bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Owner observations regarding cat scratching behavior: an internet-based survey
Authors: Wilson Colleen , Bain Melissa , DePorter Theresa , Beck Alexandra , Grassi Vanessa , Landsberg Gary
Published: July 2015

Objectives

This study was performed to examine aspects of the cat, environment and scratching post that might influence scratching behavior, in an effort to determine how inappropriate scratching behavior might be refocused on acceptable targets.

Methods

An internet survey, posted on several public websites, gathered details about scratching behavior, as described by owners in their home environments, from 4331 respondents over a 4 month period. Responses from 39 different countries were analyzed, mostly from the USA, Canada and the UK.

Results

Owners offered traditionally recommended scratching substrates including rope, cardboard, carpet and wood. Rope was most frequently used when offered, although carpet was offered most commonly. Most owners provided at least one scratching post; cats scratched the preferred substrate more often when the post was a simple upright type or a cat tree with two or more levels and at least 3 ft high. Narrower posts (base width ⩽3 ft) were used more often than wider posts (base width ⩾5 ft). Intact or neutered cats (males and females) were as likely to scratch inappropriately, and inappropriate scratching decreased with age. Geriatric cats between the ages of 10 and 14 years preferred carpet substrate most frequently; all other ages preferred rope first. Inappropriate scratching decreased as the different types/styles of posts increased in the home. Inappropriate scratching did not increase if the number of cats or dogs increased in the household. Declawed cats were preventatively declawed most often to prevent household item destruction.

Conclusions and relevance

Although cats can have individual preferences, our data provide a starting point for veterinarians recommending scratching posts to clients.
Postobstructive diuresis in cats with naturally occurring lower urinary tract obstruction: incidence, severity and association with laboratory parameters on admission
Authors: Fröhlich Laura , Hartmann Katrin , Sautter-Louis Carola , Dorsch Roswitha
Published: July 2015

Objectives

The objectives of this retrospective study were to investigate the actual incidence of postobstructive diuresis after relief of urethral obstruction in cats, as well as to identify changes in blood and urine parameters that might be associated with postobstructive diuresis (POD), and to assess the impact of fluid therapy.

Methods

The medical records of 57 male cats with urethral obstruction that were treated with an indwelling urinary catheter were retrospectively analysed. Absolute urine output in ml/kg/h every 4 h and the incidence of cats with polyuria (urine volume >2 ml/kg/h) at any time point over a 48 h period after the re-establishment of urine flow were investigated. In addition, postobstructive diuresis in relation to fluid therapy (PODFR) was defined as urine output greater than the administered amount of intravenous fluids on at least two subsequent time points. Polyuria and PODFR were investigated for their association with blood and urine laboratory parameters.

Results

After 4 h, 74.1% (40/54) of the cats had polyuria, with a urine output of >2 ml/kg/h. Metabolic acidosis was present in 46.2% of the cats. Venous blood pH and bicarbonate were inversely correlated with urine output in ml/kg/h after 4 h. The overall incidence of POD within 48 h of catheterisation was 87.7%. There was a significant correlation between intravenous fluid rate at time point x and urine output at time point x + 1 at all the time points except for the fluid rate at time point 0 and the urine output after 4 h. PODFR was seen in 21/57 cats (36.8%).

Conclusions and relevance

POD is a frequent finding in cats treated for urethral obstruction, and can be very pronounced. Further studies are required to determine whether or not a change in venous blood pH actually interferes with renal concentrating ability. The discrepancy between the frequency of cats with polyuria and PODFR (87.7% vs 36.8%) in the present study indicates that administered intravenous fluid therapy might be the driving force for the high incidence of polyuria in some cats with naturally occurring obstructive feline lower urinary tract disease.
Dynamic matrix control applied to emission control of a diesel engine
Authors: Kozlik Christian , Geringer Bernhard , Schirrer Alexander , Jakubek Stefan
Published: July 2015

In this paper we suggest a hierarchical control scheme, applicable to engine control. The chosen setup facilitates the simultaneous control of emissions and torque. On the top level a standard PID controller is installed, setting the injection quantity in order to reach the demand torque, which is a prerequisite to follow a given load profile. The second level is dedicated to the emission control. We apply dynamic matrix control (DMC), which is a specific form of model predictive control. DMC stands out by a very simple way of modeling the controlled process which is represented by step responses. Constraints on the absolute values and maximum rates of change are applied to the manipulable system inputs to cope with given hardware limitations. Moreover, we incorporate so-called operational constraints, thus constraining the input variables to certain polytopic operating regions. Thereby areas with high HC emissions can be excluded in advance. Furthermore we include the predefined demand torque as input to the DMC. With the known impact of transient torque changes on the emissions, the DMC can act in an optimal way with respect to the given load profile. To cope with the nonlinearities of a combustion engine, we apply a network of several DMCs, scheduled by engine speed and load as well as by the manipulable actuators. We also propose a procedure to reduce the amount of modeling data, by introducing a parameterized formulation of the measured step responses. The proposed control concept is then evaluated on a realistic, physically-based engine model for several representative driving sequences, amongst them the well-known New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and the highly dynamic Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Test Cycle (WLTC). The advantages of DMC against a conventional PID control are finally summarized and demonstrated on a typical load step.
Progress and recent trends in reactivity-controlled compression ignition engines
Authors: Paykani Amin , Kakaee Amir-Hasan , Rahnama Pourya , Reitz Rolf D
Published: July 2015

