bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Osteoinduction by Chitosan-Complexed BMP: Morpho-Structural Responses in an Osteoporotic Model
Authors: Muzzarelli R. A. A. , Biagini G. , Belmonte M. Mattioli , Talassi O. , Gandolfi M. G. , Solmi R. , Carraro S. , Giardino R. , Fini M. , Nicoli-Aldini N.
Published: July 2017

Bone quality is the result of a complex relationship between bone mass, bone structure, and mechanical characteristics of these individual components. The mass of bone tissue is affected by nutritional factors and other causes, such as bone growth factors like bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). Since chitosans promote ordered regeneration of soft tissue and osteoinduction, an osteoporotic model was studied to evaluate the pattern of bone regeneration in the presence of BMP linked to chitosan. BMP was released from the chitosan matrix as a consequence of chitosan biodegradation. Our data show that the association of BMP with chitosan seemed to improve the bone tissue regeneration in a surgical bone defect. This result provides validity to biochemical approaches for therapeutical correction of afflictions in the elderly, such as osteoporosis.
Covalent Binding of Mannosyl Ligand via 6-O Position and Glycolic Arm to Target a PLCA-Type Degradable Drug Carrier toward Macrophages
Authors: Hénin Odile , Boustta Mahfoud , Domurado Martine , Coudane Jean , Domurado Dominique , Vert Michel
Published: July 2017

Mononuclear phagocytes play a central role in the defense against important pathologies. Attempts were made to target drugs toward this cell type by using specific interactions between a mannose ligand and the lectin-type specific receptor present on the macrophage membrane. Basically, the use of a mannosyl radical as a homing device raised several problems: necessity to keep unmodified the part of the molecule which gives rise to lectin recognition, complex protection-deprotection chemistry, and blockage of the aldehyde function to preclude any side reaction. A new method was used to bind α-D-methylmannopy-ranoside, a commercially available precursor, through its primary hydroxyl group to the hydrosoluble bioresorbable drug carrier poly(L-lysine citramide imide). The method consisted of a few steps that did not require special protection of secondary hydroxyl groups. In the resulting conjugate, the pyranose structure of the sugar was retained. In vivo recognition of the conjugate by the lectin of mononuclear phagocytes was preserved.
New Amphiphilic Immunogens by Cu2+-Mediated Complexes of Water-Born Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) and Bovine Serum Albumin
Authors: Mustafaev Mamed I. , Mustafaeva Zeynep , Bermek Engin , Osada Yoshihito
Published: July 2017

Cu2+-mediated complex formation between temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacylamide-co-acrylic acid) (CP) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated in neutral and in physiological salt solutions. Water soluble or insoluble ternary complexes are formed upon addition of divalent copper ions to the solution. Stability of the ternary polycomplexes depends on the composition of the copolymers, concentration of copper ions and ratio of components. Stimuli-sensitive (temperature, pH- and ionic strength-) behavior of CP, CP-Cu2+ and CP-Cu2+-BSA solution was studied. The ternary CP-Cu2+-BSA complexes exhibit reversible temperature-responses in physiological salt solutions at suitable ratios of the components. Thermal collapse of ternary polycomplexes was observed in higher pH solutions than for CP and CP-Cu2+. The negative temperature solubility coefficient in salt containing solutions may be due to cooperative hydrophobic interactions.

Cu2+ in 0.154 M NaCl solutions of CP with BSA, in contrast to CP-Cu2+ BSA complexes in water, gave increased BSA-specific immunogenicity. A single immunization of mice with ternary CP1-Cu2+-BSA complexes in physiological salt solutions without adjuvant increased the specific immune response to BSA. The highest level of immunogenic activity was after a second immunization which lasted more than 18 months. The highest immunogenic activity was exhibited by stable ternary complexes, and immunoactive polycomplexes with a negative temperature solubility coefficient. A hypothetical structural model for the formation of ternary polycomplexes and mechanism for the manifestation of immunological activity are presented.
Evaluation of Some Microenvironmental Inflences on the Regenerative Mechanisms of the Periodontium: An in Vitro Study
Authors: Belmonte M. Mattioli , Amati S. , Tesei M. , Biagini G. , Solmi R. , Talassi O. , De Florio L. , Muzzarelli Raa.
Published: July 2017

Studies have demonstrated the chemotactic response of periodontal ligament cells to a wide range of matrix molecules and growth factors, suggesting a therapeutic role for the latter in tissue lesion restoration. Impaired human gingival and periodontal ligament fibroblasts from adult donors were stimulated in vitro with growth factors or grown on a biosynthetic tissue-guiding membrane in the presence of tetracycline (minocycline) to assess the effects of these molecules on cell proliferation and tolerance to the drug. The results suggest that techniques involving tissue-guiding membranes and growth factors associated with inhibitors of collagenases constitute a promising biological-like way of restoring the delicate equilibrium disrupted by periodontal disease.
Antituberculosis Macromolecular Prodrugs: Part 1: Isoniazid Conjugates with Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Derivatives
Authors: Cruz M. L. , Gil M. H.
Published: July 2017

