cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating fabric fuzziness using laser range sensing

This paper introduces a high-resolution 3-D scanning system for objective evaluation of fabric fuzziness using laser range-sensing technology. This system consists of a laser range sensor, a 2-D mechanical stage, and a computer with dedicated software. The paper covers the process of surface digitization from 3-D scanning, image-processing techniques for surface feature description, and methods for characterization of fabric fuzziness. It also reports a preliminary test on a set of fabrics that were treated in different laundering cycles to gain different levels of fuzziness. The test demonstrates that this system has great potential for discriminating among fabric fuzziness levels in a quantitative and reliable manner.
The nature of the filaments northeast of the supernova remnant IC 443.

New optical spectrophotometry of the faint filaments northeast of the bright supernova remnant IC 443 show emission-line ratios very similar to those seen in the bright filaments of IC 443 and other supernova remnants. This suggests that these northeastern filaments also represent shock-heated interstellar gas and are not simply the southern boundary of the neighboring H II region S249 as previously suspected. If these filaments are associated with IC 443, they then reveal a much more extended remnant structure than previously assumed and permit a relatively accurate determination of IC 443's distance via its interaction with S249.
A comparison of the3He melting curve,T c(P) curve, and the susceptibility of lanthanum-diluted cerium magnesium nitrate below 50 mK

The ac susceptibility of lanthanum-diluted cerium magnesium nitrate has been compared to the temperature scales as derived from the (P, T) relation determined by Halperin and that was measured recently by Greywall. It is found that the susceptibility does not obey a simple Curie-Weiss law over the temperature range between 1 and 50 mK. The results of these calibrations are also used to determine the temperatures for the second-order phase transitions into the superfluid phases of3He at several pressures. TheseTc(P) values are compared to results of earlier experiments that used thermometry based on the susceptibility of platinum as well as other thermometry techniques.
GaN-based VCSEL fabricated on nonpolar GaN substrates

The vertical cavity surface emitting laser diode (VCSEL) was fabricated using nonpolar GaN substrates. The direction of the polarization of the lasing was along a-axis. The emission wavelength was 412nm and the threshold current was 80mA using 10 μm aperture. The selective etching was used to make a short cavity of the VCSELS.
Determinants of the intravenous diazepam dose required for gastroscopy.

Factors influencing the intravenous dose of diazepam required by 100 consecutive outpatients being prepared for peroral endoscopy were evaluated. Eleven patients reported a history of using 2 or more doses of benzodiazepine a week and required 0.48±0,1mg/kg of diazepam compared with 0,30±0.02 mg/kg (P
Acid secretion in Cypraea

The cowriesCypraea cervus L. andCypraea zebra L. have been noted to produce an acid secretion in the resting state that approximates 30 µEq./hr. When the cowries were stimulated mechanically or the sea water bath changed, the secretion could increase to 180 µEq./hr. However, when methacholine, histamine, acetazolamide, or Pentagastrin was introduced into the water bath, no further acid production occurred at the doses tested. No carbonic anhydrase or histamine was found in the tissues.
Effects of various uncertainty sources on automatic generation control systems

In power systems, the automatic generation control (AGC) system is responsible for maintaining the nominal system frequency and the scheduled real power interchange between balancing areas. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate the effects of uncertainty arising from renewable-based electricity generation and noise in communication channels on the AGC system performance. To this end, we introduce a unified stochastic differential equation (SDE) model that includes power system dynamics and the AGC system (including the communication network on which its operation relies). We propagate the uncertainty from renewable-based resources and communication channel noise through the SDE model and investigate the resulting effect on AGC system performance. The proposed ideas are illustrated through a 4-bus test system.
Antagonism of limbic and extrapyramidal actions of intracerebrally injected dopamine by ergolines with partial D2 agonist activity in the rat.

Bromocriptine and a series of experimental ergoline D2 partial agonists (SDZ-208-911, SDZ-212-327, SDZ-208-912) were evaluated for their interactions with exogenous dopamine (DA, at ED50 = 16 micrograms) stereotaxically injected unilaterally into a limbic (superior-medial nucleus accumbens septi) or extrapyramidal (central corpus striatum) target site in rat brain. Behavioral measures to quantify responses were locomotor arousal induced by DA in accumbens and contralateral head turning with striatum. All agents, given systemically (i.p.), induced dose-dependent inhibition of behavioral responses to DA from both brain sites. In both accumbens and striatum, SDZ-212-327 was most potent and bromocriptine, least; however, bromocriptine was relatively much more potent in accumbens, and SDZ-208-912 somewhat more potent in striatum. These results add to the growing impression that agents with partial agonist actions at central DA receptors can show behaviorally inhibitory effects that may reflect paradoxical antidopaminergic actions against the full, natural agonist of DA receptors and that such effects can be regionally selective.
Classifiers as Count Syntax: Individuation and Measurement in the Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese

The distinction between mass nouns (e.g., butter) and count nouns (e.g., table) offers a test case for asking how the syntax and semantics of natural language are related, and how children exploit syntax-semantics mappings when acquiring language. Virtually no studies have examined this distinction in classifier languages (e.g., Mandarin Chinese) due to the widespread assumption that such languages lack mass-count syntax. However, Cheng and Sybesma (1998) argue that Mandarin encodes the mass-count at the classifier level: classifiers can be categorized as “mass-classifiers” or “count-classifiers.” Mass and count classifiers differ in semantic interpretation and occur in different syntactic constructions. The current study is first an empirical test of Cheng and Sybesma's hypothesis, and second, a test of the acquisition of putative mass and count classifiers by children learning Mandarin. Experiments 1 and 2 asked whether count-classifiers select individuals and whether mass classifiers select portions of...
Do mitigation strategies reduce global warming potential in the northern U.S. corn belt

Agricultural management practices that enhance C sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emission (nitrous oxide [N₂O], methane [CH₄], and carbon dioxide [CO₂]), and promote productivity are needed to mitigate global warming without sacrificing food production. The objectives of the study were to compare productivity, greenhouse gas emission, and change in soil C over time and to assess whether global warming potential and global warming potential per unit biomass produced were reduced through combined mitigation strategies when implemented in the northern U.S. Corn Belt. The systems compared were (i) business as usual (BAU); (ii) maximum C sequestration (MAXC); and (iii) optimum greenhouse gas benefit (OGGB). Biomass production, greenhouse gas flux change in total and organic soil C, and global warming potential were compared among the three systems. Soil organic C accumulated only in the surface 0 to 5 cm. Three-year average emission of N₂O and CH was similar among all management systems. When integrated from planting to planting, N₂O emission was similar for MAXC and OGGB systems, although only MAXC was fertilized. Overall, the three systems had similar global warming potential based on 4-yr changes in soil organic C, but average rotation biomass was less in the OGGB systems. Global warming potential per dry crop yield was the least for the MAXC system and the most for OGGB system. This suggests management practices designed to reduce global warming potential can be achieved without a loss of productivity. For example, MAXC systems over time may provide sufficient soil C sequestration to offset associated greenhouse gas emission.
Fossil Nonmarine Ostracoda of the United States: Developments in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy, No.16

Fossil Nonmarine Ostracoda of the United States: Developments in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy, No.16, Frederick M. Swain, 1999, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 401 p. (Hardcover $295.00) ISBN: 0-444-50089-8. I was looking forward to reading this book. But, as I worked my way through the book, I found myself becoming more and more disappointed. Let's start with the publisher. Elsevier is well known in the academic world for producing high quality, if expensive, texts of often limited readership appeal. Clearly price is driven by demand, but does Elsevier really expect that individual scientists will rush out to buy a copy of this text with a price tag of $295? Yet, given the objective of the book, this is exactly the group to whom it is targeted. The book at best, is a review of the literature. If only libraries have the budget to purchase the book and I go to the library to check out the book, then I might as well go the extra mile and check the original references. The only possible reason to buy this book is so that I have a reference on my shelf to save me the time of going to the library to check out the original literature. But I digress. The author, Fred Swain is a powerhouse of ostracode research; he's been at it since the 1940's, and if anyone knows about freshwater ostracodes, it is Fred. The premise behind the book is entirely reasonable; hence, my initial excitement. There is no single source that ostracode researchers can go to for up-to-date information about the geological history of freshwater ostracodes in the United States. But that is the key point: UP TO DATE information. As with many books of this type, the contents are split between a stratigraphic review of the pertinent occurrences followed by a …
Mapping of restriction sites in the argF gene of Escherichia coli by partial endonuclease digestion of end-labeled DNA.

Abstract A detailed physical map depicting the cleavage sites generated by ten different restriction endonucleases was prepared for the argF region of the Escherichia coli K-12 genome carried on a 1650 base pair fragment capable of directing the in vitro synthesis of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTCase; EC 2.1.3.3) under the control of arginine holorepressor. The method employed was originally developed by Smith and Birnsteil (1976), and involved the electrophoretic sizing of partial endonuclease digestion products of DNA radiolabeled at one end. This novel technique proved to be rapid, simple, amenable to the simultaneous mapping of numerous cleavage sites, and provided the essential information for determining the map order of restriction fragments. A facile method which involved magnesium phosphate as the DNA-binding agent was presented for the isolation of DNA fragments. The discovery of a 117 base pair sequence in the argF gene is also discussed.
Solvent polarity scales. 1. Determination of ET and π* values for phosphonium and ammonium melts

