bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corneal thickness mapping by 3D swept‐source anterior segment optical coherence tomography
Authors: Neri Alberto , Malori Marianna , Scaroni Patrizia , Leaci Rosachiara , Delfini Elisabetta , Macaluso Claudio
Published: June 2012

Purpose:  To assess accuracy and repeatability of central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements obtained by swept‐source anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS‐OCT), spectral‐domain retinal OCT with corneal module and ultrasound pachymetry (USP), and to assess repeatability of pachymetric mapping with AS‐OCT.

Methods:  50 healthy volunteers were recruited. A single, experienced operator analysed the right eye of each participant twice in the same session with AS‐OCT (‘corneal map’ routine), retinal OCT and USP. CCT measurements were compared using repeated‐measures analysis of variance, Bonferroni test, Pearson correlation and Bland‐Altman plots. Repeatability of thickness maps and CCT measurements were assessed using Alpha of Cronbach, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of repeatability.

Results:  Mean CCT ± SD was 540 ± 28.9 μm for AS‐OCT, 544 ± 29.5 μm for retinal OCT and 549.3 ± 31.7 μm for USP; the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.01). CCT measurements obtained with the three instruments were highly correlated: r was 0.965 for AS‐OCT/USP, 0.962 for retinal OCT/USP and 0.984 for AS‐OCT/retinal OCT comparison. The repeatability of CCT measurements was higher for AS‐OCT than for the other devices (p < 0.001). Repeatability of pachymetric maps was excellent (ICC = 0.999).

Conclusions:  Pachymetric maps by swept‐source AS‐OCT showed excellent repeatability. CCT measurements obtained by AS‐OCT, USP and retinal OCT were highly correlated although not identical.
Should Anthropology Be Part of Cognitive Science?
Authors: Beller Sieghard , Bender Andrea , Medin Douglas L.
Published: June 2012

Anthropology and the other cognitive science (CS) subdisciplines currently maintain a troubled relationship. With a debate in topiCS we aim at exploring the prospects for improving this relationship, and our introduction is intended as a catalyst for this debate. In order to encourage a frank sharing of perspectives, our comments will be deliberately provocative. Several challenges for a successful rapprochement are identified, encompassing the diverging paths that CS and anthropology have taken in the past, the degree of compatibility between (1) CS and (2) anthropology with regard to methodology and (3) research strategies, (4) the importance of anthropology for CS, and (5) the need for disciplinary diversity. Given this set of challenges, a reconciliation seems unlikely to follow on the heels of good intentions alone.
Cultural Models, Consensus Analysis, and the Social Organization of Knowledge
Authors: Gatewood John B.
Published: June 2012

The introductory essay to this collection correctly observes that there are many “challenges for rapprochement” between anthropology and (the rest of) cognitive science. Still, the possibilities of fruitful interchanges provide some hope for the parties getting back together, at least on an intermittent basis. This response offers some views concerning the “incompatibility” of psychology and anthropology, reviews why cognitive anthropology drifted away from cognitive science, and notes two areas of contemporary interest within cognitive anthropology that may lead to a re‐engagement.
Cognitive Anthropologists: Who Needs Them?
Authors: Rothe Annelie
Published: June 2012

During the last decades, the cognitive sciences and cognitive anthropology have increasingly veered away from each other. Cognitive anthropologists have become so rare within the cognitive sciences that Beller, Bender, and Medin (this issue) even propose a division of the cognitive sciences and cognitive anthropology. However, such a divorce might be premature. This commentary tries to illustrate the benefits that cognitive anthropologists have to offer, not despite, but because of their combination of humanistic and scientific elements. It argues that the cognitive sciences (among others) profit from these benefits, as culture will become crucial for cognitive research. At the same time, problems within cognitive anthropology are discussed, including, for example, the responsibility of cognitive anthropologists to promote young academics. Finally, ideas are presented that might support future interdisciplinary collaboration.
Anthropology’s Disenchantment With the Cognitive Revolution1
Authors: Shweder Richard A.
Published: June 2012

Beller, Bender, and Medin should be congratulated for their generous attempt at expressive academic therapy for troubled interdisciplinary relationships. In this essay, I suggest that a negative answer to the central question (“Should anthropology be part of cognitive science?”) is not necessarily distressing, that in retrospect the breakup seems fairly predictable, and that disenchantment with the cognitive revolution is nothing new.
To Naturalize or Not to Naturalize? An Issue for Cognitive Science as Well as Anthropology
Authors: Stenning Keith
Published: June 2012

Several of Beller, Bender, and Medin’s (2012) issues are as relevant within cognitive science as between it and anthropology. Knowledge‐rich human mental processes impose hermeneutic tasks, both on subjects and researchers. Psychology's current philosophy of science is ill suited to analyzing these: Its demand for ‘‘stimulus control’’ needs to give way to ‘‘negotiation of mutual interpretation.’’ Cognitive science has ways to address these issues, as does anthropology. An example from my own work is about how defeasible logics are mathematical models of some aspects of simple hermeneutic processes. They explain processing relative to databases of knowledge and belief—that is, content. A specific example is syllogistic reasoning, which raises issues of experimenters’ interpretations of subjects’ reasoning. Science, especially since the advent of understandings of computation, does not have to be reductive. How does this approach transfer onto anthropological topics? Recent cognitive science approaches to anthropological topics have taken a reductive stance in terms of modules. We end with some speculations about a different cognitive approach to, for example, religion.
Integrating Two Epistemological Goals: Why Shouldn’t We Give It Another Chance?
Authors: Kitayama Shinobu
Published: June 2012