The synthesis, elemental and spectrometric analysis of isoniazid conjugates with polyethylene glycol) (PEG) were obtained. In the first part of the work, acyl isoniazid, hydroxymethyl isoniazid, and modified poly(ethylene glycol) were synthesized. These compounds were characterized by FTIR, by elemental analysis, and by NMR. To obtain antituberculosis macromolecular prodrugs with sustained delivery, the modified PEG were used as carriers by linking, via end group, either isoniazid or its hydroxymethyl derivative.
Enzymatic Degradation of Poly[N5-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-L-Glutamine] and Poly[N5-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-L-Glutamine-Stat-L-Glutamic Acid]: Analysis of Final Degradation Products
Authors: Pytela Jindrich , Kotva Rudolf , Rypadek Frantisek
Published: July 2017

The enzymatic degradation of N5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-glutamine homopolymer (PHEG) and its statistical copolymer with L-glutamic acid, (P[HEG-stat-Glu]) by papain, pronase and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) was investigated with the aim to evaluate the role of endopeptidase and exopeptidase mechanisms of cleavage and to identify ultimate degradation products. The degradation products were analysed by size-exclusion chromatography, using amino end-groups labelled with fluorescamine, and by thin-layer chromatography. Papain cleaved both polymers by the endopeptidase mechanism only and the smallest degradation fragments thus produced were the size of tetramers. These fragments were susceptible to further degradation by an exopeptidase, i.e., leucine aminopeptidase. A combined treatment of polymers by papain and LAP ultimately yielded monomers, HEG only or HEG and glutamic acid for PHEG or P[HEG-stat-Glu] copolymer, respectively. Both endopeptidase and exopeptidase mechanisms were active in the degradation of the polymers under study by pronase. As the enzymes with analogous specificities are usually present in mammalian tissues, the feasibility of complete degradation of these polymers in vivo is supported.
Synthesis, Physico-Chemical Properties and Immunoadjuvant Activity of Water-Soluble Phosphazene Polyacids
Authors: Andrianov Alexander K. , Sargent Jonathan R. , Sule Sameer S. , Le Golvan Mark P. , Woods Angela L. , Jenkins Sharon A. , Payne Lendon G.
Published: July 2017

Mixed-substituted polyphosphazenes containing carboxylic acid and alkyl ether side groups were synthesized and characterized. Physicochemical properties of phosphazene polyacids in aqueous solutions were investigated as a function of copolymer structure and composition. The immunoadjuvant activity of polyphosphazenes was evaluated by studying the effect of copolymers on the immunogenicity of the influenza virus in mice. Synthesized polyphosphazenes demonstrated the ability to enhance the immune response as compared to the levels elicited by the vaccine alone.
Polymer Drugs and Polymeric Drugs X: Slow Release of 5-Fluorouracil from Biodegradable Poly(γ-Glutamic Acid) and its Benzyl Ester Matrices
Authors: Kishida Akio , Murakami Kazunori , Goto Hidetada , Akashi Mitsuru , Kubota Hidetoshi , Endo Takeshi
Published: July 2017

We prepared poly(γ-glutamic acid)(γ-PGA) benzyl ester(γ-PBG) by the esterification of γ-PGA and benzyl bromide and evaluated the degradation behavior and its usefulness as a drug delivery system (DDS) matrix using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as a model drug. γ-PBG degraded in an acidic solution gradually for up to 130 days, and degraded very slowly in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4). After 150 days, the weight loss of the γ-PBG film was only 10% in a phosphate buffer solution. A slow release of 5-FU from γ-PBG films was achieved. The release rate was affected by the pH of the outer solution and the loading drug. We observed an initial burst-release on the first day, after that, the release of 5-FU was diffusion-controlled. γ-PBG may be a novel biodegradable material that may be useful in the pharmaceutical, biomedical, and agricultural fields.
Thermal and Spectroscopic Characterization of Interactions between 2-Nonyl-1,3-Dioxolane and Stratum Corneum Components
Authors: Morganti Fabrizio , Bramanti Emilia , Solaro Roberto , Benedetti Enzo , Chiellini Emo , Nannipieri Enrico , Narducci Piero , Krauser Scott F. , Samour Carlos M.
Published: July 2017

The effect of 2-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane (SEPA™) on the structure of human stratum corneum was investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy at variable temperature, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. A significant influence of SEPA™ treatment on position and intensity of IR absorption bands and DSC thermal transitions of SC lipids was detected. An appreciable loosening of SC cell packing was also observed by SEM analysis. These modifications are reversed after SEPA™ is removed from the site of application. The results clearly demonstrate that SEPA™ is able to modify the structure of the lipid matrix in which corneocytes are embedded, thus suggesting a possible use of SEPA™ to increase the permeability of the stratum corneum to lipophilic drugs.
Carminomycin-Chitosan: A Conjugated Antituimor Antibiotic
Authors: Todorova N. , Krysteva M. , Maneva K. , Todorov D.
Published: July 2017