Low-temperature combustion is an emerging engine technology that has the ability to yield low NOx and soot emissions while maintaining high fuel efficiency. Low-temperature combustion strategies include homogeneous charge compression ignition, premixed charge compression ignition, reactivity-controlled compression ignition and partially premixed combustion. These low-temperature combustion strategies use early fuel injections to allow sufficient time for air–fuel mixing before combustion. According to the literature, some low-temperature combustion strategies are not promising for future automotive and power generation applications due to difficulties in controlling the heat release rate and the lack of a combustion phasing control mechanism. To mitigate these problems, the reactivity-controlled compression ignition combustion concept was introduced. Reactivity-controlled compression ignition is a dual-fuel partially premixed combustion concept, which uses port fuel injection of a low-reactivity fuel (e.g. gasoline, natural gas and alcohol fuels) and direct injection of a high-reactivity fuel (e.g. diesel and biodiesel) with blending inside the combustion chamber to increase the combustion duration and to provide phasing control. Combustion phasing is controlled by the relative ratios of the two fuels, and the combustion duration is controlled by spatial stratification between the two fuels. This article begins by an overview of the different low-temperature combustion strategies and demonstrates some advantages of reactivity-controlled compression ignition, over homogeneous charge compression ignition and premixed charge compression ignition combustion strategies in regard to fuel flexibility and combustion controllability. A comprehensive review of recent research on various aspects of reactivity-controlled compression ignition and comparisons of thermal efficiency and pollutant emissions over conventional diesel combustion is also presented. This article presents the significance of reactivity-controlled compression ignition strategy as a promising solution for future automotive engines and discusses future research directions.
Staging interrail mobilities
Authors: Jensen Martin Trandberg , Gyimothy Szilvia , Jensen Ole B
Published: July 2015

This article applies the multiscalar ‘staging mobilities’ framework from the emergent subfield of mobilities design to analyse an enduring European rail travel phenomenon, interrail. This discussion extends and contributes to tourism mobilities research. Second, the article enriches previous studies of rail travel, by exploring how interrail travel is embedded in, and (im)mobilised by socio-material environments and institutional design decisions. More precisely, it explores the affordances of three objects that shape interrail mobility: the interrail pass, the RailPlanner application and seat reservations. To reach these aims, the research design intertwines multi-sited ethnography, netnography, survey and interviews. The conclusion offers theoretical reflections pertaining to the role of mobilities designs and methodical hybrids in tourism mobilities research.
Travelers’ experiences of authenticity in “hill tribe” tourism in Northern Thailand
Authors: Walter Pierre G
Published: July 2015

This study examines how tourists experience authenticity and the ethics of “hill tribe” trekking in northern Thailand, and what they learn as a result of their touristic encounters. A “netnography” methodology was used to analyze on-line data from travelers’ touristic encounters with highland people in two sites. The first was the on-line reviews, blogs, and videos of travelers’ experiences in Baan Tong Luang, a multi-ethnic “hill tribe village” tourist attraction outside of Chiang Mai. The second was the blog and video reviews of visitors to three exemplary “community-based tourism” highland village sites. Findings show a variety of complex understandings of authenticity, both “objective” and “constructivist.” For community-based tourism reviewers in particular, authenticity was understood as a hybrid, fluid concept which derived from meanings ascribed to objects, practices, and place; personal relationships with hosts; and opportunities for cultural learning afforded visitors.
The LEAPTM Gesture Interface Device and Take-Home Laparoscopic Simulators
Authors: Partridge Roland W. , Brown Fraser S. , Brennan Paul M. , Hennessey Iain A. M. , Hughes Mark A.
Published: July 2015

Aim. To assess the potential of the LEAP™ infrared motion tracking device to map laparoscopic instrument movement in a simulated environment. Simulator training is optimized when augmented by objective performance feedback. We explore the potential LEAP has to provide this in a way compatible with affordable take-home simulators. Method. LEAP and the previously validated InsTrac visual tracking tool mapped expert and novice performances of a standardized simulated laparoscopic task. Ability to distinguish between the 2 groups (construct validity) and correlation between techniques (concurrent validity) were the primary outcome measures. Results. Forty-three expert and 38 novice performances demonstrated significant differences in LEAP-derived metrics for instrument path distance ( P < .001), speed ( P = .002), acceleration ( P < .001), motion smoothness ( P < .001), and distance between the instruments ( P = .019). Only instrument path distance demonstrated a correlation between LEAP and InsTrac tracking methods (novices: r = .663, P < .001; experts: r = .536, P < .001). Consistency of LEAP tracking was poor (average % time hands not tracked: 31.9%). Conclusion. The LEAP motion device is able to track the movement of hands using instruments in a laparoscopic box simulator. Construct validity is demonstrated by its ability to distinguish novice from expert performances. Only time and instrument path distance demonstrated concurrent validity with an existing tracking method however. A number of limitations to the tracking method used by LEAP have been identified. These need to be addressed before it can be considered an alternative to visual tracking for the delivery of objective performance metrics in take-home laparoscopic simulators.
Development of configurations for lookup table–based Embryonics using graphic mapping: A case study
Authors: Zhuo Qingqi , Qian Yanling , Li Yue , Wang Nantian
Published: July 2015

