bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Algorithmic verification of asynchronous programs
Authors: Ganty Pierre , Majumdar Rupak 
Published: May 2012

Asynchronous programming is a ubiquitous systems programming idiom for managing concurrent interactions with the environment. In this style, instead of waiting for time-consuming operations to complete, the programmer makes a non-blocking call to the operation and posts a callback task to a task buffer that is executed later when the time-consuming operation completes. A cooperative scheduler mediates the interaction by picking and executing callback tasks from the task buffer to completion (and these callbacks can post further callbacks to be executed later). Writing correct asynchronous programs is hard because the use of callbacks, while efficient, obscures program control flow.
We provide a formal model underlying asynchronous programs and study verification problems for this model. We show that the safety verification problem for finite-data asynchronous programs is expspace-complete. We show that liveness verification for finite-data asynchronous programs is decidable and polynomial-time equivalent to Petri net reachability. Decidability is not obvious, since even if the data is finite-state, asynchronous programs constitute infinite-state transition systems: both the program stack for an executing task and the task buffer of pending calls to tasks can be potentially unbounded.
Our main technical constructions are polynomial-time, semantics-preserving reductions from asynchronous programs to Petri nets and back. The first reduction allows the use of algorithmic techniques on Petri nets for the verification of asynchronous programs, and the second allows lower bounds on Petri nets to apply also to asynchronous programs.
We also study several extensions to the basic models of asynchronous programs that are inspired by additional capabilities provided by implementations of asynchronous libraries and classify the decidability and undecidability of verification questions on these extensions.
Effects of a Caloric Restriction Weight Loss Diet and Exercise on Inflammatory Biomarkers in Overweight/Obese Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Imayama Ikuyo , Ulrich Cornelia M. , Alfano Catherine M. , Wang Chiachi , Xiao Liren , Wener Mark H. , Campbell Kristin L. , Duggan Catherine , Foster-Schubert Karen E. , Kong Angela , Mason Caitlin E. , Wang Ching-Yun , Blackburn George L. , Bain Carolyn E. , Thompson Henry J. , McTiernan Anne 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
Obese and sedentary persons have increased risk for cancer; inflammation is a hypothesized mechanism. We examined the effects of a caloric restriction weight loss diet and exercise on inflammatory biomarkers in 439 women. Overweight and obese postmenopausal women were randomized to 1-year: caloric restriction diet (goal of 10% weight loss, N = 118), aerobic exercise (225 min/wk of moderate-to-vigorous activity, N = 117), combined diet + exercise (N = 117), or control (N = 87). Baseline and 1-year high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leukocyte, and neutrophil levels were measured by investigators blind to group. Inflammatory biomarker changes were compared using generalized estimating equations. Models were adjusted for baseline body mass index (BMI), race/ethnicity, and age. Four hundred and thirty-eight (N = 1 in diet + exercise group was excluded) were analyzed. Relative to controls, hs-CRP decreased by geometric mean (95% confidence interval, P value): 0.92 mg/L (0.53–1.31, P &lt; 0.001) in the diet and 0.87 mg/L (0.51–1.23, P &lt; 0.0001) in the diet + exercise groups. IL-6 decreased by 0.34 pg/mL (0.13–0.55, P = 0.001) in the diet and 0.32 pg/mL (0.15–0.49, P &lt; 0.001) in the diet + exercise groups. Neutrophil counts decreased by 0.31 × 109/L (0.09–0.54, P = 0.006) in the diet and 0.30 × 109/L (0.09–0.50, P = 0.005) in the diet + exercise groups. Diet and diet + exercise participants with 5% or more weight loss reduced inflammatory biomarkers (hs-CRP, SAA, and IL-6) compared with controls. The diet and diet + exercise groups reduced hs-CRP in all subgroups of baseline BMI, waist circumference, CRP level, and fasting glucose. Our findings indicate that a caloric restriction weight loss diet with or without exercise reduces biomarkers of inflammation in postmenopausal women, with potential clinical significance for cancer risk reduction. Cancer Res; 72(9); 2314–26. ©2012 AACR.
Combining Antiangiogenics to Overcome Resistance: Rationale and Clinical Experience
Authors: Moreno Garcia Victor , Basu Bristi , Molife L. Rhoda , Kaye Stan B. 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