As Beller, Bender, and Medin (in press) pointed out in their target article, in the contemporary study of culture in psychology, anthropology is virtually invisible. In this commentary, I traced this invisibility to a root conflict in epistemological goals of the two disciplines: Whereas anthropologists value rich description of specific cultures, psychologists aspire to achieve theoretical simplicity. To anthropologists, then, to understand culture is to articulate symbolic systems that are at work in a given location at a given time. In contrast, to psychologists, to understand culture amounts to identifying socio‐cultural variables that moderate psychological effects. These divergent epistemological goals dictate both theoretical perspectives and empirical approaches in both disciplines. Yet, the two goals are both valid and in fact complementary. A renewed effort toward integration of the two goals may enrich both disciplines.
Crop‐based biofuels and associated environmental concerns
Authors: Smith Keith A. , Searchinger Timothy D.
Published: June 2012

Current Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) models indicate that crop‐based biofuels generate greenhouse gas savings, compared with fossil fuels. We argue that they do so only because they ignore the emissions of CO2 from vehicles burning the biofuels without determining if the biomass is “additional,” and because they underestimate the ultimate emissions of N2O from nitrogen fertiliser use. Taking proper account of these factors would result in very different findings. It would be far better to derive biofuels from biomass, from waste feedstocks or high‐yielding bioenergy crops with low nitrogen demand, grown on currently unproductive land.
Inflammatory and bone regulators expression in murine macrophages under exposure of commercial and experimental mineral trioxide aggregate
Authors: Pereda G Obando , Fudinaga AC Cornejo , Beltrán H Salas , Peroni LA , Stach‐Machado D
Published: June 2012

Background:  Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has been used in a variety of surgical and non‐surgical endodontic applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the gene expression and protein production of TNF‐α, IL‐1β and IL‐6, as well as the gene expression of RANKL and OPG using both commercial and experimental MTA in macrophage cell cultures.

Methods:  Peritoneal macrophage cell culture was performed. Viability, gene expression of cytokines, RANKL and OPG, and protein levels in experimental‐ and commercial‐grey MTA co‐cultured with peritoneal macrophages was determined by tryptan blue, real time PCR and ELISA.

Results:  The expression of TNF‐α for both commercial and experimental MTA was higher, while the expression of IL‐1β and IL‐6 was similar when compared to the negative control. At protein expression level, no differences were observed between the negative control and cements. RANKL did not show a significant improvement in gene expression when compared with the negative control, but OPG expression in cement samples was higher when compared to the negative control.

Conclusions:  This study suggests that commercial and experimental MTA promotes anti‐inflammatory processes, as well as bone healing capacity.
Understanding Why and How Some Chartered Accountants Object to the Proposed Merger of the Three Accounting Professions in Canada
Authors: Guo Ken H.
Published: June 2012

This study examines the objections of some chartered accountants (CAs) to the recently proposed merger of the three accounting professions in Canada. An exploratory content analysis was conducted to investigate CAs' discussions on the online forum set up by the three accounting bodies. The results suggest that CAs viewed themselves narrowly as: (1) someone who passed the Uniform Evaluation (UFE), (2) much different from or superior to certified management accountants (CMAs) and certified general accountants (CGAs), and (3) validated by third parties (such as international counterparts) and external factors (such as job market opportunities). As a result, the proposed merger was seen as a threat to their professional identities. CAs also perceived unfairness of the merger process and the leadership of their institute. These factors together were found to have influenced CAs' objections, which were manifested in multiple levels of resistant behavior toward different targets. Implications for practice are also discussed.
Unresolved Issues about the Proposed CPA Certification Program
Authors: Ryan Jo‐Anne , Lento Camillo , Sayed Naqi
Published: June 2012

This article identifies some unresolved issues about the proposed CPA certification program, and the implications thereof. Accountants seeking professional certification in Canada currently have three educational routes: the Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation, the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation, or the Chartered Accountant (CA) designation. These programs offer aspiring professional accountants diversity and flexibility in selecting a program that meets their individual career and life situations. The potential merger of the CGA, CMA and CA professional bodies into a newly formed Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) will likely result in significant changes to the certification process for becoming a professional accountant in Canada. The three professional bodies have released a document outlining the proposed Canadian CPA certification program that would serve the unified profession and other stakeholders. If the proposed merger proceeds as planned, the CA, CGA, and CMA certification programs will be replaced by the CPA certification program. This article examines select features of the new proposed CPA program and highlights some issues that may be of concern to the public, students, academia and employers.
Reduced clearance of ε-acetamidocaproic acid in rats with acute renal failure induced by uranyl nitrate
Authors: Han Seung Yon , Yang Si Hyung , Yoon Insoo , Lee Myung Gull , Choi Young Hee
Published: June 2012

Objectives

Anti-ulcer drugs are frequently used in patients with acute renal failure (ARF). Zinc acexamate is ionized to zinc and ε-acetamidocaproic acid and free EACA exerts a potent therapeutic effect in treating gastric or duodenal ulcers with few side effects. Thus, pharmacokinetic changes in rats with acute renal failure induced by uranyl nitrate (U-ARF rats) were investigated in this study.