This article presents the development of configurations for bio-inspired self-healing cellular arrays known as Embryonics (embryonic electronics). In the Embryonics design, the configurations are employed to define the functionality and connections of each cell. However, developing configurations of the Embryonics is a time-consuming and challenging work due to lack of effective tools. In this article, an approach is proposed to develop configurations using graphic mapping, which also optimizes the length of configurations for the Embryonics. Using metric embedding, the problem of configurations is exactly formulated to binary quadratic assignment problem and routing problem with constraint of the Embryonics architecture. Since binary quadratic assignment problem is nondeterministic polynomial-time hard, a genetic algorithm is used to tackle this problem for achieving high-quality placement. Due to the limitation of communication bandwidth, how to resolve congestion is also an important issue. An improved ant colony algorithm is presented to realize routing of the Embryonics based on the result of placement. Configurations of the Embryonics are formed according to the result of placement and routing. Experimental result on a [Formula: see text] multiplier demonstrates that developing configurations for lookup table–based Embryonics using graphic mapping can lower the difficulty of the Embryonics design and optimize placement and routing of Embryonics.
Exhaust emission characteristics of various types of biofuels
Authors: Peng De-Xing
Published: July 2015

Meeting the growing demand for sustainable energy is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. In the Kyoto conference on global climate change, numerous nations committed to large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions are a major advantage of using biodiesel on diesel engines. The test uses three biodiesels (soybean oil, palm oil, and waste edible oil) in the engine, comparing engine performance and exhaust emissions with the baseline (pure petrodiesel) case. The results indicated that the use of biodiesel produces decreased smoke opacity but increased fuel consumption up to 7.38% compared with petrodiesel. Exhaust emissions, such as CO and HC, were reduced using biodiesel in fuels, primarily because of the effect of complete combustion of the oxygen contained in biodiesel.
Experimental test of static and dynamic characteristics of tilting-pad thrust bearings
Authors: Guo Annan , Wang Xiaojing , Jin Jian , Hua Diann Y , Hua Zikai
Published: July 2015

The axial vibration in turbine machine has attracted more and more interest. Tilting-pad thrust bearings are widely used in turbine machines to support the axial load. The dynamic properties generated by oil film of the thrust pad have important effects on the axial vibration of the rotor-bearing system. It is necessary to develop the method to test the dynamic characteristics of thrust bearings. A new rig has been developed. The facility allows a complete set of bearing operating parameters to be measured. Parameters measured include oil temperatures, oil-film thickness, and pressure. The static load and dynamic load can be added on the thrust bearing in the vertical direction at the same time. The relative and absolute displacement vibrations of the test experimental bearing with the changes of dynamic force are measured, and the dynamic characteristics of the test bearing are obtained. The experimental results show clearly that the operating conditions influence largely on the pad static and dynamic characteristics.
Parallel vision-based pose estimation for non-cooperative spacecraft
Authors: Li Ronghua , Zhou Ying , Chen Feng , Chen Yong
Published: July 2015

This article proposes a relative pose estimation method between non-cooperative spacecrafts based on parallel binocular vision. As the information of non-cooperative spacecraft in space is not accessible, the target is considered to be freely tumbling in space. The line feature of non-cooperative target is used to extract the feature points first; then the stereo matching and three-dimensional restructuring are taken for the feature points; finally, an algorithm based on parallel binocular vision algorithm is used to calculate the relative pose between the target coordinate and the world coordinate. The experimental results show that the proposed method has high-accuracy real-time performance.
Computer-aided manufacturing for mass production of non-conventional shapes made of the alloying of a heterogeneous composite metallic glass matrix with nano-meter-sized elements
Authors: Elmoselhy Salah AM
Published: July 2015

