Routing through a generalized switchbox

We present an algorithm for the routing problem for two-terminal nets in generalized switchboxes. A generalized switchbox is any subset R of the planar rectangular grid with no non-trivial holes, i.e. every finite face has exactly four incident vertices. A net is a pair of nodes of non-maximal degree on the boundary of R. A solution is a set of edge-disjoint paths, one for each net. Our algorithm solves standard generalized switchbox routing problems in time O(n(log n)^2) where n is the number of vertices of R, i.e. it either finds a solution or indicates that there is none. A problem is standard if deg(v) + ter(v) is even for all vertices v where deg(v) is the degree of v and ter(v) is the number of nets which have v as a terminal. For nonstandard problems we can find a solution in time O(n(log n)^2 + |U|^2) where U is the set of vertices v with deg(v) + ter(v) is odd

Holocene tree-line variability in the Kauner Valley, Central Eastern Alps, indicated by dendrochronological analysis of living trees and subfossil logs

The altitude of the Alpine tree-line has often been used as proxy for the climatic conditions in the Holocene epoch. The usual approach for establishing a record for this proxy is the analysis of pollen and macro remains. We analysed living trees and subfossil logs from the timberline ecotone in the innermost Kauner valley in the Central Eastern Alps in order to assemble a Holocene dendrochronological tree-line record. Data sets comprising age and height of living Stone Pines (Pinus cembra L.) were collected at one site. Sections of 170 subfossil Stone Pine logs from five other sites were dendrochronologically analysed and dated. Besides using dendrochronological analyses, radiocarbon dating served as a means of obtaining the age of some logs. For most of the samples we could provide dendrochronological dates (1-year dating precision, back to 5125 B.C.) or wiggle matched dates (between approx. 7100 and 5040 B.C., dating precision with 95% probability: +/- 7 years). In the first half of the 19th century the tree-line was located at about 2180 m a.s.l. in the innermost Kauner valley. After approximately A.D. 1860 the altitude of the upper limit of the occurrence of Pinus cembra individuals (tree-species-line) and, being closely linked, also that of the tree-line both rose. The current tree-line (trees > 2 m) is located at 2245 m a.s.l. due to climatic conditions around 1980. Additionally we observed saplings up to a present (A.D. 2000) tree-species-line at approx. 2370 m a.s.l. The dendrochronologically analysed subfossil logs found at up to 2410 m a.s.l. date from within the last 9000 years (between approx. 7100 B.C. and A.D. 1700). In the space of the last 4000 years the dendrochronological tree-line record is not continuous, probably due to human impact. Tree-line positions similar to or slightly above the 1980 tree-line are established for the time periods approx. 1000 to 640 B.C. and A.D. 1 to 330 respectively. For the time period between approx. 7100 and 2100 B.C. the dendrochronologically analysed logs show nearly continuous evidence of a tree-line above the 1980s limit. Very high elevation of the tree-line, between 120 and 165 m above the 1980s level (2245 m a.s.l.) and even higher than the A.D. 2000 tree-species-line (2370 m a.s.l.), are recorded for the periods 7090-6570, 6040-5850, 5720-5620, 5500-4370 B.C., approx. 3510-3350 B.C. and 2790-2590 B.C. Additionally, a tree-line which was located at least 50 m above the 1980s limit can be shown for the periods 6700-5430, 4920-3350 and 3280-2110 B.C. The dendrochronological record from the Kauner valley, showing high and very high tree-line positions between approx. 7100 and 2100 B.C. with only two gaps (around 6490 B.C. and from 3350 to 3280 B.C.), suggests that summer temperatures as observed in the late 20th century were at the normal or the lower limit of the temperature range which can be assumed for long periods of the early and middle Holocene epoch

Inappropriate prescribing: a systematic overview of published assessment tools

Background: Criteria to assess the appropriateness of prescriptions might serve as a helpful guideline during professional training and in daily practice, with the aim to improve a patient's pharmacotherapy. Objective: To create a comprehensive and structured overview of existing tools to assess inappropriate prescribing. Method: Systematic literature search in Pubmed (1991-2013). The following properties of the tools were extracted and mapped in a structured way: approach (explicit, implicit), development method (consensus technique, expert panel, literature based), focused patient group, health care setting, and covered aspects of inappropriate prescribing. Results: The literature search resulted in 46 tools to assess inappropriate prescribing.Twenty-eight (61%) of 46 tools were explicit, 8 (17%) were implicit and 10 (22%) used a mixed approach. Thirty-six (78%) tools named older people as target patients and 10 (22%) tools did not specify the target age group. Four (8.5%) tools were designed to detect inappropriate prescribing in hospitalised patients, 9 (19.5%) focused on patients in ambulatory care and 6 (13%) were developed for use in long-term care. Twenty-seven (59%) tools did not specify the health care setting. Consensus methods were applied in the development of 19 tools (41%), the others were based on either simple expert panels (13; 28%) or on a literature search (11; 24%). For three tools (7%) the development method was not described. Conclusion: This overview reveals the characteristics of 46 assessment tools and can serve as a summary to assist readers in choosing a tool, either for research purposes or for daily practice use