Methods

The in-vivo pharmacokinetics and in-vitro hepatic/intestinal metabolism of EACA were assessed using control and U-ARF rats. The mechanism of urinary excretion of EACA was further investigated in rats.

Key findings

After intravenous and oral administration of zinc acexamate to U-ARF rats, there were significant increases in the values of the area under the curve (AUC) and decreases in the values for time-averaged renal and nonrenal clearances (Clr and Clnr, respectively) compared with control rats. Slower Clnr was partly due to a decrease in the metabolism in liver and/or intestine. Slower Clr could have been due to urine flow rate-dependent timed-interval renal clearance, decrease in organic anion transporter-mediated renal excretion (drug interaction with probenecid and decrease in the relative contribution of net secretion compared with glomerular filtration in U-ARF rats) and/or impaired kidney function.

Conclusions

The pharmacokinetics were significantly altered in U-ARF rats due to the changes in both the hepatic/intestinal metabolism and urinary excretion.
Coupled Effects of Surface-Radiation and Buoyancy on Jet-Impingement Heat Transfer
Authors: Abishek S. , Narayanaswamy R.
Published: June 2012

This paper delineates the results of an investigation on the combined effects of buoyancy and surface-radiation on heat transfer from an isothermal surface, subjected to a confined submerged impinging air-jet issuing from a slot-nozzle. The nondimensionalized governing equations are solved using the stream function-vorticity approach and an upwind finite-difference technique, employing the radiosity-irradiation formulation for surface-radiation. The effects of jet Reynolds number, dimensionless nozzle-to-heater distance, radiation-flow interaction parameter, Richardson number, and surface-emissivity, on the convective, radiative, and total Nusselt numbers, are analyzed for 100 ≤ Red ≤ 900, 1 ≤ H ≤ 8, 0.1 ≤ NRF,d ≤ 2, 0.01 ≤ Rid ≤ 10, and 0.05 ≤ ɛ ≤ 0.85. It was found that the radiation-flow interaction parameter was most influential in affecting the radiative Nusselt number and, hence, the total heat transfer from the impingement surface. In contrast to a substantial enhancement in the net radiative component of the overall heat transfer in both the stagnation region and the regions downstream for an increase in ɛ over the range considered, the convective counterpart was found to be suppressed. The effect of increase in Rid on the heat transfer in the stagnation region was found to be negligible; however, an adverse effect on the net radiation from the heater was observed. Increase in NRF,d resulted in an increase in contribution of radiation to the total heat transfer by about 25% in the stagnation region, while over 40% in the wall-jet region for low values of H, and to about 15% in the stagnation region to over 50% in the wall-jet region for relatively larger values of H. With increase in H, both convective and radiative Nusselt numbers decreased over most of the upstream regions of the heater, while the magnitude of local radiative Nusselt numbers increased over the regions closer to the outlet. For sufficiently large values of jet Reynolds number or large values of dimensionless nozzle-to-heater distance, a small recirculation region was found to occur over the heater at a certain distance downstream of the stagnation point, where distribution of the contribution of radiation to the overall heat transfer from the heater results in a local maxima reaching about 60–80% for specific combinations of controlling parameters.
Adapting ADA Architectural Design Knowledge for Universal Product Design Using Association Rule Mining: A Function Based Approach
Authors: Sangelkar Shraddha , McAdams Daniel A.
Published: June 2012

This paper focuses on creating guidelines for the design of products for persons with disabilities that are applicable during early stages of design. The research uses the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) to formally describe user activity, the Functional Basis to describe product function, and the actionfunction diagram as a framework to create a detailed understanding of the interaction between a user and a product. The main objective of this paper is to explore the transferability of the knowledge contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to universal product design. The design information contained in the ADA guidelines is abstracted using a function based approach; association rules are mined from this design information. The association rules obtained are statistically significant guidelines for universal design (UD). The existing examples of universal design are compared to their typical version to observe the design elements that improve the accessibility of a product. Association rules are also mined from the existing examples of universal design using the same methodology. Further, the applicability of ADA guidelines to universal product design is investigated based on the commonality between the association rules obtained from both the datasets. The results show that rules can be translated to a product having a degree of similarity based on the size and space relationship between the user and product without direct translation from an ADA based design guideline to a product design guideline.
Design of Honeycomb Mesostructures for Crushing Energy Absorption
Authors: Schultz Jesse , Griese David , Ju Jaehyung , Shankar Prabhu , Summers Joshua D. , Thompson Lonny
Published: June 2012

This paper presents the energy absorption properties of hexagonal honeycomb structures of varying cellular geometries under high speed in-plane crushing. While the crushing responses in terms of energy absorption and densification strains have been extensively researched and reported, a gap is identified in the generalization of honeycombs with contr’olled and varying geometric parameters. This paper addresses this gap through a series of finite element (FE) simulations where the cell angle and the inclined wall thickness, are varied while maintaining a constant mass of the honeycomb structure. A randomly filled, nonrepeating design of experiments (DOEs) is generated to determine the effects of these geometric parameters on the output of energy absorbed and a statistical sensitivity analysis is used to determine the parameters significant for the crushing energy absorption of honeycombs. It is found that while an increase in the inclined wall thickness enhances the energy absorption of the structure, increases in either the cell angle or ratio of cell angle to inclined wall thickness have adverse effects on the output. Finally, the optimization results suggest that a cellular geometry with a positive cell angle and a high inclined wall thickness provides for maximum energy absorption, which is verified with a 6% error when compared to a FE simulation.
Kinematic Analysis of the (nS)-2SPU Underactuated Parallel Wrist
Authors: Di Gregorio Raffaele
Published: June 2012