Antiangiogenic therapies are now well established in oncology clinical practice; however, despite initial optimism, the results of late-phase trials, especially in the adjuvant setting, have largely proved disappointing. In the context of metastatic disease, resistance to antiangiogenic agents arises through a range of mechanisms, including the development of alternative angiogenic pathways. One of the proposed strategies to overcome this resistance is to combine antiangiogenic agents with different mechanisms of action. Early-phase clinical trials assessing the tolerability and efficacy of different combinations of antiangiogenic drugs, including those that target the VEGF pathway or the angiopoietins, as well as vascular disrupting agents, are increasing in number. An example of this strategy is the combination of sorafenib and bevacizumab, which has elicited major responses in different tumor types, including ovarian carcinoma and glioblastoma. However, overlapping and cumulative toxicities pose a real challenge. This review summarizes the preclinical rationale for this approach and current clinical experience in combining antiangiogenic therapies. Clin Cancer Res; 18(14); 3750–61. ©2012 AACR.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approval: Ruxolitinib for the Treatment of Patients with Intermediate and High-Risk Myelofibrosis
Authors: Deisseroth Albert , Kaminskas Edvardas , Grillo Joseph , Chen Wei , Saber Haleh , Lu Hong L. , Rothmann Mark D. , Brar Satjit , Wang Jian , Garnett Christine , Bullock Julie , Burke Laurie B. , Rahman Atiqur , Sridhara Rajeshwari , Farrell Ann , Pazdur Richard 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
On November 16, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to ruxolitinib, (Jakafi; Incyte Corp.), an inhibitor of the Janus kinases 1 and 2, for the treatment of patients with intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis, including primary myelofibrosis, postpolycythemia vera myelofibrosis, and postessential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis. This approval was based on the results of 2 large randomized phase III trials that enrolled patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk myelofibrosis and compared ruxolitinib with placebo (study 1) or best available therapy (study 2). The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients who experienced a reduction in spleen volume of ≥35% at 24 weeks (study 1) or 48 weeks (study 2). The key secondary endpoint in study 1 was the proportion of patients who experienced a ≥50% improvement from baseline in myelofibrosis total symptom score at 24 weeks. The results of these studies showed that a greater proportion of patients treated with ruxolitinib experienced a ≥35% reduction in spleen volume as compared with those treated with placebo (42% vs. 1%, P &lt; 0.0001) or best available therapy (29% vs. 0%, P &lt; 0.0001). A greater proportion of patients in study 1 experienced a ≥50% reduction in the myelofibrosis total symptom score during treatment with ruxolitinib than with placebo (46% vs. 5%, P &lt; 0.0001). Ruxolitinib treatment was associated with an increased incidence of grades III and IV anemia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia. This is the first drug approved for myelofibrosis. Clin Cancer Res; 18(12); 3212–7. ©2012 AACR.
Clinical Significance of Increased Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Vav3 Expression in Human Gastric Cancer
Authors: Lin Kai-Yuan , Wang Lu-Hai , Hseu You-Cheng , Fang Chia-Lang , Yang Hsin-Ling , Kumar K.J. Senthil , Tai Chein , Uen Yih-Huei 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAlthough gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, little is known on the molecular process of its development and progression. This study investigates the involvement of guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav3 in tumor progression and in the prognosis of human gastric cancer. The two patient cohorts in this study consisted of 167 gastric cancer cases from 1997 through 2001, documenting pathologic and clinical factors, as well as the clinical outcomes. Immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription PCR, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence were used to examine Vav3 expression in tumor and nontumor pairs of gastric tissues and gastric cell lines. Small hairpin RNA (shRNA) technology was used to study the effects of Vav3 knockdown on the growth and spread of gastric cancer cells. Finally, xenograph proliferation was used to study the tumor growth. Overexpression of Vav3 was associated with the depth of invasion (P = 0.0004), nodal status (P = 0.0260), distant metastasis (P = 0.0003), stage (P = 0.0002), and vascular invasion (P = 0.0286); and correlated with poor disease-free survival (P &lt; 0.0001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis shows that overexpression of Vav3 is an independent prognostic marker for gastric cancer (P = 0.033). Disrupting the expression of Vav3 using shRNA technology inhibited gastric cancer cell growth, spread, and xenograph proliferation. This study suggests that overexpression of Vav3 can be a useful marker for predicting the outcome of patients with gastric cancer and that Vav3 targeting can represent a potential modality for treating gastric cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 10(6); 750–9. ©2012 AACR.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death Following Application of Shocks From a TASER Electronic Control Device
Authors: Zipes Douglas P. 
Published: May 2012

