Transforming data by calculation

Thispaperaddressesthefoundationsofdata-modeltransformation.A catalog of data mappings is presented which includes abstraction and representa- tion relations and associated constraints. These are justified in an algebraic style via the pointfree-transform, a technique whereby predicates are lifted to binary relation terms (of the algebra of programming) in a two-level style encompassing both data and operations. This approach to data calculation, which also includes transformation of recursive data models into “flat” database schemes, is offered as alternative to standard database design from abstract models. The calculus is also used to establish a link between the proposed transformational style and bidi- rectional lenses developed in the context of the classical view-update problem.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

An equational calculus for Alloy

Abstract. In this paper we show that, by translating Alloy formulas to formulas in the language of fork algebras, we obtain a complete, equational, and purely relational calculus for Alloy.

Epidural Block For Cesarean Section. A Comparative Study Between 0.5% Racemic Bupivacaine (s50-r50) And 0.5% Enantiomeric Excess Bupivacaine (s75-r25) Associated With Sufentanil [anestesia Peridural Para Cesariana. Estudo Comparativo Entre Bupivacaína Racêmica (s50-r50) E Bupivacaína Com Excesso Enantiomérico De 50% (s75-r25) A 0,5% Associadas Ao Sufentanil]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Epidural 0.5% racemic bupivacaine associated with opioids is a technique used in cesarean sections; however, its toxicity has been questioned. 50% Enantiomeric excess bupivacaine has lower cardio- and neurotoxicity. The efficacy of epidural 0.5% racemic bupivacaine and 0.5% enantiomeric excess bupivacaine associated with sufentanil in parturients undergoing cesarean sections was evaluated. METHODS: Fifty gravida at term, undergoing elective cesarean section under epidural block, were divided in two groups according to the local anesthetic used: Group I - 0.5% racemic bupivacaine with vasoconstrictor; and Group II - 0.5% enantiomeric excess bupivacaine (S75-R25) with vasoconstrictor. In both groups, the local anesthetic (100 mg) was associated with sufentanil (20 μg), and a total of 24 mL of the solution was used. The following parameters were evaluated: latency of the sensitive blockade; maximal level of the sensitive blockade; degree for motor blockade; time of motor blockade regression; duration of analgesia; maternal side effects; and neonatal repercussions. RESULTS: Latency, maximal level of sensitive blockade, degree of motor blockade, and duration of analgesia were similar in both groups; the mean time for regression of the motor blockade was significantly smaller in Group II. The incidence of side effects was similar in both groups. Maternal cardiocirculatory changes and neonatal repercussions were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Epidural racemic bupivacaine and 50% enantiomeric excess bupivacaine provided adequate anesthesia for cesarean sections. 50% Enantiomeric excess bupivacaine is a promising alternative for this procedure, since it has faster regression of the motor blockade, which is desirable in obstetric patients.593261272Mathias, R.S., Carvalho, J.C.A., Anestesia regional para cesárea (1993) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 43, pp. 43-56Albright, G.A., Cardiac arrest following regional anesthesia with etidocaine or bupivacaine (1979) Anesthesiology, 51, pp. 285-287Simonetti, M.P.B., Ropivacaína: Estado atual e perspectivas futuras (1995) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 45, pp. 131-140Garcia, J.B.S., Oliveira, J.R., Silva, E.P.A., Privado, M.S., Yamashita, A.M., Issy, A.M., Comparative study of 0.5% levobupivacaine and 0.5% racemic bupivacaine associated to sufentanil in epidural anesthesia for cesarean delivery (2001) Revista Brasileira de Anestesiologia, 51 (5), pp. 377-384Mather, L.E., Chang, D.H., Cardiotoxicity with modern local anaesthetics: Is there a safer choice? (2001) Drugs, 61, pp. 333-342Liguori, G.A., Chimento, G.F., Borow, L., Figgie, M., Possible bupivacaine toxicity after intraarticular injection for postarthroscopic analgesia of the knee: Implications of the surgical procedure (2002) Anesthesia and Analgesia, 94 (4), pp. 1010-1013Simonetti, M.P.B., A contribuição da quiralidade na qualidade total na anestesia regional (1997) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 47, pp. 86-88Simonetti, M.P.B., Ferreira, F.M.C., Does the D-isomer of bupivacaine contribute to the improvement of efficacy in neural block? (1999) Reg Anaesth Pain Med, 24 (SUPPL.), p. 43Gristwood, R., Bardsley, H., Baker, H., Dickens, J., Reduced cardiotoxicity of levobupivacaine compared with racemic bupivacaine (Marcaine): New clinical evidence (1994) Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, 3 (11), pp. 1209-1212Simonetti, M.P.B., Comparação entre os efeitos hemodinâmicos da intoxicação aguda com bupivacaína racêmica e a mistura com excesso enantiomérico de 50% (S75:R25). Estudo experimental em cães (2006) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 56, pp. 679-682Côrtes, C.A.F., Oliveira, A.S., Castro, L.F.L., Estudo comparativo entre bupivacaína a 0,5%, mistura enantiomérica de bupivacaína (S75-R25) a 0,5% e ropivacaína a 0,75% associadas ao fentanil em anestesia peridural para cesariana (2003) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 53, pp. 177-187Bromage, P.R., A comparison of the hydrochloride and carbon dioxide salts of lidocaine and prilocaine in epidural analgesia (1965) Acta Anaesth Scand, (SUPPL. 