The majority of the manipulation tasks require the motion of the end-effector from an initial pose to a final one without any particular condition on the path. Thus, the reduction of the practicable paths between any two poses is a possible choice, exploitable at the design stage, for simplifying the manipulator hardware. This choice is adopted in underactuated manipulators. The (nS)-2SPU wrist is one out of the underactuated parallel wrists this author proposed in a previous paper. Here, the kinematic analysis of this wrist is studied: both its finite and its elementary kinematics are considered. It is shown that its control algorithms can be written by using simple closed-form formulas, which can take advantage from the wide literature on the spherical four-bar linkages. Moreover, the demonstration that its singular configurations can be avoided more easily than the ones of the fully parallel wrist is provided.
MMS19 Links Cytoplasmic Iron-Sulfur Cluster Assembly to DNA Metabolism
Authors: Gari Kerstin , León Ortiz Ana María , Borel Valérie , Flynn Helen , Skehel J. Mark , Boulton Simon J.
Published: June 2012

MMS19 Joins the CIA

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) proteins play a critical role in cell metabolism and particularly in DNA repair and replication. Mutants in eukaryotic gene
MMS19
are particularly sensitive to DNA damaging agents, suggesting that it is involved in DNA repair, but the mutations can also have other wide-ranging effects on the cell (see the Perspective by

Gottschling

). Now,

Stehling
et al.

(p.
195
, published online 7 June) and

Gari
et al.

(p.
243
, published online 7 June) show that in both yeast and humans, MMS19 functions as part of the cytosolic Fe-S protein assembly (CIA) machinery. The MMS19 is part of a specialized CIA targeting complex that plays a role late in cytosolic Fe-S protein assembly to direct Fe-S cluster transfer from the CIA scaffold complex to a subset of Fe-S proteins, including a number associated with DNA metabolism.
dSarm/Sarm1 Is Required for Activation of an Injury-Induced Axon Death Pathway
Authors: Osterloh Jeannette M. , Yang Jing , Rooney Timothy M. , Fox A. Nicole , Adalbert Robert , Powell Eric H. , Sheehan Amy E. , Avery Michelle A. , Hackett Rachel , Logan Mary A. , MacDonald Jennifer M. , Ziegenfuss Jennifer S. , Milde Stefan , Hou Ying-Ju , Nathan Carl , Ding Aihao , Brown Robert H. , Conforti Laura , Coleman Michael , Tessier-Lavigne Marc , Züchner Stephan , Freeman Marc R.
Published: June 2012

Sarm-Assisted Suicide

Neurodegenerative disease or nerve lesions cause axons and synapses to disintegrate through a process known as Wallerian degeneration, which may involve an active “axon death program.”

Osterloh
et al.

(p.
481
, published online 7 June; see the Perspective by

Yu and Luo

) identify loss-of-function mutations in
Drosophila
dSarm that are capable of blocking the degeneration of severed axons for the fly life span. Deletion of mouse Sarm1 provides similar protection to severed axons for weeks after injury, which suggests that Sarm is part of an ancient axonal death signaling cascade.
FatalEnterococcus duransaortic valve endocarditis: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Vijayakrishnan Rajakrishnan , Rapose Alwyn
Published: June 2012

Most enterococcal endocarditis is caused byEnterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. Enterococcus duransis a rare member of non-faecalis, non-faecium enterococcal species and is found in the intestines of animals.E duransendocarditis is a very rare infection—only two cases of endocarditis in humans have been reported in the literature—and usually associated with good outcomes when treated with appropriate antibiotics. We report the first case of fatalE duransendocarditis. This patient had end-stage liver disease with associated compromised immune status that likely contributed to the progression of disease in spite of appropriate antibiotic coverage and clearance of bacteraemia.
‘Forced normalisation’ in the neurosurgical era
Authors: Shahani Lokesh
Published: June 2012

The correlation between epilepsy and behavioural disorders is well known. Forced normalisation is a phenomenon where there is worsening of the patient's behavioural disorder when a better seizure control has been obtained. A complication of anti-epileptic treatment worsening the behavioural disorder is sometimes the proposed mechanism. The author presents the report of a young man with temporal lobe epilepsy and poor seizure control in the past 12 years. The patient had comorbid impulse control disorder previously well controlled with medications. MRI demonstrated left mesial temporal sclerosis and intracranial EEG recording located seizure foci in the left medial temporal lobe. The patient underwent left temporal lobectomy for seizure control with partial success. However, after operation, the patient's impulse control disorder worsened and he was involved in physical altercations leading to incarceration. This illustrates a case where partial seizure control was obtained with a surgical procedure, but resulted in worsening of the patient's behavioural disorder.
Interventricular low-grade oligodendroglioma with multiple parenchymal relapse
Authors: Akhavan Ali , Binesh Fariba , Rakhsha Afshin , Navabii Hossein
Published: June 2012

Oligodendrogliomas can be found anywhere oligodendrocytes exist; however, they mostly occur in frontal lobes. Although intra- and extra central nervous system dissemination of anaplastic oligodendroglioma is a well-known property of this tumour, low-grade oligodendroglioma with intracranial relapse is a very uncommon finding. In this case report, a 37-year-old man with grade II oligodendroglioma relapsed after 18 months with multiple parenchymal masses is presented.
Fluoroscopic exposure during percutaneous balloon compression of the Gasserian ganglion
Authors: Fransen Patrick
Published: June 2012

Aim

This prospective case–control study documents the level of radiation expected during percutaneous balloon compression of the Gasserian ganglion.

