Tuition, 18 October 1842

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_b/1044/thumbnail.jp

Glen E. Dickenson and M. W. Husband to Governor Ross Barnett, 28 September 1962

Senders discuss the attempted invasions of both Cuba and Mississippi.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/west_union_gov/1057/thumbnail.jp

The lady vanishes: what's missing from the stem cell debate

Most opponents of somatic cell nuclear transfer and embryonic stem cell technologies base their arguments on the twin assertions that the embryo is either a human being or a potential human being, and that it is wrong to destroy a human being or potential human being in order to produce stem cell lines. Proponents’ justifications of stem cell research are more varied, but not enough to escape the charge of obsession with the status of the embryo. What unites the two warring sides in ‘the stem cell wars’ is that women are equally invisible to both: ‘the lady vanishes’. Yet the only legitimate property in the body is that which women possess in their reproductive tissue and the products of their reproductive labour. By drawing on the accepted characterisation in law of property as a bundle of rights, and on a Hegelian model of contract as mutual recognition, we can lessen the impact of the tendency to regard women and their eggs as merely receptacles and women’s reproductive labour as unimportant

A feasibility study of hand kinematics for EVA analysis using magnetic resonance imaging

A new method of analyzing the kinematics of joint motion is developed. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers several distinct advantages. Past methods of studying anatomic joint motion have usually centered on four approaches. These methods are x-ray projection, goniometric linkage analysis, sonic digitization, and landmark measurement of photogrammetry. Of these four, only x-ray is applicable for in vivo studies. The remaining three methods utilize other types of projections of inter-joint measurements, which can cause various types of error. MRI offers accuracy in measurement due to its tomographic nature (as opposed to projection) without the problems associated with x-ray dosage. Once the data acquisition of MR images was complete, the images were processed using a 3D volume rendering workstation. The metacarpalphalangeal (MCP) joint of the left index finger was selected and reconstructed into a three-dimensional graphic display. From the reconstructed volumetric images, measurements of the angles of movement of the applicable bones were obtained and processed by analyzing the screw motion of the MCP joint. Landmark positions were chosen at distinctive locations of the joint at fixed image threshold intensity levels to ensure repeatability. The primarily two dimensional planar motion of this joint was then studied using a method of constructing coordinate systems using three (or more) points. A transformation matrix based on a world coordinate system described the location and orientation of a local target coordinate system. Future research involving volume rendering of MRI data focusing on the internal kinematics of the hand's individual ligaments, cartilage, tendons, etc. will follow. Its findings will show the applicability of MRI to joint kinematics for gaining further knowledge of the hand-glove (power assisted) design for extravehicular activity (EVA)

KCNQ/M currents in sensory neurons: Significance for pain therapy

Neuronal hyperexcitability is a feature of epilepsy and both inflammatory and neuropathic pain. M currents [I-K(M)] play a key role in regulating neuronal excitability, and mutations in neuronal KCNQ2/3 subunits, the molecular correlates of I-K(M), have previously been linked to benign familial neonatal epilepsy. Here, we demonstrate that KCNQ/M channels are also present in nociceptive sensory systems. I-K(M) was identified, on the basis of biophysical and pharmacological properties, in cultured neurons isolated from dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) from 17-d-old rats. Currents were inhibited by the M-channel blockers linopirdine (IC50, 2.1 muM) and XE991 (IC50, 0.26 muM) and enhanced by retigabine (10 muM). The expression of neuronal KCNQ subunits in DRG neurons was confirmed using reverse transcription-PCR and single-cell PCR analysis and by immunofluorescence. Retigabine, applied to the dorsal spinal cord, inhibited C and Adelta fiber-mediated responses of dorsal horn neurons evoked by natural or electrical afferent stimulation and the progressive "windup" discharge with repetitive stimulation in normal rats and in rats subjected to spinal nerve ligation. Retigabine also inhibited responses to intrapaw application of carrageenan in a rat model of chronic pain; this was reversed by XE991. It is suggested that I-K(M) plays a key role in controlling the excitability of nociceptors and may represent a novel analgesic target

Centrifuge Modeling of Pile-Supported Wharves for Seismic Hazards

Recent earthquakes have highlighted many seismic hazard concerns for western U.S. ports. Port waterfront structures are commonly constructed utilizing pile-supported wharves in combination with rock dike structures retaining a hydraulically placed backfill. Seismic damage is generally attributed to weak soils that are often prevalent in the marine environment (e.g. liquefiable sands, sensitive cohesive soils). In response to past damage, many ports are instigating soil improvement strategies to eliminate or minimize potential occurrences of liquefaction and to increase the strength of cohesive soils. The design of a seismically resilient wharf requires an understanding of its performance during design level earthquakes. Due to the complex nature of pile-supported wharves, state-of-the-art centrifuge modeling techniques are being used to better understand their seismic performance. The authors used the large-scale centrifuge facility at the University of California at Davis. This paper presents details on the construction, instrumentation, and testing of the models. Results from the tests are also included, such as the seismic pile behavior, effect of soil improvement, and the overall behavior

