Geometric control of particle manipulation in a two-dimensional fluid

Manipulation of particles suspended in fluids is crucial for many applications, such as precision machining, chemical processes, bio-engineering, and self-feeding of microorganisms. In this paper, we study the problem of particle manipulation by cyclic fluid boundary excitations from a geometric-control viewpoint. We focus on the simplified problem of manipulating a single particle by generating controlled cyclic motion of a circular rigid body in a two-dimensional perfect fluid. We show that the drift in the particle location after one cyclic motion of the body can be interpreted as the geometric phase of a connection induced by the system's hydrodynamics. We then formulate the problem as a control system, and derive a geometric criterion for its nonlinear controllability. Moreover, by exploiting the geometric structure of the system, we explicitly construct a feedback-based gait that results in attraction of the particle towards the rigid body. We argue that our gait is robust and model-independent, and demonstrate it in both perfect fluid and Stokes fluid

International Law Status of WTO Dispute Settlement Reports: Obligation to Comply or Option to Buy Out ?

In four further parts of this comment, I undertake to fulfill my obligation to present a more thorough analysis. In part II, I briefly introduce some of the different elements that would go into normal treaty interpretation related to the issue in question, such as which text should be part of the analysis and whether preparatory work or intent of the parties, including statements by some nation-state governmental officials made contemporaneously with the drafting of the treaty, should be considered. Likewise, I mention the importance of the forty seven years of GATT practice to the interpretive process, and I note that one way to sharpen the focus of treaty interpretation is to assess the relevance of a prediction of what the WTO Appellate Body would decide if the issue came before it. In part III, I take a detailed look at the various treaty text provisions. The texts themselves are contained in an appendix so that the reader can examine them in context, if he or she wishes. In part IV, I outline several of the important policies that support the view I am taking and that I believe to be enormously significant in suggesting that the Schwartz and Sykes approach is markedly deficient. Finally, in part V, I briefly summarize my conclusions and perceptions

Interventions to Reduce Spasticity and Improve Function in People With Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Distinctions Revealed by Different Analytical Methods.

Background. Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in impaired function, and ankle joint spasticity is a common secondary complication. Different interventions have been trialed with variable results. Objective. We investigated the effects of pharmacological and physical (locomotor training) interventions on function in people living with incomplete motor function loss caused by SCI and used different analytical techniques to understand whether functional levels affect recovery with different interventions. Methods. Participants with an incomplete SCI were assigned to 3 groups: no intervention, Lokomat, or tizanidine. Outcome measures were the 10-m walk test, 6-minute walk test, and the Timed Up and Go. Participants were classified in 2 ways: (1) based on achieving an improvement above the minimally important difference (MID) and (2) using growth mixture modeling (GMM). Functional levels of participants who achieved the MID were compared and random coefficient regression (RCR) was used to assess recovery in GMM classes. Results. Overall, walking speed and endurance improved, with no difference between interventions. Only a small number of participants achieved the MID. Both MID and GMM-RCR analyses revealed that tizanidine improved endurance in high-functioning participants. GMM-RCR classification also showed that speed and mobility improved after locomotor training. Conclusions. Improvements in function were achieved in a limited number of people with SCI. Using the MID and GMM techniques, differences in responses to interventions between high-and low-functioning participants could be identified. These techniques may, therefore, have potential to be used for characterizing therapeutic effects resulting from different interventions

Characterisation of the pathogenic effects of the in vivo expression of an ALS-linked mutation in D-amino acid oxidase: Phenotype and loss of spinal cord motor neurons

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult-onset neuromuscular disorder characterised by selective loss of motor neurons leading to fatal paralysis. Current therapeutic approaches are limited in their effectiveness. Substantial advances in understanding ALS disease mechanisms has come from the identification of pathogenic mutations in dominantly inherited familial ALS (FALS). We previously reported a coding mutation in D-amino acid oxidase (DAOR199W) associated with FALS. DAO metabolises D-serine, an essential co-agonist at the N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid glutamate receptor subtype (NMDAR). Using primary motor neuron cultures or motor neuron cell lines we demonstrated that expression of DAOR199W, promoted the formation of ubiquitinated protein aggregates, activated autophagy and increased apoptosis. The aim of this study was to characterise the effects of DAOR199W in vivo, using transgenic mice overexpressing DAOR199W. Marked abnormal motor features, e.g. kyphosis, were evident in mice expressing DAOR199W, which were associated with a significant loss (19%) of lumbar spinal cord motor neurons, analysed at 14 months. When separated by gender, this effect was greater in females (26%; p< 0.0132). In addition, we crossed the DAOR199W transgenic mouse line with the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS to determine whether the effects of SOD1G93A were potentiated in the double transgenic line (DAOR199W/SOD1G93A). Although overall survival was not affected, onset of neurological signs was significantly earlier in female double transgenic animals than their female SOD1G93A littermates (125 days vs 131 days, P = 0.0239). In summary, some significant in vivo effects of DAOR199W on motor neuron function (i.e. kyphosis and loss of motor neurons) were detected which were most marked in females and could contribute to the earlier onset of neurological signs in double transgenic females compared to SOD1G93A littermates, highlighting the importance of recognizing gender effects present in animal models of ALS