Methods

Percutaneous balloon compression of the Gasserian ganglion is a minimally invasive treatment for trigeminal neuralgia resistant to medical treatment and an alternative to microvascular decompression. This operation requires the use of fluoroscopy to navigate the needle through the foramen ovale and to monitor balloon inflation and deflation. However, the level of radiation exposure for this technique has never been reported. Exposure data (fluoroscopy time in seconds and radiation dose in mGycm2) were collected during 17 procedures on 14 patients using the dose report provided by the digital interface of the fluoroscope.

Results

The mean fluoroscopy time per patient was 62 s, ranging from 102.9 s to 44.9 s, and the mean radiation dose per patient was 1137.18 mGycm2, ranging from 1738 mGycm2to 639.5 mGycm2.

Conclusion

This quantification of the dose and duration of radiation during percutaneous compression of the trigeminal ganglion shows that the amount of radiation required to perform this operation is significant and makes lead-coated protection clothing and careful use of the fluoroscope mandatory.
Risk factors for syphilis infection in men who have sex with men: results of a case–control study in Lille, France
Authors: Champenois Karen , Cousien Anthony , Ndiaye Bakhao , Soukouna Yougoudou , Baclet Véronique , Alcaraz Isabelle , Choisy Philippe , Chaud Pascal , Velter Annie , Gallay Anne , Yazdanpanah Yazdan
Published: June 2012

Background

Substantial increases in syphilis have been reported since the early 2000s in northern countries, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). The authors aimed to identify risk factors for early syphilis in MSM in Lille, a large urban area of northern France.

Methods

A matched case–control study was conducted in MSM aged ≥18 years. Cases were diagnosed with primary, secondary or early latent syphilis between April 2008 and June 2010. Controls sought care in STIs clinics or were followed in an HIV clinic. Controls had no history of and no current syphilis. They were matched to cases for age and HIV status. Multivariate conditional logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for early syphilis.

Results

53 patients with early syphilis were enrolled. Average age was 37 years, and 47% were HIV-infected. For analysis, they were matched to 90 controls. Factors associated with syphilis were: low educational attainment (OR=5.38, 95% CI 1.94 to 14.94; p=0.001), receptive oral sex with casual male partners without a condom (OR=4.86, 95% CI 1.63 to 14.48; p=0.005) and anal sex toy use with casual male partners (OR=2.72, 95% CI 1.01 to 7.32; p=0.05). Seeking of sex partners online (OR=5.17, 95% CI 1.33 to 20.11), use of poppers (OR=2.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.3) and erectile dysfunction drugs (OR=1.9, 95% CI 1.0 to 13.2) were associated with syphilis only in the univariate analysis.

Conclusions

Receptive oral sex without a condom and use of anal sex toys were identified as presenting a major risk of syphilis infection. Although these practices have been shown to present low risk of HIV transmission, the general public is unaware of their impact on transmission of other STIs.
Double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled study to evaluate an antipruritic shampoo for dogs with allergic pruritus
Authors: Schilling J. , Mueller R. S.
Published: June 2012

Shampoo therapy is frequently used on pruritic dogs. However, there are few double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled studies of this form of therapy. This randomised, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled study evaluated the efficacy of a commercial medicated shampoo (DermaTopic; Almapharm) containing chlorhexidine, lactoferrin, piroctone olamine, chitosan and essential fatty acids in 27 dogs with mild to moderate allergic pruritus without secondary skin infections. All dogs received shampoo therapy with either DermaTopic or a shampoo vehicle as placebo twice weekly for four weeks. The extent of pruritus was evaluated before the study and then on a daily basis by the owners using a visual analogue scale. Before beginning the treatment and after four weeks, the skin lesions were evaluated by an experienced clinician with a validated lesion score (Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index – CADESI). The pruritus was reduced significantly by both DermaTopic and placebo. However, there was no significant difference between both groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the CADESI scores pre‐ and post‐treatment in either group or between the two types of treatment. This study provides further evidence of the benefit of shampoo therapy for pruritic dogs.
Comparison of two shampoos as sole treatment for canine bacterial overgrowth syndrome
Authors: Viaud S. , Maynard L. , Sanquer A.
Published: June 2012