Background—
The safety of electronic control devices (ECDs) has been questioned. The goal of this study was to analyze in detail cases of loss of consciousness associated with ECD deployment.

Methods and Results—
Eight cases of TASER X26 ECD–induced loss of consciousness were studied. In each instance, when available, police, medical, and emergency response records, ECD dataport interrogation, automated external defibrillator information, ECG strips, depositions, and autopsy results were analyzed. First recorded rhythms were ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation in 6 cases and asystole (after ≈30 minutes of nonresponsiveness) in 1 case. An external defibrillator reported a shockable rhythm in 1 case, but no recording was made. This report offers evidence detailing the mechanism by which an ECD can produce transthoracic stimulation resulting in cardiac electrical capture and ventricular arrhythmias leading to cardiac arrest.

Conclusions—
ECD stimulation can cause cardiac electrical capture and provoke cardiac arrest resulting from ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation. After prolonged ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation without resuscitation, asystole develops.
The Saint and Siren
Authors: O’Neil Deborah , Rey Terry 
Published: April 2012

For at least 125 years, the cult of St Philomena has enjoyed tremendous popularity in and around the northern Haitian seaside village of Bord de Mer de Limonade, just ten kilometers east of Cape Haitian, the country’s second largest city. Though periodically suppressed by the Catholic Church hierarchy because of freewheeling syncretism between the saint and the maritime Vodou spirit Lasyrenn (The Siren), devotion to St Philomena thrives in Bord de Mer, whose shrine attracts hundreds of pilgrims each week and thousands during her early September feast day celebrations. This paper explores the history and present of devotion to St Philomena and Lasyrenn in Bord de Mer, arguing that the association of the two spiritual beings amounts to a popular liberation hagiography that flouts ecclesial and state authority while anchoring and asserting local Haitian identity and feminine power. Depuis au moins 125 ans, le culte de sainte Philomène a connu une énorme popularité autour du village côtière du nord d’Haïti de Bord de Mer de Limonade, une dizaine de kilomètres à l’est du Cap-Haïtien, deuxième ville du pays. Bien que périodiquement réprimée par la hiérarchie catholique à cause du syncrétisme licencieux entre le saint et l’esprit maritime vodouisant Lasyrenn (La Sirène), la dévotion à sainte Philomène prospère dans le village, où son sanctuaire attire des centaines de pèlerins chaque semaine et des milliers au cours du jour de sa fête chaque 5 septembre. Cet article explore l’histoire et le présent de la dévotion à sainte Philomène et Lasyrenn à Bord de Mer, postulant que l’association entre ces deux êtres spirituels donne lieu à une hagiographie populaire de libération qui bafoue l’autorité ecclésiale et de l’État tout en retenant et en affirmant l’identité locale haïtienne et une sorte de pouvoir féminin.
The Bibliometrics of Vocabulary Acquisition: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Meara Paul 
Published: May 2012

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the research literature on L2 vocabulary acquisition published in 2006. The paper uses a methodology known as Inclusive Author Co-citation. The method uses the pattern of citations appearing in a body of research papers to generate a map of an area of research. These maps reveal ‘hidden colleges’ within a subject field. The analysis presented here is based on citation data for 101 authors who are significantly cited in the 2006 literature. The analysis identifies four research clusters in the data. The two principle clusters – accounting for 96% of the data – are a psycholinguistic cluster dominated by de Groot, Kroll and David Green, and a mainstream vocabulary cluster dominated by Nation and Laufer. The two clusters are largely self-contained, with very dense patterns of connections between the members of the individual clusters. The analysis identifies only a small number of links between these two clusters. The network dissolves into 30 smaller clusters if the main players are removed from the analysis. The analysis broadly supports intuitive analyses of the L2 vocabulary acquisition literature, but provides some new objective data which supports these intuitions. The paper also suggests that co-citation analysis of this sort might provide a way of mapping changes in the discipline over time.
Narco-Propaganda in the Mexican “Drug War”
Authors: Campbell Howard 
Published: May 2012