Condensation of the antitumor antibiotic carminomycin with oxidized chitosan in the presence of sodium borohydride provided a new conjugated antibiotic. A ring involving a N atom from the 3′ amino group of the antibiotic sugar moiety and the residue of the oxidized glucosamine ring of chitosan was formed during reductive alkylation. The resultant compound was characterized by IR and UV-VIS spectra which support the conjugate structure. The amount of carminomycin bound to the matrix was 25.2% w/w or 391 carminomycin residues. The biological activity of the carminomycin-chitosan conjugate showed an antibacterial action against Bacillus subtilis on the level of the initial antibiotic. Implanted lymphoid leucosis L1210 and lymphocytic leucosis P388 in hybrid mice BDF1 showed: a T/C = 242.9 (P388) (for free carminomycin T/C = 177.9%) and a T/C = 201.4 (L1210) (for the free drug T/C = 179.85%).
Cell Specificity of Macromolecular Assembly of Cholesteryl and Galactoside Groups-Conjugated Pullulan
Authors: Taniguchi Ikuo , Akiyoshi Kazunari , Sunamoto Junzo , Suda Yasuo , Yamamoto Masayuki
Published: July 2017

Galactose or lactose groups were conjugated to cholesterol-bearing pullulan (CHP). The CHP derivatives obtained formed monodisperse nanoparticles upon self-aggregation in water. Nanoparticles of galactoside-conjugated CHP self-aggregates were specifically internalized by rat hepatocytes and HepG2 cells. Galactoside-bearing CHP-coated liposome or oil droplet of O/W-emulsion was also taken up by HepG2 cells. Tissue distribution of the nanoparticle CHP self-aggregates changed dramatically with chemical conjugation of the galactose moiety. Galactoside-bearing nanoparticles were specifically accumulated in the liver.
Legislator Attitudes toward Policies to Reduce Prison Crowding
Authors: Hamm Mark S.
Published: July 2017

This paper examines legislative attitudes toward policies to reduce prison crowding in a state (Indiana) that has a serious prison overcrowding problem. Legislative attitudes were studied through mail surveys of all members of the Indiana General Assembly. A high level of legislative support for the expansion of community corrections and prison construction was found. On the other hand, a return to shorter sentences received little support among the lawmakers. A rudimentary regression analysis of the relationship between legislative characteristics and support for the various strategies to control prison crowding revealed that a variable measuring criminal justice ideology was most strongly associated with legislative attitudes toward prison policy. These findings are also discussed within the present research.
The Impact of Victimology on Criminal Justice Policy
Authors: Erez Edna
Published: July 2017

The emergence of victimology and the renewed interest in victims of crime led to many changes in the way the criminal justice system responds to victims. This article assesses the impact of victimology on criminal justice policy and examines some of the anticipated and unanticipated consequences of activities on behalf of victims. It addresses the various victims' needs, evaluates efforts by criminal justice agencies to meet them, and identifies barriers to implementing the programs. Proposals for constitutional amendments and activities on behalf of victims on the international level are also discussed. The article concludes with some of the problems emerging from activities on behalf of victims, and implications for criminal justice policy.
Energy Consumption in Leisure Centres – A Comparative Study
Authors: Griffiths A.J. , Bowen P.J. , Brinkworth B.J. , Morgan I.R. , Howarth A
Published: July 2017

The Sports and Recreation sector within the UK uses the equivalent of 3 millions tonnes of coal per year to supply the activities demanded by an ever increasing sports conscience society. The government has attempted to stimulate energy efficiency in this sector through the use of good practice guides and case studies.

A comparative study was undertaken to analyse the performance of two leisure complexes in the Seven Valley degree day region. One site had double the occupancy rate of the other. It was found that the energy consumption per user was approximately 10 kWh for both sites. However the energy cost per user showed a large difference: for Site A this index was 31p/user compared to 15p/user at Site B. The primary causes of this difference are attributed to variation in energy mix between the two sites, as well as a difference in the price paid for primary fuel. Indices based on floor area of the facilities exhibit similar trends, and furthermore show that both sites were in the high band of energy consumption. This indicated that both sites had the potential to make significant energy-related savings, and a further breakdown of electrical, natural gas and water consumption per site is used to identify these potential savings in a rapidly expanding sector.
Urban Documentation: Its Nature and Purpose
Authors: Grayson Lesley
Published: July 2017

Discusses some of the factors leading to an increase in the output of urban documentation and suggests reasons why local government is becoming more conscious of its need for information. Types and sources of urban information are reviewed and related to the roles and functions of local government as a statutory body, as a provider of services and as a servant of the public. Concludes with a brief assessment of the performance of urban documentation as a method of communication between the various components of local government and indicates some of the areas where improvement is needed.
Recombinant human interleukin-11 prevents hypotension in LPS-treated anesthetized rabbits
Authors: Misra B.R. , Ferranti T.J. , Donnelly L.H. , Erickson J.E. , Schaub R.G. , Keith J.C.
Published: July 2017

