influence on the conditional mean and volatility of the Japanese market using the daily returns on stock price indices. Using both the EGARCH and SV models, which simultaneously allow two kinds of asymmetric international transmissions across the markets, the result reconfirms the symmetric transmission in the conditional mean obtained by Bahng and Shin (2003) and the asymmetric transmission in the conditional volatility obtained by Koutmos and Booth (1995) although each of them analyzed only one spillover effect separately. Although the EGARCH and SV models lead to similar results for the spillover effects, the SV model is preferred to the EGARCH model based on Lagrange Multiplier test for the hypothesis of the EGARCH against the SV. The shock to volatility in the US market with the SV model is asymmetrically transmitted to the volatility in the Japanese market.
THE IMPACT OF R&D ON THE SINGAPORE ECONOMY: AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION
Authors: HO YUEN PING , WONG POH KAM , TOH MUN HENG
Published: April 2009

This paper provides empirical estimates for the impact of R&D on economic growth in Singapore. The Cobb–Douglas based analysis found that R&D investment had a significant impact on total factor productivity performance in the last 20 years and established a long-term equilibrium relationship between R&D investments and TFP. However, compared to OECD countries, the impact of R&D on growth in Singapore is not as strong. To catch up with the developed nations in terms of R&D productivity not only requires increasing R&D intensity in Singapore but also more efficient exploitation of domestic R&D activity.
SEISMIC ACTIVITY CHANGE PRECEDING THE SUMATRA GIANT EARTHQUAKE SERIES, 2004M9.0, 2005M8.6, AND 2007M8.5
Authors: MATSUMURA SHOZO
Published: April 2009

The seismicity along the Sunda trench was examined from the viewpoint of whether or not any significant change preceded the major earthquakes. Based on the seismicity of M5 and greater earthquakes, a growth of activated zones with time approaching the final breakage was detected. These activated zones well predicted the positions of the real asperities for the following 2004 M9.0, 2005 M8.6, and 2007 M8.5 events. Such a feature in seismicity change can be explained by introducing an assumption that a quasi-static slip progressed on a weakly locked plate boundary prior to the final breakage, and resulted in an activation corresponding to the induced stress concentration. At present, there are two activated zones unresolved. Accepting the limit in validity of the above hypothesis, I would like to give warnings for imminent earthquake occurrences in these zones.
A RHEOLOGICAL MODEL OF POST-SEISMIC RESPONSE DUE TO 2004 SUMATRA-ANDAMAN EARTHQUAKE: CONTRIBUTION FROM LOW VISCOSITY LITHOSPHERE
Authors: REDDY C. D. , PRAJAPATI SANJAY K. , KATO TERUYUKI
Published: April 2009

The Sumatra earthquake on December 26, 2004 provided an excellent opportunity to investigate the post-seismic crustal deformation and thereby understand the rheology of the crust and mantle. Subsequent to this earthquake, we monitored the post-seismic deformation at strategically located five continuous GPS sites in Andaman and Nicobar region. The post-seismic transients are obtained and the viscoelastic modeling has been carried out. Post-seismic flow below a depth of 55–60 km with low viscosity of the order of 1019Pa S can explain observed far field motion. There is also a contribution from upper mantle to post-seismic deformation which follows power law rheology. These results lead us to infer that the Sumatra-Andaman mechanical lithosphere is about at ~55 km depth.
THE RUPTURE PROCESS OF THE 2004 SUMATRA-ANDAMAN EARTHQUAKE VIEWED FROM STRAINMETER DATA
Authors: YOSHIDA YASUHIRO
Published: April 2009

Methods for estimating source time function (STF) and temporal variation of back-azimuth of the earthquake source using volmetric and multi-components strainmeter installed in Japan were developed. By applying those methods to the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman giant earthquake, the STF was estimated using volmetric strain records. The duration was about 700 s and the total moment was 5.2 × 1022 Nm, which were almost consistent with other results using seismometer records. Back-azimuth was successfully estimated by multi-components strain records, but the rupture propagation effect was not observed. Those methods were good tools for rapid estimation of giant earthquake source process and were useful for tsunami warnings.
Enabling nonexpert construction of basic sensor-based systems
Authors: Lysecky Susan , Vahid Frank
Published: April 2009

Technology trends have enabled deployment of low-cost sensor-based systems, but designing customized sensor-based systems to carry out specific tasks still requires costly engineering by experts. We briefly summarize eBlocks, a technology enabling nonexperts to quickly construct basic customized sensor-based systems, without requiring electronics or knowledge of programming languages. We describe experiments illustrating successful construction of Boolean sensor-based systems by novice users, focusing on intuitive logic and state block design. Additionally, we present preliminary experiments demonstrating usability of integer-based blocks and introduce a programmable block and the corresponding configuration methodology intended for nonexpert users.
Using direct and indirect input devices
Authors: McLaughlin Anne Collins , Rogers Wendy A. , Fisk Arthur D.
Published: April 2009