The pursuit of radically improving the strength and stiffness of materials while maintaining satisfactory level of ductility for formability has been on for decades. A patent has laid in 2005 the foundation for alloying a metallic matrix, such as steel matrix, with nano-meter-sized elements while exploiting amorphous cross-linking of the matrix. This patented innovation is expected to trigger the third industrial revolution based on mass production of the alloying of a metallic matrix, such as steel matrix, with nano-meter-sized elements in order to produce bulk metallic glasses. The first industrial revolution had been triggered by the mass production of steel in about 1840 and the second industrial revolution was triggered by the mass production of the synthetic polymeric materials and composites in about 1960. This article presents an approach of computer-aided manufacturing based on this patent for the mass production of an E-like-shaped spring made of the alloying of heterogeneous composite ferromagnetic metallic glass matrix with nano-meter-sized elements. The proposed heterogeneous nanocomposite metallic glass alloy exhibits features that are promising in applications such as vehicle suspension springs.
Abiraterone in the management of castration-resistant prostate cancer prior to chemotherapy
Authors: Gartrell Benjamin A. , Saad Fred
Published: July 2015

The treatment armamentarium for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has increased significantly over the past several years. Approved drugs associated with improved survival include androgen pathway-targeted agents (abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide), chemotherapeutics (docetaxel and cabazitaxel), an autologous vaccine (sipuleucel-T) and a radiopharmaceutical (radium-223). Abiraterone acetate, a prodrug of abiraterone, inhibits the CYP17A enzyme, a critical enzyme in androgen biosynthesis. Abiraterone has regulatory approval in mCRPC in both chemotherapy-naïve patients and in the post-docetaxel setting based on results from two randomized phase III studies. In the COU-AA-302 trial, abiraterone demonstrated significant improvement in the coprimary endpoints of radiographic progression-free survival and overall survival, as well as in a number of secondary endpoints including time until initiation of chemotherapy, time until opiate use for cancer-related pain, prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival and decline in performance status. Abiraterone is well-tolerated, although adverse events associated with this agent include abnormalities in liver function testing and mineralocorticoid-associated adverse events. This review evaluates the use of abiraterone in mCRPC prior to the use of chemotherapy.
Traumatic Tear of the Latissimus Dorsi Myotendinous Junction
Authors: Friedman Michael V. , Stensby J. Derek , Hillen Travis J. , Demertzis Jennifer L. , Keener Jay D.
Published: July 2015

A case of a latissimus dorsi myotendinous junction strain in an avid CrossFit athlete is presented. The patient developed acute onset right axillary burning and swelling and subsequent palpable pop with weakness while performing a “muscle up.” Magnetic resonance imaging examination demonstrated a high-grade tear of the right latissimus dorsi myotendinous junction approximately 9 cm proximal to its intact humeral insertion. There were no other injuries to the adjacent shoulder girdle structures. Isolated strain of the latissimus dorsi myotendinous junction is a very rare injury with a scarcity of information available regarding its imaging appearance and preferred treatment. This patient was treated conservatively and was able to resume active CrossFit training within 3 months. At 6 months postinjury, he had only a mild residual functional deficit compared with his preinjury level.
Demographic and other characteristics of nodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma managed in academic versus non-academic centers
Authors: Bhatt Vijaya Raj , Dhakal Prajwal , Dahal Sumit , Giri Smith , Pathak Ranjan , Bociek R. Gregory , Silberstein Peter T. , Armitage James O.
Published: July 2015

Background:

Cancer therapy and outcomes are known to be affected by various demographic features and hospital types. We aimed to identify the characteristics of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients associated with receipt of care at academic centers.

Method:

This is a retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with nodal NHL between 2000 and 2011 in the National Cancer Database (NCDB), who received the diagnosis, and all or part of their initial therapy in the reporting hospital ( n = 243,436). Characteristics of patients receiving care in academic versus nonacademic centers were compared using the Chi-square test.

Results:

Approximately 27% received care in academic centers. Patients receiving care in nonacademic centers, compared with academic centers, were more likely to be ⩾60 years (69% versus 58%, p < .0001), White (89% versus 80%, p < .0001) and have lower educational attainment (>12% without high school diploma: 72% versus 69%, p < .0001) and economic status (household income <$49,000: 66% versus 61%, p < 0.0001). Patients receiving care in nonacademic centers were less likely to travel ⩾25 miles (21% versus 26%, p < 0.0001). White patients, compared with non-Whites, were more likely to be ⩾60 years (70% versus <50%, p < 0.0001), which probably explains less care in academic centers.

Conclusions:

Patients ⩾60 years and those with poorer educational attainment and economic status were less likely to receive care in academic centers. Care in academic centers required a longer commute. Elderly patients frequently have inferior outcomes and may benefit from clinical trials with novel agents and expertise at academic centers.
Religion and the Occupy Wall Street movement
Authors: Campbell Emily B , Torpey John , Turner Bryan S
Published: July 2015

The Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011 and its corollaries, Occupy Sandy and Occupy Debt, have been largely understood as secular movements. In spite of this, religious actors not only participated, but in some cases played an integral role within the movement, lending material support, organizing expertise, and public statements of support. We rely on interviews with faith leaders (N = 13) in New York and Oakland, and engage in an analysis of print and online media to explore the role of religious actors and groups in Occupy Wall Street. Religious participants were often long-time veterans of progressive political struggles and drew inspiration from their faith traditions. Nonetheless, religious commitments were secondary to political objectives shared by themselves and their secular counterparts. Religious leaders believed they offered symbolic authority to the movement and highlighted this in their engagement in the hope of giving it greater moral weight. Current discussions on postsecularism and public religions are considered.
Comparison of Leiomyoma of Modern Medicine and Traditional Persian Medicine
Authors: Tansaz Mojgan , Tajadini Haleh
Published: July 2015