Recombinant human interleukin-11 (rhlL-11) was evaluated in a New Zealand White rabbit model of endotoxemia. Animals received Escherichia coli LPS (150 μg/kg i.v.) via a femoral venous catheter. 30 min later, animals were treated with rhlL-11 (100 μg/kg i.v., n = 7), or rhlL-11 formulation buffer (n = 6). Arterial pressures were monitored for 6 h following rhlL-11. Approximately 5 h after LPS treatment, mean arterial pressure in vehicle-treated control animals was 46.7 mmHg, or 55% of group mean baseline, while that of rhlL-11-treated animals was 74.8 mmHg, or 94% of group mean baseline (P < 0.0005). Histologic evaluation of ileum, cecum and colon from rhlL-11-treated rabbits showed decreased hemorrhage, edema, and mucosal damage (P < 0.02), compared to the vehicle-treated controls. Intravenous LPS evokes hypotension mediated by the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and subsequent production of NO. Maintenance of blood pressure by rhIL-11 in LPS-treated rabbits in addition to the concurrent significant decrease in NO levels compared to vehicle-treated animals ( P < 0.04) suggests that rhlL-11 interferes with the production of NO by iNOS and or the physiologic effects of NO on vascular smooth muscle.
Characterization of the binding of soluble CD14 to human endothelial cells and mechanism for CD14-dependent cell activation by LPS
Authors: Zhang Jun-Kui , Morrison Timothy K. , Falk Michael C. , Kang Yuan-Hsu , Lee Che-Hung
Published: July 2017

The binding of soluble CD14 (sCD14) to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was examined in order to understand the role of CD14 in potentiating LPS activity. Both purified sCD14 and [125I]-sCD14 potentiated LPS-stimulated ICAM-1 expression in HUVEC. This potentiation was blocked by anti-CD14 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) 63D3, UCHM-1 and RM052. Saturation binding assay revealed that [125I]-sCD14 bound to HUVEC with a ligand-acceptor dissociation constant of 290 nM. The binding of [125 I]-sCD14 was inhibited by sCD14 with a sCD14-acceptor dissociation constant of 24 nM. The density of CD14 acceptors was estimated to be 4-8 x 105 sites per cell. The [125I]-sCD14 binding was inhibited by anti-human CD14 mAbs UCHM-1 and RM052 but not 63D3. The bound [125I]-sCD14 could be washed off by acid buffer, pH 3.0, and its localization on the cell membrane was confirmed by light microscopic autoradiography. Based on the previously published description of LPS-sCD14 interactions and our observation that anti-CD14 mAbs inhibiting sCD14-acceptor binding also blocked the potentiation of LPS activity by sCD14, we propose that bridging or crosslinking between the putative LPS-receptor complex with the sCD14-acceptor complex via LPS-sCD14 interactions is the mechanism of CD14-dependent activation of endothelial cells (EC) by LPS. Re-examination of the published data suggests that this mechanism is a universal one for EC, leukocytes and lymphocytes.
Contribution of tumor necrosis factor alpha to endotoxin-induced mucosal dysfunction in the feline jejunum
Authors: Mueller P.O. Eric , Eades Susan C. , Moore James N. , Barton Michelle H.
Published: July 2017

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) occupies a pivotal role in the development of shock and tissue injury during endotoxemia and septicemia, and may be an important trigger in the pathogenesis of endotoxin-induced intestinal mucosal dysfunction. This study investigated the contribution of TNFα to endotoxin-induced mucosal dysfunction and the efficacy of polyclonal anti-TNFα antibody in preventing endotoxin-induced mucosal dysfunction.

To evaluate mucosal dysfunction, jejunal blood-to-lumen clearances of chromium 51-labeled ethylenediaminetetraacetate ([51Cr]-EDTA) were measured in cats administered fetal calf serum (controls), endotoxin, TNFα, or polyclonal anti-TNFα antibody and endotoxin. Serum TNFα activity was determined using a modified in vitro cytotoxicity bioassay using the murine fibrosarcoma cell line, WEHI-164 clone 13.

Endotoxin and TNFα induced jejunal mucosal dysfunction as indicated by increases in [51 Cr]-EDTA clearance. Mucosal dysfunction was accompanied by marked increases in serum TNFα activity. Furthermore, pretreatment with polyclonal anti-TNFα antibody prevented endotoxin-induced mucosal dysfunction and markedly reduced the associated increase in serum TNFα activity. The findings of this study suggest that TNFα is an important mediator of endotoxin-induced mucosal epithelial barrier dysfunction.
The kdsA gene of Pasteurella trehalosi (haemolytica) serotype T3 is functionally and genetically homologous to that of Escherichia coli
Authors: Burrows L.L. , Lam J.S. , Lo R.Y.C.
Published: July 2017

A DNA fragment capable of complementing a temperature-sensitive mutation in the 3-deoxy-D- mannooctulosonic acid (Kdo) 8-phosphate synthase gene ( kdsA) of Salmonella enterica sv Typhimurium AG701i50 was cloned from the reference strain of Pasteurella trehalosi (haemolytica) serotype T3. Subcloning and DNA sequence analysis identified an open reading frame (ORF) of 854 nucleotides which could encode a protein of 31.0 kDa. Protein expression of this ORF using a T7 polymerase system yielded a unique polypeptide of approximately 31 kDa, in excellent agreement with predicted size of the encoded protein. The deduced amino acid sequence of this ORF has 88.8 and 94.3% homology with the KdsA proteins of Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae, respectively. Southern blot analysis of chromosomal DNA showed that kdsA was present in all 16 serotypes of P. haemolytica/P. trehalosi. The position of the kdsA gene differed among the two species; only in P. trehalosi is kdsA located adjacent to the leukotoxin gene cluster (IktCABD).
The Development of More Than One Phonology: A Case Study of a Norwegian-English Bilingual Child
Authors: Johnson Carolyn E. , Lancaster Paige
Published: July 2017