The solvent polarity of a series of organic salts in their molten state has been determined using the solvatochromic dyes: pyridinium N-phenolate betaine, the basis of the ET scale, and N,N-diethyl-4-nitroniline, one of the primary standards for the π* scale. Each of these dyes was dissolved in the following liquids: lithium acetate–sodium acetate–potassium acetate eutectic; ethylammonium chloride; dimethylammonium cloride; diethylammonium nitrate; ammonium trifluoracetate; tetraethylammonium acetate; tetrabutylphosphonium chloride; octyltributylphosphonium chloride; dodecyltributylphosphonium chloride; tetrabutylammonium bromide; tetrabutylphosphonium bromide; octyltributylphosphonium bromide; dodecyltributylphosphonium bromide; octyltributylphosphonium iodide; dodecyltributylphosphonium iodide; tetrahexylammonium benzoate; methyltrioctylphosphonium dimethylphosphate; and methyltrioctylammonium chloride. The ultraviolet and visible spectra were measured for each of these. In addition, data were collected as a function of temperature and in the presence of neutral and ionic additives. In general, these molten salts represent solvent polarities equivalent to moderately polar aprotic solvents such as acetone and acetonitrile. The salts with cations capable of being hydrogen bond donors gave considerably higher values, equivalent to or higher than water, the solvent with the highest value on the ET scale. These and the eutectic mixture are thought to involve specific dye–solvent interactions which cause these anomalously high values.
The effect of ceramic reinforcement on residual stresses during spray atomization and Co-deposition of metal matrix composites

The objective of the present study is to investigate the thermal residual stresses that develop in MMCs fabricated from spray atomization and co-deposition process, using a thermo-elastoplastic finite element analysis. In order to analyze the effect of reinforcement on the residual stresses, the analysis is also performed in the material without reinforcement. In the present study, the effect of reinforcement volume fraction on the residual stresses is investigated as well.
DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC FEATURES OF FACET AND SACROILIAC JOINT INJECTION: Anatomy, Pathophysiology, and Technique

The therapeutic benefit of facet joint injection for low back pain has been debated in the literature. Various studies have produced diverse results and have failed to resolve this issue. Even investigators who subscribe to this technique do not concur regarding specific methods of administering this therapy. For instance, whether or not a purely intra-articular injection is required to achieve pain relief has been addressed, and data exist supporting both methods. This article addresses the anatomy, pathophysiology, and salient radiographic features of the lumbar apophyseal joints. Our technique for facet joint injections is also discussed in addition to the pharmacology of various agents utilized for facet joint injection. Sacroiliac joint injection is also addressed.
Coarticulation in apraxia of speech: A perceptual, acoustic, and electropalatographic study

Data concerning anticipatory coarticulation in speakers with an apraxia of speech are contradictory. Some researchers (Ziegler and von Cramon, 1985, 1986 Tuller and Story, 1987) report delayed or deficient coarticulation in apraxic patients while others (Katz, 1987, 1988) report preserved coarticulation. Acoustic, perceptual and electropalatographic (EPG) analyses were used to examine anticipatory coarticulation in one apraxic patient and one normal control. Subjects produced three repetitions of six words containing the vowels /i/, /α/ and /u/ in the phrase ‘Say—again’ at slow, habitual, and fast speaking rates. The speech samples were ‘gated’, leaving 0, 1/4 or 1/2 of the vowel. Listeners chose the vowel they heard from a set of six (/α/, /ae/, /i/, /i/, /u/, /u/). As the vowel /a/ was identified correctly, and had minimal EPG contacts, the data are not reported. The results for vowels /i/ and /u/ are as follows: (1) listeners had greater difficulty correctly identifying the vowels produced by the apraxi...
Investigation of Relative Importance of Some Error Sources in Particle Image Velocimetry

Several error sources are analyzed for 2-component PIV, including: calibration, magnification variation, perspective, resolution, and the correlation algorithm noise floor. Several of these error sources are compared with previously published estimates. New experimental data and methods for measuring the contribution of each source to velocity uncertainty are presented.The calibration uncertainty on the velocity measurement was found to be small (so long as reasonable care is taken in the calibration) and independent of the calibration target for a 2-component PIV setup. The perspective error and magnification variation were both calculated and experimentally found to be small. The light sheet thickness only has an effect when the thickness is greater than 1% of the distance from the light sheet to the camera lens plane. The spatial resolution may be so coarse as to not capture the smaller eddies in the flow, thus attenuating the measured fluctuations. The noise floor was found to contribute significantly to the uncertainty in the velocity measurements in sub-pixel displacement.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Evaluating the impact of the simulation environment on experimentation results

Simulation has become the tool of choice for advanced computer architecture research. Simulation model abstraction as well as compiler specifics can have significant impact on the observed performance trends and may lead to incorrect conclusions. This study presents a methodology that compares the predicted performance impact of several architectural techniques measured on a variety of simulator and compiler configurations. A significant difference in speedup between experiments indicates that a technique is sensitive to this particular variation. The results demonstrate a strong but non-uniform relationship between modeling abstraction and measurement error, as well as a significant sensitivity to the compiler.
Monte carlo finite element method of structure reliability analysis