Leiomyoma is the most common benign tumor of the pelvic that is associated with reproductive problems such as infertility, frequent abortions, and undesirable prenatal outcomes. High prevalence of leiomyoma and its relation with important gynecological complications, especially during reproductive ages, on the one hand, and high medical expenses and significant complications of common treatments, on the other, made us search traditional Persian medicine texts for a similar disease. In traditional Persian medicine, a condition has been introduced similar to leiomyoma ( Oram-e-rahem). In this article, by collecting materials from traditional medicine texts on leiomyoma, we aim to provide theories for further studies on this topic, as there is an obvious difference between traditional Persian medicine and modern medicine with regard to leiomyoma. When modern medicine has not found a suitable response to treatment, reviewing of traditional Persian medicine for finding better treatment strategies is wise.
Indian Employees' Attitudes toward Poaching
Authors: Kumar Satishchandra , Savani Krishna , Sanghai Ankita , Pochkhanawalla Shenaya , Dhar Supriya , Ramaswami Aarti , Rose Markus Hazel
Published: July 2015

Given the paucity of research on poaching (hiring employees who are already employed by another, sometimes competitor, company) in India, this study used an experimental design with data from 164 Indian managers and professionals working in a variety of industries, to examine their perceptions of employees who are poached, of companies who engage in poaching, and of their possible reasons for switching jobs. Participants were engaged in three tasks as follows: in the first task, participants were randomly assigned to one of the four scenarios (in a 2 (Agency: Company vs. Employee) x 2 (Decision: Joining rival firm vs. Not joining rival firm) design); in the second task, participants were given a description of a company that either poaches or one that does not poach; and finally, in the third task, participants were asked about the reasons that would lead an employee to getting poached. The study's results indicated that participants perceived employees who get poached as less moral and more business-minded. They also perceived companies who engage in poaching as being competitive, and also perceived such companies more negatively than companies that did not poach. Improvements in salary, status, and social environment emerged as primary reasons for participants to consider switching jobs.
Jibon Tari: A Floating Hospital to Serve Distressed Humanity
Authors: Uddin Ahmed Jashim , Sadat Shimul Anwar , Sen Protima , Nuren Khan Naima
Published: July 2015

Even after 43 years of independence, Bangladesh—one of the poor and densely populated countries of the world—is suffering from inadequate healthcare systems and facilities for the nation. Although there have been few noteworthy achievements from public and public sector initiatives, a significant proportion of the rural population is still deprived of required medical care. Under such prevailing paradoxical development, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh have played a vital role in alleviating the poor healthcare condition in Bangladesh. While private sector healthcare comes at high cost, it is only accessible to high income groups. Whereas public sector healthcare though comparatively much less expensive, the quality of service provided is highly questionable. In such a situation, NGOs have aided the country's need for basic healthcare. The NGOs have reached the grassroots in order to spread awareness and information and to provide quality healthcare to the underprivileged. The paper focuses on one such NGO, Impact Foundation1 ‘Jibon Tari’ floating hospital, which aims to serve the poverty stricken people of Bangladesh. This case study focuses on the current changes, challenges, and attributions of a dynamic NGO with a unique concept, known as Jibon Tari that assists in aiding the healthcare deficit in Bangladesh.
Activation of the endomitotic spindle assembly checkpoint and thrombocytopenia in Plk1-deficient mice
Authors: Trakala Marianna , Partida David , Salazar-Roa María , Maroto María , Wachowicz Paulina , de Cárcer Guillermo , Malumbres Marcos
Published: July 2015

Key Points

Plk1 ablation activates an endomitotic checkpoint in megakaryocytes. Plk1 deficiency in megakaryocytes results in thrombocytopenia.
Association between arthritis score at the onset of the disease and long-term locomotor outcome in adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats
Authors: Mossiat Claude , Laroche Davy , Prati Clément , Pozzo Thierry , Demougeot Céline , Marie Christine
Published: July 2015

Introduction

To investigate the connection between the intensity of initial symptoms of inflammation and locomotor outcome in rheumatoid arthritis, we examined the relationship between long-term locomotor abnormalities and signs of inflammation at the onset of the disease in adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) in rats.

Methods

The arthritis score and hind-paw diameter were followed from immunization to day 195 (~7 months). At this time, locomotion was recorded during forced treadmill walking using 3D motion technology before radiographic scoring of hind limb joint damage. Many locomotor parameters were analyzed including time and length parameters, limbs kinematics, lateral paw position at toe off, maximal hind-paw elevation and posture. Ankle mobility was assessed from range of motion (ROM) of the joint during locomotion. Experiments were run in AIA (n = 18) and age-matched non-AIA rats (n = 8).