Two antibacterial shampoos for the treatment of canine bacterial overgrowth syndrome (BOGS) were compared in a prospective controlled clinical trial. Forty dogs with clinical signs (pruritus, erythema and excoriations without pustules and/or collarettes) and cytological findings compatible with bacterial overgrowth were treated twice weekly with 3 per cent chlorhexidine shampoo (3 per cent CHX) or 2.5 per cent benzoyl peroxide shampoo (2.5 per cent BPO) and evaluated every two weeks for up to six weeks until cytological cure. Pruritus, erythema, greasy seborrhoea, malodour, excoriations, secondary hair loss, lichenification, hyperpigmentation and lesion extent were each scored on a 0 to 3 severity scale and combined to calculate an aggregate score. Among the 34 dogs with good compliance to treatment, reduction of cocci counts of at least 90 per cent was recorded in 11 of 18 dogs after 3 per cent CHX and nine of 16 dogs after 2.5 per cent BPO, with no significant difference between the two products (P = 0.98). Lesion score was significantly reduced in both groups (63.48 (34.45)) per cent with 3 per cent CHX v 54.45 (33.61) per cent with 2.5 per cent BPO, P = 0.36) and time to cytological cure was not significantly different between groups (P = 0.13), at the end of the treatment. In the present study, 3 per cent CHX and 2.5 per cent BPO were similarly effective in the treatment of canine BOGS.
FROM SENSORS TO SPIKES: EVOLVING RECEPTIVE FIELDS TO ENHANCE SENSORIMOTOR INFORMATION IN A ROBOT-ARM
Authors: LUQUE NICETO R. , GARRIDO JESÚS A. , RALLI JARNO , LAREDO JUANLU J. , ROS EDUARDO
Published: June 2012

In biological systems, instead of actual encoders at different joints, proprioception signals are acquired through distributed receptive fields. In robotics, a single and accurate sensor output per link (encoder) is commonly used to track the position and the velocity. Interfacing bio-inspired control systems with spiking neural networks emulating the cerebellum with conventional robots is not a straight forward task. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt this one-dimensional measure (encoder output) into a multidimensional space (inputs for a spiking neural network) to connect, for instance, the spiking cerebellar architecture; i.e. a translation from an analog space into a distributed population coding in terms of spikes. This paper analyzes how evolved receptive fields (optimized towards information transmission) can efficiently generate a sensorimotor representation that facilitates its discrimination from other "sensorimotor states". This can be seen as an abstraction of the Cuneate Nucleus (CN) functionality in a robot-arm scenario. We model the CN as a spiking neuron population coding in time according to the response of mechanoreceptors during a multi-joint movement in a robot joint space. An encoding scheme that takes into account the relative spiking time of the signals propagating from peripheral nerve fibers to second-order somatosensory neurons is proposed. Due to the enormous number of possible encodings, we have applied an evolutionary algorithm to evolve the sensory receptive field representation from random to optimized encoding. Following the nature-inspired analogy, evolved configurations have shown to outperform simple hand-tuned configurations and other homogenized configurations based on the solution provided by the optimization engine (evolutionary algorithm). We have used artificial evolutionary engines as the optimization tool to circumvent nonlinearity responses in receptive fields.
PRESYNAPTIC LEARNING AND MEMORY WITH A PERSISTENT FIRING NEURON AND A HABITUATING SYNAPSE: A MODEL OF SHORT TERM PERSISTENT HABITUATION
Authors: RAMANATHAN KIRUTHIKA , NING NING , DHANASEKAR DHIVIYA , LI GUOQI , SHI LUPING , VADAKKEPAT PRAHLAD
Published: June 2012

Our paper explores the interaction of persistent firing axonal and presynaptic processes in the generation of short term memory for habituation. We first propose a model of a sensory neuron whose axon is able to switch between passive conduction and persistent firing states, thereby triggering short term retention to the stimulus. Then we propose a model of a habituating synapse and explore all nine of the behavioral characteristics of short term habituation in a two neuron circuit. We couple the persistent firing neuron to the habituation synapse and investigate the behavior of short term retention of habituating response. Simulations show that, depending on the amount of synaptic resources, persistent firing either results in continued habituation or maintains the response, both leading to longer recovery times. The effectiveness of the model as an element in a bio-inspired memory system is discussed.
PERIODIC BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEM FOR FRACTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION
Authors: HU ZHIGANG , LIU WENBIN , RUI WENJUAN
Published: June 2012

In this paper, by using the coincidence degree theory, we consider periodic boundary value problem for fractional differential equation. A new result on the existence of solutions for above fractional boundary value problem is obtained.
In vitro phototoxicity and dark-toxicity of a novel synthesized pyropheophorbide-a-paclitaxel conjugate against cancer cell lines
Authors: Battogtokh Gantumur , Liu Hai-Bo , Bae Su-Mi , Chaturvedi Pankaj K. , Kim Yong-Wan , Kim In-Wook , Ahn Woong Shick
Published: June 2012

Synthesis of pyropheophorbide-a-paclitaxel (PPa-PTX) conjugate was performed in high yield with the aim of searching for an optimal agent for cancer treatment. After synthesis, the conjugate was confirmed to be linked through an ester bond at the 2′ position of the paclitaxel moiety using multi-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Phototoxicity of PPa and PPa-PTX conjugate, as well as PTX, was evaluated with three human cancer cell lines (HeLa, CaSki and TC-1). The new conjugate at 0.01–0.06 μM displayed 20–40% higher phototoxicity in HeLa and CaSki cell lines than free PPa and PTX. Furthermore, cellular uptake of these bio-molecules was examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Although PPa-PTX showed a delayed uptake compared to PPa, it penetrated completely into cells within 24 h incubation.
NON-COMMUTATIVE p-ADIC L-FUNCTIONS FOR SUPERSINGULAR PRIMES
Authors: LEI ANTONIO
Published: June 2012