16), pp. 55-69Trachez, M.M., Zapata-Sudo, G., Moreira, O.R., Chedid, N.G.B., Russo, V.F.T., Russo, E.M.S., Sudo, R.T., Motor nerve blockade potency and toxicity of non-racemic bupivacaine in rats (2005) Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 49 (1), pp. 66-71. , DOI 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2004.00536.xSantos, A.C., Dearmas, P.I., Systemic toxicity of levobupivacaine, bupivacaine, and ropivacaine during continuous intravenous infusion to nonpregnant and pregnant Ewes (2001) Anesthesiology, 95 (5), pp. 1256-1264Vasconcelos Filho, P.D.O., Posso, I.D.P., Capelozzi, M., Capelozzi, V.L., Comparison of histologic spinal cord and neurologic changes in guinea pigs after subarachnoid block with large volumes of racemic bupivacaine, 50% enantiomeric excess bupivacaine (S75-R25), and levobupivacaine (2008) Revista Brasileira de Anestesiologia, 58 (3), pp. 234-245. , http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rba/v58n3/en_06.pdf, DOI 10.1590/S0034-70942008000300006Gonçalves, R.F., Lauretti, G.R., Mattos, A.L., Estudo comparativo entre bupivacaína a 0,5% e mistura enantiomérica de bupivacaína (S75-R25) em anestesia peridural (2003) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 53, pp. 169-176Tanaka, P.P., Souza, R.O., Salvalaggio, M.F.O., Estudo comparativo entre a bupivacaína a 0,5% e a mistura enantiomérica de bupivacaína (S75-R25) a 0,5% em anestesia peridural em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia ortopédica de membros Inferiores (2003) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 53, pp. 331-337Sato, R.T.C., Porsani, D.F., Amaral, A.G.V., Bupivacaína racêmica a 0,5% e mistura com excesso enantiomérico de 50% (S75-R25) a 0,5% no bloqueio do plexo braquial para cirurgia ortopédica. Estudo comparativo (2005) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 55, pp. 165-174Soares, L.F., De Melo Barros, A.C., Almeida, G.P., Boos, G.L., De Oliveira Filho, G.R., Minimum anesthetic volumes for extraconal retrobulbar block: Comparison between 0.5% racemic bupivacaine, levobupivacaine and enantiomeric mixture S75/R25 bupivacaine (2005) Revista Brasileira de Anestesiologia, 55 (3), pp. 263-268Imbelloni, L.E., Beato, L., Beato, C.C., Analgesia pós-operatória com bloqueio bilateral do nervo pudendo com bupivacaína S75-R25 a 0,25%. Estudo piloto em hemorroidectomia sob regime ambulatorial (2005) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 55, pp. 614-621Russell, I.F., Levels of anaesthesia and intraoperative pain at caesarean section under regional block (1995) Int J Obstet Anesth, 4, pp. 71-77Shapiro, A., Fredman, B., Olsfanger, D., Jedeikin, R., Anaesthesia for caesarean delivery: Low-dose epidural bupivacaine plus fentanyl (1998) International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia, 7 (1), pp. 23-26. , DOI 10.1016/S0959-289X(98)80024-1King, M.J., Bowden, M.I., Cooper, G.M., Epidural fentanyl and 0.5% bupivacaine for elective Caesarean section (1990) Anaesthesia, 45 (4), pp. 285-288Bergamaschi, F., Balle, V.R., Gomes, M.E.W., Levobupivacaína versus bupivacaína em anestesia peridural para cesarianas. Estudo comparativo (2005) Rev Bras Anestesiol, 55, pp. 606-613Christelis, N., Harrad, J., Howell, P.R., A comparison of epidural ropivacaine 0.75% and bupivacaine 0.5% with fentanyl for elective caesarean section (2005) International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia, 14 (3), pp. 212-218. , DOI 10.1016/j.ijoa.2005.01.002, PII S0959289X05000105Delfino, J., Bezerra Do Vale, N., Levobupivacaine in fixed volumes and different concentrations associated to opioids in epidural anesthesia for cesarean sections (2000) Revista Brasileira de Anestesiologia, 50 (6), pp. 437-441Balki, M., Carvalho, J.C.A., Intraoperative nausea and vomiting during cesarean section under regional anesthesia (2005) International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia, 14 (3), pp. 230-241. , DOI 10.1016/j.ijoa.2004.12.004, PII S0959289X04001840Dahlgren, G., Hultstrand, C., Jakobsson, J., Norman, M., Eriksson, E.W., Martin, H., Intrathecal sufentanil, fentanyl, or placebo added to bupivacaine for cesarean section (1997) Anesthesia and Analgesia, 85 (6), pp. 1288-1293. , DOI 10.1097/00000539-199712000-0002