There is increasing evidence that bilingual children are able to separate their languages from the earliest stages of language production, but very little of this data comes from phonological acquisition studies. This study investigates the lexical forms and speech sound production of a child learning Norwegian and English bilingually from birth. Data for lexical analysis are words attested by the MacArthur Development Inventory for Infants and diary data when the child was 1;2 to 1;8. Phonological analysis was based on audio recordings of the child at 1;9 in separate Norwegian and English-language contexts. The child's translation equivalents and preference for using each language with the speakers of that language show that he did not treat English and Norwegian as a unified language system. He maintained this distinction in aspects of his sound production, including (1) the size and some distributional characteristics of his phonetic inventory in each language environment, (2) differential accuracy by word position in matching adult phonemes in the two languages, and (3) relative preference for monosyllables and coda consonants in English. His phone inventory differed from those of both English and Norwegian monolingual 2-year-olds. These results are discussed in terms of what it means to have separate phonological systems.
Morphosyntactic Development in Bilingual Children
Authors: Sinka Indra , Schelletter Christina
Published: July 2017

This paper addresses the morphosyntactic development of two bilingual children and the issues raised by the controversy between the single system and the separate development hypotheses. Set within a generative grammar framework, evidence on German/English and Latvian/English is presented from the earliest stages of language development: for the German/English child from 2;0 to 2;6, for the Latvian/English child from 1;3 to 1;11. For the German/English data, the results show early word order patterns which are in line with the language-specific orders of both languages. In the Latvian/English data, there is correct inflectional marking on nouns and verbs in Latvian from the earliest stages, contrary to the paucity of such marking in English. Hence the evidence from both children supports the view that the bilingual child separates the two languages from the beginning (Separate Development Hypothesis). In addition, the data show a developmental lead-lag pattern whereby functional categories emerge first in the more inflected language (German and Latvian) and later in English.
Determinants of Language Choice in Bilingual Children: The Role of Input
Authors: Kasuya Hiroko
Published: July 2017

Each bilingual family will have its own particular circumstances which will determine who speaks which language to whom, and when. Some children growing up in such a family from birth will use two languages actively while others will limit themselves to one (Arnberg, 1987; Clyne, 1982; De Houwer, 1995). It is poorly understood how the type of input, and particularly parental discourse strategies, or the amount of input, are related to children's language choice.

This study examines what degree of parents' consistency in their language choice promotes their children's active bilingualism and what kinds of discourse strategies Japanese-speaking parents provide when children use English (the societal language). These issues are investigated through longitudinal analyses of four English/Japanese bilingual children's dyadic interactions with their Japanese-speaking parents. The results show that there were huge individual differences between parent-child pairs in terms of amount of talk. However, the Japanese parent's consistency in using Japanese with the child appeared to be related to the child's choice of Japanese. In addition, a discourse strategy whereby parents made their preference for the use of Japanese quite explicit, had the highest success rate in relation to the child's subsequent choice of Japanese.
A multivariate generalized linear mixed model for joint modelling of clustered outcomes in the exponential family
Authors: Gueorguieva R
Published: July 2017

Clustered and repeated measures data are very common in biomedical applications, for example when one or more variables are measured on each patient at a number of hospital visits, or when a number of questions are asked at a series of interviews. The Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) can be used for fully parametric subject-specific inference for clustered or repeated measures responses in the exponential family. In this paper a multivariate generalization is proposed to deal with situations when multiple outcome variables in the exponential family are present. Separate GLMM’s are assumed for each response variable and then the responses are combined in a single model by imposing a joint multivariate normal distribution for the variable-specific random effects. This allows maximum-likelihood estimation approaches such as Gauss-Hermitian quadrature and Monte Carlo EM algorithm to be extended from the univariate to the multivariate case. Two data sets are used for illustration. The outcome variables are assumed to be conditionally independent given the random effects which is a restrictive assumption in some cases. Score tests for checking this assumption are proposed and alternative models are considered for one of the data examples.
Coloured Voronoi tessellations for Bayesian image analysis and reservoir modelling
Authors: Møller Jesper , Skare Øivind
Published: July 2017

A new flexible prior for Bayesian image analysis and reservoir modelling is defined in terms of interacting coloured Voronoi cells described by a certain nearest-neighbour Markov point process. This prior can be defined in both two and three (as well as higher) dimensions, and simple MCMC algorithms can be used for drawing inference from the posterior distribution. Various 2D and 3D applications are considered.
High prevalence of myeloid neoplasms in adults with non–Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Papo Matthias , Diamond Eli L. , Cohen-Aubart Fleur , Emile Jean-François , Roos-Weil Damien , Gupta Nishant , Durham Benjamin H. , Ozkaya Neval , Dogan Ahmet , Ulaner Gary A. , Rampal Raajit , Kahn Jean-Emmanuel , Sené Thomas , Charlotte Frédéric , Hervier Baptiste , Besnard Caroline , Bernard Olivier A. , Settegrana Catherine , Droin Nathalie , Hélias-Rodzewicz Zofia , Amoura Zahir , Abdel-Wahab Omar , Haroche Julien
Published: July 2017