Organized crime and drug-related violence are major threats to the Mexican state and civil society. An anthropological study of the narco-propaganda (orchestrated acts of violence, videos, graffiti, signs and banners, blogs, narcocorridos, and control of the mass media) wielded by Mexican drug “cartels” suggests that, rather than just a form of criminal behavior, it is the quasi-ideological expression of criminal organizations that, along with their police, military, and politician allies, control vast territories and have taken on many functions of the state. These organizations should therefore be treated analytically as political entities and their narco-propaganda as a powerful new form of political discourse. El crimen organizado y la violencia causada por el tráfico de drogas constituyen grandes amenazas para la sociedad civil y el estado Mexicano. Un estudio antropológico de la narco-propaganda—que incluye actos de violencia premeditados con el fin de comunicar un mensaje particular, videos, grafiti, carteles y mantas, blogs, narcocorridos, y control de ciertos medios de comunicación—producida por los carteles Mexicanos sugiere que más allá de constituir una forma de comportamiento criminal, ellos son una expresión cuasi-ideológica de las organizaciones criminales que, junto a sus aliados dentro de la policía, el ejército y el gobierno, controlan vastos territorios tomando para sí muchas de las funciones tradicionalmente asociadas con el estado. Por lo tanto estas organizaciones delictivas deberían de ser tratadas analíticamente como entidades políticas y su narco-propaganda como una nueva y poderosa forma de discurso político.
Diabetes Buddies
Authors: Rotheram-Borus Mary Jane , Tomlinson Mark , Gwegwe Margaret , Comulada W. Scott , Kaufman Neal , Keim Marion 
Published: May 2012

Purpose The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile phone–based peer support intervention among women in resource-poor settings to self-manage their diabetes. Secondary goals were to evaluate the intervention’s effectiveness to motivate diabetes-related health choices. Methods Women with diabetes (n = 22) in Cape Town, South Africa, participated in a 12-week program focused on providing and applying knowledge of health routines to manage diabetes. Women were linked with a buddy via a mobile phone for support and were questioned daily about a health behavior via text message. Women were assessed at recruitment and then 3 and 6 months later by a trained interviewer using a mobile phone for data collection. The women were evaluated on technology uptake, reduction of body mass index, blood glucose levels, and increases in positive coping and general health-seeking behaviors. Results Women exchanged 16 739 text messages to buddies and received 3144 texts from the project. Women responded to 29% of texted questions (n = 1321/14 582). Women attended at least 9 of 12 possible intervention sessions; a third attended all 12 sessions (n = 8/22). Between baseline and 3 months, women increased their sleep and reported a higher level of positive action and social support coping, yet blood glucose increased by 3.3 points. From 3 to 6 months, spiritual hope decreased and diastolic blood pressure increased. One year later, the 22 women continue to attend meetings. Conclusions Mobile phones are an easy and reliable way to provide peer support and disseminate health messages. Both positive and negative changes were observed in this pilot study.
Effects of gasoline–diesel and n-butanol–diesel blends on performance and emissions of an automotive direct-injection diesel engine
Authors: Valentino Gerardo , Corcione Felice E , Iannuzzi Stefano E 
Published: May 2012