Abstract To resolve the problem in reliability of any complicated engineering structures by use of general reliability methodology one often comes across a great deal of limitations due to realistic difficulties. In order to make use of the advantage that the finite element method could numerically resolve the load response of any structure, and the character that Monte Carlo method could carry out stochastic simulation, the Monte Carlo finite element method for any structure reliability analysis was presented. The advantage of high precision, less work in calculation and rapid convergence of the method developed above has been proved by concrete reliability calculation and analysis of the given engineering structure possessing analytic solutions (e.g. a thick wall cylinder). Using the method for rather complicated structures (e.g. high pressure cast steel casing head bearing of oil well head), it was discovered it is necessary to use only a few simulations to obtain the structure reliability value, which took further steps to prove the effectiveness of the Monte Carlo finite element method.
Femoral anteversion influences vastus medialis and gluteus medius EMG amplitude: composite hip abductor EMG amplitude ratios during isometric combined hip abduction-external rotation

Abstract This prospective study evaluated differences in vastus medialis (VM) and gluteus medius (GM) EMG amplitude:composite hip abductor (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, tensor fascia lata) EMG amplitude ratios among subjects with low or high relative femoral anteversion. Data were collected during the performance of a non-weight bearing, non-sagittal plane maximal volitional effort isometric combined hip abduction-external rotation maneuver. Eighteen nonimpaired athletically active females participated in this surface EMG study. Medial hip rotation (relative femoral anteversion estimate) was measured with a handheld goniometer. Subjects were grouped by medial hip rotation displacement (group 1≤42°=36.1±7° and group 2>42°=52.7±7°) for statistical analysis (Mann Whitney U -tests, p U =19, p =0.034) and GM (62±25% vs. 96±39%, U =19, p =0.034) normalized mean peak EMG amplitude:composite mean peak hip abductor EMG amplitude ratios compared to group 1. Decreased normalized VM (−27%) and GM (−34%) EMG amplitudes among subjects with increased relative femoral anteversion suggest reduced dynamic frontal and transverse plane femoral control from these muscles, possibly contributing to the increased incidence of non-contact knee injury observed among athletic females.
Thermosetting and thermoplastic bisphenol A epoxy/phenoxy resin as encapsulant material

Polymer materials have found extensive applications as encapsulants in the microelectronics packaging industry, especially the epoxy resin systems for die attach adhesive, glob top, underfill, etc. However, normally only thermosetting systems have been widely employed, which could transform into infusible 3D networks during the curing process. In this paper, we explore the possibility of using thermoplastic materials and their combination with thermosetting materials as encapsulants for some specific end microelectronic products, as they would demonstrate some process/property advantages over the fully thermosetting counterparts, a potentially tremendous economic/cost concern. Both thermosetting and thermoplastic epoxy resins were studied for their adhesion as well as adhesion durability capability. The chemistry is based on poly(bisphenol A-co-epichlorohydrin), including the basic liquid resin and the advanced solid resin of different molecular weight, and the so-called phenoxy resin of very high molecular weight. In order to target a practically feasible formulation that would operate with an actual industrial line, the development work was implemented by combining the thermosetting basic liquid epoxy resin with the thermoplastic free radical polymerizable system, which appeared to be a quite promising approach for both product processibility and application performance.
Phonological features and representations meet the Munchausen syndrome

Phonetic/phonological analytic techniques are applied to an unusual method of speaking developed by an English-speaking patient with the Munchausen syndrome. This patient's phonetic output was restricted to vowels, nonlateral voiced approximants, and the glottal stop. An analysis of this class of sounds, especially the glottal stop, is provided from the points of view of articulatory phonetics and segmental/autosegmental generative phonology. The preferred solution is seen to require the articulatory definitions of the manner features (Halle and Clements, 1983) - [sonorant], [continuant] - and the source features (Halle and Stevens, 1971) - [spread], [constricted], [stiff], [slack] - as well as the multitiered representations in autosegmental theory (Goldsmith, 1979).
The Effects of Phased Feeding Protein and Calcium on Egg Weight and Shell Quality with Four Strains of White Leghorn Hens

Abstract The effects of phasing dietary protein and calcium levels on egg weight and shell quality were studied using 1200 White Leghorn hens of four strains housed in group cages. Hens fed diets decreasing in protein by 1% while increasing in calcium by .5% at 12-week intervals had a greater early egg weight combined with a significantly slower rate of increase in egg weight with age than those from the control hens fed a diet with the average protein and calcium contents of the phased diets. Average egg weights for the 48-week trial were identical for both treatments. Shell quality, as measured by shell weight per unit of surface area of the egg (SWUSA), was significantly affected by the calcium level fed. When the dietary calcium level was phased upward, the rate of decline in shell quality, with increasing age of the hen, was significantly slower than with the control diet. Egg production, mortality, and the percentage of uncollectible eggs were not affected by dietary treatment Feed efficiency, as measured by the metabolizable calories required per unit of egg mass, was significantly poorer for the hens fed the phased protein diets than for those fed the diets phased in both protein and calcium. The strain of hen had significant effects on egg production, feed efficiency, egg weight, shell quality, and mortality but not on uncollectible eggs. One of the two midget strains, although housed at 14% greater bird density, had 5 and 10% improved feed efficiency, 2% lower and 1% greater egg weight, and shell quality 6% higher and equal to the two standard-sized strains, respectively, while matching them in egg production. Performance of one midget strain was not up to the overall standard exhibited by the standard-sized birds nor the other midget strain.
Accelerated age-related CpG island methylation in ulcerative colitis.