Improved Backpacking Load Carriage System

This project developed a novel load carriage system with a suspension and pivoting hip belt for backpackers. The design was validated with a controlled study of 5 male subjects. Quantitative and qualitative results were gathered to compare the experimental backpack to a commercial backpack. The design did not meet the performance specifications for reducing oscillating load, ground reaction forces, and compression and shear at the lumbosacral joint. However, it met the specification for reducing fatigue, showing a 6% VO2max ± 4% decrease. It also induced the desired amount of forward lean, 12-30 degrees. Overall, this project was a proof of concept of a small form factor oscillating load backpack that, with improvements to the suspension, could achieve even greater functionality

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO U.S. FARM POLICY: A CHRONOLOGY AND ANALYSIS OF THE 1995-96 FARM BILL DEBATE

This paper presents a chronology of the 1995-96 farm bill debate, which was historic in several dimensions. Victories in the 1994 mid-term elections gave Republican majorities control of Congress for the first time in forty years. An omnibus budget reconciliation bill became the principal vehicle around which the Republicans organized their political agenda. In the highly-partisan atmosphere that followed, the debate on farm policy centered on the level of spending, the structure of the main commodity programs, and the programs for dairy, sugar and peanuts. The initial challenge faced by the new agriculture chairman in the House of Representatives was to find policies consistent with the election-year Republican rhetoric, while simultaneously putting together the committee votes to pass a farm bill. A "Freedom to Farm" plan to eliminate annual acreage set asides and provide fixed income transfers decoupled from production. Decisions and market prices became the centerpiece of his proposals. Proponents of the traditional commodity programs seemed to hold a strategic advantage against the proposed decoupled payments through September 1995. The Clinton administration had endorsed the traditional programs, and the Senate agriculture committee approved a bill that extended existing support mechanisms (with larger budget cuts than sought by the Democrats) after a reform initiative to lower target prices lacked Republican support. Meanwhile, opposition to Freedom to Farm from cotton and rice interests created an historic deadlock. The House agriculture committee did not pass any bill for inclusion in the budget legislation. The strategic balance in the farm bill debate shifted when market prices increased sharply in late 1995. The existing policy equilibrium continued to lose adherents and Congress passed the Freedom to Farm legislation in November. When the Republican budget initiative (including the new farm policies) subsequently collapsed (in January 1996), a bipartisan coalition emerged to enact the Federal Agriculture Reform and Improvement (FAIR) Act, again including Freedom to Farm. Notwithstanding the intervening steps, this may be the first time ever that legislation included in a budget reconciliation bill without approval from an authorizing committee has become law. The budget reconciliation bill passed by Congress in November 1995 but vetoed by the president was credited rhetorically with reducing farm program expenditures by $12 billion over seven years. But rising market prices by the time the bill passed implied that income transfers to farmers would be at least$3-5 billion more over the first two years under the new legislation than they would have been with the 1990 law. The strong bipartisan coalition in favor of the FAIR Act emerged only when it was clear that a net short-term windfall for farmers was involved, and with continuation of other farm policy interventions and reauthorization of environmental programs with new funding. When the president signed the FAIR Act in April 1996, the short-term benefits of decoupled payments for farmers were larger than estimated the previous November. Permanent legislation for support programs based on supply controls is maintained in the F AIR Act, and there is no guarantee that a transition to lower support costs has been initiated. The dairy, sugar and peanut programs escaped significant deregulation. Thus, regardless of claims that the F AIR Act brings an end to farm programs that have existed since the Great Depression, the amount of reform may well prove less than historic.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Effects of dance therapy on balance, gait and neuro-psychological performances in patients with Parkinson's disease and postural instability

Postural Instability (PI) is a core feature of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and a major cause of falls and disabilities. Impairment of executive functions has been called as an aggravating factor on motor performances. Dance therapy has been shown effective for improving gait and has been suggested as an alternative rehabilitative method. To evaluate gait performance, spatial-temporal (S-T) gait parameters and cognitive performances in a cohort of patients with PD and PI modifications in balance after a cycle of dance therapy

Human olfactory mesenchymal stromal cell transplants promote remyelination and earlier improvement in gait co-ordination after spinal cord injury

Autologous cell transplantation is a promising strategy for repair of the injured spinal cord. Here we have studied the repair potential of mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from the human olfactory mucosa after transplantation into a rodent model of incomplete spinal cord injury. Investigation of peripheral type remyelination at the injury site using immunocytochemistry for P0, showed a more extensive distribution in transplanted compared with control animals. In addition to the typical distribution in the dorsal columns (common to all animals), in transplanted animals only, P0 immunolabelling was consistently detected in white matter lateral and ventral to the injury site. Transplanted animals also showed reduced cavitation. Several functional outcome measures including end-point electrophysiological testing of dorsal column conduction and weekly behavioural testing of BBB, weight bearing and pain, showed no difference between transplanted and control animals. However, gait analysis revealed an earlier recovery of co-ordination between forelimb and hindlimb stepping in transplanted animals. This improvement in gait may be associated with the enhanced myelination in ventral and lateral white matter, where fibre tracts important for locomotion reside. Autologous transplantation of mesenchymal stromal cells from the olfactory mucosa may therefore be therapeutically beneficial in the treatment of spinal cord injury