Results

All AIA rats exhibited signs of inflammation at day 14 with a peak of inflammatory symptoms at day 22 post-immunization. After the first episode of inflammation, 83 % of AIA rats demonstrated recurrent disease (from week 6 to week 23). The frequency of inflammatory episodes (1 to 5) was not linked to the arthritis score at day 22. At day 195 post-immunization, AIA rats showed significantly impaired locomotion and radiographic lesions as compared to control rats. Significant relationships were observed between most locomotion-related parameters and concurrent ROM of ankle, which correlated negatively with the radiographic score. ROM of ankle at day 195 correlated negatively with both the arthritis score and hind-paw diameter measured at day 14, 22 and 30 post-immunization.

Conclusion

Decreased ankle mobility can be considered a driver of locomotion impairment in AIA. In this model, the severity of the initial inflammatory symptoms had a good prognostic value for long-term locomotor outcome.
SOCR data dashboard: an integrated big data archive mashing medicare, labor, census and econometric information
Authors: Husain Syed S , Kalinin Alexandr , Truong Anh , Dinov Ivo D
Published: July 2015

Introduction

Intuitive formulation of informative and computationally-efficient queries on big and complex datasets present a number of challenges. As data collection is increasingly streamlined and ubiquitous, data exploration, discovery and analytics get considerably harder. Exploratory querying of heterogeneous and multi-source information is both difficult and necessary to advance our knowledge about the world around us.

Research design

We developed a mechanism to integrate dispersed multi-source data and service the mashed information via human and machine interfaces in a secure, scalable manner. This process facilitates the exploration of subtle associations between variables, population strata, or clusters of data elements, which may be opaque to standard independent inspection of the individual sources. This a new platform includes a device agnostic tool (Dashboard webapp, http://socr.umich.edu/HTML5/Dashboard/) for graphical querying, navigating and exploring the multivariate associations in complex heterogeneous datasets.

Results

The paper illustrates this core functionality and serviceoriented infrastructure using healthcare data (e.g., US data from the 2010 Census, Demographic and Economic surveys, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Center for Medicare Services) as well as Parkinson’s Disease neuroimaging data. Both the back-end data archive and the front-end dashboard interfaces are continuously expanded to include additional data elements and new ways to customize the human and machine interactions.

Conclusions

A client-side data import utility allows for easy and intuitive integration of user-supplied datasets. This completely open-science framework may be used for exploratory analytics, confirmatory analyses, meta-analyses, and education and training purposes in a wide variety of fields.
Application of waveform tomography to a crooked-line 2D land seismic data set
Authors: Kamei Rie , Miyoshi Takayuki , Pratt R. Gerhard , Takanashi Mamoru , Masaya Shogo
Published: July 2015

Onshore hydrocarbon exploration in the back-arc region of Japan suffers from seismic imaging challenges. Seismic data are typically acquired in a difficult environment: along a crooked line over a rough surface topography underlain by severe near-surface weathering layers. The area is geologically complex, and prestack depth processing is desirable. However, the data quality is suboptimal at near offsets, and it hinders the migration velocity analysis required for depth processing. Thus, a geologic interpretation needs to rely on time-processing results. Nevertheless, some data sets are rich in low-frequency components and contain clear refracted and wide-angle reflected waves, both of which are favorable conditions for the application of waveform tomography. We have used one such data set, and we determined the applicability of waveform tomography to estimate the P-wave velocity distribution. To mitigate difficulties in the data, we carefully optimized waveform tomography strategies and diligently validated the results. We evaluated the effects of the crooked line by conducting waveform tomography in 2D and 2.5D. We determined that for this data set, the effect of the crooked line was not substantial enough to require the 2.5D implementation, but it was large enough to require careful trace editing. We also minimized the effects of large variations in amplitudes due to near-surface effects and source and receiver characteristics, primarily by fitting phase components of the data during waveform tomography, but also by adjusting the amplitudes in a surface-consistent manner to stabilize the source estimation process. The final velocity model delineated known shallow sedimentary structures, but it also revealed deep large-thrust structures critical to the structural understanding of the area. The result confirmed the capability of waveform tomography to yield a reliable velocity model, and it also opened up the possibility of applications of depth processing in the region.
Effects of maturation on multiscale (nanometer to millimeter) porosity in the Eagle Ford Shale
Authors: Anovitz Lawrence Michael , Cole David Robert , Sheets Julia Meyer , Swift Alexander , Elston Harold William , Welch Susan , Chipera Steve James , Littrell Kenneth Charles , Mildner David Francis Raymond , Wasbrough Matthew John
Published: July 2015