CpG island hypermethylation is a mechanism of gene silencing that can be usurped by neoplastic cells to inactivate undesirable genes. In the colon, hypermethylation often starts in normal mucosa as a function of age and is markedly increased in cancer. To test the hypothesis that subjects at increased risk of colon cancer have higher levels of methylation in their nonneoplastic mucosa, we studied methylation patterns of five genes in the normal and dysplastic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), a condition associated with a marked increased risk of colon cancer. One gene ( Mlh1 ) was unmethylated in all tissues examined. All four remaining genes had low but detectable levels of methylation in the epithelium of UC patients without evidence of dysplasia, and this methylation was not different from non-UC controls. By contrast, all four genes were highly methylated in dysplastic epithelium from high-grade dysplasia (HGD)/cancer patients with UC; methylation in HGD versus controls averaged 40.0% versus 7.4% ( P = 0.00003) for ER , 44.0% versus 3.0% ( P MYOD , 9.4% versus 2.4% ( P = 0.03) for p16 exon 1, and 57.5% versus 30.6% ( P = 0.01) for CSPG2 . Importantly, three of the four genes were also highly methylated in the normal appearing (nondysplastic) epithelium from these same HGD/cancer patients, indicating that methylation precedes dysplasia and is widespread in these patients. Compared with controls, methylation averaged 20.1% versus 7.2% ( P = 0.07) for ER , 18.4% versus 3.0% ( P MYOD , and 7.9% versus 2.4% ( P = 0.007) for p16 exon 1. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that age-related methylation marks (and may lead to) the field defect that reflects acquired predisposition to colorectal neoplasia. Furthermore, the data suggest that chronic inflammation is associated with high levels of methylation, perhaps as a result of increased cell turnover, and that UC can be viewed as resulting in premature aging of colorectal epithelial cells.
Deterministic and stochastic analyses of a nonlinear system with a Biot visco-elastic element

In the paper the Biot hysteretic model involving an infinite collection of elements whose dynamic characteristics are specified through a probability density-like function is re-examined; in the limit case, the Biot model yields a dynamic system with ideal hysteretic damping which is known to be problematic for random vibration analysis. It is shown that bona fide Monte Carlo simulations can be conducted for the Biot model by treating, cautiously, the integrodifferential equation which is involved; this is based on recursive calculations of double integrals encountered in the representation of the system dynamics. The numerical results which pertain to the Monte Carlo studies are further used to assess the accuracy of a statistical linearization procedure adopted in determining the response of the hysteretically damped system to white noise. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Model-based estimation of cardiac output and total peripheral resistance

We describe a novel model-based approach to estimate cardiac output (CO) and total peripheral resistance (TPR) continuously from peripheral arterial blood pressure (ABP) waveforms. Our method exploits the intra-beat and inter-beat variability in ABP to estimate the lumped time constant of a beat-to-beat averaged Windkessel model of the arterial tree, from which we obtain an uncalibrated estimate of CO. To estimate absolute CO, we determine the lumped arterial compliance using calibration data, and assuming either constant or state-dependent compliance. We applied our method to a porcine data set in which stroke volume was measured with an ultrasonic flowmeter. We obtain root-mean-square normalized errors of 11-13% across all pigs, lower than those obtained on the same data set using various other estimation methods. The CO estimates, and TPR estimates derived from them track intravenous drug infusions quite closely.
Fast algorithms to QR factor circulant matrices

The authors introduce a fast algorithm for computing the QR factors of a complex vertically circulant matrix C. The complexity of the algorithm is 5mn+2n/sup 2/+O(m) complex-fixed point operations or 3mn+n/sup 2/+O(m) complex floating-point operations, where m is the number of rows in C and n is the number of columns (it is supposed that m >
Maximizing the use of COTS network management products in AF SCN control and monitor applications

Even though the network trade press has highlighted the weaknesses in commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) network management offerings, the status quo has changed little because most commercial networks are not structurally dynamic. Many military networks are comprised of strategic components, some in place for years, with limited bandwidth and increasing traffic payload requirements. Enhancing strategic networks is always more time consuming and costly than enhancing their commercial counterparts. In order to meet the increasing mission requirements, communication equipment and bandwidth are allocated on a mission support-by-support basis. Equipment is reconfigured very frequently during the day. Command and control of military networks is much more important than simply monitoring these networks. A new generation of commercial network management products is being deployed to meet this need. The US Air Force Satellite Control Network (AF SCN) is implementing a centralized control and monitor capability based of the following network management capabilities: dynamic reconfiguration and assignment; graphical user interfaces; defined sets of configuration actions; automatic trouble ticket generation and tracking; and expert system based fault detection/fault isolation. Some of these are currently COTS, others are enhancements to the COTS packages, but are tightly integrated with them. This paper describes the current support scenarios in the AFSCN, the mission goals and the network management products implemented to meet these goals.
Approaches to neuroprotective strategies in multiple sclerosis.