Let E/ℚ be an elliptic curve with good supersingular reduction at p with ap(E) = 0. We give a conjecture on the existence of analytic plus and minus p-adic L-functions of E over the ℤp-cyclotomic extension of a finite Galois extension of ℚ where p is unramified. Under some technical conditions, we adopt the method of Bouganis and Venjakob for p-ordinary CM elliptic curves to construct such functions for a particular non-abelian extension.
ON THE ANALYTIC CONTINUATION AND NON-VANISHING OF L-FUNCTIONS
Authors: MUIĆ GORAN
Published: June 2012

Let Γ be a Fuchsian group of the first kind which has a (regular) cusp at ∞ such as Γ0(N). In this paper we use Kohnen's kernel function for Γ to analytically continue L(s, f) to the region Re (s) > m/2, where f is a cuspidal modular form of weight m ≥ 5 attached to Γ. We study non-vanishing of L(s, f) using our integral non-vanishing criterion.
NEW CONGRUENCES FOR SUMS INVOLVING APÉRY NUMBERS OR CENTRAL DELANNOY NUMBERS
Authors: GUO VICTOR J. W. , ZENG JIANG
Published: June 2012

The Apéry numbers An and central Delannoy numbers Dn are defined by [Formula: see text] Motivated by some recent work of Z.-W. Sun, we prove the following congruences: [Formula: see text] where n ≥ 1, r ≥ 0, and ε = ± 1. For r = 1, we further show that [Formula: see text] where p > 3 is a prime. The following congruence [Formula: see text] plays an important role in our proof.
RECOGNIZING THE PRIMES USING PERMUTATIONS
Authors: AYAD MOHAMED , KIHEL OMAR
Published: June 2012

Let n ≥ 3 be an integer. For any permutation σ of A = {0, 1, …, n-1}, set [Formula: see text]. It is proved that n is prime if and only if 〈σ, n〉 ≡ 0 (mod n) for any σ. When n is composite, we show that there exist cycles of any length satisfying this congruence. We show as well that the analog statement is true for cycles of length at least 2 not satisfying the congruence.
RAMANUJAN SUMS AND THE BURGESS ZETA FUNCTION
Authors: ALKAN EMRE
Published: June 2012

The Mellin transform of a summatory function involving weighted averages of Ramanujan sums is obtained in terms of Bernoulli numbers and values of the Burgess zeta function. The possible singularity of the Burgess zeta function at s = 1 is then shown to be equivalent to the evaluation of a certain infinite series involving such weighted averages. Bounds on the size of the tail of these series are given and specific bounds are shown to be equivalent to the Riemann hypothesis.
QUANTITATIVE FRET MEASUREMENT BASED ON CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY IMAGING AND PARTIAL ACCEPTOR PHOTOBLEACHING
Authors: WANG XIAO-PING , YU HUAI-NA , CHEN TONG-SHENG
Published: June 2012

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology had been widely used to study protein–protein interactions in living cells. In this study, we developed a ROI-PbFRET method to real-time quantitate the FRET efficiency of FRET construct in living cells by combining the region of interest (ROI) function of confocal microscope and partial acceptor photobleaching. We validated the ROI-PbFRET method using GFPs-based FRET constructs including 18AA and SCAT3, and used it to quantitatively monitor the dynamics of caspase-3 activation in single live cells stably expressing SCAT3 during staurosporine (STS)-induced apoptosis. Our results for the first demonstrate that ROI-PbFRET method is a powerful potential tool for detecting the dynamics of molecular interactions in live cells.
LARGE PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT IN LOW-TEMPERATURE-SINTERED LEAD-FREE (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 THICK FILMS
Authors: FENG ZUYONG , SHI DONGQI , DOU SHIXUE , HU YIHUA , TANG XINGUI
Published: June 2012

High-quality piezoelectric ( Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15)( Zr 0.1 Ti 0.9) O 3 thick films with dense and homogenous microstructures were fabricated at a low sintering temperature (900°C) using a CuBi 2 O 4 sintering aid. The 10 μm thick film exhibited a high longitudinal piezoelectric constant d33, eff of 210 pC/N with estimated unconstrained d33 value of 560 pC/N very close to that in the corresponding bulks. Such excellent piezoelectric effect in the low-temperature sintered ( Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15)( Zr 0.1 Ti 0.9) O 3 thick films is comparable to the case of lead-based PZT thick films, and may be a promising application in lead-free microdevices such as piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
SIMULATION-BASED DESIGN METHOD FOR ROOM AIR CONDITIONER WITH SMALLER DIAMETER COPPER TUBES
Authors: DING GUOLIANG , REN TAO , ZHENG YONGXIN , GAO YIFENG , SONG JI
Published: June 2012