Porosity and permeability are key variables that link the thermal-hydrologic, geomechanical, and geochemical behavior in rock systems and are thus important input parameters for transport models. Neutron scattering studies indicate that the scales of pore sizes in rocks extend over many orders of magnitude from nanometer-sized pores with huge amounts of total surface area to large open fracture systems (multiscale porosity). However, despite considerable efforts combining conventional petrophysics, neutron scattering, and electron microscopy, the quantitative nature of this porosity in tight gas shales, especially at smaller scales and over larger rock volumes, remains largely unknown. Nor is it well understood how pore networks are affected by regional variation in rock composition and properties, thermal changes across the oil window (maturity), and, most critically, hydraulic fracturing. To improve this understanding, we have used a combination of small- and ultrasmall-angle neutron scattering (U)SANS with scanning electron microscope (SEM)/backscattered electron imaging to analyze the pore structure of clay- and carbonate-rich samples of the Eagle Ford Shale. This formation is hydrocarbon rich, straddles the oil window, and is one of the most actively drilled oil and gas targets in the United States. Several important trends in the Eagle Ford rock pore structure have been identified using our approach. The (U)SANS results reflected the connected (effective) and unconnected porosity, as well as the volume occupied by organic material. The latter could be separated using total organic carbon data and, at all maturities, constituted a significant fraction of the apparent porosity. At lower maturities, the pore structure was strongly anisotropic. However, this decreased with increasing maturity, eventually disappearing entirely for carbonate-rich samples. In clay- and carbonate-rich samples, a significant reduction in total porosity occurred at (U)SANS scales, much of it during initial increases in maturity. This apparently contradicted SEM observations that showed increases in intraorganic porosity with increasing maturity. Organic-rich shales are, however, a very complex material from the point of view of scattering studies, and a more detailed analysis is needed to better understand these observations.
Semiautomatic interpretation of 3D sedimentological structures on geologic images: An object-based approach
Authors: Ruiu Jeremy , Caumon Guillaume , Viseur Sophie
Published: July 2015

The characterization of sedimentary structures is an important step in constructing quantitative models of sedimentary deposits from digital images, such as 3D seismic data, satellite images, or digital outcrops. However, the interpretation of these structures generally consists of tedious line pickings followed by surface modeling to define geobodies. Automatic geobody extraction is an alternative, but it is sensitive to image noise, and it does not account for prior sedimentary knowledge. We decided to combine minimal picking by an interpreter with object-guided image processing and optimization to achieve fast and semiautomatic geobody interpretation. Our approach used a realistic volumetric geobody representation based on nonuniform rational basis splines, which can easily be deformed by the interpreter and numerical optimization. Custom edge detection guided by some initial rough interpretations was performed to strengthen the most relevant edges in the picture. Automatic optimization was then computed to fit the initial geobody to these highlighted edges. This approach was applied on satellite pictures showing alluvial channels, and some preliminary results on 3D seismic time slices were also presented. The interpreted channels were then used in a retrodeformation process to automatically reconstruct the point bars. This semiautomatic method opens new perspectives to help interpreters rapidly come up with 3D models of sedimentary structures from subsurface and analog surface data sets.
Predictive coherence
Authors: Karimi Parvaneh , Fomel Sergey , Wood Lesli , Dunlap Dallas
Published: July 2015

Detection and interpretation of fault systems and stratigraphic features and the relationship between them are crucial for seismic interpretation and reservoir characterization. To provide better interpretation insight and to be able to extract overlooked features out of seismic data volumes, we have developed a new attribute that detects faults and other discontinuities while handling local nonstationary variations across them. First, we used predictive painting to form a structural prediction of seismic events from neighboring traces (left and right neighboring traces in 2D and neighboring traces in all directions around a reference trace in 3D) according to the local structural slopes. Then, we computed prediction residuals by subtracting each prediction from the original data, and we found the smallest prediction-error interval for each point that best represented discontinuity information at that point. The extracted fault information changed with location (spatially and temporally), and it was nonstationary. Conventional coherence measures operate on a spatial window of neighboring traces and a temporal (vertical) analysis window of samples above and below the analysis point, and they can hardly cope with nonstationarity in fault information. In contrast, in our method, neither temporal nor spatial windows were involved in coherence computation, which allowed us to honor nonstationary changes of fault information and to achieve high resolution in the vertical and lateral directions. To assess the performance of the proposed attribute, we compared it with the conventional coherence attribute over the same data set. The comparison demonstrated the effectiveness of discontinuity detection using predictive coherence and showed its value in extracting additional information from seismic data.
PHENOstruct: Prediction of human phenotype ontology terms using heterogeneous data sources
Authors: Kahanda Indika , Funk Christopher , Verspoor Karin , Ben-Hur Asa
Published: July 2015