Researchers have suggested that attention is a key moderating variable predicting performance with an input device [Greenstein and Arnaut 1988], although the attention demands of devices have not been directly investigated. We hypothesized that the attentional demands of input devices are intricately linked to whether the device matches the input requirements of the on-screen task. Further, matching task and device should be more important for attentionally reduced groups, such as older adults. Younger and older adults used either a direct (touch screen) or indirect (rotary encoder) input device to perform matched or mismatched input tasks under a spectrum of attention allocation conditions. Input devices required attention—more so for older adults, especially in a mismatch situation. In addition, task performance was influenced by the match between task demands and input device characteristics. Though both groups benefited from a match between input device and task input requirements, older adults benefited more, and this benefit increased as less attention was available. We offer an
a priori
method to choose an input device for a task by considering the overlap between device attributes and input requirements. This data should affect design decisions concerning input device selection across age groups and task contexts.
Shifting the focus from accuracy to recallability
Authors: Dai Liwei , Sears Andrew , Goldman Rich
Published: April 2009

Mobile information technologies are theoretically well-suited to digitally accomodate informal note-taking, with the notes often recorded quickly and under less than ideal circumstances. Unfortunately, user adoption of mobile support for informal note-taking has been hindered in large part by slow text entry techniques. Building on research confirming people's ability to recognize erroneous text, this study explores two simple modifications to Graffiti-based text entry with the goal of increasing text entry speed: disabling text correction and disabling visual feedback. As expected, both modifications improved text entry speed at the cost of recognizability. To address the decrease in recognizability, a multiapproach text-enhancement algorithm is introduced with the goal of modifying the erroneous note to facilitate the process of recalling the event or activity that originally motivated the note. A study with 75 participants confirmed that the proposed approach of discouraging user-initiated error correction during note-taking, enhancing the resulting erroneous notes, and facilitating recall with enhanced alternative lists, increased note-taking speed by 47% with no negative impact on the participants' ability to recall important details about the scenarios which prompted the note-taking activities. This research highlighs the importance and efficacy of shifting the focus from accuracy to recallability when examining the overall efficacy of informal notes. The proposed modifications and adaptations produce significant benefits and have important implications for how mobile technologies are designed to support both informal note-taking and text entry in general.
The design of a query monitoring system
Authors: Mishra Chaitanya , Koudas Nick
Published: April 2009

Query monitoring refers to the problem of observing and predicting various parameters related to the execution of a query in a database system. In addition to being a useful tool for database users and administrators, it can also serve as an information collection service for resource allocation and adaptive query processing techniques. In this article, we present a query monitoring system from the ground up, describing various new techniques for query monitoring, their implementation inside a real database system, and a novel interface that presents the observed and predicted information in an accessible manner. To enable this system, we introduce several lightweight online techniques for progressively estimating and refining the cardinality of different relational operators using information collected at query execution time. These include binary and multiway joins as well as typical grouping operations and combinations thereof. We describe the various algorithms used to efficiently implement estimators and present the results of an evaluation of a prototype implementation of our framework in an open-source data management system. Our results demonstrate the feasibility and practical utility of the approach presented herein.
Efficient query processing on graph databases
Authors: Cheng James , Ke Yiping , Ng Wilfred
Published: April 2009

We study the problem of processing
subgraph queries
on a database that consists of a set of graphs. The answer to a subgraph query is the set of graphs in the database that are supergraphs of the query. In this article, we propose an efficient index,
FG*-index
, to solve this problem.

The cost of processing a subgraph query using most existing indexes mainly consists of two parts: the
index probing
cost and the
candidate verification
cost. Index probing is to find the query in the index, or to find the graphs from which we can generate a candidate answer set for the query. Candidate verification is to test whether each graph in the candidate set is indeed a supergraph of the query. We design FG*-index to minimize these two costs as follows.