Importance of the field: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurologic disease that is the most common nontraumatic cause of serious disability in young adults. Areas covered in this review: We discuss the natural history of the disease, methods of measuring disease activity and burden, and cellular and molecular mechanisms of damage, in particular recent advances. These imply new therapeutic targets, which are beginning to be tested in animal models of MS as well as in patients. What the reader will gain: The reader will learn about some recent advances in understanding MS, especially the evolution from an inflammatory phase to a neurodegenerative phase, which have different therapeutic approaches. Take home message: MS has a long-term course of accumulating deficit in which neuroinflammation evolves into neurodegeneration, which require different treatment strategies – immune modulation and neuroprotection. Neuroprotective strategies are still under development.
Polyenylphosphatidylcholine Attenuates Alcohol-Induced Fatty Liver and Hyperlipemia in Rats

Chronic administration of a soybean-derived polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC) extract prevents the development of cirrhosis in alcohol-fed baboons. To assess whether this phospholipid also affects earlier changes induced by alcohol consumption (such as fatty liver and hyperlipemia), 28 male rat littermates were pair-fed liquid diets containing 36% of energy either as ethanol or as additional carbohydrate for 21 d, and killed 90 min after intragastric administration of the corresponding diets. Half of the rats were given PPC (3 g/l), whereas the other half received the same amount of linoleate (as safflower oil) and choline (as bitartrate salt). PPC did not affect diet or alcohol consumption [15.4 +/- 0.5 G/(kg.d)], but the ethanol-induced hepatomegaly and the hepatic accumulation of lipids (principally triglycerides and cholesterol esters) and proteins were about half those in rats not given PPC. The ethanol-induced postprandial hyperlipemia was lower with PPC than without, despite an enhanced fat absorption and no difference in the level of plasma free fatty acids. The attenuation of fatty liver and hyperlipemia was associated with correction of the ethanol-induced inhibition of mitochondrial oxidation of palmitoyl-1-carnitine and the depression of cytochrome oxidase activity, as well as the increases in activity of serum glutamate dehydrogenase and aminotransferases. Thus, PPC attenuates early manifestations of alcohol toxicity, at least in part, by improving mitochondrial injury. These beneficial effects of PPC at the initial stages of alcoholic liver injury may prevent or delay the progression to more advanced forms of alcoholic liver disease.
The Rule of Law and the UN Peacebuilding Commission: a social development approach

There is a danger that the Rule of Law Assistance Unit of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission will employ the same dominant but problematic paradigm that the international development community has pursued across the globe. This top-down, state-centred paradigm, sometimes known as ‘rule of law orthodoxy’, stands in contrast to an alternative set of strategies: legal empowerment. Legal empowerment involves the use of legal services, legal capacity-building and legal reform by and for disadvantaged populations, often in combination with other development activities, to increase their freedom, improve governance and alleviate poverty. It is typically carried out by domestic and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), but also by governments and official aid agencies. This alternative approach focuses directly on the disadvantaged and integration with other development activities, which means it often operates under the de facto rubric of social development. Legal empowerment strategies v...
How many choices can your test animal compare effectively? Evaluating a critical assumption of behavioral preference tests

Behavioral choice tests comprise one of the most commonly used experimental designs in ecology. However a critical assumption of these assays, that the outcome is independent of the number of choices, has not been tested explicitly. We developed a methodology for testing this assumption, and discuss how it can be incorporated into experimental design. The model with which we performed this test consisted of an insect herbivore, the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar L., feeding on a clonal host plant, Populus. We established a dose-response feeding gradient by amending leaves of a single age class with defined concentrations of a diterpene, isopimaric acid, that exhibits feeding deterrent properties. We selected various concentrations that elicited different levels of feeding for subsequent tests in which we modified the number of choices. A sample size of 30 assay units per test generated statistically significant separations in two-way choice tests, yielded statistically significant but somewhat inconsistent results when four concentrations were offered, and failed to provide complete separation when five concentrations were offered. Other factors associated with the number of choices that affected results included specific combinations of doses, physical arrangement of choices, and total consumption per assay unit. We used our results to develop procedures for estimating the sample sizes needed to compare a specified number of choices. We based these methods on power considerations, the requirements for data transformation and inclusion of covariates. We develop a general approach for estimating the number of replicates needed to support a particular number of choices for a test organism, and discuss factors to be considered when relating this approach to various types of behavioral choice assays.
Full-blooded reference

In ‘Just what is full-blooded platonism?’ Greg Restall outlines several objections to Mark Balaguer's theory of full-blooded platonism. I reply to these objections by explicating the semantic framework for the reference of mathematical terms that full-blooded platonism requires. Expanding upon these replies, I then explain how the full-blooded platonist, in light of the explicated semantic framework, should treat mathematical terms and statements in order to avoid certain pitfalls.
Histochemical applications of skin surface biopsy.