In the present paper, results of an experimental investigation carried out in a modern diesel engine running at different operating conditions and fuelled with blends of gasoline–diesel and n-butanol–diesel, are reported. The exploration strategy was focused on the management of injection pressure and timing to achieve a condition in which the whole amount of fuel was delivered before ignition. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the effects of fuel blends, which have low cetane number (CN) and are more resistant to auto-ignition than diesel fuel, on performance and engine-out emissions. Blends were mixed by the baseline diesel (D00) with 40% of commercial unleaded gasoline (G40) and 40% of n-butanol (B40). Fuel consumption and engine-out gaseous and smoke emissions from fuel blends were measured and compared to the neat diesel fuel. The investigation was performed on a turbocharged, water-cooled, direct-injection diesel engine, equipped with a common-rail injection system. The engine equipment included an exhaust gas recirculation system controlled by an external driver, a piezo-quartz pressure transducer to detect the in-cylinder pressure signal and a current probe to acquire the energizing current to the injectors. Engine tests were carried out at two engine operating conditions: 2000 r/min at 0.5 MPa and 2500 r/min at 0.8 MPa brake mean effective pressure, exploring the effect of start of injection, O2 concentration at intake and injection pressure on combustion behaviour and engine-out emissions. Taking advantages of the higher resistance of G40 and B40 to auto-ignition, it was possible to extend the range in which a partial premixed combustion was achieved. The management of injection pressure, O2 concentration at intake and injection timing allowed partial premixed combustion to be obtained by extending the ignition delay, both for diesel fuel and blends. The longer ignition delay and the better mixing before combustion made more advanced injection timings, which reduced smoke and nitrogen oxide emissions, possible. The joint effect of higher resistance to auto-ignition and higher volatility of n-butanol and gasoline improved the emissions of the blends compared to the neat diesel fuel, with a low penalty on fuel consumption.
Infusion of hemolyzed red blood cells within peripheral blood stem cell grafts in patients with and without sickle cell disease
Authors: Fitzhugh Courtney D. , Unno Hayato , Hathaway Vincent , Coles Wynona A. , Link Mary E. , Weitzel R. Patrick , Zhao Xiongce , Wright Elizabeth C. , Stroncek David F. , Kato Gregory J. , Hsieh Matthew M. , Tisdale John F. 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) infusions are associated with complications such as elevated blood pressure and decreased creatinine clearance. Patients with sickle cell disease experience similar manifestations, and some have postulated release of plasma-free hemoglobin with subsequent nitric oxide consumption as causative. We sought to evaluate whether the infusion of PBSC grafts containing lysed red blood cells (RBCs) leads to the toxicity observed in transplant subjects. We report a prospective cohort study of 60 subjects divided into 4 groups based on whether their infusions contained dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and lysed RBCs, no DMSO and fresh RBCs, DMSO and no RBCs, or saline. Our primary end point, change in maximum blood pressure compared with baseline, was not significantly different among groups. Tricuspid regurgitant velocity and creatinine levels also did not differ significantly among groups. Our data do not support free hemoglobin as a significant contributor to toxicity associated with PBSC infusions. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00631787).
IKKα-mediated signaling circuitry regulates early B lymphopoiesis during hematopoiesis
Authors: Balkhi Mumtaz Yaseen , Willette-Brown Jami , Zhu Feng , Chen Zhisong , Liu Shuang , Guttridge Denis C. , Karin Michael , Hu Yinling 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Multiple transcription factors regulate B-cell commitment, which is coordinated with myeloid-erythroid lineage differentiation. NF-κB has long been speculated to regulate early B-cell development; however, this issue remains controversial. IκB kinase-α (IKKα) is required for splenic B-cell maturation but not for BM B-cell development. In the present study, we unexpectedly found defective BM B-cell development and increased myeloid-erythroid lineages in kinase-dead IKKα (KA/KA) knock-in mice. Markedly increased cytosolic p100, an NF-κB2–inhibitory form, and reduced nuclear NF-κB p65, RelB, p50, and p52, and IKKα were observed in KA/KA splenic and BM B cells. Several B- and myeloid-erythroid–cell regulators, including Pax5, were deregulated in KA/KA BM B cells. Using fetal liver and BM congenic transplantations and deleting IKKα from early hematopoietic cells in mice, this defect was identified as being B cell–intrinsic and an early event during hematopoiesis. Reintroducing IKKα, Pax5, or combined NF-κB molecules promoted B-cell development but repressed myeloid-erythroid cell differentiation in KA/KA BM B cells. The results of the present study demonstrate that IKKα regulates B-lineage commitment via combined canonical and noncanonical NF-κB transcriptional activities to target Pax5 expression during hematopoiesis.