Key Points

Some 10.1% of adults with non–Langerhans cell histiocytosis have a concomitant myeloid neoplasm with each often harboring distinct mutations. The presence of distinct kinase mutations in histiocytosis and myeloid neoplasms resulted in discordant responses to targeted therapy.
Q&A: using Patch-seq to profile single cells
Authors: Cadwell Cathryn R. , Sandberg Rickard , Jiang Xiaolong , Tolias Andreas S.
Published: July 2017

Individual neurons vary widely in terms of their gene expression, morphology, and electrophysiological properties. While many techniques exist to study single-cell variability along one or two of these dimensions, very few techniques can assess all three features for a single cell. We recently developed Patch-seq, which combines whole-cell patch clamp recording with single-cell RNA-sequencing and immunohistochemistry to comprehensively profile the transcriptomic, morphologic, and physiologic features of individual neurons. Patch-seq can be broadly applied to characterize cell types in complex tissues such as the nervous system, and to study the transcriptional signatures underlying the multidimensional phenotypes of single cells.
A climbing motion recognition method using anatomical information for screen climbing games
Authors: Kim Jungsoo , Chung Daniel , Ko Ilju
Published: July 2017

Screen climbing games have made a new category of gaming experience between a human climber and a virtual game projected onto an artificial climbing wall. Here, climbing motion recognition is required to interact with the game. In existing climbing games, motion recognition is based on a simple calculation using the depth difference between the climber’s body area and the climbing wall. However, using the body area in this way is devoid of anatomical information; thus the gaming system cannot recognize which part, or parts, of the climber’s body is in contact with the artificial climbing wall. In this paper, we present a climbing motion recognition method using anatomical information obtained by parsing a climber’s body area into its constituent anatomical parts. In ensuring that game events consider anatomical information, a climbing game can provide a more immersive experience for gamers.
Foundation News
Authors: Ford Linda
Published: July 2017

SEG has a longstanding commitment to inspiring the geophysicists of tomorrow through SEG Foundation-funded programs designed to prepare today's geophysics students to be members of tomorrow's professional workforce. A full slate of programs helps engage students as early as their freshman year in college all the way through advanced study at the PhD level. By providing support for membership in an SEG Student Chapter, funding for field camps and scholarships, and participation in flagship leadership and industry training programs, SEG is committed to investing in the future of geophysics with its student programs.
UAV-based LiDAR acquisition for the derivation of high-resolution forest and ground information
Authors: Morsdorf Felix , Eck Christoph , Zgraggen Carlo , Imbach Benedikt , Schneider Fabian D. , Kükenbrink Daniel
Published: July 2017

Laser scanning of forested areas helps in analyzing and understanding various aspects of forest conditions, including distribution of plants and trees, height distribution of trees, tree density, size and volume of wood, as well as ground surface properties. However, laser scanning of forest areas is also very challenging for many reasons. The best time for scanning is before trees leaf out in the spring or after trees cast their leaves in autumn before snowfall so an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) laser scanner can penetrate the forest from the tops of the trees down to the ground surface. To receive highly accurate laser data and high point density, the flight planning must be adjusted judiciously. Flight planning will be even more complex in steep terrain where the UAV cannot operate at a constant altitude. This paper discusses a UAV-based 3D laser data recording — light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanning — of a forestry area with high accuracy and point cloud resolution. In addition, the point cloud of airborne laser scanning is compared with local terrestrial laser-scanning results. The forest area consists of mixed forests containing varying tree sizes and branch deformation. This paper summarizes our latest results in UAV-based LiDAR acquisition over a forest area to extract detailed forest and ground information and finds that UAV-based laser scanning is well suited for provision of both high-quality forest structural and terrain elevation information.
Reviews
Authors: Moon Wooil M. , Adam Ludmila
Published: July 2017

Geodynamics, third edition, by Donald L. Turcotte and Gerald Schubert, ISBN 978-0-521-18623-0, 2014, Cambridge University Press, 636 p., US$99.99 (print), US$80 (eBook). The Central Asian Orogenic Belt, edited by Alfred Kröner, ISBN 978-3-443-11033-8, 2015, Borntraeger Science Publishers, 313 p., €118. Seismic Petrophysics in Quantitative Interpretation, by Lev Vernik, ISBN 978-1-56080-324-9, 2016, SEG, 226 p., US$234 (nonmembers), US$129 (members).
A small-molecule TrkB ligand restores hippocampal synaptic plasticity and object location memory in Rett syndrome mice
Authors: Li Wei , Bellot-Saez Alba , Phillips Mary L. , Yang Tao , Longo Frank M. , Pozzo-Miller Lucas
Published: July 2017

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in methyl-CpG-binding protein-2 (MECP2), a transcriptional regulator of many genes, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF levels are reduced in RTT autopsy brains and in multiple brain areas of Mecp2-deficient mice. Furthermore, experimental interventions that increase BDNF levels improve RTT-like phenotypes in Mecp2 mutant mice. Here, we characterized the actions of a small-molecule ligand of the BDNF receptor TrkB in hippocampal function in Mecp2 mutant mice. Systemic treatment of female Mecp2 heterozygous (HET) mice with LM22A-4 for 4 weeks improved hippocampal-dependent object location memory and restored hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). Mechanistically, LM22A-4 acts to dampen hyperactive hippocampal network activity, reduce the frequency and amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs), and reduce the frequency of spontaneous tetrodotoxin-resistant Ca2+ signals in Mecp2 mutant hippocampal neurons, making them comparable to those features observed in wild-type neurons. Together, these observations indicate that LM22A-4 is a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of hippocampal dysfunction in RTT.
Language in social reproduction: Sociolinguistics and sociosemiotics
Authors: Calefato Patrizia
Published: July 2017