SUMMARY.— The method of skin surface biopsy in which a cyanoacrylate adhesive is used to remove a coherent strip of stratum corneum, has been used to investigate aspects of epidermal function. The Sudan dyes were employed to demonstrate sebum in the hair follicle openings. Although increased quantities of Sudanophilic material were detected with increasing time intervals before sampling, it proved impractical to measure sebum secretion quantitatively by this method. Hydrolase activity in and around hair follicle orifices of the back, forehead and forearm were demonstrated, using enzyme histochemical methods for non-specific esterase, acid phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase and β-glucuronidase activities. Specimens from the forehead and back were found to have stronger activities than those from the forearm. Apart from the vicinity of the follicular openings, non-specific esterase activity was not normally found in the superficial stratum corneum, although scattered areas of activity were present in the deeper parts of the horny layer. Strong, non-specific esterase activity was detected in skin surface biopsies from lesions of pityriasis lichenoides and, to a lesser extent, those of psoriasis. Mitochondrial enzyme activities were retained in parakeratotic scale from patients with psoriasis, pityriasis rubra pilaris and areas made parakeratotic after repeated removal of the stratum corneum, although not from the lesions of pityriasis lichenoides. The method also proved suitable for the demonstration of melanin granules, blood pigment and sweat gland activity.
Expression of Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase in Toxoplasma gondii Attenuates Tachyzoite Virulence in Mice

ABSTRACT We tested the virulence in mice of Toxoplasma gondii RH strain tachyzoites containing various copies of the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase-herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase fusion sequence (CAT-HSTK). Tachyzoite isolates containing ≥five copies of the fusion sequence were not lethal to female CD-1 outbred or BALB/c inbred mice, at doses up to 106 parasites, while the parental RH strain caused 100% mortality within 2 weeks at doses as low as 10 parasites. Mice infected with CTK11, an isolate containing five copies of the fusion sequence, showed no overt symptoms of disease and were protected from lethal challenge with the parental RH strain. The CTK11 isolate showed no difference in growth rate, the rate of host cell invasion, or extracellular viability in cell culture compared with parental RH parasites, demonstrating that the CAT-HSTK fusion protein does not affect the normal viability of this isolate. B11, B11C, and D1 isolates contained one or two copies of the CAT-HSTK coding sequence, were not sensitive to thymidine in cell culture, and caused 100% mortality in CD-1 outbred mice in
Integrating Evolution and Development: The Need for Bioinformatics in Evo-Devo

Abstract This article is an overview of concepts relating to the integration of the genotype and phenotype. One of the major goals of evolutionary developmental biology, or evo-devo, is to understand the transformation of morphology in evolution. This goal can be accomplished by synthesizing the data pertaining to gene regulatory networks and making use of the increasingly comprehensive knowledge of phylogenetic relationships and associated phenotypes. I give several examples of recent success in connecting these different biological levels. These examples help illuminate the “black box” between genotype and phenotype and illustrate a few of the technical and bioinformatic challenges ahead. The key concept of modularity unites genetic, developmental, and evolutionary approaches, because modules are the units of evolution. Primitive and derived network modules interact in development to create the phenotype. To obtain a systems-level understanding of evolutionary phenotypic change, bioinformatics approache...
Dissecting the Role of E2 Protein Domains in Alphavirus Pathogenicity