Model Checking with SAT-Based Characterization of ACTL Formulas ⋆

Abstract. Bounded semantics of LTL with existential interpretation and that of ECTL (the existential fragment of CTL), and the characterization of these existentially interpreted properties have been studied and used as the theoretical basis for SAT-based bounded model checking [2, 18]. This has led to a lot of successful work with respect to error detection in the checking of LTL and ACTL (the universal fragment of CTL) properties by satisfiability testing. Bounded semantics of LTL with the universal interpretation and that of ACTL, and the characterization of such properties by propositional formulas have not been successfully established and this hinders practical verification of valid universal properties by satisfiability checking. This paper studies this problem and the contribution is a bounded semantics for ACTL and a characterization of ACTL properties by propositional formulas. Firstly, we provide a simple bounded semantics for ACTL without considering the practical aspect of the semantics, based on converting a Kripke model to a model (called a k-model) in which the transition relation is captured by a set of k-paths (each path with k transitions). This bounded semantics is not practically useful for the evaluation of a formula, since it involves too many paths in the k-model. Then the technique is to divide the k-model into submodels with a limited number of k-paths (which depends on k and the ACTL property to be verified) such that if an ACTL property is true in every such model, then it is true in the k-model as well. This characterization can then be used as the basis for practical verification of valid ACTL properties by satisfiability checking. A simple case study is provided to show the use of this approach for both verification and error detection of an abstract two-process program written as a first order transition system.

New insights into the molecular basis of desmoplakin- and desmin-related cardiomyopathies.

Desmosomes are intercellular adhesive complexes that anchor the intermediate filament cytoskeleton to the cell membrane in epithelia and cardiac muscle cells. The desmosomal component desmoplakin plays a key role in tethering various intermediate filament networks through its C-terminal plakin repeat domain. To gain better insight into the cytoskeletal organization of cardiomyocytes, we investigated the association of desmoplakin with desmin by cell transfection, yeast two-hybrid, and/or in vitro binding assays. The results indicate that the association of desmoplakin with desmin depends on sequences within the linker region and C-terminal extremity of desmoplakin, where the B and C subdomains contribute to efficient binding; a potentially phosphorylatable serine residue in the C-terminal extremity of desmoplakin affects its association with desmin; the interaction of desmoplakin with non-filamentous desmin requires sequences contained within the desmin C-terminal rod portion and tail domain in yeast, whereas in in vitro binding studies the desmin tail is dispensable for association; and mutations in either the C-terminus of desmoplakin or the desmin tail linked to inherited cardiomyopathy seem to impair desmoplakindesmin interaction. These studies increase our understanding of desmoplakin-intermediate filament interactions, which are important for maintenance of cytoarchitecture in cardiomyocytes, and give new insights into the molecular basis of desmoplakin- and desmin-related human diseases