Osteoporosis case finding in the general practice: phalangeal radiographic absorptiometry with and without risk factors for osteoporosis to select postmenopausal women eligible for lumbar spine and hip densitometry

Mass screening for osteoporosis using DXA measurements at the spine and hip is presently not recommended by health authorities. Instead, risk factor questionnaires and peripheral bone measurements may facilitate the selection of women eligible for axial bone densitometry. The aim of this study was to validate a case finding strategy for postmenopausal women who would benefit most from subsequent DXA measurement by using phalangeal radiographic absorptiometry (RA) alone or in combination with risk factors in a general practice setting. The sensitivity and specificity of this strategy in detecting osteoporosis (T-score ≤2.5SD at the spine and/or the hip) were compared with those of the current reimbursement criteria for DXA measurements in Switzerland. Four hundred and twenty-three postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors for osteoporosis were recruited by 90 primary care physicians who also performed the phalangeal RA measurements. All women underwent subsequent DXA measurement of the spine and the hip at the Osteoporosis Policlinic of the University Hospital of Berne. They were allocated to one of two groups depending on whether they matched with the Swiss reimbursement conditions for DXA measurement or not. Logistic regression models were used to predict the likelihood of osteoporosis versus "no osteoporosis” and to derive ROC curves for the various strategies. Differences in the areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were tested for significance. In women lacking reimbursement criteria, RA achieved a significantly larger AUC (0.81; 95% CI 0.72-0.89) than the risk factors associated with patients' age, height and weight (0.71; 95% C.I. 0.62-0.80). Furthermore, in this study, RA provided a better sensitivity and specificity in identifying women with underlying osteoporosis than the currently accepted criteria for reimbursement of DXA measurement. In the Swiss environment, RA is a valid case finding tool for patients with risk factors for osteoporosis, especially for those who do not qualify for DXA reimbursemen

Terahertz photometer to observe solar flares in continuum

Solar observations at sub-THz frequencies detected a new flare spectral component peaking in the THz range, simultaneously with the well known microwaves component, bringing challenging constraints for interpretation. Higher THz frequencies observations are needed to understand the nature of the mechanisms occurring in flares. A THz photometer system was developed to observe outside the terrestrial atmosphere on stratospheric balloons or satellites, or at exceptionally transparent ground stations. The telescope was designed to observe the whole solar disk detecting small relative changes in input temperature caused by flares at localized positions. A Golay cell detector is preceded by low-pass filters to suppress visible and near IR radiation, a band-pass filter, and a chopper. A prototype was assembled to demonstrate the new concept and the system performance. It can detect temperature variations smaller than 1 K for data sampled at a rate of 10/second, smoothed for intervals larger than 4 seconds. For a 76 mm aperture, this corresponds to small solar burst intensities at THz frequencies. A system with 3 and 7 THz photometers is being built for solar flare observations on board of stratospheric balloon missions.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Journal of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, 9 December 201

Drug-Associated Risk Tool: development and validation of a self-assessment questionnaire to screen for hospitalised patients at risk for drug-related problems

Identifying patients with a high risk for drug-related problems (DRPs) might optimise the allocation of targeted pharmaceutical care during the hospital stay and on discharge.; To develop a self-assessment screening tool to identify patients at risk for DRPs and validate the tool regarding feasibility, acceptability and the reliability of the patients' answers.; Prospective validation study.; Two mid-sized hospitals (300-400 beds).; 195 patients, exclusion criteria: under 18 years old, patients with a health status not allowing a meaningful communication (eg, delirium, acute psychosis, advanced dementia, aphasia, clouded consciousness state), palliative or terminally ill patients.; Twenty-seven risk factors for the development of DRPs, identified in a previous study, provided the basis of the self-assessment questionnaire, the Drug-Associated Risk Tool (DART). Consenting patients filled in DART, and we compared their answers with objective patient data from medical records and laboratory data.; One hundred and sixty-four patients filled in DART V.1.0 in an average time of 7 min. After a first validation, we identified statements with a low sensitivity and revised the wording of the questions related to heart insufficiency, renal impairment or liver impairment. The revised DART (V.2.0) was validated in 31 patients presenting heart insufficiency, renal impairment or liver impairment as comorbidity and reached an average specificity of 88% (range 27-100) and an average sensitivity of 67% (range 21-100).; DART showed a satisfying feasibility and reliability. The specificity of the statements was mostly high. The sensitivity varied and was higher in statements concerning diseases that require regular disease control and attention to self-care and drug management. Asking patients about their conditions, medications and related problems can facilitate getting a first, broad picture of the risk for DRPs and possible pharmaceutical needs