This paper focuses on the semiotic foundations of sociolinguistics. Starting from the definition of “sociolinguistics” given by the philosopher Adam Schaff, the paper examines in particular the notion of “critical sociolinguistics” as theorized by the Italian semiotician Ferruccio Rossi-Landi. The basis of the social dimension of language are to be found in what Rossi-Landi calls “social reproduction” which regards both verbal and non-verbal signs. Saussure’s notion of langue can be considered in this way, with reference not only to his Course of General Linguistics, but also to his Harvard Manuscripts.The paper goes on trying also to understand Roland Barthes’s provocative definition of semiology as a part of linguistics (and not vice-versa) as well as developing the notion of communication-production in this perspective. Some articles of Roman Jakobson of the sixties allow us to reflect in a manner which we now call “socio-semiotic” on the processes of transformation of the “organic” signs into signs of a new type, which articulate the relationship between organic and instrumental. In this sense, socio-linguistics is intended as being sociosemiotics, without prejudice to the fact that the reference area must be human, since semiotics also has the prerogative of referring to the world of non-human vital signs.Socio-linguistics as socio-semiotics assumes the role of a “frontier” science, in the dual sense that it is not only on the border between science of language and the anthropological and social sciences, but also that it can be constructed in a movement of continual “crossing frontiers” and of “contamination” between languages and disciplinary environments.
On the ontology of fictional characters: A semiotic approach
Authors: Eco Umberto
Published: July 2017

Why are we deeply moved by the misfortune of Anna Karenina if we are fully aware that she is simply a fictional character who does not exist in our world? But what does it mean that fictional characters do not exist? The present article is concerned with the ontology of fictional characters. The author concludes that successful fictional characters become paramount examples of the ‘real’ human condition because they live in an incomplete world what we have cognitive access to but cannot influence in any way and where no deeds can be undone. Unlike all the other semiotic objects, which are culturally subject to revisions, and perhaps only similar to mathematical entities, the fictual characters will never change and will remain the actors of what they did once and forever.
Facing emergences: Past traces and new directions in American anthropology (Why American anthropology needs semiotics of culture)
Authors: Portis-Winner Irene
Published: July 2017

This article considers what happened to American anthropology, which was initiated by the scientist Franz Boas, who commanded all fields of anthropology, physical, biological, and cultural. Boas was a brave field worker who explored Eskimo land, and inspired two famous students, Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead, to cross borders in new kinds of studies. After this florescence, there was a general return to linear descriptive positivism, superficial comparisons of quantitative cultural traits, and false evolutionary schemes, which did not introduce us to the personalities and inner worlds of the tribal peoples studied. The 1953 study by the philosopher David Bidney was a revelation. Bidney enunciated and clarified all my doubts about the paths of anthropology and his work became to some extent a model for a narration of the story of American anthropology. In many ways he envisaged a semiotics of culture formulated by Lotman. I try to illustrate the fallacies listed by Bidney and how they have been partially overcome in some later anthropological studies which have focused on symbolism, artistry, and subjective qualities of the people studied. I then try to give an overview of the school started by Lotman that spans all human behavior, that demonstrates the complexity of meaning and communication, in vast areas of knowledge, from art, literature, science, and philosophy, that abjured strict relativism and closed systems and has become an inspiration for those who want anthropology to encompass the self and the other, and Bahtin’s double meaning. This paper was inspired by Bidney as a call to explore widely all possible worlds, not to abandon science and reality but to explore deeper inner interrelations and how the aesthetic may be indeed be paramount in the complexities of communication.
A sketch of Peirce’s Firstness and its significance to art
Authors: Gorlée Dinda L.
Published: July 2017

This essay treats the growth and development of Charles S. Peirce’s three categories, particularly studying the qualities of Peirce’s Firstness, a basic formula of “airy-nothingness” (CP: 6.455) serving as fragment to Secondness and Thirdness. The categories of feeling, willing, and knowing are not separate entities but work in interaction within the three interpretants. Interpretants are triadomaniac elements through the adopted, revised, or changed habits of belief. In works of art, the first glance of Firstness arouses the spontaneous responses of musement, expressing emotions without the struggle and resistance of factual Secondness, and not yet involving logical Thirdness. The essential qualities of a loose or vague word, color, or sound give the fugitive meanings in Firstness. The flavor, brush, timbre, color, point, line, tone or touch of the First qualities of an aesthetic object is too small a base to build the logic of aesthetic judgment. The genesis art is explained by Peirce’s undegeneracy growing into group and individual interpretants and building into the passages and whole forms of double and single forms of degeneracy. The survey of the flash of Firstness is exemplified in a variety of artworks in language, music, sculpture, painting, and film. This analysis is a preliminary aid to further studies of primary Firstness in the arts.
Action in signs
Authors: Luure Andres
Published: July 2017