EVA Glove Research Team

The goal of the basic research portion of the extravehicular activity (EVA) glove research program is to gain a greater understanding of the kinematics of the hand, the characteristics of the pressurized EVA glove, and the interaction of the two. Examination of the literature showed that there existed no acceptable, non-invasive method of obtaining accurate biomechanical data on the hand. For this reason a project was initiated to develop magnetic resonance imaging as a tool for biomechanical data acquisition and visualization. Literature reviews also revealed a lack of practical modeling methods for fabric structures, so a basic science research program was also initiated in this area

IES brain potentials reflect secondary hyperalgesia

Central sensitization (CS), the increased sensitivity of the central nervous system to somatosensory inputs, accounts for secondary hyperalgesia, a typical sign of several painful clinical conditions. Brain potentials elicited by mechanical punctate stimulation using flat-tip probes can provide neural correlates of CS, but their signal-to-noise ratio is limited by poor synchronization of the afferent nociceptive input. Additionally, mechanical punctate stimulation does not activate nociceptors exclusively. In contrast, low-intensity intraepidermal electrical stimulation (IES) allows selective activation of type II Aδ-mechano-heat nociceptors (II-AMHs) and elicits reproducible brain potentials. However, it is unclear whether hyperalgesia from IES occurs and coexists with secondary mechanical punctate hyperalgesia, and whether the magnitude of the electroencephalographic (EEG) responses evoked by IES within the hyperalgesic area is increased. To address these questions, we explored the modulation of the psychophysical and EEG responses to IES by intraepidermal injection of capsaicin in healthy human subjects. We obtained three main results. First, the intensity of the sensation elicited by IES was significantly increased in participants who developed robust mechanical punctate hyperalgesia after capsaicin injection (i.e., responders), indicating that hyperalgesia from IES coexists with punctate mechanical hyperalgesia. Second, the N2 peak magnitude of the EEG responses elicited by IES was significantly increased after the intraepidermal injection of capsaicin in responders only. Third, a receiver-operator characteristics analysis showed that the N2 peak amplitude is clearly predictive of the presence of CS. These findings suggest that the EEG responses elicited by IES reflect secondary hyperalgesia and therefore represent an objective correlate of CS.This work was funded by the Wellcome Trust Pain Consortium (COLL JLARAXR to GDI and AHD), a UCL Grand Challenges studentship (to JON), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81571659 to ML) and the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin (15JCYBJC55100 to ML).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Physiological Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00013.201

Brain potentials evoked by intraepidermal electrical stimuli reflect the central sensitization of nociceptive pathways

Central sensitization (CS), the increased sensitivity of the central nervous system to somatosensory inputs, accounts for secondary hyperalgesia, a typical sign of several painful clinical conditions. Brain potentials elicited by mechanical punctate stimulation using flat-tip probes can provide neural correlates of CS, but their signal-to-noise ratio is limited by poor synchronisation of the afferent nociceptive input. Additionally, mechanical punctate stimulation does not activate nociceptors exclusively. In contrast, low-intensity intra-epidermal electrical stimulation (IES) allows selective activation of type-II Aδ mechano-heat nociceptors (II-AMHs), and elicits reproducible brain potentials. However, it is unclear whether hyperalgesia from IES occurs and co-exists with secondary mechanical punctate hyperalgesia, and whether the magnitude of the EEG responses evoked by IES within the hyperalgesic area is increased. To address these questions, we explored the modulation of the psychophysical and EEG responses to IES by intra-epidermal injection of capsaicin in healthy human subjects. We obtained three main results. First, the intensity of the sensation elicited by IES was significantly increased in participants who developed robust mechanical punctate hyperalgesia after capsaicin injection (i.e., responders), indicating that hyperalgesia from IES co-exists with punctate mechanical hyperalgesia. Second, the N2 peak magnitude of the EEG responses elicited by IES were significantly increased after the intra-epidermal injection of capsaicin in responders only. Third, a receiver-operator characteristics analysis showed that the N2 peak amplitude is clearly predictive of the presence of CS. These findings suggest that the EEG responses elicited by IES reflect secondary hyperalgesia, and therefore represent an objective correlate of CS