FG*-index consists of three components: the
FG-index
, the
feature-index
, and the
FAQ-index
. First, the FG-index employs the concept of
Frequent subGraph
(
FG
) to allow the set of queries that are FGs to be answered without candidate verification. We call this set of queries
FG-queries
. We can enlarge the set of FG-queries so that more queries can be answered without candidate verification; however, a larger set of FG-queries implies a larger FG-index and hence the index probing cost also increases. We propose the feature-index to reduce the index probing cost. The feature-index uses features to filter false results that are matched in the FG-index, so that we can quickly find the truly matching graphs for a query. For processing non-FG-queries, we propose the FAQ-index, which is dynamically constructed from the set of
Frequently Asked non-FG-Queries
(
FAQs
). Using the FAQ-index, verification is not required for processing FAQs and only a small number of candidates need to be verified for processing non-FG-queries that are
not frequently asked
. Finally, a comprehensive set of experiments verifies that query processing using FG*-index is up to orders of magnitude more efficient than state-of-the-art indexes and it is also more scalable.
Detecting outlying properties of exceptional objects
Authors: Angiulli Fabrizio , Fassetti Fabio , Palopoli Luigi
Published: April 2009

Assume you are given a data population characterized by a certain number of attributes. Assume, moreover, you are provided with the information that one of the individuals in this data population is abnormal, but no reason whatsoever is given to you as to why this particular individual is to be considered abnormal. In several cases, you will be indeed interested in discovering such reasons. This article is precisely concerned with this problem of discovering sets of attributes that account for the (a priori stated) abnormality of an individual within a given dataset. A criterion is presented to measure the abnormality of combinations of attribute values featured by the given abnormal individual with respect to the reference population. In this respect, each subset of attributes is intended to somehow represent a “property” of individuals. We distinguish between global and local properties. Global properties are subsets of attributes explaining the given abnormality with respect to the entire data population. With local ones, instead, two subsets of attributes are singled out, where the former one justifies the abnormality within the data subpopulation selected using the values taken by the exceptional individual on those attributes included in the latter one. The problem of individuating abnormal properties with associated explanations is formally stated and analyzed. Such a formal characterization is then exploited in order to devise efficient algorithms for detecting both global and local forms of most abnormal properties. The experimental evidence, which is accounted for in the article, shows that the algorithms are both able to mine meaningful information and to accomplish the computational task by examining a negligible fraction of the search space.
Reducing memory requirements of resource-constrained applications
Authors: Unnikrishnan P. , Chen G. , Kandemir M. , Karakoy M. , Kolcu I.
Published: April 2009

Embedded computing platforms are often resource constrained, requiring great design and implementation attention to memory-power-, and heat-related parameters. An important task for a compiler in such platforms is to simplify the process of developing applications for limited memory devices and resource-constrained clients. Focusing on array-intensive embedded applications to be executed on single CPU-based architectures, this work explores how loop-based compiler optimizations can be used for increasing memory location reuse. Our goal is to transform a given application in such a way that the resulting code has fewer cases (as compared to the original code), where the lifetimes of array elements overlap. The reduction in lifetimes of array elements can then be exploited by reusing memory locations as much as possible. Our experimental results indicate that the proposed strategy reduces data space requirements of 15 resource constrained applications by more than 40%, on average. We also demonstrate how this strategy can be combined with data locality (cache behavior)--enhancing techniques so that a compiler can take advantage of both, that is, reduce data memory requirements and improve data locality at the same time.
Analytic modeling of network processors for parallel workload mapping
Authors: Weng Ning , Wolf Tilman
Published: April 2009

Network processors are heterogeneous system-on-chip multiprocessors that are optimized to perform packet forwarding and processing tasks at Gigabit data rates. To meet the performance demands of increasing link speeds and complex network applications, network processors are implemented with several dozen embedded processor cores and hardware accelerators that run multiple packet processing applications in parallel. The parallel nature of the processing system makes it increasingly difficult for application developers to understand and manage resources and map processing tasks to the hardware. To address this problem, we present a methodology for profiling and analyzing network processor applications, mapping processing tasks to a generalized network processor architecture, and analytically determining the expected throughput performance. The key novelty of this work is not only the adaptation of application analysis and mapping algorithms to heterogeneous network processors, but also that the entire process can be automated and hidden from the application developer. Starting with the analysis of a uniprocessor implementation of the application, the process yields a mapping of the partitioned application that shows best performance for a given network processor system. The simplicity of the proposed randomized mapping algorithm allows the use of this methodology in network processor runtime systems where dynamic reallocation of tasks is necessary but processing power is limited. We present results that show the effectiveness of the analysis and mapping methodology as well as its application to design space exploration.
A fast scalable automaton-matching accelerator for embedded content processors
Authors: Tseng Kuo-Kun , Lai Yuan-Cheng , Lin Ying-Dar , Lee Tsern-Huei
Published: April 2009