Unsteady Boundary-Layer Transition Measurements and Computations on a Rotating Blade under Cyclic Pitch Conditions

The presented work tackles the lack of experimental investigations of unsteady laminar-turbulent boundary-layer transition on rotor blades at cyclic pitch actuation, which are important for accurate performance predictions of helicopters in forward flight. Unsteady transition positions were measured on the blade suction side of a four-bladed subscale rotor by means of non-intrusive differential infrared thermography (DIT). Experiments were conducted at different rotation rates corresponding to Mach and Reynolds numbers at 75% rotor radius of up to M_75=0.21 and Re_75 =3.3×10^5 and with varying cyclic blade pitch settings. The setup allowed transition to be measured across the outer 54% of the rotor radius. For comparison, transition was also measured using conventional infrared thermography for steady cases with collective pitch settings only. The study is complemented by numerical simulations including boundary-layer transition modeling based on semi-empirical criteria. DIT results reveal the upstream and downstream motion of boundary-layer transition during upstroke and downstroke, a reasonable comparison to experimental results obtained using the already established sigma*c_p method, and noticeable agreement with numerical simulations. The result is the first systematic study of unsteady boundary-layer transition on a rotor suction side by means of DIT including a comparison to numerical computations

Phase I/randomized phase II trial of TRC105 plus bevacizumab versus bevacizumab in recurrent glioblastoma: North Central Cancer Treatment Group N1174 (Alliance)

Background Patients with glioblastoma (GBM) have a poor prognosis and limited effective treatment options. Bevacizumab has been approved for treatment of recurrent GBM, but there is questionable survival benefit. Based on preclinical and early clinical data indicating that CD105 upregulation may represent a mechanism of resistance to bevacizumab, we hypothesized that combining bevacizumab with the anti-CD105 antibody TRC105 may improve efficacy in recurrent GBM.Methods Phase I dose-escalation/comparative randomized phase II trial in patients with GBM. During phase I, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of TRC105 in combination with bevacizumab was determined. In phase II, patients were randomized 1:1 to TRC105 and bevacizumab or bevacizumab monotherapy. Patients receivedTRC105 (10 mg/kg) weekly and bevacizumab (10 mg/kg) every 2 weeks. Efficacy, as assessed by progression-free survival (PFS), was the primary endpoint; safety, quality of life, and correlative outcomes were also evaluated.Results In total, 15 patients were enrolled in phase I and 101 in phase II; 52 patients were randomized to TRC105 with bevacizumab and 49 to bevacizumab monotherapy. The MTD was determined to be 10 mg/kg TRC105 weekly plus bevacizumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. An increased occurrence of grade >= 3 adverse events was seen in the combination arm, including higher incidences of anemia. Median PFS was similar in both treatment arms: 2.9 months for combination versus 3.2 months for bevacizumab monotherapy (HR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.75-1.78, P = .51). Quality of life scores were similar for both treatment arms.Conclusions TRC105 in combination with bevacizumab was well tolerated in patients with recurrent GBM, but no difference in efficacy was observed compared to bevacizumab monotherapy

August Sauer (1855-1926)

Der Prager Germanist August Sauer wirkte nicht nur im engeren akademischen Rahmen an der dortigen Karl-Ferdinand-Universität, sondern auch in kultur- und wissenschaftspolitischer Hinsicht. Sein Einfluss auf die intellektuellen und wissenschaftlichen Diskurse in Böhmen bzw. später der Tschechoslowakei, aber auch auf Habsburg-Österreich insgesamt ist von nicht zu unterschätzender Bedeutung. Der vorliegende Sammelband würdigt August Sauers Werk aus literatur-, kultur- und geschichtswissenschaftlicher Perspektive, bei der der kultur- und wissenschaftspolitische Kontext genauso in den Blick genommen wird wie der engere fachhistorische Rahmen