ABSTRACT Alphaviruses represent a diverse set of arboviruses, many of which are important pathogens. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arthritis-inducing alphavirus, is the cause of a massive ongoing outbreak in the Caribbean and South America. In contrast to CHIKV, other related alphaviruses, such as Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV), can cause encephalitic disease. E2, the receptor binding protein, has been implicated as a determinant in cell tropism, host range, pathogenicity, and immunogenicity. Previous reports also have demonstrated that E2 contains residues important for host range expansions and monoclonal antibody binding; however, little is known about what role each protein domain (e.g., A, B, and C) of E2 plays on these factors. Therefore, we constructed chimeric cDNA clones between CHIKV and VEEV or SFV to probe the effect of each domain on pathogenicity in vitro and in vivo . CHIKV chimeras containing each of the domains of the E2 (ΔDomA, ΔDomB, and ΔDomC) from SFV, but not VEEV, were successfully rescued. Interestingly, while all chimeric viruses were attenuated compared to CHIKV in mice, ΔDomB virus showed similar rates of infection and dissemination in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, suggesting differing roles for the E2 protein in different hosts. In contrast to CHIKV; ΔDomB, and to a lesser extent ΔDomA, caused neuron degeneration and demyelination in mice infected intracranially, suggesting a shift toward a phenotype similar to SFV. Thus, chimeric CHIKV/SFV provide insights on the role the alphavirus E2 protein plays on pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has caused large outbreaks of acute and chronic arthritis throughout Africa and Southeast Asia and has now become a massive public health threat in the Americas, causing an estimated 1.2 million human cases in just over a year. No approved vaccines or antivirals exist for human use against CHIKV or any other alphavirus. Despite the threat, little is known about the role the receptor binding protein (E2) plays on disease outcome in an infected host. To study this, our laboratory generated chimeric CHIKV containing corresponding regions of the Semliki Forest virus (SFV) E2 (domains A, B, and C) substituted into the CHIKV genome. Our results demonstrate that each domain of E2 likely plays a critical, but dissimilar role in the viral life cycle. Our experiments show that manipulation of E2 domains can be useful for studies on viral pathogenesis and potentially the production of vaccines and/or antivirals.
Identification and Characterization of Novel Microsomal Prostaglandin E Synthase-1 Inhibitors for Analgesia

Prostaglandin (PG) E2 plays a critical role in eliciting inflammation. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase, which block PGE2 production, have been used as key agents in treating inflammation and pain associated with arthritis and other conditions. However, these agents have significant side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding and myocardial infarction, since they also block the production of prostanoids that are critical for other normal physiologic functions. Microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 is a membrane-bound terminal enzyme in the prostanoid pathway, which acts downstream of cyclooxygenase 2 and is responsible for PGE2 production during inflammation. Thus, inhibition of this enzyme would be expected to block PGE2 production without inhibiting other prostanoids and would provide analgesic efficacy without the side effects. In this report, we describe novel microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 inhibitors that are potent in blocking PGE2 production and are efficacious in a guinea pig monoiodoacetate model of arthralgia. These molecules may be useful in treating the signs and symptoms associated with arthritis.
Marrying personality and job resources and their effect on engagement via critical psychological states

AbstractThis study examined the process by which individuals become engaged with their jobs by integrating seminal engagement theory. More specifically, we suggest that an individual factor (i.e. autotelic personality) and two contextual factors (i.e. feedback environment, job autonomy) interact to predict work engagement through three critical psychological states – namely availability, meaningfulness, and safety. This moderated mediation framework was tested using a cross section of the US population (n = 284); data were collected at two points in time with 3 months in between. Availability and meaningfulness mediated the relationship between autotelic personality and work engagement. Autotelic personality’s indirect effect on work engagement through meaningfulness and safety was conditional such that the nature of feedback environment’s effect depended on job autonomy level. Theory and practice implications are discussed.
Physical Therapy and Hospitalization Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between receipt and quantity of outpatient physical therapy (PT) during an episode of care and 30-day and 180-day hospital admissions for any condition and lumbar spine conditions. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Low back pain (LBP) is a common cause of hospitalization and the most common reason Medicare beneficiaries utilize outpatient PT. The association between PT and hospitalization among patients with LBP is unknown. METHODS A national sample of Medicare Fee-for-Service claims included 413,608 beneficiaries with an International Classification of Disease 9th revision (ICD-9) code of LBP and 1,415,037 episodes of care between June 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011. Episodes were classified as PT episodes or non-PT episodes. Relative risk of hospitalization from the episode start date was caldulated, adjusting for health status (Charlson comorbidity index), prior care utilization (number of prior hospitalizations and total number of episodes), an indicator of LBP severity (number of LBP ICD-9 codes), and demographics (sex, race/ethnicity, age). RESULTS The proportion of 30-day hospitalization for any condition was 3.42% for PT episodes of care and 6.54% for non-PT episodes. For 180-day hospitalization, proportions were 15.45% (PT) and 21.65% (non-PT). The adjusted relative risk reduction of PT (vs. non-PT) was 41% for 30 days [99% confidence interval (CI) 38-44] and 22% for 180 days (20-24). For admitting diagnoses of lumbar spine, reductions were 65% at 30 days and 32% at 180 days. More PT treatment days showed greater 30-day risk reductions. For any condition, compared with non-PT, reductions were 24% for 1 to 2 treatment days (lowest tertile), 45% for 3 to 7 days, and 65% for more than 8 days (highest tertile). Stronger effects were found for lumbar spine admissions. Associations between PT quantity and 180-day hospitalization were less consistent. Limitations of Medicare claims include the potential for inaccuracies, limited knowledge about disease severity, and which PT interventions were conducted. CONCLUSION Receipt of PT during an episode had a 22% to 65% reduced relative risk of hospitalization, with greater short-term reductions for more PT treatment days. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.