Home and office network gateways often employ a cost-effective embedded network processor to handle their network services. Such network gateways have received strong demand for applications dealing with intrusion detection, keyword blocking, antivirus and antispam. Accordingly, we were motivated to propose an appropriate fast scalable automaton-matching (FSAM) hardware to accelerate the embedded network processors. Although automaton matching algorithms are robust with deterministic matching time, there is still plenty of room for improving their average-case performance. FSAM employs novel prehash and root-index techniques to accelerate the matching for the nonroot states and the root state, respectively, in automation based hardware. The prehash approach uses some hashing functions to pretest the input substring for the nonroot states while the root-index approach handles multiple bytes in one single matching for the root state. Also, FSAM is applied in a prevalent automaton algorithm, Aho-Corasick (AC), which is often used in many content-filtering applications. When implemented in FPGA, FSAM can perform at the rate of 11.1Gbps with the pattern set of 32,634 bytes, demonstrating that our proposed approach can use a small logic circuit to achieve a competitive performance, although a larger memory is used. Furthermore, the amount of patterns in FSAM is not limited by the amount of internal circuits and memories. If the high-speed external memories are employed, FSAM can support up to 21,302 patterns while maintaining similar high performance.
Hybrid-compiled simulation
Authors: Reshadi Mehrdad , Mishra Prabhat , Dutt Nikil
Published: April 2009

Instruction-set simulators are critical tools for the exploration and validation of new processor architectures. Due to the increasing complexity of architectures and time-to-market pressure, performance is the most important feature of an instruction-set simulator. Interpretive simulators are flexible but slow, whereas compiled simulators deliver speed at the cost of flexibility and compilation overhead. This article presents a hybrid instruction-set-compiled simulation (HISCS) technique for generation of fast instruction-set simulators that combines the benefit of both compiled and interpretive simulation. This article makes two important contributions: (i) it improves the interpretive simulation performance by applying compiled simulation at the instruction level using a novel template-customization technique to generate optimized decoded instructions during compile time; and (ii) it reduces the compile-time overhead by combining the benefits of both static and dynamic-compiled simulation. Our experimental results using two contemporary processors (ARM7 and SPARC) demonstrate an order-of-magnitude reduction in compilation time as well as a 70% performance improvement, on average, over the best-known published result in instruction-set simulation.
Memory allocation for embedded systems with a compile-time-unknown scratch-pad size
Authors: Nguyen Nghi , Dominguez Angel , Barua Rajeev
Published: April 2009

This article presents the first memory allocation scheme for embedded systems having a scratch-pad memory whose size is unknown at compile time. A scratch-pad memory (SPM) is a fast compiler-managed SRAM that replaces the hardware-managed cache. All existing memory allocation schemes for SPM require the SPM size to be known at compile time. Unfortunately, because of this constraint, the resulting executable is tied to that size of SPM and is not portable to other processor implementations having a different SPM size. Size-portable code is valuable when programs are downloaded during deployment either via a network or portable media. Code downloads are used for fixing bugs or for enhancing functionality. The presence of different SPM sizes in different devices is common because of the evolution in VLSI technology across years. The result is that SPM cannot be used in such situations with downloaded codes.

To overcome this limitation, our work presents a compiler method whose resulting executable is portable across SPMs of any size. Our technique is to employ a customized installer software, which decides the SPM allocation just before the program's first run, since the SPM size can be discovered at that time. The installer then, based on the decided allocation, modifies the program executable accordingly. The resulting executable places frequently used objects in SPM, considering both code and data for placement. To keep the overhead low, much of the preprocessing for the allocation is done at compile time. Results show that our benchmarks average a 41% speedup versus an all-DRAM allocation, while the optimal static allocation scheme, which knows the SPM size at compile time and is thus an unachievable upper-bound and is only slightly faster (45% faster than all-DRAM). Results also show that the overhead from our customized installer averages about 1.5% in code size, 2% in runtime, and 3% in compile time for our benchmarks.
Design and implementation of a MicroBlaze-based warp processor
Authors: Lysecky Roman , Vahid Frank
Published: April 2009

While soft processor cores provided by FPGA vendors offer designers with increased flexibility, such processors typically incur penalties in performance and energy consumption compared to hard processor core alternatives. The recently developed technology of warp processing can help reduce those penalties. Warp processing is the dynamic and transparent transformation of critical software regions from microprocessor execution to much faster circuit execution on an FPGA. In this article, we describe an implementation of a warp processor on a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro and Spartan3 FPGAs incorporating one or more MicroBlaze soft processor cores. We further provide a detailed analysis of the energy overhead of dynamically partitioning an application's kernels to hardware executing within an FPGA. Considering an implementation that periodically partitions the executing application once every minute, a MicroBlaze-based warp processor implemented on a Spartan3 FPGA achieves average speedups of 5.8× and energy reductions of 49% compared to the MicroBlaze soft processor core alone—providing competitive performance and energy consumption compared to existing hard processor cores.