The human phenotype ontology (HPO) was recently developed as a standardized vocabulary for describing the phenotype abnormalities associated with human diseases. At present, only a small fraction of human protein coding genes have HPO annotations. But, researchers believe that a large portion of currently unannotated genes are related to disease phenotypes. Therefore, it is important to predict gene-HPO term associations using accurate computational methods. In this work we demonstrate the performance advantage of the structured SVM approach which was shown to be highly effective for Gene Ontology term prediction in comparison to several baseline methods. Furthermore, we highlight a collection of informative data sources suitable for the problem of predicting gene-HPO associations, including large scale literature mining data.
Interaction between drug Ukrain and Simvastatin in vitro studies
Authors: Izdebska Magdalena , Natorska-Chomicka Dorota , MagdJagiełło-Wójtowicz Ewa
Published: July 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between the drugs Ukrain and Simvastatin in vitro studies. The research was conducted on green monkey kidney cells (GMK). The experiment used the drug Ukrain (at concentrations of 50 μmol/l and 150 μmol/l), the drug Simvastatin (at concentrations of 100 μmol/l and 300 μmol/l), and the combination of these two drugs in the ratio of 1:1, 1:3 and 3:1. The cytotoxicity of both drugs were evaluated using a Cytotoxicity Detection Kit (LDH), while cell viability was determined using the MTT assay (based on the MTT assay protocol INVITTOX n° 17, ECVAM), after 6, 12 and 24 h incubation with the tested drugs. Cytotoxicity of drug Ukrain (50 μmol/l) and Simvastatin (100 μmol/l) alone was observed after 6 h incubation of GMK cells with both drugs., while, Ukrain in combination with Simvastatin (300 μmol/l) showed cytotoxicity only after 12 h of incubation. However, cytotoxicity of the drug Ukrain (150 μmol/l), together with Simvastatin (100 μmol/l) was observed after 6 and 12 h incubation with GMK cells. The greatest inhibition growth of green monkey kidney cells was noted after 24 h incubation with all concentrations of these drugs.
The influence of excipients on physicochemical properties of Miglyol 812 – based oleogels
Authors: Kodym Anna , Pałkowski Łukasz , Ronowicz Joanna , Zalewska Sylwia , Kubiak Bartłomiej
Published: July 2015

In this paper, we presented the technology of preparation, as well as quality evaluation methods of the lipophilic gel based on a medium chain triglyceride (MCT) – Miglyol 812. In so doing, glyceryl stearate and glyceryl dibehenate were used as the gelling agents. The compounded gels were analyzed in terms of organoleptic properties, microscopic analysis, and rheological properties (yield point, thixotropy, viscosity at shear rates 10, 100 and 1000 s-1). Following this, two model active substances: hydrocortisone (2%) as the lipophilic one, and oxytetracycline hydrochloride (0,5%) as the hydrophilic one, were incorporated into gels made of Miglyol 812 and 15% glyceryl stearate. After this, the influence of these active substances on the properties of gel was investigated. Moreover, a spectrophotometric method of content evaluation of these substances in a gel was established.
History of pharmacies, healthcare and famous physicians and pharmacists from Urzędów
Authors: Mroczek Magdalena , Wróbel Andrzej , Korzeniowska Małgorzata , Zagaja Anna
Published: July 2015

Urzędów once had a city charter drawn up by King Władysław Jagiełło in 1405. It lost this right in 1896. This town which lies on what used to be one of the more frequented trade routes in Poland, was a city of cultural life and an important centre of regional government. It is now is a sleepy suburb living in the shadow of nearby Kraśnik. Urzędów has given birth to many famous doctors and pharmacists. The villagers must be especially proud of “Marcin of Urzędów”, a graduate of Padua, Krakow, a lecturer, a doctor and the author of a treatise on pharmacology. Among the socially-aware members of the medical community, one can also list Józef Ściegienny, Alojzy Hevelke, Ludwik Laszky, Mirosław Borkiewicz and Ignacy Wośko. While they are more locally famous, they, none-the-less, contributed to the life and fame of this now sleepy town. The first mention of a pharmaceutical enterprise within Urzędów was in the nineteenth century. It was run by Wincenty Trzciński and was in business for two years. In 1893, Powizor of Pharmacy (Lublin) Andrzej Michalewski opened a pharmacy in a wooden building near the church. This was burnt down in 1915. The difficult times of this war coincided with Władysława Sawy being active in the pharmaceutical industry in the town. Władysława Sawy, a big-hearted man, was a true model of what a pharmacist can be. At this time, much hope was pinned upon the success of the first building raised solely as a Pharmacy. Built with public funds, it was privatized as Marcina z Urzędowa, and run by M. Pharm Henryk Dąbrowski. This man is a passionate historian of Urzędów and his interests, coupled with broad popular support in the town for raising awareness of its historical roots, aids anyone interested in the town and region of Urzędów.
Using Learning Strategies to Improve the Academic Performance of University Students on Academic Probation
Authors: Renzulli Sara J.
Published: July 2015

One half of all students who begin college fail to complete their degrees, resulting in wasted talents, time, and resources. Through use of mixed methods, but primarily qualitative, comparative case studies, this research reveals ways a 3-week course in study strategies improved the performance of students placed on academic probation. The participating students, from a large, public university, reported benefits from the study skills course and studied for twice as many hours after participating in the intervention. A case study of 1 participant illustrates the ways students learned to use varied and effective study strategies. The findings provide empirical support for the use of diverse advising strategies, including direct, specific study-skills instruction for students struggling academically upon matriculation.