The present article discusses sign typology from the perspective of action which is conceived as having a sextet structure. The relation between means and purpose in action is analogous to the relation between sign and meaning. The greater the degree in which the action has purpose, the less tool-like the action is. Peirce’s trichotomies correspond to a fragment of the sextet structure.
Translating Jakob von Uexküll — Reframing Umweltlehre as biosemiotics
Authors: Augustyn Prisca
Published: July 2017

Thomas Sebeok attributed it to what he called the ‘wretched’ translation of Uexküll’s Theoretische Biologie (1920) that the notion of Umwelt did not reach the Anglo-American intellectual community much earlier. There is no doubt that making more of Uexküll’s Umweltlehre available in English will not only further the biosemiotic movement, but also fill a gap in the foundational theoretical canon of semiotics in general. The purpose of this paper is to address issues of terminology and theory translation between Uexküll’s Umweltlehre and current biosemiotics.
A text on biosemiotic themes
Authors: Chebanov Sergey V. , Markoš Anton
Published: July 2017

What follows is a two-part review of Günther Witzany’s two-part book, The Logos of the Bios (2006, 2007). The first part of the review is written by Sergey Chebanov, and it approaches the text as a source of ideas on biosemiotics and biohermeneutics. The second part is written by Anton Markoš, and it estimates the biological pithiness of the book and the correctness of the reflection of the included data of modern biology.
The semiotics of A. J. Greimas: A European intellectual heritage seen from the inside and the outside
Authors: Tarasti Eero
Published: July 2017

The essay deals with the formation of the Greimassian thought from its earliest origins in his young years at Kaunas University, i.e. his connections with Wilhelm Sesemann, Lev Karsavin and Russian formalism, to the rise of structuralism in Paris. The Paris School approach stems from Sémantique structurale (1967) leading to the ‘third semiotic revolution’, as Greimas called it, by the invention of the modalities. This made his method close to even analytic philosophy and modal logics. In both, a linguistic turn and use of formal logics took place. Yet Greimas’ semiotics grew out of a purely linguistic framework into a broader philosophical approach. Nowadays, considered one of the classics of the semiotic scene, his method still has not lost anything of its analytic acuity and epistemic temptation. Even such new paradigms as existential semiotics grow organically from some Greimas’ ideas which have kept their relevance.
The clash of semiotic civilizations
Authors: Leone Massimo
Published: July 2017

Why was Greimas’ theoretical proposal so divisive? Why did his disciples worship the new analytical method, while his detractors harshly rejected it? The article claims that the strength, as well as the weakness, of Greimassian semiotics consists in positing a rational way to determine the range of meanings of a text. Semiotic interpretive methods that are more aware of the diachronic dimension, such as Eco’s interpretive semiotics or Lotman’s semiotics of culture, inflect this view by anchoring the rationality of interpretation to the reasonableness of a community of interpreters that is, by definition, changing over time. The article claims that, on the one hand, Greimas’ theoretical stance is in line with the predominant ‘culture of meaning’ distilled by the Western civilization from the Greeks until the Enlightenment, stressing the value of truth as correspondence between textual evidence and its hermeneutics. On the other hand, the article also suggests that Eco’s and Lotman’s insistence on the dynamic character of hermeneutic communities entails a politics of meaning meant to preserve the core of the Western ‘semiotic civilization’ against threats that aim at deeply subverting it from both the inside or the outside of the semiosphere.
Signs and figures: Some remarks about Greimas’ theory of the figurative
Authors: Bertetti Paolo
Published: July 2017

The paper is a first attempt to analyse Greimas’ theory of the figurative from a “philological” perspective and discuss some hitherto unresolved issues. In particular, the paper will focus on four main topics: (1) the relation with Hjelmslev’s conception of the figure, showing that while Greimas’ conception of the figure is closely related to that of Hjelmslev’s – mainly in the fact that the figure is placed below the sign – it does, however, possess quite different and peculiar features; (2) the problem of the significant nature of figures, that emerges in many writings of Greimas’ and those of his followers, in which figures are not considered elements of the content that are smaller than a sign, with no autonomous meaning, but as already significant entities; (3) the problematic distinction between the thematic and the figurative; (4) the nature and limits of a semiotics of the sensible, and the (im)possibility of redefining and studying figurativity, not as given in a text, but when first grasped at the moment of perception.
Semantic Mechanisms of Mental Self-Organization of Subjects Learning
Authors: Дьяков  , D'yakov S.
Published: July 2017

In the context of the systems principle in the modern synergistic approach the author considers semantic mechanisms of psychic self-organization of subjects learning (teachers and students- teachers). It solved the problem of semantic concepts and self-organization of subject in the space of pedagogical interaction. The following methods are used: semantic analysis and concepts classification, modeling, content of analysis, testing, "repertory grid" by J. Kelly, sociometry and group valuation of the member of the group. Based on the hierarchical model, empirical results of a comparative analysis of the semantic constructs in the system of psychic self-organization of experienced teachers and students and educators are presented.
School Violence and Childhood Safety Organization in the Educational Space
Authors: Абраменкова  , Abramenkova Vera
Published: July 2017

The article is devoted to the problem of school violence and the organization of safety in educational environment. The author provides some form of violence, gives their analysis in our country and abroad in the historical context and modern situation of development. The article defines the concepts of victimhood, bulling, cyberbullying and their correlation with individual characteristics of children, and provides methods of prevention and safe development of children in educational space of school.