Promoting the use of smaller diameter tube in room air conditioner is beneficial to reduce copper consumption and refrigerant charge, but may cause reduction of air conditioner performance, so a design method is needed. This paper presents a simulation-based design method for air conditioner with smaller diameter tube. The new method combines heat exchanger simulator and knowledge-based evolution method optimizer for designing air conditioner heat exchanger with smaller diameter tube. The simulation-based design method is illustrated in detail by an air conditioner of replacing 7 mm tube indoor unit heat exchanger and 9.52 mm tube outdoor unit heat exchanger with 5 mm tube. Case study shows that the cost of the designed air conditioner with 5 mm copper tube is 17.3% lower than that of the original one while the performance deviation between these two air conditioners is less than 0.7%.
Study on Preparation of High-k Organic–Inorganic Thin Film for Organic–Inorganic Thin Film Transistor Gate Dielectric Application
Authors: Lee Wen-Hsi , Liu Chao-Te , Lee Ying-Chieh
Published: June 2012

A simple solution-based deposition technique combined with spin-coating is a plausible way to prepare ultra-thin organic–inorganic nanocomposite films. In this study, we describe the spin-coating deposition of a colloidal nanoparticle suspension to obtain an ultra-thin organic–inorganic composite film as a gate insulator for organic thin film transistor (O-TFT) application. To obtain a homogenous organic–inorganic composite film, well-dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles in γ-butyrolactone and polyimide are important; therefore, several dispersants were assessed on the basis of the measurement of the rheological behavior of slurries. The thickness of the organic–inorganic composite film is mainly determined by the speed of spin-coating and viscosity of slurries. An approximately 4000-Å-thick nanocomposite film with homogeneous distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles in polyimide and low roughness was obtained after curing at 200 °C, resulting in a low leakage current density of the nano-composite film, when less than 2 vol % TiO2 nanoparticles were well dispersed in polyimide slurry. The dielectric constant of the organic–inorganic nanocomposite increases with increasing TiO2 content in polyimide, being situated in the range between 4 and 5.
Site-Selective Self-Assembly of Fullerene Nanoparticles on Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Thin Film from Water Suspension
Authors: Yang Tianyu , Zhang Shuai , Komura Motonori , Iyoda Tomokazu , Nagai Keiji
Published: June 2012

We present a simple and versatile approach to selectively deposit fullerene nanoparticles on a nano scale ordered self-assembled thin film of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polymethacrylate with azobenzene mesogen [PEO-b-PMA(Az)]. Fullerene nanoparticles were fabricated by the reprecipitation method, and the surface morphology of the block copolymer film deposited with C60nanoparticles was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The fabricated ordered C60nanoparticles may lead to a promising route for fabricating electronic or photocatalytic devices.
Selective-Area Growth of Thick Diamond Films Using Chemically Stable Masks of Ru/Au and Mo/Au
Authors: Nagase Masanori , Watanabe Katsumi , Umezawa Hitoshi , Shikata Shinichi
Published: June 2012

Selective-area growth of diamond films in microwave-plasma chemical vapor deposition was performed using newly developed masks. By forming chemically stable masks made of Ru/Au or Mo/Au, which have high melting points, good adhesion to diamond, and difficulty in forming carbide compounds, patterned diamond films with a large thickness of 50 µm, a large area of 5 mm2, and a high orientation in the [001] direction were successfully grown on (001) diamond substrates without degradation of the crystal quality of masked areas.
MyD88 signaling promotes both mucosal homeostatic and fibrotic responses during Salmonella-induced colitis
Authors: Månsson Lisa E. , Montero Marinieve , Zarepour Maryam , Bergstrom Kirk S. , Ma Caixia , Huang Tina , Man Carllin , Grassl Guntram A. , Vallance Bruce A.
Published: June 2012

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a clinically important gram-negative, enteric bacterial pathogen that activates several Toll-like receptors (TLRs). While TLR signaling through the adaptor protein MyD88 has been shown to promote inflammation and host defense against the systemic spread of S. Typhimurium, curiously, its role in the host response against S. Typhimurium within the mammalian gastrointestinal (GI) tract is less clear. We therefore used the recently described Salmonella -induced enterocolitis and fibrosis model: wild-type (WT) and MyD88-deficient (MyD88−/−) mice pretreated with streptomycin and then orally infected with the Δ aroA vaccine strain of S. Typhimurium. Tissues were analyzed for bacterial colonization, inflammation, and epithelial damage, while fibrosis was assessed by collagen quantification and Masson's trichrome staining. WT and MyD88−/−mice carried similar intestinal pathogen burdens to postinfection day 21. Infection of WT mice led to acute mucosal and submucosal inflammation and edema, as well as significant intestinal epithelial damage and proliferation, leading to widespread goblet cell depletion. Impressive collagen deposition in the WT intestine was also evident in the submucosa at postinfection days 7 and 21, with fibrotic regions rich in fibroblasts and collagen. While infected MyD88−/−mice showed levels of submucosal inflammation and edema similar to WT mice, they were impaired in the development of mucosal inflammation, along with infection-induced epithelial damage, proliferation, and goblet cell depletion. MyD88−/−mouse tissues also had fewer submucosal fibroblasts and 60% less collagen. We noted that cyclooxygenase (Cox)-2 expression was MyD88-dependent, with numerous Cox-2-positive cells identified in fibrotic regions of WT mice at postinfection day 7, but not in MyD88−/−mice. Treatment of WT mice with the Cox-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (20 mg/kg) significantly reduced fibroblast numbers and collagen levels without altering colitis severity. In conclusion, MyD88 and Cox-2 signaling play roles in intestinal fibrosis during Salmonella -induced enterocolitis.